restore me, restore life the way it should be.
restore me, restore life the way it should be
Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson. Superpowers!AU. Loosely based on Sky High.
Yeah, this is a thing that is happening. For baratheons and vlieger and basically anyone on my f-list who's dealing with this 1D thing. ♥
Sometimes Harry thinks that he wouldn't have any friends if Louis hadn't moved in next door to him when he was ten years old.
*
Louis was pretty much just as tactless then as he is now.
"Holy shit," he exclaimed. "Your hair is ridiculous."
"Your face is ridiculous," Harry retorted, because he was in the middle of a bratty phase.
"What's your name, little dude?" he asked, although Harry could tell he was only one or two years older than him. He was only about an inch taller too, but he wouldn't have that advantage for long.
"None of your beeswax."
"Okay, none-of-your-beeswax. Wanna come check out my Nerf guns?"
Harry lit up in spite of himself, but then frowned again.
"I'm sure they're lame. Like you."
Louis just stared at him. "You're really not great at being a brat, Curly," he said.
Harry shrugged, like what can you do?
"Let me go tell my mum," he said a second later.
*
He called him Curly for two weeks until he heard his mum calling him in for dinner one day, and he shouted out, "Aha! I win," like it was all some kind of game to him, and then he did a ridiculous, little dance around his backyard.
"You're such an idiot," Harry said calmly. Their initial teasing had developed quite naturally into comfortable banter between friends. Harry had never had that before, really. Banter. Or friends. His mum said he intimidated people sometimes, but Louis is never intimidated by anything.
Louis was saying Harry's name over and over then, like he was testing how it felt in his mouth.
"It doesn't really suit you, does it?"
"What do you mean?" The bratty phase was waning, but he still had the unimpressed eyebrow raise down pat though.
"It's too serious. Too grown-up."
"I'm more grown-up than you," Harry pointed out.
"Yeah, right, Babycakes."
He had to deal with that until he overheard Louis' mum calling him "Boo Bear" and he got him to stop teasing him for almost a whole week. It's pretty much still their all time record.
*
Louis finally asked him after Harry started to think he wasn't going to at all. Usually, people asked first, and then figured he was either some kind of freak or snob or both. Louis was weird though, Harry had decided; he'd seen enough of him to know that.
"So, your parents are a pretty big deal, huh?"
"Well, they used to be."
"My dad had a power," Louis admitted.
"Really?" Harry had never really talked to any kids who was in the same situation as him. It was definitely odd now that Louis hadn't brought it up before.
"Yeah, and I don't know if I want one?" He sounded kind of ashamed to say it. "But I guess I'll see in time."
Harry never wondered if he wanted a power or not. It was just this inevitable thing in his life that he'd had to prepare himself for. They lived pretty normally right now, all things considered, and he thought that that would just be another normal step to take when the time came.
*
Louis' power started manifesting a few weeks after his thirteenth birthday. He touched one of the Harry's mum's dead plants on the porch, and it just came right back to life. Louis stared at the plant, and Harry stared at Louis.
"Oh, my God," he whispered at Harry, and Harry smiled, encouragingly, like, It's supposed to be a good thing; enjoy it.
Louis hugged Harry close, laughed into his hair, and Harry had never been so grateful to have him, to share things like this with him.
"Do you think - " he started, breathlessly, when he pulled away. "Do you think it'll work on something else?" His eyes were filled with wonder, but also a slight nervousness.
Harry had never seen him like that ever.
"Let's try. Come on."
*
They found a dead bug.
Louis reached out gingerly.
Nothing happened.
Harry crouched down next to him. He placed a hand on his thigh gently, said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Louis said, and Harry could tell he meant it. "It's amazing."
"You're amazing," Harry told him, resting his chin on Louis' shoulder.
*
They had dinner with all of their parents that night, to celebrate. Louis' mum teared up a little, and she said she wished his dad could be there, that he'd be so proud. Louis squeezed her hand on the table.
Harry's dad explained to Louis that it could get stronger, his power, that it could develop all kinds of new facets, that it was too early to tell just yet. And it was a reiteration of what Harry had told him earlier, from the books he'd been reading since he could remember.
Louis looked at him, and Harry nodded reassuringly.
Harry felt like holding Louis' hand under the table, but he clasped both of his together on his lap instead.
