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“We'll be together again soon, darling,” the old woman smiled softly into the mirror. “I don't know how much longer I can wait.” Her breath hitched slightly at the sight of her husband.
“I can't wait to be with you again, love.” The old man smiled back at her, reaching out to touch the glass. A tear slid slowly down the woman's face as she reached out to touch her husbands hand. She felt a strong tug at her heart before everything went black, her hand dropping from the mirror and her figure drooping.
- - -
Louis shook the rain out of his hair as he stepped through the front door and into his family home in Doncaster. He paused for a second, waiting to hear the familiar footsteps of his little sisters. There was nothing. Something wasn't right. There was an odd silence that had fallen over his home. Normally the twins would be rushing up to greet him, with his mom calling out a quick hello to him. He shrugged his coat off, hanging it on the hook by the door, and toed his shoes off in line with his sisters'. He dropped his bag from his shoulder, hearing the thud of his textbooks as they hit the hardwood floors.
“Hello? Mum? Anyone home?” Louis called out as he walked through his home, peering through doorways. The silence was a bit disturbing. As he approached the kitchen, he noticed his mum, Jay, sitting at the table with her head in her hands. Something was definitely wrong. “Mum?! Are you alright? What's wrong?” Louis asked, slightly panicked, rushing into the kitchen to place his arms around his mother.
“It's your grandmother, Lou. She... She's gone.” Jay took a deep breath, failing to choke back a small sob. Louis looked at his mum, unsure of what to say or do. He let out a small sigh, feeling a tightness in his chest he hadn't felt since his grandfather had passed.
“C'mon, Mum. It'll be alright. Let's get you some tea.” Louis blinked back a few tears, giving his mum a tight squeeze before turning around and setting the kettle on the stove. Everything would be fine, he told himself, they would make it through this.
Two weeks later...
“This is gonna take forever, Lou.” Zayn complained as he stretched out on an old and dusty couch in the corner. Zayn was Louis' childhood friend, with dark hair and deep brown eyes. His shirt rode up on his body slightly as his figure filled the couch, showing a sliver of tan skin and the waistband of his boxers. Louis stopped organizing various holiday decorations and looked at him, annoyed.
“My mum's paying you, Zayn. Get your arse off that ancient couch and help me pack some of this crap up. We have to have the entire house cleared out by the time the real estate agent gets here next week!” Louis ducked his head and went back to organizing decorations, still annoyed. It's not like he wanted to be here either, going through his grandparents home and deciding what was important enough to keep. He especially didn't want to be in the attic, where the caretaker had discovered his grandmother slumped in a chair shortly after she had died.
Looking up again, Louis saw Zayn standing in front of an old mirror, looking at his reflection with his mouth slightly open and his face a bit pale. Louis wondered whether the other boy looked so alarmed, but brushed it off as that he'd discovered a zit or something blossoming on his face. It was probably nothing serious. “Zayn! Stop worrying about your face and help me out, you prick!” Louis yelled, throwing a plastic Easter egg at him.
Feeling the egg make contact with the back of his head, Zayn jumped. “I – yeah, packing, right. Sorry. Let me just cover this mirror.” Zayn breathed as he reached for a tarp, and threw it over the mirror. Louis smirked to himself, thinking how ridiculous his friend could be when it came to his looks, as his phone's alarm went off in his pocket. He pulled his phone out and frowned, canceling the alarm.
“Look, mate, I gotta head out to class. Got a lecture today and I'll need your help revising later for English. Keep packing stuff up while I'm gone, yeah?” Louis asked, throwing his bag over his shoulder and heading towards the door to the attic.
“Yeah, yeah, I'll do what I can before my class.” Zayn called out as Louis left. He turned his head towards the tarp, looking at the shape of the mirror underneath, his breath catching in his throat. Zayn shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, and turned to sort through the holiday decorations Lou had only gotten halfway through. He only made it part of the way through the box before thoughts of the mirror filled his head.
Sighing, Zayn stood up and walked over to the mirror. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, as he pulled the tarp off. He felt his eyes widen and the blood leave his face as he looked into the mirror. The boy with the buzz cut and the arrow tattoo up his arm was still there, looking back at Zayn with huge, expressive brown eyes. Zayn swallowed.
- - -
Louis returned back to his grandparents home late that evening, taking the steps up to the attic two at a time. When he reached the top of the stairs and pushed the door open, he noticed the mirror was uncovered again. He rolled his eyes, thinking Zayn had been trying to fix whatever imperfection he'd found earlier. He then glanced around the room, trying to judge how much Zayn had actually accomplished. It looked like he had sorted through a small part of the holiday decorations, but not much else. Louis realized with a sigh that Zayn hadn't even packed one box.
Louis walked over to the mirror, examining it. The mirror was full length and had to be a hundred years old at the least; it looked hand carved, with little imperfections in the swirls crowning the top of the mirror. Louis brought his eyes down to look at his reflection and began spluttering, tripping and falling over his own feet as he backed up. His butt hit the floor as he took in the image in front of him. There was a boy, slightly younger than himself, looking back at him. His eyes were bright green orbs, hair a curly mess, and a look of confusion on his face. His body was long and lanky, framed by a pair of skinny jeans and a white shirt. It looked like he had an arm around someone, but there was nothing Louis could see under his arm.
