Lace ~ L.s.

1.// Rainfall

       The wind outside whipped and churned, rain hitting the windows ferociously and rattling the walls. Louis lounged on his couch in his rather expansive living room, munching on a bowl of popcorn and indulging in his favorite late night TV show.
       He was alone, which was the best part.
       Solitude and having to only deal with the problems of yourself was what Louis liked best, and in his mansion with the empty rooms and tall ceilings he was able to spread out and live life as he wanted. Burrowing farther in his sweatshirt, he stretched out his legs and sighed, trying to decide if he wanted to watch another episode or not.
      Until the doorbell rang.
      Frowning, he grumpily untangled himself from his masses of pillows and deserted food packages and trudged to the front door, mumbling to himself.
     Undoing the latches, he swung the door open to be hit in the face with a gust of wind, and he squinted, focusing on the figure huddling in their jacket from the cold.
    "Can I help you?" He shouted over the storm. The person glanced nervously behind him and nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets.
    "Yeah, um, Louis, I'm going away for a while, and I need you to take care of my hybrid- um, sorry that this has to be such short notice, but I needed him to stay somewhere and- and you were available." He jerked his head towards a black SUV parked in the driveway, and two figures crawled out. Louis growled and clenched his fists, staring at the man.
     "No- I- no! No, I'm not taking it. Who are you anyway? I just can't-"
     He was cut off as a rather giant man in a black suit pushed a hybrid up the steps, the hybrid curling into himself against the rain and crossing his arms protectively over his chest. He faced the ground, a curtain of curly hair covering his face and eyes. Louis looked at the three people standing in his porch with a bewildered expression, shaking his head. "I can't take it! You're insane! I've never had a hybrid in my life, and I don't plan on it now," he yelled.
     The figure in the rain jacket shrugged. "Sorry man," he replied, and before Louis could blink, he and the man in the suit had rushed back down to their car, leaving Louis and the hybrid alone. Louis scoffed and spun on his heel, marching back inside.
     Upon hearing no footsteps behind him, he turned, glancing at the unmoving hybrid. "You coming?" He asked impatiently. Still, he didn't move. Huffing, he reached out and grabbed his arm, the hybrid flinching under the touch. Louis softened a bit and lowered his voice, relaxing his grip. "I'm not about to leave you out in the storm, yeah? Come on in and get warm," he said, surprising himself at his tone. The hybrid looked up at him, his hair falling away a bit, and suddenly Louis was caught by a pair of the brightest, most vibrant green eyes he had ever seen. Swallowing, he gently guided the hybrid inside and shut the door, abruptly dropping his arm and turning to face him. "Um...would you like some warmer clothes? I don't really think that's quite appropriate for this weather..." He said, trailing off. He scanned his eyes over the little tattered shorts and thin sweater the hybrid was wearing, the jumper being a few sizes too big and covering his hands and nearly coming down to mid-thigh. Louis blinked. "I'll be right back- stay here." And with that, he rushed upstairs.
     Returning back to the hybrid with a pair of sweats and an old, thicker jumper, he found the hybrid still in the entryway, but instead had curled into the corner, knees tucked into his chest and shivering slightly. Louis approached him cautiously and squatted down, trying to find eye contact. "'M Louis, by the way. I guess you'll be spending the night with me tonight, so...I can show you where you'll be sleeping, if you'd like."
The hybrid didn't respond.
Louis sighed and set the clothing down in front of him. "Well...I'm gonna go get ready for bed, so whenever you're ready, you can change and then I'll show you to your room." Giving the hybrid one last look, he stood, turning to head back up the stairs. That is, until he heard a voice behind him.
"Harry," a soft voice behind him squeaked.
Louis turned, eyes widening. "What'd you say?"
The hybrid looked up slightly. "Harry's na-name s'Harry," he said quietly.
Louis nodded, glancing back to the staircase. "Well then, Harry, let's go upstairs then, yeah?" He asked, motioning his head. Harry nodded and slowly unfolded himself from the floor, standing and following Harry, his tail between his legs. Louis led him up the stairs and down a long hall, pausing at his room. "This is my room, so if you need anything, I'll be here. Just remember to knock, okay?" He said. Louis didn't know how educated this hybrid was, and he knew they could range from pretty dull to incredibly brilliant. It just depended on who their handlers were. He didn't know much of anything about Harry except for his name, and he didn't know if he wanted to know any more about him, as he sure as hell wasn't going to keep him.
