salute [h.s]

chapter 27 - genuine gestures & burgeoning bonds

HQ was starting to feel like home, starting being the optimal word. There were still some things that, for the life of her, she could not get used to. Louis, for example, had set up a rotating wifi password to protect the servers in the basement from any outside hackers and while he knew the pattern by heart and could easily accommodate, she was forced to ask him for a password every time she tried to log on. Eleanor, as it turned out, was a stress cleaner and while she wasn't too harsh on Piper yet, she noticed the unhappy pouts coming from Eleanor when she forgot to use a coaster. And Liam had a tendency to finish whatever he was eating — the cereal, the milk, the coffee beans — and put the empty container back where he found it.

Piper was starting to understand why living here had driven Zayn to move out.

The one redeeming quality was that living with Harry was a hundred times easier than she had expected it to be. Harry spending so much time in her flat had almost prepared them for what it was like when they shared one bedroom. They already knew each other's sleeping habits, who liked which side of the bed (Harry the left and Piper the right) and how much spooning was acceptable before Harry got too hot to be near, mini furnace that he was.

More impressive was how fluidly they had their morning routine down and Piper was sure that when she returned to work the next day, it would be a seamless process. For now, she was content to lie back and watch Harry get ready for a meeting he had later on that Sunday morning. There was nothing sexier than watching that man putting a suit on, except maybe watching him take it off.

"Oi, stop staring!"

Piper tore her eyes away from where she'd been watching Harry's long fingers button up his light grey dress shirt, covering up the butterfly inch by inch. When she looked up, Harry was scowling in her direction. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Nothing whatsoever. Until tomorrow, I am on Niall-sanctioned "rest" and I plan to use the time I have left doing just that."

Harry rolled his eyes. He trained his gaze on the other body in their bed. "And what's your excuse?"

Bertie snuffled against the duvet, looking up at Harry with what could only be described as a reproachful gaze. Piper burst out laughing, rolling over to cuddle with the dog. He rewarded her by reaching around and licking her face.

"You two were meant for each other," Harry muttered unhappily as he walked into the closet. He came back out a moment later, shrugging into a charcoal grey suit jacket that matched his trousers. The colour combination was incredible on him and Piper had to bite her lip before she said something inappropriate.

"You look great," she said instead. When Harry looked up confused, she smiled. "Really great. Like a proper spy."

Harry chuckled at her comment, crossing the room so he could lean over and kiss her forehead. "I am a proper spy, petal."

"You don't need to remind me."

Harry perched on the edge of the mattress beside her hip, his hand roaming up the side of her body over the duvet. She shuffled against him, pressing her side to his leg, separated only by the blanket. "Are you going to be alright today?" he asked her. When she nodded enthusiastically, he grinned. "You're sure? Chest feels fine?"

The smoke inhalation from the fire had taken its toll and she'd spent most of the night of the fire coughing, keeping the two of them awake. She was certainly feeling a lot better now and she didn't want Harry dwelling too long on it. "Yep," Piper answered buoyantly as she cupped her tits, "chest feels fine." Harry looked spectacularly unimpressed, frowning at her. "I'm fine, I promise."

"Alright, if you say so. I'll miss you today."

He stole a kiss, one that left her breathless when he finally pulled away. "I'll miss you too, you weirdo." She swatted at his leg until he finally rose, chuckling to himself. He paused to give Bertie a long look.