Scared (L.S)

twenty seven

After that day, things went relatively back to normal. Although Louis lasted the full day of school each day for the remainder of the week, he was skipping half of his footie practices and was unusually quiet, even at home with just Anne and Harry around.

But the next week Louis seemed a bit better. It was on the first Wednesday of February that Louis seemed to be truly getting back to himself. They were having Louis' eldest two sisters over for dinner and a game night, something that seemed to, understandably, make Louis undeniably happy.

While Harry was extremely grateful to have Louis drive him to and from school each day, he almost missed his long walks which had always helped to regulate his mood. Therefore, when Louis went immediately after school to pick up his eldest two sisters, leaving Harry to walk home by himself, Harry was almost happy to have the time along to himself. Not to mention the fact that the two boys had been spending almost all their time together. Harry had taken to hanging out with Jade in the bleachers during football practice, leaving their only time apart to be while in classes. And as much as Harry loved Louis with everything he had, he was, at his core, a solo person, an introvert, and craved privacy, time alone.

Hence, Harry soaked up all the time he had during his walk home and the short time home alone before Louis showed up with his sisters.

"Harry?" Harry heard his voice being called from where he was standing in the kitchen. However, Harry didn't reply as Louis was already stepping into the kitchen, his sisters following closely behind him.

"Hi, H," Louis said quietly, leaning across the counter to kiss Harry's cheek, ignoring the scoff of disgust from one of his sisters.

"Made you guys some food," Harry said, offering the arrangement of snacks that were laid out on the counter.

"Thanks, baby," Louis said, reaching out to grab some food before giving Harry a grin and motioning for his sisters to take some food.

"Thanks, Harry," Lottie said, Fizzy nodding along as her mouth was full of food.

Louis sat his sisters at the table and bombarded them with questions for a good hour, Harry standing off to the side for a while before taking a seat next to Louis. He hadn't wanted to interfere with the siblings' reunion but Louis seemed happy when he took a seat beside him, reaching over and rubbing the back of the younger boy's neck in a greeting before jumping right back into conversation with his sisters, who were eager as ever to have his full attention.

At around 5 o'clock Harry ordered a pizza, which arrived at the same time his mother did. Louis was quick to introduce the girls to Anne (this is the lovely woman who has been letting me stay here) and they got along well with Harry's mum, who craved any sort of female interaction given the fact that she was living with two teenage guys now.

Harry was happier than anything to see his mum getting along well with Louis' sisters. It led him to think about what their futures might look like. Anne with both Gemma and Louis' sisters. All bridesmaids at their wedding (or flower girls or whatever). Or the thought of spending the holidays together, as one big family.

"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout so hard?" Louis said quietly to Harry, so only he would hear.

Harry just hummed quietly and leaned towards Louis, "Nothing really."

"You were smiling quite big."

"Was I?"

Louis chuckled and wrapped his arm around Harry's neck before speaking so the whole kitchen could hear him, "Shall we play some games then?"

Everyone agreed so Louis and Harry cleared the table from their dinner while Anne took the girls down the hall to choose what games to play.

Later that night, after Louis had teamed up with his sisters in an intense game of connect four against Harry and his mum, followed by an abandoned game of Monopoly, he drove his sisters home.

It was quiet when he pulled up to the curb beside the house he used to call home. He didn't anymore, though. Now he considered his home to be wherever Harry was, wherever he felt loved and, more often than not, that was only with Harry.

"I hope you girls had fun today," Louis said, turning to smile at Lottie in the passenger seat before glancing in the rearview mirror at Fizzy.

The girls giggled before getting serious looks on their faces, making some intense eye contact between the two.

"What's wrong?" Louis asked.

"When are you coming home?" Lottie blurted out.

Louis sighed and he could see the tired, sad look that filled the Tomlinson faces in the car.

"Mum doesn't want me to live there anymore," Louis explained. He thought Fizzy, at 10, was still too young to know the details.

"She's miserable!" Fizzy exclaimed, tears filling her eyes. "We all are, we miss you."

Louis turned in his seat and reached to hold his sister's hand. "I miss all of you, too, Fizz, and you don't get it right now but I can't come home." He paused and Lottie let out a sob. Louis reached his other hand to hold hers. "I love you guys so much and I miss you and the twins more than you will ever know."

"So come home!" Fizzy yelled, looking more angry than sad.

"I can't, love."

"You keep saying that, but why?" Fizzy asked, exasperated.

"You're too young, babe."

"Uuurgh!" Fizzy exclaimed and got out of the car, storming towards the house.

Louis sighed and turned to Lottie, ruffling her hair. "I love you."

"Love you too, Lou," Lottie said, leaning over to leave a kiss on his cheek before getting out of the car.

---

Later that night, when Louis and Harry were lying in bed, making out, Louis burst into tears.

Harry had been on top of the older boy, Louis' hands on his bum as Harry kissed his neck and jaw, but when he felt Louis' hands fall and heard the boy take in a sharp breath, followed by the sound of a choked sob, he quickly pulled away.

"Lou?" Harry was confused.

"I'm sorry," Louis choked out.

"Baby," Harry whispered, "Angel, what's wrong?"

"No, no, I'm okay," Louis insisted, "Let's just keep going."

Louis reached up and pulled Harry's face down, connecting their lips and desperately trying to keep his sobs down.

"Louis. Louis, stop," Harry said, pulling away from the boy who had obvious tears painting his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," Louis whispered, clutching at Harry's shirt, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Lou," Harry said, hugging the boy tightly, trying his best to do anything to make the boy feel loved, "You're okay, sweetie."

Louis sobbed and pressed his face into the top of Harry's head, smelling the oh so familiar scent of the boy's hair and feeling some of his pain subside.

"They all hate me, H."

Harry gasped, "No they don't."

"Yes they do, my mum is blaming this whole thing on me."

Harry didn't know what to say. He hugged the boy tighter and placed a soft kiss to his chest. "It's okay."

"It's not."

And once again Harry didn't know what to say. So he said the only thing he did know. "I love you."

Louis sighed and hugged him tighter, "I know."