Can You See The Light?

Assume Your Position

It's been a month since Louis died. Four weeks since Harry had seen him smile. Twenty-eight days since he smelled his cigarette smoke on his clothes. Even still, Harry could feel him everywhere. He could see him leaning against the window at the bakery, could hear him whisper his name in the winter wind. This wasn't like when his mum died. He couldn't feel her anymore, and he was utterly, completely empty. Now, Harry felt an ache within him. A hole that needed to be filled. He could still feel Louis, and somehow it was worse that way.

Louis coughed so hard it rattled his chest and he inhaled so intensely it stabbed his lungs. He looked around and saw nothing but an opaque white. "Where am I?!" He called out hoarsely.
"Has it been so long that you don't remember?"
Suddenly the air is gone. "F-father...? Why am I here?! Please! You need to let me go back down there! Harry will, he won't be able to live with himself after this!" He searched around frantically.
"Louis," God drew out the last syllable calmly. "Are you not wondering why you're not in the abyss?"
"I don't care. You can fucking off me after Harry's dead for all I care. But as long as he's still breathing I need to be with him. He doesn't deserve anything bad to happen to him!"
"My son, look, and be still."
Suddenly Louis saw Harry from a window's view. He was working in the bakery, and there was snow on the ground. That can't be, Louis had only been in Heaven for a whole of five minutes, right?
"He is okay for now. He's alive because he knows you would want him to be. He doesn't want your death to have been for nothing."
Louis does calm down at that, but the thought of Harry mourning him made his bones ice cold. "Why am I here?" He asked quietly.
"I've seen you with that boy, Louis. You care about him. You learned how to accept the flaws of humanity by falling in love with him. And most importantly, you saved him. You deserve a place in Heaven, Louis."
"I don't, I don't. I drank all of those souls..." Louis painfully remembered Harry's mother and Miss Jenny.
"Is that all? Here..." suddenly Louis felt a tugging sensation all over him, and then nothing. "They are free."
"What? That's it? You freed them just like that?!"
"Did you really think I would let all those pure souls go into the abyss?"
Finally, Louis could see something—someone emerging from the blank white surrounding him. It was the woman from the hospital, the woman from the picture. Harry's mother.
"Hello, Louis," greeted Anne. She was smiling and her voice was soft.
"Anne I—I'm so sorry," Louis' voice cracked, and for the first time in centuries, he cried. He cried embarrassingly loud. "I drank your soul. I almost drank Harry's. He's down there all alone and I...I failed him." He couldn't bear to look at her.
"No, Louis. You helped him. He's stronger now because of you. He no longer lets people take advantage of him, and he's searching for his own purpose in life, for you." She waded towards him then, and put a soft hand to his cheek. "God wants you down there with him."
"Wha—" Louis gasped, and he felt himself contort uncomfortably, his muscles contracting involuntarily until he felt the sharp release of his wings cutting through the skin on his back. He felt blood trickle down, but was relieved and ready for anything.
And then, the voice of God. "My son, you have changed. Your power to see the light in humanity will forever be an asset to Earth, and you will assume your permanent position as Harry Edward Styles' guardian angel. Go to him."
Louis let himself fall. He fell so fast, but it wasn't fast enough, so he turned over and pointed himself head first toward the earth like a comet, letting his wings tuck themselves behind him.
The landing was less than graceful, he plummeted into the ground and left a steaming crater behind him. He stumbled a moment, but regained himself and flew over the now naked trees, searching for Harry.
He spotted Harry's bike outside of Louis' house and his heart sped up as he turned and dropped down to the lawn. He fell to his knees, weak and emotionally drained. His voice cracked as he called out, "Harry!" The world spun and Louis slowly sunk down until he felt the side of his face hit the snow.
He heard the door fly open, heard Harry say his name, but couldn't pick himself up. He just groaned in response. He felt a feather bent awkwardly underneath him and all he wanted to do was wrap himself around Harry. He whined as the boy struggled to pick him up and carried him into the house.
Louis was half asleep and he heard Harry audibly crying and breathing erratically as he made a fire in the fireplace and heated up some water.
"Louis... Louis..." Harry was holding him, stroking his hair as he hiccupped and whispered his name over and over. He must have fallen asleep again.
His joints cracked as he moved to sit up. He blinked until Harry's wet, beautiful face came into view. "Harry."
Harry wasted no time capturing the words on his own lips. Louis felt the younger boy's tears slide down over his own face. They held each other for a long time, saying nothing but each other's names.
It must have been an hour of holding each other before Louis spoke. "I'm sorry."
Harry twisted to look at him. "For what?" He asked, he sounded offended.
"For leaving."
"No, no Lou I'm sorry for saying all of those things. I don't believe any of them, I was just so upset."
Louis remembered their fight and sat up a little too quickly. "She's okay, Harry! Anne, she's in Heaven now. And Miss Jenny too. God released all of the souls," Louis said shakily, his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"That's... oh my god that's amazing Lou. But, what? What happened?"
Louis explained to Harry what happened when he died. That God had forgiven him, gave him a spot in Heaven and made him Harry's guardian angel.
Harry was stunned, all of the information was obviously a lot to take in. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Louis, just take me with you, up there, please," he said in a defeated tone.
"What?! Why?"
"I can't do it anymore Lou. It's too much. You said it yourself...there's nothing good down here. Humanity is awful."
"No," he sat up, grabbed the boy's face in his hands and lifted his head to look at him. "I was wrong Harry, because you are the good in this world. I've seen pure humans for a decade, and never have I seen anyone like you. The world needs someone like you, so that you can spread that goodness in you. Show others like you showed me. Give them hope."
Harry started to cry and clutched Louis' shoulders. "It's hard, Louis."
"I know love. And I promise, someday I will take you up there with me, but I'm going to make sure you live a good long, happy life until then. Alright?"
Harry clung to him as he kissed him with every ounce of willpower in his body. Louis let himself go enough to match Harry's intensity, and to show him just how much he missed him in the short time he was gone. When they pulled away from the kiss, they embraced each other tightly, never wanting to let go. "I love you, Louis."
Louis let out a weak sob. How did he get so lucky, to be loved by the purest soul in the world? He didn't know, but he whispered back, "I love you too, Harry."

The End.