Love For Loan - Larry Stylinson

Chapter Sixteen

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The next morning when Louis wakes up, there’s an arm draped across his bare torso. His neck is a bit stiff and he tries to turn and face Harry. He wiggles around slowly, careful not to wake Harry; he wants to see how he looks asleep with his lashes resting on his cheeks, wants to watch the rise and fall of his chest and shoulders.

When Louis is finally facing Harry, he finds Harry looking at him, still half-asleep. “Good morning,” Harry drawls out, smiling lazily. Harry looks pretty, all green eyes and curly hair, and Louis just wants to lie in bed and kiss him all day long.

“It is, isn’t it?” Louis shuffles closer to Harry and nuzzles his face into Harry’s neck. He bites down hard before licking over the skin to soothe the pain. Harry’s breath hitches and he tilts his head to allow Louis more access. “It is,” Harry agrees.

“But you know, it’d be a better morning if you weren’t wearing all your clothes,” Louis murmurs into Harry’s skin and places a few kisses along his jaw line. Harry slaps Louis’ arm lightly and Louis looks up at him, blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Hey! Unlike some of us, I’ve got some decency, and I’m very shy, thank you very much.

“You weren’t at all decent and shy last night,” Louis lowers his voice and grins cheekily. He thinks of how bold Harry was yesterday, making the first move and all, pulling off Louis’ shirt and jeans like he couldn’t even wait a few minutes.

Harry groans, pulling out the pillow from under his head and covering his face with it. “Shut up, shut up, and don’t remind me. I was awful; it was the first time, and I’m a teenager all right?!” His words are muffled in the pillow, but Louis can vaguely make it out. Louis laughs and snatches the pillow away, and Harry keeps groaning, covering his face with his hands now, and turning away from Louis.

“Aw love, you were amazing, I liked it. Your enthusiasm I mean,” Louis says, his tone light and mocking. But he isn’t making fun of Harry, though, because he really was amazing. And even if he wasn’t, Louis wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Stop mocking me,” Harry turns and lies face down on the mattress. “Or I’ll add a copious amount of sugar in your tea and make sure you get severely poisoned!” Harry turns back and faces Louis.

“That’s harsh, babe,” Louis says, and he earns himself a glare from Harry, so he stops laughing.“Okay, okay, I’ll stop, but really, don’t worry about it, you were great,” Louis says genuinely, and he smiles as reassuringly as he can.

Harry blushes, and Louis makes a mental note to tell him to stop it because it makes his heart swell with god knows what. “Really?” Harry asks, almost timidly, and it’s probably the fifth time Louis contemplates kissing Harry senseless, but he just snorts. “Silly, ‘course I mean it,” Louis smiles fondly and pecks Harry on the lips.

Harry grins, cheeks dimpling. “I’m going to um, shower? If that’s okay?” He’s so polite and Louis doesn’t know if he wants to cry or laugh. They’ve already slept together and Harry still asks if he can have a shower.

“God, are you serious? Yeah, yeah, I’ll get you a towel and a spare toothbrush,” Louis says, sitting up and getting off the bed. He slips on his bedroom slippers and pads around the room and bathroom and goes through his daily routine.

When he’s done with everything and has gotten the towel and toothbrush for Harry, he steps back into the room and finds Harry wincing with every step. It takes all of Louis’ self control not to laugh. Harry looks at Louis. “I’m sore,” he whines.

“I’m sorry,” Louis says, and he only half means it. That half knows that it hurts, knows that it’s going to hurt for a while, and he is sorry. But the other half of him is sort of proud knowing that he was the one who made Harry feel like that for the first time, made Harry feel good last night.

Harry shakes his head, worried, like he’s scared that Louis won’t do it again because it hurts. “No, I mean, it’s good, I like it, I guess. Okay never mind, I’m going to shower now yeah?” He smiles at Louis and then sort-of-kind-of waddles to the bathroom.

Louis goes downstairs and puts the kettle on. While he’s waiting for the water to boil, he brings out a jar of strawberry jam, a jar of Nutella, and some butter. He places two slices of bread into the toaster and sits down by the counter. He can hear the shower running upstairs, and he actually can’t believe this is happening.

