Elf Bites ❄ l.s. AU

33: Coffee and Conversation

C H A P T E R    T H I R T Y T H R E E

Coffee and Conversation

(17 days til' Christmas)

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HARRY WOKE TO two things: an empty sofa save for himself (he thought he'd dreamt Louis joining him last night anyway, so this wasn't much of a surprise) and a startlingly loud, familiar honking laugh that nearly mirrored his own, just...a bit higher-pitched.

He only vaguely wondered what Gemma was laughing at before he turned his head slightly, just enough to bury his ears further into his pillow and the sofa back. But then he heard the giggle, the one that often kept him awake at night as he attempted to figure out what good he'd done in a past life to deserve to hear that giggle. And suddenly he didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep again.

If Louis was here though, laughing with Gem, it must not have been a dream, him climbing onto the sofa with Harry. That would explain Harry's cramped joints and stiff spine, and also the extra warmth he still felt on his chest, his neck, the inside of his arms. His nerves, his stomach. His heart.

That was about when it hit him. That something had changed. If Louis was willing to sleep beside Harry, to let Harry hold him the way he usually did...something had to have changed. Maybe Ed explained it better than Harry ever could have, or maybe Louis didn't even make it there and the walk had been cathartic enough, maybe... Harry was afraid to hope.

Because what if Louis only allowed last night after making the decision to end it? To go home? What if last night was his "one last time" before he tells Harry goodbye for good and catches the train back to London as soon as it's available? Perhaps Ed hooked him up, the same way he'd done for Harry all those months ago.

Yes, he was afraid to hope. But he did it anyway as he pushed himself up and rubbed at his face, wanting to wake himself up a little more before he faced potential impending heartbreak.

A glance over the back of the sofa showed him his sister leaning against the kitchen counters, a mug of coffee in one hand and the smirk they shared left over on her face from that laugh that had woken him up. In front of her, his back to Harry, Louis sat at the island with his own coffee mug sat in front of him and a third in front of the empty stool beside him.

Harry straightened, stretching his arms out and allowing a yawn in order to alert the other two he was awake. The stretch has him groaning as well, a joint popping somewhere, and then he checked his hair to confirm what he already knew was there – a knotted mess.

"He's actually awake this time I think," Gemma said.

Harry wondered what that must mean, standing and slowly rounding the sofa toward the kitchen. He avoided Louis for now – he just needed a few more minutes – and went straight to his sister, who was watching him through bright, amused eyes and a quirked brow. He could feel Louis watching him, could feel the burn of his stare, but he wouldn't look. He approached Gemma instead and wrapped lazy arms around her from the side, leaning into her heavily and sighing contentedly. He remembered when she was taller than him, when this felt more representative of their ages, but it still felt as safe as it did then.

Gemma let it go on for maybe fifteen seconds. "H, I love you, but go brush your teeth."

Harry, eyes shut, turned and kissed her hair before doing as he was told. And when he returned to the kitchen, Louis was staring at him so intensely that Harry couldn't for the life of him continue to avoid looking back any longer. But there was nothing sad or angry or fleeting in his favorite blue eyes. There was a truce. And Louis slid that third coffee mug across the island toward him.