Open Road (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 12

"Have you ever wondered what a girl's period is like?" Harry wondered aloud to Louis.

It was dark out, both boys were exhausted to the point of conversations like these. They just couldn't seem to find a hotel.

"Yeah, but it can't be that bad, I mean all you're doing is pissing blood." Louis countered.

"But don't you get, like, cramps and shit?"

"I've heard enough complaining about back pain for the rest of my life," Louis shuddered. "One of the reasons I'm glad to be gay, no more of that nonsense."

"Gemma used to cry," Harry said thoughtfully. "I miss her,"

"I miss my sisters too," Louis agreed. "But most definitely not their periods."

Harry's eyes suddenly widened as he checked his rearview mirror.

"Lou!" He shouted. "You distracted me, there's a hotel back there!"

"Well sorry mister, I can't help it if I'm just that hot," joked the blue eyed boy in the passenger's seat.

Glaring, Harry checked that the highway was clear before doing a quick and painless U-turn back in the direction of the hotel.

"No, but, seriously, they're totally overreacting. Like, they don't have to shave their face every morning or get boners in public."

"Yeah, but Lou, they shave their legs and birth our children and shit." Harry said, pulling up to the hotel.

"Well, they'll live. Besides, they were made for that anyways," countered Louis as he opened the door and stretched, letting out a loud groan at how good it felt to finally stand up.

Harry bit his lip and closed the car door behind him.

Popping the trunk, Harry slung both of their bags over his shoulder and grabbed Louis' hand casually, a friendly gesture that had Louis tensing up and trying not to sweat.

"One room, please." Louis ordered the receptionist, placing Harry's hand intertwined with his on the counter, using the other to grab the keys for their room.

Awkward elevator music makes Louis feel like he's in a movie as they wait for the elevator to go up to their floor.

Harry lets go of his hand and Louis feels cold, so he clutched his room key harder in his right hand as he swipes downwards and the lock clicks green.

He swings the door opens and feels panic, the room's small, and a lot nicer than the one they had stayed in the night before, but it's highlighting feature is the single, tiny bed right in the middle. Inevitably, he and Harry would end up sleeping together.

It's not like they hadn't shared a bed before, but in the last few months, Louis' feelings for Harry had gotten quite a bit stronger. Who was he kidding, in the past days of their road trip, he'd begun to fall head over feet for him.

Harry thought nothing of it, placing their bags down on the bed and shrugging off his t-shirt. Louis jaw dropped, seeing Harry in those jeans without a shirt, and it snapped shut as Harry turned to face Louis and shimmied out of his skinnier after kicking off his boots.

"You're making me uncomfortable," Harry said jokingly. "You gotta get naked with me!"

No, no, no! Louis thought. He didn't have the body for this, he wasn't toned and fit and muscular and everything Harry was. He was chubby, he had love handles and a muffin top, and a whole lot of insecurities that he didn't want Harry to see, even if he already had. No one needed to be reminded.

"I'm, ah, gonna brush my teeth first," Louis said hastily, unzipping his bag and grabbing his brand new toothbrush and toothpaste. He walked to the bathroom and shit the door behind him before Harry could say anything.

Louis took of his shirt and looked in the mirror. Thoughts ran through his mind like a stampede, so he looked down at the sink and wet his toothbrush, slipping his own shorts off.

Conveniently, the room light was right outside the bathroom, so Louis could shut it off before Harry would see him unclothed.

Harry lifted up the covers and Louis climbed in, facing away from Harry.

Ouch, Harry thought. In the years they had been a band, Louis has always been one to cuddle with Harry.

Reaching out, Harry snaked his arm around the smaller boys waist and Louis tensed. My fat, he can feel it, Louis thought, imagining the way his rolls must feel under Harry's fingers.

He tried to move away, really, but the bed was just too small for Louis' big body and Harry loved the feeling of the boy in his arms.

Louis loved the feel of it too, but it was just so stressful. He sucked in his stomach, hoping it would help. Harry felt it.

"Love?" He asked sleepily. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing," Louis squeaked, trying not to let air into his body to make him even more fat.

"Go to sleep, Lou," Harry whispered soothingly, bringing his other arm up to rub Louis' tensed arm slowly. And damn, did that feel nice under Harry's fingers.

Louis relaxed, feeling himself slowly drift off into a more restful sleep, but Harry was awake.

He was worried about the boy, he didn't know what had brought him to this onslaught of negative emotions, but Harry swore, if there was one thing he would do on this trip, it would be getting his Louis back.