#2007
Harry couldn't do it anymore; stop trying.
He realized this when he was unaware of interacting with Louis last year.
He didn't even know he was talking in his mind; he thought he was talking to himself.
And when he saw those blue clear eyes stare skeptically right at him and then saw the lost boy look for him, still Harry couldn't stop.
He so wanted to talk to Louis again and staying away from him was impossible.
It was tearing him apart.
It was selfish of him, he knew too well but he had to.
For his sanity and hopefully Louis' as well.
Hopefully at least a little part of Louis still does.
Doorbells chimed from next door as Harry stood at the porch of the house.
He scanned the houses and streets littered with people dressed as actors, characters, monsters, etc.
So far he had only spotted Louis twice, roaming around with his school friends.
Louis had gone out for Halloween with his group of friends an hour ago.
Which was a good thing that he was socially active and enjoying his life again (sort of).
Tearing away from the scenery before him, Harry turned around and looked through the window of the house.
Jay and her new husband, Bobby Horan, were eating in the kitchen while talking and laughing over something.
Harry smiled a little, not because of the happy sight but of what that meant.
She was preoccupied inside and away from Louis who was outside and most likely alone from his attitude of being closed off.
Perfect situation for Harry to be left unnoticed.
Finally some real alone time.
Just him and Louis, Louis and him.
Once again, reunited.
Counting to ten, Harry trudged off the porch and to the crowds partially hidden by the blanket of night.
It was risky to confront Louis, Harry knew that too well, but he had hope.
This past year Louis had starting drawing again and writing words in the corner of his room by the window.
Although the last time Harry properly spoke to Louis, he had told him to keep drawing since, that wasn't what gave him hope to believe his sweet, beautiful Louis was still there.
It was the contents of his actions.
In his drawings he's been sketching eyes, green eyes.
Eyes shaped and styled just like Harry's.
It couldn't have been a mere coincidence.
Then the scribbles on the walls made by him all spelled out and worded as 'forever and always' written over and over again in that same spot where Harry always stood at at first appearance.
Impossible to be a coincidence.
Louis knew, he remembered.
And that was all for Harry to find him and explain everything to him.
Everything since that dreadful day....
Harry found the person he was looking for at the park flaunting with others around his age with red solo cups.
A Halloween party.
And alcohol?
Harry frowned as he emerged himself out of thin air and blended in with the drunken adolescents.
Louis was underage but why was he holding one of those alcoholic beverage drinks?
As harry reached the lone boy sitting below a tree with a sad frozen laughter plastered on his pink face, his heart dropped.
The once bright eyes turned dark with the night and something more darker, grief.
Throwing his cup away, Harry kneeled next to Louis, forgetting everything and everyone else.
"Lou! Snap out of it!" yelled Harry, having trouble ripping the red solo cup from Louis' surprisingly strong grip.
At first, Louis spat curses at him but slowly his voice dissolved as he stared at Harry in detail.
Harry, being to shocked and trained on sobering up Louis, didn't pay attention to the boy's gasps and muttering.
Ignoring the flying punches and struggling from Louis', Harry managed to drag the drunk boy away from the center of the party.
Harry led them both to the park's washroom.
"Hey hey hey! leave me alone! W-Who the fuck are - do you think you are?" Louis panted, "wha - where am I?"
Instead of having his questions answered, Louis was splashed with cold water from the water fountain.
Spluttering, Louis opened his eyes to face the unpleased look of the stranger who took him.
"What the hell?!"
He brushed away his wet bangs from his eyes to see better.
"I will answer your questions after you wake up." said the stranger, turning around to the bench that was by the fountain.
Louis gaped at the boy in disbelief.
Who the fuck did he think he was?
Who the fuck even is he?
Taking deep breaths, Louis felt his heart slow down and his mind clear up.
Once he felt a hundred percent sure he could hold a normal conversation and speak sense, he slowly walked over to the curly haired boy waiting for him on the bench.
The boy smiled at him and patted the other half of the bench, which was empty, for him to sit.
