Thank God For Paul (Baby!Louis)

15.7K 177 14
                                    

Prompt: Can you make one where Louis is the baby and Paul's the only one that knows and Paul says he needs to and you can do the rest.

A/N: A prompt with fluff will be next. (:

Louis took a deep breath and sat back in his bunk, glimpsing around to make sure everything was perfect. The boys had gone out for the night, to a club or something similar. He had pretended to be sick so he could stay home. As much as he did this, you would think they would get suspicious, but they still seemed to go for it. Every time they would, he would wait a moment or two, then go to his secret bag under the bed where all his favorite things lay.

At the moment, he was dressed in only a nappy, tan legs spread out in front of him so he could admire the bulk. His blankie from when he was little was beside him, along with the pacifier and the bottle that he had somehow managed to buy with the excuse that they were out of clean ones for Lux. Last but not least was a coloring book and crayons he had snuck from his Doncaster home into his suitcase. He would be able to color for a while before he got tired and snuggled up under the blankets.

He had been doing this for quite a while now, and he had a kind of routine going. Making a bottle was always first. it calmed him and allowed him to properly settle into his headspace. He picked up the object and, pouting, pulled on a pair of sweatpants. He couldn't be too careful. Now that the five of them were on tour together, it was getting harder and harder to hide his secret. One slip, and he could easily be caught.

The kitchen wasn't far. He walked - more like toddled; he could hardly close his legs because of the heavy padding between his legs - into the small area and retrieved the milk from the fridge. Pouring it into the bottle was simple, and then all that was left was to pop it into the microwave. Easy as pie.

There was the sound of footsteps coming toward him, and he gasped and started to panic, pulling his sweatpants up just for good measure. Seconds later, Paul came through the door, and he sighed in relief, arms dropping back to his sides. "You scared me."

Paul looked over him with a frown on his face. Besies Louis himself, he was the only one to know about his secret. He had wandered in one night while Louis was in nothing but a nappy in the living room. Ever since then, he had sworn not to tell anyone... but he was always pushing Louis to tell the other boys. Instead of bringing up that specific topic right away, he cleared his throat and smiled softly. "Other boys out?"

It was a stupid question, really, but Louis nodded anyway. "Yeah. They needed to release some stress before the show tomorrow night."

Paul's fingers drummed against the table. The microwave beeped, and Louis tried to hide the smile on his face as he reached into it and grabbed the bottle out. "Did you need something? I can let the lads know you stopped by, or-"

"I want you to tell them tonight, Louis."

There was a split second of silence where Louis simply stared. Ever so carefully, he shook his head and started to move past him, headed back to his bunk. Paul's strong arm grabbed him and pushed him back. "I'm serious. If you don't tell them-"

"What, then?" Louis snapped, "You promised me you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Who said I was going to tell them?"

Louis' mouth opened and closed, and even though he was half convinced he looked like a fish by doing so, he didn't really care. He didn't know what Paul meant, and that fact alone terrified him. His body started to shake, and he backed up until his bum hit the edge of the counter. His head shook back and forth in denial. "But... what do you mean? Please, I can't, they'll hate me!"

The older man didn't seem fazed. "Are you going to tell them?"

"No!"

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He removed his phone from his pocket, typed something quickly, then put it back. Almost immediately, the door was opened again, this time revealing all four of the other boys. They filled up what was left of the tiny space while they looked back at Louis, curiosity practically boaring holes through him. He was mortified. The only thing he could immediately think to do was throw the bottle in the sink and hope nobody saw it. Even when it was obvious they did, he tried to appear as if nothing was different. He was good with drama, right? He could act.

Paul set his hand on Louis' shoulder, keeping him in place with an iron grip. "Last chance to tell them."

It took all Louis had not to cry as he shook his head. Paul let out another sigh and then reached down, doing something with his hands. Louis didn't know what it was until his sweatpants fell to his ankles, exposing what he had been hiding.

That was when things really went to hell.

As his four bandmates watched with shocked confusion, Louis fell to his knees and placed his head in his hands. Sobs wracked his body until he could hardly breathe. It only seemed to make him more upset. Whimpers and gasps for air filled the room and echoed off the walls of the tour bus. While all of this happened, Paul and the lads stood completely still. Paul felt remorseful, but he didn't dare say anything while Louis was in this kind of state.

Harry bit his lip and took a step forward, not toward Louis, but to the sink. The bottle was laying in an awkward position, but it didn't seem as if any liquid had leaked out. "Lou? Love?" He whispered, turning and kneeling down beside the smaller boy. Louis only sniffled in response. Harry hesitantly held out the bottle to him, and even though he took it, he didn't seem to register what it was.

