Summary: Louis and Harry are in a long-distance relationship and Harry is having a bad week. Good thing Louis would go to the ends of the Earth to make his boyfriend happy.
Request from tommoshlzn
Yes the title is 1D's unreleased song 😌
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Have you ever had to keep a smile on your face even though you felt like crying? That is how Harry has felt all week.
With the end of the first semester of school coming to an end, Harry has been studying for his exams during any free time he has. When he isn't studying, he is either at the gym, at work, or sleeping. Having no free time has been stressing him out, but getting picked on by a few select students has just made everything unbearable.
Nothing seems to be going right, and the one person in the world who can make it better is five hours away. That doesn't seem very far, but it is to two college students who can't afford to and don't have the time to drive 10 hours round trip every weekend just to spend 24 hours with their partner.
So, as Harry sits in his bed in his small apartment and FaceTimes Louis, he holds back his tears and frustration and turns on a smile.
"There you are," Louis happily says when the call connects. "How are you?" Harry wants to answer honestly, that he has no time to himself and he is getting picked on for posting about his boyfriend on social media and his boyfriend isn't even there to make it better. Instead, he replies with the answer that will need the shortest explanation, if any at all.
"I'm good. You?"
"I'm alright. Do you have finals this week?" Louis asks.
"Mine are next week," Harry simply replies.
"Oh, mine are in a couple of days. It's been pretty stressful studying for them. I wish you were here," he admits. Harry suddenly feels guilty for not being honest with Louis, but he then realizes that Louis has a lot on his plate in terms of school and work and he doesn't want to make Louis worry about him.
"I wish you were here," Harry pouts. "I just wanna cuddle and spend all day with you...but we can't." Harry's voice cracks, and he looks down to hide his tears.
"Hey, hey, honey, what's wrong?" Louis asks, concern and care strung in his voice; this only makes Harry cry more.
"I lied to you," Harry confesses, then wipes his tears on his hoodie sleeve before looking back up at Louis.
"About what?" Louis adjusts his phone and seems to be listening more intently now. What could Harry have lied about?
"You asked how I was and I said I was good. I'm not good at all," he sniffles, trying his best to stop crying. Harry doesn't cry very often, but when he does, he cries. He figures that if he can hold off on crying for the rest of the call with Louis, he can let it all out later.
"Why aren't you good?" Louis asks with a small frown on his face.
"I'm stressed out. I've been studying for exams for hours every single day, and that's on top of classes and work and finding time to go to the gym, and...yeah." He decides to leave out the people who are making fun of him, because he doesn't want Louis to intervene.
"Thank you for telling me, but why didn't you tell me before?" He wonders.
"I just," Harry sighs, "I didn't want you to worry about me. You're hours away and you have your own life and you don't need the added stress of my problems."
"You're a big part of my life, H. It doesn't matter if to me if your 'problems' stress me out, because you're important to me and I want to help in any way I can. Okay?" Harry stays silent for a few seconds, then simply nods. "Good. Now how can I make it better?" Louis softly asks. His familiar voice comforts Harry, and if he closes his eyes, it almost feels like Louis is in the room with him.
"You can come to Manchester," he chuckles, momentarily breaking the tone of his otherwise sad demeanor.
"I really wish I could. But hey, it's almost winter break. We can spend those three weeks together, yeah?" Louis says, trying to cheer up his boyfriend.
"That's so far away, though," Harry whines.
"It's a few days for me and a week for you, you can wait that long, love. I know you can."
"Yeah," Harry simply says, though there is so much on his mind; complaining about how things are won't change them. All of a sudden, Harry hears a faint voice on the other end of the call. Louis looks up, then mutes his mic. Harry watches his lips move as he talks to the other person in the room, patiently waiting for him to be done.
"That was Oli, we have a study group thing. I really hate to leave you when I know you're upset," he frowns.
"No, no, don't feel bad, I'll be fine." Harry tries to sound better than he feels so Louis feels less guilty about leaving. Thankfully, it works.
