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Louis woke late one morning, rolling onto his back with a yawn as he rubbed at his face and realised his mate wasn’t next to him. He frowned and looked around in confusion.
“Haz?” he called quietly.
“In here,” came a reply.
Louis rolled his eyes a little and got out of bed. Stretching his arms up over his head, he made his way out into the hallway, and found Harry leaning in the doorframe of the unused spare bedroom. He made his way over and slipped his arms around Harry’s waist, resting his chin against the Alpha’s shoulder.
“Morning,” he murmured.
“Morning, Boo,” Harry said softly.
“You’re up early,” Louis observed.
“Hmm, just been thinking.” Harry looked down at Louis, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I guess this is going to be the nursery?”
Louis gazed at the small room in front of them for a few moments, and then screwed up his nose.
“I think I’d rather it if we moved into a new house,” he admitted. “I’m not sure this is the best place to raise a child. It’s not a family home.”
“I agree,” Harry said immediately. “I just didn’t want to upset you if you liked it here.”
“I do like it here,” Louis assured him. “But I think our time here is done now. We need to move on.”
Harry beamed at him, turning slightly to slide a hand over Louis’ stomach, gently rubbing with his thumb.
“Get a proper big house,” Harry murmured. “And fill it with kids.”
“Yeah,” Louis sighed, leaning against Harry for a moment, before pulling back suddenly and looking up at his mate sharply. “Wait -- fill it?!”
~~~~
It took less than four weeks for the couple to find and complete on their new home. Their families had wanted them to buy a brand new house, but Harry was insistent on something with character and history. Louis didn’t really care, so long as he was with Harry, and there was room for their family.
So they were moving into a reasonably modest five bedroom house, with an outdoor pool and annex building (for the grandparents, obviously), a large kitchen and dining room, and a bigger lounge. Harry was satisfied that it would hold their extended families and friends for social occasions, but still be intimate enough for when it was just them and their pup.
It took another four weeks before Harry was happy with the decor - wanting everything to be just so, and ready for the growth of their little family.
By that time, the press had caught wind of developments within the band, and were starting to push for answers. None of the boys were particularly willing to go public just yet; wanting it to be something entirely under their control and with their feelings and desires at the centre of it, not just some cheap hack wanting to sell a few more papers or get a few more hits online.
“We’ll tell them when we’re good and damn well ready, Simon,” Harry spat at Jones, who had made the mistake of ‘dropping by’ unannounced. “It’s our decision, we’re mates, it’s our baby, and you’ve been illegally trying to hide it for the past three goddamn years, so excuse me if I don’t fall over myself to jump through your pathetic, self-satisfying, inexcusable hoops! And you can quote me on that to Cowell as well!”
With that, he shoved the publicist back out onto the porch and slammed the front door shut, letting out a low snarl as he did so.
“That, was hot,” Louis told him, leaning against the doorframe to the living room, his arms wrapped around his stomach, wearing a loose pair of joggers and one of Harry’s tees. “I love it when you get protective of us.”
“What the fuck right did he think he had?” Harry seethed. “Coming around here, uninvited, when he knows that I’m setting up our home.”
“He’s a beta, babe, they’re stupid,” Louis assured him, then paused. “Well, no, not stupid - Niall’s a perfectly awesome beta. Most of them just aren’t properly educated. Simon is one of them.”
“Well, you’d think by now he’d have learned something,” grumped Harry, crossing to slip his arms around Louis’ waist. “He’s been around us for long enough.” He huffed again, before burying his nose against Louis’ scent gland, immediately relaxing.
“He’s a self-centred prick who only removes his head from sucking Cowell’s cock long enough to carry out anything that Cowell tells him to do,” Louis told him.
Harry pulled back to stare at Louis for a brief moment, then burst out laughing, covering his face with his hands as he snorted and giggled.
“What?” Louis chuckled self-consciously. “It wasn’t that funny…?”
“I love you,” murmured Harry, once he’d gotten himself under control. “I love you so much, Louis.”
“I love you too, Haz,” his mate replied, pressing a kiss to Harry’s cheek. “And I love our new home.” He rubbed a hand lightly over his still-flat stomach. “We’re gonna be happy here. I just know it.”