Archive of Our Own

In all the words Louis would use to describe a baby shower, the last one he’d ever thought to use was depressing . 

It’s odd, quite frankly, to even consider these small gatherings arranged to celebrate a new life anything short of exciting and comforting, and deep down, Louis can admit that much. However, as the Omega gazes at his empty reflection, once he’d slipped on a pair of jeans and his favorite white sweater just to feel a semblance of anything remotely positive, he can’t help but dread them a little.

A weight pulls at his gut, weighing him down and making him feel like his whole body was about to collapse and melt into the floor. Everyone knows that depression is next to fatal to Omegas, and though Louis’ mostly recovered from the anguish of being unable to carry pups into this world, a conclusion that’s tormented him for the better part of four years, there are days that sting more than others, and today, it seems to be one of those.

Harry, his painfully perceptive Alpha, is quick to notice his discomfort. 

“You know you don't have to go, Lou,” He says, voice low and caring, cautious enough not to send Louis into a fit of tears, yet comforting, as he always is, to be there for him if he does. They’ve been together for so long, there’s no tone in the Alpha’s voice Louis can’t decipher.  

“Perrie’d understand.”

Louis swallows the lump forming in his throat and finds the courage to look at his Alpha’s reflection through the mirror. He’s sitting on the edge of their bed, eyebrows scrunched with worry and hair dripping on the collar of his still unbuttoned shirt, trailing down his neck as he gets dressed. Any other day, Louis’d bicker about how he’d be dampening their bedsheets, or ruining his shirt before his very important meeting, but Harry keeps looking at him like… that , and the argument dies on his tongue before it has the chance to rise.

Pitfully, Louis looks away. 

A quiet sigh escapes his tight lips as he runs his fingers through his hair for the thousandth time. It’s a repeated motion, automatic as he blankly stares at his reflection. He’s not liking what he’s seeing, and no matter how many times the Omega fluffs up his hair, it never seems to stay just how he likes it. Instead, it falls flat against his forehead, lifeless and lacking its usual shine. 

Louis can’t help but feel like there’s a metaphor in that.

“We’ve been talking about babies, forever, Harry,” Louis swallows, smoothing out his sweater because he doesn’t know what else to do with his hands; with himself. “I…I need to be there for her. She’s my best friend, I’ve helped her organize the damn party, for fuck’s sake.”

The irrational irritableness claws through his lungs, prickling his skin and making his knuckles turn white as he grips the bottom of his sweater. His shoulders feel tense and if he was close to tears a minute earlier, he’s one second away from wailing on his knees now. 

The air shifts, though, stopping the distressed Omega from falling any further. Suddenly, the room fills with a calming vanilla scent, wafting through the air and into Louis’ senses. Before the Omega knows it, his eyes fall closed and his shoulders relax as the ache dissipates into a numb, warm lull. Louis barely registers his Alpha standing from the bed and nearing him until he feels his Alpha’s strong arms gently wrap around his waist, and the gentleness of Harry’s head fitted right on Louis’ left shoulder. He cradles him, holding him and letting his scent sooth his erratic thoughts and offer the Omega some much needed comfort. 

Harry’s always been good at calming him down.

Louis lets himself be held until all his negativity is placated and he feels a little more like himself again. It’s been a journey to remember who he was again, before his world turned upside down, and Louis wouldn’t know what to do if he’d succumb back to that dark place that left him motionless and in downright misery. He never wants to be that person again, and his Alpha wouldn’t allow him, either. 

“I can't do that to her and you know it, Harry.” The Omega woefully reminds him.

The Alpha frowns, short of a wince, “I know, I just don't want you to be sad, love.”

The swell in his heart brings a smile onto Louis’ lips - faint, yet present, and it only grows as Louis allows his Omega to bask in his Alpha’s comforting scent and embrace the gentle hold around his body. Little by little, Louis feels stable enough he doesn’t need to cling to his Alpha anymore, feeling well and secure with himself again. Harry notices this, and begins to let go of his Omega, placing a comforting kiss on his bond mark and scenting him before letting go, not without a squeeze on Louis’ hips as the Omega turns around, facing his Alpha and locking his arms around his shoulders. 

“I’ll be okay,” Louis offers a soft smile, this one coming natural to him, “I'm just being selfish. I'm happy for Perrie, really.”

Louis’ a master at self deprecating comments and putting others needs before his own. Regardless of how humble it is of him, the Alpha could always see right through it, and he could tell when all Louis needed was a little reassurance from his end.

Harry's arms easily wrap around Louis’ waist, pulling him in and fitting his nose where it belongs - against Louis’ hair, inhaling Louis’ sweet fruity scent as he hugs him back. It’s a warm and comforting feeling, just like it’s always been, and it proves to be the reassurance and security the Omega needed. 

The Alpha tuts, “Don’t be hard on yourself, pup,” Harry whispers into his hair. “You’re far from selfish and everyone knows how happy you are for Perrie. I promise.”

Bless Harry for always knowing what to say to make Louis feel better about himself. He’s always been good at that, more than Louis could ever give him credit for. Still, he doesn’t quite believe he’s not being a selfish little brat, regardless of what he and Harry had gone through. Still, it’s nice to be comforted by his kind words, warm touch and soothing scent that turns the burning pit in Louis’ stomach into a quiet flame, and he feels like he can breathe again. 

Louis kisses him, raising himself on his toes and savoring the quick peck. “Love you, Alpha.”

“I love you too, Omega.” Harry smiles, so soft and sincere, it warms Louis’ stomach and makes him preen. Harry often jokes about how Louis’d be constantly purring if he’d been a cat - a fluffy, brown tabby with sparkling blue eyes, as he’d say - and Louis can’t say he’s wrong about that. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, though. He’s got a reputation to uphold. 

Sliding his arms off the Alpha’s broad shoulders, Louis pats his chest twice, “Alright, go finish getting ready, love. The party's starting already and I don't want to be late. She’d kill me, you know she would.”

Harry laughs and reluctantly lets go, not without smacking another kiss on his Omega’s lips. It’s a sweet gesture, so Louis lets him kiss him a little, but when the Alpha’s tongue begins to poke against his lips, Louis smiles into the kiss and gently pushes him away. They can’t get carried away, Louis promised he’d be at Perrie’s before the other guests would arrive, and he’s nothing but loyal to his word. 

As the Alpha buttons up his shirt and picks out the right blazer, Louis eventually finishes fixing his hair. It doesn’t sit quite how he likes it, but he’d already been fussing over it for about twenty minutes, even before Harry went for his shower, and he can’t find it in him to care anymore. He doesn’t even have the time to worry this much, so he settles with the fringe across his forehead and takes a deep breath as he gazes at his reflection. 

Sparing a glance behind him, he catches Harry smiling at him, loopy and a little on the corny side, but a blush peeks through Louis’ cheeks and it’s impossible not to match the smile. 

He can do this. He’s confident he’ll make it through. 

----

As Harry pulls his Range Rover to a stop near Perrie’s driveway, Louis can’t help but feel a nervous twinge in his stomach. He’d been playing with his nails - until Harry laced their hands together to stop him and effectively calmed him down - and biting his lip the entire drive, conflicted with feeling like a horrible friend and afraid he’d ruin the very party he’d help plan. 

“Don’t be in your head so much, babe,” Harry gently urges, bringing Louis’ palm up for a kiss.

Louis pitifully chuckles, “It’s easier said than done, Alpha.”

“I know,” He squeezes his hand. Louis glances at their conjoined hands, finding comfort in the way they fit together so well. “But you’re very strong and you’re allowed to feel the way you feel. I know you’re tired of hearing this, but I’ll remind you as much as you need, Lou.”

There’s no words Louis can find to express his appreciation for his Alpha, his patience and his adamancy to get his Omega back on his feet, so he does the next best thing. Leaning over the console, Louis fits their lips together and hopes he can convey everything he’s feeling.

“I love you,” Louis says as they eventually part. “I-”

“I love you, Omega,” Harry stops him, knowing all too well the self deprecating comment that would surely come. Louis’ been trying to stop those, but they still come and go whether he likes it or not. Thankfully, his Alpha’s always one step ahead of him.

“Just let me know when I should come pick you up,” He says. “The meeting won’t take long, but call me and I’ll be here soon.”

Louis smiles, leaning in for a kiss as he wraps a hand around the door handle. 

“Go on, Mr. Boss Man. I wouldn’t want to make you any more late than you are.”

Harry laughs, “You know they wouldn’t start without me.”

Louis leaves him with a kiss before walking towards Perrie’s front door, because he knows Harry wouldn’t drive off without Louis being safe inside - a mix between his weird Alpha need to protect him and self assurance that Louis wouldn’t simply dash off to a new city, just for the sake of avoidance. 

Once he reaches the doorstep, the Omega waves him off, and with a quick wave back, the Alpha starts the car and makes a turn back into the city. 

Now, alone and facing the door, Louis clutches the gift bag close to his body. Inside, there’s a cute little pajama set, sage green with little giraffes embroidered on it, and a couple of essentials she’ll be needing for the baby. He’s heard over and over again that a new mum can never have too many diapers, rash, and nipple creams, and figured he’d get some for Perrie just in case. He’d ordered all of it online, since the thought of walking into pup centered stores felt a bit too overwhelming at the time, but once it arrived, he fawned over the set, knowing his best friend would absolutely love it and made sure the packaging was just as adorable.

There’s a part of him that wishes Alphas were allowed in Perrie’s pup shower, just so Harry could be beside him as extra reinforcement, but he’s scented him long enough and the better, more rational side of Louis knows he’s in a comfortable space with people who’d understand. 

He can’t help but feel a little bout of anxiety brewing in his stomach, but it’s his best friend , for fuck’s sake. He needs to put his personal business aside and-

“Oh, hey, Lou.” 

Louis squeaks, almost dropping the gift to the ground if not for his quick reflexes. He must’ve got so caught up in his ridiculous overthinking, he hardly noticed the scent of the approaching Alpha, nor the front door opening to reveal one of his best friends. 

“Zayn, hi!” He awkwardly smiles, heartbeat thrumming in his chest from the mild fright, “Sorry, I was-”

“Were you standing there long?” The Alpha asks, an easy smile gracing his lips. It falls on the mocking side, and Louis makes a mental note to get back at him for this one, when he’s a little less thrown off balance and ready to pounce. 

“No, Harry just dropped me off,” He says, fluster still fresh on his cheeks from being caught spacing out. 

The raised brow on Zayn’s face doesn't go unnoticed by Louis. 

Ever since the two Alphas met, they’ve shared this weird animosity between each other that the Omega hasn’t quite managed to put his finger on. Zayn wasn’t too happy when they started dating, and Harry'd often complain about the other Alpha’s demeanour and bitchy comments, that’d turn into a full on brawl if Louis didn’t intervene. He never quite understood what the root of all this meaningless hostility was, and even after all these years of hearing both sides, it’s fair to say that they’re just two Alphas who simply can’t stand each other for no reason whatsoever.

Go figure.

Thankfully, the two Alpha’s have matured a lot since then and can now stand being in the same room together without growling and bickering at each other, but it was a long road to get to this point, and if they can avoid each other, they certainly will. 

Louis doesn’t think he’ll ever understand an Alpha’s thought process, and he’s not quite sure he wants to. Maybe ignorance is bliss on this one, but it saves him the headache of hearing Harry going on a rant about his best friend’s actions, or lack thereof. Apparently, his “smug presence” is enough to elicit an annoyed growl out of him. 

“Perrie’s inside still getting ready, I was just about to leave,” He says. Alphas don’t typically attend baby showers, and though Zayn wouldn’t have minded to stay back and enjoy the party, Perrie insisted on some Omega-time. It’s never wise to argue with a pregnant Omega, or so he’s learnt. 

“By the way,” The Alpha adds, “The party looks amazing, Lou. I knew you’d pull off something beautiful.”

Louis preens at the compliment, “Does Perrie like it?”

“She’s been crying about it all morning,” Zayn chuckles, “Says she’s hormonal, but I think she’s just thankful for your help. It really means a lot, Lou.”

There’s some unspoken words between what the Alpha tells him, and there’s nothing Louis can do other than swallow the flame in his throat and shrug off the favor like it’s nothing. It was nothing, really, organizing this pup shower for the couple. He’s done plenty in his lifetime and they’ve been friends for such a long time, it’d be ridiculous if Louis didn’t help at least a little bit. 

“Well, I’ll be off,” Zayn steps to the side, smiling as he lets the Omega inside his house with a gentle pat on his shoulder. “Hope you have fun, Lou. You couldn’t have done a better job.”

It’s a reassuring touch, and one that makes Louis’ shoulders feel a little lighter as he walks in. He’s reminded that this is a safe space, with people he loves (at least the guests he’s aware of), and their unconditional support drives the Omega to feel good and secure about himself. It’s a good feeling, one Louis plans on holding onto throughout this baby shower and he’s got an inkling that it’ll end up being alright. 

He holds himself a little straighter as he lets himself into the living area, soaking in all the baby shower decorations and almost patting himself in the back with how pretty it all looks. He’d spent the last week organizing the whole party and the entire day yesterday raiding the living room and decorating it exactly how Perrie envisioned it. 

Well, truthfully, all Perrie asked for was something pretty and inviting, and knowing her as well as he did, Louis didn’t need much more instruction from the mummy-to-be.

There were tasteful white flowers all around the room, with pretty silver balloons as opposed to any overly saturated tacky banners. Perrie wanted to keep things neutral and elegant, but it wouldn’t be a true Perrie-esque baby shower without something knot shaped. It’s straws, this time, and Louis hopes the beautiful cake that will be sitting in the middle of the table is enough of a distraction for Perrie’s poor older relatives. 

It reminded Louis of her bridal party, a little more subdued - especially with the replacement of knots for white roses - but still very much her. If Louis could ignore the faint ache in the pit of his stomach, he’d feel a lot more proud of himself for helping her pull off such a pretty party. It’s a selfish feeling, still lingering despite the happiness he feels for his best friend finally becoming a mother. 

Shaking the nasty feeling off, Louis does a quick mental checklist of what else needs to be done, and the only thing that was missing was the food and the gender-reveal cake, though if Louis’ timing was right, it should be here any minute. 

With everything in order, he moves through the house looking for the mum-to-be, gift in hand as he walks up the stairs, following the low sound of music coming from the mated couples bedroom. He smiles to himself, thinking of all the times he and Perrie would get ready for night outs and the music that they’d play so loudly in their dorm room, Louis’ surprised they never got any noise complaints. 

The door is wide open and from where Louis leans against the frame, he sees Perrie, heavily pregnant and leaning towards her vanity as she applies some mascara. It’s a little jarring to see the person he grew up with, be on the brink of a new chapter in life with a swollen stomach, but pregnancy suits her, and she looks as beautiful as Louis always knew her to be.

When she deems her makeup done, Louis knocks against the wood and Perrie dramatically drops the mascara in fright, not realizing Louis was standing there the entire time.

“Louis!” She grins, waddling to where Louis meets her in the middle, “I didn’t know you were here already, I’ve been calling you all morning!”

“Zayn let me in,” He smiles into the awkward side hug to avoid any pressure on her belly, “Sorry, Pez. Harry was taking too long picking out a shirt.”

“Alphas,” She giggles, rolling her eyes. As they pull apart, Louis lets his eyes wander over his best friend and he almost wants to cry over how beautiful she looks. Up closer, her skin was glowing brighter, pairing nicely with a soft lilac dress that flowed beautifully over her swollen stomach, that also matched the pretty flowers she picked out for her baby shower. 

“You look gorgeous, Perrie,” He says, smiling at the faint blush on her cheeks, “I can’t even believe this is the same Perrie that refused to ever be held down by a stinky knothead.”

“Aw, thanks, Lou.” She grins, “Lucky me, Zayn’s not much of a knothead.” She winks, “Only when he doesn’t get me my midnight snacks on time.”

They erupt into a fit of giggles, and fall into easy small talk about her pregnancy, how the past weeks have been on her and what’s left to prepare for the newborn arriving soon. Louis can tell she’s excited for her pup, yet nervous for what’s to come, since she didn’t have much experience in raising pups. Everyone knows she’ll do a great job, though, if her kindness and compassion isn’t enough to show for it. 

“I brought you gifts,” Louis says, as the small talk dies down, bringing up the little gift bag and smiling at Perrie’s look of surprise as she takes a hold of it.

“Aww, Louis, you shouldn't have,” She coos, short of falling into a fit of tears. She’s always been an emotional person, and now that her hormones are practically on steroids, the tiniest thing is enough to set her off. Louis knows this from firsthand experience.  “I’ll put them over on the gift table to open later. You’re such a darling!”

“It was nothing, really,” He shrugs off with a smile, “But I do hope you like it.”

“You’ve always had great taste,” She notes, “I mean, look at your best friend, right? I’m pretty decent, if I do say so myself.”

Louis giggles into his hand, “Of course you are, love.”

The doorbell goes off, rudely interrupting their moment, and suddenly reminding Louis of the batch of red velvet cupcakes and gender reveal cake that were scheduled to arrive.

“I’ll go take care of it,” Louis says, “Just finish getting ready and come downstairs when you’re ready.”

Perrie’s shoulders relax in relief, “Thank you, love. I owe you the world.”

Louis smiles,  “Just save me a slice, yeah?”

“It’s the least I can do for you, darling.” She winks.

-----

Perries’ baby shower turns out to be just as nice as Louis thought it'd be, everyone is very polite and excited about the new pup, as the constant cooing over Perrie’s pregnant stomach was proof enough of that. 

Louis was usually a very extroverted Omega, he hardly had any issues coming up to people and sparking up conversation. His job forced him to be comfortable even in awkward situations, which ended up being a blessing in disguise as his past shortcomings took down his confidence. The shower is pleasant, though, and it’s easy to fall into conversation with the Betas and Omegas Perrie had invited over, ones’ she made a point of introducing to him, at every chance she could.

