Chapter Text
Maisy
______
Thank god for Fridays.
That was Maisy’s mantra as she strolled to the field for the last day of practices before a whole weekend she had all to herself.
Two hours and she’d be done. She could hole herself up in her house and not come out from her little dungeon for 48 hours.
It was what she needed more than anything.
Too bad she had to get through this torture first.
Of course, the week had been a disaster. Not only had she been massively embarrassed when she’d fallen at the game the other night, and an alpha had tripped on top of her. But of course, today was the day that Kyla and her girlfriend had decided to make their official announcement on Instagram, making her want to disintegrate even more into the walls of the school as she passed by them holding hands.
She was used to being invisible. She actually liked it that way. No one was there to bother her or pull her into unnecessary drama she didn’t want to worry about anyway. She liked the anonymity of being a nobody. What she was starting to dislike, was the fact that it seemed being a nobody, was leading to her being lonely. She didn’t have a group of friends like her sister who she could hang out with on Friday nights, and she certainly didn’t have a host of alpha’s trying to follow her on social media platforms like Hallie definitely did, even if she stated otherwise.
Maisy was truly someone no one around her cared about at this stupid school. It was starting to hurt her more than she wanted to admit. Before now, she had thought she liked being an outsider. She hadn’t wanted to be a frilly cheerleader in a short skirt to flirt with the alpha she was in love with. She just wanted to be herself. Isn’t that what her dads had told her would make other people like her?
As she stepped onto the grass of the field, looking around, waiting for her only friend to join her, it didn’t feel that way.
To make matters worse, her leg didn’t seem to be getting any better. It was still sending jolts of pain everytime she twisted it wrong or accidentally bumped into something. After a whole day, she was starting to limp. However, she tried not to baby it. To even give the inkling to anyone else that she was still in pain.
Omega’s were known to be the weakest status, unable to handle much of any type of discomfort. She was set out to prove she was stronger than that. Which meant not taking any days off, or showing any signs of weakness.
Still, she winced when she sat on the grass, attempting to stretch despite the soreness on her thighs. Her pain was so distracting, she hadn’t noticed Raven, the team captain, sitting just beside her.
“You alright there, little one?” The alpha asked, her dark black hair, waving in the wind even pinned up in her ponytail. “Maybe you should take it easy today. Can’t have our best rookie on injured reserve this early in the season.”
Maisy pulled her feet towards her, embarrassed she’d been clocked so quickly by the alpha. “No.” She denied immediately. At all times, Maisy much preferred to be the wallflower without much attention in her direction. It did not bode well for her anxiety to be speaking directly to the captain of the team. “No. I’m fine.”
Raven looked her over with those deep brown, intimidating eyes. It felt like she was see-through. She tried to focus on the shards of grass that sat underneath her skin, but could feel the gaze still upon her.
“I promise it's okay.” Raven reassured her. “Coach won’t bench you because you aren’t going as hard as you usually do.”
“I’m fine.” Maisy chuckled nervously, stretching out her legs and trying really hard not to flinch at the feeling of the bruise on her thigh. Apparently it wasn’t as successful as she hoped.
“Have you gotten it checked out by the doctor?” Raven asked, now officially concerned, pressing herself closer to Maisy’s side. “That’s a pretty nasty bruise there, Styles.”
“I’m fine, really.” Maisy was beginning to feel more attention from the rest of the team, so much that she was feared of raising her line of sight from her cleats. “I’ll be okay.”
Raven took in a sharp breath. “I don’t know.” She stated, unsure. Then, within the time it took for Maisy to blink, Raven called out to the coach, ushering him over towards them.
Maisy wanted to slip away to oblivion…to never show her face again on this property ever again.
“Look at this coach.” Raven said, pointing to Maisy’s bruise. “She’s wincing too.”
“M’not wincing.” The worst part was, it felt as if she was seconds away from tears…as if the entire team's attention had now been brought to her—and she knew what was going through all of their heads. She’s weak because she's an omega, she’s weak because she doesn't belong here.
And that would be the way it was…wouldn’t it? Because no matter how hard her Nana had tried to change policies while she was Prime Minister or the fact her Grandma had created one of the largest fashion industries—the general public still saw omegas as less.
Coach looked on with his gray gaze, staring at Maisy’s injury for a beat too long. “Take a day, Styles.” He ordered, forcing Maisy to crumple into herself. “You can be a scorekeeper for today.”
Scorekeeper wasn’t even a necessary job. It was just something Coach gave to someone to make them feel important. It offended her. She had worked so hard to get here, and a little bruise was taking it all away. She could run, she was fine.
The desire to argue, to show that she was more than just some small helpless omega was strong, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out. Instead, it was the sting of hot tears that threatened to be released, and the fact that everyone on the team was looking at her, it all felt like too much.
“Hey.” Raven’s voice came again. “Let's get you to the bench, alright.” The twelfth year alpha smelled of eucalyptus as her arm came around Maisy’s lower back.
There was too much happening too fast, her embarrassment wrapping around her in waves as she felt her lungs cave in on themselves. Too much attention in all the wrong ways. Like a savior, Jameson stepped in, probably taking pity on her as he helped take her from Raven’s support.
“I’ve got it from here.” Jameson said, thanking their captain as he allowed Maisy to hobble on by herself until she made it to the sidelines. “Shit, Maise.” He began under his breath. “The fuck did you do to your leg?”
“Nothing!” Maisy was sick of everyone doting over her all the time. She was fine! She was independent! She didn’t need one of her dad’s constantly worrying about having her inhaler, while the other one was skeptical about her safety while she was on this team. All the while this very team she was on, didn’t even want her here anyway. Her bruise was the least of her worries.
“Have your dad’s looked at it?” He asked, increasing her irritation tenfold.
She gave him a warning glare, and if she had any magical powers at all, it would be sending flares in his direction.
Having known her all his life, he probably figured it would be better for him to step away, holding up his arms in a surrender as he slowly backed towards the field.
She sighed as she reached for the score-card and the play-binder and accepted her defeat of having to sit on this bench and waste away the next two hours.
That was when she heard the low muffle of a group of eleven years she preferred not to interact with. The Beta's were some of the cruelest ones on the team. Their words were sharp, and gossip flew between them like wildfire.
There was one in particular, a blonde pretty one who Maisy would have found attractive if it wasn’t for her nasty nature, that seemed to have a comment about what they’d all just witnessed. “Wow, what a slut.”
Maisy tried to sink deeper into the metal beneath her, wishing she was invisible.
Another beta chimed in. “Guess you just gotta open your legs to have Raven all over you! Huh?’
The lump in her throat grew. How in the world had someone seen that and assumed she was a slut? It was the other double-edged sword of being an omega. The alpha’s thought she was weak and needed support, and the beta's just thought she could somehow magically seduce anyone she wanted to get special treatment. Treatment she hadn’t even wanted! If anything, she’d much rather be a nobody to Raven Delevingne.
She swallowed down the tightness as she pinched the inside of her thigh, trying to distract herself. The pain was welcome, forcing her mind to think about something else than the constant attention that she seemed to be attracting.
She didn’t want any of this. She didn’t ask for it. She certainly wasn’t interested in having Raven’s hands all over her. She just wanted to play football. It was her one true love, the only thing that had never let her down.
