Archive of Our Own ^beta

Harry took in a shaky breath as he wiped some sweat off of his forehead. They'd been in soundcheck for the best part of an hour now and the sub was sure that if he didn't sit down soon he was going to pass out.

"Okay, stop! Harry, you've missed your cue again. This cannot happen tonight, what's going on?" 

Harry winced as their vocal coach, Savan, continued to shout at him. It was no secret that when he was ill he was 100 times more sensitive to angry Doms.

"Can we just try Little Things again, please? I'll do it better," Harry says quietly into the mic, leaning his weight slightly into the mic stand as he avoids eye contact with everyone else.

Savan sighs loudly. "Okay, fine, once more. We're doing this one sitting down."

Harry nods to himself, pulling the mic out of the stand with shaky hands and walking to the edge of the stage to sit down where he'd been instructed to.

He lets out another wheezy cough as he feels a body sit down next to him, thighs touching as the boy hooks his ankle with Harry's.

"Hey, sweetheart. Everything okay?" Louis asks, voice laced with concern and worry. Harry doesn't even need to look up to know there's a deep frown etched on his forehead. 

Harry lets his body slump into Louis' as he nods, head resting on Louis' shoulder as Niall starts strumming the chords to the music.

Louis hooks an arm around Harry's shoulder. There was clearly something very wrong with his sub — he just couldn't work out what.

The softness of Louis' voice washes over Harry as he sings his lines, knowing the words are all meant for him and only him. Despite hearing this song every night on tour, for some reason Harry finds himself welling up a little at the sincerity in Louis' voice, his throat hurting as he tries not to let himself cry.

The verse finishes and Harry manages to find his voice only one beat too late, shakily pushing out the first line before breaking off into a coughing fit. Before Savan can cut him off, he catches his breath and sings the last of his verse, knowing full well it's almost definitely off key and out of time.

As he and Louis harmonize their chorus together the Dom rubs circles into Harry's back.

Niall sings his verse without a single mistake and Harry somehow gets through the last chorus with no mistakes, but he knows Savan will still be absolutely raging with him.

The arena is silent as the music stops playing out and Harry subconsciously buries himself closer to Louis.

"It's okay," Louis whispers into Harry's ear as Savan walks closer to them both.

"Harry. Do you want to have a chat with me outside quickly?" Savan asks coldly.

With Savan using tinges of his Dom voice on him, Harry really has no choice but to agree, not realising how bad of an idea this might be until he's standing alone with Savan in a dark corridor, his head spinning and his stomach tied up in knots.

"Harry, you understand that you are the face of this band, yes?" Savan asks.

Harry shrinks back at the hostility in his voice. "We're all equal-"

"You're not. You have the most solo's out of everyone, you have more Twitter and Instagram followers than everyone, you have a bigger fanbase than everyone. The success of one direction's future does unfortunately depend on you. If you're too lazy to remember your lines and your cues I struggle to see you boys growing. Do you feel happy letting the rest of the boys down?" Savan growls.

"I'm sorry, I'll get better tomorrow. I'm not-"

"Look I don't want to hear your half-assed excuses anymore. Get back out there, take a ten minute break and then we're going again. Don't fuck it up again," Savan orders.

Harry nods and quickly leaves, rubbing an itchy eye as he tries to find Louis where left him on the stage.

The Dom's sitting cross-legged on the stage with the rest of the boys, laughing about something loudly as Harry beelines for him, sitting himself down in his lap.

Louis lets out a surprised gasp of air, moving Harry a little so he's facing sideways as he tugs him into his chest. "Is everything okay?"

Harry nods into Louis' sweater. "Sorry."

Louis frowns, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Don't apologize, baby. We all have off days. Savan’s just stressed out and being an arse. Don't stress about him. What did he say to you?"

Harry curses at himself for getting upset again as he takes in a deep breath, resulting in yet another coughing fit. "I'm sorry," he says again as he stops coughing, "he just said I need to be better. Something like if I mess this up I mess up all of one direction's career. It's fine."

It's not fine, and Louis knows it.

"I'll have a word with him, I promise. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Louis asks again.

Harry nods. “Just tired.”

Louis frowns in disbelief. Harry will never admit to being anything other than ‘fine’ and it's so infuriating to Louis.

“Darling, you better not be lying to me. If you’re not okay then you need to tell me, right now,” Louis says sternly.

Harry whines, shrugging as he hugs Louis closer, head resting on his shoulder. “I think I’m fine, just want to go to bed.”

Louis goes to open his mouth but is cut off by a pretty violent coughing attack from Harry, this one significantly worse than the ones before. The Dom shushes Harry comfortingly as he feels violent coughs wrack through his small body, his lungs heaving in an attempt to get some air.

“It’s okay, I’m right here. Let it out,” Louis comforts as the coughs die down.

Harry sniffs loudly. “‘m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Do you feel unwell at all?” the Dom asks.

Harry shrugs tiredly. “Felt dizzy and sick since we started rehearsing but I just thought I was tired. And now I keep coughing and sneezing and my throat feels really itchy.”

Louis frowns again. “Let’s take your collar off-”

“No! It’s mine!” Harry shouts, grabbing Louis’ hands where they were at the back of his neck by the clasp.

Louis raises an eyebrow at Harry’s outburst, the sub deflating and reluctantly letting go of the Dom’s hands. “Sorry,” he mutters.

“I know you don’t feel well, but that gives you absolutely no excuse to shout or be rude, okay? I’m going to take the collar off of you in case it’s the reason your throat is hurting, is that okay?” Louis asks calmly.

Harry nods. “Okay.”

Louis smiles, undoing the buckle of the collar and taking the black leather into his hands, pressing a kiss to Harry’s curls. “Good boy.”

“Feels weird not having my collar on,” Harry mutters, rubbing the area along his throat where his collar had been. He only ever took it off to bathe and sleep, so this was weird for him.

The Dom leans forward and kisses the area where Harry’s collar once was. “I know, darling. But this isn't a punishment. I want your throat to feel better, and with you coughing as violently as you have been, you don’t need anything extra constricting your airways,” he explains understandingly. “C’mon, let’s cuddle and sit with the lads before we have to rehearse again.”

Harry sighs contentedly as he leans back in Louis’ lap, closing his eyes and trying to relax. He feels the Dom’s chest vibrate against his back every time the older man laughs at something funny the other lads are saying, and he squeezes Louis’ hand as he tries to forget about how unwell he’s feeling. 

He feels himself drifting off slightly when Louis runs a hand through his curls and kisses his cheek. “Baby, we’ve gotta go back to soundcheck now. Up you get,” the Dom whispers in his ear.

The sub whines softly and burrows his face into Louis’ warm chest. “But I was almost asleep.” He looks up at Louis with slightly watery eyes. “I’m tired, Lou.”

“I’m sorry, love, but you can’t sleep right now,” Louis tells him, grabbing the younger lad’s hand and pulling him up so he’s standing. “I know it’s not ideal, but we have to finish up soundcheck. I texted Savan and he’s being a right dick, saying you have to finish up soundcheck with us. 

Harry wilts, looking down at his hands forlornly. 

Louis places a kiss on the younger lad’s cheek and gives him a sad smile. “I’m sorry, baby. I know it’s unfair. I wish we had more control over our schedule. You can take a nap afterwards, yeah?” 

With a small pout, Harry nods his assent, his bottom lip poking out slightly. “‘Kay, Lou.”

“Let me know if you’re still not feeling well and need to take a break though, okay? I’m not going to let Savan make you sing when you’re feeling miserable,” the Dom tells the lad as the pair walks hand-in-hand back to where they need to be for soundcheck. 

