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6 year old Liam had been excited when he saw the moving truck parked outside the house across from his. He had hoped that the family moving in would have a young boy around his age so he’d have someone in his neighborhood to play with.
Liam had been standing ontop of one of the dining room chairs he’d dragged into the living room, peeking out the window, eyes searching for any form of a small boy. A small car pulled up behind the moving van, and Liam felt his hopes rise. He stuck his face so close to the glass that his nose was touching.
He saw the back door of the car open and a boy around 7 or 8 jumped out, immediately surveying the area. Liam squealed with excitement, and jumped off the chair and ran to his mother to tell her the good news.
“Mom! Mom!” Liam yelled, running to the kitchen where he knew his mother was.
His mother turned to face him, an amused smile on her face. “Yes, my dear?”
“They have a kid! They have a boy around my age! Can I go over and see if he wants to play?”
Liam’s mother sighed. “I don’t know, Liam. We haven’t even met the parents yet.”
“Then come over there with me!” Liam said, and put on his puppy dog pout that worked on his mother like a charm.
Liam’s mom stared at her son a few seconds longer, and finally a smile broke out onto her face. “Oh, alright. I guess a few minutes won’t hurt.”
Liam’s face lit up and he pumped his fist in the air, yelling out a triumphant “Yes!” Liam’s mom laughed as she took off her apron and too Liam’s hand, leading him out of the front door and across the road to their new neighbors.
As his mom introduced herself to the new neighbors parents, Liam stood there quietly with a small smile on his face. His ears perked up when he heard “Our son is about your sons age. Would your boy like to meet him?”
Liam looked up and saw the young boys mother smiling down at him sweetly. Liam grinned and nodded, and the boy’s mother laughed. She began to walk into their new house, motioning for Liam to follow. Liam jogged to keep up with her, a gigantic smile painted on his face the entire time.
Liam followed the woman into the house, past the dining room, the kitchen, and the living room to a long hallway. The woman called out, “Louis! Come out of your room and meet our neighbors!” A couple seconds later, a door at the far end of the hall opened, revealing the same boy Liam had seen getting out of the car.
Louis walked up to his mother, stopping when he noticed the brown haired boy smiling shyly at him. Louis scanned the boys face, taking in his straight hair, brown puppy-like eyes, and tiny teeth. Louis then smiled and stuck his hand out for the smaller boy to take. “I’m Louis Tomlinson. I’m eight!”
Liam giggled and shook Louis’ hand. “I’m Liam Payne. I’m six.”
Louis got a thoughtful look on his face. “You’re a bit younger than me…”
“Louis…” Louis’ mother chided, alarmed that her son might hurt Liam’s feelings.
“…But I don’t think it’ll matter,” Louis continued, grinning up at his mother, his eyes sparkling.
Louis’ mother refrained from rolling her eyes at her sons antics, but she smiled when she saw Louis grab Liam’s hand and drag the younger boy back to his room, yammering on and on about some animal that she was sure Louis had made up.
Inside Louis’ room, both boys laid on Louis’ bed for quite awhile. They talked about Louis’ home life back in Doncaster, and Liam explained how much he loved Wolverhampton, and how he was sure Louis would love it too.
They were silent for awhile until Liam spoke.
“Louis?”
“Hmm?”
Liam turned on his side, staring at Louis’ face. “Does this means you’re my best friend now?”
Louis faced him, and he smiled at the younger boy and nodded his head vigorously. “Best friends.”
-
Liam was 13 now, and Louis was 15. They’d been inseparable ever since they met that fateful day when Liam was 6 and Louis was 8. They’d been there for each other through everything. Liam had been there for Louis when his aunt died in a car crash, and Louis had stood up for Liam when the bullies taunted him, pushing Liam and calling him names.
Liam had thought they’d always be friends, and that they’d never leave each other, no matter what.
So much for that, Liam thought bitterly as he laid on Louis’ bed, refusing to move so the older boy could pack up his bedding. Louis sighed and sat down next to Liam, resting a hand on Liam’s shin.
