Archive of Our Own

The sulfuric smell of exhaust seeps into the bus as they enter the tunnel and Harry anxiously checks the time on his phone for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. At least neither of them are checking any luggage. As long as the security line isn't super long, they should make it to the gate in time to board their flight. He exhales a frustrated sigh and leans his head against the window, accepting that no amount of him worrying will get them to the airport any faster.

"We should've taken the earlier bus," Matt grumbles from the seat next to him. "Or I could've just driven us. This was such a stupid idea. The buses are never on time." He angrily throws his hands up in the air, huffing a loud breath out of his nostrils. Harry's shoulders automatically stiffen in response and he curls in on himself, leaning further away from his ex-boyfriend. "Why would you book us on one that's s'posed to get there so close to our departure time?" He turns to Harry as if he's going to actually answer the question. With his eyes fixed on the line of blue tiles decorating the tunnel wall, Harry stares out of the bus window, ignoring Matt and wishing he hadn't ever agreed to go on this trip.

Matt's standing up from his seat before the bus has even stopped at the curb outside of the departures area of Boston Logan International Airport. His movements are rushed and filled with anger, reaching up and aggressively yanking his carry-on bag down from the overhead storage space. Harry clocks the reactions of the other passengers in the surrounding seats through their facial expressions and returns their gazes with a sympathetic look of his own, hoping to wordlessly convey his embarrassment and his own disdain for Matt's behavior.

Between the construction currently being done on the terminal and the crowds lined up inside, the airport feels extra hectic this morning. Or maybe that's just what it feels like to travel with Matt who's currently muttering under his breath and tapping his foot impatiently while they wait for one of the self-check-in kiosks to become available. Once it's their turn and they've printed their boarding passes, the two men rush through the concourse towards the TSA check point.

"Of fuckin' course!" Matt harps.

"It's moving pretty quickly," Harry observes, trying to stay positive, hoping it might calm Matt down but knowing full-well that it won't.

"We're never gonna make it."

"Do you always have to be so negative?" As soon as the words are out of his mouth, Harry regrets it.

"Seriously, Harry? Are you serious right now?" He spits out through clenched teeth, inching up further in the line. "You're unbelievable. This is all your fault. Should've just driven myself here."

"Why are we even taking this trip?" Harry mumbles quietly to himself.

"Excuse me, our flight's already boarding. Could we just," Matt gestures around the couple standing in front of them, trying to push his way through to the front of the line. Harry hunches over, shrinking in embarrassment. When the couple moves aside, allowing them to pass, Harry apologizes and thanks them profusely.

Matt continues to barge through the crowd while Harry hesitantly follows along behind him, offering apologies to everyone in their wake. When they reach a man with a large backpack and a carry-on bag blocking their path, Matt attempts to shove his way past. Caught off guard, and looking half-asleep, the man spins around when Matt bumps into him. In all of the commotion, the man trips over his luggage and the lid from his Starbucks cup pops off, sending coffee through the air just as Harry nears him.

Mortified, Harry reaches out hoping to help somehow. "I'm so sorry." He manages to steady the man and sends him an apologetic look.

"S'okay. Are you alright?" The stranger asks, bending down to retrieve his fallen cup. There's iced coffee everywhere. It's on the man's carry-on and the leg of his sweatpants. It's all over the floor. Harry feels terrible.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I'm so sorry. Let me go get something to clean this up." Harry ducks under the stanchion and races off towards a nearby bathroom. He returns a few moments later with a handful of paper towels and begins to wipe down the man's luggage.

"Harry! What are doing?! Come on!" Matt shouts, scowling at him from where's he's shoved his way to the front of the line.

Harry's whole body tenses in reaction to Matt yelling at him. His skin feels hot and tight where it's stretched over his bones. His heart is pounding so aggressively that Harry is sure if he were to look, he'd be able to see it beating through his shirt. Without acknowledging Matt, he continues to clean up the sticky mess.

"Go on, I'll get this," The other man sends Harry a sympathetic, sleepy smile and takes the paper towels from his hands. "You're gonna miss your flight."

"Good," Harry puffs out a sarcastic little laugh. "Don't wanna go anyway."

"What?"

"He's a dick," Harry offers in explanation.

"Well,obviously." The stranger chuckles. "Oh, shit." He notices Harry's boarding pass lying on the floor, sopping wet and stained from spill. Before he can grab it, the line moves and the woman behind them grows impatient, shuffling forward and crowding into their space. The wheels of her suitcase drag through the puddle of coffee and over Harry's boarding pass, tearing it in the process.

"Fantastic." Harry picks up the discolored and torn piece of paper. The ink is smeared and all of the pertinent details are unreadable.

"D'you have the app?" The other man holds up his phone. "You can use the digital boarding pass instead."

Overwhelmed and panicked, but unsure of what else to do, Harry pulls his phone from his pocket and searches the app store for the JetBlue app. He stares at the tiny progress circle like he can will it to download quicker if he glares at it intensely enough. As the security line continues to move up, Harry's anxiety continues to grow.

"You've still got time. It'll be alright."

