✧ Bumps in the road ✧

Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ｓｅｖｅｎｔｅｅｎ

Phoebe was a lovely girl. She truly was. Harry loves her like a sister of his own but he could practically see Louis breaking. This was the longest he had been out of bed in days however and if phoebe was what made that happen he wasn't going to take that away.

Jay had dropped phoebe off that morning. Only Harry was up and he was honestly scared Louis wouldn't leave the bedroom. To his surprise after five minutes of phoebe being there Louis emerged from their room and quickly wrapped his arms around the girl making her giggle in response. "Hey bug." He laughed with his signature sunshine smile. That was the first time Harry had seen that smile in a few weeks. "I missed you." He added as he planted kisses all over the girls face.

The lot of them had decided to go shopping and the day was going well until phoebes phone was set off with a loud ding. She looked at it quickly before turning it off and sliding it back in her pocket. The happy expression that had been on her face all day slowly fell off. Louis noticed it.

He didn't want to say anything as they were in public and he never knew who was taking photos. so he decided just hug the girl tightly from behind as she looked at something Harry was pointing out.

The longer he hugged her the more he noticed that she was shaking like a leaf. "You okay?" He asked gently as he rocked the girl slightly. She just hummed a yes but Louis wasn't going to drop it. "Are you sure?" He asked again knowing she wasn't alright. Phoebe just nodded again. "Can I see the message you got then?"

"No lou!"she snapped causing Harry to notice that there was something happening. Louis had grabbed the phone out of her front pocket before she could move away however.

She closed her eyes in anticipation of what her brother was about to see. "I see your hanging out with that fag brother of yours. Only reason he hangs out with you is so his band mates have a fuck toy." He read out trailing off at the end."Bug, who are these people?" He asked worriedly as he pulled the girl back into a hug.

"The girls that bully dais and I. They're a year above us." She said quietly keeping her head down. She could feel her heart rate rising and tears pricking the back of her eyes. She didn't want to have an anxiety attack in front of everyone.

Before she could even stop it louis was pulling her gently out of the store and into the car. Louis looked beyond furious. His eyebrows were knotted together and his mouth was pulled down with his nostrils flaring. "I swear to fookin' god! Why do people pick on you for things that aren't in your control." He yelled at the road making his sister flinch slightly. Harry noticed the small movement from the girl and grabbed Louis' hand to calm him but it was simply thrown off as Louis gripped the wheel tighter.

Sure, Harry didn't expect Louis' medication to be working perfectly but he was still shocked by the outburst. Harry attempted to touch his knee but Louis quickly dogged it "stop! Seriously!" He snapped meeting with Harry's sad eyes.

There was silence.

After a what seemed to be a life time Louis finally rubbed his hand over his face and let out a frustrated groan. "'m sorry. I think I need a minute." He said softly, he sounded ashamed.

"That's fine." Harry hummed comfortingly as Louis pulled the car over to the side of the road and getting out quickly.

Harry turned around to see phoebe with her big doe eyes fixed on her lap. She was shaking. Her fingers nervously picking at each other. Harry gently placed his hand onto her small knee, not wanting to startle her. "It's okay. He's okay. You're okay." The long haired boy soothed. He kept repeating until he noticed the girl was no longer shaking and back with a regular breathing pattern.

After another minute Harry slid out of the car to check on Louis. The shorter boy had a lit cigarette between his lips but Harry didn't care he just wrapped his arms around the boy. Louis, to Harry's surprise, accepted the hug and just burrowed his head into Harry's chest. "Is she okay?" Louis asked timidly.

Harry took a noticeable breath before nodded slightly. "She's in shock I think. About the text and seeing how you responded." Harry answered gently making sure it was worded correctly. "What 'bout you? You 'right?" He asked, genuinely concerned about his husband.

"Yeah. I'm in shock as well. It's not fair how they treat her." Louis admitted sadly, biting his lips.

"I know it's not." Harry agreed. Louis still wasn't meeting Harry's eyes, just keeping his head down and against the others chest. "Hey." Harry hummed happily rubbing his hands up and down Louis sides roughly.

Louis finally met his ocean blue eyes with Harry's green ones. A small smile crept over both their faces meeting them in a sweet kiss. "I love you baby. Thanks for looking after me, I know I'm difficult." He admitted shifting slightly in Harry's arms.

Harry hates when Louis put himself down. He hated it because in Harry's eyes Louis was the most perfect human being to walk the earth. He didn't care he cheated on him. He didn't care he had multiple personality disorder. None of it mattered because Louis was perfect.

Harry shook his head gently before gently kissing his forehead. "You are perfect lou." He hummed pressing another kiss to his forehead.

***

Within the next hour Louis was walking through the kitchen. Harry quickly pressed the back of his hand to the a mug before handing it to Louis. "Thank you baby." Louis hummed taking the tea.

Phoebe was sat in the living room, just blankly staring at the wall, very similar to what Harry did when he was upset or after Lou had an episode. He figured she'd be upset, he was upset for her. He walked over and placed the tea on the table before plopping down and squeezing the girl into a hug. "'M sorry love." He mumbled into her hair before placing a kiss there.

"What exactly are you sorry for?" The girl asked ina genuinely confused matter trying to turn her head up to Louis.

"Scaring you, I know my episodes can be scary." Louis said softly letting go off the girl but pulling him close to his side.

Phoebe furrowed her eyebrows quickly and shook her head. "Phee, you don't have to lie. They scare me to." He insisted.

Phoebe let out a strangled laugh. "Lou, calm down, it wasn't you. It was the messages. It was the girls. It was the fact they knew where I was." She said keeping her eyes off Louis and more on the ground or wall. "Plus, what they said was unacceptable. They can say what they want about me but not you or Harry or any of the boys for that matter. They haven't done anything to deserve that."  She admitted sadly looking to Louis with glossy eyes.

Louis scoffed loudly at the statement before pulling her into a hug. " don't cry bug." He hummed brushing her long hair behind her shoulders and pulling her in tighter. "And they can't say shit to you either, I'm use to it but you shouldn't have to go through that. You don't deserve any of it bubba." louis said softly his voice beginning to break with tears as he fell back into the old nickname for his sisters.

They stayed there for another twenty minutes before his phone began to ring. When he saw that it was in fact his mother he bounced of the couch quickly. "It's mum, I'll be one tick." He said sending his sister a sad smile, she nodded and Louis walked out of the room.

"Hiya m-" he began but realised there was sobs on the other end. "Mum? What's wrong?" He voice instantly began soft with sorrow and his heart leapt with worries.

"Lou." She said as if she was shocked he actually picked up.

"Yeah mum it's me, what's wrong?" He said walking into the kitchen to find Harry. Luckily he was there and Louis was able to burry himself in the boys arms.

"I'm sick lou. I have leukaemia. It's terminal."

That was the moment that broke Lou and changed him forever.

Thankfully Harry's ear was practically forced against the phone because of the way Louis hugged him. So he heard what was just said. He just held Louis. That's what he needed in that moment. His Harry to be holding him and protecting in from the world.

***

So I know lou actually found out at some wedding but oh well.

How do u think lou will react