Hide & Seek (Larry Stylinson AU)

How often do you guys want me to update? Comment and let me know. I ask for trust, and you give me doubt. I ask for the truth, and you give me falsities. I ask for your love, but you give me fear instead. Harry hears me and looks up from the bloody mess on the floor. At first he is confused, then angry again. I step back and he does nothing. Just stares at me like he's seeing right through me. A window in his path. "What did you do?" I ask, horrified. "What the fuck did you do, Harry?!" He runs his blood-matted hand through his oily hair, so it's slicked back on one half. He rubs the back of his neck with his palm, frowning like the answer isn't coming to him. "Harry?!" I shout across the space, beckoning his attention. I shake my head. I just can't deal with this, nor the repercussions that are sure to follow up. Harry fucking murdered the fucking Deputy. I don't know what to do at this point. With myself or him. "I'm leaving." I say turning and backing off. "Louis!" Harry calls after me. He obviously snapped out of his trance. "You're not leaving! You can't leave!" I'm in my room at the moment of his last exclamation and he follows me inside, bloody hands and all. I swallow back the bile in my throat, running my fingers through the threads of my damp hair. I'd never seen a dead body before, not fresh and unclaimed by the ME at least. "You know Elizabeth Hardy, don't you?" I ask grabbing the strap of my duffel bag off the table. If he's a serial kidnapper/killer I'm better off volunteering in an Auschwitz concentration camp. "Where is she?!" I demand. "I'll tell you if you stay." He answers softly, standing tall at my door. What the fuck? I can't live with this guy a moment longer, and the new official Deputy will love to take the information about his ex-senior's death off my hands. I lift the bag off the crumbling surface and Harry reacts but taking it from me forcefully, his strength outshining mine when he tosses the object away from our lingering figures. I remember the difficulty I had with lifting that thing when it was packed. I was probably in shock, because I felt no fear at this point. Just numbness. The kid was taller than me but not bigger built. It did little to soothe my spiked nothingness. "You're staying." He states firmly, stepping close enough to have his breath fan my cheek. I step back. "You fucking killed the town's Deputy and kidnapped an innocent girl. I'm not staying here with you." "Will you tell on me?" He smirks for the first time since I met him. His fingers are curled around my wrist, and no matter my attempts to free my hand he keeps it caged. "What will you say, Lou?" "Let me go, Harry." "You can't leave." He chuckles leaning too close to me, I want to hurl on his face just to get him to step away from me. Scorn at that marred physique. My skin crawls where he's touching me and that long-lost fear has started gaining momentum. I finally yank my hand free from his, and notice that Hanayen isn't in the room with us. I can't safely say that he would not have torn Harry to pieces by now if he had been in here. For the umptienth time since I met Harry, an uncomfortable chill causes the hairs on my nape to stand on edge in his presence. "You know they can't do anything to me." He tugs on my wrist and I wince. "If they come up here they'll just be destined for the same fate as the Deputy." "Will you kill me too then?" He chews on his chapped bottom lip. "Maybe if you decide to stop overreacting I won't have to." My eyes turn to blue saucers I imagine in reaction to his profane comment. He would kill me just for wanting to leave? Has he been planning this from the very beginning? He tightens his fingers around my hand until I lose feeling in my fingers, and the blood flowing all through my body runs cold. "Decide, Lou." He coaxes. "Quickly." I swallow, my temples throbbing and drops of moisture forming between strands of my hair. I've never been so afraid of another person in my life. I'm not staying here, and neither can Harry after what he's done. Panic washes over me when I hear scraping against the closed door, followed by the whimpers of a canine. "Where's my dog?" I ask turning to the door pulling my hand away. "So you're staying." Harry announces with a tiny curve of his lips. "No, I'm not staying. Why the Hell would you think I'd want to? You're fucked up, Harry, with a dead man in your doorway!" Harry takes on a grave look. "You're not supposed to be mean to me." I say nothing and after a long silence he sighs, dropping my hand. There's a red bloodless bracelet around my wrist now, as feeling slowly creeps back into my palm. I choke on the air my lungs only got a spoonful off, my left hand clutches the chest of my shirt as the pain takes it's toll. I'm knocked down, the wind stolen from me so that I'm on the floor, curled on my side gasping for any air I can grasp. My vision is blurred with tiny black dots as I struggle to regain the memory