keep me » larry a.u.

three

"I don't want to tell them."

Louis sighs, keeping his arm wrapped securely around Harry. Harry's pale from having gotten sick before he came over. He showed up at Louis' door only minutes later seeking comfort. Louis kisses the top of Harry's head, holding him tight as Harry buries his face into his chest.

"I know, baby," Louis mumbles. "But we have to."

Harry doesn't say anything. Louis frowns, brushing a curl out of Harry's face. "Do you know how far along you are?" Louis asks gently. It feels weird, just talking about it. Harry swallows thickly, wrapping Louis' blanket around him tighter.

"Twelve weeks," Harry says softly. "I...I went to Planned Parenthood right before I told you."

That's so like Harry, Louis thinks. To want to know all of the details before telling someone something. "That's like, three months?" Louis questions. "Right?"

"Mhm," Harry nods, closing his eyes. "'Ve gained five pounds."

Louis feels as though any comment he has about Harry's weight is unnecessary, no matter how reassuring he wants to be. He just holds Harry tighter.

"So," Louis says. "Tomorrow my mother and I are going to the doctor's to go over the...the game plan. For the cancer."

"Oh," Harry says blankly. Louis knows Harry's still processing all of this, he is too. This is a lot for two people to take on. Louis brushes a curl out of Harry's face.

"And my mom said you could come," Louis says. "If you really want to. If it's...if it's too much for you, then that's okay. I can give you the details and such afterwards."

Harry is quiet for a few moments. "I'll come," He says, looking up at Louis through his thick eyelashes. His eyes are so pretty, Louis' in love with them. "I wanna know, like, what's going on."

"Okay," Louis nods. "I didn't want to say it before, but I think it'll be better for me if you're there. My mum has been very emotional about the whole thing, and she's amazing, but I want to get through the meeting without crying."

Harry smiles wearily, nodding a bit. Speaking of Jay, both boys hear the front door open and close downstairs. Harry immediately tenses, Louis can feel it, so he bends over a bit to peck Harry's lips. "We got this, kid."

"I like when you call me kid," Harry says softly, and Louis grins adoringly. He waits for Harry to start to get up before he does, immediately feeling the pain in his chest. Harry looks up at him, and Louis sees the genuine fear in his eyes for the first time. He leans forward and kisses him again.

"I love you, Harold," Louis says quietly.

"I love you too," Harry whispers. Louis stands up off the bed before helping Harry up. Harry doesn't really need the help, Louis' just trying to prove that with everything going on he can still be good. Good at being a dad, and being there for Harry, and most of all being strong.

Louis leads Harry downstairs, their fingers intertwined. They find Jay in the kitchen unloading some groceries, and Harry immediately goes to help her without even saying anything. Louis sits at a stool at the counter. There are only a few bags to unload, anyways.

"Thank you, love," Jay says towards Harry as he stands on his tiptoes to put something in the cabinet. "What's up, boys?"

"Where is everyone?" Louis asks.

"Lottie is studying for GCSES," Jay says, making quotation marks with her fingers. That means Lottie is messing around with her friends. "Fizzy is doing a school project at her friend's house. Phoebe and Daisy are at the shopping centre with Holly, and Ernie and Doris are with Dan at the park. A day like this doesn't come around too often, huh?"