Archive of Our Own

Autumn was Louis’ favorite season. From the golden and burgundy leaves, crisp fall mornings, and pumpkin picking to the first day of the semester, hard apple cider, and flannels – he loved every part of it. He enjoyed long walks in orchards and he wasn’t ashamed one bit to admit that he loved all things pumpkin spice. He thrived during fall. 

Along with the cool temperatures, leggings, and thick sweaters came the craziness that was Greek life. The beginning of the school year was always hectic for Phi Omega, every minute of the days spent juggling class, studying, parties, and rush season. Louis had rushed the previous year with about a hundred other omegas and had been one of only fifteen other freshmen and ten sophomores to be accepted. 

Phi Omega was one of the more prestigious sororities at Tufts; all members were expected to maintain a 3.5 GPA as well as volunteer biweekly and attend all sorority functions. One of which was the annual Bro-Sis Christmas Party fundraiser. It was one of the biggest parties of the year and was to be taken extremely seriously. Months of planning, organizing, and preparation went into the party being that it was always a highly attended event. 

Last year, they had the best turnout in Phi Omega history, and the pressure was on this year to make it even bigger and better. Louis never had the desire to be President or Vice President, especially not during the hectic time of the year. Which means he definitely didn’t envy Anna or Ryan, both who had been busier than ever for the last two weeks trying to find a time to sit everyone down and plan.

Michael and Brent, the President and VP of Alpha Xi Delta were busy with football practice practically every day of the week, and Louis had gotten an earful from Ryan on how frustrating it had been to get them all in a room together. 

Somehow, they had all found themselves crammed into the living room of the sorority house, and Louis was practically choking on cheap cologne and heavy pheromones. He was sweating from the body heat of twenty beefy alphas and fifteen omegas that had been put in charge of the party. Louis was honored that he was chosen to be on the committee, but he couldn’t wait for this meeting to be over so Liam’s stinky armpit wouldn’t be pressed against his shoulder and Katie would stop eye-fucking every alpha in the room. 

Louis shifted for the thousandth time to get comfortable and sighed, swirling the stick of cinnamon bobbing in his mug of cider. So far, they had established that the party would be held at the frat house, but the omegas would be in charge of decorating, which Louis was eternally grateful for. It had taken hours to clean up the food, used cups, and trash that had been strewn about the house, and he was still finding bits of fake snow stuck in the carpet. That wasn’t even including the used condom Louis had found in his trash can or the three hours it had taken to scrub the cum stain out of his rug. He shivered at the memory.

It would be nice to be able to leave as soon as the party was over and let the alphas deal with the mess this year. 

“Alright, now that we have established we will be supporting the food shelf, it’s time to assign roles,” Anna hummed, clasping her hands together as Ryan scribbled away in his notebook.

Brent nodded. “Our new recruits will be on clean up duty,” he offered and took a swig of his cider, wincing at the temperature. “We’ll need volunteers for DD’s, set up crew, beverages, food, and admission.”

“Admission should be easy,” Michael noted. “We’ll just need two people at the front doors to collect canned goods and food shelf donations. Jane, would you be willing to help out?”

The alpha twirled her hair around her finger and nodded, snapping her gum. “Sure.”

“I can help with food,” one of the sorority omegas offered.

One by one, members of the sorority and fraternity were assigned duties for the party, some begrudgingly and others doing so willingly. He would normally feel sorry for the poor saps stuck with the task of bartending and keeping the party go-ers from getting drunk enough to be violent, but they all had to pay their dues, and it was Nicki and Fi’s turn. 

Last year, Louis had gotten stuck with the job of cleaning up the bathroom after some girl had too much to drink and puked all over the floors, and he was just glad he had managed to secure a place on the decoration committee.

When Liam’s elbow nudged into his ribcage, Louis snapped his attention back to the Presidents and VPs. “Obviously, it’s the most important role of the party and we can’t pick just anyone to do it. Whoever is chosen will be working the Santa station and collecting cash donations to sit in Santa’s lap. Does anyone have any nominations?” Anna asked, pointedly looking at the men in the room. 

“Wait, what are we voting on?” Louis whispered, leaning into Liam’s side. He had no idea how long he’d been staring off into space for, but he had mostly tuned out the conversation after he had volunteered to help with decorations. 

An alpha with a shaggy looking mullet and a pair of ridiculous sunglasses raised a finger, about two beers past tipsy already. “Dude, Marcus would make a great Santa,” he laughed.

Louis snorted, covering his grin with the back of his hand. “Nevermind,” he giggled, crossing one leg over the other and watching in amusement as Marcus’ mouth fell open.

“Marcus, fuck yeah!” John crowed, tipping his head back and pumping his fist. 

Frat bros. Louis rolled his eyes and slouched in his seat. The only frat brother he had ever known that wasn’t a total idiot was Liam, and even he had his stupid moments.

The guys sitting on the sofa next to Marcus began slapping him on the back, their laughter booming loudly. Before things got out of hand, one of the girls scoffed and flicked her fringe out of her eyes. “God, no! All he does is think with his cock, he’ll be boning every omega who sits in his lap. For fuck’s sake, someone else volunteer.”

For a moment, the room was quiet. Then one of the alphas that Louis vaguely recognized from his Intro to Psych classes last year was speaking up, his brown hair askew and a half drunk bottle of Guinness in one hand. “I think Styles should do it.”

Louis couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose, fighting the downwards twitch of his lips with every ounce of self control he possessed.

“That’s actually not a terrible idea,” Michael hummed, tapping his chin with the eraser of his pencil.

“This could be perfect! He would raise a ton of money for the cause,” Ryan enthused with a giddy clap of his hands. “And the costume would look great on him!”

“Hold on-” Harry started.

“He’s got my vote,” Ryan continued on. “And I know Jessie would vote for him too if she wasn’t out sick. So that’s two votes, what does everyone else think?”

“Wait-”

“I second that!”

“Me too!”

Hands started popping up around the room, most of them belonging to the sorority. In all fairness, they would be happy to have anyone that wasn’t Marcus as Santa, considering how handsy he got when he drank – nobody liked a drunk Santa.

“Is nobody listening to me?!”

Snickering, Louis raised his hand too, a smirk lifting the corner of his lips as Harry’s gaze fell on him, eyes narrowed into slits and mouth curled into a frown. Louis wouldn’t miss seeing Harry dressed up in an ugly ass Santa costume with an itchy, white curly beard, and a pillow stuffed under his jacket for anything. “I vote yes.”

Harry scowled at the omega, shooting to his feet. “Don’t I get a say in this?”

“No, sit down,” Anna sighed indifferently and waved her hand at him. She shrugged him off easily and tallied up the votes. “Alright, Styles it is!”

Harry’s expression was priceless – mouth ajar and his arms crossed across his chest, biceps bulging almost as large as his eyes were. Louis couldn’t help but giggle into his mug, rolling his eyes and humming at the steaming cider. He had to hand it to Maggie, she made some kick ass cider. 

Brent drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch, lips twisted into a thoughtful expression. “So Harry, you’ll be our Santa Claus. Now we just need the Mrs!”

Louis pulled out his phone to send a quick text to his study group and pulled up Twitter, scrolling through meaningless tweets and tuning back out of the conversation. It would probably just end up being one of the juniors from the sorority who hadn’t volunteered to help with anything else, and he would bet a week’s worth of wages from his job at the cafe that Margo or Ken would be chomping at the bit to be Harry’s Mrs Claus. Cue the eye roll.

A few names were thrown out there, including Margo and Ken’s, but Louis stared down at his phone and smirked at a particularly funny tweet on his timeline, tapping out a quick reply before returning to his perusal. Louis bit at a hangnail, his leg bouncing as he squinted at his screen. 

A voice saying his own name cut through the muffled conversation.

“What?” Louis blinked in surprise, lifting his gaze from his phone and raising his brows as the room looked at him expectantly.

The same alpha who had nominated Harry was grinning widely, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “I vote Louis Tomlinson as Mrs Claus.”

Liam’s arm that was draped around Louis’ shoulders tensed, fingertips pressing into Louis’ shoulder blade as Louis sucked in a sharp breath.

“No way, absolutely not,” Louis scoffed. “Not happening.”

“Why not? You’d be great at it! Besides, it’s not your decision anyway,” Anna hummed. “All those in favor?”

Louis bit back an angry retort, though he wanted to scream at the president of their sorority that he would rather walk on sharpened Legos than have to pretend to like Harry, much less be ‘married’ to him for a Christmas party. 

Slowly, Liam lifted his hand, wincing when Louis turned to glare at him. “Sorry,” the alpha mouthed. God damn it. Fucking Liam – the traitor. 

He wasn’t the only one who voted yes, a surprising number of hands popping up around the room. Before Louis could fully realize what was happening, Ryan was clapping his hands and giggling as he wrote down Louis’ name in the binder. “Alright, Louis it is! Meet our official Mr and Mrs Claus!”

“Oh, and you’ll both be the DDs for the night,” Anna added.

Louis and Harry looked at one another, shock and dismay written across their faces. Drunk, Louis may have been able to put up with the annoying alpha for a few hours but sober? That was a completely different story.

Shit. 

 ❄❄❄

November came and went in the blink of an eye, a whirlwind of homework, long work shifts, and endless parties filling every hour of free time that Louis had. Somehow, he still managed to make it home every other weekend to see his family. 

For as much as Louis loved fall, he hated winter more, the cool temperatures and slippery sidewalks were the bane of his existence. 

Louis smoothed his hands over the red material of his costume, bottom lip pulled between his teeth as he stared at his reflection. It was tight and definitely shorter than it had looked on the hanger. Christ, what had he done to get himself into this situation? Had he pissed off some evil spirit who rejoiced in the tension he and Harry shared? Surely that was the only explanation for why Louis was dressed in a tiny red skirt with a white faux fur trim that hit right at mid thigh. His matching tank top was low cut, showing off his collarbones and hugging his body like a second skin. The boots felt like a bit much though: knee high and black leather with a heel that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to walk in. 

He longed for his favorite leggings and the cozy sweater that had become his uniform over the last few weeks. His fashion definitely took a nosedive as soon as the temperatures hit 25 degrees, an endless supply of sweatpants, baggy sweatshirts and sweaters, and fuzzy socks keeping him warm since it’s not as if he had anyone he was trying to impress.

“Do you think this is too slutty?” Louis asked, frowning in the mirror as he tugged on the hem of his skirt. 

Liam snorted, giving Louis a once over and shrugging his shoulders. “Um. Well, it is pretty short, but this is a frat party; slutty and frats kind of go together. I’d say you’re fitting the dress code.”

Rolling his eyes, Louis crossed his arms and swiveled to level Liam with an exasperated look. “Seriously, is this too much? I feel like I look like an idiot in this,” he motioned to his outfit. It was way outside his comfort zone, and he wasn’t even sure he could bend over without flashing people. He should have just pretended to be sick or claimed he had to work and couldn’t make it. He should have backed out.

And he definitely shouldn’t have agreed to Bex’s dare. What was he thinking? The plug was a terrible idea.

“Babes,” Liam chuckled, resting his hands on Louis’ shoulders. “You look great. Yeah, it’s a bit revealing, but you look good.”

Louis squinted up at Liam, cocking his hip. “Are you hitting on me?”

The speed with which Liam recoiled had Louis giggling, his nose scrunched up in disgust. “Ew, God no. I would never.” Liam shook his head and made a gagging noise.

Last year during freshman orientation, Louis and Liam had been in the same orientation group. They had spent the entire week running around playing icebreakers and trying to navigate the maze that was the Tufts campus to try to find their classes. At first, Louis had a small crush on the alpha, taken by how nice he was and his undeniable good looks, but it was a passing infatuation and Liam soon became his best friend.

Now, he couldn’t imagine being attracted to Liam. Especially not after the incident when the frat had dared Liam and the other new recruits to run across the campus wearing nothing but adult diapers. There was no going back from that.

