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Louis leaned against the rink's railing, skates on. He was wearing a comfortable, warm jacket, fingerless gloves and a soft scarf tied tightly around his neck. He had a cap pulled down over his head. Snowflakes sparkled in his auburn bangs, peeking out from under it and falling over his ocean blue eyes. He had stopped skating for a moment to take in the beautifully lit city and the star-studded sky.
The ice rink was illuminated by the high street lamps, and there were fairy lights on the bare branches of the trees. The buildings of the city loomed in the distance, illuminated by the streetlights. The air was cold and icy, and the glass of the illuminated shop windows around them were frosty. There were many passers-by that evening.
Louis was enjoying the breathtaking, golden view when a cheerful, deep, velvety voice called him back to reality. A tall, lanky figure skated towards him at top speed, crashing into the railing beside him with a thud. This young man was taller than he was, but a little younger. His hair was a shiny, styled mess of brown curls over a face with bright green eyes. Oh, and he was much clumsier than Louis. His face was contorted with pain and he was rubbing his knee, which had hit the railing.
"Harold, you idiot!" Louis sighed and rolled his eyes, not caring at all that his friend was hurting.
"I haven't found a way to slow down yet, but it will come. Trust me Louis, I'll be a real figure skater within the hour," Harry replied stubbornly, smiling at Louis who was staring at him with a desperate expression.
Harry had fallen five times since their arrival, while Louis had only fallen once. Not that he was more experienced, it was their first time on an ice rink. It's just that Louis was more careful. He was not skating too fast and had the curves under control somehow. But Harry was doing exactly the opposite of that. Because Harry was afraid of nothing.
At first they had skated around the rink together. Both had held on to the railing, too scared to fall. Then they had started to skate, holding on tightly to each other. Whenever one lost his balance, the other was there to catch and stabilise him. They had continued to save each other's lives until they had got used to the ice beneath their feet. And Harry had built up his confidence much faster than Louis.
Louis had not been able to hide the pout on his face when Harry had started to skate ahead of him. He would have preferred to stay with the curly-haired boy. He was still new to the rink. With a deep sigh, he had just skated on his own and watched as Harry lost his balance and swung his arms in all directions. Louis hadn't missed a single one of his friend's falls. He was torn between despair and admiration, for every time Harry fell, he picked himself up and started skating again. You'd think he just loved to fall down.
But it wasn't a big deal. Harry was having the time of his life and couldn't believe he'd never been on an ice rink before. Every time he picked up speed, it felt like he was flying over a frozen lake and the feeling was incredible, even if his hands were getting cold. Unlike Louis, he had forgotten to put on gloves. The curly-haired boy put his bare hands to his mouth and blew on them to warm them as he skated.
All of a sudden he caught sight of Louis' cap. He looked at him as he skated and imagined him as a figure skater. It would suit him beautifully, with his slim and toned body. Harry shook his head, a blush creeping up his cheeks. God, sometimes his ideas were ridiculous.
Louis frowned as he lost sight of Harry. He stopped skating and let himself slide, actively searching for his friend. Suddenly he felt a cold hand slip into his scarf and touch the back of his neck. He jumped, and a surprised squeal - which Louis would never admit to having made - escaped his lips, and he started skating on the spot: a bad sign. Then he started to flap his arms. VERY bad sign. A bad fall was imminent.
Luckily, he felt his attacker wrap his arms around his middle and catch him. This helped to stabilise him.
"Graceful, aren't you, Tomlinson?" Harry said teasingly from behind him as he let go of him.
The curly-haired boy stood directly in front of Louis. A mischievous grin was plastered on his face. When he finally regained his composure, Louis gave him a murderous stare. "You're the most idiotic of all the idiots I've ever met," he spat.
Harry let out a lovely laugh. And that laugh saved his life, because it had a way of calming Louis down.
It was then that Harry saw a pair of ice skaters, and he was immediately ready to imitate them. He grabbed hold of Louis' hand and pulled him along with him.
“What the fuck are you doing ?”
"We're going to try something," Harry replied excitedly.
"I have no desire to be a part of your experiences. It has done you no good at all, considering all the times you have slammed into the ice."
“Just trust me.”
Without warning, Harry grabbed both of Louis' hands and picked up speed before spinning around. By reflex, Louis followed the movement and they whirled together, but they both stumbled and clutched each other desperately. Louis closed his eyes until they finally stopped. He realised how close their faces were when he opened his eyes. Louis could feel Harry's warm breath on his face. Harry let out another laugh, obviously pleased with what they had just done. Then the curly-haired boy seemed to realise how close their faces were. He looked into Louis' eyes, with those intense green eyes, and there was something in them that Louis couldn't quite put his finger on.
From the day of their meeting, Louis had been immediately struck by Harry's handsomeness. But now that he was standing so close to the curly-haired boy, he realised that his friend oozed perfection. And it made Louis queasy inside. And Louis found himself wishing that Harry would either pull away or just kiss him. Harry's eyes were so close, Harry's mouth was so close, all Louis had to do was tilt his head a little and they would touch.
