Harry: 21
Camryn: 20
Darcy: 3
Lennon: 1 1/2
Auggie: 7 months
Louis: 23
Zayn: 22
Liam: 21
Niall: 21
❤️thank you so much to Izzy078 for this request! Your endless support means the world❤️
tw: brief mention of Eating Disorders, Postpartum Depression, and Depression. Please don't read if any of those things could be harmful to you ❤️
March 1st 2015
"PEEING! PEEING!"Harry yells as he chases after Lennonn who ran out of the bedroom midway through Harry getting him dressed to go swimming. He was looking for where Camryn had set Lennon's swim diaper when Lennon decided to take off on his own, running through the halls and now peeing.
"CAM WE'VE GOT A PEE-ER!"Harry calls as he dodges a wall to try and catch up to Lennon who had a pretty good head start on him. He skillfully jumps over the trail of pee that Lennon is quickly leaving behind him as he giggles loudly and runs through the hall.
"LENNON LOUIS GET BACK HERE MATE!"Harry commands as he reaches his arms out to grab his little boy around the stomach, holding him in front of him to refrain from getting any pee on him as Lennon continues to giggle loudly, making him pee even more.
"We've got a what?"Camryn asks, completely confused as she walks into the living room with Auggie attached to her boob. She just finished making Darcy a waffle, who is now sitting at the table eating it while she colors mindlessly.
"A pee-er,"Harry sighs, motioning his head towards Lennon who's smiling cheekily with his thumb in his mouth, his eyes glistening at Camryn as her eyes widen at the sight of naked Lennon and the trial of pee behind him.
"Bub, really?"Camryn laughs, shaking her head and walking over to Lennon, putting her hand on his bare belly to tickle him a bit which makes him pee again, landing right on her black shorts.
"OH!"Camryn squeals, jumping back from Lennon as Harry laughs loudly, his jaw dropped in shock.
"Oh you so deserved that,"Harry chuckles, smirking at Camryn as she inspects her shorts, peering her eyes over Auggie who's cradled to her boob. "That was payback for not coming to help me sooner."
"I'm so sorry that I was feeding our children,"Camryn teases back, rolling her eyes at Harry as she pats a palm against his chest. "And as much as I'd love to clean up that trail of pee, I've got one kid attached to my boob, and Lennon's looking at me like he's about to attack my other one, so I think this is a daddy job."
Harry sighs and rolls his eyes jokingly, continuing to hold Lennon out in front of his body. "Where'd you put the swim diapers? That's what got us in this mess in the first place."
"Baby, I put it on your nightstand,"Camryn laughs, shaking her head and pinching Harry's cheek. "Shows how much you listen to me."
"I'm too busy looking at your butt to listen to you,"Harry smirks as he watches Camryn walk away to check on Darcy, her bum definitely a lot rounder after 3 children, not that he's complaining at all. The shorts she's wearing also leave practically nothing up to the imagination.
"How's the waffle treating ya, girlfriend?"Camryn asks, walking up behind Darcy who's shoveling waffle into her mouth and rubbing her little girl's hair back with her palm to keep the syrup out of it with her hand that's not holding Auggie.
"Okay,"Darcy sniffles, her voice still congested from the cold all of the Styles were battling last week.
Because of Darcy's severe RSV bout when she was two months old, Darcy is way more susceptible to catching colds that go around, or even in more serious cases pneumonia. It also means that her colds linger a bit longer than the rest of the Styles do. For example, all of the One Direction boys and the Styles caught the same cold, but everyone was over it 4 days ago. Darcy, however, is still clinging onto her congestion, but seems to be doing a bit better.
"Does your chest still feel yucky?"Camryn coos, sitting down next to Darcy and rubbing her hand up and down Darcy's stuffy chest.
"Yeah,"Darcy coughs, a lot of mucus stuck in her throat as she peers over at Camryn.
"Are you sure you still want to go to Uncle Liam's house?"Camryn asks, inspecting Darcy with cautious and motherly eyes. "You and me can just have a little girls day at home. Daddy can take Auggie and Lennie."
"No!"Darcy quickly exclaims, shaking her head adamantly. "I want to go! I want to swim!"
"Okay,"Camryn agrees warily, cradling the side of Darcy's head and dragging it towards her lips to press a kiss to Darcy's temple. "I love you. When you're done eating your breakfast I'll get you into your swimsuit, okay?"
"Okay,"Darcy agrees, grinning over at Camryn as Camryn tucks a tuff of Darcy's brown hair behind her ear.
*
"Bub you're a mess,"Harry groans, sitting on the edge of the bath as Lennon splashes around in the filling bathwater, giggling proudly as he splashes a bit of water onto his face.
"Dada! Tubbie,"Lennon squeals, slapping his hands against the bath water again and giggling with a toothy smile up at Harry.
"You are taking a tubby,"Harry laughs, shaking his head at Lennon and reaching out to ruffle his hands through Lennon's curls. "Because you're a naughty boy and went pee pee everywhere, huh?"
"F*ck!"Lennon exclaims, holding up a yellow rubber duck in his hand and smiling proudly at Harry who bites down on his smirking lips to keep back his chuckle.
"Duck,"Harry exaggerates, pursing his lips to try and get Lennon to understand. "D-D-D-Duck. Can you say that? D-D-Duck?"
"F*ck!"Lennon exclaims again, just as proud as he smirks cheekily at his dad.
"You're been spending too much time with Uncle Louis,"Harry teases, reaching out to rub back Lennon's damp curls from his forehead.
Lennon has been—mispronouncing—the word "duck" for a few months ago and it's one of Harry and Camryn's favorite thing about him. They both think it's utterly hilarious and Louis—because of the child he is—loves to make Lennon say the word as much as possible.
"'Kay, are we ready to get dressed, huh?"Harry asks, standing up from the edge of the bathtub and grabbing for Lennon's little monkey towel into his hands and holding it out from Lennon. "Are you ready to go swimming?!"
Harry picks Lennon up, swaddling him in the monkey towel and tucking the hood over his matted down wet hair.
"Oh, there's my monkey,"Harry coos, nuzzling his nose with Lennon's. "Monkey, did you eat my Lennie? Where's my Lennie?!"
Lennon giggles loudly as he points to his chest. "Wennie, Wennie."
"Noooo, I don't see Lennie,"Harry teases, pinching his brows together as he begins to dramatically look over Lennon's shoulders. "Where's Lennie? I only see a monkey."
"WENNIE!"Lennon exclaims again, moving his head to try and catch Harry's eyes.
"Nooo, I still don't see you..."he reaches to pull down Lennon's hood and gasps dramatically. "Oh! There's my Lennie! Where were you?! I missed you!"
Lennie giggles loudly as he nuzzles his face into Harry's neck, resting his cheek on Harry's shoulder.
"Alright, now that my Lennie is back we can go and get him dressed,"Harry murmurs, walking out of the master bathroom and into the connected bedroom. "Should I throw Lennon on the bed? Is he a sack of potatoes?"
Lennon squeals loudly and wraps his arms around Harry's neck, knowing exactly what's about to happen. Every night after Darcy and Lennon's combined bath time, Harry bundles them both up in towels and calls them "sacks of potatoes" as he throws them onto his and Camryn's bed as they laugh loudly. Sometimes he even gets Camryn in on it and grabs her from behind, throwing her right next to the kids on the bed.
"Oh he is a sack of potatoes!"Harry exclaims as he throws Lennon onto the bed, the 1 1/2 year old shrieking with joy the whole time he's in the air and as he hits the bed.
"Oh my goodness, was Lennie a sack of potatoes,"Camryn giggles as she walks into the bedroom with a now done eating Auggie on one hip and Darcy on the other hip.
"He was!"Harry chuckles, rubbing his hand against Lennon's tummy to make his body shake a bit as Lennon reaches up to try and stop him, his belly jiggling with giggles. "He was a big sack of potatoes, mummy!"
"Oh my goodness, that's so silly,"Camryn smiles, setting Darcy down on the bed next to Lennon as she sniffles and rubs snotty nose with the back of her hand.
