Archive of Our Own ^beta

In a world where it’s all easy and everything is meant to be, all it really takes is a grasshopper for the two of them to meet.

*~*

Louis stumbles into the hall of the flat, turning to walk up the stairs that will lead him to his apartment. He’s not /that/ tired really, it’s just that it’s Friday night or theoretically Saturday morning. And no he’s not /that/ drunk either because even though it had been one of Niall’s parties, Louis really didn’t feel like dealing with a throbbing head and sick feeling in the morning. Also, it isn’t really an apartment, more like a small, tiny student room. The whole flat had been built with those small, basic rooms. The flat is near the universities and had become a place for students with not enough money in their pockets. Louis happening to be one of those.

Anyway, he just really wants to get to his place and fall in his bed. Only to not wake up by the stupid tune he once decided was a good song to use as alarm. Seriously, if Louis had any advice to give, it would be on how to turn your favorite song into the thing you hate the most in the damn world.

It was finally weekend and nothing was gonna wake him up, well nothing except maybe Liam or Niall or his mother or a phone call from one of the places he auditioned or his work or his little sisters or a fresh cooked breakfast…. Nothing.

The drama student wanders further up the stairs until he finds himself staring at a big white ‘3’, which he probably could consider racism if he were a sociology student or whatever, and yeah he did care about human rights but hey, this is the twenty-first-century and he wasn’t studying people or rights or something farfetched like the-existence-of-the-color-white-that-is-not-even-a-color. So Louis just smiled at the enormous number as it stared back at him unresponsive, how rude. Louis averts his gaze and is met with something way more interesting. His eyes trail along the carpeted floor and the long wall holding a row of doors on the right side of the hall to pause on a boy. A boy on the floor.

Well not a boy more like a teenager, an old teenager. Probably nineteen. Louis himself was almost twenty two. Twenty one and a half. So that would make the boy-old-teenager a little man, a young man. Why wasn’t there a proper word for that age group yet?

The bo-little man is sort of sitting on the floor. One of his knees drawn up to his chest, his other probably was as well but had fallen awkwardly to the side. One of his arms in his lap the other just sort of hangs to the floor like it had fallen down on it after gravity got the better of it.

Gravity. Gravity. What a weird word.

The little man’s head is resting against his knees, a few curls sticking out from under the hoodie he is wearing and pajama pants, he’s also wearing pajama pants. Louis spends two full minutes staring dumbly at the sight of the little man on the floor, slumped against a door until he decides the little man is asleep.

What a weird place to sleep. Louis thinks. Like, he has found himself waking up on a bench in an actual real airport once, with a massive hangover. He had a hangover, not the airport obviously. But that was because he had gotten drunk and lost. This little man just looks like he was trying to get to his bed but hadn’t made it all the way.

Student! Student! That is probably what you call little mans like himself and the sleeping one in front of him. Right. Student.

Louis takes a few steps closer to the student until he’s in arms reach and he crouches down. He softly touches the student’s in-hoodie-covered shoulder and shakes it lightly.

“Um,” Louis shakes him again “Hello?”

The student’s eyes crinkle when he closes them tighter, he slowly lifts his head from his knees and opens one eye. The student then seems to become aware of his position and jumps up, only to almost fall down again. He saves himself by grabbing onto the doorknob of the door behind him, causing it to open and causing himself to fall into the room. The student than jumps up and out of the room and slams the door shut with a shaken expression.

“Um, hi.” He croaks with a still sleep coated voice.

Louis tries so hard not to but his laugh just comes out and he has to wrap his arms around his tummy from it.

*~*

Harry looks at the one who had woken him up and is now laughing at his clumsiness, his own cheeks turning red. Harry rubs in his eyes with one hand and can't help but notice how gorgeous the blue eyed male in front of him is, looking that happy. He has hazelnut brown hair which is way lighter than Harry's own. The stranger's blue eyes look like the sea when the sun shines down on it on a late afternoon, creating little sparkles like glitter on the surface. His tanned skin crinkles at the outer side of his eyes from smiling. And Harry can't help but stare in awe.

The light brunette scrapes his throat "What do you study?" The unexpected question causes Harry's jaw to drop slightly.

"Um, it's easier to refer to you that way than just saying 'student' you know." He explains having seen Harry's expression. But before Harry can answer he is talking again.

"It's actually quite weird isn't it? That in our age group everyone gets labeled as 'student'. Like what if you don't want to or can't go to uni. It's almost like they're forcing us to do so anyway. I'm a drama student by the way. Have always loved acting and wanted to become a drama teacher ever since I played Danny in our school performance of Grease. Like I don't think I'm a good enough actor but I love it too much to drop it. I tried to refer to you as 'little man', but it didn't sound right so student it is. An..."
Harry cuts his rambling off with "You could, you could just ask my name." and a simple "Young adult."

