#NJFC!Universe

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Authors Note: Reminisce on the day our favourite golden retreiver entered Harry and Y/N's lives and the journey it took to get him. Thank you very much Japanrry and Bell the Shiba Inn for the Harry with dog content we've received this week it truly couldn't have come at a better time.

Word Count: 4K+

SFW

***

the middle of june 2020

“Jesus Christ, Y/N,” Harry let out a soft chuckle, reaching over to pull a couple of tissues from the box they had to keep on the coffee table, passing them over to Y/N who was cuddled up against Harry’s side as tear tracks ran down her face. 

“Baby, it’s fine,” Harry’s hand rubbed soothingly up and down Y/N’s arm, “why y’crying? Look the dogs happy, he’s wagging his tail and the little old man’s happy he’s got a new mate,” Harry tried his best to point out that they were actually watching quite a sweet story unfold on the television. 

“I know,” she wails as a sob wracked through her body.

“What is going on in your brain?” Harry laughs as he pries the scrunched-up tissue from the grip in her fist, sitting her upright on the couch and began to wipe away at her tears before pinching the tissue over her nose and allowing her to blow into it before wiping it away and dropping the tissue to the side. 

“It’s just lovely isn’t it,” Y/N said through the remaining sniffles of her tears, “he lost his wife and was looking for a little pal and the dog’s owner died and now they ha-have ea-” she hiccups as a new stream of tears begins to cascade down her cheeks, “now they have each other,” she casts as her eyes up to the television to see Bill, the elderly widowed man, head home with his new dog who had grey whiskers littering his snout and face not dissimilar from his new owner, ready to see out their final years together. 

“You’re so cute,” Harry cooed with an amused smile while turning the volume of the tv down as the blaringly loud ad break sounded out through their living room. 

“Don’t make fun of me,” Y/N whines, palming the remaining tears away from staining her cheeks before burying herself back under Harry’s arm, her own reaching across his middle to tether herself to him. 

“M’not, m’not, I promise,” he hummed, his thumb smoothing soft circles on her arm. “S’a nice idea, innit?” Harry said quietly, a few moments later. 

“Wha’s that?” she asked slowly, tired from all the crying. 

“Having a dog,” he murmured. 

“Yeah?” Y/N tilted her head up to look at him, her nose brushing his jawline. 

“Mhmm, a little furry mate to cuddle up with at night sounds right up my street,” he looks down at her, nose brushing against her forehead before pressing a soft kiss to her temple. 

She sighs in contentment and leans into the brush of his lips, “what? Am I not cutting it anymore? I’ve not shaved my legs in a bit, I can be furry if that’s what you’re after,” she teased as Harry huffed out a laugh. 

“Shut up,” he chuckled, “y’know what I mean, m’heart.”

“Mm, I do, it does sound a nice idea,” she hummed, eyes beginning to flutter with tiredness. 

*** 

Three months had passed when the thought fluttered into Y/N’s head again. It had come and gone every so often, but this morning she woke up with the idea at the forefront of her mind. She padded down the stairs to find Harry in the kitchen, preparing their breakfast. 

“Morning m’heart,” Harry spoke, handing her the coffee had had prepared for her the second he heard her shuffling around upstairs. 

“Mmm, morning, thank you gorgeous,” she took a grateful sip before stretching up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips in greeting. 

“Sleep good?” he asked as he began plating up her eggs for breakfast. 

“Mhm, how was y’run?” she spoke through a yawn that slipped out. 

“Was good, seen a golden retriever take a dive into the biggest puddle you’ve ever seen, the owner looked so fed up and was moaning his head off to the dog,” Harry laughed as he handed her over her plate before taking his own and setting up shop beside her as they had breakfast together. 

Y/N thought it was funny he should mention dogs this morning and chose to bring her idea up now. 

“D’you remember that thing y’said to me a few months ago?” she asked. 

Harry nearly choked on his food as he laughed, he swallowed down before asking, “reckon y’could narrow that down for me, love? That’s a bit vague even for me to guess.” 

“We were watching telly, an’ I had been crying…” she divulged. 

“The dog programme?” Harry quirked his eyebrow as he took a mouthful of his own coffee. 

“Mhm, and you mentioned something about it being a nice idea, having a little dog,” she gnawed on her lip. 

“I did,” Harry said with a knowing smile, wanting to coax her into saying what she was thinking rather than him assuming. 

“And… I guess, I was just wondering f’you were serious about that?” 

“About what?” he put his fork down, spinning in his seat to face her, thumb pulling at her bottom lip to release it from the bite her teeth had on it. 

“’Bout having a dog,” she spoke quietly.

“Yeah, I was serious,” he confirmed with a smile. 

“I guess I was jus’ wondering if that’s something you would be thinking about having now, I guess… with me?” she finally asked. 

“Miss Y/S/N, are you asking me to own a dog with you?” Harry asked in faux shock, a teasing lilt evident in his tone.

“Get fucked,” she whined at his teasing. 

“Shh, of course I want that with you, jus’ didn’t realise you were thinking about that,” Harry speculated. 

“Jus’ a little bit, it planted a seed when y’mentioned it and it keeps popping back up every so often, then you said about that dog on your run and I could just see you out running with our own dog,” she spilled. 

“Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?” Harry smiled. 

“Yeah,” she sighed, content it had went over well. 

“Why don’t we start having a look around, look up breeders and all that, see what we’re after?” he suggested. 

“Uh well… I was thinking, why don’t we go visit a rescue place, know like the one out the other programme off the telly that always makes me cry?” 

“Battersea?” 

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Y/N nodded. 

“Sounds perfect, sweets, why don’t we take a drive down at the start of next week? See what they say to it?” 

“Really?” Y/N asked, struggling to hide the excitement from her voice. 

