(no subject)
Title: Breathe Me - Chapter Eleven
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. Also, possible historical inaccuracies. Oops.
AN: Thanks to my lovely Beta, Allyssa.
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“I assure you Sir,” the attendant began, an uncertain smile on his face. “there is nothing to worry about. We've most likely struck a propeller blade; it happens all the time.”
The statement seemed to soothe Harry, the small crease in his forehead vanishing as a relieved smile overtook his features. Louis, however, wasn't so convinced. Maybe it was just paranoia, his innate instinct to distrust anybody who kept glancing at him with a look that screamed 'you don't belong here' (and really, who was he to tell him where he did and did not belong?)
Or maybe it was just the fact that Harry's shirt was that little bit too big for him, the rich fabric foreign and irritable against his skin, despite the soft texture the cotton possessed. Louis dreaded to think how many compositions he'd have to sell to be able to afford a shirt like that. Quite possibly all of them, he thought.
But maybe it was the fact that the attendant wasn't directly at the two as he spoke, his gaze fixed on the wall just over Harry's shoulder, that made him cautious. Maybe it was the way that his hands shook by his side even though his voice remained steady and smooth, the tips of his ears turning a slight shade of pink as he spoke. Louis had had to train himself to spot signs like those, signs that screamed dishonesty. He'd been cheated out of one sale too many to be as trusting as Harry seemed to be.
“What about the noise?” he found himself asking, the silent agreement that he'd let Harry do the talking completely forgotten. He wasn't going to just stand there and be lied to like he was some brainless bag of bones. So maybe his accent wasn't as formal or as 'posh' as either of the men's in front of him had been, but that didn't mean he was an idiot. Far from it, in fact. If he allowed himself a moment of indulgence, he'd probably say think that he was just as educated as Harry. Sure, his arithmetic wasn't exactly up to scratch, (that was Felicite's forte) and maybe he still had no clue how to help Jay out in the kitchen without ruining anything, but he was still smart. Smart enough to know that whatever that metallic screech had been, it had been nothing to do with the propellers.
The attendant blinked, taking a moment to compose himself. “The noise, sir?”
It was clear that he was procrastinating. Hell, Louis could practically see the gears turning in his brain as he tried to think of a reasonable answer to give. If the situation weren't so serious, he'd probably find it funny that he could make the other man sweat a little. But of course, the situation wasn't different and the cause for his and Harry's disruption was still ambiguous. And he didn't like that one little bit.
“Yes, the noise. You know, the one that sounded like this whole ship was being ripped apart? About ten minutes ago, lasted longer than anything a struck propeller could cause, much louder too. Only a deaf person could have missed it.”
“Lou...” Harry warned, soft and slow but still with a fair amount of caution in his voice.
And maybe he had been a little too sassy and direct, but Louis wasn't ashamed to admit that he had been scared. Whatever had happened earlier, it had terrified him to the extent where he didn't care what people thought about him right now. They could think he was a rude son of a bitch for all he cared, (though he'd defend his mother to the grave. Nobody was going to indirectly state that she was a dog without getting a bit of lip back, thank you very much.) as long as somebody told him what the hell was going on.
“There has been a slight fault with the engines, a temporary set back, I assure you. That's the noise you heard. There's no cause for alarm, gentlemen.”
Louis really wanted to scoff at that. Or at least roll his eyes (because really, engines don't make noises like that. He wasn't a genius when it came to machinery but he certainly wasn't that thick), but the grin that Harry flashed him made it impossible to do anything but smile back, albeit a little less enthusiastic.
After saying a quick 'thank you' to the attendant, Harry placed his hand on Louis' back (something which was rather distracting. The soft heat of his palm set his skin on fire, despite the expensive shirt blocking their flesh from actually touching), guiding him back into the suite.
He didn't register when the door clicked shut behind them, nor did he entirely realise that he was being turned around gently and wrapped in a firm embrace until that familiar smell of soap and sea and Harry was wrapping around him. It was still a little strange, having to lean up to rest his chin on somebody's shoulder. Sure, he had never been the tallest boy around, but he had never been more than an inch shorter than someone who he spent more than an hour with. Harry, however, was pretty much a giant.
