He was extremely nervous that Monday morning to face Harry. He was sleep deprived and his hair was on the next level of falling out. He was shaking so much, sweating probably a litre since he got out of bed three hours ago.
He knew Harry had seen it. He'd answered asks on Tumblr about their relationship and even though he'd only reply with limited details, he was still releasing information that yes, Louis and Harry were hanging out. Yes, they were good friends but no, they weren't anything more. And Louis wasn't sure if Harry was just trying to push people away, or was actually telling the truth.
Louis' ask box was also full. Early this morning, he checked it out and saw over two hundred asks waiting for him to tend to. He ignored them. He didn't want to release any information; Harry seems to deal with that pretty well.
He was cleaning and drying the residue from the cups, placing them on the shelf and watching the clock. It was close to ten, meaning Harry would come in just before his English lecture. Louis knows his schedule well, even though it might change every now and again. Harry has this system that he follows and Louis some times had to remind Harry what he had to do next. It was almost like finishing each other's sentences.
Louis knows the moment they finish each other's sentences, that's when things are really getting serious. Probably.
Shit. He was here and he was looking much more happier than he should be. Maybe he was trying to hide the fact he was so, so pissed off and didn't really know how to say how angry he was in a nice way. That seemed very Harry like and was probably the most logical reason.
Louis asked Mia to cover his shift for a few, walking out before even receiving an answer. He threw his apron to the crate and grabbed Harry by the forearms before he could get to the counter. Harry jumped with surprise, grinning and leaning in for a kiss. Louis blinked many times, putting two fingers on his mouth and stopping him before Harry could touch him.
Harry was a little blown out of his mind. "Is there something wrong, Lou?"
"Don't you think there's something wrong?" Louis whispered. Harry looked into his head, trying to skim through the pages of memories he had. He didn't upset Louis in any way, did he? He didn't remember too well. "Can we have lunch early?"
"I-I have a lecture in ten minutes."
"What time do you get out?"
"At like, twelve. If you need to talk, I can miss out today."
"No, you aren't missing out some crucial part of your study for me!"
"It's revision, so it's not something new. You are obviously more important and if something is bothering you, I'd rather sort that out first otherwise I won't be able to concentrate in class," Harry told him with a sincere glare. Louis looked up, down and around, reluctant to let Harry miss out his class. "Louis, it's just one class."
"Okay, okay. I'll grab my wallet and we'll head out to the Guild."
Harry bit his lip. "Can you get your shift covered for the rest of the day?"
"You're a real pusher, you know that?"
"We just have a lot to talk about." Harry smiled down to him, Louis smiling back.
He stood on his toes and kissed his right cheek discretely. "I'll ask Mia. Wait outside for me, yeah?"
*************
Louis walked out with a flat mouth and wide eyes. "She's pissed at me."
"At least you get the day off." They started to walk on the Promenade as individuals. Louis wasn't sure why their hands weren't together today.
"I have to take her entire shift tomorrow for some stupid shopping trip she just organized around thirty seconds ago!" Louis complained. "So I won't be able to see you tomorrow unless you're lunching with me in the shop."
"I better get a decent coffee then?"
"Oh please, have you seen the person who makes the coffees?" Louis rolled his eyes, cockily pointing, with a cunning cough, to his chest. Harry stares around for a bit, mucking around.
"Yeah, the guy's pretty ugly, ain't he?"
Louis slapped his shoulder blade. "You twat."
"A rude one too, he is."
"Guess what? You're the one kissing this ugly, rude mouth and you don't seem to ramble on too much about that."
"Yes, but some other things are on those lips in which I would kiss away in a heartbeat."
"What if there was lice on here?" Louis showed his lips. "Still kiss them away?"
"If there were glass shards and a button on those lips that said kiss lips if you want to die, I would still."
Louis awwed. "A button wouldn't fit on here, dumb shit."
"I was trying to be romantic."
"When I tell my children about how romantic my life was back when I was twenty three, I'll be telling them romantic things included talking about lice and buttons on lips which will execute you."
"Be like How I Met Your Mother then?"
"Actually, How I Met Your Father, would be the name," Louis grinned. "And I wouldn't be an architect and as boring as Ted."
"Hey! Ted isn't boring. I would say Barney's the worst."
Louis scoffed. "He has the best sex life."
"That's why I don't like him."
"Because he can get more bitches than you?" Louis laughed. "Neil is gay, you know? He has a family of his own with his husband."
