little bitty rattle (and all our dreams are comin' true) | Larry Stylinson

Chapter 4: Harry's hormonal.

Nineteen and Twenty-One, December

Harry's sitting on the couch watching It's A Wonderful Life and crying when Louis gets home from campus. Like, full-on sob-crying, face-red-and-wet crying.

"Oh, sweetheart," Louis mumbles, immediately dropping his things by the door and rushing to sit down beside him. He senses that Harry's not sad, but rather emotional, but still, he gets next to him and puts his arm around him, and Harry immediately leans into the embrace and cries harder.

Sniffling uncontrollably, Harry continues staring ahead at the television. Louis sighs and runs his hands through Harry's hair to settle him down. He's watched this movie with Harry before and tried to pay attention, but it being in black-and-white kind of bored him, though he never admitted it to Harry. Or to anyone else, really. He's a theater major, so he's watched a ton of black-and-white shit, but it's just--it's boring. He still watches it, though, 'cause it's something Harry likes.

He realizes it's the very end of the movie. There's a huge group of people giving money to some Alpha who needed it to save his job, or to protect his mate and kids or something, and the community's all rallied together to give it to him just in time for the holidays. It gets to Harry every single time he sees it.

"It's so much," he just says as everyone on screen starts singing Auld Lang Syne. "Everyone loves him." Harry motions to the character, George, with a tiny motion with his jaw. "And he never knew how much impact he had on people. It's so much."

Louis leans over to kiss Harry's head. "You gonna be okay?"

Harry nods quickly, straightening up and wiping his face. Louis notices he has random fingernails on both hands painted blue and purple. "I always get like this watching this movie."

"You do," Louis agrees. "Sh, it's alright."

Harry talks a little bit more about the movie, and Louis hums and listens. He gets so invested.

"You gonna be alright?"

Harry finally lifts his head off Louis' shoulder and wipes his face. "Yeah, of course. I love this movie. I'm just—pregnant and crazy."

"You're not crazy."

Harry puts his hands on his stomach. "D'you have to go to the Grand tonight?"

Louis shakes his head. "Off tonight and pulling two all-nighters in a row tomorrow and Thursday to prepare for opening night."

Harry doesn't pout, but Louis knows his scent well enough to notice the tiny shifts in it. He lifts his hand from its spot around Harry's shoulder. "I know it sucks," he says, standing up. His knee pops as he does so. "This month is gonna be stupid busy for me with the new production taking off. I apologize in advance."

Louis bends down to kiss Harry, and it's short and sweet and a little snotty, then he straightens up and heads to the kitchen. "You wanna do an early dinner and just eat in bed?" he calls out. He just wants to fucking snuggle with Harry. His drive to smother his body with his own is high tonight.

Harry replies something affirmative, so Louis goes through the refrigerator and cabinets for something to make. Harry wordlessly joins him moments later and takes charge of grabbing out food. He and Louis move around each other in perfect synchronicity after that, Louis getting pots and pans and spices for Harry and then sticking around to the side of the stove to be his designated food-stirrer and tester.

They eat on leftover party plates on their bed, and Louis chooses to put some mindless and sappy Hallmark movie on television to get Harry's mind back in a happier place. When they're finished with their food, Louis cleans up and then runs a bath with a bunch of good-smelling bubbles he'd bought for Harry recently. He normally only does it after heats, but Louis joins Harry in the bath, if only to rub his shoulders and feel his skin and soak in all the time they can before Louis' schedule blows up.