Yet, as she sat there, watching everyone else get to enjoy the Friday night as a team, she started to wonder if maybe it was starting to become a form of heartbreak and torture in and of itself.
Louis
______________
Louis’ office door creaked open with the sound of his best-friend’s laughter as his fingers typed frantically against the key-board.
The after-school program he’d founded was more successful than he’d ever imagined. There were upwards of fifteen hundred kids enrolled in part-time or full-time activities, almost two hundred employee’s on his payroll and about a trillion unanswered emails in his inbox. Or, in short, Louis was busy. He was always busy.
Liam, his best-friend, confidant, and assistant director, strolled into his office with Louis’ packed lunch box in his grasp, waving at a group of adolescents who were strolling by.
Louis already knew what the alpha was going to bring up, and Louis was far too swamped to be worried about that topic right now.
“Have you been working since we got out of that grant meeting?” Liam began, closing the door behind him.
“Must have.” Louis didn’t care to answer that question either way, shrugging as he continued to type up this report.
The alpha he’d known since their younger years slumped into one of the seats across from the desk, allowing the lunch tote to make a loud “thud” against the wood as he placed it in front of Louis. “It’s almost four, and you haven’t eaten anything all day.”
Louis’ eyes closed, hating that this conversation seemed to happen every damn day as of late. If he was bloody hungry, he’d eat. He wasn’t. “I’m not interested.” He pushed away the bag full of food that Harry had packed for him earlier that morning.
It’s not that he was ungrateful for it. He understood that his husband gave him food for the day as an act of love. That was something he’d always understood about his sweet and sometimes too protective alpha that he’d mated and married. Harry needed to be needed, and he was in his own right. Louis did need him. However, what Louis didn’t need was for him to be sending Liam on a goosechase every day to ensure Louis was taking care of himself.
Louis was fine.
He just wasn’t hungry.
“I don’t care if you lie to my husband.” Louis tried to dismiss this very topic as Liam took the stress ball off of Louis’ desk and began to throw it into the air. “I just don’t need you coming in here and distracting me.”
As soon as the alpha caught it, he looked at Louis, almost hurt. “My intention is not to distract you, it's to make sure you’re well.”
Louis was being sarcastic. He knew that. But he still pulled at his shirt and stood, humoring his friend for a moment as he spun. “Look! I’m well!”
“You’re a git.” Liam laughed as Louis sat back down, reading over the last of what he was able to get down of his thoughts. “Harry’s just worried about you.”
Louis sighed, his head dropping to look up at the ceiling, whispering at it. “He’s always bloody worried about me…think it makes him feel better.”
Liam gave him a look of disbelief, a smile still pulling at his lips that proved he was finding this conversation amusing. “How does worrying about you make him feel better? Now you’re just taking the piss.”
He waved his hands as he tried to piece together his thoughts. “I dunno…he just…can’t not worry ... y'know? Like there has to be a problem he has to fix. And if it's not about me, it's about the girls of the house or–”
“He loves you.” Liam interrupted his monologue. “And he loves your daughters.”
“Don’t get sappy with me.” Louis fought. “I’m trying to complain.”
The alpha laughed while he spoke. “I know you are, but I would be a shit best-friend if I didn’t remind you how lucky you were too.”
“Fair.” Louis nodded. However, considering Liam was here in an attempt to shove food down his throat, Louis didn’t want to give his husband more credit than he felt was due. So, he allowed himself to slip back into frustration mode. “However, he needs to stop sending you on these missions. They’re not necessary. I’m the one that signs your paycheck.”
Liam’s eyes squinted towards Louis, an obvious argument lingering in his head as he looked away unsure. “I’m not sure about that-”
“Oh please.” Louis fought.
“He did get me this job in the first place.” Liam thought that was a valid comeback.
“Eighteen years ago!” Louis laughed. “Think you’ve paid that debt, haven't you?”
Liam shrugged, reaching for the unopened lunch bag, zipping it open. “I was able to support my family because of him…can send Archie to Uni because of it.” He threw Louis the sandwich from the bag, forcing Louis to jolt up to catch it. “So, I think I can make sure his omega is okay while he’s at work.”
One thing Louis would never understand was an alpha’s instinct to protect omega’s to their last dying breath… especially when it wasn’t the one they were destined to mate. They acted as if omega’s were weak and nimble, unable to take care of themselves. He certainly wasn’t spending his time wondering if Harry had eaten a well-balanced lunch while he was knee-deep in grant-proposals and this month’s pay stubs. It seemed silly to him. If Harry had a reason to worry, Louis would tell him. His metabolism was just slowing down, that’s what happened at his stage of life. His hormones were starting to change and he was growing older.
This happened.
Harry needed to relax.
Still, he wasn’t interested in trying to elongate this argument, especially when Liam had work to get back to. So, to make both the alpha’s happy and to send Liam away with a good report, he unraveled the sandwich and took a bite.
As soon as Liam closed the door behind him though, Louis threw the thing in the garbage, and continued back to what he had been doing before, cursing those damn alpha’s the entire way.
***
A few hours later, Louis pulled into the drive of his home, more than ready for the weekend. These long weeks getting back into the swing of things after the ease of the summer were always the hardest.
He loved his life, and was grateful for it everyday. Every once in a while though, he wished for time to slow, for the stress of everyday monotonous tasks to dwindle, and for him to be able to breathe a breath of fresh air without feeling guilty about it.
Everything was always a little too much, he was always behind, or forgetting about that other thing. Sometimes he wished for the simplicity of life again, back when all he had to worry about was himself. Or maybe, that small brief blip of time, where it had just been himself, and his alpha.
Their beginning may not have been perfect, but their bond certainly was. And if all else failed, he always knew he had his husband to come home to.
“Hey, baby.” Harry greeted him as he stepped into the home, the smell of garlic and herbs danced through the warmth of his home. The alpha kissed his lips, helping him out of his jacket as he dropped the weight of his rucksack and work belongings. “Missed you.”
Coming home to his husband was always the best part of his day. “Missed you too.” He admits only to him, letting it fizzle underneath the sound of what smelled like chicken searing in a pan. “Whatcha cooking there?”
“Chicken parm.” Harry smiles at him, running a wooden spoon through the sauce. “Hungry?”
“A bit.” Louis agreed, chucking off his shoes. More than anything he just wanted to be close to his husband. He needed the security of his arms, the warmth and respite it provided. “I just missed you though.” He forces the alpha’s attention onto him as he threads his arms around Harry’s front, pulling him closer.
Harry almost seems surprised by it, but he discards the cooking utensil anyhow, tightening his muscles around the omega’s frame.
Finally, it seemed as if Louis was whole again.
The gentle rumble of Harry’s chuckle was felt against his stomach. “You're starting to make me feel bad for the fact I’m going out with the lads tonight.”
Disappointment sinks in as Louis recalls that tonight was the night the alphas and Niall were all going out to celebrate NIall’s belated birthday. He groans into Harry’s chest, unable to manage words. He almost wanted to cry, feeling as if life just continued to take his most precious moments away from him, one by one. No wonder why Harry had made Chicken parm.
“I don’t have to go.” Harry utters into his hair as he begins to rock him back and forth. “I can cancel.”
Louis shook his head, taking a step back and accepting his fate. “No, you should go.” His face fell to his hands. “It’s fine. I hope you have a good time.”
