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Fate is a fickle thing, isn’t it?
Sometimes, fate is obvious about its doings, showing you exactly what you need to see exactly when you need to see it.
Other times, fate is hard to read. Is fate telling you something good, or something bad? Was running into your ex at the grocery store fate or a coincidence?
Harry Styles did not believe in fate. He was too set on his goals and dreams that he could achieve on his own, thank you very much, to worry about such a fickle thing as fate.
By twenty seven, he had already managed to open his own bakery in the town over from where he grew up. He had everything he’d ever wanted and he had accomplished it all on his own. A Bashful Taste was the fruit of years of hard work, a good deal of schmoozing, and a determined omega who was determined to make his dream a reality. After working in a bakery since he was a teenager, Harry finally achieved his dream when his own little shop opened just under a year ago.
Working in a bakery meant that the holiday season was always especially chaotic, filled with doubling or even tripling the output he usually made. However, as the owner and head baker of A Bashful Taste, Harry was realizing just how much added stress his new role brought on.
Which was precisely why he was running late to work on one fine December morning. It was just nearing ten in the morning on a Tuesday, his only day to come in late. He’d been blessed to have wonderful employees who kept the bakery running in his absence, but he was still a bit overprotective of his little venture, and he hated being away from it for too long. So, he felt bad being late, and thus drove a bit more recklessly than he usually would. Seeing an open parking spot downtown in the lot right beside his bakery bolstered his mood immediately.
That was, until another car pulled right into the damn spot!
Harry’s eyebrows furrowed in what he hoped was a menacing glare at the offending vehicle - a bloody truck, no less - and kept his angry gaze steady as the guy climbed out of the cab. He could immediately tell from the way the guy carried himself that the truck owner was an alpha, which - Harry really should have known the minute the spot was taken right in front of him.
The man caught Harry’s gaze as he pressed the key fob and the lights of his truck flashed. The look they shared through Harry’s windshield was nothing short of icy.
Harry watched horrified as the man gave a challenging shrug and lifted his middle finger in salute.
How dare he.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
“He did what?”
Harry sighed, the anger bubbling inside him as he recounted the story to his sister, Gemma, over the phone. “He took the bloody parking spot, Gem! Right in front of me! The most perfect parking spot right by the bakery and I was late.”
“Well, Harry… It’s not this guy’s fault you were late-”
“And then! And then, he just shrugged and flipped me off. Flipped me off as if I was the one at fault here!” Harry added, completely cutting her off. “Can you believe that? He took my parking spot and he had the absolute audacity to give me the finger. Fucking alphas.”
“Hey! Watch it!”
Harry chuckled softly, his sister’s mock offence pulling him out of his anger. “Oh, come off it. You know you’re my favourite alpha.”
“See, now that’s a bit sad, baby brother,” Gemma said in his ear. He could hear the sink start and he smiled, fully aware that she was calling him while on dish duty after getting out of putting her pup to bed. “Was your day nice beside that? Good day for the bakery?”
Harry hummed, turning the burner off on the stove when the soup he was reheating started to bubble just a bit. “Yeah, it was a good day. Crazy as usual though. Got a call from the local Christmas tree farm, actually.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm,” Harry confirmed. He pulled his hair up in a loose bun on the top of his head and then began to prepare himself a salad. “They want me to be their pastry supplier for the little cafe they have there. They’re just looking for the basics; cookies, brownies, maybe some scones. But the woman I talked with, the sister of the owner, was lovely. She offered to pay me more than I’d have asked and said she’d throw in a free tree, too.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful Harry!” He could hear Gemma’s smile through the phone. Making his family proud always had him preen, and he could feel his omega settle at the tone of her voice, even with it being slightly tinny through their connection. “I’m so proud of you! You should see if mum wants that tree, pretty sure they only sell big ones at places like that and I’m not sure your little flat could really do it justice.”
Harry made an indignant squawk, but glanced around his apartment anyway. Gemma, unfortunately, had a point. Plus, he had a small artificial tree already decorated in his living room with a larger one on display at the bakery. He really had no need for another Christmas tree. But his mum could perhaps get good use of it.
“You know what, that’s a good idea, Gem. I’ll ask her tomorrow when I give her a call.”
“And you know, if she doesn’t want it, I’m sure Michal would appreciate not having to get one strapped to the car himself.”
Harry chuckled with a fond eye roll, in no way surprised that his sister was bargaining already for her own free stuff. “You guys can get your own tree.”
Gemma laughed along with him, the tap finally shutting off in the background and bringing a quiet lull to their conversation. “Well, I’m sure you’ll be getting to bed early. I should let you go.”
“Yeah, just having dinner then I’ll be snuggling in.”
“Good,” Gemma said softly. “I love you baby brother. Don’t work too hard, okay? Charlotte would hate to see her favourite uncle dead before he turns thirty.”
“Oh piss off,” Harry groaned. “I’ll be fine. Tell Charlie I miss her. Bring her ‘round the bakery this week please? I’d love to see her and you know she loves it there.” Unspoken was the fact that Harry kind of needed to see his favourite niece. His sister was all too aware that he didn’t get enough close contact when he was working this hard.
“Pretty sure she just loves the sweets, but we’ll stop by, I promise.”
Harry smiled, his mind filled with images of his little three year old niece, one of his favourite people in the world. “Thank you. Night Gems.”
“Good night, H.”
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Harry had expected his first trip over to Tomlinson’s Tree Farm to be for a delivery from the bakery. However, that’s not how he found himself pulling into the gravel lot for the first time. His wonderful assistant, Niall, had taken care of the first delivery, which meant that as he put his little car into park, it was to retrieve a tree, and not to drop off another few boxes of pastries.
As Harry climbed out of his car, he was not all that surprised by what he saw. Tomlinson’s Christmas Tree Farm was set up just like any other he had ever been to. (Why he hadn’t been to this one specifically was something he couldn’t remember. Maybe it was because his family had always chosen the lot closer to their house, maybe it was because then he’d have met a certain alpha sooner, and fate was at work).
In front of him was what looked like hundreds of Christmas Trees all set to be taken to their new homes. There was a group to the left that had been cut and set up for easy perusal and to the right, there was a path down to the forest where it looked like you could borrow a saw or an axe and cut your own tree down yourself. Although Harry was rather large for an omega, he wasn’t about to try his hand at cutting down his own tree - especially not alone. So, he took the path to the left and began to weave through the rows and rows of beautiful trees, seemingly glittering under the glow of the old fashioned lightbulbs that were entwined around trellises throughout the space.
“Hello there,” a voice said beside him after not too long.
Harry had settled himself in front of a beautiful Douglas Fir, just about as tall as he was with sturdy looking branches and only one small spot that looked a bit lacking. That could go in the back, he figured.
“This one is beautiful.” The omega turned to see who had walked up to him and froze on the spot. Because there, right in front of him, was the very man who had stolen his parking spot nearly two weeks earlier. He could feel his blood begin to boil.
“It is,” the man agreed.
Harry sized him up as he inspected the tree Harry had been looking at. The man was just a few inches shorter than him, wearing a warm looking heavy flannel with a roughed up pair of black jeans. He had boots on his feet that looked well-loved as well, and a beanie pulled over a soft looking fringe. He was objectively very good looking, and his early suspicion that the man was an alpha was confirmed as Harry’s nose was picked up his scent amongst the overwhelming smell of pine. But, he already knew this one was a knothead alpha who took other people’s parking spots and then flipped them off as if they had been at fault in any way.
“Is this the one you want, then?”
“Oh, you work here?” Harry asked with just a bit of a bite in his voice. When he hadn’t introduced himself, Harry just figured he was trying to pick him up. Doing so at a Christmas tree farm was new, but it wasn’t the weirdest place he’d been hit on.
