Work Text:
“You’ll be at Aunt Sharon’s for the Christmas party on Saturday, right?” Gemma asks over the phone.
Harry rolls his eyes and groans through the receiver, “Ugh, don’t remind me!”
Their aunt’s Christmas party was the one topic Harry had hoped Gemma wouldn’t bring up during their weekly call. If she hadn’t reminded him, he could've pretended that he forgot when it was, or say that something came up at work last minute. But Gemma knows him too well.
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” she says.
“Every year she asks the same questions: Do I have a special lady in my life? Why don’t I bring her around? When am I going to settle down?”
“I know, H—”
“And then, you have Jessica.” Harry shudders exaggeratedly, thinking of his cousin. She’s three years older than Gemma, and always loves to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong, namely, in other people's love lives. “Just once I wish she wouldn’t try to set me up with every potentially gay guy she knows from her office or her gym. I don’t want to go on a blind date set up by my cousin!”
“She means well at least.”
“I guess.”
“Well, Mum will be there and you haven’t been home to see her in months. If anything, she’d appreciate you showing up.”
Harry sighs, “I just wish there was some way I could avoid talking about my non-existent love life. It’d be better if everyone just stopped pestering me about it.”
“If you started dating again, you could always bring a plus-one. That would get everyone to shut up, or at least get them talking about something else for a while.”
“Yeah, right. You know I’m too busy with work right now to try dating.”
“I know, H. It was just a joke. Anyway, I’m grabbing lunch with Louis in twenty minutes so I’ve got to run.”
Hearing Louis’ name makes Harry’s heart beat skip, even though he hasn’t seen Gemma’s best friend since the last time he visited her in the summer. As much as he’s tried to ignore it, he has a crush on his sister’s best friend, one that’s been simmering for over two decades.
He tries to keep his voice steady as he says, “Okay. Have fun and tell Louis I said hi. Talk to you later, Gem.”
“I’ll see you at Aunt Sharon’s,” she says pointedly. “Bye, H!”
And then the call disconnects. Harry locks his mobile and tosses it onto the couch cushion beside him. He drops his head in his hands and groans.
The holidays are a tough time to be single.
The dreaded Christmas party comes up again the next morning, this time when Harry’s coworker, Niall, asks, “Got and plans this weekend, mate?”
Niall joined Harry’s department four months ago and, after spending forty hours a week sitting in adjacent cubicle spaces, taking lunch breaks together, and commiserating about impossible deadlines over pints after work, they’ve become close friends.
“Yeah, my family is getting together for a Christmas thing.” Harry responds, leaning back in his ergonomic office chair.
“You aren’t excited about it? But, you love Christmas!” Niall looks pointedly at Harry’s half of their cubicle, where an entire section has been turned into a winter wonderland of white cotton fluff and colorful figurines. Reindeer and elves stand on the shelf next to meeting notes and expense reports. A string of red and green lights adorn the top edge of the cubicle, but their light is barely visible under the harsh fluorescence of the office lights. He even pinned some sparkly silver garland around the polaroids of his family and friends on his bulletin board.
“It’s not just the Christmas party, it’s my relatives that are unbearable. My aunt is always asking about girlfriends, weddings, and babies.”
“Yikes,” Niall gives him a sympathetic look.
“And then, my cousin is the opposite. She tried to set me up with a guy from her gym last year. Turns out he was straight. He got confused and thought Jessica had found an extra guy for his footie team.”
“Oh man, that’s rough.” Niall grimaces. He’s probably recalling the time Harry had subbed for a sick man on Niall’s own team. It had not gone well, ending with a loss and a sprained ankle.
“I really should go. I haven’t seen Mum or Gemma in so long. And it is for Christmas. But it’s just hard when I know the conversations will be so draining.”
“You could always bring someone along.”
Harry laughs, “That’s what Gemma said last night. But, it’s this weekend.”
“So?”
“I can’t bring a first date to meet the family!” Harry says, his voice raising. Someone across the office shushes him. He sinks back into his chair, a bit embarrassed at his outburst. Quieter, he adds, "What if they're terrible? Or boring?"
Niall huffs out a laugh and his lips spread into a wide smile. He says, “I have a friend who’s in town for the weekend. What if—”
“I’m too—”
“You’re too busy to date. I know, H. But this wouldn’t be a date. He just went through a break up himself a few months back, so I don’t think he’s looking for that either. As long as there’s food and drinks, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind keeping you company for a couple of hours.”
Harry knows it’s a bad idea. A very bad idea.
“Who is it?”
“A friend from uni. I bet you'll get along great. And they aren't boring.”
Harry really shouldn’t be considering this. It’s a stupid idea and Niall’s stupid ideas usually lead to trouble.
But the alternative isn’t very appealing either. Not much is worse than awkwardly dodging nosy questions over roast and mash.
Niall adds, “Plus, he has a car.”
That tips the scale. Harry sighs, “Fine. Can you ask him if he’s available for Saturday afternoon?”
Niall pumps his fist in the air. “This will be great!” he cheers, and then they get shushed by their coworker again.
Harry tugs at the hem of his jumper. It’s a soft black knit with colorful planets decorating the back. He paces laps around his small apartment and checks his watch. Three more minutes. He hopes his not-date doesn’t show up late or, worse, doesn’t show up at all.
