Work Text:
“Mr. Harry Styles!”
“Hello, hello!”
“How are you doing?”
“I’m all right, thanks. How are you?”
“I’m pretty good, thanks-”
“I hope you’re as good as you look.”
“What?”
“You look great tonight, who are you wearing?”
“Wait- No, I’m supposed to ask you that.”
“Sorry, go on.”
“Who are you wearing tonight?”
“I’m wearing Gucci, who are you wearing?”
“Stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“I’m supposed to interview you, not the other way around.”
“But I’d like to know more about you. Who are you wearing?”
“I’m wearing Givenchy.”
“Nice. You look great tonight.”
“You already said that.”
“Have I? Well, I’ll say it again. You look great tonight.”
-A brief pause as they stare at each other, subtle smirks upon their lips before Louis turns back to the camera-
“Ladies and gentlemen, the ever-charming, Harry Styles!”
“Thank you, thank you. I’ll see you inside, yeah?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Make sure you find me.”
“Okay, I will.”
“I’m serious.”
“Okay.”
“Okay. See you, love you.”
“Love you!”
-Harry walks off with a smirk, causing Louis to blush and giggle to himself, glance at the camera, then widen his eyes. The video cuts out-
“So, Louis Tomlinson,” James Corden began after the replay of the interview finished and the crowd stopped laughing. “Did you make sure to find Harry inside the Gala?”
The crowd laughed at James’ question, then grew quiet when Louis chuckled and answered, “I tried, I definitely tried, but I wasn’t able to find him, no.”
The crowd made a noise of disapproval, aw. “So, how does someone like yourself, an online personality, find themselves on the red carpet of the Met Gala flirting with one of the music industry’s most beloved artists?”
“Well,” Louis started, sitting up and crossing his legs. “I was asked to conduct interviews on the red carpet for Vogue—which is still crazy to me—and-”
“Why is it crazy?” James interjected.
“I mean- I never imagined that me posting a video of myself having a mental breakdown online years ago would lead to me walking the red carpet and interviewing all kinds of celebrities. It’s crazy to think about, don’t you think?” Louis asked.
“I’d think so,” James replied. “How were you asked? Did Vogue contact you personally, or…”
“Vogue contacted my manager while I was a guest for a podcast,” Louis explained. “And, of course, I said yes. Who wouldn’t?”
“I would!” James added with a grin.
“There you go,” Louis replied with a grin. “But- Yeah, going back to the Gala. I don’t know what happened on that red carpet, honestly. I don’t remember most of it because- you know, there are all these celebrities that I’m in love with and I have the chance to get to talk to them, but I also had to remember that I’m there for work, right? I had to remember that I can’t start freaking out over certain celebrities and I have to maintain my composure and-”
“Oh, you certainly maintained your composure, all right,” James remarked just as a photo of Louis blushing right after Harry left him appeared on the big screen. The audience erupted in laughter and all Louis could do was pinch the bridge of his nose and shake his head, blushing even more.
“I really don’t know what happened there,” Louis admitted.
“You don’t remember flirting with Harry Styles?”
“No! I don’t remember that!” Louis answered. “I remember seeing him make his way down on the carpet and I remember him smiling at me when we made eye contact, but after that I honestly can’t remember a single thing.”
James paused for a moment, then asked, “You don’t remember any part of that interview?”
“No!” Louis said, shaking his head and chuckling, causing the audience to laugh along with him.
“Well, Harry remembers,” James remarked.
“What?”
“We had Harry on the show a few weeks ago. I asked him about the interview with you, did you know that?”
“No, I didn’t know that.”
“Roll the clip!”
-A clip of Harry and James is displayed on the big screen-
“So, Harry, tell me about the Gala,”
“Oh, the Gala was wonderful. There were so many beautiful designs this year. Did you see Lady Gaga’s dresses?”
“I did.”
“She’s brilliant, isn’t she?”
“She definitely is. Did you see Louis Tomlinson’s Givenchy suit?”
-Members of the audience start laughing as a sly smirk slowly appears between Harry’s cheeks-
“I did see Louis Tomlinson’s suit.”
“What did you think of it?”
“Well-”
“I think you said he looked great, didn’t you?”
-Harry shakes his head disapprovingly, laughing to himself-
“Harry, I have to ask, what was going through your head during that entire interview?”
“Absolutely nothing. The guy looked great in that suit, didn’t he?”
-The crowd makes a noise of approval-
“See, I thought so, too. I had to give credit where credit was due, James.”
“Is that all you gave him that night? Just some… credit?”
-Audience laughs-
“Yep, that’s all.”
-Clip ends-
“Harry remembers that you looked great in your suit,” James said with a smirk.
“To be fair,” Louis started. “I did look pretty good, so…” The crowd laughs and so does James, though his seemed a bit exaggerated.
“Has Harry reached out to you since the Gala?” James asked.
“No, we haven’t spoken since the red carpet,” Louis replied.
“Well, have you tried to reach out to him?”
“No, of course not. Are you crazy?” Louis asked, an eyebrow furrowed.
“Why not?”
“What am I supposed to say to him?”
“Hey, Harry, I think you’re, like, super cool and super hot and wanted to know if you wanted to get together for a drink or someth-”
“Okay, enough!” Louis chuckled, hiding his face behind his hands.
“All it takes is one message.”
“Yup.”
“One direct message.”
“Got it.”
“Slide into his DMs, as they say-”
“Okay, James,” Louis laughed, causing the crowd to laugh along with him.
After a pause, James said, “I get the feeling that you’re not going to,” He cleared his throat comically, then added, “Slide into his DMs.”
“No, I definitely won’t be doing that,” Louis confirmed with a smile.
“In that case,” James pointed at one of the cameras. “You’re going to have to make your move right here, right now. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Louis Tomlinson!” Louis raised a curious eyebrow and glanced at the camera James was pointing at just as the crowd erupted in cheers. “Louis, look into that camera right now and say hello to Harry Styles.”
Louis turned back to the camera, displayed an awkward grin, waved his hand, and said, “Hello…” The crowd laughed at his gawkiness.
When Louis got back to his hotel, he changed out of his suit, opting to wear something a lot more comfortable since he wasn’t planning on going anywhere else that night. He put on a pair of sweats, a comfy hoodie, and a fresh pair of socks. He checked his phone as he made his way towards the common area and smiled when he saw that the Late Late Show’s Twitter account had mentioned him in a tweet.
“@TheLateLateShow: A great #LateLateShow is coming your way! It was a pleasure to have @Louis_Tomlinson as our guest tonight! Oh, and @Harry_Styles , he says hello…😏”
Attached to the tweet was a short clip of Louis on the show awkwardly saying hello to Harry. The tweet made Louis laugh before he retweeted it, then locked his phone and flipped through the channels on the TV until he landed on the CBS network. He kicked his feet up high onto the coffee table and settled further into his seat. He grabbed his phone again and started scrolling through his email. He replied to a few emails before he went to the kitchen and rummaged through the pantry for some snacks. After getting everything in order, he went back to the common area and set everything down neatly on the coffee table. He dug his hand into a bag of chips and began scrolling through Twitter to see what people were saying about him being on the show. A few comments from excited fans, a few comments from people who clearly weren’t fans, and a whole barrage of people freaking out over something, Louis couldn’t imagine what. He kept scrolling, then decided to check his notifications. And that’s when he saw it.
“@Harry_Styles: @TheLateLateShow I’ll have to make sure to tune in tonight… Hello to you too @Louis_Tomlinson .”
He froze. Harry Styles mentioned him in a tweet. The Harry-fucking-Styles mentioned him in a tweet! Holy fuck. He couldn’t believe it. Holy shit! He swallowed thickly, but didn’t know what else to do. Is it too soon to reply? How long should he wait until he replies? Should he reply at all? Holy shit. His heart was racing.
The episode was scheduled to start in twenty minutes and for the entirety of those twenty minutes, all Louis could do was scroll through Twitter and see what people were saying about him. It was crazy to see how much support Harry’s fans were showing for this back and forth banter between himself and Harry. He imagined that they wouldn’t like the idea of their celebrity crush potentially sparking romance with someone other than themselves but, hey, times have clearly changed.
The show started, so Louis locked his phone and started watching. He couldn’t remember some parts of the interview, so it was nice to get to sit down and watch it all back. It was quite funny too, he found himself laughing along to some of the things he and James were saying. And it was pretty obvious what James was doing, stirring the pot about Harry and Louis nearly the entire time.
As he continued to watch, the part where James mentions Harry talking about Louis a few weeks after their official meeting came on and Louis quickly muted the TV and grabbed his phone. On YouTube, he pulled up Harry’s interview on the Late Late Show cleverly titled Harry Styles: Louis Tomlinson ‘Looked Great’ in His Suit on the Met Gala Red Carpet. He started watching the video and realized that it was the exact clip that James had played while he was on the show. What wasn’t shown during the taping of his show was that Harry, after confirming that all he gave Louis that night was some credit, moved on from the subject and continued to talk about some of the looks from the Gala, followed by his thoughts about the Gala’s theme this year. What wasn’t shown was that Harry quickly moved on from talking about Louis, signifying that he didn’t find their situation a big deal, not big enough to talk about any further aside from saying what has already been said, that Louis looked great in his suit.
