synopsis: this goes out to all my subspace-loving people... hope you're feeling fed after this
"Harry pull yourself together lad!" Harry's boxing coach, Miles, yelled from outside the training ring as Harry went against one of the other boxers who trained at Miles' gym. "You think you're gonna bring home the gold with that left hook?"
Harry gritted his teeth, pulling his fist back before jabbing his opponent in the stomach. In return, Harry received a rear uppercut to the jaw. He grunted and fell back on his feet, nearly hitting the floor.
"For fucks sake," Miles hissed and stepped through the ring, grabbing Harry by the straps of his black vest top before he could get another hit. "What do you think you're doing?"
Harry spat out his mouth guard and broke free from Miles' grip, "I'm fine,"
"You lost to a lad two groups below you." Miles followed Harry as he walked to the bench and grabbed his water bottle, pouring the water into his mouth and over his face. "You've got a fight tonight. Is this how you're gonna act in front of Lee Tyson?"
"I said I'm fine!" Harry glared at his coach, brushing off his words even though he knew he was right. He was just embarrassed that he'd managed to lose against someone below his weight class.
Miles pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed the sweat on his forehead. "What's going on?" He put an arm over him, "You're never like this before a fight, especially during training."
"I know," Harry was staring down at his bruised knuckles, "I know." He repeated, taking a deep breath. "I got into a fight with Y/N last night."
"What?" Miles was shocked, he'd never seen Harry and Y/N argue about anything in the whole three years they'd been together.
Harry sighed, "She doesn't want me to fight illegally anymore." He grumbles.
Miles nodded, "Ah I see lad," He claps a hand on his shoulder.
"She thinks I could do it professionally," Harry scoffs, "Me, a professional boxer," He shakes his head in disbelief.
"That girl's got faith in you that's for sure," Miles says, "I think she's right you know. I think you could do it."
"No, someone like me doesn't belong somewhere like that." Harry huffs, "This is all I've known my entire life."
"There are no safety measures in underground boxing Harry and the money you're getting would be ten times the amount if you boxed professionally."
Harry shook his head, refusing to believe that his life could be any better than it already was, "I love her Miles. What if she leaves me because of this?"
Miles sighs, "Your girl's smart Harry but she's a lovesick fool just like you. I don't think she'll be leaving you anytime soon."
"I want to do right by her Miles but I can't-"
"I get it, I do." Miles says.
Harry thought back to last night when Y/N was standing with him in the kitchen her cute pyjamas with red hearts on them. She was crying as Harry tried to explain to her why it was important he kept his job. He needed the money so they could have a life together but she said it had nothing to do with money and went on and on about his safety.
She cared about him, loved him so much, and she just wanted him to be safe.
Harry didn't go home even before his fight in the evening. He'd sent a text to Y/N and received no reply. He had been thinking of her all day to the point where the fight didn't even seem relevant anymore. He just wanted to go home to her and apologise for not listening as hard as he should have.
The crowd was loud tonight which made sense because Lee Tyson was one of the greatest underground boxers in the business. Harry bounced on his toes and jabbed into the air as he prepared for the fight, his silk robe covering his muscled torso and red shorts. He was listening to a playlist Y/N had compiled for him to hype him up for his fights.
"Harry," Miles came up behind him, "You ready?"
Harry took a deep breath and nodded. He had no idea if Y/N would be in the crowd tonight. She hadn't missed a match of his since they started dating, besides the one time she was sick and couldn't leave their bed. He kept his fingers crossed behind his back as they walked to his entrance to the boxing ring. He lifted the hood of his robe over his head before two assistants wrapped his knuckles in bandages.
When his hands were free, he took his gold cross chain from around his neck and kissed the pendant. Something he always did before a big fight.
He could feel his heart racing as the roar of the crowd grew louder and echoed around him. He stood by the door, listening for his name to be called. Miles was giving him a pep talk but it all went in one ear and out the other. All he could think about was whether or not Y/N would be in the audience. His little love, his good luck charm.
When his name was called by the announcer, the large double doors opened in front of him and bright lights shone into his eyes. People hollered, some even booing, as he walked down the aisle to the ring where Lee Tyson was already standing with a grin on his face.
Harry lifted a fist in the air and the crowd loved it, people standing in their chairs with excitement for him. His eyes glanced to the bench where Y/N would normally be sitting only to find her seat empty.
He couldn't help but show the slight piece of heartbreak on his face but he quickly masked it and prepared for the first round.
Lee Tyson was in the lead after the ninth round but Harry wasn't too far behind. However, he was exhausted. His mind was all hazy and he could taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. His eye was swollen and bruised and every muscle in his body was screaming for a break.
"Harry only three more rounds. You have to push through, I know you can do it." Miles says, his hands on Harry's shoulders as he tries to get him to look straight.
"I want Y/N." Harry almost whimpers, jolting when someone rubs his calf to relieve the tense muscle. "Please," He whispers but no one hears him.
Harry's legs were almost like jelly when he stands but he tries his hardest to pull himself together. He was always strongest in the final rounds but against Lee Tyson he wasn't so sure. He knew where his weak spots were and if he could just find the right moment, he knew he'd be able to take him down quickly in the last three rounds.
