riley stared down at the swaddled newborn in front of him. "he's itty."

"uh huh. itty bitty," louis nodded. "say hi to rio, guys."

"hi," the older siblings say, one on each side of louis. curled up in the hospital bed, the now four of them have just gotten settled in after louis made sure riley wouldn't jump around too much and wake his brother up.

"daddy?" raven looked over at harry, who was unraveling a thinner blanket for riley.

"yes, rae?"

"are you gonna say hi to rio?"

chuckling, harry said, "i have said hi to rio all day, sweetheart. it's yours and riley's turn to say hi."

raven nodded her head and laid her cheek against louis' arm. "can i hold him?"

"of course you can, give me just a second." louis kissed the top of her curls. "haz?"

"coming, baby." harry sat in front of raven and took rio from his husband. he couldn't do much twisting or turning, let alone bending or stretching since he had a third cesarean section. he could accidentally rip his staples out.

louis put a drop of hand sanitizer on raven's hands. "rub it in," he reminded her.

"and me?" riley asked.

louis grinned and gave his son some sanitizer, rubbing his little hands together. he helped massage it in and held his hands.

"give me a hug, monster," he told him. "but be careful. i got a boo-boo."

"oh no," riley gasped. "i kiss it?"

"no kissing this one, sweet boy. it's alright. it just hurts to move."

the oldest son nodded and stood to hug louis' neck.

louis smiled and kissed the side of his face. "love you."

"love you," riley hummed.

louis gave him a very gentle squeeze before requesting for him to sit back down.

raven was in love with rio like she was with riley (until riley learned how to walk, talk and throw his toys at her face, then it was game over), cooing over how tiny he was, his little fingers, his little nose, she was ecstatic.

finding out she wasn't having a baby sister was okay, louis guessed. she wasn't the happiest, but she wasn't particularly sad. she said avalon was her sister, in a way. they were always together whether it be avalon staying a night with raven or raven just spending the entire weekend at zayn and niall's. not only that but raven would bug the shit out of one of her fathers to use their phone and call her.

"what color are his eyes?"

"gray," harry murmured. "they'll change over time. give it about a year."

"he better have blue like me and dad. riley has green."

"like me," harry grinned. "riley looks just like me. rio too. you look just like daddy lou."

"which is why i'm the prettiest."

"all of my babies are pretty," louis argued softly. "you, riley, rio, and daddy harry. prettiest babies i have ever laid eyes on."

harry bit his lip, a shy grin breaking out as he continued to cradle his hands underneath raven's elbows to keep her steady while holding her baby brother.

"he's so warm," raven giggled.

"very warm," harry agreed. "him's nice and cozy, all swaddled up. did you see his little
hat?"

raven peeked at the beanie he was wearing and gasped. "this is the one i picked out."

"uh huh. doesn't it look good on him?"

the eldest child nodded. "he's so cute."

louis hummed. "she used to say the same about ri."

he laughed when riley scrunched his nose and lifted his blanket so the toddler could lay with him. riley curled up to his side immediately.

raven and harry were chatting quietly to eachother, talking about the nice nurses and rio not liking to go without socks or else his tiny toes turn into ice cubes. when rio woke up, he stared heavily up at raven until his eyes landed on harry.

"let daddy see him real quick," harry whispered. raven nodded and let him take the baby.

harry got a bottle prepared since it had been a little bit since the newborn ate. he was asleep for about an hour before his older siblings came. trisha brought all three of her grandbabies to the hospital so they all could meet her other three grandbabies. she was tickled to find out they were all born on the same day.

jay had came the day after all of the babies were born so that she could give every parent time to rest up and love on their newest additions. she was absolutely smitten with rio, asking if she could take him home with her and never give him back. she asked the same about the twins, according to niall. she had six grandbabies to spoil now. she and trisha were in for it.

rio sucked the bottle down hungrily, eyes still trained on his father. he really was harry's twin, just like riley, only rio had thin lips like louis. everything else about the boys though...harry could have very well just shit them out.

"he's eating so fast," raven giggled. "he's gonna make himself sick."

