AN: this is part of @always-jackedup‘s wonderful 25 days of summer! So excited to have written a fun piece alongside so many talented people! This story was so fun to write and I hope ya like it pals!!!
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2.1k of surviving the Styles’ Family Reunion
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Harry didn’t know if there was anything he loved more than good food and the great outdoors--especially the garden behind his dad’s house where this year’s Styles Family Reunion was being held.
He’d long come to appreciate the time he spent in the countryside, surrounded by family members that he saw less and less as his life got busier and busier--but this year was different. While Harry was still filled with excitement to see his cousins and hilarious aunts and uncles, he was also filled to the brim with nerves.
With tours and albums and his time in the band, Harry had missed the last few cycles of the family reunion. He’d missed a trip in 2017 to Huddersfield to see his Gran and all of his cousins, and he was especially bitter to have missed last summer’s reunion, only because his sister had made it clear that she was now known as the Styles Family Limbo Champion.
“Will you just relax?” Gemma nudged him with her elbow, handing over a dish of sausage rolls as he stared out into the garden. “It’ll be fine, go put these on the table outside.”
He let out a huff of air, stepping into the sun as he walked to set the platter down beside the sticky-notes his dad’s girlfriend, Karen, had stuck to the table the night before in preparation. She’d been planning for weeks--grinning and excited both Gemma and Harry would be home in conjunction with the summer’s greatest event.
And Harry wasn’t nervous about the pressure to beat Gemma and the rest of his family--he was confident that his flexibility and competitive nature would serve him well. What he was really dreading, to be quite honest, was the fact that he was finally subjecting Y/N to the borderline verbal assault that she’d endure when all of his aunts got their hands on her.
Harry and Y/N had been dating for a few years--she’d met the usual players: Gemma, Anne, Robin, before he passed, his dad and Karen, even a few cousins along the way. He knew that she could handle herself--he knew that she had the poise and expertise it would take to dodge the questions of engagement and babies and the like.
He’d been seated on the bed upstairs, tapping his foot anxiously while Y/N finished getting dressed. Will just quit it, yeah? She’d said. Go find a way to get rid of the anxious energy before you stress me out.
So he’d wandered downstairs, offering to help Karen set up as his dad took some wipes to the garden furniture.
“Hey,” Michal, Gemma’s boyfriend, called for Harry’s attention now. “Help me move this, yeah?”
Harry walked to meet him at the hammock that was set up in the middle of the garden. Lifting from the knees as they walked it over and out the way.
“Gem said we’ll set up the limbo there when everyone’s had a few drinks.”
Harry let out a sarcastic laugh and rolled his eyes. “Great--getting her drunk will only make her more obnoxious if she wins.”
“You’re just jealous that you haven’t had a few years to practice,” Y/N said with a smile, appearing on the patio. She held a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, using her other hand to hold the glass door open for Gemma--who used both hands to balance another platter of food as she stepped into the garden.
“M’not jealous--and m’in great shape. Running around on stage is quite the workout,” Harry defended as they set the hammock down, he tugged at it a bit to make sure it was sturdy enough, wiping his hands on his pants as he turned to face them.
“Does falling on stage all the time count as a workout?” Gemma inquired, her face serious as Y/N stifled a giggle.
Harry made his way back to the patio--wrapping his arms around Y/N as he shot Gemma a dirty look. “Is this your scare tactic? Be enough of a brat to get in my head in hopes of taking the title?”
“No one really cares that much about limbo--just to be clear,” Michal said, eyeing Y/N as if to ask what they’d gotten themselves into.
**
Harry was two drinks and three sausage rolls deep when he nearly choked on his food out of shock. Everything had been nice--quiet and lovely as his aunts and uncles caught up, cousins took funny pictures, his dad seemed to be more than pleased to have everyone in one place.
Despite the good nature of his family, Harry couldn’t believe how little time it took for his aunts to start in on their questions---Y/N stood in front of them like a deer in headlights.
“Settling down soon, love?” Harry’s Aunt Joanne asked her as she took a sip of her hard cider. Could his aunts not control themselves for once? Harry would have preferred--honestly--if they’d just asked him. That way he didn’t have to watch Y/N be subjected to such questioning.
Luckily, after making quick eye contact with Harry--she let out a laugh. “No major plans right now. I think your nephew’s a bit focused on the upcoming album and tour.”
“‘Course he is--such a hard worker,” his uncle chimed in, watching as Y/N let out a laugh. While Harry’s aunt and uncle might not have known that he was listening to every work of their conversation, Y/N was certainly aware that Harry was hanging on every word.
“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if he pops the question soon--s’been how long, again, love?”
Harry smacked his own forehead in disbelief--his gran seemed to tilt her head in confusion. “Everything alright?” She asked, leaning forward to place a hand on Harry’s arm in concern.
“Yeah,” Harry looked up suddenly, slightly embarrassed that he’d been caught. “Was a bug, that’s all,” he looked around the air between them, as if he was still on the hunt for the winged-pest.
“Three years,” Y/N answered the question, trying to focus on the conversation in front of her rather than the emotional distress her boyfriend was clearly in. Y/N couldn’t help but think it was funny how stressed he got in situations like these. Sure--she understood that he liked his privacy, but his aunts were just curious and maybe, just maybe, Y/N was also wondering the same thing. They’d talked about engagement--they’d talked about moving in together and taking those next steps. But things seemed to get in the way, which only led to a guilty Harry hanging his head every the topic came up in the presence of others.
