Chapter Text
Louis lets out a sigh of relief as he turns off his computer for the day. The week is over and he can finally get out of the office. He grabs his satchel from where it has been resting against the side of his desk, and puts it on top of it to stuff his phone and date book inside. He stares at his laptop for a couple of seconds, hesitating about whether to take it with him for the weekend before voting against it and zipping his bag. Everything can wait until Monday.
He adjusts his glasses with the tip of his forefinger, then walks to his coat hanger to slide on his black peacoat over his suit. He wraps his grey scarf around his neck, and when he is ready, he hooks his satchel over his shoulder and makes his way out of his office, closing the door behind him. As he makes his way down the corridor and to the lift, he bids his goodbyes and throws a few ‘Have a nice weekend’ here and there when he notices that a couple of his colleagues have left their doors open, even though he knows he will barely get any response from them. But he is used to being ignored by now, so it doesn’t really bother him anymore. Or at least that’s what he pretends.
He gets exactly the same reaction when he passes by the reception desk, the omega behind it, Jennifer, mumbling her barely audible reply without even looking up at him, her gaze stuck on her computer screen. Once again, Louis shrugs it off and puts on a brave face because it is the weekend after all, and as always, he won’t let it be ruined by this. His day wasn’t too bad, no difficult file to handle, no extra work five minutes before calling it a day, so yeah, his mood is rather good right now.
Once he reaches the ground floor, he steps into the cold November air and pulls his scarf a bit higher so he can bury his nose in it. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and lowers his head while he walks to the nearest metro station. He hasn’t even made it ten meters, when he hears his phone ringing in his satchel. He opens it, looks at his screen and answers the device after seeing his mother’s name on it.
“Hey, Mum. Hold on, I’ll put my earbuds in,” he tells her.
“Alright, Honey.”
“Okay, I'm good. Sorry,” he apologises once he has put his phone back in his bag.
“No worries. I just wanted to check on you. You haven’t called in a while. Is everything okay? Are you at work? I hope I'm not bothering you.”
“My life is still boring and shit, and that’s why I haven’t called you because I have nothing new to say to you and I’m scared of your judgement. But apart from that, everything is fucking great!” is what he wants to say to her.
He doesn’t though, and instead settles for, “Everything is good. I've just been busy with work, that’s all. I’m sorry I haven’t reached out. And no, I just got off work, I'm walking to the metro right now.”
“Oh, okay, that’s good, it’s finally the weekend.” Fucking finally. “And, that’s alright, Honey. I was just a bit worried.”
You always are.
“Don’t be, I’m fine.”
“You’re sure? You seem a bit off…”
The alpha refrains from rudely letting out an annoyed sigh into his phone, and closes his eyes for a second before taking a discreet breath in and replying, “I promise I’m fine. Like I said, I’ve been busy with work and I’m just tired. How has everyone been doing?” he quickly asks, changing the focus of the conversation.
“Oh, Ernest and Doris are doing good, they’re staying out of trouble at school, which is a win,” she chuckles, making Louis do the same. “Phoebe and Daisy's second year of sixth form has started well, they’re really motivated.” He can feel the pride bubbling in his chest. “Lottie is still on maternity leave, little Lucky is growing up so fast.”
“I bet. And yeah, she told me about the maternity leave. What about Fizzy?”
“She’s doing good, too. She likes it there. Los Angeles is quite different from Doncaster or even Manchester, but she’s adapting well.”
“I need to send her a text. I haven’t taken the time to send her one in the last couple of months.” Guilt is lacing his voice, his heart stinging at the same time.
“She’ll be glad to hear from you, Sweetheart.”
“I’ll do it right after we hang up. Is she coming back for Christmas?”
“Yes! She’ll be here for Christmas and New Year’s.”
The words make him smile in his scarf. “That’s great news.”
“You’re still coming to see us as well for Christmas and your birthday, yeah?” He can sense the expectation mixed with doubt in her voice.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be there,” he tries to sound a bit enthusiastic. Sure he wants to see his siblings and his parents because it has been a while since this summer, but those family gatherings are always tough on him.
“That’s wonderful, Louis. I’m so glad.” He can hear her smile and sigh in relief. “What about you, Sweetheart? Anything new apart from work?” Oh God. He knows where this is going. Please don’t ask. I really don’t want to- “Did you meet anyone recently…?”
Here it is. The same old question that makes me want to throw my phone across the road or cry in the middle of the pavement.
Louis takes another deep breath, his heart beating a bit harder with the anxiety and shame he is feeling right now. “Um, no. No, I haven’t. I haven’t had the time really,” is all he is able to reply.
