"You look different." Harry heard the next day from Niall who'd dropped by to see him.
He was back home now and so was Benjamin but Benjamin was currently taking a nap.
"Different?"
"Yeah. Happier. I don't know if I'm right or not but something tells me you must have had a sexually satisfying weekend with Zayn."
Harry gasped.
"Niall. Lower your voice."
"So that's a yes?"
"It's neither a yes or a no. Why are you asking me personal stuff?"
"Because I'm nosy. Don't you know me by now?"
"It doesn't matter if I know you. I still expect you to extend the same courtesy I give you. I never ask you personal questions about you and Dylan."
"True. But if you did, I wouldn't care because I consider myself a friend to you. I would tell you anything. You know that. Besides, it's not like I don't already have sex. Otherwise, how else would I be able to just look at you and tell that you did?"
Harry sighed and pulled his feet up on the couch.
"You are so annoying. You know that?"
"I know that."
Harry smiled.
"But it was really great. He was so passionate and perfect. And then afterwards, he was worried about the condom. He kept asking me if I felt anything. I didn't. But of course he still worries so I have to keep reminding him I take birth control. Eventually he got it and we showered together."
"Sounds like it all went smoothly then."
"It did. But..."
"But?"
"There was a moment where... he asked me about telling our families about us."
Niall lit up with excitement.
"Oh really?"
Harry frowned.
"Why are you happy? That's not a good thing."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm still not ready to do that. That's big news that I'm still not sure how they will take it. I'm perfectly okay with keeping it between us the way we have been."
"Okay, but wasn't that when he was just fulfilling his fatherly duties by coming by to see Benjamin? That's much different from you and him dating and having sex. And think about it this way, if he's asking you about it, it probably means he really wants to tell his parents about you and the son you have together. So he must think this time it's going to work out. He must want it to."
"I want it to too."
"Well then you better start planning to tell your family. Because I seriously doubt it will continue to work out if you don't."
Harry inhaled and exhaled now. That was the first time he had ever considered that. Mayne for Zayn, it was about more than himself or what his parent might think. Maybe Zayn just wanted to share his newfound family with other important people in his life. That definitely wasn't a bad thing. Which in that case, maybe Harry should start to think about learning from him and doing the same.
➡️ ➡️ ➡️
Today was Saturday. But it wasn't just any Saturday. It happened to be the first weekend Zayn got to have Benjamin spend the night at his place without Harry.
He didn't really have anything for Benjamin at his place and he was aware he should have been preparing for him a long time ago, seeing as one day he was going to have Benjamin stay with him sometime in the future. Still he simply gave Benjamin the queen sized bed in one of the guest bedrooms and brought his Big Wheel so he could take him out for a ride around the neighborhood.
So that's exactly what they had done. It was a beautiful spring day but there weren't any clouds in the sky, making it hotter than the actual temperature. They had been out with Benjamin riding his bike up and down the sidewalk for the last thirty minutes or so and they were headed back home. So Zayn was walking beside Benjamin as he rode.
When they reached the driveway, Zayn called out instructions.
"Benjamin turn here. We're done for the day."
"No." He whined.
"Yes. We need to go inside so we can take a water break and get rehydrated. It's dangerously hot with the son bearing down on us like this."
Benjamin was very much unhappy with that so once he turned in the driveway, he stopped at the edge next to the yard and pouted.
"I know you want to ride more. And you will. But let's go inside for now. A break is good for us."
When he saw that Benjamin was still pouting, he knew he had to do something to make him feel better, so he quickly pulled him up off of the bike and brought him to him so he could kiss his cheeks. Immediately, Benjamin burst into laughter. He wasn't sad anymore but Zayn loved to hear his little laugh.
So he took the opportunity to fall back into the soft grass with him and tickle him. It was the best feeling in the world to see his son be so happy on his accord. He hadn't been apart of it long. But fatherhood had already brought so many amazing experiences. He was already thinking about what was to come in the future because of it.
But then there was red. Lot's of red. And it was coming from Benjamin's nose. Zayn panicked.
"Benjamjn! Your nose!" He picked his son up from the ground.
"Did I do that to you when I brought you down with me. Oh my gosh! That looks so bad!"
When Benjamin heard his father say that, he suddenly burst into tears.
So Zayn quickly rushed him into the house and to the bathroom. He let the toilet seat down, sat him down and then gave him a wad of tissue.
"Let's hold this to your nose."
Zayn was nearly shaking as he was trying to help him hold the tissue up. He kept trying to think back to when he pulled Benjamin off the bike. He didn't remember hitting him that hard- or at all- but he must have done it and not known it. He he hurt his own son.
Two minutes later, Benjamin was still bawling to the point of hiccupping, so Zayn took the tissue from his nose to see if the blood had stalled. It hadn't. It was still flowing fast. So he knew what he had to do.
