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Louis doesn’t have any proof, but he’s pretty damn sure that even when he’s dead and buried six feet deep, Harry Styles will still find a way to haunt him in his grave.
The alpha is already dedicated to making his life difficult every day, so it’s not too big a stretch to say that he’d be trying just as hard to do so in the afterlife as well. Louis explains this to Niall – albeit a lot less coherently – but the beta just laughs.
“You’re wasted,” he says, trying to grab the cup from Louis’ hand.
Expecting it, Louis yanks the cup out of his reach, pushing it to his lips and taking a long gulp. The beer tastes like shit, as per usual, but today Louis barely notices. Today, Louis loves this shit beer. He’s already a couple drinks deep, a pleasant thrum running through his body. He feels loose and light, glancing down every few minutes as if to confirm that they’re still planted firmly on the ground.
“I have to say, I’m starting to get concerned,” Niall says slowly, leaning up against the wall. The glitter Louis insisted on smudging beneath his eyes so that they’d match shimmers in the dim light. “Don’t think I’ve seen you drink this much at a frat party… ever.”
It’s true. It’s not that Louis doesn’t like to indulge sometimes, but he usually tries to make it a point not to drink at frat parties. He likes to stay sharp in case one of his sisters needs him. It’s not a requirement by any means, but it does soothe Louis’ mind to keep an eye on the members of the sorority in attendance, especially the newer members.
Although Louis takes his role as sorority president as seriously as possible, today he has passed on the side role of Official Worrier to his trusty VP, Jas, and is dedicated to getting absolutely hammered. It’s the only way to wash away the absolutely terrible day he’s had. From waking up with a pounding headache to probably most definitely failing his first Quantum Mechanics exam to enduring his tyrannical boss at work and finally: the first monthly joint E-board with their sibling fraternity – the very fraternity holding this party – in which Louis spent majority of arguing with said fraternity’s president, none other than Styles himself.
Even thinking about it now has him scowling. The alpha had the audacity to question the feasibility of the semester fundraising plan Louis spent hours drafting out, citing his own rigorous football practice schedule as an excuse to ease the load. Typical Styles, expecting everyone to bend to his will. “It’s not my fault that Harry Styles is an entitled dickhead with an ego the size of Jupiter and no self-awareness to be found,” he grumbles.
Niall sighs. “Here we go again.”
Louis pouts, taking another sip. For some outrageous reason that he will never understand, Niall is friends with Harry. He doesn’t see what Louis sees: an alpha who cares about no one but himself. An alpha who seems to have made it his mission to undermine Louis any chance he gets for his own amusement. “You don’t get it, Niall.”
“Harry is one of the nicest people I know,” Niall says, shaking his head. “And so are you. I swear you guys would get along.”
“Never in a million years,” Louis swears, voice slurring a bit. He jumps when a body suddenly barrels into him.
“Louuuu,” Ivy crows, throwing her arms around him and squeezing. Ivy Cho is many things: fluent in four languages, a literal tennis playing goddess, undefeated house Scrabble champion, and frequent dyer of hair – most recently, pink – but she is also their sorority treasurer for the year.
“Ivy,” Louis greets happily. Ever since she was elected as an officer, Louis has gotten to know the omega pretty well and already he knows that he can count on her. “Ivy, this is Niall. Niall, Ivy.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ivy says, flashing her perfect smile.
“Ditto,” Niall says, and Louis is pretty sure he can see an inkling of interest in the beta’s eyes. As much as he’ll swear that Louis is the one who falls hard and fast, they both know all it takes is a single glance sometimes and Niall will be gone.
“Who’re we talking about?” she asks, slinging an arm around Louis’ shoulders.
“Harry Styles,” Niall answers before Louis can. “As per usual.”
“Ooo, the famous Harry Styles,” Ivy says, sliding her eyes to Louis. “To be honest, after today’s meeting, I was sort of convinced that there was something there. Some tension, if you know what I mean.”
It takes a second for her words to settle in, but Louis grimaces immediately at her implication. “Please,” he says, appalled. Was Ivy even paying attention during the meeting? He’s offended that she even considered the idea. “Everyone knows that I can’t stand Harry Styles.”
“Okay,” a familiar voice says behind him, obnoxiously deep and infuriatingly amused. “Kneel, then.”
The disgusted scowl that twists Louis’ features is almost second nature, as is the sour curl of anger and irritation that festers at the alpha’s words. He deliberately ignores the blush creeping up his cheeks as he turns to meet the eyes of Harry Styles himself. “You wish.”
Everything about him pisses Louis off – the white tank top that matches probably a dozen more in the house tonight, the glimpse of his tattoos peeking out above it – who gets swallows tattooed on their chest, seriously – the stray curl hanging over his forehead, and the jeans that might as well be plastered to his body. It’s a small mercy that there for once isn’t a snapback perched backwards on his head. What Louis hates most of all is the smug glint in his eyes, taunting him.
Niall clears his throat, disrupting their impromptu glaring contest. “H, we were just talking about you.”
“I heard,” Harry says, shooting Louis an arrogant smile.
“What are you doing here?” Louis asks bluntly. He’s mad at Harry for breaking their unspoken policy for interacting only when absolutely necessary.
“Funnily enough, I live here,” Harry says dryly. “And it’s my responsibility to make sure people are having a good time… not that you’d recognize what that is.”
“Actually, I was having a good time until you ruined it with your face,” Louis says sweetly. It’s not the first time Harry has inferred that he’s a bore, and honestly, Louis couldn’t care less. The alpha’s idea of fun was probably just a short list of playing football, drinking beer, and listening to the sound of his own voice.
“Damn,” Ivy says, making Louis flinch. He had forgotten she was there for a moment. “Do they always bicker like this?” The question is directed to Niall.
“Uh huh,” Niall says, amused. “Wait till you see them competing. It’s terrifying.”
Niall could be referring to the unspoken competition between their two organizations to see who can raise the most money in a semester, which the sorority has been dominating in for the last three years of Louis’ college career – soon to be fourth, Louis is sure – but Louis knows the beta is referring to a competition that is a lot more official and established in their two chapters: the Greek Games.
The Greek Games are a series of games and events ranging from Capture the Flag and other field games to themed scavenger hunts spread across campus that they hold every three weeks over the course of the school year. It’s a time honored tradition that Louis plans on taking very seriously. Whomever wins the most events by the end of the year gets the trophy. It’s a gaudy golden cup crowned with laurels, worth nothing monetarily but everything figuratively. Much to Louis’ displeasure, the fraternity ended up prying the cup from their mantel last year, but Louis is determined to get his sisters the win this time. It’s a matter of pride, really.
“Oh, believe me, I’ve listened to Louis rambling about it,” Ivy jokes. “He has a binder. Like, full of strategies and stuff.”
“Cute,” Harry says, condescending as shit. “I guess you’ll need it.”
Louis just smiles, unbothered. He imagines briefly how satisfying it’ll be to see Harry’s defeated expression as he hands Louis the cup next May. Nothing Harry says now about it matters. He’s in for a rude awakening, and Louis will savor every bit of it.
It’s a relief when Harry’s name is bellowed urgently from across the room. He tips an imaginary hat to Niall and Ivy. “Try to have fun with this one,” he says, flicking a look at Louis, before finally, finally, he lopes off and the tension drains from Louis’ shoulders.
“I can’t stand him,” he mutters, taking another large gulp of his drink. He ignores Niall and Ivy’s shared glance.
They don’t understand, but Louis knew that already. None of them do.
💫
He had barely given it a second thought.
The Mating Cycle Database between his sorority and their sibling fraternity was an objectively new creation. It’s been operational for only a couple weeks now but Naomi has been working on it for months now, ever since she first suggested the idea last year at a monthly meeting. She hadn’t been an officer then, just a member of the frat who had noticed a struggle on both sides revolving around the inconvenience of heats and ruts.
It’s no secret that spending your cycle with a partner can shorten the length drastically, but unless you’re in a relationship, finding a willing companion and navigating the inevitably awkward arrangement was always a difficulty – one that Naomi hopes to eliminate with her database.
The way it works is simple. If any alpha or omega wants to access the program, they must be entered into the database. Each participant fills out an application detailing their name, year, contact information, and genders willing to be paired with; submits mandatory clean test results which must be updated regularly and signs a waiver; and then fills out a quick questionnaire covering preferences and need-to-knows regarding cycles. When it comes time for his heat, all Louis would need to do is submit the form with the dates and his application and he’d be alerted to his match within a couple days.
However, one can’t just use the services of the program and not reciprocate them. If you request a partner for a cycle, it is required that you assist someone with their cycle before you submit another request. The way partners are selected revolves around a system of notifying all potential candidates in the database whose questionnaire answers more or less match up and providing them simply with the dates needed and an anonymous copy of the requester’s detailed preferences. You have a choice to click ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and if there are ultimately more than one ‘yes’ then the computer decides randomly.
It’s simple and straightforward, and Louis was impressed when Naomi presented her plan to them all for the first time, explaining how she’d already begun coding the website herself. The alpha is now Vice President of her fraternity and Louis is not surprised at all that her peers voted for her overwhelmingly – they clearly see what he sees (if only that rationality extended to electing their president.) When the program became functioning, Louis signed up immediately. He indeed did not give it a second thought. To be fair, he didn’t plan on actually using the database unless he needed to – he just wanted to support Naomi who's always been good to him.
Over the course of his twenty-one years of life, he’s had a grand total of two different alphas help him through heats. One of them was his ex-boyfriend, and since they were in a relationship, it seemed obvious that they spend cycles together. Naturally, Louis had helped him with his ruts in return. The second had been an acquaintance who offered when Louis’ heat had been set to disrupt the first two days of finals. It had been a favor, simple and civil. It had also been deviation, so to speak. Louis doesn’t really do the casual hook-up thing.
Well, he’d done it once. And afterward, he decided that he would never do it again. It was not for him, he had discovered. He just wished that he didn't have to learn it the hard way.
With these sentiments still ringing true inside him, Louis didn't ever expect to change his mind… which is why it is absolutely peculiar and unexpected that when he receives an email Monday afternoon titled Omega Rut Assistance Request with the anonymous information of an alpha going into rut the following week – the very first one he’s received – he actually takes the time to look it over.
The general information section reveals the gender as male and age as twenty-one, like him, but it does not provide any other hint as to who the alpha is. Although the frat house only houses around forty something alphas, Louis knows the total membership of the fraternity is closer to a hundred. Even if the age narrows it down, Louis is pretty sure he doesn’t know every senior enrolled into the frat. Hell, he can barely name a dozen alpha members in general. As far as he knows, this guy is a total stranger.
Louis hesitates briefly before continuing to the questionnaire section. First is a self-account of the alpha’s expected behavior during rut, written as if spoken directly to the omega. It’s definitely strange to read such a blunt explanation, and Louis’ cheeks may or may not color at the part reading, “I won’t shut up about knocking you up.” Actually, many of the things the unknown alpha describes have him biting his lip, shaking his head as if to clear the ideas from his head.
He moves on to the need-to-knows where the alpha talks about how he prefers if kissing is allowed as well as marks because it pleases his alpha. He talks about how constant physical touch is vital for him and how even though he’ll be out of it, if an omega says they don’t want to do something, he’ll listen. He also mentions post-rut cuddling, not only for the benefit of the alpha but also the omega who also must exit the frenzied rut state-of-mind, which Louis personally finds very thoughtful.
At the bottom, the alpha has typed the mandatory declaration swearing to respect and take care of his omega companion for the duration of his rut. In the optional extra notes section, he’s added a I promise you’ll be safe with me.
When he’s finished, he sits staring at the screen a little longer, a bit mystified with the undeniable prickle of interest forming inside him. Is he… genuinely considering this? He shakes his head. No, of course not. He’s just horny today. He’s having completely normal dick withdrawal, clearly. That’s the only logical explanation for why he can’t get the idea out of his mind.
That’s the only logical explanation for why he’s still thinking about it hours later. He’s in his room now, sprawled out on the bed while Jas sits perched on his desk chair, switching between ranting and moping about some gorgeous alpha in her Neuroscience lab. Normally, he’d be more engaged, demanding more details and offering his encouragement, but instead he listens and nods when appropriate, mind wandering back to that damn email every few minutes like clockwork.
You have no fucking idea who it is, he reminds himself. He might sound good on paper and end up being a douche. And after a moment: Don’t think with your hole.
In the end, he decides he needs a second opinion. “Jas?” he asks when he’s found an opening.
“Yes?” she says cautiously, undoubtedly sensing the seriousness of his tone. “What is it?”
“What if I told you that I was considering helping an alpha with their rut?” Louis asks, all in a rush. He can tell the question takes her by surprise.
Right away, Jas’ mouth drops open, eyes widening. “Oh my God, are you seeing someone?” she demands.
“No,” Louis exclaims, shaking his head wildly. “I’d have told you, obviously.”
Predictably, Jas looks more shocked now. “Then who?” she asks. “Someone I know? And why?”
“I don’t know,” Louis answers honestly, not sure which question he’s referring to. “It’s for Naomi’s program. I just know he’s an alpha and my age, and I know what he’s expecting for the rut. I can’t explain to you why, it just… won’t leave my head, I guess. I have a feeling about it. Like this is exactly what I need.”
Jas seems to consider this. “As your friend, I have to acknowledge that this is very out of character for you,” she says slowly.
“Trust me, I know,” Louis says ruefully.
“Also as your friend,” she continues, expression becoming more solemn. “It’s my sacred duty to encourage you to get that dick.”
Louis chokes, letting out a startled laugh. “I can always count on you to be blunt,” he says, grinning.
“I’m just supportive,” Jas argues. “As in, I completely support any and all endeavors to get you laid, always. That’s real friendship.”
“Noted,” Louis laughs.
“Okay, but seriously,” she says, returning to the topic at hand. “Is there a reason you’re concerned?”
“I just… I’ve never done something like this before,” Louis says helplessly. He can’t bring himself to ask what he really wants to ask: what if it backfires like last time? He tries to list the pros to himself: helping an alpha with their rut first means that he has a ‘get out of heat fast’ card to use if the need ever arises. Having nonstop sex for a couple days is not exactly a hardship, either. Odds are that Louis will even enjoy himself. And if it ends up being sucky… well, it’ll be over quickly?
“Trying new things is good,” Jas shrugs. “If you want to, then you should do it – no justification necessary. When even is it?”
“Thursday,” Louis says. “Don’t know the exact time but at most I’ll miss two lectures.” While missing classes for cycles – whether it be your own or a partner’s – is entirely allowed and normalized, Louis dislikes having to miss more class time than necessary.
“That’s not too bad at all,” Jas says, and he nods. “And, just to be safe, you’re still allowed to back out once you’re matched and find out who the alpha is, right?”
“Well, actually no,” Louis says. “It’s a ‘you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit,’ policy. The only exceptions are for exes and stuff. If there’s a super big issue, you can drop out but you’ll be suspended from the database for some number of months. Naomi wants this to actually work without getting petty drama or bias involved. If you’re allowed unlimited reign over accepting or rejecting partners then the program loses effectiveness and no one will have a partner when they need it.”
“Yeah, I remember the graph,” Jas murmurs, shaking her head. Naomi was nothing if not thorough. “I just mean that… what if you’re paired with –” She trails off, widening her eyes meaningfully.
It takes Louis a second to get it, and he immediately scowls. “No way in hell,” he says vehemently. “I know for a fact that Styles isn’t in the database. He said that he wouldn’t be signing up when Naomi was first trying to get us all to do it, remember?” He pauses to shudder. “Like I’d even risk signing up if there was a chance we’d be paired.”
“Just making sure,” Jas says, lips twitching. “But Styles isn’t the only jerk in the frat, right? Do you feel nervous about that?”
“Well, yeah, of course I am. There are safety precautions though. We’ll be using one of the reserved rooms at the cycle center and they have a built-in danger button if worse comes to worst… but honestly, I’m pretty sure that it won’t be that bad,” Louis explains. He has a feeling, one in his bones. He has a feeling, and he’s making the decision to trust it. “I don’t even know if I’ll even be matched. A dozen other omegas could have said yes already. Still…” He reaches for the nightstand where his phone is charging and swipes it open. “I’m going to do it.”
“I support you,” Jas says, spinning lazily in his desk chair. “Crossing my fingers for someone nice but sexy.”
He presses the mail app and then the familiar email heading. He’s slightly embarrassed by how fast his heart is racing in his chest, but it fades away when he sees the two familiar buttons.
And then, finally, Louis does the unthinkable: he presses yes.
💫
Louis spends the next few days forgetting all about the email request and Naomi’s program.
The first six weeks of the semester are always hectic for a number of reasons, but the most significant is definitely the forty omegas he’s in charge of guiding through the new member education process. It’s not all meetings and rules – they had a beach day on Saturday at Santa Monica and spent hours hanging out on the Pier and having fun. They hold a study session on Tuesday which concludes with Legally Blonde and brownies baked by Chelsea and Ika. In a week, they’re going to go hiking in Griffith Park so all the non-natives can finally see the Hollywood sign up close. The most important part of the initiation process to Louis has always been the bonding part, getting to know one another and forming connections that will only grow stronger as time goes on.
When Louis first entered UCLA as a freshman, he hadn’t even considered the idea of joining a sorority. His only perception of Greek life was built on stereotypes and bad portrayals in movies and needless to say, it never seemed appealing to him. Then he met Jas, and she ultimately changed his mind.
Joining his sorority in sophomore year has been one of the best decisions he’s ever made. He’s made so many good friends over the past two years, all of whom he’d happily consider his sisters (and to think he once thought the four he had back home was a lot). They’ve had endless memories and adventures together, from all-nighters spent cramming in supportive silence to evenings spent exploring the city.
For Louis, whose entire life before college consisted of studying hard, always planning and working towards the future, and avoiding as many social situations as possible, allowing himself to open up to other people and new things was a game changer. As much as he still prioritizes his classes and his future, he’s learned to put down the Cosmology textbook sometimes and do something fun with friends. It’s all about balance, and that’s something he stresses to the newer members too.
Before he knows it, it’s the end of the week, and Louis is exhausted. It’s a relief when Zayn texts him about hanging out. He feels like he’s barely seen the alpha at all since the semester started. They go for lunch at a nice little spot in Santa Monica and afterward Louis drags Zayn to a nearby bookstore to browse.
It’s evening by the time they return to campus, and Zayn offers for Louis to come over and hang out at the house for a bit, and Louis declines instantly. It’s usually pretty easy to forget that Zayn is a part of the fraternity: he avoids most parties like the plague and doesn’t like participating in the biweekly games and competitions between both groups. But he is indeed a frat boy like the rest of them underneath that blasé exterior.
Minutes later he’s hugging Zayn goodbye after the alpha walked him back to the house just to be safe. “Love you, Z,” Louis says, patting his back.
“Love you too,” Zayn says, pulling back with a half smile. “See you Sunday.”
It’s at this moment when the door of the sorority swings open and both of them turn to see Harry standing at the porch. He stops short when he sees Louis and Zayn, frowning.
“What’re you doing here?” Louis blurts, bristling at the sight of the alpha standing on his porch, tainting it with his essence and his ego.
“Unfortunately,” Harry says slowly, “looking for you.” He nods at Zayn in that weird alpha way. “Zayn.”
“Harry,” Zayn returns with the same strange nod.
Louis wrinkles his nose. “Why? I thought we agreed that email was the most convenient and least painful method of communication.”
“Well, this is a bit more pressing,” Harry says stiffly.
Zayn clears his throat. “I’ll leave you two to it.”
“Traitor,” Louis mutters as he walks past. Zayn ignores him like a meanie. “What is it?” he asks suspiciously, crossing his arms.
“Have you checked your email?” Harry asks.
Louis stares at him. “I’m sorry, let me get this straight,” he says flatly. “Instead of emailing me, you came all the way here to tell me… to check my email?”
Harry rolls his eyes. “Just answer the fucking question, Louis.” He sounds frustrated – as in, more frustrated than he normally does when speaking to Louis.
“Not since this morning,” Louis says, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “What? Did the League Representative get back to us about fundraising?”
“No,” Harry says, but doesn’t provide any other information.
It ends up being unnecessary though because when Louis sees the email header titled MATCHED: Harry Styles, everything clicks into place. His phone nearly slides right out of his hands, fingers fumbling to catch it. He stares at the screen in horror.
“We were matched,” Harry states unnecessarily.
“No,” Louis blurts, unable to form another word.
“Believe me I had to read it half a dozen times too,” Harry says tiredly.
“But… but you weren’t in the database,” Louis says helplessly, disbelief coating his voice. “You couldn’t have been.”
“I wasn’t until last week,” Harry says, scratching the back of his neck.
“No,” Louis says again. “This is a mistake.” His heart is pounding, panic curling up his throat. A good feeling, he had called it. He had a good feeling about that application he read. In reality, he fucking swiped right on Harry fucking Styles. The universe had to be laughing at him. How was this even possible?
Unhelpfully, the memory of going through the anonymous alpha profile returns to him and suddenly he’s flushing bright red. This isn’t real, he thinks hysterically. It can’t be.
“I agree,” Harry says, bringing him back to the conversation at hand. “But Naomi doesn’t seem to think so. She refuses to change it.”
“But,” Louis repeats, dropping his head to his hands. “I can’t – we can’t –” He isn’t even capable of forming the words.
“Exactly,” Harry says, and Louis can hear the grimace in his voice. “Which is why you have to drop out from the database so I can be given a new partner.”
“Wait, what?” Louis exclaims, head snapping up. It’s all too familiar, is the thing. Harry making a demand and expecting it to get done because no one can say no to him. “Why can’t you?”
Harry stares at him like he’s stupid. “Because if I do it, I won’t be able to use the database for this rut and I need a partner. My rut starts on Thursday and the game’s on Saturday. There’s no way in hell I’m missing that to fuck my fist for five days.”
The game. Not just the game – the game. He had almost forgotten. Next Saturday, UCLA is playing their biggest rivals – USC – for one of the most important games of the season. Louis may know very little about football but he’s competent enough to understand that there’s no way in hell they’re going to win if their star quarterback is off the field.
“It has to be you,” Harry insists, lips dipping into a frown.
“But that’s not fair,” Louis blurts, crossing his arms. He’s angry. He’s angry that he thought this would work. That he thought he could help an alpha through their rut and have it be uncomplicated and easy. That maybe he could even enjoy the experience. “My next heat is next month. What if I need to use the database then? You know, the whole world doesn’t just revolve around you, Styles. Get that through your big head.”