“Have you met my aunt Sandra?” She’d say, coming up behind the Omega when he’d least expect it.

“Lead the way.” 

Perrie’s been Louis’ best friend for as long as he could remember, but that didn’t mean he knew every Omega in the room right now. They were most likely her relatives, or estranged friends from college she'd reconnected with. Louis doesn't know, but he’s got all afternoon to mingle, which feels easier than he’d anticipated. 

He flows through people easily, catching up with old college friends he hadn’t seen in a while, sharing little stories about Perrie and quick introductions. He ends up on Perrie's couch, sitting with two older omegas - Perrie’s aunts, so he learns. It was all going alright, easy and quite comfortable. 

Until what he’s dreaded most happens. 

“So, Louis,” Aunt Carol asks, “Perrie tells me you’re mated and married already.”

“Yes,” He swallows, knowing exactly where this was heading and already dreading the question that’ll inevitably come up. “For five years now. Harry and I met in college. Perrie set us up, actually.

“Aw, that’s so cute,” Both aunts coo, “She’s always been a matchmaker! And a good one apparently!”

Louis smiles, “She did alright, I don’t want to let it get to her head.”

The ladies erupt in laughter amongst each other, and it’s pleasant for a moment before Aunt Sandra decides to ask the million dollar question.

“And pups? Have you and your mate thought about having any pups?”

It’s always awkward whenever this conversation comes up, and it couldn’t have happened in a worse setting than this. The thing is, Louis’ known the answer for two years now, but it still hurts to voice it out loud, just like the first time he had to, and any of the times after that.

Harry usually helps him when someone asks them the same thing, dreading the question himself but doing a better job at quickly diverting the subject. Louis tends to get a little stuck in his emotions, and he’s starting to regret not having his Alpha beside him right now. 

“I’m, uh, barren.” He swallows, pointedly staring down at the paper cup creasing under his grip, “So, no pups for us.”

As always, Louis doesn't miss the look on their faces, their smiles awkwardly hesitant and mentally searching through their heads as to what one could reply to something like that. Louis gets a sinking feeling as though he’s ruined the whole mood. Who the hell brings up being barren at a party meant to celebrate a new life coming, in the first place? It’s too late to backtrack now, though, and all he wants to do is bury himself in the ground to avoid ruining Perrie’s baby shower any further.

Thankfully, Perrie's aunts are decent people. They smile, and aunt Carol rests a gentle, comforting  hand on Louis’ knee.

“There’s many options nowadays, darling.” She says, softly and ever so genuine.

“Having pups is overrated anyways,” Aunt Sandra waves off, while Aunt Carol shoots her a scolding look. It serves to put a smile on Louis’ face. Small, albeit there.

Despite the conversation taking a better turn than the Omega expected, a huge part of Louis doesn't want to keep talking about this and silently prays for the perfect distraction to get out without being obviously rude about it. 

Thankfully, it happens, all in lilac and heavily pregnant. 

“Let's cut the cake!” Perrie announces, grin on her face wide with excitement, to find out what her pup’s gender would be. She’s managed to convince herself that her pup is a girl, and though Louis agrees, it’s been quite a discussion amongst everyone throughout the baby shower. His instincts are never wrong, though. If anything, he’s certain of that.

Louis can’t get up quick enough. He excuses himself politely, offering to help aunt Carol stand up before blending in with the crowd around Perrie. Everyone’s beaming with excitement, chattering about their guesses and urging Perrie to cut the cake, but, of course, not without taking countless pictures to capture this moment. 

Eventually, when she’s had enough of the camera’s flashing at her, she decides it’s time for the grand reveal. The knife on her hand slices through the white frosted cake, and with much anticipation, she slowly raises the cake, luring everyone’s attention in, only to finally reveal the pink filling Louis was already expecting to see. The room fills with squeals of excitement, bombarding Perrie with warm hugs and a string of ‘ I knew it ’’s before each taking a slice for themselves.

When it’s his turn, Louis finally brings Perrie into a warm hug.

“Thank you for this, Lou,” She whispers into his ear, “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“You’re my best friend, Pez,” Louis smiles, “I couldn’t imagine not being a part of this.”

Louis understands the weight her words carried, and she didn’t have to say much else for him to read between the lines. Louis’ relationship with pregnancy was stilted and awkward, and Perrie never wanted to make him uncomfortable or feel any worse than he did. He appreciated her concern, truly, but there’s a genuine happiness felt for his best friend and he’d be a fool to push her away after all their years of friendship and support. It was, at times, a difficult decision to make, but one he doesn’t regret at all.

“Can I offer you a slice?” She says, pulling away from the Omega.

Louis smiles, grabbing for a plate, “Don’t mind if I do.”

------

Finding out he was barren was probably one of the worst days of Louis’ life.

Ever since he was a child, motherhood had been the Omega’s utmost desire. He adored pups and he loved every second of helping his parents raise his brothers and sisters, as well as any cousin and neighboring pup. The nurturing aspect of motherhood always came natural to Louis and there was hardly a moment where he didn’t envision pups in his future. 

Meeting his Alpha had been a dream, one he wasn’t quite expecting. Louis was never fond of silly, knothead Alphas and their brusque manners of being, and that was exactly what Louis thought of him when they met at a frat party in uni. Harry had been cocky and disgustingly charming, all smiles and offering drinks “ on the house ” as a courting gesture. Sure, Louis had been immediately attracted to him, with the way he towered over him and with the stupid dimples indenting his cheeks, and of course the musky, vanilla and pinewood scent radiating from him, but he was too drunk and too loud and Louis got himself out of there, thinking he wouldn’t see the burly Alpha ever again, other than in brief passings. 

However, it was just his luck that the pair ended up being in the same friend group, and though Louis had been reluctant to get closer with Harry,  the Alpha proved to be exactly what Louis needed. Under that fratty, cocky exterior, held a caring and protective Alpha that Louis couldn’t help but fall for. They started officially dating only a few weeks after meeting, to absolutely no one’s surprise. 

Years later, after finishing off uni and starting a real world life together, marriage came easily and with that, came the start of Louis’ motherhood. It was exciting to finally have the chance to try for a pup, without the barrier of suppressants or birth control, and the first time Harry had bit his bond mark on their wedding night had been one of the most passionate late night rendezvous. It went on for hours. Harry had been so animalistic and ardent, Louis even thought he’d somehow triggered the Alpha’s rut early. 

It had been such an intense night, one that left Louis limping around the beach resort the next day, that it came as a surprise to the mated couple when they found out Louis still wasn’t pregnant. It was weird, since everyone knew pregnancy always came after a proper mating, if neither were on any birth control, but that didn’t stop the pair from enjoying their honeymoon and trying again.

And again, and again, and again.

What once was not really a big deal, since pregnancy did come a little harder to some, it grew  to be the main source of Louis’ distress. It’d been months since their first proper mating, and Louis was yet to have a life grow inside his stomach. It was embarrassing with how long it was taking, and the constant questions about it were starting to take a toll on Louis. He’d even resorted to lying, claiming both him and Harry wanted to focus on their jobs before bringing any pups into this world. He’d always been a terrible liar, so he’s not sure how his friends and family believed him for so long. 

It was hard not to feel like a failure of an Omega. He had it all, a good life, family, friends, the perfect Alpha, but the ongoing disappointment after disappointment of countless negative pregnancy tests and lack of symptoms made him feel hopeless, and completely to blame.  

Numerous doctors appointments did nothing to help the mated pair. Harry wasn't impotent and Louis was presumably fine, on paper, and no amount of treatment helped. No pills, injections, different sex positions or ancient traditional rituals managed to get Louis pregnant and it was impossible not to let it get to him. All of his dreams of motherhood were fading right in front of his eyes and it was very hard to accept it. 

Eventually, Louis’ doctor concluded that the only answer possible was that Louis was completely barren. There was no reasoning as to why exactly, especially since he came from a family where pregnancy wasn’t a struggle, but it’s simply something the couple had to accept and live with for the rest of their lives.

Obviously, Louis didn’t take it so well. He’d never felt worse about himself and it was easy to fall into a pit of depression. He’d taken a short leave from work, and the only reason he hadn’t successfully pushed everyone away was because of Harry’s persistence. He was devastated, too, of not being able to father any pups, and though they mourned their lack of parenthood together, the Alpha had to be there for his Omega and do whatever he could to make him feel like himself again - bubbly, bratty and determined - no matter what it took. To him, Louis was perfect, and being unable to carry out a pregnancy didn’t make him any less of the perfect Omega he’d fallen in love with years ago, and he wouldn’t let Louis forget it. 

In retrospect, Louis couldn’t have been more grateful for an Alpha like Harry. They’d stuck together during their hardest times and their bond has never been stronger than now. Louis’ currently in a much better place, mentally and physically, and he’s been able to accept his fate and move on to feeling like himself again. This journey of acceptance took awhile, and though there’s better days than others, the Omega can stand on his own two feet again, and rely on his Alpha whenever it gets hard. His family and friends had been more than understanding and offered a great support system too, which Louis couldn’t have been more grateful for. 

Being back at his job had been a major improvement too. Louis’ brain had been so muddled with self doubt and insecurity, he wouldn’t have been able to handle the high maintenance of his profession. It’s stressful and time consuming when it’s not being a wholesome and pleasant experience, but it’s exactly the type of job Louis thrives in and though his body weighs him down as he makes the drive home after a very busy week, he wouldn’t change it for anything else. 

It’s late as he pulls his car into the driveway. It’s close to pitch black outside and it’s one of the reasons why Louis hates leaving so late from work when daylight savings pushes an hour back. It makes driving back home so depressing, as if his day hadn’t been riddled with stressful requests and Omegazilla brides. He loves his job, truly, but he’d do anything for a glass of wine and to soak in the tub with his Alpha for the rest of the night. 

The tiredness of his day weighs him down as he drags himself out of his car and to his doorway, and as soon as he opens the front door, he’s immediately met with the soft sound of Harry’s Fleetwood Mac record playing down the hallway, and the smell of a delicious, greasy meal lurking in the air. Louis hadn’t even realized how hungry he was until he followed the scent into his kitchen, where a delicious pizza sat on the island, in front of his shirtless, sexy Alpha. 

Louis isn’t quite sure which one he wants down his throat first, but it’s a thought he keeps to himself. 

“Hey, Harry,” Louis smiles, reaching up on his tippy toes to kiss his Alpha, “Sorry for being so late, Gabe was keeping me longer than we planned and traffic was crazy.”

“It’s okay, pup” Harry pulls him towards his chest, hugging him close before bracing his left hand on Louis’ small waist, the other holding onto a half eaten slice. “Pizza’s still hot if you want a slice.”

“Gladly,” Louis says, but instead of turning around and grabbing a slice for himself, he takes a bite out of Harry’s, moaning at the melted cheese and ignoring Harry’s raised brow. The pizza tastes divine and it makes Louis realize he doesn't remember the last time he ate, with all the stress and running around all day. He’s pretty sure Paola forced an apple into his palm, but his mind’s a little too hazy right now to remember properly. 

Another slice will do. 

“How was work?” Harry asks, giving up his slice for his Omega and grabbing another one for himself.

“M’so tired,” Louis groans, “I love Niall to pieces, but I absolutely hate his ass for having his heat right when we needed him the most.”

Harry laughs, “Well, he can’t quite control that, love. Especially since he’s about to be mated with Liam.”

“I know,” He whines, “But the brides are going so crazy, he should just postpone his own wedding! He’s not exactly far from Omegazilla, you know?” He points out before picking up a new slice, “Anyways, how was yours?”

“The usual,” Harry shrugs, as if he’s not the head of a big Marketing company, “Nothing new at the firm, just the same boring clients, really. The lunch you packed me was delicious though, thanks, love.”

Louis smiles. It’s little moments like these that make Louis’ heart swarm and he can’t help but lean in and kiss his Alpha. 

They lean against the kitchen counter, finishing off the pizza and laughing about little anecdotes of their day. It’s always been so easy to talk to the Alpha and the fact that it’s only gotten better after all these years together and their hardships, just goes to show how right for each other they are. 

As they’re washing up the dishes together, bumping hips and flicking water at each other, Louis lets out a tired sigh.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Harry asks, brows furrowing with worry.

“Nothing,” He shrugs off, which his Alpha obviously doesn’t believe, “I’m just tired. S’been a long day, I just want to sleep in this weekend.”

“Hm,” Harry considers, drying his hands before moving so he’s standing behind him, pressed against Louis’ back and bringing his hands down to Louis’ hips. “I think you need to relax a little, and I think I know exactly how…”

Louis smiles, feeling his stomach warm with anticipation of what was about to go down. Hopefully he would. There’s hardly much he likes more than to be stuffed completely. 

“Alpha…” Louis’ voice is weak as Harry presses his lips right over his bonding mark, sending shivers down Louis’ spine and urging slick to start to leak from his tight, pink hole. Harry’s hands on his body always drives him crazy, and it isn’t any different as he squeezes Louis’ hips, keeping a firm grip on him as he pulls his ass against his hard groin, rubbing against it so slowly, Louis almost wants to scream. 

Thankfully, the teasing doesn’t last too long and, all too quickly, Harry pulls away from Louis’ body, turning him over and picking him up to sit him right on the kitchen counter, as if he didn’t weigh a thing. Louis’ well aware of his Alpha’s gym habits, but it always takes his breath away when Harry puts his hard work to practice and manhandles his smaller body however he pleases. Louis can be a little cock stupid, at times, and he’s not afraid to admit it. 

The Alpha’s hands stay on Louis’ hips as they finally lock their lips together, pressing against each other until there’s no room left between them. The Omega’s arms find home around Harry’s much broader shoulders, and the size difference itself is enough to make Louis’ mind go a little hazy. 

Louis breathes out a pathetic whine as the Alpha pulls away, pouting as he looks down at him, smug smirk slapped onto his face. It’s annoying to look at, but Louis’ grumbles are cut short as Harry leans in again, placing his lips on the corner of Louis’ jaw and following the line down to his collarbone, purposely avoiding his bond mark to put him on edge. It works, Louis moans beneath him, rasping out quiet little breaths and urging his Alpha to hurry up .

“Patience, little love,” The Alpha smiles against his neck, “Good Omegas get what they want.”

“I want you,” Louis whimpers, unwrapping his arms and placing his hands behind Harry’s neck to urge him into a kiss. The Alpha complies easily, because he can’t resist his Omega when he’s begging for a kiss. He also can’t resist smiling into their kiss as Louis moans when their tongues wetly slide against each other.

It’s easy to be distracted when Harry’s got a pretty little Omega causing his cock to harden in his briefs, but there’s things he wants to do to Louis’ body and unfortunately, there’s just a little too many clothes in the way. Still with their lips together and tongues sliding across each other, Harry begins to unbutton Louis’ shirt, slowly revealing his chest and perfect little tummy.

Pulling away, Louis leans back to fully get his shirt off of him, flushing at the touch of his Alpha on his thighs, throwing it somewhere across the kitchen as Harry blatantly ogles at what he was hiding beneath it. Blushing prettily, Louis leans back against his arms, coyly showing off his body, knowing exactly what it’d do to Harry.

He smiles at getting the reaction he wanted. 

“ Fuck , Lou.” Harry’s lips are quick to fall over Louis’ body, tracing down his collarbones, over Louis’ beating heart, kissing everywhere that’d make Louis’ breath hitch, until he reaches where he wanted his lips the most.

Catching the pink little nub between his teeth, Harry faintly pulls at it, smiling as the Omega squeaks above him and licking it over to soothe the sting.

“Love your tits,” He grunts, suckling the nub back into his mouth while bringing his right hand to feel out the other, “So perfect.”

Louis feels himself completely soaked, and most likely making a mess on the counter. He knows his thong barely does much to keep his wetness away, and his thin jeans would most likely have to be thrown into the wash. He can’t find it in him to care, though, soaking freely as Harry has his way with his nipples - pinching, sucking and biting as he pleases. 

The air is thick with their arousal, and if he didn’t feel Harry’s hard cock press against his thigh, his scent would give away how much he wants to knot Louis until he’s stuffed and full. That, in itself, is enough to pull a full body shiver out of him. 

All too soon, Harry releases Louis’ sore, pink little nubs and rests a hand against Louis’ cheek. The Omega’s face is flushed with desire, dazed eyes lazily taking in the smirking Alpha standing in front of him. He nuzzles his face against Harry’s palm, indulging in the warmth and the sense of security it gave him. 

“You’re so beautiful, you know that, right?” The Alpha asks, deep voice filling in the space and turning Louis into a dizzy mess of himself. He can barely listen, is the thing. The scent around them muffles his brain, and the touch of his Alpha warms his entire body. He’s sure his slick has leaked completely through his clothes, even more as Harry's thumb moves towards Louis’ lower lip, gently pulling it down until Louis’ suckling it into his mouth, softly bobbing his head and swirling his tongue over it. It’s far from what Harry’s cock in his mouth feels like, Louis’ able to freely suck without feeling like he’s going to choke and sob with how stretched his mouth is, but Harry’s pushing his throbbing cock against his leg, and groans a string of curse words when the Omega opens his eyes to look up at his Alpha. 

He forcefully pulls his thumb out of Louis’ mouth, leaving him blinking and mouth gaping with a string of saliva dangling on his lips. Harry can’t resist himself; with the same hand, he smushes Louis’ cheeks together, bringing his chin up so there’s nothing else Louis can look at other than him. 

“You drive me fucking crazy,” He grunts, “Such a fucking slut, getting yourself wet for me, aren’t you?” Louis can barely nod in Harry’s grip, “You’re all mine, baby. My little slut.”

The slap to Louis’ cheeks after comes unexpected, and it leaves him reeling in lust enough to hardly acknowledge the hands on his hips gripping him as he’s manhandled off the counter, only to be bent over it, somehow managing to hold himself up on his elbows.