That confirmed to Louis that the flirting between them was harmless. There was no seriousness to it, it was all in good fun. That would make sense though, since Harry’s never publicly flirted with, or even dated, a man before. Maybe he was just trying to get a laugh, or maybe he just wanted to get some headlines going. Celebrities tend to do that, especially when they need free promo for something.
Louis now began looking Harry up. Instantly, he finds out that Harry has a new album releasing soon. That figures. Free promo. Louis started laughing to himself, he couldn’t believe that he actually thought Harry was flirting with him. He can’t believe it’s taken him this long to come to this realization. Of course Harry didn’t mean it. If he did, he would have reached out to Louis a long time ago. With that, he locked his phone again, unmuted the TV, and continued watching the rest of his interview. Coincidentally, he unmuted the TV at the exact moment when he was told to say hello to Harry. And then he remembered: Harry is watching this right now, along with a million other viewers. What if Louis waving hello to the camera is the encouragement Harry needs to reach out? Wait, aren’t James and Harry really close friends? Did James know something prior to filming this episode? Fuck, what’s going on?
The episode ended shortly thereafter and Louis’ notifications were through the roof yet again. Some tweets about how he’s a “class act” and “really funny” made him smile, while other tweets like “what was the point of having him on the show he has no real talent” and “he’s literally riding on harry’s coattails rn” made him frown and furrow his eyebrows. He scrolled past those fairly quickly and only dwelled on the nicer comments. It wasn’t until he refreshed his timeline that he saw people freaking out over something new. And it wasn’t until he checked his notifications that he saw he had gained a new follower, a follower that came as a complete surprise to not only himself, but to the general public as well.
Harry Styles followed you.
Louis froze again. He stared at his phone with wide eyes. He stared at those words, Harry Styles followed you. There’s no way it’s the real Harry, is it? He went onto their profile and, low and behold, it was the real Harry Styles. That’s why everyone was freaking out. The second the Late Late episode ended, Harry followed Louis. Meaning that Harry was in fact watching the episode and… Maybe this is his way of shooting his shot. Either way, Louis was still in shock. He noticed that he himself wasn’t following Harry back so, without thinking, he clicked Follow. He froze again.
After a few minutes of refreshing his timeline, he finally decided he was done with social media for the day. It was late and he was getting tired, so he turned the TV off and made his way to the bedroom where he then took his hoodie and socks off, pulled his sweats down, then proceeded to the ensuite to brush his teeth and wash his face. Afterwards, he climbed into bed, yawning before he grabbed his phone to set his alarm. Before doing so, however, he saw that he had a new notification on Twitter. He started thinking of all of the possibilities before opening the notification: it could be a DM from Harry, or maybe Harry mentioned him in a tweet. There’s always a chance that the Late Late show mentioned him again since the episode had finished airing, but then there’s a chance that James was replying to Harry’s tweet about tuning in to the episode. But then there’s also the chance of this notification not having any relations to Harry or James or the fucking Late Late show. Louis was overthinking, he knew he was, but still he couldn’t get his mind to settle down.
He mustered up enough courage and finally unlocked his phone. He opened Twitter and his eyes grew wide. He had a new DM. Now, he’s not one to go through his general DMs, nor is he one to receive DMs from major celebrities, so when he does receive a DM in his “verified” category, he’s always surprised. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before officially opening the notification and seeing who the DM was from. He didn’t want to get his hopes up at all. If it wasn’t from Harry, then that’s okay.
The DM was from Harry. The fucking DM was from Harry. His eyes grew the widest they’ve ever been. This didn’t feel real. He closed the app, then opened it again. The message was still there. He wanted to throw up. He opened the message.
Harry: Hi
Louis: Hi
Harry: How are you?
Louis: I’m good
Louis: How are you?
Harry: Pretty good, thanks
Harry: I watched you on Late Late tonight
Louis: Did you?
Louis: What did you think?
Harry: Honestly?
Louis: Honestly.
Harry: I think you lied about looking for me at the Gala
Harry: I don’t think you looked for me at all
Louis: I did! I swear
Louis: Plus I thought you were joking
Harry: If you thought I was joking then why’d you look for me?
Louis: I thought it was all in good fun idk
Harry: So it was all in good fun was it?
Louis: What?
Harry: Us flirting at the Gala was all in good fun?
Louis: Yeah just a bit of banter no?
Harry: I don’t know about you but I was being serious that night
Harry: And you didn’t even come find me
Harry: 💔
Louis: I looked for you for ages!
Louis: I swear I did
Harry: I know I’m only teasing
Harry: Are you still in LA?
Louis: Yeah I am
Louis: Why?
Harry: Do you want to get dinner tomorrow?
Louis: Sure :)
Harry: Cool
Harry: Where do you wanna go? I’ll make reservations
Louis: Anywhere
Louis: I’m not picky
Harry: Hm ok
Harry: I’ll get us reservations somewhere
Harry: Can I pick you up at 5?
Louis: Sure
Louis: I’m staying at the ritz
Harry: Fancy 😏
Harry: I’ll pick you up at 5 from the Ritz then
Louis: Sounds good :)
Harry: I’ll see you tomorrow
Louis: See you tomorrow!
Louis put his phone on charge, set it down on the nightstand, then laid back and stared up at the ceiling. Holy fuck. That did not just happen. Harry Styles said that he was being serious when they were flirting and even invited him out to dinner. His anxiety began to spike to new levels. He couldn’t sleep now, there was no way. He sat up and grabbed his phone again. He checked the time, it was nearing three. He knew that everyone back home was awake, so he dialed his good friend’s phone number and waited patiently for them to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Zayn, hey-”
“What are you doing up?” Zayn interjected.
“You’re not going to fucking believe what just happened,” Louis said.
“What happened?” Zayn asked urgently. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I think-”
“You think?” Zayn asked, a lot more concerned now. “Louis, what’s going on?”
“Harry sent me a message.”
“Who’s that?”
“Harry Styles.”
“Harry Styles sent you a message?” Zayn asked, a tinge of doubt in his tone. “I’m not stupid, you can’t fool me that easily, dickhead.”
Louis huffed in annoyance and put Zayn on speaker before he went onto Twitter and took a screenshot of his conversation with Harry. He sent the photo to Zayn and waited for his response.
“No fucking way!” Zayn exclaimed. “What did he say?”
“He said that he watched me on Late Late and- Wait, did you watch it?” Louis asked.
“No, I’m at work right now, I was planning to watch it when I get home later. Why? What happened?”
“James talked about Harry and I at the Gala a lot,” Louis informed before he heard Zayn snicker under his breath. He had already teased Louis about that a ton. “He made me say hello to him at the end and I guess Harry saw that, so he followed me on Twitter and then sent me a message.”
“That’s crazy,” Zayn pitched. “I can’t believe it, tell me what he said.”
“I’ll skip to the good part,” Louis said, smiling to himself. “He invited me out to dinner.”
“No-fucking-way!” Zayn shouted. “You’re kidding. You’re actually joking, right?”
“I swear!” Louis said. “I can send you another screenshot to prove it.”
“I believe you, mate, I’m just-” Zayn paused. “That’s crazy!”
“I know!” Louis replied, pushing the duvet to the side and climbing out of bed. “He’s picking me up at five tomorrow. I’m so fucking nervous, Zayn, I mean- Fuck! I wasn’t expecting this at all. I don’t even have a proper outfit to wear. Fuck, what am I going to do? I have to go shopping tomorrow. Fuck.”
“Chill out, Lou, you’re going to be fine,” Zayn reassured. “Go shopping tomorrow, find yourself a nice outfit, then go back to your hotel and relax. But, for now, get some sleep.”
“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep tonight,”
“You have to. You don’t want to be tired on your date, do you?”
“Ugh,” Louis groaned. “Don’t call it a date.”
“Why not? It’s a date, isn't it?” Zayn teased.
“No, we’re just getting dinner,”
“After publicly flirting multiple times…”
“Shut up.”
“Fine, but seriously you need to get some sleep since you’ve also got to go shopping tomorrow,” Zayn said.
Louis sighed, rubbing his tired eyes, “Yeah, you’re right,”
“Right, so get to bed, mate,” Zayn said. “Call me tomorrow and tell me how it went. Good luck and good night.”
“Thanks,” Louis yawned. “Good night.”
He managed to get to sleep an hour after his phone call with Zayn. Because he fell asleep so late, he woke up at noon. Now, he was even more stressed. He wasn’t planning on sleeping in so late, so now he has less time to go shopping. He quickly got out of bed and started getting ready. He ordered himself an Uber while he was brushing his teeth, then he frantically ran around the bedroom from one suitcase to the other trying to put together a normal outfit just so he could go shopping. His indecisiveness was definitely not helping him right now. His Uber was about two minutes away, so he gathered all of his things and quickly left the room. He stuffed his phone and wallet into his back pockets as he stepped into the elevator. When he managed to get into his Uber, he pulled his phone out to see that he had received another message from Harry.
Harry: Hey I’m so so so sorry I’m gonna have to cancel tonight
Louis sighed disappointedly and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw another message from Harry and the text bubble underneath.
Harry: I have to fly back home
Harry: Family emergency
Harry: I’m so sorry, can I take a rain check please?
