My Little Bird

The first two hours of the drive were pleasant.

Asher was excited to see more of England, perched up in the passenger seat of Harry's Range Rover with her legs curled under her body, constantly watching out of her window as the vast countryside rushed by. There had been sing-alongs; she replaced his iPod with her phone and blasted One Direction's entire discography, singing along with each song and poking him in the ribs until he finally conceded and did the same, laughing the whole time. She was quite proud of herself for having learned all the lyrics in the short time since she had discovered them.

It wasn't until she saw the sign for Holmes Chapel that the nerves kicked in. When they took the exit off the M6, she straightened up in her seat, mindlessly bouncing her leg as her hands clenched against the bottom hem of her dress. She was so zoned out, staring out the window as a gas station and many little brick houses passed by, that she didn't even register that he was saying her name until he reached over the center console to take her hand.

"You okay?"

"Hmm?" She snapped out of her daze, tearing her eyes away from the gray haziness outside to look over to him, finding him repeatedly glancing between her and the road in front of them with his brows furrowed behind his sunglasses and a slight frown. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you?"

She smiled, lacing her fingers with his and using her free hand to trace over the small spots of ink just above his wrist. "I am. Just nervous, I guess."

"Nervous? Why?"

She gave him an incredulous look. "Seriously? I'm meeting your family!"

"There's no reason to be nervous about that, Ash," he assured her, giving her fingers a light squeeze. "You're gonna be fine."

"But this is your mom! She gave birth to you! And holy shit, your sister is really intimidating."

"Gem?" He barked out a laugh and shook his head. "She's about as intimidating as a kitten."

Asher rolled her eyes. "That's not even a little bit true. Besides, they're probably doubly protective of you now that you're so well known, which I totally get because you have to be really careful about who you date, but it just makes me worry even more. I mean, this isn't like meeting a normal guy's family."

"Babe, honestly there's no need to worry. They're gonna love you, I promise."

She still wasn't one hundred percent convinced that was true, but she didn't protest again, instead letting out a heavy sigh as she leaned back in her seat and focused on the feeling of his thumb gently stroking hers rather than the huge case of nerves she was experiencing currently. They passed the primary school and more houses and then they were in the heart of the little village. Harry had become quiet, taking in each of the shops as they passed by just like Asher was and they drove all the way through to the other end where there were fewer houses and less traffic. Asher surveyed each house carefully, unsure of which one they were actually going to, and only a moment later Harry slowed down the car and pulled into the driveway of a cute red brick house with a black door. There were no other cars parked there, which seemed to confuse him as he shut off the engine and slowly climbed out of the driver's seat to stretch his limbs.

Asher unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of her seat, going around to his side as he removed both their duffels from the back seat and then she followed him up to the front door. He unlocked it and stepped inside, tilting his head as he listened for any sound. "Hello?" he called out, setting their bags down at the bottom of the staircase. "Mum? Robin? Gem? Anybody?" They were met with only silence. "Well, looks like we've got some time to kill," he said, turning back to her with a grin. "Want to go grab some lunch? I can show you around."

"Sounds perfect."

-

The pretty young waitress at the small restaurant in the heart of the town had gone to school with Harry. She practically attacked him in a hug as soon as they walked through the glass door into the mostly empty place, chattering on about how long it had been and how it was such a surprise that he had come home for the weekend. He introduced her to Asher, who was immediately subjected to an attack hug of her own, before the girl left them alone to take a seat while she went to retrieve drinks for them.

Even after they'd ordered what they wanted to eat, she was still lingering nearby. It seemed like she really wanted to talk to them, but she didn't want to interrupt their conversation or intrude on their lunch date so she held back, cleaning off tables in the immediate vicinity. Harry was pointing out all the little shops on the other side of the street, telling her what each one was and who owned them and there was a crazy story to go with each. Asher just sat silently listening with a small smile on her lips as she alternated looking at his animated facial expressions and what he was showing her outside the huge glass window they were seated next to. She loved his voice so much that she felt like she could listen to him talk forever.

