Elf Bites ❄ l.s. AU

10: Headaches and Harry

                  "What did he say?" Lottie whispered.

                  Louis shrugged. "Cheekbones, I think?" He picked up a strand of hair that had gotten stuck in Harry's eyelashes and moved it, turning his attention back to this inebriated wanker. "It's Louis. From the diner? Remember me?"

                  Suddenly, a knowing smile bloomed on Harry's face, and he let his head fall a little to one side. "Louis."

                  Cheeky little shit. "That's me. You are so gone right now, Jesus Christ." Giving up, he stood and shook his head slowly, tracing his bottom lip with his index finger in thought. "I've got to work in the morning, I've got a drunk guy in my flat who can't remember where he lives or how to form coherent fucking thoughts..."

                  Lottie's arms were folded across her chest, her lips pursed. "None of the other guys will take care of him for you?"

                  "They don't really know him. And I was the one who brought him, so I don't want to dump him off on them, and I just – "

                  The sleeve of his jumper being tugged cut him off; when he looked down, Harry had somehow managed to lean forward enough to reach him, and he was still clinging to the fabric as he stared up at Louis with wide, shiny eyes. "I'm going to puke."

                  "Shit." Louis hurtled himself over Harry's legs and into the kitchen. He grabbed his entire garbage can and sprinted back to Harry just in time for him to spill his guts into it, leaning so far forward to do so that Louis worried he'd fall out of the chair. He stood beside him and held onto Harry's shoulder just in case. "Shit, shit, shit."

                  "Grab his hair," Lottie mumbled, the tips of her fingers pressed against her lips. "Hold it back."

                  Louis did as he was told. He now had one hand on Harry's shoulder and one hand resting on the nape of Harry's neck, fist full of Harry's hair, and all Louis wanted to do was call up Niall and Zayn and bitch at them until they came over and dealt with the mess they created so that Louis could go to bed.

❄●❄

                  AT MIDNIGHT, HARRY startled awake in the chair. Louis turned the volume down on the telly and sat himself up. He'd sent Lottie off to sleep in his room so that he could keep an eye on the intoxicated poet, but once Harry passed out after he was finished vomiting, he hardly stirred. This, of course, could have been either good or bad, but every time Louis got up to wee or to fetch a snack, he'd check to make sure Harry was still breathing and that he wasn't burning up or anything.

                  Louis waited patiently while Harry looked around, confused and slow. It took several minutes before he spotted Louis watching him, and then he jumped. "Oh. Hi."

                  "Welcome back to the planet. How are you feeling?"

                  Harry rested his elbows on his knees and let his face fall into his hands. After a second, he rubbed at his eyes and then muttered, "Like a bus ran me over."

                  Louis chuckled. "Sounds about right."

                  "Where are we? Is this your place? Oh my God, why are we here? What time is it?"

                  "We're at my place. Yes. You wouldn't tell me where you lived. Midnight."

                  Harry groaned. "Midnight. What...happened to me?"