"Waitwaitwait," Harry stopped him. "He's gay in real life, but he plays the whore in the show?"
"Kinda funny once you think about it," Louis snickered, taking Harry's hand. "C'mon, love. Lunch is waiting for a hungry boy."
************
"Eat up, love."
"I'm going to bloody choke!"
Harry angled the piece of bread over Louis' lips again. "Open wide," He cooed. "C'mon. It's a little piece."
Louis opened his mouth, Harry popping in the bit of the crust from Louis' sandwich he didn't finish. Louis chewed slowly, hoping not to choke and die from the food as he swallowed. His head was in Harry's lap as they sat under the tree near the Guild. It was a nice Autumn day to be frank. Louis loved the weather. He loved Harry more.
"Think you can fit another?" Harry asked him, holding over another piece. "Your little tummy can fit one more."
"Harry."
"Open up, babe," Harry enticed, laughing softly to himself as Louis took the food from him like a small duck. He chewed quickly, swallowing as he groaned, feeling his stomach rumble from over fill. "Geez, you only ate a sandwich."
"My stomach isn't that big as your massive gut," Louis poked at it, watching how his muscles clenched underneath that big t-shirt of his. "Why are you wearing this today?"
"What?"
"You've never worn something like this?" Louis asked him, glaring at Harry's burgundy shirt. Harry looked down to it, seeing Louis feel the material.
"Is it bad?"
"No. Makes you look quite hot if you asked me," Louis shrugged. Harry turned his head away, blushing lightly as Louis kept on talking and talking about nonsense. Louis was really the type to talk shit but look amazing while he says it. Harry admired him for that. "--so maybe we could do it?"
Harry coughed, blinking a couple of times and staring down at Louis. "W-what?"
Louis rolled his eyes, sitting up from Harry's lap and crossing his legs. He pressed his knees into Harry's as he placed his hands on Harry's thighs. Harry's breath hitched. "I said, I've thought about it and I know we've kinda ruined ourselves online just the other night but I think we should make a video just to tell everyone that nothing else is going on. So maybe we could do it?"
Harry nodded, a little relieved but somewhat disappointed. "Y-yeah," Harry leaned forward and kissed him. "Yeah let's do it."
*************
Louis was on the floor with his arms underneath his head. Harry was shooting him with his phone, asking him questions about his day.
"How's your day been, Lou Lou?"
"Don't call me that."
"Munchkin." Harry corrected himself.
"Stuff you!"
"I'm not a damn turkey, Munchkin," Harry laughed, dropping down to the floor with Louis and putting the camera to their faces as they looked at the iPhone. "You didn't answer my question. Tell everyone how your day was."
"It was great until this bastard came here."
"Rude," Harry snapped jokingly. Louis turned the camera off quickly by tapping the red button, pushing Harry's arms down and leaning over him. "What was that for?"
"Didn't want you capturing me kissing you. Just in case we fuck up our problems a little more."
"Hm, the kiss is for what?"
Louis smiled. "To prove that you, sir, are the one who is going to enjoy these rude lips while the University is bare."
Harry agreed with Louis' proposition immediately.
************
The videos were continued on with for the rest of that afternoon, Harry and Louis giving each other piggy backs - in which Louis almost broke his spine from Harry's fat arse - and the few questions in which to prove that these two were nothing more than friends.
There was a couple of times Louis just couldn't resist. He was actually working with Harry to create a video that's going to be spread over the internet in a few hours time. Louis had to force the camera off, even in the middle of Harry's shot just to kiss him. He wasn't going to risk having the camera on. He has risked too much already.
They were sitting in the Sunken Gardens ready to do their action shot of playing clapping games. Honestly, no one knew what the hell some Youtubers did in their videos - including myself. Harry suggested the clapping game of pat-a-cake just for shits and gigs. Harry set up the camera, the Sunken Gardens empty as they sat with their knees touching and their legs crossed. Louis started with a clap.
"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cak-- Harry!"
"What? You clapped wrong!"
"You're meant to clap me!"
"No! You clap yourself and then you clap me!"
"No you-- what?" Louis laughed. "Pat-a-cake goes you, then you again--"
"No, you go yourself, like," Harry clapped his hands together, "Then like this!" Harry clapped Louis' right hand with his left, "And you press left to right. Then everything together."
"Okay, okay!" Louis was cackling loudly, cooling himself down before he started to sing again. "Pat-a-cak-- shit."
