Chapter Text
Christmas dawned brighter than anyone expected. Between the unprecedented clear blue skies, and the winter sun shining brightly onto the untouched brilliant white snow, the effect was blinding as Harry squinted out of the window towards his garden.
"Jeez," he mumbled, tugging the curtain back across and rubbing painfully at his eyes. "Too fucking bright."
"Shurrup," Niall grumbled from the floor in front of the fireplace, hiding his head under a throw pillow.
"Both of you shut the fuck up," Louis huffed, turning over and burying his face in the back of the sofa as he pulled a blanket up over him.
"But it's Christmas," Harry said pathetically. "We should be like... having breakfast before we sit around opening presents."
Louis carefully lifted his head to peer over the back of the sofa at him.
"Your family was far too polite," he muttered. "Mine have probably completely ravaged everything under the tree by now, all the kids are hyped up on the excessive amount of chocolate that seems to appear and multiply in the weeks leading up to Christmas without anyone really noticing, and Mum and Dan are trying to sneak as much alcohol as they can while still maintaining some modicum of responsibility." He shifted slightly to get more comfortable. "Then, as soon as my grandparents get there, at about 10:30, Mum and Dan will really let loose, be proper pissed by dinner at 1pm, and then end up curled up together on the sofa, fast asleep, all afternoon."
"That sounds... fun?" Harry tried.
"It's fucking wild," Louis corrected. "Complete unmitigated chaos, with any adults present - other than the grandparents - requiring copious amounts of alcohol in order to survive."
He stretched out on the sofa with a low groan, before pushing himself to sit up, groaning quietly and holding onto his head.
"Fuck me, Styles," he mumbled. "That gin definitely gives that wine an extra kick or ten."
"Told you to stop at two," Harry replied in a singsong voice as he strode off towards the kitchen.
"You can go off a person if they're smug shits!" Louis called after him, promptly wincing at his own loud volume.
"You need some water, pet?" Niall asked, making sure to pitch his voice lower.
"Please, lad," Louis mumbled gratefully. "And the strongest painkiller you can find, for the little army of toy drummers that are causing a fucking cacophony in my head right now."
Before Niall could move, Harry reappeared, tall glass of water in one hand, box of paracetamol in the other.
"Here you go, love," he said softly. dropping a kiss on top of Louis' head. "Don't say I never give you anything."
"Uh, thanks..." Louis said warily, his eyes wide and a little shocked at Harry's actions, turning to watch Harry return to the kitchen, before looking back at Niall. "Did something happen last night that I should remember?"
"Not that I saw," Niall replied, his expression practically matching Louis'. "I was about to ask if you'd managed to come around after you passed out on me and did something, but you're exactly where and how I left you wrapped up. So... I'm just as lost as you here."
"Cos I wasn't imagining that, was I?" Louis checked. "That was a 'hi boyfriend' sort of thing, wasn't it?"
"Hell yeah," Niall nodded quickly. "Never seen him like that with literally anyone before. Not even his last boyfriend - he only lasted a week, mind. He couldn't stick Harry's early and long shifts at Edith's."
"Dickhead," Louis muttered, then shook his head carefully. "Okay. I need to go talk to him, right? Like. Ask what that was about? Communication is key, all that jazz?"
"Yes, definitely," Niall nodded again. "Miscommunication is such an annoying trope to utilise in any story, so please, let's not use it in real life. Or I'll just lock you both in a room until you've sorted your shit out."
Louis carefully took a couple of the paracetamol, swilling them down with a few mouthfuls of the water, before slowly pushing himself upright.
"So far, so good," he mumbled, carefully lifting a hand to rest against his head. "Be back in a bit."
"Try not to lose consciousness," Niall advised him. "I'm rooting for ya!"
Louis huffed softly and sluggishly made his way out towards the kitchen, rubbing a hand over his face as he yawned loudly. Harry looked up from where he was arranging the vegetables in a large baking dish, and smiled.
"You okay, Lou?" he greeted quietly.
"Yeah, yeah," Louis nodded, coming around the island and leaning his hip against the edge. "Just like... had a question?"
"Okay, go ahead," Harry nodded, adding a few sprigs of rosemary to the dish.
