Archive of Our Own ^beta

Harry was such a heavy sleeper. So heavy that Louis’ sniffles and coughs and deep breaths and… Fever, warmth, heat… None of that woke Harry up. He laid there, his chest against Louis’ back and arms thrown across his sides, mouth wide open and curls messed about. It could’ve been the cutest thing ever if Louis weren’t so miserable.
“Harry,” he whimpered, rolling over to face his dead-asleep lover.
“Sleeping, Lou,” Harry mumbled, pulling him closer. Louis’ head was now buried in the skin of Harry’s chest and if he didn’t move away quickly he felt like he’d be sick.
"Harry,” Louis repeated, trying to muster up some firmness in his raspy voice.
With that, Harry’s eyes fluttered open and he blinked confusedly. “Yeah?”
“I need you to…” Louis hated asking for things. “’M sick.”
And Louis didn’t need to say anything else. Harry shifted and propped himself on his elbow, looking down at a quite puffy Louis. “Boo,” he sighed. “Should’ve woken me sooner.”
Louis rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows but didn’t speak. He just whined a little and kicked the covers off. Harry pressed the back of his hand to his clammy forehead and winced, feeling warmth radiate off it.
“Let’s move to the couch, yeah? I’ll wash these sheets.”
Louis managed to nod but when he tried to sit up, he just fell back into the pillows. You see, Harry was sort of used to this. This happened sometimes; Louis would get run down from too many late tour nights and the sleep he got was never great on the bus, and he’d just get sick. They used to get him tested for the flu all the time and it was never that, never anything viral or bacterial. Just Louis’ little body getting weak and forcing him to slow down for a couple days. It was fine. Harry was used to it. And besides, Louis was the cutest thing ever when he was sick, Harry thought. He got all clingy and needy and vulnerable and Harry just reveled in it. He loved it. He loved taking care of his sunshine.
“Let me help you,” Harry said quietly. He scooped his arms underneath Louis and picked him up bridal style. Louis protested a bit but in the end he realized he’d rather be carried than have to walk. “Need anything first?” Harry remembered that sometimes Louis would randomly throw up everywhere during these spells and well, he kind of wanted to avoid it. It ripped his heart out to see Louis in that state. But.
“Just…” Louis took a deep breath, still in Harry’s arms. “Just let me go try so I don’t… So I can just...”
“Get it over with,” Harry finished. He frowned a little and carried Louis to the bathroom, where he sat him down in front of the toilet.
Louis’ face went slightly green as he leaned over and retched painfully, emptying whatever was inside him. He squeezed his eyes shut and Harry rubbed his back soothingly, hating this.
“Okay?” Harry asked hesitantly. He pushed Louis’ sweaty fringe back and Louis flushed and backed away from the toilet, pulling his knees to his chest and shivering.
“Cold now,” Louis mumbled hoarsely.
Harry gathered him up into his arms again and carefully took him to the living room, where he sat him on the couch and covered him with a few fluffy blankets. He went to the kitchen and grabbed whatever medicine he saw fit and some water and brought it back to Louis, letting him take it on his own. “Sleep now, yeah?”
Louis nodded and settled into the couch and closed his eyes, but his brow remained furrowed painfully. Harry just kind of sat there and carded Louis’ hair gently until he seemed to be asleep. That’s when Harry tried to get up.
As soon as Harry’s weight shifted in the least bit, Louis’ hand reached out and landed on Harry’s thigh.
“Need something, baby?” Harry murmured.
“Cuddle,” Louis whined.
And Harry’s heart might’ve burst out of his chest in that moment because what the hell? “You’re so fucking cute,” Harry said under his breath as he crawled over Louis so that he was sandwiched between Louis’ back and the back of the couch. He draped an arm over Louis and took his hand and kissed the back of his head because well, he honestly just felt so bad that Louis had to deal with this all the time. That Louis didn’t even feel well enough to talk. Hell, it wasn’t usually this bad, Harry thought. So he tried his best to comfort him.
“Love you,” Louis mumbled into the pillow.
“And I love you,” Harry replied, nestling his face into the back of Louis’ neck and stroking Louis’ hand with his thumb. “Get some sleep.”
Louis hummed a little and squeezed Harry’s hand. Harry just kind of laid there for a while, moving his thumb over Louis’ hand every so often, but soon he was asleep as well. But not for very long.
“Harry,” Louis croaked. “Ha- Harry…”
Harry jolted awake and sat up quickly. “You okay?”
“Gonna be sick,” Louis muttered, squeezing his eyes shut in an obvious struggle.
