Chapter 18: Karaoke

Present

"Karaoke?" Louis chuckles a little. His eyes twinkle as he watches the younger man nod erratically, his eyes widened and begging. "I don't sing, Harry-"

Harry continues to sit on his desk in front of Louis who sits on the chair that is across from Harry's. "Neither do I, but it would still be fun! Please!" Harry pouts and watches Louis fondly roll his eyes as he contemplates, his head slowly nodding.

"Fine," Louis sighs, biting his lip to contain a smile. "Let's go to this karaoke bar." He looks up at Harry with his innocent-seeming blue eyes and grins. "We drinking?"

Harry wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, a smirk on his face. "Of course."

-*-

"Why do you think Harry is so nice to me?" Louis shouts to Zayn, as the man tries to watch the football game on the television, sipping beer as he does so.

"He likes you, mate!" Zayn smiles at the tipsy blue-eyed beauty, nudging him a little. The raven-haired man cringes when a screaming singer makes their way to the stage, attempting to belt out a Backstreet Boys' song.

"I like him... So much. For years now," Louis huffs and rests his head on the bar. This earns a confused look from Zayn, but the man just shrugs it off and laughs, patting Louis on the back. "Why am I so mean to him?" Louis pouts, his bottom lip wobbling a little.

"You aren't at all, bud..." Zayn furrows his eyebrows. "Come with me, we will go find Haz and Pez, okay?" Zayn grabs his drink and takes one last look at the score before hopping off the stool. He helps Louis and grabs the smaller boys drink and guides him through the crowd to the two who are seemingly bickering.

"I'm not singing, Perrie!" Harry takes a sip of his fruity drink, gently glaring at the girl. "No," he hisses when she pouts. "I'll make a fool out of myself," he speaks once again, an insecure tone shining through his voice now.

"Hazzy!" Louis giggles, bumping the man on the shoulder, softly, with his head. "Are you singing?" Louis' eyes shine as he looks at Harry, biting his lip and blushing when noticing the fond smile that Harry now holds.

"I'm not, no," Harry chuckles and pats the seat beside him, helping Louis get up. "I'll embarrass myself."

"Nonsense!" Louis slurs, making grabby hands at his drink that is still held in Zayn's hand. "You sing so pretty-" he slaps his hand over his face, giggling behind it. "Oops, nearly told you my secrettt!"

Harry gives him a wary look and chuckles a little, turning to face Zayn, who places the glass in front of Louis. "How much has he had?... You haven't shared one of your special smokes, have you?" Harry grins when Perrie and Zayn laugh, both looking over at Louis, who innocently sips on his drink, looking at them from under his eyelashes.

"Harry!" Perrie jumps out of her seat. She grabs Harry's hand and tugs at it. "Please, Hazza! The stage is empty." She pouts and continues to pull. Harry looks at the crowd, biting his lip nervously.

"I-I don't know, Pez."

"Go, Hazza! I want to see you sing!" Louis gives him a soft smile and latches onto his straw again, holding it delicately between his thumb and pointer finger.

Harry finally budges and follows Perrie up to the stage, his hands shaking with nerves. Sure, he is a CEO of one of the largest companies in London, but when he has to present something, at least he is doing it in front of professionals, not drunken idiots who don't understand how their drunken words may affect someone.

"Really? Taylor Swift?" Harry groans, staring at the screen as the music begins and lyrics start showing. Perrie nods and belts out the first section, her voice powerful, not a hint of fear.

"Someday I'll be living in a big old city and all you're ever gonna be is mean," Harry mumbles into the microphone, his cheeks flushing. Perrie continues to sing, while Harry looks over to Louis, who is dancing drunkenly, smiling dopily at Harry.

"I bet you got pushed around
Somebody made you cold but the cycle ends right now 'cause you can't lead me down that road," Harry sings a little louder, earning a cheer from Zayn and a thumbs up from Louis.

"And I can see you years from now in a bar, talking over a football game, with that same big loud opinion but nobody's listening, washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things." Harry watches the screen, reading the lyrics, his mouth dry. "All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic and alone in life and mean, and mean, and mean, and mean."

He let's Perrie finish off the song and quickly jumps down, hands shaky and beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I either need a drink or to go home," he says to Zayn, voice strangled and lacing anxiousness.

"Why don't I call a cab for you two?" Zayn glances between the boys. Louis obviously drunk and Harry seeming like he is about to have a panic attack or something. Zayn wanders over to Perrie, who is talking to some girl on stage. "Babes, I am gonna call Haz and Lou a taxi, okay?" He whispers when she finishes conversing with the woman.

"Why? Are they okay?" Perrie asks in concern, looking over at their table. "I pushed him too much?" Her eyes fill with worry as she looks back to Zayn, a deep frown filling her face. "I-I just thought maybe if he realised nothing bad would happen if he lived a little-"

"I know, Pez. It isn't your fault. It is whoever did those despicable things to him. They ruined him, you're only trying to help fix him."

"Fix me?" Zayn spins around immediately, heart sinking. Harry stands there with tears in his eyes. He takes a step backwards, bumping into Louis. "I'm not ruined, Zayn. You may think I am, but I'm not. You don't know all of what I've been through, so you have no right to comment on who I am today." Harry swallows thickly and turns to Louis with a sad smile. "Do you want to stay here?"

Louis shakes his head immediately, heart sinking at the tesrs in Harry's eyes. He reaches up and gently wipes them away with his thumb, smiling softly at Harry. "Everything will be okay, angel. Stay at mine tonight? I'll look after you." Louis' voice is still slurred, but Harry nods and allows Louis to take his hand.

-*-

"My friend Niall is asleep, so we will have to be quiet," Louis whispers to Harry, who nods easily. He pushes open the squeaky door, cringing a little. They tiptoe to Louis' room, which is barely decorated. It is small and cramped, but also quite cosy. "If I knew you were coming around I would have cleaned up," Louis flushes, bending over to grab the clothing off of the ground.

Harry chuckles and sits on the bed, the moonlight that shines through the window illuminating him against the dark room. Louis drops his clothes on the random chair and begins to walk over to the bed, stumbling a little from the tipsiness.

He trips over his own feet, and crashes against Harry, who grabs him by the hips. Louis squirms from on top of him, their faces aligned. "Oops."

"Hi," Harry whispers fondly and begins to lean forward, in that moment wanting nothing more than Louis' lips on his own. Louis is quick to stagger off of Harry, though, his eyes wide as he balances himself enough to stand.

"We should get some sleep," he breathes out and crawls into bed, motioning for a flushed and embarrassed Harry to do so as well. "Goodnight," Louis mumbles, well aware he is still in jeans, but also knowing he wouldn't feel comfortable being in any less clothing.

And Harry felt the same, although their reasons were different, they were very similar.

A/N: I am aware this chapter is shit, but please still leave me some comments because it took a while!

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