The Pirate and The Piper (Larry Stylinson)

Epilogue

Three years later...

The sound of pipes filter in around the edges of Harry's consciousness, gently bringing him out of his slumber. It's a familiar feeling, waking up with a smile on his face and a warmth in his chest.

He blinks his eyes open and rolls onto his side, finding Louis sitting across the room on the window ledge. One leg is draped on either side, pipes up at his lips, bare chest reflecting the morning's rays, and a golden crown of leaves cascading down from his head onto the caramel skin of his back. He's absolutely stunning and, like most mornings, Harry has a desperate need to pinch himself just to be sure that this is really his life.

Harry stays quiet though, reveling in being able to watch Louis like this so openly. He lets his mind track back over the last few years, filled with so many mornings just like this, slow and simple, comfortable and familiar. His life now bears little resemblance to his time as Captain Hook, the bad memories fading further into the distance with every dawn and being pushed to the far corners of his mind by new ones filled with joy and love and light.

Louis has taught him so much; that there is goodness in the world, that he deserves to be happy, and that love can be all-consuming.

There are times when he misses waking up on the ocean, of course, the soft rocking motion cradling him as he welcomed each new day. But those thoughts are fleeting and quickly replaced by how lucky he feels to have his new life with his piper by his side.

At first it had been an adjustment, life away from the sea, but he's never entertained the thought of going back even for a moment.

Harry rubs at his stump, phantom sparks where his fingers used to be and his mind replays the series of events that led to that moment. He thinks about all the time he lost when he and the crew were under Minerva's evil spell, doing her bidding and that of the sea gods. Thankfully, with her demise, the sea gods have been dormant and Harry hopes they will stay that way forever.

He knows it's not wise to dwell on the past, of things that could've been, and those that shouldn't. When he gets that furrow between his brow, buried deep in thought, Louis just kisses it away and reminds him that he can't change the past and without it, they wouldn't be here now. Somehow Louis always knows just how to ease Harry's pain and release him from his guilt.

Harry is such a fool for Louis, so in love sometimes it feels like his heart will burst. The man who took his hand, now has his heart, and while it might've seemed like a high price to pay at the time, it all led them here, and Harry wouldn't have it any other way.

At the start, Harry hadn't really known what to do with his time, no longer responsible for a fully crewed ship and all that it required. He'd decided to put the carpentry skills he'd learned at sea to good use, making improvements to the treehouses and building new ones. Niall and Liam now have one to use during their frequent visits and there's a bunkhouse for the crew of the Jolly Roger when they return to shore.

He'd gone on a few trips to the Other World as well, amazed by what he saw and heard and tasted with Louis acting as the perfect guide. But ultimately, he'd found it overwhelming and decided it just wasn't for him; Neverland is where he wants to be.

But seeing Liam's cafe had sparked memories of his family's bakery, and his hopes to one day have a bakery of his own, before his world was upended. He spent months building the shop and now spends his days baking bread and pastries. It's not a full-time thing, just a few days a week mostly, but the work is rewarding and he loves being able to greet the villagers as they come and go.

Liam had given him culinary pointers when he and Niall visited every other week and Louis had quickly appointed himself the official taste-tester for Harry's various creations. He can often be found sitting on the edge of the counter playing his pipes or chatting away happily as Harry works. Louis had also fashioned him a sign from driftwood to hang out front: The Pastry Pirate. It's fitting really, a name that represents his past and present, and hopefully his future too.

Harry glances down at the mandolin that's leaning up against the wall beside the window where Louis is sitting. It had been a gift from Zayn on one of their many returns trips and it's just like the one Harry's father used to play by the fireside in their small home behind the bakery. Now he and Louis play together, evenings spent in front of the fire, side by side, as Harry learns to play the beautiful instrument. It's going to take time to master the strings, but Louis is always patient with him, encouraging and crafting tunes they can play together.

Zayn, as it turned out, was made for life on the high seas and commands his crew with a firm but kind hand. Their reputation precedes them everywhere they go, not to be trifled with unless you'd like to see your ship end up at the bottom of the ocean. They're not the cruelest or fiercest by any means, but they're fast and skilled, earning respect from all they encounter.

"You're staring again, you creep," Louis says, startling Harry from his thoughts.

Harry's breath is sucked from his lungs by Louis' ethereal beauty, bathed in the morning glow of the sun's rays. He could get lost in those crystal blue eyes, the window to Louis' soul and holding the answers to every question Harry could ever speak, and many more that he doesn't utter out loud.

"M'not a creep. You're just too gorgeous. Can't take my eyes off you," Harry says and doesn't miss the pink blush that blooms on Louis' cheeks. He lifts the covers and beckons Louis to join him with a smile and a tilt of his head.

Louis swings his leg over the window sill and stands, removing his golden leaf crown and setting it down with his pipes on the table. He pads over and slides into bed facing Harry, laying on Harry's outstretched arm. "Morning, big guy," Louis says, pecking a chaste kiss to Harry's lips, tasting like everything good in the world.

"Morning, sunshine," Harry says as he pulls away.

"Did you wanna go for a sail today?" Louis asks, sliding his leg up and over Harry's thigh.

It's something Harry adores, sailing with Louis. He's been teaching him for the last few months after Louis had mentioned wanting to learn. They've only got a small boat for now, but Zayn is on the lookout for something larger for them that will be more suitable for the longer journeys they want to take.

"Mmmmm... that'd be nice," Harry murmurs, trailing his hand up Louis' back.

"Tell me again about the places you're gonna take me," Louis says softly, gazing up into Harry's eyes.

"I wanna show you everything, all the places I've been, all the things I've seen. The Vashda Plains, the Hanging Willows, the Peaks of Burmuse, Claret Falls, Dead Scrolls Canyon, Treasures Mark, all of it. I'm gonna share it all with you."

"I'd really like that," Louis says and tucks himself under Harry's chin, snuggling in close.

There are so many adventures he's yet to have, but one thing Harry's certain of is that Louis is the love of this life, and with him by his side, every day is an adventure. He is his present, his future, and everything that will come after. His Pan, his Louis, his piper.