Milan.

prefazione

The knife was slick with my blood, and there was this huge, long gash in my cheek, and as I sat on the edge of the lake, toes in the water, I decided that swimming was a good way to clean my wound. I thought about removing my clothes or something, but at the last moment, I thought, fuck it, and dove in. 

The water stung at first, and my clothes were weighing me down, but I didn't care. I wanted to wash myself off. I wanted to wash off my crimes, my faults, my body. I wanted to escape the skin I was stuck in, the prison of my body. I was doomed to a life of running, and that was a terrifying thought.

Suddenly, my body lurched upwards and I spluttered from air as a panicked voice scolded me for wandering off the way I did. "What the fuck are you doing? Are trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm sorry," I muttered, curling up into his heaving chest as he held me. "I'm sorry."

"Don't ever do that again, do you hear me? Never again," he whispered. He was sweaty and there was dirt caked to the back of his neck, as always. I think when you see people ungroomed and dirty, you see them for who they really are. The clean-cut, groomed Louis isn't the same as mud-coated, fishing me out of the water Louis.

"Okay," I whispered back.

"What happened here?" he wondered, gently pressing his fingertips to the skin just below the gash in my cheek. I shrugged, refusing to meet his gaze. It was a bit embarrassing to admit that it was an accidental self-inflicted wound from trying to do some of his fancy knife tricks."You were stupid to follow me out here. Everyone's looking for you. They're going crazy."

"So am I," I countered. He drew my gaze from my palms to the knife in his hands. My knife. Were my knife privileges being taken away now, too? I choked back a sob and looked back into his eyes. Suddenly, my cheek was feeling the pain I'd enflicted on myself. The sob wasn't sad, the sob was angry, I realized. I was frustrated. I was enraged.

"Hey, you're okay," he muttered, rubbing circles on my back with his free hand. "I'm so sorry I dragged you into this."

"Yeah, I am too," I replied, snatching the knife out of his hands roughly. 

He pulled away from me, eyes wide, awaiting an explanation. "Calm down."

"They were right about you! I should've stayed away. You ruined everything."

That's not true. Before Louis, my life was terribly boring and frustratingly simple. Get out of bed, do the morning chores, go to work, and go home. That's all I ever seemed to do anymore. That's all I've ever done for my entire life, really. Until now. Until Louis.

"You don't mean that, do you?" Louis asked, furrowing his brow. "Weren't you the one that was complaining about the lack of adventure in your life? If you want to go home, we'll go home."

"Well, we can't go now."

"Oh?"

"I probably fell in love with you, and if I leave now, I'll never see you again, will I?"

Louis shrugged. "I'm a rolling stone."

"I can roll too," I mumbled, crossing my arms and turning away. Louis made a funny sound at the back of his throat.

"I never doubt that for a second, babe."

"Don't call me babe," I snapped, trying to sound cross. "Let's just go. I'm tired of sitting around."

"Alright, c'mon, Milan," he grinned, jumping to his feet. "We stitch up the cheek, and then we're back on the road."

"I'm not Milan," I sighed, shaking my head. But, you know, I followed him anyway. I, of all people, know how hard it is to break habits like that. Milan suited me, even. Maybe I am Milan.

DISCLAIMER: this story includes numerous intense and violent sitations. There may or may not be smut, but chapters that include graphic/explicit material will be marked accordingly, no worries. It's obviously a boyxboy centering around Louis and Liam, but there will be slight mentions of some other familiar faces. Other than that, I'd just like to point out that this is MY story, MY idea, from MY imagination, and I'd really appreciate if you wouldn't take my ideas and try and pass them off as your own. That's illegal. Just so you know.

I don't own One Direction, and I don't claim to. This is a work of fiction, and it's JUST FOR FUN. Don't take it too seriously.