louis' conclusion
talk me down - troye sivan

december 15th | 2015

Liam and I stand in front of my front door as I tap my foot nervously. This will be the first time I've stood up to them since Corden's departure.

"What's the plan here?"

"I dunno," I mumble, "I guess we'll just have to wing it."

"Why?"

"They've already showed intent to harm; we don't have any other choice."

Liam nods as we both stand silently. We can go in whenever, but I know we're both stalling due to fear. We're about to try to get my parents arrested. While I'm happy that I could be free from their reign, I'm saddened; they're my parents. I still spent my entire life with them.

"When you first met Corden, did you think any of this was going to happen?"

I turn to Liam as the question appears out of thin air. It's an interesting one, being that I thought my life was set until Corden changed all of that.

"No," I sigh, "not really. I was kind of an antisocial weirdo until I met Corden."

"Lovely," Liam says, running a hand through his hair, let's just..."

"Do this," I finish for him, "wait out here; I'll let you in through my window."

Just like Corden used to do.

For the first time in a long time, I block him out. If I block him out, maybe the chances of getting him back in my life will be higher. Once Liam is gone, I unlock the door to my house and am immediately greeted by my parents.

"Louis!" They say with a smile that I awkwardly return.

"Hey guys..." I mumble with a wave, "why so um...happy?"

"Your test results came back!"

A piece of paper is being shoved in my face and I can't begin to count how many paper cuts I would have had if I didn't catch it the time I did. I open the paper and see that I've passed, regardless of my panic and anxiety.

I wonder how. I really do.

"Yay," I smile furiously, "I'm gonna go upstairs...yeah?"

"Alright," my mom says with a smile, "hopefully we can celebrate later?"

"Yeah..." I say before walking away, "good luck with that when you're in prison."

I slam the door to the attic as soon as they're out of earshot and pray to God that they won't come into my room as I'm plotting with Liam. When I secure the room, I open my window quietly and wave him up. He pulls himself onto the roof and walks across the thatching. Liam's really strong.

"Hey," he whispers, taking his shoes off and dropping them down gently.

"Why drop your shoes before?"

"The sound of my feet is basically nonexistent without them."

And just like that, he lands on the ground like a feather. I commend Liam, because he certainly seems to know what he's doing.

Like a criminal.

No no, I shake my head, Liam is a good person. He's just in a bad situation.

"So, what do we do from now?"

"I...I don't know..." I mumble, "We literally just went in this saying that we would be kicking ass, getting my parents in prison but...how?"

"Obviously we need to catch them in the act," Liam suggests, "so, let's get them agitated."

"How?"

"Well how did they get mad the last time?"

"Corden and I kissed, they came up and found him, and that's when it all fell apart."

"Okay..." Liam mumbles, "I may have an idea."

"What is it then? Speak up."

"I drop this," Liam picks up one of my paperweights (thankfully the ugly one) and motions to it, "so they'll hear the noise and come up."

"Then what?"

"Then we kiss."

"We what?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds!" Liam holds his hands up, one holding the paperweight, "I promise you it won't mean a thing! I have no time for love, and you have Corden to get back."

"I..."

"It's just a suggestion. If that's what riled them up before, then what's to say it won't do it again this time?"

I nod, trusting Liam with the situation. If I'm going to help him, him not helping me isn't an option in his current state, right?

"Okay," I whisper. He drops the paperweight and it shatters on the floor. My mum calls up, and as soon as I hear their footsteps ascending up to my room, I grab Liam's shoulders.

"Kiss me," I say to him and he nods, pressing his lips to mine. Liam's kiss has no spark at all and all of me is extremely relieved that it's not there. Once I hear the door open, I close my eyes and pray for the both of us.

"What was that Lou--"

My parents stop moving as they catch sight of Liam and I. My heart pounds and I feel Liam's beating rapidly against mine. His hand slips to his pocket, right by where his phone is. He gives me a distinct look before pulling away and detaching our lips.

"Louis," my mom says quietly, her voice wavering, "Am I experiencing déjà vu?"

"Huh?"

"Who is that?"

"This...this is Liam."

And then my dad breaks the hinge on my door, taking out a shotgun from an opening that I didn't even know was there. The wood breaks off as I see where he hid it; in the middle of the wood.

"What the hell!" I shout as he points the gun in our direction. I look down quickly and see Liam triple swipe to the emergency number pad before dialing 999.

