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“Wow…” Louis stared at his husband. “How the fuck did I get so lucky?”
Zayn huffed softly and rubbed a hand over his lower back.
“Not exactly sure why you think that, but sure…” he muttered. “I look like a fucking beached whale.”
“Fuck off, you’re gorgeous,” Louis immediately insisted.
Zayn rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh as he walked slowly across the room, swaying carefully to accommodate his large bump.
“Your daughter’s playing football with my bladder, and using my kidneys for boxing practice,” he grunted out, flopping heavily into the armchair, letting his head rest against the back. “I can’t remember the last time I saw my feet, my back feels like it’s been inverted, and my hips are just completely fucked.” He rolled his head to look at Louis. “I feel incredibly far from gorgeous right now.”
“Well, I’m telling you, I’ve seen you in many, many states over the years, babe, and this… this is definitely the epitome,” Louis murmured.
23 Years Ago - Age 5 - Bradford
“Everyone, we’ve got a new student to welcome to the class,” Miss Wilson announced from the front of the classroom. “This is Louis Tomlinson; he and his family have moved here from Doncaster, so please, be kind. Everything’s going to be a little strange for him right now.”
A small boy with a slightly wonky and messy brown haircut, but brilliant blue eyes, stood beside Miss Wilson, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He scanned the room quickly, his eyes flitting from person to person, spotting the blatant curiosity on so many of the faces. One face in particular made him pause—a boy with a pair of hazel eyes beneath expressive brows, a mess of dark hair on his head, who was gesturing subtly to the empty chair alongside him.
“How about you go sit with Zayn?” Miss Wilson offered, having spotted the waving. “He’ll be able to tell you how lessons go and where everything’s kept.”
Louis slowly made his way between the tables to sit beside the other boy, biting his lip nervously.
“Hello,” a quiet voice greeted him. “I’m Zayn.”
“I’m Louis,” he replied, just as quietly. “Your school’s bigger than mine. It’s a bit scary.”
“It’s your school now too,” Zayn pointed out. “I promise I’ll look after you.”
Under the table, he held out a hand to Louis, who looked at it, then up at Zayn, before he took it carefully.
“You’re my best friend, now,” Zayn added with a bright smile.
“You can be mine, too,” Louis returned, smiling back a little shyly.
Present Day
“Do we really have to go out right now?” Zayn grumbled quietly as he collected his coat, which predictably, did not fit around his bump.
“Babe, we promised Haz, Li, and Ni that we’d go out for this one last meal,” Louis carefully insisted. “They know that it might be the last one before our Munchkin gets here, but they want to spoil you a bit as well.”
“They could spoil me by letting me have a night in and ordering Deliveroo to bring me a nice hot curry,” Zayn huffed.
“It’s not time yet,” Louis immediately replied. “You’ve still got six weeks to go. We’re not rushing this.”
“You might not be, but you’re not the one carrying the little bugger, are you?” Zayn sighed, wrapping a scarf around his neck to ward against the chill.
Louis let out a soft whine, leaning over to gently nuzzle into the side of Zayn’s neck, making him shiver and lean into Louis a little.
“Unfair,” he whispered.
“You know I’d do anything for you,” Louis mumbled. “And if I could, I’d be the one of us to carry our babies.”
“Hmm, stupid picky carrier gene,” Zayn huffed. He pressed a kiss to Louis’ cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Louis said, a smile slowly spreading over his face. “C’mon, let’s get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave, and the sooner I can give you a massage, which will make everything feel a million times better.”
Zayn let out a low groan at the thought.
“Sounds like heaven,” he said seriously.
Louis snorted softly and gently pushed him out the door.
17 Years Ago - Age 11 - Bradford
“Oh my god, look at you,” a voice greeted him as soon as he turned the corner into the big high school on his first day.
Louis looked up and around, searching for the source of the comment, and nearly doubling over in giggles as soon as he found him.
“What about you?” he managed to choke out.
Zayn glared and kicked at Louis’ leg.
“Fuck off,” he muttered, immediately looking around to see if anyone had heard him swear.
“Mate, you look like you’re wearing your Baba’s clothes,” Louis snickered.
“Mum said she wants them to last for longer than five minutes,” Zayn rolled his eyes. “Anyway, at least I’ll grow into mine. Yours just looks like you got shrunk.”
Louis sighed heavily.
“Hate that our mums are both tight,” he grumbled. “Would be nice to not look like a dickhead for once.”
Zayn looked around again quickly, flushing slightly at the swearing.
“But I guess it’s cos we’ve got little sisters, right?” he suggested. “That’s what me mum says. I need to be more understanding and more accepting of the situation.”
Louis raised an eyebrow.
“Sounds like a lot of adult bullshit to me,” he said bluntly. Zayn darted his gaze around. “And stop looking for adults whenever we swear. It’s daft.”
“I just don’t want us to get into trouble,” Zayn said reluctantly. “It’s our first day—I can’t go home with a detention slip that quickly.”
Louis slung his arm around Zayn’s neck.
“Stick with me, kid. We can soon change that,” he joked, as they began to walk into the main school building.
Present Day
As soon as the chimes of the doorbell rang, the door swung open quickly, revealing a very excited Harry standing there.
“You made it!” he exclaimed gleefully. “That’s amazing! Hi! C’mon in!”
“Hi Haz,” Zayn murmured tiredly. “Thanks for inviting us.”
He leaned up for a quick hug as he moved carefully past their host and made his way into the house properly, looking for the other two thirds of the throuple. Harry shot Louis a worried look before pulling him into a tight hug.
“Is he okay?” Harry murmured.
“He’s just knackered,” Louis replied softly, holding out a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine. “Getting incredibly bored of being pregnant, which I understand—he was planning on working for another couple of weeks, but because he’s been struggling so much with the pregnancy and all of the side effects, he’s started his paternity leave early… and as much as he’s enjoying the extra time to sleep, part of him regrets it.”
Harry let out a low whine in sympathy.
“Do you want me to have a word with him?” he offered carefully. “I mean, I know I’ve never been pregnant, but hopefully it’ll happen in the future, when we’re all in the best place for it.”
Louis sighed heavily.
“Could you? Maybe just reassure him that his body’s made to do this?” Louis suggested. “I mean, I’ve tried, but it apparently doesn’t hit the right way from me.”
“Of course I can,” Harry pressed a quick kiss to Louis’ cheek. “C’mon through. Ni’s been fussing all afternoon over this. Driving me and Li up the wall.”
Louis raised an eyebrow.
“Fussing? Why?” he asked.
“Because we’re pretty sure that Zayn’s going to want to hole up and hide away properly after tonight, so we’re not going to see you unless we come to you, and there’s no way in hell you’re gonna be cooking anything,” Harry smirked, leading the way into the lounge.
“Oh, fuck off, I’m better than I was at uni,” Louis protested.
“That’s not as bold a statement as you think it is,” Niall interjected, holding out a pint glass. “Hiya, pet.”
“Hi, Ni,” Louis huffed, leaning in for a quick tight hug. “You okay?”
“As I was telling your wonderful husband, I’m waiting for some news at work,” Niall grinned, taking a seat on the overstuffed sofa, as Louis hugged Liam. “I went for that head of department job, now that Wilkes has left.”
