Boys Only

New Year's Eve

Louis' POV

My family couldn't get more perfect. Sure we've been having our ups and our downs, but that's how life is. Things got so much better once my brother moved in with us. I have the extra set of hands I so strived for when I became a widower. It's been roughly... six months or so now. Six months since I lost the love of my life. There's no way I'm gonna go out on a date anytime soon. Or perhaps ever. Once you lose your life partner, you can't get the same from someone else.

It's finally nearing 2016, just a couple of mere hours away before the year is new. This one has been a big year for everyone in so many different ways. I know there are some notes on firework-related holidays that Andrea left for me. She wrote small biographies on the boys so I could know specific things that are very important. I walked over to my bookshelf and picked up the book she had sewn together herself. Always the crafty one, she was.

I turned to the section titled "current fears" I read down the page to each of the boys. Liam's contained that he hated spoons and snakes and was quite scared of them. Noted, I'll make sure he continues to stay away from those. Zayn's talked about being frightened of the dark, though that was evident for the first month that I really got to know him. I scanned to Niall's, which informed me that he's afraid of spiders and heights. That's really good to remember, I had forgotten about the heights part!

If it's not the older three, it must be Harry. "Deathly afraid of fireworks, he's generally inconsolable. Also to be noted, he does NOT like raccoons." Interesting. Well, I wonder how well tonight is going to go. It's been probably at least many months since he's heard fireworks, perhaps he's less frightened of them now? Although the terminology "deathly afraid" does concern me.

I caught Niall as he passed my room. "Hey Ni, I have a question for you bud." I said, watching his face turn dark red. "Ni, hey, what's the matter bud?" The poor guy looks like he's going to burst into tears at any moment. I gently took his hand and led him into my room. If he's that embarrassed or nervous about something, I should give some privacy to him to help him feel comfortable.

I sat him on my bed, and sat down next to me. "I-I think I st-started puberty papa..." he mumbled, his tone barely above a whisper. I smiled gently. I wasn't there for Liam starting, I hadn't even thought of Niall, Zayn, and Harry. I put a hand on his shoulder, and rubbed gently. "Congratulations sweetheart! You're a man now!" I said, beaming with excitement. He shrugged and blushed more."The thing is, I-I don't know..." I then asked two questions to my young boy which concluded in a solid yes.

We hugged and we sat on the bed. "Ready for fireworks?" I asked, seeing as it was about 10:00 now. He nodded, and allowed me to walk him to the living room. There sat the rest of my family, and we waited up. Niall, Zayn, and Harry all fell asleep... until midnight. A firework went off in our neighborhood, which Harry immediately woke up to.

Shoot, I was hoping he'd stay asleep! He started to cry and cover his human ears up. I covered his cat ears for him. Another went off. He squealed loudly and started sobbing. A third, and he's trembling in my arms. Literally shaking like a leaf. A poor, defenseless little leaf. "Shh baby, it's okay, you're gonna-" I was cut off by a huge firework, and Harry bolted. "Wait! Harry come back!" I yelled, racing after him. I followed him into his bedroom where he crawled under the bed quickly.

I heard him loudly whimpering, screaming in fear at every firework that rang out in the night sky. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do! I'm lost! I took advantage of my smaller body and slid cautiously under the bed with my young boy. I saw him curled in a ball, absolutely petrified. Hate to see Niall around heights, Zayn in the pitch black of the night, or Liam around snakes if this is how it is for all four of them, their reactions I mean.

I gently drug Harry over to me and pulled him close. "Fireworks can't getcha under here love..." I mumbled. I felt his ears perk up under my hand, and him pull back a little. "R-really papa?" He asked, his voice going scratchy from the screaming. "Truly. In fact..." well, already on the path, let's see where this takes me. "Fireworks can't get you if you're under a bed, or you're on a bed. The beds have a magic force field around them!" I said, making little hand gestures and adjusting my glasses a little.

"Then i-it's safe to be in bed?" He asked, a hint of shyness in his voice, as if he weren't sure it was a question he could ask. "Yeah! Not only your bed, mine too!" I said, watching his tears stop. The fireworks had paused, which was quite opportune. "O-Okay papa, your bed." I slid out from under his bed, and knelt down, offering my hand to the dark underside of the bed. Thank goodness I'm not claustrophobic!

Harry peeped out from under the bed, and took my hand. Once we were sure there weren't fireworks for a moment, we ran. We ran to my room and lie on my bed, where Ed already was. So nice of him to put the rest of the lads to bed. A firework went off, and I felt Harry flinch a little, before snuggling further into the bed. "I safe now papa." He mumbled, falling asleep quickly.

Ed looked at me quizzically, petting the ears in front of him. "He was hiding under his bed, so we had a little chat. Beds are what protect him from the scary fireworks..." my brother smiled and chuckled a little at me. He quieted down when he felt Harry stir under his careful fingertips. We both simply stayed silent, so we wouldn't wake up my little love. 

When it hit the New Year, Ed and I fell asleep. Okay, it was more like 10:12, but it was close enough... 2016 will definitely be better than 2015.