Last Time
One thing was for certain, though, Harry really couldn't wait to see the baby properly. For Ezrah to be home with them, and to be introduced properly. His hand went to his own belly. It would likely take a few days for them to settle with the new baby. Harry usually took a few days with his new baby too, once he was out of his nest. His babies were usually into their second week of life before anyone outside of the immediate family got to see them, so he wouldn't blame Ezrah and Lathen for taking some extra time to bond with the baby that, just that morning, they hadn't even known they were having.
Chapter One Hundred-Thirty-Six – Faerie Babies
Harry's twentieth birthday started off with breakfast in bed. Max had been trying to do it for years and something had always interrupted them, but not this year. Harry was woken gently, with soft kisses to his face and the smell of freshly baked croissants, one of his favourite breakfast foods.
"You're spoiling me." Harry said, blinking awake and already smiling.
"Always, lover." Max said, nuzzling into Harry's neck. "I finally get to give you breakfast in bed. Everyone else is up, all the kids are in hand, and you've had a nice lie-in."
Harry hummed, easing himself up. "What time is it?"
"Only half eight, but Taren had me up at five." Max confessed. "So I had plenty of time to set everything up."
"Draco was on overnight duty." Harry said, yawning.
"Only Daddy Max would do this morning." Max said with a tired smile. "Draco had to call me when Taren wouldn't settle, he was worried that he would cry himself sick."
"I'm sorry he's so fussy, Max."
"Don't be. The newborn phase won't last and I love him." Max said. "What's getting me through is being able to tease the hell out of him for his blatant favouritism when he's older."
Harry chuckled sleepily, stretching, and then he started on his breakfast. Max had even brought a little bowl of his special Manuka honey for dipping. His honey tea was in the zoo mug, there was a side of various melon slices that screamed Nasta, and a small bar of his favourite fudge chocolate.
Feeling a little weepy and emotional, Harry started tearing up.
"Hey, what's this? What's wrong?" Max asked, swiping his thumbs under Harry's eyes to stop the fall of tears.
"I just love you all so much." Harry said, bawling through his tears.
Max chuckled softly. "I take it this baby is taking you on an emotional rollercoaster, huh?"
Harry nodded, still crying.
"Oh, lover. Come here."
Max gathered him into his big arms, cuddling him tight and just holding him until Harry cried himself out. Max eased away from him gently and used his sleeve to mop up Harry's face. Harry had a little laugh to himself, feeling silly for the little emotional breakdown.
"All better?" Max asked him.
Harry nodded. "Yeah. I don't know where that came from."
"Well, you are getting bigger, lover." Max said, laying his hand over his growing belly.
Harry wasn't as big with this baby as some of his others, but he was now showing as he got closer to four months pregnant. He was more than halfway through his pregnancy and he hadn't had much in the way of morning sickness, but his emotions were up and down and completely around the twist.
Max held him until he got himself back under control, going back to his breakfast. He finished everything on the tray, then went to shower while Max took the tray back downstairs. He dressed casually in a pair of pregnancy trousers that fit over his bump and one of Draco's tee-shirts.
He took care with the stairs, though his bump was nice and neat, smaller than average, so he could still see his feet. He didn't like not being able to feel his baby moving, but his placenta was cushioning a lot of the movement. It worried him that he couldn't feel the baby moving, but Healer Almus had assured him that the baby was still healthy.
He opened the door to the family room and was immediately deafened by baby screeching of excitement. It made him smile.
"Happy birthday, Mummy!" A few of the kids shouted, having obviously been put up to it by his mates.
Harry burst into tears again, as he went to his knees and snuggled them to himself.
"I love you." He told the kids, feeling one of them tugging at his hair. That was probably Calix. He still liked pulling on hair to get their attention, despite their efforts to curb that habit.
"Mama, love." One of his twin girls told him.
Harry started sobbing then, trying to fish the year-old little girls from the crush. It was Eva who had spoken to him and he kissed over her face. He then found Ave and did the same.
"Love you." Ave declared, setting him off again.
"Damn, kids, you're upsetting mummy on his birthday." Max chuckled.
"They're not." Harry said through his sobs.
"Are you okay, Mummy?" Braiden asked, a small hand patting at his face.
Harry nodded. "Yes, sweetheart. I'm just so happy and I love you all so much."
Tegan ran away from him, and she was digging through the mass of toys that had appeared all over the floor. Harry knew what she was looking for before her favourite penguin came out, and he started crying harder as she rushed back, pushing the toy at him.
"Thank you, Tegan, honey."
"Happy birthday, Mummy." She said, a little uncertainly.
Harry smiled and pulled her into a hug.
He got himself back under control and he wiped his face. He sniffed hard and then swallowed, getting himself back to his feet. He went to his mates and held on, letting them hold and kiss him.
"Max was right, you really are emotional today." Nasta said worriedly.
"I'm okay. Baby's playing havoc with my emotions, of course."
"Of course." Nasta said softly.
"I'll be okay. Just emotional."
Harry went to kiss Leolin, who was asleep in his bouncer. Then he took Taren, putting the baby over his shoulder and rubbing his back as he grizzled. He could see exactly how Daddy Max would have been the favourite last night, just from the whining this morning.
"Come on, Taren. Mummy wants a cuddle." Harry told the whining baby. "I love you."
Harry had to step around babies and toys to get to a settee so that he could sit down.
"It looks like a bomb went off in here." He laughed.
"It did. A bomb we named Calix." Blaise said, picking his way over to come sit beside him.
"I wanted all the toys." Calix said, looking up at hearing his name.
"I can see that. I hope you're going to help put them all away." Harry said, laughing.
"No." Calix said honestly, shaking his head.
Harry laughed happily.
"Mummy, I have apple?" Farren asked, distracting him.
Harry looked at Max, not knowing what the kids had already had that morning. Max nodded.
"Of course, sweetheart. Go with Daddy Max to the kitchen."
Farren ran off with Max, making Harry smile. Farren was such a good eater, Harry would be very pleased if he remained that way. Calix, by comparison, was a rather picky eater. He could do with taking a leaf out of his brother's book. He wouldn't eat at all if they didn't take him away from his toys.
Taren kept whining against Harry's shoulder, so he eased him down over his knees instead. Taren pulled a face, as he also didn't like being laid on his back, but Harry took his hands and started massaging them gently…Taren did like this. It hushed him for a little while.
"Oh, Mummy has the special touch this morning." Blaise teased.
Harry snorted a laugh. "This little one just likes being pampered. Little baby massages, Daddy Max's shoulders to spread over, or Granddad Myron's in a pinch, and to be held and walked around all night so he can sleep."
"Such a fussy little prince." Blaise said, smiling, reaching out a finger to stroke across Taren's cheek.
Farren came back in with a little plate full of apple wedges. He had gotten much better at sharing food, and Harry watched as he went around and offered the plate to his brothers and sisters, before he sat down and started eating the apple himself. Braiden and Tegan had taken an apple wedge, Calix had screamed 'no' and ran in the opposite direction, Regan had taken a wedge in each hand and given Farren a kiss, and the twin girls had shaken their heads, leaving Farren with at least two and a half apples worth of wedges to himself.
"How many apples did you cut up?" Nasta asked as Max came back in.
"Three, why?" Max asked, then spotted Farren with a very full plate. "Ah. Did the others not want a snack? I did ask Farren to share."
"He shared." Harry insisted. "But the others did not take as much as expected."
Max shook his head. "They'll probably keep coming back. They usually have a fruit snack, it might have been a bit early, though."
