#but whyyyyy nottttt post a little something for old times sake

[cheesewithchips]

ho ho ho, and a bottle of rum: a forever hold your peace christmas drabble

long time, huh? i know i suck in every way possible but i thought i’d grant a little christmas miracle with a christmas drabble that i started a very long time ago. after a little tweaking i was finally able to make it work and am ready to share it with you all now! so without further ado, here is a little 5k+ non-canon christmas drabble full of santa, booze, and the lovely fhyp gang. hope you all missed them as much as i have, and happy holidays!

Christmastime was meant to be the most wonderful time of the year – there were only hundreds of songs written in its honor. This was when happiness was meant to linger in the air along with that hint of holiday magic that couldn’t bring anyone down. Birdy Thomas liked to believe that she could feel that magic of the holidays whenever December finally rolled around, when she finally got to see the people she loved at their most festive. But despite the joy and jubilance of Christmas, there was nothing that could have gotten the scowl off her face at that very moment. Why was it there one might have asked? None other than the holly, jolly Santa Claus himself.

(Well, the one at the Westfield Shopping Centre anyway.)

She was too nice of a person, she thought. Her day could’ve been filled with Christmas films and heated blankets in her flat, but instead she was watching her neighbors’ twins while her neighbors spent long hours at the hospital treating trauma patients. While a day of watching movies might have sufficed for Birdy when it came to Mia and Tommy Winchester, who were some of the most restless kids that she knew, they needed more stimulating activities to pass their time.

With the combination of doe eyed looks and more ‘please Birdy?’s than she could take, they’d ended up right where they were currently; waiting for the shopping centre’s Santa to finally see them. Birdy only wished she’d opted for some more sensible shoes as opposed to the heeled booties she’d decided on at the last minute.

“Birdy, I’m tired,” Birdy’s eyes averted from the long queue ahead of her, glancing down to catch the look of discomfort on Tommy’s face. “When are we going to see Santa?”

Birdy sighed, ruffling the top of Tommy’s curls. “You’d have to tell me that, mate.”

“This isn’t Santa,” Mia declared, folding her arms across her chest. Tommy turned towards her, his eyebrows furrowed deeply.

“What are you talking about?” Tommy inquired, taking on a defensive look almost immediately. “Of course it’s Santa. He’s got the beard and everything.”

“So? You think that every man with a white beard is Santa?” Mia retorted swiftly. “Santa doesn’t exist.”

Birdy’s eyes widened just as Tommy’s mouth dropped widely. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! Santa exists! How do you think we get those presents under the tree?”

“Mummy and Daddy.”

Tommy scoffed. “They do not give us Christmas presents. Only presents we get from them are on our birthday.”

Now it was Mia’s turn to scoff, her hands going onto her hips before her head tilted upwards. “Birdy, could you please tell Tommy that Santa doesn’t exist? Because I’m pretty sure that I overheard my teacher say something to my mum about how he doesn’t and my teacher doesn’t lie.”

“Birdy, could you please tell her that Santa does exist?” Tommy countered with a hard glare in his sister’s direction. “Because Mum and Dad have said that he does and I’m pretty sure that they wouldn’t lie either!”

“You think that someone as fat as Santa can really squeeze into every chimney in the world? Or knows what every kid in the world is doing enough to put them on a naughty or nice list?”

“He’s magical! He can do what normal people can’t!”

“Oh yeah? What about people who don’t have chimneys? Do you think he just skips them? And how can reindeer carry a huge man all across earth? Does that make sense to you?”

“He’s magic. Magic people can do magical things. That’s the whole point of them being magical in the first place!”

The twins ended up silent, both peering towards Birdy for a confirming statement that she knew very well she couldn’t give. She instead let out an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of her neck before pointing forward.

“Lookie there! Queue’s moving! Who would have thought?” She decided to use as her cop out, taking this opportunity to skitter ahead. Mia and Tommy continued to bicker behind her and all she could do was let out a sigh in relief. Though she did have a drama background and the ability to do improv like a champ, there was a difference between being able to conjure up replies for a stage and conjuring up an answer for whether a childhood character was real or not.

The wait was proving to be even more unbearable than Birdy first thought, fifteen more minutes going by before she was ready to kick her shoes off and sit down on the assortment of presents that had been stacked high beside her. Mia and Tommy were even worse than she was, outright voicing their complaints and whines until Birdy was close to pulling her hair out.

