Chapter Forty One

Belfast greets them on a particular warm day. The morning air wraps around them all as they tumble together backstage after the show, all of them alight with adrenaline for performing. It's the first morning show they've put on for this tour and it's slightly strange having already finished performing before it's even midday.

Niall throughs his arm around his shoulders, sweat clinging to the Irishman who hasn't stopped grinning since they stepped off the plane late last night.

"Fuckin' oath lads, what a show!"

He has rather conflicting memories of this particular tour spot though he pushes it from his mind as they make their way further backstage in order to show and get ready for the rest of the day.

"Man I'm still knackered after last night, when are we expected at the venue again?" Zayn asks as they near the dress rooms.

"Two I think, but Rebecca said to us earlier that we're leaving for it straight away remember? Gonna take a while to get there then set up." Liam answers.

"I need a darn nap." Zayn mutters.

"Don't we know it." Louis says under his breathe from where he walks beside Harry and he struggles to muffle his laughter.

There's only two showers available in their section of dressing rooms so after they've walked into the large room now mostly packed up with all their supplies and pre show necessities, Niall and Zayn branch off to take first rotation in the showers whilst Liam lingers in the hallway to call Maya who's had to stay in London for work.

"You know..." He starts but is cut short when he feels hands on his shoulders, pushing him back into the far wall and the next moment Louis' lips are on his. There's a hint of desperation and longing behind Louis' actions as Harry snaps a hand up to Louis' neck and pulls him closer.

"You..." Louis starts between kisses, "Just had to... fucking go ahead and... tease me like that up there." He stutters out breathlessly.

Harry smiles into the kiss now, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about love."

Louis groans, the sound low and deep and he feels warmth spread through him at the sound as Louis presses another bruising kiss to his lips. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about." He continues, moving down to press firm kisses along the side of his jaw.

He knows they'll get shit from the boys and dark looks from their managers but as Louis' lips travel slowly down his neck, with painstaking pointedness to linger on spots Louis still remembers are most sensitive, he really can't find it within himself to care.

Of course he knows what Louis is calling him out for. He'd not held anything back on stage tonight. Their stolen nights away with their families, and particularly his conversation with Lottie had left him feeling too many emotions for him not to let loose tonight. The crowd had certainly been up for it as they'd screamed each and every lyric back at them and danced away under the sunlight. His performance of Adore You had been a release of sorts to perform the song under the gaze of so many thousands but especially when it's intended listener had sat directly behind him.

If he'd danced more vigorously than he had in the opening nights of tour, then he could blame it on initial nerves. Not the fact that he now knew with every part of him that he and Louis would have the rest of their lives spent together at the end of this year. Ten years of suffering under the weight of their secret love affair would be over and they would be open to the world. He could love Louis freely and without restraint just the way he'd always wanted too.

So maybe Louis' bruising response now in the dress room wasn't unexpected, but he relished in the sensation all the same. The indescribable feeling of having Louis pressed to him, impossibly close and every ounce of feeling shared between them felt with each press of their lips.

"You two could never keep it in your pants for just a few hours could ya?" Niall chimes from somewhere behind them. Hair damp and still buttoning the last few holes on his light grey dress shirt as Niall smirks in their direction.

"Because some of us have to watch their boyfriend parade around like a Greek God on stage every other day, it's draining." Louis shoots back without a moment's hesitation just as Liam slips back into the room.

"Think he filled that role more when he still had his long hair."

"I'm still sour about that, I miss those curls." Louis says with a pout as they turn and make their towards the few sofas scatted around the room.

"I still have curls you know?" He offers with a raised brow. His hair is longer now than when he'd first cut it for filming back in 2016, was more in a 'wavy' state currently but it was far from the shortest it had been in recent years.

"It's not the same."

Liam slinks off towards the showers and the three of them left in the room only have a moment before several members of their tour crew knock on the door and enter into the room.

