mentions of mental illness & quite a bit of dialogue in this chap, this one is important x

—-

"hey lou, can we talk for a minute?"

louis lifts his head from behind the book he was taking interest in and saw harry's aunt standing in the doorway. it was sunday, one of louis' only days of the week that he could relax due to being off work and not having to go to class. usually he would be at the flat with zayn sleeping in or binge watching netflix with the lad but he had picked up a shift, so instead of being bored alone at home he came to harry's house to be bored with him.

sounds like a perfect day, right?

louis tucked his bookmark between the pages to mark his spot and laid the book on the coffee table. he was in the livng room reading, got a little too lost in the book and harry was in the shower. although the sound of running water wasn't there anymore, so he must be out. "what's up?"

jean took a seat beside the small boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. her presence was comforting. she was already like another mother figure to louis. he looked up to her, he had too much respect for her to cross her. she reminded him of his own mum in certain ways with her hazel eyes full of life, her dirty blonde hair that was always pulled up in a bun, and her hugs. he loved her hugs. she smelled like home, like fresh linen and lavender.

"i'm sure you already know about us attempting therapy with haz again," the woman said lowly, as if her nephew were able to hear her from upstairs. sometimes she forgets that would be nearly impossible.

louis nods. "kate told me. is he okay with it?"

jean rests against the sofa. "i think now that he's older and can understand this could help him, he'll get used to it. we brought it up to him the other day and i made the appointment for thursday."

louis crosses his legs and slips his hands in his hoodie pocket. harry had been through alot in his short life. maybe this could help him if he really wanted it to.

"it's more of an outlet for him," the woman states. "kate or i can be there with him for the first few sessions to get a taste of how things are going to go. then once they establish a plan with what they want to tackle and get a good translator, they'll work one on one."

"that sounds good," louis hums. "he's already on meds, right?"

jean nods her head yes. "just some anti-anxiety pills, but the boy needs something more. we have to start digging and getting him some closure. but i wanted to ask you if harry's been sleeping alright when you're with him?"

louis shrugged. "seems fine to me. i'm a light sleeper so i wake up alot in the night but he's usually out cold."

harry's aunt nods her head and eventually let out a small sigh. "i just worry he could have a nightmare and nobody's here to help him. kate or me, i mean. we know what to do in times like that so sometimes i get nervous leaving him at home while i'm at work."

there was a small thud from upstairs and an exaggerated groan from harry's sister. "i don't want to adult today!" they hear her say.

louis snorts and covered his mouth. "poor kate."

jean rolled her eyes. "she has no idea."

the older styles sibling slugged her way downstairs in her work uniform, adjusting her visor and crossed her arms once she reached the first floor of the house. "any of you care to just-" she makes a fist and pretends to knock herself out, "-take one for the team, please?"

"have fun adulting," louis teased and the girl huffed, grabbing her car keys and said bye to the two before heading out.

jean continued their previous conversation after her niece left. "harry could have a good day and still have bad dreams. they're mainly just memories of his wreck," she frowned. "poor kid, he was diagnosed with ptsd. it's been going on for years."

"did he ever try to work on it?" louis asked.

jean nods. "he did, but it got too stressful for him. he was already doing alot of physical therapy and flunking school, so i let him choose what to do. it may have seemed bad on my end but you've seen his art, louis. the boy is gifted. that is his escape."

louis grabbed his book from the table. "i like to read when i'm stressed. find myself in a different world."

"exactly," the woman hums. "when harry has that sketchbook out, he's coping. he takes the skills he was offered when he first started therapy and held onto them. he's done some anger management, crisis counseling and a bit of grief therapy but we really need to get these night terrors away. when he gets up after a bad night i just want to hold him and tell him everything is gonna be okay. shield him from all things dangerous. i never had the chance to have kids of my own so when i took katherine and harry in, they became my babies."

louis never knew kate's real name was katherine. it's gorgeous, definitely suits her.

he glanced at one of the picture frames sitting on the coffee table. it was a family photo of harry, his sisters, his parents and jean at a birthday party. louis assumed it was one of the adults that had a party because it was a celebration without any child-themed decorations. also judging on the fact that the half-smashed cake was sitting in front of the man with the purple party hat, it was definitely harry's father's birthday. the kids had icing on their faces and big smiles on their faces, most likely from laughing.

jean diverted her eyes to the frame louis was looking at.

