not edited :)

—-

"happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear the sexiest husband in the wooorld," harry sang lowly as he pressed kisses to louis' face. "happy birthday to you."

louis cracked a sleepy grin as he kept an arm wrapped around harry's shoulders.

"wake up, babes. i made you food."

"did you really?"

"mhm. it's waiting downstairs for you."

louis blinked up at harry with soft eyes. "i'll be down in a bit."

harry kissed his cheek. "don't go back to sleep, mister. today is a very busy day for us."

the older man took the blankets off of louis to ensure he would stay awake and went as far as pinching his ass for a bit of stimulation. louis threw a pillow at him, cracking a sleepy grin when it smacked him upside the head.

"okay, i deserved that. hurry up. i made french toast."

"ugh, i love you," louis groaned. he got up with a little excitement bubbling inside of him and stretched, face scrunching from the slight pain in his lower back. maybe he and his husband had a tiny birthday celebration around midnight when the kids were asleep. it definitely helped him not hate the fact that he was another year closer to thirty, that's for sure. and for being over thirty...harry still has good game.

downstairs, riley was crawling around the living room while raven was walking in front of him. the four year old was walking backwards, giggling down at her little brother.

"hi daddy!" raven beamed as soon as her eyes landed on her father. "happy birthday!"

"thank you, baby bird," louis cooed, crossing his arms over himself to keep him warm. his fuzzy robe that harry gifted him as an early birthday present was his new best friend. it was solid red, had pockets, and even a hood. he accepted the hug that his daughter gave him and picked riley up, holding the ten month old in the air above him.

"good morning, bubba," he smiled. "let's go get you some food, yeah? i bet you're excited too."

"i helped," raven said.

"you did?" louis gasped as he set riley on his hip. "what did you do this time?"

raven liked to help her dad make meals by offering the slightest help like grabbing certain ingredients and mixing things, or helping put plates on the table. her favorite thing to do is help make riley's food because it's smaller portions and easy for her to handle on her own. she calls herself riley's chef.

"i made eggs!"

"did you now? look at you. my smart girl is gonna have her own restaurant in the near future." louis ruffled her hair and held her hand as they all three traveled into the kitchen.

harry was finishing putting plates on the table. "she cracked and whisked them all on her own. we did have a little accident, but that's okay."

"at least someone from my bloodline knows how to cook, 'cause i can't," louis chuckled. "where's ri-ri's stuff?"

harry opened the fridge and grabbed the tiny plate that was inside of it. louis buckled the infant in his high chair and clasped the tray onto it. after getting a bib around riley's neck, he put his french toast bites and scrambled eggs on the tray and took the bowl of mashed up bananas from his husband next. riley's very food-y. he's not picky at all. he likes blueberries and his fruit puffs the most but now that he has multiple teeth in, he can eat big boy foods.

with raven, they experimented and didn't do all the cute little snack ideas until she was about two. with riley, he just doesn't care. he'll chow down on anything put in front of him. so louis was not alarmed when the ten month old grabbed a handful of eggs and went to town on them. it just made him laugh.

after breakfast, louis sat in the living room floor and opened his presents from raven. she made him a card with a drawing of their family as little stick figures, put two bucks in from her piggy bank, and surprised him with a necklace that had her name and riley's name on it. harry must have bought it (had to have, because this was an easy fifty and he knew she didn't have that much in her little bank), but she said she picked the font and the rose gold color of the charm and chain.

louis kissed her face and gave her a tight hug. "thank you, baby. i love it so much. i'm gonna put it on right now." he unclasped it and had harry help him put it around his neck. he adjusted it to comfort and smiled at his oldest child. "who knew you were good at giving presents?"

raven pointed at harry.

harry chuckled and kissed the top of louis' head. "it's a styles thing."

riley crawled over to louis and climbed on him, digging his toes in his thighs. louis held him close to make sure he wouldn't fall since he's still learning what balance is, and blew a raspberry on his chubby cheeks.

"it's okay if you didn't get me a present. i understand," he told him. "i'll gladly take kisses and snuggles all day. think you can do that for me?"

raven moved over and kissed his cheek. "there you go."

his kids are the absolute best. nobody can tell him otherwise.

trisha came by around noon to pick the kids up to spend time with them and give them their christmas presents. she told raven that santa came to her house early because he knew that her dads needed him to come that night.

harry helped riley open his gifts. the infant was very entertained by ripping wrapping paper open once harry would start ripping it and giving him the opportunity to grab it. raven bounced around the living room boasting about her new shoes from gramma and toys from santa, and louis was happy with his new weighted blanket and at home spa kit. trisha (santa) was also good at gift giving. harry must have learned it from her.