"So, the water, and the paracetamol..." Louis trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
"You needed it?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, and thanks," Louis acknowledged. "But, uh." He huffed softly. "Just felt like... more? With the kiss and the 'love' and all."
Harry frowned a little as he turned to slide the dish into the oven, before he looked at Louis again.
"I'm a bit confused, I'll be honest," he said uncertainly. "Was... that wrong? Too far? Or..."
"No, no!" Louis said quickly, then sighed softly. "I'm being weird. I'm not sure what I'm even saying." He leaned his elbows on the counter, gazing at Harry. "I liked it. Pretty sure we've had the whole 'where are we going' conversation already, so we're on the same page, right?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"So, I guess..." Louis eyed him carefully. "I'm just being ridiculous and hungover. I'm okay with it. I'm good with you. Everything's gonna be better when I don't have an army of monkeys clashing cymbals in my head."
Harry gave him a small smile.
"Sit down, I'll make you some coffee," he said softly.
"Sounds perfect," Louis murmured, biting his lip gently, before he stretched up to press a kiss to Harry's cheek. "Thank you."
The day passed in relative peace, with the three eating what seemed like their weight in food at lunchtime as they practically massacred the feast that Harry provided for them. The afternoon found them sprawled on the sofas in the living room in virtual food comas, dozing between glances at the telly which was showing Toy Story 4. They all woke up a little when it was time for Doctor Who, and Harry provided more sustenance - "in case you were feeling a little peckish," he shrugged at Louis' disbelieving look - while Niall opened up a fresh bottle of Jack Daniels.
When the traditional Christmas TV viewing had wound down, after all three had spoken at least four times to their families, Niall grunted what Louis assumed was a bid goodnight, leaving Louis and Harry to clear away what was left of the snacks that were scattered across the coffee table and side tables in the living room.
"So, how was your day?" Harry asked quietly, carefully stacking the dishwasher with the dirty dishes.
"It was good, thank you," Louis nodded sincerely. "Thank you, for inviting me to be here. It was definitely a lot better than if I'd been at home on me own, with a crappy microwave meal," he added jokingly.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Harry snorted softly. "It's been nice having you here too, if we're gonna be all honest."
"Yeah?" Louis bit his bottom lip gently, looking slightly hopeful.
"Uh huh," Harry nodded, drying his hands off on a towel and stowing it carefully over the edge of a cupboard door. "Sometimes Niall can be a bit full-on when we're alone, so it was kinda nice having a bit of a buffer." He gazed at Louis contemplatively. "Plus, y'know. Kinda falling for you rather hard."
Louis snapped his head around to stare at Harry in disbelief for a moment, before he blushed hard and ducked his head shyly.
"Well, that feeling is most definitely mutual," he mumbled bashfully. "You're pretty all right yourself, Styles."
"Yeah?" Harry smiled, taking a step closer. "Does that mean I could possibly get one more Christmas present?"
"Don't you think Santa spoiled you enough already?" Louis raised a challenging eyebrow, finding a bit of his confidence at Harry's actions. "I mean, I saw those utensils your mum and stepdad got you. They were pretty fucking intense."
"Yeah, they were," Harry agreed. "And you're probably right that I've been spoiled. But there's one thing on my list that I haven't had yet. And I'm hoping that Santa won't let me down."
Louis cocked his head to one side slightly, knowing from experience that it was giving Harry the best possible angle of his jaw and cheekbones.
"Well, I hope you've been incredibly good this year," he murmured. "Otherwise, I'm likely to get a call from the big guy later, and a telling off for letting you have this."
"Is that right?" Harry asked, his voice low and husky as he dipped his head slowly.
"Uh huh," Louis nodded, beginning to stretch up slightly towards Harry, leaning his weight up onto his tiptoes and bracing himself with a careful hand on Harry's bicep.
Harry immediately caught on and gently gripped Louis' waist, steadying him securely as they moved closer together. Louis flickered his eyes between Harry's, searching out the explicit permission for what seemed to be almost inevitable, from that very first moment they'd met on the bus. Obviously finding what he was looking for, Louis' eyes fell shut and he stretched up fully, closing that final distance and pressing his lips carefully against Harry's, letting out a low hum of contentment as he did so. Harry responded with a low growl that seemed to resonate from his chest, as he slipped his arms fully around Louis' waist and pulled him carefully up against him, deepening the kiss slowly.
