teacups for the wine

3

The following day, Louis wakes up with the most terrible headache. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he didn't sleep at all in the first place, staring at the ceiling in the wonder of how he could be so cruel to the alpha who has been nothing but kind and funny and all sorts of wonderful to him but he is not about to admit that today or any other day. Louis is pretty sure Harry despises every molecule that makes him up and he hates that he is the cause behind his utterly disastrous state.

Breakfast goes by in a blur. Thankfully, shovelling coco pops into his mouth doesn't take much thinking or attention. The eating part goes by fine but when he goes to put the bowl in the sink, his eyes well up with tears. He knows it's pretty fucking stupid and he can't even try to push the blame on someone else, so he does what he knows best and falls to the floor with a soft thud before pulling his knees to his chest.

"I'm sorry I like you, you bloody fool," he sniffles, rubbing his eyes. How is one man so stupid is completely beyond Louis.

It gets sillier as he sits around on the floor until almost noon. Everything seems a little blurry when he peels himself off the floor and he leans against a counter. As he slowly makes his way up to his bedroom, his mouth feels dry but he's too far to now go get water. Once at the doorway to his bedroom, his mood worsens. It's his nest. His beautiful nest, organised with the blankets and pillowcases that Harry slept on that day and accidentally scented, which were woven meticulously on the inside of it. He's spent a lot of time arranging it so the scented items are spread around evenly, lining it with soft fleecy blankets. He climbs into it, stuffing his face into the knitted throw scented by the alpha. He feels terrible, the ever sinking feeling not budging from his stomach. He wants the alpha to accept his apology and go back to eating here and falling asleep here. He wants to have more scented items to stuff into his nest and he wants Harry to kiss him and then scent him. The plan is still a bit vague but it most definitely includes kissing. Lots of kissing.

Another hour passes by before Louis realises he's at fault. Well, he's known it from the start, so it is more like he's admitting it. But still, it hurts his ego a great deal when he finally admits it. It's no secret he's a bit vain but it's okay. He's gonna fix it.

And that's how Louis ends up on Harry's doorstep, finger lingering on the bell. What if Harry tells him to kindly sod off? What will he do then? Or what if Harry looks at him weird and thinks that Louis is the most insolent omega he's ever met?

"Oh fuck it," he whispers softly to himself, turning away from the door. Well, as he turns, his back hits the doorbell, ringing it. Horrified, he picks up his pace as he tries his best to hide his face. Oh for God's sake he's not some seven year old. He turns back, walking swiftly to the door. He reaches the door just as soon as Harry opens the door and Louis is sure his face is flushed. Shit. Harry looks beautiful though, his usually clean shaven face has stubble on it and Louis wants to graze his own face on it. He had said that Harry Styles was a beautiful alpha and he doesn't take it back. He doesn't think he ever will.

"Hi, Louis. Did you need anything?" Harry asks politely and Louis' heart breaks. No Lou. He's already regretting this decision. He should've just stayed at home, wallowing until he died. Just sat around in his nest until it lost Harry's scent and then cried himself to the point of exhaustion. But no, he had to come here to bloody apologise.

"Are you here, love?" Harry asks, waving a hand in front of his face and Louis jerks.

"Oh right yeah sorry. I need to borrow sugar uh for the cake I'm baking. I ran out of sugar but I already whipped the eggs and butter so I can't go back or I'll be making very buttery omelettes," he blurts, feeling his embarrassment grow with every word that left his mouth.

"Come on in, take as much as you need," he says, stepping away from the door for Louis to enter. He walks in, taking in lungfuls of the scent that was all Harry. He could bury himself in it, live it and hell, he could drown in it. A cat was lazily swinging its tail as it sat on the mantle.

"That's Dusty," Harry says from behind him and he nods. If Harry could get any more endearing, he did. Louis saw a big Totoro plush on his couch and his heart softened. How could he upset this perfect alpha? "Louis, the sugar," Harry calls out from the kitchen and Louis' heart falls.

"Yeah I'll need about two cups of it," he fibs, picking at the skin around his fingernails. He watches Harry measure out the sugar before pouring it into a Tupperware container and he can't help but feel so awfully stupid. He just wants Harry to court him. That's it. "I need to go to the washroom, please," he says suddenly, still staring at the ground.

"It's upstairs, to your left." Louis nods.

Once in Harry's bedroom, he immediately plops down on the bed before pressing his face into the pillows. He can't ignore the fact that what he's doing is so fundamentally wrong but do things that are wrong feel so comforting? Harry's scent smells like he's been waiting for it forever like he was meant for Louis. His eye catches a tank top on the floor and what he does next, he will deny ever doing it and take it to his grave. He picks up the tank top and inhales its scent. Yep, unwashed. And it's thin enough for Louis to fold it up neatly and tuck it into his pocket. Thoroughly embarrassed, he rushes outside of the room and down the stairs.

"Here's your sugar," Harry says as he steps down the last stair. Ignoring how cold the alpha's voice sounds, he graciously takes the box with a smile.

"Thank you, Harry." Harry shrugs and Louis wants to crawl into a hole and die. He walks quickly out of the door with a smile but he can't help and feel a little smug at the fact that he got one of Harry's clothes. Even though today's attempt was a futile one, he'll get Harry soon enough. He knows that.