Devil in Your Smile

Chapter 16, The Devil You Know

hiiiii :)  Lovely Saturday for an update, isn't it?

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LOUIS POV

Growing up, I heard stories of people who claimed to brush hands with death and survive, and every one of those stories included a spiritual awakening or meeting god. When I passed out from blood loss, I didn't see God, or some "higher power". I didn't see my childhood pets, or a relative that "loved me very much" but died when I was young. What I saw wasn't even close. I sit with my head against the tinted glass of Harrys' SUV, trying to stay awake, half of me knowing that its vital and the other half just not wanting to slip back into whatever the fuck I saw. One of Harrys' men helps keep pressure on my wound, while he drives. I get lost in my thoughts, watching the buildings around me get smaller as Harry drives. The thought of Oli pops into my head, and I clear my throat to get Harrys' attention. "Do you have my phone?" Green eyes look at me through the mirror, the only part of Harrys' face I can see from this angle. He shuffles around as best as he can while driving, retrieving it from one of his pockets. When it's passed to me, there's dried blood on the screen, making it hard to see what I'm doing. I do the only thing I can think of, spitting on the glass of it before wiping it onto my blood-stained pajama pants. I look down, only now realizing what I'm wearing, or the lack of, but I'm sure I don't even have enough blood in my body to make my face redden in embarrassment.

Once the screen is cleared enough, I look at the time, cursing at it. I dial Oli, knowing I missed my check in and also knowing if I don't give him confirmation that I'm okay, he will come looking for me. "Louis? What the hell dude! You missed-" "Yes i KNOW I missed check in, but I can assure you it wasn't my fault.'' I cut him off, already knowing that if I didn't, he wouldn't stop. "Oli I'm fine, I mean obviously I'm not, but I will be. Listen, I'm not gonna be home for a few days, I'm traveling for this one." I keep it vague, trying to hint to Oli that it's not a good time for questions. He picks up on my tone, and says "Okay. Louis? Be careful, please. I love you buddy." "Yeah I love you too, Shithead." I hear him chuckle at the nickname, and I say my goodbyes, promising to keep him updated. After giving reassurance to the one person who needs it, I set my phone down and go back to staring out the window. I start to recognize things, and soon enough Harrys' house comes into view. When the car is parked, I open my door and move my legs to step out, wincing as I try to do so. Before I can make it out, Harry pops up seemingly out of nowhere, picking me up the same way as he did before. I try not to think about how close we are to each other, or the fact that my face is so close to his. I keep my eyes away from his, while also avoiding the others' gazes. Clifford barks somewhere behind us, something I taught him to do to signal that he's following close behind.

When we enter the house, he carries me all the way to the living room, setting me down on a brown leather couch. Callum enters a few seconds after, and he seems to be actively ignoring how close Harry is sitting to me, which I'm thankful for. I look to Harry, raising my eyebrows in question, and I watch as he tries to figure out what I mean, before he realizes and jumps up from the couch, and keeps his head down as he exits the room completely. Callum looks at me and speaks for the first time. "He's acting pretty weird today, huh? I mean, I've rarely seen him act like that, maybe once or twice the entire time I've known him." hearing this makes me want to ask a hundred questions, but I start with "How is he acting differently?" Callum raises his brows at me, lips quirking at my question. "Mate, he's all fidgety. He's a mob boss, part of what makes him so powerful is how he acts. Do you think people would follow orders from a man who doesn't even seem sure of himself?" I know he's not actually asking a question, so I just pretend to know what he's on about, nodding at his statement. He sees me wince, reminding him why he followed us into the room, and he starts to dig in his bag, grabbing the medical supplies he needs. After a minute of digging, he lays all of his supplies out on the coffee table, before turning to me. With a focused face, he tells me "this is gonna hurt like a bitch. I'm gonna give you a sedative, and when you wake up you'll be all patched up. Alright?" As he starts his sentence, both Niall and Harry enter, Niall carrying Princess in her carrier, and Clifford on their heels. I shake my head, reaching out to signal that I don't need it. He tries to persuade me, and Niall speaks up too. "If you don't let him poke you with that needle, it's gonna hurt like a bitch, mate." I roll my eyes, and look at Callum. "I've doctored my own wounds without any help before, shit you lot probably couldn't imagine. Do what you're gonna do so I can sleep it off." Callum looks towards Harry, who has stayed silent since his arrival, and then shrugs, grabbing a packaged sterile needle and some suture thread from its place on the table. He preps it, and gets started.