Change Your Ticket || larry

9

"Stay," Harry weakly begs from his bed. Louis is finishing packing his bags, his flight leaving in another six hours. Harry is sitting in the middle of his twin bed, his whole body hurting because Louis' leaving and Harry just can't handle that again.

"I can't, H. I just can't," Louis tells him yet again, but each time his protests get weaker because he wants to stay. He'd rather be sitting with Harry on the bed, drinking cheap boxed wine and laughing over something stupid one of them said.

"Your school offers online courses. You can probably even get an exchange to a school here. Just stay with me. Please don't leave," Harry continues and his voice cracks on the word 'leave' and Louis swallows thickly at the sound.

"I can't, Harry. What about my parents? My sisters? Eleanor?"

"And what about me, Louis?! What about me? Don't I matter?" Harry is crying now. He wishes he never agreed to letting Louis come visit. It hurt leaving the first time. He broke down and hated himself for weeks and now he has to go through all that again.

"Of course you matter! I flew out here to see you because I missed you so much. Don't I matter? You're the one that left me," Louis points out and now he's trying not to cry. Harry shakes his head and looks down at his crossed legs. Louis moves and throws more clothes into his open suitcase.

"You'd be better here, Lou. You're free here. Your dad can't force you into a life that you don't want-"

"What do I have here? I have nothing-"

"You have me! Fucking hell, Louis, you have me. You have freedom and more opportunities to write. You don't have a father that hates who you actually are and you don't have a mother that's forcing you to be with someone you don't love. What do you have there, Louis?" Harry fires back.

Louis just looks at him and he can't seem to form a proper answer. What does he have there? Sure he has Eleanor and his sisters, but what else? He has a lie. He has a life that's already planned for him. He has his homophobic football friends and his career that will be hard to start in a place as small as Doncaster. He has church there and he has tears. He has an empty bed and a broken heart and really what does he have? Does he have anything to go back to?

"Please stay with me. I love you so much, Louis. Please don't go," Harry whispers now and Louis looks down at his almost full bag and shakes his head.

"I love you too, Harry. You know I love you, but it's crazy to even think about staying," Louis sighs. Harry looks completely defeated as Louis turns on his heel and goes to the washroom to get everything together.

•••

Harry sits in the front of Zayn's car and refuses to make eye contact with Louis in the backseat. Both boys are tense and Zayn just awkwardly drives to the airport, not knowing what to say.

When they arrive at the front of the large building Louis is quick to leave the car and Harry stumbles out of his door to follow his lead. Zayn just remains in the car and decides they need privacy.

"Lou," Harry says his name in a gentle hush that captures all of Louis' attention. Louis turns to see his tear stained face and he feels himself breaking even further. If he stayed here Harry would smile. He'd never sleep in an empty bed and he'd always have someone to talk to. If he stayed here he'd have a group of friends and a chance at his dream job. If he stayed here he'd have Harry.

"Can I give you a kiss? I know we got in a fight earlier, but I can't let you leave without a kiss," Harry whispers and Louis just moves towards him like a magnet. He stands on his tiptoes and kisses Harry goodbye and he only breaks away when he starts to cry.

"I don't want to leave you," Louis cries into his shoulder and Harry rubs his back and presses his lips to the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, but Louis, you really should get checked in and Harry, you start work in an hour," Zayn calls from his window. Louis shakes his head and clings tighter to Harry, but Harry gently separates them and places one last lingering kiss on Louis' lips.

"I'll visit soon. Call me when you land. I love you," Harry whispers.

"I love you more," Louis whispers back. Harry smiles and swiftly lifts Louis' suitcase from the back of Zayn's car and then climbs back in. The two wave as Louis starts to roll his bag into the large, bustling building.

He makes his way to the back of the line for bag check and checks his phone quickly. He sees he has a message from Eleanor and it's probably her reply from when Louis texted her earlier about his and Harrys fight.

From El: if you think you should stay then maybe you should. Harry has a point when he says you have nothing to come back to. Everything you want is there Louis.

Louis reads the message over and over. His eyes scan the words until they start to blur together. Everything he wants is here. He fought so hard to get Harry. He fought to overcome his beliefs so he could really be himself and love himself. He fought to be able to come out to Eleanor and Louis is still fighting and for what? He has Harry. He's already won. Harry's here and he's free and all Louis has to do is stay.

He pulls out his phone from his back pocket and dials his home number. He moves from the bag check line and watches as people move all around him. He can start new here. He can start a life and he can start it with Harry because he loves Harry so much. He's tired of hiding it. He's tired of his fathers homophobic comments and his mothers pressuring nature. He's tired of kissing Eleanor and he's tired of just being fake.

"Hello?" Jay picks up the phone and Louis' brain freezes and his mouth goes dry. "Hello?" She repeats and Louis closes his eyes and just imagines Harry.

"Mom? It's Louis," Louis starts and then he takes a big breath and opens his eyes again. "I don't think I'm coming home. I'm going to stay here."

There's a long silence on the other line and Louis' heart pounds as he hears voices talking on the other side. He bites his lip and taps his foot.

"Why?" His fathers voice bellows and Louis knows this is it. It's time to tell them. It's hard to live a lie and Louis' so tired of everything being a secret. He wants everything out in the open.

"Because I love Harry and I can't live without him. He's all I want," Louis tells them, his voice shaking and his palms sweaty.

"I knew this would happen! That boy has infected you-"

"No! Dad, I'm not infected. I can't help that I love him-"

"What about Eleanor?" His mothers voice cuts him off and Louis just chuckles.

"She knows! Everyone knows! I love Harry Styles!" Louis shouts, feeling free and happy. He feels genuinely happy and like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. "And mom, I'm not coming home."

He hangs up the phone and then laughs like a crazy person. He feels liberated. He feels like a whole new person and he sprints from the airport and quickly hails a taxi. He gives him the address of Harrys modelling studio and taps his fingers on his thigh. His phone is buzzing like crazy in his pocket, but he refuses to check it. He knows he'll second guess himself if he reads what his parents have to say. He just needs to see Harry first.

It takes the man over an hour to get to the studio and Louis doesn't care as he throws his remaining American money at him in a rush. He pulls his suitcase out of the seat next to him and then runs into he building. The secretary gives him a confused look, but he just waves her off and throws his bag down to the ground. He needs to find Harry.

He sprints down the hall and into the room Harry always does his shoots in. His feet can't carry him fast enough and when he rounds the corner and enters the room his heart breaks because Harry is crying and Niall is holding him.

"Harry," Louis says and Harry is facing him within seconds, his whole body questioning why Louis is here and Louis doesn't even know what to say.

"Lou?" Harry questions, his voice croaky from crying and his face red and splotchy. Louis just looks him up and down. He looks at his large feet and his toned legs, up to his toned chest and pretty face with his long curly hair. And he knows. God he knows he made the right choice. Finally he musters up the strength to speak;

"I couldn't leave. Everything I want is right here."