Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Wednesday 13

Harry wasn't scared.No, he definitely wasn't scared. Being scared is something a child feels when they've lost their parents in a crowd, or when they've woken up from a nightmare and it's pitch black. That is being scared. Being scared is not something a 16 year old boy feels when there's a thunderstorm. No. He was just...merely concerned about his wellbeing; that was all.Who knew how long the rain would pound onto the ground for, maybe it'd cause a flood. Who knew how far the lightening was from his house, maybe it could strike on his roof and set the house alight. Who knew how loud the thunder would get, maybe it would deafen him and -okay, so maybe the scenarios plaguing Harry's mind in a race of spiralling thoughts were from fear, but it's not like he wanted to be scared. He hated it in fact. It wasn't like he got a thrill out of the adrenaline rush or that afterwards he would always laugh it off and find the hilarity in it; no, Harry most definitely did not.He hated being scared, mainly because it made him feel stupid. He was a teenager, in the latter end of his youthful years, and he shouldn't have felt that way. No other teenager would and it just separated Harry from the rest even more. Of course nobody knew about his fear; the only thunderstorm during school being when he was 10 and it was alright to be scared -even though all the boys in the class didn't think of it like that-, but in his mind, he knew that it wasn't normal.His mind: that was the seed of it. His mind thought up horrendous scenarios, some of which were totally unrealistic, which then led on to his insecurities leaking out. He'd think and think and think as the rain splashed against the window that he was pathetic and stupid and anything else similar. Usually there was someone in the house, someone to comfort him and distract him from said thoughts. This time, however, he was alone.Harry being alone with his thoughts was never good for anyone.Anne was stuck at work, she said through her texts, and she was going to stay at her colleagues house, which was only five minutes away, until the storm had settled. Harry didn't want her to go outside, he tried to convince her to just stay in the building and set up camp there for the -he was trying to convince himself that it would be over soon- little amount of time the thunderstorm had left in its system. But Anne was either oblivious to his efforts or shunning them to the side. She was dead set on staying at her friend's house, mainly because it was more comfortable. She wasn't listening to Harry.The rain seemed to get heavier after that.Gemma was back at Uni too, having returned back there two days prior. It was her who Harry was mainly worried about. But really, when wasn't Harry worrying about Gem? She was young, pretty, beautiful and bubbly; she was a catch. Harry had always worried that someone would take advantage of that, but that was never really his main worry. Her whole wellbeing was always on his conscience. He always dropped her a text every morning and just before he went to sleep -that was usually hours before her head even hit the pillow- just to make sure that she was okay in her second-story flat.Maybe that's what made this storm even more worry-fuelling for him. The fact that she lived off the ground crossed out the problem of a flood, but it did mean that if somehow the electrical equipment below caught on fire from the lightening, then she'd have no way to escape. It was somewhat of a slight chance of it happening, but Harry was Harry and of course it'd be a problem.He was frantic in his texts, making sure she was alright. He wanted her with him, to cuddle him and rub his head, soothing his nerves. But no, she just had to be hours away. He couldn't even hear her voice; there was never much point in phone calls when he couldn't talk back.Louis, he was the last person Harry checked up on. It wasn't like he was at the bottom of his priority list -although his mother and sister would obviously come before anyone else- but there was something about Louis which made him feel a little more secure. Louis could take care of himself, and even though Harry was a worrier -and a big one at that, not remembering a certain Saturday night situation weeks back or anything- he cared dearly for Louis' welfare, but there was some vibe which Louis gave off which screamed 'safe'.Referring back to that Saturday of worry, although this was similar in the fact that Harry was kind of scared shitless, it wasn't the same in some way. Harry didn't know Louis as well then, he didn't know how Louis was careful underneath that boisterous and spontaneous layer of skin. Louis would never put himself in danger, especially not now when he had Harry to look after too.It was like Louis could almost sense the worry bleeding into Harry's words through his texts, so he was doing all he could to comfort the younger boy. That in itself was weird for Harry because nobody, bar his family, had ever been able to understand Harry's emotions. Yes, he didn't express them much at all, and he knew that sometimes he had that blank, emotionless look on his face, but he felt something underneath, most people didn't realise that. He had emotions; he felt everything just as much as everyone else, but some people seemed to think that he wasn't the same as them all because of his lack of voice, and they thought that he didn't matter in a time of need because obviously the mute boy doesn't feel anything.He could tell that someone knew him well enough when they could work out how he was feeling even when he had that guarded look etched onto his features, and that knowledge gave him the courage to trust the person. It also gave him the food for the worry though, but that's not the point.The point was even when Harry wasn't with Louis, Louis could tell how he was feeling like it was the back of his hand. Maybe it was because they'd only communicated through writing and texts, so he'd picked up on his language use and anything of the similar. But regardless of how Louis did it, it just showed Harry that he had found someone who wanted to know him more than anyone else, and someone who wanted to be his comforter and to be comforted by him.Harry didn't exactly want to be comforted though; well, by Louis anyway. He knew the older boy wouldn't judge him, but there was always that worry that he'd see how innocently childish Harry was and he'd want nothing more to do with him. He didn't want to let on that he was scared of said weather because that's the kind of thing a six year old would be scared of, not a sixteen year old. He didn't want to be mocked -not that Louis would do that- or jeered at, and the more people who knew about his fear, the more who could turn on him and make his life a misery, all based on that one little fact alone.He wasn't doing that very well, obviously, the keeping of his fear to himself. Louis had guessed soon into their conversation, understanding that Harry's worry didn't just stop after how Louis was getting home from Uni. He'd asked softly, and not patronisingly at all, whether Harry was scared of thunderstorms, and with a little nudge from Harry's heart, he was spilling out his fears through the little screen.