“Yes, Lou,” Harry agrees quietly, letting go of Louis’ hand and getting his mic situated.

The Dom eyes Harry carefully before going over and tipping the younger lad’s chin up with his thumb and index finger, making the sub make eye contact with him. “You have to tell me if you’re not feeling well, okay? You need to be honest with me. Be my good boy,” he tells him gently but sternly. Harry attempts to look away, but Louis holds his chin firmly and raises his eyebrow. “Harry,” he starts.

“Okayyy,” Harry whines petulantly. “I’ll be good, Lou. I promise.”

With that, Louis pulls Harry in for a kiss, resting his other hand on the back of the sub’s head as he does so as a dominating gesture. “I don’t like this habit of yours where you tend to not tell me how you’re feeling. You know I can’t take care of you if you don’t communicate with me, yeah?” The Dom watches as Harry bites his lip and nods meekly in agreement. “There’s my good boy.”

Harry feels guilt flood through him as Louis presses one more kiss to his forehead before leading him over to his mic stand. It wasn't like he was trying to misbehave by not telling Louis, he just couldn't admit when he didn't feel well.

And besides, he was just being overdramatic, right? He wasn't ill, so he didn't need to make a fuss. He was being good.

Except the longer he stands there, gripping the mic stand like his life depends on it, the more and more he feels like he might pass out any minute, the guilt racking up in his body as the seconds pass.

Zayn starts the opening verse of Little Things again, and yet Harry just cannot understand the words coming out of Zayn's mouth. The sub barely even registers when the voice changes from Zayn to Liam.

He drops his clammy head to his hands, wiping an alarming amount of sweat away from his hairline. His head feels heavier and heavier by the second, his ears blocking as dizziness begins to overcome him.

He vaguely hears a shout of "stop" from Savan again. Harry looks up across the room, just about makes out his Dom's worried glance, before his vision goes black and his legs give out.

-

A faint beeping sound wakes Harry up, the sub struggling to open his eyes. His eyes feel like they’re glued shut, and no matter how hard he tries to open them, he can’t. Frustrated and confused, he lets out a whine, turning his head to the side grumpily. 

He feels someone squeeze his left hand and press a kiss to his forehead, the person running their fingers through his hair gently. “Hi, princess. Are you awake?” the person asks, being sure to keep their voice to a soft tone so as not to scare him. 

Then it registers in Harry’s mind: that was Louis speaking to him! Louis is the person holding his hand, kissing his cheek, and playing with his hair. 

Knowing his Dom is here with him, Harry manages to open his eyes. Immediately, he sees Louis’ blue eyes staring back at him, the Dom looking incredibly concerned. “Lou?” he mumbles, wincing at his sore throat. “Where am I?”

“Shhh, try not to talk too much, baby. The doctor said your throat is really red and sore,” Louis tells him. “And you’re at the hospital, sweetheart. Do you remember what happened?”

Harry scrunches his eyebrows in confusion, trying to remember what had happened, but he can’t seem to recall any recent events. He shakes his head no in response, letting out a frustrated whine.

The Dom kisses his forehead once more to provide him comfort. “Shhh, that’s alright, sweetheart. It’s okay. You didn’t feel well during soundcheck and ended up passing out onstage. You took a nasty fall, baby. But you’re safe here at the hospital and I’m not leaving your side, okay?”

Nodding slowly, Harry suddenly notices something off about his right arm and hand. Moving his head to his right, he takes a look at his hand and notices a hospital bracelet wrapped tightly around his wrist as well as an IV in his hand. Seeing the IV scares him, and he hates having unfamiliar items on his body (like the bracelet), so he tries to reach forward and remove it. 

Louis notices, though, and gently but firmly takes a hold of Harry’s left hand, preventing him from messing with the IV and bracelet. “No no, Harry, those need to stay on,” he reprimands gently and reaches forward to straighten the bracelet on the sub’s wrist.

Harry looks up at Louis with pout. “Don’t want them,” he whines.

“I’m sorry, princess, but they need to stay on,” Louis tells him again, squeezing his hand as a gesture of comfort.

The sub feels a slightly overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia take over him as his heart beat rises.

Louis notices and shushes the boy, leaning over to press a soft kiss to Harry's forehead.

"Shh, it's okay, baby. I'm right here, everything's fine," Louis comforts, stroking through Harry's hair from where he's stood next to his bed.

Harry whines, feeling a couple of tears run down his face. "I wanna go home," he whispers.

The Dom gently wipes away his tears with the pad of his thumb. "I know, sweetheart, I know. The Doctor should be coming back soon and we can find out what's making you poorly. You can go back to sleep if you like."

Harry shakes his head vehemently at that. Sleeping means he'll be alone and there's nothing he wants less than to be alone right now.

Louis seems to understand as he brings Harry's left hand up to his lips and presses a reassuring kiss there.

They stay there for a while, a comfortable silence washing over them as Louis absentmindedly plays with Harry's curls.

After a while, a nurse with a kind smile bustles in, reminding Harry ever so slightly of his mum.

"Mr Styles, Mr Tomlinson, hi, my name's Kiera, I've got your report here, Mr Styles-"

"Harry is fine, thank you," Harry says politely, shyly playing with his IV drip.

Kiera smiles softly. "Of course, so Harry, how are we feeling?"

"Um," Harry starts, looking up to his Dom for reassurance.

Louis smiles. "Tell her how you're feeling, love."

Harry nods, looking back at Kiera before dropping his eyes to the bed. "I guess, um, my throat feels kinda sore. And my head really hurts around the back. And, um, my tummy feels funny as well."

Louis' hand goes back to the sub’s head, giving a comforting scratch. He knows how hard Harry finds it to admit when he isn't feeling well, so he's proud of him for that.

"Okay, thank you for that, Harry. We ran some tests when you were brought in, but I think we'll have to run some more to double check a few things. Have you ever been diagnosed with any allergies?" Kiera asks, clipboard held in one hand, pen in the other.

Harry frowns, looking back up to his Dom. "Um, no, no allergies, I don't think so anyways."

"Okay, no problem. Your symptoms from before you passed out suggest some kind of food allergy, so we'll run some tests to see what exactly that might be. As a result of this, you've damaged your throat a little from coughing so much, so we'll have to give you some medication for that and considering your line of work, potentially putting you on voice rest," Kiera says.

Harry feels his heart drop at the news, his mind spinning at all the information coming his way.

"Also, when you passed out you took quite a bad hit to the head, which will need stitches put in. Unfortunately, we also suspect signs of concussion, so we'll take you for a scan of your brain as well just to make sure there's no unusual activity. Your ankle will also need a scan to see if there's a break in there too. Any questions?"

Harry's head hurts from all the talking. 

"I think we're all good for the moment, thanks. Would it be okay to just have a minute to chat between ourselves?" Louis asks, rubbing Harry's shoulder comfortingly.

Kiera smiles warmly. "Of course, no problem. Just ring the bell when you're ready and we'll get you ready for the scans, okay?"

Louis nods, waiting for the door to click shut before fully turning to his sub. "You okay?"

Harry whines pitifully, sitting up and leaning towards his Dom as Louis pulls him in for a hug. "Everything hurts."

"Oh sweetheart," Louis sighs, rubbing a hand up and down Harry's back. "I'm so sorry. I knew something was wrong earlier but I didn't realise it was this bad."

Harry feels the tears well back up in his eyes. "I wanna go home."

"I know, baby, I know. It's going to be okay," Louis promises.

Another coughing fit wracks through Harry's body, the sub just coughing into Louis' torso as the Dom comforts him through it.

"Sorry," Harry whispers.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault, darling. I'm not mad at you," Louis says firmly, pressing another kiss to the top of Harry's head.

