Shut In (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 5

Colour: Cloudy Red (greed, cruelty)

***

*Third Person Limited*

Marcus sits in his home office shuffling through bills, important papers, and notices. He sighs, picking up his phone and dialing the dreaded number.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson's residency. How may I service you?" An old, decrepit voice answers in a posh English accent.

"It's Marcus Crenshaw. I need to speak to Mr. Tomlinson please." Marcus says in a short voice.

"Oh yes of course sir."

The line goes dead for about 2 minutes until the cold Mr. Tomlinson picks up the phone.

"Hello?" Mr. Tomlinson says in a dry, bored voice.

"Hello, it's Marcus."

"Oh." He says in disgust. "It's that time of the month again."

"I'm afraid so." Marcus says in a sour voice, pursing his lips.

Marcus and Mr. Tomlinson have never gotten along, not since the day they met, and honestly, they never will. Marcus will never forgive him for what he did to his perfect little angel.

"Same amount?" Mr. Tomlinson asks in monotone.

Marcus sighs. "Yes. Same amount."

"Okay." There's a pause on the other line. "Thank you for sacrificing your happiness, scholarship, and popularity."

"Excuse me?" Marcus sits forward in anger.

"I hate to admit that he's my son, but..." Mr. Tomlinson begins to speak slowly. "My son drains the happiness and opportunities from people's life because he maliciously steals away your free time. That is why my wife and I had to make the difficult descision to abandon him."

Marcus slams a fist into the table. "Difficult?" His voice is high and thin.

"Yes. Why?" Mr. Tomlinson says in a slow, hoarse voice.

"Why? You're kidding me." Marcus yanks at his hair. "You tossed your own flesh and blood to the side of the road when he needed you. You're just lucky I was there to catch him and care for him. Oh, and Mr. Tomlinson?"

Mr. Tomlinson says arrogantly. "What?"

"Your son is a blessing, not a curse. He is an angel in hell, he is a dolphin in a sea of sharks, he is a butterfly in a hive of bees. Louis is the light at the end of the tunnel, the promise of something better, something good in this difficult life, you were, and are, just too ignorant to see it."

There is a long pause on the other line, then a murmur of words. "Check your account in two days." The line goes dead.

Marcus rests his elbows on the desk, forefingers rubbing his eyes. "What an arsehole." His left hand drops, banging the table, a squeak heard from the side.

Marcus perks up like an army man at attention, glancing to the side. "LouBear. Hi." Marc sighs happily, and in relief.

"Hello." Louis whispers in a small voice as he stares at the ground, a tiny smile on his face.

"C'mere boo." Marcus opens his arms, and turns the chair he's sitting in so that he's facing the door.

"Okay." He shuffles over in his pink bunny slippers, two mugs in hand, plopping in Marc's lap.

Louis carefully sets the mugs on the desk, wiggling his bum backwards to the base of Marcus's thigh. Marcus wraps his arms around Louis's waist as Louis snuggles his head into Marc's shoulder, sighing sweetly.

Marcus nuzzles his nose into the skin behind Louis's ear. "You know how much I love you, right?"

Marcus feels Louis smile and hunch into him. "Yes."

Marcus squeezes Louis's waist tighter and kisses his cheek causing Louis to giggle, placing his right hand over his mouth, and whispering, "Ow."

Marcus's eyes flutter shut while his chin rests on Louis's shoulder. "What baby?"

"My tu-tummy." Louis pouts and holds onto his abdomen loosely.

"What's wrong with my baby's tummy?" Marcus frowns and places his hands over Louis's.

"Owie." Louis whispers as he rotates so that his chest is pressed to Marc's, arms wrapped his neck, bent legs fitting into the crevice of Marcus's lower back.

Marc kisses Louis's forehead. "Have you eaten any breakfast?"

Louis shakes his head softly.

"You need to eat honey." Marcus pushes some hair out of Louis's face.

Louis shakes his head again.

"Are you sleepy?" Marc guesses again.

Louis shakes his head violently.

Marc chuckles. "What does my BooBear want then?"

"T-To play." Louis smiles up at Marc with sparkly blue eyes.

Marcus laughs in disbelief. "Again?"

Louis nods, blushing lightly.

"Let's drink our hot tea and coffee, and have a snack first, okay babe?" Marcus asks as Louis hides his face in Marc's chest.

"No!" Louis shouts, momentarily showing his face, eyes squeezed shut.

"It'll make your tummy feel better." Marcus coaxes Louis.

"Re-Really?" Louis mumbles.

"Yes really." Marc says matter-of-factly.

"O-Okay..." Louis trails off. "Bu-But I want you t-to carry me...ple-please." He adds as an after thought.

"Of course King Lou." Marcus laughs yet lifts Louis to the couch.

Marcus moves to set Louis down on his back on the couch, but Louis yanks Marc down so that he topples onto the smaller boy.

Louis giggles. "Ha! I tri-tricked you!"

Marcus drops his head and snorts. "You certainly did mister."

"Reward! Reward! Rewa-ward!" Louis chants, shuffling his legs.

"What. Kind. Of. Reward?" Marcus asks peppering kisses across Louis's face.

Louis giggles uncontrollably and shouts. "More!"

Marcus chuckles, but continues to kiss Louis, holding himself up.

Louis looks down and pokes his tummy, saying, "Kisses," before he raises his hands over head, asking Marcus to take off his night shirt.

"Right here?" Marcus questions as he moves to straddle Louis's waist. He begins rolling up the shirt, preparing to blow on Louis's stomach.

Louis nods vigorously, kicking his legs wildly in excitement.

Marcus slowly lowers his mouth right above Lou's belly button causing Louis to go absolutely bezerk with laughter. Marcus blows on Louis's belly as Lou squirms and kicks uncontrollably.

"St-stop!" Louis giggles.

Marcus raises his head up so that he's hovering right above Louis's face. "Lovebug?"

"Mmm?" Louis doesn't look up as he plays with the waistband of Marc's plaid pajama pants.

"You're beautiful."

Louis hides his face, shrinking lower beneath Marcus.

"You are Lovebug." Marcus shuffles down and lifts Louis face, connecting their lips.

Louis wiggles at first, but soon he goes limp as he melts into the kiss. Marcus pulls away reluctantly, as does Louis.

"I love you." Marcus murmurs against Louis's lips.

"I lo-love you too." Louis whispers, eyes wide.

***

A/N: this was me struggling to keep the story PG. HAHSKCLDLDKSKCKLD UGH. I want to write foreplay.

Until Next Time,

~~~~~BooBear🐻