Harry just blinks at Niall for several minutes, Niall waiting nervously.
"You're… pregnant?"
Niall bites his bottom lip and nods. "Yes."
"Oh my God."
Seven hours later and Harry is still in some sort of shock, just sitting on his and Niall's bedroom floor with wide eyes and his mouth slightly open. Niall is pacing around him, waiting for a response, any response, from Harry. They need to talk about this, they need to find out what they're going to do.
Harry sighs loudly and Niall looks at him hopefully.
"Oh my God," Harry says and then stays silent for another seven hours.
Niall is woken by someone gently nudging his arm. He opens his eyes and finds himself staring directly into Harry's beaming face, which should be impossible at this time of night.
"We're having a baby!" he says and smiles some more, "this is amazing, I can't believe it."
Niall pulls Harry down next to him, "You're finally over the shock?"
"Yes," Harry beams, "I mean, I don't really understand how this happened. We're guys, we have dicks, and besides, we've always been safe, haven't we, but… it's still pretty amazing."
Niall lifts his head to kiss Harry's lips tenderly, "It really is… daddy."
They both start laughing and Harry pulls Niall into his arms and they fall asleep.
"Should we tell the boys?" Niall asks Harry a couple of weeks later. They're looking through the baby name book they've just bought. They know it's probably a bit early to start thinking about names, they don't even know the sex, but they just couldn't help themselves when they walked past the book store. Niall hopes no one recognized them in there.
Harry looks up from studying the name Pythagoras (Niall makes a mental note to remember to talk him out of that one later) and frowns, "Hmmm…. Isn't it a bit soon? We haven't even told our parents yet."
"I know, it's just… we live with them, they'll find out soon, you know how Louis is, the nosey bastard. He'll find stuff… like this book," he holds the book up and pokes Harry's head with it.
Harry sighs. "I know you're right. It's just so nice, just the two of us knowing. It's just this secret between you and me. I kinda like it that way."
Niall couldn't help but smile at that, Harry being all sentimental. "Awww, Hazza… Okay, we can wait a while yet."
Harry's smile is rewarding enough.
"WHO'S PREGNANT?"
Louis voice is loud and echoes throughout the entire house. Harry looks up at Niall from where he is doing his hair, eyes impossible wide, "Uh-oh."
"I told you so."
Harry looks slightly embarrassed and Niall feels just a little vindicated.
They both half-stumble down the stairs, Liam right behind them, and follow the loud voice into the kitchen where they find Louis and Zayn standing by the fridge, Zayn holding the baby name book and Louis with the pregnancy to-do list they got from the doctor that, oops, they must have left down here last night. They both look like they've just witnessed a ghost, and their facial expression are devastatingly hilarious.
"It better not be you, Liam…" Louis says and pokes an accusing finger at Liam who is shaking his head furiously behind Niall, "No…"
"Oh God, if it's Cher, I'll die!" Zayn moans, and drops down on a chair, holding his head in his hand, maybe about to pass out. It makes sense that he is the one who is most worried as he is the only one with an actual girlfriend with a womb and everything, and the rest of them are all guys. With boyfriends. This is so weird, Niall thinks, not for the first time.
"Zayn relax, it's not Cher. It's me."
Harry smiles and puts and arm around Niall, "We're pregnant" he says sounding very proud.
They both feel all eyes on them, oddly silent, all of them, even Louis. Zayn is basically gaping at them like an idiot, and you can almost see the confusion inside Liam's head, and the way he's looking at Niall almost accusingly, "I'm sorry, what?"
Louis suddenly laughs loudly and throws and arm around Harry, "Way to go, Styles!"
The boys get over the shock relatively quickly, faster than Harry did, and it doesn't take long for both Liam and Louis to start constantly touching and caressing Niall's stomach, even though there hardly anything to see yet. Zayn, of course, is too cool for that kind of girly behavior, but he gets Cher to come over and do it instead. They all hear him asking her to describe how exactly it feels, when he thinks no one is listening.
A girl. They will have a daughter.
Oh, how can anyone expect them to know what to do with a girl.
"Don't worry," Louis says when they voice their concerns with the other boys, "I'll teach her about fashion and what not to do on dates, and Liam can teach her how to be all…. Emotional and moody and shit."
Liam frowns, and mumbles "yeah, tell them how you really feel" in Louis' direction. "Aww, babe, don't be mad, you know it's the truth." Yeah, Liam may know that, but they all know that he will definitely give Louis' the cold shoulder until Louis breaks down and apologises as if his life depended on it.
"Eh, I'm here too…" Zayn says, dissatisfied with not being given a role yet.
"Anyway," Louis continues and looks away from where Liam is now sulking, "Zayn, I guess you can, if she's a lesbian, teach her how to pull the ladies."
"Hey!"
Louis turns to Harry and Niall and leans in as if to whisper, but he doesn't whisper at all, "If she's not a lesbian, I would keep her far away from Zayn, you know how he is…" and winks.
"Shut up, Louis," says one of the other four boys, it doesn't matter who, because at this point it could be any one of them.
It's two days later and tonight Liam finally forgave Louis and since Harry and Niall's rooms is right next to Louis' they can quite clearly hear how they're now making up for the lost time. For all of Liam's shyness he's very loud. Louis is quite proud of this. Sometimes, because of Louis' fondness for talking openly about their sex lives and Liam's shyness about showing affection in public, Niall makes the mistake of thinking that maybe that relationship is purely about sex, but then he catches a moment when they think no one else is looking and its obvious how desperately in love they are (and always have been). Niall knows that Louis has been through hell these past few days.