He feels Harry’s hands on his waist, holding him in place. A warmth on his back comes next as the Alpha leans over him, pressing his cock right between Louis’ cheeks, gently rutting against the wet patch and eliciting hitched breaths from the both of them. 

Harry’s hand lowers itself to feel the slick stain on the back of Louis’ jeans, biting down on the Omega’s shoulder as he teases him through too many layers to handle.

“Alpha…” Louis whines, pushing back against Harry’s fingers as he rubs them where Louis’ hole is clenching, all soaked up and needing something to fill it. 

“Gonna eat you out, baby,” Harry says, dropping kisses where he bit Louis’ shoulder in between, “You want that?”

“Yes, yes ,” The Omega preens, “ Please , Alpha. Need you so bad.”

Harry doesn’t wait any longer to give his Omega what he’s craving so desperately. He leaves a trail of kisses down Louis’ spine, feeling as his body loosens under him and adoring the way Louis’ got his back arched, presenting himself to his Alpha and ready to be knotted full. It’s a sight Harry doesn’t ever want to forget. 

Harry manages to unbutton Louis’ soaked through jeans, pulling them and his ruined thong down to his ankles. He looks like a whore like this, bent over and begging to be filled, and Harry’d be damned if he wasn’t the one filling him up. 

His hands come up to the roundness of Louis’ ass, gripping his soft cheeks and spreading them open and revealing the prettiest hole, a flush pink shade and so wet with slick, Harry’s sure he’s in heaven. 

Impatiently, Louis pushes his hips back so Harry’d fucking hurry up, earning him a gentle smack on his right cheek that has him still and drop his body down onto the counter.

“Patience, Omega,” Harry chuckles as Louis grumbles above him. He can’t decipher exactly what his Omega’s saying, but there’s more important things at hand, right now. Ignorance is bliss, and so is the scent of Louis’ slick, and more so the sweet strawberry and peachy taste of his little love. 

For Louis’ relief, Harry spreads him wide and finally digs in, letting his tongue meet Louis’ pink rim and swirling it all over his sweet ridges, lapping up his honeyed slick to the sound of the Omega’s harmonious string of gasps and moans.

“A-Alpha, ah !” He cries, pushing back and feeling his body melt as Harry’s tongue draws circles around his hole, teasing him before smoothing it over, tasting as much of Louis’ slickness as he can. Louis’ all but sobbing at this point, gasping every time Harry’s tongue meets his tight hole, and collapsing on the counter top as the Alpha fits his tongue inside his wet, little hole.

The Omega’s eyes roll to the back of his head in pleasure as Harry eats him out, tongue poking and prodding everywhere, licking up Louis’ wetness and making a complete mess out of his Omega. He can hardly think, mind too fogged up with pleasure as his hole gets all the attention it deserves and his small cock pulses with the need to climax. 

He can hardly hold himself up as Harry shoves two fingers inside, licking around them and fucking them inside, gently and so slow Louis chokes out of a sob. His hips move on their own accord, chasing after the feeling of Harry’s tongue and his fingers stretching him out, and needing them to press against his bundle of nerves. The Alpha knows what he’s doing, though, and Louis’ whining as Harry takes his fingers out altogether and stands up behind him, holding his pliant body by his hips.

“Why’d…why’d you stop?” Louis breathes, looking over his shoulder and hazily watching his Alpha jerk himself off with what remnants of Louis’ slick he had on his fingers, “Put them back in, Alpha.”

Harry smirks, “Think I got something better, baby.”

He feels the tip of Harry’s cock press against his hole, drenching himself with Louis’ slick and making his heart thump in anticipation. He lets his head drop as Harry begins to push in, stretching him out much more than his fingers, and he’s not even halfway in before his fingers tangle in Louis’ hair, pulling him up against Harry’s chest and making his cock push in even further.

“Alpha!” Louis gasps, the fullness inside of him is almost too much to handle. He’s huge, is the thing, and the past week of not having the time to have sex is catching up to him. 

“You’re so beautiful, Lou,” Harry murmurs into the nape of Louis’ neck as he pushes his cock further in, “Take my cock so well, you were made for this. Made to be my little slut.”

The juxtaposition of Harry’s sweet nothings with his crudeness leaves the Omega’s mind whirring with want. It’s an overwhelming feeling, being completely stretched out by his Alpha and being swarmed by his hot scent of vanilla and pinewood. It makes him weak at the knees, and he’s sure he’d fall if not for the grip his Alpha has on him.

Once Harry’s fully inside, swallowed up with Louis’ tightness, they take a second to let him adjust. The Alpha distracts him with gentle pecks and sweet nothings, until the Omega gives him the green light. Then, slowly but surely, Harry begins to pull out, pushing back in and grunting as he quickens his speed inside Louis’ wetness. 

“So fucking tight,” He groans, squeezing Louis’ hips as he gasps at the pressure inside, “So fucking good to me.”

“Fuck, Alpha,” Louis cries, throwing his head back against Harry’s shoulder as the Alpha fucks him deeper, pushing his cock so far in, Louis’ sure he can feel it from his stomach. He drops his hand to confirm it, shakily breathing when he feels it under his hand, thrusting in so hot and heavy Louis can’t hold himself up anymore. 

He lets himself drop against the countertop, arms under his head as he moans from the new angle, and feeling the mess of his slick dribbling down his thigh as Harry fucks into him. 

“Feels s-so good, Alpha ,” Louis moans, arching his back so his Alpha could press against where he wants.

“Yeah, baby?” Harry grunts, “Love my cock filling you up? It was made for your hole, Omega.”

Louis whines as his Alpha purposely misses his prostate, “Love it! Love it so much, A-Alpha. Please !”

Harry’s hips pick up in speed, “Gonna give you what you want, Omega.”

With that, the Alpha aims for Louis’ prostate, causing a sob to burst from him as he fucks into it, pressing into Louis’ depth as he cries for more, like the knot hungry whore he is. 

“H-Harry,” Louis sobs, “G-gonna-”

“Don’t come yet, baby,” The Alpha warns him, “Wanna knot you first, think you can manage?”

There’s nothing Louis can do other than pathetically nod and whimper as Harry keeps thrusting inside, fucking him so hard, he’s sure there’ll be bruises on his hips because of the Alpha’s grip on him and the counter edge pressing against him. He can’t find it in him to mind, not when he’s being fucked so good.

“Fuck, Lou,” He hears behind him, until there’s an emptiness inside of him and his pliant body’s being picked up and thrown over Harry’s shoulder.

“Alpha!” Louis giggles, “What’re you-?”

Instead of answering, Harry promptly stuffs two fingers inside of Louis’ soaking wet hole as he runs to their living room, presumably to knot him in a more comfortable setting. Louis tries not to think about if it was necessary to have Harry stuff his fingers inside his hole for the three seconds it took to drag them to their couch, but his Alpha’s a little obsessed with his hole, and Louis’ a little obsessed with having his hole filled.

They’re a match made in heaven, truly. 

Harry rests Louis on the couch, thankfully on top of a blanket so it’d be easier to clean his slick out of, rather than the couch, and sits beside him, throwing Louis’ thigh over him before the Omega has a say. 

“Sit on my cock, yeah?” Harry breathes, spreading one of Louis’ cheeks with one hand and positioning his throbbing length with the other. Louis’ flushed as he lowers himself on Harry’s cock, dropping himself until his wet ass meets Harry’s hips. He doesn’t think he’s able to do much more than move his hips in small figure-eights, but his Alpha beats him to it, smacking their lips together in a hungry, messy kiss before lifting his hips up, fucking into Louis’ hole with so much force, the Omega has to grip Harry’s shoulders just for some stability.

His head’s thrown back in pleasure as Harry drills into his sweet spot, pushing against it and bringing so much pleasure, he’s not sure he’ll be able to contain it any longer. Louis lets his body fall onto his Alpha, resting on him as Harry’s thick cock pushed up against all the right places. Louis all but cries at the pleasure, and as soon as Harry’s biting down on his bond mark, with a gasp, Louis releases himself between them, feeling his entire body shake as Harry milks the orgasm out of him, leaving him feeling like putty, satiated in his Alpha’s arms.

“M’close,” Harry grunts, thrusts turning sloppy and harder as Louis hums into his neck, resting his hands on his chest and urging him on.

“C’mon, Alpha,” Louis breathes, pressing a lazy kiss on the side of Harry’s neck, “Give me your knot, fill me up. Want to feel you.”

It doesn’t take much longer for Harry’s knot to form, pressing against Louis’ rim with every thrust, and with a final grunt, it catches against Louis’ hole and fits itself inside, locking them in place and filling Louis’ insides with Harry’s warm seed. Both of them gasp at the feeling of knotting and being knotted, and as the high crashes over them, they hold each other in their arms, gently kissing and whispering sweet nothings.

As they wait for Harry’s knot to deflate, his fingers drag down Louis’ back, stopping once they reach where their bodies connect to feel around it.

Louis hisses at the oversensitivity, “Stop it, Alpha. We’ll never leave this couch if you don’t keep your hands to yourself.”

Harry laughs, gathering a mixture of Louis’ slick and some of Harry’s own jizz that must’ve slipped through and lathering it over Louis’ lips before leaning in for a kiss, “You say that as if that’s a bad thing.”

Louis rolls his eyes and adjusts his body so he can be comfortable resting on his Alpha’s chest without causing any pain from the knot currently throbbing inside him. 

Any other time, he’d argue back. He’d probably say something about Harry’s constant need to fill him up, about how he’s just a possessive knothead that doesn’t want to share his Omega with the world. He’d be difficult about it, too, because there’s no other way one would be, but he’s admittedly been fucked out of fighting and he’s too tired to bother.

So he’s quiet as he shuts his eyes, two seconds away from falling asleep on his Alpha, and he doesn’t put up a fight when Harry’s fingers are back against his Omega’s stretched out rim. 

He’ll let it slide this time. 

--------

For as long as Louis could remember, the weekend was always his favorite time of the week. 

It’s two days off made to sleep in and relax, and though his high maintenance job hardly allows him a morning, much less a day, off, his late shift last night allowed him to ignore his internal alarm clock to wake up at six thirty, and fall right back to sleep under the weight of his Alpha’s protective arm. 

So, for once, it’s pleasant to wake up refreshed, satiated and still feeling the ghost of Harry’s knot stretching his hole. They’ve mated more times than Louis could ever count, and yet Louis’ body hasn’t quite adjusted to his Alpha’s obscene size. It’s not like he’s mad about it, to be honest. It’s strangely comforting to feel the remnants of a passionate night together, and the Omega’d be lying if he said it wasn’t his favorite feeling ever - to feel so close and connected to his Alpha, even when he wasn’t inside him. 

Which, speaking of; As Louis slowly wakes himself to consciousness, he reaches out an arm to feel for his Alpha, only to feel an emptiness in the sheets beside him. It’s cold where his hand lies, disappointing and very annoying, however Louis’ nose is quick to pick up the strong scent of his Alpha, that’s probably the reason the Omega thought he was still in bed, rather than at the gym or at an impromptu meeting. Harry most likely scented the pillows and sheets so Louis wouldn’t fret over his Alpha not being there as he woke up after being knotted to sleep. Louis still can’t help the whine as he shoves his head into his husband’s pillow, scenting as much as he can while mentally cursing out his gym freak Alpha. 

Harry’s always loved to workout, particularly in the morning and Louis concluded it’s only because he’s one of those lunatic Alphas who can’t go a day without a run. The Omega still can’t quite comprehend the obsession, but he’s got no qualms with the results of his Alpha’s hard work. 

There even was a point in their relationship where Louis’d consistently try to exercise with Harry several times, however five minutes into their workout, and Louis would be on the brink of passing out. Whenever he’d make it through, he’d complain most of the time and when it was leg day, Harry himself couldn’t handle watching Louis squat before calling it quits and dragging him home, only to pound him deeply and knot him for hours. 

He’s weird, sometimes. 

Eventually, when Louis’ finally content with his Alpha’s scent all over him, he gathers enough strength to make it out of their bed and limps his way into the ensuite bathroom for a quick shower to wake him up. It’s a little uncomfortable as he walks, but weirdly enough, the reminder of last night puts a smile on Louis’ face and it’s as if the pain subdues into a happy memory. 

It’s a lazy shower, one Louis’ not entirely sure how long it lasts, but he cleans himself thoroughly and shaves any remnant of hair on his legs he might’ve missed earlier in the week. It’s a routine Louis moves through on autopilot, following through until he’s more than clean and ready to dry off. 

As Louis steps out of the bathroom, towel wrapped tightly around his body and hair dripping down his shoulders, he hears Harry walk into the room. He smells him before he feels him, the vanilla, pine cone musk with newly formed sweat airing through the room. It’s a delicious combination, one the Omega had fallen in love with completely, and any closer, Louis’ sure he’d start to slick. It’s almost automatic for his body to react to his Alpha like that. 

He expects a lot of things to happen then. Either Harry coming up behind him to hug him, which would ensue in the usual fight about how Louis just showered and Harry’s getting his stench all over him, which according to Harry is the opposite of a problem, or a smack on his ass as his Alpha goes to the bathroom to shower. 

But, for once, nothing happens.

Sensing the oddness, Louis looks up from the drawers where he was choosing his underwear - he settles for a simple black Calvin Klein thong - and eyes his Alpha. Weirdly enough, Harry was barely standing by the door, face scrunched in confusion and rudely sniffing the air, exactly like those gross knothead Alpha’s with absolutely no manners do whenever they sense an unmated Omega in the room. If Louis didn’t know his mate any better, he’d be offended. 

“What's wrong?” Louis asks, promptly dropping the towel onto the floor and sliding his underwear up his legs. 

Harry shakes his head, “Nothing, you just…” He hums, faintly sniffing the air, “Did you get a new shampoo, babe?”

Louis raises a brow as Harry approaches him, all the while scenting the air around them, “No?” He frowns, gasping as Harry hugs him tightly and presses his nose against Louis’ bond mark, “What’re you- Harry! What’re you doing?”

Though curious, Louis can’t help but giggle as his Alpha sniffs him all over, almost obsessively so. 

“You smell so good, Lou.” He mumbles, barely letting his grip on him loosen up, “Different, but good.”

Louis indulges him for a moment, closing his eyes and sinking into his Alpha’s arms as the latter presses his nose deeper into his bond mark, scenting him as if his life depended on it. It’s a good feeling, great even, to have his Alpha appreciate him like this. He’s not quite sure what exactly provoked this from Harry, but he’s got no qualms with the way Harry shows his love and how good it makes him feel. 

Louis’ eyes suddenly shoot open. 

“Harry?” He says, “Are you seriously hard right now?”

Both of them look down to the bulge tenting Harry's sweatpants, thick cock pressing against Louis’ stomach, almost like he didn't realize it was there. 

“Can you blame me, baby?” Harry murmurs, shoving his nose right back where it belongs, in the curve of Louis’ neck, “You smell so good and look so hot,” He groans, “Fuck, can I put it in?”

God . Any words Louis had were lost in his throat. 

“Harry, I just showered…I-” Louis starts. 

“You can shower again with me,” Harry offers, doing his best convincing smile, and when that doesn’t work, he goes for the low blow, Louis’ Achilles heel. 

Harry presses his lips against Louis’ neck, kissing along exactly how Louis likes it, exactly the way that makes Louis begin to leak, and it’s clear it doesn’t go amiss by his insanely horny Alpha, not with the way his hands fall over Louis’ ass and grip them against him, eliciting a squeak out of the Omega. 

“Fine,” Louis breathes sharply as Harry bites down on the spot below his ear, “You can put it in, but only if you promise to cook today and fix that goddamn cabinet for once. I’ve been asking you for weeks, Alpha.”

Grinning widely, Harry leans in to press their lips together in an urgent kiss, as if they hadn’t spent the entire night making love. 

“I’d do anything for you, baby.” He grins, “Now get those panties off, I’ve got a knot to put in you!”

Louis barely has time to react before he’s being picked up and thrown over Harry's shoulders, giggling as his Alpha brings him into the bathroom and shows him exactly how much he loves him. 

-------

At this point in Louis’ career, most of his job consisted of meetings with his clients and a shitload of phone calls, holed up in his office. He’s been doing this for so long, he’s able to run the show without barely leaving his seat. When he’d been an intern with lots of ideas to share, he’d mostly run around doing the errands his higher ups didn’t have the time to do. Mostly doing pick ups of flower arrangements or specific items like candles, or ice sculptures. He’d done it all, really, and though there’s a little side of him that misses all the crazy running around and sense of accomplishment, he’s grateful to have since been promoted. Though it hasn’t been any less stressful. 

So, it’s a little…weird how Louis’ been suddenly set in charge of heading to the local Farmer’s Market to get ahold of a specific type of honey, custom requested by one of the bride’s Louis’ in charge of. Usually, it was Niall’s job to run these errands now, but he’s still got a couple more days in heat, so the job ultimately fell on Louis. 

To be quite frank, Louis could’ve asked any of the other interns or co-workers to do this for him, but a quick lunch break phone call to his Alpha, turned into him insisting on dropping everything off and joining his Omega for an impromptu date. 

“Are you sure?” Louis had asked, “You were kind of busy this morning, don’t you have a meeting at three?”

“Don’t worry about that now, Omega,” He shook off, “I can easily reschedule and finish off anything later at home if I have to.”

Harry was a particularly determined and stubborn Alpha when he wanted to be, and there was no budging him off, which is why Louis found himself, walking hand in hand, with his Alpha along the little Market. 

From the entrance, Louis could see the tops of several tents, followed by the large bustling of people enjoying the Market. It was a little unusual to see it this crowded during a day of the week, but the more the mated couple walked around in search of that particular honey, the more charming the Market was to Louis. 

