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“Louis just put her feet into both of the holes at once and then pull it up,” Harry says from the phone, which he’s left on the dresser.
“I’m trying! I’m new to this, you’re supposed to be doing it, I do the slippers,” he whines in reply, feeling his daughter's gentle hands grip at his shoulders. “Okay baby, hold on while I pull it up, yeah?”
She nods her head slowly, looking down at him with wide, green eyes. He pulls up her leotard in one swift move, letting the straps rest snugly on her shoulders, her toothy grin making his insides melt.
“Babe? You there?” Harry’s voice rings through the speakers, and Louis almost forgot he was on the phone.
“Yeah, one sec, gotta lace the little one up,” he calls from across the room, leaning down to slip a ballet flat onto his daughter’s tiny little foot. He laces them up just the way her dance teacher taught him to all those years ago in a “How-to-get-your-dancer-ready-for-recitals Dads edition” class. He switches to the other foot, and quickly laces that one up as well.
“Alright Charlie bug, are you ready?” He asks the girl, keeping himself crouched to her height, in order to hear her answer. The girl was quite soft spoken when she was nervous, and he could tell by her fiddling hands and her shaky legs that she wasn’t feeling 100%.
“I’m scared, daddy,” she whispers to him, looking down at the light pink rug of her room.
“I know baby, it’s scary, isn’t it?”
She nods, her green eyes welling up with tears, making his heart break. Without a second thought, he pulls her into a hug, and lifts her up into his arms, settling her on his hip. He makes his way over to the dresser, and sets the phone up against a ballerina lamp.
“Can you look at the phone, bug?” He asks softly, watching as Harry’s expression goes from confused to worried. Charlie turns her head, removing it from its position in Louis’ neck, and makes eye contact with her other father on the phone.
“Hi baby, what’s going on?” Harry asks quietly, his eyes concerned. He’s dressed in an old hoodie and some joggers, his hair covered in his hood.
“I don’t want to go on stage, papa,” she says, her voice wobbly.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m too scared.”
“Oh baby,” Harry sighs, “You wanna know a secret?”
Charlie nods, forcing a small smile. One of her dimples pops through, and Louis can’t get over how much like her father she is.
“Just between you and me though, okay?” Harry says, acting as if Louis isn’t holding their daughter up to the camera, listening to every word he says.
“I promise not to tell,” Charlie whispers, holding her little pinkie finger up to the camera, giggling when Harry does the same. Louis can’t help but bounce her a little on his hip, and place a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Don’t listen to papa’s secret, okay dada?” She scolds him, looking very serious about the matter.
“Yes ma’am, no listening, got it.”
Harry chuckles on the other end of the line, and Louis fights the urge to throw himself inside of the screen and kiss him senseless.
“Okay. Here’s my secret.” Harry begins. “Every time I have to go on stage and perform, I get really scared, and sometimes when I was younger, I would throw up from how nervous I was.”
Charlie seems genuinely shocked, seeing as she has this image of both of her fathers that is completely perfect. The fact that they ever have hard moments in life is a surprise to her, and it makes Louis smile.
“Really?” She gasps, bringing a hand to cover her open mouth. “Why are you so scared, papa?”
“Because, baby. There’s a lot of people that come to see me, and there were even more when me and your dad were performing together in the band. And sometimes it’s overwhelming, trying so hard not to mess up.”
“Did you ever mess up before?” She asks, her eyes wide with curiosity.
“I have plenty of times. One time I tripped and fell over, even,” Harry laughs at the memory.
“Did it hurt?” She asks, concerned.
“Nope. Not even a little. And you know what?”
Charlie shakes her head.
“It didn’t even matter when I fell, because I just laughed it off, and so did everyone else.”
“Did you cry, papa?”
“What’s there to cry about when you can laugh?” He says, smiling at her as her tears start to dry.
“What about when you threw up? What happened then?”
“Your father held my hair back so it didn’t get dirty, and gave me the biggest hug ever. That’s what happened,” Harry smiles, his dimples popping as he makes eye contact with Louis, who’s smiling just as big.
“Really?” She asks, amazed.
“Really.” Harry confirms.
“What if I mess up?”
“Then you laugh until it doesn’t matter anymore, my love.”
“Okay. I will. Thank you papa,” she says, leaning into the screen to press a kiss to the camera. Louis laughs, scrambling to adjust his hold on her so he doesn’t drop her, and pulling her back into his chest.
“Always, baby. And if you get nervous before the show, go give your dad a big, big hug, okay?”
Charlie nods, burrowing her way back into Louis’ neck, and smiling against it.
“Alright H, we gotta get this one going. We love you, and we’ll see you soon?” Louis says, picking up his phone to end the call.
“That’s the plan,” Harry sighs, “Love you both lots. Break a leg, Char.”
Louis blows him a kiss before he hangs up, shoving his phone back into his pocket. “You ready, love?” He asks his daughter again, hoping to get a different answer this time.
“I’m ready daddy,” she says firmly, pulling back to look him in the eyes.
“That’s my girl.”
–
The recital starts at 8, and she’s given Louis about 20 hugs since 7. He’s not mad about it, he loves her more than he ever thought he could love a human, but he’s a bit afraid that she might psych herself out.
Sending her off with her dance teacher with a kiss on the cheek, he makes his way into the main theater to get a seat.
Harry’s not here tonight, rather he’s in Brighton a couple hours away, filming for his newest movie. He really wanted to be here, but it just hadn’t been possible with his scene schedule, he had told Louis over the phone one night. He’d been devastated he wouldn’t be able to watch their daughter’s recital, but at least it wasn’t her first, and it definitely wouldn’t be her last.