"How's my girl, huh?"Harry asks, kneeling down in front of Darcy and placing his hands on both of her little hips as she blearily looks at him. "Is your body still feeling yucky?"
"Yeah,"Darcy murmurs, rubbing at her tired eyes as Camryn kneels down next to Harry with Auggie still on her hip and Darcy's swimsuit in her other hand.
"Should we get you dressed, munches?"Camryn asks, handing Auggie over to Harry as Harry sits him on the bed and reaches for Lennon's swim shorts.
"Oh mummy look at our big boy!"Harry coos, smiling widely at Auggie who's proudly sitting up on the bed, his smile showing through his pacifier that he's sucking on ferociously as his little eyes scrunch up. "Look at him sitting up! Good job, Auggie Bear!"
"Oh yay! Auggie's so big!"Camryn coos, smiling widely at Auggie and clapping her hands together gently. "You're even better at that than you were yesterday, bub!"
Darcy gives a loud congested cough as she looks at Camryn who frowns and reaches towards her to hug her tightly to her chest. "I don't like the sound of that, little miss. Are you sure you're feeling up to going to Uncle Liam's?"
"Yeah,"Darcy nods against Camryn's shoulder.
Camryn nods and grabs Darcy, pulling her off of the bed and setting her on her lap as she sits on the floor, gently undressing her as Darcy tries to cuddle with her mumma the best she can.
"Foot through here,"Camryn whispers, resting her chin on top of Darcy's hand as she helps Darcy sleep on her swim bottoms. "Other foot. Good job, babe."
"Oh look at those snazzy swim shorts, Len,"Camryn smirks, wiggling her eyebrows at Lennon who's laid against the sheets of the bed as Harry pulls on his swim shorts over his swim diaper.
"They are pretty cool, huh?"Harry agrees, widening his eyes at Lennon and smiling widely. "What's on there, bud? What is that?" He taps one of the animals on Lennon's thigh and raises his eye
"Disanours!"Lennon bubbles, throwing his arms up wide with a big smile.
"That's right!"Harry encourages, laughing breathily at Lennon's little mispronunciation. "Disanours!"
"You got them while I change?"Harry asks, raising his eyebrows at Camryn as he pulls out his hair from the messy bun that it was pulled into.
"Yeah, I got them,"Camryn nods, tying Darcy's bathing suit top around her neck and leaning down to press a kiss to Darcy's head. "You look so pretty, Squishy."
Camryn stands up and puts Darcy on the bed next to her brothers, grabbing the television remote immediately after. "Should we water some cartoons while mumma changes into her swimsuit?"
Camryn turns on a cartoon for the kids before walking into the closet to grab her swimsuit and begin changing into it.
"Hey fishies,"Harry greets, walking out of the bathroom in his back swimsuit with his hair tied back into a tiny manbun as he makes a crunchy fingered wave at the kids who smile widely at him. "Where's mumma?"
"In here!"Camryn calls, walking out of the closet in her swimsuit.
"Oh hello,"Harry smirks, shamelessly eyeing Camryn up and down as he makes grabby hands towards her.
"Hi,"Camryn blushes, baling up her clothes to hide her stomach a bit as she patters over to Harry.
"Gimme those clothes and let me see you,"Harry smiles widely, stealing the clothes out of Camryn's hands before she can fight back and throwing them to the side. He grabs both of her hands and looks her up and down. "Look at you!"
"Stop it,"Camryn blushes brightly, slapping her palm against Harry's chest and wrapping her arms around his middle to cuddle up against him. She turns her cheek to peck his chest right between the two birds on his collarbones. "I love you."
"I love you more,"Harry smiles.
"Stop eye f*cking me in front of the kids,"Camryn whispers, her lips pressing against Harry's ear as she reaches behind him to squeeze his bum and make him breathily chuckle.
"Woah Styles, calm down there,"he murmurs, tipping his lips down to her lips and pressing a long and loving kiss to them.
"As much as I love kissing you,"Camryn whispers, patting Harry's chest with her palm. "We should probably get going. You know how impatient Ni gets."
"Mummy we're matching!"Darcy realizes, looking down at her swimsuit and then looking up at Camryn's with a huge smile.
"We are!"Camryn giggles, doing a little spin in front of Darcy to get her to giggle. "What do you think? We both look good, huh?"
"Look at my beautiful girls,"Harry grins, wrapping his arms around Camryn's waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Alright chickies, who's coming in dada's arms and who's going with mama?"Harry asks, both of them turning towards the kids and holding their arms out towards the three kids.
"Mama,"Lennon immediately replies, crawling to the edge of the bed and reaching out for Camryn.
"How did I know that was going to happen?"Harry sarcastically jokes, chuckling a bit as Camryn goes to pick up Lennon into her arms.
"What about you, DD?"Harry asks, Camryn holding out her one hand towards Darcy and Harry holding out both of his towards her.
"Mama,"Darcy rasps, her voice coated with phlegm as she reaches towards Camryn.
"Wow, 0 for two,"Harry shakes his head, fake hurt as he reaches towards Auggie. "Sorry, mate. You're stuck with me since you can't talk yet."
***
"MY BABIES!"Niall exclaims as all five of the Styles walk in, holding his arms out wide in his swim shorts as Lennon and Darcy giggle.
"Uncle Niall!"Darcy squeals from Camryn's hip, bouncing up and down and reaching towards her uncle.
"Hi my cute girl,"Niall coos, grabbing Darcy off of Camryn's hip and hugging her tightly to his chest, pressing kisses to her cheeks as she giggles and tries to push his face away.
"Hey, she's mine, gimme,"Liam immediately buts in, grabbing Darcy out of Niall's arms and squeezing her tight.
"Hi little love,"he murmurs, dropping his lips to the tip of her nose as she grins and wraps her arms are Liam's neck. "How are you? I've missed you. I love you."
"I love you too,"Darcy cheekily smiles, resting her head down on Liam's shoulder, snuggling in close to him.
"You still sound stuffy, lovey,"Liam frowns, rubbing his hand up and down Darcy's back as he sways his hips, pressing gentle kisses to Darcy's red and rosy cheeks.
Their weekly date night, which was 3 days ago, was on a night where Darcy was feeling extra tired and sick, so her and Liam stayed at his house for their couple of hours together, snuggling on his couch under a comfy blanket as they watched movies.
"She's still a bit sick, huh?"Camryn coos with a frown, running her fingers through Darcy's hair line and pressing a kiss to her head. "But we're getting a bit better."
"Hey Z!"Camryn greets, walking over to Zayn who's sitting on the couch with Lennon on her hip. "How're you?"
"Hey Cami,"Zayn greets with just about the fakest smile she's ever seen as she sits down right next to him.
"Hey, look at me,"Camryn whispers, putting her hand gently on Zayn's thigh as she leans her head around to try and catch his eye. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good,"Zayn assures her, looking up at her with a small grin. "I promise. Just had a rough day yesterday and didn't get much sleep."
"Okay..."Camryn agrees, not really believing him at all, but she doesn't want to embarrass him and keep pressing on the topic. "You can talk to me, ya know, right?"
"I know,"Zayn smiles, reaching his hand to squeeze Camryn's knee. "Thanks Cami. I love you. Is my buddy here?"
Camryn nods with a big smile and motions her head towards Harry. "He's with Harry. Go on and get him."
Zayn smiles widely and pops up off of the couch, rushing towards Auggie who's in Harry's arms. "There's my bubaboo."
"Oh who's that Augs?"Harry coos with a big smile, handing a smiling Auggie over to Zayn who immediately presses kisses to Auggie's cheeks.
"Hey mate,"Zayn coos, squeezing Auggie tightly and throwing him up in the air to make him laugh. "You're so cute, bub. I love you."
"Who's ready to swim?"Louis asks, immediately rushing towards Lennon and Camryn who are sitting on the couch and reaching down towards Lennon, picking him up in his arms and throwing him up in the air as he giggles wildly.
"Say, me me me!"Camryn giggles, leaning her head back on the couch and tickling Lennon's foot as he sits on Louis' hip.
