Count On Me | Niam

Chapter Eighty

Niall/Liam

"Dad? Daddy?"

Chloe's voice travelled surprisingly well, an impressive feat given how large the flat was, and she was persistent, calling out until she got an answer. "Dad? Daddy...is Papa here yet? Did Papa come home? Are you awake? Dad!"

She was the reason Niall and Liam woke up at all and if it wasn't for the strangely thrilled if exhausted look on Liam's face, Niall would have groaned and hidden his face back in the pillows. He was tempted to anyway, but, with some effort, he sat up, raising an eyebrow as he noticed her shadow on the other side of the bedroom door, taking a moment to decide whether to let the shouting slide for once or remind her yet again about indoor voices before he finally answered her. "We're up Chlo. And yes, Papa's here."

His answer seemed to be all Chloe needed and the door burst open, a high-speed eight-year-old flinging herself onto the bed and jumping around, letting out a delighted squeal as she tacked Liam into a hug. Liam was more than happy to hug back, overlooking the elbow to the ribs he'd received and hugging Chloe instead. The hug lasted until Chloe began to squirm, fidgeting away and jumping some more before she sat, forcing a space in between Liam and Niall. The smile on Liam's face grew even wider as Chloe beamed at him. "I missed you. Daddy did too, you know."

"Is that right? I missed you too. Both of you. So much." Liam's grin became a sort of smirk as he looked over at Niall, who was blushing and had ducked his head, and he shook his head ever so slightly before looking back up at Chloe, frowning over so slightly as he realised that she was already dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair braided almost nicely, as though the plait was the remains of yesterday's hairstyle. "Do you have plans for the day, poppet? Or is it really that late?"

"It's really that late, Li." Answering for Chloe, Niall ran a hand through his hair, stifling a yawn before he stretched, glancing over at the clock on the nightstand before he swore under his breath. "It's nearly ten, Li. I- I should've been at work- Is Jessica not here, Chlo? What about Sam?"

Chloe glanced behind her, jutting her chin in the vague direction of the kitchen and watching both of her parents as she said, "Jessica's not here. She...used the key Daddy gave her for emergencies when no one answered. She sent Sam away, said you weren't awake yet so he wouldn't be needed to take you anywhere, and left after, as she figured you weren't working today, even though it's Friday and you always work Friday's."

Niall didn't seem any more relaxed by that and he swore under his breath, waving Chloe away as she chimed, "Swear jar."

She was sent away to busy herself in the kitchen, to help herself to juice and wait for them to sort breakfast, and Niall closed his eyes once she'd left and collapsed back against the pillows, looking up at Liam with a look that he couldn't decipher. It said, "I'm glad you're home'" but also, "fuck, fuck, fuck," and Liam didn't quite know what to do with it.

He stopped worrying when Niall leant over, kissing him softly and looking at him with a look that more resembled a smile, an actual smile, which Liam was more than happy to return. The moment didn't last long, though, and Niall was suddenly halfway to the door, pulling a t-shirt over his head and suggesting that Liam do the same, stopping dramatically in the doorway to smile at Liam again and say, "I'm so glad you're home."

"Me too," Liam called out, watching Niall leave and head towards the sounds of Chloe causing mayhem in the kitchen. The sounds of Chloe causing mayhem in the kitchen made him grin, climbing out of bed, finding a t-shirt before joining his family.

It transpired that Chloe, in her attempts at pouring herself a glass of juice, had knocked over the carton and allowed a lake to pool on the table, threatening her school work, the book Niall had been reading and the pile of clean laundry that had been left there. She'd then grabbed the laundry to try and mop it up, meaning Niall was holding a load of soggy laundry, ruined sheets of paper and a damp paperback whilst trying to mop it up with a cloth whilst Chloe hovered, still holding the carton.