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Harry whimpered as he hid under the bedclothes. He was in Louis’ room .It was where he ran for both comfort and a sense of protection. But Louis was out and he was alone in their flat. There was a first-class thunderstorm raging outside. Harry was scared of storms. He had been so since he was six and a thunderstorm had knocked down an enormous ash tree onto his room and almost killed him in his bed. He knew it was silly and that the only trees within sight of the flat were scrawny and not at all liable to breaking down their roof but that didn’t stop him from freaking out every time there was a storm outside .And since he lived in London it meant that he was awake half the nights. Unless he was with Louis of course .Louis was his safe haven. He didn’t grumble or laugh every time Harry slipped into his bed trembling and scared. There was another crash of thunder and Harry disappeared under the duvet again. He was so caught up with being scared he didn’t even hear the front door opening.
“Haz??”
Harry peeked up at the sound of the voice. Louis appeared in the door way. “Hey Haz, all the lights were out and l was wondering-Haz??” Louis stopped at the appearance of Harry’s tear stained face. He was across the room and climbing onto the bed in a flash. Harry let out a sob of relief as Louis’ strong arms encircled him and drew him onto his lap. He burrowed into his neck and ignored the crashes of thunder jarring through the house. Louis stroked his back and nuzzled his face into Harry’s soft chocolate curls.
“Oh, Hazza...I’m so sorry love” he murmured holding Harry close, knowing that he needed the comfort. “Shhh...It’s okay .It’s okay now .I’m here....It’s just thunder, love...nothing’s going to happen, I promise”
Harry took a shuddering breath. This is what he had needed. The gentle reassurance that nothing was going to go horribly wrong, and Louis. He needed him. So Harry curled up into as small a ball as he could and fit himself into Louis’ lap, letting the feeling of warmth wash over him. His sobs died down and soon the room was quiet with the exception of the thunder and the wind howling outside.
“Lou?”
“Hmmm?”
“Thanks...”
“Anytime Haz, I know why”
“But it’s stupid and kiddish...I’m nineteen for god’s sake” Harry muttered, clutching the front of Louis’ shirt and letting a few more tears of embarrassment and shame slip out. “What kind of nineteen year old is scared of bloody thunder??”
Louis shifted a bit so he could get a look at Harry, who was vainly trying to hide his face by snuggling into his neck.
“Hey” he said softly, brushing Harry’s fringe away from his eyes and then gently carding his fingers through the soft curls. “Anyone who’s had a tree almost crush them has the perfect right to be jittery about storms. If l were you I’d probably be under the bed”
Harry snorted.
“What?”
“Oh please...You’re way braver than I am, Lou. I don’t see you moping around the flat crying about random things”
“Who says I don’t?” Louis muttered.
Harry sat up on Louis’ lap and looked into his eyes. Louis refused to look at him, instead opting for staring out the window opposite the bed.
“Lou?” Harry said tugging at his shirt, his brow furrowing. “Boo??”
Louis chuckled at the nickname; it was too adorable coming from Harry. He turned his head and looked at the boy fondly. He wrapped his arms tighter around him and pressed him close to his chest, placing his chin atop the mop of curls. He had an overwhelming feeling of protectiveness towards the boy. At times he questioned whether it was even healthy. But this was his best friend, the one he could turn to at all times. Also he knew that Harry needed him as much as he needed Harry .That was how they were. Louis was 21, Harry was 19. They were in a world famous band with sold out world tours and legions of screaming fans. That didn’t mean that at moments like these they couldn’t be HarryandLouis . Their world was fast, speculative and unkind. That’s why Louis needed Harry by his side .They needed each other.
“Louis?” Harry whispered. The worry riddled in his voice brought Louis back to earth. “Lou, what d’you get scared about?”
“All kinds of things” Louis whispered back, watching lightning fork across the night sky.”Mom and my sisters, the band, tour, press…you. Trust me, it takes up way more space in my head than I thought was possible. Put it all together and my mind feels like it’s going to explode”
“”You worry about me?”Harry stated slowly as if still trying to process that particular bit of information.”What about me??”
Louis sighed and leant against the headboard before answering. “I worry about whether you’re alright, about how you’re handling all the pressure from being on tour and having a show every single night. I worry about how you’d react to a scathing or untrue newspaper article. I worry about everything getting too much for you and you hiding away from all of us, from me” Louis finished softly, a look of worry and fright Harry had rarely seen flickering across his eyes.”You mean a lot to me Haz, I don’t wanna lose you”
Harry smiled then leant up and brushed his nose against Louis’s. When he drew back there was a look of surprise on Louis’s face.
“Did you just-give me an Eskimo kiss??”
Harry blushed then stuck out his tongue cheekily. “You were getting all soppy on me there, Tomlinson. Thought I’d bring you back to home ground”
“Oh, is that so Styles?” Louis said with an evil glint in his eyes that Harry had learnt to grow wary of. “Well just so you know-”he started to run his fingers up and down Harry’s sides , Harry gulped “you so asked for it”. With that he dug his fingers into Harry’s belly, tickling him hard. Harry yelled and started scrambling away from Louis as fast as he could. Louis just grinned and dragged him back across the bed by his legs with practiced ease.
“Oh, no you don’t Curly. You don’t ruin a perfect soppy moment and walk away unscathed” Louis chuckled; moving so he was straddling Harry. He tickled him under his chin where he knew the boy was particularly sensitive. Harry squirmed and kicked, his face scrunched up adorably as he tried to wriggle away from Louis’ dancing fingers.