The others started moving, then. Instead of standing around, Zayn and Liam went on either side of Louis and rubbed his sides and back, trying to calm him down. Harry was still trying to convince him that it was alright, and Niall... well, he and Paul were still standing back.

"Louis, babe, it's okay. You know that, right sweetheart? We would never judge you." Liam cooed, carding his fingers through the feathery locks.

"We love you for you. If this is something you want, we'll adjust and get used to it." Zayn added.

Louis didn't say a single comprehendible word.

When the episode had been going on for twenty minutes, Zayn and Liam stood up and took a step back. It was obvious nothing they could do was going to help. Harry was starting to give up hope as well. His cheeks were flushed with worry, and even though he was obviously trying to stay strong, it just wasn't working very well. With every tear that rolled down Louis' cheek, a little piece of him seemed to break. Still, he backed away and set his hands on his hips. "Louis, please..."

"You hate me!"
Louis wailed, covering his cheeks with his hands. "You hate me, I know you do!"

"No we don't! We've been trying to tell you that this whole time!" Liam cried. He reached out to wipe some of the tears off Louis' cheeks, but before he could, the older boy stood up and grasped his bottle firmly in his hands. He tried not to look at the others' faces, knowing he would feel guilty for causing all of them to worry about him so much. Taking a shallow breath, he assessed their positions and then took off, shooting past them and running down the narrow hallway. There was the sound of the bathroom door slamming, and Louis' sobs were cut off.

Everyone else seemed to be in shock.

"Boys... I didn't know he was going to react like this! I thought he would let you comfort him, or-" Paul started, only to be cut off by Harry sighing softly and shaking his head.

"It isn't your fault. He'll come around."

Paul and the lads said their goodbyes, and then the four boyfriends looked at each other with concerned eyes. They had no idea what they were supposed to do. Louis had locked himself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out. It was literally the only door in the bus that had a lock on it, and he had definitely known that when he ran away. Getting him out of there wasn't going to be easy.

"Should we try to pick the lock? He'll stay in there all night if we don't bring him out." Zayn whispered. It wasn't likely that Louis could decipher what they were saying, but he didn't want to take chances.

"That will only make him more upset." Liam ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, we'll be in a proper hotel in the morning, and we have rehearsal and a concert later on. He'll come out; if not for us, than for the fans."

~

Tiny, cramped spaces were not Louis' cup of tea. That was starting to become clearer and clearer the longer he sat in the miniscule bathroom.

It was late; that much he did know. The bus had been silent for an eternity. They were moving to the next city, and every once in a while they would hit a bump that caused his head to hit against the edge of the sink. He was going to end up with a concussion if he wasn't careful. He still didn't want to get out, though, just in case one of the boys was awake and would start laughing at him. That was something he was sure that he didn't need.

There was another bump, and a small "Ow!" from Louis accompanied it. The corner had caught his cheek that time, and the pain was especially bad and was turning into a dull sting. He clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut in the already pitch black room.

How much more was he going to be able to take?

The answer came in an unconventional way. With the next bump, the sharp edge he had already hit against multiple times broke skin, and instead of being annoying, it was now pure pain. His hand came up to cup his cheek, and his face contorted into one of horror when he felt his fingers being covered in something thick and sticky. Blood.

That was one more thing he wasn't good at dealing with.

The decision was finally made for him. He let out a loud cry and turned his back to the wall, sniffling and curling in on himself. "HELP!" He cried out. Another bump launched his forehead into that damn place again, and tears trickled down his face as well as the blood. "HELP! GUYS! ANYBODY!"

The four boys were instantly awake and looking for the source of the problem. Harry launched himself out of the bed and ran to the door, making his way around in the dark with incredible ease. "Lou! What's going on? Are you alright?"

Louis' muscles tensed. He cried out and tried to stand, but with no way to see what he could grab on to, he ended up falling back onto his bum. "Harry! Help!" he sobbed, covering his face with his hands. "I can't get out a-and I'm bleeding and-"

"Shh. You'll be alright, baby. Just hold on."

Harry turned, nearly running into the other boys. He hadn't even noticed that they were standing there. "Call Paul. Tell him it's an emergency."

Niall's brows furrowed. "Harry, what is he supposed to do?"

"Pick the lock? Break down the door?" Harry threw his hands in the air. "I don't know! He'll do something! Just fucking call him!"

Ten minutes later, the bus came to a stop, and a very sleepy looking Paul wandered into the room with a frown. He had a plastic bag in his hand, though it was difficult to see what was in it because of the logo on the front. "What's going on?" He asked curiously. Just then, Louis let out a particularly loud scream, and the older man winced. "Oh."

