Pretty in Plastic (l.s)

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When Harry opens the door to the apartment, he's tackled and hears a sharp scream of excitement. He stumbles back, but catches himself and instinctively wraps an arm around the small body clinging to him. He blinks in surprise, never having someone wait on him like this, and squeezes Louis' small waist.

"You're home!" Louis smiles, and squeezes Harry's torso. Harry grunts, but just pats Louis' back. "Five o'clock, just like you said!"

"I wouldn't lie to you." Harry waddles forward, and Louis steps back with every step forward. They get inside, and Harry shuts the door. "How was your day?"

"Oh my Gosh!" Louis breaks the hug, and walks away before pacing. He tells Harry everything: his nap, his snack, his new favorite show about lion cubs. "Oh! And some girl was looking for you."

Harry stops in the middle of shedding his coat, caught off guard once again, but recovers. He slowly removes it, folding it over the couch, and raising an eyebrow. "Did she give a name?"

Louis ignores his question in favor of getting frustrated. His cheeks start turning pink. "She called me a thief! Can you believe that? A thief!"

"Louis—"

"I told her to watch her tongue because words hurt really badly. She didn't care that she hurt my feelings! She just— just—," Louis mocks her attitude and places a hand on his hip while acting prissy (at this point, Harry can guess he's talking about Kala), "did that! She did that! I was nice, Harry. I'm always nice, because I want you to have friends."

Harry smiles fondly now, biting back his grin. "Louis..."

"I want you to grow, and know people. I want you to make more forever friends, you know, because that's important. Friends are important."

"Lou—"

"But she's selfish! Just selfish! A thief, me!" Louis tosses his hands up. "She said I was stealing you. How do you steal someone, Harry? They aren't objects! Trust me, I know about being an object—"

"Louis, calm down." Harry holds his shoulders, and the doll blinks. Louis' body was tense, full of anger, but he just takes a deep breath and relaxes. Within an instant, Louis is smiling and the carefree attitude is back in seconds. "Okay? What's her name?"

"Kayla..?" Harry sniggers, and lays his head on Louis' shoulder. He wraps his arms around Louis again, and the doll hugs him back.

—————

"He's weird, Harry." Harry towel dries his hair, and rolls his eyes as Kala speaks through the speaker. Louis was asleep downstairs, cuddled in multiple throws and blankets since it's extra cold tonight.

"I think he's funny." And cute.

"Are you serious? You can't be." Kala laughs, and Harry stands in front of the basin as he listens to Kala make fun of Louis. "His style is awful. It's so... 90's."

"90's is a comeback right now."

"For wanna-be influencers. Not every day people." Harry wipes the soap from his eyes and turns his back to the sink, leaning on it with his eyes closed. "His nails are painted, his clothes are also extremely... girly."

"Are you jealous he may look better?" Harry says absentmindedly, and stops when he realizes what he says.

"Excuse me?" Kala growls, and Harry tosses his head back. He just made a mess. "Do you think he does? Is that why he's there with you?"

"That's not what I meant."

"I don't know, Harry. He talks like a child learning new social skills, and he calls you a... forever friend? What is that? A new gay term for partner?" Harry chuckles in disbelief, and offense.

"No, it's not."

"Is he gay?"

"I don't know, it's not my business." Harry says honestly, and the familiar headache starts. Must be time to hang up.

"Well, he seemed too comfortable. I don't like it."

"You're overthinking—"

"I don't like it, Harry." Her voice is so firm that it makes Harry tense. "Okay?"

Harry's silent for a minute, and he feels a heaviness in his heart. He runs a hand through his hair. "Okay."

He hangs up and curls into himself. His mind starts to race for the first time since having Louis, and he thinks about all the things in his life: Kala, Gemma, his happiness, his mother. Is he really okay?

Harry lays back on his bed, and covers his face. What's Louis here for? How did this happen? How long will this be for? Kala clearly doesn't like Louis being here, but Harry can't leave him. He promised Louis that, but Kala is his significant other. What the hell is he supposed to do?

"Fuck," he whispers, "fuck, fuck, fuck."

—————

Harry rolls onto his side, and feels a warm body next to him. He smells his shampoo when he pulls them close, and knows it's Louis. He blinks his eyes open, and sees Louis fiddling with his laptop.

"What're you doing?" Harry mumbles as he watches Louis' hands press any and all buttons. It's adorable because the doll has his tongue stuck out a little, eyebrows furrowing in the center, and small huffs leave his lips every so often.

"What is this?"

"A computer." Harry says simply, and Louis lifts the laptop to look at the bottom of it. "Did you need something?"

"Yesterday, we watched cat videos." Louis says, and Harry blinks. Yesterday, Harry came home from work, glad to find that Kala didn't come by the house while he was gone, and decided that he needed cute kitty videos to destress him— just so happened that Louis loved cats.

"Would you like to watch them again?" Louis nods, and Harry sits up fully. He takes the laptop, and types in his password quickly. He knows Louis' watching everything he's doing, like a child learning from their parents, and he just grins.

He lets Louis pick a video, of course he picks the longest one, before Louis squishes himself under Harry's arm and lays on his chest. Harry looks down at him, Louis not noticing, and thinks about what Kala said the other day: is Louis gay? If he is, does he find Harry attractive?

Harry shakes his head— this is weird. He just relaxes into his pillows and sheets, and holds Louis for the time being as they both enjoy the quirky animals on the screen.