“Li,” Louis says, squeezing his shin. “You gotta get up for me babe. I have to get my bedding.”
Liam wrenches his eyes shut, forcing away the tears that swam at the surface. He shook his head stubbornly.
“Liam,” Louis says again, a little more forcefully.
Liam shakes his head once again, and Louis sighs and rolls his eyes. He stands up and grabs Liam’s hands pulling him up and off the bed. Liam complies reluctantly, knowing Louis would have to leave eventually no matter how much he didn’t want him to. Liam didn’t realize he had been crying until he feels Louis’ arms wrap around his waist, and he hears Louis whispering comforting things into his hair.
Liam buries his face in Louis’ neck as his body shakes with sobs.
“Shh, Liam.” Louis coos, rubbing the younger boys back. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“No its not!” Liam chokes out, pulling away from Louis and refusing to look Louis in the eye. “You’re my best friend! My only friend! And you’re leaving!”
Louis looks like he’s about to cry, but he doesn’t. He just steels himself and sets his hands on Liam’s shoulders. “Liam look at me.” Liam complies, looking up at Louis through wet eyelashes. “You can and will make new friends. Oh, don’t look at me like that. You’re smart, and funny, and you will meet someone new and become best friends with them, yeah?”
Liam nods weakly, eyes brimming with tears again.
“Louis!” they hear Louis’ mother call. “You need to hurry! The moving truck will be here in ten minutes!”
Louis reluctantly pulls away from Liam and turns around, busying himself with stuffing his bedsheets and pillowcases and comforter in a box carelessly. When he’s done, he turns back to see more tears sliding down Liam’s face. Louis feels his heart wrench— he just wants to pack Liam up and take him with him, but he knows he can’t do that. So he just gathers Liam up in his arms and whispers goodbyes into his curly hair. The goodbyes make Liam cry a little more, but Louis just pulls away and takes Liam hand in one of his, and grabs the last box with the other.
Together they walk out down the hallway and out of the house, and Liam sees the moving truck in front of Louis’ house again, but he isn’t excited about it this time. The sight of the gaudy orange van makes Liam want to curl up and cry his eyes out.
Louis hands off his last box to his father, and turns around to pull Liam into a hug one last time.
“I love you, okay?” Louis tells Liam, running a hand through Liam’s unruly hair.
Liam chokes out an “I love you too,” before Louis hears his mother calling for him, telling him that its time to go. Louis kisses Liam’s forehead, and pulls away from the hug reluctantly. He walks up to the family car and throws himself into it, refusing to look at his family’s sad faces and refusing to look back at his best friend— his best friend that he was leaving.
Liam watches the moving van and Louis’ family car pull away before he sinks onto the step of Louis’ old home, brings his knees up to his chest, and cries into them.
-
Liam groans as he feels his back hit the cold cement floor of the bakery.
“Dammit, Niall,” Liam curses under his breath, trying to regain his vision that’d become a bit blurry. He knew Niall had been the one that had dropped the butter on the floor and not told anybody. The blond haired brute had a habit of making a mess and not cleaning up after himself, which is usually how Liam found himself on the floor after tripping through some mess that Niall had made.
Grumbling, Liam stands up and inspects the damage. The back’s of his khaki’s were covered in room-temperature butter, and, oh joy, Niall had dropped flour on the ground too. Liam saw the flour scattered around the floor, and he could see a Liam sized imprint, and Liam groaned once more when he realized he probably had flour all over his purple polo.
“Oh, look Nialler!” Liam heard someone say. “The klutz is at it again.”
Liam rolled his eyes before turning to face his friend. “Harry, you know it’s his fault I always end up falling. He leaves things everywhere.”
Harry winked at him. “Sure, sure.” But it was obvious Harry didn’t believe him. Liam didn’t reply as he stalked off towards the bathroom to clean himself up. 20 minutes later, Liam walks out of the bathroom, a little less buttery than he had been earlier. There wasn’t much he could do about the flour on his shirt though— it’d have to wait until he got home where he could properly wash it.
