Niall (age 13):
You took a deep breath, trying to ignore the sob forcing its way up through your body. You were about to let it loose when your phone rang. Normally, in this type of situation where your dad was a bit drunk and started rambling about how you would never be as great as Niall, you wouldn't answer it, but the flashing of your brother's face made you scramble for it, and with shaking hands you picked it up. "H-hello?" you asked, even though you were fully aware of who it was. "Y/N? Why are you crying? Is it dad again?" You didn't answer, but the whimper which escaped your mouth was enough. "That's it! I'm going to come pick you up, and you're going to stay with me!" He hung up, and 15 minutes later, the doorbell rang. Niall helped you pack your stuff, and sooner than you thought possible, you were standing in Niall's apartment. (TWO WEEKS LATER) "Wake up Y/N! Today we're going bowling with the boys!" Niall yelled enthusiastically, jumping on your bed. You groaned, and in a very teenage-y manner, you turned your back to him, going back to sleep. You knew he wasn't going to give up that easily, but you were just so tired. "Forget it princess!" Niall exclaimed, before he was over you, tickling your sides he kept going until you were on the floor tears rolling down your cheeks. "Come on sis. We gotta go." Niall smiled, and in that moment, you knew everything was going to be okay.
Louis (age 5):
Louis tucked you in placing a kiss on your forehead and with one last crinkle-eyed smile he turned off the light and left the room. With a content sigh you fell asleep immediately with a smile on your face Running. An empty hallway. A creature. A chase. And at last, a scream. From a certain 5 year old girl. Your scream traveled from the dream into the dark room. You wiped frantically at your eyes, and didn't hesitate to place your feet on the cold floorboards, and sprinted as fast as you could to the living room, where you could hear Louis's loud yells. He was probably watching football. He stopped as soon as he heard your steps, and murmured an apology for waking you with his "good advice aimed at the players." His head snapped to your shaking form as soon as he heard your little voice, whimpering out a timid: "Lou?" A veil of sadness fell over his face as he ran to you. He knelt down so he was your height, and then pulled you to his chest, not asking any question, but just letting you feel safe. You cuddled into him, letting your tears fall, and it wasn't before your sobs had turned into hiccups, that Louis uttered a single word: "Nightmare?" You nodded. Louis picked you up, carrying you to the couch, placing you in his lap. "You want to see some TV?" Louis whispered, so as not to startle you. "Mhmm," you breathed, close to falling asleep again. Halfway through Spongebob Squarepants, you were fast asleep, thoughts of scary creatures far gone.
Harry (age 15):
You yawned, sitting up on your bed, stretching your arms above your head, letting out a weird noise as something plopped into place. With a tired groan, your arms fell back down on the bed. Just then, your door opened, and Harry stepped in. He was too focused on closing the door without a sound, to notice that you were awake. Confused, and still tired, you cleared your throat, partly to get the sleep pout of your voice, and partly to catch Harry's attention. He whirled around, untamed curls flying everywhere, and big green eyes landed on you. "Erhhm, I thought you were asleep," he admitted sheepishly. "Which only makes it even creepier Curly," you shot back. He grinned, taking a few long strides until he was standing next to your bed. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" he started yelling, and with a startled sound, you fell off the bed. Harry laughed; eyes all squinted, before he leaned over the bed to see you. "It's your 15th birthday sis. Did you forget?" You smiled. "I just woke up! You can't expect me to remember stuff like that at 7am!" Harry shook his head, and you laughed as the curls went flying again. "Come on. The boys will be here at noon, and we have to be done unwrapping your presents by then!" Harry exclaimed, hauling you off the floor. You swayed for a bit, just a teeny bit dizzy, before you nodded, eagerly running off to the bathroom. You could hear Harry's laugh travel all the way down the hallway, and you stuck your tongue out at him before you closed the door.
Liam (age 17):
You grabbed the nearest pillow on your bed, a purple one shaped as a heart, and screamed into it. The pillow muffled the sound, even as your scream turned into sobs. You hated crying, but at least no one were here to see you. Liam wasn't going to be home for another hour, and hopefully your tears would've dried by then. You took your phone again, checking one last time if you had read correctly. 'I'm sorry babe, but you're just not IT anymore. I think we should end it here.' It was your boyfriend who had written it, of course, and you wanted to rip his head off. One thing is breaking up with you, that's out of your control, but doing it over text?! That is not okay on any fucking level! When your anger subsided, the sobs turned hysteric, and you weren't even aware of the sounds coming out of your mouth at this point. They drowned out everything, even the quick beating of your heart, and so they also drowned out the sound of the front door opening. Liam could immediately hear your cries, and with wide eyes, he ran to find you curled into a ball on your bed. He frowned, and even through your tears and heartache you noticed how very wrong the expression looked on your brother. Liam knelt down next to the bed, stroking your cheek. He just sat like that for a while, until you started getting control of yourself again. Liam said nothing as he got up from the floor, and sat on the bed, pulling you into his arms. "You'll get through this sis," was the only thing he said, and you only buried your face further into the leather jacket he had yet to take off. "I know. But it hurts Li," you answered. You could feel him nod, and he squeezed you in response.
Zayn (age 12):
"You will never get me!" you yelled, running into the kitchen, jumping to hide underneath the dining table. "We'll see about that!" Zayn yelled back, laughter clear in his voice. You tried containing your giggles, you really did, but when you heard Zayn enter the kitchen, you knew you were doomed. You sucked at staying still for a longer period of time, and Zayn was very aware of this. He ignored your giggles, and pretended not to know where you were as he grabbed an apple and sat down at the table. "Guess I'll just sit here then." What he didn't expect were that you would tickle his feet, and he jumped, letting out a very girly squeal. Your original plan was to distract him, and then run, but his sound was just too comical, and you ended up in a fit of laughter on the floor instead. He got down on his stomach so he could pull you out, and with a joking glare, he started tickling you instead. If you weren't laughing before, you certainly were now. Tears started trickling down your red cheeks, flushed from all the laughing, and you swatted feebly at his hands, but you couldn't focus on using your strength. "Say I'm the best brother in the world!" He yelled over your laughter, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I will not surrender!" Zayn tsk'ed. "Wrong answer," Zayn said in a deep voice, and even through your current breakdown, you managed to give him a weird look. He just shrugged, finally removing his fingers from your ribs. You sighed in relief, trying to get your heartbeat back to normal. Zayn just picked up his apple once again, and left the room. "That's what you get for stealing my CD!"
