the one where artist!harry and workaholic y/n share a child, but can't stand each other. 6.2k
patreon: harryforvogue
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The doorbell rings and Harry's heart begins to accelerate. When he opens the door and stands back to let the toddler and young woman in, he remembers what it feels to have a family.
Out of all of Harry's favorite sounds in the world, this one is his favorite. It's not the applause when he unveils a new painting at a show, or the sound of a check ripping when someone buys his art.
He doesn't get to hear this sound every day, but when he does, it warms him up immediately and fills him with all the love in the world. The source of this sound is the purest thing he's ever come across, and he's proud to say he is half of the person.
Little feet move against the hardwood floor. His daughter has just learned to walk, but it's as if she's decided to perfect her run before anything else. Two tiny hands touch his jeans and then the melodious sound is back. He peeks down at his child and smiles down at the baby.
"Da!" she giggles as Harry places his hands under her armpits and lifts her up easily, setting her on his hip.
"Hi, my love!" he exclaims as if it's been weeks since he's seen his daughter. "How are you?"
His daughter buries her face in his curls and hides away. Harry presses a hard kiss to her hair and then lets his eyes wander to the other person in front of him.
He wonders when Y/N became "the other parent" to him. He wonders when she'd decided to cut her hair to that length and when she decided to wear eyeliner without mascara. She awkwardly stands to the side while Harry cuddles his baby, swaying.
"Hey," he says to his ex girlfriend.
She smiles back at him, but it's clearly forced. "I'll come back Friday. Thanks for doing this."
"Don't have to thank me for taking my baby for a few extra days." He pauses for a second after she nods. "It's for work you said?"
A brief moment of hesitation passes over her face. "Sort of." She gets her shoulder go lax so the bag resting on her slips down to her hand. She holds out the bag. "Here. Some of her favorite toys and a few extra diapers."
Harry shakes his head. "That's alright. I have all her favorite stuff here too. And what kind of dad would I be if I didn't have diapers?"
She sighs and drops the bag onto the floor anyways. "Well, keep them just in case."
"I just bought a new pack of diapers when she was over last week. I know what I'm doing."
"I didn't say you don't. I'm just saying in case there's an emergency. Plus, there's extra bottles and formula in there--"
"I have formula here too. I don't live in the middle of nowhere y'know? I know what my daughter needs." His voice comes out a little harsher than he intends, but the words are already out, so he can't shove them back into his mouth. He can just watch their impact on his ex girlfriend.
"I'm not here to argue with you," she says quietly, jaw tight. "There's extra pacifiers in there too."
"I have pa--"
"I don't care if you have them or not. They're there if you need them, alright?" She takes a deep breath to calm herself down, but it doesn't help because irritation is already running through her body. Her tone is even harsher than his, and his eyes are wide as if he's stunned she's really used that voice with him.