Harry see’s the state of his shirt and tut’s at him. Liam wants to punch him, but figures that might get him fired, so he doesn’t. “Li, you know my cousin Louis is coming into town to visit today! This is his first time visiting the bakery! I need everything to be perfect!”
Liam feels his heart stop at the name Louis. He hadn’t heard that name since he was 13, and it still makes his heart ache.
Liam scowls at Harry. “And what’s that got to do with me?”
“That means you and Niall have to be perfect as well. And perfect isn’t having flour on the back of your shirt Liam.” Harry huffs.
Liam throws the closest thing to him at Harry; a handful of sugar packets. One gets Harry straight in the nose, and the look on Harry’s face is enough to send Liam into a laughing fit. Harry begins tossing napkins and towels at him in retaliation. Both boys are so caught up in their little play fight that they don’t hear the bell ringing, indicating that someone had just entered the bakery.
Liam’s armed and ready with another handful of sugar packets and Harry’s ready to strike with some more napkins when they both hear an amused “Hello?” They both whip around to face the costumer, and Liam hears Harry cry out a delighted “Louis!”
The curly haired boy jumps over the counter separating him from his cousin and latches himself onto the boy like a leech. Liam wants to laugh, because Harry is a spaz, but Liam can’t bring himself to. He’s too busy staring at the young man. He has feathery light brown hair, a mischievous grin, and he’s wearing suspenders; and they all look vaguely familiar and Liam can’t help but wonder— no. It can’t be. His Louis moved away six years ago. His best friend moved away six years ago. There’s no way that he’d be here in London.
Liam wrenches his eyes away from Harry’s cousin and busies himself with picking up the mess he and Harry had made.
Harry detaches himself from Louis long enough to make proper introductions. “Liam, this is my cousin Louis. Louis, this is my best mate Liam.”
Liam stands behind the counter, smiling shyly at Louis. He waves his hand and says a small, “Hello.”
Louis stares at Liam for the longest time before his face breaks out in a grin. “Liam?! Is that really you?!”
Liam bites his lip and shrugs his shoulders, because really, he doesn’t know if this Louis is the same Louis he’d been best friends with up until he was 13, but he really hoped it was.
Louis motions for Liam to come out from behind the counter and Liam does so, except he uses the door because, unlike Harry, he’s not an animal. Louis smiles at him, and it’s so familiar and then he sticks his hand out for Liam to shake and says, “I’m Louis Tomlinson. I’m 21.” and then Liam wants to cry, but he doesn’t.
Instead, he sticks his hand into Louis and shakes it firmly, saying “I’m Liam Payne. I’m 19.”
They stare at each other for a bit longer before Louis pulls Liam into a hug, and it’s all very familiar. Louis’ arms snake around his waist and Liam wraps his arms around Louis’s shoulders and sticks his face into Louis’ neck. They stay like that for quite some times, just breathing in the other’s scent, reveling in the feeling of having their best friend back in their arms.
Louis pulls back from the hug, and before Liam can say anything, he feels Louis’ lips on his. He’s slightly shocked, but returns the pressure. They both stop when they hear an awkward cough.
They turn their heads to see Harry watching them with a ridiculously confused expression on his face. “I see.. you’ve both already met?”
And Liam and Louis laugh, because it’s all a bit surreal and Harry’s a bit of a spaz. They face each other again and Louis smiles down at Liam and pecks his lips again, before pulling back and murmuring, “I wanted to do that even before I left.”
Liam grins at him and whispers, “Well, why didn’t you?” and wraps his arms around Louis’ neck before they kiss for the third time in less than five minutes. Harry coughs awkwardly again, and they end up laughing so hard that they have to lean on each other for support.
Harry just stares at them a moment longer before muttering, “Alright. Weridos.” and walking away.
Louis wraps his arms around Liam’s waist again and says, “Six years is too damn long. I’ve missed you.”
Liam hums in agreement and leans back into Louis’ embrace, happy to have his Louis back.
-