Solace

Chapter Thirteen

Anne came into the room about an hour later, coat and hat in her arms. Her shoes were soaked and dripping onto the floor, there already being a small but visible puddle of rain water below her feet. It was late and she was not going to come back to the institute if Harry had been home but being the wonderful mother she was, she had to pick curly up.

"Are you done with your assignment yet?" She asked and threw the coat towards Harry's couch so she could use both of her hands to take her boots off.

Harry shook his head no, because he gave up on the essay and instead sat and admired the boy asleep on the couch in front of him.

"Louis came over and well, yeah. I couldn't exactly finish it..." Harry whispered, biting his lower lip.

Anne nodded, trying to take the information in. She sighed, because she knew what Harry was doing. What she didn't know, was that everything in Harry was changing and all he wanted to do was stop and do it all over again.

"Is he alright?" She finally asked and made her way to the kitchenette where she quickly washed a mug and placed it on the table top.

"I don't know mum... I don't think so. He's so broken," Harry said, his voice croaky towards the end, "And I want to help him and put him back on the right path."

Anne looked at her soon and blinked away a few tears because no mother would like to see her child in such a position. Anne really wanted for Harry to put Louis' puzzles together and to make him feel again though she also wanted Harry to be fair with Louis, for Harry not to lie or hide anything. It was as hard for her as it was for Harry but in a different way.

*

Louis blinked away the sleep, his eyes not quite working yet but getting there. His lips formed an 'o' and a yawn escaped them. The air hitched in his throat and Louis scared himself, thinking that someone came to kill him, finally, but when his fingers grabbed the blanket which covered his body, his eyes snapped open and although the image was still a bit fuzzy but clear enough to make the shapes of everything out, he sighed with relief. His eyes closed again but suddenly opened as if an electric shock ran through Louis' veins.

He wasn't in his room. That wasn't right. It suddenly didn't feel at all comfortable and he pulled the blanket off his body, the cold air hitting what was once hidden under the blanket. He sat up all too fast and his head began to spin so much that both of his hands flew up to the forehead and massaged his temples.

"Louis?" Harry's voice, which Louis instantly recognized spoke.

Louis dropped his hands down and looked up. Harry was walking towards the couch opposite of the one he had slept on with a mug in his hands.

"Hi," the younger lad whispered loudly and showed his dimples off slightly by smiling.

Louis, after looking around with his eyes still fuzzy, finally managed to lock his gaze somewhere around Harry's hair line and surprised himself when the corners of his lips twitched and formed a small smile. He watched as curly bought the mug up to his lips and let the warm or hot (Louis couldn't tell, obviously) beverage enter Harry's mouth with a quiet sigh escaping his plumb lips. It wasn't at all mesmerizing to Louis and he sure as hell wouldn't have wanted to see that every single day.

Harry's eyes, which were closed while taking a sip of the drink, fluttered opened and Louis almost dug a hole in the ground and wanted to die, once again, because Harry caught him starring. That wasn't good. What was Harry going to do? Punish him by throwing him against a wall and chucking a few punches in the stomach into the equation? Louis shuddered at the dark thought. Maybe Harry was a nice person and Louis was just too scared to open up to the lad.