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Despite how much he wants this, Niall can still feel his heart hammering with nerves in his chest. He looks around, seeing what must be parents everywhere, standing in lines and waiting for their children. When he received the text from Harry some 30 minutes ago, he jumped on the opportunity without thinking twice. Harry didn’t have time to explain of what nature the emergency at work is, but Niall is thankful that it’s happening. It feels a lot like a milestone in their relationship, Harry asking him to do this. So when he told his boss Andrea that he had to leave practice early because of a family emergency, it didn’t feel at all like fibbing.
The thing is, though, that he has never been to Hugo’s school before and thus, has no idea of where to go. He taps a nearby, kind looking woman on the shoulder. ”Excuse me, I’m looking for Mrs. Hannigan’s classroom?”
”Right over there.” The woman points to a row of parents down the hall. Niall thanks her and makes his way over there, placing himself last in line. His heart won’t stop racing. He doesn’t even understand why he’s nervous. Sure, Harry has told him plenty of things about Mrs. Hannigan (Niall refuses to call her The Beast as Harry insists on, before he has met her and can see for himself if she really is the Devil in human form) but Niall suspects that Harry might be exaggerating his descriptions of her. She is not the root of Niall’s nervousness at this point.
Perhaps it is the grandness of this. For the very first time, Niall is going to pick up Hugo from school. Despite how much their lives have become intertwined, Hugo is still very much Harry’s responsibility. Niall only read Hugo’s bedtime story for the first time the other week. That had been a milestone, too. His heart had felt too big for his chest, taking up too much room. He read story after story, unable to stop himself, unwilling to let such a precious moment come to an end.
This is not very different.
It’s a milestone. And every milestone (Niall has them all mapped out in his head) in his and Harry’s relationship is exhilarating. He never quite expected to be here at the young age of nearly 27, waiting in line to pick up his boyfriend’s son from school. But fuck if it isn’t exactly where he needs and where he wants to be. It probably should have crossed Niall’s mind at some point that he ought to think twice before diving head first into a relationship with someone that carries baggage in the form of a child, but it hasn’t. It’s too late, now, anyway. He’s just over two months in and already in too deep. He doesn’t know when the giddy attraction he feels for Harry deepened into the angelic song on repeat in his heart, but suddenly the music was there and all Niall could think when he looked at Harry was this is the love of my life. It probably should’ve scared him, any sane person would be scared to think those words about a person they’ve only just met. But his reaction the first time he looked at Harry and felt that, was a relieved of course it is. Niall hasn’t felt anything remotely close to fear.
Well, a little fear, because it’s almost his turn now to pick up Hugo. Now that he’s closer, he gets a better view of Mrs. Hannigan. She looks kind, with warm eyes half hidden behind her glasses. Surely this cannot be the same person who treats Niall’s boyfriend like dirt. He admits that he has been taking Harry’s stories of her with a grain of salt, because the level of unprofessionalism she, according to Harry, emits, seems very unlikely. Harry isn’t the only young parent out there. This is why, when his turn has come, he walks up to Mrs. Hannigan with confidence.
”Hello, I’m here to pick up Hugo, Harry said that he’d call ahead and tell you I was coming.” Mrs. Hannigan simply looks at him. And even though her face is void of any emotion, Niall can feel her judgement coming off in strong waves. When she doesn’t open her mouth, he adds with a slight tremble in his voice, ”I’m Niall Horan.”
She nods once and makes a note on the writing pad in her hand. Without looking up, she calls out Hugo’s name. Niall turns his head and sees Hugo walking towards him with a big smile. This is really happening. Niall is picking up Hugo from school. He returns Hugo’s smile.
”Niall,” says Hugo and wraps his arms around around Niall’s waist, ”what’re you doing here? Where’s daddy?”
Niall’s hand finds its way to cup the back of Hugo’s head as if on automatic, as if it’s what it was always meant to do. He rakes his fingers through his hair. ”Daddy had an emergency at work, so I came instead.” His mind wanders instantly to the fantasy he has built for himself and often visits, of where he has settled into Harry and Hugo’s lives. In it, he has moved in - for real, not like now, and him picking Hugo up from school is not an unusual occurrence. He and Harry share that responsibility, like they do with everything else. The title ’stepdad’ never held much attraction to Niall before, but now it feels like the most grand honour. Niall can’t wait until it becomes reality.
