Broken Souls l.s.

Chapter 4: Harry

At nearly eleven, Louis had climbed into the single queen sized bed in the bedroom. I'd been working on something else entirely, something only Gemma knew of. See, the reason we started out to sea was completely different than what most people thought. Most people thought I'd set out to sea to steal impressionable boys away from their families, but that had never been the intention. The intention had always been to find our Mum.

The last time either Gemma or I had seen her had been nearly seven years ago. Everyone else had told us to just give up on this hopeless crusade, saying she was probably dead anyways, but she was all either of us had. Our dad had left shortly after I was born, neither one of us really having any memories of the man. And so, when she disappeared, we vowed that one day we would find her. The day was getting closer, I could feel it.

"Harry," Louis sleepily called out. I glanced over my shoulder where he was cuddled up into the blankets, clutching onto one of the pillows like his life depended on it.

"Yes, love," I asked, rolling up the map I'd been looking at. He hesitated, seemingly afraid to ask what he had intended to mere moments ago.

"Will you come cuddle me," he sheepishly asked. I smiled at the boy, setting everything I had been working on aside, in a place I was sure he wouldn't stumble upon it accidentally.

"Give me about five minutes to change and such and then I'm all yours," I promised, grabbing a pajama set out of the wardrobe. I wasn't entirely certain that it still fit because I usually opted to sleep in the nude rather than with pajamas, or fabric constraints as I like to call them, on. He nodded, sleepily moving over so he wasn't in the center of the bed. I walked into the adjoined bathroom to change, not wanting to make the younger lad uncomfortable.

Walking back into the bedroom, it seemed Louis had almost fallen asleep, but seemed to have been forcing himself to stay awake a bit longer. Seeing my reappearance, he'd simply opened his arms in a way that conveyed he wanted to be cuddled.

"You tired, love," I question. He simply nodded his head, scotting further over as I pulled the blankets back and got into the bed. He seemed hesitant to come closer now that I was near him. "Come 'ere, pretty boy," I instructed. He quickly does as I ask, attacking my torso with his body. Soon, he's situated himself so his arms are wrapped around me as his head lays on my chest. His eyes seemed to be wandering up the arm that was in his sight as I wrapped my arms around his smaller body, pulling him further up to properly lay on my chest.

"You have tattoos," he asked, poking one of the tattoos on my left arm.

"I do," I respond. "Can I ask you a question, darling?"

"You just did," he cheekily responds, sticking his tongue out as he glanced up at me. "But yeah, go ahead."

"Why did you ask me to cuddle. I mean, I'm not complaining, but just a bit curious," I question. He moves slightly on top of me, so he could look up at me.

"Well, me sisters, the twins, they've always asked me to cuddle with them when they're going to sleep, so I guess I've just gotten used to it and it's hard to sleep without that physical contact with someone," he explains.

"For the record, I quite like the physical contact and will never pass you up if you ask to snuggle," I tell him, running one of my hands gently through his hair. "Now, please go to sleep, baby," I ask, as he drifts in and out of sleep a couple of times. 

A/N instead of doing my history homework, im uploading...