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The thing is – Niall really loves books. He loves the smell of them, leather and paper mixing together to create a scent finer than any perfume or cologne out there. He loves the feeling in the turn of a page, rigid and flexible at the same time. He loves the way an entire world can be contained between the binding – the universes, the experiences, the lives – It’s a miracle, pure and simple.A real miracle, mind you. Not one of the manufactured miracles that have become so commonplace since the Rupture. The kind that any neighbor or coworker with a bit of magic can unleash on the world. Real miracles are pressed between pages, written in ink, transcribing souls into a way that can be consumed and layered over the reader’s, transporting them into another existence. A real miracle lets someone be a hero, no matter who they are, or how they were born, or how they’ve been classed.No matter if they work part time in a book shop, and in a café, and in a pub, and sometimes as an odd jobs man if someone in the village needs their hob or telly repaired.That’s why, despite the fact that he can hear Ashton wrapping up his call with Calum, and knowing what it means, Niall’s body is reluctant to unfold itself from the way he’s become wedged into the corner of a couch that sags into the ground at the slightest hint of weight and groans angrily with even a breath’s worth of movement. It’s his little hidden away bit of paradise, a place where he can put his responsibilities on hold for a little bit and sink into someone else’s miracle.“Your girl is getting impatient.” is what Ashton says as he comes around the corner, not bothering to hide the roll of his eyes at finding Niall reading instead of doing anything that resembles actually working. “If you don’t get home soon, Cal’s going to run away with her.”“She’d eat him alive.” Niall hums, filing away the last bit of the chapter as he slips the book in his hands shut and places it back on the shelf where someone will probably see and buy it before he gets the chance to finish it proper. “He wouldn’t stand a chance with her in anything more than little spurts.”“I know that, and you know that, but he just refuses to know that.” Ashton snorts. “Stubbornly optimistic, that one.”“Better get home before he learns better then, yeah?” Niall chuckles, dusting off the back of his trousers. If he’d properly cleaned, like he was supposed to have done, then it wouldn’t be a problem. The look Ashton shoots him tells him as much. In Niall’s opinion though, a good book shop should be properly dusty. It adds an air of history and mystery that just feels right.“That would probably be best for everyone involved.” Ashton says absentmindedly, focused on filing away some new acquisitions. “I don’t think I’d like seeing how that would turn out.”“You gonna be okay if I head out early?” Niall asks, grabbing his bag out from behind the counter.“Not sure there’d be much difference.” Ashton scoffs. “When’s the last time you did any work around here?”“Who came in on Sunday and sorted that big shipment you got in from that estate sale while you sat and ogled your piano player next door?” Niall asks flatly. “Two hundred books I went through, with no help from you.”“And how many did you nick for yourself before anyone else could go through them?” Ashton fires back, not missing a beat or the empty slot on the shelf he was slipping a book into.“The list is on your desk.” Niall shrugs. “And you know they’re mostly for Molly, not me.”“Yeah, yeah. Go get home to your pretty, little thing and leave me to get some real work done.” Ashton waves him off.“See you tomorrow.” Niall tosses over his shoulder as he heads towards the door.He doesn’t hear Ashton’s likely sarcastic response, too distracted by the body he just barely manages to avoid colliding with as he steps out onto the street. It nearly sends his knee out of joint, twisting away and slipping under the arm of the tall, brunet bloke who had opened the door at the same time Niall had reached for the knob. He narrowly avoids falling face-first into the cobblestones, stopped only by a precarious grip on the handle and the quick reaction of the stranger who’d caused the incident in the first place.Niall mumbles out a quick apology, sheepishly darting his eyes away from the sharp angles of the bloke’s face, hearing a slurred together acceptance in a deep, gravelly voice that goes in one ear and out the other as Niall turns his attention towards the path home. The stranger disappears into Ashton’s shop and out of Niall’s head, so as to spare him any further thought of his embarrassment.It’s unusual to see someone around the village that Niall doesn’t know once they reach this time of year, but not unheard of. It’s not so unusual as to merit any consideration. After all, the town’s main source of revenue is in tourism, a bank of cabins dotted along the coastline attracting the sort of people who want to believe they like the country, because they only spend a couple of weeks there during the summer hols, in fully furnished cottages, cooing at the locals who play along with the condescension because an arsehole’s money is as good as the next person’s.Most of the tourists have gone, though, disappearing as quickly as the leaves from the rowan trees that litter the lanes in the commercial district of the village with the first chills of autumn. Some people like that, though. There’s always a few stragglers or latecomers that like to avoid the clutter of a crowded village when they take a break for themselves from the chaos of their daily lives. People who like the solitude, who like the grey in the sky and the rush of a chilly wind pressing, cold and insistent, on the fabric of the jumpers and scarves they bundle up in.Niall thinks, under different circumstances from the ones he’s found himself in over the course of the years in his life that have felt too few and too many all at the same time, that probably would have been him too. The sun is nice, and he’s never been one to shy away from crowds, but there’s something so free and open about a small seaside village like this once summer has faded into fall. Like the rest of the world doesn’t have to exist if you don’t think too hard about it.Green sparks flare to life when Niall rounds a corner a few blocks from his house, quickly twisting themselves into the form of a dragon as some young bloke spots him with a grin and a bright sparkle in his eyes. A performer, trying to prolong his days of profitability in this little place before he has to move on to a bigger town, somewhere with more competition and fewer unexposed people who might be awed by his parlor tricks. He clearly thinks he can draw Niall in, the mandated beige color of his jumper a giveaway of his status and possibility as a mark.Niall has stepped into the street before the wings can even unfurl on the creature, crossing to the other side of the road without a second thought. He has no intention of contributing to the lad’s delusions of grandeur, or encouraging him to stay in the village any longer than necessary.“Well, fuck you too.” the lad calls after him, making Niall’s eye twitch, but eliciting no other outward response, until the added, “Fucking non-magicals.”“You got a problem, mate?” Niall spits out harshly across the empty street, his body going rigid as he turns to glare at the lad.“Yeah, actually, I do.” the lad says, stalking across the street. “I just tried to put on a nice show for you, and you can’t even be bothered to look. You cross the street, like I’m some kind of menace, out to hurt you. I’m just trying to make a living here, and the least you could do is appreciate it and drop a few pounds in the box.”“I’m not interested in your show, and I don’t owe you anything.” Niall bites out.“You say that, but I think you owe us a lot.” the lad smirks. “After all, this isn’t the S.E. You don’t live in a labor camp. We let you roam around freely. I think that deserves a bit of a tax.”“You’re, what, nineteen? Twenty?” Niall asks, looking the guy over. “You’re young. Stupid. But I’m going to give you a chance to take that back and reform your opinion before you regret it.”“And what’ll you do if I don’t?” the lad asks, stepping forward while the green sparks flare up again in both of his hands this time. They don’t take form, just jump around in electric arcs between his fingers, a simple shock spell. His mistake.“Make you regret it.” Niall answers firmly, eyes locked with the kid’s.A typical magician, the lad thinks with his magic before his head. He’s too cocky, reaching for Niall’s arm to remind him of his place, painfully. He doesn’t expect Niall to know anything about anything, because non-magicals don’t know anything in his mind. They’re laborers, commoners, inferiors. How could Niall possibly comprehend anything when he doesn’t have a spark of magic in his veins?The real question, though, is how could this lad have survived this long while being so dense?His hands are coated in sparks, but his clothes aren’t. His wrists and arms are covered in expensive fabric that he likely doesn’t want to char just to protect himself from someone he sees as beneath him, and that leaves him open. Niall is quick, years of training kicking his reflexes into gear as soon as he sees something coming at him. He grabs the lad’s arm after ducking under it, bringing his leg forward to sweep the kid’s out from under him.In one fluid movement, he turns the magician’s weapon in on his own chest, connecting with the skin there and sending an electric pulse through him. He shrieks and collapses to the ground, not two seconds having passed since he decided he would teach Niall a lesson.Niall crouches down, voice dropping low as he says, “A low-level magic user like you hasn’t got the brains or talent to be a threat to anyone. Remember that before you decide you deserve anything. And remember that there are a lot more of us than there are of you.”The kid doesn’t respond, can’t, in his state. He’s too busy twitching and literally pissing his pants to have even heard a word Niall said. He doesn’t need to, though. Niall’s message got across just fine. “Oh, look who decided to come home sometime tonight.” Calum scoffs as Niall makes his way into the sitting room.“Sorry. Got a little caught up on the way home.” Niall says quietly. “Got you some muffins to take back to the shop, though.”“You know the way to my heart.” Calum grins, catching the brown, paper sack that Niall tosses to him. “But you only get sweets when you’ve done something bad.”“Just got into a little scuffle.” Niall shrugs, setting the bag with Molly’s favorite orange and cranberry scones on the table and toeing off his boots. “Reminded some arse that not all of us are livestock.”“Niall.” Calum sighs out his name in a quiet reprimand. “You can’t just go around assaulting magicals.”“’t was self-defense.” Niall mutters. “Bloke said I should pay him a tax just because I’m not in a labor camp, and tried to attack me when I told him to back off.”“Well- I have nothing to say to that, then.” Calum hums. “We don’t all think that way, I promise.”“I know.” Niall sighs. “I do know that. He just- Fuck, he pissed me off. But he also made the first move.”“I’m sure he did.” Calum nods. “Let me guess, magician?”“That bloke doing parlor tricks on Rose and Vine.” Niall tells him.“Oh, I’ve wanted to teach him a thing or two before.” Calum smirks. “He’s gotten mouthy with Luke and Ash as well.”“Well he’s probably waking up right about now, if you want to add in your thoughts.” Niall tells him. “I’ve got it from here. Give Luke my love. Not Ash, though. He’s been right grumpy.”“He dropped Luke’s favorite teacup, so Luke’s been withholding contact.” Calum giggles in explanation, pushing himself up off the couch and heading for the door. “Drawn me in on it just so we can watch him twitch and take the piss out of him for it.”“Not something I needed to know.” Niall scoffs, wrinkling his nose up.“Don’t be bitter.” Calum hums, slipping his shoes on. “Your celibacy is showing. You know you’ve got an open invitation.”“Shut it.” Niall groans, halfheartedly chucking a wadded-up napkin from the table at him, only to watch it flutter uselessly to the ground halfway there. “Innocent ears.”“She’s asleep.” Calum says with a roll of his eyes.“No, you aren’t, are you, lovebug?” Niall asks into the air, turning to look at the chunk of wall that hides the hallway from view. “You’re awake and listening to conversations you shouldn’t be, aren’t you?”“Maybe.” comes a drawn out, high-pitched giggling response, accompanied by a head of messy hair and bright blue eyes peeking around. “How’d you know, da?”“I always know when you’re up to no good.” Niall chuckles, opening up his arms. “Got a sense for it, I do.”“Shit!” Calum hisses out, making Molly shriek out another giggle as she tears across the room into Niall’s waiting arms.“Get going.” Niall says, shooting Calum a withering glare. Calum, thankfully, gives a sheepish wave to both of them and then disappears out the door, closing it behind himself. Molly settles into Niall’s lap, head resting against his chest, and he asks, “How much of that did you hear, then?”“Just the last bit.” Molly admits, eyes already half-lidded now that she’s got her favorite pillow in the form of Niall’s body. “I have to move slow to get over there without you hearing.”“Slowly.” Niall corrects her, shaking his head and pressing a kiss to the top of hers. “You have to move slowly.”“What’s cell-busy?” Molly asks, grabbing the arm Niall hasn’t got around her back and pulling it closer to ask for a hug, to which Niall gladly obliges her.“Nothing important, lovebug.” Niall chuckles. “Did you have fun with Cal?”“Yeah.” Molly says around a yawn, fighting the steady increase of weight on her eyelids. “He helped me draw some pictures, and then we did a puzzle.”“You’ll have to show me tomorrow.” Niall murmurs, hiding his smile in her frizzed-out hair, already a tangled mess from the ten minutes or so she spent in bed before she decided to sneak out and eavesdrop.“Do you work tomorrow?” Molly asks, the words muffled by her own fist in front of her mouth, her go-to comfort position, even after Niall finally got her to break her thumb-sucking habit a couple years ago.“Not until nighttime.” Niall tells her.“Can we go to the shop and get a new book?” Molly begs.“I just got you three new books.” Niall points out.“I finished ‘em.” Molly tells him, making his smile grow even larger.“Suppose we have to, then.” Niall agrees. “But now it’s time to get you to bed, lovebug.”“I wanna sleep with you, da.” Molly says, breaking the spell of drowsiness just enough to look up at him with pleading eyes.“How could I say no to that face?” Niall gives in, the urge to fight never crossing his mind. “Molls.” Niall sighs, seeing the flutter of motion out of the corner of his eye while he stands at the hob, cooking eggs for their breakfast.“I want juice.” Molly says simply, ignoring the disapproving look Niall shoots at her over his shoulder to focus on levitating her favorite teacup through the air towards herself. She hates tea, very like her mother that way, but she loves teacups, particularly the pink and gold floral one she’s got steadily moving through the open space between herself and the cabinet.“Molls.” Niall repeats, more firmly this time. “If you want juice, you ask. You know better.”“Nobody can see, da.” Molly replies stubbornly, fishing the teacup out of the air.“Molly Elizabeth Horan, that’s not the point, and you know it.” Niall says through a sharp inhale. “You need to be more careful. You can’t just do whatever you want. If you do that in public-”“Cal is magic.” Molly cuts in. “Why can he do it, and I can’t?”“Because you’ll be taken away!” Niall snaps, shoving the pan of eggs to the back of the hob before gripping the counter to keep himself from turning around and scaring Molly with what he’s sure is a wild look in his eyes.He can’t help it when it comes to Molly’s magic, when it comes to the possibility of her forced removal and education in some government run academy. Ever since her powers started manifesting, it’s been a constant fear, thrumming in the back of his mind and growing stronger with every display she puts on.It has him cursing her mother nightly like a prayer, damning her magical genes for passing on, damning her for running off as soon as she could and leaving him alone, with no preparation for raising a child, let alone a magical one. They were supposed to be in this together. That’s what they decided when a fling a few weeks old, between a first year uni student and a professor’s assistant, turned into a stick with a little pink plus on it. Niall decided to do the right thing. Niall decided to drop out of university and get a job to support their child and try to make a proper go of it with Barbara. Things hadn’t been easy during the pregnancy, what with his parents disowning him and them not even really knowing each other at first. But they’d fallen in love over the course of those months leading up to the birth. They’d fallen in love.That’s what Niall thought, anyways, until he woke up in the middle of the night to a screaming baby, an empty spot where Barbara was supposed to be sleeping, and a letter on her pillow that was shorter than the notes she’d leave in the margins on the papers she’d graded, explaining why she’d abandoned Niall and Molly.It hadn’t been perfect. Niall knew it wasn’t perfect. He was young, but he wasn’t stupid. They hadn’t meant to turn into anything more than some occasional sex for stress relief. They fought pretty hard after she’d told Niall that she was pregnant, and at the same time telling him that she didn’t need for him to be involved.Those memories haunt Niall to this day, the question of if she would still have abandoned Molly if she’d gotten what she said she wanted and Niall hadn’t been involved. That Molly could have grown up in some orphanage with nobody to love her, nobody to protect her.She would have been adopted, without question. That’s a no brainer, considering she’s magical, and more than just a magician. Molly is a witch, and would have been taken in by a family shortly after her powers manifested around two.Niall remembers the day clearly, couldn’t forget it if he tried. He’d been in a mood, out of diapers and out of money and out of sanity.When Barbara had left, she’d given one present to Molly. There was a necklace that she’d been wearing ever since Niall met her. A gold feather medallion on the end of a leather cord. She’d worn it in the class he’d accidentally sat in on for a full lesson before realizing it wasn’t even his course, too mesmerized by the girl behind the professor, eyes sharp and smart, without any questions of who really knew more, to care about the content of the lecture.She’d worn it through their first date, when Niall had bumbled through the conversation until it became obvious that she thought he was about as bright as a blown-out lightbulb, and he’d decided to prove that, despite his non-magical status, he wasn’t a fool. She’d worn it the first time they slept together, hanging on her naked chest while Niall quaked with nerves from the first time he’d ever done more than kiss someone else.She’d worn it through the labor, squeezing it in one hand while she nearly fractured Niall’s fingers with the other until the doctor had said that Molly would need to come out surgically.Apparently, she’d thought it was funny to cast a spell on the necklace to make it the same for their daughter as it was for her. It couldn’t be removed from Molly’s person, at least not permanently. It could be taken off over her head, but would return to her instantly, teleporting itself onto her neck again. Niall had tried over the years to find some way to get rid of the thing, worried that it could choke her in her sleep, and also not wanting the painful reminder every day of Barbara’s disappearance, but nothing had worked.Calum, the only magical person that Niall let know about Molly’s existence, hadn’t been able to do anything more than Niall had.That hadn’t mattered that day, though. The necklace, dangling from Molly’s neck as Niall carried her around the room, trying to find anything he could wrap around her bum long enough to take her to the shop and beg Ashton for an advance on his pay, had caught on his arm and scratched him so hard he’d nearly dropped Molly.He hadn’t slept in days, and hadn’t thought about the fact that the necklace would just pop back into place when he’d taken it off over her head and thrown it at the wall. He hadn’t thought about the fact that Molly wasn’t a baby anymore, and had a tenuous grasp on understanding emotions, both hers and Niall’s.She’d started wailing, and Niall had set her down to give himself a moment to calm down, handing her a stuffed bear, her favorite toy. The necklace had popped back into existence around her neck before he could even put her down.He’d been turned away from her, standing in the corner with the heels of his hands digging into his eyes and a wail of his own trapped in his throat, when he felt something soft rub against his back. He’d nearly jumped out of his skin at the contact, and only managed not to sprint away in complete panic because his knees had given out at the sight when he’d turned around.Molly’s bear was nudging up against him, hovering in the air while she waved her hand at it while making the same face she had as a baby when she was letting out a particularly hard poop.When she’d managed to grunt out, “Da, burr,” he’d known that she knew exactly what she was doing, that she had meant to do it, and that his entire world was changed with no way back.It’s been four years since then. Four years of panicking over every use of her powers. Four years of dread coiling in his stomach at every question she had. Four years of hiding her so that she isn’t taken away from him.“Da?” Molly asks, her voice quiet, but close, pulling Niall out of his head as a tiny hand curls into the hem of his shirt. “What do you mean?”Niall sighs and crouches down next to her, taking her hands in his own while he looks her in the eyes and says, “If people know you have magic, they’ll take you away to somewhere I’m not allowed to go so that they can put you in a special school.”“Why?” Molly questions, her eyes going wide.“Because your magic makes you very special.” Niall murmurs, giving her hand a slight squeeze. “But that means that the other people who have magic too want you to think like they do. They want you to be just like them, and that means they won’t want you near me, because I’m not like them. I don’t have magic. I’m not special, and that means that they don’t think I’m good enough to be your da.”“You’re special to me.” Molly mumbles, taking her hands out of Niall’s and slipping them around his neck to hug him tight. “And they’re stupid, because you’re the best da.”“You can use magic here in the house, lovebug.” Niall says softly into her hair. “I won’t – I won’t yell at you for it again. I promise. I’m sorry that I did. I just need you to be careful about using it. Don’t do it when the windows are open, because someone could see. You can’t let anyone know except me, Cal, Luke and Ash. We love you, and we’ll keep you safe.”“Okay.” Molly says, nodding against Niall’s chest. “Da?”“Yes, lovebug?” Niall questions.“I want to go to the café for breakfast.” Molly says, pulling back and pressing a kiss to Niall’s cheek. “Your eggs are rubbish.”Niall can’t help but laugh before he digs his fingers into Molly’s sides and wriggles them around, making her shriek in his revenge before he agrees that muffins and cocoa would be a much better breakfast.
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“Why do I bother getting you muffins if you’re only going to eat the top?” Niall sighs, swapping one of his muffins for Molly’s so she can get a decent breakfast by eating two.“Because you like eating the bottoms.” Molly says with a shrug, knocking Niall’s muffin on its side and using her fork to separate the top from the bottom.Niall hears Calum snort out a laugh from behind the counter as he puts the finishing touches on their drinks, and shoots him a sharp glare.“I like eating the whole muffin.” Niall corrects her. “I eat the bottoms that you don’t so that they don’t go to waste.”“So, you’re a versatile muffin eater?” Calum asks with a shit-eating grin, setting down a cup of cocoa in front of Molly and a cup of tea in front of Niall.“Sure.” Niall says dryly, rolling his eyes. “I eat it all.”“Well, as much as I’d love to dive into the specifics of that right now, it’s going to have to wait.” Calum shrugs.“You think?” Niall scoffs, waving his hand at Molly.“I mean- There’s that.” Calum nods. “But actually, it’s because I need you to stand watch behind the counter while I run over to the shop and pick something up from Ash.”“Why couldn’t all your places be right next to each other?” Niall asks with a grunt.“Because moguls have to diversify.” Calum chuckles. “I buy what I can get. If it’s spread out, that’s fine by me.”“How about diversifying into more employees than just me and your boyfriends then?” Niall mutters, pushing his chair back from the table and dropping a kiss to the crown of Molly’s head before he stands up. “Ten minutes, and I’m not wearing the apron.”“You’re a lifesaver.” Calum hums, pressing a kiss to Niall’s cheek and darting out the door.“Ten minutes!” Niall repeats, shouting it after Calum before the door can close. He turns back to Molly and asks, “You alright with this, lovebug?”“I wish Calum didn’t go.” Molly pouts, picking at her muffin top with her fork.“I know.” Niall snorts, running his hand over the top of her head and getting a huffy glare in response. “He’ll be back soon enough, and we can stay with him as long as you like today, as long as we don’t get in the way when he has to work. I know he’s your favorite.”“You’re my favorite, da.” Molly says with a roll of her eyes. “Calum’s just my second favorite.”“And what about us?” a voice asks behind Niall, making him whirl around and ball his hands into fists before the familiarity of it strikes him and he drops his guard again. Ashton’s smile is easy, but the hand he has on Luke’s shoulder tells Niall that his defensiveness hasn’t gone unnoticed.Calum undoubtedly told them about Niall’s misadventure with the magician last night, so they were probably expecting it. They’ve seen him through worse. They’ve seen him when that kind of thing wasn’t an uncommon experience, when they’d have to drag him inside off the stoop and clean his bloodied face and use Calum’s salves to heal the burns on his body.They’ve taken care of Molly when Niall was too banged up or angry to be around her.They’ve known him better than he ever wants to know himself, so he’s not surprised when Ashton’s hand comes off Luke’s shoulder and pulls Niall in to peck a kiss next to his lips and whisper, “You did a good thing, love. But it’s time to uncoil.”His hand finds Niall’s hip, and Niall leans into the touch, sagging against Ashton’s chest and letting out a shaky breath while he murmurs, “Sorry. Shit- I- Sorry.”“Nothing to be sorry for.” Ashton says gently, butting his forehead against Niall’s and rubbing their noses together. “I know how you get. We shouldn’t have snuck up on you today.”“Could relieve some of that tension for you, if you want to.” Luke grins, throwing a cheeky wink at Niall before he strides over to Molly, crouching down and asking, “So, Molls, what’s your answer to Ash’s question?”“Ashton is third.” Molly says with a bright smile, waving over at him.“And what about me?” Luke pouts.“Eh.” Molly says with a shrug, taking a bite of her muffin. Niall knows she’s only doing it to hide a smile, though. Luke is one of Molly’s favorite people in the world, and she absolutely adores him. He gets all needy for her love when she denies it to him, though, and that means she gets presents.“Calum just left for the shop to come get something from you.” Niall tells Ash, not bothering to save Luke from Molly’s manipulations. Every time he’s tried, Luke ignores him and presses on anyways. He’s the perfect mark for Molly and her charms.“Idiot.” Ashton snorts, shaking his head. “I told him we’d bring it over when we could.”“What is it he couldn’t wait on, then?” Niall questions.“A present for the little bird.” Ashton tells him, pressing a book into Niall’s hands. “A collection of the original Grimm’s fairytales. He found it last night when he was doing the dusting, and forgot it this morning.”“Let him give it to her.” Niall chuckles, nodding at Luke. “You know she’ll keep this up for days, otherwise.”“Cal’s gonna be jealous.” Ashton smirks. “Which works just fine for me. Might break their little alliance.”“Shouldn’t have broken his porcelain.” Niall hums, bumping his hip into Ashton’s. “You know the princess doesn’t like you nearly as much as he likes his things.”“I can hear you, you know.” Luke huffs, giving them both a stern look over his shoulder.“And what are you going to do about it?” Niall counters. “Can’t withhold anything from me like with this one. Besides, I already know you love being called that, don’t you, princess?”“You only get to call me that if you sleep in the same bed as me, and you keep turning us down, so – Shut it.” Luke grumbles. “And give me that.”He reaches out with one of his absurdly long arms and snatches the book out of Niall’s hands before turning back to Molly with a look on his face that a puppy would have trouble matching.“About that-” Ashton says, trailing off, but making his intentions perfectly clear in the way his fingers slide over the back of Niall’s neck.“Not now.” Niall cuts him off, shaking his head. “Even if this wouldn’t end up being a repeat of a conversation we’ve had a dozen times before, now isn’t the time for it. Not while she’s here.”“Niall-” Ashton murmurs, but he’s cut off again, this time by the little bell over the door announcing a customer entering the shop.Niall turns to look at him, and feels his heart stop in his chest. It’s the same stranger from last night, the one who’d nearly knocked him off of his feet. It’s not anything about the bloke, though. He’s got a nice face, sure, and he’s tall and well-muscled with big hands and long legs and a dozen other things that would be eye-catching in different circumstances. It’s something that Niall hadn’t noticed last night that catches him off guard, though; his clothes.He doesn’t have a single bit of beige on him. They wear black and white too, brought it into their fashions a few years ago like it was a joke between them, dressing like non-magicals, but they never wear the beige. That’s what sets the two groups apart in the empire.And that means he’s magical.“This, um – This is a café, right?” the stranger asks. “Because I’m pretty sure you run the bookstore? We met last night?”“It is.” Luke says with a genial smile but a tension in his shoulders that Niall recognizes instantly. “You’ll see us and our partner, Calum, in a lot of places. We run a few things here in the village. This place, the bookstore, the pub, and a piano studio. We also own most of the cabins over by the shore and the cliffs, and a few of the houses here in the village.”“But I can get a cup of coffee and a pastry here?” the guy asks carefully.“Yeah.” Ashton nods, stepping forward in between Niall and the stranger. He turns back to Niall and says, “You go on and get out of here. We’ll take over until Cal gets back. Can’t have you working and eating into our profit margin.”Niall knows what it really means, though. Get out. Get Molly out. This guy is no low-level, full of himself magician. He’s got more power and more brains than the guy Niall took out last night.There’s a scar on his cheek, a burn. There’s a rigidity in the way he holds himself. A sharpness to the eyes Niall knows are taking in more than just the surface of things, despite the easy look on his face as he moves to the counter that Luke goes behind. All of it together means only one thing.Military, or, worse, an agent.“Come on, lovebug.” Niall says gently, reaching down and taking Molly’ hand in his own.“But you said-” Molly starts with a whine.“We’ll see Cal and the lads later.” Niall says firmly. “Right now, we need to get home, get you changed out of that dress, because you’ve got cocoa spots on your sleeves, and we’ll find something fun to do until Cal is free, okay?”“Fine.” Molly grumbles, grabbing her book in her other hand and sliding out of her seat. She comes along with Niall without any further protest, and Niall thanks the heavens for it as he passes the stranger, keeping his head down until they’ve gotten out the door and turned down the next street. It’s not until then that his heart stops trying to beat out of his chest, either. “If you don’t lose that tension soon, I’m going to have Calum spike your drink with one of his little potions to make you relax.” Luke murmurs, running his fingers lightly over the hairs at the nape of Niall’s neck.“I get to be tense.” Niall mutters, turning his head to bite at Luke’s wrist. “There’s a fucking agent in the village.”“We don’t know that he’s an agent.” Luke points out with a roll of his eyes, pushing Niall’s face back around so she can keep watch over Molly, and so the blond can resume his attempts at relaxing Niall.“Military, then. Whatever.” Niall huffs. “Whatever he is, he’s dangerous.”“I don’t get that sense from him.” Luke says quietly. “He doesn’t strike me as a threat.”“Because it’s not you he’s a threat to.” Niall breathes out, watching as Molly pushes her face into a cluster of daisies with a bright smile. “It’s us. It’s me and Molly.”“Niall.” Luke says sharply, making Niall shrink just a bit. He knew better before he said it. He wouldn’t dream of saying it normally, would never think to imply that Molly isn’t just as important to them as she is to him. But this stranger is a threat, and if they don’t put their walls up around themselves and Molly, then Niall is going to have to build his four times as high to protect her.“Sorry.” Niall mumbles out, leaning into Luke’s shoulder and tucking his head under Luke’s chin. He curls his fingers into Luke’s shirt and says it again, “I’m sorry.”“You can’t let every witch that comes into town get you this wound up.” Luke murmurs, tightening his grip on Niall. “That’s the threat. He’s on holiday. He’s not here for you, or for her. He’ll be here for a couple weeks, then go back to what he’d call ‘the real world’. He’ll go back to where he came from and never blink twice at you or Molly if you just manage not to give him a reason to. You have to act like there’s no reason for him to be a threat.”“I don’t know if I can do that.” Niall whispers. “I don’t think I can let my guard down.”“You don’t have to let it down.” Luke tells him, lacing their fingers together. “You just have to learn to hide your walls better. You have to remember that we’re all here for you, and we all know what to watch for. We’ve all been preparing for this for as long as you have, and we’re ready. We can hide the two of you. Just let us handle him, but, if you have to be around him, then pretend like nothing is wrong.”“I’m not that good at pretending.” Niall says softly.“I wouldn’t say that.” Luke says, the chuckle afterwards sounding incredibly forced. “I’ve been watching you pretend for years.”“What is it with you three today?” Niall asks, pulling back and taking his eyes away from Molly, who’s trying to chain together daisies to make a crown like Ashton normally does for her, to meet Luke’s. “Is there something I’m missing? Some signal that I gave you three that’s made you all decide to try this again, despite every one of the times I’ve said no to it?”“Molly’s birthday is in three days.” Luke says simply.“Yeah, and that’s when I’ll legally be a fugitive.” Niall bites out. He leaves out the ‘more of’ that really should be applied to it, because it’s just implied. “So, again, why now? I’ve got enough on my plate already, don’t you think?”“Do you remember what happened five years ago today?” Luke asks.“Five years ago today, I was probably changing a dozen nappies and drinking a fifth of whiskey with each meal that I could afford.” Niall mutters, breaking the eye contact. He can’t bear to look at Luke like this for too long. He’s always so damn soft and pretty and has every bit of his heart’s contents written over his face.“Five years ago today, we found you on the doorstep of the pub, looking for a place to stay.” Luke murmurs, reaching down and folding his hand over Niall’s. “Five years ago, we met you and Molly. You came into our lives and grew our little family.”“Shit.” Niall sighs. “I didn’t- I didn’t realize.”“We know we shouldn’t be pushing, but- Five years, Niall. We’ve been waiting five years.” Luke whispers.“She has to be my first concern.” Niall tells him, like he’s told them all so many times before. It’s his blanket excuse, the way his daughter protects him, like he’s protected her. Attachment as a means of detachment. “Sex, romantic love- All of that is irrelevant next to her.”“It’s not us or her, Niall.” Luke grunts out, leaning forward next to Niall. “You don’t have to give anything up to be with us.”“I would, though.” Niall says, dropping his head down. “I’d have to give up my focus. Frankly, don’t know how you lot do it. I can barely keep up with just her. Adding all of you three in- I’d never get a moment’s rest.”“We get plenty of rest, thank you very much.” Luke snorts. “And I think you’d handle it pretty well. You already juggle all four of us in almost every way you would if we were together. There’s really only one or two things missing, and they’re the fun ones.”“And, as fun as those might be, they’d be a distraction.” Niall sighs. “I get it, okay? I do. And, maybe someday- Maybe I’ll stop saying no. Maybe I’ll be ready. But I’m not right now, and I need the three of you to be okay with that.”“Okay.” Luke says gently, laying his head on Niall’s shoulder and lacing their fingers together. “But don’t expect the flirting to stop. Can’t really help ourselves there. You’re proper attractive.”“Back at you, princess.” Niall snickers, moving back slowly, so Luke doesn’t dislodge, until they’re leaned back against the bench and folded in on each other while they watch Molly. “Don’t play with your food, darling.” Niall says absentmindedly, eyes still locked on his book as he notices some rather dramatic motion out of his peripheral.“It’s not me, da. It’s Cal.” Molly giggles.“I know.” Niall says dryly, looking sideways over at Calum, who’s blushing sheepishly. Niall rolls his eyes and goes back to his adventure, adding, “He should behave himself better.”“But what’s the fun in that, darling?” Calum says dramatically, pulling a giggle out of Molly. What she doesn’t see, and what keeps Niall from smiling, is the hand Calum slips onto Niall’s thigh before adding, “Ashton and Luke say I’m much more fun when I don’t behave myself.”“I’m sure.” Niall scoffs, shaking his head. “But I’ll thank you to be a good example for Molly.”“I think he’s more fun when he misbehaves too, da.” Molly says with a sly grin.“Certainly got the talents for making things awkward and sucking the fun out of things from you.” Calum mutters under his breath, taking his hand back from Niall’s leg.“That’s cause she’s her da’s girl, aren’t you, lovebug?” Niall smirks.“Did I miss something?” Molly asks, drawing her eyebrows together and poking her bottom lip in a pout.“Nothing important.” Niall tells her. “Just Cal running his mouth.”“What did you say?” Molly questions, directing her eyes towards Calum instead of Niall now.“Just that it’s time for me to take your da behind the counter. I’ve been waiting a while now.” Calum hums, the innuendo in his voice making Niall’s cheeks heat up. “It’s opening time, which means this place is no longer suitable for good girls like you.”“Who’s my sitter tonight?” Molly asks, cocking her head. “Ashton or Luke?”“Both of them.” Calum chuckles.“What about the bookshop?” Molly continues, always so inquisitive.“For a little while, they’re going to watch you in pairs as often as they can.” Niall tells her.“But why?” Molly asks, more curiously than ever.“Because we get jealous when only one of us gets to hang out with you.” Calum says, grinning conspiratorially when Molly’s brows crinkle up in delight instead. “So we decided that two of us will stay with you, and the other gets your da as a consolation prize.”“Hey!” Niall squawks, pinching at Calum’s side so he jumps out of the booth and onto his feet. “Rude!”“Don’t worry. I quite like the consolation prize.” Calum smirks, blowing Niall a kiss before he strides over to unlock the door, smiling ear to ear like he always does when he manages to get Molly to burst into a fit of giggles.“Stop encouraging him, lovebug.” Niall sighs, climbing out of the booth and pressing a kiss to Molly’s head. “Finish your food before Luke and Ashton get here. I don’t want you tricking them into giving you anything sugary just because you didn’t eat your dinner.”“But, da-” Molly whines.“No arguing.” Niall cuts her off. “You were already up late last night, and if you get any sugar now, you’ll still be bouncing off the walls when I come pick you up. Ashton and Luke will hate me.”“Doubt that, darling.” Calum hums, passing behind Niall and getting his revenge for Niall’s earlier pinch with a mirroring action, only it’s on Niall’s arse. It takes a lot not to react, but Niall knows that’s exactly what Calum wants, and he doesn’t get to have the satisfaction.“The darling thing isn’t funny anymore.” Niall throws over his shoulder.“Who said I’m trying to be funny, cuddle-bug?” Calum laughs, disappearing into the double-doors that lead to the kitchen.“Why are they really watching me together?” Molly asks quietly, pulling Niall’s attention back to her with a hand settling on top of his.“Do you remember what we talked about this morning?” Niall asks her, crouching down to her height and settling his chin on his arms.“About the people who want to take me away?” Molly questions.“Yeah.” Niall nods. “Well, there’s a man visiting the village, and he- He’s like you. He has magic. And we’re not sure, but he might work for the people who would want to take you if they found out about you, so we’re trying to be careful. Two people protecting you is better than one, so that’s what we’re doing.”“Why don’t you need anyone to help you watch me?” Molly asks.“Because I- I know how to protect you better than the lads do.” Niall says quietly. “I’m not magical, like you and Cal, but I know how to do things that they don’t, and that means that I’m enough when it’s just us.”“Couldn’t we stay with them?” Molly offers, her smile brightening right back up, like the sun peeking through clouds. “Then we’d always be safe, right?”“Molly-” Niall snorts, shaking his head.“I have my own room there.” Molly points out. “And you can sleep with them. I’ve heard them all say their bed is big enough for you too.”Niall’s eye twitches, and he tries again with, “Molly-”“Please, da?” Molly begs. “Then you can stop worrying so much. You’ve not been sleeping well in the last couple weeks.”“Molly, I’m fine.” Niall assures her.“No, you’re not.” Molly whispers. “You’re tired, you’re grumpy, and it’s because of me.”“Oh, lovebug.” Niall says softly, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her fingers. “No, it isn’t.”“Yes, it is.” Molly chokes out, the sound of a sob trapped underneath it. “You’re worried about me and it’s doing bad things to you.”“Okay, we can stay with the lads, if it’s alright with them.” Niall tells her, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. “Not because you’re right, but because I don’t want you worrying.”“I’ll get an extra pillow from the closet.” comes an amused chuckle in a familiar voice from the door.“Thanks.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes before looking over at Luke and Ashton in the doorway. “But I’ll stop by ours and grab some things before I come over, including a set of sheets and a pillow for the couch.”“Spoilsport.” Luke pouts.“Go on, then.” Niall says, nodding at them. “And, you two- If you give her anymore food tonight, make sure it’s healthy. No sugar.”“Come on, little bird.” Ashton says with a chuckle, holding his hand out towards them. “Luke’s been making something special for you for tonight.”“Luke has?” Molly asks warily. Niall’s not sure if it’s his imagination, but she looks a bit green as well. She must be remembering the last time Luke cooked her breakfast. He really shouldn’t be allowed in the kitchen. Niall had to spend ages cleaning the sick from her dress and hair.“Be brave, lovebug.” Niall hums, pecking one final kiss to her cheek before he stands up. “I’ll see you in the morning.”Molly nods and grabs her bun off of the plate and shoving it in her mouth before she grabs her book. Niall barely manages to bite back a laugh before he sets off to get behind the bar while they leave with her, each taking one of her hands and nodding to Niall.“They didn’t even bother to stay long enough to say anything to me?” Calum pouts when he returns to the bar with a crate of clean glasses for Niall.“What can I say?” Niall snorts. “She’s got my charm.” He shows up a little after eleven, stumbling in the door disheveled, like he’s only just woken up. It’s like Niall knows that he’s going to walk through the door before he does it, because his body tightens like a spring. He feels it in the air, something shattering in the calm stillness the night has laid over him by means of a couple drinks with his friends in the village, water for him and beer for them, and an ever-present Calum, soothing away his worries with touches and smiles and laughs. He’s always been good at that.But nothing is going to soothe Niall once the door opens and the stranger steps through.Niall feels Calum’s eyes turn to him from across the room, but his own are locked on the stranger ambling towards him, rubbing at his pinkened cheek with a balled-up fist. He trips, over his own feet, if Niall saw it right, and barely manages to catch himself on the bar.“This is the only place in the village to get a drink, so do you mind telling me how you’re already drunk?” Niall asks shortly, setting down the glass in his hands before he can shatter it and cut himself, or, more importantly, give away how he’s actually feeling and cause problems for himself, Molly or the boys.“Not drunk.” the stranger grunts out before sliding into the stool in front of Niall with an embarrassed smile. His voice is deeper than earlier, gravelly and slow. “Fell asleep. Woke up and realized I didn’t have any food in the cabin, so I came here.”“And the chill didn’t manage to wake you up on the walk?” Niall questions.“I pride myself on being a very heavy sleeper.” the stranger says with a lopsided smile that Niall doesn’t return. “It takes a while for me to like- Adjust to being conscious. I’m not too late, am I? You’re not about to shut down?”“This may be a small village, but we don’t turn the lights out at eleven.” Niall says dryly.“It’s still that early?” the bloke asks, blinking bewilderedly.“You’ve got a watch on your wrist. Why don’t you take a look?” Niall says with a roll of his eyes.“Doesn’t work.” the guy says, dropping his eyes down towards the piece of hardware on his wrist. “Hasn’t for a while. Only really keep it for sentimental value.”“Well, the clock up there’ll tell you what that won’t, then.” Niall grunts out, jabbing his thumb back over his shoulder. “We’re only open until one, now that summer’s over. Got a couple hours. So, even if you keep talking at the pace you do, you still might make it in under the wire.”“Wish I could blame that on still waking up, but this is just how I talk.” the stranger drawls out. “Might speed it up a bit if I ask for a menu, yeah?”“This ain’t a fancy London restaurant, mate.” Niall scoffs, jabbing his other thumb towards the board behind his left shoulder. “We’ve got what’s on the board. An X next to it means we’re out of that at the moment and it’ll take a bit, or we just won’t have it in again tonight.”“The only thing that hasn’t got an X next to it is the fish and chips?” the stranger says like a question, tilting his head a bit.“Then that’s what we have.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes. “The meatloaf, mash and peas will be ready in about twenty minutes, if you want to wait on that.”“Is it worth waiting on?” the stranger inquires with a hum in his voice, leaning forward onto the counter and fitting his chin into his palm.“It’s bloody terrible.” Niall informs him. “Have to drown it in ketchup to make it edible.”“Not much of a salesman, are you?” the stranger chuckles, his amusement written all over his face, making Niall struggle all the more to keep his temper in check.He can feel Calum watching him from the front of the house, begging him silently to keep calm and follow Luke’s advice. Stay calm and pretend like nothing is wrong. But how can Niall pretend like there isn’t a threat right in front of him? How can he pretend like this man with the sly grin couldn’t bring down his entire life in minutes if he found Molly?How can he pretend he’s not a hairsbreadth from vomiting being this close to a real, live governmental witch?It’s not hard to tell the bloke is someone important, the silk of his shirt, patterned with flowers, and the silver of the jewelry he has on his hands and wrist and neck a dead giveaway. He’s either powerful or rich, both of which lead to a conclusion of government involvement. He’s clumsy, doesn’t appear to be particularly bright, so that means Niall’s guess about him being an agent might be off, but he was right in assuming this man is a threat, and he can’t relax in the face of that danger.“Don’t need to be.” Niall says flatly, placing his palms on the bar. “Like you said, you haven’t got any food in your cottage, and you walked here. You wouldn’t have walked here if you were worried about time and had a car or had the kind of innate magic that gets you from place to place quickly like flight or porting. There’s a village with an all-night diner about twenty-k from here, but you wouldn’t make it there on foot for a few hours. Same with a marketplace. So, it’s either this place, you muster up the energy for a spell that’ll get you where you want to go, or you go hungry tonight. “You asked a question, and I answered honestly. I wouldn’t wait on the meatloaf, because it’s vile. Selling you a meal isn’t my job. My job is giving you what you decide on from the options available here, should you decide on any of them.”“You’re clever.” the stranger grins, stretching out his lips even further in his amusement. “What’s a boy as clever as you doing in a sleepy, little village like this? You’d do well in a city.”“It’s a good place for a family.” Niall says gruffly. “‘M not interested in city life.”“But what about adventure?” the guy asks. “You seem like the kind of boy who likes a bit of adventure.”“Adventures are for people with more adrenaline than sense.” Niall replies coldly. “I’m good right here in my sleepy, little village.”Niall sees Calum coming towards him out of the corner of his eye, but he refuses to look away from the bright green and steel grey of the eyes in front of him. He refuses to let go of this game of cat and mouse, because he’s sure that the stranger thinks he’s the cat. He’s misjudged the game, though. Niall isn’t the mouse or the cat.He’s the wolf waiting for the cat to be distracted enough by the illusion of the hunt that it never senses him coming.A strong hand wraps around his jaw, turning his head away from the stranger and towards someone much more familiar. Calum’s lips are on his before Niall can even process what’s happening, and after a brief moment of shock, he lets out a shuddering breath and gives into it.It’s definitely not the first time that he’s kissed any of the lads, probably won’t be the last. It’s never been quite like this, though. It’s never been more of a distraction than an enticement, never been something to break his concentration and force his body to relax.There’s none of the pleading in it that normally comes when his lips touch one of theirs, none of the ‘please’ that reverberates through his bones from theirs, asking him to give up his stupid fears and give them a chance. But that’s because that’s not what this is. It’s only happening to stop Niall’s brain from barreling down a dangerous path before it’s too late to stop him.“Darling-” Calum says breathlessly against Niall’s mouth when he breaks the kiss just a moment after it’s begun. “You’re going to scare the poor man away. Quit being the village grouch, and go make yourself useful by checking the food that’s in the oven.”“Yes, darling.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes, wincing when Calum pinches him hard on the hip to show he’s not joking about Niall walking away now.“And what’ll you have?” Calum asks, pushing Niall out of the way and directing the question towards the stranger.“The meatloaf.” the guy smirks, throwing a look at Niall. “I’m feeling adventurous.”Niall just scoffs and turns towards the kitchen, barely managing to keep himself from stomping away.They switch after that, Calum charming the stranger and Niall keeping watch on the kitchen and the tables occupied by the villagers. Niall’s more grateful for it than he’d like to admit. He keeps himself busy with idle small-talk and cleaning, doing more around the pub than he usually does in a week, just to keep his attentions on anything except for the stranger.Not that it works perfectly. Niall can only loosen himself up so much, his eyes occasionally darting to the two of them at the bar. And, every time he does look over, he finds that same set of green and grey looking back at him, trying to unravel him, and only manages to keep the shudders trapped in his spine out of pure spite.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Luke didn’t really bake the cookies, did he?” Niall asks, settling the bags of things he’s packed for himself and Molly on the floor of the sitting room. The room is a warzone, papers with half-finished drawings scattered around the room, accompanied by the overabundance of toys the lads spoil her with at every opportunity, and accented by an upturned chair and Ashton and Luke half-dead on the sofa, each wearing costumes that Molly must have coerced them into.It feels just like home.“I may have helped.” Ashton grunts out, eyes never opening up.“Have you learned your lesson?” Niall hums smugly, crouching down to run a hand through the bit of fringe peeking out under Luke’s toy tiara.“Never.” Luke says with a sleepy smile. “I’m always going to spoil her.”“You’re just begging to die young.” Niall snorts.“Young and beautiful.” Luke corrects him, reaching up to tangle his fingers with Niall’s and press a kiss to them. “Who wants to get old and gross?”“Pretty sure your boyfriends do.” Niall says with a chuckle. “With you. So, stop giving her sugar this late. She’s spoiled enough as is. Don’t need her growing up into a total princess like someone.”“Told you that you only get to call me that if you sleep in the same bed with me, and you’ve called me that three times today.” Luke says, a smirk tugging at the left corner of his lips. “Sounds like someone never planned on sleeping on the sofa.”“Nuh-uh.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I don’t trust Calum after the kiss he planted on me at the pub.”“That was to keep you from committing murder.” Calum scoffs. “If I’d been trying to get in your pants, I would have waited until we got home. Those two would kill me if they didn’t get their go.”“Mister Mulligan get pissed and start begging for free chips again?” Ashton asks with a laugh, peeking his right eye open.“The witch showed up.” Niall mutters, standing up and tightening his hands into fists.“And Niall almost came at him over the bar.” Calum adds grumpily, folding his arms over his chest.“I did not.” Niall huffs. “I had it under control.”“You bloody well did not!” Calum snaps, the air around him crackling with angry energy. “If I hadn’t stepped in, you would have done something stupid, dangerous, or both!”“Cal, love- Please keep it down.” Ashton murmurs, nudging Luke off of his lap and stepping up to get between them. “Molly is sleeping. We just got her down a little while ago.”“Maybe she should wake up, and tell her father to get some damn sense!” Calum hisses. “Maybe he’d listen to her, since he clearly isn’t going to listen to us! Doesn’t matter that all of us love Molly like she was ours! Doesn’t matter that it’s not just his life that’ll crumble if anything happens! Doesn’t matter that we’ve spent years cultivating a life here, a real life, and that that’s on the line if he does something as mind-numbingly stupid as attacking a government witch!”“I’m not going to attack him!” Niall groans.“I saw you, Niall.” Calum says harshly. “It hasn’t been that long since the last time we had to clean you up, sober you up, and bandage you up after one of your rampages. That look in your eyes when he was flirting with you- It was just like it used to be when you’d go into Plymouth or Bath, looking for a fight.”“He wasn’t flirting with me.” Niall scoffs.“Yes, he was.” Calum says adamantly. “And that is so far beyond the point I was making.”“I’m not going to do anything, Cal.” Niall sighs. “He was pissing me off, but I wouldn’t make a move. Certainly not in the pub. I wouldn’t risk raising the alarm around Molly like that.”“What about us, Niall?” Calum asks, desperation creeping in around the edges of his voice. “Just- What about us? She’s not the only one you’re putting at risk if you do this. She’s not the only one who’ll lose you if you make the wrong move, and you’re not the only one that could lose her.”“Cal-” Niall says gently, pushing past Ashton to step over to Calum, reaching up to cradle his cheeks. “I’m not going to do anything. I’d never risk you guys any more than I would Molly.”“We love you, you stupid prick.” Calum whispers, wrapping his arms around Niall’s waist and burying his face in the Irishman’s neck.“I love you guys too.” Niall murmurs, slipping his arms around Calum’s shoulders. “I’m not going to make a move. Just – Keep me away from him as much as possible, yeah?”“Planned on it.” Calum grunts out into Niall’s skin. “Don’t like the way he was eyeing you all night.”“Idiot.” Niall snorts.“Come sleep with us tonight?” Calum requests softly. Niall starts to tell him off, but Calum adds, “We won’t try anything. I just – I need to feel you in there. I need to know you’ve not slipped off in the middle of the night to do something.”“Fine.” Niall agrees with a nod. “But Luke’s keeping his pants on. I’ve been down that route before.”“That would imply that I was wearing any already.” Luke hums behind him, his hands gripping Niall’s hips before he even knew that the other two were close. He presses a kiss to Niall’s neck and says, “But I’ll keep all my fun bits to myself, if you insist.”“Well, come on then.” Niall chuckles, shaking his head. “Before I come to my senses.”“That’s our boy.” Calum says with a soft smile, leaning in and pressing his lips to Niall’s for the second time tonight.Niall can’t say if it’s a relief or not. “Should have known you’d never stay in the bed with us.” comes Ashton’s gravelly greeting when he finds Niall in the kitchen.“I haven’t been up long.” Niall replies, scraping butter over his toast while his tea steeps. “Only about twenty minutes.”“I know.” Ashton hums, pressing a kiss to Niall’s bare shoulder as he settles himself against Niall’s backside. “Woke me up when you left the bed.”“Sorry.” Niall says sheepishly. “I’m used to getting up early to get a start before Molly wakes up.”“You don’t have to lie to me, you know.” Ashton says quietly. “I know Cal kind of guilted you into sleeping in our bed. You didn’t want to be there.”“It’s not that.” Niall sighs, putting down his knife and toast so he can lay his hands over Ashton’s on his stomach. “I swear it’s not.”“Tell me what you’re thinking.” Ashton requests, hooking his chin over Niall’s shoulder.“It’s the opposite.” Niall admits quietly. “Sleeping with you guys – It was nice. Best sleep I’ve gotten in– In longer than I want to remember. Waking up with Luke drooling on my stomach and Calum’s face in my neck and yours so close that I could feel your breathing – I stayed there for a while just feeling it, and I loved it.”“Could be every day, you know.” Ashton says through a yawn, easy as anything.“I know.” Niall nods. “And that’s what scares me. Because I felt so fucking peaceful, and that is terrifying.”“Don’t tell Calum or Luke I said this, but I know what you mean.” Ashton murmurs, tightening his hold around Niall’s waist. “After Cal got Luke and I out- After he got us here, where we’re free- It took me a long time to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was waiting for them to come take us back, to say that everything was just a lie and that they were going to put us back in cuffs and collars, sell us to a different family, and make sure we were never free again. I still wake up sometimes and can’t remember where I am for a minute, because I’m expecting to see the grey stone of the slave’s quarters instead of our walls.”“Calum wouldn’t let that happen.” Niall says adamantly, turning around in Ashton’s arms so he can see his eyes. “Even if Calum’s family wanted that, he’d never let it happen.”“I know that.” Ashton concedes. “But that doesn’t stop that fear from popping through the box I keep it in every once in a while. And I know that’s the same for you, in a way. You’re just still too close to it.”“Can’t move half a world away, like you did.” Niall murmurs, resting his cheek on Ashton’s shoulder.“That’s not what I meant.” Ashton huffs out a laugh. “I meant that-”“I know what you meant.” Niall mutters, pressing his finger over Ashton’s lips. “This isn’t about her.”“If that’s what you need to tell yourself.” Ashton sighs.“Hey-” comes a voice from behind Ashton before Niall can bite out a response. “Quit bogarting the Niall.”“Fucking hell.” Niall groans, looking over Ashton’s shoulder to find Luke in nothing but a pair of grey joggers slung so low on his hips that Niall can see the creases of the blond’s thighs peeking over the waistband. “Can you put on a shirt before Molly sees you?”“Not until I get some fairy bread.” Luke says stubbornly. “And a kiss, because I had to wake up with my face in Cal’s armpit, and I’m blaming you two. I’m gonna go piss and brush my teeth, and then I expect a good tonguing, Horan.”“What, in the name of all that is good, is fairy bread?” Niall questions once Luke has left.“White bread with butter and hundreds and thousands.” Ashton explains quietly. “It’s a thing for him, from the old days. They use it to celebrate birthdays. We didn’t get to celebrate our own birthdays, or anything like that. We didn’t even know when they were until Cal got the paperwork to bring us here. But Cal would always sneak us some on his birthday.”“Disgusting.” Niall snorts, shaking his head. “Please tell me he’s never shared that with Molly.”“Do you want the real answer, or the one that’ll make you feel better?” Ashton hums.“You’re all terrible influences.” Niall mutters. “And you’re going to rot her teeth out of her head.”“Cal’s got potions for that. How do you think Luke’s teeth stay so perfect?” Ashton grins. “Besides, if you really felt strongly enough about it to put your foot down, we’d listen. We know the difference when you’re saying something because you mean it, and when you’re just saying it because you feel obligated to be the stern dad.”“Someone has to.” Niall grumbles. “She gets away with murder when she’s with you lot. We can’t all be the fun one and let her do whatever she wants.”“Some of us have problems with authority.” Ashton chuckles. “Better get started on that fairy bread, though. He’ll be unbearable if you don’t have it ready. His tantrums make Molly’s look downright pleasant.”“Still haven’t gotten any, have you?” Niall asks with a smirk.“Was hoping you’d change that last night. Don’t know how you resisted Luke, honestly.” Ashton says with a shrug.“Lots of practice.” Niall snorts, turning out of Ashton’s grip and grabbing a few slices of bread out of the bag. “Not the first time you lot have tried this.”“Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve said yes.” Ashton points out, leaning with his elbow on the counter.“Would be since Molly was old enough to get out of her bed and walk down the hall and see something.” Niall counters, running his knife through the butter to start making Luke’s horrible concoction. “We all agreed to put up those boundaries for a reason.”“No, you decided to put up those boundaries, and we let you.” Ashton replies, reaching up into the cabinet and grabbing out the bottle of hundreds and thousands, setting them down for Niall. “Something we’ve all come to agree was a mistake. Letting you close us out was the wrong choice.”“Not for me.” Niall says firmly, grabbing the bottle and sprinkling them out over the buttered bread. “Because it’s not the same for me as it is for you. You know that they’re not coming to get you and Luke and put you back into that life, no matter how many times that fear creeps in. But I don’t get that relief. I don’t get to know that nothing is going to happen to Molly, and she is the most important person in my world. I don’t get to ever grow complacent, because that’s when I make mistakes. When I think everything is alright, that I can relax and be happy, is when everything comes crashing down.”“She must have been a real monster to mess you up this much inside.” Ashton whispers, pressing a kiss to Niall’s shoulder again. “I’m going to go check on the little bird.”“She’s not going to wake up for another half hour or so.” Niall mumbles, setting Luke’s treat to the side. “I’m going to go for a walk. Forgot some things at the cabin last night, so I’ve got to grab those if we’re going to be staying here.”“I’ll keep an eye on her if she gets up before you get back.” Ashton says quietly. “And, before you say it, I’ll make something healthy for breakfast. Bran and vitamins all the way.”“Just keep the sugar content beneath a hundred grams, please.” Niall scoffs, heading for the living room to grab a shirt. “And give Luke that kiss for me. Don’t feel like dealing with a tantrum when I get back.”“Just pucker up when you get home and make it good, because I’m not going to get you out of that one.” Ashton says with a laugh.“So unhelpful.” Niall says with a smile over his shoulder. “How can you expect to get me on board when you don’t even have my back?”“Well, I suppose, if you give me a kiss to pass along, I can try and pacify him.” Ashton smirks.“Come here then.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes, turning his body back towards Ashton, who practically sprints across the distance between them. Ashton leans in, like he’s afraid Niall will change his mind, but that’s because he doesn’t know what’s on Niall’s mind. He turns his head at the last second and presses his kiss to Ashton’s cheek, making the Aussie groan before he says, “You all should take it as a compliment, you know. Because I love you all so much that I can’t imagine being happier than I would be with you, and if anything was different, anything at all, I’d never dream of saying no.”“Maybe someday.” Ashton murmurs, returning Niall’s kiss to his cheek.“Maybe someday.” Niall agrees. “Da!” Molly cries as soon as Niall steps through the door, running across the room as fast as her little legs will carry her. She collides with his leg, burying her face in his hip, and wails, “Ashton is being mean to me!”Niall shoots a look across the room at Ashton, who just rolls his eyes in response, so Niall is forced to ask, “How is he being mean, lovebug?”“He’s trying to make me eat pig slop!” Molly shrieks, pulling a laugh out of Luke from somewhere that Niall can’t see at the moment.“It’s oatmeal.” Ashton says calmly. “With berries.”“That’s not what Luke said.” Molly mutters, hiding behind Niall’s leg. “He said that it’s pig slop.”“Of course he did.” Niall sighs. “Lovebug, would Ashton do that to you?”“It’s gross.” Molly whines.“Alright. Whatever.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I have to help Cal open the café, so we’ll just get you something there.”“I’m coming with you?” Molly gasps. “I have to get dressed!”“Hurry up, lovebug.” Niall chuckles, handing her the bag of things he’d gathered in his second go-through, when he didn’t have exhaustion and irritation buzzing around his brain, or an angry Calum tapping his foot in the corner. “I’m leaving in five minutes, and, if you’re not ready, you’re going to stay here with Ashton and eat that oatmeal.”“Ugh!” Molly groans, rushing out of the room. “Boys!”“Is she complaining about us, or asking for help?” Ashton questions.“I’ll just go help with her hair to make sure.” Luke grins, peeking around the corner from the kitchen before sprinting off after her down the hallway.“I suppose he wasn’t satisfied with the kiss you passed on?” Niall sighs.“Not entirely.” Ashton snorts. “I told you it probably wouldn’t work.”“Well, this is a genius master plan on his part, and he’s smarter than I’ve ever given him credit for.” Niall grumbles, setting his bag down next to the one he’d brought for himself last night.There’s not much in this one, just the books he had on his nightstand and his shaving kit and a gun that Ashton, Calum and Luke will kill him if they find out he has here. Given Luke’s propensity for snooping, Niall’s decided to put it in a box under a couple of magazines full of naked women. That should keep him out.“He has his moments.” Ashton nods. “He’s more than just a smart ass with the best ass.”“Speak for yourself.” Niall scoffs. “My ass is as good as his.”“I’d have to see it again to be sure of that.” Ashton smirks. “No covering. Have to be sure you haven’t padded.”“You’re usually the subtle one.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes.“Yeah, well- Subtle hasn’t been working, so I figured I’d try a more direct tactic.” Ashton hums.“Compare results with Luke. That’s his tactic, and it’s just as ineffective.” Niall says flatly.“Then maybe I’ll try Calum’s method instead, and just kiss you because I’m jealous.” Ashton replies, smugger than ever. “Haven’t seen him get that worked up in a long time. The witch must have really been flirting with you hard for him to act like that.”“There was no flirting.” Niall says adamantly. “I was just obviously pissed, and he was trying to get under my skin. Calum misjudged that, and, even if he hadn’t, you’re all pretty sure I’m going to try and kill him, so what is there to be jealous of?”“He’s attractive. You’ve not gotten any in a few, what- Years, now?” Ashton points out, like that’s any kind of point.“So I’m gonna fuck the single greatest threat to my life and daughter that I’ve ever encountered?” Niall hisses. “Because that’s what he is! I wouldn’t notice if he was the most attractive bloke on earth, because he has the potential to destroy everything for me!”“Okay!” Ashton says, throwing his hands up in surrender. “Sorry I brought it up!”“Never, ever, would I fuck the witch.” Niall growls out. “Considering how badly you three want me to join you, you’d think you’d know me better.”“We used to.” Ashton argues. “But who you are seems to change from moment to moment, sometimes, Niall. Sometimes we see the lad we fell in love with. The funny, charming guy who remembered how to smile, even when he was so broken inside he kept looking for new ways to get himself killed. The one who wanted to be better and stronger, but knew that that didn’t mean cutting himself off from everything around him.“And then sometimes we see this. This pissed off, cold, unbelievably guarded guy who can’t have anyone within arm’s reach. And I don’t know how it happened, because you managed to clean yourself up and sober up and stop going looking for fights, but you’re more broken than ever.”“Molly has magic!” Niall snarls. “That’s how it happened! I have to spend the rest of her childhood on guard. Because she has magic, and that means I have to do more to protect her than I ever would have if she was- If she was normal. If she was like us, I could teach her how to blend into this world, how to get by. But she had to be like her mother, who could have taught her what she needed to know, if she hadn’t abandoned us. It happened because her magic changed everything, and I had to change to keep up, and to keep her safe.”“Have you ever thought that maybe keeping her isolated and ignorant about her powers isn’t the best way to keep her safe?” Ashton counters.“She’s my daughter, Ashton.” Niall says firmly. “You guys may love her, and take care of her, and you can never begin to understand how much I thank you guys for everything you’ve done for us, but don’t ever make that mistake. Don’t ever think you get to decide how my daughter is parented.”“That’s not-” Ashton starts before the sound of tiny feet coming down the hall cut him off.“Da!” Molly shrieks excitedly, allaying the fear in Niall’s heart that she might have heard the argument. “Luke says Cal is making a new recipe for me!”“Well, let’s go see if he’s got it right then.” Niall smiles down at her rubbing her cheek with his thumb, because she’ll throw a fit if he ruins the little bun Luke’s put her hair up into. “I’m sure it’ll be amazing, since you’re his inspiration.”“And full of chocolate.” Luke grins.“Luke- I know you’ve got a lesson, but can you take Molly after they finish breakfast?” Ashton asks, making Niall’s head snap around.“Why?” Luke asks before Niall can.“Because Niall and I have something to work out.” Ashton tells him. “It’s time for a session. And make sure Cal has his kit on standby.” “Ash?” Niall calls out when he steps through the door to the gym. The tarps have been pulled off the windows, letting light in to shine on the old ring and bags and weights around the room.It used to be Niall’s place to run, before one opened up in Plymouth and pulled all the business from the outlying areas around the village. He gets to open it up sometimes in the summer, if he has any customers that want to work out on their holidays, but he didn’t this past year. Now that the lads have opened the café, there’s not enough staff to go around. This place is just for Niall to keep himself in sparring shape now.“Put on your gear.” comes a grunt from Niall’s left as Ashton emerges from the closet, tossing Niall a mesh bag with gloves and bandages, along with some clothes for working out.“You’re this pissed about me telling you that I’m going to parent Molly how I see fit?” Niall asks, dropping the bag to his feet and stripping off his shirt.“I’m not pissed, Niall.” Ashton says quietly, tossing his pads into the ring. “If I was, you wouldn’t be the one with the gloves.”“Then what is this about?” Niall questions, shimmying his trousers off and grabbing the pair of cutoffs from the bag.“You’re angrier than I’ve seen you since that night.” Ashton whispers, barely loud enough for Niall to hear across the space between them. He doesn’t need to say which night.It’s the night that he discovered Molly’s magic.
“What are you doing?” a voice asks behind Niall. It doesn’t stop him from shoving clothes in his bag.
“Packing.” Niall says gruffly.
“Another one of your little ‘trips’?” Ashton scoffs.
“Something like that.” Niall mutters.
“Don’t lie to me, Niall.” Ashton sighs. “You never pack anything when you go on one of your benders.”
“Shouldn’t you be watching Molly?” Niall asks sharply. “Luke said you’d be there.”
“Luke also said that you were acting manic, so I decided to check in on you. Luke can handle Molly.” Ashton tells him.
“Calum can handle Molly. You two will be lucky if you can handle her together.” Niall scoffs.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ashton questions, stepping up next to Niall and putting his hand on top of the suitcase to keep Niall from putting anything else in it.
“Means she’s a fuckin’ witch.” Niall spits out, turning to glare at Ashton. “Just like her fuckin’ mother.”
“She- She what?” Ashton stutters out. “She’s a witch? Her mother was a witch?”
“Did I forget to mention that?” Niall snorts, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed and grab the bottle of whiskey he’s almost drained. “Yeah, the bitch was a witch.”
“Okay, I’m coming back to that later, but- Niall, where are you going?” Ashton questions.
“No idea.” Niall admits before tipping back the bottle and draining what’s left. “Away. There’s gotta be some fuckin’ place out there without any magic users.”
“And how long are you going to be gone?” Ashton asks, even though there’s no need. Niall can tell from his tone that he already knows Niall isn’t coming back.
“Get back to Molly, Ashton.” Niall says quietly. “She’s gonna need you. You’re the sensible one.”
“She’s going to need you!” Ashton growls out, grabbing the neck of the bottle and throwing it behind himself so that it shatters against the wall in a shower of glass. Niall doesn’t even flinch, nor does he react when Ashton’s fist winds its way into his collar and yanks him back up off of the bed. “You’re her father!”
“Didn’t sign up for that.” Niall scoffs. “Especially a witch.”
“Who gives a fuck if she’s a witch?” Ashton asks harshly.
“I can’t do it!” Niall yells, wrenching Ashton’s hand away and pushing him back. “I can’t raise a fucking witch!”
“So you’re just going to abandon her because she’s different from what you thought she was?” Ashton spits out. “She’s magical, so you don’t love her anymore?”
“It’s not about not loving her.” Niall mutters. “I- I can’t do it, Ashton. Not a witch. There’s nothing in my life that magic has touched that it hasn’t destroyed.”
“What about Cal?” Ashton scoffs. “He’s magical.”
“Cal fucking owned you!” Niall laughs, feeling his already strained grip on his self-control slip just a little bit further. “His family literally owns people. And then, because he’s a no-mani, they sent him to live on the other side of the planet and let him take you and Luke so he wouldn’t embarrass the family. If he’d been like Molly, you’d both still be slaves.”
“But we’re not!” Ashton points out angrily. “Because being magical doesn’t make a person a monster. His family owned us, but they were the best kind of owners. They used their resources to give non-magicals the best lives allowed under the law.”
“Their kind made the laws!” Niall shouts. “And it’s not just in Oceania! Look at what they do to us here! They choose the colors of clothing we’re allowed to wear. We have no vote or voice in government. We aren’t allowed to attend higher education without special dispensation. They may not make us be slaves, but we aren’t people to them. I can’t watch her turn into one of them. I can’t do it.”
“Then lead her in a different direction.” Ashton says firmly.
“I made my choice, Ashton.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I can’t do this. I can’t raise a witch.”
“And I can’t just let you walk away from her.” Ashton tells him. “I can’t let her grow up knowing that both of her parents walked out on her. That neither of you loved her enough to stay. You’re going to sleep this off, sober up, and realize how fucking stupid you’re being.”
“Sober or not, I’m not staying. So you might as well just get out of my way now.” Niall says, pulling the zip on his bag closed. He slings it over his shoulder and then turns, but Ashton doesn’t look like he’s moving. “Don’t do this, Ashton. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Can’t say I feel the same at the moment.” Ashton grunts, stepping in close again. “Put the bag down, Niall. I won’t say it again.”
“When you wake up, remember that I tried to do this the nice way.” Niall sighs, dropping the bag back off of his shoulder to land on the ground with a heavy thud that echoes through the room.
Ashton moves first, sobriety a small advantage for his reaction time. He’s sparred with Niall enough to know that Niall will swing with his left first, and grabs ahold of that wrist with a grip like a vice. He’s bigger than Niall, more muscular too, but Niall was taught to fight by someone much larger and stronger than Ashton. Someone who knew what they were doing.
His grip doesn’t last long, because Niall grabs back with the hand Ashton has seized to keep that arm in place, while simultaneously grabbing the other to make sure it stays out of the way. Niall’s knee comes up fast, catching Ashton in the stomach and making him double over and let go of Niall’s wrist.
Niall takes the opportunity to clasp his hands together over Ashton’s head and bring his elbows down on the back of it, dropping him to the ground. It shouldn’t be a hard-enough blow to cause too bad of a concussion. If he wakes up in the next ten minutes or so, he’ll be perfectly fine, minus a pretty bad headache.
Niall crouches down and rolls Ashton over onto his side, grimacing at the blood leaking out of his nose. That won’t be nice to look at for a while, will probably give Molly a fright when it turns purple, but it’ll heal fine. It doesn’t look crooked, at least. Niall checks Ashton’s pulse, makes sure he’s able to breathe well enough through the busted nose, then picks up his bag.
He barely makes it out of the bedroom before he hears a sputtering cough and then Ashton groaning out, “Get back here, Horan.”
“Stay down, Ashton.” Niall mutters. “You’re going to hurt enough tomorrow, as is.”
“Not half as bad as I’ll hurt if you’re gone.” Ashton says quietly. “And not anywhere nearly as badly as Molly will if she wakes up day after day without you. You’re going to have to do a lot more than that to keep me from trying to stop you.”
“Damn it, Ashton.” Niall whimpers, opening the side pocket on his bag with his right hand while fishing out the weapon concealed inside with his left. He raises the gun in time with his turn, training it on Ashton’s chest as he says, “I said to stay down.”
“You’re not going to shoot me.” Ashton says with a waver to his voice that betrays his façade of confidence as he steps forward.
Niall makes a minute change of in the position of his wrist to make sure his aim is accurate, then squeezes the trigger without hesitation. The noise rips through the room like a crack of thunder as the bullet passes Ashton’s cheek and digs itself into the wall.
“You get one warning shot.” Niall says fiercely. “You know who I am. You know where I come from and what I’ve done. Don’t think for a second that the help you’ve given me or the fun we’ve all had will stop me from taking you down if you’re going to stand in my way. My decision is final, and, if I have to, I will make sure you stay down this time.”
“You’re that afraid of her?” Ashton asks weakly, taking another step forward. “You’d kill someone who loves you just so you can abandon your daughter?”
“I know how and where to shoot you to make sure you stay down without killing you. It’ll hurt, but you’ll live.” Niall tells him. “Your calf, your thigh, your foot, your ass- Any of them will let me put you out of commission without killing you. I don’t want that, though, Ash. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“But you will.” Ashton says softly. “Niall, I – I love you. We love you. Molly loves you. How can you not see how much it’s going to hurt all of us if you leave? A bullet wound might heal, but how can you not see that you’re going to leave an open wound in each and every one of us if you do this?”
“How can you not see that I’m not capable of handling this?” Niall counters angrily, gritting his teeth as Ashton comes another step towards him. “I- Fuck! I’m twenty-one, Ashton! I don’t know how to do any of this!”
“That’s what we’re here for!” Ashton snaps. “We’re here to help you, Niall! You’re not in this alone!”
“You’re not enough!” Niall rages. “Barbara was the one who should have been doing this! She’s the one who would have understood! She’s the one who could have done it properly! But she ran off and left me with a baby! I didn’t sign up for that! I just wanted a fuckin’ fling, not a lifetime wrapped up in this magical bullshite!”
“Well, that’s too fucking bad!” Ashton yells back at him. “Molly exists, whether you planned on it or not!”
“If she gets to walk out, why don’t I?” Niall asks, his voice cracking as he lowers the gun. “How am I supposed to be the one to do this?”
“By loving her enough to stay with her, even though it’s going to be hard.” Ashton says gently, stepping forward into Niall’s space and reaching slowly for the gun.
“I can’t do it.” Niall breathes out, taking a gulp before he lashes out with the fist that doesn’t have the gun and hitting Ashton in the throat, taking him by surprise. Ashton gasps in a rattling breath and reaches up to cover his neck, and Niall takes the opportunity to bring the butt of the gun crashing into his temple.
Ashton’s body crumples to the ground in a heap of limbs, and Niall stands over him with the gun raised to make sure he doesn’t try anything again. There’s a whistle to his breathing, ragged and weak, that makes Niall curse out a breath before shoving his gun in his bag and doing something he knows he’ll regret.
It takes a while to get Ashton to the bookstore. He’s so fucking big that it makes even the short distance down the road a hassle for Niall, trying to carry Ashton on his back. He gets there, though, covered in sweat and aching deep down in his muscles. He’s going to feel this for days.
“What the fuck happened to him?” Calum asks, scurrying around the counter when Niall makes it through the door.
“He got in my way.” Niall grunts out, lowering him onto the old couch in the corner. “I hit him hard enough to put him down once, but he got back up and made me do it again. I think he’s got blood in his throat, because he’s breathing strangely.”
“What the fuck, Niall?” Calum growls.
“I brought him here, didn’t I?” Niall says harshly. “I could have left him there. I don’t want anything to happen to him, so maybe you should stuff the lecture up your arse and help him instead.”
“Keep back.” Calum mutters, putting his hand to Niall’s shoulder and pushing him back harshly. “Just get me my bag and stay away from him.”
Niall doesn’t argue, heading straight for the little room in the back where Calum keeps his medicinal supplies. When he showed up in Saint Martine, with a wallet full to bursting and two freed slaves, people were wary of the three of them. It didn’t take long for him to find a balance with the village, though.
Calum is lower than the lowest level of magician, barely magical at all. He has no inherent powers, and can’t actually make his magic take any forms. He can’t make a fireball appear any more than Niall can, and he has no particular ability to even sense magic. What he can do, though, is make potions. In particular, he focuses on healing poultices, potions that will restore people to health from illness or injury.
He bought the trust of a small village through means of giving them a healer that they’d otherwise have to travel to a city to find, and he does it for free, because that’s who Calum is.
He’s the bloke who rebuilds a village with his own funds so that it doesn’t collapse into ruin. He’s the lad who gets out of bed any time, day or night, to help anyone who needs him. He’s the person who finds a drunken twenty-year-old on the doorstep of his pub who hasn’t eaten in two days so that his baby could, and gives him a job and a home and the first taste of safety he’s had in longer than he can remember.
He’s the beating heart of Saint Martine, and better than Niall deserves.
“Here.” Niall says quietly once he has the bag, handing it off to Calum while keeping his distance from Ash.
“Stay right there, because you’re going to give me answers as soon as Ashton is out of danger, and, if you make me hunt you down to get them, I will make you regret it.” Calum grunts out.
He leans down and listens to Ashton’s breathing, going still and sucking the air out of the room with his quiet fury. Ashton must be worse off than Niall thought, because Calum doesn’t reach for one of the bottles he can pour down Ashton’s throat. Instead, he grabs a jar of cream that he applies to Ashton’s skin. That means Niall must have collapsed his throat.
“You could have killed him.” Calum whispers, eyes closed as he lays his ear on Ashton’s chest and listens to his lungs. “You almost did, Niall.”
“I warned him.” Niall tells him. “I gave him every chance to walk away without a fight.”
“And that makes it okay?” Calum asks angrily, shooting a glare at Niall. “Where were you trying to go that it was important enough to do this to him for trying to stop you?”
Niall never gets a chance to answer, though. The bell over the door rings, and he turns to tell the customer to leave before he gets the chance to take in the sight. He doesn’t actually need to see it for the words to die in his throat, though, because his entire body attunes itself to the wailing cries by instinct before he can see them.
“Oh, thank fuck you’re here.” Luke says, just barely loud enough to be heard over Molly’s screams. “She’s burning up, and she won’t stop crying.”
Niall knows that cry, knows the way Molly’s hand is balled up by her head and how she shakes it. He knows what it means, and he reaches out for her, taking her out of Luke’s hands and resting her ear on his chest.
She calms down immediately, Niall’s heightened body-temperature from the walk doing wonders for her ear infection, even if it isn’t going to help her fever.
Her hand curls into his shirt, and she whimpers out, “Da.”
“You have to let it drain out.” Niall says quietly, kissing the crown of her head. “Body heat will help draw it out. She can’t use ear drops because the fluid gets caught in there and it hurts even more.”
“Da. Ew.” Molly says again, quieter this time, around the fist she tucks in her mouth.
“It’s okay, lovebug.” Niall whispers. “Da is right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
He knows it’s true the second the words are out of his mouth. No matter how unprepared he is, Molly is more unprepared. She’s on a path that Niall can’t see in front of her, but he can’t let her walk it alone. He can’t do what Barbara did. He can’t leave her, because he’s all she has to protect her from the world outside this village, and he’ll die before he lets it destroy his daughter.
