"Hey Mum." Louis greets softly. It's been two days since his date with Marcel, and they had straight away texted him the next day asking when he would like to move in with them. The fact that they're really eager to have him in their home is flattering. But Louis still has yet to give them an answer. Harry is a little upset that Louis had been reluctant to supply them with an exact date; Louis himself doesn't like making the Alpha feel so, especially when Harry has clearly expressed how much he's liking Louis. However, Louis doesn't want to move in yet. He hasn't even told his Mum about the triplets. Louis wants to have her opinion first, especially now that he has to make a decision that would affect a major part of his life. That's why he's calling her.

"Hey, boo. How are you, baby?" His mother asks softly from across the line and God, he's missed her voice.

Louis takes a deep breath, willing himself not to cry at the thought that it's been so long since he's seen her, been in her arms. "I've been good. How are you? How are the girls?"

"They're great. Lottie's got a new job. It doesn't interfere with her uni schedule like the previous one. It pays good too. Much better than before." She starts telling him, a hint of excitement showing through her chipper voice. "I can see that she's really enjoying the job. It's good to see her come home happy."

Louis' heart warms at that. "That's really great, Mum. What about Fizzy?"

"Oh, you know her. She's studying very hard. The lass stays up at night just to study. I've been telling her to cut it down a little, it's taking a toll on her health. Been losing weight, that one. It makes me worried." She sighs heavily. Louis loves this, loves to listen to his mother talk. He misses being able to sit down with her and just talk.

"I'll try and talk to her whenever I can." Louis tries to reassure her.

"Yeah? That'd be nice. She'd probably listen when it comes from her brother. Fizzy's been missing you a lot. All of us do. The twins keep asking about you."

"Oh, Mum." Louis can't help it, he tears up a little. "I've missed all of you so much. I can't wait to go home." He tells her softly.

"I can't wait for you to come home too, darling." Jay murmurs, clearly tearing up too. "I hope you're taking good care of yourself. Are you still working those two jobs of yours?"

Louis chuckles a little at her disapproving tone. "Not anymore, Mum. Just the nursery, now. The kids have me all to themselves."

His mother laughs quietly. "Good, I don't like you overworking too much. Not to mention the treatments you get from those Alphas." She tuts.

The mention of Alphas reminds Louis of why he called his mother in the first place. "Yeah, um." Louis clears his throat, shifting as he scoots up further on the couch. "I have something really important to tell you."

"This sounds serious." She trails off, worried. "You're not in trouble, are you?"

"Wha-? Mum, I'm not in school anymore!"

Jay chuckles. "I know, baby. Just kidding." She pauses. "Is it good news or bad news?"

"Depends. But I'm currently thinking of it as a good one. I hope you feel so too." Louis shrugs, then remembers that his mother can't see him.

"Alright, out with it, then." She prompts, a bit impatient and anxious.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." He replies, huffing in the pretense to be annoyed. Truthfully, he's a little nervous. When he thinks about it, he wonders why. It's not like he's never had a boyfriend before. Well, he's never had boyfriends at once, either. He's also never had those that really matter. And maybe that's why he's nervous. Because the triplets do matter and they make Louis feel so good about life and he's never wanted something to work out this much. "Mum.." He starts.

"Yes?"

"I think I found my Alphas."

Jay pauses, probably blinking and trying to take the statement in. "Really?" She whispers, so full of hope.

"Yeah." His smile can probably be heard. "They're amazing. I can't wait for you to meet them."

"Wait." She says. "Them? Alphas? As in plural? More than one?"

Yeah, Louis didn't come up with a plan on how to gently break that one to her. "Um.. Yeah." He scrunches his face up, trying to put it simply without freaking her out as he exhales. "They're triplets."

Jay gasps softly and Louis doesn't know whether to take it as a good sign or a bad sign. He can imagine her, with her shocked face and her hand covering her mouth. He hopes she's not too freaked out. "Do you have to choose one of them?"

"What? No." Louis shakes his head, shutting his eyes close. He can't even think about a world where he has to do that, living without one of them or having to hurt the other two. "I want them. And they want me."

Jay is momentarily silent, barely making any noise that Louis thought she'd cut off the call. "Is that going to be a good idea, honey? I mean... won't it be too much?"

Louis has to get up and pace around as he talks. "I don't know. I mean, it probably would be too much. It already is just from me thinking about them but, Mum..." He pauses in the middle of the room. "I've never wanted anyone as much as I want them."

His Mum doesn't reply straight away. The silence feels deafening, and he's holding his breath while he hopes that she would think about it, at least.

"Mum?"

"What are they like?" Jay asks softly.

Louis smiles happily, almost crying tears of happiness knowing that she's considering it. "Oh, Mum, they're the loveliest Alphas. They're so kind, and gentle, and they treat me so well. They're so different, Mum."

"You sound so happy." She notes.

"I am. I've only known them for a few days now but they make me so happy." Louis tells her honestly. "We've been on dates, me with each of them."

"Yeah? How was it?"

"It's so easy, being with them. They make me feel safe, they don't make me feel the need to remember who I should call if something happens and what I should do if I need to escape. I didn't even bring my pepper spray along whenever I'm with them."

"Louis!" His mother scolds. "It's dangerous. You should at least have something."

"Yeah, I know. But that's how safe they make me feel. And they never touch me without my permission and they listen to me when I talk." Louis sighs a little.

"Oh, honey." Jay can't help but chuckle. "You sound proper infatuated."

"I am." Louis cheekily admits. "They want to meet you."

Jay coughs a little. "They do?"

"Yeah. And they're already asking me to move in. But I want to tell you about them first, and I want to know your thoughts." He mutters.

"They're really serious, then, about courting you." She says, thinking.

Louis' lips twitch. That's exactly what he said to Edward. "Yeah, I was sceptical at first too."