"I told you to focus on the one thing that mattered Louis! Now you're gonna have a dead friend because of your actions!" My dad shouts, and my mother doesn't seem to be moving an inch to stop him. His hand is on the trigger and the barrel is aimed right at Liam. I hear a hushed 'track that call' and proceed to yell at them.

"No!" I shout, "You're wrong! You always have been! You just don't see it do you? That one thing you care about? It doesn't matter anymore! No one cares about every test that I took, every homework assignment I did! You're crazy! You're obsessed with me and my grades and everything you couldn't achieve!"

"Excuse me?" my dad's grip on the gun loosens and this brings me relief.

"You really misjudge my intelligence, don't you? You think I'm just book smart, right? Because I see right through you. You want what you couldn't have through me. Academic success. But now it's just to a point of obsession."

"Shut up Louis, you don't understand now, you'll get it when you're older--"

"I am older! I'm in my twenties and still living under your own rules!"

"Louis William--"

"No!" I scream, tears streaming down my face, "You're not my parents!"

The realization dawns on me and the tears stop falling. The pain stops demanding to be felt, and I only stand with my lingering dignity.

"You are not my parents." I say, "You don't love me. You love what you've been trying to make me."

"That's ridiculous."

"If you love me, why are you pointing a gun at my head that you hid in my own bedroom?"

"You just don't know." My mother sneers, "You'll never know."

"But I do. I'm wiser upon my years and my generation than you'll ever be." I tell her sternly. The door is broken down and as soon as police forces have their own guns on my parents, I grab Liam and back the both of us onto my bed. I watch with a numbness setting in my veins and others handcuff my guardians (no way can I call them mom and dad any more) and dragging them away.

"I curse you to hell Louis!" I hear his manly voice scream, "You're gonna pay for this if it's the last thing I do!"

"They won't have any way of getting to you again." A calm voice assures me and I look up to see a private investigator.

"Oh thank god..." I sigh as she leads us outside.

"How long has this been going on?" she asks me as she takes out her notebook. We're outside now, the fresh air bringing me some ease. I wipe my nose across my sweater before talking,

"It's been all my life," I explain, "I just didn't erm...figure out that their parenting was insanity until a while ago."

"I can assure you that none of that was parenting," she says as she finishes writing down the sentence she started ages ago, "how old are you?"

"21," I answer and her eyes widen,

"You're kidding?"

"Not at all," I sigh and she blinks, astonished.

"You're a grown man."

"It got a little obsessive as you can see," I sigh.

"Well we'll definitely be looking into this investigation as the days go on. But for right now, you've got a life to get back on track. We'll contact you about your court date as soon as possible."

"Yes, thank you." I say, shaking her hand as she heads over to a few police officers. My first thought is to find Liam, who is texting rapidly on his phone by an ambulance.

"Oh my god," I whisper as I look to him, "how did you--"

"I trusted we would get out," Liam says regarding the near death experience. He shrugs and I immediately reach to hug him.

"Thank you," I whisper, "thank you so much for doing this."

"It's no problem," Liam says, hugging me back.

"Louis!"

I pull away from my embrace with Liam slowly, blinking more than a few times. There is no way I heard that right, because if I did, then...

"I," Liam gives me a side smile, "I got in contact with him, figured I'd get him here."

"Louis!"

"Corden!" I scream back, turning around to see him sprinting across the street. As soon as he jumps the fence I'm dashing across my yard to meet him halfway. I trip once or twice but it's the least of my worries because I haven't seen the love of my life in two years, and here he is, sprinting full force towards me.

"Corden!" I'm practically sobbing as I crash into him, his hands finding their way around my body as he picks me up and engulfs me in everything. His smell, his touch, his--god he's back. He's back. Corden is back, alive, healthy, and in my arms.

"Louis," he sobs, "oh my god Louis... Louis you're okay I... I thought they killed you."

"I love you," I squeeze him as if my life depends on it, "I love you! Don't ever leave me like that again you dipshit!"

"I only did what you told me to!" He cries as he drops to his knees, burying his face into the crook of my shoulder.

"I'm an idiot, remember," I whisper as he pulls back to kiss me. His lips push against mine roughly as I grab his face, kissing back with the same intensity.

"I needed you," I croak, pressing our foreheads together as tears streak down my face, "God shit I needed you so much, and you weren't there--"

"I'm here now," he reassures me, "I promise you I'm here for life now. Nothing is going to keep me from you."

"Nothing?"

"Not even whatever fucking college smart ass beautiful people like you go to Louis. Nothing."

next: niall's conclusion (accept my happiness)