#unclecal

“She will, honey.” Calum reassures you, taking your hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze before lifting them to his lips and brushing a kiss to your knuckles. “She’s a baby, she doesn’t hate anyone. Apart from Michael when he takes her pacifier away from her and doesn’t let her nap past 3pm.”

“Terrible twos, huh?” You ask, knowing those were just two examples do some of the things Michael and his partner have had to deal with.

“If you’re lucky, you might get to experience that today too.” He chuckles, finding it sweet how nervous you are to meet Harper. She’s so important to him, and he knows how desperate you are for her to like you. He isn’t nervous, though. He knows she’ll love you just like he does. “Don’t worry, baby. It’s going to be fine.”

***

“Shall we see who’s here, Harper? Who is it?”

An excited squeal instantly leaves her lips as she notices Calum’s car pull up in the drive, the familiar vehicle one that makes her happy since it means her favourite uncle is coming to visit.

“Remember, we have an extra guest visiting today.” Michael’s partner reminds her, brushing her blonde tufts of hair out of her face. Michael was a little nervous, knowing how upset she and Calum would be if Harper didn’t warm up to you. You’ve met Michael plenty of times, and he feels like you and Calum are solid enough for Harper to meet you now too. “You’re not gonna go all shy on Uncle Cal, are you?”

“Unca Cal!” She charges towards the front door as Michael opens it, so she can stand with him to see Calum coming towards the house. Her excitement and confidence soon falters as she spots you jump out of the car too, your hand linked with Calum’s as you approach her. It’s almost as if in that moment she remembers that he has a guest joining him, and she’s unsure about it. “Dad, up please.”

“It’s okay, bubba.” Michael picks her up and sits her on his hip, lips brushing over her forehead to calm her down. He knows it’ll take her a little while to warm up to you. “Uncle Cal is here to see you, and his friend too.”

“Hi, sweetheart! How’s my favourite girl?” Calum calls out, stepping through the front door to where she’s hiding in her dad’s arms. She’d usually give him a bigger welcome, running up to him or clinging onto him until he cuddled her. Not today, though. “Where’s my hug, huh? You’re not going shy on me, are you? I have someone to introduce to you.”

She pushes her face against Michael’s neck, hiding as if it makes her invisible — in her mind, if she can’t see you, you can’t see her either. Michael chuckles and rubs her back reassuringly, murmuring a “it’s okay, baby” trying to coax her away from hiding from you and Calum.

“Can you say hi, baby? This is my friend,” Calum tells her, gently tapping her shoulder to get her attention before introducing you to her. “We have something for you.”

“Hi, Harper. I have a present for you,” You tell her, speaking gently in the hopes of catching her attention. You hold the little stuffed lion out in front of you, so she could see it if she decided to stop hiding against Michael’s neck. “I heard you like animals, so I thought you’d like this.”

Michael shifts her in his arms a little in the hopes of her looking at you, his hand reassuringly rubbing circles in her back as you stand there. “Look, baby, what is it? That’s so kind.”

She dares to peek out from his shoulder and her eyes light up at the sight, flickering between you and the lion in your hand. She smiles softly and reaches out for it, wrapping her small hand around the middle and pulling it into her arms. Michael smiles at her reaction, murmuring a “what do you say, baby?”

“Thank you,” She murmurs, rubbing her cheek against the fluffy material in her grasp.

“Now do I get my hug?” Calum asks, holding his arms out for her. She nods and reaches out to him, letting him take her in his arms and cuddle her. “That’s better. What are we playing this week?”

You follow them into the lounge, watching as Harper tips one of her toy boxes upside down, so Calum can find something to play with. She seems cautious of you — she looks over at you occasionally, mainly staying close to Calum — but the lion you gave her moments ago stays in her grasp. She sets up her zoo, apparently her favourite — placing the small toy figurines in each area to set it up. Calum wasn’t lying — she does have an extensive animal collection.