"Can you do something?" Liam asked, biting his lip and crossing his arms over his chest. "He's hurt!"

Paul hushed him and assured him everything would be alright. He walked around the bus for a moment, and when he came back, he had a paper clip in his hand. While the boys watched, completely dumbfounded, he moved it into the lock of the door until it released. The door swung open, showing Louis cowering and covering his face, trying to protect it from being hit anymore. Paul instantly scooped Louis into his arms to assess the damage.

There was a large cut about the size of his pinky decorating Louis' cheek. Most of the blood had come from that, but there were also at least five or six smaller cuts that were either bleeding or dark red. Tears were still steadily falling, and even as he held Louis closer and they as well as blood soaked into his shirt, he didn't let go. Louis needed the comfort after what he had been through.

"Louis..." Harry whispered, reaching his hand out and using it to rub his nails over Louis' back. It was something the older boy always liked, but now he just shied away from the touch, afraid it wasn't going to be as kind as he hoped.

"No..."

His brows furrowed. Before he had a chance to say anything else, Paul handed him the bag, giving him a secretive look. He didn't open it. Instead, he just set it to the side and held his arms out for Louis. Nobody seemed convinced that the upset lad was going to let them comfort him, and that was made even clearer when he turned away and started to stumble over to his bunk.

Zayn rubbed his hands over his eyes. "I don't know what to do. What's wrong with him? He won't even attempt to hear us out."

"Well..." Paul gestured toward the bag. "That was supposed to be for his birthday, but now is as good a time as any. If you give it to him, I guarantee he'll calm down. He might still be upset, but it won't be anywhere near as traumatic."

"What is it?"

Niall reached into the bag and pulled out a stuffed tiger. It was white instead of orange, but it still had the characteristic black stripes and dark, golden eyes. It was incredibly fluffy and warm, and he had a feeling that Louis would love it. "You got this for Lou?"

Paul nodded. "Just give it to him. Let him know you love him and you don't care that he's different. He'll be crawling into your arms in no time."

It was the best chance that any of them seemed to have, and they decided to take it, not having very many other options. Once Paul left, they snuck over to the bunks and sat down on the edge of Louis'. Louis had cleaned up all of his things from earlier, it seemed, and the only thing that was out of the ordinary was the nappy still taped around his hips. It was dry - thankfully - but he hadn't bothered to cover it with anything but the blankets. Even those didn't do a very good job of anything.

"Babe?" Liam asked, setting his hand on top of Louis' thigh. The eldest looked up, eyes still glistening with tears, though it seemed he was through crying. "Can we talk to you?"

Louis shrugged.

Harry nudged Liam with his foot and leaned back, bringing his legs up onto the bed and crossing them. "Well, Lou... we wanted to give you something. You can't have it until all of your tears are gone, but if you keep crying... I guess you'll never get your surprise."

Louis' eyes widened with something that was almost child-like. Nodding, he straightened up a little and rubbed the rest of his tears out of his eyes and off his cheeks. When he was content that all was well, he looked at Harry expectantly and held his hands out. "What is it?"

"Close your eyes."

Once Harry was sure that Louis wasn't peeking, he grabbed the plush from the bag and set it in Louis' hands. He told him to open, and when he did, his eyes showed only shock and excitement. "This is mine?"

"Yeah, love." Zayn laughed, rubbing his shoulder. "It's yours. Do you like it?"

"Yes!" Louis cheered. He hugged the new stuffed animal to his chest. He set it in his lap after that and ran his fingers through the fur, giggling softly. He loved it. "What's this for?"

Harry paused for a slight second. The truth needed to be present in whatever he said, but he also wanted to desperately make sure Louis knew how much they loved him. There would have to be some kind of a balance. "We want you to know how much we love you. You need to trust us, yeah? We love you no matter what. If that means letting you wear nappies and making bottles when we're alone, that's perfectly fine."

"Really?" Louis' eyes brightened even more, if that was possible.

"Yes. It's also an apology. Paul feels really bad that all of this happened, and he wanted to make it up to you."

Louis played with the tiger's ears, smiling both to himself and about what Harry was saying. "He doesn't have to be sorry. I'm glad you know."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, kissing his cheek.

"Mhmm!" Louis giggled, opening his arms and pulling all of the boys in for a group hug. "No more hiding. Now I have four boyfriends who love every single part of me, not just the big Louis part."

Niall chuckled and nodded. "Right. Four boyfriends." He and the other lads exchanged looks, and the brightest grin possible lit up his face. "Four daddies."

One Direction Age Play One-Shots! (Prompts Closed!)Where stories live. Discover now