They were ROOMMATES

14

"Please?" Harry practically begs. He periodically makes small steps towards getting ready for work, but overall it's an unproductive process. He's far too preoccupied. Trying to convince Louis to do anything is like trying to convince a fish to walk on its hind legs; It's simply not in his nature.

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No!"

"Louis..."

"Harry..." Louis sat cross armed on the couch, a smug little smile on his lips, clearly believing he was winning this argument.

This won't do. It's time for Harry to pull out the big guns. "I'm bringing cupcakes, and you only get one if you come with me."

Louis let's out an offended gasp. "You don't mean that!"

"I do mean it! Please, Lou. It'll be fun."

"What flavor are they?"

"Chocolate and peanut-butter."

Louis considers this for a moment with a very serious expression on his face. He shifts back and forth on the couch as if deep in thought before finally shrugging. "Fuck it, I'm in."

And at this, Harry is so excited and relieved he could jump for joy. He doesn't though. Instead he thanks Louis with a quick kiss on the cheek that leaves reduces them each into an awkwardly blushing, butterfly filled, nervous wreck.

They need to talk about this, he thinks. He doesn't know where the older boy stands at all, other than their mutual admission of feelings the other night. He doesn't know if Louis' feelings are as strong as his own feelings, or what those feelings all mean. Does he want a relationship with Harry? Does he want something more casual and purely physical?

Harry ponders this while pouring hot, black coffee in a travel mug, then lacing up his boots. He's never had a real relationship before, because he's never had the chance to. He's known he was gay long before actually coming out, but couldn't risk dating someone and being caught by his parents.

Then once he came out, he was immediately told he was no longer welcome at home, and from that point on he was more worried about figuring out out the hell he was supposed to survive than he was worried about finding a lover.

And as he makes his final adjustments in the mirror, arranging his curls into a swooped side part, he's reminded of the fact that the security of his new life forming with Louis' is still very fragile. He's on thin ice with the dean of school, and this is only his first real day working at the florist shop. They could change their minds at any given moment, decide that he's not the right fit, or fire him over a little mistake.

That's all it would take. One missed paycheck and he'll be thrown out of school just as quickly as he was thrown out of his own home.

"So what time is this fire-party-thingy anyways?" Louis asks from the couch, raising his voice a little so Harry can hear him over the tv, which appears to be playing some boring football program. Personally he's more of a British Bakeoff kind of guy.

"Eight," he giggles. Giggles! What has Louis done to him?! "Which is when I'm off work. It'll take me a bit to walk down there, so I'll be a little late. But Niall, Zayn, and Liam will be there to hang out with in the meantime."

"You know something? You work too hard," Louis says. He rises and joins Harry, draping an arm around his shoulder to pull him into his chest, then massages the taut muscles of his back. "I know you think tonight will be good for me, but I think it will be good for you. Unwind a little. Drink. Hang out with your devilishly handsome man-crush."