Fix You (Larry Stylinson AU)

Meeting

*L*
Louis wakes up on Monday morning with an awful hangover. It is the first day of the fall term. He just so happens to be a professor. This is his second year of being a professor. Louis loves teaching at King’s College. He loves teaching college students and loves introducing them to literature and helping them work through their emotions with their writing. Teaching is the favorite thing in his life. Everything else is a fucking mess. His drinking didn’t mean to get as out of control as it has become.

Louis rushes out of bed. There is only thirty minutes until his first class starts. He takes his daily Advil (it’s the only way to get through the day). He rushes to the bathroom to brush his teeth to get the stale taste out of his mouth. Afterwards, he pulls on his pants and finds a nice button up to wear. It is the first day of classes, after all. He grabs his satchel and walks towards the door. Before opening it, he hesitates and walks to the kitchen. Louis grabs the half-drank bottle of whiskey and takes a long swig. It’s a good luck shot on the first day of teaching. That’s what he always tells himself anyway.

*H*

Harry wakes up with dried tears on his face. It wasn’t abnormal for him. That’s how he fell asleep most nights. He wipes his eyes and feels a familiar sting on his left forearm. He looks down and sees that he bled through his sweatshirt. There is dried blood in lines on his sweatshirt and on his sheets. He curses aloud and puts his face in his hands. This is not what he needed to start his first day of fall term. He takes off the ruined sweatshirt and strips the bed. He hears knocking on the door.

“Hazza? Are you up? You have to leave for school soon.” Liam. He figured it was one of his roommates. He’s lived with Niall and Liam since freshman year. They are his very best friends and he doesn’t think he would still be alive if he didn’t have them in his life.

“Y-yeah. Hold on.” Harry squeaks out.

“Harry, are you okay?” Liam asks with worry in his voice.

“I’m fine.” He responds quickly. Liam doesn’t believe him as per usual and walks in. Harry is holding the dirty sweatshirt and sheets with wide eyes.

“Haz…” Liam starts, worry and outright love in his voice. Liam has known about Harry’s cutting for years. He’s tried to help him but his efforts never work for long. “You were doing was well. It’s been 38 days.”

Harry’s heart actually drops. He hates that he disappointed Liam. Again. He’s always disappointing someone.

“I’m sorry.” That’s all Harry can get out. Tears are threatening to spill from his eyes.

“Oh, Haz… Don’t apologize. We’ll keep working at it. Why did you do it?”

“I just… starting school again really freaked me out. You know how bad it got last year.” Harry responds shakily.

“I know. It’s going to be better this year. I promise. I just have a feeling.” Liam stretches his arms out. “Let me put them in the wash. You have to get to school.” All Harry can do is nod. He gives Liam the contents in his arms and then quickly puts the wounded arm behind his back. If Liam noticed, he doesn’t say anything.

Harry finds a dark long sleeve shirt and his normal black jeans He heads to the bathroom to take a shower and bandage his cuts. If he can do one thing well, it’s dressing his wounds. He’s done it so often for the last several years. He showers quickly, careful to wash the dried blood off of his forearm. The hot water stings but it’s something he’s used to. Harry steps out of the shower and dries off. He puts on his underwear and then pulls out his emergency clean up kit under the sink. He cleans the cuts and wraps his normal bandages around them.