Louis is exhausted.

Between being up all night with the baby and working all day at the construction site, he's surprised he hasn't collapsed by now. He can't imagine how tired Harry is.

He opens the door to their flat to see Harry laying on the sofa with Gracie laying on his chest, his laptop on his lap. He looks up at Louis with sleepy eyes, giving him a small smile. "Hi. How was work?"

Louis decides not to complain, instead shrugging off his jacket and hanging it up on the coat rack. "It was fine. A little cold," He walks over to the sofa and lifts Gracie up, grinning and kissing the top of her head. "And how are you? Have you been good for Papa, Gracie Mae?"

"She has a nappy rash. Again," Harry mumbles.

"Do you have a rashy butt, G?" Louis coos, and Harry giggles. Louis leans down and presses a kiss to the top of Harry's head the same way he did with Gracie. "How's your paper?"

"It's...okay," Harry sighs. "I feel like it could be better," He looks up at Louis. "Will you read it?"

Louis raises his eyebrows. "You sure you want me to read it? I don't know that I'd be much help."

"Yes," Harry assures sternly. "You're smart. I feel like you could figure out why this doesn't sound right."

Louis blushes a little, sitting down on the sofa and holding Gracie on his chest with one hand, taking Harry's laptop from him with the other. His eyes widen. "Fourteen pages?!"

"Yeah," Harry giggles, sitting up straight and leaning into Louis' side. "I'm probably going to take a lot of it out."

"Hm," Louis starts to read it until Gracie starts to fuss. "I can get her."

"No, it's okay," Harry assures, lifting Gracie up off Louis' chest and cradling her against his own. "She probably needs her nappy changed. I'll be right back."

Harry brings Gracie upstairs to change her, and that leaves Louis to read Harry's paper. He can see immediately that the introduction isn't long enough, so he grabs Harry's notebook and pen off the coffee table and writes it down. As he reads, he take notes, pointing out everything he liked and thought could be better until Harry comes back.

"Done," Louis announces, ripping the notebook paper out and handing it to Harry. Harry grins.

"You took notes," He observes. "Lots of notes."

"Ha, yeah," Louis blushes again, smiling sheepishly. Harry takes his laptop back, looking at Louis' notes and back at his paper.

"...Really good notes," He raises his eyebrows. "You're so right about the intro, I completely missed that."

Louis grins as Harry plops down on the sofa. "Where's Gracie?"

"She was tired, I put her in the cot and she was out in seconds," He says. "That means she'll probably be up all night."

"Ah," Louis nods. Harry reads the rest of Louis' notes before turning his head and kissing him.

"I'm using these," He says. "All of them. I don't know how I didn't see some of these before. I should just have you edit all of my papers from now on."

"Are you sure?" Louis furrows his eyebrows.

"Yes," Harry assures firmly. "You're so smart, baby, what would I do without you?"

Louis knows Harry doesn't know the impact of what he just said, how much it means to him, but his whole body warm and light from the praise. It's quiet for a moment before Gracie starts to cry from upstairs, and Harry sighs. "That didn't last long."

"I'll get her," Louis says, kissing Harry's cheek before standing up off the couch.

♛

"Who was that?"

Louis sets his phone down on the counter, passing Harry a cuppa before picking up his own. "That was Gracie's daycare teacher. Apparently she's been kissing boys."

Harry puts his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. "Kissing boys?" He questions, and Louis nods, closing his eyes and sighing.

"We're going to have to say something to her, huh?" Louis mumbles, and Harry nods, taking a sip of his tea. He looks at least a little relaxed for the first time in a while. He came home a little after five. Louis can't even describe how excited he was when Harry actually came home on time. "Gracie, could you come in here for a mo'?"

Gracie walks into the kitchen, still wearing her little uniform for school. "C'mere, bug," Louis says, and she giggles when he lifts her up and sits her on the kitchen island. "Your teacher just called me."

"Gracie Mae, have you been kissing boys at daycare?" Harry asks, and he can't help but smile just a little as he does.

"Mhm," Gracie nods. "Tommy and Alex and Ahmad."

Louis presses his lips together, nodding slowly. He's not quite sure how to handle this. "Okay, that's...wonderful, pet, but you can't kiss boys at daycare. Or anybody."

"Why?" Gracie asks. "I asked them if I could."

"Well, I'm very glad you asked permission, but it's a rule at daycare," Louis explains. Harry giggles a little from where he's sitting at the table. "You can't kiss people. It spreads germs, you could get sick."

"But you and Papa kiss," Gracie points out.

"Well, that's different, G. Papa and I are married."

"So I'll marry them."

"All three of them?" Harry asks, grinning. "That sounds like a lot of work, love, don't you think?"

Gracie twists her mouth, thinking. "Maybe just Ahmad."

"I see," Harry nods. "So, where are you and Ahmad going to live once you get married?"

"With you," Gracie says, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm sorry, but once you get married you can't live with Papa and Daddy anymore," Harry shrugs casually. "You'll have to find somewhere else to live. That's what me and Daddy did."