His mother sighs, and even without having her in front of him, he knows she is disappointed, once again, “Louis, you’re about to be thirty years old in a few weeks, and you still haven’t found an omega and-”
“Mum, I'm sorry to cut you off, but I’m about to go into the metro station and the connection might be a bit shitty, so I'll let you go, okay? We’ll talk again soon, yeah?”
He lies to her before she can finish her sentence, as he can feel the tears immediately pooling in his eyes, and he can’t afford to cry in public.
“Oh, um, alright.” She sounds a bit bummed, but he really can’t do this right now. “Yeah, we’ll- we’ll do that. Have a nice evening. I love you. I miss you.”
His heart stings. “I miss you and I love you, too, Mum. Bye.”
“Bye, Honey.”
He hangs up and quickly takes his earbuds out to put them back in his bag. The metro station is still a couple of minutes away, but Dear God, he needed to put an end to the conversation. He takes the opportunity to send a text to Fizzy, asking her how she’s been doing, how her classes are going, and letting her know that he can’t wait to see her for Christmas. She replies not long after, telling him how great it is over there, that she loves her teachers and courses, but that she misses them a lot, and that she is so happy to see him soon. They continue to chat until Louis eventually reaches the station. He sends her one last goodbye text and jogs down the stairs of the station before scanning his card and getting to the platform.
He gets bumped into when he steps in the metro and apologises even though he isn’t the only one responsible for the collision. Just like at work, people do not respond to him or they simply stare him down with disdain once they realise that he is an alpha, though not the alpha they want to respect. So, as usual, he spends the ride home on his feet, in a spot where he isn’t bothering anyone, with his gaze stuck on his shoes, avoiding the looks of other people in the metro, and all he wants right now is to go home and hibernate in his flat for the entire weekend.
When he finally gets there, Hufflepurr is already waiting for him behind the door. Louis crouches down to greet her, petting her head and scratching under her chin, the black cat purring like a lorry as she usually does each time she gets even one second of attention. When she is satisfied with the care she just received, she patters away, still purring, which allows Louis to take his satchel off of his shoulder and let it fall to the floor in his entryway. He also takes his coat and shoes off before immediately going to his bedroom and changing into some old, dirty clothes.
He then walks into the spare room that he has turned into his own little ceramic workshop, sets his phone at the entrance on his desk, and puts on the apron hanging behind the door. He takes one of his plastic bowls and fills it with water at the little sink he has there, and then he sets the bowl on a small table next to his wheel. He goes to grab a piece of basic clay from the shelf, takes the wrapper off and sits on the stool in front of the wheel, cradling it with his thighs, his knees on each side of the table. Hufflepurr has entered the workshop as well, and she is now lying in her little cat bed in a corner of the room after having rubbed herself on Louis’ calf. She always comes in when he is either working on his wheel or delicately decorating his creation, as if she doesn’t want to miss anything even though she spends her time sleeping. He doesn’t hold it against her though, he loves her dearly and she has made his life a bit less grey since she has been in it.
He forms a ball in his hands with the clay and puts a little bit of water at the center of the head wheel before throwing the ball in the middle of it. He adjusts the position of the ball, turns the power on, and wets his hands, nestling the clay in between them. His foot is on the pedal, controlling the speed of the wheel, and he simply lets his hands model whatever they want, not having a specific thing in mind but simply wanting to forget for a little while.
He tries to put the last question from his mother away in a drawer of his mind, but it is not that easy when her words - just like the clay in his hands - keep spinning in his head. Not being a ‘typical’ alpha, physically and personality-wise, has made things quite difficult for him through the years. Every time his mother talks to him about it, it only brings out the pain in his heart and makes him remember that he is still at the same point in his life he has been since he presented as an alpha: alone and miserable. However, he has resigned himself to this life. It might not be what he wants, but it’s what he’ll get, and he has accepted it.
He doesn’t even notice that he is crying until his phone starts to ring, pulling him out of his thoughts, his fogged-up glasses making it a bit hard to see. He sniffles, wiping his cheeks with his shoulders, and lowers the speed of the wheel with the pedal so he can let go of the clay and clean his hands in the water bowl before drying them with a cloth. He then completely turns the power of the wheel off and stands up to answer his phone. It has stopped ringing when he gets to it, so he takes the opportunity to blow his nose and wash his face and hands properly in the bathroom so that he can call Niall right after.
He sits on his stool once more, and his friend answers on the first ring, “Louis!”
The alpha breaks a little smile at the enthusiasm of the beta. “Hey, Niall. What’s going on?”
“Well… It’s Friday night, yeah?”
“It is, yes…”
“So tomorrow is the weekend, yeah?”
“According to popular beliefs, it is, yes.”
Louis knows exactly where this conversation is heading, and he already has his answer all ready to go.
“You know what people say, then?”
