“Good morning, my precious little lady. Are you up and awake for daddy, hm?” Harry cooed deeply, his bare feet padding from the bedroom door and across the grey carpet of Persephone’s nursery, her baby-grow covered legs kicking out from under the knitted blanket Harry had draped across her sleeping body last night. “Are you going to come downstairs and help me make mummy some birthday breakfast, hm?” He earned himself a cheeky giggle from his 6 month old daughter, and as he peered his head over the wooden slats of the cot settled in the corner of the nursery, he saw a familiar pair of green eyes staring him back in the face. A toothless grin following in suit, with a soft squeal leaving her lips.
6 months prior to this day, his little girl was brought into the world. After hours and hours of constant groans and multiple contractions with the many possibilities of his fingers being broken, you were awarded for the constant kicking for nine months, hard work during the labour and the pushing and the aching during the birth with a beautiful baby girl that was a complete mix of you and your husband; a baby girl that had stolen Harry’s heart the moment she entered the world, her screams and her crying already filling his heart with joy and happiness because his little girl was finally there with the two of you, healthy and weighing average to what a newborn would weigh, and definitely showing off that she had inherited her daddy’s lungs.
6 months prior to this day, his world changed.
And he didn’t want to change it back for the world.
“Come on then, my little lady. Let’s go make mummy some food,” he whispered softly, hunching over the side of the cot and placing his hands either side of her body. “You probably need feeding as well, don’t you, hm? When mummy’s eating her breakfast, daddy can give you a bottle,” he suggested, settling Persephone on his chest. “We can’t wake mummy now. She deserves a little lie-in, don’t you think, P?”
His hand supported her bum - a warm and full nappy secured around her waist - his thumb rubbing across the small of her back as her head rested in the crook of his neck. Her nose and her mouth letting out soft breathes that fanned across Harry’s bare collar bone, and with him opting to go shirtless the night before, her fingers were trying to grip onto the material that wasn’t covering his chest. Her nails dragging against his chest as she snuffled softly, her eyes closing as Harry walked out of the nursery room and into the hallway where the atmosphere was slightly colder than the bedrooms.

“What do you think mummy would like for breakfast, hm? Maybe we could make her some pancakes and cut up some strawberries, and maybe we could make her some bacon and toast. We should make a big feast,” Harry grinned, pressing his lips against Persephone’s brown tufts of hair. “You smell very delightful, little lady. Mummy used her shampoo on your hair, didn’t she?” He wondered, the familiar scent wafting up through his nose.

It was scent he was all too familiar with. When he entered the bathroom at the end of the day, shortly after you had showered and washed your hair from the stresses of the day, it was a smell that lingered in the air with the steam forming from your hot shower. In bed, when you were snuggled up to his side with his arms around your waist, his nose was always nuzzled into your hair and it was the scent that he could would have lingering in his nose for the time until he woke up the next morning. And when you were away for a weekend, or a week tops, he would always find himself nuzzling back against your pillow with his face pressed against the feather soft cotton pillowcase because it had the scene of your shampoo wafting from it - no matter where he placed his head.
As he stepped into the kitchen, he made his way over the tiles to where Persephone’s high chair was left at the head of the dining table set on the other side of the breakfast bar. As he adjusted the seat more closer to where he would be preparing your birthday breakfast, a soft whine followed by a yawn left Persephone’s lip. Her fists batting against Harry’s chest as she looked up at him with tired yet very vibrant green eyes.
“Hi, little lady. Are you ready to watch daddy bring out his chef skills, hm?” He chuckled, pressing his plump lips to her forehead and letting them linger in a wet kiss, something she whined at and moved her head. “Are you rejecting daddy’s kisses? That’s very unlike you, P. Don’t turn away from me,” Harry pouted, a cheeky giggle leaving Persephone’s mouth as he small hand came into contact with his cheek. “Oi, missy. F’you keep doin’ that to daddy, then he won’t treat you to some strawberries. And mummy’s told me you like them,” Harry cooed, tapping her nose softly with his forefinger before setting her down in the high chair.
Strawberries had been something you had been weaning her with for the past week and a bit. With Harry being invested with work and being taken under Jeff’s wing in a new production company, he had been away from home for long periods of time throughout the day and he’d miss what you and your little girl would get up to without him. With him working from 9 in the morning till the late hours of the afternoon, he would miss out on seeing some of the important moments. He missed her first smile because he was busy in the office signing paperwork with Jeff, he had missed when you had taken the decision to start weaning her off of milk formula with solid foods like strawberries and mashed bananas, and he was terrified of missing the moment when she would take her first steps or say her first proper word.
“What else would mummy like? Oh, maybe some orange juice. You’ll grow up to enjoy daddy’s homemade orange juice, little lady. He makes a killer orange juice and he’s a damn good smoothie maker,” he stated, a smile on his face as Persephone clapped her hands together. “You agree. That’s wonderful. Mummy used to drink them all the time when you were in her tummy. She would always crave my strawberry, grape and raspberry smoothies in the mornings and she would always let out soft cries when she tried to make them. They never tasted the same as daddy’s,” Harry chuckled, bending down to the cupboard in front of him and lifting the heavy smoothie maker from the bottom shelf.