“Oh, fuck off, seriously,” Harry says, irritated. “This is important, Louis. I can’t miss that game.”
“Why are you even using the program anyway?” Louis asks hotly. “Can’t you just ask one of the many omegas fawning over you for God knows what reason?”
“I signed up for the same reason everyone else signed up,” Harry says, teeth grit. “For an arrangement. No strings or feelings involved. That’s what I want from this. Casual and painless.”
Louis scoffs. “Great plan,” he says sarcastically. “It’s worked out so well.”
“You’re the one who said yes,” Harry’s eyes flash. And just like that, the same arrogant smirk is back on his face. “You chose me. Not the other way around.”
“Like hell I did,” Louis hisses, even though Harry’s words have struck him deep. “It’s not my fault you sound way more tolerable on paper. You missed ‘ will always be an asshole,’ under behavior, by the way.”
“Well, what the hell am I supposed to do now?” Harry asks, throwing his arms out wildly. “You have to drop out, Louis.”
“No, you do it,” Louis says, narrowing his eyes. He’s furious, anger and resentment dripping through his body. Never has he felt such a visceral feeling of hatred toward someone this strong. “I’m sick of your entitled bullshit.”
“I can’t,” Harry argues, voice echoing loudly on the quiet street.
“And I won’t,” Louis counters, just as loud. “So I guess we’re at an impasse.”
They glare at each other, flinching in unison when the door swings open again. Ivy peers out at the two of them. “Y’all done screaming? We can hear you inside.”
“I have to talk to the pledges,” Louis informs Harry, ignoring the hard set of the alpha’s jaw. “We’ll continue discussing this tomorrow.”
Harry looks unimpressed. “Sure, I’ll send you an email,” he says coldly, turning on his foot.
Dickhead, Louis thinks as he watches the alpha stomp away, hands shoved into his pockets. He’s still practically vibrating with his anger as he follows Ivy inside.
“What was that about?” Ivy asks curiously.
“Me and Harry are paired,” Louis forces himself to answer, grimacing at having to refer to him and the alpha as if they were a single we. “For his rut.”
“Ohhh,” Ivy says softly, eyes widening. “Damn.”
“He refuses to drop out because he doesn’t want to miss the game next Saturday,” Louis explains. “But I don’t want to either because then I’ll lose my safety precaution in case my next heat coincides with something important.”
“So what are y’all going to do?” Ivy asks. “Stick with it?”
Louis shudders. “Fuck no,” he says. “Harry’s going to crack. I know he will. He has the patience of a literal toddler.”
Ivy frowns. “Didn’t you say he has a game though? Doesn’t seem like something he’s willing to risk.”
“I’m sure he’ll find someone else to help him,” Louis shrugs. “He seems rather determined about the whole thing. I believe his exact words were ‘There’s no way in hell I’m missing that to fuck my fist for five days.’”
“If you say so,” Ivy says, but she sounds unsure.
“He will,” Louis repeats like a vow. “I’ll probably even wake up to the notification tomorrow.”
Harry and him being paired upset the natural order of things on campus – perhaps even on a cosmic level. But the thing about disruptions like that is that they often correct themselves. Everything will be as it once was and as it is supposed to be. Louis is sure of it.
It has to be.
💫
By some cruel twist of fate, Louis does not wake up to an email. He doesn’t get it during breakfast either. Or after his first class of the day, nor his last.
It’s almost dinner once Louis and Jas finish leading the new members in a series of bonding exercises and games. It had been a fun session, doubling as an easy distraction from refreshing his mail incessantly. Well, for the most part.
Jas eventually notices his lack of concentration but she waits until after dinner when they’re isolated in the kitchen to confront him. “What’s going on?” she asks.
Louis opens his mouth, and then closes it. When he speaks, his words tumble out in a rush. “I got paired with Styles for his rut.”
“Oh my God,” Jas says, eyes bulging. “But you said –”
“He signed up last minute,” Louis groans, smacking a hand over his face. “I’m just hoping he won’t drop out last minute.”
“You think he’s going to drop out?” she asks.
Frowning, Louis opens one of the cabinets and sticks his hand in blindly, groping around for his secret stash of Sour Patch Kids. “He better,” he huffs. “Because I’m not doing it.”
“Wait, but this is about the game, isn’t it?” Jas asks, realizing. “The one on Saturday.”
“Yeah,” Louis says, stuffing two candies in his mouth. When he turns around, Jas is frowning.
“What are you going to do if he doesn’t?” she asks. “Like… are you going to go through with it?”
Louis stops short. Over the past twenty-four hours, he has remained steadfast in his conviction that the alpha would be dropping out before he knew it. He was confident that there was no other alternative – that such a thing couldn’t actually happen. However, now it’s ten in the evening and the two of them are still stuck in a silent stalemate, neither of them moving an inch. Now, Louis can no longer continue to pretend the possibility does not exist. His first instinct to Jas’ question is a resolving fuck no. But then it isn’t anymore.
“I’m… not sure,” he admits.
Jas gapes at him.
“What?” Louis says, defensive. “That’s not a ‘yes.’”
“It’s not a no either,” Jas says, staring at him as if he’s changed forms before her eyes. “What happened to ‘I hate Styles’ guts’?”
He makes a face. “I do hate his guts. That’s not going to change even if we did…” He trails off. “You know.”
“Oh my God,” Jas says, flattening her hands against her cheeks. “Who are you, and what have you done to Louis?”
“Look, if Harry isn’t going to drop out and I’m not going to,” Louis says impatiently. “Then this is literally the only other option. Gritting our teeth and bearing it.”
“So you’re saying that you’d willingly sleep with Harry?” Jas asks, voice rising in pitch.
Louis tamps down his initial response, shaking his head. He knows Jas doesn’t get it. That she can’t get it because this is something Louis has never shared with her. “I’d describe it as ‘begrudgingly,’ personally,” he says, and then suddenly he’s rambling like an idiot. “He said in the application that the rut would last around fifty hours with a partner so it’s not like it’ll be too long. And, I mean, it’s sex. Being knotted over and over for two days straight isn’t exactly a hardship in my book. You know, maybe I am cock starved. Maybe it doesn’t matter who that cock is attached to. Besides, um, I think we both know that Styles doesn’t have a reputation for leaving his partners unsatisfied.” Right as the latter sentence leaves his lips, he flushes brightly. Perhaps he didn’t have to say that one out loud.
“Wait,” Jas says, staring at him. Something seems to dawn on her, eyes widening. “Oh my God. Louis, you whore. You’re hot for Styles!”
“I am not,” Louis sputters, eyes bulging. “I’m going off what other people have said! It’s an observation!”
“And you keep tabs on that?” Jas says gleefully.
“No,” Louis says, looking around hurriedly. He is positive that his cheeks are bright red. “Lower your voice.”
“I mean, something must have caught your eye to have even said yes to the request in the first place,” Jas points out. “I can’t even blame you. The enemies thing is kinda sexy.”
“Shut up,” Louis says, slapping his hands over his ears. He’s mortified. “You know I hate him.”
“Trust me, I do,” Jas says, giggling. “But you can hate someone and still not mind the idea of them fucking your brains out.”
Louis grimaces, even though he knows she’s not exactly wrong.
“With this newfound development, I’ve decided that I support this idea,” Jas declares. “Two days of hot hate sex with your sexy mortal enemy and then neither of you ever have to acknowledge it again. It’s honestly genius.”
For a moment, Louis can’t quite believe his ears. “You don’t think it’s weird?” he blurts.
She shrugs. “I think both hatred and horniness can coexist peacefully,” she says.
“You’re right,” Louis says, relieved that his friend has accepted something he thought embarrassing so easily. It almost makes him consider continuing. To finally confess what he’s been holding in from the start of the semester. Instead, he keeps his mouth shut. “That’s exactly what it is.”
“How do you think Harry will react to it though?” Jas asks. “Do you think he’d go along with it?”
“That,” Louis says slowly. “Is a great question.” Briefly, he considers the idea of just… ignoring it. There’s still four days till Harry’s rut and the alpha could still drop out, after all. And if he doesn’t… Well, then Louis can waltz in on Thursday morning and agree to help him out as an act of kindness for the good of the university and Harry will never have to know that Louis has other motivations.
However, he knows he can’t do that. After saying good night to Jas and returning to his room, he takes out his phone and navigates to the email app. He stays with his finger hovering over the new draft button for only a moment before he’s exiting out of the app and switching to iMessage. The last message between him and Harry was sent July 21st, and Louis refuses to look at it.
i’ll help you with your rut if you don’t tell anyone
He hits send before he can change his mind and shuts off the phone as fast he can, heart pounding. It gets shoved into his nightstand drawer where it will remain until morning. This is a terrible idea, he thinks.
It’s all up to Harry now.
💫
Unsurprisingly, Harry corners him the next day while he’s walking through Royce Quad. Powell Library is one of his favorite places to study on campus, and he often makes the trek to go there despite the distance from the rest of his classes in the South Campus.
Harry quite literally grabs him by the arm, and Louis’ first instinct is to pivot on his toe and push his elbow hard into the alpha’s chest, over his solar plexus.
“What the fuck,” Harry chokes out, keeling forward.
“Oops,” Louis says airily. Occasional group self-defense classes have been a sorority tradition for years. “Don’t you know better than to sneak up on lone omegas like that?”
The alpha glares at him, still breathing harshly. He straightens up. “I got your text.”
Louis frowns. “Yeah, I know. Thanks for leaving me on read, dickhead.”
“Forgive me,” Harry says flatly. “I was a little busy being unbelievably shocked.”
Suddenly feeling exposed, Louis straightens his spine and forces himself to meet Harry’s gaze directly. “Well? What’s your answer?”
“So that wasn’t a prank?” Harry asks, skeptical. “Or a hallucination? You actually offered to –”
Louis smacks him on the chest before he can finish, heart racing. “Don’t say it out loud.”
Harry rolls his eyes. “You meant that?” he asks.
It takes everything inside Louis to say “Yes.”
“But,” Harry says slowly. “Why? I mean, I thought we agreed that –”
“Yeah, I know,” Louis interrupts, shaking his head. “Look, this is an extraordinary exception with an extraordinary circumstance. Neither of us want to deal with the consequences of dropping out so… we don’t.”
“And you’re okay with that?” Harry asks, crossing his arms. Louis really wishes he wasn’t wearing another sleeveless top so he didn’t have to see the way his biceps are emphasized by the movement. He can practically hear Jas’ voice saying whore in his head.
“I’m literally the one who suggested it,” Louis says, rolling his eyes. “Consider it a favor to whatever poor omega would end up having to help you instead.”
Harry scoffs. “Well, aren’t you just an angel?” he mutters.
“Listen,” Louis says, impatient. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine. You can drop out then and find someone else to help you. It’s your choice.”
The alpha bites his lip, seeming to mull it over. In the end, it doesn’t take that long. “Fine,” he says.
It takes a moment for the word to settle in. Louis feels a bit of the nervous energy unwind from the vice that has circled his heart. Somehow, he didn’t expect the alpha to agree so easily. “Are you sure?” he checks.
“I guess so,” Harry says, and then shrugs. “It’s not like I’ll even be fully conscious to know it’s you there anyway.” He delivers the words casually, but the underlying sentiment is clear. Louis is nothing to him. He’s just a warm body for Harry to fuck for a couple days. Under the haze of rut, as far as he’ll be concerned, Louis could be any omega in the world.
Which is fine, Louis tells himself. It’s fine if Harry’s using him because he’s using Harry in return. It’ll be a purely businesslike arrangement in which they’ll do what they need to do and tolerate each other as much as possible. Really, it’s no different than anything else between them.
“Okay,” Louis says after a pause. He takes a step back. “You’re booking the room?”
Harry nods stiffly, his expression mostly unreadable. “I’ll text you the number.”
Louis returns the nod. “I’ll see you Thursday then,” he says when no other necessary points of communication come to mind.
“It appears so,” is all Harry says. Louis knows better than to expect a thank you.
They both part in tense silence, walking in opposite directions. As Louis walks, his mind wanders to other pressing items on his internal list. Now that he and Harry have come to an agreement, the only problem left is how he plans on hiding his absence from his sisters for two days. He doesn’t like having to lie to them – or to anyone – but the idea of them potentially finding out is so horrifying that he knows he has no other choice.
By the time he returns to the house, his earlier confidence and bravado has faded completely. He texts Jas even though she’s in class, telling her that Harry agreed. To his surprise, she texts back immediately, sending a string of eggplant emojis and a thumbs up. The enthusiasm is a stark contrast to the sudden feeling of doubt in his chest.
He can’t help but wonder if he’s just made a big mistake.
💫
The week passes quickly, and soon Louis finds himself shoving bites of an Eggo waffle into his mouth while the Hamilton soundtrack plays loudly from Dakota’s speaker and Dakota themself is painting Zahra’s nails across the table from him. In the kitchen, he can see Kayley frying an omelette, Lonnie pouring a bowl of Froot Loops into one of the flower bowls he and Ika found at an antique store once, and Gianna rinsing her plate at the sink. Payton and Ranya sit on stools at the island, gossiping about industry drama while eating their oatmeal. Every few minutes, another sister runs through the room to grab a quick bite and call out a bye before leaving for a class.
It’s a typical morning in the sorority, an absolutely perfect sort of chaos that Louis has grown very fond of. Living in a house with around forty other omegas basically means that you’re never alone unless you shut yourself in a bathroom or have a separate room like Louis does. But he absolutely loves it. Today, however, the constant presence of others around him just reminds him of his lie.
After much consideration, he and Jas decided upon a story for Louis’ absence for the next two days: he’s going home to help his family move. Technically, his family is moving – but the move is scheduled for the following weekend and Louis won’t be going home because his parents have already recruited all their neighbors and friends to help. Besides, as per tradition, the first Capture the Flag game falls on that Saturday and Louis doesn’t want to miss that. Winning the first game is a nice tone to set for the rest of the year, he thinks, and he’s determined for it to happen.
But as far as the rest of them know, Louis will be five hours away in Concord. He’s supposed to leave after breakfast. The small duffle he packed full of spare clothes and non-perishables helps sell the image.
When the time comes, he hugs as many sisters as he can, his smile strained as they wish them the best with his parents’ move. He checks in with Jas one last time too since she’ll be holding the fort down without him alongside Ivy and Dakota, the sorority secretary.
“Have fun,” she calls out before he walks through the door. He can hear the smirk in her voice and he ignores it determinedly.
UCLA’s special heat and rut rooms are located on the far side of campus, isolated from other university buildings as much as possible. Every student who lives on campus is able to book a room for free but Louis will have to pay a fee for each day spent using the facilities once his stay is concluded. It’s the safest option though – when you live in the dorms or with a large group consisting of other omegas or alphas, locking yourself away in one room may not always cut it. They do have a special heat room at the house and Louis is sure there’s one at the frat house too, but it’s a rule that you can only utilize it if you’re spending your cycle independently.
Louis signs in with the receptionist and listens attentively as she walks him through the most important details regarding the room he’ll be staying in for the next couple of days including the safety button he told Jas about. Then soon he’s being led to room 28.
As expected, the room is simple and mostly empty. The walls are white and blank, and there’s a single window with one-way glass and pale purple curtains. He tries the latch to see if it’ll open; it’s locked. The biggest piece of furniture is obviously the bed, and Louis tests it out for a minute before wandering over to explore the adjoining bathroom and shower. There’s complimentary toiletries available but Louis brought along his own products out of preference.
When he’s finished looking around, he sets up his charger to plug his phone in on the small nightstand and then kicks off his shoes. The lady had explained to him that the room will be locked just as soon as both of them are present. If need be, Louis could order food that would be delivered through a small hatch in the door that can only be opened from the outside by one of the beta staff members but both he and Harry had agreed to bring food to sustain them. Additionally, they’re provided with a microwave and complimentary bottled water.
It’s all rather… cold, in a way. The unfamiliar room with its sterile appearance and hotel-like feel. Louis wonders what Harry’ll think about it – an alpha is always very territorial during their rut, preferring to stay in their own domain among what’s familiar and safe. This is definitely none of that.
He doesn’t have to worry long, however. Harry had informed him that he might be late since he had a morning practice today but it’s only been around ten minutes since he arrived when the knock sounds at the door.
Louis opens it, startled by how close Harry was standing to the frame. The alpha is dressed in sweats and a threadbare white shirt which clings to his wet skin. His hair is dark and damp, a few curls curving down his forehead attractively, and his eyes are green green green, darkened at the edges. His lips are red, like he’s been gnawing on them.
Immediately, Louis can smell how close his rut is, rich mahogany sweetened with hints of vanilla filling the air and seeping into Louis’ skin until his omega is whining. He moves backwards in a daze, and Harry – Harry follows as if there’s a thread tying him to Louis, dropping his bag onto the floor and shutting the door behind him. Louis only catches a glimpse of the same receptionist from before over Harry’s shoulder, as well as the key in her hand, and moments later he hears the telltale click.
They’re locked in.
He turns to meet Harry’s gaze and instantly shivers at the open want in his eyes. He’s already in deep, brazen hunger painted all over his face.
“Okay,” Louis forces himself to say to break the silence, hoping Harry can’t hear the slight nervousness in his voice. “What do you need?”
Harry snaps out his daze and surveys the room, lips tilting down in a frown. He places his hand flat against the wall and begins to walk around the perimeter of the room, dragging his hand along the wood as he goes. Louis watches him quietly, understanding that Harry is marking the room with his scent. He moves leisurely, opening the drawers of the nightstand and even picking up Louis’ phone to cover it with his scent too.
When he’s satisfied, he directs his attention to Louis who stills under the intensity of his gaze. The alpha stalks toward him with the slow ease of a wolf, nostrils flaring as Louis’ own scent gets stronger in response. “Can I scent you?” he asks once he’s stopped inches from Louis, voice rough with self-restraint.
Louis nods carefully, sucking in a breath when the alpha wastes no time in curling a hand around the back of his neck and tilting his head to the side. Then he leans forward and presses his nose to his skin. Louis is frozen in place, breaths shallow and uneven as Harry drags his nose down the column of his throat, lips brushing his collarbone.
He chose to wear loose, comfortable clothes today: a low crew neck and leggings. But both of them are so worn that he can feel the heat of Harry’s body bleeding into his more distinctly. Harry is so close that Louis is positive he can hear the pounding in his heart.
“You smell so good,” Harry murmurs, teeth scraping at the junction between his neck and shoulder.
His scent envelops Louis in its embrace, and it takes everything in him not to whine right there. He nearly trips when Harry places his hands at his hips and begins walking them back, face still buried in his neck. The backs of Louis’ legs hit the side of the bed and he lets out a small surprised gasp.
Forcing himself to concentrate, he places a hand flat against Harry’s chest to stop him from leaning closer. “How much longer, do you think?” he asks, willing his voice not to shake.
Harry blinks a few times, trying to focus himself. “I dunno. Maybe half an hour at most.”
“What do you want to do?” Louis asks.
“Just… lay back,” Harry says, voice strained. “You can put something on if you want but I won’t be paying attention.”
Louis nods, carefully laying back on the bed. There’s no point in trying to watch something when he won’t be able to pay attention either. Harry lays down beside him on his side and grips the side of Louis’ hip under the fabric of his shirt. His fingers are warm, imprinting their shapes into Louis’ skin.
“Closer,” he commands, voice hoarse.
Breath caught in his throat, Louis complies, turning into the alpha’s chest. His scent is almost suffocating this close up. Louis takes the moment to reflect on the fact that this is actually happening. He’s laying in bed with Harry fucking Styles, the bane of his existence, who is probably minutes away from jumping his bones.
“Stop,” Harry murmurs.
Louis freezes on instinct, and then realizes Harry meant something specific. “Stop what?” he asks for a pause.
“You’re all tense and flustered,” Harry says, stroking circles around his hipbone lazily. “I know I make you nervous, but relax.”
“Pretty big assumption, dude,” Louis murmurs, refusing to meet the alpha’s eyes. He knows it’s written all over his face.
“I always make you nervous,” Harry whispers. He’s leaning closer. Louis’ breath falters when Harry curls his hand around the side of his neck, tilting his face up. “I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?”
Instead of responding, Louis’ eyes flutter shut.
Harry’s lips meet his far more gently than he expects. Gentle, but no less consuming. Harry kisses like he’s running out of time – desperately, hungrily. Like there is nowhere else he’d rather be. He’s unrelenting, sucking on Louis’ tongue one second and nipping at his bottom lip the next, all while rubbing circles in the arch of his cheek with his thumb. The way Louis likes.
The hand on Louis’ waist slides to his lower back, flattening at the base of his spine. Louis pushes his hips forward in response, letting out a small sound. He feels like he’s on fire, burning from the inside out. Harry is everywhere, scent sticking to his skin.
He buries his trembling fingers in Harry’s wet hair, full on forgetting how to breathe when Harry starts sucking at his neck, teeth scraping against the hollow of his throat. “Harry,” he breathes, voice wavering. Slick has begun to soak through the material of his leggings, mind going fuzzy.
“I got you, pup,” Harry whispers, and Louis’ heart skips a beat. He turns Louis into his back and slowly rucks his crew neck up to his chest, exposing his torso and the small curve of his stomach.
Louis shivers at the sudden rush of cool air against his skin, feeling vulnerable and desperate. He stills when Harry pauses, leaning down and pressing his lips to his navel. A low rumble sounds from his chest as he lifts his head, eyes half-lidded and pupils blown wide. His hands go to his shirt, tugging it up and over his head and then tossing it over the side of the bed. He reaches for Louis, and helpless, Louis leans to meet him.
They undress each other frantically, hands sliding down bare skin, parted lips pressing together again and again. Louis feels dizzy and drunk, heart racing in his ears, heat pooling under his skin and thrumming through his veins. Harry’s the one in rut, he reminds himself desperately. Yet he feels as desperate as if he were in heat, thighs clenching together as slick soaks the sheets beneath them.
The first finger has Louis crying out, head lolling back in overwhelm. Thankfully, Harry doesn’t waste much time. He buries his face in Louis’ neck, scenting him as he eases a second and then a third finger in. His movements are slow and controlled, pushing deeper and deeper. He whines when the fingers vanish, squirming at the loss.
Harry hushes him, gripping his cock. It’s long and hard, swollen at the tip. He slides the head between Louis’ cheeks then slaps it against his rim. Every time it catches, they both hiss.
