Larry Stylinson One Shots Collection

Like The Wings Of Butterflies (part II)

On Monday the circus was back in business, which meant Louis couldn't see Harry until the evening. Harry had promised that Louis could try going upside down after the show, and maybe, he had said, if Louis could do that easily, he could try catching Harry. Louis was buzzing.

His family had questioned him when he'd finally arrived home late Sunday evening, asking where he'd been all day, but Louis had told then he was with friends. That hadn't been a complete lie; the guys had become his friends, even in the short amount of time he'd known them. The thought of them leaving, of Harry leaving, sent a cold drop of dread down his spine. Of course they'd have to go, they had other cities to perform to, a whole new set of people to impress. But just because it was inevitable didn't mean it was any easier for him to deal with.

Louis dressed in sweatpants and T-shirt this time, not entirely sure what hanging upside down entailed. He felt horribly under-dressed next to everyone else in the audience, who had least made some sort of effort, and was very thankful that the audience was in darkness when the show was in progress.

After, he wandered to his usual spot to wait for Harry. He was later than usual today, so Louis began his stretches, warming his muscles up so they wouldn't pull (He'd made the mistake of not warming up before; he'd never make that mistake again).

When he'd finished stretching, Harry still hadn't turned up. Louis was just contemplating climbing the ladder to start putting on the harness himself when the sound of the tent opening reached his ears.

"Finally," he called over his shoulder. "Was just about to get started without you."

No one answered. Louis turned around, peering into the shadows. "Hello?"

For a horrible moment, he thought he'd been caught by one of the other performers. They would definitely rat him out to Madame Viola, and he really didn't want to be the reason Harry got into trouble. A shadow shifted to his left, and he peered at it, heart thumping.

Sarah stepped out of the shadows. She was still in her show costume, a white leotard and skirt covered in sequins, blonde hair fixed with no small amount of hairspray into a tight bun. She also wore a frown, though, lip curled in contempt. She looked Louis up and down obviously, folding her arms over her chest.

"Hi." Louis said, trying a small smile. Sarah's eyes flashed. "Erm," he tried again. "I'm just waiting for Harry...have you seen him?"

"What do you want?" She said sharply.

"Oh, nothing, I'm just waiting-"

"No." She cut him off, rolling her eyes hugely. Louis bristled. He wanted to like Sarah, really he did, but she was making it damn hard. "I mean, what do you want from Harry?"

"I...I don't know? I don't want anything from him...just him. I like him, I guess, if that's what you mean. Kind of a lot, actually."

Wrong thing to say, apparently. Sarah advanced on him, looking rather threatening despite the fact she was far shorter than Louis.

"Look, I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but Harry has a team. A good one. He has a partner already." She pulled herself to her full height. "We work well together."

"I know, honestly, I get that." Louis held his hands out, palms up. "I know that and Harry does too. He wouldn't do anything to hurt you, really. I know you're protective of him, and he's protective of you, too. I don't want to get in the way of you two working together."

Sarah seemed to withdraw a little. Some of the hostility left her body, to Louis' relief. Then, her eyes became large, even her bottom lip wobbled a little. Louis saw her take a deep breath.