From: Harry (16:41)I know nothing is actually going to happen to me, but I can't help it. I'm still scared xxx

From: Louis (16:42)I want to help you, baby, I really do. I don't like you being scared. What can I do to help you? Xxxx

From: Harry (16:43)Stop the storm? Xxx

From: Louis (16:44)I would if I could, Harry. Xxxx

From: Louis (16:45)How about I come over? Then I can distract you and comfort you, yeh? Xxxx

From: Harry (16:46)I can't let you do that, something might happen to you. I don't want you getting hurt xxx

From: Louis (16:47)*Nothing* is going to happen to me, nothing at all. I'll just get in my car and drive over to you, simple! xxxx

From: Louis (16:47)I want to see you anyway, I miss you xxxx

From: Harry (16:48)You miss me? Xxx

From: Louis (16:49)Of course I do, I always miss you when you're not with me xxxx

From: Harry (16:50)Seriously? Xxx

From: Louis (16:53)100% xxxx

From: Harry (16:55)Well...well I miss you too xxx

From: Harry (17:00)Lou? Xxx

From: Harry (17:02)Louis? Where are you? Xxx

From: Harry (17:05)Louis, seriously, where the fuck have you gone? Are you okay? Text me back, please. I'm scared xxx

From: Harry (17:06)Fuck, Lou. Someone's at the door. I don't want to answer it. Help me xxx

