Kammy: You know I have to get a request in for this. I always picture him having daughters he dotes on. <3

my idea is him being left alone for the weekend with two little ones when Mummy goes away for a break with her girlfriends :)


Harry's POV

My alarm went off and I realised that it was 7am. Too early to wake up on a Friday. I shut off the annoying alarm and reached over to the other side of the bed, where my wife always slept, but she wasn't there. I panicked and spoke her name in a worried tone.

"I'm here, Harry." Her voice came from behind me.

I rolled over onto my other side and saw her standing by the large built-in wardrobe, closing the sliding glass mirror. She was all dressed and her suitcase was up against the wall. It hit me again. My wife was leaving today. She was going to spend three days away from home, in Italy with two of her girlfriends, which left me to look after our two little girls. It wasn't that I didn't like spending time with my daughters. I loved it but I had never been left alone with them for longer than 24 hours. This was going to be a new experience for me. (Y/N) saw the look on my face and sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her hand over my bare forearm.

"I'll be back on Monday morning, babe."

"It seems like you're going for longer than that." I sighed.

"Harry, I've coped without you for months at a time, when you went on tour and when you were filming Dunkirk. I'm certain you can last for three days without me." She said sweetly and leaned down to kiss me. I locked my arm around her neck and pulled her further down, deepening the kiss. My other arm went around her waist and I tugged her onto the bed so that we lay side-by-side. She squealed and I smiled, reconnecting our lips. I was going to be without her kisses for three days. I was going to be without her hugs for three days. The scent of her hair, the fragrance of her skin, making love to her, I wouldn't have any of it for three whole days. Sure, I had been away from her for months but since finishing Dunkirk and my first solo album, I finally had time for my family and I had gotten used to having my wife around every day. Now, she was the one that was leaving. I didn't want to let her go but the pressure of her hands on my chest made me release her slightly.

"If you keep kissing me like that, babe, I'll never leave." She murmured, burying her face in my neck. I'd love that. But she needed this holiday. The kids exhausted her, I could see it. My girl deserved a bit of fun and relaxation with her girlfriends.

"You have to go. Fae and Lara will kill me if I stop you from going on your little trip." I said. My wife giggled and looked at me with the big eyes that I had fallen for so deeply very early on.

"Look after the girls for me, Harry."

"I will, I promise."

"I should say goodbye to them now. Then I'm going."

My wife hopped off the bed and picked her handbag off the floor. She pecked my lips one last time and nuzzled her nose against mine.

"I love you."

"I love you too, (Y/N)." I said, kissing her cheek warmly. She slowly pulled away and in her eyes were the first flood of tears, sparkling brightly. She held them back and took hold of the suitcase handle, opening the bedroom door. My gaze locked to hers for the final time as she blew me a kiss, closing the door, disappearing from the sight.

She was gone.

I lay on my back, in a bed that suddenly seemed too big for just me, the ceiling blank and boring. Because she was gone, everything had been leeched of colour and soul. She lit up this room, this house, this life. My life. I didn't know how long I stayed in bed for. It must have been at least an hour and I knew that my wife was no longer in the house now, on her way to the airport with Fae and Lara. I dozed in and out of sleep, hardly getting more than 10 minutes because I couldn't sleep without my girl in my arms. It was a bad sign. How am I going to go to sleep tonight without her? A loud voice cracked me, coming from somewhere down the hall.

"Daddy!"

I rubbed my face with my hands, sighing. It's started already.

0*0

Within 5 minutes, I understood what my wife went through every day that I was away on tour and filming. So many questions I was asked, such a hassle it was to get breakfast ready, the inquiries of where Mummy was had begun.

"Daddy, why is milk white?"

"Daddy, is my toast ready yet?"

"How long will Mummy be gone, Daddy?"

My answers were pretty simple.

"It just is, peanut."

"Not yet, sweetie."

"For three days."

My two girls were the cutest human beings in the world. Fleur was two months away from turning 6 and Iris had just turned 4, the ages of complete adorableness. I could never thank (Y/N) enough for gifting me with these little angels, toothy smiles and green eyes with rivers of curly locks. Anyone could spot the resemblance between me and them. There was no doubt that they were my daughters and I was their father.

I served Iris her cereal and Fleur her toast. My eldest shocked me by gobbling down the hot pieces of bread, stains of raspberry jam on the corners of her lips. I was about to ask her why she was eating so fast but then, I saw her clothes. She was in her school uniform. I looked at the analogue clock on the wall and the time read 8:26am.