"nah, he'll be okay," louis assured. "he's just hungry."

"i'm hungry," riley then said.

"again?" raven scoffed. louis snickered at her attitude and asked if riley wanted some gummies, which the toddler immediately said yes to.

"go in dad's backpack and get his gushers, please," louis told his daughter. "get two packs."

"three. i want some," harry mumbled. "please, rae? 'cause you love me so much?"

"i guess," raven sighed. she wiggled out of the bed and found harry's snacks he snuck into the hospital, grabbing three packages of gushers. she handed one to harry and two to louis.

louis handed one back to her and kissed her cheek before opening riley's pack. he took a bite of the candy and cleared out as much sweet syrup from the middle of it as he could before handing the other piece to his son. riley chewed on the gummy happily, wiggling in his seat.

"'s it good?"

"uh huh."

"good," louis grinned. "come back to me. i want ri-ri snuggles."

riley laid his head on louis' chest, careful of his stomach. louis cuddled him close, kissing the top of his head and watching harry with their youngest baby.

"uncle niall has babies just as tiny as bubba," louis told him. "two babies."

raven gasped. "really?!"

"uh huh. when gramma trish comes back in, she can take you guys to see them. or daddy can take you if he wants," louis suggested, raising his eyebrows at harry. "maybe?"

"maybe," harry nodded. "they have to be quiet though. twins could be in the nursery sleeping."

"there are lots of babies down in the nursery," louis told his daughter. "loads of them."

"wow," raven whispered. "i want a baby."

"uh, no," harry wheezed. "you have your brothers. they are your babies."

"riley's weird. i like rio. he doesn't talk."

"but riley loves you," harry chuckled. "don't you, ri-bug?"

riley perked his head up.

"you love sissy."

"love sissy," riley murmured.

"see?" harry kissed the top of raven's head. "bubba loves you."

"he's still weird."

"he's my weird baby," louis cooed. he adjusted riley up higher so he could pepper kisses to the side of his face. he blew a raspberry on his cheek, making the toddler grin.

a nurse came in to check in on louis to make sure his vitals were alright. she greeted the other two kids with high fives and told them they were the cutest little things before changing her gloves so she could take another peek at rio. once she confirmed that her duties were done, she handed the re-swaddled boy back to harry.

"he's killing me," she said quietly. "making me wish these next seven months would hurry up."

louis rose his eyebrows. "you?"

"mhm. with my second," she smiled. "ten weeks tomorrow."

louis wished her well with her pregnancy and thanked her for everything she's done for them the last few days. she's such a sweet soul. she was one of the nurses that helped deliver rio and she was assigned to the styles bunch, so she formed a little bond with the family.

trisha came in about twenty minutes after the nurse left. louis was holding rio close for some skin to skin time while riley stared at him mesmerized. he was asking all kinds of questions like why he was so little, if he can play dinosaurs with him, and if he can eat mac and cheese too.

riley got a chance to hold his little brother but harry was the one that made sure to do it so louis wouldn't stress his body out. he and both of his sons camped out on the small couch across from the bed, lost in their own little world talking to eachother. harry couldn't stop smiling at his boys. riley was going to be such a good big brother (or at least they hoped.)

when riley started to get fussy, harry gave the newborn to trisha so she could love on him. she changed his diaper and swaddled him back up before rocking him to calm him. while she sat with louis and rio, harry decided to take the opportunity to take the other two kids out of the room.

he carried riley on his hip since he was being clingy and carried him with his favorite blanket over his back. "bubba's getting sleepy, huh? did you have a nap today?"

harry looked down at raven, who was following with her tiny hand in his own. "did riley take a nap?"

"yeah."

"hm. he might just want me, then," harry murmured. "that's okay. i missed my babies."

"where are we going?"

harry tipped his head at a door down the hall. he stopped at the door and knocked gently on it to announce his arrival.

the door was opened by zayn, who was very happy to see his niece and nephew. "hi!"

"uncle zee!" raven reached up for him and hugged him tight once she was picked up.

riley waved from his spot and stuck his thumb back in his mouth, nuzzling his face in the crook of his father's neck.

