Chapter 22

                                    

                                          
Short and sweet
3 years after we left off 
"I don't want to talk about it Harry," Louis said quietly, "just cuddle me." 
Harry sighed, sitting down gently beside him and pulling him in, pretending he didn't realize that his shoulder was getting when or that Louis was trying not to shake under him. 
In the two years since Jay had died, Harry watched him change. First he'd grown subdued, subjected himself to whatever Simon told him to do without his usual fight, then came the constant drinking and the persistent smell of alcohol that followed him everywhere and then once, just once, he shattered, and Harry had been there to pick up the pieces, almost two full years after she was gone, holding him tight while he clung to him, calling for his mother. They never spoke of it again, but Louis learned to be more open, to talk things through and just a week earlier, he told Harry he made an appointment with a therapist. 
He couldn't meet with him just yet of course, because they had gone off to Doncaster to be with the family, but now they were headed home, to LA, and the appointment was set for the following day. 
"What do you want to do when we land?" Harry asked, repressing the urge to tell him how proud he was, how proud Jay would have been, that he was pushing himself. 
"Sex." Louis said bluntly, "I want sex until my dick drops off."
Harry laughed and kissed his head, "that's my Tommo." He commented. 
"Okay but seriously," Louis continued, "I just want to sleep. Fucking exhausted from this week. I want to take a long, steamy shower and then sleep until I'm old."
"You're already old, Sunshine," Harry giggled, "almost 26 that's almost 30." 
Louis groaned, "m never growing old bitch." He grumbled,
"Course you aren't." Harry soothed, stroking his hair. 
"How much longer?" Louis asked. Harry checked his phone quickly, "we'll be home in 20 minutes," he said, but knocked on the partition to double check with the driver who confirmed. 
"I missed home." He said easily and Louis smiled up at him finally, "I don't know about you, babes, but I was home to whole time cuz I had you."
"Mhmm, is cheesy Tommo out for a visit? Was that romantic?"Harry teased, but he blushed all the same and stroked Louis' hair softly. 
"Don't get used to it." Louis laughed and the taller man embraced him tighter
"Think we've been together long enough that I know that by now." He laughed, "what you want to do when we get home?" He asked again, a clear sign that he was excited to fall back into routine, as he always was
"Sleep." Louis groaned. He shifted slightly, a little uncomfortable, "can you take care of me?" He asked quietly and Harry smiled, "always." He whispered, caught off guard. It had been ages since Louis had asked. They had a brief breakup at the end of 2015 when Louis found out about his mom's illness and needed to be alone, but he came back almost immediately. Since then, they'd kept their sex life pretty conventional, Louis dominating every so often. But he'd only asked to go down once.  
"Ready to start right now?" Harry asked quietly, Louis shifting to look up at him and then nodding 
"K." Harry soothed, "c'mere."
Louis straddled his lap easily, burying his head into Harry's shoulder and sighing deeply. 
"Comfortable there, love?" Harry asked quietly, Louis nodding against him, "I know baby," he said softly, "you like hiding in my shoulder." He giggled a little, stroking his hair, "what are you hiding from?" 
Louis laughed a little too and the tension left his back. He squeezed Harry's arm a little, and his boyfriend recognized the anxiety he usually felt when just starting a scene. "s'okay love, I got you, we're almost home."
They rode in silence, listening to the radio filtering through the car until the driver pulled up to their door and Harry climbed out still holding Louis, shifting him to be on his hip. He motioned for the driver to carry his bags in and tipped him generously closing the door firmly behind them and carrying Louis straight up the bedroom. It took a while, a cozy bath and massage followed by a quiet dinner, Harry watching Louis grow less and less uptight until he zoned out at the end of supper, asking for his soother and cuddling into Harry silently for a while, finally down. But Harry was now gently rocking him on their recliner, Louis' cheek plastered to his chest in the most adorable way and Harry couldn't resist running a hand along his cheek, feeling the softness of his skin.