Over and Over (Larry)

1926 A.D.

Harry stuffs his hands into his pockets as he walks down the streets of Boston. Music pours out of various bars and clubs, but Harry knows his kind isn't welcomed into any of them. It's not that anyone knows that Harry's queer, though. He's just not sure he can keep up the heterosexual front if he has any alcohol in him. 

So, he spends most of his free time in libraries. He prefers reading than getting drunk anyway. Books are the only place that Harry can go where he feels like he can be one hundred percent himself. There's something about being transported to a whole new world that Harry finds appealing. 

Harry hungrily devours the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, his leg bouncing underneath the table. His eyes scan the page quickly, his brain processing the words without thought. If he stops and allows the words to wash over him, he'll be able to picture the scenes in his head, but he can't stop. 

"Excuse me," A voice says. The mood is broken. A voice has destroyed the perfect world that Harry had created in his head. He looks over his book and frowns as he sees a stranger sitting across from him. 

The boy has tanned skin that shines bright and blue eyes that sparkle. Harry's sure he's never seen eyes so blue before in his life. There's a hint of something in the boy's eyes that Harry can't quite put his finger on. His face is clear and smooth, something Harry struggles with. It takes everything in Harry not to reach out and stroke the boy's cheek. 

"Excuse me, hello," The boy mumbles.

Harry snaps out of his thoughts and closes the book. The boy shifts in his seat, glancing behind him quickly. Harry's eyes follow his, leading back to a group of boys in the corner. Harry knows them well, actually, most people know those boys well. How could they not? Everyone in Boston should know the starting baseball players for Harvard. His eyes cut back to the boy in front of him. Harry doesn't recognize him, so he must be new to the team. 

"Uh, yes? I mean... what can I do for you," Harry questions. He forces himself to sit a little straighter and appear more masculine. It's bad enough that he was caught reading. Harry's dad always got on Harry for not being interested in sports. He hates it nearly as much as his father, finding that his lack of athletic ability became the laughing stock of his high school. 

A shiny, red apple sits between the two of them. The boy glances from Harry to the apple and gestures for Harry to have it. Cautiously, Harry continues to allow it to sit there. There's no way that Harry will take anything from the boy before finding out what his motives are. It wouldn't be a first for someone to play a trick on Harry. 

"My uh... friends over there dared me to come over and say something quite... vulgar to you. I don't... want to say it, so do me a favor and pretend I did," He explains. Harry's eyes glance over to the baseball players and then back to the boy in front of him. 

"I've pretty much heard it all, so you might as well say whatever it is you need to say," Harry sighs. Through his years of schooling, he's heard about every word in the book. Whatever this boy was meant to say Harry's sure he's heard it. There's no use making a big deal out of something so small as a word. 

"No, I don't... want to say it. I'm Louis by the way, Louis Tomlinson," He explains. Louis. A French name meaning 'warrior'. It fits the boy well. Harry wonders if Louis is pranking him in any way. He's been suspiciously nice, especially for someone of his athletic stature. 

"I'm Harry Styles, but if you sit here any longer then someone might think that we're friends," Harry sighs. Louis' friends seem to be growing impatient, waiting for Louis to say whatever it is they wanted him to say. 

"That's quite alright, the last minute or so has been far more entertaining than those fools have been in the last few days," Louis explains. Harry can't help but blush at Louis' words. Nobody has ever found Harry entertaining before. He hasn't been able to make any reliable friends in years, he hopes that changes with Louis.