pretty please (with sugar on top) - larry stylinson

29

Pushing the confusion of overwhelming emotions aside, it was much easier to enjoy the day as it slipped from late afternoon to early evening. They swam again, sunbathed, ate more snacks, had some drinks, listened to music, and talked as friends. Zayn, seemingly satisfied with the ruckus he created earlier by exposing the secret Harry kept about where he was from, didn't cause any more trouble. Liam and Zayn still engaged in excessive amounts of PDA, but Harry couldn't blame them. They were newly bonded and so obviously in love. It bothered him but only because he was jealous.

Harry liked Liam, too, because Liam was kind and enjoyed talking to him about his favorite restaurants in the city and the shows he liked to watch on Netflix. He made the effort to bridge the four of them together into one little group of sort-of friends and it was very sweet.

Harry and Louis ended up acting out the "I'm flying" scene from Titanic by accident when Harry climbed up onto the railing in the front of the boat and Louis grabbed him by the waist, worried he would fall. They laughed about it and when Harry climbed back down, he wanted so badly to just hold Louis' shoulders and kiss him. The feeling was partially assuaged, though, when Louis tucked him under his arm to watch the sunset. The four of them sat off the back of the boat with their feet dipping in the water every time a wave would crest. The sky, a million shades of pink and orange, looked like a painting.

Something had shifted between them. Now each moment felt like more than just a casual ordeal. Harry tried to pinpoint when it all changed, but he struggled to find the exact moment.

Last night was a catalyst, obviously, with the small moments of jealousy and discomfort, and Louis' protective hand guiding him gently on his lower back making it all better. Then there was their walk home, hand in hand, as they admitted to the mess of feelings they shared. Louis confessed he felt possessive and Harry literally said I don't mind being claimed by you.

When they went to bed last night, it hadn't been as strange or awkward as the other nights. It had felt easy and familiar, like they'd been falling asleep next to each other for years. When they woke up to the alarm going off so early in the morning, before the sun was even thinking of rising, they were facing each other with only an inch or two between their faces, and their hands were entangled. They both pulled their hands back to themselves and didn't say anything about it. Harry tried not to think too much about how they seemed to seek out each other, subconsciously, even in their sleep, but now it seemed like one of the most important things. He felt comfortable with Louis, at peace. He felt safe. It was that simple.

Not to mention the sexual charge that was always between them, though it was easier to write that off as a basic biological reaction between an alpha and an omega. Harry was still clinging to what it felt like to wake up to Louis spooning him yesterday morning. He was still embarrassed about getting off in Louis' bed as soon as he left for the store.

"You look so hot like this. Like a proper sugar daddy."

"Do I?" Louis laughed, giving Harry a weird look as he continued rigging up the halyards to sail them back to the docks. It would take only an hour to return and Harry wasn't ready for the night to end yet.

He nodded in confirmation, fingering a pearly button on Louis' open linen shirt which billowed like the sails in the wind. "Your hair, too. It looks really good, long like this." His pretty, auburn hair was soft and wispy in the wind. "We should get you a sailor's hat to complete the look." Louis just rolled his eyes and laughed even though Harry wasn't joking about any of it, not even the hat.

During the ride back, Harry made one last drink for everyone and then settled down on the netting, giving Louis a nice view of his ass and knowing he was staring. He got comfortable on his stomach, resting his head on his folded arms, and smiled privately to himself. Suspended on the netting, with nothing between him and the sea but a bit of rope, the wind billowing around him on all sides, it felt like he was flying.