"It's fine. He's eating apples, not biscuits." Harry waved off.
"Do you want your gifts?" Draco asked him.
"I want more tea." Harry countered, distracted, as he blew a raspberry on Taren's belly. The baby laughed and it made Harry's heart swell to hear it. Babies had such infectious laughter.
"I don't think he heard you." Max sing-songed, even as he went back into the kitchen to get more tea.
"Heard what?" Harry asked. "What?"
"Do you want your gifts?"
"Oh! Yes, I would." Harry said, smiling. "Just let me get some more tea and give my baby some raspberries."
"We have you to ourselves until the afternoon." Blaise said, a hint of possessiveness to his tone.
Harry rolled his eyes, but he turned his head and kissed Blaise.
"It'll just be family and some friends. No one wants me." Harry insisted. "I'm way too much trouble."
"We love you being trouble." Max insisted as he came back into the room. "Or…at least I do. I love my naughty little mate."
Harry gave him a grin as he accepted his fresh cup of tea. "I love you too, Maxie."
"Come on, next door so that you can have your presents." Max coaxed.
His biggest mate took Taren from his lap and threw him gently over his shoulder, letting the happy baby spread out as if he were much bigger than he truly was and actually needed all of that shoulder space.
Harry stood with his tea and followed his mates as Nasta opened the double doors into the smaller living room.
There was a small mound of gifts waiting for him and it threatened to send him back into sobbing. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes, as his mates looked on worriedly.
"I'm fine." He said thickly, his tears coming through in his voice. "It's just pregnancy hormones. This baby is playing havoc with me."
"Sit down, love. Take a moment." Draco told him.
Harry did as suggested and sipped on his tea, sitting among his presents. It was getting more normal for him to receive presents, but he would never take them for granted. Not after how he was raised. He would always remember getting Vernon's old socks, or a coat hanger, or a fifty pence coin as a gift. They'd once given him a dirty tissue. It would have been less cruel, in his opinion, if they'd just given him nothing.
Once he was settled, Harry started opening his gifts. He took his time, appreciating every single one now that he got nice things from people he called his family, his friends.
He considered himself to be exceptionally spoiled, especially as his mates waited on him hand and foot through the morning.
Myron and Richard were first over, dead on one in the afternoon. Harry gave a little 'eep' of excitement, as he hurried over to hug them.
Richard laughed. "Hello, sweetheart. How are you?"
"Thank you for my presents." He said, a little shyly.
"You're welcome." Myron said, bending in half to hug him tightly, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
Harry snuggled in, refusing to let go, so Myron just picked him up, carrying him through the house and to where Max was trying to wrangle the kids in the garden.
"Eva! Get off your sister!" Max called out. "Eva! I mean it, get off of your sister!"
Max had to jog over to pull Eva off of Ave.
"Those two girls fight like cat and dog." Harry said, shaking his head.
"They'll outgrow it, honey." Richard assured him. "Our girls fought too. Remember the screaming matches between Talia and Alayla, My?"
Myron grunted. "I'd rather forget. I swear my left ear is still damaged."
Harry laughed and that got his mates' attention.
"Oh, hey." Max greeted, jogging over with Ave in his one arm and Eva tucked under the other.
"Don't carry her like that." Harry chastised, reaching out from Myron's arms to right his baby girl.
"If she wasn't so intent on becoming a wrestler I wouldn't have to." Max said, laughing, handing her over.
Harry snuggled her to him, Myron not even bothered by the slight extra weight. Myron wasn't bothered by any weight, Harry was sure he could bench press a bus if he wanted. He grinned at his own thoughts.
Another hour saw the garden bustling with people. Harry was sitting with Mrs Weasley, showing off Taren to her. Hermione was pestering Draco, to the point where he'd already sent Harry two 'save me' looks, but Harry didn't feel like standing up, so he left Draco to fend for himself.
There were some notable people missing from his party. Alexander was one of them, but he was dealing with some sort of emergency at the Council Halls that required a submissive advocate present, so Harry didn't mind. Dain and Kailen were another two. Eitri was another. But it was Ezrah and Lathen's absence that Harry was most anxious about. He hadn't had any word from them since their baby had been born a week and a day ago. It didn't escape Harry that all of those missing were Faeries. He just hoped that the baby was okay. He knew just how fragile Faerie babies could be. He purposefully moved his mind away from the memories of Leolin deathly pale in the hospital.
"There you are. This little guy is screaming the place down for you."
Harry looked up at the commotion. Of course it was Leolin, wailing, writhing, and kicking off for Idris.
"Thank you, Idris. Leolin. Leolin, come here." He called out.
Leolin stopped thrashing and wailing as he heard his voice, and as Idris handed him over, Harry snuggled him into his neck, close to his skin and the scent of him that Leolin wanted.
A little, tearful face stared up at him, seeking out his eyes, and Harry gave him all the eye contact he wanted to prove it was really him.
Leolin calmed immediately and snuffled his wet face into his neck and Harry held him close and patted his back lovingly, taking care of where his hand was placed over Leolin's tiny dragonfly wings.
"Are you doing alright? I know your second scan didn't go well." Idris said, sitting beside him.
"I'm doing better." Harry said softly. "I'm hoping that the placenta moves up, out of the way, but there's nothing I can do about it. We have to deal with everything as it happens. My mates have assured me that they'll be on hand for whatever I need, as will Myron and Richard and a team of healers from the Healing Halls. I'm feeling better about it, Idris."
"Good. None of us like seeing you unhappy."
Harry gave the man a smile. "I can't be unhappy on my birthday."
"No, you can't. I've seen the size of your cake."
That made Harry laugh. His cake was a monstrosity of fudge chocolate that had been masterminded by Max, but had been made by a professional. It looked like a chocolate wedding cake it was that big. Harry couldn't wait to taste it. His mates wouldn't let him steal a bit, which he thought was very mean given that it was his birthday and he was pregnant.
He sighed.
"Do you think you could steal me a piece?"
Idris laughed. "No way, kid. Max is guarding that thing like it's you."
The thought of that made him smile.
"I need to go and see that."
"Do you need a hand up?" Idris asked, already offering said hand to help if it was needed.
Harry took that hand as he only had one hand free, as the other was cradling Leolin. Idris helped him to his feet and Harry waddled off, going to the kitchen, where the cake was being guarded by Max, but only because Caesar was trying to get at it.
"I hope you aren't trying to ruin my cake, Caesar!" Harry huffed. "That's my cake, it's my job to ruin it."
"Neither of you are ruining it!" Max said sternly. "Seize, get out of the kitchen. Harry, do you need anything, love?"
"A cup of tea and some cake." He said pointedly.
Caesar snorted a laugh. "Go on, Harry. Get us some cake."
"You are not having any cake yet!" Max said seriously.
"That's so mean, Maxie! I'm pregnant and I love cake. Why are you denying me?"
"I'd like to know that myself." Alexander said as he rounded the corner. "I'm sorry I'm late, Harry, sweetheart. Issues at the council halls."
"I'm just glad that you could come." Harry said. "Kimberly said that you might not be able to come at all."
"I wouldn't miss your birthday." Alexander told him firmly. "The Elders can hold the fort for a few hours until I get back."
"Anything serious?" Harry asked.
"Yes, but, as I said, they can hold the fort for a few hours." Alexander reiterated. "Now, why aren't you letting Harry have cake, Maxie?"
"He won't let anyone have cake, Grandfather!" Caesar said.
"Why not?" Alexander asked.