She stands still for a moment, hand clinging to Calum’s shoulder. She looks at you, and down at the zebra in her hand, like she’s thinking about asking you to play. Calum notices too, his hand coming up to land on her back to reassure her.

“For you,” She murmurs, walking over towards you and dropping it in your hand. Calum can’t help but smile, watching two of his favourite people interact.

“That’s for me?! Thank you so much, Harper!” You reply, a blush spreading over her rosy cheeks at your praise, before she moves back to sit in Calum’s lap. You move to sit a little closer, Calum sending you a knowing smile as Harper starts to play with her toys.

You stay and play for a few more hours, before Michael declares dinner time, and you and Calum decide to leave them to it.

“Bye bye, Harper. It was so nice to meet you.” You lean down to her level to say goodbye, and much to your surprise, she runs forward and wraps her arms around your shoulders in a little hug. Your heart melts as she cuddle you goodbye, and you wrap your arms around her too. “You’re so sweet, thank you for the hug.”

“Love you, sweetheart. See you soon, okay?” Calum kisses her cheek and picks her up, hugging her until Michael reaches out for her so they can wave good bye. She says a soft, “bye bye, unca cal” before sitting on Michael’s hip to wave you off.

As you drive away from Michael’s house, both with content smiles on your face — Calum can’t help but say I told you so.

“See, I told you she would love you.”

***

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“Wait until you can babysit, get some practice in for your own.” Michael’s partner comments, making your heart drop into your stomach when Calum smiles at her words.

“We’ll see.” Calum replies quietly, too busy running his thumb over the apple of Harper’s cheek, her skin flushed from sleep as he cradled her.

We’ll see.

What does that mean? Calum’s viewpoint on having children had never been clear, yet this made you more unsure. It made your stomach turn to think that he could possibly not be on the same page as you.

“Do you want to hold her, babe?” Calum asks, gently nudging you to catch your attention. You nod, holding your arms out for Calum to slowly and under Michael’s watchful eye, very carefully, place her in your arms. Tears well in your eyes as you look at her, how she curls in towards you as you adjust her in your arms. Calum’s hand rests on your thigh, a small show of affection as he looks at the tiny baby. He slips his finger in between her tiny ones. “Look at her little hands.”

“She’s so sweet,” You smile, suddenly feeling as though all of the attention was on you and Calum — watching as he put his arm around your shoulders. You held her for a few moments longer, until she curled her legs up and let out the first hiccup of a cry — Michael instantly jumping into action.

“Shall I take her?” Michael asks, waiting until you nod before scooping her up out of your arms and rocking her in his. Calum sends you a warm smile, and you smile back — but doesn’t reach your eyes. Calum notices.

***

Your quietness lasts into the car journey home.

You think Calum hasn’t noticed — his non-stop excited chatter about everything he plans to do with Harper, how happy he is for Michael, occupies the space. He has, though. He’s talking more to fill the silence as if he thinks that’ll stop you from thinking about whatever is weighing on your mind. He knows he can’t avoid it forever though.

He notices the faraway look on your face, in your eyes — it’s one he’s seen before, and he knows it means you’re deep in thought. He isn’t sure what about, although he’s not oblivious to the fact that you’ve been acting this way since meeting Harper.

He doesn’t bring it up until after dinner, when you’re sat in your usual spot on the sofa, hands running through Duke’s fur. It seems like a nervous thing — like a distraction from whatever was making you feel so anxious.

“Darling?” He tries, picking Duke up and setting him down in his lap, so he could sit next to you. “What’s going on?”

You can’t bear to say it.

The thought of him reacting in the same way as most family members and friends did, made your stomach turn. There was no escaping it though. It was a conversation that had ended a relationship before. You hope deep in your heart that it wouldn’t end this one too.

“Calum...” You start, taking a deep breath before continuing. He furrows his eyebrows in concern, like he had no idea what you were going to say — like he was bracing himself for what was to come. “I don’t really know how to say this. I hate having this conversation, but after today, I just feel like I need to tell you.”

He nods, his heart rate increasing as the feeling that you’re about to drop a bombshell on him becomes more apparent. He doesn’t rush you, though. Just waits for you to carry on.