***
"Kick, kick, kick,"Camryn encourages, holding her arms out towards Darcy as Harry lets go of her, following closely behind her with his hands in the water, prepared to help pick her up at any moment. "C'mon, DD. You got it!"
"Go to mummy babe! Use your arms!"Harry calls, his hands hovering over her hips as she continues to try and paddle in the water.
Harry notices that Darcy begins to struggle and immediately picks her up into his arms as she coughs and clutches her arms around Harry's neck for safety. "It's alright, you're alright. Daddy's got you, daddy was right there, babe. I've got you."
"I-I got tired,"Darcy cries, nuzzling her face into Harry's neck as he frowns and rests his cheek on top of her wet brown hair.
"That's okay,"Harry smiles at her innocent little statement, rubbing back the damp hair that fell out of her pigtails back and kissing her head. "You've been doing such good swimming. We don't have to do anymore if you're too tired. We can put your floats back on if you want."
"Auggie, can you splash,"Niall calls, standing across from Zayn who has a smiley Auggie on his hip. He begins to slap his palm against the water to try and get Auggie to copy him.
"Here mate, splash like me,"Zayn smiles, hitting his hand against the top of the water. "Can you do that?" He takes Auggie's little wrist in his hand and slaps it against the surface of the water.
"Ahhh! Auggie you splashed me,"Zayn exclaims dramatically to make Auggie giggle the cutest little baby giggle as he brightly smiles up at Zayn.
"Are you ready to catch him?"Louis calls as he holds Lennon under his arm pits above the water, looking over at Liam who's a few feet away in the pool.
"Be careful with my baby!"Camryn calls, watching as Louis raises and lowers Lennon a few times in the air to gain momentum before throwing him in the air to Liam as Lennon squeals happily in the air.
"Woah mate!"Liam chuckles, holding Lennon tightly to his chest as he rubs back Lennon's damp curls with his palm. "You went so high! Look at you!"
***
"Harry! STOP IT! STOP IT!"Camryn squeals, trying to kick her legs and squirm out of Harry's grasp as he hold onto her, his arms wrapped around her waist.
"What? Sorry, I couldn't hear you,"Harry teases, hovering Camryn over the edge of the pool as she shrieks even louder and slaps her palms against Harry's hands.
"Baby! I just dried off! I need to feed Auggie! HARRY!"Camryn yells, trying to break free of his grip as Harry laughs loudly and tightens his grip around her.
"THROW HER IN!"Niall chants, all of the boys sitting in the bubbling hot tub with the kids except Zayn who has Auggie sitting on a chair, feeding him little bits of watermelon.
"NO! SCREW YOU IRISH!"Camryn shrieks as Harry jumps in, bringing Camryn along with him, both of their bodies breaking into the water with a big splash.
Harry's head breaks the water first as he swims a few feet over to where Camryn landed, her head appearing first.
"You little b*stard,"Camryn breathes heavily, saying the sentence quiet enough that the kids can't hear as she swims over to Harry and wraps her legs around his waist, her arms going around his neck.
"Mmm a hot one though, right?"Harry asks, raising his eyebrows at Camryn as she giggles and uses her palm to wipe back his brown hair from his damp forehead.
"Mmm, sometimes,"Camryn teases as she presses a kiss to Harry's lips and grins into it. "Depends on the day."
"You're so mean to me,"Harry chuckles swiping the pad of his finger under Camryn's eye to wipe off some of the mascara that collected there.
"Are you tired, princess?"Liam coos, pressing his lips to Darcy's forehead as her cheek nuzzles in closer against Liam's shoulder, burying her little head into his neck as they sit in the bubbling hot tub. "Is this cold wiping you out, huh?"
He runs his palm up and down her back, pressing delicate kisses to her forehead as he watches her blue eyes begin to blink slower, her palm coming to rest against Liam's neck.
"Oh gross mate,"Louis scrunches up his face as he watches Lennon try to drink some of the hot tub water, immediately pulling him higher in his lap so that he can't reach anymore. "That's yucky. Pool water is yucky."
"Hey mummy, I think we've got a tired girl over here,"Liam calls as Darcy continues to fall asleep against his shoulder.
"Oh yeah?"Camryn frowns sympathetically, knowing how tired Darcy has been for the past couple of days because of her cold.
"Will you swim me over to her?"Camryn asks, looking down at Harry with a gentle grin as he chuckles.
"Sure,"he responds as he holds onto Camryn with one arm to keep her around his waist as he uses the other to wade through the water over to the edge of the pool where the Jacuzzi and pool meet.
Camryn quickly climbs into the jacuzzi, wading over to Liam who has a lightly sleeping Darcy attached to his front.
"Oh hi, baby,"Camryn coos, reaching for Darcy and picking her up off of Liam's chest. "It's okay, it's okay, it's just mumma. You're alright, I've got you,"she quickly assures Darcy as she squirms at the feeling of being taken away from Liam.
"C'mere,"Camryn whispers as Darcy desperately tries to keep her eyes closed, a pout forming against her lips. "You're okay." She rubs her hand up and down Darcy's rhythmically falling back and presses her cheek against her hair. "Mumma's got Darcy, it's okay."
"I'm gonna take her out and go lay with her inside,"Camryn informs Harry and the rest of the boys as she begins to climb out of the water with Darcy in her arms.
"Wait, careful, don't fall,"Harry quickly cautions as he reaches to hold onto Camryn's hips and slowly help her out of the water.
"You're so sweet,"Camryn whispers down at Darcy as she studies her little sleeping face. Her big blue eyes are shut, her eyelashes fluttering to the bottom of her eyes as her little lips slightly open and push slow and even breaths through them, her palm resting against Camryn's neck to be comforted by her skin. "This cold has been nasty to you, huh?"
Camryn quickly grabs a two towels, placing one over Darcy's back to keep her warm before walking over to Zayn and Auggie who are still enjoying their watermelon under the shaded table.
"Hey,"Camryn greets quietly. "Are you good with him? I can take him inside with me?"
"No, he's okay,"Zayn promises with a small smile. "He's my buddy, I don't mind."
"Okay,"Camryn nods with a gentle smile, her eyes studying Zayn. Something's wrong. Something's very wrong. She knows these 5 boys like the back of her hand, and she's the one they always go to when they have a problem or need to talk to someone. She's like their own little personal therapist. "You're sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I promise,"Zayn responds with a smile, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Auggie's white blonde hair. "Don't worry about me."
"I always worry about you guys,"Camryn grins, swaying her hips soothingly as she rubs her hand up and down Darcy's back. "It's my job. You know you can talk to me."
"I know,"Zayn nods, smiling down at Auggie as Auggie smiles back. His little chubby palm reaches for one of the tiny pieces of watermelon that Zayn tore apart for him and set on a paper plate, grasping it and then bringing it upwards towards Zayn. "Oh are you trying to give me some?" Zayn chuckles and opens his mouth, taking the little piece of watermelon out of Auggie's hand and humming dramatically. "Oh yummy! Thank you, buddy!"
"Oh you're so nice Auggie Bear,"Camryn giggles, smiling widely over at Auggie. "Okay, I'm gonna get D inside and dry her off."
"Wait, lemme help you with your towel,"Zayn offers, reaching towards the towel in Camryn's hand that she was still trying to figure out how she was going to tie one handedly.
"Oh, thanks Z,"Camryn grins, handing the towel over to Zayn as he reaches around Auggie who's still placed on his lap and ties the towel around Camryn's waist.
"You're the best!"Camryn calls as she walks away with the towel around her waist. "I love you!"
"Do you love me?!"Louis teases, yelling from the hot tub which is across the yard with a smirk on his face as Lennon continues to bounce, standing on Louis' thighs.
"NOPE!"Camryn calls back with a smirk, turning around to walk into the house.
Camryn sits down on the couch, laying back and cuddling Darcy to her chest as she closes her eyes and rests her head back against the arm of the couch. Her and Harry have gotten pretty spoiled in the past few months of not having a newborn baby, which means they've actually been able to sleep unlike the past 3 years since Darcy was born. But, because of Darcy's cold, she's been waking up a lot more frequently than normal and it's been taking a toll on both Cam and Harry, so a nap is much needed at the moment.
