red hair and a blue hoodie // ed sheeran

Chapter 54 - Theo and Adventures

zσ'ѕ ρσν:

After our warm embrace was over, he pulled away from me and I was soon gripped on the knee by tiny hands the size of golf balls.

“Theo!”

While living at Sierra’s and Harry’s, Niall had brought pictures and pictures over of little Theo that Greg had sent him. He would brag about his little nephew at every opportunity he got, showing off the selfies he took with him while on holidays in his home country and about how many thousands of people on Instagram were hitting on his not-even-one year old relative.

He was so small and fragile and... vulnerable. 

“Theo,” he addressed the child. “This is Zo. Can you say Zo for me? Zzz-oh,” he sounded out in exaggerated voice. I laughed along with little Theo as his bubbly childish laughter echoed around the apartment. 

“Zzz-oh. Zo. Zzz-oh,” Another laugh rang out; from Theo and Niall. “Zo go?” His little Irish tone was already so prominent in his voice that I couldn’t help but smile. 

“Yes sweetie; Zo go.” After one last giggle, those tiny hands that had gripped rather aggressively onto my knees melted away like ice-cream on a hot summers day.

“Looks like Theo is ready to go ha-ha,” Niall commented.” You all good then?”

I felt around my neck for reassurance that my phone was still there. I gripped my cane hard in my hand and smiled at the comfort it brought me. I couldn’t think of anything else that I would really need. My phone and my cane were pretty much the only crucial things I took with me everywhere - safety reasons. “Uh, yeah I think so.”

“Alright then! Lets head off.” Without even seeing it, I could hear the smile in Niall’s voice as it dripped off his words like maple syrup before it hit the pancakes below. 

***

After catching the elevator down to the ground level from the power couples fourth story apartment and walking through the expansive lobby entrance, we were soon out in the strong winds of London.

“Just over here love. I parked around the corner. Couldn’t park too fat away because this little one doesn’t like the cold.”

That stunned me. “Doesn’t like the cold? Like, at all?”

“Nope; hates it. Detests it even.”

“But he lives in Ireland…”

“And he dresses up like a fucking Eskimo in the winter time.”

I decided to leave that conversation at that and when Niall grabbed my hand to lead me to the car, I didn’t flinch and pull back because I knew that I was lost without him.

Not soon after, there was the sound of a door opening and I was gently hoisted into a leathered seated car. My hands reached up above my shoulders in search of the seat belt and found it above my left should.

I’m probably in the passenger seat.

After clicking the cold silver into its hard plastic counterpart, I tucked my hands under my thighs. It was almost used as a hiding place, like a dark closet would be for my younger self.

I heard giggles, clicking of more belts and light conversation behind me as Niall tucked little Theo into his seat.

“Where we going Uncle Ni?”

“Somewhere warm.”

“YAY!” His ear splitting scream made my hands retreat from under my legs where they were retaining their warmth to the sides of my head to cover my ears from any further attack of the sort.