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Harry walked into his flat, exhausted from traveling and really wanting nothing more than a warm meal and his own bed, but the flat smelled funny.
Like, really funny.
Harry wandered around, trying to figure out what the issue was. He’d only been gone for just over a week, visiting family for his nan’s 90th birthday and then just having a bit of a relaxing holiday, so Ed really couldn’t have done too much damage in that time. He was usually a clean fellow, though he did forget to wash his dishes from time to time.
Harry found the scent was definitely coming from the kitchen. Fuck, it was potent, whatever it was. He covered his nose with the collar of his t-shirt, but it did little to block the stench and honestly just added Harry’s own travel sweat to the mix. Disgusting.
He didn’t think the fridge could be giving off such a strong smell, so Harry first checked the sink and found it only had a cereal bowl in it and next ventured to the rubbish.
Oh shit, yep. That was it. It looked like Ed had found some spoiled raw chicken and dumped it into the bin without any extra bagging and then not taken it out. God, how long had it been like this? Had he been staying with Cherry more and more often lately, but had he not been home since Harry left? Harry felt his almost nonexistent gag reflex starting to trigger, so he quickly tied up the bag and took it out to the collection as fast as he could.
Once he returned to the flat, he pulled his air freshener from the bathroom and sprayed the entire flat down. Harry stood and surveyed the kitchen taking faint whiffs. He could finally breathe again and it smelled of a subtle wildflower. A marked improvement from just fifteen minutes before.
Able to finally focus on his stomach, Harry opened the fridge and found molding leftovers from the dinner Harry had made the night before he left, what looked like a half eaten sandwich from Tesco, a can of catfood, and no less than four different kinds of beer. How did Ed survive before Harry or Cherry had met him? It was truly a mystery.
Harry pulled his phone out and clicked on Ed’s contact as he dragged his bag to his room down the hall and began to unpack. It went to voicemail so Harry dropped it on his bed. Without any food in the flat, Harry would not be able to sleep. He supposed that meant he would have to shower and track Ed down so they could determine the grocery situation and go from there. More work, but Harry knew he would sleep better afterwards so it was worth it.
Once he had his bag sorted, Harry rinsed the travel off of himself and dressed in his most worn in black skinny jeans and threw on one of his clean shirts from his closet. It ended up being one of his more fancy shirts he usually saved for going out, but he was low on clean clothes until he got to his laundry. A little sheer wouldn’t kill anyone during the daytime anyway.
Harry checked his phone one last time, finding no messages from Ed and it still went to his voicemail, then grabbed his wallet and keys and headed out.
Luckily, their flat was only a few blocks from the cat cafe Ed owned. Cats were one of his major sources of happiness (along with beer, music, Cherry, and nachos, not necessarily in that order) and once he had found out cat cafes were actually a thing during sixth form, it had become his dream to open one himself. He’d volunteered at rescue shelters as much as he could while attending school for business and accounting so he had the right background to be successful with the cafe. He graduated, got a loan from a wealthy uncle, and now his dreams were coming true with the Purr Palace. It used to be the only place Harry could find Ed outside of their flat, but he’d finally hired on some new employees a month or so ago and had begun to allow himself to live a life outside of the cats again.
That being said, if Ed wasn’t answering his phone and it was the middle of the day on a Tuesday, it was pretty much guaranteed that Harry would find him at Purr Palace.
Harry walked in the front door and waited for it to shut before opening the second door as was the policy to ensure the cats remained safely inside. Most had no intention of trying to get out, but a couple of the young ones, Sweet Stuff and Heinrich, had both made escape attempts so the rule was hard and fast.
Harry waved at Mary and her mum who always visited twice a week before turning and looking towards the front desk. Which was empty.
Odd. Someone was always meant to be manning the desk to ensure customers paid for their time in the cafe. Peeking towards the back, Harry saw that the coffee station did have an employee, but it wasn’t the ginger Harry was in search of.
