17 Black (Part Two)

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sorry about the last chapters ending (no i'm not) but y'all asked for him to say it and nothing else so that's what i gave you

this chapters short bc i'm writing it literally just after i posted the last one

vote and comment if that feels like something you'd be just thrilled to do for me

love u sluts (in a nice way)

-raine <3
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Louis quickly sits up, his head retaliating immediately by making his vision blur. He closes his eyes and slouches forward, putting his elbows on his knees, and his head in his hands.

"Goddammit," he mumbles to himself. He couldn't be more of an idiot, in this moment. In this moment, he wishes he knew a friend who loved to shoot other friends in the face as a way of helping them out.

"Did you just say-"

"Yeah," Louis interrupts, because there's no point in denying it. It's the truth, after all. "I did."

"And did you... do you mean it?" Harry asks tentatively. Louis does not know how to answer that very simple question.

Well, he does know how to answer it, because the answer is a very plain and very simple and very big yes. But whether he should answer it, is a whole other story, seeing as how he quite literally just found out about Harry's ex-boyfriend, who's... well, dead.

Louis' never prided himself on his excellent timing of things, needless to say.

"Of course I mean it," Louis says, turning himself to look Harry in the eyes. "How could I not? You come into my life and start bossing me around and being a dick, and then you suddenly have a passion for tofu, and you sing in your sleep, and you make soup for me, and you're stupid and cute and kind of perfect, and it makes me want to punch you. Of course I love you, you loser."

Harry seems to be at a loss for words- not that Louis blames him- so Louis quickly starts talking again.

"I'm not, like, expecting you to say it back, or anything. Hell, I didn't even mean to say it first. But if it couldn't be any clearer, I love you. And I kind of hate that you made me love you, because-"

"I love you," Harry finally says, and Louis about has a stroke. Or, like, fifteen consecutive strokes. And an aneurism. Simultaneously.

"What?" Louis says, because that's the only thing going through his mind.

"I love you," Harry repeats, as if he thinks Louis only said "what?" because he misheard him. "I've loved you since the moment you said 'you know you love me' in the bar."

Now it's Louis' turn to be silent. Was it really that long ago?

"I didn't want to say anything until I thought you were ready," Harry explains carefully, as if Louis were about to have a mental break. He's honestly not far from it. "I didn't realize you would just outright tell me, though. Not that I'm complaining, I mean-"

"Shut up," Louis cuts him off abruptly, leaning forward and connecting their lips in a kiss. Harry doesn't argue, and instead rests his hand on the back of Louis' neck, pulling him in closer. Louis could fall into a coma right now and be so incredibly happy despite it, because Harry loves him. Harry loves him.

"I love you," Harry whispers against his lips, as if he's reading Louis' thoughts. Louis sighs into the kiss, climbing onto Harry's lap and carding his hands through his curls.

"I love you," Louis tells him, and he wants to say it over and over again until he dies from lack of oxygen, because he needs Harry to know.

"I love you," Harry says again, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead against Louis'.

"I know," Louis says cheekily, laughing and shrinking away as Harry lightly pokes his side. Harry is quick to pull him back, though, and he's kissing him again, and right there, in that moment, everything is absolutely perfect.

"I do, though," Harry enforces suddenly. "Love you. A lot." Louis' entire body feels hot, his brain is foggy and his mouth is stinging from Harry's lips.

"I love you," Louis says. "A lot more than a lot." He adds shyly. Saying 'I love you, too' has never felt right to him. It feels more like an agreement rather than something you actually mean. And he means this a large, scary amount.

"What are we gonna do," Harry sighs, hiding his face in Louis' neck, his lips brushing against his skin as he talks. "I can't believe I'm in love with a student." Louis shrugs, because at least Harry didn't fall in love with his fucking football coach.

"Don't know," Louis says. "Guess you're just stuck with me." He feels Harry smile, and his hands slip underneath Louis' shirt, lightly skimming over his ribs. Louis doesn't shiver, for once, his skin finally at a temperature close to Harry's.

"How unfortunate," Harry says, and Louis just laughs.

"You can't say that to me, I have abandonment issues," Louis tells him with a grin. Harry snorts, pressing kisses to his neck.

"Noted," Harry says. They sit there like that for a while, just taking everything in. Louis arms wrap around the back of Harry's neck, and he rests his head on his shoulder.

It's about an hour later when Louis is slowly being shifted, and he groggily wakes up to Harry carrying him back to his bedroom, and Louis can't help but smile to himself at the action. He loves Harry.

Harry gently lays him on the bed, before climbing in behind him, wrapping an arm around his waist as he aligns their bodies.

"Love you, Babe," Harry whispers sleepily, Louis squeezing his arm in response.

•

A few hours later- too early to be time to actually wake up- Louis is woken yet again by Harry. Except this time, it's by Harry's sniffling that's coming from behind the closed bathroom door. Louis frowns and quickly stands (as quickly as his body will let him, anyway), and shuffles over to the bathroom. He gently knocks on the door, not wanting to scare Harry.

"Harry?" Louis says quietly. "Are you okay?"

The door opens to reveal a tear-stained-faced Harry, who's wiping his eyes and anxiously biting his lip. Louis quickly walks forward, pulling him in for a hug.

"What happened?" Louis asks, not wanting to overstep. He feels Harry pull in a shaky breath.

"Nothing," Harry says, his voice raspy. "This is just the first time in over three years that I've said 'I love you' to someone, and it kind of scared me. Mostly because the last person I said it to is dead now, but."

Louis pulls back slightly to look at him, and softly brushes Harry's curls back behind his ear. He gives him a small smile, telling him that it's okay, that he understands.

"I'm sorry," Louis says. "Again, you don't have to say it if you're not ready-"

"I want to, though," Harry cuts him off, and Louis can tell that he's frustrated with himself. "Because I do love you. I really do. I just need to remind myself that it's okay for me to say it." Louis nods, and hesitantly leans in, sighing when Harry kisses him gently.

"Thank you," Harry whispers, his thumb stroking Louis' cheek. Louis frowns.

"For what?" He asks, and Harry just kisses him again, and again, until Louis is light-headed and is being pushed back to the bed, falling back lightly. Harry's kisses trail down his face and to his neck, and he kisses him repeatedly until Louis is laughing, pushing him away.

"I love you," Harry says from above him, looking down into his eyes. Louis puts his hand on the back of Harry's head, bringing him back down.

"I love you," Louis answers, giving him one last kiss before they both drift off to sleep.