Young & Beautiful

“No, please. Let me just—let me do this first. I need to talk to him on my own. First. Then, you
can?” Louis’ voice is hopeful, is teetering on the edge as he stares at Niall. His heart is racing.
Niall nods.
“Yeah, sure. That’s fine. Just. Just tell him I’m going to come clean to Zayn, yeah?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll text you when we’re finished? You can come over? Or, whatever.” Louis
can barely think. His heart just keeps beating so loudly.
Niall nods. “Sounds good, yeah.”
“Okay.”
They stare at each other for a moment before Louis rushes forward, wraps Niall up in his arms in a
fierce embrace.
For a moment, Niall is stunned, body stiff against Louis’ before he finally relaxes, wrapping warm
arms around Louis’ body.
“We’ll fix this, all right? It’s fucked up. It is. But we’ll be all right,” Louis says, voice muffled by
Niall’s blazer.
Niall nods.
“It’s down to me, though, isn’t it? Gotta fix it on me own, Tommo. I fucked up, not you. Gotta try
and fix this. Well. Fix whatever can be fixed.” He releases Louis, expression dark. “Not sure how
you can fix something like this.”
“Maybe fix isn’t the right word,” Louis says. “But we’ll work through it. All of us, yeah? And
when Liam wakes up, we’ll have a proper chat with him as well, yeah?”
Niall nods, eyes still dark, before he attempts a smile.
“Yeah. Now go on, get it. Go fetch your prince.”
Louis smiles sadly.
“No prince fetching, I’m afraid. ‘S not like that. He needs a mate, Niall.”
And Niall actually smirks at that.
“He needs you, is what he needs. Go on. Shoo. Go!” he laughs, and Louis hugs him once more,
just briefly, before bounding out the door.
**
When he opens the door, he finds Harry at his desk, journal open.
He’s staring down at it, hands in his lap, just staring.
The click of the door as Louis closes it brings him back to life though, makes his head snap up and
his eyes brighten infinitesimally.
And they stare at each other from across the room.