Harry and Louis have a long-distance relationship in an alternate universe where only 550 words can be spoken a day.
During the middle of his mum telling a story about a boy who never wanted to grow up, it happened for the first time. She was describing the Lost Boys and Captain Hook when all of a sudden, everything just stopped. Her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out and even at four, Harry could tell something was wrong as his mum bent down to kiss his forehead and left the room with a hand across her mouth.
The daily limit was 550 words.
The government had decided that it’d be more intimate if people were forced to communicate by looking into each other’s eyes. To them, less spoken words meant more truth. Harry didn’t learn the full story until he was five and a half and had used up all his words for the first time telling his mum about the overactive boy named Louis he met at break.
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“Seven weeks” Louis mumbles with his face between Harry’s shoulder blades.
“Seven weeks” Harry sighs leaning his head back onto Louis’.
“Turn”
“Save your words,” Harry says as he turns around to give Louis the same useless warning he’s been giving him for 14 years. Louis was always one of those people who ran out of their words every single day no matter what. He was out of words when they first held hands resorting to just grabbing Harry’s and smiling up at him and he was out of words when they first kissed using his tongue to spell out “yes” on Harry’s lips. He was even out of words when they first fucked leaving nail marks deep in Harry’s skin that didn’t fade for days.
“Don’t” He says with a pout.
“You’re the one who’s never saved any words”
“You know what? One day I’m gonna-“ Louis starts but doesn’t finish.
“I warned you” He says grinning.
The number one thing Harry is most acquainted with in the world is actually being there when Louis runs out of his words. They have a routine they go through when it happens which usually begins with Harry taunting Louis over his loss by giggling “told you” a few times and once they get past that, Harry tilts Louis’ mouth up to his and breathes in any extra words he has and just rambles until he can’t anymore. This time he whispers words about them going away to university and the three and a half hour distance that he knows they’ll get through. He whispers about his excitement for their nightly phone calls and how he knows it’ll last and that he has no worries because he’s in love with a boy with bright blue eyes who never has any words left. When Harry’s words run out, they spend the rest of their evening with Louis staring at green and Harry staring at blue until their breath quickens and they are exchanging nonexistent words through hot gasps of tongue on tongue.
*************************************
Three days down.
“Louis” Harry says softly into the receiver of his phone. He waits for a response but nothing comes as he lays back and sighs.
“Same old Lou” He mutters. “I saved 25 for you today.”
Harry tells him of his day and imagines how Louis’ was in return and once he runs out of words, they both fall asleep on the phone listening to each other breathe.
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Sometimes after his nightly phone calls with Louis, Harry lies in bed and thinks about one of the last conversations he had with his mum before he went away. “I worry about you, H,” she said brushing the curls out of his face as he lay on her lap. Having used up his words at the park with Louis, he just looked up at her with guarded eyes which she knew meant for her to go on but to tread carefully. “You’re only 17 but you love like you’re 35.”