Niall had arranged the whole thing, telling him Harry’s address and the time to pick him up. Harry should be more nervous that he’s bringing a literal stranger to meet his extended family, but he figures it can’t be much more awkward than Aunt Sharon’s Christmas parties usually are. Instead, he’s looking forward to having an extra person to buffer the conversation.
He’s lucky that Niall’s friend has a car. The half hour drive over should give them plenty of time to hash out some details of their falsified relationship. If they’re going to pull this off, it will help to at least know some basics about each other before they arrive.
A knock comes one minute after eleven. Harry takes a deep breath and counts to three so it won’t look like he’s been pacing in front of the door, despite that being exactly what he was doing.
He lets out the breath and opens the door.
“Hi there— Louis?!” Harry blinks rapidly.
“Hey, Haz.” Louis gives a small wave, then drops his hand to his side. He’s wearing a soft red and black jumper. His hair is shorter than it was the previous summer, but it still looks soft. Harry can’t help but stare at the way his fringe falls across his forehead.
“What are you doing here?” The shock is apparent in Harry’s voice. He winces at the way it sounds a bit weird and too harsh for a friendly greeting.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you lived here. My friend must have got the address wrong.” Louis clasps his hands in front of himself and sways on his feet side to side, as if he’s unsure if he should ask to come in or bolt for the door. Harry doesn’t blame him.
Heat rushes to the apples of his cheeks. This cannot be happening. Tentatively, he asks, “Niall?”
Louis’ face brightens, with an easy smile. “Yeah, you know him?”
Harry sighs, “Yep, we work together.”
“I suppose you’re the mate in need of a last minute fake boyfriend, then.” Louis teases, letting out a soft huff of laughter.
“Fake b—“ Harry balks. “No! I just wanted someone to come with me to my family’s Christmas.”
“It’s alright, Haz. Niall explained the situation. Not well enough, apparently. But,” Louis shrugs, “I guess that’s on me for not asking what your name was before I agreed.”
“Oh god!” Harry slaps a hand to his forehead. “This must be so awkward for you. We don’t have to—”
“No, it’s alright. It might even be better that we know each other. Saves a bit of trouble having to figure out how we met, what our favorite color is, and shit like that.” Louis looks at his phone to check the time. Anyway, Niall said it was a half hour away and we should hit the road now I think. You ready to go?”
“If you’re absolutely sure that you’re okay with this.”
“Of course. Anything to help you.” Louis winks.
Harry can’t quite tell if it’s genuine, or if Louis is teasing him for the ridiculous situation he’s gotten them into. Harry turns back into his kitchen to grab the container of biscuits he’d baked and his keys from the ceramic dish he keeps them in.
“Alright, let’s do this!” he says, tone more confident than he actually feels. He shuts the door behind him and locks up before following Louis out to his car.
The car ride goes better than Harry anticipated. Louis was right, knowing each other for over twenty years did save them a lot of time trying to figure out the basics of their fake relationship. But there were still some logistics they needed to figure out before they arrived.
“Are we going to tell Gemma?” Louis asks, glancing over to Harry in the passenger seat.
“No. I mean, I was hoping we wouldn’t tell anyone that it’s a set-up.” Harry turns his ring on his finger nervously. He can’t imagine how embarrassing it would be to tell her that her best friend was the last minute date he’d found. She’d tease him endlessly. “It’s only for one day. Afterwards, we can just say it wasn’t working out and we decided to end it.”
Louis frowns, “But she knows I’m not seeing anyone. And, I’m guessing it’s the same for you?”
“We can just say it’s still pretty new and we wanted to surprise her.”
“Oh my god, she’s going to kill us. She hates surprises!” Louis laughs, the bright sound filling the car.
Harry laughs too, adding “Remember her surprise nineteenth birthday?”
Harry recounts the night Louis had asked him to take Gemma out to a restaurant so that he could invite all her friends to her tiny student flat for a party. When they returned to a crowded room of spilled liquor and loud music, she was furious. Louis and Harry laugh at the memory.
They continue to swap stories of the many other times their thoughtful surprises had upset Gemma to the point of fury, and the rest of the ride flies by. Before he knows it, the GPS is telling Louis to take the exit and leading them closer to the inevitable Christmas party.
Harry wipes his palms on his trousers anxiously as they turn onto her lane. “Right here, with the green front door.”
Louis pulls the car over to the kerb and parks. Neither make a move to get out of the car.
Harry fiddles with his rings. He’s nervous to get out of the car, knowing the moment they open that door will kick off a whole string of lies. Maybe he should stall a little. “Uhm. Are we supposed to um... practice kissing like...”
“Practice kissing?” Louis chuckles. “Are you planning on snogging in front of the roast with your Nan watching?”
An embarrassingly high pitched giggle slips out of him. “No, guess not,” he says, trying to shrug off the suggestion. “I’ve just never done this before.”
Louis smiles wide and pats his shoulder. “I’m honored you’d pick me to be your first fake boyfriend, Harold.”
“Oh stop. I didn’t even pick you. If Niall had said…”
“If you’d known it was me, you wouldn’t have agreed?” Louis looks down at his hands, fiddling with the car keys he pulled out of the ignition when they’d parked.
