the eclipse [sequel] ☾ l.s.

epilogue

"Harry Edward --" Louis coughed, barely catching himself before he garnered Harry's wrath for forgetting his name change yet again. "Tomlinson," he corrected, barely maintaining the scolding edge in his tone. "I told you not to stand on that chair, so if you fall, I'm not going to catch you."

"Liar," Harry laughed. The poorly-made chair wobbled again, and Louis cursed, lunging for the cheap piece of furniture to steady it. He made a mental note to toss it out the window as soon as Harry stepped off of it.

"Harry, please get down."

Harry strained to reach the last corner of the tapestry. "I've almost got it -- there!" He finally pinned the fabric to the wall, cheering dramatically. The chair creaked again, and Louis nearly fainted.

"I'm honestly begging you. I'm about to have a heart attack."

"Not even twenty two years old and your heart's already failing? Impressive," Harry teased. Still, he complied, reaching for Louis's arm as he climbed down from the death-trap piece of furniture.

Louis rolled his eyes, helping Harry safely to the floor with a steady hand. "It's a gift that comes with being your alpha."

Harry laughed, wrapping his arms around his mate's neck. "I love you," he said with a smile, as if those three words could make up for all of the stress he had caused Louis over their short years together.

"Sure you do," Louis teased. He laid a sweet kiss to the uplifted corner of Harry's mouth, pulling back just as quickly.

The omega pouted. "Kiss me," he complained.

"I just did."

"No, kiss me. Really kiss me," he explained earnestly, as if Louis didn't already know.

"Greedy," Louis chided, but he was already leaning in again to claim Harry's mouth.

Harry sighed contentedly against his lips, pressing into his chest like he wanted Louis to absorb him completely. Louis's tongue slipped into his mouth, a hand on the small of his waist pulling him in closer, and butterflies swarmed from Harry's stomach all the way up to his heart.

By now, they definitely knew the way.

"Can we go upstairs?" he whispered against Louis's mouth. The alpha didn't pull back to answer, only kissing him more urgently. His hands slipped from Harry's hips to his bum, squeezing hard.

"Yuck!" Niall's voice rang through the room right then.

Louis groaned, breaking their heated kiss and resting his forehead against Harry's, his eyes still closed. Harry grabbed Louis's hands and raised them back to his waist, pressing a consolation kiss against his mate's cheek.

The beta continued, shameless. "I'm so sick of walking in on you two smashing faces. Can we reinstate designated sex days, please?"

"It's not their fault you walk into every unlocked room unannounced," Zayn pointed out.

"They should lock the doors, then!"

"Like I'm going to stop and lock the door every time I want to kiss my own mate," Louis replied, looping an arm around the back of Harry's neck. "As if."

"It's common courtesy," Niall shot back.

"It's also common courtesy to knock on a closed door."

Harry tried and failed to hide his amused smile by pressing his face into Louis's arm, only barely suppressing the giggle that bubbled up in the back of his throat. The pack house wasn't the cave, but it was the next best thing. They were all under one roof (for now, at least) and Harry's heart had never been so full.