Hello!

This chapter is... well, you'll see

I'm going to start setting update targets for this book again. So...

55 votes and 120 comments for an update <3

Liam, Zayn, Troye, Harry and Niall all sat in Zayn's living room discussing, what they had called, 'project: Louis'. Simple, but effective

"I think that you should just come clean" Niall stated, looking between the four of them. "He might not take it lightly, but he should at least know the truth"

Harry swallowed. "I didn't want any of it to happen"

"We'll tell him that" Zayn promised

Harry shook his head. "He'll still blame me"

"I could just say that it was my idea" Troye cut in. "I don't know him, so he can hate me all he wants" he added with a shrug

"That's not true, you guys kiss in second grade" Niall muttered

"What?" Harry snapped, raising a threatening brow at Troye

Troye held his hands up in defence. "Only gay kids in school, was bound to happen"

"Anyways..." Liam interrupted before Harry was able to pounce on Troye. "Even if you did that, it would still be lying to him," he said. "If we're going to tell him the truth, we might as well tell him the whole truth"

"The whole truth" Zayn repeated, eyeing Harry

Harry swallowed, glancing at Niall and then back to Zayn. "We can't tell him... everything"

Niall frowned, looking between them. "What?" he asked "What's the 'whole truth'?"

Liam coughed awkwardly, looking at Harry

"I'm not telling him!" Harry exclaimed, looking at Niall. "He'll tell Louis!"

"What are you hiding from him?" Niall questioned. "Did you hurt him?"

"What? No!" Harry argued

Zayn pulled a face. "It was... nevermind..." trailed off

Niall looked towards Liam. "What happened?"

Liam shook his head. "Not my story to tell"

Niall turned to Troye

"Don't look at me!" Troye said defensively. "I don't know what they're talking about"

"Zayn," Niall pushed

The dark-haired boy turned to Harry with a brow raised. "I mean, he should know"

Harry's nose twitched as he looked at Niall. "You can't tell Louis"

Niall narrowed his eyes at Harry. "Depends-"

"No," Harry said sharply. "You can't tell him, simple as that"

Niall's eyes flickered to Zayn, then back to Harry. "Tell me," he pressed

"You have to swear-"

"They kissed!" Liam blurted

"Liam!" Harry snapped

Niall's eyes widened. "What?!" he exclaimed. "Louis didn't- he would've told me!"

"The plot thickens..." Troye muttered

Zayn shook his head. "Louis doesn't...remember"

"What do you mean he doesn't remember?" Niall asked, he turned to Harry with a threatening glare. "What did you do to him?"

"It was all him!" Harry said defensively

"I swear to God if-"

Zayn cut Niall off. "It was at my party..." he explained. "Louis was quite drunk"

"You kissed him when he was drunk?" Niall exploded

"Not cool, dude," Troye muttered

Harry blinked at them. "He kissed me!"

Niall scoffed. "As if!"

"I swear he did!" Harry said quickly. "I was just as surprised as you," he admitted. "He didn't even remember in the morning"

A look of realisation took over Niall's face and the rest of the boy eyed him curiously

"What?" Liam asked. "What is it?"

Niall swallowed. "I think... he remembers more than you think"

***

Meanwhile, Louis was sat with Jack on the boy's bed. There was a heavy silence in the air that hung amongst them until Louis broke it

"I'm sorry that you're hurt," he said finally, reaching out to run a hand over the cut on Jack's nose. Jack flinched at the contact Louis gave him a look of sympathy. "Sorry"

Jack shook his head, taking Louis' hand in his own."It's okay," he muttered

"What happened?" Louis asked

"Where were you last night?"

Louis blinked at him. "Just-" he shook his head. "I was just home," he said. "I needed time to think"

Jack watched him carefully. "That's it?"

Louis swallowed. "And I... I checked on Harry," he said quietly. "I just wanted to know what happened"

Jack's nose twitched. "Louis, why didn't you ask me?"

Louis turned his head, looking away. "Because Niall said that you started it," he answered. "I didn't think you'd tell me"

"You went to his house?" Jack asked

Louis looked back at him. "Jack, he literally lives next door to me!"

"I don't care!"