Niall pulls the shirt on over his head, the rest of that night fading into a blur that lasted days as Niall detoxed in a locked room with a mattress on the floor and nothing else. He hasn’t had a drink since, though they all know that that wasn’t the source of his problem. His weakness was. His fear got the better of him, and almost led him and Molly into ruin.“I’m not planning on going anywhere, if that’s what you’re afraid of.” Niall says softly, looking up at Ashton in the ring. “You know that’s not me anymore, Ashton.”“I know.” Ashton agrees. “But I don’t know that you’re not going to lose it again. I’m giving you a chance to let this anger out before you reach your boiling point again. Not some ten-second spat with a magician, but a vent session on the pads, and then a sparring match once you’ve exhausted yourself a little and won’t put me out of commission for a couple days.”“Better be sure about this before I get in the ring.” Niall tells him. “I don’t want them freezing me out for months all over again. Took ages to get them to trust me after last time.”“Well, try not to nearly kill me this time.” Ashton snorts. “I talked about this with Cal yesterday, after he told me about the magician. You clearly need some release, and we tried to give that to you last night, but you shut us down. This was the next thing in line.”“And what if I refused?” Niall asks.“Next we planned on trying to give you some macaroni and glue. Luke’s idea.” Ashton laughs.“I’d stick it to his face when he takes one of his naps.” Niall grins.“Seems fair.” Ashton grins. “Wraps or gloves?”“Wraps for pads, gloves for sparring.” Niall decides, grabbing one of the rolls of fabric and setting to work on his left hand first, since he can afford to lose the dexterity there more than in his right.“How long has it been since you opened this place up?” Ashton asks, making conversation while Niall wraps.“Broke the bag back in January.” Niall admits sheepishly. “Luke was being a tease. Sat there watching me with a lolly in his mouth, and, well- I had to focus really hard on other things.”“I’ve been there.” Ashton hums. “There was a time back in Oceania that I was tending to Calum’s father, and Cal put Luke up to cleaning the pool in these little elastic- Never mind. Anyways, I ended up dropping a whole tray of champagne flutes. I got punished, and passed it on to the both of them that night. None of us were sitting for a week after that.”“Did they- Calum’s parents, did they ever-” Niall asks, trailing off.“No.” Ashton says, shaking his head. “We weren’t those kinds of slaves. They could have lent us out to their friends, used us for themselves or business negotiations, but they never did. We grew up with Cal, and I think they wanted to shield him from the reality of things. So, we just cooked and cleaned and served however we were told to. What about you?”“A few times.” Niall admits. “Missions weren’t always easy. Sometimes the fastest route to the end-goal was in a fuck.”“Was that before or after Barbara left?” Ashton asks.“After.” Niall grunts out, finishing the wrap on his left hand and picking up the next roll. “I didn’t have the luxury of time once Molly was born. If I couldn’t B-and-E my way into getting the objective, or raid my way to it, then I had to try subterfuge.”“Why don’t you ever tell Cal or Luke about that time?” Ashton asks.“Because Luke is an innocent, as filthy-minded as he is.” Niall says with a soft smile. “And Cal needs to see the good in people almost as much as I need him to see the good in me. I don’t know if I could face him ever again if he knew about everything I did back then. But you-”“What about me?” Ashton asks after Niall falls quiet.“If you didn’t have them, you could have turned out like me.” Niall whispers. “You get this part of me. You understand the anger in a way they don’t, because, despite Calum having the status and the wealth, you’re the one who protects them. All my life, I’ve been fighting for something or other, and so have you. You were just lucky enough to have them be what you fight for.”“I learned that not everything has to be a fight, Niall.” Ashton says gently. “What I fought for was happiness for myself and them. It’s okay to just be happy.”“Happiness isn’t what I’m fighting for.” Niall says, looking up at Ash as he finishes the second wrap. “Molly is. Her safety- Her innocence. Her right to exist as something other than just another cog in the empire. I want her to have the one thing that I never had any chance at in this world.”“And what’s that?” Ashton questions.“A choice.” Niall tells him, pushing himself up and climbing into the ring. “All I want for her is to let her be the one who decides the life she lives. If she chooses to follow that path when she’s older, at least she’ll have had the chance to choose that, instead of just being molded into what they want her to be.”“And you don’t think the way you shield her from all of that is keeping her from making that choice without bias?” Ashton asks.“When the time comes, I’ll find the right person to tutor her.” Niall admits. “I don’t plan on suppressing her powers forever. I just want to keep her away from the academies, where I’ll see her for six weeks a year for the next six. Private tutoring means that she can learn at her own pace, and, when she’s twelve, I’ll let her decide if she wants to go to school instead, because she’ll be tested for her license. I’m not stupid, Ashton. I know I can’t keep her unregistered forever. I’ve spent a lot of time looking into this.”“First time I’ve heard a plan.” Ashton points out, putting his arms up so that the pads are between them as Niall weaves back and forth, the foam of the floor stirring him into action on instinct.“You haven’t asked.” Niall grunts out, throwing a light jab into the pad with his left, feeling the familiar squish of the padding as Ashton pushes back to distribute the force.“Should I have to?” Ashton fires back as Niall takes another shot with his other hand.“Probably not.” Niall says through a huffed-out breath as he lets out a four-punch barrage, three with his left and one with his right. “But it’s not exactly something I like discussing. Too much risk and uncertainty.”“How are you going to find her a tutor?” Ashton asks as Niall whirls around and brings his left leg up in a kick that Ashton sees coming without even having to focus. They’ve sparred so many times that he knows Niall’s warm-up by heart, even though it’s been ages. “Look at how you react to the first witch to roll into town in a year.”“I’m going to look into some in Bath.” Niall explains, throwing a right-left combo at the pads and then bringing his knee up to strike again. “I need someone I can trust. And there’s something off about that witch.”“None of us have sensed anything from him.” Ashton argues, cuffing Niall in the ear when he lets his guard drop on the right. “Stop going easy on me, Horan.”“Well how am I supposed to focus on this and your questions at the same time?” Niall growls, throwing an extra hard jab into the pad, right below where he knows Ash’s wrist is.“I’ve seen you juggle the Cal, Luke and I all in one conversation, while changing Molly’s diaper with one hand and picking her outfit with another.” Ashton snorts. “You can multi-task like it’s a witch power.”“And you piss me off like that’s one, lately.” Niall grits out, letting loose a frenzy of punches against the pads that send Ashton reeling back into the ropes before he bounces back.“There we go.” Ashton smirks, smacking the pads together before holding them back up. “Stop holding back and let it out, Niall. That’s the whole point of this. It does no good if you hold back.”“You realize you’re going to get me punished by Luke and Cal, yeah?” Niall asks. “If you keep pushing for a reaction, you’re going to get one.”“I find the witch charming.” Ashton hums. “And that scar is dead sexy.”“I take no responsibility for this.” Niall grunts out, putting his gloves back up and lunging forward.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I hate you.” Ashton groans, rotating his shoulder until it pops loudly enough to make Niall wince.“You brought it on yourself.” Niall says flatly, tossing Ashton a bag of frozen peas identical to the ones he’s got pressed to the right side of his jaw. “I gave you plenty of warning.”“Well you’ve never turned into a fuckin’ hurricane before when we spar.” Ashton huffs, shooting a glare at Niall through the one eye he can open. “I couldn’t even see half of the hits you threw at me.”“Should’ve shut up then, shouldn’t you?” Niall snarks.“You sure you’re not magical?” Ashton asks with a smirk. “I’m pretty sure you’re a demon.”“Don’t call me that.” Niall grunts out. “Not that.”“Why?” Ashton questions.“Because that was my freelancer handle.” Niall mutters. “That’s what they called me. DOL, ‘The Demon of London’.”“Dramatic little arsehole, weren’t you?” Ashton snorts.“Wasn’t what I would have picked.” Niall says dryly, dropping onto the ground next to Ashton and pressing his back against the wall. “Got it after my first job post-Barbara. It was a raid. I got cornered by these two agents, and- Let’s just say I escaped intact, and they were each missing a few pieces.”“Fuck.” Ashton breathes out.“It was me and a knife with two witches standing between me and my baby.” Niall shrugs. “I didn’t kill them. They got off pretty easy, actually. Just took a finger off of one and the ear off another.”“You have some severe issues. You know that, right?” Ashton grins. “Taking trophies? Definitely earned that handle.”“I- I didn’t bloody keep them!” Niall sputters.“Then what was it that earned you that title?” Ashton asks with a chuckle.“When I got back to the safe house, I was kind of covered in their blood.” Niall admits. “The rain washed away the trail I would have left, but it didn’t clean me up, so I had blood on my hands and face. And one of the other freelancers saw me, this skinny, pissed off teenager, cut the body parts off of two agents in under five seconds. He wouldn’t stop running his mouth, and the crew I was running with kept calling me that until it stuck.”“You’ve never talked this much about your past without a bottle to your lips before.” Ashton says quietly, resting the side of his face he doesn’t have the peas on against Niall’s shoulder.“Figured I might buy some goodwill from you before we face the others.” Niall huffs out. “I answer your questions, you tell them not to slip laxative potion into my food again.”“You get it out?” Ashton asks.“Some of it.” Niall nods. “It’ll be enough to get me by until the witch leaves, and then I can relax.”“He’s rented that cabin for a few weeks.” Ashton says quietly. “About a month, actually.”“Then I might need to kick your arse a few more times.” Niall sighs, dropping his head back against the wall to stare at the ceiling. “How could you rent to a witch this close to the day?”“Our booking agent handles all of that.” Ashton mumbles. “There’s also a non-discrimination policy. Can’t exactly keep the village afloat by turning away customers. Besides, turning away witches would bring scrutiny on the village that would be worse than one witch.”“Just wish you guys had closed them all up.” Niall says quietly.“If we’d known, you know we would have.” Ashton says, sliding his fingers between Niall’s and lifting his head up. “I don’t know what else to do to make you feel safe, Niall, but if you just tell me-”“Just tell me it’s going to be okay.” Niall whispers, turning and catching Ashton’s nose with his own.“It’ll be okay.” Ashton murmurs, pressing their foreheads together.Niall closes the gap between their lips, sighing softly against Ashton’s mouth as he melts into the familiarity.It doesn’t last long, more than a peck but less than a proper snog. It doesn’t lead to torn off clothes and a quick, hard fuck on the dirty gym mats, like it used to back in the day. Just a moment to say that he’s putting his trust in Ashton’s instincts, because they haven’t led him astray so far.“Luke’s gonna be really jealous now.” Ashton giggles when they separate.“Guess I owe him one, now that you and Cal have gotten one.” Niall hums. “Gotta make it even.”“I kind of hope he seduces you, because then you’ll have to shag Cal and I to make it even too.” Ashton grins.“Good luck with that.” Niall snorts. “We should close down and get out of here. He’s gonna be corrupting Molly by now, or she’ll have turned him into her pet.”“You go.” Ashton tells him. “I’ll close this place up. You can take her to the shop and open it while I go have Cal make me pretty again.”“Put in a good word for me.” Niall chuckles, bracing his hand on the wall and pushing himself up. He drops his bag of peas in Ashton’s lap and adds, “And put those back in the freezer. Gotta have something in there worth keeping the electricity going to this place.”“Emergency peas.” Ashton says sagely, nodding along.“Idiot.” Niall scoffs, heading towards the door after grabbing his jacket off the ground.He’d changed after the sparring match, prefers the way the pain feels stronger with the tightness of his jeans pressing against his bruises. He feels different than he has in a while, more awake and aware. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really seem to be the case.He’s only a few steps out of the gym when a hand taps against his shoulder. He doesn’t expect it, but his body jumps into action before he can process it. His hands wrap around the wrist of the appendage, and he yanks hard while crouching, flipping the offender over his back and onto the ground.He sees the bright shock of red against black and lets go of the wrist in his hands before he processes that the color is just the fabric, and not a spurt of blood. Still, the witch is looking up at him, dazed, and Niall almost wishes it had been a neighbor he’d attacked instead.“Sorry- Fuck.” Niall grunts out, crouching down. “I didn’t– I didn’t know.”“My fault.” the witch groans out, rolling onto his back. “Should’ve announced myself.”“I mean- Yes, you should have, but it’s still my fault.” Niall mumbles. “Apparently my reflexes are still in high gear. Just got finished with some boxing training.”“So the gym is open then?” the witch asks, pushing himself up on his elbows.“Not at the moment.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I use it because I run the place, but it’s not open to the public anymore because there’s no demand. Place opened up in Plymouth, down the road, so I only open it in the summer if we have people who want to use it.”“Any chance you’ll open it for me?” he requests.“Any chance you won’t report that to the police?” Niall fires back at him.“Told you-” the bloke says with an easy smile. “It was my fault. Nothing to report.”“I’ll have a key left at your cabin by tomorrow. I work too much to come down and open it for you, but you can come and go as you please.” Niall agrees reluctantly. No matter what the witch says, Niall can’t afford to piss him off and bring an investigation down on him and Molly. His hands are tied. “The hanging bag is broken, but I’ll try to patch it up and get it re-hung in the next few days.”“You- You broke a hanging bag?” the lad asks, eyes going wide. “With your hands?”“It was old.” Niall says with a shrug.“Still- Guess I should count myself lucky I’m all in one piece then.” the witch says with a grin.“Yes, you should.” Niall nods, pushing himself back upright. “The key will be under the mat by the back door to the cabin. The switch for the lights is by the door, but, if you use the place during the day, the light through the windows should be enough.”“You know, a gentleman would offer to help me up.” the witch says, wrapping his forearm around his knee and stretching out his other hand.“Good thing I’m not a gentleman then.” Niall snorts, turning and walking away while he rolls his eyes at the witch’s loud cackle. Niall waits in the reception room until he hears the lesson wrap up, clumsy hands on slender keys, trying their best to make the beautiful music in their mind come alive. Niall always liked music. Can’t play it to save his life, despite the few times that Luke has tried to teach him, but he always likes sitting in the studio and listening to it.Mrs. Huddleston trots out, smiling from ear to ear with her dentures like she always does after a lesson with Luke. Niall thinks she quite fancies him, and it’s no surprise. Luke is as charming with old ladies as he is with any lad he finds fit. There’s nobody he can’t win over.“Da!” Molly giggles, skipping across the room and jumping up onto his lap.“Hey, lovebug.” Niall hums, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Did you have fun with Luke?”“He gave me a lesson between Miss Gilly and Mrs. Huddleston.” Molly says, preening. “He says I’m his best student.”“She learns quickly.” Luke says with a nod from the doorway to the playing room he’s been occupying. “Only one problem for her, and she’ll grow out of it.”“Little hands.” Molly says with a pout, wiggling her fingers in Niall’s face. Niall catches them and pretends to make a show out of munching on them, earning him a shrieking laugh. “Stop! I need them to get bigger, not smaller!”“They’re so tasty looking, though, and I’m famished.” Niall says through a fake groan. “Just gimme a little taste.”“No.” Molly says adamantly, hiding her fingers under her arms.“I’ve got something you can eat.” Luke smirks.“Molls, go practice what Luke taught you today.” Niall tells her, taking Molly off of his lap and setting her back on the ground. “I need to have a word with him for a minute.”“Uh-oh.” Molly sings, skipping back through the room towards the play room as she adds, “Luke’s in trouble.”The door shuts, and Luke throws his hands up and says, “Look, about the whole pig slop thing-” as Niall strides towards him.“Shut up.” Niall grunts out, grabbing Luke by the collar and hauling him into the other studio. Luke may be the tallest of the three, and he’s grown up over the last few years, losing his baby fat and replacing it with a bit of muscle and tone, but he still comes pliantly. Doesn’t have a bit of fight in him, that one.Niall closes the door behind them and pushes Luke up against it, keeping him pulled down by the collar to make up for the half-foot difference in height, murmuring, “I owe you something,” before he crushes their lips together.Luke, to his credit, doesn’t take even half of a second to get on board. He may not have known what to expect, but he reacts with extreme enthusiasm, wrapping his arms around Niall’s neck and his left leg coming up to hook around Niall’s waist. Niall fists his hands in Luke’s hair, knows the blond likes it rough, and is rewarded with a moan that tingles through his entire body, straight into his cock, which is pressed right against Luke’s.And it’s harder to break from it than it was with Ashton or Calum, because they all offered different things. Calum’s was all about stability, putting Niall right after the witch knocked him off balance. Ashton was about comfort, a moment of peace with someone who understands him. But, with Luke, it’s a pure kind of clarity.Everything stops in that moment, the soreness in Niall’s limbs and the tension in his shoulders melt away into nothing. The anxiety built up under his skin flows out, like Luke is sucking it through his lips to let it dissipate in the air. Nothing matters except how fucking good it feels, because it gets to be that simple for a moment.Luke’s always been the best kisser.But Niall does have to breathe sometime, and no moment can last forever. He breaks the kiss with a chuckle at Luke’s resulting whine.“You didn’t bring me in here to fuck me, did you?” Luke sighs, dropping his head back against the door.“Nope.” Niall hums, pressing another light peck to the corner of Luke’s mouth. “Just giving you what I owe you, since the other two have each gotten one now.”“I cannot believe you kissed Ash before me.” Luke huffs, slapping Niall on the arm. “And then you tease me with that. Getting me all riled up with no relief.”“I’ll keep Molly and open the pub so that you three can work something out.” Niall tells him. “But go easy on Ash. He took a bit of a beating.”“Or, we could wait until you get home tonight, and revisit this train of thought.” Luke purrs, trailing his hand down Niall’s torso.“Nice try.” Niall snorts, pushing off the door to step away from Luke, because it’s working at Niall’s resolve too damn much. “But I’m sleeping on the couch tonight. No more repeats of last night.”“The couch is lumpy.” Luke scoffs.“And that bed has three more bodies in it than I’m used to having.” Niall shrugs. “Plus, you snore.”“I do not snore!” Luke hisses, crossing his arms over his chest.“You do.” Niall grins. “And Calum farts, and Ashton has terrible morning breath. Sleeping in the same bed as the three of you is like going to the circus.”“Well- Your facial hair is itchy.” Luke huffs, turning and wrenching open the door. “Molly, it’s time for your mean, old father to leave!”“Did you call him plump again?” Molly asks Niall, looking out from the other room. “He’s not gotten that big, da.”“I am going to get you for this, Horan.” Luke says quietly, narrowing his eyes at Niall. “You will pay in ways that you can’t even imagine.”“Molls- Lovebug- tell him I’ve never said that.” Niall groans.“I don’t know what you mean, da.” Molly giggles, skipping out of the room and towards the studio door. “I’ve heard you talking about how big his butt is a lot.”A pleased grin slides onto Luke’s face, replacing his stormy scowl, and Niall just rolls his eyes and follows Molly out. She’s going to be the death of him, but, as long as he’s still breathing, he’ll make sure she’s not alone. “Da! I don’t wanna!” Molly whines, flailing her feet so her shoes knock against the wood of the bar. “I hate maths!”“That doesn’t excuse you from learning it.” Niall chides, setting down a sheet of paper in front of her with ten addition problems and ten subtraction ones. “You’re too smart of a girl to let your brain go to waste. After you finish maths, we can work on history, if you like.”“At least that’s interesting.” Molly grumbles, taking the pencil Niall hands her and setting to work on her equations while he squeezes his eyes shut and shakes out of his head all the thoughts about how similar she is to her mother sometimes. Barbara was a history professor’s assistant when he met her, going for her Masters in Imperial History.While Molly works on her maths, Niall starts setting up the pub, writing out the specials that Feldy, the cook, gave him for the night. Niall doesn’t know they bother erasing it every night. It’s always the same things. Feldy keeps saying he’s going to try out new recipes, but he can barely make the usual ones edible, so he really shouldn’t experiment.After making the sign, he checks out the levels on their booze supplies and brings out replacement bottles for anything under a quarter. The kegs are good for a while longer, so he doesn’t need to worry about them.“Da, can you check them?” Molly asks, sliding the paper towards him over the bar.Niall scans over the problems, smiling at the curly way Molly writes her numbers because, in some ways, she’s nothing like Barbara. She’s creative, and that’s a quality that Barbara never had. Always straight down to business, that one. You could barely tell her handwriting from a typewriter.“What did you do wrong here?” Niall asks, pointing to the one problem she hasn’t gotten right.“I don’t know.” Molly says with a half-hearted shrug after barely glancing at it.“Molly.” Niall says sternly.“I forgot to carry the one over.” Molly sighs after taking another look. “Sorry.”“You don’t need to be sorry, lovebug.” Niall tells her gently. “Mistakes happen. All that matters is that you learn from them. Next time, you won’t forget, will you?”“No.” Molly grins, shaking her head. “Now can we do history?”“Where did we leave off last time?” Niall asks.“The end of the second great war.” Molly tells him. “But I have a question.”“Go ahead.” Niall nods. He loves it when she asks questions. It’s not like he has a syllabus to teach her from, so it’s easier to teach her when she asks questions, because he doesn’t have to keep it so regimented.“You kept talking about planes and tanks and guns, but you didn’t talk about magic.” Molly explains, cocking her head. “Why didn’t they use magic?”“Because magic didn’t exist yet.” Niall sighs. “Magic only showed up in the world after the war.”“Why?” Molly questions.“Because the Rupture didn’t exist yet either.” Niall says, leaning on his elbows on the counter. “That happened after the bombs were dropped. After America dropped the bombs on Japan, they kept doing tests in their country. The Rupture started to open, and they did some kind of test to try and crack it wider.”“What happened?” Molly asks him.“It worked.” Niall tells her, shaking his head. “But it didn’t react the way that they thought it would. It kept absorbing the energy of the bombs that they were firing at it, and then it released it all at once when it got broken open. It destroyed most of their country and Mexico all at once, because it didn’t just let out the energy from the bombs, but also the magical energy stored behind it. And that’s what kick-started the magical revolution.”“So magic came from the bombs?” Molly asks, scooting forward with a twinkle in her eye.“Magic came from the Rupture.” Niall corrects her. “It affected some people’s genetics- Their cellular structure- And it changed something in them. People like me have twenty-three sets of chromosomes. Magical people’s cellular structure have either twenty-four or twenty-five sets. Those extra sets give them access to the energy from the Rupture, and let them manipulate it.”“Why did it happen to some people, but not others?” Molly asks.“I- I don’t know.” Niall admits. “I was never taught that much about it. I learned most of that from- From some other people, rather than school.”“Was my mum like me?” Molly asks, clearly seeing straight through him.She might as well have slapped him across the face.“Yeah.” Niall breathes out, dropping his eyes down to the bar. “Your mother had magic too.”“Sorry.” Molly mumbles. “You don’t like talking about her.”It’s not a question.“Don’t be sorry, lovebug.” Niall murmurs again, leaning forward and giving her a peck right on the tip of her little button nose. “If you have questions about her, don’t be afraid to ask them. I’ll answer what I can.”“Was she pretty?” Molly asks quietly.“Almost as pretty as you.” Niall chuckles. “She looked like you, but her hair was brown, like mine instead of blond like yours, and it was curly and messy and she always kept it up so it didn’t get in her face. She was tall, for a girl. She didn’t have your taste in clothes, though. She never liked dresses very much. She preferred jeans and a jumper.”“Did you love her?” Molly asks him.“I-” Niall starts before the door unlocks and Calum comes tumbling through.“Molly, go outside.” Calum says firmly. “Ash and Luke are there, waiting for you.”“What’s wrong?” Niall questions after he sends Molly on her way with a nod.“What did you do?” Calum asks, a crazed look in his eye. “You said you weren’t going to do anything!”“I didn’t?” Niall tells him, though his voice goes up at the end like a question, betraying him.“Then why did the witch just come asking if I knew where he could get a pain relief potion?” Calum asks, walking forward and glaring at Niall over the bar. “He said he was thrown on the ground by the surly bloke from last night.”“Okay, that was a mistake.” Niall says, throwing his hands up. “I apologized, I swear. He snuck up on me after the session and grabbed me from behind, and I just reacted.”“You are a migraine.” Calum sighs. “There’s a little throbbing spot behind my eye that I just named after you. Luke is going to come in and work with me tonight. You take Molly back to the house with Ash.”“Calum-” Niall tries.“Not another word, Niall.” Calum cuts him off. “You promised me.”“I didn’t do it on purpose.” Niall says quietly. “Cal, come on- You know I didn’t.”“Do I?” Calum asks harshly.“I’ve never lied to you.” Niall says adamantly. “I’ve kept things from you, yeah, because my privacy is important to me, but I’ve never lied to your face, Calum. I talked it out with the witch, and he’s not going to the police. He says it was his own fault, and I’m going to leave a key to the gym at his cabin later. Was he mad when he talked to you?”“No.” Calum mumbles. “He was- I don’t know. Amused. Called you ‘cute’ and ‘surly’, actually.”“Don’t take your jealousy issues out on me.” Niall snorts.“I’m not.” Calum huffs, crossing his arms over his chest.“Cal.” Niall says knowingly.“Well, he saw me kiss you last night!” Calum groans. “He shouldn’t be calling you cute to my face.”“He’s a bit of a dick.” Niall nods. “And you know full-well that I can’t stand him, so I don’t know why you’ve got your hackles up. You can’t come in here accusing me of assaulting him, and also thinking I’m going to jump into bed with him. You have to stick to one paranoid delusion.”“You did assault him.” Calum grumbles.“Not on purpose, though.” Niall points out. “It’s not like I kicked him while he was down, and it’s his fault for just grabbing my shoulder.”“You’re still going home for tonight.” Calum tells him.“Tonight, because you’re upset.” Niall agrees. “But you aren’t in charge of me, Cal. You don’t make my decisions. I do.”“I know.” Calum nods. “But, if you’re here tonight, it’s not you I’m worried about hitting him.”“That is a phenomenally bad idea on your part.” Niall insists. “Cal, you three need to be very careful around him.”“Why?” Calum questions.“Because I’m not entirely sure I was off about my guess at him being an agent.” Niall admits quietly. “Or military, at the very least. He’s had training in hand-to-hand.”“How do you know?” Calum asks.“Little things.” Niall says quietly. “He knew exactly how to land when I tossed him over my shoulder so that he didn’t get the air knocked out of his lungs. I felt his foot nudge against my leg before I lifted him up, like he was ready to knock my feet out from under me. He grabbed my wrist when I flipped him, and-”“And what?” Calum prompts him when he trails off.“I don’t know.” Niall admits. “I just feel it. That clueless air he’s got around him is an act, at least partially. I know when someone is wearing a mask, and he’s got one on all the time.”“Are you sure I’m the only one being paranoid?” Calum asks.“Just- Just be careful around him, alright?” Niall pleads softly, wrapping his hand around Calum’s. “If I’m just being paranoid, it won’t cost you anything. But- But I might not be there to protect you if you aren’t careful, and you don’t stand a chance against a witch, whether I’m paranoid or not.”“I’ve got more up my sleeve than you give me credit for, but I will.” Calum says, squeezing Niall’s fingers. “Now get out of here. I need to open up, and Molls is taking up my bartender’s attention.”“See you back home.” Niall says with a soft smile. “I’ll give Molly an extra kiss for you, since you just came in like a grump and sent her out.”“You’re the best, darling.” Calum hums. “But don’t think I didn’t hear about the kisses you gave Luke and Ash. I expect one that’s willingly given, when I get home.”“Never ends with you lot.” Niall chuckles, raising up the liftable part of the counter to get out from behind the bar and let Calum pass through. “I have a six-year-old, and she’s not half as demanding as any of the three of you.”“We’ve been spoiled.” Calum snorts, patting Niall on the arse to herd him towards the door. “Which means I expect interest. The longer you wait, the better I’m expecting.”“And if I keep you waiting?” Niall asks.“Eventually you’re just going to have to shag me.” Calum says with a shrug. “Your choice.”“Come here.” Niall snorts, grabbing Calum’s collar and hauling him in.Their lips meet quickly, a smile on each set that melt into each other. Calum’s not quite as desperate as Luke, doesn’t dive straight into the deep end right off the bat. He takes time before his lips part and invite Niall to deepen things. And Niall does, because kissing Calum is always a great thing, and he always forgets how much he enjoys it until they find their way back to this and Niall feels like his toes are floating off the ground from the pure joy that radiates from Calum.Niall breaks the kiss, but pecks Calum’s lips again before murmuring, “There’s your interest, mogul-man.”“Mm, consider yourself paid in full.” Calum hums. “What’s the matter?” Ashton asks, catching Niall staring too long at the bottle of wine in the fridge, next to the leftover roast he’d come in here for. “You’ve barely said a word since we left the pub. Was your talk with Calum that bad?”“Molly asked about Barbara.” Niall admits, taking out the plate and tearing off the plastic on top. “I don’t know what you guys did to distract her, but it must’ve made her forget what she asked, so- Thanks for that.”“What did she ask?” Ashton questions, taking Niall’s plate and popping it into the warming tray in the oven.“If we were in love.” Niall whispers. “And I didn’t know what to say. Because I don’t know how to tell her that I have no idea if any of it was love, or just a series of lies we told ourselves and each other. How do I tell her that?”“You don’t.” Ashton says with a shrug. “You don’t have to tell her that Barbara left at all. Does she know that Barbara was alive the last you knew?”“I’ve never really talked to her about it.” Niall mumbles.“Then tell her that Barbara died.” Ashton offers.“I don’t like lying to her.” Niall mutters, shaking his head.“Isn’t it better than her knowing that Barbara abandoned her?” Ashton questions.“I don’t know.” Niall says, looking up at the ceiling. “But I do know that I can’t keep putting it off. And I know that I haven’t wanted a drink this badly in a very long time.”“Do I need to dump that bottle?” Ashton asks.“If I was going to drink, I already would be.” Niall says, looking over at him. “Don’t worry about me. How are you feeling?”“Calum’s potions did the trick, more or less.” Ashton says with a shrug. “Then they both made sure I got some good relaxation time.”“Good.” Niall chuckles, lifting himself up to sit on the counter while he waits for his food. “Maybe now that you’re all shagging again, you can back off of me. It’s hard enough on a daily basis without you all being extra horny and trying to pull me.”“Well, you have nobody to blame for that except yourself.” Ashton smirks. “Should’ve let yourself go if you didn’t want us trying to pull you. Gotten pudgy and grown a proper bushy beard. You chose to get all masculine and hot.”“You are unbelievable.” Niall laughs. “Fine. I’ll pack on a few kilos and you can all fuck off.”“We’ll see.” Ashton hums. “I doubt it’d really stave us off that much.”“Yeah, I haven’t got much faith it’d work either.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes. “You’re all relentless.”“We don’t make a habit of letting the things we want slip through our fingers, if we can help it.” Ashton says softly, reaching out to brush Niall’s fringe off his forehead. “We wouldn’t have this life if we gave up so easily.”“I’m not something to be collected, Ash.” Niall says, shaking his head to undo what work Ashton’s fingers did. “Molly and I aren’t something to put on your shelf to expand your family.”“Niall, you know that’s not it.” Ashton says, his face crumpling.“Sometimes- Sometimes I don’t know if you guys just want me so you haven’t invested all this effort and emotion for no return.” Niall mumbles, dropping his eyes down.“Niall-” Ashton starts.“You said yourself that I’m not the guy you fell in love with.” Niall reminds him, cutting him off. “That wasn’t wrong, Ash. I’m not the person I was when I got here, and he’s not miraculously going to show back up. I don’t want him to, either. He was weak, and I can’t be weak anymore. He would’ve grabbed that bottle, but, no matter what I want, I wouldn’t.”“Strength isn’t just about denying yourself what you want, Niall.” Ashton scoffs. “It’s not about building walls and placing limits and never letting yourself have anything.”“I’m doing the best that I can.” Niall argues.“You can only do so much alone, Niall.” Ashton says firmly. “You can only handle so much alone. And you’re choosing to be more alone now than you ever were before you packed that bag. You’re choosing to ignore the other options, and, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.”“Because, even if I said yes, Molly is my only priority.” Niall says, looking up at Ashton with watery eyes. “Because I can never give myself over to you three and feel like I have enough left to give her what she needs.”“You wouldn’t be her only father if you said yes, Niall.” Ashton says, squeezing the bridge of his nose and sighing. “Why do you think you’re the only one who wants to protect her? She’s not a consolation prize to us. We adore her, and love her every bit as much as if she was ours.”“But if push comes to shove, who do you choose, Ash?” Niall asks harshly. “If it’s Luke or Cal’s safety on the line, or Molly’s, who do you pick? Because, for me, there’s no choice. I love you all, I really do, but nothing matters to me like she does, and there’s not enough of me to go around to protect all of you.”“We don’t need protecting!” Ashton bites out.“She does!” Niall hisses. “And, if they come for her, the three of you are so utterly unprepared for it. You don’t know what they’re capable of.”“In case you don’t remember, I spent most of my life around powerful witches, Niall.” Ashton says angrily. “I know.”“You spent time with the mock-nobility.” Niall scoffs. “People with influence and people with power are two different things, when it comes to this. What were the Hood’s inherent abilities?”“Mali was plant manipulation, David was foresight, and Joy was energy absorption.” Ashton lists off.“The last mission I took, I faced off against a witch whose ability was to concentrate blades of air so fine that he flayed one of my mates alive from across the room.” Niall mutters. “That’s what an agent is. That’s what these people are capable of, Ashton. They don’t use petty magic. Just a handful of them are the equivalent of an army. They could level a village like this in an hour, unless you know what to do to fight them. Unless you’re willing to pull the trigger, you’ll die. “That’s what Molly has the capability of bringing down on this place, and I don’t see the ability to pull the trigger in any of you. I have to be a soldier, but you guys don’t. You guys don’t have to commit to a life where you may be in a war at any moment.”“We’re already committed, Niall.” Ashton tells him.“No, you just think you are.” Niall replies. “It’s not about if you’re ready to die for Molly, Ash. I know any of you wouldn’t hesitate with that. But, the reality, fucked up as it may be, is that you’d have to be ready to kill for her. I can’t ask that of any of you. That’s not fair to ask any of you.”“You could train me, Niall.” Ashton points out.“No, I can’t.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I can’t be the one responsible for breaking the part inside of you that would keep you from killing someone. I can’t break the good in you, when the bad in me is enough to protect her.”“What happens when it’s not?” Ashton asks.“Then the monster in me will be.” Niall whispers. “Because you’ve never seen me at my worst. I was trained to be a weapon against people who bend the laws of physics. I was trained to be able to kill people who should be able to kill me with a thought.”“Why?” Ashton asks. “As bad as they are sometimes, why would you choose to live like that?”“Who said I had a choice?” Niall mutters. “I wasn’t given one. My father made that choice, and so did the empire. This fucking world and magic made that choice, because there’s a law of physics that nobody, not even a single magician or witch on this planet can bend. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. They have the agents, so the other side has people like me.”“You escaped that world, Niall.” Ashton points out. “You don’t have to be that anymore. You can choose another life, not on one side or the other.”“My choice is this.” Niall tells him. “It’s Molly. It is doing everything I can to keep her out of these wars so that she doesn’t have to become a weapon for anyone. My choice is not to commit myself to anything with the three of you right now, because we’re all safer that way.”“The whole ‘maybe someday’ thing is wearing a bit thin, when it doesn’t feel like someday could ever actually come, Niall.” Ashton sighs. “It feels like we’re just fish on a line that you won’t reel in, but won’t let go, either. Just some sign- Anything at all- that you feel the same way about us that we do about you. That would be enough to make it stop feeling like someday is some joke to you.”“After that night, when I’d cleaned up and gotten sobered up, and knew who I had to be, I bought a couple of bus tickets for Molly and myself.” Niall admits. “I packed a bag for each of us, and I was going to leave in the middle of the night and go to Wales. The empirical influence is minimal, there. The cities aren’t based around magic, and Molly would be easier to hide there. But I couldn’t leave you three. Even though I knew I couldn’t be with you, even though Calum and Luke would barely talk to me, and I was scared out of my mind that one of them was going to report me and Molly, I stayed. “I want someday to come, Ashton. It’s just not now. And if I thought I could be half in and half out- If I could give you more than this without it giving you the idea that I’m ready – I would. But this is the best I can do.”“They never would have reported you two.” Ashton mumbles, leaning in and pressing their foreheads together.“I know that now, but I didn’t then. Not for sure.” Niall says gently. “But I was willing to gun my way through a unit of agents if I got to stay here just a little while longer. My family has never been a family. You guys and Molly are my family. “I know it feels like someday might never come, but- I haven’t given up on it, Ash. I just have to put it on pause for now. And I hate that. Sometimes I want to give up on the whole thing and just be with you guys. Sometimes I sit awake at night and ask myself what the fuck I’m doing. “But then I remember. I remember that Molly needs everything I have to offer. Barbara left, and I’m what she has, despite the fact that I might be the least qualified person in the world to parent her. And it’s not fair to her or you three to try and split myself four ways. But, more than that, Ash, it’s not fair to me to keep trying to push me into something I’m just not ready for. Why can’t ‘not yet’ be enough?”“Because, we’re afraid that, if we give you too much time, ‘not yet’ will turn into ‘not ever’.” Ashton breathes out. “Because it’s been almost four years since the last time you kept us any closer than arm’s length.”“That’s because my arms are full with Molly.” Niall sighs. “I don’t have a free hand to link with you guys right now. And that’s not going to change right away, even if you guys keep pushing. So, I need you to just- Stop. Please.”“Good night, Niall.” Ashton says quietly. “Your back will thank you in the morning if you sleep with your head on the side of the sofa closer to Cal’s chair. It’s more worn out on the other side.”“I’ll keep that in mind.” Niall mumbles, doing nothing to stop Ashton when the Aussie walks away. He doesn’t have it in him to keep arguing this around and around in some fucking circle, and it’s not helping any of them to keep having this conversation. All it’s doing is pushing the lads further away, and making Niall want to reach for the bottle of wine in the fridge, which he can’t stop looking at for a few minutes before he finally turns off the lights and heads out to crash on the couch.But, after the sleep he got last night, it takes him an hour of thrashing around before he realizes he just can’t sleep alone tonight. So he grabs his pillow and makes the long trek down the hallway, sneaking into the room slowly so as not to wake the body in the bed. He settles down easily, and, as if she’s seeking him out as much as he was her, Molly curls into Niall’s side, and his brain finally settles down and lets him sleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Niall leaves the house before anyone wakes up, a wool jumper pulled over his shoulders on his way out the door before the light has even begun to peek over the hills to the west. He left a note for the lads, and one for Molly as well, letting them know he’s decided to open the bakery and give them a morning off. Luke hasn’t got any lessons, and Ashton doesn’t open the store until noon on Saturdays, so Niall can do the heavy lifting and give them all a break. Plus, it gives him a way to avoid any more fighting for a bit, because it feels like that’s all that’s happened lately.But, before he can open the bakery, he’s got to drop his spare key to the gym off at the witch’s cabin. Luckily, it’s half-five in the morning. Nobody else in the village is awake at this time, except the farmers on the outskirts. Tourists come to this place specifically to relax. There are no attractions nearby, no theme-parks or circuses or boardwalks.This place only even still exists because a few hundred people were too stubborn and loyal to move. That, and because Calum saw the beauty in it, and put years into revitalizing it from the ground up, and finding a way to market Saint Martine as a peaceful oceanside getaway from busier lives.Life moves slowly here, and that’s what visitors want, so they sleep in. You’ll get the occasional oddball that prefers the sunrise to the sunset, but they generally aren’t the kind who stumble into the pub at eleven at night and stay for hours, so Niall isn’t worried.It’s brisk out, makes Niall wish he’d borrowed a jacket from one of the lads instead of just bundling up in a jumper and jeans. His boots aren’t insulated, and his socks aren’t wool and he hasn’t bought new clothes for himself in too long for anything he’s got to actually be very warm. Every spare bit of money he makes goes into keeping Molly in new clothes and shoes and books and toys and anything else he can use to distract her from the fact that this isn’t the fucking life she deserves, and that thought is what keeps him warm on days like this one.It doesn’t take long to make his way out of the village and up to the coast, to the last few cottages that haven’t been winterized. It’s Niall’s own fault, really, now that he thinks about it. He’s been too busy stressing out about Molly’s birthday to get around to finishing the cottages. But, in his defense, he didn’t think anyone would be coming this late in the year, and it’s an incredibly stressful time.Today is the last day of this life for him, the one where he’s left being a fugitive behind. Tomorrow comes with presents and celebrations for Molly, and a yoke around Niall’s shoulders that’ll turn him into Atlas. Tomorrow, at midnight, he’ll be a rebel against the empire again, for however long it takes to find a tutor for Molly that’s willing to bend the rules, if not break them.Lying on her registration once he finds a tutor, and saying her latent abilities didn’t manifest before six will be easy enough, but he has to keep those abilities hidden until then. He has to impress upon her the importance of what could happen if she ever uses her powers outside of their house, or the lads’ house. Tomorrow gets to be a good day for her, but, afterwards, she’s going to have to be very careful, and it’s a weight that Niall wishes he could lift off of her shoulders and add to his own.But today- Today, Niall’s shoulders are still at their normal weight. Today, he gets to pretend that everything is okay, minus a small detour near the witch. And, per usual with this particular witch, things don’t go to plan.Niall heads around the back, old habits creeping in to make him move silently by instinct. The backs of all the cottages have their own little fenced in terraces- Calum’s idea- to give tourists a private area to enjoy the outdoors. They’ve each got some furniture and a grill and a fire pit, but generally go unused. There’s always a set of French doors leading out to the terraces, and a mat in front of those doors, which is where Niall slips the key to the gym.If he hadn’t had so much training in stealth, he’d have flinched when the witch’s gravelly voice sparks up from under what Niall thought was just a pile of blankets on one of the chairs, saying, “I thought for sure it’d be one of the tall, Oceanic ones. Didn’t think you’d drop it off yourself.”“I don’t make them clean up my messes.” Niall says flatly, standing back up and turning around. The witch is still invisible to him, even though Niall can pinpoint where he is now, based on his voice. “How did you know it was me? Is your power invisibility, or telepathy?”“I heard your footsteps.” the witch says through a yawn, stretching and shifting the blanket off of his head, arms and shoulders to reveal his messy hair and bare chest while he rubs at his eyes. “They’re taller, and they probably weigh more than you, because they’re bulkier. They make a heavier sound when they take a step, and their strides are longer. You, on the other hand, barely make more noise than a mouse. If it weren’t so quiet out here, I wouldn’t have heard you at all until you set the key down.”“You would have slept through it entirely if you’d been inside.” Niall points out, crossing his arms over his chest. “I maintain these cottages, so I happen to know for a fact that there’s a perfectly comfortable bed in there.”“Got a twinge in my back after our last encounter.” the bloke says with a shrug and a blush visible even in the low light from the sun beginning to peak over the hills. “I talked to the Asian one-”“Maori.” Niall corrects. “His name is Calum, and he’s Maori. They’re Polynesian, and they don’t generally consider themselves to be Asian, or at least he doesn’t.”“Calum. Sorry.” the witch says, nodding. “Calum said he’s all out of any pain tonics, so he’ll have to drop it off today. Only way I’ve been able to sleep comfortably is in this chair, and I didn’t want to miss it when he dropped it off, because I thought he’d be the one to come.”“Decided to give him the morning off, but I also didn’t see anything on the table when I left.” Niall says with a shrug, knowing full well that Calum has multiple pain tonics in every one of his emergency bags that he restocks regularly, the jealous little shit. Niall has never loved him more. “Speaking of which, I have to open up the bakery, so I have to get going. I’m sure Cal will be by later with something for your back. And you should cover up so he doesn’t have to come out here with anything for a cold afterwards.”“I’ll keep my ears open.” the witch says quietly, a small sigh edging on the back of the words as he pulls the blanket back up to cover everything from his nose down.Despite the fact that he doesn’t look back to confirm it, he can feel the witch’s eyes on him as he walks away, and the shiver that runs down his spine this time, he attributes to the cold, autumn wind that kicks up. “How do you make a tool-belt look sexy?” Calum asks with a hum, somewhere behind Niall.“Because you’re staring at my arse, not my belt.” Niall says over his shoulder. “You know- I think you keep this old junker of an oven just so I keep having to fix it, and you have an excuse to ogle me.”“Ovens are expensive.” Calum chuckles. “You’re much cheaper, and the view isn’t bad.”“You know, I can only rig this thing so many times before it just explodes and kills all of us.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes, brushing off his knees as he stands up. “Then give Luke a tool belt, and let him be the fix for your odd jobs man fetish. Get a new oven, or I’m not working in this place anymore, or letting Molls come in here.”“Strip down to nothing but the tool belt, and we’ll talk.” Calum says with a smirk, leaning back on his hands where he’s perched on the counter.“Don’t make me go over your head to Ash.” Niall says, crossing his arms over his chest.“Fine.” Calum drawls out. “I’ll buy a new oven. Give me a few weeks to find one and have it delivered.”“Three at most.” Niall says firmly. “And that would be less, but you’ve managed to put me in a good mood today.”“And how did I do that?” Calum asks with a sly tone, waggling his eyebrows.“You decided to be petty with the witch.” Niall laughs. “And I approve.”“I don’t know what you mean.” Calum says innocently, shrugging his shoulders.“I’m talking about this.” Niall snorts, reaching under the counter and pulling out one of Calum’s bags. He sets it on the counter and pulls out three vials of pain tonic. “You’ve never, in the five years I’ve known you, not been stocked on anything you could need in case someone comes through those doors, asking for your help.”“These-” Calum hums, tapping each vial. “Need to be restocked every Friday. I’ve been a bit busy this week, and I hadn’t gotten around to it.”“You’re forgetting one thing.” Niall says, leaning in closer to Calum. Cal makes a curious grunting noise, and Niall adds, “I happen to know that you restock your bags on Sundays, not Fridays.”“Alright, fine!” Calum groans, throwing his hands over his head. “I was being petty. Happy?”“Incredibly.” Niall hums. “The next month of this is going to be so much easier if at least one of you is on my side in hating him.”“Hate is a strong word.” Calum mutters. “I just don’t feel any rush to put him out of his misery.”“That’s good enough for me.” Niall grins. “He slept on the terrace, you know. Says the chair is the only place he could sleep comfortably. And he was shirtless, so he’s probably going to catch cold and be really miserable.”Calum’s eyes narrow, but he’s interrupted from saying anything else by the bell over the door, and a similarly tinkling laugh and familiar footsteps running across the tiled floor.“Da! Da! Guess what?” Molly giggles as she collides with his leg, wrapping her arms around it. “I got a birthday present early!”“Molly- Little bird- Maybe you should-” Ashton tries, but Luke just grabs his shoulder and shakes his head.That’s- Odd.“What did you get, lovebug?” Niall asks, looking back down at her.“A kiss!” Molly squeals. “My first kiss!”Niall took several blows to the face and stomach yesterday with Ashton, and none of them took him by surprise like this.“You- I- You- What?” Niall sputters, his head feeling like it’s trapped inside a tornado. “Who?”“Billy.” Ashton answers for her. “The Morrissey kid. I-”“Cal- Take her in the back and watch her.” Niall grunts out, peeling Molly off of his leg and picking her up to hand her to Cal, who immediately shuffles off into the back room with her.“Niall- What are you doing?” Ashton asks carefully as Niall walks towards the door.“What do you think I’m doing?” Niall scoffs, grabbing a wrench out of his tool belt as he pushes open the door. “I’m going to kill him.”In retrospect, he probably shouldn’t have announced his intentions to murder a child. It’s not like Ashton is the kind of bloke to just let something like that slide. That’s why Niall only makes it a few steps outside of the door before he’s tackled to the ground with the air knocked out of his lungs.“You’re insane.” Ashton huffs out, rearranging himself so he’s sitting on Niall’s back after removing the wrench from his grasp.“Get off of me, you heavy bastard!” Niall growls over his shoulder, reaching back to try to punch Ashton, only to have his arm trapped behind his back.“Not until you calm down.” Ashton says firmly.“I’m not actually going to kill him.” Niall sighs, dropping his cheek on the grass. At least Ashton managed to knock them onto something soft instead of the brick road. Niall likes having all of his teeth, because the potion Cal makes to regrow them tastes like shit and it hurts like chewing razorblades for a week. “Just- Scare him a little.”“You are acting like a crazy person.” Ashton says quietly, using the hand he doesn’t have seizing Niall’s to rearrange his fringe. “And not in your usual way. He’s a kid, Niall. A little boy with a crush. It was completely innocent. I saw it, and it didn’t even last long enough for me to tell them to stop it.”“She’s growing up too fast.” Niall breathes out, letting his body go slack to show Ashton that he’s abandoning his plans for child abuse. Ashton drops off of his back, lying down on the grass next to him, and Niall rolls onto his back. “Why couldn’t she just stay a baby? Everything would be easier if she just stayed little forever.”“It’s not like you haven’t been having an aneurysm every day about her growing up, Niall.” Ashton points out. “What’s so big about this compared to, say, illegally hiding a witch from the government?”“I’d never thought about it.” Niall admits in a whisper, looking up to the sky and swallowing hard. “Which is stupid. Like- To most parents, kids growing up means things like kissing and boyfriends or girlfriends. Kids sneaking out, or staying out late, or- Fuck. I’d never thought about any of that.”“You’ve been so caught up on the extraordinary circumstances, you forgot to remember the ordinary ones.” Ash says gently.“She’s going to be six tomorrow.” Niall says, shutting his eyes. “And it won’t be long until she’s a teenager, and then she’ll be the age I was when I had her.”“Now you sound like just a dad, instead of a bodyguard.” Ashton hums, nudging Niall with his elbow.“Everything is going to change tomorrow.” Niall mumbles, pushing himself up into a sitting position with his arms wrapped around his knees. “I can’t even keep up with her now without losing my head. I can’t handle the normal things, so how the hell am I supposed to handle the rest of it?”“I think you’re better equipped to handle the rest than the normal stuff.” Ashton tells him, mimicking his position. “But, maybe, you need to tone it down on being a weapon, and start being more-”“Of a dad?” Niall mutters, burying his face in his arms.“That’s not what I meant, Niall.” Ashton tells him, slinging an arm over Niall’s shoulder. “I just meant that- Sometimes, you treat Molly like she’s a mission. She’s not. She’s a little girl, and she’s more than just someone you have to protect. She’s learning and growing and changing every day, and it’s fine that you want to protect her, but you’ve also got to start helping her with all of those things. You can’t just shield her from the world. You have to help her learn to find her place in it.”“Fuck.” Niall groans. “I don’t- Fuck. Give me an agent to fight or something. Give me something I can handle. Don’t make me watch her grow up.”“Just a part of being a dad.” Ashton hums. “And I know you’ve handled things a lot scarier than this.”“I can’t think of anything scarier than this.” Niall sighs. “I’d rather face an army of agents than- Ugh. Puberty.”“You’ve got a minute or two before she starts puberty, Niall.” Ashton says, and Niall can practically hear the scrape of his eyeballs against their sockets.“Not much longer, feels like.” Niall says, turning his head to look at Ashton.“How about you two spend the day together?” Ashton offers. “You gave us the morning off, so let us give you the afternoon with her. Enjoy the little bit of time you have left while she’s still this young.”“Arse.” Niall snorts.“Tick-tock, tick-tock.” Ashton says with a grin. “That’s the sound of Molly’s childhood slipping away.”“Thanks, Ash.” Niall says quietly, climbing to his feet. “About last night-”“Last night isn’t important today.” Ashton tells him, taking the hand Niall offers and letting himself be pulled up. “Today is about you and Molly. Tomorrow is a family day, and you’d best believe that we’re all spending it together, but today should be just you two. Go on. We’ll handle everything out here today.”“Thanks, Ash.” Niall repeats, giving his hand a squeeze before a thought hits him and he slips off his tool belt, passing it into Ashton’s hand. “Have Luke wear this. It’s for Calum.”“Ah.” Ashton snorts, giving a nod.“And Cal finally caved in and agreed to buy a new oven, so I need you to keep him on that, because I’m serious about not bringing Molly around until it’s there. It’s dangerous.” Niall adds.“Niall, go be a dad to Molly instead of us.” Ashton says with a roll of his eyes, gesturing at the café.“Yeah, yeah.” Niall grumbles, setting off for the café with Ashton close behind. “Da?” Molly asks, letting go of the spoon she’s using to stir the brownie mix so it clinks against the bowl.“Yes, lovebug?” Niall hums, swiping a finger through the batter and sticking it in his mouth to taste. It’s disgustingly sweet, just like Luke likes them. Molly decided that, for the day before her birthday, she wants to make dinner for the lads, and Niall’s not really in any position to say no. So they hopped on a bus to Bath and bought supplies, came home and took a nap so they’d be awake when the lads got back from closing the pub, which they always do early the day before Molly’s birthday, and now they’re making a dish for each of the boys. A salad for Ashton and his health obsession, steak for Cal, who insists on eating red meat constantly, despite Ashton’s disapproval, and brownies for dessert, catering to Luke’s sweet tooth. They’re also making cheesy mash, because it’s Molly’s favorite, and Niall’s too.They’re the only thing he knew how to cook for the longest time, so they eat them a lot.“Was kissing Billy bad?” Molly questions.“No, lovebug.” Niall sighs. “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier.”“Why did you get mad?” Molly asks.“I wasn’t mad, Molls.” Niall tells her. “I was- I was scared.”“Why?” Molly questions, blinking up at Niall with those big, curious eyes of hers.“Because I’m not ready for you to grow up yet.” Niall admits gently, smoothing down her hair. “And you’re growing up so fast.”“Why is that scary?” Molly asks.“It just is.” Niall says with a shrug. “You’ll understand some day, if you decide to have kids.”“Did you and my mum decide to have me?” Molly asks.“Um- I- Um-” Niall stutters out. It takes a gargantuan effort not to just grab a frying pan and bash his own head in. “Do you smell that? I think the steak is burning.”“Da, you haven’t started the steaks yet.” Molly points out. Damn. She’s too smart for Niall’s good. “Was- Was I a mistake?”“No, Molly.” Niall says firmly, grabbing her cheeks in his hands and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Love, you were not a mistake. Nothing and nobody in my entire life has ever meant more to me than you do. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I love you more than you can imagine. We- We weren’t trying to make you, no, but that doesn’t mean you were a mistake. You were just a really perfect surprise.”“Where is she?” Molly asks quietly, dropping her eyes down. “Didn’t she love me?”“Oh, love.” Niall breathes out. “Yes, she loved you. When you were still inside her tummy, she used to sing to you to get you to fall asleep. She’d spend all day reading different books to try to find a name for you, and she’d rest her hand on her stomach when she read them out loud, and she would wait to see if you’d kick or not. If you kicked, it meant you didn’t like it, and she’d go on to the next one.”“I picked my own name?” Molly asks, a small smile slipping onto her face.“You two picked it together.” Niall chuckles. “I’m sorry I can’t answer your other question, but I don’t know where she is now.”“Is she ever coming back?” Molly asks.“I really don’t know.” Niall says with a sigh.“Do you want her to?” Molly questions, reaching up and wrapping her hand around Niall’s.“Do you?” Niall asks back.“I don’t know.” Molly echoes Niall’s last answer. “It’s weird. It’s like I miss her, but I don’t know her. I don’t need her, I just want to know her. You and the lads are my family, not her. But-”“But what?” Niall prompts her to continue.“Would you be happier if she was here?” Molly asks.“Love, your mother and I weren’t meant to be together.” Niall explains quietly. “I’d be happy if she were here so she could teach you the things I can’t, but, even if she was here, we probably wouldn’t be like other mothers and fathers.”“So, you didn’t love each other?” Molly asks him.“It’s not that.” Niall says, shaking his head. “We were just- We were very different, your mother and me. We wanted different things, and we came from different places, and we were just- Different.”“Because she was like me?” Molly guesses.“It’s not because she was magical. Not really.” Niall explains, releasing her cheeks and sitting on the ledge of the table. “She was adventurous. Your mother never wanted to be in one place for very long. She had big dreams, and she had the powers and the money and the brains to accomplish all of them.”“What did she want to do?” Molly asks, leaning on the table and putting her face in her hands, curiosity written all over her face.“She wanted to visit the ruins of Madrid.” Niall says, closing his eyes and letting the memories wash over him. Barbara used to talk about things like that endlessly, chattering on and on about the past in a way that would always captivate Niall. He’d rub her feet when she was achy, and she’d launch into a one-sided discussion about Portugal’s influence on the empire’s rise, or the premature death of the scientific-technical revolution by the emergence of the magical revolution. She’d practice her lectures on Molly in-utero, and Niall would just stand in the doorway and listen for hours.“History was your mother’s favorite thing.” Niall says through a deep gulp, shaking his head to clear away the memories like cobwebs. “She wanted to be an archaeologist, and she wanted to go see the places of power in the old world. She wanted to visit site zero, where the Americans blew open the Rupture. She wanted to travel all through the wastelands there and search through the wreckage of that country. She wanted to go back to the country where her parents were born, Hungary, and compare what it’s like now under the Soviet empire to what it was like when her parents were growing up. She wanted to see the world.”“Don’t you?” Molly questions, cocking her head to the side.“You’re my world.” Niall answers. “Adventure has never been high on my list of priorities. I’ve seen and done enough crazy things. I don’t really care about adding more to that list.”“Like what?” Molly asks.“Like answering a whole bunch of questions when the lads are going to be home any minute.” Niall hums, tapping the face of his watch. “They’re probably on their way here right now, and the brownies aren’t even in the oven.”“Oh no!” Molly gasps, turning back to the bowl and stirring the spoon vigorously, already refocused on her task. Niall doesn’t have many more years of being able to distract her so easily. He has a feeling she’ll get very good at multi-tasking, like her mother. Instincts are a funny thing. Niall was trained for a good portion of his life to wake up ready for combat, like a spring coiled up and ready to release at the first sign of trouble. It’s something that’s gotten him in trouble more than once for landing a punch on one of the lads just for shaking him awake. It’s also saved his life in two raids on mission headquarters.But some instincts take precedence over others. Despite the years of training, there’s something about Molly’s voice, about her footsteps and touch, that keeps Niall from waking the way his father trained him to, which is something Niall thanks the universe for every year on this day.Molly runs straight to Niall as soon as she wakes up, which always seems to happen before he does on her birthday, despite the fact that she likes to sleep like the dead most days. Niall doesn’t know if it’s her familiar tread or her muffled giggles, but he manages to wake up and take in his surroundings just in time to catch Molly, who’s flying through the air to land on top of him.“Da!” she squeals excitedly. “It’s my birthday!”“One year older, and yet you never learn.” Niall grunts out, wrapping his arms tight around her little torso and squeezing her while he rolls onto his side, trapping her between his body and the back of the lads’ couch. “Birthdays are for sleeping in.”“Da, no!” Molly whines, struggling against his grip. “I don’t wanna waste my whole birthday!”“Just a couple more hours at most.” Niall says through a fake yawn, burying his face in the pillow under his head to hide the smile he can’t stop from stretching his lips as she groans loudly. She’s so easy to rile up, some strange combination of high and low maintenance, like her mother.“Da, I’m gonna count to three, and you better let me go.” Molly huffs after her wiggling does her no good.“Ooh, what happens after three?” Niall asks with a laugh.“One.” Molly counts off.“Am I gonna go in time out?” Niall snorts.“Two.” Molly continues, stone-faced and undeterred by Niall’s levity.“Do I have to go to bed without supper?” Niall hums.“Three.” Molly sighs. She can’t reach far with her arms trapped, but she can still manage to wiggle her fingers along Niall’s ribcage up under his armpits to the one spot he’s ticklish, making him shriek and jump back off the couch, releasing her in the process.She swings her legs around, sitting with them crossed and hanging off the edge of the couch, and lays her hands on her lap like a little queen with hair sticking up six inches on the left side of her head.“Brute.” Niall pouts up at her. “An absolute beast. Who raised you like that?”“You’re such a freak sometimes, da.” Molly says with a roll of her eyes that is far too mature for Niall’s baby to be making at him. “I went easy on you.”“What have I told you about using your powers on people?” Niall asks, pursing his lips disapprovingly.“Only as a last resort.” Molly parrots at him, mocking his thicker accent. “I know, da. That’s why I tickled you. I didn’t want to make you a pancake against the wall.”“Speaking of pancakes, what do you want for breakfast?” Niall asks, lifting himself up and sitting on the edge of the coffee table.“Not pancakes.” Molly says, shaking her head. “Eggy bread.”“Every year, it’s the same thing.” Niall snorts. “No creativity.”“It’s tradition.” Molly says with a shrug. “I read that people used to have cakes on their birthdays for tradition. Eggy bread is my tradition.”“We should do cakes instead.” Niall says, wrinkling up his nose. “Cakes don’t leave my fingers all covered in batter.”“Cakes aren’t my tradition. Eggy bread is, so go make it.” Molly says firmly, before smiling sweetly and adding a little “Please,” on the end like she doesn’t want Niall to know that she knows she’s got him wrapped around her little finger.“Go ask the lads if they want to join.” Niall says, waving his hand towards the hall. “And knock before you go in, so they can cover up if they need to.”“I know what to do, da.” Molly grumbles, sliding off of the couch. “I’ve slept here a bunch.”“And run a brush through that hair first!” Niall calls after her with a laugh. “You look like an urchin out of a Dickens novel!”Niall listens for her frustrated groan, snickering under his breath as he heads into the kitchen to the sound of her stomping down the hall. He knew she’d want eggy bread, so he picked up all the ingredients while they were grabbing things for dinner under the excuse of restocking the lads’ pantry for all of the food they’ve been eating. She probably didn’t believe it, never really does with the little fibs he tells when he’s trying to hide a surprise from her, but she didn’t say anything about it, so she was probably either too excited to notice, or indulging him. She does that.It would probably be patronizing if she wasn’t so cute.Molly’s morning routine is unusually involved compared to most kids her age, and Luke’s influence shows when they’re the last two to filter into the kitchen, even though Calum and Ashton took a shower before they came out.And even though Niall makes her eggy bread at least once a week, because she hates his eggs, her face breaks into a huge smile when she sees the plate sitting on the table with a candle in the middle of her stack. She jumps up excitedly into her chair, and sits with her hands folded in her lap while they sing to her, which is a tradition Niall thinks they should have definitely gotten rid of before cakes. He hates singing, always feels really awkward, especially when Luke sings too, because that boy could knock out an entire theatre with his voice.But Molly giggles the whole way through, delight written all over her features, so Niall sticks it out to the end, clapping along with the lads as she blows out the little six-shaped candle Niall managed to track down a few weeks back. It’s hard to find things like this, things from the era before magic rose up as the great de-equalizer and changed the world and people’s lives to suit the whims of the percentage of the populace that could use it over the ones who couldn’t. Traditions were changed at a rapid pace, wiping out little pockets of history and inserting new things in their place so that people would forget about the world before. A million faked miracles to blind people to their new reality, because people proved that their memories were all too short.Niall only realizes he’s withdrawn into his head when Molly tugs on his sleeve, and makes him laugh more than he can remember in years when she holds up her empty plate and says, “Please, sir, I want some more.” “Da, is it staying in alright?” Molly asks for the fifth time in as many minutes as they walk down the street, gesturing to the little silver butterfly clipping her fringe up and out of her face.It’s not much, just around an inch in width and old, with most of the metal of the wings and the pearl body having tarnished with age. Calum promised to whip up a potion to take care of it and make it shine, but he’s having trouble finding the right recipe, so Niall had to give it to her as is. He’s just lucky he found it at all, given the laws surrounding the purchase of precious metals by non-magicals, and the rarity of antique jewelry these days.“It’s staying in perfectly, lovebug.” Niall chuckles, reassuring her as they turn down the alleyway behind the bookshop so she can pick up her gifts from the lads. “I’ve never seen you worry like this over any of your other clips.”“I’ve never owned anything so pretty.” Molly whispers reverentially, patting at the clip.“And very pretty it is.” comes a voice from the other end of the alley, chillingly familiar, despite the fact that Niall has only met its bearer once. Niall moves in front of Molly quickly, standing between her and the magician, whose fingers are already lit with green sparks once again. “Far too pretty for a little non-magical like you.”“Didn’t learn your lesson the other night?” Niall sneers, taking a step forward.“On the contrary.” the magician says with a smirk, firing off a bolt from his fingers that shoots straight into the brick on Niall’s left, scorching the wall. “I’ve been very careful this time, keeping my eye on you for the right time to pay you back for that insult. If you’ll look in the center of that burn mark, there’s an old copper coin stuck to the wall. I’ve been practicing my accuracy. Take another step, and I bet I can do the same to her. You’re quick, but do you think you’re that quick?”“What do you want?” Niall asks, holding his hands up in front of his chest to show his surrender to the fucker.“Payback.” the magician spits out, walking towards Niall. “So, you’re going to take her clip and her necklace and slide them over to me, and then you’re going to take a shot from me, after you apologize.”“Da?” Molly asks from behind Niall, peeking around his leg.“Do what the man says, Molly.” Niall says quietly, his heart falling to pieces when she takes the clip out of her hair with tears in her eyes. “It’ll all be okay, I promise. I’ll get you something even better.”“Don’t get hurt, please, da.” Molly whimpers, pressing it into his hand, along with her necklace quickly after. The necklace will come back, but Niall prays it stays off long enough for the magician not to notice. The spell on it seems to be very temperamental, and less timely with age, so it should.“I promise.” Niall repeats softly, chucking the jewelry across the open space between him and the magician so it lands at his feet. “I’m sorry I insulted you and assaulted you.”“Non-magicals need to acknowledge their betters.” the magician growls. “Say it.”“We need to acknowledge our betters.” Niall echoes back to him, fingernails digging into his palms so hard that he knows he’s drawn blood from the warm wetness that flows down to his knuckle.“Good dog.” the magician scoffs, the sparks in his hand flaring up brightly before they arc at him, sending a wave of pain rushing through his body as he hits the ground, screaming in agony.Magic is a funny thing. Magicians and witches claim to be able to sense it, to feel it churning in the air, but anyone can, if they’ve been trained. If you know what signs to look for, magic is very easy to sense in a variety of ways. Disturbances in the air, or humming that’s so low you aren’t sure it’s really happening, or, in this case, the scent of ozone. Niall’s ability to smell and taste and see and hear and feel were all trained in depth so that he wouldn’t have anything to fear when it came to magic. So that he could combat it before it was unleashed.So, the scent of ozone has always been an advantage to him on a sunny day like today, never something to strike fear into his heart. Until now.The smell is overwhelming, like just before a sudden storm, flooding his nostrils at the same time Molly’s scream pierces his eardrum. He only has time to feel the fear for a second before the world is exploding around him and he’s sent soaring through the air, along with the bricks of the walls and the alley floor, towards the magician. He manages to catch onto the corner of the wall at the end of the alley before the bricks peel away, manages to see Molly floating in the center of a massive disturbance in the air around her, hair and clothes swirling and flapping like she’s standing in the center of a hurricane.Another body shows up at the other end of the alley, his mouth moving to form a word, and then the air goes still and Molly falls to the ground, unconscious.“What did you do?” Niall yells as the witch strides past her, struggling to find his feet when his body, rightfully, feels like it’s been thrown in a mixer.“Knocked her out.” the witch says gruffly, grabbing Niall’s elbow to steady him. “Don’t worry, I didn’t hurt her. I’m an empath. I funneled all of her emotions out of her until her brain couldn’t form a coherent thought and shut itself off temporarily. It’s the psychic equivalent of hitting someone in the head with a frying pan. She’ll have a headache, but she’ll be fine.”“If she’s not-” Niall starts to growl.“She will be.” the witch repeats, leaning Niall against what remains of the wall after Molly’s outburst. “And if she isn’t, I’ll let you do whatever you want to me. I’ll also take care of this mess, and perform a spell to rid this arsehole of his memories. Right now, you need to get her out of here.”“How are you-” Niall starts again.“I have several skills. Rebuilding is a specialty of mine, despite the non-physical nature of my inherent power. I’m very clumsy, and my mum had a lot of breakable things.” the witch cuts him off again. “I will answer any questions you have tonight, and you’ll answer mine. I’ll be at the pub, and this whole thing will be cleaned up. But if you don’t want to get wrapped up in what people will think is a duel between magicals, you need to go.”“Her present.” Niall says, staring at the baubles on the ground next to the magician.“Tonight. The pub.” the witch hisses, pushing at Niall’s shoulder. “Go. Get her out of here.”“What’s your name?” Niall asks. “Because if she’s not fine, and I have to waste time hunting you down, having your name is going to make things a lot easier on both of us.”“Harry.” the witch tells him. “Harry Styles. And if she’s not fine, you won’t have to come looking. I told you, you can do whatever you want to me.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It’s been two hours since Niall left the house, deaf to the protests of Ashton and Calum and Luke and Molly, begging him to stay. It’s been an hour since he left the cottage with all of the cash wedged under the loose floorboard under his bed and six clips to reload the gun he took. And it’s been ten minutes since Harry Styles arrived at the pub Niall didn’t open and sat across the bar from him.Not a word has been said yet.“Don’t suppose I could get anything to eat?” is how Harry Styles decides to finally start the conversation.“That’s really your most pressing question at the moment?” Niall asks, bracing his bandaged hands against the edge of the bar.“It’s just-” Harry starts, waving his hand in a circle near his face. “I was on my way to the bakery to get some breakfast when everything happened this morning. Then I spent the next few hours casting a series of spells that took up a lot of energy, and, well- I’m hungry.”“Here.” Niall grunts out, grabbing the jug of nuts they keep behind the bar to keep people from getting too drunk to stumble back home and slamming it down on the counter between them.“Bloody lifesaver, you are.” Harry says with an overly-enthusiastic grin that doesn’t fit the situation before shoving an entire handful of peanuts in his overly large gob. It’s very tempting for Niall to stick something else in there instead, namely his fist or gun.“What happened to the magician?” Niall asks, grabbing Harry’s wrist when he reaches for another handful.“He’s on a bus with a big black spot where his memories of the last few days should be.” Harry answers. “Can I have the nuts now?”“Can he undo the spell that you used?” Niall questions.“Not without someone much more powerful and experienced with psychic abilities.” Harry says firmly. “He won’t put that much effort into it. I left a wad of cash in his pocket to make sure he doesn’t think about it too much. Blokes like him- They don’t think so well if they have something to distract them.”“Why are you helping me?” Niall asks, relinquishing Harry’s hand.“Why are you keeping a witch of age unregistered?” Harry counters, popping a peanut into his mouth.“A bold assumption.” Niall mutters.“There are no registered witches in this village.” Harry says with a shrug. “I work for the government. I know these things.”“And what exactly do you do for the government?” Niall asks, the cold metal of the gun pressed against his back reassurance for his strong stance.“Nothing so interesting.” Harry waves him off. “I’m an assistant to the regional chairwoman of the northern British territories. I’m basically a secretary.”“Bullshite.” Niall scoffs. “You’re military, at the very least. Secretaries don’t have burn scars like that. Secretaries don’t have reflexes like yours. Secretaries don’t have the ability to know who’s on their terrace by hearing the footsteps of a person they’ve barely met.”“I went to a military run academy, but I never signed on.” Harry says calmly. “I was taught to fight, but I was never really any good at it. My last year there, I got in a duel with another student. He was a pyromancer. That’s where my scar came from. I’m almost entirely blind in my left eye because of it, so I wasn’t able to join up, and being half blind has heightened my senses, particularly my hearing, and that’s why I could tell you from footsteps.”It’s a lie. Everything coming from this witch’s mouth right now is a lie, and Niall knows it. He feels it in his bones. What he doesn’t know is why Harry is lying.So, he decides to play along.“Fine.” Niall grunts out. “Then- Here. Take this, and leave this village tonight.”He pulls the bag of money out from under the bar and sets it in front of Harry.“There should be more than enough in there for you to ‘forget’ what happened this afternoon.” Niall says bluntly.“Why does someone like you have this much money?” Harry asks, looking through the stacks of banded notes.“It was for a tutor.” Niall admits. “Not that it’s any of your business.”“Who’s going to tutor your daughter if you give me this?” Harry asks, ignoring the warning in Niall’s voice.“None of your business.” Niall repeats, pushing the words out through his teeth like something toxic while his hand twitches with the desire to reach under the back of his shirt and grab his gun. He could put an end to this quickly, but it would bring things crashing down around his ears in the long run, and he can’t risk that with Molly.“You made it my business today.” Harry says, looking up from the bag. “I said it earlier- I’ll answer any questions of yours, and you’re going to answer mine. And rein in that temper of yours. It’s giving me a migraine suppressing all that rage.”“I don’t know who’s going to tutor her.” Niall mutters, leaning back against the shelf behind him and sighing heavily. “But I do know that this is my immediate problem, so I’ll figure something else out later.”“I’m not your immediate problem.” Harry says, rubbing at his temple. “Your daughter is an incredibly powerful witch. And when I say incredible, I mean it. Telekinesis of that magnitude in a child her age- It’s remarkable.”“She’s never been that strong before.” Niall mumbles. “I think it’s just about how upset she was.”“No, it isn’t.” Harry says softly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out Molly’s necklace. “Do you know what this is?”“A bloody curse.” Niall spits out. “Her mother spelled it to return to her neck whenever it’s taken off. The spell must have broken when it snapped.”“A repossession spell is hardly all that was on here. And all of the spells broke when this did.” Harry says, setting it on the table and adding her butterfly, fully put back together. “There were charms for protection against physical harm.”“Figured that one out a few years back when she fell off the bar and giggled about it.” Niall nods. “So?”“‘So’ there was also a suppression spell on it of a level I’ve never encountered.” Harry tells him. “A spell so powerful that you shouldn’t have even known your daughter had powers, because she shouldn’t have been able to manifest them. The fact that she even manifested is remarkable in its own right.”“What are you saying?” Niall asks.“I’m saying that, with the proper inciting event, and a lack of understanding her powers, your daughter could destroy this entire village by accident.” Harry whispers. “Niall – Can I call you Niall? Your daughter needs a tutor, and she needs one now, because what happened today is the tip of the iceberg in comparison to what she’s capable of doing if she can’t control her powers.”“Can you fix the spell?” Niall questions.“Nothing I can do is anywhere near this level of magic.” Harry sighs. “It’s not just the intricacy or difficulty of the spells. There was a very, very strong level of emotion put into them.”Niall scoffs, but says nothing.“When did she manifest?” Harry asks.“Two.” Niall admits.“Her power has been suppressed for four years, and it’s only going to keep growing.” Harry says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “In the time that it takes you to find a tutor and build back up the funds to pay them, you’re risking the lives of everyone around her.”“I can handle her.” Niall huffs.“No, Niall, you can’t.” Harry mutters, reaching up and pushing the fringe off of his forehead. “That’s precisely what I’m telling you here. I don’t mean to be rude, but what do you know about having powers?”“Nothing, but I know a hell of a lot about self-control.” Niall counters angrily.“What’s inside your daughter isn’t just an urge, although if she continues to suppress her powers now that they’ve fully manifested, it’s quite possible that they will force themselves out of her body against her will.” Harry says flatly. “What’s inside of her is a wild kind of energy that she needs intense training to learn to control. She needs someone to teach her now. Preferably someone who has experience with psychic abilities, and who can suppress her powers if she loses control.”“Calum was raised in a powerful magical family. He’ll be enough until I can build up funds and find someone.” Niall sighs, tipping his head back against the shelf and wondering if he could get away with one drink before he shakes the thought out of his head. “It’s not ideal, but I’ll make it work.”“You’re ignoring a blatantly obvious solution.” Harry hums.“And what, pray tell, is that?” Niall scoffs, shooting a glare at the witch.“You’ve got a government licensed witch sitting in front of you with exactly the kind of experience and skills needed, and who would be willing to tutor her in exchange for this bag of money, and that doesn’t involve finding someone else and hoping they won’t blow the whistle.” Harry grins.“Oh, fuck you.” Niall groans, rolling his eyes.“I’m your best option.” Harry says with a shrug. “Now, I can take this money and leave, or I can tutor your daughter, then take this money and leave.”“Fuck.” Niall breathes out, rubbing his knuckles into his temples and wishing he could just turn back the clock to yesterday and do this all over again. Unfortunately, his prayer isn’t answered, and all he’s got is a very smug looking witch sitting in front of him, eating peanuts through a smirk that Niall is eventually going to shoot off of his face.Right now, though, he has no other choice than to accept. Niall isn’t sure which body collides with him first between the three that manage to land on him as soon as he gets the door open, but he’s pretty sure that Luke is the one that topples him over onto his arse. This is why he left the gun at his house.He manages not to completely go down, which is good, because Molly’s arms are wrapped around his waist and he doesn’t want her hurt any more than she already has been today.“Hey, lovebug.” Niall murmurs, kissing the top of her head around Calum’s arm. “You alright?”“Are you?” Molly asks, looking up at him with wide eyes ringed red from crying.“Well, my bum hurts, but I’m fine otherwise.” Niall tells her, putting on an easy smile. “How’s your head?”“Cal gave me a tonic that made it feel better.” Molly says through a sniffle, wiping her nose with her arm. “Are you really okay?”“I told you I would be.” Niall nods. “And I told you not to worry. Your da can handle himself, lovebug. At least- I can when I haven’t got three people on me.”“Sorry.” Molly giggles, kissing the tip of his nose before she climbs up to her feet.“Just another couple of seconds.” Calum mumbles into Niall’s shoulder, tightening his hold.“I thought you’d come back covered in blood.” Luke whispers on the other side, making Niall sigh.“Seriously, lads, I need my personal space.” Niall groans, squirming in their arms.Ashton steps forward and reaches out to Niall, pulling him up and out of Calum and Luke’s hold. Niall’s about to thank him, but he’s caught off guard by a stinging sensation burning itself into his cheek as his vision goes blurry.“How dare you?” Ashton growls out, eyes going stormy as Niall looks back to him. “How could you do that when all of us asked you not to?”“How could I not?” Niall replies icily. “What other option was there?”“Ash-” Calum starts, stepping up to Niall’s side.“He put us all at risk by going alone.” Ashton bites out, his eyes never leaving Niall’s.“What was I supposed to do?” Niall asks harshly. “Which one of you three would have done me any good in that situation?”“We’re not useless.” Ashton says through gritted teeth.“You would have been useless in there.” Niall sighs. “Ashton, if I had to do anything, any of you three would have tried to stop me.”“And did you have to do anything?” Ashton asks, his eyes going even harder.“I- I made a deal.” Niall mutters.“How long until he’s gone?” Luke asks.“How do you know he’s going to keep quiet?” Calum questions.“Molly, go pack your things. We’re going back home.” Niall says quietly, pointedly leaving their questions unanswered.“Tonight?” Molly asks weakly, staring up at him with big eyes.“Yeah, lovebug, tonight.” Niall nods. “I found your butterfly, and I already dropped it off at the house.”“Do we have to?” Molly questions, scooting closer to Calum and ignoring Niall’s bait.“Yes, Molly, we have to.” Niall sighs.“Why?” Molly asks.“Because I’m your father and I said so.” Niall says firmly. “Molly. Go. We’re going home and I don’t want any more questions about it.”“Niall-” Luke starts.“You three don’t get a say.” Niall grunts out, pointing down the hallway while keeping eye contact with Molly. “Go.”“What the hell happened tonight to turn you into such a dick?” Calum asks once Molly disappears down the hall, stomping angrily and wiping at her eyes.“You mean besides this one hitting me?” Niall hisses, jerking his thumb at Ashton. “Or my daughter getting hurt and exposed as a witch? How about the fact that she’s so powerful that she basically broke a charm that was supposed to suppress her powers? Or maybe that she could hurt herself and everyone around her if she doesn’t immediately start training? Or it could be that I had to agree to let the goddamn witch tutor her so she doesn’t explode or something? Because I don’t really fucking understand it myself, if I’m being honest!”“Niall-” Calum murmurs, catching his hand as it waves around wildly. “You’re yelling.”“I bloody know I’m yelling, Calum!” Niall snaps. “And I don’t bloody care! Because my entire world hinges on someone that I can’t bloody stand keeping a secret that he has no reason to keep besides the money he wouldn’t even take and run with!”“He’s staying.” Ashton sighs.“Yes, Ashton, he’s staying.” Niall says snidely. “How very fucking astute of you.”“Don’t be a bitch.” Ashton says, shaking his head. “I’m sorry for punching you.”“You should be sorry that after all the lessons I’ve given you, you still don’t have half the impact in your right hook that Molly would.” Niall scoffs.“Listen- You’re obviously worked up right now.” Luke says gently, stroking Niall’s cheek. “Why don’t you let Molly stay the night, and come get her in the morning, once you’ve calmed down?”“I-” Niall starts, dropping his eyes down and taking a gulp. “Fine. I’ll be back in the morning. Just- Tell her I love her, alright?”“We will.” Calum nods, pressing his forehead to Niall’s.“And keep her calm.” Niall adds quietly. “Apparently, she could level this house if she has a fit, and that’s just the beginning.”“One display of immense power under stress doesn’t mean she’s always going to be that strong, Niall.” Calum points out, and normally that would be a good point. Unfortunately, it’s not now. “She’s never shown anything like the power that you talked about from earlier.”“Yeah, because she was wearing this.” Niall mutters, pulling Barbara’s pendant. “Harry says that Barbara spelled it to suppress Molly’s powers, and everything we’ve seen so far from her until the medallion broke was just her powers managing to leak out. She is much, much more powerful than any of us thought. What she did today wasn’t just an extraordinary circumstance. It was her real manifestation. That’s her real power.”“Fuck.” Calum breathes out.“Which means that not only is she dangerous, she’s also going to draw a lot more attention as she gets older, because her powers will only grow, according to what he told me.” Niall adds on.“Which is why you agreed to let him teach her?” Ashton guesses.“He can shut her down if she goes out of control.” Niall nods. “He did it before, and he at least has some experience with psychically based powers. He’s the best choice I have. Actually, he’s the only choice I have.”“I don’t like it.” Calum mutters.“Neither do I.” Niall says quietly. “Especially because there’s a good chance I’m still going to have to take care of him in the end.”“Why?” Luke ask softly.“Because he knows too much already, and he’s going to know more afterwards.” Niall explains, pulling away from the group and walking towards the door. “If I can use him, I will. But I will not trust him. I won’t put Molly’s life in anyone else’s hands. So, unless someone can think of some way to fix the problem of him knowing everything, then I’m going to have to put a bullet in him once Molly is trained.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Niall, when he’s not seething with so much rage and fear that it literally makes Harry physically nauseous, is a fairly interesting person. There’s a lot to observe in everything he says and does, despite the way he manages to hide his thoughts. Harry can usually get a snippet of what someone is thinking through the empathic connection, but with Niall it’s only visceral emotion.And, yet, everything he says, and every single movement he makes, is calculated and precise. It’s like there’s two sides of him at war, the emotional and the mental. It’s fascinating, watching the way he manages to present himself as calm and collected, and yet feeling the pure emotion tearing its way out of his body and into Harry’s betraying that facade.And that’s nothing compared to the isolation he exudes, even when surrounded by his boyfriends. Harry’s learned to tell the difference over the years, how to taste the difference in the tang on his tongue that signals loneliness and the extra little layer of willpower that means that person chooses to be alone instead of just being lonely. And Niall reeks of willpower. Harry can taste it and smell it and feel it. He can see a little shimmer around Niall that’s his pure force of will, stronger than most anyone Harry has ever known.He’s fascinating.“Molly, this is Harry.” Niall says quietly, crouching down to speak to the little blonde girl next to him. She’s got his nose, but not much else. It’s a little bit of a shame, honestly. He has good features. Not that she’s not a gorgeous little girl. “He’s going to be your magic teacher.”“Am I in trouble for yesterday?” Molly asks so quietly that Harry barely hears it, but he can feel her timidity floating through the air.“No, lovebug.” Niall says gently, doing something that leaves Harry completely awestruck.He goes soft and vulnerable, his lips losing their tight line and loosening into a gentle smile while his eyes light up. He’s like a completely different person in the space of a heartbeat, and Harry doesn’t quite know how to cope with such drastically different people inhabiting the same body. He doesn’t know how to process that that rage he’d felt like electricity crackling in the air has completely disappeared, and yet the willpower is still there as much as it has been since last night.Completely fascinating.“You aren’t in trouble.” Niall says, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “We just need someone to teach you how to control your powers, now that they’re stronger. I can’t do it, and Cal can’t do it, so Harry here is going to do it.”“But he’s a stranger.” Molly says, shooting a look at Harry that shows her trepidation almost as much as Harry can feel it.“I know.” Niall chuckles. “But he’s someone that can help you with things like what happened yesterday. Because you aren’t in trouble for that, lovebug, but you could be if it happened again. I don’t want anyone getting hurt, and I know you don’t want to hurt anyone, so that’s why Harry is going to help you get a handle on things until we can find someone to be your permanent tutor.”“He doesn’t look smart enough.” Molly says, raking her eyes over Harry before turning back to Niall. Harry’s squawk of protest is drowned out by Niall’s loud laugh and the sense of surprise emanating off of him. “Did you see what he’s wearing?”That sends even the other three standing behind Niall into a fit of giggles, despite the way they’ve all been trying to look intimidating, glaring at Harry with their arms over their chests. There’s not much in the way of anger actually coming off of them, though. Mostly just caution, actually. All bark and no bite, these lads.“Molly, what have I told you about saying things like that?” Niall chides halfheartedly, his amusement bubbling up in Harry’s chest like a laugh trying to escape.“Wait until they’re out of earshot.” Molly mumbles sullenly.“That’s my girl.” Niall nods. “Now, why don’t you let Harry introduce himself before you start judging him?”“It’s a dumb shirt.” Molly grumbles, turning fully to look at Harry.“Maybe it is.” Harry hums, crouching down in front of Molly to bring himself eye-level with her. “Maybe you can help me pick something better? You’re a very pretty little girl, so I bet you have great taste.”Molly narrows her eyes a little and purses her lips, but otherwise says nothing. Tough crowd.“Okay- Like your dad told you, my name is Harry, and I’m going to start teaching you how to control and use your powers.” Harry says gently, putting on his best smile while he pulls a coin out of his pocket. “If you’re okay with it, I’d like to start with a little test. I want you to pick up this coin out of my hand.”Molly, for her part, follows the instructions. It’s just that she does it with her fingers.“I meant that I want you to use your powers.” Harry tells her.That was his mistake.His back is slamming against the wall in a millisecond, feeling the wood paneling crunch and splinter before the pressure that threw him relieves and he falls onto his bum, coughing up a lung.“Fucking hell.” Niall groans. “Lads, take her outside, will you?”Before the tall one, Luke, if Harry remembers correctly, grabs her hand and leads her out, Molly flicks the coin across the room to land at Harry’s sprawled out feet.She’s definitely her father’s daughter.“You still alive there, or do I need to dump your body somewhere?” Niall sighs, stepping in front of Harry.“Give me a sec to figure it out.” Harry grunts out.“Looks like your smart-arse reflex is still in gear, so I think you’ll live.” Niall snorts, kneeling down. “Anything broken?”“Physically I’m fine, emotionally I’m bruised.” Harry sighs, lifting his head up to look at Niall. “Guess I need to be a little clearer in my instructions.”“No, she absolutely knew what you were telling her to do.” Niall smirks, pride coming off of him so much that Harry can taste it. “She doesn’t like being talked down to. Condescending to her isn’t going to earn you any favors.”“How was I being condescending?” Harry scoffs.“The first thing you told her was that she’s pretty.” Niall says with a shrug. “I’ve raised her to value her brains over her physical appearance. She has a lot more to offer than just being pretty, and she knows it. She wants to be valued for who she is, not what she looks like.”“How very progressive of you.” Harry snorts. “Good to know that the wrong kind of compliment is going to get me smashed against the wall like a crepe.”“She went easy on you.” Niall hums. “I’ve seen her do worse than that, and that was before her powers expanded. Last year, a stray cat scratched her, and she launched it into a tree twenty meters away. She just wanted to rattle you a little and let you know she deserves respect.”“Was the cat okay?” Harry asks, his eyes going wide.“Yeah.” Niall snorts. “It’s that mean old thing that stays on top of the stone fence at the south end of the village. She learned to give Molly some space after that.”“Think I learned my lesson too.” Harry says with a small smile.“Good.” Niall nods, standing back up. “I’ll go take her home, and we’ll give this another try tomorrow, when you feel better.”“No, I can keep going.” Harry grunts out, reaching out for a hand up.“Your funeral, Styles.” Niall says with a shrug taking Harry’s hand.It’s like a fucking bolt of lightning hits Harry square in the chest, a torrent of emotions pouring into him like it can’t be contained in one body.Rage and pain and fear and love and grief and joy and regret and ecstasy and willpower slam into him, filling him with a lifetime’s worth of human experience in the space of a second.Harry’s felt things like this before, a sudden rush applied against his empathic abilities, but the circumstances were always wildly different. And physical touch has always heightened his connection to someone, but not by this much. It’s like Niall’s palm is a floodgate, and the moment it made contact with Harry, everything broke loose.And then it ceases in an instant, Niall withdrawing his hand as Harry stumbles onto his feet.“Stay out of my head.” Niall growls out, his eyes going hard as steel and his willpower threatening to knock Harry off his tenuous grip on balance before he can even catch his breath.“I can’t- I can’t see anything.” Harry gasps out, leaning back against the wall. “Just feelings. Empathy, not telepathy.”“Stay out of my head.” Niall repeats icily, taking a step back. “I don’t care if you can see anything or not.”“I didn’t do it on purpose, and I’ll try not to let it happen again.” Harry mutters, looking over at him. “How did you even know?”“I’ve had enough experience with people trying to pry into my mind to know what it feels like when someone’s rooting around in here.” Niall says with a scowl.Really, he’s fascinating.“I’ll bring her back tomorrow.” Niall says quietly, curling his hands into fists as his rage flares up, only for it to sublimate quickly when he turns away. “Get yourself together by then.”“I said I can still start today.” Harry huffs.“If I stay here today, Molly’s not the one you need to worry about putting you through a wall.” Niall says bluntly, turning towards the door. “Never, ever go in my head again, or you won’t get the chance to catch your breath. I’ll end up dumping your body after all.”It’s not an empty threat. Harry knows that from the pure, uncompromising strength of Niall’s resolve, shimmering around him so brightly that Harry can barely look straight at him. He absolutely means it.He wouldn’t hesitate to kill Harry.So fucking interesting. “Fancy seeing you here.” Harry smirks, leaning against the doorway as he fastens the towel around his waist.“Told you I’d take care of this for you.” Niall mutters, eyes trained on the bag in front of him as he applies some sort of salve to it. “Molly was right. You aren’t smart, if you thought it was a good idea to be anywhere you might run into me today.”“I told you, I didn’t do it on purpose.” Harry sighs.“And I told you it doesn’t matter if it was on purpose or not.” Niall says with a scowl that’s not half as telling as the rage concentrated around his eyes and hands.That’s interesting in and of itself, in Harry’s experience. Rage is, by nature, an uncontrolled emotion. It’s a wildfire that burns around the entire body, consumes the whole of the person feeling it and radiates around them like crackling flames or bolts of electricity. It’s a passion, wholly dangerous to anyone in the vicinity and spreads like disease.But, with Niall, it’s only visible to Harry in the eyes and hands. Niall’s emotions are so chaotic, so wild that everything he feels radiates around him constantly, but his rage is different. It’s focused, directed, and that’s something Harry has never seen before.“Powers aren’t something that can be completely controlled, Niall.” Harry says quietly. “They’re like- Like a reflex. Like you throwing me on the ground when I touched you. They react to stimuli.”“You didn’t get in my head when I threw you.” Niall replies. “Or when you helped me up.”“No, I didn’t.” Harry nods. “But it doesn’t always work the same way.”“If you can’t even control your own powers, what the fuck am I paying you to teach Molly to do it for?” Niall asks, arching his eyebrow.“Because, if she loses control, I can shut her down again.” Harry says with a shrug. “Also, because she could kill you and your boyfriends if she has a fit or a nightmare or just a bad day. Control isn’t strictly what I’m going to teach her. Powers are- They’re like an extension of our bodies, but also separate from us. I’m going to teach her to live with her powers symbiotically. That means-”“I know what it means.” Niall says, drawing his eyebrows in angrily. “Your kind doesn’t keep mine that undereducated.”“Sorry.” Harry says, throwing his hands up in surrender. “Anyways, what Molly needs to learn is to work with her powers. Witches who try to force powers tend to live short lives with painful deaths. And she has way too much power to control like that. I know what I’m talking about, believe it or not.”“You don’t seem particularly powerful either.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes.“I’m not just a standard empath, Niall.” Harry tells him. “I’m a sensorial empath. I don’t just feel emotions, I can see and smell and hear and taste them. I essentially have five branches to my power that I’ve had to learn to work with.”“Listen, we could stay here all day debating about whether your powers are any use or not, but I’d rather not think about you again until I have to. So- get dressed, get out of my sight, and stay that way for the rest of the day, if you know what’s good for you.” Niall mutters, turning back to the bag and rolling it over, applying the salve to another tear.“What are you doing?” Harry asks, ignoring what was probably very good advice.“It’s a binding agent Calum made for me.” Niall sighs. “Seals up any cloth without having to sew the holes shut. No seam. If you’re going to be stupid enough to ignore what I told you, can you at least go get dressed instead of standing there like that?”“Why?” Harry asks, waggling his eyebrows. “Interested?”“Not even if it would literally save my life.” Niall scoffs.“Rude.” Harry says with a pout, probing at Niall with his powers to see if it’s a lie. He’s disappointed to find nothing to indicate it is.“Not being interested in you isn’t rude.” Niall snorts. “Have you seen Ashton, Luke and Calum?”“Your point?” Harry asks, narrowing his eyes.“You can’t compete.” Niall says bluntly.“You’re not very nice.” Harry huffs.“No, I’m not.” Niall agrees. “So why don’t you get dressed, leave me alone, and stay out of my way unless you’re going to teach my kid?”“You know, this is going to be easier if we’re friends.” Harry says quietly, dropping his eyes to the ground. “We both need Molly to trust me, and, if you hate me, that’s going to be a lot harder.”“Molly will behave herself and listen to you if I tell her to.” Niall says with a shrug. “And, if I’ve taught her right, she won’t ever trust you.”“Why wouldn’t you want her to trust me?” Harry asks confusedly. It’s not the first time he’s wished his powers worked in a way that told him intentions as much as it did emotions. But it is the first time he’s wished it just so he could see inside a practical stranger’s head.Then again, given Niall’s reaction to Harry’s accidental use of empathy, telepathy would probably get him killed.“Because trusting a witch is a mistake.” Niall says flatly.“I hate to break it to you, Niall, but your daughter is a witch.” Harry huffs.“It’s different. I’m raising her to know that a person’s value isn’t based on their level of power.” Niall grits out. “That people matter, whether or not they can move things with their minds or set things on fire with their hands or hear someone’s thoughts. You know- The antithesis of everything they teach in your academies.”“You’re- You’re stereotyping a third of the population, and you’re accusing my kind of being the bigots.” Harry scoffs. “Wow- So I guess I’m going to have to teach Molly what irony means before I start teaching her about her powers.”“Go fuck yourself.” Niall spits out. “When my kind gets to decide what jobs your kind can have, and what colors you can wear, and you get no representation in government or even a viable education, then you can have the moral high-ground.”“This isn’t the S.E. or the Oceanic Alliance, Niall.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes.“The fact that there are higher levels of oppression in other places doesn’t mean there isn’t oppression here, Harry.” Niall says harshly. “Don’t be naïve.”“I’ll stop being ‘naïve’ when you stop being a prick.” Harry fires back.“Listen-” Niall growls, stripping off his gloves and standing up and turning bodily towards Harry, shoulders squared and his eyes shining like searchlights with the rage concentrated around them. “I don’t care what you think. I’m not here to change your mind or get the damn government blinders off your eyes. What you believe is your own business. The only reason I’m putting up with you staying in this village is because you have a skill that I don’t.“You can teach my daughter magic, and that’s it. Outside of that, your entire existence is irrelevant to me. And, outside of this payday, mine and my family’s is irrelevant to you. This is a transaction. We don’t need to share ideologies, and we definitely don’t need to be friends. So- Keep our interactions to a minimum, and I’ll do the same.”“Fine with me.” Harry hisses, turning back into the small locker room as he drops his towel. He probes with his powers, just for curiosity’s sake, but only finds Niall’s rage and irritation. If that’s why he slams the door, that’s nobody’s business. “What do you want?” Calum asks bluntly, far less pleasantly than the other times Harry has interacted with him.“Um- A beer?” Harry says hesitantly. “What’ve I done to you?”“You’ve irritated Niall like a bad case of heartburn, and that makes my life more difficult.” Calum says flatly, holding a glass under the tap and pouring the beer. Harry doesn’t think it’s a good idea to point out that it’s not the kind he prefers.“I’d think you, out of all of them, wouldn’t be like this.” Harry sighs.“Why? Because I’m not non-magical?” Calum scoffs, setting down the glass in front of Harry. “You forget I’m not from here?”“No, I mean-” Harry starts.“I’m from a place where I had to watch two of the men I love bound in chains from the time they could walk.” Calum mutters. “Niall is- He doesn’t understand how bad it really is in other places, and how much better it is here than there, but he isn’t blind. He’s not wrong, either.”“And would you prefer things be the way they are in the Holy Empire?” Harry asks. “Would you prefer we were burned at the stake for a genetic quirk?”“I would prefer for magical and non-magical people to be considered equals.” Calum says through gritted teeth.“Well, so would I.” Harry huffs. “I don’t know why you all think I’m some- Some bigot who thinks non-magicals should serve us. Just because I’m a witch doesn’t mean that I agree with everything the government does.”“You work for them.” Calum points out.“That’s because I also don’t think that everything they’ve done is wrong.” Harry mumbles. “You know what it was like before the Rupture. You know how the entire world was constantly embroiled in pointless little wars that cost millions upon millions of lives.”“Because the rise of the Europan Empire was so non-violent.” Calum snorts. “Nobody at all died during those ten years, right? And there’s definitely not a war on with the Soviets, right?”“We aren’t building machines that do nothing except murder.” Harry says firmly.“No, we’re just using people with even more destructive potential than almost any weapon ever made.” Calum fires back. “Look- I don’t care about all this. I really don’t. Compared to where I came from, this place is paradise for non-magicals. The men I love aren’t slaves or barely surviving in labor camps. This isn’t my fight.“I came here because I wanted a better life for them, and that’s all. We have a good life here. And, Molly- She needs help. As long as you can help her, then I don’t care what you do. Just- Just give Niall a wide berth, because he’s never going to be okay with you. Especially when you can see the parts of him he chooses not to let out.“He feels threatened just by your presence here. You are a danger to him and Molly, just by knowing about her. And, more than that, you’re a danger to the life that’s been built here. That’s all he can see. But she needs you, so he’s suppressing every urge he has. He’s putting her in front of his natural fight or flight response, because you can do something he can’t for her.”“I’m not a threat to him.” Harry whispers, looking down at the foam fizzing away slowly on top of his beer. “I’m not a threat to any of you. I chose to stay here and teach her because she needs it. I could have just taken the money and run and not given a shite about the consequences you would all face because of her powers, but I didn’t. Doesn’t that earn me at least something more than pure hostility?”“He’s feeling like a cornered animal, Harry.” Calum sighs. “He’s in a situation where he has no choices. If you ease back, he’ll do the same.”“So- The only way to make him not hate me is by just-” Harry trails off.“Leaving him alone.” Calum nods.“Seems counterproductive.” Harry mutters under his breath as Calum moves away.He has a feeling that it wouldn’t matter to any of them.