Used to being growled at and made to feel like he can't do anything right, it takes Harry a moment to comprehend that the calm tone and reassuring words are being directed at him. When he realizes it, he looks up from his phone. His shoulders relax as he's met with a kind expression and patient eyes. Harry is overcome with emotion. "Who are you and why are you being so nice to me?" His words come out harsher than he'd meant for them to sound.

The stranger's shoulders shake and he covers his mouth with the back of his hand as he laughs. "Sorry, I'll try to be less nice. I'm Louis."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to— I wasn't trying to be— I'm having a rough day," Harry deflates, feeling like absolute shit for snapping at him.

"No worries, yeah?" He places a gentle hand on the outside of Harry's bicep.

Harry flinches and quickly retracts his arm on instinct.

"I'm so sorry." The other man backs up and raises his hands in surrender. "I shouldn't have touched you. I'm so sorry. That was—"

"No, it's okay," Harry cuts him off. "I'm just— I'm a little on edge. And I just… I wasn't expecting it, that all. It's okay, though. Really." He turns his attention back to his phone, hurriedly creating an account and syncing his flight details.

"Next!" By some miracle he manages to obtain his boarding pass in the app just in time to present it to the TSA agent waiting in front of him.

"Good luck," Louis says as Harry steps forward to present his documents.

While he waits for his belongings to emerge on the other side of the conveyor belt, Harry scans the screening area and the surrounding seats in search of Matt. He must have gone ahead to the gate. Hopefully he can have them hold the plane for Harry. When the tray holding his things finally gets spit out from the x-ray machine, Harry grabs his carry-on and stuffs his feet back into his sneakers. With the heels of his old Vans folded in under his feet, Harry takes off in a sprint towards gate C36.

Halfway down the hallway, he's hot and sweaty and slightly out of breath when he hears the announcement.

Paging JetBlue passenger Harry Styles to gate C36 for immediate departure. This is a final boarding call for JetBlue passenger Harry Styles. The door to the aircraft is now closing.

Harry picks up his pace, weaving in and out of the passengers leisurely milling about. As he reaches the gate, he waves his hand in the air to get the attention of the airline employees at the counter. "I'm here," he calls out, winded and disheveled. "I'm here. I'm Harry Styles." He's a mess and he feels foolish running up to the gate announcing his name like this. "You just paged me. I have my boarding pass." He swipes his thumb over the screen of his phone to unlock it but he's staring at a black screen. "What the… " he mumbles, trying again to unlock his phone. "Are you kidding me?" His phone is completely dead.

"Sir, we've already closed the door to the aircraft. I apologize, but you're too late. We can put you on standby for the next flight to Los Angeles."

ᯓ ✈︎ ⋆°• ☁︎

The next flight to Los Angeles isn't for another four and a half hours. At least that gives him plenty of time to charge his phone. If he's going to spend the better part of the day waiting around in terminal C, he might as well get something to eat. With ample time, Harry wanders around the JetBlue wing at Logan Airport perusing the multiple Hudson News locations and considering his dining options. In the past, he'd always found it perplexing to see people sitting down to eat a full meal at the airport. Now, with so much time to kill before his flight, Harry thinks he finally gets it. He's stood in front of Gachi Sushi & Noodles, reading over the menu when he hears a vaguely familiar voice.

"You missed the flight?"

Turning to look over his shoulder, he finds Louis standing there. "Yeah," he answers, nodding his head. "They put me on standby for the next flight but it's not 'til ten past two, so… " He shrugs. "Just killing time now."

"I'm sorry. That sucks."

"Eh, at least I won't have to spend the entire six hour flight sitting next to that prick now," Harry jokes.

"Wait, did he leave without you?" Louis' eyes widen and his eyebrows shoot up in shock. "Tell me he didn't get on that plane without you."

Harry ducks his head, feeling ashamed. "He did."

"What a fuckin' douche bag! Who does that?"

"There's a reason he's my ex."

"I have so many questions." Louis shifts his backpack to his other shoulder and lolls his head side to side, stretching his neck.

"Me too," Harry laughs. "Like, what did I ever see in him?"

"Great question. Does he have any redeeming qualities?" Louis asks. "Sorry, that was inappropriate. S'none of my business. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. Feels kinda nice to talk shit about him actually."

"Oh, thank god because I really need to know," Louis levels Harry with a serious look. "Does he always dress like he's tryin' to sell you a cell phone from a kiosk at the mall?"

"Right!" Harry snorts. "I almost choked when he showed up in that bright purple polo shirt this morning. And what's with those pleated khakis!"

"So many pleats," Louis adds. "A travesty. No one should be wearing those pants. They need to be burnt."

"Set them on fire!" Harry declares, holding up his finger.

"Destroy them!"

"Along with every memory I have of that asshole."

Louis high fives Harry at that, which is… maybe a bit weird, but also, Harry appreciates having someone cheering on his declaration to finally delete Matt from his life. It's long overdue.

"Hey, I passed a Starbucks just back there a little ways," Harry remembers and points down the hallway in the direction of the coffee shop. "And I owe you an iced coffee. Do you have time? We could walk over now."

