night changes [zarry]

vi

"He's nice, baby," Harry tells Sophie, pulling his best jeans on and biting his lip when they are just a tad too tight to sit comfortably. He hasn't had reason to wear them in so long, he's forgotten. "So I don't have to be nervous, right?"

He sighs and takes the jeans back off. No use wearing something uncomfortable. He's given that up ages ago. "Right, baby?"

Sophie is too busy pulling clean laundry from the basket and getting her drool on it to pay him any attention. Not that he expected any help from her. The only interest she had in his clothes was how grabable they were and how quickly she could get to his chest.

"Right," Harry says again and closes his eyes, reaching into his closet. It was not going to get better by not choosing an outfit and he still needed to get Emma and Jamie ready.

The summer dress he pulls out isn't really appropriate for the current weather but he still hesitates instead of putting it away right away. He doesn't have proper date clothes anymore. The only nice dress he has is the one he had worn to Andrew's sister's wedding ages ago and that was way too fancy for a date. At least the summer dress showed off his legs and with one of his cardigans, it would look nice.

"Right?" he asks Sophie again, who's babbling to herself, one of her socks in her mouth.

He sighs, pulling it from her mouth and wrinkling his mouth at the drool. "I know you're teething," he tells her. "But maybe don't chew on your socks, baby."

"Mamama," she says, going for one of her onesies.

Harry rolls his eyes at her and leaves her to it, pulling on the dress. He is already wearing his best knickers, it's not like he needs to pretend he wasn't interested. And turning up in his usual clothes would probably give the completely wrong impression.

He pulls on his favourite cardigan after only a moment of hesitation. It's colourful and oversized and he hopes Zain won't be put off by how unsexy it is. Then he shakes his head at himself. If Zain was put off by his cardigan, he wasn't nearly as perfect as he appeared.

"Alright, baby," he says, picking Sophie up. "Let's get your brother and sister ready."

"You look pretty, mummy," Emma says, looking up from her dinosaurs. "Can I wear a dress as well?"

"Thanks, baby," Harry says, pulling her wardrobe open. "Which dress did you want to wear?"

"The blue one," Emma says, laying in her back and smashing her dinosaurs together, her legs sprawled.

"Alright," Harry decides, taking it out. "But you gotta wear a cardigan and tights as well." He lays it out on the bed, pushing the mess of Legos to the side to safely leave the room. "And get dressed now, we're leaving."

"Urgh," Emma makes, rolling onto her belly.

Harry leaves her, used to her reluctance. She's only get more stubborn if he pushed her. He kisses Sophie's hair, crossing the hall to Jamie's room.

"Jamie," he sighs when he catches sight of him, only his feet visible from under the bed again. "What are you doing?"

"I'm a detective," Jamie answers, voice muffled by how far under his bed he's vanished. "I'm looking for clues."