Empty Frames

*

He knows it was the right choice after the one time he lets Louis models for Olly Mars while he was out of town and the media just pounces on Louis with photos of the photographer and himself and talk about him cheating. It didn’t help that Harry was out of town and not answering his phone. When that happened, Louis’s insecurities kicked in and he went drinking and driving and ended up in an accident.

Harry is scared how much he loves him when he hears what happened to his lover. He holds the man who bursts into tears the second Harry steps foot in his hospital room. Harry realizes how much Louis is scared of losing him as well.

And he vows that he will never put him through heartbreaks.

But vows are meant to be broken.

*

When Harry is coming home on his birthday, after a long meeting with Glamour magazine, there is a fire truck in front of his apartment building. It was alright up till he sees his lover being walked out of the building with a fireman.

 He runs towards him just for the other to meet him halfway. There is a lot of sobbing and all Harry is able to caught is birthday dinner, burned kitchen and a lot of sorrys.

 Harry laughs his heart out and the man in his arms stops crying and looks at him worried that losing the kitchen might caused him a breakdown. Harry doesn’t tell him why he laughed. He just escorts him to the nearest hotel.

That night Harry finds himself in front of Barney’s. It’s after 12. He left Louis sound asleep after the later had tried very hard in bed to make it up to Harry, not that he needed to try to begin with. He stands there. The store is closed but he pulls some strings to get someone to serve him. 

He stands there knowing exactly what he wants. He asks for a paper and draws a paper plane on it with a line of diamonds in the folds and requests it to be made into a ring.

 He can’t help but laugh again. The kitchen caught on fire. The safe was in the kitchen, which was saved but he didn’t know that at that time. All his life work, both money and art is there. And it didn’t matter to him. Nothing mattered anymore.

 The only money he needs is enough to feed his lover and shelter him from the rain. Maybe a bit of more money for them to adopt, but he doesn’t need much of life anymore. He has lived in the past 6 months more than plenty lived in their entire life-span.

He must have jinxed it.

*

Harry was used to the flashlights in his eyes during photo shoots. He figured that having to focus hard on the photo shoots and that he is always in the spotlight is exhausting his eyes. He didn’t mind much. He kept telling himself he’ll take a break soon but then he gets another job opportunity to work with a different designer, model or agency and then he can’t help it. He loves him job way too much.

But then Louis came and his job wasn’t his priority anymore. The flashlights gotten worse and Harry’s eyesight would go blurry for a second or two and Harry began worrying that if he doesn’t rest, his eyes would fail on him by the time he is 40 years old and he wont be able to see Louis’s beautiful eyes or the faces of their children anymore.

So he books an appointment and doesn’t tell Louis about it, because his boobear is a worrywart who’d start crying thinking it’s the end of the world.

And it sort of is. The end of the world. Cause when Harry tells his doctor about the symptoms he can see the blood being drained from his face. Harry used to think of him being able to read people a blessing, but this time it’s definitely a curse.