"First off, you don't owe me anything. If anyone owes me a coffee, it's Michael McPleats— "

"Matt," Harry interrupts. "Matt McPleats," he corrects, fighting to keep a straight face.

"Matt. Of course his name is Matt," Louis rolls his eyes. "But we're not talking about Matty McPleats anymore. We destroyed his memory in a fiery blaze along with those tragic pants, remember?"

"Yes, fiery blaze. That's right. RIP Matty McPleats." Harry's eyes are watering, he's laughing so hard.

"No, no peace for those pants or that preppy purple people eater. RI, H," Louis corrects. "Rot in Hell!"

Harry's doubled over with laughter now. "Okay, since he's," his words are cut off by a series of giggles. Harry takes a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. "Since he's rotting in hell and therefore cannot buy you a coffee, will you please let me buy you a coffee? If you have enough time before your flight?"

"I have plenty of time and I would love to grab a coffee with you."

Harry isn't sure if it's the tone of his voice or the smile that Louis flashes him, but something causes he's knees to buckle. He's grateful that he has the extended handle on his carry-on suitcase to lean on so he doesn't topple over.

While they wait for their drinks, Louis tells Harry that he actually flew in from Reykjavik, Iceland on a red-eye last night and he's been in Boston since seven o'clock this morning. He says it so casually that Harry thinks he must have misheard him over the whir of the espresso machine. "Wait, hold on. Back up. You were in Iceland last night?"

"Yeah, I flew out last night."

"I have lots of questions."

"Ask away." Louis gestures for Harry to continue.

"What were you doing in Iceland? Were you there by yourself? How long were you there? Was it cold? Did you see the Northern Lights? Did you meet Bjork? Do you speak Icelandic?" Harry rattles off his questions. "Sorry, you obviously don't have to answer all of those. I'm just super curious."

"Okay, let's see how many of your questions I remember. My memory is kinda shit," Louis laughs. "Um, I was there for four days for work. I make snowboards and— "

"You make snowboards? Okay, sorry, we'll put a pin in that. I have so many follow up questions, but continue, please. M'sorry for interrupting." Louis laughs again and Harry has to stop himself from pulling out his phone and recording it because he swears that it's the greatest sound in the history of the world.

"Yeah, I design snowboards and um, I've been working with a manufacturer in Reykjavik so that's why I was there. Uh… I've been to Iceland three times now and unfortunately, I still haven't run into Bjork. I have seen the Northern lights though, and I saw a volcano erupt when I was there last year! That was pretty epic."

"Holy shit! That's incredible!"

"It was!" Louis affirms before stepping forward to retrieve their drinks from the barista.

"Should we find a place to sit near your gate?" Harry asks. "When's your flight?"

"I've still got a lot of time. Flight's scheduled for 1:48."

"You must be exhausted. Were you able to sleep on the plane at all?"

"A little, yeah. I'm at gate C28," Louis tips his head in the direction of the gate, leading them down the hallway. "I'll crash when I finally get to the hotel tonight."

"Oh, you're not going home?"

"Not yet, no. I've still got one more work thing out in Seattle first so I'm gonna stay out there for the rest of the week and then I'll come back here on Saturday." They reach the seating area for gate C28 and settle into a couple of seats near the large glass windows.

"So Boston is home then?"

"Yeah, I've got a place in Somerville." Louis takes a sip of his coffee. "Thank you for this, by the way." He holds up the plastic cup. "How about you? Where's home?"

"Umm, home is… complicated." Harry laughs nervously. "I'm currently living back at home with my folks in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which is embarrassing to admit as a twenty-seven year old man, but… " He shrugs. "It's better than living with Matty Mc— with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named."

"You can tell me to fuck off if this is too personal or if you just don't wanna talk about it or whatever. I totally get it, but you said he's your ex and he's clearly a complete loser so why are you taking this trip with him?" Louis shifts in his seat, folding one of his legs up underneath himself and angling his body to face Harry.

Harry presses his lips together and runs a hand through his hair while he considers how much to share with Louis. They've just barely met but there's something about Louis that makes Harry feel safe enough to open up to him. Maybe it's Harry being naive or maybe it's the idea of talking to someone he'll never see again. Either way, he decides to give Louis the full breakdown of their failed relationship.

Louis listens attentively, offering witty commentary along the way as Harry shares their story.

He starts with how they met.

Tell me he saw you at the mall and asked who your cell phone provider was!

No.

And then he tells Louis about their disastrous first date.

He brought you to the Olive Garden, didn't he? Did he wear the pleated pants?

Cheesecake Factory. And no.

And about their only marginally better second date to the roller rink.

I bet he tried to show off. Spent the whole night skatin' backwards or doing the hokey pokey or something?

It was that trick where you squat down low and then extend one leg out long.

Shoot the duck?

How do you know what that's called?

He explains how he ignored all the red flags.

Wreck your bed, wreck your heart? Think we've all been there before. It's easy to ignore the red flags when the sex is good.

It wasn't.

And how he should have run as soon as he found out that Matt didn't listen to music.

How does someone not listen to music? How is that even possible?

