'Tie the knot'
June 10th 2021
4316 words

The door slamming shut breaks the eerie silence that Louis and his father had been sharing as they stared at one another. Louis sighs in relief as his father leaves the room with a bang. The door shaking in it's frame. He sinks down on his bed. His mind is louder than ever and his ears are ringing. He feels as if his world is shattering around him and time has stopped.

Although if time had actually stopped, that would mean he wouldn't have to get married tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Yet his father only ever cared to mention it today. He is getting married on 24 hours notice. It's actually laughable. It's an absolute joke. Of course that is exactly what Louis thought when his father said it. His father just had to be kidding him. This had to be a joke of some sort. Not a good one, but better than the usual dad jokes.

But it wasn't a joke. His father actually meant it, and the longer Louis laughed at the terrible joke, the angrier his father got. His blood boiled as Louis just continued to make a charade out of the situation. Until the old man had enough. His father's bouldering voice filled the room as he spoke.

"You're getting married tomorrow and that's it. It's time you leave the nest, Louis. You think you can just keep living off your parents like this? You're twenty-seven for goodness sake, it's time to fucking get a life of your own!"

"And you think making me someone's housewife will help that?" Louis screeched back once realisation hit him. There was no way he was being married off. It's 2021 for fuck's sake.

All Louis remembers from what happened after that is storming out of the dining room, leaving his mother there as his father stormed after him up the stairs. It was a match of screams, footstomps, slamming doors and stares that could kill but his father wouldn't budge. He had his mind made up and wouldn't hear a word Louis said. The screaming settled down to an eerie silence, with both parties just staring at one another, hoping the other would give in eventually. But neither did. After all, Louis got his stubbornness from his dad.

He can't control the tears as he thinks about the situation he's in. Of course his father has a point. He is twenty-seven and should get a life of his own, but that's simpler said than done. He just never found the one to spend his life with. All the guys he dated ended up being assholes who didn't care for anyone but themselves or the bloke they decided to cheat with.

And he didn't make the best money, so moving out to live on his own just wasn't an option. And his friends? They all settled down years ago, so no one would be roomies with him. They all have lives of their own. The only people he could relate to, would be the one night stands he had after a night of intoxication and filthy dancing. They were just as lonely and pathetic as him.

So maybe his dad had a point. He should get his life together. But marrying him off? That's just ridiculous. There's no way he could go through with that. He didn't even know the guy's name!

His hands graze his soft bedsheets as he tries to think of a solution. What do people do in movies when they try to escape their wedding day?

The bedsheets... A smirk grows onto Louis' face as he eyes the blue sheets. He never backs away from an adventure and he's always wanted to climb Rapunzel's tower using her hair. Surely climbing down your bedroom window using a rope of bedsheets would be the closest he'll ever come.

Quickly he gets to work, jumping up from his bed and rushing over to the closet where he keeps his extra sheets and towels.

Before he knows it, he is tying to rope to his bedpost. Having moved his bed closer to the window. A backpack is securely sitting on his back, filled with essentials like water, deodorant and a sweater. He didn't need to stay away long, just long enough to scare his parents and make it clear that he isn't going to just get hitched.

He opens up the window, throwing the tied up sheets and towels out. Before he leaves he has another look around the room for the last time and listens for signs of his parents coming to check on him. He doesn't hear anything alarming so without a second thought he is climbing out the window. He jumps the last few feet and comes down with a thud.

A sense of freedom washes over him as he realises that he made it out alive. But soon another wave of fear sets in. What will his next move be? Run? Where would he even go? In his frenzie he doesn't even notice the rope of bedsheets that's thrown out a window across the street. He doesn't see the guy climbing out the window with little struggle. Louis only notices when he hears the boy come down with a thud.

Harry Styles. He's family has always lived across the street and growing up and being around the same age, Louis and Harry had been forced to be friends by their parents. However, Harry was never much of a friend.

Louis hated the guy ever since they were little. Harry would always be mean to him. From ripping up his drawings to breaking his favourite crayon. One time the bully even tried to push Louis into the pool.

