More than this: Larry

ONE - SURPRISE!

Her lips puckered, eyebrows knitting together. She glanced at the spoonful of soup just an inch away from her mouth and began blowing upon it, softly. The liquid rippled under the force, a splash escaping over the edge but landing back in the bowl perched within her lap.

"Can't you just tell him you're sick?" She queered, not missing the subtle roll of her boyfriend's eyes and quickly scolding him for it with a single, unamused glare "I just don't want you to leave."
Her lips parted to accommodate her words, before she swiftly dipped her chin and took the utensil and its contents into her mouth. The sweet substance soothed the scratch in her throat and she hummed in approval, her tongue eagerly lapping up the remainder of her lunch from the metal appliance.

"Danielle, we've spoke about this" Louis sighed whilst turning to face the mirror on the far wall of their apartment, fixing the sweep of his fringe and smiling in contentment at his appearance, before turning back to the girl on the sofa. She had been laid there four several hours now, a mountain of pillows and blankets accompanying her as she made attempts to sweat out her fever "It's the last Friday of the month; that means Lads Night Out. You know that."

And she did. The night had been marked on the calendar for weeks, and Louis didn't think it fair that he was expected to cancel his prearranged plans just because his girlfriend had gotten sick. He had spent the last two days tending to her every need; surely he was due a break?

"I know, I'm just going to miss you, Lou..." She pouted, fluttering her eyelashes at him - but Louis just cringed, inwardly. He hated when she did that; when she forced sweetness in hope of winning him over. It made his skin itch.

"I won't be too long, I promise!" He moved to kiss the crown of her head, forcing his features into a neutral expression when his nose consequently buried into her unwashed, perspiration slick hair. His show of affection did nothing to soften her frown, however, as she roughly jammed her finger against the TV remote, leaving Louis thankful when he heard gentle taps against their front door.

"Bye, then."

--

The car ride was silent with the exception of Niall's sporadic humming of songs Louis couldn't name. They had been driving for over twenty minutes and it had quickly become apparent that his friend was not taking him to their usual bar. Instead, they had turned right when they should have gone left, and Niall lead their car onto a narrow, winding country road that was unfamiliar to Louis. He forcused hard on his surroundings, desperately trying to rack his brain for clues on what their destination could be, but it was fruitless.

"You know I hate surprises," he chuckled, but Niall just smiled, eyes not leaving the road, and continued to drum his fingers against the steering wheel, matching the beat to the song playing in his head. His lips would occasionally purse and vibrate together, offering Louis a brief insight into the tune, but he still couldn't provide it with a title. Something by Michael Jackson, perhaps?

The eldest of the two had begun to grow impatient by the time they pulled into a small and surprising crowded car park, fifteen minutes later. His mood had only been tested further when Danielle sent five consecutive texts, giving him less than a minute to reply, before taking to ringing his mobile and snapping rather aggressive down the device.

"What's her problem?" Niall frowned, but Louis just shrugged. This deepened the crease between Niall's brows, his concern growing. He contemplated reprimanding his brunette friend when he slammed the car door with such vigour that the windows rattled, but decided against it when he caught sight of his fists bunched together by his waist, knuckles white.

"Hey," the Irish man cooed, linking his arm through Louis' and guiding them both across the carpark. He was fairly certain his friend was still clueless in regards to where they were heading, for the building Niall was making for was hidden by a larger one in the centre of the parking lot. "Your surprise should be with your surprise, in your surprise."

"What?" Louis chuckled. Niall was practically bouncing beside him as they stepped up onto the curb and rounded the corner. It was then, as a surprisingly large, one story building came into view, complete with vibrant pink spotlights illuminating its surrounding area, that Louis turned to Niall in disbelief.

"A gay bar? You've brought me to a gay bar?!"

The blonde just squeaked, nodding frantically, his excitement bubbling over. He opened his mouth to speak, but slammed it shut and instead, extended his arm north; smile widening impossibly so.

Louis turned to see what had captured the younger man's attention, but found his vision disrupted when a body slammed into his own, followed by a second. Blonde hair blocked his view of his attackers and a familiar scent filled his nose, aiding him in relaxing into the vice-like grip his was locked into.

"Luke?"

It wasn't really a question, but his assumption was confirmed when one of the bodies wrapped around his own backed away and grinned up at him. The second seemed to tighten their grip, however, and Louis frowned in confusion. He steadied his hand against the mystery man's waist and guided them back, gasping when his eyes locked with familiar, brown orbs. "Liam!"

Instantly, the duo jumped into an even tighter embrace, Louis this time reciprocating. They began to giggle and barely even acknowledged the shrieks of 'surprise!' from the other men.

"When did you get back?! Why did no one tell me?! How long are you here for?!" The questions were rushed and muffled, for Louis had buried his head into the crook of his friend's neck and was speaking against the material of his shirt. Liam didn't mind, of course - squeezing the man for a final time before taking a step back.

"We wanted it to be a surprise! The army let me out before I started my second term. I've spent some time back at home, but now I'm here until I go back!" Liam grinned, chuckling softly to himself. "Mum was a wreck when I left this morning, but she sends her love."

This made Louis' smile widen. He had known Liam's parents since he was born. The pair had been inseparable ever since they were kids, until Liam decided to join the army after leaving school. His parents had moved after he had left and Louis missed them dreadfully; they were his second family.

"So, why are we here?" he asked in response, gesturing to the bar behind him. Surely this wasn't Liam's idea?

"Niall and Luke talked me into it, said they both needed to let their hair down and be around 'their own kind'"

At this, they all chuckled, Luke jabbing Niall in the side, playfully.

"I figured we could catch up while these two studs... did their thing?"

It was hard not to radiate pure happiness after that. Even as they made for the entrance of the gay bar - a place he would usually feel uncomfortable in - Louis couldn't fight the excitement whirling in his stomach, and he didn't try to, either. He had missed Liam dearly and he planned to make the most of their first night back together.

--

So, this was the first official chapter, and there's many more to come! We hope you enjoyed reading as much as we enjoyed writing!

Goals for next chapter: 5 votes?

P.s. We wish you a happy new year!

- Ali and Leigh. xx