“You were right, Li!” The boy exclaimed, looking to the left. “I see the guy you were talking about!” The boy paused, furrowing his brow a bit. Louis stared into the mirror at the boy, his jaw hanging open, thinking he knew the coke he drank earlier had something off about it; someone must have drugged him when he wasn't looking. This couldn't be real, he reasoned, because who in their right mind would see someone that wasn't themselves in the mirror?
“What do you mean you don't see him?” The boy paused. “What? No. He's not dark skinned.” The boy replied to no one, pausing again. “No, he's not got black hair, more brown, with fringe. No quiff.” Pause. “Black trousers and a jumper.” Pause. “He's not the guy you saw earlier? What? Then whose that in the mirror?”
“I'm Louis.” Louis interjected, not sure why he was having a conversation with someone who wasn't real. The boy jumped and looked back at Louis, face paling a bit.
“You can hear me?”
“Yes?” Louis replied, unsure. “You're a figment of my imagination, aren't you? Why wouldn't I be able to hear you?” Louis narrowed his eyes at the boy.
“I'm not part of your imagination, Louis. I'm real. Name's Harry.” The boy said, scrunching his brows together. Louis snorted.
“Well, Harry, that's not possible. Nobody can be that fit and real.” The other boy, Harry, began to blush. He turned his head and whispered something inaudible to whoever he had his arm around. “Who are you talking to? Why can't I see them?” Harry jumped again, and turned with wide eyes to look at Louis.
“What do you mean you can't see Liam? He's right here!”
“Whose Liam? There's no one there, Harry.” Louis rolled his eyes, still unsure as to why he was talking to someone who wasn't even real. Louis' ears perked up as he heard someone, probably Zayn, climbing the steps. “Shhh, for a minute. My friend is coming.” Louis whispered to Harry, “Don't need him to think I'm insane on top of bitchy.”
Zayn's head poked in through the door, just as Louis got up and began dusting the dirt off his butt.
“Hey, Lou. What are you doing?” Zayn asks, eying Louis and the mirror suspiciously.
“N-nothing. Just thinking about whether we should keep this mirror or not. It looks like a hand made antique, so its probably worth a lot. But I also know it meant a lot to my grandparents.” Louis coughed, not quite meeting Zayn's eyes.
“Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, I tried calling you but you didn't answer.”
“My phone is dead. What did you need?” Zayn could tell Louis was lying by the way he kept folding his hands together.
“I wanted to see if you'd need me to come back to help out some more or if you were alright for the day.”
“Nah, I think I'll be good. I was going to stay a bit later, though, and see if I can finish the decorations box, then take some stuff out to my car before going home.” Louis replied.
“Alright, mate. See you tomorrow, Lou.” Zayn waved and headed back down the stairs.
Louis turned back to the mirror to find it empty. He threw the tarp back over it and headed over to the box of decorations to finish sorting through them. A few minutes into sorting, he couldn't concentrate and decided the entire box was worth keeping without bothering to look at the rest of it's contents. The only thing on his mind was the boy in the mirror.
- - -
Zayn crept into Louis' grandparents home early the next morning, hours before they were supposed to start packing anything up that day. He had wanted to get another look at the mirror and was grateful that Lou trusted him enough with a key. As he climbed the stairs to the attic, he thought about the boy he had seen in the mirror the day before. He was tall, had a sculpted body, and sported a few tattoos on his arms. His brown eyes had been incredibly deep, with flickers of mischief shining through. They still held an air of softness about them, and that was what had drawn Zayn in.
As he reached the top of the stairs and entered the attic, Zayn immediately headed towards the mirror. He stood in front of the mirror, taking it in. The frame was made from carved wood. Whoever had carved it was quite talented. Zayn noted the intricate swirls gracing the top of the frame. Towards the bottom, there were two sparrows carved into the wood, flying towards each other with the tips of their beaks almost touching as if they were about to kiss.
Zayn walked around to look at the back of the mirror, to see if it was carved as well. He was surprised to find there was no decoration, just an inscription of words:
The reflection is not your own, but that of the person tied to you by fate.
The reflection is your own, as you are mirrored in another souls body.
You will see and hear only your mirrored self; no more and no less.
Just put your hand on the glass,
and I'll try to pull you through.
“What's your name?” The boy jumped again, like he didn't expect to be able to hear Zayn's voice coming through glass.
“Li – Liam?” He replied. Zayn snickered.
“Are you asking me if that's your name or telling me?” Liam rolled his eyes and sighed.
“My name is Liam. Liam Payne.”
“M'name's Zayn.” He offered, as he glanced down at the floor, “So, uh... What are you doing in the mirror, Liam?” A small smile played on Zayn's lips as he waited for a response. Liam just shrugged.
“I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing in my mirror, Zayn?” Liam's cheeks turned a light pink as he quickly spluttered out, “Not that I mind, or anything! I just was curious, you know? I told Harry and he didn't know what I was talking about until the other guy showed up and -” Zayn cut him off.
“Liam! I don't know why I'm in your mirror. Stop rambling, its okay.” Liam blushed a bit deeper.