“Are you sure?” Louis laughed, wiggling his eyebrows as he did a little twirl. “You’re the one that voted for it.” He snatched his lipgloss from his vanity and dabbed a bit on the center of his mouth, rolling his lips and pursing them with a smirk. 

Liam rolled his eyes and flipped Louis the bird. “Shut up. We’re going to be late, so let’s go,” he sighed and shook his head in annoyance. He grabbed the finishing touch to Louis’ costume and tugged the red and white Santa hat onto the omega’s carefully tousled fringe. As he always did, Liam ignored his look of annoyance and tossed his coat at him.

It was snowing when they left the sorority, goosebumps breaking out over Louis’ arms and legs as he hurried out to his car. “Fuck, it’s freezing!” he whined, gripping his coat around him as they climbed into the little Volkswagen Bug. He shivered at the cold leather seats on his bare legs and rubbed his hands together, blowing on them.

“You’re lucky it’s a short drive then,” Liam pointed out, tugging his gloves out of his coat pocket and handing them to Louis.

“Aww, Li. You shouldn’t have,” the omega cooed playfully and batted his eyes. “See, you’re a real gentleman. Why the hell didn’t anyone vote for you to be Santa? You would have made a much better Mr Claus than that asshole Styles.”

“Yeah, yeah. I just didn’t want to hear you complain about being cold for the next fifteen minutes. It’s bad enough that I’m going to get an earful about Harry tomorrow, I’d hate for you to actually get sick and have something real to complain about.”

Liam knew him better than anyone, so he wasn’t entirely wrong. “Look, it’s not my fault that he’s such a dickhead,” Louis grumbled and shoved his hands into Liam’s gloves. “And the fact that I’m not even allowed to drink makes it ten times worse.”

“Mhm.”

“He’s just so annoying. Like, he always walks around like he’s some kind of hotshot and, honestly, he’s not even that handsome! Okay, so he’s mildly handsome – objectively speaking – but not worthy of the amount of attention he gets,” Louis continued on, waving his hands dramatically.

One of the best parts about driving a bug was the ease of parking. It was the main reason he bought the little yellow car in the first place. That, and it was cute. Liam effortlessly parallel parked, a feat that Louis was still amazed at, and handed the keys back over to Louis. He’d already been back and forth between the frat house and the sorority multiple times, hauling decorations and helping Nicki bring over the beer. 

Louis stuffed the gloves back into Liam’s pockets, patting his shoulder and tugging the hem of his skirt down. The sidewalks were slippery from the ice, he could already picture about twenty different ways somebody could easily die at this party. As one of the only people required to be sober, he could tell this was going to be a long night.

Liam’s hand on his back steadied him on his pointy heeled boots as he shuffled up the sidewalk and followed the stream of frat boys in ugly Christmas sweaters. He had to admit, they had done a great job with the place. Now that the sun had set, the multicolored lights the frat had strung up along the roof were on, their glow reflecting off the snow. The sidewalk leading up to the house was lined with glowing candy canes, and reindeer were scattered throughout the yard. Apparently, one of the alphas had climbed up on the rooftop at some point because there was a glowing Santa perched on top of the chimney, fastened in place with bungee cords. 

Music was playing already, classic Christmas tunes pumping from the speakers and pouring out onto the streets. It got louder when Liam swung open the door, the bass thumping in Louis’ veins as he stepped inside. 

Of course, the first person he saw was Harry, all six feet of him leaned against the staircase, his gaze fixed on his phone. The costume wasn’t at all what Louis had been expecting. He really should have anticipated for Harry to be dressed in the Santa suit with no shirt on beneath and missing the potbelly, beard, and white hair. His abs clenched and one of his pecs twitched when he looked up from his phone. 

“Holy shit! Mrs Claus has arrived!” Marcus yelled, raising his solo cup in the air and grinning from ear to ear. Clearly, he was drunk and the party hadn’t even begun yet. “Santa, come see your bride!” His speech was slurred and the sweater he was wearing reeked of shitty cologne and beer. God, Louis hated frats. 

Louis scoffed as he stopped to drop off his bag of canned goods for the food drive, ignoring Marcus’ leering gaze. He shrugged off his coat and handed it to Liam to tuck away in the coat closet, feeling naked without his extra layer of clothing. Louis wasn’t a stranger to exposing clothes, donning his fair share of tiny denim shorts and crop tops as well as the occasional pair of cheeky bikini bottoms when he was on summer vacation. 

It wasn’t Marcus’ smirk that had Louis feeling exposed, it was the indifference on Harry’s face, like he was bored by Louis’ presence. Annoyance bubbled in his chest, an ugly anger simmering beneath his skin. 

Liam’s elbow dug into his side and his arm looped around his shoulders. “Hey Lou, look at that,” the alpha hummed, looking at something just above Louis’ head. “Doesn’t that mean you guys have to kiss?”

“Kiss,” Marcus yelled, bobbing his head. “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!”

Warmth flushed across Louis’ cheeks and he snapped his head back to look above him, glaring at the sprig of holly dangling from the entrance light fixture. It was peculiar, Louis didn’t remember hanging any mistletoe earlier in the day when he was setting up, and he definitely wouldn’t have put it in the main area where everyone would be walking. This must have been someone else’s dumb idea. 

“No way in hell,” Louis scoffed and rolled his eyes. He spun on his heel, raising his hand with his middle finger standing proud as he stalked away from the group of frat brothers, heading towards the kitchen.

The kitchen was crammed full of the sorority omegas either grabbing drinks or helping set out the Christmas cookies they had all made the day before. Louis stomped into the room, irritation rolling off him in waves as he reached for a phallic frosted sugar cookie and took an angry bite from the head. Who says dick and vagina shaped cookies can’t be festive? 

“Whoa, look out boys. Somebody’s on a penis rampage.”

Louis spun around, smiling tiredly when he saw April. Out of all the omegas in the sorority, he was closest with her. They shared a room together and she had a massive crush on Liam that Louis was trying desperately to work out and get them together. They would be perfect together if they could just get past that initial awkward phase. 

“Hey April,” he hummed, blushing as she gave him a once-over, a slow grin curling across her perfectly painted lips. 

“I cannot believe how good you look, Lou! Seriously, you look phenomenal!” She pulled him in for a hug, her arms wrapping tightly around him, and patted his back. She really did give some of the best hugs in the world. 

“Thanks.” Louis ducked his head and poked one of the pompoms on her sweater. “I like the sweater.”

April shrugged and took a sip of her drink with a hum, “Goodwill.”

They had probably bought out the entire collection of ugly Christmas sweaters that the charity store and any other surrounding secondhand shops had in the area, being that the dress code for the party was cringy Christmas attire. Most of the omegas had found some way to sex up the outfits, tucking the sweaters into short skirts, leather pants, and there was one who had bought an extra large sweater and just worn it as a dress. 

“Louis!” Bex called out, clearly having pregamed before the party. “Louis Claus is here!” he giggled. 

Raising a brow, Louis glanced at the ditsy omega and snickered. “Wow, the party hasn’t even started yet, Bex. Pace yourself or you’re going to be the one to blow chunks all over the bathroom. I really don’t want my car to smell like vomit when I drive you home later, so take it easy.”

The omega scrunched up his nose and waved his hand dismissively. “I’m feeling frine– fine. I feel frine,” he slurred, his whole face flushed from the alcohol. “I’m more interested in how you’re doin’. Are you wearing it?”

Heat bloomed in Louis’ cheeks and he pressed his thighs together self-consciously. Bex was the one who had dared him to wear the plug in the first place, betting a whole month’s worth of chores that Louis would be too chicken. But Louis hated cleaning, and he would do just about anything to get out of being on dish duty for an entire month. Besides, it’s not like anyone would know he was wearing it anyway.

“Wearing what?”

Louis froze at the sound of Harry’s voice. In horror, he watched Bex open his mouth to answer, his eyelashes batting up at the man. “Nothing!”

“You’re wearing nothing?” Harry grinned and raised an eyebrow, shamelessly skating his gaze down Louis’ body.

“No! I’m obviously wearing something,” Louis huffed, pressing his cold fingers to his overheated cheeks and sighing heavily. “I just mean I’m not wearing anything abnormal to what I would normally wear, Dipshit.”

“So you normally walk around dressed like slutty Mrs Claus?”

“I–no!” 

“So, how is that normal then?”

“Hold on.” Louis narrowed his eyes, glaring up at the alpha, “Did you call me slutty?”

The dimples in Harry’s cheeks deepened as he smirked, his broad shoulders shrugging as he gestured to the outfit. “I mean…” he trailed off. 

“First of all, I am not slutty. Second– even if I was – there is nothing wrong with an omega expressing their sexuality through clothing. And thirdly, you’re the one walking around with your tits out,” Louis sneered, jabbing his finger at the cross necklace settled between Harry’s meaty pecs with every sentence. 

Satisfaction filled his chest as Harry winced and wrapped his rather large hand around Louis’ wrist to pull away his hand. Louis tried not to dwell on the fact that his wrist seemed so small and dainty in Harry’s grasp. Instead, he ripped his hand from Harry’s paws and ignored the amused look on April’s face.

“You two are totally gonna fuck by the end of the night,” Bex hummed, flicking his blonde hair out of his eyes and chugging the rest of his drink.

Christ, was everyone at this party nuts?

“I hate all of you,” Louis seethed through gritted teeth and took another angry bite of his cookie, averting his eyes. His heels clacked against the tile floors as he stalked away from the group in search of someone who wouldn’t make some sick innuendo about Santa and Mrs Claus and hopefully have some fun before he and Harry had to pretend to like each other.

It’s not like he was asking for much.

The inside of the house was just as decked out as the outside was, paper snowflakes covering every inch of the walls, garland strung up along the balustrades, and more bells and holly than they had known what to do with. It looked like Father Christmas himself had thrown up all over the frat house. In the community room, there was an obnoxious red velvet chair set up in the center, surrounded by piles of empty boxes wrapped up as presents and a box for collecting donations. The whole thing was rather over the top, considering they were selling a seat on Harry’s lap for charity, but he’d learned that most things with Phi Omega and Alpha Xi Delta were. As a small town omega, Louis was still getting used to the extravagant parties and craziness that was Greek life.

He wandered the house for the next few minutes, scoping out the snack table and sneaking himself a glass of the alcohol-free punch. He sat in the corner of the room by the fireplace, watching the frat and sorority members scurry about to try to finish getting the space ready before the students would show up. 

“Hiding?” 

Louis glanced over at the alpha standing next to him. It was the same one who had nominated both himself and Harry for Santa Claus duty. “For now.”

The alpha rocked back on his feet, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets. “I’m Niall, by the way.”

“Good for you,” he hummed. Yes, he still held a grudge against this guy that barely knew for volunteering him to spend his entire evening hanging around that brute of an alpha. And no, he did not feel bad about it. 

Niall smiled awkwardly and shrugged, flapping his elbows. “And you’re Louis, right?”

His attempt at conversation was so bad that Louis almost smiled. Almost. As he fixed his fringe, Louis rolled his eyes and cocked his hip, ignoring the feeling of the plug shifting inside him. “I figured you should know my name considering you’re the reason I’m dressed like this.”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that,” the alpha chuckled and scratched his scalp, messing his hair up even further. “At least you didn’t get stuck on clean up duty this year.”

“I would rather clean up puke than suffer through Harry’s company, but thanks so much for being such a thoughtful pain in my ass.”

Admittedly, Louis was being a tad dramatic. For the most part, Harry was charming, always flashing those dimples and green eyes and being a generally nice person. But something about his self-assured smirk and overall confidence annoyed Louis to no end and had since the moment they met in that creative writing class last year. He brought out every immature and petty instinct Louis had. Liam had always assured him that Harry was a good guy but Liam was far too nice anyway. 

“So, what’s up with this rivalry between you and Harry? I don’t get it. Aside from right now, you seem like a genuinely cool person, and Harry’s one of the nicest guys I know,” Niall hummed, taking a swig of his beer. “I would have thought you two would have gotten along.”

