In Another Life - Zarry

Through dusk, dawn, and forever

Quiet.

The house was too unusually quiet for a Saturday morning in the Malik household.

To be honest Zayn is pretty bummed about not having his family welcome him home after an eight-week trip but it was his idea to surprise them anyway. What he didn't expect is this grave silence enveloping him as soon as he stepped in.

He took a shower and was dumping his clothes for laundry when the front door opened after an hour.

"Call Baba, call BABA!!", his five-year-old's voice boomed through the house.

"Bahbah!!", his almost two-year-old babbled excitedly, making him chuckle as he walked down the hallway.

"Calm down my loves", Harry chuckled. "Let's get you both inside, come on."

They were already in the living room when Zayn walked past the kitchen to hide near the doorway.

"It's 10 30 babes", Harry said, in a pleading voice. "So that means it's 2 am in LA, baba has to sleep, no?"

"Yeah", Cindy, his five-year-old, sighed dramatically.

"Bahbah", Alec, his almost two-year-old, whimpered like he was in physical pain. "Want, baba", he started to wail straight away.

It was harder for Alec than for Cindy, to be without Zayn. Only last week Harry admitted that it's hard for him to put him back to sleep when he wakes up at 2 in the morning asking for Zayn.

One thing Zayn doesn't like about Harry is that he never cares for himself. In all these years of marriage and all those years of dating he never cared about himself, it's always about Zayn, his dreams and his happiness with Harry.

So when Zayn told him about the offer he got for this literature program he always wanted to attend, Harry was over the moon for Zayn's achievement. It's quite an achievement though because Zayn always wanted to attend this program even as a student. But for some reason, he couldn't make it then but he did it now, as a Professor.

Harry threatened to pack him in a jute sack and fly him to LA himself if Zayn refused to go for his and the kids' sake. He said his kids didn't want him to lose his dreams because of them and Zayn knows he's right. So like always, he did whatever his heart said, whatever his Harry said.

"Please don't cry baby", Harry picked up Alec and placed him on his hip.

"Baba is sleeping muffin", Cindy mumbled, sadly.

"Please, stop crying love", Harry pleaded, sounding like he will cry any moment.

"Yeah, babe", Zayn walked in. "Stop crying. Baba's here."

"BABA!!!", Cindy shrieked, jumping off the couch and running into his arms.

"My baby peanut", he hugged her close to his heart and pressed kisses all over her face making her giggle which only made Alec's wail loud.

"Bahbah", he cried out loud, making Harry tilt his head away to save his ears.

"Come here my love", he took him in his arms and smiled when he stopped crying almost immediately.

"Baby?" he called Harry after his two cubs comfortably settled in his arms.

"Yeah?" Harry looked like he just remembered Zayn is here too.

"You alright love?" he asked him, taking a step closer to him.

"Yeah", Harry smiled and then grinned. "Aren't you supposed to be back after a week?"

"Surprise!!" he yelled, making Cindy glare at him who was peacefully cuddling against his chest.

"I love you", Harry said like he was saying it to him for the first time.