“Head of Music?” Louis checked, beaming when Niall nodded. “Mate, that’s amazing! You absolutely should get it—the kids adore you.”
“Ahh, we’ll see, we’ll see.” Niall shrugged. “Not down to whether the kids like me or not, after all—it’s down to the bods.”
“The bods are dicks if they don’t recognise that,” Zayn offered. “And even more so if they don’t see how passionate you are about your work. The kids are engaged because you love it.”
“Believe me, all I ever hear from the Year 7s when they come into my classroom straight from Music is how amazing Mr Horan is, and how fantastic his classes are, and ohmygod Music was never like this at their old school,” Louis added, rolling his eyes teasingly.
“You make it sound like they dislike English with Mr Tomlinson,” Niall glared pointedly.
“Well, it’s safe to say very few of them like PE with Mr Payne,” Liam added gloomily.
“But they love it when you cover for that ridiculously flaky art teacher,” Louis immediately corrected. “Why they’ve not got shot of her and given you her job yet, I really don’t know.”
Liam flushed hard and ducked his head shyly.
“When we’ve all finished praising each other for being wonderful teachers,” Harry interrupted. “Dinner’s ready.”
Louis stood and waited patiently for Zayn to join him, slipping one arm around his waist and walking with him slowly to the table.
“’M okay, Lou,” Zayn murmured, even as he leaned into his husband.
“I know,” Louis smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Zayn’s cheek. “Just want to make sure you’re safe, that’s all.”
12 Years Ago - Age 16 - Bradford
“Finally, students, it is my utmost pleasure to announce that the Year 11 leaver’s prom will take place on the 29th of June at the Great Hall,” the headteacher proclaimed excitedly.
Louis shot a look at Zayn, raising an eyebrow. Zayn shrugged a shoulder in response.
“What do you think then?” Louis asked as they filed out of the assembly hall a few minutes later. “You up for it?”
“Prom?” Zayn asked in disbelief.
“Yeah,” Louis nodded, before he licked his lips and bit down on his lower lip. “I was, uh… wondering if you wanted to go… with me.”
Zayn blinked slowly.
“Go with you?” he asked carefully. “Like…?”
“As in, go as my date?” Louis asked, wiping his hands over the sides of his trousers.
Zayn stared at him for a few moments, before suddenly throwing his arms around Louis, hugging him tightly. Louis let out a low grunt, but caught him easily, hugging him back.
“Do I take this as a yes?” he asked, chuckling softly.
“I can’t believe you waited until fucking prom to ask me out, you absolute dickhead,” Zayn muttered, hiding his face in Louis’ throat.
“I wanted it to be romantic,” Louis insisted.
“In the hallway on our way to class is romantic?” Zayn pulled back to look at him sceptically.
“Well, okay, the setting’s not so great, but the event will be?” Louis tried.
Zayn huffed softly and settled back onto his own feet properly before they carried on the walk to class.
“So, you’ll be wearing a suit then?” he asked, a little shyly.
“Absolutely,” Louis nodded firmly. “Already spoke to Mum about getting a car hired as well—she knows someone who’s got a limo we might be able to get.”
“A limo?” Zayn practically squeaked.
“Yeah,” Louis nodded again quickly. “Going to spoil you a bit, if that’s okay.” He rested a hand on Zayn’s arm, stopping them both. “I really like you a lot, Zayn,” he admitted softly. “I kind of think you’re the one —and I know we’re both really young, and most people are going to think this is teenage hormones and all that bollocks, but I know what I feel. And I know that I want to spend every day of my life with you.”
Zayn swallowed hard, a tear rolling slowly down his cheek.
“Lou…” he managed to mumble, before slipping his arms around Louis’ waist and burying his face back in Louis’ chest. “Feel the same way.”
Louis wrapped his arms around Zayn, swaying them slowly.
“Well, that’s good then,” he teased gently.
After a few moments, he nudged Zayn away again, but didn’t let him go far, instead tangling their fingers together for the rest of the walk.
“What are you going to wear?” he asked later that afternoon, as they walked home together, still hand in hand.
“This weekend?” Zayn asked in confusion, as they’d just been discussing their plans for the upcoming Saturday.
“No, to prom,” Louis corrected.
“Oh, well, I hadn’t really thought about it,” Zayn shrugged. “A suit, I guess.”
“Could you not wear… like… a sherwani?” Louis asked hesitantly.
Zayn blinked in surprise.
“You know what a sherwani is?” he asked.
“I do listen to you, and to Yaser,” Louis huffed softly. “You make me sound completely ignorant.”
“No, no, I don’t think that at all,” Zayn quickly protested. “I just never expected you to take that on board and then know what it was to reference it correctly. I’m sorry. I completely underestimated you.” He squeezed Louis' fingers quickly. “But absolutely. I can talk to Mum and Baba about getting a new one. Maybe one that matches your suit?”
“That would be amazing,” Louis beamed. “I would love that.”
They came to a halt outside Zayn’s gate and looked at each other shyly.
“So… a date?” Zayn asked slowly.
“Yeah… a date…” Louis murmured.
Four months later, the day of the prom was upon them, and to say that Louis was panicking would be an understatement.
“Poppet, you need to calm down,” Jay told him firmly but kindly. “Everything is in order—your limo will be here in plenty of time, your suit’s been pressed, Tricia assures me that everything over at the Maliks’ is going well, and Zayn hasn’t yet changed his mind about going.”
“Yet?” Louis shot his head up, looking at her sharply. “What do you mean, yet? You think he’ll change his mind before I get there with the limo?”
Jay gazed at her eldest, biting her lip as she inwardly cursed her choice of words.
“I didn’t mean that, and you know that,” she huffed softly. “The pair of you have been even more inseparable since you decided that this was going to be a thing for you, so I have no idea why you’re even worrying.”
Louis sighed heavily and shifted his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly.
“I overheard something,” he hedged after a moment.
“Well, we all know that never works out well,” Jay said diplomatically. “What did you hear, and from who?”
“Was a few of the lads,” Louis shrugged. “They thought we were just messing about. Playing gay chicken or whatever.”
Jay raised an eyebrow.
“‘Gay chicken’?” She asked sceptically. “I feel like you’re taking it a bit far if it’s just a game.”
“It’s not a game!” Louis blurted out. “At least, it isn’t for me.” He rubbed his hands over his face as he let out a heavy sigh. “I’m just… hoping that Zayn doesn’t change his mind. Decide that this is too much, that I’m too much.”
“Oh, Poppet,” Jay sighed. “I’m fairly certain he’s been all in with you since you were five years old—I really don’t see that changing any time soon.” She smiled and rested a hand against his cheek. “Pretty sure the two of you are soulmates, if I’m being honest.”
“Mu-um,” Louis practically whined. “Soulmates aren’t real.”
“Well, maybe not the mystical version of one soulmate for every individual,” she shrugged. “But I definitely think that there are some people who are meant to be together. And from everything I’ve seen of you two together, you definitely fit into that category, in my opinion.”
Louis flickered a smile.
“Well, thank you,” he murmured, before glancing at his reflection in the mirror. “Do you think I’d look good with some eyeliner or something?”
Jay chuckled softly.
