TW//Manipulation, Fire & Burns, Murder
He walked with purpose. His strides were confident, and his movements flowed smoothly. The black suit, designed intricately with lace working throughout it, clung to his body and highlighted his slight curves. He was like the walking embodiment of the night sky; his green eyes twinkled with mischief, red lips mimicking that of a blazing meteoroid.
Harry politely smiled as he moved through the crowded ballroom, and his eyes darted diligently around the room. They landed on a petit form standing in the corner, seemingly observing the people in front of him. Harry ran a hand through his hair, tousling it in an attempt to reveal more curls, and stepped towards the man.
"Nice to meet you," Harry stated, offering his hand.
The other man widened his eyes before wiping his hands against his thighs. His arm stretched out to meet Harry's, and he smiled. "Louis."
Harry raised Louis' hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it. He left a red stain and smirked at the blush on Louis' face.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. It's just, I saw you earlier, and I thought, 'Wow, this guy is beautiful, I just have to meet him.' "
Louis' cheeks deepened in colour and were beginning to match the shade of red on his hand. Harry watched as the man tried to form his words and took a moment to run his eyes down his body. His suit was almost as, if not more, tight as Harry's. It gripped his torso and accentuated his hourglass figure. The colour of the suit, a sparkling midnight black, brought most of the attention to his eyes. Harry could go on for days about his eyes; they seemed to be a stunning ocean blue, but he was sure they could change instantly depending on his outfit.
"--I've never seen a man with lipstick on before. It looks great! I mean, you look great, too! I'm not trying to say that only the lipstick looks good. I think you look good in general. Like a snack. Is that? Not a snack. Maybe like a chandelier. Like that one over there! I've just compared you to a chandeli--"
"You're rambling, love," Harry pointed out after he tuned back into what Louis was trying to say.
"Sorry," Louis muttered sheepishly.
Harry shook his head and smiled. Two dimples formed in his cheeks as he did, causing Louis to gasp. He reached his hands up to poke them, and Harry could see the ink resting on his fingers. His cheeks caved in further as Louis' touch met his face.
"I love dimples."
"Do you?"
Louis nodded. "Very much."
"If you play a game with me, they'll be all yours," Harry said, his hands resting on top of Louis'.
"Oh, really? And what would this game entail exactly?" Louis questioned, amusement evident in his tone.
"Going on a date with me. Maybe falling in love. You know?"
Louis chuckled to himself before dropping his hands. His eyes flashed with interest as he looked at the character in front of him.
"Sure, why not? What could go wrong?"
Harry grinned, his eyes still twinkling with mischief. "Absolutely nothing."
If only he knew.
-
"Hey, Lou? Can I borrow some money for tonight?"
Harry wandered into the kitchen where his boyfriend of three months was making tea. The two had moved in together after a month, falling quickly for each other. Louis couldn't imagine life without the green-eyed boy. He adored his clumsy ways and how he was overwhelmed with affection every morning. Harry said he felt the same. He relished in Louis' embrace and attacked him with love at every opportunity.
"Yeah, of course. You do realize it's not anything fancy, though?"
"Is it bad that I always want to look good for you?" Harry asked, his eyes watching the flames flicker on the stove.
Louis shook his head after sipping his tea. "You don't need to."
Harry shrugged and shut the stove off. The fire disappeared, but the heat still lingered, "Do you always leave this on?"
"Oh! Whoops!"
"You're going to die from, like, burning to death." Harry snorted.
"Well, if that happens, I'd just want to be with you."
"You're too sweet." Harry laughed at his partner before pecking him on the cheek.
Louis stumbled slightly, his tea sloshing out of his mug, as he grabbed Harry's hand. He traced circles onto his palm, wondering how his hands were always so cold. Louis never understood the way chills constantly seemed to run through the younger boy's body. He appeared to Louis as the human form of a snowflake; So pale yet, somehow, he was always sparkling. He was delicate and seemed so pure. Louis felt like he would harm him because he was scorching hot.
"I love you, Lou."
"I love you too."
Harry smiled to himself before pressing a kiss to the back of Louis' hand. There was a glint of something in his eyes, but Louis couldn't put his finger on it. It probably wasn't important. He watched as Harry skipped out of the room, grabbing his wallet off the table in the process.
-
The sky was crystal clear. It made Louis feel content, like nothing could ever go wrong. That, and the way Harry looked as they sat on their blanket. His hair, pulled back into a loose bun, had wavy strands framing his face. His lips, and Louis could never understand how, always perfect and coated in a thin layer of red. He just wished he would take his sunglasses off to reveal the eyes beneath.
After one year of love and both of the boys being nothing but perfect to each other, they were sat on a picnic blanket, enjoying the scenery. Louis' fingers were loosely tangled with Harry's, appreciating the contact.
"I'd always wanted to go on a picnic date," Harry said, breaking the silence.
"You've never been?" Louis asked as he turned to face the other man.
"No one's ever cared enough."
"What?" Louis spluttered, shocked by the comment.
"They all thought I was insane." He hesitated before continuing, "Ended up leaving me instead."
Louis rolled over and placed his body on top of Harry's. His arms snaked their way around his torso as he buried his face in his chest. A smile danced on his lips when he heard a deep chuckle, and cold arms hold him in place.
"I'm sorry, Haz."
"It's alright. It's not worth stressing over."
"I'd never leave you."
Louis paused to reflect on the past year. He loved Harry, he really did. He never wanted to be apart from the curly-haired man.
"Marry me."