“Yeah, think we’d make brilliant dog parents, we would definitely let our dog play in the puddles without moaning like the guy I saw this morning,” Harry said confidently. 

“Yeah? Tell me that again when we’ve got a dog taking mud baths every other day for a laugh and you need to wash them up afterwards.” 

*** 

21st of September 2020

Y/N couldn’t sit still in her seat as Harry drove them to south London. She would settle for a few minutes then a shit-eating grin would split across her face, her knee would bounce in a nervous excitement and the occasional wiggle of her hips as she tried to settle herself down, which Harry kept catching out the corner of his eye with an amused smile gracing his features. 

“Jus’ remember we’re not for sure leaving with a dog today, I know you’re excited, I am too, but let’s just be realistic, we might not find our fit today, more importantly, the right dog might not find us,” Harry reached over to squeeze her bouncing knee as they began to drive over the Chelsea bridge, officially entering Battersea. 

“No, I know, m’just so excited to see all the dogs and you’re right, they need to be the ones to pick us,” Y/N said nodding her head, glad they were on the same page of letting the dog that was meant to be theirs come to them on its own. 

Harry pulled the car in to park, switched the engine off and turned to face his love, “we ready to do this?” he unfastened his seatbelt. 

“This is a big step for us, isn’t it?” Y/N mirrored him, taking off her seatbelt. 

“How do you mean?” 

“Well getting a pet, s’quite big, isn’t it?” Y/N explained as if it was obvious. 

“Y/N/N, we already own a house together, have done for nearly 8 months, I’m pretty sure we’re alright,” Harry joked, reaching over and tucking her loose hair back. 

“Yeah, but a living, breathing being is a bit more than bricks and mortar is it not?” she leant into his touch before nudging his hand away with her head and taking his hand in her own. 

“Well, the plants are doing alright,” Harry laughed, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles. “Is this a conversation we should’ve had before coming here? Are y’worried about us having to co-parent our future pet?” he asked. 

“No, m’not worried… I don’t know,” she resigned with a sigh. 

“’Cause y’know that’s not going to happen, I told you I was all in with you in our first year together,” Harry smiled fondly. 

“Y’told me within the first few months,” she pointed out with a giggle. 

“Exactly, we’ve got three years locked in the vault, a dog isn’t going to upend this, if anything I reckon, he’s going to solidify our future together even more,” Harry leant forward and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of her lips. 

“You said he. Y’think we’re going to get a boy dog?” she breathed out. 

“Mhm, got a feeling. Now c’mon, I feel like I can hear him calling out to me through all the barking,” Harry opened the driver’s door allowing the sound of all the barking from inside the rescue centre to flood into the car. 

***

“Look H, this one is called Binx,” she pouted as a greyhound’s nose appeared through the gaps in the fence as Harry appeared beside her after talking to a few of the volunteers. 

“She’s cute,” Harry said as he read over the information posted outside the dog’s area, “it says she doesn’t like a lot of people around her, m’not sure that’s a good fit for us, there’s constantly people in and out our house and we wouldn’t be able to take her with us a lot of the time,” Harry explained, sounding sad they would have to move on from the little beauty who was staring up at them. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Y/N said sadly. “Bye cutie,” she waved her hand at the wide-eyed greyhound who relaxed back down in her bed once her visitors moved on. 

“So, the volunteer, said they have someone they think we’d like to meet,” Harry grasped her hand and lead her back to the blue painted desk at the front of the rescue centre, portraits of all their current dogs that are looking for homes hung on the wall behind the woman with the thick-rimmed glasses who was smiling brightly sat behind the desk. 

‘Hiya love, welcome to Battersea,” the lady spoke, with a thick accent that Y/N guessed was from the West Country. 

“Hi nice t’meet you, I’m Y/N,” she greeted the woman. 

“I’m Bonnie, love, I was just chatting with y’fella here and I’ve got someone I think could be a fit for you guys, if you would like to meet him?” Y/N’s eyes gleamed in excitement as Harry jabbed her playfully in the side at the word ‘him’, his guess potentially coming true.

“Most definitely, we’d like to meet anyone that you think could be a fit for us,” Harry answered for them. 

“Right then,” Bonnie stood with a groan, “right this way, let me just grab a handful of these first, he’s very food driven,” Bonnie laughed as she shoved some dog treats from the jar on the desk into her pocket, and lead the couple through a painted blue door to the side of the desk. 

As soon as they entered the room, they heard a high-pitched squeak rather than a bark. A squeak that was trying to be a bark but wasn’t quite there yet. Bonnie stood to the side to reveal a fenced pen, where a rambunctious little pup was running in circles letting out his squeaky bark to greet his new visitors. 

“Oh my fucking god,” Y/N breathed out under her breath, hand squeezing Harry’s tight as the approached the pen. 

“So, this little baby, he’s not got a name yet we’ve just been calling him ‘boy’ is a fourteen-week golden retriever,” Bonnie told them as she quietened the puppy down with a few treats from her pocket. 

“He’s so little,” Y/N cooed as she knelt down next to the pen as Harry sat cross-legged next to her, watching the dog explore his little pen. 

“Was he born here, then?” Harry looked towards Bonnie, asking for more of the dog’s story. 

“Uh no, this lad and his brothers and sisters have got a bit of a sad story actually, they were found on the 16thof June, in a bin bag dumped down by the river. We got them dropped off here and we worked out they were probably only a day old,” Bonnie said as she scratched the happy dog behind the ears. 

“That’s awful,” Y/N gasped. 

“Yeah, not the best start in life but they were all hand-reared by our volunteers, this little one by me, and believe me if I could take him permanently, I absolutely would,” Bonnie smiled at the golden retriever whose tail was wagging hard enough it was creating a draught. 

“So, the rest of the litter?” Harry queried. 

