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Children go through phases.
Louis had enough younger siblings following in his footsteps to know the details of each age, each passing phase. Fizzy had had a massive "mine" phase, taking Lottie's toys and claiming them as hers, while Lottie had a huge "copy cat" phase and followed Louis around while copying every action until she was like a shadow. Phoebe and Daisy had gone through a tough "mommy" phase, clinging to Jay and making it difficult for the twins to rest in anyone else's arms. When Louis finally had Mark in the picture as a father, he had a serious "daddy" phase that still lingered over into his age now. He was just slipping into the "rebellious" phase, but that usually meant he didn't do the dishes as soon as his mother asked, as he was too good of a boy to disobey those who gave him everything. Everyone goes through a "teething" and "fibbing" phase- Louis knew. Phases were so common that, when things got too difficult for adult's to understand, they said it was nothing more than a phase so their children would confuse themselves out of the situation. He had the understanding that children pass through phases all their lives, and they only stick around for so long, and they are never any different than the neighbour's son next door, or a little girl in China. A phase was a phase, and one was meant to learn to adapt to it until it was out of their system.
That's why he didn't mean to stare, wide-eyed next to the other boys, mouth agape and backs stiffening to make their bodies perfect ninty degree angles. But, this was the sort of phase he never thought one would go through, or maybe it was because he never had a baby brother- he was taken by shock is all he could say.
It was a day no different than any other, Harry inviting the boys to the Styles home for a quick playdate, twelve noon to three. Anne would gladly agree, opening the door for each boy until they found a game to play, even the eleven and twelve year olds in the room getting into playing pretend with their eight and nine year old babies. Louis was the first to arrive, secretly hoping he could spend some time with his boy before any other lad arrived to steal the attention.
"I'm sorry, Louis, but Harry overslept after staying up too late last night and is just now getting ready for this. Gemma is trying to make things go faster, but it might be awhile since he's groggy. You're welcome to sit on the couch and use the telly or fridge as you please," Anne cooed after sharing a cuddle with him. It was the same phrase when Liam, Zayn, and Niall walked through the door, each boy taking an item from the fridge and sitting beside each other in the living room and keeping up good conversation. Every few minutes, someone would wonder of where Harry was, or why he was taking so long. The little ball of energy could get ready in a minute if he set his mind to it, so they were beginning to question whether the eight year old was even properly awake. Before anyone could even stand to go check on their little tot, they heard the sound of paired feet down wooden steps, the familiar chatter of Gemma and Harry following along.
Harry's hand was in Gemma's, bright smiles on both of their faces as if they had witnessed true magic right in front of their faces. Gemma, thirteen, was holding an empty bag in her hands, beginning to look like quite the darling girl, and the boy beside her seemed to be taking the beginnings of looking like one as well. He wore a white shirt, the sparkling blue dress of Cinderella squeezing around it, dangling to show off his shoulders. The blonde princess's face sat at the bottom of the faux corsette, famous smile plastered in an acrylic button. A silver tiara, one that looked like less of a cheap costume part, and more like an aluminum crown from one of Gemma's ballet performances, graced his otherwise boyish curls. Those curls were beginning to grow out slightly away from his head, swooping around the crown with extra volume that, paired with his skinny frame, really made a mistake of a girl from behind. He looked happy, green eyes sparkling at the idea of showing his dress to everyone in town, and Gemma was pleased with the work that she put in to make sure it all fit right on Harry. She first took notice of his need for a proper dress when he stole one Gemma's, letting it sag off his shoulders and trail behind him on the ground, taped paper crown used to show signs of royalty. It was her that first realized her baby brother had entered his next phase: dress up.
That's why they didn't mean to stare, wide-eyed next to one another, mouths agape and backs stiffened to make their bodies perfect ninty degree angles. This was the type of phase none of the lads had ever been faced with, especially not an eight year old boy dressing in a girl's costume. Gemma led her brother to his friends, straightened the crown on his head so she had time to send them a warning glare, before kissing his forehead and turning back to go toward her room. While Harry was turned around to give a bright "thank you!" to his sister, Liam and Zayn exchanged a final shocked glanced, and Niall let out a soft giggle. But, Louis found himself letting out a coo, one he didn't even understand it's slip, but no one heard, and he could pretend he didn't hear as well.
"Why are you dressed like that, Hazza?" Niall asked as soon as Gemma had left the room, allowing his mouth to get the better of him.
"Did Gem force you into it?" Liam asked.
