Archive of Our Own

As Louis pulled into the parking lot by a row of dorms, a small smirk played at his lips. A new university. He'd kind of been banned from his old one,after he'd put frogs in his English professor's room. And his a pig in his psychology professor's. And crickets in the staff rooms. They were such drama queens, all of them. So he liked to have some fun, sue him. (They said they would, if he didn't leave.) They didn't say where exactly he had to go, just that he'd have to go. So he decided to give his friend Zayn a call, see where he was now causing a bit of mayhem, and seeing if Louis could jump in and help him cause even more. So three days later, here he was, pulling into to some Uni in central London.

 It looked similar to his old one, except a bit more... dolled up. Prettier, more respectable. Zayn was standing there, as promised, with a cigarette in hand. Louis got out of the car, giving his mate a look. "Dearest Zaynie, how many times have I told you, those things will be the death of you?" Louis asked dramatically. 

"You act like such a mother hen, Tomlinson." Zayn responded. "But if I'm remembering how this relationship goes, you're more likely to kill me first."

Louis pouted. "You wound me, Zaynie, honestly. I hold nothing but love for you in my heart. I could never."

Zayn chuckled, and pulled Louis into a bro hug thing. "Missed you, mate." Zayn said as he pulled away. " 's a bit boring here to tell you the truth."

"Come on, Zaynie-Pooh! I know I'm brilliant, but life here can't be too bad without me." Louis was following Zayn into a door, past a lounge center with students talking and studying lazily, into the hallways with people going in and out of rooms, up and down, left and right. This place looked a helluva alot more fun than Zayn was saying. "Any cute fellas meeting your impossibly high standards?" Louis asked, winking at a particularly cute jock, with blue eyes and black hair. The jock blushed as he continued walking.

Zayn smirked. "Good luck but, I don't think he's gay, mate." Zayn opened a door H-15. A decent sized dorm room met his eyes, with one half already filled with Zayn's stuff. Louis gave him a mischevious look.

"Maybe not yet."

**********

"So you never answered my question earlier." Louis spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence they fell into as Louis put up his stuff and Zayn worked on some psychology homework. 

"If you're still on the fucking horse question, no I -"

"No!" Louis said sharply. "Absolutely not. I was referring to earlier, when I asked you if there was anyone who caught your eye. I don't particularly happen to care about your sexual fantasies, unless I'm involved. I'm not, am I? That was a long time ago, mate. Purely accidental. We were drunk-"

Zayn threw a pillow at him. "My sexual fantasies don't involve you or a horse." He announced proudly. "But they sometimes star a certain Starbucks barista, who's also in my English class. Name's Liam. Body of an Abercrombie and Finch model, attitude of a six month old puppy."

"Lee-yum." Louis said the name slowly. "Sounds nice. Actually, I could go for some coffee right now, if you wanted to head down to the local Starbucks with an oh-so-hot barista." 

"I don't see why not, if you really must have your coffee."

So that's how Louis and Zayn ended up in a mostly empty Starbucks on a rainy Thursday evening in October. Sure enough, a tall, brown hair, browned boy stood behind the counter. A name tag announced that he was Liam. He was fit, Louis would give Zayn that.

"Hello mate!" Louis greeted cheerfully, waltzing up to the counter. "I'll have a hot chocolate with whipped cream and a bit of cinnamon and my friend here will have the same." Louis leaned in and gestured for Liam to do the same. "And if it's no bother, he'll have your number too. He thinks you're quite fit." Louis laid the money on the counter and turned to Zayn. "I've gotta use the lou, be right back."

Louis pat him on the back twice, smirking at the frustrated look on Zayn's face. Louis knew Zayn knew exactly what he was doing. Louis almost ran into the bathroom. He went back out to get his hot chocolate and then he made up some bullshit excuse about leaving his phone in the bathroom. Once safe, in the toilets (You'd be surprised at how many times Louis had said that in his life), Louis sat down in between the sinks and pulled out his phone. He pressed play on the stupid 'flappy bird' game. Might as well, he was probably gonna be here a while.

*************

"Damn the fuckin' bird and his broken wing." Louis snarled as he died for the millionth time. "Birds are supposed to be able to shitting fly by themselves, so maybe you're meant to die. Survival of the fittest, bitch!"

The door opened and Louis froze. He poked his head out and saw a blonde kid, in a Starbucks uniform. Oh, thank God. Not Liam or Zayn. "Hi, yes, so sorry to bother you." Louis spoke up. The blonde kid whipped his head around. "But I'm stealing anything and I'm not bloody mental. I'm trying to set Liam and my friend up."

