me, him, and the moon ☾ l.s.

eighteen - holding on

"What's with the scarf?" Niall wrinkled his nose with distaste. The five boys were having a quick breakfast in Liam's kitchen, taking advantage of the short minutes they had together before they all went their separate ways -- with Liam, Zayn, and Louis rushing off to training, Niall heading to the infirmary, and Harry going out on another arranged meeting with Nick. Everyone besides Zayn and Niall had already finished eating, but they were all content to wait, still having a few minutes to spare before their days truly began.

The bright blue bandana tied around Harry's neck hadn't gone unnoticed.

"I was about to ask the same thing," Zayn laughed. He stood abruptly from his seat at the kitchen table, the legs of his chair screeching loudly as they scraped against the hardwood floor. "Looks like something my mum would wear, if you don't mind me saying."

"Actually, he does mind." With a strong grip on the back of the younger boy's chair, Louis dragged the chair toward him so that Harry could sit even closer to him. He curled his arm protectively around the omega's waist, narrowing his eyes at the dark-haired boy over the counter. "I think he's lovely, and I think his scarf is lovely."

Harry smiled at the sweet comment, and his heart swelled at Louis's clear determination to protect him, even from their innocent, joking friends. He leaned happily into his alpha's side, sighing contentedly at the instinctive relaxation that spread through his body. Louis's touch had always had an inexplicable effect on him, but since they mated two nights before, he felt like the simplest touch from the alpha could put him to sleep anywhere and everywhere.

"Only because you've got one to match," Liam teased, eying the gray and black scarf that decorated the other alpha's neck. "You two honestly look like a pair of grandmothers."

"That's a bit bloody offensive, Liam," Louis quipped, squeezing his omega's hip reassuringly as Harry turned his head to hide his flaming cheeks -- and his guilty smile -- in Louis's neck.

"Christ, Lou. Settle." As soon as the words left his mouth, Niall's hand froze in mid-air, his spoon just inches from his face. He eyed the pair suspiciously, and then his gaze flicked back down to Harry's neck. The spoon clattered into his nearly-empty bowl. He inhaled sharply, standing up so quickly that he nearly flipped the table. "You didn't!"

A bit roughly, he grabbed Harry's shoulder to make the omega face him fully, and Louis growled protectively, his eyes narrowing at the Irish boy. He took a deep breath, calming his wolf, and kept a secure hold on Harry's waist. The sight of someone else (even a beta, and a friend, like Niall) touching his mate set every hair on his body on end.

Maybe the scarves weren't their brightest idea, but what else could they have done? They had spent the entire day yesterday lounging in Harry's bedroom -- and hiding from the rest of the world, including their friends -- and soaking in the first twenty-four hours of their mated lives. The outside world presented too many problems that they weren't willing to face, but today, they finally had to return to their real lives. Louis had suggested the bandanas (secretly loving the idea of "claiming" Harry with a scarf around his neck, especially knowing that his fresh mate mark lay hidden beneath), while Harry had snuck into the infirmary for a scent concealer that would mask their obvious, newly-mated smells.

They should've known that some simple scarves and scent suppressants wouldn't be enough to hide something like this from the other boys.

Harry coughed awkwardly and adjusted his bandana, avoiding his best friend's gaze. He had never been a good liar, and his lying skills were even worse when it came to Niall. Without a word exchanged between them, the Irish boy saw right through him.

"Holy fuck!" Niall whirled around, his eyes widening as he turned to face Liam and Zayn in the kitchen. Pointing an accusatory finger at Louis and Harry, he exclaimed, "They fucking mated!"