Archive of Our Own ^beta

Harry is... peculiar. Louis can just make that out from their first and only conversation that took place this morning.

All he knew was the omega was younger than him and saw him in the football field.

"Hi!" He'd chirped, making way towards the alpha in the lunch break. "'M Harry, I saw you playing."

Louis had just nodded. Maybe the omega took it as a sign to sit beside him, so that is just what he did. The little omega opened his cute lunch box with bunnys drawn all over it.

"Are you not going to tell me your name?" Wide, green eyes blinked up at him and Louis almost awed. Those eyes were magic.

He doesn't talk much- except with his mama- or he would definitely have blurted out how mesmerising they are. Nonetheless, he cleared his throat and answered, "Louis."

"Louis." The young pup tested the name on his tongue and Lou promises to the Moon, his name has never sounded so sweet.

The beautiful eyes had lit up, liking the name. His nose had scrunched up so delicately, Louis wanted to eat him up because oh Moon, this pup is so cute, he sure is a match for his little sisters. Louis only hoped that Harry couldn't see what he was thinking of.

What came next almost blew him out of his seat. Dimples. Plural. Dimples that went so deep in his chubby cheeks, it made Louis want to touch them to check if they were even real. For once in his life, Louis didn't think it through, because he sat there in front of him, just close enough to touch. And oh Moon, they were real. So real and so, so soft.

Harry had giggled and his cheeks had turned red and perhaps Harry was the prettiest omega to exist. It even made Louis smile.

"Are you not going to eat anything?" He had asked next with a furrow between his eyebrows. The alpha just wanted to soothe them out but refrained. Louis just pointed to the bustling canteen behind him. His mama was very busy with her job and his sisters so she couldn't make him brekkie every day, but it was fine. He was big enough to buy lunch for himself.

The omega had turned his head to see what Louis was pointing at and frowned. Turning back, he offered his lunch to Louis instead. "We can share."

So, Harry is indeed, peculiar. He burst into Louis's life like a full on rainstorm and Louis feels like he is house of cards, blown away with him. But in a good way, the alpha concludes, staring at the ceiling of his room.

Louis jumps up from his bed when he hears the door open. It must be his mama! He runs down the stairs to greet her.

"Hi mama!"

Kind blue eyes smiled at him before opening her arms and enveloping her little boy. His smile when he sees her just might be her favourite thing in the world. Oh, how the time has passed. "Hi, boobear. I missed you so much today."

"I missed you too." He hugs her tighter, nuzzling into her neck. His comfort place.

"I am sorry, I'm late."

"It's okay, mama." He presses his lips to her cheek. "Lottie and Fizzy didn't make a fuss tonight." Her heart falls a little at the thought of not being able to tuck her girls in but it is late.

"And why didn't you go to sleep, hm?" She asks him, brushing his fringe from his forehead.

"I was waiting for you." He whines and cuddles closer. You will never find him whining ever, but this is his mama! There is nothing he hides from her.

"Oh, my sweet, sweet pup. I love you so much, my love. Love you more than anything else." She kisses his temple, holding her son close.

"Um, I made a friend today. He made me his friend but that's the same." Oh honey, that is not the same but the mother lets him be.

"Oh, tell me about him." It's not rare that they talk about their days, tell each other about their lives, but it feels special nonetheless.

He nuzzles in her neck again. "His name is Harry. And he is an omega. But he is very strange. But very pretty. He talks a lot. He has two dimples and they are very soft. And his eyes are green, mama!"

The mother chuckles and pulls back to boop his tiny button nose. "You like him, boo."

Louis doesn't reply to it, he doesn't know how to, he stays quiet. So the mother and pup bask in each other's essence till her husband descends down the stair.

"Hi, love." He smiles at his mate. His hair are dark and wet, probably from the shower he had been taking.

"Hi." She smiles back at him, tiredness seeping out of her eyes. But she does tilt her face up at him, demanding a kiss.

"Mama?" Louis speaks up in between, interrupting them. "Did you eat?"

"Oh... umm, no pup, not yet." She chuckles at the interruption. How can she be anything other than fond at this little alpha she has created?

He turns to his dad. "I'm going to heat up dinner for mama." And he goes to the kitchen. The husband follows quickly behind because Moon knows, Louis is a copy of his mama except the cooking skills. How he burns water in a microwave is a mystery to both the parents.