When Louis stood his ground five feet away, the stranger shrugged and sat up.
"Do you feel okay? Can you think clearly - do you know what I'm saying?" asked the stranger with a concerned look.
Louis didn't look at him as he replied, "I'm not a child."
The stranger nodded with a sarcastic look, "oh yes. That's why you, an underaged sixteen year old, practically drowned yourself with alcohol. Very adult-like."
Louis glared at the stranger.
He didn't even know him and he himself looked around his age.
Who is he to scold him?
Who is he?
"You're probably underaged like me and part of the party too so you should be talking, Curly." spat Louis, arms uncrossed.
He hugged his sides and inched forward and lowered himself onto the edge of the bench, far away from the creep.
The stranger chuckled lightly, "Curly. That's a new one from you."
It took a few seconds for Louis to process what curly over here had said.
Frowning, he repeated, "from you?"
The faint smile on the stranger's face slipped to a regretful one.
Louis sat up and backed away.
"What do you mean a new one from you? Have we met before? I don't remember you! Who are you?"
Louis waited to be answered with explanations but Curly didn't say anything.
He just sat there head down and deep in thought.
Scared and feeling extremely vulnerable, Louis stood up and pointed a threatening finger at him.
Louis frantically said, "tell me or...or I'll call the cops!"
The boy lifted his head and muttered something strange:
"What are they going to do? Lock up someone who isn't really there?"
Louis lowered his hand, "what?"
Being half thinking and half aware, Louis was disarmed and gripped tightly by the curly haired boy.
A strangled scream escaped him and he kicked and shook to free himself.
The curly haired boy gripped him tighter and inched his face closer to Louis.
They were so close that from far away you'd think they were snogging.
"Listen to me carefully," the boy spoke calmly though the situation was nothing calm of any sort.
Overpowered and weak, Louis reluctantly nodded.
"When I let you go, do not run or scream for help. This will be over quick, I promise. I'm not going to hurt you... I just need you to listen."
Louis barely heard the guy speaking over the loud, panicked voices and screams inside his head.
He was too busy trying to plan a quick escape and shocked over the situation.
Crazy theories drifted through his mind.
He's here to kidnap me...he's going to kill me, shrilled Louis' conscience.
The curly haired boy shook him, jolting Louis from his hectic mind.
His eyes pierced Louis that it actually hurt.
Wait, Louis thought suspiciously.
He stopped moving and looked closely at the eyes staring at him.
Those green eyes were familiar...
"Pay attention, Louis! One more time: don't do anything when I let you go. Don't please." said the guy, his voice pleading Louis.
"Okay."
Louis didn't feel like himself all of a sudden.
Cautiously, the hands gripping Louis' arms slid away from him and then nothing.
When a few testing moments passed without movement or sound from Louis, the guy sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
Louis was frozen, still lurking around in the discovery and familiarity of his eyes.
"You wanted to know who I am and if we had met before. Correct?"
The green eyes asked him and Louis nodded, remembering that he did.
The boy nodded to himself and went back to thinking whatever it is.
Another sigh came and he spoke again, "before I answer, I want you to see if you can figure it out. If you can answer your questions yourself, okay?"
Louis frowned, confused at what he was being asked to do.
"But I don't remember..."
The guy shook his head and leaned down to his level.
His eyes now leveled with Louis' so that that was all he could see.
"Try to," he said with a soft hush at the end.
Louis, still confused, opened his mouth to protest but the guy best him to it.
He was in a rush from the looks of it.
Louis quietly and expectantly watched him fold his hands together in a nervous habit and shut his eyes.
During the time of Curly's moment of calm, Louis took that to properly get a good look at him.
All his features were familiar and his aura felt strong.
It was a hazy feeling like trying to remember a character's name from a movie that you watched years ago.
It was at the tip of your tongue; the back of your head, but not quite there yet.
"I want you to look into my eyes. Can you do that for me?" whispered the boy with a sharp intake of breath.
Louis nodded and flicked his eyes up from the boy's chin to his thin pink lips, his nose, and lastly, to his gleaming green eyes.
