FicWad

Niall and Louis had been walking for about fifteen minutes when Niall got a text from Harry. We checked in at the Hilton. Room 713. I asked the front desk guy to save you guys a key. I love you.

"They're at the Hilton. Harry reserved a key at the front," Niall informed his slave.

Louis turned and put a hand to Niall's chest, making them both stop on the sidewalk in a dim area between street lamps. "Why are we walking?"

Niall cocked his head. "Because Zayn has the only car and he kicked us out of it."

"No," Louis countered, "I mean, why are we here? Why did we even come?"

The blond laced his fingers with Louis' on his chest. "Because Zayn is my best friend, and because we're partly responsible for what's happening right now."

"Are we?" Louis wondered as he pulled Niall closer by his shirt. His eyes bored holes into Niall's, so much pain. "We didn't do anything to Liam. I like the guy, really, but..." He huffed and stepped back, dropping Niall's hand. "Why are we being blamed because Zayn's slave left him?"

"Louis," Niall hissed.

"What? I'm serious. I didn't sleep with Zayn; I didn't ask him to choose me; I don't want him." His voice was rising as his hands flailed wildly, trying to explain. "Liam is insecure and obviously a little messed up, but how is that my fault?!" When Louis was left just staring at Niall, waiting for a response that didn't come, he spat, "Say something!"

Niall just lowered his head and sighed. "You don't know, Lou. You can't possibly understand what they've been through."

"I know," groaned Louis, frustrated. "Zayn didn't have the balls to tell him he wanted him, so Liam was paired with that maggot of a man. Liam was fucked up by Marcus, but guess what? He's not the first and he won't be the last. Marcus DeWare is a stain on humanity, and Liam can just get in line because he's not the only one to be used and abused by that fucking prick!" Louis deflated and his shoulders sank as he covered his flushed face with a hand.

Niall's mouth hung open dumbly, but he reached for Louis anyway. "I didn't know," he admitted.

The slave pretended at pushing Niall away, but when the Master pulled him in, Louis collapsed against his chest and cried. "No one did," Louis told him. "It's not something I broadcast." He sniffled and wiped his nose on Niall's shoulder.

Niall petted his head. "I'm afraid to ask, but I need to know what he did to you."

"No, you don't," Louis disagreed. "I wish I didn't know."

"Zayn thinks you know something."

Louis pulled back and wiped at his eyes, straightening his shoulders and fixing his hair. "Yeah, well, I don't."

"Why did Marcus act like he knew you?" asked Niall. The slave shook his head, pushing Niall's question away. The blond warred with himself. He didn't want to know, but he needed to know. He set his shoulders. "Tell me, Louis."

Louis took it for what it was- an order from his Master. He sighed, long-suffering and started. "It was so long ago," Louis muttered, voice wet and small. He backed up against the nearest building and slumped to the dirty ground. "I was so young."

"I know," Niall encouraged, even though he didn't, and came to sit in front of Louis on the ground. He placed a gentle hand on Louis's bent knee and rubbed soothing circles with his thumb. "You can tell me anything."

Louis was already shaking his head. "Not this," he contended, a sob catching in his chest.

"Anything, Lou," Niall corrected.

Louis shook his head harder, but Niall could tell his resolve was crumbling. The slave roughly grabbed a handful of his own hair, in punishment maybe, before gasping out, "I belonged to Marcus when I met Zayn."

What? "What?"

The brunet nodded but kept his eyes on his knees. "I met Zayn because of Marcus."

"I- I mean, we knew you were paired, but I never knew..."

"Because I never told him. Or you." Louis finally lifted his eyes and fixed them on his Master. "Marcus sent me to him."

"Lou...what the fuck?" Niall urged, hand still and gripping Louis's knee tightly.

Louis bit at his lip and wrung his hands, but kept going. "He wanted me to spy or something. He wanted to take down Zayn's business- your business- when it was just starting to get really popular. He told me to get close to him, to get info on him, and use it to take him down." Louis wiped his shaking hands down his face. "Fuck!" Louis breathed and inhaled sharply. "I was a goddamn pawn! I was a toy that Marcus sent out to seduce another man and then fuck him into telling me how to ruin him."

Niall retracted his hand, couldn't handle the intensity of the touch in that moment. "Then why didn't our business tank?"

The slave pressed his lips together and shook his head. "I couldn't." He breathed out shakily and pounded a fist into his thigh. "He was so good to me- not like Marcus. Zayn was kind and sweet and attentive; he wasn't like any Master I'd ever met."

"You fell in love with him," Niall finished.

Louis's shook his head determinately and urged, "No. I thought I could. He was everything a slave could want, but..." He tapped his temple with a finger. "I had it in the back of my mind that I was betraying him." Louis sniffled, a small smile creeping onto his face. "Then, he took me to you and Harry that night." Niall's brows rose and he fished for something to say but got nothing. Louis spoke over him anyway. "The way you were with each other, the way you were with me- I knew I was fucked."

Niall scrubbed a hand against his cheek. "But Marcus..."

Louis nodded. "I knew that if he found out, he'd kill me, and all of us probably. I thought I could keep us a secret, but Harry's just so fucking tempting," he lamented and let his head knock back against the wall. "They got those pictures of us and I knew I had to leave."

"You didn't," Niall argued.

"I did," Louis confirmed and wiped away his tears again. "I hoped that if I left, Marcus would drop it." He laughed, bitter and tired. "I should've known better. I guess he's had it out for Zayn ever since."

"Why didn't you tell me, tell Zayn?" Niall questioned, taking Louis's hand. "We could have helped you."

"I didn't know Masters like you existed. I'd only known shits like Marcus my whole life. I didn't trust anyone. I just booked it out of town and stopped when I couldn't see because I couldn't stop crying. I got a job and pretended to forget about you and Harry."

Niall made a gruff sound in his throat of displeasure and moved to sit next to Louis, pulling him in with an arm around his shoulders. "We never forgot about you," he assured.

"Yeah," Louis agreed. "It didn't work for me either."

"I hate him," Niall added and they both knew who he meant.

It made Louis scoff a laugh. "Me, too."

"We're going to take him down," Niall declared and Louis just laughed again, burying his face in Niall's shoulder. Niall's pocket buzzed, interrupting their moment. He pulled it out and swiped to answer Harry's smiling face. "Hey, Haz. You guys okay?"

"Where are you? Zayn let me take his car to come and get you."

It was so like Zayn to let his anger deflate as fast as it blew up. He told Harry where they were huddled together on the cement and stayed on the phone with him while he brushed Louis's hair back and held him tight. Now, they just had to figure out how to tell Zayn...