Broulmates ♡ Ziall AU [COMPLETE]

SEIS

Niall loves sleepovers.

He loves the coziness of them, getting to spend time with people that he really cares about for more than a few hours.

Every month, Niall has his three best friends over for a sleepover. Zayn usually shows up first, claiming he's there to help Niall set up, but in reality just tickles Niall every once in a while. Liam and Harry usually come together, and then they all carried their blankets and backpacks down to Niall's furnished basement.

Niall's basement honestly was the ideal place to have a sleepover. There was a fridge down there that somehow always was full of food, and it was enough space for Niall to build a blanket fort when he wanted to. 

"Hi!" Niall cheers, pulling his front door open. Zayn is standing there, smiling fondly right back. It's been a week or so since they played hooky, and Niall would be a liar if he said school isn't draining him. Henry is being a fuckboy, but he's careful to do it when Zayn, Harry, and Liam are nowhere nearby. For similar reasons, Niall hasn't mentioned this to his friends -- he doesn't want anyone to get in trouble for beating Henry into a pulp.

"Ni? You okay?" Zayn asks, and Niall blinks a few times, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry. Hi," Niall smiles, wrapping his small arms around Zayn's waist. Zayn gives Niall an extra squeeze, knowing that something is wrong but not knowing what. "How're you?"

"Good. Where were you at lunch today?" 

Niall shifts uncomfortably. "Meeting with a teacher." He pulls out of Zayn's grasp. Zayn's eyebrows furrow at this -- it's very unlike Niall. Niall knows, though -- he knows Zayn -- he won't like him anymore once he knows what he's done. Nobody will. "Want to go downstairs?" he asks, hoping to distract Zayn from asking him what's going on.

"Sure," Zayn says carefully. Something is wrong, so, so wrong, and he can't figure out what it is. He follows Niall down the steps, smiling when Niall hums as he flicks the TV on, skipping through the channels. "What are we gonna watch?"

"It's Li's turn to choose," Niall says without turning around. He decides on Spongebob, and sits on one of the couches. "Are you okay with Spongebob?"

"You know I don't care." Zayn sits beside the smaller boy. "Niall, what's going on? You know you can't lie to me."

Niall's face tightens, and he opens his mouth to lie to Zayn when the doorbell rings.

"Harry and Liam are here," he blurts, and turns and scampers up the stairs. 

- - -

It's a few hours later, somewhere in the middle of the second Lord of the Rings film when Harry brings it up.

"Niall, are you okay?" Harry's voice is quiet, careful to not be louder than the voices on the screen.

"Why do you ask?"

"You're sitting on the floor by yourself," Harry notes. "You're usually curled up in someone's lap by now. Or laying across everyone's laps."

Niall plays with his fingers. "I'm fine," he says quietly, but his hands are shaking. He doesn't want anyone to touch him. 

"Niall," Liam sighs. He reaches for the small boy, but Niall dodges his grasp, so Liam ends up grabbing the shoulder of his t-shirt. "Niall," Liam says again, but it's more of a gasp this time. There are long scrapes down his back, a few of them still raw and red-looking. "What the hell are these?"

"Nothing," Niall blurts, moving away from Liam as quickly as he can. His back is pressed against the wall now, and they're all staring at him concernedly. He presses the heels of his hands to his eyes -- they shouldn't be looking at him like that. 

"Ni, baby," Zayn says softly, and Niall lets out a sob at the pet name. His voice is close -- he's standing right in front of him. Zayn makes a move to touch him, and Niall jerks away.

"Don't touch me," Niall rasps out. He is unclean. Zayn will become unclean if he touches him.

"Okay." Zayn moves his hand away from Niall's shoulder. "I need you to talk to me, sweetheart. What's going on with you?" Zayn's voice is baby soft and sweet, Niall's favorite lullaby. "We won't be mad. We love you so much." At that, Niall slides down the wall and sits, knees pulled to his chest, and loudly, he starts to cry.