Chapter Text
Harry smiled when he got the chicken out of the oven. He wanted to do something special for Louis and, after days of trying, he had finally learned how to cook Louis’s favourite dish. He filled a small cup with gravy and placed the baked potatoes on the centre of the table. He lighted a couple of candles and waited for his man.
It had already been two years since they scaped the mob life. Nobody had come to get Louis yet, which was calming. After three month travelling with their van, they decided they wanted some stability, and what a better place to be stable than paradise. They were living in Tahiti, in a small house next to the coast.
Every morning, Harry would wake up very early to surf, he was becoming great at the sport and had made some friends with whom he had bond over it. Female friends, of course, as his boyfriend was quite a jealous man.
The older man was working at the hotel there was next to their home. He was a handyman, sometimes a carpenter, sometimes a plumber, whatever they needed.
He insisted on Harry not working as he had promised him to give him the best life possible, and between his job and his savings they were having a great life.
Harry insisted on finding a job, but when he saw that Louis was tough as a nut, he fought over the possibility on him being a housewife. He spent two days without talking to his man but he won the argument and now he spent his days perfectioning his cooking, cleaning, decorating, and taking care of their small garden. He loved his life, their life.
Louis Jr lived with them but he would often disappear for days and then he’d returned visibly fatter. Everyone on their neighbourhood knew it was theirs, though, so Harry was not preoccupied about it.
On the days he didn’t have anything to do, he called Gemma. She was the only person in the world to know their location, and she was constantly invited to visit them, but the flight was long and expensive and she had only gone once. She was now pregnant and Harry was just getting to the idea that he wouldn’t see her hardly ever anymore. They saw each other through Face Time, though, and he was happy too with this way.
In his other free times, he visited his neighbour, Tiare. She was an old woman who had to take care of her grandchild, a 2-year-old girl named Anahera. Her parents died in a car accident a year prior, and now all she had left was her grandmother, who was frequently ill.
Harry brought them food and play with Anahera. He got Tiare her medicines and looked after them when she wasn’t able to get up from bed.
Louis was often worried for Harry, as he saw he was too implied in something that didn’t seem to have a good end. But his boy was too good for this world and he knew he would help in everything possible.
Back to Harry and his dish, he wanted to do something nice for Louis as he had bought him a new surf table. So he spent a week learning this one recipe and he was now praying to whatever God there was that he would like it.
Louis arrived 15 minutes later, an exhausted expression on his face.
“Hello love!”, he said without looking “I’m sorry I’m late, there was wind this morning and we’ve spent the whole day just repairing the fence and…” He stopped talking when he saw Harry and all his creations at the table.
“Hi Lou!”
Louis approached him slowly, mouth wide open. He smiled a kissed his boyfriend hungrily.
“What- what is this?”
“You just- worked so hard to get me that new table and I thought I could do something nice for you in exchange.”
Louis looked on the verge of tears.
Harry laughed internally. His mob boyfriend who would killed people, rob, and got sent to prison was now almost crying over a chicken.
“You didn’t need to… I didn’t do it to get something in exchange.”
Harry rolled his eyes.
“I know, I know, but I also know you really miss your Parma chicken with baked potatoes and gravy. We don’t really get that type of food here so I figured I could learn to do it myself. I’ve been practising for a week.”
Louis kissed him again passionately. His boyfriend had been practising how to make this dish for a week because he knew it was his favourite. He didn’t think he deserved him.
“How am I such a lucky bastard?”, he said, looking at his green eyes, “You’re an angel brought to Earth.”
Harry blushed. He didn’t think it was such a big gesture, just something small and nice.
“C’mon, handsome motherfucker, let’s eat before it gets too cold.”
They had dinner in between laughs and compliments. Love could be smelled from a mile away. The candles melt and all was left was wax but they kept talking and talking.
They didn’t know it was possible, but three years into their relationship meant a change into their dynamics. Sex was still important, but their mental connexion had taken an extra position in their lives.
They couldn’t live without the other anymore.
They were destined to be together, to think together.
And so, they would often talk for hours and hours as if time didn’t pass.
“I went with Tiare and Anahera this morning.” Harry explained.
“How are they?” but Louis knew they weren’t doing that great, and he knew his thoughts were right when he heard his boyfriend sighed.
“I don’t know I don’t have a good feeling this time, Lou.”
Everything went wrong when in a big thunderstorm their ceiling fell off. They were unharmed from the accident but the old woman had gotten ill with all the rain and cold. Louis fixed their ceiling the next morning but it was too late.
“You’re doing everything you can, love. Don’t put more pressure on your shoulders.”
“I know but I wish I could take all their suffering away. They are good people.”
“I know, my boy, but sometimes you can’t do anything more.”
They stayed in silence for a bit, on their own thoughts, until Louis broke the silence.
“C’mon, let’s go for a walk on the beach.”
