A Week and a bit in London - Larry AU

Chapter 1 - The Kiss

An: I am already finished with writing the fanfic, so you can expect regular uploads

The plane touches down on the tarmac with a 'thud' and a voice appears from the speakers: "We have successfully reached our destination, Heathrow Airport London. Thank you for flying with American Airlines. We hope you enjoy your vacation ". Harry had just been woken up by the landing and is still a bit drowsy when his mom shakes his shoulder.

"Come on Harry, we don't want the others to have to wait for us. Here, grab your bag."

"Ok, Ok, no need to rush it. We are nowhere near the last," Harry answers.

The weather over London is dark and cloudy and this despite it being summer as many of the other vacationer's remark. But Harry is preoccupied with his thoughts: 'England. Noone from my family has set foot on this Island for almost 40 years. Since the Revolution. And now I am here again, with my parents, on a guided vacation. How has it changed since the stories my grandma told me?'

"As explained before the Flight, we are a travel group. We stay together. For questions, please ask one of our guides. They are easily identified by their badges. We will now go through passport checks so everyone pleas keep your passport at the ready and follow the guides." The speech from the head Guide rips Harry from his thoughts.

The passport check goes without incident, but on the bus ride to the Hotel, they get another speech: "On this ten-day vacation and sightseeing tour, we will explore London and its surroundings whilst also examining the changes over the last four decades which were forced onto this city by the Communists. You will get the opportunity to taste authentic local food and to appreciate the local culture. During all activities we will stay together as a group or as smaller groups, but always with a guide. This is not a trip on which to indulge in sinful behavior. Your phones are still linked to the American Internet as to keep all of you in contact with your family and friends back home..."

At some point Harry just stops listening, puts on some music on his phone and looking out of the bus window. First, he views the few fields and rowhouses of the London suburbs before the view slowly changes to more dense houses, shops and offices.

After a while, they reach the Hotel. In the Lobby, they get informed about their rooms and their keys. Harry has his own one bedroom with its own bath and a big TV. But he, as tired as he is from the flight and the jetlag cannot go to sleep yet. There is a tour to an authentic British Pub planed for the evening.

About an hour later, the travel group assembles again in the lobby. As they start walking to the Pub, the Tour Guide tells them a history lesson about British pubs and their place in culture, but Harry is again not listening but thinking of how much he would rather be in his bed right now.

The Pub is small, almost too small for the group and all the people already inside, but they manage to fit, barely. Whilst his parents and another pair take a table together to talk Smalltalk over a cold beer or a soft drink, Harry sits down at the bar.

"One Coke please"

"You are one of the Americans, right?" the Bartender asks him in a rough voice. "We got no Coke here, but we got Sayany and Tice."

"Then one Tice please."

"Coming right up." The Bartender says whilst handing Harry a bottle of dark carbonated liquid with the blue logo on it.

But Harry does not even have time to taste it before someone else sits next to him and starts talking. The young man asks him bluntly: "So you are one of the Americans? How did you end up here?"