"It has to be perfect for Harry." Max said insistently.
"It is perfect." Harry answered. "But it would be better if I could actually have some."
"Not yet."
Alexander shook his head. "Come on, sweetheart. Come and tell me about your day and then, maybe, Max will let you have some cake."
Harry frowned, but he allowed Alexander to pull him gently away, back into the garden.
"How have you been?" Alexander asked. "I hear you had a very special experience last week."
"Ezrah had a baby. He didn't even know that he was pregnant, or that he was in labour. His baby was literally coming out and he just pushed aside the agony of that and tried to pretend everything was normal. I can't even imagine how he got the strength to do it. I have to be in a feral mindset to deal with it."
"Max told me that he was terrified of the healers?"
Harry nodded. "I don't want to say too much, it's not my story, but back in the Faerie City, when he was really young, he was abused by the healers because of what his father had done. They took it out on him and he never really got over it. He was terrified in that room. I couldn't leave him alone like that, so I stayed. I still can't believe I got to see his baby born."
"And how have you been?"
"A little emotional and weepy, honestly since I helped Ezrah birth his baby. I've just been very close to tears and anything at all emotional sets me off. The guys got the kids to say happy birthday to me this morning and that set me off too. It's like…I'm not actually sad or upset or anything. I'm just crying for no good reason."
"You're pregnant, Harry. I think that's reason enough at times." Alexander said kindly.
Harry smiled at him. "I guess so. But, I haven't really been sick with this pregnancy, but I've been very emotional. Today has been the worst, though."
Alexander gave him a soft smile and Harry snuggled in.
"Are you happy, though?" Alexander asked.
Harry nodded. "Yes. I've had a good birthday too, besides Max not letting me have cake! Who does that?"
Alexander chuckled lightly. "I would like to think that he has something planned with it, but if not, I will take him to hand for you."
Harry smiled. "He better have something planned with it or I'll cry."
"Oh, we certainly can't have that."
"Can I get you anything?" Harry asked.
"Perish the thought, sweetheart. I wouldn't make my pregnant grandson fetch me anything." Alexander told him, giving him a light squeeze.
"I haven't really been feeling all that bad with this pregnancy."
"That is beside the point, sweetheart."
"Is it? I'm still able to do everything I normally would."
"But you shouldn't have to." Alexander said pointedly. "Your mates are still looking after you?"
"I had breakfast in bed today." Harry told him. "They don't want me walking down the stairs either, but I've nixed that idea. Despite the low-lying placenta, this is my best pregnancy yet. Barely any sickness, a little emotional but nothing too much, and I've got a nice, neat, small bump that hasn't obstructed my feet yet."
"Are you happy?" Alexander asked again, more seriously this time.
"I'm happy." Harry agreed.
"Good. I care more for your health and happiness than anything else."
"I love you, you know?"
Alexander chuckled. "I know. I also hope that you know that you are incredibly loved in our family, Harry."
Harry smiled and he took a moment. But he knew. He knew deep in his heart that he was loved. "Yeah, I know." He agreed.
"Right, gather around!" Max yelled out. "I'm sick of you all trying to steal the cake, so I'm doing this now. Where's the birthday boy?"
"Oh, dear Merlin, he's going to make a spectacle." Harry sighed. "I hate being a spectacle."
Alexander laughed, but stood with him. "I'll stay beside you."
"There you are." Max called out. "Come here."
"Stop ordering me about." Harry groused, giving Max a little growl.
"I love it when you growl at me, lover!" Max said back, winking. "So sexy!"
"Max, there are children present." Amelle protested.
"Sorry, Caesar." Max said without missing a beat.
"You're not funny." Caesar complained.
"I am!" Max argued. "All of my mates think so."
There were immediate denials from all of them, including Harry, who teased the hell out of Max.
"Hey, this is Harry's birthday, not bully Max day!" Max told them.
"We love you, Harry." Richard called out.
"Love you too, Dad." Harry said back happily, with a smile, in public.
"That's our baby, Myron." Richard said to the man beside him, playing up his tearfulness, but the sun showed that Richard was actually tearful.
Alexander kept an arm around him. "Was there something you were meant to be doing, Maxie?" He prompted.
"Oh, right!"
Max turned back to the table and the massive chocolate cake. With a wave of his wand, suddenly the twenty candles on it were lit.
"If you dare sing to me…" Harry threatened.
"I wanted to, but Nasta said no." Max pouted.
Harry turned to Nasta. "Thank you."
"Anything for you, caru."
"Anyway…" Max said, rolling blue eyes. "I just wanted to say happy birthday, Harry. We're all finally out of the teenage years…"
"You're not." Nasta's brother, Sanex, yelled out from somewhere. Harry heard Idris saying something to Sanex in Welsh that had Nasta's head snapping around to glare at his uncle, so Harry assumed that it was something rude.
"My children are learning Welsh, wncwl!" Nasta chastised.
"You are such an old man, Nasta. As if they could understand that." Idris laughed.
"Back on track!" Max called out, his voice pitched sternly. "Happy birthday, Harry. We love you so much and we're so damn proud of you. You've come so far and we love you so much, every day. We love the way you raise our babies…and that you've given us so many and we also love practising with you…"
There were cheers and jeers at this.
"We don't need to hear that, Maximilius!" Myron growled.
"Speak for yourself." Idris called back, laughing.
"Back on track!" Max yelled out. "Harry, we love you so damn much, you mean the absolute world to all of us, and we got you this cake as a symbol of our love…because we hope that you eat us as thoroughly and with as much relish as you eat this cake…"
"Max!" Myron shouted, as Max laughed.
Harry grinned happily, though there were tears on his cheeks.
"I accept the love cake." He said, laughing.
He went to Max and hugged him tightly, giving him a gentle bite to the neck.
"Oh, you're in that mood, are you?" Max teased.
"After that declaration, how can I not be?" Harry purred back, giving Max a nice, sultry look, before turning to the cake and, taking a big breath, he blew out the twenty candles on it.
"Thank Merlin!" Caesar called out. "Now share the love cake."
"This is my cake." Harry said, faux growling at Caesar. "No one gets any."
"Harry!" Caesar whined.
"Mummy, I'd like cake." Braiden told him.
"See! You can't deny your own son a piece of cake."
Harry laughed, even as he took the knife and made the first cut, as if the cake was an actual wedding cake.
"You can have cake, Braiden." Harry assured the little boy who had hurried over to stand by his legs.
Harry cut a tiny little sliver of cake and laid it on a paper plate that Max was holding out. It went straight to Braiden, whose little tongue was poked out, his purple eyes glued to the little piece of cake. It was adorable. It was also exactly how Harry had been looking at the cake.
Harry served all of the children first, including Eleonora and Beatrice, before he cut a massive piece for himself and then handed the knife over to Max, who laughed, but gave him a soft, sweet kiss before letting him go sit down with his prize.
The cake was absolutely delicious. It tasted just like his favourite fudge chocolate only in cake form.
"Mummy, up."
Harry turned and he picked up Ave, who was clutching her plate of cake. Harry lifted her into the chair next to his and she settled, putting her plate on the table and then getting on her knees to reach it. She was only eighteen months old and Harry smiled at her, as she used her hand to eat her cake. It was going to go everywhere, as the cake was heavy on the fudge chocolate buttercream, but Harry didn't care about the cleanup or the needed baths.
"I'm going to have to leave, Harry." Alexander told him a short while later. "I've got to get back to the council halls."
"Is it a submissive?" Harry asked.
