The Boyfriend I've Always Wanted (Larry AU Sequel)

Sleepover - 20

I know Louis and Harry are both stubborn and annoying now, they're both being idiots and there's a ton of miscommunication happening. Harry's in a mental slump, and Louis is being a little ignorant about how much it's affecting Harry, really only aware of his own issues, because his are more physically obvious.

Also, I really want to write a Cazriel fanfiction now for absolutely no good reason other than there aren't enough out there, and I genuinely believe the two have fucked at least once in their past. Probably won't ever happen though - it's how these things go lol.

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Louis jumps out of bed at the crack of dawn on that Thursday. Which is quite easy really when you get zero sleep and lie awake thinking about every regret you've ever had in your entire existence. He doesn't bother to change clothes, just runs out and tries to breathe around his collapsing trachea.

He fumbles with his keys, unlocking the mailbox and taking deep breaths. Weirdly enough, it seems to help. There's something mundane and familiar about it, and his heart slows down, and the brief flash of pain in his chest vanishes.

Thank god.

The first envelope his eyes land on is a letter from Harry's dad's company. The initial emotion to hit him is surprise, because Des had seemed like the type who has to do everything as fast as possible at dinner (email should be faster, right?) - definitely not the type of person to reach outside himself. When Louis had called them that morning, he had hit a receptionist who seemed no less helpful than the company's website and told him he had to arrange an appointment for an interview, regardless of his connection to the CEO and the personalized letter.

He rips the flap open, with no real surprise, to find the letter asking the same thing.

Louis just sighs and chucks it in the trash, his stomach cramped with unease and guilt about the fact that he had even done it in the first place. Would Harry be mad at him? Louis doesn't know.

He runs every errand he can think of that day. He checks out every professor's office hours, makes himself comfy in the library, runs for a cup of coffee. Anything to keep himself from going home before Jack has to go into work. Luckily, Louis knows his schedule by heart and is well aware he leaves for work 30 minutes before any shift, so he plans accordingly.

Harry looks for him in the library around noon, but luckily Louis was hiding behind some stacks, on his way back from the bathroom. Looking like a villain on a quest to carry away the heroine to his evil overlord. Louis curses, punches a shelf, curses again while shaking out his hurt hand, is cursed out by the librarian, curses a third time, and then leaves. It's not one of his finer moments.

Right then, his phone chirps in his pocket, and Louis knows who it is.

He feels like he's got some kind of desperation for the emotional pain when he decides to take his phone out of his pocket and read it anyway.

From Harry: im so sry i was drnk and high and i said things and im sry

i need 2 talk 2 u

And while Louis normally would've appreciated such an effort in Harry, they are currently no longer together, and Louis has no reason to really care how Harry conducts himself. He rubs his face, not knowing how to respond.

Thankfully, Karissa distracts him. She slings an arm over Louis' shoulder and hands him a mocha, appearing out of thin air like the goddess that she is.

"Oh my god, you're a blessing," he breathes gratefully, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Why can't my mother ever tell me that?"