Summary: Louis doesn't like Nick Grimshaw. He has never had a reason, until now.
Request from AnnaPark041
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Louis doesn't like Nick Grimshaw.
He has made that apparent through subtle eye rolls and moody behavior whenever he sees him or hears of him. Seeing as he is gay, and a whole decade older than Harry, and chooses to spend his free time with a 21 year old, doesn't add up to Louis; he's not buying it.
He must be a really great guy for Harry to keep going back to him. He's clearly not friends with Nick for his looks, or because he's rich, since Harry is richer. No, Nick Grimshaw must be a stand-up guy.
Harry leaves his dressing room and ventures to the snack table, inspecting each packaged snack wrapper and each label by every baked good.
"Just pick one," Niall says to Harry, who is impatiently waiting in line.
"I'm getting snacks for Nick, he's allergic to nuts," Harry explains, and Louis obnoxiously sighs.
"A gay man who doesn't eat nuts, color me surprised," Louis remarks.
"Shut it." Harry raises his eyebrows at Louis from across the room in a sort of warning look. With one hand, he points to his boyfriend, and with his other hand he is holding a small variety of nut free snacks.
"Why don't you like Nick?" Zayn wonders when Harry goes back to his dressing room.
"I just don't," Louis says.
Louis is not particularly fond of the way Harry seems to trust Nick with his life--or all of his secrets, at least. He doesn't like the way that Harry only goes with Nick to fashion shows, and not anyone else. They seem to speak another language when they are together, and Louis feels cut off from Harry when Nick is around.
All of a sudden, Harry, now shirtless, comes jogging around the corner with his phone pressed up to his ear.
"Uh-huh," he says, "yes Grimmy, I'll be there. Shut up!" He giggles. Just as the giddy boy catches Louis' attention, he drops his phone on the floor, and his body follows with a familiar oomph.
"Wasn't my turn to watch him," Niall nonchalantly says as he walks past Harry with a plate of mini muffins and fruit.
"Hey Bambi, wanna put some shoes on so you don't fall again?" Louis says, watching Harry's ungraceful legs straighten as he stands up, brushing off his black, extra skinny jeans. He quickly observes his phone for damage, then begins speaking into it as he speeds past his band mates in the sitting area, around the corner, and to the back exit of the arena.
"He's so weird," Liam laughs.
"So you've never fallen before?" Louis quickly defends Harry.
"He just sped away," Niall cackles.
"He didn't even say he was okay," Zayn joins in with an amused tone. "He fell, got up, grabbed his phone, and just ran away." The three boys all laugh in unison, making Louis smile a little bit. It was sort of funny. Harry is just awkward sometimes, and it's entertaining to watch him go about his day.
"There's the other boyfriend," Liam says, long after the laughter dies down and minutes after Louis started to wonder what was taking Harry so long.
"Hi boys," Nick greets the four band members, and Louis pulls out his phone.
"Come on, I have to change my pants. They got all dirty when I fell," Harry tells Nick. He grabs his wrist and starts for his dressing room.
"How did you even fall? Did you trip on air again, hun?" Louis faintly hears Nick's voice across the room, and he wishes he didn't. He wishes Nick was back in England and not in Ireland with Harry.
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Once Nick left the backstage area to watch the opening band, Louis finally had Harry to himself. He was also in full possession of Harry on stage and immediately after the concert. But once they met their friends at a club afterwards, he lost possession; he had to share Harry.
By sharing, he means he has to watch as Nick and Harry get tipsy and act stupid, while Louis associates with his own friends.
Listening to Nick talk to Harry, like he is the one who knows him the best, makes Louis want to rip his head off. Nick teeters somewhere between acting like Harry's guardian and lover, which is enveloped in a weird case of friendship that Harry seems to love.
"Bathrooms are this way. Harry!" Nick calls amidst a sea of sweaty, drunk people in the dark club, while Harry easily gets distracted by a loud conversation next to him. "I thought blondes were the dumb ones, not brunettes! Come on, mate." Harry fits his hand in Nick's and lets himself be led to the bathrooms; Louis watches this from the bar before taking a shot of vodka.
"Look how he fucking babies him, and Harry just takes it," he mutters.
"It is kind of weird. Do you think Nick is taking advantage of him because he's so much younger?" Zayn wonders as he wipes condensation from his glass onto his jeans. Since he has stuck by Louis' side nearly all night, he is starting to see that Nick treats Harry differently than how a "normal" friend would treat him.
