Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“If you’re pretending from the start, like this, with a tight grip, then my kiss can mend your broken heart, I might miss everything you said to me…”

            The main problem when you’re almost thirty years old is that you don’t have many excuses for the things you do. You can’t act like a reckless teenager anymore, you can’t make mistakes in the name of being in love and you don’t get to end a five and a half year relationship and run into the sunset with your old boyfriend just because you’ve realized that’s exactly what you want to do.

            Louis is twenty-nine – even though most of the time he feels like he’s nineteen.

            He drops Harry at his apartment at around seven in the morning and Harry invites him in for breakfast, says everyone’s gonna love to have him there, but Louis knows better; he’s got things to deal with back at his own flat and, with luck, this definitely isn’t the last time the other boy’s going to invite him to eat something.

            Before getting back to his own flat, Louis stops at a bakery nearby and buys some stuff for him and Aiden to eat, since none of them will be in the best shape to cook anything. When he gets home he drops everything on the kitchen table to go take a shower – it feels like he’s lived one year in the past twenty four hours.

            “Louis… Lou, wake up”, Louis hears Aiden speaking to him and makes an effort to open his eyes. “It’s almost one p.m.”

            “Hi”, he replies, “did you eat? I bought breakfast earlier…”

            “I did, yeah, thanks”, he half smiles. “I made you tea.”

            “You didn’t have to, but thank you”, Louis says sitting up on the couch and then getting the mug from him.

            Fizzy got Louis this mug when he graduated, because it was all she could afford with her almost nonexistent allowance and Louis hasn’t been able to let it go ever since.

            “Did you sleep well?” He asks when Aiden sits by his side.

            “Alcohol did a good job at knocking me out”, he snorts. “But I slept poorly actually…” Aiden says. “I did make a scene yesterday.”

            “Alcohol”, Louis justifies and they laugh weakly. “It was all right, though”, he sighs. “I’m- I’m sorry, A”, he says turning to him. “Everything you said yesterday, everything that’s been happening… You don’t deserve any of this.”

            “Thanks for, you know, acknowledging”, his still fiancé replies.

            “I think I… I think I didn’t want to see what was going on because I didn’t want to hurt you… And I didn’t want to deal with the consequences of having my life turned upside down in such short amount of time”, Louis confesses.

            “I think I believe you- it just didn’t work, you know?” Aiden asks with a sad smile on his face. “It still hurts like hell.”

            “I know and I’m—”

            “Sorry, yeah”, he laughs humorlessly. “But you don’t know, don’t insult me and pretend that you do know what it’s like to watch the person you love the most fall out of love with you”, Aiden says more seriously. “I went to sleep thinking that maybe we’d wake up and still… Still believe in us, but… I’m looking at you, Louis, and I can see it in your eyes that now that you’ve realized what’s going on there’s no way you can focus on us. There is no us anymore, is there?”

            Louis feels terrible. He also knows there’s no reason to keep lying to anyone anymore.

            “It wouldn’t be fair if I—if I said yes”, Louis chokes out. He’s a grown man who wants to cry because things are changing before his eyes. “I’m not going to put you through this anymore… And I need you to know, A… I need you to know that it wasn’t you who never stood a chance against Harry. It was me.” He confesses. “I didn’t when I was a kid and I didn’t- I don’t now.”

            “Wow.”

            “Yeah.”

            They stay silent for a long time and then they kiss. It isn’t passionate and full of need; it’s basically for old time’s sake, Louis figures. It’s a thank you, and I’m sorry, and goodbye.

            Both of them tear up a bit for different reasons: Aiden because he’s losing what is, according to him, the love of his life, and Louis… Well, for so many reasons. The one that stands out though is the fact that he feels… Good. He feels guilty for feeling good when someone he, in his own way, loves is suffering because of him.

            Aiden isn’t a yeller, so he doesn’t yell at Louis the rest of the day or ever again. In many ways, he reminds Louis of Harry. And now that he sees things clearly, it is obvious why he once fell in love with him. And it’s kind of sad, really, because Louis realizes another thing: he never really stopped looking for a Harry; for someone who had his characteristics, but not necessarily the physical ones.

            Throughout the years, even when he was sleeping around, Louis became a collector. He kept in storage Harry’s best smiles and the sound of his laughter. He kept the exact way Harry put a towel around his head after he walked in the rain and the way he hugged him all wet just to piss Louis off. He kept many of his messages on iCloud even though he schooled himself to never open them.

            Louis observed on other people the way Harry walked and, unconsciously, he counted how many steps he had to take till he could be near him again. Louis found some copies of Harry wandering around and picked the one that was most convincing.

            The problem with collectors, Louis finds out, is that it doesn’t really matter how many new, shiny things they get, they will never let go of the ones they found first.

-

            Most people don’t get to say that day was the day my life changed forever. After all, life is constantly changing and one day you look back and see how different things are. Louis, though, can acknowledge now that he had two turning points in his life: the day Harry went away when they were younger and the weekend in which he moves out of the flat he shared with Aiden up until now.

            It takes him a week sleeping on the couch to find another place to live, and in the end he finds himself at Niall’s, who says he could really use a flat mate. Both of them are supposedly way over this phase, but it somehow works perfectly, even if Louis needs to take the subway to work now too.

            “D’you need anything else, mate?” Niall asks.

            “To see my mom, actually”, he chuckles. “I’m booking tickets. Just for three days to get my head—sorted. Don’t even know how I managed to work this week to be honest”, he says while rubbing his face and then accepts the beer Niall gives him.

            “Me neither”, he offers and drops by his side on the couch.

            It’s a Friday night and Niall tried, during the entire day, to convince Louis to go out with him. After Louis refused for the fifteenth time (seriously, he was counting), Niall said he’d make the sacrifice to stay in with him.

            “What happened, Lou? I mean, I can guess since on Thrusday I witnessed the weirdest encounter ever between Harry and your ex, but…”

            “Yeah…” Louis laughs and throws his head back.

            “You don’t have to tell me, I’m sorry”, Niall says quickly when he sees Louis eyes getting wet.

            “’S okay, Nialler…” Louis tells him. “You’ve met Harry, yeah?” It’s a rhetorical question but the blond lad nods anyway. “Tell me how one doesn’t fall in love with him”, he dares.

            “Hazz is pretty lovable”, Niall agrees pondering.

            “He is.”

            “You fell for him again?” He takes a right guess.

            “I fell for him again”, Louis responds. “He’s not only my boss and my ex fiancé’s boss, but probably, most likely my end game—as in, the love of my life.” And that’s Louis biggest, most truthful confession so far.

-

            Harry gives Louis space.

            To be honest, he needs it as well, because even if Louis life is changing more than his own, it’s still a hell of an adjustment to realize that even if you’re more mature now, your heart can still beat uncontrollably like you’re a teenager when it’s the right person standing right next to you, and you still lose your breath when you’re face to face with them.

            So when Louis tells him he’s going to visit his mother for a few days, Harry thinks about doing the same thing and tries to go to Chicago even for one night, which is completely impossible since he’s got so much work to do. He is in his office when there’s a soft knock on his door and Lou tells him that Aiden wants to see him. This should be… Interesting.

            “Send him in”, is what Harry tells her and she smiles back, opening the door wider and letting Aiden walk past her. “Hey”, Harry says, but doesn’t get up from his spot behind the desk.

            “Hi, Harry”, the other man says. “Do you have a minute?”

            Harry nods. He can’t help but notice Aiden is still wearing the engagement ring even though Louis hasn’t worn it since the morning after Harry’s birthday, he says. Harry also can’t help but feel a bit like shit knowing that he is the reason their relationship didn’t work in the first place. He doesn’t know if he can say that without sounding like a complete ass, he can’t risk being misinterpreted as someone who says “I’m sorry your ex fiancé loved me more”, so he just continues in silence and waits for Aiden to speak again.

            “I know this isn’t the best time to talk about it, you’ve got plenty work to do and so do I—” Aiden starts, “but I wouldn’t like to go out with you, mate, don’t get me wrong.”

            “It’s fine, Aiden, really”, Harry says. He was kind of expecting this conversation already.

            “I just… Don’t wanna be fired, I guess”, he chuckles. “We’re all grown-ups, yeah? Me and Louis don’t even work on the same floor and I can—I can be professional.”

            “I don’t doubt it”, Harry says and frowns. “And you’re not getting fired, this hasn’t even gone through my mind…”

            “Okay, wow, that’s a relief”, Aiden laughs quietly and looks down.

            “Look, you’re a great lawyer, you’ve made a few friends down there I’m sure—”, Harry says referring to his coworkers. “We haven’t had any problems with the contracts you’ve worked on and the artists you work with seem to like you well enough. There is no reason for you to stop working with us other than personal ones and I, for one, can, hm- be okay with that.”

            Kinda. But you’ve already taken away his fiancé, you won’t do it with his job either just because you can; you’re better than that, Harry’s brain tells him.     

            “I can too, I just- can I maybe stop working with Zayn?” He asks. “If I do I’m bound to be in hundreds of meetings with Louis and I don’t—”

            “We can do that, yeah. Maybe ask Jeff, though?” Harry says.

            “Sure thing, thanks.”

            “No- I.” Harry doesn’t know what to say. He can’t thank Aiden for accepting this job here and bringing Louis back to him even though that was exactly what happened. “I’m glad you want to stay and keep working with us”, he ends up saying.

            “Yeah…” Aiden says. “Look, it’s none of my business, but do you—?”

            “We haven’t talked properly yet”, Harry rushes to tell him. “He needs time. I need time. You do, too. It’s complicated and I’m- I’m sorry.”

            “Hm, thanks, yeah, time is… Good”, the other man says only now meeting his eyes. “I was just going to ask, and you can tell me to fuck right off for doing it since you’re my boss and everything—” he says, “do you love him?”   

            And. Ok. Harry was kind of expecting that too, but. Still.

            “I- hm… I—”

            “That was way out of line, I’m sorry”, Aiden says getting up. “I’ll get back to work, Harry, thank you very much for even talking to me about it.”

            “Aiden”, Harry calls before he walks out. “He’s the only person I’ve ever truly loved”, he says then. “And I haven’t told him yet so… Yeah.”

            Aiden only nods appreciatively and offers Harry a small smile before closing the door.

            Harry thinks that if he weren’t his boss, that conversation might’ve gone a lot differently, but as it is, he’s okay with the fact that they can all exist in the same building.

