Play Pretend, Find a Friend? (Larry Stylinson)

5

V.

"Do you want me to walk you out?"

"I think I'll be okay. You can pretend to be in a sex-induced coma. Thanks again, by the way. For doing this."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Stop thanking me. I told you I'm doing this because I want to piss off Landon too." He reached out and messed up Louis' hair with both hands before patting and pinching at his cheeks too to bring color to them. "Lick your lips," he ordered. "Bite them."

Louis narrowed his eyes but did as he was told, watching Harry watch his mouth. "Is that good?"

"I dunno, it still doesn't-" Harry cut himself off. Louis just stared at him, especially when Harry fit his palm along the curve of his jaw. He was completely unprepared when Harry gave him a calculating onceover and then dipped in to kiss him—hard.

"Ow, fuck, that actually hurt," Louis said as soon as Harry let him go. He was more surprised than anything and very carefully avoiding the heady pleasure in his belly, somersaults and the butterflies and the way it felt like someone had swirled his insides with a fork. His lips felt swollen and bitten, red from the aggressive, unexpected kiss.

Harry didn't even apologize for it. "There, that's better."

"If you say so." Louis was skeptical. And dizzy. And trying not to do something stupid like fall over or let his knees buckle. Forget the touch barrier—they had already broken the kiss barrier. That was the second time tonight, although the first time was more chaste than anything.

Apparently they weren't going to mention what literally just happened. He was fine with that. He was a man of stifling his emotions, anyway. Although, the swirling in his belly was still there, insistent, especially with the way all of Harry's attention was focused on him. His heart was beating faster than usual, fluttering in his chest, as if to say, that felt good. Can we do that again?

No, heart, we cannot, Louis thought obstinately. If not a bit deliriously.

"Okay, time to go," Louis declared, grabbing his discarded clothes and wadding them into a ball. He checked around the room for the rest of his belongings to make sure he wasn't leaving anything behind. He patted Harry on the chest as he made for the door. "See you sometime, I dunno."

"Don't get lost."

"I'll try not to."

He closed the door behind him and wandered down the hall, trying to feel confident rather than awkward. He wasn't sure how to face anyone downstairs, and this was actually kind of really embarrassing now that he thought about it, because everyone thought they knew what'd he just been up to, and what they thought they knew made him blush. Louis was all for sexual liberation, but he was still shy, and he liked to keep personal matters private. Sleeping with his hypothetical boyfriend was something he hypothetically preferred to keep private.

He wandered down the three flights of stairs without running into anyone, which was nice. There were a lot of voices coming from the living room, though, and he would have to pass through there to get to the front door. He sighed, and ironed his face to an aloof expression before entering.

The conversations quieted down but no one said anything directly to him. Likewise, Louis made no move to interact. He traversed the room with his head up, gaze fixed on his destination.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the unmistakable figure of Landon lounging on the couch, tense and moody as always, and Louis suppressed his smirk until he stepped outside and the front door slammed shut behind him.

He laughed to himself as he hopped on his skateboard, which he'd grabbed on his way out after somewhat awkwardly donning his shoes. He kicked off and then he was sailing through the night. Not even the freezing wind nor the steep uphill could dull his mood as he made his way home.

Louis took a deep breath and inhaled the earthy smell of autumn leaves, dewy grass, and Harry's cologne clinging to the shirt. He released it all on an exhale, and the world swirled around him in blurred madness. The electric hum of the night vibrated under his skin as he ricocheted through the dark.