The next day Louis was nervous. He knew that the coach would be talking to the team at practice and he was worried that they would all hate him after. He wasn't sure how specific the talk would be but he was sure that everyone would know that it was because of him.

After thinking about it, he really didn't even think it would be necessary. Yeah, some of the players had stopped talking to him but maybe that was his fault. Louis was really good at reading people so if he could sense that someone was uncomfortable with him, he would typically try to escape the situation.

Of course that wasn't quite ideal when he was the team captain.

But Louis' main concern had been Harry. He was worried that the boy would be bullied, tormented after coming out. But nothing had happened. At least from what Harry told him, and from what Louis heard around school, no one seemed to care.

Which was good.

Louis had to drop off an assignment to a teacher so he texted Harry to just meet him in the cafeteria. Louis knew that Harry preferred sitting in the library, where it was quiet, but Louis loved being able to share his food with Harry and wrap his arm around his boyfriend, so all the school that they were together. So, in the week or so since they had come out, Harry had been sitting with Louis and the football team in the cafeteria.

Louis was eternally grateful to Harry for sacrificing his lunchtime peace but he couldn't help but think that it was really great for Harry to sit with them. Many of the guys on the team were really nice and would engage with Harry in conversation about homework, and TV shows, and, Harry's favourite topic, Louis.

Jade and Stan had broken up so, although Harry had mostly forgiven Jade, they never really spoke anymore. Instead, Harry had become pretty good friends with Stan and Ed, who was short and ginger, and was a really good goalie.

But when Louis sat down across from Ed and Stan, ten minutes into the period, Harry still wasn't there.

"Where's your boy?" Stan immediately teased.

Louis frowned, ignoring the boy's teasing nature. "I was gonna ask you, actually. We were supposed to meet here."

Stan met Louis' frown with his own and turned to Ed, "He was in your chem class, right?"

Ed had failed chemistry the year before and had hated having to sit in class with the year below him, until he realized that Harry was in the class. They had started pairing up for labs and assignments.

"Yeah we did a lab but I think he was running to the bathroom or something. I'm not sure, I had to stay back to talk to the teacher."

Louis pursed his lips and pulled his phone from his pocket, shooting Harry a quick text to ask where he was.

"Coach said he was gonna give the team a talk today," Louis said, making small talk although his chest was tight.

"Oh really?" Louis watched as Stan picked at his soggy sandwich.

"Yeah. He noticed I wasn't changing in the locker rooms and decided to give the team a talk on bullying or some shit."

"Everyone's been fine to you, though, yeah?" Ed said, concern lacing in his voice. Louis was happy he was in chemistry with Harry.

"Yeah, told 'im it wasn't really needed but whatever." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Louis started shifting in his chair.

He glanced around, looking for Harry mostly but only noticed that their table, which on practice and game days was always ninety percent full, was missing about a third of the team.

"Where is everyone?" Louis asked quickly.

Ed and Stan both looked around and frowned, "That's weird. I wonder if there's a trip or something."

"No," Louis said, standing up slowly, "We have practice today, I would've known if there was a trip."

Louis' fingertips began to tingle and he couldn't help but feel panic rising in his chest. It could not be a coincidence that the players who were gone were also the ones that had been ignoring him since he and Harry had come out. Not a chance.

"Fuck," Louis swore and grabbed his bag, rushing out of the cafeteria. He didn't really know where he was going but all he could think about was Harry and keeping the boy safe.

Louis tore down the hallways, glancing around for a sight of his boy or his players, but there was none.

Until he reached the science hallway and got the urge that maybe he should check the bathroom, after all, Ed had said that he thought Harry had gone to the bathroom. So Louis pushed the door open, even though, looking back on it, he could have lived his entire life very peacefully without seeing what was behind the door.

There were about seven or eight of his players, rowdy and shouting and all crowded around one spot.

Louis' heart dropped and suddenly he was shouting. Shouting at the boys to move, to get off, to stop, because he knew in his heart that it was Harry that they were all crowded around. Without even seeing the boy, he knew and he wanted to puke.