He listened to whatever was on the radio.

Okay, yeah there's no sex good enough to excuse that kind of psychotic behavior.

That leads to Harry admitting that he put up with all of the bullshit because he was afraid to be alone. "Until one day, I realized how much happier I was whenever he wasn't around. I remember it so vividly. I was sitting at home one night and Matt was working late. I had planned this whole evening." Harry sits up a little taller in his seat as he recounts the memory. "Got myself a face mask, ordered takeout from my favorite Thai place, lit some candles and put a record on. I was having such a good night, doing all the things I enjoyed. I was happy. And I was by myself." He smiles thinking back on the evening. "As soon as he texted me to say he was on his way home, my entire mood changed. It was like a switch flipped. My muscles tensed up and I started gettin' super anxious just thinking about having to deal with him when he got home. That's when the light bulb went off." Harry gestures with his hand over his head. "I was like, oh shit, he's the source of my unhappiness. He's the reason I feel like I'm always walking on eggshells. I don't have to live like this." He pauses to take a sip of his coffee, swirling the ice around in the cup before he continues. "It took me a little bit to get up the courage to actually leave but once I had that epiphany, I knew I needed to. I couldn't find a place I could afford on my own right away, so I moved back home. I've been there for almost a year now and I love my parents but," he lets out a little chuckle. "I need my own place."

A boarding announcement from one of the nearby gates interrupts their conversation for a moment and the pause reminds Harry why he started telling Louis this story. "Sorry, forgot why I started telling you all of this in the first place. You asked why we were taking the trip together."

"Mmm," Louis hums his agreement. "That's right. I kinda forgot too."

A sudden rush of guilt hits Harry, "M'sorry. I've just been rambling on and on about my stupid love life. You probably want some peace and quiet bef— "

"Harry, no," Louis cuts him off. "I'm enjoying your company. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I wasn't interested. I promise, if I'm yawning, it's only because I haven't slept in like, twenty-six hours or something. It's got nothing to do with you or your story-telling. I actually thoroughly enjoyed hearing about how all of my uninformed opinions about your shitty ex were actually spot on," he winks. "And I'm honestly dying to find out how you wound up at the airport together this morning. Especially now that you've caught me up on your history."

"Ha! I'm afraid it might be a let down. I wish I had a juicy or dramatic story for you but, really, it just comes down to money."

"Like so many things." Louis adjusts his legs again so he's sitting with one knee bent and pulled into his chest while his other leg hangs over the front of the chair. He rests his chin on his knee, eyes fixed on Harry.

"Exactly. So um, foolishly we had booked this trip to LA together. Before we broke up, obviously. We were gonna go to Disneyland. It was actually s'posed to be for my birthday. It's a long story but… " Harry lets out a deep sigh. Hindsight really is 20-20 and re-telling this story, it's crystal clear to Harry now just how inattentive and self-absorbed his ex-boyfriend was when they were dating. "I'd always wanted to go to Disney World. I thought it would be super fun to go for my birthday so I told Matt— "

"Sorry," Louis stops him. "Disney World or Disneyland?"

"See?! Thank you!" Harry throws his hands up animatedly. "They're two very different places!"

"Very," Louis agrees.

"I wanted to go to Disney World. Matt booked the trip to Disneyland instead. Probably because he never listened to me. Or maybe it was just 'cause he wanted to go to California and he didn't care what I wanted. Either way, he booked the trip and of course, it was non-refundable. I told him to take someone else and I'd just be out the money but I guess no one else wanted to go with him."

"Shocking! With that charming personality of his?" Louis gasps. "And what about all of those pleats in his pants? Surely, someone would want to join him."

"I guess not," Harry chuckles.

"Why didn't he just go alone? Seems like he's a pretty big fan of himself, right?" Louis nudges Harry's knee with the toe of his sneaker. "He could've taken himself on the trip."

"The problem with that is if anything goes wrong, there'd be no one to blame but himself, and he's never to blame, so… " Harry points to himself. "Better to have someone else along."

"I still can't believe he got on the plane without you. Has he even texted you or anything? To make sure you're alright?"

"Oh, shit! That's right!" Harry fishes his phone out of his pocket. "Forgot my phone died. I need to charge it." Searching through his carry-on for a charging cable, he asks, "What time is it?"

Louis checks his own phone. "Eleven, eleven."

"Make a wish," Harry smiles, pulling the cable from his bag and silently making a wish of his own. "Can't believe we've been talking for over an hour already. Thank you for listening to me rant."

"Thank you for keeping me company. And for the coffee!"

"My pleasure. Truly," he says earnestly. "You made me forget about this whole disaster for a while and I really appreciate it."

The screen on Harry's phone lights up once it starts to charge and a moment later the notifications begin to filter in. He glances at it and sees that there are several texts from Matt, as well as a few notifications from the airline informing him of his new flight number and letting him know about a gate change. Just by looking at the preview of his text messages, he can tell that Matt is pissed. Harry wants to go back to a few minutes earlier when he was still blissfully unaware of anything happening beyond his conversation with Louis. Back to when he was laughing and smiling. He hates how seeing Matt's name on his phone immediately sours his mood and causes his whole body to tense up. How will he ever survive this trip?