And growing up, the boy didn't change. He would be obnoxious in every way. From pushing Louis in the hallway in school to driving past Louis on a rainy day and driving into a puddle on purpose, ruining Louis' entire outfit on picture day.

Wait a minute... Harry has a car! Louis hesitates. Is he really ready to swallow his pride and ask his mortal enemy for a fucking ride right now?

He guesses he doesn't have much of an option. He needs to get out of here fast and Harry is about to step into his car.

"Hey!" Before he can properly think it through, he shouts it, making the guy look up from fumbling with his keys. Harry doesn't reply, but one of his eyebrows pulls up in a questioning manner. He's waiting for Louis' next move. "Where are you going?"

He shrugs. Again, no verbal response and it's getting on Louis' nerves but there's no time to get annoyed. Not right now that is.

"Can I tag along?" It's a big reach and he knows it. Harry looks weirded out at first, but he sees the rope made out of bedsheets and the desperate look on his neighbour's face. And before he knows it he waves the boy over as he gets into his car.

Louis rushes to the driveway and gets into the passenger seat, breathing out a heavy sigh. He's another step closer to freedom.

They drive in silence, apart from the music from Harry's spotify list. Louis would love to hate it, but apparently his mortal enemy doesn't have the worst taste in music. Louis just quietly watches his neighbourhood disappear and new sceneries flash by the window.

"So, where do you wanna go?" Harry breaks the silence with his low voice. Louis hates how slow he talks. It's as if he is trying to annoy him on purpose.

"I don't care as long as it isn't back home."

"Wasn't planning on going back, not today at least."

"Great."

Another few minutes pass by in silence. Louis doesn't know where they are anymore, but he couldn't care less. He is fine with wherever.

"Hungry?"

"I could eat."

Harry nods and takes a left turn. After another few minutes and another few turns they make it to a McDonalds drive through. "What do you want?"

"A cheeseburger?" It comes out more like a question. He never really goes to McDonalds so he wouldn't know what's good. Last time he had anything from the fast food joint he was ten and probably ate a Happy Meal.

"Only a cheeseburger? C'mon Mr. Boring, get something exciting."

"Well, what are you getting, Mr. Adventurous?"

"A Bacon Clubhouse Burger with chips and an Oreo McFlurry."

"Alright, I'll have a cheeseburger with chips and a vanilla milkshake?"

"Better."

Harry smirks as he drives up to the speakerphone to place their order. Before driving further to the window to collect their food. Their food is packaged in big brown paper bags that are placed onto Louis' lap. And Harry quickly passes him the milkshake and McFlurry in a little tray.

As he drives to the next window to pay for it, Louis takes a sip from his milkshake, frowning at the taste. "Harry, do you want the milkshake?"

"Why? You don't like it?" He looks concerned, a look Louis has never seen on his face before. The blue eyed boy shakes his head, holding the cup out to Harry.

Harry takes the shake as he stops in front of the last window, and before the girl can tell him how much their meal costs, Harry hands her the milkshake.

"Sorry, we don't want it. How much is it?"

As he has paid he drives onto one of the parking spaces. They eat in silence at first, watching as the sky gets darker. It's getting pretty late and Louis wonders if his parents have found out he is gone yet. He has turned his phone off so he wouldn't know.

Are they worried about him? He hopes so. He hopes they're scared, not too much but they should at least feel a little guilty. His mum is probably crying her eyes out. His father might have called the police by now.

"So, why did you run?" Harry is the first one to break the silence again and Louis is grateful for it. If he kept on thinking about this situation at home, he would have become too worried.

"My parents."

"What about them?"

"They're absolutely impossible."

His companion nods in reply, eating a chip. Louis hates how he opens his mouth too wide and sticks his tongue out while eating. Who even does that?

"And you? Why did you run off?"

"Same reason, parents can't stop meddling."

It's Louis' turn to nod. His fingers are busying themselves with ripping up a napkin.

"You're cleaning that up, right?"

"Yes, dad."

Louis sighs loudly, stuffing the ripped up paper into his empty chips container, putting it into one of the brown bags.