"that photo was taken a few weeks before the wreck," she bit the inside of her cheek. "harry and kate were arguing over who gave their father the best present and he made them quit by taking handfuls of cake and smushing it on their faces. then he told them that them being his kids was his best present he ever got."

louis let out a small 'aw' and asked if he could look at the image up close. he grabbed the frame when jean nodded and took in every person standing and sitting. he could point out harry and his older sister, but recognized the little girl sitting on their dad's lap. she's the same girl in the picture in harry's studio.

"i don't know which was harder for them, losing their parents or losing gemma."

"how old was she?" louis asked. his question was almost inaudible. he was saddened because the girl was so tiny. she couldn't have been more than ten years old.

"seven," jean replies. "harry adored her. when she was born he said she was 'his baby', took her everywhere with him."

cooing, louis put the frame back on the table and lifted his head when footsteps came in earshot. his boyfriend came down the stairs with a page ripped out of his sketchbook in his hands, hair still damp from his shower and lazy clothes covering his figure. once he made it to the bottom of the staircase, he turned the paper over with an accomplished look on his face like he brought home a test with a good grade on it.

louis made grabby hands for the sheet and stared in awe. harry never ceased to amaze him with his handiwork. he wished he could be as talented as he was. if harry were to become famous for his pieces, he would never let him live it down.

the drawing was a simple skeleton hand holding a sunflower. the flower was colored in with bright yellows and oranges blending from the tip of the petals all the way to the bottom. his signature was under the stem, haz, in sloppy cursive.

jean signs to him that she thought it was lovely and louis gives him a proud smile.

"beautiful," he signs to the boy in front of him. harry kissed the top of his head before darting back upstairs to his room to work on something else. louis wondered if he ever got sick of drawing sometimes, if he ever experienced a burnout or just had a block in his mind where he couldn't come up with something to add to his collection of sketches.

"you're appreciated around here," harry's aunt smiled softly at the boy and pointed out the adoration displayed on louis' face. "ever since harry's been around you, there has been a slight change in him. i can tell he's happier than usual."

a faint blush rose on louis' cheeks as he put the piece of paper on the table. he didn't expect that to come out of her mouth at all.

"i don't wanna sound cheesy and say he's the one because you're practically his second mum and that would be weird," he rambles on, "but there's something about haz that pulled me toward him."

"i think it's the hair," jean jokes.

louis laughed and nodded. "that's a big part of it."

jean shakes her head with another soft smile before standing. "i have to get ready for work, myself, but you can stay here as long as you'd like. don't be afraid to make yourself at home, lou," she leans over and kisses his head. "you're one of my kids now."

louis beamed at her words. "you're so sweet, you know that?"

"been told quite a few times," jean hums before she retreated to her bedroom.

louis grabs his book and the sketch, giving one last look to the birthday photo on the table and heads to harry's room, where his boyfriend was setting his sketchbook on his nightstand and relaxing on his bed. harry made grabby hands for louis once his eyes laid on the boy. louis shut the door, placing the objects in his hand on harry's dresser and crawled in the bed, allowing himself to be enveloped in familiar tattooed arms.

maggie wormed her way out from under one of harry's pillows, catching both boys by surprise and harry pulled louis impossibly closer to him. louis only buried his face in harry's neck in response, enjoying the burst of affection he was recieving. harry managed to pull his duvet over their chilly bodies and stroke louis' hair as they laid in the silent room, the only noises being their rhythmic breathings and maggie's hopping on top of her owner's dresser. the feeling of his boyfriend holding him, the comfort of the bed and the sense of belonging for once made louis slip into an unintended, quite peaceful nap, already excited for his next day off so he could spend time with his harry.

—-

more of a filler but as i said before, its important. gives louis insight on whats going on, but he also learns more about harrys background and now knows things from his aunt's point of view.

thoughts on harry starting therapy again? will it be good for him?

thank you for 15k x