“I’ll get your sister,” she told him. “She knows more about this stuff than me.”
“She’s only twelve!” Louis protested.
“And yet…” Jay shrugged. “Think our Lotts is going to be a makeup artist.”
“She just better not make me look like a dickhead,” Louis huffed.
Two hours later, the limo pulled up outside the Malik house, the driver hopping out to open the door for Louis—he would definitely be getting his mum a big bouquet of flowers for arranging this—who climbed out of the car just as the front door of the house opened. Louis straightened his jacket and smoothed his hands down over his trousers before he looked up. His jaw dropped in awe.
Zayn had appeared in the doorway, flanked by Tricia and Yaser, dressed in a crisp cream sherwani, covered in a deep blue swirl the same shade as Louis’ suit. His hair was styled carefully, and his eyes were lined with a thin strip of black, emphasising his long eyelashes and brightening the hazel colour.
Zayn appeared to be just as stunned as he took in the sight of Louis in his deep blue suit, a cream pocket square in the top pocket of his suit, with his tie in the same pattern as Zayn’s sherwani. His hair was styled up into a careful roll, and Lottie had gone for a rose gold eyeliner to define his bright blue eyes.
Louis slowly stepped closer to the door, his eyes raking over Zayn appreciatively.
“Wow,” he eventually managed. “You look… amazing.”
Zayn blushed and ducked his head shyly.
“So do you,” he murmured, stepping out of the house and slipping his hand into Louis’. “Lottie do your hair and makeup?”
“Excuse me?” Louis looked offended. “I might have done this all by myself!” Zayn looked at him pointedly. “… but on this occasion, yes, I may have acquired the services of my little sister. Shut up.”
“You both look beautiful,” Tricia told them, her cheeks streaked with tears as she leaned into Yaser. “I can’t believe how grown up you look.” She wiped at her nose with a tissue. “My babies.”
“Mama,” Zayn sighed softly, before murmuring to Louis. “She’s been like this all day.” He looked at Yaser. “Baba, can you… do something?”
“Beta, let your mama fuss,” Yaser said easily. “You’re our only son, we’re allowed to be emotional today.” He pulled a camera from behind him. “Now, where are you going to stand for the photos?”
Zayn let out a low groan, resting his forehead against Louis’ shoulder, who just chuckled and gently rubbed his back.
“I’m so sorry,” Zayn mumbled. “I had no idea this was going to happen.”
“It’s fine, babe,” Louis replied, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. “Mum took so many photos of me before I left, her phone was protesting and saying the storage was full.”
“Absolutely ridiculous,” Zayn sighed. “But we should probably do the photoshoot thing, so they let us leave.”
Under Tricia’s guidance, they moved into the garden and posed under the roses, and the wisteria, and the cherry blossom, with Yaser snapping away repeatedly, until Zayn held up a hand.
“Okay, that’s enough,” he said firmly. “If we don’t go now, we’re going to miss most of the actual prom. We’ll make sure we get the formal photos there as well, Mama, I promise.”
Tricia burst into a fresh round of tears, and went to throw her arms around a horrified looking Zayn, but was stopped by Yaser slipping an arm around her waist.
“You don’t want to mess him up, Jaan,” he murmured, calming her easily. “Let them go now. We’ll see them later on.”
“You still okay to pick us up, Baba?” Zayn asked as they began to walk out to the limo, where the driver was waiting patiently by the rear door. “At midnight?”
Yaser breathed in a little sharply, his disapproval of the time obvious, but settled when Tricia gently patted his chest.
“Fine, midnight,” he reluctantly conceded. “But you’d better be waiting for me.”
“Of course, Baba,” Zayn smiled softly.
“Thanks so much, Yaser,” Louis held out a hand to shake the older man’s. “Mum’s working a night tonight, so Dad’s got the kids. Otherwise, we’d have more options,” he added apologetically.
“It’s never an inconvenience, Louis,” Yaser said firmly. “Have a good time, and I’ll see you both later.”
The limo driver pulled open the door and Louis gestured for Zayn to get in first, before following him, smiling as the door closed behind them.
“Alone at last,” he murmured, holding a hand out to Zayn, who took it with a smile, tangling their fingers together.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Zayn sighed heavily. “I was not expecting any of it, but maybe I should have.”
“It’s fine, love,” Louis reassured him. “I didn’t mind. Plus, it’ll be nice to have those memories, y’know?”
Zayn leaned over, resting his forehead against Louis’ and sighing again softly.
“Today’s already been a lot—I feel like tonight’s going to just drain me completely,” he admitted quietly.
“If you need to duck out for some peace, then we can leave at any time,” Louis promised. “I just want to dance with you for a bit.” He carefully rubbed his nose against Zayn’s. “Hey…”
Zayn opened his eyes, pulling back slightly to look at Louis properly. “I love you.”
“That’s what I was going to say,” Louis grumbled, making Zayn chuckle. “Steal my thunder, why don’t you.”
“Been doing it for long enough now, you should be used to it,” Zayn teased, pressing a light kiss to Louis’ cheek. “You could still say it though.”
Louis reached up to gently cup Zayn’s jaw, smiling softly.
“I love you.”
Present Day
“I really don’t think the baby’s going to know if the skirting boards in the spare room need a coat of paint, babe,” Louis said patiently.
They were in the paint section of the nearest B&Q, supposedly to choose wall paint for the nursery, but Zayn had decided that a complete redecorate was in order for the whole house. Which included skirting boards and doors in all the rooms, even the ones they were using for storage.
“But I know,” Zayn huffed. “I need it all to be perfect.”
“Darling, it’s going to be perfect,” Louis promised. “It’ll be you and me and our baby—we don’t need anything else.” Zayn looked at him flatly. “Except, apparently, freshly painted skirting boards in every room,” Louis relented. “Okay, but can’t we just paint everything the same colour as it already is? Just refresh it? Rather than go for a complete redesign?”
“If we’re painting it anyway, we may as well change it up,” Zayn said stubbornly, holding up two different shades of grey to compare them. “I’ve only got four weeks left, Lou. It needs to be done soon, so the house has plenty of time to be aired out to get rid of the smell of paint.”
“I’m guessing you’re going to be staying with your parents while I’m doing this?” Louis asked slowly. “Because of the fumes?”
“Absolutely not,” Zayn huffed. “I mean, I’ll be sleeping at Doni’s, but I’m going to be doing the painting myself.”
Louis looked at him incredulously. “How, exactly, are you planning on doing that?”
“With a roller?” Zayn asked. “I can wear a mask so I don’t breathe in the fumes.”
“I was meaning more along the lines of, how are you doing these skirts that you’re so concerned about, and how are you planning on doing the ceiling and the tops of the walls?” Louis elaborated. “You can’t kneel down any more, and there’s no way you’re getting on a ladder.”
“Well, you can do those bits,” Zayn shrugged. “I’ll be fine for the rest.”
“No,” Louis said firmly. “I’m sorry, babe, but no. The docs are already concerned about the way you’re carrying, and the fact that little one in there doesn’t want to stay in the right position—you’re not going to be around paint fumes or climbing ladders when I’m out of the room, do not argue with me, you know you were planning on doing that.” He ran a hand through his hair, blowing out a heavy sigh. “Look, how about, I have an ask around, find a proper painter and decorator, who can come in and do it all professionally for us? Then we can both stay in a hotel for a few nights while that’s being done. Have ourselves a bit of a babymoon or whatever twee name they call it.”
