Prelude To Forever ->> Larry Stylinson. L.S.

3.

Apparently, neither of them felt the need to let go of each other’s hand, so they didn’t. Louis asked Harry all sorts of questions and learned that Harry had just turned 21, was actually from Milwaukee, not Chicago, but took the Amtrak down and was staying with his aunt, who happened to live close to the L train. Harry was an intern at an advertising firm, working with the music production side of things. He’s not written any official jingles yet, but there weren’t many things he didn’t make a jingle for in his head.

“What would a jingle for me be?” Louis asked, laying it on thickly.

Harry thought for a few moments before clearing his throat and singing a jazzy tune:

“A boy named Sunshine
Will surely make everyone pine.
He claims the name’s really Louis
But doesn’t mind the epithet...do he?”

Louis appreciated the song, even if the grammar was sub-par to make the rhyme work. He just stared and eventually giggled, “No, he don’t.”

“Well good. Because it’s in there now. You’ll always be Sunshine to me.”

“I’ve been called far worse, so I’ll take it.”

“So tell me about these friends of yours? I’m a bit nervous, if I’m completely honest.”

Louis stopped and pointed to a ragtag group of people, congregating around a park bench. “Nothing to be nervous about at all. They’re the best people I know. How about I just introduce you instead?”

Harry nodded and they crossed the way. Suddenly all of Louis’s friends turned to greet him, though their words fell short when they noticed Louis’s hand in hand with Harry.

“Guys, this is Gay Jesus. He is truly my Lord and Gayvior.”

“I assume that’s gay savior?”

“You assume correctly, Nialler,” Louis said, giving the fake-blonde a very real high five with his free hand.

“I’m really not Gay Jesus,” Harry piped up. “Gay, yes. Jesus? Not that I’ve noticed. The only miracle I’ve ever done with wine was turn full bottles into empty ones at a magnificent pace.”

Louis’s friends all laughed and Louis let out a sigh of relief. Just as he had predicted, Harry was going to fit in just fine with all of them.

“Well Gay Jesus, it’s nice to meet you,” Niall held a hand out for Harry to take. “I’m Pansexual Niall.”

“And I’m Bisexual Liam.”

One by one, Louis’s friends identified themselves to Harry.

“Gay Zayn,” came with a small but friendly wave.

"Lesbian Jade.”

“Mostly Lesbian Jesy.”

“Undefined Shawn.”

Harry shook all of their hands, aside from the girls who gave him big hugs.

“A big Queer hello to all of you,” Harry said, taking a step back and waving to the group. “Feel free to keep calling me Jesus if you’d like, but the name’s Harry.”

None of them asked, knowing Louis enough to know he would share in his own time and own way how he came to show up, hand in hand, with a man he was calling Gay Jesus. Instead, the group filled him in on the lay of the festival grounds.

“Want to walk around to some of the vendor booths? I could also eat. I’m so hungry,” Niall spoke up.

“Aww, muffin,” Shawn snuggled Niall under his arm. “You’re always hungry. We just had brunch like an hour ago.”

Everyone laughed. Harry leaned over to whisper “Are they together?” to Louis.

“They say no, but we’ve all got bets placed on when they finally tell us the truth.”

Both Shawn and Niall rolled their eyes, but gave each other a private-ish telling look while turning to lead the way toward the row of endless booths and food trucks.

“We are, though,” Liam held up Zayn’s hand with a smile on his face. “Together, I mean. Almost seven years.” They, too, began walking towards Niall and Shawn.

“We...are complicated,” Jade announced, taking Jessi’s hand. “But for today’s, and probably tonight’s purposes, we’re together.” The girls both smirked and went in for a full on make out session.

Louis knew all about their open-but-not-at-all-open relationship. He’s spent far too many nights consoling each of them over many pints of ice cream. The problem with them, as Louis saw it, was that they both were too afraid to commit but too afraid to lose each other, also. “Complicated” was putting it mildly. They broke up their kiss and also headed off in the direction of the booths, following the boys.

Louis looked up at Harry who was doing that smile-hiding nose scrunch again. Louis thought that was perhaps the cutest thing he’d ever seen anyone do.

“Well, that’s my tribe. What do you think?”

"I like that word. ‘Tribe.’ I think I’d like to stick around you lot a bit more, if you’ll have me.”

“Told you, you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you’d like.”

“So what about you, then?” Harry asked.

“What what about me?”

“I feel like we skipped some of the basics,” Harry pointed out. “I know more about your friends than you at this point, and yet we’re the ones still holding hands.”

“Ah, well,” Louis dropped Harry’s hand and turned to face him directly. “I’m Gay Louis. Like, very Gay Louis. Very, unflinchingly, utterly, hopelessly gay Louis. Not in a relationship, aside from my love affair with Yorkshire tea.”

“Nice to meet you Very Gay Louis...for like the fourth time today. I’m probably on my way to Very Gay but am still just regular Gay Harry. Also single. Painstakingly so. And, sorry to say, but I’m an Earl Gray man myself.”

“Can Jesus be blasphemous? Because if so, you are. Earl Gray? Come off it, man!” Louis thought his cheeks were going to fall off from all the Harry-induced smiling. “Come on, Jesus. Let’s show you what Pride is all about.

They eventually caught up with the group after spinning prize wheels and picking up free sunscreen and lip balm and whistles and stickers and press-on tattoos and just about every variation of rainbow swag imaginable, all while watching some very fit boys in very tight fitting speedos dance in the streets - with or without actual music. They each had pockets-full of free condoms and just as many packets of lube. Harry was akin to a kid in a candy store, eyes perpetually wide and seemingly yearning to experience everything.