the nightingale

Chapter Four

It was a Tuesday. Louis woke up sore and exhausted. His mind immediately going back to last night, and his eyes watered at the memory.

Scott beat him until he was unconscious. He hardly remembered anything else after. He only remembered the painful blows.

Louis groaned when he crawled out of bed. His whole body was on fire. He had to push through. He had to make Scott's breakfast.

He made Scott's favorite blueberry pancakes.

"Thank you, baby," Scott said and sat down.

After he ate and went to work, Louis watered his plants. His very old bonsai tree which was at least a hundred years old, a small cactus, and a Venus flytrap were his most prized possessions. He didn't have a dog or a cat to take care of, so he took care of them. They even had names.

"I wish I knew karate, Mr. Miyagi," Louis said, talking to his bonsai tree. "So I can take Scott down. He really hurts me sometimes. I hate being so weak."

Louis sniffed and rubbed his neck. He knew he had bruises there. He'd have to cover them up later.

Louis opened the window so his Venus flytrap could catch its bugs.

"I think I'm going to try to call my mum before Scott comes home from work," Louis told the Venus flytrap, which he named Judy. "Thank God he doesn't check my phone."

Louis giggled and watched a fly fall right into the trap, the flytrap closing the insect in.

"Eat up, Judy," Louis said and smiled.

He shook his head at himself. Was he really having a full conversation with his plants?

You're so fucking stupid.
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Louis looked at his naked self in the mirror. He had small finger mark bruises on his neck that were turning purple, along with bruises on his legs.

He put on a blue turtleneck and some jeans to cover them up. Louis was glad he could get away with it since it was getting chilly out. He loved fall and winter. Mainly because of the holidays, and he could wear long sleeves, jeans, and turtlenecks. He was a pro at hiding bruises.

He grabbed his phone and wallet, and walked out of the house. It was very chilly out, the October breeze hitting his face. Louis tried very hard to walk normally, but his limp didn't go unnoticed.

Harry noticed right off the bat too.

Louis walked in, very slowly as if it hurt him to walk.

Louis ordered Scott's daily ham sandwich and paid.

"Hi, Louis. Is everything okay?" Harry asked and looked him up and down, noticing his limp and shaky legs. "How are you feeling?"

Louis shrugged and mumbled. "'m okay. Tired."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Harry said and gave Louis his lunch. "You sure you're okay?"

"It's okay. And yeah I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow," Louis said and waddled back outside.

Louis wanted to smack himself. Harry had to fucking notice.
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Once Louis got home, he changed his clothes. The tight jeans made his thighs hurt even more. He put on an old t-shirt and some sweatpants, and called it good.

He had a few hours until Scott came home, so he figured he'd give his mum a call. He missed her very much. The last time he saw her was almost a year ago.