Play Pretend, Find a Friend? (Larry Stylinson)

7

VII.

Just as the weather forecast predicted, it rained all through the day, continuing into late afternoon. Louis' rainboots splashed in the puddles and mud as he sloshed all the way down to the rugby pitch. He'd lost his umbrella over a month ago, so he had to make do with his yellow raincoat and the hood that refused to stay on his head even in the slightest breeze unless he held it there with his hand.

He'd gotten almost no work done today and he had a few assignments due tomorrow that he hadn't even started yet, but that was a problem for later. For now, he shivered under his raincoat and waded through the flooded fields until he arrived at the edge of the rugby pitch. The team was on the other side, listening to the instructions offered by their coach, and Louis took a seat on the lone bench on his side of the field.

The rain came down in a steady pour that pattered against the waterproof material of his raincoat. At least the sound was pleasant. Louis spotted Harry on the pitch, watching him run around, confident and clearly in his element. His teammates seemed to gravitate towards him, or look to him for directions. He was such a natural born leader, a charismatic charmer, and it was satisfying to witness. Louis felt irrationally proud of him.

Knowing nothing about rugby didn't help make the situation more interesting, but Louis did his best to follow along with the drills. He didn't want to be completely clueless about something his fake boyfriend loved. He would have to google the rules later and maybe watch a few professional matches. Or games. He didn't even know the terminology.

After an hour of sitting in the cold rain, shaking like a dog but also dealing with it because he chose to be here, Louis looked up and noticed the team had stopped for a water break. Well, the team minus Harry had stopped for a water break. Harry was jogging over to him, his wet hair flopping in the rain.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when he was close enough. He cleats gave him a bit more traction, but he still slipped slightly in the mud as he came to a stop. Louis had watched at least five guys on the team fall during the first half of practice alone.

"Being a supportive boyfriend."

Harry stared at him. Rain was dripping down his face. It made his hair darker, his skin paler, although his cheeks were ruddy and he was radiating heat. His eyes were bright green like the verdant grass of the pitch.

Sometimes it felt like people could see right through him.

"I'm having a shitty day," Louis amended.

"And sitting in the freezing rain is the solution," Harry said in that ironic tone of his.

"I mean..."

Silence fell over them.

"Look," Harry said, wiping some of the rain away from his eyes, though it continued to trickle down his skin in rivulets.

His shirt was soaked and clinging to his skin. It was like a scene from a romance movie, except there was no romance. Just Harry frowning at him with a furrow in his brow.

"The locker room is unlocked. My car keys are in the side pocket of my bag. Locker seventeen," he said slowly. "Practice is over in thirty minutes, then I have to shower, but I'll meet you at the car after that. Turn the heat on and get warmed up. There are towels in the trunk. Don't worry about getting the car muddy or anything, I'll clean it later. Just, please, let's get you out of the cold."

Louis nodded and stood up from the bench. The way Harry said it left no room for disagreement; not that he wanted to disagree, anyway. Nothing sounded nicer than going somewhere warm and dry.