Reason To Be (A Zouis Family AU)

Interlude Four, Extra Three

"Want my Daddy and Papa," he says softly.

"Want me to find 'em? Maybe they can help you down," she offers.

Harry likes that idea so he gives a firm nod, but then pouts. "Grown ups aren't allowed to climb up here. They're only allowed in the ball pit," he says softly, reciting the rules that the lady behind the front desk had told them when they'd handed over their shoes. No shoes and no grown ups, and no eating or drinking.

Hannah wrinkles up her nose. "Who cares? I'll go find 'em. I'll shout Harry's Daddy and Papa real loud and then they can climb all the way up here and save you," she tells him with a stern nod of her head, arms crossed over her chest, before she scrambles up and runs over to the slide, diving down it with no hesitation or fear, leaving Harry all alone again. He shudders and buries his face into his arms again, squeezing his eyes shut and sniffling softly.

It feels like forever that he's by himself. He basically convinces himself there and then that nobody is every coming to save him and he's just going to have to live here now, all the way up practically in space, without his family or food or water or his shoes -

"Haz, sweetie?" He hears a slightly strained but familiar voice nearby and his head shoots up, panic dispersing entirely when he sees Papa's head poking up through the space that he'd climbed up from. The man's face is all red and he's slightly out of breath, but the sight still relieves him.

Papa climbs up fully, ducking low so he doesn't hit his head on the top and making his way across to him with a small smile.

"Papa," he cries, throwing his arms around the man's neck as soon as he's close enough, feeling as if he can't move from his current spot without risking somehow falling off the edge through the netting.

"Oh, Curly," the man breathes, scooping him up with ease and wrapping his strong arms around him, holding him tightly and securely. He feels gentle fingers card through his hair and lets out a small sob. "You're okay, silly. We can just go down the slide -"

"No, Papa!" He says quickly, shaking his head against the man's neck. "It's too high up," he whines, and his Papa sighs as he pulls away, reaching up with gentle hands to wipe the tears off of his cheeks.

"How'd you get all the way up here if you're so scared of heights, hm?" He asks with a small smile, and Harry pouts, sniffling and crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

"You're makin' fun of me," he says, sniffling slightly, feeling more annoyed than scared for a moment.

Papa shakes his head and puts on his best serious face. "No sir," he says, sitting back on his heels. "It was a genuine question."

Harry doesn't even know what genuine means, so he chooses to change the subject again back to the real matter at hand here. "I'm gonna be up here forever, Papa," he whispers, looking up at the man with wide eyes.

"No, sweetie, I promise you you're not," he says with a softer smile. "How about you hold onto me and keep your eyes squeezed shut, and I'll get us both down? You won't even know what's going on," he tells him, and Harry contemplates this for a moment before he gulps and gives a small nod.

"Okay, Papa. Don't - don't let me fall though," he whispers.

Papa smiles and takes his small hands, giving them a firm squeeze. "Never," he promises.