"It is, but you don't need to worry about it. I would just like to be there to be sure they're being protected fully."
Harry nodded. "I understand."
"You enjoy the rest of your birthday, sweetheart. Know that I am proud of you, just look after yourself and your unborn baby."
Harry nodded, reaching back to hug Alexander, getting a soft forehead kiss as well.
He was not alone for very long, as Idris came to sit by him.
"How are you feeling?" The man asked him carefully.
Harry gave him a smile. "I am fine. I know I keep going weepy, but it really is the pregnancy."
"So, you haven't been hurt again?" He asked gently.
Harry shook his head. "No. Everything has been perfect, Idris."
Idris gave a charming, playful grin then, which made him look ten years younger. "Good, 'cause you know I'd beat the hell out of them for you if you needed it, right?"
"Who's going to beat you for misbehaving, Idris?" Nasta asked, dropping into the seat beside Harry.
"Knowing Nye, it'll be him." Idris said, speaking of Aneirin. "I was just making sure that Harry was alright, Nassa. That he was happy."
"I am." Harry said. "Probably could use a drink, though."
"Let me go and get you one." Idris offered.
Nasta waited until his uncle had left before speaking.
"Did he upset you, caru?"
"No. They're going to ask about the attack and how you're all treating me. They'll probably keep doing it for the rest of our lives. I know you all find it annoying, but I like that they do it. I don't have family of my own to look out for me, I like that your families love me enough to take my side over yours if I need it."
"It will never happen again." Nasta assured him.
Harry gave him a soft smile. "I know that. They likely know that too, but…Nasta, it's reassuring to me to know that they're looking out for me. To know that, despite not having my own family, that they are willing to help me if I need it. I might never need that safety net, but I like knowing that it's there all the same."
Nasta gave him a small smile, then bent to kiss him. "Whatever you need, Harry." Nasta told him and Harry snuggled into him, holding on tight.
"Love you." Harry told him.
"I love you too. Very much, Harry. Just to give you a little heads up…we've got another present planned for you later."
"Oh?" Harry asked, his voice lilting with arousal and amusement. "I can't wait."
Nasta laughed. "I love where your mind has gone."
"Oh, as if you didn't do it on purpose." Harry insisted.
"Harry, here you go." Idris was back with a glass of chilled lemonade.
Harry took the glass. "Thank you."
"No problem, kiddo. It's hot today. I gave some juice to Farren while I was at it. He's cherry-cheeked, but he seems happy enough."
"He loves these big get-togethers." Harry said. "He's usually content to sit and watch, but when the whole family is around like this, he gets really sociable."
"Calix is in time-out." Idris told them.
Harry sighed. "Why?"
"Draco is overseeing him, but from what I gathered, Calix went to kick Taren."
That alarmed Harry to the point where he was already standing.
"Harry, calm yourself, caru. Let me go and see what happened." Nasta told him.
"Bring me Taren." Harry said, feeling a little panicked.
Nasta nodded and he went towards the house. Harry was feeling strangely urgent, as if something was wrong. It was making him feel edgy and tense. Taren wasn't quite six months old, he was a newborn. Harry couldn't have his older children hitting the babies. He felt the need to go and tell Calix that he was never to do that again, but it would undermine Draco's discipline if he did.
He didn't settle back down until Nasta carried a wrapped bundle towards him.
"He's fine, Harry." Nasta assured him, before easing the sleeping baby into Harry's arms. He'd been wrapped up tight in a blanket and Harry looked at his perfect little face.
"What happened?"
"Calix was playing with Richard. Myron was holding Taren and it was a stray leg more than a kick. Myron shielded Taren with his arm."
"Calix shouldn't have had a time out for that." Harry said, frowning.
"Draco felt that Calix wasn't concerned enough with what he'd almost done. He laughed when he was warned to look out for the baby and Myron thought that he was going to try to kick Taren on purpose, which is why Draco took him for a time-out. We need to make sure that they all know that they can't hurt the babies, especially with a new one on the way."
Harry nodded, but he was distracted. He was patting Taren's bottom, looking at the soft face of his baby.
It was his job to protect his babies, but how did he protect them from his own babies? He felt the stress of the situation getting to him. Nasta sat beside him and gave him a distracting kiss.
"It's fine, Harry." Nasta told him. "Taren is fine and Calix is learning what he did wrong. You know he doesn't like being removed from a gathering. He loves being in the thick of things, playing and socialising, so having a time out really underlines what he's done wrong. He'll be fine and our Taren is fine."
Harry nodded, calming somewhat. He took a deep breath and rested himself into Nasta.
His top dominant smiled down at him and shuffled him in closer, holding him tight and taking some of Taren's weight by putting his own arm under Harry's, so they were holding the baby together. Harry was happy to stay like that, as he absorbed Nasta's presence and the peace it brought.
"Mummy, I want potty."
Harry looked up at Regan, who was holding himself with a hand down the front of his trousers.
"Okay, baby." Their quiet moment broken, Harry passed Taren over to Nasta and he stood, taking Regan's hand and leading him quickly into the house.
Regan would use a potty sometimes, but he was one of the more difficult of their children regarding potty training. Him and Calix were both hit and miss, so any instance of them asking to use the potty was considered a 'win' in their eyes.
Harry got Regan to the bathroom, and the potty that was always present, and he settled his son onto it and then waited, hoping that Regan would actually use it. He was wearing a nappy, but he was becoming very self-conscious about it and he had started refusing to let them change him. His mates wouldn't let Harry change him anymore, just in case Regan started kicking and thrashing to get away from a nappy change. It only took one stray kick to lose their tenth baby and none of them would be able to deal with that loss, Harry and Draco especially. So, Harry had been 'banned' from changing his own children's nappies…though Taren was not included in that ban.
Regan using the potty needed excessive praise and encouragement that Harry was more than happy to provide, watching as Regan looked so pleased with himself.
"Hands now, sweetie." Harry said, indicating the step that they'd put in all the bathrooms for the kids.
Regan loved this part, as he clambered up onto the step and Harry put an arm behind him, just in case he fell.
"Well done, Regan, you're being such a good boy."
"I like washing hands." Regan said, even as he clambered back down the step and hurried to the towel rack, where they purposefully put a towel down low for the kids to wipe their hands themselves.
"Your daddies and I think you're such a big boy now, Regan." Harry told him, even as he took the hand held up to him and led Regan back outside.
"I am big boy now." Regan declared and Harry smiled down at him.
"You are such a big boy. A good boy too. We love you, Regan."
"Love you, Mummy."
Harry tried not to cry. He hated that this pregnancy was making him so teary and weepy, though he reasoned to himself that it was much better than having his head constantly down a toilet.
He made it back outside and Regan immediately ran off, and Harry went back to Nasta and hid his face into his mate's neck, so he could cry in relative privacy.
"What happened?" Nasta asked him softly, moving Taren so that he could wrap an arm around him, nuzzling the top of his head.
"Regan told me he loved me." Harry said, sniffling and laughing a bit at the same time. It sounded ridiculous saying it out loud.
"You're emotional, it's understandable." Nasta reassured him gently, moving to kiss the side of his head. "All of our children love you. We all love you. Everyone in this garden loves you, Harry."
Harry smiled and looked around at everyone gathered there for his birthday. His family. His loved ones. He loved everyone in the garden too and he snuggled back into Nasta, feeling more tears threaten to fall.
He held onto his mate and peered around the garden, picking out his three other mates, all laughing and enjoying themselves. He'd come so far from the beaten boy in the cupboard. He loved days like this.