Settling into his seat, Louis pulls out his phone to check his messages, making sure he hasn’t missed anything important in the time he spent hugging his child out of her anxiety. Seeing that he hasn’t missed anything from any of his most important contacts, he shuts it off on silent, and leans back in his chair.
Just as he gets comfortable a voice startles him from the seat beside him.
“This seat taken?” Harry’s raspy voice rings out, his tall form towering over Louis’ seated one.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Is all that he comes up with.
“How about a, ‘Hi darling, I’ve missed you dearly, I’m so glad you’re here’?” Harry says sarcastically, leaning down to take the seat next to Louis.
“You’re supposed to be filming,” Louis exhales, his eyes still wide in shock.
“Am I not welcome here?” Harry says, his brow furrowing.
“No, no, I’m thrilled you’re here love,” Louis rushes to say, pulling Harry in by his shirt for a sloppy kiss. “I’m just…confused?” He says, pulling away with haste.
“We finished early today, so I figured I’d come support my girl,” Harry smiles, leaning in for another quick kiss, and grabbing Louis’ hand in his. “And I missed you.”
“Sap,” Louis says, rolling his eyes, but tightening his grip on Harry’s hand nonetheless.
“Shhh, Lou,” Harry shushes him, “The show’s starting. Have some manners.”
Louis just laughs, thankful that Harry was able to make it, and excited to see his little girl perform the routine she’s been practicing in the living room for weeks.
–
The show goes off without a hitch, Charlie’s smile the most blinding one on stage in Louis’ opinion, but maybe he’s biased. He doesn’t care. They clap as loud as they can, and Harry does that stupid two-fingers-in-mouth whistle that always confuses the hell out of Louis. They stand and cheer for what seems like hours, incredibly proud of their daughter.
As they wait for her to come out of the dressing room, Louis leans his head on Harry’s shoulder, placing a soft kiss to the fabric of his worn t-shirt.
“I’m glad you’re here, she’s going to be ecstatic,” he mumbles into Harry’s shoulder.
“Yeah? You think?” Harry asks, in a teasing voice. Even though Charlie claims to not have favorites, she seems to throw a bigger fit when Harry leaves for work than when Louis does.
“Shut up,” Louis groans playfully, elbowing his husband in the side, sending both of them into a fit of giggles.
“PAPA!!” A high pitched screech comes from the doorway of the dressing room, and a little blur of Charlie Lynn Tomlinson-Styles comes flying into Harry’s embrace. “You came!!” She muffles into his shoulder, squeezing him as tight as her little body can manage. For a 5 year old, she’s exceptionally strong, due to her insisting that Harry let her work out with him at every moment she can. He only lets her do the small weights, but still, she’s got muscle.
“I did baby, wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he says into her perfectly hairsprayed bun, pressing kisses all over her face as she giggles. “You did amazing my love, did you use the techniques I gave you?”
“I did! I hugged Dada sososososo much and he didn’t complain at all!” She exclaims, almost as if it’s a huge feat that Louis didn’t complain.
“Hey!” Louis says in protest, but she just leans in to grab his face, and places a big sloppy kiss on his cheek, so he can’t find it in himself to really be mad at her.
“Thank you for making me calm, daddy,” she says gratefully, her body still propped up on Harry’s hip, but her arms stretched around Louis’ neck.
“Anytime baby, anytime,” he confirms, rubbing circles into her back.
“Can we get ice cream, papa?” She asks, mustering the best puppy dog eyes she can. That’s one thing she got from Louis, and he can’t say he doesn’t find it funny when they work every single time on Harry. Like father like daughter, he supposes.
“I suppose you deserve a treat after that incredible performance, yeah?” He replies, looking to Louis to confirm.
“I agree bug, that deserves some mint chip for sure,” he smiles, pressing one last kiss to her temple before reaching for Harry’s hand. Harry leans down to pick up his daughter’s previously discarded bag, and they make their way out into the parking lot.
–
“You’ve got chocolate fudge on your face, babe,” Louis says laughing, and leaning to wipe the ice cream off of Harry’s cheek with the pad of his thumb. When he goes to pull back, Harry pulls him back in by his neck, and smacks a kiss on his lips.
“Papa, can you please stop? I’m trying to eat,” Charlie says sassily, making Harry laugh.
“She is literally an exact replica of you, baby,” he laughs, watching as Louis rolls his eyes.
“She’s got your eyes and your hair, babe.”
“And your attitude, and your stubbornness, and your courage, and your bravery-”
“Those are basically the same thing,” Louis cuts him off.
“Can you just let me compliment you for once?” Harry groans exasperatedly.
“I’m like both of you,” Charlie protests, pouting her lips.
“Of course you are bug, we’re just joking,” Louis says, softening his tone as he brings a napkin up to wipe at the splotch of mint chip on her leotard. He’s going to have to soak it later, but he doesn’t mind.
“I like you both the same, so I’m like the both of you the same amount,” she says, very matter-of-factly for a 5 year old.
“Oh yeah? Is that how it works now?” Harry asks her, acting innocent.
“Yeah, but it’s okay, papa. I don’t expect you to know, it’s for smart people.”
Louis bursts out laughing, nearly falling out of his chair as Harry whines.
“Heyyyy,” he pouts, directly resembling Charlie’s pout.
“That’s where she’s like you, Styles. That damn pout.”
“Daddy you need to put money in the jar,” Charlie scolds him, continuing to lick her ice cream.
“Yeah Lou, bad words aren’t good,” Harry says, trying his best to stay serious.
“I swear to god the both of you are going to be the death of me,” Louis sighs, finishing off his ice cream.
And it might be true, that statement. However, it seems like an okay way to go to him, especially if he’s got Harry on one side pressing kisses all over his face, and Charlie on the other begging him to stop. It’s a perfectly okay way to go, when he looks at it like that.