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"There, see!" Harry pouts. "Do you see what I mean? He's not listening at all."
"Ok, Haz, I mean, yeah, yes, I did see just now that he didn't sit when you said sit, but I'm not sure that means anything deep, mate."
Harry sighs wearily and Louis has to fight to keep his smile in check. He does love taking the piss out of Harry, but he seems genuinely distressed at the moment.
"Louis, you don't understand. He never ignores me. In the two years I've had him, other than when I was first training him, he always sits when I ask him to. He never disobeys orders, no matter how small."
Louis doesn't have a chance to say anything reassuring before Harry continues.
"And look, watch this." Harry steps towards Maki and reaches his arm towards him. "Maki, hey baby, come here, boy."
And Louis has spent plenty of time at Harry's since he brought Maki home. He knows how close they are. He can't deny that watching Maki respond to Harry's sweet sounds and gestures with a low growl is a bit alarming. "Fuck," he mutters.
"Right?" Harry cries. "That's what I'm saying!"
And shit, Louis hadn't meant to react out loud. But he can't pretend Harry isn't right to be upset. He'd only been trying to pet him for fuck's sake. Something is definitely off. "Have you tried treats?"
"That's not the point, Lou!" Harry huffs. "It shouldn't take a treat for him to not be hostile to me." He sighs again. "I really think this is about the other night. "
And, right. Louis really doesn't want to laugh again, like he had when Harry had called him yesterday afternoon about this. He hopes that having heard Harry say it all before will help, but he feels a giggle bubbling up. It's going to take steel fucking will to keep it in. Luckily, Harry goes right on, saving Louis from having to speak until he can tamp down his amusement.
"I know it's, like, ridiculous or whatever, but what else could it be, Louis?"
"I get you're upset, Harry," Louis tests out slowly, grateful when his voice stays even, "and I know his behavior is strange right now and the timing is conspicuous, but, I mean, it's not like you've never done that in the two years since you've had him."
"I know," Harry says, his shoulders slumping. "But, I told you, I usually don't let him in the bedroom when I'm with someone—I keep the door shut. Connell must have left it open when we moved from the living room into my room and I didn't notice until, well…"
"Until you were face down, ass up, moaning like you were about to see God?"
"Louis! Fucking hell."
"Just trying to help, love."
"Yeah, thanks a lot. Fuck, why didn't I just make sure the goddamn door was shut?"
"Alright, alright, sorry, Haz. But you really think Maki is so judgmental that seeing you take it up the ass made him lose all respect for you? That can't be a thing that happens."
"It's literally the only possibility I have," Harry whines. "I honestly can't think of anything else. When Connell realized he was in the room with us and yelled at him, he left immediately. And he literally hasn't listened to a word I've said since. Doesn't that sound like he's decided I'm not at all in charge after all? I mean, dogs are basically wolves, right? And it's not like he's some tiny thing that's been bred into practically an entirely different animal. I mean look at him, he basically still is a wolf. What if, like, that night, seeing me like that, made him think I'm not his, like, alpha or whatever."
"Harry, Jesus, I mean, I get what you're saying, but it all seems so absurd."
"I know! I can't even believe we're talking about this. It's humiliating. But how else do you explain this?" He turns towards Maki again and says the command that Louis knows means Maki is meant to go to his bed.
Maki responds by hunching over to lick his balls.
Fucking hell, it does seem bad. "Alright," Louis admits, "well, as much as I thought you had absolutely lost it the other day when you called me, and as ridiculous as this all is, seeing it for myself, I have to say I do think you might be right here, Harry."
"Thanks, Lou." He doesn't say more, doesn't even meet Louis' eyes. He just looks at Maki, heaves an almost comical sigh and shifts his eyes to the floor.
"Harry?"
"Sorry, sorry. I thought I might feel better knowing I wasn't actually going crazy. But I honestly don't. What am I supposed to do, Louis?"
