night changes [zarry]

i

"Jamie, Jamie, finish your breakfast, please!" Harry calls, rushing away from the table to grab Jamie by the shirt. "Baby, you need to eat before school."

"Mum!" Jamie huffs, annoyed, "I don't have time! I need to finish my homework."

"Why?" Harry exclaims, feeling like the minuscule amount of control he feels like he has every morning slipping through his fingers already. Sometimes he kept feeling like he had control until after school at least. "Baby, you said you were done last night!"

"I forgot," Jamie shrugs, unconcerned, looking up at Harry expectantly.

Harry scrubs a hand through his hair and cups Jamie's cheek, kissing him. "Ok, homework. I'll pack you something for the way."

"Thanks, mum," Jamie says and runs off. Harry watches him go, wondering where he went wrong. The older Jamie got, the less he felt like he knew how to keep him well-cared for.

"Mummy!" Emma demands, pulling Harry from his thoughts abruptly. "You need to finish my hair!"

"Sorry, baby," Harry says, rushing back to her to pick up the brush again. She's got one pigtail done, the other side of her hair still a curly mess. "Are you excited for school today?" he asks her, brushing out her hair.

"Yea," she says, still sweet enough to love going to school. Jamie had also enjoyed reception, even if he'd come home with his uniform destroyed almost every day and now he liked seeing his friends but did everything in his power to get out of homework. Unless it got him out of sitting at the table.

"What are you excited about, baby?" he asks, parting her hair into three and starting to braid, listening to her talk excitedly about maths — Harry doesn't know where she gets it from — and her friends, slurping down her breakfast.

Somehow, he manages to get Emma's hair done just as she is done with breakfast and she runs off, her hair forgotten in light of playing for another five minutes.

Harry checks on Sophie in her playpen, but she's still happy with her toy, looking up at him with large eyes and drool all over her face. He sighs.

"My love," he says, leaning down to smile at her. "Look at you."

"Mamamama," Sophie says, gnawing on one of her wooden blocks.

"As long as you're happy, baby," he says, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "We're leaving for school soon, are you ready? Mm?"

"Gagagaga," she says, banging her toy on the ground.

"That's good," Harry nods, wiping at her chin. Her hair is a mess as well but it's that awkward length where he can't really do anything with it.

"Muuum!" Jamie yells. "Mum, where's my blue car?"

"Your brother is very impatient," Harry tells Sophie. She blinks up at him and shoves half her fist into her mouth.

"Muuuum!"

"I'm coming, Jamie!" Harry calls back, stretching his back and shooting a look at the breakfast table. He'd clean it up after the school run.

Jamie's lying under his bed, only his feet poking out. His uniform will be full of lint when he comes back out, Harry thinks, scrubbing a hand through his hair.

"Why do you need your car?" he asks, watching Jamie wiggle around.

"I need it," Jamie says, his voice muffled. "Mummy, where did you put it?"

"I didn't put it anywhere," Harry says. "I asked you to clean it up yesterday. Where did you have it last?"

"I don't know, Mum!" Jamie huffs, annoyed. "If I did I would have it!" He's always so annoyed at Harry lately. Harry wishes he knew how to change that.