little things l.s

medicine 🍽

harry woke up in his crib, entirely out of his headspace and big again. he sat up, his hands gripping the crib's side before he carefully unlatched it and climbed out onto the nursery floor. stretching his limbs, he headed downstairs, each step echoing through the quiet house, eager to embrace the possibilities of a new day, and more importantly louis. as he thought about this, a sense of gratitude for the warmth and love that filled his life welled within him.

louis, who had been in the living room, was surprised to see harry coming down the stairs but almost immediately noticed harry's presence and the confident aura he exudes as a "big" harry. 

"good morning, harry," louis greets him with a warm smile. "how did you sleep?"

"morning, lou," harry responds cheerfully. "i slept really well, thanks." he pulls out a chair and sits down at the table.

louis takes a deep breath, deciding that now is the right moment to address harry calling him 'daddy' last night. if they don't talk about it now they might not get another chance before he slips again. he turns his body to face the younger lad. "harry, there's something we need to talk about from last night."

harry tilts his head curiously. "what is it, lou?"

louis clears with throat, "its about you calling me 'daddy'"

harry shifts slightly in his seat, his fingers fiddling with the upholstery. "yeah?" he replied.

louis takes a moment before continuing, "I just wanted to understand what that means for you and how you feel about it. I don't take the 'daddy' title lightly, its a sign of the trust and bond that we share, but its absolutely okay if you don't want to call me that or it doesn't feel right all the time." 

harry chews on his lower lip, his eyes fixed on the floor. "I, uh... I didn't mean to say it. It just slipped out. but... I guess it felt... right? I mean, you take care of me so well, like a... like a daddy would. It feels nice too, makes me feel safe."

louis smiles warmly. "I'm really glad you think that i take good care of you and that you trust me too. I'm more than happy for you to call me 'daddy' if it feels right for you, i personally find it adorable."

harry blushed again, his eyes still fixed on the floor.

louis chuckled at his shy boy before continuing, "now, would this be a good time to discuss some rules for when you're in your headspace, nothing too intense but just some guidelines to ensure that your headspace is a safe and enjoyable experience for both of us. what do you think?"

harry nods in agreement. "sure, let's talk about it."

"okay," louis said, taking the lead as usual, "before I start on the rules i want to clarify a couple of thinks. when youre in that space its important that you feel free to express yourself and play without judgement. you can use your pacifier, have your dollies, call me 'daddy', and anything else that makes happy."

harry beamed and nodded his head energetically.

"now when you're big, like you are right now, we'll treat each other like equals. no need for baby talk or your headspace rules unless, of course, you want them, and you can call me 'louis' instead of 'daddy' if you prefer."

harry appreciated how thorough louis was being, knowing that harry found comfort in structure and that it would ease his anxiety to know what to expect. 

"that makes sense, louis," harry said, to prove that he was listening and absorbing what louis was saying to him. 

louis just smiled before continuing, "okay, now these are the rules that I've made but you can add or remove anything that you don't feel comfortable with, alright?"