If You Stay » Zarry Kid Fic ✔

Part 17

"Why not?" a husky voice interjected.

Zayn turned to Harry who was bringing his cup to his mouth for a quick sip. "What?"

"Why not? Isn't that what you wanted? To be called something else?"

Zayn gritted his teeth and chuckled. "Yeah, three months ago. It's too late now. Plus, I wasn't talking about another name for 'Pa'. I was talking about a nickname or something."

"Except it's very fitting when you look at all the things you've done for him. Daddy... Yeah, you even look like you're a daddy."

"It doesn't matter, Harry. I might look like one, but I'm still not one."

"I call you daddy?" Liam tried to get Zayn's attention, but he wasn't answering.

"No, what you actually are is what doesn't matter. There's families all over the world that consist of none biological children who call the ones who take care of them 'mommy' and 'daddy' or whatever. How's this any different?"

Zayn shook his head, trying to ignore the fact that Harry basically just called them a family for the first time. "I don't know. But I am not Liam's parent. And I'm not trying to insert myself as one either."

Harry tilted his head sideways. "Why are you fighting this, babe? Just let it be." He shrugged. "If I'm not bothered as his actual father, then why should you be bothered?"

"I'm not bothered. I'm simply just stating a fact."

"Pa?" Liam called this time and he was pouting because Pa was denying something his real Pa wasn't denying and he didn't know who to believe.

"I'm sorry, but I'm..." Zayn started to say, but Liam pushed his plate onto the floor, splattering ketchup and nugget pieces all over the place. And what was worse, he started to wail out of frustration and confusion.

"Liam..." Zayn whispered in complete shock but he couldn't bring himself to get angry when he saw his face.

Instead, he clenched his jaw and stood up. He lifted the crying boy out of his chair and into his arms, trying to console him as best he could. "Well, I think you'll have fun cleaning this up by yourself. And even if you don't, you'll still be cleaning it alone because after all, this is your fault. I hope you are very happy with yourself."

Harry knit his eyebrows, at Zayn's choice of words and couldn't believe Zayn was blaming him for this. And though it was hard to, he pretended not to see Zayn scowling at him before he turned away and disappeared down the hallway.

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"What the hell is your problem, Harry?" Zayn asked as soon as he closed the door to the bedroom. He saw that Harry was already stripped down to his boxers and pulling the covers back on both sides of the bed. He wasn't even wearing an undershirt.

"I don't have a problem."

"Oh, I'm sorry then. It's totally normal to make your two year old son cry. There's no problem there..." Zayn angrily tugged his top shirt off.

"Well, I hate to break it to you but I'm not the one who should be sorry because I'm not the one who made Liam cry."

"What are you implying?"

"That it's your fault." He said bluntly.

"No. It was yours. You and your silly you-even-look-like-a-daddy statement started it."

Harry's eyes narrowed and he walked over to Zayn, who was now aggressively taking off his pants. "Wait a minute. Are you sure this is just about making Liam upset and confused, or is this more about what I said?"