“Bug.” Harry reached for him again, pulling him back into his orbit, a pleading sort of tone sewn into his words. “Two drinks and I’m coming right back.” The alpha forced Louis’ gaze up to his by a finger pressed underneath his chin. “We can watch a movie and cuddle.”
Just the sound of it had his wolf preening with comfort. It was exactly what he needed. “Promise?”
The hum of Harry’s laugh as those green eyes shine settles all of the omega’s stress. “Promise.”
Louis fell against him again, holding him close.
He feels the gentle pull of fingers against the waistband of his trousers. “Get out of these, so we can have some dinner, yeah?”
If this had been eighteen years ago, that simple insinuation would have led to him on his knees right there. But, it wasn’t eighteen years ago. They had two daughters now, both of whom were more than willing, in their teenage angst, to pretend neither of their father’s existed. However, Harry and Louis were well aware of their existence. Far too much so, to continue to participate in adult activities in their kitchen.
A blush crept up Louis’ face as he walked away, strutting up the stairs as he thought of all the times he’d been enrapt in that cedar and fig scent of his husband. Even after all these years, his scent still had him drunk with adoration for him. It was unfair, truly.
Upstairs, he could hear the gentle hum of life in his daughter’s rooms behind both of their respective closed doors. In Hallie’s, the low sound of melodies played as she spoke to what sounded like Aaliyah on the phone. In Maisy’s, there was only darkness, as the familiar laugh-track of a sitcom played.
For a moment, he felt a familiar melancholy begin to seep out of his heart. His and Harry’s relationship may be as strong as it always was, and he was grateful for that, lucky even. However, one thing that had waned in a heartbreaking way, was his relationship with his daughters.
He needed Harry just as much as the very day they’d met. His girls though? He may have given them life and made sure they were taken care of as best as he could. But he couldn’t control the fact that they were growing up, and didn’t need him any longer.
The laugh track sounded again, and he tip-toed away towards his bedroom in search of track pants, trying to ignore the heaviness in his chest.
In the back of his dresser, he found his favorite pair of gray sweats. His feet shoved into them as he tried to ignore the memories that were swirling around him of his girls in princess dress-up clothes and begging him for his time. It made him feel both warm and fuzzy, but also depressed and nostalgic.
He was now just an accessory to his daughter’s lives. Someone who they no longer clung to for their daily activities. They were growing up, and getting ready to leave his nest. It didn’t feel fair. Not how quickly time had passed. When did they get so big? Why hadn’t he cherished every moment a little longer? Why couldn’t he have that time back?
None of these questions could be answered. There was really nothing he could do. He was just a passenger to this crazy life he was living, slowly watching the souls he had created all those years ago, slowly leave him in their own ways.
“Hallie!” Harry’s anger rolled through him as Louis took a moment to close his eyes and prepare himself.
The last thing he wanted was for this dinner to be another Harry and Hallie battle between deep sighs and dirty glances. At one point in time, they had been the best of friends. Harry would barely even let people hold her without vetting them worthy first when she was a baby. How had all this teenage drama turned that father daughter relationship upside down? Little did his alpha know that she was in fact making poor decisions, which was exactly why Harry had every right to be reacting to her the way he was. He just wished Harry would cool it for a second, allow her the space to breathe and come to them with whatever was bothering her.
Louis partially felt responsible for the fact Hallie seemed to want to bottle everything up. Why couldn’t his little girl come to him? What had he done wrong? What was he continuing to do wrong?
If he was honest, it felt like everything.
“Hal.” He knocked on her door before taking a few steps inside the room. It was only lit from the one lamp that sat beside her bed, and she was smiling at whomever’s face was displayed on the screen. “Dinner.”
“I know.” She glanced back down at her phone again. “I’m coming.” She turned to address her phone. “Aaliyah, I gotta go, we’ll look some more later, okay?”
The call ended as Hallie moved to get off of her bed, leaving the bunny Louis had begged Harry for one day in a department store, behind. Instinctively, before he even had her in the world yet, he had been a better father back then.
He swallowed hard, shoving his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the doorframe. “What were you guys looking at?”
She sighed. “She’s trying to get me to buy a homecoming dress.”
“And why are you not interested in that?” He asked, a smile pulling at his face.
She looked at him like he should already have the answer.
He waited.
“Because,” She huffed, avoiding his eyes. “Everyone else has a date. So I'd rather just be home and not succumb to that embarrassment.”
Louis had known this was a point of contention for Hallie since last homecoming ,when she’d asked Harry if she’d be allowed to go with someone if they asked. The answer, of course, had been immediately no. Harry hadn’t even heard her out about it. Which, to be fair, Louis didn’t love the idea either. This was his little girl. His sweet curly haired baby who used to smile up at him like he was the sun. All he wanted was to make her happy.
What Harry and Louis knew though, that Hallie didn’t, was that there was no alpha during this stage of life that would be good enough for her. None.
“I’m sure not everyone is going without a date.” Louis attempted to counter logically.
“Yes, they are.” Hallie gave him that annoyed daughter look. “Kyla’s going with her girlfriend, Zamari and Aaliyah are going together.”
“Zamari and Aaliyah?” Louis asked, shocked. He thought of the fact that he’d also known both of those children since they were young, and how crazy it was that they were all old enough to be talking about dates to dances. “Are they like–”
“Dating?” Hallie laughed. “No, they’re not dating…it's just…casual.” She shrugged.
“Casual?” Louis asked hesitantly, not sure if he wanted the answer.
Hallie’s green eyes shared the same hesitancy. “They—like—do couple stuff but aren’t a couple.”
Stress immediately pooled in his shoulders as he ran a hand down his face, wanting to go back to thirty seconds prior and erase that information out of his brain. “Okay.” He tried to think of any other way he could get out of this, to change the subject. But a worry began to trickle into his brain, partially with the boy he’d seen her with the day before. “You’re not…casual with anyone are you?”
“What? No!” Hallie’s cheeks turned a tinge of pink. “That’s gross…I don’t do casual.”
The reminder of Louis’ younger years, the alpha’s before he’d met Harry, began to sweep through his mind. The way they had treated him when they were sexually connected. It had all felt far too transactional for his liking. He hadn’t really felt valued until he’d been in Harry’s arms. Which was exactly why he’d agreed to Harry’s rule of insisting neither of their daughters dated until they were eighteen. They were too young, too naive and too fragile. “Good.” He nodded once. “You shouldn’t.”
“I know.” Hallie huffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m not allowed to date…I get it…you’ve already told me a thousand times.”
“Hey.” He grabbed her arm in an attempt to meet her gaze. He didn’t have anything to say that would make her feel better about the rule she didn’t agree with. However, this dance was something he didn’t want her to miss out on either. “Let's look at those dresses later, yeah? We can get something nice for you.”
She shrugged, almost defeated. Still, something lingering was in her eyes, a question gone unanswered.
Patiently, he waited.
“Why didn’t you tell dad about the other day?” Her voice is soft, hesitant.
He felt his eyebrow quiver at the question, something that had been weighing on him too as he’d gone over all the potential reactions his husband would have. Almost every scenario he’d run through, led to there being more banter and drama within his home than there already was. In his mind, his daughter was smart enough to know not to make shit decisions. She’d made a mistake. She could come back from it.
