"I don't wanna sound like a broken record but I need you to make a decision sooner or later. I need to focus on my company and can't do your work as well, cousin. Stop playing around and be mature for once. You're 26 and not 16. Please, Harry" sounded Andrew's voice through the phone when Harry was listening to his third voicemail on this day alone.

He let out a rather long and heavy sigh. He knew Andrew was right and due to talking to Louis about his inner struggle a bit Harry had the urge to actually do something about this screwed up situation but he was mad that Andrew always had to call him immature, directly or indirectly. Just because he wasn't the owner and CEO of some big ass company and liked his simple life didn't mean that he wasn't mature.

To Andrew:

"You do sound like a broken record, dearest cousin. I know it's your Mum's legacy but stop pressuring me to do something about a shop that I never wanted in the first place. I don't care about what you think. I am mature enough to live my own life. And now excuse me, I have better things to do than listen to your accusations".

As soon as he had sent the text he felt kinda bad about his words but Andrew really always got the worst out of him. Something inside of him wanted to call Louis but before he could even think about that sudden desire, his doorbell rang through his flat. Not expecting anyone, Harry walked over to the door to open it and was met with someone he didn't expect. Jake, looking kinda miserable.

"What the hell are you doing here?" growled Harry at him.

"Woah, calm down. I know you and Kyle had a bad falling out and the other boys chose to stay with him but um ... I need your service, H. I mean, ..." trailed Jake off unsurely.

"So, Tiffany is yesterday's news, huh?" understood Harry what Jake was trying to ask him.

"Yeah" scratched Jake the back of his head awkwardly.

"Come in and tell me what I'm supposed to tell her" opened Harry the door a bit wider to let him in.

"Don't be too harsh on her, please. She's a nice girl but I'm just not right for her. Tiffany deserves a stable relationship and I can't give her that. I'm not there yet. I'm still too tempted by other girls at clubs and bars and she doesn't deserve this. I don't wanna cheat on her, you know?" explained Jake to him what the problem was when they had reached his kitchen table.

"Yeah, I know and I understand but why can't you tell her that yourself?" wondered Harry confusedly. Jake seemed like he actually cared enough about her to not hurt her more than needed.

"I tried already but I never seemed to go through with it as soon as she looks at me with that face and look in her eyes. I can't see the pain in her eyes. I know I'm a coward but isn't everyone who asks you for help? You're good at being emotionless in those situations and you can handle breaking people's hearts. I just can't" told Jake him obviously unsettled and a bit anxious.

"Fine. I'll do it. When and where?" agreed Harry because Jake was right. His talent was being emotionless and breaking people's hearts. He was good at this and never gave a shit about them anyway.

"Right now? We were supposed to meet up in ten by the park around the corner. You can just go there for me and she will already see it coming. Won't be long, I promise" cleared Jake his throat uncomfortably.

"What are we waiting for?" got Harry ready, putting on his jacket and shoes.

"Thanks" sighed Jake out relieved.

"It's just like you said. I'm only good at this" shrugged Harry unbothered. Jake looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it in the end.

Together they left the flat and Harry heard a familiar sound come from his phone. It was a message from Louis. He knew that straight away. Louis had his own message sound. But Harry ignored it. He had a job to do right now.

"Oh, hi, Haz" startled Louis' voice him and he almost jumped.

"Hi" replied Harry shortly while Jake just kept going.

"Was that Jake? What are you doing with him? I texted you but I guess you're busy" frowned Louis suspiciously.

"Very busy. Sorry but I really have to go and have no time for you. Jake needs the break-up-er's service right now. That's more important. Gotta go" informed Harry him hastily.

"Oh".

Without another glance, Harry followed Jake down the stairs and was met with a questioning look but Harry only scowled at him. Jake seemed to get the message because he simply showed Harry the way instead of even daring to ask anything.

Arriving at the park, Harry immediately spotted Tiffany standing near a bench. Jake and he shared a look before Jake left and Harry went over to her. As soon as she noticed him her whole face fell and she looked anything but happy. By now Harry was used to no one ever being happy to see him.

"Hi".

"No, don't Hi me. I know what you want but I won't accept this poor act of a bought break-up" shook Tiffany her head stubbornly. This automatic stubbornness reminded him of Louis when they first met.

"There really isn't much that you can do, Tiffany. I'm here for Jake and no matter what you do, it won't change the outcome of this. Don't make this harder than it has to be" sighed Harry heavily, knowing this could go two ways from now.