Zayn gazed at his husband for a few beats, his eyes filling with tears.
“You’d do that?” He whispered. “For me?”
“Darling, of course I would,” Louis said immediately, slipping his arms around Zayn’s waist and pulling him in close. “I’d do anything for you.”
As it turned out, finding a last-minute painter and decorator was actually quite difficult—no one was available for at least six months (or at least, none that Louis would trust to actually do the work), so instead he roped in their friends.
“Y’know, I’m pretty sure I agreed to ‘helping’, not ‘actually doing’,” Liam pointed out as he set up a ladder in the middle of the hallway.
“Put a sock in it, Payno,” Louis immediately retorted. “I’m helping.” He held up the two large mugs of tea he had in his hands. “Providing refreshment and encouragement.” He set the mugs down on the small console table and then rubbed his hands over his face. “Sorry. I’m knackered.”
“Is everything okay?” Harry asked worriedly, plonking down on the stairs next to Niall. “You and Zayn both seem really tense.”
Louis looked at his best friends and smiled softly, feeling incredibly grateful to have them all in his life.
“Zayn’s barely able to sleep at all now,” he admitted slowly. “If it’s not his back aching, it’s cramp in his legs, or his pelvis playing up.” He scratched idly at the slight growth of beard on his jaw. “It’s a frustrating time for both of us.” He gestured around them. “And him suddenly deciding that this is a priority isn’t the best thing in the world.”
“It’s really sweet of you though,” Niall piped up from where he was knelt on the floor, using tape to mask off the skirting board. “To try and get this done for him.”
“No, no, Irish,” Louis said quickly, sounding more than a little desperate. “There can be no ‘try’ with this—we have to get this done. I can’t go back to him and say that it’s not going to happen. He needs to be calm and quiet. Else Munchkin’s going to be making an early appearance, and that is not what we need right now.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Harry immediately crossed to Louis, sliding his hands onto Louis’ shoulders and gently squeezing. “No panicking from you, either. Ignore the leprechaun, we absolutely will get this done.” He pulled Louis into a tight, reassuring hug. “We’ve got this.”
“Oi, oii,” came a voice from the hallway. “D’you always leave your front door unlocked? Not exactly the height of security.”
“Oh, fucking hell, here we go,” Louis groaned into Harry’s shoulder, before pulling away and turning towards the door. “What are you doing here, Lotts? I thought you had a big launch thing at the shop this weekend.”
“Eh, Lou and Sam can handle it without me,” Lottie shrugged as she stepped into the room, closely followed by Doniya, Waliyha, Daisy, and Phoebe. “We’re here to help with the overhaul of the house. Mum said you’d bitten off more than you can chew, Doni’s got her art degree so she’s good at painting shit—”
“Well, I’m better at actual pictures than walls, but I’m sure I can make it work,” Doniya interjected.
“—And the rest of us are here to fetch and carry,” Lottie finished. “So, just put us to work wherever you need us.”
Louis gazed at his sisters, both blood and in-law, for a few beats before he let out a deep breath.
“Kinda love all of you,” he said softly. “And Z’s gonna be over the moon. Thank you all, so much.”
“Ahh, don’t get soppy on us,” Waliyha huffed. “Where’s your kettle? I’ll make a round of cuppas.”
7 Years Ago - Age 21 - Manchester
“I can’t believe they managed to schedule both the Fine Arts and the English Literature graduations on the same day,” Louis grumbled for about the ninth time. “Are we sure we’re going to make it to both of them?”
“Yes,” Zayn replied, for the tenth time. “We’re going to make both of them. The Assistant Dean even double checked for us that it was doable. And adjusted my whole cohort’s walk so that we can get to yours. Remember?”
Louis sighed heavily, rubbing a hand over his face.
“Yes, I remember,” he muttered. “I also remember that it’s still going to be tight, and if there are any delays at all, we’re royally screwed.”
“Wow, you’re so full of positivity today,” Zayn said drily. “No one would ever think that we were both graduating with First Class Honours, with jobs already lined up to go to, a rental agreement on a flat already signed, and everything ready for us to start our lives.”
Louis looked at him blankly.
“I just want today to go well, that’s all,” he mumbled. “It’s an important day. I don’t want anything to go wrong.”
Zayn sighed and pulled Louis closer, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek as he slipped his arms around his waist.
“I get that, baby,” Zayn murmured. “And you’re amazing and wonderful for caring so much. But you need to calm the fuck down.” He gently nuzzled at Louis’ nose. “I hate you getting so stressed out.”
Louis let out a deep sigh, leaning his weight slightly into Zayn.
“Promise I’m going to calm down,” he swore. “Just think I’ll breathe a bit easier once we’re through yours, y’know?”
Zayn nodded.
“I get that,” he agreed. “I’m actually more concerned about our families getting from one to the other. I can almost guarantee that Baba will get lost, and he will definitely not be asking for directions.”
“Ahh, Mama T won’t let him be that stubborn today of all days,” Louis chuckled. “Plus, he’ll also have to deal with my mum, and you know what she’s like.”
“This is true, this is true,” Zayn conceded. “Okay, okay, the power of the Mamas will overrule Baba’s deep-seated inability to ask for help, so they will all be at both ceremonies without any issues at all, and we will make our meal reservations this evening without any difficulty whatsoever.”
“Manifest that shit, or whatever the kids are saying these days,” Louis said solemnly.
Five hours later, two ceremonies had been attended, two stages had been crossed, two diplomas had been issued, two photoshoots had been sat for, and two caps and gowns had been returned to the hire company. Zayn let out a heavy sigh as they dropped into the back of the Uber they’d booked to take them to the restaurant.
“At last,” he huffed softly.
“We made it,” Louis grinned, nudging gently at his arm.
“We absolutely fucking did,” Zayn nodded. “And all parents and siblings made it too, all present and accounted for. It’s a graduation miracle.”
“Tell me about it,” Louis snickered.
Zayn chuckled quietly, leaning his head back against the rest and closing his eyes tiredly.
“So, how long do you think we have to be at this meal?” he asked. “Because all I really want to do is go home and sleep for the next forty-eight hours until I start work at the gallery.”
“Well, you definitely cannot do that,” Louis said carefully. “But, uh… I did want to ask you something, before we get to the restaurant.”
Zayn opened one eye and looked at him curiously.
“What’s that about then?” he asked slowly.
“So, uh, well,” Louis started, shifting his weight so he could face Zayn properly. “We, um, we’ve known each other for like, a long time, right?”
Zayn sat up a little, giving Louis all his attention as he nodded.
“Yeah, I can remember when you transferred to the school,” he murmured.
“Right, right,” Louis nodded quickly. “And then, obviously, we, uh, we got together when I asked you to prom…”
“Yes…” Zayn drew out the word slowly, getting a little confused. “Lou, what’s all this about, babe?”