He took in a sharp breath, knowing he needed to respond. “Because,” His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth. “I think that was a mistake…and you’re allowed to make those…I don’t want to penalize you anymore than its worth.”
She nodded, and he responded by giving her chin a pinch.
“Mistakes are okay, yeah? No more secrets though.”
Again, she nodded.
He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. She may not have been the small little toddler or infant she once was, but that didn’t matter. He pulled back, kissing the top of her head. “Always my baby you’ll be.” He whispered.
He could have predicted the denial as she shook her head, a blush creeping up her cheeks.
However, leave it to his husband to ruin a good moment. “Hallie!” Harry’s voice came harsher this time, making both himself and Hallie jump.
“We’re coming!” Louis shouted back, taking the brunt of it for his daughter. He ran his hand down one of Hallie’s curls, remembering the days he used to thread bows into it. It felt almost surreal, looking at his grown up baby girl, knowing she was pissed at him for holding her back from growing up at the speed she wanted to.
She shied away from his touch, stepping towards the stairs, leaving him standing there in the threshold, alone.
***
Louis watched the door close behind his husband as Harry headed towards the car for a night out on the town with their friends.
He sighed, turning to look at the empty first floor of their home. Both girls had pretty much retreated to their rooms as soon as dinner had commenced. He and Harry had put away the dishes and cleaned the kitchen together in a low, consoling silence.
Harry had of course offered to stay back again, but Louis couldn’t do that to Niall’s birthday celebration. So, he’d forced a smile on his tired face and hugged his husband before he watched as he slipped away from him.
Louis shoved his hands into his track pants, and stepped towards the living room, conceding to a night in front of the television, all by himself.
It seemed to be the theme of his life as of late. At work, in the car, and even at home…solitude seemed to be his fate.
He kind of hated it.
He wanted his home to be full of laughter and shared baked goods. He wished he could still hear the sounds of his daughter’s bickering as they played a card game together or played with their dolls.
Instead, it was only the low roar of the commentary on the television. His only company was himself.
A huff fell out of his mouth as he slowly exhaled, trying to ignore the self-deprecating thoughts that were running through him. He flicked through the channels until he found re-runs of a show he used to like, and allowed himself to curl up underneath a blanket and try to find some reprieve in at least being able to put all of his stress down…even just for a little while.
It was after the first episode that he heard the gentle creak of a door upstairs. He only listened to ensure there was no emergency, but was curious as he heard the muffled sound of footsteps descend on the staircase. Then even more so when the ricochet of the pantry door echoed through the dark space.
He turned to attempt to see which one of his daughters was scrounging around looking for snacks. The door covered whomever the culprit was, but he still watched, hoping whoever it was would take pity on him and join him for a little while.
As she closed the door, hand fully emerged in his sour candy stash, Maisy came into view. She was dressed in her sweats, her hair falling into her face as it was left down in a rare occasion. Her blue eyes blinked at him a few times, probably acknowledging she’d been caught.
“Hey!” He reprimanded her for stealing his candy, holding out his hand for her to give him some.
A smile stretched across her face and she padded towards him, laughing as she continued to chew.
As soon as she was standing before him, Louis shoved his hand into the bag and took a handful. “You’re the one doing it, eh?” He joked before popping some into his mouth.
She shrugged, turning to watch what was on the television, lingering for longer than he felt was normal.
They both watched the comedy show for a few beats, the only sound between them the crinkling of the candy bag. Then, she turned, looking around the room. “Where’s dad?”
He sighed, thinking about the alpha who’d left. “He went out.” He answered honestly, trying not to allow his disappointment to show.
“He went out?” She laughed at the same time she spoke. “Isn’t he a little old for that?”
Louis’ shock makes him stutter. “Your father’s not old!” He had to try really hard not to laugh at that insinuation. He failed.
Her smirk brought a blush to her cheeks as she shoved another pile of candy into her mouth. “Yes he is.”
He rolled his eyes, trying not to let his daughter know he found her at all amusing. In lieu of something to say, his hand found the bag that sat between them and grabbed a few more.
It shouldn't have surprised him when Maisy took the seat beside him, but it did.
On any other normal Friday night, he would have been in the living room with Harry, trying hard to ignore the fact that their children much preferred to be isolated than hang out with them anymore. Instead, his daughter was holding his candy, and getting cozy enough that her head was now resting on his shoulder, an arm draped over his midsection.
He pulled her close, the show now long forgotten. Giving her a squeeze, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, taking in the light wisp of lemon.
It was then that she’d done something he hadn’t felt in years. It was the familiar brush of a nose against his neck, something pups did with their parents for comfort. At fifteen, he’d assumed both of his girls were done with needing either his or Harry’s scent to soothe them. If anything, he might have mistaken it. Something ticked within him though, an instinct or intuition, telling him it hadn’t been by accident.
“What’s wrong, love?” He asked, pulling back only enough to look her in the eye.
She looked so small, curled in her comfy clothes as she tried to shield herself from the world. “Nothing.”
Louis knew he couldn’t pry. If anything that would make this distance between them worse. He could offer as much comfort as they would take, and hope they opened up to him eventually. In an attempt to stay patient in his concerns, he covered her with the blanket as well, holding her closer.
Her answer had been a lie. He knew that. In the world of being a teenager, there always seemed to be some type of drama or irritation in their lives. Something with the alpha’s or with their friends or even stress with teachers, sometimes even all at the same time. He’d lived it once. He may have not had parents who cared enough about him at the time to share sour candy and a blanket with, but he hoped he was holding himself above water with them enough that it wasn’t overbearing.
“You know you can tell me anything, right?” He told her softly through the darkness.
She shifted against him, probably trying to get comfortable, or avoid the question entirely. The latter was more likely.
“I know.” She said against his chest.
That was really all he was going to get. He was aware of that. Having two teenage daughters was kind of like a game of tug-of-war at all times. He never really knew if he was winning if they were just taking a break from their stubborn strength for a moment to catch their breath. Recently, if felt much more likely their endurance was better than him when it came to their headstrong tendencies.
Still, he was going to cherish this for as long as he had it.
His youngest baby, absolutely not a baby anymore, but something about this moment made him feel as if he was still needed. So, he settled in, and soaked up each bit of it, not knowing if he would be granted another moment like this again.
Harry
_________________
Harry’s fingers wrapped around the icy cold glass of the pint in his hand. He’d just slipped into this booth behind Liam, ready to laugh the night away with some of his closest friends. As he looked around the table, he acknowledged all of these men had been a part of building him into the man he’d become.
Zayn, Niall, and Liam may have all stepped into his lives at different times, for different reasons. But he was grateful for all of them in their own ways. Especially, on nights like these, when life was starting to put a little too much tension on his shoulders and they would remind him that laughter was normal…that it was even necessary.
“Alright mate,” Liam began, raising his glass in the center of the table. “Here’s to the Irish-one…for your forty-sixth!”
“Fuck!” Niall grunted under his breath, allowing them all to celebrate with clinking glasses of ale. “Can’t believe I’m fucking old.”
“Nah.” Liam shook his head, a smile pulling on his lips. “You’re still young! You certainly aren’t as old as these two chaps!”
Both Zayn and Harry looked at him, offended. They may have been a few years older than the others, but that didn’t mean they were old!
“Listen! We’re the wise ones here, alright?” Zayn played, pointing at the others across the table.
