*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Louis could see the huge mansion long before they reached it, and the sight made him even more nervous. He took a deep breath to steady himself. Soon, they were in front of the mansion, and the gates swung open for them.

Getting out of the car and through the entrance gate felt like a blur to Louis, as if he were on autopilot. He was jolted back to reality when Harry’s hand gently intertwined with his.

Startled, Louis looked at Harry with wide eyes.

“We have to pretend, remember?” Harry said calmly.

Louis nodded, his throat suddenly too dry to speak.

As they walked a little further, Louis spotted Harry's parents and Alfred engaged in conversation. They paused as soon as they noticed the newcomers.

Harry's mother was the first to approach, embracing Harry in a warm hug, which he returned before turning to Louis.

“Oh, hello! How are you? You look beautiful!” Anne exclaimed all at once.

“I—I’m good. How about you? Thank you! You look beautiful aswell,” Louis responded nervously.

“Let the boy breathe, darling,” Desmond interjected as he joined them.

Anne squeaked out, “Sorry, love! I’m just so excited,” to which Louis replied with a hurried, “No problem!”

Desmond curtly shook Harry’s hand but smiled warmly at Louis, giving him a side hug.

“Welcome, son,” Desmond said to Louis.

Louis’s eyes widened at being addressed that way, but he nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

“Oh, none of that! Call me Des,” Desmond replied.

“Alright,” Louis smiled.

Alfred led them all inside the grand living room, and Louis tried not to look too amazed by the opulence. The room had a chandelier, much to Louis's astonishment. He had received a warm welcome from the Styles.

In fact, Harry’s parents were much friendlier than he had expected. They were more welcoming than Harry, that was for sure.

Inside the room, Louis noticed a middle-aged woman and a man about Harry’s age. They were introduced as Harry’s aunt, Fluera, and her son, Xavier.

Harry’s aunt gave Louis a stiff nod in greeting, which he returned politely.

Xavier reached out, clasping Louis’s hand with both of his and shaking it with a warm smile. “Nice to meet you. You look beautiful tonight, by the way,” Xavier said courteously.

“Oh! Thank you,” Louis replied, his cheeks reddening. Compliments always made him shy.

Suddenly, he felt Harry subtly pulling him away from Xavier and closer to himself.

“Sit, sit!” Anne said politely, and everyone took their seats on the sofas.

Harry and Louis sat on one, Desmond and Xavier on the one opposite them, and Anne and Fluera on another perpendicular to the other two.

“Dinner will be ready in about forty minutes. I thought it’d be nice for us to catch up before then,” Anne said. Everyone murmured in agreement.

"So, what exactly do you do, Louis?" Fluera asked.

"I'm still in college. I'm doing my bachelor's in biotechnology," Louis responded. He didn't know why, but something about Fluera made him nervous. Harry's parents were warm and welcoming, but Louis sensed that Harry's aunt was judging him.

"So, jobless?" Fluera countered with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I—" Louis began, shocked by Fluera's degrading comment. He gulped. This was exactly what he had feared.

"Oh, come on, Mom. He's studying," Xavier intervened, defending Louis.

Louis instantly relaxed at that. Thank god for Xavier, he thought. Beside him, Harry sat rigidly, silently observing the exchange.

"You and Harry are both studying too, but you work," Fleur remarked with a shrug, her tone sweetly fake and dripping with insincerity.

"We're doing our masters though. We didn't work while we were doing our bachelor's either," Harry responded, surprising Louis with his interjection.

Louis hadn't expected Harry to defend him. In fact, he half expected Harry to side with his aunt because Louis knew that's how Harry perceived him — as someone lazy, marrying into wealth for luxury, which couldn't be further from the truth. Seeing Harry stand up for him made Louis's stomach churn.

"This one can't take a word against his husband, can he?" Fleur laughed, glancing at Harry's parents, who joined in. Harry chuckled as well, but Louis could sense it was forced.

"Guilty," Harry said with a smile.

"Nice to see you both are getting along well," Desmond commented.

"Oh yeah! Louis is wonderful. How could I not get along with him?" Harry replied sweetly, glancing at Louis.