The players looked towards him, half of them looking somewhere between scared and shocked while the other half looked almost smug. Louis wanted to punch each and every one of them.

But instead, he took all of his anger and channeled it into his voice, not risking sounding too girly or weak as he often thought he did, "Get the fuck outta here! Now!"

Louis pushed through the boys as they left, not even caring who they were. The coach would deal with them later. And then Louis saw Harry and his heart broke.

The boy was cowering in the corner of the bathroom, head between his knees as he obviously struggled through a panic attack. Louis quickly reached to wrap his boyfriend in his arms but at his touch, Harry recoiled and whimpered out, "Please don't touch me."

"Baby," Louis said softly, "It's just me."

Louis could hear the boy's laboured breathing when he lifted his head. He could see the tears tracking their way down Harry's pale skin and the slight bruising around his eye.

"Oh, baby," Louis whispered. Harry just let out a sob. "I'm so sorry, Harry. This is all my fault."

Harry sucked in a breath and made a slight choking sound. "It's not your fault."

Louis hesitantly rested his hand on Harry's arm and when the boy didn't flinch, Louis pulled him onto his lap. Although Harry had at least an inch on him at this point, the boy was pliable and just about fell into him.

Louis held him tightly, waiting for his breathing to return to normal. Once they were, Louis wiped the tears from Harry's face and pressed soft kisses on his cheeks, holding the boy tightly all the while.

Luckily, the bathroom in the science hallway was scarcely used, and the boys were able to sit in silence until the bell rang.

"Do you want to go to class?" Louis asked Harry, who had his head resting on the older boy's shoulder while he played with his fingers. Louis, on the other hand, had been stewing in guilt over what had happened.

Harry shook his head slowly, his hair falling into his eyes, although Louis was quick to push it back for him. "Could we go home?"

Louis nodded and they waited in silence until a few minutes after the bell announcing the start of class had rung. Then they made their way out the back doors of the school and to Louis' car.

"I'll have to come back for practice," Louis mumbled on the drive home. He was trying harder than anything to keep himself from looking at Harry's darkening, swollen eye.

"Okay," Harry replied quietly. The younger boy let Louis baby him, open his car door and unlock the house, make him some tea and lie him down on the couch with a blanket, music playing quietly from the TV.

Louis lay down so that he was between the back of the couch and Harry, spooning the younger boy, holding him as if he might float away.

"I'm so sorry, H, this is what I was scared would happen."

Harry frowned and wiggled around so he was facing Louis. Like that, he could see that the boy's eyes were teary, matching his croaky voice. "It's not your fault," Harry whispered.

"Yes it is," Louis insisted. "This never would've happened if we didn't come out."

Harry looked down at where his hands were resting on the place where Louis' dress shirt met his uniform slacks. "It's really not because of that."

Louis brought a hand up to Harry's chin, making the boy look at him. "What do you mean? Why else would they do that?"

Harry shrugged and looked away again, "They said something about my nail polish."

Louis looked at Harry's hands, the light blue polish standing out. He couldn't believe that anyone would say something about it. "But it's so pretty."

Harry smiled and pressed his lips to Louis' in a sweet kiss. "You know you're literally the best there is."

Louis pushed their lips together in a slightly deeper kiss but when he pulled away, all he could focus on was Harry's startling black eye. "But your eye. And you're hurt, Haz." Louis didn't know what to say. He felt so guilty.

"It's okay, Lou. I'll just take off the nail polish and boom-" Harry made an exploding motion with his hands, drawing a quiet chuckle from Louis' lips. "-no more problems."

Louis' amusement was quickly gone though, and he pressed his forehead into Harry's neck before whispering, "It's not fair."

Harry brought a hand up and began to card it through Louis' soft, feathery hair. "It's not, but that's okay."

---

Early update this week but I'll probably update again on Mon/Tues.

I'm working on a new story to be published when this is done so if there's someone here that wants to read over the chapters/edit them for me that'd be great <3

I love june because I just feel so inspired, I'm sad it's coming to an end.

xx