A/N: Hope you like this final chapter! Warning: extreme amounts of sappiness and fluff. There's a much longer author's note at the end, I want to save all the weepiness for after the story is over :,)
UPDATE: I have posted a few extras to this story, if anyone was not aware -- meaning there are now more than twenty chapters to this story! Check em out :)
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June 2015
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"Well?"
Louis holds his arms out and spins in a circle slowly, feeling an extraordinarily massive amount of deja vu settle over him as he does so.
Zayn smirks from where he's standing across the room, leaning against the wall in his own tux. "You look hot. I've done good." He says it jokingly, the very same words he'd said to Louis before winter formal months and months ago, but with laughter dancing in his eyes.
Louis raises his eyebrows at his best friend, trying to hold back a smile and failing. "Thanks man."
Zayn walks over to him, quiff bouncing slightly as he moves. He reaches out and tugs on Louis's blazer a bit, then straightens his tie. He then lets out a small laugh, and Louis gives him a questioning look.
"I still can't believe," Zayn mutters, "that you actually let me punch a guy for you."
Louis lets out a loud bark of laughter. "It was for nothing too, that's the best part."
"Not entirely. Regardless of whether or not I had the wrong idea at the time, he was still a jerk, and he still deserved it."
"He apologized," Louis says quietly, reaching over to fix Zayn's bowtie in return.
Zayn rolls his eyes. "Whatever."
Louis chuckles quietly. "Thanks for being so good about all of it though. For understanding."
Zayn shrugs. "We were all blinded at least a little bit, at the time."
Louis nods in agreement, but doesn't have the time to say anything more, because his mom is calling their names up the stairs.
"Ah," Louis says quietly, "That'll be them."
Zayn swallows thickly. "I'm kind of nervous. Is that bad?"
Louis smiles warmly at his friend. "Not at all. But honestly, you've got nothing to be worried about. Tom's a great guy."
"We've never actually hung out that much before, though. Like, when he asked me, it was totally out of nowhere."
"Trust me. You'll be fine. More than fine, probably."
"Louis!" Jay calls up the stairs again, and Louis sighs. "Coming!" he shouts out the door in response, and turns back to Zayn. "Ready?"
Zayn takes a deep breath, adjusts his quiff, and nods.
****
When Louis and Zayn walk into the Tomlinson living room, Harry and his mom are talking to Jay, all laughing at something Harry said.
Louis's not surprised. The first time he brought Harry home to meet his family, they were all charmed instantly. He's still got no idea how he does it.
Then, Harry turns his head ever so slightly, and catches Louis's eye.
Louis wishes now that he could've filmed the way Harry's face lit up, because it was easily one of the most gorgeous things Louis has ever seen. He's beaming at Louis, eyes sparkling -- it was the eyes, Louis thinks, the eyes were what did it for him. Louis fell in love with those eyes the second he really, properly looked into them that first time, on that first day of school.
He's wearing a blazer/collared shirt combo, forgoing a tie completely in favor of a patterned black and white scarf draped around his neck. He's also got this ridiculously large hat on his head, with a wide brim, and Louis has to hold back a laugh, because of course Harry would.
Louis makes his way over to Harry, momentarily forgetting that their mothers are standing there, and flicks Harry's hat as Harry's wrapping a hand around Louis's waist. "Prom night is hardly the time to conduct fashion experiments, Haz."
Harry just bites his lip, amusement swimming in the depths of his green eyes. "Are you telling me that you don't like my outfit?" he says, jokingly upset.
Louis laughs. "It's horrendous, darling."
Jay clears her throat from behind them. "This coupley bickering is torturous, you're killing us all you two. Also, you're not even going to say hi, Lou?" she says playfully, and Louis and Harry blush. "Sorry mom. Hi Anne!" Louis says quickly, and Jay and Anne both smile at the two of them, amused. "You look great darling," Jay says to Louis, reaching up to fix a stray hair or two. Louis rolls his eyes but doesn't protest, knowing that arguing with his mother is futile. Harry just looks amused, but honestly, when does he not?
"I need to get some photos of you two," Anne says then, "and then we need to get some group shots. Did Niall and Liam tell you when they'd be arriving with their dates?"
Then, as if on cue, the doorbell rings. Harry's smile stiffens ever-so-slightly, but Louis places a soothing hand on his arm, which relaxes him a bit.
"It's open," Jay calls as she walks toward the door, and then Liam and Danielle are stepping inside. "Hey everyone!" Liam says happily, waving to everyone and then going to greet everyone individually while Danielle does the same. Right behind them is Demi, and then behind her is Niall, but the two of them simply greet Jay before heading straight over to Louis and Harry.
Demi hugs them both first, saying hello and everything customary. It's all still feeling very deja vu to Louis. Niall hugs Louis next, and then turns to Harry.
