Chapter Text
4 weeks later
If Harry was in a calmer state of mind, he might have felt a strong sense of deja vu as he paced through the living room in one of Louis’ sweatshirts. His socked feet meet the wooden floor restlessly, but it’s all he can do to prevent himself from chewing his nails raw or pulling his hair out.
He is most definitely freaking out.
“Woah, Haz. When did you buy a time machine?” Comes Niall’s voice from the entryway.
“Niall!” Harry heaves a sigh of relief as his best friend walks into the living room. “I’m freaking out.” He states the obvious.
Niall nods at him approvingly before saying, “That is definitely growth from a month ago. I’m proud of you.”
Harry frowns. “What?”
“You know, a month ago? When Louis was coming back? God, you were such a mess and you refused to admit it—,”
“That is not the point here, Niall,” Harry sighs in exasperation.
“Yeah, but I just felt like I had to make it anyway because you—,”
“Niall!” Harry almost yells. He loves him, but fuck if Niall wasn’t infuriating during the most life-threatening, collapsing, potentially combusting moments of Harry.
Maybe he isn’t making a lot of sense right now. It’s Niall’s fault. Whatever.
“Is this about Louis? Because I don’t think I can help—,”
“This is not about Louis! This is about Louis’ mum!” Harry is still pacing like he’s walking for the Olympics, not noticing Niall’s jaw drop.
“You’re in love with Louis’ mum?”
That stops Harry. “Uh, I’m— wait what?” Harry is caught off guard, his mind clouding with confusion.
Niall looks equally confused and scandalised. “You just said it’s not about Louis, it’s about Louis’ mum! What else am I supposed to think!”
“Niall, I’m gay!”
“Then why are you panicking?!”
“I’m going to meet Jay as Louis’ boyfriend, of course I’m panicking!” Harry throws his hands up and brings them back down with a groan to rub his eyes. “This is so—,”
“Hold the fuck up.” Niall says, his voice oddly low.
“What?” Harry looks up again in confusion and sees Niall rise from the couch and walk towards him.
Niall blinks at him. “Did you just say boyfriend?”
“Uh… yeah?” Harry raises his eyebrows and then turns around with his head in his hands. “Niall, I nee—,”
“No, no. No. Is this some twisted fantasy where you pretend like Louis is your boyfriend because you don’t have the courage to actually ask him out?” Niall sounds slightly frantic.
Harry frowns because, what the fuck?
“No, Niall! What are you—,” And then it dawns upon him. “Oh, shit.”
He whips around faster than even lightning and if looks could kill, Harry would’ve been dead ten times over.
“So when do we tell the boys?” Harry whispers into the darkness. He can feel Louis’ chest rising and falling on his back, still breathing heavily from their, ah— activities. It makes Harry smile.
Louis just continues playing with his hair.
“I guess the question is ‘how do we tell them’, right?” Harry goes on. Louis hums in response and Harry can tell he’s thinking about something. He tilts his head a little, eyes adjusting to the dark and finally focusing on Louis’ face, allowing Harry to see his brow scrunched up.
“What are you thinking?” Harry asks. He knows that look, is the thing. Last time Louis had that look on, the entire high school had found themselves washing their hands with glittery water in every tap for three days.
“Nothing.” Louis’ lips curl into a smile.
Harry smacks his chest lightly. “Don’t lie to me. Now, spill.”
Louis runs his hand across Harry’s back and it sends a shiver down his spine. God, will Louis ever stop having that effect on him? He highly doubts it.
“I was thinking… Let’s just not tell them.”
At that, Harry pulls away. “What? Do you want to die?” He asks incredulously.
Louis huffs out a laugh. “I don’t mean never. I just mean… let it be. We don’t act differently or actively try to hide our relationship. Let’s see how long it takes for them to catch up.”
Harry should’ve said no. He really, really should’ve considered Niall’s wrath and Zayn’s silent treatment and Liam’s ability to guilt trip him like he is his mother. But Louis’ eyes were glittering with excitement and mischief and well— Harry never really stood a chance anyway.
At this point, Niall is positively seething. If he wasn’t so terrified, Harry might’ve laughed at Niall’s strong resemblance to a tomato with a bleached head.
It probably wouldn’t be a good idea though. If he wants to keep his limbs intact.
Harry opens his mouth to defend himself and possibly put all the blame on Louis (He can use the ‘I’ve been away!’ card like he has been doing all this month) but right at that moment, the sound of the key turning in the lock fills the room followed by raucous laughter.
Louis, Liam and Zayn are back.
The three of them enter the room, and as if the tension in the room is palpable, they freeze immediately, happy smiles turning into confused ones.
“What’s going on, lads?” Louis tries.
Harry holds his thumb to his throat and motions a knife. Louis furrows his brows in confusion.
“Wha—,”
“That’s right, Styles. You’re dead. You are so fucking dead.” Niall whispers.
Louis steps forward despite Harry’s vivid hand gestures telling him to let it be. “Alright, what ha—”
Niall whips his head and taking two large strides, still glowering, he comes to a stop right in front of Louis. “You’re dead too, Tomlinson.” He growls.
Louis’ eyes widen.
