Chapter Text
“All right Mr. Styles. It looks like everything’s in working order so you can head home. Is there someone you’d like us to call to give you a ride home?”
Harry stiffened at the elderly doctor’s question. His mind immediately started trying to figure out how to get the doctor’s to release him without calling someone else. He knew that if he called Darren the older man would be furious, and Harry’d pay for it later. If he could leave on his own he could walk back to the apartment, ditching the sling on the way, and Darren would never have to know about Harry’s visit to the hospital.
Maybe if he called a cab and then ditched it –
“I’ll give him a ride,” Louis’ voice came from where the brunette sat in the corner of the room. He had insisted on staying in the room to hear Harry’s prognosis and Harry hadn’t had the energy to care.
Immediately Harry’s head whipped around, pain sparking up his neck as the movement jostled his shoulder. “No!”
“I mean, no it’s fine I’ll just catch a cab,” he blustered, wincing internally at the suspicious glances being sent his way by both the doctor and Louis.
Louis widened his stance and crossed his arms across his chest in response. “And where are you going to take this cab? Your apartment is burnt to a crisp.”
“I know that,” Harry snapped. “I’ll go to a hotel.”
“And what, pay them with smiles? You don’t have any cash or credit cards on you, I already checked. I know you have a cute smile, but last time I checked that wasn’t a valid currency.”
Harry’s mouth hung open, partially out of anger at Louis’ clear violation of his privacy and partially because the paramedic was right, as much as Harry disliked it. Darren certainly wasn’t going to pay for a hotel room and the little money Harry had saved up from years ago had long been spent on trivial items.
His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as he stared at the floor stubbornly, refusing to meet Louis’ triumphant smile.
For a moment the room was silent until finally Louis’ voice broke the quiet. “Could you please give us a moment?”
Harry glanced up to catch the sympathetic glance that the doctor sent his way as he turned to walk out the door, before returning his gaze to his hands. He really wasn’t ready to have any kind of heart to heart with anybody, even if at one point Harry had known Louis better than he had known himself. Experience had taught him not to trust people’s intentions.
The right side of the bed sank down as the door clicked shut and a thin hand came into Harry’s view, settling on his thigh and squeezing it comfortingly.
“You know,” Louis began slowly, his voice softly carrying through the room. “I’ve only been a paramedic for a couple of years, but you learn pretty fast what kind of injuries tend to come from what kind of event. The bruises that I found on your chest? Those aren’t the kind of bruises you get from breaking down a door, or carrying someone. And the scars? You didn’t have those in high school.”
Harry listened to the words, nervously tracing a scar on his hand left over from where Darren had whipped his hand for failing to wash the dishes before the older man got home.
“I have a friend over at the police station who specializes in abuse – “
“No,” Harry spat out, interrupting the older man before Louis could finish. “I’m fine, I don’t need help.”
Louis just raised an eyebrow, eyes falling to the scar that Harry was tracing. “Really. Then how do you explain the bruises and scars?”
Harry smirked as he repeated the familiar excuse that he had said so many times he almost believed it himself. “I’m just clumsy.”
Louis took a deep breath, pulling his shoulders up and looked Harry solemnly in the eyes for a moment before responding. “That’s what you used to say. You and I both know that’s bullshit.”
Harry snorted, averting his eyes and clenching his fists in the rough fabric of the blanket draped over his lap. “It is. You don’t know me Louis. Not anymore. Why can’t you just leave me alone.”
“Leave you alone like I left you last time? I made that mistake one time Harry. I’m not doing it again.”
“News flash Louis. You didn’t leave me, I ran away from you!” Harry snapped, flinching at the painful memories that played through his mind like a drive in movie.
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“Louis!” Harry cried frantically, his breath fogging in the freezing night air as he pounded on the white front door in front of him.
Tears poured down his face and blood stained his clothes as he cried out again, desperate for the older boy to answer to answer the door.
Finally a sleepy looking Louis opened the door, dressed in just a pair of old grey sweats and rubbing his eyes wearily as he stared out in to the dark at the trembling figure that stood on the front porch of his house.
“Oh my god. Harry? What happened?”
Harry let out a sob and stared at the blue eyes that were wide in alarm. He nearly crumpled in relief as tan arms immediately reached out and pulled him into the house, half carrying him over to a couch.