Louis blanched at the idea. He couldn’t imagine a single world in which he and Harry could stand being around one another, much less get along. The guy was an asshole, a prick, and a douchebag of epic proportions. He seemed like the kind of alpha who had a name for his cock. 

“He’s an idiot,” Louis scoffed. “And a cocky bastard. I have zero interest in getting along with him or being in his presence if I don’t have to.”

The alpha nodded slowly and tapped his fingers against his red cup. “Sooo anyways,” he drawled, stubbing the toe of his shoe against the floor. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to start soon and Harry was looking for you.”

Sighing heavily, Louis finished off his punch, tossed the empty cup in the trash, and smoothed his hands over his tank top and fixed his skirt. “Thanks, I guess,” he muttered and found his way back to the main area where he and Harry were supposed to be working. 

People were filtering in and out of the room now, even a few people Louis recognized from other sorority parties, shuffling through the front doors with their bags of nonperishables for the food drive. The party was only just beginning and, in only an hour or two, the room would be so packed that it would be difficult to walk from one side of the house to the other without bumping into people. This was the calm before the storm and energy was buzzing through the house. It was the kind of thing Louis lived for. 

Louis found his way to the Santa Station, rolling his eyes when he saw Harry standing nearby and chatting with an omega who couldn’t stop ogling his bare chest. It was disappointing really that there were some omegas who were so blinded by a nice smile and a hot body that they couldn’t see the unbearable jackass beneath it all. 

Harry hardly even looked up when Louis approached, too consumed with flirting to acknowledge his presence. That didn’t sit right with Louis – he was the kind of omega who adored being in the center of things. Having the attention of others was a thrill that Louis couldn’t get enough of, and he would seek it out in any way that he could. As a child, he was always the one being loud or causing trouble in school for the sake of being noticed and that innate desire to be seen followed him throughout the years. It was part of why he had wanted to be in the sorority and loved parties so much. 

Under the heavy beat of music and among the throngs of sweating dancers, Louis came alive. He was always aiming to tell the most impressive story, be the funniest person in the room, and get the most laughs. It was addicting and validating to watch as the attention would shift from one person to himself, captivating people with his stories or his quick wit. 

So naturally, it grated on his nerves and left a bitter taste on his tongue when he was ignored. Especially by Harry.

Louis stood with his arms crossed and anger boiling in his chest, leaned up against the ridiculous throne and glared at Harry’s back. His stupid, muscular, impressively broad back that Louis would love to just shove into a wall. The omega Harry was talking to giggled and fixed his hair, beaming up at Harry like he had single-handedly hung the fucking moon in the sky. Oh how Louis would love to shake the poor omega’s shoulders and scream at him to snap out of it and send him running for the hills. He really just wanted to save the boy from Harry’s tricks and deceiving looks.

“Styles!” Louis snapped, tapping the toe of his boot on the ground impatiently. “Can we get this fucking show on the road or do you have something better to do?”

Even through his red coat, Louis could see Harry’s back stiffen – which was really just ridiculous because nobody had that much muscle. He lifted his chin in defiance when Harry turned to glare at him. “Will you chill out? It’s just a party.”

“Well, unlike some people I take charity events very seriously and would like to actually raise some money!”

Harry’s lips pressed into a firm line and his nostrils flared. He looked like an angry frog. “Who the fuck says I don’t care about charity events?”

“I’d say your total lack of professionalism and your constant flirting with anyone that smells like an o makes it pretty damn clear that you don’t!” 

“Lack of professionalism?! Louis, it’s a fucking party! It’s not a job!”

Louis wrinkled his nose and balled his hands up into fists, fighting the urge to lash out and smack Harry. “You know what I mean!” he hissed.

“No!” Harry laughed in dismay, throwing his hands into the air. “I don’t know what you mean! I have no idea what you mean!”

Louis stomped his foot, teeth grit together so hard his jaw was hurting, and stepped forward, getting in Harry’s space. 

“Hey!” A voice yelled, interrupting their argument. “Would you two shut the hell up? We’re trying to have a party here and you both are going to ruin it before it’s even properly begun with all your damn fighting!”

Slowly, Louis stepped back. He hadn’t realized that he and Harry had been getting closer and closer while they were yelling at each other until they were only a few inches apart, their breath mingling between them. One glance around the room proved that they had truly been making a scene and the omega Harry had been talking to was long gone. Louis enjoyed attention, but not this kind. 

Anna’s stares could scare the devil, her frustration tinting her scent and hanging in the air. “Louis, get your shit together. I’m not asking you and Harry to like each other, I’m just asking for you two to put aside whatever your problem for one single night. You will not fuck this up for me, okay?”

Her eyes narrowed when Louis opened his mouth to complain, effectively silencing him. For a few tense moments, not one of them spoke, Louis’ gaze fixed on the toes of his boots and Harry was scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

“Good,” she hummed. “Now smile and don’t let me catch you two fighting again, or I’ll make both of your lives a living hell.”

If there was one thing Louis had learned about Anna over the last year of being in the sorority, it was that when she meant something, she kept her word. If she wanted to make their lives hell, she would. 

Louis sighed, shifting from one foot to the other as he watched yet another tipsy girl drop a few bucks in the collections box. This had been going on for nearly an hour and a half already, one eager person after another paying to sit on Harry’s lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. It was so predictable. Every one of them would giggle as they sat down, pretending like they were so embarrassed to sit on Harry’s knee, then they would flirtatiously swat at his bare chest for something cheeky he said, their touch always lingering longer than necessary. 

It was the stupidest thing they had ever done for a party and that was saying something. It was even more dumb than the party last year that the frat had hosted where nobody could speak. 

His feet were already sore from the heeled boots and his back hurt from standing. He thought of his leggings and cozy hoodie back in his room at the sorority house, rolling his shoulders and longing for his bed. The plug nestled between his cheeks, although small, was still annoying. Every move he made shifted the three inch toy and had him gritting his teeth at the feeling. 

To his credit, Harry was raising them a lot of money, and his constant flirting was raking in the ditsy omegas that were two drinks past sober enough to realize how stupid it was. Louis hated to admit it, but Harry had been the perfect guy for the job. He still didn’t get why they even needed a Mrs. Claus in the first place.

Musty peppermint and beer reached his nose, slinking into his head as he turned to look at the drunken alpha who had stumbled over to him. “Santa, baby!” the alpha laughed, eyeing Louis from head to toe.

“I’m not your baby, and I’m not the one dressed up as Santa,” Louis said boredly, examining his neatly manicured nails. It wasn’t the first alpha to hit on him and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, not when he was walking around half naked and vaguely smelling of slick. 

Whoever the random stranger was wasn’t easily deterred. Any alpha with dignity would have taken a hint based solely off his body language, given the fact that he was refusing to make eye contact and he couldn’t stop pinching up his face. Rather than slink away like the three other alphas from earlier in the night, this man was only bolstered by Louis’ disinterest. 

He grinned, stumbling closer. “You look so pretty,” he hummed, biting his lip in what Louis supposed was intended to be seduction. There was a bit of dried toothpaste on his chin that Louis couldn’t stop staring at. “All dressed up in that ‘lil skirt and smellin’ like a treat.”

His attempt was laughable at best. 

“And you’re drunk,” Louis snickered, wrinkling his nose. 

“I’m also Matt.”

“Matt? Interesting.”

“And you are?” Matt asked, boozy breath fanning over Louis’ face. He was objectively handsome with his tanned skin, muscular frame, and a strong jaw covered in a dusting of hair. He had nice brown eyes and good hair that looked like it might be soft to the touch. Matt was the kind of guy that Louis might have actually been interested in if it weren’t for the stench of sweat and beer clinging to his skin or the messy slur to his words. 

Louis was tempted to ignore him, but then he glanced over at Harry and saw the dark look of a threatening alpha. “I’m Louis,” the omega answered and batted his eyelashes, artfully fixing his fringe and giggling. Harry was glowering at them, disgust embedded in his features. It was petty but so satisfying to know that he was affecting the alpha. 

He’d perfected the art of flirtation, especially with alphas like Matt. They always liked a giggly, shy omega who acted innocent at first but had a secret wild side. The key was to smile bashfully and bite down on his bottom lip, it worked like a charm nearly every time. 

A bitter, woodsy scent, that Louis identified as peppercorn, wafted to his nose. It worked. “So, do you go to school at Tufts?” he asked, keeping his voice low so that Matt would have to lean in. One glance over the alpha’s shoulder proved that Harry was still watching him, his focus completely removed from the omega in his lap. 

“Actually–”

“Louis! Harry!” the brunette alpha from earlier yelled, rushing over to him and shooing the girl out of Harry’s lap. “There’s an emergency!”

“Emergency?”

“Is this a Niall Emergency or a regular emergency?” Harry sighed, leaning back in his chair and crossing one leg over his other, his stance broad like he was trying to take up as much room as possible. Knothead.

Niall scowled at his friend and stuck out his tongue. “An actual emergency, dickface.” Hmm. At least he and Niall agreed on something. “We ran out of beer and Nicki’s an idiot who thought Cupcake vodka was the same thing as regular vodka! We need you to run to the store and pick up some more booze and fast.”

“So, it’s not an emergency?”

“Are you kidding? Anna’s gonna make heads roll! We’re not even two hours in, and we already ran out of booze!”

Louis frowned, tapping his finger against his chin. “So, explain to me why Harry and I have to go?”

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Niall sighed in exasperation. “You guys are the only two people at this entire party who aren’t drinking.”

Harry’s shoulders slumped and he scrubbed a hand over his face before nodding. “Fine,” he muttered, getting to his feet and grabbing his phone. 

“Hold on. I haven’t been drinking at all and Harry needs to stay here for the Santa booth, as dumb as it is. I can go by myself and pick it up,” Louis insisted, scrunching his nose when Harry got a little too close. He smelled like gingersnaps and coffee.

The incredulous look Harry gave him was steeped in annoyance, and the alpha scoffed as he looked down at Louis. “Really? You’re going to carry boxes of liquor and cases of beer up that slippery sidewalk in those shoes?”

With a glance down at his shoes, Louis realized that perhaps Harry was right, as frustrating as it was to admit it. He wouldn’t be able to carry all the alcohol by himself and he certainly wouldn’t be able to get it inside without slipping and braining himself on the sidewalk. “Fine.”

“I’ll grab my keys and we can go,” Harry hummed and slipped into the crowd. Niall scrambled back to the kitchen to help with the meltdown Nicki was having and left Louis alone to figure out exactly how he had gotten to his point in his life. What he had done to deserve being locked alone in a car with Harry?

Harry had returned with his keys and his and Louis’ coat a few minutes later, wordlessly tossing it at Louis before leading him outside. They wandered through the throngs of party goers and stepped out into the freezing night, their breath instantly turning to fog. The crisp air filled Louis’ lungs and the cold sent goosebumps over his legs. 

It felt good to get some fresh air, a welcomed break from all the hormones and various scents clogging up the frat house. Outside, the snow was falling in big fluffy clumps and Louis couldn’t help but smile softly as he looked up at the sky. He hated winter, but even he could find enjoyment in a fresh layer of snow around the ground; there was something magical about it.

“It’s pretty.”

“Huh?” Louis blinked. 

Snow was sticking to Harry’s curls and his giant nose was a bit red from the cold, but his eyes somehow looked greener under the glow of Christmas lights. He smiled, a real authentic smile, and nodded up at the sky. “The snow. It’s nice.”

Louis shrugged. “Hurry up, I’m freezing,” he sniffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, turning and walking in long strides down the sidewalk without another glance at the alpha. 

“Uh, Louis?”

“What?” Louis sneered, spinning around to glare at Harry.

