A.N.: Did some halloween prompts on my tumblah and a lotta people liked this one so here you go!
Harry looks at the clock. 10:13PM. That’s weird. Niall was supposed to be home at ten and it’s thirteen minutes past and, “Hey guys, d’you think Niall’s okay?”
Zayn looks over at Harry, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth before he nods, albeit uncertainly. “I’m sure he’s fine.” Zayn says carefully, choosing his words with some precision before he raises his beer to his lips and takes a drag.
"Because he was supposed to be home and… I’m just worried is all." Harry continues, rambling on as he waves his hands a little before he hunches over, all put out.
"Harry, look." Louis says a little sternly, pausing the movie they’re all scarcely watching so that he can turn his full attention to Harry. "Niall wanted to go out ‘Trick or Treat’ing. We didn’t. So he’s out. And we’re here."
"And yet you’re still going to take his candy when he gets home." Liam mumbles under his breath, earning him a scowl from Louis, even though Louis knows the words are true.
"But, what if something happens to him?" Harry says lowly, ignoring Liam’s words in favour of whining.
"Nothing’s going to happen." Louis waves his hand and sinks back into the couch. "The police are out. Nothing’s going to happen." He repeats himself like a mantra before he reaches for the control again. "He may be the youngest of us but nothing is going to happen."
Harry clears his throat a little petulantly because, excuse me, he is the youngest and it’s a fact he likes to remind the others because ‘here are these old farts fucking about with two young kids and it’s basically ephebophilia and-’ Is that the doorbell?
Harry starts off the couch before Zayn has the chance to clamp a hand down on his thigh because he’s a ball of excitable energy and definitely not what most people want to see when they ring a doorbell. Harry approaches the door with a slight sense of dread and he doesn’t really know why but, what if it’s Niall? He walks closer and closer until he can finally pull it open and he lets out this disgusting gasp when he sees Niall on the other side.
Niall is bruised and battered and his costume is torn to shreds on his side, revealing blood purpling to the surface of yet another bruise and Harry has his arms around Niall before he even realizes, sobbing against Niall’s shoulder before the others even have a chance to get up off the couch.
"Niall- Where’ve you been? I, I was so worried! You were supposed to call and- What happened to you? Who did this to you?" Harry heaves against Niall’s shoulder until he’s forcibly removed, hands prying him away to be replaced by Zayn and Liam as they worry over Niall, pulling away the half empty bag of candy clutched in his limp left hand and the body suit to reveal long scratches all over his skin.
"Niall! God, what the hell happened?" Zayn holds him tight when Niall starts to waver in his step as Liam runs to the hall closet and damps a flannel to start wiping off the dirt clustered on Niall’s cheeks.
Niall opens his mouth to speak but all that comes out is a weak whine instead, a low painful noise like an animal being beaten, and he shudders down to his toes, sinking against Zayn when his knees buckle beneath him.
"We have to take him to a hospital." Liam hisses low as the flannel clots up with dry blood and muck, too filthy to continue using so he tosses it away and pulls off his shirt instead because he has to clean Niall, he has to. He’s not supposed to look like this.
"No!" Niall finally gurgles out, violently shoving away from Liam to hide behind Harry, cowering into his back. "No, I can’t go back out there! Please don’t make me go back out there!"
"Niall," Louis reaches out for his shoulder but Niall flinches away, hugs Harry tight to his chest and Harry spins around to cuddle Niall up in his arms, wiping away his own tears before he addresses Niall’s.
"Niall," He starts low, curling Niall’s head into his shoulder. "What happened to you out there? God, what… what did this to you?"
Niall swallows thickly and shook his head, tightening his grip on Harry’s arms but, when the silence drew on almost painfully, he had no choice but to raise his head in submission and finally give them an answer that wasn’t even really an answer in the first place. “I don’t know.”
