#kingsofeverything

[hlficlibrary]

HL Fic Library 🌊 Fics With Misunderstandings

Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find the library's other recs here.

🌊 the unfinished game (series) by barchive {M, 240k}

Harry's been engaged to Princess Charlotte of Ryde for as long as he can remember. He's come to know her, to love her, through the letters she's sent him over the past three years.

But when the wedding finally arrives, Harry quickly learns that nothing is as it seems. With his crown and country at stake, Harry must decide who to trust in this strange new land. And the sly Crown Prince of Ryde doesn't seem inclined to make things easy.

🌊 For the Right Reasons by @juliusschmidt {E, 105k}

Harry doesn’t agree to be the Bachelor expecting to find love. He’s just hoping for an exciting jaunt around the world, half a dozen new friends, and, if he’s lucky, an amazing hj or two.

Louis may have signed up to be a contestant on the Bachelor, but he’s not interested a ring or a proposal, not from Harry, not from anyone. He wouldn’t turn down a few more Instagram followers, though.

🌊 Where You Lay by HamPalpert {E, 86k}

When Louis's upcoming heat threatens his success at his new dream job, he asks the best (and only) person he can think of to help him through it: his best mates' best mate, Harry Styles. Harry reluctantly accepts, and together the two navigate a strange friends with benefits relationship that quickly turns complicated.

🌊 The Pros and Cons of Breathing by @hellolovers13 {E, 81k}

Harry wiped the tears from his cheeks. No. He’d not been raised to give up. He’d find a way to survive this. He might be an omega, but he’d never been weak and he wouldn’t start now.

His gaze fell to Louis, who was already asleep, chest rising and falling evenly. Harry would become the perfect omega for him. No matter the disgust he might feel in doing so.

It was his duty, after all.

or Omega Harry has always known he'd be married off someday. It's to be expected, given his station. So his betrothal to Prince Louis comes as no surprise. While he's nervous about leaving his home, and the life and people he knows, he's still hopeful for a good match and a happy marriage.

But when Louis avoids him at all costs, and is downright cruel to him at times, it leaves Harry trying to make sense of his new life alone.

Can he find happiness - and a home - even in a broken marriage?

🌊 The Lone Hydrangea by lightswoodmagic / @lightwoodsmagic {E, 77k}

“Thank you again,” he smiled at Harry as he picked up the arrangement and headed towards the door, and Harry quickly realised he didn’t know the man’s name. “I – wait! Sorry, I just...what’s your name?” At the man’s eyebrow raise, Harry stumbled over his words, “It’s just, if you’re coming back, I thought I should…know.” As the man looked at Harry, his smile only grew, and Harry’s heart thumped in his chest. “My name’s Louis. Louis Tomlinson, and it was so lovely to meet you,” he shot one final grin in Harry’s direction, “I’ll see you next week, Harry.” And then he was gone. “It was lovely to meet you too,” Harry whispered to the empty shop, putting his head on the counter, “Louis”.

Or the post Hogwarts AU where Harry's a florist, Louis' a muggle who edits fantasy books, and they both have no say in how quickly they fall for each other.

🌊 Don't Want Shelter by @kingsofeverything {E, 76k}

Louis and Harry have known each other all their lives. Friends as children, they danced around each other as teenagers, and have spent the last twenty-five years either screaming at each other or not speaking at all. Except for that one time ten years ago…

When Hurricane Nicole threatens the coast, they end up stuck together in their families' old vacation home that they begrudgingly co-own.

During the storm, and in the months after, they’re both forced to reevaluate their history and what they mean to each other.

🌊 Caught In Your Gravity by @lululawrence {NR, 62k}

It felt like the blood froze in Harry’s veins even as he got a bit lightheaded. He hadn’t even made it two practices, only one of which he was remotely in charge of, without giving it all away and now he and Liam were both absolutely fucked.

“Shit,” Harry breathed out. “Who all have you told? Does everyone know? I thought I covered it better than that…”

“No, no,” Louis said quickly. "They’ll figure it out soon enough, though, because they’ll get used to you changing things up, but you’re only going to trip over your so called Americanisms for so long before they realize it’s because you don’t actually know fuck all about football.”

Harry sighed. “Yeah. I figured. I just need to bullshit for long enough to allow Liam to get the situation figured out from his end.”

“Right, which brings me to my entire point. I think we can find a mutually beneficial arrangement with all of this.” Louis leaned forward. “You need to learn the ins and outs of the sport incredibly fast. I can help you with that.”

“What do you want in exchange?”

Or, an AU inspired by a 30 second trailer of Ted Lasso that doesn't actually have much in common with the show at all.

🌊 Here's Your Perfect by @brightgolden {E, 54k}

All finesse tossed aside, Harry yanks the envelope from Miss Eden’s hand. He hears her laugh, bright and cheerful as he tears into the envelope. His eyes skipping over the complimentary paragraph congratulating him for being assigned, settling into the centre of the letter - the name of his future mate.

And suddenly, Harry feels there isn’t enough air in this world for him to inhale as he recites the name in his mind. Louis Tomlinson.

OR In the world where mates are assigned to everyone and deposited to their door when an agreeable partner is found for them, Alpha Louis has recently been given his. However, he is nothing like the type of alpha that the omega academy prepares Harry for.

🌊 Life Was a Song, You Came Along by rainbowninja167 / @rainbowtitania {E, 37k}

It's embarrassing how long it takes Louis to recognize his own song. Niall had sung it as a bright, hopeful love song, and that’s honestly how Louis had always assumed it should sound. But this new voice, slow and rough, stripped of any backing instrument, has infused the lyrics with just the tumultuous mix of fear and defiance that Louis can remember so clearly from the night he wrote them.  It’s not a comfortable thing, to feel like someone is singing all your secrets back to you.  

Louis is a songwriter trapped in a lie that could ruin his best friend's career. Harry owns a record store, distrusts everyone in the music industry on principle, but loves Niall Horan's newest album. A modern retelling of Singin' in the Rain.

🌊 I Just Want You to Stay by @sadaveniren {E, 34k}

“Remember the vet job up in Edinburgh I interviewed for right before your rut?” Louis nodded. “She just called me back. I got the job. I start next year.” Harry let out a shriek as he said the word year and he clapped his hands in delight. “Isn’t that great! Full time vet job! New animals to meet! A new environment!” He settled his eyes back on Louis, who was still standing there in front of him with wide eyes. “Isn’t it great, Lou?”

That seemed to jolt Louis out of his thoughts and he nodded immediately, opening his arms up for Harry to dive into. “Holy shit, yes. Congratulations. Come here,” he wrapped his arms around Harry and cuddled him close, pressing his nose into Harry’s neck. “Holy shit,” he whispered.

aka Louis and Harry have been roommates for four years, comfortable in their routine and their relationship. But all of that is about to change.

🌊 Only by @allwaswell16 {E, 33k}

Although Louis Tomlinson lived most of his life on the most remote island in the world, now he’s ready to leave home, attend university, and maybe have a chance at finding his soulmate. Prince Harry Styles reluctantly leaves London for yet another diplomatic visit, this time to the tiny island of Tristan da Cunha.

Or the one where the electric touch of Louis’ soulmate isn’t enough to discount that he's a bit of a dickhead.

🌊 And That's The Tea by @2tiedships2 {M, 27k}

I’d like an Earl Grey with milk and sugar, please.

Louis had the phrase memorized, even though it had disappeared off its place on his upper arm over thirteen years ago now.

At fourteen he didn’t understand. Soulmarks don’t just disappear. Not unless…

Unless one of them dies.

Or, the one where Louis loses his soulmate before even getting the chance to meet them, and he is in no way prepared for the kind of distraction his new friend Harry proves to be.

🌊 tread lightly on my ground by fairytalelights / @lookslikefairytale {E, 20k}

No, that's the tragic part of this, the part that makes Harry feel like the universe is playing a cruel joke on him. The father of his baby is exactly right, exactly who he always imagined himself having kids with. He just imagined them married, bonded. Happy. He didn't imagine them barely talking, tip-toeing around each other because neither of them is brave enough to talk about what happened between them. He didn't imagine the father of his child not loving him back.

or, the one where Harry is having Louis' baby, but Louis doesn't know it's his.

🌊 please don't be in love with someone else by wildestdreams / @thelavendrhaze {E, 18k}

Harry ran after Niall, out the door, pausing at the doorway, realizing he was only in his boxer briefs, and yelled out, “Niall! You forgot your lunch.”

Just as Niall paused from all the way down the hall, the door opposite theirs opened and the hottest boy Harry had ever seen walked out, eyes widening when he spotted a half-naked Harry.

Harry was so fixated upon the boy across from him, who was staring right back with his mouth now hanging open, he’d missed it when Niall bounded back towards him and grabbed the lunch before popping a kiss on his cheek and leaving again. The kiss snapped Harry out of his daze and he let out a breathy laugh as the pretty boy walked out furthermore, closing his door behind him. He gave Harry a small smile back, raising his eyebrows in amusement while looking down past Harry’s waist and then back up.

or the one where Harry and Louis are neighbors and there's a lot of overthinking, misunderstandings, Backstreet Boys sing-alongs, embarrassing moments in the hallway, and pining. They somehow still make it work.

🌊 Saw It In Your Eyes by @taggiecb {E, 15k}

Harry Styles counts himself extremely lucky that he has landed such a great roommate. It doesn’t bother him at all that his new roommate is gay. In fact, they get along so well that they have formed an extremely close friendship that takes up pretty much all his free time. When Louis starts bringing a new guy home with him, Harry is surprised by how much it bothers him. Is he not as okay as he thought he was with Louis’ sexuality?

Or the one where Harry is an oblivious walnut.

🌊 Man, Deconstructed by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom {E, 13k}

Harry doesn’t need help getting laid and he certainly doesn’t need Niall to hire a professional to ‘sort him out’.

But when a gorgeous man turns up on his doorstep on his birthday to ‘lay some pipe’ in the back garden (who just happens to have the best arse Harry’s ever seen), his world is upended.

OR the one where a well-meaning best mate, a sculpture-worthy arse, and a heaping dose of misunderstanding combine to create sheer and utter chaos, and also, maybe, the best thing Harry’s ever found.

🌊 Ain't My Fault by @afirethatcannotdie {E, 6k}

“Liam, M4M is for sex! You posted in a sex forum about your missing jacket.”

“It is not for sex!”

“It is. Trust me.”

“Well, if it helps me find my jacket then I don’t really see why it matters. Besides, someone already texted me about it. This Styles guy’s coming over in a bit to get it.”

“You invited the avocado man to come get his jacket at our flat after posting on a sex forum. Do you see where this is going?”

“I really don’t.” 

“Someone is going to have to have sex with the avocado man!” Louis screeches, and Liam covers his ears.

AU. Liam posts an ad on the wrong section of Craigslist, Louis is pretty sure they’re gonna get murdered as a result, and Harry’s missing an avocado.

🌊 All The Way Home I'll Be Warm by @justanothershadeofblue {T, 3k,}

Harry & Louis jokingly send out holiday cards together as friends, and now everyone is congratulating them for finally getting together. A 5+1 fic, for Christmas.

🌊 an honest mistake by @disgruntledkittenface {NR, 2k}

“You look different when you’re not covered in come,” he blurts out, immediately regretting each and every life choice that has led to this exact moment. Elevator Guy is going to hate him.

Louis has ridden the elevator with his neighbor all week. The first time they speak, there’s a misunderstanding.

🌊 On the Go by @phdmama {T, 2k}

From this post because I could not resist: ok so i saw a truck today and i thought it said MANSCAPE but it actually said MAINSCAPE and it was a landscaping company. but then i thought LARRY AU. where louis owns a landscaping company called MANSCAPE and harry thinks it’s some sort of in-home pubic hair grooming company, so he calls to make an appointment, there’s some discussion of whether he wants his bushes trimmed as well, and then when it’s time for the appointment, harry’s like half-naked waiting around in a robe or something and louis shows up with lawnmowers. 

