Locker 374

Chapter 3

Title: Locker 374

Pairing(s): Harry/Louis (Larry/Lourry)

Rating: PG

Word Count: 4,204

Summary: Louis was always the smart kid in school and some would even say nerdy, but after transferring schools, he's left with nothing but his exceptional grades. Upon being harassed in the halls one day, Louis realizes one can find friends in strange ways.

Disclaimers: Again, some mild angst, then some heavier angst, but some goodness to balance it all out. This was just written from a prompt, so maybe the ending isn't as rewarding as it should be. Maybe I'll write a follow up to this, but I haven't decided.

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Harry had insisted that the boys go for dinner a local restaurant called "The Saucer." Louis agreed without hesitation and drove behind Harry's car from the zoo as per Harry's directions. He assumed that it would be something, but definitely did not assume correctly. As he pulled his car into the loop in front of the restaurant, the complimentary valets ushered the two out of their vehicles and puttered away in the cars. Louis stood for a moment with his small green ticket receipt as he watched his car drive away, then turned to face the front of the building. The front of The Saucer was an exquisitely crafted archway with columns that Louis estimated to be at least twenty-five feet tall. Each side of the columns were accentuated by differently colored accent lightings which shone upward from the pebble garden which surrounded the bases. The facade of the building was crafted from stonework that made it look as if thin layers of stone had been stacked on top of one another to form a wall. Louis gazed at the building for a moment, then at the valet. His gut churned as he realized that Harry's estimation of money Louis should have brought had to be much less than what this place probably costed.

"Hey, I know what you're thinking," Harry started, "Don't even worry about it, alright?" He nudged Louis lightly as he headed inside. Harry recognized the look on Louis' face because it was a look shared by anyone who experienced the restaurant for the first time.

As the two approached the entrance, the front doors parted, held by two hosts. They approached the podium stationed by the entryway where a small man with a headset spoken in a hushed tone into his headpiece. The man's concentration remained unbroken until Harry leaned against the podium and cleared his throat. As the two spoke, Louis' gaze trailed across the entryway. The wall to the immediate left of the entrance -- literally the entire wall -- was an aquarium. Strangely shaped and colored fish drifted languidly through the tank. Each fish Louis spotted looked more exotic than the last. The opposing wall seemed like a normal granite wall until Louis noticed a gentle sheet of water cascading down its side. This wall served as a divider between the entrance and the first dining section, but Louis couldn't see over the top. He glanced further down the entryway and saw multiple hallways which snaked off the mainly course way and assumed they each led to separate dining areas as well. At the end of the hallway was a staircase which spiraled around the outer wall of the cylindrically shaped room. The room was clearly off-limits, Louis figured, when he noticed the red rope cordoning off the area.

"Of course, of course!" The little man grinned at Harry with his hands clapped together, "Follow me, you two." The host stepped out from behind the podium and briskly made his way toward the roped-off area with Harry in tow. Louis stood for a moment, confused, until

Harry turned and motioned for Louis to follow. The host took them past the red ropes and up two stories on the stairwell until the reached another smaller archway which led onto a patio on the third floor. The man looped around to the other side of the outer deck and took the two up another roped-off set of stairs until they'd reached a door labeled "Evening Observation Deck." The doorway opened to another stairwell, but this one was lined with a fine white carpet. The host led the boys up to the top of the stairwell, which had no door, but simply opened up into a room which had windows for walls and was sparsely decorated aside from small marble bars, which had been hollowed out on top to accommodate rock gardens, small fountains, and the occasional bonsai tree. Louis found the whole image very zen as he took his seat at the glass-top table in the center of the room. Over the marble bars, which shaped the room, the entirety of the city stretched across Louis' view as the setting sun glared harshly into the room.