Louis released a quiet whimper as he slid one hand up over Harry's arm and tangled his fingers loosely into the curls at the back of his head, gently tugging at the ends and being rewarded with a louder groan from Harry, who turned them around carefully so that he could press Louis back against the counter. Louis grunted and hissed softly as the sharp corner of the marble caught him right across the lower back, but quickly got over it as he lost himself in the sensations and feelings of the way that Harry was kissing him.
"Fuck, Lou," Harry mumbled against Louis' lips.
"Yeah," Louis muttered breathlessly, gently scratching his nails over Harry's scalp.
"We, uh, we should, um," Harry stammered. "U-upstairs?"
"Yeah, yeah, definitely," Louis agreed, nodding quickly. "Let's go."
Harry looked at him wildly for a beat, before taking a sharp step back and grabbing a hold of Louis' hand as he turned to lead the way out of the kitchen and down the hallway. They made their way upstairs, trying to be a little quiet as they passed Niall's bedroom door, but throwing that all to the wind as soon as the door closed behind them in Harry's room. Harry wasted no time at all in pressing Louis firmly against the door, cushioned by the presence of his soft bathrobe - Harry making sure that Louis' head missed the hook with a hand cupping the back of it - and resuming the kissing they had started downstairs.
Louis groaned softly, arching into the embrace and returning it just as desperately. The two moaned and whimpered and panted as they continued to make out, their hands roaming over the surface of their clothes, almost desperate for more as their fingers caught at seams and hems, seeking out the hot skin beneath. Before Louis could even begin to process exactly what was going on, Harry had managed to tug Louis' tee from the waistband of his joggers and slipped his hands underneath, Louis shivering at the way they felt a little rough with calluses, and warm from the washing up as he stroked and caressed Louis' sides slowly.
"Shit, Haz," he mumbled. "That feels amazing."
"Can make it feel better," Harry teased softly, slowly sliding the soft cotton up Louis' sides. "Gonna let me?"
"Yeah, yeah," Louis nodded quickly. "Definitely yeah," he added as he raised his arms up over his head, making it easier for Harry to pull the offending item off quickly, letting it fall carelessly to the floor as Harry stared at him. "Okay, now you're making a bloke feel a little self-conscious," he mumbled, starting to wrap his arms around himself.
"Don't you dare," Harry rasped, his hand going out lightning fast to stop Louis in his tracks. "I just wanna admire you for a bit, if that's okay, if you'll let me?"
"Uh," Louis looked at him, dumbstruck. "O-okay?" he offered, his cheeks flushing even deeper. "What, uh, what did you want me to do?" he asked, shifting his weight and feeling a little awkward.
"Nothing at all," Harry reassured him. "You're just... you're beautiful. And I'm so lucky to be here right now, with you." He gave Louis a dark smirk. "Plus, I was kinda thinking that your stomach would be absolutely fucking amazing to lick melted chocolate off," he added cheekily.
"Fucking hell, Harold," Louis blurted. "You can't just say shit like that!"
"Why not?"
"Because! It's like... unfair."
"Unfair?"
"Yeah?" Louis sounded uncertain of where his argument was coming from. "Oh, whatever, just stop that."
"But you like it," Harry raised an eyebrow.
"So not the point right now, Styles," Louis huffed.
Harry chuckled under his breath, stepping closer again and gently brushing his nose along Louis' jaw, smirking as he felt rather than heard Louis' breath catch.
"You feeling ready yet?" he murmured.
"You're the one who put the fucking brakes on, mate," Louis muttered. "I'm just waiting for you to say go again."
"Mmm," Harry hummed, lifting his head to gaze into Louis' eyes for a few moments. "Go."
Louis stared at him, before letting out a low growl and practically jumping at Harry, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him hard. Harry moaned softly in appreciation, catching Louis easily and holding him close, deepening the kiss almost desperately. Louis whimpered softly, sliding his hands down Harry's back and pulling weakly at Harry's tee, trying to pull it off but struggling with the logistics of doing so while not letting go.