“I don’t want to have children.” You admit, covering your face with your hand as a few tears slip at the statement. “Not ever. And after seeing you with Harper today, I just... I don’t know if you feel the same way.”

Calum can’t help but feel a sense of relief at your words. With the way you were acting, he felt as though what you were going to say was much worse.

“Hey,” He soothes, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pulling you close to him. He moves Duke out of his lap to create space for you — so he can hold you as close as possible. “Listen to me, gorgeous. You don’t have to worry about that, okay? Whatever you want is okay. I’m right here with you.”

You can’t help but sob against his neck, like everything you had been feeling had built up to the point where it was all coming out. His warm palms are soothing against your back, moving up and down in a comforting gesture. He just waits until you catch your breath a little — until your tears slow down to where they’re only occasionally slipping down your cheeks.

“Talk to me.” He almost whispers, knowing you weren’t finished, that there was more than you already said. He didn’t know that it ran so deep. He wasn’t sure why it was such a huge deal, but he wanted to know. “I’m listening, babe. Whatever you’re thinking.”

“Everyone makes me feel like I’m crazy for not wanting my own children.” You explain, wiping underneath your eyes to get rid of the tears as they fell. You thought back to everytime it came up in conversation. How your parents told you you’d change your mind when you found ‘the one,’ yet Calum was right in front of you, and you knew it still wasn’t what you wanted. “It makes me feel like a bad person. Like my life isn’t going to be fulfilled if I don’t give my parents grandchildren.”

Calum shakes his head.

“That’s not true, my love.” He replies, not wanting to invalidate your fears, but also hurting over the fact that you had kept it bottled up for so long. “You do not need to have children just for your parents sake. Or for anyone, for that matter. You’re not a bad person for not wanting that, okay? Far from it. You’re my favourite person in the world.”

A small smile graces your lips, followed by the genre pressure of Calum placing his against yours in a soft kiss. You felt much better for getting your feelings out, for explaining everything — as well as hearing Calum’s reassurances. Although, you can’t get the image of Calum holding Harper out of your head.

“What about you, though?” You ask tearfully, trying not to let your emotions get the better of you once more. Your voice wavers as you speak, and it makes Calum’s heart ache that thinking about him in all of this caused that.

“What about me?”

“I saw how you looked at Harper,” You sigh sadly, thinking about the content expression on his face as he held the sweet baby. “Don’t you want that for yourself? To have your own baby?”

Calum thinks to himself for a moment. He thinks about how deeply in love he is with you, how content he is with his relationship — and how not deeply he had thought about having children. It was always one of those things where if it happens, great, but if it doesn’t — that’s fine too. It was never an absolute when he thought about his life. He knows that if he has to choose between you and having children — he chooses you, everytime.

“I want you to be happy,” He states, like it was the simplest thing in the world. He means it. His hand gently grips your face, tilting your chin so you’re looking right at him. He thumb softly wipes away any remaining tears on your cheeks. “And if not having children is what is going to make you happy, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“Are you sure?”

He nods, moving closer until his nose nudges yours.

“Yeah, besides, it means I don’t have to share you with anyone else.” Calum confirms, smiling when a relieved giggle escapes your lips at his words. “Well, apart from Duke. You give him enough attention as it is.”

“Shut up,” You laugh, playfully hitting his chest as you reach over for Duke and set him down in between the two of you. “Duke is less needy than you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolls his eyes, pulling you closer until your head is resting on his shoulder. “Seriously though, babe. Think about it. We’re about to spend the evening arguing over what to watch before sleeping for 12 hours, with no interruptions. Michael will be lucky to get three hours sleep tonight, until he wakes up to a screaming baby.”

“Exactly my point.” You reply. “We just get to do the fun stuff, like cuddle her until she cries and then give her back.”

He nods, sighing contently as he begins to scroll through Netflix. You finally feel as though you can calm down — like there was no longer the burden of wondering how Calum would feel about your plans on not having children. As you sit there, trying not to fall asleep after winning the debate on what to watch — you realise this is what you want your life to be.