“Hold on a sec.” Liam disappeared from the frame. Zayn frowned at the mirror, a bit disappointed; Liam was nice to look at. It wasn't a crush, Zayn thought to himself. Or fate. A moment later, Liam reappeared, his hand holding on to something.
“Look, Harry! He's back!” Liam pointed at Zayn and looked to his side expectantly. Zayn looked at Liam like he was insane; there wasn't anyone else in the mirror besides Liam. He quickly brushed the thought off when he heard Liam sigh and roll his eyes as he moved to sit cross legged, patting his lap.
“Sorry, Zayn.” Liam apologized, his hand starting to do some weird raking movement through the air just above his lap. Zayn furrowed his brow, watching Liam's hand move slowly.
“S'fine. What are you doing with your hand?”
“Playing with Harry's hair. It helps him sleep.” Liam replied honestly.
“Whose Harry? Or rather, where's Harry? There's no one there. You can't possibly be playing with his hair, Liam.” Zayn remarked. Liam's eyes widened to twice their size.
“I swear to you, Zayn, Harry is right here! Harry, say hello!” Liam paused, looking towards his crotch, before looking back up, beaming. “See! He's here!”
“Whatever. I still don't see anyone. Or hear anyone.” Zayn rolled his eyes. Liam frowned at him, deciding to change the subject.
“Okay.” Liam said slowly, “Tell me about yourself then, Zayn. Where do you live? How old are you? I'm 18 and I live in a flat in Manchester with invisible Harry.” He rambled off a few other random facts and Zayn nodded as Liam spoke, smiling at the comment about how Harry was invisible. Just as he was about to open his mouth to respond, he heard loud footsteps coming up the stairs. His eyes filled with panic.
“Shit, Liam. You gotta get out of here, my friend Louis' coming up.” Before Liam could respond, Zayn threw the tarp back over the mirror and rushed over to a random stack of photos and pretended to be sorting through them. Not even a second had passed since he reached the photos when Louis' appeared in the doorway, making Zayn jump.
- - -
The next morning, Lou got up bright and early to head over to his grandparents old home. He wanted to get a head start on packing since they had gotten so little done the day before. He also wanted to double check that he was just seeing things and that there wasn't really anyone in the mirror mirror. It was just a mirror, he assured himself, and it would be ridiculous to think anyone would be inside of it.
Louis didn't expect to find Zayn sitting in front of the mirror, talking to it. Zayn was notorious for sleeping in as late as possible, and Louis wasn't sure what he was doing up so early. Or what he was doing talking to a mirror. Louis stopped just outside the slightly open door to the attic, listening to what Zayn was saying.
“What are you doing with your hand?” Louis didn't hear a response. “Whose Harry? Or rather, where's Harry? There's no one there. You can't possibly be playing with his hair, Liam.” Louis eyes opened wider, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, trying to wrap his brain around what was going on. There was still no response. “Whatever. I still don't see anyone.” Silence. Zayn looked like he was listening intently, occasionally nodding his head. At that point, Louis decided he was tired of listening to Zayn talk to himself, and went back down the stairs only to come up them again, louder this time, hoping Zayn would hear him. It must've worked, because when he reached the attic again, Zayn was sitting on the other side of the attic, sifting through a pile of photos and pointedly ignoring the mirror.
“Hey, Zayn. Didn't expect to see you here!” Louis said as he bounded through the door. Zayn jumped a little. Probably for effect, Louis thought; Zayn was a terrible actor compared to himself.
“Hey, Lou! I came up early so I could work some more since I did such a crap job yesterday.” Zayn smiled, hoping his voice didn't give away his lie.
“Shouldn't be preening in that mirror all the time, then.” Louis teased, studying Zayn closely for a reaction. Zayn stiffened slightly before replying.
“Haha, very funny.” His voice sounded a bit strained, but Louis let it pass. Louis headed over to the photos Zayn was sorting, grabbing a stack. He'd ask Zayn about the mirror later.
- - -
Louis sat down in front of the mirror. Now that Zayn was gone for class, he could double check his sanity in privacy. Looking into the glass, he sighed a little.
“Harry, you're a part of my imagination. Why are you still in my mirror?” Louis asked the boy.
“I told you yesterday, Lou. I'm not a part of your imagination. I'm very real.” Harry frowned. Louis flushed a bit at the nickname, staring at the beautiful boy that was Harry, trying to figure out what to say next. Harry stared back, his eyes willing Louis to believe what he was saying.
Instead of saying anything, Louis slowly reached out with his hand towards the mirror and placed his hand flat on the glass, without taking his eyes off of Harry. Harry glanced down at Louis' hand, then back up to his eyes before reaching his own hand out to meet Louis'. The moment Harry's hand touched his, Louis could feel the warmth of his skin, sending electricity of sorts through his veins. He wanted to curl his fingers around Harry's, but he knew the glass was solid.
“Where... Where do you live, then?” Louis whispered, noting the way Harry's eyes hadn't moved from their hands since they touched. Harry jerked his head up, looking a bit sheepish.
“I-I'm in Manchester. Living with my friend Liam.” Harry said softly. Louis just stared at Harry.
