Harry starts his morning being sat on. Which, really, isn't that unusual. Still, he groans, burying his face into his pillow. He feels a little finger poking at his cheek.

"Papa!" A little voice demands. Sighing, he blinks his eyes open, squinting up at the tiny figure sat between his hips. It's Katie, no doubt about it. Emily would never give him such a rude awakening.

"Wassit?" Harry grunts, rubbing his eyes. The sun is barely high enough to shine through the windows of his bedroom, and there's a cool, Autumn shiver to the air that tells him it's pretty early.

"Daddy's coming today!" Katie squeaks, beaming down at Harry. Harry sighs again, softer this time, and grabs Katie by her hips. He lifts her up off of himself and instead lays her down next to him, wrapping her up in his arms.

"Daddy might come today," He corrects, voice still soft and raspy with sleep. Because, his ex-boyfriend, Katie's dad, is notoriously unreliable. There have been numerous times he's claimed take the girls, Katie and their other daughter Emily, out on a certain day, and then never showed up. He wishes he'd stop telling the girls directly and go through Harry instead. "But not until noon, so how about we get some more sleep?"

Katie just snuggles into Harry's chest, and he grins to himself, kissing the top of her head. "I like when Daddy comes," Katie says. "He gets us ice cream!"

"I know he does," Harry mumbles into Katie's blonde hair, keeping his grip on her tight. He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping Louis shows up that day. He can't deal with the aftermath of another no-show; the tears and heartbreak from both of the girls.

He knows in his heart Louis is a good person. He was pregnant with Emily by the time he was seventeen, and Louis was the sweetest, most supportive partner Harry could've ever imagined, even though he was just a kid as well. It only got bad when Emily was around two.

He doesn't know what happened. Maybe he was hanging out with the wrong crowd, or realised he was tied down for the rest of his life at only nineteen, but he started to drink. A lot. Which, Harry understood, and tried to help him through it. But drinking turned into partying, which turned into drugs, which turned into being an incredibly absent father.

And now, five years later, here Harry is. He's done pretty well for himself, a marketer at a publishing company, with a novel he's trying to get published, and Louis is the same as he was five years ago. Drinking, smoking, partying. He has the decency to drop in once in a while, and take the girls out for ice cream or to the zoo. But, for the most part, Harry's on his own.

He tries not to think about it too much, focusing on Katie's rhythmic breathing, her little chest rising and falling as she drifts back to sleep. He kisses the top of her head again, lighter this time, and follows her lead.

♛

"Katie Johannah, get your little bum back here and get your trousers on!"

Katie giggles and runs down the corridor, her lower half stark naked. Harry blames Louis' genes. He chases after her into Emily's room, where she's tying her trainers, a pair of underpants in his hands.

"Katie, if you don't get back here, I'm telling Daddy no ice cream," Harry warns, Emily watching the two of them with wide eyes. She doesn't interfere, though, her eyes shifting back and forth between Harry and Katie cautiously.

"Nooo!" Katie pouts.

"Then come here," Harry orders, but he's grinning, fond. Katie, defeated, stomps back over to him, and let's him get her into her little cupcake underpants. It's then the front door opens, and Katie gasps.

"Daddy!" She cheers, running out of the room to go greet Louis, still not wearing any trousers. Harry sighs, the corduroy dungarees in his hand as he looks at Emily and shakes his head.

"You should just let her go like that," Emily suggests, grinning up at Harry. There's a big gap where her front tooth should be. It makes Harry's heart melt a little.

"It'd certainly be easier," He smiles back at her, following her out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Louis is standing there, holding Katie on his hip.

"We just letting the kids go starkers now, Harold?" He gives Harry a lopsided smile. It's charming, for sure, and almost works until Harry realises he's fifteen minutes late. At least he came.

"I told her she's not getting any ice cream unless she cooperates," Harry holds up the dungarees. Katie pouts and leans her head on Louis' shoulder.

"He's right, babe," Louis says, setting Katie down so Harry can get her into her trousers. Emily stands by Harry, quiet until Louis looks to her and acknowledges her. "Emily, you get taller since last week?"

"No," Emily shakes her head with a giggle, curls shaking along with it. She's so quiet, and soft, and submissive, and it worries Harry to no end. She reminds him way too much of himself. He doesn't want her to get fooled by someone the way he let Louis fool him. He refuses to let his daughter be manipulated by someone like that.

