The Babysitter (boyxboy)

Chapter 17 - part 2

“Lou!” Zayn called as he pulled on his coat. “I’m heading to the store, need anything?”

“One sec, my phone’s ringing!” Louis called back. ”Hello?”

“Louis!” Anne’s voice shrieked.

“Anne?”  Louis asked. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s-”

“HARRY!” Zayn cried.

“Hold on Anne,” Louis said, before running towards Zayn’s cry. “Holy shit,” he froze halfway down the hall. “Harry?” he squeaked, dropping the phone to the ground.

Louis couldn’t even recognise the boy in Zayn‘s arms. His face was bruised and swollen, black and purple skin around his eyes and bloodied nose and busted lip. Hair roughed up and out of place, with crumbs of dirt sticking to its ends. His shirt was tattered and marked with blood and dirt, jeans ripped at the knees and he’d lost a shoe, the other coated in drops of dried blood and mud. His hands were dirty and stained red. He was wreck and Louis couldn’t breath.

“Lou!” Zayn shouted at him, holding Harry from where he had found him collapsed outside their door.

Louis couldn’t move. His heart was beating so fast and he could feel his throat swelling up, he tried to swallow but couldn’t. “H-Harry,” he squeaked again.

“Louis? Louis!?” he could hear Anne’s voice yelling from the phone but he couldn’t move. He was frozen. Shocked. Light headed. Dizzy. Breathless. He fainted.

—

“For god sakes Louis, wake up,” Zayn hissed shaking the boy.

Louis’ eyes blinked open slowly. “Zayn?” he croaked. 

“Yes, shit Lou are you okay?” 

“I had the strangest dream,” he said, holding his throbbing head. “Harry he was-”

A deep whine stopped him.

Louis’ eyes shot open, looking around quickly for the sound. “Harry?” he gasped as he saw the boy. “It wasn’t a dream,” he noted sadly.

Zayn shook his head.

“What happened? My head kills.” Louis cursed, squeezing his eyes shut.

“You fainted, hit your head pretty hard,” Zayn explained, holding a pack of frozen peas against his egg.

“How is he?” Louis asked Zayn, referring to Harry’s curled up form on the couch.

“Bad,” Zayn said, looking back at him. “Might need to go to the hospital.”

Louis winced. “Wait…Anne!”

“Louis, sit down!” Zayn ordered as Louis made to get up and grab his phone, having forgotten about a worried Anne. “I  talked to her, she’s on her way over.”

Louis sighed, settling back in his seat. “Okay, thankyou.”

Zayn smiled. “Keep that on your head okay?” he said before moving over to Harry. “Harry?” he said softly.

“Mmm.”

Louis’ eyes widened. “Harry?”

He coughed then, “Louis?”

“Harry!” Louis said, jumping off his seat and falling beside the boy, much to Zayn’s protests. “I’m right here,” he said, taking Harry’s hand in his. “You’re okay, I’m right here.”

“Ed…” Harry breathed out.

Louis frowned. “What about Ed Harry?”

“Stop Ed,” Harry whispered. “Stop…”