Niall still has got a bit of a grudge, despite the Nick incident having been over a year ago. He has, however, been surprisingly kind to Harry -- and Louis, Niall, Harry, and Demi have actually been on multiple double dates that didn't end in disaster, so Louis's going to count all of this as a success.
There's some lingering tension between the two, though, and right now, it makes Louis especially nervous.
But then Niall holds his arms out to Harry, giving him an impish grin, and Harry grins right back, stepping into Niall's embrace.
"How ya doin, man?" Niall says, patting Harry on the back.
"Great, thanks, and you?" Harry says happily as they pull away, and the two start having a full-on conversation as Louis looks on with hearts in his eyes.
He tunes out of whatever they're saying after a few moments, though, his eyes searching through the small group of friends and parents gathered in his living room for Zayn. He spots him and Tom near the front of the room, talking to each other shyly, and Louis thinks he sees the start of something beautiful in their eyes. It's wonderful, really, because Zayn deserves it, deserves nothing but the best.
Something protective surges in Louis's chest; at this point, he honestly just hopes he won't have to end up punching Tom, or anyone else, for Zayn in the near future.
Liam and Danielle walk over then, and Louis steps away slightly from where he and Harry are pressed into each others' sides to give them each a hug. Before they even have the chance to make conversation, though, Louis's mom is calling his and Harry's names. "Will you two stand over here please? I really need pictures, you both look too handsome!"
Pink dusts Louis's cheeks at her words, but Harry just smiles brightly and walks over to where she's standing, Louis in tow.
"Alright, ready? One, two -- "
Louis and Harry are standing with their arms around each others' waists, but at the last second, Harry tugs at Louis's waist and presses his lips to Louis's cheek. Louis laughs at the sudden contact, giggling embarrassingly as his arms move to wrap around Harry's neck just as Jay's camera snaps.
"Oh!" she says happily, and Louis can see tears starting to form in her eyes. "That's darling!"
"Will you send that to me?" Harry's mom says from where she's appeared next to Jay, "I need to frame that, I think."
"Mommm," Harry groans, and Anne smirks at him, her smile almost identical to Harry's own smug one. Louis can't help the grin that's creeping across his face.
Louis then turns to smile up at Harry, stepping closer. "You're cute," he says quietly, and Harry looks down at him happily. "I'm sorry, what did you say? Could you repeat that?" Harry asks jokingly, and Louis scoffs, swatting his arm. "You're ridiculous."
Harry doesn't even bother to say anything back, just raises a hand to cup Louis's cheek. His skin is hot on Louis's face, and Louis's stomach swoops as Harry leans in to press a kiss against his lips.
Louis reaches up to rest his hands on Harry's shoulders, his entire body buzzing in a way that it probably shouldn't -- it's been so long, after all, you'd think he'd have gotten used to this but nope -- when a camera flashes, effectively killing the moment.
They pull apart suddenly, turning around to face where the flash came from, and Anne squeals. "Oh that's adorable!"
"You need to send that to me," Jay says just as happily, and Harry and Louis simultaneously roll their eyes. "Remind me when our mothers decided they needed to document every single thing we do?" Harry mutters into Louis's ear, and Louis laughs. "Can't blame 'em. We're a pretty fucking fabulous couple, if you ask me."
Harry laughs quietly into Louis's cheek, pressing a chaste kiss there. "I think so too."
"Alright, group photo time!" Jay calls out to the rest of the room. "Everyone line up around here with your dates please, and quickly, the party bus is waiting outside and you don't want to be late to prom! Oh this is so exciting!" She says the last part to Anne, who grins in agreement, and Louis can't help but laugh out loud. Their friendship is a weird one, really.
Liam and Danielle are already close by, so they just stand together near Louis and Harry. Louis catches Liam's eye, and Liam smiles at him sweetly and sincerely, and Louis feels a sudden rush of affection for him. He feels like he doesn't show his appreciation for Liam as much as he should, and that needs to change -- no, it will change, that's a promise.
Tom and Zayn make their way over to them, standing on Harry and Louis's right. Zayn wiggles his eyebrows at Louis, and Louis laughs again, loving the amount of sheer happiness emanating from his best friend's eyes. They don't need to say anything more to understand each other; they know perfectly well what's going on in the other's head in that moment.
Niall and Demi then appear on his left, and Niall nudges him lightly with his elbow. Louis turns, meeting Niall's wide grin with one of his own. Niall's grin then softens into a small smile, and he gives Louis a tiny nod, as if to say "Alright, I guess I'll admit it -- you've done good. I'm proud." Louis returns that with a small nod as well, in an attempt to say, "Thank you so fucking much for absolutely everything, I don't know what I'd do without you and I love you to death."
Harry leans in from behind him, his lips again grazing the shell of Louis's ear. "I love you," he whispers, and though this is hardly the first time they've said that to each other, Louis feels chills run down his spine, feels his heart expand and his hands and feet tingle and all is right in the world.
