"Louis!" Comes a deafeningly familiar voice from outside, a heavy fist banging on the door."Louis William Tomlinson, if you don't open this door I will fucking climb through thewindow!"
Chest pounding, Louis fails to monitor his heartbeat. "Damn it, Niall."
*NARRATOR'S POV*
Louis looks up at Edward as he scrambles off the bed on his way to answer the door. He couldanswer it all in the same amount of guilt that he can have if he ignored it.
He won't ignore his bestfriend
."Petal." Edward grabs Louis by his waist and their faces end up millimetres apart. "Pants. Now."
Blushing at his indecency, Louis chooses a random pair of sweat pants to tug on under his newlygifted and customised white T-shirt. Harry simply crawls back to lie against the pillows, a newcigarette between his lips and one knee bent in the air.Louis twisted the door handle and immediately everything that is tranquil about a hotel room isripped apart by Niall's outrage.
"Where the Hell- Louis, you're dead."Edward finds it hilarious that someone else takes the time to deliver such threats.
Of course hekeeps his back to them and observes everything that's happening on the street.Niall walks in first with Louis screwing his mouth shut upon seeing two other males follow him in.He recognises Liam and sighs heavily at the disapproval evident in his frown, then this other ladwith quiffed hair and defined cheekbones.
Where did he come from?
"Hey, Niall." Louis sheepishly greets his friend with the storm in his bright eyes glaring daggersinto his soul.
"Don't you dare." Niall kept his voice soft but tone deadly, cornering Louis in the doorway. "Whatthe Hell is wrong with you?"
"How'd you find me?" Louis instead asks, genuinely curious as he fidgets with the hem of his shirt.
"What are you doing worlds away from home?!" Niall spits, face flushing with anger. He evenlooks taller. "You have a job you haven't been to and an apartment that's abandoned. A father that'sin a coma and me who's fucking pissed at you. Why the actual fuck are you in anothercounty, Louis?"
"Niall." Louis says calmly, not wanting to lose his nerve at any of those reminders. "I'm off workwhich they know. I'm updated on my dad's condition. I'm not going back to that apartment even if Iwas in Middleston."
"And me? You didn't give a shit to tell me you were taking a bloody road trip somewhere with thosetwo." Niall jerks his thumb in the general direction of whatever's behind him.
"You would have objected and I would have went anyway." Louis tries to loosen some of thetension.
Niall looks at the ground as he thinks, rubbing his temple. "Fine. Yeah. You're right."
"Exactly." Louis opens his arms and Niall relaxes into them, a well-earned hug for them both. "Arewe good now?"
"No. Fuck you." Niall doesn't sound half as harsh as he ought to. "You left me."
"And now you found me with not one but two boyfriends. You're welcome." Louis cheekily patsNiall's back twice before withdrawing.
"Shut up." Niall grumbles as he pulls away, but the extra pink tint in undeniable.
"Why don't you stay for the rest of the weekend?" Louis proposes. "We were planning on goingback tomorrow- well, today."
"I'll have to." His friend shrugs and yawns. "The next flight is today in a couple hours."
"You flew here?" Louis briefly glances over Niall's shoulder at the awkward non-interactionbetween officer and criminal. "All three of you?"
"Yeah, Lou. I was worried. Liam also um- found out something he wants to tell you." Niall sniffsand Louis nods solemnly, easily catching the drift of what he meant.
"Book a room. Get some sleep." Louis gives Niall one more embrace that he holds onto for a bitlonger. "I'll see you afterwards."
"Okay." Niall squeezes Louis' shoulders. "And what is that shirt? It's awful."
"Shut up." Louis laughs, escorting Niall across the four foot distance to the door again. "Go on. Outyou go."
Liam walks out first, a little more than just eager to leave the impeccably unnervingattention of anything Styles-related. He passes Louis a brief hug because they're that familiar withone another.
"Our room is four doors down the hall." He tells the boy in his ear, smiling to play it off and ignoresLouis' bewildered expression. "Louis, this is Zayn."
All eyes turn to the newbie in their somewhat unconventional clan of enemies and best friends.Louis feels an arm snake around him and knows exactly who it is from the twins by the gentlerhythm of stroking fingers over his hip bone.
"Nice to meet you." Louis gets to shake Zayn's hand once before leaning into Harry's side, a whiffof nicotine entering his lungs.
"Yes." Zayn isn't too impressed with the boy Niall gloated, complained and fused about. He's underthe arm of a serial killer and that's unacceptable.
"Likewise."Louis notices the change of welcoming demeanour and finds it a little amusing.
He let's Harrysqueeze his waist and lower his mouth to the side of his neck, grey smoke leaving the pass of hislips like fog pressing against Louis' goosebumps. Possessiveness is his best trait.