He can’t believe that Harry’s here, in his house, showering, after their first night together. It’s almost surreal, and he wants to remember every moment of this. He wants this to happen every morning, wants to wake up with a warm body pressed to his side, wants the first thing he sees to be Harry. It’s slightly scary how much he’s come to rely on Harry, but he figures there’s nothing scared to be about. All Harry ever makes him feel is happy, and Louis feels like he can be himself around Harry.

All this wanting and reliance is new for Louis, but he likes it, and he might want this feeling to stay forever. He’s determined to make things right, make things work between him and Harry. So when the kettle hisses and the water stops running, as Louis prepares two steaming mugs of tea and sets them down on the counter; one with sugar and one without, he also prepares what he’s going to say to Harry over breakfast.

When Harry pads downstairs in one of Louis’ baggy jumpers and sweats, curls wet and tamed like Tarzan's hair, Louis just wants to cuddle with him. "I borrowed your clothes, I hope you don't mind?" Harry sits down opposite Louis and sips on his tea. Louis just shakes his head and smiles. The toaster dings and Louis places the two slices on a plate, and then puts two more slices in the toaster.

"So, what spread do you want with your toast? We've got strawberry jam, Nutella and some butter," Louis offers.

For a moment Harry looks contemplative, like he'd want to put all three kinds on his toast because he can't decide which he wants. But then he grabs the Nutella and spreads a thick layer on a slice of toast with a butter knife and bites into it almost instantly. "Oh god I love chocolate. Cocoa trees are the best discovery yet," he says matter-of-factly.

"Are you sure that title doesn't belong to like, the discovery of the universe or that of how to read hieroglyphics?" Louis teases.

Harry looks at Louis and just continues chewing until he swallows. "I'm sure," he says confidently, grinning like there's 100% truth to his words.

Louis thinks Harry is so adorable he could pass off for a kitten. He really is something else. Louis can't imagine him working one day after he gets his economics degree, having to face unreasonable clients.

"Why not?" Harry asks in surprise, and oh, did Louis say that aloud?

"Oh, uh, because you're too cute?" Louis stumbles in his reply, and Harry looks amused, grinning like he's just been labelled the next Einstein or something. Louis almost reaches across the counter and poke his dimple.

Harry takes another bite of his toast and he can't stop grinning, and it's almost infuriating because it's like he's doing it on purpose. Louis cannot take this anymore, he will stand up and go busy himself with the two slices of newly ding-ed toast. And then Harry says "Aww, thanks mate," and Louis raises a brow at him.

"Oh so now we're just mates, yeah?" He feigns offence, and he can tell it isn't convincing. Harry just nods seriously. "Yeah, 'm afraid so. What did you think we were?"

Louis places the slightly-browned toast on the plate and walks to Harry's side. "Now we're past tense, hmm?" Harry nods again, turning to face him. "Is that so?" And then without any warning he pokes at Harry's side and Harry yelps and jerks. Louis just keeps poking Harry and laughing as the latter's arms flail around uselessly in an attempt to defend himself.

"Okay okay! Stop it! We're going to be forever!" Harry giggles breathlessly and Louis wasn't expecting that at all. He stops attacking Harry, and he stands there looking a bit dumb.

Louis says the first thing that comes to mind. "Yeah, we are, you know? I'm not going anywhere," he murmurs so softly that it's barely audible. He's really happy that Harry thinks so, that it's mutual, so he says just that.

"Yeah I know, me too," Harry says quietly, and Louis kisses him. Harry tastes like minty toothpaste and Nutella. It's just a slow kiss, like they're scared of ruining the quiet moment.

When they pull apart, they spend a long while just smiling dopily at each other, and Louis memorises how Harry looks like after he's been kissed; all red lips and dimpled grin. It's beautiful, Harry's beautiful, and Louis never wants to forget this.

"Toast with strawberry jam now?" Louis offers, smiling softly, eyes crinkling up in the corners. He expects Harry to reach for another slice of toast and spread jam on it, but instead, he shakes his head and suggests that they finish their tea and laze around.

They spend the rest of the morning snuggled up on the couch with Harry pressed against Louis' side, watching the rerun of last night's BGT. It's only the auditions and they make fun of all the terrible contestants who think they do have talent.

Harry says he has to leave at half twelve because he's got some paper to complete for school. He gives Louis a goodbye kiss on the lips and just before he walks out of the gates, he turns around and says, "I'm allergic to strawberries!"

Louis keeps that in mind.