Louis: Yeah of course no problem
Louis: I hope everything is okay back home
Louis: Have a safe flight
Harry: Thank you so much, you’re the best
Harry: I was really looking forward to seeing you and I promise I’ll take you out soon
Harry: I’ll text you in a couple days to make plans
Louis: Okay cool :)
Louis let his head fall back against the headrest after he locked his phone. He let out another sigh, then looked out of the window. He glanced at the Uber driver and considered cancelling the ride, but he would feel awful for making him drive all the way here for nothing. He decided that he’d just treat himself to a nice lunch at the mall and maybe a new pair of shoes, then he’d go back to the hotel and start packing for his flight to New York tomorrow. He was booked for an up-and-coming podcast hosted by a fairly popular YouTuber and he was really excited about it. He’s watched a few of her videos before and he found that she was actually very entertaining.
A few days went by, Louis was now on a flight back to Doncaster. He had a meeting with his manager coming up, so he was mentally preparing to receive a whole new schedule for the next few weeks. He was really hoping that there won’t be much for him to do next week because he really wants to get to see Harry, but only time will tell. So, Louis was tapping his foot anxiously against the floor of the plane, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip.
He got his schedule for the upcoming week and was happy to see that he didn’t have much going on within the next two weeks. He was ecstatic, so much so that he wanted to text Harry to let him know his availability, but he grew a bit too shy about it. Harry told him that he’d reach out in a few days, so he’ll just have to be patient.
When Harry reached out to him, they began comparing schedules only to see that they wouldn’t be able to see each other within those two weeks; the days that Harry had off, Louis didn’t and vice versa. They compared schedules every Monday when Louis received his and, unfortunately, they weren’t going to be able to see each other for a while since Harry was going to go on tour soon. He was very apologetic about it, but he promised that he’d give Louis tickets to a show in any city of his choice.
Only a few months later, Harry’s face was all over every press site. Not only that, he was also trending worldwide on Twitter. Alongside him, though, was Olivia Wilde, actress and director. Louis wasn’t surprised to see photos of the two since Harry told him that he had landed a part in one of her upcoming movies, but he was surprised to see them holding hands in each photo. Harry hadn’t mentioned that there was anything going on between himself and Olivia, especially not while he and Louis were exchanging nude pictures a few days prior.
Louis was a little gutted when he saw those photos. He had heard rumors about Harry within the industry, about how he was a player and a major flirt, but he knows that the media loves to stir things up. He wanted to leave it to Harry to prove if those rumors were true or not and, boy, did he do just that. Louis wasn’t even sure if he wanted to pursue anything with Harry anymore, but they’ve been talking for a while already and he doesn’t want to feel like he’s wasted all of that time for nothing. He’s never been one to sneak around with someone and he’s sure he doesn't want to start doing that now. He loves the idea of settling down with one person, and Harry doesn’t seem like the type.
But, just as Louis began to lose hope of any relationship, platonic or another, with him, Harry sent him a text.
Harry: Hey
Harry: Look I’m sure you’ve seen the photos already and I just wanted to explain everything if that’s okay with you
Louis: Hey
Louis: Sure go on
Harry: This is all a bit complicated but I’ll try to explain as best as I can
Harry: We’re not really dating I know that’s what every headline is saying right now but it’s not true
Louis: You’re holding hands… what are they supposed to think?
Harry: It’s complicated and I’m not really allowed to say but I feel like I can trust that you’ll keep this to yourself
Louis: Yeah of course
Harry: It’s all promo for the movie
Harry: Our managers thought it was a good idea and I had to just go along with it because Olivia was on board
Harry: I’m sorry
Louis: You don’t have to apologize if it’s out of your control, I understand
Harry: I just feel awful that you had to find out this way
Harry: I didn’t know they would be releasing the pics today
Louis: They’re not from yesterday?
Louis: All the stuff I’m seeing says they’re from yesterday
Harry: We took them about a month ago
Louis: You knew for a whole month and didn’t think to tell me? I feel like you’re wasting my time a little to be honest
Harry: I wanted to but I wasn’t allowed to
Louis: You said you’re not allowed to say right now either, so what changed?
Harry: I don’t know
Harry: I guess I trust you a little more now than I did then
Harry: I was thinking about you the whole time this was happening and I felt awful about it. I thought that you deserved an explanation since we’ve been talking for so long you know I really had no intentions of hurting you Louis
Harry: I swear I was gonna tell you I just hadn’t built up the courage to
Harry: I’m really sorry okay?
Louis waited a while before he responded. It’s not that he did it on purpose, he was just really confused by all of this. Harry publicly flirted with him, but he's not out to the public so the headlines didn’t really make a fuss about it. But now Harry and Olivia are all anyone’s talking about. He’s not sure if he wants to forgive Harry yet, but he can tell that he’s very remorseful about it. And he found it rather admirable that Harry texted him first to address the issue instead of taking the easy route and pretending like it hadn’t happened.
Harry: Louis?
Louis: Sorry I’ve got a lot on my mind right now
Louis: Just give me some time to think ok?
Harry: Okay sure
Harry: Thanks for hearing me out and again I’m really sorry that you had to find out like this
Harry: I really wanted to tell you sooner but I didn’t wanna get in trouble with my management you know
Louis: It’s fine I get it
Louis: Just give me time
Harry: Alright take as much time as you need
A week later, more photos of Olivia and Harry were posted. They were a lot less romantic and far more platonic than anything else and Louis wondered if Harry did that on purpose. Only a day after the first set of pictures surfaced online, Louis reached out to Harry to tell him that he forgave him for the whole incident. He had called him on the phone so they could have a proper conversation about the whole thing which is when Harry told him everything about the situation. It really was out of his control and he had no romantic feelings for Olivia whatsoever, so it saddened Louis to think that Harry had to go through stuff like this. Harry also mentioned to him that there would be new photos of them coming soon, photos in which they’d be kissing and cuddling on a boat.
And there they were a week later, the new photos of them where Harry clearly tried to keep a fair distance between himself and Olivia. Harry assured Louis that he really had no feelings for her, but Louis laughed and said that by the way he was kissing Olivia in the pictures, he knew that Harry didn’t have feelings for her. Harry laughed along with him for a bit, then the conversation took a more serious turn when he mentioned that while he was doing this whole stunt, he was thinking of Louis again, I wish things were different, I wish I was with you instead.
They still hadn’t gotten the chance to spend any time together. With Harry’s tour and the movie he’s starring in, he hardly had any free time at all. When he did get some time off, it was only for a day or two at most and he always just wanted to relax before having to get on the road again. Plus, whatever city he was touring in was not the city that Louis was in at the time, so this was getting really hard for both of them. Harry made sure to call any chance he got and Louis appreciated how long their chats were. Once they’d been on the phone for three full hours before Louis tapped out for the night.
As May approached, Louis and Harry grew antsy. It’d been nearly an entire year since they started talking and they still hadn’t had the chance to see each other. But the Gala was coming up and online media sources had already confirmed that Louis was going to be conducting red carpet interviews for Vogue again. Harry was ecstatic when he found this out. He was going to be at the Gala, so he was excited about the fact that he was going to finally get to see Louis again.
Louis was pretty nervous about the whole thing. Sure, they’ve gotten a lot closer within that one year, but he’s almost convinced himself that none of this was real, that his conversations with Harry aren’t real, nothing about this was real. Because he hasn’t been able to spend any real time with him, it just didn’t seem real at all, that he’d been making it all up in his head or something. And, when the day finally came, Louis made sure to look his absolute best. His stylist had four different looks set up for him and suggested the two that they thought looked the best on him. She even teased him and said that Outfit 3 would look great on Harry’s hotel floor. He glared at her and shook his head after she started giggling. The media had been talking about Louis and Harry quite a bit, talking about another potential round of flirtatious banter, and apparently even his stylist had heard about it. Wonderful.
He did end up going with Outfit 3 as his potential after party look, and maybe she swayed him a little with the whole “this would look good on you, but even better on Harry’s hotel floor” thing. Louis trusted his stylist, Selene, with his whole life. He had mentioned some stuff about his situation with Harry to her before, so she knew that there was something going on between the two. She made sure to tease him about it all the time, much to his dismay.
Once he’d gotten his hair and outfits in order, he thanked his stylist for her help and went downstairs to the hotel lobby where he then waited for his car to come pick him up. Afterwards, he was dropped off right up front and had the pleasure of posing for a few pictures on the red carpet. Then, he got himself situated with the Vogue team. They handed him a microphone and some sample questions to look through as he got his makeup touched up. For certain celebrities, there were specific questions that they wanted Louis to ask. They wanted him to ask Florence Pugh what it was like getting to work alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood, and to ask Selena Gomez if she had any new music coming soon since she may or may not have teased a new song recently. He flipped through the pages to see what they wanted him to ask Harry and was surprised to see that there were a few questions about Olivia, but that all of those questions were crossed out. He asked the producer why those questions were crossed out and they said that they weren’t approved by Harry’s management. Louis wondered if his stunt with Olivia was over, but Harry hadn’t mentioned anything about that so he was really confused about it. He made a mental note to ask Harry about it privately when–or if– he gets the chance.
The gala had officially begun and all sorts of famous celebrities made their way down the carpet, smiling brightly for the cameras and speaking boisterously with the interviewers before him. Louis waited patiently for all of these A List stars to approach him, which they most certainly did since he was with Vogue. He made sure to memorize at least two questions from the sample sheet to ask, then winged it with playful and witty banter to make the livestream more entertaining for the viewers at home.
