One direction Sickfics/Kidfics

Not Again (Ziall Family)

Louis groggily opened his eyes, his surroundings slowly coming into focus. For a few disoriented moments, he couldn't quite place where he was. Then it hit him: he was at his Nan's house in Ireland, sharing a room with his two brothers. A small smirk formed on his lips as he remembered how he had convinced Liam and Harry to let him take the twin-sized bed while they slept on a mattress on the floor.

But the smirk quickly faded as he swallowed and felt a sharp pain in his throat. Louis winced, realizing he had woken up with a sore throat once again. He sighed, knowing he needed to find something to soothe the ache, or he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep for the rest of the night.

Louis wasn't a stranger to sore throats at all. In fact, that was probably the sixth time this year that he had come down with one, and it was still only August. His doctor had mentioned something about getting his tonsils removed, but he had tried to postpone that for as long as he could as he wasn't the biggest fan of hospitals.

By the looks of things, though, the doctor was more than likely going to want to remove them now as soon as possible.

Carefully, Louis swung his legs over the side of the bed, mindful not to step on Liam and Harry as he made his way across the dark room. Harry was curled up in a tight ball, his frame barely taking up any space, while Liam sprawled out, an arm flung over his face and his left leg over Harry. Louis chuckled softly at the sight before quietly slipping out of the room.

As he left the warmth of the room, Louis shivered and had to muffle a couple of coughs. The cool night air made his throat ache even more, and he felt tears prickling in his eyes from the pain. He slowly walked down the stairs, wincing as each step creaked softly under his weight.

In the kitchen, Louis rummaged through the cabinets, hoping to find some medicine. He opened one door after another, but his search was pointless. There was no medicine to be found. He did manage to locate a box of tea bags, but the thought of making tea felt exhausting. He was too tired to go through the process.

Sighing, Louis sat down on one of the counter stools and laid his head down on his arms. He massaged his neck, trying to ease the pain, but it didn't help much. He wondered if he was running a fever, given how cold he felt.

"Lou?" a soft voice called from the hallway. Louis lifted his head to see his Dad standing there in his pajamas, concern etched on his face. "What are you doing up, bud?"

"Just my throat, Dad," Louis replied, his voice hoarse. "Couldn't sleep."

"Oh sweetie, not again," Niall walked over and placed a hand on Louis's forehead. "You're burning up, bud. Let's get you something to help with that throat and fever."

Louis nodded, tears welling up again. "I couldn't find any medicine."

"It 's alright. I'll get you something," Niall said gently.

Niall went back to his and Zayn's room, moving quietly to avoid waking his husband. They never traveled anywhere without bringing some essential medicine like pain relief, Harry's inhaler, and throat lozenges for Louis. He rummaged through their luggage, finding the small kit they always packed for trips. After a moment of searching, he located the thermometer and the necessary medications.

Returning to Louis, Niall placed the thermometer in his son's mouth. Louis sat there, shivering slightly, the tears in his eyes making his pain clear.

The thermometer beeped, and Niall took it out, glancing at the reading. "102.8°F," he read aloud, his concern deepening. "No wonder you're cold, Lou."

Louis sniffled, feeling miserable. "I hate this, Dad."

"I know, sweetheart," Niall said softly, brushing a strand of hair away from Louis's forehead. "Let's get you some medicine to bring that fever down."