Chapter Text
If Harry had to sit through another meeting with the construction crew for his new restaurant, he was going to lose it. He’d been through a whole day, from seven until five in the afternoon talking to people about problems he would love to be able to solve. His staff was great and they were doing their best, he knew that, but the built up frustration and stress were getting to him.
Harry ran his fingers through his hair, feeling all the weight from the day on his shoulders, and checked the screen on his phone. Seven new emails – which he wasn’t going to reply to, his day was officially over – and three new messages from Niall. Oh shit. He’d completely forgotten.
He’d promised Niall to join him in his weekly footie game. The man had been pestering him for weeks about it, claiming he needed to blow off some steam and meet new people. Maybe even have fun. Ignoring the texts he knew would consist only of Niall telling him to haul ass immediately, he gathered his stuff, shoved it all in his carrier bag and left the room he’d been renting downtown for the last few months.
Harry took the elevator down to the building’s garage and drove much closer to the speed limit than he normally did to the address Niall had texted him in the beginning of the week. It wasn’t far from his office building and he got there only five minutes late. Niall wouldn’t be too mad.
The place was an entertainment center with different courts and playing areas. He spotted a couple of tennis courts, a basketball one and then further in the back a patch of grass. He walked there and found about a dozen people scattered around, all in shorts and t-shirts. Harry thanked heavens he always had a change of gym clothes in his bag. He only hoped they were clean.
“You made it!” Niall greeted him and ran to him from across the field. He was already sweating a little from his warm up and Harry hugged him briefly, unable to hold back a smile at the enthusiastic greeting from his best friend.
“Yeah, sorry I’m late,” he apologized, looking down and scratching the back of his neck. “Where can I change?” he asked, glancing around at the people next to them. Niall talked a lot about some of the guys he played with, and while Harry didn’t think he needed more friends in his life, Niall was very careful in choosing his own. The list of Niall Horan’s acquaintances was quite impressive, though only very few of them truly belonged to his inner circle. Harry still liked meeting new people after all, so maybe this wasn’t going to be too bad.
“Changing rooms are over there,” he pointed to his left. “Both teams are already picked and you’re with me. We’re against Tommo today, better put those giraffe legs of yours to good use,” he joked as Harry walked away, giving him the finger. He could hear the blonde man cackling behind him.
Harry quickly changed into his workout clothes – clean shorts and an only-worn-once t-shirt – and walked back to the field. He took a hair tie from his wrist and tied his hair up in a quick, messy bun as he jogged over to the small field. He noticed the others were already in their positions, and his and Niall’s team had possession of the ball.
“Formal introductions later, those are the ones you should worry about,” Niall spoke close to his face, an arm around his shoulder. “The tall bloke with the green shirt is Mike, stay away from him if you want to leave this place without any bruises. The short red-haired one is the fastest, watch for him when you have the ball,” he explained as he pointed to each of the people he was referring to.
Harry nodded, trying to take in the new information. He felt a little overwhelmed, not remembering the last time he actually played with more than a couple of people, and even at his best he was still way below average. Well, all in good fun, he supposed.
“And the short, sassy one is Louis,” Niall continued, smirking and tilting his head.
The name rang a bell in Harry’s mind. Niall always talked fondly about Louis and his mate Liam, and they were honestly the only ones Harry cared to know about. He looked in the direction Niall was tilting his head to and saw a brown haired man, probably a couple of years younger than him, looking straight at him and Niall. He had piercing blue eyes that carried a trace of mischief, and Harry barely listened to the rest of Niall’s sentence, too entranced in his beauty. He was probably the most gorgeous man Harry had laid his eyes on.
“He’s the best around here,” Niall said, bringing Harry back to reality. “He’ll give you a run for your money, but he probably won’t be on you too much. He goes for the good ones,” he teased and clapped Harry on the shoulder.
“Heeey,” Harry frowned, finally looking at Niall again. The other man paid him no attention and rubbed his hand on Harry’s back. “Let’s go, mate.”
Before Harry knew it, the ball was rolling and he had to run to the other side of the field and try and make himself useful. He knew about player positioning – midfielder, center forward and all that – but he had no idea what he was doing, if he was honest with himself.
His lack of playing skills was noticeable not only to him, but to everyone else. He felt like he was running in circles, barely touching the ball. It didn’t help that he wasn’t always sure who was on his team and who wasn’t, all new faces to him. Except Louis, he knew who he was perfectly well.