"I'm sure it'll wear off soon enough, Haz, don't you think? After a few more days? Bet if you get back into your usual routine, he'll fall back in line."
"I don't know," Harry collapses onto his couch. Maki paces back and forth at the entrance to the room a few times, his eyes on Harry the whole time, before he settles near the fire place.
Louis tsks at Maki, who doesn't react, and then sits next to Harry, wrapping his arm around him and pulling him close. He hates seeing Harry upset, always has. It's mildly heartbreaking, even when it's nothing particularly serious. And Harry loves this bloody dog, practically arranges his life around him. So Louis has never felt quite this desperate to figure out a way to fix things.
A potential solution occurs to him nearly immediately, but it takes several minutes for him to decide to suggest it. And a few minutes more to work up the nerve to actually say it out loud. So they sit in silence for that long stretch, Louis rubbing Harry's arm soothingly, Harry's head on Louis' shoulder.
And Louis might have chickened out, if Maki weren't judging them from across the room the entire time.
"Right," Louis finally says. "We have to do something, yeah? I have an idea. And it's a bit out there. So I'm going to need you not to freak out until I'm done explaining."
Harry sniffles and lifts his head. His eyes are glossy with unshed tears and Louis very nearly changes his mind, not wanting to break this moment. But then Harry smiles softly, nods, scrunches his nose, and says, "Tell me."
Louis won't pretend he hadn't wondered over their years of friendship if they'd someday end up like this. At times it had seemed inevitable--a matter of when, not if.
Well, maybe not this exactly. Louis wouldn't have guessed that this is what their first time fucking would be like. Not on the floor in the middle of Harry's living room, Louis on his hands and knees, Harry's arm wrapped around his neck as he thrusts deeply and relentlessly into Louis. Not with his bloody dog watching from a few feet away.
Yeah, not what he'd have expected, no, but not exactly unwelcome either. Strangeness of the audience aside, it feels fucking unbelievable.
It had been Harry's idea to fuck in the living room. He'd reckoned that if Maki had heard sounds similar to the other night coming from the bedroom, he'd never have come in to investigate. Probably would have assumed Harry was submitting again, and that's the last thing they were trying to accomplish here.
So Harry had asked Louis if he'd mind awfully if they could play at Harry manhandling him onto the ground right from the couch, so Maki could see it all happen from the beginning. He didn't want to risk the possibility that this could all be in vain. He needed Maki to see him being unquestionably dominant to get them back to normal.
And of course it had all been quite odd, the measured, practical way they'd talked about it, planned it all out. They've never so much as kissed in all these years—though there have been a few moments Louis had thought they might have before one of them had broken eye contact or made a crass joke or twisted the other's nipple to break the tension. So, to speak so frankly on a random Thursday evening after sixteen years of friendship about having sex as some sort of advanced dog training was entirely mad. And a bit like they were back at school choreographing a fight scene in a play.
But from the moment Harry had asked, "ready?" and Louis had nodded, it had felt like anything but playing. Harry had smiled softly one more time, given Louis' thigh a tender squeeze, and then his demeanor had shifted completely.
The way Harry had taken control, the way he'd used his surprising strength to maneuver Louis—careful not to actually hurt him, but not at all gentle—from the couch to exactly where he'd wanted him on the floor. The way he'd stripped Louis of his clothes and ordered him to keep his face pressed down into the carpet. It had shifted something in Louis, too. He hadn't questioned a single thing. Hadn't hesitated for even a moment to follow Harry's lead.
And, fuck, the way Harry had opened Louis up on those long, strong fingers—just cautious enough to make sure Louis was alright, but with enough force to draw sounds from Louis he'd not ever thought his best mate would hear—it had Louis cursing them both for never having done this before.
By the time Harry had pushed into him, Louis had almost forgotten the reason they're doing this. The maddening drag of Harry's cock inside him and the heat of Harry's body covering his back had been enough to nearly overwhelm Louis from the start. And several minutes in, he's beginning to lose himself completely.
