shopping 🛍

                                    

                                          
it was only a bit after one and, considering how excited harry was, he decided that they still had plenty of time to make a trip to the store.
"alright, harry," louis said, "how about we have some lunch, and then we'll go get you those dollies you want?"
harry's eyes only widened with excitement at the mention of the dollies. "go now, lou!" he exclaimed, bouncing up and down a little.
louis loved seeing harry so excited, however, he was also becoming increasingly aware that harry didn't seem to like eating much, which was a concern. "i know you're excited, bug," louis said gently, "but we need to have some lunch first, okay?"
harry pouted, clearly torn between his eagerness to get the dollies and his reluctance to eat. He looked at Louis with big, pleading eyes.
"lunch won't take long, louis began, "and then you can choose any dolly you want. how about that?"
harry hesitated for a moment longer before nodding reluctantly. "okay, lou, lunch first," he mumbled.
louis smiled warmly and scooped Harry up into his arms. "thats my good boy," he praised, planting a soft kiss on harry's cheek before heading to the kitchen to prepare a simple lunch of grilled cheese.
once the food was ready louis placed both of their plates on the table along with a glass of water for himself and a sippy cup for harry. they both sat down to eat and louis was relieved to see that harry seemed relatively unbothered by eating, making him think that maybe he had been jumping to conclusions a little too hastily.
after they finished their meal, louis collected the dishes and headed to the kitchen to put them in the dishwasher. he then returned to the dining area and lifted harry from his chair. the younger lad had managed to dribble water down louis hoodie but this wasn't really an issue as the boy needed more clothes than just a hoodie and nappy if they were going to leave the house.
louis carried harry to the nursery and placed him on the changing table, his touch gentle and reassuring. he changed harry into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, both from his own closet as he hadn't brought much in the way of clothes for the nursery, accepting a few sleepers, for the simple reason that he didn't know what harry would like. in fact, as louis dressed harry, he couldn't help but notice that the nursery wasn't particularly well-equipped. there was the crib in one corner, the changing table they were currently using, and a modest collection of toys scattered about. it had the essentials, but it was clear that there was room for improvement and he wanted the best for his perfect boy.
with harry changed into a fresh set of clothes and Louis already dressed, they descended the stairs and reached the front door. louis knelt down to put on harry's shoes before slipping on his own. they then left the house and made their way to the car. louis opened the passenger seat door for harry, lifting him up and carefully buckling him in before closing the door securely. then, louis settled into the driver's seat. 
before starting the car, louis turned to harry and gently warned, "now, harry, please don't play with any of the buttons in front of you. they control the car, and we want to be safe." 
"won't touch them lou," the boy responded earnestly, placing his hands in his lap.
with harry's promise, louis pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. 
the drive was short, and as they made their way, louis decided to talk about which stores they were going to and what they would be getting to ease any anxiety harry might have about venturing out in his headspace for the first time.
"alright, here's the plan, first, we'll go to the toy store, where you can pick out all the dollies you want." louis knew how much harry was looking forward to this so decided it should be the first thing that they did.
"then, we'll head to target because they have lots of clothes and you don't have any at the moment," louis continued, "and lastly, we'll stop by the grocery store to get some yummy food and anything else we might need," louis concluded, hoping to give harry a clear picture of their outing.
just as he finished talking they turned into the toys "r" us parking lot, and harry practically bubbled over with enthusiasm. "toys, toys, toys".
louis parked the car and switched off the ignition before stepping out and going to the passenger side. "that's right, harry," he said, helping the little one out of his seat. "but remember, you have to hold my hand in all the stores, okay?"
harry nodded eagerly, already reaching out for louis's hand, "I promise," he replied seriously.
with that they walked into the store, easily locating  the aisle with the dolls. the sight of all the colorful dolls brought a sparkle of joy to harry's eyes as he eagerly began to explore the options.
his eyes lit up when he spotted a baby born doll in a blue outfit on the bottom shelf. he knelt down to pick it up and turned to louis with enthusiasm. "look, lou, it's a boy, just like me!"
louis smiled warmly and agreed, "you're absolutely right, harry, it is."
then, harry looked down at the doll and asked, "why can't boys wear pink?"
louis crouched down to where harry was sat, "well you know what sweetheart? boys can wear pink too" he said.
as harry considered the idea of boys wearing pink, louis pointed to a baby born doll in a pink outfit and continued, "this dolly can be a boy if he wants to be."
harry's eyes sparkled with excitement at this newfound possibility. he carefully placed the blue doll he initially chose on the floor and reached for the pink one on the shelf. "I want this one," he declared with enthusiasm.
louis was delighted by harry's choice but wanted to make sure he had everything he wanted. "do you want anything else, they have lots of things here we can get for you to play with."
harry shook his head, perfectly content with his chosen toy. they then made their way to the checkout and completed their purchase.
 afterward, louis took harry into the target to get some clothes. inside the store, louis selected plain sweatpants, shirts, and hoodies because while he knew they could find stuff harry preferred more later, louis understood that, for now, harry simply needed some basic clothes of his own.
as they walked towards the checkout, harry's eyes unintentionally landed on a shelf of pacifiers. he stole a quick, almost shy glance at them before swiftly looking away, attempting to feign disinterest. however, louis, ever observant, leaned down, his voice soft and playful asked, "baby, do you want one?"
harry's cheeks tinged with a faint blush as he was caught off guard. he hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded with a bashful smile, "maybe?"
louis chuckled softly, "alright, pick one out" he encouraged, guiding harry to the shelf. by now louis was becoming glaringly aware that harry had a preference for feminine things so he was surprised when he chose a blue pacifier with chase from paw patrol on, deciding that was the one he wanted. 
with his boy's selection in hand, they made their way to the checkout. just as they were walking out of the store louis noticed that harry had grown unusually quiet. concerned, he leaned down and asked, "are you okay bub?"
harry shook his head, "went potty."