chance connection |2| [zarry]

threehundredandfive

"Babe, are you cold?" Zain says, letting himself fall back down beside Harry. "It's July."

"It's early," Harry grumbles, hunching further into his hoodie. Zain's hoodie really, at least it smells like him. "What did they want?" he adds, cuddling against Zain.

Zain leans his cheek against Harry's hair, shrugging slightly. "Questioning our commitment to football, I think."

"They're not doing competitions," Harry frowns, "and he's good. Why would it matter if he misses a few weeks."

"You don't need to argue with me about this," Zain says, amused. "But remind me to talk to Louis about football. He'll have to quit before school anyways and if we're taking him on a holiday and to see whoever wants to see him, we should probably just quit now and save the fee."

"Hm," Harry makes, watching Freddie rush around the field in excitement. "He likes it, though."

"We'll get him set up with another team once school starts," Zain yawns. "Can't do Wednesdays anymore anyways, he will have to switch."

"School sucks," Harry grumbles. "Can't believe he has to go already."

"Yea," Zain agrees wistfully.

They watch Freddie run around in silence for a while, Zain's thumb stroking Harry's knee absentmindedly.

"Do you think we can go away just the two of us again?" Harry asks, leaning his chin on Zain's shoulder. "We don't have to go for long," he adds. "But we're not gonna be alone for a while, not properly, and it'd be nice."

"Hm," Zain agrees, kissing him quickly. "You're the one with a job."

"I'm almost sure you're the one actively selling pairings right now," Harry laughs lightly, pressing his nose to Zain's shirt. "France? Or something further away while I can still fly?"

"Whatever you want," Zain says, straightening slightly when Freddie stops in the middle of the field, turning towards them.

Freddie waves and then starts running again right away and Zain relaxes against his side, huffing.

"Soon he'll be too big to want to check in while he plays," Zain sighs.

"You'll always be his favourite," Harry says softly, rubbing his thumb over the downward turn of Zain's mouth. "He'll always want to check in with you."

"You're sweet," Zain says, brushing his nose against Harry's like he wasn't the sweet one. Like Harry wasn't telling the truth.

"I could ask Freddie where he wants a souvenir from, what do you think?" he says, trying to get Zain to stop looking like his heart was being broken. Or growing up too quickly for him to bear.

"Don't you dare," Zain huffs. "He'll want us to go to the moon or something and you'd probably give in." He digs his chin into Harry's head.

"Actually," he says, scratching his nails over Harry's jeans. "Maybe just France. You still have the house, we still need to go back to clear it out anyways and we could take Freddie before or after and maybe Safaa as well once schools's out. We kinda promised."

"You can just say you don't like flying," Harry grins up at him.

Zain looks at him, rolling his eyes slightly, looking happy and relaxed in the morning light. No longer as drawn and exhausted as he had. Harry kisses him quickly.

"I don't like flying," Zain says against his lips. "But if you want to do something fancy, we could go to Paris or something. Mum loved it and won't shut up about me going."

"Hm," Harry makes in agreement. "Maybe we can give her and my mum a trip somewhere for Christmas. Mum really liked going away with her as well."

"That sounds nice," Zain yawns, sitting up again when Freddie runs up the steps towards them, barrelling into Zain.

"Thirsty, monster?" Zain asks, brushing the sweaty hair off Freddie's forehead and handing him his water bottle.

Freddie nods, drinking greedily and leaning into Zain. "I made a goal, did you see?" he asks once he's downed half the bottle, panting slightly with it.

"Yea, we saw," Zain says, pressing a kiss to his hair. "You having fun?"

"Loads," Freddie nods, scratching his nose and letting himself be pulled into a hug by Harry, squiring slightly as Harry holds him tight for a moment, overcome with fondness.

"Bye," he adds, too soon, wiggling away and almost tripping on his way down the stairs.

Zain huffs. "Don't even want to think about how clumsy a child with your genes is gonna be."

"Excuse me, my love," Harry says, pressing his face against Zain's arm. It was so weird and exciting, knowing it wasn't just an abstract thing Zain said, but that there was a baby inside him, growing.

"She'll be fine," Harry says. "Or he," he adds before Zain can. "Maybe we should have asked for the sex."

"I'm sure you can go back," Zain shrugs. "If you want."

Harry bites his lips, straightening his back as he considers, trying to ease the slight ache there.

"I don't know," he says, looking at Zain.

Zain raises an eyebrow at him before turning back to watching Freddie run around the field.

"Do you want to know," he asks.

"I don't really care," Zain says, looking at Harry at once like he can feel Harry's disapproval. "Not like that," he says, cupping Harry's cheek. "Not like I'm not excited or can't be bothered or whatever horror scenario you red on your mummy blogs."

"I don't know why you and Louis think I read mummy blogs," Harry huffs. "I look at them sometimes, when I'm googling things. I don't seek them out specifically."

"Sure," Zain says doubtfully.

Harry huffs. "So you don't care," he prompts.

Zain rolls his eyes, picking up on Harry's tone, no doubt. "I just mean the sex isn't going to change anything, except picking out the name. It's gonna be a baby I will love and I'm pretty sure girls also will pee on you when you change them, so-" he shrugs, grinning at Harry.

Harry huffs a laugh. "Yea," he says. "You know I don't actually care but I really feel like it's a girl and maybe I should know so if it's a boy I can like.. stop thinking of him as her?"

"He doesn't care just yet," Zain shrugs, kissing his forehead. "There is no rush, if you feel like it I'm sure you can get an appointment the same day because you pay them good money. So just. Don't worry about it."

"Yea," Harry agrees, pressing his cheek against Zain's shoulder again. Zain just had such a way of being unbothered about it. Maybe he would be worried that it meant he didn't care but then Zain would touch his belly or kiss Harry's ear soft and sweet and Harry felt like he was drowning in feelings. And there was no moment of Zain being around Freddie that made him doubt Zain would do anything except love their baby with everything.

"Zain," Freddie says, stumbling up the stairs again. "Zain, I'm done."

"Are you, my monster," Zain says, catching him and handing him his water bottle again.

Harry smiles, straightening and pressing his hand against his belly where it felt like he could actually feel a kick these days instead of just faint movement, wishing to preserve the moment and also wanting everything the future held for them.

🌱

I know I say this every time but I literally don't know