Like A Dream

Chapter 9

Harry woke up late on a Saturday morning with tears in his eyes. He'd just had a really nice dream, with his mum and stepdad and his sister. He and his family were all at home together, playing scrabble and watching movies cuddled together on the couch.

Ever since he'd started getting more comfortable with his Doms, he hadn't thought about his 'old' life at all. He was still extremely confused on how he'd gotten to the year 2300, because he'd been born in 1994, he'd thought. The boy liked to just be with his Doms and forget about his old life, since he didn't think he'd be able to go back somehow, but he'd been trying to forget for far too long.

He needed to see his family.

He missed his mum's meals, and his stepdad's jokes (although they were horrendous), and his sister's playful insults. After a month of not seeing his family, he desperately wanted an explanation. The problem was, he didn't think there was a way for him to get one. None of his Doms knew how or why he'd arrived here, and he didn't remember anything except going to sleep in his own bed in his own bedroom and waking up on the street in an entirely new year.

The sub huffed, his thoughts tiring his brain much too early in the day (even though it was nearly 11:30 in the morning — still too early to be stressed). He headed to his bathroom and brushed his teeth and washed his face, trying to rid himself of any traces of sadness before he faced his Doms.

Downstairs, in the kitchen, all four of his Doms were sitting at the table, either reading the morning newspaper, drinking coffee, or sitting on their phones and chatting. Liam had cooked breakfast like usual — eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes all laid out in a buffet along the granite countertop.

"Morning, Angel," the man said, standing up to give Harry a hug. "How about some breakfast?" he offered, ready to prepare a plate for the boy.

"Uh, sure," Harry said slowly, still not in the best of moods. "Thank you." The boy took a seat beside Louis and Zayn, digging into his food once Liam placed it in front of him.

"Morning." Louis smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Are you feeling better? Still feeling a bit sick?"

"I'm a bit better," Harry muttered. "Not feeling like total shit like yesterday."

"Harold," Louis reprimanded.

At the same time, Zayn said, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Harry scowled. "Just feeling a bit upset," he muttered.

"Aww, what's wrong, Angel?" Liam pressed a kiss to his cheek and sat down.

"Miss my mum." Harry blinked rapidly. You're not going to cry , he told himself. You're not. He saw his Doms exchange looks, but none of them commented on the matter, probably realizing it was a touchy subject.

"If it helps cheer you up, I'll be having some colleagues come over for dinner for a work thing. They'll probably bring their subs along. Cheer up, Harold, you'll get to make some friends," Louis told him.

Harry shrugged. "Okay," he said quietly, not caring too much. He kind of wanted to be alone, but he did sort of want to talk about his mum. However, he didn't want to risk crying about her in front of the men, so he decided to leave the topic alone for now.

"If you feel unwell, then I can just cancel for another time," Louis added kindly.

"No, it's okay," Harry answered immediately. "I'm fine." He gave a small smile to try and justify his words, and continued spooning breakfast into his mouth. "I'm feeling much better."

"Probably because you confessed," Zayn said absentmindedly, bringing a cup of milk for Harry.

"Huh?" Harry frowned.