Chapter Text
2 years and 8 months later
SUGAR has been named one of the top 5 bakeries in the country. Known for its quirky hours that fluctuate daily, its Earl Grey cake, its butternut-bacon-sage handpies, its herbal tea blends, its Cap’n Crunch donuts, its support of the local dramatic arts and music scenes, it's perhaps best represented by the level of devotion of its regulars, who defend the owners' unconventional ways and insist the bakery is a vital part of their neighborhood and has been for ages, even if it only opened a couple years ago.
Louis ducks out into the back, where there are a riot of herb pots and planters tangled around the small yard. All the bakery’s herbs are grown organically in house by the owners, ie, him. He harvests what they need for the afternoon, popping a mint leaf in his mouth and blowing his scented breath at Diana’s face to see her giggle. She’s ‘helping’ him harvest, though she quickly tires and plops down on the small patch of grass to play with a hand-carved wooden truck her Aunt Patty made for her.
Louis stands up too fast and has to lean a hand on the fence for a moment. He rubs at his back. He doesn’t remember eight months feeling this bad last time. Baby kicks him in retaliation—Baby is definitely a worse kicker than their sister was.
Harry comes out of the kitchen door, wiping floury hands on his apron before picking Diana up to toss her around so she squeals, because he’s determine to spoil her.
He sets a cup of tea in Louis' hands, leaning down over Louis from behind so his curls brush Louis’ ear. He rubs Louis’ stomach and presses a kiss to Louis’ neck. “It’s raspberry leaf and honey. Supposed to be good for Baby.”
Louis sticks his tongue out but takes a sip anyway. It’s not too awful. It’s just not real tea. Harry refuses to drink any caffeine or alcohol while Louis can’t, so that’s some consolation. He’s always serving customers their bullet coffee with a mournful sort of look.
Harry presses a final kiss behind Louis' ear and turns to pick Diana up again. “Let’s give Papa some alone time, huh, Di?" He leans over to kiss Louis and whispers, “There’s a bath ready for you upstairs. I’ll keep her busy for a couple hours.”
Uncle Liam is babysitting Diana for the night. Louis decided to befriend him when he kept coming in for their open mike nights, because Liam is basically a big puppy who’s overly earnest and Louis couldn’t resist teasing him. They’ve been best friends ever since, and Liam loves Di like his own.
Louis has become an expert dishwasher for Harry’s cooking, and foot massager for when Harry’s feet ache from standing all day at the bakery, and Harry still draws Louis a bath when he’s had a Day, and picks up after Louis’ slovenly ways, and bakes everything Louis’ been craving. Second Baby came along quicker than Louis really expected, but Di needs someone to play with and it’s not like Louis and Harry are able to keep their hands off each other, so it wasn’t that big of a surprise, really.
Harry’s started taking mysterious trips in the afternoons and talking about them needing more space than the apartment above the shop. Louis’ got an idea where he’s going. Louis’ been dropping hints about how much he’d like one of the townhouses that border the park. Not having to pay rent on the bakery space means they can turn a nice profit for themselves, and still have extra to invest in the community programs. It’d be nice to have a real house, a room for Diana and a nursery, though Louis is a little nostalgic for when Diana’s crib could fit right next to the bed and he could roll over and hear her breathing on one side and Harry’s soft wheezing snores on the other.
Louis’ been keeping secrets of his own—he’s been toying around lately with the idea of getting his teaching certificate. There’s plenty of programs in the city, at various schools. Helping Harry in the shop is fun, but he wants something for himself, too. He and Harry nothing like him and Luke, but he still remembers what it’s like to feel like you’ve become subsumed into someone else’s life. He’s always loved working with kids, and schools have good hours for still getting time with Di and her new sibling.
Luke visits once a month or so, but he’s never seemed interested in taking Diana for the weekend or anything and Louis’ never suggested it. Luke’s got a new boyfriend, too, a guy younger than Harry who isn’t a carrier, who’s barely out of school. They’re thinking of moving to LA. Young boyfriend wants to be an actor.
Louis had told Luke not to stress over it too much. Di’s young enough it won’t be that big a blow, and Louis doesn’t want Luke to resent her for not being able to live his life. It’d be nice if Luke wanted to be a bigger part of her life, but it is what it is. You can’t force someone into being an involved parent.
Besides, Di has everyone she needs right here.
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There’s a bet going for whether Baby is a boy or a girl. Liam’s got two jars mounted above the register and each customer gets to put a bean in the jar they’ve got money on. The jars look pretty equal, though Liam claims the girl side is winning. Louis honestly has no idea, and he likes it that way. He and Harry are going to find out on the day they finally meet Baby. He can’t wait.
