#hbd h

“So- Let me get this straight,” Niall says, folding his hands in his lap as he looks from Harry, on his right, to Shawn, on his left. (At least, that’s how they’ve introduced themselves.) His gaze lands on Harry, first. “You’re my husband. Whom I’m in the middle of divorcing, except we had a nice dinner five nights ago — also known as the night of my accident.”

“A nice dinner?” Shawn snorts. “That’s what he told you? Because you told me that it was just pizza and beer while you went over your divorce papers. And I know that it’s true, because-“

“Yeah,” Harry says. “And it was nice because we didn’t fight for once.”

“Right,” Niall says, clearing his throat. He waits for them both to settle down, before he looks at Shawn. “And you’re my boyfriend. Whom I only started seeing after filing for divorce — which rules out cheating, which is a relief. Right?”

Shawn nods. “Right.”

“Right,” Niall whispers. “Do I love you?”

A blush creeps up Shawn’s neck and spreads across his cheeks. “I mean- We haven’t said it, yet, but-“

“You’ve only been shagging, or whatever, for, like two months,” Harry scoffs. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“What about you, then?” Niall asks, lifting his arms to fold them over his chest. “Us. Did I fall out of love with you? Did you fall out of love with me? Why are we getting a divorce- And why have you been here every day, if we’re getting divorced?”

Harry licks his lips, shifts where he stands. “I think that’s sort of obvious, isn’t it?”

“I don’t even know who you are, Harry,” Niall says, his voice soft. Uncertain. “So, no- It’s not sort of obvious.”

“Neither of us stopped loving each other,” Harry says. “Not really. We just- Forgot how to be us. We tried couple’s therapy, but it wasn’t enough.”

Niall’s brow furrows in confusion. “Then why do you keep coming here?”

Harry stares at him, and it’s like- It’s like the rest of the world melts away, Shawn included. “Because the thought of losing you permanently made me realize that I don’t want to lose you at all. Which, by the way, is why your lawyer might contact you in the next few days to inform you that I’ve put a hold on our divorce papers-“

“You what?” Shawn demands crime across the room. “You can’t do that-“

“Well that’s funny, because I already did,” Harry laughs, though there isn’t anything humorous about it.

“Shouldn’t Niall get a say?”

“Do you want Niall to get a say, or do you want to have a say?”

“Oi!” a voice shouts from what seems like miles away. Niall has to stretch his neck a bit to see the bloke standing in the doorway behind Harry. His name is Louis, and he’s one of Harry’s (and his, allegedly) best friends. He looks proper grumpy as he stalks further into the room. “What the bloody hell do you two think you’re doing?”

Both Shawn and Harry have nearly identical looks of fear in their eyes as they look at Louis — and not just because they kind of, a little bit, look alike. Long limbs (long everything, probably), dark hair, handsome faces that look like they were carved by Aphrodite herself. If Niall has learned anything concrete in the last few hours, it’s that he definitely has a type.

“Actually, don’t answer that,” Louis snaps. “The both of you need to leave.”

“Lou-“ Harry tries to interject, only for Louis to shut him up with a single glare.

“Niall is in a hospital bed until further notice,” Louis starts to explain. “He has a concussion. He can’t remember the last 10 years of his life. The last thing he needs is the two of you having a fucking pissing contest at the end of his bed.”

“Sorry,” Shawn whispers, sounding genuinely apologetic, although not even Niall is sure where the apology is aimed.

And, well- Louis isn’t wrong, in Niall’s opinion.

“You both should really go and let him rest,” Louis says. “It’s not like he’s going anywhere- Yet.”

“Yeah, okay,” Shawn says, smiling down at Niall gently. “Is it okay if I come back tomorrow?”

Niall nods. And then he’s flinching, more out of surprise than anything, when Shawn leans in to kiss his cheek — before Shawn pulls back quickly.

“Sorry, that was inappropriate- I’m sorry,” Shawn stutters, smiling shyly (cutely) as he steps back, thrusting a hand through his hair. “I’ll, um- See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Niall whispers, smiling back.

Shawn is gone, then, and it’s just Niall and Harry and Louis — the latter of whom is staring at Harry with a purpose.

“Your turn,” Louis tells him.

“What?” Harry all big squawks, eyes as big as saucers. “You can’t be serious. I’m his husband-“

“And Shawn is his boyfriend.”

“Don’t you think you should let Niall decide if he wants me to go?”

“I think Niall is too polite to ask,” Louis says, rolling his eyes. “Just- I’ll leave with you, yeah? And you can maybe call ahead tomorrow to make sure that Shawn isn’t here when you want to come back.”

Harry blinks — and then he sighs, as though giving in. Which makes Niall breathe a sigh of relief, because he’s tired and he has a headache now, and Louis isn’t wrong that Niall is too polite to ask. In other words: if Harry were to push it, Niall would let him stay. “Okay,” Harry says. “Alright.”

When everyone is gone, and it’s just Niall, he can’t help but wonder what the hell he’s gotten himself into. Not being able to remember one love interest is one thing — but two?

Bloody hell.

X

“Mind explaining to me what the hell is going on with you?” Louis demands, once he and Harry are alone in the lift.

Harry arched an eyebrow. “What?”

“You were acting like some possessive little 16 year old kid back there,” Louis tells him.

Harry scoffs, rolls his eyes. “Pardon me for being more than a little bit caught off guard by the fact that my husband has a boyfriend.”

“Which brings me to my next question. Why do you keep calling him that?”

“Because he’s still my husband.”

“He’s your very soon-to-be ex-husband, H.”

“Not if I can help it.”

Louis groans. “Harry-“

“What?” Harry asks, intentionally feigning innocence.

“You’re the one that filed for divorce, remember?”

“Only because he left me no other choice,” Harry says.

“Harry-”

“This could be a second chance for us,” Harry says, his voice soft. Hopeful.

“He could have died, Harry,” Louis says, grabbing his shoulder roughly to stop him from moving any further. “He has retrograde amnesia. And you’re more worried about a second chance?”

“You don’t think I know that?” Harry snaps. “My heart stopped when I got the call from the hospital that there had been an accident and that he was in surgery. It was like the fucking floor fell out from under my feet. The thought of going through the rest of my life without him made everything hurt, Louis. So, yes, I’m well aware that he could have died — and I’m also too aware that he doesn’t remember anything about me, or our life together.

“But sitting around feeling sorry for myself, or for him, isn’t going to solve anything. The doctors have already said that he might never remember the years that he’s missing.”

“And, let me guess- You’re a little bit okay with that because it might mean having a second chance with him?” Louis demands.

“You really think that low of me?”

Louis sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m just having trouble understanding exactly what’s going on here.”

“I mean, first of all- Him regaining his memory would give me the advantage of him remembering why he fell in love with me in the first place, which would make saving our marriage that much easier. But that might never happen, because he might never remember, so I need to be prepared to handle it differently.”

“By sabotaging a relationship he could have with Shawn?”

in honor of his birthday decided it’s time for the favorite pics of harry tag

this doesn’t even come close to being all my faves so i tried to keep it within the last couple years rip