Hugo smiles brightly at him and then turns to Mrs. Hannigan. ”This is Niall!” He says excitedly and loosens one of his arms from around Niall’s waist to poke him in the hip as if to bring Mrs. Hannigan's attention to him.
”I see that,” says Mrs. Hannigan to Hugo with a smile.
”He and my daddy like to kiss,” Hugo continues and Niall’s hand stills on his head. ”And Niall sleeps in daddy’s bed.”
Niall got over all his internal shame about his sexuality years ago, but still he can feel his cheeks grow hot. He closes his eyes and begs for the ground to swallow him whole. Sadly, the ground beneath him stays stubbornly intact. He opens his eyes again and resists a deep sigh, wills his hand to resume the caressing of Hugo’s hair.
”I see,” says Mrs. Hannigan with a smile that doesn’t seem entirely real to Niall. Hugo must notice it too, because he looks up at Niall with a slight frown. Niall attempts at an encouraging smile. He clears his throat.
”Any information or anything to take home?”
”No, just homework,” Mrs. Hannigan says without really looking at Niall. Alright. Niall sees it and now he fully understands. Harry was right.
”Alright,” Niall says to The Beast and then nudges Hugo with his hip. ”Come on, then. Let’s go home.”
”Bye!” Hugo says to The Beast and then shows Niall where his stuff is.
”Didn’t you bring a snack?” Hugo asks when Niall starts directing him outside to fetch his bike.
”Was I supposed to?”
”Daddy always does,” Hugo says with a shrug. ”But it’s okay.”
”I’ll get you a snack at home,” Niall promises and tries to shake the uncomfortable feeling rising in his chest. It’s not his fault; Harry didn’t tell him about the snacks, but this only shows how far away his fantasy still is. He buckles Hugo’s helmet and locates his bike.
”Don’t go off too fast, now,” he warns. Hugo nods like he wasn’t going to do anything else, and off they go.
It’s surprisingly painless. Well, it shouldn’t be surprising because Harry has somehow managed to raise Hugo into the most well behaved five year old Niall has ever met. He stays close on his bike, occasionally shouting to Niall to look at a particularly cool car and stops at one point to look at a poodle with a very impressive bow on its head.
Niall is very familiar with Harry and Hugo’s afternoon routine by now. He instructs Hugo on starting on his homework when they get home, and fixes him a snack. He finds little boxes of raisins in a cupboard and other dried fruits; peaches and apricots, apples. He suspects this is what Harry usually brings for a snack. His fear of feeding Hugo unhealthy food is a bit ridiculous, Niall thinks. When Harry told him about their ”Friday Snacks” and how this means that Hugo is allowed one and only one treat, Niall at first thought he was joking. Harry’s brows creased and he said something about the dangers of sugar and looked so cute and defensive that Niall had no other choice than to kiss him senseless. He gets it now, though. With all the time he has spent with Hugo, with how much he has come to care for him, he doesn’t particularly want to feed him bad stuff, either.
He decides on the apricots and pours some into a Thomas the Tank Engine bowl that he places next to Hugo. Sits down next to him to help him with his spellings. He places his hand on Hugo’s back without really thinking about it, feels Hugo lean into the touch without interrupting his careful writing. His handwriting is shit, but Niall guesses that’s to be expected of a five year old. The pride rising in his chest when Hugo manages to write a letter extra nice or when he spells a word on his own, without any help, feels slightly out of proportion to how long he has known the child. But just like with how his feelings for Harry are more intense than they ought to be by now, he doesn’t feel fear. He leans in to the feeling and lets Hugo know how well he’s doing.
Harry comes home a while later. Niall is preparing dinner and Hugo is in the sitting room doing a jigsaw puzzle to the tunes of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine soundtrack that Niall put on for him. It really isn’t their best album but Hugo seems to really enjoy it, especially the instrumental songs.
