Impulse

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Enough with your childishness!" He raved, continuing immediately afterwards. "Louisis important to me-" He proclaimed without restraint. "-because I fucking fell in love withhim and I don't know how to deal with it! You can complain all you want but I'll walk over all thedamn glass if it brings him back!" 

Edward was dog tired by the time he realised what he'd done. 

*NARRATOR'S POV* 

Everyone in the room is staring at Edward like he's a new life form. Harry who had staggered backfrom a punch to the cheek and used the wall for support. Louis who was no longer hiding in hislittle shadow by the cupboard's legs. 

Edward didn't regret saying it. He wasn't just tired from physical labour, but from two weeksof waiting and getting nothing when he wanted everything. He didn't count on this mentalheadspace lasting as long as it is, and now he's hardly a put-together man walking on two feet.He's miserable and he wants his petal to love him, God damn it!.

 For Louis this was it. He finally had that push he was counting on but was kept from all thistime, letting his demon of a subconscious drain him of everything. There was no reason to stay herewhen he could finally sacrifice every ounce of will he had to break free.Harry was flabbergasted. He could only stare at his older brother with his hand frozen on his loosejaw, trying to mend things as the cut got deeper. 

"Edward?" Hands slipped around the man's middle because Louis was behind him.

 He held ontightly when the man spun around, fortunately shocked and glad.

 He got Louis back and the boy looked awful in ways not many could see, but that didn't matter.Where Louis during these two weeks was bright and dapper, now he was baggy and slightlymalnourished. Nobody brought up how medically impossible it is to simply switch minds andbecome this way, but this wasn't science.Louis had given himself something close a bleeding aneurisym in his struggle to resurface. 

His legswere wobbly and his knees knocked together when he walked shiftily, but Edward secured hisstature with both hands and it made his heart race.The boy's clothes were the only things that were the same. What had overcome Louis now left himhalf his regular size and twice as emotional. Under his eyes were swollen blue bags of exhaustion,his fingers were shaky and pale, his ribs were visible through his skin and his hair was lifeless. Thesharpness of his cheekbones had sunken to something unappealing, and his lips were so dry thatthey hurt. 

"Petal." Edward held both sides of Louis' face and kissed him deeply. 

The state of breathe and skinwas of no concern to him. He had Louis for two weeks but it wasn't Louis. His Louis was trapped inside his own mind andbody, each day clawing at a rope to get free. The mind is that powerful, that terrifying a force. 

It's anunspoken truth that the mental capacity of Louis not all that played a giant role in keeping himlocked up and away from these twins.Such things in evil have existed for millennia and like all old things, there was a secret to be told. Itexisted on this land for generations before the first Styles found it. 

Here it was again overtakingsomething important in their lives because after years of being dormant, it had to taste flesh too.Louis was crying when Edward pulled off the kiss. The man smiled despite that reaction and wipedaway Louis' salty streaks. He kissed those stains over and over until he's certain they were on himtoo.

 "Come on. Shh. Don't cry, my petal." Edward kissed Louis' wet lips as the boy sobbed, hugging himclose and feeling the jittery vibe from him.

 A door slammed and Louis was spooked but it was nothing harmful, just the realisation that theroom was now empty of Harry. Edward couldn't bring himself to chase after him at the moment. Heheld Louis' face and smothered him with affection because he could, because he will.