of the last few seconds. Harry has me pinned to the floor, his knees on the inside of my elbows when I'm forced onto my back. My breathing is shallow as I glare up at him, angered and terrified. "That's what happens when you're mean to me." He reveals his front teeth in a tight smirk, before he frowns in self doubt. I have nothing to say. My voice is caught in my throat and that annihilates all chances of speaking clearly. I draw in a deep breath trying to shove him off me. "I'm going to clean up the mess I made." He says getting off me finally. "Do whatever you like so long as it is in this house." He extends his hand down for me to take but I ignore it, turning away from him altogether until he walks out of the room leaving me on the floor. The whining from outside has stopped, and Hanayen rushes into the room to stand protectively over me. I hook my arm around his neck and pull myself upright, leveling out my breathing until the shaking of my hands become noticeable. My eyes are wide, wild and terribly confused. This room is empty, except for us and this does not ease my discomfort. Shit! I'm getting out of here. Right now. The air is dry, chilly and uncompromising to my health. It's thin in my lungs and makes regular intake a challenging ordeal. Hanayen stands guard by the door while I hunt for my phone, the device seems to have done a disappearing act on me. "Leave it." I say to myself. If I stay: I'm dead. If I leave: I'm probably dead as well. Who knows how committed Harry is to his promises. I don't hear anything outside, so I keep my actions to a volume of silent as I move around the space. Screech I pause and listen for more of the sound. A door opens with the ring tone of a grating stretch of rusting metal. Silence An even more unnerving sound. I approach my window hoping it would aid me in seeing where the unpleasant guy lurks. *NARRATOR POV* He was there. Outside in the winter warmth with no gloves and bruised knuckles, feigning difficulty in moving the Deputy's corpse for normality's sake. Unlike Sheriff Jacobs, the Deputy exercised a healthy diet which Harry was grateful for because it made clean-up all the less challenging. The Sheriff was handsy. Harry remembered that like a Halloween nightmare under a stranger's roof. He had convinced himself under Mother's orders that this would be for their benefit; the Sheriff didn't even need to get drunk to commence any forward thinking or touching. Harry cringes at the memory. Because of this sour recollection he is harsh with the bloated body of the Deputy, using the shovel to push him under the house. Using the toe of his boot he kicks the rib cage of the man, forcing him deeper into the dark wilderness. Harry slams the peeling gate shut and steps back, throwing the spade aside and watching his breath turn to mist in the air. He smiles to himself. He had a reason to smile now. He wasn't going to be lonely anymore. Louis, Harry thinks to himself, Louis knows about me and that's why he can't leave. That's why he has to stay here. Louis presses three of his fingertips to his cheek where he's been feeling a aggravating throbbing. When he looks at them again they're streaked with faint lines of red. Blood. His own blood. Fuck. Harry had cut his face. Louis doesn't even waste time going into the sad excuse for a bathroom. He grabs Hanayen's collar and non-verbally orders the creature to rush on ahead of him. "Go to the car." Louis keeps his voice low. Who knows where that psychotic idiot is? "Now, boy!" Hanayen seems to understand better than a foolish human would and races out of the room, not looking back at his less than confident owner. Louis didn't know what to do after he left, just that he had to do it. His mind reeled over the impending safety of his father and baby sister. Louis realizes that all his important belongings are still at home, and if he were to be caught leaving with his bags now Harry would.......well, no need for further analysis there. He shoves his clenched fists deep into his military jacket pockets, and storms past the rickety door heading for the exit. He yanks the front door open mentally preparing himself for the worst case scenario before the end of today. When nothing happens, and Harry doesn't make a magical appearance Louis deems it safe to step out onto the porch. He holds his breath as he jogs down the half a dozen front wooden plank steps descending to the muddy ground. With a crunch of dry leaves and crash of aching bone Louis drops to the ground breathless and in excruciating pain. It starts at his wrist where Harry had held him, them shooting to every other joint in his frame before the oxygen is swept out of his reach. His attempts to suck in air are pointless for it feels like somebody is covering his mouth with their hand in an attempt to keep him immobile. He screams though it is muffled, regretting it immediately after when he realizes there's only one person who will hear him. His vision tunnels and he