*
Harry's thirteenth and then fourteenth birthdays passed with nothing happening at all.
It was strange how you could lose something you never even questioned would always be with you. How you could miss it, and then start to accept the loss without even realising it.
His parents were arguing, his dad refusing to think that he'd not get it soon, his mum telling him it was okay, no matter what happened. Harry had hardly said a word.
They were still going at it in the kitchen, and he couldn't take it anymore.
He stormed out of the house to the porch, just sat on the steps with his knees pulled up to his chest.
Louis spotted him and came over not ten minutes later, sitting down next to him.
Harry just started talking. "I know... I know that when you got your power, it made you feel closer to your dad. And that's so great, Louis. But I don't need that, I don't need this for anyone else, so I don't know why I want it so much. I feel so selfish sometimes."
He looked across at Louis, feeling guilty and awful, but also wanting him to understand so much.
"My dad isn't the only one it made me feel closer to," Louis confessed, reaching out to tug on one of his curls, and the expression on his face was so tender that Harry couldn't breathe for a second.
"I just - want to have something," Harry said simply. "Something that's mine."
"You have so much, Curly," Louis said, moving closer to place his hand on Harry's shoulder. "For instance, you have too much hair. And lots of terrible clothes. And a really nice house, I must admit. And pretty awesome folks. And a fucking amazing best friend, if I may say so myself."
"You say that every day."
"Oh, you're right. I do. Modesty be damned then." Harry aimed a punch at his shoulder, which he dodged, and he ran away yelling, "You'll never catch the Tommo!"
Harry chased him anyway.
*
Louis had been at school for a year before Harry was ready to go.
It had been strange, not being with him all the time, but Louis told him everything that happened after each day, whether they were kicking a ball around or trying to destroy each other on the Playstation or just chilling out, listening to music in one of their bedrooms.
"Why do we have to get homework though?" he'd constantly complain. "We're training to save the world, not to become an accountant or something boring."
"Well, then, it's even more important to know you're doing it right though, isn't it?" Harry would point out.
And then Louis would tell him to fuck off.
Harry would still end up doing his homework for him most of the times, of course.
*
He was more nervous than he thought he should be, given how much he already knew about the place, from Louis, his parents, books.
He found a note in his bag from his parents when he sat down at his desk, and he'd already made plans to meet Louis at lunch, but it felt more constricting than comforting. Like they were all expecting him to be so good at this. To be so inspired that he'd instantly sprout wings or something. And yeah, the school might be good, but he didn't think anyone should expect anything amazing on the first day. Maybe there wasn't really anything amazing about him at all.
He was staring at the note, thinking about throwing it away, when someone sat down next to him and instantly turned sideways to offer him their hand.
It was a boy with a really friendly smile, and nice, warm, brown eyes.
"Hi, I'm Liam," he said.
"Harry," he replied, taking his hand. Liam shook eagerly, smile still fixed on his face.
"So, what can you do, Harry?"
And shit, he should have expected something like this. After all, he was in a school filled with people of his age who were supposed to have powers by now.
"Um, not much? Play football? Sing in the shower?"
Liam laughed, and it was exactly the sound he'd thought he would make. Hearty but charming, with some nice features scattered here and there.
"I'm an empath," he said, not needing a cue.
"Oh, so you... can feel what other people are feeling?"
"Very good! You've done your research." He looked thoroughly impressed. He kind of reminded Harry of his dad when he was full-on patronising him.
"Not much else to do," Harry said, trying not to betray any of his frustration. Then he remembered he was talking to an empath, and thought, Oh, great.
"You'll get your power soon, Harry," Liam said. "And don't worry about your parents and that friend of yours. They'll support you no matter what."
He turned back to look at the front of the class just as their teacher came in.
*
"So..." Louis was saying, the embodiment of subtlety as he always was.
"Yes?"
"How was it? Meet anyone? Start any fights? Tell me everything."
"I think your version of this place is slightly distorted from reality," Harry said.
"Oh, come on. Give me something."
"Okay, I did meet someone. His name's Liam. He's...nice."
"Nice? Seriously? What can he do?"
"He's an empath. Means he can feel other people's emotions," Harry added quickly.
"I know what - Never mind. So what use is that then?" he asked sticking some chips into his mouth.
"I don't know? He can become a psychiatrist?"
"Christ," Louis said, like that was the worst fate imaginable.
