“Oh Love, Everyone Was Crying.”

Being twenty two is a weird age, you’re old enough to drink but not old enough to rent a car. You can vote but aren’t really taken seriously when you voice your opinions on things. Sure you have a mind numbingly catchy Taylor Swift song that sometimes accurately describes how you’re feeling but other than that being twenty two is kind of boring. But that all changes when you take your bestfriend and current roommate Niall’s advice and take your car to a shop his boyfriend James recommends when the “check engine” light comes on for the fifth time in the last two months. It’s where you run into a man named Harry that looks far too put together to be sitting in the waiting area of a grimy dirty mechanic’s shop with his briefcase and button up. You don’t waste time in introducing yourself and that sets off a chain of events that will have you thinking that maybe being twenty two isn’t that boring after all.

Harry is in his early forties, works long hours, and follows the same routine each day. He spends most evenings at home, avoids last-minute plans, and rarely seeks out excitement. Through a previous marriage that ended years ago, he has a twenty one year old son named James who lives with him. All in all Harry thinks he has everything he could possibly need out of life, he’s got a handful of friends that he can count on to be there when he needs them, a son who is as far as Harry knows is in a new and healthy relationship and in Harry’s eyes he can’t really ask for much else. While he is happy with his life, Harry will also admit that sometimes it can be a bit boring. That all changes the day he meets you while waiting for his car to be ready after a routine oil change, having been going to the same mechanic for years he’s become good friends with the owner Mitch. You’re all smiles with an infectious personality and the moment you shake his hand and give him your name Harry gets a funny feeling that his life is about to get a lot less boring.

So if you’re ready to jump in and hit the gas on this fun new series join the honey pot tier today! Part 1 goes up next week!✨

Being twenty two is a weird age, you’re old enough to drink but not old enough to rent a car. You can vote but aren’t really taken seriously when you voice your opinions on things. Sure you have a mind numbingly catchy Taylor Swift song that sometimes accurately describes how you’re feeling but other than that being twenty two is kind of boring. But that all changes when you take your bestfriend and current roommate Niall’s advice and take your car to a shop his boyfriend James recommends when the “check engine” light comes on for the fifth time in the last two months. It’s where you run into a man named Harry that looks far too put together to be sitting in the waiting area of a grimy dirty mechanic’s shop with his briefcase and button up. You don’t waste time in introducing yourself and that sets off a chain of events that will have you thinking that maybe being twenty two isn’t that boring after all.

Harry is in his early forties, works long hours, and follows the same routine each day. He spends most evenings at home, avoids last-minute plans, and rarely seeks out excitement. Through a previous marriage that ended years ago, he has a twenty one year old son named James who lives with him. All in all Harry thinks he has everything he could possibly need out of life, he’s got a handful of friends that he can count on to be there when he needs them, a son who is as far as Harry knows is in a new and healthy relationship and in Harry’s eyes he can’t really ask for much else. While he is happy with his life, Harry will also admit that sometimes it can be a bit boring. That all changes the day he meets you while waiting for his car to be ready after a routine oil change, having been going to the same mechanic for years he’s become good friends with the owner Mitch. You’re all smiles with an infectious personality and the moment you shake his hand and give him your name Harry gets a funny feeling that his life is about to get a lot less boring.

So if you’re ready to jump in and hit the gas on this fun new series join the honey pot tier today!✨

The hat is green.

Not the usual forest green that Harry tends to gravitate towards, it’s a bright cheerful aggressively plant like green. It’s a shade of green that he’s honestly not sure he’s ever actually worn before, it’s one step down from neon green and across the front of it there’s two words embroidered in bright white. His mind is too busy focusing on the shade of green that he doesn’t really even notice what the words say as you hold the hat out for him.

Harry tilts his head as he stands in the middle of the kitchen, you’re holding it in both hands as you stand in front of him with a grin on your face. Harry’s eyes roam down your body, smiling to himself when he sees you’re wearing one of his old One Direction tour shirts along with a pair of pajama shorts and mismatched socks. He can feel an excitement coming off of you in waves as you practically start bouncing on your toes as you give the hat a little shake making his eyes land back on it while you wiggle your eyebrows.

“Well—do you like it?” You ask hopefully as Harry finally takes in the words on the front of it. “It’s just a hat Harry it’s not going to bite you.” You tell him teasingly as you force him to take it from your hands.

Harry blinks once before looking down at the hat that’s now in his hands and then looks over at you as you start the coffee maker. He watches you grab two mugs from the cabinet and he's grateful that in a few minutes he will have some much needed caffeine running through his system. Maybe it will help kickstart his brain and help him fully understand the current situation he's found himself in so early in the morning he hasn't even gone on his usual morning run yet.

"You look confused." Your voice is soft but still holds your normal playfulness as you turn and rest your hip against the counter while crossing your arms over your chest.

