Once they arrived in Holmes Chapel, Louis started to feel nervous again. Harry's family didn't know they shared their first kiss here, and Harry told him that he had only told them that they started dating when they went back to Manchester. Would they be shocked that they were now a couple? He helped Harry carry their bags up the front path until Harry pushed open the door, stepping inside the house as he shouted to let his parents know they had arrived.
"We're home!" he called as Louis slipped off his shoes, making sure to put them in the little rack by the door. By the time he stood up again, he could see Anne and Robin coming towards them.
"Welcome home, honey," Anne smiled, hugging Harry tightly as he said hello to her. Robin went up to Louis, shaking his hand with a welcoming smile.
"It's nice to have you back, Louis, I'm glad we didn't scare you away last time you were here."
"Not at all, sir, thank you for having me again." He heard Harry and Anne laugh beside him as Robin shook his head.
"Please, call me Robin, sir makes me feel very old." Louis agreed, apologising for his mistake as he felt Harry put his arm around him.
"I'm gasping for a cup of tea, so how about we, um, go to the kitchen so we can catch up?" Harry suggested, and they followed Anne to the other room, sitting around the breakfast bar as they waited for the kettle to boil. Once their steaming drinks were in front of them, the conversation turned to university and how they were getting on. After a while, Harry put his hand on Louis' thigh, informing him he was about to break the news to his parents. "Louis and I have something we'd like to tell you," Harry started, giving Louis' leg a squeeze. "You know we started dating after New Year, and you, um, commented on how much time we spent together, well on Valentine's Day, uh, Louis took me to the beach and asked me to be his boyfriend, so of course I said yes." Louis looked awkwardly down at the floor, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes as they took in the news.
"Oh darling, that's wonderful, congratulations!" Anne praised, smiling between the two boys.
"Surprised it took you that long," Robin laughed, causing Harry to blush at his stepdad's comment. Anne and Robin accepted Louis into their family, so by the time they all went to bed that night, Louis felt comfortable to be in their house again.
On the Thursday, Harry's parents were working so they had the day to themselves. They ended up watching movies in Harry's room whilst they did some of their university work, and Louis found himself staring at Harry as he bit the pen that was between his lips. They hadn't done anything to be physically active yet, but with the way Harry was sitting at his desk with his pen in his mouth, puffing out his cheeks as he concentrated, Louis discovered he couldn't hold back anymore. He pushed his book away from him, standing up from the bed and walking over to Harry. He stood behind him, putting his arms over his shoulders so he was touching his chest.
"You look so hot," he mumbled into Harry's ear, feeling the boy shiver beneath him.
"Yeah?" Harry breathed, putting his pen on the desk and closing his book.
"There are so many things I'd like to do to you right now." With that he spun Harry's chair around so that they were facing each other, and he climbed onto his lap, straddling him as he attached his lips to Harry's neck.
"I'm all yours, baby." That was all Louis needed to pull Harry's shirt over his head, reattaching his lips to Harry's as he explored his body. It didn't take long for the kiss to become more desperate, and Louis got off Harry's lap to seductively pull Harry's jeans to the floor. He heard Harry let out a deep breath as Louis ran his fingers over his length, teasing Harry who ran his fingers through Louis' hair.
"Can I?" Louis asked, not wanting to do anything Harry didn't want him to do. He nodded in response, so Louis gripped Harry's length and started to pump up and down. Louis was kneeling on the floor, so when he knew Harry was feeling the pleasure, he stopped using his hand and began to lick the tip. Harry moaned in response, tugging Louis' hair to encourage him to continue. Louis was able to take him all in, being careful not to gag whenever Harry hit the back of his throat. Louis had Harry moaning and squirming on the chair, and eventually he felt Harry grip onto his shoulders, his fingernails scratching the surface of his skin.
"I'm so close," Harry managed to get out between breaths, causing Louis to swirl his tongue around the tip. That was all it took for Harry to release into Louis' mouth with a throaty moan, his head falling back with pleasure. Louis swallowed everything before standing up and planting a soft kiss to Harry's forehead. Harry lifted Louis up, stepping over to place him on the bed and hovering above him. "Now it's my turn," he smirked, his hands each side of Louis' head as he bent down to kiss him. He peppered kisses from his lips to his neck to his collar bone, before stopping to take off Louis' shirt. The kisses continued down his chest until Harry sucked a bruise onto his v-line. He then slipped off his trousers, his hand gripping Louis' erection as he kissed him once again. Louis moaned as Harry started to move his hand, his thumb pressing into the tip to get a response from him. Harry continued this action until Louis was gripping the bed sheets, coming between his and Harry's bare chests. They lay together for a while until they cleaned themselves up, putting their clothes back on and taking in what just happened. "That was, um, wow," Harry said, his arm around Louis as they sat on the bed finishing their work.