The man nodded, already stepping forward to start taking the tree off his mount. “I do indeed. You picked a beauty here…”
“Harry.”
“Harry. You picked a great tree. I’m sure your alpha will love it.”
The man was fishing, something that always irked Harry. He didn’t need an alpha to do anything for him, especially pick out a Christmas tree. He was perfectly complete on his own.
Though, to be fair, with all the layers he was wearing it was impossible to see his empty bonding spot.
“No alpha,” Harry replied. The man worked to heave the tree, grunting once it was finally free. The display of brute force was… attractive, to say the least. Not that Harry was looking. He didn’t need another knothead like this in his life. For some reason, it felt important to explain himself. “The tree is actually for my mum. I uh, I supply the café here, and they offered me a free tree as a thank you.”
The alpha nodded his head, holding the tree steady once it was free and Harry a dazzling smile. Clearly, the stranger didn’t recognise Harry from their earlier interaction, and he couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“Well, I think your mum will love it.”
Harry clenched his jaw to stop himself from preening. It was a biological response, he told himself. He wasn’t interested in knothead alpha’s like this, even if the man was doing his job.
“Yes, she will,” Harry said simply.
The alpha looked at him a bit strangely as he picked up the tree and led the way to the little building where the till was located. He handed the tree off to another employee who got to work securing the netting around it, keeping the branches safe for the journey home.
“Alrighty, so you said you were the guy from the bakery who was supplying the café?” The alpha asked as he slipped behind the cash register.
Harry nodded, watching the large tree get placed against a wall to wait for him to take home. “Yep. Harry Styles, owner of A Bashful Taste .”
The alpha snorted softly to himself. “Nice name.”
It sounded sarcastic, and Harry couldn’t even tell if he was commenting on his name or his bakery’s name. Either way, the guy was a total ass. “Thank you.” Harry knew his voice was stilted, but truthfully he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He was so tired of these arsehole alphas who tried to make fun of his bakery or comment on it. He was proud of it, and that was that.
“Well, I have your name right here, so you’re all set. Can I help you put the tree on your car, love?”
Love . God, the balls of some alphas these days. Who did this guy think he was?
Harry glanced back to the tree in all its looming glory. He could do this. Sure, it’d been a while since he had been to the gym; he was more of a runner than a weights guy anyway. But he could handle this. He didn’t need the help of some alpha. Even one with really beautiful blue eyes.
“I’ve got it,” Harry replied firmly, giving the man a final stiff smile before he strolled his way over to the tree. Briefly, Harry mourned the fact that he was wearing his favourite charcoal peacoat and the wool sweater Gemma had gotten him for Christmas last year with the cashmere scarf he had splurged on at the beginning of season. All his beautiful clothes would be covered in pine needles and sap by the time this damn tree was tied to the roof of his car.
Whatever, it would be worth it. He didn’t need the alpha’s help.
He could feel the stranger’s eyes on him as he near-dragged the tree over to his car; it was barely big enough to hold the tree, but the rope he had brought would certainly keep it safe.
WIth a deep breath, Harry did his best to lift the tree onto his car, failing miserably on his first attempt. He heard snickers behind him.
“Don’t you have something better to do?” He asked as he glanced back at the alpha who was still standing a few metres away, resting his elbows on the counter as he watched Harry struggle.
The alpha just smirked. “Nope, we’re kinda quiet at the moment,” he commented, though the cars still parked in the lot suggested otherwise.
Harry bristled.
But he wasn’t about to ask for help.
With a newfound bout of frustration, he hefted the tree up onto the roof of his car, nearly making the damn thing slide down the front in the process. Luckily, he caught it by the trunk, and got to work tying it up with the rope to keep it secure for the drive to his mum’s.
“Are you sure you don’t need help?” The alpha asked, now sounding much closer than he was before.
Harry chanced a look over his shoulder, his eyes and tone icy. “I can handle it, thank you.”
The alpha raised his hands up in surrender and took a few steps back. “Just trying to help, love. It is my job, you know.”
“I do,” Harry stated, getting back to work on his tying. It looked good enough, he figured. It wasn’t like he’d be getting on a highway or anything, just some back roads for the thirty minute drive. He tugged once on the rope, deeming it stable. With a pinched smile, he turned back to the alpha. “Well, you’ve been a joy . Thank you for the tree, be sure to thank the Tomlinson’s for me.”
Without giving the alpha a chance to respond, he hopped into the driver’s seat and started the car. He took another deep breath as the heat started warming the cold space, then pulled out. He glanced back one final time at the beautiful, knothead alpha who was staring back at him with a smile that had Harry’s knees feel a little weak. No amount of beauty could overcome how much of a dick the guy had been, Harry decided, but damn was he nice to look at.
As he pulled out of Tomlinson’s Christmas Tree Farm, he vowed to do his best not to come back. He’d send Niall on all future deliveries, he decided. He had no interest in running into that car park spot stealing alpha again.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Harry’s goal of avoiding Tomlinson’s Christmas Tree Farm lasted all of about forty minutes.
He was nearly at his mum’s when a deer decided it was a great idea to dart into the road in front of his car.
He was fine. His car was fine. The deer was fine. The tree he had so lovingly picked out, however, was not fine.
Perhaps due to his shoddy rope tying ability, the tree flew right off his car when he had to break suddenly, sending the beautiful Douglas Fir right off the roof of his car and careening onto the roadway. The street, of course, was on a slight incline, resulting in his poor tree rolling right off the road and down the adjacent hill, all the way down until it plopped with a loud splash into the icy river below.
So, in an effort to not disappoint his mum, Harry was once again pulling into Tomlinson’s Tree Farm. The white and red sign, lit up with Christmas lights, made Harry’s blood nearly boil. But he was going to swallow his pride in an effort to get his mum a nice tree. Even if he had to pay for this one.
“You know we could have given you two trees if you needed more than one,” was what the alpha said as soon as Harry walked from the parking lot towards the rows of trees.
“There was something wrong with that tree.”
He bit the inside of his cheek as he watched the man glance back at his car more carefully before the alpha burst out laughing. His car, he must admit, did look like it’d been through something. And it had, of course, but the amount of pine needles covering his beloved car was a bit comical. The real kicker was that he hadn’t even bothered to take the rope off, leaving it hanging limply around his roof.
“You- You really lost the tree?” The alpha asked as he laughed, making Harry force himself to keep from seething. “Love, you really should have let me help you secure it, especially with how small your car is.”
“Can I just have a new tree, please? I’ll pay for this one. I just need one for my mum so I don’t ruin Christmas.”
“Nah, on the house. I’m Louis, by the way. Since you never asked.”
What a dick. “Louis. Thank you.” He knew he was being abrasive but dammit it’d been a long day - he’d woken up at 4 a.m. to get to the bakery in time to prepare for the early morning rush and hadn’t left that night until after dinner. These stupid holiday hours were going to kill him.
Louis led the way back towards where Harry had picked out his first tree, the lines of Douglas Firs standing there taunting him. He started to slowly take them all in, finding the next perfect one after his lovely tree had gone to be with the fishes.
“How about this one?” Louis offered, standing in front of one even bigger and, perhaps, more beautiful than the first, though Harry wouldn’t admit it.
“It’s lovely,” he said softly, glancing to Louis. “This one would be great, thank you, Louis.”
The alpha nodded with a smile before getting to work removing the tree from its perch. Harry made a concerted effort not to watch him this time.
Soon enough, they were walking back out to Harry’s car - this time with Louis pointedly carrying the tree.
