ghost |♥️| larry oneshot

|o n e|

he looks the same.
that was harry's first thought when he saw louis, after all this time. his face was the same, his hair the same. his lips were the same kissable red, shaped now into a frown after so long forgetting how to smile. his eyes were the same shade of blue - the first thing harry had fallen in love with, those eyes. they had been so bright. now they were duller, like paint that faded as years went by.

he was wearing the same shirt, from that night, too. they had so many plain white shirts between the two of them - they were simple, and easy to pair with other clothing items. the one the older boy was wearing now seemed to swallow him, he looked so small in it; it was one of harry's. peeking out from under the cloth were louis's many tattoos; harry couldn't help but notice his two new ones.
a paper airplane, harry's hand instantly travelling to the dip in his collarbone where his necklace had rested.
and a word. 'oops'. now the younger one of the pair was touching his matching tattoo, the 'hi' he had proudly gotten while drunk and in love. louis had tried warning him against it, and harry had fought back, saying he should get the oops too and even if he didn't this meant something to him. louis had given up (he knew better than anyone how stubborn harry could be) but never had the oops done himself. he had known how upset management would be, how upset they already were with harry.
now he had the oops.

for a moment, harry went back. closed his eyes and ignored the bustle around him in favor of a quiet moment. a bathroom, x-factor days, and he had to choose which urinal to stand at. he picked the boy in a striped shirt and toms, which might not have been the best choice, as stripey - as harry had so creatively decided to call him - accidentally splashed pee on him not long after. 'oops!' 'hi.' it had been the start of something beautiful and ugly and raw.
another moment in the bathroom, not long after, just kissing. he could almost taste it, louis's sweet lips against his because did that boy eat too much candy always, and if he opened his eyes he knew he'd see those blue eyes, still holding their sparkle. he did, and it looked so real, and it was something he used to feel hitting him all over again. he reached for his love's hand, and watched in dismay as his fingers slipped right through, a reminder this was nothing but a memory. he could look, but not touch what he saw.

and now back into himself, and somehow he had missed the passage of time as he often did now when thinking and louis was staring into the empty fridge as if the light washing over the room could provide him with answers. harry had always been the one to cook, so now louis always ordered takeout. sometimes, though, he just watched the fridge like it could bring back the food, and harry with it.

harry fell into old times again, he did this too often now, and having just finished eating the two tired boys practically collapsed into their shared bed. the curtain was just barely open, the clouds floating over and past the moon and causing the light to dance across the walls as harry watched the most beautiful man he had ever seen sleep. when he slept, all his sides were his good sides, whether louis agreed with him or not. all his sides were good sides always. louis, whether he agreed or not, was perfect. this was all he needed.
that had been a lie.

they weren't who they had been, now, harry thought as he watched louis's face crumple, his body seeming to cave in on itself as suddenly he was on the floor sobbing in the kitchen of what was once a shared flat with the person he had loved most in the world. they weren't who they used to be and oh, how he wished they were, because at this point it was one ghost watching a man become another one. he knew louis would never look at things the same, he hadn't since a year ago when that night had happened. they had been glass half full people, optimists, and now they were drowning in a glass half empty as they both fought to swim and keep their heads above water.
maybe if louis looked up now, he'd see harry, maybe he wouldn't. it didn't matter because he didn't look up. he couldn't see the things he'd once seen, couldn't look at the fridge the same way, couldn't see green eyes without it hurting, couldn't play their music without sobbing. he was broken and needed to pick up the pieces, all the other lads had, but he couldn't. couldn't couldn't couldn't.

and so they stood together, these two ghosts, each longing for each other as they stood in the same room yet worlds apart, both trying to remember how it felt to have a heartbeat.

A/N: So that... okay then. Dunno where that came from, or even if the writing is even any good (it's terrible I know but shhh). Anyways, this is a larry songfic oneshot based on Two Ghosts by Harry Styles, 862 words, hope you enjoyed! :D (maybe now I'll go sleep... or not. whatever.)
~Sae