Promises
pairing Harry/Louis
rating: G
word count: k
It was about three in the morning when Harry and Louis stumbled into their flat, the older boy supporting the intoxicated younger one as they made their way down the hall. Harry giggled uncontrollably as Louis half-dragged him to the brunette’s bedroom; Harry chose to trail his fingers over his flatmate’s arm rather than help himself stand upright.
After some tricky maneuvering, Louis managed to get his lanky friend into the bedroom, smiling to himself as he listened to the hum of Harry’s mindless babble. The other members of the band found Harry to be highly annoying when he was drunk (which was probably fair) so when he reached such a state, they delegated the responsibility of caretaker to Louis. Not that Louis minded; he found Harry’s happy chatter to be rather endearing, and since he had always felt protective over the kid, he was more than willing to take on the role.
Harry fell silent as Louis stripped him down to his boxers, watching the other boy with hazy green eyes. He didn’t speak either when the smaller boy gently pushed him into bed, tugging the sheets up over Harry’s long body. But when Louis turned to leave, the inebriated boy caught his wrist.
“Stay with me?”
Louis’ eyes softened as they fell upon the boy tucked under the blue blankets, looking fragile and childlike despite his less-than-innocent situation. “Of course,” he smiled, kicking off his shoes and removing his outer layers of clothing before pulling the covers back to curl up next to his friend.
A sigh escaped the Harry’s lips as he snuggled into the older boy’s bare chest. There were a few minutes like this before he broke the silence. “I’ve decided something.”
“Mmmm?” Louis hummed sleepily. “What would that be?”
With absolute conviction, and a disturbing lack of emotion, the boy replied, “I’m going to be alone forever.”
“What??” Louis jerked himself out of his semiconscious state. “Don’t be ridiculous, of course you won’t. Why would you even say that?”
Harry’s curls tickled against his sternum when the boy shaking his head emphatically. “No. It’s not ridiculous. That kind of a relationship just isn’t in the cards for me.”
The sober boy laughed shakily. “You’re a wonderful lad, Haz. One day you’ll meet a lovely girl who will fall head over heels for you and you’ll live happily ever after, I know it.”
Harry snorted, tightening his grip on Louis’ waist. “I don’t think so. I just don’t click with people that way.”
“I’m offended, Harry. I definitely thought you and I had some serious clickage going on here, but if you don’t think so then I’m gonna have to reevaluate my life.” Louis winced at his weak attempt at a joke. He wasn’t experienced with this kind of conversation, especially not with his usually cheerful best friend, and he didn’t know how to act.
“No, no, you’re the exception,” Harry slurred. “But you’ve got Eleanor, and you don’t love me.”
Louis’ insides twisted at the younger boy’s admission. ”I do love you, Haz. More than anything.”
“You know what I mean, Lou. You don’t love me that way. And that’s fine, I don’t expect you to.” Harry lifted his head to look at the older boy’s face, which flickered with a myriad of emotions he was too sloshed to comprehend.
“Hey there, don’t worry about me! We’ll always be best mates and I’ve got the other boys too, I don’t need marriage and kids. That sounds boring anyway, who wants to be tied down?” Harry chuckled lightheartedly, but Louis detected a note of longing in his tone. The curly hair dropped back onto his shoulder and the boy nuzzled into his neck. “Sorry, Boo. I didn’t mean to make you sad. Just forget I said anything. It’s really not a big deal.”
Louis threaded his fingers through his flatmate’s hair, combing the curls back from the boy’s face as he stared unblinkingly up at the ceiling. His mind swirled with thoughts, thoughts that he was much too tired to sort through at this late hour. He felt Harry’s breaths even out and slow against his collarbones, falling into a peaceful doze that Louis didn’t think he could achieve if he tried. How long had these worries been plaguing his friend? Or was it just the alcohol talking? Either way, Louis didn’t think he could leave things as they were; he had to do something to comfort the young boy snoring softly against his throat.
“Hey, Harry?” he spoke quietly, feeling almost guilty at interrupting the boy in question’s peaceful rest.
“Hmmmm?” The vibrations from Harry’s deep voice, made even rougher from exhaustion, worked their way into Louis’ bones, enhancing his lucidity and prompting him to continue.
“I have an idea.”
“I’m listening.”
Louis shifted his head so his lips tickled against the sleepy boy’s ear. “If you turn forty, and you still haven’t found someone, then I’ll marry you.”
“Like a marriage pact?”
“Ha. I guess so.”
“But what about El- about Eleanor?”
Louis chuckled. “I think she’d understand.”
There was a moment of quiet where Louis feared that the other boy had drifted off again.
“Alright. But only if you mean it. I’m not marrying you if you don’t actually want to be with me.”
“I do mean it, Hazza. I promise.”
“It’s a deal then. Can’t wait to see El’s face when you break the news to her.” The older boy could feel Harry’s smirk on his skin. Good. The cheeky lad he knew so well had been returned to him.
“That’ll be quite a sight.”
The minutes dragged on, and eventually their breaths deepened and synchronized, turning them into one being as they lay intertwined together in the sheets.
“Lou?” the other boy mumbled, speech muffled against the body he was tangled with.
“Yeah?” Louis replied automatically, fighting sleep to discern the next words.
“Thanks for staying with me.”