"Promise you'll stay with me through all these scans and tests?" Harry asks quietly, almost shyly.

"Of course, Hazza. I'll be right there, all the time. I'm always here for you," Louis says honestly.

Harry wipes his tears as his Dom carefully helps him settle back into the bed. 

"I love you, Lou," Harry says, fisting his eye tiredly.

Louis smiles fondly. "I love you too, baby boy. Is it okay if I call the nurse back in?"

Harry nods but grabs Louis' hand in his just to make sure he won't leave his side.

The Dom laughs softly, squeezing the hand lovingly. "You're crazy, Haz." He grabs the remote next to Harry’s bed that has a button to call the nurse, and he presses that so Kiera will know to come back. 

Like clockwork, the smiley nurse appears at the door. “Hi Harry. You ready to go for those scans now?” she asks, making sure to keep her tone calm so as not to alarm the anxious sub. 

Harry nods slowly, biting his lip. “I think so,” he tells her. 

“Great! Let’s just unlatch your bed and we’ll wheel you on down. Louis, you’re coming with, yes?” she confirms, looking back at the Dom from where she is washing her hands at the sink. 

“Yes,” the Dom confirms, squeezing Harry’s hand again. “Harry’s feeling a little nervous and I want him to be as comfortable as possible.” 

Kiera moves to the back of Harry’s bed to unlatch it and begins wheeling him down the hall, Louis staying by his side as they make their way to the X-ray area. “That’s alright. You’ll be okay, honey. Do you have any questions you’d like to ask me before we start?” Kiera asks understandingly from where she’s pushing the bed behind the sub.

Harry looks over to Louis nervously, unsure. 

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Don’t be shy. Ask her any questions you have,” Louis reassures him.

Messing with his IV, Harry thinks over everything he’s anxious about. “Um, will anything hurt? I’m scared of needles,” he tells her shyly. 

“No, none of the tests or procedures we do today will hurt,” Kiera tells him confidently. “The scans are non-invasive and very easy to do. The actual scans themselves won’t hurt, but it may hurt to move your body for them. When you get your stitches, the doctor will numb the area and you won’t feel a thing,” she informs them.

Relieved, Harry lets out a breath he’d been holding. “Okay, that makes me feel a bit better. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Kiera replies kindly, stopping his bed outside the X-ray room door. “Now, we’re here. Before we go inside, I have to scan your bracelets so the system recognizes you as the patient,” she explains, grabbing a scanning device tool from a cart outside the room. She gently grabs Harry’s hand and scans his hospital bracelet, then moves on to Louis and scans his. Then she pulls their information up on the computer that’s sitting on the cart and types something in.

Harry looks to Louis, brows scrunched up in confusion. “You have a bracelet too?” he asks.

“Yes, love. They give every sub’s Dom a bracelet so they can make sure I’m allowed to stay in your room with you and accompany you to procedures,” he explains, kissing his cheek. “See? Mine says ‘Louis W. Tomlinson, Dominant of Harry E. Styles.’” He shows Harry his bracelet.

“Oh,” Harry replies, then looks back up to Louis’ face. “I didn’t know they did that,” he admits sheepishly.

Louis chuckles and squeezes his hand. “You’re too adorable.”

“Right then,” Kiera jumps in, “everything is all set up in the system. You’re good to go. Let’s head on in.” She opens the door to the X-ray room and wheels Harry’s bed inside. Immediately, Harry becomes a little overwhelmed, as the machine is huge and looks a bit intimidating. He looks up to Louis with a worried look on his face, the Dom shushing him and reassuring him everything will be fine. “We need to get a picture of your ankle first, so I’m going to need you to get up on this table here. I can lift you up myself or Louis can, it’s up to you, honey,” she informs the sub as she gestures to the table.

Harry blushes. “Um, Louis can lift me,” he chooses. 

“Alright, perfect,” Kiera agrees. “Louis, just be careful of his injuries, of course. He needs to be on his back facing this way,” she gives the Dom directions.

Nodding in understanding, Louis lifts Harry up from under his armpits like he always does, being mindful of his injuries and his IV. Once the sub is on the table, he kisses the top of his hand and steps back, letting Kiera position the younger lad’s ankle for the scan. Once she does so, she quickly takes the picture, and they move on to his head. Kiera repositions him a little bit and takes the pictures of his brain, and they’re all done in a fairly short amount of time.

Louis gets Harry situated back in his bed so Kiera can wheel him back to his room, the nurse informing them the results of the scans will be ready soon and a doctor will be coming in soon to go over the results and take care of his stitches. 

Even though Kiera had told him the stitches wouldn’t hurt, Harry was still nervous about having them done. Louis could tell his sub was nervous from the way he kept fiddling with the edge of his hospital gown.

As soon as the doctor walks into the room Harry's breathing picks up and he grabs Louis' hand tightly again.

"Hi! Mr Styles, I'm just going to take a quick look at the back of your head if that's okay just to assess if stitches will be necessary. Would you mind leaning forwards gently for me, please?" the doctor asks.

Harry does so wearily, wincing and squeezing Louis' hand a little as the doctor pokes and prods at his head.

"Okay, you can lean back for me now. Unfortunately the cut looks fairly deep so I think stitches will be needed. I'm just going to check up on the scans for your head and if all looks good we'll get started on those stitches, yeah?"

Harry faintly hears Louis thank the doctor and the door clicking shut. "I can't!" he cries.

Louis feels a tug on his heart seeing his boy in so much fear. He pulls Harry up, sitting behind him on the bed and allowing the sub to cuddle up to him. "Shh, it's okay, baby. I'll be right here."

Harry feels tears fill in his eyes again. "No, you- Louis please, Sir please, I really can't- I don't want to have stitch- Please!"

"Hazza, please calm down, darling. I know it's scary, but they'll give you painkillers for it, yeah? They know what they're doing." Louis says calmly, running a hand up and down Harry's arm to try and comfort the boy.

Harry pulls his legs up to his chest and turns to bury himself into Louis. The Dom wraps his arms around him, pressing a kiss to the top of Harry's head, making sure the IV doesn't get tangled.

"I'll be a good boy, I promise. I-I won't misbehave again, ever. A-And I'll do everything you say, and I won't mess up soundcheck again. Please, Sir," Harry whispers into Louis' neck.

Despite being tall for a sub, Harry feels so small in Louis' arms right now. He can't stand seeing Harry like this. So small and vulnerable.

"Harry, I'm not arguing with you about this, okay? We'll do whatever the doctors say to get you better, yeah? I know you're a good boy, the best boy. My boy. And I love you so much. But you're having these stitches, okay?" Louis asks softly.

"Scared," Harry mumbles.

"I know, sweetheart. But you're so brave, and everything is going to be okay. If you're a good boy through all of this I'll give you a little treat when we get back, how's that sound?" Louis asks encouragingly.

Harry peeks his head up a little bit. "Promise?"

Louis smiles fondly. How he got so lucky in life he'll never know. "I promise, baby."

The door opens and the boys all walk in, rushing over to the couple on the bed.

"Shit, are you two okay? They wouldn't let us pass the front desk for fucking ages," Zayn swears, walking up to Harry and setting a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, babes?"

Harry nods and reaches up to give Zayn a hug, which the Dom accepts with a fond smile.

"Careful," Louis warns from behind.

"Move, I want to hug my best friend," Niall whines, pushing Zayn off of Harry and wrapping him up in a hug of his own.

" Careful ," Louis says with slightly more force.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Niall asks, completely ignoring the Dom as he rubs Harry's shoulder.

"Um, I-"

"Niall, move, I wanna see him," Liam whines, shoving Niall to the side to pull Harry in for yet another hug.

