Clean Criminal // l.s.

iv.

[Thank you so much for all of the positive feedback so far. I'm glad you're all liking the story! Love you all. -M]

Louis stood there looking dumbfounded and feeling like an idiot. He welcomed the brown haired lad in, since the hallway was always cool and was making Louis' bare feet cold. The other took off his coat, trying to settle in like Louis told him to. (Of course dirty shoes were put on the mat beside the door.)

"I had invited you to dinner with me earlier today, before you got on the bus." Louis nodded along with the detective, "I kind of thought you said yes so I'm here to take you on a sort of date thing."

Louis blushed, embarrassed for making a fool of himself in front of such a handsome man. He hung up the dressy jacket on the coat rack and sat down with the tall man on his couch, "I'm going to sound like such an idiot after I say this." Louis let out a sigh, "I totally wasn't paying attention to you. I...I just get focused on things and today was the bus and I completely spaced out our conversation. I'm sorry, Harold."

"No, no it's fine, you're perfectly--did you just call me Harold?"

Louis' blush deepened, was that not his name? Did he call him by the wrong name? Maybe he shouldn't infer things he didn't know. "Yeah, well, I thought that was your name. I just heard people talking about you--I think it was you--when I was there for questioning. I just thought that, you know, you kind of look like a Harold," Louis rambled.

The other laughed and Louis couldn't help but feel extremely small in that moment. If it wasn't the apple guy's name, couldn't he just tell him that?

"It is Harold, legally anyways. Everyone calls me Harry because it's less...old man-ish," Harry stated. He noted Louis' features and softened up a bit, "are you okay? I didn't mean to laugh at you. I was just, it was just funny because no one calls me Harold."

Harry's words didn't help and Louis still felt like folding into himself so he was a little ball that was secluded from the world and all its inhabitants. How could he be so foolish? He had managed to embarrass himself multiple times in front of this quite amazing man with gorgeous green eyes all in one lousy day. And Louis honestly felt as though he might cry.

He got up and rushed off to the bathroom where Harry quickly got up to follow him. Louis closed the door in his face and started pacing back and forth in the bathroom, taking long breaths to try and sooth himself.

On the other side of the door was Harry who was desperately trying to figure out what he had done wrong, "Louis? Louis, please, open the door. Did I do something wrong? Did I say something to upset you? I...all I wanted was to go with you to dinner because I think you're absolutely incredible."

Louis perked up at that and went to slowly open and unlock the door, "what did you just say?"

"Which part? Where I was confused as to what--"

Louis shook his head, "no, no after that."

"That I think you're absolutely incredible?"

"Yeah, that part. Elaborate," Louis said, his arms folded across his chest because he felt very self concious in this moment and didn't really want Harry to be able to stare at his stomach. He felt very open right now, like he was just allowing someone to read his very personal book that includes little pet-peeves and big, big wishes. He felt like he was just letting someone fall right into the middle of his life and that didn't make sense, that didn't fit the clock.

"Since the first day I bumped into you--which, by the way, sorry about the apples--I couldn't get you out of my mind. You're just...you're someone unforgettable. Like a song you really want to get out of your head, but you can't so you stop trying and just sing along with the song. You're sticky, not like you you, but the idea of you just sticks to my brain. And I'm rambling and I should stop."

Louis smiled, "aren't detectives supposed to be straight to the point? You just keep going around in circles before you get to the point, huh?"

Harry scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he thought about it, "yeah. I tend to do that a lot. It gets some getting used to I suppose," Harry admitted.

"Well," Louis started, "since you've already taken off your jacket and shoes, I think you better stay for a while. I can make us some hot cocoa and cookies or maybe I have some brownies left over, I'll have to look around. So, what do you say, Harry? Would you care to join me this evening as we watch the end to Undercover Boss?"

Harry happily agreed and so that is what they did. Louis ended up making cookies because he had just bought ingredients the Tuesday before and hadn't actually gotten the time to make them. They both enjoyed the television shows onCBS and by the time it was just pass nine-thirty, Louis was starting to fall asleep at the other end of the couch.

Harry smiled softly to himself as he took the feather haired boy to bed and tucked him in as neatly and nicely as he could manage. There was something that possessed him to lay a gentle kiss on top of Louis' head, however, Harry resisted and quietly shut off the light and closed the door, not wanting to wake the sleeping beauty.

.

When Louis woke up the next morning, he was getting out of bed at his usual time (after his morning stretches of course, because who doesn't stretch in the morning?) and as in the shower just a tad earlier than normal. He took a little longer finding his Saturday outfit because Saturday was free day and he could choose from either outfit one or outfit two. He chose the second which included a pair of nice, black denim jeans and grey sweater. He could wear whichever pair of converse he liked because everything goes with black.

He was in the middle of cooking breakfast when there was a knock on his front door and he found the one and only Detective Styles standing behind it with two coffees in his hands, "I thought that this will be my little treat to you."

"What for?" Louis questioned, taking the drinks from Harry so the other could take off his shoes more easily.

"Well, I figured this can make up for the seven apples I made you drop. Oh, and look," Harry reached into his pocket to retrieve an apple from his pocket, "I made sure the bag was sealed shut so bad things didn't get in and it didn't fall out. I tried to pick out the perfect one, but I don't think it really meets your standards."

Louis smiled and took the drinks to the small dining room table, "let me have a look-see." Louis took the apple from Harry and unwrapped it. It didn't seem to be too damaged. In fact, if Louis were looking at it at the grocery store, chances are he would have bought this one and six more like it. "It's perfect."

Harry beamed, "you're kidding."

"No, no. It's the perfect apple. I'll have to save it for later," Louis said, setting it on top of the bag, "thank you. No one has ever done something so kind for me before."

The two shared a moment until Harry spoke, "do you smell something burning?"

"Oh, shit!" Louis screamed, running to the small kitchen to find his scrambled eggs a little overcooked and his bacon extra crunchy. He let out a sigh of disappointment and hung his head as Harry took care of the issue. "You didn't have to do that," Louis stated, "I could have taken care of it."

"It's alright," Harry smiled, "I like helping you out." And how could Louis not smile at those words?

The two sipped on their coffee and ended up cutting the perfect appple so they could munch on it as they talked. Harry told Louis of an experience he had on the bus on day and Louis told him of his friend Brayan. What Louis loved was that Harry would listen to anything he had to say whether it be about the weather or a good friend or something silly like tangerines. Then suddenly Harry was getting a call, interrupting their chat and Louis sat wondering what was happening on the other line.

Harry nodded along and took down a few notes for later then he hung up, "we've got some news on the case," Harry told. And before Louis could say anything, the two of them were out the door and on their way to the police station.