Numbness - Larry Stylinson AU

Chapter 1

Harry was sitting in the back of his social worker's car on his way to yet another city. This would be the fifth city that he will now live in, and he has lost count of the number of group homes, foster homes, orphanages, or schools he had been to. He had lost count because he had been in the system since he was six after the death of his mother, Anne and sister Gemma.

They were in a mall doing some last-minute Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve when some people decided to pull out a gun and start shooting everyone. There were 95 people killed and 150 people injured. The cops caught them, but Harry didn't feel like that did much. Yes, he is glad they are off the streets, but that doesn't bring his mum and Gemma back. That doesn't put his family back together. That doesn't ease his mind about malls and the holidays.

It was Christmas at the hospital when Desmond disowned Harry. Anne had died even before the paramedics got there. She was shot right in the head. She died on Christmas Eve at 5:34 pm. Gemma had survived the ride to the hospital; she was unconscious but breathing with the help of machines. She was shot twice, once in the leg and the other in the chest. However, she lost much blood since the bullet hit vital veins and had hit her head hard when she fell to the ground. She died Christmas morning at 6:28 am. At 7:30 am on Christmas day is when Harry lost his entire family. No sister. No father. No mother.

New Year was no better for him. Since Christmas, he had stayed at the orphanage while they got his file all set up and running. He hated it. He had a hard time dealing with everything, and it didn't help that no one cared. But everything got worse for him when it was around New Year, and that was the first day his only best friend/brother was allowed to visit him. That day he came to the orphanage to pick Harry up, and they were going to have lunch and then go back to his house to hang out for a few hours. The house was where everything went down. Lunch was great, Harry loved their parents, and they were nothing but pleasant and sweet and caring to him. They had bought Harry a Christmas present and New Year's present, and that was the first day he felt like he wasn't alone in the world. Back at the house was when he was reminded that he was alone.

Desmond still lived in Harry's old house, and they are neighbours, so when Harry went back to their place, of course, Desmond saw. Desmond was drunk and decided to have some final words to say to Harry. He had taken Harry back to their house for a chat, but Desmond verbally abused Harry. Saying how it was Harry's fault, they were even in the mall in the first place because Harry decided they didn't have enough decorations for both the Christmas and New Years' parties they were going to host. He also brought up that Harry was an accident and that they never even wanted him but pitied him and kept him because Gemma immediately connected to newborn Harry. He said that Gemma was always there for Harry, his best friend and a great older sister, and Harry paid her back by getting her killed.

Harry had cried. He thought his father would take him back, but Harry let all his emotions out once he uttered the first words of abuse. By the end of the verbal abuse, Desmond had lost it and picked Harry up off his chair and threw him to the ground. He had used Harry as a punching bag to let all his emotions out.

Harry had started the New Year in the hospital with three broken ribs, multiple bruises all over his torso and face, a concussion, and a broken leg. He had woken up all alone with physical reminders of what he had lost.

Since that year, Harry has hated anything to do with Christmas and New Year. He hates the music, the songs, the decoration, the parties, the presents, the clothing, the food, the drinks, all of it. He wishes he could avoid it. However, the whole month of December is all Christmas, and Harry hates it as well. He stays in his room with headphones on and ignores the world to the best of his ability. He hates malls, more like became paranoid by malls and only sticks to stores if he ever needed to buy anything.