Louis holds his arms out for a hug, and she walks into his hold, smiling wider when he kisses her forehead. "You're gettin' way too big, what's Papa feedin' you? Too many veggies."

"He makes me eat all my broccoli 'n carrots," Emily wrinkles her nose. Louis scoffs playfully.

"How dare he!" He gives Harry a teasing grin as he gets Katie into her dungarees. Harry returns it, although it's much weaker than Louis'. "Alright, we ready to go?"

"Papa, you should come!" Emily chirps, clasping her hands together. Harry twists his mouth, tying Katie's little shoes.

"I don't know, I have some stuff I was gonna do around the house," Harry says, standing up straight and smiling at Louis awkwardly. "I can't wait to hear all about it, though."

"Oh, c'mon, Hazza," Louis lifts Katie up again, balancing her on his hip. Harry frowns. "It'll be funnn! I'll even buy you some ice cream too, if you behave."

Louis winks. Harry's cheek flush, and he tucks one of his longer curls behind his ear. He can't wait for the day Louis doesn't have that effect on him anymore. He looks back down at Emily, who's eyes are big and green and sparkling, and he caves. "Um," Harry sighs. "Okay. Yeah. Okay, I can come."

"Sick," Louis smirks, giving Katie a little bounce. "Let's roll, gang."

♛

Sitting in Louis' passenger seat, watching him and his backwards hat and his lopsided grin, Harry feels a lot like he did when he was seventeen. Shy and helpless and mesmerised by him. He's not in love with him. But, you can't deny that Louis is beautiful, the kind of person you can just sit and admire. He felt the same way at sixteen.

That is, until Louis turns to Harry and asks "You sick or summat?"

"Hm?" Harry furrows his eyebrows.

"You just look a little worn down," Louis shrugs, and then turns up his music. Something about fucking bitches and getting bands. Harry leans forward and turns the volume all the way down, frowning.

"No, 'm just a little tired," He says softly, glancing in the side mirror and tucking his hair behind his ear self-consciously. He didn't think he looked that bad. "You can't play that kind of stuff with the girls in the car."

"'S not like they're paying attention," Louis says dismissively. Harry looks glances in the rear view mirror and sees Emily looking up at them, eyes wide with curiosity. She's clearly listening, even to their slightly passive aggressive arguing. Harry chooses not to say anything for her sake, leaning back in the passenger seat and staring out the window.

"I didn't mean to be, you know, rude or anything," Louis says after a moment, glancing back at Harry. "You always look wonderful," Harry blushes. "Just a little...under the weather?"

Harry gives him a shy smile. "Just a little tired, promise," He assures quietly.

"I wanna listen to Frozen!" Katie squeaks from the backseat.

"Sorry, love, don't have any of that," Louis chuckles. "I can play you some Pop Smoke, though."

"No thank youuu," Katie sing-songs, and Harry can't help but grin fondly.

♛

"They've certainly got the Tomlinson energy."

Harry grins to himself, and Louis sits down on the bench next to him, watching Emily help Katie go down one of the big slides. "'S right," Harry agrees. "Always have."

Louis fixes his baseball hat, a bit of his hair poking out the hole in the front. "Emily looks just like you," He mentions, bumping their knees together. "She's got your eyes," Harry looks at him, and Louis smiles. "'Ve always loved your eyes."

As much as Harry's mind is telling him to just sit there and smile, like he's trained himself to do, he can't help but frown. He can't let Louis think he's off the hook because he took them out for ice cream once in two weeks. So, he says, "You'd see them a lot more if you were around more often."

Louis deflates a little, clearly not expecting that. He sighs, looking down at his lap. "Y've always got to bring it back to that, eh? I was just trying to be nice."

Harry is sick of this. He's gaslighting him, trying to make him feel like he's the irrational one here. He crosses his arms over his chest. "I'm never letting this go," He says, voice measured and sturdy to hide the shakiness behind it. Louis shakes his head.

"Look, I took you all out, I'm getting you ice cream," Louis huffs. "I'm trying."

"Great, you got us ice cream," Harry laughs bitterly. "Where's the other thousands of pounds you owe me for child support? You know, you are so lucky I don't take you to court-"

Harry stops when he looks back at Emily and Katie, both of them giggling and looking like they're having the time of their lives. He sighs, deflating a little and swallowing his words. "I know you're trying," He says after a moment. "I know you think it's enough. It's not."

