Chapter Text
"You said yes, right? Louis. Tell me you said yes."
"You make it sound like he asked for me to marry him or something," Louis says in a rather timid manner as he tries to sink further in his seat, almost as if he would like to become one with the leather couch.
Zayn's light brown eyes are twinkling and Louis is almost afraid. He's looking at Louis like he's the omega's proud dad at the moment. "Just answer the question. You like Harry. I know you do. Please, please, tell me you didn't pass on this chance to be with someone great." He scoots closer to Louis and Louis only curls up into himself.
After a small staring contest, Louis groans and nods pitifully. He fakes a sob. "I don't know why I agreed that he could court me, honestly. I should have said no. I should take it back-" he says with a dramatic flair only Louis William Tomlinson could possibly possess, but Zayn cuts him off with an even louder groan and a 'come on, Lewis'!
"You said yes because he's honest about his feelings for you, he's probably the kindest alpha in the whole school, you two fit together and you simply like him," the beta enumerates the simplest reasons with a shrug. The smile is still wide on his face. It turns soft. "Don't take it back, Lou. You probably made him really happy just by agreeing to let him court you. I'm sure you're not making a mistake with this. Just... Just let it happen, why don't you?"
"I don't want to-" Louis gulps, and mumbles something, then "omega".
"You don't want to be an omega?" Zayn asks.
"I don't know how." Louis admits. "And I certainly don't want anyone to know of it. Of my real status. It's all too soon, don't you think? A large part of me's still reluctant about all of this. My father-" he cuts himself off with a shake of the head. "No. Never mind. I won't think about it yet."
"No one has to know about your real status if you're not comfortable with it. Just you, me, and Harry. And maybe Niall." Zayn says simply. "I don't think he's going to force you out just because he wants to date you, Lou. He liked you even before he realized you were an O, right?" Louis gives a little shrug, then a nod.
"Apparently so..."
"Then you can just be a very small beta being courted by an alpha. Tell him about that." Zayn concludes. "Don't shut Harry out so quickly. I don't know how things will go, but no one will know until you try, right?"
"I guess."
Zayn pets Louis' feathery soft hair affectionately. "You're an amazing lad, Lou- beta or omega. I know you don't need someone to make you happy, especially not an alpha, but we can both agree that Harry makes you feel things, doesn't he?"
"Things." Louis actually laughs, but there's a faint dusting of pink that appears on his cheeks. He tries to contain the fond look on his face when he remembers how Harry asked him politely earlier today, and how warm his hug felt. "Yeah."
Zayn lightly punches Louis' arm. "That's the spirit."
When Louis exits his flat so he could walk to school the very next morning, he's surprised to see Harry there, a thermos in one hand and a tube (most likely containing some of his blueprints or rough drafts) in the other.
"We don't have the same class this period?" Louis blurts out in lieu of a proper 'good morning'. He's surprised, is all, and was definitely not expecting this. Harry looks fresh, soft and simply handsome in his polka-dotted baby blue button-down and white jeans.
"Oh, good morning. And I know, but I was making tea this breakfast and thought you might like some," Harry says, dimpling, as if it were perfectly normal to show up on Louis' doorstep simply because he thought Louis would like tea.
Actually...
"We're out of my favorite," Louis admits softly as he walks down the porch and stands right in front of the tall alpha. Like this, Louis once again realizes how small he is next to Harry. He's pretty sure if he were to press himself against the boy his lips would touch way below Harry's collarbone - perhaps the middle of the alpha's sternum instead - and Harry would still have to bend his knees to be able to put his chin on top of Louis' head.
Fuck. Not something he should think of if he doesn't want his heart-rate to accelerate. (Too late. It's been going fast since the moment his blue eyes saw green).
Harry holds out the thermos for Louis to take, and his dimple grows deeper when Louis takes it with a kind little 'fanks' in that cute accent of his. Okay, Harry is slightly (read: very) biased maybe, but he thinks that all of Louis is cute. Louis is just so cute, cute, cute. Fucking adorable, in his too-big clothes and bedhead that he doesn't even manage to fix. Even the amount of heavy ink on his arms doesn't take away his softness or delicateness.
They wordlessly begin to walk towards the direction of the campus which isn't very far from where they both live. The London streets are already busy despite the early morning, but there's no real rush to it yet. It's a very pleasant hour with the day bright despite the sun hiding in the clouds. Louis tilts his head up at the sky and scrunches his face happily as he opens the thermos. He's immediately hit with the faint scent of freshly brewed hot tea. Next to him, Harry's trying his hardest not to give all his attention to Louis in fear of running straight into a mailbox or a post.
Louis pours some of the tea into the lid which acts as a cup, blows on the liquid a little, and then takes a small sip. He perks up at the taste: milky, and definitely without sugar. Just the way he likes it.
"I like it, thank you. Might keep you around so you can make me tea all the time," Louis says in a mumble around the rim of the cup, but he's smiling as he looks straight ahead to watch where he's going.
Harry scrunches his own face to contain the fond look blooming there, but he breaks in a second and lets himself grin so, so wide. "I'm hoping for that."
Harry walks Louis to his class, and Louis turns to face him when they get by the door. They're a couple of minutes early. Naturally, he has to tilt his chin up so he could actually meet Harry's eyes. "Can we talk later?" he asks.
Harry's face falls, as if he's concluded that Louis has changed his mind about his courtship. The alpha's opening his mouth to launch into a passionate speech about how why Louis should give him a chance - to give them a chance - when Louis smiles kindly and shakes his head, suddenly having the courage to reach out and take a hold of Harry's hand. He brushes his thumb against Harry's cross tattooed on the back of his hand and immediately lets go with a blush. Nevertheless, the action calmed Harry down immediately.
"We've got to talk about this whole... thing." Louis says lamely, gesturing to the both of them. He's suddenly back to being his awkward self. Oh well, the unexpected calmness in his system that was there while they were walking was nice while it lasted. (Maybe it was because he was half-asleep, and now he's fully awake and aware of all the eyes staring at them and looking their way?) Louis ducks his chin and murmurs, just enough for Harry to hear, "and how I'm - you know - a beta." Here.
Harry nods at that. "Of course, Lou," he says earnestly. "How about we have dinner later and we could talk about it, hm?" He suggests, and when Louis nods, Harry smiles excitedly. "I'll pick you up at your flat at seven, then. Guess I've got a date with the most gorgeous beta on campus later." He winks when he says the word 'beta' but his voice was low enough that Louis is reassured that no one heard what he just said. Harry steps forward and leans in, as if he's going to kiss Louis, but then he halts as if he realizes that they aren't actually together yet.
Harry gives Louis a hug instead, and presses a short kiss to the top of Louis' messy, sleep-rumpled hair instead. Then he turns to leave.
Around them, people begin to fuss at what they just saw, but Louis can't think of anything but how both confidently sweet and cheeky Harry is, or how he likes the way Harry acts around him (the right mix of caring and playful), or how nice that kiss on his head felt, or how Harry said he's taking him on a date---
Fuck, they have a date later.
He's suddenly got a date with an alpha later and he has no idea what to do.
Louis accidentally lets out a little whimper and apparently Harry's not far enough yet because the alpha looks back and sends Louis yet another flirty wink. "Later, babe," he mouths, a smirk on his face, and Louis' cheeks grow hot, hot, hot as he bustles into his classroom.