One direction Sickfics/Kidfics

Caught Off Guard (Lilo Family)

A low groan was the first thing Louis heard when he entered his son's room. Harry had managed to pick up a nasty stomach virus at the beginning of the week, and the poor boy had been miserable ever since. Bouts of vomiting and stomach cramps kept him from truly resting, and the spikes of pain that shot through his body whenever he dared to move a muscle made things even worse. The only good thing was that he wasn't missing any important classes at school—his next test wasn't until Monday, so they had about four days to get him better, though things weren't looking too promising at the moment.

"I take it you're not feeling any better, hmm?" Louis whispered into the darkness, not wanting to startle his son if he was dozing off. He walked to the other side of the room and crouched down next to the bed, turning on the bedside lamp to see Harry better.

"Nnngh, turn it off, Pops," Harry whined, rolling over and burrowing his head into his pillow to block out the light.

"Let me just take a look at you, sweetie, then I'll turn it off," Louis replied, helping Harry lay flat on his back. Even in the dimly lit room, Louis could see that Harry's face was devoid of color, except for the splotches of red on his cheeks, nose, and forehead. Dark circles hung under his droopy eyes, making him look even more unwell.

Louis pushed back his son's sweaty hair, wincing at the obvious heat radiating from his forehead. "Oh, buddy... your fever's high," he commented sadly, running his fingers through Harry's brown curls.

"Feel awful," Harry admitted quietly, leaning into his Pops's comforting touch.

At this point, Harry was far past trying to play tough and instead was appreciating the comfort his family provided. Even Zayn had cuddled with him last night, much to his parents' concern, and Niall was being surprisingly helpful as well.

"Is your stomach still bothering you, baby?" Louis asked softly, though he already knew the answer by the audible gurgles coming from his son's belly every now and then.

Harry gave a small nod, so Louis continued, "I think we should try to get some food into you, yeah? All that gagging on an empty stomach can't be doing you any favors."

"No, no food," Harry mumbled stubbornly, shaking his head.

"C'mon, Hazza. I know you're not feeling well, but we have to get something into your system," Louis reasoned, rubbing the boy's warm back.

"Don't wanna throw up anymore," Harry weakly argued.

"I know, sweetie," Louis said sympathetically. "That's why I'm just going to heat up the soup Dad made last night. It's nice and light, so it should be easy on your stomach," he added, trying to convince his poor boy.

Harry muttered something under his breath but didn't argue this time. Louis was pretty sure he just didn't have the energy to fight back and decided to give up. At least that worked in his favor.

Louis, then, went downstairs. In the kitchen, he found the container of soup in the fridge, and as he poured it into a pot to heat up, he couldn't help but think about how quickly Harry had gone downhill. It wasn't unusual for Harry to get the occasional stomach bug—he was always the first one to catch whatever was going around—but this one seemed particularly nasty.

As the soup warmed on the stove, Louis busied himself by grabbing a tray and setting it up with a spoon, some crackers, and a glass of water. He knew Harry would probably complain, but he wanted to make sure everything was ready just in case.

Once the soup was heated, Louis carefully poured it into a bowl and placed it on the tray, carrying it back upstairs. When he reached Harry's room, he found his son exactly where he'd left him, curled up and looking half asleep. Louis sat the bowl down momentarily on the nightstand to help his son sit up a bit against the pillows while the poor boy coughed into his arm.