“Look, I’m not going to let you put this one on your roof yourself,” Louis stated. He didn’t sound mean, per se, but his voice was firm. It wasn’t an Alpha voice; Harry would have had a cow if he’d used it on him. Still, Harry realised that he had a point.
“That’s fair. Thank you.”
“Sure thing,” Louis said before getting to work. He grabbed a stronger looking rope from nearby and went to work tying the tree to the roof with an ease Harry could only imagine came with working here for a long time. Part of him wanted to ask how long Louis had worked here, but then he remembered he wasn’t interested in learning anything about this alpha and let the words die on his tongue.
In much less time than it took Harry to perform the same task previously, Louis was taking a few steps back from Harry’s car, dusting the needles off his work gloves with a satisfied look on his face. “Alright, you’re all set. Please drive carefully, though I don’t think this tree will be going anywhere besides your mum’s living room.”
Harry sent him a half-hearted glare. Really, he was just embarrassed about this whole situation and wanted to get out of there. “Thank you for your help, Louis.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Louis replied easily. “Your bakery’s treats are delicious, by the way. They’ve been a hit with the customers.”
Harry couldn’t help but smile at that, always proud of his bakery’s accomplishments. He was glad that, at least to this guy, the arrangement he had with the place was working out. “Well, I’m glad. There will be more dropped off in a few days.”
“Great. Well, I’ll see you then.”
Harry waved absently, hoping in the back of his mind that that wouldn’t be the case. He’d send Niall, he reminded himself, as he restarted his car and drove out of the parking lot. He’d worked closely with Lottie when he arranged the bakery deliveries, she seemed to be in charge of the café and gift shop portion of the farm. This alpha was just an ordinary employee. So even if Niall was busy, and Harry had to come back himself, it was unlikely he’d see him again. Right?
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Once again, Harry was wrong.
And once again, Harry watched the Tomlinson Tree Farm sign pass by outside the window.
The only difference was that this time, Harry was in the passenger seat of his sister’s minivan.
He hadn’t wanted to come, really. He had actually been very much against the notion of joining Gemma and Charlotte on their afternoon adventure to pick up their Christmas tree.
However, his sister was very persuasive. And Harry’s an absolute sucker for Charlie’s puppy dog eyes. And it was the first time he had seen them in two weeks and the signs of touch deprivation were starting to become obvious, even to his employees.
Of course, Gemma didn’t also know why Harry was so against the idea of coming to the tree farm.
“C’mon baby brother, we can drop off your delivery and pick out a tree at the same time!” She’d said, oblivious to the reason for Harry’s reluctance. “Who knows, maybe you’ll even get me that nice discount you were able to get for mum!”
“Gem, they only offered me one free tree,” Harry had protested. “I don’t think we’ll get another.”
“Oh, with your omega charm I’m sure we’ll find a way,” she’d countered with a wink.
The thing was, Harry hadn’t been able to forget about the knothead alpha he had met the first time he’d come to the farm: Louis .
At his core, Harry was a capable, independent omega who was certain that he in no way needed an alpha. He was a strong-willed, hard-working guy who got to where he was on his own. Sure, he had dated his fair share of men, both alphas and betas, but mostly they were - well, they were a lot like Louis. They were largely knotheads, or wanna be knotheads. The relationships rarely lasted more than a handful of months before they got bored of him, the novelty of dating a male omega wearing off, then Harry would be back on his own.
Sure, maybe he had a type, but Harry was done with that. He was perfectly happy to be single until the right man presented himself. Of course, he wanted a family one day, would love to settle down and have someone to take care of him and someone he could take care of - but really, that was just the season talking, right? They didn’t call it cuffing season for nothing; this time of year made everyone feel a bit more single.
That’s the only reason he was still thinking about Louis, he reassured himself.
The only reason that the unique mixed scent of apple cider and pine had lodged itself in Harry’s nose.
Truly. It was just the season.
And, as much as he bemoaned coming back to the tree farm, Gemma did have a point. He’d been planning to send Niall over to drop off the latest batch of miniature cakes and cookies for the café, and when Gemma showed up with Charlotte offering this alternative, it was hard to convince Niall he still needed to go.
Plus, there was no way he’d see Louis again. His luck wasn’t that bad.
(Of course, it wasn’t luck, it was fate. Harry just hadn’t a clue what was going on right under his nose).
Gemma pulled to a stop and Harry couldn’t help but smile at his niece’s squeal of utter glee. The holidays really were more fun with pups around, he mused, his heart yearning to bring his own kids to a Christmas tree farm one day. One day. For now, he had Charlie, and Charlie was plenty.
“C’mon Uncle Harry! I wanna get a big, big tree!”
Harry smiled wide as Gemma took her hand. With practiced ease, he was able to retrieve his boxes of culinary creations out of the boot. The plan was to deliver these to Lottie first, then find a tree.
“Harry!”
His head snapped up at the voice, his grin staying on his face as he spotted Lottie Tomlinson running towards them.
“I’m so glad you’re here! We’ve run out of almost everything. Everyone just loves your stuff!”
“That’s my brother,” Gemma praised.
“Lottie, this is my sister Gemma and her daughter Charlotte. Ladies, this is Lottie. She runs the café at the farm and has been tasked with liaising with me.”
A quiet gasp fell from Charlie’s lips beside him, making all three adults turn to look at her. “Are you a princess?” she asked, looking up at Lottie with big green doe eyes.
Lottie laughed, her genuine joy evident in her scent. Harry couldn’t help but find himself liking her more and more. If only he weren’t gay .
“Not a princess, love. But my name is Charlotte too! We can be name buddies, okay?”
Charlie nodded happily, reaching out to take Lottie’s hand without any further preamble. Harry sometimes envied how easily she made friends.
With Harry and Gemma in tow, Lottie led the way towards the large building on the other side of the parking lot that housed the gift shop and café. He hadn’t been over this way yet, and was surprised at how large it was. The shop looked huge, spanning many aisles and shelves with just about everything one could need to decorate for Christmas. Typical holiday music played through the space, and Harry couldn’t help but feel festive.
The feeling only grew as Lottie held the door of the café open for them.
It was smaller than his own bakery, of course, but the feeling of familiarity that washed over him was definitely soothing. There were plenty of tables set up throughout the small space, with a single small counter housing all the baked goods he’d provided. It was a bit barren, as Lottie had mentioned. Behind the till was a young girl with brown hair that looked a bit like Lottie herself, and Harry figured it must be one of her younger sisters. When they first met, she’d explained that the tree farm was a family business, with her brother taking the reins of the place this year and her other siblings all pitching in, in one way or another.
“Wow, this place is lovely,” Harry said, setting the box of goodies on the counter.
Both Lottie and her sister grinned. “Thank you!”
There were giggles all around before Lottie instructed her sister, Daisy, to get to work restocking the bakery display. She turned then to Harry and Gemma, regarding Harry specifically with what felt like a bit of a critical eye.
“Is there anything else I can do for you guys today?”
Harry shook his head. “Nope, I think we’re all set. We’re just going to pick Gemma and Charlie out a tree then head on our way.”
“Well, don’t let me stop you! Are you guys going to cut your own today? I can send my brother out to help, if you’d like.”
It took everything in Harry not to bristle. He didn’t need help cutting down and carrying a tree - thank you very much. (The fact that he had chosen to not cut down his mum’s tree himself for that very reason was besides the point. He was an omega, and a rather tall one at that. But his secondary gender didn’t render him useless. Plus, he had Gemma, and together they could certainly handle cutting down a Christmas tree).
“Oh, we’ll just take a look at the pre-cut ones, don’t worry ‘bout that,” Gemma said quickly, clearly used to Harry’s feelings on his omega status deciding what he could or couldn’t do.
