Harry woke up to the sun on his face and a weight on his chest. It took him a moment to remember the night before, but he was grateful that Louis was still asleep on top of him. Harry could smell Louis' hair and feel the grip of his hand and it felt like home. He had missed him terribly.
Harry glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it was just past seven. He could hear his mum humming in the kitchen and he was getting hungry, but he didn't want to move and wake up Louis. But as Harry shifted slightly, he disturbed Louis' sleep, causing the older boy to stir.
Louis' eyes fluttered open and his gaze focused on Harry. "Hi," He whispered.
"Hi," Harry whispered back. He brought a hand up to the back of Louis' head and tugged on the hairs at his neck. "You feel better?"
Louis shrugged and let his head down to rest on Harry's chest. His hand was still gripping the younger boy's shirt which Harry took to mean that he still felt the same way. Harry felt like he could almost feel what Louis was feeling anyway. Harry knew that even though Louis' mum had kicked him out, Louis still loved her. He knew that they had been close for years and that, before Lottie, it was just the two of them. Just them against the world. He knew how protective Louis was over his family, even the ones who didn't seem to want him.
Louis was fiercely loyal and kind and he was absolutely everything to Harry.
"How 'bout we eat breakfast then talk?" Harry suggested, "Mum's in the kitchen now."
At the prospect of Harry's mum, a smile immediately broke onto Louis' face and he darted from the younger boy's arms. Harry jumped off the couch and followed Louis to the kitchen just in time to see his mother's arms wrapped tightly around Louis. The boy was holding on equally tight and Harry could see that his mum was whispering something he couldn't hear into Louis' ear.
Harry gave his mum a smile as she made eye contact with him over Louis' shoulder but then looked away to give them a moment to themselves. Opting, instead, to begin preparing Louis' tea and breakfast for the two of them. After a minute he felt Louis come up behind him and rest his forehead against Harry's back.
That was something that made Harry feel nostalgic of all the times the older boy had done that before, in that exact kitchen, in that exact spot. Harry had to hold in a sigh.
When the tea was ready he turned around and handed it to Louis before finishing up their breakfasts and placing them on the table.
As they sat down across from each other, Louis kicked Harry's shin and, although the younger boy wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not, it made him smile. Anne walked through the kitchen to bid her goodbyes to each boy.
"Going to school?" She asked after pressing a kiss to her son's head.
Harry frowned and glanced at Louis, "Best not."
Anne nodded and came up behind Louis, wrapping an arm around his chest and pressing a kiss to his cheek, "You'll be alright, love?"
Louis brought a hand up to his face and nodded, giving Anne a small smile.
"Alright boys, I'll see you tonight."
They both said a quiet goodbye before she left, leaving them to eat in silence, lest the sound of their forks scraping on the plate. When they had both cleared their plates, Harry brought them to the sink and rinsed them before placing them in the dishwasher.
Then he went back to the table, opting to sit beside Louis, rather than across from him as he had done before. He hesitated for a moment before reaching over and taking Louis' hand in his. However, the moment he did, Louis squeezed his hand tightly, which reassured Harry in his decision.
"So whaddu you wanna do?" Harry asked.
Louis sighed and scooted his seat closer to Harry's before leaning over so he could rest his head on Harry's shoulder. "I'd like to go see her."
"Yeah?" Harry pressed, "Um, do you want me to come? Or I can stay at home, whatever you want, Lou."
Louis looked up at Harry with an unreadable expression, "Yeah, you can come."
"Should we get dressed then?"
Louis nodded, so they both stood up and walked up the stairs to Harry's room. Louis immediately sat on the bed so Harry headed for his closet, where some of Louis' clothes still lay.
Harry took out a pair of black jeans for Louis and tossed them onto the bed, pulling out a similar pair for himself. He then chose a sweater, one that had begun as Harry's but Louis had quickly taken to. Harry hadn't worn it in months. He held it up to the older boy.
Louis nodded and smiled shyly, holding up a hand to catch it as Harry threw it to him. Harry also chose a sweater that had floated between the two of them. In fact, it was the same grey hoodie that had gotten them caught by Jade in the first place, over a year before. Harry smiled at the memory and began to tug his clothes on, ignoring the way that Louis turned away to do the same.
