Finding The Courage (a Ziam Mayne AU)

Chapter Nineteen "Care"

Harry's POV

Right now, Liam looked exactly like he had back then, after I'd called the ambulance. Curled up in a corner, crying, his arms wrapped around his shivering body.

My heart fell into a thousand pieces. I'd never wanted to see him like that ever again. I didn't want to see him suffer anymore.

I sat down next to him and carefully placed a hand on his back. "Liam. I'm here.", I whispered. "What's wrong?"

His head shot up at me, his brown puppy-eyes red and swollen, and threw himself at me, burying his face in my shoulder, sobbing.

"You're safe here. Everything is alright. It's over." I gently patted his back, giving him all the time he would need to calm down.

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have come here.", he whispered after what seemed like forever.

I noticed he was drunk. He never drank this much, he was too afraid to lose control. "Liam?", I asked. "We should get you home."

He nodded weakly and let me help him back onto his feet.

"Are you leaving, already?", Louis asked, as we were walking towards the door.

"Yeah... Sorry, Boo.", I didn't want to leave. But Liam needed me. And I wanted to be there for him. "I really can't talk about this now."

He looked at Liam, his eyes full of shock and concern. And understanding. "No. Go. It's alright." He smiled slightly and pecked me on the lips. I wished so badly I could stay!

"Have you been smoking?", I asked, tasting the nicotine from his lips.

"No. Yes. Not really." He shook his head. "Long story. Don't worry. I don't smoke."

"Good." I smiled, leaning forward again to kiss him longingly until we had to part. I moaned. "I really gotta go..."

"I get it.", he said. "Bye, Hazza."

I carried Liam into the taxi, gave the driver our address and sighed deeply.

"At least one of us is happy.", Liam mumbled, before he fell asleep on my lab.

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It was a true challenge dragging Liam up the endless sets of stairs to our flat on the fourth floor but I got there eventually, slamming myself against our door. "You sure are heavier than you look.", I complained and unlocked the door.

I carried him into his room. He fell onto the bed like a tree being chopped down. "Please, Liam.", I moaned. "You can't sleep like that." I squatted down next to him, sighing. This was going to be a long night.

I started fumbling with his belt. Undressing him didn't feel weird in a sexy, dirty kind of way, especially because he was practically sleeping. We'd been friends for so long, there was nothing that could make things awkward between us anymore.

We did hook up once, I'll tell you that much, but we'd very quickly decided that that had been the stupidest, most irrational thing we had ever done.

When I looked at him, all I saw was the little Bambi-eyed kid with the frozen smile who came to school with black eyes and bruises, pressing his rucksack to his belly.

I took off his trousers, pulled his jumper over his head and tried to get him back onto his feet. "A little help would be nice, Liam.", I noted as I dragged him onto the bed properly.

He shivered, since he was only wearing his underwear. I pulled the blanket out from under his limp body and tugged him in.

"Harry?", he mumbled, curling his hand around my wrist, as I wanted to leave.

"Hm?"

He didn't open his eyes. "Will you sing for me?"

I smiled and sat down next to his head, leaning my back against the wall. "What do you want me to sing?"

"Surprise me."

I closed my eyes and started humming the first melody that popped into my head. Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.

Damn it! That song was almost guaranteed to make me cry like a baby. I sighed.

Liam beside me, sniffed a little and turned his head to look at me, although he clearly couldn't see more than a faint silhouette of me in the dark. "You shouldn't have to do this for me.", he mumbled, I could hear the tears in his voice.

I stroked his hair back and bent down to kiss him on the forehead. "Shut up, stupid.", I whispered and continued singing: "The baffled king composing Hallelujah."