Life Inc.
Chapter 7
“I can’t believe that you never thought to do anything like this,” Harry chuckled, picking at the bright pink candy floss he had been steadily making his way through for the past half an hour.
“Well it’s not exactly fun on your own, is it?” Louis pointed out, reaching across to steal a bit for himself, enjoying the way it melted on his tongue.
“Fair point.” The pair were sat on a bench in the middle of a fun fair they had found about twenty minutes walk away from Louis’ house on a small moor, watching the world go by. They had already snuck onto a few attractions, having a particular laugh in the hall of mirrors, and Harry had watched, fascinated, as Louis had intervened in one of the rigged games, manipulating it so that the little girl who was playing won the big prize of a large cuddly teddy bear. When questioned about it, Louis just shrugged, promptly distracting Harry with the candy floss they were now demolishing between them.
“So...this company, Life Inc...” Harry began, pulling his feet back so a passer-by didn’t trip over them. “Are they going to be aware of the slightly...sporadic nature of my existence by now?” He asked, studying Louis, noticing the small frown that tugged at the corners of his lips at his question. Harry had a very strong feeling that Louis knew something that he didn’t, but probably should.
“Yeah, they’ll almost definitely know by now,” Louis sighed.
“What are they going to do about it?” Harry asked, offering over the last bit of candy floss.
“I don’t know.” Louis looked over, but, not expecting to meet Harry’s intense green eyes that were fixed on his face, had to quickly look away again.
“You’re lying.” Louis paused and took a deep breath, daring to look back into those enthralling eyes.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he told Harry intently, giving Harry the answer to his previous question.
“You can’t keep me safe forever,” Harry frowned.
“I’ll do my best.”
“You’re not going to waste your entire life keeping me safe,” Harry warned, just as intently as Louis had been a second ago.
“It’s not like I have anything better to do,” Louis shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. There was a moment of silence as they glared at each other, then Harry stood up, shoving the now-empty bag of candy floss into the bin beside them.
“I’m not going to stay if you’re going to do this to yourself.”
“You think that’s going to stop me?” Louis demanded, standing in order to counter Harry, but the effect was lost in the height difference between them, forgetting that he was supposed to be hiding the furious feelings that threatened to choke him every time he could feel Harry’s eyes on him.
“Why? What’s in it for you?” Harry suddenly found himself questioning the unconditional trust he had placed in Louis.
“Nothing! Harry, my life has no purpose whatsoever, the least I can do is try and protect the closest thing to a friend!” Harry suddenly realized that he was being an ungrateful twat and that the light in Louis’ eyes was dying. He relaxed his defensive stance, his own eyes softening, unsure when the discussion had turned into an argument.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t –”
“Harry, it’s fine, honestly,” Louis interrupted with a smile, hating to see the younger boy awkward in front of him. “Ferris wheel?” Harry studied him for a minute in silence, then nodded.
“Sounds good,” he smiled, the action sparking a grin on Louis’ face too.
“Come on then, we’ll have to try and get on without someone sitting on us,” Louis chuckled.
“Then we are so going into the haunted house, I wanna know what all the hype’s about in fun fair horror films. Gods knows I’ve seen enough of them.” He walked slightly ahead of Harry so that he could resist the urge to take his hand.
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” Harry smiled, marvelling at how easily they had slipped into a natural relationship since they had met. Louis was just so easy to like, there was no awkwardness, no uncertainty, no evidence that Louis had spent so long on his own. Harry felt another burst of pity for the lonely boy who had been so unaccountably kind to him.
“I’m going to find out you know; whatever you’re keeping from me,” Harry called out, speeding up to catch up with Louis.
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” Louis repeated Harry’s previous words with a teasing smirk.
“But I think I’d rather delay that for as long as possible.”
“Why?”
“Cause I promised I’d keep you safe and I think it’s for the best.” Harry suddenly felt immensely protected, though whether it was due to Louis’ words or his tone of voice, he wasn’t sure.
