"Daddy?"
Harry looks up from the screen of his phone when he hears Louis' voice, sitting up from the sofa in case he is needed, "yeah, babe?"
"I need help," is called back from where Louis is in the bedroom, Louis' voice growing softer before Harry hears the all-too-fimiliar sound of Louis giggling.
Harry stands up and paces quickly to their bedroom. He is met with the sight of Louis' bare back facing him, and Harry walks over to the hybrid who is struggling to get get jeans up.
"What's wrong?" Harry hums, his eyes lingering over Louis' expanding bump fondly when the hybrid turns.
Louis pouts while tugging at the button of his jeans, "they don't fit around my stomach any more. At all."
Harry bites his lip while reaching out to place his palm lightly over the stomach that is home to their five-month-old baby, a smile eventually taking over his face.
"That's a good complaint, kitten. Why don't you just wear sweats or something? It's just the hospital. No one will mind what you're wearing."
Louis cocks up his nose before shaking his head, managing to fasten the button of his jeans with a bit of difficulty once he finds a comfortable spot beneath his tummy. Hospital or not, Louis always insists on looking his best. Just because he's five months pregnant doesn't mean his looks have to slip.
Once they are both dressed and ready to leave, Harry takes Louis' hand and guides his boyfriend from their house. When they walk from their bedroom, Harry sees the bundle of baby clothes that were given to them by Gemma which are neatly folded and placed on the dresser top, and is reminded yet again that he needs to sort out the spare room in the house that Louis wants as their child's bedroom. Louis already has the paint bought; a neutral shade of yellow seeing as Harry hasn't successfully convinced Louis to find out the sex of their child yet.
When Louis sits into the car, his mind starts to wander to previous ultrasounds that they've been to. The first one will stay his favourite, though, but when they first heard their baby's rapid but steady heartbeat is a close second. Nothing will ever replace the feeling that Louis had when he first saw the tiny little hybrid inside him on the screen. Needless to say, he spent the majority of the appointment blubbering and crying, and Louis didn't miss the fact that Harry's eyes glazed over while he stared at the screen either. That day, Louis' heart swelled so much with adoration and love that he was sure that it would cut out or burst.
The feeling was, and still is, mutual with Harry too. To this day, Harry doesn't understand how it's possible to love something so much without even seeing it in person.
"So, are you going to find out today?"
Louis jumps a little, startled slightly from Harry's voice interrupting his thoughts, "hm?"
"Baby's gender," Harry clarifies while resting his hand over Louis' rounded stomach, the other gripping the steering wheel.
Louis looks at Harry with a raised eyebrow because they've had this conversation so much.
"I want it to be a surprise, daddy. You know that," Louis breathes out, placing one of his hands over Harry's.
"But don't you want to know whether it's a tiny little girl or boy? Our tiny little girl or boy? We'll be able to choose the name and what clothes to buy," Harry tries persuade, quickly looking over to Louis with a hopeful smile.
Louis looks back to Harry uncertainly before saying, "don't you want to wait until I give birth? So Curly can be handed to us and we find out then, with our little baby in our arms."
Instead of lying and telling Louis that he wants that, Harry smiled widely and looks over at Louis momentarily.
"Are you still referring to the baby as Curly?"
"Yes," Louis confidently nods.
"I don't get it," Harry laughs, his eyes fixed on the road in front of them. "Why Curly?"
"Because he or she will have your hair. I'm nearly certain of it, and it'll be utterly adorable because you're so beautiful and he or she will be so precious," Louis responds, going into a trance while he starts to imagine their baby.
He exhales a delicate sigh before looking over at Harry. He reaches over to grab the man's hand, pulling it back over to rest against his stomach again.
"I never really thanked you, did I?"
"Thank me for what?" Harry questions, his voice a deep drawl while his eyebrows lower with confusion.
"For putting Curly inside me, and for looking after us both so well, and for staying. Thank you for supporting me through everything," Louis plays with Harry's fingers while he speaks.
Harry cooes and lifts his hand up from Louis' tummy to caress his cheek while finding a parking spot for the car now that they've arrived at the hospital.
"Kitten, you don't have to thank me for any of that. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Especially the putting Curly inside you part. That's always fun," Harry cheekily grins while turning the car off and pulling the keys from the ignition.
"Now come give daddy a kiss."
Louis physically perks up at that and he hurriedly leans over to Harry, his hand resting on Harry's cheek while he kisses the man lovingly for a few minutes.
When they both pull back, Louis stays leaned in towards Harry with big, innocent eyes. The man's hands come up to cup Louis' face, his eyes locked with his boyfriend's.