This was Harry’s favourite plan, especially at night with the calming sound of the waves.
They walked without a path, following the coast, normally until Harry was too tired and Louis had to bring him on piggyback.
Their conversation kept going while they walked. Suddenly, Harry stopped, his face facing the sky.
“Look at the moon, Lou! It’s full, so pretty!” Harry stayed like that for a long time waiting for a response from his boyfriend. When he didn’t say anything he turned.
What he saw left him speechless.
Louis was on one knee, illuminated with the moonlight. He was holding a small black box. Harry’s mind could only go to that day 3 years prior when Louis asked him to be his boyfriend. It wasn’t that much time ago, but they had gone through so many things that now they seemed so young.
But now he wasn’t asking to be his boyfriend. Now it was something much bigger.
“My love.”
He started to cry and Louis was weeping too. Louis reached his hand to keep him closer.
“I bought this ring when we arrived here for the first time. I’ve been waiting for two years in the agony of not being able to call you my husband. I wanted to give you a stability first, I wanted to be sure we wouldn’t have to move, I wanted to ensure that I could give you anything you wanted. And now that I can, I want to be the luckiest man in the world and to be able to be called husband by you. Harry, would you make me the happiest motherfucker by marrying me?”
Harry was crying so much he couldn’t talk.
He nodded.
“Y-Yes! Of course I want to!”
They wanted to marry as early as they could to be sure Tiare was going to be present.
The wedding was going to be really small; they didn’t need more. Just a couple of friends, Tiare and Anahera, and the man they hired to wed them.
That morning Harry was getting ready while he played with the little girl. He was wearing his Prada lipstick, so important in their history. Tiare was in her wheelchair watching them with an honest smile.
He was wearing a white dress. It was his dream and Louis was more than happy to see his future husband in such attire.
“Harry.” Tiare caught his attention. His speech was slow but with a kind tone. “I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to be absolutely honest with me.”
“Of course.”
“Do you want to be a dad?”
Harry fell silent. He wasn’t expecting such a question and he didn’t know where did that come from.
“Well, yeah. I haven’t discussed it recently with Louis, but it has always been pretty clear that we would love to have a child together. Why?”
The old woman was looking through the window, pensative.
“I want you two to raise Anahera.”
Harry choked. “What?”
“My boy, I’m not okay. I’m very tired and I know my days in this world are coming to their end. If you feel prepared for it, I can’t imagine better parents for my lady that you two.”
Harry didn’t know what to say.
“I know it’s a difficult decision but please talk about it with Louis.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Now come on, put your dress, you’re going to be the prettiest groom ever.”
Their wedding was perfect. Intimate and beautiful, at the beach, filled with flowers. They were having dinner and they couldn’t get away from each other. Kisses and hugs were recurrent, not even paying attention to anyone else.
“I love you so much, I don’t think I tell you enough.” Harry said.
“You just married me, love, I think I get your love.” Louis answered while laughing.
They laughed together and danced. The happiness was clear and contagious.
Harry observed how Anahera was playing with his friend Anna’s son.
“Louis, do you want to be a dad?” Harry asked as if it was small talk.
“You know I would love to raise a tiny person with you. It even turns me on to think of you as a dad.”
Harry laughed.
“What doesn’t turn you on?”
“If it’s related to you, nothing. Everything about you is sexy.” Louis says while biting his ear.
Harry laughs but he separates a bit to talk.
“It’s just… Tiare talked with me earlier. She said she’s feeling very tired and wants us to adopt her granddaughter if she passes. What do you think?”
Louis is quiet but smiles.
“I would love to, if you want.”
“I’d love to do it too.”
Six months later Tiare passed, finally being able to rest peacefully. She was surrounded by the people she loved.
She had been able to fill all the papers in relation to the adoption, so from that moment, Louis and Harry were officially parents. Those passed months they had been preparing, with Louis spending less time at the hotel and more with Anahera. Their bond had grown pretty quickly and now she was extremely attached to the older man.
Harry often called her a little traitor because he was her first friend and now she preferred Louis over him.
They moved all Anahera’s clothes and toys to their house. Tiare told them they could have her furniture and do with her house as they pleased so they opted for selling the house and saving the money obtained for when Anahera was older. They bought new furniture for her room and painted it of a beautiful sky blue, as she was obsessed with that colour.
They also painted a few clouds and bought decoration in that style. Her room seemed Heaven on Earth. It was actually Louis’s idea and he made sure that her little space was perfect.
“You know what Anahera means right?” Harry asked one day while they both were watching her sleep.
Louis shook his head, “No.”
“It means ‘Angel’. You have told me more than once that I’m your angel, but she is actually our little angel.”
“You’re both my angels. Put on Earth to save me.” He kissed his husband tenderly and kissed the little girl’s forehead, turning off her sleeping light.