But maybe that was just a little bit of an exaggeration. Either way, it felt nice. Sort of... comforting.
“I was worried for a moment then.” Harry said, breaking the silence. “I thought... I thought that something really bad was going to happen; that I was somehow going to lose you so soon.” he could feel Louis nod softly, his stubble scraping across the length of his neck. Somehow, he knew that that was his way of saying 'me too.'
So he continued.
“And I thought, when it was happening, I thought 'I can't lose him yet. What am I going to do without him?' because, as crazy as it sounds, I need you Louis. I know we've not known each other long and, Christ, I know that we're not exactly conventional- for a lot of reasons- but I need you in my life. I need you, okay?” despite Harry's voice starting out even and controlled, it had somehow escalated in pitch during his confession to the point where he sounded so desperate, so distressed. It made Louis' chest ache uncomfortably to hear it.
“I know, love.” the older boy soothed, raking his fingers through Harry's unruly hair. “I know. I'm here, and you're not losing me, not ever; okay? I'm here until you order me away.”
Harry let out a soft sound that was half way between a sob and a laugh, Louis wasn't completely sure. All he knew when he pulled away was that Harry had a twinkle in his eye again, one of mischief, happiness, and love. And wow. His eyes were absolutely stunning.
He chuckled softly, ducking his head to brush his lips chastely against Louis'. “Thank you, yours aren't so bad yourself.” he said with a wink, causing Louis to blush. So he had said that last bit aloud... oops. “And by the way,” Harry murmured, lips still so teasingly close to Louis' own. “about that 'ordering you away' thing...” Louis tilted his head to the side slightly, raising an eyebrow in question. “It's never going to happen.”
The Doncaster man grinned, eyes crinkling slightly with the intensity of it before he surged forwards, closing the impossibly small space between his face and Harry's kissing him with such passion that it would make even Molly Brown look away, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment. (And that was saying something. After all, Molly certainly did like her gossip.)
Kissing Harry was something he could never get used to. It was different, every single time. There was just something about the way that their lips moved together, plump and pink against thin and pale, that just made the whole act of kissing that much more unique. No matter how many times they did it, no matter how quickly in recession, it was always new.
“Louis..” Harry started, pulling away for a split second in order to soothe the burning in his lungs. Louis, however, decided to take that moment as the perfect opportunity to attach his mouth to the younger boys throat, all previous worry forgotten as he tried suppressing a moan at the vibrations that tickled his lips due to Harry speaking. “Lou, listen to me for a second.”
At this, the shorter boy pulled away, sensing the change in atmosphere. Harry's neck was glistening slightly in the soft light of the room due to Louis' ministrations, the wetness from his saliva making Harry appear that little bit more irresistible (if that were even possible) and Louis had to force himself to pay attention, to relocate his gaze back to Harry's eyes.
Once it was there, it wasn't hard to stay put. Harry's eyes... he had a feeling that he had swooned over them not too long ago, but he didn't really care.
He was, as Lottie would so kindly put it, whipped.
“When this ship docks... when we arrive in America... I'm getting off with you.” Harry whispered softly, eyes boring into Louis' as he tried to gage the other boys reaction.
Louis felt as though something had been put alight inside of him. He felt high, as though he had somehow managed to flout the rules of the world and now had wings. He was a bird. (In his state of pleased delirium he only briefly thought about what Harry had said days before. He had wanted to be a dolphin, a creature of the sea. Could a dolphin love a bird? Was that even possible? He supposed not. But then again, to anybody else, they weren't possible. He and Harry... Harry and him... no matter which way he thought about it, it was still so utterly surreal. They were them. They were together and, most importantly, they were possible.
So yes. Maybe a dolphin could love a bird.)
Harry's lips twitched in a nervous smile, his head tilting to the side. “Say something, please.”