A slow smirk spread over Harry’s lips, his stupid dimple caving into his cheek. “The car’s this way.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

Louis was a relatively prideful person; he hated being told he was wrong, having his mistakes pointed out, and was almost never able to admit that he wasn’t always right – and certainly not with Harry. Without another word, Louis glared at the man in the red suit and stomped past him, hands fisted in his coat pockets and annoyance simmering in his blood. He could still hear Harry chuckling behind him, and he could only hope that he was walking towards the right car. 

 ❄❄❄

The Happy Market & Spirits was warm and welcoming, Christmas music playing in the background and a little bell dangling from the door that alerted the clerk of their arrival. The man behind the counter was old and frail, his smile lines carved deep into his face and the crows feet at the corners of his eyes wrinkled when he greeted them with a cheerful smile. Louis brushed past Harry, elbowing him in the gut with a smirk as he made a beeline for the back of the store.

Not many people were out and about this late at night, only a few other people milling through the aisles. He received a few odd looks for his scant attire but paid them no mind, tapping his fingers against his chin as he perused the selection of vodka.  

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” Harry sang lowly, humming along to the radio as he stopped beside Louis and grabbed a bottle of Svedka. He reached over Louis’ shoulder, close enough that Louis could smell his cologne and feel his breath on his neck, and plucked another bottle from the shelves. 

Louis shivered, his fingers gripping the hem of his coat as he flinched away from Harry’s close proximity. Nestled between his cheeks, the plug shifted at his quick action and sent a sudden shockwave of pleasure zipping up his spine. Please don’t get wet, please don’t get wet, please don’t get wet. 

He sucked in a breath and swallowed thickly, willing himself to not give his secret away. Wearing a plug to a party would probably go down as the dumbest thing he had ever done and he vowed to never do this ever again. 

“But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door.” His voice was low and smoothe, sultry as he crooned the lyrics to rival the vocal genius of Michael Buble. 

Spinning on his heel, Louis faced Harry with a scowl. “Can you stop that?” 

“Stop what?” Harry hummed, tilting his head and furrowing his brows as he set a few cases of beer in the cart he was pushing. 

“Singing.”

The alpha laughed, those stupid fucking dimples appearing once more. “What, you don’t like Christmas music?”

“Or maybe I just don’t like you,” Louis snapped back.

“Nah. That couldn’t be it. You were rolling your eyes at the music the whole way here too and I wasn’t singing then. Wait–” Harry’s eyes widened. “Do you not like Christmas music?”

Louis shrugged, ignoring the scandalized look of an elderly beta who was glaring at them from her hovering in front of the freezer section. He pulled at the hem of his skirt and added a package of chips to the cart for snacking on the way back to the party. “I just don’t like Christmas.”

“What!” Harry gasped, much louder than necessary and froze in his tracks. “How do you not like Christmas?! It’s literally the most wonderful time of the year!”

“Is it though?” Louis hummed, nudging Harry forward. “It’s freezing cold out, none of the radio stations play normal music, kids are whining about not getting their favorite toys, and everyone is trying to sell happiness like you can actually put a price tag on it. It’s ridiculous. Christmas is stupid.”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you don’t like Christmas.”

“Well believe it, Styles.”

Harry shook his head. “No, I refuse to accept it. You’re telling me that the sparkling snow, cozying up by the fire on a cold winter’s day, and Christmas trees lit up at night do nothing for you?”

“I mean, sure, those things sound nice. They’re the type of thing right out of a Christmas carol, but that shit isn’t real. That type of thing doesn’t happen. Instead, people get all worked up about the perfect Christmas, working their asses off to try to have the Hallmark holiday, and pretending like nothing else in the world could possibly be bad at this time of year. It’s a joke. It’s one big lie that corporations are trying to sell you in the form of trees and toys, but it’s just a bunch of bullshit.”

Harry stared at him, looking positively mystified by Louis’ response. He squinted and scratched his jaw, lips pulling into a frown. “Don’t you have a birthday around Christmas? You should like it more than anyone else. Unless you’re about to tell me you don’t like birthdays either.”

“How do you know when my birthday is?”

“Liam mentioned it the other day,” Harry dismissed. “You didn’t answer the question.”

Louis crossed his arms and raised his chin. “So what if I don’t? Birthdays are meaningless and Christmas is stupid.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, you really don’t like anything do you? Do you also eat kittens for dinner and steal toys from babies?”

“Fuck off. I like kittens and I don’t steal from babies.”

Harry’s eyes bore into his own like he was trying to figure out a complicated puzzle or uncover some kind of hidden secret. Well ha, Louis didn’t have any. “Who hurt you?”

His question pulled a surprised laugh from Louis’ lips, catching him off guard. “What?”

“Did you not get the gift you wanted or did someone forget your birthday?” Harry asked, green eyes glinting in the fluorescent lights. “Did someone break up with you?”

Fury ripped through him and an angry growl flew up his throat, an impressive noise for an omega to make. Fuck Harry for making assumptions, for thinking so little of him that he would suggest that Louis disliked Christmas for something as trivial as toys. 

“I said fuck off!” he snarled, eyes prickling as he shoved the case of beer he was carrying into Harry’s arms, not even waiting to see if he managed to catch it before storming away, his heels clacking against the linoleum.

A dark and bitter feeling rose in his stomach, burning in his chest as he swallowed around the frustrated cry threatening to spill out. The audacity of the alpha to think that he knew anything about Louis had his fingers fisting the puffy down jacket and his teeth gritting. He stood by the magazine rack and pretended to survey the various star-studded covers, flipping through People as he waited for Harry to carry over the liquor and keg of beer. All the while trying to calm himself down to prepare him for being stuck in the car with Harry again.

Halfway through reading about the newest Taylor Swift drama, Harry stopped beside him and clinked his rings against the handle of the cart to the beat of Deck the Halls. “So, does this mean we have to kiss?” Harry joked, a tentative smile twitching at his lips. 

Louis startled, dropping the magazine in a flutter of glossy pages. He stared up at Harry and followed his gaze, catching on the cheap faux greenery dangling over their heads. He scoffed, “the only thing you’ll be kissing is my ass.”

“Oh?” Harry laughed, grinning like an idiot. “That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, considering it’s a rather nice ass.”

That had Louis’ cheeks glowing red, his eyes widening. “Excuse you?” 

Then the alpha giggled, he fucking giggled . “I’m not blind and you’re not that dumb. It’s a good one.”

Louis’ mouth opened and closed, practically fish-mouthing as he stared in disbelief at the man. He was the biggest, weirdest oxymoron Louis had seen.

Harry was built like a fridge, tall and broad and covered with tattoos. You wouldn’t expect for the bulky man to have some of the softest looking curls and the giggle of a school boy. He fucked with Louis’ head, confusing him and leaving him reeling. Louis was stunned into silence while Harry just smiled, averting his eyes to stoop down and pick up the magazine. 

The small plug nudged deeper as he crouched, nestling itself perfectly so the very tip of it was barely touching that little spot that gave him so much pleasure. His lips parted and for a moment, his omega ached to grind down on it, roll his hips so he could feel even more of the toy, but he steeled himself to his desires and fumbled to put the magazine away, his neck feeling hot with embarrassment. 

“Stop looking at it,” he muttered, looking everywhere but at Harry.

“No promises,” Harry purred and sauntered over to the checkout line behind the older woman who had been giving Louis the stink eye. “I’ll stop looking at it when you start liking Christmas.”

Louis rolled his eyes and curled his lip in disgust. “You’re horrible. Has anyone ever told you how truly terrible you are? I mean really, you’re insufferable.”

Chuckling, Harry shook his head. “Actually, they usually tell me I’m quite charming. I think it’s the green eyes and dimples,” he said simply and flashed his award-winning smile.

“They’re lying to you.”

Harry only shrugged, still grinning from ear to ear as he rocked back on his heels and bobbed his head, humming under his breath. He was cocky, that much was true, but Louis supposed he hadn’t been a total asswipe just yet – a bit annoying and frustrating to be around but not as bad as the omega had been expecting. Louis still wouldn’t want to hang out with him or anything and, at the first chance to get away, Louis would ditch him to have some actual fun, but he wasn’t that bad.

“Mommy! Look, it’s Santa!” Gasped a small voice.

There was a little pup and his mother behind them, the boy’s eyes wide as he stared in awe at Harry. He was undeniably cute with his pudgy, freckled cheeks and coat that was so big and puffy it made him look as wide as he was tall. It squeezed at Louis’ heart – he couldn’t help but smile.

The boy’s fingers covered his mouth, straining against his mother’s grasp on his hand. The mother looked exhausted, dark circles shadowed beneath her eyes and the deep set worry lines of a single mother were embedded in her forehead. Louis could recognize the look of an overwhelmed mother just about anywhere. 

“Honey, that’s not–”

“Merry Christmas!” Harry interrupted, his smile so bright it was beaming. He dumped the packet of cookies he was carrying into the cart and put his hands on his hips. “Look at you! You look like a marshmallow!”

The young pup giggled, wiggling his hand free of his mother’s and toddling over. “Santa! Is it really you?”

Harry glanced at the woman, taking in her disheveled appearance and continued when she nodded, “It sure is. What’s your name, kiddo? You seem to know mine already, but I don’t know yours!”

“I’m Ethan! I’m four years old and my mommy is this many!” The little boy held up all of his fingers and waved them in the air three times. 

“Ethan,” the pup’s mother sighed tiredly. “I’m sorry for bothering you, he just really loves Christmas.”

Louis shook his head and smiled. “It’s fine,” he promised. 

“Santa, why are you so young?” Ethan asked, frowning at Harry’s dark brown curls and beardless face. “And where’s your belly? All the storybooks say you’re old and fat.”

“Ethan!”

Harry tipped his head back and laughed, his shoulders shaking with it. “Well, dear boy, I was fat. I was eating too many Christmas cookies and sweets, and my belly got so big that I couldn’t fit down the chimneys anymore! Can you imagine Santa not being able to fit down a chimney? So I switched to carrot cake, much healthier,” he explained with a wink, patting his abs. 

“Carrot cake?”

Harry nodded. “Oh, yes. Now I can fit down any chimney!”

Ethan’s mouth was still open in awe, beaming up at Harry, “Wow.” He glanced over at Louis and wrinkled his cute little nose. “And who’s that?”

Louis smiled and waved at the pup. “Oh, I’m–”

“This is Mrs Claus!” Harry chuckled, grinning as he pulled Louis closer and tucked him against his chest. His arm was warm around Louis’ shoulders, and the omega was surprised that he seemed to fit so snugly into Harry’s side. “Mrs Claus makes the best carrot cake in the whole world. And she’s not too bad on the eyes either,” he whispered playfully.

Louis would smack him if there wasn’t an impressionable little kid watching them. Instead, he grit his teeth and pinched Harry’s side hard just out of the boy's view. “Hi,” he hummed and stiffly patted Harry’s chest. “Nice to meet you, Ethan.”

The cashier cleared his throat and nodded at them, motioning for them to come up to the counter and stop holding up the line. “Well Ethan, we have to be going now, much to do before the big night and the reindeer aren’t going to feed themselves,” Harry smiled, looking around before snatching a box of Milk Duds from the checkout counter. “You be good for your mother, okay?”

Ethan nodded eagerly, holding the box of candy like it was the most precious gift he had ever received. “I will! I promise!”

“Very good,” Harry chuckled and handed his card over to the cashier as he rang up their items, including the box of candy for the pup. Louis took the receipt from the cashier and snatched his snack out of the bag, tearing it open and popping a chip into his mouth. As they headed for the door, Harry paused and waved back at the young boy with a wide smile. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, Santa!” Ethan called out, wiggling in excitement while his mom paid for their groceries and tried to keep an eye on her son. “Merry Christmas, Mrs Claus!”

Okay, so maybe not everything was horrible about Christmas.

“Merry Christmas, Ethan,” Louis said, voice soft as he smiled at the innocent boy. His youthful excitement and sweet manners were enough to melt anyone’s heart. He reminded Louis of himself when he was younger.

