it's scary to think that just earlier they were hanging out on the ledge painting eachother with pink paint and sneaking quick kisses back and forth. just earlier, everything was fine and dandy until harry's lips started to turn blue and he stopped breathing entirely. thirty seconds. harry didn't breathe for thirty seconds and louis thought it was over.

he thought the best thing that he ever got ahold of slipped from his grasp in just thirty fucking seconds and he did not hesitate to give mitch the worst ass chewing for saying he wasn't allowed back there and for hesitating to give harry the narcan. if one (or both) of those things were different, there would have been a different outcome. both of them wouldn't have caused harry to go out the way he did for that small frame of time. if it weren't for liam dragging louis out of the office while jana got harry on a stretcher, mitch would have been dead. louis was on a mission to wring his neck and everyone knew it.

niall and louis have both been a complete and total wreck. zayn broke the speed limit the entire way to the hospital and probably gave himself a heart attack in the process but harry is alive and that's what mattered right now. the three of them raced behind the transport vehicle jana brought for harry's travel. it had gotten to the point louis passed them up to make it there first. he nearly wrecked his car weaving between others to get to the hospital. that bit didn't even scare him.

it has only been an hour and a half at the hospital, but it's been the longest 90 minutes of louis' life. he had to fill out minor paperwork since jana had all of his information already. due to mitch not showing up, whatever happened would report back to louis first. she promised him that. louis gave liam an extensive list of things to check out in the club and niall went to check on the cats and scope harry's house. zayn is somewhere downstairs getting coffee for them because it's nearly 6 in the morning.

harry was drugged. whoever drugged him knew what they were doing and louis felt like if he didn't take the narcan from mitch to administer it, harry wouldn't have survived. there's no telling how long harry was out, or how long mitch stared at him like he made the world's biggest mistake — he still needs to figure out what that was all about. it's taken a long time, but he can can see when something (someone) is not what they're all cracked out to be.

it could have been an easy mix up if it were something like ketamine or rohypnol. being roofied is one thing. but fucking fentanyl came back on harry's tox screen. the same shit that could have killed his best friend almost took the love of his life. he's come to terms with that, too. it's a new discovery. it's a scary discovery. but he's glad that it's harry and not anyone else, even if he can be a stubborn shithead. he's louis' stubborn shithead and that's okay.

he's had time to think since he's been in the waiting room. he and liam talked on the phone when he finally calmed down and stopped crying, when he could actually breathe and feel it. liam said that harry wasn't responding to anything anyone was saying or doing to try ro get him up. it was niall that had the speculation, so he called jana, and confirmed what he was thinking was correct. she told him what to do until she got there.

bless harry for having this connection. bless niall for having even a sliver of a brain. when louis asked if it could have been a simple fuck up, all signs pointed the other way.

this was a matter of life and death. someone was trying to play god and harry was their victim. definitely not a simple fuck up.

"hey," the nurse louis met when they arrived, named avery, gave the small man a soft greeting. "which one of you is 'bunny'?"

louis' head immediately snapped up. "i am."

avery nodded. "he's asking for you."

"he's okay?"

"he's alright. the second dose brought him back but he was delirious for a little bit. we monitored him until he could actually understand where he was and what happened. i'm waiting on jana to get back so we can start his treatment plan."

louis followed him to harry's room, where the younger boy was laid in the hospital bed with a thin blanket pulled up to his chin. his heart monitor was beeping soft but steadily, and louis couldn't help but watch the rhythmic lines bounce across the screen to prove to himself that his boyfriend was in fact not dead.

taking another look at harry, he could see that there was a thin cannula wrapped around his face, with two little clear pieces resting at the bottom of his nose to give him more oxygen. he face was pale, but his cheekbones held a light pink tint to them. his hair was tied back now, not loose and wild like before.

louis stepped forward and kissed his temple, running his thumb over his right eyebrow. "it's me, baby. 's bunny."

the younger man's eyes slowly flutter open. he sits up and rubs his eyes before reaching out to him. he holds a tight grasp around louis' shoulders, mumbling words so soft louis couldn't hear them.

louis buries his face in harry's neck, new tears dripping down his skin. he's warm and soft and touching him.

he pulls back to pepper soft kisses along harry's now warm face until he lands on his lips. he tastes like whiskey and carmex. louis wouldn't even complain that it's an off combo because there could have been a possibility he would never have it at all.