“Confused? I—I'm not confused I know exactly what this is." He begins with a casual shrug as he looks down at the item in his hands. “It's a hat.” He tells you with a false sense of confidence even though he is correct, the item in his hands is indeed a hat but the way you're staring at him has him second guessing every thought that's currently rushing around in his still sleep fogged brain.

"Wow and the internet just thinks you're hot—do they know you're smart too?” Harry rolls his eyes as you poke fun at him while the coffee maker starts to let out a low squeak letting you know it's nearly done brewing.

“And it has words.” He adds as he looks back over at you just in time to watch you reach over and start to pour the hot liquid into one of his favorite mugs. It's an act that's so simple and only slightly domestic but for some reason it has Harry's heart feeling fuzzy because even though you're in the middle of making fun of him you still do little things for him, like make his coffee exactly the way he likes it before handing it to him with a soft gentle smile on your face.

“It does." You say with a nod as take the hat from his hand that's not holding his coffee so you can place it on top of his head with a satisfied grin.

“Large words—large words written in white.”

“God you're doing so good keep going." Harry glares at your suggestive tone making you laugh as you turn around so you can start making your own cup of coffee. "What do the words say?" You question as Harry reaches up and takes the hat off so he can double check what the front says just in case the words decided to change in the few minutes he wasn't able to see them.

“Plant daddy.” You nod trying so hard not to laugh as your lips press together. “Plant daddy.”He repeats as if saying the words over again will help them sink in and mean something to him because he knows you, knows you wouldn't give him this without a reason. He just for the life of him can't think of what that reason might be.

Harry lifts his gaze back over to you again, his expression serious in the way it tends to get when he's trying to understand something and figure out a way to get more information about it without hurting your feelings or embarrassing himself. He's not new to embarrassing himself because Harry has ripped his pants on stage in front of thousands of people, forgotten lyrics on live television and once accidentally thanked the wrong city at a concert but somehow not knowing the true meaning of the small green hat in his hand has him feeling more embarrassed than all those moments combined. And he knows it's because he feels left out of something that involves you, an inside joke that he's meant to know but just doesn't remember the punchline of and it's a little unsettling how much it's bothering him.

“Is this a new nickname you're trying out?” He asks as he watches your face for any clues but he comes up empty when all you do is shake your head.

“No—or I mean not really? It is a nickname but I usually only call you daddy at very specific times." Your answer makes Harry swallow thickly as he looks away from you, not trying to cross any line and make this moment even more awkward with his sudden but not at all surprising need for you. So he decides to just fire off some questions and see what sticks because he now desperately needs a distraction so his mind doesn't just keep repeating your voice calling him daddy over and over.

“Is it because I wore that floral shirt last week?”

“No.”

“Is because of my uhm—hip tattoos?”

"Love those but no."

“Okay is it because you like plants and—and I'm your….daddy?” This makes you laugh, full on leaning your head back laugh and it has Harry relaxing a bit because the sound of your laughter has always been one of the most comforting sounds for him even when it's directed towards him.

"You were so close to being more than just a pretty face." He lets out a sigh of defeat at your answer because he still has no clue why you looked at this hat while at the shops and decided it was something he needed. But the grin on your face and watery eyes from laughing almost erases all the uneasiness settling in his tummy.

“So-" he says slowly as he eyes the hat in his hand. “This is a gift.” You nod while trying to hold another laugh back.

“Yes.”

“For me?”

“Yes for you the one and only Harry Styles.” He ignores your dramatics as you bring your mug of coffee up to your lips to take a quick sip.

“Because I am-” He looks over at you with a quirked brow. “A father to…plants?"

“I knew you'd get it eventually my beautiful smart man." Harry's bottom lip pokes out in a playful pout as you place your mug down so you can walk over and place a hand on his cheek giving it a soft squeeze. "Yes Harry you're a father to plants.”

“To multiple plants?”

“Not yet—just one plant for now.”

“One plant.” He repeats as he turns his head so he can kiss the inside of your palm as you keep your hand pressed against his cheek.

“You're so cute when you're clueless I really thought you were going to pass out there for a moment.”

“I don’t do well with that kind of pressure before coffee—learning I'm a dad to one singular plant is a big deal.”

"And just like that you're back to just being pretty." Harry pouts as you shake your head and drop your hand from his face so you can gently take the hat from him and place it on your own head. "You don't get to wear the hat." You inform him as you turn and grab your coffee mug and head into the living room, Harry is quick to place his coffee down and follow you with a confused look on his face.

"But it's my hat? Why can't I wear it?" He asks as he follows after you like a lost puppy, you roll your eyes as you stand near the armrest of the couch waiting for Harry to sit down. "I want to wear it—it's mine." He pouts as he takes his usual seat in the middle of the couch, instinctively he reaches out and grabs your coffee mug from you so it doesn't spill while you get situated on his lap.

