Love In Lights

Louis flung himself through the door before I had completely pushed it open, his shoulder banging into the side while he dropped the suitcases in the foyer of my house.

“Louis!” I scolded; stepping into the house but I could already hear the back door slide open.

Louis was whooping and diving straight into the water, sans shirt, by the time I reached the back glass doors. I shook my head as he disappeared beneath the water, and stifled a yawn. I hadn’t been able to sleep on the plane longer than a few hours and I was exhausted. The jet lag from a flight to Australia, or back, always tired me out.

I moved to the kitchen and happily saw that the fridge and cupboards had been filled with all my favourite food. I’d have to thank Annalisa when I saw her later. For now I grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and began dragging both suitcases up the stairs.

I hesitated outside the main bedroom, staring down at Louis’ suitcase. We hadn’t shared a bed; we hadn’t even shared a room. Every time I stayed at Louis’ it was in his guest room.

I could hear the back door open and someone’s wet feet slapping along the tiles. I knew I had to be quick, not wanting to be caught actually thinking about this. And that was the point of the week, wasn’t it? To stop thinking about us in a way that made us confused, that put us in a complicated position that no one knew how to move from.

I hurriedly pushed both suitcases into my main bedroom and shut the door. I arrived at the top step as Louis moved to put his feet on the bottom step.

“It’s carpeted.” I groaned out as Louis’ dangling foot slowly dripped a puddle onto the white-carpeted step. “Why are you dripping water all around my house?”

“The questions here is: why are you not?” Louis snorted out, dropping his foot back down onto the tiled ground. He was still dripping water over the ground; his hair flat to his head and the only piece of clothing on his body was a tight black pair of Abercrombie briefs.

“I’m tired Lou.” I groaned out, not daring to step any closer. I could feel the dangerous tension in the air, Louis with a devilish smirk, not even shivering as the seawater dried on him.

“We just left snow and temperatures below zero into a summer paradise and you want to go to sleep?” Louis rolled his eyes so dramatically I was surprised they didn’t jump out of his head and bounce up the stairs by themselves.

“Fine then, just let me get changed.” I grumbled turning away from the mad boy.

It took me longer then it should have to notice the quick thumps up the stairs before cold hands wrapped around my waist and the back of my black shirt was soaked through with water.

“Louis.” I yelled kicking out as he lifted me up, arms tightening around my waist before letting me go for the briefest moment, only to then throw me over a strong, tanned shoulder.

“Are you fucking serious?” I grumbled into Louis’ perky bum. I slapped it in annoyance but I only made Louis laugh as he jogged down the stairs, my stomach digging painfully into his shoulder as he did.

“I’m fully dressed Louis. Can’t I get changed?” I asked without hope as Louis slipped and slid all the way to my back door and over the water track he had first led inside.

The ocean breeze hit my bottom first and Louis took off down my porch and across the sand. I took a deep breath when Louis’ feet slapped against the first wave of ocean before closing my eyes and waiting for the cold impact.

My eyes shot open when Louis dumped me forward, straight into freezing cold water. My clothes tugged me down before rising up around me and I battled the black top down before pushing myself to the surface of the water.

“You little shit.” I gritted out, shivering as the cool breeze blew around the top half of my body.

Louis stood not far from me, the water only lapping at his calves and laughing loudly and openly at me. I softened for a second, enjoying the way the sun hit the tan that had been paling every day we spent in a winter wonderland in the heart of London. His eyes practically shone in the sunlight and for one moment I almost forgave him for dumping me in, if it earns me that kind of smile.

I almost forgave him.

I jumped forward and tackled Louis’ backwards, a little oof snapping out of his lungs when he hit the sand below him, my own knees making impact with the sand as well. Louis spluttered when a wave covered his head before he lifted it higher. I giggled from my towering position above him, my thighs fitting snugly around his narrow hips.

“Not so much fun when you’re the one being thrown into water.” I laughed out, shrieking when Louis rose up, knocking me off him without any effort.

“No fair,” I mumbled from where I sat in the water, slowly moving backwards and forwards with the pull of the water.

Louis sighed, falling down into the water next to me and shooting me the biggest smile I had seen yet. “Isn’t it all just beautiful?” He flung his arms out to encompass the area around us.

I smiled and glanced out a the great blue ocean and the great blue sky that didn’t contain a cloud in sight, they met together at the water’s edge, and yeah everything was beautiful.

“Come on.” I grabbed Louis’ hand and tugged him further into the ocean where the waves bowled over us. Louis laughed delightedly and let one dunk him while I swam under it, coming back up on the other side.

We played games, like the ones I played when I was a child. Games that let the waves dunk you, games that had you jumping over the waves, games that had you wrestling each other under them.

Before long I was exhausted, my eyes stung and my mouth tasted like salt. My stomach felt full from too much water accidentally swallowed after a surprise attack from Louis. My clothes were pulling me down and I pitifully hung to Louis’ back as he half swam and half-walked his was too shore, his hands securely holding my bum. I buried my nose in his wet neck and felt him shiver at the cold sensation.

“‘M, so tired.” I groaned, my eyes closing shut to keep them from stinging at the harshness of the summer breeze.

“You’re not the one carrying another human on their back.” Louis bit back.