They were almost at the front of the queue when a tall body wedged their way between Birdy and the kids, at least six foot of person standing right in front of Birdy while whistling ‘It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas’. She glanced at the man up and down, a scoff leaving the back of her throat as her eyes narrowed on him dangerously. If there was one thing Birdy Thomas didn’t tolerate it was being jumped in a queue – especially one she’d spent so much time to get to the front of.

“Hey!” She exclaimed to the back of the man’s beanie clad head. “We’ve been here for a great amount of time and you think it’s alright to cut ahead like that? I don’t know where you were raised exactly but surely you were taught better manners than that.”

“I dunno, I was pretty bad back in primary school,” Birdy’s temper immediately eased upon hearing the responding voice, a crooked smile on Harry’s face as he turned around to face her. “Must’ve never been corrected.”

Birdy rolled her eyes. “Liar. You were a prince in primary.”

“I know I was,” He replied smugly, leaning down to leave a kiss on her lips.

“How nice of you to join us, Dimps,” She said with a shake of her head, glancing down to take in the red sweater that Harry was wearing that had a cute Christmas tree dead center. Mia and Tommy immediately rushed towards him afterwards, their arms wrapping around his waist to give him a squeeze. “Oi, don’t act so happy to see him. It’s just Harry.”

“Yes, but they love and appreciate ‘Just Harry’. Apparently more than you do,” Harry gave her a pointed glance as he hugged the twins back. “How are you lot? Ready to see Santa?”

“So ready!” Tommy exclaimed, grinning. “But Mia thinks that Santa isn’t real. Isn’t that weird?”

“You’re weird for believing in that old man in the first place!” Mia retorted. “You’re just weird in general.”

“You’re weird!”

“No, you are!”

Harry chuckled as he watched the two of them, giving Birdy time to roll onto her tiptoes and whisper into his ear. “I was about to go insane.”

“Trust me, I could tell,” Harry said, laughing slightly. “Did you know that your texts show what kind of mood you’re in? You’ve been emoji-less all day. I was about to ring the police.”

“I am floundering,” She said through grit teeth. “I can’t be the one to break a little boy’s heart, Harry. In fact, I won’t. I already did it to Izzy when she was younger and I swear to god she’s held the biggest grudge over my head ever since then so I’m not going to be the one to do it here. Might as well go ahead and tell him about the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny if I did and there’s no way I’m going to ruin anything that–”

“Bird,” Harry said simply, the simple utterance of her name causing her to shut up on sight.

She wet her lips, nodding slowly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, just.. breathe,” Harry suggested, cheeky half smile on his face. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine. Even if he did figure out that Santa doesn’t exist, it happens to everyone eventually. But he won’t, alright?”

Birdy blinked once. “I just want to go Zara.”

“It won’t be more than five minutes, muppet. Be patient,” He said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

“You’re right, I suppose,” Birdy muttered, shaking her head. “Times like this remind me how I am the overreacting melodrama whilst you are the calmer and levelheaded one of the two of us. Maybe I should start listening to what you say.”

“Mm, both you and I know that’s not going to happen,” Harry said, slipping an arm around Birdy’s waist and drawing her close enough to kiss her once more. “I actually wanted to talk about something–”

“Queue’s moving!” Tommy exclaimed, tugging on Birdy’s arm and jumping ahead excitedly.

“A babysitter’s job is never done,” Birdy sighed, escaping Harry’s grip and following behind the twins. There was a single family left stopping them from finally meeting the centre’s Santa Claus and it couldn’t have come soon enough. Tommy was bouncing on his heels at the thought of seeing Santa while Mia was standing idly by looking all but enthusiastic at what was ahead. The varying personalities in the two were apparent, it was almost intriguing for Birdy to watch.

She glanced back in Harry’s direction, catching his hands going into his back pockets while he bit down on his bottom lip. “Have you got plans tonight?”

“Was planning on packing,” He replied. “I’ve barely made any headway and I leave tomorrow afternoon.”

“Gang’s all meeting at Stanza tonight and I was hoping for a fun little hangout before we all go our separate ways,” Birdy replied, taking out her phone and briefly flashing her and Liam’s text log in Harry’s direction before stuffing it away again. “Besides, how much do you really need to pack for Punta Cana anyway? Some swim trunks? Sunglasses? Tequila?”