Lottie shrugged with a smile still painted on her face, clearly unaware of the unspoken words being shared between the Styles siblings. “Suit yourself! We brought out some gorgeous ones yesterday, I’m sure they’re still plenty left for you to choose from. I’ll come say ‘bye before you leave, alright?”
The three nodded, thanking her again before they were headed back off towards where the trees were displayed, not without a quick detour through the gift shop though.
“Uncle Harry, can we get a really big tree?” Charlie asked from her perch on Harry’s shoulders. She insisted it was the best way for her to find them the perfect tree, and the way she was hugging his head calmed him more than he’d like to admit. Her enthusiasm was just distracting enough for Harry to not notice the alpha who was helping another couple check out at the till when they walked past.
Harry laughed, squeezing her little legs a bit tighter. “Sure Charlie. I’m sure your dad would love that.”
Gemma rolled her eyes at his teasing lilt, moseying along between the rows of trees. It seemed like they’d seen every single tree that Tomlinson’s Tree Farm had to offer before Charlie finally screamed at the top of her lungs: “That one!”
Harry followed where her finger was pointing, walking up to the first row of trees and biting back his groan. They’d done a full circuit and were back right where they had started. Because of course they were.
“This one, pup?” Gemma asked, her tone hinting that she was just as exhausted and frustrated as Harry.
Charlie nodded her head, scrambling carefully down from her perch with Harry’s assistance. “This one is perfect, mummy!”
“It is beautiful,” Harry agreed, taking in the tree before them. Despite his niece's earlier plea, it wasn’t a very big tree, but it did have a lovely shape, very full, with sturdy branches. He was a bit proud of her eye.
“Let’s get it then!” Gemma said with a clap.
Working together, Harry and Gemma were able to remove the tree from the stand, using their combined strength to lug it over to the till. There was a family ahead of them, so Harry kept the tree upright while they waited.
“Oh what a beauty!”
The three turned, spying Lottie making her way towards them once again.
“It’s the most beautiful tree ever!” Charlie supplied, seemingly already enamored by their new friend.
“It is indeed!” Lottie agreed. “Did you lot have fun today?”
Charlie nodded, a wide grin on her face while her mum spoke. “You have such a lovely place here. Harry said your family owns it?”
“Yep! My grandad opened the place when he was young, passed it down to my dad, and now my brother’s taken over.”
Harry knew the story already and tuned out a bit as someone came over to take their tree so that the netting could be secured. He wasn’t fully paying attention when it was their time to step up to the till, so it wasn’t until he was face to face with the blue-eyed alpha who had been following him was right in front of him once again. (Sure, Harry was the one really following the alpha, but that’s beside the point).
“Back again?” The alpha teased, glancing to the side when Lottie slipped in behind him.
“You know each other?” She asked, confused.
Gemma raised a brow as she looked between the two as well. “Harry, who is this?”
He could tell from her tone that she was insinuating something.
“Uh yeah, met Louis when I picked up mum’s tree,” Harry explained, trying his best to convey a look to the rather frustrating stranger so that perhaps he might not share the fact that Harry had to get two trees.
“Tree s,” Louis supplied with a smirk.
Knothead.
“Trees?” Gemma and Lottie parroted back in unison, both of their eyes now on Harry as he felt himself turn rued.
“Never mind that. How much for this one then?”
Before Louis could answer, Lottie was roughly pinching his arm. “Louis! No, he’s the one from A Bashful Taste, who makes those pastries you’ve been obsessed with. We’re not charging him.”
Harry’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked between the two before it (finally) hit him. Louis was Lottie’s brother - the owner . (How he didn’t notice this is beyond anyone’s understanding - they clearly looked related).
“Oh, Lottie, you don’t have to do that!” Harry promised quickly.
It was Louis who spoke next. “Nonsense, please, I want to,” he said, a half smile on his lips. A breeze hit and Harry could just make out a bit of apples in the air - Louis’ scent . “I really do love your baking. Been having something from the café for breakfast every morning since you started supplying us.”
Harry knew his blush was only getting worse and he could only hope that the cold was covering some of it. “Oh, well. Thank you.”
Louis smiled at him, and it was warm, kind. There was something about seeing him with his sister that made him seem… softer. Less like the knothead he’d been before.
Then Harry remembered the fact that Louis had given him the finger when he had stolen his parking spot and the look on his face when Harry had returned needing a second tree when he had first visited the farm.
He was still a knothead alpha, regardless of his tantalizing scent and beautiful eyes.
“It’s our pleasure,” Louis responded before slipping out from behind the till and grabbing their tree with ease. Louis didn’t even offer for Harry to put the tree on the roof himself.
Which, fair, but still .
Luckily, at least Harry had Lottie and Charlie to distract him from absolutely ogling Louis’ far too nice arse while he secured the tree to the car. It wasn’t fair that the most attractive alpha Harry had ever seen was a total jerk.
“Well, I think you’re all set. Anything else you guys need today?” Louis asked, once again dusting off his hands and turning to face them, his eyes locking with Harry’s.
Harry gulped under the gaze, but managed to still shake his head. “I think we’re good, right Gems?”
Gemma nodded, already helping Charlie into her carseat. “Thank you so much for the tree, Louis.”
Louis grinned, once again looking so genuinely nice. “Anything for our favorite baker.”
And once again, Harry knew he was blushing. It’d been years since he started baking, he could usually handle accepting compliments, even from knothead alphas. So why was he blushing so much?
“I’ll send Niall over with more sweets in a few days,” Harry said as he climbed into Gemma’s car.
Lottie promised to call if she had any special requests, and then they were off.
The quiet in the car didn’t even last to the end of the winding drive that led into the farm.
“Baby brother! You didn’t tell me you met an alpha !”
“I meet alphas all the time, don’t be ridiculous.”
“Not ones that look like that! He clearly remembered you too!”
Harry groaned, resting his head against the window. “Gem, he’s the one who took my parking spot a few weeks back. Remember? That alpha who gave me the finger after he stole my spot?”
That made Gemma erupt with laughter, her hands gripping the steering wheel to keep herself from doubling over. “Oh, that’s too good. Really? That’s perfect, H.”
“What do you mean that’s perfect? He’s a total knothead!”
Gemma rolled her eyes. “One, don’t use that language around Charlie please. Two, he’s not a knothead. You probably just caught him on a bad day or something. The man we just met was certainly no knothead. Would an alpha like that give us a free tree?”
Harry huffed, refusing to admit that maybe she had a point there. “He was just being friendly. And besides, it was Lottie’s idea.”
“Oh, piss off. No way. It’s his business. Do you give out free pastries to just anyone?”
“Well, yeah we-”
“Okay, bad comparison. Pastries don’t cost as much as a beautiful Christmas tree.”
She had a point, once again. Harry was tired of it.
“Look, can we just drop it, please? I don’t need an alpha.”
“I know you don’t need one, H. But having a partner would be nice, yeah? Someone to spend time with, to cuddle with?” She was hinting at something private and they both knew it.
Sighing, Harry shrugged his shoulders dejectedly. He hated when she was right.
That night, after he had helped Gemma bring the tree into the house, even though that was really Michal’s job, and getting his fill of cuddles while he and Charlie watched Elf, Harry found himself lying awake overthinking his interactions with Louis. Despite having to be up for work at 4:30 a.m., he just couldn’t clear his head.
Of course, when he did eventually fall asleep, his dreams that night were haunted by clear blue eyes and the smell of apple cider and pine.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
The day before Christmas Eve didn’t feel like it would be very busy for a Christmas Tree Farm, but Lottie had called the bakery the day prior asking for one last delivery of baked goods for the café. Harry, of course, felt bad saying no, so despite their overload of holiday orders, he still set aside the time to assemble a box of assorted pastries.
