Felix had not be the most pleased with how his sister was treating his fiancé. Sure he understood exactly where she was coming from, but that didn’t mean she had to be an ice queen about it. Felix just tried to keep things not so awkward when they were together. It was exhausting and he was almost thankful that Elsa took an early night. The whole night Felix didn’t get much sleep. He just lay there with Harrow in his arms, the bed feeling empty without the dogs piled on the end.

Making sure that everything was packed in the morning made him realize how perfect they were for each other. Even if his sister was refusing to see it. They knew how to make sure that the other was ready and set for anything thin life. Even if it was simply knowing where a favorite jacket or belt was.

Even with how frantic the morning seemed to be just having Harrow’s hand in his, made the swede realize that everything would be fine, because, at the end of the day he would be crawling into bed and sleeping next to the love of his life. As much as Felix wanted his families approval, especially his sisters, he would never give up this love that life somehow felt he deserved.

The way that Harrow got his Swedish mixed around was always adorable. Felix simply smiled at him. He was proud that the red head was able to correct himself. Honestly Felix was impressed that Harrow managed to pick up the language was well as he had been. It was getting harder for Felix to find funny little words to slip into conversations because his fiancé was proving his brilliants.

Felix was not at all surprised that Elsa didn’t land with them. He only let a little huff escape past his lips. Sometimes he just had to let her throw her tantrum. She knew how he felt on the matter. She understood exactly how Felix felt. Why else would be taking the man at his side to meet his parents? She needed her time to digest it. It was one thing to just read about it all in a letter, to actually see it was probably a shock. Still…it was hard for him that she was still resisting.

Nervous butterflies were fluttering about. They weren’t the ones that he got when Harrow kissed him. They were the ones he was more used to when he was put in a situation that was uncomfortable. Finally it was real for Harrow, how it was possible that Felix took care of everything when it came to the house payments. That was an odd fight. Felix rarely spoke of his family’s status. All the money came form their father. Thought there mother could be comfortably with her job at the art museum. Christian Hedlund, though was in politics and being that the Swedish government was one of the most stable in the world it only helped in his family’s wealth and status. Now his son being a teacher in America and daughter a drifter was a strange unspoken disappointment in the family.

Felix didn’t want Harrow to think that just because he grew up here meant that he was expecting anything from the red head. Honestly Felix loved that their house was smaller. It was cozy and just right. Just because he could he showered Harrow with everything. Most of the furniture was new. Their dinner ware was not the cheapest, but Felix bought it, and in the end he didn’t let Harrow know the price of everything.

He led Harrow to the door not bothering to look for Elsa again, figuring that she would turn up at the last moment. That is simply what Elsa did. When they were little she would overreact about most things. When Felix would get to Pia during their riding lessons and she would get stuck with Tova. She would want the other horse because her main was longer and she wanted to braid it. Felix would have to show Harrow the stables. Sadly because of the muggle town they lived in none of the magical horses would be there but he had no doubt that the other man would still love to see the horses.

Felix looked down at Harrow with a timid smile. “I did. I used to run around all over the grounds.” The door opened and an older woman peaked out from behind with a smile. “Felix!” she greeted with a wide smile. “Hej, Johanna.” He shook her hand and bent down to kiss her lightly on the cheek. The woman had been working for his family for years it was so strange seeing her again .

There were few people that tended to the house. Johanna and then Petter in the house. Then to tend the stable was Kettil. Or that was how it was the last time he was around. “Det är så kul att se dig, du är så mager du inte äta i Amerika?” She babbled on and opened the door wider so he could enter.

Felix just chuckled at the woman led the way in, still with his hand holding onto Harrow’s. “Det är så kul att se dig också. Och jag äter,” He quickly said to her and then turned and looked Harrow. “ Johanna är Harrow.”

“Så detta är den pojkvän som tar hand om lilla Felix,” She smiled brightly looking to him.

“Ja, det ser ut som mamma sa.” Felix nodded.

“Naturligtvis gjorde hon.” Johanna took up Harrows free and shook it. “It is nice to meet you Harrow.” She then said her accent thick but her voice bright. She turned to Felix once more. “Lämna dina väskor här jag kommer att ha dem till ditt rum. Din mamma är i vardagsrummet, och din pappa ska gå med dig inom kort är han i sitt arbetsrum..”

“Tack Johanna.” Felix set their bags down as instructed. He was sure that Harrow’s head was spinning with all the Swedish. Sure Felix had been adding more to their everyday conversation but it was nothing like this. “This way, my mamma is just in the living room. “ He smiled hoping that this wasn’t going to be too much.

There were vases full of the spring flowers on little tables here and there. Painting that hung on the walls between the windows. Everything was bright and clean . The living room was just down the hall as promised. Never once did Felix let go of his loves hand.

There she was, Felix’s mother sitting on the couch with small gold rimmed glasses sitting at the end of her nose and book in her hand. The small table in the middle of the room had various pastries and fruits sitting there and a tea pot with five empty cups.

“Hej mamma,” Felix called out timidly. Caroline looked up from her book. She looked like Elsa, if Elsa hadn’t had her hair cropped sort and colored black. “Felix! Mitt barn.” She spoke as if he was ten and had run away for the weekend and was just not coming home covered in dirt.

She stood up and walked over to her son. Only when she wrapped her arms around him did Felix let go of Harrow’s hand. He hugged her back quickly and then stepped back. “Mamma är Harrow.” He nodded to Harrow’s direction. “Honom! Han är dyrbar Felix.” She exclaimed before taking up Harrow in a hug.

“It is so nice to finally meet you,” She spoke. After a moment she released the red head and then glanced around. “Where is your sister? Du sa att hon skulle komma” Felix shrugged in response. As if on cue with a pop there she was.

