For Louis, Forever Ago || Larry a.u.

2

**A/N: wow thanks for everyone reading so far... i'll try to continue updating as quickly as possible, and i know how this story will unfold, so i should have it typed up fairly quickly.xx

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"S-so, (um) where's your mum?" Harry said. Louis was right earlier, even though he had been joking, conversation really wasn't Harry's thing. The backyard was stunning. Harry wasn't much of a gardener, but even he could learn to appreciate the green grass, considering it was late fall. The powerful aroma of flowers overcame Harry as he took a step outside.

"She's off, she's been giving me more freedom and such," Louis smiled wistfully. "Sometimes I wish she hadn't..."

"Why?" Harry asked softly, after tripping over his feet a third time, he decided to keep his eyes glued to the ground as he walked.

"Reasons..." Louis replied.

Well, of course he wasn't going to tell Harry the entire truth about himself. They've only just started talking. And Harry supposed that this was a sore subject for Louis.

Louis opened his mouth to say something, but paused for a moment, "Actually, Harry, she's not here because this is my dad's weekend with me."

"Oh," Harry didn't want to intrude on Louis' personal life any further, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"And I don't know why my dad's not here," Louis lowered his head as they walked on a stone path further into the backyard.

Harry tripped on a stone and stumbled to his knees, "God, I'm so c-clumsy..."

"You're fine," Louis encouraged, reaching out an arm to help him up. "Besides, we're almost there."

"W-Where exactly are you taking me?" Harry asked as they approached a massive wooden gate. It was a thick mahogany that must've cost a fortune! There were intricate designs that decorated the entire fence, but the gate was by far the best.

"This is my garden," Louis unlocked the gate and lead Harry inside.

Harry's mouth fell wide open.

Louis's garden was so beautiful. There were flowers of all different shapes and sizes and colors and smells. Harry wanted to inhale each of their scents separately, but also all at once. There were hummingbirds, butterflies, and all types of non-threatening beasts in the garden; the kind that made you want to lay down and look at the clouds and just forget about the world outside the wall.

"You'll catch flies standing there like that all day," Louis said, taking Harry's forearm between two fingers, pulling him along. "You haven't even seen my favourite part, yet."

Harry's skin tingled under Louis's touch as he was tugged through the secret garden. Harry saw that the trees also varied as much as the flowers did. He saw a huge oaks and maples, but the one that Louis seemed to be going towards was a great weeping willow. The leaves were turning brown because of the season, but it hung full and beautifully.

Louis parted a few of the branches that hung down in a canopy over the willow's trunk and guided Harry to the center. Inside, under all of the brush, was a completely different scene. It was cold and dark and wet, but extremely peaceful.

"I know that there's nothing really special about being under here," Louis began, as if he was reading Harry's thoughts, "but it's just really peaceful, you know?"

Harry knew exactly what he meant. True peace wasn't something you could find when everything was going great. True peace never came easily. Harry didn't want to risk stumbling over his words, so he simply nodded.

"You know I don't care if you stammer," Louis said softly.

Harry's heart nearly stopped. How was Louis reading his emotions so clearly? Was Harry really that see-through?

"You want to know how this all happened?" Louis asked, taking Harry's silence as a yes. "It started ages ago... Back when they were still together, my parents. We had just moved into town, and we had all of this backyard space that we didn't know what to do with."

Harry remembered that. Louis was the new boy in his 2nd grade class. He remembered wanting to be his friend, but didn't know how to branch out and talk to others. But Louis was so outgoing and he ended up making friends with everyone in the class - everyone who talked, anyways.

"So my mum wanted to have a garden. Said she wanted to get started so she could have something to keep her mind busy when I went to UNI. Dad told her she was mental for starting so early, but agreed to it. So he built her this fence." Louis was talking slowly, like the whole thing was painful for him. Why was he talking to Harry about something so delicate? Why not one of his friends?

"I-is that why it means s-so much to you?" Harry interrupted.

"Pardon?"

"The g-garden. Because it was the o-only thing, besides yourself, that your parents made t-together?" Harry smoothed down his hair again, the humidity under the brush making it puffier.

"Hadn't really thought of it that way..." Louis placed a hand on his chin, mulling the statement over. "Yeah, I do suppose you're right." Suddenly, Louis put both hands on Harry's shoulders, "Listen, I haven't told anyone about this. So can we keep this between you and me?"

"Who would I tell?" Harry shrugged, joking a bit.

Louis laughed a little too hard on that before leading the way back out to the open. "Need a ride?" He asked as they exited the garden.

"Y-yeah, if you d-don't mind..." Harry replied, scratching the back of his neck timidly.

"Sure, I'll take you home."

As Louis marched back through the house with Harry following closely behind, Harry saw the aftermath of the party last night. Streamers everywhere, balloons, spilled drinks littering the floor; Louis's mum was going to have a fit!

"You know, I can h-help you c-clean," Harry said softly as Louis began opening the front door.

"Oh, there's no need to, Harry, you've already been so kind," Louis said, smiling.

"All I've done is e-eat your food a-and trip through your g-garden..." Harry's head tilted towards the ground.

"No, that's not all. You're the only one who stayed."