While he's considering whether or not to ignore the texts from Matt, a loud growl erupts from Harry's stomach.

"Hungry?" Louis asks. "Or are those texts making your stomach turn?"

"Both." Harry laughs, setting his phone down without bothering to open the messages from Matt. "I don't have the energy to respond to him right now."

"That's fair." Louis unzips his backpack and pulls out a white paper bag. "M'afraid I can't help much with the whole shitty ex situation but," he holds up the bag, presenting it to Harry. "I do have donuts!"

Harry's mouth is already watering before Louis opens the bag. The sweet smell of freshly baked sugary dough and chocolate wafting from the bag in front of him is enough. "You've just been sitting here with donuts in your backpack this whole time and you never even mentioned it? You've been holding out on me!"

Louis' bright laugh bursts from between his parted lips and Harry's stomach swoops at the sound. He needs to find a way to keep making Louis laugh.

"Needed to know you were worthy of sharing with first! I've only got two. Not gonna just hand 'em out to anyone." Louis winks and it's a good thing that Harry is sitting down because being winked at by this man is making his head spin.

"Ah, so I am worthy?" Harry flirts. "I feel honored." Harry brings a reverent palm to his chest, well aware that a big cheesy grin has spread across his face as he stares back at Louis.

"You should feel honored! I went halfway across the city this morning to get these donuts." Louis opens the bag and peeks inside. "Don't judge," he gives Harry a warning look. "They've already got their Valentine's ones out so… " he trails off, tipping the bag towards Harry so he can get a look for himself. "Your choice. The heart-shaped one is chocolate glazed with sprinkles and the other is maple bacon, but the bacon's fake."

"Fake?"

"It's veggie bacon, but don't be put off by it. It's actually really good."

"Okay," Harry giggles. And why is he getting giddy over veggie bacon? What is happening? "They both look delicious. Could we… would it be weird to split them?"

"Nah, I was kinda thinking the same thing but then I worried you might think it was a weird thing to suggest, so…"

"Guess we're both weird." Harry tries to wink but ends up awkwardly scrunching up half of his face in the process.

"Was that supposed to be a wink?" Louis snorts.

"Shut up!" Harry sticks out his tongue. He doesn't miss the way Louis' eyes drop to his mouth and then his own tongue briefly pokes out of the corner of his mouth before swiping over his top lip. "Not all of us are gifted with the ability to pull off a sexy movie star wink like you."

"You think I wink like a sexy movie star?" Louis raises his eyebrows.

"Maybe." Harry blushes, holding eye contact.

"Hmm," Louis hums in consideration, returning Harry's intense look.

A quiet moment passes between them. They're both locked on each other, challenge twinkling in their eyes. Around them, the hustle and bustle of the busy airport fades away until it's just the two of them, sitting face to face and staring at one another, silently daring each other to break the charged tension that's suddenly caught between the molecules of oxygen and carbon dioxide between them. There's a magnetic pull drawing Harry closer to Louis and he's not sure how much longer he can resist. Maybe he doesn't want to resist it at all. Would it be completely crazy to just let go and allow himself to be pulled forward? To stop fighting it and see what were to happen if he gave in to his desire?

Attention JetBlue passengers, this is a general boarding announcement for flight 3160 with non-stop service to Dallas. We will begin the boarding process in approximately thirty minutes out of gate C26.

The voice of the woman over the intercom abruptly cuts through Harry's fuzzy mind as if she's taken a pin and burst the balloon that the two of them were happily living within just moments ago. Harry can feel the heat from the air between them dissipate, the magnetic pull loosening as they each slowly retreat from the space they previously shared. Harry blinks his eyes and runs a hand through his hair as he returns to the reality of their surroundings.

"I'll um," Louis hooks a thumb over his shoulder, pointing off towards the corridor behind him. "I'll go see if I can find one of those plastic knives so we can um, cut the donuts." He's up out of his chair before Harry can respond.

Sitting alone in the aftermath of their heated moment, Harry holds the bag of donuts and tries to calm his racing heart. A few deep breaths; in through the nose, out through the mouth, he recalls the instructions of the yoga teacher he's been following on YouTube. By the time Louis returns, Harry's feeling more grounded, but as he nears closer, the undercurrent of electricity buzzing just beneath the surface of Harry's skin becomes more and more pronounced. When Louis finally reclaims his spot in the seat next to Harry, the tiny hairs on his arms, charged with anticipation, are standing up from his goose-bumped skin.

It quickly becomes evident that the flimsy plastic knife isn't strong enough to cut through the donuts so they give up and instead take turns breaking off bites of each flavor, passing them back and forth. Sharing Valentine's-themed donuts in this way seems far too romantic for the setting but that doesn't stop Harry from imagining himself as the lead in his own romantic comedy. If he were casting the movie of his life, he'd certainly choose Louis as the love interest for his character.

"Somehow these taste even better than they look," Harry says, passing the maple bacon donut over to Louis in exchange for the chocolate glazed one. "And you were right, the fake bacon's good!"