-

            Louis gets back the day Zayn leaves for the tour after what was supposed to be only a few days turned into almost two weeks. It was okay, though, because he had left everything prepared, but, still, when he arrives in LA and goes straight to Zayn’s place, his friend slash client receives him with a lecture about how not okay that was.

            “You dickhead”, he says when he hugs Louis.          

            “I’m sorry, I know you missed me dearly”, Louis laughs when they separate and rolls his eyes. It’s not like he wasn’t in skype meetings almost every single day he was in England. Even when you have to deal with persona issues, you don’t get to completely disconnect from his kind of job. Not when you manage two of the most popular international acts nowadays.

            “Not one bit”, Zayn smiles.

            “So, you guys ready?” He asks him and Niall at the same time.

            Zayn’s body guard walks past them and says hi to Louis before moving with Zayn’s suitcases towards the van that’s parked in front of his house.

            The tour starts in Australia in two days and Zayn is completely thrilled to be going that far for the first time in his life. He usually hates traveling, but something’s shifted in the last couple of months and now he’s really excited about performing. Liam says it’s because this is one of his most genuine albums ever, and Louis thinks it’s got more to do with the fact that, for once, he gets to be himself and not be judged for it, since he is a better self than he was all those months ago.

            “I’m excited, mate, I love Australia!” Niall smiles.         

            “Niall loves Australians”, Zayn corrects with a smirk.

            “That too”, the Irishman agrees. “Are you gonna visit us, Lou Lou?”

            “I’m not sure, I don’t really like you”, he laughs and receives a punch on the shoulder. “Resorting to violence, I see. Why would I want to visit you now, Nialler?” Louis teases. “I will, whenever I have time.”

            “Visit when we’re in Asia, you’ll love it there”, Zayn advises. “I know I do.”

            “It’s calmer, isn’t it?” Louis asks.

            “Yeah, I love it”, he smiles.

            “Well, it’s time to go”, Niall says when he checks his watch. “Lovely of you to come say goodbye, mate”, he tells Louis and moves to hug him. “Harry’s at the office, by the way.”

            Louis rolls his eyes. He knows.

            “Have a great time, mate, send pics, don’t get too drunk and- we’ll talk, I’m sending Josh after you in a bit cause you’re bound to do some interviews.”

            “Yes, sir”, Zayn answers while he hugs him really, really tight. “I hope you’re okay.”

            “I am”, he assures him. “Now let’s go”, Louis tells them and moves outside, going towards his own car.

            Once he’s home – at the flat he shares with Niall –, Louis texts his mother to tell her the flight was okay and he’s alive and well despite being sleepy as fuck (of course he says that with a better vocabulary), and then moves to shower, where he stands for almost fifteen minutes just washing away the trip and relaxing his muscles. Even first class can get uncomfortable for so many hours.

            Louis sleeps. He sleeps a lot, from six pm to four thirty am the next day and what happens when he first wakes up after a weird dream is that he can’t fall back asleep. He curses at least three generations, but since he’s bound to go to work anyways, since it’s a bloody Wednesday, he just takes another shower, this time a quicker one, and puts on some clothes, deciding he’ll go out and buy some breakfast he definitely will not eat alone.

-

            Harry wakes up with this insistent buzz under his pillow and wants to actually cry when he realizes it’s not even five thirty when he actually only needs to wake up at ten to seven. He’s got two missed calls from Louis and- oh, he’s calling again.

            “’Lo?” Is all he says, his morning voice not allowing much more.

            “Hazz?” Louis voice comes softly from the other side, like he’s smiling. Harry’s lips curve up and he closes his eyes again, almost involuntarily.

            “Hi.”

            “Would you kill me if I asked you to open the door?”

            “What?” Harry asks, a bit confused.

            “I’m on your doorstep? I’ve got coffee, I promise.” He says in his defense.

            Harry’s legs move before his brain can fully catch up with it and he almost falls on the way out of his bedroom; Louis chuckles on the other side of the line indicating that he’s heard it.           

            It is pitch dark inside the flat and he can’t bear to turn on any lights, his head still too sleepy for anything other than open the door because Louis is here and you miss Louis to be processed. When he gets to the living room he looks for the keys where he always leaves them, on a rack in the hall, and quickly unlocks the door.

            “Morning”, Louis says with an apologetic shrug. He’s completely dressed up for work already and is carrying two cups of coffee in his hands and a plastic bag hanging on his right arm.

            “Hey”, Harry says. He only then notices he’s wearing nothing but boxers and- well. “Come in.”

            “It’s too dark in here, Harold”, Louis says moving to the kitchen knowing his way around. There’s a warm feeling in Harry’s belly because of it.

            “It’s five twenty five, Louis, I’m so sorry”, he apologizes sarcastically and follows him.

            “Well I’m sorry if I missed you too much”, Louis replies pretending to be annoyed, but when he turns around after leaving everything on the counter, Harry swears there’s a smile on his face, even if he can’t properly see it.

            “You did, huh?” He asks moving closer.

            “I really did”, and then he’s hugging him. “I would’ve visited you yesterday, but I fell asleep the minute I hit the bed”, Louis says in his hair, hands wandering on Harry’s back.

            “I’m just glad you’re here”, Harry replies truthfully. “I’ve missed you a lot too.”

            They stand like this for a while, just hugging, just feeling each other. It’s so fragile, this moment that Harry doesn’t dare say or do anything else. He feels Louis’s hands caressing his hair and moving to his shoulder blades, drawing circles on his back, going up and down as if he wants to feel every part of him that is available and Harry has half a mind to grip on his waist and smooth his thumb on his hipbones over the dress shirt he’s wearing.

            While he’s still groggy and sleepy and partially naked, Louis smells fresh out of the shower, with little cologne – enough to be noticed and not make anyone sick for being, still, too early in the morning.

            Louis feels firm underneath Harry’s palms and Harry wants nothing more than to stay here forever, but as he slowly wakes up, shivering whenever Louis uses the tip of his fingers to brush down his spine, he also wants to talk, or just listen to Louis. He wants things not to be fragile – he wants to be sure, once and for all, that this is real.

            Louis moves his hands to Harry’s neck and then to each side of his face, pulling back just a bit to look him in the eyes. He doesn’t know how long they stood there, because the sun is rising, but he can make Louis’ features clearly right now.

            Louis’ hair is in a quiff and he’s shaved his beard making his cheekbones even more prominent. He’s so different from the young man Harry left so many years ago, but in many ways he’s the same Louis. He’s the same Louis when his thumbs brush on Harry’s upper cheeks and he’s the same Louis when he smiles like he’s discovering a new Harry as well.

            Change and recognition are happening before his eyes at the same time and Harry never thought such a beautiful moment would happen to him. But it’s here.. Louis is here. For a few seconds, he still blinks rapidly, afraid that if he closes his eyes for more than a quarter of a second this will go away. When he realizes it won’t, a smile spreads on his face, mirroring the other man’s grin.

            Louis tilts his head to one side and moves to kiss him.

            “I- haven’t brushed my teeth yet”, Harry says dumbly.

            “I really, really don’t care”, Louis says, still with one hand on his cheek, the other one wandering down his arm and grabbing Harry’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “I just want to kiss you”, he whispers to his cheek, kissing it there and then the corner of his mouth.

            “So kiss me, you fool”, he smiles and moves his head only an inch so their lips are finally connected and it’s every bit amazing as it once was.

            They don’t play when they kiss, is the thing.

            There aren’t chapped, closed lips against each other and tempting small bites like one would think a first kiss to have – maybe because this isn’t a first kiss. It’s a hello, there kiss. It’s a fucking finally kiss. It’s a we’ve spent almost ten years apart but you’re still the one kiss. It’s a we’ll have time for foreplay later kiss, because both of them know: they have all the time in the world.

             Louis dives in tongue first and Harry’s reflex is to just open his mouth to him, letting their tongues slide knowingly against each other, with slow, hot drags as their hands try to reach every part of one another.

            Harry backs Louis against the counter and Louis whimpers just a little bit when he feels trapped between the hard surface and Harry’s body, but he soon catches up and takes control of the moment, parting his legs so Harry’s thigh can slip between them and he uses it as leverage, raising to the balls of his feet and pulling Harry’s hair at the same time he scrapes his back.

            Harry isn’t wearing a shirt, mind, and this is Louis, so of course he moans into his mouth the second it happens and parts their mouths so he can breathe properly. Louis smirks and nips on his jaw and then his earlobe, but throws his head back the second Harry presses his thigh firmer against Louis’ dick, which’s already hardening against his trousers.

            He kind of rides Harry’s thigh for a while, and Harry lets him, oh yes he lets him. Harry presses him even more firmly against the counter and pants in his ear with both hands grabbing Louis’s ass, massaging them and bringing him even closer to his body, feeling the hard line of his cock on his bare leg and letting his hot breath cause shivers on the other man’s skin.

            “I want—” Louis says, breathing heavily as Harry kisses his neck open mouthed, dragging his tongue from one side to the other, not even being able to choose where to stop because he just wants everything. “I want to—”

            “What d’you want, Lou?” Harry asks in his other ear, biting his earlobe and rolling it on his tongue.

            “You, clearly”, he replies and looks at Harry again, pulling him by the hair and making him let out a guttural sound the second he feels it.

            Harry knows that look. It’s dark and mischievous and is a look that says your time is over, baby.

            “In my mouth, preferably”, he then tells him, manhandling Harry so his back’s against the fridge. Harry hisses when his naked, hot body gets in contact with the cold surface, but what makes him truly lose it and roll his eyes to the back of his head is the sight of Louis getting on his knees right in front of him, hands on each side of his hip and mouth on his clothed cock, which is leaking already inside his pants.

            (Never, not even in a million years Harry thought he’d wake up like this today. He can’t even remember the last time he had such a good wakeup call and if he thinks hard enough he’s sure he’s gonna go back to their past.)

            Louis kisses his hipbones and tongues around his navel just to blow cool air over it, biting right under it and making Harry shudder while he plays with the waistband of Harry’s boxer, but he doesn’t take it off, because he’s a fucking tease, of course.

            Harry doesn’t know if he should keep looking down at him – there’s an 80% probability he’ll last less if he continues doing it, but there’s no way he can make his eyes look anywhere else.

            “God, I missed you”, the other man says and Harry’s in doubt if he’s talking to him or to specific parts of his body, and he smiles contently when he realizes it’s all the same at the end of the day.

