They were all sitting on Psyche's bed, each of the older boys on each side of Shizuo with Hibiya in his lap, all snuggled up against him in their PJ's.

"Okay, someone pick a book." Shizuo replied, that one sentence made all hell break loose.

"I will! I will!" Psyche cried, jumping up to get a book off the shelf. Tsugaru pouted slightly and folded his arms across his chest, looking over at Psyche.

"You ALWAYS pick that book, Psyche!" Tsugaru argued, giving his younger brother a soft glare.

Shizuo frowned, listening as the two older boys argued. "Here we go again", he murmured his thoughts, as he used a hand to rub his eyes. "Psyche, can you pick a different book?"

Psyche frowned, "but Mommy always reads this book to us before bedtime!" He pouted, "Tsu-chan just doesn't like it!"

"The only reason Mom always reads that book is because you throw a fit if he doesn't!" Tsugaru argued.

"Nu uh!"

"Yeah, huh!"

"Nu uh!"

"Yeah, huh!"

"HEY," Shizuo yelled over at the two boys, "you know what? Hibi-chan gets to pick the book tonight." He said, setting the small boy up off his lap. "Go pick a book, Hibi-chan."

"Aw, but Dad," Tsugaru whined. "He's going to pick a baby book!" He frowned as he averted his gaze from looking directly at his father who was wearing a disapproving look.

"Well, if you two are going to act like babies, you can read a baby book," Shizuo replied as he took the book that Hibiya handed him that was marked as 'Cinderella'. They had three boys and they had this book? He shook his head and opened up the book, before seeing the two older boys still pouting. "You can either go to bed early, or listen to the story, you two. Your choice." He said as he felt Hibiya crawl happily back into his lap.

Tsugaru huffed and Psyche sighed dramatically as they both fell on each side of their father, leaning against him.

"Once Upon a Time..."

Bedtime.

10:00pm.

Shizuo groaned as he heard the familiar cry of Hibiya. He groaned as he forced himself out of his bed, and opened the door to Psyche and Hibiya's bedroom. Psyche was soundly asleep with his small radio playing next to him.

"What is it, Hibi-chan? You need to go to bed, sweetheart."

Hibiya only wailed loudly as he lifted his arms to be picked up in which Shizuo complied, and bounced him up and down his hip. "Hibi-chan..." he said tiredly, as he moved out of the bedroom not to wake Psyche up.

"What is wrong?"

"I want Mommy!" Hibiya cried loudly. Great. Hibiya was going to have one of those fits now? Usually, when this happened – he wouldn't stop crying until he was back in Izaya's arms. Now, he was just screwed.

"Mommy isn't here right now, Hibi-chan," the blonde tried to rub the small boy's back, rocking him back and forth in his arms. "Hibi-chan, come on now. It'll be okay," he tried to coax the small raven, but his wails only got louder.

"Mommy!" He cried loudly, clinging to his father as he hiccuped his sobs. Shizuo sighed heavily, he had no idea what was wrong, other than he wanted Izaya. Shizuo frowned, as he looked up in Hibiya's cabinet in the kitchen, and pulled out his pacifier.

He handed it to Hibiya and Hibiya automatically put in his mouth, and calmed down immediately. He began sucking on the pacifier and rested his head against Shizuo's shoulder. Sweet, why didn't they do this for all their kids?

Shizuo laid Hibiya back down in his crib once he had fallen back asleep and Shizuo tiredly made his way back up to his bedroom, collapsing on it.

12:00am

"Daddy..." a quiet voice sounded through the room.

Shizuo turned on his side, groaning in response.

"Daddy..."

Shizuo shoved his face into the pillow, "Louse, deal with it already, will you?" he grunted. He blinked his eyes open once he found himself being shaken, and turned around, seeing the other side of his bed empty. He sighed heavily, nearly forgetting Izaya was gone.

He moved to turn over to face his son, "Psyche – there's no monster-" Shizuo blinked as he saw the blonde boy facing him, hugging onto a stuffed dinosaur tightly in his arms.