Louis finishes chewing, smiling as he swallows. "Told ya. Their food's addictive! I've never had a bad dish there. It's one of my favorite places to eat but I try to only go, like, once every few months. That way it's still a treat and I can appreciate it." They swap donuts again. "Keeps me from getting diabetes too." Louis laughs and Harry makes a conscious effort to commit the sound to memory, wondering how he's lived the last twenty-seven years without hearing what has now become his favorite song.

"Sounds like I'll need to check it out sometime. What's the name of this dealer of delicious desserts?"

"Dealer of delicious desserts," Louis repeats before licking a bit of chocolate from his thumb. As Harry watches his tongue swipe over the glaze, his thoughts drift to Louis cleaning up other sticky messes with his tongue. Harry needs to get his mind out of the gutter. It's barely past noon and he's sitting in an airport for god's sake. It isn't the time for indecent thoughts about the handsome stranger who he just met this morning. "I like that alliteration." Louis' sleepy rasp pulls Harry out of his own head. "Got a nice ring to it. Maybe they should adopt it as their catch phrase."

"I'd be happy to give them my catch phrase idea in exchange for some of their tasty treats." Harry holds up what's left of the heart-shaped donut, "Want the last bite?"

"Nah, it's all yours." Louis crumples up the empty takeout bag they had been using to catch the crumbs. "It's Veggie Galaxy. The uh, dealer of delicious desserts," he clarifies. "Although, they've got more than just desserts. It's a diner, with a full menu, all vegetarian too. It's over in Cambridge."

"Cambridge? You went all the way over to Cambridge after you landed this morning? That's crazy! That's literally on the complete opposite side of the city."

"I mean, I had nothing else to do and I was craving their donuts. It helped kill some of my ridiculously long layover time too."

"You could've gone home for a little while," Harry points out. "Somerville's closer to the airport than Cambridge." Harry finally finishes off the last of the donut, savoring the rich chocolate taste lingering on his lips.

"I wanted donuts." Louis shrugs. "Besides if I went home, I probably would've climbed into my bed and fallen asleep. Then I would've missed my flight."

"Missing a flight isn't always a bad thing," Harry smirks.

Louis responds with Harry's favorite song, the sound of Louis' happiness, the melody of his laughter. "Suppose that's true, but if we had both missed our flights, then Captain Khakis wouldn't have spilled my coffee and we'd have never met."

"That might have been a bigger tragedy than his pleated pants."

Louis shakes his head. "There is nothing more tragic than those pants." When the two of them finally stop giggling, Louis gets up to toss the empty bag into the trash. "My hands are sticky. M'gonna run to the bathroom real quick and wash them."

Harry is trying to summon the courage to finally check his texts from Matt while Louis is gone to the bathroom, when a woman with long brown curls cascading down her back walks past him. She accidentally bumps his shoulder with her bag on her way by and stops to apologize. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" She places a hand on his shoulder and lets it rest there a little longer than feels necessary.

"S'okay," Harry turns to her, acknowledging her apology.

"Oh!" She says. "Didn't realize I'd bumped into the most attractive man at Logan Airport. And with these broad shoulders too? Mmm." She squeezes his shoulder with the hand that's been resting on it and Harry grimaces. "Hello, gorgeous. I'm Kara." She finally releases her grip on his shoulder, extending her hand to introduce herself.

"Harry." He shakes her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," she purrs. "Is this seat taken?" The woman sits down in the empty seat next to him without waiting for him to answer. Crossing her legs and angling her body towards Harry, she crowds into his space, tossing her hair over her shoulder in what he guesses is meant to be a flirtatious way. "Are you on this flight to Seattle too? Maybe we'll get lucky and be seated together."

"Um, no… I'm uh— "

"Oh god, you're here with your girlfriend, aren't you?" Her eyes land on the two empty Starbucks cups sitting on the armrest next to him and Louis' bags resting on the floor.

"Oh, hello." Harry lets out a relived sigh as Louis returns to their seats. "D'you two know each other?" he asks, quirking an eyebrow and Harry can't be sure but he swears there's a hint of jealousy in his voice. The idea of Louis being jealous—even if it's completely unwarranted—sends a spark of excitement through Harry's body, making his insides tingle.

Kara must assume that Louis and Harry are a couple of friends, traveling back home from a guys trip or something because she doubles down. "Not yet, but I'm hoping if I play my cards right, your friend and I will get to know each other really well. Maybe you could show me all of your favorite spots?" She taps Harry's knee with her finger before tracing a tiny circle over it with her long polished nail. "Then after you could show me around Seattle," she says, looking up at him seductively.

Harry has no idea what to say to her. She's making him uncomfortable and he really just wants her to leave so he can continue talking to Louis. At the same time, he doesn't want to embarrass her.

"Right," Louis being the attentive man he is, notices Harry's unease and jumps in. "I don't think I caught your name." He extends his hand to the woman.

"Kara." She shakes his hand.