*
So, like, Zayn could just look at things, and then they burst into flames.
"Oh, no fair. I want his power, Harry," Louis said, like it was within Harry's ability to grant him that wish.
"Louis, I think whoever gave us powers did the world a huge favour when he decided not to give you that one."
Harry just patted him on the shoulder apologetically before walking away, leaving him to keep pouting at Zayn.
*
Liam became friends with Zayn, obviously. They were both pretty much the coolest people in the year, although sometimes Liam was way too pushy, and Zayn was kind of moody. He supposed this was what happened when you were a walking feelings detector and a guy who starts fires with his mind. There was this other guy, Irish, blond, and Harry wasn't too sure about his power until he saw him swallow a hamburger whole.
"Whoa," the entire table echoed, and soon the entire cafeteria was gathered around and yelling out things for him to ingest.
"Where does it all go though?" Louis asked in awe.
So, that was how Harry got friends.
*
The first time Liam actually met Louis was kind of weird though.
He'd just stopped, in the middle of his handshake routine, and stared. At Louis. And then at Harry. Louis looked actually perturbed for a whole second.
"Oh, wow," Liam finally said.
"What?" Harry asked, figuring he'd read something about Louis' mood.
"Oh, man, don't give away all my secrets now," Louis said. He was teasing, but Harry knew him too well to not realise something else was going on.
Liam smiled, winked at Louis. It wasn't his usual smile though.
"I won't," he said, shaking his head.
Harry tried to put it out of his mind.
*
Niall had a huge party for his birthday a couple weeks after school started.
Harry went with Louis, and it was fun for a while, Louis forcing him to dance with him, spinning him around a few times in the living room, almost falling through the glass coffee table... But then he went to look for Liam and Zayn in the kitchen, and Louis disappeared. Harry could catch sight of him through moving bodies occasionally, a cup of beer always in his hand, talking to some girl, and then another, another...
And it was fine, right? Fine. Because Louis had his own friends, and his own life, and maybe Harry was finally getting his first peek into it, and that was okay. Only he kind of wanted to throw up too.
"Hey, where are you going?" Liam called after him, but he had to just get out of there. He crossed the living room without looking Louis' way, stepped out into the cool night air.
*
He ended up perched on the hood of Louis' car, and it was ironic, that he was trying to get away from him, but he couldn't seem to do that. Not ever.
Louis found him there about fifteen minutes later.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
"Are you ashamed of me?" Harry said, and immediately regretted it.
"What? Harry, no. What are you talking about?"
"I don't know. It's just - What if it never happens? What if never grow up and become what I'm supposed to be?"
"Jesus, Harry. You already are everything you're supposed to be. You're perfect." He pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead, and then just breathed against his cool skin.
*
Liam cornered him after their first class despite Harry's best efforts to escape.
"He loves you, you know," he said, bluntly.
"What?" Harry looked at him blankly.
"He loves you. Louis."
"Okay? He's my best friend, so I suppose..."
"No, no," Liam said, dismissively. "He's in love with you. It's... It's kind of amazing, really. You should feel it. Anytime he's around you, it's like this whole new presence in the room. Usually, I just get fragments of people's feelings, but this, this is powerful."
Harry just stared at him, scared out of his mind suddenly. He didn't even bother asking Liam whether he was sure or not. Liam didn't know, but Harry did feel it. He felt it all the time. Only it was his own love for Louis.
"What - what do I do?"
"Talk to him."
*
Louis met him in an empty classroom during lunch.
"Liam... Liam told me something about you," he started and he wished he could be closer to him, cursed the stupid desks.
"Oh, really? What?" He seemed to be faking his curiosity.
"He said sometimes it's hard to tell, because most people's feelings are really confusing. But he said this one was the clearest he'd ever felt. One of yours."
"And what was it?"
"He said... he said that you're in love with me."
"Oh," was all Louis said, like this was just a mildly unexpected turn of events, nothing earth-shattering at all.
"Yeah. Oh," Harry repeated quietly.
"Okay," Louis said, almost to himself, like he was coming to terms with the new knowledge. Harry's new knowledge.
"So?" Harry asked
"So what?"
"So... so is it true? Or is Liam's brain just short-circuiting or something?"
"Harry," he said. And then again, "Harry," like he wanted to make sure he was really hearing him. It reminded him of Louis in his backyard five years before, when he was trying to figure out what that name, what Harry, was going to be to him. Harry wondered if he ever expected this.
