Chapter Text
If you would have told Louis Tomlinson, football star, party boy, extrovert and former drama club president that at twenty-four HE would end up cowering behind a rack of Adidas Jumpers he would have laughed in your face and called you a wanker.
So obviously that’s exactly where he ends up, because life is cruel like that.
“Louis? Is that you? What are you do-?”
“Hush, Liam can’t you see ‘m tryin’ to hide” Louis whispered aggressively from his spot on the floor. “Get ‘ere.”
He forcefully pulled Liam down to a crouching position beside him before returning to stealth mode. His petite hands tentatively parted a sea of colorful sports jackets as he returned to watching his subject. His eyes as bright and blue as the morning sky, his vision as sharp as his features, a pink tongue darting out in concentration. He was in predator mode, he’d know. He saw Mufasa teach Simba this in The Lion King, not that he’d watched The Lion King it’s just he had five little sisters and-
“Lou, what the hell are we doing?”
“Shush Liam, stop interrupting me.”
“But Louis, we have to get back to work!”
“I said be quite!”
“Liam, Louis? What the fuck are you two doing?” In came a velvety voice from above them, which should have sounded more threatening and angry but when has Zayn Malik ever sounded like he was speaking anything less than the lyrics to an R&B song? Right.
Liam was the first to spring to his feet, always the traitor. “Sorry about that Mr Malik, Lou was just playing around, haha, yeah we’ll get back to work right n-“
“Jesus Christ Li, could you stop kissing Z’s ass for four fuckin’ minutes, huh? I promise after that you can get back to your rim job!”
“Wait a minute,” a voice as deep as a valley sounded above him causing Louis to instantly freeze in place. It’s amazing how a few pitched sound waves still send shivers down his spine, like being drenched by a bucket of ice cold memories that washed over him.
“I’d know that voice anywhere. Louis?”
Shuffling sounded above him as the sound of deliberately slow steps as they got got closer and closer, soon Louis could see familiar swayed ankle boots padding around his cotton shield. Maybe if he held his breath and closed his eyes...
“Lou? Louis?” As the voice got louder and louder Louis tried to push himself farther and farther into clothing he took refuge behind, as if to become one with the fabric and disappear from the world.
“Oh, excuses me, have you by any chance seen...Oh! There you are Louis, I knew it was you!”
Louis sent a silent prayer up to the God he didn’t believe in before rolled back onto the balls of his feet and raised his head. He opened his eyes slowly, and if anyone asked it was because of the bright overhanging lights and no other reason.
“Hi…Harry” He said, voice still a bit small from his new found shyness, he quickly took in the aforementioned boys’ features.
Or man, for to his surprise little lanky cuddly Harry Styles has now grown into a man. His once soft features replaced with angular definition, his eyes a deep forest green glowing with a familiar youthfulness that slapped Louis in the face with nostalgia. Even his hair had grown, now pouring gently over his shoulders like a gentle waterfall. Louis feels like he’s about to throw up the lunch he didn’t have in favor of stalking this same man. He feels his heart in his belly button and his lungs in his throat.
“Hi Lou.” The man-boy spoke again, eyes glistening and smile enchanting. Louis was screwed.
“Yeah, hi, again.” Louis managed.
“What are you doing down there?” Harry replied, ever-present smile still playing on his lips Louis narrowed his eyes.
“Are you insulting me height again, Curly? Feel like a big bad boy ‘cuz you grew your hair and your legs, eh?”
A deep crackle sounded above him, so deep as if it intended to send Louis six feet under, he could tell, this boy was always going to be the death of him.
“No, I er, I mean since you’re on the ground” Harry spoke between giggles and bitten lips. His face was reddening, probably from laughing.
“Oh, uhm, I’m,” Louis stood quickly, knees cracking from stooping for so long, blood finally returning to his feet. “Was just taking stock is all. Yup.”
Harry only smiled toothily at him for a beat before the sound of someone interrupting them, also reminding Louis that they weren’t alone.
“Uhm, are you two..”
“Liam! Oh sorry where are my manners. Liam, Zayn, this is uhh,” He looked to Harry for a second before speaking. “This is my old friend, Harry Styles.”
Harry smiled tightly at them both, extending a polite hand. “Nice to meet you both.” His face radiated happiness to any normal human eyes, but Louis knew, he saw it the second the light turned off behind green eyes, he also knew exactly why they did. He knew he was the reason. He was ways the reason, even after five long years.
Both Zayn and Liam shook Harry’s hand, Liam’s face a bit skeptical while nonchalance drizzled out of Zayn’s very pours.
“Nice to meet you t-“
“Yeah, nice to meet you’re ya’ or whatever, but are you finished?” Zayn interrupted Liam mid-sentence. Harry looked confused; an expression Louis was too familiar with, and too endeared by.
“Uhm, yeah I guess?” He replied, thick eyebrows drawing together.
“Good.” Was all Zayn said before dragging both Louis and Liam by the hand with a firm yet gentle force. Zayn was all Hard Rock on the outside and Chuck E’ Cheese on the inside. “You two need to get the fuck back to work.” He hissed. Louis put up no fight, thankful for an escape route. That feeling at the pit of his stomach was definitely not disappointment. Nope.
“I’ll see you around then Louis?” Harry shouted from behind them, probably startling a few customers, where did he get that voice from?
“Sure!” Louis threw the word over his shoulder, along with a quick thumbs up before Zayn dragged him to the other side of the store. It took only for a second to see the look on Harry’s face as he left. The same expression Harry had the last time he left.
He could tell in the way his skin tingled, he could tell in the was his face was warm and the way his stomach still flipped.
Louis was screwed.