"Harry, I don't think I can wear this." I hold up the dress that he gleefully presented me with the minute I got home. He's cradling Dave in his arms like a baby and they both turn to look at me. Dave looks supremely pissed off at my interference.

"Why not?" He frowns between me and the dress I'm holding up. Dave raises a paw to tap Harry's face but Harry moves his head away and continues to gaze at me in confusion.

"Because," I grit my teeth as I pull the huge, flouncing ball gown from its wrapping paper and hold it up to him. "For a start, it's a neon yellow-"

"Hm, it didn't look that bright in the Ebay picture." He concedes, rubbing his free hand across his chin.

"It's also a ball gown-"

"It's modelled on the one Belle wears in Beauty and the Beast." He says helpfully.

I glance down at the lurid yellow rag and suppress an eye roll.

"Right. Well there's also the matter of you wearing a matching suit-" I point to neon yellow suit, which actually looks annoyingly good on him. "Plus, you haven't even told me where we're going-"

"You said we could go on a date!" He protests. He lowers Dave gently on to the couch and walks towards me.

"Yes, but it's not usual etiquette to present someone with a full ball gown in shocking yellow and not tell them where they're going." I say gently. I stop myself for adding that I can't really trust his judgement. I really, really want this to go smoothly, but Harry's idea of normal and everybody else's idea of normal don't really go hand in hand.

I've never been more sorely tempted to use Harry's inability to lie than I am now, but I can't bring myself to abuse his privacy like that.

He's been so nervous about this date that he hasn't been eating properly. I can see that me refusing to wear the dress has disheartened him. He's trying hard to look causal and cheerful but his lower lip keeps slipping out into a pout. He thinks he's messed up.

I feel like I've just kicked Bambi.

He nods rapidly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows heavily. I can see he's starting to panic.

"I suppose..." I clear my throat. "I suppose I could try it on." I say doubtfully. He face breaks into an utterly relieved smile and as I turn to close the bathroom I see him raise his face to the ceiling and exhale heavily, before covering his lips with his fingers.

I should have arranged the date, I should have showed him how chilled it can be then let him arrange the one after that, he's put so much pressure on himself. I always forget how much stuff he has to learn.

With a sudden jolt I realise that Harry's only concept romance and relationships comes from his favourite Disney films.

I adjust the mirror and step back to see how it looks.

It's rare for my to wear a dress anyway, but this just takes the piss.

I look like a low budget childrens party entertainer. While the dress fits surprisingly well, it looks cheap and tacky. I look completely bloody awful.

Harry doesn't agree.

The moment I step out of the bathroom in my cheap disney princess dress, an odd misty look passes over his face. He stares at me until I start to feel paranoid.

"You look beautiful, Hendrix." He says quietly. His eyes run up and down my body and with an odd jolt, it hits me afresh how handsome he really is. I actually quiver with the way he's looking at me and the surprising strength of my own pull towards him. He's so insanely gorgeous and the brooding way that he's staring at me takes my breath away.

If it was anyone else I'd probably suggestively hint that we should skip dinner.

But it's not anyone else.

It's Harry, and he would definitely whine that he was hungry and wanted his dinner.

Any suggestive hints would be lost on him. As if to prove this, his face drops its intense, hungry stare at me and breaks into a very goofy grin.

"This is going to be so much fun!" He says happily.

"Hang on, where are we going?" I ask firmly.

"It's a surprise."

"Harry, look-" I sit down heavily in the cheap dress, making sure I'm well away from the candle next to my bed. I'm in absolutely no doubt that this material is highly flammable.

I'm about to launch into a long lecture on dating and stuff when I remember something.
About two weeks ago I found a leaflet on the sideboard for a disney cosplay ball. I was in full essay writing mode and was just looking for something to scribble notes on, but the memory comes back to me clearly. I remember it because I'd laughed and thought how much Harry would love it.

So that's what this is all about.

Well, I suppose my dress won't look so weird there. I meet Harry's eager face with a grin.

Now that I've sussed it, I'm a lot more relaxed. I even grab a glass of wine to do my make up to with and google Belles hairstyle.

I look nothing like her, but I suppose I can play along. Harry is delighted by this change in my willingness and I find that I'm kinda looking forward to it. It's something new and a bit different.

