I Love You But I Can't Breathe

Chapter Thirteen

Louis shook Harry's shoulders gently. "Are you awake yet, Hazza?" Louis singsonged. 

Louis loved mornings with his boy... the soft light filtering in through the window, Harry's plush pink lips murmuring things in his sleep, his long curls splayed against the pillows...  Louis tried to ignore the harsh raspy sounds that were coming from his boyfriend's mouth as he slept. It wasn't quite snoring- more of an achy wheezing sound.

"Mm up," Harry sighed, his voice huskier than normal. "What's happening?"

"Well it's rare for the four of us to all have the day off work without booking it," Louis smiled, dragging his fingertips gently across Harry's arms. "So we were going to head over to the park. Did you want to come with? We were gonna play footie," Louis rambled, "which I know sounds like too much running for you right now, but you can be on my team and I'll do all the work, I promise. Just stand by the goalpost and look pretty?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, stretching out a little under the sheets. 

Louis caught the wince of pain flicker across the younger boy's features as he moved. 

"Is it still your legs?" Louis asked, his heart sinking, bobbing down the bottom of his chest. Harry's not that sick... they would have called by now. 

"I'm, yeah, I'm fine," Harry mumbled, trying to rub the sleep out of his heavy lidded green eyes. "Might have slept funny."

"Okay," Louis whispered, rubbing his boyfriend's hips and pulling him closer. 

Somewhere deep down, Louis knew there wasn't anything normal about Harry's rash (which he swore was still spreading, even if Harry insisted it wasn't), knew that Harry shouldn't be sleeping for hours during the middle of the day when he wasn't doing anything to tire himself out, knew that his legs being sore for days wasn't because of 'sleeping on it funny' or from sitting down for too long. 

But Louis wanted to believe that nothing was wrong. He wanted it so bad. So he humored Harry a little and helped him out of bed as though nothing were wrong, guiding him to the bathroom and hugging him from behind as he watched them in the mirror- the younger boy tall, pale, and angular, and the older boy soft, tan and holding on so tight to his boyfriend he thought he might break him. 

"Lou, you're gonna crush me," Harry laughed. 

"I'd apologize but I'm not sorry," Louis mumbled, kissing Harry's shoulder blades and refusing to detach himself while Harry tried to brush his teeth, rumbling with laughter as Louis clung onto him. 

Even if it was just for a moment, Louis wanted to be the normal, happy, healthy couple who just moved in together and had nothing more pressing to worry about than whether to have ramen noodles or pizza for dinner. 

Louis turned away when Harry took his inhaler. 

* * * 

After years of dating Harry, Louis was surprised that he still got butterflies; but when he saw the green eyed boy giggling in the sunlight, trying to steal the football from Niall, Louis swore he could feel the wings flutter in his stomach. 

"Louis!" Harry shrieked, "I need someone to pass to!" 

The older boy quickly shook himself out of his thoughts and ran toward Niall and Liam's goalpost. 

Harry's aim wasn't spectacular, but Louis still managed to get the pass, and easily sneak it past Liam, who had just pulled out his phone. 

Sprinting forward in his little workout shorts, Harry launched himself into Louis' arms.