Keeping Up With One Direction 2

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TWENTY FOUR: Over It

Turning the sink off, Harry sighs wiping his hands on the dishtowel hanging beneath the counter. He smiles glancing down at Liam that stayed rooted at his feet, the hybrid has one arm locked around Harry's sweatpants-clad leg, a pacifier tucked safely between his lips, Max sits in a highchair adjacent to Liam smiling friendly at his older brother that wanted absolutely nothing to do with him anymore.

Coughing into his elbow as Zayn had shown him, Louis huffs wiping his eyes sleepily, "You need to eat more, Bubba," Zayn mumbles pointing to the bowl of cereal he had fixed for the boy after Louis refused to accept the "Burnt" toast.

"It b-burned!"

"It's not burnt Lou, it's toasted. That's why it's called toast."

"Papa y-you's b-burned it!"

"It's toasted not burned! Daddy doesn't make you toast, he warms bread for you."

Zayn was going to continue to argue on the matter knowing he was right, though gave in when his hybrid persisted that he had burned the toasted toast he had asked for. He would rather waste his time teaching Harry how to properly toast bread than fight with Louis who just wanted a warm piece of bread.

"No," he whines pushing the bowl across the table, "Don't tell me no, eat your breakfast." Hardening his stern glare at the boy, he narrows his eyes seeing the testing look Louis had been wearing the past forty-eight hours. 

The eldest Stylin was battling a cold, with Liam's weak immune system the parents knew it would be best to keep the two separate. Easy to do with such a large house and three fathers.

This however made things increasingly difficult when Liam was now forced to play with Max or by himself for longer periods of time.

Sure, Liam and Louis fought at least three times a day, but they would play for a solid two hours before problems arose - Max and Liam couldn't make it thirty minutes without one of the two crying.

His once fun and cute new little brother had pushed Liam to the edge. That morning he'd met Zayn by his bed asking to return Max.

He could no longer live in a house where Louis wasn't there to play referee between the brother's fights.

Harry feels his heart wrench at Louis' soft cries, he knew the boy was milking his cold, he always did- but it was hard having to let Zayn handle it.

It was a suggestion from Carol, and while Harry acted as he supported it, the truth is he snuck into Louis' room last night to take his temperature and fluff his pillows how he liked. He just couldn't stay away.

Poking his head into the dining room where the Papa and son ate breakfast, "Need a break?-"

Zayn whips his head up meeting his husband's eyes, he offers a knowing smile, "No, and if I did I'd call Niall-"

"Daddy!" Louis sobs lifting his arms above his head begging to be cuddled, he knew his Daddy's weakness, the man chews his bottom lip worriedly, his emerald eyes flickering between his husband and eldest baby.

"Hun, go. I've got this. One of us needs to be confined to him to ease the spread." Zayn mutters rounding the table scooping Louis in his arms with a kiss on the cheek, "Why don't we go have a nap?"

Deafetedly returning to the kitchen, Harry furrows his eyebrows seeing Liam standing with a wooden spoon turned outwards as if using it as a weapon towards Max, "Did I interrupt something?" He muses taking the spoon from his grip, Liam groans gesturing towards the baby, "He-he mean!"