Liam sticks his hand in the small distance between Niall’s face and Louis’. “Okay! Niall what’s going—,”
“Ask these traitors!” He yells. Louis’ frown melts into understanding to terror to absolute guilt. They had royally screwed up. Silence blankets the room rather uncomfortably.
“What is he talking about?” Zayn asks.
Harry looks at Louis and they have a silent conversation. Argument, more like.
You tell them, Louis jerks his chin.
Harry shakes his head and narrows his eyes, it was your idea!
I’ve been away! Louis’ eyes widen.
That’s not going to work! Harry rolls his eyes
I’m not doing it! Louis clenches his jaw.
I’ll suck you off in the shower, Harry grins slyly.
One last glare from Louis shows Harry won with that one. He hides his smirk behind his knuckle as Louis steps up to the butcher’s block and faces the axe.
“Soooo… funny story!”
*****
Three hours later, Harry and Louis are finally settled in bed. After a thorough questioning from the boys regarding questions ranging from ‘How did it happen?’ to more disturbing details of their sex life, lots of groveling and then Louis’ offer to buy them all dinner for the next three months, they finally forgave them.
Harry watches as Louis prances around the room, a slight bounce having taken residence in his step ever since that day on the Tomlinson farm, picking up his dirty laundry from the floor and dropping into the hamper and turning all the lights but their bedside lamps off.
Then he takes his shirt off with a slight smirk on his face. Harry knows that Louis knows he’s watching. Harry can’t help his eyes, though, as they shamelessly take in Louis’ naked torso. It’s not like Louis doesn’t preen under the attention.
Harry finds himself pulling off the duvet and walking towards Louis. He’s about to put his hands around him but Louis stills.
“How did Niall even find out?” Louis asks.
Harry, admittedly a little dazed, doesn’t understand immediately. “What?”
Louis turns around to face Harry. “How did he find out about us?”
“Oh!” Harry exclaims, turning around and walking back towards the bed, pulling Louis with him.
“Basically, I was freaking out about meeting Jay tomorrow, so I called him up. I sort of forgot he didn’t know so it just slipped out and—,”
“Wait. You were freaking out about telling our mums that we’re together?” Louis asks, incredulously.
Harry raises his eyebrows at him as he pulls the blanket over the two of them. “Uh, yes?”
“Why?” Louis looks genuinely befuddled.
Harry moves his pillow closer to Louis, who wordlessly pulls him into his arms. “It’s scary! Before I was Harry, her son’s best friend. Now, I’m Harry, her son’s boyfriend! Like ‘hello Jay, you’ve cleaned up my vomit when I was a child and now I’ve bedded your son!’”
Louis doubles into laughter, and without even looking, Harry can tell there are crinkles by his eyes. “Bedded?” He wheezes and Harry just rolls his eyes.
“Ugh! It’s easy for you! All confident and charming, using the ‘I’ve been away!’ card!” Harry huffs.
When he finally manages to catch his breath, Louis’ hands find his way into Harry’s curls. Harry’s eyes involuntarily droop.
Louis draws in a deep breath, smiling into Harry’s hair. “Remember, back when we were four? When your mum left you at ours for two days while she visited you grandmother?”
The memory brings a smile to Harry’s face.
“God, our mums spent so much time trying to correct us!” Harry giggles.
It feels so far away, like a different version of Harry and Louis lived that life. But then again, he supposes it was a different version of them. They were barely four, after all.
It’s a little hazy around the edges, but it’s one memory Harry won’t ever forget.
When he had found out he was spending two whole days in Louis’ house with Louis and sleeping in Louis’ bed and eating with him, Harry had been ecstatic. It was that phase of theirs where they wanted to do the exact same thing as each other, all the time.
It was okay for a while. Their mums even entertained it to a certain extent, when it came to buying clothes or coordinating holidays.
But this particular time was different.
Harry and Jay have always been close, sharing a love for books, Shania Twain and knitting. At four too, Harry looked up to her like she was his own mother.
To some degree, she always has been.
Watching Louis call Jay ‘mum’ had resulted in Harry switching from ‘Jay’ to ‘mum’ too. No one paid too much attention to it at first, assuming he missed his mother.
When his mum had come back, nothing changed. Soon after, Louis had started calling Anne ‘mum’ too.
After a point, everyone gave up on trying to correct them.
“She has always been as much your mum as she is mine. And that’s how Anne is for me. I know we stopped calling them ‘mum’ when we turned nine, but nothing has changed, has it?” Louis says soothingly.
And… he’s right. They’ve always been family. Just the way Harry has always been in love with Louis.
“I really got the whole package. Perfect boyfriend, perfect family, perfect friends. I got so lucky.” Harry says through a smile.
“Mhmm.” Louis hums, placing a kiss on Harry’s shoulder. Harry’s breath hitches.
“You’re still paying for all the dinners. Niall found out because of you.” Louis whispers into his neck, and it’s Harry’s turn to burst into laughter.
He could explode with the love he feels for Louis.
Harry thinks he wouldn’t mind exploding if it was for this reason.
For perhaps the millionth time, Harry thanks the universe for just giving him the privilege of knowing Louis.
Loving him was definitely an added bonus.