When they were both done, they silently made their way to Louis' car, Harry locking up behind them. Once they were on the road, Harry spoke, "Your house then?"
Louis shook his head, "Hospital."
Harry frowned, it must be really bad then.
They drove to the hospital, accompanied only by the quiet background lull of the radio. It was only when Louis parked that Harry spoke again, "Should I wait here?"
Louis looked at Harry with darkness in his eyes, a darkness that was closer to sadness than anything else and lingered in the air between them.
"I'll be here if you need me," Harry rushed out, not wanting Louis to feel as though he was being abandoned. Again. "Of course I'll come in if you want... But maybe it'd be best for you to do this on your own."
Louis shrugged and slumped against the window. "I-I just..." His eyes slowly filled with tears.
"Hey," Harry said. He didn't know what else to say so he just took his hand and squeezed the area where Louis' shoulder met his neck.
Louis leaned into his touch before speaking, "What if she still doesn't want me? What if she's dying and she still hates me?"
Harry still wasn't sure what to say, but he knew what he would want Louis to do if the roles were reversed. So Harry leaned over the console, over Louis and slid the seat back before climbing onto Louis. His knees were resting on either side of Louis' hips and he held the older boy's shoulders to keep his balance.
Harry slowly wrapped his arms around Louis and pulled him into a tight hug.
"It'll be okay, Louis. I'm here, and at the end of the day, I'll always be here," Harry whispered into his ear.
Louis sighed and pulled Harry impossibly closer. "Okay," He whispered.
"What else can I do to make this better, Lou?" Harry asked after a moment of the two just holding each other.
Louis shrugged, "Just you is enough." Followed by what was perhaps a longer than necessary pause. "You make everything better, baby."
Harry couldn't help but smile.
----
Louis had been lying in bed, sad, as he had been every day since he and Harry had stopped... whatever. He knew that it was his fault but he also thought that this was, at the very least, what was best for Harry.
In the past year, every aspect of Louis' life had morphed into doing what he thought was best for Harry, no matter the consequences for himself. If he had been thinking about the consequences on himself then, first and foremost, perhaps he wouldn't've come out to his mother.
Or, at least, that's the first thing he thinks when Lottie tells him.
He had been lying in bed, thinking about absolutely nothing. And Harry. And nothing. Until his phone rang. A phone that he was quick to answer in the hopes that it would be Harry.
When it was his sister instead, he wasn't disappointed, per say. He did love his sister and, every day that she got older, she became more and more interesting. They had good conversation.
Although, when the first noise through the phone was a sniffle, Louis became immediately concerned.
"Lottie?" He asked, "What's wrong?"
"Louis," She sobbed out, "It's mum."
A million possibilities of what may have happened floated through Louis' head and every single one of them ended up the same way, with Louis in Doncaster. So he immediately jumped from his bed, phone pressed to his ear, and grabbed his car keys from his desk.
"Lots," He panted as he ran through the hallways and to his car, "Lots, tell me what happened."
"She's been sick, Lou. And-and she told us it wasn't all that bad. She promised she would be okay, Louis!"
Louis took a deep breath and unlocked his car door, sitting in the seat and putting his phone on speaker.
"Lottie, it's okay, I'm on my way home now, okay?" Louis could hear her sniff. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Lottie took a deep breath before speaking, "Mum's in the hospital, Lou. Something happened at work, and-and they called home so I answered... I don't know what to do Louis! I don't know where Dan is and Fizz is crying and the twins are hungry."
Louis sighed and started the car. "Okay Lottie, how 'bout you put on a movie for you and the girls. I'll order you guys a pizza, you know where mum keeps the extra cash?" Louis heard her hum so he kept speaking, "I'll call Dan and find out what's going on, okay? I'll be home in a few hours."
"Okay." Lottie's voice was weak.
"Okay Lots, I'm gonna go now. I love you."
"Love you too."
-----
apologies but there likely won't be an update on time next week. I'm driving across the country and won't be moved into my uni until the 24th. although the chapter is almost done so as soon as I'm able to I'll post it.
xx