relief next to me (by dolce_piccante on ao3)

20

Harry walked through the door of Partridges and inhaled deeply through his nose, his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out. He felt like he could hear birds singing and feel sunshine warming his cheeks, even though he was standing in the doorway of a grocery store.

There was something familiar and comforting about the smell of a grocery store. The combination of raw vegetables and fresh bread and crisp paper bags to carry your treasures home was soothing to him, like he was entering a building full of old friends.

A wide smile stretched across his face as he watched the other shoppers pushing their trolleys from aisle to aisle, like some sort of grocery ballet. He bent over and picked up a basket to join the ballet, a cheerful skip in his step.

He made a beeline towards the meat and seafood section. Protein was where most of his meals began, the sides forming around whatever main course he decided to tackle. His feet slowed near a display of colouring books. He opened the first page of a book dedicated to frogs, his hips swaying to the mellow instrumental music piped through the store.

A familiar voice crowed, "Is that London Food and Wine Awards double nominee Chef Harry Styles?"

Harry grinned and closed the colouring book, his cheeks burning. He took the remaining three steps to bring him to the meat, poultry, and seafood section. Brown, almond-shaped eyes sparkled at him over the glass case.

"Hey, mate." Harry squeezed his strong hand of a bearded butcher, their smiles growing. "Alright?"

"Yeah, I'm excellent, man," Ravi said, his high bun of black hair swaying as he nodded. "You? Congratulations on the nominations." He patted the top of Harry's wrist, squeezing Harry's hand between both of his own steak sized paws. "So thrilled for you."

"Aw, thanks so much. It was..." Harry's eyes widened. "It was a total shock," he said on a laugh, his voice breathy. "But I'm really excited even to be nominated."

"With good reason. We're doing some of the catering for it. You'll be eating like a prince that night."

"Good to know. The beard's looking good," Harry said, breaking their handshake to wiggle his long fingers at Ravi's face. "Very rugged. You made the right choice keeping it through the summer."

Ravi palmed over his chin, a plastic covering crunching beneath his hand.

"It's getting a bit out of control, isn't it? Tonya keeps telling me I'm gonna have birds laying eggs in it."

"Nah, it looks great. I can barely get fuzz going, myself."

"Baby faced baker," Ravi said, white teeth bright against his tan skin, Harry smiling and rubbing his cheeks. "Where's Louis?"

Harry's stomach tingled, warmth spreading across his chest. He and Louis made a habit of stopping by the Partridges' outdoor market on Saturdays whenever their schedules allowed, whether they were doing a full shop or stopping to sample snacks. It was terrible for their budget, but excellent for their bellies.

They had seen Ravi, a long-time foodie friend, together a handful of times, which made Harry's full-body buzz only more intense. Ravi remembered Louis' name; he assumed that Louis should be by Harry's side for something as mundane as grocery shopping.

Harry smiled and could feel his dimples deepening. He ran his fingers through the front of his hair.

"He's still at work. He's going to meet me here and then I think I'm going to cook for us tonight."

"Lucky Louis. I've got some of that salmon he likes so much," Ravi said, gesturing to the middle of the case. They walked to the bright cuts of fish laid out over ice chips, pale orange strips of salmon on display in the centre. "And I've got some lovely sea bass, as well." Ravi pointed to a meaty strip of white barely tinged with pink. "Super fresh and on sale. What are you in the mood for?"