“What do they say, Niall?” he plays along.
“That you should enjoy the end of the week and celebrate the beginning of the weekend by going to the bar with us!”
Ding, ding, ding!!
“Oh, is that what they say, really?”
He hears the beta sighing on the other end of the line, “Come on, Louis, please join us.”
“I don’t really want to, I’m pretty tired.”
Another sigh, “You always say that.”
“Then why do you keep asking then, if you already know my answer?” he bites back curtly, but immediately regrets it. “I’m sorry, I-”
“That’s okay,” Niall doesn’t let him finish, though Louis can feel the hurt in his voice.
“No, I-” it’s his turn to sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “I’m sorry,” he repeats, “that was not fair to you. I just- I had a conversation with my mum earlier about, well, the usual…” He feels his insides turn. “And I’m really not in the mood to go out, even less than I normally am.”
Louis is not really the type that goes out to bars or clubs. He wasn’t when he was younger and it hasn’t gotten any better as he’s grown older, on the contrary. Sometimes he will agree, if it has been too long since he saw his friends and he wants to make them happy, and also so he can socialise outside of work, even if he barely talks to anyone other than Niall, Zayn and Liam when he is out with them.
“Oh?” Niall lets out. “I’m sorry,” it’s his turn to apologise.
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but I still am. I didn’t want to upset you before, but it’s been like three weeks since we saw you at Zayn and Liam’s and we miss you, Louis.” His heart clenches at the words. “I don’t know, maybe it would be a good thing for you to go out… so you can think about something else and not rehash what your mother said to you…”
“That’s not what I was going to do,” he defends himself poorly.
“Louis…”
“Alright,” he breathes out, rolling his eyes, “maybe I was.”
“Come on, I promise it’s just going to be us four, no one else. No one new, no weird acquaintance from Liam,” the teasing in his voice makes Louis chuckle. “We've found a cute place,” Niall goes on, “very chill, not too many people, not too loud. You don’t even have to stay long, you know we never force you to. If you want to leave after an hour, then that’s fine. You know we don’t mind. But if you really don’t want to come, it’s fine too.”
Louis loves him. The sincerity in his voice touches him right in the heart. He knows that Niall isn’t saying all of this just to be nice, he knows he means it. He always does.
“O- Okay,” he eventually agrees.
“Really? So you’ll come tonight?” The excitement in the beta’s voice makes him chuckle.
“I will.”
“Ooooh I’m so happy!! Alright, I’ll let Zayn and Liam know and I'll text you the address when we hang up, okay?”
“That’s good, yeah.”
“We wanted to meet up around 8 pm, is that okay?”
“That’s okay.”
“Great! I’ll see you later then?”
“See you soon, Niall, bye.”
“Byyye!!!”
They both hang up, and just like the beta announced, he sends him the name and address of the bar not even a minute later. It is indeed one that Louis doesn’t know, and he trusts his friend when he says that it is a chill one. It is 6:30 pm now, so he has time to get ready, though it doesn’t prevent the anxiety from creeping in.
What the fuck am I going to wear?!
He stands up from his stool and puts the bowl he just made on one of his shelves to let it dry before washing his hands again. He then makes his way to his bedroom, throwing his phone on the bed before opening his closet. He stays there, staring at the hanging clothes in front of him, wondering what he could possibly wear. He is aware that what he chooses won’t change the way others see him or think about him, or that it will magically make someone be interested in him. In a way, that’s good, because how would he even react if someone did? He doesn’t even know if he would be able to utter a coherent sentence.
But it’s not something he should be worried about, really. No one ever spares a glance at him, or if they do, it definitely isn’t to show their interest in him, so why would it be different tonight?
He lets out a tired sigh. He isn’t an alpha from whom a dominant personality or charisma emanates. He doesn’t have the energy of a leader that every other alpha possesses. He never did. His personality is far too soft and gentle to be that of a ‘typical’ alpha, nevertheless he is one, and he doesn’t want to change that. He just wishes that people’s mindsets would change, not him. Also, according to society, it is as if Louis has been ‘cursed’ with physical attributes that would rather be the ones of an omega, so he won’t show them off and risk even more derogatory looks coming his way. That’s why he opts for something simple tonight: some light blue jeans that don’t accentuate the shape of his pert bottom, a black t-shirt that doesn’t show his delicate waist and a beige jumper to hide his shape a bit more.
He throws the clothes on the bed next to his phone and notices that it has actually taken him quite a long time to make up his mind, and he really needs to take his shower now. He goes back to his workshop to hang up his dirty apron, then hurries to his ensuite bathroom and undresses. He washes his body and hair, and takes the time to blow dry it once he is out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his hips. Hufflepurr has joined him once more, always so curious when she hears the water running, though too fearful to even receive one drop on top of her head.
