Chapter Text
Chapter 1
January 31th, 2029
Louis dragged his fingertips over the shelves, dust following, leaving prints as he walks. His weapon is secured in the other, boots tapping quietly against the marble floor. He would normally never even think about walking around a store like this, but it’s a special occasion. He needs to find a birthday present for Harry.
The shop sign said “Eve Lingerie”, almost falling of the wall over the shattered glass windows Louis walked through a moment ago. It’s quiet, and dusty, and some things are broken or destroyed, but nothing compared to the other side of town that is totally bombed down. There is not much here, but Louis knows he can find something for Harry. Harry loves colours, and soft things, and to look pretty and soft. So soft.
Louis snaps out of his daydreaming. He walks to the backrooms, hopefully there is some untouched things there, that never got to be packed out of the boxes, before all hell broke loose. Its almost been four years since the east attacked the west, and Louis had to leave the life he knew behind.
As he walks out of the backrooms, he has three panties and a giftbag in his free hand, and a smile on his face. He stops by the register to carefully fold the panties to put in the giftbag. He also notices some nail polish under the desk, some of them broken, dry polish covering the wooden shelf in different colours. But he finds some whole bottles, pastel green, purple, pink, and blue. He dries them off and puts them in the giftbag as well. Nice.
As he is putting on his backpack after securing the giftbags in it, his ears pick up a sound. He knows that Harry is clumsy and have two left feet, but he got a feeling that something is wrong.
He makes sure the streets are empty and clear before sprinting as fast and quietly as possible to the shop he left Harry in, melting snow crunching under his boots. By the smell of it, it is another person here, an alpha. Shit.
Over the strong cat piss stench the alpha produces, he can smell his sweet omega, his frightened omega. Louis tries to be quiet, trying to not notify the other alpha that he is here, even though he can probably smell him.
He has his pointer finger on the trigger, ready to shoot. His steps are careful, avoiding objects lying on the ground. He hears grunting and a ruff voice that says “so soft, so pretty. Gonna fuck you good” repeatedly.
As he rounds a shelf at the back of the old antique shop, he sees his omega pressed against the wall with an unnamed alpha. There are tears in his eyes and pleas falling from his lips. The alpha is rutting against him and grabbing his bum (that only Louis is allowed to grab). The alphas head is in Harry’s neck, smelling him, with one hand up his sweater. The omega is clearly trying to push him of, to get away from him.
Louis is angry, so fucking angry. He pushes down a growl that threatens to surface.
As green meets blue, relief washes over the omega. They’ve done this before, unfortunately, Harry knows what to do. Louis steps to the side, the other alpha busy trying to claim his omega, who is covering his ears, as best as he can, and closing his eyes. Louis pulls the trigger, and the alpha falls to the ground.
Harry slides down the wall, eyes pinched closet, hands still over his ears, knees to his chest. Louis feels his heart break for the omega. He rushes towards him and squats before him. He grabs a hold of the bottom of his own shirt, uses it to dry away the blood from the dead alpha, that is slowly drying on Harrys pretty face.
“Hey love. It’s alright now, I’m here. Not going to let anything happen to you, petal” he says, prying Harrys hands from his ears. “That’s it. It’s alright, love, it’s just me”.
Louis sits down beside Harry, and carefully moves him over to his lap. Harry fits his head in his neck, sobbing quietly, as Louis releases some calming pheromones. There they sit a while, just cuddling and hugging, they like being close.
“I’m okay now, I think” Harry says after some time. He lifts his head from Louis neck, red rimmed eyes on display. Louis also notices how red his neck is, did the bastard choke him?
“Are you sure?” he asks, hand reaching up to touch his neck. Harry nods, taking Louis’ hand, Louis’ other hand is on his back under his long-sleeved shirt.