"I said be fucking-"

"Liam!" Niall whines, "I was talking to him, move out of my way-"

"Oh right 'cause I have to listen to you now-"

"I was there first!"

"Technically," Zayn butts in, "I was talking to him first. And thanks, by the way, for saying Harry's your best friend."

"Yeah, Ni, what the hell-"

"Enough!" Louis orders, silencing the room as Harry shrinks back a little against him. "Harry's clearly not well, so if you just came in here to argue, then the door is over there. And stop yanking him into hugs. He has a concussion." Louis rolls his eyes as the three boys sheepishly stare at the floor. "Hazza, is it okay if the boys stay?"

Harry blushes and hides back into Louis. "Maybe just one?"

He loved them all — he really did. But it was too overwhelming having this many people coddling him.

"Okay, that's perfectly fine, baby. Is it okay if Zayn stays?" Louis asks softly.

Harry nods. Zayn had been the least intense out of all of them. And Zayn kind of understood when he felt funny in the head at times.

Liam and Niall leave, understandingly, wishing Harry the best of luck and letting him know they were just outside if he needed anything.

"Are you ready for me to call the doctor back in, baby?" 

Harry feels his stomach drop and despite having previously calmed down goes straight back into a mindset of blind panic.

He buries his face into his hands and hugs his knees back to his chest again, vigorously shaking his head.

Louis sighs loudly behind him, making Harry feel ten times guiltier. "Harry…"

Harry feels the bed dip a little, a body sitting next to him and wrapping an arm carefully around his shoulders. "Zaynie, please tell them no…" Harry whispers.

"I know it's scary, Hazza. Remember when we got on the plane at judges houses, and I threatened to tie myself down to the chair in the lobby if they tried to make me go on the plane?"

Harry nods. It was one of the first times Harry had felt a connection with Zayn. Louis' had been instant, from the moment they met in the bathroom. He and Niall, being the only two who weren't Doms in the band (Niall was a switch), had hit it off quickly, as did pretty much everyone who was friends with Niall. Liam had been standing next to Harry at bootcamp when they read the list of boys who made it through, and he'd felt safe crying with him.

But Zayn had been a tougher cookie to crack.

-

"I don't fucking care, I'm not going," Zayn scowled.

"Fucks sake, you're being so childish," Louis scoffed back, storming off and slamming the door.

Zayn rolled his eyes and let out a growl of frustration, not realising he was alone in the room. Thinking he was alone, he let the first tear fall down his face, a shaky hand wiping it furiously away.

A mop of soft brown curls had crawled out from behind one of the other chairs, green eyes peering curiously at his bandmate.

Without so much as a peep, the sub crawled over to the older boy, sitting on the floor by his feet. "Zaynie?"

Zayn's bloodshot eyes snapped open from where he'd had them buried into his palms, glancing at Harry before flitting around the room in fear. "Thought you were with Louis," he mumbled, wiping the fresh tears away.

"Was hiding. Everyone was shouting," Harry said quietly, a small pout on his face.

"Well, I'm not shouting now. Why don't you go find Louis?" Zayn asked carelessly, not caring if he sounded rude.

Harry's pout deepened. "I know you don't like me,” the sub whispered, eyes trained on the floor.

Zayn sighed. "I don't not like you, Harry. I just — I find it hard, sometimes, opening up to people. You're a people person, I'm like, the complete opposite of that."

Harry frowned. Interesting. "Sometimes it's like an act, though. Like, if I act funny and confident and happy, people will like me. Not everyone knows the insecure side of me. Only Louis and my family know me fully."

Zayn smiled fondly. "You're lucky to have each other, you and Lou. I know you two haven't known each other long, but he cares for you, Haz."

Harry smiled a little. "I know. But still, it's tiring sometimes, pretending to be something you're not. I know how you feel, about it being hard to open up. I know you're a Dom and I'm a sub, but still. I get you."

Zayn nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Are you scared about going on the plane?" Harry asked after a while.

Zayn scoffed. "I'm a Dom."

Another frown appeared on Harry's face. "And? Everyone has fears. It's kinda rude to say it's only subs who have fears, Z."

The Dom felt guilt fill him up. "Sorry. I guess I never thought about it like that."

Harry shrugged. "So you're not scared?"

"About what?"

"The plane. Being away from home?"

Silence.

"You know, when I'm scared, Fluffy keeps me safe. If I have Fluffy, nothing bad can happen. But now I have Louis, who will definitely keep me safe. So, um, maybe, if you promise to keep him safe and not lose him or get him dirty-"

"What, I can have Louis?" Zayn joked, laughing at Harry's little glare.

"Not funny. You can have Fluffy," Harry said, lifting up his white bear and showing him to Zayn.

Zayn smiled, a true, genuine, smile. "Thank you, Hazza. That's very kind of you," he said honestly. The Dom goes to take the bear, but Harry keeps his small grip on it. "Hazza? You need to let go, sweetie."

Harry frowns, looking up at his arm in the air with the bear. "Fluffy, you have to look after Zaynie. No one can know, but," Harry brings the bear closer to himself, "he's scared of flying. But it's okay, cause he'll have you! Bye bye."

Zayn tried to hold in a laugh, (not a mocking one, but one of astonishment that something as pure as Harry Styles can exist) as he accepted the bear now being thrust back in his face. "Thank you, Haz. C'mere, gimme a cuddle."

Harry crawled up into Zayn's lap and launched himself at him in a big hug.

"Oof," Zayn let out an escapee of air, "maybe you could be my teddy bear. We could call you Hazbear?"

Harry giggled. "I'm not a bear!"

Zayn tickled him, making the sub giggle hysterically, screaming for him to stop. "Oh, really? I think you are a bear. A big, scary one!"

Harry kept laughing, even once Zayn stopped tickling him and just pulled him in for a tight hug. "C'mon, kiddo. Louis' gonna kill me for keeping you hostage for so long. Let's go find him."

-

"Still not a bear," Harry mutters.

Zayn smiles. "I know. But I've got someone here who might make you feel less scared?"

Harry peaks an eye open, gasping when he sees Fluffy in Zayn's hand. "You still have him!"

"Of course I do. And, if you promise to look after him and not lose him or get him dirty, maybe you can have him whilst you get your stitches," Zayn says softly, handing him over to the sub.

Harry goes to take him, frowning up at Zayn when he retracts the bear. "And, if you promise to be a good boy for Louis and do whatever it is the doctors want to do. No more arguing with him."

Harry pouts. "I didn't argue!"

Louis lets out a disbelieving laugh. "Really?"

The sub flushes red, releasing his grip on the bear and dropping his gaze to his lap. "I'm sorry. I was just scared. Didn't mean to be bad."

Louis smiles. "Hey, you're not bad, darling. And I'm not mad. I understand."

Harry nods, looking back at Zayn. "So?" he asks shyly.

Zayn smiles. "There you go," he says softly, passing the slightly off white bear to the sub.

Harry smiles, turning around to push the bear into Louis' neck. "Fluffy's nervous. He wants hugs and cuddles."

The Dom smirks. "Oh, really? Well, you both better come here then. So we can give Fluffy all the cuddles he needs. Right, Zayn?"

Zayn stifles a laugh. "Hm? Yeah, I think maybe I should even join the cuddle party to make sure Fluffy is nerve free."

Harry pushes the toy to his mouth, badly hiding the wide smile threatening its way to his face. The start of a giggle escapes, and Harry pushes both himself and Fluffy into Louis' chest to try and hide it. 

“You’re too adorable,” Zayn remarks, giving Harry a light hug, making sure to be careful of his injuries. 

At that moment, they all hear a knock on the door, and the doctor walks back into the room, pushing a table full of supplies along with him. Harry looks up at the man as he continues to hide behind Fluffy, feeling his nerves picking up again. 