            Louis’ hands move down his legs and he parts them further away; Harry obeys, of course he does, and he’s only half surprised when Louis grips his ass while he attaches his mouth to his inner thigh.

            “Are you gonna mark me up?” Harry asks, his voice hoarse, one of his hands on Louis’ shoulder so he can balance himself. “For old time’s sake?”

            “All over”, Louis replies before biting hard on his left thigh, teeth nipping nonstop only being alternated with his hot tongue all over the place. Harry doesn’t know if he’ll have a bunch of small purple marks or a huge one, but he honest to God doesn’t give a damn, as long as he can feel it, them for as long as possible, only to have Louis do it all over again in a few days.

            He’s breathing hard when Louis moves one hand to his bulge again, and he’s not above begging when he finally, finally decides to take them off. Harry does not laugh when his cock basically slaps Louis’s face, but only because the look on the other man’s eyes is beyond savage and-

            “Oh, I definitely missed you”, and yeah, Harry knows what he’s talking about.

            “It’s missed you too-OH fuck”, he kind of screams embarrassingly loud, not even being able to finish his sentence, when Louis licks at the head of his cock like he is tasting a popsicle. Both of his hands are still on Harry’s thighs, and when he moves one of them to the base of Harry’s dick, the other puts pressure on a love bite and Harry knocks his head back on the fridge, closing his eyes and swearing under his breath.

            Louis has always been too good at sex and taught Harry many of the things he knows, if not everything, but when he drags his tongue from the base of Harry’s cock to the tip and envelops its head on his mouth just to repeat the process again, Harry notices that he’s even better now, and the only way he knows it it’s because his reactions are stronger, his body responds immediately and his knees buckle every time he’s in the tight, tight heat of the other man’s mouth. As Louis hollows his cheeks, Harry sees the brightest stars in the fucking universe, and he’s pretty sure Louis is sucking the life out of him. He’ll gladly let it.

            Louis repeats the process torturously slow at times, and Harry is about to cry out pleasepleaseplease just take me in for good when Louis does exactly that, bobbing his head repeatedly and quickly all over Harry’s shaft until it hits his throat three times in a row, making Harry give up on being just good for him and burying his hands on Louis hair, not even sparing a thought to his oh-so-perfect quiff.

            Louis moans around him and the vibrations send Harry to frenzy.

            “God”, he murmurs. “Fucking hell, Louis”, he says, scraping his scalpel.

            Louis lets him slip out of his mouth but his hand’s there instantly, wanking him fiercely but slowly while he moves his mouth down Harry’s balls, taking each one of them carefully into his mouth and swirling his tongue around them.          

            “You’re still so sensitive, Hazz”, he says, hot breath hitting Harry’s groin and making him a bit dizzy already. “If you’re like this with me sucking you off—” Louis says, kissing his shaft and rolling his balls in one of his hands, the other holding his base so Harry’s dick’s aligned with his lips. “—I can only imagine how you’ll be when I finally fuck you”, he says and Harry wails, not even bothering to keep it low anymore.

            The sun from the living room window is hitting his eyes but it’s Louis’s expression that blinds him. He feels wanted.

            “Louis, please.”

            “Please what, Harry?” He asks and kisses across his hipbones. “What do you want?” He licks down his belly and towards his crotch, tongue near but never on his cock again.

            “Please”, he says; it’s all he can master. He’s so close and Louis is pumping him so slowly, why is he pumping him so slowly? Fucking hell Louis DO SOMETHING.

            Louis laughs hoarsely and only then Harry realizes that maybe he’s just said all of that out loud, but he doesn’t really care, because suddenly Louis is back at it, hands on Harry’s ass and mouth around his head, going down, down, down, pulling him even closer and squeezing his asscheeks and it only takes him bobbing his head a few more times for Harry to feel that tightness in the pit of his stomach, and pull on Louis head, who pulls back only a bit to swirl his tongue a few more times on Harry’s dickhead while he looks up at Harry.

            “I’m- I’ll-Lou-”

            “C’mon, H”, Louis says, his voice destroyed, “come for me”, he asks and kisses his shaft, taking him in his mouth once again and finally bringing Harry to the edge.

            Everything is hot. Louis is hot, Harry feels hot and he shoots hotly down Louis’ throat – and Louis doesn’t even cough. He just takes it, closes his eyes and swallows everything, like he’s tasting the best fucking thing in the world. Harry cannot wait to do the same to him, if he’s being perfectly honest.

            When Harry finishes, Louis licks around him one more time before resting his forehead on Harry’s right thigh, but he doesn’t have the strength to stand up anymore and moves Louis’ head away a few inches so he can fall on the floor, breathing raggedly and smiling bigger than he has in a long, long time.

            “I swear this wasn’t my intention when I came here”, Louis tells him laughing a bit.     

            Harry pecks his mouth once before speaking.

            “Well, you don’t see me complaining”, he smiles. “Let me—” he moves his hands towards Louis’ trousers, his bulge completely visible through them.

            “You should go shower”, is what Louis answers. “I’m okay.”

            “Lou”, Harry rolls his eyes.

            “It’s six fifteen, H- and we should probably, hm, talk”, he states.

            “Your cock first, talk later”, Harry tells him and kisses his neck.

            “My cock isn’t going anywhere away from you ever again, Harold”, Louis replies humorously.

            “Ever again?” Harry asks with that, apparently, permanent grin on his face.

            “Go shower.”

            “Yes, sir”, he replies and smiles mischievously.

            “Just Louis is fine, thank you”, the other man smiles and smooths his shirt after readjusting himself in his pants.

             “Would you rather I call you daddy?” He winks.

            “Shower, now!” Louis half yells and Harry laughs louder, curls bouncing on each side of his face. Louis has been back for a few hours and he already feels the happies he’s ever been. Harry loves him again, doesn’t he? Oh, God. He loves him.

-

            When Harry gets out of the shower and makes his way back to the kitchen it’s already seven o’clock, but he isn’t in a rush, since he would be getting up right now hadn’t it been for Louis and his… Surprise.

            Speaking of, Louis is waiting for him sitting on one of the stools with a content smile on his face while he thumbs on his phone. Harry clears his throat and he looks up.

            “Coffee got cold, but I made tea”, Louis offers.

            “Awesome”, he smiles back and moves towards him.

            “Hm… You smell so goooood”, Louis says nuzzling Harry’s neck, hand resting on his waist. “You look great as well, though I prefer you naked…”

            “Sure”, Harry snorts, “you don’t get to see me naked again till I get the same privilege”, he points and kisses him on the cheek, moving around him to grab his cuppa and sit by his side.

            “We need to work on that then…” Louis smiles and takes a sip from his own cup, “after we talk, that is.”

            “Right”, he answers, “Should I cook breakfast first?”

            “I don’t know… Should you cook me breakfast…?” The blue-eyed man pretends to think. Harry only rolls his eyes and turns towards the cabinets and then the fridge to grab everything he needs to start on the scrambled eggs and the fried bacon Louis surely will want.

            Louis talks about his family while Harry cooks. He tells him how his mother took the news (“very well, too well even”), and how the girls reacted. He tells Harry Lottie wanted to facetime him every day he was there and that Ernest and Doris complained endlessly about being the only ones who don’t know him personally. They’re too smart for their age, Louis says.

            Harry, for one, cannot believe there are two Tomlinsons he doesn’t know, and when Louis corrects him saying that they aren’t Tomlinsons, but Deakins, Harry doesn’t feel any better. The fact that there is a part of Louis’ life – of his family – that Harry doesn’t know meticulously proves that there’s something really wrong with the way he’s been living for the past nine years. Louis promises they’re going to fix it, as soon as they fix themselves.

            “Do we need fixing though?” Harry asks furrowing his brows after he finishes his juice.

            “Well- maybe fixing isn’t the right word”, Louis quickly agrees and, as he keeps talking, he starts loading Harry’s dishwasher as if he belongs here already. Harry think she actually does. “But we need to decide what we’re going to do from now on, eh?” He asks. “I mean, we’re adults now, Hazz. We work together, you’re my boss—and my ex fiancé is one floor below us-”

            “He came and talked to me the other day”, Harry interrupts to tell him.

            “I know, he told me he would. How did it go?”

            “Good. He just asked me to not work directly with you and I think- well, I think he was afraid to get fired and Lou, I would never!”

            “You’d be stupid to do so, Aiden is a great lawyer”, he says seriously and approaches him; Harry parts his legs so Louis can fit in between them. “Plus… You’ve already taken me from him, so that’s enough, yeah?”

            There’s a mix of joke and seriousness in Louis’ tone, but Harry decides not to kid about it, not even a little bit.

            “I wish I could say I am sorry, but Louis…” He kind of silently pleads to be understood. “I tried. And I tried and I tried and I just…”

            “It’s okay, H”, he smiles and flattens his hands on Harry’s chest, suddenly finding the buttons super interesting. “I couldn’t stay away from you either.”

            “Louis, I missed you so much”, Harry gives in and hugs him tight. “I missed you every day for so many years and eventually I just got numb, but I… I missed you.”

            “I missed you too, love”, he tells him and Harry feels it. “I missed everything about you.”

            “Don’t let me go- like, ever again.” He asks.

            “Babe…”

            “I mean it”, he rushes to say. “I understand if you need more time to sort your head… You’ve just gotten out of an engagement for fuck’s sake- but I… I need to know you won’t let me go, because I’m tired of feeling alone.” He says, finally, and drops his forehead to Louis’ shoulder.

            The other man buries his hand in Harry’s curls and runs his fingers softly through them, speaking slowly and clearly into his ear.

            “Harry, I don’t… I don’t need more time to sort anything. Maybe we can keep it low-key for a while, because I don’t wanna rub anything in Aiden’s face… I owe him this much respect, but I… I  didn’t just broke up a relationship”, he explains and brings Harry’s face up by his chin, making him look into his eyes. “I broke it up for you, because of you. Because I love you. Because I’m truly, madly, crazy, deeply in love with you… Again.” He explains and a small smile starts appearing on his face. “And the fact that I showed up at your door even before sunrise should be enough indication that I don’t wanna wait one more second to call you mine. Again. That is, if you’re okay with it.”

            Harry kisses him as soon as he finishes pronouncing the word it, because WHAT ELSE WAS HE SUPPOSED TO DO?

