Once in a Lifetime

Fifty.

As Louis stood at the altar, waiting for his Harry to walk down the aisle, he looked out at the sea of people there to watch him marry the love of his life. Zayn's parents, Trisha and Yaser, were sitting alongside Liam's parents, Geoff and Karen, and Niall's parents, Maura and Bobby, who had flown in from Ireland especially for the occasion. Louis' friend from Doncaster, Stan, was sitting alongside Harry's friends, Ed, Nick and James, and were laughing about something that probably wasn't that funny. He could see Harry's aunt and uncle sitting a few rows back with Harry's two young cousins fussing that they were hungry. He was surprised to see Harry's grandparents sitting alongside them. Yes, he had invited them, but he really wasn't expecting them to actually come. Right in front of him, his mum was sitting with a huge smile on her face as she held Dan's hand, her eyes glistening with tears already as she looked at her son. They had spent an hour earlier that morning talking and crying, and Jay told Louis how proud she was and how grateful she was that he was still here and that this was happening. Louis thanked her for bringing him up to be the best version of himself, and they hugged and cried until it was time for makeup. His dad, Mark, was sitting there too. Their relationship had been progressing at a steady pace, and even though Jay was apprehensive about him coming to the wedding, Louis wanted him there and that was all that mattered. Louis nervously smiled at his family as he waited for Harry, and then his eyes flicked over to the other side of the room where Robin was sitting with Gemma and her partner, Michal. Robin was an amazing man who had instilled such important values into his stepson, and over the years he and Louis had bonded well. Robin was always the one to crack the jokes and make Louis feel comfortable in situations with Harry's family right from the beginning, and they had always been able to banter with each other and have serious conversations about the football, as well as pointless arguments about who could fit the most Maltesers into their mouth. Gemma, on the other hand, was the one who had been Harry's rock growing up. Louis knew that Harry and Gemma had a solid sibling relationship which had only got stronger as they got older. Gemma had welcomed Louis into the family with open arms and a sarcastic comment, and their relationship was more like siblings themselves compared to in-laws. Michal, Gemma's long-term boyfriend (and soon-to-be fiancé) was a quieter character, and to be honest Louis didn't have much to do with him apart from at family parties or Christmases, but he looked after Gemma and always treated him and Harry with respect. Louis smiled softly when he saw the bump Gemma was carrying. Being an uncle was something Louis looked forward to, but seeing Gemma and Michal prepare for parenthood made Louis jealous. He wanted to have a baby with Harry. He wanted to be a dad and watch his husband pretend to be an aeroplane to get their child to eat or sing a lullaby until they fell asleep. He wanted to experience an entire life with Harry and knowing that children was their next step filled him with so much joy he couldn't begin to explain it. He was lost in his thoughts, imagining Harry running around the park with their child on his shoulders, when the music began to play and everybody in the venue stood on their feet. Niall gave him an encouraging smile and he felt Liam squeeze his shoulder as the door opened, and that was when the ceremony began. His two little sisters, Daisy and Phoebe, walked hand in hand down the aisle as they scattered lilac rose petals onto the white-covered floor. They were wearing cream dresses with a lilac band around their waists and dainty flower crowns atop of their curled brunette hair. Their smiles were so wide as they walked towards Louis that he couldn't help but grin back at them. Just as they were reaching the front of the room, Louis saw his favourite person enter. His world stopped in that moment. Harry was wearing the cream suit with the floral patterns that he had picked out for him, and his long, curly locks were flowing naturally around his face, bouncing slightly as he walked arm-in-arm with his mum. Anne had tears in her eyes, not that Louis could see as he was struggling to concentrate on anything but Harry. The music continued as he got closer, and it wasn't until Anne kissed Louis' cheek that he realised he'd shed a few tears in the time it took Harry to walk the length of the aisle.