do they know it's christmas? [zarry] ✔️

2.

Trisha is doing another look through the living room to make sure it was child - or rather Harry-proof, who had managed to pull everything in reach down. Anne would be here soon to pick up her off-spring but with Harry you just needed to blink and he had managed to put something else into his mouth.

"Mummy!" Zain cries, toddling towards Trisha on his little feet, Harry crawling behind him at neck-breaking speed, grinning like he always was, following Zain but apparently unbothered by whatever had upset Zain.

"Mummy, Gemma, Doniya!" Zain lisps, upset, clutching at her trousers.

"What is going on, my sunshine?" Trisha asks, crouching down to catch him and trying to decipher his words as Harry uses the chair to pull himself into a wobbly stand, never to be outdone, rocking shakily on his stubbly little legs.

"They-" Zain lisps. "They took Lion!" he says, pointing. "I wanted him and and. They took him away!"

Trisha sighs. "Let's go see what they're doing with Lion, hm?" she asks, watching Harry topple over. He pushes himself, loudly complaining in his worldless babble.

"You coming as well, love?" Trisha asks, amused, watching Zain pat Harry's shoulder clumsily.

"Nanana," Harry says determinedly, though Trisha isn't too sure he agrees with her or if he's just making noise. Harry liked to hear himself talk, probably because the girls were right there showing him how it was done. And Trisha and Anne themselves as well.

"I hear you kidnapped Lion," Trisha says, knocking lightly on the door to the girls room, Zain clutching her hand.

"We need him," Gemma nods. "We're playing Lion King."

"Well, Lion is Zain's, so you need to ask him and respect his answer, loves,"

"Mine!" Zain repeats with a glare.

"We only took it because Harry keeps taking our dolls!" Doniya says. "He never listens, he just takes."

"He's a baby, you have to be more patient with him," Trisha sighs, picking Harry up when he tries to go for their wetly set up game. Probably the murder of Mufasa. "I'll take the boys downstairs with me but you gotta give Zain his lion back and apologise."

"You'll take them," Gemma asks, crossing her arms. "And they can't come back in and mess everything up?"

"Yes," Trisha says, keeping a struggling Harry in her arms.

"Don't mess up," Zain protest, but keeps clutching Trisha's trousers.

"Ok," Doniya nods, grabbing Lion and thrusting him at Zain. "Here, Zainie. Sorry for taking him. But Harry isn't supposed to mess up our games."

Zain pouts, clutching Lion to himself. Trisha sighs and leaves it be, used to their disagreements and their stubbornness.

"Come on," she says, taking Zain's hand. "You can help me make biscuits, loves."

"Babababa," Harry says loudly, stopping his attempt at getting away at the mention of biscuits.

"With sprinkles?" Zain asks with his lisp.

"Yes, come on," she says, starting their way downstairs, Zain hopping along carefully with Lion clutched to him. Harry starts singing one of his little songs, trying to chew on her hair again. She sets him down as soon as they make it to the kitchen, pushing him towards Zain who was somehow always good at keeping Harry occupied.

She watches them with one eye, rolling out the dough to let Zain and Harry try and make a mess with sprinkles. They're back to being contended with each other's company, Lion squeezed under Zain's arm as they talk to each other in incomprehensible babbling, caught up in their own little world.

"Here we go, loves," she says, settling down on the floor with them and laying the baking try in front of them. "We'll try like this," she says, taking Zain's hand when he reaches for the cutters curiously. Harry smashes his hands onto the dough.

"Almost," she says, carefully pressing the cutter into the dough with Zain's hand to show him. He sets to it with enthusiasm and she takes Harry into her lap before he can get his hands all over their food, rocking him slightly and signing him a Christmas song. He looks up at her with curious eyes, trying to imitate her in his high-pitched voice.

The biscuits would be ugly and probably inedible but for now all the children were happy and Harry would have a proper first Christmas season; with songs and pastry and a decorations he could destroy and pull down.

⭐️

short again 😬