“Already found their forever’s, my little pal here was the smallest of the bunch, struggled to keep him with us right at the beginning but he’s here now waiting for his own turn to find forever,” Bonnie said as both Harry and Y/N pouted at the bright little light of a soul contained in the golden retriever sat in front of them as he nudged the volunteer’s hand for another treat. “Why don’t I open his pen up, we’ll let him out, let him have a good old sniff around the room and we’ll see if he takes to you guys, if he seems comfortable enough, I’ll slip out the room and let you have a little one to one with him,” Bonnie explained, handing over the remaining treats she had stuffed into her pockets into Harry and Y/N’s hands, “sound good?” 

“Absolutely,” Harry agreed quickly. 

“Yes please, I’d love t’meet him proper,” Y/N confirmed. 

“Cracking,” and Bonnie bent down and lifted the small gate containing the dog into the pen and opened it wide for him to come out. His tiny head whipped round to see what Bonnie was up to, ears flopping at the movement as he began to run as fast as his legs could carry him out the gate. 

The couple giggled as they watched him run laps around the room, stopping to sniff at every corner and crevice he came across. As soon as the puppy heard the couple on the floor giggling, he skidded to a halt and turned in place to look at them, tilting his head, his ears swishing with the movement. He approached the pair sitting on the floor, tripping over his paws that he was still growing into as he approached Y/N first circling around where she was knelt down. 

“Hi baby boy,” she uttered, reaching her closed fist out to him, the treats contained inside, as his wet, black nose bumped against her hand, giving it a tentative lick, “I think I’ve got something you’re going to like hidden in there,” she began to withdraw her hand causing the golden dog to whine pitifully and follow her hand, reaching up towards her by placing his front paws up on her knees. Harry sat and watched the glow of happiness radiate from his girlfriend. She was generally a happy person but seeing her feed the dog his treats from her outstretched palm, Harry felt like he was witnessing something click into place inside of her. Like the little dog was the missing puzzle piece of her, of them. “You’re just the sweetest little sunshine aren’t you,” she giggled as the dog licked her palm free landing back on all four paws before he turned his attention to Harry’s cross-legged frame, tilting his head at the man. 

“Hiya mate,” Harry murmured, holding his hand out letting the pup smell him first before leaving the safety blanket of Y/N. The couple were so engrossed in the puppy they didn’t even spot Bonnie, smiling knowingly, silently slip out of the room, closing the door behind her.  Harry hand fed him a few treats, the dog shuffling forward so he was sat in front of him. Harry let his free hand come up and give the dog a few little scratches behind the ear as he watched Bonnie do earlier which made his little tail sweep the floor in happiness. Once he had finished his treats, the dog seemed perfectly happy in Harry’s company, so much so that he climbed straight in between Harry’s crossed legs and rest his head on Harry’s thigh, staring up at the happy couple. 

“I think he likes you, H,” Y/N whispered, letting her hand smooth down the dogs back, her nails scratching lightly as Harry’s thumb smoothed up over his nose and forehead as the dog blinked heavily, his young body clearly tuckered out from all the excitement. 

“Yeah, you think so?” Harry couldn’t tear his eyes away from his new best mate. 

“Considering he climbed straight into your lap, I’m thinking yeah,” Y/N laughed as she let her head fall onto Harry’s shoulder. 

“He seems pretty smitten with you too,” Harry pointed out, and sure enough, the dog, through his heavy eyes, was staring straight up at her. 

They sat quietly in the peace, Harry’s lap warm with the weight of his tired little body, Y/N’s arm growing achy from its constant stroking down his back but she didn’t dare stop. 

Bonnie shuffled back into the room, “well, my lovelies, how are we getting on?” as Y/N and Harry’s gazes snapped up to look at her, before both smiling softly and back down to their sleepy boy. 

*** 

Harry had never been more grateful for the traffic that kept them driving well below the speed limit between south and north London. Their new four-legged baby was passed out in Y/N’s arms in the passenger seat as the slow rumble of the engine and Y/N’s constant pats and soothing words keep him asleep on the big scary car journey back to his new forever home. 

“We’re going to need to think of a name,” Harry said softly as he chanced a look down at him as they stopped at a red light.

“Hm, any suggestions?” she asked. 

“None at all, what did you call him at the rescue?” Harry switched gears as they finally made it through the traffic lights. 

“Hm, sunshine I think, I can’t see us shouting Sunshine across the park,” she mused. 

“Sunny? Or could be spelt S-O-N-N-Y?” Harry suggested.

“Fuck no, my auntie had a yappy little thing called Sonny when we were growing up and he was a little arsehole of a dog,” Y/N snorted. 

“Sonnys off the list then, what else is like sunshine… sunflower, nope can’t have it look like m’dog’s named after my own song,” Harry proposed before cutting himself off just as quickly as Y/N giggled.

“Hm, Sunflower, s’like my favourite painting,” Y/N mentioned as an aside.

“The Van Gogh one, right?” Harry clarified. 

“Mhmm.” 

“Vincent Van Gogh…” Harry said. “…Vincent… that’s cute,” Harry gave her a quick look. 

“That is cute, reckon he looks like a Vincent too,” she peered down at their new baby. 

“Loadsa nicknames from that too, Vince, Vinnie, Vin,” he listed. 

“Vincent Styles, his proper Sunday name” Y/N nodded. 

“My surname? Don’t want to double barrel it with yours?” Harry checked. 

“Well m’hoping one day we’ll all have matching surnames,” she said shyly. 

“Reckon that could be arranged, right Vincent?” he asked the dog who has stirred from his sleep. 

*** 

“Okay, wait right there, wait, wait, wait,” Harry said quickly as he parked them up at home as he got out the car and ran round the front of it, throwing open the passenger door to Vince letting out a squeaky sort of bark at the sight of his new Dad. Harry reached in and took Vinnie straight from Y/N’s arms to carry the dog into his new home.