[louislittletomlintum]

Come Alive When I Hear Your Voice by louislittletomlintum

for: @wankersday wordcount: 8.8k rating: explicit louis + harry // omegaverse // phone sex

“Looks quite flash, Lou,” Harry insisted, stroking the ribbon and instantly considering if he could incorporate it into his all white and pink nest. Maybe as an accent piece. “High quality stuff in there, babe,” Louis responded, almost sounding braggy, which intrigued Harry even further. He pulled the ribbon and lifted the lid, furrowing his brow in confusion for a second or two before gasping and picking the object up in his hands. It was a pale pink glass dildo, which was gorgeous in its own right, but as soon as Harry got his hand around the length of it he gasped again and his eyes widened, flying up to Louis as he lightly felt it over. “It’s yours?”

or the one where harry's finally built a permanent nest and louis gives him a present to celebrate

[allwaswell16]

It Was Electric Touch

by @allwaswell16

Harry, assistant to The Snuts' manager, has been indulging in fantasies about the headliner and founder of the Away From Home Festival, Louis Tomlinson. He gets the chance to indulge in the real thing at the after party. Louis/Harry | Explicit | 2k

An Operation Olive Branch Ficlet for @kingsofeverything

🍉 Want your own ficlet? Check here! 🍉

[alwaysxlarrie]

10 of my fav quotes from fics part 1

OKAY SO, last year i started compiling quotes from fics that i rly liked & my intention was to start doing a weekly '5 fav quotes from fics' series at the beginning of this year. & then school/work started beating my ass, so that didn't happen lol. but i just finished summer school & have a month-ish before fall semester starts & i'm off work for a week, so i'm finally doing it!!! i think i'm gonna do a post every monday and see how that goes ?? anyway, i hope this makes someone laugh or smile !! :)

“You’ve seen my box of vibrators, Louis! They have knots for a reason! I want you to knot me!” He can’t possibly be more clear than this. -- @allwaswell16

2. “Niall,” says Harry. “If you don’t stop bouncing your leg I will dislocate it for you.” -- @londonfoginacup

3. If you have to kiss a pretty boy, you have to, pre-planned game night or not. -- @gaycousinlarry

4. Meanwhile, Harry’s half-hard in his jeans from all the cock talk and whatever the fuck Louis is doing with that cherry. -- @crinkle-eyed-boo

5. “Please,” Louis scoffed, curling up on his side to face Harry. “You said my eyes are cerulean. It’ll happen again.” -- @1diamondinthesun

6. It was winter. Louis hated winter. Winter meant snow and ice and all things cold and wintery. Louis despised all things cold and wintery. -- @2tiedships2

7. Louis’ body was great.  Firm in all the right places yet still soft and inviting.  Harry wanted to bite his stomach. -- @jaerie

8. Instantly he’s on his feet, cleaning things that are already clean, putting on shoes because he doesn’t want Louis to see his bare feet, and taking them off again when he realizes what he’s doing. -- @kingsofeverything

9. But he could be good. Louis wanted him to be. And so he did. He mingled. He chatted. He hoped Louis was watching him be a good boy. -- @twopoppies

10. “Harry you have been working here for three years and you come in ten minutes early every day. I’m not going to fire you for showing up late one time.” -- @ireallysawanangel

[disgruntledkittenface]

We're in Charleston for a long weekend and got up to watch the sunrise, and it made me think that a lot of bad things are going to happen but they can't stop every good thing from happening.

[theficpusher]

Good boy by 28sunflowers | E | 2768 Harry is startled out of his thoughts by the needle going over one of his ribs. Thankfully, he catches himself and manages to stay still, but accidentally lets out a whimper at the unexpected stronger burn. He exhales slowly when Louis takes the gun off his skin, trying to remain calm. “Good boy,” Louis tells him automatically, giving him a pat to the hip.

Soft Wings by kingsofeverything | G | 4375 Harry is a Dolly Parton fan who wants to get a tattoo in tribute to her. Louis is the tattoo artist.

take your whole life then you put a line through it by sunflower_lwt | M | 5332 an AU with trans harry, an all-knowing cousin, and tattoo artist louis.

lemongrass and sleep by moonshinelouis | E | 5370 Louis is a tattoo artist and Harry wants a rose tattoo.

I See Your Colours and I'm Dying of Thirst by taking_sweet_time | nr | 6244 Harry asks Louis for a tattoo, but forgets to mention that he's got a little bit of a... problem when it comes getting inked. Shenanigans ensue. Or, a very dumb fic about Harry's fucking whale (maybe) tattoo.

Makes Me Feel Alive by hazzahtomlinson | E | 8372 Louis hated when people came in to get tattooed and couldn’t sit still— bunch of fucking squares is what they were. If only that had been the issue for his newest client.

A Simple Twisted Fate by Cyantific | E | 18125 Global rock star Harry Styles has some time to kill between tour dates and stumbles into a Doncaster tattoo shop with a desire for some new ink. He has a few other desires as well, but those he must keep to himself. Louis Tomlinson, owner of Twisted Fate Tattoos, has seen enough of the tabloids and thinks he knows everything there is to know about this world-famous rock star, and he’s not impressed. Harry may be one of the world's biggest stars known for a lavish lifestyle, crazy parties and entourages of women wherever he goes, but he’s more than just what his image and wild reputation suggests. Things take an interesting turn when Louis finds out he’s been helping satisfy Harry’s voracious pain kink. Bet he'd love to know that not only is Louis a gifted tattoo artist, but an experienced Dom as well. Perhaps they both have something to learn from each other, if only Louis would give Harry a chance. Maybe their paths crossing was more than just a twist of fate, but the universe’s plan all along.

Necessity is the mother of invention by words_of_my_own | E | 87502 Louis is the owner of a couple of tattoo studios that are not for tattooing purposes only. Harry works as a policeofficer and infiltrator, currently on a case that really only should be straight forward. What happens when things aren't what they seem, morals come into play, and when you fall in love with the one person you just shouldn't?

no hand on the reign by tempolarriefics | E | 137051 Then, he sees it. His eyes lock on the tattoo and he sucks in a sharp breath, unable to look away. His brain screeches to a halt, and not just because of the sight that is a half-naked Harry. There, on Harry’s outer arm, is an intricate tattoo of a large ship. A large ship which perfectly complements the compass tattoo hidden on Louis’ own forearm. “It’s that one.” Louis breathes, reaching out a shaky finger to point to the ship on Harry’s left outer arm. “You’re sure?” Harry asks. Louis nods. He’s never been more sure of anything in his life. He has found his soulmate. Or, a twist on a soulmate au where louis is a newly independent tattoo artist and harry just wants his soulmate tattoo removed. Of course, they're soulmates.

[becomeawendybird]

I Feel It When My Heart Beats by QuickedWeen (10.6k, E)

Harry offers to be her best friend Liam's fake date to his work Valentine's Day party, and the night takes an unexpected turn.

Additional Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Valentine's Day, Party, Office Party, Sugar Baby Harry Styles, Girl Direction, Smut, Strap-Ons

A femslash Valentine's remix of Ride My Sleigh Tonight by @kingsofeverything for the @dirtythirtyfest

[louandhazaf]

Would you like a new snippet?

Louis took a deep breath, in through his nose and out through his lips. He hated wearing a suit, even if this one was on the fashionable side - with soft fabric and a bright racing stripe down the leg - and he resisted the urge to shove his hands in the pockets to try and hide the tremor in his fingers. He had never signed up for this part of the job.

And probably would’ve rejected the thing outright had he thought too hard about the speech giving aspect.

But it was too late now.

The gathered crowd and press were focused on Mario, the forever face of the Penguins and once teammate of Louis, as he finished up his own speech - welcoming everyone and waxing nostalgic about their time together - so Louis looked over at the jersey on display off to the side of the stage. The 28 in familiar colors. And there, next to it… it couldn’t be.

Louis’ breath hitched. He hadn’t thought of him in years. But there he was, older, of course, with shorter hair but still impeccably dressed.

Harry Styles.

[kwgjficrecs]

Say Something I kingsofeverything I E I 105K

KWGJ Score: 9/10

A/B/O KidFic Mpreg Age Difference

At fifty years old and recently divorced, Omega Harry Styles isn't interested in dating. When his doctor suggests a heat and rut matching service, he signs up out of necessity. It’s the only use he has for an Alpha in his life. Twenty-eight-year-old Alpha Louis Tomlinson aims to change that.

KWGJ Says:

I loved, loved, loved this story. From the outset I wasn't expecting much, even though I love this author. I'm not hugely into age difference, kidfic or mpreg, but she brought the goods! I was so involved and I didn't want to put it down. Louis is just the softest and most adorable, while a lot of the time I wanted to shake Harry. The writing just made me want more and more, and I felt irrationally angry every time I had to put the fic down to attend to real life. Just remembering the enodrphin rush now is bringing back those flashes of anger when I had to do something away from the fic!

If you're a fan of Soft Louis, then this one doesn't disappoint. It's soft and fantastically written and smutty and just delivers again and again.

Link to Say Something here

Find @kingsofeverything on Tumblr here and let her know how amazing her writing is.

Link to KWGJ Fic Rec Masterpost here

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Authors! If you are looking to try and get your fic into the hands of readers, let me know, I'd love to post about it here!

Readers! If you are looking for a specific fic to scratch an itch, I'd love to hook you hook. DM me or reach on on anon. Finding great fics is my passion!

[hlficlibrary]

HL Fic Library ➳ Inexperienced Character

Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find the library's other recs here.

➳ Victorian Boy by @audreyhheart {E, 101k}

Victorian AU. Harry the virgin Duke of Somerset knows little of love, while Louis the sly Duke of Warwick knows too much. When the two dukes come together for the Bilsdale fox hunt in York, Harry finds himself drawn into Louis' bed. But when secrets from Louis' dark past come to light, Harry fears that the fox isn't the only one being hunted.

➳ knock knock, i love you by beautlouis {E, 86k}

“Well,” Louis says, searching for something to relieve this tension. “I think if a bloke gets kicked out of his stats exam for a knock knock joke, he deserves to hear the punchline, yeah?”

“Oh!” Harry says, beaming. “I forgot where we left off, what was it again?” He looks overjoyed to be exchanging a shit joke.

“Ah, you said knock knock, then I said who’s there, and then you said Noah,” Louis supplies helpfully. He hates that he's actually curious about the rest of the joke. “So, Noah who?”

“Oh,” says Harry, in a much different tone, dragging out the syllable. He looks bashful now. Louis cannot keep up with this boy, it's going to kill him. “Right, well.” He shuffles his feet. Fuck, what kind of knock knock joke gets a boy nervous? “Noah a good place we could get something to eat?”

[Harry and Louis get kicked out of a statistics exam for passing a knock knock joke note, and subsequently fall in love. Harry's a virgin, there's a cat, a hot cocoa date, a lot of sex, even more knock knock jokes, and everything is lovely and happy.]

➳ In The Still Of The Night by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom {E, 68k}

In a society where omegas are expected to follow a predetermined path, Louis strives for more; for his voice to be heard, for recognition, for true love.

In a world where your past defines your future, Harry fights against the system; for equality, for a different life, for acceptance.

When their two worlds collide, will they be beaten down by conformity or will they rise up and forge a new path together?

OR the Dirty Dancing AU where Louis is a feisty omega who wants to change the world, Harry is an alpha from the wrong side of the tracks, and nobody puts Louis in a corner.

➳ and i would search the night sky to find you by devilinmybrain / @thedevilinmybrain {E, 56k}

Harry Styles is a high class, well-bred Omega attending Bosworth Academy - a prestigious boarding school looking over the small town on Kinsey. He has his whole life already planned for him, learning his place as the potential mate for an important Alpha, practicing his home making skills, and be obedient above all else.