By the time Harry finally sinks in, Louis has tears in his eyes and dripping down his face, toes curling into the mattress in an attempt to ground himself. The alpha peppers kisses all over his wet face, growling low in his throat. He grips Louis’ hands in his own, pressing them flat against the bed. “Always so tight,” he murmurs.
Louis shuts his eyes, breathing hard.
Harry leans down and kisses his forehead. “You missed this, haven’t you?” he rasps.
Yes, Louis thinks, shuddering as Harry draws his hips back and then pushes in, slow and deep. It’s good. It’s so good that Louis can barely breathe. Fuck, he’s missed it. He’s missed it, and he hates himself for it.
“You missed taking my cock,” Harry whispers, lips skimming up the side of his throat. “Being my good little omega.”
He hates himself for wanting to respond with yes yes yes. He’s missed all of it. Remnants of the summer return to him in hazy flashes – stolen kisses in Harry’s car, feverish hook-ups in unfamiliar bathrooms, nights spent tangled up in one another and days spent far apart. He remembers all of it so clearly, and he hates himself for it. He hates himself for being affected by Harry’s rut-compelled words when he knows the truth.
Harry is moving on pure instinct and adrenaline now, hips snapping forward relentlessly. Every press of his cock seems to drive deeper than before – so deep, Louis is positive that he can feel it in his stomach. It should be illegal, he thinks deliriously as one of Harry’s thrusts shoves him up the mattress, headboard creaking against the wall. It should be illegal for someone as obnoxious as Harry Styles to fuck this well.
His grip on Louis’ hands tightens, muscles in his abdomen going taut as his knot begins to swell. “Gonna take my knot?” he gasps. “Carry my pups?”
Louis squirms at the feeling, caught between rocking into it or pulling away. He’s relieved when Harry releases his hands, allowing him to throw his arms around Harry’s neck and cling to him. “Yes,” he cries out. Please, please, please.
The alpha seals their mouths together, thrusts speeding up. He goes rigid as his knot catches on Louis’ rim, locking into place and tying them together. Stars dance on the backs of Louis’ eyes, tears stinging his eyes. The first traces of cum pumping into him – filling him up – is all it takes before he’s shuddering through his own release, nails digging into the alpha’s shoulders and using him as an anchor.
Harry seems to have slipped fully into rut by now, eyes overtaken with a cloudy haze. One of his big hands is splayed over the curve of Louis’ stomach, petting at it protectively. “Mine,” he says.
“Yours,” Louis repeats mindlessly. It’s what Harry wants to hear, is what he tells himself. “Only yours.”
The alpha continues to murmur nonsensically about pups and how good Louis is, lips pressed to Louis’ ear and hand still glued to his stomach. His other one eventually roams down to where they’re connected, feeling around Louis’ swollen rim and making him mewl from sensitivity.
Louis’ heart is still thundering in his chest, going a million miles per minute. He closes his eyes, feeling the alpha’s breath tickling his ear, his low, soothing voice sinking into his head and making his insides feel warm.
Already, his omega is purring at all of it – the touches, the words, the doting, the scent wrapping around him like a blanket. It’s been an hour, and already Louis feels like he’s lost control, fingers grappling for the edge.
It was going to be a long two days.
💫
June Gloom was in full force down the coastline and Louis could feel the cool moisture in the air sticking to his skin when he headed for Julie’s, a gift bag clutched in his hand.
Julie was an old friend, having gone to high-school with Louis. She went to USC, not UCLA, but they hung out from time to time, shopping in Santa Monica or meeting up at Village Theatre to see a film. They definitely weren’t the closest, but Louis was very fond of the omega. When she invited him to her birthday party, he accepted without hesitation.
She greeted him at the door and kissed his cheek, dressed in a pink minidress and a birthday tiara. They talked for a while and she introduced him to her roommate, Ian, whom Louis met briefly before. But inevitably, the omega’s attention was drawn somewhere else and Louis was left standing with a drink in his hand in a sea full of strangers.
He didn’t know anyone there, he realized quickly. Though Louis has admittedly been to more parties than he can count, he was used to the familiar setting of the sorority or frat house — to the faces he’d always see. He wasn’t used to feeling invisible and awkward amidst strangers who ignored him. So he started drinking.
It was somewhere between his second and third glass that he saw him.
Harry was leaning up against the wall, laughing with some alpha Louis didn’t recognize. He was wearing a sheer white shirt and black jeans, curls peeking out under his worn Dodgers snapback. There was a bunch of plastic pink heart necklaces draped over his neck.
Louis didn’t know why he was staring. His mind was fuzzy and there was warmth swelling in his blood. One second he was staring, and the next second, Harry was staring back.
He didn’t like the alpha. Could hardly stand him at monthly meetings all year. But somehow that fact seemed insignificant – perhaps even nonexistent – at that moment.
Later he wouldn’t be able to remember how they ended up dancing together. Harry approached him first, he thinks – maybe made a dumb comment about how miserable at parties Louis was. But all Louis remembers is dancing. Harry’s hands on his waist, breath tickling his ear, heartbeat against the palm of his hand.
He remembers tilting his head back to look him in the eye, vision blurry but Harry standing clear in the middle of it all. He remembers leaning up on his toes – remembers Harry gripping the side of his face. He remembers feeling those pink necklaces press into his chest when Harry pulled him flush against him, hands sliding down the curve of his ass.
And certainly he remembered what came after in the backseat of Harry’s car. Neither of them spoke a word to each other beyond muffled swears, using their hands and bodies to communicate much more effectively than talking ever did for them. When it was over, they agreed never to speak about it and Harry offered to drive Louis home as a gesture of good will.
That ‘gesture of goodwill’ turned into Louis sneaking Harry into the sorority house for round two. Soon, it became a thing. All through June and July, it was a thing. They were a thing – an undefined, no-strings, mutually beneficial thing, that is. But a thing nonetheless.
And then, suddenly, they weren’t.
💫
Harry’s rut passes in a haze of sex and pleasure. Louis is quite familiar with the alpha’s higher-than-average sex drive during normal circumstances, but deep in rut? Louis is pretty sure he doesn’t spend more than ten minutes without a dick prodding at his hole or mouth.
It is not an exaggeration for Louis to say that he has been railed to every inch of his life. He knows he’s going to be sore out of his mind for the next week or more, and yet… Louis has been enjoying himself. He honestly has – just as much as he expected he would. Sex with Harry has always been enjoyable, after all.
He’s enjoying himself quite a bit right now as he slowly begins to rock down on Harry’s cock, using his shoulders for leverage for lowering himself down and then lifting back up. His thighs are already shaking, not used to this sort of non stop continuous workout, but Harry helps too. He has his hands molded around Louis’ waist, hips snapping up to meet his motions. It’s slow and deep, foreheads braced together.
“That’s it,” Harry murmurs, grip tightening as Louis begins to find his footing, teeth grit from the exertion. “Just like that, baby."
Louis throws his head back, keening in his throat as Harry leans forward and takes one of his nipples into his mouth. A whimper is torn from his lips and his hips falter when Harry begins to suck, still fucking up into him. He digs his fingers into Harry’s messy hair, holding his face in place there as Harry scrapes his teeth over the sensitive bud.
The alpha has slowly been coming down from his rut all evening, eyes getting less and less cloudy and growls and grunts reducing. He’s more coherent now, especially after their very hearty dinner of PB&Js. However, his returning awareness really just means that he’s able to focus more on rendering Louis into a flushed and desperate mess.
“Harry,” Louis whines, reaching that state far faster than he’d like to admit.
“You’ve been doing so well for me, pup,” Harry says into his sternum, a lingering coarseness to his voice that has yet to fade. His hands wander lower, grabbing and groping his cheeks. Outlines of his fingers are now imprinted all over Louis’ body, he’s sure. He already sees the pink tinged shapes on his waist and hips – feels their presence and the phantom touches that left them there as proof.
He sighs out happily when Harry connects their lips again, letting the alpha lick into his slack mouth. Even in the deepest depths of rut, Harry wouldn’t stop kissing him. His lips have been bitten raw, but he has no complaints.
When Harry’s knot begins to swell, Louis slumps forward into Harry’s chest, thighs burning. Harry doesn’t seem to mind, easily switching over to lifting Louis up and then back down his cock himself. Louis squirms and swears, nails cutting crescents into the alpha’s skin. They both groan when his knot squeezes through his entrance and latches into place.
Immediately, Harry is petting over his stomach, brows furrowed in concentration – like if he wills it hard enough, a baby will appear in Louis’ stomach. Louis would rather die than admit that he finds it adorable.
Somewhere in the afterglow, Louis must doze off, because the next thing he knows he’s stirring awake. He lays there blinking sluggishly as he gets his bearings and the room comes into focus around him. He’s alone in bed, he realizes. And he’s naked, but the cum has been wiped off of him. He shifts his legs, mouth twisting – not out of him though.
As for Harry, Louis sits up in bed, frowning. It takes a moment for the sound of water running to register. The alpha is in the shower.
The rut is over, Louis realizes. He reaches for his phone to check the time, and sure enough: it’s Saturday morning. Early morning, that is. The clock reads four thirty and Louis has to reread it twice to make himself believe it.
He swears as he attempts to maneuver himself out of the bed, wincing at the ache between his legs and the fact that his knees are wobbling like crazy. There’s a full glass of water on the nightstand that Louis downs greedily, not wanting to think about who left it there for him.
By the time Harry exits the bathroom, Louis has pulled his yellow satin sleep robe out from his bag and draped it over his body. It’s not that he’s uncomfortable with the alpha seeing him bare when he’s no longer in rut – he’s uncomfortable with Harry seeing the evidence of their time together written across Louis’ skin in the form of bruises, bites, and marks. Something he can’t take back. Something Louis doesn’t want him to take back.
“The shower’s free,” is the first thing the alpha says. His tone is peculiarly brisk, scraping against the air between them. He’s also fully dressed, decked out in sweats and a Queen shirt that has seen better days.
Confused, Louis clears his throat. “You’re fully out?” he checks.
Harry nods. “Yeah, woke up half an hour ago and felt fine.”
“Less than forty-eight hours, wow,” Louis says, eyebrows raising. He expects Harry to make a cocky remark about his superior stamina or at least to acknowledge the rarity of such a thing among non-mates, but the alpha does no such thing.
In fact, Louis is positive that he grimaces. “Yeah, went by fast,” he says vaguely. He walks over to the desk chair where his bag has been packed. “Really, it’s just in time though.”
“You’re leaving,” Louis blurts out in surprise, because suddenly it’s obvious that that is what the alpha is about to do. Usually, when an alpha surfaces from rut, they’re still a bit… well, clingy. From what he’s heard, cuddling is a common post-rut activity – one he definitely wouldn’t be opposed to. Except Harry seems ready to walk right out of that door.
“Yeah, we have one last practice in a few hours and I thought I’d get some extra training in at the gym before,” Harry explains. He’s avoiding Louis’ eyes, fussing with straps on his bag.
“Right,” Louis says, dumbly. He feels a bit stupid for forgetting that Harry doesn’t want to spend any extra time with him than necessary, let alone to cuddle like lovers.
And neither do I, he reminds himself. This was a singular, admittedly unwise indulgence – one could even say a lapse of judgement. But now it was over, and neither of them ever had to think about it ever again.
An awkward silence falls between them, which Harry breaks with a cleared throat. “Thanks for doing this, Louis,” he says. It sounds sincere, but Louis can’t get past the words themselves.
Thanks for doing this, Louis. Like this is a business transaction or they’re colleagues or something. “Sure,” he forces himself to say, nodding. “Uh, good luck with your game.”
The alpha mumbles a thank you, scratching his ear. “The room is technically still ours till nine so feel free to take your time,” he says. “I’m sorry if I woke you up.”
“You didn’t,” Louis says stiffly. He’s not sure how to handle this – this awkward politeness from someone he shares so much history with. All of a sudden, he is painfully aware that he is standing here with Harry’s cum still inside him and imprints of his teeth and tongue all over his body. He clears his throat. “I’ll probably take that shower now.”
Harry nods, averting his eyes. He picks up the bag, pausing. “Bye, Louis. See you… next Sunday, I guess.”
Next Sunday. Capture the Flag. The reminder serves as a cold splash of reality to Louis’ senses. This is Harry Styles, it says. The alpha he loathes irrevocably. “Yeah, next Sunday,” Louis returns belatedly. “I look forward to seeing you lose.”
“We’ll see about that, Tomlinson,” Harry says, smirking. Just like that, they’re back on familiar terrain. Easy, safe terrain.
“What’re you still doing here, again?” Louis asks, crossing his arms.
“It was a pleasure,” Harry says dryly, moving towards the door. Louis watches as the alpha steps into the hallway and shuts the door behind him, sound echoing in the now silent room.
Louis spends the next twenty minutes trying to scrub every trace of Harry’s scent and touch off his skin.
💫
The way Capture the Flag works between the two organizations has not changed much in the past decade since the tradition was established. As always, the first game is held at the local park, within the carefully chosen boundaries outlined on the provided map. The sorority gets the south side of the park while the frat gets the north – the playground smack in the middle of the park serving as the dividing line as well as the locations of the jails. To differentiate teams, alphas wear blue and omegas wear gold – their school colors. The flags are always the same two bandanas, each group’s Greek emblem stitched onto the surface. The game itself lasts exactly an hour, the first ten minutes of which is devoted to hiding the flag and discussing with your teammates.
Louis is quite satisfied with the turnout on their side, especially regarding the newer members. He loves seeing them all decked out in gold and being excited. One of the best parts of Capture the Flag is bonding with his sisters and working together for a worthy, common goal: kicking some alpha ass.
Everyone gathers at the entrance of the park, two throngs of blue and gold maintaining a safe distance between each other. It’s five o’clock and the park is empty save for the sounds of chatter and cheers. Some of the alphas and omegas holler taunts at each other or start a fight over who can cheer the loudest – an effort headed by Ivy. All of it is intended to be good fun, of course. Louis would be participating if he didn’t have to do something else far more unpleasant.
See, another thing that tradition dictates is that the game officially begins once the president of the sorority and the president of the fraternity shake hands. It’s meant to represent how though they’re on separate teams, they are still united – or something like that. All Louis knows is that he’s been dreading this all week.
He spots Harry immediately as the alpha breaks away from his huddle of brothers. He’s dressed in blue jeans, a blue flannel over a blue UCLA shirt, with a bandana tied around his head and two streaks of blue face painted on both cheeks. It’s not very creative – especially the jeans; those are lazy – but Louis can’t deny that the alpha looks good. He always does, and Louis hates it. And he hates himself for always noticing.
As of today, it has been over a week since Harry’s rut finished. On Saturday night, UCLA beat USC 46-20, keeping possession of the Victory Bell for another year. Louis didn’t go to the game but he watched the highlights on social media afterward, flinching every time Harry’s name was mentioned — aka, a lot.
Somehow he’s managed to avoid seeing the alpha all week. The single exception was the quick video call with the rest of the E-board last night regarding final details for today, but beside that, Louis hasn’t seen the alpha at all. No wonder it’s been a good week, he tells himself. This is how life should be.
Still, he forces himself to walk toward Harry now, keeping his face blank as he stops a foot before the alpha. They stare at each other for a moment. Louis may or may not have to tilt his head back to look him in the eye, but that is irrelevant. Harry is the one to hold his hand out, lips twitching.
Louis takes his hand before he can hesitate, pretending he hasn’t felt those very fingers deep inside him, thick and long and just right.
“May the best president win,” Harry murmurs.
“He will,” Louis says dismissively. They shake.
And just like that, the game has begun. Alphas head north, and omegas head south. When they’re far enough away, Louis and his officers get everyone to gather in a huddle. Louis takes a moment to savor the excitement of it all, surrounded by eager faces decked out in gold face paint who are just as determined as he is to win this. “Where do y’all want to hide the flag?” Ivy asks.
As per the rules, it has to be somewhere visible and accessible. No more than three people are allowed to ‘guard’ it and they must maintain a distance of at least ten feet away from it at all times.
“Wouldn’t it be smart to hide it as far away from the line as possible?” one of the freshmen asks. “So they have more ground to cover before they can get to it which means we have more time to tag them out.”
“I feel like that’s too predictable,” Rowan interrupts. He’s a junior so he’s played his fair share of Capture the Flag games just like this one. “Like, that’s what everyone always does. We should try to be smarter about this.”
“How?” another girl asks.
Jas shoots Louis a look, amused. “Does our president by any chance have any ideas?” she says innocently.
“Since you asked,” Louis says lightly, pulling the map out of the park he printed that morning out of his pocket. They all lower themselves to the ground and Louis lays it out in the middle of the circle. “Okay, what are the two rules for flag hiding again?” he asks.
“It has to be visible and accessible,” someone offers.
“Right,” Louis says. He points to the small circle which is far from the dividing line, but not quite the edge. “Have you all seen the pond that’s over here? The one with all the ducks?”
“Get on with it, Lou,” Ivy urges.
“There’s that bridge that goes over the narrow part of it,” Louis explains. “I think we should plant the flag there, in the very middle. There’s only two narrow entry points to get on the bridge which makes it far easier to guard than if they could come at all sides. Plus, the area around the pond is sloped so it’s partly hidden from view until they get close.”
“And when they do get close, we’ll see them coming,” Ivy finishes. “I like it.” The others murmur their agreement.
“How’re we going to organize ourselves?” Holly asks.
“There’s twenty-seven of us, right? I’m thinking we keep seventeen on defense. Having more than ten of us past enemy lines is dangerous anyway, especially since there’s no getting out of jail when you’re tagged out in this game. We can always send extras if necessary,” Louis explains, waiting for them to nod. “Ivy will lead the offense. Gianna, you're going with her,” he directs, pointing to the north side on the map. “You’re probably the fastest person at UCLA and they all know it, which is exactly why you’re going to be our lure. That means you get close to the flag and maybe even fake some attempts at the flag. Let all those alphas trip over themselves trying to tag you out. While they’re distracted by trying to get you, the others can go for the flag.”
“A decoy,” she says thoughtfully. “Nice.”
Ivy proceeds to choose the remaining eight omegas who will accompany them before passing the metaphorical mic back to Louis.
“We’re going to split up our side of the park into fours so there’ll be four in each quadrant with one extra with the flag,” Louis says. He counts off omegas into each quadrant, telling them to split up the land even more between themselves so that all land is accounted for. “And I’ll be in the last quadrant too,” he finishes, ignoring Jas’ small cough. “We’ll decide on specific guards when we get there. But remember that the most important thing for everyone else is to prevent them from even getting that far.”
“Does everyone know the plan?” Ivy asks.
A chorus of affirmatives fill Louis’ ear and he exhales. “We can do this, guys,” he says, smiling. “Work together and communicate. Lean on each other. And most importantly, have fun.”
“Chant on three?” Dakota suggests.
They all throw their hands into the middle of the circle, crowding closer together. On Louis’ count, they yell their sorority name and cheer.
Ten minutes later, Louis is stationed at one entrance of the bridge, two juniors planted on the other. The flag is displayed proudly over the side of the railing, in full view from their surroundings.
He’s heard some muted shouts in the distance proving that the chase is well under way but no one has ventured to the bridge just yet. Louis is ready for when they go though, adrenaline and anticipation pumping through his veins.
For as much as they can prepare and try to prevent the worst outcomes, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes after the flag. It’s just a fact of life.
And it’s the reason that Louis insisted on staying behind, no matter how much Jas will give him shit for it later. If any alpha was going to make it past all their team members and go after the flag, it’s going to be Harry. Louis is determined to stop him – he won’t trust anyone else with the honors. No one knows how the alpha ticks better than Louis does.
Sure enough, the alpha comes into view just a few minutes later, tearing down the hill with Liam and Quincy. Sophie and Zoe are hot on their tails though and minutes later Sophia practically tackles Quincy to the ground, tagging him out.
However, the two of them immediately get side-tracked by the gaggle of alphas who suddenly appear at the hill, hollering and hooting like idiots. Freshmen, Louis thinks with disdain. However, he’ll admit begrudgingly that their stupid attempt at distraction works: Zoe and Sophie are outnumbered now, and it’s easy for Harry slip from their range and race for the flag.
Good thing Louis knew that would happen. “Alphas are so predictable,” Louis says with a sigh once Harry is in earshot. He gestures for the two other omegas guarding the bridge to go help the others lest Harry gets a helper.
The alpha slows to a walk, realizing that he’s no longer being chased. All that’s left between him in the flag now is Louis. Leave Harry to me, Louis had told the omegas in his quadrant.
“You go for an ambush every time,” he continues.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Harry says simply. He points to the flag. “At least we don’t cheat.”
“Did we cheat or did we hurt your ego by outsmarting you?” Louis asks sweetly, crossing his arms.
“No, I’m pretty sure you cheated,” Harry says, gesturing to the bridge. “How is that accessible?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Louis says calmly. “It’s in a place that you can approach on foot and is within hand’s reach. The only thing fastening it to the wood is a hair clip. Not very intimidating, Styles.”
Harry makes a face. “Very clever,” he says. “Very, very clever. Using the bridge like this.” He takes a step to the side.
Louis eyes him suspiciously, muscles tensing. If Harry wants to make a crazy, impossible attempt at grabbing the flag without coming into contact with him, that’s up to him, but Louis has a feeling something else is happening. His answer is confirmed when Harry bolts left and… proceeds to leap over the pond.
Not ‘fully’ over the pond, though. No, Harry leaps toward the bridge, colliding with its side with a loud grunt. His hands are pale white where they grip the railing.
He yanks the flag from the railing, and Louis snaps out of his momentary shock, racing up the bridge. He misses Harry by seconds as the alpha lands onto the wood and takes off like a rocket.
“Code Red,” Louis shouts to the omegas in the near vicinity, but he’s already chasing after Harry like his life depends on it. He watches as the alpha crumples the bandana into a ball and –
Moving on pure instinct, Louis speeds up and takes a flying leap forward, crashing into Harry’s back and knocking him onto the ground. He’s too late though, Harry has succeeded in throwing the flag to Liam who has been lying in wait sneakily over to the side.
“I know you want to jump my bones, Louis,” Harry drawls underneath him, smirking, “but this is a whole other level.”
“You’re disgusting,” Louis says, scrambling to his feet. “And you’re also out. Fuck off.”
“Might as well just stay here since the game is going to end now anyway,” Harry says, smug.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Louis says when a loud cheer surfaces from the side from his sisters. He grins when Gianna comes racing down the side of the hill, a blue fraternity flag clutched in her hand. “You lose.”
Harry sits up abruptly, swearing.
“Maybe focus on your defense a little more next time,” Louis says, then shakes his head. “Alphas are so predictable.”