“Yeah, right!” Niall scoffed as he popped a handful of nuts into his mouth. “I’ll come to you for advice as soon as I also need to take those little blue pills!”
That was something Harry hadn’t been expecting. He’d been mid-sip and practically choked on the foam as he struggled to swallow it down, his laughter evident.
“That was one time!” Zayn uttered. “And there was no pill required.”
Wiping his mouth, Harry continued laughing a little too long, receiving the attention of the alpha who sat beside him.
“Hey! Don’t you be making fun of me over there! You’re not even a month younger than me!”
Harry shrugged, unable to stop himself. “I don’t know…I can still get it up.”
“Fuck you.” Zayn said, but couldn't hide the smile that crept up his face.
It didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to something much more manageable than making fun of Zayn’s erectile dysfunction. Sooner than later, they were talking about the footy game and what they wanted to order from the kitchen, they were listening to Niall rant about his incompetent staff and then were chuckling at the fact the birthday boy had managed to spill the rest of beer all over the table.
Considering Harry was now slightly damp and sticky in the aftermath of the wasted drink, he checked the time.
It was much later than he’d hoped, and he was still nursing his first pint.
He felt horrible. Not only in the fact that he was keeping Louis up, but also that his husband probably felt lied to…and then even more so when he realized he was being a shitty friend by not being present. One more beer, he promised himself. He’d even go as far to buy the next round entirely.
He waved down the barkeep, ordering them another round and apologizing for the sloppy mess of napkins that had been tossed into the centre of the table. The man tried to wave it off, but Harry could tell he was pissed. He couldn’t blame him.
“What’s the matter?” He felt Zayn’s hand fall against his shoulder, squeezing it enough to help him register he was tense again. “Is our daddy-alpha all worried?”
He rolled his eyes, trying to find something to do with his body other than withhold all of this anxiety. “Enough.” He tried to get them to move onto another topic of conversation. But, of course, they never took the bait. It was much more entertaining for his friend group of hooligans to harp on the fact he was the only one with solely omega-daughters to be concerned about.
Liam sighed, a smile pulling at his lips. “What's going on in the Styles household now?”
“Yeah.” Zayn played into it, a playful tone. “Which omega is it now?”
“Louis.” Niall laughed. “It’s always Louis.”
“It is not always Louis.” Harry retorted quickly, unsure of where his friends had gotten that assumption from.
All of them evaded his gaze, choosing to look at one another with glances of uncertainty.
“It is not always Louis.” Harry continued, sticking to his original point.
Zayn patted him again, as if his consistent touch was going to feel at all soothing. “Don’t worry, man. It’s you and Louis’ thing. You fight and then you fuck in the office. We get it.”
“Excuse me!” At the age of almost forty-seven, he wished he still wasn’t as bashful about sex. He’d grown to be more comfortable about people knowing what he was doing, partially because he had been married for almost eighteen years. However, learning about what his friends’ perceptions were regarding his sex life, was a different story.
Niall and Liam seemed to find Zayn quite amusing, falling to a fit of laughter in the booth across from them.
“We do not fight and then fuck!” Harry used their same words against them all, trying to take back control of this narrative. “Louis and I have a very healthy relationship!”
“It’s alright man.” Liam attempted. “It happens to the best of us.”
Niall must have thought it to be wise to continue. “I’ve been starting to think they’ve been rallying together and thinking of different ways to piss us off on those Thursday night yoga things!”
He was referring to the hot-yoga classes all of their respective wives and husband attended on Thursday nights before slipping away to get tacos and margaritas. It was their weekly cleanse, something Louis often looked forward to.
Harry loved hot-yoga. Not for himself, although Louis had made him try that a time or two and it hadn’t been that bad. However, on those really stressful weeks where Louis couldn’t seem to catch a break, he resorted to yoga for coping.
More than anything, Harry loved the way Louis looked against a mat, stretched out on all fours. The simple glisten of the gentle patch of sweat against his lower back as his shirt rose up to give Harry a little teasing glance was drool worthy.
Yes, he was sure he could watch him for hours.
“How come?” Liam asked, taking Harry away from his internal paradise. “Abigail all up in arms about something lately?”
Niall sighed, looking down at his pint. “This whole worry of hers with Jamie and school…she wants his grades to come up and for him to be thinking less about football.” He shook his head. “She doesn't get it that that’s his thing, you know? He doesn’t have to be great at maths!”
“Ohhh.” Zayn uttered softly to himself. “Don’t tell Harry that. Daddy-alpha is gonna argue with you too.”
“I will not!” He stuttered, unsure of why all of his friends were seemingly teaming up against him.
It was Niall’s turn to look at him in disbelief. “From what I hear, you were in fact, up in arms about your precious littlest making the varsity team and playing with the big dogs.”
Harry felt his tongue press against his cheek, digesting this information. “So margarita night is gossip night, eh?” He nodded, trying to find amusement.
The men around him all made noises of agreement, like they were glad Harry was finally catching onto this phenomenon.
“For your information,” Harry began, feeling as if he had to defend himself. “I do worry, with an omega as a daughter, that varsity at fifteen is a little much.”
Zayn blew out a hard breath, immediately dismissing Harry’s statement. “You’re literally forgetting that Maisy is Maisy and she’ll most absolutely punch someone in the knot if she has to.”
Liam seemed to agree on the spot. “She is Louis’ daughter after all.”
Harry held out his hands, understanding where all of them were coming from. “I know that my girls are strong and independent, Louis and I raised them that way. However–”
All of his friends groaned at the word.
He felt the need to continue on, to prove his point, which he knew he was right for believing in. “They are in a very sensitive time in their lives, hormones are going crazy for not only themselves but also their peers.”
“Alphas.” Zayn interrupted him, inserting what he must have assumed Harry was attempting to avoid. “You mean you’re worried about the alphas.”
Lying was not one of Harry’s strong suits. His silence seemed to answer for him.
“You know not all alpha’s are predators.” Zayn continued.
“I didn’t say that.” Harry stated, a finger pointing in his best-friend's direction, wanting to diminish this argument before it started. “I just think that before they are eighteen, my daughters have more to worry about than alpha’s hormones.”
“You’ve certainly been worrying about it.” Niall joked before taking another sip of his freshly poured beer.
The table seemed to find humour in that, all of them chuckling. He wasn’t sure if they were laughing with him or laughing at him any longer. Not that it mattered, he didn’t care what they thought. His job as an alpha of an all-omega household was to protect. He assumed that was why the goddesses had granted him this responsibility. He loved his family more than anything.
His own loyalty as an adolescent had been to wait for the soulmate mark to turn up on his collarbone as a guiding star to his destiny. Of course, he’d taken a detour or two along the way, but that's besides the point. Hallie and Maisy were far too precious to get caught up in the theatrics of dating when all alpha’s wanted to do at this age was to knot someone, not to care about them.
His daughter’s hearts were too pure and precious to be held by a careless teenager. They may not understand, but he was doing them a favor. He was saving them the tears of wondering why they weren’t good enough for someone. Trying to make sure he didn’t invoke any more hurt on his family. Especially since that was the way he’d made Louis feel all those years ago.
And even now, he felt as if he had to make up for it.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong.” Zayn digressed. “I, more than anyone, know that alpha’s have a sex drive like crazy.”
The confirmation did nothing to ease Harry’s mind.