"we have to take presents to avalon," trisha told raven. "can you keep them safe? santa asked that we take very good care of them for her. his elves worked very hard to make sure you guys had everything you wished for."

raven nodded excitedly. "i can be a present elf!"

"you sure can. let's get you dressed in something warmer, 'cause it's gonna snow today."

"snow angels!"

"there might be enough snow for snow angels. we'll see, okay? there may be even more tomorrow," harry said. "help me clean up and we can get ready."

louis and trisha chatted about plans for the day while harry got the kids ready. trisha offered to take raven and riley off of their hands so they could wrap their christmas presents and get their stockings put together. there were a few presents under the tree already for niall, avalon, and zayn, but none for the styles kids. santa had to bring those.

louis told raven when they went shopping that not only santa gives presents, but family and friends can give them too. he let her pick out presents for avalon while he chose the ones for his brothers. she also picked presents out for harry and riley because she said they needed them too. he thought she was a mind reader there for a while, because she picked out the same learning toy for riley that he had been thinking of getting.

once the kids were dressed and riley's diaper bag was packed, louis gave the kids hugs and kisses and thanked trisha for taking them. harry walked them out to the car so he could get riley's car seat set up, and the two parents waved at raven from the doorway.

"did she like her presents?" louis asked.

"loved them. she's very excited about the waffle iron."

"heart shaped waffles!" louis beamed. "i had to. i knew she would love it."

once the coast was clear, they unloaded presents from different areas of the house. a lot of raven's were in the living room closet since they never used it, and riley's were upstairs in their bedroom. stocking stuffers were moved from the laundry room to the top of the fridge so that harry could do those while the kids were asleep.

this time of year brought joy to louis because of raven's birthday, his birthday, and christmas. there were multiple things to look forward to. this is riley's first christmas, so they kind of went nuts. harry definitely spent the most money, but louis did all of the searching and shopping. it was a team effort. riley's first birthday is coming up, so that gives them even more opportunity to go all out.

"before we start," harry murmured, "i gotta give you a present."

"please tell me it's the pair of boots that were in the attic."

"well, yes, but," harry chuckled. he fumbled with the tie of louis' robe. "what is one thing i have given you for your birthday for years?"

louis bit his lip when the tie was undone. "i dunno. i'm getting old, so i forget..."

harry smirked and nudged him onto the couch. "let me remind you, then."

it took a little while for louis to recover, but once he was back to reality, he tackled harry onto the couch and called dibs on wrapping raven's big present. he buried his husband under the decorative couch pillows and raced over to the large box that was at the bottom of the stairs.

harry wiggled out from his trap and ran over to louis, hooking his hands under his armpits and dragging him backwards. he laughed through louis' struggling because his socks and fuzzy robe were no help in his attempt of escape.

"cheater!"

"that's mine!"

"mine!" louis yelled back. "i called dibs!"

"i paid for it!"

"you paid for everything, you rich bastard. let me wrap it!"

harry picked louis up and carried him back to the couch. he pinned him down and laid on top of him, refusing to move.

"you are such an ass," louis grunted.

"i wanna wrap it."

louis looked over at the box. "it's gonna take two...we might as well both do it."

harry sighed. "i think you're right." he pinned himself above louis and kissed his nose. "sorry for using my gang techniques on you."

"it's okay. the blowjob makes up for any wrongdoing today."

"so i can say fuck these kids and throw all the presents away then?"

"absolutely not!" louis gasped. "my babies deserve a good christmas! don't make me shave your head. your hair is just now starting to grow back."

harry laughed and got up, pulling louis up with him. he cupped his face and kissed him twice.

"do we wanna use the sparkly paper or the princess paper?"

