Rather Be ✅

Five

Louis woke up sweaty and out of breath again. Except now there was no one to help. No Harry to calm him down like the day before. It was only his second week at the hero headquarters or whatever it was called. He didn't know. He just knew that he remembered why he ran off and what most likely drove him to being as skilled as he was.

Louis checked the clock, surprised that he hadn't woke up at the crack ass of dawn for once. It was just ten in the morning, which was good since he went to sleep later due to not being able to fall asleep. Tossing and turning all night.

There were clothes at the end of Louis' bed today, which he didn't remember being there. Frankly though, he didn't care, since it meant he no longer had to wear the hideous scrubs. Instead he pulled on the black jeans and the tshirt. Both were a bit big on him, having to cuff the jeans.

He brushed his teeth, not bothering with washing up. There was nothing to use to wash anyway unless hand soap works on your face as well. He'd rather not try it out.

Louis made his way out of his room, the lanyard sitting on his nightstand now around his neck. He didn't really remember where exactly he was going, but went on to try and figure it out anyway. He was still shaken up a bit by the dream. His fingers shook when he held them in front of his face. He just wanted to find Harry. He was the only person he trusted so far.

"Ohmfh!" Louis let out a muffled yelp, and stumbled backwards.

"Sorry." Harry smiled. "Came out on your own?" he asked.

"Did that when I was fifteen." Harry's face went red at that. Louis followed him when he started walking. "I just, I remember why I ran away. I had a nightmare." He told him.

Harry stopped. "Again?" He questioned. "Are you okay?"

Louis didn't nod or shake his head no. He just stood there, an unsure expression on his face. "What? No, I'm fine I guess- I also remember where I live, like, where I live now." He told Harry. "Like, nothing about the superhero stuff, but stuff about my personal life." He fumbled with his fingers nervously, his eyes fixed on Harry's chin instead of reaching his eyes.

"That's great." Louis' head shot up when he heard that.

"What? Isn't that like bad? Then I'm gonna start remembering all of the bad things I've done and I'll remember why I became like that and go back to being one." He rambled, shaking his head. "I-I." He sighed. "I don't want to do that, Harry. I don't wanna kill people." He cringed.

Harry swallowed, and as much as he wanted to tell Louis that he couldn't be a villain he knows that's not how it's going to end up working. "I know, and you don't have to, but once you remember why you started this Bullseye character you might want to go back to him," he said, pursing his lips.

Louis let out a frustrated groan, but let it go. "Can we do something? Is there anything to do around here because I've been stuck in my room for two weeks and it's horrible." He pointed out.

Harry's mouthed fished open and closed. He was suppose to be going to drop a whole bunch of things off at an adoption center. Old gently used toys and books from his goddaughter and son, his friend's twins.

"Uhm, do you want to come with me?" he asked. "A friend of mine has toys that I said I'd drop off at the adoption center." He explained.

Louis nodded. "Do they have kids?" he asked, secretly excited to be actually going out somewhere other than where he's been cooped up.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Twins. One of them's my goddaughter." He told Louis. "But anyway, are you coming?" he asked, gulping.

Louis grinned, nodding quickly. He was surprised a bit when Harry smiled back, not knowing that he was actually happy that he wanted to come. Harry wouldn't say that he was getting fond of the clueless villain, but he was getting used to having him around. He didn't usually have so much time off, but when he did it was nice to have someone around and something to do. Even if it was a criminal with amnesia who he had to babysit since he seemed to be the only one who cared.

So, he nodded again, and gestured for Louis to follow him. They went down halls and an elevator before finally getting outside the building. Harry tried hurrying without being obvious, so once they got into his car he turned to look at Louis. "Why did you run away, Louis?" he asked, his voice soft.

Louis wasn't at all surprised when he asked, and sighed, looking down at his hands. "When I was little I used to like dressing up, and I would do my mums hair, braiding and just sticking clips and stuff in, and I liked to sing and dance and act. Uh, my dad didn't really like it, especially when I was like fifteen and told both my parents I was gay." He chuckled embarrassingly. Harry only smiled. "He, uhm... he had always been a drinker, and it had gotten worse as I had gotten older, made him start doing cocaine and who knows what. He grew angry all the time. So me being gay made him snap, a-and he just started hitting me. My mum tried stopping him but he would slap her and tell her not to touch him or me or she'd get hit again." He gulped, bobbing his leg feverishly. He twisted his arm, and Harry's mouth went dry when seeing small burn marks, so so faded but still an evident scar of the past.

Harry wanted to hug him so bad, hug him so tight and just cry because he knew that villains always had that dramatic backstory, but he'd never heard one like Louis'. It was always something with wanting revenge and finding the mad scientist that did tests on them or something to give them the powers they have now. But Louis' was simply anger with what his father did to him. He was simply a normal person with a horrible past that he couldn't overcome.

"He's burn me with his cigs and I-I, I don't know. That's why I never did any of those girly things again, he made me hate them so much. He abused me and my mum so eventually I ran away." He shook his head. "It was the middle of the night. I stole a bunch of cash from him and I-I don't even remember how I learned all the things I did. I think I'd already known martial arts and some flips. I think I met some guy that got me to crack about why I ran off. He wasn't a bad guy, really, just wanted to help. He taught me how to shoot a gun. I know he taught me other things but I can't remember what." He was trying so hard to keep his tears down by talking about the long gone man instead of his father, but he couldn't help but replay those horrid moments. Sealed memories implanted in his mind.

"So you wanted to have those skills as protection." Harry guessed, to which Louis nodded.

"Yeah." He looked down. "I was gone for only a few months, I-I don't know how I got so good at that stuff in that short of time." He spoke quietly, his voice trembling every so often.

"And you were only sixteen." Harry murmured.

"Yup." Louis shook his head. "I don't remember when I went back, though. I remember going back at some point, but I don't remember the moment, and when and where." He sighed, ending his sentence randomly.

The two sat there for a moment, until Louis wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat. "Uhm, I-I guess we should go pick up the things we need to donate," he said, his voice quiet as a whisper.

Harry snapped out of his gaze on the man, and nodded, starting the car right up. He drove off in no time, and they fell into a comfortable silence. Louis looking out the window and took in the buildings and people scurrying around. Harry, driving with his eyebrows furrowed, wondered how the hell a man beat his own son to the point where he became an assassin for hire to get rid of his rage. When at the same time that same assassin could be so vulnerable, and clueless, and hating towards death and murder. And he'd only known him for a few days.

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IM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING LIKE 5 MILLION YEARS AGO BUT HERE YOU GO I HOPE OU LIKE IT I LIKE THIS CHAPTER BC POOR LOUISrr