(no subject)
Title: Breathe Me - Chapter Ten
Pairing: Harry/Louis (Larry Stylinson)
Summary: Neither Harry, nor Louis, knew what they were getting into when they boarded the Titanic that day. Nobody could have been prepared for what was about to happen to them, because nobody knew just how much their lives would change within the next few days.
Warning: Due to the time period, some homophobic context may arise.
AN: Thanks to my lovely beta, Allyssa!
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Louis licked his lips nervously, fingers slipping from their place upon the ivory keys and onto his lap. Slowly, he turned his head to see Harry gazing at him with an expression akin to awe upon his face. It made the older male flush slightly, cheeks turning slightly pink under the intense stare. “Nobody's ever said that to me before.” he admitted, voice low in the otherwise silent room.
Harry wrung his hands together nervously, trying not to let his heart pound completely out of his chest. Was that even a physical possibility? Could people really die from nerves? He really didn't want to find out, but if Louis didn't say something- anything- within the next few minutes, he'd probably know for sure. And it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Louis had this hold over him, that everything he did now seemed to revolve around the other male. Harry had never been outrageously confident, nor had he ever been in charge of anything before. For nineteen years, his father had always dominated him. Now though, it was as if Louis owned every part of him, every fibre of his being. And he didn't really mind.
“Do you mean it?” Louis was looking directly at him now, blue eyes locked onto green. Harry opened his mouth to reply but was cut short when the other boy continued, his gaze never wavering. “Love is a big word, Harry. A really big word.”
“It's four letters.” Harry quipped back, a small smile on his face. Despite the serious matter of their conversation, despite the continuous erratic beating of is heart, talking with Louis was still easy. It was strange, to have such contrasting emotions raging through him. But at the same time it felt oddly comforting, as if everything was balancing itself out. Things were finally, hopefully, fitting into place.
“You know what I mean.” Louis breathed out, closing his eyes for a moment. “Please... just answer me this seriously. Do you mean it?”
There was a pause. Harry blinked, eyes raking over Louis' features. He looked tired, as if he had resolved himself to disappointment. It was a complete juxtaposition to the expression of sheer joy that had overtaken him whilst playing, and it made Harry's heart ache not to see that blinding smile on Louis' face. He was beautiful, there was no doubting it. Everything about him, from the femininely long lashes that framed his blue eyes, to the slight stubble that covered his almost elongated jaw. But despite all that, he was beautiful inside. Louis had a beautiful personality, one that seemed to glow and attract attention to him everywhere he went. It had certainly attracted Harry's attention, and though he knew that what they had wasn't exactly traditional, he wouldn't want it any other way.
And Harry didn't even have to think about his answer before the word slipped past his lips.
“Yes.”
Louis exhaled loudly, shoulders slumping in a visible sign of relaxation. “Good,” he breathed, eyes opening once more. “because I think I- I think I might love you, too.”
There was something tugging at Harry from the inside. A feeling crashing over him like waves against a precipice and it felt amazing. Louis felt the same as he did. Louis might love him. And that was indescribable.
Surging forwards, he captured the older boy's lips with his own, fuelled by a burning desire to just touch. He wanted to touch Louis everywhere, to brush his fringe away from his forehead, to trace the creases that appeared around his eyes when he smiled, to kiss his lips, his neck. He wanted to feel the bumps of Louis' spine beneath his fingertips, to have skin pressed against skin and- Louis' tongue was swiping along his bottom lip, prodding gently in a silent request for permission. Harry keened softly, surrendering into the kiss as it only intensified. It was when he moved forward, trying to be even closer to the other boy than he already was, that Harry nearly fell from the stool they were both perched on, forced into the realization that, yeah, this wasn't going to work.
“Shit,” he panted, steadying himself. “This isn't going to work. I- can we- God, Louis.”
Louis chuckled, though still slightly breathless. He didn't think he'd ever get used to hearing Harry curse so openly. It was so surreal, yet oddly comforting in a way, to know that they weren't that different. “What, Harry?” he asked, breath tickling the younger boy's face slightly.
“Can we move?” Harry licked his lips, eyes flickering around the room, “to the couch? This- this stool is really small.”
“Yes,” Louis nodded breathlessly, removing his arms which had somehow wrapped around Harry's waist. “you're right, come on.”
How they managed to move over to the couch without tripping over themselves was a mystery to Harry. They were both breathless and a little light-headed, gleeful to a point of near ecstasy as they fell, limbs entangled in an intimate embrace, onto the cushioned piece of furniture.
They wasted no time in being reacquainted with the other's mouth, sealing their lips together in a kiss that would have made even the least faint-hearted people blush. It was passionate; pure, raw passion burning through every fibre of Harry and Louis' bodies, consuming them.
