"That guy has a really big nose! And look at that guys whooper! Holy shit, do you reckon he can even see past that thing?"
"Shut the fuck up Lou, this is the best bit!" Niall said, slapping me across the chest.
"No! Did you see it? Can we rewind?"
Liam shot me a flat look. "Louis, this is literally the third repeat of this part, we're not going back."
"But did you see it?"
"Sure."
I narrowed my eyes at him through the darkness of our makeshift theater, "you're lying."
"Nuh-uh."
Liam didn't take his eyes off the television and I scoffed, "bullshit."
Liam smirked, sitting further back in the couch, "oh well, it's too late to go back now anyway."
We'd gotten back from an early morning show an hour ago after stopping on the way back for food and somehow we had the rest of the day off so we'd decided to have a movie day. We started with 'The Edge Of Tomorrow' (I don't know if anybody would have seen it, but it's a really good movie) which was playing very loudly now. All the curtains were closed to block out all the light and there were three empty bowls on the coffee table. They had been full of popcorn in the beginning, but as usual all of it was gone within the first ten minutes.
"I'm just going to go to the bathroom, I'll be back soon," Harry said, getting out of his seat. He brushed some popcorn crumbs off his shirt.
"Do you want us to pause it?" Niall asked.
"Nah, it's alright," Harry said.
Ten minutes later Harry still wasn't back and I figured he was taking a shit, the entire bowl of popcorn he'd inhaled and the breakfast we'd picked up on our way back from our interview had to come out one way or another.
When Harry came back five minutes later he was moving a little gingerly and I squinted to see him in the light from the TV. He might've even been shaking a bit.
"What took you so long, mate? Taking a dump?" Niall teased as Harry eased back into his seat.
Harry blushed a little and shrugged, "my stomach's a little upset."
"Did you have any lactose?" Liam asked without even skipping a beat. Harry had been lactose intolerant ever since I'd known him and the poor guy didn't have it easy either. I knew several other people who were lactose intolerant and none of them seemed to be effected as badly as Harry. All it took was a square of chocolate and he was sick for the whole day. Those lactose tablets didn't really work for him either.
Harry frowned, "I don't think so. . .but it wouldn't be the first time I've done it accidentally."
"What have you eaten today?"
"Um, I had toast for breakfast and then that burrito from that take out place, I haven't had anything else."
He winced as he stomach let out a growl that almost drowned out the sound of the movie completely. It didn't sound good at all.
Niall shrugged, "maybe you're just getting sick, there's a bug going around."
"Or maybe there was sour cream or something in that burrito," Liam said sympathetically.
"It sure as hell feels like there was," Harry said, groaning as he squirmed in his seat.
"Go grab yourself some painkillers," Niall suggested.
"I think I might have to."
Harry got up again and disappeared into the kitchen.
We sat in silence for a few minutes as a particularly good scene played in the movie.
"Hopefully Haz doesn't get as bad as he usually does, on the one day we get off I think he'd prefer to not be vomiti-" Niall was cut off by an awful retch from the kitchen and blinked slowly with a sigh, "there he goes."
"I'll go," I volunteered and hurried to the kitchen where Harry was leaning over the sink, breathing heavily and clutching at his stomach.
"Do you wanna try get to the bathroom?" I asked, laying a hand on his shaking shoulder blade.
"One-s-sec," he gasped and then heaved, throwing up loudly into the sink. I tried my best to comfort him, rubbing his back and holding his hair back but I knew I wasn't really that much help.
"N-now we can g-go," he rasped.
I quickly tugged him into the bathroom where he immediately collapsed over the toilet threw up again, squirming and clenching his muscles from the pain. I couldn't even imagine. All this from a little squirt of sour cream.
"Lou, it r-really-"
His gut rumbled again, like thunder, and he whimpered.
"Fuck!" the curse burst from his lips, "it really fucking h-hurts!"
His toes curled and his eyes glassed over.
"What can I do?" I questioned softly.
"Some w-water, and- jesus christ, you might want to leave."
He tucked his head in, his jaw clenched tightly.
"Are you sure? I don't mind staying."
"I'm s-sure Lou," he forced out as he struggled to his feet.
I nodded, "okay, I'll waiting for you out there, just yell if you need anything."
"T-thanks," he replied. I left and gently closed the door behind me.
Harry's POV:
It took twenty minutes for me to finish up and even then I was still in agony. Nothing else was coming up or out by this point though and I definitely preferred to be out there with my friend's comfort than writhing on the bathroom floor by myself.
I dragged myself out to the living room, my knees threatening to give out from underneath me the entire time. I was so exhausted, being in the bathroom expelling the contents of my stomach for twenty minutes had really taken it out of me.
"You alright, Hazza?" Niall asked as I got closer, being the first one to notice me.
"Not really," I admitted quietly, tightening the grip around my stomach as it gurgled.
"Come sit down, you look like you're ready to collapse," Liam said.
I nodded wearily and joined him on the couch. I rubbed my face, it was hot from crying and there was still a lump in my throat from trying not to.
"Do you want a drink, Haz?" Louis asked and I nodded in response, "please."
He came back a few minutes later and gave me a glass of water along with everyone else and himself. I swallowed a few mouthfuls and stared blankly at the TV. I didn't even know what was going on anymore, I'd missed too much. The distraction wasn't enough and I found myself holding back cries and twisting in my seat as my stomach fought with everything it had.
I dug the heel of my hands into it in an attempt to calm it down but surprise, surprise, it didn't work. A strong wave of nausea washed over me and a small gasp slipped out of my mouth, my fingers curling around the material of the couch. I defiantly swallowed the bile that was climbing up my raw throat and struggled to get myself under control. I wasn't exactly doing a very good job of it.
"Harry, why don't you go try sleep this off? You're obviously in pain and feeling like hell," Liam gently suggested as the credits rolled over the screen.
"Bucket," was the one word I managed to get out.
"Huh?" Louis pulled a face.
I opened my to try again but ended up clapping a hand over it with a gag.
"Shit !"
Niall raced into the laundry and grabbed a bucket, returning in record speed and giving it to me just as I burst. The tears were back, streaming down my face as loud sobs tore from my throat in between rounds. I heaved over and over again, retching dryly when I had nothing left. I could feel my mind fuzzing a bit, I was so tired and empty, I could've fallen asleep right then and then, mid projectile puke, which would've been a great story to tell at parties.
Luckily I managed to stay awake until it was over and then one last lurch in my stomach woke me back up as I coughed.
"Hazza, you've gotta try calm down, I know it hurts but you're not helping yourself," Liam said as I continued to sob. I laid down across the couch and closed my eyes, still hiccuping. My knees curled into my chest and I closed my eyes, trying to block out the smell of vomit.
"That's it, just go to sleep," Liam muttered. I let my thoughts go, and quickly, easily, fell into a pained but well needed sleep.
Alright, this is really really really really short but I have a reason: I know absolutely nothing about lactose intolerance. I haven't known anybody in my entire life who is lactose intolerant or anything, I literally have zero knowledge. I figured the less I wrote the less chance I'd have of screwing up so that's why it's only 1200 words.
I hope you liked it, comment anything you want to say, I read everyone's comments every time so don't worry, you'll get noticed :)