“I’ll always stay, Hazza.”
rating: G
word count: k
It was about three in the morning when Harry and Louis stumbled into their flat, the older boy supporting the intoxicated younger one as they made their way down the hall. Harry giggled uncontrollably as Louis half-dragged him to the brunette’s bedroom; Harry chose to trail his fingers over his flatmate’s arm rather than help himself stand upright.
After some tricky maneuvering, Louis managed to get his lanky friend into the bedroom, smiling to himself as he listened to the hum of Harry’s mindless babble. The other members of the band found Harry to be highly annoying when he was drunk (which was probably fair) so when he reached such a state, they delegated the responsibility of caretaker to Louis. Not that Louis minded; he found Harry’s happy chatter to be rather endearing, and since he had always felt protective over the kid, he was more than willing to take on the role.
Harry fell silent as Louis stripped him down to his boxers, watching the other boy with hazy green eyes. He didn’t speak either when the smaller boy gently pushed him into bed, tugging the sheets up over Harry’s long body. But when Louis turned to leave, the inebriated boy caught his wrist.
“Stay with me?”
Louis’ eyes softened as they fell upon the boy tucked under the blue blankets, looking fragile and childlike despite his less-than-innocent situation. “Of course,” he smiled, kicking off his shoes and removing his outer layers of clothing before pulling the covers back to curl up next to his friend.
A sigh escaped the Harry’s lips as he snuggled into the older boy’s bare chest. There were a few minutes like this before he broke the silence. “I’ve decided something.”
“Mmmm?” Louis hummed sleepily. “What would that be?”
With absolute conviction, and a disturbing lack of emotion, the boy replied, “I’m going to be alone forever.”
“What??” Louis jerked himself out of his semiconscious state. “Don’t be ridiculous, of course you won’t. Why would you even say that?”
Harry’s curls tickled against his sternum when the boy shaking his head emphatically. “No. It’s not ridiculous. That kind of a relationship just isn’t in the cards for me.”
The sober boy laughed shakily. “You’re a wonderful lad, Haz. One day you’ll meet a lovely girl who will fall head over heels for you and you’ll live happily ever after, I know it.”
Harry snorted, tightening his grip on Louis’ waist. “I don’t think so. I just don’t click with people that way.”
“I’m offended, Harry. I definitely thought you and I had some serious clickage going on here, but if you don’t think so then I’m gonna have to reevaluate my life.” Louis winced at his weak attempt at a joke. He wasn’t experienced with this kind of conversation, especially not with his usually cheerful best friend, and he didn’t know how to act.
“No, no, you’re the exception,” Harry slurred. “But you’ve got Eleanor, and you don’t love me.”
Louis’ insides twisted at the younger boy’s admission. ”I do love you, Haz. More than anything.”
“You know what I mean, Lou. You don’t love me that way. And that’s fine, I don’t expect you to.” Harry lifted his head to look at the older boy’s face, which flickered with a myriad of emotions he was too sloshed to comprehend.
“Hey there, don’t worry about me! We’ll always be best mates and I’ve got the other boys too, I don’t need marriage and kids. That sounds boring anyway, who wants to be tied down?” Harry chuckled lightheartedly, but Louis detected a note of longing in his tone. The curly hair dropped back onto his shoulder and the boy nuzzled into his neck. “Sorry, Boo. I didn’t mean to make you sad. Just forget I said anything. It’s really not a big deal.”
Louis threaded his fingers through his flatmate’s hair, combing the curls back from the boy’s face as he stared unblinkingly up at the ceiling. His mind swirled with thoughts, thoughts that he was much too tired to sort through at this late hour. He felt Harry’s breaths even out and slow against his collarbones, falling into a peaceful doze that Louis didn’t think he could achieve if he tried. How long had these worries been plaguing his friend? Or was it just the alcohol talking? Either way, Louis didn’t think he could leave things as they were; he had to do something to comfort the young boy snoring softly against his throat.
“Hey, Harry?” he spoke quietly, feeling almost guilty at interrupting the boy in question’s peaceful rest.
“Hmmmm?” The vibrations from Harry’s deep voice, made even rougher from exhaustion, worked their way into Louis’ bones, enhancing his lucidity and prompting him to continue.
“I have an idea.”
“I’m listening.”
Louis shifted his head so his lips tickled against the sleepy boy’s ear. “If you turn forty, and you still haven’t found someone, then I’ll marry you.”
“Like a marriage pact?”
“Ha. I guess so.”
“But what about El- about Eleanor?”
Louis chuckled. “I think she’d understand.”
There was a moment of quiet where Louis feared that the other boy had drifted off again.
“Alright. But only if you mean it. I’m not marrying you if you don’t actually want to be with me.”
“I do mean it, Hazza. I promise.”
“It’s a deal then. Can’t wait to see El’s face when you break the news to her.” The older boy could feel Harry’s smirk on his skin. Good. The cheeky lad he knew so well had been returned to him.
“That’ll be quite a sight.”
The minutes dragged on, and eventually their breaths deepened and synchronized, turning them into one being as they lay intertwined together in the sheets.
“Lou?” the other boy mumbled, speech muffled against the body he was tangled with.
“Yeah?” Louis replied automatically, fighting sleep to discern the next words.
“Thanks for staying with me.”
“I’ll always stay, Hazza.”