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In every aspect of his life Liam Payne strived for perfection, perfect grades, perfect friends, perfect appearance, and a perfect life. The pressure for perfection was like anchors holding him down. His peers, his friends, everyone, just assumed that Liam had the perfect life. He had everything he could need, and he was humble on top of it. To people Liam was just the epitome of perfection. He was constantly smiling and joking around with those around him, no matter what their attitude was like; however, happiness wasn't something that Liam could truthfully identify anymore.
Sure he had some moments, but they never lasted long and once he was home there sure as hell was none. Living in a household where not making any mistakes was just expected and not something praised took a toll on Liam. Hearing a compliment from his parents was rare. This fake happiness however, did not go as unnoticed as Liam had thought. Another boy in Liam's grade could easily see through his act and the observer was never quite sure what to do about it. Liam, as humble and kind as he was, was still a fairly intimidating boy to approach for those who don't actually know him. Louis, his harmless observer, was definitely part of that intimidated group, not that he would actually admit to it. Just because Louis could see through the facade that everyone saw, didn't mean that he didn't think the boy was pretty damn close to perfection.
He was a whole lot closer than Louis who managed to take home C's and sometimes a B if he was lucky. His parents were more worried about putting food on the table versus their son’s student ranking. As long as he wasn't failing and would be graduating on time they were happy. This wasn't the case for Liam, anything under an A was a death wish, so seeing the B marked clear as day on his final exam practically sent him into a panic attack. He didn't know what to do with him-self; he had taken art under the impression that it would be easy, just an extra class to add to his already perfect GPA. Liam never imagined that it would end up being the cause for his student ranking to drop, his parents would never believe that it was the reason for his student ranking to drop.
Liam had been neck and neck with another boy for the entire year and this one class was the break his competitor had been praying for. The pressure was finally too much to handle; he was imploding. He had nowhere to turn and no one to talk to; no one would believe Liam even if he managed to say something. If he managed to explain what was going on and what was going through his head they would just laugh, everyone exaggerated how strict their parents were. The idea had been in the back of Liam's head for sometime now, this wasn't something that just sprung up out of nowhere.
It, much like a seed, had to be planted, nurtured and allowed to grow. The roots needed time to slink their way through his mind, find the dark crevices and burrow themselves in. Once it was planted, once it was rooted, it simply needed to be fed, something that was easily done in the Payne household. It was all too much for Liam to handle and that's when a plan began to form in his head. He knew how it was going to happen, where and even when. He had taken everything in account and was prepared, well; he thought he was at least. He walked into school the next day as if nothing was wrong, because the plan was settled and nothing was wrong anymore. He knew that he wouldn't be returning home after today and he wouldn't have to deal with the stress any longer. For once he was extremely happy, not that anyone noticed the rapid change besides Louis.
Louis was definitely shocked when he saw Liam, there was no faking in his smiles and laughs, it was a happiness that could only be created once an escape was found and this had definitely sparked Louis' interest. That interest was what lead the boy to follow Liam around all day, was it crazy? Of course, was it stupid? Probably. But Louis had always been known for his outlandish antics and so it wasn't something that would surprise anyone. He was about to give up until he noticed Liam enter the bathroom. It wasn't the fact that Liam walked into the room that had Louis approaching, but it was which one he chose to walk into.
There was nothing wrong with the restroom besides the fact that it was just out of the way, unless you were trying to avoid class or doing something inappropriate then there was no use for it. Louis managed to slip into the room unnoticed by Liam who stood facing the mirrors with his backpack propped on the sink. He stood staring at his reflection in the mirror while his knuckles began to turn white from the strength his was using to hold on to the sink as if that was the only thing keeping him from falling. Louis watched the others shoulders rise and fall with each deep breath he took before watching as his hand left the sink and reach into his backpack. A shiver coursed through Liam's spine as his fingers brushed the cold metal. Louis' eyes widened as the gun made its appearance. It was a small gun, almost feminine in a way, but it was a gun and a bullet was a bullet and it would kill if used properly.
Louis was now frozen in shock, he didn't know what to do or if he should even say something at this point. Liam tore his eyes away from his reflection to stare at the gun. It was almost as if he was entranced by the glittering weapon. "You might as well leave" Liam said calmly causing Louis to jump in shock. "You aren't as swift as you'd like to believe, so please just leave," he said emotionlessly never moving an inch.
"I-I can't" Louis stuttered out shaking his head taking a small step forward not knowing how he could approach this situation. "Yes you can, turn around and leave forget about this and just leave." Louis could hear the desperation creeping into Liam's voice. He bit his lip nervously, but held his ground nevertheless "No," he responded a bit firmer this time, however, he could feel his heartbeat rise dramatically as the gun was suddenly lifted and positioned against Liam's temple. "Leave or I'll blow my brains out" Liam said looking at Louis through the mirror.
