"What if she doesn't like me?"
"Harry, she's three."
"Three year olds have opinions."
Y/N sighs as she twists her hair up into a claw clip. She notices his grip tighten on the steering wheel as he pulls into the driveway of her sister's house, where they're spending the night babysitting her niece.
(What had started out as a favor for her sister was now an experiment in co-parenting and toddler communication skills — once Harry found out she was doing this, he wanted in. And frankly, it was damn near impossible to say no to him, especially since he had a minimum of two parenting books on him at all times.)
"You'll be fine. Stop stressing." She mumbles when he puts the car in park, climbing out of the car, a hand pressed against her budding stomach. She's a few weeks out from her fifth month, nearly halfway through, and her bump seems to be growing by the day — not that Harry's complaining.
With their bags over his shoulder, Y/N's sister, Rena, answers the door as they're approaching it. She's sweet — much friendlier than Y/N — and doesn't mention anything about their unusual circumstances, much to Harry's relief. She gives them a rundown of everything they need to know (she and her partner are going away for the weekend), complete with a 5-page packet on the dining room table consisting of Eden, Y/N's niece, favorite foods, nighttime routine, and the names of her stuffed animals.
It's all going pretty well until Rena and her boyfriend attempt to leave. That's when the breakdown ensues.
It's a mess of ear piercing screams and crying on Eden's behalf. Every time Rena tries to put her down, her chubby little hands just grip her shirt tighter, burying her face into her neck through her loud wales.
"Edie, c'mon baby," Y/N tries to soothe her, doing her best to maneuver her little body from Rena's to hers, "Mommy and daddy are gonna be back so soon! In the meantime, you get to have fun with me and Uncle Harry!"
Harry's heart swells at that and he clears his throat, stepping forward.
"Eden, I know it's scary. We all get a little nervous sometimes." He murmurs, testing the waters by reaching out to smooth his palm over her messy hair, "Right, Y/N?"
"Auntie Y/N gets nervous all the time, bug. But I promise, we're gonna have the best night together."
Eden sniffles, eyes peering over her mother's shoulder to size Harry up. Finally, she loosens the fist clutching her shirt.
"Uncle Harry, do you like Peppa Pig?"
...
Rena and her boyfriend all but made a run for it the second Eden showed some sort of comfort. As soon as she allowed her mom to put her down, she wrapped her fingers around Harry's hand and guided him to the living room, requesting that he put Peppa Pig on. The more he showed interest, the more she trusted him — currently, they were playing princess tea party, with a tiara tucked into Harry's curls as they sip imaginary concoctions to the tune of Peppa's snorts.
"Edie, it's time to get ready for bed," Y/N says sometime around 7:30. Per the packet left by Rena, her usual bedtime is 7, but Harry pushed her off for another half an hour.
"No!" Eden immediately yelps with a stubborn shake of her head.
"We can keep playing tomorrow, bug—"
"Not sleepy!" She exclaims, even though her eyes are already hazy with exhaustion.
"Eden, it's past your bedtime. It's time to go upstairs."
For the second time that day, Eden begins to wale in Y/N's face. Her lips part and Harry watches on as her cheeks redden, his stomach tight with anxiety from the discomfort of the situation.
"Why don't we just start with brushing our teeth and putting our jammies on?" Harry speaks up, "You can pick out a book to read, too."
In classic toddler fashion, her cries immediately cease and she nods her head sadly, her bottom lip formed in a pout. He chuckles at that and Y/N swallows a sigh, standing from the couch.
"No!" Eden suddenly exclaims, and Harry's stomach drops again, "Want Uncle Harry. Not Auntie Y/N."
Y/N blinks before sitting back down, giving a curt nod to Harry.
"Go ahead. I'll be fine."
Feeling guilty, he nods, accepting Eden's small hand in his as they go upstairs to her bedroom.
...
Y/N has never cried in front of Harry, but she supposed there's a first for everything.
When he comes back down from putting Eden to sleep, she can't even pretend like her eyes aren't watery, cheeks stained with salty tears and a tired chest from keeping her sobs silent. As soon as he sets his eyes on her, he rushes over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Shhh," he murmurs into her hair, "Breathe, Y/N, you're okay."
"I'm— I'm gonna be s-such a shit mom!"
His heart breaks and he shakes his head, holding her even tighter to his chest.
"Don't say that, it's not even close to the truth. You're gonna be amazing."
"S-she hates me though! And she loves you! That's what the next 18 years a-are gonna be!"
"Y/N," Harry sighs, leaning down to catch her eyes. He presses a gentle thumb to her face, wiping away the fallen tears. "She's a toddler. She'll hate me tomorrow and forget who I am in a week. Three is a tough age, I just finished the toddler chapter in that parenting book I'm reading."
She swallows a hiccup, smiling gently. His recent addiction to parenting books always makes her laugh, even if she teases him about them all the time.
A silence takes over as he continues rubbing small circles between her shoulder blades. She sniffles periodically before peering up at him through slightly damp eyelashes.
"Do your parenting books say anything about ordering ice cream for dessert?"
A dimpled smirk appears on his face. "Mm, not sure. I brought a few, we can look through them together."
YOU ARE READING
you're my last shot
Fanfictionin which harry and y/n are in the same friend group but don't like each other very much - until they have a one night stand, y/n gets pregnant, and- wait, now they're having a baby?