"sparkly. there's more of it."

after they wrapped raven's unnecessarily giant dollhouse, louis proposed they go person by person with gifts that way they're all organized. last year they just wrapped everything and things got mixed up, so this year he got specific paper for specific people. raven has princesses and glitter, riley has christmas puppies, zayn and niall have snowmen, and avalon has pink snowflakes. there were plenty of gift bags and tissue paper as well for gifts that couldn't be wrapped (or could if harry's stubborn ass was really determined to do it.)

joker was a part of the wrapping party, utilizing his skill of being nosey. he sniffed all of the presents, tried to eat tissue paper, and was given a treat by harry for not trying to open anything. he'll get his presents tomorrow. he gets a giant bone and toys every year plus a new sweater for the winter.

the two of them wrapped so many presents that louis didn't even realize it was already almost two in the afternoon. he couldn't wrap the rest of harry's presents yet. he'll have to find the time to do it later.

louis opened the back door to let joker out and stood by it to keep an eye on him. the pit bull is a big baby, but there's still a huge stigma around them that makes him nervous. he doesn't bother anybody. he's just getting old. he has been a big part of their family for a long time now. he just wished he still had his lizard because raven is into all things bugs and creepy crawly. it's easier to take care of a dog when you have a newborn compared to a reptile, so zayn took over and raised the bearded dragon for years. poor little bud passed away right around the time louis lost remy, so it was hard on him. he felt so guilty, but zayn promised that bud wasn't alone when he went on. he had been sick for a little while, and it was just his time.

louis gave joker another treat and kissed his nose. "go find daddy and tell him that you want your sweater."

"you wanna give him his sweater now?"

"he'd look so handsome in it. and it's snowing outside. he deserves his sweater."

harry grabbed joker's gift bag and pulled his sweater out. it was navy blue and gray, and looked like a drug rug.

it was a chore getting the dog dressed because he was stubborn and didn't want to put his head in the head hole, but once the coat was on him, harry cooed about how handsome he looked and took pictures. he pulled the hood over the dog's head and snickered when joker had to tip his head all the way back in order to try and see.

harry lowered the hood and patted his side. "blue is definitely your color, son. you can go lay down now, it's okay. i know you're tired from all us kids roughhousing and making noise all the time."

louis smiled softly and grabbed a juice pouch from the fridge. "i think we should cuddle with him."

"wanna cuddle with daddy lou?" harry asked joker. "i have to hide the presents anyways and it's his birthday, so he shouldn't be doing anything at all."

"and where are we gonna hide them?" louis asked.

"you forget we have spare rooms down here."

louis stabbed his juice pouch with a straw. "i really do."

he helped move presents around and grabbed joker's blanket from his room. he had his very own bedroom, with an attached doggy door and a toddler bed that had toys galore on it. harry spoiled that boy. he had the right. joker was his first baby, after all.

harry had louis open his birthday presents, smiling bashfully at each giddy squeal and kiss that was planted to his cheek. louis thanked him over and over for everything like he does every year. he got him the tan combat boots he saw in the attic, new sweaters, new panties, a huge bundle of fuzzy socks, a new phone, plus tattoo certificates and a ring with riley's birth stone on it. he had gotten one before that had raven's stone, so now he has a piece for both babies.

"and no, you can't open your christmas presents."

louis batted his eyelashes at his husband.

"uh uh. don't give me that look."

"what if i give you one of your presents?"

"nope."

louis groaned and put his gifts back in their respective bags and boxes. he climbed onto harry's lap and kissed his cheek again.

"thank you for my gifts. i love you very much."

"i love you, baby. you're welcome." harry puckered his lips and smiled when he got the kiss he silently requested. "think the oldest demon would be okay with pizza?"

"i know i am."

louis took a nap with the dog upstairs until the kids came back home around six. they had to eat dinner, take baths and make cookies for santa, so trisha brought them home safe and sound. the snow never increased, it just remained in flurries that didn't stick to the roads. the tops of their cars and the yard were solid white though, so maybe raven really can make some snow angels in the near future.

harry made pizzas with raven, letting the little girl sprinkle all the toppings and helped her make reindeer food while the pizzas baked. they put sprinkles, oats, and glitter in little bags so that they could put them on the lawn before bed. harry said it would help the reindeer sense the house just like last year when they set the food out for them.

louis gave both of the kids their baths and got them dressed in their matching christmas jammies when they finished their dinner. riley was starting to get sleepy around his usual bedtime, so louis snuggled with him until he fell asleep at nine. he had a full belly, was warm, and was snuggling with his dad. louis didn't care how late he stayed up. he had a busy day visiting family and playing with his uncles. he's surprised he lasted this long.

raven asked for louis to bake cookies with her, so once riley was down, the two of them started making the treats. harry got two packs, chocolate chip and sugar with snowmen on them.

"gramma trish said that you had fun today," louis hummed while raven set another block of dough on the baking sheet.

