who's gonna save us tonight (l.s.)

ii

A/N: Oops? 
I haven't written anything this serious in such a long time, it's almost weird to me. Idk. I hope you guys like it! 
NOTE (again): Just in case you didn't see the note in the first chapter, I'm saying it again - this chapter may get confusing at times. All of the chunks in italics are Louis' flashbacks, and he does specify when they are taking place so that you know when things are happening. These flashbacks only occur in the previous chapter and in this one, so after this chapter you won't have to worry about them :)  

****

He's got to do it. He hasn't got any other options. But, the thing is, he can't find him. And that's a problem.

Louis' frantically walking through the locker hall, trying to get to the other end so that he can catch Harry before he heads home. He pushes through girls chattering excitedly about their crushes and tiny freshmen grumbling about their homework, and then he finally gets to the door, and he sees him. 

The scene before Louis looks like it's been taken straight out of a fashion magazine, a candid photo in which Harry is modeling the gorgeous flannel and jeans combo he's wearing as he talks to whoever it is he's talking to. He can't understand how he didn't see it before. 

"Hey Haz," Louis says in an obnoxiously loud voice as he gets nearer, "You got time to get some food and hang out a bit? I feel like we haven't talked in a while." He can barely get the words out. He has no idea how he's going to tell him. 

"Lou!" Harry says just as loud, and by the time Louis actually gets close enough to Harry to talk in a normal voice, whoever he was talking to is gone. Harry doesn't seem like he cares very much though -- his eyes are on Louis. "God, I wish I could," he says, giving Louis a tiny frown. "But Nick wanted to hang out and stuff, I'm actually waiting for him right now."

"Oh."

Harry pats him on the arm. "Sorry bud. Maybe another time?"

Bud. Wow. 

"Um, yeah. Okay. Another time then."

Harry smiles again. "Perfect. You look great today, by the way. Not that you don't look great every day, Louis, but...you look especially nice." He says it so sincerely that Louis actually gets goosebumps, and fuck, why is Louis always the one getting screwed over? Why can't he ever get what he wants? 

"Thanks, H." And Louis smirks here, because he knows that H is a nickname that basically only Nick uses; it's almost reserved for Nick and Nick only. Louis can immediately see the surprise on Harry's face. 

"Um." Harry's speechless. Score one for Louis.

Louis then catches movement over Harry's shoulder, and sees Nick walking over to them, hair as obnoxious as ever. He then looks back to Harry. "I'll talk to you later then, bud." He puts extra emphasis on the word just to be a shit. 

"Y-yeah. Talk to you later."

Louis gives Nick a tiny nod as Nick gets closer, and Nick smiles at him and waves -- and gross, Louis really wants to barf but he's got to be nice to him because Harry -- and Louis turns promptly on his heel and walks away. 

And it feels good, this time, that it's Louis doing the walking away, and that Harry's the one stuck behind, watching him go. 

****

"I don't want you to think badly of me."

"Are -- are you fucking joking? How could I ever think badly of you, Louis? When have I ever?"

Louis shrugs, examining his hands to avoid looking into Harry's eyes. 

"You know you can tell me anything, Lou. And you know that I won't ever judge you."