He had conducted a good amount of interviews already and there was a very positive feedback about him as an interviewer in the livestream comments. He earned a thumbs up and genuine smile from the producer after each interview which only fueled Louis’ confidence. And then, he saw a familiar face slowly making their way down the carpet, posing for pictures with his chin raised confidently. He watched as a man in an all black suit approached them and guided them further down the carpet.
When they locked eyes, Louis couldn't help but smile. Harry smiled back at him as his features softened for a moment, then he turned to pose for a few more pictures. Meanwhile, Louis scanned the rest of the attendees to see who else was approaching so that he could do some commentary in between interviews to keep the stream cohesive. And, finally, Harry locked eyes with him again as he began to approach him, a smirk upon his lips and a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Oh, no,” Louis said into the microphone.
In the distance, and barely picked up by the microphone feed, a subtle, “Oh, yes,” was heard.
“Get over here, you,” Louis said, motioning for Harry to join him.
After Harry got into frame, he smiled sweetly and said, “Hello, you.”
“Hello, you,” Louis said as Harry pulled him in for a short hug. “It’s been a while.”
“It has, hasn’t it? How’ve you been?”
“I’ve been good, thank you,” Louis replied. “Now, I’ve got to say, you look absolutely stunning tonight!” It was true. He was wearing a silver blazer completely covered in Swarovski diamonds, black satin tapered trousers, black loafers, and a sleek, black silk dress shirt with a small tulle bowtie just barely peeking past the lapels of his blazer. “Give us a twirl and tell us who you’re wearing,” Louis said with a grin.
The camera panned out as Harry shyly twirled around in a circle. Then, he shrugged smoothly, smirking, “I’m wearing Gucci, as always,” his eyes examined Louis’ outfit from head to toe. “Who are you wearing?”
“Don’t start that now,” Louis warned playfully.
“Don’t start what?”
“Interviewing me again.”
“Sorry, but you are wearing that suit,” Harry said, smirking after Louis began blushing and shaking his head. “You look great tonight.”
“So,” Louis began, still shaking his head and trying to change the subject. “You’ve been trying your hand at the acting business, I hear.”
“Right.”
“What made you decide you wanted to branch out and try something new? Especially something like acting, I can imagine that music and acting are two completely different feats.”
“Yeah, they’re completely different, but it’s nice to have the opportunity to get to work with some of the best actors and directors in the world,” Harry said. “There are some really brilliant people out there.”
“I see. You’ve been cast to play a character in an upcoming Marvel movie, can you tell us anything about that? Or is it still confidential?”
At that, Harry smirked and said, “It’s still confidential, but I see you’ve been doing your research.”
Louis smiled and shrugged modestly, “A little.”
“Do you do research on everybody before coming here, or did you only research about me?”
Louis smirked, “I’m supposed to ask the questions.”
“Right,” Harry put his hands behind his back and stood up straighter, a cool smirk upon his lips. “Sorry, go on.”
“Are you excited for the Gala? And is there anything you’re looking forward to tonight?”
“I’m very excited about the Gala and I feel very honored to be here with all of these amazing people,” Harry answered, maintaining eye contact with Louis the entire time. “I think I’m mostly looking forward to the afterparties.”
“That sounds like fun! What are-”
“Will you be going to any of them?” Harry asked suddenly.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Louis replied, but he hadn't decided because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go alone. He’s still not as popular as most of the celebrities walking the carpet tonight, so he doesn’t want to potentially show up to an afterparty and be denied entry. That would be so embarrassing.
“When will you decide?” Harry asked.
Louis shrugged, growing slightly flustered, “I don’t know, I-”
“What can I do to help you decide?” Harry asked slowly with a hint of flirtatiousness.
Louis picked up on what was going on. With a warning tone, he said, “Don’t.”
Harry rolled his eyes playfully and let out a breathy laugh, “Fine, fine.”
The producer motioned for Louis to wrap up the conversation. Louis gave him a subtle nod, then turned back to Harry, “All right, well, it was lovely chatting with you again,” Harry came in for a hug and Louis happily accepted it. He instantly felt his stomach flutter with butterflies.
“Thanks for your time,” Louis said as they pulled away. “I hope you have fun tonight.”
“Find me inside,” Harry said after Louis lowered the microphone, his tone a touch deeper.
“I will.”
“I mean it.”
Louis smiled, “I tried looking for you last time, but-”
“You didn’t try hard enough,” Harry interjected with a flirtatious smirk, then a very subtle bicep squeeze. “All right, see you!”
“See you,” Louis replied, turning to watch Harry continue his way through the crowds.
He was well aware that they were still streaming, so he made sure not to react too much to any of Harry’s attempts at flirting. He doesn’t want to stir the pot again and he definitely doesn’t want people to think that he’s using Harry for fame. Or, even worse, he doesn’t want people to think that Harry is queer-baiting since he knows that Harry’s not out to the public yet. Or, even more worse, he doesn’t want people to think he’s a homewrecker since Harry is technically supposed to be with Olivia.
But, even as he tried to turn Harry down, of fucking course, the viewers at home were able to hear Harry telling him to make sure to find him inside again. The camera panned to the many celebrities walking the carpet, so Louis had the chance to pull out his phone and that’s when he saw it: everyone was talking about them again. His phone vibrated incessantly in his palm, but he was too overwhelmed to check anything. He shut his phone off and stuffed it into his pocket.
After conducting a few more interviews, the producer gave Louis the signal that they’d be ending the stream soon, so Louis gave his closing remarks and thanked all of the viewers at home for tuning in. Then, he handed the microphone back to the producer and was thanked before a burly man in an all black suit approached him and said this way please.
Louis confusedly followed the man to the entrance of the Gala and thanked him when he held the door open for him. The man continued to lead him somewhere and Louis continued to follow. He was still confused though. Who was this guy?
A few people greeted him on the way, people that he’d just finished interviewing and some fans. He stopped to take a few pictures with people, surprised that they actually asked for some. The burly man in the suit stood by and waited patiently, his features as cold as ice. Once Louis was finished, the man ushered him to follow again.
He was led through tons of people, past the stage, and straight to a large, round table full of A-List celebrities. He could hear their laughter and chatter from a mile away and, as they got closer, he started to recognize some of them: a few prominent DJs, some producers, the Lizzo and the Beyonce chatting with the Adele. But the one person that caught his attention was none other than Harry. Harry, with his shiny, diamond encrusted blazer hanging loosely over the back of his chair, his head turned to the side as he laughed along to something someone was saying. Even from the side, he was insanely attractive. Louis cleared his throat and glanced at the burly man and figured that Harry sent him to bring Louis here. He wanted to laugh.
As they approached, they got the attention of a few people, then Harry turned to assess the scene. A smile found his lips when his eyes recognized Louis.
“There he is,” Harry said rather loudly, getting to his feet. “The one and only.”
Louis shook his head, laughing. “Stop that,” He smiled at a few of the table guests, those that were already looking in his direction, then turned back to Harry and added, “Flattery will get you nowhere.”
Harry nodded with a complacent smirk and, after leaning a little closer to him, said, “We’ll see.”
Louis introduced himself to the members at the table, then sat down after Harry pulled a chair out for him. To his surprise, the chair was already reserved for him. There was an elegant looking card on his plate, sitting atop the beautifully folded serviette, with his name on it. He couldn’t believe that he was seated at a table with all of these well known celebrities. There had to be some mistake.
“So, you sent your henchmen after me?” Louis asked humorously, earning a few laughs.
Harry shrugged casually, “I had to make sure you found me this time.”
“I told you I’d find you.”
“You said that last time and, there I was,” He pouted his lips and tilted his head comically, feigning sadness. “All alone.”
“Don’t be dramatic,” Louis remarked with a light laugh.
“You nearly broke my heart that night,” Harry added, glancing at one of his friends and offering a playful wink. Louis rolled his eyes and shook his head, then turned to Harry and smiled. “Do you want something to drink?” Harry turned to the left and lifted a finger towards one of the servers standing by. She began approaching them. “What’ll you have?”
The server stood beside them with a kind smile, waiting patiently just as Louis turned to her and said, “Hi, I’ll have a cherry lime tequila, please.”
The server nodded, but Harry had a pensive expression upon his features as he stared at Louis. He turned to the server and said, “I’ll have a neat tequila, please.”
A few more people at their table placed orders while a man that Louis didn’t recognize had all of Harry’s attention as he showed him something on his phone, something that made the two go from a playful vibe to a more serious one. After about a minute of silence between Harry and Louis, Harry turned to him, then cleared his throat.
“Sorry,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “This is my manager, Jeff. Jeff, this is Louis.”
Louis shook his hand and smiled kindly, “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, I hear good things,” Jeff replied, but the conversation was quickly shut down after another celebrity approached their table and took the spotlight.
Louis was in awe. He never imagined that he would be sitting at one of the tables up front alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. But here he was, rubbing elbows–and thighs–with Harry Styles who was sitting rather closer to Louis than he would have preferred but, because it was Harry, he didn’t mind it as much as he normally would. In fact, he felt the slightest hint of excitement when he’d grow aware of how close they were sitting.
“So,” Harry began after the celebrity had finally left their table. “How have things been?”
“Everything’s been good,” Louis replied. “What about you? How’s touring been?”