"Do you have anything that needs to be thrown out?" Louis points to a trash can outside the car. Harry quickly hands over his own brown bag filled with empty containers.

"Please, don't drive off." He says it lightly, even adds a wink, but he actually is terrified of Harry just driving off as soon as he leaves the car.

"Don't tempt me, princess." The smaller frowns at the nickname, but gets out of the car anyway. He quickly makes his way towards the trash can and drops their garbage in.

He hears the car behind him roaring to life and his heart leaps in his chest. He wouldn't, would he? He can't leave him here, he doesn't even know where here is. He shouldn't have trusted Harry, how could he be so stupid.

Louis quickly turns around, his eyes watery and big as he rushes to the car, pulling open the passenger door with all the strength in him and hurriedly he jumps onto the seat. He's breathing heavily, a hand clamped over his heart, eyes pinched closed as he is trying to fight his tears.

Harry however is laughing loudly, saying things like 'you should've seen your face' through his obnoxious laughter.

Louis waits until the hysterics have calmed down to wipe under his eyes, effectively catching the tears.

"Why are you such a dick?"

"To have a laugh. Don't get your panties in a twist, princess. It was just a harmless joke. I wouldn't have driven off."

"Why are you always such a dick to me though? What have I ever done to you?"

"What do you mean?"

Harry genuinely looks confused and it's only making Louis angier. The idiot doesn't even know how much of an asshole he has been throughout the years.

"You've always tried to get me to cry or get angry. I can't think of a single time where you were nice to me and we've known each other for about twenty five years." Louis rambles, but he feels lighter as he's getting it off his chest. His eyes are focused on Harry's green ones, making sure the guy knows he is serious.

"What? I have been nice to you. I just paid for your meal. I let you run away with me rather than leave you stranded at your front door."

"Oh wow, twenty five years go by and finally Harry Styles is doing something kind. And then immediately has to compensate for it by pulling a god awful prank as soon as I step out of the car."

"Well, if I'm so awful. Why did you get into a car with me in the first place?"

"Because I needed a way out. I needed to be taken away from that place that very instant and you were the only way I could do that. I would have walked if you weren't there, I would have crawled if I needed to." Louis' voice breaks at the end, tears have reappeared in the corners of his blue eyes. "I can't get married. Not to a stranger."

"What was that?" Harry looks up, locking eyes with Louis' watery ones. "Married?"

Louis lets out a pathetic laugh, the pain is visible in his face. "They're marrying me off. The wedding is tomorrow."

"You're kidding, right?" Harry's eyes are wide, almost popping out of his skull. Worry fills his face.

"You think I'd joke about something like this?" Louis bites back. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because I left my house for the same exact reason."

"What?" Louis didn't understand, why would Harry run 'cause Louis was getting married off. That's ridiculous. Wait. "What!"

"Well. Hello, bride. I guess." Harry huffs, a dark chuckle leaving his mouth as he turns his head away.

"They are marrying me off to you?!"

"Ouch." Harry sarcastically remarks.

"God damnit, you know what I mean."

"Well, you're no prize either, princess."

Louis can't help it but roll his eyes. How could his parents ever do that to him? Marrying him off is one thing, but to Harry Styles?

"How can they not know how much I hate you?"

He hadn't realised he said it out loud. It was meant to be part of his inner monologue but he mumbles it into thin air. Harry looks up, the previously angered look wiped off his face, replaced by emptiness.

"You hate me?"

Harry almost sounds hurt. It breaks Louis out of his thoughts.

"How could I not?" He says honestly, not trying to hurt Harry more but he also wasn't going to lie to him. "You've always pestered me."

"I know I annoy you, but I thought it was playful. You know?"

Louis is amazed. Playful? It was never playful. For playful pestering you need to be on good terms, friends.

"You pushed me into the deep end of a pool when I was eight."

"Yeah but I jumped in with you to make sure you didn't drown and die." Harry interjects.

"You ripped up all my drawings. Broke my favourite pencil."

"Well yours were always better than mine."

"You ruined my outfit on picture day in junior year."