Harry leaned dangerously... but then, at the very last moment, he craned his neck and bit off a piece of Louis' cap before pulling it down over the boy's blue eyes. Louis was plunged into darkness.
“Ahahah. Very funny, Hazza,” Louis groaned ironically.
He adjusted his cap properly and realised that Harry had pulled away. Louis prayed to all the gods he knew that Harry hadn't noticed he was about to kiss him. What was he thinking? He should never have felt the need to kiss his best friend.
But Harry didn't say anything. He just smiled and turned to go back to skating. But what Louis didn't see was Harry's smile fading, his lips curving into something more troubled and thoughtful. The curly-haired boy chewed his lower lip nervously. What had just happened?
When Harry overtook Louis a few minutes later (for the third time, the older boy was really slow), the curly-haired boy couldn't help but look back to meet his friend's eyes. As a result, he didn't look where he was going. His moment of inattention was costly. He bumped into another skater. They both fell to the ice. As Harry collected himself, he realised that it was actually a female skater, and a very pretty one at that. A young woman with short blonde hair and long, slender legs. He scrambled to his feet and helped her up. He apologised countless times, but she didn't seem to be angry with him. In fact, she looked happy that a man as attractive as Harry had stumbled upon her. With a dazzling smile that showed off all her pearly whites, she offered Harry a little rest by the railing and took the opportunity to get to know the boy.
Leaning against the railing on the other side of the rink, Louis crossed his arms, his face twisted into a scowl. He hadn't missed a thing. When the girl put her hand on Harry's shoulder, cackling at whatever funny thing Harry had said, a pulsing anger shot through Louis' veins and he straightened.
"Remove your bloody hand. Take your bloody hand off him," he muttered under his breath.
Harry couldn't take his eyes off the girl. She had applied make-up to her pretty amber eyes to bring them out, and her ivory skin matched the white colour of the rink. "Charming," he thought. And she was clearly attracted to him, but Harry shattered her illusions and told her that his heart was already taken. The girl squirmed in embarrassment and said it was no problem and that they could have some fun together and keep the secret.
How many couples has she broken up?' Harry found himself wondering. He opened his mouth to dismiss her, but before he could say a word, Louis joined them.
“Louis.”
“Harold.”
Harry could hear the anger in Louis's voice. He didn't understand why his friend was angry. He decided to ignore it for now. He looked back and forth between Louis and the girl, then an idea came to him.
Quite naturally, he put an arm around Louis' waist and pulled the smaller boy closer.
"What on earth is this fool up to?' Louis wondered, pressed against Harry's body.
As if reading his mind, Harry gave him a wink and silently begged him to play along. So, hesitantly, Louis put his hand on the small of Harry's back.
"Having fun, baby?" Harry asked in a purring voice.
"Sure," Louis replied, trying not to stutter as Harry tenderly kissed his temple under the girl's stunned eyes.
Watching this bitch's hopes fade was particularly gratifying for Louis. Did she really think she could seduce his Hazza?
"Oh, well, I'll leave you two lovebirds to it," she muttered sanctimoniously, before turning and skating away.
Watching this bitch's hopes fade was particularly gratifying for Louis. Did she really think she could seduce his Hazza?
Unfortunately, it was only an act, not reality... Louis reluctantly let go of Harry, but Harry's hold on him wasn't loosening.
Louis snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face and the spell seemed to break as Harry cleared his throat and released Louis.
"You're lucky I agreed to play with you," Louis said.
"I am. She had to understand that I didn't want to get to know her better. She won't approach me again now."
“Good.”
“What was that ?”
"Oh, nothing," Louis replied quickly, his face flushing.
He prayed again to God that Harry hadn't heard his words. But from the smirk on Harry's lips and the way he was staring at Louis with amusement, it was obvious that he had heard everything.
Then Louis was dragged off again by Harry, who had other ideas about acrobatic tricks. He tried to warn him that it would end badly, but Harry didn't care. Louis sighed. He couldn't say no to Harry.
So they tried everything. They tried skating on one foot, they tried squatting, they tried pushing and pulling each other. They tried everything. Except a porté. Because Louis would rather die than be carried by this idiot. As Louis pulled away from Harry and his mad ideas, a young girl stepped in front of him. Louis narrowly avoided her, but lost his balance and stumbled forward. His eyes widened. He didn't have time to put his hands in front of him to protect himself and he fell heavily on his face.
-X-
Louis was slumped on a bench outside the hospital, his arms crossed over his chest, his bruised nose covered with a huge piece of surgical tape. It was well after midnight. The streets were not as busy as they had been earlier. He watched white snowflakes fall from the sky. Around him the whole world was covered in pure white. It was almost blinding. Louis had never been so angry in his life. He had just spent four hours in the emergency room to see a doctor, and he was still in a lot of pain. Suddenly someone sat down beside him. Louis glanced at the newcomer and saw that it was Harry, an ever-present smile on his lips. But Louis was annoyed with the curly haired boy, so he just sulked and looked away.