     That he knew for certain.
     Continuing on, they stopped at a room with a queen sized bed and an adjoining bathroom. Louis flicked on the light and lead Harry into the room, throwing the clothes on the bed and turning the lamp on. "Sorry it's kinda cold in here, I don't think it's been used in a while," he apologized, rubbing his arms. He glanced at Harry, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, playing with his sweater paws. Swallowing, he took in a breath. "Well, I'm going to go to bed, so, um...you know where my room is, and...you're okay?" He asked hesitantly.
    After a pause, Harry nodded and dropped his arms, shifting his weight and glancing around the room. Louis nodded. "Okay, well, goodnight." He exited the room, shutting the door behind him with a click. Once Harry heard his footsteps retreat down the hall, he whimpered, stepping towards the bed. He didn't miss his old bed, the grimy room he was kept in and the ripped mat he curled up on every night, but he still didn't like this...new. Louis' house was cold and still, sterilized and unused. But, it was a bed, and for that, Harry was grateful.
     He quickly slipped on the sweats and t-shirt, but pulled his own jumper over his head as well, not wanting to let that go. It was warm and it was his, not somebody else's.
    Suddenly, a boom of thunder rattled the house, and Harry squeaked, immediately crawling under the covers and curling into himself. He didn't like storms, that much he knew, and dealing with them alone was the hardest.
     But he had Louis.
     His old handlers trained him to rely on nobody but himself, so he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to fall asleep.
    Minutes passed.
    The storm raged on.
    Shivering, he jumped when the fourth round of thunder hit. His eyes teared up, and he realized he couldn't take it anymore.
    Sliding out of bed, he creaked the door open, peering down the dark hall, his ears twitching. He could faintly hear Louis' breathing, telling him he was asleep. Biting his lip, he knew he shouldn't wake him, so he reluctantly turned back to his bed. A gust of wind rattled the windows for a second, creating a loud bang that scared him to no end. He shrieked and collapsed onto the floor, shaking as he drew his knees into his chest.
     A light down the hall turned on, flooding it in brightness. Louis stood by the doorway of his bedroom, concern etching itself onto his face. "Harry?" He called quietly, giving him a confused look. "Are you okay?" He asked, padding down the carpeted hall to Harry.
     Harry flinched when Louis squatted down to his level, whimpering. "Harry-Harry no li-like the booms," he whispered.
    Louis sighed. "Okay, well, let's get you back to bed, this storm will pass," he said, holding out a hand. Harry shook his head violently and backed away a bit, his eyes wide.
   "No-no- can't- can't go back," he said, fear evident on his face. "Harry- Harry afraid," he added timidly.
   Louis glanced behind him and rubbed his eyes, taking a deep beats and glancing at Harry. "Okay, well, I guess you could sleep with me in my bed tonight. Just, um, this isn't going to be permanent or anything, so-"
     "Yes! Y- yes thank you so much Lou-eeh," Harry said excitedly, and before Louis knew it, Harry had crashed into him for a hug, burrowing his face in his chest. "T'ank you," Harry repeated, this time quieter.
     Louis, quite a bit taken back, nodded and unwrapped Harrys arms from around his waist, stepping back a bit. "Yeah- um, sure thing," he said.
     Harry bounded ahead to Louis' room, and Louis couldn't help but notice the way his sweats were just a bit too short in the legs but just big in the waist, to where they hung off his hips under the sagging jumper.
    Louis flicked off the light as he entered his room, Harry immediately jumping on the bed on top of the covers, curling into a ball, his tail wrapping around his waist. Louis awkwardly slid into bed next to him, making sure to stay right on the edge. "Goodnight, Harr-"
     He was cut off as another bout of thunder cut across the sky, making Harry jump and whimper. Immediately, he crawled over to Louis, curling into his side. "M-m scared," he whispered. Louis paused, before nodding and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.
     "Okay, Harry, it's alright. Let's just, uh, get some sleep, alright?"
     Harry nodded and closed his eyes, snuggling further into Louis. "O-okay, nigh-night night," he whispered.
    But Louis couldn't sleep if he wanted to. With Louis in his arms, this hybrid, this boy he had just met, he couldn't help but feel a little weird. Not a bad weird, just...different. Being alone was his forte, his way of life, and somehow, despite all the people he's had in his life, Harry was different, something he felt that try as he might
     He just couldn't put his finger on it.

I kinda made this into a prologue, more a chapter really. I hope you guys enjoyed what you read so far! Comment if you want more. Xx