Count On Me | Niam

Chapter Seventy

Niall/Liam

"God, she really didn't want a nap."

Leaning against the door to his and Niall's room as he closed it behind him, Liam let out a sigh, smiling a little and shaking his head as he looked over at Niall. "You'd've thought that I was trying to get her to eat broccoli or do maths homework, the way she resisted."

"She was always that way. It was murder getting her to nap when she was little." Niall shifted from his spot on the bed so he could look up at Liam, rolling his eyes as Liam sighed dramatically again. Liam snapped out of his theatrics after second and joined Niall on the bed, kicking his shoes off and laying next to him on top of the covers, giving a half-hearted laugh at the mention of Chloe. "And to think, you once told me she was an angel."

"I believe I also said she could be a monster. You were there, you asked." Stifling a yawn, Niall shifted so he was leaning against Liam, cuddling into his side as Liam wrapped an arm around him. "And, in my defence, I didn't want to scare you away."

"And now?" Liam smiled a little, remembering that morning in the cafe and how anxious he'd even about the whole matter, pressing a kiss to the top of Niall's head as he struggled to understand what Liam had meant, asking, "And now what?"

"And now...now you're not scared about chasing me off?" The question caused Niall to roll his eyes again, pressing closer to Liam and searching for his hand so he could link their fingers together. "'Cause not. You've made it clear enough that nothing could scare you away, and, even if it could, you wouldn't want to go. You've made it clear that not even our monster of a daughter could scare you away."

Liam's smile returned and he pressed another kiss to the top of Niall's head, squeezing his hand as he nodded. "Very true. You're stuck with me."

They fell silent for a while, the quiet and warmth of Liam next to him letting Niall drift off to the point where he was on the brink of falling asleep, so close to getting his wish of taking a nap until Liam broke the silence. "Ni?"

"Hmm?"

"I wish I could have been around to see that. See Chloe like that. See you like that. Not in the 'sorry-i-fucked-up-way', but just because...I want that...wish I'd been there for that." Liam was glad at the moment that Niall had his back to him as he spoke, not wanting to see the look on his face and wonder what Niall was thinking. They laid in silence for a while until Niall managed to string together enough sentences to respond. "It would have been...I don't know what it would have been like, but I wish you'd been there too."

Liam's musings prompted Niall to shift so he was actually facing Liam, biting his lip and wondering how he'd phrase things before he decided to bring up the issue weighing on his mind. "Li...is that something you'd want? A chance to experience that. A- Another child?"

"I think so, yeah. Maybe...not now, timing's a bit shit, me being away and all, but yeah. Haven't you ever wanted to give Chlo a sibling?" His tone thoughtful, Liam met Niall's gaze, nodding slowly and hoping he hadn't gone too far, relaxing as Niall smiled, thinking for a moment before he nodded. "Someday, yeah. Though, before...recently, you, us; I hadn't ever thought I would. There wasn't really anyone else, guys are hardly queuing up to date the twenty-year-old single father, and I couldn't picture myself with anyone else."

Liam's smile softened then and he kissed Niall gently, not noticing the brief look of hesitation that troubled Niall's features before he kissed Liam back, his expression a result of the nagging feeling that he should really tell Liam slightly more, though his uneasiness disappeared as quickly as it had developed as Liam pulled away, still smiling that stupidly soft smile, the one that left Niall feeling like a million butterflies were wreaking havoc on his insides.