Strawberries & Cigarettes

Red Velvet

                                                                                        Song(s):

                                                                          "Fade" - Lewis Capaldi

Louis walked into living room and halted before the couch. Niall and Liam were lying on it; a big, assaulting tangle of limbs and drool. Their legs and arms were arranged in angles Louis hadn't known were even possible. They were both still wearing their clothes from the night before, now crumpled and stained.

Louis watched them for a few seconds, then let himself drop on top of them. Niall opened one eye and squinted up at him, holding up his hands to block the sunlight, and winced. Groaning, he dropped his head back again, hitting it on the wooden edge of the couch. "Ouch."

Liam now also groggily opened his eyes, grimacing. Niall tried shoving Louis off the couch but Louis held on tight, nearing his face to Niall's. "Morning, Neil. How do you feel?"

"I feel that you're an evil gremlin and like I'm about fifty percent dead or a hammer is smashing my skull."

Louis slightly pulled away again. "Thought so."

Niall threw an arm over his eyes. "How are you so cheery and awake? You were as drunk as we were."

"Well, about that," Louis said, pulling Niall's arm away from his face again, forcing him to look at him. Niall did so reluctantly. "I guess grave, grave mistakes make one sober up a bit."

Niall narrowed his eyes. "What'd you do, Tommo?"

Liam sat up a bit. This was probably the first time Louis saw his hair not perfectly styled and his shirt not perfectly ironed. It felt extremely refreshing.

Niall squinted up at Louis. "That bad, huh? You look like you were caught stealing stuffed animals from an orphanage." Niall folded his arms and waited. "Spill."

Louis squirmed a bit. "I don't know why I still tell you guys things." Liam and Niall merely raised their brows in unison, watching him impatiently. He sighed. "Fine. So-" He pinched his face, biting his lip. "I kind of... slept with Harry?"

In one second, Liam and Niall rearranged their limbs and sat up as if electrocuted. "What?" Liam demanded.

"Tommooo," Niall called and shoved Louis' shoulder. Louis rolled dramatically off the couch and onto the floor, where he landed facedown. "Why'd you do it? I thought you didn't even like him!"

"Well, I don't," Louis mumbled into the floor. "He's confusing and annoying, but you can't deny that he looks way too good. Have you seen those arms? Besides, I was drunk as fuck. I don't even remember that much of it."

Niall and Liam exchanged a look. "Was it good?" Liam asked.

"I told you, I don't remember."

"But you have to remember something."

"Well, I think we went for round two, so it couldn't have been that bad." Louis avoided looking in their eyes, and instead kept his face squished against the carpet. "He even slept here."

"Here?!" Liam burst out. "You mean, he slept here? In your bed?"

"Yeah, I think so. At least he was here this morning. And we sort of... talked."

"Oh oh," Niall said and gave Louis an accusing look. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing!" said Louis defensively. Niall raised his brows and Louis sighed, throwing up his hands. "Okay, fine. I may have been a little impolite."