night changes [zarry]

x

"Hey," Zain smiles at Harry. He reaches out, shaking Sophie's foot gently. "Hello Sophie."

"Gah," Sophie makes, drooling over her fist.

"Hey," Harry smiles, trying to ignore the way Munira and Sarah are whispering to each other not very discreetly. "How was work?"

"Same as usual," Zain shrugs. "Good. My mum is taking Laila this weekend," he adds almost abruptly. "Do you ever—" Zain bites his lip, scratching his cheek. "Like. Do you have a babysitter?"

"Why?" Harry asks before he gets it suddenly, blushing abruptly. "I — I could ask my mum?" He clears his throat, stomach fluttering.

"If you wanted?" Zain asks, stuffing his hands on his pockets and hunching his shoulders up slightly.

"I— yea," Harry stutters back, glad when Sophie chooses that moment to smash her open mouth against Harry's cheek.

"Hi, my love," he says on reflex, stroking her hair.

"Ma," she says, blinking back at him.

"Sophie," he coos back.

"Mamama," she answers and then is abruptly distracted by a car going by, her fingers grabbing his lip. He loves that about his babies, the way they don't seem to remember that they're no longer a part of Harry's body and still make their demands, grabbing noses and ears and lips and smashing their faces against him with abandon.

Zain's staring at him when Harry looks back, a frown on his face. He smiles at Harry when their eyes meet and Harry's stomach flutters.

"Saturday, then?" Zain asks, looking towards the school where the doors are being pushed open.

"Yes," Harry nods, licking his lips. "Saturday."

Zain nods, running a hand through his hair. It's so soft-looking, Harry hopes that he will get to touch it on Saturday. "We'll text, yea?" Zain asks, as the first children spill out of the gates.

"Yea," Harry nods, clearing his throat awkwardly. "How is Laila's snail doing?" he changes the topic to something more comfortable.

Zain snorts, grinning, looking so much more relaxed. "Whatever snails are doing," he shrugs. "At least it's still alive. Can't imagine that drama."

"Yea," Harry sighs, remembering last year's worms and how that had gone down. He really should stop letting them collect random animals to keep.

He doesn't have to think of another topic to choose because the kids are upon them, Emma pulling on his jacket and Jamie pressing two drawing into his hands, both of them chatting a mile a minute.

He shoots a smile at Zain, who's daughter has grabbed his hand and was talking at a much more normal volume. Zain smiles back, quick and bright and Harry looks back at his children, his stomach squirming and his heart beating too quickly.

💚

"You're going on a date?" Mum asks, looking way too delighted. "A real date? With a man? Oh what am I saying," she adds right away, beaming. "The fact that you're going out without the kids, what a miracle. Baby, I'm so happy!"

"Mum!" Harry frowns, leaning the phone against the window sill to start making the sandwiches for the kids. "I do go out!"

"Really?" Mum asks, the image going shaky for a moment as she moves. "When was the last time you went out without at least on of your kids attached to you?"

"I—," Harry says and frowns. "The divorce hearing," he says, which is not the triumph he'd hoped for.

"Doesn't count," his mum says, shaking her head. "You were nine months pregnant then. Robin! We're babysitting this weekend! Harry has a date! A real date!"