“Liam? That must've been who Zayn was talking to.” Louis thought out loud.
“Zayn? Does he have dark hair, a half sleeve, and brown eyes?” Harry asked. Louis squinted at Harry suspiciously.
“Yes... How do you know?”
“Liam told me about him. Said he was the most gorgeous boy he'd seen and went on about him all night. I only got to sleep a few minutes this morning, when he showed up in the mirror and Liam got to talk to him instead of me.” The corners of Harry's mouth turned up a bit in a smile. Louis hummed in response, letting a comfortable lull fall into the conversation before speaking again.
“Manchester is pretty close to Doncaster.” Louis looked at Harry.
“I suppose it is.” Harry paused, looking to his left and smiled. Louis couldn't see what he was looking at, but assumed it was that Liam guy speaking to him. While the two conversed, Louis took the moment to take Harry in. He was wearing the same trousers as the previous day, with a slightly baggier shirt than the day before. Louis could see the bits of a tattoo poking out of the collar of his shirt with a couple of necklaces dropping down onto his chest. Harry's hair was messier than yesterday, if that was even possible, but looked impossibly soft. His eyes were gigantic and shone brightly, if a little dim from lack of sleep. His lips were ridiculously big and a shade of red that should only be possible with make up. He was quite pretty, Louis thought to himself, as he continued to admire Harry in the mirror.
Suddenly, Harry snapped his head back around to face Louis again, his green eyes locking with Louis'. Louis blushed and looked away quickly. “I – I have to get going. I have class.” Louis stammered out as he rushed to get up and leave. “Talk later, Harry, bye!” Louis said as he pulled his hand away from the glass and ran out of the attic as quickly as he could. He would pack up a different part of the house, he decided. As he left, he definitely didn't hear Harry calling after him and he definitely didn't want to go back up to the attic for the rest of the day.
- - -
Louis opened the door to the refrigerator and immediately closed it again due to the stench. It had been a good two weeks since anyone had been in his grandparents kitchen, so of course the fridge had some spoiling food in it. He sighed and grabbed the trash bin, preparing himself to open the door and face the smell. He tentatively pulled the door open, grabbed the milk and tossed it. As he pulled more food out to throw out, he wondered if his grandparents knew about the mirror. Louis threw several flavors of moldy cheese away. Why was his grandmother sat in front of the mirror when she died? Was there someone she had seen in the mirror as well? Louis gagged a bit as he pulled the eggs out of the fridge. Had she seen Harry or Liam in the mirror? He tossed some lettuce into the bin.
Louis' head swam in circles with questions as he finished clearing out all of the food in the kitchen. He wasn't sure why he was seeing Harry in a mirror or why Harry was appearing in a mirror, but he knew that he wasn't the only one experiencing this. He had seen Zayn earlier that morning, holding a conversation with the mirror. He'd have to talk to him, Louis thought.
As if on cue, Zayn walked through the front door flipping his phone into the air and catching it. He froze once he noticed Louis holding a bin and staring at him, the refrigerator door wide open. Zayn looked around the kitchen a bit before coughing. Louis jumped, blinking.
“Hey, mate.” Zayn smiled.
“Hey, Zayn.” Louis said, his tone serious. Zayn noticed his tone drop, and his smile faded.
“What's up, Lou? Everything okay?” Zayn's brows furrowed. Louis swallowed thickly and took a deep breath.
“We need to talk about the mirror, Zayn.”
“What about the mirror?” He asked, careful to keep his face blank as he looked at Louis. Louis just rolled his eyes.
“I saw you talking to someone in the mirror this morning, Zayn. Don't play dumb. You see someone in there, don't you?” Louis turned to close the door to the refrigerator, put the bin down, and placed his hands on his hips. Zayn floundered a bit at that, his mouth dropping open slightly as he watched Louis.
“I – well – yeah, there's a kid named Liam in the mirror.” Zayn narrowed his eyes, beginning to wonder if Louis was taking the piss.
“So Liam is real.” Louis stated. “That explains who Harry was talking about.” Zayn's eyes widened at that.
“Wait, did you say Harry? He's real?” Zayn asked, incredulous.
“Er, yeah. I think so. It's who I see in the mirror. He's quite fit.” Louis blushed a bit at that.
“What? Fit? Do you like him or something?” Zayn asked, remembering the words on the back of the mirror talking about the person they were fated to meet. Louis' face reddened even more at that.
“What! No! I never said that! Why do you think that?” Louis spluttered out, avoiding meeting his friend's eyes. Zayn grinned. Louis totally had a crush on this Harry guy. Zayn decided to change the subject to spare Louis any more embarrassment.
“Lou, did you read the back of the mirror?”
- - -
Louis stood next to his friend and stared at the back of the mirror at the first line of text:
The reflection is not your own, but that of the person tied to you by fate.
The reflection is your own, as you are mirrored in another souls body.
You will see and hear only your mirrored self; no more and no less.
“You know what this means, right?” He asked.
“Of course I do. It was pretty clear the first time I read it. Liam and Harry are our soul mates.” Louis sighed. He wasn't quite sure he was ready for this.
- - -
That night, Louis dreamed of the mirror and his grandmother.
