Lust lasts for but a moment. Love goes on for generations.

He jogs up the steps, hearing the bathroom's tap running as he steps into his room. The shadow stood by his window goes unnoticed until he flips on the light switch and turn around. His heart drops to the floor and a hand clamps down over his mouth before he can scream.

"Shh, Lou. It's me."

Louis does let out a smothered shriek against Harry's sweaty palm that smelt of moss and perspiration. He flailed his arms until Harry secured them with one of his own, applying pressure to the hand that now held freshly acquired band aids. Louis hissed and tried to kick Harry but he was just too small.

"Please don't scream. I won't hurt you."

Harry looks at him earnestly and Louis nods slowly, figuring that if he did scream only his baby sister would hear. He wanted her far away from this. It is a shame that his dad took Hanayen to work today.

Harry removes his hand from Louis mouth slowly, cautiously as if waiting to see if Louis will disobey his request. He doesn't and Harry exhales from relief.

"W-Why are you here?" Louis stammers.

Harry searches his eyes and comes up dry. "I came to see you."

Louis wasn't expecting that response, and so he grips the doorknob a little tighter.

Harry notices and frowns in confusion. Louis looked like a helpless animal, cornered by their enemy. He would never hurt Louis.

He raises his hand to Louis' cheek but hesitates. "Can I?"

Louis stops shaking and just stares. "What?"

"Touch you."

"Where?"

Harry stretches his fingers so they brush against Louis' skin. "There."

"What if I say no?" Louis was just curious.

Harry instantly curls his fingers, breaking the contact between the tips and Louis' face. "I won't do it then."

Louis tilts his head to the side. "Why not?"

"Because it would make you uncomfortable."

Louis was completely thrown by this stranger's appealing courtesy. However, he wasn't positively certain that it all just wasn't an act. Louis didn't want to aggravate this strange boy, so he didn't shout nor did he indulge him. Who knew what the sinister ideal was?

Louis reigned in his willpower and spoke in a shaky voice. "Is that all you came for?"

Harry frowned and stumbled back, allowing Louis space to breathe. "I-I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I don't know why I came." Harry looks to floor and the ceiling for guidance. "I just knew that I had to."

"Can I ask you something?" Louis looked at Harry's eyes, satisfied that it proved to be a
suitable distraction. It had gold specks in them as he had green specks in his.

"Anything, Lou."

"Why do you call me that?" Louis blurts and covers his mouth with the tips of his fingers once it's out. "That-That wasn't my question."

Harry stands awkwardly, the corners of his mouth twitching because he didn't know whether to smile or stay grim. He settled for something in between.

"I like to." Harry states, but upon realising that he sounded so arrogant apologises immediately. "But I thought you liked it......also."

Louis tilts his head to the side, hand releasing the door and stepping forward. Harry steps back. What?

"Will you really....try?"

Louis is dodging bullets with Harry's questions. "Try what, Harry?"

"Being my friend." Harry grimaces from the cold. "It isn't.....it isn't that I'm forcing you, I just......really want to I guess."

Louis feels pity. "Why me then? I've done nothing for you in the past."

Harry looks at him for the third time with that helpless gleam in his eye, it was a haunted piece of himself that only shone through the green forestry of his eyes.

"You saved me." Harry's words are no stronger than his will.

Louis is shot down by instant insecurity. He blushes despite himself and fidgets with the sleeve of his jacket. He's got Harry's words locked in his memory vault. "We.....we didn't know each other."

"To me, we did." He admits, cowering away from the truth. "It was too real to let go of."

"Harry-"

"No." Harry snapped, his light eyes darkening. "All anyone is telling me is that it isn't..." He runs his hand through his hair, gripping it tightly in his fist and unfeeling of the pinch. "That it isn't real. I can't hear that again."

Losing contact with his moral compass for just a moment, Harry takes a large stride toward Louis who steps back.

"They say I made it all up." Harry steps closer, Louis' heart rabbits in his confined chest.

"They tell me that I have to leave you alone because you don't care about me." Harry briefly looks out the window before turning back to Louis. Louis' lips are parted to accommodate the large gulps of air he's inhaling painfully.

"I can't do that, Louis. I can't do that to myself because I know it'll hurt us both." A slight hint of that softness returns to his smile, and Louis can only hear the blood pouring through his veins and feeding his heart.

"I know it wasn't real. I bloody know that but that doesn't make me stop wanting it." Harry murmurs.

Louis has fallen into a seated position on his bed, his palms flat on the mattress and the unsavoury itch spreading in his arm. It rose whenever his sensitive skin was too heated and beginning to sweat.

"Please don't hurt me." Louis avoids Harry's gaze at all costs.

He doesn't see the dread flood into Harry's eyes when he drops to his knees. He just sees Harry crawl closer until his head was in Louis' lap.

"No, no. Lou? Lou, I'd never." Harry gushes. "I'd never do anything remotely close to that."
Louis tries to get Harry off him. He doesn't know this guy. "Harry, I don't know-"

"What's this?" Harry's staring at his wrist. Oh fuck.