After giving Benjamin another wad to put over his nose, he grabbed his keys and rushed Benjamin out to the car. In his fastest time ever, he had him buckled in and was ready to go. If he couldn't stop the bleeding, he was going to have to take his son to the hospital and have them stop it.
It was the fastest Zayn ever drove, but with his emergency blinkers on, it made things a lot easier. For some reason though, the closer they got to the hospital, he remembered that he needed to call Harry and tell him what happened. So he did, bracing himself for an earful for what he had done.
"Hello?" His voice came in over the car speakers.
"Harry."
"Who's crying?"
"Benjamin."
"Why?"
"We were outside and he was riding the big wheel we bought. But then I got him off of it. One moment I'm tickling him and we're both laughing. Next thing I know he's got a nosebleed. Just bleeding everywhere and I can't stop it. I think I might have hit him by accident or something and just didn't know. Either way, I'm headed to the hospital to let them stop it. Can you meet me there?"
There was a sigh of relief.
"Zayn, don't step one foot in that hospital."
"Why not? Don't you hear this?"
"I do. Can he hear me?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, Benjamin. Listen to me it's Daddy."
He cried quieter.
"It'll be alright. It's just a nosebleed. We know what to do with those, don't we? We hold the tissue there until we calm down and cool off. But we can't calm down if we're crying, remember?"
"Mhm."
"Good. So do that for daddy while I talk to Papa."
Just like that, Benjamin started to dry his tears.
"Zayn?"
"How did you do that? Also, I'm confused."
"Don't be. Just know you didn't do anything wrong."
"Then why was he crying?"
"You said that you were outside playing and you didnt remember hitting him."
"Because I don't. I didn't feel it."
"Right. That's because you didnt hit him at all."
Zayn frowned and looked in the rear view mirror at his son.
"How do you know?"
"Because he gets these nosebleeds all the time. He has really tiny blood vessels in his nose so when he gets too hot or too excited, it puts pressure on those vessels and they burst, therefore the nosebleeds."
"What?"
"Yeah. He was probably already hot and when you tickled him, it was too much excitement to handle."
"Is that dangerous?"
"To be excited?"
"No the little blood vessels."
"He'll be fine. His doctor said he's more likely to grow out of it. Most kids do. I'm just waiting for the day, basically."
"Oh. So what do I need to do?"
"Keep tissue over his nose for now. Don't let him blow. Keep him sitting and do not make him hold his head back. He can choke on his own blood or swallow it. Make sure he's cool as soon as possible. If you can, put something cool over his forehead near the bridge of his nose to help cool his head down. More importantly make sure he stays calm because panicking just makes him hotter and it gets the blood pumping which is obviously a big no-no when you're trying to stop blood flow. I have to say I'm a little surprised though. He usually knows what to do and doesn't cry like that. The only time he does that is if you panic first."
"Yeeee."
"You panicked?"
"Only a lot."
Harry laughed quietly.
"It's okay. It was your first time experiencing that and I should have told you this before you took him. That's my fault. But just do all the things I told you and he will be fine. I promise. Okay?"
"I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Nothing much, that's for sure."
"You're right about that. Well, let me get him fixed up. I'll call you later. Love you."
"Love you too. And you too, Benjamin I love you, Bye."
"Bye, daddy."
Harry was gone soon after so Zayn looked at his son through the rear view mirror again.
"Come on, son. You have to help Papa out. You know he doesn't have a clue what he's doing."
He smiled and Zayn smiled too. He was glad to see his boy happy again.
"Alright, let's pull into this gas station. I hope you don't mind a cold soda on your forehead."
* * *
Zayn had done everything he could to get Benjamin cool, everything from putting a cold bottle on his head, to running the air conditioner in the car to taking him to get ice cream. It worked and his nosebleed stopped in no time.
To Zayn's surprise, Benjmanin went that entire time without getting a single drop of blood on his clothes. So instead of rushing home, he decided to stay out with him, drive around the city for while, then go get dinner. By the time they finished and were headed home, it was nighttime and Benjamin had fallen asleep in the car. Zayn was going to have to carry him inside and put him to bed.
Except when he pulled into his driveway, he noticed a familiar car in his driveway. It belonged to his parents. And not only that, they were standing at his front door.
At this point, he could have turned around and left again. Anything to keep them from knowing who he had in his backseat. But he also realized he wasn't ashamed of his son. He had no reason to hide or run away. He could only think that them being here tonight was meant to be.
So when he parked in his driveway, he turned off the engine and took his sleeping son out of the car. The look on his parents faces when they saw them was sheer confusion.
"Hi, mom. Hi, dad."
They didn't speak. Neither knew what to say.
After unlocking the door, he let them come in behind him.
"You two can wait in the living room. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes."
"Okay..." Patricia said.
