Caught [l.s] (boyxboy)

Final Chapter

hey guys. final chapter. 

i won't make you wait for the epilogue, though, i'm going to write it as soon as i post this. it should be up within an hour or two. if it's not, i'll post it tomorrow. i'm saving my long, sappy, emotional author's note for the end of that. 

again, the gif is unrelated, but. 

might as well.

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"You want the muffin, then?" 

Louis blinks. He's been holding a blueberry muffin in his hand at the checkout counter of the small cafe down the block for a solid thirty seconds. He supposes he just needs something to stare at.  

"Uh, no, just the tea." He sheepishly tucks the muffin back in its stand, sighing quietly to himself - he wasn't even hungry - and slid his money to the twinky cashier. "Please."

"Sure thing, mate." The boy has barely even spared Louis a single glance. He didn't think he would ever get used to be recognized everywhere, and now he wonders if he'll ever adjust to being normal ever again. Louis hasn't sang since the break up. He's not even sure he knows how anymore. "Exact change and everything, wicked."

"Yeah." Louis carries around a lot of change. He likes to put it in the small change collection donation boxes, but this cafe doesn't have one of those, so. Throwing it out aimlessly on the street hadn't worked very well last time, as he had startled a passing woman, and ended up apologizing for longer than it would have taken to just put the change back in his pocket. 

"Here you go - hey, you look familiar." And, no, here we go again. "Have I seen you around here before?"

"Doubt it," he mutters. 

"I swear, I've seen your face somewhere." The boy crosses his arms and leans against the counter, squinting as he purses his lips at Louis. Louis, ever the patient one, rolls his eyes with a sigh. 

"Is looking at me like that going to make you remember faster?"

"It might."

"Okay, well, I'm going to leave now. Goodbye." Louis turns and begins to walk away, flicking his scarf over his shoulder dramatically; he prides himself in his ability to make a grand exit.

"Wait! I know where I've seen you." He freezes momentarily, cautiously waiting to hear the other's accusation - he feels like he's in a movie. 

There's a brief pause: "You live in my flat building! Yeah, 34B!"

Louis continues out the door. 

He doesn't live in flat 34B.

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"Did ya' bring me anything?" Zayn asks, head poking up from the sofa in interest at the sound of Louis' feet across the wooden floor. "The croissant I asked for?"

"No, I forgot," Louis hums, hanging his coat up and kicking his shoes off carelessly. 

Zayn groans irritably, flopping back down and turning the volume on the telly up. "You always forget."

"Don't know why you bother to keep asking, then," Louis calls over his shoulder as he enters the kitchen. He tosses his empty cup into the trash, throws his keys onto the counter - he knows he'll forget where they are if he puts them anywhere else - and pulls turns to their small calendar next to the refrigerator. 

The only thing that's marked down for February third is Zayn's apparent doctor's appointment. Louis rolls his eyes again, scowling at the calendar like it's done him some great offense, and drags himself back into the other room.