Louis had a lot of friends, Harry knew. He always did. And maybe Harry was always kind of jealous of that, not that he made friends so easily, not that people liked him so much, but that he had to share Louis with them.
Harry knew back then. He knew what Louis would be to him. And he was absolutely terrified that it wasn't the same for him too.
"I've loved you forever," Louis breathed out, smiling, when Harry finally looked at him properly. "I've loved you since I first saw you and your hair was bigger than the rest of your body combined."
"Your head is bigger than the rest of your body combined," Harry said, but he couldn't help the smile that was flitting over his lips.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, seriously.
"I just know that you need time to figure out things for yourself sometimes."
"Thanks," Harry said.
"For what?"
"For that, for everything." They both knew what he meant. Louis nudged his shoulder with his own, grinning. Harry nudged him back.
They fell into silence for a while.
Harry's voice was thin when he spoke again. "Hey, Louis?"
"Yeah, Harry?"
"I love you too."
"I know."
*
It was a few weeks later, and they were just lying on Harry's bed after school, Louis' head buried in his neck, complaining about homework in unintelligible moans. Harry just rubbed his back, and feigned understanding of his terrible, terrible plight.
Louis stopped talking, and then he heard it. It was unmistakable. But it was accompanied by no vibration from Louis' prone form.
"I can hear you," Harry said, suddenly, jumping upright.
"What?" Louis said, groggily. "Was I snoring?"
"No, you weren't even asleep, moron," Harry said impatiently. "I mean, I can hear you. I can hear your thoughts."
"What? Really? Well, that's embarrassing..."
"Ugh, Tomlinson, you pervert." But then he was smiling so, so wide, and Louis was hugging him tight, and then kissing him, hurried and off-centre. They ended up bouncing on the bed like idiots, like the kids they were not so long before. Some things change, for better or worse, and some things don't. Harry was grateful for the latter.
"Hey, Harry?" Louis said when they were sprawled in a tired heap again.
"Yeah?"
"What am I thinking?"
"That you have the hottest boyfriend in the world," Harry said without pausing.
Louis pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, murmured, "Close enough."
Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson. Superpowers!AU. Loosely based on Sky High.
Yeah, this is a thing that is happening. For baratheons and vlieger and basically anyone on my f-list who's dealing with this 1D thing. ♥
Sometimes Harry thinks that he wouldn't have any friends if Louis hadn't moved in next door to him when he was ten years old.
*
Louis was pretty much just as tactless then as he is now.
"Holy shit," he exclaimed. "Your hair is ridiculous."
"Your face is ridiculous," Harry retorted, because he was in the middle of a bratty phase.
"What's your name, little dude?" he asked, although Harry could tell he was only one or two years older than him. He was only about an inch taller too, but he wouldn't have that advantage for long.
"None of your beeswax."
"Okay, none-of-your-beeswax. Wanna come check out my Nerf guns?"
Harry lit up in spite of himself, but then frowned again.
"I'm sure they're lame. Like you."
Louis just stared at him. "You're really not great at being a brat, Curly," he said.
Harry shrugged, like what can you do?
"Let me go tell my mum," he said a second later.
*
He called him Curly for two weeks until he heard his mum calling him in for dinner one day, and he shouted out, "Aha! I win," like it was all some kind of game to him, and then he did a ridiculous, little dance around his backyard.
"You're such an idiot," Harry said calmly. Their initial teasing had developed quite naturally into comfortable banter between friends. Harry had never had that before, really. Banter. Or friends. His mum said he intimidated people sometimes, but Louis is never intimidated by anything.
Louis was saying Harry's name over and over then, like he was testing how it felt in his mouth.
"It doesn't really suit you, does it?"
"What do you mean?" The bratty phase was waning, but he still had the unimpressed eyebrow raise down pat though.
"It's too serious. Too grown-up."
"I'm more grown-up than you," Harry pointed out.
"Yeah, right, Babycakes."
He had to deal with that until he overheard Louis' mum calling him "Boo Bear" and he got him to stop teasing him for almost a whole week. It's pretty much still their all time record.
*
Louis finally asked him after Harry started to think he wasn't going to at all. Usually, people asked first, and then figured he was either some kind of freak or snob or both. Louis was weird though, Harry had decided; he'd seen enough of him to know that.