💫
After the game finished and they all gathered back at the entrance of the park for popsicles and closing remarks (which does include some not-so-subtle gloating from the sorority officers), everyone splits off.
Well, everyone except for the officers, that is. They stick around to discuss the game and any issues that occurred during it. Ivy mentions how she noticed that some of the freshmen alphas got a bit too aggressive when trying to tag omegas out and Harry promises to deal with them personally. He casually mentions that maybe they ought to clarify the rules for flag hiding a bit more, and Louis rolls his eyes.
“Sore loser,” he mutters under his breath.
“I’m just saying,” Harry says louder. “What’s allowed and what’s not should be clear to everyone.”
“Okay, good idea,” Jas says before Louis can reply, elbowing him in the side. “Anything else?”
“I think we should reiterate some other rules too,” Louis says smoothly. “Like how climbing onto park property such as trees, fountains, bridges, etcetera is explicitly forbidden.”
“Which is exactly why it’s important that people hide the flag somewhere that’s actually accessible so participants aren’t driven to breaking the rules just to have a shot at winning,” Harry counters, expression pinched.
“Ah, yes, we made you jump onto the bridge like a fucking idiot,” Louis snaps, blood boiling. “I think we should also remind everyone of the importance of taking responsibility for your actions instead of pinning the blame on others all the time. It’s the mature thing to do.”
“And Louis would know. He’s an expert on maturity,” Harry says sarcastically.
“Alright,” Jas interrupts loudly before Louis can respond. “Very helpful input from all sides, but I think we should continue discussing this at a later point.” Everyone besides Louis and Harry nod eagerly.
Louis links arms with Jas on their walk back while Ivy and Dakota regale them with how they managed to capture the flag. Back at the house, some of the girls are studying in the kitchen and others have started a film in the living room. Louis grabs a helping of the lasagna Lonny and Ellie made earlier and says an early goodnight, deciding he deserves some alone time. As fun as it is to live in a house with forty people he calls his sisters, it can also be overwhelming sometimes. Louis makes it a point to set aside some alone time as frequently as possible.
He’s two episodes deep in a New Girl binge when his phone buzzes. He picks it up, expecting to be Jas or maybe Niall who’s been nagging him about hanging out sometime this week. But it’s neither of them.
Moments later, Louis is creeping out of his room and heading down the stairs. By some miracle, no one sees him as he opens the door and slips outside. It’s almost eight-thirty at this point, and cold. Louis stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he hurries down the driveway, the light from the full moon making it very easy to spot the familiar car parked at the curb.
He’s able to see the outline of the alpha through the windshield once he gets closer. He’s looking down at his phone, completely oblivious to his surroundings. That is, until Louis knocks vigorously on his window. The alpha jerks, mouth opening in shock and then twisting into an unamused frown when he sees Louis.
Louis moves around to the passenger seat of the car, practically throwing himself into the warm interior. “A dick pic, really?” he says in lieu of a greeting. “Very classy.”
“Yet you’re sitting here right now,” Harry says simply.
“No better offers tonight,” Louis shrugs. In reality, he stared at the picture Harry sent him for a length of time he would rather not admit. It’s not the first time Harry’s sent… intimate photos to him as a form of invitation, but it still came as a surprise – although, definitely not unwelcome. He can still see the image burned in his brain of Harry’s hard, flushed cock, dripping at the tip. He had captioned it simply: want you.
“That was okay, right?” Harry checks, meeting his eyes. “It didn’t make you uncomfortable?”
In response, Louis maneuvers over the center console and straddles Harry’s lap. “Made me wait all week,” he mumbles, right before leaning forward and connecting their lips. The truth is, Louis has been waiting all week. Not necessarily for a dick pic, but for something – some sign that he’s not crazy and Harry is still craving Louis just as much as he’s been craving him. Some sign that Harry’s rut really wasn’t the end of things between them. That he’s been missing Louis all along.
Harry cradles the sides of his face in his hands, taking control of the kiss immediately. He bites down on Louis’ bottom lip, soothing the sting with his tongue. He’s taking his sweet time, just like always, and just like always, it drives Louis insane.
He tries to speed things up a little, shrugging off his own jacket and then slowly beginning to move his hips, grinding down on Harry’s crotch.
The alpha reacts as expected, letting out a stilted groan as his hands fall to Louis’ hips. His lips skim down the length of Louis’ throat, mouthing at his pulse. “Naughty,” he murmurs into his skin.
“Says the one planning to fuck me in his car less then ten yards from the house,” Louis breathes, eyes fluttering shut.
“Think that turns you on, actually,” Harry responds, hands trailing down his back to grope at his ass lazily. “The idea of someone inside hearing you scream.”
“Bold of you to think you could ever make me scream,” Louis says.
Harry presses the pad of his finger against his entrance over the fabric of his leggings. “Last week would prove otherwise,” he says smugly. “Bet you’re still sore.”
“Guess that’d make two of us,” Louis says innocently. “Good game today, huh?”
The alpha stiffens at the mention of their loss. “You,” he murmurs into his ear, “are so fucking annoying.”
Louis slides his hand down Harry’s front to where a bulge is pressing up at the zipper of his jeans. He cups him through the denim, making the alpha groan loudly. “Yeah, I can see how much I’m annoying you right now.”
“Brat,” Harry says, nipping at his neck.
“Dickhead,” Louis mutters back, head tilting back automatically to give the alpha better access as he traces a path down his neck with his teeth. He’s definitely going to be using a lot of concealer tomorrow.
By the time they’ve reclined the seat back and Louis has taken Harry’s place so that he’s the one laying back with his jacket being used as a barrier, both of them have lost their patience. Harry swears as he wrangles with Louis’ leggings, and Louis fumbles with the buttons to his jeans. He grips Harry’s length and gives it a few firm tugs, swiping his thumb over the slit.
Harry lets out an actual sound of triumph once he succeeds in yanking his leggings off, pushing his legs up and wasting no time in circling a finger at his rim. “Always so wet for me,” he marvels.
“Get on with it,” Louis huffs, rocking down onto his fingers. “Sometime before the sun rises, please.”
“Let’s not forget who’s in charge here,” Harry says warningly, but he eases in two fingers nonetheless.
Louis’ legs quiver where he’s holding them to his sides, fingers pale white from the tightness of his grip. He shudders when Harry adds a third finger, opening him up methodically but thoroughly.
“Hurry, hurry,” Louis urges when Harry finally retracts them, deeming him ready. The alpha doesn’t move any quicker though, fisting his own cock and giving it a few lazy tugs. “Please,” Louis implores.
“Finally, some respect,” Harry murmurs, relenting. He lines himself up and then grips Louis’ leg, bracing it over his shoulder.
They both moan at the first few inches. Louis squeezes his eyes shut, breathing hard. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to Harry’s size and how it never fails to make it feel like he’s being split open in the best possible way.
“Yeah, that’s it,” Harry murmurs when Louis lets out a mewl, dragging his fingers along the seat. He smooths his hands down Louis’ sides soothingly. “You’re doing so well, baby. So well.”
When he’s fully enveloped in Louis’ heat, they both exhale. Louis stares at the ceiling of Harry’s car, watching his vision blur and contort. “Go,” he urges when he’s ready. And then, "Put a baby in me."
Harry pauses a second, eyes darkening, before he’s easing out carefully. The first push is painfully slow, and Louis feels every blessed inch of it, head lolling back in overwhelm. The alpha continues the slower, controlled pace, going for depth rather than speed. Louis is pretty sure he can feel every single thrust down to a cellular level, pleasure rippling across his body like a thousand little sparks.
The alpha leans over his body, bracing himself with forearms flat against the seat on either side of Louis’ head. The position makes it so that Louis’ leg is pressed up against his chest, allowing Harry to fuck in deeper than before. The new angle makes it so that Harry finds his prostate right away, body jolting up the seat at the pressure where he’s most sensitive. The alpha maintains that angle, hitting his sweet spot on almost every thrust.
It’s not long before Louis starts begging, a litany of please and Harry spilling from his lips as the alpha begins to speed up, pounding into him with renewed vigor. His heart thunders in his ears, pressure building in his core.
Louis comes with a cry, spurting up his chest and clamping down like a vice. It doesn’t take much longer before Harry’s knot begins to swell. Louis is relieved when the alpha maneuvers him back into a much more comfortable position with his legs locked around Harry’s middle right before it latches into place.
He’s surprised when Harry buries his face in his neck, breathing in his scent. They lay like that, tied together and breathing in silence, until Harry’s knot goes down.
Getting dressed again is a difficult affair in cramped quarters but they make it work. Since Louis’ leggings are still pretty much soaked, Harry lends him a spare pair of sweats he has in the back. Even after folding over the band twice, they hang loose on his waist, but they’re warm and comfortable and Louis tells Harry that he’s pretty sure they’re never going to make it back to the alpha because he’s never taking them off.
It’s not until Louis has stepped out of the car that it occurs to him that they haven’t talked about… well, any of it. He goes around to Harry’s side of the car and taps on the window, waiting for the alpha to lower it.
“What is it?” Harry asks, peering out at him. “You have a key, right?”
“Yeah,” Louis says, shaking his head. “Just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page.”
“And what page is that?” Harry asks.
“That this,” Louis says, gesturing between them, “is not a thing.”
“What? You begging for my knot?” Harry says, arching a brow. “It seems like a thing to me.”
Louis scowls. “Asshole. I mean us sleeping together. It won’t be a recurring thing.”
“Obviously not,” Harry says, rolling his eyes.
“Great,” Louis says. “Glad we’ve acknowledged that.”
But neither of them acknowledge the fact that they’re both lying.
💫
“Sugar, spice, and everything nice,” Niall drones in an impression of the classic audio. “These were the ingredients chosen to create the –”
“Yeah, yeah,” Louis says, rolling his eyes. “We’re Powerpuff Girls, we get it.” The amount of times he’s had the opening lines of the show quoted at him in the past hour is already nearing the threshold of way too many.
“Where’s Buttercup?” Niall asks, looking between the two of them.
“Ivy’s talking to Will,” Jas answers. She’s wearing a pale blue mini dress over a white turtleneck, hair pulled into the classic Bubbles pig-tails and lids shimmering with glittery blue eyeshadow.
Louis himself is wearing a hot pink short-sleeved coverall, black rhinestone belt cinching it in at the waist. The look is complete with black combat boots and the classic Blossom bow fastened to his hair.
“Nice mustache,” Jas says, nodding to Niall’s honestly ridiculous stick-on mustache. The beta really did go all out though, dressed in a burgundy suit jacket over a dress shirt and striped tie with boxers on the bottom. How he actually got into this party when the guest list is supposed to be restricted to members of the sorority or frat, Louis will never know. “Not exactly sure who you’re supposed to be though.”
“I’m kind of a big deal. People know me. I’m very important. I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany,” Niall drawls.
“He’s Ron Burgundy,” Louis supplies when Jas stares at the beta blankly. “From Anchorman.”
Niall winks. “You stay classy, San Diego.”
“Hey, y'all,” Ivy says, appearing at Louis’ side. She’s wearing a neon green shell suit jacket over a black crop top with black cargo pants, neon clips glinting in her hair. She had been the one to suggest doing a trio costume like this for the Halloween social, and Louis is glad he agreed. They look pretty damn good.
The Halloween social is always one of Louis’ favorite events of the year, perhaps because Halloween is one of his favorite days of the year. It’s one of the events they co-host with the frat, although the party itself is always located at the alpha house due to old, sexist laws about alcohol being prohibited in sorority houses. Despite that annoying technicality, Louis always looks forward to seeing everyone get dressed up – because costumes are required, of course – and have a blast.
His eyes drift over the room, seeing dozens of costumed alphas and omegas dancing and hanging out. His grip on his drink tightens a bit when his gaze falls on a familiar figure. It’s not the first time he’s caught sight of Harry since he arrived, and Louis will admit that he’s been trying his hardest not to look at the alpha’s costume.
Harry is dressed in some sort of eighties’ disco outfit – gold chrome jacket matching the skin tight gold pants that cling to his long legs, and a set of red star-shaped sunglasses perched on his nose. That’s all he’s wearing – as in, his bare chest is on display in all its taut, tattooed glory. It’s too far to see now, but Louis knows that there’s gold glitter smeared along his abs. It had been the first thing he noticed. If Louis wasn’t dying at the sight of him before, he certainly was after that. He wasn’t sure if he was going to faint or drop to his knees then and there.
It should be illegal, is the thing. It should be illegal for the alpha to look so good when Louis isn’t allowed to properly appreciate it. He thought Harry’s rugged pirate look the year before was hot, but fuck, this was another level.
“Lou,” Jas says forcefully, ripping him from his stupor.
Cheeks pink, Louis turns back to the group. “Sorry, what?”
“I was just asking how your Mechanics midterm went today,” Niall says.
“Oh,” Louis says, exhaling. “It went fine. I feel pretty good about it, actually.” He had struggled a bit with this class over the last few weeks but all the extra studying and practicing paid off.
“That’s good,” Niall says, jumping to the next topic easily.
However, Jas isn’t quite so oblivious. She nudges him in the shoulder. “Harry’s costume is pretty nice, right?” she says, amused.
“I dunno, it seems kind of lazy to me,” Louis sniffs. “Not very creative, is it?”
“Uh huh, and that’s exactly why you can’t stop staring at him,” she says, nodding slowly. “Not at all because he’s not wearing a shirt and it’s making you horny.”
Louis sputters, glancing at Niall and Ivy who thankfully seem to be wrapped up in their own conversation. “Shut up,” he hisses, elbowing her. Jas hasn’t been able to let it go ever since she caught him sneaking back into the house after his little car rendezvous with Harry. Louis had stumbled out an excuse about taking a walk but it was a lost cause once Jas noticed the Green Bay Packers logo on the sweats Harry lent him. Stupid Harry and his stupid devotion to the Packers that he can never keep his mouth shut about.
“Just go over and talk to him,” Jas urges.
“And why would I do that?” Louis says, taken aback.
“So I don’t have to keep seeing you stare lustfully at his abs another twenty times before the night ends,” Jas says, rolling her eyes.
“I wasn’t doing that,” Louis huffs, pouting. “What do you think’s going to happen then anyway? He’ll see me and immediately bend me over the snack table?”
“Yes,” Jas says bluntly.
Louis rolls his eyes this time. “We don’t like each other, for fuck’s sake,” he grumbles. “So we had a lapse in judgement that you happened to witness the end of. That’s never going to happen again.”
“What about the social planning meeting last weekend?” Jas asks.
He frowns, confused. “What about it?”
“You guys didn’t bicker nearly as much as you usually do,” she says, brows raising. “It was hella weird, dude.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Louis shakes his head. “Midterms were this week, of course I had better things to spend my energy on than arguing with Harry.”
“Harry,” Jas repeats, triumphant.
“What?” Louis says.
“You said Harry,” Jas explains, grinning. “You never call him that. It’s always Styles, or maybe Dickhead. I knew it. You two are fucking.”
Louis gapes. “That – that doesn’t mean anything,” he stutters, fumbling for an excuse. “It was a slip of tongue.”
“Bullshit,” Jas says, all too smug. “But if you want a slip of tongue, then you really should go talk to Styles – sorry, Harry.”
“I hate you,” Louis grumbles, face bright red.
“You love me,” Jas says confidently.
“Most of the time,” Louis begrudges reluctantly. “But you’re wrong,” he insists. “Me and Harry are not –”
“Not what?” a voice interrupts.
He stiffens, watching Jas tamp down a delighted smile.
“You know what,” Jas says slowly, even as Louis widens his eyes at her desperately. “I’m going to go get a drink.” Louis mouths You suck at her right before she turns and walks away, leaving him alone with Harry.
Louis fights to maintain a neutral, slightly annoyed expression as he turns to face the alpha, keeping his gaze leveled with his face and not daring to look any lower. “What do you want?” he asks.
“You two talking about me?” Harry asks, raising a brow.
“Uh huh, we were talking about your ugly costume,” Louis says, and his eyes betray him by dropping to Harry’s chest. There’s glitter spread along his pectorals, and down his stomach. He lifts his head again, praying he isn’t blushing.
Harry glances down. “Ugly, is it?” His voice is deep and infuriatingly amused.
“Yes, you should be embarrassed,” Louis informs him, ignoring the way his heart is pounding. He realizes that he’s unconsciously leaning closer, trying to single out Harry’s smell from the mess of scents percolating around the room. Maybe he’d feel more embarrassed about it if he didn’t notice Harry also leaning in. His sunglasses have been pushed up on his head now, and the intensity in his green eyes is making Louis feel lightheaded.
“I’m feeling a little tired,” Harry says.
Louis stares at him, confused by the random declaration.
“Gonna go up to my room,” the alpha continues, giving him a pointed look.
The implication clicks. “Right,” Louis says, suddenly flustered. He schools himself, trying to remember how to act normally. “Retiring from your own party early because you’re tired. And you call me the boring one.”
Harry hums. “Oh, I won’t be bored.”
He walks away, and Louis forces himself to calm down. He takes a few sips of his drink, looking around to see if anyone was paying attention and maybe overheard their conversation. Thankfully, a frat party really is the best possible cover for what he’s about to do. No one notices when he weaves through the room to get to the stairs, climbing them to the third floor.
The alpha’s room is right at the very end of the hallway just like Louis remembered it. Right as he moves to walk toward it, the adjacent door suddenly swings open. Liam comes out, a grimace on his face as he adjusts the collar of his shirt. He’s dressed as Clark Kent, the shirt half-buttoned to reveal the Superman logo sticking out on a shirt below it.
“Oh, hey, Louis,” he says, surprised. His brows furrow. “What’re you doing up here?”
“Uh,” Louis says helplessly. “Do you know if Zayn’s here?” he blurts, relieved when he remembers Zayn’s room is indeed a few doors down, serving as the perfect excuse.
Liam nods, smiling. “Yeah, he’s here. Think he has his last midterm tomorrow so he’s up studying.”
“With all this ruckus downstairs?” Louis asks, making a face. “Brave.”
“You know Zayn. He can do anything,” Liam shrugs. He gestures to Louis’ outfit, brows furrowing. “I’m blanking. What’re you supposed to be?”
“Blossom,” Louis supplies, pointing to his bow. “You know, from the Powerpuff Girls? Me, Jas, and Ivy decided to do a group costume this year.”
“Oh, cool,” Liam says, eyes widening. “I suggested that the frat try to do a superhero group thing, but it didn’t work out.”
“That would’ve been nice,” Louis says, nodding. He shifts from foot to foot, feeling awkward and antsy. Liam is a really nice guy, and Louis really does enjoy talking to him, but he just really needs the alpha to walk away today. Harry is just down the hall and Louis is really fucking horny, damn it. “Right, so I’m going to go see Zayn.” He points to the door, relieved when the alpha nods.
“Tell him hi for me,” Liam says, smiling.
“Will do,” Louis says, walking towards Zayn’s door in hopes it’ll sell the lie.
Thankfully, Liam walks off right as he lifts his hand to knock. He breathes out a sigh of relief, practically tripping over himself in his hurry to reach Harry’s door. He tries the knob, glad to find that the alpha left it unlocked.
He takes a single step into the room before two hands grip him by the shoulders and push him up against the wall. Harry shoves the door shut, pressing up into his space. The alpha’s scent is thick and overwhelming here in his personal room, curling around Louis and making him shudder at its strength – the strength of Harry’s desire.
“What took you so long?” Harry murmurs, nosing along his neck.
“Liam saw me and we had a chat,” Louis explains, head tipping back and hitting the wall as his heart hammers in his chest. “Told him I was up here to see Zayn.”
Harry makes a put-off sound at that, biting at his neck. “Didn’t realize you two were so close.”
Louis scrunches his nose, squinting. “Yeah, he’s one of my best friends, actually. You have a problem with that, Styles?”
The alpha shakes his head. “No, just – forget it, my alpha’s feeling possessive.”
Possessive. Over Louis? He pretends that the thought doesn’t thrill him. He lets Harry curl a hand around his neck, tilting his head up for better access as he leans down and connects their lips. The alpha tastes like cheap beer and candy corn, and his skin is burning hot against Louis’ palms as he drags his hands down his torso, glitter sticking to his fingers.
He bats Harry’s hands away when he goes to undo the top button of his coveralls, noting that he’s painted his nails the same red as his sunglasses. “Wait,” he says, pushing him back a few steps. Harry looks confused until Louis drops to his knees, and then he tips his head back, swallowing.
“Jesus, Louis,” he grunts.
Louis undoes the buttons on Harry’s pants but struggles immensely in pulling them down. “Fucking hell, did you glue these on, Harry?” he demands, so horny he can hardly think. He wants a dick down his throat and he wants it now, for fuck’s sake.
Harry laughs out loud at the frustration in his voice, but ultimately takes mercy on Louis and shimmies them down himself. “Can’t believe you called my costume ugly,” he says, shaking his head. “Brat.”
“It is,” Louis says flippantly. “Or maybe it’s just you.”
“Baby, you’re not fooling anyone,” Harry says. He groans when Louis reaches into his boxer briefs and grips his cock. One of his big hands winds itself into Louis’ hair, thumb stroking over his pink bow. “Cute.”
Louis strokes Harry slowly, marveling at the sheer width and length of his cock. He’ll never get over how small his fingers look wrapped around its circumference. He leans forward and sticks his tongue out, giving the head a little kitten lick.
Harry’s hips buck forward, grip tightening in his hair. “Don’t tease, pup,” he warns.
Eyes fluttering shut, Louis sucks the tip into his mouth, mewling at the salty taste of precum on his tongue. He takes Harry further down his mouth, hollowing his cheeks and pushing until he can feel the blunt head of Harry’s cock at the back of his throat, eyes watering. He swallows around the length, throat contracting.
“So good,” Harry murmurs, smoothing his hair back with gentle fingers. He thrusts forward experimentally, and Louis keens, choking a little. He keeps his mouth slack as Harry continues to press back into his throat, motions slow and careful.
Everything starts to get a little bit fuzzy for Louis after a while. It tends to happen when he does this – lets someone else use his mouth. Harry has seen him like this before, and he knows exactly how to keep Louis grounded, thumb stroking along his cheek where it bulges out around his cock. He murmurs praises that slide like honey into Louis’ ringing ears, petting his hair so tenderly.
Louis is a bit dizzy when Harry pulls out, tugging him up into shaky legs and slotting their lips together. He kisses him achingly gently, all slow and sweet. “Perfect omega,” he croons into his ear, and Louis preens.