"If he does I'll kill him," Louis shakes his head. "He's rude, too. Harry probably just appreciates the attention." Harry and Nick emerge from the bathroom, and Harry has a sparkling grin on his face; Louis can practically hear the boy's endearing laugh. As Harry and Nick walk down the edge of the busy dance floor and get closer to the bar, Louis keeps his eyes locked on Harry, namely how his hand is being squished and held by Nick's.
"Hey," Harry smiles.
"Hey Haz," Zayn waves.
"Hi, Lou," Harry says. He drags a barstool close to Louis, then sits on it and wraps his arms around the older boy. His head rests on one of his arms, so close to Louis' head that Louis can hear him breathing.
"Hi honey." Louis reaches a hand up to gently hold Harry's forearm.
"Nick said there's a pretty cool playground right by our hotel. Wanna go?" Harry wonders, looking at the side of Louis' face; he blows him a small kiss before sitting up and pulling away from his boyfriend.
"You wanna go to a playground?" Louis asks.
"Harry's only 20, his playground days aren't over yet," Nick chuckles. "We just have to make sure he doesn't fall again. Right, H?" Harry hums and nods with a small smile.
"Back off, man," Louis firmly says. Nick doesn't respond, and the four boys are soon sneaking away from the club, en route to the playground.
The walk is short and there is a nice breeze, and they can see the playground on the starry landscape after only a few minutes.
"Did you drink a lot?" Louis quietly asks Harry. Harry shakes his head, and Louis kisses his cheek before delicately lacing their fingers together. "You sounded really good tonight, love."
"Thanks," Harry blushes.
"What did Nick say about it? He always seems to have something to say."
"Would it kill you to be nice to him?" Harry sighs.
"Uh, yeah, I think it would."
"We're here!" Nick suddenly exclaims.
"No shit," Louis whispers, and Harry lets out a small laugh. Louis sits on a swing next to Zayn, lazily kicking, and watches Harry climb all around the obstacles of the playground. The moon makes the colorful structures look like they are painted with shades of grey and black, but Louis knows they are just as bright and colorful as Harry in the daytime.
Harry bounds up the stairs, then zips down the slide, and repeats until he is out of breath.
"Harry, look!" Nick jumps from the top level of the playscape and slides down what looks to be a fireman pole. Harry then tries to climb up it, but he ends up sliding back down and onto the woodchip-covered ground. "Let me push you on the tire swing," Nick excitedly says. The two boys run to the tire swing, which is suspended by three sets of metal chains. Harry looks much too big to fit on or through the tire, but to Louis' surprise, he somehow fits his body on it.
He is sitting on the edge of the tire, tightly holding onto the chains on either side of him. His knees are practically at his chest because he has to keep his feet on the open middle section of the tire. If not, his shoes are sure to drag on the ground while he's being spun.
Nick starts off slow, but quickly picks up his pace. He runs in every direction, pushing the tire in front of him as he runs right, left, front, back, and in a big circle, all while Harry shrieks in delight and whimsy; Harry looks like he is having the time of his life.
When Harry gets too dizzy to enjoy the ride, he tells Nick to stop. Harry hesitantly stretches his legs through the big hole in the center of the tire after Nick brings it to a stop, then crouches down. Nick quickly pulls his phone out and begins recording him as he awkwardly lift his arms and sits on the woodchips to escape the tire. When he crawls away from the tire and stands up, he takes a step before stumbling and nearly face-planting. Nick puts his phone close to Harry's face when he stands up, to which Harry responds by dramatically whining and pushing him away.
"You're all dirty now," Nick says after he stops recording and puts his phone away. Harry starts for his band mate and boyfriend at the swing set as Nick brushes the woodchips off of his bum and the backs of his thighs.
"Bambi's back," Zayn teases Harry. But only Louis can call Harry that.
"Don't call me that," Harry says. He sits on top of a picnic table, and Nick sits next to him. That means that Louis is also going to sit next to Harry and win him over.
"How'd you get woodchips in your hair?" Louis wonders.
"Did I?" Harry gasps. Louis hums, then starts gently pulling the little woodchips out of his boyfriend's barely shoulder-length hair.
"There. All gone," Louis says once he has banished every last woodchip from Harry's soft curls.
"Thank youuu." Harry turns to the side to hug Louis.
"Even just a little bit of alcohol can make you this clingy, huh?" Louis chuckles; Harry only kisses him in response.
"Come on." Harry tugs Louis off of the table with him, then practically drags him to a new obstacle.
There is a skewed line of elevated, circular platforms, no more than a foot in diameter. The object is to jump from one platform to the next, all the way to the other side of the playscape. Louis steps onto the first platform and hops to the next one, and Harry follows suit.
