now i think that i could love you back {l.s.}

i hope it's not too late, cause you're so attractive

Up again?" a familiar voice murmurs, and this time Louis doesn't flinch, his brain already having made Harry's incoming presence a permanent formula in his brain.

He leans over the marble balustrade of the balcony that is attached to the library, peering up curiously at the pitch blackness above him. It's nothing he hasn't seen before, and that is what is most comforting to him.

"'M afraid so, Prince Harry," he says nonchalantly. "After another insufferable dinner, I needed a moment to myself, and it is most unfortunate that I am only able to find one during the middle of the night this weekend."

Harry comes to rest alongside the railing beside him as he looks up at the sky.

"You have always loved the night sky," he comments, not sounding the least bit surprised.

Louis turns to him. "How do you know that?" he questions. Only Zayn and his family really know about Louis' infatuation with the expansive space above them.

"I have always noticed you gazing at it wondrously," answers Harry matter-of-factly. "No matter what event we're at or what you are busy doing in the evening time, you always take a second to stare up at the stars and you get this small little smile on your face. Like you are aware of a secret that the rest of us aren't privy to."

Blushing, Louis focuses on the opening of Harry's chest led by the sides of his linen button down shirt. The honeyed skin stands starkly against the cream-colored top and his mouth waters just a bit. He wills himself to calm down but the thought that Harry has noticed all these things about him is overwhelming.

"I do love it," he admits softly. When he finally gathers the courage to look at Harry's face, the alpha's eyes are kind, encouraging him to continue with a soft silence between them.

"It's eternal," he continues. "And we are not. And I know that might intimidate others, but it has always worked wonders to calm me when I feel overwhelmed. The stars, the moon, the planets? They are not ours. They are a privilege for us to experience. And when you live a life as privileged as we do, it is nice to be humbled. To know that there are things out there infinitely bigger than we could ever imagine. That nitpicky alphas and stupid rules or traditions hold no candle to the cosmic power that the universe bestows upon us everyday."

When he takes another glance at Harry, the alpha's eyes look entirely different than he's ever seen them. They're locked onto his face, holding a certain type of reverence that almost knocks Louis off his feet.

"I apologize, it was not my intention to ramble, but there are few things I adore talking more about than our night sky," the sudden heat on his cheek lets him know he's flushed at the unwavering attention.

"No," Harry says, and his voice sounds deeper than Louis remembers. "That was beautiful. I have never thought about it that way. But I can relate a bit. I feel the same way about nature. I often spend hours walking in our woods when I need time to recuperate or relax after a stressful day in court. Nature doesn't care about us, which has always intrigued me."

"Exactly," Louis breathes a sigh of relief that the alpha isn't about to have him exiled to a cold omegas-only mansion in the countryside on the grounds of insanity and deliriousness. For the first time since their conversation, he notices Harry has a large wicker basket and a rolled up piece of fabric stuck under the handle. "What have you got there?"

"Oh!" Harry says, his gaze following Louis' as he pulls up the basket to rest on the railing. "I almost forgot. I asked someone to bring me a few simple pastries and fruits from the townsquare today. I thought you might enjoy them after dinner today. Even the roasted duck was a bit much for my palette."