"She's so cute."

"She'd be a lot cuter if she slept."

Harry laughs quietly, eyelids drooping as he leans into Louis' side. Louis has Emily cradled in his arms. The sun has started to come up, warm orange light peeking through the window of Harry's bedroom.

"At least she isn't crying anymore," Harry points out, cheek pressing into Louis' shoulder. Louis hums in agreement, Emily blinking up at him.

Maybe it's how overtired he is, how little sleep they have gotten in the week since she's been born, but Harry feels like he's never been more in love with Louis than right now, as he holds their baby. He looks up at him, skin glowing in the light of the sunrise, and says, "I'm so happy I had a baby with you."

Louis grins, turning his head to press a kiss to the top of Harry's. Harry closes his eyes, and his chest feels warm. "There's no one else I'd rather be up at five in the morning with," Louis says. "Just you 'n our girl."

"I'd rather not be up at five at all, personally," Harry admits. Louis laughs quietly, nodding in agreement. "When did your mum say babies usually start sleeping more?"

"...three months," Louis sighs. Harry groans. "I don't get it. I love to sleep. It's my favourite thing-"

"Besides me."

"Besides you," Louis nods. "Why is she so against it?"

Harry grins, looking back up at Louis again. Most of the time he feels like their parents were right, all those times they told them they're way too young for this. But, when he looks at Louis, glowing in the orange sunlight, he can't help but feel like they're wrong.

"If you wanna go to sleep, you can," Harry says quietly, and when Louis looks down and kisses his forehead, he feels like his heart is glowing. "You're going to be really tired for your first day back at school."

"No way, if you're not sleeping, I'm not sleeping," Louis insists. "We're a team, remember?"

Harry beams, snuggling into Louis' side a little more and looking back down at Emily.

♛

"'M so sleepy."

"I know, bug," Harry kisses the top of Katie's head, bundled up in a little puffer jacket and hat. She clings onto him, eyelids drooping. The sun has just risen, chilly Autumn air biting at his nose. He wonders if they even considered the parents when they made peewee football at 7:30 every Saturday.

Katie just sighs softly, eyes opening a little wider as she grins. "Daddy!"

Harry looks over to see Louis approaching them, and he internally groans. He's happy he's showing up for Emily, but this is also the first game he's been to this season, and he only decided to come when he's looking for her forgiveness.

Katie reaches out to him, and Louis takes her from Harry's hold, grinning as he fixes the knit hat on her head. "Hey, little lady," He greets. "Look at you, all bundled up."

"No mittens," Katie points out, wiggling her fingers in Louis' face. Louis grabs her hand and kisses it, and Katie giggles. Harry would never admit it, but he melts a little watching him be so soft with her. Finally, Louis looks over to Harry, giving him a small smile.

"Hey," He says.

"Hi," Harry forces a tight-lipped smile, stuffing his now empty hands in his coat pockets. They don't say anything else to each other, Harry looking out to the field at Emily.

Emily catches his eye, smiling until she realises Louis is standing next to him. Her smile falls, and she looks away. Harry can hear Louis sigh next to him, but he keeps quiet. Nothing he has to say about the situation will help.

Katie's teeth chatter when the wind picks up, blowing her fringe up against her hat. Louis is quick to unzip his own jacket, tucking her underneath it for an extra layer of warmth. Shivering himself, Harry is admittedly reminiscing on all of the times Louis did that with him when they were younger.

His mobile buzzes in his pocket, pulling him out of his thoughts. It's a text from Luke. He instantly feels warmer, grinning to himself. He giggles a little as he taps out a reply, unable to stop himself from blushing. He feels sixteen years old.

"What's so funny?"

Harry's head snaps up, looking over and seeing that Louis is eyeing him suspiciously. "Oh, nothing. Just a text."

Louis guffaws. "Who do you text? Besides me 'n your mum."

Harry blushes again, this time from embarrassment. Usually he would dismiss mean comments like that, but this time he can't help but be petty. He turns his head, his eyes finding Emily again. "I met a guy," He says.

He sees Louis' head practically whip towards him in the corner of his eye. Katie's droopy eyelids have finally shut, her nose bright red as she sleeps against Louis' chest. "A guy like...you're seeing?"