"He's my friend"

Jack shook his head. "Still don't care," he repeated. "I don't want you talking to him. Not after this"

Louis blinked at him in shock. "What? Why? What did he-"

"What did he do?" Jack asked incredulously, gesturing to his face

"Niall said he was trying to stop the fight. He said that Harry didn't hurt you!" Louis defended

Jack huffed out a bitter laugh. "What, and you're just going to believe Niall over your boyfriend?"

"No! I just- I just thought he must've seen"

"Well obvious he didn't see everything," Jack retorted. "You need to trust me"

Louis swallowed. "Why were you even fighting?"

Jack laughed bitterly "Harry's crazy 'bout you," he said simply "He and his friends couldn't wait to catch me alone"

Louis frowned. That didn't seem right; he knew Zayn and Liam. He knew Harry

"You don't believe me?" Jack's voice pulled him from his thoughts

Louis shook his head quickly "It's not that, I just- I can't imagine-"

"Seems like you don't believe me," Jack cut him off. "That's what happens when you hear Harry's side first"

"That's not it!" Louis said desperately

Jack's jaw tightened. "You believe me, right? You trust me? Because it sure doesn't feel like it"

Louis blinked at the accusation. "Of course I do!" he said, but the words felt weak

Jack leaned in slightly, closing the space between them. "Then prove it"

Louis swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Jack's gaze. There was that pull again, that magnetism between them, and his pulse quickened in response

"Come here," Jack urged. His voice was low, coaxing; his hand was reaching out and brushing Louis's arm

Louis's chest tightened. He leaned in, eyes fluttering shut as Jack's hand went to the back of his head, pulling him in. He tried to relax at the warmth of Jack's body against his

But something tugged at him, something that felt like hesitation, like a warning.  He opened his eyes at the last second, just as Jack's lips brushed his

"Jack—" he started, but the words fell away as his lips found Jack's

They kissed for a moment, Jack pulling Louis closer; his hands went to Louis' T-shirt, tugging at the bottom of it, pushing it up

Louis felt himself falter, breaking the kiss and pulling away. "Wait-" he cut himself off, blinking at Jack

Not yet. Not like this

Jack frowned at him, searching Louis' eyes for answers. When Louis said nothing, Jack went to kiss him again

Their lips touched briefly, but Louis was pulling away again, more sharply this time.  He was almost panicked, shaking his head. "I... I can't, Jack"

Jack froze, his expression hardening. "What do you mean?  You don't want to kiss me now?"

Louis's stomach twisted. "It's not- it's not that-"

"Then what?" Jack asked, hands on Louis again. "Why'd you stop?"

"I just... I don't know if I want to-"

"Kiss me?" Jack asked incredulously. "You don't want to kiss your boyfriend?"

Louis shook his head quickly "No!" he exclaimed. "It just... doing more"

Jack's face took on a look of frustration. "More?" he leaned in closer. "What's so scary about it, Louis? "

Louis swallowed, his throat dry. "I just..." he couldn't finish the sentence

"Just what?"

Louis shook his head; he couldn't answer because he didn't know. It just didn't feel right

Jack took his silence for agreement, kissing Louis more forcefully this time. One hand gripping Louis' shirt, the other on the back of his neck

"Jack," Louis muttered against his lips "Wait!"

Jack hardly gave him an inch of space. "You can go check on Harry last night? Spend time with him? But you can't give yourself to me?"

Louis felt his stomach twist guiltily. He kissed Jack again, an apology lay heavy on his lips. He felt Jack smile against him, almost in victory

Jack's lips went to his neck, biting softly at first but then nipping harder against the skin. "Just do this for me, okay?" he muttered, sucking at Louis' neck. "Fought for you yesterday, just like you wanted, just like I said I would. It's the least I deserve"

Louis could feel Jack's body weight pressing down on him, and before he knew it, he was lying back on the bed, Jack hovering over him.