“Oi, you little fucker, don’t steal our dog from me,” Y/N laughed as she got out the car following Harry up their front door as he tried to fight the keys into the lock while keeping Vince close to his chest. 

“He got loads of Mumma cuddles on the way home, s’my turn, right m’boy? Daddy gets a go now?” Harry spoke to the dog as he got a loving lick against his cheek as he passed Y/N the keys to let them in the house when he gave up trying to unlock the door. Before Y/N could slide the keys into the lock she took her phone and took a quick picture of Harry with his thumb up cradling a curious Vincent against his chest. His first picture with their boy. 

Y/N rolled her eyes as she opened their front door, “welcome home Vincent,” she sang as Harry carried him inside. 

“Welcome to your forever, Vincent,” Harry spoke as he set the dog down in the hallway where he immediately started sniffing and exploring, seemingly comforted by being surrounded by the scent of his new parents. 

***

21st of September 2022

“Vince!” Y/N shouted across the park as Harry let out a loud whistle with his fingers between his lips. The dog turned to face them with a guilty looking expression on his face, his paw hovering over the biggest, muddiest puddle he was able to find in the park. “Don’t even think about it Mister,” Y/N warned calling after the dog, his paw inching closer to the murky water. 

“Vincent, get your furry little arse back here, come see what Mum’s got for you,” Harry shouted this time, hoping to entice him away with the promise of a treat, and he did look tempted. Especially when Y/N rattled the treat bag but the promise of a big muddy puddle was just something too hard for him to fight. 

“He’s going to jump in,” Y/N said with a sigh. 

“He won’t, he won’t,” Harry tried to speak it into existence. 

“He will,” and with one large splash their golden retriever turned into a brown, muddy retriever. 

“For fuck’s sake,” they both groaned in unison as they watched Vincent roll onto his back to get himself thoroughly coated in the muddy water. 

“I thought he was supposed to be food driven,” Harry whined as Vincent removed himself from his mud bath and gave an almighty shake.

“Oh, he is, with everything else, that died a death for mud baths after the first muddy puddle,” Y/N giggled, already knowing they’re going to have to deep clean their bathroom after Vince’s bath time later. 

“You’re happy as a pig in shit, aren’t you?” Harry asked the dog as he trotted up to them, tail wagging happily, “yeah, you look like a pig in shit as well, mate.” 

“Two years today, we’ve had you Vin, and you’re still driving me and Dad to the brink aren’t you,” Y/N cooed, giving him a treat anyway, he deserved it today. 

“Wouldn’t change you for the world, m’boy,” Harry reached down to give him a scratch behind his ears, after all this time it was still his favourite scratch and pat to receive. Harry immediately regretting doing so as his hand came back caked in dirt. 

“Happy gotcha day, Vincent,” Y/N cheered as the continued their walk as Vincent barked in response. This time a full, booming bark full of personality, so much different than the little squeaks he gave them two years ago. 

***

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[twostepstyless]

Love Locks

A Valentines Day story from the Not Just For Christmas series

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Authors Note: Harry is a hopeless romantic and Y/N isn't but let's him get swept up in the Valentine's Day festivities anyway because it makes him happy. This is the gift Harry got Y/N if you're curious! X

Word Count: 3k+

SFW

———

Paris on Valentine’s Day was, for lack of a better, a fucking nightmare. It was disgustingly busy as loved up couples were hanging off of each other at every turn. What was Y/N’s nightmare, however, was Harry’s dream come true. Harry Styles would be the first to admit he’s a hopeless romantic. He indulges in a romantic comedy film at least once a week, he has playlist after playlist containing endless love songs, and as January comes to a close and February eases in, he thrives on everything in the shops turning red and pink as he buys into all the novelty, heart-shaped rubbish they have to offer as the most important day of February creeps closer. Well, second most important day, after his own birthday of course. Valentine’s Day had become one of Harry’s favourite days, especially in recent years and his love for the day of love has only grown as he and Y/N celebrated their sixth one together this year. So yes, he’s a hopeless romantic. Love songs, movies, heart-shaped chocolates and all and is there anything more fitting for a hopeless romantic than whisking the love of his life off to the city of love to spend his favourite day? 

-----

Vincent had his lunchbox and stuffed bunny packed and was off on a two-night sleepover at his day-care and boarders, ‘Barkingham Palace’ and Harry had swept Y/N off to the airport soon after they had bid goodbye to the happy golden retriever. 

Now it wasn’t as if Y/N hated Valentine’s Day, she was fine with it, it was lovely but she didn’t need all the flounce and showmanship that came with the day. But Harry loved it, and she’d let him do whatever he pleased to mark the special day to see the smile and permanent pink blush that seemed to stain his face on days like today. 

He had started their day in Paris by waking her gently. Crawling under the swathes of blankets that buried her in the hotel bed, his nose skimming the surface of her neck and alongside her cheek as he pressed whispers of kisses into her sleep-warmed skin until her eyelashes began to flutter as she stirred from her sleep. She could feel the warmth of Harry’s body as he held himself above her as his kisses began to press heavier on her skin.

“Mmm, g’morning,” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around his mid-section, pulling him down, revelling in the weight of him against her, “why’re y’dressed already?” she questioned with a pout when she felt his fully clothed body.

“Good morning, m’valentine,” he smiled before gripping her chin and kissing her soft lips, trying his hardest to deepen it but Y/N stopped him by turning her head away with a giggle. 

“Nuh-uh, morning breath, plus m’not your Valentine, you never even asked me. Now answer the question, why are you dressed?” she shuffled them round so they were lying on their sides facing one another.

“I’m dressed because I’ve already been out this morning,” his finger booped her nose when it scrunched in confusion, thinking she would have heard him slip out or he would have at least told her he was popping out. “As for the Valentine thing, I sort of assumed it came with the territory what with being together for near enough six years” he quirked an eyebrow with a smirk. 