When he feels once more like he’s present in his body with two feet planted on the ground, he winds his arms around Harry’s neck. The alpha walks him back to the bed. It’s been a while since Louis has been laid out on this mattress, he notes distantly.
Harry mutters under his breath as he attempts to wrangle with Louis’ coveralls, but he figures it out in the end. He opens Louis up quickly but carefully, and then Louis gets on his hands and knees.
“You want it like this?” Harry checks, tracing a finger up the ridges of his spine to where his head is bowed, shoulders quivering. He presses a kiss to the dimples on his lower back. “Baby, talk to me.”
“Yes,” Louis manages to get out. “Please.”
“Alright, sweetheart,” Harry murmurs, and then he’s lining up and pushing in. The pressure is so good that Louis immediately has to bury his face in Harry’s pillow to muffle his moans.
The alpha likes to take his time every time he fucks Louis, but today it’s particularly obvious. He molds himself to Louis’ back, chin hooked over his shoulder and breath tickling his cheek, as he slowly begins to find a rhythm. It’s unhurried and almost tender in a way, even when Harry starts mumbling about how good Louis feels like this and how pretty he's going to look swollen with his pups.
Louis comes first, biting down hard on Harry’s pillow to drown out his cries. Harry is not far behind, muscles contracting against the skin of Louis’ back and teeth digging into the soft flesh of his shoulder. His knot pulses between them, pumping cum into his entrance and stealing the last bits of strength from his body. Harry turns them over onto their sides until they’re more or less in a spooning position, one of his legs thrown over Louis’ and an arm curled around his waist, hand flattened over his stomach.
He feels drowsy and sated, unable to keep his eyes open for longer than a few seconds. As sleep reels him in, he gathers his remaining strength to admit begrudgingly that he did like Harry’s costume.
“I know,” is all the alpha says in response, tweaking the bow that is still miraculously fastened to Louis’ hair – albeit precariously. His body is warm against Louis’ and the way he’s holding Louis close makes him feel so safe and comforted…
Louis must fall asleep because the next thing he is conscious of is Harry gently shaking him awake. His face is super close to Louis’ when his eyes flutter open, meeting his gaze head on.
“Wha’ time is it?” he mumbles sleepily, squinting against the dim light. His head is throbbing a bit, the beginnings of his hangover creeping in.
“Just after two,” Harry says, rubbing his side soothingly. “The house is dead silent and I’m pretty sure everyone’s out cold.”
Everyone, Louis thinks dazedly. The party must’ve ended by now. He thinks of his sisters, confident that Jas would have taken over for him in terms of making sure everyone gets home safe and sound. He hopes she covers for him with Ivy too, feeling guilty for ditching the two of them and erasing the full effect of their matching costumes.
“Okay,” Louis sighs, though every bone in his body protests as he sits up in bed. He just wants to sleep, preferably with his personal alpha heater wrapped around him again, but he knows this is his only chance to sneak out.
After a quick shower, Louis pulls on his wrinkled coveralls and follows Harry downstairs. Thankfully the alpha was right and they don’t bump into anyone. It’s startlingly cold when Louis steps out onto the porch, wrapping his arms around himself in a helpless attempt to conserve heat.
He nearly jumps when Harry passes him a cotton jacket as he exits the house – he must’ve grabbed it from the coat rack. There’s no question it belongs to him when Louis shrugs it on and is immediately enveloped in Harry’s thick scent.
“Thank you,” Louis says.
Harry just nods. He shuts the door quietly and begins to walk down the path. It brings back a sudden sense of deja vu for Louis – taking him back to a few months prior to the last time Harry walked him back to the sorority house after they hooked up like this. Similar to then, they walk entirely in silence, but it’s not uncomfortable.
Louis can’t help but think about how if anyone else were to see them now, they’d be surprised by how long he and Harry have gone without bickering. Hell, Louis is surprised. He’s even more surprised to realize that he doesn’t feel in the least bit annoyed by the alpha at this moment either. The alpha really did fuck it all out of him – temporarily, of course.
When they reach the porch of the sorority house, they both stop and turn to each other awkwardly. “Thanks,” Louis says again, because he doesn’t know what else to do.
“No problem,” Harry says, shoving his hands in his pockets. He clears his throat. “So… I think now’s as good a time as any to ask you: what exactly are we doing?”
For a moment, Louis considers pointing out that he should be the one asking Harry that, considering how everything was left between them. “We’re blowing off steam,” he says instead. He ignores the voice in his head – the one warning him that this isn’t a good idea. The one reminding him of what happened last time. “No strings, no pressure, no one knows. Just like the summer.”
The alpha nods, face blank. “Sounds good to me.”
They exchange cordial goodbyes before Harry leaves to walk back. Louis watches him go for a moment before letting himself into the house. For once, it’s completely silent as he shuts the door quietly behind him, leaning against the wood.
No strings, no pressure, no one knows. No big deal.
This time, Louis will make sure of it.
💫
It’s as though once he and Harry finally acknowledged that they were both interested in maintaining this casual arrangement, neither of them can get enough of each other.
Suddenly they’re meeting up at least twice a week, bickering in public and then fucking like animals behind closed doors. Louis can’t even say he’s surprised about it — this exactly how it was between them in the summer, an overwhelming and relentless thirst that could never be quenched.
Louis has become quite the expert on cleansing himself of the clinging layer of Harry’s scent after they hook up, scrubbing his skin in the shower until it’s raw and then dousing himself with the perfume Payton bought him just to be safe. Applying concealer to the red marks littering his neck becomes an ingrained part of his morning routine.
It’s worth it though. It’s worth it when, as November progresses and life seems to only get more and more hectic, messing around with Harry becomes his only time to release all the tension and stress he’s been carrying and let it go. Where he can let someone else take care of him and just exist.
When they’re not fucking, they’re sending texts. Intimate photos and raunchy messages, but also… stuff like booth ideas for the Fall Carnival held between their two organizations every year to raise money for charity. Louis can reluctantly admit that his and Harry’s lack of effort in terms of communicating with one another has probably been a detriment to everyone else. He and Harry would avoid talking to each other as much as possible outside of meetings and frankly, wouldn’t be very productive about it in meetings either. But it’s like they’ve both made an unspoken decision to try and change that. The booth discussion was their first attempt, and Louis is actually surprised by how well they’re actually able to toss ideas back and forth. In fact, it’s so successful that they shock everyone at their joint E-board meeting when Harry says “Louis and I were talking about –” It’s not an exaggeration to say that everyone at the table – everyone being Jas, Ivy, Dakota, Naomi, Liam, and Eli – gapes at them. Louis and Harry simply exchange amused looks, and continue.
However, it’s not like they haven’t run into a fair share of problems too. Louis can’t count how many close calls they’ve had in terms of being caught. If he did, he’d add one right now while Harry is in the process of sticking two of his fingers up Louis’ ass.
They’re in Louis’ room. It’s around six, and Harry is fresh off of practice and thrumming with the amount of extra energy he has to burn. He already coaxed one orgasm from Louis after spreading him out and working him to tears with his skilled tongue, but he’s gunning for more. He’s so focused on his movements that he doesn’t hear the knock at the door.
Louis does though, jerking violently as panic claws up his throat. He opens his mouth to speak but of course, that’s the exact moment Harry finds his prostate and he lets out a whine instead, immediately biting his lip in horror.
“Always so loud,” Harry murmurs, oblivious.
Another knock sounds at the door followed by a familiar voice saying “Lou?” and this time Harry does hear her. He freezes, eyes widening in realization. He slides his fingers out of Louis’ entrance and Louis bites his tongue to avoid mewling at the loss.
“Ivy,” he blurts out, heart pounding in his chest. Tell her to go, Harry mouths. “Uh, is this urgent?”
“Kind of,” Ivy says, oblivious to Louis’ immediate panic. “Can I come in?”
“Uh…” Louis trails off, staring helplessly at Harry.
The most logical plan of action would be for Harry to hide in the bathroom and Louis to throw a shirt on and answer the door, hoping Ivy doesn’t notice the unmistakable alpha scent soaking his room. It would take a minute at most, except… There's a slight issue with that idea. And that slight issue is the black handcuffs currently locked around Louis’ wrists. He rolls over onto his front as Harry scrambles for the key he left on the nightstand.
“One second, Ivy,” he calls out, as the alpha fumbles with the lock, swearing under his breath. He knows his hair is a mess and his face and neck must be flushed pink, and he doesn’t even want to think about the slick currently dripping down his legs.
When it finally goes, Louis practically shoves Harry toward the bathroom, nearly tripping over the alpha’s discarded shoes in his haste. Shit, Harry’s clothes, he realizes. He gathers them all up and pushes them under the bed, grabbing his abandoned sweatshirt and rushing to his dresser for new underwear. A chorus of oh my God is echoing in his head, heart thundering in his ears.
“Louis?” Ivy calls through the door, confusion in her voice.
“Yeah, sorry, one second, I’m changing,” he rushes out, well aware that he probably sounds insane. He stops by the mirror and pats his hair down clumsily, frantically taking deep breaths in an effort to tame the red in his cheeks and then shoving his window open and batting at the air like a lunatic in some desperate hope that it’d clear some of Harry’s scent away. He almost trips again on his way to the door, pasting on a strained smile as he opens it.
Ivy is standing outside in a school shirt and flannel pajamas, looking concerned. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” Louis blurts, trying to remember how to act normally and not at all like he was minutes away from being railed by his archnemesis or anything like that. “What’s up? Are you alright?” he adds, remembering that the omega said it was urgent.
“Lauren had another panic attack,” Ivy says quietly, and Louis’ heart cracks, all embarrassment and panic vanishing and being replaced with sadness.
“Oh God, poor Lauren,” Louis murmurs, thinking of the sweet sophomore. She’s had a rough semester so far, pushing everyone away and retreating into herself. Some of her close friends in the sorority have slowly been trying to get through to her about leaning on them and her other sisters for support, but it has been a gradual journey. “How is she?”
“She’s in the kitchen. I told the others to give her some space but I wanted to get you because you’re better at this than I am,” Ivy says, looking upset.
“That’s a lie,” Louis says, “but, I’ll be right there.”
Ivy nods, and once she’s left, Louis heads towards the bathroom, startling when the door opens before he even reaches out.
“Don’t worry about me,” Harry says, responding to words Louis hasn’t even spoken. He thankfully pulled on some boxer briefs before hiding in the bathroom, so Louis isn’t as distracted as he would have been. “Go help her. We can do this any other time.”
“Do you mind waiting?” Louis asks, because for some reason he really doesn’t want the alpha to leave just yet. “I don’t think this’ll take long. I just want to talk to her and probably give her a hug. She has amazing friends that can take it from there.”
To his surprise, Harry shrugs and nods. “Why not.”
“Are you sure?” Louis can’t help but press, frowning. “I’m sure you have better things to do then wait around for me.”
“It’s fine, Louis,” Harry says, rolling his eyes. “I’m in the middle of a good audiobook anyway. Besides," he smirks, "you can make it up to me later.”
Louis huffs. “Asshole,” he murmurs.
He hesitates briefly before exiting the room, wondering if leaving Harry alone in his room is a bad idea, but then he glances back to see Harry sprawled out on his bed, eyes closed and headphones in. He looks relaxed and entirely harmless. He looks… Louis blinks, frowning as he turns and hurries away.
For some reason, he almost thought the alpha looked like he fit in Louis’ room. But that was a lie – he was a reluctant guest at most. He can’t help but feel almost betrayed by the fact that his mind even conjured the idea.
All those thoughts become irrelevant and unimportant once he sees Lauren, eyes watery and face pinched with distress. Louis’ omega immediately begins to emit soothing pheromones, first instinct always to nurture and comfort. After a long talk and lots of hugs, Lauren confirms that she’s feeling a lot better.
“You’re going to be okay,” Louis tells her one last time, squeezing her hands. “We all love you so much.”
“Thank you,” she says, exhaling shakily.
Louis and Ivy talk again briefly and Ivy suggests doing a mental health workshop as a future sorority event and Louis tells her it’s a great idea, already thinking about suggesting it to Harry for the frat too.
Harry, he remembers, is still upstairs. It’s been almost forty-five minutes since he came down. He feels guilt form inside him as he makes his excuses and returns to his room.
The alpha has clearly found his clothes from where Louis hid them, standing fully-dressed by the wall where Louis has hung all kinds of photos and posters.The one he’s studying now is Louis’ copy of the Cosmic Calendar, hands behind his back as if standing in a museum.
“Twelve minutes,” he says after a moment, meaning he did hear Louis enter. “If the history of the universe is a single year, then we've been here for twelve minutes.” He sounds equally awed and disbelieving.
“It’s pretty insane,” Louis agrees, coming over to stand next to him. He can still remember watching Carl Sagan explain it for the very first time when he was still a kid – remembers the realization that he’s barely a dot in the vast story of the universe.
“It really goes to show,” Harry says softly, “we’re really not special at all.”
Louis raises a brow. “Actually, I think it’s the opposite,” he admits.
Harry glances at him, curious. “How so?”
“The universe is massive – like, it’s so massive that it’s literally impossible for any of us to fathom the scope of it,” Louis says, letting his inner astronomy nerd peek out. “And don’t even get me started on age. 13.8 billion years? We may have a name for that number and a general understanding of its magnitude but in reality, none of us can actually comprehend that many years. We can’t. It is literally impossible, because our frame of reference is the time we experience ourselves – our own lives – and those are barely a blink in comparison. And yet. And yet, here we are. The universe is impossibly big and endless, filled with galaxies and planets galore, and somehow this miraculous phenomenon – a miraculous accident – of humankind occurred here on Earth. Somehow our planet had just the right conditions, resources, and environment to sustain our species and then facilitate our unprecedented evolution over the past three hundred thousand years. And I know a lot of us suck and are horrible, but there’s still so many beautiful things about humanity – how we love, how we learn, how we keep going even in the darkest of times – I can’t help but root for us anyway. I can’t help but keep believing that we’re special and that we were meant to be here. Even if it was all a stroke of cosmic luck.”
When he finally stops talking, he’s out of breath and his cheeks are pink. He hadn’t meant to ramble, but just as always when someone asked about the universe and their place in it, he couldn’t help himself. He believes in it so strongly, is the thing. He believes in humanity, even when it sucks or fails or does both at the same time. It’s still a little embarrassing though.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk so long,” he blurts.
“Don’t be,” Harry says, voice gentle. “I like your perspective of it. I never really thought of it like that – of us being a miraculous accident.”
Louis ducks his head, trying to hide how pleased he is that Harry found his rambles interesting and that he even listened to them in the first place. “Still, it’s weird,” he mumbles, wandering over to the bed to take a seat. Harry follows, leaving a safe distance between them. “You’re waiting for a fuck, and instead I’m going off on a tangent about our place in the universe.” Maybe Harry is right when he says he’s boring.
“To be honest, I’m not even in the mood for that anymore,” Harry shrugs.
Feeling stung, Louis bites his lip. “I’m sorry I took so long,” he says.
The alpha’s eyes widen, and then he shakes his head rapidly. “No, don’t be, seriously. It’s not your fault. The reason for you leaving was so much more important anyway.” He hesitates. “How is she?”
“She’ll be alright,” Louis says, deciding not to go into more detail. “I wish I could just… erase everyone’s troubles. Or that I could see them sooner and be able to help. I should’ve paid more attention to Lauren, and now I’m afraid I’ll miss the signs with someone else.”
“You feel a responsibility for all of them,” Harry says quietly. “And no matter how much you do, it’s never enough.”
Louis turns to look at the alpha, feeling like he’s stolen the words right out of his mouth. “Yeah,” is all he can muster, glancing away awkwardly. “You get it.” He feels kind of stupid – of course, Harry understands, because he is in the same position for his fraternity.
Part of Louis has always unconsciously dismissed Harry’s role as president. Despite having witnessed his efforts in joint events and planning, Louis found it difficult to imagine the alpha taking the position as seriously as Louis took his. It didn’t help that Harry always seemed so casual and laid back about it all.
The truth was that Harry did take the role seriously, and the evidence was all around him. Louis just didn’t bother to pay attention to any of it.
“You’re a good president,” he says before he can overthink it. When Harry doesn't immediately respond, he once again turns to look at him, surprised to see Harry already looking back.
“Do you mean that?” he asks, sounding genuinely confused.
Just kidding, Louis almost wants to say. He can’t handle the look on Harry’s face, fighting the urge to squirm away. “Yes,” he says instead, choosing to be honest. “You are.”
Harry is silent for a moment. “That’s the first time you’ve ever said something nice about me.”
Louis stares at him, taken aback. “That can’t be true,” he says without thinking. Because it is. It is true.
“Well, thank you,” Harry says, changing the topic quickly. “You’re a great president too, Louis.” It’s full of sincerity.
“Thank you,” Louis says, ducking his head to stare at the floor. He feels guilty for something, and he can’t explain what. “You’re a good football player too,” he says after a moment.
The alpha chuckles. “I didn’t point it out to fish for compliments,” he protests, smiling. “I was just making an observation.”
“No, yeah, I know,” Louis shakes his head. He doesn’t know how to voice what he’s feeling, but it’s something akin to regret. For the first time ever, Louis considers the possibility that he wrote off the alpha far too soon. “I’m just… trying to mend a wrong.”
“You’re not in the wrong,” Harry sighs. “We don’t exactly get along, remember?”
The way Harry says it – so casual and prompt – and the fact that he’s saying it now after they’ve been talking for the past half an hour at this point makes Louis almost laugh.
“Aren’t we getting along right now?” Louis asks, turning to look at him. “We’re having a civil conversation. Kind of wild, huh?”
Harry smiles. “We’ll see how long it lasts,” he says, arching a brow. “But yeah, I guess we get along sometimes.”
“Sometimes,” Louis repeats, letting some of the tension ease from his chest. “I can live with that.” Sometimes is manageable. Sometimes isn’t as daunting as always.
The alpha leans back onto Louis’ bed, folding his arms under his head and smirking. “Right, so back to talking about how talented I am,” he prompts.
“Oh, fuck off,” Louis says, but somehow there’s a smile on pulling at his lips. It feels both foreign and familiar at the same time. “I forgot about your obnoxious ego. I take back everything I said – you’re horrible, and I can’t stand you.”
“Thought we already talked about that,” Harry says back, smirk growing. “I prefer you on your knees anyway.”
Louis grabs the nearest pillow and shoves it at him, rolling his eyes. “Knothead.”
Strangely enough, he’s still smiling.
💫
“Fuck yes,” Niall cheers as he somehow manages to land a third ring on a bottle. Ty, the frat boy manning the booth, applauds him semi-enthusiastically and gestures to the rack of prizes.
Niall makes a big show of looking them all over, adjusting his fake monocle and pursing his lips. Ty watches him with such a look of disdain that Louis can’t help but laugh. The beta finally settles on a small turtle plushie. “I’m going to name him Ty,” he decides, flashing a winning smile at the alpha who simply rolls his eyes.
“I think we’re besties now,” Niall says as they walk away.
Louis shakes his head, grinning. The movement feels a bit stiff now that his face has been painted. A giant yellow sunflower dotted with silver face gems circles his eye, courtesy of Payton. Niall also got his face painted, boasting a large monarch butterfly wing over one side of his face. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously handsome,” Niall says smugly. “True.”
“Where do you want to go next?” Louis asks, ignoring his comment. He takes a moment to look around, unable to quell the pride rushing through him at how everything looks all set-up. The Fall Carnival was only a couple hours in, but Louis is pretty sure he could already deem it a big success. They’ve overtaken the intramural field on campus with dozens of tents, tables, and canopies, and the air is filled with the sounds of laughter and cheering. He can’t count how many people are milling about but it’s upwards of dozens – many of who are sporting Greek letters, but also many that are not. The annual event, despite being held as a Greek event, is open to everyone including friends and family.
They’ve got everything: face painting, obstacle courses, sack races, the classic carnival games from Whack-A-Mole to Bean Toss to Darts, an ice cream stand, live-sized Beer Pong, and more. There’s a raffle running through the end of the night as well as plenty of other small organized challenges including a scheduled pie-eating contest. Heck, some of the alphas are selling dates. And every bit of the proceeds is going straight to their local shelter. They’ve got a shoe and clothing drive for them up front as well, hoping to collect as much warm clothing as possible now that December is nearing closer and closer.
“Funnel cake?” Niall suggests, looking hopeful.
Now, Louis is an intelligent person – he hears funnel cake, he says yes. Especially since he knows for a fact that Talia and Jace are running the stand right now. He knows the two of them will be generous with toppings, and he sighs just thinking about it.
Minutes later, he and Niall are hanging around by the booth with Jace’s girlfriend, Nina, while they stuff their faces with cake-y goodness. “I could marry funnel cake,” Niall announces as he licks sugar off his fingers.
“Get in line,” Louis jokes, tilting his head up to look at the sky which is streaked rosy pink and burnished gold. He’s having a great time, stomach still aching from laughing his ass off at Nina’s impression of Jace on their first date.
He’s startled by the sound of his phone buzzing, wiping his sticky fingers on his napkin before pulling it out from his pocket. He expects it to be Ivy telling him it’s time for his second shift, but instead it’s Harry texting him.
They’ve been texting even more now – branching away from sexy pics and Greek stuff to random conversations. Like, Harry asks him about the Fermi paradox and they bicker about whether or not they’re actually living in the Matrix. Harry sends him a picture of a kitten looking into a telescope captioned You look different here 🤔 and Louis responds with a golden retriever playing football, and then another with one wearing a flannel shirt. And then Harry sends him a picture of the fajitas he makes one afternoon and Louis jokingly responds save some for me only for the alpha to actually oblige and bring him a serving when he sneaks into the sorority house later that day to hook up. And if Louis' being honest, he's still recovering from finding out about Harry's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills obsession.
But the text he sends now is a picture. It’s a selfie of the alpha with a pup in his arms — a little girl who can’t be more than three or four. They’re matching from the Dodgers' caps on their heads, to their mermaid face paintings, to the dimples in their cheeks. Who wore it better? is the message accompanying it. Louis assumes that this is the goddaughter Harry mentioned he’d be bringing along since they were spending the day together.
sorry styles, think stella’s got you beat here.
it’s the freckles, i know it.
have always had a weakness for freckles, it’s true
The alpha texts him a string of broken hearts, and Louis cracks a smile.
“Who’re you texting?” Niall interrupts his reverie.
Louis’ head snaps up, heart stuttering. He meets Niall’s suspicious gaze. “Uh… a friend,” Louis says, the word feeling weird on his tongue.
