parenthood | niam au [ON HOLD]

family dinners (pt. two) + vacation

"daddy, why can't zinnia play outside with us?" teddy whines, pouting. liam, niall, harry, and zayn are sitting on the patio holding their babies while the older kids are playing in the backyard. they're running through the sprinkler, squealing and giggling loudly.

"she's still too little," liam explains, running a hand through teddy's wet, dark hair. "and lydia is, too, so don't even think about it. you need a haircut, li'l guy."

teddy shakes his head. "don't want any of my hairs cut!"

liam just chuckles fondly. "go on, go play with your brother and elise. play nicely!" 

"yes, daddy," teddy responds, still a bit bummed that zinnia can't play with them, but soon enough he's giggly and happily running through the sprinkler again.

"they're gonna die when we tell them," harry laughs.

zayn nods. "elise is gonna scream so loud i might go deaf."

that makes niall laugh. "here, li, take zin. i'm gonna go start dinner." he hands their squirmy little girl over to liam, who gladly takes her.

"hi, nugget!" he coos, and little zinnia giggles and touches his face with her chubby little fingers. he kisses her hands, which makes her laugh even harder.

"daddy, the grass is soaked!" flynn shouts. when he jumps, the 'squish' sound is audible. "it's all muddy now!"

"oh, god," liam mutters. "you'll have to tell me when you're ready to go in. if you track mud on the carpet, your papa will kill me."

"daddy! i found a worm!" teddy shrieks. elise scurries over to his side to see, and then scrunches up her nose in distaste. 

"he's too wiggly," she says decidedly. "i don't like him." she puts her hand out to hold him, though, and giggles at the sensation of the worm crawling over her fingers. "papa, can i keep the worm?"

"what? absolutely not," harry laughs back. "he wants to stay in the dirt with his family, baby."

"no! he wants to come home with me!" she whines.

harry raises an eyebrow. "what did i say, elise?"

elise pouts, but obediently puts the worm back in the grass. they play outside for a bit longer until niall calls that dinner is almost done.

"come on, kiddos, we've gotta rinse you off before we go in," liam says, disconnecting the hose from the sprinkler. the kids squeal in both delight and distaste as liam hoses down their muddy legs and feet. teddy giggles the whole time, claiming it tickles.

"hungry, daddy!" flynn whines as liam scoops them both up to carry them inside. niall holds the door open for them, zinnia on his hip.

"i know you are, ducky. let's just get some warm clothes on you, and then we'll have some yummy dinner, huh?" he says, smiling, tickling flynn's tummy. flynn giggles and wiggles away, but lets liam dress him quickly so they can make their way back downstairs. when they get there, elise is all dressed in warm clothes, too. 

"papa, what's for dinner? is it peanut butter and bug sandwiches?!" teddy asks.

niall laughs, shaking his head. "what? no, kiddo. but if you want one of those, i can make you one for a snack later, okay?"

"eww! bugs!?" elise screeches, wrinkling her nose.

"it's okay, e! it's just raisins! they just look like bugs," teddy explains quickly, not wanting her to be scared. soon enough, everyone is eating their food and talking loudly amongst themselves. harry and niall are comparing pinterest boards while liam and zayn are arguing over something miniscule. 

"kids, we've got a surprise for you," harry calls over the noise.

"surprise? i like surprises!" teddy cheers excitedly.

"we're having a sleepover here tonight!" harry continues, "and we've got an even bigger surprise for you! we're going on vacation!"

"where?" flynn demands immediately, but harry just shrugs. 

"you'll find out tomorrow," he answers, smiling. all the kids whine and grumble, but they cheer up when harry suggests making cookies once the table is cleared.

"how about oatmeal raisin?" niall suggests.

"papa! ew!" teddy yells, dramatically sticking his tongue out in disgust.

liam laughs. "how about snickerdoodle? everyone likes that, right?"

it's kind of a mess, honestly. everyone wants to roll the cookies, and for every cookie rolled, an equal amount of dough was probably eaten. flynn asks for the cookie cutters, so they kids make their cookies into little hearts, stars, clouds, and superheroes. flynn insists they can't use the ironman one because, "he was not being nice to captain america or spiderman, so he's in timeout for today."

after the cookies are baked and eaten, the kids still try to wheedle their surprise out of their parents. "i'll be good!" teddy insists, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "promise! i'll be good if you tell me!"

liam rolls his eyes. "close your eyes, sweet boy. you'll find out tomorrow," he assures him. stubbornly, the two boys try to stay awake, but end up dozing off. they sleep cuddled up together, elise in the middle, on a pile of blankets on the floor of their bedroom. harry and zayn take the guest room, and liam and niall fall into bed, bleary with exhaustion.

"harry's right," niall tells liam before they fall asleep. "they really are gonna freak out when we tell them."

liam laughs sleepily. "i know."

a/n: where do you think they're going!?