The way that they look at each other :') i'm :') not :') crying :') 

Thank you for the comments on the last chapter, even though the voting target hasn't been hit yet! 

I just want you to know that I read EVERY SINGLE comment and I appreciate every one! Thank you for that, I hope you can appreciate this chapter because it took literally days for me to write 

245 votes and 300 comments for an update! 

After: Louis prancing into Harry's office to tell the man that Zayn was taking him shopping, Harry lecturing Zayn about keeping Louis safe, and Liam writing out a list of groceries to pick up whilst the two were out, Zayn and Louis finally began their shopping trip

"Are you sure that you won't get noticed?" Louis asked Zayn for the hundredth time as they walked around the shopping centre

"I'm sure" Zayn promised him, wrapping an arm around Louis to comfort him "Don't be so nervous, kiddo" he said quietly, offering Louis a reassuring smile

Louis smiled right back as he replied "I just wouldn't want you to get caught because of me" he admitted quietly "I'd never forgive myself" he added

"Not going to happen" Zayn told him "Now where would you like to go first?" He asked

Louis tilted his head to the side to look at all of the shops lined up in a row; he'd never really been shopping so he had no idea what items of clothing went in which shops

"Uh...where's good?" he questioned, sparing Zayn a glance before looking back to the row of buildings

Zayn hummed in thought as he looked at the array of shops "I have two frames of mind" he said slowly, looking between two shops with a thoughtful expression on his face

"Which are?" Louis asked, trying to see where Zayn's eyes were leading

"One shop that I'm pretty sure you'd like" he said and Louis raised an eyebrow at him

"And?" Louis pressed, nudging Zayn slightly

"And one shop that I'm one hundred percent sure that Harry would like" he finished and Louis' eyebrows furrowed

"I don't get it" Louis admitted

"It's Christmas the day after your birthday" Zayn stated "So you can either get Harry a present or you can be Harry's present"

"What do you mean?" The blue eyed boy asked and Zayn nodded towards a particular shop with a pink and black banner across the top "Is that an underwear shop?" Louis squeaked and Zayn smiled sheepishly at him "Zayn!" Louis shoved him, flustered

"It was just a suggestion" Zayn defended, holding up his hands in surrender "You want to give Harry a good surprise or not?" He asked

Louis fish mouthed at Zayn before huffing out a strained laugh. Zayn laughed right back, shoulders shaking as he carried on through the shopping centre

Louis raised an eyebrow at Zayn and walked over to the shop that Zayn had suggested. Zayn gaped at him, trailing after Louis with wide eyes

"Louis, I was joking" Zayn spluttered, following Louis into the shop and looking around "I can't be in here" he whisper shouted making Louis giggle

"What's the matter?" Louis questioned "They're just...underpants" he said with a giggle, holding up a pair of panties and thrusting them towards Zayn

The dark haired man shrieked quietly, squirming away from Louis and taking a step backwards "Stop it!" He scolded, dodging Louis every time the boy waved a pair of panties in his face "We're going to get told off" he warned, but couldn't help himself from laughing

"No, you're going to get told off" Louis corrected "You're the one causing a disturbance" he reminded

"You're the one throwing those in my face" Zayn accused, folding his arms across his chest

Louis laughed again, rolling his eyes and putting the underwear down. His eyes lingered on them for a moment

"Are you quite finished?" Zayn asked, half amused, half flustered

Louis nodded slowly "Uh, yeah" he said, swallowing and following Zayn out of the store

Zayn watched as Louis looked back at the store thoughtfully and shook his head incredulously "Come on" he said softly to Louis, his arm going around Louis' shoulders and leading him to the next store

"Sports clothes?" Louis questioned, looking around the shop with a smile

"I thought you might like them" Zayn replied "We can get you some clothes that actually fit you properly for around the house" he offered and Louis nodded enthusiastically

"Okay' he agreed

Zayn led Louis towards a rack of joggers and throwing a few pairs over the boy's outstretched arm "Small should do, right?" He questioned "Or should we go for extra small, just for good luck?" He asked