"I'm trying," Louis pouts, as if Harry hadn't just said that. "'S not easy for me, you know that. Changing yourself isn't easy."

Harry is about to say something nasty, like how Louis was able to change himself into a pill-head real quick, but he looks back at Emily and Katie again. He can't do this in front of them. So, he bites his tongue. "Try harder," Is all he says.

Louis doesn't argue with him, instead crossing his arms and looking ahead of him. His phone starts to go off in his pocket, and he takes it out before declining the call. Harry raises an eyebrow at him, and Louis clears his throat. "'S, uh, my girlfriend. Didn't want you to go all mama bear on me, though."

Harry really does not give a shit that Louis has a girlfriend. The 'mama bear' comment makes him wince. He frowns, looking down at his lap. "You could've answered," He says softly. Louis raises an eyebrow, but doesn't make another jab at him.

"Was actually gonna talk to you about her," He admits, fixing his baseball hat. "I was wondering if I could have the girls meet her."

Harry twists his mouth. "How long have you been seeing her?" He knows he'll regret asking when he hears the answer.

"A month."

Yup. "I'll have to think about that," Harry admits. He doesn't want to say no just for the sake of saying no, but he also doesn't know how he feels about Emily and Katie meeting a girl he's been seeing for one month.

"Alright, sick," Louis grins, as if Harry had said yes. He has a feeling he's going to regret not saying no right away.

♛

"Papa?"

"Yes, pumpkin?"

"Anya's mummy and daddy are getting married," Emily says, brushing her hair as Harry gets Katie into her little pyjamas. "I wish you and Daddy would get married. It's a shame you don't like each other."

Harry blinks, brushing Katie's hair out of her face. "I like Daddy just fine," He assures. Katie, sleepy-eyed and soft, leans into the touch, and Harry grins.

"So why don't you get married?" Emily asks.

"Well," Harry sighs, scooping Katie up and holding her where he's sitting on top of the toilet-lid. "'S because Daddy and I are...just friends. We don't feel that way about each other."

"I wish you did," Emily pouts. Harry frowns, kissing the top of Katie's head when she yawns into his shoulder. He wishes he could give them that; a stable, happy home with two parents who love each other.

"I'm sorry, Em," He says softly.

"It's okay," Emily says, putting the hairbrush back in the drawer. "You're coola than Anya's Mummy and Daddy."

Harry grins, although he still feels a heaviness in his stomach as he carries Katie with him to Emily's room. Emily and Katie's home life is already fucked up enough, to be honest. He doesn't feel good about bringing anyone else into the mix, much less a girl Louis' been seeing for a month. So, after a few stories and goodnight kisses, Harry retreats to his own room and dials Louis up on his mobile.

"'Ello?"

"Hi," Harry exhales, biting the curve of his thumb. "Hey. It's me. I, um, I thought about it. The whole...girlfriend situation. And...I don't think it's a good idea."

"Are you fuckin' kidding me, Harry?"

"What?" Harry asks, voice small as he sits down on the edge of his bed. "You...you said I could think about it, and I did."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think you'd have the gall to say no!"

"I just don't think it's a good idea..." Harry winces. "Maybe in a few months, when y've been together for a little longer. But, for now, Katie's just started school, and you know she doesn't handle change well."

"So meeting my girlfriend is going to send her into overdrive? You're overreacting, and you're taking out your...your jealousy on me."

"Jealousy?" Harry gawks. "I'm just trying to consider what's best for the kids."

"You're using them to take your anger out on me."

"Stop that," Harry raises his voice a little, standing back up off the bed in the heat of his rage. "Stop gaslighting me. I'm not jealous, I don't give a shit about your girlfriend. I don't think them meeting her is what's best for them. You asked what I thought, and that's what I think, and at the end of the day, after everything you've put me through, it's my call. Whether you like it or not."

"Whatever. Glad I finally found someone who actually cares about me and what I think, instead of only caring about their massive power-trip."

"I care about you," Harry says softly. "You know that."

"I don't feel like it."

Harry knows Louis is manipulating him, but he can't help but feel bad. He takes a deep breath and says quietly, "They're not meeting her. Not at this point. That's final."

"Great. Hope you're happy," Louis hangs up. Harry sighs shakily, setting his phone down on the duvet and burying his face in his hands.

OKAY WHAT DO WE THINK