"uncle niall taught me how to make snow cream."

"he did? i bet that was cool. did you make snow angels?"

judging by the grin on her face, louis knew she did.

"and i made zayn fall in the snow."

"how?"

"tripped him."

"raven!"

the little girl giggled, "he put snow in my shirt!"

"okay, fair," louis chuckled. "did bubby stay warm?"

"yeah."

"good. he's still really little and can get sick easily."

"i know. gramma stayed in with him while we played and he watched us. zayn threw snow at the window and he thought it was funny."

"bubby thinks everything is funny," harry said from the doorway. "you really tripped zayn?"

"yup."

"atta girl." harry walked over and high fived her. "good job. do it again."

while the cookies baked, harry and raven curled up on the couch and watched rudolph the red nosed reindeer. harry had his fingers twirling her dark brown hair as he gently played with it.

"rae?"

"yeah?"

"i lava you."

"i lava you too, daddy."

louis called for raven when the cookies were done and cooled off, smiling at the little pitter patters of tiny footsteps. harry was right behind her, excited for the baked goods.

"ah-" louis smacked harry's hand when he reached for one off of the pan. "no."

"but, but..." harry pouted at his husband. "we have to make sure they're good for santa! right, rae?"

raven nodded her head. "yeah, daddy, we have to make sure santa will like them! we made different cookies this year."

louis eyed the two of them suspiciously before looking down at the baking sheet. last year harry made homemade cookies, but this year they just went ahead and bought pre-packaged ones. santa had a variety waiting on him later.

he picked one up from the chocolate chip stash and broke it in half, splitting each piece between his husband and their kid.

"might still be hot, just be careful," he said softly.

raven took a big bite anyways. she tipped her head to the side like harry does when he tastes new things, and nodded in approval.

"he'll like them," she said.

"so we did good?"

"yup."

"good deal." louis held his hand out for a high five. "don't forget to brush your teeth, okay? we gotta get to bed soon so santa can come."

raven nodded and finished her half of her treat. louis reminded her to brush her teeth again, so she went upstairs to go do just that.

"santa is really excited," harry whispered.

louis smiled up at him. "i bet he is."

harry and raven tossed the reindeer food in the front yard and put some near the back door as well for good measure. it made his heart swell seeing his daughter so excited for the holidays.

louis read raven's bedtime story to her and coaxed the wiggly girl to sleep in no time. she didn't fight her sleep even though she stayed up late, but once her little eyes closed, louis knew she was gonna be knocked out cold. once he was sure she was asleep after reading her book for the second time (because she asked for it, she said he reads the best stories), he stuck her moo and ruby in her arms and carefully got out of her bed.

he turned her night light on, kissed her head, and crept out of the room. it's ritual. has been for years, and he knows that soon it'll come to an end. she'll get older, sleep without that night light, go without bedtime stories and crush louis' little dad heart. he loves that girl to bits and wished she would stay little forever. she's harry but in female form. appearance wise, she is louis' carbon copy with harry's height, but personality wise, she is definitely her other father made over. she has a big heart, an even bigger love for food and animals, and is very protective over her baby brother. she's smart, and tells bad jokes like harry, and- fuck- it makes him want to cry.

harry was getting all of the stockings and stocking stuffers laid out on the kitchen table when louis came down. he looked like a deer caught in headlights, but let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was just his husband and not raven trying to spy on santa.

the older man held up a stuffed reindeer with a santa hat on it, smiling behind the cookie that was between his teeth.

louis' bottom lip jutted out in a fond pout. "oh my goodness."

"rae has one too. niall had them all made for the kids. they have their names on them."

squeaking, louis did a little happy dance when he saw the other reindeer. "i love."

he sat beside harry and split everything up between the kids. raven got more candy, obviously, but riley got plenty of baby snacks and new toys.

trying to stuff the stockings was a challenge because harry was getting frustrated with the fact he bought too much shit for his daughter. he can't help but spoil her. riley had a lot too. he went overboard but it's going to be so worth it. even if riley won't remember this christmas, raven will, and he just wants his kids to have good holidays with family that loves them.

louis peeked over at a bag that was on harry's lap. "what's that?"

"yours."

"can i see?"

"can i see mine?"

"no."

"then no."

louis' jaw dropped. "but, but..." now he understands the pain harry felt when he said no to cookies earlier. speaking of which, a cookie sounds very lovely right now.

harry shrugged. "sorry, sweet face. if i can't have my presents then neither can you."