"Zayn!" Niall calls from the hallway, rendering a giggle from Louis and that brings aspecialised smirk to Harry's face. Zayn turns on his heel and leaves, shutting the door harshly and not missing the way Harry pressesLouis up against the wall.
"Nah uh." Edward intervenes when Harry starts kissing Louis' hot throat, tasting his own cigarettesmoke. "Petal needs to sleep."
Highly amused, Louis manages to detach Harry from his shoulder-neck junction and step awayfrom the steel cage of human muscle locking him in. Edward smiles when he sees him yawn, hardlyconcealed behind his fist as Louis climbs under the messy sheets to close his eyes.There's a weight of another person lining up with his back and judging by the lack of smoke, Louisknows it's Edward. He finds his comfortable spot between Edward's shoulders and under his chin,nailed to the mattress by heavier limbs overtaking his own. Half his face was buried in the pillow,one eye only available to watch Harry crawl in as well minutes later.
"Go to sleep, petal." Harry kisses Louis' forehead because that's all he can reach.Louis at once seals his eyelids and hides in Edward's magnetic hold once again, a rare kind of peaceflooding his insides as he calmly slips under into a slumber.
* * * * *
"I don't like him." Zayn states, cold as ice, from where he's seated on their single bed. They reallyneed to stop living in hotels.
"Who?" Niall doesn't bother to brush his hair after his shower and walks out of the bathroom inboxers.
"Your friend, Louis." Zayn waits for a reaction, and gets none. "He's a bit shady, ducky."
Niall laughs as he throws his pants and shirt over Liam's on a desk chair. "Shady is not theword for Louis."
"Is he worse?"
"He's better." The blond climbs up beside him. "What's the matter all of a sudden?"
"I dunno. I just-" Zayn frustratedly rakes through his dark hair. "-it felt wrong to be in thatroom."
Liam listens silently as he moves about the room, double-checking the windows and doors.
"You've been arresting bad guys all your life." Niall says quietly, a little insecure. "Louis' beenrehabilitating them."
"Is that rehab, Niall?" Zayn cries, hand flying in the direction of the room they came from.
"Hey now." Liam interrupts. "Don't get angry at Niall for something Louis did wrong."
"What is going on?" Niall asks to no one, throwing his arms up. "Louis' not doing anything wrong."
"Weren't you just pissed because he left you and all his responsibilities behind?" Zayn makeshimself sound a thousand times less desirable.
"Yes and even then I knew his reasons. I was angry and that's it. I'm not judging him."
"Well I am." Zayn gets up. "The twins are absolutely fuckin' insane and he's sleeping with them."
"Why does it concern us?" Liam asks again, pulling back the comforter. "It's his own thing if thatrelationship goes downhill."
"It matters to me. He's my best friend, whether or not his two boyfriends are spawn from thecraziest man in Middleston history."
"Niall." Zayn admonishes like he's a child. "All I'm saying is that I don't like him and I especiallydon't like the twins."
"Well too bad." Niall retaliates with narrowed eyes. "You haven't seen him with the twins and youhaven't seen what he's been through. I, and only I, have the right to be angry at Louis."
Not Zayn or Liam can get a word in edge wise because it's like a dam has broken and Niall can'tstop now.
"I'm sorry I dragged you two here and I'll pay you both back for the tickets if that's what you want,but I don't regret coming." Niall is standing up and pulling on his pants before someone can stophim, eyes stinging but his emotions keeping the tears clogged. "Louis would do the same for me andI'm not going to hold the fact that he's with the twins against him."
Everything falls silent as Niall shoves his feet in his laced shoes, smashing the tough backing.
"Where are you going?" Liam finally asks, his actual tiredness showing through his front ofsuperiority.
"Over there." Niall motions towards the hall and essentially, Louis and the twins' room. "If theydon't answer me, I'll sleep in the hallway but I can't come back here right now."
"Niall!" Zayn rushes to the door when Niall leaves it swinging, just missing him when he stretchesout his arm for the boy.
* * * * *
Edward hears a knock on their door at a moment past the time he settled down into a sleep. Hisbody was exhausted even if that didn't show, finally getting to rest after both Louis and Harry havefallen asleep as well. He doesn't want to wake up and check who it is so he waits, but they knockagain and this time Louis wakes up.
"Who is it?" His petal turns around in his arms to ask.
"I don't know, petal." Edward wants to block out the interruption but apparently Louis seems tosense something's off and goes to answer it himself.Upon opening the heavy door that slides silently across a thick carpet, Louis reveals an exhaustedNiall standing on the other side without a shirt.
"Hey Lou." His friend greets, wry and meaningless smile on display.
"Niall." Louis ushers Niall into their room because it's cold and he's got such a lazy mate for afriend. "What are you doing?"
"Couldn't sleep." Niall pushes his falling fringe back. "Can I bunk here?"
