17 Black

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Guys omg. I'm so sorry this took so long, I'm highkey struggling balancing school and soccer and everything rn and this chapter feels long AS HELL but I got it done finally. I just wanna tell you guys again - I'll never stop telling you i swear - how much I appreciate your dedication and willingness to stay with me and my slow ass updates. I love you guys soooooo much, keep it up with the votes and comments and support - you guys are so good at that fr I love it. ON AN IRRELEVANT NOTE ITS ALMOST HALLOWEEN AND IM SO EXCITED. ALSO IM REALLY FEELING DADDY Harry LATELY SO DONT VE SURPRISED IF YOU SEE SOME OD THAT SHIT IN UPCOMING CHAPPIES

-B
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Louis opens the side door to the Payne house and is greeted by the sight of a tuft of blonde hair over the top of the couch in front of the television. Beside the blonde tuft is a brown tuft that Louis better recognizes as Liam's.

"Hello Liam, and blondie," Louis greets questioningly, dumping his bags beside the door and closing it behind him.

Liam raises a hand in greeting, eyes still trained on the telly and remote held pointed at his flatscreen, but Blondie turns around and familiar baby blue eyes peep over the top of the couch. Once Louis starts to walk over, Blondie pops up and reaches over the couch, the widest smile on his face and hand waiting, outstretched towards Louis. Oh lord.

"Niall, mate, hey," Louis says with a smile of his own, albeit much less enthusiastic, and takes Niall's hand with an immediate cringe at his vice grip.

"Louis! Great to see ya, how's it been? Everything good at the bar?"

Niall continues vigorously shaking Louis' hand through this interaction, and when Louis spares a helpless look over at Liam, he's still watching the telly but there's a small smirk on his face. Initiating the end of their handshake, Louis pulls his hand away and wipes it on his jeans, amazed how unaffected Niall seems by his discomfort.

"Yeah, yeah, it's great, you know, um," Louis says, still smiling politely and shaking his head. "Been working a little less, but things are good as ever."

Niall's eyes are bright as Louis speaks, listening attentively as if Louis is telling him he's won some glamorous vacation to a private island, or something.

"Fantastic," he says, and Louis is so close to rolling his eyes. Niall pats the couch cushion between himself and Liam. "Come on, there's always room for three, and we've got ice cream. Plus blankets."

"Great, yeah," Louis mumbles as he makes to sit between the two, a little sarcastic but only he can hear it so there's no harm, really.

Louis settles into the couch and Niall's there immediately, leg pressing up against him as he throws a blanket onto Louis's lap and fidgets around with his own, restless, almost tipping over the carton of mint chip between his legs. Beside him, Liam hasn't even said a word yet, but his smirk hasn't left yet. Louis wonders how he even found Niall.

"How's Chalet Girl sound? Doesn't look too bad," Liam finally speaks, quirking an eyebrow towards Louis and gesturing towards the screen.

Louis scans the description and shrugs nonchalantly, mumbling a "sure" while on his other side, Niall nods energetically the suggestion and shoves a spoon into Louis's hands. Liam clicks on Chalet Girl and Niall takes the biggest spoonful of ice cream Louis has ever seen anyone eat.

A few romance films and two cartons of ice cream later, Louis wakes up to the sound of credit music with his cheek resting on Liam's shoulder and Niall's feet in his lap. They're both asleep beside him, and it's reasonably late into the night, enough that Louis can feel his eyelids beginning to succumb to gravity. He gets off the couch, careful not to disturb either of them and moving Niall's legs over into Liam's lap in his place. He takes the remote from beside Liam's limp hand on the couch and switches the telly off, walks to the door, slides on his shoes, grabs his bags, and leaves. As he drives home, the blurs of red taillights and yellow street lamps reflecting on his windshield, a contrast to the cobalt sky, he feels grateful, and that's something he hasn't felt in a while.