"You can't even play a simple childhood game."
"Excuse me! I've been out of school longer than you, Pathology boy!"
"Great nickname you have there."
"Whatever Curly. Just hurry up and pat-a-cake me," Louis sung along again as the two make serious eye contact. "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can."
"Roll it, pat it and mark it with a B, Put it in the oven for baby and me." Harry sung, keeping their clapping rhythm quite easy, but intense.
"Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man. Bake me a cake as fas--"
"Dammit, Lou!"
Louis sneered noisily, falling onto his back and clutching his stomach as he laughed. "Don't kill me!"
"I'm going to kill you," Harry pulled him in by his thighs, leaning over and starting to tickle at the sides of his stomach. Louis laughed even louder, trying to push Harry away but he'd only find himself getting closer to Harry and his crotch. "We had the best thing going on there!"
"Harr-- Ah!" He giggled again, fisting Harry's shirt as he pulled him down for a kiss. Louis moved his lower arm around Harry's neck, keeping him still as they starting to snog with the camera in front of them. They beamed into each other's mouths while Louis kept a hold of Harry with his arm around his neck and his legs slowly curling around his waist. He pulled him in closer, and closer until the moment they couldn't really get any closer.
Harry stopped them, pressing his lips against his once more before moving from him. "Might need to trim that video."
Louis giggled again, watching Harry leave him to turn off the video as he remained on the floor.
****************
"How does it look?"
"You look pregnant at one point."
"Thanks," Louis sarcastically said. "Does my face look like an anteater at any point? Or does my feet look like it's getting a makeover?"
"You're a weird one."
"You're the one who said I looked pregnant. Who's the father?"
"Probably you since you pretty much broke my back today before falling on top of me."
"Oh yeah, I remember the condom falling off right before the point I jumped onto you, whoops," Harry teased, hearing Louis grumble over the phone. "Sorry babe."
"Are you almost ready to upload it? I want to watch it."
"Yeah, yeah. Calm down, love. It's taking a while to edit out all the bits where you're staring at me in more ways than one."
"Was it with disgust?"
"Hardly," Harry laughed in short. "God sakes, Lou. Almost half of the shooting we did today was of you staring and licking your lips at me."
"I don't even remember doing that?"
"Yeah, but you did. Like twenty billion times."
Louis hummed. "Not my fault that you're hot."
"Not my fault either if we're questioned about what is really going on between us."
"I could just say I'm acting. Everyone knows I was an actor back in the day."
"You can't act for shit, Lou."
"Wanna bet?"
"Yeah, I do because I know you'll lose," Harry guffawed. "Louis, I think we might need to shoot this all over again. It's all just you staring at me. Not to mention our recorded kiss."
"No. Just put it up how ever you've got it and looks alright. Everyone's a little stupid and plus, me and Shane used to act the same in videos."
"I've seen you and Shane's videos. You did not act like that with Shane."
"Who cares! Just upload it!"
"Fine!" Harry whined, clicking the save button before uploading the file. It only goes for three minutes, hardly a good quality Youtuber video. Meanwhile, Harry talked to Louis about whatever fled into their minds - which was more than likely something to do with food or banter.
Harry had to leave after that for some study, promising to see Louis tomorrow to take him out of his misery for shifting alone. Louis watched the video Harry just uploaded, linking it onto Tumblr with Harry's name hyper linked. A lot of re-blogs from that moment on and during the three minutes and twenty eight seconds, Louis' blog was on fire with asks.
The video was quite charming. Louis could see a couple of times where Harry had mentioned he was staring a little too lovingly. He didn't notice it at first - which was good. He watched the entire video all over again. And again. He couldn't get enough of it.
"Do you think they'll see if we jumped into the pond?"
"Louis, you'd probably turn into a mutant if you jumped into there," Harry said as they neared the reflection pool. The two were right over it, the camera recording the faint ripples in the water. Harry almost dropped the phone when Louis hopped onto his back. "Hey!"
"Carry me to the food court."
"It's all he ever talks about," Harry whispered into the camera, Louis hearing and slapping his back. "Oi, you little prat. I'm not buying you food ever again after this."
"I won't make you coffee then."
Harry thought for a minute. "Withdrawn. I would just like a piggy back myself." Harry threw Louis off before jumping onto Louis and making them collapse into the floor with a fit of giggles coming out of their mouths.