"Sure." Louis doesn't even hesitate. "We can sleep on the floor together."
He's not sure if Edward will cooperate but he'll just have to convince him to lay off for now if theman doesn't.
"Petal?" Edward's shifting off the bed and Louis can no longer hide them in the darkness of thedoorway.
"Come on." Louis loops his arm through Niall's and drags him deeper into their room. "Harry'sasleep so we have to be a little quiet."
Edward appears like a sleepy version of sex on legs in front of them, a displeased frown already onshow. "What are you doing?"
"He's staying here." Louis replies coolly, making sure not to easily discard the topic and aggravatethe man.
"Why?" Edward asks shortly, but doesn't so much as even look at Niall.
Louis sighs and releases Niall's arm to excuse himself and Edward for a small segment ofexplanation. Edward is willing enough to come with him into the doorway again where it's darkenough hide amongst the shadows of the wall closet.
"Please?" Is what Louis says first, clasping his hands together over his tummy.
"Please what, petal?" Edward puts a hand on the wall over Louis' head, blocking him and alsoleaning against something for a while.
"Can he stay?" Louis looks into his eyes in earnest. "I know the room is small but something musthave happened and it's most likely because of me. He's my best friend, Daddy, and I can't say no tohim now."
Not in the mood or right frame of mind regarding his energy reserves, Edward exhales loudly andfinally nods. Louis thanks him - because he knows how close he was to being denied - witha kiss to his cheek.When he makes to help Niall set up a fake bed structure, Edward takes his wrist. "You're stillsleeping in the bed."
Louis' shoulders sag as he deflates. "But-"
"No." Edward puts his finger to his lips, finally the black sparkly re-establishing itself in his eyes."No arguments, petal."
"He'll be-"
"What did I say?" Edward grows harsher in manner, looming over Louis' shorter form. "Noarguments."
Aware that there's no winning this debate, Louis nods and steps around Edward with a shuffle. Theman doesn't move an inch to let Louis pass and almost brings the picture frame down when he pinsLouis against the wall. It was so sudden that Louis' head spins from the fast motion, gasping whenhis hands are held above his head and a pair of familiar lips meet his pulse.
"You're mine." Edward's teeth sink into the beating throb, painfully going as deep as he wants."Remember that, petal. You will never sleep in someone else's bed."
* * * * *
"Hey, Lou?" Niall turned onto his side, as did Louis so he could communicate with him."Hmm?"
Louis responded from under Edward's naked arm wrapped like titanium around his middleunder his shirt.Niall was on the floor, looking up at Louis who had scooted as close to the edge of the bed as hecan.
"You're not like....mad that I did this, right?"Louis blinks to wake himself up a bit more, then smiles. "I really appreciate it, Ni. No one's a betterfriend than you."
"Thanks, Lou." Niall laughs when Louis sticks his hand out towards him. "You're a shit friendthough."
"I know." Louis rolls his eyes, tightening his fingers between Niall's as they lay suspended in the air."I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Niall tugs on Louis' whole arm. "Someone has to be the responsible one."
"Go to sleep." Louis encourages, speaking lowly so as not to disturb the sleeping beasts of menbehind him. "We can talk when you wake up."
"Have you got lots to say?"
Louis can only manage to facilitate a smile, a weak and exhausted one that emphasises the bagsunder his eyes all the more. "I've got plenty to say, Ni."
His sleep extended over a full eight hours as his body spent the time replenishing what was utterlydrained about his reserves. Niall was a restless sleeper but it didn't bother anyone that he tossedabout every two minutes, deep in sleep but still moving.Harry woke up to his body sprawled across a semi-empty mattress, only his brother was beside him.
As much as it was a pleasant sight to admire Edward in all his peaceful glory, he wondered wheretheir petal was up until he heard hushed voices in the brightly lit bathroom.Louis and Niall have been awake since their body clocks woke them up and escaped to the space ofthe bathroom where they chatted about everything they had to. Both of them sat on the bathroomcounter, feet propped up on the lip of the bathtub while they shared a fruity drink from the mini barunder the television.
"Really?" Louis sets the can down as silently as possible, not rustling their crisps packet as much ashe normally would. "He did that?"
"Yup." Niall tries not to laugh at a drastic volume level, nodding as Louis giggled. "Didn't evenwarn me first."
"Wow." Louis coughed behind his wrist and flicked his fringe out of his forehead. "I'd never havesurvived."
"Oh please." His amused friend nudges him. "I bet the twins do worse."
"They actually don't." He shrugs honestly, offering Niall a chip that's flavoured like some oddlynamed chutney. "They're really sweet."
"Doubt it."
"Yeah me too." Louis laughs at his own humour, his companion joining in soon after rolling hiseyes exasperatedly. "Jokes aside, Ni."
