devotion ➶ larry

eighteen

The next time Harry sees Louis again, he's even worse than before. His body trembles with grave stricken fear and he's skinnier. Harry can see his collarbones jutting from his skin in a ghastly way.

Harry was slumped against the wall, a new room he was moved to since he was taken. His head ached from how many times he was beaten but when he saw Louis he tried to stand to help him.

The small boy knelt next to him, watching as the door slammed shut behind him. His hands reached up to move a strand of hair from Harry's face, fingers shaking involuntarily.

"A–Are you okay?" He asks, and Harry only nods bringing his hands up to check Louis' body, looking for any wounds. The small boy flinches when Harry's fingers skim over his stomach. When Harry raises the shirt he finds a purple bruise on his side.

"Baby...what have they done to you?" He whispers and ghosts his fingers over the skin. Louis whimpers and pushes his shirt down. He wipes at his falling tears quickly before standing up.

"I–I have to go. He o–only gave me five minutes." Louis mutters and before Harry can say anything, the small boy is gone, leaving him alone again.

****

He doesn't know how long it's been since he's been gone from home but he's slowly losing faith in the thought of anyone finding them, let alone alive.

He continuously looks around the bland room, trying to find something that'll help him be get out of this place but always comes up empty.

Food has been dwindling, some days he gets nothing. But worse than that are the absolutely heartbreaking screams that he could hear from outside the door. He flinches every time he hears Louis scream and he wishes he could stop what they're doing to him but he can barely stand on his own, much less walk.

He slumps against the wall, eyes shutting at the sound of Louis' cries and hands clawing at his hair.

"Stop! Please! I'm sorry!" He could hear Louis yell. Harry whimpers at the sound, body twitching, wanting to do something, anything.

He struggles to stand, limping towards the door with a small glass window and leans against it. He breathes out deeply before slamming his hands against the metal door, the sound echoing through the hallways.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Harry shouts, voice hoarse. He could hear Louis continue to scream until it's cut off quickly. Muffled whimpers replace it.

The same man that took him from his home walks up to the door and smiles softly. He would have looked like a nice man, if his hands weren't covered in blood.

"Hello. Can you please be quiet. It'll make all of this go much more smoothly."

"What are you doing to him?"

"Experimenting. Testing his healing."

Harry feels like vomiting at the thought of them cutting him just so see how fast he could heal.

"You're disgusting."

"Hypocrite." He says before turning to leave. Harry screams at him, hands slamming against the door repeatedly. The man stops, turns and walks back, muttering something under his breath.

"Oh, I wish it didn't come to this." He says. He opens the door and Harry moves to punch him but he misses and falls to the floor instead. He grunts and looks up at the man who has pulled out a gun.

He points it at Harry and shakes his head solemnly.

"You've been getting on my nerves."

He pulls the trigger.

****

Louis tries to sit up but his arms are restrained on a table and losing this much blood has had a very negative effect on him. He heard Harry screaming and a gunshot and he just needs to know if he's alright.

He whimpers in pain as he shifts on the metal table before trying to get out of the restraints. A few hopeless seconds pass before the man walks back in with a smug smile on his face.

"W–What happened to Harry?" Louis asks with frightened eyes. The man only smiles at him, placing the gun on the metal table beside Louis. The small boy gasps and pulls against the restraints again.

"Why would you hurt him?!" Louis cries out, tears running down his face. He feels his heart breaking at the thought of Harry bleeding out with no one to help him.

The man frowns and brings his hands up to his neck, fingers curling around him. Louis gasps out and arches his back, needing to push away from him and breathe.

"That mouth of yours hasn't gotten any better." Louis lets out a gurgled sound, thrashing around wildly.

The man only tightens his grip, smiling wickedly. Louis wheezes, trying to suck in a breath but he just can't.

But then he stops.

Just as quickly as it came, it's gone. Louis gasps out, breathing rapidly, chest falling and rising. The man is staring at him with a taunting smile before staring at his hands.

"If you don't fix that mouth of yours, I'll sew it shut." With that he leaves.

Louis coughs, swallowing thickly as he rests head head against the metal table. He lets out silent tears, wishing he could be back at the flat with Harry, watching a movie an listening to Harry say how much he means to him.

He shuts his eyes, tears falling faster and small hiccups coming from his lips. He cries until he can't cry anymore and until his throat is sore and his eyes are red.

He lies against the table, staring up at a large fluorescent lightbulb, wondering if Harry's okay. He has to be okay.

He doesn't know how long he's been lying there but then he hears faint shouting and gunshots echoing through the compound.

He doesn't care. He feels weak and on the verge of letting go. He doesn't change his focus from the ceiling, the sounds of screams and gunshots getting closer.

He closes his eyes just as the door slams open.

------

I don't want to go to school tomorrow help