“I still like to be asked, thought you were meant to be the romantic one?” she cuddled into the warmth of his chest.

“Oh, I’m very sorry, good thing I popped out early this morning then, eh?” Harry pulled himself out of her embrace and swung his legs back out the bed to go get something as she whined about him getting out of bed, “hush up, m’coming back,” he called back, with a teasing lilt in his voice, from the living area of the suite they were staying in. Y/N wriggled herself up in bed so her back was against the headboard, hands resting atop the puffy, white duvet of the bed as Harry reappeared back in the doorway. Y/N rolled her eyes playfully as a shy smile and giggle came from her when she saw the human embodiment of Prince Charming, with the twinkly eyes and showstopping smile to boot, crossing the threshold of the bedroom with a bouquet of the reddest roses you’ve ever seen paired with soft baby’s breath gypsophila and greenery, tied off with a silk satin ribbon in his right hand along with a card he was holding between his index finger and the bouquet. In his left hand was two boxes, one with branding she knew very well and another that was covered in plush velvet. “So, Miss Y/S/N, m’heart and soul and all that is good in my life,” Harry crooned as he approached the bed, sitting on the edge, “do me the honours and be my Valentine?” he asked as he handed her the bouquet. 

Y/N eyes slipped shut as inhaled the perfume of the flowers before blinking them back open, “oh, I suppose so, I couldn’t take the heartache seeing your face if I said no,” she giggled before leaning forward and placing a delicate kiss on the corner of his mouth. A light blush tinged his cheeks as the hand that still had the card in it, punched the air and he let out a quiet ‘yes!’ under his breath.

“For you, my love,” he handed over the card and the two boxes as he took the flowers from her and went over to place them in the vase of water he had set up on the sideboard while she slept this morning. Y/N opened the envelope to reveal a delightfully tacky Valentine’s card that described her as wonderful, and special, and lovely, and delightful in the curly font of the printed poem on the front. She opened the card to see Harry’s handwriting with a much more personal note inside, as he wrote about what she meant to him and how she was the perfect Mum to their dog and how he can’t wait for as many Valentine’s days together as she’ll give him. 

“Christ,” Y/N croaked out, her voice thick with emotion as she fanned her glazed over eyes with the card, Harry whipped round from his flower arranging with a look of worry on his face, as Y/N waved her hand trying to insinuate that she was fine. “Y’should try this writing stuff out professionally, you’re quite good at it,” she joked, placing the card on the bedside table next to her. 

“Yeah? I’ll think about it, pretty,” Harry smiled as he perched on the edge of the chest of drawers where the flowers now sat pretty in the middle. “Want to open your gifts?” he nodded towards the two boxes. 

“Ladurée macarons? Y’know the way to my heart, don’t you?” Y/N opened the box pulling out a pink tinged treat, biting off half of the raspberry flavoured macaron before handing the other half off to Harry who chewed it down quick. 

“Try m’best,” Harry shrugged, “got one left,” his eyes glanced to the velvet covered box by her leg, as Y/N picked up the box with a deep breath, “don’t shit yourself now, m’not proposing in Paris, I know I’m a romantic but I’m not that predictable,” Harry smirked, “jus’ something pretty for my pretty.” 

Y/N cracked the box open to see a golden bracelet fastened to the cushion of the box, with heart shaped precious stones in multi-colours fastened to the band of the bracelet. “Fuck off, Harry,” Y/N gasped, her fingers tracing the purple amethyst heart before running over the peridot stone next to it. 

“That’s the one, right?” he asked, slightly unsure, she had mentioned the bracelet once in a passing comment when she it online, just a quick, ‘look how pretty this is’ while shoving her phone under his nose. 

“Yeah, this is the one,” she breathed out, unable to tear her eyes away from the pretty jewellery. 

“Thank Christ,” Harry laughed as she thrust her wrist and the box out towards him, silently demanding he fasten it on her. He stood at the edge of the bed as he pulled the bracelet from the box and wrapped it around her wrist, “like it, then?” 

“Love it, too expensive though, H,” she chastised as the cool metal slinked against her skin. 

“Eh, worth it,” he shrugged with a smile. 

“You’re trying really hard to get your leg over, aren’t you?” Y/N giggled. 

“Is it working?” he flirted, raising an eyebrow. 

Y/N flopped the duvet that had been covering her open, “c’mere and find out,” and Harry didn’t have to ask twice before pouncing on top of her as she shrieked in laughter as his mouth attached to her neck. “I love you,” she breathed, combing her fingers through his hair as he peered into her eyes. 

Harry’s smile burst across his face like the morning sunlight in the sky, crinkles appearing by his eyes, “and I love you” he said sincerely before sealing his lips over hers. 

-----

With Y/N dressed and Harry redressed, Harry had her by the hand and was pulling on her hand through the streets of Paris, seemingly on a mission. 

“Slow down, y’going to rip my arm out it’s socket and I don’t think that’s very romantic,” Y/N huffed out a breath trying to keep up with his long strides. 

“Sorry, m’heart, jus’ want t’get there before it’s proper busy,” he slowed down slightly, not enough to make much of a difference. Y/N was grumbling, keeping her hand latched onto Harry’s as she dodged a couple who apparently just couldn’t wait and had to stop directly in front of her in order to suck the face off each other in the middle of the pavement.

“Get where?” she hurried after him before slamming into his back as he stopped dead at his destination with no pre-warning, “eh ow?” she complained, rubbing her forehead and then the back of Harry’s coat where her makeup had slightly transferred onto the fabric. 

“Sorry, baby,” he tried not to laugh as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“Yeah, you will be. Fuck, I feel like I’ve walked into a romcom or somethin’” Y/N looked around them, “there’s couples smooching everywhere,” some of them could definitely get in trouble for indecent exposure the way they were going at it on a busy street at 10:30 in the morning. 

