Bang & Blame [Larry Stylinson]

Chapter Ten

Summer ends in a blur of adventures and prepping for court and choosing courses for university. Harry proudly dresses in a pair of jeans and a button up T-shirt, adjusting his collar in the mirror. Louis sneaks up behind him and wraps his arms around his waist from behind. He kisses his neck.

"You look good," he murmurs.

Harry closes his eyes and leans back against him, cheek pressed against Louis' temple. He intertwines their fingers and squeezes.

"I'm proud of you," Louis says. "So proud of you. You've got your job back, you're returning to school. Look at you. Look at what you're accomplishing."

Harry blushes. "It's not that big of a deal."

Louis chuckles, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

"Sure, whatever you say," he says. "Still proud of you, though."

"Are we still walking to the library together after school?" Harry asks.

"Yeah, of course," Louis replies. "I get off thirty minutes before you, so I was going to go grab some takeout and then meet you outside your last class."

"We should take the bus," Harry suggests. "Too tired to walk."

Louis laughs. "You're so lazy. You're lucky I love you or I'd leave you to walk in the rain."

Harry rolls his eyes. "Uh huh, sure. You'd never make me walk."

"Probably not," Louis agrees, sneaking a peck to his cheek. "But let's keep that on the down low. Wouldn't want how whipped I am for you to be revealed."

Harry giggles and pulls out of his grip. He kisses him quickly and reaches for his hand.

"Come on, let's get going," he says.

The bus ride to their university is silent. Harry cuddles into Louis on the dusty seats, fingertips gently brushing against his arm. Shared earphones blast a Spotify pop playlist.

The bus comes to a stop across the street from their campus. Harry's jaw drops when he sees it. The building is five times bigger than his high school, and he chokes.

"Holy shit," he whispers.

Louis reaches for his hand.

"You sure about this?" he asks.

Harry hesitates, but he eventually nods.

"Yeah," he says, though his voice shakes. He clears his throat. "Yeah, let's go. Time to be who I want to be."

Louis smiles at him. "That's my boy."

Harry melts. His fears disappear, and he rolls his shoulders back, ready to take on the world of university. He lets Louis kiss him breathless in front of his first period English class and they make a promise to eat lunch together before they part ways.

Harry walks into English with a smile on his face. He's confident as he sits next to a tall, skinny boy with dark skin and pretty eyes.

"This seat taken?" he asks.

The boy shakes his head. "Nope."

"I'm Harry Styles, by the way," he says. He shakes the boy's hand, who smiles in amusement.

"Zayn Malik," he says. "You're a little old for a freshman class, aren't you?"

Harry shrugs, trying to come off as nonchalant.

"Started late," he says. "But I'm here now and ready to make the most of it."

Zayn laughs. "I like you, Harry Styles. You're funny. And I heard if you make one new friend on your first day that it's a good sign, so how about we have lunch together?"

Harry's face falls. Louis. What if he gets angry? What if he hates Harry for making friends?

He shakes his head. "I'm really sorry, but my boyfriend is taking me out to lunch today. How about tomorrow? We can eat in the library."

"It seems like you're hiding something." Zayn raises an eyebrow at him. "Either way, secrets are personal matters and I don't pry. Let's do what you suggested and eat together tomorrow."

"Sounds good." Harry grins. "What are you majoring in?"

"Fashion," Zayn responds. "I want to be a designer. I'm taking English and business courses, too, but my main focus is in the arts. What about you?"

"English. I want to be an author," Harry tells him.

Zayn purses his lips. "Big goals, Harry Styles. Best of luck to you."

"Thank you."

The teacher comes in, and the two of them fall silent. Harry feels something fuzzy in his stomach, admiration for Zayn warming him. This is what it's like to live, he thinks.

-

Harry is still welcomed with strange looks when he shows up at the library. It's only been a few weeks, but he thought he'd be welcomed with kindness instead of ignorance.

It all makes sense when he sees the paper.

Niall thrusts it at him during their dinner break. With furrowed eyebrows, Harry flips it open to page eight, and he tears up when he reads the article.

Twenty six year old Parker Matthews to appear in court next month on charges for domestic violence and the sexual abuse of his ex-boyfriend.

Matthews pleads innocent to the charges, but it has been said that a plea bargain remains on the table. Matthews is looking at a ten year sentence without parole.

Louis looks over his shoulder, and his heart sinks. He kisses his cheek and wipes his tears away.

"Baby," he murmurs.

Niall interrupts him.

"This is about you, isn't it?" he asks.

Harry sniffles, nods shortly.

Niall sighs. "I'm so sorry, Harry."

He stands up and pulls him into a hug. Harry tucks his face into his neck, choking on a sob.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

Niall squeezes him tighter. "Nothing to be sorry about. You're my best friend. I'm here. Nothing will change that."

Harry meets Louis' eyes over Niall's shoulder. He's smiling sadly at him, and he holds up a half assed thumbs up. Harry returns it weakly.

"I'm not going anywhere either," he mumbles to Niall. "I promise."

-

Harry fixes his bowtie in the mirror, straightening it against his collar bones. He takes in shaky breathes.

"This is it, Harry," he tells himself. "Today is the day of the hearing. Parker is going to be sent to jail, and you and anyone else he could get his hands on are going to be free."

He sees Louis' reflection in the mirror, knows he's watching him, but Harry ignores him. He fixes his close and continues his speech.

"Do everything you rehearsed," he says. "Stay calm and say what you practiced. Remember, all you have to do is answer the questions honestly. Everything else will fall into place."

Louis smiles sadly. "Nervous?"

"Nervous doesn't even begin to cover it." Harry snorts. "It'll be okay, though... won't it?"

"Course it'll be okay." Louis comes up behind him and kisses him on the cheek, wraps Harry up in his arms. "This is going to be one of the hardest things you'll ever do, but it's going to be alright."

Harry turns around and nuzzles into Louis' neck. He closes his eyes, breathes in the smell of his skin.

"I believe you," he murmurs.

Louis' kisses his forehead. "Good. You ready?"

Harry rolls his shoulders back and manages to nod.

"Ready as I'll ever be."