Louis scoffed at him "I am not an extra small"

Zayn held up a pair of joggers to Louis' hips "If you insist" he muttered, pulling the joggers away. He picked up a few in different colours before walking over to the T-shirts and hoodies

Zayn threw a few T-shirts into Louis' arms, all consisting of various sizes because of how baggy he wanted some of the items to be for comfort; they also picked out a couple of jumpers, sweatshirts and hoodies. Louis' favourite was a green hoodie they picked out which had a small yellow imprint of the brand name in the corner of the chest

"We done in here?" Zayn questioned, walking over to the tills

Louis nodded and Zayn placed all of the items onto the counter before paying; Louis thanked him again

They made their way through various shops, most of which were expensive and well decorated on the inside. Louis felt as if he didn't fit in to all of these places but Zayn reassured him and promised that he fit in just as much as the rest of the boys did. He also promised Louis that he could get all of his suits tailored personally once Harry's hired one of his assistants, this way they wouldn't have to go through all of these fancy shops just to find appropriate clothes

Just before they were about to leave, Zayn paused "I'm just gonna go for a smoke" he told Louis, pressing his card into Louis' hand

Louis frowned, taking the card "You don't want me to come with you?"

"Nah" Zayn said softly "I'll be like two minutes" he promised "The door's just there" he pointed to the exit which was in eyesight

Louis nodded slowly "Okay?"

"Just... if you want anything else go grab it" Zayn told him "I'll meet you back here when I'm done and then we can go" 

"Okay" Louis repeated softly

Zayn nodded to him, rubbing Louis' shoulder before heading to the door. Louis watched as Zayn left, still in sight as he lit up a cigarette, back to the door

Louis had one shop in mind

***

Overall, the outing was successful and Louis and Zayn returned home with over twenty different shopping bags which Liam had to help them carry from the car

"Thank you" Louis said to Liam who had taken it upon himself to carry literally Louis' entire luggage upstairs for him

"It's alright" Liam replied, placing the bags on the floor next to Louis' bed "These are bigger than you" he teased and Louis rolled his eyes

"M'not that small" he grumbled, making Liam scoff loudly "Is Harry still here?" He asked and Liam scrunched his nose thoughtfully

"I think he was washing up" he answered, ruffling Louis' hair before leaving the bedroom

Louis placed all of the bags on top of the bed except from the underwear that he had bought; he placed that underneath the jumpers in his side of the wardrobe before skipping over to the en suite and opening the door

"Oops, I'm sorry!" Louis squeaked out, quickly backing up and covering his eyes once he realised that Harry was in the bath

"It's alright" Harry replied, holding out his hand to beckon the boy over "Come here, baby" he instructed and Louis slowly uncovered his eyes "It's okay, I'm covered" he promised, looking down at himself just to double check

Louis reluctantly looked down at Harry who was grinning at him, and Louis was unable to stop himself from smiling back

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked the older man

"I'm happy to see you" Harry told him, still smiling "I've missed you" he admitted

"I missed you too" Louis agreed, kneeling down next to the lone bath and reaching out to stroke Harry's wet hair

Harry hummed in content, melting into Louis' soft touch and leaning into it subconsciously. Harry yearned for Louis' touch, his body thrived from it, even if Harry didn't yet realise it

"Did you have a nice time?" Harry quizzed, turning his head slightly to get a view of Louis

"It was good" Louis replied "Different" he added

"It's nice to get out sometimes" Harry agreed

"Why don't you ever go out?" Louis asked, finally removing his hands from Harry's hair

"Why do you think?" Harry questioned softly, not being able to help himself from looking straight into Louis' eyes

"Is there a lot of people who want to hurt you?" Louis replied, confusion edging its way onto his face

"A lot" Harry repeated "It's more hassle than it's worth" he admitted "Not to mention the police"

Louis nodded in understanding, biting his lip softly as his hand went to rest on Harry's bicep "I'm sorry" he said softly

"It's no one's fault but my own" Harry stated

Louis furrowed his eyebrows slightly at this, running a hand through Harry's wet hair "M'still sorry" he muttered