When he attends a school trip into town though, he meets Louis Tomlinson - a blacksmith and mouthy Alpha who doesn't particularly care for the standards of high society nor for the people in it. But things are not always what they seem and a past grievance may change the lives of everyone involved forever.

➳ lemon eyes by @turnyourankle {E, 50k}

It's not proper for omegas to mess around with alphas before finding their bondmate. But Harry doesn't give a damn what's proper and fully intends on getting as much experience as he can before even trying to find one. As far as he's concerned, the right alpha won't care, and he'll have some fun on the way.

And who better to start with than Louis Tomlinson, the alpha with the worst reputation on campus?

➳ see-through, need you by @holdingontochaos {E, 50k}

Louis has a crush. He’s also a 19 year old virgin. Determined to get some experience before he goes out with his crush he enlists the help of his ex best friend—known in the university to get around, and star football player, Harry.

Harry agrees to help Louis practice and learn, and Louis always has been a good student.

OR the one where himbo Harry helps virgin Louis practice fucking.

➳ No Hold to Hold Onto by @kingsofeverything {E, 47k}

Injured after being thrown from a bronc, Harry doesn’t know if he’ll ever compete again.

His only hope is a man called Tommo, a world champion rider who retired at the top of his game.

When Harry goes looking for help learning a new way to rope and ride, the last thing he expects to find is love.

➳ The Unholy Trinity (series) by wickedarcher_08 / @wicked-archer {E, 40k}

When Harry Styles started acting different after his 26th birthday, Father Louis Tomlinson is the only one that may be able to save his soul. He has successfully performed exorcisms before. This should be easy. Until it isn't. Harry is more than he seems. The battle of wills test every bit of faith Louis has. And Harry? Well, he's just getting started.

"Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."- Matthew 26:41.

➳ Only by @allwaswell16 {E, 33k}

Although Louis Tomlinson lived most of his life on the most remote island in the world, now he’s ready to leave home, attend university, and maybe have a chance at finding his soulmate. Prince Harry Styles reluctantly leaves London for yet another diplomatic visit, this time to the tiny island of Tristan da Cunha.

Or the one where the electric touch of Louis’ soulmate isn’t enough to discount that he's a bit of a dickhead.

➳ But Why Wonder, Why Wonder? by @100percentsassy {E, 30k}

The one where Marcel Styles has improbably landed a job in the fashion industry, and Louis Tomlinson is the actor-turned-lingerie-designer he’s been infatuated with for years.

➳ dip you in honey by delsicle / @eeveedel {E, 28k}

Princess Harry, the pearl of England, is set to be married to the youngest prince of France in just six months. Anxious about his performance on his wedding night, he enlists the help of his loyal handmaiden Louis to help him practice everything he needs to know

Omega/Omega AU

➳ Ever Since I Tried Your Way by fairytalefemme / @lesbianiconharrystyles {E, 25k}

Harry had been kissed before, but never like this.

He’d shared sweet, curious kisses behind bleachers and in soda shop booths, one or two more daring ones in cars parked on dark suburban streets, but the girls he’d kissed had never filled him with the desperation that erupted from Louis’ touch. He parted his lips and pulled him closer, as though he could breathe Louis straight into his lungs, as if he could swallow him. He wanted to consume Louis the way he consumed the body and blood of Christ. He wanted to place Louis on his tongue and feel him dissolve into a frothy mess of starch and saliva. He wanted to gulp him down until his teeth were stained purple and he was drunk on him. He wanted him in some violent holy way that made his hands shake where they were twisted in Louis’ shirt.

In 1949 Harry left his bride at the altar, running away from the only life he'd known. When a kindhearted farmer offers him a ride in his truck and a place to sleep the two find themselves inexplicably drawn together. Isolated on Louis' farm with nobody but a field of dairy cows to intrude, the men are finally able to explore the parts of themselves they've spent their lives hiding away.

➳ taken by lust’s strange inhumanity by CuckooTrooke / @larrydoinglaundry {E, 20k}

One of the reasons Harry said 'yes' in the first place was because he believed Louis Tomlinson, the campus’ most notorious “bad boy”, would be here.

And much to Harry's triumph and dismay, Louis is here but the last time Harry got a glimpse of him, he had a pretty omega wrapped around him, clinging onto the flaps of his leather jacket while nosing his scent glands.

Maybe that’s just the story of Harry's life; always infatuated with the wrong people.

OR The one with all the jealous snarling, awkward first kisses and one unforgettable night.

➳ Behind Smoke Stained Curtains by @jaerie {E, 19k}

It was a particularly lonely night when Harry walked through his door with a flurry of snow. He was a little rough around the edges with a trucker hat pushed down over untamed long hair. He looked a little greasy, a shower definitely not in his recent past. His tan Carhartt work coat was smudged with dirt and oil and caked with grime, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. The scent was overwhelming as soon as he walked in, unmasked alpha from days on the road stewing in a cab of his own pheromones. Louis was sure it was so deep into the fabric of his coat that no amount of washing would ever truly remove the stench.

The worlds align when Louis meets an alpha from the road with as many secrets as he holds himself.

➳ Just Like a Woman by superglass / @gaymoustache {NR, 16k}

“Hey!”

The man startles up, blinking around before tilting his head up to catch Louis’ gaze. His eyes are wide and innocuous, like a child, and he parts his cherry lips in search of the words on his tongue. In French, jumbled conjugations and a smidge too much of an English accent:  “Oui? Tout va bien?”

He shakes his head. And responds, in English: “Yeah, erm— what are you?”

An even more frightened look in return; even the little old landlord passing through the courtyard glances up at him like he’s gone crazy. “ Est-ce que tout se passe bien, Mr Tomlinson?”

“Oui, oui,” Louis says, waving him off with a flick of his wrist before focusing his attention back on the man and his daughters. Come on, he thinks, I’ve got to get this down before I forget. He repeats himself: “What are you?”

Lips spreading into an amused smile now, something sensational, an unbelievably charming smile. Oh god, Louis thinks. He’s probably too charming for his own good. “I’m… um… a person? Is this a trick question?”

or Louis is a writer living in Paris for the year. Harry is the charming art student and au pair of the family across the courtyard. Paris 1970s au.

➳ In All Its Imperfections by BriaMaria / @briannamarguerite {E, 15k}

From: Louis Tomlinson To: Undisclosed Recipients

Hello!

I’ve asked the front desk and you lovely folks are the ones who are on the same level as me in the car park. I found a to-do list today that looked somewhat important because it has lines of poetry scribbled at the bottom that seemed like they might be for a card project. The stationary has a moose in a canoe at the top of it (and he is quite adorable). Let me know if it’s yours!

Cheers!

“Oh. My. Fucking. God,” Harry whispered, his eyes darting over the sentences again willing them not to make sense. They did, they did make sense. “Oh. My. Bloody. Fucking. God.”

The next thing he knew he was on the floor, staring at the ceiling, with a very concerned Liam hovering over his head.

"What happened, mate?" Liam asked.

Harry just pointed to his computer.

Liam bent over Harry’s desk to read the email. “What? This isn’t bad. Is that your to-do list? Did you finally come up with the inside text for those cards?”

“Leeyum" he groaned. “It’s what’s on the list.”

“Oh,” Liam paused for a beat. “Is it dirty stuff?”

Harry nodded.

There was more silence. And then, “Dirty stuff with Louis?”

➳ Heart Eyes by @snowy38 {E, 10k}

He fidgeted nervously, long fingers pushed through his soft fringe, fingertips lingering on the thick curls that he felt formed there. He hoped his hair looked okay. He hoped he looked okay.

He hoped-

“Oi oi!” Niall’s loud, Irish voice cut into the small space along with the loud chatter of the party; the door assumingly opened. He swallowed.

“Fuck off!” A northern accent complained; the sound of bodies wrestling before it went quiet again; the clunk of the lock confirming to him that his suitor was now locked inside.

Harry knew the voice. He knew. And if he hadn’t known the voice, he would have known the smoky, sweet scent of the boy before him. Seventeen years old, friends since they were eight, and they’d never been pushed into the kissing cupboard together before.

➳ Devil in my brain, whispering my name by @lunarheslwt {E, 9k}

“Tell me, angel, are you curious? To know what it’s like, to be touched…” Louis tapped his lip lightly, “here?” A short, harsh breath fanned across his finger. “Or,” Louis drawled, bringing their hips together with a sharp pull, making Harry gasp once again, louder, “here?” “Louis…” “Or maybe even,” Louis skimmed a taunting hand past the curve of his clothed arse, merely grazing, “here?” Harry shuddered viscerally. “Please.” “So polite, so proper,” Louis mocked, “will you let me taint you just a little, hmm? Let me show you how good it feels to give in to temptation?”

Or, Louis, a demon, shows Harry, an angel, just how good it can feel to give in to temptation and sin.

➳ every day and tomorrow night by @justanothershadeofblue {E, 8k}

Harry stares. The new boy is beautiful, there’s no other word for him. He’s got caramel brown hair in a tousled cut and cheekbones for days, skin that’s tanned a deep gold, and eyes a shade of blue that’s visible even from across the room. He’s standing with his hands on his hips and one knee slightly bent, his thighs thick where they extend past the ragged hem of his denim shorts. His biceps are defined and his hands look small but capable, and Harry’s mouth is quite literally watering.

“What’s his name?” Harry asks, without taking his gaze off the boy in the doorway. He doesn’t want to blink and miss a single moment of eye candy.

Zayn chuckles. “See something you like, then?”

“You know the rule, Z,” Harry answers, still not pulling his eyes away from this unexpected Adonis. “If I lick it, it’s mine.”

[genieloveslarry]

Thank you, @kingsofeverything! This snippet was awesome, a perfect lunchtime read!

Hi! Larry on a boat sounds really fun! I could use a good lunchtime read, thanks so much for offering these! We always appreciate all of you authors for sharing your AMAZING stories, but especially now, let’s sprinkle some additional appreciation on top! 🥰

omgggg this is my 3rd try posting this. i checked and it's within the character limit for tumblr, but the app kept shutting down. so now i'm on my laptop. ANYWAY. so this was a wip that i really wanted to make happen, but it hasn't worked out for me. i started it when the pandemic first started. louis is self-isolating on a boat (inspired by someone who did that here!) and i think he's older/silver foxy in this version. there's another (lost) version where they're exes.

thank you! i hope you like it!

“It’s such bullshit, man,” Niall says, pushing the sopping wet mop around on the floor behind the bar. It’s more effort than he usually makes and the smell of bleach is strong. “Can’t believe we still have to work.”

“I mean, I don’t know about you, but I’ve got rent due.” Harry downs his shot of tequila and pats his pocket. “Smoke?”

“Weed?” Niall asks, and when Harry nods, Niall does too. “Let me finish my register and shit. Have a beer while you wait.”

Harry winds up having two and a half beers before Niall is finished. They wash their hands in the kitchen, laughing because they’ve both had their hands in and out of bleach water all evening, sanitizing everything in the restaurant. They walk out with another waiter, splitting up in the parking lot. Down the road from the bar where they work are the docks where local fishermen sell their catch, and where many of them keep their boats. Very rarely are there people out there this late at night, even in the peak of summertime. With it being February, and with the plague or whatever, there definitely won’t be anyone around. 

“Think I’m gonna call out tomorrow,” Niall says.

“Really?” 

“Yeah, man. They can’t fire us. Or like, at the very least, they’ll hire us back.” It sounds almost sensible, but then Harry remembers that his electric bill is past due and his roommate paid him in weed again. 

“You make money tonight or something?” Harry asks, narrowing his eyes.  

“I did alright. Three hundred.”

“Shit. I need to quit being a waiter and tend bar,” Harry says. He didn’t make a third of that tonight.

Niall parks as close as he can, and they walk to the end of the dock. “Oh, wow. Nice boat.”