That's when Louis remembered they were supposed to pretend. He felt stupid for forgetting. Harry only defended him to impress his parents. He was acting and now it was Louis's turn to play his part. He felt strangely hurt.

Louis forced a smile, "We're getting along great, yeah."

"That's wonderful," Anne said with a big smile.

After that, the chatter flowed, and the five of them engaged in conversation, with Louis pretending to listen and nod along. They shared stories from their circle, but Louis honestly had no clue what was being said, nor was he interested.

Suddenly, he heard his name being called out and directed his attention there.

"Me and Louis have a lot in common, actually," Xavier said.

"Really?" Louis asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I'm doing my masters in biotechnology. I'm glad to finally have someone else in the family who's in STEM! You know, it's so boring being around all these businessmen," Xavier spoke.

"Oh, wow! Is your job research work?" Louis inquired, suddenly interested in the conversation as it finally touched on something he could relate to.

"Yes!" Xavier confirmed enthusiastically.

"That's amazing! I want to do research work as well after my bachelor's," Louis said with a smile.

The elders were engaged in another conversation while Louis and Xavier talked, but Harry's full attention was on their interaction.

"I'll help you out—"

"All he does is harass flies. You don't really need his help," Harry interjected, cutting Xavier off.

Xavier rolled his eyes. "It's called genetically modifying them to—"

"All I'm saying is, I saw him insert something into a fly. Horrendous. Not even fruit flies are safe from the evil of alphas like him," Harry teased.

Louis chuckled slightly at their banter, finding the competition between them amusing. It was nice to see Harry like this, he thought. It was nice to see him in a teasing mood and actually speaking to Louis. It was a delightful change.

"That's not what it was! You just have a disgusting mind— you know what? You go do your little kindergarten degree. Sell me a fucking pen or whatever you do," Xavier continued, making Louis laugh even harder.

"Don't make me tell them what you did to that poor carp," Harry threatened.

"What is—" Xavier began, but he was cut off by Anne.

"Boys, dinner's ready," Anne announced.

Everyone followed Anne to the table, taking their seats as dinner commenced. Light conversation danced between them, yet Louis remained silent once again.

"Could you pass me the potatoes?" Harry, seated beside Louis, asked.

Louis nodded, immediately reaching for the potatoes. Instead of merely passing the dish, he plated a serving for Harry before handing it over. It was as if Louis's omega instincts had taken control, guiding his actions with an almost mechanical precision.

Since their recent bonding, Louis found himself yearning for these traditional moments, where Harry assumed the role of alpha and Louis could fulfill domestic gestures for him. Such desires were unexpected for Louis, who never anticipated succumbing to these traditional omega instincts.

Feeling a sudden rush of embarrassment at his eagerness to please, Louis privately blamed Harry for this predicament.

If only Harry had provided proper aftercare, Louis thought ruefully, perhaps he wouldn't be feeling so vulnerable now.

Before Louis could dwell further on his inner conflict, Harry's gentle voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Thank you, my darling," Harry said softly, his tone mirroring the impact the gesture had on Louis.

For a fleeting moment, Louis allowed himself to believe that it wasn't mere overthinking, that their inner wolves were genuinely forming a connection and that Harry had been effected by that gesture too.

Being called "my darling" by Harry sent shivers down Louis's spine; he longed to hear such affectionate words more often. It marked the first time Harry had bestowed such a tender nickname upon him.

But then, like a sinking stone, reality set in once again. It was all pretend.

After the second wave of realization washed over him, Louis felt his omega deflate slightly. He remained quiet for the rest of the evening, speaking only when necessary. He complimented the food, engaged briefly in conversation with Anne who admired his dress, and occasionally played along with Harry's pretend scenarios.

However, his participation was minimal and he felt more than happy when the night finally ended and after a few pleasantries Harry and Louis were out of the mansion.

That night, the bondmark hurt with more intensity than usual.

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The next few days passed swiftly. Louis and Harry rarely interacted; Harry left early each morning and returned late, well after midnight.

Though Louis's bondmark occasionally caused him pain, he had learned to endure it, knowing there was nothing he could do.

Soon, Louis's leave ended, and he had to return to university. He felt fairly excited to go back; being home alone all day had been boring, and now he would have something to do.