Harry let out a small breath, looking displeased. “Another year without snow. You know how I feel about that.”

“Yes, but not all of us can be so fortunate,” Birdy countered. “I know you don’t like hot Christmases but just know that there are some people who would die to be suntanning on a beach after unwrapping presents.”

“You’re of a different breed, Birdy Thomas,” Harry declared, bringing a smile to Birdy’s lips. “But if you are so keen on suntanning then you could always–”

“Oh my god,” Birdy cut him off, a gasp sounding as her hand clapped over her mouth.

“What?” Harry asked, furrowing his brows. “Is everything alright?”

“I know that I’m the overreacting melodrama and everything so please confirm if I’m going mad or not,” She started, already starting to snicker. “But does Santa look familiar to you or is it just me?”

Harry subtly averted his gaze from Birdy to the bearded man only a few steps away from them, his eyes squinting before his mouth dropped as well. There wasn’t a chance that the chuckles from either of them would have ceased, especially when the family ahead of them finally dispersed and Tommy and Mia began walking in Santa’s direction.

“Ho, ho, ho, happy Christmas little man!” Santa said, voice deep and throaty. “And is this your sister here? How are you doing me little peach?”

Tommy hadn’t moved any further, a frown beginning to settle on his lips. “Niall?”

“Told you he wasn’t real,” Mia said in a snooty tone, her nose going into the air. “Birdy, Harry, didn’t I tell him so?”

“Yeah… I’ll be coming to Stanza tonight,” Harry said through his laughs, watching as Niall glanced towards him and Birdy in absolute horror. “Hey mate!”

Birdy waved at Niall afterwards, watching as his gaze dropped to his lap. “It’ll definitely a night you don’t want to miss.”

Birdy couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed as hard as she had been for the past five minutes. She didn’t need to tell more than a sentence of her ‘Niall is the Shopping Centre Santa’ tale for the whole bar to burst into belly grabbing, tear wiping laughter. Even Samson had to pause from making drinks to laugh at that new bit of knowledge.

“I’m sorry, but there’s just no way,” Darcy said, sputtering up a laugh before collecting herself. “Niall’s really Santa? Like Kris Kringle, joy to the world, ‘merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight’ Santa?”

“Yes Darce, I don’t know how many times I have to confirm this. I saw it with my own two eyes,” Birdy said, her body turned in Darcy’s direction. “He was miffed once he saw we were there. Thought he wouldn’t see anyone he knew all day but somehow me and H were lucky enough. Weren’t we, Dimps?”

“We certainly were,” Harry chimed in with a smirk. “But hey, let’s not give him a hard time. He’s just trying to make his Christmas money like all the rest of us.”

“Hmm, yeah. I’m still going to make fun of him. I’m going to destroy him actually!” Darcy announced happily. “Where is the little leprechaun anyway? I’ve never been happier to see him in my entire life.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever met someone as cruel as you are, Darcy,” Liam said, a hand going through his hair. “It’s scary but also a little admirable.”

“I think we should listen to Harry,” Anastasia said, sounding as sweet as Anastasia usually did. “We all know Niall. He could be out there prostituting or selling parts for money, but instead he decided to do something to make the kids happy! Can’t we all appreciate that?”

“Absolutely not!” Louis scoffed, poking his head from behind Darcy. “Can we all grasp that this is probably one of the funniest things that any of us has heard all year? I can understand if Harry and Ana want to be on Santa’s nice list by giving Horan the benefit of the doubt, but this is just plain hilarious!”

“Niall is Santa so he could definitely put them there,” Darcy joked, sending herself back into laughter. She and Louis high fived, rising giggles from Liam and Birdy as well. “I swear; this is never going to get old.”

“You lot are mean,” Ana mumbled as she turned the drink in front of her with the candy cane printed straw she had been sipping out of.

A jingling of bells filled the room shortly afterwards, the shuffling of heavy boots following as a flash of red darted into the pub. Almost on cue, the heavy sniggers began again. Niall had finally arrived, and he hadn’t even bothered to shed his costume before entering.

“Yeah alright. Laugh it up,” Niall rolled his blue eyes, pulling the hat off his head and brushing the snow off his jacket. “I don’t care what you wankers say – if it weren’t for the suit, I definitely would have caught pneumonia by now.”