“I just,” Louis huffed out a breath and rubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck sake, Tommo, get it together.” He took another deep breath in and let it out slowly, before he raised his eyes to meet Zayn’s gaze. “I think the best decision I ever made in my entire life was when I sat next to you when we were five. Because I think that day started the path that led us to today, to us, to our life together.” He reached out and took Zayn’s hands in his. “Which also leads me to right now.” He lifted Zayn’s hands, pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles. “I love you so much, Zayn Javadd Malik. Tam mere dal w jan ho – majh se shadi karo ge?”
Zayn stared at him in disbelief, his jaw dropping a little as his thoughts raced and tumbled over one another.
“Min janta hon kah shaid ya heert ki bat hay, lican har lfiz mere dal se hay or tamahare Baba majhe pachale kach mahinon se ya sakha rahe hen,” Louis continued, blushing a little.
Zayn let out a soft whimper, before pulling Louis into a tight hug.
“Is that a yes?” Louis whispered, as he rubbed his hands slowly up and down Zayn’s back.
“Han,” Zayn choked out. “Yes, of course, yes!” He pulled back and gazed into Louis’ eyes, stroking his cheek with a hand, giving him a watery smile and then kissing him firmly.
“Mmm,” Louis pulled Zayn closer again, giving a gentle suck to Zayn’s bottom lip, before he leaned back a little. “I have a ring, by the way. Mama T wouldn’t let me do this without a ring.”
Zayn gaped a little.
“Wait, you asked my parents?” he asked, visibly stunned.
“Of course I did,” Louis replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Why wouldn’t I have? I know what your parents’ opinion of marriage is, and what they expect from their kids and their kids’ prospective partners. Of course, I went and asked them first. I didn’t want to go into this running the risk that your refusal could be based upon that one single thing that I actually had full control over. And now I’m rambling.”
Zayn kissed him again.
“I love you,” he whispered against Louis’ lips. “Love you with all my heart, for the rest of my life, and for all of eternity.”
Louis let out a soft whine and buried his face in Zayn’s shoulder.
“No fair being more romantic than me when I’m proposing,” he protested weakly, his voice a little muffled.
Zayn chuckled softly and squeezed him gently.
“So, where’s this ring, then?”
[You are my heart and my soul - will you marry me?
I know that this may be a surprise but every word is from my heart and your father has been teaching this to me for the past few months.]
Present Day
A week later, Louis was guiding Zayn into the freshly decorated house, where their friends were all anxiously awaiting his verdict. Predictably at this point, Zayn took one look at all of the effort and love that had gone into fulfilling his desires and promptly burst into tears and hid his face in Louis’ shoulder. Louis rocked him slowly, gently rubbing his lower back and hips, while shooting desperate looks at the others, who were all completely clueless about how to handle the overly emotional carrier.
“Is it okay?” Louis asked after a few minutes. “Did we do a good job?”
“It’s perfect,” Zayn mumbled, pulling back and wiping a hand over his face. “Thank you all, so fucking much. It’s better than I ever could have imagined.”
“You’re so beyond welcome, Zaynie,” Harry immediately said. “You know we all adore you. This is the least we could do.”
“Show me around?” Zayn asked, giving a watery smile to the group. “I want to see it all.”
Half an hour later, after the guided tour, which consisted of multiple stops for Zayn to cry again over different parts—the high point definitely being the mural Doniya had painted in the nursery—they were all gathered in the living room for a celebratory cup of tea, and so that Zayn could be told all about the various dramas that had unfolded over the previous week.
“—I told Liam to pass me the rag, but he thought I meant the mottling rag, not the wipe rag, and instead of having a clean bit of cloth to dry my hands on, I ended up with even more paint all over my hands,” Harry chuckled.
“So, in retaliation, once he’d realised, Haz threw the cloth at the back of my head,” Liam continued. “But he’d managed to get gloss paint on it as well, from the woodwork, so it took about five shampoos to get the paint out of my hair that night. I was thinking at one point that I was going to have to shave it off again!”
“Can you imagine Payno with a skinhead now?” Louis asked, snickering into his mug. “With all them tattoos, you’d look ridiculous!”
“Oi!” Liam protested. “Like you’ve got a leg to stand on about tattoos!”
“You’d look adorable, pet,” Niall interjected, attempting to soothe the waters. “You know me and Haz’d still love you.”
“We’d still love you too,” Zayn said quietly, reaching over to gently squeeze Liam’s hand. “Thank you, Leeyum.”
Liam smiled and squeezed Zayn’s fingers.
“Anytime, babe,” he promised. “Besides, the hardest part was actually staying out of your sister’s way when she was doing the mural. She took up a lot of room, despite being so tiny!”
Zayn let out a soft snicker and nodded.
“Yeah, Doni’s not the tidiest of artists—it definitely runs in the family,” he agreed. “But it looks amazing.”
“She’s brilliant,” Harry swore. “I’m thinking about asking her to paint something in our bedroom.”
“Like what?” Niall raised an eyebrow.
“I dunno,” Harry shrugged. “Maybe an oasis scene or something?”
“Like Knebworth?” Louis asked, tilting his head slightly, the small smirk on his face giving away his teasing.
Harry looked at him flatly, before he threw a coaster at Louis’ head.
“Twat.”
4 Years Ago – Age 24 – London
“So, Mr Malik, Mr Tomlinson, I have both of your results here,” Dr Lawrence waved a hand for them to sit in the chairs opposite her desk. “I have to say, I’m surprised you weren’t tested at sixteen—that is when we usually arrange these.”
“We both came down with flu when the testing hit our school,” Louis shrugged. “And we never got around to rearranging it.”
The doctor paused, sheets of paper in hand and an eyebrow raised.
“You’ve been together that long?” she asked, the barest hint of disbelief evident in her tone.
“Yeah,” Zayn nodded slowly. “Does that really matter?”
“Well, no, not at all,” Dr Lawrence continued. “It just doesn’t really happen much these days. It’s a bit of a surprise.”
“Oh,” Louis said, looking at Zayn in complete bewilderment. “Well. If it doesn’t matter, or have any impact on our results, then maybe we could, y’know, have them?”
“Right, right,” the doctor cleared her throat. “So, Mr Malik, you have the carrier gene, and the internal structures required to develop and carry a foetus to term. Mr Tomlinson, you do not.”
Louis punched the air, while Zayn let out a low groan.
“Result!” Louis snickered.
“Dammit,” Zayn grumbled. “I guess I’m having the babies then.”
Louis leaned over and pressed a firm kiss to Zayn’s lips.
“Love you,” he beamed.
“Yeah, yeah, love you too,” Zayn huffed, before looking at the doctor. “Is there anything I need to know or do? I mean, we’re not planning on expanding our family for a few years yet, and obviously we make sure to use protection, partly because we didn’t know who needed that protection most before, and partly just to make sure we’re definitely staying safe. But if there’s anything else I need to know before we start actively going down that road, then please, tell us.”
“No, no,” Dr Lawrence shook her head. “All I would’ve said would be to ensure you use sufficient contraception whenever you’re intimate. You may experience some cramps, if you haven’t already—carrier menstruation functions differently to biological female menstruation, so the cycles manifest in a completely different manner—but you should soon be able to work out when you are at your most fertile. However, we do recommend the use of a cycle tracker and the ovulation testing kits if you can afford them when you decide to actively pursue a pregnancy.”
