Keeping Up With One Direction 2

>21<

TWENTY-ONE: The First Spousal Fight of 2021

Handing his youngest a pack of fruit snacks, Harry feels his smile falter once his eyes catch the grams of sugar so evilly mocking him from the box. In the year 2021, it was frowned upon to give any kind of sugar to your child it felt. After all, Harry had spent the morning reading all the mommy blogs on gluten-free food, and the benefits it brings.

Plastering on a goofy grin, Harry sneakily takes away the gummies he'd just given Max, replacing the treat with a celery stick. Max giggled for a second thinking his daddy was playing games until his gummies weren't returned right away, "Da-da,"

"This is healthier max, eat the celery-" As Harry encourages his baby to eat the vegetable, he's shocked to see it thrown down with Max beginning to cry for his "'ummies" back, "What's upset, my boy?" Zayn asks entering the room with Liam tagging along behind him, the hybrid furrows his eyebrows, "N-no cry?" Liam questions knowing he was his Papa's only boy.

Zayn's look falls flat with a chuckle towards his middle child, "Sorry, My other boy?" Liam hardens his look crossing his arms as he acknowledges Max crying, Harry shakes his head gesturing to the vegetable on the floor, "Clearly we don't like being healthy." Zayn rolls his eyes handing Max the fruit snacks back, "We don't. Let them be kids,"

Harry huffs rising from his chair, "Be kids?! They can be kids without health problems if we watch what they eat!" Niall pokes his head around the corner, "I thought we agreed on 'no yelling in front of the kids', remember that?" Raising an eyebrow at his two husbands that bit their tongues, Louis strolls into the room playing a game on his phone, "Papa 'an Daddy 'all-ways 'fightin." Niall motions to the eldest, "See they pick up on it,"

Zayn growls unbuckling his belt, "He's about to pick up on this, boys out." Louis snaps his head up gulping, it had been a while since he's gotten in trouble. Grabbing Liam's hand quickly he pulls his younger brother out of the room hoping Max could fend for himself.

Niall sighs letting Max out from his highchair, "Stacy! Can you come get Max," Handing him to the new Nanny, he sees Harry grimace in his peripheral vision, the Daddy was the only one against hiring a Nanny.

"I see you glaring over there," Zayn states softly pulling a red bull from the fridge, "So it's one thing to hire someone else to take care of our children, but making them eat better-"

"Haz stop, that's not what this is about and you know it. We're becoming busier, and you feel shitty about it." Zayn points out so matter-of-factly, he turns facing the man head-on, a smirk coiling on his features, "It was bound to happen eventually, hard to make time to be a parent when you're too busy on a solo career."  Harry feels his cheeks heat up, his blood boil at the accusation in Zayn's tone, he can feel the prick of tears behind his eyes, what he can't remember feeling is the sudden urge to slap his husband.

He only recalls the aftermath of the cameramen calling one another, someone else shouting over the commotion if they had gotten the audio.

Figure it out.

Those were the words Niall had screamed at both of his husbands before taking the three boys to their mother's house for the day.

Harry knew that Niall wanted him and Zayn to go to therapy just the two of them, but frankly he was quite comfortable with the idea of staying hidden in the bedroom all day waiting for Niall to return.

It wasn't until the door opened with Zayn entering that Harry moved from the bed, he stands watching the man from a distance pulling his bottom lip between his teeth, "W-what are you doing?" Harry asks softly, "Getting some clothes," Zayn replies, "W-where are you going?"

"To mum's, I'm going to give you time to figure it out."

Harry sighs letting the tears that pooled in his eyes fall, he can't help but want to blame the fucking fight all on Zayn while he knows he hadn't truly been kind to the man. He preaches Treat people with kindness while treating his own husband and father to his children like shit.

"Stop," Harry begs, he lifts his head sniffling, "If-if anyone should go, it should be me."

Zayn frowns wiping his own eyes, "What are we going to do, H?"

"I-I don't know. I don't know what to do," Admitting defeat the sobs follow quickly as he reclaims a seat on the bed burying his head in his hands, his shoulders shake from the force of his cries, Zayn closing the distance between the two pulling the man in his arms pressing his lips to his temple.

"I love you," Harry whimpers, "B-but I-I don't like you,"

"I don't like you either," Zayn confesses sniffling, the two men giggle at the words shaking their heads, "I really don't like you."

"I can't stand you." 

"You irritate the fuck out of me."

"You annoy the shit out of me."

"Your tattoo of her is ugly."

"I never really liked your long hair-"

"That's too far!" Harry scolds hardening his look, Zayn placing his forehead against Harry's as the two erupt in laughter at their stupidity. "We-we have to go, don't we?" Zayn asks softly, his words circling the room as Harry sighs chewing the inside of his cheek, "We need it Z,"

"I guess it isn't normal to not like your husband,"

"It'll be good for us, for Niall, the boys," Harry lists glancing up at the man staring into his honey-hazel eyes, "We need to be strong for them," Zayn nods rising from the bed, "I'll make an appointment for the morning."

Harry feels loss when the touch of Zayn is removed from him, yet he's relieved to have him out of the room. Bringing his phone to view he calls Niall, "We're going tomorrow morning,"

"I miss my family," Niall croaks on the other end, it's evident he had been taking the brunt of the abuse lately with the tension between Harry and Zayn, "I-I do too, Ni, w-we'll fix things." Harry assures his husband of change ending the call after "I love you's" were said.

>Sorry for the wait - the next chapter is published now!!<