"It's me, Harry! Open the fucking door or I swear to God, my balls are actually going to freeze up, I'm fucking soaked out here," Louis called through the door, banging on the wood with the side of his fisted hand. Whether his voice had travelled over the thick thunderous noises and through the door, or whether Harry was actually listening and hadn't set himself into panic mode; Louis wasn't sure. He kept banging on the door just in case.He was glancing behind him when the locks on the door were released, looking nervously at the rain which didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. It was hitting the pavement with such force that it ricocheted back up off the ground, splattering back down again a little further along. Puddles were merging together into deeper, wider volumes that would rise up to your ankles if you stepped off the pavement, maybe even higher.His fist fell into thin air when he went to knock again, making his head snap around back to the entrance. The warm air rushed at him, and he took in the sight of the warm house. Before he caught sight of Harry though, he was heaved into the house as a loud clap of thunder shook through the air. His body stumbled through the door and into the hallway, and as he regained composure, he heard the door slamming shut and locks being turned shakily.Louis looked back at Harry who was leaning against the door, hands and back flat against it. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted back, his jaw line on full view. Oh god, I just want to lick all the way along his jaw and-. The blanket wrapped around his shoulders was slipping away, falling off from over his band tee and past his dark grey jogger bottoms, but Harry was focused on slowly breathing back his nerves.Louis rushed forward so he was standing right in front of Harry, not caring that his wet clothes were dripping all over the floor. His small hands cupped Harry's chin and guided his face down so it was level with his. Harry's eyes slowly cracked open, revealing those vibrant greens which were submerged with mossy worry."You okay?" Louis asked, a rough edge to his tone as of lack of breath. His thumb rubbed at the smooth skin of Harry's cheek, little circles of comfort. Harry let out a shaky breath and nodded with a slow blink. He seemed to have overcome his shock, and he let a lazy smile grace his lips because of Louis' presence."C'mere," Louis muttered through his smile. He opened his arms and let Harry walk willingly into them. However, Louis seemed to have forgotten that his clothes were soaked through: his jacket slippery wet, his jeans saturated, and his shoes sodden. Harry immediately bounced back with a cry and face of horror. Louis was freezing to the touch, in contrast to the warmth of Harry."Oops," Louis winced. "Sorry, I forgot."Harry sighed and shook his head in a motherly way, tutting through his teeth. He rolled his eyes at Louis' carelessness and grabbed his hand. Louis went to question him as Harry pulled him up the stairs, but his words fell short when he was shoved into the bathroom. Harry had snatched a towel from the pile of washing on the landing and shoved it in Louis' arms. He scuttled out the room and returned with a pair of baggy, light grey tracksuit bottoms and a plain white t-shirt, placing them on the small countertop.Louis just watched as Harry stood in the middle of the room, evidently thinking about something. Remembrance dawned over his face and he snatched the towel from Louis' clutch, placing it on the heated towel rail carefully to warm it up. He walked over to the bath and reached up to turn the shower head on, letting his hand stray under the warm water for a few moments to test its temperature. Once he was satisfied, Louis watched as he turned back around to him and pointed to Louis and then to the shower.Louis had to resist letting the words, "N'aw Harry!" squeal from his mouth. He found Harry acting so motherly absolutely adorable, especially when he looked so determined as he did then to care for Louis. The whole point of Louis coming over to Harry's house was to comfort and care for him, not the other way around. But Louis wasn't complaining, especially when Harry was acting like he was.It was as if nature knew what Louis was about to say, and wanted to provide some extra evidence to back up his words. Instead of providing noisy thunder that wouldn't be able to be heard over the shower, a flash of lightening brightened the room and Louis saw Harry visibly flinch."Harry," Louis said calmly. "I'm here to make sure you're alright. I can't do that if I'm in the shower and you're stuck all by yourself."Harry shook his head determinedly and batted his hand through the air as if to say "It's fine"."But-"Harry looked at Louis sharply and placed his hands on Louis' biceps, guiding him closer to the shower as if to make his point obvious. The unwavering look in Harry's eyes made Louis let out a sigh of defeat. "Fine, fine. But I'll be as quick as I can, and if you need me, you just knock on the door or come in and get me, alright?"Harry nodded with a smile and bright eyes and started to walk out."For anything at all, okay? Even if you're just the teensiest bit afraid or worried, you'll come and get me won't you?"Harry rolled his eyes but his grin widened, and he nodded firmly. He made his way out, shutting the door closed behind him. Louis couldn't hear his retreating footsteps, but he had a feeling that he'd returned to the living room downstairs. He let out a sigh, chuckling under his breath at Harry's antics, and started peeling off his wet clothes to then clamber under the heated pellets of water.

Louis sighed into his mug as he wiggled around under the duvet, settling himself. His back was supported by the armrest and he was facing Harry, the younger boy mirroring his position at the other end of the sofa. Their feet were tangled together in mess of limbs, and Louis was finding it difficult not to let his toe rub against the skin of Harry's ankle. The thick duvet hid everything underneath and kept the warmth surrounding them, almost locking them away and keeping them safe. The storm was still occurring, even after Louis shower -which was surprisingly speedy for him- but Harry hadn't seemed too shaken up when he found the boy curled on the sofa.He'd carried down Harry's duvet with him, ready for him and Harry to snuggle up under. He knew the boy wouldn't mind. Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't been in his room before, and he wasn't snooping there either, just simply whipping the cover off of the bed and dragging it downstairs with him. They'd settled down under the warmth, but Louis still had a few goosebumps pulling at his skin. Harry's clothing was too big on him, the bottoms having to be tightened to the tightest they could be or else they'd hang too low down, the bottoms having to be rolled up, and the t-shirt being baggy at the bottom and the sleeves longer than they were supposed to be.Harry had instantly piped up and told him to wait while he went to get him -and Louis quotes- 'The best drink in the world'. He'd returned with two mugs clutched between his fingers, one maroon with faded yellow writing that Louis couldn't quite work out the words to, and one light blue mug with a white floral pattern covering it. His tongue was peeking out through his lips as he walked steadily over to him, and Louis leaned forward to take the blue mug from him as he bent to hand it over. It confused Louis, when he felt the warmth of the mug but saw the clear of the liquid and smell of lemon.

It's hot lemonade. It's nice, seriously.

