Caves End (Larry Stylinson)

Epilogue

Three years later...

Harry blows steam over the rim of his cup, the bitter smell of his tea wafting up into his nostrils as he watches the sun rise over the distant mountain range. Louis' tea keeps warm in its travel mug, sitting on the small table beside him while Harry waits for his husband to rouse from his slumber.

Harry has always been an early bird and he enjoys this little bit of time to himself to contemplate what the day has in store for him. Comfortably sat on his favourite old couch on the verandah, he listens to the birds in the trees and the horses moving around in the top paddock, crunching the dew beneath their hooves.

He's got a busy day ahead. The Gala Match is this afternoon and a number of scouts are coming to see their current batch of talented young players. It's incredibly exciting and Harry is thrilled to be able to provide a platform to showcase their potential.

It had started as an idea to expand the existing summer camps that Dougie and Gibbo offered and then taken off from there. He'd wanted to offer kids in the country the same opportunities as their counterparts in the city and so the Rural Soccer Academy was born. It grew rapidly and they now have a permanent home in a refurbished regional stadium half-way between Orange and Molong, and only a short twenty-minute drive down the road from Caves End.

Gibbo had quickly come on board full-time and ditched his long-haul trucking gig, much to his wife's delight as she now has him at home all year round. Dougie had been an enormous support, getting grant funding from the Government and Soccer Australia and managing a lot of the bureaucratic red tape. Niall had decided to stay on in Australia and put his business and marketing degree to good use managing the day-to-day operations. He goes home a few times a year to visit family and friends but he's put down roots here now, and just like Harry, he calls Australia home. His lovely girlfriend, Olivia, is currently expecting their first child in two short months and Harry can't wait to dote on the new arrival like the benevolent godfather he hopes to be. Liam is happily tending to most things on the farm, leaving Louis to flit between things at home, looking after the foster families, and the Academy.

Harry sips his tea as a pair of sulphur-crested cockatoos land on the grass not too far away, pecking at the grass to dig out their breakfast. He's recently learned that they can live for up to forty years in the wild and that they mate for life.

A fond smile creeps onto Harry's face as he thinks of his and Louis' wedding ceremony, held right there where the birds are currently strutting around. It had been a wondrous day filled with laughter and tears of joy, surrounded by their nearest and dearest.

They'd only been officially together for six-months when Harry had asked Louis to marry him. Harry had bought their rings a few weeks prior on a trip to Sydney, sparing no expense to get them matching tungsten rings with inlaid black diamonds that would complement their wedding rings perfectly. He'd picked up all four rings on the same day, never a doubt in his mind that Louis would say yes.

It was a morning not unlike this one, the crisp air biting at their fingers as they'd clutched their morning cuppas and watched the day break across the landscape. Harry lets his mind wander back for a moment, reliving it like it was yesterday.

"So, I've been thinking," Harry says, setting his mug down on the table and absentmindedly patting his pockets to make sure the boxes are still there.

"Oh yeah? And what have you been thinking, love?"

"Well," he starts and turns to face Louis. His hair is sticking up at odd angles, there's a crease down one cheek from the pillow, and a bit of dried drool at the corner of his mouth but he's still the most beautiful creature Harry has ever laid eyes on. He smiles softly and continues. "Yeah, I've been thinking about us, about the future."