"Well, I'll text you to check up on you before I go to bed, okay?"
"Yup."
"I love you, bubba." Louis blows a kiss to the camera, then looks at someone, presumably Oli. "Oli says hi by the way," he adds.
"Tell him I said hi," Harry says with a small smile. "I love you Boo Bear." At this, Louis giggles and hides his face in his hand.
"Oli's not supposed to know about that one, Haz," Louis says, his cheeks now a light pink.
"Oh," Harry's cheeks turn pink as well, "sorry."
"That's alright. Okay, bye!" Louis smiles wide and waves to Harry.
"Bye." Harry waves back for a few seconds, then hangs up. Silence falls over his room once more, and he feels tears well up in his eyes. His lip trembles as he lets his tears spill over, because he has a long week ahead of him and his heart and home are five hours away in Plymouth.
Harry reaches over to his nightstand and grabs the almost empty bottle of cologne Louis "accidentally" left a few months ago, because he knows his boyfriend is a sap for romantic sentiments. He sprays a little bit onto his pillow, then lies down and hugs it. Louis' cologne smells like spices and it is warm and cozy, and in this moment it calms Harry down. However, nothing compares to smelling Louis' cologne while being in his boyfriend's strong, safe arms.
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One week later
Harry doesn't know how, but he has made it through exam week. He is now sleep deprived, somewhat relieved of his stress, and all around exhausted. The only thing he wants now is for his mother to pick him up from his apartment and take him out to eat as she always does after exams, because that always makes him feel better. As Harry is walking down the short hallway to his apartment, his phone buzzes in his back pocket.
"Hello?" He answers the call, which is from his mother.
"Hi honey. How did exams go?" She asks.
"They went alright. Maybe studying 23 out of 24 hours a day did me some good," he dryly chuckles, because he is too tired to joke around. However, his mentally drained state has made him laugh at the state of things, because he thinks he'll cry if he doesn't laugh. "When are you gonna be here?" Harry plops down on the couch and lets out a deep breath, feeling stress and tension leave his body.
"Actually, that's why I'm calling. I'm stuck in traffic right now, so I can't pick you up," she mournfully says.
"Mum," Harry whines, suddenly on the verge of tears.
"I'm really sorry, sweetheart. We can still meet there if you want?" She suggests.
"Okay," Harry sighs. "Oh also, did you know that Louis texted me this morning and told me his flight was cancelled?" He says as a tear rolls down his cheek.
"Really? That's terrible. Hopefully he can come here soon, you two have been working so hard this semester."
"I know. Well, I'll let you go now. I'm gonna head over to the restaurant. Mason Hall, right?" Harry asks for confirmation, though it is the same restaurant they have gone to after the end of all of Harry's semesters.
"That's the one. Alright, see you there."
"Bye mum." Harry hangs up and goes to the bathroom to freshen up. He splashes cold water on his face to disguise the fact that he has been crying, then spritzes cologne on his neck and sweater before grabbing his keys and coat and leaving. As the elevator takes him down to the main floor, Harry stares at his shoes. All he can think about is spending a few days doing absolutely nothing in order to recharge. No one is as good as doing absolutely nothing than Louis, but he can't be with Harry because of his stupid flight.
"Going my way?" Harry suddenly freezes in the middle of the sidewalk. His body is not only frozen because of the cold weather, but also because he finally hears the voice he has been yearning to hear in person. Harry picks up his gaze and sees Louis a few feet in front of him. He is leaning against his car and looks cooler than ever. His fluffy brown hair and warm smile make Harry melt inside, and his infectious laugh as Harry speed walks to him makes Harry cry--this time, he is crying happy tears.
"Louis," Harry sobs, jumping into Louis' arms and wrapping his limbs tightly around him. Louis hugs Harry back just as tight, tight enough to think he or Harry might leave bruises on each other.