“Nan, whose that in the mirror?” A little Louis questioned, his blue eyes wide. His grandmother looked at him, with a small, knowing smile.
“I don't know honey, what do you see?”
“There's a boy in the mirror that's not me! He's smaller than me and has curly hair and green eyes.” Louis said, confusion clearly written on his face.
“Lou, baby, come sit with me a minute.” She patted the space on her lap, inviting Louis to climb on. Louis clambered onto his Nan's lap and met her blue eyes with his. Lou's grandmother smiled. “This mirror is very, very special, Louis. It shows you the person who is going to be the most important to you in your life, the one you are meant to spend the rest of your life with. The person you will love until the day you die.” Louis' grandmother smoothed down a section of Louis' hair, still smiling.
“So I'm going to love that boy in the mirror my entire life? Is that how you met grandad?” Louis asked curiously, looking back from the mirror to his Nan again.
“Yes, Lou. You're going to love whoever you see in the mirror for all your days. And yes, it is how I met your grandfather. When the time comes for you to meet your person in the mirror, I want you to remember to read the back of it, okay?” Lou's Nan stood up, with Louis in her arms, and walked over to the mirror, turning it around. “On the back of it, it says 'just put your hand on the glass and I'll try to pull you through.' Don't ever forget to look on the back of the mirror, sweetie, okay?” Louis nodded, running his tiny hands over the letters inscribed on the back. He could see there were other words etched into the wood, but he wasn't able to read them himself and didn't ask his Nan what they said. He looked at his Nan and smiled.
Louis woke with a start, sitting up so fast his head spun. He looked around his room as he peeled his sweaty shirt off. As his breathing evened out, he began to question whether his dream was something his mind had made up or if it was something more like a lost memory returning to him.
- - -
Louis opened the door to the attic, relieved to see that Zayn wasn't there. The mirror was still uncovered, as they had left it yesterday. He walked over to the mirror and looked into the glass. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he realized that Harry wasn't there. Louis moved to look at the back of the mirror, studying the three lines closely, when he noticed another two lines below. They looked like they had been carved into the wood with a pocket knife. He squinted at the letters as he read:
Just put your hand on the glass,
and I'll try to pull you through.
After collecting himself, he walked back around to the front of the mirror and sat in front of it for a bit, staring into the glass. He didn't know how long he'd been sitting in the attic, staring, until Zayn walked in.
“Looking for Harry?” Zayn asked, teasing, as he moved to sit next to Louis. Louis turned to look at him, frowning slightly.
“I could say the same for you, mate. You looking for Liam?” Zayn glared at Louis, deciding to change the subject.
“We gonna finish packing this shit up, Lou?” Louis sighed for what felt like the thousandth time, laying flat on his back, not caring how dirty he got. They were almost done with the attic.
“Yeah, I s'pose so.” Zayn stood up, offered Louis a hand, and both started to clean and pack up more of the attic.
- - -
Zayn had just finished dusting off the chair sitting in front of the mirror that Louis' Nan had died in. He went to sit in it, deciding a break was in order, turning towards the mirror and plopping his butt down. He blinked a few times before waving.
“Hey, Liam.” He stretched in the chair, his shirt riding up slightly, showing a line of his skin.
“Hi, Zayn.” Liam replied, his eyes locked on the bit of Zayn's stomach that was showing. He licked his lips unconsciously. Zayn's eyes followed the movement closely as he imagined what those lips might feel like on his own.
“You're really cute.” Zayn blurted out. His face turned a brilliant shade of red. “I – I mean... I mean your, uh, socks are really, uh, cute.” Liam frowned and looked down at his socks. Zayn's face just got more and more red. He hid his face in his hands.
“Thanks, mate.” Liam practically beamed at the compliment, not catching Zayn's lie. Zayn coughed, surprised.
“No problem.” Zayn and Liam sat for a bit, staring at each other. Zayn didn't know how long they spent staring at each other before Liam spoke up again.
“So, what have you been up to? Is this mirror yours?” Zayn shook his head.
“No, the mirror belongs to Louis' Nan.” Zayn paused. “Well, I guess it belongs to Louis, now, that both of his grandparents have died. It's been sitting in the attic of his grandparents old home, which we're cleaning out.” Zayn explained. Liam frowned, looking a bit shocked.
“I'm so sorry about Louis' loss.” Liam said earnestly, his brown eyes widening with sympathy. Just as Zayn opened his mouth to respond, his phone's alarm rang out. He quickly reached into his pocket and silenced it, a bit annoyed.
“Sorry, Li. Gotta run, I have a lecture to attend now.” Zayn sighed and got up. He didn't want to leave for school, he wanted to stay and talk to Liam some more. He turned and started walking towards the door to the attic.
“Later, Zayn.” Liam called softly, his heart dropping slightly as he watched Zayn leave.
- - -
Louis walked into the attic and looked around. Zayn seemed to have gotten a lot done up here. Most of the boxes had been sorted through and moved out and a lot of the furniture had been dusted. He grabbed a rag and headed towards the mirror, noticing it hadn't been dusted yet. He spent a few minutes wiping the grime off of the surface of the glass before stepping back and taking a look. The mirror looked a thousand times better, but the wood needed a good polishing.