It was a common occurence for Harry to be woken up in the mornings because you were having unusual pregnancy cravings. He remembered taking early morning trips to McDonalds for a breakfast wrap that you were craving, and he remembered having to run to the store on the corner of the street to get more peanut butter and apples because you were running low. And it was a common thing, every other morning, for you to nudge Harry awake with an elbow to his ribs and a whine of how you ‘wanted a fruit smoothie’ and wanted him to make it because ‘it always tasted the best’ when he made it.
“You’re going to grow up loving my smoothies, little lady. Kale smoothies will be your favourite,” he chuckled, looking over to where she was rolling her head on the joint of her neck. “Little lady, what are you doing, huh?” He chuckled, lightly as she frowned and pouted her small lips. “You look more and more like your mother everyday, you know that? People are 100% sure that you’re going to look exactly like mummy when you grow up,” he added, plugging the smoothie maker into the plug socket and reaching around to the fruit bowl that had a bunch of grapes sitting on top of the apples.
“Time to make mummy a breakfast feast, Persephone.”

* *
With a tight grip on the tray in his hand and his arm holding Persephone close to his chest, he took slow and steady footsteps up the stairs towards the master bedroom of the second level of the house. He could hear your alarm clock buzzing on the bedside table, and it struck Harry that it was good timing that he had finished the breakfast just before you’d officially woken and roused from your sleep alone rather than being woken from your daughters cries or from Harry pleading for you to wake.
“Ready to go say happy birthday to mummy, little lady?” Harry cooed, his feet stopping just outside of the bedroom as he made sure everything was on the tray in his hand. He had a plate of pancakes, a bowl of strawberries and raspberries in a bowel with bacon and toast on a small plate beside it. There was a glass of orange juice, a strawberry and raspberry and grape smoothie as well as a bottle of milk for Persephone in case she wanted it rather than strawberries. “I think she’s awake. Are you ready?”

And behind the door, you were sitting yourself up. Your ears perking up to the sound of Harry’s deep morning voice muffled by the wooden door to the bedroom, a soft yet high-pitched giggle coming from Persephone. You were sitting in anticipation, your phone buzzing constantly on the bedside table as birthday messages came flooding in. Some from the boys, a couple from your family members and a lot from Twitter and Instagram as people tweeted and tagged you in birthday messages.
“Are you coming in, or not?” You called out, a deep laugh being head from the other side of the door.

“We’re coming, babe,” Harry stated, a grunt leaving his lips as he kicked the door open with his bare foot and appearing in the doorway. “Happy birthday, my favourite wife in the whole wide world. And my favourite mother in the whole wide world. You’ll always be a MILF to me,” Harry teased, a gasp leaving your lips as he let out a loud laugh and set the breakfast on his side of the bed.

“What did you do? You made me all this?” You asked, as he set Persephone beside his pillow and took a seat beside you. “Thank you, Harry. This is so thoughtful of you. You’re going to have to help me eat all of this, you know? I don’t have a big enough stomach,” you giggled, running finger down Persephone’s cheek. “Hello, my precious bug. Did you have a good sleep? I felt daddy get up a couple of times. You didn’t hassle him, did you?” You cooed softly, her green eyes staring intently at you.

“Of course she didn’t, babe. She was a good one through the night. Fell asleep a little after I rocked her,” he smiled, picking up a piece of toast and taking a bite from it. “S’good toast. You should try some,” he teased, holding it to your lips and grinning as you took a bite from the toasted bread in his hand. “S’good, init?”

“So good. The bacon looks very well done, too. You should make me breakfast more often,” you winked, pinching Harry’s nose cheekily and sending him a smile as you took the piece of toast from his hand. “Have we got anything planned for today? I’m really digging the idea of going out and having some lunch,” you suggested.

“That sounds good. I can treat you to some new clothes that you can wear later on tonight,” Harry grinned, raising his eyebrows with a smirk as his head turned towards Persephone who was whining at the lack of attention. “Alright, little lady. Daddy will give some attention to you in a bit, okay?” He smiled, lifting her up as he settled back against his pillow, upright against the headboard of the bed. He stretched his legs out, fanning his toes out before crossing his ankles over and settled Persephone on his thighs.
“New clothes for later?”

