Protect Him L.S. (Slow Updates)

Chapter 4

Louis -

My fist came in contact with the man's face one more time before I finally got up from being on top of the idiot. I stood over the now bleeding man and kicked him in the ribs before walking away.

"What was that for?!" He wheezed out, as he rolled over trying to get up from the dirty hallway floor.

I turned back to face the man I just finished with and sighed.

"That was for whispering about my boyfriend behind his back. You ever try that again and I promise you, you won't be able to get up from that filthy floor without being lifted into the back of an ambulance. Or a hearse." I snap, turning back around and walking away. Looking for Harry who had run away again.

We'd just walked out of another of my classes when we turned a corner, Harry's hand gripping my shirt loosely, and heard someone talking. On instinct, I paused and stayed out of view to overhear what was being said, because if it's about me and Harry, trouble's about to start.

"He's always clinging to that ugly tattooed freak." A man whispered loudly.

"His name is-" a woman who sounded fed up with this man whoever he was, suddenly was cut off by the man again.

"I don't care what their names are. They're freaks. What's up with that one, though? Has he never heard of a haircut? Or maybe not hanging onto that other freak like a baby? Seriously, he looks stupid." The man laughed.

That did it.

I attacked the man and Harry ran off. The girl that was (trying) to talk to this ignorant bastard immediately backed away. I wouldn't hurt her, she didn't sound like she was being rude.

But the man...can't say the same for him.

I finally had searched the entire campus and found no sign of Harry, so I decided I'd better start for home. Harry had most likely headed that way.

I jumped into my car and drive all the way home and had no sign of Harry at all. At this point I was panicking. Literally. My hands were shaking, my head was spinning, my stomach was churning...

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and quickly grabbed it, not checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Louis, it's Liam. Harry's here."

"Thank God!" It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.

"He's crying, louis. He's acting scared and he won't stop crying. What's happened?" The relief I'd just earned was snatched from me when I heard Liam say that Harry was scared and crying.

I felt like a failure once again. I hadn't protected him. He didn't even come to our home, he went to Liam and Niall's. Does he feel safer with them than he does with me? Have I failed him that badly?

"Louis? You there?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm....I'm here. Look, I'm on my way. Tell Harry that I'm coming. I'll be there soon." I hung up before I even let Liam say anything else.

Right now I had to get to Harry.

**********

I didn't bother with knocking on the door, but walked right in, my heart breaking immediately hearing Harry's sniffles coming from upstairs. Liam appeared moments later, crossing his arms over his chest and standing in front of the stairs, preventing me from going up to my Harry.

"Liam, let me up there!" I snapped, irritated that I wasn't being allowed to comfort my baby.

"First, an explanation of what's happened." Liam ordered.

"Ugh! A guy at college was saying that Harry was a freak and weird and stuff and I beat him up. Good enough for you?"

Liam sighed, but remained in my way.

"Louis...do you ever think that you're scaring Harry when you jump all over people like that?"

I stood there, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me. I was scaring Harry by defending him?

"Because when I opened that door, Harry was stood there shaking like a leaf and crying his eyes out. He wasn't shaking because it's cold, it's 85 degrees outside. He was scared. And he came here instead of going home." Liam went on, and I felt sick with guilt. I had scared Harry. How could I be so heartless?

Suddenly Liam was pushed away and Harry was jumping onto me, clinging to me like a koala. His legs wrapped tightly around me the same with his arms. He buried his face in my neck, and continued to cry softly. My poor baby.

I wrapped my arms around him, and whispered softly, trying to calm him down. It worked.

He slowly stopped the crying, until it was nothing but the occasional sniffle. And he released his grip on me, and he stood on the floor instead of hanging from me.

Niall came down the stairs, running over to Harry and hugging him from behind.

"Niall, what are you doing?" Liam chuckled.

"I'm comforting my best friend." Niall answered, defensively.

"I thought I was your best friend?" Liam asks, humor clearly in his voice.

"Nope. Harry is. I looooove Harry!" Niall said, prolonging his words for drama. His arms still wrapped around my boyfriend.

"You're both bottoms, Niall. How are you two ever going to do the dirty?" I asked, looking behind Harry at Niall.

"Eh, we'll find a way." Niall shrugs his shoulders and finally begins to let go of Harry.

Keep your hands to yourself, you little Irish f-cker.

"Well, I don't think that's really what Harry would want. Is it, Harry?" Liam asks, finally pulling his fake blonde boyfriend away from mine.

Harry only half smiled and gripped onto my shirt like he always does at college. Something he never does when we're at home or visiting close friends, so this is a little unusual for him to be doing here.

"You okay now, baby?" I ask, making eye contact with Harry. Making sure he's okay. But his sad eyes explain everything without him needing to speak.

"It's okay. I'm here now." I tell him as I rub his back comfortingly. He only pulls me closer to him, and he buries his face in my t-shirt.