“Do you ever not look like a puppy that’s been kicked?” Nick sighs, flicking open his lighter and then clicking it shut again once the flame flares up.
“It’s my signature look.” Harry mutters, shifting the collar on his jacket up.
“Listen, Mr. Model-” Nick snorts, amusement eking out of him. “You have got to stop being so sullen every day. If we’re going to be spending all this time together, then you have to be more fun.”
“Or I could turn you into an emotionless walking corpse who doesn’t notice whether I’m fun or not.” Harry says flatly, shooting a glare at Nick, even though he couldn’t possibly see it through the sunnies Harry has on. “I’m sure you’d be much more bearable then.”
“I-” Nick drawls out. “Am a goddamned delight.”
“You’re a goddamned psychopath.” Harry fires back. “Now stop flicking that thing open before I take it as a threat and drop you to the ground, drooling and pissing yourself.”
“I’m not going to attack you, Har-Bear.” Nick says with a grin. “Wouldn’t want to mess up what’s left of your pretty face. Besides- That’d be a lot of paperwork for me to fill out.”
He flicks open the lighter again, drawing the flame out and manipulating the strand of fire into a heart. Harry isn’t amused, and it doesn’t get any funnier when Nick flips it upside down, shifting the shape around until it resembles a flaming penis.
Harry gets no enjoyment from using his powers offensively, finds it to be the curse to the blessing of empathy, but he can’t help a small smile when Nick falls to the ground like a weight is tied to his neck, every bit of emotion he has swirling in a mass in front of Harry. It’s all of what makes Nick, Nick.
To be honest, there’s not much to it. Harry wasn’t far off when he said that Nick was a psychopath. His emotions are blunt and muted, selfishly driven. Harry can read him like a book, can spread everything out and interpret every bit of Nick’s personality. It’s not worth the read. Phonebooks have more substance.
Harry keeps his hands away from the mass as he pushes it back into Nick, doesn’t want it touching him and smearing across his own feelings until he can detox it out.
Nick comes to, after a minute, blinking at Harry dazedly.
“This whole relationship is going to work a lot better if you learn to behave.” Harry hums, slapping Nick on the cheek twice. “You’re going to feel like hell for a day or two, because I kept you separated from yourself for a full minute. Next time, it’ll be ten, and you won’t recover for weeks. The time after that- Let’s just say I won’t put it back. You don’t want to know what happens when I don’t put it back.”
“More bite than bark. Got it.” Nick groans, rolling onto his back.
“Then don’t forget it.” Harry mutters, pushing himself back up straight.
“You’re vicious.” Nick grunts out as he manages to crawl to his feet. “You’re going to fit in just fine.”
The sentiment makes him shudder.
Harry wakes up late with a grunt, patting at his swallows to get them to calm down. The damn things are always too noisy when the sun comes up, and, with the way they’re sounding, it’s been up for a while. Harry could always close the curtains, but he generally sleeps better with moonlight streaming in. And wearing a shirt when he sleeps is out of the question. It just aggravates them and makes his laurels droop. They look weird when they droop.He catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror when he stands up, the ‘g’ on his right shoulder glaring at him in a deep black. He doesn’t need it to tell him how sour his mood is. He’s well aware, even after his moth flies up to cover it. The damn thing is too sensitive.“Get back where you’re supposed to be.” Harry mumbles, brushing over his torso until everything flutters back to the spots they normally rest. Most of them don’t move out of place too often, but the birds and the moth have a habit of wandering. They’ve migrated to his face more than once, which forced Harry to put magical barriers around his neck and hips.Not to mention, having a moth flapping in between your arsecheeks is an incredibly unsettling sensation, and it’s not great for his sex-life either.Not that that’s anything he has to bloody worry about for the moment. The only blokes worth shagging in the entire village are all shacked up together, because the universe fucking hates Harry even more than those four do.He’s got the scar to prove it.He turns on the shower and steps in right away, letting the cold water bring him to full alertness before it starts to warm up and melt the tension out of his shoulders. The shower in this old place isn’t great, can’t get hot enough or put out enough pressure to leave him satisfied. But he didn’t come out here to this village for the amenities.He came here for an escape. He came here to process. He came here to figure out who he is, and who he wants to be.He came here to figure out if redemption is something he can find in this life.He wasn’t expecting Niall and Molly. He wasn’t expecting to find a flicker of purpose in the haze he’s been wandering through for the last two years. He wasn’t expecting to find anything that sparked his interest again. Someone that made him sit up and take notice.Niall isn’t like the people he’s used to now. He’s as hidden and secretive, yeah, but- It’s like he’s never learned to hide how he’s feeling. Everything is so intense with him. His rage and his resolve and his love- Everything is dialed up to the maximum.And Molly has this purity radiating from her that’s almost as startling as her level of power.In London, everyone is muted. Harry can walk through a crowded room and barely be affected at all by the emotions. Sure, his pores clog up from the stink of ambition seeping through the whole city like a fog, but he got used to that metallic taste a while back.Out here, the air is fresh and clean. He feels like he’s breathing for the first time in years. There’s a peaceful net of contentment settled over the village and the surrounding areas, like people are just fine to live and let live.It’s what lets him pick up on tiny disturbances in the mood of the area, like letting him feel when Niall is getting closer as the storm inside of him causes ripples over the stillness of everything else around.He opens the door before they can even knock, clad in grey joggers and a plain, black long-sleeved shirt in the hopes that Molly won’t find it as offensive as the rest of his wardrobe.Niall greets him with an unimpressed look that’s mirrored on the smaller face by his hip.“Well-” Harry says slowly, hesitating to let any of his own emotions leak out with Calum’s advice from last night ringing in his ears. “Let’s begin, shall we?”
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God, Harry is boring. When he’s not driving Niall insane, he’s boring him senseless. He talks slow, and he wanders in circles around the point he’s trying to make for ages until he finally manages to explain what he was talking about. He’s fascinated by the simplest of things to the point where he moons over ridiculous things like the sunset until Niall wants to put a bullet in his head.And, now, he’s sitting there, still as a rock, and he’s the least annoying he’s ever been, if not also the most boring.And the worst part is that he’s roped Molly into it. He calls it ‘meditation’ and Niall cannot possibly fathom how he could think that forcing a six-year-old girl to sit still and stay quiet for an hour at a time is a good idea. He’s clearly never raised a child. Or been a child. Niall is pretty sure he’s an alien, though, so that’s not surprising.So, Niall entertains himself by making stupid faces at them while their eyes are closed. It’s not much, but Niall already finished the book he brought with him, so it’s this or he actually tries doing the bloody meditation, and he’d literally rather shoot himself.The timer that Harry set when they started goes off, and Niall scrambles to make himself look like he was napping as they take a deep breath and then open up their eyes.“How do you feel?” Harry asks calmly, stretching his arms over his head.“Weird.” Molly mumbles, rubbing over her stomach.“That, ladybug-” Harry hums, poking right over her hand. “-is your power. Meditation helps us focus on our connection to our powers. It helps us calm our minds and bodies, so we can focus on the other extension of ourselves.”“No, it feels like-” Molly starts, drawing her eyebrows together before she belches loudly, taking them all by surprise. “I think it was gas.”“That’s my girl.” Niall smirks, patting her cheek. “Go get your books together. It’s time for me to get to the shop.”Molly nods and picks herself up off of the floor, dusting at her tights before she scampers off into the other room.“You should really teach her some manners.” Harry sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.“And you should teach her some magic, but you haven’t done any of that in the last week, have you?” Niall counters, crossing his arms over his chest and squaring his shoulders. “All you’ve been doing is teaching her about the Rupture and making her sit still.”“Magical theory is an important subject for her education, Niall.” Harry huffs, mirroring Niall’s position. “And it’s not something you or the other lads will be much good in teaching her, seeing as none of you were ever really taught it.”“I’m not paying you to round out my lesson plans.” Niall grumbles. “I’m paying you to teach her how to make sure she doesn’t accidentally blow us all up. And considering I spent half of this morning rebuilding my bookshelf because I told her to go to bed last night and she didn’t want to yet, you don’t seem to be doing a very good job of that.”“Outbursts will happen. I warned you of that from the beginning.” Harry says firmly. “Your daughter’s magic is- It’s wild, Niall. For most people- It’s like- Okay, it’s like, if people’s magic were animals, most people would just have cats or dogs, yeah? Something mostly manageable, even if they can be a bit difficult sometimes.”“Will you please get to the point?” Niall sighs. “I don’t have all day, Styles. So, either finish the metaphor, or just drop it, because I don’t have time for you to play ‘animal, vegetable, mineral’ with this. I have to take over the shop before it closes.”“Molly’s is a bear. No- An elephant.” Harry says quickly. “It’s huge, and it doesn’t necessarily want to listen to her. You can train a bear or an elephant to do tricks, but trying to actually tame it is another story altogether.”“What does that have to do with making her nap sitting up?” Niall scoffs.“Molly needs to learn to focus if she ever wants to do more than tricks and struggling to contain her powers.” Harry says quietly. “She needs to learn how to merge her physical and spiritual sides, and focus them. It’s like when you’re boxing-”“Fucking hell.” Niall groans, rubbing at his face. “No, just listen.” Harry says, reaching to grab Niall’s shoulder before withdrawing his hand because he’s apparently learned a bit of self-preservation this week. At least somebody has learned something. “When you were learning to box, didn’t your teacher teach you to monitor your breathing?”“Of course.” Niall nods. “Breathing the wrong way can cause a punch to lose power.”“That’s what this is. She has to learn to control both her mind and her body at one time for her power to start coming under her control.” Harry explains. “The only difference is that her equivalent of a punch can turn a building into rubble, while yours’ll just- Bruise.”He massively underestimates Niall if he thinks all that would happen is a bruise. Niall is tempted to show him just how much of an underestimation that is.“Da, can we stop by the café and get something?” Molly requests, skipping back into the room. Harry is damned lucky. “That burp made me hungry again.”“You’re always hungry.” Niall hums, taking her hand when she reaches for his. “Definitely my girl. Yeah, lovebug, we can grab some lunch.”“I meant some cake.” Molly pouts.“I know what you meant.” Niall snorts. “But you’ll just have to make do with a sandwich. You eat too many sweets as it is.”“I hope Luke is there.” Molly mutters. Luckily for Niall, and for Molly’s teeth, Luke has a piano lesson right now, so she’s just going to have to settle for tomato and cheese on sourdough.He’ll let that be a little surprise for her.“I’ll see you tomorrow, ladybug.” Harry says with a gentle smile.“Bye.” Molly says, tugging Niall towards the door.Niall sees Harry’s smile falter and chuckles to himself as they head out before his eye twitches when Harry calls after him to say, “Oh, and, Niall- Bring a longer book tomorrow. Wouldn’t want you to get bored and make faces again.” “What are you doing here, Ash?” Niall grunts out between jabs, punctuates it with the sound of bare skin on leather.“How did you know it was me?” Ashton asks quietly, closing the door behind himself.“Only you and Harry have the keys, and he comes in the mornings, which is why I come at night.” Niall growls, pivoting on his right foot and swinging his left leg around and nearly knocking the bag off its hook.“If you keep going at that thing so aggressively, you’re going to break it again.” Ashton points out, stepping up and resting his hand on Niall’s shoulder.“Already have.” Niall mutters, rolling his shoulders to dislodge Ashton’s hand. “Twice. Once for the chain, too. Calum’s stupid magic goop didn’t work on that, though, so I had to rig it back together. Haven’t gotten to use the blowtorch in a while, so that was fun.”“Why don’t you let one of us take her to her lessons sometimes?” Ashton offers.“Because none of you could stop him if he decided to take her.” Niall mutters, shifting on his feet and throwing another punch into the bag. He barely suppresses a smirk at the sound that rips through the room and bounces back at him from every wall.“You distrust him that much?” Ashton questions.“I distrust almost every soul on this planet that much.” Niall says calmly.“Thanks.” Ashton scoffs.“Almost.” Niall repeats, rolling his eyes. “You three are the exception.”“Only because you know you could track us down and beat us to death if we decided to take her.” Ashton mumbles.“Because I love you guys, ya prick.” Niall huffs, breaking his combination to reach over and smack the side of Ashton’s head with an open palm. “Because I know you and I love you and you guys earned my trust. Besides- If you guys ran off with Molly, she might be better off.”“I mean- She might be less inclined towards violence.” Ashton chuckles. “That thing with Harry was funny, but it was also kind of scary.”“Do you think that didn’t scare the piss out of me too?” Niall asks in a whisper, looking up from his hands to meet Ashton’s eyes. “I haven’t been trying to teach her to be like me. I want better for her than that.”“Then you’ve got to find a healthier way of expressing your feelings.” Ashton hums, grazing his hand up Niall’s arm until he can rest it on Niall’s neck. He presses their foreheads together and adds, “Like talking, maybe. You know- Like a human?”“It’s cute that you thought that would work.” Niall snorts.“Eh, I gave it a shot.” Ashton says with a shrug, pressing a kiss to Niall’s forehead.“It did scare me.” Niall admits, turning his body back towards the bag so he doesn’t have to look Ashton in the eyes for the confession. He needs to do something with his hands, needs to push these feelings out of him or they won’t come out at all. “Because I have control over myself. I have to choose to inflict violence, and I choose how much damage I do. Molly doesn’t have that option yet. She could severely hurt someone without meaning to. She could- She could kill somebody, Ash.“And even though she could have killed him, all he’s bloody teaching her is history and sitting still and theories about magic. He hasn’t taught her to actually do anything. He hasn’t even had her demonstrate her abilities again. You’d think a bloody magic teacher would teach her magic!”The bag tears open when Niall punches as hard as he ever has on his last word, a new wound splitting it and making the bag spill his guts as much as Niall has.“Damn it!” Niall groans, banging out another punch above the rupture, causing more filling to spill out.“Have you tried double-bagging it?” Ashton snorts.“Once.” Niall hums, reaching up to unhook the bag so he can lower it to the floor. “Then Molly popped out nine months later.”“And now you’ve got to just sit there and trust that Harry knows what he’s doing when he’s teaching her.” Ashton says, crouching down and helping Niall scoop up the fluff.“Hey- Wouldn’t you rather fuck me over this punching bag than have this conversation?” Niall asks flatly.“Tempting as that offer is- And, believe me, it is tempting- The conversation is one we need to have, Niall.” Ashton says gently. “You don’t have to trust him, but you don’t have much choice in trusting that he knows what he’s doing when it comes to teaching her. You made the choice to let him be her tutor, and now it’s time to hand over the reins a little bit and let him teach her the way he knows how.”“I didn’t have a choice.” Niall breathes out. “Because she could hurt me, or you lads, or herself. Her losing that necklace that suppressed her powers means that she’s at risk, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her. That includes letting Harry teach her. There was no choice involved.”“He’s not that bad, you know.” Ashton tells him, leaning back against the bag.“Take it back, or I will never have sex with you again.” Niall growls out.“Seeing as we haven’t had sex in years, and there’s no promising future forecast for it-” Ashton hums.“Take it back.” Niall grunts, lifting up his leg and straddling over Ashton’s lap. “Now.”“Not sure I should.” Ashton smirks. “You always were easier to get riled up when I pissed you off a little. All I’d have to do is say he’s not hard on the eyes and you’re liable to ride me right here.”His hand slips down Niall’s sweat-soaked back, grips his arse tight and- Fuck- It’s been so goddamn long that Niall feels his self-control slipping. It doesn’t take more than Ashton grinding up into him, hard and eager, for Niall to surge forward and kiss him hard.“Fuck! You’re a fucking arsehole!” Niall snarls, biting at Ashton’s lip.“Fuck! You’re so fucking hot when you’re pissed off.” Ashton moans, winding his fingers into Niall’s hair and tugging just a bit.“Fuck! You’re fucking!” comes an unfortunately familiar voice from the direction of the door.“Fucking hell!” Niall groans, flopping off of Ashton to the side. “What the fuck are you doing here?”“I, uh- I went for a run this morning, so I wanted to come in here and get some weight-training.” Harry says quietly, looking up towards the ceiling with a sheepish blush. “Didn’t realize you two would be, uh- You know.”“Well we’re not now.” Niall mutters, ignoring the sigh Ashton lets out as he readjusts himself.Honestly, he should probably be thanking Harry. Having sex with Ashton would have been a mistake. A really fun, satisfying, sorely-needed mistake, but a mistake.“I can just- Go?” Harry offers.“No.” Niall says, shaking his head and grabbing his shirt off the floor, tugging it on over his head. “I’m already gone. The bag broke again, so you’ll just have to wait until I get around to fixing it.”“Again?” Harry asks as Niall pulls Ashton up off the ground.“Again.” Niall says with a nod as they head for the door.“How do you keep breaking it?” Harry questions.“Just thinking ‘bout you.” Niall hums, patting Harry’s cheek with two harsh slaps as he passes by him. “Have fun, Styles. See you in the morning.”Harry doesn’t have a snarky comeback this time. Just a nervous gulp that gives Niall more pleasure than any orgasm. “You look mad.” Niall hums as Luke stalks towards him. “Someone wake up in Cal’s armpit again?”“I cannot believe you!” Luke hisses, winding his hand back behind his head.Niall catches his hand all too easily, chuckling as he says, “If you want to hit me, don’t give me time to stop you.”“Asshole!” Luke growls out, bringing his knee up and catching Niall in the balls.That was a good one.Niall doubles over, groaning out, “Talk to Ash, then?”“I am the pretty one.” Luke huffs, smacking Niall in the back of the head. “I’m the one you should be shagging on the floor of the gym.”“Not gonna be shagging anyone anytime soon, now.” Niall huffs, shooting a glare at Luke. “And I’m not a masochist, so, if I do, it’s definitely not going to be with you.”“Do you know how it makes me feel that I’ve been trying to seduce you for weeks and I don’t get anything more than an obligatory kiss, but all Ashton has to do is say that Harry isn’t a gaping, syphilitic penile pustule, and you get so mad you decide to ride his dick?” Luke asks.“Luke- Fucking hell- It’s not like I meant for it to happen.” Niall huffs, easing himself into a chair. “And nothing actually happened.”“You can’t pick one of us over the others, Niall.” Luke mutters. “Not right now. Not when we’ve all been waiting so long for you to come back to us. We never had a problem when it was just you and one of us before, because we were all getting you. It didn’t matter when you fucked Ashton in the gym back then, because you’d fuck me in the studio or Calum on a table in the café, or all of us when Molly was down for a nap. We all got a piece of you, so it was fair. It’s not fair now.”“Fine. I promise I won’t have sex with any of you.” Niall says flatly, narrowing his eyes.“Or you could have sex with all of us.” Luke counters.“At the moment, I’d rather have sex with a rock than you.” Niall grumbles. “At least if I fucked a rock, I’d deserve the pain in my testicles.”“Well, now you’re just being rude.” Luke pouts, folding his arms over his chest.“Well, you hit me in my genitals, so excuse me if I’m in a bit of a mood.” Niall scoffs.“Niall, I’m serious about this.” Luke says quietly, sitting down next to Niall.“I know you are.” Niall sighs. “Luke, I really didn’t mean for it to happen. I promise, it won’t happen again until I’m ready to be with all three of you. You know I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t pick just one of you. I wouldn’t risk our relationship, or the one between you guys. I’m sorry.”“Well, you need to apologize to Calum too.” Luke grumbles, stealing what’s left of Niall’s muffin and picking the chocolate chips off the top. “He’s not even pissed off. He’s just- Sad. I hate when Calum’s sad. It’s like the sun got hidden away.”“Oh, hell.” Niall grunts out. “He didn’t say anything when I was dropping Molly off with him and Ash after her lesson.”“Niall.” Luke says flatly, shooting him a look. “You know Cal. He’s not going to be the one to come to you. He’s just going to pull in on himself.”“At least he won’t hit me in the nuts.” Niall mutters under his breath.“Appeasing me is a lot easier than putting Calum back right.” Luke says with a sigh.“I know.” Niall says with a shit eating grin.“Don’t say it.” Luke growls.“You’re by far the easiest lad I’ve ever met.” Niall hums.“I hate you.” Luke huffs, throwing the muffin in Niall’s face and scowling even more when Niall cackles. “What are you doing here?” Calum asks, looking over at Niall when he comes through the door. “Luke’s my bartender tonight.”“Luke and Ash agreed to watch Molly so I could come here tonight.” Niall says with a shrug.“Told you I don’t want you working here until he’s gone.” Calum huffs, refusing to look at Niall when he comes behind the bar.“Calum- I spend two hours with him every morning.” Niall points out. “And, once again, I feel the need to point out that I hate him.”“Why?” Calum asks. “He hasn’t done anything to you. He’s helping you teach Molly.”“He’s a threat.” Niall huffs.“How?” Calum asks again, turning to look at Niall this time.“Because he-” Niall starts.“Because he’s a witch?” Calum snaps, eyebrows drawing in together.“I mean- That’s part of it.” Niall says with a shrug. “He also works for the government, and-”“And I’m sure you can come up with a hundred other excuses, Niall, but it all really boils down to one thing, doesn’t it?” Calum scoffs. “He’s got magic, and he isn’t your daughter, so that makes him the enemy. Fucking hell, sometimes- Sometimes you sound like that damn terrorist group. You sound like the Technophage. They blew up a fucking building in London last night, you know. They blew up a building and you sit here and- And all I can think about is how much you sound like them.”“What it boils down to is that he could take my daughter away.” Niall growls out. “Where is all this coming from?”“Is it me, Niall?” Calum asks weakly, tears shimmering at the corners of his eyes. “Am I the reason you won’t just be with us?”“No, Cal-” Niall tries.“Because you had no problem nearly fucking Ash last night.” Calum cuts him off. “And I know that you and Luke have come close a few times in the last few years. But, we- We never do. It’s like you love them, but- But not-”“It’s not you, Cal.” Niall assures him, taking the Maori lad’s face in his hands. “It’s so, so not you.”“Then why- With them?” Calum asks through his stifled sobs as Niall pulls their heads together.“Because they push me.” Niall tells him, brushing their noses together. “You never have. You’ve respected the barriers I put up. That’s why you’re my favorite.”“You’re not supposed to- to have favorites.” Calum says with a choked off laugh, wet with tears and mucus. He’s gorgeous.“I know, so don’t tell those other two.” Niall hums. “You are, you know. My favorite, I mean. Ashton gets me best, but you- You’re magnificent, Cal. I promise, I don’t love you any less than I do them.”“It’s just- I wish that- that I felt like you wanted me as much as you do them.” Calum whispers.“Would it help if I told you you’re the one I wank to the most?” Niall asks with a slight grin.“Liar.” Calum huffs out through a laugh, slapping at Niall’s chest.“I’m not lying.” Niall chuckles, trapping Cal’s hand against his chest. “Always had a thing for tattoos. Ashton’s just got those couple little ones, and Luke doesn’t have any, but you- Fucking love yours. They drive me insane. When you go out running, and you come back all sweaty and shirtless, it takes almost all of my control not to pounce on you then and there.”“I, um- Thank you, Niall.” Calum says softly, burying his face in Niall’s neck.“I love you, Cal.” Niall murmurs, pressing a kiss to his temple.“How much?” Calum asks.“Are you asking because you want reassurance, or because you want something else?” Niall asks back.“It’s just- Mali is coming into town in a couple of weeks, and-” Calum starts.“No.” Niall grunts out, lifting Calum back off of his chest and putting space between them. “Calum- No. It’s not happening.”“Why?” Calum asks quietly, wringing his hands together in front of his chest and looking down at the floor. “Why won’t you just meet her?”“Because meeting the family isn’t my thing, Cal.” Niall sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Especially rich, powerful, slave-owning families.”“Mali isn’t like that, Niall.” Calum argues.“She owned them!” Niall hisses.“So did I!” Calum groans. “Just give her a chance, Niall.”“I’m not meeting her, Calum.” Niall say firmly. “The last thing any of us needs is me getting into a fight with your sister. Especially when you’ve known me for years and you called me a magic-hating terrorist two minutes ago.”“Now you know that’s not what-” Calum starts.“But I’ll make you a deal.” Niall sighs. “Molly can stay over with you guys and meet her.”“Really?” Calum asks, his eyes going wide. Niall can tell that it’s more than he expected. Niall has a slight tendency to take Molly out of town when Calum’s family comes to visit.“And I’ll run the businesses as much as I can, so you guys don’t have to worry about taking time away from her.” Niall agrees. “As long as you agree to keep her away from me. No ‘surprise visits’ down here.”“How are you going to run three businesses at once?” Calum asks.“I’ll just run them all out of here.” Niall says with a shrug. “Use the booze shelves for books, run it as a café during the day, and the diner at night.”“You’re going to be exhausted.” Calum mumbles, kicking at the floor. “And lonely.”“Cal, I’ll be fine.” Niall chuckles. “The only company I had for a year was a screaming infant who never let me sleep. I think I can handle a week or two of fourteen-hour days. Only thing I can’t do is Luke’s studio. He’s going to have to reschedule those lessons.”“If that’s the best I’m gonna get.” Calum says with a half-hearted shrug.“Calum, I’m giving you a lot here.” Niall says, holding back a deep sigh.“I just want my sister to know the guy I’ve been telling her about for years.” Calum says softly, wiping at the counter and avoiding Niall’s eyes. “I want her to know all of the men I’m in love with.”“One day, I promise she will.” Niall says, putting his hand on top of Calum’s. “But, right now, it’s not the time. I’m not ready. Besides, I really don’t want to sit there and explain to her the- Intricacies of our relationship.”“Fine.” Calum mutters.“No, not ‘fine’.” Niall says harshly. “I am trying here, and if you can’t meet me half way, then I don’t know why I should be bothered to try at all. I could’ve just done what I’ve done the last two times and taken Molly up to Bristol for the week. I am trying, and I deserve better for that than you pouting and being pissed off at me for it.”“You shouldn’t have to try to put in minimal effort for the people you love, Niall.” Calum says, shaking his head. “Meeting my sister, one of the five most important people in the world to me, shouldn’t be something you have to try to do. You wouldn’t have to spend the whole two weeks with her. You wouldn’t even have to spend a day with her, if you didn’t want to. All I asked for was for you to meet her. Five minutes of you pretending to be pleasant because it’s important to me.”“Calum-” Niall groans.“Just- Stay behind the bar tonight.” Calum mutters, pushing past Niall to get out from behind it and head towards the door. “I’ll stay out in the house, and we’ll split the tips half and half. We don’t have to talk.”“Cal-” Niall tries again.“I don’t want to talk, Niall.” Calum mutters, pulling the door open and being met with a small crowd walking in, ready for their dinner and working perfectly to stop any chance of further conversation between Niall and Calum.Harry is among the group, shuffling in last. Niall braces himself for the witch to take a seat at the counter, but he just blushes furiously when he looks at the Irishman and scurries to a booth in the back where they can’t see each other. At least one thing can go right tonight.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Really, you are, for all intents and purposes, the laziest boy I have ever met in my life.” Gemma huffs, kicking at Harry’s leg until he moves it out of the way enough for her to sit down next to him. “You’ve been home a week and I haven’t actually seen you standing up once.”
“Stuff it up your arse.” Harry snorts, peeking one eye open to see his sister’s faux-scandalized expression.
“I really do not know how our mother raised such an unpleasant child.” Gemma frowns.
“‘Raised’ is a bit generous.” Harry scoffs, picking at the leaves of a daisy he’d weaved into his hair when he collapsed in front of the tree on the south lawn. The party is on the other side of the manor, muted enough that Harry’s migraine has reduced in the hours he’s spent as far away from so many people and conflicting emotions as he can get without being punished later. “That’s what the maids and the butler and all the rest of the downstairs people were for, no?”
“Harry.” Gemma sighs, crossing her hands over her lap. Her fingers curl tight in the disappointment that seeps out of her mouth with the word, not that she can see it. “You owe her better than that.”
“You’re the one that wants to follow in her footsteps, Gem. Not me.” Harry says quietly. “Playing at politics and power isn’t any interest of mine.”
“Good.” Gemma hums, pushing at what she calls his ‘bird’s nest’ of a hairstyle until his fringe is out of his eyes. He just throws her a glare, shaking it back out, even though it probably looks ridiculous. “You can be too charming for your own good, and you go off of feelings too much.”
“I wonder why.” Harry says, rolling his eyes. “Haven’t got a lovely little power like you or mother. Mine is just a headache.”
“Yours is so much lovelier than mine, Harry.” Gemma murmurs, laying her hand over his. “Hard light generation is nothing compared to empathy.”
“All it does is give me migraines and let me see what anyone else could if they paid any attention to anyone else.” Harry mutters. “You can make beauty where there isn’t any. All I can do is see the ugliness.”
“Surely not everything you see is ugly.” Gemma says with a soft smile, annoyingly fond in a way that makes Harry want to lick his finger and stick it in her ear. She bloody hates that.
“You’d be surprised.” Harry mumbles, looking up into the waving green of the wind rushing through the tree overhead instead of letting himself look at her. Gemma is one of the few who really is as lovely inside as she is out, and that dampens his argument. “Aggression and ambition and lust and disgust are the things I see most. People are base. We’re little more than animals, with far too much power. Walking bombs ruled by their id.”
“Someone has been reading Freud lately.” Gemma laughs, light and airy.
“Yeah, but he’s wrong about the Oedipal thing.” Harry says with a grimace. “Couldn’t think of anyone I’d be less attracted to than someone like the Ice Queen, even if I didn’t fancy blokes.”
Anne’s cryokinesis has had one benefit, providing Harry with an all too easy name for her. If it happens to be one that’s shared by a majority of her constituents, Harry can’t find it in himself to be bothered by that.
“She’s not that bad, Harry.” Gemma says quietly, her amusement quickly fading.
“Not to you. You’re her princess.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes, hidden behind his lids to keep her from seeing. He feels a small spout of annoyance, which means it probably didn’t work. “You know what I mean, Gemma. You’re the daughter. You’re the heir to all this- Whatever this is. She didn’t even want a boy, and you know it. It’s not fashionable, what with the Empress only having daughters and all.”
“Good thing you’re so feminine, then.” Gemma smirks, pinching Harry’s cheek. He hates her sometimes. “Them rosy, high cheeks and pretty, pink lips of yours.”
“Well, she had to have at least one attractive child.” Harry grumbles, smacking at her fingers. “She couldn’t have everything in that daughter she wanted so desperately. Why do you think she had another kid? Couldn’t have been maternal instinct.”
“School is making you all sullen and grumpy.” Gemma sighs, tangling their fingers together. “I miss when you were little. Well- Littler. You were always all smiles back then.”
“I’m seventeen, and I’m taller than you.” Harry scowls at her, trying to burn a hole through her forehead with his glare, or at least magic a big spot into place there. “Don’t say ‘littler’. I’m not a kid.”
“You’ll always be my kid brother, bug.” Gemma says softly, squeezing his fingers before letting go. “Especially when you’re acting like a brat.”
“It hurts, Gemma.” Harry whines. “Being around all those people hurts.”
“Tell you what-” Gemma hums, reaching into her dress and pulling out a small flask. “I’ll give you a little help at cutting that off.”
“Guess you’re not the worst.” Harry chuckles, taking the flask and draining it down his throat, wincing with the burn of it until it settles warm and fluttery in his stomach, lightening his limbs and his mood all at once. Gemma always has the best connections for magical liquors. She’s not entirely awful all the time.
Harry feels her before he sees her, a chill in the hot summer air that reaches him almost as quickly as her white-hot spike of irritation at having had to come find them.
“Oh fuck.” Harry mutters, scrambling to his feet and hauling Gemma up to hers so that he has an excuse to pass the flask off to her and make it her problem instead of his. The glare she shoots him just makes him preen while she has to try and discretely shove something back between her breasts.
Given Anne’s further increase in anger, he doesn’t think it worked for her.
“Oh, here you two are.” Anne says with a smile a blind man could see through as she gets close enough to be heard. She looks elegant, as always, wrapped in billowing white silk and her dark hair piled high with gorgeous braids that it must have taken her maid an hour to put together. Ice crystals shimmer in the air around her, a sure sign she’s pissed off. “I was afraid you’d both gotten lost on your way to my very important gala. You see, it’s on the other side of the manor.”
“We were just on our way, mummy.” Harry tells her, with a grin just as fake. “I had to come out here and get ladybug, here. She was taking a nap.”
The yelp he lets out when Gemma shoots a tiny beam of hardened light out of her finger to hit him in the back of the head is loud and piercing, but her smirk tells him that Anne didn’t see it.
“Must’ve been a bug biting you in your hair from your nap, you little jokester.” Gemma says with a fake giggle that makes Harry’s eye twitch.
“As lovely as it is to see you two getting along so well-” Anne says stiffly. “I think it’s time for you two to mingle so charmingly with my guests as you do with each other.”
“Of course, mummy.” Harry says quickly, beating Gemma to the punch and giving an overdramatic bow, flourishing his hands. He steps forward, pecking her cheek quickly to avoid frostbite from her skin or glare. “And, may I just say, you look absolutely stunning. Like a blizzard on a sunny day.”
Gemma’s sharp bark of laughter can’t be muffled in time, and Harry makes his way across the lawn quickly, abandoning her to suffer Anne’s wrath alone. Gemma may not be entirely awful, but Harry makes no claims to the same.
Harry wakes slowly, stretching out his limbs and then flinching away from the cold of the mattress surrounding him. He sinks back into the warm spot he’d occupied all night, pulling the duvet up to his nose and sighs. He’s never liked a chill.There’s a dull ache in his chest, a longing for something long lost. He rubs at his shoulder under the sheet, calming down the dull, blue glow that he knows is there without having to see. It always is when he has dreams about home.The sun starts to peak over the hills and into his window, waking his swallows until he just sighs and taps them with a bit of magic in his finger to turn them off. He’s not in the mood this morning, doesn’t want to deal with the shrill chirps or quick flaps under his skin. The moth is next, and Harry quickly clamps all of his tattoos into place, not wanting to deal with any of them this morning. They all have their purpose, all do something important for him, but he just wants to forget about it for a little bit.Instead, once he manages to heave himself out of bed and under the warm spray of the shower he actually waits for today, his mind wanders back to the night before at the pub. He’s been avoiding looking at or talking to Niall since two nights back, when he’d walked in on him and Ashton. There’s something tight in his gut whenever he thinks about it, thinks about the way he’d wrecked a private moment between them. It doesn’t help that Niall’s mood radiates into him whenever they’re near each other now, filling his chest and pores and nose and mouth with anger.There had been less of that directed at him last night, though. Instead, Niall’s emotions mirrored Calum’s, irritated and uncomfortable. They avoided each other all night, or at least for the hour or so that Harry had been in the pub, not coming near each other or even looking at each other.Even more than that, Calum had the tragic air of heartbreak hanging around him, clinging to his skin like a shroud. Niall didn’t have that, but he did reek of guilt, itching at Harry’s nose from across the pub. He can’t help but wonder if it has to do with what he walked in on.His mind twists around the problem continuously, taking his focus and forcing his body into auto-pilot as he dresses himself and staggers out of the door and into the chilling air of a morning on the coast. He may not like the cold, but he can’t deny that it wakes him up as he starts to walk along the route he’s created for himself over the last couple of weeks in the village.He knows it well enough by now that it’s safe to let his mind find its way back to Calum and Niall, and the questions that brings up, without having to worry that he’s going to run into a lamppost or anything.It’s not like he assumes everything is perfect between the four of them. Balancing four people and a child in a relationship must be difficult. Harry’s head hurts just thinking about the kinds of things that must come along with that. But, surely, they can’t only be okay with them having sex when it’s all four of them. And Harry definitely doesn’t chub up a bit and stumble when the thought of all four of them in bed with each other crosses his mind.Harry isn’t unused to the idea of polyamorous relationships, nor is he unfamiliar with it. They’re quite commonplace in London, though it’s more common with groups of witches than anyone else. Something about the idea of strengthening bloodlines. After the Catholic Church had been chased out of Europa, religion was relegated as a relic of the past, along with traditional attitudes towards sexuality, gender and relationships.Who wants God anymore when anyone with the right genes can perform their own miracles, and He condemns you for them?It’s just that he hasn’t seen anything quite like the one between Niall, Calum, Luke and Ashton. The latter three make sense to him. They’re affectionate with each other in a way it doesn’t take an empath to read. The touches and smiles and love each of them have for the others are obvious and unguarded.Niall, on the other hand, keeps himself at a distance from them, emotionally and physically. It’s not a constant state, though. Sometimes his walls- They don’t come down, exactly- It’s more like he lowers a drawbridge and lets them cross for a little while. He’ll come closer to them, press a kiss to their cheeks or tangle their fingers or offer them an unguarded, almost shy smile.He must be the newest to the relationship, though that’s obvious if Harry considers that the other three are Oceanic, and Niall is Europan. He can’t be too new, though, given the familiarity between all of them, not to mention their relationship with Molly. He has to have been around for a while.It’s possible that they were just friends first, but Harry doesn’t think that’s the case. Ashton, Luke and Calum have far too much love for Niall, and Niall’s may be more guarded, but his is there as well. Harry hasn’t stumbled into the budding beginning of this relationship.So that leaves the question, why is there such a divide? Why is Niall on one side of a canyon, and the other three are on the other? Why is Niall in the doghouse for having it off with Ashton?The question dies in his mind when he stumbles into the café, expecting to see Luke’s smiling face, the only one who doesn’t go sour as soon as Harry comes around, and instead finding a suddenly irritated Niall frowning at him instead.“You’re- You’re not Luke.” Harry stutters out.“Neither are you.” Niall scoffs, going back to his book and crossing his ankles on the counter. “Got anymore brilliant observations there, Sherlock?”“I- Just- Luke is normally the one here when I come for breakfast.” Harry mumbles, dropping his eyes down to the obnoxiously pink, polka-dot shirt he’d decided to wear. He regrets it immensely. Luke would love it, but Niall clearly doesn’t care for the way Harry dresses, which is why he normally changes his clothes after his daily visit with Luke, before his lessons with Molly.“Well, the pretty one needed his beauty sleep, so I’m running the place this morning.” Niall says dryly, flipping the page in his book, and leaning back further in his stool. “So, you’ll have to pack up whatever flirting routine you usually use with him.”“I don’t flirt with him.” Harry huffs. “He’s just the only one of you that doesn’t, like- Hate me.”“How tragic for you.” Niall says, rolling his eyes. “I’m sure it must be so difficult not having everyone fawn over how charming you are.”“I don’t expect people to fawn over me.” Harry grumbles, leaning against a table across the room so he doesn’t have to get too close. “But is it so much to ask that you don’t all treat me like I shot your puppy or something?”“Yes.” Niall hums, pleased with himself in a way that makes irritation rise in Harry’s gut.“I know that I, like- Got you in trouble or something, but I didn’t mean to, Niall.” Harry mutters, dropping his eyes to his feet. “I’m not trying to mess with you.”“Got me in trouble?” Niall asks, furrowing his eyebrows. “What the bloody hell are you on about?”“Last- Um- Last night?” Harry says, his voice going up at the end like a question because now he’s not sure he read the situation correctly anymore. “You, and- and Calum. You guys were weird?”“That hasn’t got a single thing to do with you.” Niall groans, wiping his hand over his face. “You are such an egotistical-”“Da, they’re done!” Molly shrieks excitedly, bursting out of the doors that leads to the café’s kitchen holding a little hourglass. “The sand all fell to the bottom! Oh, Harry. What are you doing here?”“Getting breakfast.” Harry answers her simply as Niall mutters under his breath, disappearing back through the doors to retrieve whatever Molly had been so excited about before she’d spotted him.“We made muffins.” Molly explains, patting at her little beige dress and showing him the flour that puffs up off of it.“Your father looked clean.” Harry chuckles.“He hates getting messy.” Molly giggles. “He never gets anything on him when he cooks. And he hates when I get messy, but it’s silly. My dresses aren’t pretty, so it’s not like they’ve been ruined or anything.”“I think they’re pretty.” Harry says with a soft smile.“They haven’t got nice colors like your shirt.” Molly says with a shrug, kicking her black shoe against the floor. “I like pink, but I can’t wear it.”“You can soon.” Harry tells her. “Once we finish training you, you can register and wear whatever color you want.”“Da doesn’t like fancy colors.” Molly whispers, disappointment seeping out of her eyes like little clouds of tears. “I don’t think he’ll want me to wear them.”“Coming up behind you, lovebug.” Niall says gently, back out of the kitchen with the tray of muffins facing away from Molly so he doesn’t risk burning her. His caution is evident in every movement, even when he bends over and kisses the top of her head on his way by her. “They look gorgeous. You’ve outdone yourself.”“He just says that.” Molly says to Harry with a slight blush, pride bubbling up and stemming the tide of her disappointment all too easily. “He does most of the work. I just dump things in.”“Now, lovebug, you don’t give yourself enough credit.” Niall chides, proved unserious when he has such an unguarded smile offered to her without reserve. “You poured them and waited for them to cook, and you picked the recipe.”“Blackberry-orange is my favorite.” Molly explains to Harry, holding her hands out for one as Niall loads the rack. She doesn’t bite into it, though, instead turning to Harry and asking, “Do you want one?”“Oh, uh- No. I think I should-” Harry stammers, feeling Niall’s frustration grow and deciding it’s probably best if he just leaves before he digs himself further into this bottomless pit he falls down every time he’s around Niall, even though he’s not done anything wrong that he can think of. Not on purpose, anyways. His stomach growls loudly, cutting off the rest of his response.“You should what?” Niall asks flatly. “Starve? It’s not like there’s anywhere else to go for breakfast unless you fancy hopping a bus into the next village.”“I don’t mind the bus.” Harry mumbles.“The next one leaves at eight, then.” Niall mutters, turning back to the display and getting even angrier for some reason Harry can’t figure out, though he keeps it out of his voice for Molly’s sake.“Oh.” Molly says so softly that Harry almost doesn’t hear it over the thrumming of Niall’s irritation. That’s when he understands.Niall doesn’t want Harry to stay, but he wants Molly to be unhappy even less than that.“I don’t mind the bus-” Harry repeats, putting on his most charming grin. “But I’d be an idiot to pass up a muffin you made for me, ladybug.”Niall snorts, but says nothing, for once. It’s a bloody miracle.“Really?” Molly asks, her eyes going wide and hope curling off her breath around her trembling bottom lip.“How much do I owe you?” Harry asks, pulling out his wallet and grabbing a fiver. “Will this cover it?”“Just take the damned muffin, Harry.” Niall sighs.“I wasn’t asking you.” Harry smirks. “I was asking the baker, here. Molly?”“Double.” Molly says with a devious grin.“Double it is then.” Harry nods, taking out another five note and holding them out to her. “You’ve got a mind for good business.”“Da says ‘‘good business’ is just a fancy word for taking money from an amadán.’” Molly hums, taking the notes out of his hand and exchanging them for her muffin.“And what does amadán mean?” Harry asks her.“Idiot.” Molly giggles, curling the bills in her hand and running back to hug Niall’s leg.“What a charming father you have, Molly.” Harry says dryly.“Don’t you have a bus to be getting on?” Niall asks flatly, leveling him with a glare. “The seven-fifteen over the cliff will be leaving any minute, and I’d hate for you to miss it.”“Oh, but now is the perfect time to start Molly’s lessons for today.” Harry grins, making a very important decision. He’s decided to enjoy Niall’s annoyance. There’s pretty much nothing else to do in this sleepy little village, and if he’s going to make it this easy for Harry to get under his skin, then Harry’s going to do what comes so easily to him.Niall says nothing, but his irritation quickly turns into pure, white-hot hate that glows in his eyes, even when he turns them back towards his book as he settles in at the counter. It’s a wonder the poor thing doesn’t burst into flames.Harry just takes a seat with a smirk he doesn’t even try to conceal, gesturing for Molly to join him, which she does, after nicking another muffin for herself.“Are we gonna do anything interesting today?” Molly asks, keeping her voice quiet.“How about a bit of levitation practice?” Harry asks in a whisper. “If you can hit your father in the forehead with that muffin, I’ll give you another ten.”“Twenty.” Molly says after considering it for a moment.“Deal.” Harry smiles, reaching for his wallet as she begins hovering the muffin in front of her and taking aim at Niall.Totally worth it. “Luke- Hey-” Harry says with a soft smile after he literally runs into the familiar lad walking around the corner a few blocks from the bus station. “What are you doing here?”“Shopping.” Luke says with a shrug. “Picking up a surprise for everyone. What are you doing here?”“There was an- Incident.” Harry says sheepishly. “Niall let me know that it was safer for me to be in a place very far away from him with a lot of witnesses. The bus to Bath was later than the one to Plymouth, so here I am.”“Do you want to come with me?” Luke offers.“Would- Would you mind?” Harry asks carefully. “I know the others don’t-”“The others don’t control me, Harry.” Luke says firmly. “Not outside of bed, anyways. They don’t decide who I am and am not friends with.”“I’m surprised you’re the one that’s nice to me.” Harry says as they begin walking towards wherever Luke has decided to go. “I would have thought- You know.”“What?” Luke asks curiously.“I would have thought it would be Calum.” Harry admits.“Stick with your own kind.” Luke hums. “You don’t know anything about him, do you?”“Don’t know anything about any of you.” Harry shrugs. “None of you really talk to me, except you.”“He’s a no-mani.” Luke says quietly. “He can’t manifest his power. He had a brain-tumor when he was a kid. The healer that his family hired- He was a liar. He couldn’t do what he told them he could, and when he healed the tumor, the brain tissue that was cancerous didn’t grow back right. It scarred irreversibly. It didn’t affect his mind, but it cut him off from the part of his brain that lets him access his powers when he was too young to even manifest them. He doesn’t even know what they are.”“Fuck.” Harry breathes out, eyes going wide as he looks to Luke, hoping for more but not pushing for it.“In his family, in particular, that wasn’t acceptable.” Luke says, wringing his hands in a deep purple mist of anxiety. “His parents- They spent years trying to ‘fix’ him with brutal experiments from every healer they could find in the Alliance. And, when they finally accepted that they couldn’t, they hid him away until they freed me and Ash and sent him away to the other side of the world with a lot of money and a promise not to come back.”“So- He doesn’t like witches either.” Harry nods along.“That’s not it at all.” Luke chuckles. “He doesn’t like you because you flirt with Niall.”“I do not!” Harry hisses, letting himself absorb Luke’s amusement so an embarrassed blush doesn’t spring up on his cheeks. “And what did you even tell me about all of that for, if it has nothing to do with why he doesn’t like me?”“Because you’re not his kind, Harry.” Luke says simply. “He may have the same number of chromosomes as you, but he has more in common with us than you ever will. He knows what it’s like to be powerless, but surrounded by power. By people who think they’re better than you because of magic.”“That’s not- I don’t-” Harry stumbles over his words. “Luke, I don’t think I’m better than any of you.”“I know that.” Luke hums, opening the door to a big department store and waving Harry in. “I don’t think you’re evil, Harry. I don’t even think you’re not a good person.”“Well, could you like- Put in a good word for me?” Harry requests. “I’m going to need it after this morning.”“Depends on what you did.” Luke laughs lightly, looking around until he spots what he wants, apparently. He grabs Harry’s wrist and heads straight for the section of the store devoted to tellies. “Oh, fuck, they’re so expensive.”“This is what you were looking for?” Harry questions, blinking at the huge boxes and screens of the television sets. Harry has never been very interested in television. It seems like, after the rupture destroyed Hollywood, all the programming stopped developing. People still make it, but it’s lost the magic, for lack of a better word. “Doesn’t seem like you.”“It’s not for me.” Luke says, shaking his head as he crouches down to look at one. “We already have a telly. Calum likes to watch nature documentaries, and Ashton and Niall always watch the Non-Magical Olympics together. I like to watch old movies, but I hate doing it alone and the others don’t like them much. It doesn’t get used much.”“Then why do you want one?” Harry questions.“For the pub.” Luke grins. “It’ll bring in more people. Nobody else in the village has one. Plus, Calum’s always whinging about how the best documentaries are on when he’s got to work.”“Nobody has one?” Harry asks. Telly may not be the biggest industry, but it’s not that uncommon for a household to have one.“The village isn’t like where you’re from, Harry.” Luke says, standing back up and stepping to another set. “It’s- It’s secluded. We don’t have any magic users besides Molly and Cal, and he can only use magic in potion making because he just has to release energy, not direct it. Everyone in the village except us works for farms or a few other things here and there. Almost everyone is old. It’s a glimpse into the world before the rupture. Without the people like you that come through town, it’s easy to forget what the world is like outside the town-lines.”“And what do you know about where I come from?” Harry asks, cocking an eyebrow.“I know you come from money.” Luke hums, running his hand over the top of another set. “I know you aren’t an only child. I know you have a rough relationship with one of your parents, probably your mother.”“How the hell-” Harry breathes out.“I was a slave, Harry.” Luke says, straightening up and heading for yet another television. “I was owned by a very, very rich family. I know how to read people like you almost as easily as you can read the people around you. I’m more than just a pretty face.”“I never doubted that for a second.” Harry says with a soft smile.“But it’s not my pretty face you keep looking at, is it.” Luke says. It’s not a question.“It’s not that.” Harry sighs, wringing his hands together. “I mean- He’s fit, yeah. You all are. He’s just- I don’t know how to put it. He confuses me, but he’s also- Intriguing.”“You don’t have the time to even start unravelling the mystery that is Niall Horan.” Luke chuckles. “Not even close.”“How long would I need?” Harry asks.“I’ve known him five years, so- I’ll let you know when I’ve scratched the surface.” Luke admits, and there’s a sadness to the words, a kind of melancholy that colors the air blue around him. But it’s not alone. There’s a thrum of fondness and love that paints a swath in the air around him with a soft pink. “He only lets people know so much about him, and those are the ones he loves. You wouldn’t stand a chance, even if you stuck around for decades.”“Why?” Harry asks. “I didn’t do anything to him. I helped him with that magician. I’m helping Molly. He hated me the first time he noticed me.”“Calum doesn’t hate witches, but Niall- He’s a different story.” Luke mumbles. “I don’t know what happened, exactly, but I know that there’s some sort of trauma in his past that makes him hate magic. He wasn’t always that way. He couldn’t have been. Barbara wouldn’t have happened if he had.”“Who’s Barbara?” Harry asks curiously, only growing more intrigued with the way Luke’s entire body freezes and regret binds at him like chains.“Shit!” Luke hisses, pinching at the bridge of his nose. “This is why they’re always telling me to shut up.”“She’s Molly’s mother, isn’t she?” Harry assumes.“That’s how I knew you have problems with your parents, you know.” Luke says, quickly changing the subject. “It’s always ‘mother’ or ‘father’ with you. Never ‘mum’ or ‘dad’. It’s a distance-keeping tactic. Shows you want to think of parents impersonally in relation to their children, even if they’re someone else’s parents or children.”“You’re very observant, aren’t you?” Harry chuckles.“Very.” Luke smirks.“Then you should have noticed that the perfect telly for the pub is that one right there.” Harry hums, pointing to a set a little bit to Luke’s right. “It’d fit perfectly in that little nook at the end of the bar.”“Oh, you are just a lifesaver.” Luke giggles, pinching at Harry’s cheek. “Now I’ll just set up delivery with the salesman, and then we’ll go get lunch and you can tell me what you did to Niall to get yourself kicked out of the county.”“Alright.” Harry nods. “But first I need to pick something up while we’re here.” “Where the hell have you been?” Niall asks angrily, stalking towards the truck as Harry climbs out. The words aren’t directed at him, though. They’re very pointedly being hurled at Luke, who looks sheepish and small on the other side of the truck, despite the fact that he’s got well over a head on the angry brunet coming at him like a storm-front.“Plymouth.” Luke says quietly.“Do know how fucking worried we’ve been?” Niall asks, and though there’s a bite to the words, there’s a breathless whisper to them too. Relief flows out of Niall like a dam bursting as he wraps his arms around Luke’s neck and pulls him into a fierce hug. “You have Ashton in a complete strop.”“I’m sorry.” Luke mumbles into Niall’s neck, nuzzling into the skin there. “Got caught up and didn’t realize how late it was.”“And I suppose the amadán with the broken watch wasn’t any better at telling time than you are.” Niall huffs, shooting a glare at Harry. “What are you two even doing together?”“Ran into each other in Plymouth.” Harry says with a shrug, not outing Luke’s surprise. “Luke offered to tag along with me while I did some shopping.”“Go inside. Tell Molly to call Cal and Ash to let them know you’re home.” Niall tells Luke, holding Luke just a bit tighter before letting go and patting him on the arse to get him moving.“I didn’t mean to keep him out so late.” Harry says once Luke has disappeared into the house with an apologetic look thrown over his shoulder. Harry doesn’t mind taking the fall. Even if Luke admitted to the whole thing, they’d probably still blame Harry anyways.“You need to stay away from him.” Niall says harshly, folding his arms over his chest.“We didn’t do anything, Niall.” Harry scoffs. “We just did some shopping and had lunch.”“Luke trusts people, Harry.” Niall mutters, shaking his head. “He always does it. He trusts people until it ends with him getting hurt. It doesn’t matter that he knows exactly how awful people can be- That he wore chains around his neck until he was eighteen and spent his whole life as a slave. He trusts people.”“There’s nothing wrong with trusting someone.” Harry argues.“There is when it’s someone like you.” Niall growls out, his body tensing. “You may think you’ve got everyone fooled with that mask you wear, but I see right through you. Thing is- I don’t care who you’re pretending to be. Lie all you want, and I won’t give a shit. Not until it starts affecting the people I love.”“Fucking- Niall, I’m not here to ruin your family. I’m not here to hurt any of you in any way.” Harry says through gritted teeth. “I came out here to get away from the fucking shit-heap that is my life. Your decisions are the ones that dragged me into this. You chose to leave Molly unregistered, not me. I wouldn’t have anything to do with any of you if you’d just followed the law, but now it’s my responsibility to help you fix the mess you created, because innocent people could get hurt if I don’t. Molly could get hurt if I don’t. I don’t have a choice, even if it means putting up with you being a fucking arsehole all the time.”“People like you always have choices.” Niall scoffs.“Think what you want, Niall.” Harry scowls, shaking his head. “You don’t know me, and I don’t particularly care what you think about me. But don’t make the mistake of threatening me.”“Leave Luke alone.” Niall tells him. “You’re not good for him, and you know it.”“You don’t get to control him.” Harry says firmly. “He’s smart. He can take care of himself. I don’t want anything from him, either. Maybe if you weren’t so dead-set on making me feel unwelcome, I wouldn’t have had to spend all day in another county, and he wouldn’t have taken pity on me and stayed with me.”“He can’t take care of himself when he can’t see what you are.” Niall says quietly.“And what exactly do you think I am, Niall?” Harry asks with a groan of frustration.He never gets to find out what Niall’s response was, though the rage burning around his eyes and hands makes Harry pretty sure he wouldn’t have liked to hear the answer. Molly comes out of the house before Niall can bite out whatever words are dripping poison on the tip of his tongue.“Da, Ashton says Cal needs you to get down to the pub so he can come back.” Molly says, stepping out of the house and coming up beside Niall. “Oh. Harry.”She says the words with a bit of disdain, no doubt because Niall had punished her for Harry’s little prank with the muffin.“Hi, Molly.” Harry says with a little wave, offering her an apologetic smile. “Got you something.”“Really?” Molly asks, skipping forward, her grumpiness towards him forgotten in her curiosity. “What is it?”“It’s for what we talked about earlier.” Harry explains, handing her the smallest of the bags of things he’d purchased. “When you get registered.”“Oh my gosh!” Molly gasps, taking the pink, silken dress out of the bag. “It’s beautiful!”“It’ll look lovely on you, ladybug.” Harry says gently, smiling down at her.Niall says nothing, just holds his hand out for her and takes her inside, not even bothering to look back at Harry the entire time.