He’d never been to this one in particular, which is odd considering it was only a twenty minute drive from his job and he and Harry have a tendency of attending most local events - be it small concerts or flea markets. There were more trinkets and things to look at, and as a self-admitted hoarder, it was getting slightly hard not to get distracted by little decoration pieces that’d look so lovely in their living room. 

“Oh, Harry!” Louis gasps, wrapping his free hand around his Alpha’s bicep and pulling him toward a tent filled with decorative ornaments, “Look at this! Wouldn’t it-”

“Louis?” A vaguely familiar voice speaks from their side. Both of them turn at the same time, only to be met with a lone Alpha, who towered over Louis, and much to Harry’s annoyance, featured a gleaming smile towards the Omega. 

Recognition flashes through Louis’ eyes, and before Harry knows it, their hands untie and Louis throws himself at the other Alpha in a tight hug, which gets pleasantly returned, “Graham! It’s lovely to see you!”

“It’s great to see you, too!” He smiles, “I wasn’t sure it was you at first, so I just had to come by and check.”

“I’m glad!” Grinning, Louis turns to his Alpha, unaware of the frown pinching on his face, “Harry, this is Graham Wilson! I organized his wedding last month, y’know, the one by the beach?”

“Nice to meet you,” Graham says, bringing his hand out for Harry to shake. The latter Alpha glares at the hand before putting his own one out, shaking it shortly and curtly, and a tad too tight. 

“Likewise.”

“This must be your Alpha,” Graham points out, “I’ve heard so much about you, Harry, right? Louis definitely wasn’t shy about talking about you.”

“Why wouldn't he? He’s my Omega, after all.” He shrugs off, standing up taller than Graham, internally thrilled about how he easily towered over the other Alpha and ignoring the way Louis’ head immediately snaps to him. Harry forcibly smiles as Graham blinks in place, unsure of what to say, only then laughing it off as a joke. 

Louis doesn’t find it so funny, but he still awkwardly laughs with his old client just to save face, all while shooting daggers at his ridiculous Alpha. He’s taken aback, to say the least, and he figures Harry would’ve been more polite. It’s his standard, usually, and the only time he’s ever blatantly rude towards another Alpha is if there’s some knothead involved, especially when they’re harassing Louis in some way. Graham is nothing of the sort, so Louis doesn’t understand where all this is coming from. 

“Anyways,” Louis speaks up as the short lived laughter dies down, as a way to divert from the awkwardness his Alpha is causing, “So how’s work going?”

Thankfully, the easy going small talk serves to distract Graham from the brooding Alpha standing next to him. They go over their jobs, funny little anecdotes from Graham’s wedding and the organisational process of it all, and they’re in the midst of talking about a birthday party for Tully that Graham wants Louis’ help to prepare, when a peculiar scent begins to waft through the air. 

It’s faint, at first, light enough that neither of them stop their conversation, but it quickly grows clear to Louis that what he’s scenting is irritation coming from his Alpha, and the more the conversation with Graham goes along, the more noticeable it is. 

There’s a ton of people drifting around them, so this particular sour scent could come from anyone, but Harry’s standing closer to his Omega and it’s a little hard to focus when the permeated scent of annoyance grows stronger and the only thing on Louis’ mind is his Alpha’s distaste for what he’s witnessing. 

It gets worse when Harry throws a possessive arm around Louis’ shoulders, pulling him close to his body and releasing enough pheromones that the entire Market can tell Harry’s not happy whatsoever. Embarrassingly enough, Louis can tell Graham stars to notice it as his nostrils subtly flare and he instinctively straightens up in case of a threat. 

Louis’ mortified to be caught in the middle of this, and decidedly cuts their conversation short to stop a brawl between the Alpha’s before it even starts, and politely excuses himself and Harry out, claiming they’re on a tight schedule. If Graham believes him or not, Louis can’t find it in him to care. He simply waves him off, promising to schedule a meeting and drags his Alpha away with barely much of a goodbye.

“Louis-”

Louis’ silent as he pulls at Harry’s hand, walking past people without so much of a glance behind him and ignoring the curious gazes from strangers watching as the smaller Omega stomps his way to somewhere quieter. 

As soon as they’re out of sight from curious onlookers, Louis stops Harry in place, so abruptly, the Alpha almost topples over him.

“What the hell was that about?” Louis all but yells, hands clutching his waist as he frowns at his Alpha.

“What're you talking about?” Harry stubbornly says, clearly opting on playing dumb. 

“What the hell do you mean what am I talking about?” Louis sneers, highly aware that despite they’ve moved to a less busier area, there’s still people lurking around, and he’s adamant on avoiding a huge scene, “You were being a dick to Graham and stinking the place up with your fucking scent! What was your fucking problem?!”

The Alpha stubbornly scoffs, “I just didn't like how he was flirting with you the entire time, that’s all.”

The Omega gapes in disbelief, “Harry, weren't you listening? I organized his damn wedding! He wasn't flirting with me, he’s happily mated and it’s obvious if you spent one fucking minute listening to the conversation.”

“He was definitely being way too cozy with you,” The Alpha insists, “I just needed to let him know you’re taken and mine, Louis. Who knows what he would’ve done if I just stood there like an idiot.”

“You were standing there like an idiot,” Louis points out, crossing his arms, “We were just having a normal conversation, and even if he was flirting, I wouldn’t care! I married you, Alpha, not him.” He says, “We’re bonded for life, I’m yours and you didn’t have to be so rude for no reason towards him.

There’s a look that flashes through Harry’s face, one that makes it obvious he realizes that he was definitely in the wrong.

“Alright, fine,” He reluctantly admits, “Maybe I shouldn’t have been such a dick about it, but I couldn’t help it, Lou. My instincts were screaming at me to get him away from you before anything would happen.”

Louis sighs, taking a step closer, “Nothing would’ve happened, Harry. He’s just a client, barely a friend at all.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry eventually says, “You’re right, I should’ve known better than to act like a knothead. I don’t know what came over me…”

A beat of silence crosses them before Louis takes another step and wraps his arms around Harry’s neck in a hug. The Alpha hesitates for a second before bringing his arms around Louis’ waist, kissing the side of his head and gently rocking him side to side.

“God, Harry. What’s gotten into you?” Louis mumbles into his chest.

“I’d love to know,” Harry softly chuckles, “How about we just get that honey for you, yeah?”

“Fine,” Louis says, pulling away, “But we’re leaving as soon as we buy it,” He shoots Harry a look, “I don’t want to get banned from this market, alright?”

Harry laces their fingers together and begins to walk them over to the desired booth, “I wouldn’t dream of it, baby.”

-----------

“Harry,” The Omega sighs, “I really don’t think this is necessary.”

The Alpha scoffs, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, love.”

Louis rolls his eyes. They’ve been having the same argument over and over again, starting as soon as they woke up and both of them are simply too stubborn to simply drop it. The thing is, Louis knows he’s right and that his Alpha is simply being incredibly persistent for no reason, other than he can. It wouldn’t be as annoying if he’d at least acknowledge how adamant he’s acting. 

“I just really don’t get why you even wanted to drop me off at work.” Louis says, “You haven’t done this in ages.”

The larger hand resting on the Omega’s thigh squeezes gently as Harry glances over at him at the red light, “I just wanted to do something nice for you, baby. That’s it.”

The Omega frowns, “My car’s perfectly fine, though, I-”

Harry starts the car again before he says another word, promptly shutting him up and sucking up what Harry considers to be a sweet gesture, when in reality, it’s been more of a burden they’ve been arguing about all morning.

“Just let me just treat you nice, Lou.” The Alpha says. “It’s been a while since I’ve dropped you off, and I felt like doing it today.”

“Yeah, because my car was in the mechanic and I wasn’t leaving the office that day,” Louis reminds him, “What if-”

“Baby,” Harry turns to look at him during a stop, “If you need to go somewhere, just give me a call. I’ll be there in two minutes, promise.”

Louis’ a little at a loss for words with Harry’s behavior. From what happened at the Farmers Market to the incessant need to knot him, Louis’ almost certain something is definitely wrong with his Alpha. He’s always been the most charming and loving Alpha to him, but lately, it’s like he’s been on Alpha crack or something. For some reason, his primal needs to protect and care for his Omega have been crazy - for lack of a better word - and it’s not like Louis’ hating all the love and affection he’s getting out of it, but it’s hard to fully appreciate these actions when he’s blanking on what the reason behind it might be. 

Louis’ starting to wonder if he forgot any special date, or upcoming rut, but he’s the one who has everything in his calendar, so it’s impossible that anything important might’ve gotten by him, so he’s back to a clueless square one.

Eventually, they reach Louis’ office building and the Omega already has a hand on the door handle, ready to leave the parked car and dash into the building, hoping no one would notice his slight tardiness. In hindsight, he should’ve expected something more than a quick peck to his Alpha’s lips and a promise to be home soon, and yet he’s at a loss for words as his Alpha gets out of the car before him, making a run to the other side, opening Louis’ door and holding a hand out to help him down. 

Louis blushes as he takes it, stepping out of Harry’s stupidly tall Range Rover and ignoring the stupid smirk on his Alpha’s face. 

“I’ll see you later , Harry.” He emphasizes, hoping it’ll stick and he won’t do anything ridiculous like follow him inside the building and make home in his office. It’d be an insane assumption to make and he knows his Alpha better than that.

In hindsight, Louis should’ve known from the minute Harry so adamantly demanded on taking him to work, that he wouldn’t leave with a simple kiss goodbye. Of course , instead of leaning down for another kiss and leaving the Omega to his job, like Louis expected him to, Harry laces their hands and begins to drag them in the direction of the entrance to his office.

“Harry!” He all but squeaks, “What’re you doing?!”

“Taking you to work,” He says, so casually, like it’s not the most ridiculous thing on earth. “Wouldn’t want you to be late, baby.”

Louis scoffs. As if their entire argument didn’t make them leave the house twenty minutes later than usual. 

“But, why , Harry?” Louis asks, confused and exasperated by whatever has been going on recently. 

“You’re an omega and I have to protect you, baby,” He says, in a more serious than playful tone, “I love you and I’m not apologizing for wanting to keep you safe.”

“ Harry ,” He almost scolds, “I can walk perfectly fine from your car to the door, I guarantee you it’s safe,” He huffs as he tries to follow Harry’s larger steps, “There’s even a security guard by the door in case I need help!”

“You don't need him when you've got me to protect you, baby.” He insists.

It’s pointless to argue back, Louis concludes, so he decides it’s better to let Harry…do his thing than to try and fight it. It’s to no avail, clearly. 

He doesn’t fight it when Harry crosses the entrance with him, making a point of greeting every security lurking around, stays silent as Harry gets inside the elevator with him and keeps it to himself as the Alpha happily walks him to his office, making small talk with Louis’ co-workers as he goes like it’s nothing. 

There’s a constant pink that stains Louis’ cheeks, and it stays there as Harry finishes scenting him, just to make sure he’s safe for the rest of the day. Louis’ not sure what Harry’s thought process on this was, but he’s quickly learnt it’s better to just accept it than ask questions. It’s less of a headache, that way. 

“Are you done?” Louis pointedly asks.

“Listen Lou,” He clears his throat, “I know this was a bit too much, but I can’t help it alright? I just love you and needed to come drop you off. My inner Alpha wouldn’t settle unless I did, I promise. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or annoyed, at all.”

Harry’s genuine as he says it and Louis can’t help the softness from melting his heart. Maybe he was just being too hard on his Alpha. He’s allowed to do sweet things if he wants to, and who's to deny that from him.

“You’re right,” Louis sighs, hugging him, “I’m sorry Harry, I’m not annoyed. Maybe a little confused, but I appreciate you.”

“I know you do,” He smiles, leaning down for a peck on Louis’ lips, “I love you too babe. I’ll see you later, call me when you want me to pick you up.”

Harry winks as he leaves the office, closing the door behind him and most likely heading to make conversation with anyone who crosses by him. 

The Omega barely has a moment to settle into his seat, pushing down the sudden change in his morning routine, before Niall barges in unannounced. He does it so often Louis doesn’t bother reprimanding him on it anymore. If anything, he’s glad to have him back in the office again.

“Hey, Lou!” He grins, “Was that Harry dropping you off?”

“Yes,” He sighs tiredly, turning on his desk computer.

“Wh-”

“Don’t bother asking me why because I'm just as clueless as you.” Louis admits, ignoring as Niall takes a seat on the sofa meant for decoration, more than useability. It’s practically his, anyways, with the amount of times Niall makes home in it.

“I think it’s sweet,” Niall dreamily says, “I wish Liam dropped me off today, I’m missing him so much already…”

“We both know you’d never make it out of the car if Liam brought you to work,” Louis snorts, “Which, by the way, we have a lot to get done today, so don’t even think about calling him over..”

Niall groans, loud and dramatically so as he reluctantly gets up from the couch, “You’re a lot more fun when work isn’t involved, Lou. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that?”

“Shut the door on your way out, will you, darling?” Louis smiles, giggling to himself as Niall sluggishly leaves Louis’ office, not before waving him off and whining the entire time. 

He’s definitely been missed around the office. 

-----

It’s barely even three in the afternoon and Louis is just about ready to blow his brains out. 

This day has been the closest thing to a disaster for the Omega, and it doesn’t quite help that he’s been on edge all day, starting from the moment he woke up. Harry’s intense Alpha behavior made it impossible to leave their bed early, a mixture of waking up with a bad case of morning wood and needing to breed and scent Louis, so he’d be safe outside as Alphas would be able to tell the Omega was taken - as if his bonding mark, scent and wedding band wasn’t clear enough about that in the first place. His tardiness because of Harry’s insistence to drive Louis to work didn’t help, nor did the countless slip ups Louis witnessed at work today, including Niall’s mixed up flower arrangements and Keeara’s wrong samples for the wedding Louis’ in charge of planning. 

Generally speaking, Louis considers himself to be an incredibly patient person. He’s easy going and from years of working at the same event planning company, he understands what each job tier consists of and all the hardships that come with it. He’s also more than aware that mistakes happen, and they’re more easily fixable than not, so it’s hardly much to  shed a tear over.

However, it’s been a really weird and challenging day, and each second that passes, Louis’ close to his limit. 

“Niall, you and your team can’t keep making these mistakes,” He sighs, “Vicky’s going to kill us, starting with you first!”

“I know, I know,” Nialls says, regret present in his voice, “I promise it was just a mishap today, Keeara’s already fixed everything with Kyle, we’re almost good to go!

Louis presses a hand against his temple, “It’s just not a good look on us to keep fucking shit up at this point in our career, I just-” 

“Louis?” Niall frowns, “Is everything okay? I mean, I know this was a lot but you seem a little…”

With any other person, Louis might’ve been offended at the cross of boundaries. There was clearly a lot of things bothering him, outside of work-related fuck ups, yet he doubts anyone would dare to get to the bottom of it in the middle of a lecture.

Niall’s different, though. He’s a very good friend of his and clearly someone who could take hearing his problems out, even if it wasn’t the most appropriate setting to vent. 

“God, don’t even mention it,” Louis sighs, falling against his chair, “There’s just so much going on here at work, I’m fucking stressed to my core and nothing’s helping me out.”

“Listen, Lou,” Niall starts, “I’m no doctor, but it sounds like you just need a good knot to let a little loose, yeah? Always helps me when I’m on the edge.”

The Omega scoffs, “As if Harry hasn’t been begging to knot me every day, sometimes even twice or more and he’s not even close to his rut!”

Niall raises his brows in surprise, “Oh, really? I mean, I can’t blame him. I wasn’t going to mention anything, but your ass does look like it’s bigger. Did you get new jeans or-”

“Get out.” Louis stops him from uttering another word, “ Now . Don’t even-”

A sound coming from Louis’ phone cuts him short, and it’s not a surprise to see Harry’s name plastered across his screen. 

“Is that your Alpha?” Niall giggles, much to his annoyance.

Louis groans, “Go worry about the flower arrangements. You’ve got a lot of shit to get to, Niall.”

Another giggle escapes the blond Omega, much to Louis’ annoyance, “Will do, boss.”

Louis pointedly ignores the way Niall chuckles to himself as he leaves Louis’ office, rolling his eyes and answering the call.

“Harry?” He says, “Is everything alright? Do you need anything?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” The Alpha replies, smiling audibly as he speaks, “Just working…thinking about you.”

Louis’ got a soft heart, so despite his own frustrations, he still aws at his Alpha, “That’s so sweet, Harry, but I’m kind of busy so, if that’s all-”

“What’re you wearing?” He hears, making him blink in confusion. 

“I- what?” He frowns, “Harry, you dropped me off at work. You saw-”

“Yeah, I did,” He groans, “And your ass looked so good in those jeans, baby. Didn’t want to let go of you, to be honest.”

Even after being together for seven years, Louis can't help but feel the blush stain his cheeks as his Alpha’s crude compliments. He feels like he should be used to this by now, having heard every compliment and sexual connotation, but still, Harry always catches him when he’s least expecting it. Which-

“Harry?” Louis squeaks, “Are you trying to phone sex me right now?!”

There’s a quick pause between them, with only the faint noise of sheets rustling heard from Harry’s end of the phone.

“Is it working?”

“ No !” Louis reddens, running a hand down his face, “Listen, I have to go, don’t bother me with your knot, right now. I’ll see you when I get home.”

Louis ends the call and puts his phone aside to try and focus on his job. He’s got a bunch of emails and phone calls to get to, and he’s not letting his Alpha - nor the faint hint of slick starting to form in his hole - get in the way of them. Harry’s a grown man. If he’s horny, he can damn well take care of it himself. 

The silence from his phone is a breath of fresh air, but one he takes for granted. In the middle of typing up an email to confirm arrangements with a venue down by the beach, Louis’ phone dings with a text message. 

He plans on ignoring it, really, he’s got the self control. But another text comes in and Louis decides it’s better to nip this at the bud before letting Harry swarm his phone with meaningless texts until he’s got no other choice but to answer him. It’s happened before, usually the other way around.