Harry shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry if this is weird for you, too. I don’t have to go in if you’d rather not pretend to be dating me. I can just drop you off here and you can text me when you’re ready to leave.”
Harry doesn’t hesitate for a second knowing that spending any time with Louis is preferable, despite how awkward it might be.
“No, Niall promised you food and drinks and my charming company. You can come in. It will be fine.”
They’re the last guests to arrive at Aunt Sharon’s. He pushes the front door open as quietly as possible, trying to buy them a few more seconds of peace. The warm air is inviting as they step into the small entryway. As they take off their coats, Harry glances around, noticing the decorations. Aunt Sharon always goes overboard, adding evergreen garlands and sparkly bobbles to every nook and cranny of her house. There’s even a sprig of mistletoe hanging over the hallway. Harry rolls his eyes at the silly tradition. Every year since he was a kid, Jessica has insisted that it gets hung up to make unsuspecting people kiss.
Most of the family is gathered on chairs and cushions scattered around the living room or finishing up the meal in the kitchen. It’s already loud and Harry’s heart rate sky rockets Jessica rounds the corner on her way to the kitchen.
“Harry! Ooh and you brought a guest!” In a whirlwind typical of Jessica, she grabs the container of biscuits from Harry and rushes through to the kitchen shouting, “Mum set one more plate! Harry brought his boyfriend!”
Suddenly the noise from the living room is gone. Harry cringes at how loudly she announced their arrival. Nothing can ever be subtle with this family.
The split-second of silence is shattered by Gemma shouting across the room, “Boyfriend?” Gemma shouts, crossing into the entry way. “You didn’t tell me you had- Louis?” She skids to a stop, looking rightfully shocked to see who Harry is with.
“Hey, Gemma,” Louis says sheepishly.
“You’re, what? When?!”
Just then Anne comes out of the kitchen with a red apron around her waist and drying her hands on a red and green striped tea towel.
“Harry, you made it! Oh, hello Louis! Gemma didn’t tell me you were coming!”
“Well, Gemma didn’t know." Gemma frowns, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I came with Harold here.” Louis smiles and rests a hand on the small of his back. Harry’s breath hitches, feeling the warmth of his palm through his sweater. He’s so focused on the point of contact he nearly misses the strange look his mum gives him, but there’s no way he could miss the way Gemma is glaring at them.
“Harry didn’t tell me either." Anne says. "I didn’t realize you too were hanging out.”
“It’s fairly recent.” Harry says without offering more explanation. Luckily, he’s saved from elaborating as a timer in the kitchen starts going off.
“Oh, that’s the roast. I need to help Aunt Sharon get it out of the oven! Get your shoes off and settle in. Gemma, help them with their coats. The food’s almost ready.” Anne heads back into the kitchen, leaving Gemma, Louis, and Harry standing awkwardly in the entryway.
Gemma stares them down, waiting for an explanation. When neither offers one she points a finger accusingly between the two of them. With her voice clear and firm, she says, “We’re talking about this later.” Then she grabs both their coats, turns on her heel, and walks away. They’re left standing alone in the entry way, and all Harry can think about is the warmth radiating from Louis’ hand still on the small of his back.
It’s going to be a long afternoon.
Once they’re seated around the table, the tension eases up. It reminds Harry a bit of the meals they used to have, when Louis would stay late studying with Gemma and Anne would set an extra plate between Gemma’s and Harry’s. Though, luckily for him, Gemma and Anne ended up at the far end of the table this time. Harry relaxes some knowing that they won’t be able to grill them with questions throughout the meal.
The first thing Louis does when they take their seats is reach of the shiny silver Christmas cracker in front of his plate. “Haz, open this with me?”
Harry grabs onto the other end and together they pull the cracker. It breaks with a pop.
Harry holds the winning end and reaches his fingers inside to pull out the joke first. “Hey Lou, what do they sing at a snowman’s birthday party?”
“I don’t know, Haz, what do they sing?”
Harry sings, “Freeze a jolly good fellow!”
Louis groans and rolls his eyes. “Ahh come on now, that wasn’t a very good one.”
“You want another joke?” Harry thinks quick of some of the Christmas jokes he can remember. “How ‘bout, what does a monkey sing at Christmas?”
“Go on,” Louis prompts.
“Jungle Bells!”
“That’s even worse!” Louis laughs. The way his eyes crinkle with his wide smile is one of Harry’s favorite things about him. He thinks that if he could make Louis laugh like that every day, he’d be happy. Harry scrunches up his nose and looking down at the opened cracker in his hands to hide the flood of affection he feels.
He pulls the small keychain and a blue paper crown. He carefully unfolds the thin paper and places it on his head.
“Come on! Open yours now.” Louis reaches over, grabbing the gold wrapped cracker by Harry’s plate.
“You’re impatient! Are you upset you didn’t win?” Harry teases, grabbing the other end.
With a tug, the cracker snaps and Harry is again holding the larger end. “Yes!”
Louis playfully smacks Harry with the short end of the cracker. “Not fair! I should at least win one.”
Harry laughs, “Too bad!”
Harry pulls out the joke, a pen, and a green paper crown. Harry unfolds it and places it on top of Louis’ head. “Fit for a king.”
The tissue crown immediately slides down Louis’ forehead. Louis huffs out a laugh, “Thanks.” He reaches a hand up to adjust the crown and his fringe.