"oh yeah, he's tired." zayn smirked.

"so tired," harry cooed. "sis said he had a nap today."

"it's the hospital. it's made avvy sleepy too. all the silence and the cold, i bet." zayn opened the door wider to let them in and turned his head to look at niall. "it's haz, bug. the kids wanted to come say hi."

niall nodded from his spot and smiled at the styles bunch. "hi, rae! hi, baby dude!"

riley waved at his uncle. "hi, ni-ni."

"wanna come sit with me? i don't have a baby on me anymore so i'm free game," niall offered.

when harry tried to set riley down, the boy whined and clung to him even tighter.

niall, already ahead of harry, said before he explained, "that's okay. let him do his thing."

it has to be a dad thing. they just understand.

harry sat in a visitor seat and adjusted his son on his lap. he made sure his blanket was covering his entire body before rubbing his back.

raven asked about the other babies and if she could see them. she looked around the room to see that there were in fact no babies with them.

"they're down in the nursery, sis," zayn told her. "they're finishing up some tests on marley."

"like what?"

"she didn't pass her hearing test. uncle ni and i have to take her to the doctor for a re-test and see if anything changes."

"oh."

harry was saddened when he first heard the news, but they said that they were going to have a confirmation appointment with an audiologist done. niall was absolutely terrified that marley may be deaf but their nurse told them that many things could have caused her to fail. it happens. and that's why they have check-ups done.

"can we see them?" raven asked.

"later, yeah. they should be back up in a few hours when it's time for them to come see us. you just gotta be patient."

"okay." raven wiggled off of zayn's lap and climbed on niall's hospital bed. "do you have an owie, too?"

"an owie?" niall chuckled.

"he does," harry confirmed. "he has a bandage on his tummy just like daddy lou does."

"so no hugs."

"no, you can give me a hug," niall cooed. "come here."

he patted the spot beside him and pulled the six year old to his side. "i'll give you all the hugs you want, baby. i'm just a little sore."

raven settled comfortably at niall's side. "where's avvy?"

as if on cue, a bundle of blankets were knocked off of the recliner by niall's bed, revealing avalon. her hair was a mess as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"well, good morning," zayn cooed to her. he leaned over to flatten her pigtails a bit. it wasn't even morning. it was well into the afternoon. about three thirty to be exact. "did you have a good sleep?"

avalon nodded, yawning. she hopped down from her seat and walked right over to harry.

"hi, av," harry cooed softly. "riley's sleeping."

the blonde haired girl nodded. "just wanted to say hi."

harry grinned at his niece and patted his free leg. he helped her onto his lap and wrapped both arms around the kids to keep them secure.

"avvy?"

avalon looked over at raven.

"hi."

"hi," avalon yawned. "where's boo?"

"he's with gramma," harry hummed. "she's visiting rio."

"i wanna see rio," the blonde haired girl mumbled.

"we can go back when we get to see the twins, okay? uncle boo is wanting to see you, too."

"the kids wanna see everybody," zayn pointed out softly. "makes my cold heart a little warm."

"they've been with your mum for the last few days, babe. they miss us," niall said.

"i hope they've been good for her."

"even then, she wouldn't tell us if they were being little shitheads. she raised us for how many years?" harry asked zayn with a smirk. "if anything, she's loving this."

"riley beating raven up with a toy car is a lot different than us getting escorted home by the cops when we were teenagers."

"it was your idea to get the spray paint."

"it was yours to write that our principal loved butt stuff on the side of the building."

"maybe he shouldn't have suspended me."

"maybe you shouldn't have gotten yourself suspended."

"are you really trying to lecture me about my teenage behavior?"

"no... i'm just saying you could have been smarter."

"you know what? fuck you."

"ladies, ladies," niall intervened quietly. "there are children present. please calm down. i can't break up a cat fight when i have to walk with a pillow against my stomach."

"smack your husband with your pillow, please."

"no."

zayn stuck his tongue out at harry then.

