Captured Ink, Hidden Hearts

Harry

Since the incident with Liam, Harry has only been in his flat to collect clothes but has otherwise slept at Louis' every night for the last few days. Today is the first time he's been alone in his flat for several hours to tidy up for the meeting with his mum and Louis which will take place here.

To say Harry is nervous is an understatement - he is a mess of nerves. Firstly because he's praying that his mum is as serious about this reconciliation as she assured him on the phone, but also because a cold shiver runs up his spine as he thinks about everything that's happened to him here in his own four walls. No matter what he's doing - tidying up, baking muffins or mopping the floor - he always pauses and has to shake himself out of his thoughts. It's like a horror film that keeps playing out in front of his eyes here in the flat without being asked - the way the cold blade felt against his skin or Liam's muscular body warm against his, so fucking wrong.

"Fuck," he mutters to himself and stops wiping, leaning against his mop and trying to think rationally with his eyes closed.

Liam is still in custody awaiting trial and Harry hasn't got a date yet. The lawyer he has hired has assured him that Harry is safe. Everything is fine. It's just the memories and he has to live with them for better or worse. Tonight he falls back into Louis' bed and into his arms. Everything is fucking great.

Sighing, he looks at the clock and realises that, thank God, it won't be long before one of them arrives. They've timed their meeting so that Louis arrives straight after his last client and doesn't have to neglect his work for a woman who treated him so nastily. And yes, Harry is probably more vindictive here than Louis himself.

Harry quickly mops the rest of the floor and puts the utensils away as he's finished, walks through the rooms one last time and looks at himself in the hallway mirror when the silence of his flat is finally interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Harry breathes a sigh of relief and even though he hopes that Louis arrives first, it would be fine if it was his mum, as long as he is no longer alone.

But when he opens the door and sees Louis standing in front of it, smiling sheepishly, Harry's jaw drops in shock.

"What... what have you done?" He whispers and his gaze glides over Louis from head to toe and back again.

And then he starts to laugh and cry at the same time because... Louis is standing there with his hair cut short and his clothes so smart that he no longer looks like himself.

"You do realise that your reaction is a bit rude?" Louis asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You look like the perfect son-in-law the way you're dressed up. What's with your hair? Where's all your DILF-attitude?" Harry stammers out between hysterical laughs and then pulls Louis close, burying his forehead in his shoulder and giggling, hating the cool material of the white button-up beneath him. He wants his Louis back with softly worn t-shirts.

"I wanted the second impression on your mum to be a good one," Louis mumbles, chuckling along himself now.

"The things that go on in my head... come fuck me on your desk Mister CEO," Harry cackles and kisses Louis' neck while his hands pinch his bum hard.

"Harry Edward Styles, what kind of naughty words are coming down your stairwell?"

Harry's eyes widen and he stiffens just like Louis before looking up. His mum is walking up the last flight of stairs and although her eyes are fixed on both of them, there's a little twitch around the corners of her mouth.

"Oh fuck," Louis whispers so that only Harry can hear before pushing him away.

Harry smiles at his mum with red cheeks, who has approached them both and looks at Louis curiously. "Hi mum."