Zianourry One shots

We're on our back way home!

 Laughter echoes through the forest and travels through the tall trees into the lit up sky. Stars seem to be watching them, silently shining in an attempt to keep the darkness away. Niall appreciates the effort.

Warnings: Graphic rape, language, abuse, depression.

The first time it happened Niall was six.

And after that it didn't stop.

~

He wanted to tell his mom about it, but he couldn't. It hurt to talk about it, made him feel disgusting and weird. He knew that if he told her his mom would hate him, she would blame him and say it had been his fault. Niall didn't want her to stop loving him, but he didn't want it to keep happening.

So on his eighth birthday he got downstairs to a huge breakfast and even a birthday cake and he knew he had to tell her then, because it was his birthday and she would make an exception. If he told her on that day she would not hate him. Greg had already left for school and his dad lived in a different house because he and his mom used to fight a lot. And Niall knew he had to tell her then.

"Mommy, do you love me?" he bit his lip. She had turned around and stared at him with her mouth open for so long Niall thought she had not heard him.

"Of course I love you, Ni"

"Will you always love me?" he asked again, tears prickling his eyes. For once he was not ashamed to cry in front of his mother, he felt warm inside, "Even if I do bad things?"

"Of course, Niall. You're my son, I love you no matter what," Maura replied. She smiled softly at him, "What bad thing did you do? Have you been stealing cookies from the jar again?"

Niall sobbed and pushed away his plate full of birthday cake, knowing he didn't deserve to eat it. Not meeting his mother's eyes, he sniffled.

"I was a bad boy, mommy." He cried, burying his face into his hands. "I was naughty"

"Niall" She got closer, pulling his hands away from his face. Maura knew something bad had to have happened; maybe Niall had gotten in trouble at school. Maybe he had broken something. "What did you do, honey?"

Niall looked up at her and his eyes were red and puffy.

"I'm bad and I need to be punished," he recited, hiccupping, "But mommy I don't want him to punish me anymore"

"What?" Maura's hands were shaking. "Ni, what does that mean?"

But Niall closed his eyes tightly and cried harder instead of giving an answer.

"He said not to tell, mommy." He whispered "He said it was our secret"

Maura pulled him into her lap and tried to keep herself from asking anymore questions, pushing hair out of his eyes.

"Will you still love me if I tell you?" Niall asked quietly. Fat tears were streaming down his flushed cheeks.

His mother just nodded, swallowing loudly the lump in her throat. Her mouth was suddenly dry. Niall just stared at her, his big blue eyes glazed with tears.

And he told her.

~

"Where do you come from, Mr. Horan?"

This moment is crucial. He is supposed to smile brightly and say 'Ireland!' with the accent that would make the two girls in the front row melt, just like he has done so many times before. But Niall is sick of first days. He's sick of introducing himself to people who don't want to know who he is, or why he's where he is or where does he come from.