And Harry had him at the kitchen sink in a matter of seconds. He sighed watching Louis have to go through this and wished that he could just take it for himself, for once. But, you know. He couldn’t. All he could do was rub Louis’ back and hope this didn’t last until tomorrow.
As soon as Louis had gotten himself together, he backed away from the sink and Harry caught him in his arms. Louis cautiously turned to face him and his head fell into Harry’s chest. “Hate this,” Louis whimpered.
“Wish I could take it for you,” Harry frowned, snaking his hands up and down Louis’ back, underneath his shirt.
“’M sorry,” Louis croaked.
“Don’t,” Harry said. “Don’t. We’re gonna figure out what’s going on. I can’t… I hate seeing you this way, Lou.”
Louis choked back a sob and Harry pulled him away gently, holding his face in his hands. And Harry noticed that Louis was crying, had tears running down his pale, pained face.
“Baby,” Harry whispered, wiping the tears with his thumbs. “Tell me.”
“Everything hurts,” Louis managed. “Want… Need to lay down.”
Harry pursed his lips and took this miserable, torn-up Louis back to the couch. Louis laid down instantly and squeezed his little eyes, biting down on his lip. Harry couldn’t handle it. Not one bit. Sure, this happened quite often after long weeks with no time off. But it was never this bad. Louis was miserable and Harry couldn’t do much.
“Fuck, Louis. Is there… What can I do?”
Louis took a deep, pained breath and choked back a cough. He whimpered and shook his head lazily.
Harry brushed the tips of his fingers along Louis’ cheek and without even meaning to, Louis’ hand came up to cup Harry’s.
“Harry,” Louis whispered.
“Hmm?”
“I’m… I just… I just love you,” Louis said, but the noise coming out sounded like what a bruise would sound like, Harry thought.
“I love you,” Harry sighed. “So much. I really fucking hate seeing you like this.”
“’M okay.”
Harry shook his head. “You’re not. I think… I can’t. ‘M gonna ring Liam.”
Louis frowned but didn’t really say much to protest, so Harry pulled his phone out and dialed Liam, who answered after the second ring.
“Hey, mate,” Liam answered.
“Hi, um… What are you doing?”
“Zayn’s over. We were gonna have dinner. Care to join?”
“I, uh… I can’t. Louis’ sick again, really sick, like. It’s bad.”
“Shit, Harry you should’ve said something. We’ll be on our way.” And with that, the lined clicked dead. Harry rubbed his eyes and handed Louis some more medicine, then sat with him until he fell asleep again. He carefully stood, not wanting to wake him. He made himself dinner and ate quietly on the loveseat.
Minutes later, Liam and Zayn came in and found Harry washing their sheets from that morning. “Looks terrible,” Liam stated.
Harry turned and closed the dryer, following Liam and Zayn back to the living room. “I just… God, it just hurts me to see him like this. And it’s becoming so often.”
Zayn pursed his lips and patted Harry’s back, sitting on the other loveseat, followed by Liam. Harry sat on the end of Louis’ couch and stroked his feet through the blanket.
“What’s going on?” Zayn asked.
“The usual, just a lot worse,” Harry explained. “Coughing, throwing up… Said his whole body hurts.” He shook his head.
“Not much you can really do,” Liam sighed. “I know… I know it sucks, but… I don’t know, man. We’ll be glad to stay, though.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Harry said, but he really really wanted them to. He really really wanted them to help him get Louis better.
“We will,” Zayn murmured. “Should we ring Niall?”
Harry shrugged and nodded a little, and so Zayn did.
By the time Niall got there, Louis was awake… And confused. He sat up slowly and the first thing he saw was Harry sitting at his feet. He frowned and made grabby hands at him, and Harry just… Went with it. Louis curled up to his side and rested his head on his chest and mumbled something that was probably the cutest thing anyone in the room had ever heard. “Didn’t cuddle.”
Harry smiled for the first time that day and kissed Louis’ forehead. “Sorry, love. Was busy.”
“Hi,” Louis murmured when he saw the others. They all smiled fondly and whispered amongst themselves about how fucking cute Louis had to be all the time.
Harry looked down at Louis and rubbed his arm, pulling him in closer. “How are you feeling?”
Louis swallowed. “Not… Like I was earlier. Still a bit nauseous, but not… Not like it was.”
Harry let out a sigh of relief and Liam went to the kitchen and brought a large bowl just in case.
“They’re gonna stay the night, okay?” Harry asked quietly. “In case it gets bad again.”
Louis nodded and coughed against Harry’s chest. “Harry?”
“Yeah?”
“’M Sniffly,” Louis murmured. “My nose has sniffles in it.”
