TIRED TIRED SEA (Larry Stylinson)- MediaWhore on AO3

CHAPTER 2

The next morning, Louis comes back from his run with Clifford to find Harry on his way out. They awkwardly bump into each other in the entrance, Louis letting Clifford in first and surprising Harry as he was coming down the stairs. He startles a little, eyes widening when faced with Louis and Clifford"s presence. He"s bundled into the same long green coat from the previous night, his large black scarf hiding half of his face. Even from afar, Louis can see the shadows under his eyes, betraying the exhaustion that"s pouring out of him. He opens his mouth to ask if he slept well, though the answer seems obvious, when Harry looks down to his trainers, clearly avoiding eye contact. Louis gulps, uncomfortably rubbing the back of his neck before fully getting in the building, leaving space for Harry to get out. He"s literally reaching out for the door handle when Louis remembers how terrible of a host he"s been.

"Hang on!" he says just as Harry takes one step outside. He stiffens, clearly not eager for morning chatter, but still turns around to face Louis, brows frowning a little when he sees him lift his finger for a second before running behind the reception desk. Louis starts rummaging through the mess behind the counter, clicking his tongue impatiently when he doesn"t find what he"s looking for. Finally, after a few seconds of moving rubbish around, Louis remembers he put it in one of the drawers and he successfully retrieves the key to the B&B. "Here," he says, handing it to Harry once he"s no longer behind the counter. "It"s a key to the front door, just in case I"m not in at some point. That way you can come and go as you please, not that there"s much to do here," Louis jokes. Harry"s face remains stony, not a muscle twitching and betraying amusement. "I uh..." Louis clears his throat. "I forgot to give it to you yesterday, I"m sorry about that."

"Oh," Harry says, emotionless but not unfriendly, his fingers careful against Louis" hand as he grabs the key from him. He still isn"t really looking at Louis" face, his eyes fixed on the small object instead. "Cheers," he mumbles, finally looking up.

"Electricity should be back on any minute now, if you want a shower after your walk. And there"s a couple of breakfast options too," he adds, "if you"re hungry."

Harry smiles politely, clearly eager to leave but not wanting to be impolite. "Thank you," he says with a nod. "I mostly eat fruit for breakfast so don"t worry about going through the trouble of making something complicated for me, please."

Louis smiles as he starts to take off his jacket, revealing a grey jumper underneath. "It wouldn"t be trouble at all, but I"m a cereal man meself in the morning, so I understand."

Harry nods, standing awkwardly in the doorway for a few seconds in silence before putting the key in his pocket. He"s wearing the same blue jeans from the day before, a clue as to the fact he"s probably not going to be jogging this morning as Louis did, and once the key is nestled safely into its back pocket, Harry nods again, vaguely in Louis" direction. Then he turns around, gesturing towards the reception.

"Alright," he says half-heartedly, waving Louis off. "Thanks."

"See ya later!" Louis calls, but Harry"s already closed the door behind him. He hums pensively once Harry has left, looking towards Clifford. "Strange fella, uh?" he asks the dog.

Unsurprisingly, Clifford doesn"t bark in response, just stares at Louis with big dark eyes.

"Yeah, you"re right," Louis agrees, "too early to tell." Then, he walks back to his bedroom to take a shower.

&

Louis is at reception buried in some admin when Harry comes back two hours later. He gives no indication as to where he"s been, whether he went down the cliffside and walked along the beach, or if he took some time to visit the village, or even to walk further up north towards the opposite tip of the island. Instead, he silently walks in like he"d rather not be seen, like having a physical body that can be looked at causes him pain, head bowed down awkwardly and lingering close to the walls. He barely responds to Louis" polite greeting, offering him a tiny nod as he goes straight for the stairs and vanishes from view.