An Awfully Big Adventure

Chapter 15: Farewell & Onward, Into the Abyss

As soon as Louis pushed Not-Hook off the edge, he heard a shout of "No!" and looked up just in time to see Harry dive after the man.

Louis wasn't thinking about how Harry couldn't die, or how he wasn't supposed to care about him anymore ⁠— no he didn't have time to think of anything other than that his⁠— that Harry was plummeting down the quarry. He jumped after them both, just as Harry grabbed Not-Hook and tried to manoeuvre them so that Harry would break his fall.

Fucking idiot. Louis believed as hard as he could, believed that he could fly fast enough to catch them, that he could save Harry and the stupid man Harry was so determined to save.

He caught them just before they hit the ground, and quickly pulled up, surely causing their stomachs to plummet painfully. Good. He didn't stop flying until he was back at the edge of the jungle, with several good metres between them and where the opening of the quarry began.

As soon as he set them down on the ground, Harry let go of Not-Hook, letting him flop onto the dirt beside, apparently having gone unconscious from the shock.

Louis ignored him and scanned his eyes over Harry, hands feeling over his limbs and then his ribs, searching for any damage.

"I⁠— Lou⁠—"

"You be quiet. Why would you do that?" he demanded, tracing a careful thumb over the mark where he had stabbed Harry earlier when he was satisfied there was no other damage. "Why would you do that?" he repeated more quietly.

Harry shrugged slightly, and swallowed before finally answering. "Well I can't die, or at least not permanently, and I didn't want him to die if he didn't have to."

"I hate you," Louis said, and then kissed him firmly. He didn't know quite why, or if this was one of the meanings for a thimble on Earth, but he had the impulse, and he followed it. "I hate you," he murmured again, as Harry tentatively kissed him back.

"Are you going to tell me why?"

Louis clung to him and buried his face in his hair. "'M not supposed to care anymore. It's stupid. You're stupid."

"This is because I don't want you to kill them still?"

"Yes."

Harry sighed, and rubbed a soothing hand over Louis' back.

"Listen, I know you don't trust them ⁠— I don't want them here either ⁠— but what if we send them back to Earth? I think they came through the same way I did...maybe there's a way to open it from this side? Or what about⁠— you've mentioned Wendy, the old Hook mentioned her too, how did she get home?"

Louis pulled back, looking taken-aback. "We simply...flew."

"You can fly to Earth?"

"I...yes. I suppose I...forgot," he said, lamely.

But it was true. With all the excitement with Harry recently, he had forgotten all about dropping in on Earth.

Harry had been about to reply, when the ground began to shake, an odd grumbling sound coming up from the depths of the quarry.

"What is that?"

"I don't know," Louis replied, looking around. "I don't remember anything like this happening before."

"The other men! We have to get them!" Harry cried out, scrambling to his feet as the ominous rumbling deepened.

"Why shoul⁠—"

Harry cut him off, yanking Louis up to his feet, and stealing a handful of pixie dust from his pocket. "Fine, you don't do anything. But I am."