Louis decides to put his contact lenses on, then walks to his bedroom and lays his glasses on his bedside table before putting his clothes on, very mindful of his hair. When he is ready, he takes the time to eat a little something before leaving his flat because he doesn’t know if there will be food at the bar they’re going to, and it’ll be too late when he comes back home, so he doesn’t want to take any risks. Therefore, he makes himself a quick sandwich with what’s left in the fridge and drinks a glass of water.
When his little meal is over and after making sure that the door of his workshop is closed so that Hufflepurr doesn’t make another catastrophe in there while he is away, he puts his brown Gazelles and black winter coat on, wraps his black scarf around his neck, and stuffs his phone and wallet in his inside pockets.
He gives one last stroke on his cat’s back, and then he is gone, locking the door of his flat and making his way outside of his building. He decides to take the metro - as he doesn’t want to go in circles for an hour with his car before he can find a parking spot - and pulls his hood over his head, the fur lining protecting him from the cold November air.
The journey to his destination isn’t that long, and after around twenty minutes, he emerges from the metro station and walks towards the bar. There are a couple of people smoking on the pavement at the front, so the alpha lowers his head, avoiding any eye contact, and steps inside as Niall has sent him a text letting him know that they were already settled at a table.
Louis looks around, and the beta was right, the bar is really cute and cosy. There is some light music in the background, but not too loud so that people are able to speak without screaming at the person sitting next to them. He then notices the booth his friends are at in the direction mentioned by Niall in his message, the beta waving at him from there to get his attention. Louis smiles at the sight and walks to them, the three men standing up to hug him. He hugs them back before taking his coat off and hanging it on the little hook designed for this purpose on the side of the booth, and sits down next to Niall, with Zayn and Liam facing them.
A beer is already waiting for Louis on the table, he reaches for it and cradles it with his hands. “Thanks for the drink,” he tells them. “You’ll let me know how much I owe you.”
“You’re welcome,” Niall replies, waving him off. “And nonsense, the first round is on me.”
After the four of them have raised a toast, Zayn says with a big smile on his face, “We’re so happy you could come.” Louis can’t do anything other than match it.
“Yes, it’s so good to see you,” Liam adds, wrapping an arm around his omega’s waist and pulling him a bit closer. “Are you okay, though?” Louis frowns, a bit confused by the question. “Niall told us about your mum…” he specifies with a tentative tone.
“Oh?” Louis turns his head to the beta next to him.
“I’m sorry, was I not supposed to-”
“Don’t apologise, that’s fine,” the alpha cuts him off. “It wasn’t a secret. And I’m okay,” he shrugs. “Usually, I’m used to it, but I don’t know why, today it hit me a bit harder.” He takes a sip of his beer. “I don’t think she realises how worse it makes me feel when she asks me that question and how it just adds salt to the wound because I know it’ll never happen, but she doesn’t seem to-”
He can’t even finish his sentence when a bark of laughter can be heard from behind them in the bar. The sound is so bright and happy that Louis has to turn around and take a look. Two omegas and a beta, who seem to be in their early twenties, are sitting at a round table and one of them - who Louis suspects is the one who laughed - is covering his mouth with both of his hands while the other two are chuckling in their fists. The embarrassed omega has long, chocolate, curly hair and seems to be wearing a blue shirt with some kind of red or pink little flowers on it. That’s all he can see from where he is standing as the omega is seated, although what he is sure of is that the young man is absolutely gorgeous.
The alpha must be staring and making the omega even more uncomfortable because for a second, their eyes meet, and fuck, a wave of sudden anxiety rushes through Louis’ veins, causing him to look away instantly as his tummy does a weird little thing.
He shakes his head slightly to focus back on his friends who are looking at him with a strange expression on their face. “Anyways,” he continues, “like I was saying, it’ll never happen, so she needs to make her peace with that.”
“But do you want it to happen? Do you want to find someone?” Liam asks, sipping on his drink.
“You know that I want to. But does it even matter what I want?” Louis replies. “It’s not going to change anything anyway,” he shrugs once more, taking another sip and looking down at the table. “And I don’t know why she isn’t saying anything about Niall; you’re not with anyone either and that doesn’t seem to be a problem.”
“That’s not really the same,” Zayn jumps in.
“And why not?” Louis asks. “Because he is a beta?” He is getting a bit defensive, though he doesn’t really care.
“No, Lou,” it’s Niall’s turn to talk, “it’s just that I’ve been with people, and I've just come out of a two-years relationship with Barbara. You, um, you haven’t-”
“Yeah, you don’t have to finish your sentence,” he stops him a bit dryly, playing with the label on his beer bottle.
“Lou,” Zayn calls for him, making him look up, “being with someone is not an obligation.”
