As usual, a day late but hopefully not a buck short. This one is super emotional so prepare your hearts. Good news? Liam and Zayn are reunited at least. It's the little things, you know? Enjoy, xo

ALSO! A co-editor and I are jumpstarting a digital platform for young creatives to showcase their work. Any medium, genre, style, or topic is welcome! Submit your stuff for the October round of publications. We're also doing an Edgar Allen Poe Halloween contest. See our website for more info!

***

Louis was smiling. His hands cupped Liam's cheeks in a soft embrace and lifted his gaze. "Liam," he called gently. "Liam, look at me." He couldn't. Everything hurt. His head hurt, his neck hurt, his chest hurt. His heart hurt. He refused to open his eyes. Louis tisked at him. "Come on now, Liam. Don't be rude," he chided and flicked Liam on the forehead. "Look at me."

Liam cracked open one lid, and then the other. Bright, brilliant light flooded his vision and he snapped them shut again. The brown-eyed slave moaned in distress. Louis cooed, half-mocking, half sympathetic. "I know, but this is important and I need your attention. Look at me."

Liam tried again, peeking out from one eye and letting it adjust slightly before opening the other just enough to see Louis's shining face, ethereal in its comfort. He really was beautiful. He should have given him a chance. The past is the past- and currently so very far away-; he should try and befriend Louis in the future. "Hi, Lou."

Louis smiled, but the edges of it seemed sad. "Hey, Li." When he noticed Liam's eyes start to wander then slip shut again, he slapped his cheek just enough for the other slave to perk up. "Look right at me. Listen, listen." Once Louis held Liam's gaze he sighed. "We've gotten ourselves into a bit of a shit situation."

Liam laughed, but it choked off as pain bloomed in his chest. Louis glanced down at the area, winced, and then looked back into Liam's eyes. "Yeah, try not to do that, eh? Just relax and listen." Liam tried his best to agree with his eyes, and it must have gotten through because Louis pushed on. "It's not your fault, understand? I don't blame you, and neither do Louis or Niall. They'll think they do for a while, but they don't."

Liam didn't understand. Louis wasn't making sense. "Lou-" he croaked, but a sharp wetness bubbled up in his throat and he stopped.

"Now, why would you go and try to talk. What did I say? Just listen," Louis scoffed, but it was kind and accompanied by the blue-eyed slave's hand in his tacky hair. "You did what you had to. I'm sorry I messed everything up, Liam. I really-" Louis pressed his lips together and Liam could see the strain it took for him not to cry. "I'm really sorry. I never meant for this to happen."

He took a firm hold of Liam's cheek then and spoke pointedly at him. "You have to go home now. Make things right. Hold him. Love him like I never could."

Who? Liam wanted to ask, but the pain in Louis's words stopped him.

"I love them so much," he confessed wetly. "Tell them, tell them how much I love them. And tell them they couldn't have stopped me. Tell them-"

Words were too hard. Tears started to fall freely as Louis's shoulders folded over and started to shake. He lowered down to hug Liam's heavy body- Liam vaguely wished he could hug back but couldn't- and tucked his head in next to Liam's ear. "Tell them," he whispered, "they were perfect for me."

When Louis pulled back, accessing if Liam understood his request, Liam didn't have the heart to tell him he didn't know what a single word meant. He put as much assurance in his eyes as he could and waited as Louis evaluated him. "Yeah, okay. It's time to go now, Liam."

Don't go! Liam shouted inside his head. You can't leave me...here? I'm all alone and I need you.

One corner of Louis's mouth ticked up into a half-smile. "You're okay. You're going to be okay."

"...You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay." Louis's smile faded away and the rest of him followed, leaving only the blinding white light behind, but the words didn't go with him. "You're going to be okay, Liam."

The words were the same but the voice was different. The light faded away then, too, leaving darkness surrounding him. He was all alone in the darkness now. He shivered, which caused a wracking cough and more wetness in his mouth.

"Someone help him!"

"Sir, back away. We need to get in here."

"You're going to be okay, Liam. I love you."

He knew that voice. He'd know it anywhere. "Zayn," he breathed and it came out garbled.

"Liam! Yeah, baby, it's me. You're going to be okay."

Maybe Louis left because he knew Zayn was here now. He wasn't alone. Would Zayn squeeze his cheek and tell him things he didn't understand, too?

He was floating, flying. His body lifted from the ground and swayed heavy in the air. Then he was solid again. Then moving. Oh, god, it was too much. He wanted to go back to just Louis and him and the white light and the soft hands and the confusing words.

The pain was more tangible now- sharper and vibrant. It hurt to breathe, to swallow. He groaned, wished he was in the place where Louis was. But now he was in the place where Zayn was; he got the distinct feeling those were two very different places.

He wanted to cry but couldn't seem to tell his eyes what to do. Instead, he just whimpered at the pain and mouthed Zayn's name. Zayn's voice was still shouting.

"Let me see him!"

Then another voice, broken and wretched- "Louis!"- but it was distant, so far away in its sorrow. "No, no! Louis don't you fucking dare!"

Crying.

Pain. He was lifted into the air, even higher than before and he thought maybe, just maybe, he was being taken to where Louis was, but then the light outside his lids disappeared.

"I'm coming with," Zayn demanded. "He's my slave. We're paired."

There were other voices, but none of them were Zayn's, so he ignored them and clung to his master's words. He's my slave. A thud and then the noise from outside, the familiar wailing, was muted. There was pressure all over, hands sliding over his skin in a chilling, removed sort of way. Everything went blurry for a while as unconsciousness took over, but Zayn kept talking and even when the world went dark, he heard him.

I'm so sorry, Liam.

Fuck, baby, why?

I'll never let you go again, I swear.

We're going to be okay. You're going to be okay.

Why did he keep saying that? Of course he was okay, Zayn was here.

Liam groaned weakly as he opened his eyes, blinking rapidly in the face of bright fluorescents. Zayn? Where was Zayn? He opened his mouth to call out for him but was stopped by the invasive threat of something lodged in his throat. He panicked, groaned louder, but you couldn't lift his hands to yank out the danger.

In a flash, Zayn's face popped into view above him, hands cradling both sides of his face and stilling him instantly. "Hey, baby. I'm here. You're okay. It's a breathing tube. Just let it breathe for you."

Breathing tube?! Liam tried not to panic even more, focused on Zayn's dark, soothing eyes. His Master must've seen the terror in his own eyes though because he leaned down and kissed Liam's forehead. "Shh," he cooed. "Relax. I'm here. You're okay."

The slave tried to listen, to actually hear what he was saying. Calm down. Relax. You're okay. He was okay. He was...alive? He was alive! Holy shit, he was alive and with Zayn and Marcus was nowhere to be seen. The events of the night before- of the early morning Liam spent dragging a lifeless Louis with him to Zayn's car- came rushing back.

Louis.

Liam whimpered again and wiggled his hand to reach for his jeans- the back pocket where Marcus had placed the video of him and Louis. Zayn moved back and looked down to watch his slave grabbing at pants he wasn't wearing.

He went over to the chair by the window and Liam saw a pile of clothes hanging off the back, his clothes. Zayn reached into the back pocket of his jeans and came back to the bedside with the phone in his hands. "Looking for this?"

***

Sorry for the heartbreak. At least Liam is alive. That's all I'm saying.

And please please if you ever write or draw or create something you want out there, submit it to The Sedition for consideration! I'm so excited to give a voice to young people like us! Mwah! Xoxo, Jess