SIX MONTHS LATER
It was October.
"Louis! We're going to be late!"
The end of October. Halloween to be exact.
"Sunday!" Harry observes his reflection, fixing the band of his yellow shorts. "If you aren't down here in ten seconds, I'm going to—"
"Calm down, geez." Louis' voice comes from upstairs. He emerges from Harry's room, more like his room from the number of his own belongings scattered across the floor. He holds the underside of his belly and reaches the top of the stairs and holds the railing.
Harry smiles, that same genuine smile he gives Louis when he wakes up in the middle of the night for a snack. "Need help?"
Louis glares, gesturing wildly to his slightly-bigger-than-a-basketball sized bump. "What do you think?"
Harry simply laughs and leads Louis down the stairs with a hand on his back. "You look so cute." He gushes.
Louis huffs, finally making it down the stairs in one piece. He swears it gets longer every day, "I think it's too tight, your sister is smaller than me."
The green-eyed man presses a soft kiss to Louis' sweaty forehead. He was always sweating for some odd reason. "Eh, maybe it's all that delicious squish you put on, Sunday."
Their baby was due soon, a few days to be exact, and not making any moves to leave the warm comfort of Louis' tummy yet. Harry continuously told Louis how their baby had every right to never leave Louis (Louis would disagree, he just wanted to hold his baby already) and if it were up to Harry, Louis would remain pregnant and delicious—though he was always delicious—for the rest of their lives. Louis would always cry about not seeing his toes.
"Squish," Louis mocks, "I can't fit into any of my old clothes."
Harry presses a kiss to his nose, "That's why you have mine."
Louis sticks his tongue out. "Let's just go before I get too tired."
Harry immediately ushers him out. He's struggled endlessly with an exhausted Louis, a Louis who was too tired to get out of bed and woke Harry up at all hours of the night for his cravings. Harry wouldn't give up Louis' wacky cravings of the weirdest things—"Cottage cheese and what?" "Strawberries and tangerines, not clementines, they make me sick."—Especially after how long it took Louis to let them sleep in the same bed, even longer for them to sleep in Harry's bed at his frat house.
"Where are the guys?"
Harry grabs his hand and they walk down the sidewalk. His headband is crooked but Louis can't fix it with the extra weight strapped onto his stomach, he's still not used to feeling like a whale. "They already left, said they wanted to scope out the chicks."
Louis hums, yawning into his hand. He feels tried already and they haven't even reached the gym yet. He walks—waddles, in his jeans and with that ugly grey plaid skirt. "God, why did your sister even have this costume?"
"Well, her name is Juno. I believe she wore that three years in a row."
Louis glances up at Harry, standing tall in his red shirt, yellow shorts and white socks. "Why do you have shorts that short?"
"I ordered them online, got the wrong size." Harry answers. "You got a little," he licks his thumb before swiping it along the corner of Louis' lips, he brings his finger up to his mouth. "Mhm, chocolate again?"
Louis blushes. "I couldn't resist." He looks down, wrinkling his nose at the big hump under his orange and white striped shirt.
It's nearly midnight. Louis is sitting by Liam and his date, Zayn. They finally got together after Louis planned a double date and Liam wanted to supervise. Louis woke up to Liam and Zayn naked in Zayn's bed. He called Harry and went out for breakfast and didn't return until the next morning to collect a new novel to read. It had been a memorable experience for all parties. Louis will never forget the awkwardness in the air after that.
They all went to the washroom, well, Louis went to the washroom since his baby is literally pressing on his bladder while Zayn and Liam stood outside. They leave the restrooms and Louis is in the middle of talking about the headline he's responsible for. The beloved Christmas headline, the 12 Days of Christmas. The headline he's prepared to slave over for the month. He walks back into the gym between Liam and Zayn, only to notice the music is no longer playing and it's replaced with shouts. It takes less than a second for Louis to see that Harry isn't by the dessert table like before, instead, he's in the middle of the crowd, slamming his fist into another man's face.
Louis waddle-runs, pushing and shoving his way to the centre of the crowd with the help of Liam and Zayn. He grunts, shielding his belly from the larger and taller students, only to see Harry get tackled to the ground. Every bone in his body goes stiff as the man punches Harry's face several times, Louis is frozen until Liam roughly pulls the guy off Harry and shoves him down.