“You need a hospital. I’ll call an ambulance – or should I drive you – “
“No!,” Harry cried out, frantic at the thought of being taken anywhere near a doctor who would make an official report and no doubt involve the police once he saw Harry’s injuries. “No hospital. Please I can’t. Lou. Please don’t. I’m fine. Really, I just need to sit here for a moment.”
Louis’ look of doubt was quickly replaced by worry as he listened to Harry work himself into a frenzy. “All right. Okay. We’ll at least wait til morning. Shh love, calm down. You are safe. Nobody’s going to hurt you,” he crooned while pulling the younger boy into a gently hug and running his hand through the curls around the back of his head.
Finally Harry was able to calm down a bit, clenching his eyes shut and focusing on breathing evenly and deeply and on the rhythmic movement of Louis’ hands.
“Let me just get some stuff. Okay babe?” Louis asked finally asked softly, waiting for Harry’s small nod before settling the boy more comfortably on the couch and getting up himself.
Harry couldn’t find it in himself to say another word as Louis hustled around him, too exhausted to do much more than track the brunette’s movement’s with his half-closed eyes. He watched as Louis wrapped a blanket around his shaking frame and disappeared for a moment, only to return with a stack of towels in one hand and a first aid kit in the other.
Louis worked quickly and gently, cleaning Harry’s wounds and bandaging them to the best of his ability. He really wished his mom was home, but she had taken the girls out on a girls – only weekend and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.
Finally he was done, setting the first aid kit on the coffee table and perching on the edge of the couch. He looked at Harry for a moment, before reaching down and wrapping his hands around one of Harry’s large hands. “Haz,” he asked softly, “what happened?”
Harry’s eyes fluttered open at the question and he blinked rapidly, staring at the ceiling as tears started once again rolling down his cheek and whispering out two words. “My dad.”
Louis’ mouth gaped open in shock. He knew Harry’s father, had spent plenty of time around him. Not once had the older man acted in any way except for friendly. The idea that he had done this to Harry…it was shocking. Louis would have said it was impossible if he hadn’t known that Harry would never say something like that unless he was absolutely sure that what he was saying was true.
“Why,” the word fell unbidden from Louis mouth and he winced, instantly wanted to take it back, but before he could say a word Harry let out a broken laugh.
“I messed up at home. I’m always messing up. It’s not his fault. He’s just trying to teach me to be a better person. I try so hard, but somehow I still seem to screw things up every time.”
Louis’ blood boiled at the callous way that Harry dismissed the physical abuse. His mind flew through all of the times that Harry had come to school with a limp or a hurt arm or the bruises that he sometimes had on his face and wrists. How could Louis not have noticed?
“Harry you don’t need to be a better person. That’s a load of crap. You have to know it’s not okay for your dad to do this to you!”
Harry just shrugged in response, still refusing to meet Louis’ eyes. “My dad says no one will love me if I don’t learn to be better.”
“He’s a fucking liar,” Louis snarled in response, struggling to hold in his anger at the belief that ran through Harry’s words. The younger boy actually believed what his father was telling him.
“He’s not. No one loves me. But that’s okay. I just have to be better.” Harry finally met Louis’ eyes, emphasizing his point with a brittle, fake smile that made Louis’ stomach roll.
Suddenly he couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand that fact that his best friend since childhood had been being abused for God knows how long and Louis hadn’t even noticed. He had been too caught up in his shock at realizing that he maybe-sort of preferred boys over girls and, more than that, he preferred his best friend.
Acting on impulse he leaned forward and pulled Harry into a kiss.
For a moment Louis’ heart soared and it felt like a missing piece of his soul had finally fallen into place as Harry’s dry lips moved against his own. The younger boy tasted slightly of the salty tang of blood and tears, but beneath that was the taste of the lemon tea that he loved and the breath mints he was always popping in class, a taste that sent Louis’ heart racing at the combined sense of familiarity and excitement.
And then suddenly Harry was jerking back violently, pushing Louis back so hard that he fell off of the couch with a thud and landed on his butt on the hard wood floor.
Harry’s green eyes were practically rolling as the younger boy scrambled off of the couch, his injuries forgotten in lou of the fear of what his father would do if he found out that his only son had been kissed by a boy. Not only kissed by a boy, but had enjoyed it and kissed back said boy.
“I’m sorry Lou. I can’t. Please, just don’t. Leave me alone. I shouldn’t have come,” he frantically sputtered out as he backed towards the front door before bolting out of the house and leaving a stunned Louis still sitting on the floor with his mouth hung open and a hand raised as if to pull Harry back into his embrace.