"you're okay," he breathes, resting his forehead on harry's. "hi."

"hi," harry rasps back. "my head hurts so fucking bad."

louis wipes his eyes before kissing his forehead and presses the call nurse button, sitting beside him in the large bed. moments later, jana comes in, giving harry a soft smile when she saw the lad sitting up and moving. she checks his vitals, evaluates his symptoms, and gets water and painkillers for him.

"we had to narcan you," louis said quietly as harry laid his head on his shoulder. "quite a few times."

"yeah, they said that...how many?"

louis grabs his hand, squeezing it. "i did one, mitch did one, then jana used the other box. they did a tox screen when they got you in here and you came back positive for fentanyl."

harry blinks in shock. he looks down at the white sheet over his legs. fentanyl. one of the hardest, deadliest opioids on the streets. it doesn't take much to kill. he would know. "well isn't this great."

"did they not say that?"

"they told me i overdosed but didn't say what it was. i think the nurse was just-" harry's face twisted in signs of discomfort when he went to move. "-trying to get me awake."

jana comes back with ibuprofen and water. "hi, sunshine. it's good to see you."

"i hate seeing you under these circumstances, but hi." harry says before taking his medication.

"how are you feeling?"

"like my head has been caved in. my eyeballs hurt. everything hurts. and i'm freezing."

louis glanced between the nurse and the bed. "can i...?"

jana gave him a nod as she wrote harry's symptoms down on the top of her purple latex glove. "i'm not letting you out of my range for a few days. you've never done opioids a day in your life, but i'm expecting something involving withdrawal symptoms within the next day or so."

"bunch of fucking druggies up in here." zayn slides in the room with a drink tray in one hand. he smirked at jana, apologizing for his crude joke and waved at harry.

"lovey," he greeted louis softly. he handed louis a beige paper coffee cup. "'s hot. be careful."

louis thanked him and cradled the cup with shaking hands. jana left after making sure harry had everything he needed, which gave louis the opportunity to crawl in the uncomfortable hospital bed.

"gimme." harry took louis' cup and held it tight.

"hey."

"'s hot. i'm cold. you're gonna end up burning your mouth anyways."

louis shrugged because he was right.

carefully, he laid his head on harry's chest and listened to his heartbeat. not the monitor, but his actual heart. it signified he was here. he was back. he didn't lose him like he thought he did.

"how you holdin' up, mate?" zayn asked harry.

"i'm confused, honestly," harry muttered. "i don't know how it happened."

"your drink was spiked." louis' eyes watered at the memory. whoever did this was messy. "i made liam trace it. there was residue on the lip of your cup."

taking a deep breath, harry looked down at the boy laying on him. he set the coffee cup on the bedside table and wrapped both arms around him, stroking the side of his face with the hand that had his i.v. in it. "i'm so sorry you had to do all of that, bunny."

"you're here. that's all that matters." louis sighed. "i'm not leaving your side, either. you're gonna be so sick of me."

"could never be sick of you. rather have you than anyone else." harry admits. "are the kittos okay?"

"kittos are fine. liam fed them and said that emma was looking for you."

harry gasped softly. "for me?"

"mhm. he said she was in your laundry basket and then she fell asleep on your pillow. i think she likes you just a little bit."

"asshole cat really does have a heart." the clique member chuckled. "and sharknado? he's okay?"

"yes. do you need me to have liam send pictures?"

"please."

louis batted his eyelashes at his best mate, jutting his bottom lip out.

zayn rose an eyebrow. "yes, lovey?"

"could you ask liam to update our favorite druggie with cat photos, please?"