"Your fault for being so sexy," Louis smirked, pecking Harry's lips. By the time Harry's family came home, the boys had cooked dinner and had it on the table waiting for them. They both went to bed happy that night, feeling a little bit more intimate with each other.
On Friday evening, Louis and Harry were joining Anne and Robin for dinner at Harry's grandparents' house. Being of the older generation, they had always believed that Harry's sexuality was just a phase, so they both knew this meeting probably wouldn't go smoothly. As soon as Harry's Grandpa, Brian, saw that they were holding hands, he instantly started asking Harry about possible girlfriends.
"Do you remember Diane's granddaughter, Isabelle? You used to play together when you were little?" Harry nodded politely, still holding Louis' hand as they sat on the sofa. "I told Diane that you needed a girlfriend, so she's going to tell Isabelle to contact you."
"I live in Manchester, Grandpa, and I don't need a girlfriend, I, um, actually already have a partner."
"What's her name? Does she come from a good family?"
"This is Louis, my boyfriend." The room went quiet as everyone waited for the grandparents' reaction.
"Well, I'm sure Isabelle will contact you soon, she's a lovely girl and her family are good people." Harry went to retaliate, but Louis squeezed his hand, telling him not to fight this battle right now. Harry's Grandma, Mary, dished up dinner with the help of Anne, and then they all washed their hands and sat around the table to eat.
"So, Louis, how did you become friends with our Harry?" Mary asked, obviously trying to get as much information as possible.
"We met at university, actually. We're both studying the same course and Harry was there when I needed a friend."
"Do you not have many friends, then?" she asked rather bluntly, Robin shooting her a look across the table.
"I do, I live with two guys, Niall and Liam, but when I met Harry, I was going through a difficult time, and he was there for me."
"A difficult time? So, you used Harry's kindness to make yourself better?" Louis looked to Harry for help, and he quickly cut in before it got worse.
"No, Grandma, I went to Louis first when I noticed he was upset. We became friends and now he's my, uh, my boyfriend." The conversation died down after that, so they all continued eating until Brian asked Louis another question.
"What do your parents do, Louis? They have good jobs, I hope?"
"Dad, please, just stop," Anne requested, but Brian kept waiting for Louis to answer.
"My mum's a midwife at the local hospital back home," he replied, taking a sip of his water to calm him down.
"Single mum? I should have guessed." Louis was shocked, and he uncomfortably looked away from Brian.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin asked, defending Louis as Harry didn't know what to say.
"Well, it must have been bad parenting to allow their son to choose this lifestyle."
"It's not a lifestyle, Grandpa, it's, um, who we are and we're proud of that."
"You're not one of them, my dear, we'll get you set up with Diane's granddaughter and you'll see we were right," Mary added, and Harry went to say something, but she continued talking. "Louis, tell us about yourself. I'd be interested to know about your family and friends, where did you say you were from?"
"Doncaster, just a few hours Northeast of here. My mum's called Johanna, and as I said she's a midwife. I have twin sisters, Daisy and Phoebe, from my mum's previous marriage, and they still live in Doncaster. I came to university with my best friend, Zayn, and I'm in my final year of Sport and Exercise Science alongside Harry."
"Oh, so you went to Manchester with a friend, but you don't live together now. Did he not agree with your lifestyle?"
"Mum, you need to stop," Anne warned, knowing the truth.
"Louis is having dinner at my house, the least he can do is answer our questions," Brian commented, so Louis knew he had to get this over with.
"Zayn and I were friends since primary school and he used to live with myself, Niall and Liam, but he sadly passed away last year." They were quiet after that, giving Louis time to eat some more of his food. Once they had all finished, they moved back into the living room, and as they sat down Harry put his arm around Louis and pulled him closer.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that in my house," Brian said, pointing to their position on the sofa. Louis went to move away, but Harry stopped him.
"He's my boyfriend, Grandpa, I'm, um, allowed to touch him," Harry explained, refusing to let go of Louis.
"Harry, why don't you and Louis make some drinks for us all?" Anne asked, nodding towards the kitchen. As soon as they were out of the room, Louis let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.
"I'm sorry, baby, I had no idea they were going to be this, uh, horrible," Harry sighed, flicking on the kettle and grabbing the mugs from the shelf. Louis nodded, stepping over to Harry and nuzzling into his side. That was when the voices from the other room got louder.
"He is your son, Anne, you have a responsibility to teach him what is right and wrong!"
"Being gay isn't wrong, mum, and I support Harry and whoever he decides to be with."