Harry placed his hands on his hips and squeezed his sides as he contemplated what he was meant to do now. Pursing his lips, Harry was about to just walk to the corner shop and pick up some essentials when he heard a man’s voice behind him. Surprised, Harry jumped and twirled around to see three people walking out of the back. Well, two walking and one running.
A tiny little blonde boy with curly hair about the same length as Harry’s was running and laughing as he seemed to cause a frenzy with the cats that had been lazing around up until that point. A man with dark, short hair and ruddy cheeks looked like he was trying not to laugh while the other, a beautiful man with golden brown hair and the faintest scruff highlighting his cheekbones, chased after the toddler.
“Ernie, I told you before, I can’t bring you back here if you keep scaring the kitties!” The man was obviously exasperated and running his hand through his hair. Harry was mesmerized by the movement, and he couldn’t even explain why. Maybe it was because his hands were beautiful and attached to the most dainty yet markedly strong wrists. How was that combination possible? “Do not pull that nice kitty’s tail!”
Harry bit back a smile. It seemed this young father had had enough, poor lad. Harry turned to leave when he felt a small body collide with his legs.
“Oh dear, are you alright?” Harry asked the small boy.
“Yes! Kitty!” The little boy smiled before getting up and continuing on his way towards a tabby in the corner that did not scare easily and therefore allowed the rambunctious boy to pet it, perhaps a touch too rough, without leaving or swiping at him.
“Sorry about that!” Harry turned and saw the man with the golden hair addressing him. He also had incredibly stunning blue eyes. “He’s quite a handful, but he was alright the first time, so I figured he’d be okay for a second time. Apparently I was wrong.”
“He’s just like you, Louis. It’s like payback or something,” the other man laughed.
“Shut up, Stan.” The golden man rolled his eyes a bit and Harry couldn’t help but smile back. “I am sorry, though. So, are you here for our Tuesday HaPurry Hour Special? It’s two hours for the price of one in the cat lounge!”
Oh, this must be one of Ed’s new employees. He didn’t mention a fit dad working for him, Harry may have visited a bit more often if he had. Just to look, of course. He was likely off limits and quite possibly straight.
“Oh, it’s fine. And I’m actually not here to enjoy the cats unfortunately. I’m Harry, Ed’s flatmate, and he seems to be lost, at least to me. I expected to be able to find him here?” Harry looked around once more as if that would clear things up and Ed would suddenly appear. He obviously didn’t.
Eyebrows shooting up in surprise, Louis laughed a little before he said, “Ed didn’t tell you?”
“Erm,” Harry rubbed his lip between his index finger and thumb. “He’s been rather quiet the past few days actually. Tell me what?”
Louis began to laugh before noticing the small boy was terrorizing another cat.
“Stan, can you stay with Ernest for me, please?” He sent a pleading look towards Stan who shrugged and walked over to where the cat was about to attack. Turning back to Harry, Louis gave a wry grin. “Our dear Edward had gone and gotten himself married. He is currently on his honeymoon in Jamaica.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, married? Jamaica?!”
Smiling widely and looking entirely pleased, Louis nodded and placed his hands on his hips. Wow. Those incredibly curvy hips. Drawing his eyes back up to Louis’ face, Harry caught Louis’ eyes focusing more on Harry’s chest and his ridiculous sheer shirt before they quickly jumped back up to where they probably should have been the entire time. Interesting.
“So, uh, when did this all happen?” Harry asked, raking his hand through his hair and deciding to just pull it up into a bun. He’s sure he would just keep messing with it and cause it to frizz anyway.
Louis slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back onto his heels. “Thursday. He and Cherry came on in here right after. Apparently they’d been eating breakfast and Ed decided he wanted to be with her forever and it had to be now, and she agreed. They found out you only need 48 hours warning for a wedding in Jamaica, so by that night they were on a plane.”
Harry just stared at Louis. This...well, it was very much like Ed, but it still surprised him. What was Harry supposed to do? Ed better not bail on his part of the rent before Harry could find a new roommate. Shit. Well, in that case he supposed he didn’t have to worry about how they’d split the groceries considering Ed likely wouldn’t be there at all anymore. But shit, the couch and the lamp in the living space was Ed’s and Harry couldn’t afford to replace those just yet. Maybe he could just live in the kitchen and his room.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a cat rub against his legs. Seeing it was his favorite black cat with white socks, Harry leaned over and picked her up.
