It's #BackfireMonday!! Welcome back ladies and gents. How was your week?

COMMENTS AND VOTES! MWAH!! Xoxo

***

"Alright, and press on my hand."

Louis used all his strength and tried to push on the doctor's hand, but all he got was a flick of his toes. Harry looked absolutely ecstatic. Louis didn't get why.

"Okay, and now," the doctor requested again but his hand was pressing lightly against the top of Louis' foot. Louis tried to flex and could barely feel his toe muscles twitch.

Harry was literally clapping by the end of the assessment and placed a proud kiss on Louis' forehead. "Great job, babe."

Louis had to remind himself not to push Harry off him in self-hatred because they decided that wasn't the solution. But he did turn away from Harry's second offered kiss and looked at he doctor. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing," Harry urged. "Nothing is wrong with you, Lou."

Louis opened his mouth to argue but the doctor spoke up, "Well actually, I'd say Harry's right. The results from the X-rays don't show any real damage to your leg, but the CT shows nerve damage, probably from the stress of the injury and Zayn working on you without proper anesthetic."

"I'm sorry, Lou," Zayn choked from where he was observing over the doctor's shoulder.

"Don't be, Zayn," the doctor corrected. "Without you he'd be dead. This, the lack of motor use, can be fixed."

"What?! Seriously?!" Harry squealed.

Louis put a calming hand on Harry's thigh. "What do you mean, doctor?"

"It'll take a lot of hard work. Months of physical therapy. But if Harry's reaction to your toes moving is any indication, I'm guessing you couldn't do that previously?" Louis nodded in confirmation. "You're strong, Louis. I'm guessing you could recover if you work hard enough."

"I could walk again?"

"I think so. It's all about strengthening your muscle connections again. Reminding your body, so to speak."

Louis released a heavy breath he didn't know he was holding. Harry kissed all along the side of his face and down his jaw while he whispered encouragements in his ear. Louis' mind was a bit blank, unable to really take in the news. He doesn't have to be like this forever.

The way Harry was looking at Louis, like he was barely containing himself, had Zayn leading the doctor away to discuss details. Harry made it until Zayn, Liam, and the doctor rounded the corner before he straddled Louis' body and peppered kisses all over Louis' stunned face.

"You're gonna walk, Lou. I knew you could do it." Harry was whispering into Louis' skin, his delight an edge that made Louis smile despite himself.

"I'll walk again," Louis repeated numbly.

"Not without hard work," Zayn added as he came back with Liam, but without the doctor.

"We'll need to call a live-in physical therapist to work with Louis daily," Liam commented.

Louis pulled Harry to his chest and held him close and he could feel his long pent up stress start to flow out of him. "I'll do it."

"Of course you will. You're amazing."

Louis just let Harry's unconditional love settle him. "I'm not," he argued, but even to him it sounded weak, like he knew this was a big deal and Harry was finally convincing him.

"You are," Harry breathed against his chin.

"I'll let you rest. You've got a long road ahead of you," Zayn allowed.

Liam took Zayn's hand, to which he blushed, and led him out. Louis pretended not to see it.

***

"This is bullshit!"

They'd been working for two weeks now. Louis could wiggle his toes on command without problem, but they'd just started working on flexing and pointing his whole foot and Louis wasn't doing well. Harry was sitting on the sidelines, hands tucked under his bum so he didn't run to Louis to comfort him. He'd gotten chewed out multiple times by Louis' therapist, Jada, for it.

Louis pushed Jada's hands away and fell back to the floor. "Louis, you're doing great. Let's start at the beginning, yeah?"

"I don't want to do this anymore!"

Jada kept her face calm and even. "Do you want to walk?"

Louis huffed, knowing where this was going. The same place it went every time Louis got fed up. "Of course."

"Be able to walk with Harry?"

"Of course I do." Louis couldn't look over at Harry sitting there watching him just in case he saw disappointment.

"Carry him?"

"Yes."

"More?"

Louis sighed in resignation, "Alright. Let's start over." Louis sat back up and stared at his foot.

"Big toe," Jada went through the steps. Louis moved his big toe. "Little toes." Louis wiggled all his toes. He caught Harry's wide grin out of the corner of his eye. "Now push the ball away." She put the big workout ball against the bottom of Louis' foot and sat back.

Louis breathed deep and focused all his energy in pushing his foot forward. It twitched at first, just shuffling the ball against his foot. "Come on, Lou," Harry whispered just loud enough to be heard. Louis soaked up his words and pushed his foot again, just hard enough to get the ball to roll a few inches from his foot.

"Great job," Jada noted. She grabbed the ball and put it against the wall before returning to Louis. "I think we're done for the day. Let's get you something to eat." Harry brought his wheelchair over and they helped him in, much to Louis' displeasure.

Harry leaned down and kissed Louis' cheek. "That was great." Louis had to hide his eye roll, but his fond smile was clear as day.

___

"Blackmailing the Prime Minister of France."

"And you nicked him?"

"Two years ago."

"What about this guy?" Liam asked and pointed to another file.

"Child trafficking."

"God," Liam awed.

"Killed him off three years ago."