"You know that's for girls right?" Zayn butted in.
"Do you want to be a princess, Harry?" Louis finally finished the string of questions, sending daggers toward the other boys in the hopes to silence them. Harry was looking at his feet, cheeks tinted a bright red as the questions from his friends suddenly got the better of his confidence, "Hey, look up at me, princess," Louis tried, voice soft as he reached a hand out to Harry's chin, pushing it upward until green and blue met with sparkling fondness. The young boy nodded to his Big Buddy's previous question, eyes flickering over to check the other three's reactions as soon as the motion slipped.
"We can play Rescue the Princess!" shouted Niall, leaping off the couch and wrapping his arms around Harry's shoulders, nuzzling his head into the volume of the boy's curls. Niall had hoped that this was all part of a game, being the youngest of his family, he didn't really know or understand phases and only believed Harry wanted to entertain him with something new. Zayn let out a snicker when he saw Louis' shoulders slump at the loss of contact. Zayn slapped Liam's arm, whispering something secretive into his friend's ear before they turned.
"Yeah! That sound like a lot of fun, Ni! Zayn, you, Louis, and I could all be fighting to save Princess Harry," Liam smiled, patting Niall's blond hair in praise. Louis smiled at the idea, already imagining the play fighting of him against the other boys until he won, sweeping Harry up into his arms (though he was beginning to grow too big to carry).
"And whoever wins him over gets a kiss," Zayn added, breaking through Louis dillusion. His head snapped toward his older friends, face no longer full of amusement. Harry's face flushed at that, Niall already pulling his younger friend toward the backyard with the innocent incentive to play a game. Liam and Zayn followed, so not to be smacked by their possibly violent mate. Louis' thoughts switched to images of Zayn cradling Harry, much better than he could because Zayn was beginning to surpass Louis in height, so he could properly lift Harry off the ground and pull him into a dipping kiss. Liam was much sweeter than Louis could ever be, keeping everything soft and gentle so Harry could melt right into him. Niall was Harry's closest friend, still in Grade School with him and getting closer by the day, Louis was no match for what those other three could offer the princess. He decided, as he closed the screen door, he would do anything in his power to win this game, and his princess.
"It'll be like hide-and-seek, so Harry'll hide and, after someone finds him, they carry him to their private safe zone, until then, someone could steal him," Zayn offered, earning a nod from Liam and a scowl from Louis.
"No fair! I can't carry him!" Niall shouted.
"Isn't treating Hazza like this kind of making him more an item rather than a princess?" Louis asked, crossing his arms and unknowingly (though somewhere in the back of his mind, knowingly) stepping to Harry's side, so the young boy has reason to wrap his arms around the leg closest to him.
Before anyone could answer, Zayn called the game to start, and Harry was off to find a good hiding space. The other four deciding, and then calling out to common knowledge, about where their safe zone lay. There was a huge portion of the yard that was empty space, and Louis hoped Harry wouldn't get too jostled or hurt out there with the other three treating him more like a ball. Niall was already running around the yard, checking behind things impossible for Harry to fit in, Zayn and Liam checking in more obvious places. Louis, luckily, had played hide-and-seek with Harry out in the backyard before, finding the boy had his preferrable hiding spaces that never changed no matter the age. He walked to the side of the yard, where the watering hose sat in a platic setup, already spotting the sparkling blue dress peaking out from the open corner. Before Louis could take one more step toward his princess, Zayn pushed passed him, screaming out a sarcastic "Thank 'ya, Loube!" and lifting the young boy into his arms. Louis meant to get mad, but all he could think about was how correct he was that Zayn had a much easier time cradling the boy around.
Harry was wailing out laughter at the initial start of being found, eye sparkling bright and popping against the clouds in the sky. Zayn was close to his safe zone, before Niall managed to trip him and send Zayn and Harry to the ground. Louis didn't know he could cringe at the possible injury of another being so much before, not even letting out a relieved sigh when Niall took Harry's hand and began running toward his own safe zone. While the other three were busy manhandling the boy, Louis noticed the tiara that was left behind in the plastic confines of the hose, taking in his hands and opting for staying out a game where his princess was getting thrown around. He watched from his spot as Liam somehow scooped Harry into his arms with less grace and gentle touch as he expected, causing Harry to let out a grunt of pain that made all of Louis' muscles tighten. This continued for some time, the boys eventually picking up balls and other objects to throw, so enthralled with their own laughter they hadn't heard that the princess they were meant to rescue no longer seemed to be having much fun through the game, or in being a princess all together.