“Hello there, Esmerelda. You know, your dad has been very rude and put me in a bit of a tight spot. You let him know he’s in trouble when he gets back, okay?” Harry cooed into her soft fur. He looked up to Louis, keeping her in his arms. “So who’s running this place while he’s gone? Do you know when he’s getting back?”
“I think he left it mostly under Krista’s care, though I’m not positive. Our rota for the next couple of weeks was already posted, so I was just told to keep coming in when I was told.”
Harry nodded in understanding. He should get going and rest, he could feel what little energy he had left leaving him quickly, but he had to learn more about Louis while he could.
“Your son is adorable.” Harry said, nodding his head over to the little boy who was currently jumping on the couch as he set down the now wriggling cat.
“Son?” Louis looked confused for a moment and Harry began to panic. How had he misread that situation? It seemed so clear! “Oh, Ernie? No no, he’s not my son. That’s actually my brother. Youngest of seven, he is.” Louis looked so happy talking about him, and meanwhile Harry couldn’t help but feel relieved. If that wasn’t his son, then there was a greater chance that Louis was unattached.
But wait, did Harry hear correctly? “Seven? Wow! How much age difference is there between all of you, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Well I’m the oldest and Ernie and his twin Doris are the youngest, so there’s about 22 years between us, give or take. Ernest here is obsessed with cats, but my stepdad is highly allergic so they can’t have one. My mum brings him down to visit me while she does shopping and other important things in London so I can bring him here while I’m working to enjoy the cats before taking him back and decontaminating him so he can be with his dad without killing him, and wow, I’m oversharing, aren’t I?” Louis was beginning to blush but still maintaining eye contact, so Harry wasn’t about to complain. “I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m so sorry. I’m Louis. Tomlinson. Fairly new Purr Palace employee. Nice to meet you.”
Harry took Louis’ outstretched hand in his and shook it, noting how soft and warm it was inside his own. “Harry Styles. Very nice to meet you as well. And I have no problems with oversharing information. You’ll find I do that myself quite often.” Harry’s eyes grew as he realized he basically had just implied they would see each other regularly in order for Louis to notice that. “I mean, just that, uhm…”
“It’s okay, Harry,” Louis said, reaching out and gently squeezing Harry’s upper arm as if to comfort him. “I wouldn’t mind finding that out for myself.”
Harry was notoriously horrible at reading people, but even he thought that Louis was flirting with him based off the way Louis was currently looking at him through his eyelashes. Well, that and the fact that Louis still hadn’t let go of his upper arm. Both were good signs, right? He probably wasn’t straight at the very least if he was probably flirting with Harry. Or he hoped anyway.
Either way, Harry just stood and happily smiled back. Until his stomach growled reminding him how he had been neglecting it.
Laughing, Louis pulled his hand back. “You should probably take care of that before it decides to take things into its own hands.”
“Probably.” Biting his lip, Harry decided to take a chance. “Before I go, could I possibly get your number?”
Smiling so big his eyes went a bit squinty, Louis’ face was so bright. Harry hoped he was always that happy, because he should be. If Harry was struck by his beauty before, he was bowled over completely now. So much so, he almost missed the fact that Louis was reaching for his phone. Of course he was, that was an important part of getting his number.
Harry pulled his phone out and handed it over, biting his lip to keep himself from smiling too big. It had been a long time since Harry had met someone he wanted to actually take on a date. Get to know them better. The whole wine and dine set to woo them. It had been a long time, but he was going to absolutely do his best to do exactly that with Louis.
Soon enough, Louis handed his phone back. “I texted myself so I’d have your number as well.”
Harry nodded. “Sounds perfect. Thanks, Louis.” Harry had just opened his mouth to say something more, when his stomach growled again, even louder if that was possible. Laughing, he just thumbed towards the door and said, “I should probably go.”