Jay hums, and Louis can hear the audible sound of her drumming her fingers. Then she sighs. "Lou.. I'm happy that you've met someone.. But you're my one and only son."

Louis bites on his lip, eyes already watering. Is she going to say no? Is she not going to let him continue with their relationship? He clutches his eyes close, his grip tightening around his phone.

"I don't want you to move in yet." She states. "I'd like to meet them first. If that's alright with you."

The Omega quickly releases the breath he's holding, relief flooding through his body. "Yeah, I'm fine with that."

"When do you think that'll be possible?" His mother asks. "I can't wait to have you back home."

Louis grins, knowing his Mum probably is okay with the whole thing and she just wants him back home for a while. "I'll talk to them first about that. Then, I'll text you."

"Good." Jay agrees. "Now, tell me more about them."

---

Louis fixes his coat as he steps out of the building, trying to recall if he's got everything with him before he leaves for his work. He mindlessly walks along the pavement, heading for the bus stop where he'll take the bus to the nursery. It's only 7am, and the children don't start filling in until 8.45 but Louis likes to be there early.

"Louis!" He hears a familiar voice calls.

His steps halt and he freezes, blinking repeatedly and wondering if he's been thinking too much about the triplets that he can hear their voices calling him. But then his name sounds again and Louis spins.

He gasps when he sees the Range Rover, with Edward in the driver seat smirking at him. Louis wonders if he's hallucinating too.

"Get in." Edward says.

"What are you doing here?" Louis gapes, not moving an inch from where he's standing. His brain couldn't fathom the idea that Edward is here.

Edward rolls his eyes. "To take you to work." He clarifies, like it's the most obvious thing ever.

"What?" Louis croaks weakly.

"Just get inside, will you?" Edward huffs. That springs Louis into action and he quickly heads towards the car, climbing into the passenger side in disbelief.

He breathes deeply as the car starts moving and Edward rolls the window back up. He throws the Omega occasional glances, a hint of amusement on his face. Louis meets his eyes in confusion. "What are you doing here?" He asks again.

Edward looks at him, forehead creasing for a moment before he turns back to the road. "Taking you to work." He reaffirms in retaliation. "Where is it, anyway?"

Louis reaches out and keys in the address to the nursery then sits back, still blinking and struggling to take it in. "Why?" He pushes, continuing their previous conversation.

"Because I want to. Because I can." Edward says, leaving no room for Louis to argue.

Louis smiles at that, eyes crinkling as he relaxes into his seat. His hand creeps over to Edward, peeling his fingers off the steering wheel and instead clasping his hand tight in his grip. "Good morning." He says softly.

Edward grins. "Morning."

"Did you miss me?" Louis teases. It is Wednesday, after all. It's been five days since he's last since Edward. He's been thinking about them more than he wants to, and Louis can't lie and say that he hadn't wanted to see them sooner than later.

Edward makes a face. "You can't prove that."

Louis laughs, bringing Edward's hand up to kiss the back of it. "Well, I've missed you."

"Have you?"

"Yeah, can't seem to get you three out of my head." He murmurs, letting their clasped hands rest on his lap. "Kept thinking of our date, and your kisses." His face reddens, and he looks down where he's playing with Edward's fingers.

The Alpha's mouth tilts upwards on one side. Then his face turns serious. "Have you given a thought about moving in, then?"

"Oh.." Louis should know that the topic would come up sooner than later. "I wanted to tell my Mum first."

"What did she say?" Edward asks, curious. There's also a little bit of insecurity behind his voice.

Louis hums. "She doesn't want me moving in yet." He pauses for effect. "Not until she's met all of you."

The way the Alpha relaxes when Louis says that is obvious. "That can be arranged."

"You want to meet her?" Louis asks excitedly. He has to be honest, he was kind of worried that the triplets would say no to the idea of meeting the parent at such early stage of their relationship. But then again they've talked about their families on their dates and entertained the thought of meeting them so he wonders why he bothered worrying.

He nods. "Of course. Why not?"

"That's great!" Louis brightens, squeezing Edward's hand in his hold and Edward squeezes back.

"There is one condition, though." Edward starts. When Louis raises his eyebrows in prompt for him to continue, the Alpha cocks his head to the side. "You have to meet our Mum too."

"Yeah?" Louis instantly grows nervous, but also excited that they're as serious about this as he is. He also can't wait to meet the woman that managed to survive raising these three wonderful but handful men. "I'd love to!"

"When do you plan to get us to see your Mum?"

"As soon as possible. Whenever you three are free, though." Louis shrugs, brushing his index up and down Edward's huge hand on his lap.

"We are free this weekend." Edward tells him. "What if we go to your Mum's on Friday, then stay the night, and go to ours' on Saturday? That way we can come back on Sunday, and we'd have some time to relax before we go to work again on Monday."

Louis thinks about it for a moment, then he nods. "Yeah. That sounds fine."

"Good." Edward murmurs just as the car rolls to a stop. "We're here."

"Thank you for taking me to work." Louis says gratefully, releasing Edward's hand and picking up his bag. He is about to open the door when Edward tugs him back.

Louis gasps in shock when he's facing Edward. "Not leaving me without a kiss, are you?"

The Omega blushes in embarrassment, giggling softly. "Hmm, maybe I should." He bites his lower lip, hand sliding up to cup against Edward's neck.

"Are you sure? Okay, then."

"No, no!" Louis pouts, trying to keep Edward in place when the Alpha tries to pull back.

"Don't pout." Edward says, pretending to be annoyed.

"Then kiss me."

"I thought you didn't want to?"

"Edward.." Louis whines, already nudging forward until their noses are pressed together.

The Alpha laughs, reaching up and brushing his thumb over Louis' cheek. "Alright, Princess. I'll give you whatever you want." Louis' heart soars at that.