"alright, what if i give you one?" louis bargained, bouncing in his seat. "come on, hazza. it's still my birthday. you can't tell me no on my birthday."

harry's head lolled back in defeat. "fine. but only one."

louis clapped his hands. he got up and grabbed santa's plate of cookies and his cup of milk, bringing them back to the table.

"close your eyes."

louis closed his eyes and even held his hands out. he listened while harry dug through the bag, and then something small was placed in his palms. when he opened his eyes, harry was smirking and there was a box of flavored condoms in front of him.

"not me getting you the same fucking thing," louis cackled out as he dug through his bag of stocking stuffers for harry. he pulled out an identical package and threw it on the table.

harry laughed with him and said, "the more, the merrier, i guess."

"wanna test one out after this?"

"absolutely."

after stockings were finished getting stuffed (louis had to hide in the living room to fill harry's so that he wouldn't see everything else he got him), they moved presents around and organized them under the tree as best as they could. raven's big present was almost half the height of the tree itself, so it had to stay on the side.

riley's big present was a walking toy that he would be using very soon. he's a mobile little guy who loves to crawl and stand on his own with the help of holding onto something. soon he's going to be taking big boy steps, so they prepared themselves for when that day comes.

harry wrote the letter from santa for raven to read in the morning, and made sure to leave more evidence that santa had came by finishing louis' milk. he then set everything where the four year old could see in the morning, and went back into the living room.

once the stockings were hung and every last present was put under the tree, harry smiled proudly down at his husband, who was admiring the lights wrapped around their living room. it really looked like christmas in here. they decorated as a family of four this year, they'll celebrate as a family of four, and continue with new traditions until something sticks.

"you did good," harry told him.

"think so?"

"know so." harry wrapped his arms around louis' waist. "merry christmas, baby."

louis grinned up at him and repeated the same, standing on his tiptoes to kiss him.

"ready to go upstairs?"

"so ready."

—-

"daddy! daddy! wake up, wake up, wake up!"

louis whined and stuffed his head under the pillows as raven jumped on the bed.

"santa came! it's christmas!"

"christmas," louis repeated sleepily. he moved the pillow and rubbed his eyes, peeking over at his kid. "hi, sissy."

"hi." raven plopped down onto the bed. "merry christmas!"

smiling softly, louis reached out for her and held her close when she laid beside him.

"merry christmas, baby," he kissed her head. "where's daddy harry?"

"makin' breakfast. he said to come wake you up as an-annoying as possible," raven stumbled over her words, smiling bright. she was wearing baby blue pajamas with snowflakes on them and white bunny slippers that her dad thought were the cutest thing. he even got a pair to match her and is probably wearing them right now. "come on!"

louis checked the time to see it was nine in the morning. at least his husband let him sleep in for a bit. he wore him out by testing out the new contraceptives.

"is riley still sleeping?"

"he's with daddy."

louis nodded and sat up. "i'll be right there."

"'kay. daddy said if you go back to sleep he's gonna come tickle you."

"he better not. i'll whoop his butt."

"want me to tell him?"

"yup."

raven jumped off of the bed and rushed out of the room, yelling that "daddy louis was gonna whoop daddy harry." it made louis giggle when harry shouted that louis wasn't going to whoop anybody because it's christmas and santa will definitely come take his presents back.

he brushed his teeth, put a pair of pajama pants on and padded downstairs, stretching as soon as he made it into the kitchen. he beamed down at riley, who was already grubbing on his breakfast. the kid definitely never goes hungry.

"merry christmas, ri-bug!" he kissed his cheeks. he cooed when riley handed him one of his fruit puffs. "you eat it, baby. daddy's got food."

he coached riley to feed himself, but the infant handed him another one anyways. he couldn't say no to that sweet face. so he took the heart shaped puff happily and walked over to harry, hugging him from behind. he was indeed wearing his bunny slippers this morning.

"morning, sweetheart," harry hummed.

"morning," louis replied, just as soft. "you made cinnamon rolls?"

"uh huh. sissy helped. she's been up since the ungodly hours waiting to open her presents so i gave her something to do."

louis chuckled and nuzzled his face into his husband's back. "you're so warm."

harry commented that louis' hands were cold and grabbed them to warm them up. he then turned around and draped an arm around his shoulders.

"got a mean case of bed hair," he chuckled as he flatted louis' hair down. "slept good, huh?"