Harry was enjoying the calm house and the peace after everyone had left and the kids were all fast asleep after their busy day of play and socialisation…well, except for Taren and Farren. The two of them were still awake.
Blaise was on the floor with Farren, playing some sort of game with wooden animals, and Blaise would say the name of the animal and make the noises that matched and Farren would laugh and then copy him. Taren was on the beanbag that they used to use for Leolin. He was awake and looking around through blue eyes that were getting darker. They had a brown tone to them now, as they went the same hazel as Nasta's.
"Here you go, love." Max said, placing a tray down on the table and then handing him the zoo mug full of honey tea.
"Thank you, Max."
"Is there anything else you need? Maybe something I can slip you?" Max asked.
Harry frowned at him. "Not while the babies are awake."
Max laughed and Harry frowned harder.
"I meant this, get your mind out of the gutter, lover."
Max slipped a bar of Harry's fudge chocolate from his pocket and Harry rolled his eyes.
"You know what you did." Harry declared, even as he took the chocolate.
"Someone is feeling a bit amorous." Max sing-songed.
"Can you blame me?" Harry asked. "I'm feeling really good despite being pregnant. I've had a really good day, and maybe I want to end with some attention."
"Oh, we'd never deny you, love." Max assured him.
"Not ever." Blaise said from the floor, looking over with a smirk.
Harry stuck out his tongue, just slightly, considering ending his birthday with some sex.
"I know that look, what have you said to him." Nasta teased, coming into the room with Regan.
Harry's tongue disappeared and he frowned at Regan, standing up.
"He's fine, caru, he just wanted a drink, so I'm making him some warm milk." Nasta explained.
"Mummy."
Harry took Regan and sat back down, snuggling his baby to his chest and automatically touching his forehead, cheeks and neck to check for a fever, despite knowing that Nasta had likely already done so. He even sniffed at Regan to check for sickness, but there was nothing.
"Are you feeling okay, Regan?" Harry asked him anyway.
Regan nodded against his chest. "Wanted cuddles."
Harry smiled and wrapped his baby up tighter in his arms. He considered that maybe it had been the party that had over-excited Regan. Or maybe he'd been given one too many sugary treats.
Harry cuddled Regan until Nasta came in with a little mug that was steaming. It was not just warm milk, Harry could smell that straight away.
"Here you go." Nasta said, crouching down and holding the mug out for Regan.
"What is that?"
"A secret family recipe for getting kids to sleep." Nasta said.
"Oh, so you literally cannot cook and you burn toast, but you can whip up secret family drinks?" Max demanded, grinning.
"It's just warm milk with honey, vanilla, and nutmeg." Nasta told them. "And I don't always burn toast."
"It's yummy." Regan told them.
Harry smiled and kissed the top of his head.
"Pass me a book, I'll read to him." Harry insisted.
Blaise rolled over on the floor, reached for the child's bookcase and pulled out a book, before rolling back and handing it to Max.
Harry took the book and then opened it, reading to Regan while he drank his milk, hoping to ease him into sleep. It didn't take more than ten minutes before Regan lolled on him. Max had been ready to save the cup, and the small bit of milk still inside it, and Nasta took Regan from him, carrying him back to bed.
"Looks like Nasta's secret recipe works." Blaise said.
"It'll be one to remember for the future."
Draco came into the room and he chose to immediately sit beside Harry, throwing an arm around him.
Harry hummed happily. "You smell all clean."
"I should hope so after a bath. I can't believe Taren could spit up so much."
They both looked at the baby on the beanbag. He was still awake, but he was babbling to himself and his eyes were fluttering.
"He'll be asleep soon, then he can go up into his bassinet." Harry mused.
"Someone else can take him. I'm nice and clean and don't want to risk it."
Harry laughed, but he couldn't help cuddling into Draco, arms holding him, a leg thrown over his lap. Draco smelt really good.
"Uh-oh, someone isn't waiting for later." Max teased.
Max hung over the back of the settee and nuzzled into Harry. They shared a kiss before Max bent over further to kiss Draco.
"He smells nice and clean." Harry tried to defend.
Max hummed. "Oh, he does. As opposed to the rest of us who stink."
Harry rolled his eyes, even as Blaise chuckled.
"Be good, Max." Nasta warned.
"Or what, lover?" Max purred.
Harry looked up at them, to find that Nasta was pressed into the back of Max, holding him around the waist.
"Talking of those who can't wait until later." Harry said pointedly.
"They say we're the bad ones because we're younger, but look at the example they set." Blaise said, propped up on an elbow, watching.
"We're going to have to teach them all who's in charge later, Nasta." Max said, grinning.
"I'll teach all of you who is in charge." Nasta replied.
Harry felt a fission of lust and arousal slip into his belly, making it clench. He couldn't wait. They just needed to sort out Farren and get him into bed and then Taren would need a feed and probably a nappy change, and then he would be down for a few hours. Harry couldn't wait.
It was past seven at night when Farren finally fell asleep, after he'd eaten some of their dinner with them. Taren had been fed and he was lounging on Max's shoulders and everything was peaceful…until the floo warning sounded.
Harry was tense and on edge. It was very late in the evening for anyone to be visiting if it wasn't some sort of emergency.
Nasta stood up and strode towards the other room, his mates moved themselves to better protect him, but Harry's mind was entirely on his babies upstairs, unprotected and cut off from them.
"No one can get through the floo unless they're on our safe list." Max told him reassuringly. "Everything is fine, Harry, take a breath."
Harry did as suggested and he inhaled deeply. Max was right. Their house was locked up tight and no one they didn't know could get in. They could hear Nasta's rumbling voice through the door, but he wasn't growling or shouting. Harry wondered if it was Aneirin. He had popped in on them only for ten minutes between meetings and he'd looked exhausted, but he'd come to wish him happy birthday regardless.
Nasta came back into the room and Harry leapt up with happiness when Ezrah and Lathen followed him, a tiny bundle was wrapped in Ezrah's arms.
"We're very sorry for the late visit." Ezrah said, smiling tiredly.
"I thought it would be best to come later, knowing that you'd have had a house full earlier." Lathen said, taking any blame coming onto himself.
"I didn't want to miss your day of birth." Ezrah said.
"I would have understood." Harry assured him. "But I would like to say that no one has had any illnesses, all our guests check themselves before coming for Leolin's sake and none of our babies have been ill."
Ezrah smiled then. "We trust you, Harry."
"Come and sit down." Harry urged, knowing that Ezrah was likely very sore. He'd given birth only a day over a week ago. "Do we get to meet the special little bundle of joy?"
Ezrah laughed, even as he sat next to Harry.
"We announced him to our families this morning." Ezrah said, smiling down at the baby, now confirmed as a boy.
Harry had a little peek at the little boy. He was now very clean and fast asleep.
"Here, Harry. He does not like being out of my arms when he is awake, but asleep he does not notice." Ezrah told him, and, though it looked painful for Ezrah to do, he carefully handed the baby over to him. Lathen did a whole body shudder and grunted. He probably had to suppress every instinct he had to stop Ezrah from handing their baby over to someone, anyone, else.
Harry smiled up at him. "Believe me, no matter how adorable he is, I have enough of my own babies, Lathen. I wouldn't take him from you. I'd probably gut anyone who tried to take him from you."
"We've already had family try to trick Ezrah into handing him over." Lathen said angrily. "My own family. We are tired, our babe wakes every hour, day and night, and just this morning my uncle tried to use our exhaustion against us to take our babe."
