Boys Only

Thievery

Louis' POV

I'm in disbelief that I'm raising four sons all on my own. Sometimes it wears on you. So once I got done spanking Zayn and Niall for a very bad test grade, I couldn't bring myself to journey to the store for dinner supplies. It was only down the street, so I thought, what's the harm?

"Liam, could you go to the store with Harry and pick up dinner supplies?" I called out, hearing Liam bound down the stairs. "Sure dad." He grinned, pulling on his shoes and jacket right away. I wrote down a quick list and handed it to him along with a credit card. "Stick to the list." I said firmly, looking in his brown eyes. "Yes sir!" He fake saluted and giggled when I pushed his hand down.

"I'm serious Li." I said, as Harry came racing down the stairs. "Goin to the store!" He chirped, before stopping his explosional joy for a moment. "Go back up the stairs, and walk back down." He did as told, before walking over to me and giving me a toothy grin. "Behave for your older brother. I have no issue with spanking someone, even if they just turned seven." Harry nodded, his fresh curls bouncing around.

His birthday was a week or so ago, we had a nice, small celebration. As my youngest and my oldest walked out the door, I heard Zayn and Niall still crying in their room. I sighed and walked upstairs, anxious to pass a very difficult waiting time for me. Liam is fourteen, sure, but Harry is seven, and I'm not sure that I should have dished out that much responsibility.

I went into the joint room of my joint middle children and sat on Zayn's bed. "Zaynie, why don't you come out of the corner and give papa a hug?" I said, as Zayn rocketed out of the corner and threw himself into ny arms. I hugged him gently, calmed him down, and set him into his bed. "I'll wake you up for dinner" I whispered, going to sit on Niall's bed. He was there quicker than I could get my sentence out.

I did for him as I did for Zayn, and just as I pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads, I heard the front door open. I went downstairs to find both my young men carrying a bag. They set them on the kitchen counter, while I helped them put away the perishable items. When Harry reached up to get another item out of the bag, something poked out of his pocket that I didn't recognize.

"Harry... can you come here for a mo?" I asked, crouching down to his level. He wandered over to me, and looked me in the eyes. I reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of tequila. "What the-?" I was so confused. There was no way a seven year old and a fourteen year old could have walked out of the store with something like that with the store folk knowing...

Then it hit me. They didn't know. Oh my gosh. I straightened up a little, determined to get the facts before I make any accusations. "Harry. Do you know what this is?" I asked, looking down at him. He shook his head and shrugged. "Liam asked me to put it there and be sneaky. So I did." I looked over at Liam, who's developing Adam's apple bobbed in his throat. "Did he now?" I asked, getting a confidant nod from Harry.

"I did good at it!" He said proudly. I shook my head. "Harry, that's called stealing, and right now daddy is very disappointed with both of you. Please go to your rooms." Liam rushed off, while Harry hung back for a second. "I didn't know..." he whined. "Harry, haven't I told you that taking things without the person whom owns them knowing is wrong?" He nodded, tears formulating in his eyes. "Then you knew. So scat." He ran off to his room and slammed his door behind him.

I sighed, walking to my closet. I had soon thrown out the ginger root, realizing that I couldn't use it on my boys, I just couldn't. In the place where it used to sit, I had set a wooden hairbrush in Harry's space, and a wooden ruler in Liam's place. Zayn had a small paddle, and Niall had a small slipper. Each boy had chosen an implement that I could use on them, if I need to. I have my belt if I must use it, but I don't want to ever have a large paddle, or a need to use one.