Fixing Mistakes (Baby Niall)

Well?

Liam gestured for Harry and Louis to take Niall inside while he headed straight over to Zayn. He had given the man an ultimatum and was curious as to the answer he would receive.

"Well?"

Zayn looked up hesitantly, he'd been thinking this through for days now – ever since Niall had run off and hadn't come up with an answer. He didn't like being put on the spot like this, didn't like that Liam had given him a time limit. Still he kind of understood.

"I love him" Zayn answered.

Liam sighed, that wasn't really an answer, "I don't doubt that you love him"

Zayn nodded. He loved Niall to death, "I only want what's best for him"

"I know that. That's all I want as well"

"So then I have a question"

"Alright"

Zayn looked up to meet Liam's eyes, "Are we doing what's best for him? Is this what's best for him?"

Liam looked up at Zayn in utter shock. "Of course this is what's best for him! How can you even ask that?"

"Have you seen him?" Zayn exclaimed, "He's a mess. He's constantly petrified, get's upset about every little thing, he has no concept of family or love or even trust. He's broken"

"No!" Liam argued, "He is not broken! Don't you ever say that!"

"But he is Liam," Zayn spat back, "and you need to accept that"

"NO!"

"Why?" Zayn asked, "Why won't you admit it?"

"Because he is NOT broken" Liam shouted at him.

"What is he then?!"

"ALIVE!"

Both men froze.

"He's not broken Zayn. He's alive, he survived and they didn't break him. The one thing they couldn't do was break him," Liam said quietly.

Zayn stood there taking in what Liam said, "You're right they didn't break him but he is in pieces" he held up his hand to stave off the interruptions he could see coming, "but we can put him back together, we can heal him"

Liam looked up at Zayn, "We are working on healing him. It's just gonna take time"

"I understand that but is this the best way?"

"Yes"

"How can you say that with such force? Such certainty?" Zayn asked baffled.

"Because I've been watching him," Liam answered, "spending time with him. He's doing so much better Zayn. You should have seen him earlier, out there, having fun. He was smiling and laughing, curious, exploring, safe, happy, and he was basking in the attention. Zayn, this is working it's just going to take time... a lot of time"

"He was happy?" Zayn asked somewhat surprised. All he'd seen of Niall lately was a sad, scared little boy and it was killing Zayn. He couldn't bear to see his baby so destroyed.

"Yeah" Liam smiled, "He was loving it, didn't want to come in but he was too tired to stay awake"

Zayn smiled at that, "I would have loved to have been there"

"You could have been you know" Liam told him.

"Yeah" Zayn shook his head, he'd been an idiot.

Liam paused, took a breath and then looked Zayn square in the eye, "What's your decision?"