me, him, and the moon ☾ l.s.

twenty three - safe and sound

Harry sat bolt upright in bed, panting heavily. The room around him was unfamiliar, the beige walls washed in dim, gray-ish light as the sun rose. He scrambled back against the headboard, tears welling up in his eyes -- he had no idea where he was, and he had no idea how he got there.

He remembered waking up in the infirmary, and he remembered Louis hovering over him and holding him close. He had drifted in and out of sleep for a few days in that uncomfortable bed, but Louis had always been right by his side. Now, the alpha was nowhere to be found, and he definitely wasn't in the infirmary anymore.

"Louis?" he called out, his trembling voice creating a harsh disruption in the peaceful morning. He took a deep breath, folding his knees tightly to his chest as his body quivered with fear. His stitched-up side ached with throbbing pain, and he had fresh bandages on his leg where Nick had burned him. Someone had changed his clothes, replacing his dirty shirt and ripped jeans with a loose-fitting pair of shorts and his favorite lavender sweater, but the clean, comfortable clothes didn't provide him with much comfort.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and he prayed that when he opened them next, he would find himself in his own bed, safe in Louis's arms.

And maybe he could add "summoning" to his short list of magical powers -- or maybe the mate bond between him and Louis really was a special form of magic in itself.

"Hey, hey. Breathe." His alpha's voice surrounded Harry suddenly, and his body sagged instantly into Louis's touch, letting the older boy wrap him up tightly in the blankets once again. "You're okay, sweetheart. I'm right here, darling."

"Lou, where . . ? What's going on? How did I get here? What happened?" He hid his face in the older boy's chest, still too overwhelmed to face the world outside. His head was spinning, and he clung desperately to Louis, whining brokenly, "Alpha, please."

"Shh, shh. I've got you, sweetheart. Be a good boy and breathe for me first, and then I'll tell you everything." With a gentle grip on Harry's chin, Louis coaxed him out of his hiding place, giving him a reassuring smile despite the worry swirling in his own chest; he just needed Harry to calm down before he worked himself into a complete panic. "Can you breathe for me now, baby?"

Louis's face finally came into focus in his blurred vision, and Harry sighed, relieved. He nodded, keeping his green eyes locked on Louis's blue ones, his cheeks flushed pink with a combination of panic and embarrassment.

The alpha seemed to sense his feelings perfectly; as his hands traced calming circles on Harry's back, he said sincerely, "Nothing to be embarrassed about, love. With everything that's happened . . ." his voice wavered, and his fingers twisted tightly in the back of Harry's t-shirt ". . . it's completely understandable that you're afraid."

Harry responded quietly, "I'm not afraid."

"Haz, it's okay --"

"I'm not afraid," he insisted. He wrapped his arms around his mate, settling further into Louis's side and exhaling deeply as he finally began to calm down. "I'm not afraid when I'm with you."

And Louis's heart swelled, threatening to burst out from his chest.

"I love you," he whispered, squeezing Harry's waist in a reassuring and possessive gesture.

"I love you. And I missed you. Lou, I . . . I was so scared. Nick, he . . ." Harry shuddered, biting down hard on his trembling lower lip. "I-I thought he would keep me away from you. I thought he would break our bond and I wouldn't be able to . . . I wouldn't feel you --"

As Harry descended toward hysterical rambling, Louis shushed him softly, pressing a comforting kiss to his curls. "We're going to talk about all of that soon enough. But now that you're calmer, look around for me. What do you see?"