Zayn blinked slowly, and then nodded.
“Okay, that makes sense,” he agreed. “But in the meantime,” he pointed a finger at Louis. “As I’ve kept saying: no glove, no love. While we both love kids, we need to be married and be moved into our house first.”
“Oh, congratulations, when’s the big day?” the doctor asked with a smile.
“Next month,” Louis grinned. “We only got engaged after graduation, like three years ago,” he rolled his eyes. “We’ve just been so busy with jobs and settling into living together properly, and starting to become proper adults, that the wedding had to take a bit of a backseat, much to the disgust of our parents.”
“But they can shh now,” Zayn added. “We’re getting all official in less than five weeks, and Mum can spend the whole three days crying, while Baba tries to comfort her, and Mama Jay can laugh at her.”
“Mama Jay would never,” Louis protested half-heartedly, barely able to smother his laughter.
“Mama Jay most definitely would,” Zayn insisted. “And I wouldn’t blame her in the slightest.”
Dr Lawrence snickered quietly into her hand, before standing and holding out her hand to them both.
“Congratulations again, and I wish you all the best for your wedding day,” she said with a bright smile. “Hopefully, I’ll see you again in a few years when you decide it’s time to introduce a new family member.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Louis grinned. “Take care.”
He followed Zayn out of the office and down the hospital corridor, before stepping up beside him and sliding their fingers together.
“Hello,” Zayn murmured, leaning into him a little.
“Hi,” Louis replied, pressing a kiss to Zayn’s shoulder. “Are you really okay with this?”
“Not sure there’s anything I can do to change it even if I wasn’t,” Zayn shrugged. “But yeah, I’m happy. I was actually hoping I’d be the carrier.” He blushed slightly, ducking his head against Louis’ shoulder. “Is that weird?”
“Definitely not,” Louis mumbled as he pressed a kiss to Zayn’s forehead. “Can’t wait to see you all full of my baby though… is that weird?”
“No, that’s just typical alpha male behaviour,” Zayn huffed, rolling his eyes teasingly and pulling Louis to a stop outside the lift. “Love you.”
“Glad to hear that, glad to hear that,” Louis nodded. “We’re getting married, y’know. Love’s a good thing to have in those kinds of situations.”
“I’ve heard that,” Zayn agreed.
They smiled at each other and leaned in to share a gentle kiss, only breaking it when the lift pinged to announce its arrival next to them.
Present Day
“Babe, did you want a drink?” Louis called as he grabbed the kettle to fill it from the tap.
“Raspberry leaf tea, please,” Zayn mumbled as he slowly waddled into the kitchen. “Your child is currently bouncing from one hip to the other. I feel like it’s time for them to be served an eviction notice.”
“You still have three weeks to go,” Louis protested half-heartedly, already knowing what Zayn’s response was going to be.
“Midwife says term is 37 weeks onward,” they said together.
“Exactly,” Zayn huffed. “And I’m not enjoying this at all.”
“I know, love,” Louis sighed, flicking the kettle on and grabbing the mugs from the cupboard. “We’ll go through the tried and tested natural methods of inducing labour later, and see if we can get things kick-started.”
“Oh, thank fuck,” Zayn choked out. “I thought you were going to argue.”
“Not a chance, baby,” Louis leaned over to press a kiss to Zayn’s cheek. “You’re in charge.”
Zayn flickered a tired smile at his husband, before leaning over and resting his head on his folded arms on the counter. Louis gently ran his fingers through Zayn’s hair a few times and then pottered around making the two mugs of tea—raspberry leaf for Zayn, and trusty Yorkshire with a splash of milk for Louis.
“The bag’s definitely packed and ready in the car, yes?” Louis asked, sitting down next to Zayn.
“Mmhmm,” Zayn nodded. “I added the large bag of snacks and drinks earlier, so it’s completely ready now. But, if anyone else tries to buy us something for ‘in the hospital’, I’m going to get violent.”
Louis had just taken a small sip of his tea, which was promptly sprayed over the counter as he choked on a laugh.
“Oh god,” he snickered. “Is it bad that part of me actually wants to see that happen?”
Zayn let out a low chortle into the back of his hand, watching Louis grab a dishcloth to wipe the counter down.
“Is that because you’ve been on the receiving end of all of my mood swings for the past nine months, and you feel that it’s about time it was shared around?” he asked teasingly.
“I would never, ever admit to that,” Louis stated firmly, pointing emphatically at Zayn.
“Ahh, that was basically an admission on its own,” Zayn snickered, running a hand over his stomach before letting out a low grunt of pain. “Fuck.”
Louis rinsed and wrung the cloth out, raising an eyebrow at the expletive.
“Everything okay?” he asked calmly.
“Not sure,” Zayn muttered, shifting a little on the bar stool. “Been having Braxtons for weeks, you know that. But this feels a little different. Was a bit more intense.”
“Well, that could be a good sign,” Louis said evenly, walking back to sit next to Zayn again.
After a few more moments, Zayn let out a deep breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.
“They’re a bit shit,” he mumbled. “Not sure I like that.” He eyed Louis speculatively. “You were very calm. What’s that about?”
“Was talking to Mama Jay the other day,” Louis shrugged. “She asked if there was anything I was actually worried about regarding the birth, and I said I was afraid that I’d be no help to you.”
Zayn frowned and sipped his tea.
“Why ever would you think that?” he asked.
“Y’know, brains are stupid, and I didn’t know if I’d panic or anything,” Louis admitted sheepishly. “Mum said the most important thing is for me to not panic. To stay calm.” He sighed and rolled his eyes a little. “Then she pointed out that I’d been around when she went into labour with both lots of twins, and been absolutely fine, so why in the hell should I panic now?”
“Valid observations, Mama Jay,” Zayn nodded. “Enough to make you realise that you’re more likely to panic because you thought you should panic, rather than actually panicking?”
“Exactly,” Louis concurred. “Which kind of took the power out of it completely, so I’m prepared to be calm and level-headed.” He smiled. “Plus, she gave me a load of extra tips on how to make pre-labour easier… or well, not easier, but at least a little more bearable. Hopefully.”
“You know I trust Mama Jay,” Zayn shrugged. “Midwife for what, twenty years plus? Five pregnancies? She’s like Superwoman. I’ll take whatever tips she’s got rattling around.”
Before Louis could reply, Zayn let out another pained whimper, curling over his bump and holding it protectively.
They quietly rode the contraction out, before Louis gently stroked Zayn’s hair.
“You fancy a bath, love?”
4 Years Ago – Age 24 – Bradford
“Mum, can you please stop fussing?” Zayn sighed as Tricia flicked her hands over his sherwani again. “It’s tidy, there’s no loose ends, I’m ready to go. Where’s Baba?”
“He’s checking with the camera people to make sure they’re in the best positions,” Tricia said quickly. “Your friends are waiting outside. Your sisters are making sure everyone is seated correctly.” She grabbed his hands, examining them intently. “You’ve not smudged your henna, have you?”
“Mum, henna can’t smudge – I stayed perfectly still last night as you and Doni put it on, so if it is smudged, that’s not on me,” Zayn huffed, before softening a little. “Mum?” He touched her cheek gently to get her attention properly. “Thank you.”
