Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/718259. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: M/M Fandom: One_Direction_(Band) Relationship: Liam_Payne/Harry_Styles, Nick_Grimshaw/Harry_Styles Character: Liam_Payne, Harry_Styles, Louis_Tomlinson, Niall_Horan, Zayn_Malik, Nick Grimshaw, Greg_Horan Additional Tags: Kissing, Boys_Kissing, Teacher-Student_Relationship, Chaptered, Misunderstanding, Denial, Pining, Angst, Porn_With_Plot, Hand_Jobs, Rimming, Blow_Jobs, Anal_Sex, Riding, Sneaking_Around, Flirting, Seducing, Jealously, Falling_In_Love, Anal_Fingering, Frustration, Banter, Romance, friendships, Mind_Games, Alternate_Universe, Swallowing Series: Part 1 of Trouble Stats: Published: 2013-03-12 Completed: 2013-03-31 Chapters: 6/6 Words: 28416 ****** Trouble Sleeping ****** by GothicBarbie Summary Liam is a young teacher and Harry is his overly charming and obnoxious student that desperately wants to get into his pants. Notes I'm not sure its exactly considered "underage" considering the age of consent is different everywhere, and because Harry turns 18 fairly early on, but whatever. Also, its explicit for later chapters... ***** 1 ***** It was the first day back and Liam was relaxed and refreshed and ready to start the year. He had been an English teacher for a high school for the last four years and absolutely loved his job. There was no better feeling in the world than helping kids learn and grow and knowing he has a part in shaping their futures. Liam is one of the best teachers in the school and his students love him. He’s usually upbeat and fun and there isn't a lot that can put him in a bad mood. But as soon as he sees the name on his roster of students he can feel his temperature rising. Harry Edward Styles. Liam doesn't personally know Harry but he has a reputation around the school and it’s not a good one. The seventeen year old is known for being rowdy and charming and full of drama. He's one of the more popular kids in the school, exceptionally bright, but doesn't apply himself... extremely attractive, and knows it; craves attention. And he's attached at the hip to his best friend Louis. There are further rumors circling that him and Louis are in some sort of relationship and seeing them interact, it’s very easy to believe, but Liam tries his hardest not to judge a book by its cover. It's almost impossible not to though, based on the things that he's heard from the other teachers about him.   Harry walks in with a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his face and Liam can tell before class even starts that this year is going to be trouble. Harry makes his way to back of the class and takes a seat next to some friends of his. The bell rings and most of the students are quieting down but Harry continues to engage in conversation, everyone eating up every word of whatever story he’s telling. Liam tells the class to quiet down and the rest of the students look at Liam, including Harry who is staring at him intently. Liam immediately tries to focus his attention elsewhere, and he’s thankful that Harry is sitting so far away. Liam introduces himself to everyone and gives the students their first assignment, which is to write down something about themselves that people don’t know. He gives them a 5 minute time period to do so. Things are going well until about 3 minutes in when Harry raises his hand. Liam is tempted to just ignore him but he thinks better of it and calls on him. “Yes Mr. Styles?” Liam asks tentatively, already expecting the worst. And it’s for good reason because Harry is smiling at him cheekily and biting his lip. “Can we write about something personal?” It’s a fairly innocent question but the way that Harry is asking it feels sexualized somehow and Liam contemplates how to proceed. Originally he was planning to have the students read their responses out loud, but maybe that’s not the best idea. “Sure.” Liam responds, trying to keep things casual. “I’ll be the only one reading them, so write about whatever you want.” He addressed the last part to all the students but catches a feint smirk on Harry’s face as he begins writing.   After the time is up Liam gathers the papers and hastily grabs Harry’s from him. When he does so Harry intentionally brushes his fingers against Liam’s, looking at up him with his big green eyes, licking his lips in a way that’s certainly not appropriate. Once again Liam tries to ignore it, but it’s extremely difficult not to feel something. Harry is ridiculously attractive, more so up close, and Liam tries desperately hard to will these thoughts away. The rest of the day seems to go fairly well until about the last ten minutes or so. Liam gives the students the rest of the class period to chat quietly until the bell rings. Normally he wouldn’t allow such time, but it was the first day and he wanted to take things easy on them. Liam’s working on something on his computer for his next class when he’s startled by Harry, who is now standing in front of him, fingers clenched to the desk. “So, are the rumors true?” Liam wonders if he heard correctly. “Excuse me?” He asks, unsure of where this is going. “The rumors…” Harry says quieter, leaning in a little closer so that only Liam can here. “You know? About you?” Harry is completely vague but Liam knows exactly what Harry is referring to. Harry is implying the rumors about Liam being gay. Which, of course are true, but he had no idea that this information was circulating again. Not that it was anyone’s business or that anyone should care, but Liam wanted to keep his private life private and he certainly wasn’t planning to talk to a student about this. Let alone a student like Harry who was clearly trying to push his buttons. “I think you should take your seat, Mr. Styles.” Liam says firmly, ignoring the question. Harry smirks, like he knows something, then looks like he’s about to say something else, to challenge him, but Liam keeps his gaze strong and Harry eventually gives up and turns around. He’s a fucking student, Liam repeats to himself as he walks back to his desk, trying desperately hard not to watch him as he goes. Liam’s been attracted to his fair share of teens in the past few years, any teacher would be lying if they said they hadn’t. After all, he was only eight years older than most of them. But he’s never once acted on that attraction, never even let himself think too much about it, let alone on the first day. But there was something weirdly enticing about Harry that he couldn’t quite place. He just hoped the annoying feeling in his gut would go away soon.   --   Liam’s been up all night reading these boring student papers. It’s his own fault for getting started so late. It was his friend Ed's birthday today and he went out for drinks earlier and didn’t even arrive back at his flat until 11pm. He usually tries to get to bed before midnight if possible but he he can already tell its going to be a late night. Liam skims through most of them, reading only bits and pieces. They don’t have to be graded, but Liam prides himself in his work and he wants to be a good teacher and read them all. He wants his students to respect him and appreciate him, so he’d like to at least know a little bit about what each of them had to say on their first day. His heart does this really ridiculous jump when he gets to Harry’s paper, which he knows his completely unwarranted and wrong and just… stupid but he can’t help it, he’s curious. He should have expected it. Should have seen it coming. The paper is filthy.    It goes into extreme detail over Harry’s first sexual experience. In the paper Harry references losing his virginity at 16, which would have been almost two years ago; Harry will be turning 18 this year. It’s actually not terribly young for a teenage boy, Liam expected worse based on the things he’s heard. Apparently, Harry had sex for the first time in the back of a car, which also doesn’t really surprise him. The topic of the paper was to write about something people didn’t know about. Harry relates this to his paper by stating that most people assume he’s been sexually active with his best friend Louis, but in actuality, he lost it to a much older man; at least according to this paper. It’s so wrong and inappropriate and Liam wonders if it’s even true or if Harry just made it up to completely mess with him. Either way, he shouldn’t be reading it, but Liam can’t really help himself as he looks over the page quite a few times before finally crumpling it up and throwing it away. He’s technically supposed to keep all of the assignments, but this one isn’t graded anyway. The responsible thing for him to do as a teacher would be to take the paper to the principal and report the issue, but Liam doesn’t really want to get Harry in trouble. Deep down it may even be what he wants, he’s clearly looking for attention, so Liam decides the best course of action is to just completely ignore it. He won’t even address it in class. The entire rest of the night his mind keeps wandering back to the little details on the page. Thoughts of Harry spread out in the back of a car with some older man pounding into him (Harry’s words) replay over and over again, as much Liam tries to will them away. This all is all Harry’s fault. Harry’s egging him on. He wouldn’t normally be thinking these things about a student. At least, that’s what Liam keeps telling himself.     --   The next day when Liam gets to class Harry strolls in and cheekily asks if Liam enjoyed reading his paper. Liam tries his hardest not to let his face flush red and he’s able to keep his composure. “Everyone’s papers were really insightful.” He responds emotionlessly and turns away from him, brushing it off completely and leaving Harry frustrated that he presumably couldn’t get more of a reaction from him. Other than that, things go okay with Harry for that first week, there’s a few flirtatious comments and snide remarks thrown here and there but for the most part he’s not causing too much trouble and Liam thinks that maybe he’s earned some respect from Harry for not confronting him about his behavior. But of course that belief is short lived when on Friday, Harry brings a sucker to class and very obviously twirls it around his tongue and pulls it in and out of his mouth obscenely during Liam’s lecture. Candy isn’t technically allowed during class but Liam usually lets it slide. He’s not sure he can put up with Harry’s behavior much longer though, every time he looks over Harry is us using his tongue very suggestively and just gazing at Liam and he can’t take it for much longer. It’s causing a very bad reaction out of Liam that he cannot allow. He’s hidden behind his desk and no one can see the very obvious erection that’s tightening in his pants but if he needs to stand later on, that could pose a problem. “Mr. Styles,” Liam speaks out suddenly, hoping that his voice elicits composure, “can you please throw that away? No candy allowed during class hours.” He speaks clearly and slowly and then turns his gaze back down to his work and hopes that will fix the problem. But then Harry is actually standing and sauntering over to him. He gets up to the bin and Liam thinks he’s going to throw the sucker away and he sighs in relief but then Harry is turning around and fucking bending over, his ass clearly in Liam’s eyesight. The view certainly doesn’t do anything to help Liam’s growing problem and he tries his hardest to tear his eyes away but Harry catches him staring and actually smirks at him, biting his lip and cocking his eyebrow at him. “What are you doing?” Liam asks him quietly; his voice coming out in a raspy tone, much to his dismay, and Harry stands, holding something in his hand. “Just getting the wrapper back” he smiles and puts the sucker inside, as if he’s planning to save it for later. “Take your seat” Liam says a bit angrier then he means to, but Harry is getting on his last nerve. How can this 17 year old kid know exactly what to do to push his buttons? Liam is losing his cool.   --   “Do you think he would fuck me?” Harry’s never really been one for subtly, and that’s what his best friend Louis has always loved about him. Which is why he doesn’t exactly appreciate his next response. “Yeah… In your dreams maybe.” Louis smirks up at him, grabs a fistful of his hair and tugs on it gently. Harry lays his head on Louis shoulder and sighs loudly. He’s been fantasizing over Liam… or “Mr. Payne” (seriously though, with a name like that could you blame him) for years now. When Liam first started teaching Harry would hear stories about him, about how fun he was as a teacher and how cool and young he acted around the kids. All the girls oohed and awed over him and Harry could certainly understand the appeal. A year later, when he finally figured out that he was into boys (he was around age 15- the same time that he met Louis) his fascination with Liam grew. Things got even worse when rumors started circulating that Liam was gay. It seemed too good to be true. Harry finally managed to worm his way into his class (his charm with the school advisors certainly goes a long way) and finally see for himself what all the fuss is about. Turns out Liam was pretty great. He was smart and witty and everything that people had said. Harry liked to push his buttons a little, see how Liam would react, but so far he wasn’t making much headway. At 18 Harry was pretty experienced sexually and he was able to win over almost anyone he wanted with a little charm, but Liam was hard to figure out. Sometimes he would look at Harry in this way, and Harry would think maybe he had a shot, but then other times Liam would act completely cold. Harry knew he was thinking unrealistically. He knew that everything Louis had said to him over the past weeks since school at started was right. This was just a fantasy. Liam was a teacher for fucks sake. He may be young and he may actually even be gay, but he would never risk his reputation and mess around with a student. Deep down Harry knew this to be true. But it sure wouldn’t stop him from trying.   Harry tells Lou of his latest attempt to woo Liam and Louis just shakes his head. “You’re gonna get suspended for sexually harassing a teacher.” He chuckles, hands still playing with his hair. Harry just smirks. He knows he’s pushing the boundaries a little but he can’t help it. Seeing Liam get all flustered and red does things to him. Usually teachers loved him, but he had a bit of a reputation for being a troublemaker. But ultimately Harry was harmless. Mostly. “You know that Niall’s brother is his roommate, right?” Harry has to pull away at that. “What?” He asks in disbelief. Niall is one of his good friends and he’s never once mentioned it. “How did I know not know this?” Harry asks, finally standing from where he was sitting in the hall and extending a hand towards Louis, helping him up. “Too bad Greg’s an ass or you could just pop over there occasionally and seduce him that way?” Louis is teasing but Harry thinks that may not be such a bad idea. They walk off, leaving school for the day and Harry doesn’t let go of Louis’ hand. They’re best friends and both are fluid with their sexuality, which caused a lot of talk around the school but there’s nothing more going on between them. They’re just extremely close and Harry is thankful he has such a good friend that he can talk to about this. He says as much and Louis just pats him on the back fondly. “Doesn’t mean I am going to encourage this behavior, curly.”   --   There are five minutes left of class and Harry is disappointed in himself. He hasn’t done anything all day long to mess with Liam. The first few weeks of torturing him was fun, he always got a reaction but lately it’s as if nothing he says or does even phases him anymore. Harry wonders if he’s lost his touch and then he looks to the side to see two girls in his class so obviously talking about him and fawning over him and he knows that idea can’t possibly be true. His mind wanders to very un-PG thoughts about his teacher. He can’t help it, Liam is so unbelievably gorgeous, and he doesn’t doubt that every girl in here is probably thinking the same thing. He’s thinking about completely filthy things too, like what Liam looks like when he comes and what he tastes like. It’s a shame that he’ll probably never get to find out. Suddenly he has an idea and when the bell rings he lets the rest of the class filter out so that he’s the only one left. Liam doesn’t acknowledge him at all until Harry slowly walks up to his desk and stands, just staring and waiting for Liam to make eye contact with him. When he finally does Harry slips his assignment underneath the rest of the pile. Liam looks at him curiously, clearly not understanding why he would do such a thing instead of just placing it on top and then Harry smiles at him. He can see Liam’s gaze move to this dimple in his cheek briefly and that’s when he spits out, “I like being on the bottom.” The reaction he gets from Liam is totally worth it. His eyes go wide and he looks at Harry as if he was the one to say something embarrassing. It’s a ridiculous pun and in Harry’s mind it’s fairly innocent but before he can even make his way out the door Liam is calling out to him. “Mr. Styles… a word?” It’s interesting to Harry that Liam only ever refers to him as “Mr. Styles”… especially because he doesn’t call any of the other students strictly by their last names. Harry noticed that Liam usually does it when he’s trying to be tough, or get his point across. It’s not that he really minds, it’s actually kind of sexy, but he’d like to hear Liam refer to him as Harry at least once. He’d actually prefer to hear him scream it, perhaps when Harry has his head between his legs and maybe a finger inside of him. Harry attempts to shut the door but Liam immediately snaps at him to keep it open. Stupid school policy. Liam tells him to take a seat but instead sitting in the chair he literally sits on top of the desk. He knows he’s being defiant but he just can’t help himself. Liam looks like he wants to say something about it but he hesitates and then shuts his mouth, ignoring it. “I want to talk to you about your behavior.” Liam begins, moving so that he’s across from Harry, leaning against his desk. His hands are folded in his lap and he has a stern look on his face. Harry doesn’t respond, just looks Liam curiously, waiting for him to continue. “Some of your actions during class have been…” Liam searches for the right word, “inappropriate.” Harry can’t help the chuckle that escapes from his mouth and he shifts a little, widening his legs a bit and placing a hand behind him to lean back. “Can you give me some examples?” Harry baits, hoping to hear Liam say exactly what Harry’s done in his own words, but Liam doesn’t bite, stands from the desk and crosses his arms. “No, Mr. Styles, you know what you’ve been doing. I don’t need to repeat them.” Liam moves from the front of the desk and resumes his place back behind it, sitting down. He’s now below eye level with Harry and he tries to talk to him calmly. “Your actions have made me feel extremely uncomfortable and I want you to stop.” Harry’s not sure he can hear the conviction in that statement. “Are you sure?” He asks with a smile, biting down on his lip and trying his best to look seductive. But Liam doesn’t seem to find it funny anymore. He actually looks upset and he raises his voice. “I am not kidding. If something doesn’t change and soon, more drastic measures are going to be taken.” Harry immediately feels stupid and stands from the desk. Part of him wants to apologize, but a bigger part of him is letting his bruised ego take over. Without even thinking, he moves up to Liam’s desk and leans over so that he’s only feet away from his face. “I’m really good at reading people, Liam.” He uses his first name to make his point. “And I know that that deep down you like it.” Liam doesn’t say a word, he looks to be in total shock over Harry’s words and Harry thinks he probably pushed things too far.  