"I want you to kiss me." Louis whispers, as if making a wish. Then he shuts his eyes and lets Edward close their distance. He sighs softly at the taste of Edward's lips he's growing too familiar with. He shuffles closer, his fingers pulling softly at the Alpha's curls and humming appreciatively as he feels the softness of his hair.

When they pull back, Louis doesn't straight away open his eyes. His mouth curves into a tiny smile when Edward presses their forehead together. "Well.." The Omega says as he opens his eyes and straightens his body, pulling away from Edward and his warmth. "Have a good day, Mister."

"Zayn is picking you up. What time do you end?" Edward says when Louis jumps out of the passenger seat.

Louis closes the door and waits for him to roll the window down before he's giving him a confused face. "Why?"

"Harry or Marcel is supposed to do it but none of them can make it today, and I have a meeting. Zayn is the only one free so he's picking you up." Edward says with a shrug.

"He doesn't have to. I can go home on my own just fine." Louis complains.

Edward shoots him a glare.

Louis whimpers. "Edward..." Then he pouts excessively.

Edward almost falls for it. "Lou, it's dangerous."

"I've been doing it for the past few years." Louis crosses his arms. "It'll be fine. I'll be fine."

"I don't want you to take the risk anymore." Edward replies.

"It's not that far, anyway." Louis grumbles. "You are ridiculous."

"It's much more comfortable." Edward tries to reason. "You are ridiculous."

Louis rolls his eyes. "I've never met Zayn. How do I know if I can trust him?"

"He's my best friend." Edward states, as if that is enough reason as to why Louis should trust him. Not that Louis doesn't. Zayn is, after all, Niall's spouse. He'd love to meet him.

He doesn't respond to Edward, still pouting and crossing his arms.

"Stop making that face." Edward scolds, threatening to roll the window up. "Come on, Lou. Don't make me get down and kiss you."

The Omega sighs heavily, trying not to stomp his feet. "Fine. Tell him to pick me up at five." He grumbles in relent, glaring at Edward.

"You're so hot." Edward smirks, as if Louis isn't looking at him like he wants to stab him.

The comment catches him off guard and Louis blushes. "Shut up."

"Tell Zayn I said hi." Edward says, looking at his watch and deciding that he needs to go. "I'll see you later, Princess."

"Bye." Louis calls out softly, his hand giving a timid wave as Edward drives away.

He takes a deep breath once the car is out of sight, then turns around and heads into the nursery. He can't keep the smile off of his face. His cheeks are starting to hurt with it, so Louis keeps his head down the whole time as he walks to his class.

---

The day passes by so fast that Louis doesn't even realise that it's time for him to go home by the time it comes. Louis is planning what to do for his future classes when Jake knocks on his door and shifts his attention. He looks at his colleague questioningly, raising his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Aren't you going home?" Jake asks him, strolling into the class like he owns the place.

"What time is it?" Louis questions, blinking as he glances at the clock. A surprised gasp escapes his mouth when he sees the time. "How come it's already ten past five?"

Jake frowns in confusion when the Omega jumps out of his seat and quickly flips his file shut, scrambling around to tuck away his stuff and grabbing his bag along with his coat. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I was supposed to leave ten minutes ago." Louis explains as he heads out the door with Jake trailing behind him. When the Alpha steps out of the threshold, Louis quickly locks the class up.

They walk together towards the entrance, with Louis glancing nervously at his watch.

"You need to rush back, then?" Jake tries to guess.

"Uh, yeah." Louis nods distractedly, rummaging through his bag to see if there's anything he's left behind. He quickly withdraws his phone, shoving it into his pocket. Once he's sure he's got everything, Louis finally calms, looking up just as they exited the main door.

"I can give you a ride if you want?" Jake offers, nodding at his car that's parked at the side of the lot.

"Oh?" Louis says. "Um, no, no, that's okay." He waves his hand, smiling kindly as he tries to search the lot for Zayn. It's a little hard, considering many teachers and workers are going home at the same time and he doesn't even know how Zayn looks like.

"Come on. It won't be a bother at all." His friend reassures.

Louis shakes his head. "It's alright, Jake. Thank you, but not today." He declines again, being gentle about it.

"Ah.. Alright, then." He nods, despondent. "Take care, yeah?"

"Thanks, you too." Louis waves timidly, moving on to walk along the lot and search for Zayn. He still has yet to figure out how Zayn looks like. He sure hopes Zayn knows how he looks like or else they're never going to find each other.

Louis decides to walk over and wait by the roadside. Maybe Zayn hasn't arrived yet. Or maybe he could just take the bus home. But no, Zayn would be worried. Louis doesn't want to burden the poor man. He already has to do the job of picking Louis up. Honestly, why did Louis even listen to Edward?

Louis' brain doesn't really focus on it when a Bentley slows down by the road and approaches him. The driver can't be seen through the dark window when it comes to a complete stop as it reaches Louis.

The Omega is too caught up staring at the beauty that he forgets the need to feel cautious. By the time the window is rolled down and Louis smells the Alpha, only then he remembers to keep his guard up. He shifts his eyes to glare at the Alpha but he's taken aback when he sees the most beautiful human being his eyes have ever graced.

Honestly, is this person a God? Adonis? Louis can see his eyelashes even with the distance between them and fuck, are those cheekbones or knives? He has black hair that is styled so well Louis almost forget they're in the real world and not in some magazine. And that kind of beard rarely works on anyone but Louis thinks Adonis could pull off any look, to be honest. It's his brown eyes that take most of the attention, though. Those brown eyes are so captivating; Louis almost got lost in them with the way the Alpha is smouldering at him.

Louis shakes his head and frowns a little. Why does Louis feel like he's seen this man on TV?

"Hey there." Adonis grins at him.

