20k. i don't know what possessed me to write this. it's basically baker!harry and coworker!Y/N
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Y/N smiled warmly at a regular customer who had entered the bakery with his hand in around his son's. The little boy looked around with sparkling eyes, taking in every twinkling light and pastry his small eyes saw. His mouth was ajar, a silent wow ringing out between the walls. Then, he saw the display of cupcakes in front of him, encased behind a window. His small hands pressed against the glass, and even though his father scolded him, he refused to remove his hands, clearly not bothered by fingerprints.
She loved her job. Sure, it was more of a 'get my life on the road' type of job, she loved every second of being here. Seeing children excitedly run up to the treats, documenting the happy faces of people when showing them their cakes. All of it was what made her life a little happier. A little easier. She quite liked making people happy. The bakery is where she belonged.
The father smiled apologetically to her, trying to pry his son away. "He's a little hyper today with his birthday and all. We just had a shake from McDonald's so he's on a sugar rush."
Y/N laughed and waved a hand. "No worries. We can make exceptions for birthday boys. Who cares about some fingerprints?"
"Is our cake ready?"
The girl nodded, bouncing her perfect ponytail. She retrieved the box from the fridge behind her, the sudden opening of the large box chilling her arms. Goosebumps arose on her skin, however she hardly noticed as she balanced a hand under the half sheet and placed it on the counter. With a soft "alright, here we are", she carefully undid the tie, opening it up to display it to the duo, and it was as if the father had seen treasure.
"Whoa. That's quite something," he laughed, placing an elbow on the counter, astonishment taking over his features. "Do you know who made the cake? Or at least decorated it?" He let his eyes roam about the small Spiderman and Batman action-figures made out of fondant. "They've got some real gifted talent."
"Ah," Y/N paused, checking the paper attached to the half sheet box with the remainder of ingredients and cake specifications. She hummed thoughtfully as she peered over the signatures. Normally, there were multiple signatures to show that the bakers in the back worked together to create the cake, however there was only one that caught her eye from the otherwise blank printed sheet. She looked at the messy scrawl, frowning to herself with confusion.
Harry Styles. She'd never heard of him before, nor had she ever seen his work. The man was clearly talented but how long had he been working here?
"Harry Styles decorated the cake," she said to the father absentmindedly. "I'm not entirely sure who that is..."
"Well, is he in the back? I'd like to thank him for this masterpiece." By now, the little boy was hopping excitedly besides his father, pleading for him to pick him up so he could see his cake.
"The bakers don't come out to the front," Y/N regretfully informed him, smiling when the boy was picked up and was able to see his cake, clinging to his father. "What do you think?"
He studied it for a few seconds before jutting his lip out and glancing back at his father with sad eyes. "Where's my sparkles?"
For a brief moment, there was a flash of panic in the father's eyes and Y/N heart filled with love. He'd wanted his son's cake to be perfect and while, in her opinion, the glitter the boy was asking for would not be alongside the theme of superheroes, she felt the need to fulfill his wish. The father looked as if he were about to give a stern talk to his boy about gratefulness but Y/N was already removing the cake from it's box.