And it was then that Louis realised, during his brief internal rambling, he had yet to say a word to the other boy.
Letting out a breathless chuckle, he shook his head. “This is crazy, you know.”
Harry bit his lip, grinning. “I know.”
“I have nothing to offer you, Harry. What you see is what you get with me. I have my sheet music, the air in my lungs, a few spare shillings in my pocket, and my family. I can't give you comfort and I can't guarantee safety.” Louis admitted, his voice wavering slightly as he realised that, if Harry were to stay true to his word (and he would. Because he was Harry. Harry who wore his heart on his sleeve and had been dealt the shittiest life imaginable, yet still remained one of the brightest, purest people he knew.), if he were to join them, it would be a type life that he probably hadn't even known existed.
And Louis wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or not.
“I know.” Harry repeated, voice firm (but still oh so gentle) as his gaze never once left Louis.
Louis licked his lips. “I can't say that we're going to be able to eat every night. There may be times when we go for days with nothing but water from a stream to fill our stomachs, and heck, we might even be homeless for a while, but...” he paused, searching Harry's eyes to make sure that he was heeding every word that was being said. “but I can guarantee that you'll never feel alone. You'll- you'll never feel like you don't belong- okay, maybe you will, because our lifestyle will be so different to the one you're used to, and maybe sometimes Lottie will be a bit cranky and annoying, and she can be gobbier than me when she wants to be, but you'll always be a part of our family, albeit slightly dysfunctional at times. And I don't-”
He was cut off when a pair of lips pressed against his somewhat forcefully for a brief second, and when the pressure was removed, he opened his eyes to see Harry beaming down at him.
“You, Louis Tomlinson, talk way too much.”
The blush that crept over Louis' skin was so noticeable that, had anyone other than Harry been there in that moment (i.e. Zayn or Niall) he would have been teased for days- if not, weeks.) Nodding, Louis smiled. “So... is that an 'I don't care that you're poor, I'm coming anyway.' or...?”
Harry shook his head softly. “That's a 'you're not getting rid of me any time soon, not even when we dock.'”
And really, Louis had no problems with that at all.
“But we're going to have to find where your shirt landed.” Harry grinned. “Can't have my family or anybody else stumbling across that now, can we?”
Louis groaned, resting his head on Harry's shoulder as his blush only intensified.
“You threw it, you impatient little minx.”
Harry smirked, pressing a kiss into Louis' hair. “You made me that way, babe. Blame yourself.”
~*~
“You know,” Zayn started, casting a sideways glance to Lottie as they walked aimlessly along the lower passages of the ship. “If the whole designing thing doesn't work out, you could always become a dancer. You were great back there.”
Lottie laughed softly, cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. “Thanks, but no thanks. I have not got the stamina to become a dancer. And besides, who would I dance for? It's not as though it's a very socially acceptable occupation.”
Zayn smirked softly. “Sorry to break it to you, sweetcheeks. But nothing about your family is socially acceptable.”
The younger girl gasped, faking indignation. Really, she'd known Zayn too long to know that he intended that to be in no means offensive, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to have a little bit of fun with him anyway. “And what, I pray, do you mean by that?”
“Oh, you know...” Zayn began, rolling his eyes. “Louis' crossing into the land of the damned, also known as the world of homoerotic behaviour,”
To this, Lottie pulled a face. It was one thing to witness your brother was kissing a rich kid, who just so happened to be a boy, in a way that wasn't completely innocent, but it was another thing entirely to hear that there may be other, more erotic things going on. And she didn't even want to consider that, thank you very much. It wasn't that she was homophobic, not at all. Jay had always raised her to never discriminate or be unkind to another (unless you were provoked. In that case, it was completely acceptable to spit in their eye.) but it was simply the fact that Louis was her brother that made her want to stay naïve to the situation. He could get up to whatever he wanted to in his own time, as long as she didn't have to hear about it. There were boundaries, after all.
“Joannah's a single mother, doing an excellent job may I add, but still single nevertheless, and you're travelling alone with two older men. Oh, the scandal.” Zayn finished with a wink.
