me, him, and the moon ☾ l.s.

eight - blue eyes

"He woke me up in the middle of the night!" Louis countered, throwing his head back and laughing. "Granted, he woke me up so that I could wander into the forest and find you, and I woke him up to just report back. But still, it sounds pretty even to me."

"Oh," Harry replied, biting his lip thoughtfully. "I completely forgot that I was supposed to see him last night. I guess it's lucky that he realized I was missing."

"It was very lucky. He was worried sick about you."

"He worries too much," Harry said. He glanced up at Louis, raising his eyebrows. "You worry too much, too."

Louis frowned, wrinkles creasing his forehead. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I do not!"

Harry just laughed, untangling himself from his nest of covers and climbing out of bed. As he stood up, he wobbled slightly on his feet, and Louis grasped his arm, holding him steady.

"You probably need to eat something," he suggested. "You missed dinner last night."

"There you go again," Harry grinned, even as his heart swelled as he thought of all the little things that Louis noticed about him.

"What?"

"Worrying." Harry patted the older boy's hand, still grinning widely. "But you are right. I'm a bit lightheaded. I'll probably feel better after getting something to eat and drink."

The two boys made their way down to the kitchen. Harry's father had left a note on the counter saying that he wouldn't be back until late that evening, which made Harry feel a bit better. Even if his father had no problem with Louis, he wasn't confident in Louis's abilities to keep his anger in check if he came face to face with his father.

"Tea?" Harry offered as Louis pulled a box of cereal out of the pantry.

"Sure," Louis agreed. He busied himself with pouring them two large bowls of cereal, but something unexpected caught his attention.

Instead of taking the kettle to the sink like he normally would, Harry had lifted the water without even moving away from the stove. The water sprang up from the sink, a few drops dripping onto the floor before the floating blob dropped into the open kettle. Then Harry casually turned on the stove like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Louis glanced quickly out the window, making sure no one passing the house could see what was happening inside. Once he was sure he didn't have to run outside and threaten someone to keep them quiet, he hissed to Harry, "What's gotten into you? Anyone could see what you're doing."

Harry blinked a few times, snapping partially back to reality, and then he sighed. "I don't know. I'm tired. I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"It's alright, love. I'm not angry," Louis assured him quickly. He took his bottom lip between his teeth, biting down softly as he watched Harry move about the kitchen. "Just worried about you."

"Again." Harry rolled his eyes, biting down on his lower lip to keep his silly smile from ruining his attempt at irritation. He left the kettle on and sat down beside Louis at the table, gratefully accepting the bowl of cereal that the older boy pushed toward him.

"So, what happened in the woods yesterday?" Louis asked much too casually between mouthfuls. "What happened that a giant fucking bear needed to step in and save your ass?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat at the memory, and he gulped, swirling his spoon around absentmindedly in his bowl. "I ran into someone."

Louis's eyes flashed, widening with an odd combination of fear and anger. "A scout?"