Haunted

Louis' Prologue

A.N. So this is Louis' prologue... Um, so, reviews are wlecome? Tell me what you guys think.

Do not read this story if mentions of rape and rape scenes are a trigger for you. I repeat, do not read this story if rape is a trigger for you. You have been warned.

Louis' Prologue

Louis ran a shaky hand through his tousled hair, guilt consuming him as he watched the other boy absentmindedly play with his hands. It was only the previous night, or early morning depending on how you look at it, where he and Harry had gotten in a fight. At the time, Louis wasn't thinking at all about the hurtful words he threw at Harry; he was just angry, angry at Harry for being so inconsiderate, angry at himself for getting unreasonable jealous over Harry's whereabouts. Louis just took all his anger, frustration, and confusion out on Harry, when the poor lad hadn't done anything to deserve all the hateful words Louis was spewing at him. In his defense, Harry had said some pretty hurtful things back but Louis knew he was the one who started it. Louis knew it was his fault that Harry was now sitting near the fireplace, a blanket around him, curls still damp from the rain, with this look of complete and utter hopelessness that broke Louis' heart into little pieces.

You know, if I knew just how difficult you would be to look after, I would have never taken the offer to be in this forsaken band.

What the hell had possessed Louis to say such a thing? Louis cringed every time he replayed those despicable words in his mind. That was the last thing he said to the curly haired boy, the one sentence that made Harry run away from him and into the pouring rain. Believe him; Louis regretted the words as soon as he said them, repulsed with himself for saying such horrid, untrue things to the one person he swore he would protect, yet here he was, inflicting the pain. After Harry ran, Louis stood motionless, cursing himself for his stupidity. He knew Harry was a sensitive lad; he got upset over hate random strangers sent him, so he couldn't imagine how hurt he must be feeling at Louis' words, especially since Louis was supposed to be his best mate. Some best mate I am, Louis thought miserably, as he took the pot of tea off the stove.

As soon as Louis had gotten over his initial shock, he had run into the street, frantically searching for the distraught boy, with no luck. It seemed as though Harry was long gone. Louis hadn't slept a wink since his best mate took off, unable to do anything but pace up and down the cold wooden floors too worried about Harry to sleep. So to say that finding Harry soaking wet, sitting on the front porch was a shock would be an understatement. A tsunami wave of relief crashed through Louis' body, immediately replaced a feeling of concern as he really took in Harry's state.

"Harry, what are you doing, sitting in the rain?!" Louis exclaimed, placing a hand on Harry's arm, trying to ignore the way he flinched at the simple contact, and pulled him onto his feet.

Harry didn't reply, his eyes glazed over as it became clear to Louis that he clearly wasn't present at the moment, lost in his thoughts. Louis dragged his body inside their flat and made his way to the bathroom for a towel to dry the shivering boy off. The flinching every time Louis touched him was getting harder and harder to ignore.

"Harry, what the fuck happened to you?!" Louis exclaimed, regretting how loud he sounded when Harry shrank away from him in fear.

"Louis..." came the hesitant reply. Louis' heart panged in pity as he moved his hands to the buttons of Harry's clingy shirt but was surprised when Harry's much larger hands came up to stop him with lightning speed.

"What are you doing?"

"Relax; I'm just changing you into some drier clothes. Jeez, what's gotten into you?" Louis explained and started to undress Harry again. When Harry stood there naked, Louis opened the dryer door and pulled out some sweats and underwear for Harry to wear, absentmindedly realizing they were Louis' clothing.

When Harry was dressed, Louis took him by the hand and guided the still distraught boy in his bedroom where he made Harry get into bed as Louis tucked the younger boy in. As he was about to leave, a hand reached out and grabbed his. Turning around, he looked down into the wide green eyes of a helpless boy.

"Stay." The whispered word was enough to make Louis' heart skip a few beats in his chest. Climbing into bed with his distressed friend, Louis tried to ignore how different it felt sleeping next to Harry felt that night. There was something looming in the air, creating an invisible barrier between the best friends. Louis couldn't help but wonder what had happened after Harry had run away and if it had anything to do with the tense atmosphere in the room as Louis lay next to his already asleep friend.

Louis waved away the feeling with the excuse that his guilt about the fight was causing him to act paranoid. Nothing had changed between him and Harry; they were still the incredibly close best mates that tended to act in love with each other from time to time and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. With that thought in his head, Louis drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Little did he know things were already beginning to change; Harry wasn't the same careless teenage boy that he was just two; Harry wasn't the same careless teenage boy that he was just two days ago. In just eight short hours, Harry had developed a secret. A secret that will change him, a secret that has already begun to change him, a secret that would in time destroy the once innocent little boy Harry used to be.

But that's what happens when you play with fire; you get burned.