Louis hurriedly covers his entire hand, creating the jacket equivalent of sweater paws for himself. He curled his arms against his chest and failed to lift his knees. He wanted to run away so badly.

"Don't hide from me." Harry prompts, nudging his chin on Louis' knees.

"I don't know you." Louis exhales and if Harry hadn't been sitting this close to the boy, he'd never had heard anything.

"Please, Lou." Harry is pleading now. "Let me show you who I am. I want to do that."
"Harry, I have a boyfriend."

"I know." Harry hisses. "But if he did that to you then...."

Harry had Louis' jacket sleeve in his grip and Louis yanked it out of his hold. "How dare
you?!"

Harry blinks rapidly in confusion, stretching forward his arm that went on for miles. "Lou-"

"Get out." Louis curts. "Get the Hell away from me."

How dare he come into Louis' room? Albeit, uninvited and unwelcome. Then ask to be friends. Louis was not an idiot, and he didn't have the time to be messed around with. He'd tell Douglas about this. Yes, he would. Douglas would know what to do.

Harry was not just confused, now he stood by Louis' bedroom window feeling like a waste of effort. Louis wouldn't look at him anymore.

"I didn't come here to offend you, Louis." Harry says slowly. "It really wasn't my intention. I want you as a friend."

"We all can't have what we want. Get out." Louis tries to mask his nastiness.

"Louis listen to me-"

"Harry enough." Louis never was able to shout at another individual if it was prompted.

"Understand that what you think is real, isn't. It never was and it won't ever be. Whatever your fascination is with me, isn't worth it. Move. On."

To a normal person, that was the best and finest cut form of therapy. Harry isn't normal. He was determined because nobody - not even Louis - knew the peace this smaller boy's presence brought to him. He'd die early without him.

In a fit of ambitious purpose, Harry surges forward and nails Louis to the door with all his limbs and hips. Louis squirms but doesn't let out a peep. The fear in his eyes is temporary and Harry knows it.

Slowly - gently now - Harry laces their fingers together against the door, Louis' fingers remaining straight and stiff. Harry would let it go for now. With new-found grace, he inhales Louis' scent off his neck and jaw, his forehead and cheek. He takes as much as he can. Louis knew every movement he rendered would rattle the door so he submitted to Harry's forwardness without thought. He couldn't defend himself even if he was terrified.
His mind raced but Harry's was mellow. Harry stared at the spot below Louis' ear, reddened but never moist. He wanted to kiss it like he used to. He knew he'd regret this if he did, the same for if he did not. So he did, he's got nothing to lose.

"Harry? Harry, please-"

"You are worth it." Harry curls his arms around his own neck, taking Louis' hands with him. He loved how his body completely enveloped Louis'.

"Don't do this." Louis' voice trembled much like he did.

"I'd never hurt you." He repeats. "I'll tell that to you everyday-" Another chaste kiss to the skin. "-every moment-" One more to Louis' stubbly jaw that he'd been asked to shave. -"until
you believe me."

Louis won't hide his awe any longer. This person didn't know him, terrified him beyond reason to the point of shivering, they hadn't spoken prior to today and most definitely never touched like this, yet he managed to ease so many of Louis' misconceptions. He managed to soothe Louis' insecurities and make them better. A psycho with schizophrenia did that to him, a self-harming twenty-year-old with an empty smile.

All in a day's meeting.

"I deserve you." Harry made it a praise to Louis. Everything he'd said thus far was a praise to Louis.

Douglas' face floated back and Louis had to leave his fantasy. "As a friend."

Harry nodded begrudgingly and released all of Louis. "They're taking me away tomorrow."

"What?"

"To rehab. Somewhere in Middleston though. Will you.......visit me?"

"Harry, I can't-"

"Just one weekend. For my therapy session."

Louis exhales and ignores the throbbing of his arm. "Fine."

Harry beams and Louis turns to jelly. He hadn't seen Harry's smile ever and it's magnificent. He had dimples punctuating each end and all polished teeth. Louis wished he could smile like that. He didn't have dimples, his cheeks would probably just crease up and leave ugly lines on his face. Hmph.

"Louis!" Phoebe's much too high-noted voice carries past the door and Harry's head snaps
in its direction.

"Is that....." Harry steps forward but Louis very quickly grabs the door handle to hold it closed.

"You have to go. Please, Harry. She can't see you."

There's already the soft rapping of her knuckles against his door creating sound waves and vibrations he can feel through his nervous sweats.

"Go downstairs, Phoebe. I'll be there in a second!" He calls to her.

"But I left something...." She trails off as the knob starts rotating.

Louis mouths the word 'Go' to Harry multiple times before he decides to listen. Stepping away from the door proved to be a formidable error when it creaks open for Phoebe to step inside. Harry's only just touched the window sill.

She looks up from the floor and her eyes widen at the scene before her. Louis contemplates whether or not to just carry her out with him.

"Harry?" She asks.

Notes