"I don't think that's really any of your business," Harry responds. Louis' face twists up angrily, looking back at the field, and Harry can't help but smirk a little, knowing he's won.

He thinks about it for a moment, though, and it's not really about winning. It's about doing his best on his side to make everything easier for the girls, and being petty won't do that. So, he sighs, and looks back over to him. Since Katie's sleeping, he asks "So...how's it going? Getting...getting clean 'n everything?"

Louis visibly softens, his hand cradling the back of Katie's head. He sighs as well. "'S...a lot harder than I thought." Harry hums sympathetically. "'Specially since I've been so dependent on 'em for so long..." He glances at Harry before twisting his mouth. "But you already knew that."

"Yeah," Harry says softly. They're quiet for a moment, both of them watching Emily dribble the ball before passing it off to someone else. "She's good, huh?"

"So good," Louis nods, immediately starting to beam, looking so proud. "Told you that little net would pay off."

An image of a tiny football net in the lounge of their first flat crosses Harry's mind. Emily was just two, Louis had come back from the store with it and a little football, neither of which they could afford. Harry had been furious, pregnant with Katie and working hours after his classes to be able to afford their closet-sized flat.

Harry wrinkles his nose, giggling a bit. "Worth not being able to afford groceries for a week?"

"Look at that dribble!" Louis grins. "Absolutely."

Harry's phone buzzes again, and he pulls it out to see another text from Luke.

"Totally off topic but ... I was wondering if you'd let me take you out sometime?"

He feels like his stomach is exploding with butterflies. His cheeks turn burning hot again, trying to hide it by turning his head away, but he can feel Louis' eyes on him. Another text comes in.

"If you think it's weird or it makes you uncomfortable because we work together I totally get it !!"

Harry's beaming at how nice and considerate he is until he's hit with the realisation of how similar to Louis he is (well, Louis when he's clean and sober (so Louis when they were teenagers)). Damnit.

He sighs, staring down at his phone. Is he willing to let himself get hurt again? He knows the chances of Luke becoming an addict like Louis are small, but they're not zero.

Harry shakes his head. Louis' the only person he's ever dated, it's his only experience with dating, so of course he's going to be nervous that they'll all end up like Louis. Luke is a completely different person. After a moment, he taps out a reply.

"I'd love for you to :)"

"Great !! How's Friday?"

"Friday's perfect"

He can't stop smiling, stuffing his phone back into his pocket so he can watch Emily. Louis doesn't say anything, not until the end of the game, when Emily comes running over.

"How'd I do?" She asks excitedly, beaming up at Harry. Harry smiles, fond, grabbing her little face and kissing the top of her head.

"You did wonderful, Em," He assures. "My little superstar."

Emily flushes before her face shifts into something Harry doesn't recognise. She turns to Louis, looking up at him for a moment before saying "Thank you for coming to watch me play, Daddy."

Louis looks surprised, but Harry isn't. He knows his girl, knows just as much as he deserves her anger, she feels bad about hurting his feelings. It takes Louis a second to grin at her.

"'Course! You kicked butt," Louis takes his free hand that isn't holding Katie and holds his fist out. Emily taps it with her own, grinning, curls falling out of her ponytail and framing her face.

Katie's eyes blink open, and she whimpers, pressing her face further into Louis' chest. "So cold," She mumbles.

"Poor lass," Louis kisses the top of her head. "Papa'll get you in the car, 's much warmer."

He passes Katie off to Harry, and she clings onto him, closing her eyes again. "Alright, well," Louis smiles at them, but it seems a little forced. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, yeah?"

"Ice cream?" Katie grumbles, blinking lazily. Harry can't help but laugh, and Louis' smile turns into a more genuine one, shaking his head.

"'S that all I'm good for? Getting you ice cream?"He asks.

"'N Macca's," Katie adds on. Harry raises his eyebrows at him, Louis' face falling.

"You've been getting them McDonald's?" He asks. Louis holds his wrist up and looks at it. He's not wearing a watch.

"Well, 've got to get going, then," He says quickly, already stepping back. "See you guys tomorrow."

Harry shakes his head as Louis walks away backwards, watching as he shoots Emily a wink. Emily grins, a hopeful look in her eyes when he smiles at her before turning around. He wants to be mad, but he's in such a good mood about Luke asking him out, he just grins and takes Emily's hand and walks her towards the parking lot.