Candy Cane Eyes; larry stylinson (boxer!harry) [completed]

3

It's well past midnight when the back door finally opens. Louis has been standing outside in the cold for almost an hour, Liam had left since he had to work the next day. Louis, abandoned in the back of the building, made a snowman. He props on the head as he hears the deafening creak of the metal door.

"Peppermint." Harry sounds shocked to see Louis. He also gets a face full of ass since Louis is bent over in the snow.

Louis jumps to his feet, almost killing his snowman but he manages to stand upright. He dusts his snowy gloves on his pants, his knees had wet patches from being in the snow. "Hi!" He sneezes.

"Mint," Harry says, he was wearing a hoodie and shorts with a gym bag swung over his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

Louis stares at him for a long time. Gaze travelling over Harry's chiselled face, down his broad frame to his lean legs and back up again. He wanted to paste Harry's image on the walls of his brain. "You're a boxer."

Harry doesn't blush under Louis' creepy stare. "You watched?" His voice was deep.

The blue-eyed man nods eagerly. "Yes!" He waddled up to Harry, his legs have gone numb with the unforgiving cold of winter. He pokes Harry's chest. "You beat up people for money." Louis clarifies, stepping closer when a gust of wind blows. "That shouldn't be as hot as it is."

Harry cracks a smile, shadows of the streetlights cast over his face. "You're so strange." He looks over Louis' head. "And you built a snowman at one in the morning."

"I waited for you." Louis gets even closer, he needs to tilt his head to see into Harry's eyes. They were bright green, even in the faint glow of the streetlights. "I know your name now."

"Do you?" Harry taunts, his face rid of any bruises. He did good tonight, barely got hit and held his title.

"You're Harry Styles."

"I am." Harry nods once. "You are creepy Christmas neighbour."

"No!" Louis pouts, "that isn't my name!"

"I know. Your name is Peppermint."

"No!" The blue-eyed man groans. It echoes down the empty street. "Louis is my name."

Harry looks amused. His lips quirked in a small smile and one dimple appearing, he tilts his head as hair falls over his eyes. "I like Peppermint."

It's December twenty-second, in the final days of Louis being twenty-four and his apartment was full of friends. He decorated everything, his kitchen light bulbs switched for red and green ones, the counter cluttered with tiny homemade gingerbread man cookies and other traditional Christmas food and desserts. His living room had a tall pine tree adorned with his favourite ornaments, like little candy canes and reindeer. Plenty of small Santa and elf figurines littered every table, and all of his guests were holding Christmas themed cups with a pun written on the side.

Louis had invited Harry the last time they kissed, which was yesterday and he hasn't seen the man since. Despite Louis lingering in the lobby of the building, Harry never showed. Louis was anxious that Harry wouldn't come. From what he could detect, Harry was far from festive. Always wore a plain look on his pretty face, towering over Louis with his intimidating height. Louis thinks Harry was more of a Halloween person than a Christmas man.

Of course, Louis was booming his Christmas playlist. Just as Wham!'s "Last Christmas" began, a knock on his door interrupted. Louis excuses himself from his friends and runs to the door, he swings it open and squeals loudly.

"You're so loud." Harry frowns, but there's no heat behind it. He stands at Louis' door with a tiny Santa hat clipped on his hair.

"I was scared you wouldn't come." Louis yanks him in with his arm, pausing to marvel at Harry's sweater. "You said you had no ugly sweaters!" Ugly would be an understatement. It was a gross shade of yellow with green trimming around the hem. Uneven snowflakes plastered on the sleeves, Louis adored the pure inconsistency. A large crooked embroidered deer with lopsided antlers took up most of the front. There was a three-dimensional nose, Louis pokes it.