With Open Arms

Over The Edge

"A fight?" Louis asks, phone held to his ear and his free hand running down his face.

It's been almost a whole month since they officially fostered Niall, and there haven't been any real big incidents since. Now he's on the phone to the principle, who's asking him to come and collect the thirteen year old - and it doesn't make sense to him that the kid is in enough trouble to get himself suspended when he had been happier than usual just that morning.

He and Harry had been laughing about something or other whilst he and Zayn has watched with matching smiles. Then Zayn has dropped the boys off at school before returning home since it's his day off - and he's said that they'd gone in just fine.

So this call has come as a definite surprise.

"I'm afraid so," Principle Harris says in a voice that doesn't sound very regretful.

"Well is he okay?" Louis presses in exasperation, already pushing his feet into his shoes whilst Zayn grabs his keys and watches him with an inquisitive frown.

The man on the other end sighs. "Yes, he's completely fine. He's still pretty worked up though, we haven't been able to speak to him - he's being quite difficult if I'm being honest."

Louis feels a fiery heat hit the pit of his stomach at that, the same automatic protectiveness that he has over Liam and Harry now making an appearance for Niall.

"Well I expect he is pretty worked up. Niall doesn't just get into fights," he says, because sure - the kid had shown up on their doorstep battered and bruised that first day but even then, he hadn't been the instigator of the fight.

And yes, he can be quick tempered and tough to handle at times, but he never lashed out without reason to.

"I'm assuming the other kid has been suspended too?" He asks, slipping into the passenger seat whilst his husband climbs behind the wheel.

They'd planned to just chill together today; it's the first day they've had together without the kids there since school started up again after the summer, and they needed some time to just sit down and take a breather. The fact that they're losing out on that now doesn't even cross his mind as they drive to the school.

Principle Harris sighs again. "Well, Brent has been very open about what started the fight, he's communicated with us and has offered to apologise to Niall but - well, as I said. Niall isn't really responding to us."

Louis runs a hand down his face at that, a mixture of frustration at their kid and frustration at the school's way of handling him running through him.

"Right. Okay, just - we'll be there in five. Will you let him know we're coming?" He asks, to which the headmaster agrees before the line goes blank.

He slumps in his seat slightly with a huff. Zayn turns to him with a small frown.

"So Niall's getting the complete blame for this?" He asks with furrowed brows as they pull into the driveway of the school.

Louis presses his lips together, because deep down he knows that the kid shouldn't have gotten into a fight even if he had been pushed. "We don't even know what this is yet," he answers with a sigh as the engine shudders to a stop and they both get out.

Niall is sitting in the office on the edge of one of the plastic chairs, school uniform twisted and rucksack on his back already as he leans forwards with his elbows on his knees and his head bowed down to glare at the floor. His heels are both bobbing up and down against the floor.

From what Louis can see, Harris had been honest about the kid being uninjured. His face remains mark free, though the knuckles of his right hand are bruised painfully.