"You're so stuffy,"Camryn frowns as she tucks her chin to her chest to look at Darcy who's face is smushed against Camryn's shoulder, her chin tilted upwards slightly. "I don't like when my baby girl is sick." She drags her finger against Darcy's cheek, tracing the tip of her finger over Darcy's little features as she takes advantage of the quiet one on one time they're currently getting. That doesn't happen much anymore because of the two other little boys.
She hears the screen door open and assumes its Harry coming up in to check on them and check on Darcy, but she soon realizes she's wrong when she hears a little bubbling baby's voice.
"Hey guys,"Camryn greets, looking at Zayn and Auggie upside-down with her head laying on the arm rest of the couch.
Zayn remains quiet as he sits down on the couch by Camryn's feet, setting Auggie down on his lap. She watches with a careful gaze as Zayn looks down at the top of Auggie's head who is currently snuggling into him with his cheek against Zayn's chest, his little mouth bobbing in and out with his pacifier as it creeps closer and closer to his nap time.
And then, he breaks.
"Oh Z, babe, c'mere,"Camryn quickly whispers, beginning to sit up from the couch as Zayn shakes his head.
"No, stay down, don't wake D, it's okay,"he quickly responds, holding his hand out to stop Camryn as he uses his other hand to wipe at his eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
"Z, you have nothing to be sorry for,"Camryn assures him, continuing to look at him with the most caring eyes. "Talk to me, babe. It's okay."
"I just—"Zayn sobs, rubbing his hand up and down Auggie's back to try and assure him that he's okay. "I don't think I can do it anymore, Cami..."
"Do what, lovey?"Camryn asks, feeling her heart sink to her stomach at the words.
"The band...all of this,"he motions in the air with his hands at nothing in particular. "This—this isn't what I want anymore, I dunno..."
"Z,"Camryn whispers, disregarding his guidance to stay laying down with Darcy and sitting up, carefully laying her down on the couch so that she can wrap her arms around Zayn and hug him tightly. "Talk to me, what's going on."
"I'm really struggling, Cam,"Zayn whispers shakily, trying to focus on the feeling of Camryn's arms around his body to comfort him. "I've never...I've never felt like this."
Camryn watches him silently, nodding her head and waiting for him to expand on the issue because she doesn't want to interrupt him or rush him.
"I just...I...you know I've been struggling with eating,"Zayn whispers, looking up at Camryn with the most broken eyes. "And I know you went through something similar and...I just don't know what to do, Cam."
"I did go through that,"Camryn nods, rubbing her fingers against Zayn's shoulder. This isn't news to her. Zayn and her have both shared some of the same struggles in the past year, especially after Auggie was born and how much of a struggle and mental toll that was on Camryn. They really bonded during that time and were the person that each other could count on to understand what they were going through. Sure, Camryn had Harry and Zayn had all of the boys that they could talk to, and they often did, but it just feels different and better sometimes to talk to someone who truly understands your struggles and how hard they are. "You've been doing so much better lately, lovey."
"No I haven't,"Zayn shakes his head pitifully. "You've been doing so good, but I've fallen off again, Cam. I don't know what to do..."
"Hey, it's not a straight line, Z,"Camryn encourages, pressing her lips into his hair to give him a quick comforting kiss. "It's not. I have days where the eating disorder mentality kicks my butt. I have days where Harry has to sit with me and eat just so I can eat something. It's not perfect, Z. It's really not."
"My depressions gotten worse too,"Zayn quietly admits. "The tours just making it worse. I can never...I can never escape."
"Harry said he's been working with you through it, has it not been helping?"Camryn asks.
"No, it's been helping a bit,"Zayn promises, although it's been helping a lot less than he'd like to admit. "And I have my actual therapist and everything. And Harry's been helping me since he helped you with your postpartum depression it's just...everything's a lot."
"I know, this is really stressful, Z,"Camryn agrees. This tour has been taking a toll on her as well and she knows it's been taking a toll on the kids and Harry. They haven't been able to join him as much this tour which means more time away from them which has reduced Harry to tears almost every night when he FaceTimes them to read them a bedtime story. She can't even count the number of breakdowns she's had to calm between Harry and the kids; all about the same thing: missing each other. "It seems like every tour gets more and more stressful, huh?"
"It's not fun anymore, Cam,"Zayn sobs, resting his head on Camryn's shoulder as she hugs him from the side. "It's not like how it used to be...in the early days when it was just us and D...when we were kids...I loved it back then, but I...I don't love it anymore."
"I know,"Camryn whispers thickly, hugging Zayn tighter as she feels his tears begin to reach her shirt. "I don't love it either. I know exactly how you feel."
"It's too much,"Zayn sniffles, patting Auggie's back with his hand. "We're always gone and...and I feel like it's only affecting me which makes me sound like a wimp."
"Hey, nuhuh,"Camryn shakes her head, resting her cheek against Zayn's head. "It's not just you that it takes a toll on, I promise. I can't even tell you the amount of times Harry has called me sobbing during tour because he's so worn out or misses me and the kids. It destroys all of you, not just you. You're not alone, Z."
"I just don't think I can do it anymore, Cam,"Zayn whispers, looking up at Camryn with sad eyes that are rimmed with redness and tears.
"Are you going to leave the band?"Camryn asks, not really wanting to know the answer. Her brain knows the answer, he's been leaning towards this for a while, but now it's serious. It's destroying him. Her heart can't accept it.
"I don't know,"Zayn answers honestly. "I don't know what I'm gonna do Cami, I don't know."
"Okay, that's okay,"Camryn promises as Zayn begins to cry even harder, completely breaking down at the end of the sentence. "Gimme him, love." She reaches for Auggie and takes him out of Zayn's lap, sitting him down on the floor so that she can give Zayn a real hug without Auggie in the middle.
"I've got you,"Camryn whispers as she hugs Zayn tightly, his face burrowing into her shoulder as his entire body trembles with sobs. "I love you. It's all going to be okay."
"I'm sorry..."
"You have nothing to be sorry about,"Camryn promises, pressing a kiss to Zayn's temple. "We'll figure this out, okay? You know we'll support you with whatever choice you make."
***
"Mummy, someone's hungry,"Harry chuckles, bouncing Auggie on his lap as his little hands reach towards Camryn who's sitting right next to Harry.
"Oh are you hungry, mister?"Camryn asks, sucking a bit of ketchup off of her thumb as she reaches towards Auggie. "You're just jealous that everyone else is eating, huh?"
She places Auggie on her lap, trickling her fingers through his blonde hair before pulling off her coverup t-shirt that she was wearing over her swimsuit and throwing it to the side and reaching to lift her boob out of her swimsuit.
"Eh, those are mine, eyes away,"Harry rolls his eyes and flicking his hand towards Niall, watching as Niall's eyes wander a bit and land on Camryn's bare breast.
"Show's he's been single for too long,"Louis jokes through a mouthful of burger as he reaches over to feed Lennon a bite who is sitting on Liam's lap.
"There we are,"Camryn hums as Auggie latches on, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead before straightening back up and reaching towards a chip on her plate.
"Have you gotten any in your mouth, DD?"Niall jokes, looking down at Darcy who's sat in between him and Harry as she smiles up at him, her lips and all around her mouth covered in ketchup. "C'mere." He uses one of his napkins to wipe at Darcy's mouth as he scrunches his nose down at her to make her giggle slightly.
"Mama milk,"Lennon babbles, turning his head away from the burger that Louis is trying to feed him and reaching his arms out towards Camryn, trying to climb out of Liam's lap.
It's a problem that they've had since Auggie was born, if Auggie's eating, Lennon wants to too. Anytime he sees Camryn's boob, it's a given that he's going to nurse.
"Bud, eat some of your hamburger,"Harry suggests, wanting Camryn to be able to finish her food while it's still hot and knowing that if she feeds both she won't have any hands left. "Let mumma eat her food. Look, Uncle Lou is trying to give you a yummy burger. Can you take a bite?"
