He's Not Afraid || L.S AU

Chapter 20

Harry's POV

I feel his shallow, erratic breaths hitting my damp lips, hearing my pulse in my ears as it thumps loudly while Louis shudders as I stroke his arm soothingly. Can he feel the buzzing of bees in his stomach? Can he feel the  increasing temperature of the room getting hotter? Can he feel his mind going into blank? Can he feel his heart hammering against chest a mile a minute? Can he feel the constant nagging in his brain to just say something? Anything?

God, I hope so.

I flutter my eyes open and I'm met by Louis' blue dazzling eyes meeting my own emerald.

"Harry..."

"Yeah?" I answer,

"Thank you"

"For what, love?"

"For accepting me..."

~*~

"Jay, you didn't have to go through the trouble of making a huge dinner because of me." I tell her, setting the coasters on the table neatly.

"Nonsense. I am delighted to serve you dinner with my family. Make sure to call Anne, though," Jay continues on to placing the utensils beside the glistening, white plates.

"So, Harry," Jay walks slowly to the kitchen with me trailing behind her.

"Hmm?" I reply, fiddling with the drawstring of my jumper.

"I see you are quite close with my son," she says, dismissing my absent behavior. I shift my feet one to another as she carries on chatting to me.

"He's been a bit different ever since he's introduced you to me, he's more...Peter Pan." Jay confesses.

"Peter Pan?" I ask, nose scrunched up. The Disney character who never wanted to grow up?

"Yeah, Peter Pan." Jay repeats sadly.

What? Where is this conversation going? How is Louis Peter Pan? He's a hedgehog. A tiny, shy, kept, hedgehog.

"Mum, I can smell something burning." Louis enters the kitchen, leaning on the doorframe, sniffing.

"The roast chicken!" Jay exclaims, her hand covering her mouth and the other scrambling to put on the oven glove. She opens the handle of the oven and the black smoke is immediately let out of the close confinement, making the kitchen a bit foggy. I cough into my fist as the smoke hits my lungs as I watch Jay switch the oven off hurriedly with the now burnt, black chicken set on the tray and places it on the marble counter top with a loud clash!

"Shall I order takeaway?" Louis giggles.

Fucking giggles. He's too adorable for his own good, like how the hell can somebody be that cute?!

"You're so cute it's unreal..." the words tumble out of my mouth before I could process it, my eyes widening as the kitchen smoke clears out by the opened window from Jay.

Shitty fuckity fuck fuck shit.

Oh god, this is embarrassing and the mother of the flushed boy is standing right in front of me and why can't the ground just devour me whole right now?

"E-Erm..." Louis coughs awkwardly, his cheeks not hiding the fact that my comment definitely made him happy. At least I put that beautiful smile on the beautiful face of his.

I decide to look up at Jay who's standing across from me, her eyes squinted, lips pused with the corners turned upwards, the chicken long forgotten as the gloves are beside the feast.