They stepped back out into the cold, a shiver running right up Louis’ spine as they carted the cheap booze back to Harry’s Jeep and tried not to slip on the sludge. Harry seemed hardly affected by the blistering winter weather, his smile never leaving his face, jovial spirit adding a pep to his step.

Once back at the car, Louis smacked Harry’s chest and glared at him. “Mrs Claus? Really?”

Harry only threw back his head and cackled, his grinning so wide that Louis had to actively fight his own smile. “What? Come on, even you have to admit that was cute!”

Louis resisted the urge to roll his eyes and flicked his fringe off his forehead. “Whatever,” he snipped, shivering as he spun and climbed into the car, leaving Harry to load everything into the back by himself. He wouldn’t admit it to the alpha, but it actually was pretty sweet. Harry was good with kids and, if it weren’t for his annoying cockiness, he would have been a character straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. 

With the Jeep loaded and Christmas carols filtering through the speakers of the car, Harry cranked up the heat and pulled out of his parking spot. He hummed as he navigated the snowy parking lot and stole a chip from the bag sitting in Louis’ lap.

“It was my mom, by the way,” Louis said softly as he stared out his window.

“Hmm?” 

Louis rolled his bottom lip between his teeth and used the sleeve of his coat to wipe the frost from the passenger side window. “She died when I was in high school. December 18th. That’s why I hate Christmas.” 

Harry glanced over at him from the corner of his eye, lips pulling slightly downwards. Most people tried to make him feel better about it or assure him that his mother was happier now or some other bullshit. He had always hated that, like they somehow knew what it was like to lose the person who had raised you and loved you through every up and down. Harry didn’t though, didn’t even try to respond. He let it hang between them, no apologies or fake sympathy. He let it be.

 ❄❄❄

The party had gone from people wandering around chatting and drinking to a full on club scene by the time Harry pulled up to the frat house. People had spilled out of the house and were having a snowball fight in the front yard and the music had gotten impossibly louder. Louis let Harry carry the keg in and snatched up his bag of chips, not bothering to help the alpha unload the car as he pranced through the front door with Harry grunting under the weight of the keg behind him.

“You know, you could help,” Harry muttered, carefully maneuvering the keg through the front door and hauling it into the kitchen.

Louis shrugged, popping another chip into his mouth. “I could, but I don’t want to.”

Even with Harry’s back turned to him, Louis knew that Harry would be rolling his eyes at the omega. Louis smirked. Licking a bit of salt from his fingers, he merely watched as Harry returned to the car and carried the boxes of liquor into the house and to the kitchen. 

“Oh, thank God,” Anna breathed when Louis and Harry walked into the kitchen with the alcohol, rushing over and grabbing the packs of beer. “What took you guys so long?!”

They hadn’t been gone that long, only about forty-five minutes tops, but she had clearly been panicking about the party. “Harry had to stop and make a pup’s Christmas dreams come true,” Louis rolled his eyes. “Sorry.”

“Hey, that pup was adorable and it wouldn’t have taken as long if you had bothered to actually help me,” Harry pointed out and winced as he lifted the heaviest boxes up onto the counter.

Louis crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes up at Harry. “Hey, I was just giving you the opportunity to be a gentleman. You wouldn’t let your poor little wife carry that big heavy box and risk getting hurt would you?” He batted his lashes and pouted out his lower lip. 

“You little–”

“Guys, you’re in the way,” Anna cut them off, shooing them with her hands. “Get the fuck out of the kitchen and move your argument somewhere else, please.”

Harry’s hand grabbed his elbow, tugging him out of the chaos in the kitchen and out into the hallway. It was only slightly quieter out there with fewer people wandering around but the bass from the music playing in the living room shook the pictures hanging on the wall. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”

Louis could hardly hear a word he was saying, squinting up at Harry. “What?”

Leaning in closer, Harry spoke again. “You’re a piece of work! Very high maintenance,” he practically shouted in Louis’ ear. His rich scent of cloves and ginger grew stronger and Louis couldn’t help but think that he smelled rather nice. 

“Thanks,” Louis scoffed, freezing when Harry’s hand reached up and adjusted his hat. His fingers were warm as they brushed against his temple and his scent was even stronger with the proximity. There was something so oddly comforting about the alpha’s scent, and it filled Louis’ lungs like a heavy fog, seeping into him and wrapping itself around him. 

He licked his lips, throat suddenly feeling dry as he looked around them at drunk frat brothers and a few tipsy omegas that were paying them no mind. They had somehow managed to find themselves once again standing beneath the mistletoe. Louis still had no idea who had set up so many around the house but, when he returned his gaze to the alpha standing in front of him, he caught Harry staring at his mouth. 

Louis would blame it on the music, the low bass and the beat pounding in his skull mixed with the fog from the few betas smoking pot in the back hallway he’d seen earlier, but he found his own eyes flickering down to Harry’s lips. They looked nice. He imagined they were probably soft and he wondered if they tasted like cloves too.

Harry trailed his fingers over Louis’ cheekbone and the curve of his jaw, sending goosebumps down his neck and a shiver down his spine. His touch felt electrifying.

With the beat of Santa Baby playing in the background, Louis swallowed thickly and swayed forward, his eyes fixated on Harry’s mouth. Harry’s thumb pressed against his cheek and his fingers slid through the short hairs behind Louis’ ears, palm fitting better than Louis would have thought it would as he cradled Louis’ jaw. He inhaled shakily and wet his lips again, eyes going hooded.

As if in a trance, Louis stood anchored in place while Harry leaned in closer and closer.

He vaguely registered that they weren’t alone, that there were other people in the hallway, but it wasn’t until someone called out ‘kiss, kiss, kiss!’ that Louis managed to shake himself from his stupor. Louis’ gaze widened as Harry’s lips parted, his eyes nearly closed with every inch lost between them. 

Holy shit.

“‘Scuse me!”

Louis flinched away from Harry’s lips, his hands pushing against the warm expanse of skin exposed by Harry’s coat. His mind was going practically a mile a minute as he tried to make sense of what he was just about to do, what he wanted to do. There was no way in hell he could actually have the desire to kiss Harry. He hadn’t had a drop of alcohol tonight, but there was no other explanation for what had almost just happened. 

“Get off of me,” he hissed, shoving Harry away from him. Spinning in the direction of the voice, Louis glared at the three omegas standing behind him and Harry. “ What? ”

“Um, well, you see,” one of the omegas giggled, his curly black hair bouncing as he laughed. “My friends and I had a liiittle too much to drink.”

“You’re the one that suggested shots!” 

“Shhh,” the first omega hushed, rolling his eyes and fluffing his afro. “ As I was saying, Jessie here had, like, six shots or something, and she already puked in Santa’s sleigh outside, sorry about that. Then, Dillan got the idea that we should get chinese food, but I can’t drive because some meanie stole my keys.”

“Stole your keys or confiscated them so you didn’t drive?” Harry asked drily, crossing his arms over his chest.

The omega who had apparently vomited in the outdoor decorations giggled into her hand, batting her eyes in a manner that only made her look more drunk. She swayed forward, steadying herself with a hand on Harry’s arm. “M not drunk, I’m just drinking!”

A third omega, Dillan probably, pouted and plopped down on the ground, legs splayed out in front of him as he leaned against the wall. “I wanna go home!”

“Can I take you home?” Jessie slurred, patting at Harry’s broad chest. “Wow, you’re so hot and strong. You’re like Captain America!”

Christ. Louis huffed and scrubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms. The perks of being the designated drivers.

“Oh my god, Jess! You can’t say that, he’s obviously taken,” Dillan groaned. “Which, by the way, you guys make such a cute couple.”

“Oh, we’re not-”

“Fuck no,” Louis snapped and shook his head firmly, a funny feeling settling in his stomach. “I’ll be right back. I need a minute.” Without another word, Louis spun on his heel and stalked away from the drunken display taking place. His feet carried him through the thick crowd of people clogging up the hallways, thoughts racing as he stumbled for somewhere to hide. It was childish and stupid, but he needed a minute to organize his thoughts and try to figure out what the hell was wrong with him.

He pushed open the first door he saw and sighed in relief to find that it was a bathroom.

Louis slammed the door shut behind him and turned the lock, slumping against the door. What the hell was wrong with him? He hated Harry! They didn’t like each other, much less want to kiss each other, and he had been sure that it was mutual. Maybe they had both gotten some kind of second hand high from the pot fumes or maybe he was getting closer to his heat, though he was almost positive that he still had another two weeks before he had to worry about that. 

This whole night had been one big nightmare. There was no other explanation.

He lurched forward and turned on the faucet, hands trembling as he splashed cold water onto his face. “Get a fucking grip,” he whispered to himself, hunched over the sink as water droplets dripping from his lips and down his chin. “You don’t like him. It’s all in your head.”

It terrified him to think that he had nearly kissed the one alpha he disliked most. He hated that even though he knew it was wrong, he still couldn’t stop picturing Harry’s lips parted just for him or the thick scent that had made him go hazy. He still wanted to kiss Harry.

For most of the night he had been able to ignore the presence of the plug between his cheeks but now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was too small to give him any real pleasure but just large enough to make him want more. With thoughts of Harry plaguing his mind, Louis clenched around the toy and whimpered. 

Louis pressed the heels of his palms against the sockets of his eyes, shaking his head as he groaned. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

Straightening up, Louis wiped the water droplets from his face and stared at himself in the mirror. His fringe was damp and he, quite frankly, looked like shit. He shook his head in an attempt to clear the haze of arousal from his mind and took a deep breath. He could do this.

He hoped he didn’t reek too much of slick, but even if he did, the stench of puke and alcohol from the drunken omegas would hopefully be enough to cover up his change in scent. After fixing his hair and slapping some color into his cheeks, Louis slipped out of the bathroom and returned to Harry’s side. He may loathe the guy, but he wouldn’t ditch his responsibilities as designated driver. 

When he returned, Harry was attempting to wrangle the omegas down the hallway and out to the car, despite the clingy omega who couldn’t seem to stop flirting with him. As tempting as it was to sit back and watch Harry struggle, he sighed and wrapped an arm around the one that had been sitting on the floor. 

“Alright, come on,” he muttered. “Let’s get you three home.”

In a mess of floppy limbs, drunken giggles, and lots of cursing on his part, he and Harry finally managed to get the omegas into the back of Harry’s truck. One of the omegas shrieked when Louis slammed the back door shut followed by a loud cackle at something one of her friends had said. God, Louis hated dunk people. So many of these ditsy omegas were annoying enough when they were sober – add some tequila and they were downright insufferable.

A powerful shiver ran down his spine, his breath coming out in white clouds of steam as he sighed heavily, teeth chattering. “F-fuck, I hate winter.” 

“It’s not even that cold out,” Harry grumbled, digging in his pocket as Louis rounded to the other side of the truck. 

“Easy for you to fucking say. You’re the one in a coat and pants when I’m freezing my ass off in a freaking mini skirt.” Without flashing anyone, somehow Louis managed to haul himself up into the truck and hissed at the cold leather under his thighs. Wrapping his arms around himself didn’t even help stave off the cold, goosebumps erupting over his bare legs and his nipples so hard he was pretty sure they could cut glass.

Harry rolled his eyes, settling into the driver’s seat as he pulled his gloves off and handed them over to the omega along with a blanket from the back seat. “Here.”

In shock, Louis accepted them and slid the gloves onto his hands, nearly moaning at the warmth that immediately enveloped his fingers. “Oh god,” he groaned happily and tucked the blanket around himself until he was in a semi-burrito-esque bundle of blanket.

“Just Harry’s fine,” the alpha grinned.

Someone from the back seat giggled and then Jessie was poking her head between the seats. “Heeyyy, where’s our blanket?”

“Shhh,” Dillan hushed loudly. “Can’t you see they’re having a moment!”

Good Lord, Louis thought to himself and rolled his eyes. “We are not having a moment.”

With a playful pout, Harry glanced over at him and turned up the radio that was preset to whatever music station played the old classic Christmas songs. “We’re not?”

“No.”

