slight alterations ➸ larry

nine

louis actually falls asleep after about ten minutes, leaving harry to his thoughts. harry thinks about the fact that liam and zayn were alone at liam's, doing god knows what. he thinks about the fact that louis is so cute laying next to him, chest rising and falling slowly. he thinks about the fact he messed everything up, but maybe in a good way.

it's another half hour until harry feels himself, too, drifting off. just as he nearly slips into sleep alongside louis, a great big droplet of water splats on his forehead.

"wha- fuck!" harry shakes the unconscious louis beside him until he wakes and then drags him from the hole in the ceiling.

"what is it?" louis mumbles drowsily, leaning his head onto harry's chest.

"rain," harry explains, the soft pitter-patter of raindrops suddenly becoming apparent to louis.

"oh. well, it's a good thing i have a tarp up there or else-"

"louis."

"yeah?"

"you took the tarp down."

"oh."

louis blinks rapidly for a few seconds, waking himself up. he looks at the hole in the roof of the tree house and then back at harry suspiciously.

"if you've read a book on my life and you said you read a part like this, couldn't you have known it was going to rain?" louis ponders, an eyebrow raised.

harry doesn't reply right away, but he meets louis' gaze.

"i mean," he starts, "it didn't rain when you went with zayn. maybe it's not the same day. i don't remember."

"hm," louis purses his lips, "i guess i can't expect you to know everything."

"yeah-"

"but i can expect you to know how i die."

"louis, stop. i'm not going to tell you."

"fine. whatever," louis crosses his arms, directing his line of sight towards the hole in the roof again.

the rain picks up, causing the droplets that land on the floor of the tree house to splash towards louis and harry.

"what are we going to do?" harry breaks the silence, but a crack of thunder follows almost immediately after.

"i don't know," louis replies. "i mean, we could stay here and freeze to death, or we could run out there and get struck by lightning."

"you're sure an optimist," harry chuckles, scooting further into the roofed corner and the rain begins to pour even harder.

as harry watches the sky through the hole, he sees a strike of lightning. he begins to count aloud and he reaches ten before the sound of thunder fills his ears.

"why were you counting?" louis inquires, looking curiously at harry.

"you've never heard of that before?" harry asks and louis shakes his head, so harry explains, "every five seconds between is about a kilometer and a half away, so that lightning struck about three kilometers away."

"you're a nerd."

"thanks."

the boys sit in verbal silence for awhile, listening to the rain and trying to think of a plan of escape.

"you know," louis says, "we could drape the tarp over out heads and run for it."

harry eyes the tarp and replies, "you want to?"