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Harry could hardly believe it when he slowly woke up. His head hurt like hell, and everything around him was spinning as if he had been dancing and drinking all night—which he probably had.
It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the bright light coming through the large hotel windows. Slowly, he turned his head and looked around the room. First his eyes fell on a tangled mess of fairy lights and a pile of scattered clothes on the floor. And then ... Niall.
NIALL! Harry frowned in confusion.
Niall was lying next to him, wrapped up in duvets, snoring lightly. Harry blinked. Was that a dream? Why was Niall lying next to him? And why did he feel like he had done something completely stupid?
Probably because he had done something stupid!
Harry sat up, holding his throbbing head, and was about to get out of bed when a small, inconspicuous piece of paper fell into his hand. It was a certificate, with gold letters and the edges decorated—very much the cheesy Vegas style.
'Marriage certificate,' he read quietly and then stared at the paper in disbelief. Harry Edward Styles and Niall James Horan were written on it in curved letters.
His heart raced. He had married Niall. He and Niall were married.
'No, no, it couldn't be,' he mumbled as he feverishly searched for memories of the previous night. But everything was a blur of lights, music, and laughter. Somewhere, someone had shouted, 'Marry me!' and Harry dimly remembered him and Niall stumbling through a tackily decorated wedding chapel, laughing... But had they really done that?
Just then, Niall stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked dazedly and looked at Harry before his gaze traveled to the certificate in Harry's hands.
'Oh. My. God,' Niall said under his breath, his face turning white as a sheet.
'Niall...we're married.'
Niall stared at him, then at the certificate, then back at Harry. 'This is a joke, innit? Please tell me this is a joke!' He ran his fingers through his hair in utter despair.
Harry just shook his head silently. They had actually gotten married. A twitch of nerves stole into his eye, and he could feel panic rising within him.
Before either of them knew what to do, the door to the hotel room was suddenly thrown open. The door banged against the wall, and Louis Tomlinson stormed in—his facial expression a mixture of anger, disappointment, and ... pain? The blue eyes sparkled like ice, and Harry knew immediately that Louis had noticed everything.
'Well, what a great surprise!' cried Louis, his voice piercing, with a hint of sarcasm. 'Come on, let's celebrate!'
'Lou, I...' Harry began, but he cut him off immediately.
'Shut up! I don't know what I need to see to believe that you're really such an idiot, Harry. But this...' He held up the certificate he had apparently found somewhere in her suite. 'This really tops it all.'
Harry swallowed hard and looked at Lou with big eyes. He stood in the doorway, marriage certificate in hand, eyes narrowed angrily and jaw tense. The sight made Harry's stomach clench. It had all just been an unfortunate coincidence, a stupid mistake—but Louis looked as if Harry had ripped his heart out.
'Lou... please, it's not what you think.' Harry began desperately.
'Not what I think?' Louis snorted and laughed coldly, a laugh that gave Harry goosebumps. Not the good one. 'Why don't you tell me what I'm supposed to think when I walk in here and you and Niall suddenly ...' He gestured wildly back and forth between Niall and Harry, '... are married. Was that a bit of fun? An 'Oh, we were drunk and thought it was funny'?'
Niall, who had stayed silent so far and had also gone pale, cleared his throat and raised his hands in a placating gesture. 'Louis, really, it was just a huge mistake. We were both drinking and absolutely out of it. It was nothing more than an unfortunate accident.'
Louis' gaze flitted from Harry to Niall, and for a moment he gave his bandmate a look that Harry couldn't quite interpret—was there jealousy there as well? 'Yeah, an 'accident.' That's what you call it when you say, 'I do,' in front of an Elvis impersonator while intoxicated, yeah?'
Harry wanted to say something, anything that would calm Louis down, but he didn't quite have the words. What could he say that would make it better? All he knew was that the thought of losing Louis felt terrible—worse than he had expected. Suddenly he realized that what he felt for Louis was much more than mere friendship. The truth hit him like a bombshell.
'Lou, I ...' He took a deep breath, the words heavy on his tongue. 'I know this all sounds completely crazy, and to be honest, I don't understand how this could have happened. But ... it's nothing real. It doesn't mean anything.'
'Nothing to mean?' Louis repeated, his voice softer, almost wounded. His eyes sparkled with anger, but there was also something else in his gaze—disappointment, perhaps even pain.
'So, you're telling me that you ended up married to Niall by accident and it means nothing to you? Do you have any idea what that looks like to me, Haz?'
Harry felt the words catch in his throat. The pain in Louis' voice hit him in the heart, and for a moment, time stood still. Then he felt his panic begin to crumble, and something else took its place—the courage to tell the truth.
'Lou... you're right,' he began quietly, uncertain but determined. 'It doesn't mean anything to me because it's not what I want. Because you're the one I... the one I really love.' Now he'd said it, just like that. Straight out.
There was shock on Louis' face, and even Niall made a surprised noise beside him. But Harry couldn't go back. Now that the words were out, he could no longer remain silent.
'Lou, this—Niall and I—this was a dumb mistake, and I'll do everything I can to undo it. But what I feel for you ... it's real. I know this might be the worst thing I could have ever done to show you, but it's you, Boo. Always have been.'
There was silence in the room for a moment. Harry's heart was pounding so loudly that it was the only thing he could hear. Louis stood there, looking at him, and slowly the anger in his eyes seemed to give way to a softer emotion.
'Haz...' Louis finally whispered, his voice soft and brittle. 'That was... that was all I ever wanted to hear.'
Harry gulped and took a step towards him, slowly, to give him time to dodge if he wanted to. But Louis froze, his gaze fixed on Harry's, and slowly a little smile crossed his face.
'So,' Louis finally murmured, the smile now clearly visible, 'seems like you need to get this whole ... Niall thing before we can move on, do you?'
Harry couldn't help but chuckle, and Niall smirked as well. 'I'm going to do that. I'll go straight to the registry office and sort it out. This was a mistake, and I'll do everything I can to make it right.'
Niall nodded. 'No problem, guys. To be honest, I'm glad you guys finally talked about it. You two belong together anyway.'
Louis glanced at Harry, and their eyes met in a moment full of unspoken feelings, all the years of closeness, jealousy, and desire that they had never uttered.
Now was the moment when everything came out on the surface.
'All right,' Louis finally said and grinned. 'Then make it official, Styles. Let's make this your last stupid mistake in Vegas.'
Harry laughed softly and pulled Louis into a tight hug that said more than words ever could. The pressure, the warmth, the closeness—all of it was exactly what he had always wanted.
A few hours later, Harry and Louis stood side by side outside the small registry office where they would finally release Niall from marriage. Louis hadn't let go of his hand, and as they waited, he gave Harry a look full of affection and tenderness.
'I can't wait to come here next time and...well, to be officially and truly married to you this time,' Harry whispered, grinning shyly.
Louis shook his head and laughed. 'Imagine when we tell the world. I think they'll celebrate it more than we will.'
Harry wrapped an arm around Louis and leaned against him.
'The only thing that matters to me is that you know how I feel. I love you, Lou.
I love you, and I'll never hide that from you again from now on.'
Louis squeezed Harry's hand and whispered back, 'I love you too, Sun. And this time we'll do it right.'
They sealed their love with a first gentle kiss.