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Harry tried to open his eyes but he could only open one.
"Lou?"

"Harry! I'm here love. The rest of them are on their way." Louis answered and came into his field of vision. 

"How bad is it?" Harry asked.

"Ehm..." Louis hesitated.

"Just tell me." Harry said.

"You have a broken nose, two broken ribs but they didn't puncture your lungs, thank God. A small concussion and a lot of bruises and swelling." Louis told him.

"It could have been worse." Harry mumbled.

"You're still gorgeous." Louis tried to reassure him.

Harry cackled out loud and winched in pain.
"Don't make me laugh. I must look like Quasimodo."

"Maybe I have a thing for hunchbacks." Louis smirked and Harry tried not to laugh.

"That was scary." Harry said.

Louis teared up.
"It was the scariest thing I ever had to witness. I don't know what I would do if you died."

Harry put his hand on Louis.
"You would grieve and then you would find someone twenty years younger than me." He tried to joke to lighten up the mood but that only resulted in Louis breaking apart completely.

"I d-demand t-that we d-die at t-the same t-time." He stuttered between sobs.

"Oh Boobear, come here." Harry said and opened his arms.

Louis nuzzled his nose in Harry's neck and cried his heart out.
"I'm alive." Harry tried to comfort him, getting teary-eyed as well.

"Promise that we'll die together when we're grey and old. I love you so much. I can't bear the thought of living without you." Louis said.

"I promise." Harry answered, knowing that it was an impossible promise to make. "I love you too, so, so much."

The door flew open and their children came running inside, followed by Harry's and Louis' families and their friends.
"Papa!" The twins shouted and started to cry. Miles cried too. Harry hugged them and tried to comfort them.

Everybody gathered around the hospital bed.
"I'm okay. I know it looks bad but I will be fine." Harry reassured them.

"What the hell happened?" Niall asked.

"Hate happened. Hate and homophobia." Harry answered.

They all started to talk upset at the same time. Louis' eyes had never left Harry and he saw that he was exhausted.
"Harry needs to rest now."

"Of course sweetheart." Harry's mother Anne said softly and kissed her son on the cheek.

They all promised to come back in the morning and Harry tried to smile at them. He looked at his husband.
"You should get home too and get some sleep."

"I'm staying here." Louis stated.

"I'll be fine Boobear. Go home." Harry said.

"I'm staying!" Louis said and Harry nodded his head.

As soon as everyone else left he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Louis sat down in the chair next to the bed and watched over him.

Harry got to go home the next day and they celebrated Christmas with Harry resting on the couch. Louis never left his side. Yesterday's event had scared him senseless. He had never been the one pondering over death. He knew that they weren't immortal but he hadn't given it much thought. Now the prospect of losing Harry was all he could think about. How would he be able to live without him if something happened to him?

Harry stayed in bed most of the time after their families had gone home and Louis was right there with him, taking care of his every need. They watched a lot of movies and cuddled. The swelling in his face had gone down and the bruises were fading.

They spent New Year's Eve at home just the two of them, having a quiet one. Louis cooked them dinner and they played board games.

Harry went in for a check-up a week into the new year. His ribs were healing as they should and so was his nose even if he would have a small bump on it for the rest of his life as a reminder of that awful night.

Harry went back to work a week after that and so did Louis. He didn't reflect over it at first but Harry either was at work or home, even after his ribs healed. Louis was the one grocery shopping. Harry always had an excuse why he couldn't do it. He never went running like he usually did. Louis decided to ask him about it one night in bed. Harry started to cry.
"I'm scared to go outside. I'm scared all the time."

Louis took him in his arms and comforted him. On Saturday morning he woke him up dressed in training clothes.
"Get up and get dressed. We're going running." He informed him.

"You don't run Lou. You hate to exercise." Harry answered amused.

"Yeah, but I love you and we're gonna go outside and run until you're not afraid anymore." Louis answered.

Harry teared up and got up from the bed and hugged his husband.
"Thank you."

He got dressed and after they ate a quick breakfast they headed outside and ran around the neighborhood. Harry looked happy and Louis just tried to keep up. This must be his worse idea ever. His muscles were protesting and he was breathing heavily. They ran for an hour until Louis gave up and laid down on their lawn.
"Please tell me you overcome your fear. I'm dying."

Harry giggled and laid down beside him.
"I think I can run by myself from now on, at least in our own neighborhood. Thank you, Louis. This was exactly what I needed. I love you."

"I'm glad to hear that. The things I do for you." Louis chuckled.

They stayed on the ground for a while and just looked up at the sky before Harry dragged his husband inside. They took a shower together and Harry thanked him properly with a blow job.