The Junk Drawer

Little Routines // h.s.

Wake up in the morning, brush my teeth, smack my bìtch ass (damn!)

- Canadian Goose
Lil Uzi

*

As difficult as it could be at times, let it never be said that there were no perks to being Harry Styles' girlfriend.

Of course, there were the material perks like easy holidays on private jets, or surprises - expensive surprises - waiting for you when you got home, or the fact that you lived in an amazing, vast apartment with stunning ceiling to floor windows and what you were adamant was the best view in the city. Sure, there were those. But you'd never cared very much about money, or the expensive things Harry treated you to, which is why you kept your part-time job. Harry had wanted you to quit altogether, but you didn't want to be a leech - or worse, a golddigger. In the end you'd compromised by cutting down your hours, for the sake of spending more time with Harry whenever he was home. It wasn't exactly a sacrifice, either; now you got to sleep in every morning instead of getting up at seven to go to work.

So yes, there were perks. A lot of them. Some of them were financial, but your favourites weren't. Like the sound of his voice when he called you before you went to bed whenever he was abroad, or the sound of his voice when he'd stayed up way too late in whatever country he was in so that it would be a decent time to call in England. Or getting to play with his hands, or his hair. Or feeling said hands on your body, and pulling said hair. Or that special smile he gave you whenever you told him you loved him. But there was most definitely one that was your most favourite of all.

It had started earlier in your relationship, when you were first sleeping at each other's homes (usually Harry's, because he said he liked knowing you were safe with him). At first it was a game, a playful uncommon occasion. Then, as your relationship became more serious and you started spending days and sometimes weeks on end at Harry's, it became routine. An unquestionable part of your day. He'd get up first, simply because his body couldn't stand to laze around in bed past nine o'clock in the morning. Then he'd go brush his teeth. Sometimes he would appear in the doorway as he did it, simply leaning against the doorframe and staring at you lovingly, disappearing and reappearring whenever he needed to spit, or rinse. Then he'd shower. He always showered first, unless you could actually be bothered to get up and shower with him. Then he'd stroll back into the room, walk towards you whether you were in the bedroom or the kitchen or the living room... and spank you.

It was never particularly hard, nor suggestive. It just... was. A little token of appreciation and affection. A tiny little action that made you both smile like giddy children. Harry loved your behind, making that crystal clear too many times to count over the past two years you'd been together. His appreciation was expressed in actions rather than words: a light squeeze here, a teasing slap there, an approving groan whenever you wore yoga pants, the fact that he'd use any excuse whatsoever to press himself against your backside. He liked your àss, and he made it known.

In the least objectifying way possible.

It was your favourite part of the morning and he knew it, though neither of you had ever actually spoken of it. A tradition that had been carried out for around a year and a half, but it was always a surprise - not so much the action, but the moment. Harry always tried to he spontaneous as possible when he did it, and he could tell when you were expecting it. He wouldn't spank you when you bent over to grab the eggs for breakfast; he would do it minutes later when you'd forgotten to anticipate it. He wouldn't do it as you walked past him: he would wait for you to get as far as possible and turn your back before he crept up on you and laid a slap on your backside. It was one of the ways he gave you his utmost attention whenever he was home. Although he never breathed a word about it, you knew his worst fear was that you'd grow tired of the constant distance and in turn, tired of him. As a result, he made sure you knew he loved you, and that he would always come back to you.