“Hi, Harry,” the doctor greets with a friendly smile. “I had a look at your scans and it looks like you’ll be okay to get those stitches done today. It’s a super quick and easy process. You won’t feel a thing, okay?” he does his best to reassure the obviously anxious sub.

Looking up at Louis from where the Dom sits behind him still, Harry bites his lip and gives the older man puppy eyes. “Lou…” he says quietly, a hint of a whine to his voice.

“You’ll be alright, princess. Remember what you just promised Zayn?” the Dom says, a hint of a warning tone present in his voice. “We’ll be with you the entire time. Everything will be fine. It’ll be over before you know it.” He squeezes Harry’s hand comfortingly. 

“‘Kay, Lou,” Harry accepts and attempts to lean back into Louis’ chest again, but the doctor speaks up. 

“In order to do the stitches, I need Harry to be the only one on the bed. We’ll need to reposition him with his head at the edge so I can reach him,” he informs them, offering both the Dom and sub an apologetic look. 

Panicked, Harry looks up at Louis with wide eyes and grabs his hand. “Lou,” he says worriedly. “I’m scared,” he repeats for the tenth time that day. 

“It’s okay, love,” Louis comforts the younger boy, gently grabbing Harry’s chin and looking into his eyes as he speaks. “You’ll be okay. I’m always going to be here to take care of you,” he assures him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “I love you.” 

Tears fill Harry’s eyes because of how sweet Louis is being and because of his nerves. “I love you, too, Lou,” he tells him quietly, watching as the Dom stands up and sits in the chair next to his bed. He notices Louis smile back at him with his mouth closed, the Dom’s eyes looking a little watery themselves. The older man tries to hide it though, turning his head and nodding at Zayn, who sits down in the chair next to him.

“Alright, Harry, I’m going to help you reposition yourself so you’re lying down facing the other way, okay? Just let me move your IV drip around,” the doctor instructs, repositioning Harry’s IV pole so he can change positions on the bed. 

Once the sub is positioned the right way, he looks nervously at Louis, who gives him a reassuring smile. “You’ll be okay, Hazza. I’m right here. Just keep your eyes on me,” he tells him. 

Harry nods and keeps his eyes on Louis, listening as the doctor prepares his instruments behind him. He feels the doctor’s hand near the cut on his head and flinches a little, unable to stop himself from letting out a whimper.

“Sorry about that,” the doctor says, sounding genuinely apologetic. “I went to apply the numbing gel, but I think I’m going to have to trim a little bit of your hair to reach the cut,” he tells him, reaching for a small pair of scissors.

At that news, Harry tries to sit up and move away from the doctor. “No, not my hair, Lou, Sir, please… I don’t want it cut!” he cries, unable to stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. 

Louis comes over and gently takes ahold of his hand, running his thumb along the sub’s knuckles. “Shhh, love. It’s okay. It’s just a tiny bit -- you won’t even notice. Right, doctor?” he looks up to the doctor for confirmation.

“It’ll just be a few centimeters. No one will notice,” he confirms with a nod.

The Dom turns back to Harry. “See, love? It’s alright. Your hair will look exactly the same.” 

Harry still looks a little hesitant but slowly lies back down again, allowing the doctor to carefully trim a little bit of his hair. Once he’s done, he shows the sub how much he cut off, the lad relieved to see just a small amount of hair.

“Alright, love?” Louis asks once Harry’s seen the minimal amount of hair that was cut.

The sub nods slightly. “Thank you, Lou,” he whispers, letting the Dom kiss the top of his hand before he returns to his chair. 

Harry keeps his eyes on Louis again and cuddles Fluffy close to his chest as the doctor begins his work. He feels the doctor apply the numbing gel to his cut, which hurts a little bit, causing him to squeeze Fluffy even tighter. Thankfully the doctor is quick, though, and soon, he’s starting on the stitches. 

“You’re being such a good boy, sweetheart,” Louis praises him from where he’s sitting. “You’re so brave, love.”

The sub smiles softly and thanks the Dom, closing his eyes and focusing on squeezing Fluffy so he doesn’t freak out. As the doctor works, he feels a few tugs here and there, but nothing hurts. The doctor makes quick work of stitching up the cut, and within around thirty minutes, he’s finished. 

“Alright, laddie, looks like we’re all finished,” he announces, putting his tools away. “The stitches will dissolve within a few weeks, so you don’t need to come back to have them taken out. You’ll have a little scar there, but your hair will grow back and cover it,” he informs him. “You can turn the other way on the bed. Now we just need to address your ankle injury, your sore throat, and stomach,” he tells him.

Standing up from his chair, Louis helps Harry lie back down facing the other way on the bed. “You were such a good boy, Hazza. Always such a good boy for me,” he praises him, kissing his cheek.

“Good job, Haz,” Zayn adds from where he’s still sitting in his chair. 

Harry blushes and hides his face behind Fluffy again. “Thank you,” he says shyly. “Just glad it’s over.”

“That was definitely the most difficult part,” the doctor acknowledges. “Good to get that out of the way. Now, we’re going to need to wrap your ankle.”

The doctor grabs some wrap from a drawer and instructs Harry to stay still so he could position his ankle the necessary way. Then, he wraps it up and steps back. “From the looks of the scans, your ankle isn’t broken — it just has a small sprain. So you’ll just need to be careful walking on it for the next few weeks.”

“How am I going to perform?” Harry looks over to Louis and Zayn worriedly, then his eyes get wide. “Wait! What happened with the concert?”

Louis squeezes Harry’s hand. “Shhh, love, it’s okay. There’s no need to worry. Since our two week break was going to start tomorrow anyway, they just moved our concert to three days from now,” he informed him. “Don’t worry about work right now, okay? We need to focus on getting you better.”

“Yes, Sir,” Harry replies, settling back into the pillows on the bed. 

“He will need to take a break from performing for a while,” the doctor informs them. “I’ll just need to write a note for your team informing them of that and the safety precautions they’ll need to take once he’s good to perform again.”

Louis nods in agreement. “Our team can be dicks about most things, but I think this will be one thing they’ll maybe actually understand,” he says with a roll of his eyes.

“If they refuse, we’ll just tell them none of us are performing,” Zayn adds. 

The doctor nods his assent. “Sounds like a suitable plan. I’ll get that paperwork written up for you after I check out Harry’s throat and stomach. Does he normally wear a collar?” he asks Louis, pulling out a clipboard so he can take some notes.

“Yes, I just took it off him earlier today because he was complaining of a sore throat,” the Dom informs him, running a hand through Harry’s hair comfortingly. 

Sitting down in the doctor’s stool and wheeling over next to Harry’s bed, the doctor nods and writes something down on his clipboard. “That was a good call. Best to not have anything extra there that could be constricting his breathing or making his throat hurt more,” he says. “Can I feel around your throat, Harry?” he asks him. 

Nodding shyly, Harry tries not to squirm as the doctor pokes and prods around his neck. 

"Okay, and just open your mouth for me and say 'ahh,'" the doctor says, bringing out a torch and shining it down the sub’s throat.

Harry blushes but makes the noise, shyly hiding behind Fluffy again when the doctor takes the torch away, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Perfect, thank you, Harry," the doctor says, rolling back a little on the stool. "Okay, from what I can tell from your scans and from looking just now, I believe you have had an allergic reaction to something. Your throat seems pretty red and raw from coughing, and you may experience some soreness and uncomfortable sensations for a few weeks. We can take a small pin-prick test to see what the allergy is?"

"Um, will it hurt?" Harry asks timidly.