He immediately turns his back away from Liam. He’ll probably get in trouble for that but he’s hurt and he can’t find himself caring. He can feel Liam’s eyes on his back as he exits the room. It’s later in the day that he actually realizes the potential consequences for his actions. Louis himself is shocked to hear what he’s done. Attempting to seduce a teacher, especially an upstanding, good natured one like Liam was probably the stupidest idea he’s had yet. He wonders what the fuck is gonna happen next.   --   All day Harry waits for the call that’s gonna get him sent to the office. He doesn’t get scared easily and isn't necessarily afraid of his punishment but he doesn’t exactly want a reputation for harassment, nor does he want people to know about his rejection. Harry also can’t help but feel hurt after being scolded in the way that he was and by the end of the day he decides to do something somewhat drastic; take fate into his own hands. He can’t really let Liam have the upper hand. The next day he heads to class, feeling somewhat better about how things went down the day before. He’s anxious to see Liam’s face when he finds out what he did, hoping that Liam will regret ever scolding him in the first place. He sits through English relatively silent, trying especially hard not to disrupt the class in any way or interact with Liam at all and at one point he thinks he catches Liam just staring at him but he refuses to even make eye contact with him. The bell rings and Harry’s heading out the door when he hears the familiar “Mr. Styles?” in the air. He turns around slowly, hands still in his pockets and looks at Liam blankly, trying hard not to show any sort of emotion on his face. Liam actually looks a little upset and asks Harry politely to sit. This time Harry obeys and sits in the desk chair, but one a few rows away. Liam gets up and takes a seat in the desk right next to him, which causes Harry to shift his body away instinctively. “I appreciate you not disrupting class today… but the way you left the conversation yesterday is concerning... As your teacher, I’d like to be able to talk to you about this. I hope that we can resolve this issue between the two of us.” So Liam hadn’t planned to report him? Harry immediately feels bad. Liam was a good guy and he just wanted to discuss things with Harry openly. Harry had acted like a total twat. And he’d completely overreacted. But it’s too late now. “Well you don’t have to worry anymore, Liam.” “Mr. Payne.” Liam corrects him. Harry ignores the correction and continues speaking. “Starting next week I will no longer be your student, so this conversation isn’t necessary.” Harry goes to stand. He’s not sure he can look at Liam’s reaction for much longer. He genuinely looks shocked. “What do you mean?” He asks. “I requested a transfer. I’m going to be in Mr. Cowell’s English class starting Monday.” Harry says bleakly. “You didn’t have to do that…” Liam begins but Harry is cutting him off. “Yeah, I did.” Harry can see the hurt look on Liam’s face and he has to get out of here. A huge part of him is now regretting his actions. He’s made a stupid decision out of anger and now he can’t exactly take it back.  But it’s not like his words aren’t true. It’s probably best that he transfer. This stupid crush is getting a little out of hand, even for Harry. Harry reaches the door and before exiting he turns around, “I’m sorry.” He says quietly and leaves, before he can see Liam’s reaction.   --   It didn’t exactly turn out how Liam had planned. He thought if he spoke to Harry maturely, the flirting would stop and maybe just maybe they’d be able to get past things and be cordial. He didn’t anticipate Harry getting so upset and switching out of his class. Liam had no reason to feel guilty; Harry was in the wrong here. He should have been happy that he was just given a warning. He was lucky that Liam hadn’t gone to the principal first thing. But he’d clearly got upset and that hurt Liam. Part of him wished he’d just kept his mouth shut, wished he’d let the comments slide, because now Harry would no longer be in his class. He tried to tell himself it was because he was a teacher that didn’t want to make any student feel bad, but deep down he knew the real reason was because he wouldn’t get to see him every day. The fact that Liam seemed to care so much scared him and he tried to push the thought of his head immediately. Perhaps Harry leaving would be for the best. Whatever conflicting emotions he’s dealing with could finally be put to rest.   --   After his apology Harry acts like a entirely different person. He’s no longer ignoring Liam, but he’s certainly not being overly friendly either. There seems to be this weird tension between the two of them and Liam’s not quite sure how to handle it. Should he say something to him or just let it go? Should he attempt to make amends or let Harry go his own way? In the end Liam decides not to say anything at all. He just writes a little “good luck” note on Harry’s final assignment for the class and hopes that there aren’t any hard feelings between them. The following week he sees Harry a few times in the hallway. The first time Harry doesn’t even acknowledge him. The second time Harry gives him a polite smile and Liam hopes that means progress. He also hopes other students don’t notice his obviously long gaze.   Liam assumes that’s the end of it until a few weeks later. Liam’s the coach for the basketball team at the school and much to his dismay Harry is there for the tryouts. Harry’s friend Lou is there too it and it catches Liam by surprise because neither of them has ever played in the past. Liam can’t help but think Harry is trying out just to see him or something and a rush of conflicting emotions run through Liam’s body. He’s not sure whether he should be happy or upset about this, but Harry barely acknowledges him and the day goes by fairly quick. To Liam’s frustration both Harry and Lou are actually quite good and there’s a pretty high chance they could both make the team if the other coaches have any say in the matter. Once the first day of tryouts are almost most of the players leave the gym. Harry lingers behind. Liam finds himself slowly walking over to him. “What are you doing here?” Liam asks quietly, trying to keep any sort of anger out of his voice and hopes he comes off as strictly curiosity. Harry looks at him, that familiar smirk stuck on his face once again. “What do you mean?” He asks innocently and Liam takes the bait. “You don’t even play.” “Well I do now” he responds quickly. Liam tries to understand. Is he hinting that he’s here because of Liam? “Don’t worry.” Harry says, pulling his shirt up to wipe some of the sweat off of his face. Liam gets a glimpse of his stomach muscles and wonders again if Harry’s actions are pre-meditated. “Louis and I have been playing for years. Just never with a team. I’m not here because of you.” Liam looks away and sighs. His gut drops a little. He’s not sure if Harry is telling the truth and if he’s being honest with himself he hopes he isn’t. Harry must notice his skepticism. “I don’t have a crush on you or anything okay?” Harry says a little quieter, his voice firm. “I’m just a flirt. No other teacher has ever had a problem with it.” His words kind of sting and it makes Liam feel a little stupid. Maybe he’d overreacted to the whole thing? Maybe he’d been imagining things and Harry really wasn’t hitting on him? Somehow that just frustrates Liam more and he walks off in the other direction, not giving Harry the satisfaction of a response. ***** Chapter 2 ***** If it were up to Liam, Harry wouldn’t make the team. He’s not sure he can stand the idea of having to see him every day, even if a tiny part of him wants to. But now he’s just feeling stupid, Harry’s always had a reputation for being a flirt, why did he assume that it could mean anything more? The kid had tried to get under his skin and it worked. Liam was an idiot. But the other coaches thought he’d benefit the team and Liam knew that was true. Louis managed to skate by as well and the two of them were constantly talking and touching during practice and it frustrated the hell out of Liam. He wasn’t sure why he even cared so much but he found himself repeatedly wondering if the rumors about them were true. But it wouldn’t exactly be appropriate to ask so he kept his mouth shut and tried hard not to focus on them. After the first week of practice on Friday, Liam is heading into the locker room and of course, he runs straight into Harry, who just so happens to be half naked. He’s not wearing a shirt and his trousers are unbuttoned and Liam can see a tiny line of hair trailing downwards. Thankfully Harry is wearing boxer briefs, otherwise Liam isn’t sure he’d be able to look away as quickly as he did, which in reality isn’t that quick at all. Harry seems to notice and just stares right at Liam, but for once he’s not smirking or making some inappropriate comment. “Liam, can I talk to you?” Liam’s heart skips a little at the use of his real name and he again wants to correct him but decides not to. Clearly, Harry isn’t gonna listen anyway and deep down Liam doesn’t hate it. Although if any other students or teachers heard Harry refer to him that way, it could cause problems. Liam just nods and heads towards the back of the locker room, walking towards his office door to give them some privacy. He doesn’t actually go inside, that would somehow feel odd right now, but they are out of earshot of anyone and it’s good enough for Harry, who starts speaking then. “Listen, I know things are a little weird for you now that I’m on the team, but I don’t want them to be. “ Liam wants to interrupt, Harry is speaking to him as if he’s not his teacher, like he’s the one with authority but he is actually being sincere and Liam wants to hear what he has to say. “I’m sorry for how things went down and I don’t want anything to be awkward just because I switched out of your class…” But thingsare awkward. There’s no real denying that and Liam can feel the tension between them as Harry speaks. But he looks so vulnerable right now, and so genuine and Liam decides give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe in time they really can get past this and have a decent coach/player relationship.   Harry actually makes good on his promise. After that day things are different. He’s respectful, he listens in practice, and most importantly he’s stopped with all the flirting and innuendos. Liam had hoped that once that happened he’d be able to stop thinking about the kid so much but it’s proving impossible.   --   Lately, all Harry can think about is Liam. He’s completely backed off, even though it’s been ridiculously impossible, but clearly his first tactics at seducing Liam were not working, so maybe if he changes his actions now some progress can be made. Someone told Harry once that in order to get someone to notice you, you had make yourself unavoidable, so that’s exactly what he’s been doing. He joined the team, and persuaded Louis to join with him, so that he could be around Liam constantly. He can’t really tell if it’s working or not; other than the odd glance here or there from Liam he hasn’t gotten a lot to go off of. Harry majorly regrets switching out of Liam’s class but it’s too late now and he’ll have to make the most of what he can. Currently that means persuading his unobservant blonde friend to throw a party at Liam’s flat. Niall just happens to mention that his brother and Liam are going to be out of town. Apparently it’s their good friend Josh’s engagement party or something and they will be gone all weekend. Niall immediately agrees, as long as they can clean things up before there are scheduled to be back, which isn’t supposed to be early Monday morning. Harry could really care less about the party itself, mainly he spends his time in Liam’s bedroom, wandering around, but too scared to actually look into anything. Somehow that feels like too big of a violation. Liam’s got photos of himself and friends in the room, and photos of himself with his family; apparently he has two sisters. All of the photos just make Harry like Liam more, realizing what a family man he is. Then he stumbles upon a photo of Liam with another guy. He has dark hair, and dark skin, and brown eyes and could literally be a model, he’s that gorgeous, and Harry immediately feels a ping of jealousy. Could this guy be Liam’s boyfriend? Harry tries not to think about it and leaves the room, heading to the kitchen for another beer. Around midnight Harry is smashed. He can’t remember the last time he’s gotten this drunk but he’s feeling sick and needs to lie down. He makes his way to Greg’s room to rest. Once the room has stopped spinning, he’s able to sleep for a while. Waking up a little later-  around 2am, he can hear that the party has died down and wonders if Niall has kicked everyone out and started cleaning yet. He thinks he should probably help, but he’s feeling terrible and isn’t sure he could move even if he tried. Around 5am someone comes into the room and Harry thinks that it’s Niall until he hears a big thud and immediately sits up in the bed, trying to figure out where the noise came from. He realizes that someone’s dropped a suitcase on the floor and when his eyes dart up he realizes that it’s not actually Niall standing in front of him, it’s Liam. Liam doesn’t say a word, he just stands there, gaping at Harry with his mouth open. He looks completely confused and Harry immediately stands, realizing how bad this looks right now. He’s not sure how he managed to stumble into Liam’s room, he could have sworn he went to Greg’s, but things were pretty hazy last night. “I can explain!” Harry tries to rush out, but he’s still feeling dizzy from the night before and he clutches the side of Liam’s dresser to keep himself up. One of the pictures tips over, Harry hopes it’s the one of Liam and his stupid maybe-boyfriend, and then he can feel an arm gripping his own; steadying him. “Are you okay?” Liam is literally inches away from his face, and he’s holding Harry up, and it’s so fucking sweet. Liam isn’t even scolding him right now, or asking Harry what the fuck he’s doing in his bed at 5 in the morning, he’s actually asking Harry if he’s okay, and Harry just wants to kiss him, but of course he doesn’t.  “Drank  too much.” Harry whispers, barely being able to look Liam in the eye, he feels pretty embarrassed. But Liam just sighs and grips Harry around the waist, walking him towards the door. Harry absently thinks about how nice Liam’s fingers feel at his sides as he’s being pulled out of the room. “Where’s Niall?” Harry asks and Liam again looks at him curiously but doesn’t reply. By the time they make it out to the living room Harry can see that everything is back in place. Niall probably left earlier that morning, not realizing that Harry was still even around. Other than a drunken Harry, there’s no evidence of a party even being held here, and they probably could have gotten away with it, if Harry hadn’t gone and fucked it all up. “Gonna get you home now.” Is all that Liam says and then Harry’s being taken outside and into the front seat of Liam’s car. Harry murmurs directions to his house and they are on their way. Harry is still feeling pretty sick by the time he makes it home, but at least it’s early enough that his parents wont be awake and he’ll be able to sneak back in. “What  happened?” Liam asks quietly, waiting for Harry to respond. He doesn’t even want Liam to see him like this, he probably looks terrible but Harry feels like he needs to explain himself. “Niall kind of threw a party when you were gone. I guess I accidentally stumbled in your room, I'm sorry.” He tries to give Liam his best puppy face ever and he knows that it works because Liam looks at him for a moment, sighs, and then says “I won’t say anything this time…” Harry can tell it’s a warning but he doesn’t even care, he’s just thankful that Liam won’t rat them out. “Thanks.” Harry says quietly, resting his head against the window, not wanting to get out of the car just yet. “Drink this” Liam hands Harry a water bottle and Harry immediately takes a sip. He tries not to think about how sweet Liam is being to him. How much Harry doesn’t deserve this kindness. “You were right, you know?” Harry puts the bottle back down and glances at Liam quickly before turning back away. “I was flirting with you before.” He thinks he can hear Liam catch his breath a little but he doesn’t say a word. Harry uses the silence as a chance to keep talking, “so it’s probably for the best that I switched out anyway…” “You should get inside.” Liam breathes out quickly, turning away and Harry wonders if he’s made him uncomfortable again. “Thanks for the ride.” Harry smiles at him briefly before getting out of the car. “By the way, Mr. Cowell sucks…” Harry leans into the open doorway. “He’s not nearly as good as you.” Then Liam actually smiles at him, as if he appreciates Harry’s words and Harry heads inside, forcing himself to keep walking and not to turn around as Liam drives away.   --   It’s bad enough that Harry is everywhere now. In the halls at school, in the gym, shirtless in the locker room, but now he’s in Liam’s fucking bed? Harry had been on Liam’s mind pretty much the entire weekend, so it was certainly a shock to walk into his bedroom and see him there. Liam had been hoping to collapse immediately and get a short nap in before school started and instead he finds fucking Harry Styles curled up on his bed looking adorable and innocent, like a fucking kitten or something.   He dropped his bag to the floor and Harry was awake immediately, standing and stumbling and clearly inebriated. Liam knew by the look on his face that Harry was just as confused by his current surroundings and Liam had immediately rushed over to help him stand. It still didn’t explain anything, and then when Harry asked about Niall Liam put the pieces together. Niall was Harry’s age and Greg’s brother… apparently he and Harry were friends, although Liam had never known that. Clearly the two of them had been hanging out and Liam wonders how Harry managed to find his way into Liam’s bed instead of the couch, or even Greg’s, (and where the hell is Niall anyway?) but he tells himself that Harry was just smashed. Then Harry was there in the car, telling Liam that he was right all along, that Harry had been flirting with him after all. And Liam wasn’t really sure how to feel about that information. Of course part of him is frustrated and hopes that it’s not gonna be a problem later on, but he’s also glad that he was right, that he wasn’t imagining things. And maybe a little bit happy because he secretly likes the attention from Harry. As he lays in his bed that night he tries desperately hard not to think about Harry’s body lying on those exact sheets earlier that morning and forces his eyes closed. But his thoughts keep roaming back to the events of the day and the things that Harry said. Harry’s words about his new teacher don’t sit right with Liam and he ends up digging up Harry’s records and checking out his grades. Harry ‘s a good student for the most part, which is why he’s shocked to see that in his new English class he’s getting an F. Liam’s stomach immediately drops and he tries not to blame himself but he knows that if Harry were still in his class this wouldn’t be the case. He probably shouldn’t meddle but he can’t help it.  