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Louis stands there momentarily, staring into the void that surrounds the two of them. All thatās heard is the way his feet hit the floor when heās practically stomping around in frustration, heavy breathing that rumbles his chest and the way that Harry shifts in his seat. The older of the two just feels his breath leave his chest only for his anxiety to start settling in as of right now. Heās starting to feel like anything involving he and Harry is just going to be mass majority of Louis freaking out about anything they do, and he doesnāt want that to be the case. If itās how itās going to be then perhaps he and Harry shouldnāt be together at all, ever. Heās a little bothered by the fact Harry is so quiet, but maybe Louis isnāt coming off the best by being so strong in bitching about something that really isnāt that big of a deal. Though Louis does make note on how heās sat there, quiet, just listening ; well thatās if heās listening anyhow. For all he knows he could just be toning him out, as he deserves.Ā
The silence does scare him, it gives them both time to think and Louis begins to believe maybe they shouldāve never got involved in the first place. Maybe this is something neither of them are ready for so soon. Not with the negativity that surrounds Louis consistently, especially when it involves every single person heās ever been with long term. The last thing he needs is to actually start some sort of life with Harry only for it to blow up in their faces far too quick for their own good. A deep sigh rumbles through Louisā just as heās just picking at his fingers at this point, trying to distract the fact heās even nervous in the first place. He hates how vulnerable he feels in this position, the awkwardness of just being around Harry although theyād just gotten over the hesitation. It feels like such a major set back for him.
It does manage to throw him off once Harry stands up, immediately bringing Louis to breathe in and hold it. Itās a bit scary, heās a bit taller than he is and truthfully it does make Louis want to sit down, shut up and just not say anything else. No one has such an effect on him that brings him right back to reality like Harry, except for his mother, as those two theyāre the only two whom have anything effect wise on Louis. Otherwise heād just keep running his mouth, no problem about it. The only issue Louis has is that he gives up when things get too hard, and with the way his body practically quivers in that aspect does worry him a little bit. His arms fold over his chest while his knee practically buckles for a moment, chewing nervously to his bottom lip right before heās able to capture Harryās gaze seconds later. It doesnāt seem very phased, course, he hid his feelings for far too long so Louis doesnāt quite expect much different from him. Itās okay though, itās well deserved when heās overreacting the way that he is, treating Harry far from what he should be treated as.
ā Mānot tryinā tā talk tā you like youāre stupid, Harry. āĀ he replies with a shaky tone, heās a little bit apprehensive to speak anymore if thatās the in tell on how heās feeling. Or whatās going on between the two of them. Heās not trying to talk to Harry like heās stupid, because heās far from stupid. Fact, Louis is more the stupid one than heād imagined it to be. Harryās way beyond the intelligence that even Louis canāt handle, itās pretty impressive if heās honest.Ā ā Look just . . maybe we rushed into this. Maybe we shouldnāt even do this. āĀ Louis shrugs in defeat, picking up previous print before tossing it to the rubbish seconds later.Ā āĀ Canāt be quiet ābout anythinā that isnāt there then. āĀ Another shrug makes its way to Louisā shoulders, swallowing thick before feeling eyes sting briefly. He instantly feels a lump in his throat, turning away from Harry while digging the heel of his shoe right into the carpet.
Movement catches his attention, and green eyes flit down to the way Louis picks at his fingers, making him spare a thought towards the fact that, in all this, he might actually be nervous. It doesn't make the way he's treating him any better, of course, but it does lend itself to being an explanation. He's afraid, and he's irrational, and he's not thinking clearly, and Harry is the one who is bearing the brunt of it. His expression remains as impassive as it had been before, practiced and a little unnatural given the fact he's been raw with Louis up to this point. He doesn't like hiding his feelings from him, he doesn't like needing to hide them, and he certainly doesn't like the way he's looking at him right now. The way he's acting as if what they have -- what they're building -- isn't important enough to cope with a little press. His heart tugs, aches, and he feels a little nauseous, a little unsteady.
A soft breathe is taken in through his nose, quiet before he parts his lips to allow it to drift back out. He's really trying. Trying not to let his emotions get the best of him, trying not to sink into despair as Louis' words reach his ears, flowing from his tongue like fucking poison. He's not going to cry -- he's not drunk enough to let himself be that way, not this time -- but he feels his throat close up with what he says, with how he's just ready to give the fuck up so damn quickly. Aren't they worth more than that? He knows Louis has been feeling him too. He wouldn't touch him so gentle, wouldn't hold him so tight, if he weren't. It doesn't make any sense. None of this makes any sense, and he kind of wants to dive into his bed like he would if he were a child, hide under the blankets and hope that whatever is scaring him just...goes away. Just doesn't know how to reach him, somehow, for the piece of fabric in between them, obscuring his form. Louis is not a monster, though, and he's not just going to get better. He might go away. Harry doesn't want him to.
Harry tries not to take it to heart. He knows he's just anxious, just afraid, and he knows that there are going to be hiccups along the way. He just hadn't expected it to be so soon. They've been adequately discreet, as far as he knows, and these photos are a direction violation of their privacy. They can be more careful. They can do better for each other. Only Louis is saying can't be quiet about anything that isn't there then, and Harry's chest is constricting, and the whole world fades out for a moment as his lips part, and the breath seems knocked from his lungs. It's like he's been punched right in the sternum, and for a moment, he has no idea what to do with himself. No idea how to collect the pieces that just shattered out of him.
Then he gets angry.
"Maybe we shouldn't even dothis?" Harry echoes him dully, not even touching on the fact he actually believes he isn't talking down to him right now. That doesn't seem important when he's trying to fucking break up with him. He knows they aren't together, not really, but it still hurts, for whatever it is. For whatever it means. Louis has known what he's been doing this entire time, he knew the risk he was taking, and now -- now he wants to back out. Wants to bury his head in the sand and ignore everything between them. Well, fuck that.
"Fuck that. You don't get to just -- you don't get to do this, Louis. Just fucking break it off before we're even -- before we're anything. Get my hopes up and then crush me because you're scared." He's trying to be empathetic, he really is, but he's still stepping forward. His expression is no longer something indifferent, but rather something heated and wild, burning with passion and with rage and with everything that he's experiencing right now. He doesn't want to be cold. He isn't good at it. Not at heart. "Well, boo-fucking-hoo; guess what? I'm scared too. We're both scared, but I'm not trying to run away from it. Something bad happened, something that we can handle without having to lie, without having to say anything at all, and you're panicking, but you're not going to break this off -- whatever this is -- right now. I refuse. I won't hear it. We can get through this, if you just bloody try!"
Louis has turned away from him at this point, and Harry swallows harshly past the lump in his own throat, Adam's apple bobbing as he tries to ignore the flashes of faded bruises in his head. He needs him to not do this. "Just... Look at me?" He wants it to be worth it.