"Two secs," Harry mumbled, pulling back just enough to rip the offending fabric over his head and dropping it on the floor on top of Louis'. "Okay, continue."
Louis smirked and kissed him again, stepping slowly towards the bed and pulling Harry along with him, holding onto the waistband of his joggers. Harry followed easily, smirking a little as he watched Louis drag himself up onto the bed and wriggle to the middle of it, before he pressed a knee onto the mattress and climbed up over him.
"I can honestly say," he murmured, leaning down to drop a kiss on Louis' bare shoulder. "That I was definitely not expecting this when we woke up this morning."
Louis hummed in response, trailing his fingers lightly over Harry's chest.
"No?" he replied. "When did you expect this to happen then? Because, I mean, it was inevitable, right?"
"Oh yeah, definitely," Harry agreed, brushing his lips down over Louis' collarbone. "But, I dunno. Maybe not til the New Year? Or, uh... I dunno. My birthday, maybe."
"When's your birthday?" Louis shivered.
"First of February," Harry mumbled, blowing a soft breath over Louis' chest, watching with interest as his nipples hardened. "I'm an Aquarius."
"Whatever the fuck that means," Louis groaned, arching his back slowly.
"Hmm," Harry murmured absently, too concerned with paying attention to Louis' body, as Harry carefully flicked his tongue over one of the hard nubs and grinned in delight at the half gasp, half whimper that Louis let out.
"That... that's enough teasing," Louis choked. "Please just fucking fuck me already, Harry."
Harry glanced up with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, we're definitely going that far tonight, then?"
"We'd fucking better, after all the fucking build-up, you fucking shit," Louis growled.
"God I love it when you swear at me," Harry teased.
"Just --" Louis gave up on words, instead grabbing the back of Harry's neck and pulling him into a deep and demanding kiss as he lifted his legs up around Harry's waist and rocked up towards him, the evidence of their joint arousal obvious as they both moaned deeply.
"Yes, yes," Harry agreed quickly as Louis let him go. "Let's do that."
Louis smirked and slipped his fingers into the waistband of his joggers and briefs.
"C'mon then," he murmured huskily.
The next morning, Harry stumbled into the kitchen far later than he usually would, rubbing at his eyes, and his hair a mess of curls on top of his head.
"Morning loverboy," Niall greeted him. "Bit late for you, isn't it? Oh, but wait, you had a busy night, didn't you? Of course, of course."
"Fuck," Harry mumbled. "Did we wake you up?"
"No, because I never actually got to sleep in the first place," Niall rolled his eyes.
"Shit," Harry sighed, reaching for the pot of coffee. "I'd say sorry, but I'm really fucking not," he added with a slow smirk.
"Ahh, I bet you're not," Niall shook his head in amusement. "Ya cocky fucker." He took a large sip of his drink, peering at his friend over the rim of the mug. "Y'had a good time though, I take it?"
"Uh huh," Harry said with an easy smile. "Was amazing, actually."
"Okay, okay, I don't need to see your moony eyes this early in the morning," Niall grumbled in mock protest. "Just reassure me that you're being safe and careful, and then we need say nothing more about it."
"Of course we are," Harry huffed. "What do you think I am?"
"Abso-fucking-lutely ridiculous, if you ask me," a third voice interjected, followed quickly by a loud yawn as Louis strolled slowly into the kitchen, his gait a little more uneven than normal. "Shit, sorry. Morning lads."
"Morning, Louis," Niall said in amusement.
"Hey, Lou," Harry said softly, his tone full of adoration.
"Hi, love," Louis replied, his voice taking on a more gentle timbre as he leaned up to press a kiss to Harry's cheek.
"You two are fucking disgusting," Niall declared, glaring a little before he cracked into a laugh. "About fucking time."
"Yeah, yeah," Harry huffed, slipping an arm around Louis' waist and pulling him in close. "You're just jealous."
"I am, and I'm not ashamed to say it," Niall shrugged a shoulder. "But I'll be honest, it's nice to see. Like seeing you happy, Haz."
"And now it's verging on embarrassing," Harry mumbled, hiding his blush in Louis' hair.
"No, no, it's endearing," Louis disagreed. "Please Niall, continue on about how this is a good thing for Harry."