Harry seems oddly angsty that our taxi is running late. Personally I would think that being late for the ball is fashionable but Harry obviously doesn't agree.

When the taxi does arrive he herds me into it so quickly that the wire hoops of my massive ball gown ensnare me and I'm wedged into the backseat unable to move, with the hem of my dress somewhere near my neck.

"Alright mate?" The taxi driver glances at Harry through the mirror. His eyes shift to me, wedged in by my massive dress and his eyebrows travel upwards. "You alright there love?"

"Fine." I hold a thumb up and he shakes his head.

"Where you going anyway?"

Harry grins excitedly at me as he holds out a piece of paper to the driver.

"Right." The taxi driver scans the address that I can't quite make out, then glances back to us in the mirror as he reverses the car. "What's with the outfits?"

"We're on a date." Harry smiles, as if that's a perfect explanation for wearing matching outfits that are about 300 years out of fashion.

"Right." The taxi driver sniffs noisily and turns the radio up.

It's already dark and we drive for ages. Unfortunately, one of the metal hoops on my dress is cutting into my arse and I can't move enough to make it more comfortable.

Harry's nerves seem to increase with every mile that passes. He keeps running his finger nervously along the inside of his collar and glancing out of the window muttering random words like 'wine' and 'bloody useless vampire".

All in all, it's up there in the category of strangest date I've ever been on.

I'm just wondering how much oxygen I've got left before the dress suffocates me and I die, when the taxi stops abruptly. We are in the middle of nowhere, there's nothing outside the windows but pitch black.

The taxi driver is going to murder us.

"How much?" Harry says cheerfully.

"£11.60 mate." The driver grunts.

"Harry hands over the cash and eagerly runs round to my side of the car to open the door. It takes several tries but he's barely hoisted me free of the seat when then driver suddenly speeds off, leaving us alone in the dark.

Stranded in a random country lane in the pitch black.

Well this isn't scary af.

There's a faint flicker of light ahead and Harry pulls me towards it. I know we shouldn't go, I've seen too many horror films.

"Come on Hendrix, this is all part of-"

"Harry, I don't think-"

"Stay where you are amigo, or I'll cut your throat." A low voice says from nearby.

Both me and Harry freeze.

"Juannnnnn." A whiny voice that I know only too well echoes from the dark. "You weren't supposed to say thattt!"

"Robert?" I gulp.

A torch light suddenly beams into my eyes and I stagger backwards, grabbing on to Harry, who is also wincing. I can just make out the dull sparkle of Robert who is clutching the torch and arguing with a massive figure that I assume to be Juan.

Only Juan way to find out.

"Who's that?" I snap.

"You looked at my woman. I do not forget." Comes the low, menacing voice.

Urgh. Can this dude not give it a rest?

"You're ruining everythinggggg." Robert whines. "We're supposed to make sure that they get to place properly without them noticing us!"

I'm just wondering what the hell is going on when I glance at Harry. He looks extremely pissed off.

"I knew it was a terrible idea to have you two involved." He snaps.

"What?!" Robert gapes, open mouthed then flings the torch on the floor. "He started it-"

"No amigo. He started it, he looked at my woman-"

"Oh for gods sake." Harry grabs my hand roughly and marches us onwards, towards the flickering light, leaving Robert and Juan arguing behind us.

Whatever I expected of this date, it deffo wasn't this. I guess I was way out with the cosplay thing.

The light grows larger until suddenly we're in a small section of the field we've been picking our way across. There's a small table with several lanterns, which provided the light that guided us, and several plates of food.

It actually looks beautiful. The lanterns cast a soft light and the warm air is full of the sound of lazy grasshoppers and late evening birds. The soft smell of cut grass and sweet wildflowers drifts through the air and Harry turns away from the table, holding out a a glass of wine to me.

"Come and eat." He smiles, gesturing to the plates of food. I can see stunning heart shaped chocolate cupcakes that he must have made himself.  The glow from the lamps illuminates his lovely face and I pick up the hem of my dress as I walk over to him.

He looks like a disney prince and for the first time, I get why this dress was so important for his date.

"Your look beautiful." He says softly. In one movement, he draws an arm around my waist and pulls me to his chest.

I actually feel like I'm in some old timey movie that my grandma would watch on a Sunday afternoon.

