Clean Criminal // l.s.

xxxix.

[The gif is my all time favorite. The way Harry looks at Lou and then SNEAK ATTACK. Much love for getting this story ranked #24 in Mystery / Thriller! :) You guys are the best. -M]

Harry nearly dropped his Skittles at the sight before him. Two women stood beside the bed Louis was laying in, the younger looking right at Harry with a smile. She approached Harry, the curly haired lad confused as to what he should do.

"Hi, you must be Harry. The nurses were talking about you," the young woman greeted, reaching out her hand to shake Harry's, "I'm Lottie, Louis' sister. He's probably never mentioned me or any of our family for that matter."

Harry was still surprised, but moved his Skittles to his other hand and shook Lottie's hand anyways, "yeah, no, he's mentioned you guys. It's-wow-it's so weird meeting you. Uhm, please sit down." Lottie took a seat that Harry led her to and smiled at the gesture.

An older looking woman stood, an awkward smile on her face, "I'm Johannah, Louis' mother," she introduced herself, reaching out her hand much like Lottie had.

Harry shook her hand as well, a wide smile on his face, "it's nice to meet you. Wow, you're so pretty, I see where Louis gets his good looks." Johannah then stepped out of the way to sit next to Lottie.

Johannah and Lottie laughed along with Harry. The whole situation felt really awkward, but Harry was kind of glad there was someone else there with him. He could really use the company, maybe the would help him from going insane.

"How has he been?" Johannah asked, looking over at Louis, "the nurse didn't tell us anything."

Harry shrugged, standing over Louis as he ran his hands through Louis' hair, "he's still alive at least. He hasn't woken up or anything, from what I know. He's just kind of laying there-sleeping. He's sleeping is all."

"It's kind of strange, huh?" Lottie questioned, "We're waiting here for him to wake up while he's dreaming there about God knows what."

Harry smiled down at Louis, "I'd like to think he's dreaming about happy things, like clean dishes and playful kittens."

The three of them laughed and Lottie spoke, "he'd always talk about kittens. He loves them."

Harry laughed, "I plan on getting one for him for his birthday. I think he'd like a cute little grey one."

Just when Harry thought he was beginning to fit in, that's when things got even more awkward.

Lottie took one look at her mother and then cleared her throat, "so you're Louis' boyfriend then?"

Harry felt small in this position, like he was an ant compared to Johannah and Lottie. He always felt this way with his father. If he said the wrong thing, he'd be punished and for some reason, Harry felt that way as he stood in front of Louis' family members.

But Harry was braver than he was when he was younger. He wasn't afraid of who he was or what people might think. He had Louis by his side and in his heart and that was really all he needed.

He nodded, slowly at first but then with more confidence, "yes. Yes, we're together."

"Do you love him?" Lottie questioned, curious about their relationship.

Harry smiled, "yes, I do love him," he chuckled a bit, "he's the only person I've ever really loved, honestly."

"Does he love you, too?" Johannah asked, her voice soft and quiet. Harry thought that she might just cry, but he didn't entirely know for what reason.

Harry turned to look at Louis and grinned, "yes, he does. I felt it from the first time we kissed."

Johannah squirmed in her seat and then stood, wiping away a tear, and grabbed her bag, "I think I'm going to go for a walk. It was nice meeting you, Harry," she spoke, her voice breaking. It was quiet for a moment and Harry hung his head, saddened by the actions of Louis' mother.

Lottie finally decided to speak, "she's always wanted grandchildren, maybe you and Lou could adopt." She smiled at her own comment, "Lou's her baby boy, she'd do anything to protect him. She just feels like she's missed out on such a huge part of his life. He's in college now and mom hasn't heard anything about it. She doesn't know how he's doing and that's terrifying for her. When she got a call from the hospital, she was already packing her bags and mine as well. She was so worried, you should have seen her. She could hardly drive over. All she muttered was, 'he's okay,' over and over again. I thought for sure she'd burst into tears when we arrived. She was so relieved to see him here. And I know she's trying to accept Louis, Harry. She really, really is. But it's got to be hard for her-a mother who hasn't gotten the opportunity to really know her son."

"Why'd he leave the family? Why does he never talk about going home to visit?" Harry questioned, genuinely curious.

Lottie shrugged in her chair, "I'm not entirely sure what happened. People were drunk, things were said, Louis left and never came back to see us. He sends letters though every once in a while. He has an amazing memory so we normally all get birthday cards and five dollars. Mom and dad insisted they pay for Louis' place, so they did even though Louis claimed he could live on his own. They care, they just miss him, I think."

Harry kissed the top of Louis' head and turned to face Lottie, "he's an amazing guy. Your mother should be proud of him. He's a genius and I'm not just saying that because I'm dating him. I'm saying that because it's true. He really wants to help kids too. He's supposed to be at the library reading to kids right now, I had to call them and say he can't make it."

"He's always been big into volunteering. He'd help at the animal shelter every once in a while, until his OCD got to bad and he couldn't stand being there without going crazy."

"He's gotten better," Harry admitted, "I think the worst I've ever seen him is when he couldn't leave his apartment because the pillows on his couch and bed weren't right. He had to call me to help him out. He was crying and frustrated and tore apart his bed. To be honest, it scared the hell out of me. I didn't know what I was getting in to, but everything worked itself out."

Lottie sighed, "a long while ago, he had taken everything in his room and thrown it all over the ground because he couldn't get his room the way he wanted it. He was crying and crazed and I stood behind the door as I watched mom try to tame the beast. She held her hands up and slowly brought him in for a hug. They were like that for a long time and she just whispered in his ear, all things I couldn't hear. It made me realize how special their relationship was. How important she is to him and he is to her."

The young woman offered a seat to Harry and the curly lad gladly took it. They talked for a while, just nonsense stories about Louis. They eventually talked about themselves, sharing a few personal things. Harry thought about how much better this was then staying by Louis' bed waiting for him to wake up, holding his hand and talking about stupid things that came to mind.

Eventually, Johannah came back and insisted the two young ones take a walk to get come coffee and something to eat. Neither one of them complained and they both left the room.