“I’ve organised a little party. My family are coming down from Cheshire, your parents are coming with your aunts and uncles and cousins. And the boys are coming with their other halves. Just a small get together. Grimmy and Ed were going to pop along, and James sends his birthday wishes and that he’s sorry he couldn’t be here for the big day,” Harry stated, reaching for his phone that was charging on his bedside table. “I said we’d have to take P out to LA soon and have a nice barbecue or something at the LA house to celebrate your birthday,” he offered, looking down at the little girl rolling in his lap.

“Does someone want a strawberry, hm?” You cooed, lifting up half of a strawberry and holding it out to Persephone who had grabby hands to reach for the red fruit between your fingers. “That’s be really nice, H. A nice trip to Los Angeles. We can introduce P to the warmth and the sun and the American soil,” you giggled, as Harry took the strawberry from your hand. “Piece by piece, remember. She can’t eat it all at once,” you reminded him, watching as his finger tore apart the fruit.

“We need to start painting the nursery over in LA,” Harry reminded, cringing slightly as Persephone wrapped her lips around Harry’s fingers, her mouth warm and wet around his flesh. “Little lady, you have a slobber problem,” Harry chuckled, her green eyes widening as she chewed on the sweet and red and wet fruit from Harry’s fingers.

“All we need is a cot brought from over there,” you stated, chewing on a piece of bacon. “I don’t think we should paint it. The colour scheme throughout the house is already fitting to it, so, let’s not paint it. We’re going to spend more time over here than over there,” you stated, his head nodding in agreement.

“You’re right. That means, when I have to go out and see Jeff, you and mummy can come out with me,” Harry cooed, looking down at his little girl as she took comfort in chewing on his fore finger. “Little lady, my finger isn’t food.”
“When are you next going out to LA?”

“In a couple of weeks, I think. I need to go out and give some paperwork to Irving and Jeff about the new band being signed and everything,” he says and tickles his fingers from his free hand against her full and plump belly. “Do you want some milk, little lady? I think it’s time you were fed, yeah?”

He reached over gently, his hand curling around the warm bottle of milk sitting in the corner of the tray beside the homemade orange juice he had made. He popped the cap off of the teat and shuffled Persephone so she was more comfortable, his arm cupping her to his chest as he held the tip of the teat to her lips, suckling immediately taking place as her eyes closed in pleasure of being fed.
“There we go, little lady.”
* *
As Harry took the tray from your lap and set it on the ground beside his side of the bed, you took Persephone from his lap and cradled her to your chest. Your head ducked down to your chest as you watched her tired eyes slowly close, the sounds of Harry shuffling off the bed catching your attention. His body hunched over the bottom drawer of the dresser.
“What are you doing?” You wondered curiously, his bum sticking into the air as he doubled over and rummaged through his underwear drawer.

“M’looking for your birthday present. I stuck it in my underwear drawer n’I can’t seem t’find it,” he chuckled, pulling his boxers out from the drawer and shaking the material in case the present he had brought for you was caught in the pant legs of the boxers. “Have you seen it?”

A laugh left your lips as he looked over his shoulder, a confused look on his face as he straightened up.
“What’s so funny?” He wondered.

“It’s by your foot, babe. It fell out when you were rummaging through all your dirty pants,” you teased, a laugh leaving your lips as he threw the white pair of boxers that he had in his hands at you. “You wanker!”

“Language, Mrs Styles. Don’t use such foul language around my little lady,” he grunted, picking up the small box from beside his foot and shuffling back over to the bed. “Besides, m’not a wanker.”

A giggle left your lips as he placed himself back in his position against the headboard, his ankles crossing as he held the pink and velvet coated box in his palm. An excited grin on his lips as you passed a sleeping Persephone back to Harry, slowly and carefully to ensure she wasn’t knocked from her little nap.
“What is it?” You wondered, looking at Harry as he stared at you in admiration.

“Open it and find out, silly.”

As you used your nimble fingers to slowly open the lid of the box, a shiny pendant came into view. Sparkling and shining underneath the sunlit bedroom, as the diamonds caught the rays peeking through the curtains covering the window. A gasp leaving your lips as you used your free hand to cover your mouth in shock.
“H, this is gorgeous.”

“I had a feeling you’d like it. I got it engraved as well, on the other side,” he smiled, watching your fingers as you flipped over the pendant and read the italics engraved along the surface.
‘Happy birthday to my favourite wife and my favourite mother. We love you. H and P. x’

“Harry…”

A soft gasp left your lips as you turned your head to look at your husband, a soft wobble to your lip making him chuckle lightly.
“You like it?” He wondered, a smile on his lips.
“I love it, Harry. I really love it, thank you so much,” you whispered, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “If it’s any consolation, you’re my favourite husband and my favourite daddy too,” you grinned, his forehead coming into contact with your own. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Happy birthday,” he smiled, pressing his lips to yours in a passionate yet soft kiss. The perfect start to the perfect day, you thought to yourself.

Notes

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I felt like incorporating some Daddy!Harry into this one, so enjoy. x