ᑕᕼᗩᑭTEᖇ 157
[Zayn]
The door was flung open and light spilled into the room. Someone turned the lights on and Zayn squinted from under the covers. Paranoia had taken in him. Was Vilgax attacking Don the Castew? Maybe it was an alien, an angry alien who wanted to get to him but couldn't because the window was closed. Flashes shone behind Zayn's eyes of an angry man threatening to hurt him. His dad? he recalled. Or maybe it was his dad. Maybe his dad had come back to take him from the boys?
Zayn squeezed his eyes shut even as he felt the covers being pried slowly out of his hands. "Don't take me," he whispered. "Ben 10 my fwiend," He threatened.
"Hey, it's us," Louis said softly and Zayn let out a breath of relief. He threw the covers off and threw himself on Louis. "Louis someone come on the- on the window and and thewre was a a hand and hand made noise and I got scawed because it come to take me," Zayn said urgently. He spoke fast, hands moving around in gesticulation, his expressions in a frenzy.
Louis and Harry both sat opposite him and they listened carefully. Johanna stood by the door, and she was listening too.
"There was a noise?" Louis gathered. "And a hand?"
"On the window?" Harry wondered, standing up to go check the window. He opened it and Zayn could hear the light patter of rain alongside the swoosh of the wind from outside.
"It was probably just the rain, buddy," Louis told him, lifting him up to place a kiss on his cheeks. "Nothing to worry about," he soothed him, rubbing his back. Zayn buried his face in Louis' neck, feeling himself calm down. "But I saw hand," he said confusedly, pulling back a moment later.
Harry walked away from the window to pull him into his arms. "Let's take a look." He took Zayn to the window so Zayn could see for himself that there was nothing there. And indeed, there was no one.
"We're on the second floor, sweetheart, no one can come to your window," Johannah said gently. "Do you want me to bring you some milk and honey?"
Zayn nodded, burying his face in Harry's neck this time. "Yeah," he mumbled.
Harry sat down on the bed with Zayn in his arms, and Louis went to shut the light. When he returned, Zayn felt himself no longer afraid even when the lights were off. The noise had disappeared, the boys were here, he was safe.
Suddenly, a familiar thump and a screeching sound made Zayn jump. "It's the hand!" he yelled and ducked under the covers, tugging on Harry's hand so that he could join him. Zayn felt Louis mumble something as he stood up, so he peeked over the covers. Zayn's eyes widened and tears pushed behind them as he pointed at the shadow of a hand that was displayed on the window. "Hawry look!" He whispered.
Louis crossed his arms as he stared at the window and he went over to open it.
"Louis no, it take you!" Zayn yelled loudly.
Louis opened the window and started chuckling. "It's a branch, buddy. Look." He pulled the branch far enough inside so that Zayn could see. "Whenever the wind whips, the branch crashes into the window and skids then back."
Zayn lifted his head fully, curiously looking at the branch in Louis' hand. "It's not hand, it's a twree," he told himself. Harry smiled and stroke his head. "That's right, now why don't you go back to bed?"
Zayn laid down and stared up at the ceiling as Louis broke the branch and closed the window. Harry shut the light and Zayn frowned. "Not the dawrk-"
"Yeah, we're keeping the door ajar," Louis said softly. Light spilled into the room from the hallway and Zayn nodded satisfactorily.
As the duo disappeared downstairs, Zayn kept staring up at the ceiling. He placed his hands on the duvet, wishing one of them had stayed with him. He couldn't sleep alone. He didn't even have Ziam. Zayn rubbed his eyes tiredly. Oh Ziam. He missed him so much. He really hoped Santa would bring Ziam to him this Christmas. Though he had tried to adjust without his furry friend, it was lonely. He had the baby twins as compensation and the family was always doing something so he didn't notice Ziam's absence as much, but now he felt a deep aching pang in his chest.
"Maybe I can go to Landon," he told himself, thoughtfully. He remembered how they had traveled. He'd been in a few Air Ports and gone through many Customs. He just needed to place his suitcase so that they could see that he wasn't mean. And then he would show him his ticket, and then he would sit on one of the chairs and wait. If he was lucky, he could play if there were toys there. And then he would get on the biiiiig plane and sit there like everyone else. It would take time, but he could get to Landon. And then he just needed Preston to drive him to the house. And Preston had a spare key, which meant extra key as Liam had put it that one day, so he could unlock it. And then Zayn would run inside and grab Ziam, and then he would get back to Don the Castew the same way.
Zayn smiled tiredly. Easy peasy lemon squeasy, as Mel used to say.