"Hmm?"
"You're good though, yes?" Louis' arm circles Niall's shoulders and implores for want of honesty."They're not giving you a hard time, are they?"
"No." Niall answers truthfully, swallowing what he chewed. "I mean....it's hard on its ownsometimes."
"What do you mean? The relationship?""A
ha."
"Well yeah." Louis crosses his ankle on the porcelain support structure's edge. "It's hard for everyrelationship, with two or ten people."
"No I know but-" Niall sighs and puts his head on Louis' shoulder. "-feels like too much, I guess?Like there's double the expectations."
"That's the beauty of it, my friend." Louis offers him another chip. "They don't actually expect twiceas much, nor should you expect twice as much from them."
"What if it's not enough?"
"Then, Ni, you do what you'd do in a regular relationship."
"Break up?"
"No." Louis actually scoffs. If he had - or wanted - that option with the twins they'd be faraway from each other by now. "You figure it out together."
"When um-" Niall rubs his eye. "Zayn doesn't like you."
Louis already knows this. He's not been through criminal study and the highest level of psychologytuition for nothing. "Why not?"
"The twins." Niall sticks his chin out in the direction of the closed door that led to the bedroom."Thinks you're crazy for being with them."
"I am crazy for being with them." Hugging his knees to his chest, Louis' back hits the wall behindhim. He weakly shrugs. "Fortunately, crazy seems to work for us."
"Wish I'd said that." Niall's brilliant smile makes Louis feel a lot at ease, like old times."Is that why you came here this morning?"
"Yup."
"Oh Ni." Louis folds one leg under the other, enveloping Niall in an awkward side hug. "I'm sosorry."
"Hey." Niall pats Louis' locked arms.
"We're still good. I've just...- They're all I've seen for the pastthree or four days and I needed a break."Louis tightens the muscles in his arms, bringing Niall closer by a smidgen and sighing. He'scomforted infinitely by his best friend's presence and it soothes parts of him he didn't think wereinflamed with irritation.
"You'll be fine." Louis assures him with yet another squeeze of his shoulders. "I know you will."
"We'll be fine." Niall corrects. "We both have things to look forward to on the other side ofthat door."
* * * * *
Niall has returned to his room as begrudgingly as he could. Louis had walked him back to where thedoor stood a little open four strides down to the left. His friend was reluctant to go in but Liamwalked out for whatever reason that switched to concern over his duckling instantly.Louis jogged back down the hall to his own room before anything could happen between Niall andLiam that he'd get roped into. He shuts the door behind him just to make sure.
"Had fun?" Harry is sitting up in bed, totally unimpressed with being ignored all morning by Louis.He looked like the most powerful man in the world laying in Louis' bed, tattoos emphasising hissuperior malevolence.
"Very little." Louis buffers his answer as he crawls his way along the mattress length onto Harry'slap.
Settling down on the muscular thighs of his less than accommodating lover, Louis can only breatheout once before he's rolled over and cloaked by a body so much larger, broader and morefrightening that his. The eyes that bore into the depths and bowels of his soul were like fire and ice,burning but relaxing.Harry opened his mouth and a small hum of avid appreciation got through to the fine, attentive hairson Louis' nape. He liked this. Louis welcoming him into the tender haven that is thejuncture of his neck where it smelled more and more like them everyday.Louis' attention should always be on Harry, his boyfriend. He should lie like this with hisknees spread for them to be embraced between or even better.
"You look beautiful in this, petal." Harry pinched a bit of the white fabric from the T-shirt Louiswore where it was directly over his nipple.
A faint gasp was heard that made Harry smirk, proud of himself. He forced his arm around andlower on Louis' smooth, curved back until his palm was able to massage the plump flesh of hisbum. Maybe it's become a downright obsession for his hands to gravitate towards that region ofLouis' perky body but it didn't seem like either had any complaints.
"Lift it up a bit, petal." Harry bit the material of the T-shirt to specify what he meant.Louis' hands at once find the hem of the clothing item and pull it up over his front, knowing exactlywhere to stop before he's completely stripped of it.
Harry's lips, dry from sleep and rough frombeing chapped, circle his nipple without Edward's bite marks and suckles from it. He treats it like anactual source of nutrition, closing his eyes and tiny shock waves of pleasure sending vibrationsthrough Louis' body.
"Ah." Louis hisses when Harry's teeth get involved, rolling the nub between compacted molars sothe skin catches on sharp canines and his incisors scrape over the pinkness.
"Like it, baby?" Harry pops off with a pull, an obscene wet sound coming from his lips. "Do youlike it when Daddy feeds from you?"
