Bedtime Stories ♡ Ziall/Larry/Lirry AU [COMPLETE]

[4]

The first sound Louis and Harry heard the following morning was Niall screaming.

Harry had been in the process of finding Niall's favorite cup (he was very partial to his Frozen cup), and Louis was doing laundry, when all of a sudden they heard screaming.

Harry flew up the stairs two-at-a-time, heart in his throat. What could have happened? What could be wrong?

He pushed the door open to his son's room, and froze at what he saw.

There was a little boy standing there, no older than Niall's four years of age, smiling at Niall. He had dark hair and light brown eyes, the color of honey, and he was smiling at Niall as if he was all he'd ever wanted.

And even stranger, Niall wasn't screaming from fear. He was screaming joyfully, hugging the boy as hard as he could.

"Daddy," Niall yelped, still smiling. "It worked!"

"What worked?" Harry asked, confused. Louis hadn't even managed to say a word since they'd entered Niall's room.

"It's Zayn, Daddy," Niall beamed. He was still hugging him, nuzzling his cheek against Zayn's. "He found me."

~ ~ ~
"This makes no fucking sense," Louis hissed, tugging Harry out into the hallway. "Zayn is a fictional character. He's made up!"

"But then who is this kid, Louis? How did he get in here? I turned on the security system last night before we put Niall to bed."

"I don't know what's going on, Harry. There's a random little kid posing as Zayn-"

"He does look exactly how I imagined him," Harry said slowly, feeling as though he was insane.

"Harry," Louis said, frowning. "How about we talk to him, okay? How about we talk to Zayn, find out how he got here, what he knows."

Harry nodded, and he popped his head into Niall's room again. "Zayn," he said quietly, "Can I talk to you?"

Zayn nodded, hopping off of Niall's bed and following Harry out into the hallway. Louis was leaning against the wall, silently staring at him.

"Zayn," Harry said gently, "How did you get in here?"

"Niall called me," Zayn said. "I know what it sounds like. He said, 'I believe in Zayn Malik,' wiggled his nose, wiggled his toes, and held his breath. So I came."

Harry blinked up at Louis, surprised, and Louis said, "Do you know Niall from school? Is that how you know Harry's stories?"

Zayn cocked his head. "What is school?"

Harry and Louis exchanged glances. "Where do you live, Zayn? We'll take you home."

"I can't go home," Zayn yelped, and Harry's heart lifted. They had a lead. "Niall called me. I can't go home until he doesn't need me anymore. That's the rule. They won't take me back." His voice softened and saddened as he spoke, and Harry's heart broke.

"Okay," Harry sighed. "Zayn, you and Niall go play downstairs, okay? We'll be down in a minute." Zayn nodded and pulled Niall downstairs by his hand. Niall still looked dazed and giggly, and waved at his parents as he walked by.

"Harry, he can't stay here!" Louis snapped.

"What am I supposed to do, Louis? Ditch a four-year-old on the side of the road? No, I won't do that."

"...You're right, I'm sorry," Louis nodded. "It's just...it's so strange, Harry. It can't be possible."

Just then, Zayn and Niall's conversation about brownie volcanoes and fighting aliens floated up the staircase.

"He knows the stories," Louis added, "but he hasn't heard them."

"It is very strange," Harry nodded.

~ ~ ~
The Stylinson family couldn't do much more than go on with their normal daily activities. Niall was overjoyed to have someone to play with, and it actually made life a lot simpler in their house.

They had pancakes for breakfast, which Zayn ate with his fingers because they don't use silverware on spaceships. This, obviously, led to Niall wanting to eat his pancakes like Zayn, and everything was just a sticky mess.

By the end of the day, Louis and Harry still weren't sure what to do about Zayn, but when they went upstairs to tuck Niall in, they saw the small blonde and the small brunette tucked into the bed together. Zayn was whispering something, most likely a story, to Niall, and the dreamy look on his face made Louis and Harry smile.