Louis should’ve been expecting what kind of text Harry would send him, yet his face heats up as a picture of Harry’s cock, large and thick and flushed in his hand, stares back at him. It takes a minute for Louis to register the text below it. 

Need ur hole baby xx

Against his better judgment, the picture distracts him momentarily, and he feels a burn in his lower stomach and some wetness between his cheeks. His heart thrums against his chest, thinking of all the things he could do, but he’s a rational being, above all, and he quickly shakes off whatever effect Harry was trying to pull out of him and answers back, albeit with slightly shaky hands.

Im blocking u, for real this time.

He mutes Harry’s texts from coming in and throws it to the farthest end of the desk. Louis doesn't know what else he can do, other than flush and be at a loss for words, but this is getting out of control and he’s a little lost with options.

He throws himself back to work, figuring he’ll find the answer later. If it comes at all.

---

As much as Louis loves his office, filled with pictures of loved ones, fairy lights, pretty art and a beautiful view of the city, he also enjoys meetings in local coffee shops, as a change of scenery perfect to quench his coffee and muffin cravings. He doesn’t do it for all his clients, or else he’d never get any work done, but when Miriam asked if they could meet in a local bakery, Louis couldn’t refuse.  

“Honestly Louis, thank you so much for helping me,” She sighs in relief, “I don’t know how I could’ve got this together without you.”

“It’s no problem at all, love,” Louis smiles into his donut, “It’s my job to make everything easier on you.”

“Well, I’m still thankful,” She smiles, picking at her muffin, “Frankly, I’m not one to make big parties like these, but with the pregnancy and my mum having her 50th, well I figured it’d be worth celebrating."

“It’s a good idea and definitely worth the celebration,” Louis agrees, sipping his tea, “Does your family know about the pup, or is it a surprise?”

Miriam lights up, “Yes, they do! And even if they didn’t, we're a very big family and insanely close, too. They would’ve figured it all out with the way Avery is all over me.” She giggles, “It’s like he can’t leave me alone for more than two seconds! I swear, Alphas are already a pain to deal with, but being pregnant makes them more insufferable to be around sometimes!”

Louis is tight lipped as he smiles, “I'm sure it’s not that bad, he’s just excited to be a dad.”

“Oh it is darling! I love Avery very much and he’s always been very cuddly and a bit too much with the whole PDA thing,” She vaguely gestures, “But now it’s like his Alpha constantly needs to know if I'm alright.” She giggles, “I don’t totally mind it if I'm honest. It’s nice to have your mate so protective of you and it makes me feel closer to him and our growing pup,” Louis follows her hand as she places it over her stomach. She’s barely showing, it’s not quite as noticeable to the blind eye, but there’s a certain glow to her and a shift in her scent that completely gives it away. You’d have to be an idiot not to notice these signs. 

“It’s such an exciting time for me and my family,” She grins, “But I swear, it’s like Avery’s more excited than all of us together!”

“Alphas, am I right?” Louis offers. It was common knowledge that an Alpha who impregnated their mate, has their primal senses higher. They’re extra protective and would do anything to ensure their Omega’s safety and comfort. It’s a sweet gesture Alphas can’t quite control, and the best thing their pregnant Omegas can do is sit back and let them scent them as many times as they deem fit. 

Miriam doesn’t seem to mind her husband's antics, and to Louis’ it’s a bit funny to see a usually reserved Alpha fully feed into his inner urges. However, through the giggles and anecdotes, Louis wonders how his own Alpha would act towards him, had he even managed to get pregnant. He’s already as protective and - for lack of a better word - obsessed with Louis and keeping him happy, so he couldn’t imagine what it’d be like with all his senses heightened. It’s a bitter taste on his tongue how Louis will never know how it feels to be in Miriam’s shoes. 

Despite the pleasant distractions of delicious baked goods and friendly gossip, the meeting regarding Miriam’s party ends up well. All the loose ends are tied by the end of it and Louis makes a mental note on three phone calls he’ll have to make as soon as he leaves. It wasn’t the most difficult, time consuming event the Omega had planned, but Louis’ painfully a perfectionist and wouldn’t want to serve his friend and client with anything other than a beautiful, memorable day he knows he can achieve. 

With a quick hug goodbye, Louis leaves Miriam behind as he exits the lovely bakery, and though he’s got his phone pulled out and ready to make some calls, he can’t help but go over his conversation with the Omega. He knows he should be thinking about all the final arrangements he has to confirm, however, for some reason, his mind fixates on her pregnancy and, specifically, how her Alpha is behaving towards her. 

Obviously, Louis’ no stranger to a mated Alpha’s reaction towards pregnancy, so it doesn’t come off as a surprise how overbearing Aiden has been towards Miriam. What does bother him, though, is how his own Alpha has been acting quite similar to him. It’s odd because Harry’s always been very attuned with his inner Alpha, being very protective and always prioritizing Louis’ wellbeing the minute they started dating in college, but lately it’s almost more intense than he’s used to. 

Louis shakes his head. Thinking about it would only set himself up for another heartbreak, and it’s not something Louis wants to go through again for the nth time. It’s painful and definitely not worth it, so he might as well just quit the stupid speculation and focus on what’s important - his job. 

If anything, Harry’s rut might be coming sooner than either had anticipated, which would frankly be inconvenient for both of them since wedding season is coming soon, and Harry’s got more meetings than time off coming up. 

Still, it wouldn’t be productive nor beneficial to let his mind wander, so Louis does what he knows best.

“Hey, Niall? Could you get me those white roses?”

----

Louis ends his right on time, which means he’s leaving his office earlier than usual. He’s got a bad habit of staying in until he’s absolutely finished his check list for the day, and fighting against the urge is fruitless at this point. 

The sun is still up as he drives home, a sight he hasn’t seen in a while and, as predicted, Harry wasn’t home yet. The Alpha’s usually the first one to arrive, mostly because he likes working in his at-home office more, and he hardly stays after hours unless an important meeting comes up, which doesn’t happen too often. 

It’s a little weird to come back to an empty home. The silence is deafening and he’s deeply feeling the lack of his Alpha around. It’s an uncomfortable feeling he can’t shake off as he changes out of his work outfit, into one of Harry’s t-shirts and gym shorts he had to tie off so they wouldn’t slip off. 

Louis’ got nothing important to do, so he sets off to get some chores he’s been neglecting over and done with. He barely gets the chance to during the week, so he might as well occupy himself before Harry gets home. His skin itches with something to do, too pent up to just sit down and wait for his Alpha.

He plays one of Harry's records, just so it feels like he’s here before he starts, and when the house starts to fill with the sound of a Hall and Oates medley, Louis sets off to work. 

He hums along as he wipes down the kitchen, fluffs up the pillows in the living room and lowers himself on his knees to take the laundry out. He takes out his shirts first, a fluffy red sweater, his panties, all before pulling out one of Harry’s ratty t-shirts. 

Louis hesitates as he holds it, sitting back on his knees and staring down at the fabric the Alpha’s too stubborn to get rid of. It looks the same, old and faded, and Louis’ no stranger to it whatsoever. Harry’s worn it for as long as he can remember and it’s a miracle it still stands on its own. 

However, what stops him isn’t exactly the faded print or the new rip in the front of the t-shirt. It’s something else, something that fills Louis’ senses and makes him forget to breathe for a minute. 

The fabric detergent he uses is specifically unscented so it wouldn’t overpower the lovely mixture of their scents together, having been a couple for many years and practically sharing the same wardrobe, (or, Louis stealing all of Harry’s clothes and the Alpha having no objections with it), but there’s a new, stronger overwhelming scent of pinewood and vanilla that simply forces Louis to bring it up to his nose, inhaling the lovely scent and feeling his bones turn into mush. 

When he’s fully satiated, Louis sets the t-shirt aside and continues to pull out Harry’s clothes, each item carrying more of Harry’s scent than the rest. It quickly becomes overpowering, as if the Alpha is standing right beside him and before he even fully processes it, the Omega grabs all of his Alpha’s clothes, leaving the rest of the folded laundry behind and running barefoot up the stairs and into their room with one thing in mind. 

He drops the clothes in a corner, breathless as he falls to his knees and arranges everything meticulously. He barely acknowledges his actions, picking up whatever random article he can get his hands on and placing it where only he knows is right. It’s a repeated process of arranging and rearranging, and he’s blind to his actions until something - or someone - pulls him out of the trance he was submitted to. 

“Louis?”

Louis’ whole body freezes in place. The soft corduroy pants are held against his chest as he looks over to the Alpha standing by the doorway, quietly watching him as to not disturb his process. Louis can’t help the flush on his cheeks, like he’s been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. 

The Alpha then smiles, “What’re you doing, love?”

What is he doing? Louis glances down at his hands, suddenly very aware of the soft fabric in his hands, followed by the neatly placed pile of clothes on the corner.  He’s stunned for words, to say the least. 

“I, uh…” There’s no recollection of how he even made it up to the room. The last thing he remembered was vacuuming the living room, it’s as if Louis blacked out completely and suddenly woke up in their bedroom. 

Harry walks in, crowding behind him, “Aw, Lou. Are you building a nest? It’s so beautiful, baby.”

The Omega swallows, glancing between the Alpha and the nest on the corner, “I don’t…”

“It looks perfect, Lou,” Harry assures him, “So nice and comfortable, too. Did you make it just now?”

There’s nothing else Louis can do other than preen at his Alpha’s sweet words as he nods. He’d built nests plenty of times before and Harry has always said the nicest things about it, yet it still feels like the first time and his body swells with pride and happiness at his Alpha’s response to his hard work. 

“Is it finished, love?”

Louis considers it for a moment, before eventually laying down Harry’s pants in a spot that felt just right. He sat back on his knees, looking over his perfectly crafted nest, looking out for anything that could be missing. It looked complete, mostly. The only thing missing was the mated couple resting over it, one thing that could easily fulfill itself. 

“Hmm, yes.” He reddens, “Yes, I think so.”

Harry smiles, placing a hand on Louis’ lower back, right where it belongs, “Would you please let me in your pretty nest? We can cuddle as much as you want, baby.”

The nod comes easy to Louis and soon they’re fitting themselves in Louis’ nest, Harry on his back with Louis nestled against his chest, savoring his Alpha’s arms around him as they scent each other as much as they can. It’s a nice and comfortable feeling, one that relaxes Louis’ jitteriness from earlier and he doesn’t see himself ever getting up from this nest. Harry’s whispering sweet nothings in his ear - about his pretty smile and how perfect Louis’ nest is - and there’s no better feeling than this. 

Louis’ safe and he’s loved, and that’s all he needs to know. 

-----

Miriam’s party is a success, or at least Louis feels like it is the moment he places the last flower arrangement on the table and takes a step back to fully appreciate it all. 

Louis might have one hell of a stress inducing job, but it’s times like these where all the late nights at the office, long phone calls with venues and attempts at avoiding aneurysms every time a catering company would mess the order up the day before an event is all completely worth it. The venue looks perfect, and he couldn’t have done a better job. 

He’s sure he did amazing when Miriam hugs him tightly as soon as she sees the Omega, bringing him close to her and thanking him profusely for all his hard work. 

“This looks absolutely lovely, Louis.” She coos, “My mum’s going to absolutely love it! You couldn’t have done a better job!”

“It’s been a pleasure, darling!” He grins, all but blushing at her words of appreciation, “Please, just sit back and enjoy yourself. I’ll be over in the corner making sure it all goes smoothly, but please let me know if you need anything.

“Of course, Louis,” She smiles into a hug, “Feel free to grab a cupcake or two, my treat.” She winks. Louis giggles at the Omega and moves along to check that everything else was running smoothly.

As the party starts and guests start piling in, Louis’ job isn’t quite over yet. He’s meant to stand by and check everything flows nicely, that there’s enough food for everyone and especially that no one messes through the gifts in the backroom and ruins any element of surprise. 

It tends to be a little on the boring side in longer events, when there’s not much happening and all he can do is fuss about the food getting out in time. Thankfully, Miriam’s party is anything but boring and Louis’ even able to have some fun himself. He’s familiar with a few of her relatives, since this wasn’t the first party Louis organized for her, so it almost felt like he was hosting a party himself, with a lot more people he didn’t even know, but regardless, her family was so sweet and inviting, Louis almost wanted to sit down and have a glass of champagne himself. 

Still, Louis had to remind himself he had a job to do and just because he was friendly with the host, it didn’t mean he could forget about all his responsibilities. He didn’t get high up the ranks by being unprofessional, and though it was tempting to sit back and relax for once, he couldn’t afford to let loose just yet.

So, Louis stands on the sidelines, watching as Miriam and her relatives finish up their meal. The cake should be out soon, Louis makes a mental note to check up on it in a couple of minutes. 

“Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?” A voice startles him out of his thoughts. He looks to his side, catching the eye of one of Miriams’ grandma’s. He can’t remember which side, but then again, he’d never seen her at any of her granddaughters gatherings, nor been properly introduced.

Louis smiles politely, “Yes, of course.”

“You know,” She starts, “My Miriams’ been wanting a pup for as long as I can remember, it's so lovely to see her dreams come true. I never even thought I’d get the chance to see her with pup.” 

Louis nods along, watching his friend from afar wipe off tears from her face as one relative comes up and hugs her warmly.

“You must be so happy for her.”

“Delighted,” She smiles, “So, when are you due?”

Louis all but chokes on his own breath. He’s positive he must’ve misheard the poor older Omega, because there’s no way in hell that was a genuine question to ask, especially to him. There’s no other possible reasoning for it. Clearing his throat, Louis tries again, “Excuse me?”

“Oh, are you not one of Miriam's pregnant friends?” She genuinely asks, eyebrows raising at Louis’ quick denial, “I apologize, dear. It’s just…your scent.

“My…scent?” Louis asks, suddenly feeling slightly self conscious about himself. 

The older Omega smiled, “I’ve lived a very long life, darling, and I’m hardly ever wrong.”

Louis is a little stunned to speak, to be quite frank, but he’s highly aware he’s currently in a professional setting and he can’t quite tell the older omega to fuck off. He doubts he would in any other context, but this seemingly kind small talk turned sour before Louis knew it and it’s hard to stand there and pretend his body isn’t burning under her worried glance. 

Deciding he needs to remove himself from this situation, Louis offers a polite smile and excuses himself to go to the bathroom, making a run for it before the older Omega could say a word. 

Thankfully, the bathroom’s entirely empty, all the guests are too focused on Miriam right now to take a quick break, and Louis takes the time to splash water on his face and take as many deep breaths as he can. 

In all honesty, Louis feels like he’s going absolutely crazy. These past weeks have been weird, to say the least, and this interaction was the last thing he needed. Louis’ still fragile, sensitive when this particular topic comes up and he definitely feels like he’s on the edge of another mental breakdown. He doesn’t know what will happen if this shit continues, and all he wants to do is curl himself up in his nest with Harry and never have to leave. 

Eventually, when his breath is secure enough, the Omega holds himself up and glances at himself through the mirror. He looks shaken, clearly, but he simply can’t let himself go down right now. He’s worked too hard to get to a happy place and he can’t allow himself to shut down with any minor occurrences. 

As unsettling as that conversation was, he’s got a party to take care of.

---

He’s quiet as he lets himself into Harry’s car, leaning over for a quick kiss over the console before settling back in his seat and closing his eyes. Louis knows his scent must give away he’s distressed, if not for his whole body language Harry’s so attuned to, so instead of starting the car again, the Alpha pauses with a hand on Louis’ knee.

“You okay, Lou?” He gently asks. 

Louis hates lying to Harry. He’s got a half decent poker face that has helped him get away with a lot in the past, mostly pranks in college and little white lies to his clients to avoid stressing them out, but it’s no disguise to his Alpha. He could read him like the back of his palm. 

“I’m alright,” He still says, “M’just tired.”

If Harry believes him or not, Louis can’t tell, but he knows the Alpha decides against pushing it any further. Instead, he squeezes Louis’ thigh where his hand rested and starts the car over the low hum of the radio. 

They don’t talk about it the entire night. 

 -----

When Louis heard the news that Perrie was going into labor, his whole world stopped for a moment. Suddenly, it was becoming all too real and for the entire day, Louis had his face constantly glued to his phone, waiting for any updates. It was the most stressful, yet exciting twelve hours of his life, and he definitely cried out of happiness when Zayn eventually sent a picture of baby Daisy to their group chat. 

As soon as the newly parents allowed it, Louis rushed to visit them and their pup as quickly as he could, dragging Harry with him despite the Alpha rivalry going on between them. Thankfully, both Alphas were well behaved, but Louis couldn’t have been too sure since he spent the entire afternoon doting after Perrie and cooing over the little pup, the sweetest little thing that looked exactly like the perfect mix of her mummy and daddy. She had the prettiest eyes and the tiniest hands, and Louis’ heart melted every time she smiled at him. 

Now, with every free chance Louis can get, he usually finds himself at Perrie’s house looking after her pup and giving her a chance to put her feet up and spend time together. Parenting a new pup can take a toll on the Mated couple, and though Perrie and Zayn seem to be holding themselves just fine, Louis’ got Godmother duties to fulfill, and he’d be damned if he didn’t. 

Today, however, things are a little different. 

After the elderly ambush at Miriam’s event, Louis’ been having a hard time not feeling so self conscious about himself and his surroundings. He’s on edge, constantly, and it’s bringing him back to a place he doesn’t want to return to. 

It’s been a weird month, to say the least, and with Harry’s senses heightened, for some fucking reason, and the constant ‘what ifs’ flowing through Louis’ mind, it’s getting harder to not feel like he’s setting himself up for disaster. Harry can only offer so much consolation, and though he’s doing more than what Louis could ever ask of him, the Omega can’t help but feel like he needs a different perspective, and who else to ask other than the person who’s known him his entire life.