The alpha snorts, “Tell that to my mother and the rest of the world.”
“You can be happy on your own,” Liam tells him, “but we know that you’re not,” Ouch, “and maybe you should do something about it.”
Louis looks at him. “What’s the point? Like I said, it’s not going to change anything. The fact that I want to find somebody isn’t going to change the reality that no one will ever want me, and me ‘doing something about it’ like you said,” he gestures the quotation marks with his fingers before cradling his bottle again, “isn’t going to either. It didn’t change anything when I was somewhat looking a few years ago, so it won’t now. I’m tired and I'm done.” He takes another sip.
“It’s been years, Louis. You’ve been unhappy for years-”
“You think I don’t know that?” he retorts. “I’m not like you, Liam. I’m not the alpha like you are.”
“Louis-”
“Alright, alright,” Niall intervenes, “guys let’s stop right here. We’re not going to fight right now, yeah? We were supposed to go out and enjoy some time together, not argue.”
“Niall is right,” it’s Zayn's turn to speak. “Just take a deep breath, okay?”
The two alphas stop their argument at that moment, Louis looking down once more, torturing the poor label on his beer bottle, his heart aching, his eyes stinging with impending tears. He takes a few gulps of his beverage to give himself something to do and not cry right there and then.
“Fuck, Lou,” Louis feels Niall’s hand on his arm, squeezing it. The beta must now sense his deep irritation and sadness emanating from his scent as the emotions are getting stronger and stronger. “We’re sorry. I told you to come here to take your mind off of things, and we’re making it worse.”
“It’s okay, I just-” he sighs. “I know you guys are trying to help.” He looks up at them in turn, the three of them giving him a soft, sympathetic smile, which somehow makes him want to cry even more, but he refrains, controlling himself. He knows they mean well, he loves them. However, sometimes, this look of pity in their eyes is simply too much for him. “I guess it’s just not a good day for me today, and I’m feeling more sensitive, I don’t know,” he shrugs.
“We understand,” Zayn lays a hand over his, stopping him in his nervous destruction of the label. “We just want you to know that we’re here for you and we support you, whatever you want to do. We just want you to be happy.” Louis can hear the sadness in his voice and it goes straight to his heart.
“What Zaynie said,” Niall adds, hugging Louis by the shoulders and resting his head against his. The alpha smiles gently, leaning into the gesture.
“Yeah, we love you, man,” Liam tells him, taking another sip of his Coke.
“I love you guys, too.” He looks around the table and notices that his friends are almost done with their drinks. He takes that as an opportunity to step away for a moment, the tears still at bay and ready to fall any second now. He simply needs a minute and he’ll be okay. “I’m just- I’m just going to get another round, yeah?” He gulps the last few sips of his bottle.
“You sure?” Liam wonders. “I can get the next one if you want?”
Louis waves him off while he stands up from the booth. “No, don’t worry, it’s fine.”
“Do you want one of us to come?” Zayn asks.
He shakes his head. “It’s alright. Is four beers okay? Or do you want another Coke, Li?”
“Beer is fine, thank you.”
“Okay. Um, just, when I come back, can we please talk about something else?”
“Of course, we promise,” Zayn answers, and before anyone else can say anything, Louis is turning around, making his way to the bar a few meters away.
He takes a few deep breaths, closing his eyes for a second as he walks, before eventually reaching the bar. There are a couple of people already there, so the alpha positions himself to the side, his hands gripping the counter. He patiently waits for his turn, though, as per usual, the bartender seems to be forgetting that Louis is supposed to be next. The beefy alpha on the other side of the counter passes in front of him, taking the orders of everyone who calls him over, even if they have arrived after Louis. It annoys him of course, but sadly, just like everything else in his life, he is used to it. He tries as well to catch the attention of the bartender, however, it’s no use. It is like Louis is completely invisible. He doesn’t say anything - his kindness and patience getting in the way of him actually obtaining his drinks - and waits. He even has the time to read the bar menu, and he was right to eat something before coming, because apart from peanuts and crisps, there is nothing to satisfy one's hunger.
Another couple of minutes pass, and Louis is supposed to be next, but once again the bartender heads for someone who settles right next to him. “Hey, what can I get you?” he asks the person, and Louis can smell the omega before he sees him.
A raspberry scent with a subtle hint of cherry blossom, tickles his nostrils and tummy, and the alpha can’t help but turn his head, and fuck. His heart unexpectedly makes a jump in his chest.
Holy shit.
