OCD ➳ Larry Stylinson

Chapter Twenty Six: Mess

Harry's POV

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(Trigger warning)

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I was nervous. I stared down at the bandages on my arms, a frown on my face. I was glad that it was Holiday break, or kids at school probably would've noticed the thick cloth. They already knew enough as it was. Louis was sat next to me, staring at the pristine white wall in front of us. I didn't know why I brought him here, it was stupid. He told me he wanted to, but why would he? There was nothing here for him.

"Harry," Louis whispered to me, his eyebrows knitted together. He sounded worried.

"What?" I hissed back. I was nervous. Really nervous.

He glanced down at my arms, then back to me. I was scratching at the bandages. Shit. I took my fingers away from them. I didn't even realize I was doing it.

"S-sorry," I said quietly, taking note that my arms were now starting to burn from my unconscious scratching. "Nervous habit."

Louis took one of my hands, squeezing it in a comforting way. "Don't be, it's fine. We're fine," he said. I knew we were fine, that wasn't the problem. In the distance, I heard a door creak open, followed by two pairs of footsteps. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, they were getting closer. Louis looked behind us, I didn't.

Before I knew it, my mother was sitting in front of Louis and I, smiling. I wanted to return the smile, but I didn't. I couldn't. A women in scrubs stood by her, as a precaution.

"Hello Mrs. Cox, I'm Louis," said the brunette, detaching his hand from mine to shake my unstable mother's. She took his hand slowly, grinning. It was out of place, her smile.

"Hello, Louis, nice to see you," she said, not glancing at me. Louis nudged my shoulder lightly, alerting me to look up. I did, focusing on the women across the table. "Hi, mum," I muttered, not daring to shake her hand, or hug her, or any physical connection you'd expect.

"Hello sweet heart," she responded, her voice like warm milk. It confused me, but it was better than her bad, drunken mood. An uncomfortable silence fell between the three of us. I didn't know why I thought it would be a good idea to bring Louis with me to visit my mother. Maybe I needed moral support?

"How's school?" she asked, glancing between us. Louis didn't speak, meaning that I had to.

"Its holiday break," I responded, sounding slightly snarky. Louis elbowed my side, making me grunt. Anne laughed, probably not sensing my sarcasm. "It's good," piped Louis, even though that was somewhat of a lie for me. She nodded. "Good, good."

I wanted to say so much to her, to tell her things, to call her names, but I couldn't. She was sick, it wasn't her fault. And seeing her so happy made me want to be happy. It was good for her to be there, for her to get help. So I resisted saying anything too awful. We talked for about 30 minutes, just about normal things. It was weird; talking to my mum like she was a human, not a monster.

Mum and Louis were discussing what he planned on doing for a living while I stared down at my hands and pretended I was listening. The women in scrubs, who had been there the whole time, pretending like she wasn't paying attention, bent down to tell my mother that it was time to leave. She looked upset for a moment, but straightened out her face, forcing a smile. "Alright," she murmured.

"Goodbye, Harry. Come back sometime?" she said as she stood up. I nodded, offering her a half-smile. She waved at Louis as she left with the women, leaving Louis and I alone in the large white room.