That morning, Louis finally caught sight of Harry as he walked out of his room and into the kitchen to get breakfast.

Harry was eating his breakfast, looking fairly worried about something, which in turn unsettled Louis's omega.

"Good morning," Louis said with a smile as he walked towards the kitchen.

Harry, who was leaning against a shelf and eating while standing, looked up at him and nodded without saying a word.

Louis internally scolded himself for saying anything. If there was one thing Louis hated, it was being ignored. It seemed as if every quality he despised in a person was embodied by Harry.

Harry had absolutely no regard for him. In the first few days after bonding, this had hurt Louis, but now it angered him. How could Harry not even once ask him how he was doing?

Louis harshly closed the fridge door after getting what he needed and decided to eat breakfast in his room instead. Otherwise, he might not be able to control himself and do something stupid, like try to punch his husband.

"Why are you up so early today? You usually sleep in until late," Harry questioned as Louis walked away from him.

Louis turned. "Morning classes," he stated simply.

"Right. Your leave ends today?" Harry inquired.

"Yes," Louis affirmed.

"How are you going to get there?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to take the bus. Obviously," Louis replied dryly.

Harry's eyes widened. "The bus?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, that's how I always get to university," Louis explained, not understanding Harry's confusion.

"Not anymore," Harry said in a level tone.

Louis raised an eyebrow, already tired of the conversation. He had woken up early after so many days and still hadn't had his tea, so this exchange with Harry was driving him out of his mind.

"Do you expect me to fly there?" Louis retorted, crossing his arms.

"No. Take the car," Harry said with a sigh of irritation.

"I don't want to. I've always taken the bus. What's the problem?" Louis said stubbornly.

"Buses in this part of London aren't safe, Louis," Harry said with firm persistence.

"I don't care," Louis replied with a shrug, walking away. Outwardly, his face was firm, but inwardly, his heart was pounding.

"Don't walk away from me," Harry said firmly, his voice deep as he strode towards Louis and turned him around, making Louis almost whimper, though he managed to contain it.

"I don't want to drive!" Louis said exasperatedly. At this point, he didn't even know what he was fighting against. He didn't mind driving; he just wanted to piss Harry off.

"I'll drive you then!" Harry offered in an irritated tone.

"Fine!" Louis groaned, giving up, and walked away.

After finishing breakfast, Louis decided to take his time getting ready. He was aware that he was likely making Harry late, but he didn’t care. In fact, the thought of Harry suffering some consequences brought him a certain satisfaction.

After giving himself a final glance in the mirror, Louis picked up his laptop bag and walked out of his room into the living room.

Louis expected Harry to make a snide remark about being late, but to his surprise, Harry said nothing. Instead, he simply picked up his keys, and they left the apartment.

They got into Harry's car, and Harry started to drive.

"Do you know which university I go to?" Louis asked suddenly. He didn’t think Harry did, but Harry hadn’t asked so far.

"Obviously," Harry replied.

Louis raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Harry had never asked him. He supposed Harry just knew things about him through research.

Louis looked down and began to play with his fingers, twisting his wedding ring. The band still felt foreign, a glaring reminder of his new reality.

He knew everyone at university would see it. Though the news of his marriage had been in the articles, wearing the ring made it feel uncomfortably real.

The sensation of living a hoax unsettled him, and it was one of the many things he wasn't excited about. However, he was excited to finally see Niall again.

They finally reached the university, and Louis quickly got out, hoping to avoid drawing attention to himself. But he could instantly feel people's eyes on him and on Harry's ridiculously expensive car as it drove away.

Thankfully, he spotted Niall right away and nearly ran towards him. Together, they walked away from the prying eyes.

Once they had walked away from the people in the parking lot and reached the university grounds, they hugged immediately.

"I missed you so much," Louis said as they broke the embrace.

"Me too. How's everything going?" Niall asked.

"Oh, it's fine," Louis replied.

"Yeah? You and Harry getting along well?" Niall inquired with concern.

Louis just shrugged. "We barely talk."

"That's not good. You're freshly mated; you need to interact with your alpha," Niall said, his brows furrowing.

