this is such a cute chapter asjkn dhfjn
i swore i wasn't gonna do this but i couldn't helP i t okay
also go vote for me in the bromance awards or you're fired
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It's been four months.
A good four months, Louis might add. An excellent four months. He might even go as far as to say that they had been the best four months of his life, actually.
Harry is great. Louis is great because Harry is great. Part of the reason behind Harry's greatness is Louis, so really, it's a win-win situation. They're about to start their next tour and they've got the support of millions of people behind them, a more ideal situation than Louis had anticipated, and Louis's head has cleared up a drastic amount in the past weeks. Harry is more Harry and less Asshole, making Louis more Louis and less Dickhead, so it's great. It really is.
It's a sunny Thursday morning and Louis is wakes slowly to the sound of birds chirping and cars whizzing past on the streets. Harry is already awake, green eyes peering at Louis as he squirms and eventually turns on his side to stare right back. The darkness of Harry's hair against the white pillowcase is a beauty of its own. Louis marvels at it, actually, letting his heavy eyes slip shut as he tries to burn the image in his brain. You know, for the rest of time.
Harry speaks so quietly and suddenly that he almost misses it. "Marry me."
Louis freezes, one curious eye popping open to meet Harry's. He pinches the skin of his thigh just to make sure he isn't actually asleep or dead or something, and then he sits up, leaning on his forearms and blinking slowly at Harry. Harry doesn't move, doesn't even flinch, but his gaze follows Louis the entire time. "Come again?"
"I said," Harry mumbles, scooting his bum further up the bed and facing Louis better. His voice is much clearer when it's not muffled against a pillow, so Louis is certain he's heard him correctly. "Marry me."
Louis doesn't know what to say. He feels like he's been struck by lightning. A wave of an inexpiable shock rolls throughout the entirety of his body and his fingertips feel like they're pulsing with energy. His tongue becomes a heavy, dry lump of sandpaper and his breath becomes as cold as ice. "Oh."
Harry cocks an eyebrow at him, all pretty and proper as he sits up and folds his hand in his duvet covered lap. "Oh?"
"Oh," Louis breathes. Or doesn't. He's not sure. "I- are you-"
"Joking? No."
Louis swallows his retaliation when Harry beats him to it. "And I'm not pranking you either."
He's speechless, is the thing. Louis literally can not for the absolute life of him remember how to say anything. So, without much of a choice, he sits and stares at Harry. He's pretty sure his jaw is in his own lap, but he's too numb to really be certain. Harry, being the polite saint that he is, scoots closer to Louis, hands still folded, and waits patiently for his response. He has this small trace of a smile on his face that makes Louis want to stab himself repeatedly, because goddamn, Harry is beautiful.
He's shirtless and tanned and muscled and Louis just wants to claim every square centimeter of his body, really, and when he's done he's certain he wouldn't mind wrecking Harry as well. Or the other way around. Louis is flexible, he can deal with either or.
Finally, finally, finally, after a solid thirty seconds Louis remembers how to function. He plans out his response strategically and with great care but he sort of throws that away as soon as his mouth opens. "You are fucking mental."
Harry doesn't care, though, because he throws his head back and laughs. Louis stares at him like a crazy person and when Harry's laughs die down into giggles his face is lit up and smiley. Louis would kiss it if he wasn't so hopelessly lost right now. "Harry, this is crazy. You're crazy."
In response to this, Harry rests his chin on his hand. "I know."
Louis shakes his head. "We've not even been together a year."
"I know that too."
"And we're busy all the time. We have a lot on our plates. Constantly."
"Again, nothing new."
"My mum would kill me."
"I'll protect you." Harry's eyes are fucking sparkling, what the fucking fuck? "Your mummy isn't that scary."
Desperate, he resorts to shaking his head again. "We're so young."
Harry blinks slowly and smiles. "But I'm so in love with you. You know that nothing would make me happier than to wake up every morning next to you."
"You already do that," Louis's voice is barely above a whisper. His heart is practically clawing it's way out of his chest, reaching out mercilessly to Harry and racing at the speed of light to get to him. His brain is whirring with thoughts and feelings and raging tingles. "You can - you can do that forever, if you'd like. Think I'd be rather offended if you didn't."
Harry exhales heavily through his nose. "Marry me, Louis. If not today, then tomorrow. Next week. Next month. Next year, even, I don't care when it is. I don't care where it is. I don't care who's there or who's not or what flavor the cake is, even, just say you will. Say the word and I'm yours."
Is Harry even human? Louis is thoroughly convinced that he's part God or something. He can practically see the halo materializing around Harry's curly bedhead. "Harry-"
He can't finish his sentence, though, because Harry abruptly scrambles off the bed and onto the floor. His feet land with a thud and Louis can hear him rustling around, see Harry's cute little bum in the air as Harry bends over and searches - for what, Louis doesn't know - and Louis has to refrain from staring at his boxer-clad figure for too long. "Wait, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right."
"Jesus, do you have a ring?" Louis voice trembles with excitement. Or shock. Again, he isn't sure. He pinches himself once more.
"No," Harry snorts, banging his head on the bed frame and cursing quietly to himself. "That'd be way too obvious. I have something much better."
He straightens, hands behind his back as he strolls lazily around the bed. Harry comes to a stop in front of Louis, who has turned to face him, and drops dramatically down onto one knee. Louis fights a smile when Harry looks up at him, eyes aglow with happiness and fond. So much fond.
One hand snakes around to grasp Louis' and the other stays behind his back, hidden behind the broadness of his chest and shoulders. Louis tries to peek, but Harry leans with his gaze and blocks his view. "Lou."
"Stop moving," Louis huffs, ducking to the right and nearly falling off the bed. "Harry-"
"Lou," Harry says again, but it's firm and quiet and it's enough to make Louis sit as still as a statue. "Lou. Louis. Baby. Will you please, please, please, and I ask this with every ounce of my heart on the line, please do me the honor of marrying me?" Harry's bowed his head, closed his eyes, and effectively stolen Louis's heart all within one sentence.
Harry pokes an eye open and looks up at Louis, smiling, and holds out his other fist to Louis. Louis gently traces across Harry's fingers and, one by one, Harry slowly pulls them away. In his palm is a small cream colored - wait, what?
"What is that?" Louis blurts.
"It's a seed."
"A seed?" Louis blinks at Harry in confusion. "Why do you have a seed?"
"To plant, obviously."
Louis rolls his eyes. "Why are you going to plant a seed?"
"I figure it's just as meaningful as a ring. I mean, why do we even use rings? To wear them, right? To have a constant reminder, I suppose, something to show off and to look at and remember forever. This is a seed for a rose plant. We'll plant it. It will grow, slowly, and then it will bloom. And when it does we'll enjoy it. When it starts to die, we'll cut the flowers off and press them in a book." Louis is already grinning. "After that happens, we'll put them on some nice parchment and hang them in a frame behind some glass, or something like that, I don't know. Who needs a lousy ring when you can have your very own Promise Rose?"
"Promise Rose?" Louis loves this boy.
"I made it up. Considering getting it copyrighted." Harry looks sort of unstable, wobbling on his knee and tightening his grip on Louis' hand for support. Louis will never let go, is the thing. He's got Harry. He always will. "So, what do you say?"
Louis closes his eyes, because he thinks he may have died and gone straight to heaven. "I say you're crazy."
But if this is heaven, Harry is his angel. To have and to hold. Forever. "But I'm even crazier."
He opens his eyes again. Harry's eyes are widen, pupils blown and lip tucked between his teeth. "Does that mean-"
"Yes."
"You'll ma-"
"Yes."