Harry frowns, failing to spot the alpha in the lunch room. He walks over to the table anyways, ploping down on the bench. "Where's Lou?"

"He didn't come to school today." Stan tells him so.

Right, he wasn't feeling good yesterday, it only makes Harry frown even more. What if he is sick? Louis doesn't usually fall ill, but maybe. He will call his mama and ask her. If he is really unwell, Harry will go see him.

Turns out Harry can't go to see him. He is... well... in rut. His first rut. Moon, Harry can't even think about it without feeling flustered. He has only recently learnt about it all in his health class and to think about it in context with his Louis... oh, his heart.

"Mama." He whines, pushing his face further into her belly.

"Harry, stop whining. It's normal and he'll be fine. Besides now you can finally stop whining about not knowing his scent." Her hand soothes his curls, but her words are really not helping his frizzy state of mind. Heart, more like.

"Not until I have my first heat." He grumbles. He won't be able to smell Louis properly till that and he envies people who'll get to smell him, scent him before himself. Oh Moon, it is only making him even more furious!

"Harry, pup, it has to happen."

But why???!!!

She remembers two years ago, when her pup came home to her with a smile etched on his face. It was no ordinary smile either, he glowed along, it radiated from him. I met my alpha, he had told her. The next day he had brought Louis home to play, and the fact that a ten year-old alpha agreed to play inside the house, is a green flag in itself. Besides, she has never doubted that yes, Louis is Harry's alpha.

Since then, she has looked over the boys and the girls, looked after them when Louis's mama needed, when little Daisy and Phoebe were born, through all of it. And she loves all of them very much. She sees how intertwined Harry and Louis are, emotionally, sometimes even physically. And if she were to imagine, yes, five days would be pretty difficult without each other. How she is realising this just now is out of her reach, their interdependence is so unhealthy.

Another whine from her pup brings her out of her thoughts. "Maybe, you could make him something? To make him feel better once he is back."

"I'll give him cuddles." He grumbles again.

"Well, I think it's time for you to take a nap. Maybe you'll stop sulking then." She picks him off her, carrying him to his room and tucking him in.

Give her a break, she needs it too.

"Hazza." Louis murmurs in his curls. But there is no response, which is, Harry doesn't do that even when he is sad. That pup loves to talk.
"Haz, what's wrong?" Louis pulls him into his side, cuddling him, rubbing his arm gently. Moon, he is warm. He frowns, turning Harry towards him and touches his forehead. "Hazza, you're burning up!"

Harry sure does feel like it, but he feels so lost, he can't manage to utter a single word. He is pulled up on his feet and all he knows is Louis is here and he is taking care of him. His omega is happy, preening even. But then again, when has he not bloomed under Louis's presence?

"I've called your mama, okay? She is coming to take you home." He feels Louis rake his hand in his curls, he feels Louis's hands on his face.

"Mr. Tomlinson, thank you for bringing him here. Now, it'd be the best if you could step out." Louis whips his neck towards the nurse, glaring at her. He is good at controlling his urges as an alpha, but right now he feels like slipping. How can she ask him to leave when his omega is in such a state?

His omega...

"He is going into heat, and you sure do not want to be here for that." He feels like his heart is ripping in two. Heat? Oh, Moon.

"But his scent-" Louis sighs, confusedly looking at the nurse.

"Sometimes omegas don't present their scent till after their first heat. It's normal. Now, I'll give you a slip but you go straight back to your class."

He wants to stay here, his alpha is urging him to, but he knows he can't, that's a bad bad idea. Shrugging his soft jumper off, he curls it around the omega's hand, kissing it once.

"Be safe, Hazza." And he runs out of the infirmary to find Gemma ignoring Harry's whines to not leave him.

Green eyes, as it turns out, haunt him when Harry's not around. It has been three days, three completely restless days since he last saw his omega. Especially now, since he realised that he had his omega all along. Oh Moon, why would you put anyone through this?

He misses the omega, he misses how he chatters his ear off, misses how he clings onto his arm all the time. He misses the head full of curls that he could always bury his nose in, misses the free laugh of the omega, misses tracing those dimples that have always, always been close enough to touch.

It feels like Harry's touch is really something. Now that he's been touched by him, he can't think of anything better than the omega. Louis swears, it's magic.

