Men are shit

First tender feelings

"Lou! We definitely have to do laundry. Would it be okay with you if I do it?" Harry calls from the bedroom while Louis is still sitting at the table in the kitchen and has been mentally preparing to take a shower since he finished. It's something that Louis hates because it involves so many steps and it's just plain boring.

"Why? Are we running out of fluffy socks?" Louis calls back and is happy about the distraction, so he goes straight to the bedroom.

Harry sitting on the ground, looks up from the pile of dirty clothes on the floor as Louis stands in the doorway. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"The only reason so far for me to do laundry without having a life crisis over it," Louis grins.

"Do you want to do it yourself and I sit with you or can I wash them? I really don't care, but we're two people with dirty laundry now and we can't leave it like that," Harry smiles softly.

How should I decide? Everything is stupid. Showering is stupid. Washing clothes is stupid. If Harry washes my clothes that's stupid too.

"I... I can't decide. I'm simply overwhelmed," Louis stammers.

"Okay, what's the problem? I just want to understand it so I can help."

"I need to take a shower but I don't feel like it. And I don't want you to have to deal with my dirty laundry, that's just weird. And I don't want to fold laundry myself either. I want to bury myself somewhere right now. And play Game Boy!" Louis exclaims desperately.

Harry chuckles quietly. "Okay. I definitely won't be doing body doubling while you shower—"

"Why not?" Louis asks and interrupts, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Harry asks, irritated.

"What?"

I should keep my mouth shut. Urgently. Come on, distraction tactic!

"How about we just postpone everything until tomorrow? You know we still have to go shopping. And have you actually applied fresh cream to your tattoo yet? I should do that urgently, bye!" Louis exclaims and is about to turn away to simply escape. But Harry throws himself across the floor only to grab Louis' ankles and to stop him from running away.

"What are you doing? Oh my God. You're like a snake in the way you attack!" Louis looks down at Harry lying at his feet, who is grinning up at him.

"You hear what I have to say now, okay?" Harry asks and pulls him down to the floor.

And so just a few seconds later they are sitting cross-legged across from each other with their kneecaps touching. Louis simply can't concentrate on what Harry is saying because - their fucking kneecaps are touching.

I can't lose it over this. What is this man doing to me? I feel like a teenager with a crush and I bet he doesn't feel just a little bit that way about me. I can't ruin everything just because I develop feelings. But he is so beautiful. And so cute. And my froggy. Nobody else has their own froggy, just me. Oh did he just say Game Boy? Are there any games still available to buy? I have to remember to check it later. Game Boy games, Game Boy games, Game Boy games...

"Lou? Hey?" Harry gently shakes him with a hand on his shoulder and he smiles so sweetly as he asks for his attention with his face close to Louis'.

Louis zones in again, notices the little space between their faces and immediately feels caught, as if Harry could read his thoughts like a neon sign. "Can you repeat that please?"

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"Only Game Boy," Louis grins sheepishly.

Harry sighs but patiently starts again. "You're going to take a quick shower now, okay? As fast as you can. I'll stop the time and then we'll see how fast you can be. During this time I do laundry. I really don't mind it being yours. You don't have to be embarrassed or anything. You know that I have chlamydia, we're far beyond the point where we need to be embarrassed. And then the two of us go grocery shopping and I have a great idea. But I'll only tell you when this is all done. Oh, and as a reward you'll get the Game Boy tonight!"