“A friend,” Niall repeats, dragging out the word. “I see.” There’s a tinge of knowing in his voice that Louis doesn’t like.
“It’s no one,” Louis insists, because he’s dumb and can’t let it go.
“Sure,” Niall says, dragging it out in the same way as before.
“Stop that,” Louis huffs.
“Okay,” Niall says, doing it again. He chokes out a laugh when Louis smacks him in the chest. “Alright, but seriously, I’m curious now.”
It’s a relief when Louis’ phone buzzes again – this time actually from Ivy. He waves it apologetically. “My next shift starts in a couple minutes so I have to go, sorry.” He’s supervising the obstacle course with Jas for the next hour.
“You’ve escaped this time,” Niall grumbles, crossing his arms. “Have fun, bro.”
And Louis actually does. While watching a bunch of young adults go through a obstacle course literally meant for kids and making sure none of them wind up injuring themselves anyway isn’t exactly the most riveting of duties, he and Jas entertain themselves by narrating each participant's journey through the course as well as the races that takes place – usually between two, overly-confident alphas. It is indeed fun to watch those ones in particular fall.
“Red alert,” Jas says about halfway through the shift, interrupting his ongoing monologue on Wesley and Owen’s race.
“Huh?” Louis says, confused.
Jas simply points off to the side. Louis turns, immediately catching sight of a trio making their way to them. It’s Harry, Liam, and a small girl that can’t be anyone other than Stella. She walks between them, clutching onto their hands and skipping happily. She’s absolutely adorable, dressed in a denim romper with Harry’s cross necklace dangling around her neck.
Harry sets two tickets onto the table when they reach them, smiling.
“For you and Liam?” Jas asks.
Harry shakes his head, nodding down at Stella. “This little troublemaker has challenged me to a race.”
Stella jumps excitedly, giggling.
“Well, hello there,” Louis says, crouching down to her level and holding his hand out for her to shake. “What’s your name, cutie?” he asks, even though he already knows.
“My name’s Stella,” she answers, holding up four fingers. “I’m four.”
“Ah, I see. You’re a big girl, aren’t you?” Louis says, smiling. He points to himself. “I’m Louis.”
“I know,” she says proudly.
“You do?” Louis says, glancing at Harry and narrowing his eyes when the alpha gives him an innocent look. “And what do you know about me?”
“Uncle Harry says you don’t like him,” Stella says, frowning adorably. “Why?”
“Your uncle is mean to me,” Louis admits, ignoring Harry’s snort.
Frown growing, Stella turns to look at Harry. “Don’t be mean, Harry,” she scolds, crossing her arms. “That is very bad.”
Harry’s lips twitch, trying to hold back a smile. “You’re right, Stella. I’m sorry,” he says solemnly.
“Say sorry to Louis,” she says, pointing to Louis expectantly.
The alpha turns to Louis, who mimics his innocent expression from earlier. He looks extremely unhappy about this, and Louis revels in it. “I’m sorry for being mean, Louis,” he says after a long pause, pressing his hand to his heart. “Please forgive me?”
Enjoying seeing the alpha suffer, Louis pretends to mull it over for a while. “I suppose I will,” he decides finally.
“Good,” Stella says primly. She turns to Louis. “I want to race now.”
“Lucky for you the course just opened up,” Jas speaks up, appearing beside Louis. She proceeds to explain the basic layout and what they’re expected to do. Stella listens intently, still clutching Harry’s hand.
“I’m putting my money on you,” Louis tells Stella once Jas is finished.
She smiles toothily. “I’m going to win,” she says confidently, adjusting her Dodgers’ hat. At this moment she looks exactly like Harry, dimples and determined expression. They’re not even actually related.
And she’s right about winning. Granted, Harry doesn’t even try. He pretends to, of course, lining up side by side with Stella and then taking off with her when Jas blows the whistle. But it’s clear he’s intending for Stella to win from the beginning, matching her pace but sticking a few steps behind as she hops from one hula hoop to the next. He pretends to trip and then falls dramatically onto the grass when they’re at the hay bales, and Stella giggles at him, rushing ahead.
Louis can’t help but grin as he watches, nearly jumping when Jas nudges him.
“Oh, you’re down bad,” she whispers.
“Shut up,” Louis mumbles. “Kids are just cute, okay?”
“Sure,” she says, drawing it out in a now familiar way.
Louis huffs. “You should go hang out with Niall,” he mutters, before continuing to watch Harry and Stella.
There’s a hoop set up with two basketballs at the very end of the course, and Harry scoops Stella right up onto his shoulders so she can throw it from a more reasonable height. She misses the first three shots, brows furrowed in deep concentration, but her fourth throw makes it, and all of them cheer.
Harry sets her down and waits for her to start running again before grabbing his own ball. As expected, he sinks a basket on his first try, but even then, he jogs to the finish line and arrives thirty seconds after Stella does.
“You beat me,” Harry says, feigning exhaustion as he wipes sweat off his brow.
“Yes, I did,” Stella says happily, letting him pick her up. “But it’s okay, Uncle Harry. Mama says losing is good for you.”
Louis giggles at Harry’s expression.
“That is some good advice,” Harry says seriously. “Your mom is a wise lady.”
“We have a winner, folks,” Jas cheers as she approaches them, holding her hand out for Stella to grab before leading her to the prize table. “What do you want, sweetie?”
As Stella takes her time to survey her options carefully, bottom lip stuck between her teeth, Harry ambles over to Louis. “Thanks for exposing me in front of my goddaughter,” he murmurs.
“You’re welcome,” Louis says. “She’s adorable, by the way.”
“She is,” Harry says fondly. “I was so happy when Janie – that’s her mom – suggested bringing her along today. Haven’t seen her in months.”
Feeling a peculiar emotion, Louis clears his throat. He glances at Jas who thankfully hasn’t noticed them conversing. However, Liam is definitely eyeing them strangely. Louis takes a small step back. “Nice performance out there. My favorite part was when you tripped,” he says, trying to sound natural.
Harry surprises him by laughing.
Unsure how to respond, Louis wanders back to the table just in time to watch Stella point at the unicorn plushie. “That one.”
“Nice choice,” he says, and then holds out a hand for a high-five. “Good job on winning.”
“Thank you,” she says, clutching her unicorn closer. She then beckons for him to come closer. Amused, Louis obliges, squatting down again. “Uncle Harry is my favorite uncle,” she whispers, very serious. “He gives me piggy-back rides and plays dolls with me. And he gives me hugs all the time. I think you should like him now.”
Unable to help himself, Louis smiles. He glances around to make sure Harry isn’t listening in, finding him busy in conversation with Liam. “Don’t worry,” he whispers back. “I do.”
Pleased, Stella leans in and throws her arms around his neck. Louis hugs her carefully, heart swelling. She pulls away, shy. “Uncle Harry told me he thinks you’re very pretty,” she admits. “But he said not to tell anyone.”
Louis’ mouth drops open, and before he can respond, Stella has run off back to her godfather’s side. Harry glances over at him briefly, and they hold eye contact for a moment.
They turn away in sync.
💫
Their next sorority versus frat event falls on the last day before Thanksgiving Break: the Greek Olympics. It’s a series of multiple events, many of which had been present at the Fall Carnival and many that weren’t. Each game was worth five points and the side with the most points at the end of the day was declared winner.
Unfortunately, it’s not them.
To be fair, it was close for most of the day. It was the dodgeball game and tricycle racing that got them in the end, but Louis can’t even really be mad at it because all his sisters have a blast. They had more people participating today than they have in years, and after the success of the carnival just a couple days ago too, Louis is feeling a bit proud.
Still, he’s a bit sore when Harry sneaks into his room later that night, climbing up the rope ladder Louis dropped down to him. The alpha had got it from God-knows-where in the summer for some of their nightly escapades but Louis misplaced it for a while, finally finding it buried in his dresser when he was in the process of packing a bag for break. He’s leaving tomorrow morning and won’t be back till the weekend, eager to see his family again.
“I forgot how flimsy that feels when you’re holding onto it,” Harry mutters as he slides in from the window and lands on his feet unsteadily.
“Well, good thing you didn’t fall and brain yourself in our yard,” Louis says. “People would be asking lots of questions.”
Harry eyes him with a smirk. “Feeling a little bitter, buttercup?” he asks, patting his shoulder as he walks by. He’s wearing a pink sweatshirt and Nike athletic shorts, socks pulled up obnoxiously high. “You know, a very wise little lady once said that losing is good for you.”
“A very wise Louis once said shut up or you’re not getting any, dickhead,” Louis replies sweetly, laying back on his bed. "We're going to beat you next time." He knows they will.
"We'll see about that," Harry murmurs. The alpha grips the bottom of his sweatshirt and pulls it off his head along with his shirt. He climbs onto the bed and planks over Louis’ body, hair falling into his eyes. “Is this my shirt?” he asks, pulling at the hem of Louis’ shirt.
Louis glances down and eyes the garment skeptically – as if he didn’t purposely choose to put it on just to rile Harry up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is mine,” he says casually.
“You’re drowning in it,” Harry murmurs.
“Could be Zayn’s,” Louis says lightly, shrieking when Harry sneaks his fingers under the shirt and starts tickling his stomach in outrage. “I’m joking, you asshole,” he gasps out between laughs, trying to bat his arms away.
“Whose shirt is it?” Harry urges, not letting up.
“Yours,” Louis chokes out, breathing out in relief when Harry finally ceases his attack. He waits a moment and then elbows the alpha in the side, scowling. “Dick.”
Harry just laughs at him. Louis resolves himself into staying mad, but it gets difficult when Harry begins stroking his stomach, much gentler than his previous actions. He leans in and bites Louis’ ear lobe, brushing his lips down the curve of his cheek before hovering over his mouth.
“You look good in my clothes,” he murmurs, before sealing the distance between them.
Louis sighs into the kiss, winding his arms around the alpha’s neck and tugging him closer. Harry is warm and smells like heaven, the woodsy sweetness of his scent enveloping Louis’ nose and making his omega purr.
They kiss lazily for a while, but both inevitably get impatient, bodies shifting restlessly against each other in search of friction. Slick begins to drip from his entrance, scent soaking the air and making Harry growl.
After Louis rids himself of his – okay, Harry’s – shirt with the alpha’s help, his fingers fly to Harry’s shorts, trying to ignore the series of kisses being placed down his neck.
When Harry is fully naked, he gives the alpha's length a few firm tugs, making him groan and push Louis down with a hand flat on his stomach. It shouldn’t turn Louis on, and yet.
Harry finishes undressing him quickly, wasting no time in pushing his legs apart and then burying his face between his thighs.
Louis cries out, entire body jolting. His fingers tangle into Harry’s hair helplessly as the alpha licks over his entrance. He teases first, flattening his tongue and licking infuriatingly slow stripes across his rim.
By the time he actually dips past the ring of muscle, Louis is close to tears, panting for breath and writhing against the sheet that’s sticking to his back with sweat. Harry presses closer , fingers pressing indents into Louis’ thighs as he works his tongue in deeper and deeper.
This isn’t the first time Harry has rimmed him, of course, but it might as well be for how Louis feels right now. He will truly never get over it.
Once Louis has been thoroughly ruined, shuddering through a first orgasm and already on his way to a second, Harry finally pulls back. “God, I love your thighs,” he murmurs, voice hoarse.
His lower face is glistening with slick, lips bright red. He wipes it off so casually that Louis stays frozen, watching as the alpha licks the excess from his fingers. “Sweet,” he smirks.
Louis closes his eyes, overwhelmed. He still leans into Harry’s touch when the alpha curls a hand around the back of his neck, diving down to steal a kiss – and then another and another.
He pushes two fingers in right away, pumping them in slowly but steadily. A third gets added quickly, and soon Louis is whimpering, pressing into the alpha’s fingers. Harry leans down to mouth at Louis’ nipples, making him keen high in his throat. He digs his fingers into Harry’s hair, grip tight.
“Always so responsive,” Harry notes, scraping his teeth against the sensitive nub and evoking another small mewl. He soothes the sting with his tongue, still working his fingers inside Louis fervently. “Needy little angel.”
When satisfied, Harry retracts his fingers and his mouth, one hand dropping down to his neglected cock. He gives it a few firm tugs, squeezing at the base. “How do you want it, baby?” he asks.
It takes a few moments before the question processes for Louis, too distracted by Harry’s dick and how empty he is waiting for it. “Like this,” he decides, making grabby hands at Harry. He doesn’t have it in him to feel embarrassed by how clearly his want is shining through.
The alpha obliges and aligns himself carefully, surprising Louis by dropping a quick kiss to the top of his shoulder. He hooks one of Louis’ legs over his shoulder and then slowly begins to ease in.
“Now you’re silent,” Harry murmurs as Louis tips his head back, toes curling and fingers dragging against the sheets.
“Wrong,” Louis manages to grit out, not wanting to give the alpha the satisfaction of being right. He exhales when Harry’s length is fully enveloped in his heat, blinking rapidly in an effort to keep himself focused. “You’re going to have to try harder than that.”
Harry’s lips twitch. “Doesn’t get much harder than this,” he says, and Louis groans, digging his heel into Harry’s back as the alpha laughs.
“I’ll get up and leave right now,” Louis threatens, only half-joking. Stupid alpha and his dumb jokes, he thinks scornfully. “You’re horrible.”
“No, you won’t,” is all Harry says, punctuating his declaration by drawing his hips back and pushing back in swiftly. “You love this too much.”
Louis huffs, choosing not to give Harry the satisfaction of a reply. However, any lingering annoyance is quickly fucked right out of him as the alpha begins to fuck into him at a quick, steady pace.
It becomes clear that despite his joke, Harry has taken Louis’ taunt as a personal challenge, hitching Louis’ leg higher on his shoulder and pushing deeper and deeper inside him. Each of his thrusts seems to shove Louis another inch up the bed, frame creaking with their weight.
Mind going hazy and heartbeat thundering in his ears, Louis anchors himself to Harry’s voice.
“God, you love this so much, don’t you? You love my cock,” the alpha is murmuring nonsensically, driving into him faster with every snap of his hips. Louis can only focus on the green of his eyes as everything else goes fuzzy. “Don’t know you’ll last this week without it.”
He doesn’t know how either, but doesn’t let himself think about it too long, getting lost in the pleasure building inside of him, heat burning through his body like a wildfire. “Close,” he chokes out.
“C’mon, baby,” Harry urges, the gentleness in the timbre of his voice a stark contrast to the firm fingers pressing shapes into Louis’ hips as he grips them for leverage, pulling him down onto his cock as he thrusts forward. “Come for me.”
All it takes is another few thrusts and Louis just does that, a tremor working across his body. He goes lax, letting Harry use him as he chases his own release. As always, the alpha’s movements falter when his knot begins to swell at the base of his cock, expanding as Harry pushes in a final time and locking them together.
Louis lets out a hiss of pain when Harry tries to maneuver them and instead jostles him violently, fingers digging into the alpha’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” Harry says guiltily. He attempts it again but moves much slower, careful to adjust Louis’ legs when necessary as he pulls the omega onto his lap.
Taking full advantage of the new position, Louis tucks his head under Harry’s chin, feeling the cool metal of his cross necklace bite into his skin. The alpha lets out a soft rumble, nuzzling into his hair.
A hand settles at the crook of his waist, warm and heavy. “You’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you?” Harry asks after a pause.
“Mhm,” Louis hums, eyes closed. “Ivy’s gonna hold down the fort.” Since the omega actually lives in LA regardless of college, she's the obvious choice to stick around at the house for all the sisters that won’t be going home over break. She’s already planning a Sister’s-giving brunch feast on Thursday. “And you?”
Harry is from San Diego so only a couple hours south, but Louis doesn’t actually know where the alpha’s plans are for break.
“Yeah, going home,” Harry says. A look comes over his face that Louis catches but is unable to decipher – something akin to dread? Whatever it is. it disappears just as fast. “Guess I’ll see you after break.”
Louis nods. He wonders if he and Harry will continue to text and get along outside of their normal context – the school, their Greek organizations, whatever this is – or if they’ll forget the other exists once stepping foot off of campus.
“I have another question,” Harry says. “Are you still signed up for Dicks 4 Holes?”
“Dicks 4 Holes?” Louis repeats slowly, brows raising high on his forehead.
Harry startles as if he hadn’t realized he said it. “Naomi’s database,” he says, expression turning sheepish. “That’s what some of the guys call it.”
Louis shakes his head in disgust. “Alphas,” he mutters. “And yeah, I am. Why?”
The alpha shrugs. “I’m not sure when it is but I just wanted to let you know that I’d help you with your next heat,” he says, trying to sound nonchalant. “If you wanted me to, of course.”
In truthfulness, Louis had forgotten all about his heat. Perhaps that was a mistake on his part considering it was slated for the second week of December, cutting it awfully close to finals week.
However… If he had someone help him through it, not only would it guarantee that he wouldn’t miss a single exam, it also ensured that he could have a free day on Sunday for last minute studying.
“I want you to,” Louis admits honestly. He wonders internally if the alpha was offering so early because he wanted to make sure Louis didn’t spend his heat with someone else. Not that the alpha had to be worried – Louis has received a couple other requests for helping an alpha with their rut over email since he helped Harry, but he had declined both of them without a second thought. His omega refuses to let him entertain even the idea of sleeping with someone else when Harry is already here.
“Okay,” Harry nods. “Great.”
They drift off into silence after that, but it’s not awkward or uncomfortable. In fact, Louis savors the quiet and all that it brings to light: the thumping of Harry’s heart against the shell of his ear, the sensation of fingers tracing circles into his lower back, and a nose scenting along the crown of his head.
When Harry’s knot deflates, Harry gets up to get a rag. He wipes Louis down quickly and then the two of them lay back on Louis’ bed, neither of them wanting to move. It would be wise to sneak Harry back out now when there was still enough light for him to get home but he’d be able to make it undetected, but no effort is made between them on the matter.
Soon, Louis feels his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and still he can’t bring himself to get up. Instead, he curls into Harry’s side, eyes fluttering shut. He’ll just take a short nap, he tells himself. Just simply resting his eyes...
The last thing he’s aware of before falling asleep is Harry tugging him closer.
💫
Louis spends a blissful four days back in his hometown, sleeping in his room and hanging out of his siblings and cousins. It’s nice to see his family and to let some of the stress from the approaching end of the semester ease off his shoulders. However… he finds himself missing his sisters and the house, their chatter and the constant surprises and adventures that each day brought.
He finds himself missing Harry too – not just his dick, like Harry had teased him about, but the alpha himself. Louis grappled with the idea of texting or calling him several times, and on Thanksgiving when Louis was taking time to send all his friends little messages of gratitude, he found himself typing one out to Harry too. Immediately upon sending the message, he felt almost exposed in a way, hastily typing out grateful for your monster cock most of all <3 and sending that too. It wasn't like it was a lie.
His reply didn’t come until the next morning, but the Grateful for you too, and so is my monster cock ;) somehow manages to make him laugh and warm his heart simultaneously. On Saturday, Louis watched the alpha win the final football game of the season, feeling irrationally proud of him. He texted him congratulations but this time the alpha doesn’t respond at all. Louis assumes he’s too busy celebrating and doesn’t hold it against him.
And now Louis is back on campus and fresh off his first class, itching to see him. He knocks on the front door to the frat, trying to convince himself that this isn’t a terrible idea. The door swings open and he’s greeted by a very confused Liam.
The alpha is undoubtedly surprised to see him, lifting a hand to scratch his hair absently. “Uh, hey, Louis. Are you here to see Zayn? You know he’s not back yet, right?”
“No, I know,” Louis says, shaking his head. Zayn has been sending him pleas for help all week from Tahoe where he was staying in a cabin with lots of family, completely devoid of alone time and privacy. He clears his throat. “I’m, uh, actually here to see Harry?”
Liam’s expression twists into shock before he quickly smooths it over, smiling strainedly. “I’m sorry, did you say –”
“Yes,” Louis interrupts, fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie. “I need to talk to him about something,” he says vaguely, hoping the alpha will assume it’s Greek business.
“Right, of course,” Liam says, much to his relief. He holds the door open for Louis, gesturing for him to come inside. “Just a fair warning though, Harry’s been kind of off all day. Don’t think he’s in the best mood.”
Louis raises a brow, surprised. That doesn’t really sound like Harry. One of the most infuriating things about the alpha is how upbeat and easygoing he always is, not prone to letting his emotions overtake him. Even when they’ve argued and fought in the past, Harry has always remained obnoxiously casual and unaffected, and it always used to drive Louis insane.
“That’s fine,” Louis says, thinking internally that he knows a surefire way to boost the alpha’s mood. As he makes the journey to Harry’s room, he passes many alpha brothers, all who are visibly surprised to see the sorority president walking through the frat outside of the obligation of parties and other events.
He says hello to Wesley, Quincy, and other familiar faces, trying to appear natural – like there’s nothing odd about him being here by himself at eleven in the morning. He knocks on Harry’s door when he arrives at his room, wondering what excuse he can use for wanting to see him so soon after returning to campus. He bites his lip as the door creaks open.
“Liam, for the last time, I don’t –” Harry stops abruptly upon seeing Louis, his brows dipping into a furrow. “What’re you doing here?”
Immediately, Louis realizes Liam was right. There’s a sharpness to Harry’s voice that he’s never heard before, and a heavy set to his frown. “Just came to see you,” he blurts out, feeling more rattled than he expected to see the alpha this way.
Harry’s lips twist into a grimace, and that’s when Louis notices the red tinge to his eyes – like he’s been crying or exhausted or both. “I’m not in the mood to hook up right now,” he says, tone clipped.
“That’s fine,” Louis says, concern bubbling up inside him. Something’s wrong, but he doesn’t know what. “Are you okay?”
“Great,” the alpha says flatly. “I’m fucking brilliant.”
“Then what’s with that tone?” Louis says, crossing his arms.
“Just leave me alone, Louis,” Harry says, looking frustrated. His next words tumble out like a twist of a knife. “The last thing I want to do right now is deal with a brat. Go suck someone else’s dick.”
Louis reels back as if stung, mouth dropping open in shock. It’s fucking rude, is the thing – maybe even mean – and it’s also so out of character that Louis is even more certain that something is wrong. It’s not even the words themselves, but the way Harry said them – cold and harsh, unfeeling. Harry’s never spoken to him like that, not through the dozens of arguments and disagreements they’ve had over the past two years. Harry has insulted him plenty of times, but never maliciously. Never with the intent to hurt him.