It doesn't even make sense coming from adult but it makes Louis' throat close up and hisears split into such a red tint that he can feel their heat radiating off his body. A deep chuckle later and Harry's face is buried in the contours of Louis' neck again, breathing in hissleepy scent. He rubbed the pudge of Louis' tummy and the shower turned off in that bathroom justin time for him to start massaging Louis' thighs across his hips.
"Is your friend planning to leave us alone now, petal?" Harry worked his fingertips into Louis'muscle, feeling the grooves of bone and shifting of tissue.
Louis snuggled into Harry's side and kissed his bicep, the man's arm encircling his head so theirfingers could connect. "Be nice, Daddy."
"I can hardly be nice to anyone who threatens to take your attention away from us." Harrypoints out with a clearing of his throat, the extra gruffness of his voice adding to the serene morningmoment.
"You can try." Louis murmurs, an innocent smile being suppressed by his lips.
Harry looks down an inch or two at him, his own smile revealing the pointy tips of his canines. "Icertainly can for you, petal."
The world got a little more homely in those few seconds and Louis found himself leaning up tonuzzle Harry's jaw. He, in return, got a gentle kiss to the corner of his eye and a lingering, harmlessscrape across his knee.
"Good morning, petal." Edward walked out of the bathroom freshly shaven and smelling like musk.
He walked past them to the closet where their bags were dumped, no care for creasing silk andcotton. On his return trip, there was fresh clothing draped over his shoulder that he dropped onto thebed with his towel. All the dips and ripples of his addictive physique are revealed after that,catching Louis' eye out of his peripheral.
Edward had what Louis calls 'the right kind of abs'. They didn't make an appearance unless theywere flexed a certain way, the three levels of tough skin building up when he bent over, forexample. Harry had a softer tummy and even though there was undeniably the sturdy back-up of aheavy gym-induced structure, Louis could enjoy some mushy-ness.
"Hi." Louis yawned and got freed from under Harry's arm when the man woke up.
Louis' intention switched from fetching an iPhone from the table to crawling over the paces towardsEdward. The man seated himself on the edge of the bed after his pants were on, and had to hiatusputting on his socks when he found a pair of legs circling his middle.
"Petal." Edward greeted again, a questioning crookedness to the curl of his lips as he looked overhis shoulder.
A chest pressed to his back, cotton dampening on still-moist skin.
Louis' legs crossed over Edward'sfront and his arms joined them so that the man was completed imprisoned."What's going on?"
Edward turns his head at a degree that he could see Louis' reminiscent visageturn into a slight pout."We're leaving today."
Louis walked his two fingers up Edward's arm. "That's sad."
"If you'd like, petal," Edward's hands wrapped around the skin above Louis' petite ankles,"we canremain forever on the road."
"No." Louis blew out air loudly with puffy cheeks. "We have to go back and it might as well besooner rather than later."Edward rotated the upper half of his body a little bit more, straining his back but not stopping untilhe could rest his forehead on Louis' to make the boy giggle or smile at the least.
"So brave, baby." Edward's thumbs rubbed tiny linear patterns on the underside of Louis' feet."Most people would take up the opportunity to run away."
"Don't think I didn't consider it." Louis mocked, changing the inclination of his head so their lipswere closer. "I kinda miss it too, and my father. I can't leave him there any longer."
"Good boy." Edward pressed a firm kiss on Louis' licked lips. "But I must ask now, where do youintend to stay if you hate the Manor?"
Louis shrugged and made an 'uh' sound. "I'll rent-"
"Wrong answer, baby." Came a laughing response as Edward both pulled Louis closer and pushedhim down onto the bed.
It led to Louis on his back but all the more inevitably held to Edward's chest. This is home groundto him now and staring up across an adequately spaced distance into portals of mossy green thatinfluenced his mood within seconds, felt more right than when he wasn't.
"Remember the harbour on Wilson's Wharf?" Edward planted one flat palm on the mattress, his legsparted so Louis' thighs rested over them.Before he could continue, Louis started to laugh so abundantly.
"Petal?" Edward didn't catch the drift of a joke and frowned in confusion when Louis didn't stop."Baby, calm down."
"Do you own the harbour?" Louis managed to simmer down and ask politely, bringing his head offthe bed.
"No, baby." Now, Edward caught the joke. "We own a boat."
The major detail that involved the twins owning anything between a canoe and a yacht didn't seemto surprise Louis. "Like a sailboat?"
"Yes." Edward cracks his knuckles. "It has a master bedroom under the deck."
"What are you suggesting then?"
"I am suggesting-" A set of puckered lips landed on his clavicle. "-many nights spent eating andsleeping at sea."Louis looked at him with empty eyes. Empty for all false pretences but filled with wonder forsomeone who could see past his far less complicated layer of personality.
"You're crazy." Louis' arched his back when Edward fitted both arms under it. "I'm not living on aboat, Edward."
"We will be living on a boat and it will be docked at all times."
