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Louis grabbed Niall’s hand, feeling small electrical shots go through his whole body at the touch. It didn’t matter how many times they touched, he never got used to it.
His eyes flickered between the hand in his and the face of the boy in front of him. A boy with a look of admiration on his face, like Louis was the best that had ever happened to him. He really hoped he was. He wanted to be.
A small “love you” passed from his lips, to quiet for anyone to hear, to subtle for anyone to see. The words were even barely there, but he needed to get them out.
He bent down, his eyes still flickering between the boy and his hand as he pressed as he pressed his lips against the back of it. He quickly pulled away, goofing the whole thing off as he walked towards the other side of the stage.
The whole ordeal hadn’t taken longer than a few seconds, a few seconds that Louis wanted to re-live again and again. As he glanced over at Niall, that was enjoying the hell out of his water gun, he realised that he could have enough of this during tour to last him a lifetime. Because here he could play it out, he could hug him and kiss him and do everything to make him laugh, because to the outside world it was just them playing it out for the fans. Having a good laugh.
Sometimes he wished for someone to actually see that it was real. For him, at least. That someone could see the look in his eyes and interpret it correctly and just know what was going. So he could get it out, finally get it all out.
The show came to and end and they all went backstage, half hugging each other and the crew as usual, congratulating each other on another good show. Liam, Zayn and Harry disappeared off to their dressing room, Niall had run off to Josh and Louis stood still, waiting for him.
It was like they were attached at the hip now a days, half of the time it wasn’t even a concious decision. It didn’t even come to mind that Niall could find his way back himself, waiting for him was just the obvious thing to do.
He didn’t even notice that Niall came up to him, he had been lost in his own thoughts, until he felt a arm being slung around his face, pressing him close to the blondes body.
”Good show, yeah?” Niall asked with a bright smile as he started leading them down the corridor, Louis just nodded as he wrapped his arm around Niall’s narrow waist.
”Whatcha thinking about?” You. Not that he could say that.
"Nothing, just tired."
”Poor baby,” Niall said with a laugh as he pressed a kiss to the brunettes cheek, almost catching the corner of the brunettes mouth. Louis thought he was going to die for real and didn’t even react to the fact that they’ve reached their dressing room until they were already in it and Niall de-tangled himself from him.
”… what was that for?”
”What?”
”The, uh, kiss?”
Niall just gave him a small smirk as he dropped down on the couch.
”We can’t have you give out all the kisses can we? Have to keep it even.”
He could almost swear that Niall was flirting with him. Oh please lord, if you do exist, please please please, let this go my way.
”Is that so?” He said as he dropped down on the couch as well, maybe to close for comfort, but Niall just smirked back at him.
”Yeah.” It was something in the look Niall was giving him that made him lean forward, stopping just an inch from his lips, scanning Niall’s face for a hint of… well, anything. But Niall just looked back at him, that look of admiration back on his face again, not a single trace of anything resembling doubt or disgust.
So Louis leaned forward, slotting their lips together, electing a small noise of pleasure from the Irish that pulled him closer, fingers finding their way into his hair.
When the need for air got to great he slowly pulled away, pressing his forehead against Niall’s, a big grin forming on his face.
”I love you,” he breathed out, not caring if it was to early to say it. Another kiss was pressed to his lips as he was pulled into a tight hug, small kisses being pressed against his temple.
”Love you too. So much.” Louis never was one to cry, but hearing those words, from his Leprechaun directed at him made something in him snap and he could feel tears starting to form in his eyes as he pressed his face into the nape of Niall’s neck.
And that’s how the rest of the guys found them half an hour later, when they were set to leave, both of them sound asleep looking utterly content.
”Zayn,” Harry started. “You owe me five bucks.”
That was five bucks Zayn happily gave away.