The Omega glares, taking a step back before proceeding to ignore the Alpha. Gorgeous or not, Louis knows how to keep himself safe.

"Waiting for someone?" He asks cheekily, flashing a set of white teeth.

"That person surely isn't you." Louis' retort causes the Alpha to chuckle.

He's still grinning and Louis' hand is itching to punch that look off his face. He looks far too smug. Louis isn't sure about what, but he doesn't like that the bloke looks like he knows something Louis doesn't.

"No, no, I'm exactly the person you are waiting for." He tells Louis, winking. "I'm sure of it."

"Go away." Louis hisses, clutching his bag tighter. Maybe he should've just taken the bus home, or accepted that offer Jake gave him.

"Oh no, I can't do that. I'm not moving until you get in this car with me." The Alpha assures him.

Louis is considering making a run from him. He's growing a little panicked but he won't show it on his face regardless of how determined the Alpha looks. "You should leave before I make you regret you even looked at me." It's obviously an empty promise, but Louis hopes it'd be enough to drive the Alpha away.

The black haired man laughs loudly, wiping his eyes for non-existent tears. "You're so feisty." He comments, which makes Louis scowl. Then he sighs. "Come on in, Lou. Edward will kill me for keeping you out in the cold for too long."

Louis' mouth falls open. "Zayn?"

"Who else?" Zayn rolls his eyes. "Get in."

The Omega watches for a moment in betrayal before he huffs, finally complying. The moment he settles inside and the door's closed, Louis swings his bag at the unsuspecting Zayn. It hits him square on his head. "Oof!"

"You proper scared me, you dick!" Louis scolds, huffing again and crossing his arm while Zayn groans in pain and starts nursing his head.

"I'm sorry." Zayn replies, ducking his head. At least he does feel embarrassed for doing it.

"You better be grateful I'm not bashing your head into your steering wheel."

The Alpha widens his eyes in shock. "You were going to do that?"

"What, you think I wouldn't have the balls? I don't care how pretty your face is, I would've!" Louis continues giving him a glower. If looks could kill, Niall would've lost one of his husbands by now.

Zayn grins at that, nudging Louis with his shoulder. "At least you think I'm pretty, eh?"

"Just because you're Niall's husband, don't think that I would hesitate to punch you in the face. I'm sure he would understand."

Zayn stares at him in horror for a few seconds, gaping a little. Then he bursts out laughing. "Okay, I get it. Now I understand."

"Understand what?"

"Nothing." Zayn replies, shaking his head with a small smile. He rolls his window up, then starts driving away.

Louis makes a sound of irritation, leaning back into the seat and sighing. He would've pushed the answer out of Zayn, but he just met him and he's too tired for that. He has to admit, not having to take the bus home sure is a relief and silently thanks Zayn for willing to come and pick him up.

"So, where should I send you to?" Zayn asks.

"Oh, wait." He murmurs, leaning forward and punching in the address to his place. Zayn nods at that, taking note that it's not that far.

The ride is quiet after that, and Louis doesn't mind. The silence is not uncomfortable. For once, he's glad that Zayn is not trying to make up a conversation with him or anything because now that he's sitting down and relaxed, the fatigue is catching up to him. He feels like he could melt into the comfortable seat.

Louis is almost asleep by the time the car rolls to a stop and he's so grateful that they've arrived. He doesn't want to fall asleep in the presence of an Alpha he is yet to fully trust, regardless that he's Niall's spouse.

"Here's your building...?"

"I know, you don't have to insult it. Edward already did." Louis drawls, picking his bag up and yawning a bit. "Thank you for willing to come fetch me and send me home. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, sure. Take care, alright?" Zayn murmurs, holding out a fist. "And sorry I was late."

"It's fine." Louis looks at it, then smiles and curls his own hand into a fist before bumping their knuckles lazily. "And you take care too, Z."

Zayn refuses to drive away until Louis is safely in the building. Louis smiles at the gesture and waves as Zayn drives away. Once Zayn is gone, he quickly walks into the lift. He needs his bed. He needs it soon.

He might have played too hard with the kids earlier that day. Let this be a lesson - for the tenth time, probably - not to give any of his student a piggy back ride. Because offering to one student would mean requests from the others as well and Louis never has the heart to say no.

When he reaches his door, Louis quickly twists the door handle and hopes that Alex is already home.

No such luck.

He groans, shoving his hand into his bag and drawing out his keys before unlocking the door and entering the flat. It's dark and quiet, which confirms Louis' theory that Alex isn't home. He locks the door behind him, then goes straight to his room. He dumps his bag in the corner and almost jumps onto his bed.

Louis blinks twice and then sleep is consuming him.

"LOUIS TOMLINSON, GET YOUR ARSE UP THIS SECOND!"

He rouses awake a few hours later, when Alex is pounding at his door screaming at him to wake up.

"LOUIS!!!"

"I'm up, you twat!" Louis groans aloud. "Bloody hell."

"Dinner!" Alex yells once again, then there's the tell-tale sound of his footsteps walking away.

Louis rolls over in bed, weighing the options in his head about the decision that he can make.

Food? Or sleep?

If he goes back to sleep right now, he could just eat during breakfast. But there's a chance that he'd wake up in the middle of the night because he's hungry and he doesn't want to eat then. On the other hand, if he wakes up to eat now, he won't be able to sleep again right away cause he won't be sleepy, but then God knows what time he'd be sleepy again.

God, is he really doing this?

"Louis!" There's Alex's voice calling for him again.

"Five minutes!" Louis replies, his voice a little hoarse from sleep. He groggily sits up, rubbing at his eyes and yawning. He pats his pockets to search for his phone, and quickly turns it on once he's got it out and in his hand.

The time shows that it's slightly past seven. So he didn't sleep that long.

There's a message from Lottie, and that makes him frown a little. Lottie rarely texts him; she usually just calls.

