hiraeth ; harry lewis

xiv. please pick me up now

IMPORTANT - trigger warning for description of a panic attack! if you want to avoid it, stop reading at "There was a stricken look on his face." and skip to "I'll meet you outside. I love you." alternatively, just skip to very near the end, because val summarises what goes down in the paragraph starting with "She shook her head, taking a deep, steadying breath."

Harry woke up to the hushed whispers of his flatmates. Cracking one eye open a tiny bit and tilting his head, he saw the two Cals standing at the foot of the bed, staring down at him.

"Look at them," Freezy whispered. "So adorable."

"Should we wake them up?" Lux asked.

"Nah, let them sleep for a bit."

"Too late," he grunted, opening his eyes fully and becoming aware of his body and position in the bed. Speaking of that - "Oh shit."

He and Val had fallen asleep on their own sides, but sometime during the night, they had both shifted closer and were now sprawled in the middle of the bed. His right arm was thrown around her shoulders, her head was tucked under his chin and against his neck, and their legs were tangled together, his slotted between hers.

Harry could feel blood rush to his face, his cheeks no doubt heating up a vibrant red. His whole body froze in place, unsure of what to do, not wanting to disturb her. So much of her was pressed against him; he could feel her soft exhales on the exposed skin of his neck and collarbone.

It took him a long time to ease his way out of bed, since he made frequent pauses to check that Val was still sleeping. When he finally did so, his first move was to reach for the silver chain on his bedside table, clipping it behind him and letting it fall onto his chest.

"And you're even wearing her present," Lux remarked as the three boys exited the bedroom, gently closing the door behind them. "Absolutely disgusting."

"Shut your mouth," he huffed, trying to smooth out the wrinkles in his shirt. "And that back there never happened."

"Too late," Cal smirked, brandishing his phone and waving the screen in front of Harry's face. A picture of him and Val was on display, and he had no doubt the lanky bastard had taken a whole bunch of those photos to make fun of him for later.

Seeing it from an outsider's perspective was strange. They looked so content and comfortable, cuddling in the middle of the bed with their limbs and bodies pressed together. If it had been anyone else, he would've guessed they were a couple.

"For fuck's sake," he muttered, lunging for the phone. Cal dodged out of reach and locked it, stuffing it back into his pocket and shooting him a smug, cheeky grin.

"Seriously, Bog," Lux said, "when are you going to admit you like her? Because at this point, you're the only one who hasn't figured it out."

"Just let it go already, my God," he said, scratching his chest. "We're just friends."

"Sure," Cal scoffed. "For now, maybe. Friends don't cuddle in their sleep."

"It was an accident!"

"That's what they all say."

"What's what they all say?" The three of them froze, heads whipping around at the sudden addition of a voice. Sure enough, Harry's bedroom door had been pushed open and Val was trudging into the living room, hair released from its braid and falling around her head in long, messy waves. Clad in his rumpled Childish hoodie that was a bit too big on her and a black skirt that peeked out from underneath the bottom of the hoodie, stifling a yawn in her palm, she looked absolutely adorable.