The Missing Piece

Four

Niall squints under the brightness of it all, Bunny tucked close beneath his free arm, he tucks his face into the fur of his head.

Zayn stands on his other side, glancing down at him. "Okay?" He asks softly.

"Loud," he mumbles, because where he lives with his Daddy, it's never so noisy. It's always quiet and calm and peaceful, they barely ever see anybody when they go to the shops, or even to the place where his Dad works.

Harry's thumb brushes over the back of his hand softly. "It is pretty busy today, huh? It'll be quieter once we get in the car," he tells him.

Niall says nothing, just pushes his face further into Bunny's fur and stays silent even as Amanda kneels down in front of him, offering a soft smile.

"I'm not coming with you to the house, Niall, but I'll be by tomorrow to check in," she says softly, and he chews his lip and stares at the woman. She reaches out and rests on open hand on his chest. "You're going to be fine, sweetheart. You've got this."

He sniffles, because he doesn't want to have this. He wants to have his Dad and his home and — and all the other things he lost last night when the police came and took him away.

He blinks at the woman and then lifts his head a little to speak. "Y-you'll get me and take me to my Dad, when — when you find him?" He asks quietly, shoulders slumping when Amanda gives him that sad look that grown ups always get when they have to say no to something.

She shakes her head and moves her hand away from him, using it to tuck her hair behind her ear instead. "We've been over this, haven't we?" He gives a dismal nod, vision blurring with tears as he sniffles. "And you know the answer, don't you?"

Bottom lip wobbling, Niall's eyes fill to the brim and eventually spill over, tears rolling down his cheeks once more. "But — but he does love me, he does. He'll come get me by himself even if you don't let him."

Amanda just sighs and shakes her head again. "Niall, I think you know that isn't how it works. Your Dad and Papa, your real parents, they're taking you home now and you're going to live with them. And I'll be there tomorrow to have a good talk about a bit of everything, okay?"

Niall stares at her for a moment more before ignoring the question and burying his face into Bunny again, shoulders shaking with barely suppressed sobs.

He hears Amanda stand up and speak quietly to the two men before Harry is gently tugging his hand again and they're walking across the car park. He looks up only when they stop in front of a large silver car, much shinier and newer than the one that his Daddy drives around. When the door opens, it's smooth instead of creaky, and in the back there's a strange blue seat with cartoon fishes all over it on top of the actual seat.

"Louis' a little mad on Finding Nemo at the minute. We'll buy you your own booster seat but for now, you can take his," Harry says gently, crouching down in front of him again and smiling at him. "You all set to climb on in, honey?"

Niall looks at the seat and then back to the man, nibbling his bottom lip and nodding. He slips his hand out of Harry's and climbs up into the car, settling into the strange seat and wiggling around until he's comfy. Harry leans across him to pull the seatbelt over his chest and waist and he leans back and watches, drying his eyes on Bunny's head and cuddling the stuffy close.

Once the belt clicks into place, Harry steps back and just stares at him for a moment. Niall stares back, waiting for the man to say or do something, but he just gets that strange look in his eyes again and tears up, quickly ducking his head and closing the door softly, climbing up into the front passenger seat next to Zayn.