Forced Family 3

T W E N T Y

Pulling back the comforter that night, Niall chews his bottom lip, oceanic eyes flickering from the opposite bedside table to the man that stood next to it mindlessly staring beyond him at the wall.

"Lee?" Niall calls softly, since the man had returned home from his parent he'd been weirdly distant. He'd come in the front door out of breath with tears streaming down his cheeks, eyes drawing a blank, a look Niall hadn't seen in the man.

Someone that seemed too sure of his decisions looked lost entirely.

Snapping his puppy-dog eyes toward the man his lips lift in a mimic of a smile, a weak attempt to be reassuring nonetheless, "Hey," he returns, his eyes fill with tears, Niall feels his chest tighten at the need to console him, "What's happened?" he begs dropping the blanket crawling across the bed toward the man, Liam steps away refusing the comfort as he shakes his head biting his bottom lip, "I-I ca-can't-"

"You can tell me," Niall swears, he felt a little desperate pleading for the man to give him a sign he was still the human that fought to be freed from the men years ago, a man Niall did love and would spend every waking minute of his life protecting, if only, if fucking only, Liam could wake up and feel the need to fight just one more time.

Niall feels himself exhale, eyes flickering back onto Liam's chocolate orbs that stare at him in bewilderment, the older of the two is on his knees in the bed his hands grasped tightly around Liam's shirt pulling him close, a fire built behind the icy pupils that teeter on the verge of insanity with a final push as Liam once more resigns to shaking his head stepping from the hold with a silent "goodnight," as he heads to the door his back turned toward Niall.

Collapsing on the bed with a sob, Niall sniffles, "P-please 'j-jus tell me," he cries, Liam glances over his shoulder, "I can't,"

Closing the bedroom door behind him, Liam stands on the other side peering into the dark, barren hallway before him, he's waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before continuing toward the stairs passing by his children's rooms.

Liam figured he could spend the night in his office, it wouldn't be the first time he felt the need to encase himself in a room he felt was protected where he couldn't be bothered to feel things he desperately thought he wasn't allowed to feel. 

Coming to the first step, he pauses hearing through the silence of the night Annika's radio in the room had gone quiet. Thinking she had gotten up to turn it off, he turns cracking her door slightly seeing her fast asleep in bed with her body turned to the wall.

Creeping inside the room he kneels down next to her brushing hair from her temple, he smiles slightly seeing how young she looked when asleep. Liam couldn't deny they had helped the children by taking them in, and he did love them. Pulling the blanket to her chin, he kisses her forehead, his hand moving to fluff her pillow when he stops feeling something hard under it.

Making sure she was still asleep, Liam pulls the object from under the pillow furrowing his eyebrows at it, he takes the book in his hands strolling closer to the window using the light from the moon to read, "The giving tree," he smiles slightly remembering when Louis used to read the book to him, and when he took on the role of the older brother he'd read it to Louis several times a night when the boy couldn't sleep.

Combing through the pages, Liam can't help the smile that spreads on his features, he stops halfway through about to place the book on the shelf when he turns it upright, something slipping from the pages and landing at his feet.

Liam felt his stomach drop to his feet, his chest tightened, eyes adjusted quickly in the darkening room as he kneels down brushing his fingers against the polaroid drawing them back to his chest as if it were on fire and had burned him.

He gasps shakily returning a hand to the photo tracing the outline of the boy on the photograph, he feels himself become sick seeing the terrified expression he wore, mimicking pounding flashbacks returning from that day as the room begins spinning.

Falling back against the shelf, Annika jolts awake at the sudden noise, her eyes dart to the man in her room that's shaking bringing his knees to his chest and muttering how sorry he was, she screams for Niall rushing to the man attempting to calm him.

"L-Liam?! D-dad? Dadd-Liam!"

Niall flinches hearing Annika's scream ring throughout the house, jumping from the bed he's hurrying to her bedroom freezing when he sees Liam clearly having a panic attack with Annika standing in front of him trying to soothe him.

"Liam honey, Liam please calm down," Niall tries shushing him, he moves the girl out of the way, "Go check on Thomas," he commands pushing her out of the room, his hands encase around Liam's pulling him close to him shushing him, "Lee please, please Liam calm down, tell me what happened," 

Liam rips from Niall's hold shoving the picture in his face, Niall bracing himself to be hit when instead the polaroid stares menacingly at him from Liam's fingers. He takes the photo in his own hold, "W-what photo is this? Is-is this Dylan, h-her brother?"

Letting tears course down his cheeks at the question, Liam's state weakens as he nods giving in to the battle of sobs, all he could remember from that day was meeting the boy and bringing him to his office where Harry and Zayn were, he didn't realize at the time he was simply feeding him to the wolves.

Harry had told him to watch Louis that day, he made sure Liam was busy, and later when all was said and done handed him an envelope of pictures with a proud smile, "Niall and dad took care of it," If Niall took care of anything, wouldn't he know that picture exists?

As if it was all becoming clear, "Yeah," Liam mutters pulling Niall in once more for a hug, "W-we have to get out of here," he whispers, Niall meets the man's chocolate eyes, "Honey no, we-we're safe," Liam sniffles placing his head against Niall's, "P-please, please let's leave," Niall manages to choke down his own sobs as he shakes his head placing a hand on the back of Liam's head holding him tightly, "W-we're safe here, w-we have to be," 

Niall stayed rooted to the floor holding the man, his eyes drifting to the doorway where Annika stood with her arms crossed over her chest, a worried expression, he sniffles closing his eyes ruffling Liam's hair soothingly, "W-we're going to be okay," 

"Do you really think we're safe here?" The night had ended with Niall dragging an exhausted Liam to bed and allowing the man to sleep off his depressive episode well into the next morning. However, Niall found himself wide awake unable to sleep at all. 

He spent the evening on the back porch staring off into the night, Annika had joined him out there as well unable to sleep after seeing Liam so worked up.

Niall sighs meeting her forest eyes, "No," he admits, "But he's not ready to leave yet,"

"Why not?"

"Because he thinks Louis still loves them, and he'll do anything for Louis," 

"Like you?" Annika asks, she brings her knees to her chest and staring at the man with wide doe-like eyes, Niall nods feeling tears prick his orbs once more, "We'll get out of here, I promise," 

The girl reaches out grabbing Niall's hand in her own, "W-will we-we still be a-a family if we leave?"

Niall brings his bottom lip between his teeth pressing down to suppress sobs at the question, "If-if y-you want," he whispers, Annika nods rising from her chair crawling into the man's lap, "T-thanks papa,"

>I am sorry this has taken forever, just a little longer and updates will be more frequent, the new year has just been chaotic. All the love, Emma :)<