falling [zarry] ✔️

ii

It's incredibly tense, watching the king draw closer and closer, their handlers hissing at their back for them to behave. Even Louis is standing still, having given up teasing Harry about their bet.

"Good evening," the king says and Liam answers "Good evening, sir," in his nervous voice. Harry throws a look in his direction, catches sight of Niall's flushed face as he says "good evening, sir."

"Good evening, sir," Harry says as well, shaking the king's hand.

"Good evening, sir," Louis echoes on his left as well and out of the corner of his eyes Harry can see Joanne relaxing somewhat, like the worst has passed.

It's making the whole curtsy thing look very tempting. She really does annoy him. It's not that big a deal, shaking hands with someone. They're not that much of a disaster that she has to fear they'll mess it up. And if he gets to pants Louis without the fear of revenge, that'd just be an added bonus.

"Good evening, Harry," the queen says, offering her hand.

Harry lowers his head in that weird nod-bow and shakes it. "Good evening, ma'am," he answers.

"You look like my son when he's about to get into mischief. What are you planning?"

Louis snorts and Harry throws him a glare, before fixing his most innocent gaze on the queen.

"Nothing, ma'am," he says, because maybe it was a stupid idea. She seemed nice and his mum liked her so much, he couldn't do that to his mum, could he?

She smiles like she doesn't believe him and moves on to Louis, Harry bows his head again just to make sure.

"She's right, you know," the crown princess says, offering her hand.

Harry shakes her hand, frowning at her. "I don't know what you're talking about, ma'am," he says very politely.

She laughs lightly and moves on. Harry wonders if they ever get to meet people for more than a second. At least their meet and greets allowed them to talk a bit, informally even, no fussy handlers making sure everyone bowed and curtsied and didn't say anything wrong.

Harry shakes Princess Waliyah's hand, who seems slightly flushed under her make-up, darting a glance back at Niall. Harry bites back a smirk, amused and relieved that a princess was also just a teenage girl, and keeps that in mind to tease Niall about that later, watching the littlest princess smile widely at Niall as well.

She's holding her brother's hand like she does in every picture and appearance on telly. At least those Harry's seen. But he knows it's a thing. His grandma and mum always talk about it and Harry pretends not to be interested anymore because he'd like to believe that he has outgrown his crush on Prince Zain. He was someone people crushed on, he couldn't still look at a picture of Zain in uniform at parades, or Zain holding his sister's hand at an event, or Zain laughing while he played polo or football, and get butterflies in his stomach.

It did not help at all that Prince Zain was bending down to Princess Safaa, her hands clutching his, and looking at her with such a patient expression. That expression was what had made Harry's grandmother forgive him after he'd gotten his tattoo and the nation had been in uproar about it like he'd suddenly decided to murder puppies instead of getting the most harmless tattoo Harry had ever seen, just his sisters' names on his upper arm.

"Hello," the littlest princess says, suddenly in front of him, beaming up at Harry.

"Hi," Harry says, grinning down at her before remembering that she too falls under the rules Joanne had tried to instil in them for two days now. "Your Royal Highness."

"You're my favourite," she says. "I like your hair."

"Thanks," Harry says, grinning. He knows how to talk to the little fans. "But I'm pretty sure you just said that to Niall as well."

"You can have more than one favourite," Princess Safaa says, unperturbed. "I'm Zain's favourite but he loves my sisters just as much."

"I bet you're his favourite-favourite though," Harry says conspiratorially, bending down slightly. "So is it me or Niall?"

She giggles, turning her face into her brother's torso when he steps up to them, grabbing onto his jacket.

Harry straightens, abruptly remembering where he is, watching his hands stroke over her hair and tickle her cheek for a moment, before reaching out for Harry.

"Good to meet you," he says, almost curt, and Harry takes it, looking up to meet his eyes.

He's not quite sure what makes him do it, but the combination of meeting his childhood crush, with Louis's voice in his head egging him on, and all the time they spent practising yesterday makes him bend his knees in a curtsy, saying "Your Royal Highness" like an idiot.

Their gazes catch, and Harry can see Prince Zain attempt to keep the laughter back, his eyes narrowed with it, his mouth twitching. Harry can feel his cheeks flush hotly, glad for the layer of makeup that would - perhaps - prevent the worst from showing. He straightens awkwardly, dropping his hand.

The prince moves on, probably used to people making idiots in front of him to an even larger extend than Harry was by now. The sounds surrounding then come back to Harry at once, Niall laughing madly at his side and their handlers hissing exasperatedly.

Louis catches his gaze, rising a smug eyebrow, grinning delightedly. Harry meets his eyes in horror. He cannot believe he did this. Not in front of the prince, not in front of his childhood crush who was seriously hot in real life as well.

Why, he thinks, keeping himself from facepalming. He'll just pretend it was on purpose. Show no weakness and all that. In a few days someone would be drunk and attack a reporter or someone else would wear something unflattering in public and he's be old news and only Gemma and his mum would tease him mercilessly. Hopefully.

👑

if you recognise this you get a ⭐️ because you've been reading it on my profile 💕

I don't know anything about (British) royalty btw so let's just pretend 😌