"Oh," Gracie frowns, twisting her mouth again in thought. "Then...maybe I won't get married."

"Then that means no kissing," Harry points out. If Louis had taken over this conversation, it would have been more of a stern talking-to. Harry's much calmer. Louis loves that about him.

"That's okay," Gracie decides. "I wanna live here."

"Good," Louis pinches Gracie's cheek lightly, making her giggle. "We'd miss you too much. Now, do you want some chicken nuggets for dinner?"

Gracie shakes her head. "No. I don't eat those anymo'."

"Why not?" Louis furrows his eyebrows.

"I'm a veg...veggie...veggie-hair-ian?"

"Vegetarian?" Harry giggles, and Gracie nods. "Ah. When did this happen?"

"Today," Gracie says, kicking her little legs up in the air. "Eloise is a veggie-hair-ian, I wanna be one too."

"Gracie..." Louis sighs, trying to think of what to say. "You can't-"

"Okay," Harry interrupts. "Sure. How about some pasta, then?"

"Okay!" Gracie grins. "I'm gon' go watch Mickey."

"I'll let you know when dinner's ready," Harry laughs a little as Louis helps her off the counter, and she runs to the lounge.

"Are we really letting her be a vegetarian?" Louis asks.

"Why not?" Harry shrugs. "She's expressing herself. If she decides she doesn't want to anymore, she can stop. Who cares?"

"I give it two days," Louis mumbles, taking a sip of his tea.

"Have a little faith in her," Harry grins. "I was one for four years."

"But you stopped," Louis points out. "Because you hated it."

"I did not hate it," Harry huffs. "I just had to stop because I wasn't getting enough protein when I was pregnant."

"Sure," Louis snickers.

"You know what?" Harry says, indignant. "Fine. I'll start again. Right now."

"For real?" Louis laughs, raising his eyebrows. Harry nods, stubborn. "Alright, solidarity. I respect it. I'll make you some pasta too."

"You don't have to, L," Harry assures, tone shifting from stern to soft in a matter of seconds. "You're tired. It's okay. I can do it."

"It's fine, love," Louis assures, getting a pot out of the cabinet over the sink. "I think the meds Miriam gave me are working–I slept for seven hours last night."

"That's awesome, baby," Harry smiles, and Louis smiles back at him with pride.

♛

"Will you sing, Daddy?" Gracie asks softly, eyelids drooping already. She's snuggled against Harry's chest, holding a stuffed rabbit to her own. Louis sits criss-cross at the end of her bed, grabbing his guitar from where it's leaning against the wall. He left it there the night before.

"Two nights in a row?" He grins, setting the guitar in his lap. "Okay. Hm. Do you have one in mind, or should I pick?"

"You pick!" Gracie insists.

"Okay," Louis chuckles, thinking for a second before moving his hand to strum the guitar. "Boys workin' on empty, is that the kinda way to face the burning heat?" He looks up at Harry and sings, "I just think about my baby, I'm so full of love I could barely eat,"

Harry smiles, running his fingers through Gracie's curls. Louis continues to sing while Gracie's eyes close. "There's nothing sweeter than my baby, I'd never want once from the cherry tree, 'cause my baby's sweet as can be, he gives me tooth aches just from kissin' me,"

By the time Louis' done, Gracie's asleep, and Harry's close as well. Gently, Louis sets his guitar down on the floor, leaning against the wall, and crawls off the bed. He grabs Harry's arm gently. "C'mon, love. Let's get you to bed."

"'M not tired," Harry insists, yawning almost immediately after. Louis chuckles softly, helping Harry off the bed before turning Gracie's light off.

They make their way to their bedroom, Harry snuggling into Louis almost as soon as they're laying down. "I love you," Harry mumbles into Louis' chest. Louis smiles to himself.

"I love you too, H," He says back. "'M glad things are good."

"I missed you," Harry says softly. "I missed this."

"Me too," Louis replies, brushing a curl out of Harry's face. Harry opens his eyes and looks up at him, swallowing thickly.

"I think. I want another baby," He says after a moment. Louis blinks.

"Like...now?" He asks.

"No," Harry assures. "No, but. Soon. If we can keep this up, stay in a good place long enough. I don't think we're there yet, and it's still too soon after..." Harry clears his throat. "I think we should ask Miriam what she thinks."

Louis doesn't really give a shit about what Miriam had to say about him impregnating his husband, to be honest, but he nods, because it's what Harry wants. "Sure, love," He says.

"I don't want to wait to have another when until Gracie's, like, ten," Harry says. "Six years is already a big age gap."

"Me and Lottie are six years apart," He points out.

"That's true," Harry says softly.

"We can think about it a little more, okay?" Louis kisses the top of Harry's head. "And ask Miriam what she thinks."

"M'kay," Harry closes his eyes again. "Thanks, L."

Louis grins to himself, kissing the top of Harry's head again. "Of course."

i don't like this chapter & it's kind of a filler but more eventful updates are coming ur way <3