Hearing the sound of birds, Liam groaned rubbing his eyes as he sat up in bed glancing expectantly at his alarm.
He almost curses seeing the time being much later than ever allowed to sleep in. It was nearly seven in the morning.
Fumbling to get out of bed he's panting as he throws open his door hurrying down the hall toward his owner's room, "Ma-masters!" he calls apologies ready on the tip of his tongue, he knocks hurriedly on the door with tears building in his eyes as he knows he's in deep shit if he slept through his alarm.
Liam remembered the first and only time he'd ever hit snooze, he couldn't sit for three days after Zayn's beating.
Panicking when silence was returned he twisted the door knob poking his head in seeing the room empty. The bed was made, lights were off. The room looks untouched as if neither owner slept in it the night before.
Descending the stairs Liam ran a hand through his hair knowing if everyone was sitting at breakfast he'd be walking into the lion's den wearing his pajamas, Harry Malik had a strict policy against wearing sweats at the table.
Attempting to stabilize his breathing, he feels pale seeing the barren dining room. Only a placemat with a single plate on it, a glass of water next to it with Liam's daily vitamins in front of it.
The boy felt his throat go dry, the glass of water seemed out of reach, miles from where he stood in the entryway watching as the room began to spin. Had his worst fear come true and Harry finally abandoned him?
The submissive used to have nightmares of this happening, he knew from experience when Andy disappeared from his life at the Submissive academy. Liam had told him goodnight only to wake up the next morning to his room looking as if it only ever housed him. When he asked his teachers and counselors about the boy Liam was treated with indifference, one of the teachers asked if the submissive needed to call Harry because he must've been so lonely to have made up such a thing.
"Liam Styles to the office," Callum called hanging the phone up on his desk, he smiled at the boy sending him off with a wink. Every staff member at the school knew of Liam's routine, he was signed out every other Tuesday to spend with his dominant. He'd always come back with trimmed hair and it'd take a week to break the boy from his shell.
One of the counselors raised her concern for the boy, she was let go almost immediately.
Making his way to the office Liam passes by his dorm room grabs his jacket, he sees a picture of Andy he hid in his belongings stuffing it in his pocket, he chews his bottom lip doing a onceover of his room before pulling the door closed behind him.
Seeing his owner standing with his arms crossed in front of the office, Liam smiles in greeting, "H-Hi master," Harry glances at him taking Liam's hand in his own, "Hello my sweet boy," he coos in return pulling Liam behind him to his car.
Ensuring Liam was buckled he pulled from the space onto the road toward the salon where he had a standing reservation, "I think we need to go a little shorter this time, your hair grows so fast," Liam nodded knowing his opinion didn't truly matter to the man, he asked him the first time if he could keep it long, Harry belted him in the salon before having the stylist buzz his hair for even asking.
"How's school?" Harry asks flipping his turn signal on, Liam inhales patting his pocket where the photo was, "G-good sir, um," Liam pauses as Harry pulls into the parking lot gesturing for him to get out once he's parked.
Grabbing his submissive's hand once more Harry tightens the grip pulling him closer, "What's the 'um'," he muses planting his lips on Liam's forehead, the submissive replies with a sheepish smile and shake of the head, "No-nothing, s-sorry master."
He's led to the salon trailing Harry to the front desk as he's checked in, "Liam Styles," the boy swallows at the name feeling the sting of tears prick his eyes, he didn't know if he'd ever truly get used to hearing it. He's being led once more by his owner, to the lobby as they wait for their stylist to be available.
Liam watches the submissives and skips in the salon mingle around him, he feels as if Harry is one of the few dominants in the room his presence overpowering the salon ambiance.
"You're quiet today," Harry notes aloud, he rubs Liam's neck sweetly, "What's going on in that head?" The submissive meets his eyes asking permission to speak freely, Harry giving an encouraging nod to ease him, "A-Andy's gone," Liam admits what's been keeping him up the past week, "an-and no one seems t-to remember him at school," pulling the photo from his pocket he hands it to his owner, "We-we took that picture on our first day, sir, he-he was there,"
Harry reaches up to ruffle Liam's hair, he offers him a sympathetic smile, "Sweetheart he was probably signed for, and the dominant asked for a sealed record, it's protocol that the school moves on as if nothing happened," the submissive knows he should take his owners word for it, his explanation and move on putting his fear and worry to rest. He knows this is what he's supposed to do.
The dominant too seems to realize Liam's struggle to do exactly that as he clears his throat pressing his forehead to Liam's gazing into the younger ones' eyes, "What's really on your mind?"
The tears that have been welled in Liam's chocolate eyes since he woke up in his bedroom alone spill, the damn breaks as he whimpers scooting closer to his master, "He-he's go-gone, I-I'm all a-alone sir, I-I don't want t-to be alone." Confessing his biggest fear, the fear of abandonment - of being alone - Liam moves from the chair to Harry's lap curling into him as he sobs.
He missed his friend, he missed his parents, and he even missed Harry when the man dropped him off on Tuesdays.
Without Andy, Liam was truly alone.