After getting one of the drunks from the backseat to slur out their address, Harry plugged it into his phone and pulled away from the curb, expertly navigating his giant boat of a truck around the narrow streets. Along the roads were houses obnoxiously decorated with strings of lights in every color of the rainbow and an array of nativity scenes and inflatable Santas set out on the front lawns. To Louis, they were hideous, but apparently the omegas in the back thought they were the most beautiful thing in the world as they ooh’d and ah’d over the displays. 

Harry hummed along to the music the entire way to the crappy little apartment building located off campus, much to Louis’ own personal annoyance, but at least the truck was now toasty warm. He was nearly half asleep and vaguely aware of Harry helping the passengers out of the truck, though he was grateful that the alpha didn’t seem to think it was necessary to wake him to help out. Maybe he wasn’t as dumb as he looked.

When they got back to the frat house, Louis watched as Harry climbed out of the truck, something about a tall and muscled alpha in a pickup doing shameful things to his brain. He clenched around the plug and sighed, squeezing his eyes shut as he dropped his head back against the headrest. He hadn’t gotten laid in a little while, the last good fuck he’d had being over a week ago. It was probably just the lack of sex that was making him act like an absolute idiot about Harry. Right – Louis just needed to get fucked by someone else. 

Pulling the passenger side visor down, Louis glanced at his reflection in the little mirror. His lipgloss had all but faded and his fringe was a frizzy mess, so he fished the tube of watermelon scented lip gloss from the pocket of his skirt and smeared a bit on his lips. Brushing his fingers through his fringe and giving himself one final once over, Louis took a deep breath and nodded.

With renewed determination and a smirk, Louis hopped down from the truck, shoving the gloves into the pocket of his coat, and shuffled inside, plug shifting between his cheeks and his knees feeling weak. Harry was lost in the sea of people inside the house already, having disappeared the moment they returned (not that the omega minded).

After hanging up his coat, Louis wove his way towards the hoard of people swaying to music and scanned the alphas in the room. There was a beautiful looking alpha with a sharp bob and cheekbones that could cut glass, but Louis was in the mood for a good dicking, and she seemed to already have her eyes on a beta dancing a few feet away. There was another alpha who was good looking but seemed a bit too drunk to be a good lay. Marcus would probably have loved to fuck him again, but he wasn’t that great the last time.

The crowd around him pulsed with the beat, jumping and writhing like a giant tangle of limbs and a million different scents assaulting his senses. Pushing through the people, Louis bobbed his head and took a deep breath when he spotted a potential alpha. He had jet black hair styled in a messy punk look and tattoos creeping up his neck and down his arms. Him.  

Louis squared his shoulders and danced closer to the alpha, carefully reading his body language. He considered seduction to be an art form, a carefully structured approach and calculated glances to attract an alpha and have them practically on their knees for him. He was good at it too, having had plenty of practice, and had no shame in admitting it.

As he danced closer, Louis made eye contact with the alpha and fluttered his eyelashes with a demure smile. Instantly, he could tell he had hooked him. Dark brown eyes tracked his movements as he swayed to a Christmas remix, circling his hips and biting his lip as the plug shifted. With the house filled to the brim, the air in the room was heavy and sweat was already beginning to form on Louis’ brow. 

It was no surprise when he felt the alpha come up behind him, only a little taller than Louis was, and his body lightly muscled. He wasn’t as beefy as Harry, and his scent was tinged with pot, but he was a good dancer. His hands landed on Louis’ waist, lightly squeezing his sides. Glancing over his shoulder and batting his eyes, Louis grinned. He loved dancing and quickly found his rhythm with the stranger, a back and forth of swaying hips and wandering hands. 

“You’re a good dancer,” the alpha had to shout, tequila on his breath. 

Louis only made a noise of acknowledgment, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. With a particular twist of hips, he could feel the plug just barely nudge his prostate, eyes falling shut. He was addicted to the feeling of being weightless, of losing himself in music and letting go.

“I’m Zayn.”

“Louis,” he replied, his scent spiking.

The alpha hummed, sliding his hands down to Louis’ hips and thumbing at the thin strip of skin revealed by his tight tank top. A bead of sweat dripped down his spine and he felt drunk on the music and barrage of scents. Languidly, he spun around to face Zayn, draping his arms over the alpha’s shoulders and sighing contently. 

They danced for a few minutes, Louis’ arousal growing as hands explored his back, sides, and hips but never ventured to his ass. He wouldn’t have minded, but the alpha seemed hesitant. Hmm. Perhaps he needed a bit of encouragement. Louis slid his hands into the head of thick black hair and stepped up onto the tips of his toes, flickering his gaze down to the pouty lips and leaned in. 

“Louis!”

For fuck’s sake.

Harry stood a few feet away, his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed over his chest. “They want a picture of us for Instagram,” he shouted, stalking closer and shouldering people out of his way as he barreled towards them. 

Of course it’d be Harry to come interrupt him and ruin his attempts at getting laid; that frustrating douchebag. Louis could kill him – he could stash his body in the dumpster and make a run for it. He’d probably make it all the way to Canada before anyone noticed he was missing.

Louis glared at him as Zayn looked between Louis and Harry. “Shit,” the alpha muttered, pulling away from Louis and running his hands through his hair to fix it. “Sorry.”

In dismay, Louis watched him walk away and disappear into the fray, leaving the omega standing by himself half turned on and half angry. For once, he was actually thankful for the plug that was keeping his slick from dripping down his ass, but his prick was hard in his panties and his scent was probably giving away how aroused he was. 

“You!” he growled, jabbing his finger in Harry’s face and shoving his shoulders. “You fuck everything up! Why can’t you leave me the fuck alone? Do you not have any friends to bother? No other omegas to prove your manliness to?”

Harry’s brows shot up at Louis’ outburst, his lips turning downwards. “Louis–”

“No! You keep ruining everything and getting inside my fucking head! I bet you have a tiny dick, and I bet that’s why you feel the need to constantly walk around pretending like you own the place – just to make yourself feel better!”

Louis yelped as a passing beta shoved him out of the way, the plug lurching inside him and drawing out a long whine. “Fuck,” he hissed, lips parted in a gasp as he clenched around the toy. Frustration built up inside him, leaving him feeling hot and itchy all over. He just wanted to let go, to get some kind of release. 

“Lou, are you okay?” Harry shouted, reaching out to grip Louis’ shoulders and his nostrils flaring when he caught Louis’ sweet scent. “ Oh. ”

Shaking his head, Louis trembled and tried to shake Harry off. “I’m fine, you dick.” He was being a brat, he knew he was. He was self aware enough to admit it, but he couldn’t help it. Another body bumped into him as they danced, sending Louis tipping into Harry’s chest. “Oh,” he breathed, shivering with desperation. 

“Oh, my god,” Harry laughed, eyes wide as he stared at Louis. A rough hand grabbed his elbow, yanking him off the dancefloor and into the corner of the room where it was a bit less loud and out of the way of the jumping frat boys and couples grinding against each other without a care in the world of who they bumped into. He kept his back to the crowd and pushed Louis against the bookshelves, sheltering him from the chaos. “Are you wearing a plug?! ”

If the ground could open up and bury him alive, Louis would have greatly appreciated it. He couldn’t quite see Harry’s face but he would bet the alpha was looking at him with disgust and horror. Not all omegas were as sexually liberated as Louis was, and some alphas were old fashioned enough to find it inappropriate for an omega to be like Louis. 

“So what if I am?” he spat, glaring at Harry’s silhouette. “It’s none of your business!”

The hand on his elbow lifted to cover his mouth, silencing him immediately as Harry invaded his space. “You little tease,” Harry grunted, gripping Louis’ hip with his other hand. “You’ve been nothing but a brat all day– calling me names and being rude– then, you dance with one of my frat brothers. Are you that desperate for it?” Louis could catch the musky notes of arousal in his scent as Harry leaned into speak in his ear. 

Huh, Harry was actually turned on by this. His breaths shallow and his chest heaving, Louis nodded slowly. 

“Yeah? You need to be taught a lesson?”

Louis stared at him in shock, his prick hard and his slick feeling like it was about to leak around his plug. Without thinking, he found himself nodding once more. 

The air in his lungs was sucked right out as Harry rotated his hand, fingers indenting his cheeks as he squeezed Louis’ chin. Harry’s Adam’s apple bobbed and his tongue darted out to wet his lips. Louis was powerless to do anything but gape at the alpha, back stiff as a board and a frisson of excitement running in his veins. 

Harry regarded him closely, taking his time to study Louis’ face. “You’re going to be good, right? And you’ll tell me to stop if you need to?” he asked, tapping Louis’ cheek with his ringed index finger. He smirked when Louis shakily nodded his head. “Good.”

Nobody was paying them any mind as Harry gradually leaned in so there was hardly a breath of space between them, oblivious to the sweet smell of caramel coming from the corner of the room. With wide blue eyes and lips parted eagerly, Louis tilted his chin up, ready to finally see what Harry’s lips tasted like and learn what it felt like to feel his light stubble brushing his cheeks. His eyes fluttered shut and he gripped Harry’s coat in his small hands, waiting for the first press of lips. 

It didn’t come. Instead, Harry chuckled and bumped his nose against Louis’. “Now you want to kiss me? You spent all night ignoring me and acting like a little brat, do you have any idea what that makes me feel like? Do you even know how infuriating you are?”

Louis whimpered, frowning as he stood up on his tippy toes. “Harry, I’m sorry,” he whispered, cheeks flaming red. 

Harry shook his head. “You’ve done nothing but make it clear that you don’t want to kiss me. I’m only giving you what you wanted.”

Except that it wasn’t what Louis wanted. Not at all. Now, he wanted to grab Harry by the back of his neck and pull him down for a kiss, taste the pink lips he couldn’t stop staring at, and just enjoy it. But he wasn’t about to beg. He was better than that and, as hot as this was, he wasn’t that weak.

His breath faltered when Harry’s hand slid around to the small of his back, languidly trailing it down, down, down until it stopped just above his ass. For a moment, Louis didn’t even breathe, frozen stock still in anticipation. Harry squeezed his chin harder, pushing his cheeks together until his lips squished together and then he was grabbing a handful of Louis’ right asscheek. A startled gasp fell from Louis’ pursed lips and he was ashamed to admit just how hot all of this was. 

“You came here tonight dressed up in such a tiny skirt, baby,” Harry growled, lips brushing the shell of Louis’ ear. “And a plug? Now that’s just filthy. You wanted this didn’t you? You wanted an alpha to figure it out and give you what you wanted.”

With a shudder, Louis clenched around the little plug. He needed more, he needed a finger or a cock to fill him up. Harry hummed into his ear, kneading the flesh of Louis’ ass for a few moments before he skated his hand down and slipped it beneath the little red skirt. His palm was large and warm, the perfect size to hold Louis’ cheek, and his fingers were slightly rough against the soft skin of Louis’ bum. He’d gone for full coverage panties to maintain some semblance of modesty but, even through the layer of black cotton, he could feel the heat from Harry’s touch. 

He sucked in a gasp when Harry tapped at the base of the plug, finding the flared end of the silicone plug nestled neatly between his cheeks. He nearly whimpered when Harry smirked slowly, confidence and cockiness oozing from the alpha’s pores. What had once been annoying and nerve-grating was now the hottest thing Louis had experienced. 

“So, tell me. Are you going to be a good boy?” Harry asked, nipping at Louis’ earlobe. “Or a good girl?”

If Harry hadn’t been pressing him up against the bookshelf, Louis wouldn’t have been surprised if his knees had given out and he’d fallen into a pile on the floor. He whined, eyes fluttering shut as he tilted his head back and shivered. That – he wanted that.

He could feel Harry’s lips curl into a smile against his neck, the prickly stubble on his chin and upper lip scratching in the most erotic way Louis had ever experienced. “Ah,” he murmured, tapping twice on the end of the plug. “Is that how you like it? You like being a good girl?”

