ℍ𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕞𝕪 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥 ¶Larry Stylinson¶

Episode 2.8

"Home at last." Harry unlocked the front door and entered, immediately leaving all his clothes standing and lying around, and fell around the neck of his mother, who was just entering the lower floor, looking at them both in astonishment. "I didn't think you were coming until later," she said, gently replying to Harry's embrace. "I was wasting my time, sorry." Anne was noticeably thinner than the last time they met, Harry was almost afraid he would break her if he squeezed too hard. He would be careful not to say anything to that effect, though, and just smiled happily at his mother, trying not to look too closely at her emaciated face. "You can be a bit thick sometimes, can't you, son?" Anne gently stroked his cheek and then looked at Louis, who was still standing in the doorway and hadn't moved an inch. "For God's sake, come in Louis. Why are you standing there, as ordered and not picked up?" As it happened, Louis had actually been waiting for her permission to enter. Anne pulled him into her arms and greeted him with a big hug. "You could have phoned, I would have picked you up," she said to Harry and let Louis go. "Would you like some tea?" The two boys nodded and followed her into the open kitchen. They sat down at the counter while Anne fiddled around with the kettle and put a box of different teas and cups in front of them. "I didn't want to trouble you." Harry decided on green tea, while Louis took a bag of mint tea and hung it in the cup.

"Circumstances, therefore, please." His mother just snorted and gave Harry a "What are you talking about?" look. Before she could say anything else, Robin came down and greeted them both. "I've just made up the guest room," he told them, and took a cup and tea bag as well. "What are you here for?"

"Because my son can't seem to read properly."

"He's pretty, though. He'll get by in life."

"Hey?!"

Louis, who hadn't said a word yet, smiled. He still tried to hide it behind his cup, but Harry saw it anyway and punched him in the upper arm. "At least you should be on my side."

"But Robin's right, you are pretty."

"Oh, shut up," Harry murmured, turning red. Quickly, he tried to change the subject. "Are you expecting any more visitors? Is Gemma coming? You shouldn't call her room a guest room when she's around."

"No, but we wouldn't want Louis to sleep on the couch, would we?" Robin asked, looking at her a little irritated, as if to ask if any important information had passed him by. Harry, for his part, wanted to ask why Louis should sleep in the guest room until he remembered that they were still separated for his parents, in which case there was no reason for Louis to sleep with him. "Uh, no, of course not," he said, playing down the situation. He felt Louis' eyes rest on him and cleared his throat audibly. Now would've been the perfect time to tell them they were a couple again. But Harry didn't want to just blurt it out, and something was pressing against his throat, preventing him from speaking.

"I hope you brought an appetite. Robin's cooking his curry later, which you love." Oh, that did sound promising. "We can help you," Harry immediately offered, but it was declined. "So you can still copy my cooking. No, it'll be my secret." It's a pity...

They stayed sitting in the kitchen for a while and talked, with Louis saying very little and only sprinkling a few words now and then. He definitely didn't feel well, but Harry couldn't help it right now. He had reassured him again and again that it was perfectly okay if he came along and he did not have to fear that Anne would attack him with an axe. But Louis had simply not been able to shake off his doubts.

It was quite convenient that they had spent so many hours in the plane and they could just blame it on the fact that Louis was so taciturn. They didn't have to pretend with Anne, she surely knew what was going on. "Won't you take your things upstairs and I'll call you when dinner's ready? You need a moment's rest." Lovingly, Anne looked at them both and then shooed them up when they resisted.