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They're not in a relationship.
No, Louis won't call it that. Because Louis doesn't do relationships. Louis does drunken one-night, maybe two-night stands. He determines how long he'll stay based on what time he wakes up the next morning.
If he's comfortable enough, he'll sleep in. And if he sleeps in, he knows he'll be staying another night. If he's uncomfortable, he'll wake up around five or six in the morning and quietly sneak out.
He wakes up around five when he sleeps with Liam. He's uncomfortable. Extremely uncomfortable. There's a terrible crick in his neck, his back is sore, he's got an awful taste in his mouth. Liam's flat is cold and silent, and it's uncomfortable.
But he'll always stay at Liam's. He'll stay for a week, maybe. They don't fuck every night, but they cuddle and watch television and when Liam goes to work, Louis will sit and wait for him. And he never thinks twice about what he's doing. He knows it's stupid. Liam knows the routine, too.
Louis will always leave on a Thursday. His least favorite day. He'll slip out of the flat early in the morning, and sometimes he'll leave a pair of pants or a shirt. It's his excuse to come back on Monday. It's his excuse to wrap his arms around Liam's neck; it's his excuse to shove his tongue down his throat; it's his excuse to make the younger male scream out his name (Louis is obsessed with the way Liam says his name).
So when Liam starts actually dating someone, a gorgeous brunette named Danielle, Louis has to convince himself he's not jealous because Liam was never really his to begin with. They weren't in a relationship, they were just playing around. So he watches with a careful eye.
But it makes his knees tremble when Liam's had a little bit too much to drink after Danielle dumps him (maybe too much for his own health) and Louis has to walk him home, and Liam manages to mumble "Louis, please..." before they're making out in the alley behind the bar.
The weird thing is, it's a Thursday. And Louis never leaves after that. No matter how uncomfortable the bed is, no matter how cold the flat is, no matter how many times he wakes up at five am and contemplates leaving. He simply wraps himself around Liam, and everything is the way it should be.
Thursday becomes his favorite day.