"Tsugaru..?" He questioned. "What happened? What's wrong?" He asked, looking down at the boy worriedly. "Do you know what time it is?"

"I...I had a bad dream.." Tsugaru lowered his head, looking up at his father with big eyes. "Can I sleep with you?" He asked softly. "I know I'm supposed to be a big boy, and I shouldn't be afraid, but...I can't go back to sleep," he admitted softly.

Shizuo frowned slightly, he knew that Izaya was a lot more lenient with the younger ones sleeping in bed with them because they were young and they both expected a lot more from Tsugaru for being the oldest, but he was only five and not twenty, like how they treated him sometimes.

Shizuo forced a smile and patted his bed, "come on up, soldier." He said, as he watched the smaller blonde crawl up onto the bed and moved over to Izaya's side of the bed. Shizuo laid back down in his spot and felt Tsugaru curl up next to him as he looped an arm around his oldest son protectively, falling back asleep.

–

"Daddy," a soft voice went through the room and Shizuo shifted over to his other side.

"Daddy," a soft poke in his arm, and what sounded like an irritated sigh. "Daddy, I have to go to school."

A groan.

Tsugaru frowned, "I'll get Psyche," he threatened.

Shizuo's hand raised up in defense, "I'm up, I'm up." He murmured into his pillow, before pushing himself to sit up on the bed. The last thing he needed was for Psyche to be bouncing in his room, on his bed, on him. He turned to his oldest who had already dressed himself in his uniform with his backpack.

"So, do we have to get Psyche and Hibiya up?" He asked his son, and the younger blonde stared up at him, shaking his head.

"No, Kida-san takes me to school."

Shizuo blinked, "Then why did you wake me up if you're all ready to go?" He asked, confused by his son's logic.

"Mom said I had to so Psyche wouldn't burn the house down the first day he left." Tsugaru responded, and he heard his father sigh.

Shizuo threw his legs over the bedside, yawning, and was in mid-stretch when-

BANG, CLASH, DING!

"What the hell was that?" Shizuo frowned, and he heard loud music noises being played – and finally realized it was Psyche's play keyboard that they had bought him for Christmas. One minute later, and he heard Hibiya begin to cry.

BANG, CRASH, DING!

"Psycheeee," he scolded once he threw on a pair of house pants, grabbing Tsugaru's hand and heading downstairs.

DING DONG, DING DONG, DING DONG.

"Psyche! Stop that!" Shizuo yelled as he walked down the stairs. He turned into the hallway seeing Psyche standing there innocently while the dinging noises were still going off.

"I did!" Psyche pouted, putting his hands on his hips.

"What the hell is that noise then?" He asked the raven, and he felt a tug on his hand. He looked down at Tsugaru, "What is it?"

"It's the doorbell," Tsugaru answered calmly. "Kida-san is here," he said, nodding his head towards the door.

Shizuo moved to open the door, and was faced with a grinning blonde teenager. "Hey, Kida. So...you take Tsugaru to school?" He asked.

Kida blinked, looking up at the older man, and nodded. "Yes, Shizuo-san. I do every weekday." He said, looking down at the small boy. "You ready, Tsu-chan~?" He asked, leaning over the small boy who only gave a simple nod.

"See you later today!" Kida exclaimed, waving his hand as he walked down the hall with Tsugaru.

Shizuo waved and closed the door behind him, sighing heavily, leaning against it. He moved into his pocket, pulling out his box of cigarettes before he heard a scream from below him.

"Daddy! NO SMOKING! Hibi-chan and I are only little and Momma says smoking is a nasty, filthy habit!" Psyche waved his hands in the air dramatically, "AND IT CAN KILL YOU DADDY!"

Shizuo frowned, not used to being told not to smoke in his own home – by the time he usually got home, the children were already asleep and he just ignored Izaya's tirades about secondhand smoke. There was no way he was going to be able to not smoke all day with children like Hibiya and Psyche.

He pulled out his phone, and dialed a number, pressing the phone to his ear.

"...Kasuka?"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this part! Don't forget to R&R! :)