"You're very kind" Harry whispered, turning his head to press a kiss to Louis' forearm "Would you like to get in?" He asked

Louis flushed at this, his face an neck turning a pretty colour of pink as he shyly turned his head away from Harry "I uh...I-"

"You don't have to, little one" Harry told him "I shan't be long if you'd like to wait in the bedroom" he promised

Louis blinked a couple of times before smiling at Harry softly "C-can you close your eyes for a minute?" He asked shyly and Harry smiled at him

"Of course, my love" he replied, closing his eyes and resting his head against the walls of the bath tub

Louis nervously bit his lip, taking a deep breath before taking off his clothes, starting with his thin white shirt. When he got down to his boxers, he fiddled with the hem nervously, chewing on his bottom lip and breathing softly though his nose

"Are you okay, little one?" Harry asked

"I-uh..." Louis choked out "I-I thought I could do this" he admitted "B-but maybe I can't" he whispered

"You don't have to" Harry promised "Not if you don't want to" he said

"I do" Louis whimpered "I do want to" he repeated "I just don't know if I can"

Harry poked out his tongue to lick at his top lip "Things like this take time" he explained, his eyes still closed "It's okay if you can't do it yet" he promised "You may never be able to"

"Why would you want someone like me?" Louis practically cried "S-someone who can't even do normal things without panicking?" He asked, wiping at his teary eyes "I-I can't even do simple things"

Harry fought against the urge to open his eyes, desperate to comfort the crying boy "Please don't cry baby, its okay" he said softly "I don't mind"

Louis sniffed quietly "I want to be able to do things like this" he said "W-with you" he added quietly

"I know, sweetheart" Harry replied "It's alright" he promised

Louis sniffed again and wiped at his eyes "Thank you" he whispered

"Wanna get dressed again so we can cuddle in bed?" He asked "Might make you feel better, baby"

Louis thought on the idea for a couple of second before shaking his head, not yet replying

"Do you want to get in with your underwear on?" Harry questioned before Louis could reply "Small steps, yeah?"

Louis blinked at Harry before replying after a couple of seconds "Can I?" He asked

"Of course you can" Harry replied "Are you comfortable with that?"

"Think so" Louis muttered, stepping over to the bath and slowly climbing in

The smaller boy lowered himself and eventually leaned back against Harry chest

"Alright?" Harry questioned

"Yes" Louis replied "Y-you can open your eyes again" he said and Harry did so

The green eyed man pressed a kiss to the back of Louis' head but didn't touch the boy's skin yet, careful not to trigger him, his arms rested on either edge of the bath tub and Louis looked at them curiously

"You can touch me you know" he informed "Like you usually do"

"You sure?" Harry asked and Louis nodded, taking Harry's hand and bringing it to rest across his own stomach "You're so little" Harry murmured, wrapping his arms around Louis' small body and holding the boy closer "And so soft" he added

"Soft?" Louis repeated

Harry hummed in agreement "Your skin is so soft" he muttered, whispering the words against Louis neck before pressing a soft kiss there

"Keep doing that and I'll fall asleep" Louis warned, sighing in contentment as he let himself rest against Harry's chest

"Not entirely a bad thing" Harry replied "Look adorable when you're asleep"

Louis giggled at this "So do you" he mumbled quietly, letting Harry run a soothing hand across his bicep

They didn't spend too long in the bath together, and when they'd finished Harry got out first, wrapping himself in a towel before fetching one for Louis. The taller boy grabbed himself some clothes, but allowed Louis to get changed in the bedroom while he dressed in the bathroom

Louis pulled on some of his new clothes, smiling at the fit of them before calling Harry back into the bedroom when he was finished. Louis smiled even harder when Harry complimented him on how good he looked in his new clothes

The pair of them soon decided to go to bed after what had been a long day for both of them; sadly, Louis didn't realise what Harry had been doing that morning as he fell asleep in the man's arms

***

A knock on Harry's door brought the man to his senses and his eyes slowly fluttered open, making their way over to the door

