[Tuesday, September 19th 2017]

"Niall, I'll be right back!" Louis shouts as he jogs out to his bike, clicking on his helmet before sitting down on it. He kicks up the stand and shoves the keys into the ignition.

Harry's school isn't that far, and while it's still warm out the wind from riding still whips at his uncovered hands. Students rush out of the building, and some give long looks at him riding by.

Harry jogs over before Louis even spots him. This time, he puts his gloves on, and hands the curly haired boy his helmet before he climbs on behind him.

[Friday, September 22nd 2017]

Louis sits talking with Aubrey, one of the girls who works in the shop alongside three others, Niall and himself. She's got her shirt ridden up to show them her newest tattoo. It goes all up her side. Louis thinks it's amazing.

He's about to touch the colored ink when the bell rings. Aubrey tugs her shirt back down hurriedly and sits behind the register.

Niall's already greeted them, but Louis peeks his head around to subtly see who it is. When he sees a curly head of hair he laughs quietly and leans his shoulder against a shelf.

Harry stands at the door, impatiently shooing his mum out and away. He turns slightly and smiles when seeing Louis. "She doesn't trust you?" he asks.

Harry purses his lips. "No, she trusts me. Just not eh- well, she doesn't really like that I'm hanging with a college kid covered in tattoos who owns a motorcycle. Thinks it's a bad influence or something." He shrugs. "But that doesn't mean that I don't like it I-I just-"

"I know, Harry, it's fine." Louis crosses his arms. "I could've taken you here right from school." He offers.

Harry scratches behind his ear. "I know, but she wanted me home to help set up a new dresser before going out anywhere, since my dad's away." His voice trails off. Louis rolls his eyes with a fond smile.

Louis really does love picking Harry up after school, seeing as he gets to be on his bike more and since his classes end before Harry's school day anyway. He commutes twenty minutes to class so it's not like he's ever stuck on campus either. He rides over when he's on break. However he technically owns the place so anytime could be his break.

The only part with Louis' side of the "deal" was that they never got around to piano. They always busied themselves too much with talking or reading the ancient collection of original comics from the store.

"So, what did you come for?" Louis asks, a smirk on his lips. "Finally gonna teach me piano?"

"Sure." Harry shrugs, making Louis' smirk fade.

"Wait. Seriously?"

❊ ❊ ❊ ❊

"That's not even funny!" Louis laughs hysterically, leaning his head on the table. "Okay, I'm good now." He sighs dramatically. Harry giggles and props his head up on his hands.

"I'm pretty funny, aren't I." He smiles. Louis rolls his eyes playfully.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say, hot shot. Niall should be here soon so I'll be able to leave." Louis sighs. "Not that there's much to do outside of here." He shrugs.

Harry tilts his head. "Yeah, but I like it here. Better than where I used to live," he says.

Louis furrows his eyebrows. "Where did you live before?"

Harry tries not to grimace, but he still doesn't look happy. "Holmes Chapel, up in England. The town was lovely, but the people I was friends with weren't as great. Homophobic, mainly-"

"Are you gay?" Louis asks bluntly.

Harry blushes, wide eyed, and itches behind his ear nervously. "Uh, pansexual, actually. Is that alright, with you? I mean, cause-"

"No, no, I'm gay, I just didn't know that you were pan or anything." Louis assures, and smiles when seeing the expression on Harry's face turn to relief.

"Okay." his voice comes out small and delicate. "That's kind of why we moved. I mean, not all the reason, since my mum got a job twenty minutes from here- but that kind of, settled the deal, you know?" Louis nods. "My friends weren't as much my friends when they found out. I had told them in eighth year. They were accepting of it at first, but they just kept thinking I would like one of them. They were awkward bout it." He pauses.

"I know what you mean. They weren't going to say anything about it, but you could tell that they weren't comfortable?" Louis tells him, to which he nods frantically.

"Exactly. So, what really broke it off was when we were at my one friends house. This was the year before we moved here. It all kinda just went down that year." He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. "We were at one of their houses watching a movie. I was sat at the end, and the boy next to me was like all stiff. Our shoulders were like, touching, and he said he was going to sit on the floor with a pillow since it was crowded. At the time I didn't think much of it but it really wasn't even cramped. And some of the other guys were on the hard ground, so when no one moved into his spot to spread out I was just like, 'what no one wants to sit with me' as a joke." He wears a sad look on his face, and through the fake smile you can see the hurt in his eyes.