"Just a small prick. It really is in your best interest to take the test to avoid future reactions and to get adequate care in preparation," the doctor says kindly.

Harry nods, gripping Fluffy in defeat. "Okay."

"Perfect. Okay, just put your arm for me," the doctor says. 

"What, now?" Harry asks, slightly hysterically.

"Shh, Hazza it's okay. Just put your arm out for him, baby," Louis says softly, pressing a small hand to Harry's back.

Harry does so, turning away and looking up to Louis as he feels the doctor touch his arm.

A few seconds later and it's all done. Louis smiles and presses a kiss to Harry's forehead. "Well done, love. You're being so brave, darling."

Harry blushes, pulling his arm back to his chest. 

"Thank you," he says quietly.

The doctor smiles, his back turned as he hands the vile of blood to the nurse, simply listening in on the couple talking.

"Alright, we'll send those off and get back to you soon. For the time being, we'll have to put you on vocal rest. Between 9 in the morning and 5 in the evening you'll be in complete vocal rest, with ten minute breaks every two hours. This should be completed for one week. After that, for every 60 minutes of using your voice, you'll want to take 10 minutes off. That should be done for another week. We'll assess where you're at after that.

"As for your leg, no strenuous exercise. Don't keep pressure on it for too long, leave it in the wrap, and don't let it get wet in the shower. You'll probably need assistance in the shower, I'm sure that won't be a problem?" The doctor teases.

Louis hides a smirk. "I've got it covered, thanks doc."

Zayn laughs loudly, Harry just blushing profusely.

"Perfect. You show signs of concussion, so limit the time spent staring at screens, get plenty of rest, no activities that require too much thinking power, drink plenty of fluids, that will also help with your sore throat. If you feel dizzy at all, try and lie down in a dark room. Try to reduce your stress levels as well. I'll prescribe you with some pain killers, and there will be a sheet telling you when to take them and all that. If you want to just wait fifteen minutes the results from the allergy test will be back and we can discuss them?" The doctor asks.

Harry stays silent, taking in the sudden overwhelming influx of information.

"Okay, that sounds great. Thank you, doc," Louis says instead, smiling as the doctor leaves.

The room stays silent for a minute, Harry hesitantly turning around to look up at Louis. "Lou?"

Louis forces a smile and looks at his sub. "Yeah, baby?"

"Um, how am I meant to, like, um, management?" Harry stutters, panic rising slightly.

Louis sighs, looking at Zayn who looks equally as stressed. "It's, don't worry, Hazza. We can talk to them. We'll explain, and I'll get the doctor to write a note. They can't force you to work if you're unwell, darling."

Harry nods shakily, playing with Fluffy. "Even with the two week break, I'll still be limited in what I can do. And my singing won't be good. And we were meant to record that single next week."

Zayn leans forwards, rubbing a hand gently on Harry's back. "Babes, me and Louis will talk to them. And Liam and Niall if you want. If you're unwell you're unwell, there's nothing to be done about it."

"I'm really sorry, Lou. I don't wanna make a fuss," Harry whispers. "Sorry if it causes trouble."

"Hey," Louis says, tone slightly sterner as he pulls Harry into his chest for a hug, "this isn't your fault, Harry. You didn't ask to pass out. If Savan hadn't been so pushy in rehearsal, this probably wouldn't have happened. And anyways, considering you're being put on vocal rest now, I'd watch how much you're talking."

Harry groans, leaning into Louis and playing with the string of his hoodie. "I hate vocal rest."

Zayn laughs as Louis hides a smirk. "I know, sweetheart. Let it be a lesson not to push yourself next time when you aren't feeling well. We've talked about this, letting me know when you aren't 100% okay."

"Did tell you," Harry pouts.

"Yeah, once I wrangled it out of you. Next time, you tell me straight away, or there'll be bigger consequences. I'm not going to do anything now, cause I think all of this is punishment enough. But I won't be so easy if this happens again. Understand?" Louis says softly, not wanting to upset the sub further after such an emotional day.

Harry nods. "Yes, Sir."

The door opens again, the doctor walking in, this time with a handful of small bottles.

"Okay, I'll just tell you this and then you're free to go. You'll need to drop by the chemist some time tomorrow to pick up some extra prescriptions. We've identified the allergy to tobacco smoke. Do you smoke yourself, Harry?" 

Harry glares at Louis. "No, but my Dom does. And Zayn, sometimes."

The doctor smiles. "Okay, that's fine. Just try not to smoke around Harry, and when you do smoke, change your shirt at least before being in close contact with him. And obviously brushing teeth before doing anything else with Harry," the doctor says, ignoring the blush of embarrassment from the sub before him.

"Or you two could just quit smoking all together," Harry mutters, whining at the pinch Louis gives to the bottom of his back. "Ow."

"Don't be rude, then," Louis mutters back, "Sorry, please carry on."

The Doctor nods. "I have some painkillers here for you, their instructions are all on the back. The chemist will have your anti allergy pills ready for tomorrow. And I've booked you in for a check up appointment one week from today. Any questions, just give us a call."

Louis smiles, standing up to shake hands with the doctor. "Thank you so much for everything and for being understanding of Harry's fears. We really appreciate it."

The doctor smiles at the Dom. "No problem, Mr Tomlinson. It's my job. And I know this is a little unprofessional, but I've been observing you two all day, and you're one of the best Doms I've seen in here. You've been understanding and sympathetic with him, whilst still sticking to your morals. A lot of the time, given the slightly more intense situation found in hospitals, if a sub is the patient a Dom can tend to me more lenient and let them get away with a whole host of bad attitude. Which eventually ends in them being too bratty and the Dom snapping, which… Anyways, I'm rambling, but you look after him well, just thought you should know that."

Louis turns round to look at Harry, who's laughing at something Zayn said as he presses Fluffy's face to Zayn's for a kiss. "He's special. He only deserves the best, he's, well, he's Harry. My Haz. Completely different to pop star Harry Styles. He needs someone to look after him; he deserves it. More than anyone."

The doctor's eyes shine with happiness. "I'm glad I met the two of you today. And your friend, Mr Malik. I wish you all the best for the future."

"And you, doc. Thank you again," Louis says, "Harry, say bye to the doctor sweetheart."

Harry looks up to the doctor shyly. "Thank you for making me better. Bye bye."

The doctor chuckles gently. "Bye, Harry. Don't give Louis too much grief, yeah? I'll see you next week."

With that the doctor leaves, leaving the pills in Louis' hand.

"Right then, trouble, let's get going," Louis says, putting the pills in Zayns bag, and grabbing Harry's change of clothes.

The doctor had taken the IV drip out of Harry's arm before he left, so they were able to just take the gown off and switch into the denim shorts and white t-shirt.

"Okay, just to warn you, you're not wearing pants. Not that you ever do. So when I pull this gown off you'll be completely naked, okay?" Louis says, fiddling with the ties behind Harry.

Harry giggles. "Zaynie, you can't look!"

Zayn laughs. "Hazza, I've seen you naked a hundred times. But I'll turn around, yeah?" 

With that, Louis proceeds to untie Harry’s gown, placing it into the hamper by the door. He helps Harry get dressed and teases him a little as he does, stroking the sub’s cock just once, making the younger lad whine and pout. “Louisssss,” he whines, embarrassed, and nods his head over to Zayn.

The blue-eyed Dom just chuckles fondly and shakes his head. “I know, I’m evil aren’t I?” he says before helping Harry into his pants and shorts. 

“What’re you lot up to behind me?” Zayn asks with a groan.

Stifling a laugh, Harry calls back, “Nothing, Zaynie. Lou’s just being mean.”

