Animal Shelter ↠ Larry AU [slow!]

three

"How was your day?" Harry's Mum, Anne, asked after she finally sat down from preparing the small dinner for only the two of them.

"Oh, it was great! I got a, uh...promotion, I guess you could say, so I'm working there... I'm not just a volunteer now. I've got a job. A real job, Mum!"

Anne smiled. "That's great! I'm so happy for you, baby. So proud."

"Thank you, thank you," Harry said, chuckling. He looked down at the plate of food sitting in front of him, thinking about earlier that day. It was exciting enough for him to get a real job there, but the fact a cute boy flirted with him made it even better. He wanted to tell his Mum, but he didn't know how she'd take it. She was a psychologist. She'd understand...right? "Hey, Mum?"

She looked up at her plate, her eyebrows raised to show she was listening because she couldn't speak with a mouthful of food.

"Um...," Harry looked down, because eye contact was something he could not make right now. "This boy came by the shelter today. He was really nice. I've never seen him before, but uh..., I found him attractive, Mum." Harry felt his eyes pierce with tears just from the thought of what his Mother could possibly be thinking of him. "I'm-I'm not gay. I'm not saying that. I'm not even saying I like boys at all, but...," he wiped his teary eyes, "I just wanted to tell you..."
He waited a few seconds before looking back up, to see her blank expression.

She noticed he was looking and forced a small smile. "It's fine, Harry. Did you think I'd be mad?"

He nodded. "Kinda."

"Nooo." She scoffed. "No, of course not. But..., baby, he might not like guys. And that's one thing to never do; fall in love with the same gender that's straight."

"No. You don't understand. He flirted with me." Harry blushed lightly at the memory and the fact he admitted it out loud in front of his Mum.

Her smile widened after a few moments. "Really?"
She looked back down at her plate, continuing to eat, but making sure she glanced up every few seconds.

"Yeah. I mean, it wasn't a total eye-batting, hair-flipping, winking flirt, but when I said that all the animals might not be there next time he comes, he's like, 'That's alright. Just as long as you are.' Don't you hear a little flirt in that?"

Anne smiled and slowly nodded. "Yes, Harry, I do. That's great. But remember, if he ever comes in again, you're still at work, so don't put anything off to stare at him or talk to him, okay?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

Noticing the eye roll, Anne let it slip and continued talking. "Was he cute?"

Eyes widened, Harry nodded. "Sooo cute," Harry said, then smiled. "I don't know how I could explain him in words, Mum. I really don't."

"God, Harry. Don't fall so hard on the first day. You might not even see him again," Anne said quietly, trying not to bring her son down, but speak the truth at the same time.

"I'm not, I'm not," Harry said even quieter, continuing the rest of dinner in silence.

x

The next day at the shelter was pretty slow. Harry got to do the things he always did, which was to play around with the animals, but he also had to clean up any 'messes' they left behind, feed them, brush some because of excessive hair. It wasn't like he minded, since he was now going to get paid for this, but through all that work, the only thing he could think of was the boy with the majestical blue eyes that came in yesterday, wondering if he would come in again today. As suspected, he didn't. In fact, he didn't for the whole next week.

The last week since Harry saw Louis was slow. A new excitement had come in once, then left suddenly. He was for sure he'd come in the next day, but in the back of his mind, he knew not to get his hopes up.

"Bye, Scout," he told the fluffy, orange tabby as the clock struck three in the afternoon before walking out of the cat room and into the lobby. He sighed and opened the door outside, hearing a thud and groan when he did. He frowned and closed the door, seeing the person standing there with their hand on their head.
"I'm so, so sorry. Totally didn't mean to hit you... Are you okay?"

The person chuckled and slowly pulled his hand away. "Yeah, it's alright," Louis said with a small smile. "You didn't hit that hard."

Harry widened his eyes at the sight of the boy he hadn't seen for a week, and began to smile, but forced it away. "Oh, a-are you sure?"

"Yes," Louis said, chuckling again, then rubbed the small bump on his head before pulling his hand away. "I was actually just coming in to look at the animals again."

"Oh," Harry said looking towards the door. "Well, I'm done for the day, but it's still open for another hour or so..." He looked at Louis to see he was looking at the ground. "But I haven't got anywhere to be today. Would you like me to show you around?"

Louis snapped his head up and smiled. "Yeah, sure, that'd be great."

Harry brought Louis back in, and towards the cat room again. "Since the last time you were here, a few has left, but a few more has come in to replace them."

"Yes, yes," Louis said quietly. He kept his hands held behind his back as he walked down the aisle, looking up every few moments at Harry with a small smile. Harry, catching every glance, blushed a shade darker each time. Louis bit the inside of his lip to hold back the smirk that was beginning to form as he noticed the blushing boy, knowing he was the one causing it.

"See anything you like?" Harry asked after a few seconds of quietude. Not that it was an awkward silence, but that all he wanted to do was talk when Louis was around.

Louis quickly looked up, unwillingly letting the smirk break. "I do believe so." In a leisurely pace, he walked towards Harry, who shuffled back as he became closer, until his back hit the wall.

Though Louis was smaller and shorter, he was still very intimidating, which was both hot and scary, Harry thought, but more scary, since they hardly knew each other.

"You've got the prettiest eyes, Harry," Louis said, sending shivers down Harry's back as his name escaped his lips.

"Th-Thank you."

"And the way your curls fall around your face..." Louis twirled his finger around one of the curls, pulling it out some so it bounced back into the spot it was first in when he lowered his hand to place his thumb on Harry's bottom lip, pulling it down a bit so his lips were parted. "And such, such pretty, pink lips," Louis whispered.

Harry shuddered, his breath hitching at the small action. His manneristic self said to say a thanks in the back of his mind, but no words could come out, even after Louis had pulled his hand down, smiled, and walked out of the room. He kept his back pressed to the wall, keeping his eyes on the door Louis had walked out of and quietly panting.