“What is that, like… Is that considered a yacht?” Harry asks, squinting into the dark. It does look like one. A small one. It has a sail, so at least it’s a sailboat. Probably. 

Carefully, Harry unfolds the piece of aluminum foil he hid in the dry storage room when he first got to the restaurant that afternoon. The joint is lumpy and loose because he was in a hurry, and already high when he rolled it, but it tears easily, right down the middle. Harry makes sure to pinch the paper tight, and twists the ends of both half-sized joints before handing one to Niall. 

“That boat’s anchoring? Anchored? Whatever. It’s so close, like, why didn’t they dock it?” Harry asks, exhaling through his nose. There’s no science to back it up, but his hypothesis is that he gets a better high that way. “Bet it’d be easy to steal, right? Just, like… Swim out to it, lower the sails, and let the wind take you.”

Niall snorts. And coughs. And coughs again. 

“You better be choking on smoke, man.” Harry digs in his pocket and pulls out a bottle of hand sanitizer, holding it up until Niall opens his palm. 

Niall coughs again and laughs his wheezing high-laugh. “Nah, man, I was picturing you stealing a boat.”

“I could do it,” Harry insists. It does seem plausible. Wind. Waves. Sails. The desire to be free. However, there’s also the desire to not get arrested. Or like, die in a boating accident or something. It’s not like he knows how to sail. Still, the drama. It’s appealing. 

“Right,” Niall says. “I don’t even think you could swim out to it. It’s far. And then you’d have to climb on board, lower the sail—”

“Okay, so I probably couldn’t steal it. But I could swim out there. And get on board. There’s like, a ladder. I think. Steps, maybe? It’s not that far.” Maybe it’s the beer and weed, but he’s sure he could do it, and he doesn’t think he’ll drown. “Bet I can swim there and back in like, no time.”

Niall snorts and coughs, standing up from the dock and pointing out at the small yacht. “It’s pretty far out in the inlet. Like, that’s a fucking swim, man.”

“Still think I could do it,” Harry says, pinching the joint and holding it to his lips. 

“Give you half my tips if you do it,” Niall says, and Harry whips his head around. 

“Seriously?” He could really use the money. 

“You’re not gonna fucking drown, are you?”

Harry shrugs. “Probably not.”

“I don’t know, man.” Niall hums quietly, circling his hand in the air, leaving a trail of smoke. “That’s like, one of my biggest fears: dying doing something stupid while high.”

“Legitimate fear. Good one,” Harry says, patting his pockets. Maybe Niall will bet him to do something… easier. “You backing out? ’Cause I’m not.”

“No, no. Hundred fifty,” Niall says, and Harry has to rethink their friendship. “But like, can you take a life jacket?”

Harry scowls. “Where am I supposed to get one of those?”

Niall points at the line of boats along the dock.

“I’m not stealing a life jacket. Just, like… Can you keep up with my shit. Like my wallet and keys?” Harry asks, and Niall nods. 

“Yeah, man,” Niall says. 

“My phone too,” Harry says, handing it over. He kicks off his smelly work shoes and peels off his socks. It’ll be a nice, brisk swim. Probably isn’t even that cold. He walks to the edge of the dock and bends down, dipping his toe into the water. It’s certainly not warm. 

He can do this. He’s a strong swimmer. Was on the swim team when he was… Well, that was a long time ago. And he supposes it wasn’t so much a team as a group of moms trying to get their kids to burn off energy in a pool. Still. He kept the ribbons and participation medals. 

“Okay, give me an hour. If I’m not back, call like, the coast guard or something.” Harry nods once and strips out of his dirty uniform, kicking it into a pile with his socks and shoes. 

“An hour? I can’t sit here for an hour and like, worry about you drowning.”

“It won’t take me that long. Look,” Harry says, pointing a shaking finger at the boat. “It’s not that far. And if I don’t think I can swim back, I’ll… I’ll steal a lifejacket.”

Niall lifts his phone and says, “Okay. I’m going to record this.”

“Use my phone, man.” Harry grabs it from the pile of his things and tosses it to Niall. 

“Yeah, okay. And here…” Niall pulls a wad of cash out of his pocket and hands Harry the bet money. 

Harry reaches for his wallet, but stops, standing and tucking the cash into his briefs. They’re tight enough that he doesn’t think he’ll lose the money in the water. He walks back to the end of the dock, and turns to face Niall. 

“Go ahead, Harry.” Niall holds up his phone, wheezing another laugh, and says, “Tell us what you’re about to do.”

“Swim to that boat and back. Niall gave me a hundred and fifty bucks,” Harry pats his dick through his underwear, and Niall snorts.

“He put the money under his dick,” Niall says, turning the phone around to film himself. “Like, he used his dick as a paper weight.”

“This is why we wash our hands, people,” Harry says, cupping himself. “Okay, okay, okay. Here goes!”

Toes curled around the edge of the wooden dock, Harry takes a few deep breaths, trying to gauge the distance to the boat, and then he dives. It’s remarkable what you remember. Swimming, though he hasn’t done it in years, feels similar to riding a bike in that way. Of course, his muscles aren’t used to the workout, and the movements don’t come as fluidly as they once did, but he’s also taller and stronger and, once he gets into a groove with his freestyle stroke, he is one hundred percent certain for the first time that he is not going to die while high and doing something stupid. Not tonight. His mom would be so pissed. 

Still, by the time he’s close enough to the boat to see that there is, in fact, a ladder similar to the ones in the pool he used to swim in, he’s exhausted. He can make it back to the dock, but only after a rest. 

Waves rock the boat, making it harder to hold on to the ladder, but Harry gets his footing and climbs up, water running off of his body onto the boat deck. The air is colder than he remembers, and his nipples pebble instantly. 

One hand on the ladder to steady himself, Harry turns around and waves at Niall. When Niall waves back, Harry gives him two thumbs up, which he hopes are visible on camera, and looks around. 

Turns out that yachts are pretty boring. At least the visible parts. The cold water sobered Harry the second he surfaced and took his first breath, and after swimming for so long, he’s now sober, exhausted, hungry, and shivering. And whatever’s interesting about the boat is probably locked up behind the two small doors that Harry hopes lead to some sort of room below. Though, he supposes there could be an engine or something in there. While he’s on board, he might as well find out. 

Harry reaches for the doors to see if he can feel any handles or latches, though it’s difficult to tell what’s what in the moonlight. The doors swing open towards Harry, and he screams, stumbling backwards into the table that he just carefully avoided banging his hip on, and he falls sideways, crashing into the edge of the cushioned bench, and landing in a twisted tangle of limbs.

Niall coughs, and Harry thinks he might’ve hit his head. 

A scratchy voice asks, “What the fuck?” 

“Niall?” Harry speaks to the stars in the sky, too stunned to move.

“Okay, what the fuck, Niall?” 

Funny. That doesn’t sound like Niall. Harry lets his head loll to the side and squints. 

“No, you’re not Niall,” Harry says decisively.

“No, I’m not Niall. I’m Louis.” The most beautiful man Harry’s ever seen rises up with a glowing golden light, and floats over him. He frowns, which makes Harry sad, and points at Harry, which makes him happy, and says, “You’re Niall.”

“No, I’m Harry.” He’s almost positive. 

“Okay, Harry, then. What the fuck?” Louis coughs, covering his mouth with his arm. “Damn it.”

“Oh… Do you have the plague?” Harry asks. 

“Did you swim out here to ask me that?” 

“Uh… um…” Harry thinks about the truth, while Louis looks him up and down, and wonders what Louis would prefer to hear. Leaning in and holding Harry’s face in his hand, Louis moves Harry’s head side to side, peering intently into his eyes. Harry lets him because it seems like the thing to do, it’s not like he’s busy otherwise. Louis combs his fingers through Harry’s hair, close to his scalp, and Harry stares in wonder at the look of concern on Louis’ face. “Yeah.” 

“Yeah?” Louis tips his head to the side. “Yeah, what?”

“Don’t know,” Harry says. “You touched my face. We’re not supposed to touch our faces and I think that includes, like, other people’s faces.”

“Shit,” Louis says, pulling back and standing up. 

“I’m in my underwear,” Harry says, because he is. He just realized that he’s laying on the deck, he supposes that’s what it’s called, in his tiny pink briefs and nothing else. His tiny pink briefs, a hundred a fifty dollars, and nothing else. 

Louis looks down at Harry’s crotch, nodding to confirm the fact, then looks up, holding his hand over his eyes as if to shade them from the moonlight. He turns back to Harry and asks, “Did you swim out here? There’s a guy on the dock, waving at me.”

“That’s Niall,” Harry says.

“Oh, that’s Niall,” Louis says, waving at Niall. Maybe it’s the moonlight or maybe he hit his head, but it’s the most graceful wave he’s ever seen. Louis scowls down at him. “You swam out here?”

“Yeah,” Harry says, pleased to know the answer.

“Why?” 

Harry remembers that he has a body, that it’s mostly naked, and that Louis is looking at him. He reaches down and cups his cock. “Niall gave me a hundred and fifty dollars.”

“And you’re touching your dick because…”

“Because of the hundred and fifty dollars,” Harry says. Duh. “Duh.”

“Okay,” Louis says, dragging out the sound and scowling at him again. Harry wants to pout, but Louis holds out his hand, as if to help Harry up, so Harry grins at him instead. Lifting his hands in the air, Harry stretches his arms up until Louis grabs him by both wrists, and pulls. Because there isn’t much space, Harry doesn’t get all the way to his feet before Louis runs out of room and can’t back up any farther. But Harry manages to get his ass onto the bench seat, and figures he’s not likely to fall again. 

“Sorry I, um…” Harry rubs the back of his head where he hit it, and there’s a bump, but no blood when he checks his hand. “Sorry. We were just fucking around. Niall bet I couldn’t swim out here. I didn’t know anyone was on the boat.”

“Were you planning to swim back? Or did you think that far ahead?” Louis asks, dropping back down through the door that he came out of before. A moment later, he returns with a stack of folded towels. He drapes a towel over Harry’s head and wraps one around his shoulders. “Dry off. Warm up.”

“Thanks,” Harry says. It’s nice of Louis to be so hospitable. He very carefully bends over where he’s seated and wraps a towel around his hair, then tightens the one on his shoulders. “I can probably swim back in a little while.”

“You really think you can swim back?” 

“No, but I was hoping you’d offer to like, sail me up to the dock.”

“Not tonight,” Louis says. “In the morning. When I can see.”

“Oh, okay.” Harry checks beside him on the bench and, seeing nothing, lays down.

Louis snorts. “Come below deck. You might as well sleep in a bed. You’ve already been exposed.”

“Exposed?” Harry gasps, towel toppling off his head as he clutches his hand to his chest. “You have the plague!” 

“I don’t, but my boss does,” Louis says with a shrug. “So, you could, I guess? This is his boat, so…” 

“Great. Thanks,” Harry says, unwrapping the towel from his hair. 

“You swam out here, man,” Louis says, turning and climbing through the doors. Now that he’s not lying on the floor, Harry can see the steps that lead down into the space under the boat. Below deck or whatever. Louis calls from down there, “You can use my phone.”

“Oh, yeah.” Harry tries to focus on the end of the dock and can see Niall still standing there, waiting. Carefully, Harry gets to his feet and makes his way over to the ladder, waving at him. Niall waves back and Harry points towards Louis, who he can see is waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. Probably worried that Harry will fall again. Harry drapes his towels over his shoulders, carefully climbing down, and Louis appears at the ready, should Harry be unable to handle three measly steps. It’s cute. Louis is cute. “Do you have any Tylenol?”

“I think, yeah. You hit your head, then?” 

Harry nods, and Louis reaches into a cabinet, which turns out to be a refrigerator, opening a bottle of water and handing it to Harry, who takes it, along with two Tylenol. 

“Here,” Louis says, unlocking his phone and placing it in Harry’s open palm. 

