painless ➸ larry

four

**chapter four;

"'Great to see you looking healthy, Louis. I need you to tell me more about your condition." Dr. Cox-or, Anne-says. It's Louis' first appointment with her, and Dr. Archambault has just left the country.

"I thought-I thought Dr. Archambault told you about it." Louis says.

"Well, he did, but I want your side of the story."

"Uhm, okay. So, I can't feel pain-well, you already know that. Um, so I don't... I don't know when I get hurt, and that's why I come in every day-you know, to get checked. To see if I'm hurt."

"No, I know all that, Louis. I mean, what does it feel like, emotionally, to have this? What are some internal struggles?"

"I believe this is a medical exam, not a therapy session. Thanks." Louis replies, bluntly.

"Oh." Anne says, defeated. "I guess I'll get to work, then."

Dr. Cox just feels around for anything wrong, checks his stats, and asks him several questions about what he had done so far today.

Turns out, all he has is a paper cut on his thumb. (From the book Looking for Alaska, if you were wondering) (The paper cut is not the worst pain Louis felt from the book, however.) Oh, and the bruise on his hip is has faded down to a pale yellow color, showing healing. Dr. Cox-seriously, Louis doesn't know if he should be calling her 'Anne' or 'Dr. Cox'-says it should be gone in two days' time.

When Louis exits the room he got his exam in and enters the lobby, Harry is at his side. It'd been like this for the past few days. Harry just didn't know how to leave Louis alone.

"So, how'd it go?" Harry asks.

"You sound like my mother." Louis snorts.

"I quite like your mother."

"You would." Louis kids, nudging Harry's arm.

They walk out the door of the clinic, and start their way down the street, heading back to Harry's house. After a minute of them just walking together, enjoying the nice weather or whatever, Harry speaks up.

"So, when're you going to tell me why you have to go to the doctor every day?" he wonders, not looking at Louis.

"I'm not. Why don't you ask your mother?"

"My mum isn't allowed to tell me about her patients, you know." Harry replies pointedly.

They walk in silence for a little bit longer, as Louis thinks of what to say in response.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" Louis finally asks as they approach Harry's house.

"I want to make it so you don't feel insecure about it; so you don't feel like you can't tell someone what it is."

Louis doesn't reply.

When they finally enter Harry's house, Louis go straight to the kitchen. Since Anne and Harry had moved in the past week, Anne had bought tons of food. And, the best part is, she doesn't care if Louis eats any of it. Louis' mum typically doesn't get good food, mostly just things like granola bars and fruit snacks.

So, Louis grabs a bag of Doritos and heads to the living room, where he finds Harry sitting on the couch with his head leaned all the way back as if he were trying to look at Louis upside down-he was.

"Hey, Lou." he greets. Louis smiles at him. (Well, maybe at how silly he looks sitting like that.)

"Hi." Louis sits down next to Harry.

"I have something we could do."

"And that is?"

"Paint my room." Harry says with a gleam of something mischievous in his eyes. "I have the paint. Oh, and since I know you won't want to ruin your clothes, you can borrow mine."

Louis doesn't argue, he knows Harry is too nice to let him decline the offer.

They proceed to then go upstairs, where, as promised, there are paint cans and brushes sitting on the floor. Harry leaves Louis alone for a moment before he comes back with clothes Louis can wear. Louis changes while Harry covers his eyes and totally doesn't peak.

"This is too big for me." Louis pouts as the long sleeved shirt goes past his hands.

He attempts to roll them up, but they slide right back down. Harry just smiles; he quite likes that Louis is wearing his clothes. (And, perhaps sweater paws are his biggest weakness.)

"Okay, so I was thinking you could start on that wall, and I'll start on this one." Harry says, his back turned to Louis.

As he turns around to give Louis his paint roller, Louis smudges paint from his finger onto Harry's nose. Then, he starts laughing. Harry really like Louis' laugh, it sounds like how he thinks bubbles would sound if they could laugh. He supposes that's what the word 'bubbly' is used for.

In response, Harry rushes over to the paint can and presses his flat palm into the paint. "Isn't that cold?" Harry asks as he presses his palm to Louis' cheek.

"Oh, uh, yeah." Louis says, as if he's unsure whether it should be cold or not. Harry tilts his head slightly to the left and raises an eyebrow. When Louis doesn't say anything else, Harry shakes it off and turns to the white wall he will be turning green. Meadow-y green, to be exact.

They paint for a few minutes before Louis begins to get bored, so he sneaks up on an unsuspecting Harry and tickles his sides. Harry drops his paint roll on the ground and gasps.

"Louis!" he laughs as he picks up the paint roll. "You made me get paint on the floor!"

"That's nothing this can't fix." Louis says before wiping the paint off the floor with his hand and smudging it on Harry's forehead.

"This is going to take a long time." Harry smiles as he dips his hand in the paint and flings little green droplets at Louis.