Harry finishes up at the bakery, kicking out everyone who’s still lingering—“Sorry, closing early tonight,” and listening to their grumbles with a smile. Only Harry could turn a lack of regular hours into something charming, Louis thinks. Though the goal is to hire some some more help once Baby is born. Anyway, as Harry points out, the only people who stay past 7 o’clock are students from the university who buy a single coffee and sit on their laptops for three hours.
Louis waits in the small living room in the apartment on the 2nd floor with Liam while Harry takes his turn to get ready. Di is obsessed with her set of play blocks, she loves to build little houses for her dolls and leave them all over the floor so Louis accidentally steps on them in the middle of the night.
Harry comes out with damp curls in a sheer shirt and skinnies, and Louis loses his words for a moment.
“Right, we’re off,” Liam says. He picks up Diana and her very well-packed overnight bag. It might be a bit too much stuff, but Harry is very thorough about these things.
Somewhere behind Louis the door closes with Liam shouting bye.
Louis is still for a moment, and then he crosses the room and throws himself into Harry’s arms to attack his mouth. God, it’s been days, and Harry looks so good, and his hormones are making him horny as hell.
“Lou,” Harry says, in between kisses when he can get his mouth back, “Was gonna take you out.”
“After you fuck me,” Louis says.
“Yeah,” Harry says, breathless, because he’s always so easy for Louis, and then he’s unbuckling his jeans with one hand and tugging Louis down the hall to the bedroom with his other.
Harry peels Louis’ shirt off slowly, rubbing his big hands over Louis’ belly and up to his nipples as he goes, kissing the stretch marks and rubbing his nose up the trail of coarse hairs leading down from his belly button.
“Haz,” Louis says helplessly, not sure what he’s asking for but asking anyway, and Harry understands him because he’s tugging down Louis’ pants and pushing his thighs up and apart.
Harry licks into Louis slowly, and Louis can barely reach but he tugs on what pieces of Harry’s hair he can and Harry responds as he always does, moaning and working his tongue further in.
Harry licks his way back up and swallows Louis down, and he comes with Harry’s cheeks hollowed around him, a hand buried in his curls.
“On your back,” Louis says, and Harry rolls over and grins as Louis situates himself with a bit more trouble.
Louis isn’t quite as athletic now as he usually is, but he can still grind down on Harry’s dick in slow circles that make Harry swear and throw a hand over his eyes.
“Please. C’mon,” Harry gasps, his hands finding their way to Louis’ hips. “Such a tease.”
“You love it,” Louis says, and runs a hand through his hair with his back arched, because he can feel Harry’s dick twitch against him at the sight.
"Lou," Harry begs. "Sugar."
Louis fumbles for Harry's dick and finally sinks down on it, reveling in the noises Harry makes, the shift of his hips as he tries to thrust up into Louis' grinding.
Louis comes again with Harry inside him. He leans down to kiss Harry through his orgasm, as much as he can.
"Too bad I'm too big for you to flip me over," Louis says.
"Like you like this," Harry says. "All big and full of my baby."
"You have a fetish," Louis says. Harry sits up against the headboard and pulls Louis so he can properly straddle his lap. "That's why you fell for me in the first place, huh?"
"Shut up," Harry says. "Not my fault you look so sexy like this."
"A fetish," Louis repeats, and Harry just smiles and kisses him. Harry's impossible to tease after he's come.
****************
They end up eating takeout in the kitchen in their underwear. Louis kind of wants to just curl up with Harry wrapped around him and sleep, but they said they were going to go out tonight and dammit, he intends to do that.
They get dressed and wander over to the park that’s just two blocks from the bakery, Harry’s hand on Louis’ lower back, his other carrying the record player. There’s people out and about even though it’s late, and a few neighbors recognize them and stop to say hi. It’s a young part of town, with lots of other couples with small children. It’ll be nice when Diana’s a bit older, there should be plenty of playmates for her.
Harry sets the record player up beneath their favorite tree while Louis takes a rest on the bench. It’s a bit of a climb up the hill, but the view is worth it. Harry lifts him into a dance and they sway together with the city lights spread out before them, Harry’s face buried in Louis’ neck, listening to Dolly in the night air.
If you need a love that's true
Need someone to stand by you
Here I am, oooh here I am
Here I am
Here I am, I'm reaching out to give you love that you're without
I can help you find what you've been looking for
Here I am, come to me, take my hand 'cause I believe
I can give you all the love you need and more
Oh here I am, oh here I am
Here I am