I playfully smacked his shoulder. “You carried me out here, you can carry me back.” I grumbled, resting my chin on his shoulder and laughed when he struggled with opening the door.

We dripped large pools of water back through the house while I directed Louis to a downstairs bathroom. It was weird that Louis hadn’t been to my own house. He didn’t know where everything was and he didn’t relax back into the furniture without a worry like I did in his house.

Instead he remained curious, wrapping a towel around his waist and letting his briefs slap against the tiled floor, his eyes moved around the bathroom walls and over to the shower. He grabbed another towel to run through his head and I turned away from the water sliding down his shoulder and began pulling my own wet clothes off making sure the white bathrobe covered me completely.

“So are you going to give me a tour?” Louis asked expectantly.

I paused as I dragged another towel through my hair. “Sure.” I led him out of the bathroom and around the first floor of the house. From the living room that was well decorated with movies and music and comfortable couches after the girls last visit. The kitchen a shining white and brown, barely used.

Louis didn’t comment on much as we walked through, the girls only decorated the bedrooms upstairs when they were here last and it was Annalisa’s room that had the most stuff inside. Clothes, books, movies and games were thrown haphazardly around the room. I was curious how often she came here while I was away.

“You don’t have a music room.” Louis said, his voice filled with confusion.

I shrugged as we hovered in the doorway to my bedroom. My eyes ignored the suitcases sitting in the corner. “This was like a holiday home, away from music and all of that. It’s a holiday away from work.” I shrugged to him.

Louis crooked his head at me before seeming to accept my reason.

We both showered after that, washing off the sand and finding it in places no sand should ever be. By the time I had soaped myself enough time to be satisfied with no sand being left, Louis had ordered pizza.

“I have a cupboard and fridge full of food.” I told him, falling down onto the couch next to him and staring at the episode of Criminal Minds he had playing.

“There was food, yes, but no pizza.” Louis threw an arm around my shoulders and settled back into the couch. He smelled like soap and my lavender shampoo but there was still a small undertone of seawater floating around the both of us. I buried myself further into the Louis’ soft shirt and grinned.

It was too easy to be comfortable with Louis, he made my house feel like a home. It was easy here with him, eating pizza and trying to solve crimes before the episode revealed everything.

Eventually I was yawning into Louis my eyes fluttering closed as the day and the sing of the ocean began to catch up to me. My eyes were soar and my body felt like lead. Louis ushered me up the stairs and into the bedroom.

I didn’t even have time to freak out about where he would stay before we were both climbing into the bed. Lights flickered off and we were plunged into darkness but Louis moved with a practiced ease, maneuvering us under the covers and against each other, bodies warm and soft.

I was already slipping into sleep by the time I comfortably buried my head in the nook of Louis’ shoulder.

-

I was warm, so comfortably warm after the constant cold of the London winter that I couldn’t even consider moving at this point. Instead I only buried my nose further into the warm skin my face was pushed against.

Louis shifted, the blanket slid down our tangled bodies as he rolled over, pulling me tighter to his chest while one of his legs wrapped their way around the both of mine.

My eyes flipped open when something hard pushed into my lower stomach. It took only a couple of seconds before I couldn’t hold it in and the laughter ripped through my chest and my whole body began to shake.

Louis grumbled and pulled back to stare at me blearily. “S’wrong?” He mumbled, eyes blinking slowly.

I laughed harder and forced out between each gasping breath, what I hoped at least sounded like a song, “Waking up, beside you I’m a loaded gun, I can’t contain this anymore.” I had to stop, doubling over in laughter when Louis glanced down at his own crutch.

I squealed when Louis threw the blankets off us and flipped so he was hovering over me. “I’m all yours, I got no control. Powerless and I don’t care it’s obvious.” Louis sung loudly.

I broke into more fits of laughter, Louis poking my sides to only encourage me more.

“Stop, stop.” I gasped out, squirming underneath him and pushing my hands against his bear chest but he wouldn’t move.

I got my breath back and looked up at Louis seriously. “Do I overwhelm you when I flip my hair? Better yet, do you think I’m beautiful when I smile at the ground.” I could feel the grin spreading across my cheeks before Louis even started to tickle my sides again.

“You little shit.” He accused, sitting back on my thighs while I continued to squirm.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I laughed out, letting him pause again. “It’s not my fault your songs are so cheesy.” I teased before the tickling started again. My stomach was sore and my cheeks ached but I managed to grab Louis’ hands and pull him back down closer to me, our noses touches as he hovered over me again.

I was still gasping for breath but I rubbed my nose against his nose and smiled sweetly.

“Tell me you believe in love.” Louis sung so softly and sincerely that it took me a moment to place what those lyrics were from.

I sucked in a deep breath, eyes refusing to leave Louis’. “I do.” I whispered, squeezing Louis’ hands.

“Then that’s enough for me.” Louis sunk closer to me, a nudge against my lower abdomen made known.

“Really?” I swallowed, my body arching up to meet Louis’.

“For now.” He said darkly before crashing his lips against mine.

I surged up, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer, our bodies aligned and touching, skin to skin, in every place we could.

I love you, I thought with the clearest conviction.

Notes

I'm sorry but I so needed to write a morning wood scene with No Control at some point in my fanfic writing ;P