"Shit!" The word came out of my mouth before I stopped myself. Fleur looked at me and laughed while Iris pointed her little finger at me.

"Daddy just swore! Daddy, you swore!"

"I'm sorry, peanut, I didn't mean to. Don't tell Mummy, OK?" I said to my daughters, who both nodded. I turned to Fleur and told her to go and get her school bag. School was going to start in about half-an-hour and I needed to get her there in time. Fortunately, Iris was already dressed but she wanted to have her teddy bear in the car so I had to rush off to her room and find it. Once I had both girls strapped in the back seats, I turned the car off and reversed down the driveway, turning the wheel and zooming down the street.

I managed to get my 6-year-old through the gate just as the bell for classes to begin rang. I leaned down on the pavement to hug her, letting her wrap her arms around my neck. I pressed a kiss to her nose and told her I'd be here in the afternoon to pick her up. I stroked her cheek and watched her as she ran off, having spotted her friends and they walked into the school building together.

I hopped back in the car and looked at my youngest in the rear-view mirror.

"It's just you and me now, baby girl. What would you like to do today?"

"I want ice-cream!"

"Ice-cream? It's just past 9 o'clock."

"Please, Daddy! Please!" Iris begged. I sighed and rested my head against the seat. How does (Y/N) cope with this when I'm away? I had so much admiration and respect for her, looking after our daughters when I was fulfilling my dreams in the big world. My wife would kill me if she found out that I fed our daughter ice-cream this early so I suggested something else.

"How about we visit Auntie Gemma and Uncle Michal? We can get ice-cream later, OK?"

"OK, Daddy." Iris said softly. I smiled at her and pulled a kissy face in the mirror; she returned it with a giggle. The car engine roared to life again with a turn of my keys and off we went.

0*0

"Auntie Gemma! Auntie Gemma!" Iris chimed, throwing herself into my sister's arms.

"Hello, my little munchkin!" She laughed, her face filled with surprise at the sight of her niece. She looked at me, standing in the doorway, and welcomed me in with a gesture of her hand. I walked inside and shut the door, kissing mu sister's cheek.

"Well, this is a surprise, brother mine."

"(Y/N)'s away, thought we'd pop in and say hello." I shrugged my shoulders. Gemma laid her free hand on my shoulder and smiled at me through her soft green eyes.

"You're too sweet, it's why I love you."

Let it be known that I adored my sister, the way any little brother would. She was one of the most important women, and people, in my life. She had been there for me since the beginning, since I entered this world. Without her support, I would be a brother without his beloved sister by his side. She loved me for me. She loved my choice of bride, she loved the lads, she loved my little girls. Gemma and I were two peas in a pod and I knew that would never change.

There was a squeal from Iris when Gemma's husband, Michal, snatched her out of my sister's arms, tickling her.

"Look who's decided to gatecrash our house!" He laughed as she squirmed against him. Her big green eyes looked right at me.

"Daddy, help me! Save me!"

"Not a chance." I smirked and before she could say anything, she let out a loud cry of laughter. It made us three adults laugh too. Iris's laugh was like that of an angel's. So pure and perfect, not tarnished in any way. It was unbelievable what having children had done to me. My heart exploded with love for them. Every time I wake up and the girls are already jumping on the bed, giggling and smiling their toothy smiles, it literally made me feel like the happiest, and luckiest, man on the planet. I was raised by women and I was know surrounded by more. I loved the women in my life, more than I loved myself.

The impromptu visit to Gemma and Michal kept Iris and I busy for a couple of hours. My niece, Daisy, my sister's 4-and-a-half year old, kept my daughter company while we adults had a long catch-up talk. Gemma demanded to see (Y/N) as soon as she was back because, and I quote, "I miss my sister-in-law way too much." I told her that I'd pass the message on. Once we were back in the car, it came to my attention that Iris still hadn't forgotten about my ice-cream promise.

"Now, ice-cream!"

"It's lunch time, peanut."

"I wanna have ice-cream for lunch!"

"No, you are not, young lady."

"Please, Daddy! Just one, please!"

Her pouty face made me the loser of the argument. I couldn't say no to that face, those eyes. She had won me over. But nothing prepared me for the drama that arose 10 minutes later.

Iris clutched my hand with her tiny one as we stepped into the ice-cream shop. She wanted her usual of cookie dough and I got plain mango gelato. I played sweet with her, swiping icy cold ice-cream down her nose and she got me back by sweeping some of hers between my top lip and my nose so that I had a weird moustache. It was all fine and dandy until we left the shop. I had finished my ice-cream but Iris hadn't but she said she'd eat the final bit of it on our walk back to the car. However, the second we walked out, a mob of paparazzi swarmed at me.

