BSL / Signing-Speech
When Harry returns to the flat, he looks around and notices how things feel a little colder than when he stepped out to run errands.
Lately, things have been colder around here and it's frustrating. Blue has been frosty with him and he's not sure what he did wrong.
They're aware that she sometimes slips into depressive episodes and shuts out the world but doesn't feel like it. This feels like something slightly less heavier and somewhat serious at the same time.
In his hands, he holds a paper bag of takeout food and he smiles as she calmly walks into the living space. Blue is wrapping up a phone call and her eyes look puffier than usual.
Harry notices she's whispering and that's useless to him. He cannot make out what's saying into the phone and he waits for her to be done with the call.
"Hey, sorry I didn't respond to your texts, I was in the bathroom," she signs and speaks at the same time.
"That's fine," Harry waves it off and approaches her with a smile.
"Is that for me?" she manages a small smile, pointing at the bag in his hand.
"You haven't been eating well and I'm worried," he frowns a little, handing over the bag.
With a smile, she takes the bag and inhales the content. It's a familiar place that makes Jamaican food just the way she loves it.
It reminds her of her grandmother's cooking and it makes her heart flutter at how thoughtful this man will forever be. She kisses his cheek and nods in agreement.
"I'm trying," Blue replies.
"Do you think we can try together?" Harry calmly keeps eye contact.
"I'm fine," she says.
"And we both know that you're not," he counters.
"Can we do this later? Zayn is almost here and I swore that I was ready," Blue tries to deflect.
Right, Harry remembers that they promised to watch Zayn and his new partner's daughter. For someone who's heavily nervous around children, he shocked them all by agreeing to babysit with Blue.
The relationship is relatively new and Zayn is filling big shoes, so this is the least he can do for his friend.
This is the second time meeting the little girl and the first time officially meeting Zayn's new partner. He knows this means a lot to Zayn and he wants to be a great friend.
The idea of interacting with a child makes him anxious because communication is always a huge problem, but lately he's been coming out of his shell and he's willing to let it flow.
The little girl already seems like an angel, so here's hoping she stays that way.
"Are you nervous?" he asks with a small smile.
"No, I just want you to be comfortable," Blue points out.
"Me? I'm just here to support you and fade into the background," he pouts.
"C'mon, you promised," she nudges him.
"Hearing Kids don't like me, I'm too boring for them," he chuckles a little.
"Oh please, any kid that says that is an idiot," Blue rolls her eyes.
"Okay, that's rude. They have a point, I can't do much with them," Harry shrugs a bit.
Blue frowns and cups his shoulders, making him focus entirely on her. There's been a lot weighing on her mind but she feels the strong need to tell him this.
"You're a great adult with a wonderful heart. If we had kids, you'd be the best father in the world," she speaks and signs smoothly to him.
"Wow, that's so kind of you," he forces a smile.
"I'm serious. Your kindness buried under that stubbornness is beautiful to witness and I need you to believe me, okay?" she stresses.
"Fine. Since we're communicating, can you please tell me what's going on with you?" Harry sighs, a little hopeful.
"I'm okay...it's nothing serious," Blue clears her throat and looks away.
This makes Harry know that she's clearly not okay and he lightly taps her shoulder to maintain her attention. This is the woman he loves and knows more than anyone else.
"Don't lie to me, please. It makes me feel insecure," he explains.
The doorbell sounds and Harry feels the vibration in the ground. It's one of the inclusive things they've factored in the house and he realises that their special guest has arrived.
Blue sighs and gives him a brief kiss before heading to the door. Harry nervously takes off his coat and hangs it, anticipating how this is all supposed to go.
The door opens and Zayn is standing there with his partner and her daughter. The little girl with honey coloured curls and sharp green eyes bounces in wearing a tutu skirt and a plain t-shirt.
Instantly, Blue attempts to guide the ball of energy in and make sure she doesn't bounce around like an actual ball.
Standing next to Zayn is his partner with straight hair the same colour as the child paired with a smile warm enough to melt an iceberg.
Blue shuts the door behind them and the women hug. The three of them exchange pleasantries and Harry awkwardly stands there with a small smile on his face before Zayn walks over to him.
"Hey mate, pissing your pants?" he asks with a smile.
"Soaked, you have no idea," Harry replies as they hug.
"Chill out, she's a sweet little lady," Zayn assures him.
"Which one of us?" The partner joins the guys, smiling.
Harry only nods in acknowledgment at her and attempts to give a small wave but he looks as awkward as ever.
The woman looks so portable and adorable. He knows she makes his friend happy and it shows.
"Harry, this is Blake," Zayn does the introductions, speaking and signing.
"Hi Harry, I've heard a lot about you," Blake says and Zayn continues to act as the interpreter.
"I haven't," Harry gives a small smile and they panic.
"Mate," Zayn speaks up.
"Oh, get it? It was supposed to be a deaf joke," Harry panics. "I'm so sorry. Zayn has told me a lot about you!"
"What an idiot," Zayn laughs as he translates to his partner.
Blake is visibly relieved as she sighs and giggles.