"Mama, milk,"Lennon insists again, reaching across the table with his chubby little arms as his face scrunches up in a bit of a cry. "Mama milk."
"Okay, c'mere,"Camryn agrees, nodding her head and reaching her arm out towards Lennon. "Walk over to me."
Liam sets Lennon down on the floor and watches as he waddles over to Camryn, his bloated little belly sticking out right above his swim shorts that are still a bit damp.
"Here bud, I'll hand you to mumma,"Zayn offers from his seat next to Camryn, reaching his arms out towards Lennon who patters into them, holding his arms upwards towards Zayn to allow him to pick him up.
"Alright, c'mere you little milk monster,"Camryn teases, using her free arm to support Lennon and cradling him to her chest so that the little boys' feet are entangled, both of them cradled in their mum's arms. "Latch on, there you go, good job, bud."
"Here,"Zayn murmurs, grabbing towards Camryn's burger with his hands and bringing it up towards her mouth.
"Oh, thanks, Z,"Camryn smiles, opening her mouth for the bite of burger.
"Niall!"Darcy exclaims as he picks up a chip from her plate, reaching towards it with a pout. "That mine!"
"What? Oh this?"Niall innocently asks, holding the chip a few centimeters from his lip. "Sorry, DD, I think this is mine."
"No! It mine!"Darcy exclaims, reaching towards the chip and pouting dramatically. "Give it back! Give it back!"
"You're gonna want to give it back, mate,"Harry chuckles, stuffing another piece of watermelon into his mouth. "DD does not do well with sharing, just ask Lennon how the bump on his head got there."
"Don't steal DD's baby doll unless you want a shoe thrown at your head,"Camryn chuckles, looking down at little Lennon who's still sucking at her boob, the goose egg on his head decreasing a bit in swelling. It was the worst a few days ago right after it happened.
"Fineee,"Niall sighs jokingly, rolling his eyes at Darcy before handing the chip back to her as she smiles and plops it into her mouth.
"Can dada have a chip?"Harry asks innocently, opening his mouth wide as he leans down towards Darcy.
"Yess,"she decides, grabbing a chip from her plate and plopping it into Harry's open mouth.
"Look at their little feet playing footsie,"Louis chuckles, motioning his head towards Lennon and Auggie whose little feet are intertwined with each other and playing together as they both nurse. Their little toes knock against each other as Lennon's foot tops Auggie's since he's stronger.
"Ooop, my Lennie won,"Louis laughs, shaking his head and taking another bite of his burger. "
***
March 8 2015
"Oh who's that?"Camryn coos as she sits on the couch with all three kids, cuddling them as they watch a cartoon. She watches as all three of their heads pop up at the sound of the door opening and huge smiles immediately cross their faces.
"DADDY!"Darcy exclaims loudly as she jumps off of the couch and runs towards the front door, finding Harry who's balancing on one leg and trying to untie his white vans.
"Hey baby,"Harry greets with a huge smile, his head popping up from looking down at his shoe to beam at Darcy. "C'mere. I missed you!"
He kneels down on the floor to allow Darcy to run into his arms and squeezes her tight as Lennon also patters in with a big smile and wraps his arms around Harry.
"Oh hey, mate,"Harry chuckles, pressing kisses to the top of Lennon's head. "Look at you! You're all nakey."
"He has a dipe on, daddy,"Darcy points out, looking down at Lennon's little diaper that's hanging off of his bum.
"You're right, he does, huh,"Harry chuckles, pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads. "I missed you guys. Did you have a good day with mumma?"
"Uh huh!"Darcy exclaims, nodding her head rapidly as she continues to wrap her arms around Harry's neck. "Mumma took us to the park, and she said that we can get ice cream after dinner!"
"Oh my goodness,"Harry laughs and kisses Darcy's squishy cheek as she finishes explaining everything they did. "Mumma's so nice, huh? Letting you guys get ice cream, she's the best mumma ever."
"Oh hello,"Camryn giggles as she walks into the hall with a bouncing Auggie on her hip who is squealing and squeaking loudly. "Daddy didn't forget about you."
Harry looks up from his two oldest kids to see Camryn and Auggie, his face immediately breaking out into a huge smile as he stands up and makes grabby hands towards Auggie who's practically bouncing off of Camryn's hip. "Oh I could never forget about my Auggie boy, c'mere lovey."
"Say 'hi daddy, I missed you',"Camryn coos as she hands Auggie over to Harry who throws him up in the air to make him laugh widely before catching him in his hands and pressing loud kisses to his chubby cheek.
"Hi bubby,"Harry whispers, swaying his hips as he hugs Auggie to his chest and continues to press kisses to his cheeks. "I missed you. I love you so much."
He looks up and grins at Camryn, holding his arm out towards her as she walks into him and cuddles against his chest. "Hi bug, how are you?"
"I'm good,"Camryn replies with a big smile, going on her tippy toes to press a kiss to his lips. "How're you? How was your day?"
"It was good,"Harry smiles down at her as she gazes up at him with a grin, pressing another kiss down on her lips. "I missed you."
"I missed you too,"Camryn agrees, cupping his chin in her hand and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you."
"I love you more,"Harry murmurs into her lips before he feels little arms wrap around his legs.
"Oh hi,"Harry chuckles, pulling away from Camryn's lips and looking down at Lennon who has attached himself to Harry's leg. "Am I stealing your girl, Lennie?"
He reaches down and picks Lennon up with his arm that isn't holding Auggie so that both of his boys are placed on his hips. "You know, she was mine long before she was yours."
"Yeah, sorry mate, daddy's got like 6 years on you,"Camryn teases, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to Lennon's chubby cheek.
"I want up too!"Darcy proclaims, holding her arms up towards her parents.
"Well good thing mummy has arms too,"Camryn giggles, reaching down to pick up Darcy and placing her on her hip. "Should we go eat dinner? It should be time for me to take it out of the oven!"
"Daddy, we're having pizza!"Darcy informs Harry with a giddy smile, squealing happily.
"Oh my gosh,"Harry dramatically says as he follows Camryn into the kitchen. "Pizza and ice cream! You guys are gonna be spoiled rotten."
"You should've been able to guess what we were having considering both of the boys are naked,"Camryn giggles, motioning her head towards the two little boys who are completely naked except their diapers.
"Well, I mean, they're messy with anything they eat,"Harry teases, setting Lennon down into his highchair and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
"Daddy, you sit by me,"Darcy instructs, patting the seat by her.
"I thought I got to sit next to you!"Camryn mocks offense, dropping her jaw at Darcy as Darcy giggles.
"You sit on this side mumma,"Darcy says, tapping the seat on the other side of her chair.
"Oh perfect,"Camryn giggles, handing two little plates of cut up pizza to Harry. "Left is Auggie's and right is Lennon's."
"Sir Auggie,"Harry dramatically greets, setting the plate down in front of Auggie who immediately reaches his little palm towards a tiny piece of cut up pizza and shoves it in his mouth. "Mmm, yummy, we've already dripped sauce onto your tummy."
"And for you, King Lennon,"Harry smiles, placing the plate down in front of Lennon who's sitting in the highchair next to Auggie. "Don't eat so fast that you puke like last night, yes?"
"I gave him less tonight to see if that helps too,"Camryn giggles, shaking her head as she walks over to place Darcy's plate in front of her. "Princess Darcy, here you go madam."
"Thank you, mummy,"Darcy politely hums, smiling widely as Harry and Camryn sit on either side of her.
"How is it?"Camryn asks, looking down at Darcy as they take a bite of pizza at the same time.
"Yummy,"Darcy hums, grinning widely up at Camryn.
"Len, one piece at a time,"Harry chuckles, shaking his head as he watches Lennon shove a handful of pizza into his mouth.
"No wonder you're called chubs,"Camryn teases, bringing the sippy cup up to his lips. "Take a drink, there you go."
"We're gonna need to start handing him one piece at a time,"Harry laughs watching as Auggie curiously looks over at Lennon and sucks a piece of pizza out of his palm.