He'd never let his walls down in front of anyone, anyone except his mama, his Hazza and his itty-bitty sister who will wiggle their way in anyways. He did have walls when Harry found him afterall, but with those green eyes and crates for dimples and that head full of curls, he knows his walls are no good, nothing but a house of cards in a rainstorm.

Just like him.

"I am going to the prom with you." He announces. Louis turns to look at Harry who has just plopped down next to him. Okay, then.

"Have you decided what you're wearing?" Louis shakes his head, finishing the bite in his mouth. "Oh Moon, it's your prom!"

He hears Oli and Stan snicker but leaves them be. Harry though, he shuts them up with a glare. "Do you want to go to the mall to look for something?"

At times, more often than not, Louis finds himself not bring able to control his fond. But he can't help it when Harry looks so cute and hopeful, with his wide green eyes staring up at him. He's captivated by the younger lad, so captivated, like a firework show.

Louis just nods in reply, trying to control his smile. He feels lovesick.

Harry's arm is spiraled around his, like ivy on a stone house. But they've always been that way. They walk together, looking around to find something that looks worthy in his omega's eyes.

"Do you mind matching?" Louis shakes his head no. Ofcourse he doesn't. He knows how much Harry loves all those cliche things, he would never deny him that. He loves how a simple shake of head made his omega's eyes brighter and those dimples pop into place. He can't help but reach out to trace them. Moon knows he's nothing when up against those. He loves how the cheeks flush under his attention, how his omega preens just because he touched him.

Louis spies a purple dress in his peripheral vision and points it out. "You would look absolutely enchanting in that." He tells him as much and basks in the dreamy eyes of Harry Styles.

Once he is in the dress, he calls Louis in, seeing the complete trial section is empty save them. He turns around, "Zip me up?" Louis does so, very carefully and looks up to find themselves staring in the mirror. Harry looks devastatingly gorgeous.

"Beautiful." The alpha presses his lips to the omega's cheek, reveling in how the Moon has blessed him with this piece of herself. "The most beautiful." He presses his lips to the curls.

Finding something for Louis hadn't been very difficult. He had a light grey blazer and black jeans already, all he needed was a matching purple shirt.

"Uhm, do you want to eat something?" Louis asks him, as they neared a cafe. It's been a long day. They had only had the chance to change and meet up to come to the mall, no time for a snack.

"Burgers?"

"Whatever you want, Hazza." He smiles and their fingers brush together before walking into the little cozy room. They give their order and sit in a booth, side by side, eyes never leaving each others.

They have never said it explicitly, but they never deny their feelings either. And somewhere deep down, they both know that they are it. It'll always be HarryandLouis. Afterall, scents don't lie.

Their order is called and Harry gets up to take it, but Louis tags along because he knows that there is an alpha at the counter and he saw how he raked his eyes all over his Harry earlier. And then, ofcourse, Louis insists on paying too. "If you wanna take me on a date so bad, you just have to ask." Harry counters cheekily, taking out his own wallet.

But today, Louis is having none of it. "Alright, will you go on a date with me, Hazza?" He asks in all seriousness. The time Harry actually lags, Louis uses it to pay.

Harry has always joked like this before, but the alpha has always smiled and brushed it off, never finding the courage to actually ask that.

Picking up the tray filled with their food, Louis turns to Harry to ask again, "Will you, Haz?" It blinks him out of the stupor and he nods eagerly, still a little shocked. But it all fades away when Louis gives him a dazzling smile.

"I've been waiting for you to ask that forever." He chuckles out of disbelief, his face breaking into the largest grin that fits his face just right.

"Me too." Louis whispers softly, leading them back to their booth and settling down in a comfortable silence filled with stolen glances like they don't live off each other everyday.

Harry is hanging off Louis's arm like always, and their connection has always been palpable but for the first time it is out in the open and it is brimming over in their hearts. The fingers that always shyly brushed against each other are intertwined now and... it is huge, all this. But nothing has ever felt so right.

They quietly walk on the sidewalk, the mall isn't that far from their homes. Soft breeze pulls on their hair, lovingly greeting them, kissing their souls. And oh Moon, their hearts feel infinite.

And perhaps the Goddess does too, she blesses them with a light sprinkle of rain, just to help their soul settle. It is said that twilight rain on a full moon night is always blessed, signifying the arrival of the Goddess Moon.

