Kiss Me Before the Sky Falls

-Chapter 17- Bloodied and Battered -

"Louis?!"

"What happened to you, lad?" Harry mused from my lap. My Lou had a busted lip and a rim of purple around his eye, hair ruffled and his knuckles were bloodied. A few drips of red on his light shirt told me he'd probably had a nosebleed, and he was rubbing his jaw.

"Nothing." He muttered.

"Something! Come here love. Hazza, you're fine, bug. Lou, you sit right here, so I can get a good look at you." He knew better than to ignore me. Louis sat at my feet, leaning forward so I wouldn't have to disturb Harry. I ran a careful finger along the right side of his face and he tilted his head for me. I gently, if at all, and brushed a swelling on his cheekbone. His lips pursed, like he was thinking. I checked his eye to see if this one would blacken as well, made sure his nose wasn't broken. He flinched a little when I touched softly under his eye.

"Sorry, Boo."

"S'okay." Lou mumbled. I caught a bead of blood from his lip on my finger. I must've looked worried, or upset, which I was, because he gave a playful grin and sucked the blood gently off of it.

"You kook." He gave a weak smile. I fixed his hair, somehow matted and dirtied, picking dust and little plant parts out of his feathery hair. He leaned into my hand when I massaged his head, but his cringe when Harry poked him gave away further damage.

"Sorry, Tommo."

"It's fine..."

"No, Lou, what else are you hiding?" He sighed.

"Hazza I'm gonna need your pillow."

"Aww..." He whined. Harry rolled out of my lap, careful not to rouse Jamie, and Lou led me to the bedroom. I shut the door, only because I wasn't quite sure what he was gonna show me. He pulled of his tight shirt, biting his lip.

Purply blotches had reared their heads on his arms and abdomen, some varied from blue to a menacingly dark color. None of them were yellowed-they'd been made today. I knew that, but how?!

He stood solemnly still as I swallowed an examined the bruises on him. Louis was very patient as I tried to collect my thoughts this early, letting me fleetingly touch each one to see how bad they were. There was one at the bottom of his rib cage that his whole body reacted to my finger. He resettled on his feet and stared at the floor.

"They got your shins too, huh, Boo?" He nodded shamefully. I cupped his face in one hand, stroking what my thumb could reach of his fine hair. He closed his eyes and turned his face into my hand, breath tickling my fingers. "My poor baby...who did this to you?" He shook his head. My phone buzzed on the table, revealing the Shayn flat was calling me.

"Um, hi, did you recently receive a beaten Louis?" Zayn wondered from across the line.

"Uh...yeah?"

"We got a Liam." I froze and looked at Louis for a minute. He didn't return my gaze, face smooth other than his injuries. I chewed the inside of my cheek.

"Just a second."

"Yeah, okay." He grumbled. I didn't glare at my broken Lou, but more looked at him with an attempt to be disciplinary. He didn't return the gaze.

"Boo Bear? What happened."

"I wasn't looking for a fight." He checked my expression before continuing. "Just an explanation."

"Why didn't you tell me, why would you LIE to me?!"

"I didn't. It was keeping me up, legitimately. I kept thinking about you and how broken you were...I-I went out to get myself out of it, and found myself in front of Liam's. I went in demanding what gave him the idea he could do that to you, and he wanted to fight for you. I tried not to, at first, I promised-" He underlined his blackening eye and busted lip with a cautious finger. "-but it got to the point I had to defend myself. I'm sorry, button, I really tried, but I wasn't going to lay down and let him walk all over me! And he wasn't about to learn it was ok to be snogging you." He growled the last bit, but it was otherwise sincere.

"It's okay." I said, but my voice broke.

"Aw, Bel, I really did try! All of this-" He gestured to his stomach. "-was really bad defense! I didn't wanna hit him, but he drove me to it! I swear, baby..."

"Don't worry about it. You tried, it's the thought that counts." Louis must've heard the hurt in my voice. He put his shirt back on and took my hair, winding it over my shoulders, and giving me a gentle kiss, a bloody one at that. His lip felt raw. He apologized softly and licked the crimson stuff off my lips, playfully, or in attempt to console me. I just carefully laid my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me, and it was him who kept me from breaking down.

"Brosif?" Wily Cat questioned from the phone. I used a shaky hand to grab it, holding it to my ear. Louis didn't let me go, warmly giving me a little squeeze. I bit my lip so it'd stop trembling and responded warily back.

"Why'd you call?"

"Well, what's Louis' side of the action?"

"Didn't go over there for a fight. Liam?"

"Says he spurred for a fight because he'd known he'd win." There were a few harsh whispers and a bewildered Wily Cat noise, and a chilling laugh came over the line.

"I knew I'd win you, baby. Now you're all mine."