Keeping up with One Direction

>>F O R T Y N I N E<<

FORTYNINE: Meeting Baby Brother

"This is it?" Niall asks aloud shifting gears to park. Zayn's in the passenger seat staring blankly at his own phone with crossed eyebrows, Louis came from a group home, Liam from poor druggies, this kid? He looked to live in a neighborhood as good as what Zayn wanted to live in.
Something didn't add up.

Not long after Niall had parked, Simons Lincoln pulls up behind them also parking on the street. "Glad to see you've found it."
"Si, are you sure this is the right address?" Zayn questions chewing his bottom lip as he stares at the huge house before them.
"Never judge a book by its cover boys," Simon mumbles starting up the drive with a sneer embedded face.

Once he reaches it Simon knocks six times hard, Zayn glancing behind at Niall giving him a reassuring look. Their hands find each other, gripping tightly when the door is swung open.

Standing on the other side of the treshhold with a less than friendly face, a woman stares back with pursed lips.
"You, Mr.Cowell?" Her voice is deep, thick enough to send the slightest tingles down Niall's spine.
"Yes, is the hybrid here?" Simon returns raising an eyebrow, the woman rolls her eyes turning on her heel, "'corse he is, we don't let the stupid animal out." Zayn frowns upon hearing this, Niall cringes as tears well in his eyes.
"He's just been down for a nap, so he might still be asleep." She leads them upstairs the "conversation" ending for the moment before the woman pushes open a door furthest to the right.

Inside the room there's no windows, a small lamp is on a table in the corner. In the middle of the plain room is a cage, Niall covering his mouth to stifle sobs as he just somehow knows that's where they were keeping his baby.
"This was my daughters hybrid, but we got her a new one." The woman announces stepping more into the room flashing on the big light on the ceiling.

It's sudden that a cry alerts them, a hybrid shifts in the small cage, sniffling he stops upon seeing the mistress. She didn't like when he cried.
Peering up with his baby blue eyes, he meets another set of blue that stares lovingly at him.

"What's his name?" Niall asks softly kneeling down unlocking the door, the hybrid doesn't move. He's unbelievably smaller than Liam and Louis when first adopted.
He's been beaten one too many times from thinking he was allowed out, but wasn't.
"His name is Max." Simon informs glaring at the woman that still has obvious hold over the boy. "How much for him?" The man demands, Zayn intervening, "His arm is covered in shot marks."

The woman evilly smirks, "Well if you have the resources, why not experiment." Niall feels his stomach drop to his feet, pulling the hybrid by his arms out of the cage he wraps him tightly in his hold swearing he was okay now. Zayn too feels quite light headed at the statement.
The two men excuse themselves leaving Simon to deal with the bitch.

Max bawled, he cried as he was carried out, sobbed when kissed on the forehead. He whimpered when Niall buckled him in his car seat they had bought.
"You're okay sweet boy, Baba and Papa have you now." Niall soothes sitting in the back next to him. Zayn drives the pair to their first house, figuring they'd get Max cleaned up before meeting Harry at the other house.

The bath that the parents feared went rather well. Sitting Max in the water, Niall feels tears well in his eyes as his eyes scan the shot marks that litter his left arm. They weren't scars yet meaning they could heal.
Washing his hair, Niall grins seeing it end up a bright blonde, "Look at my baby boys blonde hair!" He coos laughing as Max smiles slapping the water with a giggle.
Zayn enters raising an eyebrow, "Looks like we'll have to dye Baba's hair again so he can twin with our baby."
Niall chuckles shaking his head, "We might have too. Do you think Liam's old clothes will fit?" Zayn shrugs with a small frown, "He even looks smaller than Lee was when we got him." Niall slides the rag over the boy's chest one last time before draining the water and wrapping Max in a fluffy towel.

Laying him on his bed Niall dries his baby's legs before securing a nappy around his waist, blowing a raspberry on his stomach hearing Max erupt in giggles.

"He's definitely happier than Lee or Lou was." Zayn muses winking playfully at his baby that gnawed on his fingers. "Well he's younger, the younger they are the more they're prone to follow blindly. If we show him, love, hopefully, we can erase all the bad." Sliding on a long sleeve white onesie, Niall buttons it along the crotch, adding a pair of maroon overalls with gray converse. "My goodness, you're so cute!" He coos kissing all over Max's face.

Returning to the car, Niall buckles the baby him seeing his happy face crumple with tears. "He could be hungry." Zayn suggests, Niall shrugs, "We'll feed you at the new house, just a few minutes baby boy." Making a bottle of formula as he sat in the passenger seat, Zayn pulled into the new houses driveway behind Harry's car just as Niall was finished. Max's cries weren't as loud though they continued steadily.

Grabbing a bib and the first blanket he saw from his backseat, Niall grabs him and the bottle doing as he did to Liam many times before. With one hand on the bottle, Max's hands found their way to Niall's holding it as well, "Are you ready?" Zayn asks nervously that his two monsters would more than likely scare the daylights out of Max. Niall nods kissing his husband once as the two head to the door.

"Daddy you is no 'listenin!" Louis groans his hands on his hips with a prominent scowl on his adorable face, "And what Lewis am I not listening to exactly?" Harry snaps back narrowing his look, "I say 'dat 'dere is no room for me and ash!" Harry rolls his eyes, "I did hear you say this, I just chose to ignore it. Louis, you have room to play in for when Ashton comes over. This front entryway is not your playroom."

"Why?"

"Because daddy said so, that's why." Zayn announces opening his arms as Liam runs to them, Louis huffs loudly, "'Ere Baba?" He asks knowing that his sweet Baba always had his back.

It's when Niall rounds the corner entering the room fully that both hybrids gasp, Louis running to Niall's legs as he tugs hurriedly at the hem of his shirt, "I see! I see!" Liam whines in Zayn's hold making grabby hands to Niall.

"Boys stop." Harry scolds pulling back on Louis' shirt collar, "Guys meet your little brother," Niall hums softly removing the bottle and sitting in on the floor as he kneels down sitting Max between his legs. Liam is also sat down, he plops down next to the baby instantly going for his ears.

"No! Liam-" Before the fathers could stop what they thought would be a cute moment, the new older brother tugged on Max's ears peering up at his daddies curiously, why did they yell at him? Harry is the father dragging Liam to his feet slapping his backside, "You do not touch your little brother like that! How would you like it if I pulled on your ears?" Liam whines hiding his ears in his hair, he definitely wouldn't want Harry (Or anyone) pulling on them.

Louis is next to crawl in front of Max catching his attention, "Hi 'wittle 'broder." Max giggles reaching a hand up, Louis lowers his head smiling widely, he's been through this before.

Reaching his hand up for them, Louis lowered his head letting Liam pet them, "Your's will be big too! Daddy says mines 'gettin big." Louis remarked patting Liam's ears causing a purr to sound from him, "It does feel good."

Rubbing Max's ears as well, the baby indistinctively purrs smiling up at his older brother with more than trusting eyes.

>>Last Chapter before the Second Book, thoughts?

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>Lots of Love, always ~Emma :)