"Kara, I'm Louis. And that's my seat you're sitting in." There's no mistaking the tone of his voice now. He's jealous and Harry can't help but smile at that realization. When Louis glances over at him, he bites down on his bottom lip, trying to play coy. Louis sees right through his attempt and sends him a subtle wink. Harry's defenseless against that damn wink. He can feel the blush creeping up his neck and across his cheeks almost instantly.

Finally accepting that she's got no shot with Harry, Kara scrambles to move from where she's still sitting in Louis' seat. "Nice to meet you," Harry waves when she eventually retreats with her luggage.

"I leave for two minutes and you're already trying to replace me?" Louis jokes, plopping himself back down into his seat next to Harry. "Could've just told me you were sick of me, you know."

"Really? Is that so?" Harry teases. "Wish I'd known that sooner. I wouldn't have dragged poor Kara over here if I'd known it was that easy to get rid of you." His words are soaked in sarcasm. "Although, I s'pose I could've just grabbed my stuff and walked away while you were gone too."

"Yeah, but then my bags would've been left unattended and you know how security gets about unattended luggage. Probably would've tracked you down and it would've been a whole thing." Louis playfully bumps his shoulder into Harry's. The contact ignites a series of tiny sparks where their bodies meet. Harry leans into the touch, keeping their arms pressed together.

"I hope you didn't mind me saying something." Louis tips his head, regarding Harry from where he's now resting against his shoulder.

"No, not at all," Harry reassures him. "Thank you for that. She just sort of invited herself over and sat down. I didn't know what to do." From this position, it would be so easy for Harry to lean over and kiss him. Their faces are so close to one another right now that he'd hardly have to move to bring their mouths together. Harry wonders how Louis would react if he did. Once again the outside world falls away and for the second time in only a few hours, they've found themselves in their own sort of strange bubble, secluded from everything happening around them.

Louis' eyes are closed the next time Harry looks down at him. He must be exhausted after having been up for so many hours straight now. A warmth spreads over Harry as he takes in the sight of Louis resting peacefully against his side. How did this happen? How did they get here so quickly? It was only this morning that Harry had arrived at the airport with his shitty ex-boyfriend, ready to fly to LA. Now he's sitting at gate C28, watching Louis rest comfortably on his shoulder while his ex is on a plane by himself, probably somewhere over the midwestern United States by now.

"I really don't want to go to LA," Harry whispers.

Louis doesn't open his eyes when he says, "So don't go then. Go somewhere else. You could go to Orlando, go to Disney World like you wanted to."

"If I could afford to, I would, but I really can't. Between a hotel room and tickets to the park, it's just too much."

"You could go to Seattle with Kara. M'sure she'd be happy to let you stay in her hotel room so no extra cost to you. Could show her your favorite spots." His eyes are still shut but Louis' lips are pressed together in a tight grin now.

"Ew," Harry groans. "Don't wanna show Kara anything. Definitely not my favorite spots."

"You could always come to Seattle with me?" Louis blinks slowly, looking up at Harry with half-lidded eyes.

"Are you serious?"

"Sure, why not?"

"We just met, like, five hours ago," Harry reminds him..

"If you come with me, we'll have the entire plane ride to continue getting to know each other. It can be like a first date. I mean, if you wanted it to be a date. Doesn't have to be that."

"A first date in the sky," Harry giggles. "But you don't even know me. What if I'm a serial killer?"

"You're not," Louis says confidently. "You're too charming and handsome to be a serial killer."

"That's literally how everyone described Ted Bundy," Harry chuckles quietly.

"I'm willing to take my chances." Louis smiles, nestling further into Harry.

"What if you're a serial killer?" Harry retorts.

"I'm not. Besides, would a serial killer share his donuts?"

"I don't know. Maybe that's how they'd trick you into trusting them."

"I'm not a serial killer. Promise."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Louis asks.

"Okay," Harry confirms.

They're both quiet for a beat and Harry wonders if Louis has fallen asleep. He's gone completely still and his body is relaxed where he's leaning into Harry's side. Long steady breaths come in and out of his nose, and his chest rises and falls in a rhythmic cadence that is comforting and calm. It reminds Harry of ocean waves. It's peaceful, meditative. Harry allows himself to sink further down in his seat, melting into Louis' tranquil presence.

It's been so long since he's let his guard down, so long since he's felt like he could. For the first time in ages, Harry is experiencing what it feels like to be at peace while sharing space with another man. Is this what it feels like to find your person? Is it even possible to know that someone is your person after only having known them for a handful of hours? Or is that just some make believe bullshit that happens in movies and fairytales? Either way, Harry is willing to take the risk. He'd rather jump feet first into the unknown and fall—even if he ends up getting hurt—versus settling for the miserable safety of staying put.

"I'd like to go with you to Seattle," Harry breathes into Louis' hair, his words barely audible over the noise in the busy airport terminal. "If the invite still stands."

"I'd like that," Louis mutters.

"Please don't murder me in my sleep."

"Just in your sleep? What about when you're awake?"

"I'd like to not be murdered at all. Ever. Not in my sleep. Not when I'm awake. Not ever. Please."