First it was the movie. Then Y/N got a promotion. Then it was the album, then tour. Now--they’d fallen into a happy pattern of Y/N spending most nights at Harry’s house unless he was out of town. Then she’s head back to her flat with her two roommates.
Y/N knew it was out of his control, at least to some degree. She wasn’t mad--Harry knew that. But he often wondered if she ever felt forgotten or pushed aside. Harry’s other aunt, Mary, had seemed to make her way over to join in the fun.
“Any talk of babies?” She asked, her accent thick as Y/N’s brows shot North.
“Pass the pork pie, please?” Harry nearly shouted--loud enough to get everyone’s attention on in the garden as he was met with concerned and confused gazes. Y/N, who turned to face him with a questioning look, only seemed to laugh when Harry stammered a bit. “Sorry--just, really, really hungry.”
Though she was thankful for the distraction and the cover from her anxious boyfriend, Y/N could only shake her head in amusement as his Gran reached across the table to hand him the pie. “Growing boy--that’s all, have two slices, Harry, dear.”
**
Limbo wasn’t a team sport--but that didn’t stop Harry from getting incredibly loud and supportive when anyone but Gemma was having their turn.
“Yeah, Michal, come on--low to the ground, bend your knees,” Harry seemed to coach him through it (though flexibility certain wasn’t forte). Gemma--whose arms were crossed--seemed to look incredibly displeased with Harry’s sudden support for her boyfriend.
“M’not really a fan of this collusion,” she called from her spot in line. She stood behind Harry--watching as Michal seemed to just scrape by the pole. At the last second, his nose caught a piece of it and he was left to flop to the ground--letting out a groan on his way down.”
“Yeah--just relax, will you?” Y/N too sides, causing Harry to turn with a dramatic raise of his brows.
“I see where your allegiance lies,” he nearly spat out at her, gaining a laugh from Michal who rounded the garden to find his place on the sideline. They were separated by cousins now--all of whom were just as competitive as the two Styles siblings.
“No one is relaxing, Y/N,” Harry said sternly, holding a hand in the air as if to call attention to his speech. “This is serious.”
Michal seemed to roll his eyes as Y/N let out a laugh. Harry stepped forward, apparently satisfied with himself as he bent backwards to slip beneath the height of the pole. His arms seemed to flail by his side, he kept his chin tucked down to his chest to have a visual of his progress, and once he felt his chest knock into the limbo set up, he simply crumpled to the ground.
“Not so good at limbo, yeah?” Gemma teased from the behind Y/N, watching as Harry struggled to stand from the grass beneath him.
He rolled his eyes at his sister and walked to join Michal. “Isn’t there something about women being more flexible than men?”
Y/N--who seemed to blush as soon as a smirk crossed Michal’s face--was grateful for the swift response from Gemma.
“No one wants to hear from you, Harry. You’re out. Sit there and mind your own business as we show you how it’s done.”
And while Gemma made it another 13 rounds--rightfully earning the title of Limbo Champion, much to his dismay--Harry didn’t mind just sitting on the grass with Y/N and catching up with his cousins, hoping that she’d tag along to family reunions for as long as he lived.
**
“So--you survived your first reunion,” Gemma handed a plate to Y/N, who held a dish towel in her hands to dry whatever dishes came her way. The sun had set the Styles’ extended family had long shipped out.
Harry--who was busy placing leftover food into tupperware containers--brought his eyes up to smile at Y/N, though she didn’t see it.
“Just barely,” she laughed a little, raising her eyebrows at Gemma in gest. “You missed the grilling I endured from your lovely aunts.”
“Did Joanne get all up in your business?” Harry’s dad chirped from the door out to the garden, a shake of his head conveyed his displeasure. “God love her, but she can be so nosy.”
“Nosy is an understatement,” Gemma laughed, adjusting the faucet as she set another stack of plates in the sink.
“She asked about babies,” Y/N continued. “Asked about moving in, getting engaged.”
“Fair questions,” Gemma offered a smirk to Harry over her shoulder--who was now suddenly busy searching for the right lid, his lips pushed out as he eyed the array of them on the counter.
“Hmm--don’t ever know what you mean,” he mumbled, as if he wasn’t even listening to their conversation.
“He saved the day, actually,” Y/N joked, making a face at Harry--who looked up upon being praised.
“I did?”
“He did?” Gemma echoed his question, her lifted brows told Y/N that she couldn’t believe it.
“Asked for another serving of pork pie right as the question left her mouth. Not very sly, but it’s the effort that counts. Saved me from an awkward conversation, s’why I keep him around.”
Gemma rolled her eyes at her brother, handing Y/N another dish to dry. “Well don’t worry--you’ve got forever to answer their questions.”
Harry smiled--and when Y/N looked over at him, he dropped the Tupperware in his hands and walked to wrap his arms around her shoulders. “I’m glad you survived, love,” he kissed the top of her hair.
And that felt true. Y/N let a breath of air escape her lips as she set the dish down and then let her hands reach up to rest on Harry’s arms. Whether or not his aunts were nosy, she’d call today a success--based on survival alone.
She leaned her head back, letting their lips come together quickly before Harry went back to the Tupperware, his eyes serious as his eyebrows drew together. “But we’ve only got 364 days to start stretching. We’ve got to take the Limbo title next year.”