"i sure could, i'm on it right now. don't fret, young harold. your fix will be in soon."

harry rolled his eyes. "i think i'm just gonna spend these next few days by myself."

"wow." louis huffed. "i see how it is."

"you're gonna hoard all the dope and not share any? rude." zayn tuts. "thought we were mates."

"yeah, harry, thought we were mates," louis giggled into his boyfriend's shoulder.

"whatever." the patient grumbled. "no drugs for either of us. not you, not me, and especially not zayn."

"heeey. but they're fun."

harry narrowed his eyes at the boy. "let me find out someone gave you drugs. i'll kill them myself."

"can i join?" louis perked his head up.

"yes."

"cool. you take the dealer, i take pretty boy over here."

nodding, harry pointed two fingers at his eyes then back at zayn, as a silent i'm watching you. zayn smirked behind his coffee cup and opened his backpack, pulling out what looked to be lou the dinosaur and louis' favorite blanket.

"for you," he said, handing them to harry. "niall brought them to me about an hour ago. i need to call him and let him know you're alright."

"where is he?"

"cruising with liam. he's really shaken up. he, uh, he found you."

"fuck," harry sighed. "give me your phone."

zayn fished his mobile out of his jacket pocket and set the call up. harry took it and only made the camera point at his forehead while he waited for niall to answer.

"any word on harry? liam told me he's responding."

"why does dr. pepper come in a bottle?"

"harry?"

"because his wife died."

"hi, oh my god. let me see your whole face, you asshole. your forehead is taking up half of my screen."

harry tipped the phone down, showing himself and louis laid on his chest.

"hi, booty."

"'ello, nialler." louis murmured. "thank you for helping save my harry."

"brothers look after brothers, babe. if i had just left him there i would never forgive myself. thought he was taking a nap til i slapped him and he didn't move."

"so that's why my head hurts."

"yeah, kinda used my phone to do it. your head is hollow, dude. i heard it."

louis snorted into harry's shoulder. "maybe your marble brain went to the river on its own."

"it's been fried from drugs, i wouldn't be surprised." harry hummed. "how is everything over that way, nialler?"

"rocky. liam's been trying to test other things in your office that could have possibly been contaminated. he's coming up negative aside from traces that were inside of your cup. where else were you?"

"just the bar."

"what section?" louis asked.

harry furrowed his eyebrows, trying his best to remember. the section nearest the locker rooms sounds right. "four, i think?" he looked at louis for confirmation. "locker room side."

"yeah. section four, ni."

"copy that. i'm gonna go head back up to the club soon and see what i can find. then i'll come bring you clothes."

"thank you."

niall was silent on the other line for a few seconds, then he bursted into a random fit of giggles.

"what?"

"i just understood your joke."

harry and louis both let out a sigh.

"dumbass. i'll see you soon."

"bye harold!" niall blew a kiss before ending the call.

harry handed zayn's phone over with a shake of his head. "i worry about him."

"you and me both."

once harry had adjusted to being confined in a hospital room with an annoying i.v. in his hand, he found himself laid on his side with louis lazily dragging his fingertips up and down his arm. sick to his stomach was one feeling he always hated.

"go to sleep," harry said to the smaller man. "i'm right here."

louis shook his head. "wanna stay awake so you don't leave my sight."

"lou." zayn rose his eyebrows. "it's okay. he's not going anywhere. i'll beat him with his remote."

harry guarded the remote and flipped through channels on the television until he found something the three of them would be satisfied with. he opened the blanket that was given to him and laid it over louis' petite frame, giving him warmth in the cold room. he adjusted the bed to a lower angle so louis could sleep better. he'd been up all day getting ready for neon night, then worked, and is now sitting at a hospital at seven in the morning. he needs to ask niall to bring louis' medicine when he comes up, otherwise he will be an absolute wreck by afternoon.

louis dozed off within minutes of holding harry tight, with his face buried into his chest and messy hair and furrowed brows. the younger of the two watched to make sure he was actually sleeping and not faking it. he knew louis was knocked when the grip on him loosened.

zayn shuffled through his backpack again and handed harry a bag of mini muffins. "eat these."

