Forced Family Fun

fourteen

As the night continues, Louis and Harry reenter the house - Zayn still asleep - where they are quick to take notice of everyone just wrapping up their dinner. Harry deciding it'd be best to do the cake and presents now is quick to start taking in plates - with the assistance of his mother - while Louis sits back down and begins to feed Zayn a pre-made bottle of milk since he didn't eat his food.

The blue eyed man is hardly in his seat for a minute before he feels the presence of someone taking the seat next to him. Once he looked up, though, he wasn't even surprised to see the curly headed aussie lad. There sat Ashton with a smirking grin on his face as he raised a brow at Louis.

"Shut up, you know Zayn hates when you play with your eye brows," Louis says which causes Ashton to laugh.

"I told you going on that holiday at the end of summer was a good idea," Ashton says as he gently rubs a thumb over Zayn's cheek, lightly wiping away the bit of milk that had dribbled out.

"Thank you for that," Louis mumbles as he smiles down at the boy in his arms. "I genuinely mean that, too."

"I know you do. So, other than right now, how has this one been?"

And Louis can only sigh at that. It's not that Zayn had been bad, it's just he hadn't been necessarily good either...and not in the behavioral sense. More in the episode/crying fits sense.

"We're managing," Louis sighs.

"Just remember that my offer to temporarily move in is always available."

Louis nods his head in understanding just as Harry and his mum reappear in the room along with a decent sized cake with fifteen candles spread across it. Slowly everyone begins to sing out Happy Birthday to the boy who Harry could tell was now forcing a half smile. When everyone finished singing Liam was just looking down at his cake with a half sad look, half appreciative one because he knows everyone here was at least trying to help him feel better. So the boy closes his eyes before blowing out a deep breath, getting all the candles out in one try.

From there Harry places a quick kiss to his eldest forehead before beginning to cut up the cake for everyone in the room. As he was distributing the plates out, though, Liam took the chance to talk to Andy for a bit.

"I really appreciate you showing up, Andy," Liam mumbles as he looks down at his cake.

"You're my best friend, Li. I've always got your back," Andy assures while slinging one arm around his friend's shoulder.

"And I don't want you to take this in the wrong way, but, uh, I don't really, uh, feel up to having people over tonight. So like-"

"Liam I get it, don't worry," Andy replies with a small smile. "I'll call my mum to come get me, but just know my phone will be on all night and tomorrow we're gonna show all those people that we didn't need them."

"And this is why you're my best friend," Liam says as he gives the boy a genuine hug this time around.

So with everyone eating cake and having conversation Harry decides to go join Ashton and Louis over in the family room where he had seem them walk off to. However, upon entering the family room area Harry wasn't expecting to see the two with a once again crying Zayn as Louis tried to remove the boy's pants in order to put on what Harry could only assume as a new nappy.

"You know, the top of a laundry machine makes for a good makeshift nappy board," Harry states in a suggestive type voice.

Rather than replying though Louis and Ashton both just stood up from their positions - one grabbing the boy, the other grabbing the nappy bag - before making their way into the laundry room behind the kitchen area. So with the three grown men making their way into the back room, obviously Anne and Gemma took notice which causes the two women to get up only to be met by the sight of two grown adults twirling around while making nonsense noise as the third changed the nappy of a sniffling toddler.