The only phone number Harry knows besides his mom’s is his own, which is convenient, since he left his phone with Niall. He climbs back up the step ladder and waves both arms to get Niall’s attention, hoping he’ll put it together and pick up. After his phone rings once, Harry waves again, phone in his hand so that maybe Niall will see it. When Niall jumps and claps, Harry laughs and holds the phone to his ear.

“Harry?” 

“Hey, man. Shit, I’m glad you answered.”

“Yeah, what the fuck is going on? Who’s that dude?”

“Louis,” Harry says, smiling at the sound. “It’s his boat. I fell and hit my head, but I’m okay. But also, I probably shouldn’t swim back. So Louis said he’ll take me in the morning, if you’ll come pick me up, but guess what?”

“What?” Niall obliges.

“I guess he’d quarantined himself out here or something. So I’m going to have to lock myself up in my room. Probably see if I can get tested. Will you bring me food? And maybe like a mask or something for me to wear while we’re in the car together? Oh, man, we share a bathroom…”

“Shit, man. Might as well stay on the boat,” Niall says.

“Well, fuck you too, Niall,” Harry says.

“Just sayin’ you might as well, but whatever. Yeah, I’ll come pick you up, but if you cough on me, I swear, Harry, I—”

“Thanks, man. Love you,” Harry says. “I guess I’ll call you when I’m about to head towards the dock.”

“Okay, Harry. Be careful,” Niall says, and hangs up. Harry waves at him one more time, then climbs back below deck to face a worried Louis.

As Harry takes the last step, he hands Louis his phone, catching his toe and falling into Louis’ chest. He blushes, remembering again that he’s practically naked. “Oops.”

“Hi,” Louis says, steadying him with his hands on Harry’s shoulders. “Okay?”

“Wait a minute…” Harry narrows his eyes. “Come below deck. Is that some… some euphemism?”

“Euphemism?” Louis laughs, rolling his eyes. “No one’s having sex, Harry. There’s a guest cabin, so you’ll have your own berth.”

“Oh,” Harry says, unable to hide his disappointment. “Okay, thanks.”

“Yeah, it’s right here,” Louis says, and Harry turns in place, away from the tiny kitchen, which he thinks probably has a specific nautical name, towards the other side of the stepladder. It reminds him of his grandparents’ camper. “Listen, um… Do you want something to sleep in? I have some—”

“Nah, I’m good,” Harry says, crawling onto the thin mattress and looking back over his shoulder. “Usually sleep naked, so I’d just take whatever it is off again.”

“Oh… Okay.” Louis nods, swallowing audibly. 

The bed in the guest cabin is made so neatly that Harry wonders if it’s ever been slept in, blankets tucked in so tight that it’s a bit of a struggle to pull them free, but he gets them loose and crawls underneath completely before wiggling out of his briefs. Sitting up, Harry shakes out his damp underwear and hangs them on a little hook that juts out of the wall, probably for someone’s glasses or hat. 

“Thanks, Louis, for like, not having me arrested.”

Louis laughs quietly, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. “You’re welcome.”

“Also, thank you for letting me sleep here, but not for possibly giving me the plague. I’m not thrilled about that,” Harry says.

Again, Louis shrugs. “Sorry. Goodnight, Harry.”

“’Night, Louis,” Harry says, but he doesn’t lie back down until Louis steps forward and pulls the thin door to the cabin closed. As soon as he does, Harry reaches under the blanket and pulls out a hundred and fifty dollars, tucking the rolled up bills inside the flap of his briefs. Imagine, swimming all that way for a bet, and then losing the money. Especially now that he’s going to have to pay to go to the doctor. 

It’s an odd night’s sleep on the water. Once, when Harry was a teenager, he spent the night on a waterbed, but this is nothing like that. Occasionally, he feels like he’s falling, and wakes up panicking for a few seconds until he remembers where he is. When the sun rises, Harry is finally getting to sleep, so he buries his face in the pillow and ignores it. Louis will wake him up when he’s ready to take him to the dock. 

————

“Harry,” Louis’ urgent voice cuts through his dream. “Did you fuck with the anchor or something last night?”

Rolling onto his back, Harry rubs his eyes. “What? No.”

“You didn’t pull it up or mess with it?”

“No,” Harry says, sitting up. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I guess it must’ve come loose and we drifted or something, ’cause we’re not anchored off the inlet. There’s no dock, but we’re like, close to land, so…”

“Seriously? You don’t know where we are?” Harry asks, throwing back the blankets, and scooting to the end of the bed. 

“Can you?” Louis gestures to Harry’s crotch, and Harry smiles proudly. His dick is one of his favorite body parts; It’s nice when it’s appreciated by others. Still, he pulls on his pink briefs. 

“How can you not know where we are?” Harry stands, adjusting his semi, and Louis scoffs. “I just woke up.”

Louis ignores him and climbs out onto the deck, so Harry follows him up, looking around. The boat is just as close to the shore as it was from the dock, if not closer, and there’s marshland, which is somewhat familiar, but there are no docks or other boats. They must’ve floated into a preserved wildlife area or something. 

“I think we drifted north?” Louis slides aviator sunglasses over his eyes, and says. “My phone died, so I plugged it in. But we can probably check in a minute.”

“Oh,” Harry says, and watches Louis fiddle with something on the pedestal beside the steering wheel or helm or whatever it’s called.

“Shit. Seriously?” Louis smacks his hand against the wheel and slowly lowers his head down until he knocks his forehead on it. “The engine isn’t working.”

“Thought this was a sailboat,” Harry says, looking up at the empty mast. 

“Haha. It is, but boats like this have engines too, and that’s what I used. I don’t know a lot about sailing.”

“Me neither,” Harry says. “I don't know anything about it.”

“Okay, so, it’s fine. My phone’s probably charged enough now,” Louis says, going back below deck. This time Harry doesn’t follow, feeling sure that Louis will bring his phone out for a better signal. 

A few minutes later, Harry climbs down to find Louis sitting on the little sofa. 

“Nothing’s working. None of the outlets. The fridge. Lights. Nothing.”

“What… What do we do?” Harry asks, uselessly flipping a light switch. 

“Would Niall call someone? Like, if you don’t show up or call by a certain time?”

Harry nods. “He’s probably sleeping. Expecting me to call and wake him up.”

“Okay,” Louis says. “Okay, um… We have everything we need, like food and water and necessities. Hopefully Niall will call someone—”

“The Coast Guard,” Harry helpfully supplies. 

“Or anyone. But they’ll come find us.”

“How is nothing working?” Harry asks, following Louis below deck. 

“No clue,” Louis says, lying down on the little sofa. “Maybe we got struck by lightning.”

Staring at him, Harry drops onto the bench across from him. “It didn’t storm. It hasn’t rained at all. How’s that supposed to happen?”

“I don’t know, Harry. I’m not a weatherman.”

“Meteorologist.”

“Dude,” Louis says, turning his head to look right at him. “Shut up.”

Harry shuts up. 

Sweatpants would be nice. It’s not super cold. The weather is nice, actually, with clear skies and sun, and typically Harry’s pro-nudity, but Louis is wearing sweatpants. Dark grey ones. And they look comfy and warm and soft and they drape over Louis’ dick, drawing attention to it in a way that Harry can’t tell the intent. Which is why he wants sweatpants. Then he could lose the pink briefs, which dried stiffly overnight, and without underwear on, he knows he could draw Louis’ attention. 

“Remember when you offered me something to wear?” Harry sucks his lower lip between his teeth, ducking his chin and looking through his lashes. 

“Stop staring,” Louis says, and Harry’s mouth drops open. Not that he was being discreet, but he wasn’t expecting that response. “I have something. Hold on.”

Harry watches while Louis opens the door to his room, frowning at the oddly shaped bed. After a moment, during which only the curve of Louis’ ass is visible to Harry while the rest of him is hidden by the wall, Louis emerges with a wrinkled pair of cut off sweatpants. 

“They’re clean,” Louis says, shaking them out. “I didn’t think I’d be around people. So I just stuffed my clean laundry into a trash bag.”

“Okay, um, thank you,” Harry says, taking the shorts. “I keep my laundry in a basket.”

“I’m sure you do,” Louis says, stepping up into the sunlight. 

As soon as Louis is out of sight, Harry strips out of his briefs, tucking his money into the front, and hiding them under the edge of the mattress. The cut-off shorts are a much lighter grey than the pair of loosely fitting sweatpants Louis is wearing, and when Harry pulls them on, he finds they’re quite snug. He makes sure his dick is displayed in an aesthetically appealing, yet still properly lewd way, and ascends the stairs. 

“In a way, those are worse than your see-through pink bikini,” Louis says when he turns around. Even with his sunglasses on, he squints, and Harry wished he had a pair to protect his eyes. It’s bright out. 

“Those are briefs,” Harry says, looking down at the shadow his soft cock makes. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Piss over the side,” Louis says, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “No way the head is working when nothing else is.”

“Gross.”

“Yes. It is,” Louis says. 

Harry holds onto the railing with one hand, standing at the top of the ladder he climbed the night before, and pushed his shorts down with his free hand. It takes him a minute to get past being gun shy, but the wind blows and he pees, laughing at the arc it makes before it hits the water. 

Dick tucked in, Harry carefully sits on the bench and lets himself look. The trees on the bank come right up to the water in places, curving over so that it’d be nearly impenetrable. No telling what’s on the other side either. 

“What if I, um… need to, um…” 

“If you can’t hold it,” Louis starts, pausing and looking at Harry over his sunglasses. “We’d have to… I guess we’d have to… We could inflate the dinghy, paddle it over there.” He points at the nearest bit of sand — a beach, Harry supposes, though it’s not much bigger than the sailboat — and says, “And if you’ve ever been camping…”

“Oh,” Harry says, cheeks turning pink. “Never mind.”

“Yeah, hopefully, Niall will wake up and call someone. Or maybe somebody will see us.”

“Who’s gonna see us? There’s no one around.”

“True. I don’t know… Maybe we should go to the end of the, um… the trees there.” Louis points in the opposite direction, and Harry turns to look, shading his eyes with his hands. It’s not far, but there’s no way Harry would swim it, and he doesn’t know how far he could paddle on an empty stomach. Without coffee. Or a bathroom. 

“Are you serious?” Harry asks instead. “What’s that gonna do?”

Louis lifts the bench across from Harry and says, “Flares. Maybe we’re closer to the inlet than we realize and someone will see.”

“Okay, yeah. That makes sense,” Harry says, imagining hours on the water, paddling and going mere inches. “Do you have a hat or something?”

“Yeah, we’ll be gone a while. Sunscreen’s probably a good idea. Shirts, too.” Louis leads the way below deck. “And coffee.”

They wind up eating cereal, and Harry borrows a white t-shirt, a pair of oversized yellow sunglasses that he doesn’t think belong to Louis, a Louisville snapback that he thinks does, and the rest of a bottle of sunscreen that’s two months past it’s expiration date. It’s enough for his nose. 

Louis climbs down first, into the dinghy, and Harry tosses the paddles to him. It’s reassuring watching him moving gracefully in the little boat, tucking a cooler in the back corner alongside the package of signal flares. Even if he doesn’t know what he’s doing, he looks like it, and he thought to bring lunch. He helps Harry from the ladder to the dinghy, pointing to the other side. 

“Sit up there,” Louis says, tapping his paddle on the end of the seat up front. “I’ll steer from the back.”

Using his paddle, Louis pushes the dinghy away from the boat, and they start towards the edge of the trees. At first, they’re out of sync with each other, but they get it after a few minutes, paddling and coasting, paddling and coasting, while Louis keeps them heading in the right direction. It’s exhausting and they’ve barely started. 

“See that beach?” Louis points to a short stretch of sand with a fallen tree in the center. “Stopping there.”

“Okay,” Harry says, paddling as Louis steers them that way. 

