A World Without Augusts

15

"Let me take you somewhere," Louis smiled, taking Harry's hand and twirling him. It had snuck into their routine. Dancing in the kitchen when chores were done or while something cooked. The room was their little secret, the haven where the love that neither of them had searched for had blossomed. Their dancehall.

"I know the whole island by heart but sure surprise me." He held Louis' hands at an arm's length before being pulled back in again.

"You certainly don't know the whole of the island, Harold."

"I'll bet you whatever you want."

"Can I ask for the prize after I win?"

"You will receive as you wish."

Louis wrapped Brie's leash around his hand three times, standing outside the main gate. Harry Styles was that diva, taking the better half of the day to get ready for...a date. His heart did a dance at that. He was taking Harry out on a date who walked out of the gate, fixing his hair which had begun to grow out.

"You're ready to go?" Louis was in awe, he somehow looked even prettier than the first day Louis had seen him. Harry hummed and Louis walked in front of him, eyes widening. "What does he do? Magic?" Louis mouthed to Brie who was trotting happily.

Harry caught up soon enough, grasping the hand which wasn't holding the leash. All of it felt so romantically domestic like he could be content with that life, with Harry and Brie and taking them places they'd been before.

Louis climbed up the cliff but made a turn to the left instead of going forward. He had found the place when he had made a turn by utter mistake but he was glad he did. He stretched out a hand to Harry who graciously took it, hopping up beside him.

"Alright now, I know you've seen the place but that doesn't make it any less beautiful does it?" Harry hummed in agreement, following Louis inside the cave. And he was right, it never got any less pretty.

"I won the bet, Louis," Harry said after a while when Louis was unhooking Brie's leash. It was frankly there just for show, that dog was attached to Harry's hip.

"What do you want as a prize?"

"Not now," he hushed, gesturing to the tinkle that the small waterfall made. It was darker in there than outside on the island and that on its own said a lot. The fish in the pool almost glowed in the dark, their small sparkly bodies swam around the water. Harry took his shoes off and sat down on a ledge, dipping his feet in the water.

"They don't bite, honey." He patted the spot beside him. Louis didn't think Harry noticed the name he'd let slip. Honey. It sounded like something personal, hopeful. He took off his own shoes, sitting down beside him. He had left a space between them but Harry scooted over, taking Louis' hand again. Harry gave him the reassurance of it all, that everything was fine.

"Does anyone else know about this place?" Louis traced the anchor on his wrist and Harry shook his head. It was one of those places kept a secret from the other people on the island. How Harry did that was a mystery in itself. But then again, he was one of those people with acquaintances in the name of friends. People talked to him only about how much he wanted to, dismissal was one thing he had mastered.

"You know I never figured what kind of fish these are. I thought about setting up an aquarium in the inn's hallway and keeping a bunch of them in there. But that would just raise a thousand questions about what and where," Harry said after a while, moving his feet back and forth. Louis stared at the glimmering small fish swimming around their feet.

"You don't mind me being here?" His left foot nudged Harry's ankle.

"I don't mind you anywhere as long as it's with me." Louis heart almost fell out of his mouth.

"You...really said that...wow I'm shit at this," he stumbled on his words, trying to smile, "Harry, I really don't know how to say all this or what even is happening here. And fuck, it's not getting better. I guess what I'm trying to say is uh...shit I just care a lot about you alright? You make me a better man." Harry smiled wide at that, dimples straining. Louis brought the hand he was holding to his face and pressed his lips against the skin before flashing him a smile.

There were things you could never get tired of seeing over and over and over again. Watching Harry cook was definitely one of them. Anyone with eyes could tell that this was his domain. Cooking was where he thrived, where he was at his happiest. And Louis knew why he was even allowed in the kitchen, it was because he sat on the windowsill, at a distance from Harry.

Over the course of his stay on the Isle of Eden, he had seen quite a few people get kicked out of the kitchen for just simply being there when Harry was cooking. The most disastrous one had to be Niall. Now, one would think Niall would've learnt his lesson from being mates with Harry for presumably a long time but clearly that hadn't been the case. Harry positively had smoke coming out of his ears when he had yelled, "Get out of my goddamn kitchen, Niall James Horan!" Of course, Louis had been there to watch the whole scene and sort of melted into the storeroom. Curse Niall for pissing off Harry that day.

Louis was brought back from his thoughts by the noise of a rather disgruntled Harry trying to pop open a jar of pickled jalapenos. He watched his biceps flex, veins popping on his arms and his pants certainly didn't feel too comfortable at that moment.

"Do you want me to open it for you, love?" Louis asked tentatively, still trying to measure the risk and reward ratio for disturbing Harry. He looked up with a pitiful expression, sighing as he handed over the jar with a whisper that sounded like, "please." Louis took the jar with a smile. To his and maybe Harry's surprise, the jar popped open as soon as Louis twisted the top. Harry had probably done all the hard work but nonetheless, Louis felt accomplished.

He'd done something for Harry.

For once, he was on the giving end instead of the receiving one.

"Thank you, Lou," he smiled sheepishly as Louis handed back the peppers.

"No problem, baby," he winked and gosh, the way Harry's cheeks reddened.

And that is where their love existed, somewhere between Harry pretending that he wouldn't have been able to open the jar and letting Louis make a big show of flexing his biceps as he twisted the cap off.

Dinner had gone by in a blur, his mind too focused on the fact that he kind of impressed Harry today. Not that it necessarily mattered who did the impressing, Louis liked to be the one making a big show of his adoration. Always one for the attention, it gave him a reason to slick his hair back a lot more often around Harry.

And now, his heart certainly couldn't take Harry in a loose blue jumper on his balcony. He looked almost too soft like he would bruise if Louis even touched him. And God, the way Louis wanted to touch him.

"Was it just a one-time thing?" Louis asked after a while, staring out at the sea. Harry hummed in question, eyes also fixed on the body of water. "The kiss, H." He rubbed his hands on his thighs.

"Not unless you thought it was." He turned to face him, taking Louis' hands in his own.

"Oh for Christ's sake I've been wanting to kiss you for the longest time, you knobheaded boy," he snorted, ears heating up.

"Then why aren't you doing it, Lou?" he asked, staring at his lap. Louis tipped Harry's chin to bring his face closer. It was just like their first kiss, the sparkle still there.

"You're very pretty, Harry. I don't think I ever mentioned it," he whispered, their foreheads touching. Louis cupped his cheek. Harry was so warm.

"No you didn't," Harry said with a slight smirk. And gosh, it had no right to be as endearing as it was.

"You're a cocky little shit you know that Harry?" he scoffed, pressing his lips to Harry's ones again.

"Then why are you still kissing me?"

"Because...shit your heart is so goddamn addictive." Harry's hands roamed the expanse of Louis' back.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Louis asked after a while, leaning back further on the wall and pulling Harry in closer who nodded, pressing a kiss to his arm. Yeah, he could stay like that for a long long time, with a beautiful boy with the most delectable heart in his arms. Harry Styles would be the thing that buries him.