With A Little Kindness (Larry Stylinson)

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day... A few years later...

Clifford leans against Harry's leg, his front paw pressing firmly into Harry's toes through his sneaker. He's such a lump. A lump of utter adorableness, but quite hopeless most of the time.

The cold winter's morning bites at Harry's nose and lips, his exhaled breaths rising in clouds of moisture filled steam up to the clear blue sky as he watches the players out on the field.

The game is a close one, the opposing team only trailing by a single goal, each of the children determined and giving it their all. Tilly is in amongst it like always, her skills developing in leaps and bounds with each new season, although she does have the added advantage of plenty of backyard practice with the coach, so perhaps she's at an advantage.

At eight years old, she's growing really into her own person, with traits and mannerisms inherited and learned in equal measure, both from Harry and her pappa, blending them together with her own special Tilly-ness. She may not be related to her pappa by blood, but that hardly counts, Louis is her father in all the ways that matter.

Harry shifts on his feet to try and get the feeling back into his toes where Clifford is squashing them, but he just moves with Harry, lifting up briefly before settling back down again. It's a fruitless effort, so Harry just leaves him be, the game is nearly over anyway.

Louis is on the sidelines, shouting encouragement to his players as he jogs up and down with the flow of the game. They pay attention with varying degrees of success, too focused on the task at hand to respond in any impactful way to Louis' instructions.

Harry smiles to himself as he remembers back to that first night when he and Tilly came down to the fields to return Louis' box of tea. He had no way of knowing what would transpire from that night onwards, but perhaps the universe knew better, bringing them together in unlikely circumstances to change the course of their lives forever.

Their relationship had its ups and downs at the start, Harry can acknowledge that. From the early days where Harry was holding on so determinedly to his independence and Louis was learning how to show his affection in ways that didn't involve showering them in material things, they'd each had to make accommodations, navigating their way through the first few months, giving a little on both sides to meet in the middle.

Relationships are about compromise and understanding, being able to put yourself in the other person's shoes, being compassionate and open-hearted, loving and supportive. Harry would rate them a ten out of ten on all fronts.

His back twinges and he fists the hand not holding Clifford's leash, pressing it into his lower back, stretching it out. Little Pea stomps on his bladder, reminding Harry of her presence, as if he could ever forget.

This pregnancy is so different from his first with Tilly for a lot of reasons. Not least of which because he's not doing it alone. Louis has been heavily involved from the moment of conception, and every second after that, right up to now. There's only a few weeks left to go and Harry feels a bloom of warmth in his chest at the thought of Little Pea finally coming into the world. He can't wait to meet her, to see what she looks like, and if she'll have Louis' beautiful blue eyes and kind smile, his own curly hair and dimples, Louis' sporting prowess, Harry's gangly limbs, all of it.

Tilly is beyond excited, actively involved in preparing the baby's room next door to her own, drawing pictures for her that adorn the soft lemon coloured walls, and sneaking in little toys and books as gifts. Harry and Tilly had moved into Louis' home after six months of dating, Louis being patient with Harry as always, not pressuring him, just allowing him to do it in his own time. It had been a big decision, of course, but in the end it was far easier than Harry had imagined; a natural next step on their journey.