"He's always busy. Leaves early, comes home late. I can't do anything about that, can I? Besides, I prefer not talking to him," Louis said.

"You prefer that? So you both just live like roommates instead of a married couple?" Niall asked, his concern for Louis heightening.

"Pretty much," Louis replied.

"Lou, that's not good for your inner wolf—"

"Niall, I don't want to talk about this. I've missed you. Tell me about you," Louis interrupted.

"Alright, if you're sure," Niall said, casting one last concerned glance at Louis. When Louis reassured him, they shifted the conversation to other topics.

They walked around campus until their shared class began, as they were both pursuing the same degree.

Today, they had a lab session, where they needed to perform various experiments, make observations, and complete calculations.

They spent much of the lab class laughing, barely managing to get their work done and although he wouldn't admit it, Niall definitely copied Louis's observations when recording his own.

After lab class, they had a few separate classes. Once their day ended, they finally reunited.

"Is Harry going to pick you up?" Niall asked as they walked together.

"Probably. He insisted on dropping me off. He's so annoying," Louis replied.

"Oh, but that's sweet of him, no?" Niall said.

Louis shot him a dirty look. "No," he said flatly.

Niall laughed. "Come on, you both have to try and get along."

"Don't start again, Niall," Louis groaned.

"I've kept quiet about this all day! But I have to say something, Louis," Niall defended himself.

Louis sighed, knowing Niall wouldn't let him avoid this conversation.

"I do try to get along; it's him who doesn't. He's just so inconsiderate! You know his reputation, right? It's true," Louis said, frowning.

Niall winced at that, feeling upset for his best friend.

"Why don't we have lunch at the café nearby? It's your favorite," Niall suggested, attempting to lift Louis's spirits.

Louis's eyes brightened. "Yes! Let's go!"

"Excellent."

"I craved this so much during those two weeks I was locked up," Louis said as they reached the parking lot. "Just hanging out with you in a casual place."

"You just love me so much," Niall teased, making Louis roll his eyes.

"We should hit the mall too. I need to buy new clothes," Niall said after a moment of silence.

"I should probably let Harry know then."

"Oh yeah. We don't want him waiting for you here." Niall agreed.

"Yeah, give me just a minute," Louis said, stepping aside.

He pulled out his phone, only to realize he didn't have Harry's number. The sinking feeling returned, twisting in his gut. How could he not have his husband's number?

It bothered him more than he expected. Harry should've given it to him by now, Louis thought, feeling an oddly familiar pang of frustration aimed at Harry once again.

Then he remembered he had Anne's number, exchanged during dinner. He quickly sent her a message requesting Harry's number, and she promptly replied with it. Louis bit his tongue, realizing this might ruin their 'pretend' scenerio.

He called Harry.

"Hello?" came Harry's voice.

"Hey, Harry, so—" Louis began.

"Louis! I was just about to send Alfred to pick you up—"

"Oh, there's no need for that. My friend and I are heading to a café nearby, and maybe the mall afterward, so I might be back late. I'll just take a cab," Louis explained quickly.

"Right," Harry said, followed by an awkward silence that hung for a moment. Then, in a tone almost mocking, as if he'd heard something expected for a while, like winning a bet, he said, "I'll transfer money to your account. How much do you need?"

"What?!" Louis almost yelled.

"Isn't that why you called me? You're going shopping. I thought—" Harry said, sounding confused.

"Is that truly how little you think of me?" Louis replied, hurt piercing through his words.

When Harry didn't respond, Louis continued, his voice escalating in frustration.

"I didn't call you to beg for money! I'm not even going shopping, just accompanying my friend. Who do you think you are? Honestly! I've told you, I don't want your money. I have no fucking desire for it. You can shove it up your ass! I just wanted to let you know I'll be home late because some of us have basic fucking decency. You can't relate though, can you?!" Louis yelled, tears welling in his eyes. He abruptly ended the call before Harry could reply.

Louis took a few deep breaths, wiping his tears away. His bondmark ached, causing him to wince. After a deep sigh, he composed himself and walked back toward Niall.

"Everything alright?" Niall asked as Louis approached.

"Yeah. I told him. Let's go," Louis said, his tone resolute,