Scared (L.S)

thirty four

Louis led Harry into the house and helped him take off his jacket, then his shoes, always keeping one hand on the younger boy.

"Shall we take a shower, love? Warm up a bit," Louis suggested, bringing his hands up to cup Harry's cheeks and force the boy to look at him. Harry's emerald eyes were cloudy with sleep and sadness but Louis knew this boy like the back of his hand, so when Harry gave a slow blink and tilted his head to the side, Louis nodded and wrapped his arm around Harry's waist, leading him up the stairs and to the bathroom.

Louis turned on the shower and helped Harry undress, pausing to tickle his waist in a failed attempt to make the boy smile. Harry simply swatted his hand away. Once Harry was naked, Louis quickly stripped down too, entering the shower before Harry to make sure it was warm and then helped the boy in.

Harry immediately leaned into Louis, letting the older boy wash his body before tilting his head back for him to wash his hair as well. It was a well-practiced routine between the two of them.

Once they were both clean and warm, Louis brought his arms up around Harry's neck and whispered in his ear, "You okay now?"

Harry nodded the slightest bit before moving to get out from the shower, immediately wrapping himself in his towel from behind the door before offering Louis' to him, smiling lightly at his boyfriend. Louis took the towel and quickly dried himself off, taking a moment to throw their wet clothes in the laundry hamper before following Harry to his bedroom.

When Louis reached the room, Harry had hung his towel over his desk chair and was in the process of climbing under the covers, the bed left unmade from that morning. Louis quickly hung his own towel on a hook on the back of the door, closing it and moving to get under the covers next to Harry. They both lay on their sides for a moment, just watching each other, before Louis sighed and turned on his back, motioning for Harry to climb on top of him.

Harry gladly cuddled into Louis, intertwining their legs and pressing his face into Louis' neck. Although they were both naked, the nature of the situation kept either of them from even acknowledging it, knowing that then was not the time.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened?" Louis whispered into Harry's hair, running his hands over Harry's bare back as the younger boy traced Louis' chest lightly.

Harry shook his head and wrapped his arms tighter around Louis. "No?" Louis asked, prying further. Normally, when Harry got upset, Louis would just hold him and help calm him down but there was just something that was bothering Louis. Maybe it was the way that Harry didn't seem to want to let the boy out of his sight, grasp. Or maybe the way that Harry had sobbed for half an hour, way longer than he usually did.

"C'mon, babe," Louis pushed, trying to keep his tone light, a far cry from the desperation he was really feeling. Harry shook his head again and Louis felt his hair being tugged the slightest bit by Harry's wandering hand. "Please."

Harry sighed before mumbling, "Jade said something."

Louis paused, wracking his mind for what Jade could have possibly said to make Harry so upset. But he couldn't think of anything, "What did she say?"

Harry scratched Louis' side lightly, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Baby," Louis reasoned, "You know we have to. If you tell me then I can make it better."

Harry knew that Louis was right. He knew that he had a habit of replaying everything in his head until it became twisted and horrid and everything that it wasn't. But he stayed silent anyway.

"C'mon, H," Louis pleaded into Harry's hair, pressing soft kiss after soft kiss and raking his hand through the boy's short curls.

Harry sighed and sat up, Louis quickly following suit. Louis leant against the headboard while Harry sat next to him, facing the boy. Louis reached over and took Harry's hands, playing with his fingers in an attempt to coax some words from his boy.

"Jade said we weren't going to end up together." Louis couldn't believe that. Jade had been so so supportive of their relationship. And Louis had planned the rest of his life with Harry. "And she's kind of right." With that Louis couldn't breathe. How could Harry feel that way when Louis had already mentally planned the rest of their lives together. Their wedding, their kids.

"Harry," Louis said, desperate to say something, although he didn't know what. But Harry just kept talking.

"It terrifies me, Lou, to think of us breaking up, but she's right. I'm only seventeen, Louis, you're eighteen, we're kids. We would be naive to think that we could spend the rest of our lives together." Harry pulled his hands away from Louis who had stopped playing with his fingers and was, instead, just gripping tightly to Harry, to his lifeline.

"Harry- What?" Louis was speechless.

Harry shrugged.

"No, Harry, she's wrong."

"But is she?" Harry insisted, "No one stays with their high school boyfriend! Why would we be any different?"

"But we are different, H! I love you."

Harry rolled his eyes, more frustrated than upset by that point. "Do you really think none of those other people loved each other?"

And Louis didn't know what to say. Harry sighed and climbed over Louis' legs, walking over to his cupboard and pulling out a pair of sweatpants.

"Where are you going?" Louis asked quietly, pulse pounding in his ears.

"I'm going to sleep in Gemma's room."

"What? Why? C'mon, H, let's just talk about this."

Harry shook his head and headed to the door, pausing in the doorway to look at a desperate Louis, who had tears brimming in his eyes, "I just need to be alone, Lou."

Louis nodded, a feeling of absolute despair taking over his every thought and muscle.