“It’s been good,” Harry said, nodding. “Tiring, but good otherwise. I’m having fun, so,” Then, he tilted his head and pursed his lips. “What are you doing in two days?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you going to be in LA?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Do you want to come to one of my shows?” Harry asked, a soft smile on his lips. “I can get you tickets if you want to come, no problem.”
Louis smiled, “That sounds like fun.”
“I would love to have you there,” Harry added, glancing down to Louis’ lips.
“I would love to be there,” Louis replied with a shy smile, a blush on his cheeks.
Harry returned his shy smile, then rubbed the tip of his nose with his knuckle, effectively hiding his smile. “Yeah, okay, cool,” Harry fidgeted in his seat. “Jeff, can you put Louis’ name down for the VIP guest list for the Sunday show, please?”
“Yeah, no problem,” Jeff said as he started typing away on his phone. He looked up at Louis and asked, “How many will you be?”
“Just me,” Louis said.
“What about your sisters?” Harry asked with a furrowed brow.
“Oh- I’m sure they would love to come, but-”
“We can put their names down too. You said you had three sisters, right?” Harry asked but, before Louis could respond, he had already turned back to Jeff. “Jeff, can you-”
Louis placed his hand on Harry’s bicep and gained his attention again. Harry looked down to his lips as he spoke. “No, I appreciate the offer, but it’s okay,” Harry tilted his head, obviously perplexed. “They’ve got school back home, so I doubt my mum would let them fly to another country for a concert in the middle of the week.”
Harry nodded understandably, his lips pursed. “How’s this,” He began. “I’m performing in Manchester for two nights towards the end of July. Would they be able to make it then?”
Louis couldn’t help but smile about the fact that Harry really wanted his sisters to make it to his concert. He knows how much they love his music, so he’s already thinking about how excited they're going to be when they find out about this.
“I’ll ask my mum, but I’m sure they’d be able to go,” Louis said.
“Perfect,” Harry turned to Jeff again. “Jeff, can you also save five VIP tickets for one of the Manchester shows?”
“Sure thing,” Jeff replied, typing away on his phone.
“Five?” Louis asked, confused.
“For your mum,” Harry said pleasantly. “If she decides she wants to come along with you all, that is.”
At that, Louis really couldn’t fight off a smile and what he felt to be a deep, deep blush. Harry must have noticed, because he let out a light chuckle and placed a hand on Louis’ thigh, patting softly twice. He let his hand sit heavily atop Louis’ thigh for a good five minutes until their drinks were served to them. They tapped their glasses together and eyed each other as they took sips of their respective drinks, then Louis giggled and mentioned that he couldn’t believe Harry ordered a literal glass of straight tequila. Harry took another sip of his drink as a response, then sat back in his seat and let his arm drape the back of Louis’ chair, his forefinger subtly pressed against his shoulder.
The servers began approaching every table to take their food orders, so Louis was leant over Harry’s shoulder as they looked at their options. Harry pointed at the dish he was going to order, then turned to face Louis, their lips mere inches apart.
Louis blushed and quickly pulled away. He cleared his throat nervously and said, “Sorry.”
Harry smirked and quietly said, “You should be,” Louis looked up at him timidly. “I can’t believe you didn’t kiss me there.”
Louis’ eyes grew wide and he instantly glanced down to Harry’s lips, “Oh, I-” He shook his head fervently. “Sorry, but- Um,” He leaned in a little closer and quietly asked, “What about Olivia?”
Harry pursed his lips and looked back down to the menu, “Right, yeah,” He sniffled. “The whole thing with Olivia is going to be over soon, but I guess I should be more careful until then.”
So, that’s why the questions about Olivia weren’t approved. Louis wanted to ask when it was going to officially be announced, but Jeff spoke before he got the chance to.
“Yeah, you should be more careful,” Jeff chimed in, earning a glare from Harry.
“First of all, I am careful. Second of all, why are you eavesdropping?” Harry asked with a slight attitude. “How old are you?”
“I’m thirty-seven,” Jeff answered with even more attitude, but there was a playful aura surrounding the two, making it a lot less awkward than it normally would have been. “And I’m eavesdropping so that I can save your ass and mine from a P.R. nightmare.”
After a beat, Harry nodded and said, “Fair enough,” He turned back to Louis, smiled, and said, “You’ll have to wait,” Louis tilted his head and comically pouted his lips, looking up at Harry through his eyelashes, feigning innocence with a tinge of sadness. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“You know what you’re doing,” Harry said, shaking his head. “I need to be careful and you doing that isn’t helping.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Louis argued quietly, grinning. “I’m just looking at you.”
“You keep looking at me like that,” Harry began fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat, making sure to talk quietly so that the rest of their table couldn’t hear. “You’re making it hard for me.”
A devilish grin grew upon Louis’ lips. He tilted his head even more, glanced down to Harry’s crotch, then looked back up into Harry’s eyes, the same innocence in his eyes that matched his tone as he quietly asked, “What am I making hard, Harry?”
Harry, after staring daringly into Louis’ eyes and swallowing thickly, murmured, “Stop.”
He was smirking as he said it, so Louis knew that he wasn’t actually upset. If anything, the look in his eyes told Louis that what he really wanted was for him to keep going, but he knew that, given the situation with Harry’s public image, he shouldn’t push it. He cares about Harry and doesn’t want him to get any shit from the public about potentially cheating on Olivia, so he leaned back, offered a quiet apology, and felt a sense of satisfaction growing within himself when he felt Harry’s hand on his thigh again.
After some time, the table guests grew louder and louder, thanks to the open bar. Not only that, but Harry and Louis grew more flirtatious. They found themselves pressed against one another, Harry pinned against the wall right beside the door to the men’s restroom, Louis invading his space, kissing the crook of his neck, Harry’s fingers intertwined just over the swell of his bum. They’d been going at it for at least five minutes without a care in the world; Harry couldn’t think about how many people had gone in and out of the restroom already, glancing at the two and raising their eyebrows knowingly when they recognized Harry. The good thing about the Gala was that phones were strictly prohibited, so he wasn’t worried about the possibility of anyone recording or taking photos of them. If anything, he’d have to defend himself from rumors which is nothing he’s not used to. He couldn’t care about anything other than the fact that Louis’ soft lips were pressed against his jaw, kissing his way to his lips where he then placed three soft kisses onto them.
“Hey,” Harry spoke lowly. Louis slowly pulled away, cupping his cheek, breathless. “Do you want to get out of here?”
Louis smirked, then asked, “Your place or mine?”
“No,” Harry chuckled, tightening his hold and pulling him in impossibly closer. “I mean, do you want to leave the Gala and do something else?”
Louis tilted his head, curiously, “Like what?”
“I don’t know,” Harry said, his eyes taking their time to appreciate Louis’ features. “We can go to the Comedy Store.”
“What’s that?”
“Comedy shows. A ton of comedians take turns performing,” Harry explained. “I think it could be fun. Plus, it’s a little more private and the atmosphere is a lot more relaxed,” Harry looked around for a moment. “I don’t know about you, but I’m a little tense here.”
Louis tried to soothe him by running his thumb back and forth against his bicep. “Why are you tense?”
“I just feel like everyone’s staring at us,” Harry revealed quietly. “I’m sure I’m overthinking it, but it just feels that way.”
“No, I get it,” Louis agreed. “We can leave if you want.”
“You won’t mind?”
“Not at all,” Louis smiled. “I do love stand-up comedy, so I’m pretty excited.”
At that, Harry couldn’t help but smile. “Okay,” he said, a light blush adorning his cheeks. “I’ll get a car to pick us up in a few minutes then.”
“Wait,” Louis said, taking a step back after Harry loosened his grip. “What about the afterparty? You said you were excited to go.”
“That’s okay, we can go next year,” Harry said, typing away on his phone. “Or, if the comedians aren’t good tonight, then we can just head to the afterparty. They last, like, all night anyway.”
“Really?” Louis asked with excitement. He’s never been to a Gala afterparty, but he’s heard some crazy stories from friends in the industry. Harry didn’t forget to mention, though, that phones were allowed at the afterparty, so they’d have to be a lot more careful if they decided to go.
Shortly thereafter, Harry was leading Louis to the back exit where his driver was waiting. Jeff reiterated the fact that he did not want to have to deal with damage control, so he told Harry to be careful or I’ll kill you, Harry. In response, Harry pulled him in for a hug and even kissed his cheek, I swear we’ll be careful.
After a security guard held the back door open for them, Harry quickly ushered Louis to the car and pulled the door open for him, holding his sleeve up high enough so that his blazer shields him from any possible paparazzi hiding somewhere in the shadows. He climbed in quickly afterwards and shut the door, then greeted his driver with a handshake. He settled into his seat, pulled the seatbelt across his chest, and asked his driver to drop them off at the Comedy Store.
The car ride there was a lot less modest than Harry expected. In fact, Louis was a lot less modest than he expected. He didn’t mind it at all. If anything, he preferred it. It was exciting. Louis had placed his hand on Harry’s thigh and gave him a light squeeze. All Harry did was place his hand atop Louis’ in hopes that it would stop him from trying to get any higher up. He can’t begin to imagine what the media is going to do to him if he were to get photographed with a hard-on and with Louis. Jeff would literally kill him.
