Once in a Lifetime

Twenty-Four.

"Well," he whispered, placing his spare hand on Louis' waist, "I've heard it's good to let someone take care of it for you." And with that, he leant forward, his lips connecting with Louis'. It was a gentle kiss, but as their lips moved together, Harry became even more aware of how much he was falling for Louis. It just kept hitting him like waves against the sand, every time they kissed, every time Louis did something cute, every time he laughed or smiled or became shy, Harry's mind would become flooded with thoughts of how amazing he was, how handsome he was, how special he was. Today was no different.

Once they'd walked back to Louis', Harry left to go back to his apartment. As he sat on his bed, trying to decide what outfit to wear to the club, his phone vibrated next to him. A picture of his mum flashed on the screen, so he answered the call with a smile.

"Hi, mum," he said, waving into the camera as she smiled back.

"Happy birthday, love!" she replied happily, blowing a kiss as Robin came into view behind her.

"Happy birthday, Harry. Good day?"

"Pretty good, thanks. I had breakfast with Louis, Liam and Niall, then I, um, went shopping with Louis, now I'm getting ready to go out with Louis, Niall, Liam, James, Ed and Nick."

"That's a lot of Louis in one day," his mum stated, raising her eyebrows at her son.

"Uh, yeah, well..." Harry stuttered, looking down so he couldn't see his mum's smirk.

"And breakfast with them? Why were you there so early?" Robin asked, smiling as if he already knew the answer.

"Well, um, we went out last night and I, um, we didn't want to pay more for me to get a taxi back here so I, uh, stayed over," he answered, only just managing to get the words out.

"Harry, you're 21 now, we're just messing with you. You really like this boy?" Anne quizzed, a motherly tone to her voice once again. Harry nodded sheepishly, the blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"Yeah, I really do."

"We could tell when you were here for New Year, you hardly left each other's sides," Robin added, the playful side of him turning into the fatherly figure Harry had always relied on growing up. After chatting about things that didn't revolve around Louis, Harry glanced at the clock and decided he needed to hurry up.

"Sorry, I really need to, um, get ready for tonight or I'll be late. Thank you for the presents though, and hopefully I'll see you guys soon. Love you both!" he waved, saying goodbye to his family as he hung up the phone. He quickly threw on an outfit that consisted of tight black jeans and a blue shirt that he only partially buttoned up, leaving his long curls to fall around his face. He grabbed his phone, keys and wallet, and headed out into the dark night.

Harry was sat in the club with Nick, Ed and James when he noticed his other three friends push their way through the crowd. Harry had text Louis telling them where their booth was, so it wasn't too difficult for them to find it. They all shuffled into the booth, Louis making sure he was next to Harry and smiling up at the taller boy.

"Sorry we're a little late, Louis took an eternity to do his hair," Niall laughed, earning a flick around the ear from Louis.

"We haven't been here long," Harry replied, "anyway, you've all met Niall before, but this is, um, Liam and Louis, and this is Ed, James and Nick," Harry introduced, pointing to each of his friends as he said their name. There was a chorus of hellos, and it didn't take long before the seven of them were acting like they'd always known each other. Niall, Ed and Nick were talking about music, Liam and James were talking about tattoos, and Harry was looking down at the boy next to him. "You know," he whispered, leaning down so nobody else could hear, "I think your hair looks incredible." Louis blushed, trying to cover his face with his hands as Harry laughed beside him. After they'd consumed a few drinks, they all ended up in the middle of the dance floor, shouting and swaying along to the loud music around them. It felt strange for Louis to be here, actually. It was the same bar he had frequented when he was punishing himself with different guys every week. Louis noticed the surprised look on the bartender's face when he heard him order a round of drinks, taken aback that he could talk and that he wasn't there alone. As Louis danced between Harry and Liam, he realised just how far he had come since then. He now understood that Zayn's death wasn't his fault, he had told the truth to the people who needed to know, he was talking to his friends and family again, he wasn't trying to punish himself anymore, and he was so wrapped up with one boy in particular that he wasn't looking to get off with anyone else. Harry. He had come into Louis' life, flipped his world the right way up, and changed the way he thought about things. Louis had never been a relationship kind of guy before, but with Harry, it was all he could think about. He knew he wanted that with Harry, he was sure of it. He had been thinking about it every night as Harry snored softly beside him. He just didn't know if Harry wanted the same thing.

As the night turned to the early hours of the morning, Ed, Nick and James decided to head home. Liam bought another round of shots, and Niall was sitting at the bar, chatting to a pretty blonde girl. Harry and Louis were slouching at their booth, the alcohol sloshing around inside of them as they laughed at the people dancing. They were leaning on each other, Harry's hand on Louis' thigh, when a face Louis vaguely recognised came into view.

"Oi, fancy a quickie?" it slurred, reaching forward to grab Louis' arm.

"Listen, mate, I don't want any trouble, but back off!" Harry shouted over the music, instantly defending Louis.

"I'm not going anywhere without him!" Louis recognised this stranger's face. He was the last man that Louis had used before Harry became a permanent figure in his life.

"I think you should leave," Louis interrupted, standing up to push the man away. He stumbled slightly, his face suddenly turning angry. The people he was with swarmed around them, instantly intimidating Louis.

"I said I'm not going without you, so let's go." He gripped Louis' arm, pulling him away from Harry's side with force. Louis tried to wriggle out of his grip, but this only angered the man more. He could hear Harry shouting at them over the music, but it got lost when the man pulled him through the crowd. He lost sight of Harry's face as he continued to fight back, but that stopped when he was pushed up against the side of the building, the rain lashing down around them. The man held Louis' hands above his head as he froze, his body going limp as the man used his free hand to unbuckle Louis' belt and drag his jeans down. Louis was too scared to move, so when the man let his hands go, Louis let them dangle by his sides. He looked up at the sky as he felt the man's rough lips attack his neck, sucking a bruise that would have hurt if Louis were aware of what was happening. He could feel everything, but his body was too numb to react. His tears mixed with the heavy rain as he felt himself being turned around by the stranger, his cheek pressed against the wall. He could hear the man moaning as he touched himself with one hand, the other pushing Louis further into the bricks. Louis could do nothing but think of Harry. Where was he? He needed Harry to save him like he had so many times before. He squeezed his eyes closed as he tried to muster the strength to fight back. Instead of using physical strength, he screamed for help. He screamed so loudly that he didn't hear the metal door fling open, he didn't hear the crack of a fist connecting with a jaw, he didn't feel the man stumble away and he didn't see him run into the dark night. He whimpered when he felt his trousers being pulled back up, a warm pair of hands then spinning him round and holding him close. He recognised the scent immediately. Harry.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, I'm here, I've got you,"Harry whispered, holding Louis as close to him as he could. Louis relaxed intohis touch, shoving his face into his chest as he cried. "I'm sorry, Lou, Itried to follow you but they, um, they held me back. I'm sorry, baby, but I'mhere now, you're okay." Louis didn't talk as Harry called a taxi, draggingLouis back through the club to find Liam and Niall. Whilst in the taxi, Harryexplained what had happened, and Louis heard Liam flip out and threaten to killthe guy if he ever found him. Niall was too drunk to take in the situation, buthe still put his hand on Louis' knee in support. Harry helped Louis into bedthat night, snuggling under the duvet with him as he cried himself to sleep.