Anne called them in for lunch not too long later, no one winning the game, and Harry looking so displeased with the dirt that covered him and the lack of royal feeling through him. Each boy ate pizza, laughing about the video games they should play next with the cold coming from outside, and no one but Louis taking notice of his broken princess. He reached a hand under the table, grabbing his little princess's hand and rubbing his thumb over the surface, and he swore he could see Harry spark back to happiness out of the corner of his eye, digging into the pizza for the first time. The boys played video games after that, Harry still looking glum, but seeming more content when Louis offered a spot on his lap, and silently named himself the princess's throne, kissing Harry's cheek while they watched the other lads play. They would whisper about the obvious affection as they always had, chuckling to one another, but Louis didn't care for once. He felt honoured that such a lovely princess chose to rely on him, and he understood it was his job to take care of him in return. One by one, the boys were plucked away from their playdate until only Louis and Harry were left, Harry finally feeling comfortable enough to let out his frustrations when no one was around to be insulted.
"That really hurt out there, Lou! They were just tossing me around like I wasn't a princess! And I'll probably be all bruised up tomorrow, and my dress is covered in so much dirt I couldn't ever wear it again! My feet hurt from running so much and I think my entire wrist is broken! They didn't treat me like a princess! I just wanted to be a princess..." Harry mumbled the last part, eyes welling with tears, "They thought the whole thing was some big joke like Gemma did when I asked her..."
"What did you say to Gem when you asked her, darling?" Louis asked, wrapping his arms around Harry's shoulders to pull them into a tight hug.
"I asked her if it was okay if I wanted to be a princess, and she laughed in my face and said it was just a phase...she only started helping last week..."
Just a phase? Louis questioned to himself, wondering how that wasn't what it was, "Harry, do you like being a princess?"
He nodded, "It makes me feel pretty...and I like how sparkly it all is, and Gemma does a good job when she help me put it on. I like being one..." Harry pulled away from Louis' arms, wiping the wet spots under his eyes, "But, I'm not much of one, am I? I'm convered in gross stuff and I hurt everywhere and I don't even know what happened to my crown!"
Louis smirked at that, reaching into his pocket where the tiny tiara sat, safe and sound as Louis kept it. He reached his arms above Harry's head, placing the thick comb through his curls with gentle touched, before brushes that tiny strands of curls out of his eyes. Harry's depressed look changed into something of magic, a shocked expression filled with wide eyes and wonder, eyes locked completely on Louis. The older boy hadn't even realized he was smiling so brightly when the tiara was back on his princess's head, right where it should have always been, showing how he should always be treated: like royalty, "It isn't a shoe like Cinderella...but I figured this would be story book enough," Harry smiled at his friend's words, dimple popping into his cheek and causing butterflies to be set free in Louis' chest and stomach.
Harry proded Louis' shoulders until the butterflies were gone, cherry lips puckered and waiting for his prince's kiss, to which Louis happily made come true. He touched their lips together, as they had so often done, but something sparked in him this time. Some pixie dust formed in his head and stomach, made his touches softer, made his lips push firmer to his princess's, made it harder to pull away at all, lingered for a moment too long when he pulled away. His breath was gone, somewhere inside subspace and right in front of him, eyes fluttering open with quiet bats as Harry continued smiling at him, "I wouldn't want any other prince than you, Loubear!" Harry laughed, throwing his arms around Louis with a wild laugh that sent shudders down Louis' spine. He didn't know what was wrong with him, each touch left him wanting more, and when he wrapped his arms around Harry's tiny waist and pulled his princess as close as her could without breaking him, he felt like he could never bring him close enough as he rested his head atop his favourite set of chocolate curls. His heart sent blood into his cheeks from Harry's sweet words, not even aware what he was saying was yanking the older boy's heart strings so much he thought he was going to come apart at the seams. He didn't understand why his heart was soaring miles above his head, and why, with his princess in his throne, waiting on the front porch for Louis' mother once again, he found he wanted to be the prince that made magic happen for Harry- that made pumpkins turn to carriages, and mice to horses to guide him along. He wanted to give him the world on a silver platter, more than ever before, and he was no stranger to the deep set feeling in his gut whenever Harry said his name or touched him with those tiny fingers brushing so softly...
This was when prince charming realized he was utterly enchanted with Cinderella.
And he hoped to God, prayed with all his might, that this wouldn't just be a phase.