“You’re upset about something,” Louis says, trying to keep his tone steady and calm. Inside, he’s bristling. “I can tell. And I don’t know what it is or why you seem bent on bottling it up inside, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to take it out on me, or anyone else. It doesn’t give you an excuse to stop being a decent human being. Now, I’m going to ask you one more time – what’s wrong, Harry?”
The alpha doesn’t answer, staring determinedly at the carpet.
“Fine,” Louis says, turning to leave. “Have fun in your one-person misery party lashing out at the people that care about you then. Hope it helps.”
He’s halfway down the hallway before Harry is grunting. “I’m sorry,” he calls out, and Louis pauses.
“About what?” Louis says, still pissed. The truth is, he’s hurt. He’s hurt that Harry could say something like that to him – after everything they’ve been through. After things between them seemed to be better than ever before.
“I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it,” Harry says, guilt heavy in his voice. He sighs. “Can you come over here please?”
Louis hesitates, but ultimately turns around and walks back to Harry. The alpha gestures him into the room, and Louis almost gasps when he sees the state of Harry’s room. There’s clothes strewn unceremoniously over the bed and a still-packed duffle overspilling on the floor. Harry’s laptop is perched precariously on the nightstand, displaying a frozen still from Two Weeks Notice. Normally, the alpha keeps his room almost freakishly neat, and though the level of mess right now is not outrageous by any standard, Louis has never seen it like this.
Worse, Harry’s scent is thick here as it always is, but this time Louis can smell the frustration and dismay emanating from all around.
“First of all, if you ever say something like that to me again, I’ll end you,” Louis begins by saying, and the alpha’s lips twitch in some semblance of a smile, nodding. “Now, what happened?”
Harry just shakes his head, sitting on his bed. “My parents are getting a divorce,” he says, squeezing his eyes shut.
For a moment, Louis stands there, words not processing. “Shit,” he says before he can fully think it through. “I’m so sorry, Harry.”
The alpha looks down. “Thanks.” He clears his throat. “I didn’t find out about it over break, if that’s what you’re thinking. They told me before the semester started, and this is the first time I’ve been home ever since. They still want to do Thanksgiving together – said it was a tradition. But all I could think about the whole dinner was how it’d never be the same again.”
Louis takes a seat next to Harry, listening quietly.
“It’s not that – it’s not that I’m against it,” Harry says choppily. “I just… I thought they were happy, you know? Maybe it’s because I’m not home much anymore that the signs slipped past me, but I thought –” He breaks off, exhaling. “I just didn’t see it coming, I guess.”
“That’s not your fault,” Louis murmurs, reading between the lines.
“I know that. Rationally at least,” Harry says. “But for some reason I can’t stop agonizing over the possibility that this has been building up for years right under my nose. Like, they agreed to wait till I went off to college before finally splitting. I’ve heard that it’s common. And all along I had no idea. Most people can see it coming, right? But I didn’t. I almost feel stupid.”
“You’re not stupid,” Louis says gently. “Even if this has been going on for years, clearly they made an effort not to get you involved. They didn’t want to cause you pain.”
Harry lets out a dry laugh. “I think it’s a little late for that,” he says. “I just wish I knew."
“And what would have changed if you did?” Louis asks quietly. “Do you think you could have changed their minds?”
The alpha shakes his head vehemently. “No, no, not that. It’s not like that. I want them both to be happy,” he says firmly. “And if that means they no longer want to be together, I understand. I support it even. I just wish I could have told them that from the beginning. I wish I could have been there for them.”
“But you were,” Louis says. “Inadvertently and unknowingly, maybe, but that still counts. Going through a divorce is hard, and I’m sure knowing that you wouldn’t have to carry the burden of their decision while they were making it was comforting to them. And you’re here for them now.”
Harry bites his lip. “I guess.”
“Have you told either of them any of this?” Louis asks carefully. “That you’re feeling this way?”
“Not really,” Harry admits.
“I think you should,” Louis says. “I know that I don’t have all the context and that it’s none of my business, but as someone who’s been there too, I’m telling you now that everything will be okay. Yes, things are going to change and it’s going to suck, but what won’t change is how much they love you and how much you love them. So talk to them and figure out the best way to navigate this new family dynamic for all three of you.”
The alpha sighs. “I know you’re right,” he says. “But that doesn’t make me want to do it any more.”
“You don’t have to do it yet. Sometimes moping for a while is necessary,” Louis says sympathetically. He glances at Harry’s laptop. “We can finish your movie.”
“We?” Harry says.
“Well, I don’t have anything else to do,” Louis shrugs.
Harry is quiet. “Thank you,” he says after a moment. “You didn’t have to stay and you did.”
“Of course,” Louis says softly. He glances at his lap, hesitating for a moment before deciding to add, “That’s what friends do.”
He glances to the right, surprised to see the alpha smiling, dimples in full view. “Friends?”
“Don’t go making a big deal out of it,” Louis mumbles, hiding his own smile. They’ve probably been friends for weeks now, really. It was a gradual but undeniable shift, and Louis would be lying if he said he was unhappy about it. It’s nice being friends with Harry, he’s learned. Much nicer than it is to be enemies.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it? I’m going to climb onto the roof and shout about how Louis Tomlinson said we’re besties,” Harry says with a straight face.
“We won’t be if you say the word ‘bestie’ ever again,” Louis says, huffing. “You’re hella embarrassing.”
“And which one of us came over to see the other the first chance they got after break again?” Harry asks smugly.
“I don’t know what you mean. I came here to see Liam,” Louis denies, tamping down his grin. He likes that they can still have this: the banter, the teasing, the non-serious insults. They can still have that back and forth and also be friends. “Liam is actually my bestie.”
He rolls out of the way when Harry tries to tickle him, laughing his head off.
As they watch the movie, Harry ends up with his head in Louis’ lap with Louis running his fingers through his hair the same way he’d do with his baby sisters back at home. They berate George and Lucy for being stupid, eat sour belts from Harry’s secret stash, and despite their newfound truce, they still bicker through it all. A lot.
But maybe – just maybe – Louis enjoys bickering with Harry.
💫
Being friends with Harry is pretty nice.
For one, Louis takes way too much pleasure in going up to Harry when he spots the alpha around campus or in town and watching the shock on the faces of whoever is inevitably with him as they witness once sworn enemies hugging in public.
And second, Harry is a damn good friend. They watch Interstellar on Monday night because Louis mentioned that it was his favorite movie to Harry in a text and the alpha horrifyingly replied that he never saw it when it came out. Louis truly had no choice but to withhold sex until Harry came over and corrected his grievous error. Luckily for Harry and his dick, he loves it. They both get weepy at the ending, and Harry never says a word about how Louis reacts to every scene as if it's the first time he's seen it and not the dozenth.
The alpha also helps Louis study for his Stellar Evolution exam on Wednesday by quizzing him and encouraging him to take a break when he gets too frustrated. He drives Louis to Ralph’s to pick up last-minute snacks before a sorority meeting on Thursday, and they sing along to Adele’s new album on the way back. And when Louis finds out that he aces the exam on Friday, Harry is just as excited for him as he is.
Louis is feeling so grateful for the alpha on Saturday that he decides he wants to thank him by baking him chocolate truffle cookies – his favorite. However, despite the many hours Louis has spent watching the Great British Bake Off and vowing that one day he’ll be competing on the show himself, he is unfortunately not a baking extraordinaire. So he enlists someone who is.
Jas begrudgingly assists him in baking the cookies, and Louis is surprised when she doesn’t immediately demand more information though he can tell it’s eating at her. She finally bursts once they’ve put the pan into the oven and set a timer for fifteen minutes.
“You’re baking Harry cookies?” she blurts out.
“Yes,” Louis says, avoiding eye contact. “It’s to thank him for saving my ass this week more than once.”
“And why not buy him some store-bought cookies?” Jas asks, narrowing her eyes. “Why insist on baking them yourself?”
“Getting them store-bought seemed less special,” Louis says lightly.
“Please, Harry would be delighted with anything you got him, and you know it,” Jas says, rolling her eyes. “And why cookies at all? Why not something else?”
Louis huffs. “You can just say whatever you’re thinking, you know. I know you want to.”
The omega makes a face. “It’s just that… It sort of feels like something an omega does for their alpha.”
“Oh, yes, because every nice thing an omega does for an alpha means they’re in love,” Louis says bitterly. “That’s bullshit.”
“I never said that,” Jas says, more amused than offended. “And it wouldn’t be the same if baking was something you did all the time or at least something you’ve done for other friends, but…” She raises a brow.
“So what’re you saying then?” Louis asks. “That I have feelings for Harry? That’s ridiculous.” He ignores the way his heart starts racing.
“Didn’t say that either,” Jas says patiently. “Just making an observation.”
“Well, I don’t,” Louis pouts. He won’t let himself go down that path again. “And I’m just trying to do a nice thing for a friend.”
Jas eyes him carefully. “You guys are still hooking up, right?”
“Yes,” he admits, knowing there’s no point in trying to keep it a secret from Jas anyway.
She hums. “Interesting.”
Louis scowls. “We’re friends,” he insists. “Friends who fuck sometimes. We’re friends with benefits.”
“Alright,” Jas says, smiling. The oven dings. “Guess the cookies for your 'friend that sometimes dicks you down' are ready.”
He decides not to dignify that with a response.
Ten minutes later, Louis is knocking on the door to the frat again, clutching a Tupperware where he’s packed the cookies. He and Jas taste-tested them just a few minutes ago and they’re pretty fucking good, if he does say so himself. The alpha who opens the door must be one of the newer members because Louis doesn’t know her, but he smiles at her nonetheless.
To his surprise, he spots Zayn sitting at the counter in the kitchen, and decides to go talk to him for a moment.
“Nice sweater,” Louis says, smiling. The alpha is wearing a gray sweater with the three minions from Despicable Me on the front, pizza on his plate.
“Thanks,” Zayn says, eyes falling to the Tupperware. “Did Jas bake some cookies?”
Louis huffs. “No, I did,” he says. Zayn gives him a look, and he rolls his eyes. “Okay, she helped.”
“Let me guess,” Zayn says, pausing. “You’re here to see Harry.” He has a look on his face that makes Louis groan.
“Not you too,” he grumbles. “Seriously, have you guys been talking behind my back?” Zayn, like everyone else, has found out about his and Harry’s friendship very recently, but already he’s acting like he knows something Louis doesn’t.
“Yes,” Zayn says. “We have this thing called a friendship? Friends tell each other stuff.” He gives Louis a meaningful look. “Like when they’re hooking up with their rival.”
Louis gapes. “Jas told you?” he hisses, glancing around to make sure they’re alone.
“No, she didn’t,” Zayn says, shaking his head. “I figured it out myself. When your best friend and your frat president are missing for three days when said frat president is on his rut and when one of your brothers mentions offhand that he hopes a certain someone wasn’t disturbing me during the Halloween social… let’s just say that you two haven’t been as slick as you think you are.”
“Well, fuck,” Louis says, taken aback. Though when he stops and thinks about it, of course Zayn knows. Zayn knows everything. “Damn you and your big brain.”
Zayn just smirks. “I forgive you, by the way,” he says pointedly.
“Oh, right. I’m so sorry, Zayn,” Louis says, batting his eyelashes. “Next time I decide to hook up with my ‘rival,’ I will tell you.”
The alpha makes a face. “Please don’t. I don’t need regular updates on how much you and Harry are screwing.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Louis says sweetly. “Anyways, I’m going.”
“By all means,” Zayn says, gesturing him off.
“Love you,” Louis chirps, walking backwards out of the room. He pauses when he’s in the hallway and tugs out his phone, grinning as he types out a text. Hi Zayn! You have officially subscribed to the Are-Louis-and-Harry-going-to-fuck text thread. Text ‘LOUIS IS AN ANGEL’ to opt out :)
gonna block u 😐 is the alpha’s response.
Harry is shirtless when he opens the door, and Louis is suddenly very glad that he’s holding the Tupperware with both hands.
“Hi, Louis,” the alpha says cheerfully, letting him in. His nails are painted blue today, and his hair is wet, rivulets of water dripping down his throat and chest.
Louis lifts his gaze to Harry’s face, forcing a smile. Suddenly, he feels nervous. He thrusts the container at the alpha awkwardly, blushing. “I, uh, baked you cookies.”
The alpha takes the box, looking surprised. He glances up at Louis, expression unreadable. “You baked me cookies?” he echoes.
Normally Louis would tease him for repeating the exact thing Louis just said, but today all he can do is nod jerkily. “As a thank you for all your help this week,” he mumbles.
He watches as the alpha carefully opens the container and takes out a single cookie. “Chocolate truffle,” he murmurs, glancing at Louis. His voice is rough with an unidentifiable emotion. He lifts it to his mouth, and Louis watches in bated breath as he takes a bite and chews.
The alpha swallows, smiling at Louis. “It’s perfect.”
“Well, it was just a simple recipe and Jas did most of it,” Louis admits, fidgeting with his sweater. Inside, his omega is preening at the praise. “It probably wouldn’t have been nearly as good if I did it myself but –” He’s cut off when Harry yanks him into a hug, squeezing his waist.
“It’s perfect,” Harry repeats. Louis freezes when the alpha drops a kiss onto the top of his head, the gesture so tender that it sends a rush of warmth through his body. “Thank you, Louis. You're so sweet.”
“You’re welcome,” Louis murmurs quietly over the sound of his heart thundering in his ears. Oh so carefully, he winds his arms around the alpha’s neck. Jas’ words race through his head and he shuts his eyes, thinking only one word.
Oh.
💫
The next week passes in a haze of sleeping, eating, and studying for finals. Louis throws himself into writing self-study guides, making flash cards, and rereading notes until his eyes burn. The sorority hosts a study session every day in the evening where they all gather in the living room and kitchen and work diligently in supportive silence.
Stress and exhaustion seems to cling to his body like a second skin, making a home between every divot and plane – not just from his impending exams but also from his approaching heat at the very end of the week. Already he can feel the itch under his skin, worsening with each day.
He finally told Harry about it on Tuesday, unsure if he was relieved or disappointed when the alpha immediately responded that he’d be able to help him.
To be perfectly honest, Louis has been avoiding the alpha. It’s not exactly hard, considering how much time he’s spending studying – the alpha probably hasn’t even noticed. But Louis needs this distance to recover from the revelation he had last weekend.
Somehow, over the last couple of months, Louis has developed feelings for the alpha.
Again.
That’s the worst thing about all of this – the fact that he’s living through the same story, destined for the same heartbreak. He promised himself he wouldn’t let it happen again, and here he is. And this time, he’s fallen deeper than ever before.
Because he and Harry never even became friends the first time. He didn’t know what it felt like to have the alpha’s affection outside of the bedroom the first time. He may have been infatuated, but he definitely wasn’t in –
Louis can’t even think the word.
And now… and now Louis knew Harry. He knew how the alpha had so much more to him than he could have ever imagined. He knew how kindhearted he was and how dorky. He knew Harry’s true character, and now he was hooked, line and sinker.
He was also most definitely screwed. It's still not enough to stop him on early Friday morning as he makes his way to the campus Mating Cycle Center where he booked a room earlier that week. After checking in, he’s led to a bedroom identical to the one he had previously.
Though Louis is dressed in his softest, most comfortable clothes, the fabric feels harsh and prickly against his burning skin. His heat is an hour out at most, and Louis is feeling it down to his bones.
Harry is supposed to be arriving just after him but texted Louis that he was running late and would be there in ten minutes. Somehow each of those minutes feels like a year. Louis grows restless, kicking off his shoes and curling up on the bed. It feels too unfair though and Louis can’t get himself to relax. Perhaps touching himself would help unwind the tension tearing through his body but Louis can't bear to do it when what he really wants is his alpha’s hands on him.
Still, undressing seems like a good idea. He yanks off the sweatshirt Harry lent him the day before so he could have something carrying the alpha’s scent for the onset of heat, and then shoves down the flannel pajamas he couldn’t be bothered to change after waking up at six in the morning.
He can smell his own pheromones filling the air, tinged with desperation and desire. It’s a relief when his phone buzzes with another text from Harry, informing him that the alpha is outside and on his way up.
Louis isn’t quite sure how he gets the idea. His brain is too fuzzy to pinpoint the exact moment where he decides to drop to the floor, sitting with his ass resting on his heels. He straightens his spine and clasps his hands behind his back, lowering his gaze to the floor submissively.
Time seems to pass differently like this. Louis focuses on remaining as still as possible even as the position quickly becomes stiff and uncomfortable. There's almost a sense of deep contentment in the act, discomfort and desperation subsiding in favor of happiness that he's being a good omega for his alpha, waiting for him like this. He is aware of nothing except the coolness of the floor biting into his legs, the pressure growing in his cock and the lack of pressure at his entrance, the sound of his heart thumping between the cradle of his ribs, and his own shallow breaths.
The telltale sound of the door clicking open is almost drowned out by the rushing in his ears. Since he’s the one undergoing the cycle this time, they don’t rely on Louis letting Harry in himself and Louis is grateful for this decision now.
He hears the alpha step into the room, no doubt finding him knelt before the bed as a sharp intake of breath resounds in the room and reaches his ears. The door is slammed shut, and Louis nearly flinches at the sudden harsh sound. He inhales shakily, and suddenly Harry's all he can smell. His alpha.
“Louis,” he breathes, drawing closer. “Fuck, sweetheart. Look at you.”
Keeping his gaze lowered demurely, all Louis can see is the tops of Harry’s Vans and then his lower legs as he steps into view. A hand settles on the top of his head.
“Such a good omega,” Harry murmurs, stroking his hair gently. “Greeting me so nicely and respectfully. God, you’re a vision.”
Louis mewls quietly, resisting the urge to nuzzle up into Harry’s touch. His omega is preening, thrumming at the praise and admiration in Harry’s voice. Kneeling for Harry hasn’t been something he's thought about until the alpha said those fated words back at that party in October, but now that Louis is doing it, it feels so right.
With Harry fully dressed and him naked, he is distinctly aware of his own vulnerability, but it doesn’t make him feel anxious or nervous. He feels small, but a nice small. Small and safe.
Harry’s hand grips his chin firmly but gently, carefully tilting his head up. “Look at me,” he orders, and Louis does, staring at him with wide, glassy eyes. He can see the reverence in Harry’s gaze, falling over him like warm rays of sunlight.
“Perfect,” the alpha breathes, his hand sliding around to cradle the back of Louis' neck. He strokes the soft hair right at his nape with the firm pad of his thumb. “You’re perfect.”
When he guides Louis to his feet, hand still wrapped around his neck, and then hoists him up, Louis locks his legs around Harry’s middle, burying his face into Harry’s neck and inhaling his scent. Harry’s arms wrap around him, encompassing him in their warmth and protection.
“Alpha,” he murmurs softly. It just slides right out of him.
The alpha’s breath falters. “Yes,” he says, tightening his hold. “Yeah, baby. I’m here.” His voice is so gentle, and it makes Louis’ heart stutter and swell. Harry responded to being called his alpha so easily, and maybe it’s only because he knows it’s what Louis needs right now, but Louis can’t help but entertain the alternative. That Harry revels in hearing it just as much Louis revels in saying it. That he believes it. The small pinprick of hope nestled deep within him flickers, burning a bit brighter.
It only continues to burn as Harry lowers them to the bed. He frames Louis’ face with his hands and kisses him, slow and sweet – like he could do this forever. Louis whines when he pulls back, and Harry kisses his forehead, hushing him softly.
Harry undresses himself quickly, returning to his place over Louis as soon as possible. By now, slick has started to drip steadily from his entrance, soaking through to the sheets beneath him and filling the air with his sweet, heady scent.
“How far are you?” he murmurs, swiping a thumb over the arch of his cheekbone.
“'S close,” Louis reveals, feeling dizzy and desperate. He turns his head and catches Harry’s thumb in his mouth.
The alpha’s eyes darken, pressing down on Louis’ tongue and bottom lip. Louis closes his lips around it and sucks. "Fuck," Harry whispers, gripping his chin again.
He leans in and replaces his thumb with his lips, licking into Louis’ mouth and dulling the ringing in his ears. One of his legs settles between Louis’, giving him something to arch up into. Harry’s hands roam up and down his sides, large and warm and leaving shivers in their wake. He slides them around to grip at Louis’ ass, massaging the flesh before trailing his fingers down to where Louis is soaking.
Fingers circle his rim, hardly applying any pressure. Louis squirms, caught between pushing up into Harry’s leg or down against the fleeting touch at his hole. It’s a relief when Harry finally presses two fingers to his entrance, easing them in slowly.
Louis sighs into Harry’s mouth as the alpha begins to work his fingers inside of him, opening him up carefully. Everything else seems to fade away except for Harry and the immense pleasure curling through his veins.
When the blunt head of Harry’s cock settles at his entrance, Louis wraps his arms around the alpha’s back, clinging to him as he slowly begins to push in. Louis’ head lolls back, quivering at the stretch. Harry mouths at the crook of his neck, snapping his hips and fucking in hard and fast.
Once Harry finds his spot, Louis loses it, stars dancing in his eyes. He starts pleading, dragging his nails down the planes of the alpha’s back and writhing against the mattress. His vision has gone hazy, heat licking up his spine and creeping higher.
“Alpha,” he cries out when Harry’s knot begins to swell.
“I’m here, baby,” Harry murmurs, kissing up his throat. He speeds up, thrusting in deeper and deeper. “My sweet omega.”
My sweet omega. Louis whites out, shaking through his release. Harry’s knot continues to expand, catching on his rim and locking into place.
Louis falls into heat with butterflies in his stomach.
💫
After Louis’ heat finishes around forty-two hours later, he and Harry spend the remaining hours of their reserved stay wrapped up in each other. They shower together and then cuddle, easing Louis’ omega out of the mindset of heat in the best way possible. It’s such a stark contrast to how things were after Harry’s rut that Louis only feels more certain.
Harry feels the same. He must.
And yet, Louis can’t bring himself to voice his feelings aloud. Maybe it’s stupid and insecure of him, but he needs Harry to be the one to do it – to prove that Louis isn’t insane and that there really is something between them. To prove that things are different from last time. When things between them were so good before Harry abruptly ended everything that one July morning and broke Louis’ heart.
But Harry doesn’t say anything, and once the room expires, they go their separate ways. However, Harry gives Louis another one of his jackets to wear since his omega is still sensitive and he gives Louis a hug before saying goodbye. It reassures Louis – at least, for now.