And, of course, Niall had already taken his Christmas leave to go up to Ireland to see his family, leaving Harry on his own to make the delivery himself. (Harry did indeed have plenty of other employees, but he was a bit particular when it came to major deliveries, such as the one to Tomlinson’s Tree Farm).
Truthfully, he was feeling conflicted about going back to the farm. It’d been almost two weeks since he’d been there with Gemma and Charlie to pick out their tree, and if Harry were being honest with himself, Louis hadn’t really left his mind since.
Of course, Harry was pointedly ignoring that fact.
He really didn’t need an alpha, wasn’t even looking for a relationship right now, let alone one with an absolute knothead like Louis. There were plenty of fish in the sea, as they say, and he certainly wasn’t about to fall to his knees just because Louis had beautiful eyes and a lovely scent.
Harry spent the drive up to the tree farm hardening his resolve on the fact, completely blocking out how the snow falling was growing heavier and heavier. By the time he was pulling the delivery van into the almost empty parking lot, the snow was coming down in big fluffy clumps. It stuck to him as he got out of the car, and he had to wrap a blanket around the large box of bakery treats in an effort to keep them safe and dry. He hurried as fast as he could with the few inches of snow on the ground up the walkway and into the gift shop. The lights were mostly off, which was perhaps the first sign that something was up, but he continued over to the café anyway - only to find it locked.
“Hello?” he called out. When nobody replied, he set the box down beside the café door and started looking around the gift shop for someone who could help him. Surely they wouldn’t leave the place unlocked when nobody was there, right?
He made his way down the aisles, finding them all empty. He was about to give up when he spotted what looked like the door to an office on the far wall. Harry walked over, shivering a bit at the chill that seemed to seep through the walls of the gift shop.
“Hello?”
“Oh my god!”
Harry jumped at the scream, scared from the fact that he had just scared- Louis.
“Sorry,” Harry said quickly, stepping more clearly into the doorway he had opened. Truly, he thought the place was empty and tried the door just on a whim. “I’m so sorry. I could just-”
“Nonsense,” Louis quickly cut him off. “Did Lottie ask for another delivery? Or do you need another tree?”
Harry flushed, staring down at his feet. “I uh, yes. Lottie asked me to drop off another box of pastries and I just thought I’d just bring them by on my way home.”
“Geez. She’s insufferable sometimes.”
Harry looked up with confusion. “Come again?”
“We’re only open for a few hours tomorrow, and we’ll be closed for Christmas the next day,” Louis explained, standing up from his desk now and stretching his hands up. “She had you deliver that stuff, I assume, because she wants me to bring it with me to Christmas dinner.”
“Oh. She- She could have just asked. I’d have been happy to set your family up with a proper spread. Maybe add in a pie or something.”
“What you usually bring us is plenty, Harry, even for our big family,” Louis promised, smiling at him with such warmness it nearly covered the chill in the air.
Harry couldn’t help but smile back. “Well, I’ll go grab the box then? I just left it by the-”
Before Harry could finish his sentence, the lights flickered above them. Both men’s eyes shot up to the ceiling, watching in horror as they flickered twice more before shutting off completely.
“Well, fuck.”
“Yeah. Shit.”
“The snow must have knocked out the power.”
“You don’t say?”
Even in the dark, Harry knew Louis was probably smirking at him.
“Was the snow getting heavy when you drove in?”
Harry hummed softly. “Yeah, guess it was.”
“Hang on. Let me just find my phone.” Louis sighed and Harry heard him shuffling papers about before the flashlight turned on. “Well, it’s certainly not safe for you to be driving right now.”
He said the words with such authority, almost a level of protectiveness in his tone that Harry couldn’t find it within himself to argue with. The delivery van was old, and he hadn’t put snow tyres on it, so he was pretty sure that even the ten minute drive home would perhaps not be his best idea.
“C’mon,” Louis was suddenly saying. He stepped into Harry’s space, a hand wrapping around Harry’s elbow as he pulled the omega with him. “I live in the cabin just behind the shop. It has a fireplace, so we’ll be able to stay warm.”
Harry found himself nodding and following along easily. It wasn’t like he had much choice right? The gift shop was cold when he entered and it would only be getting worse now that the power was out.
It turned out that, luckily, Louis’ cabin really was close by, because as soon as they opened the door the wind and snow hit them with a vengeance. There was at least six inches of snow on the ground as Harry trudged behind Louis in the dark, their hands clasped together so that they didn’t get separated in the near blizzard conditions. With the lack of light and the snow as it was, Harry could barely see Louis in front of him.
The trek over to the cabin probably didn’t take more than ten minutes, but it felt so much longer. By the time Louis got the door opened and the two stumbled inside, Harry felt like he was cold down to his bones. The fact that omegas typically had trouble retaining body heat didn’t help either.
“Jesus, what a storm,” Louis muttered as he pulled his phone back out so they had some light. “Christ, you must be freezing, c’mere.”
Harry was immediately enveloped in a hug, the squeeze of Louis’ arms helping ease the chill a bit. Before he could say anything, Louis was leading him to the left. Harry’s thighs hit something soft and he fell back, landing one what felt like a sofa. Louis handed him a blanket which Harry gratefully accepted. He yearned to have Louis’ body heat back, but the alpha was already gone. Harry assumed he was working on the fire, as he heard the rustling of the fireplace gate and kindling. It didn’t take long for there to be a spark that turned into a roaring fire, and Harry was immediately feeling a bit calmer as the warmth crept closer.
With the light from the fireplace, Harry could finally take in his surroundings. Louis’ cabin was small but homey, with mismatched furniture that surely had been well loved before it all belonged to Louis. The room itself wasn’t too large, but it was just as well, since it meant that hopefully the fire would warm up the space quickly.
“Can I get you anything?” Louis asked once he was satisfied with the blaze.
Harry was still shivering on the couch, wrapped up in his coat and the blanket Louis had provided. The blanket, one that perhaps was handmade, smelled so strongly like pine and apple cider, but Harry needed the warmth. (He’d also be lying if he were to say he didn’t like the smell of pine and apple cider).
“Some tea would be lovely,” Harry said with a hopeful lilt, looking up at Louis with his eyes wide in what he hoped was a convincing expression.
“Of course!” Louis said quickly. He headed over to the back of the cabin, through a door, and Harry could hear him bustling around. There were a few crashes of pots and pans, but eventually, the alpha returned with two steaming mugs. He handed one to Harry before sitting down on the other side of the couch.
Harry gratefully took a sip, humming in satisfaction as the steaming liquid helped warm him from the inside out. He wasn’t quite as cold as he was before Louis had gotten the fire going, but he was still shivering a bit, though he wasn’t sure if it were due to the lack of heat or something else.
Touch deprivation wasn’t necessarily something he had a problem with normally , however the Christmas season was not normal. He was so busy with the bakery and keeping up with holiday orders that he hadn’t had time to see his sister and Charlie as often as he’d like. He hadn’t had any time to see friends either, let alone go out somewhere to try to pull, which had led him to be - well - a bit touch starved. (And by a bit, that is to say that Harry was clearly feeling the effects of it; shivers, brain fog, moodiness, nesting).
It’s just that he was used to being around his family and friends almost daily, and having seen nobody but his coworkers over the last two weeks had left him with clear signs of depri.
Luckily, it was nothing too serious, and certainly nothing that a good cuddle wouldn’t fix. However, it did make Harry all too aware of how far away Louis was sitting, and how good it would feel for him to come closer.
“Tea good?”
Louis’ voice broke Harry from his own swirling mind, bringing him back to the present.
