Things Have Gotten Closer To The Sun -starseas on ao3

Twenty-Five

Back at the house, Harry finds Louis upstairs in the darkness of his bedroom, just where he expected him to be. Harry doesn't even speak, he just shivers as he strips out of his jeans-they're drenched in rain and frost, numbing Harry's legs until he can't feel a thing-and Louis watches him from the bed, his eyes steady and low.
The room is all moonlight and shadow again.

Everything's softened around the edges, seeming far away and dream-like, and Harry likes that, but he hates how the room is freezing cold like this, like someone's got a window open somewhere. "It's bloody freezing in here," he stutters, shaking his hair to get the rain out.

"That might be because you're nearly naked, love." Louis points out, sliding off of the bed and crossing the room to Harry, his hands ending up on the bottom of Harry's jumper.

"Smart-ass," Harry mutters, but his voice is strained as Louis thumbs his fingers over the jut of Harry's hipbones, beneath the jumper and beneath the second t-shirt there, warming him up.

Louis watches him for a moment, and then he's nodding towards the bed, hands resting on the skin of Harry's lower back. "Sit down. I'll run a warm bath, yeah?"

"I don't want a bath," Harry frowns, his words muffled against Louis' forehead. He's so warm, and he smells like clean laundry and everything else that's good. He's wearing a pair of Harry's gray sweat-pants and one of his frayed black t-shirts with a band name on it, and they're so big on him, it's ridiculous. It's so cute Harry think he might cry. "I just want you."

Louis laughs, shaking his head, but he sounds a bit reluctant. "You've got a blue mouth, babe. You're taking a bath."

Harry grins, kissing over the fringe of Louis' hair. "I'll have blue balls too in a minute."

"Shut up," Louis sighs, but his hands are gentle as they come up to rest on the nape of Harry's neck, a warm pressure. "I'm not fucking a corpse. Go sit down, and I'll run a bath."

"Louis," Harry whines, but he listens, turning around and making his way towards Louis' bed. He sits down on the foot of it, the springs groaning beneath his weight. Sighing, he watches as Louis steps out of his socks in front of the bathroom door. "It wouldn't be blue if you kissed me, you know."

Louis laughs at that, shaking his head. "No can do, Curly."

And then he's disappearing into the bathroom, not even bothering to turn on the lights as he moves further in, the sound of running water filling the silence a moment later.

"Well, why not?" Harry frowns, staring at the bathroom door.
"'Cause I wouldn't want to stop if I did," Louis answers, his voice floating out from the bathroom. "Been wanting your mouth all night, really."
Harry could faint. "How's that a bad thing?"

Louis doesn't answer, and Harry just sighs, looking around the room. The window beside the bed is the only bright spot in the whole place-it's huge, taking up the entire wall. Moon beams strike against the frosted panes, casting lines of watery light across the carpeted floor.

Harry loves the way Louis' room looks at night.

It feels frozen in time, like a corner of a universe where it's just them, the white moon, and the frosted pine trees outside. There's no sun here. There's no orange light here, there's no fear.

"What do you think, Curly? Bubbles or no bubbles?" Louis asks suddenly, appearing in the bathroom doorway wearing nothing but a pair of thin boxers. Bloody hell, that boy has the kind of body you'd write songs about.
Harry swallows, his mouth dry. "Bubbles, please."

"I knew you'd say that," Louis laughs, disappearing into the bathroom again. The sound of running water stops and then the room grows silent, it grows hushed. It's past midnight now, maybe one or two in the morning, and Harry's freezing cold but he's also naked and sort of aroused, and he really, really just wants to kiss Louis on the mouth.