A Whole New World

t h i r t y - t h r e e

Niall lies awake in bed and watches the man sleeping on the end of his mattress, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, back slumped against the wall.

His Papa. Or at least, he looks like his Papa.

He isn't sure what to think, what to believe. He watched them die, watched them all die. He heard their screams and cries. Saw their blood.

Yet he's somewhere that looks so much like home, in his bed with two men that look so much like his parents...and those people on the screen, he never saw their faces, only heard their voices - their screams.

And he wants to be held by them. He wants to clutch onto them both and never let go but he's so afraid. He doesn't want to wake up and find that this is all a dream, or that he's imagining it all.

So he doesn't wake the man who looks like his Papa.

He just sits against the pillows - softer and more comfortable than anything he's experienced in so long - and watches the rise and fall of the adult's chest with tired eyes.

He doesn't feel as bad as he did the first time he woke up. He just aches all over and his hands tremble constantly, though he thinks that might be because he's afraid.

His fingers fiddle with the edge of his duvet cover as he sucks in even breaths, trying to ground himself in any way possible.

Then the door flies open loudly and he jumps, flinching away harshly when two arms are flung around him suddenly.

"Ni! You waked up!"

He readies himself to throw the person away with his abilities, but then he falters.

Curly hair tickles at his nose, and he recognises the embrace to be that of his younger brother. Harry, hugging him, solid and very much so real. Alive.

And just like that, he breaks.
He clutches onto the smaller boy with as much force as his weak body can fathom, tears instantly falling.

He sniffles as Harry pulls away a little to look up at him with his green eyes wide and concerned. Real. Alive.

"What's wrong? Are you feelin' poorly still?" he asks, and Niall can't bring himself to form any words so he just shakes his head and wraps his arms around Harry all over again, pulling him close.

Harry holds him in return, small arms looping up and around his neck, fingers gently tugging at the hair on the back of his head, mimicking soft hushing sounds that Dad and Papa sometimes make when he's upset.

"It's okay, Ni," the five year old comforts, sniffling too. "I wish I had your powers so I could make you better, like you maked me better when I was poorly," he whispers.

Niall's eyes are closed as he sobs quietly into the younger boy's shoulder, Harry clutching right onto him in return. He shakes his head against his little brother's shoulder, unable to form any words.

He feels the bed shift slightly and knows that Papa is awake.

Papa.
He doesn't know what to believe - he doesn't know how he's supposed to tell what's real and not anymore, because he knows what he saw in the lab on that screen, yet here they all are.

"Harry, buddy, you know you aren't supposed to -" he hears Papa start to say, and Harry begins to pull back.

Niall lets him go with a pounding heart as Zayn leans forwards to rest a hand on his shoulder. He flinches slightly on instinct.

"I - I wouldn't hurt him," he whispers shakily, assuming that's why Harry hasn't been to see him since he woke up.

Zayn shakes his head quickly. "No, baby, no, that's not...we just didn't want to overwhelm you is all," he says softly, and Niall pushes himself back a little when the man's hand comes up to his shoulder again.