He opens it up and immediately feels his face heats up.

Lottie: Something you want to tell me, Lou? Involves a certain supermodel.

Louis groans again. Of course she's seen that on the paper. Panicked, his fingers quickly start dancing on the phone screen as he types a message to send back to her.

Does Mum know who he is?

A moment later, a reply comes in.

Lottie: Nope, Fiz and I made sure she didn't see it. We figured you'd tell her yourself when it comes to something like this. You owe us one.

He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding at that.

Thank you, Lotts! Yes, I owe you. Talk to me about it when I'm home.

Lottie: Does that mean you'd be home soon?

:p

Lottie: Can't wait to see you, Lou! Love you! x

Louis smiles.

Love you too. xx

Noticing that his phone is running out of battery, Louis reaches out across his bed to charge it on his night stand. Then reluctantly, he grows to his feet and stumbles into the bathroom.

When he goes into the kitchen later on, Alex is sitting at the dining table with some Chinese take out for them.

"Hello there, big man." His flatmate grins at him, gently pushing one of the take outs towards Louis as the Omega sits down.

"Shut up." He grumbles.

"How was your day?" Alex asks as they start to eat.

"Fine, Edward sent me to work this morning. Appeared out of nowhere, that one." Louis shrugs.

His friend looks at him excitedly. "Did he? Did he pick you up after work, too?"

"Nah, Zayn picked me up. None of them could make it."

"Zayn?"

"Yeah, he's Niall's husband."

"Well, that's nice." Alex comments. "So you have someone to drive you now?"

Louis thinks about it for a moment, his chewing slowing down. "I'm not sure...." He trails off. "I hope not, though? I don't want to burden them. It's not their responsibility to do that, anyway."

"Eh, Lou, it's not like you asked them to." Alex says with a gentle nudge to Louis' arm. "They're taking care of you, just enjoy it all. Besides, it is sort of their responsibility. You're their Omega, after all."

"Not yet." Louis reminds him.

"No, not yet." Alex gives him a smirk in response. "But soon. So, they still have the right and the responsibility to take care of you."

"I don't know, Al.. Don't you think they're too good to me?" Louis voices it out loud, a thought that has been on his mind ever since he met the triplets.

Alex stares at him like he has just heard the most ridiculous statement Louis has ever made. "No, Lou." He shakes his head, disappointed that Louis would even think that. "They're treating you how you should be treated. You've just been seeing shitty Alphas in the past that when people are treating you right, you question it."

"Should I reciprocate the gesture? I mean.."

"No, Lou. They take care of you by protecting you, that's their responsibility. You don't need to protect them to take care of them. They don't need protection."

"That's not fair, though."

"No, it's not. But it's not supposed to be, anyway. Because Alphas don't walk down the street without worrying if someone is going to grab them, or have people holler degrading things at them when they walk past. Omegas go through that. Especially female ones. And Omegas' strength don't compare to Alphas, that's why your Alphas should protect you." Alex tells him, starting a brief lecture that Louis willingly listens to. "That's how they take care of you. You take care of them by attending to them based on what they need."

"What do they need?"

Alex scowls at him. "How am I supposed to know? They're your Alphas."

"How am I supposed to figure out what they need?" Louis wonders, staring down into his food.

His friend hums with a shrug as he ponders. "Children, I guess. Maybe that's what they need."

Louis blushes at that.

Alex snorts when he sees the flush on Louis' face. "What are you, five?"

"Shut up." Louis grins.

"Some Alphas acquire Omegas for sex, some for children. Others do that to establish their dominance, having someone to control and have power over, someone that submit to them. It's sick and weird." Alex shrugs to show his uncertainty. "But maybe they're not like that. You can just figure out what they want once you've moved in. It's usually the time when you grow really close and know each other better."

"Yeah." Louis agrees.

"Besides, maybe they don't even need things? Maybe they just want someone to take care of, someone to love? So don't be weirded out if that's what they end up wanting." Alex points a fork in his direction.

Louis purses his lips at that.

"Stop questioning things like that, Lou. Just roll with it. Or else you're going to overthink it." Alex advises him. "They're giving you nice things, and they haven't asked for things you couldn't give yet so far in return, so just take them. Enjoy the good treatment. You deserve it."

The Omega sighs, nodding and smiling at him when Alex looks up. "Thank you, Al."

"Yeah, sure. Don't forget me when you've moved out, yeah?"

Silence.

"Alex, are you going all emotional on me?"

"No, bugger off."

Louis' laughter rings in the kitchen.

---

Louis doesn't expect anyone to pick him up to send him to work the next day, so he starts walking to the bus stop. He figures if any of them is driving him, they probably would've texted him. But he doesn't even get to walk more than probably fifty metres before a Mercedes is approaching him at the side walk. He is cautious at first, ready to walk faster but when the window rolls down and Marcel's face appears, Louis' heart skips a beat and he relaxes. His steps are immediately stopped, and Marcel halts the car as well.

"Hello there." Marcel grins, showing off his dimples.

Louis blushes faintly, ducking a little and smiling back at him. "Hi."

"Alone, then?" Marcel teases, placing his elbow over the window.

"Yeah." Louis replies, biting on his lower lip to stop himself from grinning too wide.

"Well, would you like a ride?" He pretends to offer.

Louis shrugs. "I don't know."

Marcel laughs, and it's a beautiful sound to hear especially at such hour in the morning. It's too early for this, for the butterflies in Louis' stomach and the way his heart is singing. "Come on, Lou. Hop in."

He wants to protest, but Louis is sure it would take him nowhere and they'd probably spend too long arguing about it so he complies. He'd arrive to work much faster, anyway.

"Hi." Marcel says again when he climbs into the passenger seat.

"Hi." Louis replies, smiling. That's what he keeps doing lately, smile.

