Chapter Text
1 year later
The flat looked nothing like it did the day they moved in.
The walls were filled with photos; laughing ones, blurry ones, ones taken when neither of them noticed.
There were plants (more than Louis would ever admit agreeing to), a ridiculous record collection, a rainbow of throw blankets Harry had insisted on and a kitchen that Louis had somehow become very territorial about.
The place was alive. It felt like them.
And today was special. Today was their one-year anniversary of moving in.
Harry woke up first, because Louis was practically glued to his side, mouth open slightly, hair a glorious disaster. Harry watched him for a moment, heart so full he thought it might burst.
Then he kissed Louis' shoulder and whispered, "Happy move-in-together-anniversary, love."
Louis mumbled something unintelligible and pulled him closer, burying his face in Harry's chest. They stayed like that for a long time, wrapped up in morning warmth and soft kisses and whispered I-love-you's.
At some point, Louis cracked one eye open and said, "How did we get so lucky?"
Harry smiled. "Dunno. Don't care. Never letting go."
And he meant it.
They spent the day exactly how they wanted, breakfast at their favorite little café (where Harry spilled his coffee all over the table and Louis cackled so hard the waitress gave them free biscuits), a long walk in the park with Basil (they ended up babysitting him more often since Liam and Zayn had a baby six months ago and were still adjusting to that), and lazy hours curled up on the couch watching terrible movies.
They exchanged small gifts, nothing flashy, just meaningful. Harry gave Louis a leather bracelet with the coordinates of their flat engraved inside.
Louis gave Harry a framed photo from their first night in the flat—half blurry, full of laughter.
It was perfect. And then, naturally, it ended in the bedroom.
Louis was stretched out beneath Harry, still slightly flushed from laughing so much earlier, his shirt discarded somewhere across the room.
Harry kissed his way up Louis' torso slowly, deliberately, taking his time.
"You're mine," Harry whispered against his skin.
"Yours," Louis breathed, arching up into him, fingers tangling in Harry's hair as the latter slowly pushed into him again and again.
When Louis came, it was with a broken, beautiful cry of Harry's name, his hands clutching at Harry's back like he never wanted to let go.
And when Harry followed, it was with his forehead pressed to Louis' temple, whispering, "Always.. always you."
When they lay together after they cleaned themselves up, Louis traced lazy patterns on Harry's chest, smiling. "We really did it," he said quietly.
Harry kissed the top of his head. "We're doing it. Every day."
Louis smiled wider, letting himself believe it, letting himself live it. "Happy move-in-together-anniversary," he whispered.
Harry tightened his arms around him. "Happy everything."
And outside, the city slept on, vast and unknowable. But here, in the space between two hearts, there was only certainty.
There was only home.
And Louis and Harry? They're home. Always.
The End
- at least for us, at least for this story, but in our minds and imagination the endless universe of Harry and Louis will live as long as we let them.