Not so subtle

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I return to the apartment with four less girls than I left with and a great deal calmer. Getting several young girl into a car with several small, easy-to-lose toys for show and tell isn't an easy feat. I round the corner to find Tessie snuggled up with her uncles on the couch. Darcy is nowhere in sight, I assume she's sleeping since she was being a little fussy when I left. 

"Look who is back!" Louis notices my approach first. "Sleepyhead is finally returned so we can start our movie."

"How dare you call me that in front of my d-" I catch myself at the last second and pause awkwardly. Er, in front of my girl, don't do that now." I limply swat at Louis's arm. "Anyway, I thought you would have already started your movie? That's what Tessie told me you were planning on doing." I sit down next to them and Tessie swings her legs over into my lap, while the rest of her body lays on Louis and Harry's laps.

"That is what we planned at first, but Miss Theresa was concerned you were upset to be missing on the movie so she made us wait!" He frowns down at her playfully. "Of course we catered to her every whim, in the end."

"Thank you darling, you're the sweetest and I'm glad you did wait on me. I would have survived if you'd been halfway through your movie, but I'm very thankful you waited." I pat her feet as she preens with pleasure. "Why are you two over this morning at all though?"

"WHAT?!" Louis flings himself away from me and asks in a very ridiculous, high-pitched voice, "You don't want us at your house is that it?"

"NO, no," I groan at his theatrics. I don't miss the way Tessie is watching his performance with a gleam in her eyes and groan inwardly. No doubt she's going to learn a lot from Uncle Louis each time he visits us. "I knew you would be over soon, today I assumed. I just didn't realize that you would be over at eight in the morning!"

"Oh right, well it is a bit earlier than my normal...waking up...time?" He squints as he finishes his sentence, unsure. "What's the opposite of bedtime? Rising time? Bloody confusing, I say," he mumbles.

I shoot him a pointed glare at Tessie. "Don't be naughty." I remind him. 

He nods and waves vagually. "Whatever it's called. It was earlier than I normally greet the day, ooh," he nods to Harry "I like that one."

"Or you could just say it was earlier than you're usually up." Harry adds, helpfully. Louis looks stricken.

"Why didn't I think of that?" He asks himself as Tessie giggles, wiggling around so she can see all of us. Or at least most of us, she's lying with most of Harry behind her.

"Anyway," I prompt Louis "why were you over here so early? And with Darcy too?!"

"First, I think a thank you would be nice, don't you Harold?" Louis pulls one of Harry's large hands up to his shoulder and places it there, patting it lovingly. "We not only made breakfast and dressed them, but made those girls brush their teeth." 

"Something, I'm very grateful for," I assure them. "I would have woken up and helped you, it's just no one came to get me and I suppose you were all too quiet to wake me?"

"We did make them keep quiet." Harry smiles at Louis, who shushes him. Harry ignores him and keeps speaking. "You also told both Cailyn and Tessie that this was a special surprise for 'mummy' because she had worked hard on the party last night." I smirk at Louis who is turning a bit red.

"Whatever," He grumbles, crossing his arms and shrugging Harry's hand off of him. "I knew you would find out eventually. I just didn't think my own husband would rat me out. I expected it from you though," he says, poking Tessie's stomach. "You were very eager to wake mummy up, after all." 

"Can I please just know why you're here?" I beg, it was making me crazy not knowing the whole drive to and from Cailyn's kindergarten. "Please?"

"Well, if you must know," Louis smirks as he begins. "I just came over to discuss the things going on last night. The things that were said on this very couch. You might have thought they were whispered and subtle things, but I needed to come over this morning because I certainly didn't find them subtle." I feel my mouth dropping open slightly and a flush heating my cheeks. "Harry noticed it too. I bet your mother will be around this afternoon for a little talk as well, won't she?"

"Oh no," I moan, putting my face in my hands.


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