“Are you implying something?” Harry’s arms settled around her waist, pulling her close, his arms clasping at the base of her spine. 

“Well, y’know I’ll never say no to a kiss,” she clapped her hands down on his shoulders and reached up on her tiptoes to press a series of kisses onto his lips. “Now, what did you bring me all the way to Paris for, hm?” 

“For this,” he stood back and through his arm out, revealing a bridge that crossed the Seine. 

“Y’brought me to Paris for a bridge?” Y/N gave him a look from the side of her eye, “I mean it’s a nice bridge, H…” 

“Not just a bridge, it’s the bridge,” he laced their fingers together again as he began to walk them across the wooden slats that for a bridge had a remarkable amount of people, couples, lingering on it. “This is the Pont des Arts,” Harry said proudly. 

“Oh, is this the padlock place thingy?” Y/N asked, and she now could see the beginnings of padlocks of various sizes, colours and shapes, locked onto the bridge. 

“‘The padlock place thingy,’ really? Yeah, lovie, it’s where the Love Locks got popular,” Harry spoke, a dreamy sort of smile on his face as he looked at all the tokens of peoples love attached to the panels. As they said, he’s a hopeless romantic.

“You want to put one on, don’t you?” Y/N grinned, she knew him too well, he’s a sucker for this type of thing. 

“Why else would I bring you to Paris?” he asked as if it was obvious. 

“Alright then,” she sighed, “let’s pick a spot, yeah?” as Harry tugged her to one side of the bridge and began looking for a little space. 

-----

“It’s a shame they get cut off by the city council after a little while,” Y/N spoke, watching Harry as he was crouched down reading the engravings on every lock he could see, every so often he’d go, ‘look baby, this one has been here since 2008!’ or ‘look they’ve put their baby’s name and birthday on it too, maybe we could come back and add another if we have a baby.’

“Humour me, yeah?” Harry stood back to his feet beside her and began shuffling through the tote bag he had on his shoulder before pulling out a bronze padlock and a sharpie from the depths of the bag.

“Yeah, sorry,” she looked at him as he took the cap off the sharpie and began writing, his tongue poking out the edge of his mouth in concentration, “what are y’writing on it?” 

“Hm, hang on, I’ll show y’when m’done,” he mumbled before blowing on the wet ink, trying to dry it down before flipping the lock in his hand to write on the other side too. 

“All these locks are corroding and destroying the bridges you know, years old architecture, not even just here, all over the world,” Y/N said as she watched a couple, clearly still young enough to be school students fasten a lock to the bridge, they’ve probably only been together a week, Y/N thought to herself, snapping her eyes away from them as they started a very awkward, wet, sloppy looking kiss. 

“Baby, stop,” Harry whined. 

“Sorry! I’m sorry, ours won’t do that, we’ve got a special lock,” Y/N giggled as Harry rolled his eyes playfully. “Do you know at some bridges; they are arresting and fining people for doing this?” Y/N piped up again without thinking.

“Oh my God, Y/N/N,” Harry capped the sharpie, tossing it back into his bag before looking up at her, “you’re like Valentine’s Day Satan, the grinch of love languages,” Harry chuckled pulling her under his arm as they faced the sea of locks. 

“Sorry, my love, I’ll stop, know it’s important to you,” she squeezed his side before pointing out a gap on one of the railings, “how about right there?” 

“That’s perfect, sweets,” Harry pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he unlocked the padlock. 

“Gonna show me what you wrote first?” she nudged him with her hip to remind him as he passed the lock into her free hand. There, in the nicest handwriting Harry could muster up given the size restraints and writing tool, read H.S and Y/N’s initials, with the date of the 1st of September 2017, the date they made it official, scrawled underneath. Y/N smiled up at Harry’s bashful looking face, the pink blush she loved so much tickling his cheeks again, as she flipped the lock over. On the back, in tiny writing, read ‘Vincent Styles, 15/6/20’ his birthday in the middle of June. Y/N pouted at their dog’s name as her thumb rubbed over the tiny paw print Harry had drawn on in the corner. “Our baby,” Y/N smiled. 

“Had to include him, he’d somehow know if I didn’t and wouldn’t talk to me when we pick him up tomorrow,” Harry said as Y/N laughed at how true it was, he really was a Mummy’s boy of a dog. “Gonna help me lock it on, m’heart?” he asked as he crouched down in front of the railing, as Y/N nodded, bending down next to him. Together the hooked the latch round the railing and pressed it firmly into the lock, pulling the keys free. 

Y/N hummed as she looked at it, as much as she wasn’t as big a romantic as Harry, there was something about seeing it locked on there for the foreseeable future that made her tummy feel fizzy. In a good way. It felt permanent, the couple knew they were forever, but it was nice seeing something physical that proves that. 

“Knew I’d get you on side,” Harry laughed, nudging her, making her lose her balance as they remained crouched in front of the lock. 

“Oh, fuck off, you got me, it’s a nice idea alright,” she rolled her eyes as Harry helped her back to standing by the hand. “What do we do now? Toss the keys in the water?” Y/N peered over the edge of the railing into the murky water of the Seine. 

“I think that’s what your meant to do, but a fuck load of keys in a river doesn’t scream eco-friendly does it?” Harry asked, twirling the key ring around his finger. 

“Want to just shove them in the bin? It’s a bit less romantic but I suppose still does the unsalvageable idea? That is unless you dump me and want to go metal detecting through landfill to get the lock off?” Y/N joked. 

“I’m positive there’s more chance of you dumping me,” Harry said as he began walking over to the nearest rubbish bin with her hand still in his.

“How about none of us do any breaking up with the other? I don’t think I could co-parent Vince, he’d also hate it and would be packing his lunch bag and bunny to run away,” Y/N giggled. 

