informed consent | short story + one shots

home for christmas - part two

Word count: 11,423

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Harry and Mia woke up together for the third morning in a row.

It was Thursday and Christmas Eve today, but the house was silent as Harry blinked his eyes open to find himself completely curled around Mia's body like always. He breathed in her scent, her hair sort of up his nose as he stared at the dark brown locks that were in a braid.

Mia hardly moved around at night and Harry found himself on her side of the bed again, his palm on her bare stomach underneath the flannel he begged her to wear, and is leg following the shape of hers.

For the past two days, Mia had been up before him, a sobbing mess.

It broke his heart to see his sweetheart so upset from her parent's words. The first morning, she woke up early while sniffing in his arms and he eventually coaxed her back to bed. Slipping out of the room, he headed downstairs to talk to his parents before they went to work, briefly explaining the situation to them and letting them know that Mia might be a little silent and sad that day.

They went to work and Harry and Mia spent the day on their own, taking a hike in the neighbourhood with Bobby. Mia scratched his head a lot and he liked her, easily walking with her even when other dogs crossed them. There was a thin layer of snow covering the woods they walked through, but the scenery was beautiful and the fresh air made Mia's head clear.

She opened up to Harry a lot, about her parents and her upbringing. Mia was never short on anything. She had everything she wanted, everything she could ever ask. The only thing she never got, was attention and affection. She talked to Harry about it, how her brother was always the golden child and how Mia trailed behind a little bit.

She felt like she was too much, like she had to try her hardest and could never catch a break. Harry knew she'd never speak ill of her parents and always be grateful to them, but it gnawed on her that she always had to try so hard and it never really felt like enough. She couldn't remember the last time she got a compliment.

So when Harry's parents came home that night and they had dinner, the four of them – with Edward spending the night in his care facility -, Harry's parents carefully asked Mia about it. Harry held her hand underneath the table, but Mia didn't feel uncomfortable or forced to talk to them. She first apologized for being so quiet and impolite throughout dinner, but then explained the difficult chat with her mother.

She broke down a little bit, and it warmed Harry's heart to see her in a tight embrace with his father, who consoled Mia as she cried.

She then cried again when they suggested paying for her education if she really wanted to study anthropology and her parents refused to let her. Mia cried harder, unable to explain how nice it was of them to even offer and she was overwhelmed with so much kindness and support that she wasn't sure what to do with herself.

In the meantime, Harry and Mia did get their grades back and they both passed all their exams. Mia texted her parents the good news, hoping it might sway them into letting her switch, but they never responded to her message. 

So, Harry and Mia celebrated with his parents in the form of a nice dinner and a glass of wine. They felt proud, not only of Harry but of the both of them, welcoming Mia completely into their family. It was a strange feeling for her, but she slowly started to appreciate it.

Her and Harry watched movies in bed at night, showering together and then cuddling underneath the sheets. Harry wanted more, so much more, but their heads weren't really at it and he mostly wanted her to feel safe and comfortable. Anything sexual just didn't work when either one of them was in their heads like that, and that was alright.