*
"Ice creammmm,"Harry hums as he picks up Auggie onto his hip who immediately drops his little head to Harry's shoulder. "Oh are you so sleepy? Is it almost Auggie Bear's bedtime?"
"Oh hi my boy,"Camryn coos as she picks Lennon up from his carseat on the other side of the car, his little train pajamas rolling up to show his bare bloated belly. "Are you excited for ice cream? You love ice cream!"
"Daddy, look,"Darcy proudly grins, spinning in the street right next to the car as Camryn keeps a cautious hand by Darcy to make sure she doesn't go out into the middle of the street. "It's my new pajamas! Look!"
She spins again so that Harry can get the full view of her little pajamas that are covered in little cartoon drawings of white fluffy poodles.
"I love them, DD,"Harry chuckles, grabbing her hand to walk her across the street as Lennon and Camryn follow behind them. "You look so pretty! And they're pink! Your favorite color!"
They all walk into the ice cream store, standing in the line that's only a few people long before it's their turn. Harry picks Darcy up and places her on his hip that Auggie isn't on so that she can see all of the flavors behind the glass case.
"Ooo, DD, they have cookie dough! That's your favorite!"Harry coos, making wide eyes at Darcy as Auggie sucks on his pacifier and reaches towards the glass case that his arms are a bit too short for to reach.
"Oooo, Lennie, do you want chocolate? You love chocolate,"Camryn smirks, waving at the worker behind the counter who's a teenage girl who is smiling at Lennon who's making cheeky little eyes at her.
Harry and Camryn realize what's going on and laugh at Lennon as Camryn kisses his chubby cheek. "Are you flirting, you cheeky monkey? You're not allowed to do that yet, you're not even two yet!"
"Ooooo daddy they have rainbow spwinkles!"Darcy exclaims, bouncing on Harry's hip as she points towards the jar of rainbow sprinkles on top of the glass container.
"Can we have rainbow sprinkles on top of the scoop of cookie dough, please,"Harry chuckles as the girl nods.
After they're done ordering and paying for the ice cream, they walk over to one of the booths and sit down in it, Harry and Darcy sitting on one side with Auggie on Harry's lap while Lennon sits on Camryn's lap.
"Mate, you just completely missed your mouth,"Camryn chuckles, watching as Lennon's first spoonful of ice cream lands on his lap, slipping off of his spoon. "Gosh, farewell to these pajamas."
Harry chuckles and scoops out the tiniest bit of his mint chocolate chip ice cream onto his spoon, guiding it towards Auggie's wide open and eager mouth. "Oh yum, is that so good?" He watches as Auggie's eyes grow two sizes as the flavor hits his mouth, his little hands reaching towards the cup.
"So how was rehearsal?"Camryn asks, scooping a bit of her rocky road ice cream into her mouth as she looks over at Harry. They were so busy talking with the kids at dinner that they completely forgot to check in on each other and the other person's day. It's often like that. They really don't get to talk about each other until the kids are asleep in bed. "Did you get all of your stage cues down and things?"
"Yeah, it was alright,"Harry shrugs, putting a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth which makes Auggie whine because he wanted the spoonful. "I got most of them down it's just...I dunno, things have been off I guess."
"What do you mean?"Camryn asks, although she has a pretty good idea of what he means. She didn't tell Harry about Zayn's little breakdown to her last week because it was a private matter, but she assumes that this is having to do with the same thing.
"I dunno,"Harry sighs, feeding another bite of ice cream to Auggie before he reaches over with a napkin to wipe at Darcy's cheek that has a few sprinkles sticking there. "I just...I'm worried about Zayn. I feel like something's going on, but he won't talk to us."
Camryn nods and takes another bite of her ice cream to buy herself some time before she has to respond. "Have the other boys noticed too?"
"Yeah,"Harry nods, pushing his ice cream around in its cup, "I talked to all of them, but we don't want to confront him and make him uncomfortable."
"Maybe you should try to talk to him,"Camryn replies, making eye contact with Harry. His eyes look a bit broken and are definitely drooping a bit at the thought that he doesn't know how to help his friend. "He may not want to talk to you, but it could help him if he does, you know? Cuz I didn't want to talk about my postpartum depression, but when you made me talk to you it eventually really helped."
"It's just not the same anymore,"Harry whispers sadly, looking down at his ice cream and getting another little bite for Auggie who's practically drooling in anticipation. "It's not the same as when we started...for all of us, I think."
"Well, we were so young when you started,"Camryn points out, resting her chin on top of Lennon's head as he continues to scoop ice cream into his mouth, half of it landing on the front of his shirt. "We were only 16...we weren't even pregnant yet. A lot has changed since then. We've changed since then, and so have the boys."
"I just wish he'd talk to me,"Harry sighs, reaching out to run his fingers through Darcy's curls. "I just want to know what's wrong, but I also don't."
"What do you mean?"Camryn asks, furrowing her brows.
"I want to know what's wrong so I can help him,"Harry explains. "But I also don't want to know because I know he's telling the truth...that this isn't really working for any of us anymore."
***
March 12 2015
"Do you know why we're here?"Niall asks, leaning over to whisper in Louis' ear who just shrugs and shakes his head.
"Look at him fight it,"Camryn giggles quietly, resting her cheek on Harry's chest as his arm wraps tighter around Camryn's shoulders, watching little Auggie who's nursing try to fight sleep the best he can.
"Go to sleep lovey,"Harry chuckles breathily, running his finger tip in the space in between Auggie's eyebrows to try and loll him to sleep. His big blue eyes blink up at Harry and Camryn who are both grinning down at him as he desperately tries to keep them open.
"And why so late,"Liam asks with a big yawn. It's only 9:30 at night, but they had to be at the O2 arena at 5 in the morning to do rehearsal, so they're all pretty wiped out.
"Sorry, that's our fault,"Harry admits, holding his hand up to show it's on him. "Lennon can't be without Camryn so we had to wait till he was asleep so we could sneak out."
"Is Gem watching them?"Liam asks, playing with the frayed edges of the pillow that he's holding in his lap.
"Yeah,"Harry nods, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand. "But if he wakes up, we're all dead."
"Where's Zayn?"Louis asks, looking between all the boys and Camryn to see if any of them have any idea.
"No clue,"Niall shrugs, resting his head back on the couch just as the door opens bringing in Simon and Zayn.
It's like the air is ripped out of the air as the two walk in. Oh. It's never good when Simon walks in.
No one does any greeting, no one even really smiles at each other because it's like they all just know. They just know that something big is going to happen. Something that's going to change their lives forever.
Zayn sits down next to Camryn, their knees touching as she places a hand on Zayn's knee and comfortingly rubs it, looking over at him and giving him a comforting grin. His eyes are red and teary and it makes her heart shatter.
"You boys have done such amazing things in the past 4 years of being a band,"Simon starts off, sitting on a couch across from the boys and Camryn. "And I could never tell you how proud I am for all of you for sticking around for this long. You too, Camryn. Thank you for all of your support."
Harry wraps his arm tighter around Camryn and presses a kiss to her temple as she grins and rubs Auggie's cheek with her palm, watching as his eyes finally close, but his sucking continues.
"Zayn, I think I'll leave it up to you now,"Simon nods, sitting back against the couch and interlocking his fingers together.
"I—uh—"Zayn stutters, coughing into his hand before looking around at the room at the boys and Camryn—his brothers and sister. "I could never thank you for all you guys have done for me, you truly changed my life forever..."
Camryn watches as Louis, who's sitting at the end of the couch puts his face in his palm. He knows exactly where this is going. They all do.
"You've given me an amazing 4 years, and you were all always there for me,"Zayn continues, glancing over at Cami who's eyes have begun to water as she tearfully grins at Zayn. "Especially you, Cami. You were a teen mum and had so much on your plate, and the last thing you needed was to take care of 5 teenage boys, but you did. You took care of all of us and listened to our problems and talked us through everything...I could never thank you for all of the help you've given me, especially over the past year."