Perrie sits beside him on her couch, leaning over and cooing at her pup in Louis’ arms. Daisy’s a sweet baby, she doesn’t cry too loud and instantly relaxes when Louis holds her in his arms. He’d been cradling her to sleep as he shared mindless gossip and local news with his best friend, but she’s since woken up to gurgle out little giggles that put a smile on both Omegas. 

“I’m pretty sure she’ll be an Omega, too,” Perrie mentions, “She always calms down whenever you or my sister hold her, I’m starting to think she only doesn’t throw a tantrum when Zayn holds her because he’s her father.”

Louis smiles down at the little pup, “Mummy instincts are never wrong, right?”

“I’ll say,” She giggles, waving a finger in front of her daughter to try and catch. It’s an adorable sight, watching a mother and daughter bond and share a lovely moment together, and it pulls at his heartstrings as little Daisy smiles along.

“Perrie?” Louis breathes, keeping his eyes on Daisy, rather than the curious Omega, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Lou,” She says, sitting back and shifting her attention onto the clearly troubled Omega, all while letting her pup play with his fingers. 

“How did you know you were pregnant?

“Why?” She asks, eyes widening in realization, “Are you-”

“No!” Louis immediately cuts her off, “I mean, no. I can't. It's impossible, you know it.”

“Right, right,” She corrects herself, knowing she’s pushed an uncomfortable boundary, “I'm sorry, Lou.”

“No, it’s okay,” He waves off, “I was just…wondering. That’s all.”

Daisy’s giggling is an easy distraction from the weight of what Louis was asking of her. Both of them know it, and though Perrie wants to push to find out more about his sudden curiosity, she understands his boundaries and allows him all the time he needs to process his own feelings before fully opening himself up. Their friendship means more to her than her own budding curiosity.

“Alright, well. I remember throwing up a lot the first trimester and being really nauseous all day,” She started, “My boobs were really tender too, and Zayn kept mentioning my scent. He still claims to know he knocked me up the morning after we had sex, but I think that’s just him being an Alpha, y’know?”

Suddenly, Daisy starts whining in Louis’ lap, crying for her mummy and Perrie coos as she grabs her pup and cuddles her against her chest. She still whines for a minute before eventually settling down with the help of her mummy’s scent, and as she’s close to falling asleep again, Perrie drops a kiss on her head, covered by a cute little yellow hat. 

Louis can’t help the frown on his lips as he lets her words sink in, realizing that with everything that’s happened to him, he’s felt nothing of what she did, nor of any other pregnant Omega in existence. It’s a shitty reality to face and Louis’ already regretting pushing it, hating himself for even entertaining this possibility of…something. 

“Hey, Lou,” Perrie whispers to him, noticing the sullen look on his face, “Mummy instincts are never wrong, right?” 

-----

Louis doesn’t want to look.

He’s been pacing in his bedroom for what feels like hours, and though every second seems like torture, he can’t help but the outcome will feel like it too. 

“It’s going to be okay, Omega,” Harry assures him, perhaps for the seventh time in a single minute, and though soothing to his inner Omega, his sweet words go in through one ear and out the other. It’s stressful, this whole ordeal, and Louis finds himself constantly needing a reminder to breathe so he won’t shut down.

It was stupid, really, getting his heart out on the line like this again. Somehow, he let his conversation with Perrie play in his head, entertaining the thought that maybe Louis wasn’t much of a broken Omega after all, and maybe giving this another shot would be worth it. 

Harry had needed a little bit of convincing to get Louis a pregnancy test from the pharmacy. He’d bought so many already, all with the same result in the end, so his reluctance was understandable, to say the least. Hell , Louis had even been hesitant to bring this up to Harry, but one thing he was sure of, was that he didn’t want to keep any secrets from his Alpha. They were in this together and he knew better than to push the people he loves away, now.

Louis' head snaps to his phone sitting beside Harry on their bed, ringing with that God awful alarm sound. It cuts off Louis’ breath for a moment, freezing him in place as Harry turns it off. Harry stands up, carefully crowding the anxious Omega and placing his palms comfortingly on Louis’ hips.

“We can look whenever you’re ready, Lou.” He says, barely above a whisper. 

Louis swallows, nodding belatedly as he lets himself sink into Harry’s arms. His Alpha towers above him and warms his entire being with a hug. It’s comfortable, and momentarily makes him forget about the pregnancy test in the bathroom, taunting him with an unknown result. Remembering it’s there pulls a weight down on Louis’ body.

They stand like this until Louis’ ready, eventually removing himself from Harry’s grip, faintly feeling as the Alpha laces their hands together and follows Louis’ lead to the ensuite bathroom. 

He stands motionless against the frame, eyes quickly darting to the test resting on the counter, turned over so nothing would be revealed yet. Seeing it there made Louis’ hurt thrum against his chest and he immediately digs his face onto his Alpha’s chest.

“Please,” Louis’ voice shakes, “Check it for me.”

Silently, the Alpha reaches over and Louis faintly hears him pick the stick up. He shuts his eyes tighter as silence fills the room, feeling more physically ill the longer Harry wasn’t saying anything. God , why is he so fucking quiet all of a sudden? The silence is deafening and he almost sobs in Harry’s chest, waiting for an answer. He simply can’t take it anymore. 

His heart sinks when he sees it.

Not Pregnant. 

He’s silent, breathless and unmoving as he glares. He hears nothing around him, but barely makes out a faint whisper coming from Harry’s lips. His hands shake where he’s got them scrunched up on his Alpha’s t-shirt and he’s pretty sure he'd have fallen over to the ground if Harry’s arm wasn’t holding him up. 

Harry says something again, but Louis doesn’t process it. He scowls at the stupid little fucking pee stick, and those God awful words stare back at him, black and blinking on the small screen. 

Eventually, Louis finds his own words.

“I don't know why I thought it'd be any different this time,” He whimpered, belatedly feeling a tear shed down his cheek as he hid his face in Harry’s chest, gripping his t-shirt so tightly in his hands, his knuckles turning white with rage.

“It’s okay, Lou,” Harry comforts him, “These things happen.”

Louis pulls away, staring up at Harry’s through teary eyes, “Really, Harry? I’ve lost count how many times this has happened to us.”

He doesn’t miss the pained expression on his Alpha’s face, and seeing him affected elicits another sob out of him. It’s painful, so fucking awful to have this happen over and over again and constantly failing in giving his Alpha the pups both of them have been wanting forever. 

“Listen, Lou, you know these are faulty,” He says, “Gemma had two negatives before she knew she was pregnant, remember? Maybe we should schedule an appointment…just to be sure, right?”

Louis hesitates, wiping a stray tear away with a finger. He’s not sure how his Alpha can still be this positive and hopeful after all this time, “I don’t…I don’t know if I can handle being told I’m barren again, Harry.” 

All the consultations they’ve been to had been like a knife in his heart. Every time they’d arrive there, hopeful and excited for the answers, they’d leave with it all taken from them. It’s not something Louis feels quite ready to experience again any time soon, regardless of the better accuracy. 

“Just one last time, Lou.” He says, “And then…we look at other options.

Louis swallows down a sob, “Give me some time, Alpha…”

“Okay,” He hums, bringing Louis in for a warm hug, “We can do this whenever you're ready. I’m always here for you, by your side, Omega. Always.”

-----

After very long weeks of mourning what could’ve been the last semblance of hope the mated couple could have, life goes on and so do they. There’s jobs to do, people to see and though there’s days all Louis wants to hide in his nest with Harry, he’s become unfortunately good at sucking his feelings up and accepting the cold, hard truth, even if it hurts. 

Falling back into old routines is easier once the sense of normalcy in life is regained, which is why Louis finds himself having brunch with Perrie and her little pup, Daisy - the new addition to their bi-weekly get-togethers in Pebble’s, a local brunch spot they’ve been to for years.

“And I still don't know how I managed to pull it off,” He giggles off, referring to a surprise bachelorette party he only had forty eight hours to organize, with a limited budget on top.

“It’s because you’re amazing at your job, Lou,” Perrie grins, “No one’s doing it like you!”

Louis preens, picking apart at his croissant, “Thanks, Pez. You kind of sound like Harry when you talk like that.”

“Maybe he’s the one taking notes from me,” She winks, rocking Daisy on her lap, “How is he, anyways? I haven’t heard much from him lately.”

“The same as usual,” Louis shrugs, sipping his lemonade, “Y’know what, he’s actually been busier with work. Something about a new client, or whatever,” He shrugs, “All I know is he’s getting up earlier and coming home still on the phone.”

“That’s boring,” She snorts, “Is he coming in later, too?”

“No,” He says, cutting up his pancakes lathered in syrup, “He’s never home later than five, but he’ll usually lock himself in his office or work in the kitchen. He’s a workaholic, you know.”

“I get it,” Perrie says, biting off her croissant, “At least he’s working, though. Zayn’s still on his paternity leave, and we’ve still got more than a left, and it’s been great! He’s been so helpful with Daisy all the time, and quite frankly, seeing him be such a good dad is making me want to jump his bones, and it’s absolutely torture how I still have have another three weeks until Dr. Reisert gives us the green light.”

Louis giggles, “I’m sure three weeks will be over before you know it.”

“I know,” She whines, “I feel like I’m going through one of your heats, or something.”

“My heats?” Louis flushes, “What’d you mean by that?”

“Y’know,” She giggles, “Very knot hungry, or however you say it.”

“Once,” He burns up, “I said it once, and it was a joke and we both know it, Pez!”

To his own embarrassment, Perrie keeps on giggling as Louis tries to cover his own ass up, and it’s worse when she starts to bounce little Daisy, until she’s giggling, too. And Louis simply won’t stand for it.

“For your information and - cover Daisy’s ears for me - if we’re gonna talk about being horny all the time, we should talk about Harry, then.” He says, “I’m honestly shocked about his ridiculous sex drive.”

“What do you mean?” Perrie giggles, indulging in her best friend and covering her Pup’s ears. Obviously, she wouldn’t know exactly what the Omegas are talking about, but Louis’ fine not traumatizing her poor little ears with his sex life. 

After that awful afternoon in their bathroom, any sexual intimacy had been pushed off the table until both of them felt comfortable enough to engage in it again. It took a while, since the disappointment of yet another failed attempt at pregnancy was enough to take away their sex drive. 

Gradually, with open communication and comfort above all, they’ve been able to return back to their normal sexual encounters, and Louis couldn’t be more appreciative for such an understanding and patient partner who’d wait as long as he needed to.

It’s a known fact that they had a very healthy and active sexual life, however, now that they’re back on track, Louis feels as if he’s being knotted every single day, thoroughly and roughly, and he’s not quite sure how he’s able to even get out of bed. It reminds him a lot of their time in uni, when instead of studying with their friends, they’d hide out in Harry’s frat dorm, where he’d knot Louis relentlessly for hours. 

“I just don’t know what's gotten into him,” Louis confesses, “It’s so much worse than last time, it’s like he’s actively in rut, every single day! I can only handle so much, you know?”

“I don’t get how that’s such a bad thing,” Perrie says holding her baby in one hand, eating her salad with the other, “Don’t be acting like a prude, it’s not like you two didn’t fuck like rabbits anyways. Harry’s practically stuck inside you ever since you’ve started dating - and don’t bother denying it, babe.”

Louis wants to believe he’s more prideful than to turn into a blushing mess, but his cheeks are quick to betray him and he feels them heat up as his best friend calls him out. He’s not usually one to be at a loss for words, but it’s not like Perrie’s wrong in her accusations, anyways.

“Whatever, that's not the point,” He pouts, “Do you think my smell is better than before? Harry keeps going on about it, but I don’t think anything’s different about me…”

“You've always smelled good, Lou.” She says like it’s obvious, cuddling Daisy to her chest as she begins to babble nonsense.

Louis groans, rolling his eyes, “You’re no help.”

“Listen,” Perrie starts, in a tone that Louis knows means she’s not messing around anymore, “Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to schedule an appointment with Dr. Reisert.” The hesitant flinch across Louis’ face doesn’t go unnoticed by her, “And I know how you feel about it, but maybe it’s worth a shot. Everybody's body is different, love. It took me a couple tries to get pregnant with Daisy.”

Perrie is one of the few people in Louis’ circle that know about the situation with the last pregnancy test. He never intended on bringing it up with anyone other than Harry and his mum, but Perrie knew him like the back of her hand and could tell that something was clearly affecting his well being. Pouring out his troubles to her and Zayn ended up helping him process it a little better, too. 

“I just…Why would I bother when I know the answer already?” He mutters, avoiding Perrie’s worried glance. 

“But that's the thing, Lou. You don’t know the answer.” Louis then looks up at her, brow raised and lip tucked between his teeth, “You should do it.” She encourages, “I know it hurts, but you deserve real answers, not a faulty one from a shitty gas station.”

Louis' eyes drift to little Daisy sitting on Perrie's lap, giggling as she looks up at her mummy, and maybe…maybe one more chance is just what he needs. 

------

The car is quiet as Louis sits in the driveway.

It’s only him, his locked phone and a bobblehead of Winnie the Pooh staring right at him. He killed the radio as soon as he parked because it made it hard to think, and if there’s anything Louis needs right now, it’s peace and quiet to weigh in his options. 

In the end, he decided that it was now or never.

“Hello?” He speaks into his phone after ringing three times, “Is this the Rose Valley Clinic? I’d like to schedule an appointment for Louis Styles.”

--------

Louis’ nervous as he sits in the waiting room. 

Harry’s there sitting beside him, of course, holding his hand and occasionally whispering sweet nothings whenever he notices a nervous shift in Louis’ scent. He’d been nervous for the past week, from the moment he picked up his phone to schedule an appointment, to telling his Alpha the moment he got out of the car and into their house. Harry had been taken by surprise at Louis’ sudden change of heart, hesitant at first, but supportive nonetheless. He even went as far to take the rest of his day off of work to be there for Louis in case he needed him, and with their track record, Louis was glad he didn’t have to face this appointment by himself. 

There's other couples around; Omegas that are visibly pregnant and smelling like it, too, and Louis feels a little inadequate sitting there with what’s probably an emptiness sitting in his stomach. No one bats him an eye, thankfully, other than the sympathetic receptionist that’s seen him ever since the mated couple have been trying for a pup. She doesn’t say a word, only shooting a polite smile every time Louis’ fretful eyes drift towards her. 

Louis’ hand comes up to his own stomach, resting gently over his maroon sweater. There’s nothing to feel, other than the usual flatness and Louis can’t help but feel like a fraud. He  takes his hand off where it rested and shoves it under his thigh. It doesn’t make him feel any better, but it’s a start. 

“It’ll be alright,” Harry mumbles in his ear, noticing Louis’ not-so subtleness at being terrified with what could happen today. He’s trying not to get his hopes up just as much as he’s mentally preparing himself to hear that he’s still barren and nothing on that front has changed. 

There’s a side to Louis that feels so guilty for always being the one crushing that hopeful smile out of his Alpha, and each time it happens, it just hurts more than the last. Louis is well aware how much Harry wanted to be a father, they’ve talked about it for ages, even when they were younger and more naive to life, and he’d always known how much it’d mean to him to start a new chapter in life with Louis. It made the Omega feel sick that he’ll never be able to bear Harry’s pup and ruin all the plans they’ve hoped and dreamed for.

“Louis Styles?” Louis’ head whips up to the nurse by the door, smiling kindly at the mated couple and motioning them to follow her into Louis’ doctor’s office. There’s an instinctual feeling in his stomach to run away and live with the unknown, but Harry’s there holding his hand and standing up before Louis can make a run.

So, he goes ahead, following the nurse with his mate in clutch, squeezing Harry’s hand tightly for reassurance and walking down the same corridor he’s seen time and time again. It’s a little unsettling and ominous to be back, having always left with news he didn’t want to hear, and with every step, this begins to feel like a very bad idea. 

“Harry,” He whispers, “I don’t-”

The nurse opens the consultation room’s door, keeping it open for them to walk in. Louis’ frozen in place, eyes flicking between the room and the awaiting nurse. The only thing that keeps him grounded is his Alpha squeezing their intertwined hands and releasing calming pheromones that Louis desperately needed.

“We can leave if you want to, Lou,” Harry leans down to whisper in his ear. A warmth spreads on Louis’ cheeks. He feels embarrassed, all of a sudden, with all eyes on him as he holds up his consultation purely out of fear. Harry’s a calming presence, and the nurse watches him with a sympathetic smile, but it only makes him feel worse about the outcome. He’s tired of disappointing his Alpha and it’s humiliating that the only reason the nurse recognizes him is entirely due to his lack of success at getting pregnant. He should be at home with their thousands of pups running around, but they’re here, waiting to hear what they’ve known for years. 

But then he thinks of Perrie, who’s been so supportive throughout this journey and pushed him to make this decision in the first place. He made it for a reason and he owes it to himself, to his Alpha, to get the final answer they deserve. 

If anything goes wrong, it’s nothing time, support from loved ones, his nest and all the ice cream in the world won’t heal.

“No,” Louis says, “Let’s go in.”

If the Alpha was expecting him to go forward with it, Louis will never be able to tell. He shoots a shy glance towards the nurse who lets him in and keeps his eyes glued to the floor. He only ends up looking up at Harry once they’re seated, and his stomach almost bursts with the look of pride on his face. A comforting hand settles on his knee, and Louis knows he made the right decision.

After answering some basic health related questions, the nurse eventually leaves the mated couple be, and it’s then in the brief quietness of the room that reality sinks in. Louis’ really here, sitting in the same uncomfortable office chair, bracing himself for what could be his last piece of bad news. It feels like just yesterday he was sitting on the same, hearing that he’ll never be able to carry out a pregnancy.

“It’s going to be okay, Omega,” Harry assures him, releasing more calming pheromones to stop Louis’ mind from whirling any further, “You’re so strong. Whatever happens, I know you’ll be able to pull through. We’ll manage, baby. We always do.”

