Without a Clue {Diall}

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Attentive Boy

"Alright. Uh. Elliot needs to shower still. His clean clothes are on the table. And, uh, I haven't been able to get him to eat anything." Niall says, and I nod. I kiss his forehead gently, smoothing a little piece of hair behind his ear.

"Thank you so, so much. I'm gonna come check on you in a few minutes once you're settled alright? Gonna tuck you in." I say, and Niall laughs a little bit. It reassures me instantly. I let Niall give G a hug and a few more kisses before I press one last kiss to his lips and leave the room, immediately searching for Elliot. I honestly can't believe Niall got him to come here, an hour away from the hospital. I would be shocked if Niall could even get Elliot to go to the flat just minutes away. When arrive in the living room, though, there Elliot is.

Elliot's still wearing his suit trousers and dress shoes along with Harry's sweatshirt. There's still streaks of blood on his skin and under his fingernails. The gel that once held his hair up tightly has failed and his hair is curling across his forehead. It reminds me of Niall's, really. I've never seen Elliot's hair like this before, though.

"Hey, you wanna take a shower?" I ask, and Elliot jumps a bit before directing his attention to me. He nods gently, and I smile. I can't imagine how rough of a night it's been for him. I walk over to the table and find the clothes exactly where Niall said they were, picking up the bag and walking back into the living room. I motion for Elliot to follow me, and he does, trailing close behind as I head to the closest guest room with an attached bath.

"Here you go." I motion towards the door, "There's towels in the closet. I'm gonna be in the living room if you need me. Here's your clothes." I hand Elliot the bag in my hand as I speak, and Elliot merely nods at my words. He walks into the room silently and shuts the door. It's so awful to see someone who's usually so happy and optimistic so broken. Ollie's awake, though, and he's going to recover from the injuries he sustained from his fall. Only time will tell if he'll recover fast enough to come home before he gets too sick to be out of the hospital.

I get G set up in the living room with his regular morning apple juice and cartoons before heading back up to Niall just to make sure that he doesn't need anything before he goes to bed. Niall's already in bed, covers pulled up around him with his eyes closed softly. He opens his eyes the moment I walk in the room, though, and opens his arms dramatically for a cuddle. I smile at that, and crawl onto the bed, not bothering to walk around to my side.

Once I'm tucked against Niall's chest I suddenly feel how tired I am, and I really don't want to leave. Niall's warm and cuddly and it's been a rough night for all of us. I just want to stay here all day and soak in the comfort that Niall's arms offer, but I've got a baby to take care of. I kiss Niall's jaw a few times before giving his torso a tight squeeze. I will myself sit up then, Niall holding onto my hand gently as my other hand finds its way to his hair.

"Do you need anything?" I ask, and Niall shakes his head, a soft smile present on his face. He gives my hand a gentle squeeze and I press one last kiss to his lips before murmuring an I love you to him and leaving when he returns the sentiment.

...

About an hour after I left Elliot alone, he appears again, freshly showered and in some clean clothes. He looks absolutely dreadful, though, exhausted and evidently still upset. He walks into the living room so quietly I don't even notice him at first, working on my laptop. I do eventually see him, though, when he coughs lightly as he walks further into the room.

"How are you doing?" I ask, and Elliot simply shrugs. He sits down next to G on the couch and extends a fist out towards my child. G notices it quickly and reaches his own fist out to touch Elliot's, both of them wiggling their fingers to mimic an explosion from the fist bump moments afterwards. I think it might actually be the cutest thing I've ever seen.