He rubbed his eyes again, starting to doze off. But then he jerked back to reality and he swallowed. "I don't want to sleep," he said to himself. He repeated the words as he slid off the bed and walked out the door, barefoot. The floor was a little cold and Zayn rubbed his yes with his fists.
Downstairs, he found the adults laughing and talking. Tommy seemed to have left and Lottie, Louis, Harry and Dan were discussing something funny. Dan stopped mid-sentence, setting his glass down. His face softened. "Hello Zayn, did we wake you?"
"I don't want to sleep," Zayn explained, tiredly walking over to climb up on the sofa to squeeze himself in between Harry and Louis.
"Mum's warming your milk," Louis told him. "You'll feel sleepy after that."
Zayn shook his head adamantly. "I not sleep without boys and I not sleep without Ziam." He sniffed sadly. "And Ziam not sleep wid widhout me."
"Woah, too early for waterworks," Louis said, setting him on his lap. "I'll come sleep with you, how about that?" He smiled unsurely at him.
Zayn shook his head. "I want Ziam to sleep with me!" He rubbed his stinging eyes tiredly and just then, Johannah appeared from the kitchen with a sippy cup. "Zayn, honey," she said, surprised to see him down.
"He doesn't want to sleep without Ziam," Harry explained and Johannah pursed her lips. "Do you want LambLamb?"
"No, I want Ziam!" Zayn yelled, the tears pushing behind his eyes.
"Zayn," Louis said in surprise, and there was disappointment in his tone. Zayn realized he'd just yelled at Johannah. He swallowed and looked down, a mix of emotions swirling through him. He'd just have to go get Ziam himself.
"It's okay, Zayn," Johannah said softly and she walked over to pick him up. Zayn let her and he frowned as he accepted the sippy cup. "Joana, I don't wanna sleep."
"But it's late now, honey, and everyone's gone to bed," she told him gently.
"Besides, don't you want to be fresh in the morning so you can play with the twins?" Lottie said with a smile. Zayn pouted and took a sip, savoring the warm and sweet taste.
"Come on, I'll tuck you to bed. I can sleep with you, that is, if you want me to," Johannah told him carefully. Zayn started drinking properly now, all anger having vanished. He nodded distractedly. "Mm"
Johannah carried him upstairs and she lay down with him. Zayn's eyelids started to drop and he felt his shoulders relax once he'd finished the milk. Johannah placed the now empty sippy cup on Louis' bedside table. Zayn sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "I miss Jiam."
"I know, honey," Johannah said softly and she stroked his hair. "You'll get him back soon."
Zayn leaned into her body; her warmth felt like a comforting blanket. Darkness started to engulf him, but he didn't feel afraid. He felt at peace and he fell asleep to the sound of pattering rain, to the feeling of a hand stroking his hand motherly, and to Johannah's slight humming.
Early next morning, Zayn was surprised to find that there were two bodies beside him. He lifted his head sleepily from the pillow and found a snoring Louis to his right and a mop of hair on his left. Zayn rubbed his eyes, but he felt too tied to wake up so he lay back down again.
When he woke again, he felt fresh. He rolled onto his back and sat up, yawning loudly. He looked around, but Harry had disappeared. Louis was still sleeping though. Zayn slid off the bed and pouted as his bare feet made contact with the cold floor. He padded down the stairs and found that no one was awake yet, it must still be early. There was a clashing of dishes from the kitchen though and so like a magnet, he trotted towards the sound. He found Harry rushing about, the older lad's hair in a bun, all dressed in jeans and shirt. Zayn looked confusedly and curiously around. Harry held a packet of the white powdery stuff and as he measured it, Zayn ran over. "What you doing?" he wondered loudly. Harry started and spilled some flour on the floor. "Oh!"
Zayn giggled and leaned up on his toes. "Are you making bwrownies?"
Harry smiled down at him. "You remember that, huh? No, I'm making donuts."
"What that?" Zayn wondered. Harry lifted him up on one of the clean counters. "It's kind of like a pastry," Harry said with a soft smile. "You've never had a donut before?"
Zayn shook his head. Harry squared his shoulders and buffed his chest. "Well then. Zayn, I need your help. Our mission is to put these donuts in the oven before anyone wakes up."
Zayn perked up with excitement. "Yes, I can do it!"
Harry held out his fist. "Welcome to Team Donut. I estimate that we have half an hour, 45 minutes at most." He winked at Zayn. "Do-nut waste any time."
Zayn nodded. "Okay."
Harry's grin faltered and he held out his fist with a sigh. Zayn fist-bumped him with a grin.
"Let's get to work, Zaynie."
↠↠↠A/N↠↠↠
I'M BACK AND ITS SUMMER VACATION IN FOUR DAYS. YA'LL KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS (:
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