Things Have Gotten Closer To The Sun -starseas on ao3

Nineteen

The next evening, the television casts pale shadows across the dimness of the living room, lighting up the place where Niall and Harry are sitting on the sofa across from it.

Louis and Zayn are slumped over on the other couch, and Harry sort of wishes that Louis would come over at sit by him, but it's true, what he said earlier-he's not actually sure what they are now, whether they're together or not. He's not even sure if it's something that Louis' been thinking about. Does he care about that sort of thing? Should it even matter, when the end of the world is sitting five days away, just waiting for them to come up over the horizon?

No, Harry thinks. Probably not.

He shifts on the sofa, glancing over to where Louis is sitting on the other couch, both eyes locked on the television screen. The blue of them looks silver beneath the pale light, and Harry wants to kiss him again.

"Alright, who wants some?" Liam asks, shattering the silence as he walks out of the kitchen and into the living room. Warm orange light frames his body in gold as he looks them over, waiting for an answer.

"Depends on what you're offering, mate." Louis teases.

Harry grins at the joke, but he doesn't miss the way that Zayn kicks Louis in the leg with a frown, like he's offended on Liam's behalf.

"Alright," Liam repeats, smiling. "Who would like some hot chocolate?"

"I'd bloody love some. Good call," Niall says, stretching his legs out over the couch so that his socked feet are resting on Harry's lap, heavy. "Extra marshmallows too, please."

Harry sighs, but he lets Niall keep his feet there, looking up at Liam with a smile instead. "Same here, thanks."

"I think that's a yes for everyone then, Li." Louis adds, his voice spilling out like honey as he smiles, and god, Harry really, really wants to kiss him on the mouth. "You're a doll."

Liam shakes his head, grinning as he turns back towards the kitchen. "Alright, four hot chocolates coming up."

"I should go help him," Zayn says once Liam's gone, moving off of the sofa and walking towards the door of the living room, his body lit up by the orange light washing in.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll love that." Niall says, smiling.

Zayn stops, turning back to look at Niall with a careful stare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Niall makes a face, looking over at Harry like Harry's supposed to help him out, but Harry just grins and shakes his head. Niall's such a bloody idiot sometimes.

"Nothing," Niall says, clearly thinking hard about it. "I just-Liam can't very well bring five mugs of hot chocolate back in here himself, can he?"

Harry laughs loudly at that, hand flying up to cover his mouth.

Niall ends up laughing too, shaking his head, and Zayn looks absolutely offended. His eyes are narrowed, voice hushed like he's afraid Liam will walk back in at any moment. "Just keep it quiet, yeah?"

"Keep what quiet?" Louis asks, but he's amused.

Zayn sighs, but he doesn't answer the question. He just stands there.

"Oh, come on, mate. Really?" Niall groans, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You're not going to tell Liam? Even now?"

Zayn scrubs a hand over his face, looking tired. "He knows, Niall."

"You've told him?"

"I've made it obvious, yeah." Zayn answers.

"You've made it obvious," Niall repeats, laughing like it's the stupidest thing he's ever heard. Harry's quite surprised, to be honest, considering Niall was the one thinking that the end of the world was the wrong time. "Mate, we're talking about Liam here. That lad doesn't know anything unless you've written it down on paper and fed it to him."