“Oh, it’s great. Thank you, Lou.”
The alpha seemed to soften at the nickname and swiveled his body so that he could face Harry. In the light of the fire, Louis’ skin seemed to almost glow. He looked so much softer out here, away from the business of the season and the overcrowded parking lots. He seemed… kind. Harry didn’t want to admit it, but he could see now that maybe, just maybe, his sister was right. A knothead certainly wouldn’t have taken Harry back to his home, making him a cup of tea, and not pushing himself on him at all. A knothead would have probably tried to get a hand down his pants as soon as they were alone.
“I’m sorry you’re stuck here,” Louis said softly. He gave Harry a sad little smile, one that made Harry’s stomach flop.
“Oh, it’s alright,” Harry promised quickly. “It’s actually kinda nice, slowing down for a bit.”
“Yeah? Busy season for you too then?”
“Oh yeah,” Harry laughed. “Being a baker, Christmas is crazy, but much more so when you own the place.”
“I understand. It was so much easier when my dad ran things here. Now that it’s all on me? Sheesh. I’ll be glad once Christmas is behind us and we can shift down a gear.”
Harry hummed softly, finishing the last of his tea. He set the cup down on the side table before drawing his knees up to his chest, still feeling chilled. He rested his head on his knees, his eyes trained on the fire. “Did you always want to be the one in charge here?” Harry found himself asking. It was perhaps too personal of a conversation for a stranger, but the setting was so intensely intimate, it felt like the door was open for something more than surface level stuff.
“Yeah, I think so,” Louis replied, setting his own cup down. “My dad’s been preparing me for this for a few years now. It’s nice for the time to have finally come, but it- well it gets lonely, you know what I mean?”
Harry nodded. He absolutely knew the loneliness far more than he cared to admit, even to himself.
“How long have you been running the bakery?”
“Almost a year now. We opened just before my birthday last year.”
“Oh yeah?” Louis asked. “When’s your birthday then?”
“February 1st.”
“Mine’s tomorrow.”
Harry turned, looking at Louis with wide eyes. “Your birthday is on Christmas?”
“Christmas Eve, yeah. Kinda shit birthday, but I’ve gotten used to it.”
Harry let himself regard the alpha for a few minutes, allowing their gazes to meet. It felt like they were closer than they were, with the only sound the roaring fire. Louis was the one to break eye contact, getting to his feet to add another log to the fire. As he walked back over, Harry lifted one half of the blanket as an invitation for him to sit closer to him.
“C’mon, it’s cold,” Harry said to justify the action.
Louis took Harry’s lead, settling in beside Harry and resting an arm on the back of the couch, almost around Harry’s shoulders, but not quite.
If Harry didn’t know better, he’d say that Louis was waiting for an invitation to touch him. He’d never met an alpha like this before. So often, they just took , rarely waiting for proper permission, and simply assuming it was wanted. Of course, they’d stop if asked or if the omega pulled away, but it was rarely a situation where Harry felt in control.
“You can… We can cuddle, if you want to,” Harry murmured.
He could see the way Louis’ breath hitched as the man turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. “Are you sure?”
Harry giggled, nodding his head and taking the lead by scooching in a bit closer into Louis’ side. The alpha let his arm curl around Harry’s back, effectively closing the remaining space between them as Harry let his head rest on his shoulder. “See, much warmer,” Harry said softly once they were settled.
“It is,” Louis agreed. His hand started to gently rub circles on the base of Harry’s neck and he found himself going pliant at the touch. It had been so long since an alpha who wasn’t family touched him, and nobody had ever given much attention to his neck like this. It wasn’t even close to where his bonding spot would one day be, but it brought a wave of calm over his whole body. He could feel it from his head to his toes and he had to hold himself back from making an embarrassing sound.
They sat in silence for a bit, staring out at the fire as the wind howled and the snow fell. It was peaceful and cozy, and Harry felt like he could maybe fall asleep just like this.
He had things he wanted to know though. He wanted to know Louis, wanted to suss out whether he truly was a knothead or if he had been a good guy all along.
“Sorry for crashing your birthday,” Harry eventually said softly, his words muffled from where his mouth was smushed against Louis’ jumper.
Louis chuckled, the sound reverberating from his chest and making Harry smile. “S’fine,” he promised, squeezing the back of Harry’s neck gently before returning to rubbing small circles on his skin. “To be honest, I didn’t have many plans. Every year on Christmas Eve, we drop off the leftover trees we have to different shelters so that they could maybe bring someone some joy this Christmas. Then I head over to my Nan’s for my birthday dinner slash Christmas roast.”
Harry pulled away just enough so he could take in Louis’ profile, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“What?”
“I just… I thought you were such a knothead when I met you.” The words were out of Harry’s mouth before he could stop them and a panicked expression fell across his face immediately after. He pulled away from Louis, hiding his face in his hands “I-I… I shouldn’t have said that. Oh my god.”
But Louis just laughed and pulled Harry back into his side. “S’alright. Though, I’m not sure why you thought that. You were the one who insisted on putting the tree on your car yourself, love.”
“That’s not when we first met.”
Now it was Louis’ turn to look confused. “What do you mean? Am I forgetting something? I don’t think I’d forget meeting you, Harry.”
His kind words and the blush that resulted on Harry’s cheeks aside, he continued with his train of thought. “No, we met a bit before then actually. Well, kind of. You uh, you took my parking spot downtown? There was a free spot right near the bakery one day when I was running late and you stole it. And then when I glared at you, you flipped me off.”
Louis stiffened and Harry recoiled a bit into himself, pulling away again so that they were no longer in each other’s space.
“I- Harry.” He sounded dejected, utterly crushed, and Harry was completely confused. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. Look, it was a really shit day. We had just found out that my mum might have cancer - she’s fine, it was a benign tumor, thank God - and I was just popping into town to stop by the flower shop to get her a bouquet to cheer her up. I shouldn’t have done that to you, or to anyone, and it was an absolute knothead thing to do, you’re right.”
Harry found himself a bit speechless. In all the time he’d obsessed over that incident in the parking lot, not once had he really thought about what was going on in Louis’ life that led up to that moment.
“I’m glad your mum is okay,” Harry said softly, taking the time to figure out what to say next.
A rather uncomfortable silence fell upon them that hadn’t occurred all evening. Harry felt like utter shit for assuming the worst about Louis, allowing that one bad day, that one bad moment, to dictate how he saw Louis this whole month. It wasn’t very kind of him, and kindness was something Harry prided himself on.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” Louis offered, reaching out and gently pulling Harry closer by his wrist. “I’m Louis, and I am not an utter knothead. I’m the owner of Tomlinson’s Tree Farm, I have six siblings, and I’d really like another chance with you.”
Harry found his eyes flickering down to Louis’ lips, but he held himself back from acting on that impulse. “Nice to meet you Louis. I’m Harry, I own A Bashful Taste bakery and I’d love to give you another chance.”
Louis grinned, wide and unguarded. The light of the fire bathed him in gold and it almost felt like they were doing this for fun, on a date, and not because of a blizzard.
“It all makes sense now,” Louis whispered, his voice dropping as they moved closer together again. Somehow, they were even closer than before. Harry found himself nearly in Louis’ lap as he got lost in Louis’ eyes. Before this, he’d have never admitted to something so utterly cheesy. But, as it was, he found himself absolutely mesmerised.
So mesmerised that it took him a minute to process what Louis had said. “What makes sense now?”
“Why you were so…” Harry’s eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the alpha. “So, I don’t know, a bit standoffish, I guess. It’s because you thought I was an arse, I don’t blame you, love.”
Harry hummed softly before pressing his lips to Louis’ cheek. “I’m sorry I judged you too quickly, Lou.”