Zayn still continued. “And it doesn't help that I’m wrangling two very hormonal alpha’s myself–”
“Is this trying to counter my point, or?” Harry really wasn’t understanding what side Zayn was on.
“But!” Zayn raised his voice a little, forcing Harry to listen as he crossed his arms. “You gotta let go a little, man…they’re kids…you gotta expect for them to grow up. They’re gonna date, they’re gonna have sex.”
It was like nails scratching on a chalk-board, making him twist uncomfortably. “Not until they’re eighteen.”
“Did you wait until you were eighteen to have sex?” Liam asked.
Both Niall and Zayn, who already knew the answer to this question, stayed silent.
“Yes.” Harry nodded. “Nineteen, actually.”
Zayn reached his hand into the bowl of nuts, sighing. “He wanted to wait for Louis until he got drunk off his arse and fucked some random kid he still can’t remember the name of.”
All of this seemed to be information Liam could have probably lived without knowing. “Oh, charming.”
Harry waved away his past with his hand. However, it was all the exact reason why he believed the things he did about the rules he put in place for his daughters. “I know I made mistakes…I do!” He stated passionately. “But isn’t that what we hope for as fathers? To do better for our children with the knowledge we have?”
At least that seemed to be something they all stewed over, allowing it to settle into their minds as they pondered.
“I’m just—” Harry swallowed, pausing as he took a sip of his beer. “I’m doing the best I can, with what I know…with what I feel is right for my girls. For my family.”
Across from him, Niall and Liam nodded, understanding.
Zayn however, exhaled loudly. “I know, I know…but as much as we may want to…we can’t stop our babies from growing up. We can’t stop time, Harry.”
Niall’s glass raised to that. “If that was true, I’d still be forty-five.”
Liam shouted approvingly at that, allowing their glasses to clink again.
It was a terrifying thing, time. It had taken his once innocent little girls and turned them into stubborn teenagers almost overnight. It had allowed for wrinkles to begin to grow at the corners of his eyes, and to begin to mess with his omega’s mating cycle.
He did hate to admit it, more than anything. But time was the one thing he couldn’t change.
One day, much too soon. Hallie would turn eighteen. She would fall in love. She would leave him and Louis.
Their home they’d built out of love for one another would slowly become just the two of them again, back to the way their relationship had started. The chaos of raising children would be over. He would miss it more than anything. In the same way he missed the pattering of footsteps against hardwood and lifting his daughters into his arms every chance they reached up for him.
Sooner rather than later, they would need more out of this life than just him and Louis.
He couldn’t stop that.
He couldn’t stop anything.
All he could do was sit, and wait for the day it came to fruition…but watching either of his baby girls walk of his life, would break his heart in two.
Hallie
__________________________________________
Stress.
That was all Hallie felt, at all points in time. Deadlines and due-dates, exams and essays, responsibilities and requirements. All of it continued to pile on uncomfortably to the point it felt as if she couldn't catch her breath, even in the safety of her own room.
Homework, assignments and student government duties weighed on her shoulders as she stared at her daybook, paralyzed. Even on a Friday night, the need to get ahead of everything on her to-do list is overwhelming.
Not only did she have her school stressors, but Aaliyah was continuing to beg her to come with her to the Homecoming dance. Even though it was obvious she was most definitely going to leave her in the dust to make-out with Zamari somewhere.
No matter how many times Hallie told her best friend that it wasn’t worth the hassle to attend a dance that would just make her anxious anyway, Aaliyah continued to send her screenshots of dresses and talk about plans. What Aaliyah didn’t know was that no one but her would miss her there. She was just Aaliyah’s sidekick and the girl who took on roles at school no one else wanted to. She was always the teacher’s pet, the one someone hoped to be partnered with for a project because it meant they could do less effort and still receive an A. She was only good for the things she brought to her peers' lives. The dances, the field trips and the exquisite grades. That was all she would ever be. She wouldn’t ever be the person who people tried to find in a hallway, or wanted to invite to a party.
Not that she’d be able to go anyway, but still.
Hallie didn’t want to be reminded of her mediocrity any more. If she was destined to accept that she wasn’t good enough for a boyfriend or to get accepted to Uni or any of the other multitude of things that filtered through her mind at any given time. The last thing she needed to be doing on a friday night, was to be continuously avoiding Aaliyah’s questioning about the homecoming dance, while trying to understand pre-calculus.
“Why don’t you want to go?” Aaliyah’s voice whined through the speakers as she tried to run the numbers through her head. “It's our twelfth year! You have to go!”
She fell back against her pillows, rolling her eyes before staring up at the ceiling in defeat. No matter what she did it felt like she couldn’t do anything right. Everything was always swirling around her in untameable ways and she was never going to be pretty enough or smart enough or capable enough to handle it. Somehow, she’d always come up short.
“Because!” She said, as if that would explain any of what was rolling around in her exhausted brain. “My dads!” If all else failed, that always seemed to be enough for Aaliyah. Whether Aaliyah was trying to get her to come with them to an amusement park or to the beach…Hallie could always say her dads wouldn’t let her. Which was true, a lot of the time. However, she was guilty of using them as an excuse for things when she maybe didn’t want to go to things anyway.
The real reason why she didn’t want to go to the dance was simply because she didn’t want to embarrass herself.
She could see it now, standing on the wall all by herself, watching as all the couples swayed to the gentle sound of a low tune. It would be even more obvious then than it was now that she was just a simple outsider, a “good girl”.
The sound of Rowland Swift’s voice played in the abyss of her mind. She wished it didn’t do things to her stomach, didn’t make it feel all fluttery. Rowland Swift was, in the best of terms, a player. Wesley hadn’t been wrong when he’d given her that warning. It may have been an unnecessary warning, just like her father’s reaction to finding out, since they were only doing their science project. However, it was a valid reason nonetheless. Which sucked, because since that day, with his beautifully flowing golden locks of hair and dark blue eyes that shined at her when he laughed, she hadn’t really been able to stop thinking about him. Certainly not about the way he gently grazed her waist before saying goodbye, or the way he smelled so damn good.
The logical part of her brain told her this crush was idiotic. She was smart enough to know that there was no rhyme or reason for her to feel sparks with Rowland Swift. He was known to bat his eyes at any omega who was willing to give him their time of day. Nevermind his on again, off again relationship with Paige Kimble. Or, in other words, any romantic feelings for Rowland were a total and utter waste of time.
Another waste of time? Worrying about this homecoming dance when she could be studying for her precalculus exam!
“Come on, Hallie!” Aaliyah tried again. “Ask Louis! He’ll let you go!”
She groaned, reaching for the brown bunny that was gently placed beside her. If nothing else, it brought her a tiny bit of comfort. “It’s not about them letting me go. It’s about the limitations and the rules they’ll set if I do. It’s just not worth going, especially when I have Uni applications due in a month.”
“One night is not going to kill you.” Aaliyah argued. “You’ve got to let loose every once in a while.”
Letting loose was not something Hallie found easy. Especially when every time she tried, whether it be with the new pair of shorts Aaliyah convinced her to spend a boatload of money on, or that night drive to Tesco’s that led to her missing curfew, her fathers always seemed to get angry at her for it.
Her anxiety and apprehension seemed to protect her from disappointing either of her parents. Which was, if she was being totally honest, her worst fear.
