Out Of Nowhere - A Larry Stylinson story

Lust in the Hotel

As they rounded the corner with Harry driving due to Louis' rather fragile state, they passed the group of young thugs they'd seen earlier. Harry glanced their way as they passed them, and all he saw in their eyes was cold, feral challenge. These young men had no idea why Harry and Louis had been here. All they craved was trouble and confrontation. Their male hormones drove them to seek it.

One day they would face their own unique set of troubles life throws at everyone. They seemed so young to Harry in this moment. He felt as if he was a lot more than a decade older than them, but he well remembered the feeling of invincibility that had flooded him at their age as it now flooded these characters. And look at how fast Louis had had to grow up. Here, in rough Doncaster, he'd grown up among punks like this. He'd survived and even thrived, thanks to his inherent pluck and grit.

Louis gazed at the angry young men with dullness and a certain sadness. It was funny how certain things (like image in the presence of their peers) faded to a negligible degree by the time a young man hit his mid-twenties or so. Most of the time, anyway. Responsibilities, deadlines, and just life in general would, hopefully, grab ahold of them, and they'd grow up to be respectable men. At least, some of them would. That was his wish. Right now though, they were immortal in their own eyes and had nothing better to do than provoke others, threaten them, seek danger.

"You know, Harry, they used to call me the Sassamasta of Doncaster," Louis said with a chuckle. "I could talk me way out of just about anythin.' Still got me ass whipped sometimes though. That was due to me smart-ass mouth. Sometimes I just couldn't keep it zipped."

Harry smiled. "I can see you bein' called that. You can get massively cheeky at times. But now, I'd be more inclined to call you the Swagmasta of Doncaster."

"Seriously?" Louis laughed.

"Oh yeah, you've got it goin' on. That bouncy walk, those swingin' arms, that awesome bum, that sassy swag. Yeah, I can imagine guys wantin' to throw you down."

"Some did, some did. But I got up again – eventually, and went on to continue me swag."

Harry threw his head back and laughed good and hard.

"The eventually part. Love that."

"Gotta keep it real."

Harry laughed again. "I'm glad you're feelin' a hella lot better. It took a load off your mind, didn't it?"

"A shit ton, yeah," Louis emphasized. "I feel light as if I weigh nothin' at all."

"And you know now that your mum really did love you as much as you thought."

Louis reached over and placed his hand on Harry's thigh, giving it a squeeze. His hand was warm, and in spite of himself, Harry felt a spark, but he squelched it and schooled himself to act as if he wasn't affected. Louis had faced a lot today, and had been intrepid in the face of it. He must be tired.

"Now, tell me about this 'Austin' surname," Harry said.

"Oh, I thought you'd seen the name on me foster papers. I changed it to Tomlinson after I went to the U.S. I put aside money just to get it done. I thought both me parents had deserted me, so I didn't want the last name as a reminder. I wanted to walk away from it. I'm surprised you didn't see it when the foster papers came."

"You were so emotional that all my attention was on you. I guess I just didn't notice it. So that's why your Driver's License has Tomlinson on it. You'd already changed it."

"Yeah, a long time ago. I think I was nineteen. Can we go see your mum tomorrow?"

Harry smiled at the way Louis changed subjects so effortlessly. His mind was always ahead of himself.