Silence (Ziall Horlik) AU

Chapter 10

Zayn's POV

I had bearly even wrapped a towel around my waist after stepping out of the shower before the door was being banged on loudly. I held my towel tighter and went to answer the door to the person that couldn't seem to get enough of beating up the bathroom door. When I threw it open, it was to my mum looking like she was about to break the door down to get me.

"You have to go help Maura get Niall unlocked out of his bathroom. He has a treatment today, but he doesn't want to go so he locked himself in his bathroom. You're the last person she could think of to get him out without breaking down the door." My mum told me frantically. I nodded and closed the door a little to slip on some boxers, but she didn't realize I did that for privacy and opened the door on me completely naked. She just rolled her eyes at me and told me she gave birth to me and has seen it all.

After I got dressed as fast as I could, I got a notebook and a pencil before running out of my house over to next door. Maura opened the door for me and guided me upstairs to the hall bathroom. I sat in front of the door and wrote on the paper to open the door and only I would go in. Once I slid that under the door, I waited for something to happen. A few minutes passed and the door was unlocked. Maura tried to push past me to get to the door, but I blocked it with my arm.

Something was shared between us and there was a felling of change in our relationship at that moment. She looked at me at first with that motherly protection in his eyes, but she must have seen the protection in my eyes for her son. That changed her to look over at my mum and take a step back. My mum gave me a small nod as she wrapped an arm around Maura. What change between us was that her baby grew up and has someone to take care of him that isn't her. For me, I felt like I grew up in that moment and finally understood what it was like to care more about one person than you've ever cared about yourself.

I opened the bathroom door and shut it behind me before going to where Niall was curled up next to the bath tub. His blue eyes were bright red and his blotchy pale cheeks were tear stained. His hands reached out to me which I didn't even hesitate before sitting next to him and pulling him in my arms. His little body was trembling, but out of fear not because of more tears.

My hands ran soothingly up and down his back and through his hair. He cuddled into me like he was wanting more than anything for me to protect him from having to go to his treatment. I knew I wanted him to get this procedure so he could have a better future, but I guess he has treatments leading up to this. My hands gripped the sides of his face and pulled it back so he could look at me.

"Would you like for me to go with you to your treatment? I'll be with you the whole time, and make sure you're okay." I offered to Niall. He thought over my words before nodding to me. I was going to stand up to get him out of the bathroom, but the Irish boy latched himself to me. In the end, I just picked him up and carried him out of the bathroom.

I asked my mum and Niall's mum if they would mind if I went to Niall's treatment with him. Both of them just helped me to the car with Niall so I could go. We both sat in the back seat while Maura got in the drivers seat. As we drove down the street, I got Niall to unattach himself from me to get us both buckled up then let him take my hand in his and lean his head against my shoulder.

He was probably tired because he spent the night at my house, just like I planned on it. He told me about what goes on in his apartments and it sounds pretty horrible. He said he has to get drops in his ears that hurt allot or little shocks into his head to get his nerves working. He also told me that those little shocks don't really work to get his hearing working and he thinks he's going to have to get those nerves replaced instead of the procedure to just put a prosthetic ear drum like planned. We stayed up all night talking about things we've never told anyone or just getting to know each other better, then he went home this morning to get ready for his day while I got ready for mine. I don't blame him for falling asleep right now, he has a long time to rest because I learned his treatments were in London.