Conformity (Larry Stylinson AU)

Two.

Two more days have gone by and Louis still has not smiled. He sits and looks absolutely distressed as idiots surrounding us make horrible jokes when the teacher left to go make copies of our homework. Two in particular continued whispering slurs to each other, making sure Louis could hear them.

I sit and listen to about five minutes of this rubbish before Louis' voice finally sounds.

"Could you please stop?"

I side-glance at the situation from a few desks away, the tormentors taking Louis' plead as a challenge and Googling more jokes. I bite my lip, watching Louis shake his head and dig into his pockets for ear-buds.

I can't believe the immaturity of people in high-school sometimes. We are one year away from going out into the world and being on our own, yet they're still beating down people who are different. Bullies need hobbies; somewhere they can put all that petty anger and mommy issues aside from another human being.

The one called Elliot reaches forward, ripping the ear-bud from Louis' ear and saying, "Don't ignore us, faggot,"

"Okay," I mutter to myself, standing up. I walk around the desks and make my way to where the two idiots are. The one who threw the word that bothers me most stood to face me.

I hate the word faggot. It's the word I overheard my dad call me when I came out to my parents. Every time I hear it my blood boils a little hotter than usual.

"Mate, just shut up. The only person who likes to hear you talk is yourself. Your cute little gay jokes are making no one but your partner in dildoing laugh, and it is not your place to judge or harass Louis about what you think his sexuality may be. Or for anything,"

I glance down and find shocked eyes and a slightly dropped jaw on Louis. I return my gaze to the bumbling idiot as he tries to create a come-back statement.

"Stay out of it, Styles. You try and act like you're all high and mighty when you're really just a cock-sucker." Elliot replies, nudging his finger-tips forcefully into my shoulders, pushing me back.

I laugh at this. "Don't even pretend like you don't know I could beat you within an inch of you life before you could cry out to your boy-toy over there for back-up."

The second lad who was throwing slurs, Josh, decides to step in now. "Shut the hell up, Harry! You're just mad, you're not gonna do anything."

I shrug. "Yes, I am mad. You need to start leaving people alone, grow up, and mind your own damn business. It's pathetic,"

I take my turn shoving, pushing my palm against Elliot, making him stubble backwards. I don't like to say I'm exceptionally strong, but some of the tricks I've learned on my skateboard take a lot of upper-body strength. Elliot gets all hot and bothered by this, face contorting in anger. At this point, the whole class of spectators is telling us what they want by chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!".

Elliot pleases the demands of the people by throwing a swing at me. I dodge it and catch his hand, gripping it with all my power and twisting his wrist. He starts yelping as I say, "You are not worth getting suspended over."

I release him from my grip and glance at Louis. He grants me the first grin in days and mouths a 'Thank you'. Before I can even stop my stupid self, I drop my eye in a wink and turn to walk back to my seat.

Why would I just wink at him? I was doing so well, now he's probably freaked out. I hope he sees it as a platonic gesture, and not a flirtatious one.

Wow, I sound like a 5th grader, I think, shaking my head and deciding I need to grow up a bit, too.

_