Where We Belong

Chapter 27

When Louis wakes the following morning, he's alone in bed. When he throws a hand out into the sheets, Harry's side is still warm. When he takes a second to listen to the sounds around him, he hears the shower running.

When Harry steps into the bedroom, five minutes later, with a towel round his waist, he says; "change the sheets, would you?"

"Well, goodmorning to you too," Louis snorts.

Harry tilts his head, spreading a wide smile across his face. "Goodmorning," he sing-songs saccharinely. Then he drops the smile like a hot potatoe. "Now please change the sheets. I don't want them smelling cummy when Charlie gets here."

"God," Louis groans, and kicks a foot out to hit Harry's bum as he passes.

Harry doesn't say anything to it, doesn't even chuckle or flip Louis off, just proceeds to open the windows and say; "and remember not to swear when she comes. She refuses to memorize Tony's name, but still hasn't forgotten the one time I said 'fuck' in front of her, like, six months ago."

"She's met Nick and Tony?"

Harry turns.

"Louis," he says, and looks a little tired, irritated even, "you've been gone for four months short of a year. I haven't been on fucking standby in the meantime. Things happen."

"Oh," Louis says, a little embarrassed with himself, "yeah, I know, I wasn't— I just asked out of curiosity. Sorry."

Harry sighs, clutching the bridge of his nose. Then he lifts his head and shakes it, "no, I'm sorry. I'm a little bit— I didn't sleep very well last night. I've not been sleeping well for a few nights, actually."

"Why?"

Harry throws his hands out, sighing exasperatedly. "Why do you think, Louis? What's changed in the past couple days?"

Right. Louis drops his gaze, nodding. "I'm sorry if I've caused internal turmoil, coming home. I mean, I— I don't even know. I don't even know, really. Anything, right now."

It's a moment before Harry says anything. When he does, it's just a sullen little, "no."

"I'm sorry if I took advantage of you last night," Louis blurts, because he suddenly realises that last night might not have meant quite the same to Harry as it did him. Hell, he doesn't even know what the fuck it meant to him, at least not in terms of the future. "I mean, I— obviously, you've got your crotch up against someone's bum, boner's happen, it's not something you control. And when I- I don't know, I get it if it was just, like... whatever. To you."

"No, it was really lovely, Lou," Harry says, and his voice his soft, his eyes sorry. He crosses the floor soundlessly, calm but fast, and then he's sitting at the side of the bed. "You were so lovely, Lou, you're— but obviously, it wasn't planned and... I don't know. I honestly— I've just got to get some laundry done so Charlie has her nightgown and I need to go to the store because we've run out of the only cereal she eats and I wanted to hoover before she came too, but I have to pick her up from daycare and I don't want it to be too late, so I'm just—"

Louis shuts him up by grabbing his face and kissing him.

"Okay," he says, chuckling at Harry's startled expression when he pulls back, "okay. We don't have to talk about it. No pressure. Okay?"

Harry nods, face still clutched between Louis' hands. "Okay."

"Okay."

*

When Harry goes to the shops to get cereal and other necessities, Louis decides to air out everywhere and hoover the floors. He mops them too, just for good measure, swipes surfaces, scrubs the toilet a bit and even remembers to actually do the one thing Harry asked of him; change the cummy sheets.