Harry blinks a couple times. "Then they all kind of, just, stared at me. I didn't know why, so I like frowned, and asked what was wrong. They all tried to cover it up, but at one point Nick, the one who moved away from me, told me that no one wanted to sit next to me because I was gay." He looks down.

"Everyone cut the bullshit, isn't it obvious, Har? It's awkward as shit all the time and no one ever says anything. No one's sitting next to you cause you're gay! I mean, and we're all guys, who knows if you secretly have a crush on one of us? That's fuckin gross! If you were to make a move on one of us, and none of us are gay." He scoffed, turning back and slumping against the couch, his feet propped up on the floor.

"I hadn't seen it before that. But when I thought about it I realized how right he was, and I just... it was really bad for me." He mumbles.

"Is that true? Do you all think that?" Harry asked. "Do you think I'm disgusting?" His eyes weld with tears as he stood up, especially since none of them said anything.

Jake sighed. "We don't think you're gross. We just think it's kind of gross to think about you liking one of us. None of us know if you do or not, so it's awkward." He shrugged.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "You think I'd like one of you like that?"

Aaron joined in. "Yeah but some of our girlfriends sit with us at lunch and hang with us. It'd be weird for you to have a boyfriend that sits and hangs with us."

And okay, because that one hurt. Harry kept from balling his fists. "What, so you're all allowed to date and I just can't? Cause that makes sense." He shook his head. "I'm pansexual, not just gay, who's to say I won't have a girlfriend?"

"All those 'names' just mean gay anyways."

"Yeah." Jake shrugged. "Gay is gay, you know?"

Harry stood, disgust written all over his face. "No, I don't because that's not how it fucking works. But at least you dicks won't have to worry about that anymore.
You're all fuckin arseholes." His voice cracked at the end as he grabbed his bag, storming up the steps. Jakes mother saw him, and tilted her head.

"Harry, you alright? I heard shouting."

"It was really sad, honestly. I didn't want to leave them since they had been my only friends forever, but I just got really mad. They already hadn't liked me because of it, so it was no point. I just didn't want to have no friends." He sighs. "I just got ignored and made fun of. My mum, dad and I moved here in the summer two years ago. It's better here."

"Yeah, I just, I have to go. You can ask the boys. My mum is outside waiting." Harry lied, rushing away from her and out the front door to the house. Except, there was no white car waiting out for him, no headlights signaling his mother, nothing but a bit of drizzle in the air.

So, Harry walked and ran those two blocks back to his house. He was just about drenched by the time he got up his front steps, considering the drizzle had turned into a heavier rain. He was crying and you couldn't tell where the tears were with the rain droplets, but seeing his red nose and puffy eyes it was obvious.

Harry's mum came into sight, and he ran right into her arms, sobbing, and not caring about how wet and soggy his clothes were at the moment.

"I'm sorry." Louis tells him, frowning.

Harry shakes his head, looking up at Louis. "No, it's alright. There's nothing to do about it now. I have new friends here, including you if you'd count it." He smiles slightly.

Louis grins. "Dunno what else I'd count it as." He ruffles Harry's curls, to which the boy pouts and fixed them with a couple shakes of his head.

Harry smiles, and then picks up his phone when it buzzes. He furrows his eyebrows at the screen, and sighs. "My mum's on her way to pick me up." He tells Louis. Who nods, and they walk back to the front of the store. Louis stands with him there behind the counter so that he isn't standing alone.

His mum eventually gets there, and walks in, spotting her son and sighing. "C'mon, love." She mumbles, then let her gaze drift to Louis. "Hey, aren't you the boy who-"

"Can we go now, Mum?" Harry interrupts, saving Louis' butt. He isn't too sure she would like that her son is hanging with the guy who brought him back home after a beating. But no, she didn't seem to care about the fact that he saved his ass, twice.

She drops the subject, and then turns to walk out. Harry shoots Louis a look and mouths "bye" while he gives a slight wave.

-

I'm sorry this chapter was really short I just couldn't think of what to do and I just didn't have any inspiration for this chapter. It'll be better next chapter though!