"I'm so sorry to hear that." Harry said. "If you need some company, though, please feel free to come to visit us. We're not Faeries, so we don't really understand the whole taking custody of a baby just because he was passed over to us."
"I would like the company." Ezrah said. "Lathen has not been to work since we had our babe and I feel I will struggle when he goes back next week. We were not nearly as prepared as we'd like for our babe to arrive and I fear I am doing everything all wrong."
Harry placed a hand on Ezrah's arm and smiled. "You're not. I felt exactly the same when I first had my babies. That every cry they gave was me doing something wrong, but it's not."
"I am glad that we didn't have Taren first, though." Max said, laughing. "He whines and grizzles for no good reason. If he'd been our first I think we'd have been taking him to the hospital every other day, just to be sure."
Harry snorted a laugh. "He just has to be on Daddy Max." Harry said pointedly, nodding to the baby spread over those considerable shoulders.
"Was Leolin ever that small?" Draco asked curiously, looking at the baby Harry was holding.
"He was." Nasta said. "He was one of quintuplets, and he was tiny when he was born. Don't you remember his raw wings?"
Both Ezrah and Lathen shuddered. Harry hadn't been friends with them when Leolin had been born. They hadn't known him when Leolin's wings had been completely raw.
"I have heard horror tales of babes born with no skin on their wings." Ezrah said, a hand shooting out to flutter over his baby.
"The rate of them getting infections and…" Lathen trailed off, shaking his head.
"Leolin survived." Harry said gently. "We got him through his premature birthing and his wings did eventually scab over and heal. Of course, we floundered worse than either of you possibly ever could." He said. "At least you knew your baby was going to come out a Faerie. We had no idea what Leolin even was when he was born, we thought he just had an injury when we rushed him to the hospital."
"I could not imagine the fear of it." Ezrah said, shuddering.
Harry hummed. "You don't have to. Your little one, despite you not knowing about him, has come out perfect and healthy."
Ezrah beamed at that. "I am glad, if nothing else, that he was healthy. He has put on two whole pounds since his birth!"
"That's amazing, Ezrah. Leolin has put on another half a pound too, we think he's gearing up for another growth spurt. He's been eating more than usual, oh! And he has another new word. He actually said it the day you gave birth, when I got back from the hospital. He now says 'bop' when he's hungry and wants his bottle."
"He is coming on wonderfully." Ezrah praised. "I hope our babe does too."
"Have you named him?" Blaise asked.
Ezrah blushed then, looking a little shy, even as Lathen smiled down at him.
"Go on, Ezrah, tell our friends what you have named our babe."
"I…I wanted to honour you." Ezrah told Harry shyly. "I would not have known I was even pregnant, or in labour, without you, Harry. Our babe might not have even made it if not for you. You were my first friend who was not Lathen and I rejoice in our friendship every day. Because of that, I decided to name our babe Harell, after you."
Harry burst into tears, his own hormonal emotions thrown straight over the edge by that declaration.
"He's fine." Nasta assured the two worried-looking Faeries. "He's been very tearful in the last week because of his pregnancy."
Harry snuggled himself into Ezrah, who held him tightly.
"I'm sorry." Harry said through his tears. "I am very happy, I just can't help the tears."
"Drackens are very strange." Ezrah said, not unkindly, as he peeled back and wiped Harry's cheeks for him.
Harry laughed, though he was still crying.
"Hey, love, this is the second baby named after you now." Max said teasingly.
Harry laughed harder, thinking of Henly's baby Harry, who would be two in a little over two months in October, and now Ezrah's Harell. He looked down at his youngest namesake and smiled at the tiny baby in his arms. Leolin might have been smaller at his birth, but Harry barely remembered that anymore. His mind was on Taren, his most recent baby, and there was no comparison between the two. Baby Harell was a quarter of the size that Taren had been when born, Harry would eat his own hand if baby Harell weighed more than four pounds, and that was apparently with him putting on two pounds in the last week. Taren had been born nine pounds and two ounces. Taren could have been a baby whale compared to Harell.
"He's beautiful." Harry said softly, smiling down at the tiny baby in his arms.
"Thank you, Harry." Ezrah said, also smiling down at his baby.
"So, how have you both been getting on with him?" Max asked the two Faeries.
"It has been a sharp learning curve." Lathen admitted. "But, you have trusted us to look after Leolin before now and we are both incredibly grateful for that because it has helped immensely with our own babe."
"We weren't quite as lost as we might have been." Ezrah added, nodding. "Caring for Leolin is much easier, however!"
"It is because he isn't a newborn, and not because we weren't looking after him fully, I assure you." Lathen added quickly.
Harry laughed. "I got that part. You should have seen us when Leolin was a newborn."
"We also had four other newborns with him too." Nasta said. "Five newborns and two of them were poorly."
"Leolin and Calix." Harry said softly. "Neither of them were breathing at birth."
"They were not breathing?" Ezrah asked with a gasp.
Harry shook his head. "No. I had to stimulate them physically until they did breathe, and even then, Leolin's back was raw and I wasn't even in my nest. I was in a bedroom at Myron's house, which is where we'd gone to stay for Christmas that year. I didn't even know if Leolin was going to survive. I really hope that I never have quintuplets again. Hell, I hope I never have anything other than singletons from now on."
"Twins wouldn't be so bad." Max said.
"Speak for yourself, lover, you don't have to carry them." Harry teased. "Having two singletons, one after the other, despite how little time was between Taren's birth and the conception of the new baby, I actually feel great."
"We love that you're feeling so good, Harry." Draco told him.
"Right, does anyone want tea?" Max asked. "Ezrah, Lathen?"
"Tea would be nice, thank you." Ezrah said with a smile.
Max got up and took Taren with him. The baby looked adorable, and tiny, up on Max's shoulder, but compared to Harell, Taren was huge, especially now that he was six months old.
Of course, Harry knew that Leolin had been one pound and two ounces at birth, but he just couldn't remember seeing Leolin looking so small and so delicate. All he knew now was his healthy, happy baby boy. He didn't want to remember Leolin being so poorly.
"We are grateful for the cradle that you gifted us." Ezrah said. "It is a beautiful cradle and we were in desperate need of it."
"Think nothing of it, Ezrah." Harry said. "I knew it would be difficult for you to get a cradle at such short notice at night and we have four spares because of the quintuplets. The mattress was brand new though, I assure you."
"Max kept it in the box, we knew it was new." Lathen told him, nodding. "Max even helped me to put the cradle together. We are grateful to have such good friends."
"Oh, you should come to see the nursery that Lathen has put together." Ezrah said excitedly. "We have a cot all ready for when Harell is bigger."
"He will be sleeping at our bedside for a while yet, my beloved." Lathen said, almost teasingly.
"I just wanted it ready for when he is bigger." Ezrah told his bondmate.
"I understand that feeling." Harry told Ezrah. "It's exciting to get it all ready for them, even if they won't be using it for a while."
"We have Eva and Ave's bedroom all sorted, despite that they're in the baby nursery for now." Draco said.
Harry nodded. "We keep our youngest ones in the nursery next to our bedroom, and of course Taren is still sleeping at our bedside for now, until the new little one arrives." Harry patted his growing belly. "Then we'll move Taren into the baby nursery and the girls into their own bedroom. They're sleeping through the night now, though they still wake up very early."
"Half five today." Max said, groaning, as he came back in balancing a tea tray on just one hand.
Max had been awake before five with Taren, after Draco had been forced to call him, so he'd already been awake and downstairs with Taren when the girls had woken up. Usually, they left the two in the nursery, asleep or awake, until one of them woke up and could take them downstairs.
