Tolerate It || l.s ✓

Chapter 24

When Louis walked downstairs the next morning he noticed the figure curled up on the sofa.

Harry lay there asleep, with the cats curled up next to him. His lips were pouted, and a stray curl hung down against his face. The sunlight was seeping in through the curtains, lighting up his face.

Louis started to get himself a cup of tea, wincing as he knocked the cupboard door shut and it made a loud noise. Harry's face scrunched up and his eyes fluttered open. He looked around in confusion before his eyes settled on Louis and he gave a small, shy smile.

"Morning, sorry for waking you." Louis smiled apologetically, "tea?"

"Yes please." He murmured sleepily.

"How come you're down here?"

"Cats were here. I needed a bit of emotional support." He drew the blanket up to his chin.

"You could've woken me up, you know?"

"I didn't want to. I felt bad." Harry shrugged.

"How are you feeling?"

Harry shook his head before shrugging again. "I don't really want to think about it. I just want to move on with my life."

"I don't think you can just forget about it Harry. You were distraught yesterday. Your boyfriend is a fucking dickhead."

"It happens." Harry shrugged, "there are a lot of things that have happened and upset me and I've pushed them away."

"I don't care if 'it happens', I don't care. You don't deserve to have to deal with this shit. That was abusive behaviour."

"Look, Louis. I appreciate that you're trying to help but I've been through so much worse. I get that you have my best interests at heart, I really appreciate it but I know how to deal with abusive behaviour and that was hardly anything. It's fine, please let's just forget about it?"

"Okay," Louis sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, "okay. We can forget about it for now but if I see that dickhead I'm not being nice to him."

"I'm sorry." Harry apologised softly.

"What for?"

"I don't want you to think I'm just using you or anything. I really do appreciate you and I don't want you to think that I only want to talk to you when I'm upset."

"I don't think that H."

"I wouldn't blame you if you did." Harry murmured. "How about we meet up soon? We can do something and I won't cry at you." He suggested timidly. "I was thinking about doing a barbecue on friday. Perhaps you, Niall, and Liam could come? I'll invite Zayn too."

"I'd like that." Louis agreed. "That would be nice, though I really don't mind your tears."

"I promise I'm more fun when I'm not crying though."

Louis gave a small laugh, handing Harry the cup of tea carefully. "A barbecue sounds lovely." Louis nodded, "let's do it. I'll put it in me calendar." He walked over to the kitchen, scrawling onto the calendar which was stuck to the side of the fridge. "I think that's the first thing I've ever written on there."

"I feel very honoured."

"So you should be." Louis chuckled.

//

"Jake." Harry said coldly as he opened the door.

"Hey baby." Jake ducked to try and kiss him.

"Fuck off." Harry muttered, turning his head. "What do you want?"

"What's wrong with you?" Jake scoffed.

"What's wrong with you?" Harry glared.

"I don't know what you're on about." Jake rolled his eyes. "Are you going to tell me or are you going to just stand there?"

"You fucking promised that you wouldn't do drugs. You promised and then I found you snorting coke and you tried to force me to. You have no fucking idea how much that hurt me."

"You're being fucking dramatic Harry. I don't even know what your problem with drugs is. You don't tell me shit."

"I told you my mum's an addict!" Harry threw his hands in the air. "What fucking more do you want? Me to tell you my entire life story on the way to a party?!"

"You had plenty of time to tell me beforehand. Don't act like such a fucking victim."

"My mums abused drugs since I was a fucking child. I'm sorry for getting touchy about my own trauma."

"Look, I'm sorry baby. I'm sorry, okay? How about we go inside and I'll show you how sorry I am?"

"You always do this." Harry muttered.

"Do what? God Harry, I don't know what you want from me."

"I want you to be a better boyfriend. I want you to listen to me and to not trigger my panic attacks when I tell you how to prevent it. I want you to stop trying to fix everything with sex. And I want you to want to spend time with me without us taking our fucking clothes off." Harry ranted before practically begging, "please, I want you to try."

"Okay, I'll try. How about I come in and we can watch a film and cuddle?"

"That would be nice." Harry nodded, immediately feeling hatred towards himself as he realised he was letting Jake off too easily. He had always been this way. He always let people get away with treating him like shit. But he couldn't change it.

Jake grinned, looking as if he had just won a war before walking past Harry, into his living room.

"What do you want to watch?" Harry asked meekly.

"You can choose." Jake sat down. Harry sat next to him and Jake beckoned him closer, putting an arm around him.

Harry rested against him, flicking through the TV. "Tangled?"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Harry blushed, "I like Tangled."

"It's a bit childish, isn't it?"

"Jake." Harry huffed.

"Right, sorry babe. Let's watch it."

"Not if you don't want to watch it."

"No, baby, let's watch it." Jake squeezed his arm. Harry pressed the play button, curling up as he lay against him.

//

"Thank you for tonight." Harry gave him a small smile. "It was nice to spend time with you like that."

"We'll have to do it more often." Jake said, hugging Harry.

"Yes, please." Harry beamed into Jake's neck before leaning back and placing a kiss on his lips. "I'll see you soon."