Therapy // Larry AU ✔️

when i woke up alone

When Harry woke up the next morning to a loud sound coming from downstairs. He assumed that Des was up and about by the sounds of heavy footsteps and bottles clanking.

He took a shaky breath and checked the time. Half past ten, meaning Des had the day off - he usually goes in by seven or eight at the latest.

Its been two weeks since his mum left them and Des has barely said a word to Harry. Honestly, Harry doesn't know why he's even still here, he's not his son according to him. But Des is still here, drinking the rest of the beer in the fridge without a second thought.

Harry let out a quiet sigh and curled up under his blankets, relishing in the warmth his body was giving off. Today was Saturday, so he had no plans for the day besides to catch up on sleep and read a little.

The doorbell rang at about half past six and Harry quickly made his way downstairs, knowing his father wouldn't answer it. With a short breath, Harry opened the door to reveal a blonde Irishman.

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have called you crazy, I'm so sorry. That was so out of line and," Niall shook his head, extending the small bouquet of roses out towards Harry. "The thought of my best friend hurting so bad on the inside that he feels like he should hurt himself on the outside just really struck a nerve in me, and I'm sorry." He finished with a deep breath.

"Niall, I should be the one apologising. I just lost control and..." Harry trailed off, a few tears pooling in his eyes as he accepted the flowers. "These are lovely, thank you so much."

Niall gave him a weak smile and opened his arms, welcoming the taller lad in for a tight hug. "I love you, H. You're always gonna be my best friend, I swear."

"Love you, too, Ni. Thank you for being there for me." Harry replied in a whisper, hugging the boy back.

Someone behind Harry cleared their throat, causing a lump to form in Harry's. "I'll see you at school Monday, yeah? Thank you again, Niall." He said with a forced smile that seemed to fool the boy.

"Alright, mate. Have a good day, Mr. Styles!" Niall called out with a smile, nodding at Des standing behind Harry.

"I knew it." Des shook his head, his face beat red.

"D-Dad, I-"

"No! You like boys, eh? You're disgusting." Large hands pushed Harry against the door, so hard you could hear a sickening crack come from Harry's head. "Awh, did that hurt? Too bad, you don't get sympathy when you're down on your knees for men." Harry's eyes widened, his mind going into overdrive.

"N-no, please don't make me," He pleaded with watery eyes, shaking his head so fast his curls got in his face.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Des slapped Harry across the face, laughing coldly. "That's disgusting, Harry! You're a mistake!" He screamed, shaking Harry's shoulders. He pushed Harry back against the door. "Get out of my face."

Harry let out a sob and reached behind him blindly for the handle. As soon as the door was slammed again behind him, he cried harder, making it to the front lawn before he collapsed.

His mind was racing like a live wire, causing a prominent static sound to run low in his ears. He felt himself split once, twice, five times in the two minutes he'd been outside. Every time it happened, it was like his body froze and his chest heaved uncomfortably — he couldn't breathe when it happened.

He lifted the bottom of his shirt to wipe at the blood and spit on his face. Fresh tears poured from his eyes, most of them falling down into the cuts on his cheeks. It stung like hell, but Harry paid no mind.

The sun was beginning to set around Harry, giving him a false sense of calmness. The sunset was beautiful tonight, but that didn't take away from the pain in his heart and body.

"Harry! We keep meeting at sunset, pretty funny, yeah?" Louis called, walking up the boy. "Just out walking Daisy to her friends house, you remember Daisy, yeah? She's the one that ran into ya," he smiled, stopping when he was standing a few feet from Harry.

Harry slowly picked his head up, looking absolutely pathetic with his bruising face, some parts of which where still bleeding.

"Fucking hell, Harry! What did you do?" Louis gasped, kneeling down next to him. "Did someone do this to you?"

Harry whimpered when Louis touched his face, trying to fight against his hold. "It's nothing. I got in a fight at school and I'm too embarrassed to go home."

"Harry, really? What the bloody hell could someone beat you up like this for?" Louis asked, shaking his head as he dropped his hand back to his lap.

"I dunno. I insulted them, I guess. Dunno how." The boy shrugged, looking down at his shoes instead of the beautiful lad in front of him.

"Do you need help? My mums a nurse, she can clean you up and all that," he offered, his eyes roaming all over the boy. Harry truly was beautiful — to Louis at least. The way his hair cascaded down his shoulders, all wavy with a hint of curls at the end. The sharp line of his jaw, almost like someone took the time to sculpt it to perfection. Similar to his cheekbones, they stood out just the right amount to give Harry's face dimension.

"It's okay. Thank you, Louis. Really, it means a lot for you to be so worried and want to help. I'm just gonna go up to my room and sleep it off." Harry lifted his head to offer the lad a small smile. His lips were pressed together tightly, showing that the smile was clearly forced. Before Louis could question him further, Harry got up and brushed his hands off on his jeans, looking down at the boy before he stood up as well.

"Alright, mate. Like I said, I'm just down the road if you need anything." Louis reminded him, giving the boy a warm smile. Harry nodded and bit his lip, making his way up the driveway. He waited until Louis started to walk away before he backed away from the door and started to walk in the opposite direction.

His first instinct was to call Niall, but he knew he'd have little to no luck there. Niall's parents shared similar values as Des and Harry knew that if he went there for this reason, they'd forbid Niall to ever see him again. Harry didn't want to lose a friend over this.

With that fresh in his mind, he walked down to a little park that wasn't too far from his neighbourhood. He situated himself into one of the little tunnels and curled up as best as he could, closing his eyes after a few minutes. He didn't sleep, but he did get a bit of rest. He knew he'd need it for the next day.

...

1562 words.

Written: 12/08/16
Updated: 01/03/18