LIAM'S P.O.V.

I gladly left the room when Piper showed up. I was done having that converstaion with Riley anyway. No good was coming from it and it was only making us both angry.
Besides, I was sure that Harry would be in some state of distress with Piper bawling like she was.
I knocked lightly on his door and after a couple minutes, he opened it, his eyes bloodshot and watery.

"Hey, Li. I'm guessing they kicked you out?"

I laughed ironically and ran a hand through my hair.

"Yeah, something like that. I needed a break, though."

He seemed to understand my meaning and rolled his eyes.

"Is it a full moon out tonight because it seems like the women have gone mad."

We chuckled and sat down on the nearby couch.

"So, what's going on on your end, Harry?"

He sighed and played with the hem of his shirt.

"I honestly haven't a clue. One minute everything's fine and the next she's fighting tears and
escaping to your room. Literally nothing happened, Li."

"That you know of, at least. Do you think it has something to do with everyone showing up today?"

He shrugged and avoided eye contact.

"Can I tell you something and trust that you'll never speak of it to anyone... Especially Riley?"

I sat up, enthralled by the seriousness in his voice.

"Yeah, of course, H."

He gripped the flannel of his pajamas and I saw new tears forming.

"I mean it, Liam. You can't tell a soul. Ever."

"Harry, did you kill someone?"

He laughed at that, lightening the mood slightly.

"Quite the opposite topic, actually. You know Piper's ex? The one who died?"

I slowly nodded, because, yeah, I'd heard a lot about him.

"Matt, was it?"

"Still is."

It took me a while to understand what he was trying to convey to me.

"Wait... He's not dead? Dear lord; does Piper know?"

Harry sat back on the couch and rubbed his temples.

"Yes, yes, she knows. Remember that day I brought Andy by and was like panicking?"

"Which time, mate? Because, quite frankly, that's happened a few times this week."

He scoffed and took a deep breath.

"The first time. He had been our fucking room service attendant and she like chased after him. Long story short, he faked his own death-"

"To get away from Piper?"

"No! To protect her, actually. I wish it weren't such a noble reason."

He was a mess, that's for sure. I rested my hand on his shoulder and tried to put off a good energy. Obviously, his and Piper's issues were on a different level than mine and Riley's.

"Alright, tell me what happened, yeah?"

He sat forward and leaned onto his knees with his elbows.


______________


"Jesus. So, he's just like gone? No way of knowing where he is?"

Harry shook his head, obviously calmer than before, having gotten things off his chest.

"Fuck," I sat back, letting everything soak in, "So, you're just assuming that's what this is about?"

He nodded, remaining silent.

"Well, maybe it isn't. Maybe it didn't help her stress level, but maybe it's something different."

"Like what, Liam?"

"Well, what did you guys do today?"

He looked at me as if I had two heads, but finally considered his day seriously.

"We just spent time with Andy and Karen."

I nodded slowly, hoping that perhaps he would understand what I was catching from that
sentance. The Karen part. He didn't, though. He just sat there, running through the day's events in his head again.

"Harry, mate."

"Yeah?"

"Karen. I bet it's Karen. I know you don't think of her that way after all this time and all, but you
couldn't blame Piper for being a bit... uncomfortably with it all. I mean she is your ex and you do
have a kid together."


Harry's eyes widened and he went pale as if he'd seen a ghost.

"But we hated each other until Piper fixed things!"

"Yeah, I know that you know that; Hell, deep down Piper knows that, but can't you see why she'd
be intimidated?"

I could practically see his mind working as he pieced together the puzzle; the puzzle that didn't
make much sense in the end.

"Look, Harry. It seems to me that whether she's upset about her ex or insecure about yours, you
guys need some alone time together. Take advantage of the fact that Karen's here and is taking care of Andy. You guys should get away for a couple days."

He didn't look too convinced, slumped over his lap.

"We are away, Liam. We're in New York."

"Touchè. Well, I guess you guys could just lock yourselves away here for a few days until everyone arrives for Christmas."

"That's not fair to her family. They came all the way from Florida-"

"Harry, stop making excuses. I'll take care of everyone. We'll go sightseeing or something. Just try to enjoy some time together and have a good long chat- maybe even a few good long chats- to sort everything out, alright?"

Harry sighed and I held my breath, hoping he'd agree.

"Alright, yeah. I'll have to make sure with her, but that's probably what we need."

I gently smacked his back.

"There ya go," I felt like our talk was over, but I couldn't exactly leave, "Mind if I stay here tonight, mate? I don't believe it's safe to enter hormone central next door quite yet."

Harry grinned sleepily and nodded.

"Yeah, Liam. You can sleep in Andy's room," he stood up and yawned, "I'm gonna catch some sleep. Thanks for the pep talk."

I got up from the couch and gave him a quick hug, smiling to myself..

"Anytime, Harry."


HARRY'S P.O.V.


"Harry?"

My eyes fluttered open to find the lights on dimly, Piper sitting on the edge of the bed next to me. Her arm was draped over my bicep and she sounded weak.

"Baby, I'm so glad you're back. Do you feel better after talking to Riley?"

I sat up quickly, pulling her into a relieved hug. She nodded, but I could see the tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

"Yeah, I do. I guess I just- I feel incompetent-"

"What? Piper, that's the farhtest from the truth-"

"Please, let me just get all of this out. I want to be honest with you about my feelings. Before I left,
you said you wanted me to talk to you when I'm upset and you were right. I should run off to Riley everytime I feel insecure or something. I should be able to talk to you first."