"Harry needs to be with a girl from a well-to-do family, not a poofter from a broken home with a dead friend!" Brian's voice bellowed through the house, and that was when Louis couldn't take it anymore. He broke away from Harry's arms, his tears threatening to fall as he headed for the front door. He could hear Anne yelling at her parents, Robin trying to diffuse the situation, and Harry calling out his name, but instead he grabbed his jacket and went out into the street. He had no idea where to go, so he started to run as he cried. He could take the questions and the little digs, but the homosexual insults and the bad-mouthing of his family and friends was a step too far. He didn't get very far when he heard Harry's voice again, and this time he stopped and turned around. Harry continued running until he caught up with him, instantly engulfing him and apologising repeatedly. Louis cried into Harry's chest as they swayed from side to side, and that was when he heard a car pull up beside them. Harry pulled them towards it, opening the door for Louis to climb in.
"I'm so sorry, Louis, they had no right to say any of those things to you or about you. What my mum and dad think is not what my husband or I think, I promise. You have made Harry so happy since he met you, and we're pleased to welcome you into our family." Robin agreed with his wife, and Louis thanked them for being so kind, but when they got back to the house Louis and Harry went straight upstairs, falling asleep to a terrible film to forget that night ever happened.
Saturday was their final day in Cheshire, and to cheer Louis up, Harry decided to take him on a tour of his hometown. They started off by getting pastries from a little bakery that Harry had worked in before leaving for Manchester. He was introduced to Barbara, who Harry had worked most of his shifts with, who commented on how adorable they were as a couple and how happy Harry looked. They ate the pastries as they walked around the town, Harry pointing out his old school, his first family home and the park he and Gemma used to play in. Louis enjoyed seeing Harry talk about his past, it brought them closer together as he loved learning new things about his boyfriend. As the afternoon rolled on, Harry made Louis leave the usual pavement and walk through a more rural area. He could hear the river flowing somewhere near them, but as they kept walking, they came up to a brick wall in the middle of the field. Louis could see that the wall was covered in chalk and Sharpie where people had written their names and little messages over the brickwork.
"When I was at school, I, um, used to come up here a lot and just sit against the wall and listen to the water. It was always so relaxing, and I guess other people had the same idea. This was quite a popular spot for my friends, and we'd, um, come up here with drinks and snacks and hang out here pretty much all the time. Anyway, the day before I left for university, I came up here alone and decided to write my name on the wall. Leaving home seemed scary, like I would never come back the same person I left, so I wanted Holmes Chapel to always remember, the, um, little eighteen-year-old boy who grew up here. My name's right up here," Harry explained, pointing to the highest part of the wall. Louis just listened, his eyes scanning over the brickwork and admiring the different colours and names that littered it. So many memories had been made here, and it was obviously an important place to Harry. "Actually, I, um, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to put your name on here too? I know you're not from Cheshire, and you have no reason to like this place, but I think my name looks pretty lonely up there and I like the way they look together." Louis was surprised to hear this, and Harry was looking sheepishly at the floor as he waited for Louis' response.
"Do you have a pen, baby?" That caused Harry to smile as he fished it from his pocket, handing it to Louis who looked up to the height of Harry's name. "I kinda can't reach, babe..."
"Babe?" Harry asked, his smile growing to show his teeth.
"Uh, yeah, sorry, I guess that's something that I probably should have kept in my head?" Harry shook his head, stepping forward to stroke Louis' cheek.
"No, Lou, I like that you've given me a little nickname. But, um, unfortunately for you you're also little, so hop on." Harry laughed as he crouched down to allow a huffing Louis onto his back.
"I'm not little, you're just abnormally tall."
"Whatever you say, sweetheart." Louis made sure to carefully write his name underneath his boyfriend's, and once he was done Harry put him back on the ground. They snapped a quick picture of their names together, then went home to spend the final evening with Harry's family.
On the Sunday, they packed all their belongings back in the car ready for the journey home. Harry hugged his mum and stepdad, telling them he loved them and how much he would miss them. Louis could see Anne getting a bit emotional at having her son leave again, but she covered it up well when she moved on to Louis.
"Thank you for having me, Anne, it's been lovely to be here."
"You're welcome here anytime, you're a pleasure to have around the house. Again, I'm so sorry for how my parents acted, I will be having very strong words with them, and I will make sure they apologise and change their behaviour." Louis nodded, telling Anne it didn't really matter, but everyone knew it really did. After a quick hug with Harry's mum, he saw Robin come closer.
"You're a good kid, look after that clumsy oaf,yeah?" Robin smiled, shaking Louis' hand just like he did when he arrived.Louis said that he would, thanking Robin for his hospitality over the last fewdays. Once they were in the car, they waved goodbye and headed in the directionof home.