'One of your eyes is always half shut,
somethin' happened when you were a kid
I didn't know you then and I'll never understand, why it feels like I did'
Smoke Signals ~ Phoebe Bridgers
Running around his house and crashing into items, making his mum tell him to knock it off, Louis chased his sister around. He does gets along with his sisters, specifically felicity because they are so alike (always wanting the last word, sniggering at the same stuff, same taste in clothes and both causing trouble.) Perhaps their similarities is also their downfall, because at that moment Louis thought he was going to kill her.
"Felicity! I'm going to murder you!" Louis growled as he chased her around the living room.
Despite the scowls on their faces, they do enjoy arguing like this, that's why felicity laughed loudly as her brother dragged her to the ground. "Yeah right, you're so tiny you can't kill anyone."
"Watch me!"
He leant all his weigh on his sister, who had her face squished against the carpet, as he pulled her arm back and twisted it behind her back.
The fifteen year old shouted, "Get off me you fat lump! You're hurting me." Louis would get off if he knew but her laughs gave it away that she wasn't in pain. "Get off!"
"No! Not until you apologise for taking my hoodie!"
"You always let me wear your clothes."
"Not anymore. You've ruined it, look!" Louis sulked as he removed some of his weight so his sister could turn her head. With furrowed brows, he pointed at the stain on the green fabric. It was rather big and on the left side just above the yellow Adidas logo.
"How dare you accuse me of that!" She scoffed, "That was already there."
Louis simply just scowled.
"Why don't you believe me? I promise that was already there when I borrowed it. Are you sure you didn't do it? You are quite clumsy," she fluttered her eyelashes as she spoke.
"You're a fucking gaslighter!" The blue eyed boy snapped and reached to pull her long brown hair, but was met with a kick in the stomach that prevented him from doing so.
"And you're a dickhead."
Whilst dodging her kicks, Louis tried to grab her ankles to make her stop. "You shouldn't be saying words like that."
"You're the one who taught me, you Twat," she smirked.
Squinting his eyes, he let the left side of his mouth slide up into a smile, "Touché."
Like nothing happened, he stood up and dusted off his joggers, before going to look for his mum. From the hallway he could hear Lottie sining along to some music as his dad, mark, was talking to the youngest two. They are the tamer ones of the family. Felicity and Louis can not be put into that category.
"Mum!" Louis called as he walked into the kitchen, finding her checking on the food in the oven. "Mum, can you get this stain off my jumper?"
"Sure love, will you get me a damp cloth?" She asked as he pushed the oven door back shut and then removed her floral oven gloves that's she had ever since Louis remembers. It was a good day when he returned from mucking about with his mates to find the oven gloves out. It meant there was something good in the oven.
"Here you go," Louis said with a small smile as he handed her the cloth.
Jay placed a soft kiss on her sons forehead, "Thank you, boobear."
"Mum!" The boy whined, "I told you to stop calling me that."
She just rolled her blue eyes at the ridiculousness, "My boy gets a boyfriend and now he thinks he's too old for me."
"I'm not too old, I'm literally asking you to get a stain off my jumper."
"Still my boy," Jay softly chuckled and lifted the material of Louis' hoodie so she could clean it. Louis has always been very dependent on his mum - he is grateful for everything she has done for him. Never once has she not supported him and as one of the only gay kids in this town, that support was needed.
"I can't wait for you to meet Harry properly other then that time when you saw us nearly kiss," Louis turned slightly red at the embarrassing moment. He was so desperate to kiss the boy and now he can do it whenever he wants.
"Ahhh yes, I remember," she smirked as she reached for some cleaning product and then added it to the cloth. "I'm assuming you've kissed by know. You don't have to tell me what you get up to, but just be careful with him. He seems delicate."
"I am and he is... I-" Louis paused for a moment, meeting his mums eye, "I really care for him."
"That's good, something tells me that he needs someone looking out for him," she smiled sweetly and was about to lean in to hug her son but was cut off by the doorbell ringing. "That'll be him. Go on, don't leave him out in the rain."
With a now stain free hoodie, Louis went to the door excited to see his boy and his cat. They were allowed to pick up dusty two days after they convinced Paul to allow them to adopt her. Those couple of days were full of shopping for the necessities (and the not so necessary. Louis couldn't help it, he just got so carried away.) Louis thought he was excited, but never had he ever seen a grin so wide and dimples so deep. Harry was ecstatic! His smile didn't falter over the next two days and finally, after dusty had settled in at Crash, they decided a trip to Louis' house would be perfect.
