Ronan: To the Moon and Back

Just two days later, Harry invites Raelyn over for a dinner with him and the other lads. Promising a good meal and entertainment in the form of just sitting back and watching Niall kick Liam's butt in FIFA. His main reason, and not just because Louis had asked him to ask her.

"Seriously, Lou." Zayn had chuckled, "You're a grown lad, ask her yourself." To which Louis kindly told Zayn to shove his cigarette up his nose, and in returns gets Liam's snapback thrown at him. Harry simply invited her anyway.

It's only the second week of December, but the counter tops in the kitchen are already covered with cookies; actual mini loafs of gingerbread and even a pie. Rae had excitedly jumped in to help Harry, after failing to convince Louis to help them and yes, she does trust him with the electric mixer. In the end, after several minutes of flirty banter noticed by all but the two involved, Louis opts to just licking the spoon clean when Rae passes it to him. All this while Zayn stole her camera, snapping pictures of the whole baking experience. Niall leans over Zayn's shoulder, peering at the picture; the way Louis and Rae look at each other in the image shown leaves him speechless.

However, it's not like Louis meant for it to happen. It's not like they planned for the night of pizza to turn into a night filled with crazy entertainment that Harry had promised, that just happened to go on longer than any of them expected it to. And it's not like Louis planned for Raelyn to somehow end up in his room, awaiting for the tea she was offered and escaping the game of truth or dare going on between the other lads.

Niall had dared Liam to stand out on the rail of the balcony for thirty seconds, in the biting cold of the night air with no shoes. So after nearly giving Rae and even Zayn a heart attack at their young age, and Zayn rushing forward to pull Liam back down before he could topple over; Rae opted out.

Louis didn't plan on finding Rae dozing off in his room, on his bed. Curled up in the usual way he always seems to find her when she's in that state, after he comes to bring the tea. But she's there, in a little ball of herself trying to keep warm from her body heat alone. There's a slight furrow to her brows, a small downward tilt on the corners of her mouth. Hands balled into fists too tight for her to be in a deep slumber. It's when she murmurs something soft that Louis thinks she could be stepping into the beginning of her regular nightmare.

Not wanting a repeat from two nights ago, Louis places the mug down on his bedside table and slowly sits beside her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. He rubs comforting circles into her shoulder blade, gently trying to wake her up. She doesn't, just curls into herself more, right hand subconsciously pressing into her chest. Louis lays back grabbing hold of her hand while he trails his other fingers up and down her arm, still calling her name. He reaches the ends of her hair again, snaking his fingers through the strains and brushing them outward. He ends up lightly scratching her scalp when she gasps in her half sleep.

"Raelyn, wake up." Louis tries once more. Finally, Rae's eyes flutter open, locking on Louis' for a moment, then shuts them again. "Were you having the dream again?" He inquires quietly, barely over a whisper because he's suddenly so, so close to her.

"S'not a dream. It's hell." She murmurs, frowning again, like she can't get the images out.

Louis has an urge to kiss her forehead (never something new to him lately), promising her that its alright. That he's here and won't ever let any nightmare terrify her. That last part can't be literal unless he's got the power to hop into her dream and fight off the darkness. Louis can't help himself, not when she's looking all distressed and scared and she looks so small to him right now. Still cured up and shivering from something that isn't the temperature. It's when her hand moves to press on her chest again, does Louis give in. He catches hold of her fingers, squeezing lightly as he places a tender kiss on her forehead.

Rae kind of just freezes. She becomes so still that Louis' sure she isn't breathing right now. Her eyes slowly open, blue skies in sphere form, wide and curious. Before she has a chance to speak, Louis beats her to it.

"You're safe with me." He tells her, gentle like the breeze during the summer.

There's this moment. A moment where they both realize exactly how intimate this is. Louis' fingers squeezing around hers, the intensity in Louis' eyes because he's as serious as serious can be, practically laying it all bare before her. Shallowly breathing into each others space, hearing each others heartbeats filling up the quiet of the room. Louis doesn't know how Rae's feeling at the moment, but his chest is tightening in a good way, like when he relieves hugs from Niall after a long break away. His blood is warming through every vein and he feels those stupid little butterflies escaping the cage he has tried capturing them in his stomach. He's fallen so hard for her and he knows he can't hide the softness of his features when he looks at her like this; open and vulnerable.

Then, Raelyn closes her eyes once more, sighing deeply as she snuggles her head underneath Louis' chin and rests her forehead against his chest. Louis adjusts his position a little, still on his side and fully encloses Rae's upper back in his arms. He's not quite sure he's heard correctly, but he thinks Rae breathes out a barely audible, "I know."

So he holds her close, safe and protected from dark figures attempting to steal her brother away. He holds her like that until she falls asleep again. Holds her until he begins to doze off himself. He holds her even as he hears a click of a device he can't think of right now because he's still holding her, halfway between his own awareness and dreamland. Keeps her in his arms until Zayn comes into his room, Rae's phone in his hands and gently wakes them up. Holds her until he can't hold her anymore when she sits up to take her phone, checking the voice message her mother left her. Rae's fingers linger on Louis' as she slips off the bed and out of his room.

Zayn smiles at her as she passes, then turns his look on Louis, eyebrow raised expectantly. Sometimes, most of the time, Zayn just knows things. It comes with the territory of keeping to himself and observing the people around him. Like that day Rae asked his permission for his photo to be hung in the camera shop. She ended up showing him more of her photography and when it was Louis' turn to see them, Zayn had just sat back and watched. Sat there with a little smirk on his face for so long Louis was ready to chuck his shoe at him. It's the same little smirk he's got on now.