“I didn’t think it could get any better than it already was,” Liam got out, though his laughter was prominent enough. “Happy Christmas to us all, truly.”

“You’re a right dickhead for telling them all,” Niall shot at Birdy, who hid behind Harry as soon as Niall started to address her. “But then again, what else is new?”

“Oi, they would have found out anyway, wouldn’t they?” She replied, holding up her hands in defense. “Besides, I think you make quite the Old Saint Nick. Even though you nearly made Tommy cry.”

“Dickhead,” Niall reiterated slowly, turning towards Samson. “Get me something strong and peppermint please.”

“Say no more, mate,” Samson nodded. “Would you like me to add something in there for your reindeer or will they be servicing themselves this evening?”

“Come on,” Darcy cackled, her head resting down on the bartop. “I’m trying to be nice here and you’re all not helping one bit.”

“Oh no need Red, go ahead and hit me with everything you have,” Niall told her, shrugging his shoulders. “I can take your weak insults any day.”

“I’ll let you get some liquor in your system first. Might make it easier for you to take them,” Darcy mocked a kiss his way, prompting his eyes to roll. “But seriously, how is the job? How many kids did you promise ponies and functioning families today?”

Niall waited until he had taken down a good amount of the drink Samson handed him before deciding to reply. “You know what? Being Santa really isn’t as easy a job as you all might think it is. It takes a certain skill and finesse that not everyone has. You really have to get into character for something like. None of you would understand.”

Birdy held up a hand. “I act. I think I would understand that better than anyone.”

“Touché,” Ana nodded in agreement.

“Well then why don’t you and your smart mouth try doing what I do then?” Niall inquired, his mouth on the rim of his glass as he took another swig.

“Are you challenging me Niall? Is this a challenge? Is this really what you want to get into? Cause my Santa could wipe the floor with yours, I promise you,” Birdy inquired straight into Niall’s ear, his face scrunching up in reply.

“You’re like an annoying fly that I can’t kill,” He muttered, waving a dismissing hand Birdy’s way.

“You love me,” She said, giving him a knowing glance before grinning at him. “Please continue. Being Santa is a hard feat. Tell us more.”

Though he rolled his eyes beforehand, he did end up continuing. “You have to convince these kids that you know exactly what you’re doing. Personally, I like to throw meself into the job, make the kids feel like I’m their friend before promising them that toy or service they want.”

“I love how you’re talking about it like it’s a real job, that’s probably the most interesting part of all of this,” Harry deduced, looking genuinely interested.

“Even though it’s not and by the time Boxing Day rolls around, you’re looking for employment once again,” Louis pointed out, giving Niall a look of sympathy.

“Maybe so, but at least I can pay my rent for the next two months. Was I able to say that before this job?” Niall asked.

“Hell no,” Darcy held up her own glass as she shook her head.

“Think that was meant to be rhetorical,” Ana whispered to Darcy.

“Trust me, I know,” Darcy said with a smirk.

“Your arse would be the first one on my naughty list, Red. Be lucky I’m not actually Santa Claus or else you’d be getting straight coal this year,” Niall grumbled. “Could I get another glass?”

Birdy tutted, watching as her friend received a new drink. “How can you promise things to little kids when you can’t even get your life together in the first place, Ni?”

“How can you talk to me about children like you aren’t wearing a skimpy pair of Christmas themed knickers right now for everyone to see?” Niall shot back, getting everyone’s eyes wide. Birdy scoffed, shifting awkwardly in her chair and pulling the hem of her shirt down which were slightly ridden up before. “Are those the ones that light up or the ones that sing?”

“You’re literally the most abominable creature I know.”

“You want coal too?” Niall questioned. “Annoying bint.”

“I was trying to be nice!” Birdy exclaimed with a scoff. “The whole reason I came here was to make sure no one made fun of you as bad as they could. I could be helping Harry pack for Punta Cana right now but I wanted to make sure that these people let you live.”

“They wouldn’t have known about it if it weren’t for you! You strategically planned this, don’t try and act innocent,” Niall shot back at her. “And if you’d rather be packing than seeing me, not only are you annoying but you’re mad too.”

Birdy stuck her tongue out at him before settling her elbow onto the countertop, peering to her left to catch Harry’s eye contact. “And you. What do you want? You’re giving me a look.’

“What look?” Harry asked innocently.