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“Alright, now roll it over, top to bottom.” Harry tells her. “Ow! Watch out, please.”“Sorry.” Molly says sheepishly. “It got a bit of spin on it.”“Yeah, that’s the point of this exercise.” Harry sighs, rubbing at his forehead. “Trying to get motion on an object without forward momentum. You have to push and pull at the same time.”“Take it easy on her.” Niall grunts out, his hands curling into loose fists. “It’s the first day you’ve actually taught her anything.”“Da.” Molly says, frustrated, shooting a glare at Niall. “Will you be quiet? I’m trying to learn.”“Molly-” Niall breathes out, shocked by her apparent anger.“You aren’t helping.” Molly huffs, levitating the doll down on the floor without looking at it. “You’re just being grumpy, like you always are when I’m learning about magic, and it makes it really hard to focus. Just- Just go away.”“Molly.” Harry sighs.“Don’t, Harry. It’s fine. Whatever.” Niall mutters, grabbing his coat off the back of the couch and shoving his book under his arm before storming out of the door to the terrace. It takes massive control not to slam it, but he doesn’t get to be mad at Molly for not wanting him to ruin her learning experience.“Niall?” Harry asks, peeking his head out of the door a moment after Niall has gotten settled in one of the deck chairs.“Go away.” Niall growls.“I wasn’t trying to get between you, Niall.” Harry says quietly, closing the door behind himself. He never fucking listens.“Doing a craic job there.” Niall scoffs, gluing his eyes to his book.“Niall, I wasn’t being harsh with her.” Harry sighs, sitting in the other chair, where Niall had found him that morning before his life had exploded. “You didn’t need to interject there. Have you ever thought that your general hatred for magic is obvious to Molly? Maybe you should try-”“You absolutely do not get a say in how I parent my daughter.” Niall cuts him off with a snarl.“Maybe not.” Harry agrees, holding his hands up. “But I do get a say in how she’s educated in regard to magic. That means that I need you to be positive about this. I need you to not be so aggressive in regard to what she’s learning about. I don’t care about how much you hate magic, she needs to not feel that.”“I can’t change how I feel about magic, Harry.” Niall grunts out.“But she should change how you feel about magic users.” Harry says softly, reaching out to pat at Niall’s knee. “Because, if she knows you hate magic users, then it’ll only be so long until she wonders if you hate her too.”“Never.” Niall says, shaking his head. “She knows that I would never hate her. She knows I love her more than anything.”“She’s a kid, Niall.” Harry murmurs. “She’s a kid experiencing something so new to her, that she knows you’re biased against. She needs your support. You don’t have to like me, or even be nice to me when she’s not around, but you have to be supportive in front of her. She’s riddled with doubt right now. It’s all around her like a fog during our lessons. “You probably haven’t noticed, because you spend the whole time buried in books to keep from paying any attention, but she looks to you constantly. She looks at you before she asks any questions, because she’s afraid you won’t like what she has to ask. She looks at you when she answers a question, because she wants you to be proud of her for getting it right. When she started levitating that doll, she looked to you to see if you were smiling or frowning. But you’re almost always making sure not to look up, because you hate magic. She needs your approval, or she’s going to hold herself down and stop her own progress to keep you from hating her.”“Fuck!” Niall hisses, dropping his book and covering his face with his hands to muffle his shout of frustration.“I’m sorry.” Harry sighs. “I know I’m not the one who should be having this conversation with you, but Calum is still mad at me for yesterday, and he won’t talk to me.”“You really fucked up if you’ve got Cal still mad at you.” Niall snorts. It’s something they’ve got in common.“Then what did you do?” Harry smirks. “Because, from what I saw last night, you’re still in the dog house too.”“Get back inside before I decide to pitch you over the railing.” Niall scowls.“You should come back inside, if you think you can participate in a supportive way.” Harry says with an infuriatingly soft smile. God, Niall hates him.“I- I have an idea.” Niall sighs. “Alright.” Niall says, standing up straight, and stretching his arms over his head.The joggers he’s wearing aren’t ideal for agility training, are too heavy and loose, but they’re all he’d left in his locker at the gym. Hopefully Molly isn’t too accurate right from the start.“Should- Should I start?” Molly asks nervously, wringing her hands in front of her stomach.“Yeah, lovebug, you can start.” Niall nods. “Use the golf balls first.”“But they’re so hard.” Harry points out.“I can handle it.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes. “Just be ready to catch them when I toss them to you so that she doesn’t have to wait to reload. Show me how fast you can throw one, lovebug.”“O- Okay.” Molly mumbles, levitating one of the balls in front of herself. Her eyebrows furrow in concentration, and then she launches it forward faster than Niall was expecting.That doesn’t mean he doesn’t manage to catch it, though. It smacks against his palm hard, only an inch in front of his face, his fingers curling around it automatically.“Be honest, Molly-” Niall grunts out, shaking his hand out and tossing the golf ball underhand to Harry. “Was that the fastest you can do?”“I don’t know.” Molly says quietly. “I’ve never tried to go any faster.”“Try.” Niall says firmly, getting back into position and adjusting his bracers in case he needs to deflect the projectiles instead of catching them. It’s a distinct possibility.“But-” Molly starts.“I promise, bug, I’ll be fine.” Niall says with a gentle smile, trying to be as reassuring as possible. “Even if I can’t catch it, I’ll still make sure it doesn’t hurt me. All you have to do is try to get the balls in the net behind me. If you get more than ten, then I’ll buy you whatever book you want.”“Really?” Molly asks, eyes going wide.“Come on, then.” Niall grins, crooking his fingers at her in challenge. “Earn your reward.”“I’m gonna get something expensive.” Molly says with a wicked grin, levitating up another ball and letting it fly at him.He manages to catch that one too, but, if his finger bones hadn’t been fractured and healed back stronger so many times, he’s pretty sure at least one would have broken. He should have grabbed some gloves.He says nothing, though, grinning at Molly as he tosses the ball to Harry. He doesn’t even have to indicate for her to go again.She takes a few more single shots, Niall catching two and deflecting two with the bracers on his wrists. After five attempts without a single goal, Molly starts to get more determined, firing off more than one at a time. Niall didn’t even know that she could do that.His shock doesn’t get to last long, because he has to dodge just to avoid taking one to the face when the other is aimed at his torso. The ball smacks into the net behind him, clanging loudly against the wall. His smirk drops as Molly’s gets more prevalent. Apparently she’s taking this seriously, so Niall will have to put in more than minimum effort.Discovering that multiple projectiles makes things more difficult for Niall is a revelation for Molly, and she ups the number of balls progressively, even though it seems like she has trouble the more she adds. That just works to Niall’s advantage, even though he has to move more in order to catch or deflect them.His legs come into it more as he twists and flips, kicking them away from the goal as much as he catches them. It gets more fun as time goes on, Niall’s body remembering what it’s like to be in the middle of the action, and his reflexes only get better.She’s only managed to sneak three shots past him when he holds up a hand to tell her to stop.“Harry, grab the cricket balls.” Niall says, panting lightly. His heart rate is slightly elevated, but he’s not gotten to the point where it’s started slipping out of his control. “Molly, you’re going to mix it up with both of them.”“But these could hurt you.” Harry says quietly, picking up the bucket. “Like- Really hurt you.”“That was the warmup.” Niall scoffs. “Now I’m serious.”“If you say so.” Harry mumbles, setting the bucket down in front of Molly who’s gotten too much of Niall’s competitive gene to worry about him anymore.Clearly she’s been paying more attention than Harry has.“Remember the book, lovebug.” Niall hums.She launches two at him straight off the bat, along with a golf ball. He’s figured out how to catch them without the pain and risk of damage, using his fingers to catch them from the side instead of letting his palms take the brunt. It requires very precise timing, more focus, but Niall has had much harder training than this. He’s been in life or death situations more times than he can count, so this feel more like a game.He’s throwing them back to Harry almost as quickly as Molly can project them at him, aiming for the bucket Harry has held up to his chest. If he’s got to be supportive, he can’t exactly go aiming them at her teacher’s face, tempting as that might be.“C’mon, lovebug!” Niall laughs as he flips back onto one hand and kicks two of the balls into the air while catching another one with his free hand. He bounces backwards onto his feet again and catches the ones he’d kicked up in one hand. “You can do more than that.”And, really, Niall should know to quit while he’s ahead.Molly’s hair starts to whip around as her power grows, her eyes losing their color when everything in the gym starts coming up off the floor, including the weights in the back that are several times her mass. Fucking shit.Harry goes to touch her, to shut her down, but he’s blown off his feet like a leaf in a hurricane when she twists her head around to look at him. Niall barely manages to jump up and catch him before she can make a paste out of him with the wall.“Stay down.” Niall growls out, rolling them over so that Harry is underneath him and then pushing off of the floor to sprint at Molly.His reflexes are really put to the test as he dodges and weaves through the equipment circling around her like debris in a tornado, trying to get close. He gets hit a few times, barely manages to avoid taking a dumbbell to the head that would have probably killed him, but he gets right in front of her.“Molly!” he yells, trying to be heard over the din of objects clanging together.It works, her eyes going back to their normal, bright blue a second before Niall covers her with his entire body to keep her from getting hurt as everything starts to fall. It proves unnecessary, as she manages to catch it all before it lands.“I’m sorry.” Molly whispers as she sets everything down to the side of them, wrapping her arms around Niall’s neck and sobbing into his chest.“Nothing to be sorry about, lovebug.” Niall murmurs, kissing the top of her head. “Nobody got hurt. I’m sorry I pushed you too hard.” “Are you alright?” Harry asks when Niall winces trying to keep ahold of the glass he’s filling with beer.“Hands hurt.” Niall mutters, setting it down in front of him. “You?”“Never got hurt.” Harry mumbles with a shrug. “You caught me, and then you’re the one that was on bottom when we landed.”“You seem shaken.” Niall sighs, leaning on the bar.“No, I just- I feel guilty.” Harry says quietly.“Why?” Niall scoffs. “It was my idea, and I’m the one that pushed her too hard.”“I’m supposed to be the one to shut her powers off if something like that happens, but I was useless.” Harry says, staring down into his beer.“She caught you off guard.” Niall waves him off. “Besides, if I can get her to come down myself, then that’s better than you incapacitating her.”“Why did you catch me?” Harry asks, his voice barely above a whisper.“Because Molly would have felt horrible if she hurt you.” Niall shrugs. “And I don’t think she could handle it if she killed you.”“I’m more durable than I look.” Harry snorts, mostly to himself, as he tries to cover it with a drink of beer. “I was already working on a spell to stop myself from hitting the wall.”“Well then, I guess I shouldn’t have bothered then, should I?” Niall huffs, pushing himself up off the bar and heading down to grab Harry’s meal out of the window where Feldy just tapped the bell to let him know it’s ready.“Niall, that’s not what I meant.” Harry sighs when Niall slams his plate down in front of him.“No, it’s fine.” Niall grits out. “Next time, I’ll remember how much better you are than me.”“Niall, that’s not what I meant!” Harry snaps, drawing the attention of everyone else in the pub.“Shut up!” Niall growls, fisting his hand in Harry’s collar and yanking him down close.“Sorry.” Harry huffs, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest.“Everything okay here?” Calum asks stiffly, showing up at the bar in a flash.“Perfectly fine.” Niall tells him. “What happened to you two?” Calum asks, looking between them, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “You look like hell.”“Molly had an outburst.” Niall explains. “Everyone is fine, but- She lost control.”“Are you alright?” Calum asks, reaching over the bar and gripping Niall’s hand hard. It’s the softest Calum has been towards him in days, and Niall feels his heart catch in his throat.“’M fine.” Niall mumbles. “So is Molls.”“And the cottage?” Calum asks.“We were in the gym. Everything is fine, Calum. I promise.” Niall says gently, pressing a kiss to the back of Calum’s hand. “Go on. You’ve got Mrs. Everett staring at you like she’s going to eat you whole if she doesn’t get her supper soon.”“We’re going to talk about this later.” Calum huffs, turning back into the front of house after making Niall nod in promise.“Go on then.” Niall says, waving at Harry. “If that’s not what you meant, then what did you mean?”“Just- I can take care of myself.” Harry mumbles, playing in his mash with his fork. “You don’t need to worry about me. Despite the fact that she took me off guard, you didn’t need to think about me. Just- Focus on Molly.”“You know what, you’re right.” Niall says with a shrug. “If you’re so sure of yourself, then I won’t protect you again. Just hope your magic works when you’re hurtling through the air at the speed of a bullet.”“Niall-” Harry groans.“I wasn’t expecting a thank you.” Niall grunts out. “I really wasn’t. I don’t need it. But you being a condescending prick about me helping you out- That was unexpected.”“Nothing I say to you will ever be right, will it?” Harry sighs.“No, you said something completely right, there.” Niall says, staring Harry straight in his good eye. “I’m definitely not going to worry about you ever again.”He walks away without staying to hear a response, focusing on the patrons at the other end of the bar. When he looks back up, Harry is gone, and his food is untouched. “Da?” Molly asks quietly, picking at her chunk of bread and tossing the scraps out into the water for the fish.“Yes, lovebug?” Niall prompts her to continue.“Are we going to my lesson today?” Molly questions.“No, Molls. We’re taking a day off.” Niall says gently, brushing her fringe off her face. “Just for the two of us. We never got to celebrate your birthday, so I thought-”“You’re lying.” Molly cuts him off, her voice going sharp as the edge of a dagger. “You ne- You never lie to me.”“Molly-” Niall sighs.“You’re lying!” Molly yells. “You don’t want me learning magic anymore, and you’re keeping me away from Harry!”“Now you listen to me.” Niall says firmly, catching her eyes and giving her the hard look he’s had to hone over the years. “That is not it. Do you hear me?”“Then why aren’t we there?” Molly asks, her features as fierce as Barbara’s would get when they got in an argument.“Because I think you need a day off.” Niall admits, kneeling down in front of her. “Molly, I’m not mad about what happened yesterday, I promise, but- It was scary, lovebug. I think- I think we need to start out a little slower. I know it was my idea, and I’m the one that pushed you too hard. I know I’m to blame for it. But I need you to slow down, because I’m struggling to keep up. That’s why I tried to do something with you that I could relate to, so I could- help.”“I don’t need you to help, da.” Molly says softly, brushing her fingers across his cheek to try to comfort him like he does with her. “Harry is the one that’s supposed to help me. I- I know you don’t like magic very much. So- Just let Harry teach me, and don’t try to help.”“You know I love you, right?” Niall asks weakly.“More than anything.” Molly beams. “Just like I love you.”“Do you really want me not to come to your lessons anymore?” Niall questions.“No, I want you there.” Molly says, squeezing his cheeks between her hands. “You have to come, da. Just don’t try to help, and don’t be so grumpy the whole time. This is important to me. Of course I need you there.”“Hard to believe you’re six.” Niall chuckles, pecking her on the end of the nose. “I remember when you were small enough I could hold you in one hand.”“Don’t have a strop, da.” Molly giggles. “I hate when you get all weepy.”“Used to poo every hour.” Niall says with a grin. “And you’d make this face-”“Da!” Molly groans, shoving what’s left of her loaf of bread in his mouth when he laughs.“I don’t know where you get this attitude.” Niall snorts after removing the loaf.“You.” Molly says flatly, grabbing her loaf back and tossing the entire thing in the water. “Come on.”“Where do you want to go?” Niall asks.“To the bookshop.” Molly beams. “If you’re going to keep me from my lessons today, I want a new book.”“You always get what you want, don’t you?” Niall chuckles.“Yeah.” Molly giggles. “Got you wrapped around my finger.”She really does, and knowing it makes her more dangerous than her powers ever could. “Can’t stay away, huh?” Luke hums, sidling up to the table with a wide grin on his face.“It was too late to catch a bus to go to a real restaurant.” Niall says dryly. “I wanted to treat Molly, but I guess this is the best I could do.”“Well somebody isn’t getting the good fish.” Luke pouts.“Come on.” Niall chuckles, scooting over and patting his seat until Luke giddily sits down next to him, despite the huff that Calum lets out loudly enough to hear from across the pub. Molly barely pays any attention, waving half-heartedly over the top of her book that she’s too engrossed in to remember the real world. “How’s things?”“Been boring without you two.” Luke says with a soft smile, sketching a very poor imitation of a penis on his order pad.“Calum seems to still be not in the best of moods.” Niall points out.“Yeah.” Luke sighs. “I’m not happy that you started digging that hole, but I can’t exactly blame you for how much I dug it up myself.”“He’s still mad about Mali, then?” Niall questions.“Why is Cal mad at me?” Molly asks, her head whipping up and eyes immediately starting to fill with tears.“Not you, Molls.” Luke tells her. “His sister, Mali-Koa.”“Why is he mad at her?” Molly asks, cocking his head.“He’s not mad at her.” Niall corrects. “He’s mad at me.”“Why?” Molly asks.“Because I don’t want to meet her.” Niall explains. “She’s coming into town soon, and I won’t be meeting her.”“But why?” Molly asks, and Niall wishes for the thousandth time in his life that his daughter wasn’t so curious.“Because I- I don’t agree with some things that Calum’s family does and has done in the past.” Niall says as calmly as he can manage, pushing down all the horrible things he has to say about them that are trying to claw their way out of his throat and catching on the tip of his tongue.“Do I get to meet her?” Molly asks.“Yes.” Niall nods. “You’re going to stay with the lads while she’s in town, because she really wants to meet you, and Calum wants you to meet her.”“Are you gonna be mad at me for it?” Molly asks quietly.“Not at all, lovebug.” Niall says with a gentle smile. “Go ahead and get back to your book. I know you’re dying to know what happens next.”“I am.” Molly hums, nosediving back into her novel.“So you’re sticking to those guns?” Luke asks quietly, stopping the detail he’s putting on his penis sketch.“You know that nothing good can come from me meeting any member of his family, Luke.” Niall mutters, wishing he had a glass or food or something to play with and distract himself. “You know how I feel about them.”“If Ashton and I can get to the point where we’re okay being around them-” Luke starts.“I’m not you.” Niall cuts him off. “I don’t have that kind of forgiveness in me, but I do have a wildly dangerous side that makes me meeting her a bad idea.”“She’s not like them, you know.” Luke whispers, laying his head on Niall’s shoulder. “But I get it. I’ll try and smooth things over with Cal for you.”“It’s not going to do any good until after she’s gone.” Niall mumbles, resting his head on Luke’s. “He’s going to be mad at me until there’s no point in it anymore. Just like he was two years ago, and two years before that. You know how this goes.”“Yeah, I do.” Luke says quietly, sadly. Disappointment paints over his features as he climbs out of the booth, hitting Niall straight in the chest. “The same way it always goes with you.”“Luke-” Niall tries, catching the blond’s wrist.“I have to get back on the floor, Ni.” Luke mumbles, tugging his hand out of Niall’s grasp. “There’s other people besides you. I’ll bring you both your usuals.”It sounds perfectly fine out loud, but Niall can read the meaning behind the words like it’s painted in the air. He’s selfish. Selfish and predictable about it, and that just keeps hurting people.But there’s nothing he can do about that. He can’t let himself doubt his choices, because the only thing keeping him moving forward is his faith in his own path.
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“You want to stop her lessons?” Harry asks flatly, crossing his arms over his chest and bringing his left leg up over his right knee.“No, I just- Cal has some family coming into town, and it’s really important to him that Molly gets to spend time with her.” Niall mumbles, keeping his eyes locked on his feet. There’s anger and irritation flickering around him, per usual, but there’s also a thick film of guilt clinging to his skin like slime. It’s even worse than when Harry found them the night before he went out with Luke.“I’m not here forever, Niall.” Harry sighs, rubbing at the corner of his eye with his finger. “How long are we talking about?”“She’s coming for two weeks, but it would just be the first three days or so.” Niall answers, still avoiding looking at Harry. “Cal and the lads want to go down the coast and stay at one of the places on the beach before it gets untenable. Then she’d start back up her lessons.”“Three days is a lot to lose when you already kept her from me for one day.” Harry points out. “We can do what you want, but- I don’t think it’s a good idea when she’s still this new to her power.”“That’s, um- That’s the other thing.” Niall says with a wince. “I was wondering if you could cook something up to suppress her powers a bit while she’s out of the village. I already have some things in place for her to pass as a registered witch, but I still don’t want her drawing attention to herself.”“How are you going to get her to pass as a registered witch?” Harry asks confusedly, drawing his eyebrows together and leaning forward. “Faking a registration is impossible.”“Let’s just say- Nobody will think to ask, considering who she’ll be with.” Niall says quietly. “You wouldn’t know Cal’s name, because they hid him away, but his last name is Hood, and his sister is Mali-Koa Hood.”“As in the sole heiress to the third wealthiest family on the planet, Mali-Koa Hood?” Harry asks, his jaw dropping open before he can help it.“That’s her.” Niall nods, disgust eking out of his mouth around the words. “It’s going to be Molly’s first outing in the world as a witch. She’s going to wear the dress you gave her.”“Well, that’s one way to protect her.” Harry nods along. “Nobody is going to piss off Mali-Koa Hood. As for a suppression charm, I can make something, but it won’t last more than those three days, and she’s still going to be more powerful than she ever was with that necklace on. It’s not something I specialize in.”“I can pay you.” Niall mutters, reaching into his pocket. “Niall, you don’t-” Harry starts, but he’s cut off by the first look Niall has given him since he opened the door. Those eyes, so dark and fierce and beautiful make the words turn to mush in his mouth.“I do.” Niall says firmly. “This is all a transaction, remember? I just- All the spare cash I have is already in the payment for you at the end of this. I only have this.”He holds out a small, tarnished band of gold. It’s almost completely unadorned, the only decoration a small opal set into the top. It’s not even big enough to see the pattern in. The ring can’t be worth much, but there’s power emanating off of it so strongly it makes Harry flinch away from it. Years of emotions are hanging around that thing, memories of pain and anger and regret and loss that glow against its surface blindingly.“Niall-” Harry tries again.“Take it, Harry.” Niall says, thrusting the ring at him. “Just- Take it.”“Set it on the table.” Harry mumbles. “I can’t touch that without protection.”“Wow- That may be the most condescending thing a witch has ever said to me, and that is a really fucking high bar to have aimed for.” Niall scoffs, tossing the ring at the surface of the table and not even bothering to watch it bounce off and roll away. He’s out of his chair in an instant, storming towards the door, and it takes Harry a moment to scramble after him. The only advantage he has is his longer legs, and he still barely manages to catch Niall by the elbow, covered and safe, before he gets out of the door completely.“Niall, that’s not what I meant.” Harry says softly, pleadingly.“You can’t fucking catch being non-magical, Harry.” Niall spits out, wrenching his arm away and glaring hard at Harry. “It’s not some disease. We’re not diseased or lesser than-”“I’m doing it because you asked me to keep out of your head!” Harry yells over him. “Niall- That ring has more emotion wound around it than you can possibly understand. Emotions- They only come from living beings, but- Sometimes, when something is the focus point for a lot of emotions, those feelings cling to it. I can sense joy off of a wedding dress, or grief off of a tombstone, or- Or everything that ring symbolizes to you. Do you understand? “Every ounce of emotion you’ve ever felt about that ring and whatever it means to you are wrapped around it so tight that there’s no way I won’t feel those things if I touch it. You asked me to stay out of your head, and I’m respecting that. I don’t think you’re diseased or lesser. I promise, I just- I just want to do what you asked me to do. I want to let the things that are private to your head and heart stay where they belong.”“You can- You can see that?” Niall asks, looking over at the ring on the floor, perched precariously between two floorboards. “All of my feelings?”“I’ve told you how this works, Niall.” Harry murmurs. “I can’t help it. No matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t be able to touch that ring without taking in your private feelings. There’s too much there.”“Then, thank you.” Niall whispers, turning on his heel and walking away, not looking back over his shoulder when he adds, “You have three days to get the charm in order.” “I wasn’t expecting you to want to meet up this soon.” Nick hums, leaning back in his chair and twirling his finger to move the spoon in his cup. “You make your decision, then?”“Not yet.” Harry says, shaking his head. “I just happened to know you’d be in Cardiff, and I needed to come here as well. And, I need a message delivered to Ben. You’re the man to talk to about that.”“Keeping tabs on me, Harold?” Nick muses, unadulterated delight caught in his giggle. “I’m flattered.”“Don’t be.” Harry says flatly. “I always try to know where the most dangerous man in the British Isles is when he hasn’t got his collar on.”“Now I’m doubly flattered.” Nick smirks, leaning forward and putting his chin in his palm. “Because I assume you mean me.”“If the raging psychopath shoe fits.” Harry scoffs.“I prefer designer boots.” Nick grins, lifting his feet up onto the table. If he weren’t him, surely the waitress would say something, but even non-empaths can feel the madness radiating off of Nicholas Grimshaw. Cats and dogs and birds all flee when he approaches them, which is good. He’d probably skin them because he was bored. “You like? They’re new.”“Do I want to know what the leather is made from?” Harry asks.“Polar bear skin, Harold.” Nick says, preening. “Very expensive. Very chic.”“You are a goddamned monster.” Harry mutters. “I didn’t come see you to talk about footwear, Nick. I need you to tell Ben I’m taking the entire three months he offered me instead of the six weeks I originally planned.”“What is taking you so long?” Nick asks with a roll of his eyes.“I’ve found something personal that I need to look into deeper.” Harry says calmly, putting just enough of an edge in his voice to warn Nick.“Ah- Fit bloke.” Nick nods. “I’ve been there. Found this one down in Lisbon that was just delicious. Took a bit of extra holiday myself for him.”“See- With you-” Harry drawls out, pushing back his chair and standing up. “I’m ninety percent sure that means you hunted and ate him.”“Don’t be smart, Styles.” Nick snorts, lifting his cup and taking a sip. “Human flesh is gross. At least- It has been every time I’ve tried it.”“Goodbye, Nicholas.” Harry says icily. “It’s been horrible, as always.”“Miss you, darling!” Nick hums after him. “Come back soon.” “How are you late to your own cottage?” Niall asks as Harry walks up the footpath. He’s had a withering glare on since Harry unfolded himself from the taxi, and Harry is really not in the mood for it.“I had to go into Cardiff to buy this, didn’t I?” Harry mutters, presenting Niall with the charm he bought. It’s a hairclip, small and silver with a little, pink gem embedded on the end. “I can’t just wave my hand and be done with it, Niall. I can’t materialize shite out of thin air.”“Why Cardiff?” Niall questions.“I have a source there for cheap jewelry.” Harry lies. His reasons are his own, and Niall doesn’t get to pry into them any more than Harry gets to pry into Niall’s emotions. “I needed something that would make her look like the kind of little girl who would be spending time with Mali-Koa Hood. Now, where is she?”“She fell asleep on the sofa.” Niall sighs, nodding at the door. “We’ve been here for an hour.”“You let yourself in?” Harry asks, turning a look on Niall like he had before.“Would you prefer she sleep on the ground?” Niall asks back with a bite. “We didn’t go through anything. I have no interest in your things, Harry.”“While I am staying here, this is my home, Niall.” Harry grunts out, pinching hard at his own hip to keep his voice as calm as he can. “Respect my privacy.”“What is your fucking problem?” Niall growls, stepping in closer.“None of your business.” Harry returns, his lip pulling up in a snarl. “Let’s just get this over with so I can take a nap, because I’ve been on a ferry all fucking morning, and I’m not in the mood to deal with you right now.”“Watch your tone with me, Harry.” Niall whispers, rage concentrating in his eyes so hard that Harry winces in pain just from it being directed at him.“Niall- Shut up.” Harry huffs out on a breath, his head throbbing. “Just- Go sit out on the terrace and leave me to do my lesson with Molly before you make my fucking head explode.”“Go fuck-” is all Harry hears before the world goes dark around him and he drops down to the ground. Honestly, it’s a relief. “I said that I didn’t do anything!” a voice snaps, pushing against the ache in Harry’s head and making him shuffle closer to whatever warmth is near his head. It’s soft and comfy, and Harry just wants to go back to not feeling anything.“Yeah, that’s believable in this situation.” another voice scoffs. “Especially with your track record.”“Calum, I didn’t fucking do anything to him.” the first voice says again, and it’s a voice that is become annoyingly familiar. Niall.Niall fucking Horan.“Don’t you think that there would be a bruise or blood or something if I did anything?” Niall finishes his thought.“He has a point, Cal.” says a softer voice as something brushes against Harry’s forehead.“He passed out and I caught him before he hit the ground.” Niall says quietly. “I don’t know what happened.”“You happened.” Harry mutters, opening his eyes and looking up to find Luke looking down at him.“Niall!” Calum groans.“Not that way.” Harry defends Niall, albeit reluctantly. “He didn’t mean to. It’s just- His emotions. The anger. It was too much.”“You weren’t exactly Mister Sunshine.” Niall scoffs.“And you weren’t helping with that either.” Harry growls, glaring over at him. “I absorb emotion, Niall. Sometimes that reflects. What you saw from me is a fraction of what I deal with from you every time we’re around each other, except it doesn’t feel like toxic fog you’re breathing in when I’m pissed at you!”“Niall- Go away.” Luke says softly, wiping Harry’s fringe out of his eyes. “Just- Cal or I will stay here for Molly’s lesson today. You need to leave.”“I’m not-” Niall starts.“I’m not giving you an option, Niall. You are going to walk away. Now.” Luke says firmly, a harsh glint in his eyes when he looks over at Niall to cut him off. “You two need to be separated and calm the fuck down. Molly needs to do her lesson, so- Like it or not, Harry is necessary here, and you aren’t. It’s time for you to walk away, Niall.”“I’m with Luke on this one.” Calum nods along, and Niall’s rage spikes.But then something remarkable happens. It wanes. It fizzles out in his eyes and fades into nothing around his hands. Normally, for rage like that to disappear, it must be replaced with something. Pain or surprise or sadness or joy- Something of equal power needs to overtake it.But, with Niall, it’s like he just stops feeling anything. He goes from an emotion so intense it made Harry pass out to an empty shell, walking away without another word.“You didn’t need to do that.” Harry mumbles, pushing himself upwards so that he’s sitting rather than still laying in Luke’s lap. If the other two notice that his eyes are glued to Niall’s back as he makes his way down the footpath, they don’t say anything about it, and what they’re feeling is too confusing and mixed up for Harry to parse out what’s aimed at what stimuli.Harry’s gets that, because everything he’s feeling right now is impossible to figure out, and he feels like it’s a better idea not to. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” Harry sighs when he steps into the pub. “I thought it was supposed to be Cal and Luke tonight.”“Cal’s sister got in early, so they’re all picking her up.” Niall mutters, wiping at the counter with a flannel.“So- who’s watching Molly?” Harry asks, taking a seat. Niall doesn’t have the same rage from earlier burning around him, just a weak mist of sadness clinging to his skin and the words seeping out of his mouth. And Harry has always been a sucker for a sad, pretty boy.“She went with them. They’re going to dinner in London, then they’re staying the night in a hotel and coming back in the morning.” Niall answers. The sadness only builds with that statement, and he must know Harry can sense it, because he turns and starts filling up a glass with beer from the tap.“Is that going to be okay?” Harry asks tentatively. “I know that Luke and Ash will be okay if Calum is there, but is Molly posing as a registered witch or a non-magical?”“Shut up!” Niall hisses, eyes sparking with anger as he slams the glass down in front of Harry. “We are in public!”“There’s nobody else here, Niall.” Harry points out, taking a pull from his beer with one hand as he waves around the empty room with the other.“Feldy is in the back.” Niall grumbles, folding his arms over his chest. “He doesn’t know anything about Molly’s powers.”“You really don’t trust anyone, do you?” Harry asks, looking down into his beer.“The more people that know, the higher the chance that- That she’d be taken away from me.” Niall whispers, fear dripping off his eyelashes like tears.“I’m not going to tell anyone about her, Niall.” Harry tells him softly.“What do you want to eat, Harry?” Niall asks, looking adamantly at the wall to his right where the door is.“Surprise me.” Harry says with a shrug.“There’s no such thing as a good surprise with Feldy’s cooking.” Niall laughs, his lip twitching into something almost like a smile before it disappears again as quickly as it showed up.“I heard that, you mick.” some guy growls, peeking his head out of the door and glaring at Niall. “You think it’s so easy- You do it.”“Feldy-” Niall sighs.“No. I’m done for tonight.” Feldy huffs, lifting his apron up over his head and dropping it on the floor. “Have fun, Horan. You can cook for half this damn village and see how fucking easy it is.”“Well- Shite.” Niall breathes out, watching the door swing limply back and forth as Feldy’s head disappears and they hear a crash in the kitchen, and then a door slam.“Did he-” Harry asks, leaving it open ended as Niall looks into the kitchen.“He binned all of it.” Niall groans.“Well- Fuck.” Harry sighs.“How do you feel about breakfast food?” Niall asks, looking over at Harry. “It’s either that or cheesy mash.”“I, uh- I like breakfast food.” Harry nods. “Scrambled eggs and whiskey is a very underrated com- combination.” Harry giggles around a hiccup, leaning into Niall’s side.He’s glad that Niall decided to close the doors after Feldy left. Other people probably wouldn’t appreciate the combination.“You cannot hold your liquor.” Niall snorts, downing the rest of his own glass of whiskey. Every time he refills it, there’s a tinge of regret, but he seems determined to drown it in more alcohol. On the plus side, he stopped smacking Harry for even accidentally making contact after his fifth glass or so, so the bruise on Harry’s shoulder won’t be too bad.“Not all of us can have an Irish liver, mate.” Harry drawls out, mocking Niall’s hint of an accent with an overly-accentuated one of his own. “Besides, you’ve had twice as much ‘s me, and I saw you smile at something I said, so ’m pretty sure you’re hammered.”“Then I guess now’s as good a time as any to apologize for this morning.” Niall scoffs, though it doesn’t sound very much like an apology if anyone were to ask Harry. “Hopefully I won’t remember it in the morning.”“What’s this?” Harry asks with an exaggerated gasp. “It can be pleasant?”“And you wonder why I hate you so much.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes, clinking the bottle of whiskey loudly against the lip of his glass as amber rushes out to fill the void. Harry doesn’t bother telling Niall that it won’t fill the void inside of him. He definitely already knows.“I do, actually.” Harry admits, humming out the words like they’re a joke, even though they very much aren’t. “I’ve been nothing but nice to you until today.”“You got my daughter to try and decapitate me with a muffin.” Niall points out. Which- fair. “And you were a total sod about me saving you at the gym. You make all these little niggling comments about me. And you just- Ugh.”“What?” Harry asks, crinkling his eyebrows.“Everything you do and say is a lie.” Niall mutters, taking a gulp from his glass, followed by another and another until the last of it slides down his throat.“Because you’re so open and honest.” Harry huffs.“I have things I have to protect.” Niall grumbles, pushing Harry off as he climbs off of his stool. “Molly, the lads- I have reasons not to be open or honest.”“You choose not to be open or honest.” Harry argues, following after him and managing not to fall flat on his face, which is a real accomplishment, because his feet seem to want to switch places. “I already know about Molly and your secret.”“And that’s more than someone like you should know.” Niall bites out, bracing himself with the edge of the bar. Apparently, he’s not much better off than Harry.“Someone like me.” Harry mocks. “What? A witch, or a stranger?”“Take your fucking pick!” Niall snarls, turning on Harry with that same rage burning back in his eyes. “You know, so why can’t you see how fucking dangerous you are to me and my life here?”“Because I’m not going to tell anyone that your daughter is a bloody witch!” Harry yells, slamming his palm down on the counter next to Niall’s. “How many times do I have to say that?”“It doesn’t matter how many times you say it!” Niall hisses, getting in Harry’s face. “Because you are a fucking liar!”Harry’s not sure what makes him do it. Honestly, he’s not particularly fond of Niall. He’s a prick whose favorite hobby seems to be making Harry miserable, and that’s not generally a turn on. Nor is the sheer level of wrath permeating Harry’s skin and sinking into his blood until his throat feels raw and acidic like he’s vomited. His stomach is twisting, and his flesh is burning and his head is pounding, so leaning in that little bit left between them to press his lips against Niall’s makes no sense.And, yet, that’s exactly what he does.He flinches back immediately and ducks, his fingers already weaving a sign for protection from physical harm. But the hit he’s expecting doesn’t come. There’s rage, plenty of it, but Niall’s hands aren’t ripping into Harry like he’d thought they would be, and he peeks out from under his arm, against his better judgment.“Are you fucking kidding me?” Niall asks harshly.“I- I didn’t- Sorry?” Harry stammers, his voice wavering because he’s sure some repercussion is still to come for his lapse in judgment.“I am so not drunk enough to deal with this.” Niall mutters under his breath, leaning over the bar and grabbing another bottle. He pops the cork out with his thumb and lifts it to his lips, the only sound in the room the burbling of the clear liquid disappearing down Niall’s throat and the sharp breaths he takes through his nose so he doesn’t have to stop drinking. He drops the bottle after he finishes it off, letting it roll back and forth on the counter for a moment before it comes to a stop.“We’ve got about fifteen minutes before it’s going to be useless.” Niall mumbles, grabbing the bottom of his beige shirt and pulling it off over his head.“I- You- What?” Harry stutters out, his own confusion even more present than the anger still roiling in Niall’s gut.“I’m drunk enough to make this mistake.” Niall says with a shrug.“But- The lads?” Harry questions.“It’s complicated.” Niall scoffs. “Are you going to keep standing there and saying stupid things, or are you going to get over here so we can shag?”“Are you going to kill me afterwards?” Harry asks, narrowing his eyes, though he’s definitely not saying no. Nor is his dick, which is giving the idea a hearty affirmative against his jeans. Niall’s eyes flick down, and his smirk says that he definitely noticed.“Not if you’re any good.” Niall hums.Harry probes at him to see if it’s a lie, and there’s no indication that he’s intending to murder Harry immediately. His rage is still there, but it’s being subdued by a thick fog of lust. That’s something Harry can work with.“Alright then.” Harry nods, grabbing at the neck of his own shirt and pulling it off over his head.He’s back on Niall before it can hit the ground, but there’s fingers between his lips and Niall’s which frustrate him immensely.“There are rules.” Niall huffs out on a breath when Harry whines. “I have rules when I do this.”“Fuck- Just tell me what they are.” Harry groans, grinding his dick into Niall’s thigh just for some relief.“This only happens once.” Niall says first. “And not a word of this gets breathed to the lads. Also, no kissing on the lips.”“Wait- Really?” Harry asks, that last one catching in his head.“They’re not for you or this. Kissing matters. Kissing is for them.” Niall tells him. “This means nothing, Harry. It’s a fuck. Nothing more than that, got it? This doesn’t mean that I like you, or trust you. This doesn’t mean we’re going to get along, or even that I don’t fucking hate your guts. This means that I’m horny, you’re horny, and we’re in the same place. That is all this is.”“You are really killing the mood.” Harry scoffs, though his erection disagrees.“You say that, but hate sex can be extremely gratifying.” Niall smirks, gripping Harry’s jaw roughly. “Now, are you going to agree to the rules, or am I going to have to give you a concussion to make sure you don’t remember this ever happened?”“I rather like my head without the lumps.” Harry breathes out.“Good lad.” Niall hums, releasing Harry’s chin. “Do you top, or bottom?”“I don’t really have a preference.” Harry admits, looking down at Niall’s torso. Harry hasn’t seen him like this until now, with so much skin exposed, and it’s giving him a lot to take in. Niall’s muscles don’t look particularly defined at first glance, though his body isn’t soft or weak looking, but Harry knows better. He’s seen Niall in action, seen the way that his arms and legs look when they tense. He’s seen Niall perform feats of agility and acrobatics that Harry still can’t entirely wrap his mind around a non-magical being able to accomplish. He knows that Niall’s body is all part of his façade, and the real strength is hidden under the surface.And that really just gives him his answer.“But I think I’d quite like you to fuck me.” Harry breathes out, reaching tentatively to Niall’s belt-buckle. When he isn’t stopped, he sinks to his knees and starts working Niall out of his trousers as the Irishman mutters, “Good. Now that’s the last thing we say to each other, got it?”It shouldn’t be a turn on, the way Niall is fully stating his intention to use Harry as nothing more than a source of physical pleasure like this. The way he’s sucking everything personal out of the moment and reducing them to strangers. It’s dehumanizing and cruel and Harry knows that he’s going to feel awful in the morning.It really, really shouldn’t be a turn on, but it is.So he gives his answer with a nod, focusing his eyes back on where Niall is straining against his trousers. His mouth is watering by the time his drunken, bumbling fingers finally manage to coax the fabric from the button and slide everything down Niall’s thighs.His mouth is on Niall the second that he’s exposed, forgoing his usual proclivity for a slow build and just going straight for it. Niall groans and curls his fingers into Harry’s hair, grips tight and makes Harry shudder with the strength in just those alone. It’s sloppy and uncoordinated, Harry choking more than once and needing to grip onto Niall’s thighs just to keep himself balanced. But then Niall is taking the lead, one hand in Harry’s fringe, and the other on the back of his head as he starts thrusting forward into Harry’s mouth.It’s rough, lacking any pretense of care or tenderness. Harry feels his throat go tight around Niall’s cock as it gets harder to breathe through his nose. He sputters, gasps hard in his nostrils as Niall pushes him all the way down to the base, and the groan Niall lets out has Harry going more lightheaded than the lack of oxygen.He presses his palm hard against his cock in his jeans, whining as Niall slips out of his mouth. But then Niall is nodding at the table, and Harry is scrambling to climb to his feet and undo the button on his jeans at the same time. Niall offers him no assistance, just smirks as Harry falls with his chest against the table, arse hanging out in the air. It wasn’t what he intended, really, but Niall’s eyes get darker and his lust spikes, so Harry is good to roll with it.Niall’s hands slide Harry’s jeans down just a bit more, barely bringing the fabric down below the full swell of his ass. It feels fucking filthy, the way Niall is hanging out of his jeans and Harry’s cock is trapped between his and the uncleaned table. And then Niall kicks the dirty up a notch by separating his cheeks and spitting on his hole.Harry whimpers and buries his face in his hands, an embarrassed flush burning on his cheeks as he bucks against the table. He hates letting Niall know how much it’s turning him on, the filth and the depersonalization and the raw lust, but he also knows that he just can’t help it.He’s so fucking turned on he feels like he might burst into flames.The sensation of burning only builds as Niall presses against his hole and begins pushing in. It’s not slow, and it’s not gentle, and it’s not nice. It’s fucking divine.Harry normally prefers a slow, wet stretch, prefers getting worked open slowly until he’s puffy and dripping and gaping, but, in this moment, he cannot possibly remember why. Slow and careful simply doesn’t compare to the stinging perfection as Niall stretches him wide on his cock.Niall’s growl as he bottoms out is deep and rumbling and animalistic, and it makes Harry’s head spin. He presses back, whining into the woodgrain for more. And- Fuck- Does Niall oblige.He grips one hand on Harry’s hip, and presses down against the small of Harry’s back with the other, increasing the pressure on his cock. Once he’s got his bearings, it’s all over. He pulls back and slams back in hard, going for a bruising pace straight from the start.Harry can’t get a hand on himself, but he really doesn’t need to. The slickness of his cock sliding between his stomach and the table in a small pool of his own precum is more than enough when combined with the way Niall is fucking into him. Niall’s hand slips off his back, gripping his other hip as he doubles over Harry and fucks in even harder and faster.The sounds in the room, the grunts and moans and whines and slapping are pushing Harry straight towards the edge, Niall’s warm, panting breaths between his shoulder-blades the hottest thing Harry has ever heard. He only lasts a few more thrusts before he’s keening from the back of his throat and his entire body goes tense and tight with the most intense orgasm of his life.His shoulder hurts when he blinks himself back into reality, and his fingers brush over the spot, finding what he thinks are Niall’s teeth-marks embedded into his flesh. If he hadn’t just cum, he’s pretty sure he would again at that.He flips onto his back, grimacing at the feel of his own cum on his lower back, and expects to be face-to-face with Niall. Instead, he finds nothing. The sound of something jingling draws his attention to his left, where he finds Niall pulling his shirt back on over his head, keys in hand.“Are we going to-” Harry starts to question, but falls silent when he sees the look in Niall’s eyes.“Flannel is behind the bar. Wipe down before you leave, and go out the back. I’m locking the front door.” Niall mutters, turning towards the door and walking out with a black mist hanging rolling off of his body that Harry, for the life of him, cannot read.It’s only when the door slams shut and Harry hears the lock click over, laying in a cooling puddle of his own cum, with Niall’s leaking out of his barely uncovered arse, and the smell of whiskey on his own breath making him sick, that he realizes he has no idea what the fuck just happened.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Niall wakes up with a start, and immediately regrets it. He regrets fucking everything about his entire life leading up to this point. His tongue is dry, and his teeth are fuzzy, and his head is splitting open like firewood under an axe. He rubs at his eye, and the pain as light slips in between his lids is so intense it makes Niall turn onto his side and reach for the bin next to the bed just in time to catch the at least a half-bottle of whiskey on its way back up.His father beat a lot of things into him, but Niall really wishes he’d passed on the lesson that you don’t buy liquor, you rent it.Hangovers aren’t something that Niall has dealt with in a long time, and the pain proliferating his body as he stumbles towards the loo reminds him why. He’s sore everywhere, his joints feeling like powder as he stretches them out and his skin dried out like leather.He leans into the shower and turns the dial to start the water, and then pulls back to strip down so he can die in the tub for a while instead of in his bed.The memory hits him as he starts pulling his shirt off over his head, and, for the second time this morning, it’s a race against the clock for Niall to find somewhere appropriate to vomit. His lungs go tight when he slams himself against the lip of the tub, and his knee feels like it’s exploding when it hits the floor, and the icy-coldness of the water feels like needles against his face, but none of it really matters.Nothing matters except that he fucked up and fucked Harry. “You going to admit it?” Calum asks quietly, sidling onto the bench next to Niall while Ashton and Luke chase Molly around the otherwise abandoned park.“Cal-” Niall breathes out, his chest going tight.“You fucking reek.” Calum sighs, shaking his head. “And you could move house in the bags under your eyes. You slipped, Niall.”“I, uh- I-” Niall stutters out, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Calum doesn’t know. None of them know, and it’s the only good thing Niall has to hold onto today.“Niall- I’m sorry.” Calum whispers, looking over at him with tears clinging to the tips of his eyelashes. “I- I know I haven’t been treating you fairly about this whole Mali thing. And I know we’ve not been getting on lately, and I keep getting mad at you. I didn’t- I never meant to send you back to the bottom of a bottle. I’m so sorry, Niall.”Fucking hell.“It wasn’t you, Cal.” Niall murmurs gently. He draws Calum in with a hand in his hair and presses a quick kiss to his forehead, hoping the smell of alcohol beading out of his pores is enough to cover up the stench of his betrayal. No matter how hard he scrubbed at his skin, no matter how many layers he took off until he was raw and red and bleeding, he can still feel it and smell it and see it. There’s ink stained across his fingers and chest and stomach and face, invisible to everyone else, but Niall can see it when he looks in the mirror.The stain, the sin, the mistake- It’s written over every inch of him. It spills out of his mouth like tar when he speaks and dissolves into the air as a toxic mist. It spreads over everything he touches like wildfire. Everything he says, everything he does, is tainted.He never thought he’d be glad for Molly to be away from him, but Niall is suddenly so grateful that she’s going with Calum and Ashton and Luke. They’re pure. They’re good. They’ll be a good influence.“Then what is it?” Calum asks, slurring the words into Niall’s neck as he wipes his eyes against Niall’s jumper.“I- I was weak.” Niall says quietly, the confession pushing past his teeth with difficulty. “I was weak and lonely and it was the first time Molly has been more than the distance from my house to yours in four years. I made a mistake. I’m so, so sorry, Cal.”“We won’t take her with us.” Calum sighs, turning his head to look at Ashton, Luke and Molly dashing around like utter fools.“No, you should take her.” Niall tells him. “It won’t happen again, Cal. I promise, it won’t.”“I want to trust you, Niall.” Calum says, no louder than a whisper. The words echo through Niall’s chest more than he can actually hear them, but it would have broken his heart either way.“But you don’t.” Niall mutters.“I do. It’s just- If you relapsed after one night, what are you going to do after three?” Calum asks, leaning back up to look Niall in the eye. “Are we going to come back and find Harry dead? Or are you going to disappear completely? I don’t- I don’t know who you are right now, and I’m so scared that you’re going to do something crazy.”“I’ve got the crazy out of my system, Cal.” Niall promises. “You don’t need to worry. It’s not going to happen again.”“I do worry about you, Niall.” Calum says softly, pushing himself up off of the bench and standing straight. “All the time, on your best and worst days. I worry because I love you. And, because I love you, I’m going to trust you. Just don’t do anything to make me regret that, okay? Promise me?”“I promise.” Niall breathes out, watching Calum turn and run straight at Molly and the other lads. “Da!” Molly whines, beating weakly at his chest. “Put me down! We gotta go!”“Just another minute.” Niall hums, turning side to side and swinging Molly around and squeezing her tighter.“That’s what you said three minutes ago.” Molly huffs. “Lemme go, da.”“I’m gonna miss you, lovebug.” Niall murmurs, settling her feet on the ground and kneeling down in front of her. “You have fun, alright? And you listen to the lads. Especially Ashton. Don’t eat sugar too soon before bed, and-”“Da!” Molly groans, slapping her hand over his mouth. “You told me all this already!”“I know.” Niall chuckles, tangling his fingers with hers. “I just- It’s hard watching you go and knowing I won’t be there with you.”“You could come.” Molly says quietly. “The lads would be happy if you did.”“Someone has to stay here and keep an eye on things at home.” Niall says with a soft smile. “Gotta make sure someone knows how to apply Calum’s potions and things like that.”“Calum said something the other day, and I think he was talking about you.” Molly mumbles, looking down at her own feet. “He said people choose to be lonely, or they choose to be happy. Please stop choosing to be lonely, da.”“I’m never lonely, lovebug.” Niall murmurs, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’ve got the most wonderful little girl in the world.”“Get a life, da.” Molly says with a roll of her eyes.“You’re my life.” Niall grins.“I don’t know what the lads see in you.” Molly scoffs, taking her hand back from his. “I have to go, da.”“Just- Be careful, alright?” Niall requests, his voice just shy of begging. “I know you can use your powers while you’re with her, but be careful about it. Don’t push them too hard.”“I think this should help with that.” says another voice, making Niall freeze.He knows the response is suspicious, the way he jumps to his feet and whirls on Harry with a snarl. Luckily for him, his animosity towards Harry is well documented, especially over the last few days.Still, he feels the lads’ eyes on him from where they’re watching in the car.“What are you doing here?” Niall asks, fighting with all his willpower to keep his voice calm and steady.“Had to make sure our ladybug here didn’t leave without this.” Harry says, keeping his eyes firmly locked on Molly and refusing to look in Niall’s direction. Good.“What is that?” Molly asks, looking at Harry’s hand with wide eyes.“This will help suppress your powers enough to keep you from going out of control for the next few days.” Harry answers, kneeling down and holding it out to her. “You have to keep it in your hair all the time. Never take it out, and do not let it break. And, if you feel yourself starting to get upset about anything, then do those meditations we worked on, okay?”“I will.” Molly nods, taking the hairpin out of Harry’s hand and turning to Niall. “Can you put it in for me, da?”“Of course.” Niall nods, leaning down and fixing her fringe up away from her face before he pins it back with the little, silver clip.“Have a good trip, Molly.” Harry says gently, turning and walking away without ever having looked in Niall’s direction.“What’s going on there?” Luke asks, hanging his head out the window.“Time for you lot to get out of here.” Niall says flatly, pressing one last kiss to Molly’s forehead before he pats her on the shoulder to send her forwards. “Be safe, or I will kick all your arses.”“Love you too.” Ashton laughs, opening the door up and climbing out, letting Molly in past him.“What are you doing?” Niall sighs when Ashton approaches him.“Just- Cal wasn’t the only one that noticed this morning, Niall.” Ashton says softly. “We just want you to know that- If you need to take the days for yourself, the village will survive without the bakery or bookshop or even the pub. If you need to take time for yourself, do it. Don’t push yourself too hard.”“I’ll be fine.” Niall tells him.“Niall.” Ashton says firmly, chiding him with nothing more than his name.“I will take the time if I need it.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes.“At least try to make it convincing when you lie to us.” Ashton snorts. “And at least we tried.”“I’ll take care of myself, Ash. I promise, alright?” Niall offers.“I wish you even knew what that really meant.” Ashton whispers, pressing a kiss to Niall’s cheek and then turning back to fold himself into the car.Calum gives him a shy smile, and Luke blows him a kiss, and then they’re off and Niall feels like he’s losing the air out of his lungs watching them all disappear over the hill. “Niall, come on!” Ronnie groans, leaning against the bar. He’s an old man, late-forties with deep lines around his eyes and more bald area than hair. Far too old to be whinging like this.“We don’t do takeaway, Ronnie.” Niall says flatly, wiping at the counter with a flannel. “We have never done takeaway, and we will never do takeaway. If you want to eat at home, get back to that shack you live in and whichever one of your sheep is playing the part of your wife this week, and cook something for yourself.”“It’s not even for me, it’s for that witchy bloke outside.” Ronnie huffs, though he doesn’t deny the sheep-fucking claim because everyone in town already knows it’s true. They all just wave it off and mumble something about him being Welsh. “He offered me fifty quid to come get him some dinner he can take home.”“He what?” Niall asks, his head snapping around to look at the drunkard sheep-fucker leaning against the bar.“He’s sitting outside, and he was asking people to come in and get him some food. I told him I wanted money for it, and he told me he’d give me fifty quid if I got him a meal and brought it to him.”“Fucking- Ronnie, I’ll give you free drinks for the rest of the week if you stand in for me.” Niall sighs, opening up the bar. “It’ll even out to what you would have made from the witch.”“Fair enough.” Ronnie nods, taking Niall’s spot behind the bar.Niall heads for the door, taking a deep breath to steady himself before he pushes it open. Harry looks over at him, then his eyes go wide and he scrambles backwards, tripping over his own feet. He falls too fast, rolls back over his own shoulders, and ends up flat on the ground.“What the fuck are you doing?” Niall grunts out.“Not escaping with my life, clearly.” Harry groans, rolling onto his back.“I’m not going to kill you, Harry.” Niall huffs. “Not in public. Too many risks.”“I stayed out here.” Harry points out.“Yeah, because that’s not fucking suspicious at all.” Niall scoffs, leaning his shoulder against the wall. “It’s a small village, Harry. You pulling something like this will get back to the lads as soon as they get back.”“Excuse me for being hungry, Niall.” Harry mutters, pushing himself up into a sitting position and then climbing to his feet. “I didn’t exactly want to run into you, but this is the only place to get food.”“If you want to avoid me that badly, then you should go get some groceries. The cottage has a functional kitchen.” Niall points out.“I spent all morning making the charm, and I slept my hangover off all day. The markets will be closed now.” Harry mumbles.“Then I guess you either need to come in, or you can starve.” Niall tells him.“I can’t be around you all night, Niall.” Harry whispers. “That hate you have for me- It’s dangerous. I absorb it until it’s destroying me from the inside out.”“The only person I hate right now is myself.” Niall mutters, shaking his head. “I made that mistake, and I fucking cannot stand myself for it. I can’t look in the mirror without wanting to throw up. It’s not directed at you.”“It doesn’t change the way it’s tearing me up inside, Niall.” Harry sighs. “I can’t stop feeling it when you’re like this. How- How are you acting so normal with this kind of rage in you?”“I’ve been living with this kind of rage and hate for my whole life.” Niall answers him. “It’s just a part of me now. It feels like- Like a limb.”“I’ve been absorbing emotion my whole life, and-” Harry sighs, turning to look at Niall for the first time since their mistake last night. “This is not normal, Niall. That you can even function with this inside you doesn’t make sense.”“It wouldn’t, to you.” Niall says with a shrug. “You don’t know me, Harry. You may feel what I feel, but you don’t know anything about me.”“I know that this is eating you up as much as your rage is eating me.” Harry says softly. “I know that I could feel your guilt from across the village all morning, so strongly that it woke me out of a dead sleep. I know that the only thing that made you feel okay at all today was Molly, and that you’re more okay with not being okay than you are feeling any absolution.”“Is there something I can do- Something I can wear, maybe, that’ll keep you out of my head?” Niall huffs.“Not without muting your own feelings.” Harry tells him. “Anything I could do to charm you would only end up with you feeling less, not me being less sensitive to it.”“I’m not going to have my edges sanded off for you.” Niall scoffs. “The anger makes me sharp.”“And I’m not going to put a muzzle on my own powers for you.” Harry returns. “It makes me vulnerable.”“Then I guess we’re going to have to figure something else out.” Niall says, looking up at the partially clouded over moon. “Why do you think I’m out here, asking random villagers to get me food in exchange for money?” Harry snorts.“I’ll bring you out some bowls of food, and you can take them back to yours. Tomorrow, you can borrow Cal’s truck and go to the next village to get your supplies. I’ll even pay for them. We’ll avoid each other as much as possible for the next few days.” Niall offers.“This isn’t going to get better, Niall.” Harry mumbles. “Not until you find a way to accept what happened. Whether that’s telling them, or-”“Not an option.” Niall cuts him off. “I told you, the lads don’t find out.”“You figure it out, then.” Harry grumbles. “All I know is, if you can’t get this under control, then we’re going to have to change the terms of our arrangement. Because I cannot keep feeling this every day. It may be a part of you, but it’s not me.”“You really don’t want to renege on this deal, Harry.” Niall says firmly, turning back towards the door. “I’ll do what I can to vent this out, but you’re going to have to adjust. You won’t like what happens if you don’t.” Focusing rage is easy. Niall has been doing that almost as far back as he can remember. He was trained to harness his rage, to grow it and use it as a weapon. Hate is powerful. It’s powerful enough to tear through anything that has ever stood in Niall’s way.Only, this time, hate is what’s standing in Niall’s way. His own hate- For himself, for Harry, for their mistake. Niall can’t punch and tear and shred his way through his own hate.That doesn’t mean he’s going to stop trying.His knuckles are starting to split, the blood soaking into the bandages and smearing across the bag with every punch he throws into it. He’s pulling his punches, trying to keep from having to seal and rehang the bag. It’s barely working.The rattle of the chain with every combination is deafening, the sound of weakening leather ripping through his bones. The pain is starting to build in his fingers, and he knows he’s going to have to take one of Calum’s potions to fix the fractures he’s only making worse with each passing second. His entire body and soul are screaming with the way it’s consuming him.His mind goes blissfully blank, and that’s the only peace he’s had in the last thirty-six hours. His responsibilities don’t matter in this moment. His mistakes don’t matter in this moment. His hate and guilt don’t matter in this moment. All that matters is the pain eating at his muscles and bones and skin. It’s the closest thing to Nirvana that Niall has ever known.That is, until another body presses through the doors and breaks his concentration. His body springs into action in a fraction of a second, reflexes that were beaten into him flinging him across the room and swinging his fist up before he can even process that he’s moving. He connects with flesh, but not in the way that he expects.Harry’s hand is wrapped around his fist, stopping its trajectory with a grip like iron.“This your version of flirting, then?” Harry asks with a smirk far too cocky for someone Niall could have just killed on instinct.“I don’t flirt.” Niall scoffs, withdrawing his hand from Harry’s grip. “You cast a steel-skin charm before you walked in, didn’t you?”“And an agility spell.” Harry says with a nod. “Figured it was in my best interest.”‘Secretary’ Niall’s arse.“Only thing that kept your bones intact, so I’ll have to agree there.” Niall mutters, turning back towards the bag.“I’m fairly moderate at mending spells, if you need me to fix your fingers after that.” Harry offers.“My fingers have been breaking for the better part of an hour, Styles. Don’t get a big head.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes. “You didn’t do any more damage than I’ve been doing to myself.”“Fucking hell, Niall.” Harry says with a groan. “Can you drop the tough-guy act for a minute and just let me fix your fingers?”“It’s not an act, Harry.” Niall growls out, glaring at the intruder in his temple. This gym is the closest thing to a sacred space that Niall has, and Harry is blaspheming all over it. “Your hand didn’t hurt any more than hitting this bag. Don’t get cocky for having blocked one shot.”“I could block any shot you took at me, but that’s not-” Harry starts, exasperation written all over his face.“Care to make a bet on that?” Niall scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest in challenge. “Because I’m willing to bet I could knock your teeth out, even with a steel-skin charm.”“Niall-” Harrys tries.“No, I’m so sick and tired of you acting like you’re so superior to me.” Niall snarls. “The only difference between us is your powers, and all they do is make you a little bitch. I managed to put you down without ever even throwing a punch.”“That wasn’t all you, first of all.” Harry says through gritted teeth, stalking towards Niall. “And, second of all, I could take you out without throwing a punch too. And I’m not talking about with a spell. You barely know the first thing about what my powers are capable of, Niall.”“Put up, or shut up, Harry.” Niall smirks, picking up the roll of bandage he’d used on his knuckles and shoving it against Harry’s chest. “I’ll even give you the advantage. I’ll wear gloves, and you can use whatever powers you want.”“And what do I get when I win?” Harry asks, arching his eyebrow.“What do you want?” Niall fires back.“I want you to let me heal your hands and anything else that’s hurt.” Harry decides after a moment. “And if you win?”“When I win, I’ll have the satisfaction of knocking your teeth out and showing you who’s really superior. Nothing you could possibly have to offer could be better than that.” Niall hums. “Wrap ‘em, and meet me in the ring, Styles.” “What the fuck are you?” Harry gasps out between heavy breaths, his chest heaving as he barely dodges Niall’s foot coming at his stomach.“Better than you!” Niall growls fiercely, sending a combination at Harry’s face just to get him to pull his hands up to defend. It works like a charm, and leaves him open in his lower abdomen for the knee Niall brings up into it.Truth is, he doesn’t feel better at this moment. He barely feels alive. He shouldn’t be this exhausted, even with the energy it’s taking to suppress his pain enough to fight. All the bones in his left hand are broken, and his right tibia started to fracture halfway into the fight. Sure, he poured himself into his session before Harry ever arrived, but the adrenaline and anger should be making up for this.It must be a spell of some kind, but Niall hasn’t given Harry time to do anything more than his initial steel-skin and agility spells, as well as a fire-fist spell that lasted no more than a few seconds. He can’t form sigils, which seems to be his main method of spell casting. None of the lines of ink spilled across his arms or torso are runes of power that Niall recognizes, though there is a rune of some sort on his shoulder that’s been changing colors. If it had more characters or a transmutation symbol, Niall would be worried, but this appears to be personal, like the broken watch. Harry hasn’t even tried to speak or sing a spell, but those methods are rarely used in close quarters combat.“You shouldn’t even be conscious.” Harry spits out with a mouthful of blood, but, unfortunately for him, no teeth. “I’ve been draining your emotions this whole time, but you just keep generating rage.”“Your face does that for me.” Niall smirks, keeping his fists up near his chin.“Niall- This should be killing you.” Harry wheezes out, his breathing sounding ragged. “You’re a fucking demon.”“You don’t know the half of it.” Niall snarls, feinting to the right so it looks like he’s going for the purpled bruise where he broke one of Harry’s ribs. Harry takes the bait, dropping his shoulder low. Niall falls onto his left hand, forcing himself not to react to the pain exploding through his arm as his wrist fractures and snaps. He uses the momentum to bring his leg up and smashes his heel into Harry’s jaw, grunting at the feeling of colliding with something so solid, letting the steel-skin work against him.Harry slaps down hard against the mat with a grunt that’s barely audible over the smack that echoes through the room.“Stay down.” Niall says firmly once he sees Harry cough out a tooth. “Because, if you get back up, I will keep going.”“I- Can’t- Breathe.” Harry gasps out, his face starting to drain pale and sweaty.“Stay there.” Niall sighs out between pants, lifting up the ropes and climbing down out of the ring. He jogs over to where Cal keeps his bag and grabs it, taking it back into the ring. He drops down to sit next to Harry, whose breathing is tight and shallow, and searches for the yellow vial he needs. “This is going to hurt like hell, but it’ll put your rib back right and relieve the pressure against your lung.”He pours the solution out, oozing slowly like honey onto the bruise, and then rubs it in. If Harry could breathe, he’d be screaming, but all he does is whine, high-pitched and weak. Niall can’t say that it doesn’t satisfy some twisted, sadistic part of his brain to watch Harry writhe like this.It’s when the ribcage pops back into place, shifting Harry’s muscles and skin around, but his breathing doesn’t get any better that Niall groans in frustration. That means he’s going to need the purple, and Niall hates the purple.He shifts Harry around so that he’s sitting up, his back to Niall’s chest, and then tilts his head back and clamps down hard on his forehead. He uncorks the vial with his teeth, and then tenses before pouring the solution down Harry’s throat. He has to grab Harry’s jaw and force it to stay shut as Harry convulses, his body trying to reject the solution.It takes a moment for Harry’s body to stop twisting and straining, but Niall knows exactly when he has to twist Harry’s face to the side. Harry throws up violently, the blood from his lung purging from his body along with any other impurities or bone fragments. Niall knows from experience how fucking awful it is, and his sympathy is what keeps him holding Harry upwards through the whole thing so that he isn’t laying in the puddle.“Get it all out.” Niall tells him, patting at Harry’s back. “Don’t fight it. Until it’s out, the potion will keep reacting and trying to push it all out.”“You’re literally trying to kill me, aren’t you?” Harry asks once he’s finished hacking up everything.“If I was trying to kill you, I wouldn’t have healed you.” Niall scoffs. “Or stopped hitting you when you went down. Or worn gloves, or-”“I get it.” Harry mutters, pushing at Niall’s chest to separate them. “You went easy on me.”“No, you underestimated me because you thought your powers were more than enough to deal with a pitiful little non-magical like me.” Niall scoffs, standing up once Harry stumbles onto his feet. “Which is exactly what this whole thing was about in the first place.”“No, this was about you trying to beat your guilt out, and taking it out on me.” Harry says with a snarl, glaring at Niall. “You can’t lie to me, Niall. Your guilt and anger kept you standing when you should have been comatose. That fight never should have happened, except you’re a bottomless well of negative emotions that replenished themselves faster than I could drain them out of you.”“Why did you even come here, Harry?” Niall asks. “You told me last night that you can’t be around me because my emotions are threatening to destroy you from the inside out, so why did you come here?”“I- I wanted to see you.” Harry admits, his shoulders pulling in and his eyes dropping down to the floor. “Your emotions were as close to stable as they’ve been since before I went to Cardiff, and- And I wanted to talk to you.”“Why?” Niall questions.“I don’t exactly have anyone else to talk to here, Niall.” Harry mumbles. “Luke is gone, and Molly is gone, and- And I’m alone. I’m an empath. Being alone is like being thrown in a prison for me.”“Harry.” Niall says, shaking his head. “We aren’t friends. We don’t even like each other. We actually kind of hate each other.”“I don’t hate you.” Harry sighs, folding his arms up and tucking his hands under his arms. “And I don’t know why you hate me so much.”“Really?” Niall asks incredulously. “You don’t know?”“Well, I mean- After the other night, yes. That I get.” Harry says quietly, closing his eyes. “But you hated me from the second you noticed me.”“You are a threat to my entire life, and the life of everyone I love.” Niall says simply. “You are a government witch, and Molly is unregistered. She can, and will, be taken from me if you ever open your mouth. I will go to prison, Cal and the lads will have to go back to Oceania just to avoid the same fate, where Ash and Luke will be enslaved again, and Molly will be adopted by some powerful witch who wants a powerful heir. You have the power to destroy my life, and that was before- Before I made the mistake of having sex with you and risking even more. It’s bad enough that I slipped again, but- With you? I cannot imagine anything worse than what I did the other night.”“Oh.” Harry breathes out.“But even putting all of that aside, you’re a pompous git.” Niall tells him. “The watch that doesn’t work- The clothes that make it look like you’re a clown- The tattoos that move around, which is freaky as fuck, by the way- All of it. Everything about how you speak and talk and act is just- It’s like you think you’re so much better than everyone around you, and it drives me insane. You knew before we ever set foot in this ring that I’m capable of handling myself, and yet you still thought you could take me. It never occurred to you that I might be better than you at anything.”“I knew exactly what would happen in this ring, Niall.” Harry whispers, squeezing his eyes shut. “I knew that you would beat me in hand-to-hand combat if you had the chance.”“Then why did you do it?” Niall asks him.“Because I wanted to heal you, and I thought- I thought I could shut you down quickly enough that I’d win and you’d have to let me.” Harry mumbles, digging his toes into the mat. “But I couldn’t turn my drain on full-bore, because that would have hurt you too. The level I was draining at couldn’t cope with the surge of emotion you were putting out, so I was caught off-guard, but I kept hoping I could pull it out and then do what I came here for.”“You didn’t know I was hurt until you came here, so that’s not adding up.” Niall counters, shaking his head. “It also doesn’t explain why you’d be stupid enough to put yourself in harm’s way just to heal someone who doesn’t give a shit if you trip and break your neck once this is all done for.”“I could feel your pain, Niall.” Harry mutters. “From my cottage. The more you hurt yourself, the more I could feel it. The way your muscles are shredding and your bones are splintering- I can feel that right now, and I just- I don’t want you to do that to yourself.”“Why?” Niall questions again.“Because it’s my fault.” Harry says so softly Niall can barely hear the words over the sound of his own breathing. “I started everything the other night, and- And you wouldn’t be feeling this way if it wasn’t for that. If it wasn’t for me coming onto you, then you wouldn’t have cheated, and you wouldn’t be feeling all this.”“I live my life feeling this, Harry.” Niall tells him. “The guilt- The anger- The self-hatred- All of that is my normal. It goes back long before you knew I existed, and it’ll continue long after I’ve forgotten you do. What happened the other day may have kick-started a whole new round, but this is just what it means to be me.“But, if it makes you feel better, it’s not your fault. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve hooked up with someone. It’s not that I cheated either, because I didn’t. Not really. The lads and I- We’re not together. We had something once, but that’s been on hold for a lot longer than it ever lasted. It’s a someday thing, not a today thing.”“You didn’t feel like this before, Niall.” Harry points out. “There was guilt and anger, yes, but- Ever since then, everything has been magnified.”“Because I liked it.” Niall admits, though he’s not entirely sure why. “It- It’s been a long time since I felt good like that. Since I got to just unwind and let go of everything like that, to stop thinking about everything that could ever happen and just- Just feel good. Despite how it happened, and who it happened with, I liked it, and that’s what’s making me spiral right now. That I felt so good at my lowest point in so long.”“You’re upset that you enjoyed sex?” Harry asks, puzzled, if his expression is anything to go by.“I’m upset that I let myself get to that point, and still feel good. Great, even.” Niall corrects. “That I can hit rock bottom and revel in it.”“Do you even know how profoundly insulting that was, or do you just not care?” Harry scoffs, folding his arms over his chest.“Fucking hell- Not you, Harry.” Niall sighs. “The drinking. I’m an alcoholic.”“Oh.” Harry breathes out, his eyes going wide. “I didn’t- I wasn’t aware.”“I have a drinking problem, and that problem is that, when I drink, I fuck up.” Niall mutters, shaking his head. “I can’t do that. Weakness is unacceptable in my situation. There’s too much on the line to let myself slip like that.”“Then why did you?” Harry asks, crouching down at the edge of the ring and reaching for his shirt.“Because I don’t know how to cope without Molly.” Niall admits, dropping his eyes down to the ground. “She’s the only thing in my life that makes me good, and, when she’s gone, I lose that part of myself.”“You hold an awful lot on your shoulders, Niall.” Harry mumbles, pulling on his shirt. “But you’re putting a whole hell of a lot on hers, too, if that’s how you think.”Niall doesn’t know what to say to that, because it’s true. Niall’s redemption shouldn’t rest on Molly’s shoulders. Niall shouldn’t put that on her. She should never be responsible for Niall or his self-control.But that doesn’t change the fact that, without her, Niall would still be the Demon of London. “We’re closed!” Niall barks from the back when he hears the door open to the pub. He doesn’t hear the door open again, though, or any confirmation that what he said was heard at all. So, of course, he’s forced to drop his clipboard for inventory and trudge out to the front to investigate. “Oi, I said-”“I heard what you said.” Harry cuts him off from where he’s sat on the bar.“Why are you here, Harry?” Niall sighs, pinching harshly at the bridge of his nose in the hopes that the pain will keep him calm.“I have- a proposal.” Harry says slowly, picking at a loose thread in the hem of his shirt.“And I have to be up in, like- Five hours to start making the food for the café, so I need you to spit it out or go.” Niall counters. “I don’t have time for your usual bumbling explanations of whatever manages to pop into your head.”“I want to have sex with you again.” Harry says quickly. So quickly that Niall is almost positive he didn’t hear him correctly. Because Harry cannot possibly be that fucking stupid.“Come again?” Niall asks, blinking furiously.“That too.” Harry nods.“Fucking hell.” Niall groans. “I hate you so much.”“I know.” Harry hums. “But I also know that we both enjoyed what happened the other night. A lot. And now I understand that the drinking was the main source of your guilt, so- I think we could come to some sort of agreement.”“Do you remember my first rule?” Niall scoffs.“I do.” Harry sighs. “But here’s the thing- You are the most stressed out person I’ve ever met. And I’m not exactly in my right mind. I came out here for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one was to relax. That was the only time I’ve actually been relaxed since I came out here, and it’s the only time you’ve uncoiled at all since you saw me in the bakery.”“So, you’re saying- What? We shag as stress relief while you’re here?” Niall questions.“I’m saying we both need that relief.” Harry mumbles. “You’re pent up so tight that I’m pretty sure you’re going to kill someone- probably me- if you don’t find a way of letting out all of that.”“I was doing just fine at that today before you showed up to get your arse beat.” Niall argues. “And why would you want to shag someone who literally almost killed you a few hours ago?”“I like a bit of adventure.” Harry says with a smirk that has Niall’s hand curling into a fist he has to shove into his pocket just to keep from pushing it into Harry’s mouth instead.“You’re insane.” Niall mutters.“I understand your hesitation.” Harry says quietly, turning around and landing on his feet on the other side of the bar. “And you don’t have to worry about your answer affecting Molly’s training either way. You also don’t have to decide right now. I’m not going to push you into it. I’m just putting it out on the table.”“You need to go, Harry.” Niall sighs, shaking his head as he heads back into the kitchen. But, as hard as he shakes his head, he can’t stop Harry’s idea from taking root.