"Will you tell her then?" He questions, leaning against the door frame like some high fashioned model.

"Sod off." Is Louis' weak response, flopping back down on his bed.

"Don't think I don't see the way you look at her, Louis."

Observant bastard. Louis shrugs, deciding not to answer; first Harry, now Zayn. If he bet on Liam and Niall not to notice the same things, he'd lose all his money. So he shuts his eyes and wills those butterflies to fly the fuck away already. They come back full force when he hears Rae's voice again.

"Is he asleep then?" She asks Zayn quietly.

"Yes." Louis answers before Zayn can. Rae laughs. He likes the sound of her laugh, likes making her laugh. Doesn't like how sappy his thoughts have been lately.

"I've got to go. My mum's home early for once." She's smiling as Louis sits ups.

He watches her give a parting hug and kiss to Zayn's cheek, spins on her heel and leaves the room. Louis quirks an eyebrow; decides to follow her out into the living room. Rae is just slipping on her other boot while saying goodbye to Liam ,and goes to leave when Louis finally catches up with her.

"I'll walk you down. Strangers and that."

"Lou, you have walls around your flat." Rae tells him, smiling all the while as he walks her.

Their goodbye hug lingers longer than it should. However, it's freezing out and she's warm and smells like coconut and flowers and her hands around his shoulder blades are gripping harder than necessary. Louis can feel her inhale deeply, breathing warm air out on his collarbone from where her face is buried in his neck. She thanks him for the nightmare aftermath. Louis makes her promise to call again if it happens because he'll be there, no matter the time. When they break apart, Louis hovers his hand over her jaw, just barely touching as she stares up at him, the stars in her eyes.

Wow. He needs to take a step back because this all became real. His heart is thumping loudly, his stomach has yet to control those pesky little insects, and Rae is smiling up at him with her eyes soft and face glowing from the moonlight. So Louis slowly drops his hand, and steps back to let her get in her car.

He watches her drive away until she turns the corner and disappears. It's freezing and his toes are cold because he walked out barefoot. The tip of his nose is numb, but the bite of the winter does nothing to snuff the fire left behind by a smile. He is a fucking sap, he decides.

***

When Rae arrives home, she sits in her car for several minutes, attempting to calm her erratic heartbeart. The way Louis looked at her, had been looking at her, the way he holds her, how he always seems to be there when her mind falls into the dark. Everything about it all, about him makes her cheeks warm and heart race and she may or may not be silently freaking out over it. This is Louis she's thinking about. Louis fucking Tomlinson. Louis who is in an internationally famous band. Louis, who is kind, and gentle, funny, headstrong and outgoing and honest and- Rae takes a deep breath.

She wills her thoughts away for later, because what's important is why her mother called her being cryptic. It's not news on Ronan, for the phone call would've been more frantic, but rather it's just unanswered. She grips Charlie's steering wheel for a moment before gathering herself and going inside. Rae finds her mother sitting at the small island in the kitchen, ripped open white envelopes scattered around her arms. MaryAnn looks up at the sound of her daughter approaching and holds up a piece of paper.

"Hi lovey. Did you happen to pay for the water bill?" MaryAnn asks, genuinely curious.

"Erm...no?" Rae responds confused, worried. "Did it not get paid?"

"No it did. I was going to pay it today, but this says its already been paid for. Along with the electric, for the next month. Heat's been turned back on too."

"What?" Rae leans over taking the form out of her mum's hand, reading for conformation.

"That's...odd."

"I'm guessing you didn't pay the electric either then?"

"I was going to tomorrow once I got my check." She answers, turning the bill over, like the blank back would give them an explanation to the mysterious case of their prepaid bills.

MaryAnn ponders for a moment, instantly looking sheepishly towards Rae. "You don't think, possibly your fath-?"

"No." Rae says sharply. "No way in hell, mum."

"Raelyn." MaryAnn scolds lightly. "He's-"

"No he's not. Besides, he hasn't so much lifted a finger to call or write in years. I highly doubt he'd suddenly fancied paying our bills just for fun." Rae places the bill down as her mother sighs.

"Alright. I'll figure it out later then. Whoever it was, its was rather nice of them. Just wish I could properly thank them. Have you've eaten, darling?"

"I've already-" Rae cuts herself off with an abrupt thought, "ate. Mum, you just sit and relax. Have some wine, yeah? I'll make you dinner."

It takes a minute to coax her mother into the living room, switching on the telly to that old classic movie channel. After the wine is poured and her mum settled, Rae's goes back into the kitchen and dials Louis' number. She drums her fingers on the counter while waiting. It rings three times before he picks up.

"You're always honest with me, yes?" Rae speaks before Louis can after he answers.

"Er, yes? Is everything-"

"And you'd tell the truth right, about anything I ask you?"

There's silence for a few moments. "Where is this going?"

"Louis. You didn't pay for our bills even after I told you it was fine?"

"I didn't, no. You were so adamant about it. Why? Do you need help?"

"No, no. It's fine, just strange."

Rae informs Louis of the anonymous paid bills, and that she was just trying to clear things up. She gets off the phone with Louis, biding goodnight and stares fuming at the counter. It can't be him paying. It doesn't makes sense for her father to, out of the fucking deep blue, randomly pay for bills. She pushes yet another set of thoughts away, and starts making the dinner she promised her mother.

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