He’ll have to confront Harry about this and get things figured out.   --   “Mr. Styles?” Liam asks Harry as he walks into the locker room, sweaty and out of breath from practice  earlier. Harry silently follows him back to his office and this time they actually make it inside. Liam wants to discuss things in private. “Do you mind sitting?” Liam asks softly and Harry seems hesitant at first but soon follows Liam’s instruction. Liam continues without waiting for a response, “Whenever a student transfers I like to check up on them and see how they’re transitioning…” Liam knows he’s lying but he doesn’t need Harry to know that he’s been spying on him. “And I noticed that you’re failing English.” Harry looks embarrassed and Liam can see his face flush a little as he refuses to make eye contact with him. He doesn’t say a word and Liam can see that he’s upset. “You’re a smart kid. All of your other grades are up, so I don’t understand… are you doing this purposely? Lashing out because you’re… I don’t know, upset with me or something?” “No.” Harry insists, standing from his chair. “This has nothing to do with you. Mr. Cowell is just a terrible teacher. He’s not like you. He doesn’t care about his students.” Harry’s rant makes Liam feel equally better and worse. He appreciates the compliment but at the same time he doesn’t want Harry failing. Liam wishes he could just look the other way, forget about Harry and his problems. But he can’t. It’s impossible to get Harry out of his head. “Well, if you’re going to be on the basketball team you can’t be failing anything, so something has to change.” It’s the truth, in order to play sports at the school grades have to be up, but it’s not the only reason Liam cares. “I can help you.” Harry immediately looks up. His eyebrows furrow together, almost like he doesn’t believe Liam’s words. “After practice we can go over whatever you want…” Liam smiles. “As long as you behave.” His words seem to ease the tension and Harry chuckles slightly, Liam joining him. “Okay.” Harry says quietly, slowly exiting the room. He sneaks a glance back at Liam and smiles. “Thanks.” Once he’s gone, Liam slumps back in his chair and closes his eyes. He knows he’s making up any excuse to spend more time with him and again, he knows how wrong it is. But he’s starting not to care.   --   Harry is slowly realizing that being kind to Liam works more than his old tactics. He wasn’t purposely failing but if he had known that Liam would practically run to him and offer to help maybe he would have told him about the F earlier. Liam insists they study in the gym once practice is over and even though it’s not the most intimate setting its nice finally getting to be alone with him. Harry learns a lot more about Liam during these sessions, he’s completely genuine and he sees that Liam actually has a fun side. He understands now what everyone was talking about. He’s a great teacher and he’s so passionate and helpful and Harry finds studying much easier with him around. He again regrets ever switching out of his class and wants to kick himself for being such an idiot about everything. Thankfully though, Liam doesn’t seem to hold any of that against Harry and it honestly feels like he wants to help. Every once in a while Liam will smile at him, or look at him a certain way and Harry wonders if he’s starting to crack. Maybe he’s getting his hopes up again but he something in him is telling Harry that his feelings aren’t completely one sided. The only problem with working in the gym is that kids from other sports or classes will walk through and make noise and it’s completely distracting. Harry says as much and it takes a few times before Liam is finally suggesting they just study at his house. Harry can see his hesitancy and wonders if it’s entirely appropriate, it probably isn’t, but he’s gonna try hard to behave himself around Liam, being nice as gotten him a lot farther than flirting ever did.   --   As soon as it’s out of his mouth Liam realizes that it’s a terrible idea. Inviting Harry over to his house is definitely not the smartest decision he’s made but his logic hasn’t exactly been making sense lately. He knows he’s starting to cross those lines but he doesn’t care, he wants to spend more time with Harry. In the past week that he’s been helping Harry he’s learned so much more about him, gotten to see just how intelligent and witty andfun he can be. Part of him was hoping to see some immaturity there, to remind himself how young Harry is, and how inappropriate his inner thoughts have been but it’s useless. He only finds himself caring more. Liam drives Harry to his house one afternoon and even though its only 4 pm it feels weirdly intimate. Greg isn’t home yet and not even having Niall around makes things feel almost too quiet. Harry instantly heads towards Liam’s bedroom and it stirs an immediate reaction in Liam’s gut. Liam finds himself running in front of Harry and shutting the door quickly. The idea of Harry in his room (again) is just too much and he wordlessly points towards the living room. Harry smirks briefly before turning around and settling down on the couch. Liam reminds himself over and over that they’re just here to study and takes a seat next to him on the couch, making sure to leave plenty of space between them. Harry’s next assignment is to write a paper about Shakespeare and any of his works so Liam helps him pick a topic and give him some advice on things to write about. He helps him find references and sets up his paper.  He knows that Harry is completely capable of most of it, but he’s trying to extend their time together, he’s not ready for Harry to go home just get. By the time they’re almost finished its 7 pm and Liam knows they should probably call it a night but when Harry suggests they take a break he can’t exactly say no. “You wanna watch something?” Liam asks, reaching for the remote, but Harry is too quick and snatches it out of his hand. Liam wrestles to get it back from him, but as soon as he feels Harry’s fingers brushing against his own he retracts. Attempting to be good and keep things strictly platonic is harder then he thought it was going to be, especially in this setting. “Don’t like to give up control do you?” Harry smiles and it’s meant to be a joke but it makes Liam blush and he instinctively moves further away from Harry. “Sorry…” Harry blushes himself, smiling sweetly at Liam. “It’s just in my nature to flirt, I’ll try not to.” But Liam doesn’t really want him to stop. “It’s okay… as long as it’s here and not at school.” He realizes he’s basically given Harry permission to hit on him but he tells himself it’s mostly harmless and sits back in his seat. Harry stumbles upon a rerun of Friends, and when he sets the remote back down Liam almost wants scream. Of course Harry just happens to stop on Liam’s favorite show. They watch for a while and Liam thinks to himself how comfortable it all feels, being here with Harry. How much he’s grown to really care about him and how much it sucks. It’s pretty much the worst feeling in the world wanting something that you know you can’t have. Especially when that thing is a student that could get you in serious trouble and that isn’t doing much to help stop those feelings. Liam realizes he’s staring when Harry finally speaks. “I just want you to know, I would never do anything to get you in trouble.” It’s oddly reassuring but it’s laced with something else and even though Liam wants to ask him what he means by the statement he doesn’t. “You hungry?” Liam asks suddenly, standing up from the couch and moving to the kitchen. He feels the need to create more space between him and Harry, before he does something really stupid. “Yeah, a little.” Harry responds, watching Liam over the couch. “I’ll make popcorn” Liam says as he grabs a bag out of the cupboard and sticks one in the microwave. When Liam makes his way back to the couch he sets the bowl in between them. Having a physical barrier is probably a good idea. Liam’s not really sure what comes over him but he picks up a kernel and chucks it Harry. It lands in his hair and Harry has to fish it out, “Hey!” He yells back, grabbing a handful and throwing it right back at him. “Okay, okay!” Liam laughs and holds onto the bowl so that it doesn’t spill. Harry’s smile is wide and inviting and when he laughs Liam’s eyes once again flash to the dimple in his cheek. He absently thinks about how attractive Harry looks right now and how pleasant his laugh sounds, but tries to think of anything else. Harry goes to throw another kernel at him, but Liam grabs his hand, stilling the movement. “Stop it, Harry.” Liam is still laughing, and Harry listens, stopping his movement. Liam still has his hand on his wrist and he’s staring at him intently. It’s impossible for Liam to read his expression but he’s not laughing anymore. “What?” Liam finds himself asking, wondering what he’s done to cause Harry to go so quiet. “You called me Harry.” He states simply. Liam lets go of his hand and steadies himself on the couch. “I’ve called you Harry before.” He knows he’s lying. He’s never referred to Harry by his first time because somehow it’s felt too personal. But Harry doesn’t need to know that. “No you haven’t.” Harry responds firmly, still keeping his attention on Liam. Liam desperately tries to think of something to say but he comes up with nothing, just turns his attention back to the TV and tries to ignore it. “I was wondering when that would happen… never realized all I had to do was be sweet you.” Harry is smiling again and Liam can tell that he’s trying to be playful but he doesn’t even realize the effect he has. Then Harry turns his attention back to the show and its quiet for a moment. It’s not comfortable like it was before and Liam can feel the weird tension in the air. “Can I ask you something?” Harry breathes out. Liam can see him turn his head towards Liam yet again. Liam responds without moving. “Okay.” He doesn’t know if that’s the right response, he’s afraid of the question, but it’s too late and Harry is already asking. “Are the rumors true?” He asks in complete seriousness, and it’s nothing like the tone he had the first day they met. Liam wants to be honest with him. Tell him that they are. If Harry really is in the same boat then maybe he’s just looking for someone to confide in? Someone he can talk to? But deep down Liam knows that’s not the reason Harry is asking. If his paper was anything to by, Harry is clearly experienced with guys; he doesn’t need Liam’s advice on the subject. He’s asking because he cares. And the idea scares Liam. “It’s getting late, maybe I should take you home?” Liam knows that ignoring the question is basically an admittance of truth but when he see’s Harry’s face fall and he suddenly feels pain in his gut. It’s technically none of his business and he was right not to give Harry an answer but he finds himself feeling bad about it anyway. “I can just walk…” Harry says quietly, refusing to look at Liam and gathering his things. Liam offers again, saying that it’s late and he’d rather drive but Harry insists. His house isn’t too far so Liam allows him to leave. Right as he reaches the door Liam calls out to him. “Yes.” He says softly, and he’s not sure if Harry has heard him until he turns around, face twisted in confusion and hand still on the door handle. “They’re true.” Harry bites his lip and Liam lets his gaze trail downwards, notices how red it looks under the pressure of his teeth. He thinks about how it would feel between his own lips. But then Harry is gone and Liam is left alone with his thoughts. ***** Chapter 3 ***** Liam’s sitting alone in the locker room office when Harry storms through the doors and Liam’s first thought is that Harry is pissed off but then he’s smiling that adorable fucking smile of his and holding out a piece of paper and Liam immediately reaches for it, curiosity getting the best of him. His eyes immediately flash to the top of the paper and the only thing he can focus on is a bright red A marked just beside Harry’s name. “I got an A on my paper!” Harry beams at him and even though that’s already obvious Liam doesn’t care, he’s so proud of Harry. “Wow, that’s amazing!” Liam says, smiling back and immediately standing. Harry runs around the desk and throws himself into Liam’s arms, pressing into him hard. Liam stands still for a minute, the breath knocked out of him until he reminds himself that it’s just a hug and he should probably reciprocate. He lets his hands move around the younger boy, making sure not to let them trail too low and he can smell the scent of Harry’s shampoo where his curls are tickling against his neck. He holds onto Harry for probably longer than necessary but Harry isn’t pulling away either. Then Harry’s hands are moving slowly down his back, inching lower and lower until they’re resting on the back of his hips, right above his bum and Liam pulls back; tries not to let it show how flushed he is. He already misses the lack of contanct and as Harry pulls away he lets his hands fall to his side. He  looks up at him, smile no longer on his face. Instead, his expression is replaced with a look of lust and all Liam can think about his how desperately he wants to kiss him right now. How easy it would be just to lean in and do it. But his brain is thinking faster than his heart and he resists, pulling back further. “You should get to practice.” Liam huffs out and Harry looks absolutely disappointed but really, what did he possibly expect?   --   “I swear, it almost happened.” Harry says to Louis during practice. “Sure it did, curly.” Louis chuckles, tossing the ball strait into the hoop. Harry doesn’t have the energy to argue with him. But it’s fine. He knows the truth.  Liam almost kissed him. There are only ten minutes of practice left and Liam’s been keeping his distance for most of the day, but at least he’s still being cordial with Harry, sharing small glances here and there. Once practice is over the gym clears out and Harry sticks behind with Lou, it’s their turn this week to clean up the equipment but when he hears Liam laughing behind him (a laugh so loud and one he’s never heard before). Harry immediately turns to see who’s managed to get that lovely sound out of him. He’s shocked to see Liam standing there with the dark haired model boy from his picture frame. The man looks even more gorgeous in person and the two are completely engaged in each other. Harry’s eyes shift over their body language and immediately tries to assess the situation. Liam looks happier then Harry’s probably ever seen him.  Louis sees him staring and pats Harry on the shoulder. “You think that’s the one all the rumors are about?” Harry can feel his face getting hot from anger. Lou is just asking a simple question but he doesn’t realize how much it’s getting to Harry. A picture was one thing, but seeing the two of them together in the flesh is unbearable. When the dark haired guy’s hand finds its way to Liam’s forearm Harry is done. He has to get out of here. Harry immediately exits the gym and ignores Louis when he yells out to him, ignores the weird looks from Zayn and Liam, ignores it allbecause it’s too much to stand.   --   “Are you out of your fucking mind?” Lou whispers a little too loudly and Harry is immediately moving closer and telling him to be quiet. “Come on, you have to do this for me.” Harry whines. Another day, another practice. It’s been 2 days since Harry saw Liam with his boyfriend, or whoever the fuck he is, and Harry’s been ignoring him ever since. He knows he’s acting childish over this entire situation but he can’t help it. Seeing them flirting right in front of him when Liam clearly knows how he feels has gotten under his skin and the only way that Harry can deal with it is by trying to do the same right back. “I am not kissing you.” Louis huffs out, trying to turn away but Harry grabs him by the arm and pulls him around. “Come on, it’s not a big deal, we kiss all the time.” “Not in the way you want me to.” Louis responds. “Besides, if we do that, more rumors are just going to spread.” Harry looks at the ground. It wouldn’t be the worst thing. Maybe Liam would find out about it. Lou notices Harry’s expression. “Or is that what you want?” He rips his arm out of Harry’s grasp.  “No, I don’t!” Harry insists. “I just want Liam to see, that’s all.” Once again Louis rolls his eyes. “I told you I wasn’t gonna encourage this pathetic crush, Harry.” “It’s not pathetic… Please Lou?” Harry puts on his best “sad puppy” face and Louis looks at him fondly. It always works. “One fucking kiss, but that’s it. And I swear, if your tongue so much as…” But Harry doesn’t give him a chance to finish because Liam is finally entering the gym and Harry just goes for it. He grabs Louis by the face hard and plants one right on him. Harry covers Lou’s face the best he can with his hands so that Liam can’t see the obvious annoyance that Louis is emitting and tries his hardest to make this whole thing ook believable. After a second or two Harry pulls off, but keeps their faces close together. “Is he looking?” “Yeah… yeah, he’s looking.” Louis whispers softly to him, not moving away. “Thank you.” Harry smiles at him and Lou smiles back, finally releasing Harry once Liam has left. That should do it.   --   “Styles! Do you know what being a team player means… pass the ball!”  Liam yells out, probably a little harsher then he needs to, but he gets his point across and Harry is chucking the ball over to Paul before shooting Liam a dirty look and running back down the court. They’ve been at each other’s throats the last few days and Liam’s not sure where all of this anger came from but ever since their hug in his office, things have been weird. Okay, so maybe part of it has to deal with the fact that Liam walked in on Harry and Louis going at it in the gym the other day. But if Harry had a boyfriend, which he clearly did, then why had he even tried pursuing Liam in the first place? Why had he ended up drunk in his bed? Why did he look at Liam the way he did? Liam hated to admit that he even cared but it useless denying it at this point. It was all just building up and seeing the two of them together made something inside of him snap. He hadn’t really believed the rumors, until he saw it with his own eyes, and now, it was pretty much the only thing he could think about. The last few days he’d been particularly snappy, especially with Harry and Lou. He shouldn’t be letting his personal feelings affect his coaching but he can’t help it. Every time he looks at the kid he imagines Louis tongue in his throat and Harry’s stupid happy smile and it’s driving him crazy. Liam’s pretty relieved when the day is over. It’s a Friday, so at least he won’t have to see Harry for a few days and maybe he can find a way to calm down over before school resumes on Monday.   