chance connection |2| [zarry]

twohundredandeight

"Mummy!" Freddie's voice wakes Zain, tinny and far away over the speakers but still loud as ever.

Zain grunts, pulling his blanket over his head, and reaching for Harry to poke him in punishment.

"Hi, baby," Harry says tiredly, his voice scratchy with sleep, slapping Zain away and linking their fingers.

Zain blinks at him and then at the phone between them, trying to convey his annoyance at being woken like this instead of more pleasurably.

"Is Zain with you? Daddy says Zain's with you but he's not picking up, I tried calling him first. Is he asleep?"

"He's here, baby," Harry says, poking Zain.

"Hi monster," Zain forces himself to speak. He feels heavy with sleep, exhausted from staying up to long and the best and time difference. It's still dark outside. He wonders what time it is. "You having fun with your dad?"

"It's ok," Freddie says. "Can you bring me back a cat?"

"What?"

"Hassan says," Freddie starts and Zain groans inaudibly, rubbing the heel of his hand over his face. "His baba always brings him back something when he travels."

Harry leans across the phone to kiss his cheek softly, smiling down at him.

"Monster," Zain says, cupping Harry's cheek. "I'm not gonna bring you back a cat. Harry and Louis didn't bring you back anything from America, did they?"

"Yea, I told Hassan," Freddie says. "But he said that you're my baba and they're not, so you have to bring me back something even if they didn't."

"Infallible logic," Harry whispers, amused.

"I don't have to do anything," Zain says. "And monster, we talked about listening to everything Hassan says. Everyone is different so just because it's true for Hassan and his family doesn't mean it's true for us."

"But Zain!" Freddie whines. "It's unfair that I have you and mummy and daddy and no one gives me presents and Hassan only has his mummy and baba and he gets presents."

"Well, maybe mummy is the present?" Zain says.

"No, Zain," Freddie sighs. "People can't be presents. And mummy is no fun, he doesn't let me have chocolate when I want it."

"That does sound like him," Zain agrees, smiling at Harry. "How the mighty have fallen," he whispers as Freddie starts blabbering about his day.

"Oh no!" Freddie exclaims. "We aren't doing video! Daddy! Your phone is broken?"

"What?" They hear Louis in the background.

"It's not broken, monster," Zain laughs, stabbing at the screen  to switch to a video call. "Hi," he says when Freddie appears, mostly his nose visible.

"Hi!" Freddie exclaims, the video shaking, Louis frowning over his shoulder. "Why are you in bed?"

"Because they are lazy," Louis says, kissing the side of Freddie's head.

"Because it's early here, we just woke up. Remember how we talked about it when Louis and Harry were in America?"

"Are you in America?" Freddie exclaims, frowning.

"Well," Harry says against Zain's shoulder.

"Ask Louis to show you on a map," Zain suggests and just about catches Louis eyeroll. "Or we can look at it when I'm back," he adds, because he's feeling generous.

"I guess," Freddie frowns.

"You finished telling them everything?" Louis asks. "It's fine for bed, my monster."