"So, your parents are a pretty big deal, huh?"
"Well, they used to be."
"My dad had a power," Louis admitted.
"Really?" Harry had never really talked to any kids who was in the same situation as him. It was definitely odd now that Louis hadn't brought it up before.
"Yeah, and I don't know if I want one?" He sounded kind of ashamed to say it. "But I guess I'll see in time."
Harry never wondered if he wanted a power or not. It was just this inevitable thing in his life that he'd had to prepare himself for. They lived pretty normally right now, all things considered, and he thought that that would just be another normal step to take when the time came.
*
Louis' power started manifesting a few weeks after his thirteenth birthday. He touched one of the Harry's mum's dead plants on the porch, and it just came right back to life. Louis stared at the plant, and Harry stared at Louis.
"Oh, my God," he whispered at Harry, and Harry smiled, encouragingly, like, It's supposed to be a good thing; enjoy it.
Louis hugged Harry close, laughed into his hair, and Harry had never been so grateful to have him, to share things like this with him.
"Do you think - " he started, breathlessly, when he pulled away. "Do you think it'll work on something else?" His eyes were filled with wonder, but also a slight nervousness.
Harry had never seen him like that ever.
"Let's try. Come on."
*
They found a dead bug.
Louis reached out gingerly.
Nothing happened.
Harry crouched down next to him. He placed a hand on his thigh gently, said, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Louis said, and Harry could tell he meant it. "It's amazing."
"You're amazing," Harry told him, resting his chin on Louis' shoulder.
*
They had dinner with all of their parents that night, to celebrate. Louis' mum teared up a little, and she said she wished his dad could be there, that he'd be so proud. Louis squeezed her hand on the table.
Harry's dad explained to Louis that it could get stronger, his power, that it could develop all kinds of new facets, that it was too early to tell just yet. And it was a reiteration of what Harry had told him earlier, from the books he'd been reading since he could remember.
Louis looked at him, and Harry nodded reassuringly.
Harry felt like holding Louis' hand under the table, but he clasped both of his together on his lap instead.
*
Harry's thirteenth and then fourteenth birthdays passed with nothing happening at all.
It was strange how you could lose something you never even questioned would always be with you. How you could miss it, and then start to accept the loss without even realising it.
His parents were arguing, his dad refusing to think that he'd not get it soon, his mum telling him it was okay, no matter what happened. Harry had hardly said a word.
They were still going at it in the kitchen, and he couldn't take it anymore.
He stormed out of the house to the porch, just sat on the steps with his knees pulled up to his chest.
Louis spotted him and came over not ten minutes later, sitting down next to him.
Harry just started talking. "I know... I know that when you got your power, it made you feel closer to your dad. And that's so great, Louis. But I don't need that, I don't need this for anyone else, so I don't know why I want it so much. I feel so selfish sometimes."
He looked across at Louis, feeling guilty and awful, but also wanting him to understand so much.
"My dad isn't the only one it made me feel closer to," Louis confessed, reaching out to tug on one of his curls, and the expression on his face was so tender that Harry couldn't breathe for a second.
"I just - want to have something," Harry said simply. "Something that's mine."
"You have so much, Curly," Louis said, moving closer to place his hand on Harry's shoulder. "For instance, you have too much hair. And lots of terrible clothes. And a really nice house, I must admit. And pretty awesome folks. And a fucking amazing best friend, if I may say so myself."
"You say that every day."
"Oh, you're right. I do. Modesty be damned then." Harry aimed a punch at his shoulder, which he dodged, and he ran away yelling, "You'll never catch the Tommo!"
Harry chased him anyway.
*
Louis had been at school for a year before Harry was ready to go.
It had been strange, not being with him all the time, but Louis told him everything that happened after each day, whether they were kicking a ball around or trying to destroy each other on the Playstation or just chilling out, listening to music in one of their bedrooms.
"Why do we have to get homework though?" he'd constantly complain. "We're training to save the world, not to become an accountant or something boring."
"Well, then, it's even more important to know you're doing it right though, isn't it?" Harry would point out.
And then Louis would tell him to fuck off.
Harry would still end up doing his homework for him most of the times, of course.
*
He was more nervous than he thought he should be, given how much he already knew about the place, from Louis, his parents, books.