“Louis!” he gasped” Louis, Lou…Stop! Please..Ahhh!!...Ahahahahaa…oh God Lou, I-I Ahhh!!- I promise to do the dishes for a week, Lou! Louis!!”
“What makes you think I take bribes, Curly?” Louis asked fondly, stopping the attack for a while and resting his chin on Harry’s chest, which was rising and falling rapidly as he tried to catch his breath .Harry brought his hand up to comb through Louis’ mussed up hair. “But since you insist” Harry rolled his eyes “I’ll take you up on that” .Louis grinned at Harry’s half amused, half annoyed look. He leaned forward and brushed his nose against Harry’s and smiled when he nuzzled into the touch.
Suddenly the sky outside whitened and there was a particularly loud clap of thunder. Louis felt Harry flinch and attempt to curl up underneath him. He sat up, gathered Harry in his arms and dragged him under the safety of the duvet.
“Shh...”Louis whispered as a shudder wracked through Harry “It’s alright sweetheart. I’m here remember? It’ll be fine Haz”
“M’sorry” Harry said, blinking his eyes rapidly to try and get the impulsive tears to stop. “It’s just-I’m so used to it getting too much that it happens before I can think twice about it” he sniffled furiously “It’s bloody annoying”
Louis chuckled, entwining their legs and hugging Harry to his chest “Well I think it’s absolutely adorable”
Harry huffed. “Try turning into a human hosepipe every time a storm happens and see how you like it”
“Well” Louis stated “That’s why I’m here to distract you good Sir” he waggled his eyebrows in a ridiculous manner. Harry giggled, wiping his face with his hands “Idiot, My idiot”
Louis threw back his head and laughed “Look who’s Mr. Soppy now” he taunted. Harry aimed a punch at his arm but Louis ducked it chuckling. “Never hit a person who knows your every move Curly”. He looked thoughtful for a moment “Fancy a cuppa?”
Harry cocked his head “Yorkshire?”
Louis grinned “You’re on”
******
“It’s stopped thundering” Harry noted, holding the steaming mug Louis had made close to him to get some warmth.
“Mmmm .Storm must be dying down” Louis said drawing the blanket tighter around them to ward off the chill in the room.
They were on the living room sofa, cuddled under a homey patchwork quilt Anne had made them when they first decided to move into their posh bachelor pad two years ago. The blanket always made Louis smile .It reminded him of sixteen year old Harry, all cheeky smiles and dimples. Fame hadn’t changed him much. He was just a little more hesitant when it came to making friends now, a little more drawn and quieter. Louis sighed, it always shocked him just how blunt the society was. Just this morning he had taken one look at the papers and dumped them in the trash. Of course that didn’t stop Harry from seeing all the manwhore rumours. It sickened Louis to the core, the press were so deranged they were willing to turn on a nineteen year old just because he was famous and wasn’t rude to every girl he met. Pleasantries transformed into flirting, random girls they chatted to turned into outrageous hook-ups. It got to the point where Louis felt like smashing a pap’s face every single time he saw Harry looking stricken or close to tears. And the worst part was that there was nothing he could do about it. Sure he could act out and yell at all their managers’, but that didn’t stop another article appearing in the next morning’s papers. So these days he just tries his best to keep Harry away from it all. It’s not always easy but at least he’s got something to hold onto.
“Lou?” Harry murmured, resting his head against Louis’ chest and closing his eyes “You’re having some deep thoughts over there”
Louis tightened his arm around Harry and blew on his tea “You know I’m here for you right, Curly? The guys and everyone who cares for you? They know the real you. All those press articles are bullshit”
Harry smiled, turning his face and kissing Louis’ neck tenderly before murmuring “I’ve got you Boobear. Don’t need anything else”
Louis sucked in a breath at the amount of trust and love he heard in Harry’s voice. ‘This is it’ he thought, before taking both his and Harry’s mugs and setting them on the coffee table. Then he turned and keeping his eyes locked with Harry’s emerald ones, slowly closed the space between them .He felt Harry stiffen at the touch of his lips before tentatively starting to move against him. His lips were soft and warm against Louis’ slightly chapped ones and it made him realize that this was the one thing he had unknowingly craved for since the first time he set eyes on him. He felt Harry’s eyes flutter close and his hands tangle in Louis’s hair.
Louis reached up with his own hands and cupped Harry’s cheek with one, the other reaching behind and tugging on his curls. He felt Harry moan and open his mouth. He smiled into the kiss and gave it everything he had. When they parted for breath Harry was gasping and his cheeks were flushed crimson. Louis grinned triumphantly then ducked down and pressed a small kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Harry was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt “I gotta say, that was the best kiss I’ve ever had in my entire life”
Louis laughed “And you’ve had a lot of those I presume?”
“Mmmm...Tut tut jealous already, are we?” Harry’s eyes softened “I meant it Lou. You mean the world to me”
Louis smiled, pulling Harry onto his lap again and nuzzling his nose into his cheek, where his dimple was “And as cheesy as this is going to sound, you are mine”
Harry’s brow furrowed “World?”
“Yep”
“Good” Harry said, leaning forward and catching Louis’ lips with his again “Cause I think I’ve found my new favourite past time”
Louis chuckled against Harry’s lips “Bring it on Curly”
Harry smiled too “Copy that Boobear”