"You're beautiful," Harry quietly mumbles before leaning back in and slowly starting to kiss the hybrid's lips again, this kiss unrushed but passionate and it doesn't take long for Louis to climb over and sit on Harry's lap, his mouth full with Harry's tongue.
Louis' bump interferes just a little, and Louis ends up pulling back to inhale a much needed breath after another few minutes.
He looks at Harry with a satisfied grin, "I love you."
"I love you too, gorgeous," Harry laughs, pulling Louis in for a hug before he finally decides that they should probably go into the hospital before they run late for Louis' check up.
They only have to spend a few short minutes waiting inside before Louis' nurse appears, her face lit with a smile when she sees Louis and Harry.
"It's great to see you again, Mr..."
Louis looks at Harry with alarm, unsure of what to say. He doesn't have a surname, not that he knows of. It's just Louis. It's always been just Louis. It's not like he has any family to take the surname from. Surely the nurse should know this?
"Styles," Harry speaks up, throwing Louis a reassuring wink. "Louis Styles."
Louis looks up to Harry with relief, a smile playing on his lips because Louis Styles. He finds himself playing with his promise ring while he follows his nurse into a room, walking next to Harry.
"You know how it goes, Louis. You can sit up there and wait for me to get things ready," the nurse gestures over towards the bed placed at the side of the room.
Louis does as he's told and hops up onto the bed, pulling his shirt up above his stomach too. No sooner has he his tummy revealed and Harry is leaning over from where he's sitting next to Louis' bed to press soft kisses to the curve of Louis' stomach, his lips warm and gentle.
Louis' fingers slot into Harry's hair while he does so, a smile of genuine happiness appearing on his face.
"I must say, you've gotten noticeably bigger since I saw you last," Louis' nurse beams when she appears at Louis' side with the screen that the baby will be shown on.
Louis intends on replying, only a helpless whimper escapes his mouth much to his unfortune when the cold gel is poured onto his stomach.
"Sorry," the nurse whispers apologetically, proceeding to get the wand ready to place on Louis' tummy.
Both Harry and Louis' eyes are trained onto the dark screen in front of them, waiting to see their baby, and when the wand is eventually placed firmly on Louis' stomach, they do.
Both their faces break into a delighted smile almost instantly, and Louis finds himself softly cooing the word 'Curly'. The head, body, limbs and tail are all pointed out to them by the nurse, each of them seemingly fine and developing perfectly.
After a few minutes of the nurse checking everything and attaching the speakers to hear the heartbeat, she slowly nods and looks back to Louis and Harry.
"Everything looks and sounds fine. That's a healthy baby you have there, growing brilliantly. Everything's great," she informs, putting their mind to ease. A healthy and happy baby, that's the main thing.
When Louis sees the nurse pull out some of the paper towel she brought to clean his stomach off, he bites his lip softly as if willing himself not to say anything. It doesn't work at all, because Louis ends up blurting out, "wait."
Both the nurse and Harry look at Louis with interest, but it's Harry's gaze that Louis is most transfixed by. Without looking away from his older boyfriend, he asks, "is there any chance we can find out the sex?"
Harry's face contorts into surprise so quickly that Louis can't help but laugh, and the nurse a smiles widely.
"I can tell you, of course. Are you sure you both want to know?"
Harry eagerly nods, and Louis nods too. Just not as frantic as Harry does.
"Okay. Straight to the point, it's a little baby girl you're expecting," she informs with a gentle smile.
Needless to say, Louis' eyes pool with tears of delight, his gaze on Harry who has a ridiculously large smile etched into his face. They must both look idiotic.
"A girl," Louis shakily whispers while his stomach is cleaned off. Once the nurse moves away and leaves Louis to get himself ready for home, Harry cups Louis' face and kisses him firmly, Louis' lips a little wet from tears but Harry isn't one to complain.
"Our little girl," Harry responds, his words getting lost in Louis' mouth.
"She's going to be perfect," Louis breathes out when they pull away, wiping beneath his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt before grinning. "She's going to be so tiny. Just picture her tiny little ears and fingers and curly hair. Maybe she'll have my eyes. Do you think she'll have my eyes? She. It's a girl."
Harry laughs quietly and nods, helping Louis up from the bed before pressing a lingering kiss to kid forehead.
"Maybe she will, kitten. Either way, she'll be ours and she'll be perfect."
(Next chapter will be the follow up to the hospital check up, and I know exactly what shizzle will go down. The past few chapters have been nice and cute so I think it's time to shake things up a little, am I right?
Please don't forget to vote and comment! It'd be great if you could! And I know I sound thirsty af but the truth is, it just encourages me to write more and better, to be honest.
How is everyone after all this Zayn drama? You good? Still alive? Stay strong, lovelies. I love you
~ M x)