Work Text:
The first time
When the music stops playing out of the one earphone that did actually still work it isn’t really something to be happy about, Louis decides. Frustrated, he pulls them out of his ears in one swift, bold motion. “God damn it.” Yeah he swears. It’s not like he actually cares if anyone hears it and gets upset about it because he isn’t here to please anyone but himself. Okay, he might be lying to himself a bit, because on some occasions he does care. But right now, no. Aggravated by the stopping of his music and it being the probable third time something went wrong for him today (note: the day had barely even properly started) (note: OK, he’s actually already half through the day, but still), he rolls the earpieces up on his hand and traipses towards the nearest trashcan in sight. Though his obviously impulsive plan was to dump the pair with the other trash straight away, his plan was abruptly stopped by a hand (a quite enormous one, Louis noticed immediately). “Mind to let me have a look at that?” A voice asked, making Louis look up, eyebrows raised in protective skeptic, right into two glistering green eyes that were paired with an apparent sliver of openminded spontanity. “Uhm, well, sure, I suppose?” Louis stumbled over his words, only a tiny little bit, but he would never admit that. Nevertheless, he was not actually more skeptic than overwhelmed. The tall man chuckled and held out his hand for Louis to lay the earphones in. Louis himself stared at it a while, taking a moment to realize what was meant to happen. He blushed, putting the rolled up pieces into the man’s hand, not daring to look up out of pure embarrassment. And, as every and anyone around him would usually know fairly quick, the Tommo never actually got speechless. But when the man wasn’t replying with something, whatever it could even be that he could say at this moment, Louis’ curiosity got the best of him. When he looked up, the man was analyzing the earpieces, a deep and concentrated frown inlayed in his forehead. His head was cocked to the side only slightly and it made Louis wonder how a fully grown young man could make himself look so endearing. He thought that the man couldn’t possibly be unaware of the effect he had on other people. Or maybe it was just Louis. But really, that was such a silly thing to think of him. But hell, how could he have known?
“Yeah, I think I could fix this thing. If I only had a pair of scissors, and some other stuff. If you want, I could take it to my workplace and repair it for you?” The man spoke, breaking Louis out of his fascinated trance. “Oh, what, really? You could fix it?” The stranger smiled and nodded. “I believe so, yeah.” The smile on Louis face was completely uncontrolled, and that just didn’t really happen to Louis. Nothing like this really happened to Louis. His cheeks were always blush-free, his eyes clear as daylight and his mouth constantly quick to respond. But right now he struggled to get a sentence of more than 4 words out. “Cool, yeah, I mean. That would be great, but I think I’ll pass. You see, I’m kind of tight on money and I’d rather spent it on a new pair than pay a ton load on having you repair it, sorry babe.” If you asked, he wouldn’t be able to tell you why he blushed after realizing what he called the man. To be honest, he really did call people ‘babe’ all the damn time. This wasn’t any different, or it didn’t have to be. But it felt weird rolling off of his tongue now, as if he had never said the word before and it had been simply waiting on the highest shelf, getting dusty all over, to be used. He shook it off. He used this word constantly. Get yourself together. “Oh, no no no.” The man was powerfully shaking his head, his long, curly hair swaying with the movements. “I don’t actually charge anything. I’d just really like to fix them for you. Uhm, if you don’t mind, of course.” Honestly, Louis didn’t mind. But he’s always been one to like a challenge, “Yeah, I don’t know… I mean, I don’t really give my personal properties away to a complete stranger. You haven’t even told me your name yet. For all I know, you’re planning on taking my DNA from those earphones, make a clone of me out of it and murder people under my identity.” also, he kind of wanted to get to know the man’s name. Though he seemed genuine enough (but how can you really judge a person by first impression in today’s society?). Louis didn’t actually plan on saying the latter part, frowning upon the story his mind had made up, but seeing and hearing the man’s loud laugh quite literally leaping through the suffocating summer air made it all worth it. Jesus. “I’m sorry for that.” The man extended his hands towards Louis, which he took, not daring to break his eyes away from the man’s face which still had a grin plastered across. “The name’s Harry, and it’s an absolute pleasure to meet you …?” His voice made Louis breath stutter and stumble, but he quickly collected his –figuratively- fallen pieces, saying “Louis, my name’s Louis.” “Louis” The man- Harry- tasted the sound of his name on his tongue. “You got a nice name there, Louis. So, what do you say?” Absolutely not (ahum) taken aback by the sudden compliment, and more confused as to what Harry was talking about, Louis cocked one of his eyebrows and unconsciously tilted his head only slightly. Harry chuckled deeply. “The earphones. Will you, prince Louis slash Charming, let me repair your white earphones for you at my workplace?” Honestly, Louis could smack himself on the forehead because of his own forgetfulness. He snorted quietly at the way Harry brought the line, but nodded. “Yeah, yeah sure.” He tried to keep his reaction as cool as possible, and he was quite sure that he had succeeded; the truth was that he had nodded a few too many times, making Harry fond all over the lad. Don’t be so quick to translate that reaction though; because even if Harry obviously found the guy pretty adorable (He had a weakness for boys like him) (there aren’t really any boys like Louis, so apparently he pretty much had a weakness for Louis), he had been quick to be very fond of people he only just met for as long as he could reminisce.
Smilingly, Harry swung the earpieces around hanging from his hand. “Alright, prince Louis; so let’s make a deal, yeah? I will fix your earphones and you can get them tomorrow afternoon- uh, only if you are free, of course.” He averted his eyes, almost having forgotten that not everyone’s most important activity for tomorrow was fixing a pair of earpieces from a practical stranger. He, however, looks back up into the piercing blue eyes of said stranger as quick as a lightning bolt when he hears a low chuckle (if he weren’t so aware of the cute guy’s doings he would’ve almost missed the sound). “Yeah yeah, I have some work to do tomorrow but-“ Pausing only to look at the black watch wrapped around his wrist, the prince bent his knees a little bit- another little manner that made Harry fond of him already. He needed to find some chill, really, get his chi to calm down and all that. “What about 7PM?” Eyes travelling from the knees back to the blue eyes, Harry blinked. The universe better have a good reason for his throat to feel so inexplicably dry right now. “Oh- yeah, sounds good. You live close to this place?” So what if he just threw in the best grin he had, like he would usually do- on second thought, he may give Louis a smile just a tad bit brighter than he would give other strangers but hey, the lad will never have to know that. Louis nodded, the sides of his mouth curled up just pleasantly enough. “Ah yeah, my house is only about 7 minutes away from here. So, 7PM, same place?” Harry grinned, that one grin saved only for cute strangers like Louis (as mentioned before, he never really ran into someone like Louis, but it’s not like it’s exclusive to him or anything… possibly). “That’s a date!” He says enthusiastically - and if he misses the stutter of Louis’ breath then it’s surely not his fault.