This Means War || H.S

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Autumn's POV

Driving Harry home is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. His loopy state is practically impossible to manage whilst trying to drive down a street with people rushing to get home before dark. Out of nowhere he grabs my hand and holds it tight. His smile was bright when he got into the car, but the look on his face shows me that's changed. Pain fills his features as he squeezes my hand and groans. "Harry it's going to be okay. We'll be home soon and I'll be able to help you." "Autumn it hurts," he whines and I can feel my heart ache at the pain in his voice.

"What do you need me to do Harry. Tell me and I'll do anything I can." My words aren't anywhere near a lie. He helped me so much that day and it hasn't gone unnoticed by me, and I owe him so much. I will do anything for him, and in all seriousness, if it comes down to life or death, I would give my life for him. I know it's a lot to think of someone I just met literally a day ago, but I can't shake the thought of him pulling me off that bridge and out of my suicidal thoughts that day. "Just get us home love," the nickname sends shivers through my spine, but I continue driving. Debris is scattered across the street making my journey harder, and Harry's probably more painful.

I pull into the driveway and jump out of the car quickly. By the time I get to Harry's side he has his door open and is vomiting on the ground. "Oh Harry." I pause and let him finish before helping him maneuver around the waste and go slowly up the stairs. By now the dark has settled in around us and I know that I don't have anymore time to waste. The roar of jets circles around and I panic, forcing Harry to move quickly into the house. "Shit Harry do you have a cellar or something?" I had always heard that the rich would invest in fancy bomb shelters underground for situations like this, but I was never sure. "Out back."

Sure enough, I take him to his back yard and there is a large metal trap door. I open it after struggling for a few seconds and help Harry down the stairs. Sure Harry would have a couch, a bed, and a ton of electronics and food but no supplies that will help him right now. "Stay here Harry, I'll be right back." I have to go get him medication or he won't make it until morning when I can actually take him to the hospital. His eyes widen at my words and he holds me to him as tightly as possible for his condition. "You can't go out there Autumn. I won't let you." I only push him into the bed and run back up the stairs and out of the door. I hear screams coming from Harry but ignore them as I close the door. Sirens screech through the air signaling me to run.

I run into the kitchen, grabbing a wash cloth and an ice pack from the freezer quickly before grabbing some pain medication to get him through the night. Although it won't help him if I don't get back there soon. There's a first aid kit under the sink so I grab that as well. With everything in my hands I run back to the shelter as fast as I can, only to hear Harry's raspy screams for me to come back to him over the sirens. I should've gotten some cough drops but I'll just have to find some water when I get in there. Everything is sat on the ground so I can open the heavy door and climb in easily. It wasn't easy with bombs shaking the ground the entire time.

"No go away, I want Autumn," Harry screams when the metal of the stairs clicks under my shoe. "Harry its me its okay," I run down the steps almost slipping multiple times. I find him hugging a pillow to his now almost naked body with tears covering his cheeks. Seeing the once strong man in this state deflates my heart to unknown depths. His shaking body clad only in a pair of black boxers shaking uncontrollably is a sickly pale white. Blood still stains his temple and knuckles, he can't possibly sleep that way tonight. I know I won't be sleeping, but he needs to get at least some supervised rest.

I grab a napkin and a bottle of water. After wetting the napkin I wipe as much fresh blood off of his temple as possible without applying any pressure to his wound. I move to his knuckles, cleaning them and wrapping them in gauze while he whimpers. "I'm almost done shh it's going to be okay Harry." His teary eyes meet mine as I place the ice pack to his temple telling him to lay down. "Lay with me." Of course I will lay down with him, but there's no way that I will fall asleep. I have him take a few tablets for his pain before lying down beside him on the surprisingly comfortable bed. "It's rare that people like you exist you know," he whispers after about ten minutes of silence. "What do you mean by that Harry?" His words always seem to astound me, and I can never get tired of hearing how his accent forms over each word, giving each more feeling and depth than I could ever dream of doing.

"I just couldn't let you jump. I couldn't. It would've been impossible for me to do. I would have jumped in after you you know? I wouldn't have stood there staring. I knew it straight after I met you, because I knew I'd give anything to hear your voice. The way you can talk about the smallest things with the most timidity possible but still continue to sound like you could save the world. There's a certain desperation in your eyes when you speak, begging to let the awful memories out. Desperate to make the pain all go away. But more desperate to take away other's pain and continue suffering through your own. I can see the way your mind tortures you every second but I know you don't want to show that. You want to seem strong during these times. Because you know that the next time you get knocked over you're going to stay down. People like you don't exist anymore in this world. Yet here you are, a rose in the middle of the wreckage of our world. And I know you don't understand what's going on but someday you'll have do, and you'll see just how special you are. And how your desperation for a better world gives me the desperation to make it so much better for you."

Tears stream down my eyes at his words, never hearing so much beauty in the world. I remember beautiful things like Charles' laugh or Oliver's angry mutters to himself. My mom's singing in the shower when she thought none of us could hear. But these things were now gone for good and all I have left is this beautiful boy that I met yesterday, kind enough to want to change the entire world for me. He deserves to know what he's gotten into and he deserves a better life. But I can only give him one of those for now, one step at a time.

"That wasn't the first time I tried to kill myself," I whisper before I can stop myself. "Autumn..." "It was right after my dad died. My mom had been beating on my older brother and I and she tried to kill my baby brother. I thought that I couldn't handle the pain anymore but it seems so juvenile now compared to what's going on in the world. It was pathetic of me, and I find myself growing more pathetic by the day as I can even find a way to insult myself for trying to end my own life. It's pretty sick, but it always seems like a good idea at the time. But when I look back on it, I just hate myself even more."

"Nothing about you is pathetic Autumn. You said it yourself, it always seems like a good idea at the time. Even if you've learned that it's not, at least you're still here to learn that. People of the world are begging for your mindset nowadays Autumn. Embrace it, and let me help you along the way. It's the rare flowers like you that are going to end this war."

"Harry how could this war possibly end?"

"Well love, it's either going to end in your bloodshed or mine. And I don't plan on seeing that happening to you."

**a/n I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, comment, follow, and share please. Thank you lovelies.**