Save Myself // Larry Stylinson

Chapter 22

The world continued to blur around him as Harry slowly lead them through the crowded flat. Vaguely he was aware that Niall had called after them. He heard Harry say something back, but he was too focused on the way that Harry had tucked him into his side, protecting him from the demands of everyone around them. As they passed the couch, Louis was somewhat aware that Zayn and Liam were no longer there, but he was so distracted by the feeling of Harry's heartbeat being pressed against his ribcage to bother searching the room for them. Harry's hand found the doorknob to exit the flat and this was really happening. They were really doing this. Instead of simply locking themselves in Harry's bedroom and reading each other poetry as they had time and time again when the party scene had gotten to be too much for them, they were actually leaving—together. Louis was tucked into Harry's side and it was intimate in a way that it had never been before. Surely everyone could see that things had changed—that they had changed—but Harry didn't care. He didn't try to hide. He wasn't ashamed of Louis and Louis might cry again. He might spend the next portion of his life crying about the first person to ever make him feel worthy.

When they found the elevator Louis hadn't even bothered to wait for the door to close before he searched out Harry's lips again. There was just so much that he hadn't known. There were so many little things about Harry that he'd somehow ignored and failed to appreciate. Like the way his curls felt when Louis wound his fingers through them. Like the way his skin always seemed to carry a warmth to it, a warmth that only served to light fires within Louis. Like the way he muttered soft words into Louis' mouth as his kissed him. The way he laid promises against Louis' neck between the kisses he placed there. Louis was overwhelmed in the best possible way.

The world stilled and blurred around them. At some point they must have reached the bottom floor of Harry's building and Harry must have lead him to Marsha because when Louis finally came-to and realized where he was, he was in the passenger's seat, leaning across the gear-shift to kiss Harry. Harry's hands were soft as he held Louis' face, just inches away from his own. He was smiling softly and the car was probably about forty degrees inside and Louis was so lost in Harry's eyes.

Harry gently kissed the tip of his nose and leaned his forehead against Louis'—a practice that was starting to feel like some kind of routine that had been a part of their lives forever.

"I'm sorry," Louis didn't even know he was going to speak, didn't know he had any notion of what to say.

"Why are you apologizing?" Harry's voice was still ragged and Louis felt all sorts of chills run down his spine.

"Because I didn't know. I didn't know for so long and you knew and—"

"I waited," confirmed Harry, "I waited because I knew you'd see it."

Louis felt his lip tremble as he said the words, "thank you,"

Harry ran the pad of his thumb over Louis' lip and Louis closed his eyes, trying to figure out how he got here. How he somehow stopped being afraid of his own shadow and opened his eyes to the beauty of the world around him. He could see it all now. He could see Harry for everything he was and everything he'd given Louis and it was just a lot. It felt him breathless and wordless and lost in a place that he didn't quite know how to navigate but dammit if he wasn't willing to figure it out. He'd make this work because if there was one thing in his life that he was not willing to fuck up, it was Harry.

"Can we..."

"Yeah," said Harry, answering the question before Louis could even figure out how to phrase what he wanted, "yeah, your place," Harry gave Louis another deep kiss, pulling back and breathing the rest of his words into Louis' mouth, "want to hold you in your bed,"