"Hey!" Louis greeted as he swung open the front door. His boyfriend stood in the rain wearing a smile, although it wasn't as wide as the previous days. "Come on then Curly, can't have you in the rain any longer."
Harry stepped inside, carrying a cat carrier in his left hand. He was careful not to bang it on the side of the door and was even more careful when he placed it down on the floor beside him.
"You're wearing a hat," Louis commented. It was a pretty stupid statement, but it just fell out his mouth. Harry doesn't wear hats often and as much as he looks great in them, Louis would much prefer to see the curls.
"Yeah, I had to protect my hair from the rain, it gets frizzy when it's been wet," Harry said as he took of his hat and placed it on the side board. Before he could even unflatten his hair, Louis already had his hands ruffling the boys locks. "I probably should of just used and umbrella, I'm a bit damp," he said referring to his brown knit jumper.
Louis too looked down, smiling at how cosy Harry looked with the long sleeves that covered most of his hands. His eyes trailed along the boy's black skinny jeans and the white t-shirt that stuck out. "You have a top on underneath so just take it off. I can put it on the radiator," Louis offered.
"But I'm meeting your parents. I want to look smart, I can't show up to dinner in a scruffy t-shirt."
"Haz you'll look fine, you always do," Louis comforted him by giving him a chase kiss, "Plus, my mum doesn't care about dressing up. I mean look at me, I look like a scuff."
Harry slowly shook his head, "You don't, you look comfy."
"That's means I'm prefect for hugs," he said as he wrapped his arms around the younger boy.
Harry basked in the warmth and inhaled the boy's sent. Louis smells like what Harry pictured a happy home would smell like; fresh lining, candles and cookies in the oven. He wants his future house to smell like Louis. Suddenly a giggle escaped his lips at the feeling of Louis hands rubbing his sides. "What are you doing?"
"I'm drying you."
"Is it working?" Harry asked whilst chucking softly.
Keeping his arms around Harry's waist, Louis pulled back "Don't know, is it?"
It really wasn't working. If anything, it just made damp patches appear on Louis' hoodie. Just as Harry was about to reply, Dusty meowed from her carrier so he bent down to let her out. Happy to be free, she quickly brushed in and out Louis' legs like she was saying hello. The blue eyed boy didn't get chance to greet her as she suddenly ran up the stairs. The pair laughed when they heard Phoebe and Daisy squeal in excitement, Dusty was most definitely basking in the attention.
Meeting Louis' mum wasn't all that scary. Before Harry even had the chance to say hi, he was wrapped up in a tight hug. He froze for a few seconds before melting into her warmth. He's never really been used to the psychical touch, it even took him a while not to get use to Louis and how affectionate he had been since the moment they had met. Harry found himself not wanting the embrace to end as Jay began to pull away and gushed about how pretty he was. Mark, Louis' dad, was more of the silent type, but his wide smile compensated for the lack off words.
At the sight of the Sunday roast, that was placed on the table, Harry's mouth watered. Excitedly, he started spooning stuff on to his plate as Jay insisted he went first.
"I don't usually do peas with a Sunday dinner, but Louis told me they are you favourite," Jay smiled as she scooped some onto her plate.
"Thank you," Harry smiled.
The dinner was prefect, despite Phoebe having a tantrum because she refused to eat with a knife and fork and the fact that felicity and Louis started bickering again, after the younger one let it slip that she was in fact the one that stained his jumper. Harry chuckled at their quarrelling.
After being sent into the living room, because Jay refused to let guests help clear up, Harry sat with Daisy and Lottie who played with Dusty and her toys. Louis' sisters really took a liking to Harry. Since that time Harry first met the twins, they asked every day if Harry was coming round to play. As the trio laughed at the cat, who was on her back with her front paws reaching outwards, Louis sat next to his dad.
"He's a keeper," Mark commented before Louis even had chance to bring up his boyfriend.
"Yeah," Louis nodded, "I agree."
Walking into the room, with Felicity and Phoebe behind her wearing guilty expressions as she most likely told them off for making a scene during dinner, Jay smiled at her son's boyfriend. "Harry dear, are you staying the night?"
"I don't have any pyjamas or anything."
"Its okay, Love. You can borrow some of Louis'," she turned to look at her son, who was sat with a shocked expression. His mum has never let any of his past boyfriend (Nick) stay over or even any of his girlfriend from when he was still in the closet. Maybe it's because Louis was now older or maybe it was because she really liked Harry.