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“I thought you had to be up early to cook?” Harry asks when he opens the door, not bothering to cover his exposed skin because he likes the way it catches Niall’s attention. It’s a bit cold, but Harry feels like there’s a fire under his skin that no wind could blow out.“And yet you don’t seem surprised to see me.” Niall counters, resting his shoulder against the doorframe. Exhaustion is clinging to him, mental and physical fatigue binding itself to his skin and dragging him down.“Could feel you coming.” Harry hums, scratching idly at his chest just to draw Niall’s eyes back to it.“Do you just sit there and focus on what you feel from me or something?” Niall scoffs.“Not on purpose.” Harry says with a half-hearted shrug. “You just- You put out a lot of emotion, Niall. My powers are naturally drawn to that. You’re like a big magnet for them.”“And what do you feel from me right now?” Niall asks quietly, stepping forward and closing the space between them down to just a few inches.“You want me.” Harry answers. “And that’s pissing you off.”“You have no idea.” Niall growls, launching himself forward. Their lips meet in an instant, causing Harry to stumble backwards a bit. But he catches himself easily with the door, meeting all of Niall’s passion and fury in equal measure. Everything Niall pumps into him, he dishes right back out, which only seems to spur the Irishman on.There’s hands tugging and clawing at everything they can reach on one another as they stumble through the cottage towards the bed, their lips never parting.Then Niall pulls back when Harry’s legs bump against the edge of the bed, his eyes glowing bright red with rage while a cloud of purple haze Harry knows to be lust starts seeping from his pores. His hands brace on Harry’s naked chest, firm and powerful like no magic Harry has ever felt, and he pushes hard, tossing Harry through the air as easily as if he were made of paper.It feels like he’s falling in slow motion, because time seems to slow down as his eyes catch Niall’s. He can’t actually see the blue of them anymore, too drowned out by the anger coursing through Niall’s bloodstream to be visible. The power in that wrath is something Harry has never seen equaled by anyone. But it’s not purely the anger that makes him shine like that.It’s his willpower. It’s the sheer resolve set into his bones and muscles and skin. He pushes that all into the easiest outlet, his fury, but it could be so much more than that if he learned how to focus it.Then Harry is colliding with the mattress, and everything goes black. Harry wakes up with a groan, his hard dick pressed into the mattress and screaming at him for some attention. The dream is still fresh in his mind, and the frustration that it didn’t even get to the good part makes Harry mutter every curse he can think of as he flips onto his back.He’s achingly hard, the feeling of Niall’s palms on his chest still throbbing from the dream. But he knows that just tugging himself off isn’t going to relieve the pressure building up under his skin.Instead he grunts with the effort of pushing himself out of bed and pads towards the bathroom, turning on the shower to let the water heat while he tugs off his pants and waits for his erection to go down so he can piss. It’s a frustrating few minutes. “Do we really have to do this right now?” Niall sighs when he comes out from the kitchen with a tray of scones and deep bags under his eyes. He’s as exhausted and frustrated as Harry, though it’s of a different sort.“I just need coffee and something to eat.” Harry mumbles, laying his forehead down on the counter. “I’m not here to seduce you or fight you or anything else.”“Good.” Niall grunts out, dropping the tray right next to Harry’s head with a loud clang. The glare Harry sends him only gets him a smirk and a quick flare of smugness from Niall that’s quickly doused by his lack of energy. “As fun as kicking your arse is for me, it’d be a chore right now.”“You’re pushing yourself too hard.” Harry mutters, rubbing at his face with his hand to try and wake himself up. “Luke was worried you’d do that.”“Was he worried you’d try and fuck me to get me to relax, too?” Niall fires back at him.“I thought you didn’t want to do this right now?” Harry says with a deep sigh.“I don’t.” Niall huffs.“Then why bring it up?” Harry questions, rolling his eyes.“Because you put it on the bloody table!” Niall hisses, slamming a cup down on the bar and grabbing the carafe of coffee. At least he’s still moving Harry’s morning towards breakfast, even if there’s a strong possibility it’ll be served with a fist to the face.“Yes, I did.” Harry nods along. “And I am still hoping for a yes. But, right now, all I want is some sustenance. Preferably served without a side of violence or rage.”“Told you already, it would be a chore kicking your arse.” Niall mutters, wrapping a scone in a napkin. “But even seeing you right now is making me want to do some chores. So, take this and get out of my face. Bring the cup back tonight when you come by for dinner.”“I take cream and sugar.” Harry points out when Niall slides the cup in front of him.“Cream and sugar come with a side of violence and rage.” Niall says, no longer even looking in Harry’s direction.“See you for dinner, then.” Harry hums, taking the cup, the scone, and his intact face and leaving before his luck takes any sort of turn. “What are you so nervous about, bug?” Gemma asks softly, reaching up to touch Harry’s neck under the curtain of his hair.“There’s so much hate out there, Gemma.” Harry breathes out, tucking his face into the curtain to look outside at the crowd gathered in the town square again. They’re mulling around, and while most of them are just angry, there’s a cloud of hate slithering through the place like black smoke. “It’s not safe. Cancel the appearance.”“Harry.” Gemma scoffs, taking a curl between her fingers and giving it a sharp tug. “That’s not going to happen.”“Oi, you little shit!” Harry hisses. “That bloody hurt! I’m in charge of security here, and I’m telling you it’s not safe.”“You give them too little credit.” Gemma murmurs, stroking her hand across Harry’s cheek. “They have every right to be angry, bug. That’s why I’m holding this town hall. They need to understand why their taxes are going up. They can’t see the benefits yet. All they see is the empire coming in and taking more money from them.”“They don’t have to act like bloody savages.” Harry mutters, closing the curtain again and dialing down his power so that he doesn’t start absorbing all of that hate and anger.“I don’t like that word.” Gemma says, an edge creeping into her voice that sounds suspiciously like their mother. “You’ve been spending too much time in training with those brutes in your squad.”“Oh, like you’ve never let slip a ‘bloody’ or a ‘fuck’.” Harry snorts, rolling his eyes at her.“I meant ‘savages’.” Gemma returns sharply. “Non-magicals are not savages. They are the majority of the population, and everyone on the planet was one until less than a century ago. Don’t go turning into one of those witches, Harry. Don’t put yourself above them just because you were lucky enough to be born with magic and they weren’t.”“I- I’m not-” Harry stutters out.“You are.” Gemma cuts him off, her face going soft. “I understand what it’s like, Harry. The way you’ve been trained- It’s all about superiority and rank, but- But those things don’t really matter. You know that better than anyone. It’s what’s inside a person’s heart that matters, not their genes.”“You are nothing like our mother.” Harry sighs, blushing furiously in his embarrassment. He hadn’t realized how much he’d let the talk around the barracks get to him.“Do you know why you were assigned to this detail?” Gemma asks, taking a seat in one of the soft chairs in the center of the room and gesturing for Harry to follow suit.“Because you’re my sister.” Harry answers, sitting down and forcing himself to relax because he sees the way Gemma notices his rigidity.“Because I asked for you to be.” Gemma corrects him. “Because I wanted you to see and feel this, Harry. I- I wanted so much more for you than this path you’re taking, but- But it is your choice, and your path. You chose the life of a soldier, and that’s a brave and honorable choice. But being a soldier isn’t about glory. It’s about those people out there. It’s about protecting them, and serving them, and remembering that they’re what you fight for.“The empire isn’t what you fight for. The empire is simply a political structure that will fall one day. That isn’t avoidable. The world will change and the empire will fall, as every single one before it has. The people are what make the empire what it is. Every person, from the Empress down to a beggar, is who you fight for. It is their safety, their happiness, and their lives that you need to fight for.“The empire is a concept beyond most people’s understanding. It’s made of millions of hearts that need to work towards a common goal. Their lives and their feelings are what matter. You and I took different paths, but I know you’re the one person in this world I can count on to help me towards that. That’s why I asked for you.“This is going to be hard, Harry. You’re going to have to bear an incredible burden walking out there with me. But it will make you stronger. Feeling what they feel is going to help you understand how they live their lives and what matters to them. I need you to feel all of this, because I want you to remember that every person out there has good and bad in them, and, even though the bad is what you see the most of, the good is always there. And, when it gets hard to find, you need to help find it.”“Gems-” Harry says softly. “It’s too much.”“You and I can change this world, Harry.” Gemma murmurs. “We just have to remember to help cultivate the good, no matter how impossible it seems sometimes.”“Councilwoman Styles, it’s time.” Harry’s second in command, his best mate since he entered the Academy, Xander, tells them, popping his head in the door.“Will you come with me?” Gemma asks after Xander closes the door again. “I want you by my side, Harry.”“Always.” Harry nods. “Don’t know about all that stuff you’re talking about, but, if you think it’s right, then it probably is.”“Come on, then.” Gemma says with a soft smile, reaching out her hand.Harry takes it without hesitation. Ever since he manifested, and probably even more so now that he’s grown, Gemma has always been able to calm his nerves with little more than a touch of their hands. Not everyone’s powers suit them so perfectly, but Gemma’s do.She is light incarnate, warm and soft and good.She really is nothing at all like their mother.This time is no exception. As soon as her palm presses flat against his, all of his worries start to eke away.“You wear that look much better than our mother.” Harry hums, holding out his elbow for her to grab ahold of. “White silk is for angels, not-”“Stop.” Gemma chides, cutting him off. “We haven’t got time for this.”“I’m trusting you to be better than her.” Harry murmurs as they make their way through the winding layout of the city hall. “She wants to be empress, you know.”“It’s treason to say that.” Gemma hums, though she doesn’t argue with him.“She doesn’t deserve it, Gems.” Harry says, shaking his head. “You may not agree with me on what kind of person she is, but you have to agree with that.”“Where are you going with this, bug?” Gemma asks as they reach the door that’ll lead them outside to the stage.“She doesn’t deserve it, but you do.” Harry whispers. “If you wanted to become the Empress, I’d find a way to make it happen. If the empire is a concept that needs everyone’s hearts to work together, then you’re the only person who could get us there. I would do anything you need to put you on that throne.”“I’ve just been elected councilwoman.” Gemma says with a light laugh. “Let’s leave the political coups until I’ve got a bit more experience under my belt, yeah?”“Just say the word.” Harry breathes out, opening up the door.“Thank you, little brother.” Gemma says with a soft smile. It doesn’t matter that she’s not using her powers, because it’s blindingly bright anyways.“Go show me how you fight, then.” Harry mumbles, nodding towards the stage. “I’ll be right behind you. I just need a moment to equalize all of this coming in. Xander will wait on stage with you until I get there.”“Remember to feel it, Harry.” Gemma murmurs, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Feeling it is the only way to understand it.”“I will.” Harry says with a nod.“Your power really is beautiful.” Gemma says as she turns away. “Just never let it consume you. Remember that you are you, and not just what they put into you.”It’s difficult to remember that, though. When Harry opens the flood-gates and lets everything rush in, it’s hard to remember who he even is. There’s so much emotion swirling around that Harry becomes nearly unable to separate himself from the rest of it, to isolate his own thoughts from the onslaught.But, once he manages to break the surface of the ocean of feelings he’s submerged himself in, he starts to see different things than what he’d thought. There’s anger and hate, yes, but that’s not all. There’s also fear and fatigue, hope and worry. There are shades of every emotion that begin to separate themselves out until it’s not an ocean anymore, but a crowd of people standing all around him, sharing his mind.Only once everything begins to parse itself out can he let himself feel it all properly, taking one step at a time towards the stage to join Gemma. Xander spots him and takes his nod as the dismissal Harry means it to be, heading back inside with the rest of Harry’s squad to prepare in case of an emergency extraction.He never makes it off of the stage.Harry feels a spike of hate and rage, a concentration of it so massive that it starts to overwhelm every other bit of emotion he’s pulling in. It knocks him off balance, stealing the air from his lungs with its intensity. And then there’s a scream of three words that make panic course through his blood.“For the Technophage!”Harry brings his middle and ring fingers to meet with his thumbs as his sigil and tosses up a barrier, pushing it out towards Gemma. But she’s too far.The explosion seems to happen in slow motion, flame growing in a ball to his side. It’s hot. So fucking hot.The pressure lifts Harry off of his feet, throwing him back until he collides with a marble column on the edifice of the building dozens of feet away from Gemma. The sound is like a train running straight through his ears, leaving them ringing as he pushes himself to his feet. Fear is pulsing through his veins, panic and pain proliferating through every bit of him from the members of the crowd who survived the blast.He stumbles forward, staggering towards where he can see the white silk of Gemma’s dress on the ground. Nothing else matters except getting to her, keeping her safe. Harry can’t parse out her feelings specifically, there’s too much going on, so he just has to get to her. The door creaks open, startling Harry out of his thoughts as he does yet another rep on the bench-press. It knocks him off kilter, makes him finally realize how exhausted his arms are from lifting so much, so many times for so long. And- Well- He drops it.The bar never has a chance to crush his skull, though.“To be clear, I’m not saving you. I’m just saving myself from having to clean your blood off of the floor.” Niall grunts out, his hands wrapped firmly around the bar as he lifts it back into place. He shouldn’t be able to so easily, because even Harry had to enhance himself magically to be able to lift that kind of weight, but he’s growing more and more used to Niall’s ability to take him completely by surprise. “So, if you get bitchy with me again, I will hit you in the head with a free-weight.”“Wasn’t planning on it.” Harry groans out, sitting up. “Thanks.”“Don’t bother.” Niall mutters, letting the bar clang against the hooks. “I just promised the lads I wouldn’t kill you while they weren’t here to keep an eye on me. I couldn’t care less if you brained yourself, except they’d probably think I had something to do with it.”“I get it, alright? You don’t like me. Can you please just give it a rest for the day?” Harry sighs, wiping at his face with his shirt to clear away some of the sweat plastered to it.“I will never stop not liking you.” Niall snorts, unpinning the weights and starting to slide them off. “But I will give you some advice. Don’t go lifting weight you can’t handle. That’s how people die stupidly.”“How can you handle that weight?” Harry asks, avoiding looking at Niall because, honestly, he’s just too frustrated to look directly at him right now. “I used magic just to lift that.”“A lot of training over a very long period of time.” Niall answers, sliding the weights onto their pegs.“You’re not that old.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes.“I didn’t say it happened when I was an adult.” Niall says flatly. “Stop trying to dig for information, Harry. You already know more about me than you should.”“Did you just come here to be an asshole to me?” Harry snaps, glaring over at Niall. “Because I am not in the mood for it right now!”“I came to talk about what you put on the table, actually.” Niall says simply.“You what?” Harry asks, his frustration snapping into confusion immediately.“It’d have to have rules.” Niall says, leaning against the stack of weights with his hip.“Is that a yes?” Harry questions.“With conditions.” Niall says with a shrug, though his cheeks pink up a bit and embarrassment flares up in his gut for a quick moment. “I don’t like this. I don’t like you. But- You aren’t wrong. I need an outlet for all of this anger. One that isn’t violent. It can’t be the lads right now, so- You’re really my only option.”“You make it really difficult to want to have sex with you.” Harry huffs, pushing himself up and stripping off his shirt.“If you don’t want to have sex with me, then why would you put this on the table?” Niall asks with a scoff.“I said difficult. Unfortunately, I did not say impossible.” Harry mutters, turning towards the locker room. He doesn’t hear Niall following, so he hooks his fingers into the waistband of his trousers and drops them to the floor, not looking back to see the look on Niall’s face, since he can feel the spike of lust, and tosses back over his shoulder an airy, “Coming?”“I said that I have rules.” Niall asserts, though he does trail after Harry into the locker room.“The lads and Molly don’t find out.” Harry hums, holding up a finger with one hand to count off his guesses, while he turns the knob for the shower with the other. “No kissing. No feelings of any sort, as if that were possible. No staying the night. No cuddling or holding hands or being nice to each other in any way. Did I get it all?”“Mostly.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes that Harry feels, rather than sees. “Added a few things that go without saying, honestly.”“Then there’s something you need to understand from my end, as well.” Harry says, turning to make eye contact. “I’m not a whore, Niall. This isn’t a part of our other arrangement. But, I understand if that’s what you need to think of it as. If you need to think of it as an exchange of a service for money, then you can add it into our arrangement in your head. But if you ever treat me like that, I will knock you unconscious by sucking out your emotions, and then tell the lads and leave with your money, regardless of how much or little I’ve taught Molly. I won’t tell the authorities, regardless, but I will ruin what you have with them in a heartbeat if you treat me like a whore.”“Didn’t plan on it.” Niall says with a shrug. “You came to me with this. I don’t need to think of it as an exchange for money, because you already made it clear that it’s what you want, not money.”“Then I don’t think any more talking needs to happen right now.” Harry says, stepping into the shower and sighing in relief as the hot water pours onto his skin. “Do you?”The sound of Niall’s shirt hitting the ground is more than enough of an answer for Harry.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sex with Harry is- Well- It’s a lot of things, actually.It’s loud, for one thing. Harry doesn’t know the meaning of subtlety or discretion at all, which is why he’d be Niall’s absolute last pick for this if he had literally anyone else to choose from. He moans and he groans and he screams, and Niall is seriously considering gagging him the next time.It’s also messy. Harry has a ‘lube charm’, which is a ring he wears that has a little pink gem on it. When Harry presses the gem, some slick fluid squirts out. It’s clear, and it’s a little sticky, and somehow it always manages to get fucking everywhere, no matter how careful Niall is with it. That said, it does make things easier than spit or even oil.And it’s good. Sex with Harry is frustratingly, annoyingly, incomprehensibly good. Niall hates him, can’t stand to even look at his face most of the time, but somehow sex between them is explosive. It’s like an electric shock flowing through his entire body when they’re together, and Niall can feel himself getting addicted to the rush.That does not make seeing him outside of those times any more fun.“Why are you such an annoying prick?” Niall groans, tossing a flannel at Harry’s face. There’s no other customers in the pub, but Calum is cleaning tables only a few feet away, so they have to be careful. Luckily, Niall has a history of hating Harry, so he doesn’t have to change his behavior much, because he still completely hates Harry.“It’s fun for me.” Harry hums, using some mild telekinesis to twirl the rag in a circle around his head like a halo. Niall knows for a fact that Harry is anything but an innocent angel, so he rolls his eyes.“Watching paint dry would be fun for someone with your brain.” Niall mutters, snatching the flannel back.“I may have incredibly questionable taste sometimes, but I’m not an idiot.” Harry scoffs.“Your clothes, facial expressions and general vibe say otherwise.” Niall snarks, smirking at Harry’s offended face.“Can you two please give this a rest?” Calum grunts out, slamming down his bucket of suds between them on the bar. “We’ve been back for two days, and I literally haven’t heard anything except you two bickering since then.”“You don’t have to be here.” Niall points out. “I told you I’d run everything for the entire time she’s here so you can spend time with her.”“And I love you for it, but her and Molly and Luke are all feeding off of each other and the girly explosion in my house is wearing me out. I’d rather deal with drunks.” Calum sighs, coming around the bar and slumping against Niall’s chest. “I don’t know how Ashton is dealing with it, honestly.”“He’s more relaxed than you are.” Niall chuckles softly, pressing a kiss to Calum’s forehead and wrapping his hands around his back. “Always has been. You’re incredibly high maintenance, which is why you’re always a wreck by the time she leaves. She invades your little nest and changes things and shifts you off balance.”“That’s why I’m here.” Calum mumbles, nuzzling into Niall’s neck with his nose. “You’re good at putting me back right.”“You should try putting her and her people up in some cottages next time.” Niall offers. “It would make more sense than letting her mess with the fabric of space just so she can stay with you.”“Couldn’t do that when she finally gets to meet Molly, could I?” Calum says with a slight shrug of his shoulder, careful not to dislodge himself.“Guess not.” Niall concedes, pressing his lips to Calum’s temple. “You should head back now, though. There’s not much left to do here.”“Or I could come spend the night with you, instead.” Calum hums, running a finger down Niall’s chest. “Can’t remember the last time I got to sleep in a bed with only one other person for the whole night.”“Cal.” Niall snorts.“I know, I know.” Calum sighs. “My idiots will get all pouty and anxious. I’m going.”“Love you.” Niall says softly, tilting Calum’s chin up so their lips can meet gently. They don’t kiss for long, just a moment, but it’s enough to make Calum feel a little lighter in Niall’s arms. When they break apart, Niall adds, “Keep that to yourself, or I won’t kiss you again for a year. I don’t need the other two getting all needy and grumpy. Luke has a tendency to hit me in the balls.”“Our little secret.” Calum murmurs, pecking Niall on the lips again before he saunters away and out the door.Niall’s not sure when Harry left, but he’s not there anymore when Niall goes to throw the rag at his face again for entertainment. “You disappeared.” Niall hums, when he hears Harry walk into the gym.“Felt extraneous.” Harry mutters, tossing his bag on the floor next to the weight bench he walks straight towards. “And awkward.”“We can stop doing this any time you want, Harry.” Niall tells him, refocusing on the hanging bag in front of him.“I didn’t say I want to stop.” Harry huffs, straddling over the bench. “I said that I feel awkward sitting there and watching you with them, considering what we’re doing behind their backs.”“I’ve told you, Harry.” Niall sighs, smacking his left fist against the bag. “It’s not cheating. We’re not together, me and them.”“They love you.” Harry says quietly. “They really, truly love you.”“What does that matter to you?” Niall snaps, turning on Harry with his lip pulled up in a snarl. “I know full well what they feel for me. Why does that matter to you? Why do you care?”“Because I don’t think they deserve to be hurt.” Harry mumbles, looking down at the floor.“Like I said, we can stop any time you want. It’s as simple as you saying it’s over.” Niall says, shaking his head and turning away. “But I will point out that you are the one who started this whole thing. Twice.”“Why are you pretending that you don’t hate yourself for this?” Harry asks. “Why bother? You know I can feel it.”“I’ve hated myself more than you can imagine for longer than you know, Harry.” Niall whispers, shutting his eyes to block out the static starting to close in on him. “I don’t need an excuse or a new reason. Again, it shouldn’t matter to you. I’m controlling it. I’m keeping it contained so you don’t suffer for it. Beyond that, it shouldn’t matter to you. That’s not what this is.”“I’m aware of what this is, Niall.” Harry says quietly. “I’m not saying I care about you or anything like that.”“Then stop getting personal about it.” Niall tells him firmly. “Stop caring about what I feel, or what they could feel if they find out. Unless you tell them, they’re never going to.”“Telling them is the last thing I’d ever do.” Harry mutters before Niall hears the sound of weights clattering.It’s the last thing he says for the rest of the time he spends with Niall, from the entire duration of their workouts, to when Niall fucks him in the center of the boxing ring, to when he leaves silently, bag over his shoulder and not a glance in Niall’s direction. “What?” Niall asks when he notices Harry picking nervously at the top of his muffin, glancing at the other people scattered throughout the pub.“Nothing. It- I- It’s nothing.” Harry mumbles.“Harry, I swear to-” Niall starts.“I just- I- I wanted to apologize for last night.” Harry sighs, cutting Niall off before he could threaten to cut off anything off of Harry. “I was- Weird.”“You’re always weird.” Niall scoffs, rolling his eyes and refocusing on the coffee order he’s putting together for a couple of older ladies in the back. Niall hates the lads for deciding to ‘modernize’ their coffee offerings. Coffee is supposed to be black. Maybe with some sugar if you’re weak.“I mean about- This.” Harry sighs. “I was weird about this. I stepped a bit over the line, and I shouldn’t have.”“You’re allowed to have your own thoughts and feelings, Harry.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I may think they’re all stupid and wrong, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t entitled to them. You don’t need to apologize for feeling weird about things, and, if you want to-”“I don’t want to stop.” Harry tells him. It’s the first sentence he hasn’t stumbled through all morning. It’s also the first eye contact that they’ve made. “I don’t.”“Will you please keep it down?” Niall sighs out, keeping his voice low in the hopes Harry will do the same.“Sorry.” Harry mumbles.“If you feel weird about this, then I need you to talk to me about it, because I don’t trust that you won’t go off and open your gob when left to your own devices.” Niall says softly. “Even if that means the kind of passive-aggressive shite you pulled last night. If you’re feeling guilty, then talk to me. Because if you crack under that and tell them, I will skin you alive with a dull butter knife.”“You should be nicer to me.” Harry pouts. “I’m nice to you.”“You’re annoying to me.” Niall snorts, picking up his tray of coffees and walking out from behind the bar. “Eat your muffin and go, Harry. It’s a busy morning.”“You eat my muffin.” Harry says with a grin.“Not if your life depended on it.” Niall says with a grimace, rolling his eyes at Harry’s laugh and accompanying footsteps on his way out of the pub.Niall, for his part, just distributes the stupid not-coffees to the people around the room, ignoring all thoughts of Harry now that he’s gone.That immediately gets easier when someone Niall hasn’t ever seen before walks into the pub, drawing the attention of everyone inside. He’s quite the sight, tall and decked out in crazy clothes. His trousers are red plaid, rips and patches running up the lengths of his legs. His jacket is black and falls well below his hips, over a bright yellow shirt that nearly matches the obviously dyed color of his hair, though isn’t quite white enough.He’s a witch, and, while Harry’s novelty has worn off for the village, this new one appears to be new to everyone, because all noise stops throughout the entire place.Niall is quick to finish his task, putting himself back behind the counter with a heightened sense of wariness. This guy doesn’t strike him as dangerous, doesn’t have the air of anyone trained with his clumsy movements climbing onto a stool. His eyes aren’t sharp, and he looks like he’s spent his life in luxury, based on his ridiculous clothes.“What can I do for you?” Niall asks, keeping his voice level so as not to raise any alarms in the bloke.“Coffee, please.” the lad hums, an Oceanic accent that’s all too familiar laced into his voice.“You’re with the Hood party?” Niall questions, setting the pot in the machine and setting it to brew.“One of several.” he nods, reaching out his hand. “I’m Michael, but you can call me Mikey. I’m Lady Mali’s Centurion.”“Ah.” Niall nods, though he doesn’t reach out to take the bloke’s hand. “Hope you don’t mind, but there’s no way I’m touching you. I’ve heard plenty about the Centurions from Cal, and I don’t plan on having my mind read or anything like that.”“Not in my power-set, but that’s understandable.” Mikey laughs. “What have you heard, then?”“They’re just as powerful as the rumors say.” Niall says with a shrug. “Single-person armies, every one of them. Generally, a witch with incredible inherent powers, but also with a mastery of several other kinds of magic. Trained like Olympic athletes and martial arts masters. Proficient with firearms, and allowed to carry them, though not obligated. Make EMIA agents look like toddlers.”“I’ve heard about you too.” Mikey says, a smile playing on his lips. “From Cal and Ash and Lu and Molly.”“I’m sure you have.” Niall returns flatly, reaching back and flipping over the sign at the bar that has the menu to let everyone know that they’re now closed. Everyone who hadn’t already left is on their way out before Niall can even finish.“Prefer to keep the conversation private, hm?” Mikey questions, raising an eyebrow once everyone is gone.“I think this is a conversation that needs to be private.” Niall answers, taking the pot of coffee and pouring it into a cup in front of his guest. “After all, you’re not even supposed to be here. There was an arrangement made about this.”“You can’t expect us all to stay up at that little house this entire time.” Mikey says with a shrug. “We’re from a place with a lot more space and things to do.”“I know for a fact that that place has been magically expanded for the stay, with plenty there to do.” Niall says flatly. “Let’s not pretend you’re here for something to entertain yourself. Cream or sugar?”“Black.” Mikey says easily, lifting the cup up and taking a sip. “What do you think I’m here for, then?”“When you first spoke, I thought it was to spy on me for Mali.” Niall says with a shrug.“And now?” Mikey asks, a delighted hum in his voice.“Now I think you’re far too curious about me to have sent anyone else to do that, aren’t you, Mali-Koa?” Niall says with a roll of his eyes.“What gave me away?” ‘Mikey’ says with a light laugh.“What didn’t?” Niall scoffs. “Pretending to be a Centurion was the final tick in the box, but I had a feeling before then. The way you walk is like someone who isn’t used to their legs. You keep brushing hair off your shoulder that isn’t there. You’ve got your leg over the other like someone who doesn’t have testicles. You pretending to be one of the one-hundred most highly trained soldiers in the entire world just put you over the top when you take everything else into consideration. Also, your glamour isn’t very good. You’re already starting to shimmer at the edges.”“They said you were smart.” Mali grins with this lad’s lips.“And they said you were beautiful, so I’d take anything they say with a grain of salt.” Niall snorts.“Couldn’t exactly sneak out of the house looking like myself when I’ve been banned, could I?” Mali asks, snapping her fingers and dispersing the glamour to finally show her real self. And she’s not exactly wrong.She is definitely Calum’s sister, and that’s easy to see right off the bat. They have the same skin, the same lips and nose and easy, gorgeous smile. But she’s not just Calum in a dress, either. She’s got sharper cheekbones and a sleeker jaw and cascading dyed blonde hair coming down to look somehow both messy and meticulous at the same time.She might actually be the most beautiful woman Niall has ever seen.“Better?” she asks with a hum.“Markedly.” Niall tells her. “Why are you here, Mali-Koa?”“Seriously, kid, call me Mali.” Mali sighs. “You say my full name like that and it sounds like I’m in trouble.”“Answer the question, Mali.” Niall demands.“I came because I wanted to meet you.” Mali grumbles, leaning against the back of her stool and crossing her arms over her chest. “But I knew I’d get yelled at if anyone knew.”“Then why come at all?” Niall questions.“Well, I didn’t think you’d figure it out, for one.” Mali mumbles, shrugging half-heartedly. “I’m actually incredibly good at glamours, and I’ve known Mikey my whole life, so I did a fairly good job at mimicking his mannerisms. The fact that you saw through me says you’re something special.”“Molly gets her powers from her mum, not me.” Niall tells her, pouring himself a cup of coffee before leaning against the bar.“I didn’t say anything about that.” Mali hums, taking another drink of her own coffee. “I said you’re special. That doesn’t have anything to do with powers. I’ve met a lot of people with powers who weren’t special, and some people without them who were. Calum is special. Ashton and Luke are special. Molly is special, and so are you, it seems.”“I’m just an odd-jobs man.” Niall says simply, calm as can be. Mali isn’t good enough at this game to ruffle his feathers. “Nothing special about me except Molly.”“I wouldn’t say that, Mr. Horan.” Mali says, equally as airy. “After all, how many people’s fathers do what yours does?”“No idea what you mean.” Niall says, his fingers curling slightly tighter around his cup, but otherwise maintaining the visage of calm. “My da is a butcher.”“And the founder of the most dangerous terrorist network in the Europan Empire.” Mali says like it’s something casual. “He runs the Technophage, which, after having seen some of his handiwork, I’d say is pretty close to butchery anyways.”“You want to be very careful about what you say to me next.” Niall says, his voice barely above a whisper as he reaches under the bar and pulls out his gun, setting it on the bar between them. The lads would kill him for having it here, let alone what he’s doing now, but that’s no longer a concern.“I haven’t told them.” Mali says gently, though it seems more out of pity than out of caution. She doesn’t seem particularly unnerved by the gun, other than a flex of her hand. “And I have no plans to tell them. If they don’t know, there’s a reason, and having the most wanted man on the planet as your father is a pretty good reason.”“It’s for their protection.” Niall says quietly. “The less they know about him, the better. How do you even know his name? The public only knows him as The Oracle.”“I am essentially one of the highest-ranking officials in Oceania, Niall.” Mali snorts. “My family is part of the government. I know a great deal about this empire of yours, and I keep an eye on things because Calum is here. Not knowing who the Technophage are, or who The Oracle is, would be a terrible failure on my part, don’t you think? Just because the empire is too stupid to figure it out doesn’t mean we are.”“Is that why you’re here?” Niall asks.“If I thought you were part of the Technophage, you wouldn’t be alive right now, Niall.” Mali says flatly. “I have become quite- fond of Molly. I also hold more than a bit of affection for my brother and Ashton and Luke. There’s also the matter of my own safety. Do you think I would have come marching in here with simple plant-manipulation as my only failsafe if I thought you were that dangerous?”“I think your actual Centurion is ready to blow my brains out of my head if I even think of shooting you.” Niall tells her, picking up a knife from the bar and throwing it to his side, only to watch it stop in mid-air, fingers and then an entire hand phasing into existence around it, followed soon by a body that is all too familiar after Mali’s earlier game.“Oh, he really is good.” Mikey grins, tossing the knife back at Niall and laughing when he catches it easily.“She signaled you not to approach or attack when I set this down.” Niall says with a shrug, nodding at his gun. “But I had a general idea where you were already. You’re not completely invisible. I saw the shudder in space when you phased through the wall. Atomic level mass-manipulation? You guys really are as scary as I’d heard.”“And you are much more interesting than I thought.” Mikey hums, sitting down next to Mali. “I thought Cal was just moony over you, but it seems you really are impressive.”“How dense can you go?” Niall questions. “Obviously you can go loose enough to be invisible, intangible even, to a degree- So how dense can you make yourself?”“As dense as diamond.” Mikey answers. “It seems to be the carbon in particular that I manipulate.”“I’m sure you terrify anyone who comes across you as an enemy.” Niall nods along, draining what’s left of his coffee.“Then don’t be my enemy.” Mikey hums. “Niall- Can I call you Niall? Put the gun away, Niall.”“I don’t need it, anyways.” Niall chuckles, placing it back under the bar and clicking it into the cubby he’d built to hide it. “Because you two are going to leave now, and go back to Calum’s. Otherwise, I’ll tell Cal about this, and take Molly back to my house instead of letting her stay with him anymore. And, believe me, it won’t be me he’s mad at.”“Boo.” Mali pouts, taking a large drink to finish off her own coffee.“Come on, Mali.” Mikey says with a slanted smile, nodding sideways at the door. “If we don’t get back soon, they’ll notice we’re missing. Those duplicates we made won’t last much longer.”“I suppose.” Mali sighs, climbing out of her seat. “It was interesting to meet you, Niall.”“We didn’t meet.” Niall returns. “I’ve never seen or spoken to you in my life, understand?”“You are nothing like them.” Mali says softly. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad for them, but it’s not my place to decide. Take care of them, Niall. Be good to each other.”“I do the best I can.” Niall says quietly, grabbing a flannel out from behind the bar so he can start cleaning for the lunch period.“What you said before-” Mikey hums once Mali has gone outside. “That you didn’t need the gun. You didn’t mean because we were going to leave, did you?”“That’s not a question you want the answer to, Michael.” Niall tells him. “But if anything happens to my Molly when she’s in that house with you two and the rest of your group, then you will find out the very hard way what I meant.”“A shame you don’t have powers.” Mikey laughs, heading for the door. “You would have made a hell of a Centurion.”Niall doesn’t have any response to that, just shudders at the thought.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“You’re off.” Harry mumbles, twisting his neck to the side to get a good crack out of it so he can fully relax into the bed.“Stay out of my head.” Niall sighs, smacking Harry’s stomach lazily.“It’s not about that.” Harry huffs, shifting onto his side. “I have a feeling it has to do with those witches I felt lurking around the pub earlier.”“You should really start minding your own business.” Niall mutters, his back curling until he’s hunched in on himself. “They aren’t the kind of people you want to get mixed up with.”“I’m more capable than you think, Niall.” Harry scoffs, rolling his eyes.“Not when it comes to someone of that caliber.” Niall says softly, his face pressed into his knees. “One of them was Mali. Raising a hand to her would get you killed, probably by the empress herself for threatening the peace with Oceania, if not by her retinue. The other was- He’s a centurion.”“Fucking hell.” Harry breathes out, sitting bolt upright. “Are you being serious right now?”“Have you ever known me not to be serious, Harry?” Niall asks, shooting him a withering glare. “She’s a Hood. Do you really think she travels without that kind of protection? If I could beat you bloody, he could obliterate you.”“Only if he’s faster than my powers, and very, very few people are.” Harry tells him, trying to diminish the tremble of fear coursing through him. “You, on the other hand, don’t have any means of defense against someone that powerful.”“Don’t underestimate me, Styles.” Niall snorts, his own fear starting to lessen and give way to amusement. “I know more about witch powers than you think, and his seems more powerful than it actually is. Knowing the right counter is all that matters. Learning yours was easy enough.”“I didn’t fight you at full power, Niall.” Harry grumbles.“You overload with enough negative emotion.” Niall says simply. “The speed at which you funnel only matters if someone can’t keep producing enough anger or hate to push you past that limit.”“You’d be amazed the amount I can handle when I go full-bore.” Harry whispers, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Anyways- Back to the point- Why were people like that coming to the pub? I thought you had an agreement with Calum?”“Just wanted to meet me.” Niall mutters, a rush of irritation surging through his gut. “For Calum and for the lads and for Molly.”“Captured her heart already, did she?” Harry chuckles. “I’d almost say it’s a secondary power.”“Don’t go getting attached, Harry.” Niall mumbles, climbing out of the bed and picking his pants up off of the floor. It’s not a bad view, though Harry was hoping Niall would want to stay for another round. He really should learn when to shut his gob. “When you finish here- Forgetting all of this is a condition of this agreement.”“I know the terms of the arrangement, Niall.” Harry sighs, laying back in the bed and hating how much colder it seems now.“I know it’s hard for you, given the state of your powers, but- Stop investing any kind of emotion here, Harry.” Niall says quietly, keeping his back to the bed as he pulls on his trousers. “No emotions, no attachments- It’ll be easier that way, in the end.”“That’s not something I think I’m capable of.” Harry admits softly. “I can’t imagine living like that.”“It’s not forever.” Niall murmurs, heading for the back door as he pulls his shirt on. “The end to all of this will be here before you know it.”Harry doesn’t say that he doesn’t want that to happen so soon. He’s learned at least a bit of self-preservation by now when it comes to Niall.
“Do you know where you are?” is the first question he asks, staring intently at Harry from across the desk. Harry can’t read him at all.
“Judging by the power-blocking runes carved in the walls, I’m guessing the Tower.” Harry says quietly, his eyes shifting around the room.
“It has a fascinating history, this place.” he says, taking a sip from his cup. “Did you know that, until the abolition of the English monarchy, it was an official residence of theirs? It wasn’t always a prison, and was actually designed as a fortress to keep the royal family safe in the case of a war.”
“I really don’t think I was dragged here in chains for a history lesson.” Harry mutters, breaking eye contact with the other man to stare at the far more interesting inhabitant of the room, a raven perched in the corner on a bookshelf.
“I see you’ve noticed Meri.” he hums, leaning back in his chair. “She’s not a polymorph or conduit animal, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Just the kind of bloke who keeps a carrion bird as a pet, then?” Harry sneers.
“Actually, the ravens are a tradition.” he chuckles. “There was a prophecy given to Charles the second that, should the ravens be removed from the Tower, it would crumble and great misfortune would befall the country. Before the Rupture, people just continued the tradition like it was a quirk, but we now know about the power of prophecies, don’t we?
“And do not confuse ravens for their baser cousins, crows. Ravens will adapt and eat carrion, or even garbage, if necessary for their survival, but they are not carrion birds who delight in the picking of dead flesh. They are intelligent animals, capable of mimicking human speech, and even sensing magic. Some even believe that humans were not the only species changed by the rupture, but that ravens and some other species were given certain abilities as well.”
“And you?” Harry asks, not at all trying to keep the scoff out of his voice. “What do you think?”
“I think she’s cute.” he laughs softly, holding out his hand and barely bobbing it an inch when the corvid takes flight only to land on his outstretched palm. “Plus, she eats the mice that still plague the place from time to time. A predator, not a scavenger.”
“Cute?” Harry asks, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
“Yes, but my inclination towards avians is not why you’ve been brought here either, so why don’t you tell me why you’re here?” he questions, leaning back against the chair and letting the raven hop onto his shoulder.
“Because I killed a lot of people.” Harry mutters, casting his eyes down to where his hands are bound in iron cuffs on his lap.
“With empathy.” he adds, and Harry doesn’t need to see him or use powers to know he has an abundance of curiosity about that. It’s plain to hear in his voice.
“Mine is- Different.” Harry says quietly.
“It’s powerful beyond any example of the ability I’ve ever seen.” he responds. “How did it happen?”
“When- When the bomb went off- When Gemma died there right in front of me, I- I lost all control.” Harry admits, barely above a whisper. “They killed her. Those- Those fucking cunts killed her, when all she wanted was to help them. I don’t know how I killed them all at once. I don’t remember it. All I remember is being woken up afterwards. But I think I absorbed it all, because the screaming in my head only stopped once I was brought here.”
“You took their souls.” he mumbles. “Fascinating.”
“It’s not fascinating!” Harry snarls, his head snapping up to glare at the man across from him with every bit of fury he can manage with grief eating into his heart like a demon. “I killed them!”
“And how do you feel about that?” he asks, cocking his head to the side.
“Like a fucking monster.” Harry breathes out. “Like one of the people who belongs in here.”
“You feel like a monster, despite the fact that many in that crowd were probably involved with the Technophage, who killed your sister?” he questions, his expression truly neutral in a way that drives Harry insane.
“I killed my best friend, and dozens of others. It doesn’t matter who they were, or what they believed, because they’re dead now. There were innocents there, even if there were Technophage there too. There were children, and I killed them all.” Harry whispers, and though the words hit him in the chest like a knife, he can’t form a single tear.
“What if I told you that I could give you the opportunity to track the Technophage down?” he asks. “Would you turn down that chance at revenge?”
“I-” is all Harry gets out before a familiar chill seeps into his bones and the doors to the room fly off of their hinges.
“Winston.” Anne growls out, the clack of her heels on the stone floor both terrifying and heartening at the same time. “I believe you have my son.”
“He’s right here, Chairwoman Anne.” Winston says calmly, waving across from himself to where Harry is seated. “And, as you can see, he hasn’t been harmed in any way. I just wanted a chat with the lad. Definitely nothing worth destroying my door over.”
“Harry, come here.” Anne says firmly, keeping her eyes locked on Winston.
Harry lifts himself up out of the chair and stumbles over to her, the chains on his feet making it difficult to walk. Once he manages to pass the threshold into the hall, the air around him drops several degrees and he finds himself shivering. His mother lays her hand on the iron chain between the cuffs on his wrist, instantly dropping the temperature on just a single link until it’s brittle enough that it shatters under the pressure of her finger.
For all that Harry can say about his mother, he could never say she doesn’t have remarkable control over her truly staggering level of power.
After his hands are freed, she points her hand towards the chain on the ground and forms a crystalline spear of ice that she hurtles through it, tearing the links apart like they were made of paper.
“He is not yours to chat with.” Anne says firmly. “Not here, and not without his powers or status as the shields he rightfully bears. If you want to speak with him, you may come to our estate, where we will adjourn to whilst we grieve Gemma. Do not come before we have had proper time, and do not enter my home with the intention of imprisoning my son again, or I shall have to have a word with your father about this position and how it’s gone to your head.”
“Shall a month be enough time?” Winston asks, stepping up out of his chair.
“Send a letter then, and we shall see.” Anne mutters, holding her hand out to Harry. “Come, bug. It’s time we have some private time as a family.”
Harry follows her out without hesitation, anything he could have to say dying on the tip of his tongue as he feels the strongest, purest emotion he’s ever felt from his mother hit him. There’s a tear in her soul, grief clawing its way through her entire being. She’s dying, and she came for him.
“Harry?” Molly asks, looking up at him with those big, blue eyes so like her father’s, but without any of his hardness. “What’s wrong with this?”“Let’s see.” Harry chuckles, scratching lazily at his stomach as he steps over to her pot. “Ah. I see. Those little specks there- You didn’t juice the leaves properly, did you?”“I crushed them, just like you said.” Molly pouts.“No, you use your powers.” Harry hums. “I said to do it with your fingers. When you used your powers, bits of the leaves broke off, and they fell in the potion. You have to use your fingers and squeeze the juice out. You don’t have enough control over your powers for that kind of finesse yet.”“Then maybe you should try working on her telekinesis instead of potion-making.” Niall grumbles from the corner, face buried in a book. Harry hasn’t seen him flip the page in several minutes, in all the glances he’s taken. “Cal can teach her that.”“I’m teaching her another outlet for her powers so that she doesn’t have to start throwing furniture around just to expend excess energy.” Harry tells him. “She can pour magic into her potions and vent it out before the pressure builds up.”“Again, Cal can teach her that, so why don’t you focus on her innate abilities?” Niall asks, looking up from the book.“Who’s the teacher here?” Harry asks with a grin.“It’s Harry, da.” Molly pipes up, smiling brightly. Niall does not like that. He doesn’t even bother trying to hide it when he rolls his eyes at the both of them and then goes back to his book.“Go dump this in the bin out back and then bring it back and we’ll try again, okay?” Harry requests, picking up the handle to the pot and passing it to Molly. He’s learned that she likes to be actively participating in every part of her training, even things like setup and cleanup, so he sets her to little tasks like this so she can feel more involved.“Alright.” Molly agrees, her eyes set firmly as she nods and runs out the back door with it.“You are such a waste of money.” Niall mumbles in the corner.“She will learn what she needs to learn in the time that I teach her, Niall.” Harry sighs. “I’m not just going to run off at the end only having taught her half of what she needs to know. Why would I have bothered staying at all, at that point?”“You have weeks to teach her what she’s supposed to learn over the course of years, and you’re playing around like I haven’t got someone to teach her how to do potions. Cal isn’t good for much magically, but he’s damned good at those. He can teach her whatever you’re teaching her on the subject and more.” Niall counters. “I get it. You have a point in trying to teach her another outlet, but- Harry, I’m trying to make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone or worse. I need her in control of these abilities. You have been teaching her things she needs to be taught, yes, but not the most pressing matters. I will find her another tutor for these things once she actually can manage not to blow things up when she’s upset.”“You haven’t questioned my lesson plans in weeks, so why the sudden flip?” Harry asks, leaning onto the counter and trying as hard as he can to will Niall into just making eye contact with him. Of course, it doesn’t work.“She got tired last night and broke one of the portals that Mali’s people were using to distort the space in the cottage.” Niall admits, setting his book down on the table. He still doesn’t make eye contact, though. “Apparently, it’s set up with these crystals they place in doorways, but Molly was having fun playing a card game with them, and she- She didn’t want to go to bed, did she? And they tried to calm her down and get her to go, but she got mad because she was so tired and fighting it that- She just straight smashed one of the crystals. Cal said it shouldn’t have been possible, because they never saw it or anything else move, so she couldn’t have been smashing it against anything, or just throwing off force. It just, like- exploded.”“Niall-” Harry says softly.“I’m scared of what’s going to happen if she can’t start getting this under control, Harry.” Niall whispers. “Feel it, if you want. I’m scared. Not of her, but what’ll happen to her if she loses control in public, or, worse, hurts someone close to her. She’s too innocent to deal with that kind of thing. She couldn’t bear to really hurt anyone. And I couldn’t bear to lose her.”“I know you don’t trust me, Niall.” Harry mumbles, lifting back up off the counter and fixing his eyes on it. “But I am doing the best I know how to with her. I am teaching her in the best way I know how. Maybe that progress isn’t fast enough for you, but- It’s the best I can do. I will do everything in my power to have her at the point she needs to be by the time I leave. And you may not trust me, but you can trust that.”“I do.” Niall admits, shaking his head. “I do trust that. I just- I don’t know. I don’t understand all of this, I guess, and it makes me nervous.”“If you have questions, you know that you can talk to me instead of just growling at me like an animal, right?” Harry snorts, unable to help a bit of a grin spreading over his lips as he looks over towards Niall. “I’ll answer anything I can for you.”“I don’t seem to remember you minding the growling like an animal.” Niall fires back, picking up his book without looking back up at Harry, though his lip curls just the slightest bit in what might be a smile. The amusement, smugness and light bit of lust just confirm it for Harry.“Harry!” Molly shrieks from the doorway, putting an end to the conversation before Harry can think of anything fun and flirty to respond with. “It got on my shoes!”It’ll have to wait for tonight, apparently. At least Harry will have some time to come up with a good response. “You’re tired.” Harry hums, wiping at the counter with a flannel while Niall focuses on clearing the tables.“No shite.” Niall scoffs, putting a plate in his bucket. “Haven’t exactly been getting the best sleep, lately.”“I don’t keep you out that late.” Harry snorts, waving the rag at Niall.“It’s not about that.” Niall says, shaking his head and setting a glass in his container gently. “I mean- It partially is. I don’t end up leaving here until late and I have to get up early every day. But it’s-”He trails off at the end, leaving Harry to prompt him to finish by asking, “It’s what?”“My back hurts.” Niall sighs. “Ever since the other day, when you were riding me in the booth and knocked us to the floor because you’re an idiot who tried to get fancy- I’ve been tight and it’s been hard to sleep.”“Oh!” Harry squeaks out, wincing. “I didn’t- I don’t- Sorry? Do you want to stop?”“No.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I just think we should go somewhere where we aren’t shagging on flat, wooden surfaces. I don’t think my back can take another fall like that right now if I want to be able to work the next day.”“Your place is closer than mine.” Harry mumbles, looking down at the ground. “I know you don’t want me there, but-”“I’ve never said that.” Niall tells him, tossing a look over his shoulder as he sets the bin of dishes on a chair. “I just- I haven’t exactly- My house is a mess. And it’s not really as nice as the cabin or anything.”“Are you embarrassed?” Harry giggles, breaking his eyes up from the floor to look over at Niall.“No.” Niall huffs, though it’s a blatant lie that Harry could tell even without his powers, from the blush stained over his cheeks. “I just have a six-year-old, and there’s a lot of mess that comes with that. And with the hours I’ve been working- I haven’t really had time for much cleaning. Barely have time to shower in the mornings, let alone get the place decent for company.”“Let’s be honest, Niall.” Harry hums, leaning onto the counter. “I’m not exactly there to sit around a drink a glass of wine with you and talk for a couple hours before one of us coyly suggests we move to the bedroom. As long as we don’t have to wade through rubbish to get to the bed, I doubt I’ll even notice.”“We can’t walk there together.” Niall says, nodding and turning back to grab his bin. “You know where I live?”“I know the general area, and I’m pretty sure I can find my way to the right place once I get close.” Harry nods, dropping his flannel on the counter. “It’s pretty easy for me to sense you, even from a distance.”“I’m going to head out, then.” Niall says, heading for the kitchen. “Wait ten minutes, then go out the back way. Then go to my back door, not the front.”“Are you saying ten minutes just so you have time to clean a little?” Harry asks, calling back through the door with a laugh.“Ten minutes, arse-face! Key is under the planter!” Niall shouts back at him before Harry hears the door shut. “You really did manage to find the place.” Niall mumbles, his face half mashed into his pillow.“Followed your exhaustion.” Harry hums, stepping through the door. “Normally it’s some other things, but- Found you anyways. I really thought you were going to use the extra time to clean the house. Thought I’d be following your frustration.”“Give it another few minutes and a bit more of you talking and you’ll be able to feel it.” Niall huffs, though his emotions don’t hold up to his words. Harry can’t feel anything at all except exhaustion and a bit of pain coming from him.“Take off your shirt.” Harry chuckles, shedding his own, quickly followed by his trousers.“You’re going to have to do the work tonight.” Niall sighs, flipping onto his back and unbuttoning his shirt. “I shouldn’t have laid down. Don’t think I can get any part of me up again except the part you need.”“Shut up, Niall.” Harry snorts, reaching down to grasp at Niall’s trousers and pull them off. “Flip back over.”“Does tonight really have to be the night you decide you want to top?” Niall groans, though he obeys and rolls back onto his stomach. “I’m just gonna lay here like a fish for it tonight. You’re not going to enjoy it much.”“I’m not topping, idiot.” Harry murmurs, climbing into the bed and straddling over Niall’s arse. It takes a lot not to peel off his pants and eat him out right there, but he has other things in mind. “Your back hurts because of me, so I’m going to help you feel better.”“An orgasm would make me feel better.” Niall huffs, looking back over his shoulder.“Later.” Harry says softly, running his palms down the length of Niall’s back to feel the knots in his muscles. “I could fix this with healing magic, but I have a feeling you wouldn’t like that.”“That feeling is right.” Niall says flatly, narrowing the one eye Harry can see. The other side of his face is still smashed into the pillow.“Do you mind if I just use a charm that’ll warm my hands up?” Harry questions. “It’ll help loosen up your back. That’s all I’d do.”“Fine.” Niall grumbles, smearing his hand over his face in resignation. “Your fucking hands are always freezing anyways.”“I should eat more red meat, but the only thing I can eat at that damn pub is the fish.” Harry hums. “And your meat is more pink than red.”“I hate you.” Niall mutters, laying his head on his arms.“I think you’ve mentioned that once or twice.” Harry giggles, weaving a sign to warm his hands up and then setting them against the skin under him. “Let me know if it’s too warm. I can adjust the temperature.”“Feels good.” Niall slurs out, his body immediately going laxer under Harry’s fingers.Once Harry gets a good rhythm going with his fingers, and a good eyeful of Niall to satisfy him for a bit, he finally gets to look around the room. It’s almost completely bare. There’s not much furniture besides the bed, just a small wardrobe in the corner and a tiny bookcase next to the bed that holds a lamp on top.But that’s right along the lines of what Harry expected. Making his way through the house he noticed plenty of toys that belong to Molly, but not much in the way of things to make it homey. There’s no real personal touches anywhere beyond Molly’s things. Not even a single picture. It’s like Niall is hiding himself, even in his own home.Even more telling is the fact that Harry can’t feel anything from any single item in the room. Harry didn’t expect anything else as strong as the ring that Niall had brought to him, but he thought there would be some emotional attachment to something. A book, an item of clothing, a picture- Something.But the only source of emotion in the room at all is coming from straight underneath Harry’s palms, and that exhaustion is seeping into him more with every second. To think that Niall could carry this down into his bones and still keep up with what he’s doing- He really is fascinating.Harry can’t even handle it for more than a few minutes before he’s laying down next to Niall and telling himself he’ll leave in a few moments once it’s worn off.
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Niall is aware of two things as soon as he wakes up. First, there’s another body in bed next to him far too large to be Molly’s. Second, there are two sets of feet coming into his house.Niall shoves Harry away from where he’s curled up in his arms, pushing himself out of the bed in one fluid movement. Harry yelps as he hits the ground, but it’s short and sharp, probably not loud enough to be heard from the other side of the house where the footsteps are coming from.Niall grabs a t-shirt off of the floor, shrugging the beige fabric over his head to cover the marks Harry has left on his chest and back over the last few days. He makes it into the hall and closes the door behind himself just before Molly gets around the corner, followed closely by Luke. “You two are here early.” Niall hums, crouching down to hug Molly as she runs into his arms.“We fell asleep early, and Molly woke up early, so we thought we’d catch you before you went to open the bakery.” Luke explains, offering Niall a soft smile.“Then how about I make breakfast for the three of us?” Niall offers, pressing a kiss to Molly’s forehead and standing up. “What do you want, lovebug?”“Eggy bread.” Molly chirps back immediately.“Eggy bread it is, then.” Niall hums. “Just let me put on some trousers and I’ll meet you two in the kitchen.”“I could help you find some.” Luke offers with a grin.“I think I’ll be fine on my own, thanks.” Niall snorts.“No fun.” Luke pouts, taking Molly’s hand and shuffling off with her while she giggles.Niall waits until he hears them reach the kitchen before he turns back to his room, taking a deep breath to calm himself so he doesn’t start shouting. Only, when he steps inside, there’s nobody to yell at. Harry is nowhere to be seen, his clothes missing and the window open.Niall will just have to kill him later.For now, he decides to just grab his trousers off of the floor and join Luke and Molly. After closing the window, of course. Harry better not have forgotten anything, because he’s never getting back in this room.He’ll be lucky if he survives the next encounter between them.Niall stumbles down the hall, shoving his legs into the legs of his trousers while walking in a bid to get to the kitchen as quickly as possible. He hasn’t had almost any time with Molly outside of her lessons with Harry. It’s just breakfast, but it feels like a breath of fresh air.He’s light on his feet in the kitchen, laughing and joking with Luke and Molly as he makes them all breakfast. It feels easy in a way so little except his sessions with Harry have lately. Until last night, at least. But, no matter how many times his mind tries to wander towards those, he leashes it and pulls it back.Last night is for last night, and for later when he’s alone with Harry and can get his hands around his throat, not for now.Now is for him and his family, and when Molly smiles at him over a stack of eggy bread, nothing else really matters. “Why are you hovering about?” Niall snorts, pushing at Luke’s face when he tries to lean over Niall’s shoulder to see his book. “Don’t you have family to be getting back to?”“You’re my family too.” Luke hums, settling his face into Niall’s neck. “I’ve missed you, you know.”“Missed you too, Luke.” Niall says softly, stroking his fingers through the long, snarled mess of Luke’s curls.“Have you?” Luke mumbles into Niall’s skin. “Because I have a feeling you’ve been a little too occupied to think about us much at all.”“Luke.” Niall sighs. “I’ve been a bit busy running all of the businesses, in case you didn’t notice. And you guys haven’t exactly been around.”“That’s not what I’m talking about, is it?” Luke whispers, lifting his eyes up and looking at Molly and Harry across the room where they’re working on Molly trying to levitate a chair with Harry in it.“Of course I’m thinking about her most.” Niall mumbles. “I haven’t spent this much time apart from her since she was born.”“I’m not talking about her either, Niall.” Luke mutters. “Don’t be obtuse and make me say it.”Fuck.“I heard him this morning, Niall.” Luke says quietly, coming around from behind the sofa and sitting on the opposite side. “But I had a feeling before that.”“Can- Can we go outside to have this conversation?” Niall asks, feeling like he’s cracking open. Harry’s head whips around across the room, probably alerted by the sudden snap of Niall’s emotions.“Sure.” Luke says with a shrug that’s probably meant to seem easy and casual. It’s not, though. Luke’s shoulders are tight, and the fact that he won’t look at Niall as they make their way out of the cottage tells loads about where his mind is at.“How mad are you?” Niall asks after the door closes behind him, shutting them off from Harry and Molly.“I’m not mad, Niall.” Luke sighs, turning back to finally look at him. And it isn’t anger written across his face, it’s hurt. “I know this isn’t the first time you’ve gone to someone else for this.”“Fucking hell.” Niall breathes out.“Niall-” Luke mumbles. “How stupid do you think we are?”“I don’t think you’re stupid, Luke.” Niall huffs. “I just- I thought I’d kept it a better secret. I didn’t want to hurt you guys.”“We figured it out a while ago that some of your binges weren’t just about fighting magic users.” Luke says quietly, taking a seat in one of the chairs. “And that when you take day-trips, sometimes you find someone for a toss-off. And we accepted that. That wasn’t personal.”“This isn’t personal either.” Niall says firmly.“This isn’t a one-night stand or a fuck in a dirty pub loo with a stranger, Niall!” Luke snaps, though he thankfully keeps his voice low. “This is someone we know! Someone that you assured us that this exact thing would never happen with, because you said you fucking hate him!”“I do hate him, Luke.” Niall mutters.“Then why are you fucking him?” Luke hisses.“Because- Because I need a way to blow off steam that doesn’t involve me breaking shit.” Niall sighs, taking the seat opposite from Luke. “I’m stressed, Luke. Like- Stressed in a way I haven’t had to deal with since I got here. Harry knows about Molly and is teaching her magic- Molly is so much more powerful than we thought, and fucking Barbara knew she was going to be a witch and didn’t even tip me off- I’m running every business in this whole damn town at the same time- I just need something I’m in control of. That’s all this is.”“How am I supposed to believe that?” Luke asks softly. “Like I said- This isn’t a stranger, Niall. This is someone you spend time with every day.”“That doesn’t mean anything.” Niall points out. “This is just a temporary thing to keep me from losing my mind under the pressure.”“We have been right here.” Luke argues.“You three have been in the big house for almost two weeks.” Niall huffs. “And with you three comes a level of expectation and commitment I’m not ready for.”“You slept with Harry the night Mali got here, so don’t pull that shit out at me.” Luke growls out.“If you’ve known for that long, why didn’t Calum say anything when he was down here the other day?” Niall asks, though he suspects he already knows the answer.“Because I’m the only one that’s figured it out.” Luke confirms for him. “I haven’t told them, and I don’t plan on doing so, either. Not if you promise me that this is meaningless. That you- That there aren’t feelings involved. Because sleeping with him is one thing, Niall, but-”“There are no feelings.” Niall cuts him off, his tone firm and unwavering. “Luke- I don’t think you’re stupid, but that was stupid.”“Why?” Luke asks. “Honestly, Niall- Why is that so far-fetched?”“Because the only thing I feel for Harry is hate.” Niall answers. “And I’m still planning to take care of the problem he presents in a few weeks.”“How can you do that when you two have-” Luke starts, trailing off. “How can you do that at all? You know him, Niall. I know you say you hate him, but that doesn’t take away the fact that he’s not a stranger.”“Luke-” Niall says gently, pushing himself out of his chair to kneel in front of the blond, taking that pretty face in his hands. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my family. For Molly and you three- I’d tear down the heavens. Harry is a threat, and there’s no chance that I’m letting that manifest into a problem that jeopardizes any of you. I know I haven’t told you who I used to be, or what I’ve done, but you have some idea. You know that I will protect you four with everything I am, and that means getting rid of him.”“Do you have to kill him?” Luke asks weakly. “I- I like him, Niall. I know there’s a potential threat there, but- I don’t think he’d hurt any of us.”“You assume he’d have a choice.” Niall says, shaking his head. “People who work for the government are subject to a rule that requires they submit to telepathic scanning if ever asked. All it would take for our life to fall apart is Harry getting in trouble at work. He pisses off the wrong person, and everything blows up in our faces. I can’t take that risk. We can’t.”“But maybe there’s another way?” Luke asks, almost sounding desperate. “Niall- That’s not you anymore.”“It will be if it has to be.” Niall says with a shrug, letting his hands fall away from Luke’s face as he stands up. “And I’m not willing to risk Molly on anything less than a sure thing. Are you?”“What happens when she asks you one day what happened to him?” Luke questions, following after him. “How do you think she’ll feel knowing what you did?”“I’ll pay for my sins one day.” Niall whispers, tilting his head up to look at the dark clouds that are beginning to move faster across the sky. “I’ve made my peace with that. But, until then, I will do everything in my power to shield her and you three. As long as she’s alive and safe enough to hate me, then I don’t think it matters. It’ll be worth it.”“What if I find a way before then?” Luke asks. “Something that’ll make sure we’re safe without anyone having to die?”“Might kill him anyways.” Niall mutters. “The freak pisses me off.”“Niall.” Luke huffs.“Fine.” Niall groans, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger. “You find a one-hundred-percent guaranteed plan, and I will let him go on his merry way.”“I want your word, Niall.” Luke says firmly, hands on his hips when Niall looks over at him.“I promise.” Niall says dryly. “I cannot believe you’re more pissed off about that than that we’ve been fucking.”“I know you.” Luke mumbles, shrugging his left shoulder and dislodging his shirt. “I know you aren’t ready for us. I know why. I don’t agree with your reasons, and I think you’re just being a fucking coward, but- I know you. I know you need some way to let all of this out, and if he’s letting you do that- Then- I can think of worse things.”“I’m sorry.” Niall murmurs, reaching towards Luke to tangle their fingers together. “You’re right. I am a coward. I’m so scared, all the time.”“I know.” Luke whispers, pressing a kiss to Niall’s cheek. “Ever since you showed up in the pub, I’ve always seen the scared, little boy that you keep trying to hide behind that mask of yours.”“Can’t keep anything from you.” Niall snorts, closing his eyes and letting their foreheads fall against each other. “Those eyes of yours see everything like magic.”“No, I just pay attention.” Luke hums. “More people should. If they did, then maybe there wouldn’t be so much suffering. Maybe you wouldn’t have suffered so much if someone had just paid attention.”“I don’t think it would have mattered much.” Niall mumbles. “Because paying attention isn’t enough. Someone has to care, and that’s what’s magical about you.”“That would be sweeter if you didn’t hate magic.” Luke chuckles.“I don’t hate magic.” Niall sighs, breaking apart from Luke and turning away. “I hate people, Luke. I hate what power does to people. It’s not about how that power exists- It’s about how people use it. The Holy empire is as disgusting to me as the Europan or Oceanic or Soviet empires. Magic isn’t evil, but people are, and they shouldn’t have that kind of power.”“The world was always a shitty place, Niall.” Luke says softly, stepping closer to him and draping an arm over his shoulder. “The thing that makes it better is when people learn to let go of hate and reach out to each other in kindness.”“Wouldn’t it be great if that’s how the world worked?” Niall says instead of just telling Luke that it isn’t. That he’s one of the very few pure souls out there. That letting go of hate isn’t as easy as saying it. That, some days, it’s the only thing that kept Niall going.“It could be.” Luke mumbles.Niall doesn’t have the heart to tell him that it really couldn’t be, and luckily he doesn’t have to. Unluckily, it’s because the doors out to the patio fly open from the force of Harry’s body shooting through them. Niall barely manages to push Luke out of the way, but that doesn’t leave him time to move himself before Harry crashes into him and they both go tumbling into the bannister.“Fucking hell, some warning would have been nice.” Niall grunts out, pushing Harry off of him.“Well, if I’d had any, I would have given it.” Harry huffs, pushing himself up to his feet. “Do you want to go in, or do you want me to shut her down from here?”“I’ll go in. Watch Luke.” Niall mutters, bracing himself before he plunges into the cottage. Books and furniture are flying everywhere, Molly floating in the center of the room with her eyes gone completely white. It’s difficult to dodge everything at once, the cottage giving her far more to control than the gym did.He ducks and dodges and weaves through the hail of things whizzing by, but he’s not fast enough to avoid every single thing. Books collide with his limbs, slowing him down until he’s smashed backwards by the couch through the column in the center of the room that helps support the roof. It crashes down on top of him before he can even regain his breathing, but that doesn’t stop his scream of Molly’s name before the world goes dark around him. “You’re a fucking lunatic.” Luke mutters, cradling Niall’s head in his lap, where he wakes up. A tear drips onto his face from above, followed by a whispered, “Stupid fucking mad man.”“Molly?” Niall asks, shooting upright and barely managing to miss Luke’s face. A sharp pain flares through his side, and he winces, but he doesn’t close his eyes until they land on his daughter curled up asleep in a chair next to an equally unconscious Harry, who looks almost as awful as Niall feels.“Harry, he- He teleported in and grabbed her when the roof started to fall.” Luke explains. “He’s barely been able to move since then. Just had enough to put Molly to sleep, and then he fainted.”“Is she alright?” Niall questions.“Her breathing is fine, and she doesn’t have any bruises or anything.” Luke tells him, grabbing Niall by the shoulders and forcing him to lay back down. “I’m more concerned about you right now. In case you didn’t notice, you had a building collapse on top of you.”“I noticed.” Niall grunts out, settling back against Luke’s thighs. “So how did I get out here?”“Harry.” Luke says softly. “He didn’t just grab Molly. He grabbed both of you. The entire thing didn’t have time to come down before he got you out, so you weren’t crushed.”“Would’ve been nice if he grabbed me before any of it fell.” Niall mutters.“Would it kill you to not be a complete arsehole just once?” comes another voice as Harry stirs on the bench next to Molly. “You know what? Don’t answer that. I’m pretty sure you’ll just be a dick again.”“What happened in there, Harry?” Niall asks, rolling his eyes.“I don’t know.” Harry says, opening his eyes up, though it looks like he barely has the energy for that. “She wanted to try levitating me on the couch, and it was going fine with the chair, so I agreed, but-”“But it was too much.” Niall sighs, letting Luke help him up into a sitting position.“No.” Harry says, shaking his head. “This was- It was different. It wasn’t a loss of control at first. It’s almost like-”“Like what?” Niall questions when Harry trails off.“Like her power wanted to be used more than it has been.” Harry says quietly. “Like it’s pushing at the boundaries. It’s wild energy, and it wants to be tapped.”“What does that mean for teaching her?” Luke asks. “Like- Are you going to be enough?”“I don’t think it would be a bad idea for her to get some training with someone more powerful, if you have access to someone.” Harry mumbles, dropping his head down.“Like Mali?” Luke asks.“Like the Centurion.” Harry whispers. “Because, even though she’s so young, I think she’s on that level of power.”“No.” Niall growls out, clenching his fist as rage courses through him. Harry flinches away, and Niall adds, “I will not have a warrior teaching my daughter.”“Because you’re one to talk?” Harry snaps, glaring at Niall when he lifts his head up.“Enough!” Luke hisses, cutting in. “Right now, I think the important thing is getting Molly back to the house so she can rest. And then- Well- I’m going to have to do a lot of filthy things to Calum before I tell him the cottage exploded so he’s not so furious.”“Don’t.” Harry sighs. “I mean- If you want to do whatever with him, fine. Not my business. But I can fix the cottage like I fixed the buildings in the village when Molly manifested. I just- I’m going to need some time to rest, first. I don’t have much skill with teleportation magic, and that took a lot of energy. In a couple of days, I can rebuild it as good as new. There’s no need to go worrying and upsetting everyone.”“If I don’t tell him what happened, he’s not going to give me any potions for you.” Luke points out.“I’ll be fine.” Harry mutters.“Niall?” Luke questions, turning to him for a final decision.“I’ll survive.” Niall tells him softly. “I don’t think anything is broken. Just bruised. It’s better not to get Calum worked up. Just tell him that Molly started to lose control, so Harry had to do his thing before it got out of hand.”“That still leaves one problem.” Luke says, dropping his eyes. “Harry is going to need a place to stay in the meantime.”Fuck.
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“Shut up.” Niall growls out.“I wasn’t saying anything.” Harry huffs, shooting a glare at Niall.“You were breathing loudly.” Niall says flatly, leveling his own glare right back at him. Honestly, if he’s going to be like this while they’re in public, Harry isn’t sure he’s going to survive the next couple of days until he regains enough energy to fix the cottage.“Then maybe you should go deal with someone else instead of standing here doing nothing.” Harry snipes.“Maybe you should stop breathing.” Niall grunts, narrowing his eyes even further.“I saved your life today.” Harry says evenly, forcing the gate shut on his powers to keep Niall’s anger from tainting him any further. “And Molly’s.”“Fuck.” Niall sighs.“You don’t have to be nice to me, Niall.” Harry mumbles, dropping his eyes to his hands. “You don’t have to thank me or anything else. But if you could stop being such a dick when I already feel like rubbish physically, that would be great. Imagine the worst workout of your life, then do it four times in two seconds. That’s how my body feels. Now imagine dealing with you on top of that.”“Whatever.” Niall mutters, stepping away from the bar. Harry feels a bit of relief, but then he feels Niall right next to him a moment later and goes tense everywhere.“It’s a beer, not a knife in the ribs.” Niall murmurs, settling a hand on Harry’s shoulder and setting a glass in front of him. “The good stuff instead of the piss I normally give you.”“I hate you.” Harry huffs, looking over at Niall.“You’re beginning to sound like me.” Niall snorts, squeezing Harry’s shoulder before he disappears again.He doesn’t make a nuisance out of himself for once, spending the hours until closing away from Harry and taking care of the villagers. He doesn’t snap at Harry or throw anything at him for going behind the bar to pick a book to read, or to top off his drink. Outside of sex, it’s by far the most pleasant time Harry has spent in Niall’s presence.The irony in that is not lost on Harry.He doesn’t know what’s keeping him around anymore, honestly. Niall was a fascination at first, and the sex is amazing, but he’s such as arse. Harry has made a habit since his power manifested of avoiding toxic people, and Niall may be the most toxic person Harry has ever met. Harry isn’t interested in the money, doesn’t need it either. And as amazing as Molly is, she shouldn’t bear the responsibility of making her father bearable.The thing is- She doesn’t. Niall is mean and broken and twisted, and Harry doesn’t think he’s ever met someone as completely messed up inside as he is, but there’s something about him that compels Harry to be in his presence. As awful as he is, Harry can’t help himself when it comes to Niall. It’s like an addiction, and Harry knows he needs to break it, but all he wants is another hit.That’s the excuse he gives himself when he finds himself following Niall down the hall to his bedroom hours after they’d left the house with Niall dragging Harry along because he didn’t trust him alone in the house. He should sleep on the couch, should put some distance between them now that he has a terrible suspicion that Luke knows about them. But he has no intentions of that, as long as Niall isn’t keeping him away.“How did I have a house fall on me, and you look worse than I do?” Niall asks when he strips Harry’s shirt off, running his fingers over the skin.“Teleportation is a tricky magic.” Harry mumbles, looking down at his torso. “If I’d have had time to properly do it, then it wouldn’t have been so bad, but- The way I did it required a lot of energy. More than I generally have available, because my power is a consistent drain on my resources. Using magic like that sucked the energy out of my body’s cells to power the spells. That causes some bruising and makes my skin lose elasticity.”“Why did you come back in for me then?” Niall asks. “You got Molly out safe, which is more than you had any obligation to do.”“Molly needs you.” Harry whispers. “Saving her body wouldn’t have done her any good if her soul broke because power ended up killing you.”“I don’t understand your head.” Niall says, shaking his own.“You don’t need to.” Harry says with a shrug. “That’s not what this is.”“That’s not what this is.” Niall echoes, looking away. “Go ahead and get in the bed.”“Take it easy tonight, please.” Harry requests, shredding his trousers and crawling into the bed. “I normally don’t mind it rough, but I don’t know how well I’ll be able to walk tomorrow already.”“I think you’ll be fine.” Niall hums, stripping off his own trousers and climbing in next to Harry. “Roll over.”“I’d prefer this way.” Harry mumbles out of the half of his face that isn’t mashed into the pillow. “Don’t have the energy to hold my legs up. Just, like- Lift up my arse and do your thing.”“I said roll over, ya git.” Niall snorts, pushing at Harry’s shoulder.“You are the worst.” Harry groans, flipping onto his back.“I can’t exactly ride your dick when you’re on your stomach.” Niall chuckles, straddling over Harry’s waist. “Use that ring of yours on my fingers, yeah? Unless you want to do this part.”“I don’t- What- What’s happening right now?” Harry stumbles through the words, wondering what Niall is pulling over on him. Niall never surrenders control or makes himself vulnerable with Harry, even in sex. Especially in sex, probably.“Thought we’d try something different this time.” Niall says with a shrug. “I just figured we’d do something less strenuous tonight. Unless you don’t want to. If you prefer being the one taking it up the arse, I can work with that.”“I just- Didn’t think you did that.” Harry admits.“I enjoy sex, Harry.” Niall hums, taking Harry’s hand. “All kinds of sex. Men, women- Giving, taking- Oral, anal, vaginal- Sex is sex. As long as I cum, I’m not incredibly picky on how it happens. Now, are you going to open me up, or are you going to use the ring on my fingers? Because it’s been a while since I’ve done this, and I’m pretty sure spit isn’t going to work with what you’re packing.”“I can do it.” Harry breathes out, spinning the ring with his thumb so that the gem is on the inside of his fingers. Niall seems to get some satisfaction out of that, if the tingle in Harry’s gut is anything to go by.He presses the pad of his thumb to the gem and lets it absorb just a bit of his energy in exchange for the spurt of slick liquid that leaks out. Niall straightens his legs to push himself up, then guides Harry’s hand back between his legs.“I, uh- I might be a bit tight.” Niall says as he presses Harry’s finger to his hole. “Like I said, it’s been a while.”“Niall Horan, are you asking me to go easy on you?” Harry asks with a smirk, running his finger in a circle. He rarely gets any form of control during these encounters, so watching the way that Niall shudders as pleasure flares up in his gut is particularly satisfying.“Just giving you an excuse for when you cum too quickly, like normal.” Niall slurs out as Harry presses inside. “You have the self-control of a teenager. Always cum first.”“Maybe you’re just that good.” Harry hums, pushing himself up on his other hand to bring himself level with Niall’s chest.He won’t allow kissing on the lips, but he’s had no problem so far when Harry gets his mouth on the rest of him. His chest is hairy, but not so much that it’s a deterrent. It doesn’t end up in his throat most of the time, at least. Harry has definitely dealt with worse.“Are you going to focus on banter or sex, because I know you haven’t got enough of a brain to focus on both.” Niall grunts out, pushing his hips back experimentally as Harry stuffs another finger inside of him. “Not even sure you could focus on one, really.”“What’ll you do if I decide on banter?” Harry whispers, bringing his lips to the shell of Niall’s ear to ask. He only receives a frustrated whine for anything resembling an immediate verbal response, along with Niall trying again to push down on his fingers and spur things on.“Kill you.” Niall grunts out.“Then who’ll fuck you?” Harry hums cockily, letting himself revel in how much he feels Niall’s desire for him. It may be because Niall has no other resort, but that doesn’t change the fact that he wants Harry right now. He rewards that with a press of his fingers that makes Niall keen, high and desperate.“You are the worst.” Niall growls, though it fades in the wake of a wave of contentment that floods through him as Harry pushes in with a third finger.“Nah, babe, I’ll be the best you’ve ever had.” Harry says through a wicked grin pressed into Niall’s neck.“Call me babe again and I’ll choke you out.” Niall says with narrowed eyes and no flicker of amusement.“We can try that next time.” Harry chuckles, pulling his fingers out all the way. “For now, I plan on fucking you.”“I hate you.” Niall grunts out, pressing his hand to Harry’s chest to shove him down into the mattress. He’s in charge now, and Harry can’t bring himself to mind. Niall can top from the bottom if that’s what he wants. Harry never expected him to be submissive, even if he is a bit desperate at the moment.Harry’s been hard as a rock since Niall explained why he wanted him to flip over, and Niall takes advantage of that after twisting Harry’s wrist and getting a healthy dollop of lube in his palm. He runs it over Harry’s cock, just a quick coating that makes Harry buck his hips into the contact like a horny teenager. He’d probably care in most circumstances, but Niall has seen him at more desperate times, and is far too focused on sinking down onto him to care.It’s been more than a bit since Harry topped anyone, and he’s been drunk through most of his last few encounters before Niall, so the sensation feels brand new all over again. Niall wasn’t wrong when he said he was tight, but it doesn’t stop him from dropping his arse flush with Harry’s hips in an instant. Harry can feel the pain it causes, but he doesn’t seem to care, and starts rolling his hips right away.“There, that’s the stuff.” Niall growls, dropping his head back. Harry kind of wishes that he wasn’t being held down like this, because he’d love to get his teeth on the exposed skin of Niall’s neck. Then again, once Niall starts really moving, Harry doesn’t give a fuck what’s happening as long as it keeps feeling so damn good.Of course, it doesn’t feel great for long, because the reality of Harry’s bruised skin can only be overridden by pleasure for so long before his body reminds him he basically did the magical equivalent of being hit by a car today.“You’re- You’re hurting me a bit.” Harry grunts out, wincing a bit when Niall stops because he’s a little afraid more pain might result from it.“Sorry.” Niall says quietly. “I’m not in the best condition myself, so I need a bit of support to do this.”“I- I think my shoulders would be fine, but I’d have to sit up a bit more, and then you could do that?” Harry offers.“Yeah, yeah, come on then.” Niall nods, and Harry can feel the frustration building in his gut. It doesn’t feel like it’s directed at Harry, so much as the circumstances though. Of course, that may just be Harry projecting.Harry pushes himself up on his arms, which don’t feel as beat up as his torso, until they’re chest to chest and his whole field of vision is taken up by Niall’s face. Their breathing starts to mingle together as Niall leans in and wraps his arms around Harry’s shoulders. It leaves their noses brushing as Niall starts moving again, but it’s different for other reasons.Niall’s desperate, fast pace from before has slowed down into something unhurried and liquid. Harry’s hands don’t want to seem to find a place to rest and travel all over Niall’s body now that it’s within reach. He flicks his thumbs over Niall’s nipples, then moves across the sweat-slick skin to feel the muscles in his back work languidly, the follow down to the swell of his ass and squeeze.It’s when he runs his finger around Niall’s rim stretched around his cock, and Niall’s whines high in his throat before crashing their lips together, that things change. Harry isn’t stupid. He knows that Niall will somehow punish him for it later, but he has no intentions of letting the kiss go to waste as long as Niall is forgetting his rules. Truth is, as good as Niall is in bed, he’s an even better kisser, and Harry is more than happy to keep it up as long as he can.He didn’t expect Niall to kiss him, but he expects it even less when Niall winds a hand into his hair and tugs at the strands while using Harry’s gasp of surprise to slip their tongues together. He groans deeply, pressing down harder against Harry’s lips as his rolling hips start to speed up a bit because his cock has found purchase against Harry’s stomach.Harry decides to give him a bit more help, gripping tight around his waist with his left arm, and using his right hand to wrap around Niall’s dick. The moan Niall lets out makes Harry throb inside of him, and he knows it’s not going to last much longer. Between his own pleasure, and Niall’s curling up in every muscle, he feels himself slipping on his self-control.“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Niall growls out against Harry’s lips before he comes in ropes over his stomach, squeezing tight around his cock as he rides it out and tugs Harry’s face even closer to deepen the kiss.Niall going off sets Harry off only a second behind him, groaning at the feeling of Niall milking him dry and kissing him like his life depends on it. It’s one of the strongest orgasms Harry has ever had, second only to the first time they did this.“Fuck.” Niall grunts, lifting himself up just enough to pull off of Harry’s cock before he falls to the side and curls in on himself.He’s asleep before Harry can ask what the fuck just happened.
“I thought you were dead.” Harry says quietly, setting down his cup of tea as a new body enters the library. It’s one of the only places in the manor that he feels any sense of peace anymore, Gemma’s emotions clinging to so many of the books in the room that he still feels like she’s here when he closes his eyes.
“Harry.” Anne says sharply as she wheels the newcomer in. Her tone sounds harsh, but her heart just isn’t in it. She’s barely been alive anymore since they got back from London last month. Her emotions are muted and muddy and she feels more like something a necromancer summoned than his mother.
“It’s okay, councilwoman.” Xander chuckles, patting at her hand on his shoulder. “I’m very familiar with your son’s mannerisms. Blunt as an old axe, he is.”
“Only thing that gets through your thick skull.” Harry returns, the slightest smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. “I don’t understand how you’re here.”
“Would you mind giving us a bit, councilwoman?” Xander requests, turning to look at Anne.
“I’ll have someone send in tea shortly.” Anne says politely, if flatly, and then takes her leave.
“I was told everyone who was outside was dead.” Harry mumbles. He’d use his powers to reach out and search, to try and figure out if this is really his Xander, or if it’s an imposter or illusion, but he felt Xander approaching before he ever entered the manor. He’d thought he was finally losing the last threads of his sanity, but his powers are the one thing that never lies to him.
“The- The explosion threw me through a window.” Xander says, his eyes going dark. “It threw me across the entire room into a wall. And it did this.”
He pulls back the blanket on his lap, wheeling forward so that Harry can see the burned, scarred stumps where his legs used to be.
“They did this.” Xander finishes, an edge to his voice that gives away the rage inside him almost as much as Harry’s powers do.
“You’re here for them, aren’t you?” Harry asks, taking in the way Xander is dressed in all black and trying to harness his anger as a weapon. “EMIA?”
“Always were smarter than you looked.” Xander says with a quirk at the corner of his lips.
“I’m not looking to kill anyone ever again.” Harry says, shaking his head. “I’ve got enough voices still in my head.”
“They don’t want you for that.” Xander tells him. “You were soft even when we were training as soldiers, and I told them as much. They have another project in mind for you. But- Harry- You can’t just let them get away with this. You can’t let them get away with killing Gemma and maiming me.”
“I killed a hell of a lot more of them than they did of us.” Harry grunts out, guilt pulling at his gut. “I killed innocent people. I killed children. Why should they be punished, and I shouldn’t?”
“I don’t- I don’t have an answer to that.” Xander sighs. “All I know is that they’re still out there, still hurting people, and I’m not in any condition to do anything about it anymore.”
“So you want me to be the instrument of your revenge?” Harry questions, settling his hands on his lap and fighting the habit to curl them into fists. Xander knows him too well though, and can read him too easily for him to hide much. “Xan- That’s not who I am. That’s never been me.”
“I know.” Xander says quietly, covering his leg back up. “I was hoping you might reconsider, but- I told you, that’s not what they want you for.”
“Then what do they want me for?” Harry asks, shutting his book and setting it on the table.
“A secret unit of elite agents.” Xander answers, rolling his chair up to the table and pulling an envelope out of his jacket. “Have you ever heard of a mage?”
“Wake up.” Niall says, gravelly and deep as he shakes Harry awake. He’s been dipping in and out of consciousness for a while now, but Niall curled around his back at some point during the night and the warmth kept him from coming out too much. “Your bloody tattoos are chirping.”“Sorry.” Harry slurs out, rolling onto his back and tapping at each of his tattoos until they calm down and settle back in their origin points. “They reset when I fall asleep. I can’t make the calming spell work once I lose consciousness.”“Bloody annoying.” Niall grumbles, scratching idly at his own stomach next to Harry. “You can have the first shower.”“I’ll make it quick.” Harry says with a nod, climbing out of the bed and heading into the bathroom. Niall is clearly avoiding the subject of what happened last night, so Harry doesn’t plan to be the one to bring it up. He knows better by now when it comes to Niall. Self-preservation is quickly becoming second nature for him, except- He still can’t control himself in the heat of the moment when it comes to bad decisions with Niall.This whole thing has been a mistake Harry can’t stop making, and he knows it. He can see the inevitable explosion in this whole thing coming, and it’s not going to be good for anyone when it does. Harry has a strong feeling he’s going to end up much worse for the wear after this ends.A kiss doesn’t change things. Not really. Niall didn’t feel from it what Harry did, that relief and satisfaction that settled the way his heart flutters around the Irishman. He knows what it means, even if it doesn’t make any sense. Niall isn’t the kind of person Harry likes, but he’s found more and more of his time occupied by thoughts of what could have happened between them if things were different.He wonders what it could have been like if he hadn’t been born magical, so Niall wouldn’t have that to hold against him. He wonders what it would have been like if Niall didn’t have the relationship he has with the lads or Molly’s mother that seem to have messed him up so much. He wonders what it would be like if he hadn’t spent the last few years dealing with a psychopath who makes Niall seem positively sane in comparison. He doesn’t spend much time thinking about why he spends so much time thinking about Niall though, because he knows that would force him to take a look at himself.Harry is far too self-destructive for that.His mind is swimming in Niall to the point that he barely registers feeling Niall get closer or the door opening, but when the Irishman climbs into the shower behind him, he already knows what’s going to happen, and it’s certainly not introspection.
