married life ♡ niam au [COMPLETE]

day seventy // home study

liam tries to let niall sleep as long as he can. his husband needs as much sleep as he can get, honestly, especially with the stress of the move. he sits on the edge of the bed, watching his husband sleep. niall's long lashes flutter, his fist curled up under his cheek. liam hopes he's having good dreams.

"baby," liam says, when it's time. he touches niall's shoulder, gently. "hey, sweetie, you gotta get up."

niall snuffles, wriggles a little closer to liam. "mmm."

"wakey, wakey," liam coos, rubbing his back. niall opens his eyes finally.

"why?" he groans.

"our home study is today," liam reminds him, and niall jolts upright.

"oh my god!" he yelps, "what time is it?!"

"only 8:30. don't worry, she won't be here until 10."

niall sits up finally, rubs his eyes. "dibs on the shower."

"all yours. i already showered," liam responds. as soon as niall is out of the bed he's making it, and niall watches him for a second, shaking his head fondly. liam is a neat freak, but in this situation, it'll be for their benefit. as he showers, his heart flutters with excitement -- their home study is today! the caseworker for their adoption case is going to come to their house and make sure everything looks okay.

"do you think it'll be a problem that the nurseries aren't totally ready?" niall voices his worry to liam as he steps out of the shower, toweling his hair dry.

"nah. we talked to her about that, remember? she said it'll be okay."

niall hums; he sounds unconvinced. they got a good start on the nurseries; they both have cribs and changing tables, and lots of little baby toys. it's very cute, very plush and soft. the cribs just aren't all the way set up, and the changing tables have to be properly stocked, but they're mostly done.

"it's mostly done anyway," liam continues when niall doesn't say anything. "you don't need to worry." liam grabs him by the waist, reels him in, and niall slumps forward, his head against liam's chest. his heartbeat is loud, pounding against niall's skull, and liam is tapping something against his elbow with his fingertips. morse code. i love you.

"i love you, too."

- - -

niall is finishing his bowl of cheerios when the doorbell rings. his heart leaps into his throat, and he empties the rest of the bowl in the sink, unable to finish. he can hear liam greeting the case worker, his voice bright and happy, warm. excited. niall is excited, too, all of a sudden, the kind of excited where your hands tremble and you can barely function.

"and this," liam says with a sweeping gesture towards niall, "is my husband, niall."

"hello," niall chirps, putting a hand out for the case worker. he expects her to be stoic, unfriendly, but to his delight, a wide smile spreads across her face.

"hi, niall! i'm sarah." 

"hi, sarah!" niall's voice is very shy, but very happy. liam wraps an arm around him. they lead her throughout the house. it isn't perfect, not yet -- moving takes a long time -- but she seems pleased.

"you guys are in great shape," she smiles when they're done. they're sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. she's been interviewing them for a few hours, just asking questions about their marriage and niall's pregnancy. 

"is there anything we should be worried about?" niall questions. he takes another sip of his decaf.

"no, i don't think so. your case looks good, you two clearly are ready. zayn and harry have put in a good word for you, and it seems like everything has gone well with you two and their daughter, so no, i don't think you need to worry at all."

niall beams, and he turns to liam, squeezing his hand. liam laughs, too, pulling niall in closer so he can kiss him quickly. niall giggles into the kiss, overwhelmed with delight, and sarah smiles, watching them.

"thank you so much," liam says as he shows her out. he's so happy he's stumbling over his words. sarah just laughs and shakes their hands, telling them she'll be in touch. when she's gone, liam and niall hug each other for a good five minutes, cheeks sore from smiling.

"that went really, really well," liam murmurs into niall's hair. "way better than i'd expected."

"i know!" niall giggles. he hugs liam tighter, kisses his chest right over his heart. "liam, we're having a baby!"

liam's large hand touches his stomach, rubbing gently. "we're having two!"