They don’t talk much, except for Louis giving instructions occasionally to move them closer to the beach. They get there faster than Harry expected, and it’s much too early for lunch. As they approach the sand, the water clears some, and Harry watches crabs and fish darting away at the sight of the boat. There’s a splash, and Harry looks up to see Louis wading his way around to the front of the boat, holding onto the rope on the side and guiding it in. Harry puts his paddle beside Louis’, tucking the end under the seat so it won’t fall out.

“Sit,” Louis says as he passes Harry, reaching his hand down and circling his fingers around Harry’s ankle. Harry sits. And Louis pulls the boat through the shallow water to the beach. “Okay, you can jump off now. Help me get the boat onto the sand.”

Even in a few inches of water, the boat is wobbly and hard to move around in, but Harry quickly scoots to the side and throws his legs over, sliding down into the cold water and helping haul the boat ashore. They pull it all the way up into the sand, and Louis grabs the oars, tossing one to Harry. He reaches into the cooler and pulls out a roll of toilet paper, wrapping it around his hand and giving the wad of tissue to Harry.

“Take your paddle. You go that way,” Louis says, pointing at Harry, who takes a moment to figure out what’s going on. Louis jerks his thumb in the opposite direction. “I’ll go this way.”

“Okay…” Harry stands there, paddle in one hand, tissue in the other. “How will I know how far to go?”

Louis sighs, looking at the woods around the beach. It’s fairly dense, and neither of them have shoes on. “I’m just going to sing. I’ll sing, you sing, so we can judge how far away from each other we are. We go as far as we can, I guess, and then just… dig a hole. And, you know, bury it.”

“Okey dokey,” Harry says.

“Yeah…” Louis takes his sunglasses off and hangs them from the loose collar of his t-shirt, and says, “Coming out of my cage and I’ve been doing just fine.”

“Oh!”

“Gotta gotta be down because I want it all,” Louis sings, raising his eyebrows and spinning on his heel. He walks towards the tree line, raising his voice as he goes. “It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?”

“It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss,” Harry sings back, walking the other way. 

Harry stumbles over vines and branches, singing his heart out, turning now and then to look back at the boat. When he can’t see the boat, which doesn’t take long considering how thick the growth is, he stops to listen. He can’t hear Louis, which means Louis hopefully can’t hear him. It is not the most embarrassing bathroom situation Harry’s ever been in, so he takes it all in stride, and he sings his way back to the beach and the boat, where Louis is waiting with hand sanitizer. A king among men.

They push the boat back into the water, climbing in once they’re deep enough, and paddling towards the edge of the trees. When they get there, the sun is high in the sky, and Harry’s arms are no longer his own. They’ve become extensions of his paddle. 

“Let’s get around the end here, then hopefully we’ll know which way to point the flare,” Louis says, paddling harder. Harry follows suit and they pass the last few trees on their left. 

The inlet where he first climbed onto the yacht leads to the ocean. Harry’s been out there before, and just past the trees at the end is a buoy and a marker and past that, you can see up and down the beach. Hotels and large houses that meet the dunes, and dunes that meet the sand. There’s a natural area nearby where trees grow right up to the beach, but on the other side of the much wider dunes there, is a parking lot. 

When they pass the last few trees on their left, they lift their paddles, and Harry looks left, then he looks right, then left again. The way the land curves along the water makes it difficult to see much, but there is no land visible across the water, and it looks like the ocean. He looks again, south he reckons, and turns to Louis. “Where the fuck are we?”

“Jesus,” Louis says, shading his eyes, even with sunglasses and a hat on. “I don’t see anything.”

“How far did we drift in… What? Six hours?” Harry shakes out his arms, then takes off his hat, combing his fingers through his sweaty, dirty hair. It’s so far back to the boat. The inflatable dinghy floats, no longer moving forward into the ocean, water lapping at the sides. Harry checks that his paddle is secure, and jumps overboard. Cold water touches every inch of his skin at once, making him forget which way is up, but he figures it out, kicking to the surface, gasping for air. 

“Harry!” Louis shouts, holding his paddle out for Harry to grab hold. “What the fuck?”

Harry lets go of the paddle and sinks into the water, swimming the rest of the distance to the dinghy. “Sorry. Was just hot and I was pissed off.”

“And wanted to drown yourself?” Louis asks, leaning down to grab hold of Harry’s t-shirt. “I’m gonna count to three, and you kick like you’re swimming hard.”

Harry nods, and Louis hooks his hands underneath both of Harry’s arms and, on the count of three, when Harry kicks his feet, Louis hauls him out of the water. He pulls Harry over the side and into the inflatable boat, rolling out of the way just in time, so that Harry lands beside him and not on top of him. 

���Holy shit,” Harry says, panting. “Sorry.”

“What the fuck?” Louis repeats, leaning over the side, cupping water in his hands, and splashing it on his face. 

“I wanted to go swimming,” Harry explains. 

“So you jumped overboard?”

“Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t think—”

“Clearly,” Louis says, sticking his paddle back in the water. “Let’s get back to the boat.”

Rather than try to explain further, Harry saves his energy for paddling. It probably wouldn’t make sense if he said it outloud anyway. The tide is rising as they paddle back, so the current carries them, making the trip easier than the first half. Still, when they reach the boat, and Louis grabs hold of the rope, Harry thinks he might not be able to climb the ladder, his arms are worn out. But Louis climbs up first, and his ass makes it easy for Harry to follow. 

“Now what?” Harry asks, flopping onto the bench as soon as he steps off the ladder. “Wait and hope someone finds us?”

Louis sits across from him, frowning. He takes off his hat and sunglasses, rubbing his eyes and combing his fingers through his messy, sweat damp hair. “I don’t know. I thought we’d see more than… I thought we’d see like, hotels or another boat or something.”

“Me too,” Harry says. Though they couldn’t really see much when they looked south. “Do you think we drifted north or south or like… out to sea?”

“North, man. The current flows north, and once we drifted out of the inlet, we would’ve just gone with it.” 

“I’m hungry,” Harry says, patting his empty stomach. “Time is it?”

“No clue, man. Sometime in the afternoon,” Louis says, pointing to the sun. He stands and waves for Harry to follow. “Come on. We should eat.”

Louis pulls everything out of the little refrigerator and freezer, and while he decides what needs to go, Harry makes them sandwiches. There’s more food than they’ll need, and once Harry’s stomach is full, he’s able to think a little more clearly. 

“So, we wait,” Harry says.

“I’m not paddling anywhere anytime soon,” Louis responds, squeezing his shoulder and shaking out his arms. 

“I don’t want to paddle anywhere ever again. Are you sure you can’t sail the boat?”

“I can sail the boat. I choose not to,” Louis says, climbing out onto the deck.

“What?” 

“I know a little bit,” Louis says when Harry follows. 

Not knowing anything at all about sailing, Harry figures it can’t be that hard. He climbs up on the bench and steps up on top of the boat, carefully walking to the mast and looking at the rolled up sail. “A little bit,” Harry says.

“My boss taught me some, but it makes me nervous, so I don’t do it.”

“It makes you nervous, so you don’t do it?” Harry asks, not quite believing him. “But you could, technically, sail us out of here, and like, just follow the coast until we get back home.”

“That or we could capsize and drown,” Louis says. 

“We have life jackets. We won’t drown.”

“Who’s coming to rescue us then?” 

Harry shrugs. “All I’m saying is I don’t want to be stuck here any longer than I have to.”

“In a hurry to self-isolate in your apartment?” Louis asks. 

“Ugh. I forgot about the plague.”

“Stop calling it that. The plague is a real thing.”

“Whatever. Just because you want to be all alone on a boat doesn’t mean I do.”

“Well, hopefully Niall will pull through, then.” Louis looks up at him and when Harry slaps his hand against the rolled up sail, Louis shakes his head and disappears back below deck. The door to his cabin is closed when Harry follows him to try to continue the conversation, and despite the fact that he can obviously hear Harry, Louis doesn’t respond to anything he says. Eventually, he gives up and goes back up top. They were out in the sun for so long, but his skin isn’t pink at all, so Harry takes off his shirt and rolls up his shorts, laying on the cushioned bench and falling asleep in the late afternoon. 

He wakes up stiff and sore and still tired, blinking up at Louis, who’s standing over him, surrounded by pink and purple light. 

“Ooh, pretty,” Harry says, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. The sun is setting behind the trees and he’s awake just in time to watch it. 

Louis sits beside him, resting his arms on the back of the bench. “Forty-eight hours.”

“Huh?”

“I want to wait until it’s been forty-eight hours. Give them a chance to find us,” Louis says, scratching at his beard. He turns slightly, dropping his hands into his lap. “Not tomorrow, but the next morning. If we haven’t been rescued, I’ll try to sail south.”

“Okay, but no capsizing,” Harry says. 

Louis stills, shaking his head. “Have to wait and see.”

———

They are not rescued the following day. And they don’t talk about it. After breakfast, they paddle to the nearest beach and sing “Mr Brightside” at the top of their lungs while tromping through the trees in opposite directions. While Harry is using his paddle to push aside vines and brush on the way back to the beach, he sees something slithering past him in his peripheral vision. He screams, crashing through the trees and doesn’t stop until he’s waist deep in the water. 

From the shore beside the boat, Louis watches him curiously. “What’d you see?”

“Snake, I think!” Harry shivers and wraps his arms around himself. 

“Thought it might’ve been a bear,” Louis says, pushing the boat into the water and hopping on board. “This close to the water, it was probably an alligator or a water moccasin.”

Harry throws himself forward in the water, swimming as fast as he can towards the sound of Louis’ loud cackle. He’s able to push off of the sand and pull himself into the dinghy, though he lands even less gracefully than he did the day before when Louis hauled him out of the ocean. 

“Jesus, fuck. That scared the shit out of me,” Harry says, clambering to sit up. 

“Really?” Louis smirks, passing Harry’s paddle to him. 

Harry rolls his eyes. “Poop jokes.”

“Timely poop jokes,” Louis says. “Paddle harder or the snake’ll catch us!”

Harry paddles harder, ignoring Louis’ laughter behind him. “I don’t care if you’re kidding. That was scary.”

“That’s why you have the paddle and your beautiful singing voice,” Louis says. 

“Bear and snake protection?” Harry scowls at Louis over his shoulder. 

“Better than nothing.”

The next morning, when they still have not been rescued, Harry sings so loudly that Louis laughs instead of singing along with him. He bangs his paddle against the trees, and doesn’t see any animals, but Louis manages to scare him anyway once he’s back in the boat and thinks he’s safe. They’re just getting out of the shallows, when Louis smacks his paddle on the surface of the water and yells, “Snake!”

Harry tries his hardest to give him the silent treatment, but Louis seems to enjoy it, humming to himself, and singing quietly while he moves around the boat. And he doesn’t know what he expected the process of getting ready to sail the boat to be like, but it happens much faster than he would’ve thought. There are a lot of ropes, and more than one sail, and many other things that Harry doesn’t know the name or the purpose of, but eventually Louis tells him to raise the anchor. And then he has to show him how to do it. 

The wind catches the sail, and whether or not he knows what he’s doing, Louis smoothly maneuvers them out onto the ocean heading south. It seems easiest to stay out of his way, so Harry does, and water flies past beneath them. They aren’t sailing long before Harry sees his first dolphin. It breaches the surface, swimming alongside the boat and playing in the wake. 

“Where the hell are we?” Harry asks the dolphin. 

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Louis says. 

“I was talking to the dolphin.”

“Ooh!” Louis looks over that side of the boat, and says, “Oh, wow…” 

Grinning, Harry looks again to find at least six or seven of them playing behind the boat. “So cool. I wonder how long they’ll stay with us.”

Louis shrugs, tightening some rope that Harry would ask the name of, but he doesn’t really care. The wind picks up as they move south, and Harry makes himself wait until he’s absolutely sure they’ve been going the same direction for at least an hour before saying something. 