"It does sound interesting."
"You'll say yes." Edward fanned his fingers out over Louis' torso and applied a little pressure. "Icould crush you with this."
Louis choked but not from the words, from the heel of Edward's palm digging into his chest. Hebreathed twice as deeply and fisted the thin bed sheets bunched around him.Edward's lips found Louis' ear and he spoke into it with a whisper that drowned out any jumble inthe boy's mind. He paralysed him with his silky voice, riled him up with how gravely he soundedwith slow, purposeful words. He lined their bodies up and his own pressed painfully into Louis' as ifattempting to make them one.
"Get used to it." He cradled the back of Louis' head. "Get your body used to needing mine, baby."
* * * * *
"Petal." Harry knocked incessantly on the bathroom door which Louis was behind. "Petal, hurryup."
"Are we late?" Louis' voice travelled across Perspex glass to ask.
"We are." Harry sighed, head butting the door as he did so. "If you want to see your friend beforewe leave, you've got to come out now."
"His name is Niall."
"I don't care very much, baby."Louis stepped out of the bathroom looking decent for any public appearance. Their petal wasalways so beautiful, from plain nude to covered with colourful clothing. He had on cut-off jeans thatstopped below his jeans and a tank top.Harry held up a jacket.
"It's warm outside." Louis commented, self-satisfaction dripping from his tone as he moved aroundthe man.
"Change your shirt then." Harry followed him, jacket still on the table of offering.
"Why?" Louis rolled up the phone chargers and put them in a case, tucking away the absentEdward's phone into his pocket.
"You're showing too much skin." Louis tripped on a shoe - his own shoe - and Harry caughthim before an impact with the floor. "Skin that's mine."
Louis is a good boyfriend and in that context he had to assure his eccentric other that all is well. Hetook the jacket but dropped it on the bed, jumping into Harry's arms when the latter tried to retakeit. "It's just my arms, Daddy."
"You know what my response to that is, petal." Harry held Louis up by his choice of him bum andnot his thighs."You don't care?"
"I really don't." Harry chuckled, a dimple carved onto his cheek. "Change your shirt."
"What about my legs?" Louis didn't obey. He would but he liked to drag things out sometimes.
"Above the knee and I'd have said something." Harry pinched his behind without shame or lack offorce. "This ass and these thighs are also very much mine."
The rest of their pack-up was quick and Louis didn't see Niall until he walked past their room on hisway towards Edward who was waiting to escort him to the lobby. He was grabbed by the arm andyanked much too harshly into their hotel room by Liam.
When he almost tripped, that arm wrappedaround his front while another covered his mouth.Edward saw the capture and bolted across the hallway to just catch the door before it shut. Hepushed past it when someone tried more forcefully to close it, seeing absolute red when he thoughtabout giving up on getting Louis back.
Apparently there was already a lot of confusion in the room.
"What the Hell, Liam?!" Niall shouted after he witnessed his boyfriend not kindly requestthat Louis meet with them, standing by the window with his arms crossed.
"He wouldn't have come." Zayn tried not to raise his voice in response, sat on the bed with one kneebent.
Edward didn't care for them and got Louis out of Liam's hold with brutal integrity that nearly toreskin. Louis' heart started to physically hurt with how it thumped so heavily in his throat,settling in Edward's embrace.
"He would have!" Niall watched Edward hold the door open unintentionally with his body, kissingLouis' temple and saying something to him.Louis keeps saying he's alright but Liam really scared the screams out of him by just nabbing him.He still shivered a little but it was hardly there after a whole minute.
"Louis, we have something to say to you." Zayn tiredly said to the boy who hasn't gotten to turnaround yet, pinching his nose.Edward protected Louis by not letting him go, but the smaller male promised that he's fine now andturned his body to hear whatever Zayn had to say to him.
"Yes?" Louis ignored Liam when he opened his mouth to quite obviously apologise. "Zayn?"
"Here." Rather than speaking, the man woke up and found a folder on the table which he passed tohim robotically. "Read over this."Zayn had looked pointedly at Edward when he said that, spiking Louis' interest. Edward remainedimpassive with a grim expression, arms tightening and never loosening around Louis' body.
"What is it?" Louis swallowed a stubborn lump in his trachea before asking."What's this?"
"Something-"
"Read it on the road, Lou." Niall did something to Zayn's arm that made it turn a little red as hestepped past him. "We'll talk when we're all back home."
Nodding blindly but picking at the sticker on the folder, Louis gave Niall a hug with it still in hishand and Edward still holding his hips. Liam tried again to get his message across but Louis didn'twant to hear it yet, and left without a word to him.
"Are you okay, petal?" Edward was erratic and neurotic once they'd stepped out into the hall,rubbing Louis' sides and checking over him with wild eyes.