"thank you," harry grabbed the package and opened them as quietly as he could so he wouldn't wake louis. slowly, he ate the muffins and may or may not have drank louis' coffee while he was at it because it was going to get cold anyways.

avery came back in to check on everything and finalized harry's treatment plan for the week. they're going to monitor any withdrawal symptoms and possibly prescribe a small opiod reception blocker just in case. fentanyl is highly dangerous, highly addictive, and if harry's brain wants it, he has to fight the urge to get it back in his system while he has the chance.

"when can i be able to take a shower or smoke?" harry asked.

"any time. just let one of us know and we can get you situated. you need to get up and moving so you don't get worn down through the week."

"can one of us take him outside or do you guys have to?" zayn asked. "because louis will probably drop kick someone for saying he can't do it."

"he can always come with."

"that works."

avery scribbled something down on a piece of paper and handed it to harry. "jana said you've never been involved with this kind of thing, but this is just in case you ever need to talk to someone. hotlines, meetings, potential sponsors that could give advice or help. it's always an option."

zayn pursed his lips and looked down at the paper that harry had in his hand. he glanced back up at the younger man, then at the sheet again. he swallowed hard, then slouched in his seat.

"do you guys need anything? anything for sleepy tot over here?" avery nodded toward louis. "i can grab you guys an extra blanket if needed."

"that would be great." harry thanked him for his gesture and pulled louis' blanket further up his shoulders.

when avery left, zayn asked, "you gonna use that paper?"

"no."

"can i...?"

harry handed the small sheet over. "you alright?"

"want the honest truth or sugar coated?"

"don't lie to me, zayn."

"it kinda just reminds me of my last time. i'd rather keep this just in case, y'know?"

"right," harry nodded. "i understand. if you need anything you let me know, okay?"

"i will. thank you."

"of course."

—-

louis woke up around noon due to overhearing small chatter from multiple people. he sat up and rubbed his eyes before folding his blanket over his lap.

"he's really wanting to see you, but i told him you have to give consent to anyone that is not louis. i figured that if i tried making louis wait for your approval that i might get my eyeballs clawed out."

"bunnies can be quite vicious," harry smirked as he ran his hand through louis' hair. "goodmorning, baby."

"hi," louis whispered. "who's coming?"

"mitch."

"gross."

"i know." harry kissed his temple. "'s alright. i'll let him come in for a few minutes. having a lot of people in one small room might freak you."

"i hate people, so, thank you." louis gave jana a small wave in recognition. "what's he saying?"

"that he just wants to see kid here."

"why didn't he come up here when we all left?"

"he said he needed to do a few things." the nurse shrugged. "if that were me, i would have said fuck those things and been right here where you are. with the reputation these two have together, i'm surprised he fled."

"yeah..." louis muttered. "is he here now?"

"he said he should be here within the next thirty minutes."

louis looked between zayn, who looked like he was contemplating kicking ass, and harry. "smoke break before?"

the other two boys nodded immediately.

jana unhooked harry from his monitors and wires to get him situated on his feet again. he had been on a few small walks earlier before louis had woken up when the lad had rolled onto the other side of the bed. he was too deep into slumber to even notice any movement. harry walked to jana's desk to tell her what his speculations behind all of this was, and even walked down to the cafeteria with zayn and avery to get a gatorade and granola bar since he wasn't having a full appetite but needed to eat.

he was still nauseous, still had a pounding headache no matter how hard he tried to make it go away, and hoping nicotine may help since it's been over eight hours without any. it could also be because he doesn't have any fentanyl in his system anymore.

louis stuck by harry's side the whole trip down the elevator, keeping a firm grip on the man's hand as they passed through hallways and out to the parking lot of the emergency room. he didn't care if he seemed up harry's ass at this point — he nearly died and this is his proof that he in fact made it out in one piece. touching him, smelling him, kissing him, it'll never be the same again. it'll be louis' reminder that he had a slip and stability needed to be found again.

this must have been exactly what harry felt like when he got shot.

harry takes a seat on the sidewalk. he scooted back and patted the open spot between his legs, signalling for louis to take a seat. he wrapped an arm around the man's waist and hooked his chin over his shoulder.