Louis smiled, a bit flushed himself from what Harry could see in the dim light. It was his scent that really gave him away though, as hints of cinnamon exuded from him. “S’alright.”
“I mean it,” Harry whispered, pressing another kiss, this one closer to his lips. “I shouldn’t have judged you off of one bad day. You’re clearly not a knothead.”
Louis’ chest puffed out ever so slightly.
“You’re quite lovely,” Harry continued, his lips moving to the corner of Louis’ mouth. “One of the nicest alpha’s I’ve ever met, actually.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm.”
There was silence for a few beats before Louis leaned in and captured Harry’s lips with his own.
In the time he’d spent in Louis’ cabin, especially in his arms, Harry’s touch deprivation had disappeared, leaving him happy and pliant. But this? This was a whole new level. He felt the warmth deep in his chest, though his mind was pleasantly blank as he allowed himself to just enjoy the feeling of Louis’ lips against his own, soft but firm.
All too soon, Louis broke this kiss, resting their foreheads together as they both softly panted. “Wow.”
“Mmm,” Harry hummed. “Can we do that some more, please?”
Louis chuckled warmly, nodding his head. He pressed a quick peck to Harry’s lips before pulling him in closer. With far too much ease, Louis laid down against the couch, pulling Harry on top of him and bracketing him in with his strong thighs. Harry smiled, a curl falling over his eyes as he looked down at the alpha below him. He’d never seen anyone like this, not really, and certainly not while clothed. The few alphas he had been with would never lie in anything that could be remotely considered a submissive position.
“You’re beautiful,” Louis whispered, brushing the hair out of his eyes. He pulled Harry in close again, wrapping his arms tight around his shoulders. As Harry’s lips found his again, he felt shifting below him, then suddenly their blanket was draped around him again. He smiled against Louis’ lips, feeling incredibly cared for.
“You’re so sweet,” Harry murmured before kissing him again.
They traded lazy kisses for what felt like hours, cocooned in their own little world on Louis’ couch. Never once did Louis’ hands stray below Harry’s waist, and he didn’t feel the need either. It was so nice to just kiss, like they were teenagers. There was something so romantic about the whole thing, the unhurried pace they set, the firelight.
Eventually, reluctantly, and with chapped lips, Harry pulled away. His smile was wide as he once again took in the alpha beneath him. In the low light, he couldn’t quite tell if Louis’ eyes were actually a bit dilated or if he was seeing things, but he felt surrounded by him and his scent in the best way possible. He hadn’t ever felt this safe outside of his nest. Part of him never wanted to leave.
Louis trailed some kisses along his jaw, occasionally kitten licking his skin, but never going so far as to bite him. It made Harry shiver, and not from the cold wind that managed to find its way through the cracks in the cabin.
“Do you want to sleep here or in my bed, love?” Louis asked, pulling back now so he could better watch Harry’s facial expressions.
Harry paused, sucking on his own lip as he thought it through. “I guess bed, better for our backs, yeah?”
“Oh. Uh, I was going to take the couch then.”
Harry stared at the sheepish looking alpha in utter confusion. “Why would you do that?”
“Because,” Louis said with a shrug. “I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything. And… I can be clingy when I sleep.”
“Good, because we don’t have power or heat, so you’ll have to keep me warm.” Harry smirked, kissing Louis’ cheek as Louis stared at him with wide eyes. “And I won’t feel pressured because we’re not going to do anything. Just sleep, no funny business Tomlinson.”
Louis laughed softly and watched as Harry stood. “Alright. If you say so.”
“I do,” Harry ensured. He reached a hand out for Louis, who took it easily. The alpha led the way to the otherside of the cabin, holding the door open for Harry. In the dark, it was hard to see much of anything. Louis dropped his hand and moments later he heard the click of match and then the space was illuminated by candlelight.
Louis’ bedroom was plain, but seemed homey enough. He had exactly two pillows on his bed with a light coloured bedspread and a few warm blankets piled on top. He had two bedside tables, with lamps on each and a stack of books on one. There were clothes on the floor, but not too many, and all in all it didn’t reek of alpha like he’d been expecting.
“I promise ‘ve washed the sheets somewhat recently,” Louis said earnestly. Harry watched as he shuffled over to the dresser, pulling out some clothes. “We’ll sleep in sweats, yeah? It’ll keep us warmer.”
Harry nodded, accepting the pile that Louis placed in his arms.
“Bathroom is through here.” Louis led the way, lighting another candle in the bathroom, this one with three wicks, and providing enough light for them to see what they were doing. “Alright, I’ll change in the bedroom. Holler if you need me.”
Harry could tease him at the suggestion - he was perfectly capable of getting ready for bed, thank you very much - but there was something inside that was melting at the doting alpha. (It was his omega, his omega was melting because a sweet smelling alpha was taking care of him).
He changed quickly, using the toilet and washing his hands before returning to the bedroom. Louis was sitting on the end of the bed, his face illuminated by his phone screen and the extra candles he had lit around the room.
“You look good in my clothes,” he said, looking Harry up and down. It didn’t feel predatory, like the way other alpha’s had looked at him in the past, but rather it felt almost reverent, like Louis was genuinely pleased. Harry could feel his cheeks getting warm again, even as the air in the room dropped by another degree.
Louis stood, pressing a kiss to Harry’s cheek as he slipped past him and into the en suite. Harry stood there for a moment longer before making his way over to the bed. He resisted the urge to nest a bit - his depri might have been soothed, but the urge to seek further comfort was still there since he was in such an unfamiliar environment. He settled to just arrange two of the blankets around himself, for warmth, and not because he wanted to be closer to Louis’ scent, of course .
He allowed himself to relax, enjoying the scent of pine and apple cider with his eyes closed until the scent grew way stronger and suddenly, Louis was lifting the covers and climbing into the bed beside him. The room was dark now, the unscented candles having been blown out presumably before Louis got into bed.
“Comfy?” Louis asked with a teasing tone.
Harry nodded sleepily, dragging his blankets with him as he curled into Louis’ side. Louis’ arms wrapped tight around him and Harry slotted his leg between Louis’. To be fair, he was absolutely freezing, but even without heat the alpha was still warm as ever.
In another world, Harry would have loved to stay up late and chat, but as it was, he was exhausted. He had no idea what time it was, but he typically went to bed by 10 p.m. at the latest to be up early for the bakery, and with the added stress of the evening, his body was knackered.
The last thing he remembered before he fell asleep was Louis’ nose in his hair and a muffled, “Goodnight, Harry.”
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Miraculously, when Harry woke up the power had been restored.
However, his first pressing matter was the fact that there was an alpha tightly holding him against his chest. Somewhere in the night, they had shifted to spooning, and Louis was entirely wrapped around his back. Harry smiled, looking down at where Louis’ hands were laying over his heart in his sleep.
Carefully, slowly, Harry slipped out of bed. He was never one to lay around for too long, even when he was comfortable and being cuddled.
Plus, he had to check on the bakery. It was their last day open before the holiday break and despite having texted his employees that he was snowed in, he knew he had to make sure everything was okay. The bakery, blessedly, hadn’t lost power, so their stock wasn’t ruined, but if nobody could get to the bakery today, all the remaining holiday orders would go to waste. Harry wasn’t about to let that happen.
However, as he padded out into the warm cabin, he could see the mounds of snow out the window, even in the dim light outside. It was certainly at least up to his knees and he knew he’d never get to the bakery safely in the delivery van he had used to get there.
He took a deep, calming breath.