"Okay," Louis agrees. "Since you asked so nicely." He shifts his body in the chair, leaning back slightly. Harry immediately frowns at the loss of his warmth and the comforting pressure of his weight against his side. "We should probably go speak with someone at the ticket counter. See if we can change your ticket." As much as Harry doesn't want to leave the comfort of their little bubble, Louis is right. The gate is getting crowded as more travelers arrive for the upcoming flight. "Are you sure about coming with me?"

"M'very sure." Harry smiles and Louis beams back at him.

"Okay, let's go change your ticket then." He stands up, extending a hand to Harry and pulling him up to stand.

"It's a pretty full flight," the woman behind the ticket counter says. "I do have two seats available together in first class though, if you're interested in upgrading to those."

"How much more is it to upgrade to first class?" Harry asks her.

"Um, it looks like it's about $600 more for first class. $588 to be exact."

Harry's heart sinks. "Each?" There's no way he can afford another $600 unless he maxes out his credit card.

"Oh, hold on, let me check one more thing." Harry holds his breath while her nails quickly click over the keys on her keyboard.

"Don't worry," Louis squeezes his hand where they're still linked. "We'll figure it out," he whispers.

"Ah, okay, yes. Glad I checked." She smiles up at them. "Mr. Tomlinson, you've actually got enough frequent flyer miles available to cover the cost of the upgrade for both tickets. Would you like to use your points to do that?"

"Oh, perfect! Yes, let's do that then. Thank you," Louis says.

"Louis," Harry gives his hand a gentle tug to get his attention. "Are you sure? You don't have to cover mine."

"I want to." He smiles. "Told you we'd figure it out."

ᯓ ✈︎ ⋆°• ☁︎

Forty-five minutes later, they've boarded the plane and have just settled into their seats in the first class cabin when Harry pulls out his phone. Intent on leaving behind any unwanted baggage, there's one last thing he has to deal with before they take off. He opens his messages and scrolls through the many angry texts that Matt has sent to him since he left Harry behind this morning. Reading through them, Harry can already feel his nervous system kicking into high gear. His heart rate is elevated. His palms are getting sweaty. His brain is preparing to go through the familiar process of choosing which reaction will be best today; fight or flight. Harry does his best to regulate his breathing, hoping it will lessen the effects of the cortisol currently running through his system. He reminds himself that he gets to choose how to react.

He runs through several possible replies in his mind; things he wants to say, points he considers making, but in the end, none of it will matter. Matt isn't going to listen or learn from any of this. He isn't going to apologize, and truthfully, Harry doesn't want his apology. Harry wants peace. He wants to be free from the burden that is his shitty ex. They broke up a year ago when Harry left, and yet, even now Matt is still bringing stress into Harry's life. He's put up with it for far too long and he refuses to do it anymore. He's done. He's taking back control of his life. He's made his decision. He doesn't owe Matt an explanation. He's choosing to remove Matt and all of his toxic behavior from his life. Without giving him the satisfaction of a single reply, Harry deletes Matt's contact, blocks his number and closes this chapter of his life.

"Good riddance, Matty McPleats."

"RIH," Louis adds. Then more gently he asks, "How are you feeling? I don't want to pry and you definitely don't need to share, but I want you to know that I'm happy to listen if you want to talk about it."

"Thank you." Harry's shoulders relax and he tosses his phone into the front pocket of his carry-on bag before stuffing it back under the seat in front of him. "I feel good. Really good, actually. That was long overdue." He takes a deep breath in and exhales a long breath out through his mouth, puffing out his cheeks. "Feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders."

"I bet. Should we celebrate?"

"Please tell me you've got more donuts hidden away in that backpack of yours."

"I wish!" Louis exclaims. "No, sadly, I don't have any more donuts. But," he lifts a finger. "I do know another really good donut place in Seattle. It's called Mighty-O." Louis waggles his eyebrows and Harry lets out a short laugh. "They'll be closed by the time we land but I'll take you there tomorrow."

"Already planning our second date? A bit presumptuous, don't you think?" Harry teases.

"I'm feeling good about my chances." He says confidently and then he sends Harry his signature wink. "As long as you don't murder me in my sleep."

"I'll try not to," Harry promises.

A flight attendant stops in the aisle next to their seats, covertly handing them two tiny bottles of champagne. "Thank you," Louis mouths.

"I'm hoping you'll let me take you on lots of dates because I quite like you and there's so many places that I want to share with you."

"Oh yeah?" Harry leans in close and murmurs into Louis' ear, "Gonna show me all of your favorite spots?" Then he presses his lips to Louis' neck, just below the hinge of his jaw, in the softest of kisses. Harry watches as goosebumps break out across the exposed skin on Louis' arms.

"Seems like you've already found one of them." Louis shivers.

"Mmm," Harry hums low, mouth still only a breath away from Louis' neck. "Noted."

Louis opens the two small bottles and hands one to Harry. "Here's to discovering and sharing all of our favorite spots… on planes, in cities across the world and in the quiet moments where it's just the two of us." Louis leans in, bringing their mouths together in a sweet kiss that feels like a promise.

"Cheers!" Harry mumbles against Louis' lips.