I was woken by a low scream and continued whimpering. What was going on? Getting up quietly, I open my door and wander down the hall, searching for the source of the noise, but I can’t hear anything over the crash of thunder.

Thunder! Louis! I hurry back to our side of the house and put my ear against his door. I can almost feel him in there, trembling and whimpering with fear due to the storm outside. Right on cue, the darkness of the night is lit by what can only be a flash of lightning, and I hear another scream.

Poor Boo, he must be terrified! I remove my ear from the door and try to turn the handle only to find it locked. Why in the world is his door locked in the middle of the night?

I knock my knuckles against the door and call through it gently, “Boo? Can I come in?” I hear the sound of blankets moving before soft footsteps and the click of the door unlocking. I step in, closing the door behind me.

Louis was a mess. His eyes were puffy, check streaked with tears, clothes rumpled, and he was still making noises. I looked over at his bed to see that he had obviously been in a ball under the pillows before he got up to let me in.

I tried to come up with something to say, but ended up stupidly blurting out, “Why was your door locked?”

“I… I… I didn’t want them… to think I’m a baby… but you already know…” he whispered, and my heart broke at how pitiful he was in this state. My poor, sweet Louis.

Moving carefully toward him, I scoop him up and carry him to his bed. Immediately, he gets a tight grip around my neck and shoulders, curling into my body and burying his head in the crook of my neck as if to block out the storm.

“Shh, it’s okay, everything’s okay, I’m here now, the storm can’t hurt you…” I whispered little soothing pieces into his ear, hoping to stop the violent shaking of his body.

Laying our bodies down on his bed, I pulled the blankets up over us. The ball that was Louis crunched into himself even tighter, leaning against my side. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my chin on his head.

“I’m here, Boo. I promise I’ll protect you. You’re not a baby; we all have fears. Yours is just different than the rest of ours. I’m right next to you; you know I wouldn’t let anything hurt you.” I felt the shaking finally begin to subside and released a silent sigh of relief.

Louis looked up at me. He was no longer actively sobbing or shaking, but he still looked a right mess. Just looking at him, seeing him in this condition, it was tugging at my heart.

“Haz… I’m glad you heard me… You’re the only one I want right now.” He mumbled. My chest swelled; he wanted me. His Harry. I pulled his head back down to my chest, stroking his back gently and kissing his forehead.

“Thank you, Boo. That… it means a lot to me.” I moved a little to make us more comfortable. “Go to sleep, Lou. I’m here, and I’ll be right next to you to protect you from the storm. I promise you. Get some rest,” I urge him.

Yawning, I feel his body relax against mine, still in my arms. He murmurs a quick goodnight before his head drops and I hear the steady breathing of someone sleeping. He must’ve been dead tired, the poor thing.

I can’t sleep, sitting there with him in my arms. It’s actually quite peaceful despite the raging storm. His face is so serene like an angel’s, no stress lines and no worry in his features. I gently brush some stray strands of hair from his forehead, placing a few kisses there.

That night I got no more sleep. I just stroked Louis’ hair and face, studying him and letting him get some much-needed relaxation.

I felt him stirring and smiled down at his sleepy face. “Morning, Boo,” I greet him.

“Morning.” He gives his arms a good stretch and rolls his neck before wrapping his arms around me again. “You stayed here the whole night with me? You really didn’t have to do that, I know I was in a terrible state but once I got to sleep I would’ve been fine and-“

I cut him off. “No way! I wanted to be here, to make sure you slept well and didn’t have any more fears. Remember I promised I’d protect you and I did!” I happily stated.

“But you probably didn’t get any sleep! There’s no way you would wake up before me; I always have to come get you up in the mornings… Tell me the truth, did you stay up all night?” I try to think up a quick lie, since I know if he finds out I was indeed up all that time he will feel guilty and I don’t want my Boobear to be upset.

Not coming up with anything, I realize it’s the perfect time to break into song. Hopefully he won’t notice the nervous tremble in my voice or my smile. “I wanna stay UP ALL NIGHT and jump around until we see the sun, I wanna stay UP ALL NIGHT and find a girl and tell her she’s the one,” I exaggerate the words “up all night”.

“Hold onto the feeling, and don’t let it go, ‘cause we got the floor now, get out of control,” he joins me.