"Harry! Harry!"

"How are you? Are you releasing new music soon?"

"Harry, where's (Y/N)?"

"How's fatherhood?"

The last question hit me harder because in all the chaos, I realised that my 4-year-old was no longer holding my hand. I searched around frantically but she wasn't anywhere. The panic was written all over my face, I knew that, but I didn't care. All I cared about was finding my young daughter.

"Back up, mate. I need to find my kid." I tried to push past the cameras but the paparazzi just got more obsessive, flashes in my face and questions flung at me. I didn't say anything. The only word leaving my lips was "Iris!"

"Iris! Iris, where are you?"

"Daddy..."

Her voice was low and sad but I still heard her. I headed in the direction of where I thought she was, breaking through the barrier of people to find my small angel on the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks. I followed her gaze and saw that her ice-cream cone had smashed, ice-cream melting all over the place. It wasn't the end of the world but to a 4-year-old, it was. My baby girl was upset and I knew getting her another ice-cream wouldn't help.

"Come here, peanut." I opened my arms to her and she ran straight into them. I rose up to my full height, Iris clinging to me like a monkey, hiding her face in my neck. I hated it when my daughters were subjected to the media. They were part of my private life and I didn't want their faces plastered all over the Internet. They were mine and (Y/N)'s to look upon, not anyone else's. Iris softly sobbed as I hurried over to the car, strapping her into the front passenger seat; I wanted her next to me this time. The paparazzi were still around me, taking pictures. I had had enough. I closed the door and confronted the cameras.

"Look, just give me and my daughter some space, please. She's terrified so back off for a minute." I said as kindly as I could but the boiling of anger was rising up, wanting to break free. I held it back and got into the driver's seat, pulling out of the parking space and onto the road, away from the cameras and the questions.

Iris's sobbing had increased in volume and she was doing those choking cries where it sounded like she couldn't breathe. Oh, my darling... I pulled the car over on a quiet street and unclicked my seatbelt before unclicking hers too. I patted my lap and she immediately climbed over the console, wrapping her arms around my neck and crying into my chest. I rubbed her back and kissed her sweet-smelling hair, feeling her small body tremble in my arms.

"Sssh, sssh, my baby... You're safe. You're with me." I whispered.

"I was so scared, Daddy... The camera people pushed me away from you and I dropped my ice-cream. Those people aren't going to take you away from me, are they?"

I couldn't believe what my daughter was saying, let alone her even thinking it. I ran my hands through her dark locks and kissed her forehead as she clutched the ends of my curls with her petite fingers.

"No, of course not, peanut. I'm yours. Yours and Fleur's and Mummy's. And you three are mine. I won't let anybody hurt you, Iris. Not ever."

Big fat tears rolled down her cheeks, her face bright pink and sticky. But to me, always, she was beautiful, having inherited her mother's looks, both inside and out. Iris hugged me again, her high voice speaking faintly.

"Don't leave me, Daddy. Please don't leave me."

"Never. I love you, baby girl."

"I love you too, Daddy." She murmured. She sat there in my lap for at least another two minutes, simply because neither of us wanted to let each other go. She wanted to be in my arms and I wanted her to stay in them. It hadn't been my first incident involving my family and the paparazzi. The cameras thought it was their right to take pictures of (Y/N) and I when we went out on a romantic date while the kids were at my parents' place. When we took Fleur and Iris to the playground about a year ago, (Y/N) almost lost Fleur in the crowd, much like what had happened today with Iris. Sure, take pictures of me all you want but leave my wife and daughters be. That would never happen though. It was the downside of being a huge musician, a part of the biggest boyband in the world. My family were at risk, just as much as me. People liked to criticise them and I despised that. I loved my family and that's all that mattered. Oh, (Y/N), I can't wait for you to come home.

0*0

The dial tone rang in my ear as I paced up and down the kitchen, Iris and Fleur sitting on the couch and floor, watching Moana. It was just after dinner time and the girls were full, now indulging in a happy film, allowing me to have some privacy to make this phone call. Finally, the receiver picked up.

Harry?

"Hi, Mum."

Hello, dear. How are you?

"OK, I guess. A little..."

A little?

"I'm going to sound like a lovesick puppy but...I miss her, Mum. I miss (Y/N)." I rubbed my forehead and rested my elbows on the island in the middle of the kitchen.