"Heyyy," Harry protested, squeezing Louis gently. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I'm totally on your side, love," Louis reassured him. "Nowhere else I'd rather be."
"And on that note, I'm gonna take my drink to my room, and then hop in the shower," Niall stated, grabbing his mug off the side. "See you fuckers later. Hopefully when you've gotten some of this out of your systems."
"I wouldn't put any bets on that happening any time soon, Niall!" Louis called after him, before giggling at the look on Harry's face. "What? Did I lie?"
"Nope," Harry grinned. "But it's nice to hear you say it?"
"Hmm, wish you'd stop acting like it's a surprise or whatever. I'm a romantic guy, y'know."
"Looking forward to finding out exactly how romantic, if I'm honest."
"Oh you'll know, Harold, you'll know," Louis promised him, leaning up to kiss him again. "Mm, now did I hear mention of breakfast?"
"No, but I'll make you some if you want it," Harry offered.
"I definitely want it," Louis murmured, running a hand down Harry's back and gently squeezing his ass.
"That... is not breakfast," Harry breathed slowly.
"Could be though," Louis suggested, reaching out with the other hand to grab the can of squirty cream, shaking it at Harry and raising an eyebrow teasingly. "What do you say?"
"I say... Niall's gonna kill me if we make too much noise again," Harry bit his lip, eyeing Louis and the cream in wonderment. "But fuck it, it'll be fucking worth it."
Louis let out a cackle and turned on his heel, running towards the stairs as Harry gave chase.
The next morning, the sound of the alarm cut through the silence of the room, awaking both of them reluctantly.
"Fuck that thing," Louis muttered. "Stop it. It's evil. I hate it."
Harry reached out a hand to slap at the phone.
"You gotta go open the shop," he told Louis. "Remember? You promised Zayn and Liam that you'd keep the place going."
"Why the fuck are we opening between fucking Christmas and fucking New Year anyway?"
"Because Liam says you still make money then, so it's worth it."
Louis let out a groan and hid his head under the pillow, curling towards Harry.
"But it's fucking non-time," he mumbled. "That weird limbo time. That doesn't exist. Why are people buying fucking comic books when they should be at home, eating crap and sleeping?"
"Because people are weird," Harry told him in amusement, gently stroking Louis' back. "Now, c'mon. I need to go look at the bakery anyway. Make sure things are going as expected."
"They've started already?" Louis pulled his head out from under the pillow.
"Well, as of around 6am, yes, they should have started stripping the place out. Should be done with that by midday, I think? Then they start cleaning it all through and that."
"Wow, so you should definitely be ready to reopen in January, then."
"That is definitely the plan," Harry agreed, swinging his legs out of bed. "But for now, your place is still open, and you need to get your backside there before Zayn calls to check up on you."
Louis groaned again, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Fucking hell," he sighed heavily. "Okay, okay. I'm up. I'm going. I should probably shower."
"Go ahead, you can have first dibs," Harry smiled. "I'll go make breakfast."
"You are an absolute star," Louis told him, leaning over to press a kiss to Harry's shoulder. "Thank you."
Harry nodded and chuckled softly, watching as Louis dragged himself up and towards the bathroom, before he stood and went down to the kitchen, starting to cook enough breakfast for all three of them. By the time Louis had made his way downstairs, Harry had the table full of waffles, pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, and hash browns, as well as a large cafetiere of coffee and a pot of tea. Louis let out a low whistle at the sight.
"Woah," he murmured. "Wasn't expecting this much, love. What's all this for?"
"Well, if it's your first day back, you need to be fully fed and ready for anything," Harry told him.
"You make it sound like I've been out for weeks, not two days," Louis rolled his eyes playfully. "But I appreciate it, so thank you."
He rubbed at his stomach as it grumbled loudly.
"Quit looking at it, sit your ass down, and start eating," Harry told him, leaning over to press a kiss to his lips.
"Yes, sir," Louis grinned and sat down.
"I'll wake Niall up when we're ready to leave, else he'll just make random annoying comments," Harry commented, starting to pile his plate up.
"You know I don't mind the little Irish leprechaun. His comments are usually amusing."
"But unnecessary when I've not had enough sleep."