Harry wrote on his whiteboard, showing Louis quickly before picking his mug up again and settling into the cushions.Louis watched as Harry's lips pouted into a ring, blowing out cool air into the mug. He kept blowing until he looked satisfied, and then hesitantly raised the maroon ceramic up to his lips. He tipped it slowly, and let the liquid ease into his parted lips. Once he'd sipped some of it, and lowered the mug, he swallowed it and let out a sigh, closing his eyes lazily with a tug at the corners of his lips.Louis was pleasantly surprised when he tried the hot beverage, having expected it to be too sickly sweet but have a bitter aftertaste. It was better than he thought, and when he expressed that to Harry, the boy seemed utterly pleased with himself. Louis wouldn't admit it openly, but the moments when they sat in silence, just sipping at their drinks, he could imagine him and Harry doing the same thing many years in the future, maybe even when they were old and grey.It seemed that the storm had calmed as they were drinking, less rain bashing off the window and thunder not being as loud. Louis was chatting away to Harry aimlessly, but he wasn't sure if Harry was listening. He had a smile tugging at his lips though, so whether he was actually listening to the words or just Louis' voice, that was a conundrum, but it was enough for Louis to keep chattering away."-And I mean, I was only asking Harley to make sure the music was ready, but she just flipped her shit at me! I was like-"A loud bang rang through the air, the lights flickering in the house and the rain crashing off the window with more force than before. Louis' words were cut off prematurely from the noise, the lightening following the clap of thunder promptly and lighting up the room. Lighting up Harry's expression.His green eyes were wide in what could only be described as fear, flickering around the room but always returning back to the window. The gold speckles were wrapped in scare and worry, maybe even some mortification in there too, but the fear was the most prominent. His blinking was quick and panicked. His eyebrows were furrowed into a worried line, creases lining his forehead. His lips were parted, his chest heaving in and out quickly.When another crash of thunder sounded, Harry flinched, his body jumping under the covers. Subconsciously, his hand flapped around on top of the duvet, searching. It slapped over Louis' hand and gripped onto it tightly, squeezing it white."Harry," Louis whispered softly. He didn't want to scare Harry with brash and tense tones, so he kept his voice steady and calm. Harry's eyes flickered over to him when he spoke, his breathing still short and quick. Louis pulled on his hand using their interlocked fingers and brought the boy closer to him. He settled him in his side, letting the warm duvet cocoon them in the warmth and safety. Harry's head was caught on his chest, and Louis' fingers wandered up to those soft curls to rub at Harry's scalp. The action seemed to calm the younger boy a little, but it was soon that Louis realised that the hand that lay on Louis' chest beside Harry's head was shaking with tiny tremors."Oh God. Harry, baby, it's okay," Louis reassured. He lowered his head so his quiet voice was close to Harry's ear, hoping that it'd be the only thing the boy could hear so he could block out the scary noises surrounding them."Nothing's going to happen, sweetheart. We're safe here," Louis rubbed his back reassuringly and pressed a kiss by Harry's ear."I'm here. I've got you, darling; I've got you." The two sat together, bodies pressed against each other's in search of comfort and safety. Harry's shaking had reduced to odd shivers, and the fear in his eyes had melted away to only the gold flecks being covered in fright. Harry had scooted further up so he was sitting more upright, and his head was leaning on Louis' shoulder. Their hands were still intertwined in the middle of them, and Louis kept giving comforting squeezes every now and again. The wind was still wrapping around the windows and whooshing noises still tried to break into the house, so Louis made sure that Harry wasn't concentrating on said noises."Just think, babe, in a couple of weeks we'll be in Italy. We won't have to bother with any bad weather like this because it'll always be lovely and sunny," Louis smiled down at Harry, who was peeking from underneath his curls. His eyes lit up at the remembrance, and he sunk back into Louis chest with a content sigh. "Just imagine us, strolling down the streets with the sun on our backs, our hands swinging back and forth, making our way down to the beach so we can sit there all day until the sun starts setting. Maybe we'll bring a picnic down with us, so we can stay there for tea too. We'll have a blanket, obviously, so when it gets chilly we can wrap up together. Sounds perfect, don't you think?"