“Yeah, Vinnie is dramatic like that,” he agreed. 

“He’s your son, of course he is,” Y/N teased.

“Oi!” Harry looked at her in faux shock, “thank you for doing this with me,” he then said, almost shyly. 

“I’ll do anything y’want with you, you know that. Plus, this was actually pretty nice. You’ve got me locked down forever now, Styles, literally,” she nodded towards the section of the bridge where their lock was tied on. Harry smiled down at her, a soft look in his eyes. “My hopeless romantic of a boyfriend, eh?” Y/N grinned back, before reaching up and combing some of his loose curls back. 

“Keys in the bin, then?” Harry asked. 

“Keys in the bin,” she confirmed as Harry slung the keys into the metal bin hearing them land in the bottom with a clang. The symbol of their everlasting love for each other and their dog now attached to the Pont des Arts forever. Or until the city council cuts it off in a month. 

———

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[twostepstyless]

Not Just For Christmas

Universe Masterlist

Enlarge for HQ header image - tumblr hates big images xx

During the run up to Christmas 2022 I challenged myself to write a fic every single day up til Christmas Day and shock to all of us, I actually completed that. I never in a million years thought the Harry and Y/N I created for that daily series would be so well received and appreciated that there would be demand for a permanent universe for our Christmas couple.

Thus, Not Just For Christmas has been born! Follow along with Harry, Y/N and their Golden Retriever Vincent and get to know the couple all year round and not just for Christmas

Fics containing smut are marked with a * and I respectfully ask they remain for 18+ readers only.

—requests for this couple are always open

Read my full Masterlist here

Fics posted Newest - Oldest

Gotcha

Reminisce on the day our favourite golden retreiver entered Harry and Y/N's lives and the journey it took to get him.

Love Locks

Valentine’s Day Fic 2023. Vince the dog goes to the boarders for two nights while hopeless romantic Harry whisks Y/N off to Paris to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the city of love

2022 Advent Calendar

-Read the 25 daily fics that started it all, follow along a search for advent calendars, decorating, a missing ornament, the best dog to ever exist, some special family time and a whole lot of festive love - fics containing smut are marked *

Short little blurbs/concepts/ask replies can be read here

***

Read my full Masterlist here

[twostepstyless]

Had to write a blurb obvs 🙄 ripped straight from the njfc universe !!

Word Count: 1.1k +

———

“Harry! M’back!” Y/N shouted through their home as she came bundling through their front door, kicking off her shoes in an instant and leaving her coat hanging on the bannister of the stairs, where it will remain for a few days until she remembers to take it upstairs the next time she’s passing to put it away. In fact, it’s Harry that ends up hanging the coat in her side of the wardrobe one day. Determining the weather in London had officially switched itself to ‘summer mode’ and she would have no further reason to be wearing a coat, at least for a few weeks.

Y/N picks up the bag of shopping she had left lying in the entryway and began to search out her fiancé when he didn’t appear as he usually would at the first sound of her arrival. Harry really was like the perfect pet, in that regard. The second he heard Y/N arrive anywhere he was usually waiting with baited breath at the door with his metaphorical tail sweeping the floor in delight. She peered her head up the stairs and listened hard for any sounds of life before deciding he must be somewhere down here. His go to navy cap still lying on the entry table along with his shoes kicked off haphazardly telling her he was still at home. She checked the living room next, not seeing her partner but their golden retriever, Vinnie lying belly up in the sun spot cast over the living room floor, his paws moving through the air as he no doubt dreamt about running round parks and sniffing all the arseholes and swimming in the muddiest puddles he could conjure up in his sleepy dream day. She giggled quietly before leaving the dog in his unconscious mirage, not wanting to wake him and ruin his fun. The search for Harry continued, the down stairs loo was vacant as was the dining room.

Y/N rounded the corner into their large kitchen, blinking suddenly at the change of light as the sun streamed through the back wall of glass windows as the afternoon breeze rippled through the open patio doors. The quiet birdsong of the sparrows cooling off in the bird bath in the garden could be heard in the air. And there he was.

You could’ve convinced Y/N had walked into her own mirage if she wasn’t disturbed by-

“OW! Fuck!” Harry yelled dropping the iron onto the board, hot plate down onto the fabric cover of the ironing board as he sucked his reddening fingertip into his mouth.

“Shit,” Y/N gasped, dropping the bag of shopping onto the kitchen island before rounding it to where Harry had the iron and ironing board set up on a sun spot of his own in front of the open doors. He was stood in his cord shorts, socks pulled up past his ankles and a plain white t shirt on his chest with his headphones clapped over his ears, still not hearing or noticing Y/N’s arrival. She was quick to pull his headphones of his ears causing him to jump about a foot in the air in surprise.

“Fuck me, you’re back, didn’t even hear you,” he gasped, taking his finger out his mouth and flapping his hand through the air as if that was making any difference to the burn he’s apparently given himself.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t have done considering you’ve got Shania blasting at decibels that could cause damage,” Y/N laughed as she set down his headphones, and reaching over and setting the iron back upright to avoid another triangular shaped scorch on the ironing board cover.

The sound of ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’ that was leaking from his headphones stopped when Harry pulled his phone out his pocket, with his uninjured hand, and hit pause.

“Was just leaning into my…” he mumbled the remainder of the sentence and Y/N didn’t have a hope in being able to decipher what he was saying.

“Wha’ was that?” She smirked, taking his hand into her own to inspect his injury.

“Was just leaning into my domestic goddess character,” Harry repeated, shyly.

“Hm very goddess-like, the burnt finger really sells it,” she teased.

“Oi! Tha’s really sore,” he tried tugging his hand free as Y/N rolled her eyes at his dramatics and kept it in her grip.