"But you didn't even remember you were a plant dad." You remind him as you take your coffee back, your knees dig into the plus cushions of the couch while Harry’s hands drop to your hips.

“I’m usually very good at remembering things.” His voice is a little whiney as you take a few sips of your coffee. “Like I know your birthday and the shade of brown your tea needs to be so you’ll actually drink it before bed and—and I know the difference between all the little tones of your voice so I know when you’re upset or not.”

“Okay so you only remember the important things?”

“Exactly.” As soon as the word leaves his mouth Harry knows he has made a mistake because your brows furrow and your lips rub together like you’re trying to determine if he’s serious or not. “I mean no—I don’t just uhm remember important things I remember things like uh—the shirts of mine you like the steal the most so I put them on the top of the pile in the dresser like the one you’re wearing now.” He tries to fix the problem he created for himself but it’s obvious when you roll your eyes that he somehow managed to make it worse.

“This isn’t your shirt.” You argue making Harry quirk a brow.

“Baby it literally has my name on it.”

“It has my name on it too,” you correct him as you look down at the shirt and point to your last name that’s listed under the photo of Niall. “And besides this is community property—what’s yours in mine and what’s mine is also mine.”

“That’s not how that works love.”

“It is in this house.”

“Right of course it is.” You smile as he slips his hands under the hem of the worn out shirt letting you feel the warmth of his palms against your skin as he rests them on your lower back keeping you steady.

“You’re missing the point.”

“What point am I missing my love?” He asks as his thumbs run up and down your lower back, not even trying to hide his blatant attempt to distract you.

“We bought a fern together two weeks ago.”

Harry goes still. You take a few sips of coffee as a very dramatic silence passes before his eyes slowly drift over your shoulder toward the table by the back door. The table that has a bright pink and yellow pot sitting on it near the window. A pot with a leafy green fern sitting proudly in it

“Right—the fern.” Harry honestly isn’t sure how he managed to forget about the plant near the back door.

It’s the fern you spent nearly an hour picking out, a process Harry didn’t question because he knows better than to rush you on things like this. He just nodded when you said the first one the two of you saw looked “too grown” because apparently you were looking for a smaller child like one since this was going to be the first plant the two of bring home. He didn’t argue when you told him the second one looked like it was “a little sad”and when you got to the third one, the one that’s now living in your home he found out it had apparently “chosen you both” and all he did was smile because he was happy the process was coming to an end.

It’s the fern that he happily carried through the parking lot tucked carefully against his chest while you led the way while spouting off random plant facts at him all about indirect light, humidity and how this was a very big step in your relationship. Not the whole moving in together or him getting your name tattooed on his chest.

But buying a plant together.

As he stares at the fern he swears it starts to stare right back at him, all leafy and judgmental. A trait he assumes it got from its mother who is currently staring down at him with a knowing smirk that lets him know he’s still missing something.

“The fern.” Harry repeats quietly making you giggle as you rest your free hand on his chest so you can give it a playful pat.

“It’s okay that you forgot.”

“I didn’t forget baby I—I totally remembered the fern.”

“You absolutely did not remember the fern.”

“I remembered it…eventually.”

“After I told you.”

“That still counts as remembering.”

“It doesn’t.”

“It does.”

“You forgot our child.” Harry juts his bottom lip out, looking deeply offended at what you just accused him of.

“I did not forget our child sweetheart I just temporarily misplaced the memory of the day we purchased our child.”

“You walked past Fernious three times this morning.”

“Fernious.” He says as his thumbs pause their movements, the name sounds foreign coming from him and it has him wondering if he’s ever said the name out loud before just now.

“Oh my God.” You gasp making Harry internally panic as your hand reaches up and covers your mouth in shock.

“What?”

“You forgot his name too.”

“No I didn’t.”

“You just said it like you were hearing it for the first time.”

“I was just repeating it baby that’s all.”

“Repeating it like you weren’t the one who named him.”

“Fernious? I named him that? That doesn’t sound like me.” Harry says feeling a little betrayed by his own past actions, having no recollection of naming the fern by the back door.

“It sounds exactly like you Harry.” You argue with a laugh. “You said he looked like he owned a tiny library remember? That he was a very smart and reliable fern and needed a name that fit him.” Harry looks away from the fern and back at you, the corners of his mouth tug upward as he starts to remember a few things.

“Right yes he looked—distinguished.” You wait a moment as Harry moves one of his hands over to your hip giving it a soft squeeze. “Fernious,” he calls out more confidently as he raises a hand up and points at the plant. “My smart and reliable son.” You shake your head as you laugh while Harry takes this opportunity to reach up and take the hat off your head so he can place it on his where it belongs.

“How do I look?” He asks as you lean back just a bit so you can admire him in his new hat, Harry’s hand automatically tighten its hold on your hip to keep you from leaning too far back.

