clean » larry stylinson

[10]

the air was crisp the night zayn and louis sat upon the concrete gutter, the traces of their cigarette smoke blending seamlessly into the low-hanging fog as an unlikely friendship brewed. with the smell of rain dancing around them, each boy found comfort in the darkness, their only source of light the faint glow of their cigarette embers and the dull streetlights, barely able to be made out through the haze.

they had both been cast out of louis' apartment in disgrace and so, feet stomping down the metal stairs to the road, cigarettes hanging carelessly between two fingers, the two of them had continued to poison their lungs out in the openness of the street, where cars seldom passed by, and where they could finally breathe.

louis' fingers had already been incessantly twitching, clawing at his clothes and itching at his skin, even before he'd noticed the silhouette of a figure waiting outside of his apartment door in wait for his roommate. his hesitation had been swallowed down with the last few sips of his now-cold tea and soon he was surprising himself by inviting a slightly lost looking zayn to take a seat while they both waited for liam to return.

he'd honestly hoped that by preparing his sixth cup of tea for the day the unremitting need for a smoke would gradually fade. louis realises now that caffeine will only heighten the faintest of desires into a fully-fledged yearning. he was in trouble.

and so, despite the fact that he'd overly dramatically cast away every last packet of cigarettes hidden within each corner of his apartment in an attempt to quit the one thing keeping him sane, when liam had arrived he was greeted by the sharp clouds of smoke and the backs of two people leaning out of a window, as though that would do anything to stifle the smell.

really, they both probably should have known that smoking in the shared living room of a man who can't stand the habit wasn't the brightest of ideas, and really, they should have seen it coming, but nonetheless their shoulders hung low and feet stomped as they were marched out of the house to enjoy their smokes under the moonlight.

zayn hadn't even been given the chance to catch liam's eye as he walked out. his frustration is taken out on the cigarette butt, forcing the still hot embers into the dirty sidewalk next to him.

'it's going to rain', he murmurs, distracted by the way the ashes melt into the beads of ice before looking upwards to take in the darkening clouds above them. 'like a hell of a lot.'

louis shifts his knees closer to his chest, breathing in the final length of his cigarette. 'maybe if we stay here we'll be able to just drift away. we'll either drown in the current or just float as far away from here as it lets us. might end up in the river thames or something?'

he has a dreamy sort of look in his eyes, the kind that mirrors someone who has stayed up so late that their mind's dazed dreaming's balances on the fine line between hopefully optimistic, and plain suicidal. zayn doesn't know if he is serious or not.

'that would take a fair amount of water", he states after a moments consideration. 'every storm probably has to run out of rain eventually. i mean, no cloud stays dark forever.'

louis' brows crinkle briefly, pausing as though to think about zayn's words. he changes the topic. 'were you and liam meant to be doing something together tonight? is that where he's been the past few weeks, with you?' his gaze doesn't meet zayn's own. it instead stares out towards the empty street ahead of him, lifeless.

the throaty laugh zayn gives is undoubtedly influenced by the packet of cigarettes he's inhaled in the past week, 'not every night, no. i'm not trying to take him from you.'

louis isn't convinced. even when zayn adds for reassurance, 'it's nothing, really."

'though i haven't been seeing too much of my best mate lately,' zayn throws in pointedly, steering the questioning back onto louis.