crumbles like a man without a will to the ground fisting the lapels of his jacket in agony. Hanayen sprints over to his master, helpless and useless as he may be he is adamant on staying by his side. Hanayen stands over Louis like he would if they were in an ultimate survival circumstance, and growls at something that seems to be nearing them. Louis couldn't care about that, he felt the pain like he was a cotton ball having thorns pried out of his center. His cries are high-pitched and ignored. "Louis?" Harry's voice is confused at first, baffled at the appearance of a man writhing outside his door. "Louis!" Harry's panic is evident as he hurries over to the limp man, now still and utterly lifeless as if the final thorn had been removed. Harry couldn't have Louis' death on his hands, because he had no foreseeable plan of ruining him. He thought Louis and him could be friends. Maybe. Louis groans, eyes shut tightly and fingers rigid on the fabric of his shirt. Harry pries his hands away hoping to straighten them out and prevent any permanent injury to the joints. "Louis?" Harry is afraid but he won't let Louis see that. What would he think? Harry forcefully grabs the mutt's collar and pulls him away from Louis, so that his view is not angrily obstructed by the disheveled creature. "Get away from him!" Harry growls deep in his throat and Hanayen steps back but doesn't retreat. It was that damned dog always providing an unnecessary presence that Louis was probably allergic to. He'd get rid of it before Louis had to experience this again. "Louis?" Harry lowers his mouth closer to Louis. Louis rolls onto his side, away from Harry and tries to regain his strength to stand. His breathing is shallow and heavy. "Louis, let me help." Harry extends his hand to Louis' shoulder but Louis shrugs him off and stumbles to his feet. "What the fuck was that?" Louis puts his hands on his knees, lacking the intake of oxygen like he'd run a marathon. "I don't know, Lou. Are you okay?" "Fuck, don't call me that!" Louis hisses straightening his back and clenching his teeth. Harry is stunned into silence and stares wide-eyed at Louis. He pinches the taut fabric of his bandana, pulling strands of hair with it but he forgets to feel the subtle pain. Louis wobbles over to his car, and pulls vengefully on the driver's side door. Harry's face remains responseless, all emotions are absent as he cocks his head to one side in confusion. What had he done? *LOUIS POV* Hanayen sits up in the passenger's seat, silent and slightly wary of me as I sit down. I lean forward against the steering wheel, my knuckles white on the black instrument. I draw in a deep calming breath before starting the car. Harry is nowhere to be seen when I pull out of the leaf-littered spot assigned to be a driveway. I let my mind formulate it's own route to take, and find myself parked in front of the apartment complex I'd only visited twice before. Marie's apartment was on the twelfth floor - which was the highest floor considering our settlement could not afford to extend our buildings much higher than a dozen levels. I didn't know what to do, and I needed someone who could tell me that not knowing what to do was okay. Marie would do that, she'd tell me to go to the station and report the Deputy's death. "Louis?" Her voice is hoarse from being woken up. What time is it? "Can I come up please?" I don't trust my voice to not shake. "Yeah, sure." She snaps out of her mood and buzzes me into the building. "This isn't funny, Louis." Marie disregards my serious tone, mistaking my confession about the past day as foolishness. She draws her knees up to her chest next to me and I rest my head in my hand with my elbow propped up on the back of the couch. "I'm not fucking around, Marie." I say curtly. "I'm serious. Harry's crazy." "Where are your bags?" "At that house. He won't let me leave with them." "You can ask Zayn and Niall to go with you to get it back." "I doubt it. They're sheep in wolves' clothing." She suppresses a smile. "Did you go to the station?" "No. What will I say? What if Harry already took off and they can't find him?" "Do your part and report it, Louis. Then you'll know Phoebe and your dad are safe." Shit! "Can I use your phone?" She takes it from the pedestal behind her and tosses it to me. I dial Dad's number that has long since been committed to memory. He answers on my second try, the fourth ring. "Hello?" His voice is gruff and annoyed. "Dad. Where's Phoebe?" I ask urgently. "She's here at the office with me. Why?" "When will you go home?" "In an hour. Phoebe's sleeping already. Louis, you sound awful, son. Where are you?" "I'm fine. Stay at the office until I call you back, okay?" "Louis-" "Trust me, Dad! Stay there and stay with Phoebe." "Alright, son. I'll be here." I hang up without bidding him adieu and dial the station. Marie regards me with genuine concern as she observes my actions. "What are you going to do?" She asks. "I'm going to tell the police