“Do you want to hear the joke?”
“I guess. It’s gotta be better than the last one.”
“Heyyy.” Harry pouts as he unfolds the joke. “Alright, ready? Who delivers presents to baby sharks?”
Louis raises his eyebrow, waiting for Harry to deliver the punchline.
“Santa Jaws!”
“That’s terrible,” Louis shakes his head. “No more jokes, I’m hungry. Do you think the food is almost done?”
Right on cue, Aunt Sharon comes through the kitchen door carrying a platter of roast. Anne follows with a bowl of sides. The table fills up fast with all the dishes and bowls they begin to pass around.
Uncle Frank passes a bowl of mashed potatoes to Harry and he adds a scoop to his plate. Louis leans toward Harry with a serving spoon heaped with peas. He tips the spoonful onto an open section of Harry’s plate.
“Thanks, Lou.”
“No problem. I know how much you like a good pea.”
“I do, yeah.” Harry nods and feels his cheeks heat. It’s crazy to think about how much they’ve learned about each other throughout their childhoods. It’s not just that they both like peas, Harry knows that Louis prefers his tea with a splash of milk and no sugar, that he always asks for no whip the few times he's joined Gemma and Harry for coffee while Harry was in London, and that Louis doesn’t care for many sweet foods, but never turns down an opportunity to go out for ice cream. A light and fluttery feeling expands in his chest as he remembers so many little details about Louis he’s collected over the years.
The rest of dinner goes well. As they dig into their food, Jessica, who sat down next to Louis, keeps him talking. Harry feels a little bad for leaving Louis to hold up most of the conversation, but Louis doesn’t seem put out by it. He happily answers all her questions about his graduate studies and what it’s like to live in London. Harry is relieved not to be the centre of her attention this year.
Harry manages to avoid talking to Gemma all throughout the meal. But he isn’t so lucky to avoid her afterwards.
While they ate, Anne and Gemma must have formulated a plan to split up Harry and Louis. Immediately after the main course, Gemma volunteers herself and Harry to help Aunt Sharon dish up the Christmas pudding to hand out to everyone. When Harry reluctantly leaves his seat next to Louis, Anne is quick to fill it. Harry gives one last worried look back at Louis before he follows Gemma into the kitchen, bracing himself for the inquisition while they work.
“So, you and Louis?” She says, as she slices through the pudding. Aunt Sharon’s homemade pudding is one of Harry’s favorite treats for this time of year, with a perfect mix of sweet fruits and warm caramel glaze. Despite how full he is from the roast, his mouth waters at the sight of a fresh baked pudding.
“Um, yeah.” Harry shrugs, holding an empty plate for her to place the slice of pudding.
“I can’t believe it!” She throws her hands up in exasperation, swinging the pastry server.
He winces at her loud outburst. “Sorry.”
She drops her hands to her sides and resumes scooping out slices of pudding. “No, it’s fine. I’m not mad about you dating him. I am mad neither of you told me.”
“It’s just…new.”
“We were just talking about you on the phone the other day. You said you were too busy to date. You didn’t have to lie to me.” She pouts.
“I wanted to talk to Louis about it first. We hadn’t discussed telling anyone, so I wanted to check with him first.” The lie feels thick as treacle in his throat.
“It’s fine. I get that it’s new and you probably haven’t thought that far ahead. But it makes sense, I always thought you liked him.”
“What? I didn’t—“
“I know you better than that, H. I bet you’ve had a crush on him since primary school. I’ll allow it though, he’s a good one.”
That leaves him speechless. He has no idea how to respond, so he doesn’t say anything at all. They continue working mostly in silence until all the pudding is dished up. Gemma sets the pastry server onto the empty plate and turns to Harry.
“You know, one thing isn’t adding up. I just don’t know how he had the time to get to Manchester to see you recently. He’s been throwing himself into his work after his break up with his boyfriend at the end of summer.”
“He hasn’t. We connected online a few weeks back. And, he happened to be in town to see his sisters so this is the first chance we got to see each other.” He hopes it’s close enough to the truth that it won’t lead them to trouble. He is no good at keeping secrets and already feels the urge to blurt out the truth to Gemma. He bites at the inside of his cheek, managing to hold himself back.
“Oh, so it’s new. Like new, new.” Harry nods, glad she bought it.
“Well, I’m excited for you. Let me know when we need to start wedding planning. I can take him engagement ring shopping and help taste test cakes any time.” She grabs two plates of pudding and leaves the kitchen to hand out the desserts, leaving Harry alone in the kitchen, reeling from the thought of Louis shopping for an engagement ring for him.
He’s nearly breathless with the realisation of exactly how deep his crush has rooted itself into him over the years. When he agreed to bring a mystery date to his family’s Christmas party, it was to avoid any talk of imaginary partners and future weddings. But, talking about those things doesn’t give him the same anxious and negative feelings that it did before, not when Louis is involved.
Harry takes a moment to collect himself, before he grabs some of the dessert plates and heads back into the dining room to hand them out. When everyone has a slice, Harry grabs the last plate and returns to his seat next to Louis.
“How’d it go?” Louis whispers to him as picks up his spoon.
Harry turns to Louis and whispers back, “Honestly? Could have been worse.”