"I brought you roast chestnuts. I know you love them," Harry said as he handed over a steaming package.
Louis chose to ignore him completely. Harry huffed, annoyed that his friend wouldn't even look at him, and shoved the packet of roast chestnuts into his jacket pocket. He got to his feet and crouched down in front of Louis, between his open legs. Louis shivered as Harry rested his elbows on his thighs. He was torn between surprise, anger and embarrassment.
"How much longer are you going to be mad at me?"
Louis took a deep, cold breath and shrugged.
"Until my nose no longer hurts.
"For your information, you fell down all by yourself. Don't put the blame on me."
"Yes, it's your fault! You and your silly ideas," Louis muttered.
He knew very well that it was none of Harry's fault, but he was exhausted and in pain and it just made him grumpy.
"I apologised a thousand times in the waiting room and..."
But Louis cut him off and leaned over.
"And may I ask why YOU don't have any scratches while you have fallen down I don't know how many times and I have fallen down ONLY ONCE but BROKEN MY NOSE?"
Louis waited for an answer, but Harry just shrugged and tried to hold back his laughter. It was true, Louis wasn't very lucky.
A heavy silence fell over the two boys and Louis felt his pulse race and his face flush as he realised once again how close their faces were. Harry was here, crouched between his thighs, looking deep into his eyes. He was very close. Too close. Suddenly, Louis pulled away and threw a leg over his friend, then stood and walked away, hands in his jacket pockets, wishing his heart would calm and his body would stop shaking. Harry followed immediately. He called out several times, but Louis ignored him.
Louis stopped suddenly as he heard Harry's voice calling him "baby". He spun around to find himself face to face with Harry. There was a flicker of amusement in his emerald eyes and a cocky smile on his lips.
“Don't call me that.”
“Call you what? Baby?” Harry asked innocently.
Louis rolled his eyes.
"It was a joke with that girl, Harry, we were just playing a role."
"And what if I was sincere?"
Louis froze and almost had a heart attack. What. That. HELL.
It was a very cold night. Snowflakes sparkled in their hair and Harry's nose was slightly red. Louis felt something inside of him jolt as Harry put a hand on the back of his neck and looked down at him, well, gazed would probably be a better word for it. The green in his eyes seemed ten times deeper and so, so intense. Louis couldn't look away. He felt frozen. The intensity of Harry's eyes provided no escape. They pulled and they trapped. They sucked and they swallowed.
Louis's heart was beginning to act strange as he felt Harry's breath brushing against his lips. Something had changed between them and Harry's smile had disappeared. His hand on the back of Louis' neck was still there and it was beginning to feel searing. Louis closed his eyes, waiting for Harry to capture his mouth. Then he felt warm lips kissing his cheek softly.
"I don't want to hurt your nose," Harry whispered as he pulled away.
But Louis cupped Harry's face and kissed him right on the lips. And everything inside Louis exploded as Harry pressed against him; every inch of Harry's body melted into his. He felt Harry smile against his mouth.
Harry grabbed him tighter around the waist and tilted his face slightly to deepen the kiss. He licked the seam of Louis' lips and Louis opened his mouth to Harry's curious tongue, running his fingers through Harry's curls.
Louis felt good. So good, in Harry's arms.
But it only lasted a moment, for suddenly a shooting pain exploded in his nose. In a wave of passion, Harry's nose had collided with his. He jerked away with a groan of pain, a hand flying up in instinct to cradle his nose in an attempt to ease the pain. He felt big hands squeeze his shoulders and saw Harry's sad, worried eyes.
When the pain finally subsided, they exchanged a look... and Harry let out a laugh.
"I really hope you get better soon because it's going to be hard not to kiss you..."
"Sorry Haz. You can kiss me anywhere but my mouth and nose. Too risky," Louis replied apologetically.
"All right, no problem, it'll be like a game," Harry said teasingly, and the suggestive tone in his voice made Louis laugh fondly.
They went for a walk in the town while eating the roasted chestnuts. After a while, Louis found himself peeling the hot chestnuts to put them into Harry's waiting mouth, because Harry's fingers were too cold to move and the curly-haired boy preferred to keep them in his pockets. Louis warned him that it was the first and last time he would be willing to do that. In return, Harry kissed him on the forehead.
Louis blinked at him, surprised and confused.
"It means I wanted to kiss you on the mouth," Harry explained with a gentle smile.
Harry was the only one who could warm Louis' heart with a few words.
In return, Louis kissed him on the nose to show that he wanted to taste the curly-haired boy's lips as well.
After they had eaten all the chestnuts, Louis approached Harry. He slipped his hands into the warmth of the boy's jacket and put them on his back. Harry responded immediately, holding him to his chest, and Louis couldn't help but sigh happily.
The bitch, as Louis called her, was right: they loved each other more than anything, it was obvious.