Harry finds their roles reversed the next day when he gets the pleasure of watching Nick dote on Rose as he helps Olivia out in the kitchen, attempting to bake cinnamon rolls while still keeping an eye on the two of them. He thought he'd eventually get over how adorable Nick is with kids, but apparently, his fascination with observing him is only growing by the second.

They had spent most of the morning with Jane, Olivia, and Rose, giving Harry plenty of time to ogle over both Nick and the baby. They had all agreed on going sightseeing since the weather was so nice. The group of them had spent hours wandering around the beautiful scenery until Rose had gotten too tired to continue. Now that they're home again, Nick's stretched out with his niece on the sofa, and as much as Harry enjoys baking, he's very tempted to abandon his kitchen duties so he can join them.

"You know that's salt right, not sugar," Olivia nudges Harry gently. He shakes his head groggily when she speaks, realizing that he is indeed blindly reaching for the salt which will ruin the pastries if it's added.

"Thanks," Harry grins sheepishly, "need to pay more attention to what I'm doing."

"I don't blame you for being distracted, he's good with her," she nods her head in Nick's direction. Harry blushes like he's been caught doing something naughty, and in a way, it feels like he has. He's still not entirely used to being able to openly share his adoration for the other man, not after being forced to keep their relationship secret for so long. "So are you. You two will make good parents one day."

Harry's face flushes even hotter, his tongue lying uselessly in his mouth as he tries to fumble out a reply. "You - uh...thank you."

"Too personal?" Liv asks. "Sorry, I have the habit of doing that. Didn't mean to pry though."

"No - you're lovely, I promise you. I'm the one being rude," Harry apologizes instantly. "Usually I can't talk about things like this with anyone besides him, so it just caught me off guard."

"Doesn't that drive you a bit mental?" she asks in a curious tone. "I mean, you two seem to be dealing well, but having to be so hush-hush all the time would wear me down."

"Yes and no," Harry replies slowly. "I mean - it does get frustrating, but at least this way, we aren't bothered too much. I don't know if you remember the one time we decided to be a bit more blatant with our relationship. It was a few years back, but Nick got loads of hate for it, and nothing was ever even confirmed. I'd do anything to protect him from experiencing that again, especially since it'll be worse if we tell people we're actually together."

"You're a sweetheart," Liv coos, "but Nick's a big boy. He can take care of himself, and I think he knows that's part of the package that comes with dating a pop star."

"Yeah...I've thought about hinting at attempting to go public sometime soon, I just don't want to lose him," Harry admits. He peers into the other room to see if Nick is within earshot, but he sees no sign of either him or Rose. "The media is shit, and the things they say affect him, even if he swears they don't."

Olivia doesn't seem to know what to say in response to that, so they cook in silence for a while, the beating of their whisks and the beeping of the oven timer the only sound in the humid kitchen. Harry's thoughts are screaming though, they're getting louder by the second until they are all he can hear.

Olivia is right, Nick isn't the same person he was when Harry first met him, and neither is their relationship. They're stronger now, and he believes that they can beat any negative attention they receive this time around as long as they band together instead of letting it tear them apart. It would be worth it to be able to walk around London without having to dodge the paparazzi and fans at every turn, at least, Harry thinks it would be.

Nick enters the kitchen just then, a beaming smile on his face as he seats himself at the small table in the corner. "Rose is down for her nap," he announces proudly.

"Wow," Olivia pretends to be shocked, "didn't think you could actually do it. Guess you aren't that bad of an uncle after all."

"Excuse me, I am the best uncle ever and you know it," Nick scoffs playfully, pulling his sunglasses down over his eyes to emphasize his statement.

"Oh my god - stay like that," Liv laughs, dusting off her hands as she pulls out her phone, opening up Instagram and snapping a picture of Nick's smug face.

"Is there something in the Grimshaw genes that makes you all like documenting things on Instagram?" Harry teases. He moves across the room so he can see the photo Olivia is showing to Nick, asking for his approval to post it.

"Of course Styles," Nick answers flippantly. "Liv still has a lot to learn though. This definitely needs a caption."

"Hey, I was getting there," Liv protests, but she still lets Nick confiscate her phone without argument.

Harry sinks down next to Nick as he starts playing with the picture, adding the word "legend" in massive letters at the bottom, followed by "Nick rules" and "wish I was him" all in different fonts.

"Let me do some," Harry pleads, taking the mobile from Nick when he hands it to him. Harry debates on what he's going to contribute for a second, finally deciding on "world's best uncle" and "so handsome" before returning the phone to Nick.

"Now you've got a weird empty space right here," Liv points out, snatching her phone back from them both, typing "so cool" in the aforementioned spot. "That's perfect," she announces while posting the now overly captioned selfie to her story. "Alright, it's up, so shoo Nick. The world has been informed of your amazing uncle skills, and you're distracting Harry. I need him to help me finish dinner."

"Hey, I can be useful too," Nick protests. Harry arches one of his eyebrows doubtfully. He's seen Nick's cooking skills at work, and although he's not awful, he's a bit more of a detriment in the kitchen than an asset most of the times.

"Why don't you go keep an eye on Rose, she might wake up," Harry suggests delicately, not wanting to insult Nick's culinary skills in front of his family. "We're almost done here anyway, just got to get the desert going."

"Fine, I see how it is," Nick pretends to be upset, "but you better save me the extra batter to lick at, or I will be very cross with you."

"Have I ever not?" Harry grins, pulling Nick in for a quick kiss that leaves his stomach in knots.

Harry feels like bubbles are erupting through his bloodstream by the time Nick pulls away. He quickly returns to his baking before Olivia can say anything, but he maintains a permanent smile on his face the entire time.