The bedroom door was soon pushed open and the green eyed man almost groaned at the sight of Zayn stood in the doorway

"Harry" Zayn whisper shouted from the doorway, beckoning Harry to follow him out of the bedroom

Harry huffed out a sigh, looking up at Zayn with an expectant glare "What?" He questioned "I'm kind of occupied" he added, gesturing to Louis who was asleep on his chest

"It's important, arsehole" Zayn replied, folding his arms across his chest and tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for Harry to join him on the landing

Harry got up slowly, placing Louis on the soft bed sheets before standing up and walking over to Zayn "Why are you interrupting me from me leisure time?" Harry asked angrily

Zayn clicked his tongue nonchalantly before replying "Because I have some important news for you" he stated

"Well?" Harry quizzed "Spit it out"

"Tomorrow is Louis' birthday" Zayn told him "His twentieth to be precise"

"How do you know that?" Harry asked him "Did he tell you?"

"Yes" Zayn replied shortly "And he told me not to tell you"

"Why's that?" Harry questioned

"Because he didn't want you to know" Zayn stated "He probably thought that you wouldn't care"

"Of course I care that it's his birthday" Harry argued

"Which is why I told you" Zayn said proudly

Harry hummed in reply, turning around to see Louis still asleep on his bed

"Hey!" Zayn whisper called as Harry turned to go into his bedroom

"Oh, what is it now?" Harry quizzed

"I want to know what you're going to do tomorrow" Zayn said "You know, for Louis?"

"I don't know" Harry admitted "I'll just give him a car or something"

"Harry, he can't even drive" Zayn stated, rolling his eyes at the taller man

"It's the thought that counts" Harry argued and Zayn raised his eyebrows "Alright, I'll think of something better"

"Like?" Zayn questioned

"Hey, stop it!" Harry snapped "Stop questioning me" he ordered, his nose twitching slightly before he spoke again "What did you get him?" He asked finally

" I took him shopping, you fool" Zayn shot back, rolling his eyes at the man

"Right" Harry muttered, nodding to himself in thought

"Why don't you just do something romantic?" Zayn asked

"Why romantic?" Harry questioned "It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything" he added and Zayn scoffed, his eyes practically rolling to the back of his head

"He may as well be" Zayn argued "He's the closest thing to a boyfriend you're ever going to get Harry" he stated and Harry frowned because Zayn was most definitely correct

"I don't know how to be romantic" Harry replied

"You know? Dinner, roses, the works" Zayn advised "He was raised in a house of abuse, Harry, I'm sure it won't take much to impress him"

Harry nose twitched angrily at the thought of Louis' past "I don't do things like that" Harry told him

"Well, start doing things like that" Zayn snapped "It's his birthday for Christ's sake, he deserves the best"

"That's not me, Zayn" Harry replied with a sigh "It's not what I do" he stated "If Louis wants that, then he doesn't want me"

"Why can't you just try?" Zayn questioned, an exasperated sigh leaving his lips

"I'll bake him a fucking cake or something, I don't know" Harry grumbled

"A cake, seriously?" Zayn questioned, trying to suppress his laughter

Harry shrugged at this "C'mon, everyone likes cake" he argued

"It's a pathetic effort, but an effort nonetheless" Zayn agreed finally, taking a step back as if he were about to leave "Oh and, Harry?" He questioned

"What?" Harry asked

"Don't tell him that I told you" Zayn replied before walking away

"Well how else will he think I found out?" Harry quizzed "I can't just pull information like that out of my arse"

"You're a powerful man, Harry" Zayn called back from down the hall "Tell him that you have your ways" 

Three...and a half...thousand...words??? UM wHaT? Why are all my chapters so long lmao 

LOUIS IN PANTIES?????

Please vote/inline comment! I worked very hard on this chapter, as usual! 

Questions: 

What should Harry do for Louis' birthday?  

What's your favourite bromance in this?

Thoughts on Louis' reaction to having a bath with Harry? Did he overreact? Why did he panic? ect

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