He only stopped when his plate was set in front of him and his eyes widened as a huge grin spread across his face. "I've missed this," he said, picking up his fork and immediately shoveling a huge bite of egg into his mouth, groaning in satisfaction. "Tom makes the best breakfast in the country."

Asher shook her head and watched him in amusement for a few moments as he reveled in the glory of his traditional English breakfast before she finally started eating her french toast smothered in syrup. She didn't notice his face light up or the evil smirk that graced his features for only a brief moment but when he said her name, she looked up to find him holding up a dark lump of something on the edge of his fork. "Here, try this," he said simply, reaching out to hand it to her.

She eyed the lump warily before looking back at him, unsure. "What is it?"

"It's called black pudding. Try it."

"I don't think I want to."

He chuckled. "Oh, come on! How do you know you won't like it until you try it?"

She wasn't too keen on trying new adventurous foods but he was looking at her expectantly with a reassuring smile and, really, how bad could it be? Finally, she sighed and took the small lump off of his fork before popping it into her mouth. It was like nothing she had ever eaten before, with a grainy yet squishy texture and a taste that was a strange mix of metallic and spicy. In summary, it was disgusting. Once she had finally swallowed it and drank almost her entire water, she set the empty glass down and gave him a glare. "What the actual fuck was that? It was horrible."

"I know," he agreed, laughing. "That's because it's mainly oatmeal and pig blood."

"What?!" she shrieked, shuddering in disgust. "I can't believe you just did that to me! I thought you loved me! That was so mean!"

"I'm sorry, babe. I couldn't resist."

"I am so gonna get you back," she decided, taking a bite of her french toast to get the horrid taste out of her mouth. "I'm gonna find some disgusting American food and trick you into eating it and you are so gonna regret making me eat fucking pig blood."

"You forget I've been to America once or twice. Probably been exposed to way more American food than you have," he grinned cheekily.

"Well.....No, that's true," she sighed, pouting. "I've never even been to any of the other 49 states."

"Seriously?"

"There was that one time I kind of went to Georgia, but just barely. Like it probably doesn't even count. I snuck out of the house and jumped in the car with Caleb and Dane and we drove all the way up to the state line. It was like two in the morning when we got there and we ate at this random truck stop just inside the Georgia line then went right back home. I was in bed for probably ten minutes before my mom woke up to get ready for work. I could've been in so much trouble." She smiled at the memory, but Harry couldn't help but notice that it faded a little when she reached up to grasp the little gold moon hanging from the chain around her neck.

The loud chime of Harry's phone snapped him out of it and he quickly pulled it from his pocket, sliding his finger across the screen to read the message. After a moment, he looked up at her with a smile. "They've come home and found our bags so I guess we're not a surprise anymore."

"We can go now if you're finished eating. You can show me around later."

"Are you finished?" Asher glanced down at her half eaten meal, her appetite no longer present, and nodded. Harry got up from the table to go pay the bill and when he returned, he held out a hand, helping her stand to her feet. Both the waitress and the cook shouted their goodbyes as they left the restaurant and Asher looped her arm through his, moving closer into his side as they began the short walk back to the house.

-

As soon as they walked inside, Harry's name was called by two distinctly different voices and his whole face lit up when he saw the woman who appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. He crossed the room in three strides to throw his arms around her and she let out a shriek of surprise when he picked her up off the floor and spun her around. "Put me down, you!" she commanded, smacking his shoulder, and once he did so, she wrapped him in another tight hug. "I missed you."

"Missed you too, Mum," he chuckled. "Ash, c'mere!"

Asher shuffled forward in the direction he had gone and when she reached them, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders, keeping his other arm around his mother. "Ash, this is my mum, Anne. Mum, this is my girlfriend, Asher."

She smiled at the woman, sticking out her hand to her but was surprised when she was quickly enveloped in a hug instead. "So lovely to finally meet you. Harry's told me such good things. Come on into the kitchen! Gem and I were just having a snack." Anne ushered them both into the room behind her where Harry's sister was sitting at the bar in front of a huge slice of chocolate cake; she grinned and waved as she took a bite off her plate. Harry moved through the room to the opposite side where she was, pulling Asher with him and he immediately swiped his finger across the top of his sister's cake to collect a clump of chocolate icing before sticking it into his mouth with a satisfied grin.

