One direction child preferences 2

Daddy Dearest - Chapter 9

Daddy Dearest - Chapter 9

Creds to hemmingsalmightty

Previously

"Can you stay?" Zayn asked softly. "I missed you," he pouted. Louis' heart swelled at that and he nodded.

"Of course I'll stay. Let me go get the baby monitor so I can hear Liam if he wakes up. I'll be right back, baby boy," Liam smiled, kissing Zayn's hair and then heading out of the room. He grabbed the baby monitor from his office and then returned to the bedroom to find that Zayn was already asleep. Louis just smiled and laid beside him, puling the baby close and staying with him, just as he had promised.

Louis dozed off in Zayn's bed with the boy, and he didn't wake until he heard Liam talking through the baby monitor. Moving carefully as to not wake Zayn, Louis headed down the hall and smiled as he entered Liam's room. "Hi there, buddy," Louis chuckled, happily pulling the boy from his crib. "How are you?"

"Good," Liam giggled. Louis nodded happily and laid the boy on the change table, getting him changed back into play clothes. "Zayn," the boy requested, looking around.

"He's still napping, bud. Why don't we go wake him up?" Louis suggested, looking at his watch. "It's almost time to get the other boys from school," he smiled.

"Niall!" Liam cheered happily, and Louis nodded.

"And Harry!" he reminded the boy as they entered Zayn's room. "Zaynie," he cooed, kneeling by the bed and running his hand down Zayn's back. "Time to wake up, little one," he whispered, seeing Zayn begin to move and open his eyes. "Hi there, sleepy head."

"Hi, Daddy," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He whined as he sat up, stretching his little arms.

"Sounds like someone enjoyed his nap," Louis laughed, kissing Zayn's forehead. "It's time to go get Harry and Niall, and ice cream," he said in a stage whisper.

"Ice cream," Zayn hummed happily as he slid off his bed.

"Go potty and get dressed," Louis instructed gently, reaching out to make sure Zayn gained his balance. As Zayn trotted off to the bathroom where his school clothes lay discarded on the floor, Louis headed downstairs and made sure everything was squared away for them to leave once more.

"Daddy, where'd you go?" Louis heard Zayn whine from the top of the stairs.

"We're downstairs, babe," Louis called, and soon Zayn appeared on the stairs with a smile on his face. "There you are!"

"I found you!" Zayn giggled. Louis made a funny face and led the boy to the car, buckling both boys in before he made his way back to the school for what felt like the hundredth time that day. When they got there, Louis elected to park and go get the kids as compared to go through the pickup line. So he unbuckled the two babies and took their hands, carefully leading the across the street to the pavilion by the front of the school.

"Can you guys look for Harry and Niall? Tell Daddy if you see them!" Louis exclaimed excitedly, and Liam was glancing around at all the kids, searching for his brothers.

"There!" Zayn shouted, pointing. He began tugging impatiently at his dad's hand and whining. "I go to them? I go?" he asked hopefully and Louis smiled, letting go of the young boy's hand and letting him run to Niall, who was standing with his arm around Harry. Niall caught sight of his brother and his face lit up, and soon Louis was approaching a hug between all three siblings, Liam tugging at Louis' hand so he could break free and join in. As soon as they were close enough for Louis to feel comfortable letting go of Liam, he did and the toddler launched himself at his brothers.

"Daddy!" Harry exclaimed as he pulled away from the hug to reach up to his dad. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, little one," Louis smiled, picking him up and giving him a tight hug. "I missed you far too much!"

"But tomorrow I get to be line leader so I wanna come back," Harry stated, and Louis nodded, kissing his son's cute little nose.

"I think I can let you come back," Louis nodded. "Only if you really want to though," he said in mock seriousness. Then he knelt down and placed Harry down, opening his arms to Niall. "There's my boy," he hummed as Niall hugged him tight.

"Daddy," was all Niall said. Louis didn't like the negative tone his son's voice had, so he just hugged him tighter, hoping that maybe he could squeeze the sadness out of him.

"Hi, Niall," Louis whispered, kissing his cheek. "You want to go get ice cream with everybody?" he asked. Niall was a bit surprised the man didn't ask about school, but he wasn't ungrateful.

"Ice cream sounds yummy," he whispered back, pulling away and tugging on the backpack straps on his shoulders. Louis nodded and stood, taking Liam's hand and resting his other one on Niall's shoulders.

"Let's go! I know some boys that need some ice cream," Louis cheered, and he and his little clan made their way to the car. Louis was beginning to feel like a Mama duck or something, because there was always four little pairs of pattering feet behind him, and usually some sort of chatter. But it was nice. Comforting.

At the ice cream parlor, Louis settled the boys in a booth before going to order. He returned with five cups of vanilla ice cream, all but one of them covered with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, with a cherry on top. He set each one of the sundaes in front of the kids, eliciting a gasp from Liam. "All mine?" he asked as he wrapped his small hands around the little cup.

"All yours," Louis promised, giving ice cream to each of the babies before he sat at the end of the table in a chair so he could see all his kids. "So who wants to tell Daddy what happened at school?" the father prompted, taking a bite of his own ice cream.

"My teacher doesn't make us sit in the chair if we don't want to," Harry giggled. "We all have tape boxes on the floor and as long as we're in the boxes and we're quiet we can do what we want!" he was obviously very pleased with that, and Louis didn't think it was a bad idea, either.

"Wow, Harry, that's awesome!" he smiled right back. The curly-headed child nodded and then lifted his ice cream to his mouth, going quiet.

"Me and Sam played hide and seek on the playground," stated Zayn with a smile. "I hid in a tire and he couldn't find me!" he giggled. Louis made his mouth drop open in surprise and he gasped.

"Wow! You must be really good!" he said. "Maybe we should play sometime at home," he suggested, and the boy nodded eagerly.

"Daddy and me went to the park," Liam told his brothers, and Niall smiled at his youngest brother.

"That sounds fun, Li," Niall nudged his brother's arm, but didn't volunteer any information about his day. Louis found it odd but didn't want to comment on it, deciding to pick and choose his battles, and forcing his son to talk was not one that he wanted to fight.

Once all the kids were sticky faced and happy, Louis cleaned up the trash and took a baby wipe to Liam and Zayn's face and hands while Harry and Niall cleaned up in the washroom. Then they headed home and Louis had all the kids get changed into play clothes before they headed out into the backyard.

Liam toddled off to climb a rock garden that Louis had in the corner, while Zayn and Harry began to kick a football around. But Niall seemed to have no interest in playing, and instead sat on the edge of the patio with Louis, leaning against the adult. "Is everything alright? You doing okay, Niall?" Louis asked softly, hand resting on the small of Niall's back.

"No," Niall admitted, turning to hide his face in Louis' bicep. "Don't like it," he whined, and Louis tugged the boy into his lap, wrapping his arms around the smaller one.

"Don't like what, buddy?" he asked, but there was no answer, no sort of reaction from Niall. "That's okay. You don't have to talk, buddy. Just know, Daddy's here."

"Daddy's here," Niall repeated quietly, his hands clamping Louis' shirt tightly. "Here."

"Here," Louis repeated, kissing his hair. "Always."