home is where the heart is (but god i love the english) {l.s.}

you know i love a london boy

"Louis, whatever he did, it's surely not worth making you this upset," Niall tries to reason with him as he scoops another spoonful of ice-cream into his mouth.

"You have no idea," Louis says dangerously as they walk down the sunny streets of Manchester. It was surprisingly bright today, not at all a good match to Louis' disposition and it only served to make him grumpier.

"You're acting hangry," Niall points out which makes Louis glower at him until the other lad is holding his hands up in defeat. "Sensitive subject? Sorry, Stubby."

Louis turns away, hoping he was fast enough to hide the hurt that has slapped him in the face. Without Harry he has neglected to maintain his consistent schedule of meals and the lack of food has made him feel even more snappish than usual.

He listens to Niall prattle on about some house party he and the rest of the team were at last weekend and tries to offer up sufficient responses even though his mind can only churn up faint flashes of Harry. Harry laughing in the morning as they eat breakfast side by side, tangling their feet together. Harry pouting at him as he rushes them both out the door. Harry's kisses, Harry's smell, Harry's big, broad, stupid hands and shoulders.

His mind is going in overload and it finally malfunctions as they round the corner and are met with a giant billboard of the alpha beaming smugly, bright white teeth and team jersey shining down on them.

Louis lets out a guttural shriek before lobbing his ice-cream at the billboard, watching the creamy chocolate and rainbow-flecked sprinkles trickle down Harry's obnoxiously big forehead. Louis knows for sure that they had to Photoshop out the bright red pimple above his right eyebrow.

"Louis!" Niall gasps, hand flying to cover his mouth in a scandalised manner, but Louis knows he's secretly living for the theatrics of it. It's why they're friends after all.

"What." He responds flatly.

"Okay, mate," Niall says as he steers Louis towards the nearest park bench. "You're going to actually tell me what the bloody fuck is going on before I have to bail you out of jail for destruction of property."

-

When Louis is done regaling Niall with the entirety of their history starting from their first hookup in the closet all the way to their fight in New York, he's ashamed to admit that he's full on crying in public.

The flight home had been absolutely miserable with both of them refusing to speak to the other. Louis had barely gotten any sleep on the last night of their trip, tossing and turning in the scratchy sheets of his solo hotel bed. He doesn't want to think about how they seemed ten times more comfortable when being shared with someone else.

Since then, he's barely bothered to show up at practices or Harry's other functions instead just opting to share an Excel spreadsheet with the Alpha. What's worse is that he truly misses Harry. His life feels empty without the alpha taking up so much physical and metaphorical space. His heart aches daily for Harry's presence no matter what he tries to do to drown it out. The Alpha had been his best friend, they'd confided in each other and he doesn't want to come to terms that he might be losing the main member of his support system.

Niall looks appropriately overwhelmed as he draws Louis in for a hug and mutters soothing words into his ear.

"I'm sorry," he says sincerely. "I would've never kept going on about the two of you today if I had known."

Louis sniffles loudly and rubs his face. "It's not your fault. Honestly, it just goes to show the nature of Harry and I's relationship. We didn't tell anyone and now I'm seeing that that was actually a proper part of the problem."