Gemma smacked his arm and slid her plate farther away from him while he just laughed and their mother watched from the other side of the counter, shaking her head with a smile of her own. "You're vile," Gemma grumbled and Harry leaned in to press a sloppy kiss to her cheek, further proving her statement.

"Missed you too, Gem," he replied. "By the way, this is Asher, my girlfriend."

"I'm not dense, Harry. I've seen plenty of articles. Mostly I'm just offended that you've taken this long to bring her home and introduce us."

Harry rolled his eyes, pulling out the bar stool next to the one his sister was sitting in and nudging Asher toward it. As soon as she slid up onto it, he moved to stand in between them, draping his arm over her shoulders and leaning against her. She shot him a look, giving him a swift poke in the ribs in hopes that he would take the hint and get off of her because she thought it was probably a bit disrespectful for them to be so touchy when she'd only just met his mother and sister. Harry furrowed his brows questioningly but stood up straight, keeping his arm in place and gently brushing his fingers over her bare shoulder as Anne began updating him on what had happened in his hometown since the last time he'd been back.

"Would either of you like a slice?" she asked, interrupting her own story as she took two extra plates out of the cupboard.

"Me!" Harry responded enthusiastically.

"Asher?"

"Oh, no thank you. We just had lunch so I'm still full."

Gemma snorted. "So did we. That means nothing in this house, especially when it comes to chocolate cake."

"That's alright, she can share with me," Harry offered, eagerly taking the plate and fork his mother handed him. He ate almost all of the supersize slice before he stopped to offer her a bite. She shook her head when he stuck the fork right in front of her face but he refused to take no for an answer. "Come oooon!"

"I'm fine, really."

Harry sighed, looking to his mother with a sly smile. "My fault, I guess. I made her try black pudding at lunch so it'll take some time before she trusts me with food again."

"Why the hell would you do that? You know it's disgusting!" Gemma scolded, swatting his arm before looking over at Asher. "You should've dumped him right then."

She laughed and he immediately seized the opportunity to shove the bite of cake into her mouth and thus causing her to almost choke. She covered her mouth with her hand as she coughed while trying to chew and swallow all at the same time and Harry rubbed her back soothingly but he was laughing so he wasn't any help at all. Anne poured some milk into a glass and handed it over to her and she croaked out her thanks before taking a few sips. "You suck," she muttered to him when she had finally returned to normal.

Gemma shook her head incredulously. "Seriously you are such a child. How did you ever get her to agree to date you in the first place?"

"Lots of tricks," he replied, grinning and he reached over to take the glass from Asher's hand but she quickly dodged him, moving it out of his reach and shaking her head. "Aw, come on," he whined.

"Nope. you don't deserve milk."

"Pleeeease?"

"Mm, sorry no."

"C'mon, I'm your boyfriend! You're supposed to share with me!"

"I don't think so, mister," she laughed.

He huffed, giving up and looking back to his mother. "Mum?"

"Sorry, son," Anne grinned, shaking her head.

"Gem?" He turned to his sister in a last ditch effort but she quickly shot him down.

"Hell no."

"I'll be glad when Robin gets home," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. "I'm too outnumbered."

-

Harry's bed was a bit too small for two people, but he had refused to let Asher sleep on the couch because that meant she'd be all the way downstairs. As a result, they were both going to have to squeeze onto the tiny mattress covered in the light blue superhero sheets of his childhood. He knew his mother had done it on purpose for a laugh but he was still embarrassed that she'd chosen those particular ones instead of the plain navy blue ones that she'd put on the last time he was home. For a brief moment, he thought about trying to change them while Asher was down the hall brushing her teeth but just as the idea popped into his head, the bedroom door opened and she slipped back into the room, shutting it softly behind her.