The blonde kid nodded, laughing a little. "Okay then." Irish. "I'm Niall, you are, sink-boy?"

"I'm Louis. Would you like to join me?"

"Liam is busy making heart eyes and flirting with your friend, so I decided to go on bathroom duty for him." Niall explained. "But bathroom duty is shit, and I have a bearclaw and a perfectly interesting person to talk to, so why not?"

"There's a lad!" Louis praised as Niall sat down in front of him. He broke the bearclaw in half and gave on half to Louis. And they talked. Louis found out that Niall was from Mullingar and he had a brother and he was only working at Starbucks to help pay for his apartment that he shared with Liam  and a kid named Harry. Louis told Niall about his four sisters and everything he did to get expelled and transferred. About a half an hour later, the bathroom door opened again and both Louis and Niall froze. The guy at the door was at least 6'2, with a mess of brown curls and these big green eyes and dimples. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a black pair of jeans that clung to him like a second skin. Tattoos littered all down his arms.

"Oops." His voice was deep and rasped, and Louis positively melted. "Liam and the Zayn guy told me to come chill wait in here."

"Hey Haz." Niall said, a loud laugh filling the room. "Come join us. Wait, if you're here, my shift his over. Fantastic! This has been fun, Louis. Call me and we'll go out for a few pints, see if you're the first Englishman I've ever met who can hold their drink." He winked. "See you at home, Haz."

Harry sat down in the place Niall had been. "Hi there." Louis said, smiling at him. "I'm Louis."

" SoI've heard. I'm Harry." A cheeky smile crossed and fuck, his dimples. Who was this kid?

"So I've heard." Louis returned playfully. "Anyways, how were Zayn and Liam doing when you showed up?"

"Cozy looking." Harry said slowly. Or mayble normally, he seemed to talk kind of slowly. 

"Brilliant." Louis leaned back. "I'm playing matchmaker, in case you were wondering. There needs to be at least one kiss by the end of Liam's shift or so help me God, I'm not leaving this spot. Anyways, Harry, tell me about yourself."

********************

An hour later, Louis was pretty sure he was in love. Honestly, Harry was kind of perfect. He was funny, if slightly cheesy and he couldn't tell a story to save his life, but for some reason Louis was hanging on to every word. He had an older sister named Gemma and a stepdad. He works in a bakery. He wants to be photographer and his favourite band was some indie band Louis had never heard of. Louis told him all of his stories, and again he was so surprised at how easy it was to talk to a total stranger, like they were a good friend. Except, Louis was trying to stop thinking about how those lips would look wrapped around his cock. He didn't have that problem when Niall was talking to him. Nor did he flirt quite as much with Niall as he did with Harry. Louis couldn't help it, Harry just seemed to walk right into it. 

When he was in the middle of telling the story of his psychology professor and the pig, the door opened. Zayn stood there. "Tomlinson, get your arse out here. Liam's shift is ending in five."

Louis peeked at Zayn. "Did you kiss?" Louis asked. Zayn shook his head. "I swore I would sit here until there was a kiss, sorry mate." And hid back behind the sink. 

"Louis, I'm not dealing with your bu-"

"Zayn, I would, I swear, but I swore to God I wouldn't move until there was a kiss. Harry heard, right?"

Harry nodded solemnly at Zayn. Louis smirked. Zayn sighed. "But you didn't say between who." Harry spoke up suddenly.

"What?" Louis was looking at Harry like he'd grown another head.

"You never said who had to kiss. You just said there had to be a kiss." Harry explained. "So like, Liam and Zayn or you and Zayn or Me and Liam or you and Liam or me and you, it wouldn't matter. As long as there was a kiss, you could move."

Louis was catching on now. "I did say that, didn't I?" He drawled lazily. "I guess, since there has to be a kiss." Louis stopped suddenly, and grabbed Harry's shirt, dragging him closer. Hsrry looked shocked, and then slightly smug as Louis whispered "Kiss me, Styles."

So Harry leaned down and pushed their lips together. They were soft and warm and sweet and Louis' hands went from his shirt to curled around his neck, fingers entwined in Harry's hair. Harry's hand moved around his waist,  pushing him back into the wall. The kiss was long and determined, and it left Louis panting with his head on Harry's shoulder. "This whole exprience was probably really unsanitary."

"No." Liam said. "I cleaned the entire bathroom earlier, so you're all good there. But we have to leave, it'd be best for you to get up anyways."