"Oh, that makes sense. Yeah." "Young adult." The slightly shorter man repeats the words as Harry shoves his hands in the pockets of his open hoodie.

This causing it to give more of his chest bare, Harry realizes this when a pair of blue eyes travel downwards until they stay focused on his chest and the few tattoos he's got.

"Uh" The drama student begins as his eyes travel further down to the beginning of what could be a six pack. "whatisyourname?" He asks as he looks up again.

Harry chuckles. "Harry "

"Louis" The no-stranger-any-more replies.

"physics."

“Drama.”

“I know.”

"You sleep cute.”

And Harry can see him biting his tongue trying to not break the rhythm before “Not that I was watching you but, like I did see you. And you look very cute when you’re asleep."

Harry smiles at Louis, he likes Louis, he decides.

"I don't normally sleep on the floor outside of my room."

"If you would've said 'door' it would've rhymed."

"Yeah it would."

"Your hair is curly, very curly. There are curls everywhere. It could have been an afro but it isn’t because it is not that curly. But it is curly."

"It is."

"You have dimples when you smile."

Harry ducks his head hiding his face from Louis' sight.

"Like that!" Louis exclaims happily.

*~*

"Wait, why were you sleeping in the hall? I saw you when I came up the stairs and passed the big white tree. Which could've been black or green too for my part. Everything equal right? I live on this floor too. You must be new this year though, otherwise I would've seen you. Have you forgotten your key? No you just practically fell into the room. So th.." Louis blushes slightly as he stops himself. Watching as Harry smiles gently.

Harry’s smile is something Louis would like to put in a bottle. Not literally, that would be gross. But the tenderness, the honesty of it, it makes Louis happy from inside.

If he smiles any wider than that his face might split in two though.

"Sorry.” Louis tries again. “Why were you sleeping in the hall, Harry?" He takes the time for his words this time. Maybe speaking a bit slow. But at least it helps him from rambling and just saying everything that comes to his mind.
“Long story.”

“I have a lot of time.” Louis replies with a smile as he sits down on the floor to show he’s willing to listen even if it takes the whole night. He’s willing to listen to this bare chested, cute sleeping, hot guy with his deep slow and steady voice all week if he had to.

“Ok.” Harry says as he sits down besides Louis, his back resting against the door again.

“Um, like.” Harry readjusts his position.

“Basically I was getting ready to sleep.” He looks at Louis now. Like he is not sure about what he is going to say. “But there, um, there was something on my bed.”

“What?” Louis cuts in Harry’s story.

“What was on your bed? A murderer? I couldn’t have been right?”

“No.”

“Then what was it.”

“A, um…” Harry sighs “A grasshopper?”

“There was a grasshopper beside your bed?” Louis tries to summarize because he’s not really getting it.

“Yeah.”

“It was actually in my bed. And I um, I, I got scared. And I tried to shoo it away. But It wouldn’t move. And when it finally did it, um like jumped. Really high. And I got scared.”

Harry talks in short sentences, stretching every word out. It’s kind of beautiful Louis thinks. He likes the way Harry talks. With his low slow voice.

“I was waiting for someone to help me, but uh, I fell asleep, I guess.” Harry shrugs even though Louis can clearly see his cheeks turning red from embarrassment. Louis wants to help him but he certainly doesn’t feel anything for going on an insect hunt in the dark late evening and he’s still tired and he can hear his bed calling.

Not really calling. Obviously. He just wants to fall down onto it and sleep.

“Doyouwannasleepinmyroom?”

*~*

“What?” Harry asks, looking up with big eyes into Louis’ blue ocean-like ones.

“Do you want to sleep over in my room tonight?” Louis asks. Harry can see how hard he’s concentrating on getting the words out one by one and slow enough for him to comprehend.

“Like, I can help you with the grasshopper tomorrow, but I’m kinda tired and I don’t mind?”

Harry can feel himself yawning at that moment. And he nods.

For some reason he feels really comfortable with Louis. He’s only just met him but they seem to fit. Especially when they lay down in Louis’ bed together in just their boxers, because why not. Harry grabs Louis’ hand to hold. Just for comfort. And Louis wraps his fingers around Harry’s hand.

*~*

In a world where everything is meant to be and live rolls on easily. Louis and Harry find each other on a perfect night, and know ‘this is right’. ‘This is ok.’ And they both like it just that way. Nothing or no one would stand in between, and their beings can melt together like no one has ever seen. But for the us who don’t live in a world like they do, life is harder and filled with situations to fight through. And as their breath slowly evens out, it’s only true love that can reduce our doubt.

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