“I want you.” Louis whispered, tearing their lips apart in order to breathe. “So badly. Christ, I want you so much.”
“You've got me.” Harry replied, tracing feather-light pecks along Louis jaw, moving languidly to his neck where he bit down gently, sucking a piece of the flesh into his mouth like he had seen so many people do before. If he were being honest, he didn't know what he was doing at all. He had heard about people doing this, leaving marks to show that that person belonged to someone, and Louis belonged to him now, him alone and he was Louis' in return. Utterly and complete. Besides, the guttural moan that erupted from the other boy told Harry he was doing something right.
“No, more. Want- shit do that again- want more of you. All of you.”
Harry pulled away, looking down at the blushing man beneath him. “Are you saying...?”
Louis bit his lip, blushing at what he was suggesting. ”If... If you wanted to.”
Both were silent after that, simply staring at the other for what felt like hours but really, was only a few seconds. Harry knew that he trusted Louis. He trusted him more than he had ever trusted anybody in his entire life and it was scary. He'd known this boy about three days and already felt a connection to him so strong it shook him to the core. And he wanted him.
“I do... want to. You've got me.” the younger boy repeated, lips parting slightly as he breathed in deeply. “But...” Harry ducked his head bashfully, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. “I don't really know what we're supposed to be doing. I've never... y'know.”
Louis grinned. Knowing that Harry hadn't been touched by another, that he was willing to give that to him... it made him feel slightly euphoric. He knew he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve such a gift from this boy who'd had so much taken from him throughout his life, but Harry was willing to let Louis be the first. And Louis was human; he was selfish and despite not even knowing Harry existed a mere month ago, he couldn't imagine a life without him now.
“It's okay.” he said softly, hands grazing along Harry's sides. “I've got a brief idea.”
~*~
“So what's your name then?” Lottie grinned, wrapping her arms tighter around the infant in her lap.
“I'm Cara .” the four year old grinned. Her voice was rather quiet and Lottie had to strain to hear it over the obnoxiously loud music coming from around her. She knew there was a reason she hadn't attended any of these below deck parties before, but Niall had been insistent. It hadn't taken much pleading on his account to crack Zayn, and once he agreed, how could Lottie not?
“Well Cara, where's your Mummy or Daddy? You're not here alone, are you?”
The younger girl shook her head, red curls bouncing slightly as she pointed a chubby finger towards the dance floor. “They're dancing there, see?”
Looking over, Lottie did see. A woman and a man, both seemingly in their early thirties, dancing together to the rhythm pulsing around them as though they were the only people in the world. Really, the sixteen year old felt like she was intruding on a private moment by simply looking at the two. Smiling, Lottie averted her gaze only for it to lock on a familiar pair of brown eyes from across the room. Zayn grinned at her, raising his glass of beer in a silent toast before taking a generous sip. She couldn't help but stare as his adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed, completely enthralled by his movements. Her cheeks burned as she realised she'd been staring, refocusing her eyes on the little girl in her lap, currently talking away at a million miles per hour.
“-and Daddy says that when we dock in America I can start school properly, because it was too difficult to get to the one back home. Mummy's teaching me how to write, it's hard but I can do my name now!” Cara beamed, pride evident in her eyes.
“That's great!” Lottie smiled, squeezing her in a hug. “Only big girls can write their names, you know. You must be really smart.”
“I am.” the younger grinned, blushing furiously at the compliment. “I-”
“Excuse me ladies,” both Lottie and Cara looked up at the interruption, eyes widening as they noticed that Zayn was now stood in front of them, not a foot away. “I was wondering if I could borrow Charlotte for this next dance? I promise to return her to you afterwards.”
Lottie blushed, looking hopefully down at the younger girl who suddenly looked rather shy at the new presence around her. “What do you say, Cara?”
Cara nodded, sliding off of Lottie's lap silently as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Thank you,” Lottie whispered, leaning down to kiss the younger girls cheek before standing up. “I'll be back soon.”
Trying to ignore the warmth that spread along her arm as Zayn grabbed her hand to lead her to the dance floor, Lottie shuffled along, narrowly avoiding being stepped on my a clearly drunk man in his 40s. “This place is crazy!” she laughed, enjoying the soft hum of people around her as the current music came to an end.
“Brilliant, isn't it?” Zayn asked, coming to a stop on a vacated section of the floor that had been allocated as the dance floor, winding his arms around the younger girl's waist as the music began again.
“I-” Lottie paled a little, palms sweating as she placed her hands on his shoulders. “I don't know this song.”
“Neither do I.” Zayn admitted, humour evident in his voice. “but I promise to try and not step on your feet.”
