"Can I maybe join the next round you guys are playing?" Louis carefully approaches the table where Perrie, Lottie and Harry are playing uno. His voice is soft. He is scared for Harry's answer. He has treated him like shit and Louis knows this, he is well aware. Yet everybody seems to like the boy and maybe Louis should give him a chance. He'll take it slowly though, he is not letting his guards down like that. He is not trusting him. It's still hard for Louis to open up to people.

"Sure you can. We can just start again, no need to wait." Harry smiles at him. The American boy can't believe that Louis is suggesting himself to spend time with him. He knows Lottie and Perrie are there as well, but it is a start. For once he is not running away from the curly haired lad.

Louis takes place next to Harry, taking the cards that Harry gives him. A grin appears on his face. A plus four card, yup Louis has an advantage.

"UNO!" Louis yells happily, putting his plus four down. "And I'm choosing the colour red!" He says proudly looking at his one card that is blue. This is Louis' favourite strategy and it works most of the time. Perrie sighs, taking four cards of the deck.

"You are such an asshole Louis I swear." She mutters taking the extra cards into her hand.

"Haha! Sorry, Perrie."

"But don't think I'll let you win that easily, brother!" Lottie throws a card, a colour changing one. Yup, Louis saw that coming. This is what Lottie always does.

"I choose the colour blue." Lottie smiles smugly.

"Oh no!" Louis acts, big grin on his face.

"Ugh, I know that face. Don't tell me you did your stupid colour change strategy again." Perrie rolls her eyes.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." Louis says proudly, waving with his one card.

"Yup, it's a blue one. We're fucked." Perrie says looking at the card of her friend.

"Don't worry, I got this." Harry has an evil grin and Louis gasps when he sees the card on the table: the second plus four;

"Uno, I'm choosing the colour red."

Louis takes the four cards; none of them able to change colour. Hell he doesn't even have a red one.

"Perrie, come on girl!" Louis says, hope in his voice.

"I didn't even have red last round when you asked, Louis. I have to take another card."

"Lottie?" Louis gives his sister a hopeful look.

"I'm sorry, Lou. I used my changing card to fuck up your plans. I don't have another." The kid says putting a random red card on the deck.

Louis has fear in his eyes. This can't be happening. Louis always wins when they play uno.

"I'm sorry, Louis." Harry smirks, slowly putting the last card on the deck.

"I want a revenge!" Louis collects all the cards, mixing them for another round.

--

It's 10 o'clock. Perrie went home, Lottie is already sleeping but Louis and Harry are still playing uno, both wanting to win all the time and ask for a revenge when they lose. They only stopped playing when they had to go for dinner but after helping Jay with the dishes, they started to play again.

"UNO!" Louis screams, putting secretly two cards down at once. Now the only card in his hands is a plus four, so he wins this round.

"What? You had three cards!"

"No, I didn't."

"Yes you did!"

"Are you a sore loser, Harry?" Louis teases, feeling more comfortable around the boy.

"Are you a cheater, Louis?" Harry says using the same tune.

"Nope, now put a card down."

"It's fine, Louis. I mean, take this." Harry throws a plus four on the deck, feeling proud.

"Oh no... If I only had another plus four to fix this... Oh wait! I have!" Louis throws his plus four on the table, doing a victory dance.

Harry looks fondly at the boy who is dancing in front of him. This is the most relaxed that Louis has been around him.

"I want another round!" Harry protests when Louis stops dancing.

"Sure. Loser deals."

Harry wants to collect all the cards until they hear a woman's voice talking.

"Boys, I think that was enough uno for today. It's 22:30. You still need to brush your teeth and prepare your back for tomorrow."

"But mom! Harry and I are having fun!" Louis protests.

And for some reason that made Harry's heart jump. Louis is having fun with him. He feels so incredibly happy now.

"I know, sweetie but you can continue tomorrow. You have a lot of time to play uno, you are grounded anyway." Jay winks, making her son roll his eyes.

"Fine." Louis takes the stock of cards and puts it in the cupboard where it belongs. He quickly says goodnight to his mother and walks over to Harry

"Good night to you too I guess Curly. See you tomorrow. Be ready at 8 or I leave without you." Harry doesn't know if Louis is being playful or serious but he'll take anything as long as the boy speaks to him.

"I'll be ready at 8. Good night, Louis."

Harry leaves the living room and Louis just stares at him. He doesn't know what to think or how to feel about the American boy in his house. He is not going to lie, he really enjoyed tonight. They had fun and laughed a lot together while teasing each other. Maybe Harry is not that bad.

"Louis?" the boy turns around to face his mother.

"Yes, mom?"

"I'm really proud of you, son. It was good to see you like this, enjoying yourself playing a simple game like that. I'm also glad you decided to give Harry a chance. I honestly think he is good for you, better than some of your friends."

"Mom... Not again about Eleanor, please. We have had this talk many times."

"I know, I know. We are not going to have the talk, I'm just reminding you. Now, did you enjoy yourself?"

Louis tries to hide a smile. It was honestly the most fun he has had in a long time. Staying inside with his friend, sister and Harry was a lot nicer than the parties he usually goes to. But he will not admit that out loud to his mother.

"It was okay I guess, for being grounded."

"Stubborn little thing you are, Louis."

Louis rolls his eyes but hugs his mother. He feels her freeze for a second, not being used to receiving hugs from her son. He hasn't done that in a long while.

"I love you mom, and I'm so sorry for the fight we had." Jay smiles and hugs her boy a bit harder.

"It's okay, Louis. I really appreciate your apologies. You are still grounded though." The older woman smirks.

Louis lets go of his mother, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Way to ruin the mother-son moment, mom."

"That's my job, Louis. Now go to bed, you have to wake up early."

Louis nods, goes upstairs, brushes his teeth and throws himself in bed. His mind goes to tonight, how much fun he had with Harry. He can't even remember the last time he played silly board games with El. He honestly thinks they have never done that. It's a shame, Louis likes games.

His eyes are getting heavy and he pulls the blanket more up, covering his shoulders as well. It doesn't take long for the teenager to fall into a deep sleep.