Niam One-Shots 2 ||

[198] In My Defense [RQ]

Prompt: Louis and Zayn tease Niall to the point of defensive violence, and Liam comes home too late to see a horrible outcome. He loves Niall, but he knows punishment is in order, no matter what.

Requested by: AsLongAsNiallsBottom

~*~

A freezing Friday night crept into the shared household that contained four young men. Louis, the oldest, was in charge of the other three while Liam was at work for the night. Everyone else had a day off, and it wasn't the greatest feeling for Niall.

He would constantly get teased by the other boys and pranked on out of the blue, and he tried to tell Liam about it, but he knew that it was always harmless, so he always left the situation be.

Tonight, Niall knew Louis was up to something when he saw him holding something in the palm of his conniving hand. He noticed Louis whispering in Zayn's ear before they walked towards him within a few moments.

“Hey, Nialler. Would you like to see something cool?”

Niall rolled his eyes and faced the two before letting out a high-pitched scream. “Lou! You know how much I hate bugs!”

The crawly creature scuttled across Louis's hand from left to right, back and forth, and it sent chills down Niall's spine as chills ran down his clothed spine.

“Get it away from me!” Niall found his golf club, that he cherished, close by and whacked both Louis and Zayn on their heads. This sent the two crying in pain as Louis had thrown the bug far away.

Niall did not react to this as he settled down from the scare, running off to his bedroom in utter shock while Harry looked at him with clear sadness in his eyes. He didn't appreciate Louis and Zayn's antics, but he was the quiet and reserved one of the four, not wanting to cause any drama, so he kept his distance.

But tonight, he went to comfort Niall by bringing him ice cream and putting on one of his favorite films that involved a masked slasher and screams that could win Emmy's with ease.

When Liam finally got home that night, Niall trampled out of his room and ran into Liam's arms in a fit of both crying and anxiety.

“L-Li, Lou and Zee were teasing me with a bug again, and they know how big of a phobia I have towards them.”

Liam sighed and kissed the top of Niall's head. “Love, you're 20 years old. They're older than you only by so much. You shouldn't let them get to you like this. I'm 24 and don't have any fears like yours, so yeah, I don't know how it must feel, but come on.” He brings Niall's face towards his. “You can be stronger and braver than you might think. I love you.” He pecks Niall's lips before Louis and Zayn come running towards him.

“Liam! Niall hit us both on the head with his goddamn golf club!”

Fear struck in Niall's widened eyes. “L-Li, I was trying to defend myself, I-”

“Niall James Horan, I told you violence was never the answer in any situation, especially one as playful as this. It's only allowed when you're in real danger, I thought I told you this.” Liam's voice and face were stern, and Niall knew he was in deep trouble with the man who loved and cared for him most. He knew a punishment was coming.

“L-Li, I'm sorry, I was just scared... fück...” He swore under his breath and knew the outcome of this situation, already making his way towards his and Liam's shared, master bedroom.

Liam sighed as he watched Niall stomp off, glaring at Louis and Zayn who were grinning the whole time. “Wipe those evil grins off your faces you two. You know Niall has a phobia of bugs and yet you still pester him with them. You both are on cleaning duty for the next month: dusting, vacuuming, and dishes. No rebuttals this time.” Before he fully walked off, Liam uttered an additional demand. “And no more pestering Niall. If you do, neither of you will see the outside world for the next two months. I make the rules around here, after all, we agreed on that. Plus, you owe him an apology during breakfast tomorrow, and I need to hear it loud and clear.”