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Wrapping paper was strewn across the floor, ribbon weaving its way through the mess and bows littering it. Sat in the middle of the chaos, like the eye of the storm, was Harry, whose calm, collected and orderly manner seemed to go completely out the window when it came to wrapping Christmas presents, a small pile of which had begun to collect beside him. From where Louis was hovering by the door frame, silently taking in the sight of what formally had been their living room, he could see the fixated look on Harrys face, tongue trapped between his teeth as he fumbled with the wrapping paper he was trying to smother a football in.
“Did Christmas explode in here or what, Harold?”
Harry snapped out of his almost trance like state only briefly to register Louis cheeky grin, before huffing and turning back to the football.
“You could always offer to help, Y’know. It is your fault that all the wrapping got left to Christmas Eve.”
“How’d you figure that?”
With a mumble of something that sounded similar to “bloody distraction” Harry stuck down the final piece of tape on the, rather rumpled looking but finally wrapped football, sitting back triumphantly.
It was their first Christmas together. A small Christmas tree glinted in the corner of the room, baubles dangling from the branches, reflecting glimmers of fair lights around the pale walls. Tinsel wound its way through the Christmas cards perched on the mantel piece, cards overflowing onto every flat surface in the room due to the sheer number of them. Louis ventured further into the room. Harry was now suitably distracted by the next present, mind already occupied with figuring out the dimensions of whatever wrapping paper he needed to use. Perhaps this absorption is what blinded to Louis actions.
One minute, Harry’s vision was filled with wrapping paper and softly twinkling Christmas lights, the next, black. Rustling filled his ears, crackling from the paper making the reason why clear.
“Haha. Very funny, Lou.”
He heard Louis laugh ring out over the rustling, not knowing that Louis slender, delicate fingers were tying a bow out of a deep red ribbon, knotting it perfectly in the centre of his forehead before kneeling back to admire his handiwork. Curls leaked out from the bottom of the paper, which already was falling apart to reveal Harry’s pink lips. It was adorable, the sight before him. Louis began to lean forward. Sensing Louis faint breath on his skin, Harry swallowed.
“Lou?”
With a quick “Shh” Louis closed the remaining distance, lips moulding to Harry’s in a blink as he brought his hands up to guide his face closer to his own. Although Harry was hesitant at first, he soon melted into the kiss. It was sweet, gentle, soft. Louis tore the wrapping away, revealing more of Harry’s face, and although the consuming darkness was gone, Harry’s mind was still focused solely on one thing – Louis.
They pulled away, Louis cheeky grin instantly remerging on his face. He reached out to tug the ribbon away from where it had snaked round Harry’s neck, meeting the fond look that was clear in the shining green eyes.
“You wrapped my present then?” winking, Louis watched as Harry reached over to the pile of present, pulling out a silver wrapped box with golden rosette fixed to the top.
“It’s even got a little bow on it.”