School of discipline (L.S.)

Chapter 22

Harry immediately let out a burst of laughter, bordering on hysterical. "That's funny. You're funny, Louis."

"H," he said, gently taking the younger boy's hands in his own, bringing them towards him and holding them between their chests. Harry looked down at their joined hands letting the feeling of warmth and comfort settle over him as Louis lightly stroked his thumb back and forth. Harry couldn't remember the last time he had held hands with someone and certainly couldn't remember the last time it had had an affect like this. His hands clasped in Louis' for some unfathomable reason made him feel safe. "I'm not joking."

"You're not?" Harry asked, his voice quiet, nervous almost, as he raised his gaze back to Louis' eyes. Even in the dark room he could still see the bright blue.

"No," Louis shook his head, his voice surprisingly steady as he spoke. "I'm not."

"I... I don't really know what to say," Harry murmured. This moment felt far more intimate than anything he had felt before. He'd had girls confess their feelings to him before but there had never been any kind of reciprocation on his part, not past mere physical attraction. Lying in bed with someone in this way wasn't something he had ever done before, something unfamiliar to him. The feeling of being so close was strange but not necessarily bad; there was a comfort in it.

"I'm not expecting you to say anything," Louis told him. "I just wanted to tell you. I'm not expecting this to change anything, certainly not right now, but I wanted you to know."

"How would it not change something? You're feelings have changed."

"My feelings haven't changed, Harry. You had me intrigued the very first day we met when you flipped me off in the hall."

"I was a dick that day."

"Yes, but you were a hot dick."

Harry let out a startled laugh and Louis followed, ducking his head briefly.

"Okay, that came out wrong," Louis said, smiling widely into the dark, at his words and the fact he got Harry to laugh. His face lighting up, his nose scrunching, the two dimples popping in his cheeks was a beautiful sight. "But you know what I meant."

"Someone's feeling bold tonight," Harry teased in lieu of a real answer.

"Well, I'm sick of pretending."

"Was our..." Harry's voice trembled ever so slightly with his growing nerves. "Did you take me to that restaurant... as a date?"

"Is that what you want it to have been?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. It's confusing."

"It is," Louis nodded understandingly.

"I can't promise anything but I will try harder. We can try the stuff they set us in class. I'll try better to listen and follow the rules."

"I don't care about that right now, love. I'm not talking about how I want you as a sub, though of course that is something I would like, I'm just talking about you, Harry Edward Styles, and how I would love to take you out again some time."

"So it was a date?" Harry asked, a smile creeping onto his face. He'd never been on a date before, not a proper date anyway. He'd gone to clubs with girls, or just back to theirs but there was never much talking, they never sat and ate a meal, it was always have something to drink, then fuck, then go home. There were some girls he'd seen more than once but there was never a sustained relationship, no one Harry would have considered a girlfriend, or even someone he would have liked to have been his girlfriend. Contemplating Louis as a boyfriend was difficult. Harry imagined Louis would make a good boyfriend, he was kind, understanding, he loved his family, all desirable traits Harry was sure, plus he was objectively very attractive, Harry could at least admit that. But he wasn't sure if a boyfriend was something he wanted, something he could allow himself to have.