            Louis parts his lips instantly so Harry can slip his tongue into his mouth and Harry tries, with each slide of his tongue against Louis’s, and every little bite to Louis’ bottom lip to tell him how more than okay he is with all, how much he wants to be his, how he is, in fact, his already, how no one else would ever come after him. How no one actually did.

            “I love you”, Harry then says, eyes closed, their foreheads connected. “I’m in love with you. Racing heart, trembling fingers and all. Again.”

            “Good”, he can hear the smile on Louis’s voice. The other man kisses him square on the mouth, firmly, and then retracts, “that’s good”, Harry then opens his eyes. “You’ll never feel like you’re alone, H, I promise.”

            “I love you. I love you. I love you”, Harry replies and punctuates each sentence with another loud obnoxious kiss.

            “I love you too- God, I can’t stop smiling, my cheeks hurt, what is wrong with me?” Louis laughs and throws his head back, staring at the ceiling.

            Harry pulls him back by the waist again and kisses down his neck, wishing he could do this all day, knowing they need to leave in five minutes.

            “Nothing’s wrong”, Harry tells him. “Everything is right for the first time in forever than that’s—that’s something.”

            “It is”, Louis sighs in happiness and looks at him, turning Harry’s inside out with his piercing blue eyes. “We need to go now, don’t we?” He asks a bit frustrated. Harry completely understands him.

            “We do”, he whines in reply.

            “Well, I’d better get moving then, don’t want my boss complaining about me to the other boss at the office—” he says cheekily and moves away, pocketing his phone that was on the counter and making his way to the hall.

            “Oh, this is going to be fun…” Harry laughs and follows Louis out of the flat.

            What an amazing ordinary Wednesday morning.

-

            Louis wants one thing and one thing only for the rest of the day: Harry. Instead, they get to work in separate cars and go their separate ways because life is just cruel, really.

            Once he gets to his room, he is faced with Jeff Azoff sitting in there, and although he likes his boss and he is used to talking business with him, he’s rarely there unless they have a meeting scheduled, which they don’t, Louis has checked. His day is actually going to be filled with paperwork related to Ed Sheeran’s new album and where he is going to record it.

            You see, Ed isn’t ready to give up London. Louis gets him, London is amazing and he himself misses living there so, so much. But having his management here makes everything a tad more difficult, because even though he’s got his PA with him at all times and Louis can send him a handler over, it’s not gonna be the same, especially with scheduling appearances on TV and important events.

            Ed argues that he can do all that in England, but his market is much bigger right now, and he needs the US. It pains Louis to tell him that, it does, but it’s the truth. He’s made it in America, he needs to stay relevant there. He isn’t giving, though, so Louis is making the possible arrangements for him to stay there during the recording process. Promo season will be here and this is not up for negotiation. Anyway. Jeff. Jeff is here.

            “Morning”, Louis greets him trying not to frown while he makes his way to his desk, where he drops his phone, wallet and car key.

            “Hi, Louis”, his boss says. “Can we have a quick word?”

            “Sure- yeah, of course.”

            “Good, good. This is about Harry, just so you know beforehand—it’s nothing, hm, personal.”

            “Well, I’d say it’s pretty personal”, he disagrees easily.

            “I mean it’s nothing- I got nothing against you, yeah?” Jeff asks and Louis nods, not sure where he is going with it. “The only reason I’m doing this is because I don’t know if anybody else is, so- don’t mess with him.”

            “I’m sorry, what?”    

            “Harry. Do not mess with him. Whatever you do, do not hurt him, okay? This is the break him and I’ll break you kind of conversation. Although I’m pretty shit at it”, Jeff confesses with a chuckle.

            “You are, mate”, Louis smiles timidly. “I won’t, yeah?” He tries to assure him.

            “Good. Because he was okay with Amy for a long time, you know?” He hears him and pretends he doesn’t cringe. “Then you messed with his head coming back, and he hasn’t said anything to me yet, but this is an office like everywhere else... People talk. I know you and Aiden broke up, Harry looks happier than ever so I just assumed—”

            “We’re good”, Louis cuts him off. If Harry hasn’t said anything to Jeff, who is his friend, who is Louis to do so? “Harry and I. And Aiden and I. You’re not about to experience an office scandal…”

            “I’m really just worried about Harry.” He assures him.

            “Don’t be”, Louis replies. “I think- I think Harry will talk to you, but—it’s all good, yeah?”

            “Okay, Louis- yeah. Have a good day”, Jeff smiles.

            “Thanks, you too.”

            And so Louis’s day begins.

            Harry keeps texting him throughout the many contracts he’s reading and there’s still Zayn bored out of his mind all the way from Australia, in a completely different time-zone, telling him how terrible it is to have to stay sober for a concert. Louis guarantees him he’ll be able to get smashed afterwards and tells him to complain to Niall up until then, and finally resumes his tasks at hand.

            When the clock hits five thirty pm, he’s already been on two Skype meetings and three phone calls and he’s about to give in to Jeff and Harry’s offer and request a secretary for himself. Cameron has one and she seems to make his life a lot easier, and without Niall here to help him, Louis finds he’s way more tired than he used to be, and it’s still day one without the Irishman. He makes it a mental note and starts saving things on his computer so he can finally go home when an email pops up on the screen.

            So happy for you and my baby brother again. I saw you looking at him on his birthday. I just knew!!! Mom is gonna flip when you guys tell her, she was proper sad H wasn’t the one you were kissing at the party—not that you kissed Aiden much. ANYWAY. I’m happy. When do I start scouting venues for your wedding? Can I buy baby clothes already? DATES, LOUIS, LET ME KNOW ABOUT THE DATES.

            Going to LA for a meeting in a few days. See you then. Drinks on you.

            Gems.

            Louis smiles and types a quick reply, full of love and humor. He’s missed her. They grew up playing with each other almost as much as he and Harry, and if Louis were straight, he might’ve fallen for her. Or not. He and Gemma are too much alike, Anne always used to say.

            When he and Harry started dating, instead of going into possessive and protective sister-mode, Gemma was the one to drag Anne and Robin out of the house so they’d could be alone. She’d lie for Harry when Harry couldn’t lie for shit and she’d convince her mother it was always a good idea for them to go camping by themselves – but that was also because she wanted to take her boyfriend at the time along.

            When Louis’ sisters started growing up and he had no idea of how to talk them through it, even though they thought he should just because he was gay (laughable, really, and thank God everyone’s well educated right now!), Gemma was the one who helped him – and the girls. She’s always been as much part of his family as Harry and, obviously, himself.

            Louis has missed her a lot. Louis has missed every single detail about his life as Harry’s boyfriend, as part of Harry’s family, and he is so happy that he gets to do it all again and with no expiration date that it makes his jaw hurt with how much he smiles dumbly alone in his office.

            He then proceeds to finally turn everything off and grab his things so he can go to Harry’s room and let him know he’s leaving. Maybe Harry will be leaving too and they can go out for dinner before going to their houses. Plus, there’s something that’s been bothering Louis since he spoke to Jeff earlier that he should probably address to before it becomes bigger in his brain.

            “Hey, Lou”, he smiles at Louise who is currently sitting on her desk painting her own nails. “Good to know you’re doing your job”, Louis mocks.

            They’ve become great acquaintances over the last few months, eating lunch together in the office kitchen every now and then and all, and even though they’ve never met outside the company walls, Louis likes to believe they’re on a joke with each other level of friendship.

            “My working hours are done, Louis, give me a break”, she rolls her eyes.

            “You’re almost on my level of sassiness, Louise, I like that!” He teases.

            “Oh please, I’m so above you on that scale…” Lou laughs and it’s his turn to roll his eyes. “Harry’s inside, he was on a phone call with Christina Aguilera, I guess, but it must be over by now- they were at it for an hour last time I checked.”

            “Oh. D’you need to announce me?” He asks a bit confused.

            “Have I ever needed to announce you, Louis?” She asks in delight. “Just go in, knowing that knobhead he’ll hang up on her just to say hi to you.”

            Louis can’t help the stupid grin that spreads on his face. Oh well. He’s in love. They’re in love. It’s mutual. They’ve discussed it. He’s allowed to be cheerful over the smallest stuff. (Not that Harry hanging up on Christina Aguilera is small, but- you get it.)

            “See you, Lou”, he says and waits for her to wave and smile before walking towards Harry’s room.

            “I’m sure we can sort this out without involving the press—yeah, of course”, Harry is saying, still on the phone, but smiles as soon as he sees Louis entering the room.

            Harry is sat on his chair behind the desk and Louis instantly wants to kiss him. He looks around and sees that Jeff is no longer in his office and neither is Cameron, Louise is too concentrated on her own nails with her back to them and apart from Miss Aguilera on the other line, there’s no one here to witness it if Louis arouses Harry just a little bit, right?

            Because the thing is, apart from everything else that’s been on his mind today, Harry’s dick has been the protagonist of his thoughts. Its shape, and taste and heaviness still linger on his tongue and Louis needs it, needs Harry and it’s about time he gets what he wants. Never mind it’s been hours since he last had it, he wants more.

            So he walks towards him with a smirk on his face. They are going to talk, still, about what Louis wants to talk, and they probably won’t even do anything here, it’s not possible, glass walls and all that, but he sure as hell can make him squirm in his sophisticated chair while he’s trying to solve a problem.

            “No, for that we’d need to gather the lawyers and schedule a meeting-” Harry keeps saying while he eyes Louis suspiciously. Louis, who is lowering his upper body by Harry’s side so his mouth’s aligned to Harry’s ear – the one in which the phone isn’t, of course.

            Louis inspects his face for a few seconds before deciding where to begin, and finally makes up his mind, moving one hand to the back of the chair so he can support himself and the other to Harry’s chest, tracing his fingers lightly in between the buttons of Harry’s shirt so he can be in contact with his skin and then bites lightly on his earlobe; it’s the smallest of the nibbles, but Harry’s body goes rigid with it.

            Harry closes his eyes as if he’s trying to focus on the conversation and throws his head back, resting on Louis’ forearm on the chair. Louis likes this, has always loved it, to be honest. He remembers wanking Harry under the table at the diner they used to go at night because it stayed open 24/7 and he’d always try and make him hard when their friends were around. He was the luckiest person because Harry complied with his exhibition kink and even though there is no one watching, there’s somebody hearing it – and it feels like the old days, but much, much better.

