friends

the one with the birth mother

"please, make yourselves comfortable and i'll be back in a moment with kim," the adoption agent says, offering them the couch on one side of a coffee table. the other was empty as well, for when the mother comes in.

"thank you," louis says, harry's arm wrapping around his waist. they walk over to the couch as louis says, "oh, well, this is it. you okay?"

harry sits next to his husband and fixes his tie. he needed a bit more air with the suffocating nerves that were currently making every bone in his body feel like absolute torture. he gently coughs and says, "yeah, it's just weird, ya know? it's like, uh, 'hi, i'm harry, may i have the human growing inside you?'"

louis chuckles, knowing that humor was harry's way of coping with the nerves they were both feeling. "you're going to be great."

harry looks over at his husband, and louis can feel the love radiating off of him. harry says, "you're going to be great."

"well," louis says with a scoff, "obviously."

harry just smiles. louis had wanted a baby for longer than he could even remember. when they'd fallen in love, harry had been terrified of the idea, but now he couldn't wait to talk to the woman who had chosen them. still, looking at louis, he couldn't believe how happy getting him a baby would make him. would make both of them. he didn't want a kid until liam and cheryl had one, and now babysitting with louis was one of his favorite things to do. he wanted this almost as much at louis. so when the door opened, his nerves once again kicked into overdrive.

they both stand as the agent says, "louis, harry, i'd like you to meet kim."

louis offers his hand before harry can move and says, "hi, hi, it is so nice to meet you."

"hi," the girl says softly. she was younger than harry had thought when they'd gotten the call.

"thank you so much for agreeing to see us," harry pipes in, offering his own hand.

"hi," she says breathily as the agent says, "i'll let you get acquainted."

"thanks," louis says just as breathily. the three of them sit down as the door is shut behind the agent.

"so it's, harry and louis?" kim asks, looking down at her paper. "i only know you as file CRW333815-D."

"that's what our friends call us," harry says, his heart racing. luckily, the girl laughs at that and louis gently takes harry's hand into his own. it calms the nerves slightly, knowing his husband is doing this with him.

"gosh, you know," kim says with a wide smile, "you're just such an amazing couple, it's intimidating."

louis smiles happily at the girl, gently squeezing harry's again. "oh, i don't know about that love."

"are you kidding me?" she asks, her eyes going wide. "i mean it's enough that you're a doctor, but on top of it you're married to a reverend."

harry and louis sit straight up at that, because wow, that was news to them. harry owned a bakery, a very successful one, but he was absolutely not a doctor. and louis was a school teacher, he taught music. surely that didn't make him a reverend. they look at each other, their eyes both full of absolute confusion, and then they focus back on kim. harry doesn't know how, but he finds the words, "i don't think that's exactly-"

but before he can finish, louis squeezes his hand tightly and says, "let her finish doctor."

harry sits back with the now, loss, of louis' hand. he was sitting straight up, clearly anxious. so harry, not knowing if louis can say much of anything, sits forward and rubs his now very sweaty hands together. he clears his throat and asks, "so the fact that i'm a doctor and my husband's a reverend, that's important to you?"