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Liam loves with Louis in every season.
In the spring is when he meets him, smell of fresh cut grass in the air as he delivers packages day by day, encountering friendly pets and not so friendly people. Louis has a smile like the morning sunrise, and his messy bedhead hair should not be endearing, but it is. He flirts seamlessly, personality twice the size of his compact little body, dressed in a baggy jumper and pj pants. He invites Liam in for tea, but he has to turn it down because he can’t just abandon his job. Louis insists he comes back later, and lets his hand linger on his arm, and calls him Postman Liam.
He does come back, of course. They watch That 70s Show and drink Yorkshire tea, because little Louis has a very big love for it. They talk, but mostly Louis rambles and Liam listens intently, with a buzzing in his veins. Louis likes to laugh, has a cute little giggle he tries to cover up, much like the way he’s stealing glances like they’re illegal. Liam hopes he knows they’re not.
He invites him back over the next day, and the next, and apparently that’s the end of his self restraint because the fourth time Liam knocks on his painted red door, he doesn’t even pause before hauling him into a kiss. Liam melts into it like the abandoned ice cream cone he passed on the way here, and Louis smiles against his lips like a secret.
They learn each other quickly, almost frighteningly fast, but none of it is scary. It’s impossible to be scared with Louis around, he lights up the darkest of rooms and stands taller than the biggest of beasts. His compliments fill Liam to the brim, and his fond little smirk has him constantly on his toes. Liam takes him on a date and treats him like a princess, so he says, but he’s a smitten pink all through the evening, and all but clings to him on the walk home, tulips in his garden beginning to hide away as the sky grows darker.
They blend together with the sheets, swallowing each other’s small sounds like they want to keep them. (Like they want to keep each other.)
He falls in love with Louis in the summer too, air thick and sun hot, Louis wearing tight shorts and loose tanks. His skin is tanner than anyone else’s and his eyes sparkle like the water down at the beach, and Liam is cat-who-got-the-cream proud to hold his hand. Their fingers link like magnets and Louis sits on his lap on the bus, ignoring the looks they get and pressing kisses to his cheek, lips sticky from his earlier ice lolly, murmuring about how he’s just so happy. Liam is too.
They meet each other’s friends and family, taking their turns to be nervous and on edge. But nothing goes wrong and everyone is lovely, Liam always ending up with his head on Louis’ shoulder, feeling the boy lean against him and occasionally play sideways footsies. They go to a movie night in the park, film projected onto a big white sheet under a full sky of stars. (Louis is Liam’s star.) They bring blankets and buy popcorn, but halfway through they end up lying together and trading snuggly kisses, creating their own story instead. Louis yawns like a kitten and presses his face into Liam’s neck, who stays long after everyone else has left, for fear of waking the sleeping boy and thereby getting rid of the beautiful feeling in his chest.
The never ending heat makes Louis antsy and grumpy, but more importantly horny, so they fuck on his kitchen floor, the only place where the air conditioning is sufficient. He makes Liam wear his postman hat, and when it gets knocked off as Louis arches beneath him, he pouts until Liam grabs for it and sloppily puts it back on. In the end, Louis is plastered to his sweaty chest, drawing lazy circles on his skin and wearing the hat himself. (He says the phrase big dick delivery far too many times that week, but no matter how hard Liam tries to be fed up, all he really is is infatuated.)
He still loves Louis in the fall, when the leaves change color like a warning. Halloween is the start of their problems, bickering in an entirely unplayful way over who forgot about whose plans. They still go together (like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong) but their kisses begin to become short, hurried, just like their words. Louis takes up smoking despite Liam’s complete disapproval, and he gets increasingly annoyed with the extra hours Liam works. They’re drifting, and they both spend a lot of time on the phone to their respective Confucius’s, but Niall tells Liam to just go with the flow. He’s not sure he trusts that.
