Strawberries & Cigarettes

Christmas Lights and Birthday Candles

                                                                               Song(s):

                                                          "All that I want" - The Weepies

"Happy birthday, Lou!" Calvin called behind him, but Louis was already through the pub door and then up the stairs to his apartment, breathing ragged from the unexpected exercise. Fuck, those cigarettes really did mess with your lungs, didn't they? Whatever. Who needed lungs anyway when there was news like this to be spread?

"Neil!" he yelled as he stormed into the flat.

"What?" Niall answered from behind the door Louis had flung open in his face.

"Oh, sorry," Louis said with a grin which could be seen as very unapologetic.

Niall rubbed his nose and glared at him. "Birthday or not, I'm about to fuckin' hit you."

"Hit me all you want, it won't dampen my mood."

Liam stormed from his room into the corridor, alarmed by the noise. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Yes," Niall snapped. Then, turning back to Louis, "I've never seen you so excited about a birthday before. Least of all yours. Weren't you the one who was in such a bad mood this morning about being so old?"

"Twenty-four is very fucking old," Louis muttered. "But all of that doesn't matter, because I just received the best birthday gift of all time."

"What? Better than the inflatable trampoline I gave you this morning?" Liam said, appalled.

"And better than my crazy sock collection?" Niall added. "There were ten pairs! I even gave you Rainbow socks, Lou. Rainbow socks. If you don't want them, I'll take 'em back."

"No, your presents were great," Louis replied, the crazy grin back on his face. "But I just heard that the Rogue are playing at a club in close proximity in a few weeks. Calvin told me. The Rogue, guys. The fucking Rogue. THE ROGUE."

"The what?" Liam asked, at the same time as Niall let out an inhumane groan and knocked his forehead against the door.

"Don't tell me you don't know about the Rogue," Louis said to Liam incredulously.

"Of course he doesn't know about the fuckin' Rogue," Niall chimed in. "Why would he? No one knows about the Rogue and for a damn good reason. They suck. They are, to be frank, one of the worst bands of all time."

Louis pointed an accusing finger at Niall. "Don't say another word against them. Don't. you. Dare."

Niall raised his palms. "You know how I feel about them."

Louis smiled wickedly. "But you'll still go with me, won't you? And you too, Liam."

Niall's pained expression softened a bit. "Of course I'll go with you. Because, then, my dear friend, you will forever be in my debt."

"Sure, I'll go check them out with you," Liam said with a shrug. "You could play me some of their stuff later."

"Am I smelling a Rogue Christmas party?" Louis grinned. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Niall pretended to stab himself and then dropped to the floor, tongue hanging out of his mouth. "But you don't just 'check them out'. You feel them," Louis corrected Liam, grooving around the corridor like a swaying alga. He stepped over the mock-dead body on the floor, humming a song by the Rogue.