Unfortunately, Harry has a different idea and after practice he finds his way into Liam’s office, slamming and locking the door shut behind him. It’s against the rules, but Liam doesn’t expect any less from him at this point. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Harry says loudly, his arms are crossed in front of his chest and he’s staring Liam down. “Do not cuss in this office” Liam says just as loud, eyes piercing right back at him. He may have been acting childish, and Harry may have a right to address it, but this is still his office and he’s still the adult figure. “Why are you acting so pissed off lately?” Harry resumes, stepping closer to Liam’s desk. “I’m your coach, I have a right to yell at you on the court.” “That’s not what this is about…” Harry threatens and Liam has to look away. He can’t let Harry know how true his words are. “I thought we were finally on good terms?” Liam sighs, pacing back and forth behind his chair. “We are.” Liam lies. “This has nothing to do with you Harry, okay?” “Oh really?” Harry challenges. “Because you’re directing all your anger at me.” Liam stops pacing and grips the back of his chair, stilling his movement He tries to think of a decent excuse but nothing is coming to him. “Does this have to do with me and Lou?” Harry asks. Just hearing their names together pisses Liam off and he can’t manage to form a reasonable response. “Oh my God.” Harry says quietly, realizing the implications of Liam’s silence. “You have no right to say anything.” Harry retreats from his position and moves back towards the door. “I saw you with your model boyfriend earlier.” Liam has to think hard for a moment. Model boyfriend? “What are you talking about?” Liam spits out, genuine confusion in his voice and Harry looks at him strangely before responding. “The guy with the dark hair? The one you had pictures of in your room?” Oh. It finally clicks. Harry is looking at him suspiciously. He’s stopped a few feet in front of the door and his body is slightly turned so that he’s almost directly facing Liam. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Liam says shortly. And then Harry is scrunching his eye brows and throwing his arms out as if to gesture “what?” and Liam finds himself chuckling, the noise startling Harry. “Is that what this is about? You saw me with Zayn and thought you’d what, get back at me by fake kissing Louis?” Liam’s not sure what the truth is, but the pieces are starting to fit together and when Harry looks away from him he thinks that maybe his theory is correct. “That’s not gonna work,” Liam continues, “You can’t make me jealous. So you should just stop pretending.” He knows his words are harsh… and untrue, but he needs to put the boundaries back up. Things are getting far too dangerous with Harry. “Who says it’s pretend?” Harry shoots back and Liam’s stomach drops. Harry’s voice holds so much conviction, Liam is having a hard time working out the truth. Maybe he and Louis do have something. Maybe the kiss wasn’t staged. Then Harry is trying to walk out the door but something inside of Liam snaps and he finds his feet dragging him to the boy and grabbing his wrist roughly, holding him back. Harry hesitates for a second and then turns around to look at him once again, face scrunched up in hurt and Liam realizes how wrong this is. He shouldn’t be putting his hands on a student, but he needs to know the truth. And he wants Harry to know It too.   “I’m not with Zayn, he’s just my best friend.” Liam says quietly, staring right into Harry’s green eyes and the hurt that was there earlier gets replaced with relief. “Good.” Harry whispers quietly and it’s silent for a moment, both of them feeling weird. “Is there really something going on with you and Lou?” Liam asks, even quieter than before. Somehow he tells himself that if no one can hear him his thoughts and actions aren’t as misguided. Harry swallows and then inches his face a tiny bit closer, “isn’t that question crossing the line? Asking me that?” he asks, testing Liam. “I don’t care, I have to know.” Liam finds himself responding. Harry just stands there for a minute, as if he’s thinking and then after a moment or two he’s shaking his head no. “Has there ever been?” The line has been officially crossed. “We’re just friends.” Harry whispers so quietly that Liam almost doesn’t here him. He breathes out in relief, “then why’d you kiss him?” His fingers around Harry’s wrist loosen and Harry lets his arm fall gently down to his side. His shoulder is still touching Liam’s and Liam can feel the heat from his body against his own. “I just wanted you to care.” Liam wants so badly to tell him that he does care but something inside is still screaming at him that this is all wrong. That he shouldn’t be acting this way. He shouldn’t be revealing these feelings. “We can’t.” He whispers instead, not bothering to hide the sadness in his voice and Harry is looking at him just as upset. “I know.” He responds simply and Liam thinks yet again how much he wants to kiss him, but knows that its just not possible. They just stare at each other for another minute and ever so slightly Harry reaches his pinky out and brushes it against the back of Liam’s hand. It’s a simple, almost non-existent gesture but it says so much and Liam is seconds away from just caving; from just fisting his hands in Harry’s messy hair and pulling him in. But then another student is knocking on the door and Harry is pulling away from him immediately; leaving the room quickly, so many unspoken words left between them.   --   Harry’s outside Liam’s door, contemplating whether or not he should knock. It’s late and he shouldn’t be here but after what happened at school, he has to see him. Harry pretty much felt like a complete idiot for just assuming that Zayn was Liam’s boyfriend, but they had looked so natural and happy together, of course he would think that. Then he remembers how he acts with his own best friend and how people are always speculating about them and it makes him feel even worse. Although, if he hadn’t acted the way he had then Liam wouldn’t have seen him kissing Louis. He wouldn’t have acted jealous and practically confessed either. Harry had always hoped that Liam had feelings too, and that this entire situation was mutual, but it wasn’t until this last afternoon that Harry knew for sure that it was. And a few days prior they’d almost kissed in Liam’s office, Harry was sure of it. If that stupid student hadn’t of knocked and interrupted the moment it would have happened. As Harry knocks, he’s thinks about why he’s even here. Honestly, he just wants to see Liam again and hopes that he’s not turned away. Liam opens the door and looks completely shocked to see Harry standing in front of him. “What are you doing here?” He says quietly, opening the door a little wider. “I just wanted to talk…” Harry says sheepishly, “can you come outside?” It’s freezing out, but maybe Harry can convince Liam to sit in his car with him. He can’t risk going inside, he doesn’t want Greg asking questions. Liam sighs, then looks around as if he’s contemplating. He closes his eyes briefly and then says “Greg’s not here…” Then he opens the door all the way and Harry takes that as his cue to go in. Liam barely steps to side, so Harry has to brush past him, and he wonders if Liam is feeling the same anxious tension that he is. He sits down and instantly tries to think of something clever to say, but his mind is totally blank and when Liam joins him on the couch, close enough to him that their shoulders and legs are actually touching, it only makes things worse. “What’d you wanna talk about?” Liam says softly, looking down at his hands as he plays with them. He’s not looking at Harry, which is probably for the best because Harry feels nervous enough as it is. “I don’t know…” Harry begins, thinking about how attractive Liam looks tonight. He rarely sees him out of his work clothes and sitting here in some old basketball shorts and maroon t-shirt with his hair ruffled only makes him want him more. Liam is quiet for a moment, like he knew all along that Harry didn’t really want to talk. And then he speaks so quietly that Harry almost has to ask him to repeat himself. “I do, you know?” He still isn’t looking at Harry. “What?” Harry asks. ‘I do’ what? Finally, Liam turns his head to look right at him. “I care.” Harry is suddenly very aware of Liam’s words, referring to the day before in the office. Harry can feel how close Liam’s body is next to his own and he instinctively reaches for Liam’s hands, pulling one of them away and onto his lap. Harry knows he shouldn’t be doing this, but he can’t help himself. He starts playing with Liam’s hand, stroking his palm softly. Liam closes his eyes.  He isn’t pulling away and after a moment or two he starts moving his fingers too, intertwining them with Harry’s. He opens his eyes and he looks so conflicted… so confused that Harry almost wants to pull away. He doesn’t want to make him feel this way, but leaving now may only make things worse and instead he leans in, closing what little space is left between them. Liam takes a breath, but there’s no turning back now and Harry is inches away from his face, leaning in further still and finally capturing Liam in the kiss that he’s been waiting for forever. He doesn’t want to push things, just kisses Liam’s mouth lightly, feels the warm press of his lips against his own and even though its soft and small it’s everything that Harry’s hoped for. Liam is breathing heavily and kissing back ever so slightly but then he’s pulling his hand out of Harry’s grip, moving away. “Harry, don’t.” He gasps, wiping his mouth as if it’s going to erase was just happened. Hearing Liam call him by his name again makes his heart jump and he tries to lean back into him, already missing the contact. “You just said you cared.” Harry tries to reason but Liam is shaking his head and standing from the couch. “I do Harry. God, you know I do.”  His hands move to his eyes and he paces the room, trying to keep his distance. “But this can’t happen.” Harry stands, turns to face Liam. “Why?”He’s not sure why he even bothers asking something he already knows the answer to. Liam chuckles softly, but Harry can still hear the sadness in it. “You’re a student.” Harry wonders what he can say to make him change his mind. “But I’m not even in your class anymore.” “But I’m still your coach, it’s just as bad.” Harry wants to argue that school is ending in less than six months. But he knows that’s a ridiculous argument. In six months, Liam could forget all about him. “Please go?” Liam pleads and Harry doesn’t have the energy to argue with him anymore. He doesn’t know what he was expecting by coming here but he can’t push this any further. He’s made a big enough fool of himself as it is. Harry only looks at him sadly before walking past and reaching for the door. He wants to say he’s sorry but the words won’t come out. He shuts the door behind him and tries to convince himself that Liam’s confession is good enough. That even though they can’t be together, at least he knows the truth, even if nothing will ever come of it. It doesn’t make him feel any better.   --   The follow Monday, the feelings Liam had hoped would go away have only seemed to intensify. He’s thought of nothing but Harry all weekend long and his mind keeps flashing back to the moment that Harry had kissed him. He had wanted so badly to reciprocate, to show Harry how much he’d wanted it, but his conscious got the best of him and he’d pulled away. Liam keeps remembering Harry’s face when he asked him to leave and it twists something inside his gut. He hates hurting him. Hates it more than anything else, but its how things are supposed to be. He sees Harry in the hall between classes and smiles weakly at him, hoping that Harry isn’t upset with him, and when Harry smiles back relief washes over him. After school, Harry knocks on Liam’s door, even though it’s open and Liam looks up from his desk. Harry sneaks a glance behind his shoulder to make sure no one is around and then whispers to Liam, “Are we okay?” Liam just nods his head yes. He knows they should probably have some sort of conversation. Talk about the kiss. Liam knows he should reiterate how important it is that Harry not say anything to anyone. But he knows he doesn’t have to. He believed Harry when he’d said he wouldn’t do anything to get him trouble. Practice is especially awkward that day and anytime Liam has to speak to Harry he gets all flustered and weird, and he just hopes that no one else seems to notice. Harry’s acting especially quiet and just nods his head in response, looking at Liam with his big green doe eyes and making Liam regret ever pushing him away. After practice Liam can’t help it if he moves particularly slow, noticing that Harry is doing the same thing and soon enough it’s just the two of them left in the room. Liam gathers his stuff and walks past Harry slowly; Harry is just sitting on one of the benches and fiddling with his phone. “See you tomorrow?” Liam asks, causing Harry to look up immediately. “Yeah” he responds, and Liam wonders if he should say something else but just smiles at him again before turning to leave. “I really want to you kiss you.” Harry calls out to him, and it stops him in his tracks. Liam turns around, tries not to let his feelings show. “We can’t.” His voice is firm but his hands are shaking. He’s starting to sound like a broken record. “I didn’t say I was going to. I just want to.” Liam shakes his head then. Why is Harry making this so much harder? “Stop.” “What?” Harry says louder, standing. Liam can tell he’s upset. “We’re supposed to just act like nothing happened?” Liam wishes it were that easy. Wishes that he’d never met Harry. This whole situation has just fucked up everything and he doesn’t know how to act anymore. “Yes.” Liam says quietly, and it hurts even coming out of his mouth. It must hurt Harry even more because he grabs his backpack then; shoots Liam a dirty look then storms out of the room. The following day at practice Harry is clearly still upset with him and he’s dragging his feet to get ready. Everyone’s waiting for him on the court and one of the coaches asks Liam to retrieve him. Liam doesn’t want to. Pretty much the last thing he wants to do is yell at him right now, but he’s the coach, and it’s his job and he wishes Harry wouldn’t make things so difficult. “Mr. Styles, get a move on.” He says it as kindly as he can but Harry just stares up at him, hurt plastered on his face. “Are you serious?” He finishes tying his shoes and practically slams into Liam as he leaves the room. “Don’t fucking do that.” He’s referring to the name. It’s the first time Liam’s called him that since… well, the kiss.   Harry is still pretty pissed at him a week later. There’s no use trying to talk to him at all because Harry practically ignores him. Liam thinks it’s probably for the best though. Days turn into weeks and its fucking torture. Liam wishes they could just be okay, but he understands why they aren’t.   Things get especially worse for Liam when he hears rumblings about Harry dating someone else. He tells himself they are just rumors, after all, the rumors about Harry and Louis turned out to be untrue. But then his worst fears are confirmed when he actually sees them together. It’s the first time Liam’s seen Harry smile in weeks, when he’s with Nick. And hurts him more than it angers him. He has no right to be jealous. He rejected Harry. More than anything he wants Harry to be happy. But it still hurts. He can’t help but stare at them as they walk down the hall together, eyes only on each other and heads close together, sharing secrets and moments that Liam will never get to have with him. It’s extremely hard for Liam not to take it out on everyone during practice but then one day Harry doesn’t even show up and when Liam asks Louis where he is Louis says he saw him with Nick earlier, and that’s it. Liam loses it. His mind thinks of the worst possible scenarios of where they could be. He remembers the paper Harry wrote on his first day and then images of Harry and Nick being together in the back of his car flash through his mind and the rage inside of him is almost overwhelming. He wants to hurt Nick. And then he berates himself for even thinking that. Before Harry Liam was never this intense. He was never this involved or this emotional before.   Liam could just let it go, but there are usually consequences for missing practice. Never mind that this is fueled by jealously, he tells himself he would have called Harry in even if he wasn’t seeing someone else. Harry sulks into his office and just looking at him this close again stirs all these feelings inside of Liam. “Where were you yesterday?” Liam asks, trying to sound tough and Harry just sinks further into his chair. “I had stuff to do.” He says simply and it only fuels Liam’s anger. “Do you even want to be on the team? Cuz if you miss again without a valid excuses you won’t be.” Harry doesn’t respond, just stares at Liam curiously. Liam thinks he’s been clear enough. “I mean it. Miss again and you’re out.” He tears his focus away from Harry. “You can leave now.” But Harry ignores him yet again, just stares at him and waits for a reaction. “Go away Harry.” Liam emphasizes every word and they finally seem to evoke something in Harry, who leans forward in his chair, body language trying to show dominance. “Why exactly are you pissed at me?” Now Liam is really angry. Of course Harry makes this all about them. Doesn’t think for a second it has anything to do with the fact that he just blatantly missed practice. But Liam isn’t going to feed into it. He simply stands and walks over to the door, opening it quickly, implying once again that he should leave. Then suddenly Harry is standing and he’s right in front of him. “Liam…” he begins. Liam cuts him off. “It’s Mr. Payne, or coach.” Harry looks hurt. “Now go.” “No.” Harry says firmly, backing away from him slightly. “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.” Liam ignores him. If Harry won’t leave, he will. Liam walks out the door and down the hall, and Harry is immediately following behind. “What’s wrong?!” Harry says louder, moving back into Liam’s space and grabbing his arm. Something inside of Liam snaps and he pulls Harry around, slams him into one of the lockers. He hates himself for doing it, but no one is around and Harry is getting under his skin. Harry looks shocked and Liam immediately feels guilty for putting his hands on him. He drops them completely but Harry doesn’t move away. “Talk to me.” He begs and Liam can’t stop the words from spilling out of his mouth. “Stop fucking around with Nick.” He immediately regrets saying it. He has no right to tell Harry who to date. And seeing the look on Harry’s face makes him realize how far this has actually gone, how invested in Harry he really is. “Why?” Harry’s asking quietly and Liam tries to ignore him. He tries to walk away but then it’s Harry who’s pushing him against the lockers. “Why, Liam?” Liam can feel Harry’s hands around his arms, gripping his biceps right above his elbows. His face is twisted in hurt, pleading with Liam and Liam can feel his breath hot by his ear. “You know why.” Liam says simply, finally making eye contact with Harry and he hopes the younger didn’t hear the desperation in his voice when he says it. Harry’s looking at his lips; gripping his arms harder and Liam can feel that he’s struggling. But then Liam feels himself moving forward, feels his hands close around Harry’s hips and he’s pushing their bodies together, pulling Harry’s lips between his own like he’s been wanting to do for months now. Harry doesn’t let him go but he pulls back, rests his forehead on Liam’s. “Just say it.” “I want you.” Liam whispers out and Harry’s mouth is on his again, forcing his lips open and shoving his tongue inside his mouth. Liam lets his hands move to Harrys face and he pulls him against him even more, pushing his own tongue into Harry’s mouth and turning them around. Harry’s back hits the locker once again and Liam lets his hips immediately surge forward, feels them collide with Harry’s. A small moan escapes from Harry’s throat and Liam thinks it’s probably the nicest thing he’s heard in a while. But then Harry is reaching down between them, trying to fumble with Liam’s buckle and it’s too much. Too soon. Liam pushes himself off of Harry, stumbles backwards and Harry is sighing loudly again, clearly frustrated. “You can’t keep doing this!” He yells. “You can’t keep pushing me away and pulling me back.” “I’m sorry” Liam says for what feels like the hundredth time. He knows he’s being difficult. But his heart and his mind are battling with each other and he’s not sure which way to go. Harry leaves Liam alone yet again and Liam wonders if it’s finally the last straw.   --   Liam goes home that night and feels extremely guilty. He checks his phone to see that he has a missed message and somehow he just knows. He knows that it’s from him. After tossing in turning in bed for hours he finally pulls his phone out and dials his voicemail. He was right, it was Harry. He tries not to think about how Harry got his number in the first place, probably from Niall or something, and just listens to the message. “Hey... it’s Harry. I know you probably don’t want to hear from me but I just wanted you to know… my feelings are real.” Harry sounds completely wrecked and completely genuine and it tears Liam’s heart apart. “Nick was just a back up, I was trying to forget about you, but the truth is that no one is ever going to compare. I know that nothing can happen between us and I don’t want to make things harder for you but I just… I just needed you to know, I guess.” Liam’s not sure what had caused this change. Earlier in the day Harry was pissed off and storming out and now he’s being totally sincere and honest and it just makes things so much worse. But it’s a bit of a wakeup call. For the first time Liam begins to wonder if this is worth it. He has to decide if Harry is worth losing everything for. Somewhere deep down he knows that he is. ***** Chapter 4 ***** Once again Harry finds himself standing outside Liam’s door. Liam never called him back, which was fine, he hadn’t really expected him too. Who knows, maybe he didn’t even listen to the message. Calling Liam was stupid but he was just tired of pretending. If Liam can’t be with him he understands, but he’s not going to lie anymore, and he needs Liam to know. He just can’t take all this weirdness. Maybe if he could actually talk to his best friend like he used to things would be easier to deal with, but he hadn’t told Louis about anything that had happened. It surprised even Harry, he told Louis everything and he especially wanted to brag about this, about kissing Liam, because Lou hadn’t believed it was ever possible. But somehow, keeping Liam’s secret was far more important to him then trying to gloat. Liam opens the door and Harry doesn’t even give him a chance to say anything before blurting out, “I broke up with Nick.” He thinks he can see some sort of happiness of Liam’s face, but doesn’t want to get his hopes up. “I was hurt that you rejected me and so I…” But then Liam is cutting him off, “I heard the message.” Harry isn’t sure how to respond. Is Liam relieved? Does he not care? “I never slept with him.” He’s not sure why he feels the need to tell Liam that, but it seems important. Then Liam is squeezing his eyes shut, in that familiar way that he does whenever he looks conflicted. “Harry, we can’t do this.” Harry isn’t sure if he means having this conversation, or if he means something else. “We already have.” Harry finds himself saying. “You kissed me back.” “It’s too dangerous.” Liam says quietly and Harry wonders for a minute if anyone else is home. “I know, Liam, and I don’t expect anything from you okay? I’ll stop pressuring you and I’ll leave you alone, but I just need to know that I’m not crazy. That you feel something too.” Liam sighs deeply and then turns around but he’s not shutting the door so Harry takes that as a good sign and follows him in the house, shutting the door behind him. “You know that I do Harry.” Liam says completely genuine, turning to look at him. “But you have to understand…” Harry knows what he’s gonna say and he doesn’t need to hear it again. “Okay. I get it.” Then it’s quiet and its exactly what Harry didn’t want. “I just don’t want things to be weird anymore. I hate going to school feeling like you hate me.” Liam’s about to interject but Harry keeps going, he needs to get this out. “I just want to be friends. Basketball is almost over and you won’t be my coach anymore and I just… I still want to see you.” Liam looks at him so fondly then, and Harry wonders if that’s even possible. If he can be around Liam and not always want more. But he wants to at least try. He needs Liam in his life in some way. “Okay…” Liam says quietly, smiling for the first time in a long time. “just…no more kissing.” He means it to be lighthearted, to make a joke of it and even though it’s painful Harry tries to play along. “No more kissing.” He hates even saying it but he doesn’t want to push Liam further away. After that it’s pretty quiet again and Harry wonders if he should leave but then Liam is asking if he wants to stay and watch TV or play video games or something and Harry immediately responds, nodding his head, because he would give anything to spend more time with him. “Is Greg ever around?” Harry chuckles when Liam tells him his roommate is gone for the night. “I guess when you get a girlfriend you always want to be with her.” Harry knows the feeling.   —   It’s getting later and later and Liam knows he should take Harry home now but he doesn’t exactly want him to leave. They’d agreed to be friends and he was fine with that. Even if deep down it hurt he didn’t know if anything else was possible right now. At least not until Harry graduated, which was still a ways away. Even then, dating a former student would clearly be frowned on, ignoring the fact that Harry was also a male, so being friends was just easier. He still got to spend time with him. He still got to look at him, try to make him happy. Which seemed to be working because the entire night Harry wouldn’t stop laughing and it made Liam happier then he’d ever admit. They’re currently playing Mario Kart, and Harry is actually winning. Liam tries to claim he’s not trying that hard but of course he’s bluffing. Liam’s one of the most competitive people out there and he hates losing. When Harry finally makes it over the finish line Liam drops his controller in defeat, trying hard not to act too pissed off. “Yes!” Harry screams at him, turning to him and laughing. “You cheated.” Liam says grumpily, crawling forward on the ground and shutting the system off. “I don’t cheat!” Harry tries to proclaim and sticks his bottom lip out at Liam, handing him the second controller so that Liam can put it away. “You did on Nick.” Liam doesn’t mean for it to come out but it does and for a second he wonders if maybe it’s crossing a line, reminding him of their kiss, but then Harry’s just laughing and pushing at Liam playfully. “Hey, that’s not fair.” He pushes Liam again and Harry may be better at video games, but he’s certainly not stronger than him and Liam pushes him back. Harry lets himself fall backwards on the ground and Liam is hovering over him, hand on his chest. Harry attempts to push up but Liam holds him down. “What, you think you’re stronger than me?” He taunts and Harry uses it as fuel to push back even harder. Liam lets Harry entertain the idea of being stronger for a while but then eventually pushes back down, pinning his hands over his head. Then Harry’s face scrunches up and he starts moving his wrists. “Ow, you’re hurting me.” Liam instinctively pulls back, worried that he pushed too hard but then he’s caught off guard when Harry sits all the way up and knocks him onto his back. Harry straddles his hips and when Liam sees the smirk on his face he realizes it was all a trick. “Guess I’m smarter” he laughs. Then his gaze moves downwards and Liam can see that in all the ruckus his shirt has hiked up a bit, his abs showing. He immediately reaches down to cover himself up and Harry is sitting back up fully. “Of course.” Harry says with a sigh. “Everything about you is perfect.” Suddenly Liam feels embarrassed, because that’s certainly not true and he sits up on his elbows to look at him. “I am not.” But Harry doesn’t seem convinced and he just rolls his eyes, then brushes some hair out of his face like he always does and Liam immediately thinks about how sexy he looks right now, weight pressing into him. “You’re one to talk.” The words tumble out of Liam’s mouth, which causes a huge grin to plaster over Harry’s face. “You think I’m cute?” He says, wiggling around a little and even though he probably doesn’t mean to, his bum is pressing into Liam’s lower stomach, just above his groin and Liam tries hard not to think about what it’s doing to him. “No, I wouldn’t call you cute.” Harry definitely isn’t cute. Handsome though, of course. Sexy? Definitely. Liam thinks that he probably shouldn’t be saying stuff like this, especially if they’re trying to be friends, but he can’t help himself around Harry. Harry’s not moving now, just staring at Liam with his pretty green eyes and smirk and dimple and Liam knows that he should say something. “It’s getting late…” he tries and then Harrys asking, “can I stay?” And Liam isn’t sure why but he’s nodding his head yes. It takes pretty much all the energy Liam has not to reach up and hold onto Harry with his hands but he knows he shouldn’t touch. Knows he shouldn’t blur the lines or give Harry ammunition but it must not matter because Harry is still looking at him like thatand Liam isn’t doing anything to stop it. Harry looks downward again and Liam wonders what’s going through his mind and then Harry is pulling up his shirt, scooting down Liam’s body so that his bum is now resting on his knees. “What are you doing?” Liam tries to ask, but he gets no response and then Harry is leaning forward, grabbing Liam’s hips with his hands and resting his forehead on Liam’s stomach. Liam’s entire body flinches when he feels Harry’s tongue darting against his skin and he knows he needs to say something, do something to stop this but he can’t move, he just sits and watches it happen. He hates to admit how good it feels as Harry moves upwards on his body, pushing his shirt up even further as he goes. “You said no kissing, you didn’t say anything about licking.” Harry smirks up at him before taking one of Liam’s nipples into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it. The fact that Harry is younger than him is very clear right now and even though he’s probably just as experienced, the idea is a huge turn on to Liam. He lets his head fall back as Harry sucks, just letting him do it. And then Harry’s face is inches away from his and he’s latching onto Liam’s neck, sucking lightly on the skin close to his birthmark and Liam idly thinks that he’ll have to cover that on Monday if Harry leaves a mark. Harry’s lips release his skin but he doesn’t pull away, almost nudges Liam’s chin with his head to get his attention and Liam slowly turns his head sideways to look at him. Harry is just sitting there, waiting for Liam to make the first move. Liam tries to convince himself once again how wrong this is but it’s impossible to do with Harry so close and he leans in, gripping the back of Harry’s head in his hands as he pulls him into another kiss. Liam’s shirt is still up and Harry’s hands are roaming all over his body, pressing and pushing and Liam grips Harry’s hair harder, making him moan into the kiss. It’s messy and wet and Harry starts grinding his hips into Liam’s and he can feel his temperature rising slowly, feel himself starting to harden. Then it’s like something clicks and Liam is fully aware of where they are and what they are doing and he rolls Harry over, pushes himself off and stands. He doesn’t bother saying anything, Harry knows what he’s done and there’s no point in sounding like a broken record. Harry just sits on the ground, lips red and clothes rumpled, his hair a mess and he waits for Liam to speak but Liam just walks out of the room, yells at Harry that he’s sleeping on the couch and slams his door shut. The smirk on Harry’s face tells him that he doesn’t plan on giving up and Liam when Liam shuts the door, he purposely leaves it unlocked.   —   The entire night he tosses and turns on the uncomfortable couch and wonders what Liam’s bed would feel like. Harry’s not quite sure what stops him from just getting up and going straight into Liam’s room but he’s trying really hard to be good. Obviously, he’d failed at that last night, but Liam was just lying there, breathing hard beneath him and something inside of him had just snapped. He wanted to see what Liam tasted like. So he just did it, just licked him. And Liam had clearly not minded. Every time that he kisses Liam it just makes it more difficult to stop. He’s never felt this way about anyone before and it partly scares him, but mostly excites him. He knows that Liam feels the same way, wants it as much as he does and it’s only then that he realizes the idea of being “friends” with Liam was stupid to begin with. Harry doesn’t want to be just friends, and he’s gonna do everything in his power to change that.   --   Harry decides to take a shower in Liam’s bathroom the following morning and the entire time he’s in there he fantasizes about Liam joining him. Of course it doesn’t happen, the older man must have more self control then Harry does, but it definitely get’s the wheels in Harry’s head turning. He barely slept the night before, his mind just kept going back Liam; Liam and his wonderful smile, Liam and his perfect abs, Liam lying underneath him, Liam’s tongue in his mouth. And he wonders what Liam is doing now. When he’s going to bang on the door and tell him to go home. But it never happens and eventually Harry needs to step out because his skin is starting to prune. But he’s just not ready to go home. He’s so close. He can feel it. He can’t let Liam get away now. He slips a towel around his waist, purposely leaving his clothes behind and makes his way towards Liam’s bedroom. He doesn’t even bother knocking, just enters the room slowly; talks himself out of turning back around. He knows that this could end really badly, but he decides to take the risk, hoping that his instincts about Liam are true. Liam’s on his bed, grading papers or something when Harry walks in and the look on his face when he sees Harry standing there in only a towel is twisted in pure shock; he can’t believe his eyes. Harry doesn’t say a word, just locks the door behind him and moves forward so that he’s standing right in front of him. “What are you doing?” Liam asks, panic spread over his face and he looks like he’s about to do something, like, push Harry out the door or yell, but he only shifts a little on the bed and Harry tries to calm his nerves. “It’s okay, the doors locked. No one’s home.” He doesn’t actually know if that’s true, for all he knows Greg could have come back while he was in the shower, but Liam doesn’t protest and Harry’s actually relieved, it’ll make what he’s about to do much easier. Liam is still just staring at him, unsure of what to do, so Harry shuffles closer, knees hitting the edge of the bed frame. Liam is close enough to the edge of his bed so that his feet are hanging off the sides and Harry is standing right in between them, close enough for Liam to touch. Harry reaches down and plays with the edge of his towel, teasingly undoing where it’s tucked in at the front of his waist. He can see Liam’s eyes trail downwards and then immediately back up, trying his hardest to look away. “Come on, aren’t you curious?” Harry asks, his head craning sideways slightly and waits for Liam to return his gaze, but Liam is persistent and refuses to look at Harry. “Liam.” Harry says quiet but firm and jerks Liam’s chin back over to him. He tries to think of something he can say to convince him to do this but decides against in and instead just leans in and kisses him right on the mouth. It seems to work and he can feel Liam returning the kiss, body relaxing slightly at his touch. Harry uses his other hand to undo the towel, letting it drop completely to the ground. Harry’s hard against his stomach and wet too, water from his shower mixed with his pre come and when he pulls back he can see Liam’s gaze finally drift downwards over his body. Liam’s breathing heavy now and he bites his lip as if in attempt to pause or stop the situation but Harry can tell that it’s far past that now, that he finally has Liam where he wants him. Harry quickly grabs one of Liam’s hands and immediately places it on his cock; feels Liam’s rough hands closing around him. “Move your hand.” Harry tries to sooth him with his words but Liam is still barely moving. Harry gives up and finally places his hand back over Liam’s, moving them both together slowly. It’s a little rough without lubricant, but the water and pre come creates just enough slickness and Harry is able to move their hands a little quicker, increasing the friction on his now throbbing cock. Liam’s eyes are glued to their hands, stroking Harry quicker and quicker and Harry’s attention is completely focused on Liam’s face. He looks so frozen and innocent in this moment and Harry can’t wait until he has his hands on Liam, make him fall apart under his touch the way that Liam is doing to him right now. Harry is still moving and as he feels himself getting closer he lets his other hand rest on Liam’s shoulder, gripping the muscle there tightly as he tries his hardest to keep this going, make this last. Then he can feel Liam’s thumb brushing over the head of his cock, rubbing against the slit there each time their hands move upward and the pressure is too much, the realization that Liam is actually doing this finally dawning on him. Harry moans out loud as he comes, liquid spilling all over both of their hands and onto Liam’s lap. Some even manages to splash onto some of Liam’s paperwork, which is amusing to Harry and he chuckles briefly when Liam immediately goes to wipe it up with his free hand. His right is still closed over Harry’s dick, just holding there under Harry’s until Harry finally lets go. Harry holds his hand up to his face and licks a little bit of the cum off, slowly so that Liam can see and Liam’s eyes are huge, just watching. He looks totally flushed and Harry can’t hold back, he wants to completely wreck him and kneels on the bed on what little space is there between Liam’s legs. Liam’s staring up at him, like he’s not sure what to do with his hands or his body so Harry pushes at his chest and he falls backwards onto the bed, hands at his sides. Harry fumbles with his jeans, rips the belt off and then unbuttons and unzips them and Liam tries to say his name once but Harry is quieting him with his mouth, kissing him roughly and whispering “stop fighting this” in between kisses. He gets his jeans and underwear far enough down and is pleased to find that Liam is hard too. His cock, much larger than even Harry expected, practically pulsing and flushed red against his stomach. Harry bends his body, not moving his knees from the bed, and it’s an awkward angle but he really doesn’t care, this is too important right now, and he slips his hand beneath Liam’s cock so that its wedged between it and Liam’s stomach.  