Harry had to work on his cardio. He really, really needed to change his gym routine. He was huffing and puffing by the time he actually managed to get the ball on his feet and run around with it for a few seconds. It didn’t last long. The ball was swiftly taken from him and all he saw was a blur of brown hair and a sweaty back as Louis took the ball and started to run the other way with it.
Harry started to follow him, but stopped dead in his track as all his senses were filled and his hormones went into a wild rage as he smelled him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. An Omega. Louis was an Omega, and the smell was so strong Harry doubted he was on any kind of suppressants.
He opened his eyes and focused his vision again. Louis was further away now, and the smell was gone from Harry's senses - but not from his brain.
“Ball is that way, mate,” a middle aged man said, bumping into Harry and running in Louis' direction after the ball.
Harry had to literally shake his head to feel like himself again and continue playing. Louis wasn’t the first and only Omega he’d seen, although male Omegas were not as common as male Alphas. Still, this number was massively crushed by the number of Betas, both male and female. About ninety five per cent of the people in Harry's circle were Betas.
“Come on, man, put those sexy legs to good use,” Niall mocked him as he ran past him. The Irish man was not one to speak, face completely red and breathless. Harry let it slide and tried his best to help his team.
He didn’t know if he was consciously avoiding Louis, but he hadn’t gotten closer to the man since he got the ball from him, and was surprised when the ball accidentally ended up on his feet and all eyes were on him, Louis' included.
He saw the man running in his direction and turned around, avoiding contact with him. He knew he was close when all the hairs on his arms stood up. Louis took the ball from him and let out a breathless, humorless laugh, as if Harry were a child with no motor coordination whatsoever
“Watch for it, curly,” he said and off he was, but not before Harry caught a good glimpse of him. His fringe was sticking to his forehead and his light grey shirt was becoming darker on his back and under his arms from his sweat.
“Don’t do it,” he mumbled to himself, but his eyes followed the curve of Louis' bum anyway. Harry swallowed dry.
Of course his team lost. Louis hadn’t scored any goals himself, but he was by far the best player out of them.
“Not so bad, mate,” Niall said, sliding his arm around Harry's shoulder, guiding him to the benches around the field for some water.
Harry gulped down almost an entire bottle before he spoke, watching Louis talk to some of the guys still standing around the field. “Why didn’t you tell me Louis was an Omega? It would’ve been nice to get a heads up,” he said, discreetly watching Louis talk to other people standing around the field.
“Oh, I didn’t even remember it,” Niall said and Harry believed him. Niall was as clueless about these nominations as one could be. True, he was a Beta and it didn’t affect him as much, but still. “I even forget you’re an ogre Alpha sometimes.”
Harry tossed the empty plastic bottle at his head. Niall dodged it with a laugh and motioned in the direction of the people on the field, waving them over. Louis and a man with brown hair and eyes said their goodbyes and started walking towards them. It was safe to assume the other man was Liam. Niall described him as “the guy with the warmest smile you’ll see” and “cuddly as a bear”. The man surely fitted that description.
“Heeeey,” Niall greeted, dragging the syllable, clapping both men on their shoulders. “What’s up? Great game, Louis,” he complimented.
“Thanks,” Louis replied, but his attention was on Harry, who felt hot under his gaze.
“Guys, this is Harry. Harry, these are Louis and Liam,” Niall introduced them as Harry stood up to shake their hands. He had another surprise when he realized Liam was an Alpha as well. For a split second, the primal part of his brain sounded an alarm in his head that screamed “competition, territory, fight!”, and he thought he saw the same flicker in the other man’s eyes. It only lasted a fraction of a second as his rational mind took over and he accepted the greeting with a smile.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Harry. Niall talks about you all the time,” Liam said with an honest smile, and Harry nodded, smiling himself.
“He talks about you as well.” Harry spoke, extending his hand to Louis, who looked down at it and back to Harry's face. He knew how to take a hint and quickly withdrew his hand. He understood it perfectly.
“Are you all thirsty?” Niall asked cheerfully, drying the sweat on his forehead with the hem of his t-shirt, oblivious to the tension between Harry and Louis. “Because there’s a great pub not two blocks from here and I need to hydrate myself.”
“Pints don’t count, numbnut,” Liam teased but walked along with Niall out of the fields.
Harry made sure he was far enough from Louis, trying to make sure the man wouldn’t feel threatened by him in any way as they made the short walk to the bar. He knew how wary Omegas were with Alphas they’d only just met, especially unbonded ones. He knew soon enough Louis would realize he had nothing to worry about him.
