London Bridges

Chapter 16: Come Away With Me

A/N: Hey guys, long time no see. A lot of stuff going on in my personal life but summer is here! Just a filler chapter to hopefully get me back in the swing of writing. Dedicated to the awesomely loyal LTDreamer.

On most nights, Louis fell asleep at the kitchen table.  Liam revised into the early morning hours, and Louis had taken to staying up with him as long as he could, Silver loyally at their feet.  Liam would finally pack it in and half drag, half carry the other lad to their room around four in the morning, falling into bed next to him. 

"You've been working too hard," Louis declares when he returns from work to find Liam with his head already buried in a biology textbook.

"I've got final exams coming."

"Not for another month," Louis reminds him, gently tugging the heavy book from his hands.  "Its Friday night, Li.  You're in uni, you should be going out and getting wasted, not memorizing the Krebs Cycle."

Liam frowns up at Louis, eyes red and tired.  "I don't want to get drunk," he says.

"You're working yourself sick, Batman," Louis says, sighing as he runs his fingers through Liam's messy fringe.  "You're gonna burn out again."

Louis's touch eases some of the tension in Liam's back.  He knows Louis is right.

"Okay, so I'll take the night off," Liam agrees.  "But I'm not drinking."

"Take the weekend off," Louis grins, sitting in Liam's lap so he straddles the younger man's waist. 

"I can't take an entire weekend off, I'll fall behind."

Louis doesn't respond to Liam's protests, just starts trailing kisses across his jaw and down his neck.

"Lou, I'm serious," Liam whines, beginning to squirm under the attention. 

"You're already ahead, top of your class," Louis reminds him with a bite to his birthmark. 

The slight sting sends a wave a pleasure down Liam's spine, goosebumps erupting across his skin as Louis swipes his tongue over the sensitive area. 

"Fine, you win," Liam gives in, crashing his lips against Louis'.

Louis lets out a triumphant giggle, pleased with his negotiating skills.

Silver's alerting bark interrupts the snogging session, followed quickly by the jingle of keys in the front door.

"It's like we're back in rehab," Louis says.

Liam laughs, tapping Louis's thigh in silent encouragement for the lad to stand up.  Louis responds by grinding down, making Liam curse under his breath and stand up.  Louis falls to the floor in a fit of giggles. Silver jumps at the opportunity to lick his owner's face as his tail wagged uncontrollably. 

"We're going away for the weekend," Louis announces to the room at large when Zayn and Niall join them to play with Silver.  "You have your own room, so don't fuck on our bed."

Back in their bedroom, Liam watches as Louis throws random clothes into a duffle bag. 

"Where exactly are we going," he asks, pulling out the clothes to fold and pack them properly. 

"Dad is out of town for the weekend," Louis answers.  "We're gonna get some proper pampering from Mum, take the girls trick o' treating tomorrow, and then go back to Dad's place for some tricks and treats of our own."

Liam chuckles at Louis's lame innuendo.  "And how are we gonna get there?  I don't remember the trains allowing dogs."

"Bax is lending us a car, of course," Louis grins, grabbing Liam's hand to pull his attention away from the shirt he's folding.  "You need proper family relaxation time, Batman.  You'll get away from the books for a few days, Mum will get a couple of good meals in you, and I'll get you back here Sunday night ready to smash the rest of the semester."

"Thanks," Liam says, grateful that Louis knows what he needs even though he hasn't voiced out loud how his anxiety has been picking up again.

Louis hums in response, planting a small kiss at the tip of Liam's nose.