“Being the fun uncle sounds like a good plan to me, babe.”

***

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“Michael is gonna kill us.” Calum warns you, thinking of any excuse he could come up with as to why she was asleep. You and Calum have only been together for around eight months — he had only recently introduced you to Harper, not wanting to confuse her if you weren’t in it for the long haul. Calum and Harper are very close — it’s clear that Calum worships her, and they have a strong bond. It definitely felt like a big step forward when Michael decided it was time for you to meet her. “We have about ten minutes for her to wake up before we’re never allowed to babysit again.”

Ten minutes later, Calum pulls up to Michael’s drive, Harper’s quiet snores still occupying the space as she snoozed. Michael notices the car straight away — opening the front door and letting Moose and South run up to the car to greet you all.

“Where’s my favourite girl?” Michael calls out, expecting Harper to jump out of the car and run towards him, like she usually does. Moose jumps up at Calum’s legs as he opens the back door to the car, so he can get Harper out.

“Hi, sleepy head.” Calum murmurs to her, brushing her fair hair out of her face as she realises where they are. She doesn’t quite wake up, but let’s Calum pick her up and clings to him like a sloth as he holds her. She wraps her arms around his neck, her face hiding against his shoulder as he closes the door behind him. “Wakey wakey.”

“Please tell me she isn’t asleep.” Michael spots Harper curled up in Calum’s arms, a tell tale sign that she had been napping on the drive over. Michael had been making her dinner, knowing she would be home soon — although now he knows he’s going to have a grumpy three year old on his hands. “It’s definitely not nap time.”

“She isn’t anymore.” Calum looks at Harper’s sleepy face — cheeks flushed and warm from sleep, a hand lifting to rub her eyes as she came around a little more. Michael groans and rolls his eyes, yet he can’t help but smile at the sight of her in Calum’s arms. “Before you say anything else... it was only ten minutes.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes ten minutes is all it takes.” Michael holds his arms out towards Calum, gesturing for him to hand Harper over to her. His heart melts as Harper spots him — a smile growing on her face as she cuddles into him. “Hi, sweetheart. Did you have a fun day? Are you ready for some dinner?”

“We took Duke to the park,” She sleepily mumbles, a yawn slipping from her lips as she recounts the fun day she had spent with you and Calum. “And we had ice cream.”

“Ice cream? Not only have you had a late nap, but sugar too? You did have a fun day, didn’t you?” Michael rubs her back as he carries her into the house, you and Calum following behind them. Calum’s bashful expression doesn’t fade as he listens to Michael talk. “I’m glad you had fun, baby.”

Michael tries not to be the bad guy. He doesn’t want to make you and Calum feel guilty for treating Harper, especially when he knows how much she loves spending time with you. She always comes back from your days out in such a good mood, happily telling him all about what you got up to.

“Can I have a cuddle before we go, Harper?” Calum asks, kneeling down and holding his arms out to her before you head home. Michael kisses her forehead and sets her down on the ground, waiting until she was steady on her feet before she runs towards him. She wraps her arms around his neck in a sweet hug, giggling when Calum picks her up. “Thanks for such a fun day, bubs. We’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Bye, Uncle Cal.” She says, resting her head on his shoulder as he holds her. “Can we go to the park again soon?”

“Of course, whenever you want!” Calum reassures her, more than happy to take care of her whenever she wanted to spend the day with you.

“Bye, angel.” You place a hand on her back in Calum’s arms, waving goodbye before she holds her arms out for you, so you can hug her too. “I get a hug too?! That’s so sweet Harper.”

“Bye bye.” Harper waves from her spot on Michael’s hip as they stand in the door way, saying goodbye whilst you and Calum get back in the car.

“I’ll be calling you in the middle of the night when she won’t sleep.” Michael explains, knowing he’s got his work cut out for the next few hours. He wouldn’t have it any other way, though. “Thanks guys.”

