Life As We Know It | Niam Kidfic

Seven

Niall wakes up to Louis squished in between him and Liam. The five-year-old is sleeping peacefully despite his strange position -- he's asleep on his stomach, one leg tossed over Liam and the other curled up against him.  His butt is up in the air, and he has his thumb in his mouth.

"I can't move. Don't wanna wake him up," Liam whispers, and Niall jumps a little, startled. He hadn't even realized the other man was awake.

"He's so cute," Niall smiles. He reaches a finger out and pokes the sleeping boy's nose, and Louis whines a bit and faces the other way, but doesn't wake him. "What time is it?"

Liam rolls over as slowly as possible to keep from bothering Louis. "8:30."

Niall nods and lays back in the bed. He rubs tiredly at his eyes. "Have you checked on Z and H?"

"I can't move without waking Louis up," Liam reminds him. With a tired sigh, Niall pushes himself out of bed and goes down the hall. He opens the boys' door open, just gently enough that it doesn't squeak. Both boys are still asleep, Reggie smushed to Zayn's cheek. 

When Niall goes back to the bedroom, Louis is blinking himself awake. Liam gets up and heads to the bathroom after giving the kid a forehead kiss and an affectionate noogie.

"Uncle Ni!" Louis cheers, crawling over the mountains and valleys of the sheets to reach Niall.

"Hi there, lovebug," Niall smiles, sitting so the little kid can climb into his lap. His smile widens when he realizes Louis is talking today. He hugs Louis back when he initiates it, rubbing his back for a few minutes. "Hey, Louis, bug, can I ask you a question?"

Niall can't see Louis' face, since it's currently tucked into his neck, but he feels Louis nod.

"I know this might be hard to answer, but do you feel more like a boy, a girl, or in between?"

Louis pauses, clearly thinking. Niall doesn't rush him, just rubs his back. "...Am I in trouble?" Louis finally asks nervously.

"No! No, baby, you're not in trouble at all. I just want to know how you're feeling," Niall answers quickly.

Louis chews on his lip. "In between," he whispers. "I feel like a person."

"A person, huh?" Niall asks. He squeezes the little kid closer, loving him so much. "Okay. That's good, thank you for answering me. Can I ask you one more question?"

"Uh-huh." Louis' voice is muffled -- his thumb must be in his mouth.

"Does it bother you when we refer to you as 'he'? Or if people said 'she'? Or would 'they' sound best?" Niall asks, voice still gentle. "Would you rather hear, 'He wants to play?' 'She wants to play,' or 'They want to play'?"

"They is the best," Louis answers, much quicker than before. It surprises Niall. "She or he is okay, too, but...I like they the best."

"Okay, bug. Thank you." Niall kisses their cheek a few times. "Would you like it if we picked you out some clothes that make you feel good? It seems like you've got mostly boys' clothes," Niall says, and then winces. "I just want to make sure you're wearing clothes that feel good to you," he clarifies.

Louis' face brightens, and they scramble into Niall's lap. "Yes, yes, please!" they squeal, hugging Niall hard around the neck. "I love youuuu, Uncle Ni!"

Niall laughs, and his eyes fill with tears. How long has Louis been hiding this, hiding that they prefer they/them pronouns and want to present differently? How long has this been hurting them? The worry is so heavy it nearly kills him.

"Don't cry, Uncle Ni," Louis says, voice worried. They put their tiny, soft hands to Niall's face, wipe his tears away.

"I love you, Louis. Sweet kid," Niall coos, kissing his face. He scoops the little one onto his hip. "Let's go get your brothers up, huh? Do you wanna do that for me? Please don't yell or scare them awake, okay?"

"Okay!" Louis scrambles out of the room just as Liam opens the door.

"Louis prefers they pronouns," Niall tells Liam. "They also said they want to go shopping for new clothes. Ones that make them feel good. They said he or she is okay, too, but they like they the best."

Liam nods, smiling a little. "Whatever makes them happy."

"They were, Li. You should've seen their smile..." Niall's eyes well up again. "God, how long do you think they've been hiding this? Like it's something dirty and wrong...? I just..."

"Shhh," Liam hums, and he pulls Niall into his arms. Surprising him, Niall doesn't fight it, he just sniffles and leans his head against Liam's chest. "It's okay, Niall. They're okay, too. We know what they want now, how they identify. We just have to do our best to keep them happy, yeah?" Niall nods, and surprising them both, Liam kisses the top of Niall's head.

Niall shoves him away. "Liam!"

"What? It's clear you like me, thought I might as well appease you," he says quickly, but his heart is beating too fast. Oh, shit. This isn't good. He's catching feelings for Niall. This is going downhill fast. "I'm gonna go check on the boys," he says quickly, and before Niall can even say anything, he's out the door.

- - -

A couple of hours later, the kids are all bundled up and ready to go out to lunch. Louis has a headband in their hair, and they're wearing a little pink cardigan over their white tank top and a black skirt. They cling happily to Niall's hand, skipping into the restaurant.

"Can I get chicken tenders, Uncle Ni?" they ask, wiggling into their spot beside Zayn at the booth they're seated at. Harry kicks his legs in his high chair, whining about a strawberry milkshake, and Zayn quietly colors on his kid menu.

Not much later, the waitress is asking what they want to eat, and before Niall orders for Louis, they tug on his shirtsleeve.

"Can I order for myself?" they ask, and Niall nods.

"What can I get you, sweet girl?" the waitress asks Louis, and Louis blushes, beaming. 

"Can I have chicken tenders, please?" Louis asks in a shy voice, swinging their legs under the table.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," she smiles, and goes to put their order into the kitchen.

"She called me 'sweet girl'!" Louis squeals, leaning against Niall's shoulder.

"Is that okay, bug?" Niall questions.

Louis beams even wider if possible. "Yes! It's good! It's the bestest!" they exclaim, and Niall just smiles and kisses the top of their head.