Boys Club

Triple Trouble

"Daddy, Papa get out here quick" they hear their son Josh yell.....

Liam and Zayn both throw on the pants they had on last night and a clean shirt so fast Liam quickly throws open the door.

Josh is standing there in just a pair of sweats and no shirt and clinging to him like a koala bear and crying is Luke.

"What's going on" Zayn snaps his question towards his 15 yr old son Josh.

"Michael and Harry have been picking on Nial, Luke and Calum for the last hour. Me and Ashton were trying to let you sleep in but they wouldn't listen to us and Michael slapped Luke across the face."

Zayn's eyes narrowed at the thought of sweet innocent Luke being slapped by anyone much less by his own brother. Red with anger, Zayn stormed into the living room with Liam, Josh and Luke hot on his heels.

The scene they walk into is Harry cowering and sobbing in a corner and Michael is sitting in the opposite corner with his back to the wall also sobbing. Louis is standing in front of Michael with his hands on Ashton's chest shouting at him to stop and back down.

"What the hell is going on now!!" Zayn's voice boomed through the room.

Ashton spun around quickly and immediately had a guilty look on his face.

Louis finally spoke up, "I came downstairs because I heard shouting and found Ashton was holding Michael down on the ground in the corner shouting at him. I was just trying to break it up."

Michael yelled through his tears "Ash threw me on the floor, I told him hitting Luke was an accident but he wouldn't listen."

"That's it" Zayn roared "I want everyone sitting on the couch NOW!!!"

Zayn calls Nial and Calum back down stairs, the two had gone upstairs to hide from the chaos that was going on.

The two came down stairs looking concerned at how angry Zayn seemed. The father of eight met them at the bottom of the stairs and gave each of them a hug and asked if they were alright. They both nodded and he guided them to sit with their brothers on the couch.

When everyone was seated in the living room Liam and Zayn stood over their 8 boys. "I am going to say this once so everyone, listen carefully. No one. I mean NO ONE has permission to put their hands on another person in this household." he stared down at the boys letting his glare linger on Michael and Ashton before he continued.

"Daddy and I are the only ones to give out physical punishment. So that means keep your hands to yourself at all times! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir" the boys said in unison.

"I will be addressing this bullying and teasing that I heard happened this morning. Your father and I will not stand for it." Zayn looked at Michael and Harry and the two boys tried to sink further into the couch.

Zayn turns to Liam, "will you take Louis and Josh with you to help make breakfast?"

Liam nods and motions the boys to follow him.

"Nial and Calum go set the table and get drinks out then see if Daddy needs any other help."

"Yes Sir" the boys say.

Zayn dismisses them to get started. Then he turns his attention to the boys left in the room.

"Ashton, Michael and Harry each of you find a corner. You will stand there until breakfast is ready and then after breakfast we will finish your punishment."

Michael and Harry practically ran to their corners. Ashton got up slower, tears started down his cheeks. Zayn stopped his 2nd oldest and pulled him into a hug. Zayn knew Ashton was sensitive and hated being in trouble.

Zayn made the hug firm but short. He wanted Ashton to know it was going to be alright but that his actions had consequences. With a lite tap to his bum he pointed his son towards an empty corner. Ashton went to his corner much calmer than when the sentence had been imposed.

The only one left on the couch was Zayn's sweet baby boy Luke. Hey buddy, want to go get cleaned up before breakfast? Luke nodded and made grabby hands for Zayn to pick him up.

Luke had been in headspace for a few days now. When Luke was ten the fathers noticed he would go through periods where he would behave like a toddler. It took several therapists to diagnose him but in the end it seemed it was something he couldn't control.

Over the last couple years the family got used to Luke switching back and forth between his normal age and that of a 2 -3 year old toddler. The fathers were determined to help him through it however they could. The boys learned to recognize when he was being what the therapist called a "little,"

Zayn chuckled at Luke's grabby hands and he leaned down and picked his youngest up and set him on his hip. Luke wrapped his arms and legs around Zayn.

The papa carried him upstairs to Luke and Nial's room. He bent forward and pulled the changing pad out from under Luke's bed and laid him on it.

Lifting Luke's shirt and blowing a raspberry on it made Luke giggle "Stop Papa" Luke squealed. Zayn ripped the sides of Luke's pull up and lifted his legs to take the wet object off him. He carefully wiped his thighs and bottom down with a baby wipe.

"Ok baby boy do you want to try big boy pants this morning since we will be home all day and you can go to the potty whenever you need to?" Zayn asked, hoping his son might come out of headspace.

Not that he minded it, He just worried the more it happened the more likely he could get stuck in it and not come out.

"No Paw Patrol Papa" Luke said of his themed pull ups.

Zayn sighed but gave his son a smile before giving him a little lecture. "Luke I don't mind putting a pull up on you in case of an accident but you need to go potty in the toilet not in your pull up. When you're sleeping you can't help it but during the day you can."

Even in toddler space they had to have rules and expectations as any parent would have. Even in headspace Luke knew how to use the toilet but he would get stubborn sometimes and refuse to use it choosing to use his pull up instead. The therapist told the fathers to be firm with him that he didn't have a choice and using the potty was not negotiable.

"Daddy told me lately he's had to change you at school several times because you refuse to go to the toilet." Zayn scolded lightly at his baby with a raised eyebrow.

Luke looked away from his father's scolding. Zayn took his chin and turned his face so he was looking him in the eye's "Luke I will not get upset if it's truly an accident but if you purposely pee in your pull up, I will take it off of you and spank you bare bottom. Do you understand me?" Zayn asked slightly more stern than before to make his point known to his little boy.

"Yes Papa bear" Luke said wide eyed.

"Alright let's get you dressed and go down and see if breakfast is almost ready."

Liam was starting to call out "breakfast ready" when Zayn and Luke appeared. The family of ten ate the hearty breakfast prepared.

Afterward Zayn instructed Louis, Josh, Calum, Nial to go upstairs and gather all the dirty laundry together and send it down the laundry shoot and then for each boy to pick up their portion of their rooms as needed.

He handed Luke over to Josh and asked him to help Luke clean his side of the room knowing that Josh was the least messy of the boys and would hardly have anything to clean up if at all and Luke could get quite grumpy when having to do chores and Josh and Ashton were the most patient with their little brother and could usually make a game of it so he would cooperate.

The 5 boys went upstairs as they were told.