"You're funnier than he described, that was a good one, let me get Freya." She exhales and turns to look for the child.
"Should I just lock myself away in the room?" Harry sighs.
"Hey, you melted her cold feet, chill out," Zayn chuckles.
They look up and see Blake approaching them with the excited little girl. Harry gives her a little smile and stares at how precious she is.
Children have a funny relationship with him because he's just constantly scared of messing up with them.
The girl breaks out in a brighter smile and bounces over to him.
"It's Uncle Harry!" she cheers on and hugs his legs.
"Yes, it is," Blue joins them, smiling.
"Oh, she remembers me?" Harry is in awe.
Blake gets the translation from Zayn and nods along in agreement.
"She does! In fact, Freya told me you gave her a sign name and she was so excited about it," she explains and Zayn signs it to Harry.
"Yes, Fairy," Harry signs it with a smile.
Blue just stares at this interaction with a sad smile on her face and clears her throat, avoiding her feelings.
Harry looks in her direction and notices how out of place she's looking, which is terribly odd for her.
"Imma fairy!" Fairy chants in excitement.
Harry slowly waves to get Blake's attention and swiftly signs something that completely throws her off. She smiles and turns to Zayn for help.
"He wants to know if she's always this energetic," Zayn chuckles.
"Energy," Harry mouths along as he repeats the sign, almost like he's teaching her what the word means.
"Yes...a lot of that," Blake quickly nods along and gesticulates to describe how much it is.
"O-Okay," Harry quietly says and Blake picks up on that but she doesn't make it a thing, just in case he's self conscious about speaking.
"We have to head out now, we've emailed the list of allergies and whatever you need to know. Text us if you need just anything," Zayn speaks up.
"Sure. Have fun!" Harry signs at them, smiling.
Blake gets this from Zayn and turns to Harry. She takes a deep breath and steadies herself like she's rehearsed about a thousand times.
"Thank you," she smoothly signs as she says.
This makes Harry light up and he gives her a thumbs up.
Blake hurriedly goes over to pepper Fairy with kisses before heading out of the flat and Zayn follows suit.
Harry goes over to lock the door and turns to see Blue with Fairy. It's a beautiful sight as she gently carries the excited girl and chats to her. He has no idea whatever they're talking about but the moment is enough to make him fall deeper in love with Blue.
Deeper than he thought he could. He walks over to them and waves at Fairy, trying to stay engaged with the child even if they cannot entirely communicate without assistance.
"Say Hi to Uncle Harry," Blue softly says to the somewhat shy girl.
"Hi Uncle Harry," Fairy waves at him with a little smile.
"Hi love, what do you want to do?" Harry calmly signs, waiting for Blue to translate.
"So, he wants to know what you want to do, little lovie," she asks the girl.
Fairy frowns at what just happened and she pouts at the couple, wondering what is going on here.
This happened the last time Zayn introduced them to each other, a lot of hand movements and someone else speaking for the curly haired man.
"Why are you doing that to him?" She sounds a little offended.
"I'm telling him what you said, lovie," Blue chuckles and looks at Harry.
"Is she offended by our signing?" Harry smiles.
Again, the little one notices the hand movements and she shoos his hands off. It's almost like the movement is disturbing their little conversation and she needs it to stop.
"Stop tha'" she protests with a pout.
"Go on, tell her," he urges, feeling a little amused by this.
"Okay lovie, this is how we talk to Uncle Harry, with our hands," Blue smiles as she explains.
"Why please?" Fairy asks.
"He's deaf and we talk by signing," she replies.
Fairy pauses and looks at Harry as this new information is taken in. Harry gulps as his insecurity is about to protect him but he lets himself go with the flow.
"I 'ave a deaf friend at school, she talks to me with her mouth," Fairy frowns in confusion.
"That's also very sweet," Blue continues, engaging the child.
This makes sense enough and she wiggles her out of Blue's arms, landing on her feet with a brighter smile than usual. They watch her walk over to Harry and spread out her arms at him.
"Up!" Fairy smiles at him.
Harry giggles and instantly obeys the little one who is clearly in charge. With a little grunt, he lifts her up and she buries her face into his neck.
This makes Blue grow shockingly emotional and she has tears clouding her eyes. He notices this and frowns, wondering what the hell is going on with his girlfriend.
Fairy starts humming and Harry feels the soft vibration, wondering if she's simply in a good mood. He thinks of how to juggle the two of them, and he makes his way to the sofa that holds Fairy's bag.
Blue quickly wipes her tears and hurries to them.
"Do you want to watch something?" Blue opens the bag and gets out her iPad.
Settling on the couch with them, she bounces on her knees and happily nods in agreement. Harry watches Blue get out her headphones and plugs it in.
All set and connected, Fairy is instantly sucked into the happy show that's been downloaded for her to watch. This gives the adults safe time to discuss whatever is going on.
Harry calmly places a palm on her knee and he sighs.
"Talk to me, please," he nearly pleads.
"Harry, I'll be fine," she manages to say.