"be nice," niall warned him. "don't make me get jay on you two."

the other two adults immediately folded at the threat.

riley's nap lasted about thirty more minutes, but it was enough for him to wake up in a more relaxed mood. he was willing to lay in bed with niall and watch cartoons on the telly while raven and avalon colored pictures together on the floor.

zayn was more than prepared to have any and everything they could want or need for the hospital stay, seeing that his oldest daughter is camped out on a blanket with plenty of crayons and blank paper to doodle on. she liked drawing pictures for her dads, and sometimes even made some for raven to take home to everyone else. she picked up on her dad's love for art very early.

with harry and zayn's help, raven and avalon got to take turns holding the twins when they arrived. niall made sure that they were snug in their blankets and that the girls sanitized their hands before touching them since they're tiny little things and need to stay away from as many germs as possible.

the oldest styles kid fed alexa her bottle, promising her uncle that she knew what she was doing. harry took over the recliner and had raven between his legs so he could help keep the newborn steady in his daughter's little arms, but she proved everyone right. having a baby brother taught her a few things.

zayn was in the middle of telling raven a story while burping alexa when his phone buzzed in his pocket. he pulled it out, still talking to his niece, and eyed his mobile suspiciously.

"hold on, sis," he murmured, putting his phone to his ear. "what's up?"

"is my husband dead?"

"uh...no?"

"well, he's about to be. tell his pretty ass to answer my texts for once in his life."

the boss pursed his lips before looking over at his brother, patting his daughter's back. "your husband said you better respond to him before he kills you in your sleep."

"shit." harry's eyes widened. he patted his pockets and slouched in his seat. "my phone's in his room-"

"i got the kids. go." niall waved him off. "we'll be right here."

harry promised he'd be back before rushing out of niall's room. of course he'd leave his phone behind. it's nobody's fault but his own, really, but there were a lot of things happening at once. it's an easy mistake.

he crept into louis' room in case rio was sleeping and found his husband sitting up with a white styrofoam cup cradled in his hands. rio was snoozing his heart out in his little mobile crib.

"where's mum? are you okay? is the baby okay?"

louis grinned at him. "yeah. i just missed you. trish went to get a coffee."

harry's shoulders sagged in relief. "i'm sorry. i didn't mean to leave my phone behind. bub fell asleep on me and then the twins came up and-"

"it's okay," louis chuckled, dismissing his unnecessary apology. "i was gonna ask if you could possibly do me the biggest favor in the whole wide world because you love me so very much..."

the older man sat on the edge of the hospital bed. "and what would that be?"

louis kissed his cheek. "i'm officially off my liquid only diet and i want pizza."

"you got it."

getting everyone fed was probably one of the easiest things to do. changing riley's outfit was the hardest. the two year old decided to wear his pizza more than get it in his belly, then had to be chased down in order to get his face cleaned off. he wasn't happy when he had to get his shirt changed, but his mood quickly turned around when louis asked him for snuggles. harry nearly sulked in the corner because it's obvious who the favorite parent is here.

raven got to hold rio one more time and was immediately grossed out when he farted while in her arms. she politely (with disgust written all over her face) told louis that he could have him back, then complained to harry that her little brother was just as bad as riley.

louis laughed with tears in his eyes, trying his best not to irritate his stomach when he pressed his pillow against it to keep him from doubling over. harry hung his head, trying his best to keep his composure, but failed to do so. he had to laugh. raven's reaction was priceless.

"we gotta get you guys home soon," harry said to raven, who was now snuggled into his side watching the telly on louis' wall. she was still mad over rio, but she'd get over it soon. "visiting hours are almost over."

"i don't wanna go," raven mumbled. "wanna stay with daddy."

"i know, sis. but daddy needs to rest up so he can come home."

"daddy's never having more babies. he needs to stay home forever."

"but..." louis then pouted, eavesdropping on their conversation. "no more? ever?"

raven shook her head.

"but what if you want a baby sister someday?"

"only if it's a girl. no more boys."

louis pointed a piece of pepperoni pizza at his husband. "no more boys, you hear that?"

harry gave him a salute. "i'll try my best."

—-

happy little families <3