Louis froze, hands pressed flat against Jack's chest as he pushed against him, trying to create space. "Hey—wait," Louis managed, his voice shaky but firm

Jack didn't respond at first. His lips were still on Louis' neck, but his body shifted lower, his knee moving between Louis' legs. Louis swallowed as Jack's hands went to his shirt again, lifting it to his neck. Jack pressed his mouth to Louis' chest and the smaller boy pushed Jack away suddenly

"Louis, what-"

"Sorry!" Louis said, quickly sitting up. "I'm sorry, I can't," he whispered, climbing off of the bed

Jack's eyes were wide as he watched Louis step away from him. "You've got to be kidding?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me-"

"You care about him more than you care about me, don't you? About us?" the accusation hit Louis like a punch

"That's not true," the words didn't sound as convincing out loud as they did in his head

Jack's lips curled into a bitter smile, standing to face Louis. "Then prove it," he insisted, his voice low and strained. "Come on, Louis, you owe it to me," he stepped closer

Louis jerked back abruptly, his heart pounding. "I can't. I'm sorry, Jack. I'm not- I can't"

Jack's expression darkened; a mix of hurt and something harder. "You're just gonna leave?"

Louis shook his head frantically, words escaping him

Just as the tension in the room thickened, Louis' phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen, seeing a name flash across it

Harry

Louis's stomach lurched. He hadn't even realized how badly he needed the distraction until the phone buzzed again, this time more urgently

Louis looked at Jack and then back to his phone and swallowed. "I have to..."

Jack scoffed as Louis answered

"Louis?" Harry's voice was soft but concerned. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

Louis felt a strange mix of relief and guilt. He looked at Jack again; the boy's eyes were burning with frustration. Louis clutched the phone to his chest

He turned to Jack. "I... I have to go" he whispered

Jack stood up quickly, shaking his head. "So, that's it?" he said, his voice cutting. "You're just gonna go? Is that it then?"

Louis hesitated at the door, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking. "I can't-"

And then he was racing out of the bedroom before Jack could say anything else. He pressed the phone to his ear once he stepped outside

"Louis?" Harry's voice was a lifeline, full of concern. "Hellooo? Baby, what's happening? Are you okay?"

Louis sniffed, closing his eyes. "Hi," he said finally

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief on the other end. "Where'd you go?"

"I just had to sort something," he answered. "I'm fine"

"I've been trying to get through to you," Harry told him. "Niall said you-"

"You spoke to Niall?" Louis asked

A brief pause. "Yeah I bumped into him at Zayn's, I'll explain later," he said. "Where are you?"

Louis bit his lip. "What did Niall say?"

Another pause, longer this time. "He said you were at..." he trailed off for a moment. "Are you...?"

Louis sighed. "I'm just leaving."

"Stay where you are," Harry told him. "I'll come get you, okay?"

"Okay."

***

Harry leaned across the passenger seat to open the door for Louis

The younger boy climbed into the car, eyes fixed on his lap. "Thanks," he said softly, doing up his seatbelt

Harry watched him for a moment, brows furrowed. "Are you okay?"

Louis nodded wordlessly

Harry's eyes lingered for a moment before he nodded to himself.  "Okay," he said softly as he started driving

The drive home was suffocating. Louis sat in silence, staring out of the window, his fingers twitching in his lap. Harry glanced at him every so often, his grip on the steering wheel tightening with every look. The tension was building, his knuckles white as though gripping the wheel was the only thing keeping him together

"Louis," Harry's voice was soft, but the sound of it still made Louis flinch

Louis looked at him briefly. "Hm?" he murmured, his tone distant. He turned back to the window

Harry swallowed. "Are you mad at me?" he asked. "Did I-"

"No!" Louis said quickly, glancing back at Harry, then turning back to stare straight ahead. "It's not you," he promised. "I'm not mad at you"

Harry sighed softly, nodding. They continued in silence

Harry kept his eyes on the road until they parked up. The engine shut off with a soft hum

Harry took off his seatbelt and turned to face him fully. "Louis"

Louis unfastened his belt. "Thanks for the ride," Louis said quickly, already reaching for the door handle

"Hey," the firmness of Harry's voice made him pause. "Talk to me," Harry pressed, trying to get Louis to look at him. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

Louis hesitated, his hand slipping off the door. An unreadable expression flickered across his face as he turned toward Harry. "I just-"

And then Harry saw it

His eyes froze on the mark, his stomach twisting. "What the fuck is that?" Harry's voice cracked as he spoke

Louis frowned for a moment before his eyes widened, hands going to his neck and tugging up his jacket to try and cover the mark. But Harry's already seen it and he looks as though he might throw up

"It's nothing," Louis rushed out. "It's- it doesn't matter"

Harry reached out without thinking, pulling at Louis' jacket. "Louis-"