He licks upwards on his prick, from the base all the way to the tip and then finally lifts it up, gripping the base. He takes it slowly into his mouth, swirling his tongue and trying to make it as wet as possible with his spit. Harry loves messy blowjobs, loves feeling the pre come as it gathers on his tongue, loves pulling off and letting it trail from his mouth all the way down and then sucking it back up. His fingers press into Liam’s ball sac as he moves his mouth farther and farther down. He attempts to look at Liam during all of this, but Liam’s head is completely thrown back, his eyes are squeezed shut and all Harry can see is are the veins straining his neck as he tries to keep quiet. Harry desperately wants to make this good for him, goes nice and slow for a while before finally picking up speed and taking Liam down into his throat as far as he can go. Liam still has barely touched him, but Harry’s hands are roaming all over, feeling how hot his skin is now with Harry’s mouth on him. Harry can feel it all; every muscle in his stomach clench when Harry’s curls brush against his lower abs; the sweat pooling on his lower back when Harry reaches around to hold his hips down, his body flinching underneath him when he has his hands trailing circles on the inside of his thighs. Liam finally looks down at him when he’s nearing his release and Harry can tell that he is close by the way he’s squirming around, jerking his hips from the bed and panting louder than before. Harry wants to say something but he doesn’t know Liam well enough yet to know what will get him there, so instead he just sucks harder, hollows his cheeks out and moves his hand with mouth, increasing the pressure. Liam finally makes contact then, frantically grabbing at Harry’s shoulders as if to steady himself. Harry hums lightly around Liam’s dick and he can finally feel little spurts of cum as it enters his mouth, bitter and warm. Harry takes a little bit down but then pulls off, keeps his mouth open and lets the rest of it splatter his face. His chin and lips and cheeks are soaked with it and he lets Liam get a good view before using his thumb to trail it all into his mouth, sucking and moaning around his fingers. Liam looks completely distraught and Harry climbs his way back up his body, bracketing his arms on the side of Liam’s head and kissing him really slowly, teasing his tongue in and out softly. Liam’s barely kissing back, but it doesn’t matter, Harry knows there’s no turning back now, that this is finally happening. Liam still seems hesitant, but Harry takes what he can, smiling into the kiss, humming contently.  Eventually he pulls back to look at him and they stare at each other for a long time, until finally Liam speaks. “If this is going to happen, we have to be more careful.” Harry cant stop the smile from forming on his face when he finally realizes the impact of Liam’s words. So this isn’t a one time thing? Does this mean Liam’s done resisting? Harry just nods and then leans back down to kiss him one last time before finally pulling up and off of him, grabbing his towel from the floor as he exits the room. He wants to stay but he’s not gonna push his luck and he heads back to the bathroom, throwing his clothes on quickly. He’s not quite sure what to say to his ex-teacher whom he just sucked off but he hopes that in time things will feel more normal between them. He pops his head into Liam’s room one last time before leaving and Liam has resumed his position on the bed. He looks basically the same as before, just a little bit sweatier and redder in the face and Harry smirks again before saying goodbye.   --   Once Harry is out the door Liam stands, immediately pacing the room and trying his best not to freak out. He just jerked his 18 year old student off. And then had his dick in that student’s mouth. They actually made each other come. This was so fucking wrong and scary and exhilarating all at the same time and Liam wasn’t sure how to feel. He tries not to let the guilt override his happiness and he wonders how his life ever came to this, how he got into this mess. But there was no use trying to stop it now, it had happened and he had actually fucking enjoyed it and he really wanted to do it again. and again. and again. It would be tough but it could work… maybe. They just had to keep their mouths shut and be more careful in the future.   The future turns out to be only a few days later. Liam’s in his classroom during lunch, finishing grading some assignments when he see’s Harry’s familiar head of curls walking through the door. Since that night they’ve talked, but it’s been completely cordial and ordinary and Liam was wondering when Harry would attempt something physical again. Liam sure as hell wasn’t going to initiate it. The only thing keeping Liam from absolutely losing his shit over this whole thing was the idea that it was completely on Harry’s terms. But something about demeaner when he walks in the door is different today and he already knows what’s coming even before Harry speaks. But he knows it’s risky here in the classroom, where anyone could walk through the doors at any second, so Liam turns his back to him, pretends not to notice that he’s walked through the doors. Harry doesn’t say a word, just sneaks up right behind him and Liam can feel his body heat at his back. Then he feels Harry’s lips against the back of his neck and he immediately pulls away, nerves getting the best of him. “You need to leave.” Liam says softly, making sure that Harry can hear the fondness in his voice. He wants more than anything to feel Harry’s lips on his, but not here, not now. Harry puts on his best pouty face on and Liam can’t help but smile, lets Harry walk right up into his space, feels the younger boy grab his hand. “Not in the classroom.” Liam tries to say firmly but then Harry is pulling his fingers into his mouth and sucking on them and Liam forgets what he was planning to say. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” Harry smirks, pulling his fingers out of his mouth with noisy pop, his focus craning downwards to Liam’s crotch. His semi isn’t visible through his pants right now but that doesn’t stop Harry’s words from being true. Looking at Harry now, all Liam wants to do his push him back against the desk, pull his pants down and slam into him from behind, but he lets his fantasies fall out of his head and he reminds himself of how dangerous this is. “Not here.” Liam says more firmly, finally pulling away from him. “Then where?” Harry whines. Liam knows that having sex at the school is pretty much the opposite of being “careful” but he isn’t sure he can wait all day long and he tells Harry to meet him in the locker room after school. They always have thirty minutes before practice starts and no one is ever around during that time, it would be the perfect place to resume this. ***** Chapter 5 ***** It’s past 3 pm and Liam is anxiously waiting for Harry in his office, but as the time ticks on he wonders where Harry could be. He hates to think about how dependent on Harry he’s gotten in the last few months. Finally around 3:10 Harry runs into the room practically panting from clearly trying to rush there. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Harry pleads, giving Liam his best puppy eyes. “Stupid Mr. Cowell was taking forever explaining the next assignment to me.” He walks over to Liam who’s currently standing next to the bookshelf and keeping himself busy by organzing some of the text books there. Liam tries to give Harry his best annoyed face, but then Harry’s asking “well, do you want me to fail?” and of course Liam doesn’t want that so he lets his face relax and tries to smile. “It’s fine, but practice starts in twenty minutes… we’ll have to be quick.” Liam almost can’t believe the words that are coming out of his mouth. The last time they were here Liam was rejecting him and Harry was storming out, but so much has changed since then and Liam knows he would never be able to push Harry away now. He’s in this way too deep. “That’s not gonna be a problem” Harry smirks, pushing Liam back against the wall and reaching a hand behind his head, playing with the hair above his ear. He leans in to whisper, “I’ve been so fucking hard all day thinking about you.” The words send a shiver down Liam’s spine as Harry leans in to kiss him. He’s always known that Harry was a “go-getter” and that he was abrasive in what he wanted, but the way that Harry acts around him still surprises him. It’s such a turn on, the way he takes control of every situation. Harry gets his hand down between them and Liam has to catch his breath when he feels it close tightly around his growing erection. He still can’t get over how good it feels to have Harry touching him. “God, you’re beautiful.” Harry mutters into his mouth and Liam wonders if he means his dick or him, but either way it doesn’t matter. “Has anyone ever told you that?” Harry asks and Liam thinks that yes, he’s heard it before, but coming from Harry it means so much more. He doesn’t respond exactly, just smiles at Harry and thanks him by leaning in and capturing him in another kiss. Harry’s hand is lazily stroking him and it feels so good, but Liam thinks he should probably move a little quicker if they want to get this done. “You can touch me you know…” Harry says quietly and Liam thinks he means he wants to get off too, but then Harry is grabbing his hand and clasping their fingers together. It’s a small gesture but its intimate and Liam tries to calm himself. He’s been afraid to touch Harry like this before, convincing himself that it means too much, but Harry is the type of person that craves being touched, in all ways, and Liam wants to give that to him. He reaches his free hand up and cups the back of Harry’s head as he kisses him, the touch causing Harry to move his hand on Liam’s dick a little quicker. “You know this is the last practice?” Harry asks pulling away from Liam gently and locking eyes with him. “I’m gonna miss seeing you every day.” Liam wants to assure Harry that they can still see each other, but he doesn’t want to come off as being too needy, so he doesn’t say anything at all, just smiles at Harry once again and then dips his head down to suck gently on his neck. Then Harry is moaning, which is ridiculous because Liam’s the one that’s about to get off, but it makes the butterfly feeling in Liam’s gut rise even quicker, knowing he’s the cause for such a beautiful noise. “Are you close?” Harry pants into his ear and all Liam can do is nod his head. Liam blindly reaches for the shelf and grabs one of the tissues off of it, handing it to Harry who looks at Liam curiously. Liam really doesn’t want to have to explain to everyone at practice why he has cum stains all over his shorts, so it’s just cleaner this way and Harry seems to finally get it, shoving it down between them. He can feel Harry’s hand squeeze his own, encouraging him, wanting his orgasm to come faster. “What do you want me to do?” Harry whispers into his hear, twisting his hand as it moves up and down Liam’s shaft. “Just kiss me.” Liam finds himself saying and Harry does so immediately, flicking his tongue over Liam’s and moaning a little into the kiss. The sounds that are escaping from Harry’s mouth vibrate through Liam’s entire body and before he can even warn Harry his orgasm is sneaking up on him and he’s spilling in hot spurts over the tissue and Harry’s hand. Harry continues rubbing him even after, letting Liam feel the full effects of what just happened and through all of this doesn’t stop kissing him. Liam starts moving his feet then, shuffling the two of them backwards until Harry’s bum is sitting on the edge of his desk. He removes his hand from Liam’s pants and just as Liam’s about to work his fingers inside of Harry’s jeans voices from outside the door start filling up the locker room. Liam pulls off of Harry, wiping his lips quickly trying to tuck himself fully back in. “No!” Harry whines, not removing himself from the desk. “You can’t stop now, if I don’t come soon I’m gonna dieee.” Liam has to laugh at Harry’s exaggeration but he can’t help but feel terrible for him, knowing what it’s like to need to that release and not getting it. “I promise I’ll take care of you after practice, you’ll just have to wait a little longer.” Liam smiles at him and tries to comfort him by kissing him quickly on the lips one last time before moving around the desk. Harry tries to pout a little longer but then Liam is ushering him out the door, encouraging him to leave before people start getting suspicious.   —   All through practice Liam keeps stealing glances at Harry. He can’t help but chuckle a little at his clear discomfort and tries his best not to do anything during practice that would make things even more difficult for him. Once practice ends Liam goes back to his office to finish up with some paperwork. Most of the boys are in the locker room getting changed and then filtering out and Harry finds his way back into the room, shutting the door behind him. “Okay… you promised” Is all that Harry says before turning Liam’s chair around and placing himself on his lap, nudging himself into Liam’s stomach and making his erection clearly known. “No. No more at school” Liam insists before Harry is whining again and pressing his forehead against Liam’s. “Come on, this is tortureeeee.” Liam goes to stand and lifts Harry off of his lap, gathering the rest of his things to put them away. “What did you do all day before you had me to take care of that for you?” Liam jokes and Harry is leaning back against the desk just waiting. “Locked myself in the bathroom and jerked off to thoughts of you.” That’s definitely a conversation he wants to have with Harry later but right now he has to get Harry out of here before the kid starts screaming to the school about how horny he is. “Come on,” Liam says, grabbing Harry’s hand and pulling him out the room behind him.   —   “Why exactly aren’t we in your bed right now?” Harry asks cheekily as he leans his head against the cold glass on Liam’s passenger seat window. “Because Greg is home.” Liam says simply, trying hard to keep his focus on the road and not at the gorgeous curly haired 18 year old boy that’s currently palming at himself in Liam’s car. “Stop that!” Liam yells, slapping Harry’s hands away. “That’s my job.” “Ugh, Liam, I can’t wait any longer!” Harry whines for like the tenth time since they got in the car. “Are we there yet?” “Soon. Just be patient.” Liam laughs and grabs Harry’s hand, holding it tightly. Ever since earlier today when Harry told Liam to touch him he can’t seem to stop. They’re out on some deserted highway, and Harry’s looking around suspiciously before Liam pulls off the road and into some patch of woods. “Where are we?” Harry asks as he looks around. The sun is finally setting and it’s getting dark out. “Somewhere no one will see us.” Liam smiles, shutting the car off and unbuckling his seat belt. “You’re not gonna murder me are you?” Harry jokes and Liam just shakes his head. “If I was gonna murder you, I would have done it that first week we met.” He laughs and Harry is unbuckling his seat belt too, leaning his head back to look at Liam. “Can you make good on your promise now?” Harry asks quietly and there’s barely a second before Liam is leaning out of his seat and over Harry, kissing him roughly. He kisses him for a bit but Harry’s impatience is getting the best of him and he shoves his pants down, exposing his flushed and hard cock out in the open. “Jeez you weren’t kidding…” Liam chuckles. Harry’s hard as a rock, penis swollen and red lying flat against his stomach. “No, I wasn’t” Harry smiles weakly before placing his hands in Liam’s head and pushing him downwards, making it very obvious what he wants. “Geez, pushy.” Liam whispers as he kisses slowly down Harry’s chest. This is the first time he’s gone down on Harry and it’s actually a little nerve- wracking. He’s supposed to be older and more experienced and he just hopes that Harry can enjoy it. His nose reaches Harry’s happy trail and it reminds him of the first time he saw Harry shirtless in the locker room, reminds him of how much things have changed since then. He nuzzles his nose into it a bit, breathing in Harry’s scent. “I’m probably not gonna last that long…” Harry whimpers above him, completely staring as Liam makes his way further down. And that’s fine with Liam because he’s still freaking out over his skills. He’s usually really confident but Harry makes him feel like a 16 year old again. Liam finally gets his tongue against the crown of Harry’s cock and Harry immediately reacts, grabbing Liam’s hair in his hands. “Mmm yeah, right there Mr. Payne.” Liam immediately retracts. “No. You are never allowed to call me that!” Liam insists, giving Harry his best stern look. He doesn’t need another reminder of how much older he is. But Harry just laughs down at him, “yeah, yeah, just keep sucking.” Liam does what he’s told and appreciates how Harry tastes on his tongue. Like sweat and boy and Harry and he can feel himself hardening in his own pants for the third time that day. As Liam closes his mouth around him and moves up and down he can see Harry squirming above him, hear the noises that he’s making and Liam thinks that he may just enjoy this more than Harry going down on him. Liam lets one of his hands wrap tightly around the base of Harry’s dick and the other goes to hold his hips, prevent him from moving too much underneath him. Harry’s fucking loud during this and Liam’s very thankful they are out in the middle of nowhere, where no one could possibly hear. Liam almost gets lost in it, licking his way up and down Harry’s length, the cool air on his back, Harry’s warm body beneath him. Then he’s brought back to the moment when Harry’s hand grips his hair a little too roughly. “Mmm…” Liam moans around his cock, mouth too full to make an actual word, but he actually kind of likes the pain, loves knowing that Harry is coming completely undone just from this. “Liam…” Harry murmurs above him and Liam flicks his gaze up at the boy, lets his mouth trail off as he pumps harder with his fist. “No, I want you to taste it” Harry whispers to him and Liam places his mouth back around Harry. This time he removes his hand from the base and drags his head as far down as he possibly can, feeling Harry’s cock as it nudges against the back of his throat. “Fuck!” Harry screams out and Liam feels his dick pulsing inside his mouth, feels the splash of come as it spills down his throat. He keeps swallowing, it’s more than he expected but he doesn’t let up, wants to show Harry how much he can take. When he finally pulls off Harry is just lying there pliant, breathing heavily but barely making a noise. “Come here” Harry whimpers, and Liam climbs his way back up Harry’s body, letting Harry pull him in hard for another kiss. “You’re fucking amazing.” Liam finds himself saying and it seems to urge Harry on even more, pulling him in tighter and letting his weight rest on top of him. Liam briefly thinks about how he’d like to stay about a half hour longer, climb into the backseat and fuck Harry into the cushions but he immediately pulls the thought of his head. For one thing, he’s not gonna have sex with Harry for the first time in the back of a car. For another, he’s not sure he even wants to take that step with him. They’ve been intimate yes, but sex is much different. It means so much more and Liam doesn’t think he can take such a drastic step without feeling completely horrible about it. Somehow, not actually having sex with Harry makes this entire thing feel… more innocent, makes Liam feel less guilty. Harry’s just running his fingers softly through Liam’s hair and Liam thinks that he could probably do this for a really long time, just lay here and listen to him breathing, but it’s getting late and it’s a school night and he doesn’t want to be responsible for getting Harry in trouble.  “Come on, let’s get you home.” He whispers quietly, kissing Harry one last time on the lips, and then again on the forehead before pulling back. “Do we have to?” Harry whines again and Liam almostcaves but holds firm. He can’t show Harry how much he actually cares, how much time he actually wants to spend with him. It’s too soon and he doesn’t want to scare Harry off. He needs more than anything for things not to change.   --   It’s been about a month since Liam and Harry started… whatever this was and as Harry stared at Liam from across the room he wondered if they’d ever have the sex talk. They hadn’t done it yet, Liam had never initiated it, and even though Harry was pretty good at getting what he wanted he didn’t know how to exactly tell Liam that he’d been dying for it. He’d subtly try to hint that he wanted more each time they were intimate but Liam never seemed to get it, or if he did he was clearly ignoring Harry’s advances. Harry didn’t mind necessarily, he loved everything else they did they together (which actually wasn’t much more than hand jobs and blow jobs) and he thought maybe Liam had been hesitant to go further because of the age difference, or maybe because he thought Harry wasn’t as experienced. Whatever the reason, Harry wasn’t sure he could wait much longer, it was a step with Liam that he was more than ready to take. Liam makes eye contact with him and smiles briefly before looking away quickly, not wanting anyone else in the room to notice the obvious tension that they’d been trying to hide all night long.  It was Greg’s birthday and he had a handful of people over at his and Liam’s flat and Harry had tagged along with Niall. The blonde hadn’t understood exactly why Harry wanted to come to a boring adult party but they had actually managed to have fun, minus the whole, not-being-able-to-talk-to-the-one-person-you-desperately-want-to thing. Liam was still acting like a teacher and wouldn’t let Harry or Niall touch any of the alcohol and Harry had to chuckle a little at the irony, considering everything else Liam would let him do behind closed doors. Liam managed to sneak some alcohol to Harry regardless and he had a good buzz going. It was dangerous drinking around Liam because he kept having to remind himself that he couldn’t touch, couldn’t just blurt out to everyone how much he liked him, how much he wanted him. It starts getting later and later and people are filtering out and falling asleep and Liam announces to everyone that he’s tired and heads off to his room, sneaking an apologetic glance in Harry’s direction quickly. It takes all the energy Harry has not to just stand immediately and follow him back but he waits patiently, tries to socialize a little longer, and then pretends that he’s feeling kind of sick of needs to go outside for some air. It’s pretty ridiculous that he literally has to sneak around the house and tap on Liam’s window to be let in, but he wants some time alone with him and this is the only way to do it without making people suspicious. Clearly Liam doesn’t seem to mind and his face brightens when he sees Harry standing outside, eagerly opening the window to let him in. “You are a genious” Liam tries to say lightheartedly but Harry barely lets him speak before he’s moving forward and kissing him roughly. “God, I wanted to do that all night.” Harry smiles and Liam immediately takes his hand, pulling him over to the bed. They fall gently on top of the comforter and Harry tucks himself into Liam’s neck, Liam playing with his curls gently as they just lie there, enjoying each other’s company at last. It’s quiet for a while and then Liam finally speaks, shifting his head a little to look at Harry. “You know it’s been a month since we’ve started this.” Harry can’t help but notice Liam’s choice of words, his easy way of not exactly defining what they are. “Mhmm.” Harry says quietly into his neck, unable to look at him. “So does that mean we’re dating now?” He regrets the words as soon as they come out of his mouth, he probably sounds like a complete mush but Liam just chuckles, and continues to stroke his hair. “I don’t know exactly… but I’m not seeing anyone else.” Harry nods his head in agreement, says he isn’t either and there’s this easy silence between them, an understanding. “Maybe after graduation we can figure it out?” Harry asks quietly, and he can feel Liam nod above him. “If you don’t get sick of me by then.” he says softly and Harry is immediately sitting up on his elbows, shaking his head. “Not possible.” Liam smiles at him again and all Harry can think about his how gorgeous he looks, how lucky he is to be here with him right now and he leans down to kiss him softly on the lips. Liam moans a little at the touch and it goes straight to Harry’s groin. Harry shifts his body so that he’s resting his weight completely on Liam and he pushes his tongue deeper into his mouth, making it clear to Liam what he wants. “Wait” Liam whimpers quietly into his mouth, “the guys are just outside…” “Then we’ll be quiet” Harry tries to distract Liam and kisses him sloppier this time, sucking on his bottom lip in the way he knows Liam just loves. “We both know you can’t be quiet.” Liam smiles, rolling Harry over and scooting off the bed. “We can pick this up when they’re asleep.” “But I’m hard nowwwww” Harry whines and tries to put on his best pouty face but Liam isn’t listening, he just walks over to his computer and takes a seat at the chair, pretending to fiddle with some documents and do his best to ignore Harry. But Harry knows how to play the game and he isn’t giving up so easily. He does the first thing that pops into his head and rips his shirt off, throwing it very clearly by Liam’s feet. “What are you doing?” Liam asks, turning around his chair and watching as Harry continues to undress. He goes as far as getting his pants all the way off and then begins stroking himself, body in clear view. He doesn’t respond immediately, just leans back on the bed and continues to run his fingers up and down his shaft, his breathing getting heavier the harder he gets. “Harry…” Liam tries to say again and finally Harry responds. “If you aren’t gonna help I guess I’ll have to do it on my own.” And the look on Liam’s face is justwonderful, Harry thinks to himself. His eyes are wide and he can’t seem to tear his focus away and it’s exactly what Harry wanted. As Harry touches himself his thoughts immediately go back to what they usually always go back to, sex. And what he really wants right now is for Liam to join him and press him into the mattress, show Harry who’s really in control. Because if Harry was honest with himself, he’d let Liam do absolutely anything he wanted to him. Harry can feel the pre-come starting to gather at the tip of his penis as he picks up a rhythm, and the feel of it mixed with Liam’s eyes on him causes him to lose control a little bit, moaning out a little louder than before. “Shhh!” Liam is whispering at him and Harry just smirks. “Come shut me up then.” He’s amused at how little self control Liam actually has when he’s jumping out of his seat and kneeling on the bed. Finally.   --   Liam joins Harry on the bed and he tells himself it’s only to keep him quiet, to stop him from completely making it obvious to everyone outside the door what they’ve been doing for the past month. But really, Liam couldn’t just sit and watch Harry touch himself like that for much longer. It was sexy as hell, definitely, but he wanted to be touching him, wanted to be the person responsible for making Harry sound like that. “God you’re persistent” Liam says harshly into Harry’s ear as he hovers over him on the bed, knocking Harry’s hand out of the way and stroking Harry’s cock himself. “That’s what you like about me,” Harry gasps, leaning in to his touch, “that’s how I got you… mmmm” His moans interrupt his train of thought and Liam immediately leans in to kiss him to swallow the sound. Then Harry is shifting below him and Liam lets his gaze trail downwards. He can see Harry’s fingers now working his own hole as Liam strokes and it completely catches Liam off guard. He’s never seen Harry do this before, never even tried because he was unsure how Harry would respond to it, but clearly he enjoys it and Liam’s gaze is entirely focused on Harry’s fingers circling around the tight muscle. “Wanna help?” Harry asks, voice wavering a little. Liam barely has to think about it before he’s pushing his fingers alongside of Harry’s, feels Harry push his hips into it. Liam is still stroking Harry and the little sounds he is making encourage Liam to push this even further, letting his finger actually push inside slowly. He hasn’t done this to a lot of people but even he can notice how tight Harry feels and again he wonders about Harry’s sexual past and how many people he’s actually slept with. “Am I hurting you?” Liam asks quietly as he works another finger in and see’s Harry’s face scrunch up a bit at the intrusion. “A little” Harry whimpers above him and Liam immediately slides his fingers out, not wanting to make this uncomfortable for him. “No, no…” Harry begs, “don’t stop.” Liam tries to calm him, tells him he doesn’t want to push too much and Harry simply replies, “Its good practice… you’re going to have to fit in there.” Liam is very thankful that Harry’s eyes are closed because the look on his face would have worried him. He doesn’t let Harry see his reaction but the words cause Liam’s stomach to do major flip flops. So Harry definitely wants to sleep with him then? Just the idea scares Liam. “Have you done that a lot?” Liam asks, trying to change the subject but also trying to pry a bit. Harry only shakes his head a little and then Liam’s asking him about that time in his car, the one he wrote about on the first day and Harry tells him that the story was true, but it was painful. And the only time he’s ever bottomed. Liam has so many feelings swarming around his head, thinking about how Harry would feel around him, and how much it would all probably mean to him. So Liam wills himself to keep talking, tries to distract himself from all the things that he’s thinking about. “What about this?” He makes his point clear by jabbing his fingers into Harry a little rougher, crooking his fingers in the way that he knows will change the feel and Harry groans a bit at the movement. “A few times.” Just the thought of Harry doing this to himself makes Liam hard. And then when Harry says “yours feel better”  it takes all Liam has not to reach between them and start jerking himself right now. Harry looks so fucking beautiful right now, back arched against the pillows, hands gripping Liam’s arms tightly as he gets closer and closer to his orgasm. “God, you drive me fucking crazy.” Liam whispers into his ear, latching his lips to his neck and begins sucking. The words seem to do something to Harry and moments later he’s clutching harder against Liam and spilling over Liam’s hand, coating his fingers in white. Liam lightly pecks against his skin as he pulls his fingers out, other hand still stroking against his cock gently. He could do this forever. Then Harry is distracting him by kissing him, rutting his hips against him and pushing him onto his back. Harry climbs over him and tugs at his shirt, “get this off now” he says as he yanks it over Liam’s head. So much for waiting for the boys to go to bed, Liam thinks to himself. He can hear voices through the door as Harry peppers kisses to his chest and continues all the way down. He feels Harry’s lips closing around his dick and he just prays that he’ll be able to keep quiet. ***** Chapter 6 ***** Chapter Notes See the end of the chapter for notes Liam somehow manages to doze off after that and when he wakes up to find Harry snuggled up against him, warm and so innocent looking beside him, he almost can’t believe his life. Of course that guilt he used to feel whenever Harry was near is still there, below the surface, but it’s mostly been replaced with pure adoration. He can’t believe how much he actually cares for him, how important the boy has become over the course of the last months. It’s the first time Harry has actually stayed over and Liam wonders why they haven’t done it before. It’s nice waking up and having someone in your arms for once. It’s been a really long time since Liam’s felt this content with someone. He tries not to think about Harry’s age and the circumstances and wants to enjoy the moment. It’s when Harry finally speaks that Liam realizes he’s actually awake, “what are you thinking about?” “You.” Liam answers simply, leaning down a few inches to kiss Harry on the forehead, causing the younger to stir a little and tighten his hold around Liam’s waist. “You smell so good.” Liam whispers, snuggling his face into Harry’s curls. He can’t describe what that smell is, it’s just Harry. And he’s never smelt anything better. Then Harry shifts a little bit, nuzzling his own face deep into Liam’s neck. It’s tickles a little but Liam only wraps his arms around Harry’s shoulders tighter, not wanting to let him go. “I want you to fuck me.” Harry whispers into his neck and he says it so quietly and it comes out so deep in his throat that Liam almost asks him to repeat himself but he doesn’t dare. His body stiffens immediately, unsure of how to respond and then Harry is pulling from him, looking him straight in the eye. “Did you hear what I said?” Harry asks, searching for answers in Liam’s face and Liam realizes that he has to be honest. “No.” He says firmly, immediately looking away, unable to watch Harry’s disappointment grow. “No you didn’t hear me, or no you wont?” Harry says a little louder, moving Liam’s chin to look at him again. Liam’s not sure how he’s going to explain himself but his mind is made up. “It’s not gonna happen, Harry.” Harry immediately pulls away from him, sitting up in the bed and looking down at Liam, clearly hurt. “Why not?” He asks and he looks so confused and upset and Liam wants to just comfort him but he knows that he can’t.  “It just doesn’t feel right, yet, Harry. Maybe once you graduate.” Liam sits up then too, grabs Harry’s hands in his own and strokes his thumbs against his palms gently. Harry isn’t saying anything at all, not even trying to argue with Liam and waits for him to continue. “You have to understand, I want to. But not having sex with you is like the last promise that I made to myself. The only thing keeping the guilt from completely taking over.” Harry looks down, unable to look at Liam any longer. He just hopes that Harry can understand. “You wouldn’t be taking advantage of me, you know?” Harry finally says, grabbing Liam’s hands tighter. “I want this.” “I know…” Liam sighs, leaning in and laying a head on Harry’s shoulder. “And it’ll happen, I promise.” Liam reaches up and grabs Harry’s face in his hands. “Just please, wait for me a little longer?” Harry smiles at him then, nodding his head a little and Liam knows that he understands. “Thank you” Liam whispers and pulls Harry in for a kiss, tries to show how appreciative he is. They fall back against the bed and Harry pins Liam underneath him, kissing him so hard Liam almost forgets how to breathe.   —   Since Greg’s party, Harry has been staying at Liam’s house almost every weekend. He even manages to stay over a few times on school nights, sneaking out of his house around 11:15 after this parents go to bed, and sneaking back in around 5 am before they get up. He’s falling way too hard for Liam and he wonders if the older man feels the same or if he’s beginning to grow tired of him.  