Once the driver pulled over in the back, Harry shrugged his blazer off and placed it neatly on the seat beside him, then climbed out first and offered a hand to help Louis, smiling when Louis accepted his gesture. Harry thanked his driver and said that they’d Uber home later on, so he was free to head home. Shortly thereafter, Harry and Louis made their way to the entrance where a security guard checked them for a moment before letting them through. Harry had his hands in his pockets in an attempt to keep himself in check so that he doesn’t accidentally place a hand on the small of Louis’ back or something. Because he really wanted to do that. He really wanted to touch Louis.
He purchased two tickets for the smaller room at the venue, then followed a staff member who led them to their table. They were led past tables with guests laughing at one of the performing comedian’s jokes. They were seated at a table towards the back corner, per Harry’s request, and the room was dark enough for them to get to their table without being recognized. Once seated, another staff member approached them and quietly asked if they’d like anything to drink. Harry turned to Louis and raised an eyebrow expectantly.
“Tequila and RedBull, please,” Louis whispered.
Harry, matching his whisper, said, “Make that two, please.”
The staff member nodded and quietly maneuvered around the tables and towards the exit. They were a little lost with the bit the comedian was performing since they’d just walked in, but they listened intently out of respect anyway. It didn’t take long for the two of them to start absolutely cracking up, and the drinks they had at the Gala weren’t helping their cause at all. They probably shouldn’t have ordered more drinks, but before Harry could even think about canceling the order, their drinks were served to them. Harry thanked and tipped the man some cash, then tucked his wallet back into the pocket of his trousers.
The comedian thanked the crowd, then stepped down to let the next comedian take the stage. All in all, Louis was having a great time, but having had so many drinks and the constant thought of the sounds Harry was making while he was kissing his neck was making it hard for him to sit still. He turned to him, but Harry was too engrossed by the set to even notice. So, Louis stared at him. It was hard to make out all of his features since it was so dark, but he could tell when Harry was smiling because of the shadow of the dip that his dimple would cause. He found it endearing, so he kept staring.
When another joke was told, Harry chuckled and turned to gauge Louis’ reaction, to see if he was having a good time, and noticed that Louis was already looking at him, but he wasn’t laughing. His features were serious, yet soft, and Harry leaned in and asked him what was wrong. Louis shook his head, then placed his hand dangerously high up Harry’s thigh. Harry glanced down at it, then looked back up at Louis with a small smirk. Louis then, to Harry’s surprise, slowly slid his hand until it was sitting gingerly atop Harry’s crotch, softly palming him through his trousers. Harry squared his shoulders, sat up straighter, and immediately started looking around as subtly as he could. He let out a quiet hiss, then turned back to Louis.
“Here?” He whispered, and Louis nodded with a smirk, tightening his hold on Harry’s growing erection. The crowd laughed loudly at what the comedian said, so Harry quickly let out a sigh of pleasure. “You’re crazy,” He said, earning a slow nod. His eyes glanced down to Louis’ lips. “I kind of like it.”
Louis pulled his hand away and sat back in his seat, a shit-eating grin upon his features. “Just wait till we’re alone,” he whispered in Harry’s ear as the crowd grew silent.
Now, it was Harry’s turn to stare at Louis. He stared at the side of his face, trying to figure out what the fuck just happened. His lips were yearning for Louis’, and his cock needed some more attention too.
He placed his hand on Louis’ thigh to get his attention, then asked, “Do you want to leave?”
“Only if that means you’re taking me back to your hotel,” Louis replied, licking his lips and smiling.
Harry chewed on his bottom lip as he pulled his phone out and opened the Uber app. His eyes took a moment to adjust since he was pretty tipsy, then he scrolled down the app to order a luxury car to come pick them up. They needed something private and he didn’t want to have to call his driver to come back so late, even if they’d literally just got here.
Before he could complete the booking process, Louis placed a hand on his bicep and asked, “Wait, where are you staying?”
“At the Biltmore,” Harry replied quietly.
Louis nodded, then said, “Let’s go to my hotel instead.”
“Why?”
“I’m staying at the Ritz,” He smirked. “It’s closer.”
Harry turned back to his phone after licking his lips and shaking his head. He changed the drop off address to the Ritz, noting that it nearly cut their travel time in half. He booked the car, then told Louis that they should head out front since the car was only a minute away. They quietly made their way out of the room and thanked the staff by the doors. Once they fully made it outside, a sleek black SUV pulled up and the driver instantly hopped out. He was an older man and didn’t seem to flinch when he analyzed the two. He wasn’t phased at all; he must not recognize Harry.
“Harry?” He asked.
“Yes,” Harry glanced down at his phone. “Arthur?”
“Yes, hello,” Arthur replied, opening the back door for them.
“Thank you,” Louis said as he stepped in. Harry followed suit, then they got situated in their seats.
The car ride this time was very modest. So much so that it had Harry utterly confused. Either Louis was teasing the fuck out of him or he wasn’t interested in doing anything anymore, but there’s no way that was the case since Louis’ literally been all over him all night. They sat in the car in complete silence, except for the radio that was playing an easy-going acoustic song at a low volume. Harry wanted his attention, but didn’t want to seem needy since Louis was busy texting someone. He may or may not have glanced at his screen to see that he was texting his manager. What they were texting about, Harry didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He just wanted Louis’ attention.
And, when they finally got to the hotel, Louis made sure to give him all of the attention he’d been craving once they were in the elevator alone. They had gotten into the elevator, Louis pressed the button to his floor, then he leant his back against the wall, eyeing Harry who was leant against the wall opposite him. They stood there like this for a beat, staring back at each other, their eyes filled with hunger. When Louis asked what are you waiting for, Harry instantly approached him and placed his hands on his hips, pushing him further against the wall. He kissed him with fervor, breathing out through his nose when he felt Louis’ fingers in his hair. Louis let out a muffled moan against his lips, then the bell of the elevator rang.
Harry quickly pulled away and stood beside him just as the doors slowly slid open. An older couple walked in while Louis wiped the corner of his mouth, smirking at the floor. Harry smiled kindly at the two, then nudged Louis with his elbow, trying to make him laugh. After a few more seconds, the elevator came to a stop on their floor, so Louis and Harry wished the older couple a good night before exiting the cabin.
Louis held onto Harry’s hand as he led him down the hallway to his suite. They made their way down the long hallway, stumbling and giggling due to their inebriation, with bright smiles splitting their cheeks. When they finally got to Louis’ room, he struggled to fish his wallet out of his back pocket since Harry had pressed himself against Louis, one hand beside the door and the other on his hip, holding him in place as he littered his neck and shoulder with kisses. Louis pressed himself further against Harry, earning a quiet moan against his ear, then managed to get his walled out of his pocket. He grabbed his key card and scanned it, then pushed the door open.
He spun around and instantly felt Harry’s hands on his hips again, pulling him in. He wrapped his arms around Harry’s shoulders and let his head fall back. Harry pressed his lips against his neck and stumbled as he tried to head towards the bedroom. Harry’s phone was vibrating incessantly in his pocket. He took it out and quickly tossed it on a nearby couch just as Louis cupped his cheeks and kissed his lips, his tongue prodding at Harry’s bottom lip.
Harry pulled away so that he could unbutton his dress shirt while Louis led him to the bedroom. He flicked the lights on, dimmed them, then marched towards the large closet in the corner of the room. He poked his head in, then turned to Harry with a shy smile.
Harry slowly shrugged his dress shirt off, revealing his perfectly chiseled body, contrasted by his soft curves, and the mess of tattoos scattered about. “What?” He asked after seeing a blush appear on Louis’ cheeks.
“Um, well,” Louis began, eyeing Harry’s body, then wringing his fingers nervously. “I had another outfit I was going to wear to the afterparty and- Um,” He licked his lips, opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.
“Do you… want to put it on?” Harry asked confusedly, tilting his head with a perplexed grin. “You can if you want.”
“It’s just that,” Louis let out a sigh of frustration, then added, “My stylist said that- she was teasing me and said that this one outfit she put together would look good on me, but better on your hotel floor…” Harry raised an interested eyebrow, curious. “And, I guess- I guess I wanted to- I don’t know,” Louis pinched the bridge of his nose, then shook his head fervently.
He was so embarrassed. He’s not even sure why he brought this up. He totally just ruined the moment, the sexual tension they’d been building up all night. He fucked it all up.
“Okay, go put it on,” Harry said, walking towards the rather large bed.
“What?” Louis asked timidly.
“Go put the outfit on,” Harry ordered, taking a seat and leaning back on one hand. “I want to see it.”
“Oh, okay,” Louis replied, feeling a little anxious. “Um, give me a second, okay?”
Harry smiled softly, “Okay.”
Louis went into the closet and unzipped the garment bag his manager had left the outfit in. He quickly and as carefully as he could pulled everything out of the bag and began undressing. He didn’t want to keep Harry waiting too long, but he also wanted to make sure that he looked really, really good, so he stood in front of the tall mirror fixing his hair for nearly five whole minutes. When he was satisfied, he checked himself out one last time and was filled with a sense of assuredness because he knew how good he looked. He was wearing a tailored pair of trousers that hugged his hips perfectly and a white fitted tank top that he tucked into his trousers. On top, a short sleeved, tight knitted button down shirt. He left it unbuttoned as his stylist told him to, then went back to the bedroom.
