Forest Greens (Larry Stylinson/AU)

Down

Niall and Louis now stood at the front door.

"Ready to meet Harry?" Louis asked as he bit his lip nervously.

"Mate, I'm not your mum, he doesn't need to impress me in any way."

"I know, I know, it's just that..." Louis sighed. "Never mind." He smiled politely before twisting the door handle open.

The pair stepped into the cold, dull house. Louis gently shut the door behind them while Niall eyed the place in wonder. "Awfully quiet in here, isn't it?" He stated as he leaned his vision towards the framed cat photographs. "These are...nice." Niall said as he tapped on the glass screen of one of the frames.

"Don't touch that." A voice said from the corner of the dark living room.

Niall stopped dead in his tracks as Louis brushed passed him.

"Now, now, Harry." Louis whispered as he walked towards the corner of the living room. "It's just Niall. Nothing to worry about." He said as he held onto Harry's hand reassuringly. He gave him a small peck on the cheek before walking him into the light to meet Niall.

"Niall, this is Harry. Harry, Niall." Louis introduced.

Niall and Harry stood in the middle of the living room, awkwardly staring at each other.
"Niall." Harry greeted monotonously.
"Harry." Niall greeted back as he cleared his throat.

"Oh c'mon lad, I thought you'd have a bit more to say to him considering those times where you endlessly gushed about him over text..." Louis said, slightly annoyed by the silence between the other two men.

"Sorry, guys...it's been a- a long drive from home, y'know." Said Niall, trying to excuse himself out of the situation.

"Oh alright." Louis sighed tiredly as he turned to Harry. "Hey, Zayn and Liam are about to leave..." he starts. Harry stares at him with a blank expression. "...and I get that you and Zayn haven't seen each other in years so...if you wanna say your last goodbyes, now's the chance..." Louis explained empathetically.

Harry looked at the red carpet and breathed out heavily. He looked back at Louis and bit his lip. "Okay." Was all he said before he parted from Niall and Louis, exiting the house.

"Well he's not much of a talker, eh?" Niall commented as he plopped onto one of the cabriole couches.

"No, he's not. And conversing with him was not why I brought you here." Louis replies in all seriousness.

"Oh?" Niall raised an eyebrow curiously.

"We're going down." Louis stated as he made his way towards the left-hallway.

"Wha- down where?!" Niall asked as he frantically jumped up from the couch, following Louis.

"Down here." Louis replied as he bent down in the middle of the hallway. He gripped onto the flap of carpet that stuck out abnormally from the rest of the surface and ripped it right off, revealing the metal hatch.

Niall stared wide-eyed at his friend, then at the hatch, then back at his friend. "Louis, you can't be serious right now."

"I have never been more serious in all my life." Louis said as he gripped onto the handle of the hatch, prying it open.

"Louis, just think about what you're doing right now-..."

"Niall." Louis sighed and looked up at his friend. "I've thought about it quite enough. Harry's hiding something from me down here. I know it. So while he's out with Zayn, this will give us enough time to figure out what the fuck is down here."