Nasta stood and took the tray while Max sat back down with Taren, patting the baby's bottom with one hand.
Nasta made Harry a cup of tea, but left it on the table. Harry wouldn't drink hot tea over his own babies, he certainly wasn't going to do so over someone else's.
They were distracted then by one of the baby monitors lighting up, as one of their babies shuffled and then murmured.
"That's Braiden." Blaise said, noting which colour monitor lit up.
"Is he okay?" Ezrah asked worriedly.
"He's likely going to the toilet. He's doing so well with his training and he hasn't had any accidents in months." Harry said. "He wakes himself up during the night to go to the toilet down the hall."
They heard a door open over the monitor and Blaise stood to go and keep watch, just in case Braiden needed help. He never did, but he wasn't even three yet, so they liked to give him the option of help if he needed it.
"It still amazes me that your babies can open a door, let alone use a toilet by themselves." Ezrah said. "Braiden is not yet three, is he?"
Harry shook his head. "No. He's three in two weeks now. I don't know where the time went."
"It went into making more babies." Max said, laughing.
Harry rolled his eyes. "You're so filthy, Max."
Ezrah giggled softly, but Max just played up the comment by waggling his eyebrows.
Harry smiled as he heard Blaise putting Braiden back to bed, tucking him in.
"Love you, Daddy." Braiden said over the monitor and Harry's heart melted.
"I love you too, sweetheart. Sleep sweetly."
"I love it when he goes all soft and fatherly." Harry said, feeling the familiar prickle in his eyes that signified that he was getting weepy again. "Damn hormones." He said, swiping at his eyes with his hand.
All of the monitors lit up, one after the other, as Blaise took the chance to peek in on their babies.
"Leolin, why are you awake?" Blaise asked their Faerie baby.
They could hear the shuffle over the monitor, then the rustle of fabric as Blaise tucked Leolin in.
"Bop." The baby whined.
"He's hungry, again?" Max asked curiously. "He really is going through a growth spurt. He's eaten three times in the last five hours."
It was Nasta who stood to make Leolin a bottle, as they heard Blaise gathering Leolin up to bring him down.
"Should I take Harell back?" Ezrah asked. "I know that Leolin will not like you holding my babe."
"I want to hold him." Max said, standing and putting Taren down into his bassinet. Their newborn was now fast asleep, so Max was able to put him down, finally.
Max took Harell from him and Harry stretched out and then took his tea, taking a deep drink.
Harell didn't even look real in Max's hands. He didn't even look like a doll, he just looked like a balled-up tea towel.
Max sat down and Harry watched as Max held baby Harell in the palm of one hand.
"Damn, he's so tiny. I remember doing this with Leolin." Max said, as he brushed a bit of hair out of the baby's face. "Though Leolin's hair, because he was premature, it was thin and colourless. Do you remember?"
"His hair had no colour to it?" Lathen asked in shock.
Harry shook his head. "It was so thin, too. It was almost like he didn't have hair, but you could feel it if you ran your hand over his head."
"Did it just start growing out with colour and you cut off the transparent hairs?" Ezrah asked.
Harry shook his head. "His hair fell out as he got older and then it started growing in black. We think that because he was born so early, that he just followed what would have happened if he'd still been inside me."
Nasta brought back a bottle for Leolin, and Harry was excited to see it was a larger bottle than Leolin usually had.
"I thought we could see how much he actually eats from this." Nasta told him. "If he's still hungry after his bottles, maybe he wants more but doesn't have the words to tell us."
"Maybe that's why he started saying 'bop'." Harry mused. "He was probably going hungry and wanted to communicate that he wanted more."
Blaise came in, carrying a clearly sleepy Leolin. He wasn't fighting or squirming, he was calm and contented for once. He must have been exhausted. Usually, he was fast asleep by now, but if he was hungry, of course he was being kept awake.
Blaise came to hand over their Faerie baby and Leolin murmured happily as he smelt Harry, gripping at him tight and nuzzling his face into him. It was then that Leolin seemed to realise that something was wrong as he let out a soft, urgent cry and snapped open gold eyes.
He looked up at Harry, getting eye contact, before he looked around.
"Ah, he's sensed another babe around." Lathen said, watching curiously. "This usually does not happen until babes are four and they're more aware of themselves and others."
"Leolin." Harry called out. "I am here for you, are you hungry, sweetheart?"
"Bop." Leolin murmured. He looked so tired, but Harry took the bottle and tested it against his wrist, before offering it to Leolin.
Leolin latched on and Ezrah crowded around to watch, almost as if he was checking that he and Harry fed their babies the same. It was sweet.
"I cannot wait until Harell is taking as much milk as Leolin." Ezrah said wistfully. "Harell does not even take an ounce of milk yet."
"I remember those days too." Max said, still cradling the tiny Harell.
"It was a while before Leolin drank a full, two-ounce bottle." Harry nodded, as he watched Leolin feeding now. "It wasn't consistent, either. Sometimes he'd take the whole two ounces, other feeds he would struggle to take half an ounce. Now look at him. This is an eleven-ounce bottle and we're going to see how much our hungry baby eats."
Leolin was sucking and swallowing quickly too. His eyes opened and Harry stared into them, letting Leolin have his needed eye contact.
It took him a while, and Leolin had needed to stop for a break, but when he did finally fall asleep on the bottle, there was only a little more than an ounce left in the bottom.
"He took nine and three-quarter ounces." Nasta said. "That's definitely setting him up for a growth spurt. We'll weigh and measure him in the morning and keep doing so for the next week, but I won't be surprised to find he's bigger and heavier."
Harry smiled down at the baby in his arms, rocking him gently, just how Leolin liked. Their Faerie baby was fast asleep, but Harry didn't mind holding him for a while.
"We will keep you properly informed if there are any illnesses in the house." Harry said, looking up from Leolin's little face to Ezrah. "I won't let anything happen to Harell and we need to be overly aware of it for Leolin."
"We know exactly what to do and how to keep everyone healthy." Max added, nodding, before passing baby Harell over to Blaise. "The house is due a deep clean, I might do that on the weekend. I'm not in work for four days after Friday."
"I'll take the kids over to my parents." Draco said. "They're due a visit."
"Harry, do you want to take a visit to my granddad's?" Max asked gently. "I know the cleaning stuff gets to you when you're pregnant."
"It sticks in my throat." Harry nodded. "I'll go to Alexander's, or to our dads', I haven't spent a lot of time with them lately. Even earlier I kept getting distracted."
"No one would mind." Nasta assured him.
Harry turned back to Ezrah.
"We'll make sure everything is cleaned regularly and we'll let you know if anyone is sick, so please, feel free to come around if you need some company, or even a nap. We know exactly how hard it is to have a newborn. It can be exhausting, and lonely to be a new parent. Having people around you to help pick up the strain, to give you a small break to refresh yourselves, it can make all the difference."
"You are a very good mother." Lathen praised. "We have been watching you and we have learned from you all. Leolin was a much-needed stepping stone to having a newborn, he was not as demanding as our Harell."
Lathen smiled adoringly at baby Harell, who was now being cuddled by Draco.
"Believe me, we understand." Max assured them. "Everyone says the newborn stage is the easiest, but I prefer the kids now they're a little older and I can have a conversation with them."
"And now that they're sleeping through the night." Blaise added with a smile.