He walked in to see Harry still sitting at the edge of the bed, still leant back on one hand, with the other sitting on his thigh. His eyes darted to Louis’ figure, and his lips parted. Louis watched as his eyes looked over his form, so he stood there shyly basking in the attention.
“Wow,” Harry said, slowly sitting up. “Your stylist was right,” He looked up into Louis’ eyes. “It does look really good on you.”
Louis looked down to where Harry was softly palming himself through his trousers, his eyes scanning Louis’ curves. He tilted his head and said, “Was she right about it looking better on the floor?”
“I don’t know, come here and let me take it off of you,” Harry looked up at him again and smirked, palming himself a touch harder.
Louis, after feeling heat prickle behind his ears, sauntered to Harry and wasted no time straddling his lap, letting his arms drape loosely over Harry’s shoulders just as Harry placed his hands on his hips, smoothing his palms down Louis’ curves. Louis cupped his cheek and began kissing him again, arching his back when he felt Harry’s hand on his ass. He let out a soft moan against Harry’s lips, then felt Harry untuck his shirt from his trousers. Harry slipped his hand under Louis’ shirt, feeling his skin against his fingertips and pulling away from Louis’ lips to place kisses along his collarbones.
The same collarbones that Louis made sure to flaunt in the pictures he’d send Harry when they were away from each other. Not only that, but Harry made it clear that he loved seeing pictures of Louis arching his back, showing off his curves and his perfect ass, so Louis made sure to send him plenty of photos because he loved getting Harry’s attention. But getting attention over texts and in-person were two completely different things. Feeling Harry’s large hands do whatever they wanted, to roam his body without inhibition, was something that Louis’ been craving for months. It felt so much better than how he had imagined.
“Fuck, Harry,” Louis moaned when Harry, his lips still sucking harshly against Louis’ collarbones, lifted his hand and landed a hard smack onto his ass.
Harry looked up with a smirk, “That’s right, baby,” He smacked his ass again and leaned up to catch his moan against his mouth, wrapping an arm around his back and flipping him over.
Louis laid back, his arms above his head, his hair messily falling behind him, and a mischievous smile adorning his lips. He spread his legs to let Harry in and wrapped his arms around Harry’s back when he started kissing his neck again. Louis threw his head as far back as he could so that Harry had more access, then felt Harry lower himself onto his body. Harry ground his hips against Louis’ and heard him let out another moan, so he ground his hips again.
Soon enough, Louis let one of his hands travel slowly down Harry’s body, down all the way until he had both hands toying with the button of Harry’s trousers. He managed to get the button undone, then pulled the zipper down and slid his hands into his trousers, palming him over his pants. He was prominently hard, and his deep groan against Louis’ neck told Louis that he was really enjoying himself. Louis on the other hand, while he enjoyed how Harry was running his hand up and down his thigh, really wished Harry was undressing him already. He was growing more and more impatient with each second.
So, he flipped them over again and sat up, his knees on either side of Harry’s waist as he carefully pulled his tank top off. Harry tried to sit up as much as he could, then he began unbuttoning Louis’ trousers, smirking when he felt Louis’ hands in his hair again.
He looked up at him with a faint smirk, his fingers still fiddling with the button of his trousers, and said, “Get these off.”
Louis quickly got to his feet and pulled his zipper down. He took the trousers off as quickly as he had put them on and left them discarded on the floor. Harry fully sat up and spread his legs enough for Louis to stand between them, then wrapped an arm around his back when Louis invaded his space. He hooked his fingers along the waistband of Louis’ briefs, then pulled them down enough for only his ass to be exposed. He looked up at Louis again and brought one of his fingers to his mouth, feeling his cock twitch in his pants when Louis sucked his finger into his mouth. Why did he still have his trousers on?
With his free hand, he did his best to spread Louis’ ass and brought his wet finger to his hole. He toyed with his hole for a bit, feeling a sense of satisfaction and hunger when he felt his hole fluttering against his finger. He looked up at Louis to gauge his reaction only to see that he had his head thrown back, the tendons on his neck flexing divinely.
“You like that, baby?” Harry asked, letting out a sigh of pleasure when Louis lightly tugged on his hair. “Do you need me to open you up?”
“No,” Louis breathed, feeling Harry breach his hole. “I’m good.”
“You got yourself ready for me?” Harry asked with a grin, still toying with Louis’ hole.
Louis looked down at him and smiled shyly, then straddled Harry’s lap again, effectively giving him more access to his hole.
“Yeah, just for you,” Louis replied, pulling Harry against his chest and smiling coyly when he felt Harry placing kisses on his chest.
“I appreciate that. Thank you, love,” Harry said, then fidgeted in his seat. “Now, lay down on your back and let me show you how appreciative I really am.”
At that, Louis grinned excitedly and quickly climbed off of Harry. He laid down on his back, pulling his briefs all the way down and letting them fall to the floor before he closed his legs modestly. He watched as Harry stood up and pulled his trousers down, eyeing Louis through his eyelashes, smirking at the sight of Louis’ cock already hard and leaking precum.
“Are you clean?” Louis asked, now softly playing with his cock, silently teasing Harry.
Harry licked his lips and said, “Yeah, you?”
“I’m clean,” Louis confirmed, then pointed at a small backpack sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. “There’s a bottle of lube in the small front pocket of that bag. Can you grab it?”
Harry did as he was told, then walked back to the bed while looking over the bottle. He palmed himself through his briefs to keep himself hard, then set the bottle down beside Louis on the bed before he pulled his briefs down. Louis looked down to Harry’s cock and instantly felt his mouth water, his jaw tingle. He sat up and ran his hands along the outside of Harry’s thighs, then gingerly took hold of his cock and began stroking it. Slowly at first because the way Harry closed his eyes and parted his lips, letting out the faintest whimper, had Louis completely mesmerized. Harry looked down at him with lust and cupped Louis’ chin, slowly swiping his thumb across his bottom lip before Louis boldly sucked his thumb into his mouth. Harry’s lips parted even more and with the feeling of Louis’ tongue against his thumb and his dainty hand on his cock, Harry felt like he was floating, like he was on another planet entirely.
He carefully pulled his thumb out and watched as Louis instantly, but without breaking eye contact, placed the head of his cock on his tongue. He ran his fingers through Louis’ hair and watched his every move, how he tapped the head of his cock against his tongue, then went on to slowly wrap his lips around his cock, still looking up with innocence.
Harry’s eyes rolled back from how warm Louis’ mouth was and let out a deep groan when Louis sunk further down his cock with ease. He held a fistful of Louis’ hair just as Louis started to fall into an even rhythm, sucking his cock slowly to let Harry revel in the sensitive feeling. Harry’s breath hitched when he felt Louis lick a fat stripe on the underside of his cock, then he let go of Louis’ hair and asked him to lay down again, feeling rather satisfied. He stroked his cock as Louis got comfortable on the bed, then Harry spread Louis’ legs and climbed on top of him again. Louis instantly cupped his cheeks and pulled Harry in for a kiss, arching his back so that their cocks rub against each other ever so slightly. Harry moaned against his lips, but did his best to pull away.
“I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” Harry said, his chest heaving ever so slightly.
“You and I both,” Louis quipped, blushing.
Harry ran his hand up Louis’ side, then leant down to kiss him slowly, softly, lovingly, smiling into the kiss. The kiss itself made Louis’ heart melt and only made him want Harry so much more. In the back of his mind, he thought that maybe Harry only saw Louis as a fling, like he was looking for a quick fuck and nothing else. But by telling Louis that he’s waited for this moment and kissing him so affectionately afterwards… Louis’ heart literally melted. He knew this wasn’t the last time he’d see Harry.
Harry’s lips attacked Louis’ neck again while Louis took the liberty to reach down and wrap his hand around both of their cocks. He started stroking them while Harry pulled away and looked down at him with a sheen layer of sweat on his forehead. His moans were muffled by the way he had his bottom lip between his teeth and his eyes darted down to the contact between his legs.
“Does that feel good?” Louis asked.
Harry swallowed thickly, “Yeah, really good.”
Louis started jerking their cocks faster, letting out a hitched breath. “And this?”
Harry bit down on his bottom lips harshly, then moaned, “Fuck, Lou,” He bucked his hips into Louis’ hand, “Shit, baby, I won’t last long if you keep at it like that.”
Louis let go of their cocks and ran his hand up Harry’s chest, feeling the way his muscles flexed under his touch. Harry leaned down to kiss him again, slower this time, the heat of their bodies radiating between them.
“Fuck me, Harry,” Louis whispered against his lips, his voice desperate and needy, surprising even himself. Harry’s breath hitched. He pulled back just enough to look into Louis’ eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation, but all he saw was want. Pure, dizzying want. “Please.”
Harry bit down on his bottom lip, groaning low in his throat before reaching over to grab the lube. He slicked his fingers quickly, his hands a little shaky with excitement, then reached between them to prepare Louis properly, working him open with careful, practiced strokes. Louis said he’d opened himself up already, but Harry couldn’t help himself, not when Louis was so pliant under his touch, hands fisting the sheets, his eyes fluttering closed as he whined softly for more.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” Harry muttered, not meaning to say it out loud, but not feeling an ounce of regret or shame either.
Louis’ lips curved into a soft smile as he opened his eyes. “Harry…”
“I can’t wait to make a mess of you,” Harry said, his gaze darkening slightly.
