The Royal Series

Blurb 4 - First Family Dinner

9 months into the relationship and even though Harry had his fair share of inside jokes with your brothers, met your father and his wife twice briefly and babysat your nephews and niece quite the few times, it was his first time to be having dinner with your family in your grandmother's presence in her palace; Buckingham.
Having had already taken your opinion on what to wear only about a hundred time, facetimed you with a facial mask on that he claimed to "make him feel so smooth and clean" and called you prior that night in the wee hours of the night because "Do I shake her hand first or do I just bow? Do I say hello or do I wait for her to talk to me first?", Harry was nervously standing next to you in his white button down and black flared trousers that he had told you were "too plain for the queen".
"Baby, it's just my immediate family. It's a family dinner, not anything more and they're all so excited." You had assured him before pointing at yourself in your beige trousers and black turtleneck tank top, "Look at what I'm wearing. It's just some family dinner."
He had chuckled nervously before letting a tiny groan as he rubbed his face while you cooed at him, holding on to his waist as you stood outside your flat, "I'm so fucking nervous." Before quickly adding a "And you look beautiful by the way."
You awed, disregarding your boyfriend who scowled jokingly at you before you cupped his face, "I'll be right next to you. Nothing you'll do is wrong, alright? My brothers love you, my dad loves you, Camilla loves you and so do my grandparents even though you haven't exactly hung out with them but I talk about you a lot. And you know that. Now can we please leave and go eat because I'm starving? And I also happen to love you and don't want you to be all grumpy."
The drive to the palace was a quick one, filled with the soft music of John Mayer playing and you soothingly rubbing Harry's hand as you hummed along. Greeting the guards with a smile and and waves, you and Harry entered as he drove to park beside William's car.
You thanked the guard as he opened your door, one opening Harry's door as well that he made sure to thank and greet before meeting you by the hood of his Maserati car, linking your arm with his after you gave him a supportive peck on the lips, "Are you alright?"
He hummed, looking at you as you both walked inside, "I'm alright. Are you?"
"Perfectly fine."
Standing in front of the drawing room's door, you unlinked your arm from Harry's and any person would've been able to see Harry's face fall, looking at you in confusion before your hand grasped his, intertwining your fingers together in a squeeze, "Scared?"
Harry chuckled wholeheartedly, giving your hand a squeeze back, "No, are you?"
"Nope."
As the maids opened the door for you, you were instantly met with your family chattering away and laughing, a smile making its way to your face as they all turned towards you, saying your name in acknowledgement.
"Haz! It's good to see you, mate." Your ginger head brother was the first to greet Harry in a hug as your grandfather kissed your head, squeezing you in a hug before you moved on to your father.
"I missed you, darling. It's almost like you grew up. Maybe a bit taller?"
You laughed, rolling your eyes jokingly at your father, "I'm 24, I don't think I'm getting any taller than this, daddy."
"Oh, rubbish!" He waved you off in a joking manner, twisting his face at you, "You're getting more beautiful by the day."
You hugged Camilla, shooting Prince Charles a look before looking at her, "Is daddy being a sap tonight or has he always been like that?"
Causing everyone to laugh, you turned to hug your grandmother and kiss her cheek, "You look pretty, Y/N. I remember looking like that when I first fell in love with Philips," She said in a hushed voice as if she was letting you in on confidential news, giggling with you as she continued, "I only got this old after he got his snoring problem."
"Granny!" You laughed, looking down at her before shaking your head, "How long have you been carrying this around, huh? Carrying this secret?"
"Oh, it's been so long."
You chuckled, reaching out your hand towards Harry who instantly looked at you with a smile before approaching you, bowing respectfully to your grandmother who put a comforting hand on his arm, "It's alright, Harry."
You'd be lying if you said you weren't surprised. Seeing your grandmother touching someone that didn't carry any of the royal last names only happened very few times to the people you got used to seeing them ever since you were a kid.
She held her hand out for him to shake, smiling up at him as she greeted him with a simple "How are you?"
"I'm great. Thank you for inviting me tonight, it's an honour." Harry stood bashful and grinning down at her, his eyes only moving from hers to you as you approached him, putting your hand on his back as he did so with his.
"You're welcome, Harry. Any friend of Y/N's is a friend of ours. Boyfriend and all that." She waved her hand jokingly which had you and Harry laughing.
After finally greeting everyone in the room and having a quick chat with Meghan and Kate, you all walked towards the dinning room where all the food was served, everyone standing by their chair, with you in an exceptional place between Meghan and your boyfriend, instead of sitting between Camilla and William.
You all sat after your grandmother did, putting napkins on your laps before everyone began putting different foods on their plates. You leaned closer to Harry, "Do you want chicken?"
"Just a tiny piece." He whispered back, watching as you pointed at a piece with your fork before he nodded at you, you placing it on his plate.
"Harry,"
Both Harry's answered with a "yes" that had everyone laughing, your grandfather rolling his eyes at your brother and waving him off, "Not you, the other Harry."
"You've been stealing my spotlight, Styles. I'd sleep with my eyes open if I were you." Your brother joked, pointing at Harry with his knife with squinted eyes.
"You've been saying that for what? 9 months now?" Harry fired back in the same manner, causing everyone on the table to laugh and William to throw his head back as he clapped.
"This is exactly why he's the better Harry." William joked, jabbing a thumb in your boyfriend's direction who blushed as he laughed.
"See, I like you, Styles. I like you," Your grandfather said with a nod and an amused smile that had you grinning, discreetly letting your left hand down to squeeze Harry's knee, "You know what else I like about you? The tattoos!"
"He absolutely loves tattoos." You whispered to Harry as you leaned closer to him to inform him.
"Is that a naked woman?" The Queen asked over the chuckles and utensils clattering.
Your breath hitched in your throat, coughing as you laughed at the question while Harry rubbed your back, "It's uh-It's a mermaid."
"Is she naked?" She asked him.
Harry glanced at his tattoo and as if he began scolding himself for ever getting it, the red on his cheek didn't go unnoticed by those on the table as Meghan elbowed you while trying to stifle her laughter. "She has a tail. She's mostly topless."
Your grandmother nodded as she eyed the peeking inked woman on his arm, "Interesting."
Harry eyed you, pulling down his sleeve to cover his tattoo discreetly but if anything, the frown on your face wasn't something hidden. His open palm on the table was like an open invitation for you to place your own on, pulling at his sleeve as you looked away from him to show his tattoo, aware of his eyes on you as your fingers glided across his inked skin.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Harry whispered in your ear, his warm breath fanning over your skin ever so gently.
"You don't? Because I think it's one of my best." You whispered back as you looked at him, eyes boring into each other as you held his hand tightly with your own, "Don't hide."
"Harry, how was touring the world? Fun, I'd assume." Your grandmother addressed Harry once again.
"It was, yes. Especially that I get to do what I love and that this was something new to me; to go solo, I mean."
"Ah, yes, you were in a group, right? That group Y/N was so obsessed with, right, boys?"
You groaned under your breath, looking down at your food as everyone laughed, Harry looking at you with a smug smirk on his face that had your cheeks fading into the brightest shade of red.
"Can we not talk about this?" You asked through the embarrassment, feeling Harry giving your hand a squeeze.