But, of course, he tries. And, of course, there’s still good times. The autumn air is chilly and Louis looks adorable in Liam’s hoodies, and even cuter when he covers his nose with the sleeves and inhales his scent, thinking he doesn't see. They curl up in front of Liam’s fireplace, and go for walks in the park, Louis tugging them into a pile of leaves like the child he is, shrieking in laughter at his appalled expression. They still spend more nights together than not, Louis snuffling into the pillow and Liam breathing warm onto the back of his neck. He’s never happier than when he’s holding his boy.
They fight over stupidities though, building and building and building, like the construction between their streets that keeps them up and makes them even more irritable. Eventually, the fighting gets to be too much, and they annoy each other more than they cherish each other, so they decide to take a break. It lasts fourteen days. Louis calls Liam in tears, missing him so, so much, I can’t breathe without you, you stupid fuck. Liam’s on his doorstep within half an hour, postman hat on his head, apology chocolates in his hand. Louis throws both aside and tugs him in tight, just holding him, feeling him. He smells like he always does, like the cologne he wears too much of, and the printing press he works at, and the overwhelming amount of love within him. Liam wants him to smell like them again, though. (He does, soon enough.)
He loves Louis in the winter, when he walks around in thick clothes and fuzzy socks, watching the snow fall outside with Liam’s chin on his shoulder. The bad weather is just an excuse to spend more time cuddled up together, being lazy with each other, relearning each other. Both have their breakdowns but they hold each other through it, unfailingly supportive. They’ve figured their shit out and they’re sappier than ever, to the point of being disgusting, according to Harry. But Liam’s just so glad.
They bundle up to have snowball fights, and then undress each other when one of them breaks and needs to touch the other nownownow. They’ll start a hot shower and Liam will fuck Louis up against the tile wall, arguing no, I won, you’re wrong. And though Louis will bite him and tell him no, you are, I always win, Liam is never actually angry. He’ll just puff a laugh and search out the right angle, until the other boy is whimpering helplessly, head lolling and toes curling against his back. That’s the only competition he needs to win, anyways.
They spend Christmas with their families, being sweet and soft and sickeningly lovey dovey, but neither of them mind one bit. Their sisters tease and their parents roll their eyes, but it’s comfortable, easy, and they love it. They bake sugar cookies and drink hot cocoa, and go for walks to see all the pretty lights, wearing silly matching mittens. (It makes hand holding hard, but they still do it.) On Christmas morning, Liam is woken by kisses peppered all over his cheeks, and he tickles Louis into hysterics, uncle, you bastard, uncle! Gifts are exchanged and while all are lovely, of course their ones for each other are the best. Louis receives a carefully thought out set of dog tags, one with their initials on it, the other with his favorite quote, the one scrawled on his wall in sharpie. He hugs Liam tight, putting them on straight away and kissing both, then Liam himself.
Liam receives a key. He frowns, asking the silent question, and Louis suddenly looks self conscious. He shrugs, and mumbles out a nervous will you move in with me? Liam’s never said yes so fast in his life. (Except maybe that first invitation for tea.)
They’re giddy the rest of the week, and when they get back home (home) they make love in their bed stay up late into the night, talking and laughing about nothing and everything, and Louis sings Liam to sleep, head over his heart. They start the move that weekend, everything just seeming to fit, just like they do, and though much is changing, it feels like nothing is.
Liam loves Louis when spring rolls around once more, when the snow melts to ugly slush and it rains more often than not. The world may seem unsure, but they’re not.
Louis jumps Liam the second he gets in the door each day, trusty postman hat falling to the floor, and he spins them in circles more often than not, because he likes picking him up and carrying him around, and though Louis will deny it till he’s blue in the face, he does too. Louis gets to cut down his hours at his own job, so they spend time in their happy little bubble, watching crappy romcoms, getting impulse tattoos, prank calling Zayn until he swears to god he’ll burn their house down. They like to go on adventures, but they like to stay in too.
So long as they’re together, it doesn't matter what they do. Liam loves Louis more every day, and he knows the other boy does too.