It is the omega from earlier, the one who laughed so loudly that the entire bar heard him, and Jesus, he is even more beautiful up close. His hair looks so silky and soft, his plump lips are glistening with some kind of lipgloss, his nose looks perfect, and his green eyes are absolutely stunning. However, when Louis notices that the omega is wearing brown suede boots paired with sinfully tight white jeans that leave nothing to the imagination and seem to be a second skin on those magnificent long legs, he is having a hard time swallowing. It doesn't get easier when his eyes land on the apparent skin of his tattooed chest which seems so soft, and so he quickly turns his head, not wanting to be staring too long and seem like a creep.
“I think this man was before me,” the omega states, with not even one ounce of doubt in his voice, his thumb pointing in Louis’ direction and making his heart speed up.
What the hell?!
“What?” the bartender voices his confusion, frowning, and leaning towards the omega, supposedly to make sure he has heard him correctly. Louis wants to roll his eyes, though he refrains.
“I said,” the omega leans a bit more forward on the counter as well, resting his elbows on it as he repeats with such a serious tone, “I think this man was before me and a lot of other people you have already served.”
Louis doesn’t know if this is a joke or if some cameras have been put in the bar to play a prank on him, but he can’t really believe what he is hearing.
“Oh? I didn’t-” the bulky alpha tries, his gaze uncomfortably switching from Louis to the omega, but the latter is quick to cut him off.
“I don’t need an excuse from you, I don’t care. Just maybe apologise to him and get his order since he has been waiting here for like ten minutes.”
Louis is speechless, his heart still rabbiting in his chest. He doesn’t know if it’s from all the attention he is getting and he wishes he could hide in a mouse hole, or if it’s because a stranger is actually standing up for him for once in a public place. It’s a very weird and confusing feeling.
“It’s- It’s okay. I don’t- I don’t mind,” he manages to stutter out, turning his head to look at the omega, his raspberry scent still swirling around him and somehow making this conversation a bit more comfortable. “You- You can order, I’ll- I’ll wait-”
“No, no, no,” the omega objects, looking at Louis in turn and fuck, his eyes are so green, piercing through his ocean blue ones, “no one should make you wait.” The alpha can feel his cheeks getting hotter, and damn it, he feels so flustered that he has to look down at the counter for a second. Is he flirting with me? No, he can’t be. He has no idea, as this has never happened to him, and he doesn’t know how to react at all. “So, you’re going to take his order, or what?” Louis raises his head to see that the omega is talking to the bartender again, the other alpha now a bit at an impasse and bound to take Louis'order.
He can see the annoyance in the other man’s eyes, but he doesn’t say anything more and gives his attention to Louis for the first time tonight. “Yeah, yeah, sorry.” It’s brief and without any sincerity, but he will take it. At least he apologised. “Um, what do you want?” he finally asks.
“I, um-” Louis quickly glances at the omega who is looking at him as well with a proud, satisfied smile on his face, and the alpha thinks he is going to faint. The young man has fucking dimples, and that is just the cherry on this gorgeous cake. Louis shakes his head and focuses on the man in front of him on the other side of the counter. “I’d like four beers, please.”
“Alright,” the bartender mumbles, the irritation in his voice is palpable, and Louis can see him roll his eyes as he turns away. It makes him sad, however he doesn’t exactly have time to dwell on it when he realises he hasn’t even thanked the omega yet. He looks at him and stammers, “Thank- Thank you, for- for that,” he doesn't know what else to say or if he actually can say anything else without sounding like an even bigger idiot, so he decides to stop there.
“Oh, you’re welcome.” Louis is expecting some kind of judgement or condescending comment about how he could have imposed himself a bit more, or maybe be a bit louder, but that isn’t at all what follows. “I was watching, and I could see him completely ignoring you, and it was annoying me quite a lot,” the omega chuckles. “You seem very nice and patient, but I’m sorry, I definitely wasn’t at that moment.” It’s Louis’ turn to chuckle. “I hope I didn’t overstep and make you uncomfortable, did I?” the omega wonders, and well, Louis is completely confused by this conversation.
What the hell is going on?
“N- No, that’s- that’s okay. Thank- Thank you, again,” he tells him, not knowing at all what to feel right now.
The omega’s dimples are popping out like crazy while he reaches a hand out, “I’m Harry, by the way.”
The alpha looks down at the hand - the nails are painted with a leaf green nail polish, a few rings adorning his long fingers - and it’s just as pretty as the rest of him. Louis shakes it, giving his name in turn, “Nice to meet you, I’m- I’m Lou- Louis.”
I can’t even give my fucking name without stuttering. I’m so pathetic.
“Nice to meet you, Louis,” Harry mirrors him, shaking his hand back.
“Here are your beers,” the bartender comes back, breaking the moment, setting the bottles in front of him on the counter.
“Thank you.” Louis pays for them before putting his card back in his wallet and back pocket of his jeans.