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“And then Mali made me this.” Molly gushes, gesturing emphatically to the crown of interwoven flowers resting on her head. None of them are the same kind or color, and Niall is pretty sure most of them don’t grow naturally in this part of the world, given how exotic they are. But Molly seems happy, so Niall tries not to let it bother him that this was clearly an act of magic that created her prize.He’s not incredibly successful, but he keeps it from showing outwardly, so he’s successful enough.“It’s very pretty.” Harry says with a soft smile that brightens as Molly’s does.“Can you do that?” Molly asks, eyes growing wide at the possibility she’s invented in her own head.“Plant manipulation is complicated.” Harry says with a light shrug. “I could probably make one out of just daisies or roses, but it would take me a lot longer than it did for her. I- I have a bit more experience with other things, like- Like ice.”“Can I see?” Molly asks with more enthusiasm than Niall would like.“Sure.” Harry says with a nod, though it’s tight and stressed like the fake smile on his face. “Good thing it rained yesterday. There’s more moisture in the atmosphere for me to work with.”He gets up from his spot at the table and opens up the kitchen window, letting a breeze come in that makes Niall pull his cardigan tighter around his shoulders. A light begins to pulse lowly in his palms as he weaves sigils in the air, and the temperature in the room begins to drop quickly. Niall can see his own breath in front of his face, but he’s transfixed by the same sight that Molly is.Floating around in the air around Harry are dozens of butterflies formed out of ice so thin that Niall can see through their wings. Each one glows with ephemeral energy as they spread around the kitchen, fluttering wherever they seem to wish. One lands in Molly’s hand, and she gasps before giggling with delight. One lands on Niall’s shoulder, and Harry offers him a small smile before making all of them except the one in Molly’s hand disappear.“I can’t really do anything practical with that skill, but I can make those.” Harry says quietly, shutting the window again.“That’s amazing, Harry!” Molly squeals, lifting her little friend up to get a closer look at it. “Not as cool as flowers, but still cool.”“Straight up cold, actually.” Niall says with as much of a deadpan expression as he can muster. Years have practice have rendered it pretty effective.“Shut it.” Harry giggles, shaking his head to distract from the smile that paints over his lips. Niall wishes he wouldn’t be so fucking obvious about things because he feels his stomach turn every time Harry does that. “Feels weird when you make jokes. Funny isn’t your thing.”“Da’s really funny though.” Molly says with a frown, tilting her head to the side.“I have yet to ever see that.” Harry says with a chuckle, slipping back into his seat. “He’s mainly just grumpy.”“That’s because you’re a prat.” Niall and, much to his surprise, Molly say at the same time. He’s never been prouder of her.“The sense of humor in this family is deeply in need of a tune-up.” Harry sighs, shaking his head and spreading his hand over his face to hide a smile Niall can still tell is there.“So is your wardrobe.” Molly fires back at him.“Okay, it’s time to lay off Harry and let him do his lesson.” Niall cuts in, noticing Harry’s eyes narrow just a bit behind his fingers. “He’s got to make himself useful somehow.”“Not what you were saying last night.” Harry grumbles, making Niall’s eyes bulge and his lungs sputter.“What?” Molly questions, clearly not understanding what Harry is getting at. Thank fuck for that.“I- Made dinner for your da last night.” Harry lies through his teeth. At least he’s good at that. “He didn’t want to eat Feldy’s cooking again.”“You trusted him to cook?” Molly asks, her tone deeply concerned as she turns towards Niall. “Are you crazy? He can’t even dress himself.”“Variety is the spice of life, lovebug.” Niall says, forcing himself to relax and pat her head so she doesn’t get suspicious. “You have to try something new once in a while or life gets boring.”“Then I want to try making ice butterflies.” Molly says with a bright grin. “Can you teach me, Harry?”“If that’s what you want.” Harry says with a nod, his eyes going far away for just a moment before he offers her a gentle smile and launches into a winding metaphor that Niall doesn’t bother to follow, only watch. “I’ve told you, no magic in the house outside of Molly’s lessons unless I give approval.” Niall says when he steps into the living room and sees Harry weaving signs.“Figured I’d need protection after that slipup.” Harry says, finishing his sign and his body glowing from inside briefly as he finishes his steel-skin spell.“I’m not going to hurt you, Harry.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes, taking a seat in the chair across from where Harry is standing. “Won’t do any good towards getting you back to form, fixing the cottage, and getting you out of my house, will it?”“I never know how you’re going to react to anything.” Harry sighs, folding his arms over his chest.“Variety is the spice of life.” Niall repeats with a hum.“You drive me insane.” Harry huffs, turning his head to look out the window with a blush painted on his cheeks.“Not what you were saying last night.” Niall parrots back at him, a smirk pulling at his lip when Harry’s face crinkles up in an annoyed frown.“As far as you know.” Harry grumbles, taking a deep breath and then turning towards his suitcase, which is next to the couch, despite him having stayed in Niall’s bed for the three nights he’s been here now. “I’m going to change and go out for a run. Probably won’t be back until you’ve gone to open the pub for the night.”“You coming in tonight?” Niall asks, tilting his head to the side to get a better look at Harry’s face as he rummages.“Probably just going to stay here and make something, if that’s alright.” Harry mumbles, keeping his eyes locked on his clothes. His voice is tight, his tone clipped, and something about his behavior is incredibly off. “Might as well do something with that food in your fridge before it goes bad.”“What’s got you in such a mood?” Niall questions. He knows it’s not himself, because he’s in a better mood than usual when it comes to being stuck alone with Harry.“I don’t want to talk about it.” Harry says, shaking his head like he’s clearing something away that’s playing in his head.“Harry-” Niall starts, only to be cut off.“Isn’t breaking one rule several times enough for you?” Harry asks sharply, standing up with some clothes gripped tight in a white-knuckles fist. “I think asking questions when I said I don’t want to talk about it is a little too close to caring about me to be safe for your walls or my health, so fuck off, Niall.”“Fine.” Niall says, throwing his hands up. “Fuck me for trying to be civil, I guess.”“It doesn’t suit you.” Harry grunts out, stripping off his shirt and replacing it with a t-shirt better suited for running. Taking off his trousers is another thing all together, and normally takes him a while of struggling, but his annoyance seems to galvanize him and he manages to take them off in one go before replacing them with shorts.Through it all, Niall says nothing, because he’s still not entirely sure why Harry is so pissed off, but he knows that fighting about it isn’t going to solve anything. “You know, the other two have been helpful when they come down.” Niall snorts, passing Ashton a new beer and taking his empty one. “Cal helped behind the bar and Luke helped Molly with her lessons.”“And they both told me you bitched endlessly about anything they did because you were insistent you can handle everything all the time.” Ashton hums, waving a chip in Niall’s face before eating it. “I’d rather avoid the bitching.”“Arsehole.” Niall grumbles, rolling his eyes and stealing a chip off of Ashton’s plate. He takes a quick glance around the pub and finds the few patrons in the place with full plates and full glasses, enjoying their own conversations. That means Niall can settle into his for a few minutes.“Missed you, too.” Ashton chuckles, holding up a chip for Niall to eat. He does so gladly. “How have you been getting on? And I want an honest answer, not whatever bullshit ones you’ve fed Cal and Lu.”“Notice that the pub, the café and the bookshop have not burned down?” Niall asks flatly. “I’ve been getting on just fine.”“I’m asking about you, not the businesses.” Ashton says with a roll of his eyes. “You’re not the most stable bloke at the best of times and spending so much time away from Molly has to be taking a toll, even if the distance from us isn’t.”“Ash-” Niall sighs, shaking his head. “You don’t just get to accuse me of not caring about you guys like that. That’s not fair. Of course Molly is the one I’m going to miss the most. She’s my daughter. That doesn’t mean I don’t miss you three. I can’t wait until that whole group is gone and things can get back to normal and I can see you all every day again. I may not sit there and pour my heart out about it, but that’s because that’s just not who I am.”“Sorry.” Ashton mutters. “I don’t mean to be passive aggressive with you. I just- I’m ready for them to go, as well. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mali. She’s my sister in law and I love her. She’s so much better than most of the people back in Oceania. But- Not everyone she brought with her is the same. It feels like some of them want to drag us back there in chains and put us to work where we belong.”“Give me pictures and they’ll be fish food by morning.” Niall says with a smirk.“Even you wouldn’t stand a chance against a centurion, and while Mikey’s not one of the bad ones, taking out his mates would force his hand.” Ashton mumbles, shaking his head. “And his hand alone could destroy this village.”Niall wants to tell Ashton that he’s fully capable of fighting Mikey, but he can’t do that without admitting to his conversation with him and Mali. He has no intention of letting them know, because that risks Mali telling them about his father, and that’s not something that can happen. The fact that she’s going back to Oceania is the only reason he’s sparing her, because that information is too dangerous to everyone around Niall to let someone who has it live if they know him now. Even if he had to fight all of the Hood family’s centurions, he wouldn’t hesitate because Bobby’s identity is the biggest bomb in Niall’s life and he’d do anything to keep it from being set off.“If you say so.” is what Niall settles for instead.“I do.” Ashton mutters. “You’ve never seen anything like a centurion, Niall. In Oceania, every year, they broadcast a series of games between the centurions. There’s a bunch of different events, but the tournament is the main focus. The rest of the games are done across the continent at various areas set up for them, but- The tournament is different. The tournament takes place at the same place every year. Cape Barren Island.“It’s almost five-hundred square kilometers, and it was evacuated before the first one and claimed by the government for just these tournaments. Nobody else is allowed to be on the entire island during a fight because there’s so much destruction taking place. They’ve leveled the mountains and changed the terrain of the place so much with just their powers over the years. Mikey has won the entire thing four times. He’s one of the highest ranked centurions in history based on tournament placements. That’s why he was picked to be the guardian of the heir to the Hood family. Whatever you think he’s capable of, it’s not even close.”“Nobody is invincible, Ashton.” Niall tells him.“No, and Mikey definitely isn’t invincible.” Ashton agrees. “But he’s a hell of a lot less breakable than you are. I know you can handle yourself in a fight, and you might even be able to figure out a way to beat Mikey, but I just wouldn’t want you to ever try. I wouldn’t want you to put yourself, or anyone else, in that position just over some assholes being assholes.”“I would never put you in danger.” Niall murmurs, settling his hand over Ashton’s on the counter. “Never.”“I know.” Ashton whispers, resting his forehead against Niall’s.“Bloody kiss already!” Ronnie shouts from his booth on the other side of the pub, making Niall snort.“I hate audiences.” Niall huffs, though he’s sure the humor in his voice reaches Ashton with the way his lips quirk up in a smile.“I seem to remember the opposite, actually.” Ashton hums. “You quite liked being watched by whichever of the other two of us was on the outside whenever we’d do pairs.”“Shut it.” Niall chuckles, fisting a hand in Ashton’s hair and pulling him into a deep kiss.It’s only once they pull apart almost a minute later that Niall finally realizes why Harry is so mad at him. “You’re mad because I’ve been kissing you.” Niall says, entering the kitchen where he finds Harry stirring at a pot of stew.“I’m not mad, Niall.” Harry mutters, shaking his head and keeping his eyes locked on his task.“Yes, you are.” Niall sighs, leaning against the doorway rather than entering the kitchen.“I’m not mad.” Harry says firmly, throwing a glare over his shoulder at Niall. “I’m scared of where this ends up going for me, because you are violent and unstable and I’m positive you’re going to blame me in the end for you breaking your own rule which somehow ends up with me hurt or dead even though you’re the one that’s been doing it!”“For fuck’s sake, I’m not going to beat you for something I choose to do.” Niall scoffs, rolling his eyes.“You are insane, so I can’t trust that.” Harry says flatly, turning back to his task. “I’d rather you just didn’t do it.”“You don’t enjoy it?” Niall questions, feeling a bit crestfallen because- Well- Because he has been.“That’s not it.” Harry mumbles, closing his eyes. “You just- I don’t trust you, Niall. Why would I? Any little thing can set you off, and, frankly, I’ve dealt with more than enough of your abuse in the past few weeks, and I’d rather not invite any more. I honestly thought about just sleeping in whatever part of the cottage was left still standing rather than staying here with you, because it’s fucking dangerous to be here. You’re dangerous for me to be around.”“Then why are you?” Niall asks, stepping forward into the kitchen and approaching Harry. “Why put this on the table? Why stay here with me?”“Because I like it!” Harry snaps, turning towards Niall.That’s all Niall was waiting to hear. He fists his hands in Harry’s shirt and drags him in close, their mouths meeting hungrily. It’s ravenous between them, their hands wandering and their tongues sliding against each other until they have to pull apart, panting, to catch their breath.“Then shut up, turn off the hob, and fuck me.” Niall grunts out, taking Harry’s bottom lip between his teeth afterwards. Because, really, neither of them needs to think too much about that problem. As far as Niall is concerned, it isn’t one as long as it keeps feeling good.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Harry isn’t sure how to feel about Mali and her entourage leaving. On one hand, he’s glad not to have someone as powerful as her centurion so close. On the other, he’s had to repair the cottage and stop staying with Niall, which means things have slowed down in the sex department over the last several weeks.It can’t happen every day, or even every other day. The moments that they manage to steal away from Molly and the lads are few and far between, and they leave Harry craving more. But, on the reverse side of that, they leave Niall just as ravenous as Harry is when they finally get a chance. He’s just not as soft about it as Harry is.“Gotta fucking keep quiet.” Niall grunts out, helping pull Harry in through the window to the bedroom. It would be nice if it was by the hand Harry reached out with, rather than the collar of his shirt, but- At least Niall doesn’t let him fall. He’s thrown into the bed far too quickly to ever hit the floor. “None of your usual loud shit. Molly’s room isn’t exactly far away, even if it is on the other side of the house.”And, really, it would be a lot more effective for Niall to say that if he wasn’t stark naked and flushed from head to toe, hard as a rock where his prick is standing at attention.“You get started without me?” Harry hums, letting his legs fall open wide to invite Niall into the center of them.“Shut up.” Niall growls, crawling onto the mattress and tackling Harry with a bruising kiss. He has a strong feeling he’s going to be the bottom tonight, and he doesn’t mind that at all. And he doesn’t mind the kissing, as long as he doesn’t put any thought into the fact that it’s supposed to be for those three lovely lads he has to look in the eyes every day and not for him.Even if, just once, he wishes it would be.But that’s a thought for keeping him awake at night in his cottage, not for right now when he has Niall to himself. Right now- now is for fisting one hand into Niall’s hair, and using the other to try and undo his trousers so he can match Niall’s state of dress. Niall’s hand joins Harry’s in his quest to undress, and it makes things much easier in getting them off.He starts to undo the buttons on his shirt, but Niall mumbles against his lips, “Leave it on. Hate that ugly thing. Any luck and you’ll cum on it and ruin it.”“I am not walking home with a shirt covered in come.” Harry argues, never letting the kiss fully break.“You don’t seem to mind walking home with my cum dripping out of your arse.” Niall murmurs, leaving the kiss to whisper the words in Harry’s ear before biting down on his earlobe.And, well- Harry can’t really argue with that logic. The thing that’s really startling about the exchange, though, and makes him unable to respond vocally with any witty banter, is that he labelled this place as home. He called the cottage home. And he doesn’t hate that.Saint Martine could be home for him if he wanted it to be. It could be the answer he’s been looking for.“Ring.” Niall grunts out, bringing Harry back to reality.He squirts out a bit onto Niall’s fingers, then shyly mumbles, “I’m, uh- I’m already open.”“And you act like I’m the eager one.” Niall says through a smirk, slicking himself with the hand Harry sprayed and reaching between Harry’s cheeks with the other. He prods with two fingers at Harry’s already open hole, and his smirk deepens whine Harry whines impatiently.“Just fuck me already!” Harry hisses, trying to keep his voice low despite his rising urge to yell.“Patience is a virtue.” Niall hums, standing up on his knees to get between Harry’s legs. Harry has half a mind to kick him off the bed, but he’s far too needy at the moment to do that. Maybe after.“I already got myself off.” Harry says, a challenge in his voice as he lifts up on his elbows. “I’m fine without this tonight, if you’re going to be a teasing-”That’s all he gets out before Niall shoves Harry’s legs to his chest from the back of his knees and begins pushing in rough and fast.“Quit actin’ like you aren’t fucking desperate for my cock.” Niall grunts out, fitting his shoulders where his hands were before so that he can keep Harry’s legs up but get close enough for them to kiss again.“Fuck- At least you’re good for something besides talking.” Harry growls, curling all ten of his fingers into Niall’s hair and pulling him the rest of the distance between their lips.He waits for Niall to initiate, though. He always waits, because he doesn’t know what repercussions will happen if he doesn’t.Niall doesn’t make him wait, though. He crashes forward at the same time he starts thrusting deep, though the pace is less intense than Harry would prefer. But it’s one thing to fuck like bunnies at the gym or in Harry’s cabin, and it’s a completely different thing now that they’re doing this less than twenty meters from where Molly is sleeping. Tonight is not the night to bring the walls down, and having Niall’s lips muffling the noises Harry is making is definitely for the best. He’d rather not have to bite down on a pillow.It may not be rough, but it’s still fucking good, and Harry finds himself getting more and more desperate as things continue. Niall’s grunts and the slow burn of his cock pumping away inside Harry have him feeling like he’s falling into an endless pit, and he just wants to hit the bottom, but he also never wants to stop the freefall.He doesn’t have much choice in the matter once Niall gets a hand around his dick, though. His hand is still slick with lube, and every bit of Harry’s self-control flies out the window after just a few strokes in time with Niall’s thrusts. He gasps, swallowing his own moan as his body goes tense and tight with the force of his orgasm.Niall, on the other hand, buries his moan between Harry’s lips with a few final sloppy thrusts. His cock twitches inside Harry a few times as he cums, making Harry whimper against Niall’s mouth, and then he’s flopping to the side and pulling out.“Don’t fall asleep yet.” Harry sighs, settling his legs on the mattress to stretch them out.“If you wanted a round two, then you should have come over earlier than midnight.” Niall groans, rolling onto his back.“It’s not that.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes before sitting fully up. He can already feel a bit of Niall’s cum leaking out of his arse, and he tightens up and hopes the darkness hides the flush over his whole body. “I have to talk to you about something.”“And it can’t wait for tomorrow?” Niall questions, looking over towards Harry. There’s no heat in it, though. He’s not even very irritated at all, which is strange. But Harry has learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth when it comes to Niall.“I have to go somewhere tomorrow morning, and I won’t be back until the night after.” Harry mumbles, hoping Niall’s blissed out state will keep him from getting too angry.“Do I need to worry that you’re going to fuck me over?” Niall asks, rolling onto his side to face Harry. “Run off and not come back, or turn us in, or come back with some backup whose arses I’m going to have to take care of before I crucify you for it?”“I need to go see my mother.” Harry admits, the words feeling like broken glass in his throat. He has no desire to do so, but he has obligations. “It’s the third anniversary of my sister’s death, and I just- I have to go spend some time with her.”“I didn’t know you had a sister.” Niall says quietly.“That’s because you’ve never asked anything about me or spent even a minute talking to me without either wanting to punch me in the face or fuck me.” Harry mutters.“I- I know.” Niall sighs, running his hand over his face as he sits up next to Harry. “What was her name?”“Gemma.” Harry whispers, his voice going tight at the mention of her name.“That explains the G.” Niall hums, brushing his fingers over the tattoo on Harry’s chest. “What was she like?”“Better than any person I’ve ever met.” Harry says softly, a smile trying to pull at his lips, no matter how sad talking about her makes him feel. “She could generate light, but her real power was understanding people and loving them, no matter what.”“What happened to her?” Niall questions, pressing his hand over the glowing, blue g on Harry’s chest.“She was killed in a bombing by the Technophage.” Harry admits, his stomach dropping when Niall goes tight next to him.“My- My brother was killed because of the Technophage too.” Niall whispers after a minute straight of tense silence. “Back during the second uprising.”“You’d have been pretty young then.” Harry points out, since the second uprising was almost twenty years ago. “Do you remember him?”“Not really.” Niall says softly, shaking his head. “I didn’t know him that well. He was several years older than me, and he didn’t spend much time at home. He was- He and my father worked together, so they weren’t around much. Were you and Gemma close?”“She’s the best friend I’ve ever had.” Harry murmurs.“But you and your mother aren’t close, are you?” Niall asks.“How did you guess?” Harry chuckles, shaking his head. “Same way Luke did? Because I don’t call her ‘Mum’?”“No, it was the ice butterflies.” Niall tells him quietly, sending a shiver down Harry’s spine. “I know a thing or two about learning something from your parent that you don’t really enjoy doing. I know what it looks like and feels like to have to display one of those talents, and it was written all over your face how much you hate that ability.”“I should go.” Harry says, grimacing down at where his cum has settled into and ruined the fabric of his shirt. At least Niall got what he wanted. He’ll probably be asleep before Harry can get out of the window though, so Harry will just steal one of his.“I need some proof you’re going to come back.” Niall tells him, his voice gentle, but unwavering.“My sister gave this to me the day I graduated.” Harry sighs, undoing the strap of his watch and handing it over to Niall. “It’s the only thing I own that has any real value to me. I know you don’t have my powers, but- If you could see how much of my heart is wrapped around this like I can, you’d know for sure I’d never leave it behind.”“Have a good trip, Harry.” Niall says softly, pulling him in by the cheek for a quick, soft kiss before he lays down in the bed.He’s asleep before Harry can even get his trousers on one leg, so Harry takes the first shirt he can find, a soft, white long-sleeved shirt that fits a little bit too tight but smells like Niall. He won’t look anything into that. “Harry, please come in.” Anne says, though she makes no move to stand up from the table she’s sat at to invite him. Harry is used to that.“Thank you, Genevieve.” Harry says quietly, dismissing the maid who had led him back to the study where Anne is working from. He makes his way into the room and tries to ignore the way his spine shivers as he walks further into the lion’s den.“I hear you’ve taken a leave of absence from EMIA.” Anne says once Harry has sat down. Right off the bat, then. Lovely. “Why?”“You’ve met Nick.” Harry mumbles, looking down at where his hands have settled neatly in his lap out of habit. “He’s difficult to be around for too long.”“Harry.” Anne says flatly, and Harry doesn’t need to be an empath to know she sees right through him.“We killed a kid.” Harry admits in a whisper, closing his eyes. “We were on an assignment, following up on some rumored magi activity, and- And he killed a child, and I couldn’t stop him. She was three.”“Her status?” Anne asks, cocking her head to the side.“Inconclusive, but every test we ran indicated that she was likely just a powerful witch.” Harry mutters. “We never took any blood before she died, so we can’t know for sure.”“And why did Nick terminate her life?” Anne questions, as cold and unfeeling as her powers would suggest. The only thing at all that shows she’s actually human is that she’s still wearing black in mourning for Gemma, three years later. She’s never gone back to her trademark white silk dresses since then.“She burned his hand when he was slapping her around trying to get her to unleash her full power.” Harry bites out, disgust coloring the air in front of him with a fog the color of bile. “He overreacted and burned the entire house to the ground, with her and her family still inside. Ben brushed it off as eliminating a possible mage threat and buried the report.”“I trust you’ve brought it for me?” Anne asks, holding out her hand.Harry says nothing, just silently opens his bag and hands over the folder to his mother. He knows what she’s stockpiling all of this for, what her eventual goal is, but he just doesn’t care anymore. Things have to change, and that doesn’t change just because Gemma isn’t around to be the agent of that change anymore. Anne isn’t perfect, but she’s a hell of a lot better than the people in charge.Anne may not be a very warm person, but she doesn’t condone psychopaths to roam free. She sees the flaws in the system most witches refuse to acknowledge, instead of just scapegoating the Technophage like so many others do. She sees the problems on both sides, and she has the power, will and intelligence to sort out the flaws of the empire. Gemma would have been better, would have been everything the empire needs, but Anne will just have to do.“Excellent.” Anne says with a nod and a thinning of her lips that almost approximates a smile. “Now, why did I have to hear about this leave of absence of yours in a letter from Grimshaw instead of from you? And why am I just now seeing you?”“Because I needed space from EMIA for a little while, and I’m not letting your goals get in the way of my mental health.” Harry says flatly. “Your ambitions are none of my business, but if you want me to continue being your mole, then you’re going to have to wait until I’ve finished ridding my nose of the smell of a toddler’s burning skin and deafened her screams of pain and fear from ringing in my ears.”“There’s no need to be so dramatic, Harry.” Anne says with a roll of her eyes. “I’d rather you be in the best condition if you’re going to gather information for me. I was wondering why you hadn’t returned to the manor to rest, is all.”“There is nothing peaceful about this place for me without her presence.” Harry mumbles. “It reeks of ambition and grief. Her spirit clings to things across the manor, and I feel like I’m being haunted. I would rather be anywhere but here, mother. And you know that, so don’t try to leverage my guilt into serving your purpose.”“You really think nothing of me as a mother, do you?” Anne asks, and even though she tries to hide it in her voice, Harry can feel the stab of hurt through her heart as she asks. It’s genuine, slight and quick as it might be.“I think you should have been a mother while both of your children were alive.” Harry answers her, standing up out of his chair. “And I think running your child as an espionage asset is just proof that your ambition overrides your maternal feelings. I don’t judge you for it, though, if that’s what you think. I respect you enough to let myself be run as an asset towards your goals, when I should have just rid myself of this entire wretched thing years ago. But don’t expect some change in feelings between us when I’ve literally been able to feel the way you think about me since I was little.”“Harry-” Anne says softly.“You loved me no more than someone would a pet.” Harry says sharply. “As an obligation. I was a disappointment and an annoyance to you, and you never thought of me as anything more than an accessory for yourself until you lost your golden child. A change in those feelings now means nothing. We may be mother and son, but we are first and foremost a handler and her asset. Don’t feign interest in me now, because it just insults both of us by implying we don’t know what our relationship is.”“Dinner will be served at seven.” Anne says quietly, her demeanor returning to its usual cold state. “I trust you’re at least staying the night for her, if not for me.”“I’ll see you at dinner.” Harry confirms, turning on his heel and walking out of the study.He doesn’t know where to go, doesn’t know where he can be in this space without the ghost of his sister hovering around him and threatening to drag him back into his darkest state. So instead he chooses to head to the gardens and hope the new blooms have forgotten the way that Gemma cared for the generations before.Being so far from Saint Martine, from Niall and Molly, feels foreign to him now, and he can’t wait to leave this place and head back, even if it is back into Niall’s contempt. At least Niall has never lied and pretended to love Harry.
“So- This position he’s offering is essentially as a babysitter.” Anne says, looking over the documents that Xander had given to Harry before he left. “For a sociopath.”
“They want someone who can control him.” Harry says with a nod. “He’s good at what he does, but he’s also incredibly dangerous and has very few inhibitions, if any.”
“I’ve met this Grimshaw before.” Anne comments, looking at the picture in the file. “He’s a hunter. A predator. I don’t think it’s a good idea for someone like you.”
“They want me because the telepaths they’ve paired with him can’t manage to shut him down when he goes off.” Harry explains, shaking his head. “His mind is too erratic for them. I don’t have to process any thoughts when I shut somebody down.”
“The way you are right now, you’ll just be prey to someone like him.” Anne argues. “Your scar- Your blind eye- Your emotions- He’ll see you as something to hunt, rather than someone who can control him.”
“Benjamin has offered me use of a connection of his, if I take the position.” Harry sighs. “They’ll replace my burned eye with a glass one that can see. Some proprietary technology they’ve been working on. The scar can be glamoured away, and my emotions are manageable. I know his type. I saw plenty like him in training.”
“You’ve never seen someone like him.” Anne says so softly he barely hears it. “He is a monster, Harry. If I can feel that coming from him, then I can’t imagine how you’ll feel dealing with him. He isn’t like anyone you’ve met, because they’ve all, no matter how awful, had some ambition they’re clawing their way towards. This man just wants to do anything that’ll sate his sadistic side until someone eventually kills him for it. He lost two fingers and a chunk of his ear to the Demon of London, you know.”
“I’ve heard.” Harry nods.
“If he survived a fight with the Demon of London, what makes you think you can handle him?” Anne questions.
“First of all, the Demon of London is more of a legend than a person.” Harry scoffs. “I’ve never believed all of the tales around him. Secondly, I don’t have to do more than wave my hand to rip his soul from his body. Even Nicholas Grimshaw can’t protect himself from that.”
“Why do you want this position, Harry?” Anne asks, an icy cold edge seeping into her voice. “Is this about hunting down the Technophage?”
“No.” Harry admits. “It’s about something Gemma wanted, though. Do you know the last thing we discussed before she was murdered?”
“No.” Anne says simply.
“Your desire to take the empress’ throne for yourself.” Harry says flatly. She opens her mouth, but he cuts her off with, “This is how you get it.”
“Why?” Anne asks, instead of the obvious ‘how’ that most people would have in her place.
“Because this empire is in shambles.” Harry tells her, leaning forward. “The empress’ incompetence is what’s led to the state of things. We have been at war with the USSR for decades and blown entire regions off of the map. Our own citizens are so unhappy that they’ve formed an empire-spanning group dedicated to terrorism as a means of fighting government mandated oppression, and the Technophage isn’t just made up of non-magicals.”
“And how does you taking this job change my status?” Anne asks, though Harry can tell she already knows the answer.
“You need ammunition.” Harry says with a shrug. “I think the empress condoning the hunting and elimination of infants and toddlers for their powers is a pretty good way to get both the magical and non-magical populace to turn against her. You just need enough evidence to expose her.”
“No mole has ever been able to penetrate EMIA before, you realize.” Anne points out. “They’re subject to mental scans every week.”
“I’m well aware.” Harry smirks. “And you’re aware that telepathy doesn’t work very well on me if I don’t want my mind read. I can mess with a telepath’s powers because they’re rooted in the same way mine are. They’ll never even know they didn’t see everything.”
“I want you to practice with that before you agree.” Anne says, standing up from her desk. “I can’t have you putting me out in the open and making me vulnerable if that’s not strictly true.”
“Can you get a telepath loyal to you, and only you?” Harry questions.
“You’re not the only play I’ve got in this game, Harry.” Anne says with a tight smile. “I’ve been planning this journey for a very, very long time. I’ll have one here tomorrow.”
Harry should have known.
But at least he has something to focus on, now. Some way to channel the screaming in his head into something for her. For Gemma. He couldn’t save her, but he’ll be damned if he dies without seeing the throne taken by someone who can fix the problems, even if it isn’t her.
He takes his seat five minutes early, as is expected of him. His mother is already seated at the end of the table, with the only other setting to her left so he couldn’t take any other seat, even if he wanted to.“Must you be so dramatic?” Harry asks once he’s settled in, echoing her sentiment from earlier. “I would have taken this seat anyways, even if you hadn’t had them pre-set it.”“I wanted to talk to you.” Anne says lightly, snapping her fingers for the maids to bring in the first course. “I didn’t want to take a chance on you still being in too much of a mood to sit near me.”“If you don’t care for my mood, I could have sent the documents with one of your couriers, as I normally do.” Harry points out, leaning to the side to let the maid pass his soup over his shoulder.“Not this time.” Anne says firmly, shaking her head.Harry knows she’s right, that this is the one time he needs to come here. It doesn’t make it any easier to be here, though. He has no good memories in this place that aren’t attached to Gemma, and all of those are just too painful for him now.But his mother has the same problem. Gemma was the light of her life, and her death left the same hole in both of them. It brought them closer, if not in the way it would for most people. They have a common goal now, to realize her ideals as much as they can without her light to guide them.“What did you want to talk about?” Harry sighs, settling back into his chair.“Do you want to leave EMIA?” Anne questions, her tone even and her emotions giving nothing of her motives away.“We’re not done yet.” is Harry’s answer, equally vague and unhelpful, just out of spite.“That isn’t what I asked.” Anne says with her own sigh. “I want to give you an opportunity to excuse yourself from this if you no longer wish to continue.”“I haven’t decided.” Harry admits, focusing his eyes on his soup even though the knots in his stomach are too tight to even consider eating.“I know you don’t care for killing.” Anne says gently. “Leaving Grimshaw unattended need not be a concern. I will find someone to watch him.”“Right now, what I’ve gathered isn’t enough to start a coup in the parliament.” Harry says after a moment. “Whether I want to leave or not isn’t important. I simply can’t, yet.”“I’ve told you more than once that you aren’t the only play I have in this game, Harry.” Anne says, shaking her head. “What you’ve gathered isn’t a killing blow yet, no, but it is enough. I can find other evidence of misdoings that will put the nails in the current regime’s coffin. You don’t have to stay an agent if you want to leave.”“Why do you care?” Harry questions, keeping his voice as calm and flat as possible.“Because- Because Gemma never would have wanted this for you.” Anne murmurs. “And because, whether you believe it or not, Harry, I do love you. I want what’s best for you, which means letting you walk away from this if it’s too much for you.”“I found a place that makes me happy.” Harry whispers. It’s strange that he’d admit that to his mother, of all people, when he couldn’t tell them. When he couldn’t tell Niall or Molly or the lads. He doesn’t miss the irony in that.“A place, or a person?” Anne asks, a look in her eyes telling Harry she already has a guess.“They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.” Harry says with a shrug.“Did it have to be a non-magical?” Anne asks with a chuckle.“Have you been spying on me?” Harry hisses, irritation flaring up in his gut.“No, Harry.” Anne says with a roll of her eyes. “Your shirt is clearly below the quality you’d find in shops that cater to magicals.”Oh. Fuck.“There’s only two magic users there, and one is a no-mani.” Harry admits with a sigh. Really, his only option now is to tell her because he knows she actually will start spying on him if he doesn’t.“And the other?” Anne asks.“She’s his daughter.” Harry tells her.“And he makes you happy?” Anne questions, a softness in her tone that he isn’t used to.“It’s- Complicated.” Harry sighs, looking up at the mural-covered ceiling. “He does, but- Things with him are- It’s complicated.”“Why?” Anne asks, even though Harry really wishes she wouldn’t.“He’s not fond of magicals.” Harry mutters.“The child’s mother broke his heart.” Anne says with a nod.“That’s my working theory.” Harry agrees. “But I think there’s more to it. He’s not a very open man.”“I’ve never met anyone who can read people as well as you can.” Anne says with a shrug. “I’m sure you’ll figure things out.”“I don’t have much more time until I have to make a decision.” Harry says, his voice dropping almost to a whisper. It’s the first time he’s given the thought voice, and it hurts in his chest. “I told them that I’d only take three months, and that’s up next week.”“Then I think you had best be getting back.” Anne says softly. “You need all the time you can get.”“I told them I’d be gone through tomorrow.” Harry tells her, shaking his head. “I know-”“I will be fine, Harry.” Anne hums, standing from her seat with her soup untouched. “As will you. Gemma’s death was three years ago. We needn’t put our lives completely on hold any longer to mourn her. You have little time left, and she would want you to take it, so take it.”“Thank you, mother.” Harry mumbles, standing up and stepping forward to wrap his arms around his mother in what might be the most awkward embrace in human history. He’s sure it must be. “Mum.”“You’re wasting time, bug.” Anne murmurs, pressing a kiss to his cheek and then stepping away from him. “Go.”It takes everything in him not to run from the manor as if the flames of hell were licking at his heels. He’s pretty sure he still manages to scuff the parquet anyways. “What the bloody hell are you doing here?” Niall asks groggily, dragging Harry in through the window.“Got a reprieve.” Harry explains.“It’s three in the morning, Harry.” Niall grunts out, flopping onto the mattress.“I know.” Harry sighs, sitting on the edge of the mattress. “I just- I wasn’t ready to go back to the cottage yet. Being around my mother always makes my mind go haywire and my powers act up and-”He’s stopped by Niall’s hand on his knee.“Shut up, absorb my exhaustion, and be prepared to wake up in two hours when I have to go to the café.” Niall mumbles, half asleep. “And don’t even think about fucking me right now, because I’m too tired to rip your dick off, but I won’t be later.”“Thank you.” Harry whispers, stripping out of his trousers and settling down next to Niall.He’s almost completely pulled under by Niall’s exhaustion when he hears, “And don’t steal my shirt again, ya prick,” which just makes him smile before he fades out.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“So- How’s the sex?” Luke asks.Needless to say, Niall wasn’t expecting the question. He’s got half a mouthful of coffee when the words fall out from between Luke’s lips, and only Niall’s extreme levels of self-control keep him from choking or spitting it all over the place. His father would have beaten him bloody for ever letting his cover slip in a surprise interrogation and did in training him to remain undetected during infiltrations.“You’re a bloody menace.” Niall sighs, smacking Luke on the shoulder with his cloth before turning to fill a glass with beer. “Keep your voice down. We may not be open yet, but you never know when one of them is going to show up.”“I’m bored though.” Luke whines. “Tell me something interesting.”“The sex is fine.” Niall says flatly, handing Luke his beer. Honestly, Luke’s never once been helpful in his entire life. He’s lucky he’s just so damn beautiful.“I said interesting.” Luke pouts.“He has a ring that creates this- This lube.” Niall admits, and he refuses to blush. “It tastes like strawberries, but it always ends up getting everywhere.”“I thought you smelled fruity the other day.” Luke snorts “I thought it was from a muffin, but I guess it was from you eating his muffin.”“I cannot believe you want to talk about this.” Niall sighs, shaking his head.“Listen- I was trapped in that house with a dozen people for pretty much months.” Luke chuckles, leaning back on his stool. “I need to talk about something that isn’t any of them. The only things you’ve got going on in your entire life are us, Molly and Harry. I know about us and Molly, so Harry is the only thing you can talk about that isn’t just going to be more of the same for me.”“This doesn’t bother you?” Niall asks, searching Luke’s features for something, anything, to tell him what Luke is feeling. Luke has a bad habit of burying his real feelings and hurt under laughs and smiles, and he doesn’t trust this one bit.“Of course it does.” Luke says with a shrug. “But it’s not the worst thing in the world, either. I wish it were us, but- It isn’t, for now. If Harry can help give you some sense of equilibrium, then I don’t hate it. As much as I want to, I just can’t. You haven’t ever found anything to quiet that rage inside of you besides Molly, and that’s too much pressure to put on her shoulders alone. We both know that being with us never stopped you from going off and fighting magicals for sport.”“I may have been looking for a fight, but they always started it, Luke.” Niall mutters. “I never made the first move. It’s stupid to deal with witches like that.”“It’s stupid to go looking for fights with witches in general.” Luke returns flatly, rolling his eyes.“That is- Not untrue for most people.” Niall concedes, though it makes him huff in frustration.“And my point is that Harry has managed to keep you at some sort of balance so that you’re not out there on a rampage.” Luke adds, a smug smile slipping onto his face. “You haven’t exactly been handling Molly’s true power the best, but he’s kept you from spiraling too much.”“I’ve kept myself from spiraling too much.” Niall grunts out, narrowing his eyes.“You know what I mean.” Luke snorts, waving Niall off. “I just think he’s having a positive influence on you.”“You should stop liking him so much, Luke.” Niall sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “It’s going to make it harder on you.”“I still have time.” Luke mumbles, all his levity gone in a moment.“Nothing you can do is going to be able to make him forget all of this.” Niall says gently, cupping a hand over Luke’s. “He-”“I need to go.” Luke says quickly, snatching his hand back from Niall and hopping out of his seat. He’s gone before Niall can even ask what just happened. Niall is mind-bogglingly bored. Harry is droning on and on and on, and Molly is fascinated, but Niall just can’t bring himself to care about anything that’s happening. He’s tired, and he’s grumpy, and he’s bored, and Harry is the cause of all three.He’d snuck in the window at nearly two in the morning and seemed hell-bent on making it the longest shag of all time. Niall’s arse is sore, he got four hours of sleep, and now Harry want to keep on blithering about different methods of spellcasting. It’s been almost two hours of him talking about singing, speaking, runes and every other method across the history of mankind.“I don’t recommend hand signs for you.” Harry says, after Molly has asked about what Harry uses. “Your body is still growing, so maybe in the future, but your dexterity isn’t fine enough to risk that for right now.”“Her dexterity is above average.” Niall huffs, rolling his eyes when Harry shoots him a look.“If a finger is slightly off in a hand-sign, she could cause an explosion or freeze everything around her.” Harry says flatly. At least he looks and sounds as tired as Niall feels. “With her levels of power, is that something you want to risk?”“How hard can it be?” Niall scoffs.“Molly, can you make this sign for me?” Harry requests, folding his ring finger on his left hand down under his thumb. “Please, point it at your father, and then let your magic loose.”Molly turns and starts to imitate the sign Harry made, and Niall barely has time to jump out of the way before an intense burst of electricity erupts in front of her and nearly roasts him alive. It bounces harmlessly off of the chair, though, and dissipates into the air with her shriek of surprise.“What the fuck, Harry?” Niall snarls.“This is the sign I asked her to make.” Harry shows Niall, still holding up his hand the way he was before. “It’s a simple shielding spell. But, because her ring finger was rounded instead of flat, and her pointer and middle fingers were separated, it cast a lightning spell instead. Any other spell close to that sign could have been just as destructive. Her dexterity might be excellent for her age, but I don’t have the time left to properly teach her everything about hand-signs, which are considered by far the most difficult method of spellcasting. They’re incredibly efficient, because they require no preparation or time, but they’re just as difficult to learn as they are efficient. They’re also far more limited, because there’s only so many positions the human hand can feasibly contort into.”“I’m sorry, da.” Molly says quietly, reaching hesitantly towards Niall. “I didn’t mean to.”“I know you didn’t, lovebug.” Niall says gently, pulling her into a hug. “Everything is okay. I think Harry is right, though. You should probably learn something else until we have more time to practice.”“I recommend an arcane focus and learning a series of quick verbal commands to start.” Harry tells them, leaning back in his seat. “That’s how ninety-percent of witches start learning to cast spells beyond their inherent abilities.”“Couldn’t she just learn the verbal commands, and not bother with a focus?” Niall asks, genuinely curious and hoping it comes through to Harry and he doesn’t think Niall is just being stubborn again.“It’s the same sort of problem as the hand signs.” Harry says, shaking his head. “A slightly wrong syllable or arrangement could cause a spell to go wrong. An arcane focus will help mold the words with her intent and correct anything wrong with the spell so that she can still do what she wants. Well- It’ll work within reason. If Molly wants a spell that’ll make a teacup into a rat, and speaks a flame spell’s incantation, it can only do so much about that. She’ll probably just turn it into a flaming rat corpse.”“Jesus.” Niall sighs. “Is there a reason we have to think about this right now instead of just focusing on her inherent powers?”“I was thinking-” Harry says quietly. “It might be best if, before this week is done, we take her to get her registered.”“What?” Niall asks, his head snapping up.“Since I’m her tutor, you need me to sign off on her registration.” Harry says with a wince, like he’s afraid Niall will hit him. “Most of the time, it would be a magical parent, but- That’s not an option. This is the last week I have before I have to go back to my job, and- I wouldn’t exactly be able to come out here and do magic lessons all the time. If we get her registered, then it’ll be easier to find her another tutor later. It’ll make things less- Conspicuous.”“She’s not ready.” Niall mutters.“She only needs to be able to pass an easy test, which I already know she knows all the answers to, and one of three very basic magical tests.” Harry explains. “She’ll either have to do transfiguration, potion brewing, or levitation. She’s got levitation down, obviously, and potion brewing is something we’ve worked on. I can teach her transfiguration pretty easily after we get her a focus, so I was thinking we should go do that tomorrow, if that’s the route you want to go.”“And you think it’s the best route for her?” Niall questions.“I think it’ll draw the least attention.” Harry says with a shrug. “And I think it’s the safest, until she has a better handle on her powers. Eventually, I think she’ll be more than capable of using any and every method she wants, but right now it’s best to go with something that can compensate for any weaknesses in her form.”“Molly, what do you think?” Niall asks her, looking down at where she’s tucked her face against his stomach as she holds him tight around the waist.“If it’s safer.” she agrees with a nod.“I’ll tell the lads.” Niall says softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Where should we go?”“London is best.” Harry says with a shrug. “And we can set up an appointment for her registration while we’re there, since all registrations in Britain have to be done in the city.”“Two birds, one stone, I guess.” Niall nods.Honestly, he’s not looking forward to being in London again. That city brings out the worst in him, and the demon would love nothing more than to break free. “I think it’s a good idea.” Calum agrees with a nod, before Niall has even finished his sentence.“You- You haven’t let me say everything.” Niall sighs.“All I need to hear is that you want to take a day off.” Calum says with a shrug. “I’ve been telling you for weeks since we got back you need to take a few days off.”“One day.” Niall corrects. “I’m taking one day off. Not ‘days’.”“It’s a start.” Calum says with a roll of his eyes. “Besides, I’ve been waiting for the day that Molly goes to buy her focus. It’s always a big thing in my family, so- Here.”He pulls a stack of cash out of his pocket, hundreds of pounds worth of notes folded up in a silver clip.“Cal- I have money.” Niall tells him, shaking his head.“Listen- Molly is a daughter to me.” Calum says firmly, shoving the notes in Niall’s jacket pocket. “As many times as Ash and I have tried, we just can’t manage to put a baby in Luke. That means Molly is the closest thing I’ll ever have to a child with my genes. I may not be her biological father, but- She’s my daughter too, Niall. Ash and Luke and I may not be her fathers, but-”“You’re her dads.” Niall finishes for Calum, a soft smile on his lips. “I know you are. Do you want to come with us?”“Can’t.” Calum chuckles. “Somebody has to work, since you want to just abandon your jobs.”“Fuck off.” Niall chuckles, pulling Calum in over the counter and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll bring Molly by tomorrow night when we get back so you can see her focus.”“Don’t let anyone con you into something useless.” Calum hums. “She’ll need something a cut above, because her power levels are too high for a normal trinket.”“Harry seems to know what he’s looking for.” Niall sighs. “I wouldn’t know the differences in arcane focuses if you paid me.”“Don’t let him pick something stupid looking.” Calum giggles. “You know his taste is awful.”“Ostentatious is not what we’re looking for.” Niall agrees. “I’ve told him it needs to be something subtle, and not flashy. God knows he doesn’t listen that well, but- Here’s hoping. I kind of have to live and die by his recommendation.”“I’m not sure which you’d rather do.” Calum says with a sly grin, nudging Niall’s nose with his own. “Go ahead and take tonight off too. Humor me.”“You don’t want to run the pub alone.” Niall points out.“If you’re off, then Luke can come in because you can watch Molly.” Calum says with a shrug. “He needs to do more work anyways. Proper lazy, that one.”“Completely spoiled.” Niall hums, nodding along. “I wonder who let him get that way.”“Ashton.” Calum laughs. “Spoils him rotten. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”“Of course you are.” Niall snorts out with a chuckle. “Couldn’t possibly be the one with all the money.”“Get out of here.” Calum says with a shit eating grin. “I won’t have you calling me a liar in my own pub.”“Love you too.” Niall says softly, pressing another kiss to Calum’s cheek before he turns for the door to go pick up Molly and have a peaceful night in. He’s not sure if Harry will come over tonight, but at least he can get some rest first. Niall fucking hates London. It smells foul, despite the shining ivory towers that dominate the landscape around the city. After the complete domination of Europa was finished, London became the center of the empire. The old, graying stone of the city was covered in white marble that makes it nearly blinding to visit. The climate has become controlled by witches to make it more temperate and pleasant. It’s meant to be a paradise, the most powerful and beautiful city in the world.But no amount of marble or sunshine can hide the darkness in this city’s walls from Niall’s eyes.“Have you ever been?” Harry asks, looking at Molly sleeping in the back before he looks to Niall in the driver’s seat.“Lived here.” Niall admits in a grumble, his eyes focused on the road in front of him. “Went to uni in Oxford, and then moved here later.”“You- You went to uni?” Harry asks, unable to mask his surprise.“One of ten non-magicals from Ireland the year I graduated to get to come over here for it.” Niall says, a gruffness lacing his tone that he wishes wouldn’t, because it gives away the tension lacing through him all the way down to his bones. “Part of an educational outreach program for non-magicals in the empire. Just a big PR move by the government when it looked like a third uprising was coming.”“What did you get your degree in?” Harry questions, turning a bit in his seat to face towards Niall fully.“Nothing.” Niall mutters. “Barbara got pregnant, and I dropped out so I could earn money to take care of her and Molls. Not a lot of opportunities in London for a non-magical to earn money, but- I managed. Then she left us, and I had to leave London a few months later once our lease was up on our flat, because they wouldn’t re-rent to just a non-magical. I would have ‘brought down the property values’. Never missed it, or the uni, which wasn’t much better considering there were only a few dozen non-magicals on campus.”“I’m sorry.” Harry says quietly.“Not like you were at the same place I was.” Niall says with a shrug. “It wasn’t a military school, and I’m older than you by at least a year.”“I just mean- I’m sorry you were treated that way.” Harry says softly, putting his hand on Niall’s knee.“It’s no different in most parts.” Niall sighs. “Lived in Dublin for years, and it’s the same there. Only places a non-magical gets a bit of peace are in villages like Saint Martine, where we make up the entire population, or almost do. I’m going to need you to tell me where I’m going here, because I didn’t exactly frequent the magical shops when I lived here, much less in the last five years.”“There’s, um- There’s a checkpoint coming up soon, actually.” Harry mumbles, moving a little closer to the door in the opposite direction from Niall. Christ, he’s too damn scared.Or maybe Niall’s just that bad.“I’m guessing it’ll go a lot easier if you’re the one driving.” Niall says quietly, checking behind himself before he pulls over on the side of the road.“Yeah.” Harry says with a nod.“Fine. Wouldn’t mind stretching my legs for a second anyways.” Niall says with a shrug. “Been driving almost four hours now.”“It’s not impossible for you to get in or anything.” Harry tells him. “They might hassle you a bit, but my credentials will get us into the city without any problems.”“It’s fine, Harry.” Niall tells him. “I’m used to the way things are done.”“It’s bullshite.” Harry mutters, and he might be picking up a bit too much of Niall’s mood, honestly. “The stupid fucking Demon made things so much harder than they need to be.”“What?” Niall asks, his head whipping around so fast that his neck cracks.“The Demon of London is the whole reason these checkpoints even exist.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes. “They set up telepathic checkpoints to try to catch unaccompanied non-magicals all because of some stupid urban legend.”Fucking shite fuck.“They stopped paying for the telepaths a while back.” Harry says, and Niall really hopes he’s too focused on what he’s talking about to notice Niall’s relief. “But the institutionalized policies in support of making life difficult for non-magicals still has a lot of approval, so they kept the checkpoints. I wouldn’t have brought you here if they still had them, so you can stop worrying.”“What about her test?” Niall asks.“There are ways into the city that wouldn’t take us through a checkpoint.” Harry says with a shrug. “And there’s no telepathic scans in place for the registrations. Too many powerful families with deep secrets coming in. They wouldn’t stand for it, and the empress has no intention of pissing them off and losing their support in parliament. That’s part of why they took them out of the checkpoints. “That, and the fact that the Demon of London was either never real, or they became inactive. They couldn’t link any events to them for over three years, so they cut the funding because it wasn’t doing anything except wasting resources. There are always rumours and graffiti and things like that from people who still believe in the Demon, but- Not enough to keep public support for that sort of expensive and invasive policy.”“I- I didn’t know.” Niall admits. He had no idea he’d made such a name for himself.“You must have gotten out before the Demon was active, then.” Harry hums. “Second most wanted person in the empire, right behind the Oracle. I’m surprised you don’t know about that. I mean- You’re not exactly magic-positive. I’d think you’d support the Demon.”“Heard of him.” Niall grunts out. “Just didn’t realize there was such a strong governmental response to one little non-magical.”“You’d know better than anyone that being non-magical doesn’t mean someone can’t be competent or dangerous.” Harry points out, and the irony of the situation is going to kill Niall. It’s absolutely going to kill him.“We should get moving, so I hope you’re ready to drive.” Niall says quietly, checking the mirror and then climbing out of the truck to walk around it while Harry slides over inside to get behind the wheel.Niall takes a second before he gets in to breathe deeply and try to center himself. He has defenses against telepaths, has been trained to resist mental probes of even advanced levels, but they’re blunt, obvious walls. London is too dangerous for him to walk around without them at maximum power, but they’ll also draw attention if anyone goes snooping in his head.Niall fucking hates London. It takes them half an hour walking around the district Harry brought them to, to find a restaurant without the dreaded ‘Magicals only’ sign hanging on the outside. Niall insisted more than once that he’s fine just waiting outside while they eat, but Harry has decided to be stubborn today. He refuses to let that happen and keeps dragging Niall along from one place to the next, ignoring the way his cheeks keep getting redder and redder from embarrassment and anger combined.It’s ten in the morning, and Niall needs a fucking drink. Even if he could get bring himself to do it though, he’d probably never be able to find a bar near enough that would let him through the door before he just went ballistic and started murdering people left and right.Niall keeps his head down through breakfast, ordering nothing more than dry toast and black coffee. They may allow non-magicals in the little café, but that doesn’t mean they appreciate their presence. The waitress is never rude, but Niall has no intentions of pissing anyone off right now so he’d rather just stay quiet, even if being submissive like this makes him want to die.Today is about Molly, and he’s not letting anything get in the way of that, least of all himself.“Take it.” Harry insists, trying to hand Niall half of the muffin he’d ordered.“No.” Niall huffs. “I’m fine.”“Niall, take the bloody muffin.” Harry says firmly, dropping it on his plate.The clattering sound draws several pairs of eyes their way, and Niall feels his face redden.“Can you please not do this to me right now?” Niall asks as quietly as he can, trying and failing to keep his voice from showing his desperation. People are already looking at the stark black and white that make up the entirety of his outfit and know what he is. It doesn’t matter that he’s avoided beige in favor of the two colors he’s allowed that witches and magicians also wear occasionally. They know. Everything about Niall is a flashing neon sign that says he doesn’t belong.“I’m not- Oh.” Harry mumbles, his own cheeks pinking. He must have finally started paying attention to the way Niall is feeling and recognized the humiliation. “Sorry.”“It’s fine.” Niall says quickly. “Just- I’m not very hungry.”“Okay.” Harry says with a nod. “Sorry.”“Stop apologizing.” Niall says under his breath. “Your kind doesn’t apologize to my kind in public. Just behave like you’re supposed to. Please.”“What’s wrong?” Molly asks, looking up at Niall and Harry now that her stack of eggy bread is finally gone. She hasn’t paid a bit of attention to them since it got there, too focused on shoving food in her mouth and keeping everything off of her pretty pink dress.“Nothing, lovebug.” Niall says with a soft smile, trying to reassure her. “Are you ready to go?”“Yes!” Molly exclaims with a big grin. “Can we?”“Go wash your hands, and we’ll go.” Niall tells her with a nod. “You’ve got syrup on your fingers.”“I’ll be fast.” Molly hums, climbing out of her seat and dashing towards where the signs indicate the restroom is.“Your daughter is very lovely.” the waitress says, dropping off the bill on the table. Niall would smile, but the words aren’t directed at him. They’re directed at Harry, very specifically.“She’s not my daughter, she’s his.” Harry says flatly, slapping a few notes on the table while he gestures to Niall. “But I agree, she’s incredibly lovely.”“Oh. Well then.” she says, taking a quick glance at Niall before grabbing the money and walking away.“I’m just going to go wait outside.” Niall mumbles, forcing numbness to cover his heart so Harry doesn’t feel what he is. “Can you wait for her and bring her out when she’s done?”“Of course.” Harry says softly, even with the harshness in his glare that he’s aiming at the waitress instead of even looking in Niall’s directionHonestly, it’s not that bad compared to some of the things that Niall has dealt with over the years. It was downright lovely compared to some of his life, honestly. It probably wouldn’t bother him at all if he hadn’t spent so long in Saint Martine, insulating himself from what the rest of the empire is like. But he’s also never been through any of this kind of thing in front of Molly. That makes it a lot worse.Luckily, what doesn’t happen in front of Molly is when some random witch walking down the sidewalk passes by and spits in Niall’s face for no reason other than his own entertainment. He’s halfway down the street, laughing uproariously, before Niall can even process that it happened.He can’t get mad, though. He can’t. People will end up dead if Niall gets angry, and he can’t let the Demon loose around Molly.He’s barely managed to wipe the saliva and mucus off of his cheek before Harry steps outside with Molly, a concerned look on his face.“What’s wrong?” Harry questions.“Nothing.” Niall whispers, dragging his hand against the wall behind him to hide the evidence. “Let’s go, yeah?” Overwhelmed is an understatement for what Niall feels when they step into the store Harry’s been searching for. He insists that it’s the best place in the country to find powerful focuses, and that they’ll need as strong of one as they can find to help facilitate Molly’s power.Anyone could feel the power radiating from this place, a crackling energy filtering through the air even before you step inside. Niall may not be magical, but every hair on his body stands on end when he walks inside, and it’s not a pleasant sensation.“Hello?” Harry asks, letting his voice ring through the building to draw the attention of whoever may be running the place.“Coming!” says the voice of an older woman, revealing herself from behind a shelving unit with an arm full of books. “I’ll be with you in just a moment, dearests.”She sets everything down on the counter, and then looks at them with a gentle smile and asks, “What can I do for you?”“We’re looking for a focus.” Harry tells her, putting his hand on Molly’s shoulder and grinning down at her. “A first focus. We’ve got a registration scheduled for Friday.”“Oh, a first focus!” the old woman says with a squeal, clapping her hands together. “Such an exciting time!”“Are there pretty ones?” Molly asks, and the woman laughs delightedly.“Plenty.” she says, nodding along. “We just need to do a little test first, in order to determine what kind of focus would be best, darling.”“What kind of test?” Niall asks cautiously, and it’s as if she’s just noticed Niall is there.“A test for power levels.” she says bluntly, all the excitement from before drained out of her voice. She hands Molly a shiny stone, pure white with ripples of pearlescent minerals twirling over the surface. “You know, you should probably go outside for this. Non-magicals can have strong reactions to these things. It’s for your own safety, boy.”“I’m her father, so I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere.” Niall says, keeping his voice as soft and non-aggressive as he can. “I’d like to see what I’m paying for.”“You’re her father?” she asks in surprise, turning back to Harry. “Not you? Is this a mixed family situation?”“Harry’s not my da!” Molly says with a laugh that Niall is relieved to hear is real. She’s too young to see the discrimination happening in front of her face. “My da would never wear such ugly clothes!”“Molly.” Niall sighs, putting his head in his hand.“I’m her teacher.” Harry says with a smile towards Molly. He’s completely unbothered, which Niall thanks his lucky stars for. It would take so little for Harry to turn the tables on Niall here, where he’s defenseless outside of his bare hands. He has to trust Harry, and nothing has ever worn at his nerves more than that. “Her mother’s a witch.”“I’m afraid we don’t serve mixed-bloods here.” the woman says, standing up straight. “It’s not a bias. They just don’t generate enough power to make full use of our products. It’s a waste of potential. I could give you a list of places much more suited to your needs.”“I see.” Harry says with a hum, nodding along. “Do you know who I am?”“I do, Mister Styles.” she says, surprising Niall. “Unfortunately, it’s just a policy.”“I really love how old everything is in this place.” Harry chuckles, taking a look around. “The building is old. Your focuses are old. The decoration. Your attitude. I think you’re right, though. We definitely should look for somewhere a bit more modern.”“Well, I never-” she starts, but Harry cuts her off with a wild and angry look in his eyes.“Molly- ladybug- Do me a favor, won’t you?” Harry says softly, turning down to look at her. “Focus your magic into that stone for me, won’t you?”“O- Okay.” she mumbles, her eyes shining with as yet unshed tears. Niall’s heart has never hurt more than in this moment, but he can’t do anything, because if he lets that pain through, this woman will be nothing more than a smear over every surface of her shop. He’s never wanted to kill someone more than her, because nobody has ever been this cruel to his daughter. Nobody has ever threatened to destroy her innocence in a single conversation before, and Niall can’t protect her without doing far more damage than even those words.“It’s okay, ladybug.” Harry assures her. “Just close your eyes and focus.”Molly takes the direction and follows through, and Niall knows something bad is going to happen when he sees Harry’s hand weave the same sign he had the other day. The one for protection.A shimmering barrier falls in the air around Niall, Harry and Molly just as the stone in her hand begins to glow, and Niall isn’t sure why until a moment later. The stone shines so intensely that Niall has to close his eyes, filling the shop with light so bright it’s actually hot. Then it ends abruptly as the stone bursts into pieces the size of grains of sand, coating the whole shop.“She’s the most powerful young witch I have ever met.” Harry says to the old woman who’s blinking owlishly at them, clearly not able to comprehend what’s just happened. “Mixed-blood or not. I hope you get everything you deserve, miss.”He grabs Molly’s hand in one of his, then Niall’s in the other, and leads them back through the door they came in through, only to drop to his knees once it’s closed behind them. He turns to Molly, now that he’s on her level, and says, “I am so, so sorry, Molly.”“Did I do something wrong?” Molly asks, her voice wavering like she’s finally about to cry.“No, ladybug.” Harry says gently, and he sounds just as ready to cry. “You did nothing wrong. That woman is a bigot. She has hate in her heart for people who aren’t like her, and she’s the one that’s wrong. I want you to know, no matter what anyone like her says, you are talented and powerful and extraordinary, no matter your blood status or anything else. You are such a wonderful little girl, and what she, or anyone like her thinks doesn’t matter.”“Is- Is there anywhere that we can go to get her something powerful enough that’ll actually serve her?” Niall asks quietly. “Or do I- I can just- Not come inside.”“Plenty of places.” Harry says firmly, his nod sure and unwavering. “You need to be there, Niall. You’re her father, and no bigotry is going to stand in the way of that.”“Thank you.” Niall breathes out, gripping tight to where Harry’s hand is still laced tight with his. He can’t help but say it again. “Thank you.” “It’s gorgeous, love.” Calum says with a bright smile, crouching down to see Molly’s focus up close. It’s a pearl-handled silver wand, the tip of which is a butterfly that flutters its wings when she uses it to perform magic. It took every bit of money Niall earned over the two weeks that Mali was in the village, and what Calum gave him. It’s the most expensive thing he’s ever bought, but it was worth it just to see the way Molly smiled when she saw it flutter for the first time.Mostly.He’s going to have to work doubles just to put food on the table for a bit. But Harry paid for their other meals throughout today, so that’s tomorrow’s problem, not tonight’s.“Watch this.” Molly giggles, holding up her wand. “Vitae lux.”It’s the first trick Harry has taught her with the wand, and she’s done it at least three dozen times since then, but her excitement is still so palpable that Niall can’t help but smile as several butterflies made of light flash out of the end of her wand and fly through the room.Luke squeals delightedly, and Ashton laughs long and loud. Calum stares in wonderment, though Niall can see a bit of pain behind his eyes that they’ll need to discuss at some point. They haven’t had a real conversation since before Mali came, and they need to clear the air. Tonight isn’t the time, though.Niall is too close to losing his grip, and he can’t be around any of them tonight.He nods his head towards Ashton, asking him to meet him in the kitchen without actually voicing it. Ashton nods back, and they slip away while the others are distracted.“What happened?” Ashton asks once they’re out of earshot.“It was- Not a good day.” Niall mutters. “I, uh- I need to blow off some steam. In a major way. Because today is the closest I’ve been to letting the Demon of London come back out, and I need to get that out. Can she stay with you lads tonight?”“Do you want me to come with?” Ashton offers.“It would be too dangerous.” Niall whispers. “You don’t understand, Ashton. Tonight is- I need to fully let myself loose, and I couldn’t possibly do that if you, or anyone else, was there.”“Are you going to Bath or Plymouth?” Ashton questions, his eyes narrowing a bit.“No.” Niall says firmly, shaking his head. “Just the gym. I just need to exhaust myself and let go of my rage, or I’m going to drive back into fucking London tonight and kill the woman who told Molly she was weak and not good enough because she’s mixed-blood. Or the mother fucker who spit on me for daring to be an unattended non-magical. I have to go all the way out.”“I have a feeling that a hanging bag and weights aren’t going to be enough, Niall.” Ashton says softly, stroking Niall’s cheek.“Harry has already volunteered to help me out.” Niall admits with a sigh.“You are not allowed to kill Harry yet.” Ashton growls out.“No.” Niall snorts. “He, um- He’s going to summon some golems for me so that I can keep fighting until I’m done.”“Fine.” Ashton nods. “But if I find out you went on another binge-”“Nothing like that.” Niall says softly, laying his head on Ashton’s shoulder. “I just- I feel so weak right now, Ash. The way she looked when that woman said that- I couldn’t do anything to protect her from that. I had to shut myself down so I didn’t get violent, so I couldn’t do anything.”“Then go remind yourself that you’re strong.” Ashton says gently, pressing a kiss to Niall’s hairline. “Stronger than any bigot.”“Thank you.” Niall murmurs, leaning into the touch for just a moment before he pulls back.“Come tell her goodbye before you leave.” Ashton says, linking their arms and walking him back to the living area.“Molls, come here for a second.” Niall says, kneeling down. Molly runs over to him, giggling as the butterflies chase her. “I need to go take care of some things, so you’re going to stay with the lads tonight, alright?”“What kind of stuff?” Molly questions, pouting her bottom lip out a little.“I need to talk to Harry about your training after Friday.” Niall lies, hating himself for it. “I need to know what to do once he’s gone, and I’m just too busy between now and then to do it any other time.”“Okay.” Molly nods.“I don’t want you messing with any other spells that Harry taught you, alright?” Niall requests. “The butterflies are fine, but we don’t want anything to go wrong.”“But da!” Molly whines.“Molly.” Niall snorts out on a laugh. “That’s not that much to ask. Tomorrow, we can test out some of the other spells when we have Harry there to control the results, but not tonight. You can agree, or I can take your wand with me.”“Fine.” Molly huffs, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Honestly, she looks so much like Barbara when she’s upset, and it tugs at Niall’s heart. “Just butterflies.”“Thank you, lovebug.” Niall says, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Be good for the lads, and don’t stay up too late, or you’ll be too tired during your lessons tomorrow.”“No fun at all.” Molly grumbles, pouting and looking much more like the six-year-old that she’s supposed to be.“Love you.” Niall tells her, pecking a kiss to each of her cheeks until she smiles at him. She’s far too happy today to let anything keep her down for long. “I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast, yeah?”“Yeah.” Molly agrees, hugging around his neck. “Love you too, da.”He nods at the lads, blowing them all a kiss before he heads out the door. The tension flowing through his blood is thick, heavy and burning with hate once he’s out of their presence. It’s coiling around his muscles, digging into the fibers. It finds the cracks in his bones from over the years and fills them in to take a much deeper root.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Luke asks in a hiss, closing the door behind him as he follows Niall outside.“Go back inside, Luke.” Niall sighs.“Sleeping with him is one thing, but how in the hell are you going to justify leaving Molly alone to have sex with him?” Luke asks sharply, if also quietly.“Oh my god, ask Ashton what I’m doing, Luke.” Niall groans. “I need to go let off some steam, and I mean that in a violent way, not an orgasm way. I- I got as close to killing someone from pure rage as I have in years, and I need to get that out before she can ever see it. I have to let this out, or it’s going to be seriously dangerous. Harry’s only going to be with me for long enough to create some golems, and that’s it, or else he may end up dead.”“Am I supposed to believe that?” Luke scoffs, rolling his eyes and putting his hands on his hips.“You want to come watch?” Niall offers. “You can’t be in the room, but- I’m sure Harry has some spell to let you watch through a solid wall. But I need to go now, because if I wait another minute, I’m going to start punching walls instead, and that’s not going to be nearly satisfying enough. I want blood, simulated or not. I want to kill the woman that wronged Molly, even if it’s just a fake version of her.”“Niall-” Luke says quietly, his anger slipping into something Niall is just as familiar with. Fear.“I need to let the monster inside me out, or I don’t know what will happen, Luke.” Nialls growls out. “You cannot possibly understand. So, please, either come with me and watch so that you can trust me, or don’t. I love you, but I need to go. I don’t have time for this conversation. Harry’s golems will be ready soon, and I need to be there to finish them.”“I trust you.” Luke sighs.“No, Luke, you don’t. You’re just scared of me right now.” Niall says softly, stroking Luke’s cheek before turning to walk down the path. “But that’s alright. That’s the least of my problems today.”He doesn’t expect Luke to follow him, so he isn’t disappointed when the blond goes back into the house. The walk is quiet and quick, Niall refusing to run but making himself move as quickly as he can without. The gym is the only building in a quarter of a mile in any direction, and it’s soundproofed, which is because Niall still had training on the brain when the lads let him fix the place up. he spent months making it a place where he could do every routine of his training, not just a hanging bag or weights.He doesn’t even look at Harry when he enters, despite the other man being in the center of the boxing ring in the middle of the room. He heads straight for the equipment closet on the other side of the room and opens the secret hatch he’d built into the floor. It has the full array of his gear from when he was the Demon of London, from his outfit to his mask to his daggers to his guns. It has all of his ammunition, and every little thing he kept in the pouches scattered across his clothes.He only grabs two things, the first of which is a secondary set of daggers, not the curved ones that look like fangs. Those ones feature far too heavily in the graffiti scattered around the back alleys of London in support of the Demon. They’d be recognized in a heartbeat by Harry. These ones are simple, just long, silver blades without inscriptions or designs to make them remarkable in any way. The second is a pair of pistols that have magical suppressors attaches to the barrel, making sure they never wear out or make a noise.Both sets are highly illegal for Niall to own, but, at this point, he trusts Harry enough not to say anything. Besides, Harry will be dead before the week is over, so he’ll never have the chance.“Are you ready?” Harry asks from the center of the room still, keeping his distance.“Just tell me what to do and go.” Niall grunts out, tucking the guns into the back of his trousers and taking a dagger in each hand. He stalks into the ring, aching to finally get started. “You don’t want to be here once I start.”“I can’t go too far.” Harry says, shaking his head. “This magic is- It’s fickle. I can only keep it going from nearby. But I’ll stay inside a shielded bubble, don’t worry.”“Anything that happens here, you take to your fucking grave, understand?” Niall asks harshly. “Because it is not going to be pretty, Styles. Any way you can just stay outside of the building?”“Can’t have a physical barrier in the way.” Harry sighs. “Niall, I’m not going to say anything.”“Fine.” Niall nods in agreement. “I’m- I’m sorry. You’re just about the only witch I saw today besides Molly that I’m not actually mad at. I just-”“I know.” Harry says before Niall can finish, running his hand up and down Niall’s arm. “It’s okay. Just lean down and touch each of the three of them, while picturing whoever you want, and imagine the purpose you have in mind for them. If you want them to fight you, they’re going to fight you, and their abilities will be based on yours, no matter whose appearance they’re based on.”“Alright.” Niall mutters, crouching down next to the three vaguely human shaped piles of clay while Harry moves out of the ring. Niall isn’t sure where Harry got this much clay, but he’s almost positive that it didn’t all start out as clay. This amount has to have been magically transmogrified from something else.Three faces come into his mind as he touches the piles, and he regrets two of them immensely, but he can’t go back on them once they start to form. Harry won’t know who they are anyways.The problem is seeing those faces taunt him all over again.The lady from the shop was the first person he thought of, so she’s the one who finishes first, climbing to her feet. The other two aren’t far behind, and Niall feels his breath catch in his throat at the sight.He knows he has an unhealthy amount of hate in his heart, can hold a grudge until the end of time, but the faces of the other two make something explode inside of him and make part of him die at the same time.Bobby looks like he had almost a decade ago when Niall left home. He’s probably aged since then, probably has more wrinkles around his eyes and less hair on his head. That sly, condescending grin of his is just as familiar as it always has been, tucked away in the back of Niall’s brain to remind him he’s not ever good enough.And the other one is the same, but even more powerful. If Bobby made Niall feel lacking, Barbara made him feel worthless. She’s still as breathtakingly beautiful as the first time Niall saw her, as soft and perfect outside as she was empty inside. The fact that she’s made of clay now doesn’t make any difference.The old lady gains the ability to move first, and she’s fast. Niall has to leap backwards and flip out of the ring to make sure he avoids the flurry of punches and kicks she aims at him. It’s almost comical, because her abilities are far beyond the physical scope of what Niall would reasonably expect for someone that looks like she does. She’s got Niall’s speed and strength, though, and that makes her dangerous, no matter how she looks.Harry had warned him before they got here that the golems would only be able to take so much punishment, so he decides to use the old woman as a test case. Once the surprise of her movement speed is out of the way, he tosses a dagger into the fabric of Bobby’s trousers, pinning him to the floor. Barbara, for some reason, seems content to hang back and watch from a distance for now, and Niall is more than fine with that.Niall grips tighter around the handle of the dagger he still has in his left hand, keeping the point back towards his elbow to prioritize slashing and downward swings. It’s the way he prefers to fight, relying on his speed rather than brute strength. Niall is strong, but he’s not large enough to make great use of his musculature, and brute strength doesn’t get you out of the way of lightning blasts or blades of air or javelins of ice.Speed is king in a fight.He takes off her hand with the first stroke of his dagger, jumping back after the appendage falls off and hits the ground with a wet splat. It doesn’t regrow, like Niall was expecting, but he does get a wonderful spray of simulated blood that splashes across the ground before the stump closes off. So- they can heal, but they can’t regenerate. Niall has seen better, fought better, but this will work for now.She snarls and rushes forward again, sweeping at Niall’s feet, but he jumps over the attack easily. It’s the dagger flying through the air towards him that proves to be problematic, forcing him to twist in midair and catch it before he loses it completely. He should have known Bobby wouldn’t be so easy to deal with.When he lands, he tosses the dagger in his left-hand point down into the floor so he can pull out one of the guns strapped into his trousers. He wants to take his time with Bobby later, so he fires half of the clip into different parts of Bobby’s body to force him to stop and regenerate.The old lady is on his case again before he can even get the gun securely back in his trousers, and he has to abandon it because she picks up the dagger and swings it at Niall’s face. He catches it along the blade of his own, but his right hand isn’t the one he’d prefer to have this fight with.He brings his leg around in a kick to her side that sends her flying, which gives Niall enough time to swap his dagger over before he chases the rolling body. She gets to her feet like Niall would, using the momentum from flying across the floor to spin up onto her feet. Niall has two hands, though, and she only has one, which means she has to drop the dagger in order to pull off the maneuver.Niall manages to scoop it up in his right hand and spin, slashing into her with both of them. He knows Bobby will be finished healing soon, so he has to finish up with her quickly. He’d like to take more time with her, because his rage towards her is the freshest, but the other two will be far more satisfying.He lops off her other hand when she swings at him, then stabs both of the daggers into her chest and slices them down to feel the blood spray out onto his skin. She flops down into a lump of clay again when Niall cuts through her neck with both daggers at once.He’s on a high when he whirls around, adrenaline pumping through his body that helps him fall back just in time to dodge the bullet that Bobby fires at him. He shouldn’t have brought the gun, but his anger overtook his sense, and now that’s liable to end up badly. Niall takes off, dodging and flipping around to make himself a harder target to hit. He uses the tension in the rope to launch himself into the air and position himself behind Bobby.Satisfied is an understatement for how Niall feels when he brings the dagger into Bobby’s back. It’s something he’s wanted to do since he was a child, but it’s also not enough. He wants to rip Bobby to pieces, and one wound in the back, no matter how much blood spurts out, is not going to calm the rage Niall has built up towards him. He needs more.He spins on his knee and sweeps Bobby’s leg out from under him, bringing the dagger down again into Bobby’s stomach. The words that he’d said the last time Niall had seen him burn through his brain, only serving to increase the fury in his swings.“Kill her or leave. We will not have a witch’s child in this family.”“Fuck you, you fucking cunt!” Niall screams, slashing wildly like an animal and watching the blood gush from this approximation of his father’s body. “You’re fucking miserable! She deserves so much better than your blood in her veins!”Bobby has already melted away into a pile of clay again, but Niall doesn’t stop stabbing at it until he hears a very distinctive click that accompanies the coldness of metal pressed against his forehead.“You should have been there.” Niall breathes out, looking up into Barbara’s emotionless eyes. “You should have been there today.”Barbara doesn’t respond. She can’t in this state. She’s not real. She has no thoughts or feelings. She’s incapable of understanding the anguish Niall feels at seeing her face because there’s nothing inside of her.“You should have been there all along.” Niall continues, wondering why Barbara hasn’t pulled the trigger yet. “She needed you. Now she’s being put through the ringer over and over because you couldn’t even love your own daughter. She needed you! You should have fucking been there!”Niall is yelling, tears pouring down his cheeks as he grips tighter around the daggers. His voice is ringing through the room, screaming back at him from the walls, but it’s not loud enough to cover the sound of Barbara’s finger tensing on the trigger.The shot never comes though, even as much as Niall secretly wishes it would. The gun just clatters to the mat before it’s followed by Barbara’s entire body’s worth of clay collapsing.Niall screams again, though this time there are no words. It’s a sound like an animal being torn apart in the forest, overwhelmed and dying. He launches himself into the mess of what’s left of Barbara, tearing at the clay with his fingers as if they were claws. It splatters everywhere, leaving Niall unsatisfied and furious because he can’t have his rage satiated or the end he’s wanted for far too long.“Niall.” comes a soft voice in his ear, accompanied by a strong hand that rests on his back. “Niall, please-”“Leave me alone!” Niall sobs, clawing at his own face with the remnants of clay and artificial blood clinging to his fingers.“I can take this away.” Harry murmurs, holding Niall close to his chest when the Irishman doesn’t fight the contact.And there’s nothing Niall would hate more in the world, so he surprises them both when he says, “Please.”What’s even more surprising is that he means it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I feel like I’m hungover.” Niall groans out, huffing the words against Harry’s throat in a deep, gravely tone.“Sorry.” Harry says softly, sleep still tugging insistently on his eyelids. He shifts closer, though, because he can feel Niall’s hesitation to seek out any form of comfort. “My power can have a bit of a backlash if I pull out a lot of emotion, and that was- It was more than a lot. If it makes you feel any better, I’m having the same problem.”“Sorry.” Niall sighs, tucking his face into Harry’s neck.“Don’t be.” Harry says, shaking his head. “I’m glad you let me help you for once.”