Louis rolls his eyes playfully and helps Harry put his t-shirt on, being careful of the stitches on his head. “There we go, love. All dressed,” he announces when he’s done and gently kisses the top of his head. “You can turn around now, Zayn,” he calls over to the other Dom.

Zayn does so and walks over to Harry to give his hair a little ruffle. “You did a really good job today, Haz. Definitely better than I would’ve if I were going through all that. I’m so proud to have such a brave best friend.”

“Love you, Zaynie,” Harry says as he blushes. “Thank you for letting me hold Fluffy, too. You want him back?”

The Dom looks fondly over to Louis, who smiles and shrugs. “You can keep him, Haz. I know how much you love him and I’m sure if I ever need him to help me feel better one day you’ll let me cuddle with him, yeah?”

“Mhm,” Harry agrees, squeezing the stuffy even tighter. “Thanks, Zaynie.” 

“Alright, I’d say we’re ready to go. I’ll help you walk out so you don’t put too much strain on your ankle just yet, alright? We’ll wanna have you rest for a few days,” Louis says, grabbing his and Harry’s things and giving them to Zayn to put in his bag. “Sound good?”

Harry nods. “Yes, Sir,” he agrees and lets Louis help him stand up from the bed. The Dom instructs him to rest some of his weight on his chest, and the couple walks out of the room slowly with Zayn following behind them. They meet their main security guard, Paul, at the front desk along with Liam and Niall, who had been waiting there the past couple of hours.

“Hi, laddie! How’re you doing?” Paul greets him first, ruffling his hair. 

“Good.” Harry blushes, leaning further into Louis. “Um, I got stitches in my head, and I have a concussion, and my ankle is sprained, and my throat is sore, but um. Louis took care of me,” he says shyly.

Paul lets out a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad you’re alright, lad. That sounds like it was really scary. We were all so worried about you.”

“Yeah, mate, we’re so glad you’re okay,” Niall adds, and Liam nods in agreement. 

Harry blushes, turning so he’s burying his face in Louis’ chest. “Thanks, guys,” he says quietly.

“I have a note from the doctor that states Harry needs to be on vocal rest and stay clear of technology and performing because of his concussion,” Louis tells Paul, pulling the note out from his pocket and handing it to him. “Can you go over that with management for us? If they give us shit for it, just tell them none of us are performing,” he says with a shrug.

Paul nods profusely. “Of course, lad. I know how unreasonable they all can be, so I’ll see what I can do,” he says with a roll of his eyes.

“Appreciate it,” Louis tells him with a smile and claps him on the back. “I really need to get Harry back to the hotel so he can rest. Do you mind escorting us out?” 

The guard nods and gathers the band members together, walking ahead of them and escorting them out of the hospital and to their car, making sure fans and paps can’t bother them on their way out. Louis helps Harry get into the car carefully, the sub sitting between Louis and Zayn, with Liam and Niall sitting together behind them. The Dom buckles Harry’s seatbelt for him and  kisses his cheek afterwards, holding his hand as the car moves and they head back to their hotel. 

“Lou?” Harry asks after they’d been in the car for about five minutes, a comfortable silence amongst them all. “Can I have my collar back?” he asks timidly.

Giving the sub a sympathetic look, Louis shakes his head. “No, love, I’m sorry. I don’t think it’s a good idea yet with your throat still being so sore. When you start to feel better in a few days, you can have it back, yeah?” He gives the sub’s hand a comforting squeeze, knowing that’s not the answer Harry was hoping for.

“Yes, Sir,” Harry agrees with a nod, though he bites his lip and Louis can tell he looks downtrodden.

With his thumb and index finger, Louis tips Harry’s chin up so they’re making eye contact. “Hey, this isn’t a punishment, okay? The doctor said it’s best to not have anything else constricting your throat. You’re my good boy and you deserve your collar, baby. It’s just not in the best interest for your health if you wear it right now,” he explains.

“I understand, Sir,” Harry replies. “I know it’s not a punishment. I just miss wearing it.”

Louis smiles sadly and gives him a peck on the lips. “As soon as it’s safe, you’ll get to wear it again. I promise, love.”

The sub smiles and leans the side of his head on Louis’ chest, being careful of his stitches. Closing his eyes, he rests for the remaining twenty minutes of the car ride before they arrive back at their hotel. Paul gets out of the car first and helps guide the rest of them inside, being sure to not walk too fast so Louis can help Harry. Thankfully, there aren’t very many fans since it was so late at night, and the few that are there respect Harry’s wishes to not take any photographs. 

At the elevators on their floor, Paul bids them farewell and heads to his room, leaving the rest of the lads to decide what to do with their evening. 

“I’m hungry,” Harry tells Louis, looking up at him from where he leans against his chest.

Louis kisses the top of his head. “Are you lot hungry? We could order room service and eat it in our room. I need to help Harry take a shower first though and then after he eats he needs to rest. But we could all eat together if you want?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Liam agrees, and the others nod in assent.

The five lads make their way to Louis and Harry’s room, where Louis pulls out the room key and unlocks the door. “Alright, love, let’s get you in the shower while the lads order room service. Tell Niall what you want and he’ll order it for us,” the Dom tells Harry when they walk into the room. “I’ll have a burger and fries, mate,” he tells Niall his own order.

“Um, can I have a pizza and some fries please?” he asks Niall, who nods. 

“Of course, Hazza,” he replies with a grin. “Anything for you.”

The sub chances a look over at Louis and hesitantly adds, “Can I also have a Coke?” 

“No Coke, love, you don’t need the sugar on your throat. It will make it worse. Besides, you don’t need the extra sugar anyway,” Louis tells him, the sub jutting his lower lip out in a pout.

“But Sir, I was in the hospital today! Can’t I have a soda? Pretty please?” Harry begs.

Louis shakes his head as the others look on somewhat awkwardly. “No, love. Don’t ask again. Let’s get you in the shower so we can eat our food when it comes,” the Dom says sternly, directing a pouty Harry into the bathroom.

“Wanted a soda,” Harry mumbles sadly as the Dom lifts him up by his armpits onto the counter, slumping over as he sits.

The Dom turns on the shower water. “I’m sorry, love, but it’s not a good idea. If you’re good for me and stop pouting, maybe I’ll let you order a dessert later,” he tells him with a raised eyebrow.

At that, Harry sits up straighter and erases the pout from his lips. “I’ll be good, Sir,” he says eagerly. “Promise.”

“There’s my good boy,” Louis says with a grin, his eyes crinkling. “Now, let’s get you undressed.”

Harry lifts his arms up, Louis endeared as he pulls the shirt from Harry's thin frame. Harry keeps babbling on whilst Louis undresses him, nodding his head and laughing at all the right moments.

Once Harry's naked, the boy showing absolutely no shame in sitting there with everything on show, Louis pulls his own clothes off before hauling Harry off the counter and into the shower, letting the younger boy all but slump against him. He makes sure Harry’s foot stays far away from the actual spray so it doesn’t get too wet.

Louis squeezes a small amount of the hotel's shampoo into his palms, carefully getting Harry's hair wet before massaging it in, mindful of the stitches.

"Lou," Harry whines, trying to pull away but not really having the strength to.

Louis tightens the grip he had on Harry's waist. "Stay still for me, love. I'm trying to be careful of your head. I can't do that if you keep moving."

Harry pouts. "It hurts, I don't want you to wash my hair anymore."

Louis gives Harry an unimpressed look. "There's dried blood in there, Haz. I need to wash it. I know it hurts, babe, but it won't be for much longer."

Harry grumbles, whining when Louis lightly pinches his hip. "Ow."

"Don't be rude then. Now, can I continue or are you going to keep arguing with me?" Louis asks, sternly but not harshly, knowing Harry was really just tired from the day.