“When do you think we’ll get there?” Harry asks, kicking his bare feet up onto the metal railing behind the bench and laying down. 

“Where?” Louis asks, frowning at him and sweeping his arm around in a half-circle. “We’re traveling at about five knots. I figure we’ve gone maybe ten or twelve miles.”

“Oh my god, why’s it so slow?” Harry whines, throwing his arm over his eyes. 

“It’s a small sailboat, Harry. Top speed is like, seven knots.”

“What does that mean?”

Rolling his eyes, Louis says, “Not fast enough for you, guaranteed.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Craning his neck, Harry scowls at him until he answers. 

“Means you’re a spoiled brat,” Louis snaps. 

“Fuck you too.”

“I really, really don’t think so.”

“Lame,” Harry retorts. “And boring.”

Louis hums, ignoring him. When Harry opens his mouth to ask again because there’s still no sign of another boat or anything, Louis excitedly says, “Oh! You know what we didn’t try?”

“What?” Harry sits up, ready to do whatever it is. 

“You should ask your mom to come get you.”

“Clever,” Harry says, crossing his arms and leaning back to look up at the sky. 

They don’t speak to each other until Louis says, “Come hold us steady for a second.”

“No, no, no.” Harry shakes his head and his finger, just to be sure Louis understands he wants nothing to do with the actual operation of the boat. 

“Fine. Guess I can piss right here,” Louis says, looking pointedly at Harry, who’s sitting fairly close to him. “You’re into watersports, right?”

Harry stares at him, cheeks heating. Belatedly, he rushes out, “No!” 

While Louis snickers, Harry takes the WTFWHEEL and does his best to keep it from spinning out of his hand. As soon as Louis finishes, Harry pees off the back of the boat too. 

“Is the wind picking up?” Harry asks. 

“Yeah,” Louis says. “Do me a favor?”

Narrowing his eyes, Harry says, “Depends.”

“Go below and, in the little cabinet under the bench, is a pair of binoculars.”

“Oh, okay,” Harry agreed, carefully climbing down the few steps. Right where Louis said they would be, Harry finds them, along with a box of books full of maps that he leaves alone. He climbs back on deck and, instead of handing the binoculars to Louis, he holds them to his eyes and adjusts the focus. “How far do these things see?”

“As far as your eyes do,” Louis answers shortly.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“You should be able to see something about fifteen miles away like it’s right in front of you,” Louis says, reaching a hand out for the binoculars, but Harry doesn’t give them to him. 

“I can’t see shit.”

“Take the lens caps off.”

“I did. I mean, all I see is water and trees and some clouds.”

“Give them to me,” Louis insists, and Harry does, rolling his eyes as he sits back down on the bench. With his sunglasses perched on top of his head, Louis holds the binoculars to his eyes. “What the fuck?”

“Right? So weird,” Harry says, taking the binoculars back and looking again. The clouds ahead are much darker than the few wisps of white they’ve seen so far. “What do we do?”

Louis shrugs. “All we can do is keep going south. Eventually we’ll get home.”

“Yeah, but what if we don’t?” 

“What?”

“Like, what if this is some parallel universe,” Harry offers, letting his mind wander. “Like an unpopulated world.”

Snorting loudly, Louis shakes his head. “Whatever you say, Harry.”

“Do you think we should be sailing towards those clouds?” 

“I… Should we find a place to anchor? Not like we can check the weather, but the last time I looked, the forecast said the past few days were supposed to be cold and cloudy, not warm and sunny, and there weren’t any storms expected.”

“Dunno. Those look like storm clouds to me,” Harry says, pointing at them. “We could stop here. Maybe it’s going inland, and we can wait for it to pass.”

“Storms usually travel up the coast. We could go west. See if we can go around it. Or go north. Try to find a place to dock that way.”

“Go back the way we came?” Harry pouts. 

“I don't know, Harry! Would you rather go towards the dark, and what are, frankly, ominous clouds? You’re supposed to tie the fucking boat up during a storm, but I don’t see any docks. Do you?”

“Shit. Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Harry gets to his feet, looking south through the binoculars and slowly turning east. The clouds—Louis is right, they are ominous looking—seem to go on forever. There’s no going around them. “What’s north of us?”

“No fucking clue, man.” Louis loosens the sail, and goes below deck, returning before Harry can follow with the box of books and maps. He hands the box to Harry, and folds a map out on the table, pointing to the familiar curve of the coast.  “Yeah. See? You swam to the boat here. And the only natural areas around are the few state parks, but even there they have buildings and shit. Like, you can tell people have been there. We’ve traveled for hours, probably close to twenty miles.”

“Wow,” Harry says, maybe he’s dreaming. 

While Louis turns the boat around, Harry sits, flipping through an old book of maps, full of expired coupons for restaurants and attractions. On one page, there’s a large picture of a cartoon owl that says ‘Give A Hoot! Don’t Pollute!’ And Harry frowns. 

“Have you seen any litter?” Harry asks, putting the book back in the box.

Louis looks over the side of the boat, as if fully expecting to see a plastic bottle floating by. Slowly, he says, “No.”

“You know what?” Harry snaps his fingers, and says, “I bet I knocked myself out when I hit my head and this is just a dream or a hallucination or something.”

“Yeah? What about me?” Louis rolls his eyes, looking over his shoulder at the clouds behind them. 

Harry shrugs. “What about you?” 

“Why am I in your hallucination? I’d rather not be, so you could just hallucinate me out?”

“I can try,” Harry says, closing his eyes in concentration. While he’s at it, he pictures himself waking up, but neither thing has happened by the time he opens his eyes again. “Maybe if I go to sleep.”

“You do that. Because I might need your help in a little while, and I’d rather you get some rest.” Louis shoos him towards the doors and Harry goes below, curling up on his bed and falling asleep fast. 

————

“Up! Wake up, Harry!”

Harry sits up, rubbing his eyes and slowly realizing he’s still on the boat. “Still hallucinating.”

“Nope! Get up here and help me figure out what to do,” Louis orders, stepping up on deck before he finishes talking. 

And while it does still feel like it must be a dream or a hallucination, it feels real too. Harry joins Louis up top, looking south, frowning at the clouds in the distance. “Are they closer?”

“Yeah, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Go faster,” Harry says. 

“I can’t go any faster.” Louis hands him the binoculars and says, “We can either keep following the coast and hope the storm turns west. We can find a place to anchor, tie the boat up as well as we can, and ride it out below deck. Or we could head east, out to sea.”

“This is like one of those choose your own adventure books,” Harry says, looking back at the storm. 

“I think our best bet is to keep going for now, and be on the lookout for a safe place to spend the storm.” 

“Then why didn’t you just do that?” 

“Because I didn’t want to just make the decision without talking to you. And I’ll need your help, no matter what we do.”

Harry scoffs, crossing his arms and cocking his hip to the side. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Depends. If we keep going? Use the binoculars to scout ahead for an inlet or somewhere we can tie up the boat,” Louis says, pointing to the binoculars in Harry’s hand. “What do you want to do?”

“Keep going. Obviously,” Harry says, rolling his eyes. “We’re more likely to find a dock or something, right?”

“Sure,” Louis replies, but it’s clear he doesn’t believe they’ll find anything. 

Harry ignores him, looking through the binoculars at the coast, searching for someplace to park. Or whatever. They sail for a few hours, finding a few places that look promising until they get close and they don’t seem deep enough for the boat. 

“This sucks,” Harry says, dropping onto the bench. “We’re about to get rained on.”

“We’re about to get caught in a fucking hurricane,” Louis snaps, tightening one of the ropes.

“Are you serious?” Harry turns to look back at the storm. It just looks like a mass of dark grey clouds, but there are sheets of rain visible now. 

“I don’t know. Whatever it is, it’s fucking huge. We have to find a place to hunker down.”

Sputtering a laugh, Harry says, “Hunker down.”

Louis stares at him for a moment, then snatches the binoculars from him, looking ahead between doing whatever else he does to the sails and the steering wheel. It probably has an official nautical name, but Harry doesn’t care enough to ask. Instead, he goes below, crawling into bed again. 

[allwaswell16]

F a v o r i t e F i c s O f 2 0 2 3

As an avid One Direction fan fic reader, 2023 has been a truly amazing year for fics! I read so many incredible fics this year, so please check out all my recs for the year here! Below you will find fics that made me cry or cry with laughter. Others brought me comfort during hard times or filled my heart with joy or had me screaming into my pillow in surprise. I share this list with you all not to say that these fics are better than others from this year, but to say thank you to these writers who have left a mark on me with their fics.

To all our fandom's writers, thank you for the gift of your stories! Sending much love to you in the new year!

⚜️ Louis / Harry ⚜️

And What If I Were You by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom

(E, 109k, famous/not famous) For Louis, will losing his sight give him the clarity to realise what is right in front of him? For Harry, will losing the love of his life give him the strength to finally open his heart? And can they find their way back, before they lose each other forever?

De amore ex tempore by @persephoneflouwers

(M, 101k, historical) the Middle Ages AU where Harry is a philosopher, whose thoughts happen five centuries too soon and Louis is a painter, whose art happens five centuries too late. & Or: the Time Travel AU where alternate versions of themselves live simultaneously in different realities and their paths collide every time, until somehow, they converge into one.

Gemma's Dad (Could Use A Guy Like Me) by @lululawrence

(NR, 82k, age difference) Louis wasn't planning on getting home and learning that Gemma's dad had gotten the house in the divorce and was dealing with things by focusing on work, the house, and his newly planted garden. It becomes obvious early on that Harry is a bit lost and Gemma is worried about him. To help both of them, Louis is more than happy to help Harry find himself again.

Teach me how to love by @perfectdagger

(E, 70k, one night stand) The one in which Harry is bad at sex and Louis spreads it all over town and to make up for it, decides to help him with no agenda of getting anything from it, but in the end, he ends up getting more than he bargained for.

your memory over me by @shimmeringevil

(E, 64k, exes) The worst heartbreak of Louis’ life walks right back into it when his parents invite their family friends on an all-expenses-paid trip for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Facing a past that he tried to bury long ago, Louis learns that some people have a way of sticking with you even when they’re gone

saw some things on the other side by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed

(M, 61k, murder mystery) Unfortunately, Louis’ plan doesn’t take into account the fact that instead of writing murder mysteries, he will find himself in one.

and i would search the night sky to find you by devilinmybrain / @thedevilinmybrain

(E, 56k, omegaverse) Harry Styles is a high class, well-bred Omega attending Bosworth Academy - a prestigious boarding school looking over the small town on Kinsey. He has his whole life already planned for him, learning his place as the potential mate for an important Alpha, practicing his home making skills, and be obedient above all else.

Suddenly Last Summer by @disgruntledkittenface

(E, 44k, mystery) Suddenly he has someone who listens to him and cares about what he thinks. Someone who really sees him. But their happily ever after is forever marred by an incident at a party during Labor Day weekend, and Louis is left with a choice to make.

Train Tracks and Porcelain by @jaerie

(E, 41k, historical circus au) Shadows were forming into people and things and, there in the middle of it, Louis watched the humongous head of an elephant emerge from a box car right in front of his eyes. Or a Water For Elephants inspired AU

You're Not My Type (still I fall) by Imogenlee / @imogenleewriter

(M, 38k, omegaverse) This is just a bit of rain; it'll blow over. Then Harry will just... well, alright, he isn't entirely sure what to do when the rain stops because he'll still be stuck and lost. 

My Other Half Was You by @lululawrence

(NR, 35k, small town au) Four years, seven months, and sixteen days after the day that changed everything, Louis turns a corner and literally runs into the man who just might change it all again.

I Really Like Your Styles: The Baking Advent-ure by @homosociallyyours

(T, 35k, coffee shop) Louis isn't much for frills, and the coffee shop he co-owns with his best friend Liam is evidence of that. Yes, it's got a decent sized, well-kept industrial kitchen, but Louis insists that people come to coffee shops for coffee, not mediocre pastry and plastic wrapped cookies. 