"Her?"

Zayn looked at the photo and remember her face before looking at her file. "That's Leslie. Harry's god mother."

"What'd she do?"

"Nothing, apparently. Except mess with the wrong people."

Liam sat back and took in the dozens of folders they'd pulled that were just a few of Louis and Zayn's kills. "But mostly they were really bad people, right?"

"I don't know. I guess," Zayn shrugged. "Is killing them any worse than the things they did?"

Liam looked over and saw Zayn's face fall. He laid a careful hand on Zayn's leg. "You are a good person."

Zayn laughed without any humor. "Even I can't believe that, no matter how lovely your voice sounds."

Liam overlooked the meant-to-be-distracting compliment and forged on. "You saved me." He held up a hand to keep Zayn from interrupting. "I don't care about why or who. The point is you risked your life for me. Even though you barely knew me. You did this for Louis. You would do anything for the people you care about." He swept towards the pile of papers. "These are not you." He rubbed a thumb along Zayn's jaw, making Zayn turn his head to kiss Liam's hand. "This is you."

Zayn melted against Liam's argument, nodding. "Thanks."

Liam leaned forward and kissed Zayn softly, with no real intention. Zayn just let Liam guide his lips open and soon felt Liam's tongue against his teeth. He hummed quietly and opened wider for him. Liam pulled Zayn into his lap and kissed him deeper. Zayn wrapped his arms around Liam's neck.

He'd never been so pliant for someone before. Liam just picked him up, held him against walls, touched him, whenever and however he wanted. Zayn couldn't get enough. He pulled back just enough to whisper, "Thank you," again. Just in case Liam didn't get it the first time. Liam just rubbed along Zayn's lower back and kissed the corner of his mouth.

When their kisses died out naturally and Zayn was resting his head on Liam's shoulder, Liam finally spoke up again. "What do we do with it all?"

Zayn had his eyes closed and refused to open them. "What do you mean?"

"Do we tell Louis?"

Zayn sat up then, looking back at the files. "Tell him what? We don't know anything."

"Maybe they were right," Liam suggested as gently as he could.

Zayn was shaking his head firmly anyway. "We haven't even looked at the other files. We don't know anything except that they held you and Harry prisoner and used us to kill people. People with families and jobs."

Liam nodded, seeming to let it go for now. "But we need to look at more."

"Not now. I'd rather do something else."

Liam raised a brow. "Oh yeah, like what?"

Zayn pursed his lips indignantly. "Like," he drawled, "check and see how Louis' therapy session went. He should be done by now."

Liam gave one more smirk and picked Zayn up bridal style from his lap, earning a squawk and a laugh from Zayn. "Alright fine. No fun, then."

Zayn held on tight and scratched at the hairs on Liam's neck. "No, fun is good. But you'd say no anyway. You never want fun."

Liam walked them down the hall towards the dining hall where Louis would surely be after a session. "Not true. I'm tons of fun. But I just think you're more important than fun."

"Then don't tease!" Zayn sighed, exasperated.

Liam kissed Zayn's cheek then. "Alright no more. Promise."

Zayn gave an unconvinced look. "Yeah, right. All you have to do is look at me and I swear you're just teasing me. Just looking like that is teasing."

Liam laughed, loud and happy. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just stop looking like me."

"Thank you," Zayn quipped as they reached the tables. Harry was sitting across from Louis as they sipped soup.

Louis noticed them. "Nice of you to join. Did we interrupt the honeymoon?"

"Shut it, Tommo." Zayn patted Liam's chest in what was meant to be offense but came off flirty. "Let me down, King Kong." Liam smiled brightly and dropped Zayn to his feet. Zayn turned away so Liam's radiance didn't draw him in again. "Where's the food?"

"Soup is on the stove," Harry answered. "It's good, if I do say so myself."

Zayn kissed the top of Harry's head as he passed to the kitchen door. "You're food is always good."

Liam followed Zayn for food, trying to forget that they were keeping something potentially huge from the boys.

___

Louis watched them go and turned back to Harry. "Can you believe they haven't fucked yet?"

Harry choked on his soup at the sudden vulgarity. "Louis!" he chided, "That is none of our business."

"What? I'm just saying. Zayn isn't one to wait. But this Liam character has him on an entirely different level."

"I think it's cute."

"We have fucked in months."

Harry didn't quite choke the second time, but still stuttered. "Well, yeah. You've been occupied with things. Like not dying."

"Still," Louis groaned, "I miss it."

Harry smiled in adoration. "Me, too."

"I miss hearing you moan my name. Calling me Daddy."

Harry shifted in his seat but kept Louis' gaze. "Yeah?"

Louis leaned forward, "I miss hearing you beg for it."

"Woah." Liam froze in his spot, almost making Zayn hit his back. Louis looked at the two with pride in his eyes while Harry kept his nose in his bowl.

"What the hell?" Zayn complained.

Liam tugged Zayn along to another table before he heard anymore. "Let's leave them be for now."

Zayn followed, a little confused but willing to follow Liam to the ends of the Earth. Louis laughed as he watched them scurry off. Harry tried to will his semi away before it became a real problem.