getting by - larry stylinson

prologue

sunday night

"Harry. This whole secret thing is too annoying, I can't do it anymore." Luke pleads with his boyfriend as they sit opposite each other on Harry's bed.

"Luke I'm scared. He's homophobic I'm telling you!" Harry pleads back and Luke sighs deeply.

"Harry, this isn't fair on me. You can't expect me to be content with sneaking around behind your parents' backs, pretending we're platonic best friends."

"It won't be for much longer! Just a few months, until we graduate, then we can tell them."

"HARRY. You've been saying that for months and I've had enough. Either you tell them you're gay or I'm breaking up with you."

Harry puts his head in his hands for a few seconds before standing up and walking towards the bedroom door.

"Fine. I'm doing this for you Luke." The two walk downstairs and Harry halts outside the dining room door. His mum and stepdad are in there talking, he can make out the muffled sounds of conversation.

"Come on, just do it Harry!" Harry takes a final deep breath and opens the door, walking into the dining room as Luke follows close behind. His stepdad is sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper and his mum is standing at the sink drying the dishes.

Neither of them look up as the boys enter, but the conversation falls silent. Harry sighs. Gemma left for college almost a month ago but he still can't get used to the silence that fills the air whenever he enters the room, without her to talk and laugh with.

"Mum, Mark I, I have something to tell you." Harry's stepdad rolls his eyes and sets down the paper he is reading.

"What is it Harold? I'm busy." He doesn't look busy at all, and Harry is sure that's just an excuse to ignore him. His mum looks up expectantly.

"Luke and I have been friends for a while now, right." Harry's mum nods, looking apprehensively between Luke and Harry, who are standing rather close to each other while his stepfather merely looks bored.

Harry falters and Luke gives him a small shove from behind. "Do it!" he hisses.

"Well, I, we're not just friends." His mum stares at him slightly confused and a frown sets into his stepdad's face as Harry takes a deep breath and continues.

"I, I'm gay. And Luke is my boyfriend." He reaches behind him for Luke's hand, but Luke pulls it away and instead rests it on Harry's ass.

Harry frowns, wanting reassurance and comfort, not sexual touch. But it's only for a split second before his stepfather explodes.

"You'd better be fucking joking you little git!" he yells angrily. Harry timidly steps back and shakes his head slightly.

In a flash, Luke's touch is gone and Harry barely notices as his boyfriend slips out of the room and out the front door.

"I did not raise a faggot! You have no right to be gay, and now you have no right to be in my house."

"Mark, calm your voice. The neighbours will hear you." Harry's mum protests lightly.

"If you're going to be gay, then get out. Get out of my house!" Harry begins to protest but his stepfather advances on him and Harry turns to run but the door is shut, Luke must have shut it when he left.

"Mark, have some reason here. He's only sixteen, he can't live by himself." his mother spoke up.

"So? Sixteen is the legal age to leave. We'll find somewhere for him to go then. I'm not having a faggot like him in my house any minute longer than I have to."

Harry is fumbling with the doorknob as his stepdad takes a step closer to him.

"I, I'm not a fa-"

"Harry." his mum warns, her tone telling him to stop talking. Harry shuts his mouth as he finally opens the door, turning around and running out.

He runs out of the front door into the icy night and stops in the street, expecting his stepdad or at least his mother to follow but there's nothing.

The door doesn't open, nobody yells or begs him to come back inside. Harry sits on the curb as tears begin to roll down his cheeks. Soon the tears are freely flowing like a waterfall as he lays back on the pavement, the dark night engulfing him.

hi lovers! this is just a little backstory, the actual story is set a week after this. i hope you like it! <3