bunny // l.s.

» chapter one

Anxious.

That's a word you'd use to describe how Louis felt these last three months. Still on the brink, the little boy felt his spirit crumbling. He had hoped for a fresh start after the hellish years of high school, but now he was beginning to realize that might not happen. His mental health was certainly deteriorating, having less and less energy to do anything as the days went on. His mother was afraid to let him move to another town, fearing he could not live alone in a dormitory... After everything that had happened to him.

Growing up wasn't easy for him.

Being smaller than the rest of the kids, Louis always got injured one way or another. His fragile bones could barely stand a simple fall, which is exactly why his mother was so reluctant to let him go. Early childhood trauma has not helped him to become stronger either. His father was far from a good man. Seeing his own son as a weak and feminine boy, the man began to hate Louis.

The day both his mother and Louis dreaded arrived after two months of a break. All the way to college, Louis fiddled with his fingers nervously. His mother did everything she could to comfort his son, sensing the nervousness coming from him.

"Everything is going to be fine, Louis," said his mother, breaking the silence in the car. Louis looked up at her from his lap, gnawing on his bottom lip. "This could be the beginning of something new... A new phase of your life. You can choose who you're going to surround yourself with, hm?" The woman was talking quietly, looking at the road in front of them.

"Yeah," Louis replied, not fully believing her words, but still put a smile on his face so he wouldn't worry his dear mother even more.

Feeling his mother's hand pat his knee reassuringly, Louis felt himself zone out again, staring out of the window. Watching other cars drive past them, watching the buildings when they left his hometown, Louis could feel his heart grow heavier. It was his first time out of town by himself. He wondered whether the university was the same as the movies depicted to be... Parties and drugs and whatnot. Louis certainly wasn't one of those people who went to parties. The boy promised himself he'd just stay inside of his dorm with whoever he's paired with and focus on his art... Yeah, it felt like a good plan.

Ignore everything and focus on art.

Ignore people.

Art.

What Louis didn't know was that the promise would definitely break in small pieces when he met his roommate, truly unaware of the things that will happen. Fortunately, Louis was the first to come into the dorm room, making a face at how... plain and boring it was. Gnawing at the inside of his cheeks, the little boy reluctantly chose the left side of the room, placing the bags he could barely bear on the bed.

Why couldn't he just... be alone in his dorm?

Does he have to socialise?

The anxious boy began to reflect too much on the whole situation, without even realizing that five minutes had passed since he arrived. Shaking his head to get rid of crushing thoughts, Louis decided to focus on unpacking and making the room more.. homelike. Of course, he knew that he couldn't make it too feminine like his room at home. Or get more than two plushies... And that he couldn't regress properly. Or have his little items that helped him just laying around.

This is going to be bad, Louis thought to himself.

Swallowing thickly, Louis started to unpack the bags he had brought with him. It looked like the roommate would be arriving later today, and that didn't bother him at all. It gave him time to put his side of the room and the bathroom together. The bed was covered with soft, pink sheets and blankets, his comfort plush toy against the pillows. His comfort toy was a bunny stuffie, big enough to be a body pillow to the small boy. He decorated his desk with his art supplies and his laptop, putting another little teddy toy right next door. It helped him study.

After all was done, Louis sat down again on his bed, feeling satisfied on his side of the room.. Looking through the window next to their beds, he could see that it was starting to get dark outside... The roommate hasn't shown up yet. They told him he would have one, so the chances of being alone in the dorm as he hoped for were slim.

Just as Louis started to get lost in his thoughts again, the sound of the door opening filled his ears. His body stiffened, already sensing the cologne coming from whoever just entered. His heart felt heavy, the smell of the cologne ridiculously familiar. Why did it make him feel sad? The question was answered when Louis looked towards the person that entered, blood running cold.

Harry Styles.

Out of all people that could've been his roommate, the universe went for his high-school bully. Louis was unsure if he should just cry or simply laugh at the ridiculousness that was his life. It was naive of him to even think about a new start now.

A muttered curse could be heard from Harry as his bag bumped against the door while walking in, already having a bad day as it is. The taller man sensed someone was already inside, so he looked towards Louis' way, body stiffening as well. Their eyes connected, all the memories from high-school rushing back as the two stared at each other.

"What are you doing here?" Harry was the first one to speak up after few moments of silence. It was a dumb question, but Harry had no idea what else to say. He didn't expect that his roommate would be someone he tortured in high-school.

Louis' heart started to race when he heard his deep voice, looking down at his hands. Unable to look into his eyes again, the memories hitting him like a ton of bricks. "This... This is my dorm too," Louis somehow got the courage to say, gripping the end of his sleeves.

"Seriously? Out of all people, I'm stuck with you? Again?" Harry scoffed in annoyance, throwing his bags to his bed on the other side. It caused Louis to slightly flinch. "Just don't bother me," The man murmured, turning his back to the other to start unpacking.

"I'm sorry," Louis whispered softly, swallowing thickly right after he spoke. Tears were pricking his eyes, the small boy feeling like crying already. His hopes were just brutally crushed, in a matter of few seconds. Aside from all the anxiety and negative thoughts he had, Louis was actually slightly excited to meet someone new. However, the universe didn't allow that.

Both of the boys had the same thought running around their mind.

"What do I do?"