Young & Beautiful

He swallows his food thickly at the thought, stomach churning.
“Harry left early, eh?” he says casually, glancing up at Niall who’s now finishing his pint in one
swift gulp.
He sets down the glass and wipes his mouth with a truly impressive burp. “Yeah. Wonder where
he got off to.”
“Dunno.” Louis pokes at the chips for a couple seconds, resting his chin on his hand. “He was
sort of dragged away, wasn’t he? By all those hideous people.”
“Was he? Didn’t really notice.”
“Yeah. He was.”
Niall glances up at him. “And?”
“And nothing,” Louis says quickly, crossing his arms on the tabletop.
Pause.
“It’s just that—“ Louis stops himself, reassessing his words as a bemused smile overcomes Niall’s
face, his eyebrow quirking expectantly. “I’ve decided I’m going to make an effort to be his friend,
Niall. Like properly.” He averts his eyes to the chipped, wooden tabletop and begins delicately
picking at a particularly large nick in the surface. “I think the kid needs one.”
“So. You wanna fuck him?” Niall asks bluntly with his bright eyes, causing Louis to roll his own.
“No, twat, it’s not like that. It’s nothing romantic. I just…feel bad for him.”
Niall nods as he listens, motioning to the server to bring another round of whiskeys and beers.
“Fair enough.” His eyes settle back on Louis, a grin forming on his lips. “But how the fuck do
you manage to go about it, eh? Cuz last I checked, you couldn’t even stomach the bastard’s
fuckin’ umbrella.”
“No, but did you see that thing?” Louis bursts, leaning over the table to look Niall in the eye
directly. “It was hideous! It was bad enough that he was toting it around like it were some prize.
But he named it. He fucking named it.”
Niall shrugs, sitting back in his chair. “I like the name. Berkley. ‘S cute.”
Louis pauses, eying Niall. “It’s not a bad name,” he finally concedes. “But that doesn’t make it
right.”
Niall laughs, loud and clear, before crossing his hands over his lap, elbows perched on the
armrests of his chair. “You didn’t answer my question. How do you plan on becoming Harry’s
best friend?”
Louis throws him a glare. “Funny. Well, I’ve been thinking a bit, and I think what Harry needs is
some support in his life, ya know? Like, a helping hand. So, I’m just going to try to be as
supportive and accommodating as possible. Starting tomorrow during our tutoring session.”
Niall’s eyebrows shoot upward immediately, and Louis grins, popping another chip in his mouth.
“You think that’ll work?” Niall asks, caught between incredulity and unimpressed judgment,
eyebrows still raised.