For my darling Bex. Thanks for being an absolute angel.

Word Count: 633

The inside of their new home is still like a maze. Boxes are stacked high, and none of them are against the wall and out of the way. Still, Kingsley can navigate them well enough. He grips the cake, carefully maneuvering and shifting his body this way and that. Some of the crimson icing catches on his beige shirt, but it's okay. It isn't the end of the world.

Harry is outside, sitting on the table on the patio. He absently nibbles a Chocolate Frog, seeming to lose himself in thought. There's a pile of candy wrappers on the table in front of him. Maybe Kingsley shouldn't have gotten a cake. It seems like Harry has been indulging in his sweet tooth today already.

But it's his birthday. He's allowed to enjoy himself.

Harry glances up at him, grinning as he holds up a Chocolate Frog card. "I got you again."

Kingsley rolls his eyes. His portrait on the card is terrible. Every time Harry gets one, Kingsley tosses it in the bin the first chance he gets. "You already have me," he chuckles, setting the cake down.

Harry licks his lips. "You may not have put candles on it, but you won't stop me from making a wish. I want a puppy."

"No."

"So… Two puppies?" Harry asks, brows raising.

Kingsley shakes his head, fighting a laugh. It's so easy to be enamored with him. Harry has truly come a long way. Gone are the days of being the awkward, nervous Chosen One. He has really grown into someone so confident, and Kingsley loves him more than he ever thought possible.

"I like that thing you're doing with your voice, Kingsley," Harry says, cutting through the silence. "It's sexy."

Kingsley sits across from him, confused. "I didn't say anything."

"Exactly. It's sexy when you aren't telling me no."

"Oh, you think you're smooth now," Kingsley teases.

He loves how natural this is. By now, he can't even remember what his life was like before Harry. After the war, he had become Minister, and Harry had gone into Auror training. Their paths crossed again and again, and eventually one thing led to another.

He's grateful for it. Things had been so stressful after the war. How many funerals had he gone to? How many times did he have to promise families and loved ones that they would heal, that they would somehow find strength. It had been draining, but Harry had been there for him.

Against all odds, Kingsley had found a light in the darkness. That light still shines on, and he knows he would be lost without his boyfriend.

"You're staring," Harry says.

Kingsley offers him a soft smile. "Sorry. Come on. Let's eat."

Harry smirks before gesturing at the cake. "No plates," he points out. "Unless you plan on being my plate."

Kingsley snorts before drawing his wand and summoning the necessary plates, knives, and forks. He cuts Harry a piece first, then one for himself.

"I didn't really wish for a puppy," Harry says, digging into his slice.

"Don't tell me what you wished for," Kingsley says. "It won't come true."

Harry shakes his head. "That's the thing. I didn't wish for anything at all. Why would I? I already have everything I could ever want or need right here with you."

That seems to melt Kingsley's heart. A warm, fuzzy feeling spreads through his stomach, and he finds himself smiling. At least he knows that Harry feels the same.

He leans back in his chair, watching the wind chimes dance in the soft breeze, their melody filling the summer air. He has a good life. Harry is by his side. The world is slowly but surely growing brighter.

This is what it means to finally know true peace.