"Ahh, so now we're getting to it, you're the one who doesn't want to deal with him this morning," Louis said gleefully.
"Yeah, yeah," Harry huffed. "Maybe I'm not always at my best first thing in the mornings."
"Oh baby, it's okay," Louis cooed.
Harry rolled his eyes and huffed, before they continued eating. As soon as they were done, Harry cleared the plates and jogged upstairs to have a quick wash, and then knocked on Niall's door.
"Breakfast downstairs keeping warm if you want it," he called. "I'm going with Louis to work and checking on the bakery. I'll be back this evening."
"Dude," Niall grumbled from inside. "I'm not your fucking mother, you don't need to tell me all that." He tugged the door open. "The food was the only thing I needed to know about."
"Morning to you too, oh cheerful Irish one," Harry grinned.
Before Niall could retaliate, he ducked out of the way and jogged down the stairs, meeting Louis at the door and following him out into the cold.
"You winding up the locals this morning or something?" Louis asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh huh," Harry nodded, shivering at the temperature. "Fuck me, it's cold out here. Did it snow again?"
"I think so," Louis agreed. "In the night, I guess? So let's hope the buses are running."
"There's a tube station not too far away if we need it."
"But further than the bus stop?"
"Well, uh, yeah," Harry shrugged. "But the walk should keep us warm?"
"You're so optimistic, Styles," Louis sighed. "I'm not sure how to deal with it all."
"You're a bit irritating sometimes, Tomlinson," Harry glared playfully.
Harry locked up the front door and the two carefully made their way down the icy steps. Harry's foot slipped slightly on the second to last one, but Louis grabbed his arm to steady him before he went ass over tit on the ground.
"You okay?" Louis checked with a low chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks," Harry blushed. "I've always been ridiculously clumsy."
"Mm, I'm sure we've had this conversation before," Louis grinned. "You're adorable with it though."
Harry made a low grumbling noise in his throat, buried his nose in his scarf, and strode out defiantly down the path, Louis giggling as he followed in his wake.
The couple walked along in comfortable silence for a while, taking in the peaceful quiet of the morning. After a few minutes, Louis suddenly cocked his head to one side and frowned in confusion.
"Okay, what the fuck, why is it so damn quiet?" he demanded. "I've lived in London for a fair few years now, and I've never heard it this quiet before. What is going on?"
"Not a clue," Harry shrugged. "But I think it's nice. Can hear the birds, and there are kids playing in the snow. It's nice."
"Uh huh, but fucking creepy," Louis agreed. "Not sure I like it at all."
Harry let out a loud guffaw and slipped his arm through Louis'.
"You're fucking adorable too, y'know that?" he observed.
It was Louis' turn to grumble under his breath, but he also snuggled into Harry's side a little closer, leaning his head against Harry's shoulder and letting out a soft sigh as they eventually reached the bus stop, just as a bus pulled around the corner.
"How's that for timing?" Louis grinned brightly. "Looks like the morning's picking up!"
"I could've told you that," Harry murmured, looking at him intently.
"Oh hush you," Louis blushed and hid a smile as he jumped onto the bus, tapping his Oyster card on the pad, as Harry followed close behind.
"Hey, this is where we first met," Harry observed as they took a seat.
"Hmm, I suppose it is," Louis mused. "Not sure it was exactly this bus, but yeah."
"Don't get pedantic," Harry elbowed his side quite roughly, ignoring the resulting protest. "I just think that buses will always feel a little bit different to me now." He shrugged a shoulder. "Cos of us."
"You absolute sap," Louis told him. "I can't believe I wound up with a sap like you. You should be fucking ashamed of yourself, Styles. It's horrific, you know that?"
"And now I know you're lying, cos I know for a fact that you like how sappy I am," Harry said firmly.
"And what gave you that idea?" Louis asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Your face."
"Oh, my face, huh?"
"Mmhmm," Harry nodded in agreement, smiling softly as he leaned in close, pressing a tender kiss to Louis' lips. "Oh, and for the record, you can sit on my lap on the bus any time you want."
Louis gazed at him for a moment, before he burst out laughing and cuddled into Harry's side, content to simply let the rest of the journey pass.