The thought of not being good enough for the whole world, only meant that she had to work a little harder to prove her worth. With her parents though, they were supposed to love her no matter what. They were the people who chose to bring her into the world, the people who loved her unconditionally. Any disappointment from them meant total and utter failure, something she had to work hard to accomplish. She had to make them proud. She had no other choice. And so far, she’d been failing for as long as she could remember. Especially with her alpha-father.
“Who’s to say my definition of letting loose is at a dance?” She tried to play devil's advocate.
The prolonged silence on the other end of the phone at least proved that she had a good argument. “Let’s be honest here, you have no definition of letting loose! You are tense! All the time!”
“I am not tense!” Hallie laughed, her jaw dropping as if her friend could see her even staring up at her ceiling. Unlike the other issue, Hallie hoped Aaliyah wouldn’t argue, cause she in fact, did not have a good counter to this one.
“Hallie!” She admonished her, the simple tone enough to make her cave.
It was Hallie’s turn for speechlessness.
Aaliyah took it as a reason to continue with her agenda. “Why don’t you and Wesley go together? That way you both have a date and you can sleep over my house after.”
Internally, Hallie groaned. Going with another omega was like social damnation. She’d be laughed at. Any alpha worthy would look at her and think she was a joke. Going with an omega and admitting she couldn’t get a date? Admitting to herself that she wasn’t worth the time for a relationship? That felt even worse than going alone. At least she could spin it and pretend it had been her choice in going alone. A conscious decision that made her feel more independent because she didn’t have time for a relationship anyway. “I’d rather go alone.” She admitted, holding bunny closer.
“Don’t tell me you’re still mad at Wes for calling you out on your fuckboy problems.”
“I’m not.” Hallie promised immediately. “And I don’t have any fuckboy problems.”
Aaliyah made a noise that communicated she was sure she didn’t believe her. “YoI broke your own rules for Rowland Swift.”
“I don’t have rules!” Hallie argued, fist slamming down onto her mattress in frustration. “I just wanted to finish my science project!”
“And I just want you to come to Homecoming!” She said with just as much fervor. “What will it take?”
Aghast, and defeated, Hallie stayed silent, curling into a fetal position as she held her stuffed animal tightly against her chest.
For a moment she wished the world would fall away. That she could gather her thoughts and make sense of them before someone else hit her with their expectations of her that she felt she couldn’t reach.
She didn’t know what would make her feel better. She was all alone in this feeling, and no one else would understand.
“Just come!” Aaliyah begged. “It’s not going to be the same without you guys there!”
The thought of giving in was enticing. At least then she’d get her best friend off her back. Of course, she’d have to deal with her parents’ strict regulations about her attending, but what more could she do? She knew, eventually, both Wesley and Aaliyah would wear her down that she’d give in. Even if she’d much rather her night be spent under her sheets and avoiding the world. She was too scared that if she didn’t at least try to go up against this wallflower persona, she’d eventually let it absorb her.
“Fine.” She resigns. “But you’re helping me pick out a dress.”
“Done, and done.” Aaliyah giggled as if she’s won a battle, and Hallie supposed she had. “I love when you let me make you my Barbie doll.”
The roll of Hallie’s eyes is enough to soothe the irritability in her heart for even a moment. If there was only one problem to solve at all points in time, maybe she wouldn’t feel so trapped by it all. However, her burdens were everywhere all the time. At school, with her friends, at home, and now in her own head.
Why couldn’t she feel comfortable going to a stupid school dance by herself? She didn’t need an alpha! But, why did it feel like she did? Why did it feel as if she needed someone to validate her existence enough to make her believe it.
Exhaustion weighed heavy on her eyelids as she reached for her phone again.
12:26 am.
She was only four hours from officially being awake for a whole day. Her body was aching to allow herself sleep.
She yawned, pulling her bunny closer, letting her nose brush over the soft fur. “I’m tired.” She informed, as if it was something unexpected just after midnight. “I’m gonna head to bed.”
“Alright sleeping beauty.” Aaliyah quipped. “See ya Monday!”
The call ended, bringing Hallie back to a serene and quiet space, something that was rare.
A buzzing in her ear sounded as she closed her eyes for only a moment, trying to allow the stress of the day to fall away. It was never truly gone, but while she ignored everything else, she could pretend for a little while.
It wasn’t for long though, because eventually she had to pull herself from the blankets to ready herself for bed.
The gentle hum of television playing downstairs told her that her omega father was still up. She didn’t think much of it as she shuffled towards the bathroom in hopes to shut her eyes without the dread of an alarm over her head that would wake her in the morning.
As she turned on her electric toothbrush, she unlocked her phone to scroll mindlessly as she moved the minty paste around on her teeth.
It was all the usual posts. A bunch of alpha’s out in parking lots, drinking and listening to music much too loud. A group of omegas who had a slumber party and bought matching outfits just to show off a little extra skin on their profiles. Or, even couples who were attempting to show off their love with fond hand-holding pictures and meals shared at inexpensive restaurants.
Hallie has never truly felt like she was really missing out on something. She had always figured eventually, she’d find her own crowd of people to be posting and bragging about on weekends. She loved Aaliyah and Wesley, but she was being left behind as they both went off and found their respective romantic partners.
She tried to shove away the self-deprecating thoughts. They never got her anywhere productive. It was much better to just ignore them and leave them behind for her to deal with later.
Another few thumb swipes had her seeing some of her favorite artists’ updates and an ad for a new skin care product. She tapped a few, liking them before her thumb swiped again. What she saw next stopped her in her tracks.
It was a picture of some of the rugby players after their game, streaks of black paint streaming down their cheeks as they all smiled towards the camera, celebrating their victory. What had caught her eye wasn’t the silly “caught the W” caption, or the blinding lights of that still shone behind them. No.
It was Rowland, his mid-length hair pulled back by sweat, his blue eyes with a slight red-glare from the flash. He was no longer wearing his jersey in the photo. He must have taken it off, the white tank top beneath it the only thing covering his long torso…and also, his soulmate mark. Or at least, it was attempting to.
She could barely believe her eyes.
There, on his left collarbone, she could see the gentle etching of letters. The first few were covered, but there was no denying that it said, “l-l-i-e.”
Over and over again she tried to decode it. Attempting to think of anyone else who it could be. She came up short every time.
Unable to function, she spit out the toothpaste into the sink and continued to stare at her phone all the way back towards her room.
With every step, the information seemed to sink in a little more, the conclusion becoming a little easier to see.
Of course! Everything made sense now.
Why the goddesses would have paired them up as chemistry partners, and the way he looked at her. It was why he’d known who she was. Dots connected right before her very eyes; The way she reacted to him, stomach fluttering at the thought of him, or the way her wolf couldn’t seem to get enough of his scent.
This was her soulmate. It was Rowland. Her alpha. The man she was destined to belong to. This was him. She’d found him.
Suddenly, all her pain and worries seemed to fall away, leaving her feeling as if she was flying.
She’d found her soulmate. She couldn’t believe it. In May, on her eighteenth birthday, Rowland’s name would show up on her collarbone, and it would be cemented. They’d mate and have children. She could see it all so clearly. Her happy ending was finally coming true.
Even as she fell back against her bed, all she could do was focus on the picture on her phone, ingraining every pixel into her memory as she bathed in the feeling for as long as she could.