"I know that, but right now you're not," he points out.
The feeling gets heavier and she slowly nods in agreement. Blue doesn't know how to go about this and she just stares at him with nothing but love in her eyes.
Harry's beautiful eyes blink back at her and she wonders how she got lucky with this painfully wonderful man right before her.
"I'm pregnant." Blue confesses.
Everything seems to stop for Harry as he blinks at Blue and he slowly shifts closer to her, making sure he doesn't stop Fairy's current mood.
Fairy crosses her legs as she spreads on the couch and frowns in deep concentration, enjoying herself.
"You are? For how long?" Harry asks, calmly.
"A while, don't worry I'm still thinking about options," she quickly tries to explain.
"What do you mean?" he frowns, confused.
"I know we don't want this, I know I messed up, okay? I've been trying to figure it out for weeks and I'll fix it," she looks away.
He simply taps her and gestures at her to keep her eyes focused on him. This is the only way to have a proper conversation.
"You didn't mess up," he stays steady.
"We agreed not to have kids and I've lost already one, you don't even want this," she explains.
"This is not about me. We've had this talk before and you know where I stand," Harry sighs.
"We were grieving and you were just being kind, I get it," Blue shrugs.
This hurts Harry and he slowly shakes his head in disagreement. He understands where she's coming from and it still hurts.
"If I was still the same person I was when I didn't want kids, Fairy wouldn't be here because I was that much against anything concerning kids," he starts his explanation.
"I know you don't -"
"I think hearing people have a hard time listening to people like me and it hurts because now you're making me feel like I hurt you even after I've stated my mind again and again." Harry cuts her off with a frown.
"Harry, I'm the one trying not to hurt you because you never wanted this," Blue looks at him with tears stinging her eyes.
"I didn't want many things. I didn't want this but people change, people grow and I've grown with you." He breathes out.
Harry wipes away her tears and gives her a small smile, unable to control his own emotions as he admires Blue.
This is the woman of his dreams and he seems to find himself falling deeper with every milestone they reach.
"What do you mean about this?" she asks.
"This is not a mess that needs to be fixed. I'm here with whatever you need me for," he assures her.
"I want this baby. After our loss, I feel more certain about this and I need you to know that I'm very okay raising this baby on my own," Blue clears her throat after speaking.
"Okay, shut it. This is my child, and I never said anything about wanting to become a deadbeat," he chuckles and shakes his head.
"So, you really want a family with me?" she asks.
"Blue, you're my family." Harry says.
Relief washes all over Blue's body and she moves closer to Harry, pressing her forehead to his with joy twitching in her mouth.
"You have no idea how happy I am," she mutters.
"I can't understand you when you're this close to my face babe," he laughs and pulls away from her.
"I'm happy about this, okay?" she repeats.
"We're engaged and having a baby, who would have thought? You're going to be the best mother to our little one," Harry exhales, filled with joy.
"Harry, I love you so much, like so much. You're going to be the best father ever and I know that." Blue breathes out.
Harry leans in for a kiss and notices the little one is quietly judging them with a small frown on her face.
They laugh and maintain a healthy distance. Fairy sits up and takes off her headphones. She tugs Harry's hands with a warm smile.
"Hi Uncle Harry," she says.
"Hi F-Fairy...," Harry verbally says, reading her lips.
This makes her light up in joy and she practically screams, making Blue flinch. Harry simply blinks at her visible excitement and wonders what's happening.
"Uncle Harry talks!" Fairy screams and turns to Blue.
"Do you want to make pasta with him? Your mum says you love helping in the kitchen," Blue replies, staring at her and signing for Harry to understand.
"Yes, please," she quickly nods in excitement.
"Race you to the kitchen," Harry makes a race gesture and points at the kitchen.
Fairy gasps and hurriedly stands up. She stands before him and gives him a swift kiss on his cheek.
"Okay, I love you and Aunty Blue," she squeals and takes off.
Seeing this, Harry smiles and uses this as a quick chance to passionately kiss Blue without the disturbance of their little friend. Blue enjoys the kiss and hums in satisfaction.
"Fairy says that she loves us," Blue says, proud.
"I love you," Harry brings a palm to land on her covered belly.
"Thanks for being my family, I love doing this thing called life with you," she smiles, staring at him.
Harry brushes his nose against hers and they enjoy a few more seconds of peace.
"Uncle Harry!!!" Fairy screams and Blue reacts by widening her eyes in shock.
"What's that?" he notices her reaction.
"Chef Fairy needs you in her kitchen, go on now," she chuckles.
"She's very sassy and clearly in charge," he smiles.
"Very soon your little one will be bossing you around, are you even ready?" she teases him.
"I can get used to this," Harry smiles and kisses her again before leaving.
Blue exhales in relief and tears of joy sting her eyes. It feels like life is finally rewarding her with love and goodness.
It's terrifying because she constantly waits for the other shoe to drop but knowing Harry is there makes her heart stay at ease.
Who would have thought that a simple writing class would create such a beautiful life? This beautiful life with Blue and Harry living in bliss where baby makes three.