"How soon do you need to be at work?" Marcel asks, not driving yet.

Louis wonders why he's asking. "Not too soon, why?"

"Have you had breakfast?"

"Yeah..." Louis answers regretfully.

Marcel deflates a little, but he doesn't show it too much. "I was thinking of inviting you to breakfast before I send you. But, maybe next time if you want, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure." He nods. "Have you had breakfast, though?"

"I did." Marcel replies, shifting the gear.

Louis can tell he's not being honest. "Marcel..."

"I'll just grab something after I drop you off." The Alpha reasons, giving him a reassuring smile.

The Omega huffs in disapproval, then an idea pops into his head. "Why don't we have a take away? We can eat it in the car." He suggests. "Or, are you against all that eating in the car thing?"

"Oh, no, no. Harry eats in the car all the time. Drives Edward up the wall every time he spills something, but the Betas clean the cars regularly, so it's fine." Marcel tells him. "That sounds like a good idea, we should do it."

"Yeah? Let's go, then."

They end up getting some Starbucks with some sandwiches and Marcel parks in the nursery lot so they could eat together. Louis hands him his drink after he grabs their sandwiches and pastries in the back seat.

"So, Edward told me about meeting your Mum this weekend?" Marcel asks as they start biting into their breakfast. It's Louis' second, but oh well.

Louis nods, silently appreciating the sandwich for a moment before he replies. "Yeah. It's alright with you?"

"Yeah, yeah. We talked it over and all of us agreed. We're fine with it." He wipes his mouth with a paper towel. "Harry has already taken his leave. So we'll be ready to go by Friday evening. We'll pick you up."

"That's good." Louis nods thoughtfully. "Do you feel nervous?"

"Not quite yet." He admits. "I will be when we're on the way, probably."

They share a laugh at that.

"I'm not sure which one I should be more nervous for, you meeting my Mum or me meeting yours." Louis voices.

Marcel only needs to think for three seconds before he replies. "Definitely us meeting yours. You're very lovely. Our Mum would definitely love you."

"You don't know that."

"She already knows about you." Marcel says.

Louis looks at him a little bit in alarm. "Yeah? What did she say?" He asks nervously.

"She actually found out about you through the papers, when you went on that date with Harry. She called us on Monday and was very disappointed because we didn't tell her that we found an Omega." Marcel chuckles a little, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Was she upset?"

"Yeah, because we kept you from her. But she can't wait to see you." The Alpha smiles proudly.

Louis needs a moment to breathe. "What if she hates me?"

"She won't!" Marcel says urgently. "She's proper excited. She's very happy that we found someone." He pauses for a moment then adds, "She thinks you're gorgeous."

"Oh?" Louis raises his eyebrows as he gets rid of his breakfast packaging into the plastic bag. He watches while Marcel finishes his sandwich and does the same too. "Does she now?"

"Yeah, handsome was her exact word." Marcel confesses, licking away the trace of mayonnaise on his lips. Louis watches the move like a hawk.

"I'm very flattered." He replies before his eyes meet Marcel's and his face turns serious again. "If she doesn't like me, I'm going to sue you."

"I can promise you, if she doesn't like you, you can do whatever you want to me."

Louis doesn't let his thoughts head in that direction. "Okay. Right now I just want your kisses, would it be too much to ask?"

Marcel bursts out laughing. "Darling, you don't even have to ask."

And then Louis is tugging him close by his shirt and they are meeting halfway. Louis sighs in contentment when he finally feels their lips pressed together, opening up straight away and licking into Marcel's mouth. He feels Marcel touching his hair and preens, bringing his own hand up to cup one side of his face as they tilt their heads.

Marcel deepens the kiss and Louis feels a little lightheaded at how good it tastes. He feels the Alpha pulls him slightly closer, and Louis thinks, fuck it. So he pulls back, and as Marcel watches him in confusion, the Omega boldly climbs over the console and drapes his leg across Marcel's lap and shifts until he's safely straddling him. Before he could say anything, Louis is pressing himself to Marcel again and claiming his mouth. His hands roam along Marcel's neck and slipping into his hair. Marcel's palms are warm on his back, rubbing up and down and slipping down towards dangerous territory but never actually breaching that region. Louis doesn't know whether to be disappointed or not.

He gasps when Marcel's hand run through his hair and then Marcel is gripping it, giving it a light tug.

Louis wants to stay here, wants to let Marcel bruise his lips with these kisses he's never had enough in life. But he's still aware that they're parked in the lot and the teachers are probably starting to arrive. He's a little grateful that the car is tinted and nobody can see him shoving his tongue down the Alpha's throat. He does have a class to teach, though. And he needs to go soon.

"What time is it?" After what feels like ages, he finally mumbles against Marcel's lips, his words a little muffled. Louis doesn't let him answer right away, capturing his lips into another bruising kiss before he allows space for the Alpha to talk while they gasp for air.

"Eight sharp."

"Fuck." Louis pulls back so fast he accidentally sounds the horn. Both of them jerk in surprise at that.

They share a look before bursting out laughing in the confined space like a couple of five year olds.

"I have to get going." Louis says, but Marcel gently tugs him down. The Omega lets himself be drawn into the sweet kiss momentarily. Then he pulls back. "The children will arrive at 8.45." He says.

Marcel grins, tugging him close again. His pull is light, and Louis could easily resist, but he goes along until Marcel is kissing him again.

"I have to.." Kiss. "...go now..." Kiss. "..Marcel.." Kiss. "...I'm serious."

"Alright." Marcel relents with a silent laugh. He pulls back, his hands curling loosely around Louis' waist. "Get off me, then."

Louis groans, wrapping his arms around Marcel's neck and allowing himself one last snog. He's almost gasping for air by the time they finally pull away. He looks down at Marcel's flushed face, lips red and swollen. He looks so fucking delicious like this.