At first, there was nothing.
Nothing snapped inside Louis nor did something physical happen.
Louis frowned, about to break contact to speak.
"No, keep looking. Think: where have I seen these eyes before?"
"But what if I can't? Are you just playing around with me?"
"This is serious! I'm serious, so listen to me and do as I say."
With a doubtful heart Louis obliged and stared into the dark of the boy's eyes and forcibly tried to tug anything relevant from his memories.
"There's nothing." breathed Louis.
"Close your eyes for more concentration. your mind is controlling you; control your mind." instructed Harry, feeling himself loose hope at every failure.
This had to work.
Louis shut his eyes and squeezed himself to open his mind or whatever.
After a minute of nothing but the thought of this being stupid, Louis grew frustrated.
"Nothing!"
"No there is. You just have to keep trying, keep believing."
Harry tried to ease Louis' anger by reassurance and partial cooing.
It didn't work as he wished.
"You're fucking with me aren't you?" exasperated Louis.
This was stupid.
He's just some crack head messing with him.
"No, no! Keep your eyes closed, please!" begged Harry, his soul twisting and crumbling.
Hope was all he had and it had to stay.
Louis had to stay.
Louis began to shake, literally, his body trembled as he tried to speak.
He couldn't find anything.
It was frustrating and maddening.
"Think!"
In the form of a scream, Louis said, "I don't remember, Haz!"
A moment of absolute silence and caution clouded the air between them.
Louis' pants were all that physically made a sound.
His breaths slowed and the buzzing in his head died out.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, "Haz?"
The curly haired boy in front of him hesitantly nodded in acknowledgement.
Louis' breaths paced again.
"Haz?" he called again.
Another nod of approval.
"Haz!" Louis choked out.
Unable to control his emotions, Harry strained out, "yes, Lou?"
Louis would've fallen face-first onto the concrete ground if it wasn't for Harry's quick reflexes.
In the arms of his long lost friend, lover, partner, Louis felt that it was okay to cry.
It was all okay.
"Oh, Lou... Lou... I missed this so much. I missed you." mumbled Harry through his sobs.
Louis hid his face in Harry's neck, taking everything in at once; all the missing memories that had left him disoriented and lost.
"It hurt. All these years without you... Of course I stayed beside you but I couldn't - I couldn't do anything. Thought it was all for the better, you know?"
Harry pulled away from Louis so that he could see his face.
"I thought I was too late - and I, I tried everything but still... But then when I thought all was lost, you came back,"
Harry held the boy's cheek, gently brushing his face while his eyes roamed every edge and detail of his face.
Now Harry could see his face, knowing that louis can see him.
Harry whispered, "you came back to me."
Louis looked up at Harry the same innocent, endearing way he had the first time he saw him many years ago.
All he felt was wholeness.
Nothing was empty or lonely anymore.
"Forever and always, remember?" quoted Louis with a smile.
In response Harry tipped his head forward and brushed his lips against Louis'.
He paused to properly reply, taking a moment or two.
Drinking up the reality in his arms, Harry laughed.
He really laughed, a true laugh.
"Forever and always." he sealed the promise once more.
With one last gaze, Harry closed up the remained space between them.
After an hour which consisted of snogging and confessions of love and catching up, LouisandHarry, HarryandLouis left the park to return back to the bedroom where most of the events of them took place.
Louis Tomlinson's door was locked and the crack under door was sealed off with his dirty clothes for privacy.
Once Louis gave the thumbs-up sign that he was sure their privacy was protected, he was lured onto his bed where Harry fulfilled his old wants.
They kissed like it was their first.
They kissed like it was their last.
They kissed like it was their only.
They touched and spoke to each other of their truths and promises for it was all they truly had to give.
It was no doubt that they would give all and none to each other.
They were each other's forever and always.
Forever and always.
[A/N: Happy happy happy things here. Their reunion and happiness might reassure you that it's going to end well but the thing is I don't believe in happy endings as much, so enjoy this portion of baby-Lou and ghost-Harry happiness for now. Byebye and don't forget to vote!]