Harry's breath caught in his throat, and Louis pushed himself out of his embrace. His eyes searched for the woven picnic basket, desperate to dig through its contents, and his eyes brightened when he saw it. Rifling his hands around inside as Harry watched on in confusion, he gasped when he felt the minute, velvet box.
"Louis," Harry whispered, uncertainty evident throughout his voice.
"Harry," Louis stated, adjusting himself onto his knee.
"Louis, are you serious?"
"I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anybody in my life. You're the one I see when I imagine my happiness. It's you. It'll always be you. Forever and evermore. I'm so grateful that you came up to me last year. You mean so so much to me, Harry. Will you do me the honour of being the person I wake up to for the rest of my life?"
Harry had propped his glasses onto his forehead and his green eyes, blurred by his tears, were on display. His mind was racing. His love was in front of him, asking him to be his forever. Did he love Louis? He didn't have to think about it.
"Yes."
Louis inhaled, not believing the word coming out of Harry's mouth. "Yes?"
"Yes, I'll marry you," Harry restated, something still dancing in his eyes.
-
"Who is he?" Harry whispered, his voice raw with emotion.
Louis stepped towards Harry, frowning when the other man stepped back. He didn't think their setting was appropriate for the conversation. The rose garden was so beautiful, so soft with its array of colours. But all roses come with thorns. Perhaps it was the perfect place.
"Oh my God, who is he?" Harry said, this time, louder, scaring away the birds that lingered on the bushes.
"He's nobody, Haz."
"You got papped with him. He must be someone," He spat out.
Louis sighed, frustration building up in his chest. "The media is wild, you know that. I don't even know him!"
Harry rolled his eyes and scoffed at his fiancé. The ring on his finger shined in the sun, the diamond sparkling at every angle. He eyed the man in front of him and groaned. "Just go." He waved aimlessly in Louis' direction. "I need some time."
"Seriously?"
"You can handle yourself for one night."
Louis' lips turned down as he turned away. His breath hitched when he caught sight of his own ring; simple, but effective.
"I love you, Haz."
Harry nodded, his eyes set on his ring finger. "Love you too."
~
Louis returned that night with several bags in his hands, each more expensive than the last. He knocked timidly on the large wooden door. When it opened, several minutes after his latest knock, he smiled at the face on the other side. Very swiftly, he was ushered into the house, and the bags were removed from his hands as Harry dug through them.
He hardly had time to remove his coat when lips made contact with his, pressing him against the wall. Louis' lips moved with Harry's after he recovered from the shock, and he had shuffled the rest of his jacket onto the floor. Harry pushed them further into the house, guiding Louis towards their bedroom. He shut the door behind them, and Louis couldn't help but notice the new ring that Harry was already wearing on his finger.
-
"Come on, Lou!"
"I can't see, darling."
Harry laughed to himself as he remembered the forest green bandana that was shielding Louis' eyes. He wandered back over to the man and intertwined their fingers, ignoring the way Louis was stumbling blindly in the wrong direction. Their arms swung back and forth as Harry pulled them towards the center of their driveway.
"Okay, now sit."
"Sit where?" Louis asked, amused.
"Oh, right."
He pushed his husband of one year onto the fragile lawn chair. It dipped under the new weight, and Louis questioned its integrity. He was looking forward to whatever Harry had planned as it wasn't often that he surprised him. The distinctive scent of something entered his nose, and it caused him to cough, startling Harry.
"Do you smell gasoline?"
Harry frowned. "It might be the car. I'll get it checked out later."
Louis nodded and shuffled awkwardly in his seat. The darkness was beginning to make him nervous; he liked being able to see.
"So, what's the surprise?"
"It's very bright and very warm," Harry teased. "I can tell you that much."
Harry's steps got softer, and Louis assumed he had stepped back. He heard a faint swish followed by a flick, sounded like a match. The footsteps increased in volume as they moved back in front of Louis. His eyes were flooded with light when Harry lifted the blindfold, his vision now hindered by Harry's green eyes. He was leaning in, holding his lips in front of Louis', taunting him. Louis would've closed the gap, but Harry's voice stopped him, "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Louis gasped as Harry moved back and dropped the match. The gasoline ignited quickly, releasing vapours that caught on fire. Harry saw the flames surround Louis, and he could feel them on his skin, illuminating the red paint on his lips.
"Haz, what?" Louis coughed out, smoke starting to flood his lungs. "What is this?"
"Don't pretend it's such a mystery. Me falling for you? That's absurd. If any of my exes were alive, they'd tell you I was only in it for the money."
Harry ignored the pain-filled noises coming from Louis as the fire closed in. "You said you'd never leave me, Lou. You promised me."
Louis shook his head as best he could, the fire burning his clothes and attaching itself to his skin. It pushed him to yell louder when his skin started to melt off, revealing a harsh red underneath. Harry composedly stared at his rings, admiring the way they looked in the sun. He smiled to himself as the screaming stopped, alerting him that the nerves had burnt off.
"Sorry, love. Don't take it personally. If it makes you feel better, we did last longer than the others!" Harry expressed to his near-dead husband, who was passed out on the ground.
He watched as the flames died down before walking over to the crumpled man. Silently pleading, he nudged it with his foot and exhaled in relief when it didn't move. With the confirmation that his husband was no longer alive, he hoisted him over his shoulder and relocated his frail body.
-
By the time the smoke had cleared from the air, and Harry's appearance mimicked that from two years ago, a sleek car pulled into his driveway. His rings shined on his fingers as a familiar mischievous glint returned to his eyes.
"Nice to meet you," Harry stated, offering his hand.
The other man widened his eyes before stepping out of the car and wiping his hands against his thighs. His arm stretched out to meet Harry's, and he smiled. "William."