He shakes his head, not wanting to fall into this trap again. "You've made a mess of me." He purposely accuses the Alpha as he climbs back to the passenger seat.

"It's a good look on you." Marcel says cheekily, causing Louis to glare at him while he fixes his hair and smoothes down his shirt again.

"Are you picking me up?" Louis questions, fetching his bag.

Marcel bites his lower lip, nodding. "Yeah."

"Good, because this is not over yet, Mister." Louis warns, opening the door but not getting out yet. His face softens then. "I'll see you yeah?"

"See you, baby." Marcel replies, reaching out and kissing him sweetly one last time.

Louis grins, finally getting out and closing the door. He waits until Marcel has driven away before he starts heading into the entrance. His heart is still singing and his lips are still tingling with Marcel's kiss.

"Hey, Tomlinson. You look happy today, what's up?" One of his colleague comments as he walks past, grinning at him.

"Had a great start of the day." He replies, unable to keep the smile off his face. He heads straight for his classroom and starts singing the moment the door shuts behind him.

He's so happy he feels like flying. It's never been this way, and Louis has never fallen this fast but he's sure he's already in love with all of them. Maybe not completely, but he is a goner anyway.

Once his Mum gives the green light, God knows Louis is straight away going to move in as fast as he can. He wants to see them all the time, probably won't get tired of doing so.

He yelps when he sees the time. He only has a few minutes left to get ready before the children come. Silently, he curses Marcel for making him late with his kisses.

---

"Hi." Louis greets as he enters the car.

"Hey." Marcel replies, one side of his mouth tilting up. As soon as Louis closes the door, he drives away. "How was your day?"

"Couldn't go by fast enough." Louis admits, pulling off his bag and placing it on his lap.

"Why so? You didn't have fun with the kids?"

Louis shakes his head. "I did, they were very lovely today. As always. I just couldn't wait to see you again."

Marcel blushes faintly at that and Louis ducks his head as he smiles. "Well, I'm here now." Marcel offers. "Do you want to go and grab dinner?"

Louis thinks about it for a moment. "It's too early. Maybe we can hang out at mine first and then dinner?"

"Yeah, that works. We could call Harry and Edward to join as well." He suggests, thinking of his brothers and Louis' heart kickstarts at the thought of seeing them all together again.

Being with each of them has already turned him into a puddle of emotion, he doesn't really want to think about how he would behave when he's surrounded by all three of them. His inner Omega would probably urge him to strip and present himself to them right away.

Louis' face heats up at the thought, and he quickly attempts to summon other irrelevant things he could think of that wouldn't cause his body to act at its own accordance.

"Um.." He shakes his head, ridding of his own thoughts and focusing on Marcel. "Yeah, yeah. That sounds great!"

---

"It's nothing much.... but it's home." Louis shrugs as he looks around the living room. Alex, thankfully, bless that man, has cleaned up the place before he went to work that morning. Louis wonders how Alex stayed with him all these years since Louis makes a mess all the time but he knows that he loves Alex very much. At least it looks like a place that could be lived in now as opposed to looking like the dump the previous night.

Louis hopes Marcel doesn't feel claustrophobic in this flat. His living room is probably not even a quarter of the size of the triplets' living room.

Silently, Louis sends a thank you to whoever is listening that Marcel is the one who happens to be here to enter his house and not Edward. That Alpha would probably glare at every other thing in the flat that he feels Louis deserves better while simultaneously insulting everything his eyes fall upon.

He smiles timidly at the thought.

"Well, it is cosy." Marcel tilts his head approvingly, eyeing the place. "I like it."

Louis scoffs, the sound barely audible as he sends a look at Marcel. "You don't need to flatter me, Marcel."

"No, I'm being honest." Marcel widens his eyes, shaking his head.

"Okay, sure." Louis shrugs again, not unkindly. "Do you want a drink or anything?"

"Yeah, sure." Marcel tells him, then he gestures at the couch. "May I have a sit?"

Louis blinks, his mouth forming a big O. "Shit, yeah. Of course, of course. Have at it." He flails his arms towards the furniture. "Sorry, I haven't had a guest in a long time. It's usually Alex who brings his friends and girlfriend over."

"It's alright, don't worry." Marcel says, waving his hand dismissively. He moves to take a seat, leaning back against the cushion and allowing himself to relax.

Louis groans inwardly, quickly moving to the kitchen to grab some drinks. He has to stop embarrassing himself in front of Marcel and the rest of his triplets. Opening the fridge, he sees that they still have some Coke, so he grabs those and kicks the door close.

Marcel has his head thrown back and his eyes closed by the time Louis returns. He doesn't appear to be asleep, though, so Louis approaches him with quiet steps and silently sits down next to him. The Alpha turns his head to the side, facing Louis and his lips form a smile before his eyes even open. "Hi."

"Hi." Louis grins, offering him one of the bottles. "Got us some Coke."

"Thank you." Marcel's large hand wraps around the bottle before he takes it from Louis' grip. He shifts until he's sitting properly, back straight.

Louis watches as Marcel takes a few gulps from the bottle, his eyes unblinking while he observes the way Marcel's Adam's apple bobs with the action. He sighs, leaning back in his own seat as he tips the bottom up. He licks his lips once his bottle is upright again, then turns to Marcel. "You want to watch anything?" He motions to the TV.

"No, I'm alright." Marcel politely declines.

"Look at this, refusing to watch my telly with me just because it's less than 50 inches." Louis says obnoxiously, his nose scrunching up as he teases Marcel.

"Hey, I didn't say that." Marcel laughs, prompting Louis to giggle. "I'm just more content to be watching you, to be honest."