            Harry is super-hot, is the thing.  Louis has obviously always found him attractive, especially when he began to leave his baby-phase behind, when he went from kitten-cute to sex on legs, but now Harry is a man. Now Harry doesn’t have soft edges and images from this morning start to swirl in Louis’ mind as he drags his hand from Harry’s chest to his stomach and hips, remembering how his tongue traced his hipbones and navel, how he felt like the world stopped spinning when he started at Harry’s abs, how fucking turned on he was by the sight of him.

            Louis wishes he could rip Harry’s clothes off right now. He keeps roaming his fingers through Harry’s body while the other man stutters nonsensical words to one of America’s greatest singer and Louis breathes heavily into his ear, letting his tongue trace along its outer ridge-

            “Ok, I need to go”, Harry says louder, a high-pitched noise to his tone and Louis titters out of satisfaction. “I’ll—I’ll talk to you, hm, later, no, tomorrow.”

            Harry’s starting to be out of it and Louis knows he should stop, mainly because he is getting aroused by what he’s doing to the other man. But then he hears the woman speaking even faster on the other side, and really, he wants Harry’s attention, it’s six in the evening, so he squeezes Harry’s left inner thigh and caresses his hair, not pulling, just running his fingers through it.

            “I know, I know- we can come up with a-ah plan”, Harry forces out the last words when he feels Louis fingers tracing the way towards his crotch. “I really need to go now, Christina, but I’ll call you first thing tomorrow and we’ll solve this problem, ok, bye”, he hangs up and- “I fucking hate you”, Harry says, pulling Louis by the hand and making him sit on his lap.

            Louis notices two things now: 1) Harry’s at least half hard. 2) He is too.

            “I hate that I’m not fucking you”, Louis replies easily, indecent smile on his lips. Harry tightens his grip on Louis’s waist.

            “Whose fault is that?” Harry asks as if it were Louis’s.

            “Christina Aguilera’s, clearly”, Louis snorts. “And whoever decided it’d be a good idea for this office to have not-tinted fucking glass walls”, he complains.

            “Would you be fucking me right now on that couch if we had proper walls then?” Harry asks in his ear, tracing an open mouthed kiss to his jaw right after it.

            Louis only throws his head back for two seconds (or minutes) and lets him get away with it before he can think of a response.

            “No, I’d be asking you why Jeff doesn’t know about us yet… But I guess I can do that with glass walls as well”, he replies cheekily and gets up, but before Harry thinks he is actually mad, he kisses him briefly on the lips.

            “Hm… What?” Harry frowns, turning his chair so he’s facing Louis who is standing up by its side.

            “I received a visit this morning”, Louis tells him. “Jeff told me not to mess with you and I was wondering… Why didn’t you tell him?”

            “Lou I-”

            “It’s okay that you didn’t… As long as it wasn’t because of me?” He questions.

            “I didn’t know”, Harry shrugs and looks down, biting his bottom lip. Louis as the terrible person he is, is more focused on the way his already plumb lips turn even redder than the fact that Harry’s a bit insecure talking about this. “Last week I was as happy as I was confused, yeah?! Niall just- knew, of course, because he’s Niall, but- I don’t know. And then this morning you said we should keep a low profile, so I-”

            “Oh, Harold, you idiot”, Louis rolls his eyes and gets closer to him, holding his hand. “Come up here, babe”, he says and pulls Harry to stand up. “Keeping a low profile means not snogging my face off in front of my ex fiancé- it doesn’t mean you should keep us a secret. Harry, hey-” he makes him look into his eyes. “I am so fucking proud to call you my boyfriend, yeah? And I want you to be able to do that too. Tell everyone, hell, make an announcement, throw a party and invite all of your friends, put it on facebook-”

            “We don’t have facebook”, Harry interrupts him.

            “Whatever. Do you get what I’m saying?”

            “That I can tell my friends about us?” The curly man replies, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips, dimple starting to appear.

            “That you can tell anyone and everyone about us. We’re doing this, H.”

            “Thank you”, Harry pulls him on a hug and Louis chuckles over his shoulder. Only Harry would thank him for being in a relationship.

            “You don’t have to thank me, you idiot. I love you”, Louis mutters over his shoulder, affection clear in his voice.

            “I love you too”, Harry replies and kisses is neck. “You smell good”, he praises.

            “I smell like someone who’s showered before five in the fucking morning”, he retorts and snorts, but Harry only hugs him tighter.

            “You smell like you”, he affirms. “And like you’re mine”, he then points. Louis is on board with it. “You smell good.”

            Harry presses and kisses his neck again. It starts innocent, just a close mouthed peck under his ear, but then Harry presses there again, and then leaves another on his jaw, and on the third time he lingers less than an inch from Louis’ neck, exhaling hot breaths into it and wetting his lips just right before pressing them on Louis’s sensitive skin again.

            Louis releases a heavy breath as Harry’s open lips suck on his neck, tongue soothing his graze every time he bites a bit more just so he can suck again, gripping tightly on Louis’ hips.

            “I have to agree with you”, Harry whispers, mouth aligned with Louis’s throat. He swallows with difficulty. “Whoever thought it’d be a good idea to have glass walls—” he continues, alternating his words with small kisses and nibbles, hands moving to cup Louis’s ass and bring him closer, their crotches barely touching still. “—is a right prick”, Harry laughs hoarsely, moving his lips to the corner of Louis’ mouth, “because if it weren’t for it… I’d be on my knees behind you right now-”

            “Harry”, Louis whimpers trying to stop him and wonders where his voice has gone.

            “—I’d get on my knees and take your pants off so damn slowly that you’d curse before I even got my hands on you.” Louis knows where he’s going with it, and he actually already wants to curse twelve different generations of three different families just by imagining it, “- and I’d eat you out so, so good, Lou”, he whispers, voice croaky going straight to Louis’ pulsating dick. “I’d spread your cheeks with my hand and massage them while doing so—and I’d blow hot air into you just before I licked you—”

            “H—” he warns, stumbling forward and letting his hard on press on Harry’s thigh.

            “You’d bend forward right on this desk-” he keeps saying, hands actually massaging Louis’s bum while he lets Louis rub on his thigh.

            Louis is so embarrassingly turned on that he has no idea of how he’ll leave this office if Louise is still out there, because he is fairly sure it’s very, very visible. Harry stops talking just so they can kiss, and it’s every bit as desperate as Louis is feeling. He moans into Harry’s mouth as he begins to ride his leg in the middle of this glass room, telling himself he cannot come here and now, but doing nothing to stop himself from it.

            “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Lou?” Harry asks when they barely break apart and moves his face to the other side of Louis’s neck, French kissing it up until he gets to his earlobe, “wouldn’t you?” Harry asks again.

            “Yes”, Louis manages to say, desperate for release.

            Harry helps him pulling him impossibly closer, making him move in thrust-motions on his thigh.

            “I know you would-- I remember how much you love to be eaten out, ‘s the only thing I didn’t let myself forget”, Harry confesses. His voice. Louis is going to come. “I love it too- the feeling of being buried in you, getting my face all messy for you—” the other man continues, only stopping for one small moan when Louis pulls his hair extra forcefully.

            Louis is pulling Harry’s hair like it’s a life-line, because he needs something solid. His legs are useless by now.

            “… If it weren’t for these walls, I’d have you in heaven right now- or hell, who knows- I’d eat you so, so good-- I’d make you scream before you came- with my tongue and two fingers deep-” Louis comes. With no warning whatsoever, his body just gives him the release it’s needed and he throws his head forward, resting it on Harry’s shoulder as one of Harry’s hands moves up to his neck, massaging it lightly as he comes down from his high.

            “I- you—” Louis pants in his neck, “fuck, Harry”, he whines.

            “We will, love”, Harry assures him, a smug smile on his face. Louis kisses him just so he’ll shut up.

-

            “I need a shower, I’m disgusting”, is the first thing that Louis says as soon as they enter Harry’s flat.

            It was an unspoken agreement that they’d head to the same place after what happened. If Harry doesn’t get fucked tonight, he is going to throw a fit. Or die of a severe case of blue balls, whatever happens first.

            “Good thing I have three bathrooms”, Harry says cheekily and then proceeds to take off his shoes. “Are we having dinner?”

            “Are you cooking?” Louis asks back arching an eyebrow.

            “Well, do I have a choice?”

            “Of course you do”, he rolls his eyes. “This is a twenty-first century relationship, Harold, you have choices here too. We can eat your food or starve to death…” He shrugs and Harry has an enormous urge to hug him. He does because he can. Louis laughs.

            And just that, a hug and a laugh, makes Harry’s insides melt. It’s all Harry’s ever wanted from Louis: closeness and happiness. He’s got it.

            “Take-out is out of the question why…?” He teases, kissing Louis’ cheek while he pretends to try and get out of his embrace.

            “Because I refuse to eat restaurant food when I have you; d’you know how long I’ve gone without your cooking, Styles?” Luis slaps him lightly.

            “Yeah, I do”, he replies trapping his bottom lip with his teeth. Louis thumb is right there in less than a second.

            “Hey, none of that”, Louis says, making Harry part his lips slightly and making the tip of Louis’ finger slip into his mouth- honestly, does Louis think he won’t bite it? “Ouch”, he fake-complains. “I’m gonna shower, yeah?”

            “Yes, boyfriend, you can go shower and I  will cook you a meal”, Harry tells him, finally letting him go.

            “Which one of your three bathrooms shall I use?”

            “The one in my room, of course”, it’s Harrys turn to roll his eyes.    

            He walks Louis to his bedroom and doesn’t let his eyes linger on the bed or they won’t make it for a couple more hours. He knows Louis needs a shower and honestly he does too, after dinner- which he needs to prepare. Yep. No eyes on the bed. Show Louis the bathroom.

            Louis only half-mocks him for having such a posh flat, but only because it isn’t the first time he comes here. It definitely won’t be the last. If it were up to Harry, Louis would never leave this place again, and he’s not above keeping him hostage.

            When he’s made sure his boyfriend is all sorted with bathroom toiletries and clothes, he takes off his own shirt and puts it in the hamper, congratulating himself for not getting distracted by Louis taking off his own clothes, and makes his way back to the kitchen where he’ll start a simple combination of roast beef and mashed potatoes, because he doesn’t want to waste time cooking tonight.

            Harry opens one of his favorite wines and lets it breathe, hoping Louis will like it as much as he does. Back when they were together they’d rarely drink wine and it’d usually be the cheapest one they could find to whoever would sell them with Harry still being underage.

