The Missing Piece

Ten

Harry and Zayn return to the living room where Niall is on his second meeting with the psychologist assigned to them, Kelly. The first meeting had only been a few days earlier, and it's mostly been introductions.

Now, Niall is kneeling on the side of the coffee table opposite her, the two of them working on a jigsaw puzzle as they talk softly.

Harry's hand finds Zayn's between them, thankful that his husband has stood by his word and taken extra time off of work. It's made a world of difference, having the extra support here, especially with Niall not yet at school still. The kid seems to be doing a little better with both parents at home, as if the stability has improved his anxiety or something.

Still, there haven't been any major breakthroughs, and Harry wishes he could just look inside his sons mind and know what's going on in there sometimes.

Kelly praises the boy when he finishes the frame of the puzzle, glancing up to the two men. "Do you mind if we talk to your Dad and Papa about what we were speaking about?" She asks kindly.

Niall pauses, looking up and hesitating for a moment before his lip finds its way between his teeth and he nods at the woman.

Kelly looks up at the two men, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Niall and I had a little chat about how he doesn't know what to call the two of you, and we discussed George, didn't we, Niall?" She addresses the boy with a gentle expression. "Do you want to tell them how you feel?"

The eight year old shakes his head at that, turning his wide blue eyes on the woman expectantly. Kelly smiles and turns back to Harry and Zayn.

"Niall told me he feels confused, mostly, about George. Which I told him is understandable, he spent five years believing that man to be his father and if he still feels love for him, then that's okay. And he says he wants the two of you not to get mad at him for loving George, which I know is difficult, but maybe if Niall feels as though he has your support no matter what he feels, it might make it easier for him to open up to you both in the future," she explains in a softly spoken voice.

Harry nods immediately, no hesitation, unlike Zayn. And he gets it, he does, it's more than just difficult when their boy says he misses his kidnapper or that he loves him, but looking at it from Niall's perspective, that's completely normal. He truly believed that George was his Dad and they can't deny him of those five years. As much as he wishes he could erase them.

He squeezes Zayn's hand as he turns his gaze to Niall, smiling when the boy's blue eyes peer up at him from across the coffee table. "I could never be mad at you, baby, not for how you feel. I told you before, didn't I? You just let yourself feel however you need to feel and I'm here no matter what. Me and your Papa, right?"

He directs the latter question to his husband beside him, who quickly nods his agreement, his eyes sad as he forces a smile at their small son.

Kelly smiles, turning her attention back towards Niall. "Is there anything you want to say to that, Niall?" She asks, and the boy goes bashful with three pairs of eyes on him, his cheeks turning pink as he ducks his head and shakes it. "Do you mind if I tell your parents what else we spoke about?"

Niall shrugs again so Kelly looks back to the men.

"Niall spoke a lot about his little brother, Louis. He told me about the games they play together and how Louis took care of him when he wasn't feeling very good last week. He spoke about his big brother too, and how they played video games together last night. He speaks very highly of the both of them," she tells them, making them both smile, Harry's heart warming at the words. Kelly turns her attention to Harry. "He tells me the two of you bake whenever he feels a little fed up and how it cheers him up, and how Zayn has been home from work more the past couple of days."