The List » Zarry (M-Preg) ✔

9: Orange Cup

When Harry came home later that night, Niall and Benjamin were in the living room together. Benjamin was laid on his stomach on the floor while watching TV and Niall was laid back on the couch with his phone in his hand.

"I'm home." Harry announced.

But Benjamin was so into the TV that he didn't acknowledge him.

"I said I'm home."

"We know. Hey, Harry. It's late. Can I crash here and leave in the morning?"

He locked the door behind him.

"Wow. No greeting. No questions about dinner. Nothing. Just straight to the point, huh?"

"Yeah. Cause if you say yes, I get to stay here and ask you all the questions you want me to ask about your little date."

Harry lightly scoffed.

"Benny. Go get ready for bed. I'll be there in a minute to tuck you in."

When Benjamin got up and left the room, Harry came over and sat on the arm of the couch.

"So what is it? Why don't you want to go home this time?"

"No reason. I just don't want to go home."

"No. There has to be a reason other than the one you always say because I know it's not true."

Niall grunted.

"It is true. I do hate my parents. They're too goody two shoes for me."

"Still not a reason to hate them. Besides, what makes you think being here is better?"

"Well, 'cause you're not a goody two shoes, obviously."

"Who says?"

"You had unprotected sex at a school event and ended up with Benjamin and didn't tell his other father about him until a few days ago. That's not something a goody two shoes would do."

Harry frowned and stood up now. "Excuse me, Niall?"

"What?"

"It doesn't matter how old you are or what you do for my son. Anything I tell you in confidence stays in confidence and I don't expect you to ever repeat it to anyone unless I ask you to. Not even to me. Do you understand that?"

He drew back. "Yeah... I guess..."

"Then you remember that and honor it. Oh, and by the way, it wasn't a date. It was a meeting about Benjamin and that's it. Nothing more. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good. Don't forget to turn all the lights off before you fall asleep."

When Harry headed to the back, Niall laid back and smiled to himself.

As a nineteen year old who didn't spend a lot of time at home like other nineteen year olds, finding an alternative place to stay wasn't always easy. Usually he spent the night in his girlfriend's bed when she would sneak him in her parents' house. But most times he would stay at a friend's house. Anything to not have to go home.

Now of course he didn't do this because he had bad, abusive parents or anything. They actually were really nice and good people. The problem was Niall didn't like that. Niall didn't like how they set curfews or didn't want him sleeping around, drinking too early or hanging with his bad friends. Those rules felt like a restriction for him and he hated that. He just wanted to live his own life away from them. To be independent.

As soon as Niall had asked to stay, many other adults with young chilren would probably have told him no and sent him away as soon as the babysitting gig was done for the night just to keep him from spending another minute more than necessary there. But not Harry. He was a very nice, generous man who gave whatever he could. And even if Niall sometimes mostly took advantage of that generosity, he would never forget it was shown to him in the first place.