As of today, they’ve got a week and a half to get this single put together and ready to release. It shouldn’t take that long to finish what they’ve started, but it shouldn’t have taken them as long as it has to get it written and recorded, what little they actually have that’s good. The impending deadline is stressing Liam out, and he calls for a break in the middle of recording a verse. He goes outside to get some air, the overcast skies giving the light breeze a slight chill. He thinks that he should have put on his jacket before coming outside, but the cool breeze helps to clear his head, helps him think.

He’s leaning against a nearby wall, deep in thought when he hears the door close behind him, footsteps getting louder as whoever it is gets closer. “I’ll be back in in a minute,” he says, assuming it’s one of the producers. “Tell Harry to keeps his pants on.”

“Why don’t you tell him yourself?” Liam turns around and sees that it was Harry, not a producer, who came outside to join him. Liam turns back around and lets out a sigh.

“I’m sorry, mate. It’s just...this whole process, it’s not--”

“Not fun?” Harry asks, and Liam glances to where Harry is now standing next to him.

Liam nods, then backtracks. “It’s not because of you, though,” he says, bringing his hands up in front of him in a defensive pose. “Working with you has been great, better than I thought it would be.” He pauses, then realizes what he said. “Not that I thought it would be bad! I just thought...I mean...why are you laughing?”

“You need to relax, man. This whole week’s been stressful for everyone involved. It’s okay that you’re freaking out about the deadline. I know you are because I am, too. But I think we can work together and figure out how to get this done sooner rather than later so we can go back to hating each other, if you believe what some of the tabloids say.”

“If that’s only what some of the tabloids say, what are the other ones saying?”

“That we’re lovers.”

“Oh.”

It’s quiet for a bit, but it’s comfortable. Harry eventually breaks it with a sigh.

“This morning, when I woke up, I told myself two things. I told myself I would have a good day, and that I would do something I’ve wanted to do for the past few days.”

Liam hums in response.

“You wanna know how I know today’s gonna be a good day?”

“How?”

“Because it’s my birthday.”

Liam lights up and turns to him, a huge smile on his face. “No way! Really?” Harry nods. “Well happy birthday, mate!”

“Thanks, Liam.”

“You got any big plans for tonight?”

Harry sighs again. “Yeah, but I dunno if they’re gonna work out. See, the guy I like, he doesn’t know that I like him, and I don’t know how he feels about me at all, but honestly all I want for my birthday is for him to come back to mine and fuck me until I scream.”

Liam coughs, a little uncomfortable with how candid Harry is being, but he’ll get over it. “Why don’t you tell him that you like him? I can’t imagine he wouldn’t like you back. You’re great. And I’ve loved getting to know you over this past week. Like I knew stuff about you as an artist, but you as a person and you as an artist are two completely different people. In a good way.”

“I don’t know...do you really think I should tell him?”

“Yeah. And if it doesn’t work out, it’s your birthday. You can go to a bar and get people to buy you drinks because nobody deserves to be sad on their birthday.”

Harry shrugs, figuring it’s now or never. His answer’s automatically no if he doesn’t ask, right? “It’s you, Liam.”

“Me? What’s...oh! I’m the guy!” Harry nods, a shy smile on his face. “Alright,” he says, then starts walking towards the door. When he doesn’t sense Harry behind him, he turns around, finding a sad-looking Harry right where he left him. “Are you coming or not?”

“What?” Harry asks genuinely confused.

“You said I’m the guy, right?” Harry nods. “And what was it you said about going back to yours?”

Harry feels his cheeks turn pink. “Oh, that. Um. We don’t...have to, if--”

Liam walks back over to Harry, standing as close as he can get without pushing him over. “I want to. Honest. I’ve been thinking the same things about you since this whole project started. Well, maybe not the fucking part, but I’m not gonna say no to you on your birthday, especially if it means I’d be giving up something I never thought I’d get to have.”

Harry’s eyes light up, and if they’re a little watery, Liam doesn’t say anything about it. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go then.”

They make it out of the studio and to Harry’s flat in no time, and before Harry can even get his front door all the way closed, Liam’s crowding him up against it. He gives Harry a second to adjust, waiting for him to relax before speaking, his voice lower than normal.

“Tell me what you want, birthday boy.”

“You already know what I want.”

“Yeah, but that can’t be all you want. I know you like foreplay, so what do you want me to do? You want me to take my time, touch you all over until I know every sensitive spot on your body, tease you until you’re begging for me to do something, anything, because you want to come so bad?” Liam leans in and kisses Harry, just once, before pulling back. “Or do you wanna go fast, see how many times I can make you come in a night if I just keep fucking you and don’t stop?” Liam leans in again, this time to whisper in Harry’s ear. “I think I could make you come at least three times, maybe more if I try real hard.”