Louis drops to his knees carefully, rubbing a hand over Harry's red face. Frowning at the new slit in his brow. "Harry, what the fuck?"
Harry's eyes are cloudy, he blinks several times while Zayn helps him to stand. Harry limps as they exit the gym, everyone watching them go and Liam corners the other man who remained in the center of the crowd. Zayn releases Harry when he shoves him away, he gives Louis a pained look and leaves quietly.
The October air is cold, but refreshing in contrast to the stuffy atmosphere of the gym. Louis fans his cheeks, holding his belly. Harry's chest is puffing, his face hidden by the shadows of the night. "You have to stop fighting."
"Louis,"
"I'm being serious, Harry. This is the third time this semester. You're lucky the dean favours you so much."
"I can't let them say what they say." Harry huffs in frustration, stepping away and yanking the headband off his head. His hair looking wild. "They make me so fucking mad." He sits on a nearby bench, putting his head into his hands.
Louis sighs softly and follows after him, his maternal instincts taking over as he cuddles Harry to his chest. His head rests on his recently grown breasts. "The world isn't going to fall at your feet, Harry. You've got to be strong enough to hold your head high and show them you have no care and no room for their negativity."
Harry disagrees, "They called us names, Louis."
"It's not my first time being called a name like that."
Harry whines at the memories he hates dearly. When he was so mean and inconsiderate to Louis. If he could go back in time, he would treat him like a prince. "It's not right Louis. They're so ignorant."
Louis hums, "I know. Let them be sad and ignorant, you know you've got nothing better to do when you start spitting slurs."
"I can't let them talk about you like that."
"Then, violence isn't the answer." Louis was aware Harry was new to this whole openly-gay-status. He didn't have much of a tolerance as Louis, Harry constantly pointed out how Louis shouldn't have tolerance at all. There shouldn't be a need for either of them to tolerate anything but respect. Louis agreed wholeheartedly, but Harry had fists as strong as his heart and he used them far too often. "You have so many other good things going for you, why always focus on the negatives?"
"Dunno." Harry murmurs, knowing Louis is completely right.
"List them."
"No."
"List them."
Harry grunts, tugging Louis onto his lap and burying his face into his neck. "My family, coach and the team and, frat brothers accept me."
"They do." Louis agrees, watching the street lights flicker. "Go on." He runs his fingers through Harry's sweaty hair.
"I know how to bake pecan pie without the recipe. I have a steady workout schedule. I have the highest mark in all my classes, except English." Louis pinches his ear. "I'm searching for a new English tutor."
Louis yanks at his hair, "I always end up with your dick in me whenever I try to tutor you." The pregnant boy grumbles, "list one more thing before I pull your hair out."
Harry resumes to his spot in Louis' neck. "I found an apartment for us."
Louis freezes, it's not the weather and it's not watching Harry get pummeled by some guy. "Don't you dare lie—"
"I'm not." Harry moves away to look at Louis in his eyes. Those blue eyes that glowed even in the night of Boston. "Well, I didn't find it. Juno did. Not find, I mean, it's her old apartment from when she went here. She's moving in with her boyfriend and is selling her old place." Louis' lips part. "It's not far from here, don't even need to drive here and back but we can since you don't like walking too long." He knew everything about Louis. "Juno said she'd give me a discount since we're related but I actually think she's going to jack up the price for all the times I stole her jewelry to give to my elementary school girlfriends when I thought I liked girls."
Louis giggles.
"It's got a master bedroom and a smaller one for our little one." Harry continues. "A nice kitchen so I can finally teach you how to cook without the boys taking you away from me, I asked our counsellor and she can set something up for us in the daycare here if we need it but my parents are more than happy to watch over him. They also agreed to help pay for hydro and all that during the first couple of months while we're busy with school. I asked for a day off next week so we can go check it out together, I also want to decorate with you. I have lots of pictures printed out of us, from your maternity shoot and Zayn agreed to help out if we wanted more so we can hang up—" Harry is cut off my Louis' lips.
Harry hums in delight, "I hope that's a yes and that you're happy and totally not going to hit me in the balls because Coach wants to train our son the moment he's out of you."
Louis pulls away, smiling so hard his cheeks ache, "Did you sell our son to your coach?"
"He said I was being too mopey without you and wants to know when you go into labour." Harry's dimples appear. "Said he's happy to have a grandson."