He didn't notice he'd been moved from Harry's lap until he felt a hand brushing hair from his face. Opening his eyes he sees that he's in the stylist's chair, Harry behind him telling the woman exactly what he wants, Liam's eyes flickering to her side table seeing the razor, her hands hovering over it, he looks back through his tears in the mirror seeing Harry mouthing the words to shave it.
Liam feels himself floating, he wants the floor to cave in and swallow him whole. To be anywhere but there at that moment.
When the tip of the razor touched his head, Liam's jolted back to reality glancing in the mirror once more seeing Harry's figure had disappeared. Once again, Liam was alone.
Liam was walked back to the front by the stylist when she completed buzzing his hair, he saw Harry on the phone talking sternly to someone, his glare softening when he saw his submissive staring blankly at him.
Hanging up the phone he stands pulling Liam for a hug and kissing his hair, "My good boy," he hums ruffling the shortened hair, "My good submissive boy,"
Leading him back to the car Harry closes Liam's door for him before getting into the driver's seat, "I have an idea," the master inquires, "why don't we get our nails done Friday? Feel like missing two days of school this week?" Liam's puppy stare moves from his lap to his master's emerald orbs, he nods solemnly, "Great," Harry chirps putting the car in reverse and taking Liam back to his school, "I just think I've tuckered you out too much today," he tuts at the boy taking him by hand to the school signing him back in.
He urges the boy to keep moving past the office associates to his dorm room, Liam opens the door and sees it rearranged once more, there is another bed in the room again, he gasps turning toward Harry, "Wh-who?" he's gently pushed further into the room by his owner, "Let's get you down," he soothes sitting Liam on the bed laying him down, he sits stroking his cheeks, "I love your short hair,"
The submissive looked beyond him to the other bed in the room, while he knew the chances of it being Andy were slim to none, he couldn't deny his anxious excitement to have a roommate again, perhaps even just a friend.
Feeling himself struggling to stay awake, Liam weakly grabs Harry's hand begging the master to stay, he smiles pressing his lips to Liam's forehead and laying next to him, "You have me," he assures cuddling his boy.
Rolling from his side to his stomach, the submissive gasps meeting the space in bed. He'd expected to curl further into his owner's arms. Instead, he shifts rolling onto his back sitting up with a pout gracing his tired features, he glances at the nightstand and sees his clock read 9:45 PM in neon green letters, he'd missed dinner.
Chewing his bottom lip in thought, Liam brings his knees to his chest with a sigh. He knew Harry had left, he was alone. The submissive naively thought when he got the news he'd been signed he never had to spend another day alone, part of the boy felt relief in that thought and used it to carry him through his father's insults regarding his result.
He rakes a shaky hand through his hair wanting to sob feeling how little was left on his head. "I love your short hair," he could hear Harry's haunting praise at the buzz, Liam absolutely despised it, but he knew he didn't have a say. He was a submissive, and good submissives didn't care about the small things. Liam wanted to be a good submissive.
Returning to his stomach he buries his head in his pillow letting it absorb his sob-heavy sigh, tears coursing down his cheeks. Bringing his submissive marking to his line of watery vision, he sniffles tracing it as he vows to be the very best submissive he can be so Harry never leaves him alone once he's graduated. Liam swore he'd be a good submissive.
Good Submissives are never alone.
"I love your short hair," Liam mumbles to himself, he stumbles from the dining room upstairs, he needs to make his master happy. He's a submissive, that's what submissives do.
"Ma-master Harry," Liam whimpers wearily dragging himself to his master's bathroom, his eyes glaze the tub he'd been bathed in more times than he can count. He groans seeing the picture frame of him and Harry on the counter, taking it in his hands he pouts remembering that he never got the picture of him and Andy back.
"F-Fuck you," he growls dropping the frame to the floor, cursing that he'd just had such a thought toward his master. The glass in the frame shatters, scattering among the marble floor.
Sneering at his clumsiness, his reflection glares back at him, a fire building in his puppy eyes as he's raging and screaming for help at the same time.
Sobbing as he rifled through the drawers until he pulled out his master's razor, Liam plugged it in the sobs beginning as he buzzed through his curls, his hair he'd been so proud of managing to grow, to sneak past those every other Tuesday appointments - he made sure to dig the blades deep ensuring every piece of hair Harry had touched was cut to the root.
Finishing the last line of hair, Liam drops the razor collapsing to his knees ignoring the stinging pain of glass entering through his skin. He lays on the floor watching blood seep through his wounds pooling on the floor around him. He wanted to make his master happy, he wanted to never be left alone again.
The boy grunts feeling a piece of glass pricking his arm, he sucks in a breath pulling it out as he turns glancing at the bathtub with a sniffling scowl, he wanted to never have his hair washed by Harry Malik again.
Pushing the stroller back to the house, Louis glances up from his seat peering at the man, "T-thank you," Zayn smiles ruffling Louis' hair, "anytime Bubba," the pair manage to make it just as Harry is pulling in, the skip in the passenger seat gasps seeing Zayn.
Harry pays him no attention as he rounds the car pulling Louis into his arms, "How's my baby?" Niall unbuckles himself stepping from the car offering no words to Zayn, he simply looks ahead heading to the house.
Zayn chews his bottom lip trailing him, Harry unlocking the front door and pushing it open, "Lee? We're home,"
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