Call Me Baby: Chapter 9
In retrospect, Harry probably should’ve knocked-even if it was his house. If he had, his friends would’ve been given enough warning so as not to be fucking on his couch. They sat in front of him now, red in the face, clothes hastily pulled on and slightly askew. Harry took a deep breath, halting his pacing to stand in front of them, his hand on his hip.
“Okay,” he started, gesturing with his free hand, “Okay. I know guys are together, and that’s fine, but I’d much prefer it if you didn’t have sex on my couch. The bed’s fine, or the shower, but the couch… That’s just-I don’t even know.”
“Sorry, mate,” Niall began, face apologetic, “We didn’t mean to, we just… Got caught up in the moment. Sorry.”
“Honestly, that is more of both of you than I ever intended to see,” Harry shuddered.
“Well… You did just walk in unannounced. We weren’t expecting you!” Niall told him exasperatedly. His face morphed into one of confusion. “Wait-why are you here? I thought you were taking Louis to get his cast changed.”
“Zayn offered to take him” Harry shrugged, “Said he’d been missing Lou. Can’t blame him-he hardly sees him anymore, because he can’t work.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Niall told him, “What about the girls?”
“They’re with mum,” Harry explained, moving to sit in the arm chair near Niall, “I needed to get some more clothes, ‘cause I’m tired of wearing the same things over and over again. I thought I’d do that while Lou’s out.”
“Oh,” Niall said, and a somewhat awkward silence settled over the three young men. Sean looked at Niall until his lover met his eyes, and gave him a nudge. Niall shook his head, communicating silently through his eyes, and Sean gave him a pointed look. Niall rolled his eyes sticking his tongue out, and Harry sighed, jolting the pair out of their silent conversation.
“Look, if there’s something you want to talk about without me here, just tell me-I’ll go get my things together-but that silent thing you’re doing is annoying, and a little creepy,” Harry told them, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Sean gave Niall another look, before addressing Harry.
“Niall has something he wants to tell you,” he said, and Harry’s face pinched in confusion, looking at his friend, who shifted uncomfortably.
“Sean and I…” Niall trailed off, taking a deep breath, and grabbing Sean’s hand to steady himself, “Sean and I are getting married.”
Harry frowned briefly as he processed the words, before his face lit up in an enormous smile. He threw himself at his friend, tackling him back on the couch and yelling incoherently. Niall laughed in relief, hugging his friend back tightly.
“Where’s the ring?” Harry demanded, brilliant smile still on his face as he pulled back, “Where is it?”
Niall laughed harder, pulling a chain from around his neck. Harry squealed, planting himself on Niall’s lap so he could get a better look. When he was done, he tucked it back into Niall’s shirt, throwing his arms around his neck and hugging him again, laughing out an I’m so happy for you. Harry pulled back, still smiling, and stood up, stretching his arms over his head.
“So when’s the wedding?” Harry asked, letting his arms drop to his side. Niall smiled happily.
“June,” he said, “Do you… Do you think you’d be my best man?”
“Of course I would!” Harry exclaimed, “I’d have been offended if you hadn’t asked me!”
Niall laughed, his cheeks rosy from excitement. Harry grinned at his friend, unbelievably happy for him, and started slightly as his phone buzzed. He unlocked it quickly, bursting into laughter when he read the text Zayn had sent him.
Heads up: Lou’s gonna be a bit loopy when he gets home. He fainted when the doctor went to cut off his cast, and somehow burst his stitches. They had to redo them as well as give him a new cast, so he’s all hype on pain meds. ~Zayn
Lovely. Thanks mate. How long till you get back? ~Harry
T-15 ~Zayn
He’s asking for you, btw ~Zayn
Harry’s face broke out in a smile and he shook his head. He put his phone away, looking up at Niall and Sean.
“I’m gonna get my stuff and go,” he told them, “Lou’s gonna be home soon, so I gotta go.”
“Have fun, mate,” Niall smirked, and Harry pointedly ignored the looks the two boys were giving him, exiting the room.
*~*~*~*
Zayn hadn’t been kidding when he said Louis was “hype” on pain medication. Upon entering the house, Louis attached himself to Harry’s side and wouldn’t let go, crying and proclaiming that Harry was the only reason he was still alive after all the torture he’d been through. Harry had sighed, taking his friend up to bed, where Louis had calmed slightly, allowing himself to be laid down and tucked in. He did not, however, allow Harry to go back downstairs. So Harry had sighed again, pulling back the covers and letting Louis cuddle into his chest with a soft keen in the back of his throat. It wasn’t all the bad, really-in fact, Harry would almost go as far as to say he enjoyed this clingy Louis. He wrapped an arm around his friend’s waist, and stroked his hair, and whispered nonsense in his ear until he fell asleep, tucked into Harry’s side.
Anne had come up two hours later, telling Harry that it was time for Louis to take another dose. It had taken fifteen minutes for Harry to realize that Louis wasn’t going to let him go anywhere. He had cried, pleaded, yelled, weeped, threatened, and clung to Harry like his life depended on it, and Harry’s mother had finally taken pity and gotten Louis’ medication for him. Louis had settled down after that, curling back into an exasperated Harry’s chest and falling asleep once more.
The rest of the family thought it was a riot, Lottie and Flick poking their heads in the bedroom door and giggling every twenty or so minutes. Harry didn’t find this amusing in the slightest, and, had he been able to move without another bitch fit from Louis, he would have locked the bedroom door to keep them out.
As it was, this was not the case. So he stayed where he was, running his fingers through his delirious friend’s hair, and hissing at the girls every time their heads poked around the doorframe.
He sighed again, gazing down as his friend mumbled sleepily into his shirt. Harry leaned down, dropping a careful kiss to Louis’ hair.
“One of these days, loony,” he mumbled, “You’ll understand how much you mean to me. One of these days, I won’t have to laugh when people ask if we’re in love. One of these days I won’t have to tell them ‘no, we’re best friends’. One of these days, you’ll love me like I love you, and I’ll be telling my friends that we’re getting married, and asking Niall to be my best man. One of these days, loony, we’ll be done pretending.”
Continued here