Louis hummed in agreement, hands back in his pockets as he just stood and watched Harry slowly back his way towards the door.
“Bye, Harry. Talk to you soon. Enjoy your meal.”
Harry watched him wave as the door to the cat cafe closed and Harry was able to walk back out to the street. He waved back quickly before finally walking off to get himself some food. He considered all of the new information he had gotten over the past half hour and despite the fact that some of it, such as losing Ed as a roommate, scared him, he was too excited about the rest to even mind too much. Harry wasn’t sure if that was good or not, but he supposed he would find out soon enough.
*~~***~~*
Ed was so glad to be back in London. Jamaica had been amazing, but he also liked not having to worry about whether his sunblock protection was enough before even going near a window. Such was the life of a ginger.
Cherry’s flat was further from Purr Palace than his own, but she didn’t have a roommate and now that they were officially married and all, he should probably officially move in with her too. Officially. All official and old and married and official.
Ed should also probably admit to himself that he was still drunk from last night. And the rest of the flat beer he drank when he woke up so he wouldn’t waste it. That had been a bad decision but too late now. He and Cherry had gotten back around ten and kept celebrating. It was their first night in London as a married couple, so really it was only fair. They were happy to be spending the rest of their lives together. It was very exciting.
Okay. Whoa. He just tripped over nothing. Yeah, fine, he was a bit drunk, but it’s okay because the cafe wasn’t busy in the morning and the cats wouldn’t judge him. They’ll be so happy to see him again, he will just go in and sit down on the floor and let them love him. Yep.
Unless there’s customers. Ed kinda hoped there were, because he needs customers to keep the cafe open. But he also wanted to just snuggle with his cats.
Ed wondered if any of the cats were adopted while he was gone. He hoped some found good homes, but he also would be sad because he didn’t get to say goodbye. Ed did a special “you found a new home” feast for the cats before they left to remind them how much he loved them. If any didn’t get that special treatment, he didn’t want them to resent him for it.
Oh, he just passed the cafe. He should turn back around and go back to it. Not positive what time it was, Ed tried the door and found it was unlocked. Cool, it was open. He was very confused though, because he spun around probably two or three times and couldn’t find anyone in the cafe. Not even working. It was open, all the lights were on, and the cats were in the front of the shop and not in the back where they slept in their comfy cat beds. Where was the employee?
Ed couldn’t remember who was supposed to be working. He’d made the chart before he left and yeah. It was a Tuesday today, or maybe Thursday? Fuck, it was a day of the week and he didn’t know who was supposed to open but they should have been here. Maybe they were getting the last of the cats out from the back. Yeah, that was probably it, but he should check just to make sure.
Ed carefully made his way around the coffee counter at the back of the room and gently pulled on the door to the back. It was often loud, but someone must have fixed it because it opened easily and silently. Good. He dragged his hand along the wall to help it stop spinning like it had begun to and he decided then and there he was never drinking wine with Cherry again. He never felt like this after drinking beer. Then again, he usually slept after drinking like this and he had skipped that today, but whatever.
Ed’s hand ran into something on the wall and he turned to see what it was only to realize it was the doorframe to the room the cats were kept in at night. He was about to speak when he noticed the room wasn’t empty and it wasn’t because cats were still inside. Harry was snogging Ed’s new employee, Louis. Damn, they were really going at it. Did they even know each other? When would they have met? They certainly knew each other now, based on how Harry was grabbing Louis’ bum. Okay, he really didn’t need to see this.
Ed’s head was too fuzzy for questions and seeing those kinds of activities, even if he was happy. They were good dudes, he liked them both, and he could ask later. He just really wanted to be with the cats and someone should be at the front in case a customer came in anyway.
He dragged his hand back along the wall until he got to the door and went through it, silently. Fuck, that was so good. That door had driven him crazy for ages. He was so happy someone fixed it. Almost as happy as he was to be with the cats again.
Hello, cats. Ed spoke to them with his mind because he knew they could understand him. He smiled at them and sat down on the floor and let them come and claim him as theirs again. He was so happy to be home.