“God, Liam, your mouth,” Harry breathes, trying to remember how to speak as Liam kisses his neck. “If I had known you’d be like this, I would have seduced you a long time ago.”

“Better late than never, yeah?” Liam asks, and Harry nods, pulling him up so they can kiss again, and God. This is all Harry’s wanted for the last week, for the past couple months if he’s being honest with himself. He’s always found Liam attractive, but this. This is something else. Harry is perfectly happy to stay pressed against his front door and kiss Liam for the rest of his life, but he can feel where Liam’s hard in his pants and he wants to get his mouth on Liam’s dick right now.

“Bedroom,” Harry says against Liam’s lips, and Liam moves so that Harry can lead the way. It’s a bit difficult because they don’t stop kissing, and they’re trying to undress each other as they go, but they eventually make it to Harry’s bedroom, both down to just their pants and miraculously unscathed.

Harry wastes no time in guiding Liam towards his bed and sitting him down at the foot of it. Liam’s about to ask what he’s doing when Harry gets on his knees in front of him and rests his hands on his thighs.

“Wanna taste you,” Harry says, and Liam makes a “go ahead” motion, lifting his hips up so Harry can get his pants down over his bum. Harry gets Liam’s pants off and throws them somewhere behind him because he’s a little preoccupied at the moment. Liam’s dick is...well, it’s perfect. It’s everything Harry looks for in a dick. He doesn’t hesitate in getting it in his mouth, moaning at the taste and how it feels.

On the other end of things, Liam’s sure he’s about to cry because he’s never had a blowjob this good. Harry’s mouth is made for this. And he does everything just the way Liam likes it, from how he uses just a little bit of teeth to make it hurt in a good way to the way he alternates between swirling his tongue around the head and licking stripes up from the base to the tip. It’s perfect. But, because of that perfection, Liam feels like he’s gonna come a lot sooner than he normally does.

“Harry, Harry stop.” Liam has to close his eyes and take a breath when Harry sits up because Harry’s face, his lips shiny and red and his eyes wide and just as shiny as his lips, is enough by itself to make him come.

“As much as I’d love to come in your mouth and all over your face, it’s not up to me. And I think you said something about me fucking you until you scream?” Harry stands up and pushes Liam’s shoulders so he falls back onto the bed, scooting himself up to the headboard as Harry crawls over him. Harry leans down and kisses Liam, rutting his hips down against Liam’s, and it takes Liam a second to realize that the tangy taste in Harry’s mouth is him. As incredibly turned on as he is now, he tries to flip Harry over, but Harry’s not budging.

“I thought you wanted me to fuck you,” Liam pouts, and Harry can’t help but be endeared.

“I do, but you’re gonna have to prep me first, and I’m so close to coming already that I know I won’t be able to keep myself from coming while you finger me. So,” he says, pausing to gasp because the way his dick just rubbed against Liam’s made something incredible shoot up his spine, “I thought we could just get off like this, clean up, order some take away and rest a bit, and then you can fuck me, any way you like.” He pauses again to let Liam think. “How’s that sound?”

Liam doesn’t answer in any way other than reaching up to wrap one hand around the back of Harry’s neck, the other finding its way to Harry’s bum, and pulling him down for a sloppy kiss at the same time as he grinds his hips up. Harry moans, liking the way Liam takes control. He’s gonna have to remember that for later.

Liam’s close, but Harry’s still got his pants on, and he wants to feel Harry’s skin against his. “Harry,” Liam pants as Harry keeps kissing Liam, moving down to leave love bites all down his neck, “this feels great, and I’m so glad we’re doing this, but can you take off your pants? I wanna feel you.”

Harry moves up so he’s whispering in Liam’s ear, and Liam swears Harry starts grinding down on him harder. “No. I’m not gonna take ‘em off. You wanna know why?” Liam groans in response. “Because it’s my birthday, and I always get what I want on my birthday. But also because I want you to make me come in them. I love it. I love how dirty it makes me feel. You wanna get me all dirty Liam? You wanna make me make a mess in my pants, wanna help me clean it up?” He pauses to lick the shell of Liam’s ear. It feels strange, but now is not the time for Liam to decide if he likes it or not. “If you’re good and make me come, you can clean it up with your mouth.”

The image of Harry spread out on the bed underneath him and the thought of what Harry might taste like are what push Liam over the edge, Harry following him not too far after. They stay where they are for a minute, catching their breath, when Liam takes Harry’s face in his hands and kisses him, just once, but gently.

“Happy birthday, Harry.”

“Thank you, Liam.”

“Did that live up to what you wanted? How you wanted your birthday night to start, at least?”

“Yeah,” Harry says, sitting up and stretching, groaning as his back pops a few times. “It’s a good thing it’s still early, though. I’ve got big plans for rounds two and three.”