BEYOND THE BOOK

six; the end has finally come

"as you hadn't noticed, harry. there were ripped out pages at the end of the book, you can ask niall, he made sure they weren't noticeable when he first read it, thought nothing of it..." but harry did know. niall had told him as much. he now knows what this information means.

"what are you trying to tell me louis?"

"that this is my epilogue." the word hits him harder than it should. an epilogue; a section in the end of the book, in order to give closure.

"w..what do you mean by that?" there are tears in his eyes, unsure of what he was about to hear.

"i mean, our endings were out of the book, so were we." he pauses, not meeting harry's eyes, the small flowers lingering in his hair. harry doesn't have the strength to touch him.

"and you knew this?" harry asks.

"yes... when liam and i made eye contact... we both knew." his voice is very quiet now. like he can barely find the strength to speak. "when we talked, it all seemed to make sense, we both... we remembered everything."

"so... this is the end?" harry asks, hands shaking.

"for me... yes." louis says. "for liam, yes."

"niall is going to break." i say.

"as will i. but it seems, it seems words can be unwound as easily as the promises that people say they will keep." he whispers.

"you are my other half... as the poets say." harry whispers, quoting a book that he had come to love. louis hums, coming closer to him, but he felt further away than he ever did in the first place.

"i never knew what love was exactly until you invaded my privacy." he chuckles in a sad way and harry smiles, but he knows it doesn't reach his eyes.

"neither did i." harry says, he looks up now, and louis' eyes filled with tears and he doesn't know if he can bear it. looking at louis so sad.

louis then grasps harry's hands within his own, the gaps of their fingers fitting as if they were meant to slot together.

"but it is not the end for you." he whispers. his hands shake within harry's, he is scared.

"i feel as if it will actually be." harry mumbles, a tear dripping off of his chin. he doesn't have any motivation to wipe his face, in order to feel louis for as long as he can. for who knows when his epilogue will end and then louis will simply disappear.

"it will not. you have so much potential, my love. and i know you will not forget me, and i, you." his voice seems oddly formal and sad now, harry's heart sinks, it is the end.

"perhaps... it is the greatest grief after all, to be left on earth..." harry says eventually, the words trapped in his throat. and everything he says seems to come out bleeding and infected. he can't even bring himself to finish it.

"...when another is gone." louis finishes for him. harry then lets out a whimper, and louis pulls harry to him. and harry sobs into his shoulder. the finality of it all crushing him from the inside.

"tragedy seems to be common in my life." harry whispers as louis presses kisses onto his tear stained cheeks.

"i don't know if i've ever told you," louis says softly, "how much i love the color of your skin. how beautiful it is, embodiment of the moonlight."

"no, that you have not told me." harry smiles lightly, and he almost forgets.

"your lips are as fair as a rose when it blooms, untouched by pollution." he ventures on, his fingers trailing over them, slick with wetness. harry has always had a bad habit of licking them. "and  your collar bones, yes, so fair, jutting against your beautiful skin," he presses a swift kiss to one. harry keens into the touch, suddenly feeling warm. louis' finger wanders down harry's bare torso, outlining the fine muscle that has been made present there. whimpers escape harry's mouth then. "and what of this?" louis asks, his voice getting softer. his finger traces on his v lines, lighter than a feather. harry gasps.

"tell me again."

...

it is later in the night, where the remnants of the day stain the sky in brilliant colors. and even after a while they begin to fade, stars falling into their rightful places in the sky.

"i do love you, you know." harry says, a steaming mug of tea in his hand, his other hand on louis' thigh, gripping him to stay.

"i do. i know." louis replies, looking at him. his hand runs across harry's cheekbone. harry puts his tea down on the small side table and pulls louis closer, their lips slotting against one another. it seems that they fit. their noses bump and teeth clack together and it feels like it's their first time kissing anyone but it seems, harry thinks, that it is the last that he will ever kiss.

harry feels hands on the side of his face. a comfort.

"it's getting late h, we should go to bed," louis says with a yawn. and harry nods, reluctant, he thinks that when he wakes up, louis won't be there to hold him anymore.

their fingers tangle together as they walk to the bedroom, harry neglects his tea, it's not what matters now.

they climb into bed and harry is reluctant to sleep, with louis at his back and steady breathing on his neck warm and comforting, louis presses a small kiss to the skin of his neck and harry swears he can feel the lingering warmth on him. he wishes to be like this, forever.

"i love you, so much." harry whispers as he begins to fade into sleep.

"and i love you, always." he pauses, "never forget it." louis' whisper is the last thing he hears, and he falls asleep with a smile on his mouth.

...

the harsh morning light on harry's face is almost a bit too much to bear. he rolls over, his hands searching for warmth. but he finds a cold bed. his eyes shoot open in realization. his hand hitting empty sheets. he feels the tears prick at his eyes as he sits up slowly. part of him doesn't want to look over at the empty bed. but he knows he needs to.

he turns his head, facing empty sheets, but where louis' head would have been nosing into harry's neck, there is a single word. it brings a smile to his face but sadness clings to his heart like wallpaper glued on too well.

L O U I S

it says, in five separate letters.

a reminder.

and harry, in a way, feels some of the sadness lift from him, as he thinks of louis.

back in in his domain, where he will be king.

but harry also knows that louis has pieces of him that could never be returned. and he knows that there will be a gap in his heart like it was naturally occurring there.

but now it's time for harry to look onward, it's time for him to adventure beyond the book.

he collects the letters in his hands, a sad smile on his mouth as he places them in the bed side table.

his story will go on.

[ please don't hate me omg]