Young & Beautiful

A chuckle escapes Harry before he looks back at Louis, eyes light and curious.
“So which fairytale would I be then?” he asks.
“Pinocchio,” Louis responds without hesitation.
Harry blinks, puzzled. “Pinocchio? Why?”
‘Because you’ve become a real boy,’ Louis wants to tease, wants to laugh.
“Because I swear your nose gets larger every time I see you,” he says instead, and can’t help the
laugh that escapes him when he hears Harry’s indignant squawk and takes in his appalled eyes.
“Until tonight, cohost,” he continues without transition, suppressing giggles as he begins to turn
away from him.
“Harold,” Harry corrects on autopilot, features still miffed.
“Harold,” Louis amends with a smile. “Harold, my cohost.”
And Harry glares and Louis laughs, but they exchange one last smile before Louis waves
goodbye as he descends the stairs by the garden.
**
“It’s six, Tommo. We’ve got to go!” Niall calls, dressed to the nines in his chocolate suit and
pristine white Nike’s. He glances at his watch. “They’ll probably leave without us and I’ve
already given Nelson the night off so we’d be fucked if they do.”
“I’m ready, you git! Let’s go!” Louis calls, stepping out of the bathroom (no, he wasn’t in there
for the better part of an hour, that would just be obscene), resplendent in a cream colored suit. He
may or may not have played up his whole ‘eggnog is my new thing’ and adopted a very eggnogesque
ensemble, color-wise. But that’s only because it’s in honor of the holiday season. And he’s
technically coshosting this party.
It’s not because of Harry or anything. He’s not aiming for a laugh or a smile or a begrudgingly
fond roll of the eyes.
That would just be weird.
Niall’s eyebrows shoot up the minute he sees the spectacle. “You dressed as snow or somethin’?”
“Or something,” Louis says with a roll of his eyes, carefully sliding on his jacket. “I’m cohost—“
“Yeah, yeah, you’re cohosting the party, I know,” Niall dismisses with a wave of his hand,
already marching towards the door, bottle of Jameson in one hand, Hennessey in the other. “Still
can’t believe Harry’s agreed to that. He’ll change his mind.”
“No, he won’t. Now. Onward, steed!” Louis announces, before marching out the door, Niall
laughing and shutting the door behind them.
**
When they arrive at Harry’s rooms, the last thing Louis is expecting is to see Zayn and Liam,
practically shimmering in smooth caramel suits, Liam’s waistcoat gold and glowing, smoking
cigars and drinking eggnog, the murky liquid clinging to the crystal of their glasses as they throw
them back.