He grinned as Louis held the gate for the ride open for him, settling into the empty seat that was currently stationed at the bottom of the wheel. He jumped as it began to move, grabbing Louis’ wrist and yanking him onto the seat next to him just as their feet lifted off the floor. Louis looked shocked for a moment, eyes flitting to the contact between them before he burst into laughter, pulling the safety bar over them until it clicked into place, thanking Harry breathlessly. Harry laughed too, drawing his hand away, trying to not think about the strange tingling sensation shooting through the palm of his hand.
“Fuck Harry, it’s beautiful up here,” Louis murmured as the ride halted for the first time above the tree line. Harry’s eyes swept over the colourful lights of the bustling fun fair beneath them and over the twinkling lights of the London that they could just see, before they finally rested on Louis beside him, those blue eyes sparkling just a little bit more.
“Yeah, it really is,” Harry murmured back as they began to rise again, his eyes drawn back to the London night being spread out in front of them.
“Thank you,” Louis suddenly said earnestly. “You’re done more for me already than I could ever have imagined.” Harry glanced back to him, surprised.
“Really, it’s noth-”
“It’s not nothing: you’ve spoken to me, you came back, you’ve made me laugh, you’ve got me out of the house for more than school, a run or a lonely cinema trip. That’s not nothing.”
“It’s the least I could do.” Harry found himself murmuring again, eyes fixed on Louis’ hands twisting in his lap.
“I owe you more than you know,” Louis confessed quietly and for once, Harry didn’t delve deeper into what that meant.
“I’ll always come back. For as long as I’m broken,” Harry whispered, turning to stare out into the distance, only just realising himself that he really would. They lapsed into silence, both caught up in their own thoughts and the beauty of the view.
Harry wasn’t sure quite what it was it was, but by the time they got off the Ferris Wheel, something about their relationship had changed. He wasn’t sure whether that something had changed just within him, or just with Louis, or with both of them and he wasn’t sure why it had changed, but as he followed an increasingly excitable Louis to the haunted house, he knew that something had definitely changed.
“Well it’s not exactly fun on your own, is it?” Louis pointed out, reaching across to steal a bit for himself, enjoying the way it melted on his tongue.
“Fair point.” The pair were sat on a bench in the middle of a fun fair they had found about twenty minutes walk away from Louis’ house on a small moor, watching the world go by. They had already snuck onto a few attractions, having a particular laugh in the hall of mirrors, and Harry had watched, fascinated, as Louis had intervened in one of the rigged games, manipulating it so that the little girl who was playing won the big prize of a large cuddly teddy bear. When questioned about it, Louis just shrugged, promptly distracting Harry with the candy floss they were now demolishing between them.
“So...this company, Life Inc...” Harry began, pulling his feet back so a passer-by didn’t trip over them. “Are they going to be aware of the slightly...sporadic nature of my existence by now?” He asked, studying Louis, noticing the small frown that tugged at the corners of his lips at his question. Harry had a very strong feeling that Louis knew something that he didn’t, but probably should.
“Yeah, they’ll almost definitely know by now,” Louis sighed.
“What are they going to do about it?” Harry asked, offering over the last bit of candy floss.
“I don’t know.” Louis looked over, but, not expecting to meet Harry’s intense green eyes that were fixed on his face, had to quickly look away again.
“You’re lying.” Louis paused and took a deep breath, daring to look back into those enthralling eyes.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he told Harry intently, giving Harry the answer to his previous question.
“You can’t keep me safe forever,” Harry frowned.
“I’ll do my best.”
“You’re not going to waste your entire life keeping me safe,” Harry warned, just as intently as Louis had been a second ago.
“It’s not like I have anything better to do,” Louis shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. There was a moment of silence as they glared at each other, then Harry stood up, shoving the now-empty bag of candy floss into the bin beside them.
“I’m not going to stay if you’re going to do this to yourself.”
