instagram // l.s.

sixty nine

Louis stepped out of the shower, shaking water droplets from his hair and wiping condensation from the mirror. As he dried the rest of his body off with the towel he had set aside, he peered into the mirror, inspecting himself. He brushed his hand over his jaw, feeling the prickle of stubble. Time to shave. Past time, really.

The faint sound of Harry's voice filtered through the wall, and Louis huffed out a laugh.

"Gems, get up, you're gonna make us late."

Shaking his head amusedly, Louis returned his focus to getting ready.

Twenty minutes later, a freshly shaven Louis was buttoning his dress shirt up and fastening his suspenders to the waistband of his pants. A strand of his hair dangled in front of his eyes, steadily dripping water onto his nose, and Louis crossed his eyes as he stared at it, attempting to blow it out of his face. When that was unsuccessful, he reached for the towel he had discarded on the bed, scrubbing the remaining water from his hair with it.

Louis crossed the room to the bathroom, leaning against the counter as he stared into the mirror, running his hand through the ruffled mess that was his hair. He began to style it, teasing it up into a messy quiff, and a few minutes later, he stepped back, satisfied with his appearance.

He glanced briefly at the bottle of cologne sitting on the marble countertop before shaking his head and making to leave the room, but at the last second, he turned back, grabbing it and spritzing some over himself. It couldn't hurt, he reasoned.

Louis finished up getting ready, sitting on the bed to lace up his shoes, a pair he had bought for his own graduation two years prior and hadn't worn since.

Just as he finished tying the laces, a knock on the door drew his attention. Louis looked up, sucking in a sharp breath at the sight that awaited him. Harry stood in the doorway, dressed in a half-buttoned shirt and deep red trousers, holding a tie in his left hand with a sheepish smile.

"Harry, hey, what's up?" Louis asked.

Harry held the tie up helplessly, grimacing. "Is there any chance you know how to tie a tie? I never bothered to learn, and neither Mum or Gemma have any clue."

Louis laughed softly, standing up and holding his hand out for the tie. Harry handed it to him gratefully, stepping forward as Louis looped it around his neck.

"So, the first step is to have your shirt buttoned all the way up," Louis said amusedly, and Harry wrinkled his nose.

"Ugh."

Louis let out an undignified snort, buttoning Harry's shirt up and easily knotting the tie. He patted Harry on the shoulder, stepping back to look at him.

"You look amazing, by the way," he said softly.

Harry flushed, shrugging. "I just hope the outfit is the most remarkable thing about me today."

Louis tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I just feel like I'm gonna trip going across the stage or something," Harry mumbled, and Louis frowned at his tone.

"Harry, I fell flat on my face about ten seconds after receiving my diploma, and nobody really even remembered afterwards. I promise, even if you trip, it'll be fine."

Harry looked up, barking out a laugh. "You did?" he asked incredulously.

Louis winced. "Unfortunately, yeah. Nearly broke my nose. I didn't, but it hurt like a bitch."

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Anne poked her head through the doorway, interrupting him.

"Are you two— Oh, good, you both look just about ready. Breakfast is in a few minutes, then we're out the door, yeah?"