Harry looks down to where the water is swirling down the plug hole. "You can keep washing, Sir. I'm sorry for arguing with you."

Louis presses a gentle kiss to Harry's temple. "Thank you for apologizing, sweetheart. I know you're just tired and grumpy. I don't blame you. We'll get some food after this, and then we can sleep, yeah? Hopefully the pain doesn't keep you awake for too long."

Harry nods, closing his eyes as he lets himself enjoy the feeling of Louis massaging his hair, only wincing every now and then. 

After Louis conditions Harry's hair (because who was he to skip the most vital step in Harry's hair care routine?), the Dom rubs some soap all over Harry's body and rinses it all off.

"Okay, all done, baby," Louis says, keeping the water running as he helps Harry out of the shower, wrapping him up in a big fluffy towel before sitting him on the toilet, lid still down, "can you just sit there for a couple of minutes whilst I wash myself?"

Harry nods, tiredly pulling another towel off the rack to wrap around his shoulders.

Louis smiles, reaching out to stroke Harry's hair before remembering he can't do that now. He opts instead for rubbing a thumb up and down Harry's cheek. "Good boy. I won't be long."

Harry leans into the touch for a moment, instantly missing the pressure as soon as it's gone. He shuts his eyes, resting his head against the wall as he listens to Louis singing softly in the shower.

He doesn't even remember falling asleep, but suddenly Louis' gently shaking him, and his blue eyes are looking into his with love. 

"Hey, c'mon, let's get you dry and warm, yeah?" Louis says softly, a towel wrapped low around his own waist as he guides Harry to their bedroom, separated from the living area the boys are in by a single wall.

Louis sits Harry down on the bed, laughing when Harry just flops down and somewhat curls up into himself. 

"C'mon, little one. Sit up for me, yeah? Do you want to wear short pyjamas or long ones?" Louis asks, opening up Harry's suitcase and searching gently through it.

"Maybe short ones in case the long ones interfere with the wrap on my leg?" Harry asks, pulling the towel around his shoulder tighter.

"Good thinking," Louis says as he pulls out some grey cotton shorts. "I can't see a top to go with it. Would you like a hoodie?"

Harry hums, his eyes back to being shut again. "The green one."

Louis frowns, digging a little deeper. "What green one? I don't remember you having a green jumper."

"Adidas," Harry mumbles.

Louis' frown deepens as he digs a little further, before a look of realisation hits his face. "Harry?"

Harry peeks an eye open. "Yeah?" he asks innocently.

"You don't own a green hoodie," Louis says simply.

"I do! It's bottle green, and it has an Adidas logo on it," Harry says, face the picture of innocent if Louis didn't know that he was really trying to hide a grin.

"Interesting. Because that kind of sounds exactly like my green Adidas jumper with the logo on it," Louis says, feigning confusion, "and I swear we had a conversation about how my hoodies were mine and not ours. "

Harry pokes a hole in Louis' cheek. "Your hoodies are my hoodies, remember? Tu casa es mi casa."

Louis deadpans at Harry, making the sub start his puppy eyes trick.

"Please! I like your hoodies, they're better than mine. They're bigger than mine, and fluffier. And they smell like you so it's like getting a 24/7 hug from you! Please? I'll be extra good, promise!" Harry begs, making Louis break his serious stance and lean up from the floor to press a kiss to Harry's lips.

"I'm just joking, princess. You can always have my hoodies, s'like leaving my mark on you," Louis mutters against Harry's lips, before leaning back to open his own suitcase.

He throws on a pair of his own boxers and some joggers, finding the green hoodie and carefully pulling it over Harry's head.

"All done, shall we go see if the food has arrived yet?" Louis asks.

"Um, can we have a cuddle first? I feel like we've barely had a chance to ourselves all day," Harry says quietly, looking up shyly to his Dom.

Louis smiles. "Of course, sweetheart. I'll just tell Liam to come and get us when the food gets here."

Louis types a quick text to the other Dom, which he knows is lazy considering they're literally next door, but the thought of leaving Harry now is too painful. Not when he looks this good in his hoodie. 

“‘Kay, Lou,” Harry replies, then puts his arms out as a signal he wants to be cuddled. 

The Dom chuckles and tosses his phone to the other side of the bed, hopping under the covers with his sub. “Comfy, sweetheart?” he asks, pressing a kiss to his nose.

“Yeah, Lou,” the sub replies quietly, snuggling up close to his Dom. He shyly presses a kiss to the older man’s cheek, looking up at him with a blush.

Louis looks down at him and smiles. “God, you’re so adorable,” he remarks. “I love you so much.”

“Love you, too, Lou,” Harry replies, biting his lip before the Dom brings him in for a short snogging session.

Just then, Liam walks into the bedroom, sighing in annoyance as he spots the Dom and sub making out passionately. “Um, hi,” he says awkwardly, making the couple pull away from each other. 

“What’s up, Payno?” Louis greets and wipes his mouth casually as if the other Dom hadn’t just walked in on him and Harry snogging.

Harry blushes and shrugs innocently as Liam looks at him with an exasperated expression. “You lot are too much,” the Dom says in a teasing tone, making Louis laugh loudly. “Anyway, I came in here to tell you the food is here.”

“Alright, cheers, mate,” Louis says, then holds out his hand for Harry to take. “C’mon, love, let’s go grab our food. Be careful walking. I’ll help you,” he tells him.

The sub holds on to Louis as they walk into the other room, where all the other lads are lounging on the couches and eating their food. 

“Here’s yours, Lou,” Niall says to the Dom as he hands him his food. “And here’s Harry’s.”

“Thanks, mate,” Louis says, taking the food and setting it all out on the table next to the couch so they can cuddle while they eat. “There we go, good?” he asks after he’s opened everything for Harry and gotten him situated.

Blushing, Harry fiddles with his fingers. “Um, can you cut my pizza please? I think it’ll be easier to swallow that way since my throat is sore.”

“Of course, princess,” Louis agrees and begins cutting up Harry’s food for him. “Thank you for letting me know what you need.”

Zayn shakes his head as he shoves his fries in his mouth. “Y’all make me sick,” he teases.

“Heyyyy,” Harry fake whines. “We’re adorable.”

Louis laughs and kisses Harry's cheek. “Remember, you’re supposed to be on vocal rest, love. You’re gonna have to stop that whining,” he teases. 

The sub huffs and pouts, taking a bite of the pizza Louis feeds him. “Meanie.”

Shaking his head fondly, Louis laughs. “As much as I love hearing your voice, love, we have to do what the doctor says,” he tells him sadly. “We want you to get better.”

“I know, Lou.” Harry pouts, sticking out his bottom lip. “But just lemme eat and then sleep and then I’ll start my vocal rest.”

The Dom laughs loudly, kissing the tip of Harry’s nose as the younger lad smirks. “Alright, love. But after your nap, no more talking for you,” he tells him with a slight stern edge to his tone.

“‘Kay, Lou,” Harry agrees, taking another bite of his pizza.

“It’s gonna be a lot quieter around here without you talking all the time,” Zayn pipes up in a joking tone, reaching over and tickling Harry’s stomach.

Harry squeals and tries to push the Dom’s hands off. “Heyyyy,” he laughs. “You’re making me laugh and that’s hurting my throat moreeee,” he whines as the older lad finally pulls away.

“He’s such a handful,” Zayn tells Louis fondly.

The other Dom chuckles, kissing Harry’s cheek as the sub continues to pout. “I know, but he’s my handful and I love him so much.”

“Y’all make me sick,” Niall groans, making everyone laugh.

Harry sits back against the couch and finishes his pizza, so thankful to be back feeling a little bit better, but definitely dreading his impending vocal rest.