Alleviate // H.S

XV

I got the fairy lights.

It's the next day and after waking up to say goodbye to my dad before he left for another two weeks at work, I rushed to the shopping centre with the sole purpose to buy fairy lights. Although Harry couldn't reiterate his opposition to hanging up fairy lights enough, I decided to be a little bugger and go ahead with buying some anyway.

To say that he was annoyed is an understatement, because as soon as I walked through his door with something else along with breakfast, he nearly banged his head through the wall - not literally, but his expression was unimpressed to the point that he probably considered it. He's the kind of person to fume anger in silence, so I wasn't surprised when he gave me the silent treatment throughout the entire morning. He didn't even speak up in objection when I started setting up the fairy lights, and I couldn't stop chuckling to myself at his childishness.

Now, I stand here in the middle of his unit, admiring the work I'd done. The pretty white lights are set up so that they run along the corners of the roof and across the ceiling; dangling majestically. I think that the white lights are a nice addition, they're very subtle and don't overbear the general ambience of his laid back home.

Due to Harry's stubbornness, the lights took the whole morning for me to set up, as he wordlessly refused to help by distracting himself with unpacking all of the boxes. He hasn't even looked up from his book shelf to observe the masterpiece that is the fairy lights, too distracted with neurotically organising his collection of literature.

"Come on Harry, just give it a peak. They're so pretty," I've been trying to talk to Harry for the past ten minutes, but his ability to hold a grudge is impressive.

He continues to organise through his novels, moving onto the collection of paperbacks. I huff, deciding that I'm just gonna have to resort to discharging any natural and artificial lighting, other than the fairy lights, from the room. I haphazardly hop around the boxes to make my way up the loft, shutting the musty curtain that I plan to replace today. After hopping down from the loft, I glance over to see Harry still rummaging through his boxes and books, like I didn't just make a commotion to shut the curtains.

That is, until I switch the ceiling light off to emit a dim glow of white lights into the room. I grin, knowing that Harry will not be able to see his books efficiently, which will force him to look. Surely.

"Oh for fu-" he begins, but I hush him of his cussing habits.

"Shh, don't object, just look." I grin in excitement. I hear Harry sigh, standing as his back still faces me. From my stance, it looks like his tall frame would be glancing right at the lights displayed around the room. To my dismay, it was all to no avail as he turns towards me with his eyes shut, a smirk slowly forming on his lips.

"Harry Edward, please just open your eyes," I huff, starting to get annoyed myself.

"Heyy, it's not my fault that you put them up at your own accord. I don't have to look." He even has the audacity to chuckle at the end of his sentence.

"Fine, I'll take them down..." I walk towards the ladder that I'd just finished packing up.

"Nah, it looks nice, you were right."

At that, my head snaps in his direction to see him casually gazing at the fairy lights littered above our heads. I confusedly open my mouth to talk, but nothing comes out as I don't know what to say. I don't need to though, when Harry's eyes lock with mine.

"I watched you set up those lights for three bloody hours, I already knew what it looked like," he chuckles a little bit, "you were too concentrated to realise that I was watching for the entire time."

My jaw drops. Not in surprise but in disbelief. I struggled that whole time and he just sat there and watched, and now I'm very close to giving this kid a hiding.

"So... you just sat there and watched as I struggled?"

"Well-" his lip tips up in a small, very minuscule smile, "you looked very determined, and it was something very cute to watch... so that's what I did; watch."

My eyes narrow at him, turning into slits as I try to set fire to his curly hair with my eyes. I still don't approve. This process would have been so much easier had he have helped.

"YOU were the one who wanted to put up the lights, not me. It's not my fault that I just happened to enjoy watching you do it-"

"Struggle. You happened to enjoy watching me struggle. Did you get some popcorn while you were at it?" I cross my arms, still trying to become a sorcerer, hoping to set his pretty curls alight.

"Aren't you glad that I liked the fairy lights in the end, sweet girl?" He slowly walks towards me, stopping just before my brooding body. "Hmm, your turn to hold the grudge huh?" He continues to talk, except his hands suddenly pinch at my sides.

And it's like an explosive of laughter was set off, because every part of my being was now being suffocated in laughter as Harry mercilessly tickles my sides.

"You gonna keep-" he chuckles along with me a little bit, "- holding a grudge?"

"N-no," I breath, trying to fend his hands off of me.

"Pardon?" He ruthlessly attacks me with tickles and my knees go weak. My legs nearly buckle under me as I continue to laugh, except Harry swiftly wraps his arm around me to prevent my fall, still using his other hand to run up and down my sides.

"No! I won't, I won't," I rush my words, in need of some air immediately.

"Cool," He states simply, halting his tickle attack instantly. He keeps his arm wrapped around me though, in case I might just fall anyway as I recompose myself.

And due to the close proximity, I notice a spot of something dark revealing itself from under Harry's sleeve.

"What the...?" I push away from Harry to inspect his arm, pushing up the material to reveal an artwork enforced by ink, on his arm.