Camryn smiles and rests her head down on Zayn's shoulder as a thank you. She would hug him, but she can't really do that since Auggie is attached to her boob.
"And that's why this is all so hard for me,"Zayn whispers, his voice cracking as he leans forward and interlocks his hands, looking down at them. "Because you're all my brothers. You're my best friends in the world, and I'm forever grateful and honored that I got to meet you and do these amazing things with you...but in the end I'm not doing well. I think you have al been able to see that."
Liam, who's sitting on the other side of Zayn, rests his hand on Zayn's back and rubs it up and down to show support as Zayn's upper body begins to tremble with tears.
"I can't do it anymore, guys,"Zayn cries. "I'm really sorry, I just can't. I'm leaving the band."
Camryn watches as Niall covers his eyes with his palm, but not before she catches a few tears roll down his cheeks. Harry's the first one to react, standing up from sitting next to Camryn and holding his hand out towards Zayn. Once Zayn takes his hand, he pulls him to his feet and immediately wraps his arms around Zayn, squeezing him tightly.
"I'm so sorry,"Zayn sobs, resting his head down on Harry's shoulder as Harry shakes his head and pats Zayn's back.
"You owe nothing to us, mate,"Harry whispers, squeezing Zayn once more. "You need to do what's best for you, not us."
After their hug, Camryn motions for Harry to take Auggie so that she can get a chance to hug Zayn after the three other boys do. She unlatches Auggie quickly, handing the sleeping baby up to Harry who immediately cradles him in his arms.
Camryn quickly replaces her boob in her bra and pulls down her shirt before standing up and waiting her turn patiently as Louis and Zayn hug tightly, both of them crying into each other's shoulders.
"C'mere, my love,"Camryn whispers as Zayn pulls away from Louis, holding her arms out towards Zayn as he falls into her arms, sobbing even harder. She's the only one who ever truly understood his problems from a personal level, and he could never thank her enough for that.
"I'm so proud of you for doing what's best for you,"Camryn whispers, her lips against his ear as he continues to sob into his shoulder. "You're one of us forever, mate. Yeah?"
"Yeah,"Zayn whispers with his voice cracking.
"You can't just completely leave us,"Camryn teases, pressing a kiss to Zayn's cheek. "Auggie boy needs a best friend, and he's picked you."
"He's my best mate too,"Zayn chuckles wetly, returning a kiss to Camryn's cheek.
Simon leaves to give them all a bit of privacy right before Harry starts the group hug, wrapping his arms around Camryn and Zayn with the three other boys quickly following him, wrapping their arms around each other.
"Thanks for growing up with us, mate,"Niall whispers shakily, tears rolling down his cheeks as they all wrap their arms around each other's shoulders, forming a little circle just like they have done to encourage each other the entire time they were in the band. Whenever someone was going through a problem, they'd form one of these circles and just hug each other and encourage each other.
"Thanks for always being there for all of us,"Liam shakily smiles over at Zayn.
"Thanks for singing the high notes,"Louis jokes, winking at Zayn. "And for being the best mate we could've asked for."
"Thanks for helping me through my struggles, Z,"Camryn grins, her lips wobbling. "You were the only one who truly understood me during those times, and it meant more to me than you'll ever know. I wouldn't be doing as good as I am now without your help."
"Thanks for helping us raise the kids mate,"Harry tearfully smiles, tipping his head down to rest upon Zayn's who's standing right next to him. "And for being Auggie's best friend."
***
March 15 2015
"Hi, baby, how was practice,"Camryn greets with a grin as she looks up at Harry who's walking into the kitchen with his head down. Her heart immediately falters a bit as her brows furrow, setting her mug of hot chocolate down on the counter as she straightens up in the barstool she's sitting on. "Are you okay?"
Harry sniffles, looking up at Camryn for the first time to show the tears rolling down his puffy cheeks, coating his red rimmed eyes. He shakes his head as his shoulders begin to tremble.
"Oh, hey, c'mere sweetheart,"Camryn coos, holding her arms out towards him as she jumps down from the barstool and walks towards him.
She warps her arms around his neck, feeling his arms snake around her waist as he burrows his face into her neck, sobbing into it pitifully as she rubs her hands up and down her back, her fingers trailing upwards to comb through his long curls as she presses kisses to his temple.
"Alright, you're okay, sweet boy,"Camryn whispers, massaging her fingers against his scalp. "I've got you. It's okay. It's okay, I'm right here."
"Do you want to go sit down with me?"Camryn murmurs after a few more minutes of his crying. "We can go snuggle...?" She gets a head nod and muffled sniffles into her neck as a response as she takes his hand and leads him towards the living room.
She lays down first, making grabby hands towards Harry as she takes one of his hands and drags him down on top of her and rubbing her hand up and down his. He nuzzles his face into the hollow of Camryn's neck as she presses little kisses to the top of Harry's curls.
"It's just not the same,"Harry sobs, "it's not the same without him, and I don't know what to do!"
Today was the first day of rehearsals the boys have had since Zayn left, and Camryn knew that it might be quite hard for Harry, but she truthfully never imagined that it'd be this hard.
"I know, it's a big change, huh?"Camryn soothingly whispers, rubbing her palm around Harry's shoulder blades. "It's going to take some time to find who you guys are without Z."
"We don't want to be anything without Z,"Harry tearfully replies, breaking down into harder sobs as he grips onto Camryn.
"I know you don't, sweetheart,"Camryn frowns, reaching her hand up to wipe away Harry's tears. "I know you don't. I'm sorry."
"It's gonna fall apart,"Harry sobs, reaching his hand out to grab Camryn's that's not running through his hair for a bit of support. "We can't do it without him."
"You can, baby, you will,"Camryn soothes, tilting his chin up with her hand to press gentle kisses on the tip of his nose and his lips. "I know you guys will do just fine. You guys are so strong."
"A piece of us is missing, Cam,"Harry whispers shakily, his voice cracking as he looks up at Camryn with the most broken eyes.
***
March 27 2015
"Where's the iPad?"Darcy asks, sitting on the tourbus on top of Harry's lap as they all sit on the couches.
They just left London and will be on tour for the next three weeks. Normally Camryn and the kids don't go along for that long of trips, but she knew that the boys, especially Harry, needed her support for their first shows without Zayn, and she thought the kids might be a good distraction for all of them.
"What iPad?"Harry asks, looking down at Darcy as his little hands rest on her tummy.
"Oh,"Camryn whispers, rubbing her hand up and down Lennon's back as he sits chest to chest with her on her lap and nurses, his cheek on her chest. She leans back further against the wall of the bus and brings her bent knees closer to her chest to rest on Lennon's back. "You mean Uncle Zayn's tour iPad? The one you watch Strawberry Shortcake on?"
Camryn gets a head nod in response from Darcy and then a little frown when she realizes that it wasn't brought.
Every tour since she was a little baby, Zayn has brought along an iPad for him and her to watch little cartoons on to take her mind off of being away from home or in new places. It helped take his mind off of it too, since he always had problems with home sickness. And he especially loved the cuddles he'd get while they watched their movies.
But, no one thought to bring it, and Zayn didn't think to give it to Camryn and Harry.
"Oh baby, I'm sorry,"Camryn frowns, rubbing her hand up and down Lennon's bare back, going under his shirt to calm him more. "I didn't think to get the iPad from Uncle Zayn. I'm so sorry, but Daddy brought our miniature movie players. You can watch that."
"No,"Darcy sniffles adamantly, shaking her head as tears well up in her eyes, I want Uncle Zayn. I want the iPad."
"Baby, c'mere,"Harry coos, flipping Darcy around on his lap and hugging her tightly to his chest as she pitifully cries into his neck.
"You're breaking my heart, sweet girl,"Harry whispers, standing up from the cushioned seats and beginning to walk up and down the hall. "It's okay. Daddy's got you. It's okay."
"Hey Princess, should we call Uncle Zayn?"Liam offers, standing up from his seat and pulling out his phone to dial Zayn. He walks over to Darcy and bends down so that his face is eye level with hers that's placed on Harry's shoulder. "We can call Uncle Zayn and say hi. Should we do that?"