"This is so easy," Harry says, continuing to follow Louis. Upon hearing Harry's comment, Louis speeds up.
"Come on," Louis says when he notices Harry is now two hops behind him.
"But this one's really far away." Harry points to the next platform he has to jump on. It is a little far away, Louis admits, but it shouldn't be a problem for Harry.
"Not with those long legs of yours. Come on, love," Louis encourages him. With a nod and a deep breath, and Louis' reassuring words, Harry takes a leap of faith. And Louis wishes he hadn't. His foot just misses the platform, and he tumbles to the ground, once again covered in woodchips.
From the picnic table, Louis can hear Nick's idiotic voice and his stupid laugh, and his blood boils.
"Are you okay?" Louis quickly hops off his platform and kneels beside Harry. He helps him up, and Harry sits on the platform he failed to land on. He starts to brush himself off, and Louis joins in.
"I wanna do it again," Harry says once he is cleaned up.
"Are you serious?" Louis questions.
"Yeah. You'll catch me, won't you?" He asks, looking up at Louis with a trusting smile and the moon shining in his eyes.
"Of course, baby," Louis coos, holding Harry's chin so he can admire his boy for a second longer.
Harry steps onto the platform that is two hops away from the one he missed. Nick and Zayn have joined the couple at the obstacle, and they're cheering Harry on. Harry keeps his eyes on Louis, who is standing at the platform in front of Harry.
"Good," he says when Harry confidently lands. He does the same when Harry gets back to the last platform he safely landed on, then stands next to the one Harry didn't make it to. "Let's go, you got this," Louis passionately says.
"Come on, H!" Zayn cheers.
"Don't fall again," Nick says. Louis glares at him, silently asking why he is so obsessed with Harry falling. It's a little weird of Nick, but then again, he's a weird person.
"I'm scared," Harry says. "Okay, come on," he says, hyping himself up. Harry bends his legs, springs off the platform, and reaches his front leg toward the platform Louis is standing by.
"Come on, Bambi!" Nick disruptively exclaims. Harry lands on the platform and clutches onto Louis' shoulders. He tries to stabilize himself, but he has landed on the edge of the platform. After a very long three seconds of staggering, Harry finally jumps down. Louis holds his waist until he's sure Harry is stable, then smiles.
"Almost," Louis softly says.
"Whatever," Harry sighs.
"At least you made it halfway up the pole earlier," Louis chuckles, and Harry scrunches his nose and breaks into a laugh.
"I see why they call you Bambi now," Nick laughs, clapping his hand on Harry's back. Unlike with Zayn, Harry doesn't tell Nick not to call him that. Apparently Nick gets a pass. Louis rolls his eyes, because he is fed up with Nick. Ever since he got here, he has constantly teased Harry, and he has interrupted almost every single one of Louis and Harry's private moments.
"Back off," Louis tells him once again.
"What? I can't help it if he has two left feet," Nick continues.
"Hey, what'd I say?" Louis snaps. He marches over to Nick and shoves him, tired of him always having something rude to say about Harry.
"What's your problem, mate?" Nick scoffs before shoving Louis back.
"You're always coming after my boyfriend, that's my problem," Louis spits. "I'm sick of it."
"I'm just joking, geez. Lighten up." Nick's carefree attitude leaves a bad taste in Louis' mouth. Louis gives Nick a pissed off look, and he is about to walk away from the situation, until he hears what Nick mutters under his breath. "I treat him the way you treat him. The only difference is I don't fuck my apology into him." Louis quickly turns on his heel and swings his fist, punching Nick square in the nose.
"Don't you dare talk about my boyfriend like that!" Louis yells, his voice guttural and filled with rage. Nick touches underneath his nose, then wipes the fresh blood onto his dark jeans.
"I knew you were an asshole, but I didn't know you were abusive, too." Nick seemingly taunts Louis, like he wants a fight. Is he trying to show Harry an ugly side of his boyfriend? Nick punches Louis, which begins an endless back-and-forth of punches and kicks and shoves and screaming insults.
Harry and Zayn watch anxiously on the sidelines, wanting to help but not wanting to get hit.
"What the fuck is your problem!" Louis yells seconds before his fist collides with Nick's chest. "You can't have Harry!"
"Yeah, he'll stay with you after watching you beat me up," Nick devilishly cackles.
"So you admit you're losing?" Louis cockily retorts. With that, Nick gets Louis in a headlock and begins thrashing around. Louis can now only see his and Nick's shoes, and he can't breathe as well as before.