"Smile!" Anne calls out, and they all beam at the cameras, and Louis doesn't think he's ever felt so complete and happy in his entire life.
People always talk about how first loves never last, how it's nearly impossible to end up with your first love forever.
Something about Harry, though, makes the mere notion of that seem like the funniest joke Louis's ever heard. Harry just makes Louis feel so warm, is the thing -- he feels so warm and loved when he's around him, and he's certain that Harry feels that way as well. It's different; there's no other way to describe it. He's never felt so certain about another person before, never felt so doubtless and secure. And yeah, people may scoff at him or laugh at him for thinking that Harry could be forever for him, but if they do, Louis will laugh right back in their faces, because they'd really have no idea what they're talking about. They don't know about Louis and Harry, they don't know about their relationship.
And standing there, surrounded by his best friends, his family, and his boyfriend -- all of the people he loves most in the world -- he feels invincible. He doesn't need to think about how they're all graduating soon, about how most of them are going to separate corners of the fucking country -- Harry and Louis are thankfully close by, though, with Harry going to UCLA and Louis going to Occidental College -- or about how an entire chapter of his life is coming to an end. He doesn't think about the future, or about how there'll definitely be bumps in the road, or about how he probably should be worried, considering the fact that he's basically an adult now.
Instead, he thinks about everything and everyone he loves. He thinks about how grateful he is to be surrounded by the most loving, caring, and considerate people in the entire fucking world. And he thinks about how happy he is to have someone like Harry stand right beside him, and about how happy he is that Harry will continue standing beside him through it all.
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Years and years later, when Harry and Louis have settled down and gotten married and had kids, Louis tells their children stories of how he and their father found each other -- stories about how much of a hero Uncle Zayn was, about how loyal and brave Uncle Niall was, and about how sweet and helpful Uncle Liam was before, after, and throughout it all. He looks into their bright, beautiful, innocent eyes and thinks about how someday, they're going to find their own paths, going to forge their own futures and find their own forevers, just like he and Harry did, together.
Their stories are only just beginning, and every chapter in each of their lives will be so unique and crazy and beautiful, different from each other's, different from his and Harry's, different from all the rest. He's so excited to be a part of it all, to be there for every twist and turn, every rise and fall. He thinks about that often, about how things are going to go, about what's going to happen next.
It makes him wonder.
~fin~
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A/N: I am NOT going to cry. No no no NO, I refuse. I will not allow it.
I'm too pathetically emotional to edit. I'll have someone beta it later, I'm the biggest mess right now don't look at me.
In all seriousness though, I honestly cannot believe that this is it. You have all been so incredible, and this story's gotten so much more support and attention than I ever thought it would, in a million fucking years. I fucking love you all so so so SO much, and I know everyone says that but I don't think you understand how much I actually MEAN it; I wish I could meet you all in person and TELL you so that you know how thankful I am for your reads and comments and votes.
This story has been through very, VERY many things, and has helped me get through my own junior year of high school, so it has an extremely special place in my heart. For this reason, being able to share it with all of you and actually get feedback makes your support all the more special to me. You all have literally brought me to tears, both through how funny your comments are and also through how unbelievably sweet you've been. And I know all of this sounds insanely cheesy, but knowing that there are people out there who read what I write, what I feel, and actually enjoy it and get something out of it is the best thing I could've ever asked for. I swear, I am going to click that fucking "completed" button on here and that little check mark is going to appear next to this story's name on my profile and I'm going to start bawling because I cannot believe this is over.
I have another chaptered story coming soon, and this one's going to be an absolute beast -- I'm tackling a Harry Potter AU, so I hope that those of you who have read this story will stick around long enough to read that one as well and tell me what you think.
I have so much that I want to say but I can't think of it all right now, or how to even begin putting any of it into words, and I need to fucking stop before this author's note becomes longer than the chapter itself. I've made this plenty dramatic and stupid enough already. All I want to leave you with is an enormous THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, and a big hug to go along with it. You're all beautiful, wonderful, incredible people, and I am so thankful to have gotten to talk to/virtually meet so many of you through this story.
Thank you so much. Long fucking live Larry. I hope their ending in real life is just as happy as the one I've created for them here, in this small bubble of my imagination.
<3
NOTE: If you have a prompt idea for an extra, please send me a private message! I would be more than happy to write quick little mini-chapters about Harry and Louis's relationship at any point in their lives together (or anything to do with any of the characters tbh) in the "it makes me wonder"-verse. I'm not promising that I'll be able to write something for every single prompt I get, and I probably won't be able to make them very long, and I have no clue how long it would take to get them done (possibly a while, possibly a couple of hours, I never know it all depends), but if I have time I would love to do a few, and I will definitely make them as good as I possibly can :) I already have a few ideas myself, but a little inspiration never hurt anyone, so if there's anything in particular about this story that you wish to see, please let me know <3