And Harry had been holding it in all day but that was when he lost it, any control he had. He pulled away from Louis and cupped his face in his hands, and Louis still looked half-dazed but he did this thing-- this fucking thing-- where he smiled with all his little teeth and raised his thin little tiny eyebrows and just did that thing that could only be remotely described as actual sunshine. And by that time it was almost bedtime, the sky was dark and the birds no longer chirped but Louis was the epitome of actual sunshine and all the boys in the room were having a fit because they had never seen something so cute.
As soon as Louis closed his mouth, Harry was pressing gentle kisses to it, ones that he had been painfully holding back all day. “Why,” Harry said into the kiss. “Are,” another kiss. “You,” kiss, “So,” kiss, “Fucking,” kiss, “Adorable?” Harry plopped another kiss onto Louis’ hot mouth and then pulled away slowly and turned his head, acting like nothing happened. But Niall had his head buried into a pillow and Zayn had his head buried into Niall and Liam had this smile on his face that could be described as nothing other than fond. Louis looked around and brought the blanket over his head, giggling into Harry’s chest. Harry put his hands over his eyes and then pulled the blanket down, whispering, “I meant it though.”
“I know,” Louis said, and only Harry could hear. He was certain. He leaned back up and pressed another kiss to Harry’s mouth and repeated that damn word again. “Sniffly.”
“Right,” Harry chuckled, leaning over to grab another medicine off the table and handed one to Louis, then handing him his water.
Louis took it carefully, whimpering when he swallowed because his throat ached terribly still. He put the water down and pulled Harry’s face down to his, then left a gentle kiss on his nose, lips all puckered and warm. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Harry nodded as Louis curled into him.
“Anyone fancy a tea?” Liam asked quietly.
Everyone nodded and Louis was nodding enthusiastically, kind of hungry after all the retching he had done all day.
“Shit,” Harry mumbled. “You haven’t…” His voice grew louder as he called to Liam. “Boo hasn’t eaten all day.”
Liam laughed in response but brought Louis back some hot soup along with all the tea.
By the time everyone was finished, Louis was sleepy again and his eyes were sort of sagging. “Sleepy,” he mumbled into Harry’s neck.
Harry nodded and got up from the couch, pulling Louis onto him as Louis’ legs naturally wrapped around his waist, and his head on Harry’s shoulder. “Goodnight guys, thanks,” Harry said quietly.
They all said goodnight to Harry and little baby sunshine Louis, smiling at how adorable it was that Louis latched onto Harry like that, like an infant. And then they proceeded to tangle up to each other, always being so damn cuddly and not caring one bit. Liam was curled into Zayn’s side and Niall was hovered around Zayn’s back, all their legs tangled together. If anyone walked in, they’d laugh. But… That was them.
Harry managed to change Louis into some new jammies and strip himself down to boxers, and Louis practically fell into the fresh, soft bed that Harry had prepared. Louis fit in Harry’s arms like a puzzle piece and he sighed, falling asleep quickly. Harry kissed his forehead and slept as well as he could with Louis being so warm against him.
And yeah, in the night, it got bad again. Louis woke up in a coughing fit that resulted in him hovering over the toilet once again, Harry just shaking his head and massaging his neck as he emptied himself.
The boys must’ve heard because they all gathered in at the door and raised their eyebrows, silently checking if Harry needed anything. Harry just shook his head and mouthed a thank you as they tumbled out and back onto the couch.
Louis had finished, but he refused to get up just yet. “Was the soup,” Louis managed. “Might be sick again.”
“Fuck,” Harry muttered and sat himself against the bathtub, reaching out for Louis’ hand.
Louis gratefully took it before leaning over the toilet and doing it all over again. As soon as he leaned back and wiped his mouth, he crawled up to Harry and curled up into his lap, resting his head on Harry’s shoulder and breathing deeply.
“Bed?” Harry mumbled tiredly.
Louis pondered that and took a decisive breath before nodding and being lifted up and put back in bed, Harry’s body enclosing his as they both fell back into sleep.
And the next morning, everyone woke up and Louis felt a bit better, but still not himself, so the boys laid around all day watching the telly and being quiet when Louis fell asleep.
And it wasn’t Louis’ normal ‘sickness,’ they decided, because the next day Harry woke up with it, and yeah, it was contagious. But still the boys stuck around and took these few days off as an excuse to rest and take care of Harry. And Louis… Louis knew his pain, and he was hurting all over again having to watch Harry go through it. He silently blamed himself, but there was nothing he could do. He slept it off, though, just like Louis did and soon it was over.
For the next two days, they were all a mess of tangled limbs enjoying their time off. And Harry and Louis thanked the boys a million times for dealing with their sick selves and the others just laughed and promised they’d always be there. Because that’s just what they do. It’s just how they are.