chance connection |2| [zarry]

onehundredninetyone

Zain startles awake because Harry sits up abruptly, like he, too, got startled awake.

"Wha?" Zain asks, pulling him back down. "Where's Freddie?" he asks right after, patting the empty bed next to him like Freddie was going to turn up that way.

"I think that's what startled me," Harry answers sleepily, his voice rough. He clears his throat, reaching for Zain with one hand and rubbing the other over his face. "Mum probably has him," he says and grabs his phone off the bedside table, unlocking it.

Zain scratches his belly and pulls Harry towards him.

"She says they've already eaten breakfast and are playing in the garden," Harry reads, letting the phone fall to the side and laying down on Zain, kissing him.

"Nice," Zain says, the irrational worry at the lack of annoying child disappearing completely.

"Very," Harry agrees, rubbing his nose against Zain's. "Wanna snog?"

"What are you? Twelve?" Zain grins but cuts off Harry's protest by kissing him.

🌱

"Good morning, monster," Zain says, picking him up and kissing his cheek. "Sleep well, did you?"

"Yes," Freddie shrieks, happy to be turned upside down as always and grabbing Zain's sweater tightly as he giggles. "I already played football! You were asleep," he adds with a frown.

"Didn't want to sleep alone but left us to wake up alone," Zain says. "What if I had been scared, huh? What then?"

"You have Harry," Freddie says unconcerned as Zain turns him right side up again, setting him on his hip. "You're not scared when you wake up."

"If you say so," Zain grins, blowing a raspberry to his cheek to make him shriek again, and setting him down. "Hey," he adds to Anne. "Thanks for looking after the monster for a bit."

"Of course, love," Anne says, smiling at him kindly, "where did you leave Harry?"

"He got a call," Zain says. "He'll be right down, though. You had breakfast, monster?"

"Yea," Freddie says, his mouth full of grapes. "But we're having a snack now."

"'s that why you're talking with your mouth full?" Zain asks, sitting down beside him and taking a bread roll from the basket Anne hands him.

"Am not!" Freddie protests, swallowing loudly before opening his mouth to show off his tongue.

"Nice," Zain says drily, taking a sip of his tea. "I hope you showed Anne your manners at breakfast at least."

"I did, I was an angel!" Freddie says, which is definitely something he's picked up from Zain and Louis, taking the apple slice Anne hands him.

"You were," Anne confirms like Freddie's ego needs validation, running a hand through Freddie's hair. Freddie had managed to get another person wrapped around his finger then.

🌱

"Drive safe. And don't forget to come back up before you leave for your film, baby," Anne says, cupping Harry's face.

"I, yea," Harry says, kissing her cheek. "We should be able to do that."

Zain rises his eyebrow at the we but doesn't say anything. Maybe Harry would realise that he could come visit his mum on his own before.