            Harry laughs remembering his eighteenth birthday and how he told Anne he’d be the one to go to the store and buy it, because he was finally able to, and then she looked at him wanting to laugh but at the same time apologetically. Louis had been organizing a surprise party for him and had already bought all the alcohol they needed.

            It’s twenty minutes later that Louis comes out of the shower, smelling and looking even more like Harry’s – Harry’s body wash, Harry’s shampoo, in Harry’s clothes and his heart skips a few beats seeing him like this, hair disheveled and all.

            “I love you”, he spurts before he can help himself and then shakes his head, smiling like an idiot.

            “I love you too”, Louis says and comes behind him, hugging him tightly and then softly pushing Harry’s long hair to the side, peppering his neck with feathery-like kisses that tingle and make Harry thank every god in every possible universe for this moment right here. “Your hair’s so long, love”, he murmurs, hands caressing his side.

            “Should I get it cut?” He asks equally quietly, not wanting to disturb this moment, turning his face slightly to the side, but still paying attention to the stove.

            “No. I love it. It suits you.”

            “Thank you”, he smiles and sags into him again. It’s disgustingly cute how Harry finishes cooking exactly in this position, moving only when it’s extremely necessary.

            They eat sitting across from each other, ankles hooked under the table and not many words – apart from Louis’ praises and obnoxious moans – being exchanged; they’re just enjoying each other’s presence at the moment, because this doesn’t feel like a first date and neither should it. They’ve been soulmates since the day they first saw each other, they were always meant to be here, they were always meant to be together.

            Between Louis and Harry, there is no space for meaningless or awkward conversations. There is no space for trying to make the other act a certain way. Between Louis and Harry there’s only comfort, there’s only love, there’s only the complete certainty that from now on it’ll be the two of them against the world.

            “What are you thinking about?” Louis asks Harry and only then Harry realizes he stopped eating.

            “You”, he replies easily and watches him beaming. “Us.”

            “What about us?”

            “We’re- we’re right”, he shrugs. “You really are the best thing that’s ever happened to my life, Louis.”

            “Really?” He arches a brow. “Better than the millions you’re making right now? Than this flat? Than th-”

            “Better than everything”, Harry cuts him off. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me”, he repeats.

            “You’re the best thing that happened to me too”, Louis tells him catching his hand over the table. “The second best is this wine, but you’re still on top!” He jokes.

            Harry cackles, because of course he does.

            “Well, for tonight I think I’d rather you on top to be honest…”

            “Cheeky.”

            “Always.”

            “Go shower, H—I’ll put the dishes in the machine and put away what we didn’t use…” Louis says already getting up. 

            “I can do it”, Harry argues.

            “Go”, Louis kisses his cheek and takes a plate from him. “The sooner you go and let me get done with this, the sooner we can get to bed.”

            “Romantic”, Harry says it to tease him but doesn’t even stay to hear Louis’s reply, running towards his ensuite and taking his trousers off in the process.

            He decides against washing his hair, because he knows it’ll get sweaty again and he’ll have to do it afterwards. The only reason he’s even showering right now and not after they have sex is because he needs to reenergize and he knows he feels way more comfortable when he’s sure he’s clean, even if, back then, they wouldn’t care about anything else other than being as close to each other as fast as they could – it being after a long hot shower or a sweaty football match.

            Harry isn’t nervous, per se, he’s more like… Anxious. He knows Louis, he trusts Louis, he knows how good it’ll be. It’s just that it’s been a long time and even though he’s been back in the gay game, he knows nobody else will compare to Louis. Plus, Harry’s good at sex, he knows that, but he’s never cared about being perfect to other people, he’s never felt the need to please someone as much as he did, does with Louis.

            His brain is a bit dizzy with the possibilities of the night already. His dick is twitching again after being so damn aroused hours later and he doesn’t even pay attention to it, because he wants Louis to – he wants everything from laughter to body worship, and as he rubs the soap on his body he feels himself getting hard just by thinking about it and finishes the shower quicker than intended, closing the tap and stepping out of the box.

            He wraps a towel around his waist and brushes his teeth when he hears a soft knock on the door. He hums something that he swears means come in, mouth full of toothpaste, and Louis steps in.

            “Dishes are done”, he tells him. “Holy fuck, Harry Styles, your body!” He comments, seeing Harry’s torso in the mirror. “I’m gonna have wet dreams about you”, Louis jokes.

            “Good thing I’ll be there to get you off when you wake up”, he says after he spits in the sink and proceeds to wash his mouth.

            “D’you have a spare toothbrush?” Louis asks and Harry points to the marble surface, where he left a blue one especially for him.

            Louis eyes Harry’s green one before speaking of course.

            “You’re so cute at times that I don’t know what to do with you”, he says almost squirming, like he truly does not know how to proceed. Harry loves him, wants him, worships him, adores him, to the ends of the earth and back, just so he can make it to the moon then. He keeps that in mind to tell Louis later.

            “Just brush your damn teeth”, Harry chuckles drying his mouth.

            Louis does so and when he finishes he keeps looking in the mirror. Harry knows he’s admiring the image of them both together. It’s so much of the same. Of course their bodies are different, their faces are more mature. But their expressions… Their expressions match what they looked like 9 years prior.

            And the thing is- Harry feels nine years younger. He feels so much, he feels everything. He feels like the world could burn outside and he wouldn’t even notice or care. He feels like nothing is more important than Louis right now. He feels like he needs to be with him in every and any way possible, because there isn’t a universe in which he’d be okay without Louis. He doesn’t know how he managed to get over him once, but he knows exactly why he fell for him again.

            Harry always knew he loved Louis, he knew it when they first met, he knew it when they first saw each other again almost a year ago now. He fell for Louis knowing Louis is his oldest, dearest friend. The kind of person he’s always been able to confide, to be himself, no matter how bad it got, no matter how bad he got, because Louis has always been the kind of person who would love Harry through it all, in spite of it all, at times, because of it all. Because Louis knows Harry.

            Harry fell for Louis again because he’s always been this way towards Louis as well. And this time around he didn’t rest before he could make Louis notice him again. He wanted to be noticed, and when Louis finally saw him, instead of just looking at him, Louis knew it too. It’s silly how it all turned out to be so simple when what Harry feels is so, so far from it.

            Louis finishes brushing his teeth and Harry’s still thinking about them. Louis turns around and Harry’s still thinking about them. Louis backs Harry against the wall and Harry’s still thinking about them. Harry is always, always and forever thinking about them.

            Louis kisses him right then. There’s no need to keep playing around each other, they know they need it. They need the closeness, they need their bodies intertwined, and they need to feel each other again. Harry doesn’t think that a day has passed since he realized he wanted to be with men again that he didn’t think about Louis’ dick inside of him.

            Louis moves his lips against Harry’s and Harry goes pliant instantly, because of course he does, and Louis takes it as an opportunity to place a firm grip on each side of Harry’s hips, making his back go flush against the wall – much like he did against the fridge earlier today – and leave his neck exposed to him when his head hits the white tiles on the wall.

            He kisses from Harry’s mouth to his jaw and then his throat, never stopping or lingering, just sucking and licking at different spots, knowing how much Harry wants to be marked and not giving it to him. Harry never liked when people claimed him, never liked getting love bites from anyone that wasn’t Louis – because Louis is the only person Harry allows to actually have him.

            “D’you think that stunt you pulled on me earlier ‘s gonna be left unpunished, Harry?” Louis asks harshly into his skin, “tell me”.

            “I ho—ah, I hope not”, he answers when Louis teeth graze his collarbones, thumbs pressing so hard on each side of his hips that they’ll certainly leave bruises. Yes.

            “You hope not?” The other man asks and smirks, “well I’m glad I can fulfill your expectations while doing the same to mine”, he whispers in Harry’s ear and catches his earlobe with his teeth, biting hard and making Harry moan loudly, sensation going straight to his cock.

            Everything that Louis does is now harsh and forceful, just like Harry likes it. He keeps leaving bruises on his upper torso and pinning him to the wall, not letting Harry properly touch him apart from hands on his shoulders so he can balance himself. And although it’s rough, Louis takes his time.

            Harry’s mind is swirling by the time the other man’s hands stop gripping him and start roaming on his lower stomach, Louis’ barely-there nails scratching under his navel and playing with the towel, threatening to take it off but never doing so.

            “You look so beautiful, Harry”, Louis whispers into his chest, “so, so, so beautiful—you’re the most beautiful person I have ever seen”, he says while he trails wet kisses from one side to the other, always near but never on his nipples.

            “You—you too, Lou”, he says the best he can, eyes closed. “You’re-Lou”, he moans when Louis’ tongue flick over his right nipple, making it go even more rigid instantly. And he doesn’t stop.

            He finally takes Harry’s towel off while he bites hard on him, working on the other nip with his thumb and forefinger, his free hand going straight to Harry’s ass and squeezing it way harder than what just teasing feels like.

            “I wanna give you everything…”, Louis trails, kissing up to his neck again and then placing his mouth close to this ear, tongue tracing the outer ridge and then going back to biting on his earlobe, hands never stopping, God has Harry missed this, missed being used, missed not having to do a thing and still feel like he’s doing everything right. “It’s too bad you don’t deserve it right now.”

            With no warning, like he loves when it happened, Louis palm hits one of his asscheeks, making Harry half-scream in surprise and throw his head back again, mouth agape, eyes squeezing shut.

            “Louis.”

            “You’ve missed this, haven’t you?” Another slap echoes in the quiet room, “you’ve missed this so much I can tell by how hard you are, love”, he snorts and slaps again, and again.

            Harry’s bum is hot but everything else is too. He’s pretty sure his chest is flushed and all the blood that isn’t in his dick has accumulated in his cheeks as well and while he feels his ass burn with every slap Louis places there, not in the best of positions, he also feels so, so much pleasure that he wishes he could scream to the universe how great this moment is. Louis thinks he’s punishing, but he’s giving him all he could ever want.

            “Such a kinky bastard, you are”, Louis tells him massaging both of his asscheeks in his hand, mouth on the corner of Harry’s lips. “I’ve missed it too, I’ve missed you”, he says and kisses him again, open mouthed and half sloppy half perfect, tongues sliding together quickly and deeply, both of them fighting for control and Louis eventually, obviously winning.

