The Fires of Spring (Larry AU)

n i n e

-Three Weeks Later-

Louis really doesn't know how any of it happened. He doesn't know how he's survived almost an entire month at this new school. He doesn't know how he manages to not eat his feelings every chance he gets. He doesn't know how he's stayed away from people who remind him of his father. He doesn't know how he scored himself such a great boyfriend, either.

How did he do it?

Only God knows.

Louis isn't the kind of person who forgets things easily, and he definitely isn't someone who trusts other people easily or lets them into their life. He almost always feels down in the dumps and he constantly has a nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him he isn't worth it. He never actually knew what it was, but he knew someday he'd find it and it wouldn't be nice.

But somehow, Harry has almost turned everything around for him. He just feels. He feels better. He feels like he could fly.

He used to want to fly to America and change his whole life because, well. It made sense to him. Now he wants to fly over the clouds and feel the wind in his hair, as long as he always ends up back with Harry.

x x x x x

Louis huffs as he presses a purple panda onto the paper he didn't bother to read.

He's still pouting because of his horrid day at woodshop. He almost chopped off his wrist in the ban saw, sham saw, rack saw, whatever the name of it is. Louis' was trying to make a wall for his birdhouse, dammit, but he honest to God doesn't know what he's doing in that class and the teacher never really bothers to help him, just grunts in approval when Louis shows him the mangled pieces of wood he tried to stick together.

He snaps back into reality when he realizes that he's been holding the stamp on the paper for too long, and now it's bleeding through onto the page.

Louis curses and throws the stamp into the already-used stamp pile, and tosses the paper into the already-stamped pile. He snatches up the next paper and grabs a stamp of an elephant and presses it into the green ink-pad, then stamps it quickly in the corner of the paper.

Half of the elephant doesn't show up.

Louis throws the stamp, a tad too violently, into the pile. It makes a slam, and everyone in the class turns silent and looks at Louis. He runs his hands through his hair because, really, he doesn't know why he flipped out and threw the stamp. He doesn't know why he's so upset that he can't get a grip today.

"Louis?" Louis hears Mr. Prewitt ask from across the room.

"Yeah?" He calls back, trying to sound cheerful and unfazed.

"Can you come here a minute?"

Louis groans internally, pushes his chair out, turns around, and stalks to Mr. Prewitt's desk, ignoring the looks from the other kids. Especially one boy with piercing green eyes that seem to watch his every move as he strides across the class.

"Yes, Mr. Prewitt?" Louis asks as he approaches his teacher's desk.

Mr. Prewitt unfolds his hands and reaches for a paper that's resting on the keyboard of his laptop. "Would you please make twenty copies of this for me? On light pink paper?"

Louis wants to roll his eyes because, really? Pink paper? If he prints it on pink paper then he can't use the pink stamp, which basically throws off the rotation of the world and Louis' work ethic. Louis thinks Mr. Prewitt is basically an idiot. An idiot with really nice hair.

"Of course." Louis smiles and takes the paper.

"While you're at it, maybe stop and get a drink of water, you know? Just get some fresh air. And let Harry know you're fine or he won't pay attention the rest of class."