where your heart is

tres

Tw: mild panic attack

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Still i'm pinned under the weight,

of what i believed would keep me safe

Show me where my armour ends,

show me where my skin begins

- Sleeping At Last, Pluto

Louis sits in class, gritting his teeth. Waiting for Boyle to start the lesson and give them their new assignment is pretty difficult when he's still not over how the last one went down. Why? Because Sam and Pam got a better grade than them, that's why. He's been fuming over it ever since. Apparently, Boyle thought that she could literally feel the hatred between the two.

What a joke. Couldn't she feel the hatred in Louis' haiku?

Seriously.

And as if this situation possibly couldn't get any more embarrassing, Sam has shown little humility in her win the last few days-- singing gloating songs during breakfast, dancing in front of Louis in the kitchen during lunch, humming the same tune in the shower.

Trust Louis to get stuck with someone so...annoying. And easily piss-offable.

Truth be told, he doesn't even know why Sam's mad at him in the first place. She opened the door for him to criticize her work, who's to blame him for taking it? If she didn't want criticism, she should never have hung the damned thing up for everyone to see. Louis isn't exactly covering the walls and ceiling in his work, is he? Louis isn't exactly being stubborn about all of this, is he?

Boyle walks in, and automatically begins talking about their next task. Beside Louis, Harry is bopping his knee up and down, and it's making Louis want to punch him.

More than usual.

"The best fortune cookies sayings have power." Boyle says, almost to justify her planning. Everyone laughs, including Harry, who lets out a full-body snort. Louis glares at him.

"Laugh all you want." Boyle says, unbothered. "They do. They have the potential to make you laugh, cry, think deeply or reevaluate everything depending on what's happening in your life the moment you open them. They can carry wisdom, silliness, even creepiness sometimes. People are actually paid to come up with fortune cookie sayings. Three billion cookies are produced per year around the world and as any other tradition it's surrounded by superstition."

Her words are accompanied with a heavy sense of dramatism. "One must read the saying before eating the cookie. You must read it aloud, preferably, and eat it with your eyes closed even for it to come true. Your next assignment, ladies and gentlemen, is to write a fortune cookie saying."

Stupid but easy enough.

"Okay. So Chinese food tonight, then." Louis asks, biting his tongue enough to approach Harry at the end of the class.

"I guess." Harry seems distracted. People pat him on the back on their way out, and he answers Louis while smiling at each and every one of them. "But I had plans, so can we maybe Google it?"

He's not kidding.

"Goo-?? Oh my god, no." Louis is affronted.

"I didn't know you were so keen on taking me out on a date, Louis." Harry retorts, cheekily. A huge dimple opens up on one side of his face.

Louis squeals and only just stops himself from cramming his face in his palms.

"Gotta say you're sending me mixed signals, and I'm pretty good at reading people." Harry pushes, enjoying making Louis uncomfortable way too much.