Louis was standing on his toes, reaching for the top of the wooden frame with his rag, when Harry appeared in the mirror. Louis didn't notice him, as he was so focused on polishing the frame, and Harry wondered if the other boy realized he could see up his shirt or if he realized he was giving Harry a face full of his crotch. Not that Harry minded, of course. Harry cleared his throat, smirking as he watched Louis' eyes widen as he lost his balance and fell on his butt. A blush blossomed across Louis' face as he noticed Harry in the mirror.
“Hey.” Harry said, his smirk turning into a grin as he looked at Louis. Louis glared back at him.
“Hi, Harry.” Louis blushed deeper, as he thought about what Zayn said about soul mates.
“What did you do to your mirror? I can see you a lot more clearly.” Harry said, wondering why Louis blush was deepening. He thought about how the other boy might feel with his skin flushed like that against his own.
“I cleaned the glass off. It was kind of grimy.” Louis admitted with a smile. “I can see you a lot more clearly now, too. I can tell you have dimples now and not a squished spider on your face.” Harry grinned, his dimples showing clearly on his cheeks.
“Glad I don't have a squished spider on my face.”
“I bet I can think of other things you're glad you don't have on your face.” Louis mumbled, looking to the floor. Harry barked out a laugh, and Louis looked up, amused, as Harry quickly clapped a hand over his mouth like he didn't expect anything to come out in the first place. There was a silence in the conversation. It was slightly awkward and uncomfortable for both of the boys.
Harry shifted his gaze down and picked up something small off of the floor, fiddling with it in his hands. Even though Louis had just cleaned the mirror, he couldn't tell what Harry had picked up. Maybe he needed glasses.
“Whatcha got there, Haz?” Louis asked. Harry flushed a bit at the nickname.
“Cotton ball.” Harry mumbled, “Got nervous.” His flush deepened at that statement. Louis began to blush as well, and looked down at the floor. Suddenly, Louis remembered the dream he had about his Nan and the mirror.
“Harry, put your hand on the mirror. I want to try something.” Louis said seriously, sitting up a bit and staring at the glass with determination. Harry looked at Louis a little confused and unsure as he chewed on his lip, but did what he was told anyways. Louis reached out and lined his hand up with Harry's. There was the same warmth he felt the first time and the same shock of electricity shooting through his body. Louis' glanced up at Harry and took a deep breath, steadying himself.
“Harry... I'm going to pull you through.” Before Harry could respond with more than a choked syllable, Louis wrapped his fingers around Harry's and began to pull. Harry's eyes were the size of saucers, as he began to lean forward as Louis tugged on his body. His hand went through the mirror first, gliding through the mirror smoothly as if it were water.
“Louis! What are you doing? What's going on?” Harry cried out, looking slightly panicked as well as a bit confused. Louis didn't respond, just kept pulling on the other boy's body until he fell the rest of the way through. Harry mostly caught himself before he landed on top of Louis, his legs straddling Louis thighs, with his free hand holding himself above Louis' body, his other hand still entwined with Louis'.
Louis looked up at Harry's body, sitting on top of his own. Goosebumps formed on his arms and a blush crept up onto his face as his brain registered the position they were in. He brought his hand up and traced Harry's jaw with his fingers. Every part of him that touched the younger boy burned with desire.
Harry looked down at him incredulously, his lips parted slightly and his breathing a bit uneven. His eyes met Louis' deep blue ones and without thinking, slowly began lowering his head towards Louis'. A few inches away, he paused, glancing down at Louis mouth, whose tongue darted out as he licked his lips. Harry closed the gap, pressing his lips to Louis'. Louis' kissed back with as much feeling, before swiping his tongue across Harry's lips. Harry's mouth opened easily as Louis' slipped his tongue in, reveling in the taste.
Louis slid his hand from Harry's jaw, up into his hair, thinking it was just as soft as he imagined it to be. A slight tug elicited a small groan from Harry and he shifted his hips against Louis' middle before pulling away and looking at Louis, eyes dilating slightly, as he brought his lips back to Louis'.
- - -
Zayn slowly walked up up the stairs to the attic again, not quite ready to return to cleaning again. As he approached the door to the attic, he heard huffing and groaning; it sounded like someone trying to move heavy furniture. Zayn really hoped it wasn't Louis trying to move the couch on his own. It wasn't that his friend was unfit, it was just... Zayn's jaw dropped as he took in the sight on the floor of the attic. Some curly haired kid was perched on top of Louis, looking like he was about ready to rip his clothes off.
“Louis!” Louis and the boy both jumped and turned to look at Zayn. Louis eyes widened to the size of saucers. “What the fuck are you doing! Who is that?!” Zayn yelled, incredulous.
The boy quickly climbed off of Louis and sat on the floor next to him, face reddening at getting caught, and he looked at the floor as he started to draw shapes in the dust with his finger. Louis sat up, and glared at Zayn, angry at him for interrupting.
“Zayn, this is Harry.” Louis said, putting emphasis on Harry's name, hoping he would catch on. Zayn's eyes widened as he glanced at the person Louis claimed was Harry, trying to avoid looking at his obvious boner.
