Reasons to be a Nerd: a Larry Stylinson AU fic

Chapter 9 (Part 1)

(Harry’s POV)

“Harry, you have to get up some time…”

“No I don’t.” I mumble into my pillow. Laying on my face isn’t all that comfortable. I don’t deserve comfort.

The side of his bed squeaks as Niall sighs and sits down beside me. “Haz, I wish you’d tell me what’s going on…”

“It’s ten in the morning on a Saturday, my head hurts like a bitch, I’m hungover and I don’t wanna talk about it.”

He rests a hand on my back and sighs again, patting my back soothingly. Niall’s annoyingly awake right now. That’s just a weird thing about him. He doesn’t do hangovers. He was smashed out of his mind twelve hours ago and now he’s normal as usual. Oh, and his house is spotless, magically.

“Harry. Please tell me. I want to help but you suffocating yourself isn’t solving anyone’s problems here.”

“It’s solving my problems.”

He groans and his hand disappears from my back. Niall nudges my side until I roll over and face him. I squint because my eyes burn from crying and from just not seeing light for who knows how many hours. I feel like death and probably look even worse. His eyes are open and honest, and his mouth is pursed in thought.

“Now Haz…I’m gonna ask you something. And I want an honest-to-God answer, okay? No BS. One hundred percent truth. Deal?”

I rub my hands against my eyes and curl up into a ball. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Too bad.”

“…Fine…I guess…”

Inhale, exhale. Hiccups keep interrupting my breathing uncomfortably and I’m just trying to not start crying again.

“This is about Louis, isn’t it?” he asks quietly, and I just sniffle. If I start talking I’m afraid that I’m just gonna fall apart right here. Niall nods and leans back slightly. “I thought so,” he continues.

“You really like him, huh?”

“I don’t,” I start, but I hiccup again and just curl up even further, miserable. He nods again and looks at the floor.

“There’s no point in denying it, mate. I know. I’ve known for awhile. I know you too well. And I…well, I’ve been trying to set you up. That’s why I egged you on to bring him along to the party. I was hoping that…well, that, if, you and him got drunk and whatever you’d have the guts to tell him and I thought that maybe things would go well but…I mean, I turned around and I saw him running away from you and you just stood there looking so helpless…” the end of his sentence ends sounding halfway between a question and a statement.

“I kissed him, Niall,” falls out of my mouth in a whisper, and Niall just sighs heavily.

“Yeah…I figured.”

I take the opportunity to shove my face back down into the pillow. Secret’s out. I’m done.

Niall rubs my back again and my muscles shudder as I take in another gasping breath and try to hold back my tears.

…

(Louis’ POV)

Her eyes are darker than usual, and I can’t help but squirm uncomfortably in my shoes.

“I- I-” I can’t talk. I can’t think. I just can’t…

“Well?” Christy demands after another second, pressing her mouth together.

“I- Chriss-”

She shakes her head and walks in past me without waiting to see if I’ll stop her. I can’t do that either. She flops onto the living room couch and stares blankly at the photo still up on her screen. “Just explain it,” she mumbles, eyes not leaving the picture.

My feet have a mind of their own. Somehow they lead me to the couch opposite her, and I fall down onto it. “I didn’t mean to,” I say pathetically, and she shakes her head.

“Kay.”

“No- Chriss, I-”

“Louis. Tell me you didn’t promise not to go to that party with him.”

“I didn’t. Stop acting like you can control me.”

“Oh so you wanted to go? With that dick-”

“Listen.” My eyes narrow. “Christy, you don’t know him. You don’t-”

“WHY THE FUCK DID YOU KISS HIM?” she yells suddenly, and looks on the verge of tears.

“I DIDN’T, OKAY? WE DANCED. HE KISSED ME. AND I LEFT. I HAVEN’T SAID A WORD TO HIM SINCE. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?” Tears threaten hot behind my eyes and I push my hands into them, sucking in a sharp breath.

“Louis, are you gay?”

“How observant,” I mumble. It comes out much sharper than I meant it to, but I can’t find it in me to apologize.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks quietly, but I don’t look up.

“I don’t tell anyone.”

“But Harry knows.”

“Yeah.”

There’s a long silence.

“I think I should go,” she says eventually, and I just nod. Christy gets up, slowly walks out of the room. I can hear the door shut behind her as she leaves, and still haven’t looked up at that point.

My phone buzzes. A glance at it- yeah, it’s from Harry again. With a swift move of a few fingers I delete the message and clear the four new voicemails.

It buzzes again almost immediately. Harry Styles…can’t you take a hint?

I need to go wash my face. I’ve been crying since Christy left.

I’m on my way to the bathroom when I catch a glimpse of my face in the mirror – red, blotchy, and generally gross. How very attractive.

The sink water runs cold, to my fortune. Cold water makes you look like you haven’t cried. I know from experience. But I’ve only just splashed the cold water across my face when the doorbell rings.

Christy? But, she just left?

I dry off my face with the towel, run a hand through my hair, straighten my shirt and pull my jeans up over my hips. No hip shots today.

I walk over to the door and pull it open swiftly.

“Chriss, I alrea-”

The boy on the other side of the door stares straight into my eyes, his jaw slightly slack in what almost seems like confusion. His eyes are a pale, shocking shade of icy blue, and his black hair falls in sideswept ruffles across his forehead. He wears a black tank top with a flannel shirt overtop. His signature style...

My mouth falls open as his pale eyes stare back into mine.

“…Dustin?”