Letters to London

Chapter 3

"Race you there!" Louis cries, jumping down the stairs two at a time. Harry chases behind him in a tangle of long limbs and curls, tripping over his own feet and nearly falling down the stairs. Louis dashes through the flat, pulling on his pair of Vans, watching Harry closely. "Don't trip over your own feet! How uncoordinated can you be, Haz?"

Louis gets the last shoe on as Harry is rounding the corner, scampering for the door.

"Ahh! Nope!" Louis giggles, blocking the doorway.

"Let me out Lou!"

Louis sighs. "Well, I suppose...." he turns around and swings open the door, hearing it whack against the brick wall. He makes a run for his car with a laugh.

"You got me there," Harry says as he climbs into the driver's seat. Louis has already settled himself in the passenger's side, which only means he's not driving for anything. "I know I did," Louis chirps. "Could've gone faster if you could run properly."

Harry can't help but laugh as he puts the key in the ignition. He takes Louis' hand over the console, brushing his thumb across Louis' delicate knuckles. Even after four years, he still can't get used to the feel of small, smooth skin wrapped in his.

"Just drive, fool. I'm not prepared for today and if you keep sitting here it gives me more time to panic," Louis whines. He sits up in his seat as Harry pulls out of the driveway, heading for the studio to warm up for their interview and performance today.

This only means the two of them will be face-to-face with the disapproving Liam, accompanied with Zayn and Niall. Their original plan was to annoy the fuck out of management today, but then they decided not to. There's no reason to mess up everything they still have left before the show.

It's a few quiet moments before Louis speaks up. "Harry?"

"Hm?"

"What if they don't... what if Liam still hasn't forgiven me?" Louis squeaks. He looks over at Harry with sad eyes, even though Harry is glued to the road. "What if he doesn't want to deal with us? Harry?"

Harry sighs and squeezes his hand. "Then it's his problem and not ours."

Louis frowns. "It would be all of our problems, Harry."

"We're just going to have to wait and see then, hmm?" Harry chimes. He flashes a cheeky smile over at Louis, showing off his dimples as they come to a stoplight. Louis' shoulders relax, and he melts into the curve of his seat. "Okay."

~

The studio is dark and casts shadows across the parking lot when Harry and Louis pull up to it. The dark, purplish-tinted clouds above don't do anything but make the day seem gloomy.

A small group of fans are waiting outside the doors to the studio, despite the ugly weather, blocked off by a few security guards. Harry holds Louis' hand tightly, knowing that the fans can't see them from here. They're parked fairly close to the mob, but the window tint is too dark to see through.

Harry can feel Louis shaking. He looks over at him with a worried look, to see him trembling pretty noticeably. "What's wrong babe?"

"I don't w-want to let go."

Both of their eyes flick down to the connection they still have over the console. Just once. Just once, they must show how much pain they've been forced into. Please, just this once.

"Babe, please stop shaking. I won't let you go," Harry whispers.

"But what about-"

Harry has already let go of Louis' hand though, and he's climbing out of the car. He's greeted by fifty or so screams, half of those his and Louis' names. He looks behind him at the small, older boy hovering in his seat. "C'mon," he says.