"You always do." Harry says softly. He looks at my lips then slowly lowers his face to mine-

"Black hawk this is pink Delilah. The eagle has landed, I repeat, the eagle has landed."

Harry groans against my lips as the radio crackles from startlingly nearby and Roberts loud whisper hisses into it.

Harry glares around angrily and there's a long pause.

"The eagle looks extremely pissed off." Robert whispers.

"The eagle tried to steal my woman." Another deep voice says suddenly.

I groan and grab Harry's hand before Juan can swoop down on us.

I hadn't noticed it before, but there is a small pathway, illuminated with flickering candles in glass lanterns nearby. Presumably Harry and I were supposed to walk down it after a romantic picnic.

Instead we race down it together. We're just near the clearing when my foot catches in the wire hem and I stumble forwards. If I wasn't running it wouldn't matter but I tumble forwards, falling onto the soft grass and pulling Harry down with me.

Harry laughs and quickly leaps to his feet, holding out his hand to pull me back onto my feet.

"Tell her you'll punish her for that." Comes a low whisper from the darkness. Liam. I roll my eyes.

"If anyone tries to punish that baby girl, they'll have to deal with me." The sound of cracking knuckles comes from somewhere to our left.

"Say, our star crossed lovers should not have graced our path until 30 minutes from now!" Says Louis flustered voice. "The night is young, indeed the festivities are not ready for their enjoyment!"

"It was Juannnnn!" Roberts breathless whiny voice sounds out. It sounds as if he's been running. "I told you he was the worst one to keep watch!"

"What is going on?"

I glance at Harry. He's pinching his eyes shut tight and rubbing his hand through his hair.

"You lot promised to help me!" He says suddenly.

"It's not my fault Juan is crazy." Roberts voice mutters from somewhere in the dark.

"I told you this was a bad idea-" Zayn begins.

"Oh it's always you Zayn, always telling us it's a bad idea afterwards." Liam snaps.

"Forgive me, but I did declare that the gentleman would be best served to woo his lady alone-"

"Oh shut your face, Lord Faarquad-"

"How dare you! You nincompoop! I demand a duel-"

"I also demand a duel for the honour of my woman-"

"Did I fall asleep? Damn. Namasté my dudes. What did I miss?"

"I think we should go." Harry whispers into my ear as the voices begin arguing around us.

He pulls my hand into his large one and guides me down the lantern lit path.

We reach a tiny field that's illuminated with fairy lights and candles in mason jars. As soon as we set foot over into it the Beauty and the Beast song 'Tale as old as time' starts to play.
Harry looks downcast.

"This would have been the perfect date-" I begin.

"I'm so, so sorry." He says unhappily.

"No, I love it." I laugh, pulling him towards me, laughing. He wraps his arms around me and looks down with a frown on his face.

"But.. We were supposed to have a picnic, then stroll along the path, then-"

"It doesn't matter Harry." I grasp one of his hands in mine and place the other on my waist.

"It doesn't?" He pouts. The amount of effort he has put in is crazy and I wish I'd just worn this damn tacky dress without complaining and stressing him out.

"Of course it doesn't... What you tried to do was so romantic and beautiful." I can feel a genuine lump in my throat.

How many other men on this earth would buy you a full princess dress, then go to the trouble of finding and wearing a matching outfit, and arrange a lantern lit nighttime picnic/ball just for your first date?

It doesn't matter that it went wrong. What he tried to do was amazing.

Harry tentatively puts his arms around me and I lay my head on his chest. There's a pause before he takes my hand in his and leads me in a slow dance to the Beauty and and Beast song. My dress sweeps the grass in graceful curves.

At the end of the song, with the soft lanterns glowing on us and the balmy summer air sweeping our skin, Harry slowly lowers his head to mine. His hands slip to my waist and he pulls me gently up to him as his soft lips meet mine.

In the nearby darkness a loud radio crackles.

"This is Pink Delilah to Black Hawk. The eagle is on track to get laid. I repeat, on current course, the eagle is going to get laid."

***

AN-
Merry Christmas!

Song for the chapter at the top. Harry's choice of course 😏

What's your fave disney film?
And who is your fave disney princess?

Mine changes but I would probably say fave film Mulan and 'princess' Tiana... Mainly because she is so much like me.
I take questions like this so seriously 😂😂😂