Louis smiles softly at him. “Yeah, same here. Though your mum is upset we didn’t tell her we’re dating before everyone else found out.”
Harry looks down at the pudding. Of course, his mum would want to know that he’d started dating, especially if it was Louis. She’s always been fond of him. Harry has been so worried about Gemma finding out about the fake relationship that he didn’t give much thought to how his mum would handle the news, and the eventual “break-up” that would follow. But they are already half way through the party and it’s too late to turn back now. Harry pushes down the rising anxiety and focuses instead on his favourite Christmas pudding.
As he takes his first bite, Harry notices a large glob of caramel glaze on the side of Louis’ plate. He must have scraped it off the pudding before he started eating. Harry smiles, remembering all the frosting he would scrape off of slices of birthday cake. It always baffled Harry, who loved everything sweet and sugary that Louis didn’t like it, but he was always grateful when Louis would turn his plate and let Harry have his extra frosting.
Harry leans over with his spoon ready to take the extra glaze. It’s his favorite part of Aunt Sharon’s pudding, he’s not going to let it go to waste.
“Hey!” Louis says, playfully swinging his spoon like a sword toward Harry’s.
“You don’t like it anyway.” Harry says.
“Fine,” Louis relents, lowering his spoon and turning his plate so Harry can get it all off the plate. “But you can’t have any of the pudding, only the glaze.”
“Of course,” he says, scooping up the glob of caramel. Harry pops the spoon into his mouth while looking at Louis. Too late, Harry realise what he must look like, going in tongue first and tauntingly sucking sticky-sweet glaze off the curve of the spoon. Louis seems to have noticed too, if the way his throat bobs as he swallows is any indication.
Harry looks away from Louis, unable to hold his darkened stare. He cannot get turned on by Louis at the dining table while surrounded by his family. He swallows the caramel as quickly as possible and takes a drink of his wine to wash it down.
The longer he’s been around Louis, the harder it is to remember that this is all pretend. Harry doesn’t know how he’s going to survive the rest of the party.
Everyone moves back into the living room after the meal is finished. It’s nearly time to open the gifts that are stacked under the tree. Aunt Sharon always insists that it wouldn’t be Christmas without gifts to open, so she always has them ready for her guests.
Harry and Louis find two open seats near the tree. They sit and watch the younger cousins help Aunt Sharon hand out the gifts. Anne sits down in the arm chair next to them. She leans forward and says, “Louis, I’m sorry, I don’t think Sharon will have a gift for you. If I had known you were coming—”
“It’s not a problem.” Louis assures her. “It was a very last minute plan for me to join your family’s party. And,” Louis pats a hand over Harry’s knee, “spending time with Harold is more than enough of a gift.”
That appeases Anne, who gives them both a bright smile. “Well, I’m glad you’re both having a good time. I hope the rest of the family hasn’t scared you away.”
“Not at all,” Louis assures her.
Once the gifts are all passed out, the family takes turns unwrapping them. The young kids excitedly open toys and books and the adults get sweaters, coffee mugs, and candles. Everyone gets something, whether it was a small gift card or a pair of wool socks. Everyone except Louis.
After Harry opens his own box, revealing a brown wool sweater, he folds it back into the garment box and tucks it under his chair. He grabs his stemless wine glass from the side table behind him and empties the last bit. “Do you need a refill?” he asks Louis.
“Sure.” Louis holds out his empty green bottle.
Harry heads to the kitchen, depositing Louis’ empty bottle in the recycling bin. He grabs another Stella from the fridge and pops the cap off with a bottle opener. As he’s refilling his own glass with the red wine he’s been sipping all afternoon, he spots a small pile of unopened red and green Christmas crackers. They must be extras that didn’t make it to the table during the meal. Harry slips one into his pocket, hoping it won’t be missed, and heads back to Louis with their drinks.
When he gets back to his seat, Louis takes the bottle from Harry with a soft whisper of, “Thanks, babe.” The pet name makes Harry’s heart flutter. He takes a sip of his wine, trying to hide his uncontrollable smile. At least he can blame the flush of his cheeks on the alcohol.
There’s still a few others unwrapping gifts, so while everyone else is distracted, Harry pulls the red cracker form his pocket. “Here Lou, I found you a present. I know it’s not like the other gifts, but you should have something to open, too.”
Louis' face lights up as he sees the cracker in Harry's hand. “I’m going to win this one. I can feel it.” Louis laughs, rubbing his palms together determinedly. He grasps the other end in his hand and they pull. It opens with barely a pop, the noise drowned out by all the other chatter in the room. Holding the bigger end, Louis cheers. He reaches inside the cracker and pulls out a small toy.
They both burst out laughing at the plastic wind up penguin wearing a Santa hat. Harry laughs, “Oops," Harry says. "Guess these crackers were meant for the kids’ table.”
“It’s the thought that counts. Are you ready to hear the joke?” Harry nods and waits for Louis to unfold the slip of paper. “Why couldn’t the skeleton go to the Christmas Party?” Louis waits a beat before delivering the punch line. “Because he had no body to go with!”
Harry giggles, despite recognizing the joke. He's always a sucker for a good pun.
“Well, at least you’re not a skeleton this year.” Louis teases, playfully nudging him in his side. ”You definitely found some body to go with.”