"never leaving," he said softly. "you're stuck with me."

"wouldn't have it any other way." louis melted at the kiss that was planted against his neck as he lit the cigarette zayn gave him.

their smoke break lasted about ten minutes of just small talk and unanswered questions. louis' main questions were how and why? how did this happen, how did anyone not see the signs before niall, why was the look on mitch's face the first thing he saw any time he closed his eyes?

zayn hands them each a piece of gum when they finish smoking, popping a piece of the minty confectionary into his own mouth before leading them back inside.

"you need to go to sleep," louis said to him.

"i'm waiting for niall. i'll be okay." the younger friend promised. "i'm not just going to let you deal with this on your own, lou. it's too risky."

"risky how?"

"first, you haven't had your night meds or your day meds yet. second, this is literally history repeating itself. you found me when i overdosed, you brought me back to life, and you sat in the hospital with me until i got discharged for rehab. by your fucking self. no way in hell would i ever sit back and watch you have to endure that again."

"i get where he's coming from," harry said as he swung his and louis' hands between them. "if he gets tired he can take the recliner."

"i've slept in worse places."

"i hear you on that one."

the solo walker turned around to face the couple, stopping in the middle of the hallway. "harold. need to ask you something before we get back in here."

"okay."

"if mitch comes at louis sideways, can i take his kneecaps out? we're kind of in the best place to do it, if you think about it."

harry looked down at louis, then shrugged. "sure."

zayn fist pumped the air and began to lead the way once more. once they settled back in the hospital room, avery hooked harry back up to his i.v. and heart monitor and checked his blood pressure before leaving them be.

it was nearly noon thirty when mitch showed, as promised. he looked exhausted, his hands were a bit scuffed up and there looked like a small amount of blood on his cheek that nobody commented on when he walked in the room. the air was tense already just because louis was unsure as to why the boss had such a late reaction at the club. shock, yes, but even still louis could see the ghost of guilt dancing over the man.

"how are you feeling, kid?"

"feeling." harry sighed. "what happened to your hand?"

"typical shit. they say anything?"

"positive for fentanyl. jana told me earlier that if she had gotten there later or if louis never did that narcan, i wouldn't have had a shot. so far my brain still works fine but she's afraid i might have some short term effects."

"like what?"

"nausea for sure, 'cause i could puke right now if i wanted to. she's worried about possible seizures. if it's hit a certain spot in my brain i could go colorblind but as far as i know-" harry turned louis' head to look him in the eyes. "i can see everything correctly." he moved louis' bangs out of his eyes to double check that the blue is still most certainly his favorite blue before turning back to the boss.

mitch sighed and leaned against the wall across the bed. "alright."

"so...what's the deal?"

"with?"

"probably this," louis muttered. "harry nearly got killed."

"can't tell you."

"right. you know quite a bit but can't figure this one out." harry rolled his eyes.

"you act like i know everything."

"you know shit you don't need to know, shit that doesn't matter, so why wouldn't you know about this one?" harry questioned.

mitch rose an eyebrow at him. "elaborate."

"i'd rather not. not right now. i didn't even want to see you, if i'm being honest," harry admitted, not even sparing his best friend a glance.

"why?"

"i think you know why, mitchell."

mitch scoffed. "do you think i had something to do with this?"

"who else would it fucking be?" harry asked as he felt louis' hand tighten around his. "it's quite the coincidence, innit? i tell you i want out of the gang and i mysteriously overdose on fucking fentanyl a week and a half later. that's obvious enough to me."

louis' eyes widen. "wait-"

"please just leave, mitch."

"-you want what?"

"harry, it wasn't-"

"go."

"it wasn't me!" the boom of mitch's shout caused louis to flinch and shoot upright.