When he got back up in the ring, Harry noticed something in the corner of his eye. Lee Tyson stood tall in front of him but it didn't stop him from craning his neck to see the person who he could have sworn looked like his girlfriend.
His eyes narrowed when he saw her cupping her mouth with her hands and shouting for him, holding a sign in her hands above her head with his name written in capital letters. She was wearing his favourite pink dress and her hair was down but little baby hairs stuck out everywhere from the humidity of the venue. He loved her baby hairs.
It was Y/N.
She was here.
Tyson sneered at Harry, thinking he had the upper hand, but one quick glance at Y/N to make sure she really was in the room with him, had Harry straightening up, flexing his muscles and wearing a devilish smirk. "Let's dance," He muttered and the match began.
The final round was over and Harry was announced the winner of the match. People screamed and yelled all different types of things but Harry didn't care. He didn't even wait to receive the belt as he lifted up the rope and slid through. People parted as he jogged through the crowd and immediately walked into the arms of his favourite person in the whole world.
Y/N watched his lips moving as he spoke to himself. She couldn't make out what he was saying until he wrapped his arms around her to pick her up and bury his face into her neck. "Baby, baby, baby." He whispered against her neck like a mantra.
She smiled, relaxing in his arms and running a hand through his knotted hair, "Hi my love." She whispered, kissing his sweaty forehead.
Harry looked up at her, eyes watery and glazed over. Her lips parted in shock when she saw the innocence dripping from him. She cupped his face in her hands, "Are you okay baby?"
He immediately pouted, despite the blood on his face and the bruises forming on his body, he somehow managed to look like a cute, little baby. "I want to go home." He told her.
She nodded, kissing the tip of his nose, "Okay baby." She whispered, "Let's go home."
Y/N ignored Miles as he berated her on the way to Harry's car. Telling her what to do and how to take care of him when she already knew exactly how to look after him. She was the only person in the world who knew the best way to take care of him.
Harry was in his grey sweatpants and a grey sweater, his gold chain hanging from his neck. When they were away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd, Y/N helped him into the passenger seat. "Do you need help putting your seatbelt on baby?" She asked, speaking softly.
"Yes please," He murmured, reaching for her hand and holding it in his lap.
Y/N giggled, "I can't go it with one hand pretty boy."
Harry shook his head, "You can try." He whispered, eyes fluttering shut.
"Hey," Y/N reached out to hold his face in her hands, "Don't sleep on me love, can't have you sleeping when your all subby."
"O-okay, no sleeping." He huffed, his lips were so pouty and cute Y/N couldn't help but kiss him.
Y/N drove their car back to their apartment with the radio humming in the background. She had a lot she wanted to say but thought it would be best to talk about it when they got home.
When they got home, Y/N pushed open the door to their small flat with Harry following close behind her. When he was in subspace, he hated being alone or anywhere that Y/N was not. He held her hand as she lead him to the bathroom.
"We've got to fix these cuts and bruises baby." Y/N murmured, pulling the medicine cabinet open.
"O-Okay," Harry stood behind her. Y/N giggled when she caught his face in the reflection of the mirror in front of her. He was watching her with furrowed brows and pouted lips. Y/N quickly turned around and hugged him, squishing her face aginst his chest as he hugged her with an equal amount of force.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner. I got caught in traffic." Her words were muffled against his chest.
"I love you so much." Harry says, not really knowing how to string his words together when he was all spaced out.
Y/N smiled up at him and kissed his chin since he was a lot taller than her. "Let's run you a bath and we can fix this pretty boy face." She says.
Harry watches as Y/N runs the small bath they had in their even smaller bathroom. She helped him pick out what bath bomb he wanted in the water to which he pointed at the lavender one and said it was because it was her favourite one too.
Before Harry, Y/N had never had to be the dominant or dependant one in the relationship. She had always been a sub. When she found out Harry was a switch, she immediately made it her mission to be just as loving to him when he was in his subspace as he was to her.
She picked up on all the things he found to be the most comforting and safe. Harry hadn't lived a very safe life up until he had met Y/N. So, when he was all subby and struggled to do things alone, she constantly reminded him that he was going to be okay - that he was always going to be safe with her.
In Harry's mind, that meant he could never leave her because where she was meant safety and that was everything he wanted in life.
When the bath had finished running, Y/N helped Harry out of his comfy clothes. She kissed every bruise that unveiled the more clothes she peeled off from his body. He whined when her fingers brushed over parts of his skin, "You like that baby? Is that nice?" She murmurs.
"S' good. You're s' good." He slurs.
She helped him into the bath and watched as his naked body was covered by the large amount of bubbles she had put into the tub. She ran her fingers through his hair, "Y' like that my love?"
"Feels so good, thank you, thank you." He hums, eyes fluttering shut as she scratched his scalp with her fingernails.
"Let me go grab a washcloth and bowl so I can fix those cute." She stood from the little footstool she was sat on but a wet hand reached out of the water and grabbed her arm.
"Don't go," Harry whimpered, "Please stay."
Y/N's eyes softened, "M not going far darling, I'll be a minute at least."
