How to be a bad boy || larry

Step five

Step five: Pull a prank.

Harry goes over to Louis' house with sweaty palms and a pale face. He's so nervous and he keeps wiping his hands on his jeans, but Louis doesn't seem to notice from the drivers side.

"I know I said no steps tonight, but I'm mentioning the fifth one. You'll have to figure it out on your own and I'll try and back you up on it," Louis starts. Harry looks over at him and his eyes hold the questions his voice is too shy to ask.

"Step five: pull a prank. Get your name out there," Louis tells him. Harry shifts in his seat and looks at the boy, looking for guidance.

"What do I do?" Harry asks and Louis chuckles and shrugs.

"You need to figure that out. We're here. Don't be scared, but I have four sisters," Louis tells him as he gets out of his mothers car and starts to walk up the driveway. Harry follows behind him, his backpack sliding off his shoulder.

Louis opens his door and a girl comes running from down the hall and grins at him. She's no older than seven and soon a girl just like her is bumping into her.

"Who's that?" the girl asks, pointing at Harry. Harry just looks down and Louis smiles.

"He's Harry," Louis tells her. She looks at Harry and then back to Louis.

"Your boyfriend?" she asks and Louis laughs loudly and shakes his head. Harry's face is burning and it gets worse the more Louis laughs.

"No, he's my friend. Go play," Louis tells them. They both just shrug and turn around to run away. Harry tries to make the color leave his face and Louis just faces him with an easy smile.

"Sorry. Lets go to my room," Louis says. Harry follows after him and they get to his room without interruption.

Louis' room is basic. Posters on the walls, soccer ball on the floor along with his clothes, chargers and cables in all the outlets and his bed unmade.

"Sorry about the mess. I always forget to clean," Louis says. He doesn't sound sorry at all and Harry just moves to sit gingerly on his bed.

"Movies?" Louis suggests.

They end up spending the evening in Louis' bed watching anything and everything. Harry blushes when he feels Louis wrap an arm around him under the blanket they're under and he tries to not focus on it. Friends can do that. Hell, he's seen Louis with his arm around Liam's waist during school. It's absolutely nothing and Harry needs to calm down.

"Lou? Mom got pizza," someone calls through his door. Louis removes his arm and Harry ignores how cold he feels and smiles happily because they have pizza.

"Coming!" Louis calls. He moves his laptop, slipping out of the bed to stretch. Harry does the same and then Louis just flashes him a toothy grin.

"Time to meet the fam."

•••

Harry's been thinking a lot about his prank and he's really not one to pull pranks. He's not original or sneaky. He's not clever or witty. He's just Harry and Harry really loves bonfires.

So, that Thursday morning Harry makes a bonfire. He makes it in the back field in a little patch he created and he has stones around the area. It's so close to the school that people can probably see it from the building and smell the wood burning. The fire crackles as it rises into the cool October air and Harry watches it with a smile. It's 11:23 and he texts Louis.

To Louis: bring your friends to the back field. I have my "prank"

He just leans back after that and the marshmallows he brought crinkle in the bag as he watches the fire burn. Louis never replies, but soon the boy is jogging over, his eyes wide.

"Harry Styles, what the hell?!" Louis shouts, but his smile is so wide and he's laughing. Harry just flashes him a grin and lifts up the bag of marshmallows.

"I love fall fires, don't you?" he asks innocently. Louis' friends trail behind him and they're all just staring at the contained fire with wonder.

"I do," Louis agrees. He sits down next to Harry and greedily opens the bag, popping a marshmallow in his mouth.

"Marshmallows! Can I have one?" Niall asks. Harry just tosses him the bag and Niall pulls out two and eats them. Zayn sneaks up behind him and grabs one.

"Do you have sticks?" Liam asks and Harry nods and gives him one from the bunch beside him.

More people file out and come over to look at the fire. The jokers all laugh and sit around it while the nerds give the fire weary looks. The jocks look impressed and the art kids seem amused. It's all so wonderful and no one is complaining. They're all just sitting around the burning wood in the school yard.

"What is this?!" their principle shrieks. Harry looks over at him, his eyes wide and Louis places a small hand on Harry's knee.

"Who did this? Put it out," he demands. There's people groaning all over and Harry watches as everyone gets up to leave.

"Can't we keep it? It's not doing any harm," Harry speaks up. Everyone just watches him and the principle.

"And if the school catches on fire?" the principle asks in an annoyed tone and Harry shrugs. Step three: Act like you don't care.

"It'll burn," he replies in a bored tone and the principle is now scowling. More people start to agree with Harry about keeping the fire and the principle goes red and turns on his heel. Harry feels like he's won until he comes out with all the teachers.

"Everyone still around this fire and not in the gym in two minutes gets suspended," the principle yells. Everyone scrambles up and Louis pulls Harry to his feet. He grabs his hand and laughs as he runs with the crowd to the gym.

"You're in so much shit, Styles," Louis laughs, but Harry is more focused on their hands and he doesn't know why.