Given a Chance (Larry Stylinson)

Part Three

Since moving to America two years ago, Louis has come to love a lot of things about it (WTF M8?! list aside) but one of his favorite things had to be the holidays. Though he still wasn't quite sure of the backstory on Thanksgiving, because nobody was offering that up in conversation and he couldn't be arsed to Google it, he was positive that he enjoyed the food.

Because a whole day devoted just to food? (As far as he knew, at least. Seriously, what the fuck did the Americans do way back when that made this such a hush-hush holiday and instead focused on the food?)

His first year here, his neighbors had invited him over to their Thanksgiving dinner and Louis had been completely overwhelmed by the table of food as soon as he arrived. Because this was an actual thing that happened and wasn't just for show on the telly. If it was appropriate to pop a boner over a table full of food (spoiler alert: it isn't), Louis would have popped the most raging, throbbing food-boner of all time.

Because seriously, Americans fucking loved their Thanksgiving food.

Even if they put marshmallows in the yams. (WTF M8?!)

But after Louis had his first real Thanksgiving experience, he was certain that no matter where life decided to take him, he would always come back in November just so that he could crash somebody's Thanksgiving dinner. He would also remind himself that under no circumstances would it ever be acceptable to get a woody when someone muttered the words pumpkin pie.

He was twenty-nine after all, he could control his hormones.

Mmm, pumpkin pie...

But today wasn't Thanksgiving--it was the 4th of July. Louis maybe, kind of, probably should be morally outraged, considering this holiday was celebrating America's independence from... the British... but hear him out! Maybe it was just a small town thing, or maybe they did this all across America, but Chance went all out for the 4th of July.

The whole town was decorated for the occasion.

The streets were lined with red, white and blue banners and streamers. The lamp posts were adorned with flags that had images of exploding fireworks that read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!" on them. Everybody had flags somewhere on their property, whether it be on a flagpole or stuck directly in the ground outside their porches.

The air would be filled with the smell of burning charcoal and roasting hotdogs, and it seemed like no matter where you went, all you could hear was the sound of children playing and adults mingling. The whole town got together to celebrate in the large park for a potluck meal and activities, and if you were a resident of Chance, you were expected to be there.

Everybody was welcome and they made sure you felt that way.

That's how Louis and Niall found themselves walking down Louis' gravel road, making their way towards the community park and ready to take part in the festivities of the day. They had decided to go all out, because again--Louis wasn't one to do things by halves, and Niall was just the greatest sport to ever live--so they had made a late night Walmart run the night before to try and find the most American outfits they could.

If only their fans could have known that one day, Louis and Niall would be in a rural North Carolina Walmart at two in the morning, scrounging through stacks of gaudy patriotic shirts looking for the most obnoxious one to wear. The absolute meltdowns that would have occurred back in the day.

Louis looked down at the bright red shirt he was wearing, the image on the front being of an exploding firework with an American flag in the background, big chunky black letters reading out: "PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN" which, really, how could Louis have resisted? Louis then looked over at Niall, whose grey shirt had an image of Uncle Sam on it, pointing his finger and reading out "I WANT YOU... TO BEER ME!" on it, and Louis couldn't help but laugh.