Work Text:
“OUCH! Fuck! Shit!”
Louis wakes up to frustrated screaming and a pair of plaid pajama pants hitting him in the face. He hears an angry huff coming from near the closet door, where he tossed his clothes last night after they returned home from dinner.
“Are you quite finished?” Louis hisses from underneath the comforter, the edge of which is tucked just beneath his chin. He peeks one eye open and grumbles something illegible before smushing his face back into the pillow.
“I’m late, Louis!” His husband, Liam, screeches as he hops around the room. “So naturally, that’s when I had to trip over your shoe and nearly break my neck trying to get to the bathroom!”
“I’m sorry?” Louis tries, voice still gravelly from sleep. He pushes himself to a sitting position, groaning as he does. He looks at Liam with apologetic eyes from beneath his messy bedhead, fluffy comforter pooled around his waist. The lights are still off but Louis can see Liam clearly, their yellow curtains doing little to stop the morning light from streaming in through the windows. Louis really should have listened to Liam and chosen a different color.
“Sorry doesn’t help right now, I’m really fucking late and my boss is going to kill me if I don’t get to the factory on time,” Liam snaps, hopping on one foot as he pulls off his boxer briefs.
Louis wants to snap back, a retort about normal people not working on Saturdays resting on the tip of his tongue. But with one look at Liam’s face, red and flustered with panicked eyes, he realizes now is not the time.
“Ok babe, just relax and get in the shower. What can I do to help?” He asks sympathetically, glancing at the alarm clock Liam insists they keep on his bedside table. 8:15. Shit. Liam really is late.
“Can you pack my gym bag?” Liam asks as he makes his way into the bathroom, leaving the door open behind him as he turns on the shower.
“A gym bag?” Louis repeats incredulously, trailing behind his husband to the bathroom and perching on the edge of the sink, wrapping his arms around his knees. “Liam, how on Earth would I pack you a gym bag?”
Louis hates the gym. He’s gone maybe once in his entire life. On their third date, when Liam asked him how much he lifted to get arms like that, he blathered on about how he could bench 400 pounds until Liam’s smirk made him break down and admit his physique was a combination of alcohol, pizza, and pure luck. He went running with Liam once, as an anniversary present. It was the worst mistake of his life.
“It’s not that hard Lou, just pack normal gym stuff,” Liam calls over the running water as he furiously scrubs his short hair.
“Liam, you of all people know my body is naturally perfect,” Louis replies condescendingly. “Therefore, I have no idea what one brings to a gym.”
He can hear Liam’s sigh over the sounds of the shower.
“What would you want in a gym bag, Louis?” He retorts, exasperation evident in his tone.
“Fine,” Louis answers, hopping off the sink and returning to the bedroom. He grabs Liam’s gym bag from its resting place on the armchair in the corner, stuffing it with the usual contents: t-shirt, shorts, socks, deodorant, and sneakers. As he hears the water turn off, Louis takes the bag to the kitchen, tossing in a bottle of water before adding something extra.
By the time Liam enters the kitchen, dressed and presentable, Louis has a thermos of coffee and his bag resting on the table, along with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“What are you so smug about?” Liam asks suspiciously, taking a sip of coffee and slinging the bag over his shoulders.
“Nothing, love, just happy I could help!” Louis answers brightly, swinging his bare feet against the cabinets from where he rests on the countertop. It’s 8:32 now, and a solid half hour commute for Liam with minimal traffic.
“Oh god, I really am late,” Liam mutters, glancing at the clock.
“Go on, have a good day,” Louis tells him, jumping up to give him a quick peck. “Love you!”
“Love you too!” Liam calls as he rushes out the door.
Louis takes in the time and ponders doing something useful with his Saturday morning for about three seconds before he heads back to bed. Liam is the one who likes to fill days off with chores and errands, things they’re too tired or busy to do during the week. Louis disagrees. His Saturdays are reserved for sleep, television and sex. Nothing more and nothing less.
//
Liam’s day gets worse as it continues. He sneaks into work nine minutes late, just enough to earn him a screaming fit from his boss in front of all his coworkers. He spills the coffee Louis made him all over his legs, scalding his skin through the material of his pants. Someone clogged the toilet in the employee bathroom, rendering it completely unusable. All in all, it has not been a good day.
By the time he makes it to the gym, all he wants to do is get rid of the tension in his neck and shoulders. He sits on the bench in the locker room,pulls his bag onto his lap, and reaches in to take a pull of water from the bottle he hopes Louis packed for him. Instead, he pulls out a bottle of Hershey’s chocolate syrup with a hot pink sticky note attached covered in Louis' messy scribble. This is definitely what I would want at the gym. Hope your day gets better! Love you xxx.
Liam just smiles fondly and shakes his head, thinking of his mischievous boy throwing that in just to make him laugh. He puts the syrup back in the bag after carefully folding the note and tucking it into the bag’s inner pocket. He finds his phone, nestled in next to the water Louis actually remembered to pack him. Liam pulls them both out, resting the water next to his thigh as he types out a quick message.
//
Louis’ phone buzzes in the pouch of his hoodie as he cleans up their bedroom, making sure to put all of his shoes in the closet where they belong. Love you too, you idiot! Be home soon xxxxxxx.
Louis smiles at the screen, feeling a rush of excitement even though Liam’s been coming home to him for about a year now. If the Hershey’s surprised Liam, coming home to a clean apartment will blow him away.
Hurry back. Miss you.