As the beat circulated around them, Lottie didn't have time to panic. Instead, she was swept into the dance, turning and spinning as appropriately as she could muster, imitating the other couples dancing. It was liberating, really. To move so quickly, not thinking about her movements until they happened and as Zayn's hand ghosted over her lower back, she couldn't help but think 'I could get used to this.'
~*~
Louis' skin was burning as it connected with Harry's; bare chest against bare chest. It was probably one of the best things in the world, to be able to feel so physically close to a person that it was almost as though you were one. As cheesy as it sounded, it was also fantastic.
He pulled away from Harry's lips to shimmy down on the couch slightly, sucking kisses into the other boys flesh. He had just passed his collar bones when something caught his eye, making him smile. “Four nipples? Really?”
Harry blushed, moving his arms in attempt to cover himself up but Louis got there first, capturing his wrists and pinning them gently above his head. “Don't.”
“But-”
“But nothing.” Louis smiled, leaning up to kiss his lips softly before relinquishing his hold on Harry's wrists, moving his own hands down to rest on the other's trouser clad hips. The younger boy made no effort to move his arms, though. Leaving them above his head, resting against the arm rest of the couch. “You're beautiful.”
Harry stared down at him, breathing heavily. There were small areas of pink across his skin, left from the attention of Louis' mouth, and he had never felt so insecure in his life. “You... you really don't mind?”
Louis smiled mischievously before ducking his head, bringing his lips to the hardened nubs and kissing each one gently, silently admiring the goosebumps that arose on the surrounding skin because of his touch. Upon reaching the fourth, his tongue darted out and swirled around it slowly, coating it with a thin sheen of saliva. When he pulled back to meet Harry's eyes, they were no longer the emerald green that had entranced him for so long. Instead, his pupils had dilated to the point where they were almost the most prominent part of him; lust and love shimmering within the darkness.
His breath caught in his throat, speech becoming nearly impossible, but without looking away he managed to utter three simple words that made them both even needier.
“Not at all.”
~*~
“Where's Cara?” Lottie shouted over the music, manoeuvring her way through the crowd with Zayn by her side. “I promised her I'd go back.”
Managing to get to the sidelines of the dance floor, away from the hustle and bustle, Lottie paused for a second to catch her breath. As it had turned out, one dance became three and, though the teenager had initially felt a little guilty for leaving the infant for much longer than she had said she would, she had enjoyed every second of it. It had felt right.
“There!” Zayn pointed to across the room to where a small, red-headed girl was now sat smiling and chatting to a very drunk looking Niall. “It looks like she's found someone else to bother.” he grinned.
Playfully nudging him in the ribs, Lottie smiled. “She was no bother. She's nice, really. But it does look like I'm no longer needed to keep her company” she giggled.
“So...” Zayn bit his lip, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck awkwardly. “Do you want to get out of here? Maybe take a walk, or... something?”
Lottie blushed, glancing between her roommate and her new friend, before nodding. “Yeah... that would be nice.”
And, taking the plunge, she slipped her fingers between his.
~*~
“Christ, Louis.” Harry groaned, bucking his hips as Louis nimble fingers popped the button to his trousers open, slightly easing the pressure on his crotch.
“Okay?” the older boy asked softly, forehead resting against Harry's. They were both sweating slightly, bodies trembling in a mix of nerves, anticipation and desire and Louis desperately wanted to reach up and brush away a small curl that was sticking to Harry's forehead, but his hands were otherwise occupied.
“Yeah,” Harry gazed up at him, cheeks flushed and lips swollen. There was something about him that made him practically glow, a certain happiness that was radiating from him, and Louis was fairly certain he was reflecting it. “More than okay... don't stop now.”
Louis smiled, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of Harry's trousers and pulling slightly, revealing the smooth skin of his hips, and then, the edge of his underwear. Leaning down, he peppered kisses along the dip of Harry's hips, tongue darting out to trace the outline of bone.
Harry was breathing raggedly now, no sense of a regular pattern evident. His skin was on fire; every inch that Louis touched left burning and craving attention. He was like a drug, addictive and overwhelming.
His fingertips slid beneath the band of Harry's underwear, skimming over his skin in a way that was so feather-light it was almost unbearable, and then- an emphatic screeching filled the air. An almost metallic wailing accompanied by a tremble that vibrated throughout the entire room shook the two boys from their passionate reverie; fear and confusion replacing any emotion that they had felt in the previous few seconds.
It lasted for an obscene period of time, so long that Louis even found himself thinking 'this is it. This is the end.' but then, it stopped. Replaced by nothing; a deadly silence overtaking their surroundings.
Panting, Harry's gaze met with Louis' once more, voicing the question they were both thinking.
“What the hell was that?”