Because he and Harry don’t speak at all during the week. To be fair, it’s finals week . Louis barely has the energy to get dressed in the morning because he’s so stressed, let alone actually practice social interaction. He’s distracted and busy, and so is Harry. It’s fine. It makes sense.
Except, Friday arrives and Louis takes his final exam in the morning. He knows for a fact that Harry doesn’t have any finals today so he decides to text Harry and see if he wants to hang out but the alpha responds and says he’s got a frat meeting and can’t. It’s fine, Louis thinks. It makes sense. But he can’t get rid of the paranoia festering in his chest, telling him that Harry is avoiding him.
At least he’ll see Harry tomorrow. There’s a social tomorrow to celebrate the end of the semester, held at the fraternity as always. It’s formal wear and Louis is excited for many reasons – one of which is that Jas is bringing her girlfriend. He gasped when she told him, immediately demanding more information. Was she from the frat or unaffiliated? How’d they meet? Why the fuck didn’t she tell Louis about this?
The latter had offended him for a minute, before he realized that he’s really not one to talk. He’s kept secrets from so many people this semester, and now the biggest one of all is clawing up his throat, aching to spill out.
He needs to tell Harry, he decides that Friday night. If Harry’s not going to do it himself, then Louis has to – before he drives himself mad with wondering. Either it’ll work out for him or it won’t, and there’s no point in dragging it out any longer.
But then… Louis finds himself scrolling through Instagram before bed as he tends to do sometimes and sees that Niall posted a blurry picture of him and… Harry.
It was posted three hours ago at Grand Central Market, not too long after Louis texted the alpha. He stares at the fuzzy outline of Harry’s face. Frat meeting, he had said. Those take place at the fraternity house with all members of the fraternity present – as much as Niall manages to weasel his way into a lot of Greek events despite being unaffiliated, he is definitely not a member of the frat and they’re definitely not at the house.
A weird pressure forms in his chest. Harry lied to him. It was the only possible explanation, but Louis couldn’t figure out why. If Harry already had plans with the beta, why didn’t he say so? Louis would have easily understood. Why make something up?
There’s a lump in his chest as he types out a text to Zayn asking him if they had a meeting planned today. It’s one last desperate hope – hope that maybe Harry didn’t fib and there’s a perfectly rational and reasonable explanation to it all. Maybe they were picking up food for the meeting. Or maybe –
As he’s in the process of thinking up possibilities, Zayn’s reply sends: Nope. Why?
Louis stares at the screen, heart stuttering. It felt undeniable now: Harry is avoiding him. Somehow, after everything that happened between them, Harry was pulling away. It’s happening again, he realizes in horror. It may not be long until Louis is replaying another stupid voicemail in the middle of the night, listening to the alpha tell him awkwardly that it had been a lot of fun but maybe it was best if they stopped hooking up – over and over, he listened to it, trying to come to terms with the fact that Harry never really cared at all. Louis was just a fuck to him. The more he convinced himself of it, the more his resentment toward the alpha grew, and Louis entered the semester hating him more than ever before.
Harry was entitled and arrogant, and didn’t care about anything. It was almost like a mantra for him. Except… except, Louis knows that’s not true anymore. He knows that though Harry puts his foot in his mouth sometimes and doesn’t always take stuff seriously, he does care. About the fraternity and his brothers, about his classes, about football, and about Louis.
It’s just not the same way Louis cares. He probably realized Louis’ feelings ran deeper for him during Louis’ heat, and now he was creating distance between them. Their arrangement had always been no strings, after all. Louis was the one who forgot that.
He lays there, staring at the ceiling and agonizing over every possibility until his eyes begin to burn. When he finally drifts into a fitful sleep, his omega is wailing in his chest.
It’s almost poetic that Louis wakes up with his body aching just as much as his heart. He can barely get up from the bed. Ivy comes in with a thermometer at half past ten and it’s confirmed: he’s sick.
“Sorry, Lou,” Ivy says, frowning sympathetically as Louis groans. “Maybe you’ll feel better by tonight?”
“Not holding my breath,” Louis murmurs, rubbing his eyes. He’s going to miss the Winter social. Maybe it was for the best anyway – if he went, he’d have to face Harry, and right now that’s the last thing he wants to do.
“Well, maybe I can hang back with you,” Ivy suggests. “We can watch Christmas movies now that it’s actually December.” The omega maintained that the month only really began after finals were finished which Louis could agree with.
“No, you go,” Louis says, shaking his head. “Send me pictures of Jas’ girlfriend and keep an eye out on the freshmen. You know how finishing their first semester of college makes them want to go wild.”
“Remember when that was us?” Ivy asks wistfully. She tilts her head. “Are you sure?”
“I’m not dying, Ivy. I’ll be fine,” Louis promises, half-exasperated.
He says the same thing to Jas when she comes in a few minutes later with the same suggestion.
“Please,” he insists, and then huffs. “Go make out with your hot alpha girlfriend who you never thought to tell me about.”
“I swear I was going to,” Jas insists. "It's just so new."
“Yeah, I know, I know,” Louis says, scrunching up his nose. “I’m not actually mad. I’d be a hypocrite if I was.”
“Right, because you denied hooking up with Harry again and again even though it was obvious,” Jas says, narrowing her eyes. She must see something on Louis’ face because she frowns. “Lou?”
“You were right,” Louis blurts out.
“About what?” Jas asks, startled.
“I have feelings for Harry.” It comes out in a rush, syllables knocking together.
Jas’ eyes widen. “Oh my God,” she exclaims. “Yes! You guys are going to be such a power couple.”
Louis flinches at that. “Uh, not quite,” he says, and then clears his throat. “Actually, I need to tell you something…” At Jas’ curious but encouraging look, he begins to talk, and it’s like once it starts, it all comes spilling out easily.
He goes back all the way to June and tells her about Julie’s birthday party and everything that follows. He tells her about slowly getting a crush on the alpha and the hurt that he felt when Harry suddenly broke it off (“He left you a fucking voicemail? ”). He tells her about how part of the reason he signed up for the database in the first place was because he wanted to forget the alpha, and when he was paired with him, he just couldn’t pass up the chance to be with him again one more time. He tells her how easy it was to fall back into their arrangement, and how easy it was to fall for him – worse than ever before.
“Oh my God,” Jas repeats when he’s finished, but in a drastically different tone. “Fuck.”
“Indeed,” Louis jokes, closing his eyes. “Anyways, it’s actually a good thing I don’t have to see him today because I’d probably die of embarrassment the moment he directed anything close to pity toward me.”
“You’re so sure he knows you like him?” Jas asks.
“I called him ‘Alpha’ while I was in heat, Jas,” Louis says flatly. “I baked him those stupid fucking cookies. I’d say I was pretty transparent.”
Jas frowns. “But… then why not confront you about it? Let you down easy?”
“Maybe, he’s planning to,” Louis grumbles. “He’s just stalling first.” He glances at Jas who looks conflicted about something. “What is it?”
She grimaces. “I just… I feel like something doesn’t add up here,” she says.
“What does that mean?” Louis asks, arching a brow.
“I don’t know… It’s just – the way he looks at you, Lou,” Jas says softly. “I’ve never seen him look at anyone like that.”
Louis stares at his clasped hands. “That unfortunately doesn’t mean anything,” he says, “considering I thought the same thing last summer.”
“I’m sorry,” Jas says genuinely. “I’d hug you right now if you weren’t sick.”
He smiles, holding his arms out. “Air hug?”
She returns it, smiling warmly. “You sure you still want me to go?” she asks again.
“Yes, for fuck’s sake,” Louis says, rolling his eyes. “Go or I’ll try to cook something in the kitchen without supervision. I’ll even use the stove.”
Although Louis is greatly exaggerating his lack of abilities in the kitchen and they both know it, Jas still laughs and makes a show of hurrying from his room. However, she pauses at the door. “Love you, Lou,” she says. “Things are going to be okay.”
“Love you more,” Louis says, smiling sadly. “I know.”
When everyone is gone and the house is silent save for some of the other sisters who didn’t go, Louis grabs his laptop and puts on an episode of New Girl. Every so often, his eyes stray to his phone, willing a certain name to pop up on the screen.
It never does.
💫
The next day, Louis is feeling dramatically better than the day before. He finishes packing for Winter Break in the morning before having brunch with the whole sorority. He gives a little speech, telling him how happy he is to be part of the family they’ve created and takes some time to recognize the newest members who completed their initiations this semester and are officially sorority omegas. It’s all very emotional and stuff, but Louis is left with a warm feeling in his chest.
He’s surprised when afterwards, he gets a text from Zayn saying Can you come by for a minute? Have to give you your birthday gift :)
Even though Zayn’s family house was only an hour away from him, the alpha would be traveling over break so they wouldn’t get to see each other for his actual birthday like in years past. be right there, Louis sends back after only a moment’s hesitation. He probably won’t even see Harry, he tells himself. And if he does… well, he has to get used to it eventually.
Zayn is the one to open the door, holding his gift wrapped in galaxy-themed wallpaper. “Happy early birthday, babe,” he says, pulling Louis into a tight hug. “Remember to wait till your birthday to open it. And text me when you do.”
“Thanks, Z,” Louis says, smiling into his shoulder. “I’ll film my reaction, don’t worry,” he promises.
The alpha pulls back, biting his lip. “When’s your flight again?”
“At 5, but I’m leaving for LAX in a couple hours,” Louis says. Rather than car-sharing with Zayn and a few other people from the NorCal as he’s done in the past, he’s got a dirt cheap one-way ticket to Oakland to get him home in an hour and twenty-five minutes.
“Great, so you have time,” Zayn smiles.
Louis frowns. “Time for what?”
Zayn grabs his arm and tugs him inside, shutting the door. Louis’ mouth drops open as he takes in the darkened interior of the frat. “Uh… did you guys lose power or something?” He turns around, gaping when he realizes Zayn has disappeared. “Zayn?” he calls out, getting no answer.
However, he does hear music coming from somewhere – a soft instrumental melody that is slowly getting louder. He listens for a moment before realizing in shock that it’s Heaven and Hell by Vangelis – or, the opening theme of Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.
Absolutely baffled, Louis glances around, frowning when he sees an illuminated arrow on the wall, no doubt done with glow-in-the-dark paint. Hesitating only briefly, he begins to walk down the hallway in the indicated direction, spotting another arrow which directs him to the closed living room door.
“What the hell,” he whispers to himself, wrapping a hand around the door knob. He opens it slowly, half expecting someone to jump-scare him. Instead, he’s met with an astonishing sight.
The fraternity living room has been shrouded in darkness just like the hallway, curtains drawn and lights off. But Louis can still see things because of the dim light from dozens of glow-in-the-dark stars dotting the walls and ceiling. Some of them are even recognizable as constellations – Ursa Major and Minor, Orion, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, and more.
He steps further into the room, right as the lights suddenly flicker on. He reels back at the abrupt light, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Oh, shit,” a familiar voice says. “Maybe that was a bad idea.”
Louis’ eyes fly open. “Harry?” he blurts out, heart racing.
The alpha is standing in the middle of the room, holding the remote which presumably switched on the lights and looking apologetic. “Didn’t mean to blind you, sorry,” he says sheepishly.
“What’re you – did you do this?” Louis says, shock blooming inside him. He takes a second to look around at the room again, realizing in awe that there are plastic planets hanging from the ceiling and that the coffee table is laden with bowls of fruit cut in the shape of stars and takeout boxes with the familiar logo of Louis’ favorite Italian place printed on their sides.
“Uh, yes,” Harry says, looking suddenly very nervous. “With help from the others.”
“Why?” Louis asks quietly, even though deep inside he’s got a pretty good feeling – he just wants to hear it from the alpha himself.
Harry swallows, taking a step toward him. “For you,” he says. “To surprise you,” he amends.
Louis is very aware of his heart thumping in his chest and the very fragile hope soaring through his veins. “And why do you want to surprise me?” he asks.
“Because I need to tell you something,” Harry says, seemingly reassured by how Louis is responding so far. “Or, ask you something, I guess.”
“And what would that be?” Louis asks, unable to tamp down his smile.
When Harry sees it, he smiles too – bright and radiant. He strides toward Louis and takes his hand into his own. “Louis,” he says.
“Yes?” Louis says, heart hammering in his chest. Even though there’s no other way this could go, he can’t help but let the nerves and anticipation overtake him at this moment.
But then Harry does it. "Louis, being around you is like being a planet orbiting the sun. You're so bright, so beautiful, and very much capable of burning me with your words –" Louis huffs at that, but his lips twitch into a smile anyway. "You're caring and hard-working," Harry continues, voice softening. "You're the best president anyone could ever want and your sisters are so lucky to have you. Your heart is so big that I'm surprised it can even fit into your tiny body. You're so much smarter than me and I love it, even though I had to master the art of googling things faster than the speed of light for whenever you start talking about space stuff." Louis' smile grows, but he tries to hide it. "Louis," Harry repeats, holding Louis' heart in the palm of his hand. Louis is no longer scared about it though. "Will you go out with me?” He says it quietly, tilting his head down to look Louis in the eye. There is nothing but sincerity in his words and his gaze. Sincerity and hope.
Louis opens his mouth to respond, and then decides to cut to the chase. He surges up on his toes, throwing his arms around Harry's neck and kissing him hard. Pure happiness washes over him, thrumming in every cell in his body. Two big hands settle at his waist almost immediately, bleeding heat into his skin through the fabric and pulling him flush to the alpha’s chest. It’s only been a week since they’ve done this, and somehow it felt like a century.
“Is that a yes?” Harry pulls back to ask, pressing his forehead to Louis’ and grinning. He’s so happy and lovely that it makes Louis’ insides flutter.
“Yes,” Louis says, heart singing. He pulls back, scrunching his nose up and huffing. “Even though you’re an asshole.”
Harry makes a sound of protest, mouth dropping open. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve been ignoring me all week,” Louis says, narrowing his eyes.
“I have not,” Harry denies.
“Have too,” Louis says, pouting.
“Fuck, we’re already bickering,” Harry jokes, and they share soft, giddy smiles. “Okay, maybe I was,” he finally relents. “But only because I was trying to figure out how to tell you how I felt.”
“You lied to me on Friday,” Louis says, jabbing an accusing finger into his chest. “I saw Niall’s picture on Instagram. You weren’t at a frat meeting.”
Harry rolls his eyes. “That moron,” he mutters. “Niall went with me to get more glow-in-the-dark stars because I ran out,” he admits. “And we stopped at the Market for dinner after. I’m sorry I lied – I just didn’t want you to get wind of what I was planning."
“I can’t believe you did this,” Louis admits, looking around. “Harry Styles, this is quite literally out of this world.” He can’t believe he just made a stupid pun. He can’t believe he made a stupid pun just to make Harry smile.
And, of course, it works. “I’m glad you approve,” Harry says, hands finding their place at Louis' waist again. They're like magnets, being tugged into each other and helpless to resist. Luckily, Louis doesn't want to. “Spent forever trying to get all the constellations right. And don’t even get me started on those planet decorations. Those things are literally impossible to hang up. And some of them kept falling off so I had to tape them in place.”
Louis disrupts his small rant by hugging him, pressing his face into the crook of the alpha's neck and sighing out quietly. “Thank you,” he murmurs. "You are so lovely, Harry."
Harry squeezes him back, tucking his chin over Louis’ head. “Anything for you,” he says.
Minutes later, they’re seated on the couch and Louis is stuffing his face with his favorite fried fried mac ‘n cheese bites. “How’d you even know Maria’s was my favorite?” he asks the alpha, because he’s pretty sure he never mentioned it to him before.
“Jas told me,” Harry says. At Louis’ surprised look, he adds, “Last night. When she cornered me at the social and told me that I was either an asshole or an idiot and whichever it was, to fix it.”
Louis grins. “That sounds like her.”
"She also told me you were sick," Harry adds, expression morphing into one of concern. "I hope you're feeling better now."
"I am," Louis assures him. "It was just a small cold."
"Good," Harry says, appeased, before biting his lip. “She also mentioned, uh," he says awkwardly. "That voicemail."
“Oh, yes,” Louis says, and then elbows Harry in the ribs, making him grunt in surprise. "Dick."
"I probably deserved that," Harry concedes, rubbing his side. "To be fair, I actually wanted to do it over the phone, but then you didn't pick up."
"Because that's so much better," Louis says flatly, widening his eyes.
“Look, I know I was being a coward,” Harry says sheepishly. “I just couldn’t do it in person, because I’d never been able to go through with it.”
The words come as a surprise to Louis. “Wait, what does that mean?” he asks. “I thought… I thought you weren’t into me then.”
Harry looks at him like he’s crazy. “What’re you talking about?”
“You ended it, not me,” Louis says awkwardly. “And I had a crush on you already by that point so it sort of broke my heart.” He tries to say it as casually as he can, but that phantom hurt still flares up in the tender part of his chest, never really gone.
“Wait, you liked me then?” Harry says, astonished. “I thought you hated me.”
“Well,” Louis says, cheeks blooming pink, “I didn’t.”
"Oh," Harry says, suddenly looking distraught. “I broke it off because I thought it was what was best for me,” he admits after a long pause. “Because I didn’t want to get my heart broken when you inevitably didn’t feel the same.”
“And how’d you know I didn’t feel the same?” Louis says. He can’t believe what he’s hearing right now – that Harry had been falling for him last summer the same way he fell for the alpha. “Because I did.”
“Frankly, it never occurred to me,” Harry says, shrugging. “You never had before.”
“Before?” Louis echoes, confused. “Before what?”
“Louis,” Harry says, amused. He looks equally fond and exasperated. “I’ve had a crush on you since the beginning of junior year.”
It takes a moment for the words to process, and once they do, Louis gapes. “You what?”
“From that very first joint E-board meeting,” Harry murmurs. “When you took out that notebook you had with all your ideas for fundraisers for the year and proceeded to take over the entire meeting.”
Louis sputters. “I didn’t do that,” he protests, but the memory comes back to him then and… well, okay, he sort of did do that. He had been nervous, okay? He ran for VP on a whim and never really expected his sisters to actually elect him. Once they did, the last thing he wanted was to let them down.
“It was adorable,” Harry says, lips quirking up.
“But – but, we didn’t like each other,” Louis says, feeling the threads of everything he thought he knew begin to unravel.
“No, you didn’t like me,” Harry corrects. “And I can’t even blame you for that because I was annoying as fuck back then. It was a miracle I was even elected VP. I definitely didn't take it as seriously as you did – not at first.”
“We were enemies,” Louis insists.
“Yeah, eventually,” Harry nods. “But to me, it always felt more playful. We were rivals, more than anything, and I liked that. I liked competing with you and seeing you get all riled up.”
Flushing pink, Louis stares down at his lap. “I can’t believe this,” he says.
“If it helps, I really did think you were a brat sometimes,” Harry says, and Louis elbows him.
“I was so mean to you,” he says sadly. Harry had feelings for him all along.
“Not mean. You're incapable of being mean. Rude, maybe. But not any ruder than I was right back,” Harry says. He doesn’t seem bothered by any of it. “Plus, I’ve always had a thing for mouthy omegas.” He nudges Louis’ side.
“Dick,” Louis mutters, nudging him back. But then he leans his head on Harry’s shoulder. “So, long story short, we were both idiots.”
“That seems to be the conclusion, yeah,” Harry murmurs. He wraps an arm around Louis’ waist and then drops a kiss to Louis’ head. “But not anymore.”
Louis closes his eyes, grinning. “Not anymore.”
Later, Harry drives Louis to the airport and walks with him up until the security checkpoint. They hug tightly, and Louis presses up on his toes to kiss Harry's cheek. They're both giddy and clingy, not wanting to spend the next few weeks apart after everything has finally fallen into place.
Even when Louis finally forces himself to enter the queue, he can't help but glance back at Harry every few seconds. He blows the alpha a kiss when their eyes meet, and Harry pretends to catch it. By the time he arrives at his gate, Harry far behind, he still feels light.
There are still butterflies fluttering in his stomach when he lands in Oakland.
💫
Liam opens the door, flashing him a smile. “Harry really needs to get you a key at this point,” he says. “Hey, Louis.”
“Hey, Liam,” Louis returns, slipping past him.
He calls out hellos to the brothers he recognizes and to the ones he doesn’t, practically skipping up the staircase. He stops by Zayn’s room to say hello to him before making his way to the last door in the hallway.
Even after over three months of dating, Louis still hasn’t lost that giddy anticipation that precedes every encounter with his boyfriend. He can feel it now, nestled between his ribs as he knocks on the door.
It swings open, and Louis is swept up into a kiss. Harry’s hair is damp when he tangles his fingers in his curls, pressing up on his toes. They part with matching smiles.
“Hey, baby,” Harry greets, closing the door behind him. “Everything okay?”
Louis bites his lip, excitement thrumming through his veins. “I got in,” he says.
Harry freezes in place, mouth dropping open. “You got in?” he repeats.
“I just said that, yes,” Louis says, amused. “You’re looking at a future Astrophysics graduate student at CalTech.” He squeals when Harry hoists him up, swinging him around happily.
“My omega is so fucking smart,” he says proudly.
“Put me down,” Louis protests, but he’s grinning impossibly wide. When his feet are on the ground again, he throws his arms around Harry’s neck. “Thank you for all your help.” Harry had been there through every sent application, every pre-interview frenzy, and every acceptance and rejection. And he was the first person Louis wanted to tell today about his dream coming true.
In the Fall, he’ll be stepping onto a new campus and entering a new era of his life. Harry himself will probably be stepping out onto a field for the next chapter in his career, but Louis and pretty much everyone else on campus is forbidden to even mention football around the alpha until the Draft occurs at the end of the month.
“Of course,” Harry murmurs. “I love you.”
“I love you,” Louis echoes, because if Harry says it, he can’t not say it back.
As Harry begins to ask him more questions about the email he received, Louis can’t help but reflect on how many things are changing in the near future. There’s just under two months left of the semester before he and Harry will graduate. He’s going to leave this campus, the sorority, and everything that has been his home for the past four years. Thinking about it is honestly terrifying, but Louis takes comfort in the things that won’t change.
The prime example of which is beaming at him right now, just as if not more excited about Louis’ acceptance than he is. He and Harry may still bicker all the time, and they both may be too competitive for their own good – the current tie between the fraternity and sorority for the Cup is a testament to that – but somehow, they fit perfectly.
And well, Louis doesn’t have any proof, but he’s pretty damn sure that even when he’s dead and buried six feet deep, he’ll still be stupidly in love with Harry Styles.
💫