Apocalypse | L.S [Completed]

XXXVIII

The harsh cold doesn't help Louis' inner battle. Each day, looking at Harry becomes harder with the weighted information he holds within himself. He should tell him, let it out, free himself of the crushing load but he will rather break under this weight than have the boy hate him. Louis does not plan to keep Harry in the dark forever, just long enough until his heart builds up the courage, until it feels right.

Christmas is 'round the corner, so is his birthday. Every day when the sun greets the world, Harry's flurry of excitement increases. The younger lad has been preparing for the holidays for a while now, elated to have a proper Christmas with enough people to fill the dining table.

Through the course of the week, Louis has been juggling through work; both his and Zayn's. The load is arduous, pressure almost sucking away Louis' sleep. But it's a small payback he can do for the life Zayn has gifted him with, a small amount for something so beautiful.

With the realisation of life's true value, Louis has started to appreciate things, look at things differently. The whole 'glass half full' kind of shit. He tries. He even treated the entire office workforce with a Christmas bonus and Daniel with an extra paid, weeklong holiday in the Bahamas. He's grateful for the man, he truly is and since Louis lacks the skills of conveying affection through words, he chooses materialistic things to do the job instead.

Like always, Zayn has been his rock, his guide. He has lend his ears to Louis whenever he lets his heart out, voicing his concerns about Harry, informing the raven-haired lad about the startling revelation of the Sons, now Phoenix. He visits him everyday, probably annoying him too but Louis doesn't care, only wants to make sure Zayn's fine.

"Great to see you," Zayn says once Louis enters his suit, "again." Zayn finishes, giving a roll of his hazel eyes followed by a smile. "Can't help it, mother fucker, I love you too much," Louis drops a wet kiss on Zayn's cheek, the other groaning in protest and trying to push off the smaller. After a struggling moment, Zayn gives in, returning the gesture with an even wetter kiss, smirk evident on his tinted lips when Louis' face reflects disgust.

"What do I do?" Louis whines and bellyflops beside Zayn, loosening his tie and burying his face into the silk covered pillow. "Harry?" Zayn raises an eyebrow in question, affinity visible in his eyes as he stares at his exhausted mate, a slow hand brushing his feathery hair. The room falls silent for a few moments, Louis unmoving and Zayn's hand still caressing him. Soon, Zayn realises he's fallen asleep, the workload and mental turmoil finally taking a toll. He lets Louis sleep, soon joining him, hand still in his hair, soft snores filling the warmed air.

*

"Tommo," Louis feels a hand on his skin, followed by a violent jerk. His blues shoot open, hands immediately searching for a weapon until he realises he's still at Zayn's. "About time," Liam mutters, moving away and waking Zayn gently with a softer pat. Biased bitch.

"What time is it?" Louis yawns, limbs stretching to wash away any traces of sleep. He eyes the pair with fond in his blues, Liam kissing Zayn's forehead and cradling him back to a state of consciousness. "It's almost nine." Liam answers, "you better answer your phone though, Harry has been ringing you for a while now. I did inform him that you were asleep but I think he is still expecting a call back from you,"

With languid steps, Louis makes his way towards the connected balcony of Liam and Zayn's master bedroom, a cigarette between his thin, chapped lips and hand holding his phone near his ear. He patiently waits as the his ears are met with rings, breathing in the smoke contently. "Boo?" He hears Harry say through the speaker, a hint of relief present in his absymal voice. "I'm so sorry, Bons. I should have called you earlier but I fell asleep at Zayn's," Louis apologises. He waits for Harry to respond, but instead, he is met with silence as the line goes mum for a moment, a few distant curses from Niall echoing from Harry's side. "Lou, it's completely fine," Harry's voice breaks through after a moment, "but I gotta go. I'll call you later, yeah? Bye, love you!" He hangs up after the rushed words, before Louis even gets a chance to reply back, his hurried words replaying through Louis' mind.