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Louis was unsure who felt worse in this situation.
It was 2am. Harry was kneeling in bed (topless), one hand clutching his tummy, the other holding the bowl. He whined softly, his insides souring as he leaned forward and miserably attempted to empty his stomach for the umpteenth time. “D-daddy..” He croaked, in between a retch. “H-help.. icky. H-huwrts!”
Tears began to trickle down Harry's heated, fever-filled cheeks.
“Sssh, babes.” Louis winced and pursed his lips sympathetically, leaning over and placing his hand on Harry's tummy. Harry let out a whimper; a soft scratchy sound in the back of his throat, as he gagged and pretty much ruined the bedsheets and got his chest and tummy messy.
“Oh, Harry..” Louis gently pulled back, his voice soft and comforting and hiding his tiredness. “C'mon. It's okay,” Louis was now running his hand through Harry's hair; Harry whimpering happily at the simple show of affection.“I'll just go get you fresh clothes and bedsheets ,okay?” Louis shifted on the bed to get up. Harry swallowed nervously, fresh tears springing to his eyes as he watched Louis leave.
“Wait!”
His voice was cracked, weak and it made Louis' heart melt. Louis turned around.
“D-don't leave me.. Don't leave me, daddy please, don't, I want my daddy!” Harry pleaded, balling one hand into a fist and wiping furiously, but it was no use. Tears began to spurt down his cheeks.
Louis hummed and turned back, leaning over. “Sssh, I've got you. My little duckling!”
He cleaned Harry as best he could with the duvet (it was messy enough anyway) and lifted him up.
Harry curled in weakly, his legs dangling and his arms around Louis' neck. Harry buried his burning forehead into Louis' neck and sniffled.
And that was why Louis ended up carrying Harry down the stairs and pacing the living room with Harry in his arms; whispering nonsense words and lullabies just so Harry could hear his voice, in between watching those odd half-2-in-the-morning episodes of Supernatural which were still on TV.
Harry laid miserably in Louis' grip, listening to his voice and sucking on a pacifier Louis had lovingly placed in his mouth, drifting in and out of sleep, feeling his daddy pet his hair and coo and make his tummy fill up with love and warmth and.. just that feeling of being secure.
Harry was just asleep, when Louis wriggled the plastic pacifier from Harry's mouth. He woke up, frowning grumpily, big green eyes full of confusion and a look that said, 'why did you just do that, Daddy?' which Louis melted at.
“Sssh baby..” Louis quickly soothed, seeing Harry's eyes filling with confused tears and his lip jutting poutily.
“Just a minute..”
Harry opened his mouth and the first squeaky, frustrated sob came from his lips; he sounded sick, tired, emotional, losing that pacifier was the icing on the cake. He frowned when his mouth was stoppered up again with what seemed to be... his paci! yes!
The little curly haired boy suckled, only to be rewarded with a thin stream of warm, sweetened liquid.. milk!
Then Harry was lifted up, nestling against Louis' chest, suckling furiously at the bottle.
The air was silent; Harry's frantic gulping, and the sound of Supernatural as background TV were the only things permeating the air. Louis just cuddled Harry, rubbing small soothing circles over Harry's back.
Harry drank at peace, his eyes sliding shut. Everything blurred up; he drifted off to that place he'd kept hidden for so long; where it was just him and Daddy Louis and he was being looked after, soft blankets on him and plastic pacifiers in his mouth, milk in his tummy and cloth nappies over his crotch.. and no sickness, either..
During his feed, Louis gently shifted Harry and lifted his legs up; somewhere in the midst of his drowsiness Harry could feel Louis doing something; something soft and gentle and warm secured up over his crotch and then warmth spreading over his front and creeping over his back and that sense of relief washing over him from head to toe.
“Already?” Louis giggled, running a finger over Harry's bare foot and watching Harry's toes curl, Harry giggling behind the pacifier. Louis changed Harry's nappy once more, and slid Harry into a pair of bright and childish pyjamas.
Harry sucked down the last of his drink, the bottle rattling, and looked sleepily at his bright colourful pyjamas. Louis swapped the bottle for the pacifier again, and finally in Louis' secure loving arms did Harry fall into a deep sleep; his fever dissipating, as Louis wrapped a blanket around him, rubbing the soft wool over Harry's cheeks as comfort before tucking him in close.
Louis rubbed his eyes, smiled sleepily at the TV before quietly turning it off. The older man curled up with his 'baby' boy, turned the lights down and fell asleep with him, which is how Zayn found them in the morning; curled up tight and fast asleep.