Balance (Vexxieverse Series - Part 3)

Shocking (L)

Liam

June

They'd had a few weeks to cool down and talk about all the revelations they had in Malibu. It was still hard knowing Niall had been feeling left out, and that Louis had been sitting on such a violent secret for so long, but they'd all been feeling better once it was all out in the open. Harry was struggling with Louis's story still, but most of them had talked it out together without Louis and vented it all out. But Harry had always been with Louis when the rest of them did that, so it still weighed on him.

Louis didn't say it, but he knew. He always knew what Harry was thinking. Though it was probably obvious because Harry hadn't left Louis's side since he heard the story.

Harry was stress cooking again and watching Louis from the window while he swam in the pool with Niall. Liam liked to hover when Harry cooked because he often got snacks in the process. Harry hadn't shooed him away for once, so he got himself comfy with a beer and the season's first script and sat at the island Harry was working from. All scowly again. Taking it out on the poor cookie dough.

"Zayn, could you come in here?" Liam yelled across the house. Zayn was lying on the couch, sketching. It was nice they could all just be home and be normal for a few weeks before the chaos started back up at work next month.

Zayn joined them in the kitchen but didn't look up from his sketch pad and kept drawing once he got to a hard surface again. "What's up, babe?"

"Whoa, what are you working on? Is that Phillip?" Liam said as he peaked at Zayn's work.

Harry forced his laser focus away from Louis for just a moment to see Zayn's art. "Shit, that's really good Zayn, are you writing a graphic novel for the show or something?"

"Or something," Zayn smiled at the paper. "They are open to more merch so I'm going to present it to them when it's finished. See if I can make it a series, you know? It's Phillip's backstory."

"You should have told us! Zayn, it looks so good!" Liam wanted to flip through the pages and see it all, but Zayn was still working.

"I wasn't not telling you. I was going to show everyone when I finished it. Anyway, what did you need?"

"I think you should get Harry out of the house." Liam crossed his arms, ready for Harry's protest.

"Why?!" Harry slammed down his whisk.

"That's why! You are on edge. You need to talk about it and I think Zayn is who you need to talk to most." Liam softened his voice, not wanting to be defensive since Harry was. That's how it worked. One of them had to tone it down and since it was usually Harry that kept calm, Liam could return the favor.

"That's a good idea, H. Honestly, I know you're pissed at me about it anyway, so I think we should talk it out. You can ask me all the things you've wanted to ask him about it, ok?"

"No. I'm not going anywhere without him." Harry picked up his whisk and turned his back on them both and stared back out the window at the pool.

"He's not your only boyfriend that needs you right now. I was thinking, maybe you and Zayn could go get Niall a little something while Lou and I give Niall a little BDSM lesson this evening. Since apparently I've claimed him as my Daddy," Liam smirked.

Liam wasn't even sure how that had happened, but it just sort of... did. And with Liam having a reputation in the group for being the most hard core (which was an absolute lie, by the way. He wouldn't do half the shit Harry did!) then maybe Niall domming him would build Niall's confidence within the group.