four's a crowd [harry styles]

harry: ❝oh, my valentine!❞

When Harry walked into the kitchen, he was shocked to see an array of breakfast foods laid out on the table. The most surprising part was that the food actually looked edible, which is usually not the case if he isn't the one cooking. He looked up to see Aiglentine, Angel, Alix, and Nadia standing in front of the kitchen island with bright smiles etched across their faces, along with bits of flour and grease. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, dad!" they all shouted, though their voices overlapped since they struggled to say it at the same time. 

Harry took a seat at the counter and placed his hand on his heart as Aiglentine grabbed the plates and began to pass them out, "Is this for me?" 

"Yeah, well, we wanted to show that we appreciate you," Aiglentine replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "We also knew you wouldn't have a Valentine, so..."

"Alright, don't ruin this for me," Harry said with furrowed brows, then started piling breakfast onto his plate. "Did you all cook this together?"

Angel jumped into the seat beside Harry, and the man noted that Angel was wearing his 'Kiss the Cook' apron. "I cooked the bacon!"

Harry could tell because the bacon was slightly burnt, but he was grateful regardless of the fact. He doesn't think that his kids would ever get up this early to do something this kind again, so he wanted to savor the moment as much as he could. 

They never typically celebrated Valentine's Day. It was his ex-wife's least favorite holiday. She thought it was overdramatized and unnecessary; the sight of other couples being so touchy in public because of a holiday brought her significant discomfort. She appreciated the gifts that Harry gave her. However, she would never give one back. At the time, it was fine. Harry didn't believe that love was transactional, but love was about sharing what you could, and she never did. 

"Dad's gonna be the best-dressed guy at the dance tonight, guaranteed!" Nadia exclaimed as she ate her breakfast, which knocked Harry out of his trance. "And I hear that Miss Cooper is going to be there."

"She's so cool. I liked having her over for dinner at grandma's," Alix said, then stuffed his mouth with scrambled eggs so that his following words were muffled. "Did you guys kiss when you walked her home?"

Harry nearly choked on his bacon, "What? No! That is not appropriate to ask at the table. Especially not in front of your little brother." Angel suddenly got up from his chair and walked out of the kitchen, probably in the direction of his room. "Angel is not comfortable with the thought of me dating yet. You guys know how he feels. Try not to talk about it in front of him. Or at all."

Aiglentine scoffed, "What? So you're supposed to just never be interested in someone again because Angel will throw a hissy fit?"

Harry sighed, "No, that isn't what I'm saying--"

"You can't keep coddling him or pretending that your feelings aren't a real thing. Otherwise, Angel is going to keep acting like this with anyone you bring by--"

Suddenly, Harry snapped, his tone raised and his expression pinched, "This is not any of your concern, Aiglentine. Watch your tone when you're speaking to me. I am the father, and you are the child."

There was silence at the table before Aiglentine got up from his seat as well, then grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, "Sorry. Alix, I'll be in the car. Come out when you're ready to go."

When Aiglentine left the kitchen, Harry sighed deeply and sank into his chair. "I'm sorry, guys. This is not how Valentine's Day is supposed to start. It's supposed to be filled with love and laughter--not about conversations surrounding my love life or lack thereof."