"Why isn't Jake here himself to tell me it's over? Why is he hiding behind you and why are you helping him to be a coward?" asked Tiffany shakily.

"He already tried to tell you but he can't seem to hurt you face to face, so he sent me. And he knows he's being a coward. He told me himself" shrugged Harry helplessly.

"You could have told him to do this himself instead of ...".

"Stop trying to buy time, Tiffany" cut Harry her off. "There is a lot I could have done in my life but I didn't and you wanna know why? Because I couldn't care less. Face it, he wants to break up with you because he thinks you deserve better than him and he would only end up cheating on you if he wouldn't call it quits now. Be happy he didn't do it yet and decided this was the better way to do it. He did you a favour with this, Tiffany".

"Fuck you, Harry" slapped Tiffany him across the face before she crying mad left the park and him.

Feeling weird, Harry made his way back home, ignoring the pain in his cheek. On the way, he checked his phone and spotted Louis' message from earlier, deciding to answer him now for whatever reason but he didn't get a response.

From Lou:

"Are you busy right now? Work was a bit tough today and I could need a distraction. Joey is out of town and my first thought was you, don't know why. Got time for me?".

To Lou:

"I'm done with my job now and could come around if you still want me to? What happened?".

He still didn't get a response when he reached the apartment building but he knew Louis was home and had probably read the message by now. Was he ignoring him?

Wanting an answer, Harry ended up at Louis' door and simply rang the bell just like the first time. A part of him expected Louis to be a stubborn little shit and don't open the door again but to his surprise he actually opened the door, looking like a mess but a cute mess.

"Wow, this time you actually opened the door" whistled Harry impressed.

"Don't make me regret it" warned Louis him tensely.

"Okay, sorry. I'm also sorry about what I said earlier. I was a bit stressed and never meant to offend or hurt you" clarified Harry because he just knew Louis was hurt because of that incident. He got hurt so easily that it made Harry worry.

"I know" murmured Louis softly, disappearing in his flat but leaving the door open for Harry.

Harry walked inside, closing the door, and followed him into the living room. Just for a quick second, Harry caught Louis abruptly closing the door next to his bedroom, which in Harry's flat was just a messy room full of shit. But for the very first time, Harry was wondering what was behind this door that made Louis look like this. A scared deer caught in headlights, totally tense and shaken.

"Haz, can I ask you something without you getting mad at me?" nibbled Louis on his bottom lip nervously.

"Shoot" sat Harry down on the couch as Louis walked over to him.

"Why are you doing this?" sat Louis down with a bit of space in between them. Harry knew directly what he was talking about.

"I'm good at it" shrugged Harry, staring at Louis' coffee table right in front of him.

"Good at what exactly, Haz? You break people's heart for you friends or even total strangers just because they're fucked up and freaking cowards and for what? Does that give you some kind of drill? I just don't get it. How can you be so okay with this? Is it fun to see people break because of you? To be the cause of their misery? Tiffany is a very nice girl and now you broke her heart just because Jake is a fucking coward? I don't get it. What is there to be good at? Good at being heartless?" got Louis worked up and Harry knew deep down Louis never meant to sound so mean and reproachful but he did and Harry felt like he was slapped again, just a lot harder this time.

"Good at being emotionless, I guess" muttered Harry small, feeling defeated.

"You're not emotionless, Haz" contradicted Louis him indignant.

"But I am, Louis" insisted Harry clearer, making Louis fall silent. "Everybody knows that. I am heartless and emotionless and don't give a shit about anyone. You know this as good as Jake or Tiffany or Kyle. Just accept the truth and deal with it".

"Now you sound like you're gonna break up with me all over again. Why can't you just see the truth and see what I see?" tried Louis to stay collected visibly.

"There's nothing you see that I don't already know" was Harry sure of it.

"Oh yeah? You wanna know what I see?" clicked Louis with his tongue. Harry nodded scared. "I see a guy who is fucking scared of feeling anything because everyone he ever loved was taken away from him. Instead of dealing with his loss and pain, he decided to build a wall around his heart and push everyone away. Now he acts like the biggest asshole in town even though he is far from being one. He just needs someone to listen. To be there. To understand".

The softness and understanding in Louis' voice brought tears to Harry's eyes. Was that really what Louis thought about him? No one had ever taken so much time to try and get to know him although he was pushing them away but now here Louis was, looking straight into his soul and he was damn right.

"I wanna understand, Haz. Why are you doing this? How did that even start?" lifted Louis his chin up to look him in the eye, which made Harry gulp heavily.