            It’s when Harry’s cock is about to fall off that Harry mumbles bed into Louis’s mouth, but Louis doesn’t move.

            “Bed, Lou, please”, he says and his knees buckle. He can’t stand anymore, his legs are wobbly and Louis’ hands and mouth are everywhere and he needs to lie down because his mind’s foggy, because he’s hard, because he’s so hard he could cry, but also explode – perhaps both at the same time.

            “You go to bed”, Louis says and steps back. “You wanna go do bed?” He asks. “Go to bed then, it’s your bed, you know the way”, he tilts his head towards the room and opens the bathroom door wider.

            “Louis.”

            “Lie down, flat on your back, head hanging in the air”, Louis orders. “I won’t say it again, Harry.”

            So Harry obeys. He walks even though he doesn’t fully trust his limbs right now and, as fast as he can, he reaches the bed. He should be surprised that the duvet is pulled down and the pillows are positioned the exact way Louis used to put them, but he isn’t, he just accepts it as a fact that when they’re being like this, Louis is, has always been and always will be his Louis, the one who takes care of him, who knows what he needs, who will be there through every step of the way.

            He lies on the bed and lets his head hang in the air, just like Louis told him to. He feels the blood going straight to his brain and he feels it getting heavier and heavier. He also feels his dick pulsating against his stomach and he has half a mind not to touch it, but Louis didn’t say anything, so he wraps his right hand around his shaft, instantaneously feeling relief, biting on his bottom lip and dragging his fingers lazily to the tip so he can spread the pr-

            “Did I tell you you could touch yourself?” Louis asks loudly and sharply. Harry’s eyes snap open, seeing the man behind him naked and so hard and big and thick getting closer and closer to him.

            “You didn’t say I couldn’t”, Harry would’ve been cheeky if he hadn’t been trying so hard to defend himself.

            “It should have been implied, Harry”, Louis says and pulls on his hair adjusting his head the way he wants to.

            His forehead is right under Louis’ groin and he’ll probably go cross-eyed if he keeps looking up like this, but it’s been so long since he’s seen Louis’ dick and it’s just right there, he can’t not look. He also wants to taste it. He’s pretty sure Louis will let him if he plays his cards right, by the position he’s in right now.

            “You’ve clearly forgotten your manners as well”, Louis talks down to him. “Didn’t I hit you enough? Do you need proper spanking?” Harry’s eyes flutter shut at this, because he almost came minutes ago in the bathroom, and just the thought of having Louis’ harsh hand against the soft skin of his ass makes his body tremble again, but he refrains from answering, trying his best to stay still while Louis fists into his curls, “or do you just need to shut the fuck up?” He asks, tugging on Harry’s curls and making him wail at the feeling of Louis’ dick against his cheek.

            “Close your mouth, love”, Louis tells him and- isn’t that counterproductive?

            Harry does it without hesitation.

            At first he only feels the tip of Louis’s cock on his lips. One of the man’s hand is in his hair but the other is guiding his shaft so he’s simply smearing precome across Harry’s lip, letting him taste but not letting him suck and if that isn’t the worst most unpleasant punishment in Harry’s book he doesn’t know what it is.

            Getting to have Louis’ dick inside his mouth is like having fresh air in his lungs, even if it means the complete opposite, since he barely breathes with all of that down his throat.

            Louis doesn’t speak much for a few seconds, but he’s breathing heavily and it’s difficult for him to control himself as well, especially because he loves the way Harry gives head, always so eager, always so open to taking him down, always wanting more, and more, and more.

            “You want to eat me out, huh?” He asks breathily in a low tone. Harry feels the precome down his chin and cheeks, he feels the head of Louis dick pressing harder on his upper lip, the smell of him invading his nostrils but and he dares to poke his tongue out the exact moment Louis starts speaking again, “you wan- fuck”, he says. “Be good”, he tugs on his hair. “You don’t get to eat me out while you still haven’t learned not to rile me up the way you did, Harry”, he warns. “Open your mouth.”  

            Harry doesn’t need to be told twice, he opens it as wide as he can and Louis lets his head fall completely back, hitting the side of the mattress. Harry’s eyes are fixated on Louis’ toned thighs, but when he finally inserts his dick in Harry’s mouth, all the way down in one go, Harry’s eyes squeeze shut again.

            Louis stays there much like he does when he’s fucking Harry’s ass – still, waiting for him to expand enough to be comfortable to take him, and he softly caresses the hair on Harry’s nape. Only when he is sure Harry is able to do it he pulls on his hair again, warning that he’s about to begin.

            Harry hollows his cheeks as Louis pulls back and the older guy breathes a string of fucks when he thrusts once more and feels his head hit the back of Harry’s throat.

            “So- so good for me, fuck.” Always, Harry thinks, always good for you.      

            Louis is heavy on his tongue and Harry flattens it so there’s an easier slide. With each thrust he grabs harder on the sheets by his side, aware he can’t touch himself but dying to do so. The other man keeps going. And if Louis is loud normally, he only lets out small whimpers during sex, driving Harry insane whenever he hears them – and it’s hard to hear them when his ears seem full and his head is fuzzy and there is nothing but the ridiculously good feeling of choking on a dick.

            It’s not a normal occurrence to him and he is not sure he would enjoy it with anyone else – he never wanted to try to. But with Louis… With Louis it has always been like this. He’s squirming by the time Louis takes his dick out of his mouth completely and he whines in discontentment, but notices Louis only did that so Harry would have little bit more of freedom in sucking him.

            Harry rolls on the bed and hisses when his cock gets trapped between his stomach and the mattress, but pays himself no attention when he pulls Louis by the back of his thighs, kissing the head of his cock again and this time sucking like he wants to, applying as much pressure as he knows Louis loves, kissing down his shaft until he hits his balls and back again, just so he can swirl his tongue around the head again.

            “Fuck, Harry, shit- you’re- fuck”, Louis chants with his head thrown back, hands on Harry’s hair and shoulder. “What you do to me, I swear to God-shit, shit FUCK—STOP”, he kind of screams and Harry smiles around Louis satisfied with himself. He goes down on him again and risks squeezing Louis’s ass; he doesn’t complain, just tugs harder on a strand that falls loosely on Harry’s forehead, making the younger man moan around him, “H- stop, now”, he says and pulls back.

            Harry understands him and lies flat on his back again, this time with his head rested on a pillow. He opens his legs so Louis can finally – fucking finally – climb on the bed and fit between them, climbing over his body and kissing him fiercely and deeply. One of Harry’s legs goes up so he’s half-hugging Louis with it and the other man squeezes his outer thigh in his hand, fucking his mouth with his tongue and swallowing every single one of Harry’s moans.

            “I love you”, Louis then says quietly to his mouth. “I love you and I’ve missed you.”

            “I lo-Lou. I love you too”, he tells him. “Please fuck me, I’m dying.” He pleads. He’s done his part, he’s obeyed, he’s deserved it, hasn’t he?

            “Just because you asked nicely”, Louis tries to smirk but is kissed instead, and goes along with it for God-knows how long, before he trails kisses down Harry’s neck and collarbones again, licking on his chest and going to his so-long-forgotten nipples one more time.

            Harry’s legs fall open butterfly style and Louis continues kissing him, tips of his fingers trailing Harry’s shoulders and arms, taking his hands and putting them in his own hair. Harry caresses it and tugs every now and then, only when Louis bites on his buds. He’s electrified, is the thing. His cock is about as hard as it gets and he already feels like coming even if he hasn’t been fucked yet – this can’t happen, this isn’t right.

            Louis kisses down his chest and swirls his tongue around his navel once more, and then looks up to Harry through his long eyelashes, a deadly smile on his face.

            “Suck”, he says. It’s less harsh but it’s still an order, and Harry’s only got time to open his lips again when two of Louis fingers snuck into his mouth. They moan basically in sync when Louis bites Harry’s inner thigh and Harry bites Louis’ fingers, so he removes them from there and places them between Harry’s legs. “Breathe for me, love”, Louis says. Usually, he’d insert both of those fingers without asking Harry a single thing, but he knows it’s been a long time for them, and he wants to make this as special and amazing as it can be.

            Part of why Harry trusts him so much, trusts him the most, is because he just knows, without a shadow of a doubt, how mindful Louis is.

            Harry does as he is told. Even though he doesn’t need to relax any more, he breathes in through his nose and exhales through his mouth and Louis sees the exact moment he is ready, because the tip of his finger brushes on Harry’s rim and that-- that is exactly what he’s been craving for forever.

            “More”, Harry requests when Louis doesn’t go past the first knuckle of his middle finger.

            “You’re not the one who gets to be demanding here, thought you didn’t need a reminder”, Louis says, retracting his finger completely.

            “I’m sorry, Louis-fucking please I need you I, SHIT”, he swears when Louis inserts his finger all the way down in one go. “I- I’m.”

            “I’ve got you”, his boyfriend says and his eyes are serene now. He attaches his mouth do one of Harry’s balls and Harry wails at it, because it’s in the exact same moment he starts moving his finger. It doesn’t take long till Louis puts the other one by its side; he doesn’t warn, he doesn’t ask permission, he just does it, because he knows Harry is ready, because he knows Harry.

            There’s a thick layer of sweat already on Harry’s stomach and he can feel his hair getting damper by the second. There’s Louis’ never-stopping fingers fucking him in and out at a crazy pace and there’s Louis’ mouth alternating small bites on his inner thighs.

            Harry knows people describe sex experiences as seeing stars or whatever, but he witnesses the universe expanding each time Louis hits his prostate and bites down at the same time on the sensitive skin of his leg; sex with Louis isn’t just seeing stars, sex with Louis is believing that some things can feel otherworldly right here on earth.

            “I’m ready”, he lets the other man know even though he knows Louis knows and is just teasing by now.

            “Where d’you keep the lube? And condoms?” He asks taking his fingers off of him and climbing his body to kiss him again.

            “Wish I could be this huge cliché and tell you it’s on my bedside drawer…” Harry trails smiling softly, Louis’ hand holding his face and kissing him right after he finishes. “But it’s in the bathroom, third drawer under the sink.

            “Clichés are overrated anyway”, Louis laughs lightly and kisses him once again before he moves to get out of bed.

            Harry knows better than to touch himself right now, so he just takes deep, deep breaths while he stares at the ceiling and feels his head getting a bit clearer, now that Louis is acting more lovey-dovey with him and not so demanding.

