Work Text:
A Thousand Years
(Harry’s POV)
I’m standing in the dressing room, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I’m in a tuxedo with a blue bowtie and I know this isn’t a dream. The color scheme for the wedding is green and blue, just like our eyes. I touch the soft fabric of my matching blue vest and smile. Louis’s mom had it made just for me while my mom made his suit. They were pre-wedding gifts and although we tried to refuse it for being too extravagant, we both loved them. The guy in the mirror once had to hide his love and now he’s standing in a room surrounded by forget-me-nots and bells of Ireland (Niall’s idea), waiting for his wedding to begin.
This day is actually happening. I’m getting married to the love of my life. I think of all we’ve been through and I can’t believe this is real. I was so tired of having to hide who I was, it became natural, but seeing Louis’s face when I proposed after we came out was an image that will never leave my head.
I’m waiting for my cue so I can walk out of the room and meet up with my mother who’s walking me down the aisle. The cue is the song Louis and I picked out, Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years. The words of the song match so well to our relationship.
I heat the beat start and the words start to spill out of the speakers surrounding the hall.
Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.
One step closer
I was so afraid to love him. I knew it meant we would have to deal with people’s reactions. I wasn’t sure if he could handle it. Eventually, loving him became inevitable and I fell hard. It was never easy. We constantly had to fight for the right to love. Against management, against society, even against ourselves. Sometimes, it seemed like too much, but our love never stopped. That was how I knew he was the one for me. No matter how rough it got, he never gave up. He gives me the strength I need to make it in this world.
I walk out and see my mother smiling at me in him light blue maid of honor dress. She extends her arm as the chorus of the song begins to play.
I have died everyday waiting for you.
Darling don't be afraid
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
I look over to the other aisle and I see Louis walking with his mother who’s wearing a pastel green maid of honor dress. He spots me and blows a kiss. It truly feels like I loved him for a thousand years. Our love is infinite. It will never end, not even when our lives will. We stare into each other’s eyes for what feels like forever and all the noise except for the song still playing in the background is gone. The start of the second verse is my prompt to start the descent down the aisle.
~~~~*~~~~
(Louis’s POV)
Time stands still
Beauty in all He is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer
I smile and hum to the song. Time really does stop whenever I look at him. The only thing that matters in the moment is the way his eyes stare into mine. I will always be brave for him. This song speaks to me in way I cannot even begin to explain. It was as if it was written for our love. When he suggested it as our wedding song, I was so happy. I would have honestly been happy with anything because I’m just so ecstatic that we’re really getting married. This moment is finally here and everything we have been through has led to this.
Harry is watching me from where he’s standing in his aisle. When I first came out, I saw his reaction to seeing me and it almost made me want to run over and kiss him right away. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he saw what I was wearing. The tux was designed to looks similar to his except I had green suspenders with little bow ties on them. When I saw the suspenders, my eyes instantly watered. They were so perfect. I made a mental note to get his mom a really nice gift or something to show my gratitude.
I’m so busy watching him as I wait to begin the walk, I almost miss my cue.
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
The second chorus starts up and we try to walk in tandem. My mom is squeezing my arm in reassurance because although this is the happiest day of my life, I’m still a bit nervous. As we begin to walk the first thing I see is fake snow on the ground. I love winter but I don’t really like the cold. I made a joke that when we got married, we would have fake snow and he actually made sure they put some down like I wanted. There are snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and the walls have winter backdrops against them.
I glance over to Harry who has the biggest smile on this face. His head turns slightly and when he sees me, he shoots me a cheeky wink almost making me laugh. I love how even during our wedding, we still manage to have fun. It takes away from the seriousness of it all. In just about an hour, we’re going to be Mr. and Mr. Styles-Tomlinson. He wanted to take my last name since but I felt that we should join them together ad he agreed with a kiss. It was just another thing that made me love him even more.
~~~~*~~~~
(Harry's POV)
We finally reach the minister and go to stand in front of him. Ed, Liam, Niall, and Zayn are standing with us wearing different shades of blue and green. Our moms stand to the side with our sisters. The minister begins his speech and I zone out from time to time, staring into Louis’s beautiful blue eyes. We’re holding hands and we can’t look away from each other. After some time, the minister says the traditional vows to which we added our own.
“From the first moment I saw you, in the loo at X-factor, I fell in love instantly. Of course at sixteen, everyone thinks they’re in love but for me it was different. I fell in love with your incredible blue eyes. I fell in love with your smile. I fell in love with the you that no one sees except me. Even when we had to hide, you went out of your way to make sure I knew I was loved at every moment. Every time I felt like crying or felt like giving up, you would remind me of what we were fighting for. Sometimes we argued but you never let me go to sleep without saying ‘I love you’. I know this is a bold statement but I don’t think there will ever be another person who could love someone as much as I love you. I love you, Louis and it really feels like I have for a thousand years.”
Louis has tears in his eyes at this point as he begins to say his part.
“I tried so hard not to love you. Not because I was afraid of what it would mean but because I was afraid I would hurt you. I knew we couldn't be public while being in the bad and asking you to hide felt selfish. It was a really unfair situation and I would have understood if you didn't want hide. But you did it anyway. You said hiding didn't matter as long as we were together. That's when I knew you were the one. We've been together for over four years and each moment has been perfect. Even when we fought, I knew we couldn't stay apart for long. I may not have believed in soul mates before but I do now. We really are meant to be, Harry, and while it may feel like we've loved for a thousand years, I want an eternity with you. Our love is limitless and I know that if I get ever scared, lonely, or sad, all I have to think about is how much we love each other and I'll be okay. I love you Harry Styles, and I always will."
We both have tears running down our faces and so does everyone else. The minister asks for the rings. We exchange our final vows and put the rings on each other.
I say "with this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands" and Louis repeats.
The minister continues with the vows until he finally reaches the end.
"By the power vested in me by the laws of the United Kingdom, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom."
Everyone claps as I grab Louis by his hips to pull him in for a kiss. When we come up for air, we stare into each other's eyes. Once green meets blue, everything else disappears and the only thing that matters is our love and the journey into the rest of our lives.