She pulled his finger to her lip and placed a small kiss on it before letting his hand go, “we’ll stick a bit of antiseptic on that, but I think you’ll live,” Y/N diagnosed.

“Thanks nurse,” Harry smiled.

“Eh, that’ll be doctor to you,” she played along before nudging him with her hip and peering round him to see what he was up to with the iron in the first place. “What were you even doing?”

“Kiss first,” Harry demanded before tilting his head down to steal the sweetest greeting peck, not giving her the chance to answer his demand.

“Mmm hi,” she sighed into the kiss.

“Missed you,” Harry kept his forehead against hers.

“I was away for an hour.”

“And I still missed you, a guy can’t miss his fiancée now?” Harry queried.

“Shhh, show me what you were doing now, cause going by the size of the washing pile in the utility room, it wasn’t normal ironing.”

Harry stood back from the ironing board to reveal a black pleasing hoodie that never made it past sampling stage stretched over the ironing board, except Harry had decided to get a little bit crafty with it.

“Found those while I was clearing through some stuff in m’office, wanted t’use them,” he explained with a shrug. Across the chest of the hoodie there were now four iron on patches of cats in various outfits.

“Aw look! That one looks like you,” Y/N pointed out the second cat who was in clad in some mustard looking flares, a blue vest and pink t-shirt , something that didn’t look too far of a reach to be found in her fiancés wardrobe.

“N’you’ve got boots like that,” Harry pointed to the cat next to his who was wearing red over the knee boots paired with a little printed skirt.

“I reckon Vinnie might get jealous, he’s going to start thinking you prefer cats to dogs,” Y/N pointed out, “I can sew over the top of these at one point, make them last longer?” she suggested.

“Would you?” he asked with a hint of excitement, Harrys personalisation skills didn’t extend much past iron on patches and iron on images, all the embroidered and sewn bits were gifts from other people or when he went pouting to Y/N. She nodded in response, “guess I’ll just need to make another one with fancy dressed dog patches when I find some,” Harry shrugged, looking forward to his next craft project already.

[twostepstyless]

I’m just putting this out there now, I will absolutely not be writing every day of December again this year. Considering I’ve not managed to post any writing in months at this point the chances of me being able to crank out 25 fics like I did last year is beyond slim lmao but you are more than welcome to read them all again this year, and who knows I might actually shift my arse and be able to post at least a few wee things

And of course after the advent calendar last year the series got expanded into a full universe of fics based on our njfc babes so you can read more of their story in the series Masterlist

[twostepstyless]

why do i get the feeling that in the njfc universe harry has totally posted dumb selfies of him and vincent on his story by accident 😭

Oh that dog got hard launched online in mere days after they got him after one of Harry’s accidental clicks to his main story

[twostepstyless]

The amount of liked and saved TikToks I have of golden retrievers that are sooo Vince coded from the njfc universe is mental

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Hiiiiii!! This is the anon!!!!!! (was too shy to send a thingo twice HAHA)

But yes!! I binged your series on the plane!

I was at melb LOT n1&2 kitchen pit barricade for both (im still not okay and the man the myth the legend WAVED AT MY FRIEND AND I) and as soon as I stepped out of the stadium I was like “okay well now I need to read some imagines to help me with the pcd”, and yours were the only suitable ones. So for about an hour after the last concert I took ss of the imagines to read on the plane ride back home to my home state, and let me tell u, I could not put my phone down the entire time and at one point the flight attendant was j standing there waiting for me to give him my empty coffee cup but idc, NJFC comes first 😩😩

Idk how to explain it but NJFC is my comfort couple. They're just so 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 and their relationship is literally goals. You're hands down my all time favourite writer because you portray Harry honestly so well, better than most imagines that I’ve read. You incorporate just the right amount of everything into the dialogue (humor, seriousness, romance, etc)

I need to stop gushing about it bc im just being annoying now but UGHHHH YOURE SO FREAKING AMAZING I LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS COUPLE ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💋💋😽😽��

Oh my god babe, no don’t be shy 🥹🤍 I appreciate your asks endlessly, like I can’t even describe, they mean the world to me! But this one, this one got me crying in the car outside my job :(

Okay first of all we’ve got to discuss your shows, kitchen and barricade for both?! You lucky duck and bestie boy waved at you, wow!!! I’m so glad you had such a good time, my uncle who lives in Australia is going to the Gold Coast show with his husband and I’m soo jealous but so excited they get to see Harry!

I’m so so so happy you love my NJFC babies, they were honestly just dreamt up for something fun for me to do before Christmas and to force me to write more often but the fact that you and others like them enough to bloody ss them to read on a flight?! my wee heart is in bits ❤️‍🩹 My goal with the Harry and yn in this universe was just to write how love can be shows in the quiet, simplest moments in the day to day and the fact that comes across makes me so so so happy…

You’re far far too kind and I love you endlessly for it, gorgeous 🤍✨🥰 xx

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NJFC was my absolute favorite last year! It’s actually how I found your blog and I am so glad that I did!!

Oh ow thank you baby! Glad to have you here my love! Being busy with NJFC carried me through December last year when I really needed it so it’s soo special to me and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I have so many WIPs for our njfc babies as well so hopefully I’ll be able to get some of them out into the universe soon 🤍

[twostepstyless]

Are we going to be getting the pregnancy scare in the Not Just For Christmas universe? I think I recal us having a conversation on it a while ago ❤️

hii pretty, we absolutely are going to be getting it at some point, I have it started and the whole thing planned out but life has just been life recently and I'm trying to fight off a sick and twisted writers block lmao, I've got I think 4 wips for njfc just now as well as 2 other one shots that I just keep staring at blankly lol

My own work schedule is balancing out in a few weeks so I'm hoping I'll get back in the swing of things before then and actually be able to post some writing soon, including this wee request that I'm hoping will turn out a special one <3