Tell Me When it Hurts

6

S i x : Tell Me When it Hurts

Day four of no Kerri, day twelve of Louis.

Harry awoke early that morning before his alarm clock could disturb his already restless sleep. He had felt off since he'd realized how much of a fucking joke his life had become.

Kerri, his assistant that was supposed to outlast every tantrum he threw had even given up on waiting for the punchline.

The coldest man in business now owned a submissive that couldn't even count to twenty!

He moves from his bedroom to the back patio he never truly spent time admiring his garden. It was mostly barren, with few shrubs and plants there to look at. It was beautiful in a sense, that even though it was more so lackluster considering most things in his life, this was something real.

Genuine.

Harry always envied people that had real genuine connections in life, he had always equated everything relationship regarding love to something negative when compared to his first, and truly only, Love.

It was mornings when he felt foreign in his life, out of place, that he thought of her most.

Hearing the servants in the hallway, Louis rubs the sleep from his eyes standing from the bed. He pokes his head in the closet smiling at the clothes that filled it to the rim. He hadn't owned many things in life, every morning he likes to see the clothes he owned.

It made him feel proud, made him feel like he was loved in this world.

Not that he thought his master loved him. In fact, Louis sometimes wondered if the man liked Louis at all. He had tried to be on his best behavior most of the time and be the submissive he figured his master wanted, but he didn't know how.

Stan made things hard for Louis, he didn't let the boy know what he wanted and instead berated him for everything he did. Nothing was ever good enough for Stan.

Peeling open the back door, Louis steps outside on the concrete pattering to his master with a small smile, "H-hi,"

"Hi Louis," Harry returns, the boy had caught him in a vulnerable state, the man wanting to avoid this as he rises to gesture towards the house, "Go bother Jack for breakfast-"

"T-thank you," Louis suddenly whispers, he knew his manners, and though he thanked Harry the day the clothes had been purchased the man was too busy on the phone with someone he called a "dumb cunt" to hear him.

Harry furrows his eyebrows at the words, "Why are you thanking me?"

Louis pats the shirt he wore, "T-this," Harry's features soften at the gesture, he extends his hand towards the boy, "You're welcome, what are you hungry for?"

Deciding to take the day off work, Harry wants to lie to himself and say this is him taking care of his mental health, but truly he just didn't want to face Liam. The man always knew when Harry was on edge and forced him back off.

Harry didn't want to be talked off a cliff just yet.

Louis has taken camp in the living room, he's stuffed in a blanket on a chair watching cartoons minding his own business when Harry enters the room, "What are you watching?" The man asks softly joining the submissive in the chair, the boy makes room, a forced cuddle happening as they each settle in, "C-cat-cat and-and m-mouse," Louis remarks tearing his attention away from the screen seeing his master watching him.

"O-okay?"

"Okay," Harry returns staring into the oceanic orbs, they had been in his life a total of twelve days, and just now is he feeling less annoyed by seeing them. Instead, he feels a bit of endearment when seeing the gold specks in the center, the bright blue hue that danced on the features of his face until they landed on a scar on top of his eyebrow.

Moving his hand from under the blanket, Louis traced the scar bringing his bottom lip between his teeth in concentration, "W-what happen?"

Harry sighs leaning further into the touch of Louis pressing his lips to the boy's wrist as it hovered over his face, "Someone hit me there," Swallowing thickly, he takes Louis' smaller hand in his, "Someone I once loved,"

Louis raises an eyebrow, "Y-you mom?"

Smirking at the boy's innocence, Harry shakes his head running a hand through Louis' chestnut hair, "No, an old girlfriend."

Glancing over his shoulder at the cartoons, Louis nodded, "'E-ere she now?"

"In a hospital, she's sick." Silence encaptures the two after Harry's statement, Louis didn't want to pry further in fear that Harry would say he still loved this girl and would never love Louis; and Harry truthfully didn't want to discuss Eleanor any further.

Not that the man planned an actual future with Louis, but he didn't necessarily want his past being brought back to life either.

Having spent most of the day watching cartoons and cuddling, Harry can't help but smile when Louis is asleep on his lap his head buried in his chest. Glancing at his buzzing phone, Harry sees his reflection on the screen.

He grimaces, he didn't deserve this.

Answering the call from Liam, Harry tenses bringing it to his ear, "Hello?"

"Why are you whispering?"

"Louis is asleep on me, what do you need?"

Liam pauses from responding, he wanted to comment on what was said but chooses not to, "Nothing, just missed you at work today was all."

"You don't hate me?"

"Not as much as you think. Kerri called me, but I think you know what the right decision is." Harry feels guilt anchor in his stomach at those words, he realizes that Liam still thinks Harry's keeping the boy.

"I think I do too," he mutters aloud staring at the sleeping submissive with panic-stricken eyes, farewells are exchanged, his eyes don't flicker from Louis' soft features while he sleeps soundly,

"I just think everyone will hate me for it,"