Masks Off Identities Out

Chapter Fifteen

Day 42

"Happy early birthday Louis!" Lottie and Fizzy yelled. Louis had taken Harry home with him for Christmas. The girls were all surrounding Louis and Harry, all smiles. This made Louis warm inside, he knew his sisters loved Harry, and Harry returned the feeling, his mom welcomed Harry like he was already a part of the family so everything was just perfect for Louis.

"Harry, can we play with your hair?" Phoebe and Daisy asked simultaneously. Harry's hair was styled into a make-do quiff, it was his usual up do when going out, but not when he was with Louis, usually. "Ehm, sure, but we'd have to do it after I take a shower." Phoebe and Daisy mumbled their responses and walked away with heads down low. Harry grabbed his and Louis bag and brought them up to Louis room while Louis followed. They both fell on the bed and smiled at each other. "I'm really glad you're here with me. I didn't think you'd come."

"Where else would I go? With my family? Oh wait I don't have one." Harry's laughter filled the room, but it wasn't his usual laugh, this laugh had a twang of pain mixed with it. "Harry, don't joke like that." Louis looked sympathetically at Harry and Harry responded by rolling his eyes. "Don't look at me like that Louis. I don't need your sympathy." Harry sat up and Louis joined him. "Yeah, I'm sorry, it's just you're not exactly being humanly natured about you it know." Harry scoffed at Louis "About what? You can say it Louis. Say it." Harry demanded. "God Harry, seriously, right now? You're going to start a fight right now." Louis retorted.

"No. I want you to say it. Say it loud and proud, don't treat me like a five year old who doesn't know what happened to my mom and sister, because hell I know they died. They're dead. They're life got cut short, neither of them deserved it but life is unfair. It should've been me Louis, I deserved it more than both of them did." Harry just snapped, he just broke down, right there in front of Louis, in Louis house, a day before Louis birthday. "Harry, babe-please. Don't say that. No one deserves for their life to be taken away from them, but I'm sure your mom and your sister would want you to live it up to the fullest right now. I know it's tough, but I'm here, you have me Haz, don't ever say that you deserved it because you didn't." Louis was now holding Harry in his arms, cradling him, drawing patterns on his back and running his fingers through Harry's hair. "Louis, Harry! Come down for dinner you two!" Jay yelled from downstairs.

Day 43

"Loubear! Wake up! Happy Birthday Louis!" Four girls were jumping on Louis joined by a massive, curly, lanky lad. "Go away." Louis hid his head under the covers, but it didn't last long when he felt Harry's body on top of his. "Harry, get off of me."

"Wake up then, it's your birthday we have to celebrate." Louis wiggled under Harry before Harry rolled over and faced Louis, "morning babe." Harry pecked Louis nose and nuzzled his head into Louis neck. They stayed like that until the girls came back and dragged the two boys from bed. When they got downstairs Louis was greeted by many familiar faces, including Zayn, Liam, Niall and Liam. And many others from his last school, Max, Stan, Hannah and Josh. "Lou-eh!" Max pulled Louis into a hug and smiled at him. "You've gotten old mate, got yourself a good man, working the stubble, studying-"

"trying to major in English." Louis laughed. "At least your trying." Hannah said from behind him. The five friends from before all hugged each other and caught up. Soon Louis went upstairs to take a shower and get dressed into proper clothes for hanging out. When he arrived downstairs for the second time that morning, he saw all eight boys getting along well, but one certain curly headed boyfriend was missing. "Where's Harry?" Louis asked. "He went into the kitchen, think he went to help your mom." Zayn said.

"You really are a keeper Harry, Louis couldn't do half the things you're doing in the kitchen right now." Jay laughed. "He can be helpful, most times, mostly, maybe sometimes." He heard Harry laughing along with her. "They get along y'know?" Lottie came up beside Louis and hugged him. "Happy birthday big brother."

"Hey you two, couldn't refrain yourselves from talking about me." Louis said while going into the kitchen. "Hey babe, happy birthday." Harry put down his whisk and went over to give Louis a kiss. "Enough Harry, you have to share him, after all I am his mum, I pushed him out." She pulled Louis out of Harry's arms and a new warmth took over his body. "Happy birthday babe, I'm so proud of you, you've come a long way, and I'm so happy to call you my son, you've turned into such a pleasure." Jay gave him a kiss and finally let him go. "Take good care of him for me Harry, like I said, he's turned into a big pleasure for me." Jay and Harry both laughed while Louis blushed.

-later that day-

"Thank you guys for making it, I know how long of a drive it must've been for you three." Louis was saying goodbye to Liam, Niall and Zayn, they said their goodbye's and hugged Louis.

Stan, Hannah, Max and Josh stayed a couple more hours, they left because it was Christmas eve and they had to go home to their own families. "Santa is coming! Santa is coming!" The twins came down yelling. "Girls, Santa won't be coming unless you two go back to sleep." The girls whined at Jay's response and they went back upstairs. "Okay boys, I know you don't really believe in Santa, so would you two help me with the presents."

Day 44

Christmas Day

Once they opened their presents they all drank hot chocolate and gathered around the fire place. "Uhm Louis I have a birthday/christmas present for you. Thought I would just give it to you now rather than yesterday so you can open it with the rest of your family." Harry pulled out a box but Jay stopped him. "Harry, we have something for you first." Harry nodded his head and pushed the box back into his pocket.

"You're part of the family now Harry, I know it's not much but we just want you to know you're welcome whenever and not just when you're with Louis." Jay put a box into Harry's hand, he opened it and he saw a house key. "Welcome home Harry." Jay smiled and hugged Harry. Who knew such a simple gift would make Harry melt, Harry was literally in tears, to be welcomed into the Tomlinson family was more than he could ask for, to be accepted by someone that wasn't dead. "Jay-Louis-Girls, thank you so much. I can't tell you how much this means to me." He smiled and hugged all the girls and even the two babies.

"Here Louis, it's not much but-"

"Oh shut up Harry, I honestly wouldn't care, even if it was a dust bunny that you picked up five seconds ago I would accept it and put it in a display case." Harry kissed Louis and placed the small box in Louis hand. When Louis opened it, his jaw dropped, it was a bracelet with with his and Harry's initials engraved into the silver band. On the inside of it read 'Still.' "Harry, it's absolutely gorgeous." Jay and the girls smiled, it was a simple gift, all their gifts were simple but held meaning to the heart, and that's all anyone could ever ask for.

"Oh and Harry, I'll still be here for you no matter what."

Day 57

They were back in school, exhausted and worn out. The days seemed to drag on since the New Year. Zayn and Perrie worked things out and got back together, Liam and Sophia seemed to get together well and Niall was just Niall, care free Niall.

"Okay class, this essay is your first essay of the year, survival of the fittest, human nature, savage versus civilization...." Mr. Shaw seemed to get more and more boring each day, but Louis still found him a genius and found interest in everything he said. Once the bell rang, Harry and Louis walked out of class together. "Man, his class sucks." Harry sighed. "I still find him a genius, he's still my favourite teacher on this campus." Louis smiled and walked to the patch of grass in the quad. "Less than a month Lou." Louis knew exactly what Harry was talking about, so Louis just played with Harry's curls while Harry put his head in Louis lap.

"I need a smoke." Harry sighed. "It can wait, I don't need you dying on me anytime soon."

"I don't smoke for fun Louis, in fact I hate it, but it was never for fun or the cool or the stress. It was for the killing, the slow killing."

There is a reference to the book 'Lord of the Flies' by William Goulding. It's a really good book, but it may be really hard to understand, if you have the patience I recommend it.