almost // l.s

twenty five

the restaurant was, possibly, the most extravagant building harry had ever seen. if the outside was impressive, the interior was practically mind-blowing. louis gushed over harry's hair as they entered, but the younger boy was more focused on the wonderful decor strung up on the windows, doorways and ceiling. 

they made their way up to reception, hands intertwined, and asked to be seated. the waitress gladly escorted the two boys to their assigned table, but not before she's complimented them on how wonderful they looked together. louis thanked her and reciprocated her niceties, whilst harry blushed and hid behind his significantly shorter boyfriend. 

they found their places and, trying to be as classy as they could, perched upon two chairs.

"i have a surprise for tonight," louis said, smiling slightly.

"yeah?"

"yeah."

"can i have a clue," harry fluttered his eyelashes prettily.

the older boy rolled his blue eyes, "no. then it's not a surprise."

harry frowned, "i still won't know what it is!"

"i'm not giving you a clue," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"fine," the curly lad huffed, "why this place anyway?"

louis looked at the ceiling in thought before shrugging, "i looked into it because i thought the logo was cool." harry laughed. "then i saw that it had a really great menu and reviews- knew i had to take it up a notch with an upset harry."

"a deer with a heart between its antlers?" he pondered, "any reason it struck your fancy?"

he shrugged again, "it's elegant- like you- and i was wondering..." he cut himself off.

"yes," harry urged.

"never mind, it was a dumb idea anyway."

harry scoffed as a waiter brought some water to the table, "now you have to tell me, louis."

"i just wondered if it would be a thought for a... for a tattoo?" it was more of a question than a statement and harry's heart ran wild.

"you're telling me louis tomlinson wants a tattoo?" he shrieked, probably a wee bit loud for such an intimate area.

the man chuckled, "i mean, if you're up for it of course, we could get something matching."

harry widened his eyes, a huge beam scrambling onto his face, "yes! is that the surprise?"

louis smirked, "not entirely."

"please tell me," he begged.

"after the food."

-

harry ate as quickly as he possibly could, desperate to find out what louis' huge secret would be. when the older boy was done, he began fishing in his pocket.

"lost something there, lou?" harry teased lightly.

louis shot him a playful glare, obviously finding what he was looking for, and turned to fully face his partner.

"harry edward styles," he said, "i have been a total ass to you these past few weeks. however, i want you to truly believe that i do still love you, just as much as i did before. to prove this, i'd like you to accept this promise ring," he pulled out a small, silver ring, "as a token of our love."

harry was in tears. literal tears, flowing freely down his face. louis grinned and leaned over to wipe one away.

"oh my god," the younger one whispered, "yes, lou. yes yes yes, i love you so much!" the words were garbled and it all came out too fast, but louis was slipping the ring onto harry's finger and the world became a blur. it was just the two of them, together, in a little bubble of their endless love.

to think that 24 hours ago they weren't speaking would be insane.

-

"this is gonna hurt real bad," louis said.

the two were laying on their backs, on small tables about a metre from one another, in a room they'd never seen before. there was a heavily inked man with what looked like a lethal weapon, standing in the corner. he was getting everything ready for the two lads.

why they agreed to get matching tattoos? neither knew, in that moment. they were petrified as anything, harry chewing on his lower lip, while louis squeezed his eyes tight.

"yeah," the younger boy agreed.

"yours isn't even that big," louis said half-heartedly, "mine takes up, like, half my arm."

harry giggled, "how did i get away with just the words '17BLACK?'"

"dunno," was the only reply he got before the man was interrupting their conversation to begin the session.

harry watched as louis' stag was inked into his right arm. it was a fascinating thing to watch. one second the skin was bare, the next it was covered in beautifully crafted lines and images. he was mesmerised, gazing at his boyfriend with wonder. harry kind of wished he was getting more than one tattoo that day.

when the stag and heart was done, louis grimaced in pain.

"all finished!" the artist exclaimed, clearly proud of his hard work, "look alright?"

louis sat up and turned to the large wall mirror. first it was shock that crossed his face, then happiness, "it looks incredible, thanks mate!"

"that's okay," he chuffed, "it was a sick design to begin with."

then it was harry's turn. his tummy churned with nerves as the gun buzzed into action... there was about to be something permanently on his skin... forever.

"why 17BLACK?" the man asked, curious.

harry smiled, "it's a restaurant, we exchanged promise rings there."

the artist gasped and looked between the boys, "that's so sweet!" he enthused, "and these are your first tats?"

"y- yeah," harry said cautiously as a spark of pain shot through his body. talking helped, it took his mind off the discomfort.

"sorry about that," he murmured, getting up close with his work as to avoid hurting harry any more.

soon enough, both pieces were finished- louis with, nearly, a dead arm, and harry sporting a rather large red patch on his chest. despite this, both tattoos looked marvellous and both boys knew this was the beginning of an addiction. they thanked their tattooist profusely before exiting the building.

"now we can't ever leave each other," harry joked. however, the phrase held no false meaning.

"wasn't planning on it, darling."

harry blushed deeply, whipping a hand through his dark curls, "do you think we'll ever break up?" he pondered, genuinely intrigued.

"i doubt it," louis replied honestly, "we've been through too much."

harry felt safe.

♡♡♡

this was cute.

thank you for reading. vote and comment. treat people with kindness.

alyssa xx :)