Harry was nothing if not pragmatic, so he first retrieved his phone from where he had left it in his jacket pocket, the battery completely dead. Next, he located a phone charger beside the sofa and plugged it in. While he waited, he made his way over to the kitchen to figure out what he could make for breakfast. Luckily, it had been cold enough that none of the food seemed to have spoiled, and Harry found Louis’ refrigerator to be surprisingly well-stocked for a single alpha. Well, it had eggs and sausages, so it would have to do. It wouldn’t quite be a proper fry up, but Harry had a feeling that Louis would appreciate the gesture regardless.
Before he started cooking, he checked back in with his phone. It was not even six in the morning, but he had already received a few missed calls from his employees. He found Josie’s contact and gave her a call, settling in on the couch with a blanket over his lap for what he knew could be a long conversation.
In the end, Josie had promised to stop by the bakery to ensure everything survived the storm. Luckily, she lived within walking distance, so she wouldn’t be risking the roads. She also promised to call those who had outstanding orders, giving them the option to pick them up or receive a refund. It would hurt Harry’s bottom line a bit, but he’d rather have happy customers who would return than angry ones upset about missing their Christmas treats.
Once he was done, he started making breakfast, hoping that perhaps the smell might rouse the sleeping alpha in the bedroom. Of course, it was early, and Harry probably should have realised that most people didn’t wake up at the crack of dawn, but oh well.
As it was, Harry ended up eating the entirety of the first meal he made and sat on the couch reading on his phone for over two hours before Louis finally emerged from the bedroom.
“Good morning.”
“Morning,” Harry greeted, smiling up at him brightly. Louis looked - well - he looked adorable. His hair was sticking up in all different directions and he had a crease on his cheek either from a pillow or from the hood on his sweatshirt.
He padded over to Harry, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Why does it smell like eggs?”
“Because I made breakfast,” Harry replied. When Louis looked surprised, he giggled. “Well, I made breakfast a couple hours ago. You… did not wake up.”
“You could have woken me!”
“Lou, it was six a.m.”
Louis shrugged. “I’d have been fine getting up if it meant breakfast with you.”
Harry smiled shyly, leaning over and stealing a quick kiss because Louis looked incredibly cozy and he was too happy to stop himself. “I’ll go make you up something.”
“Harry, you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to,” Harry said simply. And he did. He really did. Perhaps (definitely) it was his omega that yearned to have the alpha’s approval, to establish that he was a good mate who could cook and care for him. Of course, Harry was also a professional baker , and thus obviously knew his way around a kitchen.
Louis set himself up on the counter as Harry fried up a few eggs and sausages for him. They chatted easily about the holidays, and it was then that it hit him.
“Lou! It’s your birthday!”
The alpha laughed softly with a hint of fondness in his voice. “It is, yes.”
“Happy birthday,” Harry replied, taking a few steps closer to him. Louis was taller than him as he sat on the counter, so Harry had to crane his neck up to kiss him. “Sorry I didn’t say it earlier.”
“It’s alright,” Louis promised, kissing him again. Harry pulled back before they could get too carried away.
“I should have made you a cake or something,” Harry mused, mostly to himself, though Louis still laughed.
“Harry, you found out it was my birthday not even twelve hours ago. And I know I don’t even have flour in here. Where would you have made me a cake?”
Harry just shrugged. He plated Louis’ breakfast and handed it to him with a pout. “You deserve something more than just eggs and toast.”
“I happen to love eggs and toast,” Louis stated simply. He pressed another kiss to Harry’s lips, gently sucking on his protruding lower lip. “Thank you for making me breakfast. It’s already turning out to be a wonderful birthday so far.”
Louis took his first bite and hummed happily, making Harry’s omega preen. He smiled to himself as he got to work cleaning the dishes, ignoring Louis’ protests.
When he finished, Harry took a look outside with a sigh. In the daylight, the snow was absolutely glittering, but as beautiful as it was, he still felt the weight of the bakery on his shoulders.
“What’s wrong, love?” Louis asked, his arms wrapping around Harry and his head resting on his shoulder.
And momentarily, as Harry felt himself melt in Louis’ arms, he couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. In all the men he’d dated, he’d never felt this comfortable this quickly. He’d never spent the night on a first… date? Whatever this was. Though there were extenuating circumstances. Still, things with Louis already felt so domestic and they’d only stopped hating each other last night. (More aptly, Harry stopped hating Louis).
Harry tilted his head a bit to the side, presenting his neck to Louis as he continued to look outside. “Just thinking about the bakery,” he murmured. “We had so many orders to get out, and with the snow, I’m not sure how many people will get them. I prepped everything, but maybe Josie won’t have to bake them all. Maybe we can save them for when we reopen after Christmas.”
Louis nodded, ignoring Harry’s neck. “Yeah the snow is pretty bad. You certainly shouldn’t drive the van back.”
“Mhm, the roads must be horrible.”
“I’ll take you home in the truck later, if you want. I have good snow tyres on it and if it’s really bad we have a plow I could hook up to the front.”
Harry turned in his arms, giving up in subtly trying to get Louis to scent him and instead pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. “My knight in shining armour.”
A few hours later, Harry was getting dressed in the jeans he wore yesterday and a fresh hoodie from Louis with his coat bundled tight around him. Louis had also insisted he wore a borrowed scarf and beanie as well, going into full protective mode at the idea of Harry helping out in the snow. But Harry had insisted. He could shovel snow, thank you very much, and he wasn’t about to wait inside while Louis did all the work.
It only took them an hour to make a path between Louis’ cabin and the gift shop, then another out to his truck. The snow wasn’t too deep, but Louis decided the plough might help anyways and Harry watched a bit awestruck as he hooked it up to the front of his truck himself. Once everything was settled, Harry grabbed his box of baked goods he’d brought the evening prior and hopped into the cab. Louis had already warmed it up and was waiting there with a smile.
“Let’s get you home, love,” Louis said before putting the truck into gear and slowly heading out of the lot. It was slow going, since Louis was ploughing the road as he drove, but Harry found himself a bit mesmerised by the way the snow shone in the light and how much more he could see from so high up.
Far too soon Louis was pulling up outside of Harry’s little cottage. He quickly plowed out Harry’s driveway and street, a very sweet gesture, but then they were just sitting idly, neither quite ready to say goodbye.
“You know, if I were to be stranded with any stranger on Christmas Eve Eve, I’m glad it was you,” Harry said, looking over at the alpha beside him.
Louis smiled at that, taking his hands off the wheel in favor of squeezing Harry’s hand. “I agree. Harry, I’d love to do this again sometime.”
“This again?” Harry giggled, shifting closer. “Get snowed in together? Or just, see one another?”
“See one another,” Louis corrected, not allowing any embarrassment to tint his tone. He reached up to brush his hand along Harry’s neck, his touch gentle. “I’d like to take you on a real date, one with electricity.”
“I’d really like that.”
Louis smiled, kind as ever with crinkles forming beside his eyes. Then he was leaning in, kissing Harry with a hint of desperation that Harry wanted to chase after. His lips were a bit cold and slightly chapped, but Harry didn’t mind. He could do this all day. But, it was Christmas Eve, and they both had family to go see.
“Thank you for everything, Lou,” Harry whispered, keeping close, unable to pull away. Louis gently squeezed the back of his neck before he returned to his own seat.
“I had a lot of fun.”
“Good. I’ll uh, I’ll see you soon then?”
Louis nodded, leaning over for one final kiss. “The 27th work for you?”
Harry hummed. “Could do.”
“I’ll pick you up at 7.”
Harry smiled, feeling his heart quicken just at the idea of a date with Louis, especially so soon. (My how things had changed in the last 24 hours. Funny what can happen when you let fate do its thing).
“I can’t wait. Happy Christmas and Happy birthday, Lou.”
“Happy Christmas, Harry.”