One (h.s.)

a beautiful 2024

"Did you pack Athina's lunch for her?"

"Yes, woman! A peanut butter sandwich with cut up pieces of apple," Harry yelled back through the house while tickling Athina's sides, making her giggle beneath him and squirm on the sofa.

"Jackson? Jackson?! We're leaving in ten!" Harry heard her scream from upstairs. He rolled his eyes, stopping his movements on Athina and kissing her nose sloppily.

"Daddy!" she whined, "Off, off, off!" she giggled pushing him away and rolling off the sofa, running up the stairs to pick up her bag and put her shoes on.

He looked as her four-year-old daughter managed to climb up the staircase on her own and sighed, standing up to follow the anxious vibes coming from upstairs, from Charlotte.

He saw her tying Jackson's shoes up and helping him put his clothes, as it was obvious he had just woken up.

"Did you forget to turn the alarm on yesterday, Mister?" Harry asked, leaning on the doorframe of the bedroom door, watching Charlotte tug on his clothes. He might also be admiring her bum in the tight pencil skirt while he was at it.

Jackson rubbed his eyes with his small fists. For a seven year old, he was still tiny. Yawning loudly he replied, "I hit it and it stopped and it didn't wake me up after."

He laughed loudly, earning a small eye roll from Charlotte, before approaching them both on the side of the bed and placing his hands on his wife's shoulders. "I'll take it from here, love," he said softly, kissing the top of her head.

She stood up, straightened her skirt and patted Harry's cheek twice, "I love you, but if one hair is out of place on me right now because of that kiss, you're fixing it."

Harry shooed her away, "Walk by Athina's room and make sure she's putting her shoes on correctly, please!" He turned towards his son and kneeled in front, buttoning up his shirt and ruffling his hair so that it looked more 'normal' than 'just-out-of-bed'.

"Daddy, do I have to go to school today?" Jackson said with closed eyes, as if he were still sleeping.

"Yes, little boy. School is very important, why don't you want to go? It's fun at your age."

"I'm so tired, daddy," he whined leaning his head on Harry's shoulder. He seemed to suddenly wake up right as Harry picked him up and off the bed to take him downstairs. "What do you mean fun at my age? Is it not fun at yours?"

Harry laughed, "No, kiddo. Mum and dad don't go to school at our age. We go to work, and that is worse than school." He picked up Jackson's backpack from the children's desk and walked downstairs carefully, knowing his clumsy feet could take them both tumbling down the stairs. It has previously happened. (But it wasn't with the kid. Or actually tumbling down. Just a little trip. That might have gotten Harry into ER.)

Charlotte was already downstairs, zipping up Athina's coat for her as the small child began pulling on the two tendrils of hair that hung around Charlotte's face.

"Athina, try to control those hands, dear. Don't ruin Mummy's hair," Harry said, noticing Charlotte's look of discomfort while she poked her tongue out, trying to zip up her coat. That damn coat, always getting stuck at the bottom.

He slipped into his shoes swiftly, with Jackson still in his hands, sleeping away already, and grabbed the car keys. "Remember to put Athina's lunch in her bag, yeah? I'll be waiting in the car."

"Alright, I love you!" she shouted while rushing into the kitchen to get her lunch bag.

Harry was texting Niall, his assistant, to delay his morning meeting by a few minutes, when he heard giggling. He looked out of the car window to see Athina running across the front garden laughing with only one shoe on, as Charlotte tried to keep up with her in heels and a tight skirt and a bag and a backpack and a lunch bag and a shoe.