“Shut it.” Niall mutters, biting quickly, but harshly, at the skin stretched over Harry’s collarbone. Harry jumps a little, squeaks in surprise and pain, and Niall hums in satisfaction that Harry can feel seeping through his skin. He shifts then, pushes Harry onto his back and hovers over him on his arms so they’re face to face, even though Harry has no idea what’s going to happen next. Niall’s gaze is too intense to look away from, too harsh and commanding to ever allow retreat.“Thank you.” Niall says softly, leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss against Harry’s cheek before he rolls off and leaves the bed.He doesn’t even look behind himself to see Harry lose his breath in realization. He’s known now, for a minute, he thinks. It’s not been overly hard to see. It’s just been something he didn’t want to acknowledge. Acknowledging it means it’s all he’ll be able to think about, not just for these last few days left here, but for however long it wants to stick in his head afterwards.He’s falling head over heels for Niall.The thought steals the breath from his lungs, makes them go tight and scream to be filled. His eyes glue to Niall’s body making its way down the hall, retreating from him like he knows the secret budding in Harry’s mind and heart. He doesn’t, though. And he can’t.Harry made a promise at the start of this, and he made it in good faith. He had no expectation of ever developing feelings for Niall at any point. He’s not precognitive. He couldn’t possibly have foreseen the soft, gentle sides of Niall coming. He couldn’t have predicted the moments when Niall would make himself vulnerable, or at least as vulnerable as he’s capable of being. He couldn’t have prophesied the moments, small as they might have been, that built up and up Harry’s understanding of this man and his heart until Harry is sure his own beats for him.He didn’t know that the pieces of the puzzle like Niall’s strength and his will and his passion and his intelligence and his humor and his beauty would add up to complete the only picture Harry ever wants to look at again, even though it’s one that doesn’t, won’t and can’t include him.It’s one made up of the soft, smooth curves of Niall’s concentration face whenever he has his nose shoved just a little bit close to a book because his eyesight is worse than he’ll ever admit. It’s one made up of the gentle tilt of his smile and pitch of his laugh when he’s with Molly. It’s one made of the harsh redness of his cheeks and the tightness of his eyes when he’s so close, driving Harry right to the edge.And it’s one that got all that much clearer and more complicated at the same time last night. He allowed Harry to take his pain and anger and grief, to share them and dismiss them. To bring him peace. He allowed Harry to see a glimpse into his past, because Niall is too smart not to realize that Harry wouldn’t be able to figure out who the other two golems he didn’t recognize were modeled after.The man looks so similar to Niall that only a blind man could have missed that he was Niall’s father. The hate there in Niall’s voice when he spoke to him only solidified it. Harry recognizes that all too well.And the woman might have been a mystery if Niall hadn’t spoken, and if Harry hadn’t spent so much time with Molly. But the sharp lines of her face are too familiar to miss, a mirror into Molly’s future. She’s beautiful, and Harry can see how Niall could have fallen so hard for her. But Niall’s emotions when he was confronted with her form spoke far more than any words ever could have.If Harry could translate that into words, he could write an encyclopedia on heartbreak.But he could probably write his own once the ramifications of a conversation from days ago become clear in his mind.Luke is a good liar. He would fool anyone but a telepath or Harry, honestly. But where Luke is good at it, Harry makes it an art, so he saw through the story that Luke had told him easily.He’d kept it simple, asking Harry for help with a problem and appealing to Harry’s guilt by mentioning Niall. He’d said that he needed some memories to be taken away, that seeing some of the people from Oceania again had shaken him and triggered memories of traumatic experiences when he was still a slave. That part hadn’t been a total lie. Harry could sense plenty of anxiety from him, a pain behind those gentle blue eyes. But Luke didn’t want that potion for himself.Harry wasn’t sure what it was about, but he’d given Luke the recipe for the strongest memory removal potion he knew. It would remove all memories of any person from the drinker. It only needs a scrap of their DNA, but otherwise is simple enough that any common brewer could make it. Playing with memory is dangerous, and cruel in some cases, but it’s not nearly as complicated as some people would believe.It clicks now that Luke means to have Harry consume the potion. After Molly’s test, probably. It would make sense, ensuring their safety. It would keep anyone from being able to find them, and that’s the smart play, even if they don’t know who Harry really is or who he works for. They don’t know that telepathy doesn’t work on Harry, and they’re too scared to trust him.Niall is too scared to trust him.And that- That’s the most painful thing Harry has had to contemplate since he lost Gemma. Losing these months- this chunk of his life, small as it might be- feels like Harry digging his own grave. This place has been an escape, and these people an answer. He’s found in this time something he’s been searching for as long as he can remember.He’s found somewhere he might belong.But that choice and that peace is being taken out of his hands, and- Harry can’t blame them. He’d make the same choice in their position.What hurts the most is that, out of all the things he’s felt from Niall recently, regret isn’t one of them. He doesn’t care that Harry won’t remember this.“Something wrong?” asks a voice, making Harry jump because he’d been far too deep into his own mind to notice Niall coming back.“N- No.” Harry sighs, shaking his head.“Harry- If- If this is about last night-” Niall mumbles. “I’m sorry. Can we just forget about it?”“I don’t want to forget.” Harry whispers, squeezing his eyes closed as he admits his own worst fear out loud. “But I will, if that’s what you want.” Harry feels himself dragging, knows it’s drawing attention to his mental state. But he can only do so much when it feels like his chest has rotted and caved inwards so his heart can crumble into dust that shakes a bit looser with every new stolen moment he gets to have now, but not forever.He manages to build up a modicum of energy for Molly’s lessons, but no more than that. She, however, is far too concerned with using her focus and learning as many words of power as she possibly can to even see that Harry is off.Niall has noticed, though. Harry sees the questioning, confused glances he’s been shooting at him, but he’s just successfully managed to spend as little time with Niall as he can. It hurts, giving up these moments he has left, but- What’s the point? He doesn’t get to keep them.Besides, Harry wouldn’t be able to hide it if it was any longer than Molly’s lessons anyways. His heartbeat is steadily trying to give him away when he’s around Niall, spelling out his name and the soft whispers of longing that his broken ribcage can’t contain anymore. He has no tattoo to commemorate Niall, but he has Niall’s name written in permanent ink under his skin, even if he won’t be able to read it soon enough. Harry may make an art out of lying, but Niall can see right through those lies as easily as a clean window. He has since the moment that they met.So Harry keeps his distance, keeps himself isolated and never lets himself be alone around Niall. Because he’s not strong enough to resist anything Niall could ask of him if he has the chance.“Can she channel her own power through her focus?” Niall asks, surprising Harry because Niall doesn’t normally talk in these situations, never mind ask legitimate questions.“Molly’s body is her focus for her innate powers.” Harry responds in a mumble. “Channeling it through the focus would be redundant. It would be like pouring orange juice through cheesecloth to catch the pulp, and then pouring it through a sieve after that.”“Da likes the pulp.” Molly hums, which isn’t really a contribution to the conversation, but it’s still something Harry tucks away unwillingly in his brain.“So do I.” Harry admits with as much of a smile as he can muster.“It’s gross.” Molly says decisively, wrinkling her nose in disagreement.Harry swears he can hear Niall mutter, “Just like Barbara.” under his breath.“It’s not for everyone.” Harry says with a chuckle. “Luke doesn’t like it either.”“Didn’t realize you’d spent that much time paying attention to Luke’s breakfast preferences.” Niall scoffs, and there’s the barest hint of jealousy in his tone and in the air around him.“I’ve eaten breakfast with him for the majority of mornings that I’ve been here.” Harry says with a shrug. “Only one willing to do that most of the time, isn’t he?”“I’d eat breakfast with you.” Molly says with a frown that’s growing too dangerously close to a pout for Harry’s heartstrings. “We did when we went to London.”“I know, ladybug.” Harry nods along. “Thank you.”“Why do you call me that?” Molly asks, setting her wand down on the table.“I-” is all Harry manages to get out before he has to swallow thickly at the memories trying to push into his mind. “That’s what I used to call my sister. You remind me of her, in some ways, so- So I call you the same thing.”“I like it.” Molly says with a soft smile between pinkened cheeks.“I do too.” Harry murmurs.“Molls, I think we should let Harry rest for now.” Niall says quietly, resting his hand on her shoulder. “You can practice the things he’s taught you today at home.”“But da!” Molly whines, kicking her feet impotently in defiance against the air.“Molly.” Niall says firmly, and it’s all he has to say before Molly is trundling off towards the door.“Sorry.” Harry mumbles, dropping his eyes to the ground. “I won’t- I won’t call her that anymore if it makes you uncomfortable.”“That’s not it.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I just know that you’re not feeling great, and bringing up your sister isn’t going to help you feel any better. I know that hurts for you, so I didn’t want her picking at it. I’ll distract her for the rest of the day and she’ll hopefully forget you mentioned it at all. She’s just- She’s curious, and she doesn’t realize that she’s picking at a scab she doesn’t get to pick at.”“Thanks.” Harry nods along.“Am I going to see you at the pub tonight?” Niall asks before he turns fully away.“No.” Harry admits, his voice dropping even quieter. “Think I’m just going to stay here tonight. I’m not feeling well, so I’d rather not deal with anything.”“Okay.” Niall says, flat and emotionless, but his voice can’t hide the tiny pang of hurt he feels from Harry’s powers.And Harry wishes he didn’t care, that he could cut that part of himself off, but he can’t. It just hurts all the worse when Niall leaves. But Harry can’t do anything about it because he’s learned some self-preservation. Especially when it comes to Niall. “You’re avoiding me.” says a voice that comes right when Harry flips on the lights to his cabin.Honestly, Harry had been too busy thinking about his feelings for Niall to notice that he could feel Niall. It takes him by surprise, and the shriek that tears out of his throat gives that away. He has no chance at gaining the upper hand in this scenario now.“Fucking hell, Niall!” Harry grunts out, pressing his palm over his chest as if he could steady his heart’s staccato rhythm. “What the fuck are you doing?”“I’m trying to figure out why you’re avoiding me.” Niall says calmly, keeping his position in the chair across from the door. “You caught a bus just to go to the next village over and get dinner. Why?”“Why do you care?” Harry asks back. Defiance probably isn’t his best move at the moment, but he just wants this to be over.“Because I want to be sure you’re not out there reporting me and my family.” Niall tells him, stone faced as he ever has been. “That, when I go home, my house isn’t going to be hiding some police officer or agent.”“You wouldn’t have come here if you thought that was a possibility.” Harry says, folding his arms over his chest. “You’d be at your house, waiting to lay your own trap while having the lads take Molly out of town.”“Who says I haven’t had them do that?” Niall hums, leaning back in his chair.“Niall. I didn’t say anything to anyone about anything.” Harry spits out. “You know I didn’t, because you know when I’m lying. Why do you care if I’m avoiding you? I want the honest answer, and if I have to tie you to that chair and use a truth spell, I will.”“Because you told me that you’d tell me if you wanted to stop this.” Niall sighs, dropping his head back against the chair to look up at the ceiling. “Ever since the other night, when you- When you helped me- You’ve been off. You offered to do that. I didn’t make you. I didn’t hurt you on purpose that time.”“You didn’t hurt me, Niall.” Harry says, shaking his head. “I extracted that emotion from you, but I didn’t feel it. I know you would have hated that.”“Then why?” Niall questions.“This is ending, Niall.” Harry says with a shrug. “After tomorrow afternoon, we’ll never see each other again. I didn’t think it made a difference if I ducked out of our personal arrangement a few days early.”“You could have told me.” Niall mutters, standing up out of the chair and heading towards Harry. “But that’s fine. You’re right. It doesn’t really make a difference.”And if Harry were stronger, if he were better to himself, he wouldn’t do anything to stop that. But he’s weak, and he doesn’t have a great track record for loving himself like Gemma always said he should.He catches Niall by the elbow and spins him around before he can get out of the door. It’s the first time Harry’s initiated the kiss since the very first time those many weeks ago, but Niall meets him in it with no hesitation. It’s the closest to a declaration that Harry can do, so he winds his hands into Niall’s hair and holds tight while he kisses the other man like the oxygen in his lungs will somehow replenish instead of continue depleting.Niall kicks the door shut, steering them towards the bed on the other side of the cottage, and Harry goes more than willingly. It’s stupid, and he knows it’s a mistake, but- At least he won’t remember it. He’s not sure anymore why he ever bothered with this avoidance tactic. He could have had what he’s been wanting, what his entire fucking body and soul has been begging for.He doesn’t have anything to lose, because he won’t remember that he’s lost it.“Is this okay?” Niall asks, between smacks of their lips as they stumble through the room, shedding clothes along the way.“I’d have stopped you if it wasn’t.” Harry grunts out, sinking down onto the bed to get rid of his trousers. He makes short work of Niall’s directly after, leaving them both bare and hungry for each other. The fabric has barely hit the floor before Niall is climbing on top of Harry, pushing him all the way down against the groaning springs.Harry spreads his legs easily, eagerly, to show Niall exactly what he wants. He wraps them around Niall’s waist, mirroring his arms around Niall’s neck. Niall huffs out a laugh against his lips and says, “A minute ago, you didn’t want any of this, and now you’re desperate for it. Honestly, I worry you’re doing this out of obligation or fear. I’m not trying to push you into anything.”“Didn’t say I didn’t want it.” Harry slurs out across Niall’s mouth. “Just said I wasn’t planning to do it anymore.”“You seem more the type to go out with a bang.” Niall hums, running his hand down Harry’s chest. “Ring.”“It’s already packed up with the rest of my stuff.” Harry admits. “Don’t even know which bag. Just- Just do it like the first time.”“You’re not drunk.” Niall points out. “It’ll be rough on you.”“I like it rough.” Harry breathes out, trying not to whine when the words make Niall grind against him. His cock, already leaking and ready, rubs against Harry’s hole and sends a shiver down his spine. “Not like- Dry. Spit should be fine, though, as long as it is for you.”“Not my arse that’s going to hurt tomorrow.” Niall grunts out, still sliding himself against Harry now that he’s seen the reaction he gets. “Just, uh- I want to be sure you’re sure. Even if I pull out right away, it’s still going to end up hurting in the long run.”“Won’t matter.” Harry grumbles. “Are you gonna fuck me or not?”“Yeah, gorgeous, I’m gonna fuck you now.” Niall murmurs, ducking back in to start kissing Harry again.Harry jumps a little in surprise when he feels two wet, slippery fingers against his hole, because it’s not what he was expecting.“Nothing to worry about, gorgeous. Just gonna use something a little more arse-friendly than spit while I can.” Niall mumbles against his mouth. “You got me leaking buckets, so I might as well use some of that.”He slips his first finger in gently, and Harry is more than used to the feeling again after all these weeks. He sighs in relief at it, letting his body go lax and pliant because it’ll be easier on both of them.“That’s it.” Niall murmurs, drizzling slow kisses against Harry’s lips like honey. “That’s better. You’re always so good for me when we do this.”Harry’s not used to praise, especially from Niall, and it makes his skin heat up and a whine escape his lips. He knows the pink is spreading over his face and chest, but he can’t do anything to stop it. He’s not sure he would if he could, because Niall’s smirk tastes delicious and he doesn’t mind his own embarrassment as long as he gets to keep tasting that.A second finger wriggles in alongside the first, and Niall starts stretching him in earnest, which is gentler than Harry is used to. He’d said he wants it rough, and he means it, but this is good in its own way. It’s gentle and careful and everything Niall hasn’t been with him so far, but everything Harry has wished he could have, even for a minute.It doesn’t feel real, in a way, but the way Harry’s body is responding tells him that it very much is. He knows this isn’t another dream he’s going to wake up from unsatisfied and unfulfilled. Hurt, maybe, and longing for more of something that he won’t even remember by tomorrow night, but not unfulfilled or unsatisfied.Niall pulls back to watch him, and Harry squirms under the weight of his gaze, turning his head to the side and burying as much of it in the duvet as he can. His blush is searing hot now, and he knows that he must be as red as an apple, but all he cares about is how Niall is slipping another finger in now, and the sense of smugness radiating off of him that ignites a fire in Harry’s stomach.“Don’t think I’ve told you before, but you really are gorgeous.” Niall whispers in his ear. “Especially when you’re so fucking desperate.”“Shut up and fuck me already.” Harry says, and he means it to sound more commanding, but it just comes out as a high-pitched keen. He’s just too close to cumming from Niall’s fingers and words to let this keep going.“Beg for it, then, if that’s what you want.” Niall growls out, biting on the flesh of Harry’s earlobe and rolling it between his teeth.“Niall, please!” Harry groans, twisting his fingers into the fabric next to his hips so he doesn’t just reach for his cock and finish things now. He wants this, if it’s going to be the last time, and he wants it all. “Please just fucking fuck me already!”“Looks like you’ve given me plenty to make this a smoother ride.” Niall hums, pulling his fingers out of Harry’s arse all at once. It takes everything in Harry not to openly whine at the loss. As it is, he still whimpers in the back of his throat when Niall runs his hand over his lower stomach and coats it in the precum Harry has soaked himself with.He wastes very little time moving himself into position and slicking himself up before he’s pressing in. It’s more intense than it was the first time, though Harry’s not sure if it’s because of the lack of alcohol in his blood, or the overwhelming sensation of his heart falling further for Niall with the taste of his lips finally coming into sharp focus again.It hurts, but in a good way. It’s something Harry will still have tomorrow night, even if he doesn’t know why. It’s something for him to hold onto for now. His fingers dig deep grooves into the swell of Niall’s ass, pulling him in faster than he was going on his own just to relish the burn of it.“Stop that.” Niall grunts out, stilling and pressing their foreheads together. “You’ll hurt yourself and neither of us will enjoy it.”“I’m not going to break if you fuck me, you arsehole.” Harry growls, digging his nails into Niall’s arse and bucking his hips to drive Niall further in. “So do it already.”He can feel himself getting overwhelmed- can feel his emotions starting to get the better of him- and he knows he needs to lose himself in this before they can.“Shit- You- You’re crying.” Niall hisses, locking his body into place so that Harry can’t do anything else and wiping at his cheek with a thumb. “Am I hurting you?”“No!” Harry chokes out. Now that Niall’s pointed it out, he can’t stop the tears or the way his throat has gone tight. “It’s just a side-effect of my powers. I absorb emotion over time, and sometimes it just leaks out.”“You’re lying.” Niall grunts out, and Harry can tell it’s taking effort not to keep fucking, because Niall’s stress rises every time Harry moves his arse the minimal amount that he can.“Then let me lie.” Harry pleads in a whisper. “I promise you aren’t hurting me, so that’s the only truth that matters right now. That, and that we both want this.”Niall doesn’t answer with words. It takes him a minute, torturous and slow with his eyes closed, but he answers with a kiss pressed against Harry’s lips and a gentle thrust inside of him.Harry clings onto Niall’s shoulders desperately, greedily, and wraps his ankles together higher up Niall’s back to open himself up more. His body feels warmer and more fluid with each slow, measured slide of Niall’s cock inside of him.Harry’s not sure if it lasts for minutes or hours, but he is sure that Niall’s inability to hold back his orgasm any longer is what pushes him over in the end. His powers connect him to Niall too intimately for him not to be overwhelmed by the pleasure.His body is lax and sated when Niall pulls out, and it should hurt, but Harry doesn’t feel any pain. He only feels the loss of something he wishes he could have kept forever.“I told the lads I’d pick Molly up from her brewing lesson with Cal in about twenty minutes.” Niall slurs out, looking over at the clock, though he makes no move to peel himself away from Harry’s skin.“Then you should probably go clean yourself off.” Harry mumbles, keeping his eyes glued to Niall’s features while he’s not being watched. “Can’t go pick up your daughter and meet the lads covered in my cum.”“Was thinking I could do a quick shower?” Niall questions. “Want to join me?”“Tired.” Harry says quietly, letting his eyes close once Niall turns back to him. “Not sure I can walk properly at the moment anyways. My arse is sore.”“Told you.” Niall snorts out. “Do you mind if I use your shower then?”“You’re fine.” Harry says with a smile he has to control to keep it from becoming too fond. Niall honestly never has any energy after sex, so Harry’s not sure what’s keeping him going at the moment. He just knows he wishes that it wasn’t. That it would give up and let him have just one last night with Niall sleeping in his bed.But that’s not how things are, and Harry is forcefully reminded of that when Niall grunts in exertion and lifts himself up and away for the last time.“Get some good sleep.” Niall says so quietly that Harry barely hears him before he slips out of the room.He’s barely still conscious at all when Niall returns a minute later and wipes him off with a warm, wet rag, but it’s enough to make him smile the slightest bit before he drops off entirely.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Harry is snoring by the time Niall slips out of the house. And, honestly, Niall would love nothing more than to just collapse into that bed and not have to move anymore, but he’s already left Molly with the lads one day this week out of selfishness. He can’t do it twice.He tightens his jacket against his chest to bolster himself from the wind that stings at him with a vengeance once he gets walking on his way. It’s a long walk to the pub from Harry’s cottage, nearly across the entire village, but he moves quickly in the dull light of the moon watching down on this little place by the sea with cold indifference. It’s a few minutes past the time he said he’d be back when he finally manages to pull open the door of the pub, but the lads and Molly aren’t anywhere to be seen.It would send a spike of fear through his heart if he couldn’t hear them back in the kitchen.“Am I interrupting something rowdy?” Niall asks, pushing open the door to the back and looking at the chaos in front of him.Molly and Ashton are elbows deep in scrubbing a pot and arguing very loudly about something Niall can’t track the words of. Calum is smacking at Luke’s bum with a spoon, and Luke is shrieking and winding up to slap Calum in the face. It’s Niall’s normal, though, so he’s not overly concerned.“Ash- Molly- Can you guys go check my pantry for more rosemary?” Calum asks when they notice him.“Yeah.” Ashton says with a nod, taking Molly’s hand and dragging her into the storage room in the very back of the building.“Am I in trouble?” Niall asks as Luke approaches him, something hard in his eyes. Luke doesn’t answer, just runs his hand through Niall’s hair and tugs. “Ow! That fucking hurt, you wanker! Is that a yes, then?”“No.” Luke says with a shrug, holding his hand with some of Niall’s hair towards Calum. “We’re just doing something important. You showed up at just the right time, actually.”“What the fuck are you doing?” Niall hisses when Calum drops his hairs into the pot.“My solution.” Luke hums. “This is so that you don’t have to kill Harry.”“If you say that so loudly again, I’m going to gag you for a year.” Niall growls out, slapping his hand over Luke’s mouth. Sticky, wet saliva tracks across his palm from Luke’s tongue, but he doesn’t budge. “Try not to use your normal nearly screaming volume when we’re talking about literally murdering someone, yeah?”“The point is, we don’t have to literally murder anyone.” Calum hums, though he can at least manage to keep his voice appropriately quiet enough for this conversation. He really is Niall’s favorite. “This potion can make that unnecessary.”“How can my hair in some soup make Harry not a threat?” Niall sighs, pulling his hand back from Luke’s mouth so he can pinch the bridge of his nose in a familiar, if ineffectual gesture of self-soothing.“It’s a potion, jackass.” Calum snorts.“A memory erasure potion.” Luke adds with a proud smile. “He’ll forget everything about us.”“Not the whole time?” Niall questions, tilting his head to the side.“No, the five of us specifically, but not the entirety of his stay.” Calum offers in explanation. “This way, he won’t even realize that he’s missing anything. A huge block of time would be suspicious, but how would he even realize he’s forgotten specific people?”“Why did it take you this long to propose this?” Niall asks, leaning his hip against the counter and resting his hand on it.“Because I didn’t have this recipe.” Calum admits quietly.“I got it from-” Luke starts“Let me guess- Harry?” Niall says with a sarcastic drawl of faux enthusiasm. “And do either of you see the problem with that?”“He doesn’t know it’s for him.” Luke insists, his proud smile slipping more and more by the moment. “I told him that I wanted to forget some of the people who visited with Mali.”“Luke.” Niall groans, looking up to the ceiling. “Harry is a hell of a liar, and he’s literally able to feel when you’re trying to deceive him. What makes you think this works? Have you guys tested it?”“It- It takes too long to brew.” Luke whispers, his eyes dropping to the ground as his shoulders slump.“Do you remember what I said, Luke?” Niall asks gently. “It has to be foolproof. Harry isn’t stupid. He’ll have put this together. What makes you think he won’t protect himself from it, or that it even works? What makes you positive the effects are permanent? Are you willing to risk Molly for that? Are you willing to risk being sent back to Oceania for that?”“I don’t want to kill him.” Luke breathes out, his eyes wreathed in tears that are threatening to fall and flood Niall’s chest, and change the sure and steady trajectory of his heart.“You won’t be.” Niall says softly, cradling Luke’s dampened cheek in his hand. “Luke, this is only going to be me. You won’t have anything to do with it.”“I’m letting it happen if I just do nothing!” Luke snaps, stepping away and letting anger replace his indecision. “God! Can you just fucking think of someone other than yourself and Molly for one goddamned time in your entire miserable life, Niall? Is that so fucking much to ask?”“I will never sacrifice my daughter’s safety for your peace of mind.” Niall grunts out. “Not ever. Would you risk Ashton getting sent back to be a slave for another one of the High Magical Families just so that I was a little bit more satisfied? I can’t make you not take on that guilt, even though it’s stupid to do that to yourself. If you don’t want to carry that, then why don’t you go ahead and brew another batch of that, and you can all forget him?”“Just give it a fucking chance, Niall!” Luke screams, his voice turning desperate and high. “If- If it doesn’t work, then do what you have to do, but don’t just refuse to even give us a chance to know we fucking tried!”“Fine.” Niall grunts out. “I’ll try it. But, if I think even for a second that it isn’t working, I’m still going to put a bullet in him, Luke.”“That is all I am fucking asking you to do.” Luke breathes out in relief, slumping back against the cabinets. “Just- That’s all I want, Niall. You’re making unilateral decisions without even considering the rest of us. Rash choice after rash choice, and you’re going to get all of us hurt one of these days without ever even having given us a chance to have a say. When this whole thing is over, that’s not a conversation we’re going to let keep slipping away. I’m done with it.”“If you three would just get with the fucking program and realize that I am doing everything I can to protect-” Niall grits out from behind a snarl that he can’t even begin to soften.“This is all your fault in the first place, Niall.” Calum argues, stepping in front of Luke. “You picked the fight with that magician because you just couldn’t help yourself. That was the domino that knocked all of this into motion. Don’t forget that.”Fuck.“You messed up your own plans because you decided to let your anger get the best of you for the hundredth time. You risked Molly’s safety, along with the rest of ours over a few stupid words in the street.” Calum continues. “So, you need to realize that you’re just as culpable in this situation, if not the most so. You don’t get to ride a high horse right now. We’re all just trying to scramble to clean up your mess and trying not to let a man die for your stupid decisions. Especially one that’s done nothing but help us, despite having no obligation to.”“He’s a person, Niall.” Luke whispers behind Calum. “He deserves a chance, no matter what you feel for him. Don’t you owe him that much? After- After everything that’s happened- After everything you two have been through- Doesn’t he deserve a chance?”“Yes.” Niall breathes out, feeling like gravity is increasing on his legs and begging his knees to meet the floor. He refuses, though. He needs to be strong, right now, and not give into the way his heart is beating treacherously in his chest. He doesn’t care for the rhythm. “We’ll try it. I won’t pull the trigger unless I have to. Come to London with us tomorrow. I don’t know if I can convince him to take it, but I think you can, Luke.”“We’ll all come.” Calum says gently, stepping over and laying his hand on Niall’s shoulder. “We’ll all be there to support Molly, and then Luke can talk to him, and you two can go somewhere private to administer the potion, or do what needs to be done, if that’s what happens.”“He might reject it.” Niall says quietly, shaking his head. “What you’re asking him to do is cruel.”“It’s better than letting him die.” Luke says decisively, and Niall knows there’s no chance of swaying his mind now.He’s glad for the reprieve. The registration building is immense. It’s not the first time Niall has been in one of the ivory government buildings. He spent plenty of time raiding them to get information for people who knew what to do with it and were willing to pass over some cash in exchange. But it’s his first time walking in the front door without an ulterior motive, and that’s what makes him nervous, for some reason.Harry’s hand brushes his for just a moment, squeezes reassuringly, and then the contact is gone and Harry is walking ahead of the rest of them towards the row of desks across the room. Fucking empath. Niall will be glad to be rid of someone that can read him so easily. It’s unfamiliar and unsettling.Niall was worried that a group the size of theirs would draw attention, especially with so many non-magicals, but they’re not even close to the biggest one. Calum is wearing colors, which Niall isn’t used to seeing, but it’s a good way to keep suspicion off of them. Niall, Luke and Ashton draw no attention, as there’s plenty of other non-magicals in the room. It looks like mostly servants, given the way that they trail behind the other members of their groups, but still. They aren’t the only ones here.“Name?” a bored looking witch asks as they approach an open desk.“Molly Horan.” Molly answers proudly, stepping forward.“We have an appointment booked.” Harry says with a smile aimed at her, infuriatingly charming as always.She’s blushing as she looks down at a crystal rectangle that isn’t attached to anything, and Niall wants to smash it over her head.“Ah.” she says, clearing her throat. “I see. Do you have her birth certificate?”“Here.” Niall says, pulling out the paper and handing it over.“Is her magical parent, this- Barbara Palvin- Is she available as well?” the witch asks, looking up at Harry.“She’s not in the picture.” Niall grunts out, his eyes dropping to the floor.“I’m her tutor.” Harry says, putting his hand on Niall’s shoulder. “Niall here is her father, and these three are her dads as well. I know traditionally only teachers and biological parents are allowed, but can they come with us?”“Of course, Mister Styles.” she says quickly, and Niall feels immensely curious to know if her little screen is telling her who Harry is, or if she knows him somehow. Harry’s never said anything about being interested in women, but Niall has also never asked.“Thanks, love.” Harry says with a smirk, and Niall has switched from wanting to smash the crystal screen over her head to wanting to do it to Harry instead until the thing breaks or his skull does.“Your examiner will be waiting in room 3, right over there.” she says with a smile, batting her eyes at Harry while handing Niall back Molly’s birth certificate without even looking in his direction.Niall will bury both of them in a ditch outside of London as soon as he finishes mentally vomiting.“Why did she know who you were?” Ashton asks Harry as they head towards the room. At least someone else noticed that.“My mother is a politician.” Harry says quietly, shaking his head to signal this isn’t a conversation he wants to have. “She’s pretty well known, and she used to take me on the campaign trail with her when I was younger.”Well- That’s not what Niall was expecting at all.“Is this anxiety, or jealousy?” Luke whispers in Niall’s ear, holding him by the elbow to keep him back from the rest of the group.“What are you talking about?” Niall scoffs.“You were halfway to a stroke during that conversation.” Luke huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “What happened to ‘no feelings’?”“There are no feelings involved.” Niall growls out, throwing a glare at Luke.“Then why did the flirting bother you?” Luke asks, raising his eyebrow in question because he clearly doesn’t believe Niall.“Thinking about Barbara is what bothered me, Luke.” Niall mutters, dropping his eyes down. “She should have-”“If she was in the picture, then you never would have met us, Niall.” Luke mumbles, cutting him off. “Is that really what you want?”“No.” Niall says softly, shaking his head. “You know that’s not it. I just- I hate that Harry had to get involved at all. If Barbara had been there to teach Molly, then so many things could have been different for her. She never would have had to be a secret. She would never have thought I was ashamed of her. She wouldn’t have had the kind of damage I’ve inflicted on her mind.”“You love her, Niall.” Luke says gently, tipping Niall’s chin up. “She knows that all the way down to her core. Never doubt that. I know things haven’t been perfect, and that you’ve made a lot of mistakes, but Molly knows you love her and that you do your best for her.”“Things could have been better for her if Barbara was the one who raised her.” Niall sighs. “That’s just- It’s a fact.”“Her opportunities may have been better, but she didn’t even love Molly enough to stay, so I have to very strongly disagree with you there.” Luke says with a soft smile. “Every child in the history of mankind has been damaged by their parents somehow, even the ones that didn’t know them. What matters the most is loving the child enough to know that you’ve done that, and to try and make it better.”“Good thing Molly’s got four dads to do that, then.” Niall hums. “So, let’s go be there for the most important moment of her life so far, yeah?”“I’m glad you asked us to come.” Luke says quietly as they start walking towards the door again, ignoring the curious looks of the other four.“I’m glad you wanted to.” Niall says back, threading their fingers together. “And I know she is too.”“If you two are done with your little love-fest, we’ve got an imperial examiner waiting on us.” Harry says shortly, rolling his eyes and opening the door.“Hey.” Niall says with a grin. “Fuck off.”“Da, today is about me.” Molly huffs, holding her hand out for him to take instead of Luke’s.“I’ve got two hands, lovebug.” Niall laughs, holding his other one out for her.“Nah, she can have this one.” Luke giggles, letting go of Niall’s fingers. “Don’t want to make the little bird angry.”“Thank you.” Molly hums, taking Luke’s spot next to Niall’s side and gripping tightly to his hand. There’s a nervousness in it, a child’s need for comfort from their parent, so Niall squeezes back to reassure her.“Let’s go get this over with so we can celebrate, yeah?” Harry asks, smiling down at Molly. “Nothing to be nervous about, ladybug. You’re going to do great.”“Stop reading my feelings, Harry.” Molly huffs before she pulls her leg back and kicks him in the shin. Niall swears he’s never been prouder. Not even when she called him a prat.“She is definitely your daughter.” Harry grunts out between pained noises, holding his shin and glaring at Niall.“Which is why she’s going to do amazing.” Niall laughs, pulling Molly up into his arms and pressing a smacking kiss to her cheek that makes her shriek with delight. It’s the most beautiful sound in the world, honestly. “How do you feel?” Harry asks, scooting a bit closer to Niall on the bench. “She’s registered now.”Luke, Calum and Ashton apparently placed an order for a cake for celebration, so they’ve gone to pick that up while Niall, Harry and Molly all stay at a nearby park. Niall’s not really sure how long it’ll take them, because he has no idea where the bakery is, but he would really like a bite. His stomach was twisted into too many knots this morning for him to eat anything.“Can breathe a bit easier.” Niall admits. “Can focus on her just being a kid for a bit. Not sure how everyone back in the village is going to take it, but- I’m hopeful. She doesn’t have to feel like a dirty little secret anymore, at the very least.”“There’s- There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Harry says quietly, pressing in closer so that his entire body is pressed to Niall’s side and makes him stiffen. “About the potion.”“I knew you weren’t that stupid.” Niall sighs. “Is the recipe even any good?”“It’ll work.” Harry says with a nod. “I didn’t- I wouldn’t con you guys, Niall. I understand the position you’re in.”“Then you’ll take it?” Niall asks, looking over at him. “Because- I really can’t risk you getting your mind read. Even if she’s legal now, I broke the law keeping her secret. I’ve broken several laws, and you’ve seen the evidence of that.”“I have defenses in place against telepathic scans.” Harry says quietly. “But that’s not- I know you can’t just trust that.”“Then what do you want to talk about, Harry?” Niall questions stiffly. “Because this is- It’s the only way.”“It’s not.” Harry says, shaking his head. “You’ve never asked why I’ve been out in Saint Martine for so long.”“Built up holiday time.” Niall scoffs. “Believe it’s a requirement for witches.”“I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to go back to my job.” Harry tells him, a bit of desperation starting to claw its way into his tone. “I- I was thinking I could leave it, and just stay in Saint Martine. I could stay and teach Molly.”“Why?” Niall asks, feeling a bit breathless with the way Harry is looking into his eyes. “Why would you change your whole life just to be basically unemployed for people you’ve only known for three months?”“Because I- I lo-” is all Harry gets out before a familiar scream takes their focus.Molly is in the center of a group of bigger kids, all magical by the colors on their clothes. Her wand isn’t in her hand, but one of the other kids’, and it’s on it’s way towards the ground. Niall feels like everything is moving in slow motion as he and Harry lift themselves off of the bench and start moving.They can’t get there in time to stop their lives from shattering, though.The wand shatters on the ground, the butterfly bursting into pieces and the pearl handle cracking all the way through. Niall knows what’s coming, can smell it in the air, and prays to an unforgiving and unfeeling universe that he’s wrong. Molly’s eyes glow white as everything around her crackles with magic, the air feeling like it’s been split in half.The other kids all fly backwards from Molly, propelled like bullets from the gun Niall has in the bag of money in the truck. Niall keeps moving, keeps his legs pumping, but Molly is floating upwards into the air, and he knows he won’t get to her in time.Her arms drift forwards, and everything in Niall’s life breaks in one moment. A dark sphere starts forming between her hands, and Niall’s grip on the earth is gone in an instant. It’s drawing him towards itself as it grows, and everything else around him seems bound to the same fate. Smaller things than him get there first, and Niall’s eyes widen in terror when the wand crumbles into non-existence as it touches the black sphere.“Harry! Shut her down! Now!” Niall screams when the words finally manage to claw themselves free of his throat.Harry is gripped onto the bench, his own sense having kept him back while Niall ran forward. He has to loosen himself and hold one hand out, but the effect is nearly instantaneous. Molly doesn’t have the kind of rage in her that Niall does, so Harry is able to knock her out without any real problems.Niall lands first, his ankles feeling like they’re exploding as he stumbles forward on his feet to catch Molly before she can hit the ground.“We need to go.” Harry says hoarsely, loping up to Niall’s side.“The lads.” Niall says, shaking his head.“Do you see those crystals?” Harry asks, pointing at a building across the street where two purple crystals are suspended on the points of the roof. “They link directly into a viewer in EMIA headquarters that is constantly being monitored, Niall. And that- That right there is something EMIA has been searching for, for a very long time. I can’t believe I didn’t see it. I’m a fucking idiot. She was right under my nose the whole time, and I didn’t see it.”“Didn’t see what?” Niall asks, holding Molly tighter to his chest.“Molly isn’t a witch, Niall.” Harry breathes out, looking at Niall with eyes as wide as they could ever be. “Do you know what a mage is?”Niall has seen documents, stolen them to pass onto people in the Technophage for intelligence gathering. It’s never been his specialty, but the word sparks something in his brain.“A super witch.” Niall mutters. “Like a centurion.”“No.” Harry says, shaking his head. “They- A mage is to a witch what a witch is to a non-magical in terms of power. They’re capable of re-writing the laws of physics. It’s like a cannon compared to throwing a rock. I- I didn’t even think they were real. Been looking into them for three fucking years and never found a single one.”“You’re an agent!” Niall snarls, taking a step backwards from Harry.“Yes.” Harry nods, all of his usual mask falling away in an instant so that Niall can see the truth of him. “And that’s why I’m telling you that we need to go now, because they will teleport someone here any minute, and we have to be gone. She has to be gone. They’ll- Niall, they’ll kill her. The lads will be fine. They’ll have to be. But if we wait any longer, they’ll kill her and probably you.”“Why the fuck would I trust you?” Niall asks, taking another step away.“Because I’m in love with you.” Harry breathes out. “I love you, and I love Molly, and I was willing to throw everything away for that even before I ever knew you two would be in any real danger. Please- Even if you just want to take me as a hostage. Use my name, or my resources, or my link to them. Just- We need to go.”“Get in the truck.” Niall grunts out.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Where are we going?” Harry asks, looking over at Niall in the driver’s seat. He’s had his hands tied to the door since they passed the checkpoint out of London, and even though Niall’s gun is no longer pressed into his side Harry doesn’t feel safe.He does, however, feel relief. He’d thought Niall would kill him on the spot in London when he revealed his agent status, but he hadn’t. Admitting his feelings was also dangerous, and he doesn’t think it actually did him any favors.“I need to grab some things from the gym.” Niall grunts out. “Can’t deal with agents with just this one gun and single clip.”“Why did you even have a gun?” Harry asks. He knows he’s digging a deeper and deeper hole with every word, but he can’t help himself. He needs something to distract himself from the pure rage pulsing through Niall’s veins.“In case you refused to take the potion.” Niall mutters. “Should have just forced it down your throat as soon as she was licensed.”“I can help you avoid them.” Harry tells him. “I know how they operate. I can keep you one step ahead of them.”“I can deal with EMIA agents on my own.” Niall scoffs. “Witches love to underestimate me.”“I’m not talking about some low-level magicians or basic golems here, Niall.” Harry says harshly. “EMIA agents have real powers. They’re dangerous. The man I was partnered with is a psychopath who can and will kill because he finds it fun.”“I’m not worried about agents.” Niall reiterates, a fierceness in his voice that’s strong enough to bowl Harry over with its sheer willpower. He means it. Niall really believes he can take on someone like Nick and win.“I can help you fight them, then.” Harry grits out.“I don’t need your help!” Niall snaps, pulling over to the side of the country road they’re on. It’s smart. Avoiding cities will help them avoid viewer crystals. “I can manage agents just fine on my own!”“Not like Nick.” Harry says through a snarl. “I was brought in specifically because I’m the one person in Britain who can put a leash on him. Even the demon of London couldn’t stop him.”“What can he do?” Niall questions, folding his arms over his chest.“Aerokinesis.” Harry sighs. “His favored method is using a lighter or basic spell to ignite the air so that his enemies think he’s a pyrokinetic, but he’s not. He uses fire as a distraction so that they’ll never see the compressed blades of air coming.”“He’s missing a chunk out of his right ear, and his ring and pinkie fingers on the same side.” Niall says, shaking his head.“How- How did you know that?” Harry breathes out, his blood going cold because the answer hits him before the question can even form on his tongue.“Because I’m the one that did it to him.” Niall says flatly. “I was the Demon of London, Harry. Your partner only survived because I was ordered to evacuate the building after he killed two of my partners, not because he was good enough to beat me.”“You can’t be the fucking Demon of London!” Harry hisses. That’s not fucking possible. Harry knows it’s not possible.He can’t have fallen in love with a monster like that.“You’ll see soon enough.” Niall mutters, grabbing his gun. “That’s what I need to go to the gym for. I need my gear. If they’re going to come for me and Molly, then I’m going to have to be ready to go to war. It’s a war I’ll win. There’s no other possibility when she’s at stake.”Harry starts to open his mouth, but Niall brings the gun up and then crashes the butt of it back down into Harry’s temple before he can even process the movement, making the world fade into nothing. “Where are we?” Harry questions groggily, his face mashed against the window. It’s dark outside now, but the geography doesn’t match anything around Saint Martine. His body feels heavy, and his head throbs with every word from what’s he’s sure is a concussion.“North.” Niall growls out. His hand shoves outwards with a yellow vial that Harry recognizes from the night that Niall had nearly killed him in the fight they’d had. “Open up.”“Thank you.” Harry whispers, moving his head back so Niall can pour the solution down his throat. It’s supposed to be topical, but it’ll work if ingested, Harry’s pretty sure. It tastes absolutely nasty, but Harry can feel the relief immediately.“We’ll be in Scotland in a few hours.” Niall says quietly. “I’m sorry about doing that to you. I just- I needed time to think, and even looking at you right now makes me so mad I can’t see straight.”“What county are we in?” Harry asks, arching his back to get it to pop so it’s not so stiff.“We’re a bit outside Manchester city to the north.” Niall mutters.“I have a place we can hide for the night.” Harry sighs, hating himself for even suggesting it. “You need to rest, whatever your plan is. Head towards Heaton Park.”“Rather not end up in prison for a nap.” Niall says, an edge creeping into his voice that Harry doesn’t want to rile up again.“I’m not going to turn you in, Niall.” Harry murmurs. “I meant what I said back there. God help me, I know you don’t like it, but I meant it.”“I know.” Niall scoffs. “Think I’ve known for a few days, honestly.”“I’m sorry.” Harry whispers, dropping his head back to look at the roof of the car just so that he doesn’t have to see Niall’s face. So that he doesn’t have to see the non-reciprocation there.“Think what you should be sorry for is putting me and my family at risk by lying to us and being an agent, rather than you being a fucking idiot who hates himself enough to fall in love with me.” Niall says through gritted teeth.“I’m sorry for everything.” Harry mutters. “Maybe I should have just taken the potion.”“Once I get to where I’m going, you will.” Niall tells him. “You got us out of London, and that’s the only reason I’m not going to pull the trigger on you.”“Then will you tell me about it?” Harry requests. “Your past, I mean. If I won’t remember, I’d at least like to know while I can.”“Told you my brother died in the second uprising, yeah?” Niall says after a few minutes wherein he takes the turn he needs to for Heaton park, but doesn’t say anything else. “After that, my father trained me to be a weapon for the Technophage. Made me into the most dangerous non-magical on earth through training that probably should have killed me literally a thousand times over. When I got the offer to go to uni, someone- he convinced me to go, and broke my heart in the process.“So- I did go, and I met Barbara my first week. I was completely out of my depth with her. She was gorgeous and smart and powerful, and I fell in love. We didn’t mean to have Molly, but we made it work when she found out, even though she tried to leave me then. I should have known how it’d all end up, after that. But we stayed together, and Molly was born. Barbara left when Molly was just days old. Packed up in the middle of the night and left while I was asleep and the only thing she left behind was Molly’s necklace.“I’d tried to escape what my father wanted. I worked in a café while Barbara was pregnant, doing manual labor for a couple of old witches who couldn’t afford a magical worker. That wasn’t enough to support Molly, though. I needed more money, and the only thing I could do was work for the Technophage. That’s when I became the Demon of London. Because I had something I had to fight for. I’d done small jobs for them when things got tight, but nothing too dangerous until then. I had to be everything my father trained me to be in order to keep the two of us afloat.“But then- After a while- I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was living with Molly in a warehouse because our lease ran out, and the Technophage were doing more and more drastic things like the bombings, and I- I left. I’d killed a lot of people, yeah, but they were able to fight me. They had a chance to live. The Technophage were killing innocents, and I couldn’t let Molly grow up in that. I couldn’t be my father, so I left too.“Then the lads found me one night, passed out on the doorstep to the pub because I was too weak from hunger. I hadn’t eaten in a week because I had to keep Molly fed, and- And they took care of me. It was the first time anyone ever had, in literally as long as I can remember. I had some stumbles, made some mistakes, but they got me right when everything about me was wrong. And that’s- that’s it.”“Were- Were you in- Involved in any bombings up here?” Harry asks breathlessly, too terrified of the possibility tha Niall could have been part of the ones who killed his sister to get the words out properly.“No.” Niall answers, shaking his head. “And I was out of the Technophage before what happened to your sister, Harry. I don’t know who did that, but if I did, I would have killed them myself. I’ve done it before. The Technophage is supposed to be about freedom, not terrorism. Killing innocent people by the scores like that- It’s not right. I wouldn’t have stood for it. I didn’t.”“You can’t mention them here.” Harry mutters as they approach the gatehouse that will get them onto the property. It responds to Harry’s magic, programmed to open upon his arrival without needing to stop and check in with the golems that guard the property. “My mother will kill you if she finds out. I know you, and I believe that you weren’t involved in that, but- She’s another story.”“Is she going to sell us out?” Niall questions.“No, but- You’re going to have to play a part.” Harry mumbles. “She knows about my feelings for you, so- If you just pretend to be with me, then she won’t know anything is wrong before we leave in the morning.”“Fuck.” Niall breathes out through gritted teeth. “You should really give notice before you come here, Harry.” Anne says, gliding down the stairs in her black silk. “Especially with company.”“Sorry.” Harry says, trying to sound sheepish. “It wasn’t exactly planned.”“I’m well aware.” Anne hums, ice crystals forming in the air around her on the staircase. “Your arrival has been- Expected, regardless of whether or not you sent word. I’ve had a visit from Benjamin about a situation in London today involving you.”Shit.“Harry-” Niall says quietly to Harry’s left, his hand already reaching for the daggers strapped to his back by the waist of his trousers. He has Molly in his other arm, but he seems ready to take the risk.“She’s a mage, mother.” Harry says, stepping forward to get between them. Niall may be the Demon of London, but Anne is the Ice Queen and she’s not to be underestimated. “I have to get her away from EMIA. They’ll kill her.”“And do you see any agents here?” she asks, tilting her head to the side. “I’ve told them that you aren’t here. At the time, it wasn’t a lie, so the telepaths they scanned me with had nothing to go on.”“You let a telepath scan you?” Harry asks, narrowing his eyes. That’s not like his mother at all.“I’ve had blocks put into place on the things that need hidden.” Anne says with a shrug. “Cooperation seemed my best bet. They saw the parts of our relationship that haven’t been blocked off with the other things, so- They have no reason to believe you’d come here.”“We only need to stay for tonight.” Harry tells her. “We’ll be gone in the morning, and out of your hair.”“Your room should be open for use.” Anne says with a nod. “You have twelve hours, so use them wisely. And come see me in my study alone when you’ve settled in. I don’t like the way this love of yours is looking at me, or I’d invite him as well.”“So much for that plan.” Niall scoffs when Anne has moved out of the room. “‘She’ll have no idea. You just have to pretend to be my boyfriend.’ Fucking bullshit.”“I didn’t think Benjamin would come here.” Harry admits. “He knows that my relationship with my mother is awful.”“Let’s just get her in a bed.” Niall grunts out. “Don’t know why she’s still unconscious, so I’d like you to take a look at her before you go talk to your mother.”“Of course.” Harry says with a nod, leading Niall up the staircase. Heaton Hall is massive, and Harry always valued privacy and distance while living here, so it takes a few minutes to get back to his room, but it does give them their own space on the other end of the house from anywhere his mother haunts.There’s nothing wrong with Molly when Harry checks her out, probing at her mind with his powers. Whatever dream she’s having is good, because she seems happy.“I think she’s just exhausted from that use of her powers.” Harry explains, pushing some strands of hair out of her face where she lays on the bed. “What she did- Do you know what that was, Niall?”“A singularity.” Niall says quietly. “A black hole. A pre-rupture scientist named Einstein wrote about them. A concentration of gravity so intense that it crushes all matter into nothing, essentially.”“Molly can manipulate a primal force of nature.” Harry says, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and looking up into Niall’s eyes. “She can manipulate a law of physics, Niall. What we assumed was telekinesis- It wasn’t. She was manipulating the gravity of individual objects, and today she could have- Niall, a black hole could destroy the planet. Do you understand that?”“I understand that she’s my daughter, no matter how dangerous her powers are.” Niall growls out. “So, if you’re saying we should hand her over to-”“I’m not.” Harry says, cutting him off. “I’m saying that you need someone who can flick the off-switch in her again, if necessary. I know you think it would be best to force me to take the potion, but- You can’t handle that power. If she goes into that state again, she could kill everyone in the world if nobody can stop her. Could even you trade the world for her life?”“She’s the only thing in this world that matters to me.” Niall breathes out.“Then bring me with you.” Harry pleads. “Don’t make her live in constant fear of what her powers could do. Give her that safety net.”“And what will you do if I don’t?” Niall asks, folding his arms over his chest.“I- I’ll do to you what I did to her, and I’ll feed you the potion while you’re out.” Harry tells him. “I will take your memories of her if you try to leave here with nothing to shut her down.”“Try me.” Niall snarls, reaching towards his back.Harry has him down on the ground in an instant, cradling the ball of swirling light and dark that constitutes Niall’s entire being between his hands. He holds it reverently, unlike he did with Nick, and he can’t stop himself from reaching to touch it with the edge of his finger and letting it flow into him.There’s so much in there. So much pain and rage and fear. So much loss and grief and love. Images flicker through his mind, and feelings match them. Molly is at the center of them all, and Harry feels like his heart might explode from the purity of Niall’s love for her. It’s so intense that Harry feels how Niall uses it to galvanize himself. It’s his greatest weapon.The lads flicker through, and each of them has a burst of joy with them that he can’t hide in this state. It’s love in it’s most beautiful form, even if it’s not as all-consuming as what Niall feels for Molly. There’s a devotion there that can’t be broken, and pain that’s nearly unbearable over what he’s done. Hope for them hasn’t died, and Harry won’t let it, if he can help it.The man the golem in the gym was modeled after comes next, and there’s fury unmatched by anything Harry has ever known gathered around him like storm clouds. There’s a big man, bigger than big with a kind smile and compassion etched into his eyes, and heartbreak clings to his image like a shroud.A profile view of Barbara, or the woman he assumes is Molly’s mother from the golem incident, is all Harry gets, but the confusion of love and hate and pain hovering around her turns her into nothing more than a silhouette.But another thing catches him off guard. He’d expected hate and rage when he found himself in Niall’s soul, but that’s not what’s there. Not entirely. Those feelings are muted, falling secondary to confusion and pain and a spark of something that makes Harry’s eyes tear up.Love.It’s small, bombarded by everything else that Niall feels when he looks at Harry, but it’s there. A spark inside a growing flame that Harry wants to burn him alive.He frees himself from the spell and pushes Niall’s soul back into its rightful place, weaving a sign to keep Niall from feeling the effects on his body too badly.“I really fucking hate you.” Niall grunts out, glaring feebly up at Harry.And maybe that’s true, on some level, but Harry has to keep the full truth of that to himself right now. Niall will definitely kill him for having done what he did.“I’ll protect her, Niall.” Harry murmurs, crouching down and touching his cheek gently. “But I won’t let you make a decision that could destroy the world.”“I was going to say yes, fucker.” Niall groans, going lax on the floor. “At least now I know you can actually do something in combat besides let me kick your arse.”“I told you that I never used the full extent of my powers on you.” Harry says with a soft smile. “I was an EMIA agent, after all. I have some skills, even if I’m not a match for the Demon of London in hand-to-hand combat.”“Yeah, yeah.” Niall sighs, smacking Harry’s hand away. “Go talk to your mother. I’ll be busy picking up the broken pieces of my pride.”“Better get that over with.” Harry agrees with a nod. “She’ll give me frostbite on my toes if I keep her much longer. However, I think we both know you’re going to sneak down and listen in on the conversation, so you might as well just come with me. The house can get a bit confusing, and I don’t want you getting lost.”He has nothing to hide. He has to lay everything on the line to prove to Niall where his loyalties lie.“Can’t even pretend to let me get away with it, can you?” Niall huffs, pushing himself up into a sitting position.“You’d know I could feel you, even if you did sneak down.” Harry says with a shrug. “Why should either of us pretend in this situation? I trust you, Niall, even if you don’t trust me. But I need you to not take any action down there. Whatever she says, you can’t do anything, or I’ll drop you again before you can get in the room, and if that happens for too long- Well- Let’s just say that what you’re feeling physically right now might be on the permanent side. Molly needs you at your best, so don’t let your emotions get the better of you.”“Not sure I want to take on someone like your mother when I feel like I’ve been hit with a car, so that shouldn’t be too hard.” Niall huffs, taking the hand Harry offers him to lift up off the floor.“I’ll patch you up when we get back here.” Harry offers. “For now, I think I’m good having that to hold you back, since I’ve never seen any evidence that you can do that on your own.”“I grabbed Cal’s supplies of potions, so I’ll be fine without that.” Niall mutters, turning towards the door as his emotions go muted. He’s shutting himself down, and Harry has a feeling that it has to do with what he discovered. Harry won’t press at that, though. Not yet.He’s pretty sure Niall hasn’t even figured it out for himself yet, and pushing that could kill the spark. That spark is all Harry has to cling to, and he’s not going to risk it.“If you say so.” Harry mumbles, trailing behind Niall. “Just- Give me a second.”“Why?” Niall asks, turning back towards him.“This.” Harry hums, lifting his hand to make a series of signs, pointing them at each of the walls in turn. “It’s as strong of a barrier as I can make, and it’s intertwined with an alarm spell that will let me know if anyone tries to enter this room. We have to keep Molly safe. If you’re going to follow me down there, then this is the only way to do that.”“I- I hadn’t thought of that.” Niall mumbles, shame creeping into the numbness he’s trying so hard to keep up.“Give your head a few more minutes to clear up.” Harry says softly, patting him on the shoulder. “What I did can mess with your brain a bit, but I did my best to counteract the effects of it.”“Fucker.” Niall reiterates his sentiment from earlier, turning back to the door and walking out.Harry seals things up behind them without comment. It takes Niall a minute to realize that he doesn’t know where they’re going and embarrassment burns in his gut a little as Harry leads them wordlessly back through a couple of the hallways they’d walked through while he was attempting to lead the way. Harry wordlessly parks Niall next to a vent a little bit down the hall from the door to the study, where the maids won’t find him suspicious.“Behave.” Harry says with a playful smile. It’s not returned.“How is she?” is the first thing that Anne asks when Harry makes his way into the room and closes the door behind him. She’s pouring tea, like she’d known exactly when Harry would get here.“Exhausted.” Harry tells her, walking forward to take his seat across from her. “She has access to a level of power most witches could only dream of, but it takes a lot of energy to expend it.”“How has a mage survived to that age?” Anne asks, pushing a cup towards Harry and leaning back in her chair with her own. “From everything we’ve gathered, most mages die in infancy.”“She’s- Her mother left a suppressive charm on her that was bound to a necklace.” Harry explains, taking a drink of his tea. “It teleported back to her neck whenever it was taken off, and also had a host of other protective charms. I can’t tell if she knew about Molly’s powers or not, because- Well, because Niall doesn’t exactly love magic, so it might have been a failsafe in case she ever developed powers. She just happened to be that one in a billion who’s born as something more than a witch.”“She’s definitely more than a witch, from what I was told and shown of her powers.” Anne hums in agreement. “She’s capable of destroying entire countries, or possibly even the planet if her powers grow unchecked.”“That’s what I’m for.” Harry says with a humorless smile. “Always the off-switch. A built-in safety net.”“There’s another option.” Anne says, setting down her cup of tea. “You can turn them in.”“No.” Harry says firmly. “That is not an option. Not in any way.”“We could negotiate a deal for her life.” Anne tells him. “Convince them to train her into a weapon, or run experiments since she’s the first ever mage taken alive, instead of killing her. Her father would be imprisoned, but I think we could even arrange visitations.”“I said that that isn’t an option.” Harry growls out.“She’d be the exact nail in the coffin I need to bury the empress, Harry.” Anne says quietly. “With her, I could destroy what’s left of the empress’ reputation and take the throne. If you agree to this plan, then I’d release the father and her shortly after my ascension.”“No.” Harry says firmly.“Good.” Anne hums, the slightest smile painting across her features.“What?” Harry asks, confusion seeping through his skin and into his bones.“I have no interest in aiding and abetting in the torture of a child any more than I do the murder of one.” Anne tells him, bringing her leg up and crossing it over the other. “I just wanted to be sure that you’re ready to take on what you’re doing. Harry, you’re- You’re impulsive, and emotional, and you make bad decisions. You’re the kind of boy who would manage to fall in love with the father of the one provable case of a mage in history. Your soul is too pure, no matter the stains on it, for this world. If you believe this is the right course of action, it probably is. I will ascend some other way. The girl is better off with you than with Benjamin.”The words have barely finished coming from her mouth when something pings at the back of Harry’s mind and he jumps out of his seat.“Where are the maids?” Harry asks, looking to his mother frantically. “Are there any other people in the house besides us?”“I sent the whole staff off when Benjamin arrived.” Anne says, her eyebrows crinkling. “Nick was here, and he made them all feel uncomfortable.”“And did you keep them all in your line of sight when they were here?” Harry questions. “Nick in particular.”“He insisted on searching the premises himself.” Anne says quietly. “But I saw him leave.”“Fucking clones!” Harry hisses out, turning on his heel and running out of the study.Niall jumps to his feet when he sees Harry sprint into the hallway, and makes no move to argue when Harry grabs him by the wrist as he heads towards his bedroom as fast as he can.“You’d better be ready, because we’re going to need the demon.” Harry grunts out, leading him up the stairs.As fast as they move, it’s not fast enough. Harry feels his barrier come undone, and his legs pump all the faster for it.Nick is already holding Molly in one arm when they get into the room, his hand holding a dagger that hovers above her heart.“Harold!” Nick says with a beaming grin. “It’s been too long, love. I’ve missed you. You never call. You never write. A lad might think you don’t love him.”“Let her go!” Niall snarls out, taking a step forward.“Stop right there, Mister Rude.” Nick hums, pressing the dagger into Molly’s skin just enough to make a dot of red bead up onto the surface. “I’m trying to have a conversation, if you don’t mind.”Niall’s hands move to his back and grip the handles of his daggers, but he doesn’t draw them out or make any further moves.“I didn’t take you for seeking out someone so submissive, Harry.” Nick giggles, the sound like breaking glass. “I thought that would be your role. But maybe I’ve had an effect on you after all.”Harry looks down to Niall’s hands, noticing a gesture that Niall makes, pointing his finger towards his head. God, he hopes he’s getting this right.“Don’t be mad at me if this isn’t what you wanted.” Harry says into Niall’s mind after weaving a quick sign to allow minimal telepathy between them.“I need you to cast a steel-skin charm on Molly.” Niall says, and it’s a grunt, even in his head. “I’m going to make my move in five seconds, and I need you to have her protected before then. I- I have to trust you with this, Harry. Right now, that is next to impossible, but I have no other choice.”“Go.” Harry tells him mentally, his hand already weaving the sign.Niall is off like a rocket, his body moving at a speed Harry can barely track as he shoots across the room. Luckily, his magic is faster. Nick’s blade skids off of Molly’s skin as he tries to plunge it into her, and the momentary shock of it gives Niall the opportunity to do something crazy and unexpected from every person in the room.He tackles Nick backwards through the window, Molly still wrapped up between them, and they plunge thirty feet downwards to the lawn below. Harry barely manages to weave a sign in time to let him grab Molly with telekinesis, pulling her out from between them and setting her down softly on the grass. Niall isn’t so lucky.Nick landed beneath him and took most of the impact, but Niall isn’t exactly at his best right now. Still, he manages to roll backwards and climb to his feet before Harry jumps out of the window and casts a spell to soften his landing. Nick is up before Harry can reach Molly, but his eyes are locked on Niall now.“I think it’s time I took the rest of your fingers.” Niall growls out, pulling his daggers from his back. These are the real ones, the curved, fanglike blades etched with runes to make them unbreakable and able to deflect magic.These are the weapons of the Demon of London.Nick’s eyes glimmer in recognition, and a maniacal grin spreads over his face. Harry had hoped that Niall wouldn’t reveal his status, because it’s absolutely the wrong tactic here. Nick isn’t afraid of the Demon of London, he’s obsessed with him. Nick has spent the last six years hunting and scouring for the Demon, wanting nothing more than a rematch.He doesn’t care if he wins or loses, or even if he dies.“Yes!” Nick screams into the air of the night, howling the word like a wolf calling to the moon. “Harry, you have been so kind to me!”Their eyes meet across the space between them, and the pure insanity in Nick’s gaze sends a shiver down his spine.“Don’t interfere.” Niall says loudly, aiming the words at Harry. “Just keep her safe. He’s mine unless he comes for Molly.”“Who wants a child when I finally have the Demon in my grasp?” Nick cackles, his voice a shriek that bounces off the walls of the manor and the hills of the land around them. His hand weaves a sign to ignite a fireball, and Nick manipulates the air it’s burning to turn it into a dragon made of flames, curling around him.Niall moves at him without hesitation, taking off with that same speed from before that feels almost magical. Harry has seen Niall fight, has been on the receiving end of his strikes and watched in awe from the corner of the gym while Niall fought the golems, but this is something else. This is Niall when he’s letting himself be a weapon, rather than controlling himself, and it’s well and truly the most terrifying thing Harry has ever seen.Nick launches the dragon at him, and Niall drops down to slide underneath it, lopping pieces off of it with his daggers. Nick seems far more focused on playing at the moment, though, and doesn’t use his usual tactic of distraction, favoring keeping the dragon together and reforming what Niall has cut off.It winds back around like a snake, but Niall is already on his feet. It’s like watching a dance, the way that it springs at him, and the way that Niall reflects it in a tornado of blade strikes that Harry can’t keep up with. Everything moves to fast, a swirling torrent of blows that seem impossibly fast, underscored by Nick’s sociopathic laughter ringing through the air.But Nick is a trickster, and Harry sees through his plot easily. Each time Niall cuts a piece off of the dragon, it falls to the ground and sets the grass ablaze. He’s keeping Niall focused up high, and making him ignore the fire spreading around him in a circle. If Niall had all of his gear, Harry is sure it wouldn’t be a problem. His suit has to be protected against things like this.But he’s just wearing cotton trousers and a beige, woolen sweater, and that’s not protected at all.“Niall!” Harry yells in Niall’s mind, trying to warn him.“I know.” Niall snarls. “He’s trying to catch me underfoot. He’s also pulling the oxygen out. I can handle it. Watch.”Niall leaps up, then. The dragon is diving straight towards him, and Niall slices through it’s body from mouth to tail, splitting it in half. It doesn’t work brilliantly, because the arms of his jumper are scorched and burning, but it ends the problem for the moment.He lands outside of the circle of flame wreathing the lawn, outside of Nick’s trap, and manages to deflect a blade of air without even looking.“You wanted the Demon, but you’re no bloody match!” Niall snarls, turning to look at Nick.“You haven’t seen anything yet, Demon!” Nick laughs in delight, stretching out his arms to form gusting whirlwinds on either side of himself.Neither of them makes the next move, though. A chill creeps through the air, and Niall barely manages to dodge out of the way as spikes of ice shoot up out of the ground towards Nick. He’s encased before he can move, frozen solid in a block that extends around him by at least a meter on any side.“I think this visit should come to an end.” Anne says harshly, laying down a spray of frost to quell the flames burning on the ground.“Mother-” Harry breathes out, gathering Molly into his arms.“Go. And take these two with you.” Anne insists, gliding easily across the grass. “All I saw was a crazy man outside my house with fire all around him. A telepath will make sure that’s all I remember, and all he does. But they will send someone soon.”“Thank you.” Niall says, stepping around the ice to make his way towards Molly.“Do not thank me, Demon.” Anne says icily, frost spears forming in the air around her. “I do this for the child, and for my son. I would just as well have your head, but there must be something redeemable in even you if my son loves you.”“You said it yourself.” Niall grunts out, taking Molly into his arms. “He’s impulsive and emotional and makes bad decisions.”“I pray that this is not one.” Anne breathes out as the pass her, and Harry can feel her heart screaming in pain. All he can do for her is take that himself.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Niall, I can drive so you can rest.” Harry insists as they peel out from the drive of Heaton park.“Just hand me the bag.” Niall tells him, nodding down to the floor by Harry’s feet. “There’s an orange vial in there. I need that.”“For your burns?” Harry questions, pulling the vial out and handing it off to Niall.“Vitality potion.” Niall says, shaking his head and downing it in one go. It tastes like oranges and alcohol and herbs, a combination that makes Niall’s stomach twitch. But it works. “Can stay awake for three days with just a bit of this.”“Niall.” Harry sighs.“You seem to be under an impression that we are equals in this situation, Harry, but we are not.” Niall growls out, his adrenaline still on a high from his fight. “I’m letting you come with us because you’re right, and Molly needs you. Do not make the mistake of thinking that this has anything to do with you, or me. I would do anything for her, and you are the only person I know who can help her right now. If we come across someone else who can step into that place, then your position in this is going to be reassessed. I do not need you, I do not trust you, and I do not feel anything for you except anger.”“I just gave up everything for you two, and you still don’t trust me?” Harry asks weakly. “I protected Molly, Niall. I will keep protecting her.”“You put her in danger by taking her there.” Niall counters. “How did you not feel him there?”“Because I’ve been partnered with him for almost three years and he must have figured out how to ward himself against that if he doesn’t want me to know he’s there!” Harry hisses. “He’s a psychopath, but he’s smart!”“You’re an agent.” Niall grunts out. “That’s all I need to know not to trust you.”“I was a goddamned mole, Niall!” Harry yells, his own anger starting to show. “I was with EMIA as a spy so that I could help my mother dethrone the empress and shut down things like the agents who hunt babies and toddlers because they’re scared of things like what Molly can do! I was never loyal to them!”“Then why did you propose staying with us instead of going back, Harry?” Niall questions with a scoff. Harry can’t possibly think he’s this stupid. “The empress is still on the throne, and your mother is still in Heaton Hall. Your job wasn’t over, so why would she let you leave?”“Because I told her I found a place where I felt like I could belong, and someone I wanted to belong to.” Harry breathes out. “I told her I fell in love, and she offered me the chance to leave.”“And that brings us to the biggest question of all, doesn’t it, Harry?” Niall mutters. “How could you possibly fall for me? I hate you, and I’ve made no secret of it. I nearly killed you in our fight. I’ve held a gun to your ribs today, and you know there wouldn’t have been any hesitation in pulling the trigger. I have never been someone you could fall in love with, nor have I set myself up as a captor that you could have caught Stockholm Syndrome for either.”“I just- Did.” Harry whispers. “I know you try to keep up this front, try to put all this hate at the surface of everything, but that’s not you, Niall. I see behind that mask you wear. You’re more than just the Demon, and your heart is- It’s beautiful, Niall.”“That’s how I know you’re lying.” Niall says, shaking his head. “The only good thing about me is Molly.”“That’s not-” Harry starts.“Don’t talk anymore, Harry.” Niall cuts him off, tapping his dagger against the wheel. “It’s already hard enough not to kill you, and, like I said, she needs you.” Molly wakes up just before they reach the docks, and Niall has never felt more relieved. He also nearly swerves off of the road when she groggily says, ‘Da?’.“Molly?” he asks when he’s managed to pull off on the side of the road and stop the car. He whips around in his seat to look back at her, and his heart expands in his chest when he sees her rubbing her fists against her eyes. “How are you feeling, lovebug?”“What happened?” Molly asks, slumping back against the seat when she finally manages to sit up.“A lot, love.” Niall says gently, reaching into the back seat to cradle her cheek in his hand. “I’ll explain it in a little bit, okay? There’s something I have to do first.”“Where are the lads?” Molly asks, looking around and only seeing Niall and Harry.“They’re- They’re not with us.” Niall breathes out.“Why?” Molly asks weakly.“I’ll explain soon.” Niall reiterates. “I promise, Molls.”“I did a bad thing, didn’t I?” Molly asks in a whisper. “My powers went out of control again, didn’t they?”“Everything is going to be okay, love.” Niall tells her. “I promise.”“But did I hurt them?” Molly asks, tears welling up in her eyes.“No.” Harry says gently. “No, Molly, you didn’t hurt the lads. You didn’t seriously hurt anyone. Your powers did go out of control, but we shut it down before it got too serious. The lads aren’t with us right now, but you didn’t hurt them.”Niall really wishes Harry would have kept his fucking mouth shut, but Molly visibly relaxes at the words, and he knows he’s probably far too tense and strung out to comfort her on his own right now. The burn marks on his arms definitely aren’t going to help her any more than they are him.They fucking hurt, actually. He really needs to apply an ointment, but he’ll do that later. Getting Molly as far away from London as he can possibly get is his only priority right now, even if the destination that he’s heading for doesn’t feel much better. Dublin is going to come with its own set of problems, but it’s his only option right now.He knows safehouses he can use in Dublin, even if he has to strong-arm his way into them, and that’ll buy him time to come up with a more long-term plan.Right now, he just needs to focus on finding an old contact he knows is still in the area. A Technophage supporter, but not member, which means that he doesn’t know Niall’s position with the group now. He doesn’t know Niall is trading on his name, even though it means nothing.“We’ll figure everything out, but first we have to get somewhere safe.” Niall adds, reaching away from Molly’s cheek to give her hand a squeeze.“What are we doing here?” Molly asks, looking out the window to see the bay. Cairnryan is a simple village, not a lot of people or buildings, but Niall just needs one man, not a city. He needs a ferryman who’ll take a bribe and won’t breathe a word about his presence. Someone who won’t draw the attention of EMIA.He needs an old friend of his father from Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy.Bobby would never admit to having let Niall off of his leash, to having lost control of the weapon he created, so Niall knows there’s no way Rory will refuse him.“We’re getting on a boat.” Niall tells her, offering a smile to try and reassure her that everything is okay. It’s not, but she doesn’t need to know that yet.“Why?” Molly asks.“Because we’re going back to the place where I come from.” Niall says quietly. “We can find help there.”“Okay.” Molly says with a nod. “And then we’ll help the lads, right?”“There’s nothing in this world that will stop me from helping them as soon as you’re safe.” Niall says with a firm nod.“Then let’s find a boat.” Molly says, her determination a reflection of Niall’s. She really is his daughter, through and through, no matter how much she looks like her mother.“Let’s find a boat.” Niall agrees with a nod, turning back to the road and pulling onto it again. “Oh, you had better have a very, very good reason for knocking on my door this early, little Horan.” Rory grunts when he sees Niall on the stoop of his house.“I need to get to Dublin.” Niall tells him. Rory didn’t bother with pleasantries, and neither will he. “As quickly as possible.”“This have anything to do with that report circulating on the radio about an attack on London?” Rory asks, stepping to the side and ushering Niall into the house. Molly and Harry are still in the truck halfway down the block, and Niall is nervous to leave them alone, but he has no other option. He can’t bring them into this place in case it doesn’t go well.“It does.” Niall says with a nod. “I know the person responsible for it, and I need to get them out of the country. We’ve already had one run in with an EMIA agent, and I can’t keep them here any longer. I have to get them to Dublin.”“That’s going to take me from my route.” Rory says with a shrug. “I can get you to Belfast.”“Dublin.” Niall says again, firmer this time, as he sets his bag on the table. It has half of the money he was originally planning to give to Harry for training Molly. “This should more than cover your lost fees, and a good bonus for getting involved.”“You must care an awful lot about this one.” Rory hums, pulling the bag closer to inspect the goods.“More than you can even imagine.” Niall says with a nod.“Would you like a cup of tea before we set off?” Rory asks, a smirk painting his lips. “Why does he keep looking at me like that?” Harry asks, leaning a bit closer to Niall.“He thinks you’re the terrorist who attacked London.” Niall says with a shrug. “Didn’t want to let him know it was Molly, if I could avoid it, so I let him draw his own conclusions.”“Oh, fuck you.” Harry scoffs, narrowing his eyes in a glare.“The ice you’re on is paper thin, Harry.” Niall says firmly, leaning against the railing of the boat. He moves with it easily, used to the rocking of the waves as if it were dry land, almost.Harry and Molly are not dealing with it as well. Molly is in the truck, her stomach only settling when she lays down and pretends she’s being driven somewhere. Harry threw up over the railing five minutes into the trip and has been green and shaky ever since.“Careful you don’t fall through.” Niall adds, turning his head out towards the open sea.“When are you going to stop punishing me?” Harry asks weakly. “Niall, I wasn’t a real agent.”“Close enough to count.” Niall scoffs.“And you’re close enough to the people who killed my sister, but you don’t see me holding you responsible.” Harry spits out, the words like acid on Niall’s skin. “You’re not some innocent little lad, Niall. You’re the second most wanted man in the empire. You are a terrorist.”“Yes I am.” Niall nods. “Because your kind wants to suppress my kind.”“That’s not me!” Harry snaps. “I am not like that, Niall! And I didn’t become an agent because I believed in the cause! I became one because I wanted to change things!”“I don’t believe-” Niall starts, but it’s all he can get out before Harry slaps a hand over his mouth.“Then see.” Harry growls out, pressing his palm to Niall’s head.The world dissolves around Niall in an instant, Harry’s pure willpower shattering through every mental barrier that Niall has in place to stop psychic attacks.
He falls backwards, dragged down into black nothingness until he lands in a room that’s familiar, and yet not, in a body much smaller than his own.
“Gemma, it hurts.” the whimper escapes his lips, but the voice is not his own. He knows who it is, though. Every fiber of his being knows that it’s Harry, even before the eyes he’s seeing through catch their reflection in the mirror.
“I know, bug.” Gemma says softly, stroking a hand through his hair. His eyes can’t look at her for too long, though. She shines brightly, beautifully, and it hurts to look directly into.
Sadness seeps through his skin, pity, and he hates it. There’s something more though. He breathes in something he can only think of as love, the way it fills him head to toe. It purifies everything twisting inside of him, writhing under his skin, and lets him slip back down into the dark.
He’s giddy now, the freshness of intimate contact being pressed into his skin between kisses that are filled with equal parts desire and laughter. It’s new, this, tentative and unfamiliar. His breathing is shaky, and there’s an innocence to the way both of them feel in this first exploration into someone else’s body, but no hesitation in the touches they burn into each other’s skin.
“Xan- Do- Do you love me?” the words tumble weakly from between his lips in a brief moment of parting from the other lad’s.
He already knows the answer, though, and the lie that comes in response are the words he wants to hear, so he lets them mask themselves as truth and lead him further down a path he knows he shouldn’t travel.
He blinks between breaths, and the world is moving in slow motion around him, fire and fury swirling together in a mess that make him want to scream into eternity. Rubble and hate are flying through the air, but he only has one thing his mind can focus on.
Power pulses between his fingers, clawing against the torrent of fear pushing into him like a tsunami, and his fingers instinctively move with only one intention. It pushes forward, shimmering light to protect her, but it can’t move fast enough against the tidal wave of rage that consumes her and hides her from his vision.
The world spins around, upends his sure feet to delay him. He won’t let it work, though. He’ll get to her, and she’ll be okay. She has to be okay.
She’s not, in the end. That beautiful light is gone when he cradles her face in his hands. It’s been blotted out with soot and sin and hate and fear, and he loses all control, turning all of that back on those who are screaming around him, pulling it all out until there’s nothing left but himself in a vortex of pain and fear and death.
It doesn’t accept his screams.
The screams are still ringing in his ears, no matter what he does. Voices- whimpers- sobs- They haunt his every hour, only drowning out when he indulges the ghost of her and soaks in the leftover love he can find in her absence. It still clings to the place, or maybe the place clings to it. Her beauty and light glimmer from surfaces dotted around, and he passes his hand over them to let it fill him for just a moment before they push their way back in, refusing to let the light be any more than a lantern in the darkness that can only flicker weakly, and he’s running out of fuel.
“He’ll see you as something to hunt, rather than someone who can control him.” She says.
“You’re too weak.” is what she means.
He is. He was too weak to save the one link between them. He’s too weak to let the screams continue, so he’s sealed them off inside of him, bringing them out only when he needs to remember what he’s done. He lets it permeate all of him, filling the cracks in his bones to remind himself what hate really is, because he deserves it. He knows he deserves it. He’s just too weak to handle it.
But he’ll be strong for her. She deserves nothing less.
An ice crystal in the air flashes, blinds the one working eye he has, and then transforms into a ball of nothing more than selfishness that he pushes away from himself in disgust so it can return to the one it belongs to. His stomach churns at it, at himself, but nothing makes him feel worse than those words.
“You’re going to fit in just fine.”
He has to shut his eyes because the shiver running fingers down his spine is stronger than him.
It’s a moment, simple and free, when he opens his eyes. His chest is filled with something light, something pure. He sees himself, his real self, lying tired on the bed, wanting nothing more than to be alone and sleeping. But his hand reaches out. Offers comfort underneath biting words, and that comfort is gladly taken. Their fingers curl around each other, and it feels real. It feels right. It feels like the only thing he wants, even though he can’t have it.
He can have rest, though, and he takes that when it’s offered too.