"Hi baby. My baby..." Louis coos. Harry buries his nose into Louis' neck, breathing in his warm, holiday spiced scent that brings him immeasurable serenity. "I would love to keep this moment going, but you are bigger than me and I'm standing on a sheet of snow," Louis says.
"Right," Harry breathlessly chuckles after a few seconds as he gets down. He keeps his hands on Louis' shoulders and Louis keeps his on Harry's hips. They both have relieved, fulfilled smiles on their faces. Both boys drink up each other's presence for another few moments before kissing each other as if they haven't kissed in years. In this moment, the only thing Louis wants is Harry, and the only thing Harry wants is Louis. However, the sub-zero wind makes them break apart and seek shelter in Louis' car. "You drove here?" Harry suddenly realizes.
"Yup. I wanted to surprise you on your last day of exams, and I wasn't going to let a stupid cancelled flight change that," Louis says with a proud smile on his face.
"You drove five hours in the snow for me?" Harry asks.
"There isn't a thing I wouldn't do for you, my love." Louis steals another kiss from Harry, then starts the car and heads to the restaurant.
"Is my mum really stuck in traffic?" Harry asks after a few moments.
"Nope. She already got us a table at the restaurant," Louis says. He reaches a hand over to rest on Harry's thigh while he drives, as he usually does. However, an icy section of the road makes him lose control of his car for a split second. He squeezes Harry's thigh before returning his hand to the wheel, now safely driving with both hands.
"Please don't kill us. Actually, that wouldn't be very surprising with how this week has gone," Harry jokes.
"Harry," Louis warns. Harry knows Louis doesn't like it when he makes jokes about death, so he leans over and kisses his cheek before apologizing. They then change the subject, now talking about anything the boys haven't yet told each other about their busy exam weeks.
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After spending hours talking and eating at the restaurant with Anne, Harry and Louis decide it is time to go back to Harry's apartment for the evening. While visiting with Anne is always nice, the boys have been yearning for alone time where they can be as disgustingly affectionate as they want without having to worry about making others uncomfortable.
"Wanna get ice cream?" Harry asks as Louis stops at a red light.
"How about you go lick some snow off the ground if you want something cold?" Louis sasses.
"Fine, bitch. Let's get hot chocolate then." Louis laughs and glances at Harry with an amused look at the rude name, chalking it up to the two glasses of wine he had with dinner.
"Where can we get hot chocolate, honey?" Louis asks, offering a sweet nickname in exchange for the vulgar one.
"There's a Starbucks by my place. Just turn left up here instead of right," Harry explains. Louis follows Harry's directions, and he parks in front of a Starbucks less than five minutes later. Harry is the first one out, so he hurries to the door and rubs his hands together to keep them warm. "Hurry up," he says.
"I'm coming," Louis sighs, then locks the car and enters the Starbucks when Harry opens the door for him.
"Can we both later?" Harry whispers, even though no one in the sparsely populated coffee shop knows what they are talking about.
"I'll take good care of you, don't worry," Louis whispers back, then pecks Harry's cheek before ordering two hot chocolates for them. Harry laces his and Louis' fingers together while they wait for their drinks. He looks around the cozy building, the warm beige walls and photographs of coffee beans making him feel comfortable; Harry always smiles when he enters a Starbucks and gets that first delicious smell of freshly brewed coffee.
"That's Harry." Harry suddenly hears in the fairly quiet space. He looks around and freezes when he sees the group of boys who were picking on him a week ago.
"And that's the boy he posts about," the second boy whispers.
"Who do you think takes it up the ass?" The third one asks a little too loudly.
"Shh." The two boys shush the third one, which gets Louis' attention. When he looks over at the table in the corner, he notices the three boys staring at him and Harry. They quickly go back to minding their own business, but Louis can occasionally see them laughing and pointing at him and Harry.
"Do you know them?" Louis turns to Harry and asks. Harry, who has since pulled his hand away from Louis and is now a few inches away from him, simply shakes his head. "You're lying. Do they go to your uni?" Harry looks into Louis' eyes, which gives Louis the answer he was looking for.