"C'mon I put my sweater in your locker so you'd have dry clothes to wear!"

"That was yours?"

Louis is stunned at that. He had never known who put the sweater in his locker. He had thought someone must have seen him walk in looking like a soggy poodle and must have pitied him as the whole school had a laugh. But he would have never guessed it was Harry.

"Well, what about senior year? When I came out as gay and you made everybody in our year call me Louise. Along with spreading the rumour that I had a, and I quote, tranny fanny!"

Harry doesn't have a reply. He just looks down shamefully. "I was jealous."

"Jealous of what?! Being a weirdo? Being the only gay kid in school? Being bullied by everyone for a whole year until finally you could escape your crappy hometown? Only to be back after uni and still have people call you Louise with the tranny fanny whenever you walk out on the street and happen to pass someone you went to school with?"

"I wished I had the guts to come out at that age as well."

It's Louis' turn to be silent. He looks stunned as he watches Harry, the strong bully, disappear and a quiet, unsure version of the guy appear instead. He'd never seen him so small. Vulnerable.

"I sometimes wished I hadn't come out."

"I can imagine. I'm sorry for making life so hard on you. I wish I could turn back time, truly."

The blue eyed boy looks over at him. Slumped into himself. Louis places a hand on Harry's arm.

"I forgive you."

"You shouldn't."

"I know, but I want to."

They look outside. The parking lot has gone empty with the passing of time and the sky has fully blackened.

"I need some fresh air." Harry mumbles and opens the door, slamming it shut behind him. The sound startles Louis. He watches Harry pace around the car for a second. Before he sees him sit down on a nearby bench. He fishes a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his jacket, playing with one of the cigs.

Louis sighs. Grabbing the sweater in his backpack and quickly pulling it over his head before stepping out of the car as well. He walks over and sits down next to Harry on the wooden bench. The night is cold, but the sweater is quite thick.

"You kept it."

Louis doesn't look, but he can hear the slight smirk in Harry's voice.

"I did."

"Why?"

"I felt like the sweater was this incredibly romantic offer from a secret knight in shining armor who stepped up to save the day."

Louis giggles as Harry lets out a chuckle, breaking whatever tense energy was hanging around them. The green eyed boy puts the cigarette back in the pack, pocketing it again.

"I wish I could have been that knight. Instead, I guess I was the dragon. Pestering the princess."

"I guess that day you were the dragon and the knight."

Louis says. And as he lets his words sink in, he guesses that must be how Harry had felt during that time. Constantly battling himself as if he were both the knight and the dragon.

"When did you know you're gay? Or bi? Or-"

"I'm pansexual." Harry interjects. "I guess I always sort of knew. Just never had the guts to come out. I felt like I needed to play the straight jock, since my friends were straight jocks." He chuckles, but it's not genuine. It's full of bottled up pain. "I felt like I had to date the whole cheer squad. I felt like I had to always be with the most popular girl. I had to be the asshole who screws over the headcheerleader by screwing her best friend. I had to be that guy to keep my status, my friends. I felt like the only way to be intimate with the guys I had a crush on, is when having a threesome with some bimbo in between us."

"Harry, I'm sorry."

Harry looks at him. "There were so many nights where I laid awake wishing I could be like you, Louis." His green eyes are sparkling with unshed tears and Louis had never noticed how green they actually are. "Where I wished I could come out of the closet and really be me as well, without the fear."

"When did you come out? I'm guessing your parents know, seeing as they set you up with a guy."

"I came out after graduation. My parents were gems. They were so lovely. I guess they were just happy to see me act like myself rather than a jerk for once. My friends, however..."

"How did they react?"

"As if we were never friends in the first place. As if I was sick and they could catch whatever gay cooties I had."

A tear streams down his cheek and Louis can't help but move his hand to Harry's face, wiping the tear off. His hand cups the sculpted cheek. Guess he never noticed how handsome Harry truly is with his greener than green eyes and sharp features.

"I'm sorry you had to experience that." Louis whispers. "I know what it's like to lose everyone. Just know you're better off without them. You're you and there's nothing shameful or gross about that. You're amazing just the way you are."

