Zayn and Niall: Everybody Needs Somebody Sometimes

Birthday/Sleepless

Harry laughed lightly, then kissed one of Louis' knuckles as it passed. "You didn't have to stay up for me."

"Of course I did," Louis said. "It's, like, the first clause in the Best Friend contract."

Harry reached his arms up, hooking them around Louis' neck, using them as anchors to pull himself up and hug Louis tight enough to feel his heart against his chest. Louis let out a barely audible breath as he hugged back, his hands firm against the small of Harry's back.

"You're my best friend, ever," Harry sighed quietly, resting his chin on Louis' shoulder and closing his eyes for a few moments. "And nothing will change that."

"I love you, Harry," Louis laughed, but he sounded emotional. "Happy birthday, you big beautiful baby."

Harry chuckled again. "You didn't plan me a surprise party, did you? Because I specifically asked for there not to be one this year."

"Hey, did you know, you've just completed one full metonic cycle, also known as Enneadecaeteris in Ancient Greek," Louis said, pulling away to smile at him.

Harry wrinkled his nose. "The fuck is that."

"It's a common multiple of the lunar month and the solar year, and it happens every nineteen years," Louis shrugged. "Some kind of astronomy thing - can't remember. I skimmed it on Wikipedia while looking for birthday puns to make today."

"You're an idiot," Harry leaned in to brush his nose against Louis'. "Don't ignore my question about the surprise party."

Louis smiled again, two shades too guilty. "It's in the Best Friend's contract, second clause. Nay birthday shalt remaineth uncelebrated."

"Jesus, Lou!"

"Come on, we've got less than a minute and the others are waiting downstairs," Louis was grinning as he pulled Harry out of bed, pausing momentarily to raise his eyebrow at his boxers. "Very sophisticated Batman design."

Harry smacked him lightly on the head and accompanied him out the door, down the stairs.

As they reached the landing, Louis leaned in to whisper, his lips brushing Harry's ear. "Just - act surprised, yeah?"

Harry braced himself while they descended the stairs, looping his arm through Louis' and marching down with him, and he almost didn't jump out of his skin when he was met with a loud -

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!!!"

He let out a dramatic faux gasp, throwing a hand over his chest to protect it from heart failure. "Oh my God, I'm so shocked I think I'm going into cardiac arrest. Call 999!"

"You're a God-awful actor," Niall was laughing, putting his arms around Harry and hugging him hard. "Happy birthday, idiot."

"Thanks, Ireland," he smiled and pulled away, taking a minute to look around at the beautiful decorations in the living room. Aquamarine and pale, shimmery gold curtains and banners set up all around, stringing like pearls from the ceiling and billowing out around every corner. Balloons literally piling up on the ground like a sea of blue and bronze. The lights dimmed, teal crystals dangling from them and reflecting their light all around the room. He turned, amazed, to look at Louis. "Did you do all of this?"

Louis nodded, a little flushed in the face, and Zayn vaguely coughed in the back, "he hasn't slept in two days."

Harry just stood there and looked at him, at all of them, momentarily dazed by how absolutely fucking lucky he was to be here, surrounded by these wonderful people on his nineteenth birthday. It was all a little overwhelming, really, not to just start crying right there.