Harrow had never been more nervous in his life. The house was grand, much better than anything he had ever seen in his life. It was filled with spacious rooms and everything that had been too exquisite for his family. His father would make gorgeous pieces of art, pour hours into them with his work shop and then sell them so the family would be able to eat. He could remember once when he was a kid, he went into his father's workshop even though he knew that he was not supposed to be there. He saw a beautiful vase on the desk and thought that the way the colors swirled through it was beautiful. He just wanted a better look and accidentally made it fall off the table and shatter.

His father yelled at him, making the young red head stand there with a red face and try not to cry. When his father realized that he had been screaming at a five year old over something that he made, he realized that Harrow had a shard of glass in his leg. There was blood everywhere and his father carried him to the hospital, the whole way pleading with Harrow to forgive him for yelling. That same feeling of being determined not to show how much it hurt him was going through his body when Elsa came into the room. She hated him. She knew that Harrow wasn't good enough for Felix and she would make sure that the parents knew it.

He felt his heart pound in his chest when he tried to keep up with the rapid Swedish between Felix and his mother, and then the French between Elsa and her mother. His French was rusty and he had no idea what Elsa was saying to her. It could have been something as innocent as a few I missed yous between mother and daughter, it could be that Harrow was no good and should be treated that way. The Swedish was settling, he at least knew that Felix's mother thought that he was precious.
"Tack, fru Hedlund, Det är så skönt att äntligen få träffa dig." Thank you, Mrs Hedlund, It's so nice to finally meet you. He would hate himself if he forgot how to conjugate his verbs or if he accidentally referred to his mother as sir or fluffy cat.

When Elsa said something nice about him, Harrow was shocked that her tongue didn't burst into flames. He gave the brunette girl a smile, happy to see that she was coming around to him even just a little bit.
"Hej, det är skönt att träffa dig herr Hedlund." Hi, it's nice to meet you Mr Hedlund. He wanted to impress Felix's parents and knew that learning Swedish, coming to Sweden, participating in Midsummer, all of that would show just how insane Harrow was for Felix. Would give them just a small idea of how much he loved the other man and how he would do anything and everything to make him smile. Elsa patted the seat next to her, and Harrow took it. He left a space for Felix next to him so he would be between the two Hedlunds. He would need Felix as close to him as possible, especially when the parents found out that Felix and Harrow were engaged.
"Du har en mycket vacker hem, tack för att jag fick fira med er alla." You have a very lovely home, thank you for allowing me to celebrate with you all.

This was the Elsa that Felix knew. The sister that he knew Harrow would love. Hopefully it would be like this after this point. No more did he want to feel like he was defending his love against his sister. She was looking out for him but Felix was an adult capable of making his own life decisions. It sometimes felt like a lot of people thought Felix was crazy for taking Harrow back. Felix felt like it was the best thing he had ever done.

The night Harrow walked away from him was the day he lost part of himself. Felix knew it was his fault the break up happened. That was the part that no one seemed to understand Felix had messed it all up. Harrow was doing the right thing by leaving. Really the red head was taking a far bigger risk trusting and giving Felix a second chance. It didn’t matter anymore because he would gladly stand by his man’s side and defend their love until his dyeing breath. Even against his family.

He tried to pay attention to the conversation, react here and there with small smiles. It was hard to when his mother was being too perceptive . Harrow seemed to me a lot more relaxed than him. Thank Merlin for small kindnesses.

Felix had never really spoken to his parents about the spouse he would one day have. It seemed to always be implied that he would end up with some Swedish girl. All he knew was that his mother was starting to bug both of them for grandchildren. When Elsa wen on about a friend of hers being pregnant he could see the hope that maybe the bug would catch for her daughter to settle with someone.

Harrow brought up the delivery of Clover’s child. Felix just met his parent’s eyes and made a face. He had no designer to describe that lovely event. “Yeah I passed out promptly after.” Was all he added on the subject, clearly missing the opportunity to transition into the story of their engagement . His mother smiled. “Awe sounds like your father when you were born,” She teased and looked lovingly over to her husband. Christian just scoffed and returned her gaze.

That was all well as Caroline moved the conversation along looking back to Elsa. Felix took the time to glance over at Harrow smiling at the other man. Happy that he was by his side and doing so well. Honestly Harrow was dealing with this whole thing a lot better than Felix was.

Elsa pulled his attention up to her when she mumbled Swedish his way. He just looked at her with no good way to take over the conversation. He wasn’t ready for this. It wasn’t that he didn’t want his parents to know. He just wanted to let them know in the most perfect way possible, a way that was worthy of reviling the love that he had for Harrow accurately to his parents.

His mother had spoken his name like she was accusing him of sneaking a frog into his room and wanting to keep it as a pet. That situation was a whole lot simpler to explain. Or lie about, say that it was all Elsa’s idea because she liked the pattern of the spots on it’s back.

Harrow cleared his throat. Felix just watched the love of his life be a stronger better man than he. Both Caroline and Christian looked at the red head. And there is was, in the most simple straight forward way it could be said.

Felix looked to his parents. Christian locking his gaze with his son’s “Jag sa ja, och jag har aldrig varit mer säker på någonting någonsin. (I said yes, and I've never been more sure of something ever.)” He spoke up finally. For a moment all was quite. Finally his father leaned forward, his face stern. “Son, if you are happy then we are both happy for you,” He said, accent thick, and let a smile break on his face.

Felix let out a breath that he didn’t even realize he had been holding. He smiled and glanced over at Harrow again. “Tack, I am.” Now that it was out there Felix didn’t feel any more calm. Harrow would still have to survive midsummer with his family. Luckily there would be plenty of alcohol to help him through it.

“Welcome Harrow, to our family,” Caroline spoke with a wide smile.