Into the Blue

Epilogue

Louis is not nervous. No. Most definitely and absolutely not. Why would he be nervous? No. He and Harry have been together for three months now. Three months in which Louis’ life has picked up a sudden burst of speed and things have been moving so quickly that he’s only just beginning to catch his breath, and---Either way, three months. So that’s quite a while, right, and that it’s Louis’ first time visiting Harry in London is certainly no cause for a bout of nerves.

Nope.

It’s just---it’s not that Louis has been stalling on this visit, really; it’s just that there wasn’t a lot of time in between settling into student life, helping his mum out, and landing a part time job at Liverpool’s World Museum Aquarium, which means getting all the shitty weekend shifts just because he’s new. The last few weeks have been busy, simple as that.

Also, it’s possible -- possible -- that a tiny part of Louis still feels as if Harry needs to make more of an effort, should prove that he’s in this for real. Louis isn’t particularly proud of that part.

When he climbs out of the train, he spots Harry nearly right away, his wild mane of hair and gangly limbs, jeans that might have been sprayed on. Face paled by the artificial lamplight that illuminates the platform, Harry is rocking back on his heels as he scans his surroundings. The sight is enough for Louis’ tension to drain away.

He hides behind a group of travelers as he drifts closer, and as soon as Harry is turned the other way, Louis strikes. With two quick steps, he drapes himself over Harry’s back and covers his eyes, crows, “Guess who?”

“Some random idiot,” Harry counters, plucking Louis’ hands off his eyes and spinning around to draw him into a rough embrace that knocks Louis’ bag to the floor. “Missed you,” Harry whispers, and Louis presses their cheeks together, closes his eyes and breathes Harry in.

“Same,” he says quietly. Removing a crumpled slip of paper from his pocket, he tucks it into Harry’s waistband before he takes a step back, smiling as he nods at the paper. “Got a present for you, by the way.”

It’s his clean slate, basically. The last time Harry had been to Liverpool, Louis had dropped him off at the train station and returned home to find a list of negative test results for several STIs shoved under his pillow. Which, okay, not exactly romantic, but -- well, the implication behind it, the show of commitment, had motivated Louis to get very drunk with Zayn and Perrie that night, and then make a doctor’s appointment for himself the next morning. Cringe-worthy. Also necessary.

Now, he watches Harry unfold the slip of paper and stare at it for a blank moment. Then Harry glances up, and his smile is like summer came early.

--

They barely make it to Harry’s room, rushing past the kitchen with a hurried greeting for Niall, Louis’ hand already shoved down the front of Harry’s jeans. As soon as the door closes, Louis kicks his bag out of the way and walks Harry back against the bed, absently noticing a few errant details -- the Polaroid shots pinned to the wall above Harry’s desk, a series of monochromes spread out on the floor, pictures of Doncaster that Harry took when meeting Louis’ family for the first time. Fading daylight which slants in through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. The kingsize bed with two duvets and a whole collection of pillows.

Two duvets. Louis fully expects one of them to belong to him. Quite possibly the one with the Spiderman cover.

Harry falls back onto the mattress, already shimmying out of his clothes, and Louis hovers above him for a second, just watching, taking it all in. “Gonna join me?” Harry asks, grinning as he pats the bed.

“Not sure.” Louis tilts his head. “The view from here isn’t too shabby. Think I might enjoy it a moment longer.”

“Oh. Okay.” Harry stretches out on the bed, shadows pooling in the dips next to his hipbones, one of his hands drifting down to loosely circle his own cock. His tone is as innocent as his smile. “So should I mention that I kind of already prepped myself before I went to pick you up?”