I opened my mouth to tell her that it was okay; I didn't mind her talking to her friend instead of me, but she pressed her finger to my lips.

"Harry, I know it might sound dumb to you, but I'm scared. I'm terrified that you're going to realize that Karen is the right choice and that Andy deserves a real family. I know what you're going to say: 'No, Piper, Andy loves you. I love you' blah, blah-"

It was my turn to stop her. She had this whole ridiculous speech planned and I couldn't hear any more of it. I pressed my lips to her in an attempt to stop her mouth from running a mile a minute.

"Nope, that's not what I was going to say. Well, maybe it was part of it, but you forgot the most important part: There's no choice to make. She's not even in the running, Piper. No one is, honestly. I hate that you feel that way, but I don't think that it sounds dumb. I can understand why it's there in your head, but I'll tell you as many times as it takes to get it through your thick skull: I don't love her. I love you. And we can be a real family; Me, you and Andy. A proper family doesn't require two birth parents and their child. I proper family requires love in all aspects. I could never love Karen like I love you. I never did. I've never loved anyone like I love you."

She practically jumped onto the bed at that and I welcomed her warmly, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist and pulling her on top of me.

"I love you too, Harry. I'm sorry for freaking out."

I shook my head and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Don't ever apologize for having feelings."

She grinned, a single tear rolling down her cheek. I swiped it away before it could reach her chin and she leaned down to kiss me properly. After a minute or so of snogging, I rolled her over and pinned her body against the mattress. I trailed small kisses down her cheek, nipping at her neck softly as I untied her robe to reveal the blue thong she had on when she initially left.

"I'm glad you never took the time to get dressed."

She giggled and I moved the focus of my lips to her breasts, rolling her nipples gently against my tongue one at a time. By the time I made it to her navel, she was panting and whimpering for more. I spoke softly agaisnt her warm skin, running my hands up and down her smooth legs.

"How do you feel about not leaving this room for a few days? Just me and you..."

She took a sharp breath and remained silent for a few seconds.

"I don't know; I mean it sounds wonderful, but what about my family and-"

"Piper, a few days. They can go do whatever they'd like. We're in New York City; I'm sure there's plenty they want to do."

Whether my next move was fair or not, I'm not sure, but it worked. I slipped under the covers and
left not-so-chaste kisses on the inside of each of her thighs, breathing particularly heavy as I hovered over her core.

"C'mon, babe. It'll be fun."

I pulled her underwear aside and blew cool air against her.

"Fuck- Yeah, yeah. Okay, let's do it."

I smiled as I readjusted my position one last time between her legs. As soon as my mouth met with her soaking sex, she practically screamed. I hummed my approval of the noise, letting my tongue slide out to flick over her sensitive clit. She moaned, clenching her thighs around my head, pulling me in closer. I breathed in deep through my nose and pressed my tongue harshly agaisnt her, sending chills through my spine when she bucked her hips off of the bed. I continued my attack, sucking and licking at intervals of quick and slow paces

"Harry, c'mon. Please, want you in me... Not gonna last."

I ignored her requests though, until she tugged at my hair, physically pulling me away from
between her legs.

"Harry-"

"Piper, you didn't let me eat you out properly."

She scoffed and pulled me up into a kiss. I shook my head, though, sliding under the covers
again.

"Harry, seriously, don't-"

She was too late as I was already back to assaulting her with my mouth.

"Harry!"

She tried to pull away again, but I held her thighs down and mumbled agaisnt her.

"Don't worry, you'll come with me inside of you too. This is just your first orgasm of the night. Who
knows what we'll get to. How about you count them for me? Out loud, babe."

She chuckled, huffing as if to say 'alright, I'll play your weird little game.'

I smiled proudly and resumed my activities, pressing one, and then two fingers to her entrance to accompany my mouth in a persistent medley. I tightly grasped the base of my cock to keep myself from coming too soon. She could make it through more than I could, but if we took breaks, I was prepared to go until I was coming dry.

Piper tugged on my hair and came with a loud cry of my name, followed by a shouted, "One!"

Then, I turned her onto her side, lining up behind her and easily slipping inside, surrounded by her previous orgasm. We came together that time, marked by a weaker cry of, "Two!"

After a twenty minute break, filled with hard kisses and soft, lingering touches, Piper straddled my hips, lowering herself onto my length slowly. After we both grew accustomed to the feeling, she began to lift herself up and glide back down, bouncing over and over until I came deep within her again. I continued to thrust upward to work her through her own orgasm and after a minute more, she feebly called out a, "Three."

At that point, I was beyond the energy it would require to make it through another round and we laid there, completely worn out.

"How about we just continue tomorrow, yeah?"

She sighed and nodded against my chest before stepping out of the bed and walking toward the bathroom.

Moments later she returned, laying down next to me, her arms draped around my neck comfortably.

"Don't forget where we left off."

I laughed and assured her that it wasn't possible.

"Let's see how many we can get you to by the time my family gets here."

She giggled and cuddled into me.

"That seems like a fucked up timeframe, but count me in."

We carried on that way, teasing and talking for about thirty minutes before she stopped responding. Instead she snored softly and I finally felt like I could sleep peacefully.

"I love you, goodnight."

We were going to be okay.

Notes

Honestly too drunk and tired to write a proper author's note, but I love you guys and please comment <3 xx