Harry turns to Louis when the drizzle starts coming down all of a sudden, not able to control his happiness, his elated heart. And if Harry couldn't, how can Louis? He has difficulty holding his love in even on the most normal of the days.

And today is far from normal. Today, Louis stops in his tracks, making Harry halt too. And when the omega turns around, soft hands capture his face and his plush lips meet the ones they've been yearning for for years.

They run into the house, soaking wet. Even though it is still just a drizzle, they were kissing out in the rain for long enough to get drenched.

"Boys?" Harry's mother appears from the kitchen seeing the water drip on the floor. "Oh, go take a warm shower and get changed, quickly, you'll fall sick."

Harry just laughs, too happy to care. "It's the twilight rain, mama!" But he leads Louis up the staircase anyways, giggling still, the alpha follows wordlessly.

"It's the twilight rain." He whispers soft and slow.

Louis gives him a wet smile too, nodding. "It's the twilight rain, omega." The said omega gasps, Louis has never called him that. It is sacred to them. It only makes the crinkles around those blue eyes deeper. Louis opens his arms and Harry falls right into them, hugging him with his whole body.

They scent each other, loving how their scents swirl so well with each other.

They remember the first time they'd been able to smell each other properly, it was after Harry's heat.

Louis knocks on the door, waiting for someone to open it. It have been complete five days without Harry and he is going mad over everything. Yesterday, he had called Gemma to ask him about Harry- he had called her everyday but that's another thing. She had told him it was finally over. So here he is, ready to walk to the bus stand with Harry. He needs to see him NOW!

Harry's mama opens the door, greeting him and ushering him in.
"He is a little tired but he says he feels fine enough to go to school." Louis nods at the conversation, but his eyes keep wandering towards the staircase, waiting for the omega to descend. "I told him he could always take an extra day off, you know how it gets. But he insisted he is fine. Stubborn boy, he is." Louis chuckles at that lightly. Sure, stubborn, the omega is.

The mother gets up and goes to the kitchen, probably to prepare breakfast for the boys.

The smell hits him first. He smells like ocean and waves, like the word aqua and the colour blue. He smells cool and calm and there is a hint of frangipani- the ones with a yellow centre- and Louis's knees almost give up.

His omega is so, so precious.

He sees the mop of curls next, and he opens his arms as usual, waiting for the omega to fall into his embrace. And he does, after a few seconds of getting used to the dark chocolate and cocoa powder scent of the alpha, but he does hug him nonetheless.

"I can finally smell you properly." Are the first words Harry whispers in his ear, going back to snuggling his shoulder.

Louis laughs a little. "I can finally smell you. Oh Moon, you're marvelous."

•

"Lou? Scent me." He says when they are walking to the bus stand. It stuns Louis for a second but he complies, his heart soars at the thought of his scent clinging to his omega. And so he drowns the said omega in his scent, proudly wearing the omega's scent on his wrist and neck like a reward in return.

Tonight though, tonight they sleep with Moon's purest blessings and each other's scent clinging to their hearts.

He has been waiting here for half an hour and the alpha has the audacity to show up late with some other omega's scent clinging onto him!

He turns away, nipping on his sandwich, staring at the empty football field. He remembers, wistfully, this was where he had seen Louis for the first time.

"I'm so sorry, Hazza, there was this girl-"

"Shut it, Louis. I don't want to hear anything."

Louis gapes for a second, then blinks and thinks a little logically. Harry is nearing his heat, and there is nothing wrong in admitting that hormones play with your body and you get emotional and obsessive for a little time. And Louis is smart enough to know that another omega's scent clinging to him is a straight no. But he doesn't have a change of clothes right now, and there is nothing he can do. The girl was on the brink of going into heat and he just had to take her to the infirmary, if he didn't, his conscience and his mama, both would behead him. And then Harry, who would smack him in the head for leaving that girl alone between a swarm of unreliable teenagers. And Moon, Harry's mama would never let him marry Harry because he is an incapable alpha, not deserving of Harry- that, is the worst one of all.

So he sits a little far from his omega, hoping that the scent wouldn't reach him. Harry doesn't talk, which is very weird, but that's his punishment he guesses.

"Hazza-"

"I don't want to talk to you, Louis." He gets up, leaving half his sandwich untouched and leaves Louis alone.

Sighing, Louis feels his heart drop. His omega is a little bit of drama queen but it all becomes alright with a little bit of attention. It looks like this time, a little attention won't suffice.