Lottie reached out to hold onto the railing as they descended the stairs, fighting back a smile. “I'll have you know, Mr. Malik, that- shit!”
Zayn's expression sobered in an instant as he watched Lottie withdraw her foot from the corridor beneath them. Water was tricking along the carpet, shallow amounts soaking everything it covered. Lottie shook her foot out, water droplets dripping from her shoe.
“How-” she cleared her throat, eyes widening in slight fear. “How far down are we?”
“G deck.” Zayn murmured, eyes fixed to the ground below them. He was sure that in the few seconds they had been standing there, the water had risen by at least half a centimetre.
“I don't suppose we've just- I don't know, burst a water tank?” Lottie suggested weakly.
“No,” Zayn shook his head. “No, I don't suppose we've just done that.”
~*~
Louis' shirt, as it turned out, had been thrown under the coffee table. During their small search, the doubt and fear that had been gnawing away at the edges of Louis mind had returned and had only gown. The attendant had been lying, there was no doubt about that, not any more. Harry, however, seemed perfectly at ease as they chatted lightly, setting the furniture back into it's original place (they may or may not have shifted a few chairs and threw a few pillows to the floor in search of Louis' misplaced shirt.)
They had just finished arranging the cushions in a way that Harry was positive wasn't so different to the way that they had been originally arranged, when Louis couldn’t take it any more.
“I think that guy was lying.” he blurted out, mentally kicking himself once the words had left his mouth for his lack of tact.
Harry froze in his ministrations, puffing the pillows now completely forgotten about as he straightened. “What do you mean?”
“Earlier,” Louis started, fiddling with the shirt in his hands (that he had yet to still change in to.) “When he said we had 'struck a propeller'... I think he was lying.”
The younger boy turned, eyeing Louis curiously. “And what do you think is the truth, then? If James had been lying.”
“I think-” Louis started, licking his lips. “I think we might have hit something. The ship feels weird, slightly off, don't you think?”
And, now that he thought about it, the ship did feel weird. Slightly... tilted. It was so slight that it would have been impossible to detect if you hadn't been deliberately looking to find fault.
Harry swallowed. “I don't know what you're talking about, Louis.” he mumbled quickly, returning to the cushions on the couch.
Louis frowned, trying not to become detracted by the way that Harry's back curved as he bent down. “Yes, you do Harry. I saw it in your eyes, just now. You know something's wrong, you can feel it too. You-”
“Stop making presumptions on what I do and do not feel!” Harry snapped, spinning around so suddenly that, had Louis blinked, he would have missed it.
He was confused. Harry seemed so determined not to admit that something was wrong, that there was a possibility that things might not be as safe as they had been lead to believe... but why?
“Harry, you're acting a little...” he paused, trying to find a word that didn't make him sound like a complete twat, and didn't make Harry sound like a stuck-up rich kid. “...rude.” he dead-panned.
Which, okay, might not have been the best thing to say considering how Harry's brow creased, nostrils flairing slightly.
“I am not rude! You're the one who's trying to make me believe that this ship is in danger of- of sinking, or something ridiculous like that. Christ, Louis! It's like you want to die. There is absolutely nothing wrong.”
“But-” Louis tried to interrupt, feeling as though he'd missed something, something important because really, what other explanation was there for Harry's mood to change so completely?
“If what you're about to say is anything but an apology, then I suggest you leave.” Harry spoke slowly, something deadly serious in his voice.
Louis' jaw tensed, anger and confusion pulsing through his veins and wow. Since when did Harry act like an utter dick?
“Fine.” He spat. “Once you've gotten off your high horse and removed the branch from up your arse, you know where to find me. Until then, I'm going to go and make sure that my sister and friends are safe. You should probably do the same, even if you're trying to kid yourself into believing that there's 'nothing wrong,'” he quoted, fixing Harry with a cold stare before moving towards the door.
As the wood slammed shut, Harry found himself sinking down onto the couch, head between his hands.
What the hell had he just let happen?