As the party winds down, Harry is relieved that the afternoon has gone well. Better than expected, even. No one asked him why he hasn’t settled down with a nice girl yet and he didn’t get set up on any blind dates, so he will count it as a win.
It’s time to leave and Harry and Louis have already said good bye to Anne and Gemma and most of the others. All that’s left is to find Aunt Sharon before they hit the road. She’s been so busy cooking and hosting all day that Harry hasn’t had a chance to talk to her yet.
They find her in the kitchen with Jessica and Gemma, where they are refilling her punch bowl and topping off the trays of biscuits and sweets she left out.
“Hey, Aunt Sharon,” Harry greets her. “Thank you so much for the roast, it was delicious.”
She leans in for a hug and says, “I’m glad you could make it. Your mum didn’t know if you’d be coming this year and I would’ve been so disappointed.” She pulls away from the hug and pinches his cheek. Then, she turns to Louis.
“Thanks for having me over last minute, Sharon. It was nice to meet you and the rest of Haz’s family.”
“Any time, dear. I’m just glad this one is finally settling down.” Aunt Sharon smiles. Harry's face falls. He was so foolish to think that bringing Louis along would make all the relationship talk magically disappear. He’d nearly made it out the door without having to discuss his future, other than the few comments Gemma made earlier. Despite his discomfort, Aunt Sharon continues, “Hopefully this time next year we can start planning a wedding. There hasn’t been one in this family for so long and I love to help plan them! Even if it is two grooms instead of a bride. Dress shopping is always my favorite part!”
“Well, I’m sure Harold would look stunning in a wedding dress someday.” Louis laughs lightly.
Louis' joking tone doesn't ease the sting of the four people laughing at Harry's expense, especially when the thought of wearing a dress hits a little too close to home for Harry. To deflect from further comments about brides and dresses, Harry swats at Louis’ arm. Louis grabs his hand and holds it tight to prevent any further attacks. Unexpectedly, he twines their fingers together at their sides. “You’re right Aunt Sharon,” Louis grins devilishly, “I should put a ring on him so no one else can scoop him up.”
Everyone in the room laughs. Everyone except Harry. He might have found it all funny, if he didn’t want so badly for it to be true. It’s unnerving how spending just a few hours around Louis has made him feel more intense crush and desire to be with him. And all the while, Louis has seen it as a joke. To him it’s a strange situation of helping his friend's little brother to get out of an awkward situation. But to Harry, it had started to feel like so much more.
He should have never agreed to Niall’s suggestion. He should have turned Louis away the moment he’d opened his door.
Harry only realises he’s spaced out the rest of the conversation when Louis lets go of his hand. Before he can blink, Louis' hand moves to the small of his back. Beside him, Louis says, “Anyway, thanks again for the meal. We’ve got a bit of a drive so we’re gonna hit the road. It was nice to meet you.”
“Let me get your coats from the closet.” Jessica says as Louis guides Harry out of the kitchen. Harry is so caught up in his thoughts and the press of Louis’ hand on his back as they follow Jessica into the hallway. He doesn’t notice that they walk right under the mistletoe he’d been avoiding all afternoon.
Jessica gasps, “Now you have to kiss!” She points overhead to where the sprig of mistletoe dangles right above their heads.
Harry starts to protest, “I really don’t—”
But Jessica cuts him off. “You’re not getting your coats until you kiss!” She tucks them in her arms and crosses her arms over her chest, holding them hostage. With a sly smile she reminds them, “It’s bad luck not to once you’re under the mistletoe.”
He turns to Louis, not sure what to do. Before he can ask, Louis brings a hand up to Harry’s cheek. He leans in and kisses him. Harry forgets everything but the feeling of Louis on his lips. His hand finds the nape of Harry’s neck as Louis sucks softly at his lower lip, pulling a soft keen from Harry.
Gemma clears her throat beside them. When they startle apart, Louis wipes his mouth on the back of his hand as he turns to grab their coats from Jessica. He hands Harry his coat and slips his own on quickly. They say one last round of goodbyes, waving to everyone as they slip out the front door.
It’s only once Harry climbs into Louis’ car that reality catches up to him. They are half an hour away from Harry’s flat. He’s going to spend the next thirty minutes alone with Louis in the car. Right after they kissed.
He’s trying his hardest not to freak out and over think the situation. But it’s difficult not to when Louis is standing outside his car on the street. He hasn’t even opened the door yet. Harry can’t see he face from where he’s sitting. He has no idea what Louis is thinking. Does Louis regret kissing him? Why had even kissed Harry in the first place? He clearly hadn’t wanted to before they arrived at the party, and he’d been treating the day as a joke. He’ll probably have a laugh with his sisters about the ridiculous situation that only silly little Harry could get them in.
Despite all the confusing signals from Louis, Harry can’t help but want him. Harry can’t remember the last time he enjoyed Aunt Sharon’s Christmas party. But with Louis by his side, he had fun and wanted to remember so many moments from the party. He is so kind and funny, gets along with his family, and he even let Harry eat the extra glaze from his pudding. It was a tantalizing taste of what a real relationship could be.
If only Louis hadn’t been playing along for the laughs.