The pub was nice and warm, which Harry was thankful for in the cooling evening air. It was also crowded, which forced them into a tiny booth in the corner. Niall sat next to him, and Louis right across from him with Liam by his side.
Louis' hair was dry, but matted, and his shirt was still clinging to his body a little. He smelled amazing, making Harry jittery, pressed against the wooden wall next to him.
“So what do you guys want?” Liam asked, getting up and picking his wallet from the table. “The usual?” He asked, turning to Louis, who nodded.
“I’m fine with whatever you get, as long as it’s cold,” Niall said, waving his hand in Liam's direction.
“Same for me.” Harry agreed, reaching for his wallet.
“Nah, this one’s on me, if you don’t mind,” Liam stopped his movements. “You can buy us the next round,” he offered, hopeful.
“Fine by me, mate,” Harry said with a reassuring smile.
He knew that Liam was trying to make sure Harry didn’t feel awkward about letting another Alpha pay for him, and he respected him for that. He still didn’t know Harry didn’t care about that, but he still appreciated the gesture.
“Oh, is that Luke bartending tonight?” Niall asked, peeking at the bar. “I’ll go with you, Liam. He’s a great Chelsea fan, you’ll like him,” he said, standing up and following Liam to the bar.
And just like that Niall and Liam were gone and Harry was left at the table with a bored looking Louis, who was messing with his phone and avoiding making any eye contact with him. He had his elbows on the table and Harry got a good look at the tattoos on his arms. He had slender arms with almost no hair on them.
Sitting in comfortable silence definitely was a myth. At least it was right here and now.
“So,” Harry started, clearing his throat and resting his arms on the table. Louis looked up at him briefly, quickly returning his attention to his phone. “Uhh, you were very good today. You play well,” Harry tried, and Louis mumbled a “thanks” without bothering to look at him.
Now that was a little rude, Harry thought, frowning. “Niall told me you were good, but I don’t think he ever told me much about you except for your footie skills and witty remarks,” he tried again, testing his ground.
This time Louis looked at him, eyes so blue Harry almost looked away. “Niall’s a nice lad,” he spoke in a flat tone.
That was it. Okay then. Harry was usually very good with making small talk, prided himself on being able to talk to any kind of person. He just loved being around people, and he wasn’t usually rejected like that.
Harry looked at the bar and found Niall bent over laughing at something Luke had told them. Liam’s smile was so wide he had crinkles around his eyes. Harry decided he liked him. He only wished they’d come back sooner to their table.
Glancing back at Louis he caught the man staring at him. He looked down at his phone again and said nothing. If it weren’t for the slight pink hue on his cheeks, Harry would think he’d imagined the whole thing.
‘Here we go,” Niall said, slightly startling Harry as he approached the table with two pints of beer in his hand. He sat Harry's drink in front of him and sat down, followed by Liam.
Harry felt immediately more comfortable as Louis' demeanor completely changed when he was around the other man. He was playful and sassy and when he laughed Harry felt his stomach do a flip inside of him. It also stung him a bit that Louis had barely addressed him all night. He wasn’t rude, didn’t say anything that could be considered less than polite, but that was exactly the problem. He didn’t talk to Harry at all, and it confused him.
Fine, he was an Omega and Harry was an Alpha, and it wasn’t the first time an Omega had acted apprehensively around him, but that was usually gone in minutes as they realized Harry posed no threat to them. Harry had done nothing to deserve this treatment.
“Niall told us you work in the dining business,” Liam started, taking a sip from his drink.
“Yeah, I own a small restaurant chain,” Harry nodded, wiping a bit of foam from his upper lip. Before he could say anything else, Louis snorted, making everyone at the table look at him.
“What?” Harry asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Nothing. Is it like McDonalds?” Louis mocked, curving his lips proudly.
“We don’t serve burgers, no,” he said, taking the bait.
“Pfft, don’t invite me to eat there, then,” Louis scoffed and Harry stared at him, not knowing what to say. This time, the mood was clearly heavy at the table. Liam was the one to try and make it better again.
“Anyone up for a game of pool?” He asked, finishing off his second pint. Harry was still nursing his first one.
“Always,” Niall said, getting up and cracking his knuckles. “I suck at it, so be careful I don’t hit your balls by accident,” he continued, patting Liam on his shoulders.
It took them all a fraction of a second to start laughing at the unintentional joke. Niall was the one to laugh the hardest, always ready for a good joke, even if it was at his expense. Harry was feeling better by this point.