Louis' eyes were so bright. He's never seen them like this before. It seem to only happen when he's with Harry.
************
His asks were flooding.
brittxoxo asked: how long have you and harry been friends? (: xo
louis-tomlinson: a while now :)
jamiiii asked: are you and harry best friends or...?
louis-tomlinson: yes, we are, love :)
loutomlinsonqqq asked: i loved your new video with harry-styles :) do you think you'll make more videos soon? love you guys together. you're so funny. x
louis-tomlinson: we will be :) I'm sure. We see each other everyday so it'll be kinda silly not to make videos :)
Louis was happy.
************
It seemed to be a switching process between shifts now. One day, Louis would get the day off, the next, Mia would. It was the Friday - a beautiful Friday, and Louis got the chance to spend the day with Harry doing whatever seemed right.
So it wasn't really that much of a surprise Harry wanted to take him out to lunch somewhere rather than the Guild. A date, Louis would call it.
"Where are you planning to get lunch?"
"Does the bus link to Harbour town?"
"Should do. It's one of the busiest routes. We'd probably get stuck in traffic for an extra hour."
"What about walking?" Harry suggested, earning a glower from Louis.
"Unless you want to piggyback me halfway there, it's a no from me."
"I could--"
"No, babe. Not this again."
Harry pouted. "What do you suggest we do then?"
"We should take the bus down Stirling, then Loch and then get the Loch Street train to the city."
"The trains will be packed, Lou!"
"Yeah, well they don't get interrupted by traffic? Unless you want to take the Yellow CAT that takes around an hour just to get to one spot."
"I think mine's a little less complicated,"
"But mine's quicker."
Harry exhaled heavily, taking Louis' hand. "We better hurry then. We might miss the ten-thirty bus."
***********
"It'll be quicker, you said." Harry droned on with a voice full of sarcasm. Louis frowned, shining his eyes up to Harry who was speaking his mind.
"Harry--"
"It won't get interrupted by traffic, you said."
Louis slapped his chest with his free hand. "Stop being a dick, Curly. I'll make sure to embarrass you in public."
Harry snapped a look at him. "Should I ask how?"
"Should make it a surprise."
Harry stopped him with a cheeky smile, turning him around and brushing his nose against Louis' forehead. "You wouldn't do anything too bad, would you?"
"Try to talk me out of it, Haz, and you'll be getting a few certain text messages of ours on Tumblr in five seconds flat."
"Oh, not four seconds?" Harry pouted playfully. "Or three?"
"Shut up."
"Make me."
"I would but not here."
Harry cocked up an eyebrow. "Embarrassed to kiss me?"
"Maybe not kiss--"
"I'm not embarrassed to PDA, love. Shouldn't be a problem for you. I know you like to show off a lot."
Louis' face fell flat as he glared up to Harry seriously. "Callin' me a show off?"
"Should be proud of it."
"You're right," Louis sneered, standing on the tip of his toes and smiling close to Harry's mouth. He swung a hand quick into his nuts, making Harry groan and hold himself tight in the crotch. Louis snickered, feeling victorious and walking off slowly with his ass swaying with sass. "How's that for PDA?"
Harry avoided the chuckles from the pedestrians moving across the road for the shopping centre, hopping to Louis who, most kindly, waited for Harry. Louis helped him stand upright, tapping his face lightly and spitting at him to stop his whining. Harry gritted his teeth, growling at Louis from his throat.
"How are you, babe?" Louis laughed at him, watching Harry get angrier in his grip. "Let's go shopping, hm?"
*************
Louis' arm was looped around Harry's as they journeyed through the different areas of Harbour Town. Lunch was delicious at Shimizu. Louis and Harry could already see the consistency of eating sushi together. They both knew the four-o'clock train was departing in the next two hours and so far, the two boys had only been through half of the shops in the area.
The laughs kept on coming. They were the immature idiots who ended up getting kicked out of City Beach for giggling at a pair of gold thongs and putting them on a mannequin. The alarm was set off and moments later, they were greeted with two guards who were the least impressed. They ventured to other stores, snarling at the three employees inside City Beach each time they passed the store.
Each time they passed the store, yes. They were pretty clueless of what direction they were going in. They've passed the store six-- now seven times and Louis stopped Harry. Harry smiled, asking Louis what the problem was only with his eyes.
"We've been past City Beach seven times," Louis glowered. "Are you just leading me around for fun or is there a really pretty girl in there you're keeping your eye on?"