"Please don't be mad," Harry whispers, then looks down at his shoes and takes a shaky breath.
"Why would I be mad?" Louis wonders. He gently lifts Harry's chin with his bent index finger, then gives the boy a soft, inviting smile. Half of the reason why Louis does this is to make Harry feel better, but the other half is to show the boys in the corner how well Harry gets treated.
"For Louis," the barista behind the counter says, then places two steaming cups on the counter.
"Thanks," Louis says, then grabs both drinks and hands one to Harry. "Do you wanna tell me who they are?" Louis asks. Harry hesitates for a few moments, but he eventually comes clean. Once again, he is confessing to lying to Louis.
"They've been bugging me for a little while because I posted a few things about you on Instagram," Harry meekly says. "Can we please just go? I don't wanna spend our first night together crying to you." Harry grabs Louis' hand and tries to lead him to the door. Instead, Louis gives Harry his keys. Harry immediately leaves the building, and Louis waits until the door is fully shut before he walks over to the boys.
"Hi, I'm guessing you saw me and Harry a couple of minutes ago," Louis starts. He sounds fairly nice at first, which makes the boys think they have the upper hand.
"Yeah, we go to school with him," one of the boys says. Louis forces his face to stay neutral, but in reality he wants to make a look of disgust. They are all dressed like fuckboy wannabes and act like the world revolves around them.
"That's nice," Louis slowly nods, then turns cold. "I heard what you douchebags were saying about us. I know you've been bullying Harry, so if I ever hear about you doing anything to him, I will beat the shit out of you. Understand?" His voice is firm and authoritative, and the boys turn pale.
"Y-Yeah, whatever," one of them says, still trying to come off as complacent but failing.
"Good." Louis goes around and looks them all in the eye, then takes a cake pop from one of them before leaving without another word. When he goes out to the car, he sees Harry sitting in the passenger seat; he's looking right at Louis. "Here," Louis says as he hands Harry the cake pop.
"What did you say to them?" Harry asks, shifting in his seat.
"I just warned them not to mess with you. Will you make sure to tell me if they do?" Louis asks, and Harry quietly nods.
The rest of the car ride back to Harry's apartment is quiet. Either the cake pop or Louis standing up to the boys seems to have cheered Harry up, which makes Louis happy.
"Wanna watch a movie? You can pick," Harry says when the elevator takes them to his floor.
"Okay," Louis happily hums, then watches Harry unlock his door. He takes his bag into Harry's bedroom and changes into pajamas. Harry joins him a few moments later, and they both end up wearing flannel pajama pants and long sleeve shirts. Harry then takes his and Louis' hot chocolates to the living room and sets them down on the small coffee table. He remains standing until Louis sits down. As soon as Louis looks comfortable, Harry places himself in Louis' lap. "Mm, that's what you were waiting for, huh?" He smirks.
"Yeah," Harry giggles. He loosely wraps his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders and rests his head by the crook of Louis' neck. While Louis searches through Netflix, he feels his neck start to get wet where Harry is laying his head.
"You alright?" Harry simply nods, then sniffles.
"I'm just really glad you're here." Harry picks his head up and looks at Louis with misty eyes and a happy smile. Louis smiles at his boyfriend before leaning in for a kiss, putting so much passion behind the single moment in order to show Harry just how much he loves him.
"I'm really glad to finally be here," Louis says when they pull apart. Harry smiles again before returning his head to Louis' shoulder, and Louis starts the movie. There on the couch, cradled in Louis' arms, is exactly where Harry has dreamed of being ever since he FaceTimed Louis over a week ago. Frozen in time, his heart full of love and in his lover's arms, perfectly content. This is where Harry is meant to be.
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I'm cutting off my ~20 inches of hair and getting a pixie cut in 20 hours 😳😳😳
Also what are some of your favorite pet names in one shots/fanfic?
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