Harry jolts when the sound of the car door opening. Louis climbs in without a word and stays silent as he starts the car. Harry doesn’t know what to say, either. He twists the rings on his fingers and stares out the window as cheery Christmas music begins to play on the radio. As Louis steers the car away from the kerb, Harry lets out a sigh.
This drive home could be the longest half hour of his life.
Five minutes later, as Louis takes the entrance onto the M62, Harry can’t take the awkward silence any longer. “I’m sorry, I know you didn’t want to kiss me.”
Louis sighs, “Haz…” He can’t take his eyes off the busy road as he merges onto the motorway.
The lack of eye contact is a small grace for this stilted conversation. Harry trudges on, hoping they can work through the awkwardness that’s grown between them. “I know you had no idea what you were getting into when Niall asked and I know I’m just Gemma’s younger brother, so this must have been weird for you. But you didn't have to make a joke out of it.”
Louis' eyebrows are furrowed and his knuckles are white on the steering wheel. Harry can see his confused frown in profile. "None of this was a joke for me. I'm sorry if anything I said or did ave you that impression."
“Okay,” Harry says, still not entirely convinced.
"I had a good idea of what I was getting into when Niall asked to be a fake boyfriend. Niall promised me an afternoon of free food and drinks, with great company. You were not who I was expecting and I’m gonna have to have a chat with Niall about that. But that’s for another time. I had a great time with you and it was good to see Gemma and your mum.” Louis takes a second to glance at him. There’s nothing but honesty in his blue eyes when he adds, “And I really don’t mind that it was you.”
Harry’s breath catches. “I didn’t mind it was you either. I actually had a pretty good time at the party. So, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Louis pats his knee twice and then returns his hands to the steering wheel.
Harry doesn’t know how else to continue the conversation, even though it still feels a bit awkward. There’s never been such heavy silence between them before. There’s still twenty minutes left in their drive, so Harry tries to let his worries go and enjoy the Christmas music on the radio.
It doesn’t quite work because as soon as he’s not thinking about how Louis might regret agreeing to be his fake partner, he has a chance to their kiss in his mind. From the outside, it was the perfect rom-com first kiss he has secretly dreamed of sharing with someone. It was unexpected and spontaneous, yet they fit so well together. Harry wishes he could revel in how amazing it felt to finally kiss Louis. But if Louis only kissed him for the sake of their fake relationship, he’d rather it not count as a first kiss.
When they finally pull up in front of Harry’s building, Louis parks the car but leaves the engine running. Harry gathers up his things, but doesn’t move to get out of the car. He doesn’t want to leave Louis with this awkward rift still between them.
“Thanks again for coming with me. I hope you had a good time, all things considered.”
“Of course I did.” Louis places his hand on Harry’s forearm. “I really mean that, Harry. Here, give me your phone for a sec.”
Harry hands him his phone and watches as Louis adds his number. “In case you need me for any more holiday parties this year.”
Harry is stunned that Louis would offer to keep up this charade. Harry can’t imagine having to pretend with Louis again, when the one kiss under the mistletoe had proved how impossible it would be to ignore the feelings he had for Louis any longer.
“I can’t do this again.” Harry blurts out. His eyes go wide and he covers his mouth, shocked at his own burst of honesty.
Louis’ face falls. Quietly, he asks, “What do you mean?”
Harry slowly lowers his hands and huffs out a tense breath. With slow, measured words he explains, “I don’t want to pretend you’re my date. It would be easier to go alone and face all the comments than to pretend to date you.”
Louis’ brow furrows and he sounds cross. He’s frowning as he says, “I didn’t think it went that bad.”
Harry shakes his head, his hair bouncing around his ears beneath his hat. “That’s not what I meant.” Harry doesn’t know how to let Louis down without being completely honest. And he’s never been good with secrets anyway. He closes his eyes and braces for the fallout, the rejection, that will surely come once his truth is out. “I can’t pretend that you’re my boyfriend again, because I wish it was true.”
A soft “Oh.” is the only sound Louis makes.
Harry turns to Louis, as much as he can turn while still buckled into the passenger seat of the car. Harry’s warm green eyes meet Louis’ intensely blue eyes. Now that his biggest truth is out there, it’s easier to let the rest of his feelings spill out. “And I’m sorry, I know that’s not what you were looking for when Niall set this up. But I can’t pretend around you. Not again.”
“I don’t want to pretend around you, either.” Louis puts his palm on Harry’s cheek. “I really like you, too, Haz.”
Both of them lean in, lips connecting in a chaste kiss. Harry closes his eyes and gets lost in the gentle press of their lips,a spft prelude to something more. It’s the best do-over of a first kiss he could have asked for.
Harry whispers in the space between them, “Would you want to come up for tea?”
Louis beams at him. “I’d love to.”
Louis follows him up to his flat. Harry fumbles with the keys and lets them inside and flicks on the lights. After taking off their coats and shoes, they make their way toward the small kitchen.
Now that Louis is in his home, Harry is overcome by nerves. He grabs the kettle and fills it at the sink. He’s thankful the familiar motion of making tea can keep his hands busy and fill the silence that’s once again wedged between them. This silence feels different though, now that their feelings are out in the open. There’s possibility in this silence, and just one of them needs to make the first move.