It had been a very cautious conversation, guarded and wary, when the two boys approached Anne to ask about their loosely planned holiday. When Anne was dropping Louis off back home, he'd offered for them to come in for a cup of tea, stating that he and Harry needed to ask her something. He'd sent Harry a cautionary look to check that the timing was right, and although Harry's eyes held some worry, he seemed pleased with the suggestion nonetheless.Harry had seemed somewhat awed when he walked into Louis' flat. It wasn't anything special, not at all. After all, he lived there by himself so it wasn't big, and it was still rather messy. He apologised for the mess, but Anne had batted that away with a mutter about her Uni days. But still, Harry's eyes were scanning around immediately and getting a feel for Louis' life.Louis had been the one to ease the conversation into the topic at hand, as they sat around the small kitchen table with tea in cups -but water in Harry's case. When Louis had told them their idea, Anne had been shocked, eyes wide and mouth agape. She'd looked at Gemma in search for a reaction similar to hers, but Gemma only shrugged and offered an encouraging smile. The mother had spluttered out words of confusion and surprise, none really making much sense.As Louis explained everything calmly and orderly, pointing out facts and figures which he'd guessed would be true, Harry had sat with his green eyes swarming in hope. He wanted her to say yes so bad; he could feel his heart lurching with every noise she made. She could easily say no, after all. Harry wasn't even classed as an adult yet. He knew that she would find it difficult to let him go, they were with each other constantly and with Harry's condition added onto that, she was more protective than anyone.A sliver of hope was, in fact, Gemma. She'd already agreed to it, Louis had informed him, so they had one more person to persuade his mother. Harry could sense that he'd get a grilling from her that evening to make sure that, even if Anne said no, it was actually what he wanted. He'd tell her the truth, tell her that yes, he wanted to go more than anything: that he wanted to go to Italy, that he wanted to go with Louis, that he wanted to go with his boyfriend, that he didn't mind the fact they'd be alone because he knew Louis would never force him into anything. He'd tell her that he wanted some space, that he wanted to prove that he could be independent and that he and Louis could look after themselves.It took a lot of persuading, a lot of questioning, a lot of reassuring, a lot of promises, to get Anne to answer definitively. After speaking to Harry in private, maybe even shedding a few tears of pride and worry, she told Louis that yes, they were allowed to go on holiday together. Of course she'd set rules and regulations, and promised that there would be many more to come in the following weeks. The two boys knew that they had to let her do what she wanted, take on what she said, because at the end of the day, she had given them permission over all of her worries and qualms.She was going to organise everything for them; she said that it'd make her feel better to know exactly where they were staying and that she'd chosen it appropriately. Louis had denied her offer to pay for him, and assured her that he could pay. He wasn't actually sure whether he could pay, but his acting skills came in handy when he told her that it was no bother. He'd find a way, even if it meant trying to wangle his way into Zayn's wallet.Louis didn't mind Anne doing everything; he didn't mind that they had to ask permission. In some way, it was reassuring. His boyfriend's parent had granted him permission to even just be with him, let alone the fact she'd let him take him out of the country for a few days. It didn't bother him at all that Harry had a protective mother. They had a relationship apart from her, forgetting about the small details that any mother in her situation would want control over. They were an independent couple, they had their own private time which was just theirs and it didn't go past the two of them.Louis had let the family out, pulling Harry back just before he walked through the door to press a kiss on his lips. Harry had giggled to himself as he walked away afterwards, and Louis felt his heart bubble with happiness. He, Louis Tomlinson, was going to take Harry Styles on holiday; the thought was nothing less than exciting.