about him." I answer. "Harry?" "Yes." "He sounds freakishly dangerous. A little sad too." "That's not my problem. You can feel bad for him all you want but he needs to be kept away from my family." "Middleston County PD. Who is this?" The officer who answers is robotic and silent after his introduction. "Jeffrey?" I ask after recognizing the voice. "Louis? What the Hell man? It's late-" "Jeffrey, the Deputy's dead. He was stabbed." Jeffrey seems to have fallen into a pit of shocked silence. "What? How do you know this?" "I was there- I mean, I know who did it." "Who?" "Harry. That kid who lives up on Lost Lake." "What were you doing on Lost Lake?" "Long story, Jeff-" "Come down here now, and I want a full statement before I go up there with some officers." "Fine. I'm coming." *HARRY POV* The table leg shatters against the concrete wall like a demolition exhibition. Tiny shards and splinters spray all over the room, one's end grazes my arm leaving a long red line in it's wake. I run my hand through my hair, damp with sweat and grease. I pull on the ends hoping to ease some of the angered tension, gritting my teeth against each other in aggravation. "Fuck!" I curse hurling the remnants of the furniture across the room. What's wrong with me? How is it possible for a single idiot to make the biggest relapse and lose the only friend I have. Could have had. Mother blames me for this happening, he could ruin everything for us if he opened his mouth. I lean against the wall, my arms hanging above my head. Get him back. Where is he? How do I find him? How do I convince him to come back? He hates this place, me. I push off the wall and grab my keys from the bowl in the doorway, jogging out the door and down the steps to my GMC. I fear for Louis, he's alone wherever he is with that evil hound that almost killed him. *LOUIS POV* The station is brightly lit by the exchange of eco-friendly bulbs for the less environmentally friendly ones. It's harsh on my drooping eyelids, forcing them to open and watch where I'm going. Jeffrey is at his unfortunate post behind a rusting and moldy desk that they recently discovered in the basement. "In here." He says upon seeing me, taking me into the office utilized by Sheriff then Deputy and now him. "Sit down." "I'm fine." I say closing the door behind Hanayen as he trots in and sits beside a vacant chair. "Tell me what happened." "I don't know what happened. I walked into the doorway from my room, and the Deputy was dead on the floor. Stabbed. Harry was holding the knife-" "Woah." He holds his hand up to stop me. "Your room?" "Yeah. My room." "Why do you have a room there?" "The Sheriff told me I had to stay there, thus I was given a room for me and Hanayen." Jeffrey's face drains of all his colour. "You- Please tell me you're lying." "I'm not." I frown. Jeffrey shakes his head. "You can't be up there, Louis. I don't know why Sheriff suggested that you do." "He didn't suggest it, he told me to." "How bad was whatever you did?" "I was caught with a spray can." "Still." He insists. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't know." "Didn't know what? What are you saying?" He sighs. "This town can't afford to send anyone to prison, Louis." "I am aware." "That's the only reason Harry is still a part of this town." "I don't understand. Did he do something?" "The Sheriff can't overlook what Harry's done in the past. His record is the longest we have, longer than yours believe it or not." "Crimes like..........this one?" "Murder? I don't know. Do you know about his parents? Sister?" "No." "Everyone who's old enough to know thinks he killed them, that he's some sort of deranged runaway who lost it when he realized what he did." "Is that what happened?" I remain cool. "Don't know." He shrugs. "Everyone knows Harry's seen that Hardy girl, and that she's not alive wherever he's got her. We just couldn't do anything because we have no resources." "What the Hell?!" I stand up infuriated. "This is the God damn police! You're supposed to keep this town safe, the people in it are supposed to be safe because of you!" "Louis, I will do something about it now, I promise. I couldn't before but I will now." "And what will you do? How many people has Harry taken?" He looks out the glass pane into the office. "I don't know but it's long enough list to make us give up counting." I look at the ground completely disgusted by this secret. "I'm sorry, Louis. I'll take you up there with me and a few other officers to get your stuff." I nod. I liked the idea of going up there with not just me. Jeffrey tries to smile, before the sound of a door being forced open attracts our attention. The blinds are covering most of the window and we cannot see who it is. The three officers still outside stand up as we get to the office door. "Stay here." Jeffrey says opening the door and stepping out. "He's here." "Who?" "Harry." He closes the door after leaving.

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