"That's ridiculous," Harry scoffed. "I don't see you working in there, do I?"
Oh, that was extremely unexpected. Louis blushed down to the ground, making Harry laugh to himself. Harry relinked their arms, tugging him along and finally, in a direction which wouldn't lead them to do twenty more circles around the mall.
**************
"It's your name!"
Harry narrowed his eyes at the sign. "Don't remember having an Ed in my name, Lou."
"Has Harry. It counts."
"Do you want to look in here?" Harry seemed pretty interested in the business clothes in front of him. "Maybe we could get matching ties?"
"Ed Harry sells ties?"
"It sells everything."
"What about elephants?"
Harry gazed a dull look to Louis. "Be a little more rational, idiot."
"Cats?"
"Louis."
Louis grinned merrily, settling a kiss into Harry's shoulder and walking with him into Ed Harry.
************
Harry was beaming towards Louis, holding his hand with both of his and blinking his eyes, trying to be an innocent little shit and to guide Louis into BONDS.
Louis rolled his eyes for the fiftieth time in the last hour. "What? Wanna buy matching underwear too?"
"Think you'd look good in a pair of red briefs, Lou Lou."
"Who said you were going to see me in briefs any time soon?"
"Who said I wasn't."
Louis grumbled, sluggishly giving into Harry's request of heading into the shop. Harry was more proud of himself, happier than he should have been to take Louis into the underwear section of the store and pick out some light blue briefs for him.
"Should put these on. They match your eyes."
Louis took the pair with Harry bending down to the rack at knee level. "Do you have these fantasies at night or something?"
"Don't ask me what I do at night," Harry scolded in a zippy tone, causing Louis to bulge his eyes out of his head and stare down at Harry with a smile, a laugh right behind it. He handed him another pair of briefs, obviously his side as he stared up to Louis. "What?"
"Do I want to know?"
"Please. That's a story for when we're alone."
Louis nodded shortly, snickering under his breath as Harry continued to search through the rack for a good pair of undies.
**************
"Get these!"
Harry turned around, seeing Louis muck around with pens which bend and have a fluffy tip. "Louis, I'm a University student."
"So?"
"So," Harry snatched them off Louis. "What I mean is it isn't appropriate to have these."
"What do you know about being appropriate. Be bold, spontaneous! Be different!"
"I'm not buying these."
"By them for me then?"
Harry narrowed his eyes at Louis. "And what are you going to do with these?" Harry shook them in Louis' face. Louis winked, looking around from side to side before kissing Harry and turning around to look at more stuff. "What are you going to do with them?"
"Please. That's a story for when we're alone."
Harry groaned, putting the pens away and following Louis around Typo.
*************
They were paired with ties, undies (despite Louis' pain filled requests not to get the same and make the employees suspicious), bracelets from Factorie and shoes from Cotton On. Late for the four-o'clock train back to the station, Louis and Harry were left with the option of the yellow CAT to take them on the horrid ride back to the University.
The travel was shit from the overload of traffic. They almost crashed, the feel of the bus close to toppling over itself was one Louis was never to forget. He was frightened out of his skin, clinging to Harry for help as his nerves started to affect him all over again.
Arriving at the University at six thirty, Louis wasn't too sure what to do, and Harry was quite mindless on what to do next. They both headed across the road together to sit at the banks of the Swan River. They parked their bums on the soft, wet sand, Louis between Harry's legs and resting into his chest. Harry coddled him with his hand going up and down his forearms, trying to remove the little bits that was still shaking Louis up.
Harry overlooked Louis who was right beneath his chin. He was smiling warmly under the sunset. Harry reached over to the bags from their shopping spree and grabbed out a scarf. The sound of the bags ruffling brought Louis attentive to what Harry was doing. Harry soon wrapped the scarf around Louis' head, creating a small bandana for him.
"What are you doing?"
"Marking you."
Louis tilted his head back, looking at Harry with his new white bandana surrounding his head. "Isn't that meant to be a lovebite?"
"But a bandana is cute on you," Harry whined. "Why have an ugly mark on your neck when you could have a pretty bandana?"
Louis belittled Harry. "Whatever makes you sleep at night."
"Funny thing is, it does."
"That's what you're talking about before, wasn't it? In BONDS?"
Harry didn't respond, leaning over and kissing the gap between Louis' eyebrows. Louis hummed, not really caring about Harry's silence towards the question. Everyone has their own secrets.