The couple were still cuddling on the sofa a while after Harry's panic, Harry still sitting snug in Louis' side. The whiteboard was lying on Louis' lap, along with the pen, but neither had been picked up or used. They'd sat in silence for a small while, just listening to the rain. Somehow, Harry wasn't so scared of the heavy lashing when his face was buried in Louis' chest. Louis had chattered a bit in a quiet tone, but the calm atmosphere had settled Harry into normality and he didn't want to break that.Louis' right hand had been starting to trace patterns on Harry's shoulder, but with a shudder from the younger boy he had dropped it almost as soon as he had started. Louis could never be sure where Harry was at. Sometimes he was fine with contact, things like hugs and cuddles seemed to be comfortable for him. But light touches were the ones which made his muscles tense. Louis didn't know why that was, he wasn't a psychologist, but he left it just to the workings of Harry's mind. It was a complicated playground, and although Louis wanted to partake, some things were to be left unused.The serenity was soon broken again though after another, more fierce, clap of thunder and a harsher, almost pink, flash of bright lightening lighting up the sky. The lights flickered, and then turned off with a 'ping' of the metal. The DVD player which had murmured away unnoticeably the whole time stopped with a whoosh. The room was engulfed in darkness, even the light from the window being cut off as the street lights' orange glow turned grey and misty.Harry had jumped and Louis heard the catch of his breath. It was like time held still for Harry and he was frozen in his tensed position. His shoulders were hunched up and his arms were clamped around Louis' body. His fingertips had automatically gripped onto the light material of Louis' t-shirt. His toes were curled up defensively to match his fingers.A whimper escaped Harry's lips and fed into Louis' ears. Louis' head snapped down to Harry in response to the small whine of fright. He buried his face right into the crook of Louis' neck so he was completely hidden from the dark cloak around them. Louis could feel the short breaths Harry was taking hitting off his neck. The tanned skin was becoming clammy, but he'd never move Harry from somewhere he found comfort."Shit," Louis cursed under his breath. "Harry. C'mon, look at me, please."Harry shook his head into Louis' body in refusal, another whimper spearing through the silent air. It was such a quiet, solitary noise that seemed to taste so bitter in the air. Louis hated seeing Harry so petrified, it broke his heart. It wasn't the fact that Harry looked so innocent, although that was a factor -but not in those clothes he was wearing, those tracksuit bottoms were hung so low on his hips (well, his body) that Louis found it hard to keep his fingers from tickling over the (they were light blue) boxers that were on show-, but it was how much comfort he needed. He was seeking it from Louis. He wanted soothing mutters and reassuring scalp-rubs. So Louis was happy to provide that."M'serious, babe; look at me. It's all going to be alright. Nothing's going to happen to us; we're safe in here," Louis said softly. Harry finally raised his head from the crook of Louis' neck and looked at Louis, his eyes flickering around his face and not meeting his eyes in panic. He shook his head 'no'."We are safe, baby, nothing's going to happen to us, I swear," Louis assured. He cupped Harry's jaw with his hands to keep his face from returning to that coven of comfort. "Are you- are you scared of the dark, Harry?"Harry's eyes widened and he shook his head strongly."Haz- it isn't something to be ashamed of, seriously, we all have our fea-"Harry shook his head, releasing his grip on Louis' shirt to gesture 'no' with his hands. He scrambled around for the whiteboard and pen which had been lost in the mound of duvet, and wrote down shakily:I'm not scared of the dark. I just...don't like it when there's a storm..."Oh right...Well, we can sort that out, can't we?" Louis said optimistically.The electricity has gone, Lou...we can't really sort it out until the storm is over...Louis rolled his eyes playfully, "God, kids these days! Haven't you ever heard of candles? In my day, we-" Realisation dawned on Harry's face, and with a smile, he slapped Louis on the arm jokily to end the Grandma-voice that Louis was mimicking."Come on then, show me where these bad boys are," Louis said with a grin, standing up and holding his hand out for Harry to take. Harry took it and let Louis heave him up from the warm confines of the duvet cocoon. Harry didn't deny the flutter in his stomach when Louis kept tight a hold of his hand as they searched the house for candles; it was too much of a heart-warming action to forget about.

Once they'd carefully placed candles around the living room, lighting them with the matches cautiously, they settled back down on the sofa. The little candles had created a warm glow to the room, much more authentic than the usual overhead light that blared with bright yellow. They were small flickers of an orange glow, merging together, some of them, to create lighter and darker tones in the room. Some were placed on the coffee table in front of them, some on the counter where the TV sat, and some others on the fireplace ledge.It was almost romantic.Neither had taken notice of the time, but their stomachs seemed to be aware of it and rumbled loudly. Louis' gurgle was followed swiftly by Harry's grumbling stomach, making the both of them collapse into a fit of giggles at their in-sync stomachs. Louis had offered to go make them something, although he wasn't the best cook and Harry was considerably better. He could make something simple though, and that was his plan. That was until he tried to turn the electric oven on and nothing happened."Oh fuck," he muttered. "Harry, I don't know if you've noticed, but we kind of don't have any electricity," he called through to living room, still fiddling with the knobs on the cooker as if it would magically turn on.He heard Harry laugh loudly, the sound ringing through the air and travelling straight to Louis' heart to crackle little pockets of joy throughout his veins. Harry shuffled into the kitchen, candle steady in hand, with a smile on his lips. Louis sighed, abandoning the knobs and turning to the handle of the fridge. He opened it and scanned the contents. He felt another presence by his side and saw Harry's hand holding a candle into the fridge to light it up.They both scrunched up their noses at the lack of ready-made food. Harry used his other hand to rummage around at the back, and pulled out clear containers. The held the candle up to each other, umming and ahhing at the food which lay in them. With one last slice of hope, Harry pulled out the biggest container and held it up to the light. The two made noises of delight and approval at the pizza lying cut up in the box.Picking up the candle he'd left on the table, Louis followed Harry back into the living room. They dug into the pizza, regardless of its cold state. It was vegetable, covered in green peppers and mushrooms, so it wasn't really Louis' favourite. Harry informed him of his mother's new cookbook, something to do with green foods being healthier, and told him how everything they'd been having was either green or had some green in it and he was sick of it.It was nearing the end of their make-shift dinner that Louis faced somewhat of a conundrum. That low coiling in his stomach most definitely was not because of hunger, seeing as he'd just consumed half a pizza or more. That curling that pulled softly most definitely was not the need to go to the toilet, because, well, Louis just didn't need a piss. The tingles that were sent up his chest paired with the fact his lips seemed to dry up and his tongue had to dart over them; only left one option.It was all down to Harry, naturally. He wasn't a messy eater, not at all - but don't get Louis started on how Harry ate. It was something which made his heart clench. And no, he didn't have an eating kink either, it was just that Harry ate in a very particular way, a way that was both hot and adorable at the same time, but somehow he'd let a little blob of sauce rest on the line of his bottom lip. If Louis took time to focus on the fact that that incriminating lip was stained red with sauce, he'd have been pouncing on the boy without even being able to stop himself. So he didn't; he kept that thought just behind the one which was eager to be pulled into action.He could imagine it. Feel it. Taste it.He could picture the way he'd approach that little dab of sauce. He could imagine the way his tongue would swipe across it and it'd vanish from the pale skin, maybe leaving an orange stain that would need more wetness to be void from the white colour. He could feel the way his rough tongue would smooth against Harry's lip, the way it'd plump out to the side as he put pressure on it. He could-"Ow!" Louis exclaimed. He focussed on Harry with a frown, rubbing at the sore patch the whiteboard had created. "What was that for?!"