"so good." louis yawned and rooted into his touch. "thank you for making breakfast. i love you."

"i love you." harry pecked his lips. "go sit. how many do you want?"

"all of them."

"good thing i made both packs."

raven handed her letter from santa to louis when he sat down. "look!"

louis skimmed his eyes over the paper, smiling by the end of it. santa drew little hearts and smiley faces all over the page, surrounding the sweet note to the littlest ones. riley was included too. santa said he hoped riley has a very merry first christmas and promised to get back to him next year with more toys. raven was thanked for her cookies, praised for her behavior this year with her new brother and promised a return as well.

"when are uncles and avvy coming?"

"later, i think. they gotta eat breakfast and open presents too."

"i want them to come now so that they can get their presents."

"i can see if they wanna come sooner," harry said from the counter, where he was tearing cinnamon rolls up into smaller pieces. any time he made cinnamon rolls for his hubby, he made the pieces smaller and made an extra batch of icing so he could dip them in it.

he picked up his phone and called his brother, keeping the device flat on the counter.

"mornin, lou."

harry poked his head into the camera. "not lou."

"fuck. dude. your haircut is still messing with me. why on earth isn't it longer by now?"

"maybe i want to be mistaken for my husband. he's hot."

niall whistled from the background, following with, "hell yeah he is. two kids and a bangin' body? i'm trying to be like him."

"alright, alright," louis chuckled, hiding his blush.

"rae wants to know if you guys want to come over sooner," harry pointed down at his phone with a cinnamon roll. "if not, it's okay, i'll make her wait. but the poor kid is about to bust with excitement."

"let me talk to her."

harry passed his phone to his daughter and finished preparing plates while louis grabbed another spoonful of eggs for riley.

"daddy's handsome boy," he cooed at him. "daddy harry makes good breakkie, doesn't he?"

"daddy lou needs to hurry up and eat so he doesn't get sick," harry said softly from beside them. "go eat. i got bub."

louis kissed riley's head before grabbing his plate. he put it down on the table and pulled riley's high chair next to his seat, snickering at the appalled look on the infant's face.

"there. now we can eat together."

riley was happy to share bites of his eggs with his daddy lou, making sure to wear most of it on his pajamas too. harry fed him some of his baby food mixed with baby cereal too that way he could get some fruits and grains in him.

riley picked up a tiny piece of egg and threw it at harry, bubbling into laughter when his dad gasped.

"friendly fire, much?" harry asked, taking some eggs off of his own plate to replace what his son tossed. "little monster. you need to eat your bites, not throw them at dads."

once their bellies were full, the kitchen was cleaned and riley's outfit was changed, the styles crew traveled into the living room. raven sat on the floor in front of the tree in utter amazement. christmas was definitely going to be her favorite holiday forever.

the four year old looked up at louis. "santa's so cool."

"isn't he?" louis grinned. "let's open stockings first and then we can get started on presents."

harry passed everyone's stockings around, deciding to sit on the floor next to raven. louis had riley between his legs, the baby's stocking in front of them and his own stocking laying by his side.

raven was excited over all of her christmas candy, nail polishes and little makeup palettes. for her birthday, harry had gotten her a princess themed vanity with a mirror and working drawers for her to put everything in. she's a girly girl thanks to her gramma trisha. any time that trish had went to get her nails done, she took raven with her for a girls day and would have her little nails painted for her. so, of course, they had to bring the salon home too.

she also got socks with santa claus kitties on them, a toothbrush that plays music, and cute little butterfly hair clips. easy stocking stuffers that made her the happiest girl in the world.

riley's stocking was filled with bath toys, baby snacks, and other odds and ends that would make noise and entertain a ten month old. he liked watching scooby doo with his sister, so louis was able to find a little plush scooby just for him.

harry and louis had a lot of fun filling their stockings for eachother, seeing that harry had some things that he couldn't pull out in front of the kids and louis found flavored lube in his. there was also candy, favorited snacks, and they had each gotten the other a gift certificate of some sort (louis' was to his favorite restaurant and harry's was to a tattoo parlor.) they share the exact same brain and it's scary.

"there are presents from santa, and then presents from dads," harry told raven. he pointed to a present with the gift wrap specifically for her and told her anything wrapped in it was for her. he also told her which ones were riley's so that he could open presents too.

soon enough, the living room floor was covered in torn paper, toys, clothes, and a laughing baby. riley had no issue tearing wrapping paper off of his gifts after louis or harry one would help him get it started. he was more entertained with the damn paper than his own presents. he liked the crinkling sound it made when he would grab it.