"I'm fine." Louis sniffed and rolled his shoulders in their sockets, stretching what was stiff. "Really,I'm okay."
Edward believed him but he still couldn't get over what was boiling inside him. "I could have killedhim for you. I wanted to, petal."
"I know." Louis laid his lips on Edward's cheek, closing his eyes as he hugged him on his tiptoes."Don't hurt them, Edward."
"I won't, baby." Edward sounded strangled, pained by the restriction. "If he does it again-"
"He won't." Louis interrupted.
"He took you from me." Edward hid in Louis' neck. "He took you from us."
"Daddy." Louis could only muster that lame response. "It's okay. I'm not leaving you."
"Ever, baby. You're never leaving me."
* * * * *
Louis was not interrupted while he packed away what Zayn gave him to read, feeling like it wasmeant to be concentrated on at a time when he's able to take several mental blows at once. Heclimbs into the back-seat with his bundle of blankets and a pillow scrunched up by the oppositedoor, everything remaining silent for the first thirteen minutes of the drive out of Dynasville.
Scarecrows passed by like the wind and Louis was a little intrigued by them, reminded of a moviehe watched where a school bus got stuck in the middle of nowhere between fields of sunflowerswith one particularly terrifying scarecrow.Edward keeps looking at Louis in the rear-view mirror every five seconds, and Louis caught himseveral times. He couldn't see if Edward smiled back when he did, but he did doubt otherwise.
"Baby?" Edward finally spoke when he noticed Louis falling asleep against the glass of the window.
Louis jolted awake and sat up straight in his tough leather seat, his hair more than a littledishevelled. "Hmm?"
"If you want to sleep you have to do it lying down, petal." He replied, switching from two hands toone hand on the wheel.
"I'm not tired." Louis lied, rubbing his left eye as it began to itch.
"Of course." Edward cracked a smirk worthy of the blush Louis displays."I'm serious." Louis said through a yawn, leaning forward between the two front seats.They drive for all of three hours after that which Louis actually catches a nap during and Harrydrives his phone battery down to the red bar. Edward is content with being quietly in the driver'sseat, occasionally looking out at everything that's flying by.Lunch time comes and goes, and Edward passes by every diner without so much as a word ofwarning to his two travelling companions. There's really no time to waste stopping unnecessarily.Edward wants to get back home to Middleston as gravely as Louis silently wants to as well.
* * * * *
Their first and only stop is the same motel they stayed in going to Dynasville days ago.Edward doesn't take out more bags than one which carries a mixture of clothes for all three of them,as it will only be for one night. While Edward takes an extra long shower, Harry proposes that heand Louis walk to the nearby food joint to pick up dinner.
"I'm glad it's not cold." Louis says when they're strolling casually in the middle of the street wherethey had a revelation not so long ago, their hands linked no matter how far apart they drifted.
"Would have been nice if it was." Harry follows the white line studiously, finally passing the adminoffice of the motel. "An added reason to cuddle with you."
Louis smiled at the ground. He couldn't believe someone who made himself out to be so brokencould be so charming. "I'll cuddle with you anyway, Harry."
"I know." Was the man's cheeky response, flashing his dimples. "Petal, do you see yourself inmarriage?"
"I don't." Louis stares at the man. "Do you?"
"No." Harry grinned at him, a wolf in sheep's clothing in the dead of night amongst the crickets andwind. "I asked to make sure."
Shaking his head as he laughed into the chilled but warm air, Louis hopped over a barrier betweenthe road and a vacant parking lot of the food joint they finally arrived at. Harry doesn't let him moveany further than a few feet ahead - as far forward as his arm can stretch - and they walk past thedoors together.Harry begins to get impatient while they await their orders of burgers and fries with a pizza to eatcold as tomorrow's breakfast. He's got one of Louis' legs across his lap and is drawing over theclean shaven skin with a Sharpie to occupy himself.
"Let me see your hand." Harry leaves the marker uncapped as he assesses the tattoo on Louis'finger, smiling involuntarily because it made him feel weak and invincible at the same time. "It'sbeautiful."
"Yours is the same, Haz." Louis looks at the flickering light of a refrigerator, curling his finger andfeeling a slight burn.
"No." Harry lifts Louis' hand to his lips, kissing just below the tattoo twice. "Yours means morebecause it's your first."
"First and last." Louis took the Sharpie from Harry."You humour me, petal. We both know it won't be your last."
* * * * *
Louis walked a little ahead of Harry on their trip back and upon stepping into the lot where theRover was parked, he discovered Edward seated rigidly on the floor of the trunk, the heavy dooropen above his head and his eyes heating up when Louis came to a stop in front of him.The heat was blinding, scorching and all the things it shouldn't be. Louis' spine made his wholebody shake when it shivered, his shoe catching on a pothole when he saw what was in Edward'shand.