“So what can I get you?” the bulky alpha repeats to Harry, a flirty smirk on his face.
“Three raspberry mojitos, please,” is all the omega says, without even sparing another glance at him and giving all his attention back to Louis, a pretty smile still taking over his beautiful face.
“I’m, um, I’m going to go back to my- my friends,” Louis tells him, gathering the four beers with his hands and hooking the bottlenecks around his fingers, “thank you again for- for earlier. Have a- a great rest of the night.”
He smiles, feeling like he has said thank you a million times in the last five minutes. He lifts the beers and turns around from the bar to start walking to his booth when Harry stops him before he can take another step. “Louis?” He looks back at the omega. “Would it be too forward of me to ask for your number…?” Harry is shyly biting down his lower lip, and the alpha feels like he has been hit in the face by a bus.
What?!
Panic bubbles in his tummy, his heart banging against his ribcage all of a sudden and this definitely is a prank. There is no way this gorgeous omega is genuinely asking him for his number right now. Sure he was nice earlier to step up for him, but seeing how stunning he is, he isn’t that desperate to ask the number of an alpha like him. Also, Louis really doesn’t want to be humiliated when he accepts and the omega doesn’t even contact him afterwards, or worse, laughs in his face and tells him it was a joke and that no one would ever want his number. He has been burnt before when he was a young alpha, therefore his reply is, “That’s kind of you, but believe me, you don’t want my number. B- Bye, Harry, and thank you again.” He sends him another soft smile and tries to ignore the look in the young man’s eyes - not knowing if it’s disappointment or frustration - and turns around to join his friends.
When Louis gets to the booth, he lays the bottles on the table, the three men watching him with strange looks on their faces.
“What?” he asks while sitting down next to Niall.
“Was everything alright over there?” Zayn wonders.
“You took a bit of time, we were a bit worried,” Liam adds.
“Yeah, and when we thought we’d go to you,” Niall carries on, “you were talking to someone…” he wiggles his eyebrows playfully making Louis roll his eyes and reach for one of the beers at the center of the table to take a sip.
“So…?” Zayn pokes. “Who was that?” He grabs one of the bottles, the other two men doing the same. “Thanks for the beers, by the way.”
“You’re welcome,” he says before shrugging and taking another gulp. “The bartender was ignoring me, as usual-”
“Fucking hell,” Liam mutters.
“And Harry-”
“Oh? Harry, huh? Is that his name?!”
“Niall, please, let him finish,” Zayn reprimands him gently.
“Thank you,” Louis expresses. “So yeah, um, the omega, Harry, when the bartender went up to him to get his order even though I was supposed to be before him, he stood up for me and told him that he should get my order first.”
“He stood up for you? Wow, I need to go kiss him,” Niall jokes.
“Please, don’t,” Louis begs, perfectly aware of the fact that the beta is absolutely capable of doing it.
“Don’t worry, I'm not going to, it’s just nice to see that not all people are rotten to the core after all.” He hugs the alpha by the shoulders once again.
“Yeah…” Louis breathes out, his thumb back to picking at the label of his beer. Apart from his own friends, and maybe his family a couple of times, no one has ever stood up for him like this when people have been rude or acted rather unfairly with him. Niall, Zayn and Liam have always had his back wherever they go, but getting this kind of treatment by a stranger is a first for Louis.
“Is that all? Or did he say something else…?” Zayn is curious.
Louis’ heart quickens, wondering if he should tell them about Harry’s last question before eventually caving in, “He, um, he asked for my number,” the eyes of his friends suddenly widen like saucers, excitement sparkling in them, “but I said no,” he is quick to add, disappointment now written all over their faces.
“What?! Why?!” Niall is revolted.
Louis tilts his head to the side, a pointed look in his eyes, “Did you see how beautiful he is? He wouldn’t have called me back anyway. And honestly, there is no way he truly wanted my number. He seems to be in his early twenties, so I’m pretty sure it was some kind of dare or something from his friends.”
“Louis, come on, you don’t know that. Maybe he was sincere and-”
“Can we please talk about something else?” he begs once more, cutting Niall off. “You guys promised.”
“Of course,” Zayn voices. “Li, Honey, tell them about that cat that you rescued from that tree yesterday for that sweet old lady.” The omega turns his head to smile at his boyfriend, a proud look in his eyes, and Louis is so thankful for the change of topic.
“Oh! Yeah, I was jogging, you know, nothing unusual, and all of sudden this old lady comes to me, all distressed and all, and-”
They all continue their night without mentioning Louis’ personal life or Harry, and he is so happy about it. They stay for another hour and a half at the bar, the alpha’s gaze unintentionally flitting to the omega from time to time when he hears him laugh or even just to take another glance at him.
