#beforeeternity

Hi, anon! That's such a great one, isn't it? And also, yes, there are more really amazing ones out there! It's such an interesting exploration of the trope!

What I Have With You (I don't want with anyone else) by @lululawrence

Louis smiled. “I’m sorry for how I ran away last night.”

“It’s totally fine. I’m sorry I did all that. I never asked if you were okay with it, and I really should have.”

Louis didn’t know how to respond to that. “I mean, I wasn’t really telling you no before that. How were you to know I’d be fine and then… not.”

“Well, if I had asked you first like I should have, then I would have known your boundaries.”

“How can you know my boundaries when even I don’t?” Louis scoffed. “Shit.”

Louis hadn’t meant to say that much to Harry. It’s not like he was embarrassed by who he was, but he still didn’t really talk about it openly either.

“What do you mean?” Harry asked.

Louis shook his head and kept his eyes trained on Harry’s chest. The shirt was old enough he could see the ghost of Harry’s tattoos through it.

“It’s a long and complicated story that is also very boring, so I don’t think you actually want the answer.”

Or Louis is an asexual alpha, Harry is his aromantic alpha friend and possible roommate, and faking a relationship might be exactly what they need to get their families and friends off their backs.

Change of Plans by @haztobegood

Harry and Louis plan to visit their families over Christmas. Sometimes, plans don't work out.

now you're in my life (I can't get you off my mind) by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed

Harry loves romance.

In theory, anyway.

He loves the romantic movies, the careful brush of fingers against the back of a neck, the hand holding and the endless gazes. He loves the possibilities, the tension and the wonder. He loves the idea of falling in love, finding someone to come home to.

In reality, it’s a little different. Because as much as Harry loves the concept of dating, the reality sucks.

Baby, Don’t Apologize by @neondiamond

A new wave of guilt washes over Harry as he thinks of what his poor Alpha has to go through every four months, all because of him. “Don’t do that,” he hears Louis say from the next room. “Don’t blame yourself.” Harry's face goes red with embarrassment as he realises his Alpha was able to detect his guilt through his scent. Damn pheromones. - Harry being an asexual Omega means his Alpha Louis has had to spend his ruts alone for the past decade despite being mated. He’s not sure who feels most hurt by it.

in comes the rain by BeforeEternity

Louis glared down at the calendar notification on his phone, as if by the power of his gaze alone, he could make time skip forward. He just really did not want to deal with this.   Stupid fucking heat. Stupid fucking biology. 

curiosity, kitten by 1000_directions | T | 1328 “I don’t like cats,” Louis says, frowning at the five different cooking competition shows in their Netflix queue. Bucky definitely added that shit. He deletes all but one of them out of spite. “I didn’t like dogs,” Bucky reminds him, “but I got over that. You’ll like this guy, Lou. He’s so cute and little.” “Sounds stupid,” Louis says. “Get us something cool. Let’s get a snake.” “We can get a snake, but we are also getting this cat,” Bucky says. “I’m not leaving him here. He’s asleep in my lap right now, and his ears are wiggling for no reason, and I love him.”

sat with the echoes by BeforeEternity | T | 3219 A short fic about navigating the world as someone who has, for all intents and purposes, recovered from an eating disorder. There’s a cat too.

Are You Missing Underwear? by grapenight | G | 4093 Are You Missing Underwear? Just to keep things brief, my cat has stolen a large amount of socks and underwear from a neighbor. I am very sorry. I live on Cherry Street. If these are your clothes, please call 112-358-1321 I promise I will give them back, I wasn't the one who wanted them, it was my asshole cat. Or, Harry's cat frequently steals Louis' underwear.

sweater paws by hattalove | T | 6585 In retrospect, Louis should have grabbed the yarn and run. also known as the classic tale of Louis's struggle with a hippie boyfriend, a ginger cat, and a lot of wool.

Olivia by haloeverlasting | nr | 7915 There was no rhyme or reason to Louis’ disdain for cats. Harry hadn’t even heard him explicitly say he hated them, but his tone had said it all. He was completely dismissive of cats. This could only lead Harry to one reasonable conclusion. Louis can never meet Olivia. Harry has a cat. Louis thinks he has a secret husband. It's as ridiculous as it sounds.

show me how by wallstracktwo | M | 11000 When Louis is hired to take care of the prince's cats, it comes at the perfect time - his life is in ruins and he's been feeling down and out. He thinks it'll be fun and easy money. How much trouble could a couple of cats actually get into? But it's not only the cats bringing chaos and disruption into Louis' life - it's also the prince.

start me over by camiii | E | 44104 "Nick’s funny when he’s not being a knob, and has good taste in music and Louis really likes his hands. Not to mention that he’s tall, tall enough to have made Louis spend a minute or two imagining what it would be like to have Nick pin him to a flat surface and snog him senseless. The only thing keeping him from a full grown crush at this point is sheer will and the threat of humiliation. So, Nick’s a dickhead but unfortunately Louis is kind of into that."

i must admit i thought i'd like to make you mine by disgruntledkittenface | M | 50645 Louis fell apart when her ex broke up with her and moved across the country. Just as she’s starting to move on, Zayn comes back to town for their mutual friends’ wedding – with a new girlfriend as her plus one. Blindsided and scrambling to save face, Louis lets herself get talked into a fake relationship with her new friend Harry. Their arrangement makes Louis feel pathetic and embarrassed, but it’s only going to last a few weeks. She just has to get through the wedding – what could happen?