“What for, darling?” Tricia asked, her eyes already filling with tears.
“For including Louis last night, for giving us both the henna,” Zayn murmured. “He cried a little, when we said goodnight. I don’t think he ever expected that much acceptance.”
“Oh,” Tricia covered her mouth with her hands for a moment. “Oh, bless him. Oh, darling, of course he’s accepted that much. You’re both so much happier together. You’re two halves of a perfect whole, and I can’t believe that he’s not safe in that belief yet.”
“Mum, Mum, it’s okay,” Zayn said quickly. “I think he gets it now.”
Tricia still looked a little anxious, but nodded and fluttered her hands over his shoulders gently, still fussing.
“Mum,” Zayn repeated softly. “Aren’t I supposed to be the nervous one?” He smiled teasingly.
She paused and looked at him properly, before shaking her head with a quiet chuckle.
“I’m glad you’re not nervous,” she told him. “I wasn’t nervous when I married your Baba.”
“You weren’t?” Zayn looked a little surprised. “But, it must have been scary, right? You’d not long converted, and people aren’t exactly accepting of white converts… especially back then.”
“Oh, all the stuff around it was terrifying,” Tricia waved a hand. “But your Baba… absolutely nothing scary about him, the way I felt about him, or the way I knew he felt about me.” She smiled fondly at the memory. “He was everything I never knew I wanted – he was the first person to ever treat me with the amount of respect that I deserve.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Converting was a difficult decision, it’s true… but it’s one I’ve never regretted for a single day. Your Baba, your sisters, you… our life… this has been worth every single second.”
“And you promise, that you and Baba are still okay with Lou and I having a legal marriage, but not a religious one?” Zayn asked. “You really don’t mind that he didn’t convert? Because… he offered.”
“He did?” Tricia raised an eyebrow. “You never said he offered.”
“Because I told him he didn’t have to,” he replied. “Because I wasn’t sure how it would work.” He bit his lip nervously. “I should’ve told you this before, shouldn’t I?”
“Not at all,” Yaser’s voice made them both jump as he stepped into the room.
“Baba…”
Yaser paused to look over Zayn and smiled proudly.
“You scrub up well, Beta,” he said softly. “You make a very handsome husband.” He hugged Zayn firmly, pressed a kiss to his forehead, and then took a seat. “And no, you shouldn’t have told us. Louis already spoke with me, and I told him exactly the same as you did.”
“You did?” Zayn exchanged a disbelieving look with Tricia.
“Mmhmm,” Yaser nodded. “We live in a different time now, compared to when your Mum and I got married. Our relationship was different. Acceptance was different.”
“Yaser…” Tricia murmured.
“Jaan, it’s okay,” Yaser smiled. “I told Lou he should only convert if he really wanted to, if he believed it in his heart. But, I also told him that he wouldn’t be any less to me, to us, to our family, to our community.” He tilted his head slightly. “Plus, he’d have way more preparation to do for the wedding, which I remember being way more fuss than it needed to be. Why do that if you don’t have to?”
“Yaser!” Tricia chastised, leaning over to push at his shoulder, as he and Zayn both burst into laughter.
“Ahh, Mum, at least he was being honest?” Zayn snickered.
She rolled her eyes at the pair of them, before she caught sight of the clock.
“We have to move, or we’re going to be late!” she exclaimed, grabbing her clutch bag and standing up quickly. “Come along, come along!”
An hour later, Zayn and Louis had sworn vows to each other, exchanged rings, signed a certificate, exchanged a kiss, and had rice and paper flowers thrown over them as they made their way down the aisle between their friends and families.
“We’re married,” Zayn murmured as they stopped outside the large hotel ballroom, leaning into Louis.
“Yeah, we really are,” Louis agreed, smiling and pressing a soft kiss to Zayn’s lips.
Present Day
“Okay, babe, I really think it’s time to get to the hospital,” Louis said carefully, but firmly. “Things are definitely ramping up, and I really would prefer that we were near professionals.”
“Call your mum,” Zayn grunted, rocking his hips slowly from side to side as he leaned over with his hands braced on the bed.
“My mum?” Louis checked.
“Yeah,” Zayn huffed out. “Kinda don’t want to be in hospital. Feel safe here. Don’t want to move. Call your mum. I trust her.”
Louis eyed him for a moment, before nodding and scrambling for his phone, quickly calling Jay.
“Poppet? Is everything okay?” Jay answered quickly. “It’s nearly three in the morning!”
“Zayn’s in labour,” Louis blurted out.
“Okay? Are you going to the hospital?” Jay asked.
“He wants to stay here,” Louis said weakly. “Can… can you come over?”
Jay went quiet for a moment, but Louis could hear her moving around, muttering to Dan about what was happening.
“Lou?” She came back quickly. “I’m just getting dressed and grabbing my bag. I’ll be there in twenty minutes, max.”
“Thank you, Mum,” he breathed out. “Drive safe. See you soon. Love you.”
“Love you too, Poppet.”
With that, she was gone and Louis threw his phone on the bed.
“Okay, she’ll be here soon,” he said quickly.
“Awesome,” Zayn grunted. “Feeling a bit closer.”
He squatted down suddenly into a crouch, still rocking his hips slowly from side to side.
“Uhh, are you okay, babe?” Louis asked him uncertainly.
“Yeah, yeah,” Zayn nodded. “This feels good. Feels right. Shit, fuck, fuck…”
Louis dropped to his knees next to Zayn, resting a hand on his lower back and rubbing carefully, smiling a little as Zayn let out a soft whimper and pushed against Louis’ hand. He took it as the encouragement it was and rubbed harder, turning his hand to use his knuckles on the muscles, feeling the tightness start to release as the contraction eased off.
“That seemed a little more intense,” Louis murmured.
“Yeah,” Zayn nodded and leaned against Louis a little. “You okay with our little one coming here?”
“I am if you are,” Louis shrugged. “Mum’s done enough home births over the years, she’s a massive advocate for them… I never suggested it before because I didn’t know if it was something you’d be down for. But I know from listening to Mum that it’s better for everyone involved at home.” He pressed a kiss to Zayn’s temple. “Higher levels of oxytocin, lower risk of obstetric emergencies, better outcomes all around.” He eyed the surrounding area critically for a moment. “I do feel like we should’ve waterproofed the place a little though.”
Zayn let out a soft chuckle.
“There’s puppy pads in the cupboard in the nursery,” he admitted. “I did some reading on home births – it was a popular thing. So, I bought some. Just in case.”
Louis pressed another kiss to Zayn’s forehead.
“You’re an angel—I’ll go get them,” he grinned.
Within seconds, he was back, the packet ripped, and a pad already opened out in his hand to spread out underneath Zayn. Before the next contraction, Louis managed to get the area around Zayn covered, had grabbed a bundle of towels from the linen cupboard, and was back on his knees beside Zayn to support him again.
“Oh, fucking hell,” Zayn groaned, pushing his hips down towards the floor. “I swear they need to work out a way of converting you to being a carrier. You need to be doing this. Fuck!”
“Baby, I wish I could,” Louis murmured, pressing his forehead to Zayn’s. “Wish I could take this pain for you. I’m so sorry. You’re doing so, so well. I love you so much.”