“It was really scary though” he says as he plays with Louis’ fingers. Harry is so brave, he is one of the bravest Louis know. Louis doesn’t know where he would be without Harry, he needs Harry in his life. He’s so smart, long-sighted, he thinks things through before doing it, and that is something Louis needs, because he himself don’t do it. He is so kind, he cares about everyone’s wellbeing before his own. Louis once watched him give some of his food to a stray dog they met, and some of his own water to a lonesome flower on a hot sunny day half a year ago. He is really good at cooking, even if he only has limited options. He makes really good flower crowns, Louis loves when he wears them. If everybody was like Harry, the world would be a better place.
“I know. You don’t deserve that at all, baby”, Louis gives him a kiss. Since the war broke loose, there is literally not a single English citizen in sight. Louis has not met anyone, except one, and that was Harry two years ago. But he knows there are some underground bunkers spread across the country, but half of UKs population is probably dead by now. The only people Louis and Harry have met are soldiers from the enemy, mostly alphas, such as the one that is lying dead in a pool of his own blood a few meters from them now.
That’s why every alpha they meet try to fuck Harry, because they probably haven’t seen an omega in a few years and then grab any chance they’ve got. Disgusting fuckers. That is also probably why Louis is so overprotective of him. He won’t ever let anything happen to Harry, never again. Louis should’ve never left Harry here alone.
Louis helps Harry up from the concrete floor, and gives him a hug, scenting him. Harry preens from the action, loves when Louis scents him.
Louis finds Harry’s backpack by the door. Harry always puts his backpack by the door when they walk into a building, has learned from the past that he would most likely forget he has it on, be inattentive to his surroundings and notify anyone near where they are. And anyone means soldiers from the enemy. As much as Louis thinks its endearing, it will also lead to danger, which they try to avoid.
“Here, love”, he helps Harry put it on. “Do you need a jacket? It will soon get colder, don’t want you to catch a cold, princess”. Harry gets cold easily, probably because he’s an omega, and Louis always wants to make sure he is warm enough. It is also the last day of January, spring approaching. Harry shakes his head in response, his wild curls flapping with the movement. He’s so cute.
They’ve almost made it through winter, this one easier than the last, where the cold almost got to them. Louis was scared Harry would drop from the cold and food deprivation. But this winter they where a little bit better prepared.
An hour later they stop so Harry can put on his jacket. They’re in the forest, just outside Blackburn, on their way home. Louis has his weapon in his hand just in case they meet anyone. Harry doesn’t like weapons, refuses to carry one, but Louis forced him to at least have a pocketknife with him at all times, even though he never uses it (to Louis dismay).
The bunker they’re on their way to now lies in Billinge End Rd, in a secluded place. It’s a little bit open and risky on the way there, but they manage. It’s a cute but big cottage, whit a bunker in the basement where they sleep. Harry also has a greenhouse in the garden, hidden by trees and bushes, that is their main food source in the summer.
They need new things all the time, that’s why they visit small towns and houses as often as they can. Mainly food, but also new clothes and weapons and stuff. Louis doesn’t like to take Harry with him on these trips, wants him away from the wild alphas, wants him safe, but Harry doesn’t like being alone, and to be honest, Louis doesn’t want him to be alone either.
Louis knows there is a bunker in London, the biggest one in the country, but have no idea exactly where it is. His sister is there, and his childhood friend Liam. Liam is actually the reason Louis met Harry in the first place. Liam would sometimes contact Louis to do some smaller missions, a one man’s job.
Louis’ father had a high ranking in the military. Louis didn’t really know him, he was never with the family because he worked all the time. When Louis’ mother died from cancer when he was 11 years old, his father put him on military training. At the time, Louis didn’t see anything wrong with it, because it gave him something else to think about. And because Louis used all his time on training after school, he became the best.
As he got older, he met Liam. They weren’t really friends at first, they didn’t like each other, but after they were forced to clean weapons together, as punishment for their arguing, they quickly became friends, surprisingly.
When the war broke out, Louis was in the first troop sent out to protect the country at Dover. He was the only survivor, but the enemy doesn't know that. After that he was on his own, he liked being alone, no one to protect but himself. Liam’s job was to evacuate towns nearby, to the bunker in London. Where he would communicate with Louis.