His own eyes were glazed over holding back unshed tears as he stood in a rigid stance. "You're going to do it whether I leave or not" Louis pointed out as he edged closer to Liam, treating him as if he was a frightened animal, but then in a way that is exactly what Liam was. One wrong move and much like a frightened animal he would run, well he would pull the trigger, but that was his way of running. Panic had risen when he heard that familiar click of the weapon. Now all he had to do was pull the trigger and it would all be over. Well not if Louis had his way, "come on Liam lets just talk about this, yeah?" he asked trying to stay calm, knowing that he had to, it wouldn't help either party if he didn't stay calm. "Talk about what? There is nothing to talk about Louis," he stated firmly, the harshness almost made Louis recoil.
Neither of the boys knew how long they had been standing there, but their time was limited and Liam was determined to not walk out those doors. "Liam…" Louis trailed off softly trying to think of something, anything, he could possibly say that would change Liam's mind. "What? What Louis? What do you want to say?" Liam asked harshly, spinning around quickly to face Louis, glaring and keeping his grip on the gun firm. He knew he couldn't yell, yelling would draw attention and even though this bathroom was in a secluded area, voices bounced off of the walls easily. Louis was honestly at a loss for words, what could he possibly say in this situation.
"Liam please, you'll regret this" he tried only to be greeted with a dark laugh "I'll be dead, I won't regret or feel anything," he stated coldly staring Louis down. "Think of how many people you'll hurt by doing this," Louis begged licking his lips trying to edge closer to the boy. "No one," Liam shot back confidently. Louis pursed his lips trying to think of something to do to stop this, Louis was a talker, but not this type of talker. He didn't know what to say and more often than not would end up making it ten times worse; especially with someone like Liam who lived for words. "That's not true," he said shaking his head following his gut.
His face morphed into a scowl, his eyes never leaving Louis'. "Pray tell who then?" Liam asked sarcastically, Louis noted his rigid stance was beginning to relax, even if it was only a tiny bit, it was better than nothing. "Me," he responded without a second thought, speaking more confidently than he had throughout this whole conversation. "You're fucking lying," Liam said shaking his head, however, the scowl shrunk a bit and he could see Louis' eyes widen a bit. Liam was smart, he should have expected that answer, but for some reason he hadn't and for some reason it threw him off guard. Maybe it was because he always had a slight infatuation with Louis and maybe it wasn't. Liam was a bit to frazzled to actually pinpoint the reason.
"Let me show you," Louis said softly, his voice growing a bit husky as he took a step towards Liam. Louis didn't worry about being cautious, taking advantage of his shocked stance. He didn't immediately reach for the weapon, knowing it would only knock Liam back into sense. Instead he grabbed the back of his neck and smashed their lips together in an almost painful kiss. Liam stood frozen in shock, not moving or responding until he felt Louis' body pressed flush against his own. His thoughts began to scatter frantically as his free hand gripped Louis' side and started kissing him back.
There was no fireworks or anything special, in fact is was quite sloppy and messy, but it was still a kiss and it left them both scattered brained as they pulled away for air. However, Louis quickly started kissing down Liam's neck nipping at the skin as his hand slid up into Liam's hair while the other slowly began to reach for the gun that had fallen limp at his side during the kiss. Small moans were bubbling past Liam's lips as his fingers dug into Louis' side. The movements were slow and patient, he couldn't rush without the risk of startling Liam. Louis seized Liam's lips in another kiss before he carefully managed to slip the gun from Liam's white knuckles.
He released the weapon timidly, putting up less of a fight than Louis had originally thought. He stepped back loosing contact and leaving Liam in a dazed state as he put the safety back on the gun and putting it in his own backpack. "What are you doing?" Liam asked softly, still in a slight haze, "making sure neither of us get shot," Louis responded with a small smirk before returning to his position placing a small kiss on Liam's swollen lips. "Come on you need to go to class" Louis said calmly lacing his fingers with Liam's and grabbing his backpack before heading out of the bathroom. He knew Liam was still in a daze of sorts, but at least this way he was more compliant.
"What class do you have right now?" Louis asked walking down the hallway keeping his grip on Liam's hand firm. He barely heard the response that Liam murmured before leading him towards the classroom. Louis stopped them both in front of the class placing a chaste kiss on Liam's lips "I'll meet you here when class is over," Louis stated only letting Liam go when he nodded before heading to his own class. Louis wasn't stupid, he knew this wasn't over and he knew they would have to talk about what happened, and maybe Louis would have to tell someone else about what happened in the bathroom, but for now he would take it slow. He would be patient and let Liam move at his own pace.