Hold me close {{Larry one-shots and drabbles}}[ON HOLD]

I'll paint the blue in your eyes

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The first time Harry asks Louis if he could model for him he gets a deeply suspicious look thrown his way. Harry doesn’t mind that really, Louis looked  really pretty ( Louis still does look pretty every single day, Harry reminds him) that day- dressed in a jumper and his rolled up jeans with his glasses perched up on his head.

It’s also the time Harry decides that Louis has the prettiest eyes he’s ever seen and he had to paint them.

He tries again, twice, thrice and every time Louis flat out refuses him before walking away. Harry doesn’t mind that either, watching Louis sway his hips slightly as he walked away.

Harry discovers Louis is friends with Zayn from his art class and he thanks every God he knows for the little scrap of hope he’s got. He asks Zayn about it and Zayn doesn’t bat an eyelid before he’s agreeing to talk to Louis. He isn’t an idiot to not see the way Harry’s smiling wide as he asks about Louis.

He isn’t an idiot either to not see the way Louis’s face lights up every time when he complains about Harry “practically stalking him now.”

--- --- ---

Zayn lands up at Harry’s dorm the week after that.

With Louis.

Harry almost has a heart attack when he sees those familiar, those lovely blue eyes peer at him from behind the thick glasses. Louis hasn’t entirely warmed up to the idea of Harry drawing him but he does agree.

“I’m not stripping,” he states categorically, his face defiant as if waiting for Harry to challenge that. He is somewhat taken aback by Harry’s immediate agreement and Harry tries to not think about Louis stripping.

It’s a hard task, but Harry somehow manages not to and he’s proud of himself.

Louis meets him the next day after classes, and he steps in cautiously, his eyes darting around the messy dorm. Harry takes the opportunity to drink in Louis’s features. The way his hair looks feather light and just as soft (Harry wants to run his hand through it), the way his defined jawline with the light stubble makes him look older than he is, but it’s offset by the wide eyed curiosity etched on his face.

Harry makes him sit by the window and after another suspicious look thrown his way when Harry asks him to wear a flower crown; they are ready to start working.

Harry, for the first time isn’t interested in drawing. He’s finding it extremely difficult to focus on the paper when Louis is in front of him with a flower crown perched atop his head nevertheless.

Three hours later, three excruciating hours later, Harry’s done with his sketch and it’s pretty amazing if he’d say so himself. It’s done in charcoal with the just the flower crown and Louis’s blue eyes coloured in.

“Can I see it?” Louis asks tentatively and Harry practically melts at that. He nods before standing up to pass on the sketch to Louis.

“Oh wow, wow, wow,” Louis says, his face lighting up and Harry feels like taking a picture just so that he wouldn’t forget this moment- the way Louis is just so amazed by his work, his earlier frostiness disappearing like magic.

“You’re freakishly talented,” Louis looks towards Harry, his lips pulled up into a smile and Harry is aware of  just how beautiful Louis is.

“Um, thanks,” Harry mutters sheepishly, face flaming red. Normally he would have a comeback for that compliment but with Louis right now he is blissfully blank.

And blushing furiously.

And nothing is said when Louis still has the flower crown on his head when he leaves.

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Harry asks Louis if he would mind modelling again. He’s prepared for the flat refusal not the shy “Yes” he gets instead.

Harry just about then realizes maybe he’s fallen just a little bit harder than he thought.

Louis potters around his dorm this time, lifting up stray sheets of paper, keeping up a constant stream of chatter. Harry finds himself falling into an easy conversation with Louis, feeling a sense of ease around the blue-eye boy he hasn’t felt till now.

The second time is better than the first- Louis and Harry are joking around too much for Harry to actually draw something. Louis draws a stick figure with ‘Louis’ messily scrawled on top of it. Harry tucks the drawing into his journal for safekeeping after Louis leaves.

(He’s acting like a schoolgirl with a crush, and he doesn’t even care)

Soon Louis hangs out with Harry long after he’s done with his sketches. It’s something that happened almost naturally and neither of them questions it.

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They kiss for the first time at the rundown park near the University.

They spent a weekend with Harry trying to teach Louis how to paint. They end up on the floor, covered in streaks of colour hands roaming across greedily across each other’s bodies.

Harry asks Louis to move in on Louis’s birthday. Louis just shrugs, “Thought you’d never ask.” And that’s that- they find a tiny apartment which looks almost like an attic. Its home soon enough with easels, paints, clothes and books scattered around as they cuddle in the bed with a lumpy mattress, watching the snow fall gently.

Louis gets into theatre after Uni - it’s not much but he loves it and Harry is at every play of his.

Harry doesn’t know anything except to paint and that’s all he does.  But he does manage to get a job in a nearby school as an art teacher (they celebrated that with takeout and Louis showing Harry just how good a canvas his body could be).

They get married three years later in an intimate ceremony and Harry bawls like a baby when Louis says his vows. They spend a week in LA, and Harry isn’t able to sit properly for the entire time (Louis just smirks knowingly every time he sees Harry wince).

Harry still draws Louis, every chance he gets, and it still feels like the first time.

Every time.