The next thirty minutes are spent with people hurriedly making their way around them readying to leave to their next location. A shower and a change of clothes later he's escorted out to the back of the venue towards the vehicles. Fan are lined against fences but too far away for him to go and meet considering the tight schedule they're on. He settles for a wave as he tucks into the sleek black vehicle.

Zayn's the only other one inside when he enters but they're quickly joined by Liam before they start to move.

"Where are the others?" Zayn questions tucking his phone away into his pocket.

"Behind us, Louis couldn't find his phone."

"Typical." Zayn huffs with a tad too much fondness for it to have any bite.

"Surprised you're not using this time to nap." Liam says nudging Zayn with his elbow.

Zayn's reply is cut short when his phone beeps and he hurriedly goes to take it from his pocket once more. Eyes fliting over the screen as he reads a message.

"We see how it is, we just aren't important enough to have your full attention." Harry says with a teasing note to his voice. He's shocked then when Zayn averts his eyes and coughs.

"Uhh well, I actually have something to ahh... tell you both...."

"Ok?" Liam says furrowing his brows. "Do you not want to wait for the others or is this something else?"

"No ah, well Louis already knows and I'll tell Niall once we get there."

"Alright." He says leaning forward in his seat.

"That was Gigi actually, she's back at her home in America." They knew this already, Zayn having gone to the airport to send her off on their last show in London. Liam and him wait whilst Zayn seems to gather his thoughts, fiddling nervously with his hands as the vehicle carries on in near silence. "You see well... Gigi's pregnant."

"What! No way man!" Liam immediately jumps into saying.

"Congratulations Zayn, that's incredible news!" He says, a wide beaming smile on his face. "How far along is she?"

"About three months..."

"Three months!"

"Yeah we sorta, just found out last week. She's been feeling off for a while and no one could really figure out what was wrong. She did a test a month ago and it came up negative but she went to the doctors two weeks ago and it was confirmed."

"I'm so happy for you both, you're gonna be a father!" He says again and Zayn looks up to him with genuine excitement in his eyes.

"I can't believe you waited this long to tell us!" Liam says.

"Yeah well it was a bit of a shock if I'm being honest. Taken this long to wrap my head around it all, took me two days to be able to tell my parents."

"They must be so happy for you both."

"Yeah they were over the moon."

"I'm telling you Z, having a child is the most insane experiences of your life. You're gonna love it, you'll be a great dad."

"Yeah well, got roughly six months to figure it out right?" Zayn chuckles.

"I don't think anyone ever fully figures out how to parent properly, you do the best you can to give your child a happy, healthy life."

"But ah there was something else I wanted to tell you Harry." Zayn says looking up towards him.

"When's the wedding?" He says excitedly. Liam and Zayn break out in laughter at his renewed excitement.

"Not quite, but one day. I was actually gonna say, and I know some might think it's a bit soon but Gi and I have been talking about this a lot and we want to ask Louis to be one of the godparents."

"No way! Have you asked him yet? He'll be so excited." Louis had always been really close with Zayn, especially by the sounds of it over the last few years so this news isn't overly surprising to him but he knows Louis will be ecstatic. He adores children.

"Not yet, I was going to talk to him about it tonight. He was actually one of the first people to know about it all. But I'm telling this to you before because since you two are together that indirectly would make you an honourary godparent as well."

That stumps him. The revelation that despite the fact he and Louis aren't married, but there's no doubt in his mind one day they certainly will be, means that Zayn has a point.

"Are you... ok with that?" He asks slowly.

"Are you joking, of course! Gi is more than ok with it also, although I have to say it sounds like you'll be joining the role with a fair few others." Zayn says with a beaming smile.

"I'd be honoured to be an honourary godparent to your child Zayn."

"Louis still might say no..." Liam says.

Zayn laughs before saying, "Have you met Louis? Under Harry the biggest thing Louis is obsessed with is children." They all laugh at that now, the three of them seated in the back of a vehicle which drives them through the streets of Belfast and it feels like it once did despite how much has changed over the years.