Saviour (A Larry Stylinson Fic)

Chapter 13: Falling

"Harry, you really didn’t have to do that, like, seriously. How much did you spend?" Harry just shrugged and smiled as he chewed a piece of toast.

"It doesn’t matter. I love you, and that’s all that really matters." Louis felt his heart flutter at the words as Harry spoke them. ‘I love you’. Such simple words they were, but so incredibly charged, so powerful and meaningful that they could turn even confident, hard-headed Louis into a total softy. It was a new feeling for him. He had never said it to anyone else he dated nor had they said it to him. He never even felt close to that kind of emotion and as much as he was one for always saying what was on his mind, he was also one that would only say something if it was the absolute, undeniable truth, at least in his mind. Especially when it came to his emotions, which he kept closely guarded. Opinions would fly, but his emotions were something he always kept in check. 

Which is why Louis knew it must be true, that he loved Harry, when the words came to him the night before and he let them roll off of his tongue without hesitation. He realized his feelings had been growing for some time, but it wasn’t until he was at Harry’s the night before that everything got so incredibly real for him. Seeing Anne in the state she was in, seeing the way Harry lived, even thinking for a brief, horrifying moment that Harry could have been dead, it all made Louis realize how much Harry really meant to him. He would do anything for Harry. Anything in the world to keep him safe and close. He wanted to protect him from the world until he was ready to be unleashed on it, full of confidence and finally happy. Louis hoped that when that happened he would be there to see it. 

Louis cut off a piece of his omelette and dug his fork into it, lifting it to his mouth slowly. Harry was watching his every move as he began to chew it. It was amazingly good, and Louis couldn’t fathom why Harry had gone on about how awful it would be. He chalked it all up to his insecurities, Harry always doubted everything he did.

"This is amazing, Hazza, really!" He watched as Harry let out a small relieved sigh and sunk into his chair, getting comfortable before he tucked into his meal as well. "Harry?" Louis asked after a few moments. Harry stopped chewing and brought his eyes up from his plate to meet Louis’ tentative gaze.

"Yeah, Lou?" Louis rubbed the back of his neck nervously for a moment before speaking again.

"I was thinking that… maybe you should come stay with me." Harry’s mouth fell open for a second as he blinked blankly at Louis. He shut his mouth and let it fall open once more before finally speaking.

"Are you… asking me to move in with you?" 

"No! No, well, not exactly. I mean… what I’m saying is-" Louis struggled to find exactly what he was trying to say. He took a deep breath before letting it out in a long sigh and continuing. "Don’t take this the wrong way, but when I was at your house last night I saw your mum and the state of your house and everything and I was just thinking that maybe it isn’t the best environment for you right now, ya know? Like, I think you need somewhere more stable and… happy than that before you can actually start moving on from all this." Harry swallowed thickly and just stared at Louis. "I’m sorry, it isn’t my place to say any of that about your family. I don’t know them, or anything about your life at home. It was just this feeling I got while I was there, and-" Harry reached out and grabbed Louis hand off of the table causing Louis to stop at his sudden movement. 

"No, I think that would be a good idea actually." Harry released Louis’ hand and brought it into his lap. He dropped his head to watch as he played with his own fingers. "I hate it there. I have for a long time. My mum is rarely ever sober anymore, my step dad honestly couldn’t give a fuck about me. He hates me and I don’t know why, he always puts me down and makes me feel stupid and useless. My sister was the only one I could depend on recently and she’s gone, so now I’m just left looking after my mum when she gets too drunk, and putting up with my step dad when he gets pissed off and takes it out on me. They’re another big reason I drink so much. I can’t handle their problems, too. I have enough of my own shit to deal with. They probably wouldn’t even know I was gone to be honest." Harry’s face was blank as he stared down, his bangs blocking him from Louis’ sight. Louis wasn’t sure what to say so he focused on the positive.