You Ain’t Gotta Feel Fear Just Mingle by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(T, 32, coworkers) Harry has been at his dream job for less than three months, and he knows two things for sure; first, his project manager doesn't know what he's doing, and second, someone in the office is apparently pure evil, and no one will tell Harry who it is.

Cowboy Like Me by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings

(M, 29k, thief au) Going legit and starting over in a small town was supposed to solve all of Harry’s problems. That was until a string of robberies in wealthy towns brings him face-to-face with his rogue ex-partner and their dicey, unresolved past.

'cause I want you (for the worse and for the better) by nonsensedarling / @absoloutenonsense

(NR, 26k, omegaverse) When Louis gets invited along to Anne's wedding, Harry is prepared to let people think whatever they want about their relationship. That's what Louis said -- let people think whatever they want. 

what's left of my halo's black by LiveLaughLoveLarry / @loveislarryislove

(E, 22k, fwb) A year after a devastating breakup, Louis is still trying to put himself back together - but getting over a breakup is hard when you work as a wedding planner. Thankfully, his coworker Harry is the most supportive friend Louis could ask for.

'tis the damn season by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

(E, 17k, girl direction) Harry returns to her small hometown over the holiday season and starts to think about the road not taken.

Captain Cupid by @2tiedships2

(NR, 15k, omegaverse) the one where Niall enlists his friends to help start a speed dating side hustle. Things don't go as planned... or maybe they do?

It Will Always Be You by @phdmama

(E, 15k, older Larry) If you had told Louis Tomlinson a year ago that he would be celebrating his birthday by kissing the man who is the love of his life on a Church Street park bench in Burlington VT as the snow drifted softly down, he would have told you that you were extremely imaginative. 

Eyes on the Horizon by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright

(E, 12k, age difference) Freshly dumped, recently fired, and about to turn 40, Harry's friends insist on taking him skydiving to cheer him up.

You Light Up the Path by QuickedWeen / @becomeawendybird

(T, 12k, mermaid au) Louis Tomlinson left his home in Doncaster as a young man with the intent of making enough money to send it back home to his family and support them however he could. Harry, or so he likes to be called, is the myth and legend himself known as the Staithes Mermaid. 

Sex Drunk Suckerpunch by thinlines / @thinlinez

(E, 7k, sugar baby) Sugar Baby Louis did what any sugar baby should avoid doing but (clichely) end up doing anyways, that is, failing for his sugar mama.

Court Wine by @enchantedlandcoffee , red_panda28 / @red-pandaaa

(T, 7k, omegaverse) after a misunderstanding during a scrabble game, Alpha Louis starts courting Omega Harry without the latter being aware of it.

you give me feelings that i adore by @alwaysxlarrie

(T, 7k, a/b/o) 5 times Louis scents Harry's things and the 1 time Harry returns the gesture.

Truth or Drink by @kingsofeverything

(M, 6k, exes to lovers) Harry and Louis broke up years ago, and they're seeing each other again for the first time to play Truth or Drink. On camera.

Perfect, For Now by @parmahamlarrie

(T, 4k, omegaverse) Moving to a new city is always hard, being away from home, finding your new community - none of it is easy. Dealing with all of this while being touch deprived is even more difficult.

Unplant by @hellolovers13

(M, 4k, neighbors) Louis should've looked where he was going, then he wouldn't have to desperately try to save a little flower now.

nights like these by localopa / @voulezloux

(G, 3k, angst with a happy ending) you smile at me and say “it’s time to go.” but i don’t feel like going home.

sorry for... by stretchmybones / @lookwhatyoumademelou

(M, 1k, roommates) How else was Harry supposed to apologize properly? He was indeed a stress baker. 

Mistletoe Kiss by @neondiamond

(G, 1k, roommates) A little bit of mistletoe is just the thing Louis needed to let his roommate Harry know he’s got quite the crush on him.

Still by downcamethelightning / @downcamethelightnings

(G, 666 words, Halloween) FBI Agent Louis calls Harry to investigate a case believed to have taken place in Harry's own home. Harry is quite familiar with the victim's face.

⚜️ Rare Pairs ⚜️

The Light Out In The Madness (Hold Tight) by @lalalaartje

(E, 46k, Niall/Louis) When Louis ends up with Niall as a roommate after a messy break up with Harry, he considers it truly life saving. They become fast friends and while Louis is sceptical about Niall's idea to start fake dating to take revenge on Harry, it can't be that bad, can it?

neither wanting more, neither asking why (series) by @justanothershadeofblue

(E, 40k, OT5) If Louis is the origin, Zayn the expansion, Liam the complication, Niall the solution, then Harry - Harry's the completion.

Bloom by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(T, 28k, Louis/Liam) In early 1970s Oxford, Detective Sergeant Louis Tomlinson has to deal with the dual pressures of a case that hits too close to home, and the arrival of new colleague Liam Payne.

Jump! by @reminiscingintherain

(M, 15k, Louis/Tommy Longhurst) “I absolutely know what this means, lad,” he replied, his voice gentle and supportive. “The way you’re reacting to being out there? That’s exactly why I chose you for the support slot.” He gave a reassuring squeeze. “You deserve this, okay?” 

Cold Spring by @nouies

(E, 8k, Louis/Pedro Pascal) Louis is a coffee shop owner and Pedro is his newest customer.

Chaos by @haztobegood

(M, 100 words, Louis/OMC [bodyguard]) Against the barricade, it’s complete chaos.

[alwaysxlarrie]

10 fav quotes from fics part 4!

happy mondayyyyyyyyyy

Louis drew in a sharp breath. Greengreengreen. -- @twopoppies

Though, if he’s being honest, it’s really not that gritty. There is a fucking Whole Foods up on the corner of Houston and Second Avenue after all. -- @crinkle-eyed-boo

And then the cat came along and made it even better.  -- @homosociallyyours

“Very illuminating,” Harry deadpanned. He had no idea what Louis was going to ask, but he had a pretty good idea that he was going to say yes regardless. Louis had that effect on people.  -- @loveislarryislove

What does Harry want, he wonders as he darts across the room, trying to get back to the elevators without spilling his tea on anyone. Does he want to be friends? Does he want to have sex again? Does he want to marry Louis and have his babies? -- supernope

He flips open the outdated House and Garden, and starts to thumb through it. His set-up is intricate, with the magazine propped up against his knees as he balances the pint of ice cream on his chest. Lesser men would not be able to handle it.

“You should come by,” Harry says, smiling at Louis from over his mug, dimple – sorry, crater – on full display. And really, Harry could ask for the moon, and Louis would be in conversation with NASA the next minute, working out a plan to get it for him. -- @backonefish

It’s embarrassing, really, how Louis turns him into a sixteen-year-old with a crush, but it is what it is. -- @screwstyles

“I was clearly nervous,” Harry protests, rolling his chair back up to this desk. “I bought cheese! I didn't know this was a thing! I didn't— Liam was there! Was it a date?” -- @kingsofeverything

“Well, beautiful,” Lecherous Restaurant Patron purred, drawing out the pregnant pause as Harry quelled a rising gag. -- @indiaalphawhiskey

[disgruntledkittenface]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last ten people who reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals & followers!!✨

(no pressure if you don't want to do this!)

hiii Lauren!! thank you for this <3

Since this ask is from you, I'll start with you in mind – the Jess and Julia episode of New Girl. I love when Jess gets her point across about how she can wear polka dots and brake for birds but still be smart and serious and tough; I related to that a lot.

When people start to associate something I like, like flamingos or stone lions, with me and send me photos. Like there was a post about the stone lion outside of the New York Public Library having a birthday and I think three people sent it to me.

WHEN REAL HOUSEWIVES COME OUT AS BISEXUAL, most recently Taylor Armstrong formerly of Beverly Hills and currently on Orange County!!!!

One of my cats, Evelyn, makes the cutest little "eh eh eh" noise sometimes when she's playing and it's like she's a hunter or something, it's so cute.

When my hair is clean!

[theficpusher]

Behind those Fire Eyes by YesIsAWorld | E | 2379 Liam’s messy xo scrawled on one of the discs called out to him. He carefully slid it out and put it in one of the three CD slots, and hit play with a smirk. Liam had been unbearably proud of this mix. Rightfully so, Zayn could admit with just a hint of jealousy. It was made with a very specific purpose in mind, and it was, Zayn realized, swallowing thickly as his cock kicked in interest, very effective.

I Made You A Mixtape by Idzzdi | G | 3062 “It’s a mixtape, love,” Nick says, smiling sweetly. “With all the songs you hate.”

Harry's Music by AlexNichole | nr | 3469 Louis finds Harry's iPod, giving us (and him) an inside look to the relationship.

take you with me every time I go away by starryhaze | nr | 3654 “What’re you doing pup?” Louis asks quietly, doesn't want to destroy the soft bubble they created. “‘m making a playlist.” He answered. “With like uhm songs that remind me of…us.” Harry squirms and Louis immediately releases calming pheromones to let the omega know it's okay. “Yeah, show me?” Louis asks and Harry slowly hands his phone to Louis. - or the one where they make a playlist and it works as a makeshift nest when Harry has to go away for a couple of days and is anxious to be without his alpha.

oh so many nights by snsk | G | 5552 Harry Styles is a strong independent woman who don't need no man. Louis Tomlinson is no man Harry Styles needs. So say Aretha Franklin and Alicia Keys and Beyonce, and god knows they basically run the world (girls). Except that, like, Aretha and Alicia and B haven't seen the way Louis wakes up in the morning, all soft tired eyes and creased skin and Harry-smile. But, you know. Harry will survive.

Longing like a Searchlight by Cyantific | E | 27175 Louis moves in with his friend Harry and soon thoughts of his new flatmate are anything but innocent, and Louis has no control when it comes to acting on those urges when he's alone. It doesn't take long for his simple, primal impulses to turn into deep, urgent longing the more time they spend together. Will an unexpected family event that takes Harry home for the weekend be the catalyst that finally brings them together or what tears them apart when Louis overhears what Harry reveals to his mother about his true feelings? Or... The Five times Louis almost gets caught during a salacious moment of self care and the one time he did...a roommates to lovers fic with lots of feels.

If This Is a Rom-Com (Kill the Director) by tippitytap | G | 27284 It wasn't like Harry Styles needed a housemate. It certainly wasn't like Harry Styles needed Louis Tomlinson as his housemate, the musical snob who only listened to a hand-picked selection of 14 artists and who had imposed a no-dating rule between the two upon moving in. They could manage to be housemates and friends, right? Right?

The Miseducation of Harry Styles by junkshopdisco | E | 30338 Nick makes Harry a mix tape, falls in love with him, and has a nervous breakdown (not necessarily in that order).

Heading for Limbo by kingsofeverything | E | 100864 Childhood best friends who’ve fallen in and out of touch with each other since Louis’ family moved away when they were thirteen, Harry and Louis find their paths crossing again and again. Each time, no matter how many miles apart or how many years it’s been, it’s as if no time has passed. They fall back into their easy friendship, until life intervenes and sends them on their separate ways once more. When Harry discovers some life-changing things about himself, Louis is there for him, however he needs. But it’s all temporary because Louis has plans that will move his life from New York all the way to L.A. and the distance isn’t the only thing between them. The pieces of their twice broken hearts are scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

[enchantedlandcoffee]

9, 13, 15 please :)

hiii! thanks for the ask :)

9. What genre is your favourite to write?

Ooh whilst I love writing fluff, I'd have to say angst. It's just so much fun and then writing the resolution to the angst is my favourite part.

13. How many WIPs do you have open?

I have about four that I am working on currently... and then about 15/16 that I hop to and fro from when I have the inspiration.

15. What is the weirdest thing you had to look up for writing?

I once had to look up how much different poisons would cost and also the estimate of how much it would cost to hire a hitman and what for.