Love Me Like You Do (z.h. mpreg)

chapter sixteen

Warning: if you're on your break at work or something, I suggest not reading this monstrosity right now because it is literally 7,100 words long. Jfc. I honest to god could not find a good place to stop. Also there's some smut later. And like, some homophobia too, but that's irrelevant.

-

"I'm so in love, every time I look at you my soul gets dizzy." - Jaesse Tyler

-

Zayn woke up early that morning to Harry's shrill cries. He dug the bottoms of his palms into his closed eyes and quietly groaned. He gazed over at his alarm clock and cursed at the time.

"Oh, fucking hell," he cursed grumpily when he saw that it was only three am. Niall, however slept deeply beside him, little snores leaving his small body. Slowly, he got out of bed and crept across the hall to his youngest son's room. He pushed open Harry's door and was met with the sight of Harry standing up in his crib, hanging on by the bars. Tears streamed down his little face as he cried, leaving pink tracks in their wake.

Zayn scooped him up in his arms and brought him close for a hug, subtly trying to check and see if his nappy was dirty.

"Oh, poor baby," Zayn cooed. Harry definitely needed changing, so Zayn laid him down on the nearby changing table and undid his pyjamas. He quickly changed the dirty nappy out for a new, clean one, wiped Harry down, then powdered him and even applied some rash cream. He did the zipper and the button on the elephant onesie back up, and cradled Harry in his arms again. Harry had since stopped crying and was now smiling, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at his father. Zayn smiled as Harry gripped his thumb in his little fist and brought it to his mouth.

"You ain't going to sleep again anytime soon, huh?" Zayn concluded after a minute as he sat himself and his son down in a nearby rocking chair. Harry babbled on and laughed as Zayn tickled his belly and sides.

"Maybe I should warm you up a bottle, eh? Would that make you sleepy?" Harry hadn't eaten in a while anyway, so Zayn figured it would be alright. Harry grabbed at his nose and giggled as Zayn blew him a raspberry.

"Alright then, bottle it is!" Zayn wrapped Harry's blanket from his crib around his son's tiny shoulders and sleepily made his way to the dark, cold kitchen, baby in his arms. Zayn quickly filled up a bottle half with some formula and half with some room temperature nursery water. He placed it in the microwave for about twenty seconds, knowing Harry wasn't picky about his bottles. Zayn quickly shook the bottle to mix the formula in evenly, then squirted some on his wrist to double check the temperature. Zayn took it and Harry back upstairs.

He sat back down in the rocking chair after grabbing a larger blanket for himself, and slowly began to rock his son to sleep while Harry drank, both of them becoming more and more sleepy by the moment. Zayn watched Harry as he drank, making sure he didn't come across an air pocket or anything. When he was finished, Zayn, feeling himself nodding off, took the bottle from Harry and placed it on the nearby dresser. He quickly burped Harry and cradled him in the blanket again. Rocking Harry wasn't hard, as that was easiest way to get him to calm down. Not long after, Harry fell asleep again, Zayn following close behind him.

-

Niall woke up to an empty bed that morning, which was slightly unusual, seeing as Zayn never got up earlier than half past nine during the weekends if he didn't have to.

'Well, whatever,' Niall thought. Needing tea, Niall decided to make some in the kitchen when he noticed Harry's door was slightly ajar. Niall gently pushed it open and 'aw'ed at what he saw. Zayn was fast asleep in the rocking chair in the corner, Harry sleeping peacefully in his arms.