chamber of reflection ➵l.s

thru thick and thin

If you read "bonus chapter: blast to the past," you'll understand the references made in this chapter. 

I don't have much of an A/N to make, my updating streak has died down and you guys will now wait for the next few episodes, but I hope you're enjoying this so far. 

Don't forget to leave a vote, comments are always appreciated  (especially cause we're missing our favorite commenter)

💌

Harry was coming home tonight. It was a relief and a curse, Louis felt unusually apprehensive about the arrival and he wasn't sure why. The children were reasonably excited, but Louis had a scratch he couldn't itch. On top of that, he kept having a recurring nightmare. In the dream, he's walking down a sandy beach and out of nowhere, this giant whale jumps out of the water and starts chasing him. It's ludicrous and ridiculous, but it actually gets him sweating. Then, the whale swallows him up and inside is Harry, cooking. It's so strange that Louis willingly went to see Dr. Payne.

During his session, Liam said that the whale must represent Harry's Dad. His fear is that Harry may not be the same person he was when he left six weeks ago. Louis was uncertain about Liam's conclusion, but the whale interpretation made sense. He's always seen Desmond like that. Liam suggested that he set up a romantic evening for the night, to regain "control."

Louis successfully sent the kids away for the evening, all at different sleepovers. It was impressive, being that it wasn't planned, but he managed. While they were away and he was anxiously waiting for Harry's return, he set up the house. He wasn't the creative one, but he tried his best. Harry's notorious for loving cliches, so he didn't have to do much thinking. He lit up some candles, bought a large bottle of champagne, and played some relaxing music. By the time he was lighting the last candle, the sound of the door handle turning heralds Harry's arrival.

"Hey, baby!" Harry calls out eagerly. His voice captures Louis' attention instantly. The sight is beautiful, obviously. You would think he wasn't complaining about visiting six weeks ago, the way he was beaming. He has a sort of glow to his skin that mirrors his expression, dimples deepening in his rosy cheeks. He was gorgeous, as always, but Louis noticed something subtly different about him. Harry seemed fuller somehow, his features softly rounded, giving him an air of robust health. His clothes hugged his body a bit more snugly, outlining a gentler, more curved silhouette that hadn't been there before.

Louis is still in a state of reverie when Harry leaps into his arms, knocking him onto the couch. Harry huffs out a laugh, pulling away. "Sorry, are you alright?" Louis nods, momentarily stupefied. "Yeah, I'm fine." He breathes, watching Harry straighten up before he starts jumping excitedly. "Give me a hug!"

Louis stands from the couch and hugs around his husband's waist, sliding his hands down to feel around Harry's butt. Yeah, it definitely felt fuller. "I missed you, too." He responds, reluctantly releasing Harry from the embrace. Harry smiles and sniffs the air. "What smells so good?"

Louis jests. "That would be me."

"No, I smell gravy." Harry says, finally dropping his bags on the floor. Louis offers a sheepish smile, hiding his hands in the pockets of his joggers. "Well, I made some chicken dumplings for the kids before I sent them out to the movies." He mentions.

"So we're all alone?" Harry asks.

Louis shakes his head and Harry grins. "Oh, how romantic. Do you have any biscuits left?" He questions, turning around to peek into the kitchen. Louis sneaks a glance at his behind. "I definitely see.." He forces a smile when Harry pivots back to face him. "Yeah, there's biscuits. There's all kinds of leftovers. But didn't you eat on the plane?"