He found a note in his bag from his parents when he sat down at his desk, and he'd already made plans to meet Louis at lunch, but it felt more constricting than comforting. Like they were all expecting him to be so good at this. To be so inspired that he'd instantly sprout wings or something. And yeah, the school might be good, but he didn't think anyone should expect anything amazing on the first day. Maybe there wasn't really anything amazing about him at all.
He was staring at the note, thinking about throwing it away, when someone sat down next to him and instantly turned sideways to offer him their hand.
It was a boy with a really friendly smile, and nice, warm, brown eyes.
"Hi, I'm Liam," he said.
"Harry," he replied, taking his hand. Liam shook eagerly, smile still fixed on his face.
"So, what can you do, Harry?"
And shit, he should have expected something like this. After all, he was in a school filled with people of his age who were supposed to have powers by now.
"Um, not much? Play football? Sing in the shower?"
Liam laughed, and it was exactly the sound he'd thought he would make. Hearty but charming, with some nice features scattered here and there.
"I'm an empath," he said, not needing a cue.
"Oh, so you... can feel what other people are feeling?"
"Very good! You've done your research." He looked thoroughly impressed. He kind of reminded Harry of his dad when he was full-on patronising him.
"Not much else to do," Harry said, trying not to betray any of his frustration. Then he remembered he was talking to an empath, and thought, Oh, great.
"You'll get your power soon, Harry," Liam said. "And don't worry about your parents and that friend of yours. They'll support you no matter what."
He turned back to look at the front of the class just as their teacher came in.
*
"So..." Louis was saying, the embodiment of subtlety as he always was.
"Yes?"
"How was it? Meet anyone? Start any fights? Tell me everything."
"I think your version of this place is slightly distorted from reality," Harry said.
"Oh, come on. Give me something."
"Okay, I did meet someone. His name's Liam. He's...nice."
"Nice? Seriously? What can he do?"
"He's an empath. Means he can feel other people's emotions," Harry added quickly.
"I know what - Never mind. So what use is that then?" he asked sticking some chips into his mouth.
"I don't know? He can become a psychiatrist?"
"Christ," Louis said, like that was the worst fate imaginable.
*
So, like, Zayn could just look at things, and then they burst into flames.
"Oh, no fair. I want his power, Harry," Louis said, like it was within Harry's ability to grant him that wish.
"Louis, I think whoever gave us powers did the world a huge favour when he decided not to give you that one."
Harry just patted him on the shoulder apologetically before walking away, leaving him to keep pouting at Zayn.
*
Liam became friends with Zayn, obviously. They were both pretty much the coolest people in the year, although sometimes Liam was way too pushy, and Zayn was kind of moody. He supposed this was what happened when you were a walking feelings detector and a guy who starts fires with his mind. There was this other guy, Irish, blond, and Harry wasn't too sure about his power until he saw him swallow a hamburger whole.
"Whoa," the entire table echoed, and soon the entire cafeteria was gathered around and yelling out things for him to ingest.
"Where does it all go though?" Louis asked in awe.
So, that was how Harry got friends.
*
The first time Liam actually met Louis was kind of weird though.
He'd just stopped, in the middle of his handshake routine, and stared. At Louis. And then at Harry. Louis looked actually perturbed for a whole second.
"Oh, wow," Liam finally said.
"What?" Harry asked, figuring he'd read something about Louis' mood.
"Oh, man, don't give away all my secrets now," Louis said. He was teasing, but Harry knew him too well to not realise something else was going on.
Liam smiled, winked at Louis. It wasn't his usual smile though.
"I won't," he said, shaking his head.
Harry tried to put it out of his mind.
*
Niall had a huge party for his birthday a couple weeks after school started.
Harry went with Louis, and it was fun for a while, Louis forcing him to dance with him, spinning him around a few times in the living room, almost falling through the glass coffee table... But then he went to look for Liam and Zayn in the kitchen, and Louis disappeared. Harry could catch sight of him through moving bodies occasionally, a cup of beer always in his hand, talking to some girl, and then another, another...
And it was fine, right? Fine. Because Louis had his own friends, and his own life, and maybe Harry was finally getting his first peek into it, and that was okay. Only he kind of wanted to throw up too.
"Hey, where are you going?" Liam called after him, but he had to just get out of there. He crossed the living room without looking Louis' way, stepped out into the cool night air.
