Reason To Be (A Zouis Family AU)

Part One, Chapter Twelve

"Okay and what sound does a piggy make?"

Zayn smiles at the scene in the living room the night before Christmas. Harry and Liam are happily playing their own version of schools again with all their stuffed animals lined up with the two of them being joint-teachers.

Meanwhile, Niall is on the couch with Louis, the man trying to teach him the sounds that animals make. And the toddler is catching on too, if the loud snort that he makes next is anything to go by.

Louis cheers at that, and even Harry and Liam look up from their game to clap for the three year old. Niall basks in the attention, snorting again even louder in a way that makes them all laugh instead.

"Okay, how about a doggie?" The man asks instead, but Niall has lot his interest in the game and has taken to climbing up onto the back of the couch to point at the tree. "Ni?"

"Pretty!" He squeals, admiring the lights and clapping his hands.

Louis gives up and grins, moving to face the tree beside the boy and wrapping an arm around him. "It sure is, huh?" He says, and Niall nods quite aggressively.

His husband glances up at him then, patting the spot on the side of the couch next to him. Zayn smiles and moves to sit down, letting out an 'oof' when their three year old decides to dive onto his stomach before curling up on his lap and grabbing the man's arms one by one to pull them around him.

He feels his heart swell at the action, craning his neck down to press a kiss to the top of the kid's head. "Love you Shorty," he says, and Niall just rests his head back to look up at him with a happy smile.

Louis smiles too at the scene, before turning to the other boys and grabbing the TV remote from the arm of the couch. "What do you guys say to a Christmas movie before bed tonight, hm?" He asks, and Liam cheers, jumping up and then hauling his younger brother up beside him.

"Elf! I wanna watch Elf!" He yells, and Louis laughs, finding the movie and putting it on as the other two boys curl up beside them.

The movie begins, but Zayn doesn't pay any attention to it.

He's too busy thinking about how damned lucky he is.

He's never seen as much excitement in three kids as he does the following morning.

Niall is screeching in happiness as soon as he lays eyes on the presents that are underneath the tree, Liam making no hesitation to start sorting through them to find the ones with his name on, whilst Harry just stands and stares with wide eyes.

Zayn kneels down beside him, resting a hand on the boy's back.

"They're all for us?" He asks in a quiet voice, and Zayn nods, knowing that Harry and Niall have never had a proper Christmas before. Which is why he's determined for it to be the best.

And that isn't a hard task, because they're so grateful and joyous over every minute detail that it would be impossible for them to have a bad day.

Every time Harry unwraps a gift; even when it's the new pyjamas that they bought for him, he jumps up and throws his arms around the men.

"Thank you Daddy, thank you Papa!" He says with a grin before going back to open more.

And Niall, watching his brother's actions, does exactly the same; hugging them and thanking them adorably before he unwraps another.

Once it's all done, Harry and Liam instantly start playing one of the board games that they had opened, whilst Niall is more than happy to just sit in one of the giant cardboard boxes that one of his toys came in, squealing when Zayn makes train noises and pushes him around the living room in it - clapping his hands and yelling 'more' every time the man has to take a breather.

Harry eventually moves onto his Lego set and Louis sits down to help him with that for a while, the five year old moving to sit in his lap and watch.

"Don't you wanna build something Haz?" Louis asks the boy, but he just shrugs and smiles up at the man.

"I like watchin' you do it," he answers with a nod, and Louis lets out a small laugh.

"Well, that's that then," he says.

And that is that, Harry just seems content with watching. And it's adorable to Zayn, the level of admiration in his eyes as the boy watches his Dad put the Lego pieces together to build what's on the box. Harry hasn't had any nightmares in almost a month now, and the amount of self-esteem he's developed since living with them...well, it's enough to make him want to cry with happiness.

Zayn knows that this is helping Louis too, that the previous Christmas had been hard for his husband after he had lost his mother. The woman had been his only parent and so the house had felt horribly empty last year.

But this year is different.
It's filled with laughter and smiles and a giddiness that only comes with having a house full of kids.

Liam comes to sit beside him on the couch after a while, cuddling into his side and he smiles down at the boy. Since Zak had been expelled, the other kids hadn't bothered him and he'd been more himself. Of course, the anxiety is still there, Zayn doesn't think that'll ever fully leave, sadly. But the boy is more himself again, and that's all he really cares about.

"You okay buddy?" He asks, and Liam smiles and nods against his chest.

"Yeah...just wanted a hug," he admits, and Zayn lets out a small laugh, heart swelling yet again because these damn kids are going to be the death of him, one way or another.

"Well, that's perfect because I am in the mood for giving a big hug," he says in return, squeezing the nine year old tightly in a way that makes him screech with laughter.

"Papa!" He yells, but Zayn doesn't miss the way the boy squeezes him right back.

Then Niall dives on them both with a cheeky grin, face covered in chocolate.

Zayn frowns, sitting up a little and sighing when he sees the empty box of chocolates abandoned on the coffee table.

"Niall Malik, you better stop jumping before you make yourself sick," he scolds lightly, trying to mask the laugh that fights to escape.

Niall actually does as he's told for once, joining in with the bear hug. Zayn worries at first that Liam might grow upset at the disruption to their time together, but he just grins and wraps his arms around Niall too.

Niall is...Niall. He's crazy, constantly energised in a way that Zayn isn't sure he'll ever fully understand. But they love him to bits for it, there's no doubt about that. Never any doubt.

He catches his husbands eye as they both sit on opposite sides of the room with their boys, and he can tell the feeling they both have right then is very much mutual.

They wouldn't change this moment for the world.