"Stop," Harry says, very clearly upset. Hearing Harry only makes Louis want to fight harder, if only to scare Nick off and keep him from being a douchebag to Harry. Louis violently begins kicking Nick's shin with his heel, eventually breaking free. As soon as he can breathe again, he feels a pair of arms tightly wrap around his torso and drag him backwards. He is all turned around, but that doesn't stop him from prying his way free and spinning around to punch the person who grabbed him. "Louis," Harry quickly says, dodging the punch. Louis freezes, looking at Harry's teary eyes.
He whips his head around to observe his surroundings. When he does, he sees Zayn holding Nick back despite Nick's pathetic best efforts to break free. His nose is still bleeding, he has scratch marks and pink skin where he was punched, and he looks disheveled, like he just tumbled down a long hill. Good.
"Louis," Harry says again. Louis makes eye contact with Nick, who stops struggling in Zayn's arms for a moment.
"It's only a matter of time before your little Bambi comes running back to me," Nick smirks, then spits a mixture of saliva and blood on the ground. Louis clenches his jaw, and his hands form into fists.
"I'll fucking kill you!" Louis yells, his voice gravely and primal, something Harry has never heard from the older boy.
"Louis!" Harry finally joins in on the yelling. He grabs Louis before he has the chance to pounce on Nick. "Violence is not the answer," he firmly says.
"He's a piece of shit," Louis jeers, but Harry coerces him just enough to pull him away. As Louis storms away from Nick, he possessively grabs Harry's hips, keeping him close. "He's a fucking asshole. If I see him again I'm gonna snap his neck," Louis mutters, breathing heavily and walking fast.
The hotel is just around the corner, but Harry doesn't want Louis to be around people when he is this angry. He spots a park bench along their path, so he makes Louis sit. Or he tries to, at least.
"I don't wanna sit down." Louis stands back up and paces angrily in front of Harry, who is sitting in the middle of the bench.
"You need to relax," Harry calmly says.
"I don't wanna relax! Nick is..." Louis grunts. "I can't even describe how much I hate him. Old ass host of a radio show that nobody listens to. Fucking Wallace and Gromit looking ass," Louis strings insults into a mile long chain as he stomps back and forth, and Harry can't help but laugh at some of them.
"Baby, please," Harry tries again. Louis huffs and keeps burning energy. With a small sigh, Harry stands up, catching Louis when he turns around. He hugs Louis with the same tender force as when Louis is sick or tired.
"Harry." Louis tries to push him away, but Harry holds on.
"Shh..." He calmly starts. "It's over. There's nothing you can do tonight to change him or what he said." It takes a minute, but Louis eventually hugs Harry back, with the same protective force as when Harry is scared or when Louis is jealous. When they break apart, Louis slides his hands into Harry's back pockets and kisses him, hard. Harry is surprised at first, but he soon kisses Louis back with the same passion.
"You're mine," Louis speaks against Harry's lips before gently biting the younger boy's lower one.
"I know," Harry says, then smiles into their next kiss. None of the countless kisses Louis delivers to Harry's lips serve as an apology. No. Nick is wrong. Louis does not apologize to Harry with his dick or with kisses, or with anything other than words. Louis knows Harry deserves to be respected. He deserves a mature boyfriend who will protect him and who will always look out for him and keep him safe. "Hey," Harry says. His breathing is heavy and his lips are plump and dark pink, and Louis wants them again.
"Yeah?" Louis studies Harry's facial expression and looks up and down to make sure he's alright.
"Can we go back to the hotel and have the best sex ever?" Louis immediately wants to agree, but Nick's words are embedded into his brain like a thorn.
"We're not having make-up sex," Louis warily says.
"No," Harry assures him. "We're having rough, hot sex because you defended me from someone who, in hindsight, was a little bit of a prick," he explains. "You protected me." His voice turns soft, making Louis melt and his heart flutter. Yes, yes he did protect Harry. He always has and he always will. Harry starts to kiss Louis again while Louis is thinking, which turns his thoughts into a cacophony of yes and rough sex and Harry.
"Because you're mine," Louis says.
"I know," Harry hums. "And I'm sure you could go for hours," he cheekily adds.
"Yeah?" Louis smirks. He holds Harry's waist as they continue walking to the hotel. Louis is much calmer than he was before he and Harry stopped at the park bench, and it's all thanks to Harry. Louis' "little Bambi" who didn't go running back to Nick. The boy who stayed with him after watching him win a fight against Nick.
Nick may have had a delusional thought that he had a chance with Harry, but Louis won. Louis got the boy. In fact, he never lost him in the first place.
And that is why Louis doesn't like Nick Grimshaw.
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