Niall goes to meet Harry when he steps through the door to the flat, looking unusually tired. But even tired, he manages to still be the most beautiful person Niall has ever laid eyes on. He’ll never forget that evening when he first met him, the way his heart jumped when Harry opened his door. Niall didn’t understand at the time, why his heart reacted the way it did, but he guesses that it probably knew that it had set sight on the love of Niall’s life.
”Hi,” Harry says and closes the door behind him. He smiles weakly at Niall and Niall steps into his zone. He grabs his face gently, Harry’s stubble coarse under his palms, and kisses him tenderly. Harry melts under his touch, sighing into the kiss. Niall loves when he can feel Harry lose himself in the moment like this, when he can feel Harry’s mind just go blank. Harry wraps his arms around Niall’s waist, hugging him close. I’m so fucking in love with you, Niall thinks. He knows it’s too soon to say it, can see it on Harry’s face every time he hints to the extent of his feelings. He longs for the day when he can say it, instead of painting the words on Harry’s lips with his mouth.
Niall breaks the kiss, ”Gotta check on dinner,” he says and slaps Harry’s bum before returning to the kitchen and the sausages he’s frying. He hears Harry enter the sitting room and say hello to Hugo, asking him about his day. Hugo excitedly tells him the story he told Niall on the way home, about how Lily had arranged her peas in a very cool pattern during lunch. It’s not a thrilling story.
Harry joins Niall in the kitchen. ”Thank you for picking him up,” he says and hops onto the counter. He dips his finger in the mashed potatoes Niall has made, scooping some up. He hums appreciatively around his finger. He probably didn’t mean to seduce Niall, but the sight has Niall’s pulse quicken.
”Thank you for trusting me to do it,” Niall says, ”I’m happy to do it again.” He knows that Harry understands that he really means it.
Harry nods and smiles, looking a little faint. He’s beautiful. He’s so fucking beautiful.
”So, what d’you think of The Beast? Straight from Hell, right?” Harry switches subject and moves to scoop up some more mash, but Niall swats his hand away and nods.
”Yeah.” He pauses and then adds, a little hesitant, ”Hugo kind of, outed you. To her.”
Harry stiffens and his smile dies. ”What?”
Niall moves to stand between his legs, placing his hands on the tops of Harry’s thighs. He rubs his thumbs in what he hopes is a soothing motion. ”He told her that I sleep in your bed and that we kiss.”
Harry looks at him for a moment and then out of the window. He rubs his jaw and purses his lips. Then he sighs and looks back at Niall and shrugs slightly.
”Alright. It could be worse.” He ducks his head and kisses Niall firmly. Niall moves his hands from his thighs to instead wrap his arms around Harry’s waist. I love you I love you I love you. He lets himself be engulfed in the angelic song his heart sings to Harry, wills the notes to pass through his lips and onto Harry’s.
”Hang on,” Harry mumbles against Niall’s lips and then moves his head back a little, ”how did he sound when he said it? Happy or upset?”
”Happy,” Niall says with certainty, ”excited. Not the least upset.”
Harry nods and smiles brightly. Niall’s heart feels light, untethered. He dips his head forward to rest his forehead against Harry’s chest. Breathes in the smell of his laundry detergent, fainter now and mixed in with the smell of Harry. Harry kisses the crown of his head. Niall tightens his grip around Harry’s waist. I’m gonna spend the rest of my life by your side. He lifts his head again and presses a short kiss to Harry’s lips before he takes a step back and makes sure that the sausages haven’t burnt.
Harry hops down from the counter. ”I’ll set the table.”
Niall finishes up and Harry calls Hugo to the table. They sit down to eat. Harry tells them about the emergency at work (some new possible side effects to one of their drugs had been revealed and they had to prevent a media shit storm, apparently) and Hugo listens with fascination. Niall helps him cut up his sausage.
”Thanks,” Hugo says and smiles up at him. Niall smoothes his hand over his hair. I can’t wait to see who you grow up to be. His gaze flicks to Harry who smiles at him. He hooks his ankle over Niall’s under the table. Niall returns his smile and continues eating.