“You think that’s going to stop me?” Louis demanded, standing in order to counter Harry, but the effect was lost in the height difference between them, forgetting that he was supposed to be hiding the furious feelings that threatened to choke him every time he could feel Harry’s eyes on him.
“Why? What’s in it for you?” Harry suddenly found himself questioning the unconditional trust he had placed in Louis.
“Nothing! Harry, my life has no purpose whatsoever, the least I can do is try and protect the closest thing to a friend!” Harry suddenly realized that he was being an ungrateful twat and that the light in Louis’ eyes was dying. He relaxed his defensive stance, his own eyes softening, unsure when the discussion had turned into an argument.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t –”
“Harry, it’s fine, honestly,” Louis interrupted with a smile, hating to see the younger boy awkward in front of him. “Ferris wheel?” Harry studied him for a minute in silence, then nodded.
“Sounds good,” he smiled, the action sparking a grin on Louis’ face too.
“Come on then, we’ll have to try and get on without someone sitting on us,” Louis chuckled.
“Then we are so going into the haunted house, I wanna know what all the hype’s about in fun fair horror films. Gods knows I’ve seen enough of them.” He walked slightly ahead of Harry so that he could resist the urge to take his hand.
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” Harry smiled, marvelling at how easily they had slipped into a natural relationship since they had met. Louis was just so easy to like, there was no awkwardness, no uncertainty, no evidence that Louis had spent so long on his own. Harry felt another burst of pity for the lonely boy who had been so unaccountably kind to him.
“I’m going to find out you know; whatever you’re keeping from me,” Harry called out, speeding up to catch up with Louis.
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” Louis repeated Harry’s previous words with a teasing smirk.
“But I think I’d rather delay that for as long as possible.”
“Why?”
“Cause I promised I’d keep you safe and I think it’s for the best.” Harry suddenly felt immensely protected, though whether it was due to Louis’ words or his tone of voice, he wasn’t sure.
He grinned as Louis held the gate for the ride open for him, settling into the empty seat that was currently stationed at the bottom of the wheel. He jumped as it began to move, grabbing Louis’ wrist and yanking him onto the seat next to him just as their feet lifted off the floor. Louis looked shocked for a moment, eyes flitting to the contact between them before he burst into laughter, pulling the safety bar over them until it clicked into place, thanking Harry breathlessly. Harry laughed too, drawing his hand away, trying to not think about the strange tingling sensation shooting through the palm of his hand.
“Fuck Harry, it’s beautiful up here,” Louis murmured as the ride halted for the first time above the tree line. Harry’s eyes swept over the colourful lights of the bustling fun fair beneath them and over the twinkling lights of the London that they could just see, before they finally rested on Louis beside him, those blue eyes sparkling just a little bit more.
“Yeah, it really is,” Harry murmured back as they began to rise again, his eyes drawn back to the London night being spread out in front of them.
“Thank you,” Louis suddenly said earnestly. “You’re done more for me already than I could ever have imagined.” Harry glanced back to him, surprised.
“Really, it’s noth-”
“It’s not nothing: you’ve spoken to me, you came back, you’ve made me laugh, you’ve got me out of the house for more than school, a run or a lonely cinema trip. That’s not nothing.”
“It’s the least I could do.” Harry found himself murmuring again, eyes fixed on Louis’ hands twisting in his lap.
“I owe you more than you know,” Louis confessed quietly and for once, Harry didn’t delve deeper into what that meant.
“I’ll always come back. For as long as I’m broken,” Harry whispered, turning to stare out into the distance, only just realising himself that he really would. They lapsed into silence, both caught up in their own thoughts and the beauty of the view.
Harry wasn’t sure quite what it was it was, but by the time they got off the Ferris Wheel, something about their relationship had changed. He wasn’t sure whether that something had changed just within him, or just with Louis, or with both of them and he wasn’t sure why it had changed, but as he followed an increasingly excitable Louis to the haunted house, he knew that something had definitely changed.