It was humiliating the way his whole body trembled in Harry’s arms, feeling a bit faint as Harry nipped at his neck. He hadn’t known he was even into that kind of thing, but the way Harry was still gripping his chin and teasing him had everything he once knew flying right out the door. All he could focus on was the alpha.

“Tell me.”

The hand holding his chin released, smoothing down Louis’ neck and skating over his back soothingly. Louis wasn’t sure he could force himself to produce a noise if he tried, too hazy from the heat and arousal building in his stomach to form proper words. 

“Nothing to say?” Harry tutted, pulling back to level Louis with a disappointed frown. “Shame. Bet you sound so pretty, don’t you baby?” 

This time instead of tapping, Harry’s fingers pushed at the plug, burying it deeper into Louis’ hole, the front of his panties were stained dark with his precum. Louis bit his bottom lip, squeezing his eyes shut and trying with all his might to keep quiet. They were in a room filled with other people, even though he couldn’t be seen with Harry’s body blocking everyone’s view of him, and he was already on edge.

Both of Harry’s hands gripped his ass this time, pushing up the back of Louis’ skirt as they grabbed at the flesh and squeezed tight. “Such a perfect ass,” Harry groaned and jiggled the meaty flesh. “I’d be willing to bet that underneath those panties your pussy is even prettier.”

“ Fuck, ” Louis wheezed as he finally felt the first bead of slick slip past the plug, slowly rolling down his ass crack. 

Harry grinned. “You’re so dirty, aren’t you? You’ve got a room full of people who can smell how wet you are and you just can’t help yourself. You really are a selfish, little brat, the only thing on your mind is finding a cock.”

His heart nearly stopped in his chest when he felt the first brush of Harry’s fingers at his waistband, dipping beneath his panties and slowly rolling them down over the swell of his ass. Harry’s words were doing more for Louis than any before had been able to do with their fingers, having him so wet that he was leaking around a plug and staining his panties. 

Louis tilted his head as Harry crouched to mouth at his throat, lifted his eyelids just enough to see the dancing bodies of his frat brothers and sorority sisters gyrating their hips to the beat, completely ignoring the couple in the corner. Harry gradually slid the undergarments down over his ass and let them slide down Louis’ legs until he was standing with his ass bare and his prick barely concealed, dribbling pearly drops of precum. 

“Fuck, baby. You’re such a naughty girl with your pussy and clit out– you’re fucking soaking,” Harry groaned, dipping his fingers between Louis’ cheeks to feel his slick slippery skin. “Does it get you off knowing that any one of them could look over here and see you like this?”

“Oh, god,” Louis whimpered, glossy pink lip tucking between his teeth. 

“It does, doesn’t it? You love knowing that anyone could see you so desperate and eager for cock that you’d wear a plug to keep you loose all night,” Harry cooed, twisting the plug’s base and nudging it in further. 

The alpha chuckled when Louis pushed back into the movement, trying to fuck himself on the toy. “Nuh uh,” he chided. “Don’t be needy, brat. You don’t get to take any more, you just get what I give you. I’ll fuck the attitude right out of you.”

In one swift movement, the toy was being pulled out, and Louis whimpered at the loss. “Harry!” he keened, rocking his hips up against Harry’s thigh and hissing at the velvet pants against his dick. It was only half a second before Harry’s fingers were replacing the plug, longer and thicker than the toy had been and feeling oh so wonderful. 

“Yeah? You got something to say?”

Louis’ eyes were nearly rolled back in his head, slick trailing down the backs of his thighs and the front of his skirt being pushed up by his prick. All thoughts of the party, hating Harry, and shitty past Christmases were completely absent from his mind, all he could focus on was the feeling of Harry’s three fingers filling him and the overwhelming need to get a cock in him. 

Harry raised a brow, taking in the ruddy cheeks, parted lips, and hazy blue eyes of the omega already so pliant and needy. “I guess it didn’t take much to get you to shut up. You’re being such a good girl now and all it took was getting your pussy fingered.”

He nodded, licking his lips and whimpering in the back of his throat while clenching around Harry’s digits. “Please,” he breathed, blinking up at Harry. “I want you, I promise I’ll be good. I’ll be a good girl for you.”

“I know you will. Come on,” Harry hummed and removed his fingers, much to Louis’ intense disapproval. He wiped the dripping slick on his coat and wrapped an arm around Louis, quickly guiding him around the crowd of dancing drunks and led him towards the steps.

They stumbled into a room that had Harry’s name on the door and in the low light of the lamp, Louis was finally able to make out the impressive bulge in his Santa suit. He was long and thick, tucked to the left and straining against the velvet material of his pants. Louis’ mouth watered at the sight. 

“Harry, please,” Louis whimpered, clinging to Harry’s shoulders as Harry closed the door behind them and walked Louis backwards towards the twin bed across the room. “I want you. I need you.”

Harry tilted his head, gazing at Louis as his hands rubbed up and down Louis’ sides. “Do you? I’m not sure I believe you.”

His heart sank into his stomach and his hole clenched around nothing, pushing out another wave of slick that rolled down his inner thigh. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could last if Harry didn’t give him what he needed, so he pouted up at Harry and slipped his hands beneath Harry’s jacket, feeling his abs jump beneath his fingers. 

“I need it, Alpha. I’ll be good for you, I swear. I just wanna feel you in me,” Louis murmured and gently rubbed his palm over the bulge. He could feel the weight of it against his hand, how thick and hot it was even through two layers of material. 

“Get on the bed.”

Louis rushed to obey, climbing on and sitting with his knees pressed together and his ass leaking slick onto his covers. He wanted to be good for Harry and show him how sorry he was for being a brat earlier. He could be good, he could be such a good girl.

“Take your shirt off.”

Within seconds, Louis had ripped his tank top over his head and flung it on the floor. Harry watched, eyes gone dark green and his scent thicker than fog, a smirk playing on his lips. The alpha strided over and gazed at him, slowly crouching in front of Louis. With a surprising amount of care, Harry slowly slid the zipper of his boots down and eased them off his feet until he was in nothing but his skirt.

“Such a pretty baby,” Harry murmured. “You gonna take off your little skirt for me? Show me that pretty pussy that you’ve been keeping loose for me all day?”

“Yes,” Louis breathed. He fumbled an embarrassing amount to get the zipper of the skirt down but eventually he managed to slide it down his legs, leaving him naked and leaking.

A pounding on the bedroom door had Louis’ legs snapping shut and a possessive growl ripped from Harry’s throat. Bitter notes of burnt ginger radiating from his scent glands as he stalked over to the door and cracked it open just enough to peek through the slot. “What?” he seethed.

“I’m sorry, man but we really need you to bring someone home. He’s really drunk and keeps insisting he drive himself home.”

Louis watched as the tension in Harry’s back loosened, his shoulders dropping as he hung his head. “Are you kidding me?”

“I’m sorry, man. Nobody else is sober enough to drive him home.”

Desperation pooled in Louis’ gut, slick seeping into the sheets under him and his heart hammering in his chest. He needed Harry. His entire body ached for the alpha’s knot and the desire to be filled was overwhelming. “Harry,” he whimpered.

The alpha glanced over his shoulder, eyes blown wide and his cheeks flushed. “Fuck,” he breathed and turned back towards the door, murmuring something to whoever was on the other side of the door. There was a scuffle and then Harry was easing the door shut and turning to face Louis.

His hair was a wild mess and his lips were bitten red. “I am so sorry,” he murmured.

“No,” Louis whined, his lower lip pouting as he stared up at Harry with wide, pleading eyes. “Don’t go, please.”

“I am sorry, baby, but I have to. Fuck, I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Louis watched in disappointment as Harry fixed his jacket and grabbed his keys from the desk. Before leaving, Harry hurried over and pressed a quick kiss to Louis’ forehead. “Don’t move.”

He left. Louis had been laying in Harry’s bed, wet and needy, and Harry had fucking left. If Louis wasn’t so desperate to see this through, he would have gotten dressed and told Harry to go screw himself. But the drive to be good kept him anchored to the bed, slick leaking out of his loose hole and his heart pounding in his ears. 

For what felt like hours, Louis laid on his back and tried to focus on his breathing to keep himself calm. His prick was achingly hard, never once flagging as he waited for Harry to return. At some point it had nearly been too much to handle, the desperation so strong that he couldn’t resist trailing his fingers down his stomach and brushing them over his small cock, hissing at the attention. Harry hadn’t explicitly told him not to touch, but he didn’t want to risk coming before he had a chance to feel Harry, so he kept the movement light and fleeting, just enough to take the edge off.

By the time thirty minutes had passed, Louis was grinding back against the mattress, his hole clenching around nothing and his prick painfully purple. The knob on the door turned, alarm spiking Louis’ scent as he grabbed for a blanket to cover himself. He hadn’t even thought about what he would do if someone tried to come in, and it wasn’t like Harry had locked the door. Louis didn’t know if these doors even locked in the first place.

He whimpered when the door swung open, but mewled in relief when he realized it was only Harry. Sweat was shimmering on his brow and he looked like he had run all the way down the block and sprinted up the steps. “Sorry, baby! I’m so sorry, I’m back,” he panted as he quickly shut the door behind him, wiping a bead of sweat from his temple.

Harry’s bottom lip was bitten red and his chest was flushed when he turned to look at the boy laid out and leaking on his bed. “Fuck, you really are pretty all over. Your tits and your clit and your wet, little cunt,” he breathed and trailed his finger over the buds of Louis’ nipples. “You look positively breedable.”

Nobody could blame him for the jolt of excitement and the desperation that had Louis spreading his legs in invitation. Harry loomed over him, tall and domineering – perfectly dominant. He pushed Louis back until he was laying flat with his legs spread and his hands propped up on his tiny tummy pudge.

Teasingly, Harry slipped off his jacket and kicked off his pants until he was standing at the side of the bed with his boxers leaving little to the imagination. 

“Please, Alpha. Breed me,” Louis whimpered.

“You want me to?” Harry asked, trailing his finger up the inside of Louis’ thigh and over his tiny cock. “Want me to cum inside you and fill you with pups?”

God, Louis wanted nothing more.

“Are you…”

Louis nodded and licked his lips. “I take them every day. Never missed one.”

Harry blinked, his eyes nearly black. “Good. On your belly,” he ordered. Louis was quick to do so, turning over and presenting himself for Harry. “You’re finally being good,” he murmured, the bed dipping beneath his weight as he kneeled behind Louis. “You were such a brat earlier, but I think you’re finally being the sweet omega I know you can be.”

Warm hands caressed his back, soft and gentle as Harry rubbed circles above the dimples at the base of Louis’ spine. That’s all Louis wanted really, to be good for Harry. 

Louis trembled when he felt the head of Harry’s cock brush against his hole, having no clue when Harry had lost his boxers but grateful to get to feel the blunt head against his slick skin. Harry slapped the head against his hole, fingers gripping Louis’ hip. “So pretty.”

It should have embarrassed him, the way his omega preened at the praise. But Louis adored it, reveling in the attention Harry showed him as he nudged the head past the first ring of muscle.

He gasped, burying his face in Harry’s pillow. Harry was warm, his cock soft but firm inside him. Inch by inch, Harry buried himself in Louis, groaning and murmuring soft praises. If there was one thing Louis loved, it was cock. He’d had quite a few in his life, but it was safe to say that Harry’s was one of the best. 

Once Harry was all the way to the hilt, he gave Louis a minute to adjust, leaning over to kiss the back of Louis’ neck. He was much bigger than the plug had been, long and thick, filling Louis perfectly. After a few moments, he nodded shakily. 

“Ready, baby?” Harry asked lowly. He mouthed at Louis’ shoulder, sucking small bruises into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. When Louis nodded again, he slowly drew back, his cock sliding against Louis’ walls as he pulled out to the tip. With a firm thrust, Harry fucked into the omega, jolting a whimper from his lips.