"What are you doing?" Louis forgot about the food and Harry still striding in behind him. His angerwas pungent. "You went through my stuff?"
Edward held the file that Zayn had given him, the seal broken and the corners creased as heprobably furiously read through the details. He was livid too, and that unsettled Louis.
"You were investigating us." Edward says rather than asks, and makes Louis feel especially minuteby passing the file to Harry over his head. "What the fuck, Louis?"
"I am not investigating you." Louis spat. "I don't even know what's in that damn thing!"
"Well it's us, petal!" Edward barks, getting too snarky for anyone's liking as Harry leafed throughthe folder with a frown.
"It's not just us." Harry chews his lip, looking much more worried over being angry.
"Yeah." Edward was glaring at Louis like he'd killed his favourite pet and Louis' never felt so scaredin his life. "I know."
"What?" Louis chose to boldly ignore Edward's red rage and ask Harry.
"Shut up, Louis!" Edward looks at him with a flushed face, skin reddening beneath the surfacewhere his blood boiled.
"Stop yelling at me!" The boy threw back, just as powerfully. "I didn't do anything!"
"Then what the fuck is this?!" Edward points to where Harry is wordlessly skimming pages, thevein in his neck throbbing as it exposed itself. "Tell me, Louis!"
"I don't know!" Louis half pleads, honest to God not aware of what's so frightening in thatdamned file. He looks at Harry with his eyes red and stinging. "What's in there?"
Harry shakes his head first, reading line after line with racing pupils that dart from corner to corner.Louis feels close to combustion with the irritation that's rife in his tightened system, wanting toscream at them for being the most confusing people on the planet.
"It's Dexter." Harry lifted his head, looking at his older brother with something unreadable acrosshis face. "It's fuckin' Dexter-"
"I know!" Edward bellowed, an echo created through the night air that seemed to make the treetopsrustle all on their own.
"What? Who's Dexter?"
"You don't know?" Edward looked at him, filled with something akin to pure-bred hate.
"No!" Louis throws his hands up. "That's what I'm trying to tell you!"
Edward goes rigid for a minute while Harry's hands get a little shaky and his bottom lip has to bebitten painfully to keep from wobbling uncontrollably. Whoever this Dexter individual is, Louis cantell they're very unhappy about him being mentioned at all.Louis' had enough of their silence and groans before spinning on his heel to stomp off.
"Petal-" Edward tries.
"Don't!" Louis felt like he had the right - if not responsibility - to be as upset as he is. "Ican't believe you didn't listen to me and just started yelling, you big jerk!"
Louis is walking away from him with the packet of food still in his right hand. He didn't look backover his shoulder at Edward when the man tried to hold him back, feeling regretful already. Heshook Edward's hand off and did it again when he re-tried.
"Get off!" Louis struggled when Edward caught him by both arms with a death grip.
"Petal." Edward emphasised his will that's devoted towards not allowing Louis to leave them justyet. "Petal, it's alright."
"No, it's not!" Louis gets those constricting arms off his shoulders and away from his middle. Helooks up into that black pearls like they're straight from Hell, in fear and admiration. "How couldyou just....erupt like that? You weren't even listening to me!"
"My sweet petal." Edward swallows and Louis notices how his Adam's Apple gets the thicknessdown his throat. "There are some things you have to let us protect you from."
Louis muttered a word of disbelief and tired annoyance, rolling his eyes before returning to hisdeparture. "Protect me?! Protect me how?!"
"By keeping you from that place!" Edward grits his teeth, hurting the tips of his molars as hegrinded down on the sensitive nerves."What place, Edward?!"
"The fucking Madhouse!" When Edward's head jerked with his motion to rake his hair back, moreflopped onto his face and he held on tightly.
"You're not keeping me from my job, Edward."
Edward stops him again, more desperate this time. He looked at Louis like he's a talisman, hardeyes clawing at something only the boy could give him. "Please petal. Please understand."
"Yeah really?" Louis couldn't get Edward to let go. "You weren't listening to me when Iasked you to."
"I was a big jerk." Edward riskily tries to introduce some light-heartedness to their conversation."Wasn't I?"
"Shut up." Louis tugs on his arm a little, using it as a distraction so he doesn't have to focus on thesmile that could be born. "Edward stop it! Let me go!"
"Baby!" Edward shouted, nearly stopping Louis' blood flow when he pins him to an immobile stateand makes him drop the food to look at him. His eyes are dead set on intense when Louis sees them."You have to listen to me!"
"Why should I?!" Louis' irrational mind makes him spew out something so loud and brash, faceheating up with all his pent-up aggravation.
"Because, for fuck's sake!" Edward curses himself when he can't get it out, doesn't want to butfights every impulse stinging his subconscious.
"Because Dexter wanted you first!"