“Harry, I-”

Whatever words that want to leave Louis’ mouth stay there as they hear a knock on the door, followed by Dr. Reisert excusing herself inside. Louis sobers up quickly, swallowing dryly at the sight of her and already feeling his palms start to sweat with nerves. 

“Hello, Louis, Harry.” She nods, smiling as she sits herself down on her side of the desk.

“Hello, Dr. Reisert,” The Alpha says, “It’s nice to see you again.”

“I’ll have to be honest,” She says, a serious tone set in her voice, “I’m a little surprised to see you both here again, especially after the conclusion we’ve reached.”

“I know, Doctor,” He awkwardly smiles, feeling Harry comfortingly squeeze his hand over on his lap. “I’m surprised too, quite frankly, but we just want to check. One last time.”

Dr. Reisert does a look over at the couple, almost in consideration. 

“Is there any particular reason that made you want to check?” She asks, twining her fingers together over the desk, “Any symptoms, changes in your body, anything of the sort?”

“Well, actually,” Louis starts, only a tad bit embarrassed, “I’ve never considered scheduling an appointment after last time, but recently, there’s just been a lot of changes that neither of us can necessarily explain…”

“Such as?”

“There’s been…quite a few people picking up my scent and claiming something about it has changed. It doesn’t happen all the time, and I think Harry’s the only one constantly going on about my scent…”

“It’s natural,” She smiles, “He is your Alpha, after all.”

Harry chuckles, “It’s true, but I can’t quite put my finger on why the sudden change. It’s sweeter, maybe, and it’s, uh, very hard for me to resist him sometimes. Most of the time.”

“It’s like he can’t get enough of me,” Louis adds, “Even without the sexual part of it, Harry’s been stuck by my side a lot more and acting more protective than before, somewhat possessive around other Alphas, too.”

Dr. Reisert raises a brow, “Is your rut nearing?” She asks the Alpha.

“I’ve still got a couple of months ahead of me,” Harry says, “And it doesn’t feel like my rut’s been triggered early, either. It’s just, more of an intense feeling about Louis and wanting to keep him safe.”

“Right, I see,” She hums, “Is there anything else that’s happening recently?”

“I’ve been nesting more often, too.” Louis squeezes his Alpha’s hand, “It usually happens around my heat, or whenever I’m too stressed, but even when I’m having a perfectly normal day, I’ll be struck with the urge to build a nest, or fix the one I’ve got built in our room.”

There’s a beat of silence from Dr. Reisert and she writes something down in her notebook, presumably about the mated couple’s weird symptoms they’ve been discussing. The silence fills the room and Louis suddenly begins to feel nervous that their Beta doctor will shut them down and deny them the ultrasound, considering her diagnosis of Louis’ bareness. It was a possibility that she’d have some sort of answer that isn’t what the Omega craved to hear the most, and the more she scribbled down on paper, the more on edge he’d get. 

But then, the scribbles stop and an undecipherable glance turns into a kind smile, and Louis can feel his shoulders drop in relief. 

“Of course, Louis.” She says, standing up, “Would you hop on the chair, please? We can start the ultrasound.”

Louis all but scrambles to stand up, heart thumping heavily against his chest and feeling Harry’s hand on his lower back guiding him to the exam table. The Omega then takes a seat on the bed, laying back and pulling his sweater up to make room for the wand. 

His heart’s in his throat as Harry sits beside him, hands laced together and occasionally bringing them up to his lips to sooth the anxious Omega. As Dr. Reisert’s back is to them, the Alpha leans in for a comforting kiss, and it’s like all their worries get lost for one delightful second. 

As they part, Louis glances at the ultrasound screen. It’s blank, waiting to be used and Louis can hear his heartbeat ring in his ears. Every second that goes by feels like forever and it’s making him feel like he’ll throw up in anticipation. 

“It’s a little cold,” Dr. Reisert warns as she squirts the gel over Louis’ stomach, followed by the firm wand. It’s a cooling feeling, but it doesn’t distract him from his focus on the screen. He can’t even understand exactly what he’s looking at either, but he follows along, breathing deeply in anticipation and holding Harry’s hand so tight, he’s surprised the Alpha hasn’t complained. 

“So, Louis, everything seems to be-” She abruptly stops the wand right above Louis’ lower abdomen, “Oh .”

The mated couple quickly glance at each other before snapping their gazes right to Dr. Reisert. After all their consultations, they’ve never heard her utter an ‘oh’ before, a surprised one at that, either. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Harry asks, voice teetering on his Alpha voice, right before Louis even gets a chance to voice his own concerns.

“Well, Louis,” Dr. Reisert smiles, “I suppose your instinct was right…”

The couple share a questioning look at each other, frowning deeply at what Dr. Reisert could be implying. There’s so many things that could go wrong, and all this beating around the bush is making Louis’ head spin. 

“What do you mean, Doctor?” The Omega asks, voice shaky and eyes wide as he glances between her and the blurry screen. 

A wide grin spreads on his lips, “Congratulations, Louis. You’re pregnant!”

Louis' breath gets completely knocked out of him the moment she utters those words out loud. The universe itself stops for a minute and he barely hears anything around him, stuck in his spot in pure disbelief. 

His Alpha snaps him out of him, wrapping his arms around him in a tight embrace, uncaring if the gel lathered on Louis’ stomach would mess up his shirt or not, and kisses him with utter pride and excitement.

“Oh my god,” Harry grins, “I can’t even- Baby, we’re having a pup!”

Louis’ brain still hasn’t completely caught up to it, “W-Wha-”

“Here, take a look.” Dr. Reisert says, allowing Louis to lay down again and placing the wand back on his lower abdo,em, moving it around until a very small white spot graces the screen, one Louis’ never seen before in his ultrasounds, and as it settles that he’s currently looking at the pup he and Harry made, the tears start flowing freely.

Harry brings him back in his arms again, holding him tight and dropping some tears of happiness himself.

“We did it, baby,” He smiles into Louis’ bonding mark, “We’re going to have a pup.”

Louis’ overwhelmed as the rest of the consultation goes by, feeling a delightful mixture between speechless and utterly excited about finally, finally , managing to get pregnant. It doesn’t even feel real as Dr. Reisert goes over all the precautions Louis’ going to have to take, all the prenatal medication and upcoming consultations.

As soon as they leave the consultation, Harry picks Louis up and spins him around, both of them crying happy tears and smiling so widely until their cheeks hurt. As Harry eventually settles Louis back on the ground, he leans down for a passionate kiss, uncaring that they’re in the middle of the parking lot and most likely giving a show for anyone walking by.

Neither of them find it in them to care. They’ve just received the best news of their lives, news they never even thought to hear, and they’ll be damned if they don’t express their happiness. 

As the Alpha drives them home, Louis holds the sonogram close to his heart and places a hand over his stomach. 

He doesn’t feel like a fraud anymore.

----

Ever since Louis found out he was pregnant, there was a constant sense of excitement felt within the couple, as well as relief for finally taking the next step they’ve been dreaming for years. It was a new type of happiness neither had felt before, and there were times Louis couldn’t even believe there was a pup growing inside his tummy. 

Since the news was so fresh and completely unexpected, the mated pair decided against immediately telling everyone and their mother about the pregnancy, wanting to savor the first few months to themselves. There was a small chance of loss, all things considered, but after the first trimester smoothly passed, and Louis’ stomach started to show through his clothes, it was hard to keep the secret between them any longer. Many weren’t surprised, considering Louis’ maternal glow and development of nausea whenever strongly scented food was brought to the office, as well as plenty of other indications Louis’d deny, but regardless, everyone was ecstatic for the mated couple, especially the Omega’s mum, who cried for an hour straight when they’ve told the news over Sunday lunch. 

All his life, Louis was constantly surrounded by pregnancy and pups. He’d taken care of a handful, and witnessed so many families growing, and it was still shocking that Louis’d finally be able to partake and grow his own little family with Harry.

Considering how pregnancy passes by so fast, and it being one thing Louis’d accepted he’d never experience on his own, one of his main priorities was to document it all, to have something to look back on years from now. He’d take monthly progress pictures of his growing belly, do as many photoshoots with his Alpha as both could handle (candid and professional ones), write daily entries on a little pregnancy journal his Alpha bought him, as well as everything else to remind him of this beautiful moment.

It was also very exciting that, for once, Louis was able to organize his own baby shower. He had years of ideas and inspiration for it, and it felt amazing to see it all come together in the end and celebrate with all his friends and family - including all the Alphas that have supported him through his life. It had been one of the most beautiful gatherings he’s ever had, and he cried into his Alpha’s embrace when they found out they’d be having a lovely little baby boy. 

Now, at eight months pregnant, things have changed for him in ways he hadn’t even considered. He was used to the change in his hormones, making him more emotional than not at times, and all the midnight cravings Harry’d happily indulge him in, be it his knot or chocolate covered pickles.

However, as their pup grew bigger inside Louis’ tummy, it took a lot more strength and energy to walk around and do his daily tasks without feeling so tired and cranky at the end of the day. 

Today, since he was currently on maternity leave and without much to do other than prepare for the pup coming soon, he’d been out all day with his mom, in and out of stores looking at cute little pijamas and stocking up on diapers. It was pleasant and an exciting day, nonetheless, but as soon as Louis got home, he undressed into one of Harry’s old t-shirts - since none of his own fit him properly anymore and this one smelled so much like his Alpha - and his favorite maternity leggings that hugged every curve of his body just right. 

After making his way down to the kitchen, making himself a tea and grabbing himself a few donuts to snack on, Louis waddles into the living room and makes himself comfortable on the couch, placing the plate of donuts on top of his swollen tummy and catching up on some Real Housewives.

It’s about an hour later when Harry finally gets home, gym bag slung over his shoulder and shirt lathered with sweat stains. It’s not a sight Louis minds whatsoever. 

“Hey, mummy,” Harry grins, setting the bag down and leaning down to kiss Louis. 

The Omega flushes, placing a hand over his tummy, “Hey, Alpha. How was the gym?”

“It was alright, just did some cardio and boxed for a bit, nothing much,” He says, returning from the kitchen with a water bottle before seating himself down right beside his Omega, throwing an arm around him and placing a kiss against the side of his head and the top of his bulging stomach, “Couldn’t stay there too long, I kept missing you and Milo.”

Harry’s hand rests on Louis’ belly, gently feeling out in case Milo would start kicking. The Omega knows he won’t, since Milo was up and kicking as soon as he got in his mum’s car to come back home, and he’s most likely sleeping it off. He can be quite a kicker, and Louis’ convinced their pup’s going to take after his father’s insane gym habits. Still, Harry’s hand is comforting on his stomach, so he leaves it be. 

“We missed you, too, Alpha,” Louis smiles, “You could’ve stayed there for as long as you wanted, I wasn’t planning on doing anything else other than watching TV. I’m exhausted, babe.”

“You okay?” Harry asks, leaning his head back against the couch to properly look at his Omega, “How was shopping with your mum?”

“Same as always,” Louis says, closing his eyes as he feels Harry’s hand move in small circles over his stomach, “We go into the stores, cry about the tiny shoes, buy out the entire bakery. You know the drill.”

The Alpha laughs, “Did you get more stuff for Milo?”

“A couple clothing sets for when he’s older, and a bunch of other crap,” Louis lazily waves his hand around, “It’s all in the nursery, I’ll show you later. I’m too worn out to do a haul for you.”

The Omega cuddles in against Harry and tucks his head right on his shoulder. He’s able to scent him better like this, the delicious mixture of his natural vanilla, forest like scent with musky sweat from working out. It was heaven to Louis’ senses, and he wasn’t embarrassed to be anything but subtle about it. 

The Alpha doesn’t seem to mind, indulging his Omega in it as the Housewives argue about something petty in the background. It’s when Louis’ settled in, eyes closed and humming happily that Harry gently takes his hand off of Louis’ belly.

“You wanna nap while I go shower?” He asks quietly, careful not to disturb his Omega’s peace.

Louis' eyes snap open, “Wait, no!” He says, “Don’t shower yet, I need you.”

The Alpha smirks, “I thought you were tired, baby.”

“So you’re denying something from your eight month pregnant Omega?” Louis says, almost appalled. 

“What exactly is that something?” Harry asks, a pinch too smugly for Louis’ taste.

He flushes, against his better judgment, “You know what I want.”

“You’re gonna use your words, baby?” The Alpha smirks, placing his right hand on Louis’ thigh, gently rubbing it and hiking it up further and further.

Louis grumbles under his breath before locking their lips together, bringing his hands behind Harry’s neck to keep him there and kissing that annoying smirk off his Alpha’s face. Harry still has the nerve to smile into the kiss, giving Louis a second before taking charge, pushing his tongue into the Omega’s mouth and swallowing down any tight gasp he throws his way. 

The hand on Louis’ thigh urges him to get on the Alpha’s lap, and instead of immediately throwing himself on top of Harry without a care, Louis’ got a large belly in the way, so he pulls away, placing his hands on the Alpha’s shoulders for support and laughing together as Louis struggles to hike his leg over Harry’s. 

Once he’s fully seated and settled, he can already feel Harry’s cock thicken up under his ass. There’s hardly much fabric between them - Harry’s gym shorts barely do much to cover his bulge any other than, and Louis’ leggings are rather thin and cling to every curve - and Louis’ already certain he’ll soak through his leggings before he gets the chance to take them off. 

Harry’s hands hold onto Louis’ hips as they join their lips again, swirling their tongues together just right, gripping them to help his pregnant Omega swivel his hips, grinding his thick ass against his hardening cock, and moaning every time his cock presses between the wet patch between Louis’ cheeks.

“ Fuck , you’re so hot, baby,” The Alpha grunts as Louis pushes his ass down harder against Harry’s cock. He feels fully hard, and Louis loves how it doesn’t take long to put his Alpha in this state for him, “Wanna take my shirt off?”

“S’my shirt now,” Louis mumbles as he brings Harry’s t-shirt over his head, dropping it somewhere on the floor. Harry’s hands immediately go back to Louis’ waist, holding him in place as he lets his eyes drop to Louis’ swollen chest and perfect tummy filled with his pup.

“Whatever you say, baby,” He says, far too distracted by his pregnant Omega sitting on his dick to realize exactly what he said, “You’re so fucking sexy, baby. All full with my pup, look so pretty, Omega.”

Louis preens at his Alpha’s words blushing at the hungry look in his eyes as he glances over the Omega’s upper body. A fresh wave of slick leaks as Harry goes on with his sweet nothings, gripping Louis’ waist and guiding his body to move over his hard groin, no doubt making a mess over Harry’s gym shorts. Not that either of them mind. 

Harry’s left hand loosens up on Louis’ hip, bringing it up to feel Louis’ engorged breast. Since he entered the third trimester, his chest has grown to accommodate for the milk coming in, and Harry’s a little bit obsessed with how perky and plump they look, and how hot the darker tint of pink his nipples have turned. That, added with Louis’ obviously pregnant stomach, makes for all of Harry’s wet dreams. 

“Perfect tits, baby,” Harry mumbles, flicking the sensitive nub with his thumb, “Are they hurting?”

“Not too much,” Louis breaths, circling his hips over Harry’s prominent bulge, “Could use your lips on them, though.”

Harry grins a dopey smile, “Whatever you want, baby.”

Despite Louis’ stomach being in the way, the Alpha leans over and with caution over his heavily pregnant Omega, they work themselves around so Harry’s able to lick over the raised, pink nub and smile to himself at the little gasp Louis lets out. 

His tongue swirls over it, wettening his nipple with spit and gently sucking on it, to avoid accidentally inducing Louis’ labor. With a moan, Louis’ hands come up to Harry’s shoulders for balance as he grinds harder against the Alpha’s girth, and he uses Louis’ stability to bring his other hand up and caress Louis’ right breast while suckling on the other.

“So good,” Louis moans deeply. As Harry bites on the raised nub, all can smell how wet Louis is, all filthy and begging to be knotted and bred as if he didn't have harrys pup inside his stomach already. “Your cock feels so good under me.”

“Feels better inside you,” Harry mentions, flicking both of Louis’ nipples at the same time. 

“Yeah?” He breathes, “Want to fuck my mouth?”

Harry almost chokes on his breath, “Baby, if I ever say no to that, you’re free to shoot me in the head.”

Louis lets out an adorable laugh, “You’re so silly,” He tuts before leaning in to lock their lips together in a quick kiss, “Help me down from the couch?”

The Alpha sits a little straighter as he holds onto Louis’ arms, securing him and he lowers himself down to his knees, propped right in front of his Alpha’s straining cock underneath the fabric. Harry notices him shift on the floor, and a quick peek shows that Louis pushes his leggings and panties down his thighs, leaving him almost fully naked in front of his cock. 

It doesn’t get any better than that.

As Louis brings his hands up to Harry’s waistline, the Alpha takes his own shirt off, lifting his hips so Louis could take his sweatpants off. There’s a clear wet slick stain on the gray material, and it makes the Omega flush how soaking wet the Alpha makes him, with or without all the crazy pregnant hormones. 

Once his sweatpants are off, Harry grabs at the base of his cock, holding it up and slapping his tip against Louis’ waiting lips. The Omega spreads them open, sticking his tongue out and letting his Alpha slap his head against it, before closing his lips around and swirling his tongue over Harry’s tip. The Alpha grunts as Louis lowers his head, sucking in half way down his cock and moaning as he presses his wet tongue on the underside of his length.

“Feel good, baby?” The Alpha grunts, “You love my cock in your mouth, don’t you.”

Louis can’t answer, mouth too full with cock to answer, but he responds by looking up at Harry, wide blue eyes on dopey green, and swallows down as much as he can without choking on it. Harry lets his head drop against the couch as Louis bobs his head, fitting in as much as he can and making a slobbering mess out of himself. 