Maybe she wouldn’t have to go to Homecoming alone after all.
Harry
______________
The clock on Harry’s dash displayed a time that made his eyes water with exhaustion as he pulled into the drive of his home. Most of the windows display darkness besides the slight part of the curtains on the second-floor looking into Hallie’s room.
He sighed, pulling himself from the vehicle, ready to get himself to bed and pull his husband towards him. The week had been full of stress with minimal reprieve. He needed the weekend to regenerate and recuperate. Even if he’d had a good time with his friends, he was grateful to be home, back to the serenity he’d built in his family.
Silence stretched across the kitchen as he stepped into his home. Winter was on the horizon, that much was obvious in the way the much was obvious in the way the chill of the night was seeping in through the walls.
A low murmur of the television made him curious, moving his feet across the hardwood until he was looking into his living room. On the sofa, sat both Louis and Maisy, arms wrapped around one another, asleep, as a concerning sort of movie played on the screen before them. His heart grew a few sizes as he watched their chests rise and fall with gentle breathing, trying to soak in this moment as best as he could.
That was until a murderous groan escaped from the actress on scene as she chased another woman up the stairs with a knife.
“What the–?” His sappiness diminished to concern as he looked around for the clicker. Apparently, leaving his children and husband alone for a night out, led to them watching thrillers about mental breakdowns.
As soon as the plastic was in his hands, he turned off the ominous music and frantic shouting, finding peace again.
However, he was greeted with complaints. “I was watching that.” Louis’ voice came low as the omega stretched, attempting to move as minimally as possible to not wake their Maisy.
Through the shadows, Harry could still make out the pile of blankets that covered his husband and daughter. He gestured towards it. “Uh huh. With your eyes closed?” He said, trying not to laugh.
At least Louis found him amusing, rolling his eyes as Harry approached.
The alpha wished he could have caught him before Louis turned to wake their daughter, shaking her slightly.
His hopes of kissing his husband and holding him close were, at the very least, delayed until their teenage daughter sauntered away.
“You’re back from your big night out?” Maisy said as she stood, stretching.
Louis looked up at him, a smirk pulling at his lips. “She thinks you’re too old to go out.”
“Too old?” Harry scoffed, feeling slightly offended his youngest thought so little of his ripe middle age.
Maisy seemed to evade the questioning, choosing to pat his chest demeaningly as she gave him the same coy grin that her father was wearing beside him. “Don’t worry, dad. I cuddled daddy while you were away.”
“Oh…yeah…thank you.” Truthfully, he wished he didn’t find her so amusing, her sarcasm and wit was something she’d most definitely learned from his husband. “I appreciate you filling my spot while I was gone.”
She shrugged, snagging one of the blankets off the couch as she waltzed away, towards the staircase. “Someone had to fulfill your duties.”
Harry was speechless on that, nodding as he watched her begin to ascend the steps.
“Duties.” Louis muttered under his breath, shaking his head.
The alpha turned, grabbing his husband by his waist and pulling him into him. He took in a long low sniff of the scent of his mate, mahogany and berry tickled his nose, and he was finally, finally, home. “I’m sorry.” He uttered into his shoulder.
“S’fine.” Louis stated, not making any move to turn away.
Louis may have been forgiving, but that didn’t mean Harry felt any better about not being able to hold up to his promise. “Can I make it up to you?” He asked, thumb dancing across the omega’s cheek as he looked into the blue in his eyes.
“M’tired, H.” Louis admitted, resting his face back in between the alpha’s pecs of his chest. “Just want to sleep.”
Harry allowed his disappointment to stew only momentarily, his previous night's fantasy of hot-yoga missed with his slight buzz making him wish he’d get lucky enough to knot. However, he was mature enough to know that he needed to take care of his soulmate more than he needed to take care of his libido. “Head up to bed, I’ll lock up and be in for a cuddle.”
The omega mumbled something inaudible as he nodded, rubbing his eyes.
Before he knew it, Harry was alone, standing in the middle of his living room, a million memories playing around him.
He was grateful to be where he was, to have two healthy, headstrong daughters.
What he didn’t know though, in the time it had taken for them to get to that, was how much he would miss those moments once they were gone. Would he miss these moments too? Would there be a time where he would look back and kick his current self for not holding on a little longer, for not loving a little harder or laughing a little louder?
Days like today, where it had become obvious just how much had changed, he realized just how fickle time was, how torturous it could be in the right circumstances.
He forced himself through his nightly closing routine of the house. Doors locked and windows checked, making sure the heat was at the right temperature and that coffee was ready to be brewed first thing in the morning.
The stairs creaked underneath his steps as he slowly began his trek to his room. The heaviness that weighed on his mind about growing older and watching life pass him settled into his shoulders with every muscle he moved. But, he packaged it away to deal with later as he passed Hallie’s room, the light still filtering underneath the crack in the door.
It wasn’t unlike Hallie to have fallen asleep with her nose in a book or even sometimes on the phone with her friends. She had that undeniable hard-work grit to her that she’d inherited from almost all of her relatives. Potentially from his own mother, who’d been the first omega-entrepreneur to start up a fashion company worth billions of dollars almost forty years later. Or, even from either of Louis’ parents, Margaret, a philanthropist, and Josephine a politician, both who wanted better for the world.
Hallie was someone who he knew would grow up and do amazing things. She just had that tenacity within her. All he needed to do was get her out of this stubborn adolescent stage and things would be back to that bond they’d shared all her life, the one where he had been the one whose arms she’d run to first, the one she’d cry for when she’d skinned her knee.
Now, things were stagnant between them, like nothing he said or did ever made it any better, only worse. He couldn’t figure out exactly where he’d gone wrong. He just knew somewhere, he must have.
The door creaked as it opened slowly, welcoming him into the space.
Hallie startled at the sound, shoving her phone beside her and looking up at the intruder, a guilty look upon her face.
These moments were the ones that scared Harry the most. He hated not knowing who was on the other end of the cell-phone she perpetually had attached to her hip. There were almost always secrets lingering in her green eyes. Secrets that felt as if he needed to protect her from.
“It's late.” He said, waiting and watching her every move for another sign for him to be concerned.
“I know. I’m going to bed soon.” Her words were hurried as she sat up, holding her bunny against her chest. She wore a t-shirt of the concert Louis and he had fought over for her sixteenth birthday, something Zendaya had wanted to take the girls to. Harry had reluctantly agreed if both Zendaya and Louis were planning to accompany them.
It was some silly all-alpha band, with pop tunes.
Even just two years ago, Hallie had been so sweet and innocent, his little girl who’d hug him every night before she went up to bed. Now, she was hiding things from him left and right, making his anxieties fester within him.
Still, her eyes were still the same doe-shape that made his heart melt everytime she used to cry for him, every time her little arms pointed towards him and begged to be in his safety. His little girl, even all grown up, would always be just that.
He cleared his throat as he stepped within the ballerina pink room and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, holding it against his chest. “Sleep.” He ordered as kindly as possible. “Love you, puppy.”
The nickname made a small smile stretch across her lips.
At least there would be no bickering between them tonight. That was a win.
His wolf finally settled as the light turned off as he closed the door behind him.
Maybe he wasn’t a perfect father, or a perfect husband, but he was doing his best. That was all he could really do.
Right?