"Um ..." broke Harry the eye contact to collect his thoughts and be able to tell Louis the story behind all this. "When I was around twenty a friend of mine was trying desperately to break up with his girlfriend but she refused to accept this. She was a bit crazy, to be honest. And yes, I had a friend. Not an actual friend but someone who was more than a familiar stranger. Anyway, I offered to help him because he was out of ideas. In the end, I broke up with her for him yet another time and somehow she finally got it, not without getting hella mad of course. Around that time I was partying every night and met Kyle, Jake and the other guys. One night I was out with them and Ryan, my friend. Ryan told them drunkenly about what had happened with Megan and immediately they wanted my help as well with their girls and boys. I was too far gone back then to even think about it. Not just because of the alcohol. I wasn't in a good mental state to make decisions for my life, so I agreed. From then on it got a life on its own. People heard about this and wanted my services and I felt needed, I guess. Someone needed me and only me for something, even if it was shattering people's feelings. I didn't care. I was finally good at something".

"You are good at so much more than breaking people's hearts, Haz. Don't give me that look. Take your pictures, for example. Don't tell me you didn't take all those amazing photos around your flat. I know you did" offered Louis him an encouraging smile.

"Wow, I can take decent pictures. I'm such a pro and irreplaceable" snorted Harry sarcastically but Louis wasn't having it.

"You are though, Haz. There is no one else like you. Really no one. You're special. Believe me when I tell you this. You are good at so much, Haz" locked Louis eyes with him, intensively looking at him, before he looked down shyly.

"I wanna believe you but I can't see what else I could possibly be good at" sighed Harry honestly.

"You can be a good friend if you want to. You can be supportive and funny, sometimes if you don't try. And you care. More than you want people to see" told Louis him but then his voice became all quiet. Harry almost didn't hear him. "And you're good at making me feel safe. That's rare".

Harry's heart might have skipped a beat at hearing those words actually leaving Louis' mouth. He knew how vulnerable Louis must be feeling right now and that this has been a huge step for him. Harry felt so special and warm at this very moment. Only Louis could do this to him.

"That reminds me, you said in your text that you had a tough day at work. Let me be a good friend to you and tell me what happened? I wanna be there for you" decided Harry to leave Louis' last words uncommented and focus on something else. This had been deep enough for them.

"Oh, that ... nothing really. Just me being overdramatic" waved Louis the matter off unconvincingly.

"Really?" cocked Harry an eyebrow at him knowingly.

"I hate you" huffed Louis pouty.

"I hate you, too" nudged Harry Louis' side softly.

Louis sighed heavily before he started talking, playing nervously with his fingers. "It was really nothing. Today we just um ... had the discussion ... My students presented to me their ideas for the upcoming play and later I had to talk to the principal. He wanted to decide on the play this year. And um ... his decision really shocked me. I asked him to overthink it but there is no use. He won't change his mind and I'm fucked".

"Why? Which play did he decide on?" wondered Harry sceptically. What was going on?

"Dark Desire" mumbled Louis barely audible.

Harry's eyes grew big hearing that name. Automatically, he remembered the day he had looked up Louis' name on the internet and had found out about his dancing past ... and the injury. The injury he had gotten at the audition for the lead dancer in Dark Desire. This must be not only hard but traumatising for him.

"Isn't that a musical?" gulped Harry down his shock.

"Yeah" was Louis shaking now.

"I'm here if you need me, no matter what it is" pulled Harry him into a hug, surprising both of them.

"Thanks, Haz. This will be tough. I don't know if I can do this" opened Louis up to him shockingly.

"You can't do more than try. If it's too much then you have to stop. No one will judge you for it. I'm sure Zayn has your back as well as Àmber and your other friends" stroked Harry Louis' back soothingly.

"They don't even know about the play yet" muttered Louis into his chest. The fact that he was the first to know and Louis actually trusted him with this made Harry's heart beat faster than ever before.

"I'm here, Lou. It's okay. I have your back" assured Harry him, finally realising that he really meant it from the bottom of his heart.

"See? You can do it" felt Harry Louis smile.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry perplexed.

"You can feel something. You're not emotionless after all, Haz. You have emotions and you don't have to be afraid to let them out. It's okay to feel something" looked Louis up at him with a bright smile that almost blinded him.

With a smile tugging on the corner of his lips, Harry pressed a short but gentle kiss to Louis' forehead, pulling him closer into his chest to reassure him everything was going to be alright. "I'm definitely feeling something right now and it's more than okay".