"better lower your fucking tone or i'll throw you out my goddamn self," the small man warned. harry's heart monitor wasn't even speeding up but if the roles were reversed, louis' would be beeping erratically. conflict makes his stomach twist. watching two very hard-headed men go at it is not pleasant. "if you two are just going to keep arguing like you have for the last week, then don't bother speaking to one another until harry is home."

"you really think i would try to kill you?" mitch asked the underboss, softer than his original tone. "after the conversation we just had about this, you really think that i would go back on my word."

harry chewed on the inside of his cheek. "i don't know what to think at this point."

"who was the bartender at that time?" zayn questioned as he leaned back in his seat.

"both of them were there but dominic made my drink. both of our drinks." harry muttered. "i think? he had customers, he may have had mikey make them."

"mitch." the smaller man in the bed cleared his throat. "check the cameras, pull everything out of the bar-"

"that's a lot of-"

"pull everything out of the bar," louis repeated. "test everything. even the napkins. you don't want me to do it myself because it will not be pretty. i'll have liam report to me what you have found and if nothing gets back to me, we will have issues. this is not going to be swept under the rug like everything else has been lately."

harry bit back a snicker when mitch folded to louis' orders.

"alright." the boss nodded. "take the week off, lou."

"you're a bloody idiot if you thought i was coming in the first place."

mitch left without another word. zayn spared the superior a quick glance before turning his head to louis, wearing a smirk identical to the one harry now had on his own face.

"baby montana has entered the building."

"do not ever let those words come out of your mouth again." louis narrowed his eyes at his mate. "that was not baby montana. that was someone who is aware of their surroundings putting an individual in their place."

harry kissed the top of louis' head. "baby montana?"

"'s what mylo's clique called me for the longest when he was locked up." louis sighed.

"bunny is better."

"way better."

"baby styles." zayn proposed. "sounds prettier."

harry nods. "baby bunny styles."

"i'll get that on the other side of my ass." louis chuckled. harry's eyes lit up at the idea. of course.

"do you think you could eat something?" louis then asked the underboss. "i can go get you food from the cafeteria if you want. at least something light."

"don't make me tie you down and force feed you, styles." zayn pointed the top of his coffee cup at harry.

"mm, i'd watch that one if i were you, doesn't have a problem with being tied up." louis smirked. "do you, hazza?"

"nope. it's actually kind of fun if you ask me."

zayn looked between the both of them then sighed heavily. "wish i brought shooters to spike my damn coffee."

—-

getting harry to keep food down was harder than louis thought.

he puked up his dinner and then got mad because he couldn't eat the soup that he requested. fluids in general weren't a problem but it was actual food. harry mentioned he had the muffins from zayn plus granola bars, so they were confused as to why his tummy was not settling with chicken noodle soup. the salt, maybe? or the meat. who knows.

harry laid his head on louis' shoulder with a faint sigh. "fuck this."

"'m sorry," louis mumbled into his hair. "your body is weird."

"isn't it? i guess my diet will consist of mini muffins for a whole week."

"i'll get you a big variety box so you aren't stuck on just one flavor."

"my hero." the patient leaned forward to kiss louis' cheek. "are you okay?"

"me? you're literally-"

"hooked up to wires, recovering from a fentanyl overdose and puking my brains out. yes. i know. are you okay?"

louis rubbed his fingertips against the back of harry's head. "you're alive. i'm more than okay. scared shitless, might have to get an emergency appointment in with calum, but i'm okay."

"try to get with him first thing in the morning. i'll pay for it if there's a fee for hour differences."

"send the invoice to mitch."

"even better. he paid for your college, and will now pay for your mental health."

"i can't believe he did that," louis groaned. "i was paying it off. doing just fine. and i had financial aid."

"i don't know why he did it either. all he was trying to do was threaten to burn the building down with everyone in it because they didn't send you your grades. then he found out about the name change, and did all that background check shit..."

"i'm kind of glad he did that, really. could you imagine?" louis asked softly. "louis montana."