Harry chuckles, nuzzling his cheek into Louis' hand. "Quoting Bruno Mars are we, princess?"

For the first time in his life, that nickname doesn't get under Louis' skin. It actually makes butterflies burst through his body.

"Well, it's true." Louis' giggles fill the air between them, making Harry smile brighter.

"Thank you for listening to my rant." Harry smiles a genuine smile. "Who would have guessed that the two of us would ever have a heart to heart in a McDonalds' parking lot in the middle of the night, hours before our set up wedding."

"I surely wouldn't have." Louis chuckles, "but I'm glad we are."

"Me too." Harry bumps his shoulder with Louis'. "Wanna do something fun?"

"What are you thinking of?"

"Truth or dare?" Harry asks seriously, but as soon as he says it Louis bursts out in laughter.

"Styles, are we thirteen?"

"Well, do you have a better idea?"

"Twenty questions." Louis suggests and with a nod Harry agrees. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Boringggg," the guy draws out, rolling his eyes.

"Just answer, dumbass."

"Blue. Who was your first celebrity crush?"

"Peter Pan in the life action movie." The blue eyes boy confesses with a blush on his cheeks.

"The blond kid?" Harry asks. "Cool."

"Who was yours?"

"I guess I thought Jenifer Aniston was quite fit, but I also really liked Chandler and not just because he was funny." Harry smiles and Louis can't agree more. 90's Matthew Perry had to be everybody's celebrity crush at some point.

"Who was your first kiss?"

Louis' blush creeps up from his neck to his cheeks. "My first kiss was with Amanda from a few doors down, but I guess that doesn't really count since that was before I was out. My first kiss was with Jackson behind the bleachers."

"Jackson from the soccer team?"

"Yeah, he said he was closeted. It ended up being a prank though. I thought you'd have known about it, since you were friends with him."

"I didn't." Harry says and Louis can see anger in his eyes. "If I'd known I would've-"

"It's alright, I'm over it anyway." Louis assures, placing a hand on Harry's arm. "Who was your first kiss?"

"Hailey in kindergarten. We dated for ten whole minutes before I heard she had girl cooties." Harry chuckles, looking up at the night sky.

"Awh poor girl, you probably broke her heart." Louis jokingly says. "And who was your first boy kiss?"

Harry doesn't quite reply at first, focussed on the stars above and Louis thinks he didn't hear him, but as he is about to repeat it, Harry mumbles something under his breath.

"What?"

"No one." Harry says louder this time. "After coming out and losing everyone except family, I never put myself quite out there. So I haven't kissed a guy ever."

Louis doesn't know what to say, he just looks in awe at the person that he always thought he hated so much. But really the boy was broken himself.

"Harry?" Louis whispers it, not daring to look into those green eyes.

"Lou?"

"Would you," Louis builds up the courage to ask, "would you like to kiss a boy?"

Harry looks down at him, slightly confused, but then it dawns on him what Louis is trying to say. He doesn't quite know how to reply, but his actions speak loudly as he turns towards Louis and gently lays a hand on his cheek.

Louis in return turns to him as well, placing a hand on his broad shoulder, the other he places over Harry's hand on his cheek as if he's afraid the guy will move it and the warmth of his hand will disappear from his cheek.

"I would love to kiss you."

Nothing more needs to be said as they both lean in and their lips softly meet in the middle for a short peck. But a soft peck turns into pecks until their lips just stick together. Louis slowly opens his mouth allowing Harry's tongue entrance. The kiss and kiss, again and again as if they've never kissed anyone. And truth be told, they never had kissed someone like that. They'd never felt this feeling. They never needed someone as much as they needed the other right now and they'd never felt so many emotions from simply kissing someone.

When finally they need to catch their breath, their foreheads rest against one another, hands still on each other. Harry can't help but let out a whisper.

"I think I wanna marry you."

"Look who's quoting Bruno Mars now."

• Author's note •

I hope you liked that one shot! Please leave a comment and a vote if you did!

It all started from this writing prompt:

x Emma