"look, bubba," harry pressed a button on a monster truck that was for riley. it rumbled to life and even honked when harry pressed another button on the top of it.

raven was absolutely tickled over her dollhouse. she gasped and screamed so loud that harry had to cover riley's little ears. she jumped around and tackled louis with a hug because she couldn't contain her excitement, and that was the exact reaction her parents were hoping for.

riley helped harry open his presents by grabbing tissue paper out of gift bags and trying to chew on the strings. he liked the necklaces that his dad got because they were shiny, and thought the box to his dad's new cologne was something he could eat. he was not happy when harry had to take the box from him. not at all.

louis cleaned the living room to make room for when the rest of the crew decided to show up and gave joker his christmas presents. the first thing the pit went for was his annual bone. he didn't bother going after his toys. he took the bone, climbed onto the couch, and laid down with it tucked under his chin. he was dressed in his new sweater again and looked quite snazzy.

niall, zayn, and avalon came over around noon. zayn was packing the blonde haired girl on his back, niall had his hands full of gift bags, and avalon was talking her little heart out about how pretty the snow was outside and that she wanted to play in it.

harry helped niall unload everything and took avalon from her other father, tipping her upside down before picking her back up and spinning her in a circle. she squealed and belly laughed, clutching onto harry's shoulders tight.

"hi, avvy," harry hummed. "i had to get to you first before uncle boo stole you."

"hi, uncle 'azza." avalon laid her cheek on his shoulder. she reached up and toyed with the collar of his shir. "where's boo?"

"he's feeding riley. wanna go say hi?" when his niece nodded, harry walked her into the kitchen. riley was fastened in his high chair grubbing on little pieces of cheese while louis was walking around with a bowl in one hand and his phone pressed to his ear.

"mum says merry christmas, guys!" louis called out.

the rest of the house (aside from riley) shouted merry christmas to jay, which made louis smile wide. his mum loved every single one of them, and he loved that they loved her too.

"hi riley!" avalon said to the boy in the high chair. "hi uncle boo!"

"hi, avvy," louis cooed down at his niece. "say hi to nana jay."

"hi!"

louis laughed at whatever his mother said on the phone and then handed the device to harry. "you're in trouble."

harry muttered a small 'uh oh' before trading the toddler on his hip for the phone. louis hugged avalon tight and spun her in a circle, grinning at her giggles before putting her back down.

avalon sat in a chair next to riley and ate a cinnamon roll (with her uncle boo's help), telling louis what santa had brought her that morning. she wasn't as vocal as raven was since they were over a year and a half apart, but she knew all of her colors and how to say certain words. louis was able to decipher that santa brought her a kitty. he wasn't sure if it was a real kitty or a fake one, so he'll have to get the details from zayn or niall.

the kids opened the rest of their presents in the living room, all excited over the littlest things. for once, riley was actually trying to play with one of his presents instead of eating what was around it. zayn had found him little monster trucks that were also dinosaurs and the ten month old was fascinated by spinning the wheels on them. that's all he wanted to do, was spin those little wheels.

zayn picked up a yellow dinosaur truck and drove it up riley's leg, up his arm, and sat it on his head. it rolled right off, landing on the floor with a quiet thud, and riley smiled up at him. so he did it again and again until he started to laugh.

his parents chalk that as a win for sure.

harry made a big dinner for the seven of them with help from the girls. one of raven's gifts from her dad was a little black apron to wear whenever she would be in the kitchen with him. of course he got one for himself too and had them both monogrammed with their names on them thanks to niall's craftmanship.

avalon couldn't do much since she was super little, but she didn't mind to hand harry plates and bowls. she helped raven by handing her paper towels when her little hands got sticky or wet. she put placemats on the dining table for the adults and tinier mats on the 'kid' table where she and raven would be at. they only ever pulled that table out for when the malik crew would be joining them for a meal.

dinner was a huge success in harry's eyes. the girls did absolutely amazing being his little helpers and everyone's plates were cleared. riley even made sure his tray had no remnants of potatoes or ham on it. some went to the floor, some went in his hair, and the rest went in his belly. the kid has a bottomless pit for a stomach (much like his uncle niall, who can still to this day eat a whole pizza and not gain any weight) and it just wows his dads.