“Like a man who can sell out arenas but can’t remember the name of his own son.”

“That’s hurtful.”

“And?”

“Fair.”

“You look adorable.” His expression softens as he glances toward the fern again and then back to you.

“You were really excited to give me this.” He says sweetly as you take a sip of your coffee trying to hide your proud smile from him but he sees it anyway.

“I was.” Harry smiles as you adjust the brim of the hat a bit. “I thought it was cute and we just became plant parents so I figured it was the perfect gift for the man who already has everything.” Your face lights up just enough to let Harry know how truly excited the silly little hat he has on his head made you, enjoying the gentleness of the moment as you let him lean forward so you can meet him half way and tilt your head so he can press his lips against yours for a quick kiss.

“Look away son—m’about to makeout with your mother.” You let out a loud laugh as Harry ruins the moment when he pulls away and turns to look towards the fern with a stern look.

“Is that what’s about to happen?” You repeat between fits of laughter, Harry looks at you with a raised brow.

“Yes.”

“Don’t you have a run to go on?”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“No not at all I was just about to go water Fernious that’s all.” You tell him as you gently adjust the hat on his head again, letting your fingers linger as they run down the side of his face just because you like the way he softens when you touch him.

“And you have to do that now?”

“Yes Harry can’t you hear him? He’s clearly saying he’s thirsty.” Harry laughs as he takes the mug out of your hand so he can reach over and place it down on the side table.

After a moment you watch his smile turn warmer, the kind he saves for mornings like this. When there’s no interviews, no sound checks, no one needing anything from him except you. The living room feels soft around the two you as it starts to get hit with the morning sun shinning it’s comforting light to the absurdly fun and loving life the two of you are building together one ridiculous green hat and one dramatic fern at a time.

Harry glances over at Fernious again.

“Should I sing to him while you feed him?”

“You absolutely do not have to sing to him and I’m not feeding him I’m giving him some water—he eats sunlight.”

“But don’t you think I should sing to him to help-”

“To help with what?”

“Bonding—ya know a little father son time.” You place both hands on the tops of Harry’s shoulders giving them a few gentle squeezes making them relax under your touch.

“Father son time? I’ll be the one watering him.”

“Okay so a little Styles family bonding then?” You bite the inside of your cheek to hold off a grin that wants to spread across your face. “I also heard somewhere singing to your plants helps them grow into happy healthy trees or—whatever it is that ferns grow into.” That has you laughing so hard your grip tightens on his shoulders and makes Harry smile feeling encouraged. While you try to get yourself together he looks at Fernious with great seriousness.

“Fernious,” he says lowering his voice into the soft emotional tone he usually reserves for sad acoustic versions of his songs. “This next one is for you my lovely green son.”

“Harry you really don’t need to sing to him.”

“You know I love you baby so it kills me to say this but you’re wrong—I need to sing to him so he knows I’m emotionally invested in his wellbeing and maybe it’ll help him forgive me for momentarily forgetting about his existence.”

“Harry.” He lifts one hand dramatically making you close your mouth and rub your lips together to keep yourself from giggling.

“You are my sunshine-”

“That’s not even one of your songs.”

“I’m warming up my vocals baby be patient.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m not ridiculous I’m just a plant daddy now—I contain multitudes.”

Harry proudly wears the hat for the rest of the morning. He wears it while making breakfast. He wears it while standing in front of Fernious pretending to inspect his leaves while you water him. He wears it while asking whether ferns preferred ballads or something with a stronger bass line. And when you took a picture of him holding his mug of coffee under the warm kitchen light, green hat on his head and sleepy fondness on his face, he only sighs once. And it’s more so out of defeat because he already knows you’re about to send it to a few people or just share it to your Instagram story.

“Who are you sending that to?” He asks as he places his mug down and leans over your shoulder, his arms snake around your middle making you smile as he pulls your back flush against his front.

“No one.”

“Oh you’re such a bad liar—I saw you do your evil little smile while your thumbs were moving at warp speed.”

“The group chat.” Harry lets out a groan as you turn around in his hold, slipping your phone into the pocket of your pajama shorts. “Don’t worry Julian thinks you look cute.”

“Well thank goodness I don’t know what I’d do if Julian didn’t think I looked cute in my new hat.” You smile as you reach up on your tiptoes so you can press your lips against his, Harry smiles in the middle of the kiss when you grab the brim of his hat so you can pull it off his head and turn it around so he’s wearing it backwards making it easier for you to pull him closer to deepen the kiss.

“I love you.” You mumble as you pull away just enough to let both of you catch your breath.

“I love you too baby.” He says between little pecks to your lips. “Thanks for making me a plant daddy and picking out Fernious.”

“You’re welcome thanks for naming him.”

“Anytime.”