He shook his head, "I'll be good."
Y/N crouched down in front of him, "You are good Harry, my sweet, kind boy, you are good."
He shook his head, pouting his lips, "Not today."
She sighed, resting her chin on the edge of the bath, "I'm just worried for you Harry. I care about you so much and I hate seeing you get hurt."
"I don't want you to l-leave me." Harry's hazy eyes, water.
"I could never leave you baby, never ever ever. I just have so much faith in you Harry, I know you can fight professionally." She didn't want to have this conversation when he wasn't all there but she said what she could in the moment.
Harry blinked innocently, "One minute?" He changed the subject, not wanting to talk about something when he wasn't feeling completely okay.
She smiles, "One whole minute. Maybe fifty eight seconds if you're good." She kissed his forehead.
"I'll be good!" He grinned, "I'll be s' good for you."
"Oh really?" Y/N raised a brow and he nodded quickly.
"So, so good." He repeated.
Y/N listened as he began counting, her ears straining to hear him as she got further away. She quickly filled a bowl with warm water from the kitchen sink and grabbed a washcloth. Harry beamed as she walked back into the bathroom.
"Must have been s' good! Only fifty seconds!" He grinned, one of his dimples popping out.
Y/N giggled, kissing the top of his head as she sat down again. "You're the best. So good f' me."
Harry rested his chin on the edge of the tub so Y/N could help mend the cuts and bruises on his face. He winced when she touched the bruise swelling under his eye, "He got you good didn't he baby?" She murmured, close to his face.
"It hurts," He whimpered when Y/N touched it gently.
"I need to wipe away some of the blood baby," She tried but he shook his head. "How about we do it together? I'll leave it on for five seconds."
He thought about it before replying, "Two seconds." He argued.
Y/N smiled, softly, "Okay two seconds."
Harry wrapped his fingers around her wrist as she held the cloth to her bruise and wiped gently. "That's two seconds!" He cried out and she quickly pulled away.
"Was that so bad lovie?" She cooed.
"N-no, wasn't so bad." He huffed.
Eventually, Harry allowed Y/N to wipe away all the dried blood from his face and tend to the bruises on his body. She could tell he was getting tired from the way her played with her fingers and traced the lines on the back of her hand.
When the water lost its warmth, she helped Harry out of the bath and wrapped him in a towel. "Come back to me sweet boy," She whispered as she helped him back into some sweatpants and a white vest because he got hot in the night when he wore too many thick layers.
"M right here," He mumbled. "Always right here."
She got dressed into one of Harry's shirts and crawled into bed beside him. Their bed was rather small so Harry was always cuddled up close to Y/N so she wouldn't fall out of bed in the middle of the night.
The duvet was at the bottom of the bed since the room was rather warm. When Y/N slid in beside him, Harry lifted up her shirt and wriggled down the bed so he could rest his head on her soft tummy. Y/N laughed and began to run her fingers through his hair again.
"My sweet boy." She whispers, "I love you."
"I love you with my whole heart," Harry replied.
"My little love is safe with me," Y/N hummed and Harry's heart grew ten times the size at her words.
In the morning, Harry woke up with his head on the mattress instead of his pillow and Y/N further down the bed with her head resting in the crook of his neck. He thought back to last night and immediately felt the pain infiltrate his body when he moved, reminding him of the fight and everything that happened after.
He smiled softly at the girl laying in his arms. Despite his doubts, she had come back to him and loved him even more than she did the day before even though they had argued. He felt so lucky and so grateful for her that he was willing to do anything. Even if that meant coming to a compromise with his career, he would do it all just for her.
"Hi sweet girl," Harry's voice cracked as he spoke for the first time that morning.
Y/N whimpered and looked up at him, "Hi," She whispered, trying to absorb all his warmth.
"Are you okay?" He wondered, tilting her face up to look at him.
"Hold me," She wrapped her arms around his neck and practically shifted to lay on top of him.
"Hey look at me angel girl," She looked at him, eyes wide and hazy and he immediately found himself laughing loudly.
Y/N winced at the loud noise and whined as she buried herself further into him, "Being a dom really wiped you out huh?" He chuckled, burying his face into her messy hair.
"Sleepy time daddy," She tried to shut him up.
"Oh okay baby," He smiled as he closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep.
"You're not really sleeping!" She whined, falling onto her back on the mattress.
He took the opportunity to hold himself up over her, arms on either side of her head as he covered her face in kisses which made her pout. "Oh my girl," He laughed, "I love you so much!"
She grinned, "Say it again!"
"I love you, I love you, I love you." He repeated. "More than anything in the world."
"Good," She held his face in her hands and kissed his lips.
"Let's go get something into this cute tummy." He nuzzled his nose against her cheek making her squeal.
He picked her up in his arms and held her on his hip as he bought her to the kitchen where he placed her on the kitchen counter.
He spent the entire day loving on his girl as he tried to coax her out of subspace until eventually she did and they spoke about all the things they wanted in life and how they would do it all together.
That same day Harry decided to find an agent so he could get into professional boxing.
That same day they both fell into their subspace and were a complete clumsy, loved-up mess.
But the good kind.