"What a creep." Louis retorts, pretending his cheeks are not turning a faint colour of red. He giggles again, closing his eyes and turning slightly to the side when Marcel brushes his pointer finger across Louis' nose. Marcel's laughing quietly, and his face is very close when Louis' eyelids flutter open again. Louis' laughter slowly dies down in his throat, replaced with a small sigh. His breathing is calm, letting out even puff of air every time he exhales. It's such an opposite of how it feels like in his body, how his blood is running in a pointless race, his hands trembling a little with the nerves when Marcel's green, green eyes are boring into his. "Kiss me." Louis pleads quietly.

Marcel nods, putting his bottle away. Louis gulps from his own Coke one last time before he follows suit. And then Marcel is all over him and Louis giggles when he is horizontal on the couch with the Alpha draped along his body. Marcel is staring down at him with an admiring look in his eyes. It's refreshing for Louis to have an Alpha on top of him without being sent a look of lust for once.

He feels Marcel's hand stroking along his hair, his other hand on Louis' face, his fingers brushing across Louis' cheek. Louis' giggles grow louder when Marcel drops a kiss onto each of his eye, and the Alpha chuckles quietly too at Louis' reaction.

"That tickles." Louis tells him, his arms wrapping around Marcel's torso.

"Does it, now?" Marcel taunts, one hand reaching down and hovering experimentally along Louis' side. The Omega yelps. "I almost forget that you're ticklish."

"Don't." Louis threatens but he's laughing, shakily trying to push Marcel's hand away. "I asked you to kiss me, not tickle me, you git."

"Where's the fun in that?" Marcel complains.

"If you tickle me, I will kick you in the balls." Louis points a finger at him, but gives up into another fit of giggles when Marcel grabs his hand and kisses the finger. "You are so insufferable."

"Do you want to get rid of me, then?" Marcel questions.

"No!" Louis immediately proves his protest by wrapping his arms and legs around Marcel's torso so that the Alpha couldn't move even if he wants to. "Stay, forever."

"Okay."

"Good." Louis pats his head, poking his cheek. "Now kiss me."

---

"Are you fucking serious?" Alex groans exasperatedly when he walks inside and sees the couple in the middle of a heated snog. "You're snogging on my couch now?"

Marcel blushes, disconnecting their lips and hiding his face away into Louis' neck.

"Ours, Al. Our couch." Louis corrects him. "And I didn't say anything when you had Hailey over."

Alex does not have a comeback for that. So, as usual, he settles for pointing his tongue out at Louis. His flatmate does the same, then they exchange the middle finger. Alex closes the door and shrugs off his coat. "Are you staying for dinner, then?" He directs the question to Marcel.

When he turns around, the two of them are sitting up on the couch, fixing their clothes.

"Um, actually, I was thinking of inviting Louis out for dinner with my brothers. You can join in if you want to." He offers, clearly inviting Alex to come along. He looks really excited at the thought of Louis' flatmate having dinner with them.

Louis nods. "Yeah, that'd be fun. You can get to know each other better."

"Actually.." Alex trails off, then lifts the plastic bag Louis didn't notice he had brought in. "I've already bought us dinner. Italian tonight. Sorry." He purses his lips. "But if you want to go out, it's fine. I'll call Hailey over."

Louis looks at Alex, then at Marcel. "Um.."

Alex gives him a smile, one that says he really doesn't mind if Louis goes but he would really love for Louis to stay. Then he goes into the kitchen.

"I'm.." Louis starts, turning to Marcel. "I would love to go for dinner with you three, but.."

Marcel pecks him on the mouth before he could continue. "It's alright. Stay with your friend."

"You sure?" Louis asks, placing a hand on Marcel's chest.

"Yeah. Besides, we haven't even told Harry and Edward yet anyway." He reassures, his big hand covering Louis' on his chest. "It's okay."

"Thank you. I'm really sorry." Louis apologises, kissing him again.

"Don't be." Marcel urges. "We're going to see each other tomorrow anyway."

Louis brightens. "Yeah."

Marcel glances at his watch. "I should get going now."

"Alright." Louis agrees, both of them growing to their feet and heading towards the entrance. He grabs Marcel's coat for him, helping him put it on before he opens the door. "Say hi to your brothers for me."

"Sure." Marcel grins, nodding. Once he puts his shoes on, he walks past the threshold and turns around. "Take care, alright?"

Louis leans up when Marcel bends down to kiss him on the lips. "You too."

Marcel drops another kiss on his forehead this time, lingering a little. He grins when he pulls away, poking one side of Louis' face before he walks off. "Bye."

"Bye." Louis whispers, pressing the side of his head against the door frame while he watches Marcel leaves.

Once the Alpha is gone, Louis steps back inside and closes the door. He walks over to the couch, patting the cushions and arranging them properly.

"Aaargh!!" Alex shrieks when he walks back into the living room, almost dropping the bowls in his hands.

"What the fuck!" Louis jumps, clutching his chest in shock as he glowers at his friend. "What the hell, Al?"

His flatmate glares at him. "You scared me! I thought you left!"

Louis grins at that. "No, Alex. How could I leave you behind?" He goes over and pinches Alex's cheeks, patting the skin twice and causing Alex to grimace before he grabs one of the bowls. "Thank you."

"You better be grateful that I haven't called Hailey yet." Alex playfully hisses at him as both of them make their way to the couch.

"Yes, your Highness. I am very grateful right now." He drawls dryly, rolling his eyes. The Omega grabs the remote and turns the TV on, flipping through the channels until he comes across a cooking show. They settle down quietly, satisfied with what's on the TV.

"Hey, Lou?" Alex says a few minutes later.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for staying."

Louis turns to him and smiles, nudging his shoulder. "Of course, Al. You're my best mate."

---

A/N: I actually had a different idea about how Zayn and Louis were supposed to meet but, meh. Their interaction is brief, but there'd be more Zouis later on because I love Zouis :D Do tell me what you think, and thank you for reading! <3