𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 » 𝘻𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺

🌻73🌻

the next day rolls around all too slow. and before they knew it, it was liam's birthday. he was turning thirty six today. liam didn't have much planned this time around, normally they'd go out to dinner, or have a nice family outing on his birthdays. yet this year was different. liam had decided that he'd wanted to stay in, order take out, have a movie night with the family. staying out of the public eye during a time like this, and really just keeping it low-key.

besides, it's not like he need an extravagant dinner every time. this would be equally as good, and he could focus more on his family and being themselves, rather then having to worry about prying eyes. it was something, better than nothing. as long as liam got to spend it with the ones he cherished the most, he's not complaining. that's everything he could ask for, there wasn't any greater gift.

niall is the one who really slid through for him today, too. standing in to help bring everything together. lining up movies to watch, from horror, action, and comedy, in that order. putting up decorations in the theater in a way that made it really special. to make it known that this wasn't just any regular movie night, it was liam's day and they were going to celebrate it, celebrate him. the eldest teen had even taken it upon himself to bake liam a cake, by himself, since he didn't trust louis coming anywhere near it, and harry was a batch of unpredictable emotions.

it warmed liam's heart. he needed this, and deep down, niall knew it too. he would never say it out loud, but he had always been the one to quietly step in when things at home got rough. he used to do it without being asked; like the time liam and zayn had that fight months ago and niall kept liam company, or when harry was attacked and niall made sure to spend extra time with him, cheering him up in his own quiet way.

it came naturally to him.

but lately, niall couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't doing enough. as the eldest, he told himself it was his responsibility to step up, to be better, to keep things steady when everyone else was struggling. that was why he rarely acted out or got himself into trouble, he was supposed to be the role model. the one his parents could lean on when stress piled up. the one they could trust to hold things together when everything else started to strain.

and yet... he hadn't felt like that person in a long time.

though he never showed it, sometimes niall felt useless. like he should be better than this... better at holding the family together, better at being the example his parents needed him to be. these past months, he hadn't really been taking life too seriously, kind of kicking back and watching how everything played out. the realization struck him like lightening the way he'd been so laid back, nonchalant about the way things have been. not to mention he'd even got into some trouble himself not long ago when he'd gave in to dumb peer pressure.

today he was feeling many emotions, maybe too many. but he wanted to make sure that it was a good day, for not only him but every one else. their family definitely deserved a day free from stress, tension and outside interference from the world. with this mindset racking niall's brain, came the little voice in the back of his head telling him not to mess it up and to make everything perfect. and he knew he was going to do it. no one would ruin it, not even himself.

the teen looked around the theater, feeling like he was pretty much done here. so he left, wanting to return to the kitchen to check on the cake, and praying the he didn't burn it somehow. he descended the stairs and was about to walk into the kitchen until he ran into someone else, as they were exiting the kitchen. it was harry holding a cup filled with water, which he choked on slightly at the unexpected clash with the older boy.