Darcy sniffles and nods, reaching for Liam as he takes the her into his arms and snuggles her close, pressing kisses to the top of her head as he walks into their bunk room to have some quiet so that they can hear Zayn clearly.
"I think your kid is stinky, Cam,"Niall complains, holding Auggie out in front of him and scrunching up his face in disgust.
"I'm a bit preoccupied right now, Nialler,"Camryn jokes, motioning toward Lennon who's still sucking on her boob. "You can do it. I believe in you. You've seen me do enough."
Niall groans dramatically and holds his hand out for Harry to throw him a diaper from the diaper bag.
"Can't you do this?"Niall asks, still holding Auggie out in front of him to try and mask himself from the smell.
"I've done more diaper changes than any person should ever have to do,"Harry chuckles, shaking his head and leaning his shoulder against the doorway to be able to relax and watch Niall brave one of his first poopy diapers. "You've got this one, mate."
Niall whimpers and lays Auggie's changing mat down on the floor, kneeling in front of Auggie's feet and beginning to unbutton his little baby grow that he's in. "I really don't want to do this."
"Neither do I, especially when it's 2 in the morning,"Harry chuckles, winking at Camryn who's getting a big kick out of this as she rests her cheek on top of Lennon's head and watches the whole ordeal. "Welcome to fatherhood, mate."
"There's a reason I'm not a father,"Niall frowns, looking at Auggie's full diaper with a wary look.
"Oh sure,"Louis laughs, sitting down next to Camryn on the couch. "That's why you're not a father. You know, becoming a father involves sex, Neil."
"Alright, little ears, calm down Tommo,"Camryn chuckles, pressing her palm against Lennon's ear that isn't pressed into her chest. "You gotta get back into tour mode, mate."
Ah yes, tour mode. The mode that all of the boys, except Harry since he's on constant tour mode, have to get used to. "Tour mode" is the nickname they gave to the idea of having to be clean and family friendly on the tour bus since the kids are around, especially since Darcy is now old enough to repeat what she hears.
"Sorry, mumma Camster,"Louis teases, laughing as she kicks him with her foot in the thigh.
"Okay, I can do this,"Niall mentally prepares himself, taking a big breath and holding it so that he doesn't have to breathe in anything as he reaches for the clasps of the diaper and undoes them. "Holy sh*t!"
He immediately looks up at Camryn with sympathetic eyes. "Sorry, sorry, I promise I won't swear in front of your children again."
"It's okay, Lennon already says the F word,"Louis teases, looking over at Camryn who rolls her eyes and presses a kiss to the top of Lennon's head.
"How does so much poo come out of such a tiny person?"Niall whimpers, grabbing for a wipe as looks at Auggie with a confused expression.
"Hold his ankles with your hand,"Harry instructs, watching with a smirk as his best friend shows how inept he is when it comes to the mechanics of fatherhood. "Good, now hold his legs up and wipe his bum. Make sure you get it all so he doesn't get a rash."
Niall frowns dramatically the entire time he wipes Auggie's bum, trying to breathe the least amount of air that he needs to to try and survive the smell.
"'Kay, now lay his legs down and slide the diaper out from underneath him,"Harry continues, chuckling breathily as he watches Niall follow his instructions.
"OH SH*T!"Niall exclaims after he lays Auggie's legs down as Auggie begins to pee all over Niall's shirt. "Mate stop! Stop!"
He jumps up from the floor and holds out his shirt at the bottom hem to try and air it out as Camryn, Harry, and Louis all laugh heartily at him.
"Oh good job, mate,"Louis chuckles, sliding off of the couch and going back to help Auggie so that he doesn't get cold. He begins to expertly change Auggie as he coos down at him. "Good job. Perfect timing, mate. You couldn't have timed that better if you tried, I'm so proud of you."
*
"Oh hi, baby girl,"Zayn coos as Darcy and a bit of Liam's face appear on the screen, both of them laying down on Liam's bunk, his arm under Darcy's neck as she snuggles into him. "What're you up to?"
"I want the iPad,"Darcy frowns, making Liam chuckle as her little cheek rests against his chest.
"She was really sad that you and the iPad aren't here for tour,"Liam explains, watching as Zayn's glance softens even more as his heart bursts.
"Oh babe, I'm so sorry,"Zayn frowns. "Next time you and mummy and daddy go on tour, I'll give you the iPad, yeah?"
"Yeah,"Darcy sniffles, grinning softly at Zayn. "You'll come too next time, right?"
Zayn's face falls as he looks up at Liam through the phone who is also wearing a fallen expression.
"I don't think I'll be able to come next time either, babe,"Zayn sadly admits. "But I'll be here waiting for you when you get home, okay? And we can have a playdate!"
"I want to watch the iPad with you,"Darcy murmurs tearfully, a little lonely tear rolling down her cheek.
"Oh babe, don't cry, don't cry, DD,"Zayn whispers, putting his hand on the screen to try and reach through to her. "It's all okay. You have the other boys there with you. And I'll always be here waiting for you when you get home."
"Okay,"Darcy sniffles, nodding her cheek on top of Liam's chest.
"Okay,"Zayn repeats with a sad smile, continuing to press his hand to the screen. "I love you, DD. Can I have a kiss?"
"Yeah,"Darcy grins, leaning forward to press a kiss to the phone as Zayn does the same.
"Mwah! I love you,"Zayn chuckles, smiling widely at Darcy who's big blue eyes have gained a bit of their light back.
"I love you too,"Darcy hums with a big grin.
Liam ends the phone call and throws his phone to the side leaving just him and Darcy in the bunk alone in the darkness.
"Should we take a nap, Princess?"Liam suggests, reaching down to tuck a curl of Darcy's behind her ear. "I'm really tired."
"Yeah,"Darcy agrees, climbing to lay right on top of Liam's chest, her head nuzzling into the hollow of his neck as her little hand finds his and interlocks there, resting their hands on top of his chest.
"I don't like Uncle Zayn not riding on the bus with us,"Darcy murmurs, settling into the feeling of Liam rubbing a palm up and down her back.
"I know princess,"Liam whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of Darcy's head and then keeping his face there so that he can smell her familiar scent that's calmed him since the day she was born. "I don't either. I'm glad I have you still, though."
~~~~~~~
AHHH okay not gonna lie it broke my heart to write this one
but we got a lot of 1D boys content, which I always love to include because them with the styles kids is just😍😍
Next chapter out will be another one for Lennon's novella!! it will be up in 2 days!!! ❤️❤️More Hughy boy content!! or as me and Harry love to call him, Little H🥺
And THENNNN after that A BIGGGGG HUGEEE THING IS HAPPENING!!! but ya'll will have to wait and see what it isssss!! but if you want to guess, then I'll tell you if you're right LOL!
ALSO!! for next weeks Family Forever chapter I think I'm going to do a chapter about just Harry and Cam when they were younger to get a bit more of their cute relationship since we don't really see a lot of them from before kids!! and a bunch of you said you'd like to see that when I posted a message about it!!! SOOO we'll see what I can do!! it will be weird to write them so young!!!
Thank you for all of your endless support!! it means the world to me!! in just this week Family Forever has grown an insane amount and you guys never cease to amaze me!!
your comments, reads, votes, and messages mean the world!! And so does your excitement!!! the amount of love I got from Hugh's birth chapter just meant the world 🥺🥺❤️❤️
I LOVE YOU ALL SO FREAKIN MUCH!!
AND I WILL SEE YOU IN TWO DAYS 😉
MWAH
-Mel❤️
FOR ZAYN'S INSTAGRAM POSTS THAT GOES WITH THIS CHAPTER HEAD OVER TO MY OTHER STORY "Family Forever Instagram" AND READ "March 2015" (Goes with Zayn Leaves the Band)".
Ahhh If you guys have any requests for chapters you'd like to see PLEASE message me! I'd love to write whatever you guys want!
Also, I have over 50 requests right now from people so I'm sorry if I don't get to yours right away, I promise I haven't forgotten about you! I will get to all of them! 💕