Louis haven’t seen his little sister in years, Lottie. He wonders how she’s doing, what she’s doing. Louis didn’t see her much in his childhood either because he was always training. But he does remember coming home late at night every day and go straight to her room to wake her up to ask how her day was and have a sleepover in her bed. Her smell reminded him of home.
Harry is his home know. And right now, he looks so cute struggling to put on his backpack again, with now an oversized jacket they found in September on his slender frame. His sunglasses are on too, because the sun is showing early this year, melting the little snow that is left. You would think it was April already.
Louis helps him put on his mittens, before ruffling his hair and kissing his red nose tip. They continue to walk, Harry right on Louis’ heels. They must avoid open spaces, and walk around fields, so they’re not home before an hour later, when the sun is setting.
They come up behind Harry’s greenhouse, where Louis puts down his backpack and helps Harry sit down against the wall. They do this every time they get home from a trip, Louis checks for intruders and Harry watch over the backpacks.
“I’ll be right back, baby. Stay right here”, Louis puts his pocketknife in Harry’s mitten-covered-hand to use for protection, bends down to kiss his cheek, before walking away with his pistol in hand.
He checks inside the house first, before checking around. All clear. Harry makes a little jump when Louis reappears from the corner, he always does that, they should probably find a way to notify him every time Louis is done.
“Sorry, baby” Louis snickers. He helps Harry stand up, caresses his cheek with his free hand and kisses him softly. As he leans back, he looks into Harry’s eyes, the greenest, purest eyes there is, he whispers “so pretty. I love you so much”, for no real reason, but his words no less true.
“I love you too, Lou” Harry answers in his small raspy voice, cheeks red partly from the cold and partly from blushing. Half of his face is hidden in the collar of the jacket, hands down to his sides, Louis is so in love.
Louis takes Harry’s right hand in his left hand. They walk into the house, it’s the same as they left it. Curtains fluttering from the wind sailing through the broken windows, dust on tables and shelves from years of collecting. A beautiful house for a family, a shame its not serving its purpose.
Louis didn’t know the previous owners, (except that their surname was Stevens, according to the mailbox by the road) but Liam being the supportive friend he is, recommended the house because it has a secret bunker in the basement, with a power alternator. Before he met Harry, Louis used the bunker as a sleeping place for when he was passing through. But Harry made it into their home. A bunker which used to only contain a mattress and bathroom, has now fluffy pillows and blankets, boardgames, a movie projector screen to watch the few movies they have, a turntable they found in a music shop a year ago, vinyl’s, fairy lights without batteries, old posters, and a growing bookshelf. They have lots to do here, really. They just don’t have enough food to survive here.
They walk down the stairs to the basement, to the bookshelf at the opposite wall. Louis pushes the bookshelf, revealing a spiral staircase down to the bunker.
“Be careful, babe” he says to Harry as he lets him walk down first. He closes the bookshelf once he is inside himself, locking it from the inside. “What should we make for dinner today?” he asks walking down the stairs after Harry, both taking their boots off at the bottom.
“We don’t really have a lot of options” Harry answers. He puts his backpack by the wall beside the little kitchen they have to the left and looks through all the box food they have left in the cabinets. “We have pea soup, stew, brown stew, spaghetti a la capri… the usual. What do you feel like eating today?”
“Definitely not pea soup, I feel like we have it every day. Today… mhm, I think I want stew”. Louis begins to pack out of the backpacks, putting the sugar they found today on the counter. When Harry is busy lightning up the candles that is their light source, Louis takes Harry’s gift he found today and hides it in the bathroom that is to the left of the stairs.
When Louis comes out of the bathroom, Harry has already taken of his jacket and is currently by the turntable, putting on a vinyl that, by the looks of it, seems to be the 1977 Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. Louis comes up behind him, wraps his arms around his tummy and rests his head in his neck. As Songbird starts playing, Harry turns around and rests his arms on Louis shoulder, hands buried in his hair. They begin to sway, dancing, enjoy the moment and forget about the world outside theirs.