She was confused. But she still took her husband to the living room and waited for Zayn to return. She had some questions for him. Starting with wanting to know who that little boy was and why her son was carrying him into his own house.
Around fifteen minutes later as Zayn said, he returned and sat down in one of the living room chairs with a heavy sigh.
"Sorry about that. I had to put him to bed. He's had a long day."
His parents looked at each other and then back at Zayn.
What in the world was going on?
"So, any questions?" Zayn asked.
"No questions. It's quite simple why we're here." His father told him sternly.
"We were in the area and I decided to drop by. You see, son. I asked you to send me a copy of that inspection. But you never did. And it's been two weeks. I thought this was about learning responsibility but I'm starting to think you have no real sense of the word."
Zayn frowned.
"Oh, here we go with this responsibility nonsense."
"Zayn."
"What, mom? It's true. This is nonsense. I don't have to own or take care of a business to be responsible. There are so many other things in the world that can happen to someone and make them responsible."
"Like what, son? You're twenty two. Your only real concern should be the business right now."
"No. It should not. My only real concern should be my family. That means me, my son and my boyfriend. The business comes second."
Yaser raised his brow.
"And explain how you can put any of that first right now when you don't have it yet?"
Zayn scoffed mockingly and sat back in his chair.
"I just purposely asked you if you had any questions and neither of you asked about the boy I just brought in."
"Why do I need to? You're obviously babysitting for someone." Yaser said.
Zayn shook his head.
"No. I'm not babysitting. I'm that child's father. And before you ask, no I'm not an adoptive father or a godfather. I am the biological father of that child who is my flesh and blood. Half his DNA is my DNA. His name is Benjamin and Benjamin is my son."
His mother gasped and put a hand to her mouth. But Yaser had a deadpan expression.
"You must be kidding me, Zayn."
"I'm not, dad."
"He's looks like he's what, three or four years old?"
"He's four. He just turned four this past December."
"December? Then he can't be your son. Because you're just twenty two and that would mean you got someone pregnant when you were in high school."
When Zayn didn't deny it, Yaser stood up with a look of disappointment on his face.
"Who is his mother?"
"He doesn't have one."
"Zayn, don't play with me. That boy came from somewhere and he damn sure didn't come from you."
"You're right. He didn't come from me. He came from his father. His father is one out of thirty nine thousand men who can get pregnant and he did. I just found out at the end of last year that he had my son."
Yaser raised his brow curiously.
"And who is he, exactly. What's his name?"
"His name is Harry Styles."
Patricia gasped again, but Yaser became angry.
"Harry Styles, as in one of the boys on that list from high school?!"
Zayn's eyes widened. His father had dwelled on his mistake so long that he remembered the names? Insane.
"Why do you still remember that?"
"So it's true! You were out playing games with sex, and you wound up getting someone pregnant in the process! Out of ALL the careless things you have done, this is BY FAR the worst!"
"Dad!"
"I was right. You don't know the meaning of responsibility. You have always treated life like it was some game but it isn't, son. You get one life to live and when you screw it up that's it! No do overs! And this mistake you've made, you can't take it back. A child, Zayn? Ridiculous..."
Zayn stood up. "That's enough. I have put up with you harping on my mistakes for far too long. Did I do dumb stuff in high school? Yes I did. Did I make some mistakes? Yes I did! But out of those mistakes, I got a son who loves me, looks just like me and that wants me in his life. So I'm going to be there for him. And for your information, Harry Styles is the only one on that list that wasn't apart of that bet. Josue and Nate just added him there.
"And just because I know you'll hate it, I'm not just around for Benjamin. I'm here for his father too and we're dating again. I still love Harry and Harry loves me the same way we did in highschool. Which means Benamin was made out of something special. He may have been unplanned but he was no mistake and I won't dare treat him as such or let you do it."
His father cleared his throat.
"Patricia, we're leaving."
She stood up too.
"What? But I would like to see him. This means that boy is our grandchild."
"Patricia, if he really wanted us to see and meet his son, don't you think he would have told us about him and asked us to meet him long before we happened to show up at his house and catch him with him?"
She opened her mouth to say something. But she noticed Zayn didn't dispute his reasoning. So she changed her mind and didn't say anything at all. But he answered for her.
"Exactly. So let's go home."
He headed off to the front door and she gave one last look at her son.
"You know how he is. He just has to get over this first. Then he will understand."
"Yeah, but the problem is he never gets over anything. And I am the one who constantly has to pay for it."
She smiled and kissed his cheek.
"I love you, and I'll call you soon."
"Bye, mom."
"Bye, Darling."
Whenever they finally left, Zayn plopped back down in his chair with a heavy sigh. Telling his father went exactly how he thought telling his father would go way back in December when he first considered it. But on the bright side, at least that was over. How ever things happened from here on out was up to his father. Because no matter how he felt, nothing was changing how Zayn felt about his son or the father of his son.