You were looking at me weirdly..."I...no I wasn't!"

Yes you were, you were being all...dark"What do you mean 'dark'? I wasn't!"

Your eyes were all narrowed and you were biting your bottom lip. Your eyes were a darker blue, by the way, I don't know how you did that but it was really..cool..and...hot...Louis gulped. "I was?" he squeaked.

Yeh, you were. What did it mean? What were you thinking of?"N-nothing..." Louis fidgeted. He hadn't realised that he'd been so obviously checking Harry out. From what Harry was saying, it was as if he'd basically just written his thoughts on a banner and pinned it to a motorway overpass.

Tell me!Harry was pouting adorably and- oh, that sauce is still there and- God, he hasn't noticed it, don't please- oh really, Harry? You just had to bite your lip like that?"It wasn't anything, I- it was nothing."

Pleeeease tell me! I want to know! I'll keep nagging you until you tell me, and you know how annoying I can get when I want something. So you may as well just save yourself the battle and tell me"I..just- you have a bit of sauce on your lip, that's all," Louis choked. Harry's eyebrows furrowed. He lifted his fingers to his mouth and started rubbing at the side of his lips, the opposite side to the sauce."Uh no, it's on the other side," Louis said, awkwardness flooding his tone as he scratched the back of his neck.Maybe Harry was doing it on purpose, but when he switched sides, he started rubbing above his top lip rather than the spot directly below where the sauce lay."No, you twat, it's over here," Louis said with a shake of his head. He kneeled up and leant over to reach Harry. He brought his thumb up to the splodge and let it run over it, Harry's red lip so smooth and soft under his thumb. It wasn't his tongue, but it was still enough for heat to creep up Louis' neck. It was as if the previous atmosphere had dissipated into thick tension: sexual tension.Louis couldn't help but stare deep into Harry's eyes, which were for once connecting with his. He couldn't really tell what Harry was feeling, which emotions lay in the green depths, but they were darkening even without Harry realising. The deeper green made Louis' heart thump in his chest. He hadn't even realised that his thumb was still pressed against Harry's lip; he was so caught up in Harry's eyes.He leaned in slowly, not even fully realising what he was doing, and peeled his thumb from the scarlet plump. He lifted it to his mouth and sucked it off, still staring at Harry. He moved it over to Harry's cheek where he went to cup his jaw once again that night, but for total different reasons. When his lips pressed against Harry's, there was no protest from the younger boy, only his eyelids fluttering shut. His lips weren't fully flush against Harry's though, they lay a little to the right. He ghosted them over so they were aligned, staying there for a few seconds to just feel Harry's warmth and let the tension fill his bones.His other hand slid up into Harry's curls, and for some reason, as if the silky threads through his fingers had caused a rush of high through his veins, his feelings seemed to multiply by ten. His fingers clenched and his lips pressed hard against Harry's. His lips were already parted, not closed in a normal kiss like they'd had before. Harry's lips were still stuck together as usual, but Louis' mind urged for more.He growled into Harry's lips and closed them hungrily. It was almost like biting, how he kept opening and closing his lips over Harry's and pulling them away. It failed to register that this wasn't normal for them, that his actions on Harry were lost as he wasn't reacting. He wasn't frozen or scared; he just seemed to not know how to respond.It was when Harry's hand gripped onto his hip that he was pulled out of his blur of sexual rushes. He pulled away from, basically, nibbling on Harry's lips, with wide, mortified eyes."Oh my God. Shit. Fuck. Harry. Shit. God," Louis let a jumble of curses and incoherent words tumble from his mouth as he sat back on his heels, horrified. "I am so so sorry, Harry. Oh fuck, I've just ruined everything. Please, Harry, I swear I didn't realise I was doing it, don't hate me, please. I won't do it again until you're ready, I-" a hand clamped over his mouth and stopped his babbling.