It’s partly why Harry wants to have sex with him so bad, he wants to give Liam everything, prove to him how much he cares. He understands Liam’s reasoning for wanting to wait, but sleeping in the same bed next to him every night, and waking up to him each morning, its growing more and more difficult. Harry wakes up one morning and is very thankful to have Liam pressed impossibly close behind him, because it’s a bit chilly in the room and Liam’s body heat his keeping him warm. He tries to drift back to sleep but it’s not gonna happen, not with Liam’s very obvious erection pressing into his back. Harry experimentally rubs back against him and he immediately feels Liam’s arms moving around him. “Mmm” the older boy moans out loud at the feeling and Harry realizes that Liam is awake too. Instead of turning around and kissing him like he normally would, Harry continues the movement, sticking his bum out purposely to nudge against Liam’s front. In that moment he’s very thankful that they both sleep naked, enjoying the feel of his bare skin against Liam’s. Liam’s breathing is getting heavier the more that Harry pushes and soon enough Liam is pushing just as hard back. Harry can feels Liam’s lips at the back of his neck as they rut together, Liam’s hands moving down from his shoulders to grip at his hips. Liam’s dick is extremely stiff against his bum and Harry tries desperately hard to keep quiet as he can feel it push up and down, sliding between his cheeks. They’re so close to actually fucking and Harry wishes more than anything that Liam would just give in and do it, push into him right now. Harry lets his hand move behind him, gripping Liam’s cock and guiding it lower so that it lines right up with his hole. He’s tempted to just push it in, his hips automatically rock backwards but then of course Liam is grumbling and pulling away, turning to lay on his back. He doesn’t say anything and he doesn’t need to. Harry knows that he’s being rejected and gives up. He wants it more than anything but he can’t keep pushing this, it’ll happen when Liam’s ready. But he can’t help it for being a little upset, and he may be a little rough with Liam afterwards, straddling him and leaning down to kiss him harshly. His own cock ruts into Liam’s stomach and soon after Liam’s hands find their way to the base and lazily stroke against him as they kiss. Harry’s a little bitter about not getting what he wants and decides to try something new with Liam, hopes that Liam will just take it. He sits up on knees and scoots closer to the headboard, grabbing it to keep steady and shoves his pelvis right up to Liam’s mouth. Liam immediately understands and holds onto the base of Harry’s dick as he takes him into his mouth. They’ve definitely never done it this way before but Liam doesn’t seem to mind, just takes every thrust that Harry throws at him. He pushes in deep, choking Liam a little bit and then pulling back. But Liam isn’t complaining at all or telling him to back off, he just grips Harry’s bum tighter, letting Harry be in control. Harry pulls out completely, and holds his dick up, letting his balls dangle right above Liam’s mouth. Liam takes the hint and immediately pulls the bundle of skin into his mouth, sucking gently. It’s so fucking hot and as Liam continues to suck Harry can barely hold his weight up any longer, feeling closer and closer to his release. Liam is being so good for him right now, and Harry just wants to lean down and kiss him but he lets him continue instead. It goes on for what feels like hours to Harry, his knees beginning to feel weak and skin tingly. He finally has to sit back a little, bum resting on Liam’s chest and it pulls Liam into hyper drive. He leans down and grips Harry again, stroking him harder as he takes Harry down into his throat. Harry can feel himself hitting the back of Liam’s throat over and over again and he feels like he’s gonna black out from the pressure of his tongue. When he finally comes, Liam pulls off, letting Harry drip his fluid over his face, licking at it a little before leaning back on the bed. Liam’s hair is soaked in sweat and his face his an absolute mess, but he looks so content Harry can barely stand it. Harry scoots his body back down and immediately leans in to lick Liam’s face clean. It’s the least he could do after all of that. “Fuck, I think you were born to do that” Harry jokes, pushing his tongue into Liam’s mouth, tasting every inch of him.   —   Liam still refuses to have sex with Harry, even though each day it gets harder and harder to keep that promise to himself. So the next best thing is probably getting his fingers inside of him, stretching him out and preparing him for what’s definitely gonna happen in a few more months. And Harry is always eager to let him do it, spreads his legs easily and enjoys every second of it. Liam’s even let Harry finger him a couple of times, but he doesn’t enjoy as much as Harry does. Harry’s pretty good at keeping him on his toes though, one time when Harry’s going down on him, he moves his tongue to his hole, circling the ring of muscle and pushing in gently. Liam’s definitely never had that done to him before, so it’s a new experience. He really likes the feeling though, and something about it is extremely intimate. He’s never thought about bottoming before but with Harry, he probably wouldn’t hate it. Harry’s fucking persistent though, and he’s always pushing Liam to have sex;  tries to catch Liam off guard at the worst possible moments, like telling Liam to push into him right when he’s about to orgasm. And it’s always hard to resist. As they get closer and closer to graduation Liam finds it more difficult to say no. Each time he rejects Harry he feels absolutely terrible. He hates disappointing him. Liam’s starting to get impatient himself, and when Harry constantly reminds him that he’s an adult and mature enough to make his own decisions Liam wonders why he’s pushing him away. One day, Harry says to him, “I just don’t understand why my boyfriend won’t have sex with me” and it all about rips Liam’s heart open. Harry’s never actually referred to Liam as his boyfriend before, and it makes Liam melt. “Sex never meant anything to me before, and with you it will…” Harry’s fisting his cock, looking Liam right in the eyes and trying to persuade him and Liam can’t seem to pull away this time. Can’t seem to tell Harry no. “Let me show you…” Harry says quietly, kissing Liam slow and soft, shifting his naked body over him. And then Harry’s reaching between them, holding Liam’s cock straight up as he lines himself up. Liam can feel the head of his dick nudge right against Harry’s hole, can feel the lube around the muscle that Harry applied earlier. And then without warning Harry sinks right down on him and he feels himself entering. There’s no stopping this now.   --   Liam’s mind is wandering everywhere and as Harry gets further and further down on him he begins feeling every emotion in the book. A tiny bit of residual guilt for breaking his promise (although this feels way too good for him to care that much), nervousness because he wants to make this perfect for Harry, love ( or at least something close to it), for finally being able to share this moment with the person he cares about, and worry, because the look on harry’s face tells him that he’s not completely comfortable. “Am I hurting you?” Liam asks, gripping Harry’s hips tightly as he helps ease him down further. Harry nods briefly, biting his lip and Liam immediately wants to pull out, even tries lifting Harry back up a little but Harry’s weight is too much at this angle. “It’s a good hurt…” Harry says, grabbing Liam around the wrists to comfort him. For Liam, it feels fucking amazing and part of him is surprised that he held out this long. If he’d know that it would feel this good he probably would have given in sooner. Soon Harry is seated fully on the Liam, Liam’s cock pressed all the way inside, and he has to close his eyes for a minute, take in the moment. Even without moving this is incredible and  Liam wonders what emotions are running through Harry’s head right now, if any part of him is regretting this. He leans down and clasps his mouth right onto Liam’s, their chests fully pressing together and Liam can feel how hard Harry is between them. Liam reaches his hands up and threads his fingers through Harry’s hair as they kiss, lets his knees pull up a bit to get a better grip on the bed. Despite everything they’ve done together, Liam’s favorite thing is still simply kissing Harry. The kid sure knows what to do. Liam can’t help the moan that escapes his mouth when Harry’s tongue finds its way inside, flicking softly against his own. Liam tries to deepen the kiss even more but Harry’s pulling back a bit, teasing him by biting at his lips a little, rubbing his nose against Liam’s in a totally adorable way and Liam can’t help but smile. But then Harry starts fucking moving and Liam definitely isn’t smiling anymore. In fact, he’s not doing much of anything, including kissing, because he can barely breathe. Harry feels so tight around his cock and there’s just the right amount pressure, Liam’s never felt this way before. Harry is only rocking his hips gently, not enough to get anywhere really, but it feels so nice and it’s great for Harry, gives him a chance to get used to this feeling. Liam completely aware of Harry’s dick rubbing against his stomach as he rocks and he knows he should give some attention to it soon, he needs harry to enjoy this just as much as he is. “God, Harry, you don’t know how good you feel.” Liam manages to get out, and he means every single word of it. Harry smiles down at him then, presses his hands on Liam’s chest and pushes himself back up. Liam just stares; he could honestly do just that for hours, and admires just how beautiful Harry looks above him, his skin glistening and pupils blown, hair an absolute mess. Liam reaches up to brush a stray curl out of his eyes and Harry grabs his hand, pulls it against his mouth and places a single kiss on his palm. It’s innocent and simple but it means so much. It completely distracts Liam and it isn’t until Harry finally begins moving again that he remembers exactly where they are. The younger boy sits up on his knees slowly and Liam can feel himself slipping out, but Harry only gets about two thirds of the way up before he’s pressing back down again. Harry continues moving like this and for quite a few minutes there it’s just the two of them, Harry moving up and down slowly, Liam rocking his hips the tiniest bit, the two just watching each other, like they’re the only ones in the world at that exact moment. Liam’s orgasm is low in the pit of his stomach but it’s there and he’s surprised that he’s even lasted this long. He’s thought about this moment in his head so many times and it’s never ever been like this, never ever felt this good. Both of them are beginning to sweat and Liam can tell that Harry is getting tired, his legs are shaking and he lets his hands falls back on the bed to steady himself. Something clicks in Liam then and he immediately rolls them over, pinning Harry underneath him. He knows that Harry likes to be in control but Liam wants to take charge of this moment, fuck harry properly like he always imagined he would. He reaches for Harry’s hands and pulls them up over his head, presses them into the mattress as he presses his hips harder in to Harry. He only releases one hand so that he can snake it down between them, finally touching Harry in the way he’s been craving since this started. “Liam…” Harry tries to say but Liam cuts him off with his mouth, kissing Harry roughly as he picks up the speed of his hips and hand. Harry lets his legs fall open, giving Liam more room and he finds himself thrusting even deeper at this new position. Harry moans a little and Liam worries that it’s too much, that he’s hurting him, but when he tries to pull off harry is whimpering “no” at him and lifting his hips from the bed, trying to get even closer. As Liam thrusts into him, he sucks at Harry’s neck. He can feel Harrys arms and legs snake around him, closing any sort of gap that was there before. It makes it harder for Liam to stroke Harry but he wont let up, he wants Harry to get his release near the same time that he does. Eventually Liam begins to feel tired too and he shifts over, lies down on the bed next to Harry and pounds into him from behind. He gets a knee in between Harry’s legs and his hand on Liam’s cock moves a lot easier now. He jerks Harry off at the same angle he would himself and he knows that it’s working for Harry, his face is beginning to scrunch up a little in the way that it does right before he’s about to orgasm. “I’m close…” Harry whispers and Liam leans over him, pulls him in for another kiss and Harry tries to reciprocate but he’s getting closer and closer and eventually Harry has to pull away, breathing heavy as Liam continues to kiss all along his check and jaw and neck.  The only warning Harry gives before cumming is a tight squeeze to Liam’s arm and Liam continues to stroke him through as his own orgasm gets closer. Liam continues pushing into him and he can feel Harry’s hands everywhere, rubbing at his arms, pulling at his chin to kiss him again, playing with his hair. It’s soothing and it awakens all of his senses; Liam knows that he’s not gonna last much longer. It’s when Harry says, “Come for me baby,” that he finally loses it, spills inside of Harry, his dick vibrating harshly as he comes. Harry doesn’t usually use pet names with Liam, but it feels right in this moment and it warms Liam’s heart a little. He tries to ride it out, still thrusting into Harry shallowly as his orgasm rushes over him. He kisses the back of Harry’s neck as he slowly pulls out, feels the come as it slips down his dick and out of Harry’s hole. Liam’s fascinated by it, uses his dick to move it around a little, even pushes some of it back inside of Harry. Finally he lets himself collapse back on the bed and he can feel Harry next to him, humming contently. The heat from his body is radiating and Liam refuses to shift at all; wants to stay here for as long as possible. Luckily Harry isn’t finding it as hard to move as Liam is and manages to get the covers up and over the both of them, tucking his body into Liam’s tightly. “What are you thinking?” Liam whispers. He still can’t believe they actually did this. He’s actually fucked Harry and it was everything he thought it was going to be and more. “Nothing.” Harry says quickly and Liam wonders if he should take that as an insult, but Harry is smiling at him and his face is all red like he’s completely flustered. “I’m just really happy.” Liam’s known it for a while but it’s s looking at Harry then, holding him in his arms that he finally realizes that it’s true. He’s in love with Harry. Liam desperately wants to say it then, tell Harry exactly how he feels, that he would do anything for him. But he doesn’t say it. He doesn’t want to risk ruining this perfect moment. “Me too” he says instead, wrapping his arms as tightly around Harry as he can manage. He never wants to let him go.   --   After that night they can’t get enough of each other and end up having sex pretty much every place imaginable. In the shower, where Harry tells Liam all about his previous fantasies of Liam joining him, in the car, where Liam finally gets to press Harry into the backseat like he always wanted, and in the locker room, even though Liam swore they’d never be intimate at the school again. But Liam had to put his foot down when Harry insisted they do it in his bedroom. That was the one place that was way too dangerous. Liam knew they were being reckless but he kept reminding himself that Harry was 18, and he technically wasn’t his coach anymore. Plus Harry would be graduating in another month and they could finally be together, if that’s what they really wanted. Deep down Liam knew it wouldn’t be smart to publicize their relationship even after graduation, rumors would still spread and his reputation could be tarnished, but he was trying to take things a step at a time.   --   Harry hadn’t seen much of Louis lately; it seemed liked whenever his friend would ask him to hang out Harry always had plans with Liam. Of course he could never tell him that, he still wasn’t planning on telling Louis about them any time soon. Someday he would, but now just wasn’t the right time. He wasn’t quite sure how Louis would react to it and he didn’t want to risk it. Plus, Harry liked having this secret. He enjoyed spending time with his boyfriend, and lately they couldn’t get enough of each other. Harry had sex before, plenty of times, but it was never like this. Nothing ever made him feel this intense, or this cared for. Harry’d even persuaded him to bottom a few times. It was nice, and definitely different, but they both preferred it the other way. They both enjoyed having Liam top, because Harry was usually in control of everything else in their lives, for a small moment in time it was nice having that switched. Harry honestly just loved feeling protected during sex; he loved the feeling of Liam being inside of him, filling him up, like he belonged to him. And it wasn’t just the sex, it was everything about Liam. The way Liam looked at him, the way he held him, especially how he treated him, like he was an equal and not one of his students. This whole thing started out as a small crush that Harry had never actually anticipated going anywhere so he was still in disbelief at how far it had actually progressed, that he’d actually gotten Liam to fall for him too. The night of Harry’s graduation Liam watches quietly from the stands with all the other teachers, smiles to himself when Harry’s name is called, and afterwards shakes his hand to congratulate him. It’s all very cordial and Harry wishes more than anything that he could just reach out and hug him. Of course, he could, now that he’s technically not a student anymore, but it’s still a bit too soon and he keeps his distance, only sneaking small smiles throughout the night.   --   He ends up skipping his graduation party, much to Lou’s dismay, and winds up at Liam’s instead. “Harry… you didn’t have to do that, I want you to have fun with your friends one last time.” Harry just smiles at him, drops his stuff on the floor and puts his arms around Liam’s waist. “The only friend I care about is Lou. And we’ll be seeing plenty of each other next year. “ Harry pushes his face up to rub noses with Liam. “I’d rather be here with you.” He grips the sides of Liam’s shirt in his hands, hurls their bodies together and captures him in another kiss. They kiss for a long time, finding their way to the bed shortly after, and Liam congratulates Harry properly this time. “You know, I’ll be going off to college with Lou soon… and I probably won’t be seeing you as much…” Harry says to Liam as they lie in bed next to each other. He looks upset and Liam knows exactly how he feels. He’s thought about that a lot, wonders what he’s gonna do next year with Harry in another town. “I know. I guess we’ll have to visit each other every weekend then.” Liam says, trying to keep things light, but Harry doesn’t look satisfied with that response, just resumes his natural position with Liam and snuggles into him, face pressing into his neck. “I’m not gonna have any fun without you there.” Harry says quietly and even though Liam knows that’s false he doesn’t argue. The truth is, he wonders what’s gonna happen to their relationship once Harry is gone. He’s worried that Harry will probably realize sooner rather than later that he’s young, charming and attractive and should be having fun, not dating some boring older teacher that he met in highschool. But Liam tries not to think too much about it. He wants to enjoy this time with Harry while he can. “We have all summer to spend together.” Liam smiles, again trying to lift Harry’s mood, but it’s no use. He can tell that Harry is crying, feels a tear hit his shoulder as it falls from his eye. “Hey… stop that.” Liam says harshly, inching his head down so that he can kiss Harry deeply. “Everything is gonna be okay, I promise.” And he hopes that his words are true. “How do you know?” Harry asks, looking up at him with wide eyes. A gentle sort of innocence is radiating from him and Liam would do anything to sooth his fears. “Because I’m in love with you.” Liam says simply. He knows it’s not a real explanation but he wants Harry to know how much he truly cares for him, needs him to realize that this isn’t just fun for him, that Harry is his life now, and that no matter what he’s not gonna give up on him. That they can face any challenge. Harry finally smiles back at him, and it pushes away any sort of doubts Liam had previously. “I love you too.” Harry whispers for the first time and he looks up at Liam with his sad green eyes that are laced with hope; tears still rolling down his face.  Liam knows that he means it and pulls Harry in for another kiss. For the first time he truly believes that everything will be okay. Chapter End Notes SQUEEEE - THanks everyone for reading this, I had so much fun writing it. Also planning a small sequel for look out for that in the future! :) Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!