Chapter Text
Since Harry arrived in London a week ago, all they’ve done is explore the city, go shopping, and hit the pub with Niall, Liam’s classmate who apparently became his new best friend. Not that Harry’s complaining — anything is better than being stuck at his parents’ house in Manchester, with his mother who acts as if he’s a delicate porcelain doll that’ll shatter at the slightest wrong word or if sunlight touches him.
And Harry knows he messed up. God, he really does. But the consequences are a bit more than he expected…
Although living with his brother for three months isn’t exactly a punishment for Harry, his mother sent him here specifically because she knows Liam can keep Harry under control better than she ever could. Not because Liam is more authoritative, but because Harry is more honest with him than with her, and Liam is harder to fool. So it seemed like the best solution after Harry got out of rehab — to spend the summer as far away as possible from his “friends” back home.
It’s actually a good decision and something Harry truly needed: a break from everything that happened and a chance to figure out what he wants to do with his life now. And tonight, Harry gets to see exactly what college life is like, because Liam took him to his first party. Niall’s hosting it at his house for the end-of-semester celebration, so it’s going to be crowded… or at least that’s what Liam said.
Harry realizes Liam was right the second he steps through the door. There’s barely room to move with how many people are there.
The house was packed, music pounding through every room, laughter and shouting blending into a chaotic buzz. People spilled into every corner, drinks in hand, some dancing, others leaning against walls deep in conversation. The air smelled of sweat, perfume, and spilled beer, and the lights flashed in a dizzying rhythm, making it impossible to tell where one group ended and another began. It was loud, overwhelming, and alive. Exactly the kind of chaos Harry had expected, and maybe secretly needed.
“Liam! Harry!” A voice calls over the music, and immediately a blond head emerges from the crowd, excited and smiling (as always… God, this kid never tires). Niall Horan pulls both of them into a hug, holding two unopened beers in his hands. After letting go, he pops the bottles open and hands one to Liam. They clink their drinks, and Harry rolls his eyes.
“Cheers, Li! Sorry, Harry, I haven’t been told yet whether you’re allowed to drink tonight.”
Before Harry can respond, Liam interrupts.
“He’s seventeen, not ten. Of course he can have a beer. I just thought it’d be good to let him get used to the atmosphere first, see how it goes, right H?”
And now his brother is treating him like a child. Wonderful.
“Liam, don’t make it more awkward than it already is, you’re making me feel like I came at a party with Mom,” Harry complains.
Liam rolls his eyes, and Niall laughs way too loudly, throwing his arm over Harry’s shoulder.
“Come on, H! Let me show you around! I’ve got a few people to introduce you to. Maybe you’ll see something you like.”
“Niall…” Liam glares.
Harry sighs. Maybe being sent to his grandma’s would’ve been better after all.
⸻
Harry’s been at the party for two hours and has already had two Red Bulls. He needed something strong to feel good, but he’d rather stick to that than have his brother watching him like a hawk all night for taking two sips of beer. Red Bull sounded perfect, but now Harry is looking for the bathroom upstairs because the line downstairs is far too long.
Niall’s house is bigger than it seems. Harry has already tried four doors that turned out to be locked and is starting to give up on finding a bathroom.
When he reaches the last door at the end of the hallway, Harry is hit by a storm of emotions: hope, joy, shock. He really wants the door to be open — the last thing he needs is to wait ten minutes in a downstairs bathroom that a girl just vomited in. So when the door opens, he feels victorious… until he sees what’s inside. His smile instantly disappears, replaced by panic and embarrassment. He doesn’t know how to react; closing the door and running seems far better than standing there, mouth agape.
Inside, there’s a girl and a boy. They look like a cute couple, but the scene is far from romantic. The girl is kneeling on the carpet, topless, while the boy standing in front of her is pulling her hair as he undoes his pants.
The girl screams, covering her bare chest in shame, while the boy looks at Harry.
“Lost?” Harry hears him speak in a trance-like voice, his hand still in her hair. Harry blinks several times, trying to process the shock.
“Uh… yeah, sorry, I was looking for the bathroom,” Harry stammers.
The boy grins and appraises the curly from head to toe, his blue gaze lingering on Harry’s eyes in a way that seems impossible to break. Still holding eye contact, he gestures toward a door in the room.
“Well, you found it,” he says, his tone far too teasing for someone trying to help a stranger.
The guy’s hair was tousled, his lips red and, despite the situation, dry, while his blue eyes watched him curiously, bloodshot. He was clearly not in the most sober state, but he seemed perfectly lucid as the curiosity in his eyes began to turn into something more.
Under different circumstances, Harry would be thinking about how good the guy looked, but it’s a bit hard to do that when the girl on the carpet is staring at him, confused, as if she’s unsure whether she should be scared or unzip his pants too.
Harry rolls his eyes, as if waking from a trance. “It’s not exactly urgent.”
He reaches for the handle, but the boy with blue eyes interrupts: “We won’t bother you, I promise.”
Shock deepens. Excuse me? What did he just say?
And just when Harry thinks it can’t get worse, the stranger adds, “Actually, you can join us if you want.”
Harry raises an eyebrow and looks from him to the girl on the carpet, then back at him. His blood is already boiling with irritation. “Don’t you think it’s a little selfish to bother two people just for a three-minute session?”
The stranger laughs, lighting up the room. “Wanna test it? Two against one?”
Harry snorts in annoyance and slams the door.
He hurries down the long hallway, and by the time he reaches the bottom, he’s forgotten he even needed the bathroom. He heads straight to Liam and Niall, who are waiting with smiles.
People were bumping into him as he made his way toward his brother and friend, as if intentionally trying to annoy him even more.
“Found the bathroom?” Liam asks, taking a sip of his beer.
“Oh no, but I did interrupt a sexual act and got offered a threesome,” Harry mutters.
Liam chokes on his beer, eyes wide.
“Oh God! Who? Where? Please tell me not in my room,” Niall laughs.
“No idea, last door on the right. It was the only unlocked one, apparently had a bathroom, but couldn’t use it because of them.”
Niall’s eyes widen, and he drops his beer on the table, rushing upstairs. “Fuck! Not again… Louis, damn it!”
Who is Louis?