me, him, and the moon (larry au)

chapter two: louis

New moon. Crescent. First quarter.

Louis carefully slid the oak chest of drawers open and ran his fingers over the collection of dark, neatly folded shirts. He closed his eyes and felt the different fabrics against his fingertips, looking for one that was exceptionally soft. 

Waxing gibbous. Full moon. Waning gibbous. 

Repeating the moon cycle was Louis' favorite way to soothe himself. It helped him in times where he was frustrated, uncomfortable, or even trying to prevent himself from changing. Footsteps pounded up and down the stairs around him, accompanied by the occasional holler from one of the other residents of the old house. Music was playing inside Louis' locked room, but it still did not seem to be loud enough to drown out the noise.

Last quarter. Crescent. New moon. 

An especially loud bang sounded in the room directly above him. Louis instantaneously grabbed the black silk robe that was hanging from the foot of his large antique bed and rammed the power button to his stereo.  He flung his bedroom door open into the hallway. "What in the fucking hell is going on?" He entered onto the open landing, standing by the railing and looking upwards. "Did bloody elephants move upstairs?" 

A tall boy with dark hair rushed out and peeked over the ledge. He had a kind face and square jaw, hair coiffed and styled. He seemed chuffed, "Sorry, Lou. Zayn and I are just messing about."

"Are you sure you didn't drop a television on the floor or something, Liam?" Louis put his hand on his hip in frustration, looking more like an annoyed father than a peer mentor.

Zayn bounded up the two sets of stairs at an incredible speed. Louis noticed that the lad's hair had so much product in it that it hadn't moved once during the intense climb. He appeared behind Liam on the landing and quickly stole the denim jacket from his hand. "Ah, thanks, love. Been looking for a final piece to the outfit." He left into another room just as quickly as he'd appeared. 

"Bastard!" Liam yelled, still obviously shocked. 

"Can't the two of you just keep the noise down for a minute?" Louis cried, his words full of exasperation. "Tonight I was supposed to rest. I'm letting you go out so I can relax and that's a bit hard when it sounds like you're trying to break through to the second floor. Yes?"

"I can't wait until I'm the one who gets to run things around here," Liam rolled his eyes and retreated into his room, most likely to find and kill Zayn. 

Louis brushed off Liam's words. He's just a kid. He'll understand one day. 

The noises did not completely stop then. An occasional scuffle could he heard above Louis' music, but he was far from caring. Louis laid back on his bed, catching up on work and drinking a fine glass of red wine. Someone had to pay the bills. 

Soon enough, Liam and Zayn had left for their night on the town. Louis didn't care much where they were as long as they were following the rules, which they knew a good deal about. Louis had been raised into this unique life as the leader of the pack, it was his job to look after the others. This also meant taking Liam under his wing as the new alpha.

The sound of the slamming door downstairs was music to Louis' ears. He hopped up and turned off the stereo, a significant spring in his step as he moved about the now quiet house. His feet padded down the creaky stairs in warm wool socks as he tightened his robe. A clean shaven blonde boy was in the kitchen with his back to the doorway as he entered. "Feeling peaceful?" Louis beamed. 

Niall whipped around from the counter where he was making a rather thick ham sandwich, "Never better, quite honestly."

Louis pulled out one of the old chairs from the kitchen table. All of the furniture in the house had been either been purchased at a cheap yard sale or picked up off of the curb. No one in the big house had very much money, but what they did make was put towards groceries and utilities. Louis' parents had paid for the house before they passed, trying to prepare him as much as possible for the unpredictable future that lay ahead. He traced his finger over a carving of a small eye on the table which had definitely been left by Victoria. "I'll have what you're having."

His comment had interrupted Niall from cutting his sandwich in half, to which he gaped at Louis and nearly dropped the knife. "You're bluffing."

"I wasn't bluffing when I pulled you off the street and nursed you bad to health, pal." 

His words sunk into Niall like teeth, he rolled his eyes. "Alright, you have a point." 

Louis never got sick of playing the alpha card. It made a difference when you didn't want to do small things like wash the dishes or pick up a gallon of milk. Although he did commonly enjoy abusing his position in power on silly things, he also liked to remain a neutral person throughout the house. Considering that the house's residents were all similar in age, it was very important to Louis that the pack was a close-knit community. They knew how to enjoy each other's company, but also how to take care of business. 

"Did the lads tell you where they were going?" Louis asked, crossing his legs. 

"Zayn mentioned a bonfire of some kind," Niall once again retrieved the materials for sandwich making. "He doesn't tell me much, Liam's the one attached to his hip."

"Ah, young love," Louis rested his chin in the palm of his hand.

"Do you reckon?"

"Time will tell."

Niall fixed Louis a nearly identical sandwich and sliced it into two triangles. He set the plates on the kitchen table where they leisurely ate together and gossiped about other members of the pack. They intertwined their feet at the ankles and occasionally kicked the other lightly.

Louis and Niall had been good friends for a few years, starting after Louis had discovered him abandoned in the woods one night. Niall had been attacked by an unknown wolf the night he was turned. They weren't the only pack in the area, so it was likely that Niall ran into some kind of young wolf who couldn't control themselves. Louis sat at his bedside during the healing process and tended to his every need. He noticed something different about the boy, like he'd known him in another life. They had been practically brothers ever since. 

Soon the plates were cleared and the sandwiches devoured. They were going over the schedule for the weekly pack meeting when Louis' phone started buzzing on the table beside him, Liam's face shone brightly on the screen. 

Louis was confused. Liam never would have called him unless it was a complete emergency. He answered quickly, "Liam?"

"Louis, please I need you to come meet me." The boy sounded upset and honestly a bit frightened. "I really fucked up, mate. I really messed this one up."

"Where are you?" Louis stood and gave Niall a nod of gratitude for making dinner. He made his way to his room where he could change into something inconspicuous.