Oh, Harry, there's nothing worse than having the one you love be so far away but honey, it'll be fine. She's coming back, she loves you, and she's handled much worse than you right now. It won't be long until she's back in your arms.

"It's not that. It's...just her being around the kids. It feels so different without her here, not taking Fleur to school and not having dinner with us. I don't know how she did it for months when I wasn't here with her."

A mother and a father have different roles and have different effects on their kids, it's why it's different without her. What's brought this on? Did something happen?

I craned my neck to the side through the open space, checking on my daughters. They were engrossed in the film, not paying attention to anything else. My gaze went to little Iris, sitting on the floor with her teddy bear in her arms, her eyes glued to the TV screen.

"I went out today with Iris while Fleur was at school. We got ice-cream but were bombarded by paparazzi when we left. I lost her in the chaos of it all. One moment, she was holding my hand and the next, she wasn't. I did find her but she was crying and it turned out that they had pushed her out of the way, trying to get to me. She was so scared, Mum, and so was I. I'm her father but today, I failed her. I lost her. I feel terrible about it." I explained. It was true, I felt so guilty. Why didn't I hold her hand tighter? Why didn't I just pick her up and run to the car before everything happened? My wife wouldn't be happy about it, I knew that for sure. I could imagine her saying to me, "Why did you let her go, Harry? Why didn't you keep her closer to you?" Iris had gotten over it, her sister made her feel better, but the pain within me was still there. Her face as she looked down at her ruined ice-cream, her choking sobs, her big red cheeks. They haunted me. I heard my mother sigh on the other end of the line.

My boy, you are a wonderful father. You were born to be one, I've always known that. Parenthood is full of challenges and obstacles, yours are just a little...abnormal. You lost her but Harry, you found her. You protected her. You did not fail her and I'm sure she thinks the same as me, and (Y/N) as well. Don't beat yourself up, honey, it'll get you nowhere.

My mother's words sank in for me. Parenthood is never easy and I discovered that the minute Fleur was born. I was a normal person with an abnormal career. That was the only difference between me and ordinary fathers. Iris still loves me. And so does Fleur. And (Y/N). I would tell her about today when she got back, I didn't want to disrupt her on her holiday straightaway. I looked back at my girls in the living room and smiled when they began to sing one of the songs in the film. And that's when it hit me. I'm a good father.

"How do you always know the right thing to say?" I asked.

I'm your mother, Harry. It's my job. She laughed gently.

I farewelled her and ended the phone call, stepping into the living room to enjoy the rest of Moana with my daughters.

0*0

Monday finally rolled around and today was the day that my wife and the mother of my kids would return. It was around quarter past 8 in the morning and we were having our breakfast when the sound of the key in the front door clicked, followed by the sound of her youthful voice.

"I'm home!"

"Mummy!" Both girls screamed at the same time and leapt out of their chairs, rushing off to greet their mother. I didn't even bother telling them to come back and finish their food. I followed them, at a slower pace, and when I entered into the entrance hall, the sight that lay before me was a perfect one.

There was the love of my life, her handbag still slung over her shoulder and her suitcase up against the wall beside her, a big smile on her face. In her right arm was Iris and Fleur had her arms wrapped around her mother's waist, grinning brightly up at her.

"My babies, I've missed you so much!" (Y/N) kissed Iris's cheek and stroked Fleur's curls with her other hand.

"We missed you too! And so did Daddy!" Iris said, looking at me as I leaned my shoulder on the wall. My wife's eyes locked to mine and her smile widened just a little bit more, and her eyes sparkled just a little bit brighter.

"I missed your Daddy too." She spoke.

"And where is Daddy's kiss?" I cocked my eyebrow at her as a smirk tugged at my lips. She bit her lip and placed Iris back down on the floor, taking her bag off her shoulders. Then, with a giggle, she ran over to me, locked her arms and legs around my neck and waist, her lips crushing down on mine with a passion that I had yearned for. I moaned and slid my arm around her waist, grabbing strands of her hair with my other fingers, smiling into the kiss.

"Mmmm, finally, I'm home." She breathed against my lips, just before I kissed her again, slipping my tongue in her mouth. I had missed her so much and I knew exactly what I wanted to do tonight when the kids were in bed. She knew it too.

"Oh, ewwww, stop that!" Fleur groaned.

"Mummy, Daddy, yuck!" Iris gagged.

My wife and I chuckled, kissing one last time softly. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and stared deep into my eyes, our chests touching.

"Yes, I'm definitely home."

Notes

Sorry this took so long, Kammy! It's longer than I had originally planned but nevertheless, I hope you liked it!

blankspace1 xx