harry and zayn cleaned up the kitchen and packed up leftovers while niall found the girls and louis got riley ready for a bath. everyone was doing their own little thing. there wasn't a beat of silence anywhere. harry could hear the girls laughing, then niall cussing because he dropped his phone, and riley's splashes mixed with louis' giggles upstairs practically flooding down to the kitchen. there were even excited shouts from avalon because joker had finally woke up from his nap and decided to come say hi to everybody. it was music to the clique member's ears.

it was an amazing thing to be able to watch these kids grow up together. to have his entire family minus three under one roof. raven and avalon were glued at the hip just like their dads. harry knew that once riley was big enough, he'll be just as close to them.

louis came downstairs with a squeaky clean boy who was dressed in some dinosaur pajamas on his hip. the dinosaurs had little santa hats on them so of course they were appropriate for the occasion. riley found interest in louis' necklace, trying his best to take it from him. jokes on him.

louis grabbed his little hand and kissed his fingers. he passed the boy off to his other dad so he could attempt to make himself some cocoa. only attempt, because harry already had some waiting on him. damn him. he knows him like the back of his hand.

"you're the best."

"that's you, love," harry murmured.

louis kissed his husband's cheek before taking his mug and topping his drink off with a ridiculous amount of marshmallows. carefully walking into the living room, he plucked a hidden candy cane off of the christmas tree and sat on the loveseat so he could watch the girls entertain themselves.

he put a holiday movie on the telly that was kid friendly and patted the extra space beside him when joker came to greet him. once the dog was up beside him, he gave his head a scratch and patted his lap. joker's head that now laid on his thigh was freaking massive, but he gave good snuggles and louis was cold, so this would warm him up quick.

"what do you have?"

louis took a sip of his drink. "it's spicy. you wouldn't like it."

his daughter furrowed her eyebrows. "marshmallows aren't spicy, daddy."

louis pursed his lips. "it's cocoa, baby. it is hot, though. it'll burn you if you're not careful."

"can i try?"

louis waved her over. he gave her a marshmallow and blew on the warm beverage to cool it down enough so his daughter could try it. she's just so little, he didn't want to introduce her to hot drinks yet because she can't carry them and keep them stable. if she got hurt, he'd feel so guilty.

raven took the tiniest sip, startled by the warmth. she then clasped both of her tiny hands around louis' that were holding onto the mug. "again?"

"yeah, you can have another. not too much, or else you'll be wired all night." her dad helped her take another drink. he smiled down at her and plucked another marshmallow from the top of the mug, popping it in her mouth.

"love you."

"love you," raven hummed. she skipped back over to avalon and sat on the floor, picking up the toy she was previously playing with.

louis smiled wide when he spotted his son crawling into the room with his husband following close behind. harry and riley were a mischievous duo. lord knows what they'll end up getting themselves into in the future.

"come here, baby dude," niall cooed from the couch and made grabby hands for riley. "uncle ni wants some riley lovin's."

harry pouted down at joker when he walked over to the loveseat. "hey. other people wanna sit with daddy lou, too. get up."

"you leave my baby alone. he's comfy."

"he was mine first."

"don't care." louis stuck his tongue out at him. "he loves me more today."

"yeah, well, i love you more everyday." harry stuck his tongue out at him, mocking him, before bending down to peck his lips. "so i deserve that spot."

"whatever," louis chuckled. he patted joker's side and quietly commanded for him to sit up. the pit didn't budge, only huffing in his sleep. "sorry, babe. i guess you're shit out of luck."

harry sat on the floor in front of louis' legs, still sulking. he draped his husband's legs over his shoulders and wrapped his arms around his calves so he could keep him close.

"fuzzies are cute," he murmured. when louis stuck his foot in his face, he backed away and said, "uh-uh."

louis giggled and touched his cheek with his pink fuzzy sock. "they're so soft, hazza, feel."

"not on my face!" the older man whined. "you're such a shit."

louis wiggled his toes and pressed his foot against his cheek again. "so soooft."

harry grabbed ahold of both of his husband's ankles and pulled his legs farther down that way he couldn't try to torment him anymore.

"brat," he muttered. "you're lucky you're cute."

louis hummed in agreement. "i know."

harry eyed the group in the living room, tipping his head back with a grin. "we did good."

"so good," louis replied, just as hushed. "thank you."

"thank you," harry said. he puckered his lips, and louis gave him a light kiss as requested. "you guys make christmas my favorite holiday."

"i have to agree with you there."

—-

<3 i love domestic larry