The excitement giving him springs in his shoes, Louis bounced up from the sofa and took his boyfriends hand, helping him stand up. "Come on the Curly, we'll get you comfier clothes and we can watch a film or something."
Louis started to guide the slight taller boy towards the door but was stopped by his Dad. "Louis can I talk to you for a second?" He asked.
"Sure," Louis said then turned to Harry, "My rooms the second door on the left. You can get a hoodie from my dresser if you want." Harry grinned because he gets to wear his boyfriend's hoodie. He felt like his life was slowly turning into a romcom.
"I know I'm letting Harry stay over but that doesn't mean-"
"Oh my god! Dad!" Louis whined in embarrassment, "Just don't even talk about that."
"You're eighteen and you can do what you want. Hell you probably already have-"
"Stop!" Louis hissed.
Mark just chuckled, "I remember what it was like to be a teen. When I first met your mu-"
"LALALALALA!" Louis sang and stuck his fingers in his ears as he set off in a sprint up the stairs.
When he entered his room, the curtains were already closed and Harry was sat on his small double bed wearing an old holister hoodie with just his boxers on.
"I forgot I had that jumper, haven't seen it in ages," he commented.
"It still smells like you."
Instead of replying Louis pulled his joggers down, so he was also wearing boxers and a hoodie, then climbed in to the bed and got under the duvet. He laid down and lifted the duvet, "Come on, Love. What do you want to watch?" He asked as he reached for his remote, that was kept under the pillow, whisky Harry settled next to him.
They ended on putting on Grease because Harry had never watched it before and in Louis' eyes that would just not do. They kept the sound low so they could still talk whilst watching it, but neither said a word till around half way through.
"Lou?" Harry whispered against Louis' chest, that rose and fall as he breathed. Harry liked this position, he could hear the boy's heart beat and feel his breaths - it was calming.
Louis softly played with the curls as he replied, "Yes?"
"Can I admit something to you?"
"You can tell me anything," Louis said as he carried on petting the boy's hair. Harry had never felt so safe.
"I was super nervous to meet your parents. I know that I've met your mum briefly before, but it's all a bit..." he trailed off looking for a word to describe the way situation. "Intimidating."
Louis frowned in confusion, "Intimidating? How so?"
"You're family is so perfect."
"It's really not," he laughed thinking about his family's madness, "Did you not see pheobe have a tantrum and the utter chaos of mine and fizzys' whole jumper debacle?"
"Yeah," Harry sighed wistfully, "But it's still so perfect."
The blue eyed boy chuckled, "If you say so, Curly."
Louis settled and half focused on the film they had put on, basking in the feeling of the younger boys fingers tracing the tattoos on his arm. Although his movements were slow, Harry's mind raced with a billion different things.
"Do you think your mum liked me?" He asked timidly, not entirely sure if he wanted the answer.
"Yep, think she loves you more than she loves me," Louis sounded certain and gave a reassuring squeeze to Harry's waist, "No need to worry."
"I'll probably still worry."
"That's fine, I'll be the same when you introduce me as your boyfriend to your mum."
"You're funny, Lou," Harry laughed.
"No, I really will be! I'll be all sweaty and panicky. I need her to like me because she can't disapprove of your boyfriend."
Making Louis' hands fall away, Harry propped himself up on his side. "She's never going to know you're my boyfriend," he said seriously, the most serious Louis has ever heard him sound.
"What? Why?"
"You know why," Harry mumbled.
Louis sat him self up properly, so that his back pressed against the back board. He didn't like where this was going, but he needed to know. "Are you embarrassed of me?"
Instantly, Harry shook his head. "No, of course not."
"Then why?" Louis pressed, needing to know. His eyes began to water, which was unusual as he never really cries. Nothing ever bothers him that much, but knowing that there is a chance that Harry may not have been honest about his feeling hurts. "There must be a reason, Harry."
"Lou you just can't meet my mum, not in that way. Just leave it."
The blue eyed boy scoffed in disbelief, "No I won't leave it. What is it Harry? Do you not feel the same way about me as I feel about you? Did you lie when you said yes to being my boyfriend? Or are you ashamed of me?"
"I-"
"You are aren't you? I can't-" his voice cracked, "can't fucking believe this." Pushing the duvet off them, he started to climb over the boy so he could get out of the bed. He didn't want to be anywhere near Harry right now, let alone cuddle him.