Zayn grunted softly as the contraction gripped him a little more and then eased off slowly, collapsing his weight against Louis.
“Fucking hell,” he huffed. “Pressure’s getting a little intense now.”
“You’re an absolute superstar,” Louis whispered. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Hmm, well, apparently this is what my body’s made for,” Zayn grumbled.
“No, it’s not,” Louis grumbled. “Just because it’s something your body’s capable of, doesn’t mean that’s what it’s made for.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Jay said from the door. “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said that to people over the years.”
“Mum,” Louis sighed, a feeling of relief spreading over him at the familiar and welcome sight.
“Mama Jay,” Zayn smiled lazily. “Good to see you.”
“Now then, Poppets, let’s see what’s going on, shall we?” Jay set down her large bag, pulling it open and flicking through it quickly, finding a doppler, a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff, and a pair of gloves. “Your pulse and baby’s, then blood pressure before we do anything else, okay?”
Zayn nodded and leaned back more against Louis, holding out his arm to his mother-in-law.
“Sorry about this,” he murmured.
“Ahh, what are you sorry for?” Jay smiled, resting her fingers against the inside of his wrist and glancing down at her fob watch.
“Dragging you out in the middle of the night,” Zayn elaborated. “Not going to the hospital like we were going to. Deciding on a whim to stay at home. Dragging you into this.”
Jay raised an eyebrow at him.
“You’re having my first grandbaby,” she pointed out. “You’re not putting me out in any way. It’s an honour to be here.”
“Still…” Zayn shrugged. “We’re grateful. I’m grateful.”
Jay ran a hand over his hair and smiled, before pressing a kiss to his, then Louis’ temple.
“Love you both,” she murmured.
She pulled back as Zayn curled up around his bump again, shifting his weight and rocking to and fro, breathing deeply through the pain. Jay carefully rested a hand on his abdomen, smiling to herself as she felt the tightness there while keeping track of the time on her watch.
“Mum,” Louis murmured, running his fingers through Zayn’s hair when he relaxed again.
“Hmm?”
“Is he going to be okay?”
Jay glanced at her son for a moment, then looked at him properly, noticing the slightly terrified look on his face. She reached over, squeezing his knee gently.
“Yes,” she said firmly. “He’s going to be fine, and so is your baby.”
Louis nodded quickly and gave her a small smile. Before anything else could be said, a small popping sound could be heard, and Zayn let out a slight whimper as a gush of fluids spilled over the puppy pads on the floor.
“Oh shit,” Louis grimaced. “I didn’t realise it would be so… messy.”
Jay let out a cackle.
“We’re just getting started, Poppet,” she told him with a wink.
An hour later, the sound of a baby’s first cry filled the room. Zayn leaned heavily against Louis, who held onto him tightly, tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched Jay rub the baby over with a towel before lifting them up onto Zayn’s chest.
“Congratulations,” she whispered. “You’ve got a baby girl.”
Zayn hiccupped and pressed a kiss to the top of the baby’s head, before turning to kiss Louis.
“You did so good, Baba,” Louis choked out. “So, so good.”
A week later
“So, what are we calling this absolutely precious bundle?” Harry cooed as he cuddled the baby close. “You were still debating when we spoke the other day.”
“That’s actually why we asked you around,” Zayn sighed, leaning into Louis’ side.
“We were going to wait and announce it to everyone together,” Louis added, cuddling Zayn closer. “But I’m not sure any of us are up to a huge gathering of everyone just yet, so we have already told the grandparents.”
“So?” Liam asked, shifting closer to peer at the baby over Harry’s shoulder. “What’s she called?”
Zayn and Louis exchanged a look, before Louis nodded his head, gesturing for Zayn to say.
“Lads, this is Inaya Samina Malik-Tomlinson,” he smiled.
“Now there’s a pretty name for a pretty little girl,” Niall grinned, looking over at the new parents from where he was gently touching the top of Inaya’s head. “Does it have a meaning or anything?”
“Inaya means ‘gift’, and Samina means ‘precious’,” Louis elaborated. “We did consider flipping them around, but we like the way they sound this way.”
“No, no, it’s perfect,” Harry quickly reassured them. “She’s perfect.” He smiled brightly at them, then tilted his head slightly. “Well, she’s being good for us right now, anyway. How’s parenthood treating you both so far?”
“It’s been okay,” Louis nodded. “Feeding’s been an interesting learning curve, for all three of us. Nappies are the work of the devil—especially what’s in them. Sleep is the most valuable and underappreciated commodity that has ever existed, and I can’t believe I didn’t know that until now. And I’ve never been more proud to have this man as my partner and husband as I have this past week.”
Zayn blushed hard and ducked his head shyly, as Louis pressed a kiss to his temple.
“We’re a team,” Zayn mumbled. “We’ve both been a part of what’s happened.”
“Oh yeah, we have,” Louis agreed. “But you’ve definitely been doing most of the heavy lifting.” He ran a hand through Zayn’s hair. “And you’ve not complained about your sleep being interrupted at all, which is probably the biggest miracle,” he added teasingly, chuckling as Zayn shoved at him playfully.
“Dick,” Zayn grumbled.
4 Years Ago – Age 24 – Bradford
“Right folks, it’s time for our newlyweds to take to the floor for their first dance, so if everyone could clear some space,” Liam called into the microphone, having leapt at the opportunity to be their emcee and DJ for the evening celebrations.
Louis turned to Zayn as they waited for their chosen song to start, tangling their fingers together and smiling at him slowly.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?” he asked, swinging their hands lightly.
Zayn immediately blushed and ducked his head slightly. “Shut up,” he mumbled. “So do you.”
Louis pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I love you so much,” he added with a whisper.
The dance floor had cleared, and so Liam cleared his throat next to the microphone. “Mr and Mr Malik-Tomlinson, everyone.”
The Script began to play quietly through the speakers, as Zayn stepped back, pulling Louis out to the middle of the room and back into his arms to begin swaying slowly. Louis leaned into it, humming softly along to the song and following Zayn around the floor, both of them wrapped up in their own little world, as the rest of their guests fell away from their comprehension.
I think I want you more than want
I know I need you more than need
I want to hold you more than hold
When you stood in front of me
I think you know me more than know
And you see me more than see
I could die now more than die
Every time you look at me…
Present Day
After Harry, Liam, and Niall had left them alone again, Louis pottered around, tidying up the last of the clutter that had gathered around the place, stacking the dishwasher ready for the morning run. He wiped the counters down, checked everything was turned off, and then checked both front and back doors, making sure they were locked and secured, before he returned to the living room.
He leaned against the doorframe, watching as Zayn stood in the middle of the room with Inaya in his arms, their wedding song playing softly through the speakers. Louis smiled. He had chosen the song when they’d found out the results of their carrier testing, having heard it on his playlist that evening while he was marking essays, and had known beyond all doubt that the lyrics would fit their relationship down to the letter.
As the chorus came in again, he crossed the room to join his little family, wrapping his arms around both Zayn and Inaya, before he joined in to sing softly.
Well, I’ve seen you in jeans, with no makeup on
And I’ve stood there in awe as your date for the prom
I’m blessed as a man to have seen you in white
But I’ve never seen anything quite like you tonight…