Louis wanders around his flat, looking at the photos Harry has displayed on the mantle above the old fireplace that his landlord said he’s not allowed to use. Louis looks thoughtful and intrigued as he takes in the way Harry has chosen to decorate his tiny one bedroom flat. It suddenly hits him, watching Louis take in his trinkets and decor, that this is the first time Louis has ever been in his space. Sure, he’d been over to the Styles’ house countless times when they were younger, but he’d always hung out with Gemma in her room or in the den. But he’d never been in Harry’s room.
Harry’s heart flutters in his chest. Suddenly he doesn’t care so much for the tea. He flicks the switch to stop the kettle from boiling. Without the sound of the kettle, it’s suddenly so quiet. Louis turns to him as he crosses the few steps from the kitchen to the living room.
“I hope you didn’t actually expect tea. I don’t want to wait any longer,” Harry says, leaning down and hesitating just millimeters from Louis’ lips to give him one last second to back out in case he’s changed his mind, but he needn’t have worried. Louis seems just as impatient and presses forward to close the distance. Their lips meet and Harry sighs into it. His hands come up to rest on Louis’ shoulders and Louis’ hands coming up to drag through Harry’s curls, holding him close. They break away long enough to make it to the bedroom, a trail of their clothes following in their wake.
Spread out on his bed underneath Louis, Harry cannot imagine a better outcome of that dreaded Christmas party.
“You’re so gorgeous,” Louis says, eyes skating over every inch of Harry. “I wanna ride you.”
Harry nods eagerly and squeezes Louis’ bum in his hands. He would have settled for just having Louis’ hands on him. Louis grinds down on his lap with his hard cock settled between his cheeks. Harry finds the lube and a condom in the drawer and makes quick work of slicking up his fingers and opening Louis up. Louis rocks back on them, just as eager and not wasting any time. Harry’s barely pressed the third in all the way to the knuckle before Louis is pulling away and reaching for the condom.
“I’m good. Need you in me.”
If it weren’t for the glorious sight of Louis sinking down on his length, Harry would have tossed his head back against his pillow as he lets out a loud moan. The blissed out expression on Louis' face as he takes what he wants from Harry is one that Harry wants burned into the back of his mind forever.
Harry is trudging through the various emails in his inbox at work the following Monday. He wishes he didn’t have to be back at work, wanting to spend more time with Louis. He’s never wanted to skip out on work this badly before, always working toward the next promotion and focused on his projects. But after spending Saturday night together, Louis had to leave to spend more time with his sisters like he’d promised them. Then, he’d headed back to London. Despite his school being on holiday break, he needed to work on his thesis.
It’s only been two days and Harry already misses him.
The only consolation is that now he has Louis’ number. They’ve been texting constantly since he left, sending jokes and sharing little stories with each other. Louis just told him about his dog, Clifford, and Harry can’t help but tease Louis, typing out that he would have guessed Louis was a cat person.
Immediately, three dots appear as Louis types out his response.
“So how did the family Christmas party go?” Niall asks, before Louis responds. Harry locks his phone and sets it face down on his desk next to the little wind-up penguin. He found the toy from Louis' cracker on his bedroom floor after he'd left. It must have fallen from his pocket as they took off their clothes. Harry was surprised Louis had kept the silly toy. The penguin fit in perfectly next to his elves and reindeer and would keep him company until he could see Louis again after the holidays.
“It was good,” he says vaguely, hoping to keep the excitement out of his voice. His phone buzzes against his desk. He itches to pick it up and read what Louis sent, but he doesn’t want Niall to question who he’s texting. He is not ready for Niall to pester him about Louis. But he does want to find out how Niall knows Louis. So he adds, “It’s funny, your friend is actually my sister’s best friend. Small world innit?”
“That it is!” Niall laughs. “I recognized her in your polaroids,” he points at the pictures pinned to Harry’s bulletin board.
“You never mentioned! So, you went to uni with Gemma and Louis?”
“Yeah! I had lots of classes with Louis. I met Gemma once or twice when she came out to the clubs with Louis.”
“Why’d you suggest that Louis should be my fake boyfriend if you knew he already knew Gemma and me?” Harry is getting a bit angry, feeling like he’s once again not in on the joke.
“A few times when you’d come down to visit Gemma, Louis and I would hang out, but he’d always end up talking about a Harry and it was clear he had a crush. When I saw Gemma in your pictures, I put two and two together and figured out you must be the Harry that Louis was always going on and on about.”
“No! Why didn’t you say something?” Harry is shocked. Niall had never once let it slip in four months they’ve been working together that he knew Gemma.
Niall laughs maniacally, “It was more fun this way! Don’t you think?”
Harry’s phone buzzes again and his head turns toward the phone before he catches himself.
Niall barks out a laugh. “Like a Christmas miracle, seems like you and Louis were meant to be.”
Harry smiles down at his phone to see the silly selfie Louis had sent of him with his dog, Clifford. The butterflies in his stomach won’t settle down as he stares at the beautiful blue eyes. He wishes he was cuddled up with the two of them in Louis’ London flat.
“Yeah I guess it did work out, even if you are a meddling shit.”
“Hey! I resent that. I gave you probably the best Christmas present you’ll ever get. You'll never have to spend another Christmas alone thanks to me.”
Harry shakes a finger at him, “You don’t get to take all the credit for this. But yeah," he smiles dreamily, "being with Louis is pretty amazing.”