Twenty-Four

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It's 3 am when Harry wakes up to his phone ringing incessantly. He grumbles to himself and turns over, snatching the annoying piece of glass from his bedside table and checking the caller ID.

If it had been anyone besides Louis, he would have let it go to voicemail.

"Louis?" Harry answers gruffly with his deepest morning voice. Or middle of the night voice.

"Harry," Louis whimpers.

The sound of his boyfriend's sniffle makes Harry immediately sit up on his bed and turn his lamp on. "Are you alright, love?" he asks worriedly.

"Something's wrong," Louis sniveled.

"What's happening, Lou?" Harry asks, getting out of bed to frantically put clothes on so he can rush his way over to Louis's flat.

"It keeps feeling like I'm having a muscle spasm, but like, in my stomach. It keeps happening," Louis blubbers. "I don't think that's supposed to happen."

Harry sighs, but in the fondest way. "Does it kind of feel like butterflies flying around the inside of your tummy? Or a grasshopper hopping across it?" he asks, sitting back down on his bed and rubbing his eyes.

Louis sniffles. "Kind of. Oh-it just happened again!" he cries.

"Louis, that's the baby kicking," Harry laughs. "Nothing's wrong."

"What?" Louis asks, and Harry can imagine Louis's face right now. His deep, sea-blue eyes are now teal and watery and his eyebrows are tilted slightly upwards in the most innocent and confused way. His red lips have most likely formed into an involuntary pout, and his nose is probably blotchy. Harry really can't get enough of Louis.

"You're about 20 weeks now, right?" Harry asks with a doting smile planted on his face.

"Yeah," Louis sniffs.

"At around 16 to 25 weeks during your first pregnancy, you'll start to feel the baby kick, and it feels like a muscle spasm or butterflies. He's just telling you that he loves you." Harry begins taking his shoes off. "Press down where you felt him kick."

Harry assumes Louis does as told because he hears a little gasp come from him. "Harry, I pressed where he kicked, and he kicked my hand," Louis cries.

"He loves you," Harry smiles. He hears Louis sniffle again, and assumes that they're happy tears this time. "Louis, you really need to read the book I gave you," he laughs.

"Should, shouldn't I?" Louis replies quietly. Harry can tell that Louis's attention is no longer mostly on Harry, but on the life growing inside of him.

"Alright, Lou, I'm going to go back to sleep," Harry says with a yawn.

"Okay, H," Louis says, and Harry can hear his smile.

"You should too, you have work tomorrow."

"Alright, Haz. See you tomorrow?" Louis asks. "Maybe he'll kick for you," he laughs.

"Maybe. Goodnight, Lou."

///

The baby did not kick for Harry.

The baby not only refused to kick when Harry was around, but always seemed to kick the second Harry left the room.

It's like he has a personal vendetta against him or something, and it's honestly kind of bumming Harry out more than it should.

At the moment, Harry is kind of moping around while he helps Louis make dinner for the two of them.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Louis asks, placing the chicken breasts in the oven.

"I'm alright," Harry lies, giving Louis a fake smile.

"Did I do something wrong?" Louis presses, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist.

Harry presses a kiss to his boyfriend's forehead and pulls him deeper into his side.

"Course not, Lou." Harry sighs. "If I'm honest, I just don't understand why he won't kick for me," he pouts. "Maybe he doesn't like me."

Louis coos at Harry's insecurity. "H, he hasn't even left the womb," he laughs. "He doesn't even necessarily like me yet."

"Of course he likes you, Lou, you're his father."

Louis gives Harry a soft smile and presses a tender kiss to his cheek.

"He'll kick for you eventually. I'm only 21 weeks along. 19 more to go." Louis smiles fondly for a minute before his face changes into one of complete terror. "19 weeks?" he exclaims. "I really need to start working on the nursery. Like, right now. Oh my god."

"We'll go shopping for it this weekend, alright?" Harry says, pecking Louis on the lips.

"Yeah, alright," he smiles. "Thanks, Haz."

Harry looks down at his boyfriend's thankful face and strokes his cheek with his thumb. "I lo-" Harry starts without thinking and stops himself almost immediately. His eyes widen at himself as he sees Louis's eyebrows raise in slight shock and/or confusion. He coughs awkwardly, taking his hand from Louis's face and looking anywhere but his boyfriend's eyes. "I, um," he coughs. "I'm going to check on the potatoes."

"Good, um, I'm just going to," Louis says just as awkwardly, pointing his thumb to the outside of the kitchen and slowly backing his way out. "Yeah." He walks away.

"Jesus," Harry mumbles to himself, putting his elbows on the island and his face in his hands. He knows he's not ready to say those three words to Louis, and he has absolutely no idea why his mouth tried to.

Maybe he is ready.

He runs his hands through his hair and down his face to shake off those thoughts. He's not ready. And neither is Louis.


A/N: This is rly short, but it's cute so idc

I only had so much time to write yesterday (I got a tattoo!) and this is what happened, so yeah!

Y'all... the next chapter is kind of a doozy, and I know for a fact that if you're into this fic at all, then you've been waiting for the next chapter for literally ever, bc someone finds out that the baby is Harry's. I wrote the fic, and I'm not even ready.

Q: how do you think they're going to react to the news???

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