“I think I'm going to head back home, guys,” he tells his friends at one point. “I’m gonna go to the toilet first and then I’ll be on my way.”
“Alright, we’ll wait for you then,” Zayn tells him with a smile.
Louis nods and stands up before walking towards the toilet where he already went once earlier. It’s empty, so the alpha has the choice of the king and picks the first stall. He does his business, washes his hands, and takes a moment there to breathe and gather himself. It’s been quite the emotional day with his mother’s call, being out in this bar, the conversation with his friends, and finally his interaction with Harry, so he feels rather overwhelmed right now, and all he wants is to be in his bed under his covers.
He eventually leaves the room, not really paying attention when he exits, but of course life is a petty bitch as he almost knocks Harry out with how abruptly he is opening the door, the young man taking a step back as he was obviously heading for the omegas’ toilet right next to the alphas’ one.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Louis apologises, his cheeks burning yet again. “I wasn’t looking,” he defends himself, Harry’s scent crashing into him and making his tummy tingle.
When he thinks the young man will maybe be rude after rejecting his offer earlier, he instead smiles at him, and Louis is surprised to say the least. “That’s alright, no damage done. Have a good night, Louis.” He passes by him, biting down his lower lip, to enter the omegas’ toilet.
The alpha stays in place for a second, dumbly whispering after Harry has already left, “You- You too.”
He quickly gets back to the booth, hugging his friends goodbye and putting his winter coat and scarf on. He thanks them for the night, Niall apologising in his ear for their previous discussion, but Louis reassures him that he is fine, rubbing his back softly and hugging him once more.
He steps out of the bar and onto the pavement, and when he is around five meters away, Liam’s voice comes to his ear, calling his name, “Louis!”
He stops to face the other alpha. “What’s going on? Did I forget something?” he starts patting himself over his coat to make sure he has his phone and wallet with him.
Liam shakes his head. “No, I just-” he sighs, the hot breath coming out of his mouth making some kind of smoke as it comes in contact with the cold November air. “I just wanted to apologise.”
Louis frowns. “For what?”
His friend gives him a pointed look. “You know what for, Lou. I was a bit harsh with you earlier, and I’m sorry.”
It’s Louis’ turn to sigh, he loves his friend so much, “It’s okay, I-”
“It’s not,” he doesn’t let him finish. “You always say that it’s okay, that you’re fine, but I can see how hurt you are when we talk about this, and I saw how hurt you were when I pushed you too much. Like we said, we just want you to be happy, and I’m sorry if sometimes I hurt you when I try to express it.” Louis’ heart swells at his words, though it aches as well. “And, also, I’m sorry about the bartender,” Louis opens his mouth, however Liam is quick to go on, “I know that omega stood up for you, but he shouldn’t have to because that fucking prick of an alpha shouldn’t have acted like that with you in the first place.” Louis can sense the anger building up in Liam, his pine scent getting stronger, though his friend takes a deep breath to calm himself down. “Anyway, I just love you, man.”
Louis doesn’t really have any words to say right now, so he simply opens his arms, the alpha falling into them and hugging him tightly. He smiles, his eyes stinging with unshed tears as he says in turn, “I love you, too, Li. Now go back to your man and Niall before you get pneumonia,” he chuckles, sniffling, while pulling away from the hug and gesturing a hand at his friend’s light outfit.
Liam laughs too, “Yeah, I’ll do that. Be careful on your way back home.”
He gives him another smile. “I will. Good night, Li.”
“Good night, Lou. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Louis keeps on walking to the station after the two alphas have waved goodbye to each other. The metro is quiet at this hour, so he dares to sit down, sure that no one will come and sit next to him. Once he gets back to his flat, Hufflepurr is sleepily blinking at him from her cat tree when he turns the lights on, the alpha obviously disturbing her in her peaceful slumber. So after taking off his coat, scarf and shoes, he gives her a gentle scratch on the head before heading down the corridor to his bedroom.
He changes into his pyjamas, brushes his teeth before going to the toilet one last time, washes his hands, and takes his contact lenses out. He then slides under his blanket and sets the alarm on his phone so that he doesn’t wake up too late and disturb his sleep schedule. After that, he turns the light of his bedside table lamp off and lies on his side, holding a pillow to his chest, as he always feels the need to hold something in his arms to be able to fall asleep. It might seem ridiculous, but to him, it makes him feel like he is not that alone after all.
While he slowly starts to drift off, he feels the ache in his heart and the tears he has been holding in the entire night eventually start to silently fall down his cheeks, the emotions of the day still present and running around in his head. However, at some point, they are somehow pushed aside by images of the young omega from the bar dancing before his closed eyelids. His green eyes are shimmering in the darkness, his soft hand guiding Louis through his dreams and pulling him into sleep.