Standing in the terrace, you and Harry drifted from everyone else and instead stood together with your wine glasses.
"Are we going to talk about the tattoo incident?" You asked him, looking at him.
Harry chuckled before taking a sip of his wine, looking at you before turning around, leaning his back on the rail, "What's there to talk about?"
You shrugged, looking down at the garden before looking back at him, "I don't know. I feel like there's something you want to say."
"That I regret it? Definitely."
"That's exactly what I want to talk about," You sighed, standing in front of him after putting your glass on the table, "You shouldn't regret something just because my grandmother didn't seem so ecstatic about it. Even though I know for sure that she didn't exactly care that you have a topless woman inked on you. It's just- It's just bizarre to her."
"Y/N, do you know who your grandmother is?" Harry laughed in disbelief, "That's the Queen, Y/N."
You rolled your eyes, throwing your head back before looking at him, "Who were you having dinner with tonight, Harry? Was it your girlfriend and her family or one of England's princesses and her oh so royal family?"
"Y/N." Harry huffed your name out, tilting his head in defeat.
"No, answer me."
"You know I don't look at you like that." He frowned, putting his glass down before placing his hands on your arms.
"But how do you look at my family, Harry?"
The look on your face was enough to almost break Harry's heart; doubtful, scared and almost tired.
"Baby, you have to put yourself in my shoes for a moment," At how your shoulders slumped and you shook her head, Harry cupped your face in his hands, "No, hear me out. I admit, your grandmother intimidates me because of her rank and power. I know how powerful she is and for her to not like me is absolutely bloody scary."
"Why? Because she has power over us? You know she doesn't." You shook your head, "I told you all about what I went through to be with you, against her wishes and plans. And she understood that I love you but do you, Harry? Do you understand that nobody has a say in our relationship except us? That tattoo," You pointed, "Is you. It's one of your so many definitions. Just because she's the Queen of England doesn't mean she should make you insecure about something you love. You're beautifully inked and I love every single one of it.
I thought you understood that by the way I make love to you, all of you. And how when I tell you that I love you, I mean everything about you."
Harry stayed silent for a moment, grasping everything you told him in his head that had his eyes glistening so lightly with tears before wrapping his arms around you, bringing you to his chest after pressing a kiss to your head, "I'm sorry. I love you. I love you so, very much and I'm sorry for making you think that people have a say in our relationship."
"And I love you despite it all."