Time B0mb

Chapter 10

"In all chaos there is calculation. Droppin glasses just to hear them break."

-Lorde

"Shit!"

This exclamation was followed by a thud and a cold spot on Louis' shoulders where Harry's arms had previously been. Harry clamored clumsily to his feet, following the warble of his cell phone from the bedside table across the room. Louis' eye lid begrudgingly cracked open to watch Harry's hunched form through the darkness, the November sun apparently still obscured by the horizon.

"Hello?" Harry answered quietly, his voice husky and sleep-bitten, as he made a beeline for the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Preceded by a soft pitter patter across the floor, Glitter hopped onto the sofa and curled into the warm stretch of cushion left in Harry's absence.

"No, cat. That's Harry's spot." Louis grumbled, placing one finger on Glitter's pink nose. "Harry's sitting there. Don't you like him? Don't you respect him as your lord and master?"

Glitter blinked at him apathetically before rolling onto her back, as if proving her dominance over her surroundings. Louis was left idly scratching behind her ears as he watched the yellow crack of light beneath the bathroom door, listening to the low hum of Harry's voice on the phone. When his barely audible murmurs were replaced by the spray of shower water against a tiled floor, Louis' eyelids finally fell shut once again.

He came back to attention, practically convinced that he hadn't even fallen asleep, as the bathroom door swung open. Harry's figure was silhouetted in the bathroom's light, haphazardly buttoning a shirt and blinking painfully.

"Did I wake you up?" He asked, taking notice of Louis' open eyes before he shut off the bathroom light.

"Initially, yes." Louis responded as Harry ambled over to the couch. "But I would have gone back to sleep if your cat hadn't jumped up here and started yammering on about tuna fish and middle eastern politics." Harry grinned weakly as he sat on the edge of the couch, running a hand down Glitter's back. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Er, yeah." He muttered. "That was my lawyer. I have to go talk to my management."

"Your lawyer? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. S'fine."

"But it's so early. What time is it?"

"Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep." Harry insisted.

"But is everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything is okay, Louis." He answered. "Did Niall stay the night, too?"

"I think he grabbed a guest room."

"Go back to sleep, Lou. I'll be back before you wake up." Harry rose slowly to his feet, but was impeded by Louis tugging at his pant leg.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Goodbye hug?"

Harry's responding grin was dripping with warmth as he lowered his top half down to hug Louis. They were forced into an awkward angle in an attempt to not squish the slumbering cat between them, but Louis was still content by the end of the embrace.

"Go back to sleep." Harry repeated as he slipped away, forgetting to close his bedroom door as he disappeared into the hallway. Louis could faintly hear him rapping at a door and whispering, "Nialler?" before he closed his eyes yet again.

~

The sun had finally decided to show its face by the time Louis awoke. For several serene seconds, he stretched against the plush comfort of the couch, inhaling the crisp air and taking in the gentle cadence of morning sunlight.