He started off slow, enjoying the steady drag of his cock and feeling every vein. He pumped into Louis steadily, his hips working easily to slide in and out until he had worked up a good rhythm that had Louis’ toes curling and his lungs aching for air as Harry fucked him senseless. 

Louis was a mess of slick, whimpers, and pleading as Harry bruised his hips, his balls slapping against Louis’ ass. From the beyond erotic forplay of being fingered openly at the party downstairs, he was already embarrassingly close to orgasm. 

“So good,” Harry grunted, pressing Louis’ chest into the mattress as he snapped his hips forward and hissed. “My pretty omega. Being so good, aren’t you?”

The party was still raging below them, sounds of laughter and techno Christmas music echoing throughout the house but all Louis could focus on was the cock pounding inside him. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever been fucked so good in his life. The headboard creaked, tapping against the wall with each thrust, and the springs of the mattress creaked. “‘M g-good,” he stammered.

“Yeah, you are,” Harry agreed, sucking a bruise to Louis’ shoulder. “Cunt so tight, baby.”

Louis clenched his fists into the pillow he was burying his face into, gasping into the down feathers and crying out when Harry nailed his prostate. “There!”

Maintaining the angle, Harry’s dick fucked into him faster. Louis was drooling and seeing stars from how good it was, his prick achingly hard between his legs. He let go of the pillow in favor of reaching down to touch himself, but his hand was immediately smacked away.

“No touching your clit,” Harry tutted, growling as he slammed into Louis’ prostate again. “Be a good girl.”

He wanted to cry, the overwhelming feeling of an orgasm barreling towards him leaving him with the building sensation of desperation. He didn’t just long for Harry’s cock – he lived for it – every thrust had him babbling nonsense into his pillow.

That feeling in his belly grew, creeping up from the pits of his stomach until it flooded his chest and arms with relief as he spilled into Harry’s sheets. “Harry!” he cried out, body going rigid and then falling limp as he collapsed onto the bed.

His entire body was shaking with the force of an untouched orgasm, his toes were curled and he could hardly catch his breath. Ass in the air, Louis recovered from his euphoria, dick already growing hard again with the way Harry was still fucking him.

“One more, baby. You can give me one more,” Harry encouraged, the musty smell of sweat and alpha filling Louis’ lungs and covering him. He bit down on the skin at the base of Louis’ neck, lathing his tongue over the bite.

For Harry, Louis would do anything. He’d fly to the moon for the alpha. He would never touch himself again if it was what Harry desired. In that moment, Harry was the only thing keeping Louis anchored to reality.

Harry gripped his hip, squeezing the flesh of his wide hips and smacking his hand against Louis’ thigh. “Fuck, so perfect. So breedable and good– gonna fuck my pups into you,” Harry rambled, sweat dripping from his brow onto Louis’ back and his scent cloaking over the omega.

It was claiming and possessive – Louis loved it.

“Please,” he pleaded softly, arching his back.

That same feeling bubbled up in Louis’ gut and tingles erupted from his toes to the crown of his head. He was close again already, and he moaned as Harry finally brought his hand around to rub at his prick.

Harry’s finger rubbed at the head in quick little circles, screwing his cock in deep before pulling out and slamming back in. He was rubbing Louis’ dick like a clit and smearing cum over him, never stopping the filthy words that fell from his mouth.

“C’mon baby,” Harry hissed. “I’m close.”

A sharp snap of Harry’s hips had Louis’ mouth falling open in a silent scream and he jolted as he came again, painting Harry’s hand in his cum while Harry’s knot flared inside him. Two pumps was all it took before Harry was locked inside, cum pouring into Louis.

This part was often awkward, usually the realization that they would be stuck for a while making things stilted and weird, but Harry nosed at his neck and sighed. “Good boy. Such a good omega.”

The ropes of cum filling Louis were hot, scorching against his insides in the most fulfilling way, and Harry’s lips never stopped pressing kisses to his spine.

Eventually Harry’s knot deflated and he was able to pull out, immediately helping to clean Louis up and peppering gentle kisses to the bruises lining Louis’ back, thighs, and hips. He was tender and kind, murmuring words of praise as he slid his basketball jersey over Louis’ head and combed his fingers through his hair. Louis wasn’t normally a cuddler right after a hookup, but it just felt so nice to be held by Harry, cradled against his chest and the steady beat of Harry’s heart beating in Louis’ ear. 

 ❄❄❄

Louis woke in the morning with a pain in his ass and a warm body pressed against his own. For as long as it had been since he’d gotten laid last, it had been even longer since he had woken up to someone in bed with him. In his last relationship, the beta he’d been with wasn’t the cuddliest of people and he’d forgotten how nice it could feel to share a bed.  

He looked up at the alpha lying next to him and blushed when he caught Harry staring at him. His eyes were impossibly green in the glow of the morning light and his curls were an absolute mess, yet he still was mesmerizing. 

“Morning,” Harry hummed, voice deep and gravely. He carded his fingers through Louis’ hair and smiled lazily down at the omega, making his heart stutter in his chest.

He would have thought that morning would bring a wave of regret for what they had done the night before or at least the awkward tension that always came after a one night stand – especially with someone you’ve hated for the better part of a year. But, oddly enough, Harry was warm and caring, gently trailing his fingers up and down Louis’ arm. What was even more peculiar is that Louis didn’t mind this apparent change of heart. He actually wanted to lean into it, which was terribly frightening considering only twelve hours ago he would have slapped Harry if he had so much as touched him. 

“Hi.”

With his lip tucked between his teeth, Louis looked away and stared at the ceiling, conflicted by the warring emotions raging in his skull. He was supposed to despise Harry, that was how they worked. Harry was the cocky, arrogant alpha, and Louis was the smart, intelligent omega who knew better than to get caught up in Harry’s charm. And yet, here he was lying in Harry’s bed with his head pillowed on his chest and a surprising lack of hatred for the alpha.

He’d always been told he was being overly dramatic when it came to the conflict between himself and Harry, Liam made it a habit to tell him as much every chance he got. It was obvious Harry had always been puzzled by Louis’ feelings, or lack thereof, for him and claimed that Louis would like him if he actually gave it a chance. Somewhere along the line, it became less about his true feelings and more about his stubbornness to hate Harry. 

As he laid in bed next to him, Louis realized that perhaps he didn’t hate Harry afterall. He looked back on their trip to the market the night before, how Harry had been so unbelievably sweet to that mother and her son. He was kind and caring, even when Louis was being a bitch. At all of the other parties they had both attended, Harry was the one who would smile and say hi to Louis in an attempt to make conversation, though the omega had interpreted it as Harry being annoying at the time. It was embarrassing to think back on and remember how childish he had always acted around the alpha. 

Clearing his throat, Louis rubbed the sleep from his eyes and bit at the inside of his cheek. “So.”

Harry was watching him with apprehension in his eyes, the weight of their newfound situation sinking in. “So,” Harry echoed, averting his eyes to stare at the ceiling.

Louis cringed. He hated these conversations, the discussion of whether or not it was just a fling or if it were something more. More often than not, he would leave after a hookup and never see the other person again. He couldn’t find the right words to say it just yet, but he didn’t want to part ways and continue on like they were – he couldn’t pretend he still hated Harry. “You first?”

“I guess so.” Harry’s chest rose as he took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. “Last night was…”

Horrible? Awkward? A mistake?

“Amazing,” the alpha mumbled.

Louis blinked. “Really?”

Nodding, Harry scratched his fingers against Louis’ scalp and smiled softly. “Yeah. Really amazing. I don’t know the last time I had sex that good.”

And well, if that wasn’t enough to make Louis’ omega preen at the praise then nothing would be. 

“There’s only one problem. I don’t know that I can do it again.” 

Oh. 

“Of course,” Louis rasped, wincing at the scratchiness of his own voice. “Wouldn’t want to break our tradition of hating each other now would we?” Pushing away Harry’s hand, Louis wrapped the sheets around himself, suddenly feeling too exposed and shivering in the cold air. He should have known better. He’d pushed Harry away every chance he got and now he was paying the price. 

“That’s not-”

Louis snatched his panties from the ground along with his discarded skirt, blanching at the very thought of having to make his walk of shame and face the judgement of the frat brothers and his sorority sisters. “Where are my shoes?” he interrupted, unable to shake the nagging feeling of his omega whining. 

Harry’s lips were turned downwards into a frown, his brow furrowed, and a crease indented in his cheek from the pillow. “By the dresser. But Louis-”

“Can I borrow a toothbrush?”

With a huff Harry sat up in bed, the blankets pooling around his waist and drawing Louis’ attention to the well-defined abs shivering in the cold. “Of course you can, but will you shut the fuck up and let me talk?”

Louis’ mouth snapped shut at the edge in Harry’s tone, insides fluttering nervously.

“Christ, Louis,” Harry grunted and swung his legs over the side of the bed, seemingly completely unashamed of his naked form. “You really are stubborn aren’t you? What I was trying to say is that I don’t think I can do that again because I can’t pretend that I don’t like you.”

Stunned, Louis stared at the alpha with his right hand clutching at the sheets wrapped around him and one of his boots dangling from his free hand. 

“I think you’re beautiful, funny, and, although you try your best to hide it, incredibly sweet. I know this might fuck some things up and it might make things even more awkward, but I’ve had a crush on you for ages. When I saw Zayn dancing with you last night, I just got so jealous. Seeing his hands on you and watching you look so pretty, it made me act like a knothead. It sucked to see you dancing with someone else the way I wanted to dance with you and I just couldn’t take it anymore. So, yeah. I guess what I’m saying is that I really like you and if you don’t feel the same, then I guess this is it.”

For a few seconds, Louis couldn’t do anything but stare at Harry. It was surreal. If anyone had told Louis that he would wake up in Harry Styles’ bed after having some of the hottest sex of his life and that Harry had feelings for him, he would have laughed in their face. The idea would have been preposterous, but instead Louis stood practically naked with his heart beating rapidly in his chest and feelings swirling in his head at the foot of Harry’s bed. “I like you,” he blurted out.

“You do?” Harry asked in surprise, a hopeful smile tugging on the corners of his lips. 

Louis nodded slowly. “Yeah. I don’t know why or how, but I think I do. I don’t want to go back to pretending we hate each other either.”

“So, what does this mean?”

Shrugging, Louis ducked his head to stare at the floorboards. “I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “But I guess we have time to figure it out.”

“Okay,” Harry whispered and got to his feet, walking over to Louis and brushing the messy fringe out of his eyes. “Wanna shower? I’ve been told I give great scalp massages.”

When they emerged from the steaming room forty five minutes later, Louis’ knees were bruised and his throat was sore, but still, he was smiling. It helped that Harry had promised to feed him the best breakfast he’d ever had.

Eggs and pancakes had never tasted so good. 

Louis wished he could have stayed all day but, unfortunately, he had to pack his bags and head home until the new year. Harry walked him to the door, dressed in only a pair of plaid pajama bottoms, and Louis was practically swimming in Harry’s jersey and a pair of his sweatpants. Ignoring the alphas cleaning up after the party from the night prior, they walked through the foyer of the frat and Louis stopped in his tracks.

It struck him that although they had fucked, they still hadn’t kissed. As luck would have it, mistletoe glimmered under the hallway lights above their heads. Naturally, Louis took that as a sign and he turned to Harry, reaching up and sliding his fingers into the alpha’s damp curls to tug him down. He kissed Harry eagerly, humming happily against his soft lips and wrapping his arms around his neck. 

“I’ll text you?” Louis asked when they separated, grinning up at Harry with pink cheeks and gleaming eyes. 

Harry returned his expression, nodding as he thumbed at Louis’ cheekbones. “I’ll text you back. Drive safe,” he murmured and pressed one last lingering kiss to Louis’ lips before watching him go, a small smirk on his lips when he realized that Louis never did give back his gloves. Already missing the omega, Harry turned and went to help the boys clean up.

From the living room, the horrified voice of Liam Payne echoed down the halls. “Uhhh, guys? I think there’s a buttplug on the floor in the living room!”