As he swirls his tongue around Harry’s cock head, he feels a wave of slick slip between his cheeks, and becomes highly aware of the emptiness inside his hole. Instinctively, Louis reaches behind himself, pressing two fingers against his soaking rim, circling the rugged muscle and pushing in at the same time he deepthroats Harry’s cock.

“Fuck, babe,” Harry grunts, grabbing a hold of Louis’ hair and keeping him in place for a second before pushing him back up slightly and thrusting into his mouth, grunting at the pretty little noises coming from out of his Omega and the tears building up on the corners of his eyes.

“Look so pretty taking my cock,” Harry moans, breathing heavily as he thrusts deeper and deeper into Louis’ mouth, “You were made for this, Omega. Made for taking cock.”

Louis whimpers as his fingers stretch his tight hole, pushing back in and hopelessly aiming for his sweet spot Louis knows he can never reach himself. His head’s a little dizzy with Harry fucking his mouth while Louis fingers himself, and he gets so lost in it, he hardly realizes the Alpha’s speaking to him until he suddenly takes his cock out of Louis’ mouth and holds his chin up, glaring as Louis pathetically fish mouths, poking his tongue out for more. 

“You’re such a fucking slut,” Harry tuts, voice an octave deeper, “Can’t be enough when I’m fucking your mouth, you have to fuck yourself on your fingers? Are you that desperate to be filled up?”

“I-I” Louis can’t even get himself to say a coherent sentence. His hole is completely drenched and his tiny cock pulses under his belly, and there’s little more he wants than Harry’s knot inside him.

“Come here, baby.” He grunts, standing up to help Louis lay down on the couch on his side as Harry slips behind him, spooning him in place. They’ve had sex plenty of times on their couch, every single position imaginable, and Harry’s thankful Louis insisted on this big couch when they moved one, since it perfectly accommodates both of them, including Louis’ swollen, pregnant tummy. 

“You comfortable, baby?” Harry asks, feeling his cock press between Louis’ wet cheeks. The pregnant Omega barely replies, arching his back out and mumbling something along the lines of ‘ Put it in me ’.

The Alpha doesn’t need more instructions. Grabbing the base of his cock, he kisses Louis’ shoulder lovingly as he guides his tip against Louis’ rim, lathering as much slick as he can, until his Omega’s whining beside him and urging him in. His cock presses against his hole, slowly slipping inside and gasping into Louis’ ear as his warmness swallows him in.

Once he’s fully inside, he waits a second to settle in, kissing all over Louis’ neck and shoulder until the Omega starts to move his hips, silently begging the Alpha to move. With careful gestures, Harry begins to slip out, pushing back in and grunting at the warmth around his cock, and the wetness of Louis’ slick drowning him in, not to mention the inviting scent wafting around them, coaxing the Alpha to fuck Louis deeper and harder.

“Look so pretty nice and full,” Harry grunts, “Love how everyone knows I put a pup inside you, fuck , everyone knows you’re mine, baby.”

“Please!” Louis whimpers, throwing his head back. He’s putty in Harry’s arms as the Alpha fucks him harder, filling his ears with absolute filth and pumping his hole with his cock.

“Gonna keep you pregnant and barefoot forever,” Harry moans, reaching over to place a hand over Louis’ tummy, “Gonna put more pups inside you, give you everything you want.”

Louis sobs in pleasure, clenching around him and making the Alpha gasp.

“Fuck, baby. M’not gonna last long.”

“I-I’m close,” Louis moans, “Please, Alpha. I-I’m so, agh , c-close!”

Harry picks up his speed, thrusting harder and turning Louis into a mess of sobs and high pitched moans. It’s music to Harry’s ears, and once he’s relentlessly pounding against Louis’ sweet spot, the Omega cries out as he climaxes, tightening his hole around Harry’s girth and urging him to knot him.

The Alpha’s hips grow sloppy and deep as he feels the familiar warmth spread on his lower abdomen and his knot beginning to swell on his base. As Louis arches his back, allowing Harry to use him as he pleases as he comes down from his high, with a final snap of his hips, Harry bites down on the bonding mark on Louis’ neck, releasing himself inside of the Omega and knotting him in place. 

It’s a euphoric feeling, and Harry grunts loudly as his knot settles them in place and he empties himself where his come belongs, tucked inside his Omega. His chest rises and falls as he lets the wave of his orgasm crash him over, scenting Louis for comfort and holding him close to his chest as they wait for Harry’s knot to settle.

“You okay, baby?” Harry asks, just to be sure everything’s alright.

“M’happy,” Louis mumbles quietly, a second away from falling asleep, “I love you, Alpha.”

Harry smiles, placing a kiss where he bit on Louis’ bondmark, “Love you, too, Omega.”

--

“Louis, I just really don’t think you should be over exerting yourself this close to your due date.”

The Omega rolls his eyes, “You act as if I’m running a marathon, Harry. I’m just grocery shopping, it’s not my fault we’re all out of my snacks!”

Wisely, the Alpha refrains from reminding his very pregnant Omega who exactly is eating all the goodies and instead, keeps on pushing the cart beside him. 

“Besides,” Louis smiles, placing a hand on top of his belly, “Milo and I are doing great! There’s no reason daddy has to worry so much, you’ve still got a couple days before you’re ready to come out.”

Harry always thought Louis speaking to his belly was very endearing. He’d often catch him speaking to it whenever he thinks the Alpha isn’t watching, just telling him little nothings and things about his day. When Louis was five months pregnant, he caught him on the couch going off about how uncle Niall wouldn’t be the one teaching him about responsibility, since he’s got a lot to learn about not mixing up important orders and thinking that batting his eyelashes is enough to earn Louis’ forgiveness.

“If you say so, honey.” The Alpha sighs, going back to pushing the cart quickly filling up with more sweets and snacks than Dr. Reisert recommended.

“I do,” Louis smugly smiles, “And I’m glad you agree.”

Harry hums along beside him, smiling to himself as he watches his mate waddle his way down the aisle and pick at whatever he was craving, claiming he was eating for two and it’s not his fault little Milo was kicking for some pink frosted donuts. 

As Louis glosses over the cereal aisle, the Alpha takes the opportunity to sneak in some healthy snacks for himself, one his Omega has genuinely thrown up over because of his nausea, and not because they’re disgusting and an abomination to earth , as Louis so dramatically claimed them to be. 

“Harry,” The Omega calls for him, “Can you reach - oof! ”

The Alpha’s head quickly snaps at Louis, standing slightly curled over himself and in clear discomfort, “What happened? Are you okay, baby? Do you need help?”

There’s a long flash of pain crossing Louis’ face as he clutches his swollen tummy. He’s breathing through it, allowing Harry’s comfort to settle the pain until he’s able to stand on his own again, “It was nothing, I’m okay, Alpha.”

Obviously, Harry doesn't believe him. 

“Baby, don’t do this right now,” He firmly says. Though he’s holding his ground, there’s a million sirens going off in Harry’s head, ready to do whatever the Omega needs to make sure he’s okay and ready to rush to the hospital, if need be. Which definitely seems like the case, “Did Milo kick you too hard? Was it a con-”

“No!'' Louis stops him, “God, Harry. It’s okay, I’m fine. It was probably just Braxton hicks. I’m better now.”

The pregnant Omega waddles out of Harry’s safety grip before he hears another word, but the Alpha isn’t letting him off the hook. Louis’ been feeling some Braxton hicks contractions all week, and Harry’d be a fool to be as nonchalant about it as Louis’ stubbornly being right now. 

So he lets Louis waddle around the store, asking for help to grab the items at the top row and wincing here and there. Obviously, he ignores Harry’s worried badgering, but it doesn’t make the Alpha’s concern for his and Milo’s wellbeing any less.

He manages to survive the rest of the shopping trip in peace, only bitching about Harry’s constant check ups twice in ten minutes, and he thinks he’ll be okay, until another spike of pain on his lower half erupts through him at the cash register.

Louis’ face pinches in pain, and he pointedly ignores the worried glance from the underpaid teenager, and the Alpha that immediately pauses on paying for their groceries to make sure Louis wasn’t about to give birth in a local supermarket. Harry’s stubborn as a mule, and he can’t seem to understand that Louis’ claim to fame wasn’t exactly making first page in the newspaper for delivering a baby in aisle four. 

So, he pushes through it, breathing in and out like his birthing instructor and mom have taught him time and time again, until the pain settles and he can waddle freely again. He pays for their groceries, putting on a smile at the cashier, eyeing him curiously and waddling out the store with Harry in tow, carrying all the heavy bags. 

With his pregnant belly in the way, it’s more difficult to climb into Harry’s Range Rover, so as much as he wanted to climb in and quietly wait for his Alpha to drive them off home, annoyingly enough, he’s got to stand there like an idiot and wait for him to help him up. 

The Alpha quickly gets to where he’s parked, dropping the bags beside the trunk before opening Louis’ side of the door and carefully hoisting him up. He’s being so cautious with his hands, warning his Omega to watch for his head and helping him sit down properly, that it frustrates him, quite frankly.

“I’m pregnant, Harry, not a porcelain doll.” He says, rolling his eyes as he buckles himself up.

As if to irritate him even more, Harry chuckles and leans over to kiss Louis’ cheek, “You’re my porcelain doll, baby.”

Louis grumbles to himself as Harry closes off the car door and puts their groceries in the trunk. He fiddles with the radio while he waits, purposely sticking to a station he knows his Alpha isn’t fond of and settles back against the seat. He feels a kick on his side as the music fills the car, and Louis smiles as he rubs over the spot his pup pushed against, most likely because he takes after his father and hates corny emo music.

His plan backfires, however. When the Alpha’s settles on the driver’s seat and drives them off, his fingers tap against the steering wheel to the beat of the song and with an obvious groan, Louis fiddles back to a decent radio station, ignoring the smirk on his Alpha’s face.

“Are you alright, baby?” He asks. 

“I’m fine, Harry,” The Omega says, resting his hands on top of his stomach since he can’t quite cross them over his chest like he used to. 

“Are you sure or are you just saying that so I’ll shut up?”

God . “The hospital bag isn’t even ready, Harry!” He scowls, “We’ve still got plenty of time, alright? Now stop asking because Milo’s not ready, and I’m not fucking ready to give birth and I’d really appreciate if you just took us home.”

There’s tears rolling down Louis’ cheeks, before he knows it, and he can feel Harry’s concern growing by the minute. Fucking pregnancy hormones.

“Okay, baby,” He says, taking ahold of Louis’ left hand and twining them together, “There’s still time, you’re right, and when it happens we’ll be ready, yeah? We’re almost home, baby. I’ll make you a tea and rub your feet, if you want.”

Harry really knows his way into an Omega’s heart. Just like that, all the annoyance Louis’d been feeling washes away as Harry brings their laced hands to his lips to press a kiss on the back of his hand. It’s a sweet gesture from the most supportive Alpha and Louis sniffs his tears away as Harry speeds them back home. 

This time, Louis doesn’t make any snide comments as Harry helps him back into the house and helps him into some comfortable clothes to rest in, smoothing his hand over Louis’ belly and talking to their pup through it.

“And now mummy’s going to sit back on the couch and catch up on his Housewives, while daddy puts the groceries away and makes him a snack for you, pup.”

Louis smiles, “Can mummy help putting the groceries away?”

“Hell, no,” The Alpha frowns, “You’ve been on your feet too long, you need to get some rest, baby.”

The Omega doesn’t put up a fight as he settles on the couch and Harry double checks he’s comfortable, only leaving the room once he’s absolutely certain. Louis distracts himself with his shows, faintly hearing Harry’s record player in the background as he cleans up the kitchen and disappears up the stairs, not without dropping a kiss to the top of Louis’ head beforehand.

He’s in the middle of watching the Housewives out and about in Italy, when Milo decides it’s the best time to kick Louis right on his bladder. The Omega winces, clutching his tummy and suddenly feeling the urge to pee.

“God, Milo,” Louis tuts as he gets himself up. It’s a little tricky on his own, but he doesn’t feel like bothering Harry when all he needs to do is a quick pee, “Don’t hurt your mummy like that, it’s not very nice.”

Louis waddles his way to the guest bathroom, hand on the switch when he suddenly feels some type of moisture dripping down the back of his thighs. 

“How am I even-” The front of his sweatpants remain dry, which means he didn’t wet himself, but as he stands there wondering what the hell just happened, his eyes widen and before he can think to do anything else, he starts to yell for his Alpha. “Harry! Harry !”

The Alpha quickly comes running down the stairs and into the room, almost tripping over the carpet with how fast he was. He’s got an alarmed look on his face as he checks over his Omega, making sure he’s not in any serious danger. “What happened, baby? Is everything okay? Are you-”

His eyes drift to the dampness on Louis’ sweatpants, and how it’s dripping into a small puddle on the floor. Harry’s eyes widen, stunned as a million thoughts run through his head. He’s frozen to the floor, blanking as he lets reality sink in and-

“Harry, I think-”

“Your water broke,” He breathes, grin slowly widening, “Your water broke! Louis, we’re having a pup!”

Louis breathes out a laugh, falling into his Alpha’s embrace as he hugs him, all while chanting those same words and crying together out of happiness. It’s a surreal feeling, and one that’s happening all too quickly, but then Louis feels a contraction flaring up and there’s only so much time they have to get to the hospital and prepare Louis to give birth to their first born little pup. 

The Alpha quickly rushes to get everything they need. He grabs the half-packed hospital bag and the carseat for Milo and comforts his Omega as he settles him in his car. The contractions happen more often and seemingly last forever, and there’s so many pheromones Harry can release to help settle Louis’ pain.

“Fuck, Alpha!” Louis winces, squeezing down hard on the hand he’s got laced with Harry, “Call my mum, please! I don’t want - shit - her to miss this! And call Dr. Resisert, too!”

Harry does as he’s told, rushing down the street on their way to the hospital and calling Louis’ mum to let her know Milo’s arriving soon. She’s taken by surprise and her cries fill through the car's speakers, yet she quickly composes herself and promises to drop everything and meet them at the hospital with everything they’re missing from their bag.

As his contractions come and go, and Harry quickly lets their doctor know Louis went into labor a couple days earlier than anticipated, they make it through to the hospital and Louis’ hardly even present as he hears his Alpha guide him to breath through the pain and rush him through the hospital's reception. 

Louis’ holding onto his belly as his Alpha frantically explains their situation, and in the next second, a nurse settles him on a wheelchair to wheel him to his room. He’s terrified, to say the least, and in a lot more pain than he anticipated, but Harry’s there beside him, holding his hand and helping him breathe through it. 

“You’ve got this, baby,” Harry says, over and over as Louis changes out of his soiled clothes and into a hospital gown to lie down, “You’re doing an amazing job.”

The pain increases with every contraction, nurses and Dr. Resisert come and go to check up on him and how far he’s dilated, until it’s safe to finally give him an epidural to relieve the stabbing feeling across his lower abdomen. 

He’s gripping the Alpha’s hand tight, cursing him out for being the one giving Louis all this pain and claiming he’ll never take his knot ever again. Harry knows it’s a promise he never intends on keeping, but he’s also currently in the process of giving birth to their son and barely crushing his hand, so the Alpha lets Louis let out all he needs to say and tries to distract him as much as he can as the pain relief doesn’t settle yet.

“You’re the best mummy in the world, Lou,” Harry says, “Think about how lucky Milo is for having a mum as perfect as you, you’re doing so well, little love.”

Eventually, both of their parents rush into their room, teetering in excitement and bringing in bags filled with presents and balloons to celebrate the pup coming soon. Louis cries at the sight of his mum, sobbing through as she hugs him and tells him how proud of her she is.

It’s a very emotional couple of hours, with more contractions felt, more curse words flown out and more dilation until the time arrives for Louis finally to start pushing. Though it took hours to reach this point, it feels like only seconds have passed and as Dr. Reisert and several nurses circle the end of the bed, Louis can’t help but look for his Alpha for security.

“You can do this, Lou,” Harry assures him, holding his hand and kissing the top of his head, no matter how sweaty and gross Louis feels like, “Bring our pup into this world, okay? I know you’ve got this.”

There’s voices all around Louis, urging him when to push and when to save his breath, and hands from his loved ones comforting through the ache of giving birth. Tears stream down his cheeks as he pushes, screaming out and focusing only on the comforting scents around him, and with a final push of relief, Milo is born and a fresh wave of tears seeps through Louis as he hears him cry.

Harry’s sobbing out of happiness as he carefully, yet lovingly, hugs his exhausted Omega, “You’ve done it, Lou. You’re absolutely perfect.”

“Congratulations, Louis,” Dr. Reisert grins as she holds up Milo, “Do you want to say hello to your pup?”

Louis doesn’t hesitate to carefully sit up, with his Alpha’s dutiful help, and stretch his arms out, and he can’t suppress the soft cry as he finally holds his pup in his arms for the first time, watching his little nose twitch adorably as his mum and Anne coo around them. 

“Hey, little Milo,” He smiles, placing a finger under Milo’s tiny little hand, “Welcome to the world, my love.”

Harry crowds over him, with tears lathering his eyes as he reaches to hold Milo’s other hand.

“He’s perfect, Lou,” He mumbles like it’s a secret between them, as if they’re the only two - three - people in the room, right now.

“He’s got your nose.” The Omega smiles, running a finger down the tiny slope. Milo only twitches his nose even more, making the mated couple softly laugh together. 

Harry kisses Louis’ cheek as he adoringly looks down at the pup in his arms, looking so comfortable, the Omega never wants to put him down. 

“I can’t believe this is even real,” Louis breaths, glancing back up at his Alpha, smiling so softly, Harry can’t resist placing a gentle kiss on his lips. He’s tired, exhausted even, from long hours of being in labor, but all Harry sees is a beautiful new mother, finally ready for the journey they’ve been waiting for all their lives. 

Little Milo babbles nonsense in Louis’ arms, making the couple glance back at him, smiles gracing their faces. 

“It was definitely worth the wait.”