“And how exactly did Harry get here, Lou?” Zayn questioned, putting just as much emphasis on Harry's name that Louis had. Louis looked guilty now.
“I, uh... I sort of pulled him out of the mirror?”
- - -
“I am so sorry, Liam. I didn't know Louis could, or would, pull Harry through the fucking mirror.” Zayn explained, as he grit his teeth and brought his fingers up to rub his temples, trying to stave off the massive headache that was imminent. Liam just stared at him, his mouth hanging open as he tried to process what was going on. Zayn tried not to imagine his mouth hanging open in other situations, but was failing miserably.
“So... Harry is in Doncaster? Because Louis pulled him through the mirror?” Liam asked, wondering why there was a cotton ball sitting on the floor in front of his mirror. He picked it up and tossed it into the bin before looking back at Zayn.
“Yeah. Pretty much. I hope he doesn't have any major responsibilities any time soon. It will be at least a week before we can drive him back, since you can't see him in the mirror to pull him back through to your side. I'd ask him about responsibilities myself, but I'm a bit scared to go into the guest room right now.” Zayn replied with a sigh. Liam blushed as he thought about what could be going on in that guest room, mentally cursing Zayn for giving him that kind of image.
“Okay. Well, I suppose he'll miss lectures but he can make those up later. Should we exchange phone numbers? I've got to go to a lecture of my own soon and we can discuss this later on the phone instead of waiting for each other to show up in the mirror.” Liam suggested. Zayn nodded and rattled off his phone number to Liam, receiving his in return with a promise to call later that night so they could figure out what to do.
- - -
“How am I going to get back home, Lou?” Harry asks, snuggling in closer to the older boys side. Louis stares up at the ceiling, blinking. Shit, he thinks, I did not think this through.
“That's... an excellent question, Haz!” Louis exclaims, gently scratching his nails up and down Harry's back. “I have no idea.” He deadpans. Harry hums in response.
“S'alright. I don't mind staying here a bit longer.” A yawn escapes Harry as his eyes drift closed.
A few minutes later, a knock sounds at the door, jerking Louis back awake from the brink of sleep.
“Come in.” He calls, looking to the door. Zayn opens the door slowly, peeking around the edge into the guest room. Once he's sure its safe and nobody is naked, he steps into the room.
“Lou, we gotta take Harry home sometime soon.” Zayn says, giving Louis a cautious look.
“I know, Zayn.” Louis sighs. “I know it probably ridiculous to you that I've fallen for someone that I met a few days ago, let alone someone I met in a mirror, but I really think this could be something.” Zayn just looks at Louis.
“What do you mean? I told you they would be our soul mates.” Zayn says, a little surprised Louis is worrying about this. Louis glances at Harry, to make sure he's still asleep, before taking a deep breath.
“When I was little... My Nan told me the story of how she met my grandad.” Louis pauses. Zayn motions for him to continue as he heads for the chair in the corner of the room. “I didn't remember until I had a dream about it. In the dream, my Nan told me she met my grandad in the mirror.” Zayn looks at Louis, shock etched into his face.
“Your Nan met your grandad in the mirror?” Louis nods before he continues.
“She also told me that whoever it was I saw in the mirror, would be the person that would have my heart for the rest of my life.” Louis stopped talking as Harry shifted slightly in his sleep, not realizing the other lad had begun pretending to sleep. “When I pulled Harry through the mirror I felt something shift inside of me.”
“What do you mean?” Zayn asks, knitting his eyebrows together.
“It was like everything moved off to the side, to make room for Harry at the center. Now it feels like there's nothing that could be more important than making him happy.” The hand Harry had around Louis waist tightened and Louis froze, looking down at the boy curled into his side, his eyes wide.
“I felt it, too, Lou.” Harry whispered. Zayn smirked at Louis as he got up and left, pulling his phone out to send a text to Liam, wondering if he could convince the boy to pull him through the mirror and into his flat in Manchester. He wanted Liam to make him just as whole as Harry had made Louis whole.
- - -
Zayn's phone buzzed in his pocket as he finished clearing out the downstairs portion of the house. He paused and pulled it out, reading the text from Liam.
u want me 2 pull u thru the mirror. y? xx
Zayn smiled, tapping out a quick reply.
obvs i want to meet u :) in person :) xxx
He paused for a moment, thinking, before typing out another message.
& besides wat difference would it make, lou has to return harry soon anyway and if u pull me thru u can just trade me for harry xxx
i want to meet u 2, zaynn but is tht such a gud idea? -l
:( plz? :( xxx
alrite, fine. do u kno how it works at least? xx -l
:D i have an ideaaa see u in the mirror in 10 yeah? xxx
Zayn locked his phone as grabbed a piece of paper and a pen off of an end table and began writing.
Lou,
Liam's pulled me through to his side. Pick me up when you drop Harry off.
Zayn xxx
Zayn grabbed the note and jogged up the stairs to the attic, immediately running towards the mirror. He could already see Liam waiting in the glass for him.
“Hey, Li.” Zayn smiled as he slid the note into the space where the frame met the glass.
“Hi, Zayn. Are you sure you want to do this?” Liam asked, his brow furrowed.
“Definitely want to do this.”
