twenty-five: mud pies

"Mummy, when Daddy come home?" Nathan asks, looking up from his coloring book and at Louis with a bored expression. Louis and Nathan were sitting on Johannah's back porch while Ethan was making mud pits in the back yard, Quinn was down for her nap so it gave Louis some time to think. Louis wasn't really paying attention to what Nathan was saying, a little too caught up in his own thoughts. Nathan didn't seem to appreciate the fact that Louis was ignoring him, letting out a huff as he stands up from the floor. He pretty much throws himself into Louis' lap, causing Louis to jump a little and wince when Nathan's elbow hits his chest. 

"What are you doing, Nate?" Louis asks, looking down at Nathan who throws his arms out dramatically. 

"I am bored. Ethan will not play with me, so I want Daddy." Nathan says, pouting up at Louis as he lets out a sigh. 

"I don't know when your father is going to be home." Louis says after a moment, running his hands through Nathan's hair as he lets out another dramatic sigh. 

"Make him come home then, I am bored." 

"Well hello bored, I'm Mum." Louis teases, seeming to fall into a better mood now. Nathan glares at Louis, shaking his head a little as he does so. 

"Not funny." 

"I'm very funny, even funnier than your father. Wanna hear another joke?" Louis asks, letting out a surprised laugh when Nathan quickly starts to scramble off Louis' lap. Louis wraps his arms around Nathan before he gets the chance to get very far, letting out a whine when Louis starts to pepper his face with kisses. 

"Mummy, stop." Nathan whines out, trying to squirm away from Louis but Louis just holds him tighter. A mud covered Ethan walks into the room at that point, a bright smile on his face which seemed to grow when he noticed what appeared to be a cuddle puddle. Before Louis even got the chance to protest, Ethan came rushing towards them, earning a shriek of Nathan when he realizes his brother was coming towards him. 

"Ethan, don't you da-" Louis starts, looking at Ethan with wide and terrified eyes as Ethan jumps on his lap, getting mud on not only Nathan but Louis too. Ethan didn't seem to care though, giggling uncontrollably as Nathan keeps screaming at him to get off. Louis can't help but laugh along too, something about the twins always put a smile on Louis' face.  Louis only takes a break from laughing when his mum comes outside with the phone in her hand.

"It's Zayn." She says, handing the phone over to Louis who answers it with a smile. 

"Hey, what's up?" He asks, letting out a giggle when Ethan places a sloppy kiss on his cheek. 

"Glad to know we're on speaking terms again." Zayn teases, earning an eye roll from Louis who is once again distracted by the twins. 

"Yeah, yeah...Well all things considering, I understand why you did what you did.... still doesn't mean I'm happy about you lying to me though. Now are you going to tell me why you're calling?" Louis asks, watching as Ethan chases after Nathan after he finally wiggled himself off of Louis' lap. 

"Can you pick me up from the airport?"

"When?"

"Right now. My flight just landed a few minutes ago so I still gotta go through baggage claim." Zayn says and Louis stands up from the ground. 

"Okay, I'll be there in a little while. The twins need a bath and well... so do I if I'm being honest. Ethan thought it would be a great idea to make some mud pies." Louis says and Zayn could practically hear the smile through the phone. 

"You know what... How about I have Harry pick me up? I need to stop by the office anyways, so he can give me a lift there and you can pick me up after you've gotten the kids bathed. We can go to dinner as a family." Zayn says, his voice holding a hopeful tone to it. 

"Yeah, sure. Just text me when you're ready and I'm sure we'll be ready by then. I love you, Zayn." Louis says, biting down on his bottom lip as he smiles. 

"I love you too. I'll see you soon." Zayn says before hanging up the phone. He looks over towards Harry who's got a disappointed expression on his face as he pulls out of the airport parking lot.

"What?" Zayn asks as Harry shakes his head. 

"You can't keep lying to him." 

"I'm not lying, you're picking me up from the airport and taking me to the office. Where's the lie in that?" Zayn asks and Harry lets out a long sigh as he risks a glance over at Zayn. 

"You're not going to tell him the real reason why you're going and that's why I'm saying you can't keep lying to him. He's going to find out eventually, Zayn. I don't get how you keep forgetting that and I don't get why you keep doing it." Harry says and Zayn rolls his eyes. 

"Why is it any of your business anyways, Harry? This is my marriage." 

"And he's my best friend, so stop f ucking everything up by lying to him. So you need to tell him what it is you're really doing, or I'm going to for you." 

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ha what even.

idk what i'm doing rn.

dedication goes to 1DIrwinx

qotc: don't have one so I guess just comment your favorite thing about this chapter.

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connie xx