"Did something happen?" Harry's mother asks Louis when he enters the house. "He has been holed up in his room ever since he came back from school."

"He, um, is a little upset, but I'm sure everything will be fine." He gives her a tight smile before bolting upstairs. That might as well have been the longest sentence he ever spoke to her.

Soon, he is standing in front of Harry's door, knocking. "Hazza, please open the door." There is no response but he can feel the anxiousness, agitation, sadness seep into him through Harry's scent. He knows that Harry is listening to him and... he just can't not hold his omega!

"Alright, I'm coming in, okay? Tell me if you don't want me to, I'll wait right here." Again, there is no response. Harry would tell him if he really didn't want him inside his room, so he pushes the door open and enters, closing it behind him.

He spots his omega on his bed, among the softest blankets and in the midst of making a nest. But Harry ignores his presence and continues with his work.

"Omega," Louis starts softly, not moving from his position. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting-" Harry's snarl cuts him off.

"THAT is what you're sorry for?!" It's the first time today that he has looked at Louis. He looks furious but Louis remains calm.

"Yes and no."

Getting down from his bed, Harry stomps over to the alpha. He's so angry, it makes Louis want to run for his life, but how do you run for your life from your life?

Two hands are on his chest, pushing him into the door, hitting his chest, but at least his omega is looking at him. "Do you even care to know why am I angry?!" He spits out, still hitting his alpha with his harmless fists.

"I did not have another set of clothes, Haz, I'm sorry." Harry goes to interrupt him again but Louis shushes him. "Listen to me, please." He pleads with his eyes and takes the omega's hands in his, holding them to his own chest. "She was on the brink of heat. I had to help her."

"ANYONE else could have done it!"

"Harry, you know you are being unreasonable. I understand you are very upset and I'm here for it, but please let's be practical, yes?" He takes a deep breath before continuing, Moon, he is just sixteen, "There is no way I wouldn't have helped her," Harry goes to interrupt him again but he continues, "-like I would have helped literally anyone else- omega and alpha alike. It wasn't safe for her, nobody else was helping her or she already would have been sent home. It was probably her second or third heat, the scent wasn't a lot but you should've seen her, Harry she was so helpless." Louis released his hands and shakes his shoulders a little. "She was hardly eleven! She must be so scared." Hopefully that is enough, enough for Harry to see through his haze of jealousy.

The omega sucks in a sharp breath before removing his fists from Louis's chest and looks away. Louis is right, ofcourse he is, ever the logical, calm, collected one.
"I'm sorry." He murmurs softly, filled with too much shame to look eye to eye with the alpha.

"Hazza, omega, I'm not against you getting angry over the scent, that, is your right. But please don't shut me out without listening to me, without giving me a chance."

A snort leaves his mouth even through the guilt smoke, "You're brave for thinking I ever want to shut you out. You are never ever getting rid of me." Harry nuzzles into his shoulder and oh Moon, finally Louis has his omega in his arms. The teeth sink into his collarbone and- ugh, Harry is just so cute. Sucking a hickey, the omega murmurs, "you're mine. Mine."

Louis laughs at that, squeezing his omega in his arms, his head against his neck, soaking the younger one in his scent. "You are brave for thinking I will ever want to get rid of my cutesy, jealous, dramaqueen omega." There is a sound of protest but again, it's only the truth. "My territorial omega." He presses the words against the omega's temple, feeling content.

He quietly whines but secretly Harry loves it. Loves when Louis teases him like this. Afterall, he is one jealous omega and if he likes Louis chasing after him, it's between him and his omega. Shh.

"I brought my softest t-shirts for your nest." The alpha whispers in his ear and Oh Goddess Moon, thank you for blessing him with Louis. His soft, mushy alpha, always thinking about him.

"I love you."

The skin beside the blue eyes crinkles so beautifully. "I love you more, omega." Louis brushed a lock of curls and tucks it behind the omega's tiny ear.

Louis runs his fingers through those curls lovingly, watch the omega purr beneath it all. Everything around them fades away, only the light coming from his omega remains, and he watches those eyes go wild. He always, always wants to keep those green eyes on him and in this moment he knows, all the talk about being too young? This moment is just wrong enough to make it feel right. Louis knows, because whenever those dimples pop in, he sees sparks fly.