Louis shifted back in his seat, squirming away from Harry with little conviction. "It's nothing," he insisted

"Doesn't look like nothing, " Harry snapped. "Louis, let me see," he tugged Louis' jacket collar, exposing the dark deep bruise. Louis slumped in defeat, his hands dropping as Harry's eyes burned into him

Louis swallowed, turning to Harry with wide eyes. The look of hurt on Harry's face kills him. Harry's hand dropped away and Louis tugged his jacket back up. "I-" he doesn't know what to say

"I'm going to kill him," Harry choked out

"Harry, stop-"

"What did you do?" there's a lump in Harry's throat, his breath catching as he speaks. "What happened?"

Louis shook his head. "It's no big deal," he promised. "Just..." he trailed off helplessly. "He's my boyfriend, what do you want me to say?"

Harry's stomach is churning. "Jack? Jack, Louis?" his voice is strained. "You let him do that?"

Harry's voice makes Louis want to cry. "We were just- I don't know," Louis muttered, turning to look away

"Louis..." Harry struggles to find the words. "Tell me you didn't... Please tell me you didn't"

Louis avoids his gaze, looking down at his hands. "Can you stop? Please"

Harry feels like he's going to cry, like he's going to break. "Did you?" his voice is hoarse. "Louis, did you?"

Louis' face is red with embarrassment. "Harry!" he exclaimed

"I need you to tell me," his voice is heavy with desperation

Louis looked up at him finally. "Nothing happened," he said. "Not really"

Harry shook his head in confusion "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked and Louis looked away again. Harry grabbed his arm. "Louis, please. Did you- was I too late?"

Louis blinked at him, his lips parting, before shaking his head. Harry practically melted with relief. "No," Louis said softly. "I didn't... we didn't," he swallowed. "I couldn't"

Harry swallowed. "You didn't?" he asked and Louis shook his head. "Fuck, baby," Harry muttered, letting Louis go, leaning back in his seat and glancing away for a moment. "Had me scared," he whispered. His eyes went back to Louis' neck. "Why'd you let him do that?" there was still a hint of frustration in his voice, a hint of pain

Louis turned to look away. "I didn't want..." he trailed off. "He just- and I couldn't—" he cut himself off, shaking his head

"You couldn't what?" Harry pressed, voice sharpy with worry. His hand found Louis' arm again, forcing the boy to look at him. "You couldn't what? Couldn't stop him?"

Louis shook his head, biting his bottom lip to keep it from trembling

Harry's face hardened. "Did he hurt you?" his voice was tight. "Louis?"

"No," Louis answered, his voice cracking. "I just told him that I didn't want to and..."

"And then what?" Harry pressed. He leaned closer, his fingers tightening slightly on Louis' arm. "Louis—"

Louis shook his head, shrugging. "I just had to tell him a few times for him to get the idea," he said, turning his head away. "It's fine"

Harry's nose twitched; he dropped Louis' arm, almost recoiling. "It's not fine," he snapped. "Louis, I can't—" he shook his head, swallowing hard. "I should've been there. I should've—"

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible

Harry's frown deepened. "It's not your fault"

Louis' bottom lip wobbled. "You're making me feel like it is"

Harry flinched, shaking his head as he tried to find the words. For a long moment, he couldn't look at Louis

Louis sniffed and Harry finally turned to him. When he did, his eyes were glassy

Harry softened. "Baby" he muttered, hesitantly reaching out to touch Louis' shoulder. "I'm sorry," when Louis didn't flinch away from him, he pulled the boy into his arms. "It's not," he promised. "It's not your fault," he rubbed at Louis' back. "You didn't do anything wrong"

"Okay," Louis sniffed

"Wish you never went there," Harry told him. "Wish I would've gotten to you sooner," he muttered against Louis' cheek. "I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered. "For everything"

"It's not your fault," Louis mumbled, barely audible

Harry pulled back just enough to look at him. "Sworn to protect you, remember?"

Louis gave him a watery smile, nodding faintly

"I swear to you," Harry said, his voice rough with emotion. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again. Not ever."

Louis just melted back into Harry, pressing himself into the boy's chest and letting himself find safety in Harry's warmth

"Thank you," Louis whispered against his shoulder

Harry just held him tighter

I'm :) going :) to :) cry :)

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