Reason To Be (A Zouis Family AU)

Part Two, Chapter One

Liam's stomach drops the moment he opens his revision text book. It's the end of winter break in his final year of high school, and he has mock exams when he goes back, not to mention his real, final exams just a matter of months down the line. Even the thought makes his chest tighten in a way that it hasn't for a long time.

At fifteen, his anxiety has lessened over the years. Not faded, per se, just...declined. He has a million support systems - his parents, his brothers, his friends, and his girlfriend of three years now. But he still can't seem to shift the ever growing weight on his shoulders every time he thinks about his grades. Hours of studying never seems to be enough.

Which is why, whilst his family is downstairs watching a movie, he's holed away in his room staring at the quadratic formula and attempting to will his mind into remembering it so he can move onto something else.

Every time he tries to read the formula though, something else skews his focus and he has to read it all over again. First it's the cold wind entering the vent above his window, which he gets up to close before sitting down again. Then it's the ticking of his alarm clock beside his bed, so he gets up again to temporarily remove the batteries. Then his mind wanders off to other places for a while - how Emily had told him that her parents weren't going to be home that weekend and he should come over, how he had turned her down because he needs to study, how he had tried to have a conversation with his Dad earlier on only for it to be disrupted by a phone call from Niall's English teacher offering extra support for him when he returns to school because of his 'attention span problems'.

Eventually, his eyelids grow heavy and he really just wants to get an early night for once; but he refuses to sleep until he has learned that damned equation so he shoves his chair back with a huff and leaves his room for the first time since dinner.

Everyone is still awake and far too lively for almost eleven PM downstairs. When he passes through the living room, Niall is attempting to climb behind the television stand in the corner only for Papa to hurry over and grab the eight year old underneath the arms, hauling him back.

"Ni! There are cables and all sorts behind there. Do you want to get electrocuted?" He asks, at which Niall grins and nods with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, Papa! It makes your hair go like this," he says, then promptly sticks his hands in the man's dark hair and tugs it upwards.

Papa can't help but chuckle at that, shaking his head at the smallest of their family. "It's a good thing I love you."

Niall hasn't changed a bit from when he first came to their family as that baby faced toddler. He still carries Red around with him everywhere he goes, has that same cheeky grin and the power to wrap anyone around his little finger with one of his adorable smiles. He's certainly still got the same level of energy within him too; constantly bouncing around or fiddling with something, unable to sit still or stay quiet for long.

Which is why the boy gets into trouble in school. He may have only just started year four with their Dad as one of his teachers, but everyone seems concerned that his behaviour is going to make it difficult for him to make the transition from primary to high school in less than three years.

And Liam loves his baby brother, of course he does, but he would really appreciate a little bit of quiet every once in a while. He's fifteen and he has important exams this year, and he needs all the silence to study that he can get. Which really, is impossible in this house.

Papa glances up when he notices Liam in the room, smiling at the boy. "Hey dude. We thought you'd gone to bed," he says, and Liam just shakes his head, burying his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.