Deep Dive (L.s AU)✔

Chapter 16 Talk to Me

Louis's Pov

Silently, Harry took my hand. I grasped it and led him to the window. It was still open, so I pushed him gently forward.

"You go first. I'll help you onto the tree," I gently explained. Mindlessly, Harry nodded his head. He seemed to be in deep thought but certainly, I did not miss the way his body trembled as he climbed out through the window onto the thin ledge.

"Hey, it's alright," I said softly, gaining his attention. His emerald eyes were wide with fear but hope. It was all I could take for now before following him and climbing out of his dark and cold room.

I climbed into the crook of the tree first before guiding Harry onto the tree beside me and I could feel how his body shook violently.

"Harry, its ok. I've got you," we were so close, I whispered the words into his ear, hugging him from behind as well to try to get him to relax. It wouldn't be safe to continue down the tree if he shook like this.

Slowly, his body melted into mine. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to say sorry or anything, love. You're ok," I reassured. "Now, let's climb down this tree and get you somewhere else."

Harry took a deep breath, nodding, before twisting his body so that he faced me and was easier for him to climb down. I watched him carefully as he started to descend the tree, marking his moves and making sure he wouldn't slip as I followed closely beside him when I could.

As soon as we touched the ground, I gripped Harry's hand and started a jog. Since my flat was only five minutes away and everyone was there, I took him straight there, without looking back. Though, I did slow down to check on him and because, I wanted to know what the fuck does his father do to him.

He looked so scared and it chipped a crack into my heart.

"Harry," I released the breath I was holding, slowing down to a slow walk, keeping him close to me. Harry didn't even hesitate to bury himself into my side. Despite our height difference, he seemed to shrink into himself to make himself smaller so he could bury his face into my neck while we walked.

"Louis," he whispered back. "My father abuses me."

I flinched, my heart dropping to my feet and anger boiling through my veins like a flood. Just so many emotions flooded through me; I didn't know to feel in that moment because everything seemed to slow down. It kinda scared me how easily he seemed to reveal the fact of it but I didn't know...

"Haz," I swallowed thickly. "You can't just say that without much context..."

"It started when I started to feel different," he said instead and I closed my mouth to listen. "I was around five or so and I knew even then, being so young, I was different, or that's what he called me... or he'd say I was sick, because I didn't talk about girls or liking them. Only talking about how I'd be friends with them, and love girly things like painting my nails or even wearing makeup or even feminine clothing..."

"Whenever I'd go to your house and spend the night with Lottie and the girls, having fun and having makeovers, I'd come home and my father would yell at me; telling me that it was wrong to be this way, to act like a girl and like things that are girly when I'm a boy...that it's wrong to be in love with a boy when I was a boy too."

Harry's voice grew quiet and thick, giving me the sign that he was crying. "It was hard because I couldn't say no to the girls when they wanted to braid my hair...I was nine when he first struck me across the face...and the next day, I came back with short hair. I felt so bad because I couldn't tell the girls that it wasn't their fault...that I loved it when they braided my hair...they were so sad and I felt horrible but I didn't want to bring up the fact that my father forced me to cut my hair and placed rules on me and if I went behind his back, he'd hit me..."