"Papa." Harry huffed as he dragged his feet into the living room. "Jesus Christ." Niall jumped on the sofa, his head whipping in the direction of the voice. "What are you doing baby? You were supposed to be in bed two hours ago."
"Can't sleep." The boy pouted, lifting his hands in the air for Niall to pick him up. "Where's daddy?"
"He's having a shower. C'mon, back to bed we go." Niall stood up with the ten-year-old on his hip; though it was no trouble, the boy was fairly small. "Papa!" Harry huffed once the man put him to bed, pulling his trousers back just to check his pull-up. "I didn't go!"
"Just checking." Niall chuckled, tucking the boy in and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Now go to sleep baby. You've got school tomorrow."
Harry tried his best, he really did, but no matter what he did he just couldn't fall asleep and he was getting quite frustrated. He sighed with relief when he heard the faint sound of the TV in his parents' bedroom, slowly tip toeing inside just in case they had fallen asleep.
"Harry?"
"Can't sleep daddy." Harry whined, making his way to Louis' side of the bed. "Got a weird feeling in my tummy." He pouted.
"Do you think you're getting icky?" Louis hummed, feeling the boy's forehead before picking him up and lifting him onto the bed. "Don't feel warm." Louis shrugged, looking at Niall to see if he had any answers. "Don't ask me. Came to me whilst you were in the shower, said he couldn't sleep." The man shrugged. "Do you want to stay with daddy and papa?" Louis asked, and the boy gave a shy nod.
"Only tonight! Still a big boy though." Harry assured, making Louis chuckle. "Of course you are. Daddy doesn't mind a snuggle tonight." The man smiled as he placed the boy in the middle of the two men, tucking him in. "Night bubba." He gave the boy a kiss on the head before instructing Niall to turn the TV off.
Louis was woken up later when someone started poking him in the face. "Huh?"
"Daddy." Harry whined. "I can't sleep." The was getting quite frustrated now, tears building up in his eyes. "What?" Louis asked groggily, rubbing his eyes as he tried to come to his senses. "It's... It's half one." The man mumbled, turning to his other side to continue his sleep but only getting interrupted again."
"Daddy! Help me!" Harry sniffled, this time managing to wake his father up properly. "Harry?" The man sat up, quite confused. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"I can't." The boy wailed, and Louis quickly whisked the boy out of bed so they wouldn't wake Niall. "Oh baby, why can't you sleep?" The man cooed, wiping the boy's tear stained face with his hands. "Dunno." Harry wailed miserably, feeling incredibly tired but even that wasn't enough to make him fall asleep.
"Try and close your eyes, okay baby?" Harry gave a nod as he snuggled into Louis' chest, the man swaying slowly as he hummed a soft melody, hoping it would be enough. Harry whined once his father stopped, only to look up and see that he had fallen asleep himself. "Daddy."
"Yeah?" The mans eyes shot open. "You were sleeping." The boy pouted. "I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to." Louis smiled, hugging the boy close. "How about warm milk?" Harry just shrugged, willing to try anything at this point. Louis carried the boy to the kitchen and placed him on top of the counter as he prepared the milk. Once it was heated, he transferred it to a mug with a lid on it, just to avoid any mess really, and handed it to the boy. "There we go. Let's hope this helps."
They went back to the living room, Louis sitting on the sofa with Harry in his lap as he patted his bottom slowly, something that always worked when he was a baby. "Is that good?" Harry only gave a slight nod as he chugged his milk down, Louis having to stop him so the boy wouldn't get a sore stomach. "M'tired." Harry mumbled, not understanding how he couldn't just fall asleep if he felt so tired.
"I know sunshine." Louis sighed, still swaying the boy but nothing seemed to be working. "Okay wait here baby, I'm gonna grab you a jumper." The man got an idea, getting a couple of jumpers for Harry and himself. "There you go. We're just going for a little drive." This had to work. Harry somehow managed to fall asleep in the car nearly every time if the journey was longer than twenty minutes. "Buckle up baby." Louis instructed, getting in the drivers seat himself.
It was dark and no one was on the street. It was rather peaceful Louis had to admit. "Look! Someone's runnin'!"
"I see. Some crazy people go for a jog in the middle of the night." Louis laughed. "Now close your eyes baby." He continued to drive for just over half an hour before going back home, really hoping the boy was asleep in the back seat.
"Daddy." Harry mumbled as the man tried to lift him out of the seat as carefully as he could.
"Fuck." Louis cursed under his breath, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into bed. "M'not asleep." Harry rubbed his eyes, feeling quite defeated.
"Don't cry love. Let's just go to bed and see if you can fall asleep now." The man sighed, carrying the boy inside and to his and Niall's bedroom. Harry quickly announced he need to go potty, so Louis helped him out of his jumper and watched him run into the en-suit.
"Lou?" Niall mumbled groggily, looking at his phone to see the time. "What are you doing up?"
"Been up all night." Louis mumbled, "went for a drive and everything." He really didn't know what to do, he really had tried everything. "Do you think I could give him cold medicine?"
"No medicine." Harry pouted, announcing his presence back in the room.
"Dunno Lou." Niall rubbed his sleepy face. "Does he have a cold?"
"Well no? But, you know, might help him sleep." Louis shrugged, really wondering if it would work. "M'right here daddy! Don't want yucky medicine." Harry whined, climbing onto Louis once the man got into bed. "Okay baby. No medicine."
"Did you try milk?"
"Don't you think I tried that before going for a drive in the middle of the night?" Louis shot back, getting quite frustrated. "Sorry, I'm just tired." The man sighed, inhaling the scent of Harry's kid friendly shampoo which managed to calm him.
"Why don't you sleep. I'll try and get him to sleep." Niall offered but Louis denied. "No, no. I'm taking tomorrow off anyway, don't really think it's wise to send him to school with no sleep."
"M'sorry daddy." Harry sniffled. "It's not your fault baby." Louis gave him a peck on the forehead, "Let's go to your room baby, let papa get some sleep huh?"
"Why do you think you can't sleep baby?" Louis questioned once they were both situated in Harry's bed. "Dunno daddy. Just feel funny."
"Fell funny like you might be getting icky. Or perhaps feel anxious?" Harry just shrugged. "Anxious?"
"Like are you feeling nervous or worried about something." The man explained, thinking it was the only thing that could make sense now. "My tummy does feel funny." Harry admitted. "Like there are butterflies." Louis just nodded, deciding something must be making the boy feel anxious but would probably question him tomorrow. "Daddy?"
"Yes baby."
"Am I going to school tomorrow?"
"No honey. We're staying home. Just you and me." Louis smiled, combing his fingers through the boy's hair that was overdue for a haircut. "We'll just snuggle, and hopefully get some sleep." The man frowned when the boy seemed to relax from his words and suddenly, he was asleep. Just like that.
"Asleep?" Niall questioned when he felt Louis crawl back into bed. "Yeah. I think something's up." The man frowned, making Niall prop himself up and turn his bedside lamp on. "What do you mean?"
"He seemed to relax when he found out he wasn't going to school." Louis explained. "Think it would be wise to talk to his teacher or something. And maybe find someone for Harry to talk to, don't want him to develop an anxiety disorder."
"But what could be bothering him?" Niall questioned. "He's always excited about school?" Louis just shrugged. "I'll talk to him tomorrow. Just want to sleep, please." Louis let out a big yawn, quite happy to get some rest.