They're not like him and Harry. Him and Harry have been together for a lot longer, and are more secure with each other. This wasn't planned, I mean, how can you plan something you didn't even know could happen, but this is perfect. They're ready for it, they may both be just 23 years old, but they're ready to be a family. He pictures himself growing old with Harry, raising their daughter, living in a nice house, cooking meals together, having family holidays. He looks at Harry, next to him in bed and leans over to kiss his cheek and then his curls. Harry's smile still makes his heart beat faster and everything is wonderful.
"We should maybe consider moving out, when she's born," Harry says and puts down the 'How To Be A Modern Dad' book he's been reading – a gift from his mother.
"We can't raise a child in the middle of all this… porn," Harry continues and puts both hands on Niall's bump as if he's trying to cover the baby's ears. Niall nods, "I know. It's going to be difficult living without the boys though, after all this time."
"It's going to be awesome though. Just our family."
Our family. They smile at each other and Harry curls against Niall side and snuggles close. After a few moments, Harry gently strokes Niall's side and kisses his chest.
"We could make our own noise."
And they do.
"What about Euphemia?" Harry asks and Niall just needs to look at him sternly to show Harry that won't be happening. "No."
"Persephone?"
"No, Harry."
Harry pouts and Niall has to look away. Harry pouting is very distracting and could eventually make Niall change his mind and he won't let that happen.
"What are you suggestions, then?"
Niall doesn't really have any, just maybe something a bit simpler. "What about… Lily?"
"Boring."
"Ella?"
"Bland."
"Rose?"
Harry demonstratively yawns.
They decide to consult the other boys, which they should have known would just confuse them more and not be helpful at all.
Louis unsurprisingly suggests Louise, Louella, Louie, and other similar names. He also suggests Lilo, making Liam grin stupidly into his cereal. Niall secretly really likes Louisa, but would never dream of giving Louis the satisfaction.
"What about Zara? Or Zayna?" Zayn says.
"You're no help," Harry just moans at them, before turning to Liam, "What about you, Liam? Any lame ideas? If you say Leona I'll kill you."
Liam smiles and says, without even thinking about it, like he's actually put some real thought into it, "I like Aoife Henrietta."
Silence.
"Aoife is Irish and it means beauty and you two are beautiful together, and Henrietta is the feminized form of Harry," he explains, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry if it's stupid."
Harry goes up to Liam and hugs him tightly, "Wow, Liam, I can't believe that's you really thought about it. It's beautiful."
Niall smiles too. "Definitely going on the list, mate."
Two months before the due date Harry and Niall buy a house. They won't be moving in until the baby is born, they need some time to get the house ready and decorated and besides, they will need the other boys even more now, getting so close to the big day.
Niall is getting more and more worried about actually giving birth and how that's going to even work. Harry tries his best to comfort and reassure him, but those pregnancy moods and extra hormones are definitely not just a myth.
It is probably not a coincidence that Zayn and Cher now seem to hang out more at Cher's place and that Liam and Louis go out on more dates than usual, and Niall he is being a bit of a bitch lately, but Harry just holds him tight and kisses him and tells him that everything will go back to normal when the baby is here. Well, as normal as things can be when you've just had your first child, for gods sake.
"Harry!"
Niall shakes Harry awake and Harry shoots up immediately, "Oh my god, is it time, is it now?" he manages to get out.
Niall just nods. "I think it is."
Harry open and closes his mouth a couple of times and then storms out of the room, "GUYS! Wake the fuck up! It's time!" It doesn't take long before there are loud voices and lots of pacing and packing in the hall way, Niall still just sitting in the bed, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Zayn pokes his head in, sees Niall's tears and immediately calls out, "Harry, take care of Niall, you dumbass, I'll call the taxi!"
Harry comes storming back in the room, "Oh god, baby, I'm sorry, I'm just so… "
"I know, me too."
Harry leans down and hugs Niall close until the taxi arrives.
Aoife is born the next day.
There is a lot of tears and screaming and crying.
Mostly from Niall.
Harry, too.
Aoife is surprisingly quiet.
But everything is overshadowed by the pure joy and happiness they both feel. This is when their new lives really and truly begin.
Harry is sitting on a chair next to Niall's bed, holding his little girl in his arms, tears glazing over his eyes. Niall looks at them and thinks it's the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.
The door opens and three very familiar people join them, standing at the bottom of the bed. "You can come closer," Harry laughs, and they do.
"Oh she's beautiful," Liam says, "She looks just like you, Niall."
"She has Harry's eyes, though," Niall says lovingly and he can't help it. He's just so happy.
Louis leans all the way down and touches his nose to Aoife's cheek. "Baby Narry, what a cutie," he says and stands back up again, smiling at Liam, "Oh baby, I want one."
The colour drains from Liam's face and they all laugh at him. "Yeah, yeah, let's just practice with this one first," he says quietly. Liam is old-fashioned so he'll want to get married first, something which Harry and Niall didn't feel the need to do, and still don't.
Zayn, who has been silent until now, sits down on the bed and strokes Niall's leg. "I'm so proud of you guys, you've been…amazing… yeah," he chokes up and shakes his head.
"Aww, is Zayner getting emotional," Louis teases.
"Shut up Louis, I'm just moved by this whole thing. They're all grown up and moving on, things won't ever be the same."
Liam sits down next to him and looks at Niall and then Harry with Aoife. "No, they won't, Zayn, they'll be even better."