Room 317

The Family Album

Title: Room 317 – The Family Album
Characters/Pairing: Harry/Louis, mentions of Niall/Liam
Rating: R/NC-17
Summary: This is a little snapshot from the future where Harry looks through the family album and remembers some of the highlights of his life so far.
Disclaimer: This story is complete fiction – i.e. it had never happened. All real people in this story own themselves and I am in no way affiliated with them. Nor do I make any money.
Author’s Notes: It’s no secret that I’m struggling with the next chapter of Deceptive Image, so I thought this might tide you over for the time being.
Warning: Ridiculous amounts of schmoop in this. I mean, it’s so sweet at times that if you don’t brush your teeth afterwards they’ll rot. You’ve been warned. The next snapshot will be Niall/Liam, I promise! 

Every so often Harry had a nostalgic moment when he liked to pull out the special family album and think back over everything they had achieved so far. Sure they had lots of photo albums with literally hundreds of photos but the special family album contained only the pictures that were the most important. And Harry absolutely cherished it.

Of course, he usually waited until his husband was out of the house and the kids were in bed before cracking it open. He didn’t want to be seen as getting soppy in his old age, after all. Tonight he wasn’t alone in the house but there were a few new pictures he wanted to add so he took the chance while everyone else was distracted. It had been Louis’s youngest sister’s wedding at the weekend and both Dana and Beth had been bridesmaids. Harry had just got the pictures printed out today from their digital camera. The girls had looked beautiful in their pretty lilac dresses, holding their small pink bouquets with their hair all done up fancy. It was the first time they had been bridesmaids too so some of the pictures had going into the special album.

So he had waited patiently until Louis was busy trying to convince Ryan to put down his Xbox Xavier and go to bed. He needed time because he could never not look through the book from beginning to end whenever he picked it up. So, he pulled the heavy tome from the top of their wardrobe and laid it down on the bed, settling down in front of it, lying on his stomach.

He had only just turned the first page, however, when there was a tickling feeling against his bare calf. At first he jumped but then he sighed contently as a familiar warm body slid up beside him.

“What you up to?” Louis murmured warmly in his ear.

“Just putting some of those pictures in the album,” Harry replied, indicating the packet of photos by the pillow, “everyone in bed now? That was quick.”

“Yeah,” said Louis, snuggling in close, “I plaited Dana’s hair, read some more Goblet of Fire with Beth and extricated Ryan from his console. All three are now tucked up and hopefully asleep – Ryan went out like a light for once.” He frowned, “Incidentally, have you noticed he’s been a bit quiet today?”

Harry paused and thought back over their eight-year-old’s behaviour during the day, “Yeah,” he nodded slowly, “I think he has actually. Been a bit moody and irritable. Didn’t eat all his dinner either.” He sniffed and glanced over, “You think he’s coming down with something?”

Louis nodded, “I wouldn’t be surprised. If it’s tonsillitis again we are going to have to have a serious talk with the doctor about getting them taken out. Because it’s getting ridiculous. It would be the eighth time this year and it’s only May.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Harry with a sigh, “I feel bad that he inherited it from me. I used to get tonsillitis a lot when I was a kid. It was horrible.” He made to quickly flip to  the album’s first free page but Louis’s hand stopped him.