"Oh my fucking God, Harry. You feel fucking incredible."
"Yeah, you like this, Lou?"
"Yeah, fuck," Louis drawls, his voice breaking on the elongated syllable. He might be embarrassed if this were someone else, but he's always been at ease with Harry. And apparently being impaled on his dick has done nothing to change that.
Harry speeds up his thrusting, tightening his arm around Louis' neck, and Louis' moans fight to escape.
"Yeah," Harry growls, "take it."
And fucking hell. Louis definitely had not expected this from his sweet, solicitous friend. It's doing an absolute number on Louis' brain and his cock both. His orgasm is already building, and he's a bit devastated to know it'll be over soon. He's not ready, he wants so much more of this—more of Harry like this—but his body doesn't seem to give a shit. "God, Harry, fuck, want you to fuck me forever, but I'm going to come."
He doesn't have time to worry about what he'd just said about forever, because Harry grunts and lifts himself off Louis' back, and Louis braces for a change in position. Harry grips Louis' hips and yanks him a few inches back. Louis' chest collapses against the floor without Harry's arm around his neck to hold him up. Harry curses and begins pounding into him harder than he had been, which Louis can't quite believe is possible.
The change in angle has Harry striking his prostate directly with every thrust and Louis wonders if he's somehow been struck by lightening. Harry's thrusting grows erratic, and all Louis feels as his head goes fuzzy is a sense of gratitude and spindles of sharp pleasure crawling up his core and down his legs, making his overworked hole clench and his toes curl.
When Harry reaches underneath him to grab his cock, Louis yelps and comes from a single pull. He's vaguely aware of his body going limp as Harry continues fucking him, chasing his own orgasm. His grip tightens to keep Louis from falling completely to the floor, his fingers pressing painfully into Louis' hips. Louis barely registers Harry coming inside him, sleepily distracted by the thought of the bruises on his hips and soreness in his ass that tomorrow will bring.
When he comes back to himself, some untold number of minutes later, Louis' chest is still heaving, though his breaths are steadily slowing. It takes him a moment to realize Harry is pressed fully against him, the heat from his chest and stomach radiating against Louis' sweaty back. They're on their sides, Harry's arm slung over Louis, holding him firmly against himself. And…something else.
"Harry?" Louis asks, not wanting to move, but needing to know. "Are you…still inside me?"
"Sorry, yeah" Harry murmurs against Louis' neck before pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "I hope it's alright, and I know it might be silly, but I just thought…you know, with Maki watching and all, it might really help drive the point home if he thought we were, um, like…"
"Knotted?" Louis can't even believe he'd known what Harry had been suggesting. He doesn't even quite know why he knows the word at all, and he hopes Harry doesn't ask.
Harry's cock twitches inside Louis, and he could swear it's starting to fill up again. "Sorry, sorry, fuck, it's too much, I know. Too weird. I'll—"
"No, no," Louis grips Harry's arm, keeping it close to his chest. "It's alright, Harry. Wouldn't want Maki to be confused again, would we?"
Harry exhales and then giggles into Louis' hair and Louis feels his own cock give an interested kick.
"Fucking hell, Haz."
"It's really alright?" Harry asks, his voice so tender, Louis almost can't believe it's coming from the same man who'd been railing him so zealously only minutes before.
"More than alright, love," Louis replies, pushing through the nerves rattling around in his chest as he pulls Harry's hand to his mouth and kisses his palm. "Promise."
"Even this?" Harry asks, grinding gently into Louis, his cock nearly full again and electrifying Louis' raw nerves.
A moan rumbles through Louis' chest before erupting gently through his slack lips. "Mmm," he responds, "you keep that up, and it might not matter whether this worked on Maki at all."
"No?" Harry asks, biting teasingly at the juncture between Louis' shoulder and neck, "and why's that?"
"'Cause much more of this and I'll follow any fucking order you give."