Tolerate It || l.s ✓

Chapter 35

(your reminder that I gave you a double update so you better comment to pay me back)

Harry locked feet with Louis under the table, his knees bumping against the table top. He took a sip of his strawberry milkshake, licking his lips as he looked up.

"Nice?" Louis asked, his hands wrapped around his own chocolate milkshake.

"Delicious." Harry replied, looking around at the diner. "I like this place, it's cute."

The lights were pink and dim, records lining the walls and some sort of airy jazz music flowed from the speakers.

"I used to come here a lot when I first moved here. Surprisingly not too many people actually know about it." Louis shrugged.

"Thank you for bringing me here." Harry smiled gratefully.

For the past few weeks, the pair had been alternating between staying at Harry's and staying at Louis's, but they had never separated.

Louis was too scared to leave Harry alone, and Louis's presence (alongside the cats) was a source of great comfort to Harry.

Louis beamed in response.

"Do you think we should start packing for the France trip tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"Probably. Or we could leave it to the night before?"

"No, I like to be prepared for things like this."

"Tomorrow then." Louis laughed.

"Lou, are those students?" Harry nodded subtly towards the group who had just walked through the door.

"Ah, fuck. They are." Louis groaned. He hated seeing students out of school time, he always felt like he was on display. "What the hell are they doing out at 2 in the morning on a school night?"

"Could probably ask us the same thing." Harry winced, "do I look like I've been crying?"

"No, babe." Louis shook his head.

"I don't want them to know that I'm upset." Harry said quickly.

"They won't, H." Louis spoke soothingly, holding his hand under the table for a second.

The two had been asleep in Louis's bed when Harry's nightmare had started. It started with a few twitches and mutters in his sleep, and quickly advanced into full blown screaming, sobbing, and shaking.

It had woken Louis with a startle, and Louis had immediately woken Harry up, holding him close as Harry looked around with wild, glazed over eyes and harsh, broken sobs. Through Harry's sobs he was mumbling nonsensically, rocking back and forth.

It had taken a while, but Louis had eventually managed to calm him down and had suggested they leave the house. Harry had requested that they don't talk about the nightmare until they had left the house, and now it was lingering above them waiting to be discussed.

"Alright Styles, alright Tomlinson?" One of the kids smirked, "this a date?"

"Hello James." Louis smiled, though it looked a little pained. This particular group of boys often caused trouble within both of their classes, "no. It's not a date."

"Looks like one." James raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms.

"It's not." Harry shook his head. "What are you doing out so late? You better not fall asleep whilst we're doing Macbeth."

"Any poor fucker would fall asleep to Macbeth." James cackled.

Harry was about to scold him for his language when he realised that in this situation Harry didn't have any control over him.

Louis was trying not to laugh by the looks of things and Harry pouted at him.

"Why are you out so late?" James backfired the question. "Better not fall asleep whilst talking to us about Macbeth."

"I'll be fine, thank you." Harry replied.

Neither of them had answered the question.

"Enjoy your date." James smirked before following his friends to their table.

Thankfully they sat around the corner, leaving Harry and Louis at peace.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare now?" Louis tilted his head.

"It was my mum and Jake and all my mum's friends." Harry said, his voice already shaky. "They were all there and they were all doing drugs and forcing me to and they were making fun of me and taunting me and then they started to hurt me. Everyone was watching. Everyone we know was watching and Jake and her friends tried to rape me and my mum just kept doing lines."

"Has...um, has something like that happened to you before?" Louis asked carefully as he observed the way Harry seemed to play with his hands under the table and how his lips tremored.

He pressed his lips together as he looked to Louis, gulping to swallow back tears. "Just without Jake and everyone watching. I was stuck with my mum and her friends and one of them started touching me up and tried to put their hand down my trousers and I couldn't move and my mum kept just doing lines. He didn't get too far but..."

"Fuck Harry, fuck." Louis put his hands on the table for Harry to place his own in. The more Louis found out about Harry's life, the more he wish he could go back in time and save him. Harry had endured endless turmoil- a cliff face targeted by constant, relentless waves.

"I was 15 years old." Harry murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath.

Louis stood up, sliding in next to Harry and pulling him into a hug. They were squished in between the table and the back of the seat, cuddled together at an awkward angle.

"I don't wanna cry. I don't want to." Harry whispered, "they're right over there. I don't want to cry."

"Hey, it's okay love. Cry if you need to, I'm sure they won't see. We can leave if you want to."

"I'm fine. We can stay." Harry's cheek was warm against Louis's shoulder. "I'm fine." He pulled away, sitting back. Louis remained next to him, holding his hand and rubbing his thumb over Harry's knuckles.

Harry brought the milkshake forwards, taking a sip before leaning his head against Louis's shoulder.

Louis started to hum along to the song in the background and the corners of Harry's lips stretched upwards.

"I like it when you do that." Harry told him.

"Do what babe?"

"Hum. It's soothing." Harry exhaled softly.

Louis smiled, returning to the song.