"That's an added bonus." Max chuckled.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I can't help but enjoy the newborn stage." He said with a smile. "My Dracken and I are always very blissed out when we have a new baby in our arms, but that might be because I'm a submissive…or because I'm never put onto the nightly rota for baby fetching." He added, laughing.
"You literally rip yourself open to give our mateship children." Nasta said blandly. "Of course we don't expect you to lift a finger for those first few weeks."
"He says weeks, but he means months." Harry stage whispered to the two Faeries. "I literally have to fight to go to the bathroom by myself."
"Lathen has been the same." Ezrah said, but he was smiling up at his bondmate. "I did not even cut myself open."
"You cannot deny to me that you have been in pain." Lathen grunted, giving Ezrah a stern look.
"I have been sore." Ezrah admitted. "But to confine me to our bed, Lathen, it's too much."
"You gave birth to our babe, Ezrah, and I feel that you deserved to rest a little after that." Lathen explained.
"I want to care for our babe." Ezrah replied stubbornly, and Harry could clearly see how far the Fae had come since they had first met. It made him smile.
"You can still care for our Harell while taking some time to rest also." Lathen replied. "Harell is not deprived of anything while you rest and allow me to do more while I am not in work, my beloved. I want you to heal and I also want to care for our babe while I can."
"Healer Cole is happy with my healing." Ezrah argued. "Harell is our first babe and I want to do all I can for him. We thought we'd never have babes, Lathen. Can you blame me for wanting to do everything?"
"No." Lathen sighed softly. "But I do not want you to push yourself so hard that you fall ill, Ezrah. Let me take on more of rearing our babe for now, because next week I am back in work and I will not be there to help. I want you to be as recovered as you can be before then."
Ezrah sighed heavily. "You are right, I know that you are, but I cannot help my feelings on this matter. What if he is our only babe?"
"One more week that he will not remember is not going to make much of a difference, my beloved." Lathen pointed out gently.
"If it helps, I felt exactly the same with all of my babies, but I needed the time to heal." Harry put in. "You don't want to find, in a week's time, that you pushed yourself too hard in the first few weeks and then can't care for Harell when you need to. You can always come to us, please feel free to do so, but let yourself rest and recover, Ezrah. I have to once I've given birth. I don't think I even picked Taren up for three days after he was born."
Harry didn't add that that was mostly because he'd been knocked out in their bed after coming out of his nest far too soon, but he could see Ezrah wavering on his stance. He needed to let himself rest, and perhaps assuring him that he himself rested after giving birth would help.
"You truly rest after birthing, even though you are a Dracken?"
"We make him." Blaise said.
"I have to, Ezrah. I want to look after my babies, so I need to rest after they're born so that I can get up and move when I need to."
"I suppose that I could rest a little more." Ezrah conceded. Lathen actually looked overjoyed, which said a lot given that he was an Unseelie.
"I am back in work in nine days." Lathen told him. "I will not be able to help with our Harell until I am home. I would feel better about going to work if I knew you had rested and were healed, Ezrah."
Ezrah nodded his agreement, even as he watched as his baby was handed over to Nasta.
"Let me take Leolin back to bed, love." Max said. "I know he prefers to be in your arms, always, but he needs to sleep in his nursery."
Harry hummed, before bringing Leolin up a bit to kiss his forehead, before allowing Max to take him.
He finished the last of his tea, even as he watched Nasta cuddle with baby Harell…it was a damn good thing that he was already pregnant, because the sight of his mates cradling a newborn in their arms was setting off the most 'submissive' Dracken part of his brain. The part of him that only wanted as many babies as possible, to provide those babies to his mateship, and to literally surround himself with babies. It was the most instinctual, animalistic part of him that was, thankfully, very easy to quash, but as he was already pregnant, he allowed his Dracken side to bask in this fantasy for a while.
"You're doing the tongue thing again." Max teased. Harry hadn't even noticed him coming back. "You'll have to excuse him…" Max was saying to the two amused Faeries. "…he absolutely loves watching us with newborns, they don't even have to be our babies to set him off."
"Oh, shut up." Harry said, but he was smiling…at least he'd put his tongue back into his mouth.
"It's cute." Blaise insisted, moving over to steal Max's seat, pulling Harry to cuddle into him.
Harry nuzzled him back, getting himself well into the amorous mood for some fun once their friends had gone.
His mates immediately noticed what sort of mood he was in too. Max had his own 'tell' and it was not subtle to them, who knew him so well.
Blaise started murmuring to him in French…or Italian, Harry could never really tell which language Blaise had chosen, but Nasta was giving them the 'look' because he could understand whatever language Blaise had chosen and going by that look, it was supposed to be very private.
It was almost an hour after Lathen and Ezrah had arrived, and Harry was holding baby Harell again, when Harry realised that something wasn't quite right. He looked down into those incredibly unique gold Faerie eyes and he smiled.
"Oh, hello there, Harell." Harry greeted softly. "You're okay, you're very safe. Your mummy and daddy are right by here."
Ezrah immediately moved to rest his head on Harry's shoulder, putting himself in his baby's eyeline…that was when baby Harell started squirming and wriggling, a thin cry for his caregiver.
Harry passed the baby over immediately, watching with amusement, and the knowledge of Leolin doing this, as baby Harell stopped crying, stopped wriggling, and settled very happily in Ezrah's arms.
He watched as Ezrah started smiling and babbling to his baby, who stared so intently at his mother that he didn't even blink. Lathen, who had been carrying a nappy bag, popped a bottle out of a thermal pocket, handing it to Ezrah.
Harry watched as Ezrah fed the baby with a soft smile on his face. He was so happy for his friends and they had seemingly taken to parenthood like ducks to water. He was glad.
"We will not stay much longer." Lathen decided. "Thank you for hosting us, and agreeing to help us in future, but I would like to get Ezrah and Harell back home."
"You don't need to explain to us." Max assured him. "We understand. We don't like Harry or our babies being too long away from home either and we understand that Ezrah needs to rest."
Baby Harell took only fifteen minutes to drink a couple of mouthfuls of milk before he was asleep again. Harry could certainly understand why the baby was waking every hour for a feed, but he was more used to Faeries now because of his own experiences with Leolin.
"I will come to see you again, if allowed, once Lathen is back in work." Ezrah said, sounding a little shy.
"You have an open invitation to our house, Ezrah." Nasta assured him. "Feel free to come around when you like, someone is usually always here."
Lathen wrapped an arm around Ezrah, and Nasta went to see them out and Harry turned a wicked smile onto his mates.
"Soon, lover." Max purred. "Very soon. Just let us see to Taren, he'll be awake in literally ten minutes."
Harry hummed, his mind already thinking up plans. "Then I want some tea and biscuits…I'll need my energy."
His mates laughed at him, but Harry rolled his eyes.
"As if you're going to last more than one orgasm." Blaise teased. "Someone will start you off, finish you off, and you'll be asleep."
"Maybe it's because you don't give me tea and biscuits beforehand." Harry pointed out. "Did you think of that?"
His mates laughed some more, but Max did go to boil the kettle to make him tea, and to set up a bottle for Taren.
Harry was determined, though. Tonight, he would last more than one round with his mates and he'd surprise and tease them all. He wasn't at all tired, and he could convince his Dracken to come out to play a bit because of the earlier baby fantasy. If he worded it right to his Dracken side, he could convince him that they could get more babies if they had some serious sex with his mates. With his Dracken side on board, and wanting as many babies as possible after seeing them cuddling a newborn, he was sure he could, probably not outlast them, but he could give them a seriously good show. Either way, he was going to damn well enjoy his evening.