“That look,” She said with a tap to his slightly pouted lips. “The look you give when you want something.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re not the only one who can read people around here, Dimps,” Birdy remarked, a smile playing on her lips.

Birdy’s smile drew one out of Harry almost too easily, his tongue running over his bottom lip before he leaned closer to her. “Well, I would like to see these Christmas knickers Niall was going on about.”

Birdy’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “Oh really?”

“Yes ma’am.”

She hummed, nodding slowly. “If you end up on the nice list you might be able to. Or if I end up on the naughty list. Either or, your chances are looking pretty nice right now.”

Harry laughed, his green eyes flashing up before they went back down. “I’ve also got this Christmas wish of mine that you could very possibly grant for me.”

“Little old me?”

“Yes, you,” He confirmed playfully. “I’ve been wondering – hoping actually –  if, uh, if it was possible for you to maybe–”

He hadn’t finished his sentence before a loud whistle cut him off, followed by Louis’ voice.  “Do you lot want to join our drinking game? Or would you rather gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes while we’re all pissed out of our minds?”

Harry laughed awkwardly. “We were actually–”

“A drinking game?” Birdy repeated, her attention piqued. “What kind?”

“It’s called ’All I Want For Christmas Is You,’” Liam said slowly, waving his hand in the air like the words were hovering above his head. “We go around and we all say what we want someone else to do for Christmas – a risqué, grown up version of course. If that person doesn’t do what they’re asked of then they take a shot.”

“It’s like truth or dare but without the truth, and Christmas-y,” Anastasia explained further. “But no worries, embarrassment is definitely still a part of it.”

“I’m gonna end up really drunk by the end of this, aren’t I?” Birdy asked candidly.

“There’s a very, very high possibility,” Darcy replied.

“Count me in then,” Birdy smiled, taking the shot glass that Niall slid her way. “You playing, Harry?”

Harry sighed, shaking his head before smiling half heartedly. “I’ll pass. I drove.”

“You could sleep at mine! Come on,” She insisted, shaking her boyfriend’s arm repeatedly. “Pleaseeeeee?”

“I’m alright, I promise,” He said, giving her hand a squeeze before leaning against the counter. “Besides, it’s been awhile since I saw you all make arses of yourselves.”

“Say no more, Styles!” Louis exclaimed. “I’ll go first. All I want for Christmas is for Santa Claus Horan to take me on his sleigh.”

More laughter followed, along with the clatter of Niall’s shot glass once he drained it in one go.

“Oh my god,” Birdy said, running a hand over her face as she moved closer to her bathroom mirror. “I am so drunk right now.”

She staggered backwards, accidentally running into Harry who grabbed her by the waist and steadied her. Birdy had been drunk enough times to know how to handle herself whenever she was, but she couldn’t deny that having an extra set of eyes to keep track of her didn’t hurt. Especially on nights when she was feeling as wasted as she was right then. Harry always took care of her, most times more than she felt she needed to be. But that’s how he had always been, constantly making sure that she was alright.

“I should have dropped out sometime after the eighth. The ninth one was that big holy grail moment. The whole ‘you should stop now but you know you won’t’ kind of thing,” She rambled on, shutting the lights off in the bathroom before beginning to stalk towards her bedroom. “But I’m much too stubborn. You know I don’t like backing down from a challenge.”

“I know, baby,” Harry indulged her with a laugh, following behind her. “It’s one of your best and worst qualities.”

“It’s definitely one of my worst,” She said before flopping onto her bed and closing her eyes. “I’m giving up drinking.”

“Really?” Harry asked with a clear tone of disbelief. He sat down beside her, his fingers pushing the hair out of the way so he could see her face. “Now that would be the day.”

“I mean it, Harry,” She tried to say adamantly, trying not to slip over her words. “From this moment forward I am done with liquor. I’m a new woman.”

“New Years is right around the corner, Bird.”

She paused, swearing under her breath once she realized he was correct. “It’ll have to be after that then because New Year’s is always best when you’re a little bit drunk.”

“Just a little bit?”

“…A lotta bit.”

Birdy wasn’t sure if Harry’s doubt annoyed her due to his lack of faith or just showed how much her boyfriend truly knew her drunken ways. Either way, she was far too inebriated to worry about it.