"i'll puke again."

"i'll join."

harry gave the smaller man a gentle squeeze. "never were you a montana. you are too good to be one of them. too valuable. too safe. too wholesome. too...you. montana is a cursed name and always will be."

louis' stomach fluttered. too him. that's probably...not supposed to be a good compliment but he will gladly take it. it's true.

"styles does sound prettier, you know," louis hummed. "but i think tomlinson is strong. it has character."

"it's beautiful. louis william tomlinson. honey off of my tongue."

"stop trying to be poetic, puke boy."

harry faked a gag right into his ear, making him cringe. louis pushed his face away with a small laugh and squeaked when harry pulled him closer and dug his fingers into his side.

"don't even try it." louis batted at his hands, trying not to laugh.

"i do what i want, when i want, and a pretty little bunny rabbit won't ever be able to stop me." harry said as he tickled louis' stomach. he smirked as louis caved in and began to giggle. "do you need to be reminded of just exactly who you're talking to?"

louis grabbed his wrist and pushed his arm off of him, rolling to the other side of the bed. he blocked himself with a pillow and his throw blanket. "no. 'cause i make the rules. no tickles."

"no?"

"nope."

"fine." harry pouted in his pillow. "i see how it is."

louis grinned behind his protection. "loves you."

"yeah, yeah. i love you too. can you come back? i miss you."

sighing reluctantly, louis slowly made his way back into harry's bubble once he was confident the man wouldn't tickle him anymore. he tucked his head under harry's chin and kissed his adam's apple before covering them up with his blanket.

"we can try food again later," harry said. "right now i just wanna lay with you. makes me feel better."

nodding, louis got comfortable in their squished state and managed to somehow doze off, even though it was unintentional.

while he was asleep, liam stopped by to see them before visiting hours were over and placed an envelope on the table for louis to look at when he woke up. he explained to the underboss that it held reports from the bar cameras right around the time harry was there, photos and text included. he was still waiting on results from certain items he tested to come through, but he was keeping his word so that louis wouldn't "take out his ankles," as he told harry.

"my little ankle biter," harry chuckled softly.

louis stirred, pulling his blanket up to his chin. "fuck you both."

"love you, lou."

"love you too, li. thanks again."

"of course." the gang member nodded his head. "harry is one of my best friends, and i'd like to say the same about you. you guys are family. i'll do whatever i can to help out."

harry smiled at that. even if it's a fucked up one, he has a family. liam, niall, zayn, and lou. michael and cara. his people. he can fall back on them and they'll hold him up. he always hated that, having to ask for help or be the one that needed any sort of assistance. he was too used to being independent or being the helper.

"i really am glad you're okay, haz," liam said softly. "you're one of the strongest people i know. and you managed to pull through this. i look up to you a lot. as a friend and brother, not because you're my superior. you have more potential in yourself than just being in a clique and that's what i admire about you."

"even when i'm on an oxygen tube and throwing my guts up?" harry asked. louis is so much stronger than him. he wouldn't argue over it, but deep down, louis was so much stronger.

"yes. you look rather handsome with that thing on your face."

"thank you," harry grinned. "made sure it was extra tight for when you came in."

"i appreciate the thought."

louis rubbed his eyes and laid on his back, looking between liam and harry. "liam is to be your bodyguard when i'm not around."

"are you implying you will actually leave my side?" harry teased. "i can't go to the bathroom with you or climb in your backpack?"

"you can't attend my therapy appointments," louis shrugged. "but that's about it."

"i'll have niall or zayn with me as well. that way we have someone with harry, and someone on the lookout."

"we also have shark, emma, and sonic," louis added. "shark will bite on command. emma just does it because she's a brat."

"sounds perfect to me."

—-

hello helloooooooooo so harry's not dead sorry for the heart attack

thoughts so far? we got a hint towards zayn's situation — how do you think that's going to play out?

what's mitch up to? do you think he had a part in it? why or why not?

loves you! thank you for 34k! ❤️‍🔥