A few hours later, you’re tucked up with Calum on the sofa, each with a glass of wine in your hand — Duke cuddled up next to Calum as you watch a movie.

“See, this is the best part about being the fun relatives,” Calum starts, taking a sip of his drink before continuing. He can already feel the tiredness setting into his bones, behind his eyes, from running around after Harper all day. He has no plans to move for the rest of the evening. “Michael is probably battling with Harper to get her to go to bed right now. We just get to do the easy parts.”

“You’re right,” You chuckle, turning your face to kiss his cheek. Children wasn’t something the two of you had really discussed yet, but no matter what happened in the future — you would always have the guys’ sweet children to dote on. “Sounds perfect to me.”

***

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“Will we still be able to play football?” He asks quietly, that being his favourite thing to do with his uncle. In his head, the world is falling apart — everything he knows being turned upside down. Calum smiles to himself, thinking about the fact that his biggest concern was being able to hang out with him just as much. “What if Mara doesn’t like football?”

“Who else would I play with? Even if she doesn’t, she can watch you play. Maybe you can teach her.” He reassures him, knowing he just needed some time to warm up to the new bundle of joy in Calum’s life. “You’re her big cousin. She’ll want to be your best friend too.”

Ashton isn’t far behind the pair, observing the sweet moment with Mara in his arms. He could tell his son was hurting as soon as he mentioned visiting the new baby, knowing he was worried that everything was about to change. He had been used to being the baby of the group, doted on by all of his uncles — Calum being his secret favourite.

“I promise I’m still here, okay? Nothing changes. We can hang out just as much as we did before.” Calum promises, holding his pinky out for the much smaller hand to take. “How about we go and play football tomorrow? Just me and you.”

He’s met with an enthusiastic grin, before the feeling of his arms wrapping around his neck. Calum hugs him for a moment, realising his little nephew had a huge part to play in his own ambition of being a father.

“Come on, you. Mara is so excited to meet her big cousin.”

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Calum chuckles, searching through the bag for the sandwiches he had packed for the three of them. “How about a cheese sandwich? Is that more acceptable?”

“Hmmm,” Harper thinks about it, more distracted by the packet of cookies she knows is buried in the basket somewhere. “Maybe I should have a cookie first.”

“Oh I see how it is.” Calum nods, knowing he’s not going to win but not wanting to give up yet. “How about you have half of your sandwich, and then you can have a cookie?”

“Nu—uh.” She shakes her head, her blonde ponytail moving with her. “Can I just have a cookie? I won’t tell my dad.”

Calum laughs at her words, knowing she’s got him sussed out. Michael had told him to try and get her to eat some actual food before he loaded them with sugar. Ashton had agreed, however he knew it was futile. Calum was the softest of them all. There was no way he’d win over a stubborn Clifford child and an energetic Irwin child.

“If Harper gets a cookie, does that mean I get one too?”

Calum knows he’s been defeated.

“Well if I get two phone calls later asking why you’re both so hyped up on sugar, you can both explain why.”

She’d talk through all of her problems, tell him what happened with Michael — he’d listen to every word, knowing how important it was to just listen sometimes, as that’s what he wished someone had done to him when he was her age. His heart would ache when the tears started — grabbing her a tissue and wrapping a comforting arm around her, resting his head on hers as a reminder that he was there. He’s such a huge comfort to her and had been since she was born, so she felt completely comfortable and safe whenever she was around him. He’d rub her arm comfortingly, nodding in acknowledgment so she knew he was listening. He just wanted her to know that he was with her and he hears her, since she felt like nobody else in the world truly listened to what she had to say.

Calum remembers how rough it is to be a teenager and how his parents seemed like the biggest meanies in the world sometimes. He knew Harper didn’t mean the things that she said. He’d encourage her to apologise to Michael but also to try and talk to him about how she feels, with a promise that he wouldn’t tell him a word. He meant it too — as much Michael was his bestest friend, he’d never tell him anything from Harper unless he thought she was in danger in any way. That would be why Harper trusted him so much.