Do it againHarry wrote, shyly showing it to Louis."Huh?" Louis made a noise of confusion.

I said, do it again"But I-"

I want you to...teach me"Teach you?" Louis, almost, squeaked.

Yes, like..tell me what to do..."How to...kiss?"

Yeh, but properly. Like making out and stuff..."You....really?" Louis asked breathlessly. The air had been knocked out of him the instant Harry had asked him to 'teach him'.

Not like...with tongue though...I'm not ready for that, sorry"Don't apologise! Fuck, Harry, never apologise for anything like that, alright?"

Sure. But I do want to do this"You...you don't feel like you...have to, do you?" Louis asked cautiously.

What? No, of course not. I'd never do anything I didn't want to. I *want* to do this. I want to be able to kiss you properly."You're definitely ready for that?"

Totally. I know it's fast, I mean, I only had my first kiss like last week. But I really like you, and I think I'm comfortable doing it. It's nothing major, right?"Well for you it is- wait, that sounded wrong. I just, this is a big thing, Haz. It's a lot to do for someone who isn't keen on much contact. I only want what's best for you, that's all. I need to make sure that you're comfortable with this, the idea of it."

I am, I swear. I'll be shit at it, I know I will, but that won't be because I don't want to do it, it'll be because I don't know how to. I'll only be awkward because I have no experience in kissing at all, let alone kissing like that, not because I don't like the...feel or anything."Are you su-"

Just shut up and kiss me"Right, okay," Louis muttered under his breath. He leaned in again, kneeling back up so he towered over Harry. He dipped his head so when Harry's head was tilted up, his lips could meet the younger boy's easily."You just...follow my lead, okay? And pull away if you don't like it," Harry nodded and craned upwards a little to make their lips meet.As normal, Louis kept his lips steady on Harry's for a few seconds to let themselves adjust. Slowly and cautiously, he kept the firm press against Harry's lips, but eased his lips open. The movement caused Harry's to prize open, the soft noise of them parting being loud in the silent room. He let their lips stay stationary but open, letting Harry adjust to the change.When he felt like Harry was ready, he pulled his lips from Harry's and replaced them back on so they changed position ever so slightly. Harry seemed to gain courage, and he copied Louis' movements, sending a surge of pride through Louis' chest over Harry's growing confidence. The gentle smack as their lips parted and pressed together, the little crackle, made Louis' insides churn with heat.Louis twisted his head to the side, guiding his hand up to Harry's head to slowly direct it the opposite way so their lips could slot together. Leisurely, Louis started moving his lips in the new position, even though Harry wasn't reacting just yet. He seemed hesitant to do anything different, not wanting to do something wrong. But Louis let his thumb rub over the skin of his cheek to urge the boy to take the leap and follow his lead. Harry's lips moved with inexperience, slightly sloppy but cautious at the same time.As they continued to kiss, his apprehension seemed to fade a little and he had the confidence to twist his head to the side, making Louis be the one to move to accommodate Harry instead.Finally, Louis eased his lips away from Harry's. The boy's lips followed his until they parted, and he looked up at Louis with big, glassy eyes. His eyes spoke out questions, asking whether he'd been okay."You were perfect," Louis said simply, not needing any more words to express how he found it. Harry smiled happily, pleased with himself. With a delighted grin, he reached for his whiteboard and wrote down something. A cheeky smirk graced his lips as he showed it to Louis, no shyness present.

You think we could give it another go?Louis just laughed loudly, and dipped his head back down again with a content smile on his lips.