“Thanks, but I’ll sit this one out,” Louis excused himself, slumping on the seat Liam had vacated. “I’ve beat you all too much today already,” he said with a smug smile.
“What about you, Harry?” Niall asked, and Harry shook his head.
“You go ahead, I’ll join you the next round,” he said and stared at Louis, who rolled his eyes and fished his phone from his pocket.
The other two men left the booth and Harry sat there, tapping his fingers on the table, absent mindedly looking at the people at the bar. He hated pool, but he was almost convincing himself it was better than sitting at the table with a clearly annoyed Louis.
“Would you stop doing that?” Louis spoke harshly. Harry looked at him with brows furrowed in confusion. “That, tapping your fingers. It’s irritating,” he explained, looking down at Harry's hand to emphasize his point.
Harry looked down at his hands and then back to Louis. “Do you have a problem with me or something?” He asked, a little annoyed himself.
“What do you think?” Louis replied curtly.
“I don’t know, I don’t know you,” he said with a shrug, knowing his replies were dumb but not able to think of anything better to say. “You don’t know me either, so I don’t know why you’re acting like this,” he said, slouching on his seat.
“Oh, but I do know you,” Louis replied, raising his eyebrows in a gesture of disdain.
His attitude made Harry stare at him in confusion. Had they met before and he didn’t remember? Was that why Louis was mad?
“You do?”
“I know the likes of you,” Louis said with a shrug of his shoulder.
“The likes of me? Excuse me?” Harry was offended and confused.
“Alpha males who enter cock first in any room and think people should bow to them or some shit like that,” Louis answered bitterly.
“What?” Harry blurted out, eyes wide. Louis' tone made him flinch and he was pretty much stunned out of intelligent responses.
“Don’t act all offended because what I said is true,” Louis said, looking done with the conversation.
“But it’s not true. I’m not like that,” he babbled, and hated himself for it.
“Sure you’re not,” Louis said with a raise of his brows, tone dripping with irony. “You can’t be so terrible, though. Niall is your friend and he’s too nice to have such asshole friends, but he’s a Beta and his perspective is different, so,” he finished with a shrug and a sip of his beer.
“I’m not an asshole, you’re the one acting like one,” Harry said through gritted teeth.
“Whatever,” Louis said, and looked back to his phone. His uninterested tone was beginning to get on Harry's nerves. He clenched his jaw.
“I’ve done nothing to offend you, nothing at all,” Harry said, raising his index finger to point it to Louis. “You’re just being mean to me for no reason. If you have a problem with Alphas it’s on you, not me.”
“If I have a problem. If. Good one,” he mocked, snorting and looking at Harry.
Harry's nostrils flared with anger. He could see a tiny flinch in Louis' expression and immediately hated himself for it. Even Niall had told him he could smell it when Harry was angry, and he could only imagine how much more Louis had picked up on that.
“Look, I don’t want to be mad, okay?” Harry raised his hands in surrender. “I just don’t understand why you’re treating me like this,” he forced himself to sound calm and to relax his muscles. His whole body was tense.
“You’re just confused because I’m not kissing the floor you step on,” Louis taunted, looking pointedly at him.
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re being rude and you know it,” he shot back and Louis finally seemed to give in a little.
“Fine, maybe I am. But can you blame me?” Louis replied, resting his hands on the edge of the table.
Harry couldn’t think of a good response, and he didn’t need one because Niall was back to their table to sip the beer he’d left on the table.
“I finally found a worthy adversary! He’s just a terrible as I am,” he laughed, clearly not noticing the tense mood between Harry and Louis.
“Listen man, I’m gonna head home, okay?” Harry smiled weakly, getting up and taking his phone and wallet from the table. “It’s been a long day,” he finished. He didn’t dare look at Louis when he said that.
“Oh, so soon?” Niall looked so genuinely disappointed that Harry smiled and hugged him.
“Thanks for inviting me, call me when you get home safe, yeah?” He said into Niall’s neck, still holding him.
“Will do,” Niall nodded, patting him on the back as they let go.
“I’m gonna say goodbye to Liam,” Harry said, not sparing Louis a glance as he put on his jacket and left the table. He said his goodbyes to Liam who, bless his heart, insisted on getting Harry's phone so they could set something up for the weekend. Harry doubted that Louis would be too pleased if Liam invited him to hang out or do anything at all with them, but he gave it to him anyway.
When he opened the door to leave the pub he glanced back at their booth and saw Louis following him with his eyes. Without acknowledging him at all, Harry closed the door behind him.