“Then stop teasing me and do it already.”
Harry chuckled, his heart thudding wildly, and he finally reached down to slick himself up. He lined himself up carefully, stroking Louis’ thigh reassuringly before pushing in slowly, letting Louis adjust, watching for any sign of discomfort. Louis’ breath caught in his throat, but the moment Harry was fully seated inside of him, a long, blissful moan escaped his lips. He gasped Harry’s name, gripping his shoulders harshly.
“Yeah, baby, I’m here,” Harry whispered, kissing along his jawline as he began to move, slow and steady at first, like he had all the time in the world. He set a slow, careful rhythm, his hips rolling smoothly as he watched Louis’ every reaction. Louis clutched at his shoulders again, nails digging lightly into his skin, his mouth falling open in a breathless moan. The noises he made drove Harry crazy.
“God, you feel so good,” Louis gasped, his thighs tightening around Harry’s waist.
Harry groaned at the feeling, lowering his head to kiss down Louis’ neck, nipping lightly at the flushed skin. Louis tilted his head to the side instinctively, granting him more access, shivering when Harry sucked gently at a spot beneath his ear. Harry adjusted his angle slightly and was rewarded with a sharp gasp from Louis, his back arching beautifully off the bed.
Harry smirked. “There it is,” he whispered against his skin, a triumphant, teasing lilt to his voice.
Louis whined softly, taking a fistfull of Harry’s hair. “Harry, please- harder-”
Harry obeyed, thrusting deeper, harder, but never losing the careful control he kept wrapped around himself like a threadbare leash. Louis was unraveling beneath him, eyes glassy, his lips wet and parted as he moaned shamelessly. The slick sounds of their bodies moving together filled the room, mingling with the desperate gasps and broken whimpers that fell from Louis’ lips, and the sound of skin slapping against skin. It was messy, overwhelming, and perfect. Harry kissed him again, swallowing Louis’ moans, their tongues brushing lazily, desperately, like they couldn’t get enough of each other. Louis clung to him, wrapping his arms around Harry’s shoulders, holding him so close there wasn’t a breath of air between them.
Harry buried his face in the crook of Louis’ neck again, murmuring, “You’re so perfect, baby. You’re so perfect for me, Lou,” between thrusts, his voice cracking from how much he meant it.
Louis turned his head and kissed the side of Harry’s head, fingers threading through his curls. “I’m close,” he whispered shakily, his entire body trembling under Harry’s.
Harry reached down between them again, wrapping a hand around Louis’ cock, stroking him in time with his thrusts. Louis’ breath hitched sharply, his thighs quivering as he tried to hold back. Harry noticed.
“Don’t,” He said, kissing his jawline. “Let go for me, baby. Come for me.”
And that was all it took. Louis cried out Harry’s name, coming hard between them, his body spasming with the force of it, his whole body shuddering with pleasure. The feeling of Louis tightening around him was too much. Harry cursed under his breath, his rhythm faltering for the first time all night. But he didn’t let go immediately.
He gritted his teeth, forced himself to keep moving, chasing his own high through the aftershocks of Louis’ orgasm. His thrusts grew rougher, less controlled, driven by pure instinct now. Louis whimpered beneath him, oversensitive now but not pulling away, holding onto Harry tightly, grounding him.
Harry buried his face in Louis’ neck again, breathing him in, feeling him everywhere. “Fuck, baby- I’m so close,” he gasped, his voice ragged.
Louis turned his head, lips brushing Harry’s temple, fingers in his hair. “Come for me, Harry,” he said, sweet and wrecked. “Please, I want you to come inside me.”
That was it. With a low, broken moan, Harry slammed his hips forward one final time, spilling deep inside Louis as pleasure tore through him, white-hot and blinding. His whole body locked up, then trembled as he rode out the waves, clinging to Louis like he might fall apart otherwise. For a long, dizzying moment, the world was nothing but the two of them, tangled up, sweaty, breathing each other in as they caught their breaths. Harry stayed inside him, not ready to let go yet, while Louis lazily traced shapes along his back, murmuring soothing nonsense against his hair. When Harry finally pulled out, he pressed a lingering kiss to Louis’ shoulder before collapsing onto the bed beside him, completely spent.
They lay there in the heavy silence, hearts pounding, skin warm and sticky, the air between them thick with something electric and new. Harry turned his head to look at him, eyes heavy but soft. He propped his head up with his hand as he watched Louis, who was still catching his breath, flushed and utterly wrecked in the best way. He reached out and brushed a few strands of hair off Louis’ forehead, his touch feather-light.
“You okay?” Harry asked, his voice soft, almost shy.
Louis cracked a lazy smile, eyes half-closed. “Yeah, more than okay.”
Harry smiled, then chuckled quietly, a deep, content sound, and ran his hand gently up and down Louis’ arm, grounding him with the simple touch. Louis let his eyes drift shut for a moment, just breathing in the warmth and comfort of Harry’s presence. But soon enough, the stickiness between his thighs pulled him out of it and he wrinkled his nose playfully.
“I should clean up,” he mumbled, reluctant to move but knowing he had to.
Harry’s hand slid down to his waist, squeezing gently. “Take your time. I’ll be right here.”
Louis smiled at that, a real, soft smile, and forced himself to sit up. He stood up and padded barefoot toward the ensuite bathroom. Harry watched him go, his heart tugging a little in his chest at the sight of Louis, messy-haired and bare-bodied. He looked so cute, so real. And while he was gone, Harry shifted under the covers, turning down the duvet and smoothing the sheets out absently. He wanted Louis to come back to a bed that felt warm and inviting, not messy and cold.
A few minutes later, Louis reappeared, looking freshly washed but no less wrecked, cheeks pink, eyes soft. He hesitated just inside the doorway, almost bashful now that the haze of lust had worn off. Harry sat up slightly, his heart melting at the sight, and with a tender smile, he pulled the covers back and held an arm out in silent invitation. Louis’ face lit up with a shy grin as he crossed the room and climbed back into bed, letting Harry pull him close without a word. He tucked himself against Harry’s chest, feeling arms wrap securely around him, a hand smoothing up and down his back in lazy strokes.
“You’re clingy,” Louis teased, but he was already smiling.
“Shut up,” Harry muttered against his hair. “You love it.”
Louis laughed lightly, nuzzling into his chest, feeling the steady beat of Harry’s heart under his ear. They laid there for a while in the comfortable dark, tangled up, skin still warm against each other, everything feeling a little unreal yet too real all at once. Then, Harry spoke, his voice low, careful.
“You all right?”
Louis hummed, shifting a little to look up at him. His hair was messy, his cheeks still a little pink from earlier, but his eyes were clear and steady. “Yeah,” he said, and he meant it.
Harry’s hand brushed slowly up and down his back again. “You sure?” He asked, a little more attentive now. “It’s not just… the adrenaline talking?”
Louis’ heart squeezed at the question, the way Harry was giving him an out, making sure he didn’t feel trapped or overwhelmed by anything that had just happened. He tightened his arms around Harry’s middle and rested his forehead against his chest.
“I’m sure,” he said quietly. “I feel good.”
Harry let out a breath. “Okay, good.”
There was a pause, not an awkward one, a more thoughtful one, before Louis spoke again, voice a little rougher around the edges.
“I don’t usually do this.”
“What?”
Louis licked his lips. “Like… hook-up with people.”
Harry tipped his head down, trying to catch his eyes. “Me neither,” he admitted, simple and honest.
At that, Louis frowned, grinning playfully. “You?” Louis asked incredulously, and Harry nodded. “No, there’s no way.”
“Why not?” Harry asked, furrowing a brow.
“Because… you’re… you.”
“Yeah, but,” Harry paused, looking away, cheeks reddening deeply.
Louis smiled at the sight, feeling his heart jump. He reached up and gently turned Harry’s chin back toward him, gaining his attention and noting the softness and timidity in his eyes. “You could probably have anyone you wanted, you know that, right?”
Harry nodded slightly–not arrogantly, just knowingly–and let out a quiet breath, the kind that sounded almost self-conscious. “I didn’t want anyone else. I just wanted you.”
Louis’ breath caught for a second. He wasn’t in shock, it was more because of the honesty in Harry’s words and tone. It all hit him square in the chest. There wasn’t anything slick or practiced about Harry’s words. He wasn’t trying to charm him or play cool, he was just being honest, and that adored Louis. He tucked himself closer again, pressing his face into the warm curve of Harry’s neck, and Harry’s arms tightened around him without a second thought, pulling him even closer like he didn’t want there to be any space left between them.
They stayed like that for a long moment, tangled together in the quiet, the weight of what just passed between them settling in. Louis could feel Harry’s breathing start to slow, his hand still drawing lazy circles across his back, comforting without even trying. He closed his eyes, letting himself sink into it, the warmth, the stillness, the feeling that, for once, everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. And for the first time in a long time, Louis didn’t feel like he needed to guard himself. He could just stay right here with Harry and be safe.
The night stretched around them, slow and quiet, their breathing the only sound filling the space. And in the steady rhythm of Harry’s heart beneath his ear and the quiet snores he let out every now and then, Louis found something he hadn’t realized he was looking for. Something steady, safe, and real.
He smiled against Harry’s skin, let his body fully relax, and finally allowed himself to fall asleep.