            Louis comes back rather quickly and climbs on the bed again, throwing a condom by the side of Louis’ head and using his teeth to open the small package that’s in one of his hands. Louis has always been a proper show-off when it came to these things. (And every other thing too.)

            “How d’you want me?” He asks when Louis opens the condom.

            “It’s a big deal for you—for us and I’m- I’m feeling generous”, he says lightly, his lips curving up to a smile. “I’ll let you decide. Tonight”, Louis warns.

            “I just want to see you”, Harry voices before Louis changes his mind.

            “All right then”, he agrees easily and grabs the condom.

            “Can I put it on you?”

            “I like that you’re relearning your manners pretty quickly”, Louis compliments and Harry’s heart beats faster.

            Harry gets on his knees on the bed then and gets closer to Louis, who’s across from him in the same position and takes the condom from him, pinching the end of it and sliding it down Louis’ length. The other man reaches for the lube and hands it to Harry, who eagerly squeezes it on his hand, grabbing Louis’s cock and coating the gel on it until it’s warm and until he has Louis’ breathing unevenly, mouth slightly open.

            “I think- I think that’s enough, Harry”, he says replacing Harry’s hand with his own, squeezing the base, and then kisses Harry square on the mouth.

            Harry lies back again and opens his legs once more, so so so happy. Things have naturally slowed down and he is glad it’s happened, that he’s not too out of it that he’ll get to enjoy every second of having Louis inside of him again after such a long time.

            “You ready?” Louis asks when he’s laid down on Harry’s chest, enough that they’re touching, but not so much that his weight his pinning him down. Harry loves him.

            Harry nods in agreement and brings his legs up, knowing Louis will want to throw them over his shoulders at some point and his boyfriend holds one of them while he guides his dick to Harry’s entrance. It’s everything he could ever ask for and more.

            “Lou—” he whines in anticipation, the tip of Louis’ dick playing with his asshole just like it had with his lips. “Louis”, Harry whines again, louder this time and Louis shuts him up with a kiss, guiding his cock slowly but steadily into him, letting out a relived breath when he finally bottoms out.

            “So. Tight”, he voices then in Harry’s ear.

            Harry can almost hear Louis’s and his own heart beating, so fast they are. There’s this thrumming noise in his ear and he needs Louis to move before it gets too fucking much, but he isn’t able to voice anything because he doesn’t want to instigate Louis to tease anymore. He needs it now and he needs it to be raw, rough, intimate – like only the two of them can make it be.

            Louis starts with short and unerring thrusts, making Harry’s eyes roll to the back of his head in the first minute of their fucking. He isn’t complaining, not at all.

            Few things in life are as hot as men moaning, Harry’s always thought. But nothing will ever compare to the hot breaths and low noises Louis’ makes right into Harry’s ear. He holds both of Harry’s legs under his knees and spreads him open even more, so Harry hugs him the best he can with his arms, scratching his neck and releasing continuous moans every time Louis hits him spot on.

            It’s languid and it’s slow and it’s satisfying, really, it’s lovely.

            Harry wants more.

            “You know I can take it”, he whispers in Louis’ ear, trapping his earlobe between his teeth.

            “Yeah?” Louis asks in a defying tone. “You wanna take it?”

            “Just fucking give it to me, Louis”, he says and he is so far from sounding as annoyed as ne wanted to.

            Louis gets on his knees and after what it felt like forever throws Harry’s legs up his shoulder, getting on his knees and pounding into him like he’s a ragged doll.

            “THERE”, Harry yells, “that’s what I’m talkin—talking, ahh, about—f-ffu—fucking fin-ah,  LOUIS", he screams and Louis does not stop, he isn’t even sure Louis is hearing him, he’s got his head thrown back and his hands squeezing Harry’s thighs, thrusting fast and hard. Faster. Harder. Harry will never regret asking for it.

            “So good, H”, Louis tells him at some point. “So good and so tight, always so-fuck”, he stops himself for a brief second, “always so fucking tight- shit.”

            Harry holds onto the headboard and is lifted from the air the second Louis realizes he’s got somewhere to hold. He leaves Harry’s knees supported on his shoulder and moves his hands down to Harry’s ass, spreading his asscheeks and squeezing them together again, hissing and making Harry fucking wail every time he shoves his dick into him again, always faster, always harder, restlessly hitting Harry’s prostate.

            “I- I’m—I’m so close”, Harry tells him with difficulty, struggling to keep his eyes open.

            “You are, love?” Louis asks, “what d’you want me to do?” He asks.

            “Keep- keep-ah, keep fucking me--- FUCK”, he screams. “Just- Lou, I-”

            “What if I wanna stop?” Louis asks, slowing down his movements and what no he cannot do that who fucking let him? LOUIS KEEP GOING, Harry screams in his own mind, not really sure if he’s said it out loud. Probably. Louis smirks and sits back on his legs, only the tip of his cock inside Harry again. Harry needs to come, he doesn’t know for how long he’s been hard, he does not care, he just needs to fucking come. “What if I don’t wanna give it to you, huh?” Louis asks again. “What if I want you to do it by yourself?” He says and Harry opens his eyes, Louis is completely still right now, only his head in Harry’s hole.

            “Love, please”, Harry pleads again.

            “I’m here, H”, he says. “Take it”, he then lets go of Harry’s bum and moves his hands up to his hips, pulling him on a sitting position when Harry’s arms fall from the headboard.

            Harry finally gets what he’s meant then and sits on his cock without another word and it’s so. Much. Deeper this way that he can’t even. He isn’t going to last much longer, he knows he isn’t, so he just bounces up and down as fast and as strongly as he can, obliging his thigh muscles to work as he uses Louis’ shoulder and hair as support.

            Louis kisses and sucks and bites on his collarbones and he’s so sure he’ll be all purple come morning that just the thought of spending the rest of the week with Louis’s marks on him, just the thought of waking up sore because he was fucked, because Louis fucked him brings him to the edge, without even needing to be touched. Louis caresses his hair and back while he does it, and Harry squeezes Louis inside of himself as much as he can, letting Louis fuck him in this position with a few more thrusts before he’s coming as well.

            “Jesus Christ”, Louis says stroking Harry’s back. Harry, who is still sitting on Louis’ cock because he cannot move by himself. “I love you more than everything”, he voices and it sounds like a confession.

            “I love you more than everything too”, Harry does the same, still trying to catch his breath.

            Louis helps him to climb out of his softening dick and maneuvers them so they’re laying side by side, facing each other. Harry’s own come is drying on his lower stomach and he should probably mind it, except he doesn’t.

            “That was—that was the best sex of our lives together, definitely”, Harry chuckles searching for validation in Louis’ eyes.

            “That was the best sex of my life”, Louis tells him, one hand moving to cup his cheek, body scooting closer like now he is the one who needs Harry. “You’ve always been the best—you’ll always be the best for me, H”, he says and looks down, cheeks reddening.

            “Hey”, Harry lifts his head by his chin, eyes watering so precious this moment is. “You too”, he says. “I don’t know what I was thinking when I let myself forget it.”

            “Yeah—same”, Louis chuckles and kisses him. “Never again, though”, he whispers.

            “Never again.” Harry agrees.

            They stay there for at least twenty minutes, trying to catch their breaths. Louis eventually asks Harry if everything were okay, if he were fine at the beginning, and Harry assures him that nothing was off limits, they’re just like before – they’re together and they love each other and, more than anything, they get each other in a way nobody else in the history of the universe has ever gotten them.

            Happy with this answer, Louis finally gets up and returns with a bottle of water for Harry and a warm, wet cloth to clean him up. After that, Harry lies on his chest and paces his breathing with Louis’s, praying that there will never be a day in which they’ll be apart again. Harry is a believer. Harry knows there won’t be.

            “Hey, Lou”, he calls softly right before they fall asleep.

            “Hm”, Louis hums just so Harry knows he’s awake.

            “Did you know that every day our hearts create enough energy to drive a truck twenty miles?”           

            “Is that gonna be one of those terrible jokes at-” he looks at Harry’s alarm block on the bedside table “one am in the morning?”

            Harry huffs out a small laugh and refrains from rolling his eyes; it’s dark and Louis wouldn’t see it anyway.

            “No”, he tells him. “In a lifetime, this is the equivalent to driving to the moon and back.”

            “Still not following, babe…”

            “When you tell someone you love them to the moon and back, you’re essentially saying you will love them with all the blood your heart pumps your whole life—” he explains. “Which I think is equally meaningful.”

            “That’s a lot of love, isn’t it?” Louis asks him chuckling.

            “It is.”

            “Hey, Hazz?” It’s Harry’s turn to hum in acknowledgement. “I love you to the moon and back.”

            Harry lets the words sink in in the darkness of his bedroom, and only after he’s taken three deep breathes he says them back to Louis.

            Tomorrow they will wake up and make love again. They’ll both be a little late to work, but nobody will mind that much. Ed will tell them they’re not being subtle at all and Jeff will hug them both tightly once they tell him that yes, they’re very much together.

            On the weekend, they will skype with Jay and Louis’s family, promising to visit in the summer. Louis’s family will be thrilled and Harry’ will win the younger twins over in the blink of an eye.

            When Gemma comes visiting, so do Anne and Robin – they’ll say they couldn’t miss this for the world. Everyone will be extra happy because of them. Neither Harry nor Louis will know how to deal with it externally, although both of them feel will the same way: ecstatic. (They’re still getting used to being this happy.)

            At times, even a couple of months later, Louis will be watching TV or arguing with Niall and Harry will be staring at him from across the room, past, present and future crashing in his mind – he will be thankful for every single one of their days, including the ones they haven’t lived yet.

            One of these nights, they’ll offer to babysit for Louise to go on a date with her husband. Lux is half in love with Harry now, but just because the other half Louis managed to get for himself.

            They’ll spend the entire day playing around with her, and at the end of it, when she’s tucked in between them, sleeping and snoring softly as a Disney movie plays on Harry’s TV, Louis will look at Harry over her head and beam at him. He’ll hold his hand and ask him: we are going to be all right, aren’t we?

            Of course he knows the answer. Harry replies anyway, because he is Harry. His Harry, and he knows Louis needs to hear it.

            “I think we’ll be just fine.” The green eyed man smiles his Louis’ smile, the one that will never leave his face again.

            They have never been happier for starting over.

“… And I can mend your broken parts that might fit, like this

And I will give you all my heart, so we can start it all over again.”