“The room’s spinning a bit,” Birdy confessed, her words muffled by her duvet. She was sure that Harry had heard her regardless though, considering how he kicked off his shoes and slid further up the bed, pulling her into his lap afterwards. She closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne and body wash. No matter how far away she might have felt mentally, he always brought her back to some semblance of reality.

“If you throw up on me, I’m leaving,” Harry remarked with a poke to Birdy’s side.

“I wasn’t planning that but it could always be arranged,” She muttered into the crook of his neck with a smirk on her face. “Anyway, you can’t leave. Cause I won’t see you again until after New Years and I’d like a bit more time with you.”

“You’ve been with me most of the day. That’s not enough for you?”

Birdy shook her head slowly. “I’d be around you all the time if you’d let me. Unfortunately, you find me irritating and call me mental all the time so that doesn’t happen.”

“But am I lying?”

“’Tis the season to be a dick, I guess,” Birdy scoffed while Harry chuckled right against her forehead, stopping only to press a kiss against her skin, making her even warmer than she already was. “M’gonna miss you. Truly. I’ll be in Leeds eating Yorkshire puddings and missing the hell out of you. Meanwhile you’ll be in an island paradise. Life is not fair.”

She’d expected a declaration of the same caliber from Harry’s end, one where he went on about just how much he would be thinking about her in the sunny weather or how he would avert his eyes every time he saw a woman slicked down in oil, but instead there was silence. Just Harry combing through her hair in a way gentle enough to put her asleep right there and then.

“You know, I’ve been trying to ask you something all day,” He finally spoke after another long bout of silence. Birdy was so beside herself that she couldn’t even pinpoint what he was talking about. “Should have been asking you this a long time ago actually.”

“Asking me what?” Birdy asked quietly, opening one of her eyes up. “Is it about my knickers? Cause you can see them if you want to. All you have to do is ask nicely.”

Harry chuckled, looking at Birdy like she was the most endearing thing in the world. “No, not your knickers. I’m sure they’re very nice though.”

“Are you sure? They light up.”

“Yes, Birdy. I’m sure.”

“Then what?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to come.”

Birdy’s eyebrows went up in an inconspicuous fashion. “So you don’t want to see my knickers but you’re asking me if I want to come? Because the answer will always be yes.”

“Jesus, Bird,” Harry ran a hand over his face, looking at her incredulously. “I meant if you wanted to come on holiday with me.”

Birdy couldn’t help but widen both of her eyes, pushing herself up so she could look at him properly. “To Punta Cana?” She asked for clarification.

“Yeah,” Harry said. “If you wanted to.”

“‘If I wanted to?’ Harry, do you know the level of that request? That’s at least six Christmas presents all in one,” She scoffed, shaking her head. “Mad, that.”

“I should’ve asked you earlier but I kept getting cut off,” He continued. “I also didn’t know how you’d feel about it, considering how last minute the request was. Plus, you always do Leeds and I know that your mum’s Christmas dinners could have stories written about them and it’s all very last minute but–”

Birdy shushed him before he could finish, putting a finger up to his lips. She wasn’t in a place where she could comprehend his long winded sentences. “You’re inviting me to Punta Cana and you think my mother’s roast is going to hold me back?”

“You say that like her roasts aren’t out of this world,” Harry replied before biting at Birdy’s finger, which she responded to with a frown. “I figure it’s too late for you to reconsider now.”

“Says who?” She questioned with a laugh. “If I wasn’t completely smashed I would be packing right now.”

“Your family wouldn’t hate me if I whisked you away?”

“Would take a lot for them to do that. I guarantee they’ll manage just fine without me,” She said with assurance in her muffled tone. “Mum might have something to say but she’ll get over it. Win and Finn will be able to take third and fourth servings of food without a side eye and Izzy will just ask me to pick her up something. A t-shirt or a man, one or the other.”

“I am not at all surprised,” Harry said, looking pleased. “We can give it another day or two. Time for the both of us to pack and for you to sober up.”

“You don’t think this would be the perfect way to link with your family in the DR? Heavily under the influence?” Birdy asked sarcastically, prompting Harry to let out a loud cackle.

“Your choice, love. Might loosen you up a bit,” He retorted with a shrug.

“Don’t tempt me,” Birdy waggled her eyebrows, nuzzling back into Harry’s neck and letting her eyes fall back closed. “I just have one question for you.”

Harry went back to combing through her hair, his milky tone replying back, “Anything.”

“Are you packing the tequila or should I?”