We laugh and finish the chorus, joined by the rest of the boys who probably heard us singing and wanted to join the fun. “I wanna stay UP ALL NIGHT and do it all with you… up all night like this all night, up all night like this all night, up all night!” Niall is doing some form of an Irish jig, Zayn is holding a hairbrush as if it’s a microphone, and Liam is doing our performance motions. Louis is just lying splayed out on his back, and I sang that last part straight to him.

“I wanna stay up all night and do it all with you…” I whisper to him, and he smiles softly up at me. Good, he’s forgotten he doesn’t know whether I was up or not.

Niall suddenly sniffs the air like a dog and we all turn to stare at him. “What? I was hoping I smelled breakfast; I’m a hungry leprechaun here, FEED ME!” he made innocent eyes up at Liam, who just groaned and followed a merry Niall to the kitchen while Zayn went to do his hair.

“Lou? We have to get up and dressed now if you want food.” I try to get out form under him but he doesn’t budge. “Not this again,” I groan.

“I’ll get up when you tell me I’m the sexiest man alive with the best dance moves.” He smirks.

“That is so not fair! I’m the sexiest man alive, everybody knows that!” I pout and cross my arms across my chest as best I can with Louis lying there.

“I won’t stop ‘til you surrender! Just say it already!”

“No!”

“But it’s all true!”

“So you’re saying you can dance?” I raise my eyebrow incredulously at him.

“I sure can! I’ll show you my awesome moves when you say the magic words and we can get up.”

“Why not just get up now so you can prove you’re a good dancer?” I try.

“Not falling for that, Haz.” I groan. Why is it always me that has to deal with him? I fail to notice him crawling closer to my head until I feel his breath in my ear. I feel a shiver run down my spine. What was that? I must be cold. Yes, that’s it, there’s a draft blowing through the house right now.

My attention snaps back to Louis when I feel him shivering beside me. He must be cold as well. His breath seems to stop for a second before I hear him suck it in, about to say something. I lean in a little closer, encouraging him to speak.

“SAY IT!” he screams into my ear, and I jerk away from him, slamming my hands over my ears. That seriously hurt! I can feel the pounding of an incoming headache already, as well as a burning sensation in my left ear.

“Jesus, are you trying to make me go deaf, you idiot? THAT HURT!” I scream back at him. My face is contorted in an expression of pure pain.

He smirks. “Maybe I am. And just so you know, I’m not Jesus. But thanks for the comparison, it’s greatly appreciated.” Is he mocking me?

“I can’t sing if I’m DEAF!” I reply, and Liam darts through the door. “LIAM! Thank god, save me from this idiotic monster!” I plead with him, pointing at Louis.

“What are you up to this time, Lou? All I heard was something about someone being deaf! Nobody here is going deaf, all right? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HARRY?” He was fuming.

Louis looked down at the sheets regretfully. “I kind of, well, I screamed in his ear trying to get him to say the magic words that will make me get off him, but apparently it was a bit too loud and he claims I made his ear go deaf…” He said guiltily, not daring to look Liam in the eyes.

“God, do you two ever calm down? Stop screaming at him, Louis! And Harry, you should know by now not to mess with him; just do what he says and the problem is over! All better, children?” He huffs, leaving.

I sigh and mumble, “Louis William Tomlinson is the sexiest man alive and he has the best dance moves. You happy?”

He grins like the Cheshire cat. “Aw, thanks Haz, you’re the best friend I could ever ask for!” I felt the pang in my chest when he said I was his friend once again. Ignoring it, I lean into his hug before smacking the back of his head.

“What was that for?” He asks, confused.

“For almost making me deaf.” His eyes show understanding and regret.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are your ears okay? Did I actually make you deaf? Oh no, I did, didn’t I? It’s all my fault!” His eyes fill with unshed tears on the edge of brimming over.

“Calm down! I’m okay, you did nothing to actually hurt me!” I lied. I’m becoming a master at lying and I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing.

I let go of him, finally throwing on some clothes and getting ready for our first day off. When I turn around, Louis has changed and is standing in the middle of our room, staring at me.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” I ask, bewildered. He just smiles.

“I’m going to prove to you that I’ve got good moves, Styles!” He triumphantly states before breaking out into his famous pat-the-dog-screw-the-light bulb. I try to hold back a laugh, watching him continue to dance idiotically around the room. It’s when he tries to mix that move with the stop-the-traffic-let-em-through that I lose it, falling on the floor and choking on my laughs as I watch his body shake in random directions as he tries to combine the two moves.

Oh, Louis.