“Alright, I suppose. Walk me through it then.” Liam replied, looking a bit nervous. Zayn nodded.
“I need you to do exactly as I say, Liam. Can you do that?” Liam nodded. “Good. We're going to place our hands in the same space on the mirror. You're going to grab my hand and pull, okay?” Zayn said. Liam looked at him incredulously.
“How am I supposed to grab your hand through a mirror, Zayn?” Zayn rolled his eyes.
“Just try it, Li.” Zayn placed his hand on the glass, motioning with his other for Liam to do the same. As their hands met on either side of the glass, both boys felt a warmth spread throughout their bodies, consuming them. Liam pushed his fingers through the glass and wrapped his hand around Zayn's, his eyes glued to Zayn's the entire time.
“Pull, Li.” Zayn smiled softly. Liam slowly began tugging Zayn through the mirror. Zayn let Liam lead him, his body slicing through the glass on the mirror as if it were a gel of some sort. About halfway through, he felt his heart shift and swell with love for the other boy. Looking at Liam as he continued pulling him through, Zayn saw that he felt it, too.
- - -
A few months later...
Louis sighed as he watched the real estate agent jam a “For Sale” sign into the yard of his grandparents old home. He was kind of disappointed that his Mum wanted to sell it. After everything that had happened there, it felt like something he wanted to keep, to remind him of the place he met Harry. Not that it would be something he would ever forget, but it was something he wanted to hold on to forever. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear the real estate agent's phone ring. He looked at the house with a sad look one last time before he turned around to put the last box into his car. As he drove off, he saw the real estate agent tack a “Sold” sign over the words “For Sale” in his rear view mirror.
At least the hard work that he and Zayn had put into the old house had paid off. Well, it paid Zayn off, giving him enough money to move to Manchester to live with Liam and Harry, while Harry busied himself looking for a new place. The sale would also create some good income for his mother.
Louis phone rang as he threw his car into park in front of his house. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was Harry calling and he pressed answer.
“Hazza!” Louis grinned into the phone. “Its been ages!”
“Shut up, Lou. Its not even been twelve hours.” He could feel Harry smiling on the other end of the line, could imagine his dimples peeking out onto his cheeks. Louis huffed at Harry's response.
“Fine. Well, what's up? You called cause you missed the sound of my voice, right?” Louis teased.
“No. Well, yes. But no, that's not why I called. Remember I told you about looking for a place in Doncaster to stay?”
“Yeah? You found one?” Louis beamed into the phone, hopeful that his boyfriend would be living a few minutes away now instead of a few hours.
“Yep! And I wanted you to be the first to see it. Can I come pick you up in a few hours?”
“'Course you can, Curly. See you soon, yeah?”
“Yeah. Love you, Lou.” Harry said softly.
“Love you too, Curly.” Louis replied just as quietly before he hung up.
- - -
Harry slowed to a stop in front of Louis' family home and sent a quick text to the older boy to let him know he was there. He waited a few minutes, staring at the door, before Louis came bounding out to Harry's car and hopping in excitedly.
“C'mon, Haz, lets go! I wanna see!” Louis said as he buckled his seat belt and turned to Harry, beaming.
“Hold on! There are some rules I want to go over first.” Harry replied, smirking as he reached into the back seat to pull out a silk tie.
“Rules?” Louis eyed the tie suspiciously.
“I want to blindfold you until we get there.” Harry said simply, reaching out to slip the tie over Louis' eyes and knot it behind his head.
“Is this really necessary?” Louis asked as he pulled one side of the blindfold up, to peek at Harry.
“Yes. Its supposed to be a surprise! No peeking, though. Promise me you won't peek.” Harry said, clasping his hands together as if he were begging and giving Louis some serious puppy dog eyes. Louis huffed. He could never resist Harry.
“Fine, fine.”
A moment later, Louis felt the car start moving. During the ride, he could feel Harry taking several unnecessary turns, trying to make sure Louis wouldn't figure out where they were going. It was working well, to Louis' dismay. A few minutes later, they pulled to a stop. Louis rushed to unbuckle his seat belt, when he felt Harry's hands over his, stopping his movements.
“Stay there and leave your blindfold on. I'll come get you.” Harry got out of the car and walked around to Louis' side, opening it and unbuckling him. He helped him to his feet, led him up and over a curb and onto a pathway. “You ready, Lou?” Louis scoffed.
“I was born ready, Haz.” Louis replied, rolling his eyes under the tie. Harry reached up and untied the knot on the blindfold, letting it fall to the ground. He watched Louis' face as it twisted into confusion and turned to Harry. “Why are we at my grandparents old house?” Louis asked, completely lost, “I thought you were going to show me your new pl – oh.” Understanding and relief flooded Louis' face as he turned and held Harry in his arms, tight.
“You bought it?” He whispered, burying his head in Harry's neck.
“Yeah, Boo. I bought it. For us.” Harry replied just as quietly, giving Louis a squeeze.
“For us?” Louis looked up at Harry, eyes widening slightly. Harry was definitely his other half, Louis thought. Their two halves made the best whole he could've imagined, filling his heart with happiness. He was so in love with the man he had met in a mirror. Louis thoughts were interrupted when Harry's lips met his.
“For us.”