"It's not that," Harry urgently rushed out and grabbed a his arm "If anything you should be a shamed of me," he said as he guided Louis back to laying next to him.
"Why would I ever be ashamed of you?"
Breaking his gaze, Harry dropped his eyes to focus on his fidgeting hands as he spoke, "Because I'm me and you're you. You're so perfect and funny and charming and beautiful and I'm just me," he sniffled.
"You are all those things too Harry, but if you truly think that about me then why are you acting so ashamed?"
"My family... it's different to yours. Yours is kind and accepting. Mines nothing like that and I- um... I lied," he looked up to see Louis' expression. He didn't look angry, he looked like he would listen. Harrys never had someone who will listen to him. "That time when you asked about why I moved, I wasn't honest. I didn't choose to move..."
"Haz, you're worrying me," Louis said with the concern evident in his voice. He reached out and took Harry's hand in his own in attempt to stop the nervous fidgeting.
Harry traced his thumb over Louis' knuckles as he spoke to try calm himself down. "I came out to my dad... He didn't take it too well."
"Did he hurt you?" He asked, not in an angrily way. If anything he was more frustrated at himself for not knowing Harry back then, for not being there for him. It was stupid really, but he still cursed fate for not bringing them together sooner.
"No, but I would of preferred it if he did," the younger one murmured.
"Harry don't say that!" Louis gasped and cupped the boys face with his hands, but Harry just nudged them away.
"You don't understand what it was like," the tears began to fall, "The things he said, the way he looked at me. I felt disgusting, Lou. I was so scared and just needed someone there for me and he- he kicked me out."
Louis' heart broke for the boy as he tried his best to comfort him, allowing him to sob into his chest.
"I'm so sorry love, so sorry that happened to you," he stroked his boyfriend's curls.
"It was awful. I didn't know what to do, I was so s-scared. I don't like being by myself, I hate it. I had to find my way here and then beg for my mum to let me stay," he spoke as his breathing steadied, due to following that pattern of Louis' chest moving up and down.
"Beg?"
"I think she knows or suspects it... thats way I can't- she can't know, Lou. I can't risk it! I can't go through that again. I don't want to be called those names or looked at that way agian. She won't accept me like your mum accepts you."
"She might do, you never know," Louis stayed hopeful but Harry was having none of it as he lifted his head to look his boyfriend in the eye.
"No Louis! You don't know what's she's like," he started to panic again.
The worry in his boy's eyes, scared Louis. "W-what's she like?" He timidly asked.
Harry stayed silent, just looking Louis in the eye.
"Haz..." he whispered, trying to coax some form of answer.
The boy's faces crumpled, "Don't make me tell her, Lou. please don't make me!" He pleaded as tears streamed down his face.
"Hey it okay, it's okay," Louis repeated as he brought the crying boy back to his chest. He figured that it calmed Harry down and he would do anything to see those dimples return. "You don't have to tell her anything. Nothing at all," He gently murmured as Harry carried on sobbing. "It's okay, I've got you."
From sobs, to muffled cries, to even breaths, the green eyed boy soon settled and basked in the warmth of Louis' hug. During that time, Louis ran his fingers through Harrys curls and admired the shadow that his eyelashes casted down onto his cheeks. The film that played quietly in the background had turned to a black screen showing the rolling credits and Dusty's little snores filled the silence.
"Hazza," Louis whispered, "Are you still awake?"
"Mhm," hummed the tiered boy.
With a soft touch, Louis turned Harry's head to look him in eye. Every time he looks at him, Louis is stunned by how beautiful he is. "I-" I love you, he both thought a prepared to say, but stopped when he saw a somewhat fearful look in those green eyes. It's almost like Harry could see the words forming. "I hope you have sweet dreams. Good night Curly," he kissed his boyfriends forehead.
"Thank you," Harry whispered into Louis' chest, before closing his eyes.
Louis was unsure what Harry was thankful for, letting him stay the night? Calming him down? Listening to him? For not saying I love you? The latter? Louis didn't know, he really had no clue. Sometimes he feel a like he's known Harry all his life, but then as the boy slowly starts to reveal parts of his life before they met, he comes to the conclusion that he hasn't known Harry for very long.
He has no idea what Harry was like as a kid or what his relationship with his parents is like (even with the story Harry had just told, Louis thinks the problems go deeper than that.)
He doesn't know past Harry, He only knows the present version of him and that's all matters.
That is all that matters, right?
Look at me go! Two chapters in the space of three days!!! Hope this one is okay <3
L