He could just barely see her silhouette in the darkness until she flipped on the small lamp at his old desk right next to the bed where her bag was sitting. He groaned at the sudden brightness, throwing his arm up over his face and she apologized as she quickly dug her 'pajamas' out of her duffel: the same gray tee shirt that she'd stolen from him way back at the beginning when they had first become friends. He was no longer complaining about the light in the room when he moved his arm and saw her in the process of lifting her dress over her head. Rolling onto his side and propping his head up on his hand, he watched her in silence as she quickly replaced the dress with his tee shirt. She only seemed to notice that he was watching her after she'd folded the dress up and stuffed it into the bottom of her bag, turning toward him.

"Get over here," he said, patting the space next to him and she smiled as she climbed into the very narrow space left for her on his tiny twin sized bed. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and snuggled up to his warm body as he draped his free arm over her stomach, his head still propped on his other hand so that he was looking down at her. "You forgot to turn off the light."

"You insisted that I get over here," she reminded, turning her head to look at him.

His brows furrowed as he reached up to gently grab her chin and he turned her head to the right before turning it back to the left to face him again. "Are you wearing two different earrings?" The tiny stars in her earlobes were identical, only one was silver and one was gold. She liked to mix and match sometimes, especially when her necklace was gold and her ring was silver. There had to be a balance.

"Maybe."

"On purpose?"

"Maaaaybe."

He shook his head and chuckled. "You're a mad girl."

"So you keep saying." She sat up just long enough to reach over and turn off the lamp on the desk then burrowed back down under the blankets. They were only enveloped in darkness for a matter of seconds before his lips were on hers with impressive accuracy, considering neither of them could see a thing in the pitch black room. She wrapped one hand around the back of his neck, playing with the soft curls there and she felt his hand slide down her hip before snaking under her shirt. His warm fingertips sent a shiver through her body as they danced their way up her ribcage to her chest and she quietly hummed her approval into his mouth.

He broke the kiss to move down to her neck, littering her skin with kisses before stopping to concentrate on the particular spot just above her collar bone that drove her crazy. She bit her lip, tangling her fingers in his soft hair as she reveled in the feeling of what would probably result in some pretty dark purple spots by morning. She felt his hand slide back down over her stomach and dip into the waistband of her underwear but before she could say anything, his fingers very lightly pressed against her and she let out a surprised gasp, cutting off all rational thoughts. She did let herself enjoy it for a few moments before she spoke up.

"Wait," she said breathlessly, pushing her hand against his bare chest but not with any kind of force because she was too fully enjoying what he was doing.

"What?"

"We can't."

His hand stilled but he didn't remove it as he backed up a few inches to look down at her, even though it was pitch black and neither of them could see the other. "Why not?"

"We're in the same house with your mom!"

"So? She's asleep."

"Your sister is in the next room. And her bed is literally on the other side of that wall." Asher had noticed when she was in Gemma's old bedroom talking to her that her room was set up in much the same way Harry's was, with the bed against the wall, the desk right beside it, and the dresser in the far corner next to the closet.

"She's asleep too."

"You don't know for sure."

"Well, I can be quiet."

"What exactly are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything, I'm flat out saying it. You're quite vocal."

"Oh, excuse me," she scoffed, and she was thankful it was so dark in the room because she could feel her cheeks flaming bright red with embarrassment. "I'm not that loud."

"I'm not complaining," he chuckled, brushing his nose against her cheek. "Lets me know I'm doing a good job."

"God, would you shut up?"

"Are you blushing? I bet anything you're blushing."

"You're only helping my argument, you know. If I'm so loud, then that's yet another reason we're not having sex tonight. You're just going to have to wait til we get back to London."

"But-"

"Listen to her for Christ's sake!" a voice exclaimed from the other room. "I'm trying to get some sleep in here and there's literally nothing but a very thin wall separating us so I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop harassing her for sex."

Asher's eyes went wide and she punched him in the arm as hard as she could but he just burst out laughing and shouted back an apology to his sister. "I'm gonna kill you," Asher grumbled, rolling over onto her right side so that her back was facing him.

"I love you too," he cooed, slipping his arm over her waist and hugging her tight.