*
He ended up perched on the hood of Louis' car, and it was ironic, that he was trying to get away from him, but he couldn't seem to do that. Not ever.
Louis found him there about fifteen minutes later.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
"Are you ashamed of me?" Harry said, and immediately regretted it.
"What? Harry, no. What are you talking about?"
"I don't know. It's just - What if it never happens? What if never grow up and become what I'm supposed to be?"
"Jesus, Harry. You already are everything you're supposed to be. You're perfect." He pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead, and then just breathed against his cool skin.
*
Liam cornered him after their first class despite Harry's best efforts to escape.
"He loves you, you know," he said, bluntly.
"What?" Harry looked at him blankly.
"He loves you. Louis."
"Okay? He's my best friend, so I suppose..."
"No, no," Liam said, dismissively. "He's in love with you. It's... It's kind of amazing, really. You should feel it. Anytime he's around you, it's like this whole new presence in the room. Usually, I just get fragments of people's feelings, but this, this is powerful."
Harry just stared at him, scared out of his mind suddenly. He didn't even bother asking Liam whether he was sure or not. Liam didn't know, but Harry did feel it. He felt it all the time. Only it was his own love for Louis.
"What - what do I do?"
"Talk to him."
*
Louis met him in an empty classroom during lunch.
"Liam... Liam told me something about you," he started and he wished he could be closer to him, cursed the stupid desks.
"Oh, really? What?" He seemed to be faking his curiosity.
"He said sometimes it's hard to tell, because most people's feelings are really confusing. But he said this one was the clearest he'd ever felt. One of yours."
"And what was it?"
"He said... he said that you're in love with me."
"Oh," was all Louis said, like this was just a mildly unexpected turn of events, nothing earth-shattering at all.
"Yeah. Oh," Harry repeated quietly.
"Okay," Louis said, almost to himself, like he was coming to terms with the new knowledge. Harry's new knowledge.
"So?" Harry asked
"So what?"
"So... so is it true? Or is Liam's brain just short-circuiting or something?"
"Harry," he said. And then again, "Harry," like he wanted to make sure he was really hearing him. It reminded him of Louis in his backyard five years before, when he was trying to figure out what that name, what Harry, was going to be to him. Harry wondered if he ever expected this.
Louis had a lot of friends, Harry knew. He always did. And maybe Harry was always kind of jealous of that, not that he made friends so easily, not that people liked him so much, but that he had to share Louis with them.
Harry knew back then. He knew what Louis would be to him. And he was absolutely terrified that it wasn't the same for him too.
"I've loved you forever," Louis breathed out, smiling, when Harry finally looked at him properly. "I've loved you since I first saw you and your hair was bigger than the rest of your body combined."
"Your head is bigger than the rest of your body combined," Harry said, but he couldn't help the smile that was flitting over his lips.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, seriously.
"I just know that you need time to figure out things for yourself sometimes."
"Thanks," Harry said.
"For what?"
"For that, for everything." They both knew what he meant. Louis nudged his shoulder with his own, grinning. Harry nudged him back.
They fell into silence for a while.
Harry's voice was thin when he spoke again. "Hey, Louis?"
"Yeah, Harry?"
"I love you too."
"I know."
*
It was a few weeks later, and they were just lying on Harry's bed after school, Louis' head buried in his neck, complaining about homework in unintelligible moans. Harry just rubbed his back, and feigned understanding of his terrible, terrible plight.
Louis stopped talking, and then he heard it. It was unmistakable. But it was accompanied by no vibration from Louis' prone form.
"I can hear you," Harry said, suddenly, jumping upright.
"What?" Louis said, groggily. "Was I snoring?"
"No, you weren't even asleep, moron," Harry said impatiently. "I mean, I can hear you. I can hear your thoughts."
"What? Really? Well, that's embarrassing..."
"Ugh, Tomlinson, you pervert." But then he was smiling so, so wide, and Louis was hugging him tight, and then kissing him, hurried and off-centre. They ended up bouncing on the bed like idiots, like the kids they were not so long before. Some things change, for better or worse, and some things don't. Harry was grateful for the latter.
"Hey, Harry?" Louis said when they were sprawled in a tired heap again.
"Yeah?"
"What am I thinking?"
"That you have the hottest boyfriend in the world," Harry said without pausing.
Louis pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, murmured, "Close enough."