Something in the World Today

8

He manages to last another two weeks, after that. It’s not even particularly difficult - they’re a really good two weeks, and Louis is happy with the direction things are going, professionally speaking. It’s maybe not exactly what he pictured himself doing, being in a boyband, when he was younger, but he also spent a lot of picturing what he’d be like as a velociraptor, so.

It’s not like it was last time - he doesn’t let his head get so crowded that he starts to go a little crazy. Instead, he catches himself thinking about how much better off the boys would be if he had have never even tried out for the X-Factor, after a particularly grueling performance, and grabs Harry nearly the second that they get offstage.

Getting him alone doesn’t take much effort. Their crew is bustling around them, breaking down their equipment, and the boys are all heading off to do their respective coming down off an adrenaline high thing.

One of the first things that Louis does whenever they get to a new venue is to drag Liam away from whatever he’d been doing and scope the place out, usually in search of places they can wreak havoc without being spotted by fans. They did it again with this venue, so Louis knows exactly where he’s going as he drags Harry down one corridor, and then three more, turning corners confidently.

Harry will probably remember how to get back even if Louis doesn’t. He has a good sense of direction, that one. It’s why Louis keeps him around.

That and the fact that Louis is about to ask him to do something that he can’t ask anyone else for.

They turn one last corner and reach a little lounge, just the tiniest bit dusty from disuse. It seems like it hasn’t been used for a while, which is good for Louis’ purposes.

Harry sinks down onto one of the couches easily when Louis pushes at his shoulder, looking up with this little half smile on his face. “What’s going on?”

“You remember how I said that I was going to ask if things started getting bad?” Louis says, and then doesn’t finish the thought.

Something about Harry’s face changes instantly. Louis can’t quite put his finger on what it is, and it’s subtle, but it’s obvious enough that Louis relaxes, just the tiniest bit. “I remember that, yeah.”

He tugs at Louis’ wrists, gently enough that it doesn’t hurt but sharp enough to know that he proper means it. Part of Louis wants to resist, just to see what he would do, but mostly he wants to be in Harry’s lap, so he goes with it. It would probably look strange to anyone passing by, and it would definitely fuel the rumours about them, but there’s a reason that Louis picked this particular spot.

“I’m so proud of you,” Harry says, pulling him in until they’re flush together. “You’re so good, coming to me before it got any worse. I knew you could do it.”

The words are a little weird. Louis isn’t sure that he likes them, but there’s no denying the warmth in his chest. Maybe he just has to get used to it.

“I didn’t want to,” Louis says quietly. He could have kept it to himself, but he’s pretty sure that Harry would know, regardless.

“Yeah, sweetheart, and that’s why it’s so amazing that you did,” Harry says. “How bad is it?”

Louis takes a second to think about it. “It’s not so bad that I wouldn’t be able to last another few days,” he says.

“So if I told you to keep quiet and just lie here in my lap that would be enough?” Harry asks.

Louis sucks on his lower lip while he considers it. He’s not really sure that they’ve done this enough for him to be able to tell what he needs. He’s not really sure that they’ll ever have done this enough for him to be able to tell what he needs. “Maybe.”