Six Degrees of Separation ➳ Larry

First Degree

[CONTENT WARNINGS: smut, breakup, light Daddy kink, drugs/alcohol mentioned. There is a happy ending!]

"First, you think the worst is a broken heart"

FIRST DEGREE

The envelope sat on the kitchen counter for three days, unopened. Harry didn't notice it amidst the growing pile of junk mail and bills. Lately, their flat was a complete mess: overstuffed rubbish bin, dirty dishes stacked in the sink, laundry overflowing in the hamper. It seemed like neither of them had the time or energy to keep up with housework anymore.

Louis had recently gotten a new job at a music production company— one of the biggest in the country, Sony Music Entertainment. It was an amazing opportunity and paid quite well, too. Unfortunately, the job also came with extra responsibility and high stress. It was impossible for him to avoid taking his work home with him. He often came home after his shift, exhausted, and began working remotely on his laptop for a few extra hours.

Harry, on the other hand, was a struggling actor. He spent his days attending auditions and reading scripts, only to be faced with constant rejection. It was disheartening, to say the least. He'd spent four years studying acting at university, which is where he met Louis during his first year. They were both studying the arts— music and acting. They were a perfect fit, truly.

Harry would never admit it, but he was jealous of Louis's post-graduation success. He was achieving his lifelong dream of becoming a music producer. He spent time with some of the biggest bands in the music industry working on incredible records. He loved his job, despite its difficulties and flaws. Harry, on the other hand, had only landed a few background roles in some indie films. He felt like a failure... not that he'd ever say that out loud, especially to Louis. He didn't want to come off as bitter, even though he was bitter.

Over time, some tension had grown between them. Louis felt like Harry lacked ambition and wasn't helping enough with their finances. His part-time barista job didn't exactly help pay the bills. Harry felt like Louis spent too much time worrying about his new fancy job, and not enough time focusing on their relationship.

The daily bickering felt like a routine at this point. Louis would come home from work every day, exhausted and frustrated. Harry would be inevitably depressed after several failed acting auditions. The argument would always start with something stupid and simple, like unloading the dishwasher. It would quickly escalate into something much worse, and one of them would end up sleeping on the sofa.

Tonight was no different. The air smelled like salty fast food when Louis walked in the door of their London flat. He toed off his shoes at the door and softly kicked them aside. His keys were discarded in the clay bowl they kept in the entrance. Harry made it in his university pottery class, and Louis thought it was the perfect size to store keys and other random bits. It was the color of split pea soup, and Harry always said it was ugly and misshapen. Louis, however, thought it was beautiful— mostly because Harry made it.

Their apartment was large and open. Uniform dark hardwood sprawled across the floors. Large windows lined the opposite wall with a nice view of the city skyline, letting in dull sunlight. It was a rainy, cloudy day in September.

"Hi, love," Harry greeted from the living room. He sat on the couch with his laptop, browsing social media. He liked to call it networking, but Louis often caught him watching cat videos or baking tutorials. "Dinner's on the counter."