Waking up is like taking his first breath all over, a violent act of self-insertion into the world, declaring his place in it and taking what he needs. In this moment, all he needs is air, and he gulps it down greedily to fill lungs different than those he’d had only a moment ago.“What the fuck was that?” Niall wheezes out between breaths, backing against the wall to support a back too shaken to stand on its own.“Me.” Harry breathes out, tears rimming eyes that won’t meet Niall’s. “That was me, Niall. That was my life, my truth. I don’t- I don’t know what all you saw, because I couldn’t control it, but I know you felt it. I know you felt how I exist. It isn’t to hurt you, or Molly. I don’t- I never wanted any of this to happen.”“Get the fuck away from me.” Niall whispers, his hand gripping around the dagger at his back to anchor himself into the moment. He sees the hurt there, when those green and grey eyes finally look up to remind him there’s a spectrum out there, not just the black and white he shrouds himself in.Niall needs that black and white, though. Nothing makes sense without it. He can’t make heads from tails or right from wrong without a singular, ultimate dichotomy.So he’s glad when Harry walks away and takes that green and grey with him, along with any other color he could possibly provide like the rose pink of his lips or the chocolate brown of his hair or the pale red of his flush.That spectrum is wrong for Niall. Niall half expected to find a squad of agents when they get to the docks in Dublin. Rory may be a friend of Bobby, but Bobby doesn’t exactly inspire loyalty. Awe? Sure. Fear? Definitely. But not loyalty. He prefers more Machiavellian methods for controlling his people.There’s nobody there, though. Nobody who notices them, at least. They drive the truck off the ferry, and there’s no fanfare. Nobody cares to pay attention to them, regardless of the color Harry’s wearing, or the burns and holes on Niall’s arms, or Molly’s soiled, pink dress.They should have changed on the ferry. Niall brought as much as he could for them from the house, clothing for them both, and books and toys for Molly. He’s done what little he could to lessen the shock for her, the pain of having her home taken from her. But he can’t even bring himself to tell her that that’s the case, yet.He doesn’t want to think of what he’s done to her, or to the lads. He can’t fucking bear it.So he hasn’t been able to get himself to dig through the bags and pull out a piece of their old life, the one he’s had to kill.And that’s not even starting on the way Niall hasn’t been able to breathe properly since what Harry did. The entire ferry ride has had him shaken down to his core, left him spinning to the point that he can’t catch his bearings. His hands are still burning from flames he’s never touched, and echoes from voices of dead he’s never known are ringing in his ears when he doesn’t focus hard enough on blocking it out.He doesn’t want to believe a word that Harry has said, but he knows. He knows there’s truth in them. Harry opened himself up like a book, and Niall read it. The truth of things has been laid bare to him, but it doesn’t want to process.Or maybe he just doesn’t want to process it.“Do you know where you’re going?” Harry asks, his voice gravelly from tears he must have shed out of Niall’s sight.“Know this city like the back of my hand.” Niall tells him roughly, only keeping his voice from having more of an edge because curious ears are now tuning in from the back.It’s the truth, but it’s not the whole thing. Niall knows where some safe-houses were, but he can’t guarantee they’re still there. He can’t guarantee they aren’t in use. He can’t guarantee that if he ran into someone from that life, they wouldn’t tell Bobby.There’s only one place he knows that he’s safe. He has to go to Camden.The thought of it makes him sick to his stomach, but Bressie is the only one Niall trusts. He didn’t agree with Bobby’s methods back before Niall left, and things between them may have gotten messed up, but he knows Bressie wouldn’t agree with the extremes Bobby has started to resort to in the last few years.He just hopes Bressie won’t turn him away again.Heartbreak is the lowest thing on his list of priorities at the moment. Besides, it’s been seven years. He’s sure it won’t hurt that bad to see Bressie again. Niall has grown since then, fallen in love since then. He’s lived a life since then. It definitely won’t still hurt.That’s what he tells himself, anyways.And yet, parking in front of Camden pub brings a pain in his chest that makes Harry look over at him curiously.“Stay out here, and stay low.” Niall tells the two of them. “Don’t draw any attention to yourselves. I’ll be back out in a minute.”The walk to the door from the truck is a journey Niall never thought that he’d make again, and the ground feels unfamiliar beneath his feet. The weight of the door is foreign as he opens it with the spare key he finds still hidden behind a cracked brick like it always has been, though he’s pulled it open so many times before. This isn’t his home anymore. It hasn’t been for a long time.And yet- the warmth that spreads through him at the sight of the man behind the bar is all too familiar for him.“Didn’t expect to see you again, wee one.” Bressie says with a soft smile, putting down the rag in his hand on the counter. “You’ve grown up.”“Hey, big guy.” Niall breathes out, closing the door behind himself. “I need your help.”“Then you’ll have it.” Bressie says, his eyes solemn and kind.Yeah, Niall can still trust him. That much, at least, hasn’t changed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“He’s huge.” Molly whispers, awe leaking out of her in buckets. Harry has to admit that he’s right there beside her.Though that has less to do with the guy’s sheer size, and a bit more to do with the fact that Harry recognizes him. He’d seen him in Niall’s soul, seen him and the heartbreak he symbolizes to Niall. This man with the impossibly kind eyes is one of the only people in Niall’s entire life to elicit any sense of vulnerability.“Molly.” Niall says with a sigh. He’s exhausted, mentally and physically, and Harry wants nothing more than to hold him and let him breathe. He can’t do that, though.Because Niall doesn’t trust him, and Harry probably didn’t do himself any favors forcing his powers on Niall. That was a mistake, and he knows it. He didn’t even know he could do that until he was doing it. It just suddenly occurred to him in the moment, like an epiphany. Niall is shaken, confused, and he’s fighting his heart now. Harry had hoped that it would help, spreading himself open like one of those books Niall loves so much, letting him read part of Harry’s story, but that wasn’t the time or the way.“And you’re even more of a wee one than your da was.” Bressie hums, crouching down to get as close to her level as he can. There’s nothing but warmth coming from him, a fondness for little girl he’s never met. He’s got a soul like Gemma, and it makes it very hard for Harry to hate him.Hard, but not impossible.“You’ve known Niall since he was six, then?” Harry asks, a bit more harshly than is probably necessary. He can’t help it though. Niall is comfortable with this man in a way he isn’t with Harry. Even though his heart is crying inside of him, he trusts this man in a way Harry doesn’t think will ever happen for him.“Since he was about eight, actually.” Bressie hums. “A bit older than the little miss, here.”“And how old were you?” Harry questions.“Twenty-one.” Bressie answers, peering up at Harry curiously.Harry scoffs in response, but says nothing about how creepy it is that they’ve been lovers when he was an adult that knew Niall as a small child. Niall’s elbow meeting his ribs assures it stays that way.“And who are you?” Bressie asks Harry, returning to his full height.“That’s- Not a conversation we should have here.” Niall says, stepping in before Harry has a chance to make any snarky remarks. “I- Can we go to the cave?”“Not a friendly visit home then.” Bressie says with a teasing smile, shaking his head. “You know the way. I’ll meet you down there when I can. I have to get someone to cover up here.”“Is anyone there?” Niall questions.“It’s empty for now.” Bressie assures him. “And I won’t tell anyone you’re here.”“He’ll know.” Niall mutters, taking Molly’s hand in his own. “He always does.”“Maybe.” Bressie says gently, putting his hand on Niall’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze that makes comfort blossom along Niall’s spine. “But we’ll deal with that if it happens. No use putting the cart before the horse. Or the ass, in this case.”It makes Niall let out a surprised laugh, genuine and full of delight.Harry really does not care for this man.“Listen, Mister Brisket-” Harry says, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible so that they can’t tell he’s being rude intentionally.“Bressie.” he corrects with a smile, not even annoyed. Asshole.“Yeah.” Harry says with a nod. “We could really use a place to clean up. Niall needs his burns dressed. We need to sleep, and probably eat. Is there a safe place we can go to that isn’t a cave?”“Fucking hell.” Niall sighs.“Just show him, wee one.” Bressie hums, pressing a kiss to the top of Niall’s head then pushing him towards a hallway.Harry follows after Niall, making no move to help carry any of the mass of bags he’s dragging with him. He’s not exactly in the most generous of moods. He does carry Molly though, when she reaches up for him. At least one of the Horans is still willing to show they give a damn about him.“My tummy still hurts.” Molly mumbles, leaning her head on Harry’s shoulder.“Mine too.” Harry says with a soft laugh, rubbing at her back. “We aren’t as good at riding on boats as your da, I guess.”“Yeah.” Molly says with a nod against Harry’s neck. “He’s pretty cool, isn’t he? He’s good at a lot of things.”“You don’t know the half of it, ladybug.” Harry hums. She hasn’t seen the true extent of Niall’s abilities at all. If she had, then Bressie’s size would be the least of the things that would inspire her awe. But, to her, he’s just her da, and that makes him pretty amazing anyways.“Can you open this door for me?” Niall asks, nodding his head to his side and lifting his arms to show he can’t do it himself.“Sure.” Harry says with a nod, reaching out the hand he isn’t using to open the handle. He waits for Niall to walk into the room, and then follows.He can’t figure out why Niall brought them here, though. It’s a store room, filled with racks and racks of things for the pub in the front. There are glasses, plates, and boxes of ingredients.“Don’t stand there.” Niall grunts out, moving Harry back with an arm after he drops the bags.Harry doesn’t understand why until Niall is grabbing onto one of the shelving units on the corner and begins pulling it towards himself. The wall comes away with it, and Harry’s jaw drops at the staggering amount of strength on display. For Niall to do that at all is impressive, even once Harry notices the wheel under one side of the shelf. For him to do it in his current state, suffering from the injuries he has and with his exhaustion-He really is remarkable.There’s an even smaller chamber behind the wall that Niall exposes, ushering them into the space. He grabs the bags and follows them in, using a hatch on the inside of the wall to pull the shelf back. Once it closes, they’re plunged into darkness for just a moment before light flickers on above them, and the floor shifts.They start moving downwards, underneath the pub, and Harry realizes the chamber is a lift. This place is much, much more than it seems.Niall seemed confident and comfortable upstairs, but his emotions start to twist once they’re in the elevator. Fear flickers in his gut, and Harry can tell he’s trying to suppress it, but it isn’t working. He reaches out his hand towards Niall, tries to comfort him, but Niall pulls away.“It’s okay, da.” Molly says softly, reaching out her hand and pressing her small palm to Niall’s cheek.“I know, lovebug.” Niall says with a weak smile. “I just don’t like small spaces. It’ll be okay in a minute.Harry has a feeling it’s more than that. There’s a growing sense of unease coming from him as they get further down, and it doesn’t feel like fear. Not a current one. More like the memory of fear, and the things that caused it. Niall doesn’t care much for this place, even though he was fine upstairs.Maybe it’s less about where, though, and more about who he was with.Bressie doesn’t seem unkind in any way. The love he has for Niall is obvious, not only in their interactions, but in the immediate fondness he had for Molly as well. He’s got a gentle soul of the kind that Harry doesn’t come across often. Gemma had one. Molly has one. Luke has one. And now Bressie.Niall seems to attract them to himself.But the heartbreak Harry feels from Niall’s chest when it comes to Bressie has to have a source. Harry has seen into his soul, and there’s something still so incredibly strong about those feelings. It hurts him to be around Bressie, even though it also makes him happy.And then Harry remembers something that Niall had told him. That someone had convinced Niall to leave Ireland and the life his father was trying to force him into, and they had broken his heart in the process. It’s obvious that person is Bressie. What occurs to Harry is that Bressie had to convince Niall to leave.Bressie was enough of a reason for Niall to stay because he loved him that much.That thought is painful. Because Niall was willing to stay in the depths of his trauma for Bressie, but he can’t even admit to himself that he loves Harry. It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a day since Harry had thought that he was going to have to forget about Niall altogether, and now he’s all Harry has left to cling to. Him, and Molly. And only Molly will actually look at him anymore.“Oh, wow.” Molly breathes out when the lift comes to a stop and reveals the place Niall must have been referring to when he’d said ‘the cave’. Harry has to admit that he shares the sentiment.The room directly outside of the lift is massive, a vaulted ceiling towering above them only increasing the size. It’s filled with different things, cordoned off in different sections. Half of the room is like Niall’s gym, but with sparring dummies and boxes that Harry recognizes as golem chambers. Another part is set up as a living area, complete with a kitchen and dining table that is surprisingly large. The rest of the room is taken up by a series of crystal monitors linked into machines that Harry is completely unfamiliar with.There’s information scrawled all across the crystal screens, but Niall notices Harry looking and hits a button near himself that makes all the monitors go blank. Harry is baffled by these more than anything, including this place even existing, because Niall seems to know exactly what they are and what their purpose is, but Harry has never seen anything like them. Crystal tablets are common in government agencies, and they’re able to pull information from a network crystal located nearby. He can’t see anything like that here, though, and he wonders if the machines function as the replacement. They’re also controlled by the government, which seems like a bad idea if this place is what Harry thinks it is.“If you’re a double agent, I will make you regret it in ways you can’t even imagine.” Niall whispers in Harry’s ear, and it only confirms his theory.This place is the headquarters for the Technophage in Dublin.“There are bedrooms down this hallway, and communal showers at the end.” Niall says, heading down one of the many halls that branch off of the main chamber, and Harry wonders just how big this place really is. “Harry, you stay in this one. Molly, come with me. I’m going to show you our room.”“We have to share?” Molly asks with a whine.“Yes, love, we do.” Niall chuckles. “I don’t know how many people are living here right now, so I don’t want to take up any more space than necessary.”“Okay.” Molly sighs, shuffling behind Niall when he keeps travelling down the hall.Harry enters the room that Niall had indicated for him, and it’s hard to imagine any child growing up in an environment like this. The walls are bare, grey stone. There’s a bed in the middle of the wall opposite, and a small table to the side of it. The only other feature in the room, other than the light from a crystal overhead, is a small wardrobe. It reminds Harry eerily of Niall’s room back in Saint Martine.But there’s nobody’s things in the room, so Harry takes that as permission to drop down onto the thin mattress and curl up so that he can let sleep take him. Harry has no idea how long he’s been asleep when he finally manages to rouse himself, but he doesn’t hear any other voices in the place when he steps out into the hall, so it can’t have been too long. He has half a mind to explore the base, but he has a feeling that he’s not going to do himself any favors with that. Niall may have an ancillary need for him in controlling Molly’s powers, but the others aren’t going to trust a witch like him. Especially since Niall will no doubt let them know he was an agent, and therefore isn’t to be trusted.So he decides to clean himself up instead. He feels disgusting, covered in sweat and grime from exertion. He hasn’t had a chance to do anything to take care of himself in the last day. He hasn’t eaten either, but that’s not his primary concern. It’s also probably not a good idea to go rooting around for food for the same reasons as exploring.Niall said that the communal showers were at the end of the hall, so that’s where Harry heads, wrapped up in his own thoughts. It isn’t until he gets inside that he feels Niall, and there’s not really any turning back once he’s walked in.“You should have taken care of those before.” Harry mumbles, watching Niall apply some kind of salve to the burn marks on his arms. His face is like stone, but Harry can feel the pain it’s causing to even touch them. “You’ve given his magic too much time to take root. It’ll take more time than normal for those to heal, even with one of Cal’s potions.”“I’m aware of how magical injuries work.” Niall mutters.“Then you’re also aware of the fact that Nick used his aerokinesis to implant carbon dioxide in your cells and make them turn necrotic from the inside out, I assume?” Harry asks with a scoff, turning towards the wall of showers and stripping off his shirt. “And that if there’s any lithium nitride in those potions that it’ll cause the carbon dioxide to convert to a solid material that your body will have to fully remove before it can even start? Since you seem to know everything, I presume that’s the case.”“It’s all I have.” Niall huffs, shooting a glare at Harry that he feels, rather than sees.“It’s not, actually.” Harry says, dropping his trousers to the ground and stepping up to one of the faucets. “You could ask me to draw that out for you, but that would require you to trust me in the slightest.”The water isn’t warm, but it’s not freezing either. Harry weaves a sign to warm himself, in replacement for the water, and another to remove any dirtiness from his body. He could clean himself with magic alone, but it never feels quite as good as a shower.“Don’t see any reason to risk you shoving any of those solid materials into my bloodstream and letting it go to my brain and killing me.” Niall scoffs.“I’m sure you know now, for a fact, that I could kill you at any moment, Niall.” Harry hums, turning away from the faucet so that he can soak his hair. “What I did to you at Heaton is nothing compared to what I’m capable of. You saw that much at least, I’m sure. I could do it here and now, and there’s nothing you could do to stop me. I could pull your soul out, and no gun or knife in your gear bag could stop that from happening.”“Every magic has a weakness.” Niall growls out.“That’s true.” Harry nods, looking across the room to finally let their eyes meet. “And mine has plenty. But there’s none you could exploit to stop me from killing you. Not even you can generate enough rage to slow that process down long enough to stop me from doing it to you. If a hundred people in the most heightened emotional state possible couldn’t, then you alone damn well can’t.”“And is you threatening me supposed to make me trust you?” Niall asks with a snarl.“It’s supposed to make you realize that, if I wanted to kill you, I could have literally done it at literally any second since we’ve met.” Harry says with a shrug. “But I wouldn’t, and you know that I wouldn’t. You just refuse to acknowledge that truth.”“Then just fucking get over here and do it.” Niall mutters, dropping his hand away from the burn.“No.” Harry refuses, shaking his head. “I said you could ask. If you can’t be bothered to say ‘please’ for once, then you can suffer whatever Nick put into you.”“Cunt.” Niall huffs.“I gave up everything, Niall.” Harry bites out, shutting the faucet off. He waves a sign over his body to dry the water, keeping it from making him freeze in his state of undress. “Everything. I don’t regret that. I’d do it all over again, if I had to make that choice. But I’m not going to sit here and continue to be disrespected and dehumanized by you constantly. I thought showing you my soul and my past would give you some clue as to who I am, would get you to see that I’m a fucking person just like you and Molly and Bressie and the lads and everyone else you’ve ever cared about, but my fucking blood and my fucking job are all you can see. Your father raised you to be a bigot, and that’s all you have in you.”“I fell in love with a witch, if you’re fucking forgetting.” Niall says angrily, standing up off of the counter he was leaning against. “Fucking two of them, actually. And my daughter is one too. I’m not a bigot. I just fucking know better when it comes to witches like you.”“You don’t know anything about me, Niall.” Harry grits out, Niall’s anger only serving to fuel Harry’s own and setting him on a path forward across the room. “Because you never wanted to learn anything about me. You’ve seen my past as I experienced it, felt my life in a way that nobody else ever has, and you still don’t know me at all. You only see what you want to see. Everything is so fucking black and white to you, because you’re too much of a coward to see anything else. Too stuck in whatever your father ingrained in you to even try.“And don’t pull that ‘I’ve loved witches’ shite with me. You suppressed Molly’s powers for her entire life, which is what put you in this position in the first place. You fell in love with Barbara because she was beautiful and you were young and heartbroken and trying to escape what your father did to you. Cal can’t manifest, or you would have stayed away from him too. You’re terrified of us, because that’s what he wanted you to be. We’re monsters in your eyes, not people, unless that’s what you want to see. And you can with all of them, but not me. Heaven fucking forbid that you just see me as human.”“They don’t hunt children down to help their bitch of a mother stage a coup for the throne.” Niall throws at him icily. “They didn’t kill a hundred people at once. They aren’t monsters.”“I was there to stop Nick from killing the children!” Harry snarls, gripping Niall’s arm right on top of one of the burns. He hisses and tries to twist away, but Harry refuses to let loose his grip. “I’d knock him out and plant false memories in his head, letting the children escape with their families! And you really don’t want to mention what happened when Gemma died ever again, because you’re not the only one that can make someone suffer in ways they’d never imagined. Want to feel some of those souls that are trapped inside me from that day? I can put them all into your head for a while if you’re interested!”Niall’s eyes go wide at that, a spike of panic shooting through his gut and straight into Harry’s, and then it’s followed by regret.“I- I’m sorry.” Niall mutters, dropping his eyes to the ground. “You’re right. That was too far.”“Everything you have done and said to me since this started has been too far, Niall.” Harry says harshly, releasing Niall’s arm. “Now fucking say ‘please’.”“Please.” Niall sighs out on a breath. It’s more than Harry’s gotten since they were in London, so it’ll just have to do.“This isn’t going to feel good.” Harry huffs, holding his hands up. “Normally I’d do a numbing spell, but you’re an arsehole, and I’m not going to.”“Fucking hell!” Niall screams as Harry’s spell takes effect, blood rushing out of the pores around the burn. The scarring is too intense to pull it through there without causing even more pain, and Harry’s not that sadistic or masochistic. Niall needs to feel some repercussions for the things he’s done, though, so Harry just sets his jaw and deals with the pain that courses into him.“You’ve been hurt worse.” Harry says flatly, pulling all of the foreign material out of Niall’s arm and condensing it into a ball that he sets on the counter. “Turn.”“Fuck!” Niall grunts out, clearly not any more amused with the situation than he was before. He manages to stifle the noise better, but he still feels it just as strongly.Harry sets the second ball on the counter and turns away to go get redressed, saying, “Now you should be good to put on that potion.”“Thank you.” Niall mumbles, his emotions a muddy smear that Harry has no interest in interpreting at the moment. “You didn’t have to do that.”“No, I didn’t.” Harry agrees, pulling on his trousers. “I didn’t have to warn you that EMIA would be on their way, or come with you, or offer to stay as Molly’s leash, either. I didn’t have to give up everything for you, Niall, but I did. So, remember that before you keep taking shots at me, because I may decide to just walk away.”“You wouldn’t.” Niall says quietly. “You wouldn’t let Molly pose that kind of risk.”“I don’t have anything left to lose except you two, remember?” Harry says, grabbing his shirt off of the floor. “So, what happens when you keep taking that further and further away from me? I’m not asking you to love me, Niall. I’m not even asking you to like me. Just treat me like a fucking person.”Niall doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t argue, but he doesn’t agree either. It’s not exactly progress by any stretch of the imagination, but maybe it’s a bit of a pump on the brakes in the decline they’ve been in.All Harry knows is that he doesn’t want to be in this room anymore, so he walks straight out and runs face first into Bressie’s chest.“There you are.” Bressie hums, a kind smile etched into the set of his mouth. It seems permanent, from what Harry has seen. He hates it. “I’ve brought down some food for the three of you. It looks like Molly is sleeping, and I can’t find the wee one, but it’s on the table in the main area if you’re hungry.”“Thanks.” Harry says with a stiff nod.“And there’s some new clothes out there for you.” Bressie adds. “Some things that’ll help you blend in more if you go upstairs, you understand?”“Beige, black and white.” Harry sighs. “Thanks. Don’t think this one shirt I have left would have let me blend in much.”“Not around here.” Bressie agrees with a chuckle. “Can you let the wee one know that I need to see him whenever you get a chance?”“He’s in there.” Harry mutters, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. “Have fun.”He walks away after that, because he honestly doesn’t think he can deal with seeing those two together again right now. He’s scraped raw and ragged from the interaction, and the last thing he needs is to see again the difference in the way that Niall treats them.He needs to stop not paying attention when he’s walking around here, because he walks out into the main chamber, and immediately gets set on guard by multiple people at once. They’re a group of strangers, and they make Harry’s entire body go tense with the curiosity they exude.“You must be the new guy.” one of them hums. He’s tall, though definitely not as tall as Bressie, and he’s not as wide, either. He’s actually rather lanky, lacking even Luke’s definition, so he almost looks like a really huge toddler with his soft features and the enthusiasm in his eyes.“Not much, is he?” another one asks, leaning against the table. She’s in green, so she must be a witch. She looks almost Asian, her black hair and tan skin a beautiful combination. She’s pretty, and the aloofness is an act, according to Harry’s eyes which paint her with just as much interest leaking out of her as the rest of them. “A bit goofy looking.”“Don’t let them intimidate you, love.” the other girl of the group says with a wide smile and a hand offered outwards in greeting. She’s wearing black and white, but her blue colored hair means she’s a witch too. “They’re a decent bunch when they’re not trying to be hard-asses.”Harry wasn’t expecting that, and it makes him snort out a laugh before he takes her hand and shakes it. The others all grumble, but don’t deny it outright.“I’m Ellen, but my codename is Merilwen.” the blue haired witch continues with a giggle. It’s delightfully infectious. “And I’m a technomancer.”Oh. That’s unusual.“Harry.” he tells her. “Empath. No codename I’m afraid.”“The tall one there is Luke, but we all call him Dob. He’s an infiltration analyst.” Ellen says, starting pointing at the group each in turn. “Next to him is Jane. She’s our surgeon, and we call her Prudence. Andy is the one with the beard, trying to look cool. He called himself Corazon de Leon, so we all just call him Lionheart. He fancies himself a master of stealth, but he’s not as good as he thinks he is. And the one trying to suck the Bolognese sauce out of his shirt is our demolitions expert, Mike. He picked the name Egbert, and none of us know why.”Harry feels his rage spike at the last one, Mike. Demolitions means explosives, and explosives mean-“Not like that.” a familiar voice says behind Harry, accompanied by a hand wrapping around his elbow. Niall’s touch quells a bit of the anger, but the look in his eyes is still hard. “Mike works on buildings. This team is for hitting strategically chosen facilities. They’re evacuated or empty before anything ever happens. He doesn’t do people.”“Nah, mate.” Mike hums in a thick, northern accent that reminds Harry of home. “I like watching buildings blow up, never people. That’s why I’m with Bress.”“I don’t understand what that’s supposed to mean.” Harry mutters.“Things in the Technophage aren’t exactly one big, happy family.” Andy says gruffly, and even though Harry’s never heard him speak, he knows he’s trying to sound different than he usually does. “Bress here runs the faction that doesn’t believe in harming innocent people. Bobby runs the ones who are getting us called terrorists.”“Who’s Bobby?” Harry questions, his head snapping around when he feels Niall’s anger shoot to a whole new level. The only time Harry has felt someone get Niall this furious is when he revealed his agent status, and when Nick had Molly.“Niall’s father.” Jane says simply. “The Oracle.”Harry feels everything around him shatter in that moment. Niall is stiff and unmoving beside him as Harry whirls around. It’s the first time Harry has ever seen Niall’s vulnerability written on his face. He always hides desperation in anger, but that’s not happening this time. This is knowledge he simply didn’t want Harry to have, but it’s not Harry or Jane or Andy he’s mad at. It’s Bobby.“Your father is the Oracle?” Harry asks, his voice barely above a whisper.“Yeah.” Niall breathes out.“Of course he is.” Harry says on a laugh that sounds hysterical, even to his own ears. “Why wouldn’t he be? You’re the second most wanted man in the empire, so why wouldn’t the monster you hate so much be the fucking Oracle?”“Harry-” Niall says softly, tightening his grip on Harry’s arm.“Everything makes so much more sense now.” Harry says breathlessly. “Of course he’d be the source of the Demon of London.”“Nope.” Andy says, that same fake gravel in his voice. “Molly is why Niall became the Demon.”“How am I learning more about you from these people than I have from you?” Harry asks, looking up towards Niall.“Probably because Barbara-” Mike starts, but he’s cut off by Niall.“All of you, fucking shut it before I shoot you!” Niall snarls, pulling out a gun that Harry doesn’t remember him having in the showers.“Calm down, wee one.” Bressie says behind Niall, putting a hand on his shoulder.“Can’t believe I sent those three idiots to you.” Niall mutters to Bressie, putting his gun back in his trousers. “Should have left them to die in London.”“Three?” Harry asks.“Those three.” Ellen says, pointing at Mike, Andy and Jane. “Dob and I came along later. We don’t know little Niall.”“Don’t fucking call me that!” Niall huffs, blushing.“Is- Is there a big Niall?” Harry questions, looking around in confusion.“That’d be me.” Bressie says, raising a hand. “My name is Niall Breslin, but everyone just calls me Bressie except for Ellen here. She prefers using my given name so she can scold me like she’s my mam.”“That doesn’t make me little Niall!” Niall growls out. “I’m just bloody Niall!”“Bloody Niall sounds wicked.” Mike barks out with a laugh.“I’m going to fucking shoot him, Bress.” Niall says through gritted teeth. “Control your people.”Harry sees it now. These people are like a family, in a way. They’re not related, but they work towards a cause they all believe in together. They know each other, and care about each other, and fight like brothers and sisters do. It wouldn’t be a half bad place to be if Harry weren’t a fugitive, essentially held hostage by Niall, and they weren’t all terrorists.But Harry stops noticing that when one of the monitors on the other side of the room, no longer dark as Niall had made them, shows five familiar faces.“No.” Harry breathes out, pushing himself up and moving across the room. He doesn’t want it to be true, but they’re right there, plain as day. The footage is from the day before, right after they’d run from London. All three of them are being pushed into an armored vehicle by none other than Nick, while Ben addresses the cameras, explaining that they’re looking for potential terrorists, and that Luke, Calum and Ashton have been taken in for questioning in relation to the incident.Ben has to have them at the Tower of London.“I’m going to kill him.” Niall says quietly, right beside Harry.“I’ll help.” Harry snarls, his lip curling up.“You know Ben Winston?” Bressie asks, coming up beside them.“Yes.” Harry says with a nod. “He was my boss. I was an EMIA agent until about twenty-four hours ago.”He’s heading towards the ground before the words have even fully left his mouth, a heavy weight pressing into his back as someone clamps down on his wrists to keep him from being able to struggle. He doesn’t even try, though. He knew that admitting that was going to be a problem before he even said it.“Jane! Ellen!” Andy snaps from on top of Harry. “Put him out!”They don’t cast any spells though, looking to Bressie for confirmation.“Bress-” Niall says quietly, though it’s still somehow like the rumble of thunder on the horizon. “Your people have one second after I finish speaking to back off of Harry, or I’m going to make sure they all need Jane’s services.”Andy is gone in a flash, hidden behind Mike.“He’s an EMIA agent!” Andy squawks out from his place of safety. Mike looks completely ready to throw him to the wolves.“He was a mole.” Niall mutters, grabbing Harry by the shoulder and hauling him up off of the floor. “And he’s with me. That’s all any of you need to know.”“He’s a guest.” Bressie says with a nod, next to Niall on the other side. “He wouldn’t be roaming around down here if I thought he was a threat to us.”“You flipped an EMIA agent?” Jane asks, her eyebrow going up just the slightest bit. “Do tell.”“I said that that’s all you need to know.” Niall grunts out. “Harry, grab the food and your clothes, and come with me.”Harry quickly complies. He’s not exactly eager, but the distrust coming from everyone in the room except for Bressie is making his stomach twist, and he doesn’t want to keep feeling it. They’re all grouped up, staying well away from him when he crosses the room and grabs the things Niall had told him to. That’s a relief, at least. Harry really doesn’t want to have to drop them to stop Niall from really hurting them.“You shouldn’t have told them that.” Niall sighs once they’re alone in Harry’s room.“I’m surprised you stopped them.” Harry mumbles, setting down the food on the bedside table and the clothes on the bed.“You know the Tower.” Niall says bluntly. “I need to get into it, and back out with those three.”“Niall, you- You can’t.” Harry sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s the most heavily guarded prison in the empire. I know how good you are, but even you don’t stand a chance against the Tower. Every raid on it since the birth of the empire has ended in complete and total destruction of the invading force. Nothing less.” “Harry, I swear to fuck, if I have to torture you to get you to tell me everything, I will.” Niall growls out. “I don’t care about the risks. Tell me everything you know.”“There are anti-magic runes carved into the walls through most of the entire complex.” Harry mutters, dropping down to sit on the bed. “So, there’s no way to teleport in. There’s a crystal-based magical dome barrier extending fifty feet over the roof of the White Tower that will trigger the alarm if anyone enters it, and stops magic from coming in. The sewer system is out too, because that’s how the first raid party got in. At any given time, between twenty to fifty top-level agents are on campus. Never any less than twenty, though. It’s monitored by crystals placed every five feet on the ceilings, and those are monitored in a room in the basement of the White Tower that has steel walls ten feet thick.“The front gate has an armed squadron posted outside, and another inside, along with two top-level agents each as well. The entire place is surrounded by a moat, and then surrounded by another set of walls. And, on top of all of that, there’s magical chimeras in most of the towers along the walls, created in labs specifically for warfare. They’re released in the event of an incursion. They can and will kill anything in their path. Even the agents are terrified of them. There is no way to assault the Tower, Niall. It’s not possible. You best bet is to attack whatever transport they use when they realize it’s not worth holding them in the Tower.”“Ashton knows I’m the Demon, Harry.” Niall whispers. “They’ll keep them there to torture any information they can out of them.”“If he knows, then they already do too.” Harry mumbles. “They have an interrogation chamber on the first level of the White Tower that’s free of runes so that the telepaths can forcibly interrogate anyone.”“And the cells?” Niall asks.“They could be in any of the towers.” Harry admits. “Or even in the Waterloo block, although I doubt it. That’s specifically for the worst of the worst. They built it to contain criminals with massive power, so they won’t waste that space on non-magicals.”“Where are they most likely to be?” Niall questions.“Niall- Please- Just wait and attack the transport.” Harry begs. “They won’t keep them there forever. You have a team here that could do that much.”“This isn’t the team I’m taking.” Niall says, shaking his head. “Not all of them, anyways. I might need Mike, and I definitely need Ellen if I heard right what her powers are, but that’s it. The others will stay here. I have a team much better suited to this kind of operation.”“There’s no team on earth suited to this kind of operation.” Harry groans, rubbing at his temples. “Haven’t you been listening?”“I have.” Niall nods. “And I notice you didn’t mention a single real technological defense.”“They don’t need technology, Niall.” Harry huffs. “They have magic.”“And that’s how I’m going to destroy the Tower.” Niall smirks. “Stay here. I’ll settle them all down. You’re going to have to talk to the lanky one and tell him all the information you just told me, and anything else you know. That’ll kill two birds with one stone. It’ll get you into their good graces, and it’ll help me get ready.”“I- I don’t understand.” Harry breathes out. “How can you go after what I just told you?”“Because it’s time London remembers what a Demon really is.” Niall says with a feral grin.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Where are they?” Niall asks when he finds Bressie in the central chamber.“I’ve sent them up to run the pub.” Bressie answers.“Not them.” Niall scoffs. “The good ones. I need Aoife, Ian, Johnny, Chris and Emilie.”“Why?” Bressie asks, lifting his head up.“Because I’m going to break into the Tower and get my friends back.” Niall says flatly, taking a seat across from Bressie. “I’m also going to need Ellen. She’s a technopath, right? And probably Mike. The others can stay here.”“You’re not in charge here, wee one.” Bressie says softly. “This isn’t London, and it’s not Mullingar. It’s not survival of the fittest. I run things differently. Missions are taken on a voluntary basis only. Members aren’t turned down for their pasts. We don’t do terrorist attacks.”“And that’s why you only have ten people, Breslin.” a horribly familiar voice says from the door to the lift. “Because you think too small.”“You said you weren’t going to tell him.” Niall breathes out, looking at Bressie because he can’t look at the other man yet.“I didn’t.” Bressie says gruffly, standing up from his chair. “Fucker has eyes everywhere.”“Then I’m going to pluck them from his head!” Niall snarls, jumping up from his seat to turn on his father.He’s crossing the room in an instant, the vast distance nothing to him as he moves. Not even Nick could get Niall to go so immediately on guard, even though he’s probably far more dangerous to Niall in reality. He was good practice, though. He helped Niall remember what combat feels like.He pulls the gun out of his trousers as he moves, switching off the safety and training it on Bobby. Bobby didn’t come unprepared, though, and fires at Niall from a weapon concealed in his sleeve at the same time Niall takes his shot. The projectile misses him, but it hits the gun and knocks it out of his grip. He doesn’t let it even slow his pace a little bit.He didn’t want to end this with a gun anyways.“You’re sloppy.” Bobby grunts out, blocking the fist Niall throws at him. He’s not prepared for the kick Niall swings around with, though. It throws him off balance, and another punch sends him reeling backwards.“Say hello to mum for me.” Niall growls, grabbing the blade strapped to his ankle before diving for Bobby’s stomach.He never makes it, though. Everything goes dark in an instant, and he drops to the floor before he can finish Bobby off for good. “I hate you.” Niall says groggily when he starts to come back. He knows this heaviness in his limbs. He knows the hollowness in his chest. It’s only been a day since the last time, after all.“I know.” Harry says gently, stroking Niall’s hair. “But you had to be stopped.”“No, I didn’t.” Niall mutters, blinking his eyes open. “You should have let me kill him.”“Molly saw.” Harry murmurs. “She was looking for you, and then- Then I felt what you felt when you saw him, and- She saw, Niall.”“Fuck.” Niall sighs.“Bressie told her that you were training.” Harry says softly. “That it was just a sparring match. She doesn’t need to see you kill your father though, Niall. No matter how much he deserves it.”“You could have just erased the memory.” Niall points out. “Then he could be dead.”“Yeah, I’m going to try not to mess with the developing brain of a child if I can avoid it.” Harry says flatly. “Let alone one who basically has the powers of a demigod.”“Fine.” Niall grumbles. “That’s a valid- Fuck! Where is she?”He pushes himself up quickly. Too quickly. His entire body screams in protest at the action, followed quickly by his stomach. He can’t afford to be sick, though, and pain has never stopped him.“With Bressie.” Harry says gently, holding Niall back by the chest. “I dropped Bobby too, and Bressie put him in one of the interrogation rooms.”“You leave him under longer than me?” Niall asks.“Yes.” Harry says with a nod. “I’m not letting that bastard off easy. He’s going to feel like hell.”“Deserves worse.” Niall huffs.“I don’t disagree.” Harry hums. “What does this mean for your mission, though?”“Means I’m leaving you here to look after Molly.” Niall sighs. “I was going to bring you and leave Bressie, but that’s not an option now. Bressie doesn’t agree with my father, but he spent a long time being his second in command, and I don’t know for sure he’ll keep them apart. You will.”“I will.” Harry agrees easily. “I still don’t think you should do this, though.”“I don’t have a choice, Harry.” Niall says, shaking his head. “Not with them. If it was anyone else in the world, I wouldn’t take that risk, but- They’re her dads. She needs them. I need them. I got them into this mess, and I’m the only one who can get them out. I know it’s not smart, alright? I’m not that big of an idiot. I just can’t leave them there.”“I know.” Harry sighs, the hand on his chest losing its force. “But what will it do to Molly if she loses you and them?”“EMIA has a huge weakness, Harry.” Niall mumbles, leaning back in the bed. “They underestimate us. Every other raid on the Tower has been carried out by magicals trying to break their people out. They aren’t expecting someone like me.”“I don’t know if that’s going to help you as much as you think, Niall.” Harry says softly, scooting in closer. “They may not be expecting guns and daggers, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have the upper hand for long.”“My father and I are the two most wanted men in the empire, and we have no magic, Harry.” Niall snorts. “If you think we got those places with just guns and daggers, you haven’t been paying attention. We have a lot of tricks up our sleeves. Not just technological ones, but magical ones too. I’m not going into this with blind fury. I set this team up a long time ago specifically for raids like this, and they’re part of Bressie’s team. We were only missing a few key pieces before I left, and it looks like he’s got those now.”“When are you going to go?” Harry asks, his fingers curling just a little bit before they straighten themselves out. He’s worried. He’s got a thousand tells, and Niall would take him to the cleaners with cards, but- Right now it’s just nice to know what he’s thinking. Harry can read him, no matter how much he hates it, so it’s nice to be able to return the favor.“I- I don’t know.” Niall admits. “I don’t have the control I’d like to in this situation. Bressie is in charge here, not me. So, it depends on him. Even if I have to go alone, though, I’m going. I’d go to hell and back for them. They deserve nothing less after everything they’ve done for Molly.”“I don’t want you to go.” Harry whispers.“I can’t say that I care too much what you want in this situation, Harry.” Niall mutters, rolling his eyes. “But even I can’t believe you’d be so selfish.”“It’s not being selfish!” Harry bites out, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. “This plan is stupid! I want them out safely as much as you do, but you’re just rushing in blindly, which is going to play right into Ben’s hands! You’re not going to be any good to anyone if you die or get captured, but especially them!”“I have to save them, Harry!” Niall snaps, pushing Harry’s hand away from him.“There are better ways than attacking the most heavily fortified compound in the empire!” Harry argues, his volume raising by the word.“The faster I do it, the more of them will be left to save.” Niall breathes out. “They- They’re strong in their own ways, Harry, but not like this. They can’t handle this. They’re not prepared for it. They’re too gentle. Too good. They won’t be able to handle this for long, and I need to save them before it’s too late.”“What makes you think it’s not already too late?” Harry asks weakly.“Because I can’t think about that possibility.” Niall says quietly. “I always told them I was bad for them, but they never listened. They thought I was one foot in and one foot out because of Molly, but- But the truth is that it’s because I’ve known all along that I’d end up hurting them beyond repair at some point. I can’t save the lives that they built for themselves, but I can save them. I can give them a chance.”“And what happens if you fail because you rushed into this without any preparation?” Harry whimpers. “What happens if you die?”“I’m not going to.” Niall says firmly. He’s not. He knows that to be a fact. He’s faced down all of the worst challenges in his life with one goal, and one goal only. He has to do right by Molly. “Andy wasn’t wrong when he said I became the Demon because of Molly, not Bobby. Everything I’ve ever done as the Demon has been for her. As long as she needs me, I can’t die. I won’t.”“You-” Harry breathes out. “You’re so fucking stupid.”“And I’m also too damn stubborn to die.” Niall says harshly. “So, stop panicking, and just do what you can to help.”“I’ll take Molly and distract her while you and Bressie figure out what your father is doing here.” Harry mutters, standing up and turning away. “And I’ll try to figure out whether or not I’m even willing to help you go on a suicide mission.”He’s not going to have a choice, in the end. Niall will do whatever he has to, to get them back. He was serious when he told Harry he’d torture him if that’s what it takes. It’s not what he wants, not what they would want, but if Harry refuses to help, then that’s what will have to be done.It takes him a few more minutes after Harry has left for Niall to get himself stable enough to get out of the bed. Even if he doesn’t feel like he could do much right now, he knows that Bressie is still going to have to hold him back once he’s in the same room as Bobby. That man is a threat to everyone and everything he comes in contact with, and now he’s put himself near Molly, which Niall refuses to accept.His presence near Niall is one thing. As much as Niall fucking hates his guts, he’d probably just beat Bobby within an inch of his life and let him go back home if it was just him here. But Molly cannot be exposed to him. Harry cannot be exposed to him. Ashton and Luke and Calum cannot be exposed to him.None of them are strong enough to deal with the hurricane that is Bobby Horan.“But who is he, Harry?” Niall hears Molly ask.“I- That’s not for me to tell, Molly.” Harry sighs, and Niall sighs in relief right along with him.“He looks like da.” Molly says quietly.“That’s because he’s my father, Molls.” Niall tells her, stepping into the room.“Then why were you trying to kill him?” Molly asks, turning away from Harry’s face, even though he’s holding her in his arms.“I told you, Molly, they were just sparring.” Bressie says gently.“He’s a bad liar, da.” Molly says flatly, reaching her arms out for Niall to take her. “So is Harry.”“You’re too perceptive for your own good, lovebug.” Niall hums, taking her from Harry and settling her on his hip.“Why were you trying to kill him, da?” Molly asks again. “He’s your da.”“He’s a bad man, Molly.” Niall murmurs, brushing her hair out of her face with his fingers. “I’ll explain soon.”“You keep saying that.” Molly huffs, her face scrunching up in irritation.“And I mean it.” Niall tells her. “I’m going to go talk to him for a few minutes, and when I finish, I’ll come back and tell you anything that you want to know.”“I’ll turn you into a mouse if you don’t.” Molly grumbles, folding her arms over her chest.“Bressie already calls me ‘wee one’, so let’s avoid that, yeah?” Niall says, snorting out a laugh. “I need you to stay with Harry while I talk to him.”“Are you going to kill him?” Molly questions, looking curiously at Niall.“No.” Bressie says, before Niall can answer for himself. He was going to say that. Probably.Niall only rolls his eyes in response, leaning Molly back towards Harry so he can take her. He hasn’t looked at Niall at all since he walked in, so he’s pretty sure that Harry is still pissed off. He’s just going to have to get over it.“Let’s go, Horan.” Bressie says, nodding his head. He must be mad. He never calls Niall by his name unless he’s mad.“He deserves to die, Bress.” Niall says quietly once they get into the hall, away from curious ears.“That’s not untrue.” Bressie sighs. “But- You’re causing a lot of trouble for me, Horan. You’ve been back for less than four hours, and you’re already giving me a migraine.”“I wouldn’t have come here if I had any other choice.” Niall mutters, coming to a stop with Bressie outside of the door they’ve been heading for. “You know I wouldn’t have.”“Don’t like that somewhere along the way I became a last resort for you.” Bressie says softly, cradling Niall’s cheek on one of his hands. It takes him back, sends familiar signals to his brain of a time when he felt safe and loved. That’s not a good thing. “You used to trust me. You used to think of me as a safe place.”“And then you made me leave.” Niall breathes out. “Didn’t want me, remember?”“Niall, I-” Bressie starts, but he doesn’t finish. He cuts himself off, shaking his head. “This isn’t the time for this conversation. Can we talk later?”“Don’t know if I want to hear it, to be honest.” Niall admits, looking up into Bressie’s eyes. He hates how young it makes him feel.How it sends him right back into his eighteen-year-old self, tears stinging at him viciously as Bressie kicks him out of the flat and tells him he needs to get out of Ireland. He needs to go, and he can’t even have a chance. It started him on a spiral that he’s never quite pulled out of, honestly, but he’s gotten Molly out of it, so he can’t hate Bressie. He can still hurt, though. Even with skin and a skull as thick as his, even with all of the abilities his father trained him with, he can hurt.That’s the most important lesson Bressie ever taught him.“Alright.” Bressie says after a moment, pulling away.“I need to talk to him now, so you should probably take these.” Niall mumbles, taking a small pistol out of the back of his trousers, and then crouching down to grab the three daggers he still has attached to his ankles.“Who raised you?” Bressie scoffs, an amused smile playing on his lips.“Pretty even split between you and this cunt.” Niall says, opening the door to find Bobby cuffed to the table in the middle of the room.“Now, Niall, is that any kind of way to address your dear old da after all this time?” Bobby hums, a smirk fixed in place on his lips despite his position. Niall wants to split that smile from ear to ear.“You’ve never been a da a day in your life.” Niall says flatly, sitting across from Bobby. “May have had a couple children, but you don’t even know what it means to be a da.”“You’ve turned out well enough.” Bobby says with a shrug. “You know right from wrong. I taught you that much, at least. I’ve heard about your exploits in London. The things you’ve done. You know that the empire and magicals need to be brought down, like that witch you’re carting around that stopped our fight.”“That witch I’m carting around is the only reason your intestines aren’t on the floor right now.” Niall growls out, slamming his hand on the table. “And my daughter is magical, so you’d better watch your words carefully.”“I’ve never had a problem with witches as individuals, Niall.” Bobby says with a roll of his eyes. “Some of them are decent enough people. I wouldn’t let them join the Technophage if they weren’t. I just never thought my own son would go and be a blood traitor.”Niall looks towards his stash in Bressie’s hands, and Bressie takes a step back, throwing him a sharp glare.“If you call me that again, I will snap your neck.” Niall says, since he’s clearly not going to get use of his weapons. “If you say anything negative about my daughter again, you will die horribly and painfully. It doesn’t matter if it’s now, or later. It doesn’t matter if you’re alone, or if you’re surrounded by a hundred of your guards. I will kill you, and I will take a pleasure in it that you can’t even imagine.”“I think you’ll find that it’s not that easy.” Bobby scoffs, flexing his wrists and knocking the handcuffs off. “I have too much work left to do to let you kill me without a fight, Niall.”“Why are you here, Bobby?” Niall asks harshly.“Because I heard you’d resurfaced, and I wanted to hear your explanation for your attack on London.” Bobby tells him calmly, rubbing at his wrists in turn. “It was sloppy and accomplished nothing.”“You get nothing from me.” Niall grunts out. “Not aid, not information, and not anything else you could want.”“I could give you help.” Bobby hums. “Assaulting the Tower is no job for one of Bressie’s pitiful teams. I can send my people with you instead. You’ll stand a much better chance of getting those boys out.”“Bressie’s teams aren’t pathetic.” Niall snorts. “I used to work with them, and, unlike you, I earned my position on the wanted list through my own actions, not everyone else’s.”“I trained you.” Bobby argues.“Bressie trained me.” Niall counters. “And I trained myself. You beat me. There’s a fucking difference.”“You forget your place!” Bobby snarls, standing up from the table and throwing the chair backwards.“I think it’s you who’s forgotten!” Niall growls out, flipping the edge of the table and bringing his booted foot up to collide with the bottom in a vicious kick. It flies forward, taking Bobby with it and smashing him against the wall opposite Niall. “I am the weapon you created! You just aren’t good enough to be the one to pull the trigger! I am the only one who gets to decide when and where that power is unleashed now. Me. You are nothing but a pathetic old man, and I will end you!”“That’s enough, wee one.” Bressie says gently, putting his hand on Niall’s shoulder.“What you want to do with him is your own business, Bress.” Niall spits out. “But if he comes near my daughter, either myself or Harry will defend her with everything we have. Now, which one of those idiots upstairs let him in?”“None of them.” Bressie sighs, shaking his head. “He came in through the back. He knows this place as well as you do, Niall. It used to be his, remember?”“If you plan on keeping him alive, you might want Jane to have a look at him.” Niall mutters, passing Bressie on his way out of the room. “His head took a pretty nasty blow there.”“You didn’t have to do that.” Bressie grumbles, following behind Niall and locking the door to the room.“You don’t have to keep him alive, but here we are.” Niall says with a shrug. “You know what kind of a monster he is, and yet you let him walk around free, killing innocent people to get revenge for Greg’s death.”“He controls them.” Bressie says quietly. “There are a lot of people in his faction that would do much worse things than what happens already. He keeps a leash on them to stop a third uprising from happening. Whether we like it or not, he’s more useful alive than dead. He’s all that’s standing between a lot more innocent people and death, because a lot of the people that fall under him want an all-out war between magicals and non-magicals. And we may have superior numbers, but not by a big enough margin to win.”“I know.” Niall huffs. “But you could step into his place.”“I don’t think I could leash those people, wee one.” Bressie breathes out. “You could, probably, but that’s not- It’s not me. I’m not hard enough.”He’s not wrong, is the thing. As much as good as could be done if Bressie was in charge of them all, he’s not capable of quelling all that rage, or harnessing it. His people do good in the name of the Technophage because they think like he does. That doesn’t mean he could get everyone to. Niall might be able to take the reins, but that’s not something he’s ever wanted or considered.It makes him, and by extension, Molly, too much of a target. The lads would never stay by his side if he took that path, and he doesn’t think Harry would either. He’s controlling himself well for the situation, but Niall can see how much it’s tearing Harry up to have to ally himself with the Technophage. It’s killing him.“Where’s the EG squad?” Niall asks, deciding it’s time for a change in subject.“They’ll be back from a mission tomorrow.” Bressie sighs. “You can propose your plan to everyone then, and they can decide for themselves what they want to do. I won’t force any of them to go with us.”“Us?” Niall questions.“I’m not letting you go into the Tower alone.” Bressie says firmly, adamantly. His mind is made up, and Niall knows from experience that there’s no use trying to change it. If anyone could, Niall wouldn’t be in this position in the first place. “I’m going with you, wee one. You’re not the lad I remember if you’re stupid enough to think otherwise.”“I’m not the lad you remember anyways.” Niall mutters. “I need to go talk to Molly now. She needs to understand everything that’s happened. I’ve been holding off, because- Well, let’s just say, you don’t want to be around for this, in case she gets emotional.”“I can handle some tears.” Bressie snorts. “She’s cute, but it’s not going to wreck me.”“Her powers are what I’m worried about.” Niall says quietly, shaking his head. “I don’t know what the news is saying, or what you think happened, but neither Harry or I were the ones who ‘attacked’ London. It was Molly’s powers going haywire. She’s much more powerful than a normal witch. She’s what they call a ‘mage’.”“Leave it to you to have a child that strong.” Bressie hums, ruffling Niall’s fringe. “She wouldn’t be yours, otherwise.”“You still in the big room at the end?” Niall asks, turning his face up towards Bressie and getting a nod in response. “I’ll come talk to you when I’m done, and we can have that conversation you wanted.”“See you then, wee one.” Bressie hums, catching Niall off guard when he leans down and presses a chaste kiss against Niall’s lips. “Been waiting a long time to have this one.”Niall’s mind reels, but Bressie is walking away after pressing Niall’s gear back into his hands. At least it’s an excuse to give him a moment to get his head together. He has something much more important to deal with, but he has a feeling this conversation isn’t going to go the way that he always thought that it would.Molly comes first, though. So that’s what he focuses on as he makes his way back into the central chamber, putting his gear back on. He has to tell Molly everything now, and it’s going to break her into pieces. Pieces he doesn’t even know if it’s possible to heal.Getting the lads back will be a good start, though.“Alright, I’m ready if you are, lovebug.” Niall says softly, taking a seat in the chair opposite from the couch where Harry is entertaining Molly with more ice butterflies.“Okay.” Molly says with a nod, any sense of childish wonder sliding away from her face. Her expression is harder than Niall ever wanted it to be, severe in a way that tells him just as much about what she’s feeling as Harry’s powers do for him. “What happened in London?”“Your powers went out of control again.” Niall tells her. “You didn’t hurt anyone, but this time was worse than ever. It told us something new about your powers.”“What did it tell you?” Molly asks, setting her hands in her lap and gripping onto her skirt.“Harry can explain this better than I can.” Niall admits, turning to the brunet. “Would you mind?”“You know about magical classification, right, ladybug?” Harry questions. “The levels of genetic difference?”“Non-magicals have twenty-three sets of chromosomes.” Molly says with a nod. “Magicians have twenty-four, and they can tap into magic, but they aren’t born with any special powers. Witches like us have twenty-five, and we’re born with special powers, and can use magic a lot better than magicians.”“That’s all true.” Harry nods. “Except when you said ‘witches like us’, that is. You’re not a witch, Molly. We’ll have to do a blood test to confirm it, but you are something much more powerful than a witch. You are what’s known in some circles as a mage. Your control over magic, and your access to it, makes you stronger than even a Centurion.”“I’ve never heard of that.” Molly says quietly, her eyebrows knitting together.“That’s because they don’t usually live more than a few weeks.” Harry mumbles. “A mage’s power manifests within days after they’re born, and babies don’t have any of the control necessary to use those powers. They hurt themselves, and anyone around them with their powers. Your mother put that necklace on you that suppressed your powers, and I think that’s what helped keep you alive for so long.”“Is that why my mummy left?” Molly asks weakly, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. “Because I’m dangerous?”It’s something Niall hadn’t even thought of. He’s been so angry for so long because Barbara left him with a child who might have been magical, but he never considered that she left because she knew Molly had powers. It incenses a kind of rage he doesn’t know how to control, and then it’s vanishing just as quickly.Harry catches his eye and shakes his head, and Niall knows he’s draining it out. It must be hard for him, finding the balance that keeps him from doing any harm, but doesn’t allow Niall to sit and stew in it right now. It’s probably easier without Niall punching his teeth out. They’ll have to talk about that later, because Niall doesn’t hate that Harry is trying to keep him from letting any of that rage leak out in front of Molly, but he also doesn’t care for Harry making that decision for him.“I don’t know why she left, love.” Niall says quietly. “Truth is, I never have. I don’t think I ever really understood your mum. I thought I did. I pretended I did. But I didn’t. She was a complex creature, and she scared the hell out of me, and I was madly in love with her for it. But loving someone doesn’t mean you understand them. In fact, sometimes it means the opposite.”The drain of his emotions into Harry falters for just a moment, but their eyes meet again and it starts back up.“Understanding the person you love is a very rare thing, I think.” Niall adds, his eyes still locked with Harry’s. “People who figure it out are the lucky ones. That’s real love.”He has to refocus on Molly when he adds, “But, right now, what matters is that this is part of what you are. You’re a mage. You have a level of power that scares the government, and they found out about it when your powers went out of control.”“What happened then?” Molly asks, rubbing the tears from her cheeks with her palms. “What happened to the lads?”“We left them behind, because we had to get you out of there.” Niall admits, his eyes dropping to the floor. “I had to make a choice, and I chose you. I had to get you away from the danger, and we couldn’t wait for the lads to get back. I couldn’t take the risk that- That they’d take you away from me.”“The government- The organization I used to work for- It’s called EMIA.” Harry says, thankfully taking the attention off of Niall again, even as he starts to remove the guilt flowing through his veins now. “Do you know what that is?”“The Extraordinary Magic Investigation Agency.” Molly lists off. Of course she knows it. Niall has been warning her about it since he told her the consequences of using her powers. “That’s where agents work. Are you an agent, Harry?”“I was.” Harry admits with a nod. “And my job was to watch a man who hunted down people we thought might be mages.”“But you said they die as babies.” Molly points out. “Were you hunting babies? What did you do with them?”“I- Proper procedure is to eliminate a threat of that level.” Harry says, choked off and shaking his head. “What I did was make my partner believe that he had done that by using magic to manipulate his memories. Then I used my mother’s resources to smuggle them away. Nobody we ever found was really a mage. You’re the only one I’ve ever seen.”“Why did you do it?” Molly asks, her voice breaking more with every word. “And why didn’t you turn me in?”“I did it because I was spying for my mother to prove what the empress was doing to children.” Harry tells her. “And I didn’t turn you in because I care about you, Molly. You, and your father, and the lads. I don’t want anything happening to you.”“Then why aren’t they here?” Molly asks, choking on a sob.“Because we-” Niall starts.“I don’t care!” Molly snaps, angry tears pouring down her cheeks and her voice choked off. “You should have got them!”“I’m going to.” Niall tells her, getting down onto the floor to kneel in front of her. “Molly, I’m going to get them. They were taken by the people Harry used to work for, but I’m going to go get them back. No matter what, I’m going to get them back.”“How?” Molly asks, falling into Niall’s arms.“Your da is an extraordinary person, Molly.” Harry mumbles, rubbing at her back. “And I’m going to help him.” It takes over an hour for Molly’s crying to exhaust her enough for her to fall asleep, but Niall does eventually get her laid down in the bed they’re going to be sharing. He needs to have a conversation with Bressie and another with Harry before he can join her, though.The door is open when Niall gets there, and he leans against the doorframe to watch Bressie. He’s got his giant frame folded up in the corner of his bed, nose buried in a book and glasses perched on the end of his nose that he’d never admit he needs. It’s a sight Niall is extremely familiar with. He spent most of his teenage years down here in the cave, and it was mostly just them at night. Bressie hadn’t yet found his place as the father figure in a family of misfits that Niall sent to him.He knew they’d be safe here, those people he found. They’re not like the rest of the Technophage. They believe in the same things, but not the methods. Mike cried for a week straight the first time he found out that someone had used one of his bombs to blow up the house of a member of parliament, also killing her husband and twin, baby girls. He’s never been the same since. He’s always got a fake smile painted on his lips to cover up the pain inside, and Niall knows that smile too well. It’s the same one that he used to give.Jane was born into a well to do family, magical genes leading back to before the rupture. Her family was said to have hosted soothsayers and energy readers from the time when only a small amount of magic had leaked into the world because the rupture hadn’t been ripped open. Jane was fascinated by science, though. She was fascinated by medicine, and she left the affluent family she had behind in order to learn medicine from anyone and everyone who could teach her. That led her to battlefields on the border between the empire and the Soviet Union. She saw what the government did to the villages there, how little they cared about those lives, and Niall found her when she was trying to help the victims of an EMIA raid that had gone out of control.Andy, on the surface, seems like the kind who would rather be with Bobby than Bressie. His history would agree. He was involved in the second uprising, just like Greg. Or, more accurately, his parents were. They were both members of the Technophage, marching for equality in the event that set everything off. They were both killed by police, and Andy was taken in by his grandfather. He learned that the only way to fight the government was to do it silently, secretly, so they didn’t know you’d done anything at all until you were already gone. Niall recognized that darkness, and he pulled him back from the brink of it before he could take any more steps and plunge down into those depths without any chance of coming back.They were his team. They were his family, once. But he knew he had to leave with Molly, and he had to get them out as well.Bressie has always been a safe place, even after he broke Niall’s heart. He was the right person to send them to, because their cause is right, but their path would have been wrong without him. Niall knows that from experience.He was Niall’s only saving grace until Molly, after all.“You coming in, or are you just going to stand there?” Bressie asks after he turns the page in his book and marks it, setting it down on the table beside the bed.“You have Jane look at him yet?” Niall asks, stepping into the room with the invitation.“He’s patched up and under on a pretty heavy sleep potion.” Bressie says with a nod.“Good.” Niall hums. “You wanted to talk, so I’m going to let you.”“You’re still mad at me.” Bressie says, nodding his head towards the opposite corner of his bed to indicate Niall to sit there. Close, but still at a distance.“I still think he should die.” Niall says with a shrug, perching himself on the edge of the mattress.“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it, wee one.” Bressie chuckles.“Stop calling me that.” Niall says firmly, demandingly. “I’m not a kid anymore, Bress.”“Believe me, I’ve noticed.” Bressie says quietly, shifting back to lean against the wall behind his bed. “You’ve grown up a lot. Not just physically. There’s determination in you that I never saw when you were younger. But- It’s sad.”“People grow up, Bress.” Niall scoffs. “I had to. Never really had the choice to even be a kid, did I?”“You had the choice to give up hope.” Bressie returns thoughtfully. “The lad I knew back then never did. But- Now- I don’t see any of that in your eyes any more. I see anger, and I see pain, but I don’t see hope.”“Reality and hope are at odds in my life.” Niall mutters. “You taught me that well enough, and then the universe decided to really hammer it home over the years after I left.”“If I had known what would happen, then I wouldn’t- I wouldn’t have made that choice, Niall.” Bressie says, shaking his head. “I thought I was doing the right thing at the time.”“By kicking me out of the only place I had ever really felt safe or accepted or loved?” Niall spits out so angrily he even surprises himself. He’d thought he’d gotten over this, but apparently that’s not the case. “Rejecting me as a lover I could have handled. It hurt, but I would have been fine eventually. Did you really have to take away my home too, Bress? Did you have to take the only sense of security I’d ever had in my life and rip it out of my hands?”“I didn’t want you to stay here.” Bressie whispers. “Not when you were staying here for me, where he would still be able to get his claws in you. I couldn’t do anything about it when you were younger, except for keep you here after he moved to Mullingar and look after you as much as I could. But once you were grown- Once you got that letter that said you had a chance at a different life- I had to get you out.”“I loved you enough to stay.” Niall chokes out, shaking his head.“And I loved you too much to let that happen.” Bressie murmurs, scooting into the center of the bed. “I know I’ve lost any right to say that, but I did. I do still. Turning you away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”“It’s good you did.” Niall sighs, looking up towards the stonework in the ceiling for something to focus on other than the way he can still feel that heartbreak in his chest. “If you hadn’t- If you’d let me stay and be happy with you- I wouldn’t have Molly. Best thing to ever happen to me, she is, even if the path to getting her was hell. I don’t regret it, what happened between us. Not anymore. I have her because you could never have loved me the way I loved you.”“I do, Niall.” Bressie says gently, sliding his hand over Niall’s. “That’s what I’m telling you. I do, and I did then. You were too young, though. You were barely out of childhood. You were caught up in too many emotions, and you were making the wrong decision. I wanted better for you than me.”“I was never a child, Bress!” Niall hisses, tearing his hand away. “You know that! I never got to be a kid, because I was too busy being turned into a weapon! And the only person who ever gave me any agency was you, but you’re the one who took it away from me there!”“And I’ve never regretted anything like I regret that.” Bressie tells him. “I hate that I hurt you like that. I thought- I thought things would get better for you.”“Like I said, Bress, it did.” Niall sighs, climbing off of the bed. “I got Molly out of it. And I don’t deserve them, but I found the lads.”“And Harry.” Bressie adds.“Harry isn’t- It’s not like that with him.” Niall mutters, shaking his head. “He’s here for Molly’s protection.”“He’s also in love with you.” Bressie hums. “You two are connected by more than just Molly. Can feel it in the air.”“Him having feelings for me does not equate to me having them for him.” Niall grunts out.“Do you?” Bressie asks, cocking his head to the side. “Have feelings for him, I mean.”“The only reason he’s along with us is because I need someone who can shut Molly down if her powers go out of control.” Niall tells him. “I wouldn’t put up with the bastard otherwise.”“Pigtail pulling.” Bressie says under a snort of laughter.“You’re lucky I need you to help with the raid, or I’d put you out of commission for days.” Niall huffs, turning towards the door. “You’ve gotten old, big guy. Wouldn’t even be a chore for me to kick your arse now.”“We’ll check in the sparring ring tomorrow, wee one!” Bressie calls after him with a laugh.Just for that, Niall’s going to kick his arse extra hard.Harry’s room is in the same corridor as Niall’s, so he decides to stop there next. He could leave this conversation for tomorrow, but that won’t do him any good. He needs to just get it out of the way now.He’s about to knock on the door when Harry just opens it up, looking at the floor rather than Niall.“You sense me, then?” Niall asks, following Harry into the room and shutting the door behind himself.“Can’t not, here.” Harry mumbles, shrugging half-heartedly. “This place- It clings to you. Everything feels like you here, and it just magnifies you that much more.”“It’s basically where I was raised.” Niall admits. “Spent my whole life training here. It was my home, once.”“I know.” Harry says with a nod. “I- I keep getting flashes, all over the place. Everything here is touched with pieces of your soul, and they keep pushing their way into my head. I can barely breathe here without getting pieces of you floating around my brain.”“Is that why you felt like you could just siphon off my feelings?” Niall asks, a bit more harshly than he means to, honestly. “Because you’re already full of them?”“It’s because Molly is terrified, Niall.” Harry says adamantly. “Molly has been through so much, and she doesn’t understand it. And you- You’re losing your grip, and she can feel that. I didn’t want you to scare her more with that anger, and I didn’t want your guilt to feed into hers. She blames herself for what happened to the lads, and you wouldn’t have made that any better. You’re too strung out right now, and it’s bouncing back on her.”“I wouldn’t have taken any of that emotion out on her.” Niall argues.“You don’t have to.” Harry mumbles, shaking his head. “It’s written all over your face, Niall. Everything you’ve been feeling is obvious, and she’s scared because of it.”“Your powers tell you what someone is feeling, not why they’re feeling it.” Niall scoffs, rolling his eyes. “She has a million reasons to be scared.”“She told me, Niall.” Harry says harshly. “She told me she’s scared of what’s happening to you. She sees how messed up your head is right now, and she- She’s terrified of what’s going on with you. Haven’t you wondered why she keeps getting me to hold her? She’s too old for that, and it’s not something I’ve ever done before today. But she’s reaching out for someone stable, and that’s not you right now.”The words hurt worse than anything Niall has ever endured in this place. It’s like a shot to the gut from a hammer, and he can’t breathe afterwards. The room starts to go black around the edges of his vision, but it’s not because of Harry this time.Molly is scared of him.“She loves you so much, Niall.” Harry says gently, sliding his hand from Niall’s shoulder down to his elbow and back up again. “That hasn’t changed. She just doesn’t know what to do, and the lads are in danger, and- And you’re too unstable, right now. That’s why I agreed to help with the raid on the Tower. Having the lads back will help her and you."“If I’m so unstable, why did you do what you did on the boat?” Niall questions, looking back up to meet Harry’s eyes. “Did you think violating my mind would help that?”“I was hoping it would help you realize some things, but clearly it didn’t work.” Harry mutters, turning away from him. “You’re far too stubborn.”“Then fucking tell me what you’re trying to help me realize.” Niall growls out.“I’m a fucking person, Niall.” Harry bites out. He’s doing nothing directly to absorb Niall’s anger this time, but it’s clear as day that this is his own emotions reflected back at him. “I feel things. I’ve experienced things. I’ve laughed and I’ve loved and I’ve suffered and I’ve bled. I’m a fucking person, not a monster, and it’s okay to be in love with me.”“What?” Niall asks, taken aback by that.“I was going to give you time.” Harry says, his eyes still locked on the wall instead of Niall’s. “You should have gotten to figure it out on your own. But- But I don’t fucking know when or if we’ll have time. You could be dead tomorrow, and- And I just wanted to feel it without having to sift through everything else. I wanted to feel it unburied. Open and honest. I wanted you to say it, before you can’t anymore, but that’s not going to happen. Because you refuse to even admit to yourself that I’m a fucking person, Niall, and I deserve it as much as you, or Molly, or the lads, or Bressie.”“I’m not in love with you.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I don’t know what you think I’m feeling, but any love you’ve felt was for-”“I touched your soul.” Harry tells him. “Niall, when I took your soul out of your body the first time, I- I touched it. I could feel everything. All these people who take up places in your heart- I was one of the ones in there. And I can see it, when I do that. It’s like a whole world laid out before me, and I can see what you feel. You love me, and you’re just too stubborn to see it or admit it to yourself.”“How fucking dare you?” Niall snarls, whirling his fist around and crashing it into Harry’s jaw. He must have known it was coming, because there’s a steel-skin spell already in place on him.That’s fine.Niall is on him in an instant, shoving him down into the mattress with his hands wrapped around Harry’s throat.“This isn’t going to work, Niall.” Harry says flatly. “I knew you’d react like this, so I protected myself. And I fucking hate that I’m in love with a man who reacts like this to being in love with me too. But I’ve seen why. I know about Bressie, and Barbara, and the lads. I know about your father. I see why you’re so scared of it that you’d fight like a dying wolf in order to protect yourself from the simple truth.”“I don’t fucking love you.” Niall grits out from between clenched teeth, pressing as hard as he can on Harry’s larynx.“Yes, you do.” Harry says as his eyes slip shut. Then he’s disappearing, and Niall is scrambling backwards off of a pile of mush that’s sinking into the bed.A golem.“I think you need to go.” Harry’s voice says behind Niall, causing him to whirl around. “And if you try anything to me on your way out, I’ll drop you and put so many souls in your head that you won’t be able to do anything for the lads other than writhe around on the floor and scream. And if you pick yourself up from that, I’ll do it again and feed Molly the potion so she forgets everyone except me, because my DNA isn’t in it. I’m in love with you, but I’m not stupid enough to have this conversation without putting a golem in my place to do it, or to think you’re just going to accept it. Leave, Niall.”“Go fuck yourself, Harry.” Niall grunts out, pushing past him back out of the room. The door closes behind him, but he can still hear Harry’s broken sob.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Niall should have known better than thinking he’d get anything resembling decent sleep. Cal’s potion hasn’t worn off, and it’s still trying to keep him going. Bressie and Harry both invaded his dreams, shallow as they might have been, repeating the sentiments of the conversations he’d had with them over and over until he woke up soaked in sweat.So now he’s lying here with Molly still dozing peacefully beside him. He can hear sounds in the main chamber from the crew, but he can’t hear enough to know whether it’s the same ones from yesterday, or if it’s the EG squad he’s been waiting for. Either way, he can’t afford to sit around doing nothing.“Molls, love, it’s time to get up.” Niall murmurs softly, pressing a kiss to her cheek.“’M hungry.” Molly mumbles groggily.“I know, love.” Niall chuckles, pushing her hair out of her face. “Let’s go have breakfast, and then we’ll get cleaned up.”“I miss our house.” Molly says quietly after she reaches her arms out and lets Niall pick her up.“I do too, lovebug.” Niall says gently, giving her forehead a kiss as he climbs out of the bed. “I’m sorry we had to leave it behind.”“It’s my fault.” Molly whispers, rubbing her face against Niall’s chest.“No it isn’t.” Niall tells her, his voice adamant so he knows she’s serious as he enters the hallway with her. “We never should have taken you to London until your powers were more under control. I shouldn’t have kept it hidden for so long, and I should have found you a tutor sooner. This isn’t your fault, Molly. It’s mine. I went about all of this the wrong way because I was scared.”“I’m scared too.” Molly mumbles into his shoulder.“Holy shit, you look good, babe!” Niall hears a familiar voice laugh when he walks into the room with Molly. “Not a babe anymore, are you?”“Quiet, Aoife.” Niall snorts, shifting Molly on his hip.“Who are they?” Molly asks, tucking in closer to Niall as she takes a look at all ten of the people sat around the table.“These are my friends.” Niall tells her gently. “From years ago. Most of them, anyways. That one is new.”“Oh my god, she’s so fucking big!” a blonde woman squeals, running forward to stand in front of Niall. She’s even more gorgeous now than she was back in the day, and clearly just as intense. “I haven’t seen you since you were a baby, Molly-Jolly.”“What did she say?” Molly asks, looking up at Niall with confusion written all over her face. He’s a bad Irishman if the accent is that confusing to her.“You are your father’s child.” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.“Nice to see you, Aoife.” Niall hums, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “And that you’ve figured out how to do your hair.”“Oh, fuck you.” Aoife scoffs, doing nothing to conceal her smile.“This is Aoife, Molly.” Niall says with a chuckle. “She’s a lot, but she’s nice enough, and she used to watch you when you were a baby.”“Did she know my mummy?” Molly asks, looking up.“No, I didn’t.” Aoife says, shaking her head. “She was gone before I met you.”“Stop bogarting the Niall.” another one of them hums, walking up and bumping Aoife away with his hip. It doesn’t do him much good, because he’s as slim and lithe as he was six years ago. Still just as cute, too. “I’ve missed him more than you have. Say it all the time, don’t I?”“Careful Chris, your pining is showing.” Johnny laughs from back behind them. He’s grown a beard now, and has a fair few tattoos laced up and down his arms that don’t match the apron he has strapped on or the stack of eggy bread he has in his hand.“It’s not pining!” Chris whines, flipping Johnny off. “I’m just sick of you lot.”“Let me sit her down and get her some food, and then you can all have your turns, yeah?” Niall requests.“There’s so many of them.” Molly mumbles, turning back towards Niall’s neck and burying her face there for safety.“They’ll all behave, won’t you?” Niall asks, narrowing his eyes at all of them.“Yes.” they all groan in unison. Bressie really has them trained well.“Harry said that you like eggy bread, so I made that.” Johnny says gently as he slides a plate in front of her when Niall sets her down at the table.“He’s my favorite.” Molly hums, looking up at Niall while she slides the plate towards herself.“He’s a good egg.” Niall laughs.“-y bread!” Johnny says enthusiastically, far too amused at his own shitty joke. God, he hasn’t changed at all. “I’m a good eggy bread.”“I was wrong.” Molly sighs before stuffing half a slice in her mouth.“Aoife was right, she’s definitely your child.” Johnny huffs at Niall. “Missed you, mate.”“Missed you too, Johnny.” Niall hums, reaching his fist over Molly’s head to meet Johnny’s.“Niall.” Chris hums, wrapping his arms around Niall’s chest from his left side and squeezing him tightly. “I missed you the most.”“I heard.” Niall giggles, wrapping his arm around Chris in return. “You’re still incredibly cute, I see.”“I- I don’t- I’m not cute!” Chris sputters out, his face turning bright red. “I am a grown man!”“Yeah, you are.” Niall grins wolfishly, raking his eyes up and down Chris’ body. “Wanna go show me how much you’ve grown?”Chris whimpers in response, turning even redder as his words just stumble over themselves. Chris can’t handle that kind of thing at all. Flirting is just completely beyond him, as is any talk of anything sexual. It sends his brain into conniptions. He’s a really fucking good sniper, though.“I don’t miss this!” Chris groans when he finally gets his tongue in working order, stomping away from Niall to sit at the other end of the table and pout.“I know you don’t know me, but I made these for Molly.” says an unfamiliar voice to his right, drawing his attention. It’s Ellen, the technopath from yesterday, and she’s holding a pair of pink dresses in her hands. “I noticed her dress was torn up and stained, so I thought she’d like some new ones. Harry said she doesn’t have any others in colors.”“Thank you.” Niall hums, taking them when she offers them. “She’ll appreciate these.”“It must be hard for her, losing her home.” Ellen says with a shrug. “Anything we can do to make it easier, we will.”“If you don’t mind me asking, where is Harry?” Niall questions.“He’s talking Dob through every bit of the security systems that he knows for the Tower.” Ellen tells him. “Bressie told us about the mission earlier.”“And what do you think?” Niall asks, keeping his face neutral.“I think it’s a suicide mission.” Ellen admits.“So, you won’t come with me?” Niall questions.“Of course I will.” Ellen giggles, an easy smile stretching her lips. “No better chance to test out my new babies. Besides, Bress tells me you’re the best that there’s ever been. If anyone can pull this off, it’s you, and I’d love to hit them for every bit we can.”“You’re a little scary, aren’t you?” Niall asks with a conspiratorial grin.“Only if I’m your enemy.” Ellen hums, turning on her heel and skipping off to go meet with Jane a bit away. Andy and Mike and her all seem to be keeping their distance after yesterday, and Niall isn’t surprised.“I thought you’d grow more.” says yet another familiar voice from his past. Ian has aged more noticeably than the rest of them, but he’s also the oldest, so it’s hardly surprising. He’s still got that spry look in his eyes, and that’s all Niall needs.He’s a chaos agent, best suited to distractions and guerrilla tactics. His luck never seems to run out, either. Niall’s lost count of how many crazy stunts he’s seen Ian pull that should have killed him a dozen times over, and yet he’s still completely unscathed.“I thought you’d have died of old age.” Niall returns with a smirk.“More likely dynamite.” Ian chuckles. “I think that’ll be what does me in.”“Where are you at on joining me?” Niall asks, stopping beating around the bush.“Team EG is all ready to roll out with you whenever it’s time.” Ian says solemnly, his smile fading. “Any time for the commander. Bressie didn’t even have to finish asking.”“Where’s Emilie?” Niall questions, noting she’s the other one he hasn’t seen.“Preparing.” Ian says with a shrug. “You know she needs advance time.”“I thought I’d have a harder sell.” Niall admits.“You sent us here, Niall.” Ian says with a shrug. “You found us a home. Somewhere where we can do the things we have to, without letting our baser instincts take us too far, like some people. Not much we wouldn’t do for you, honestly.”“You’re getting sentimental.” Niall snorts. “I never thought you’d outgrow your ‘little shit’ stage.”“Who says I have?” Ian asks with a devilish grin. He darts forward and wraps his arms tight around Niall’s, trapping them at his sides, and yells, “Group hug for Niall!”“I hate you.” Niall grunts out before there’s a plethora of bodies colliding with his, trapping him inside a cocoon of arms and torsos.His eye catches Harry’s as he emerges from the hallway, between Mike and Johnny’s heads, but Harry doesn’t stop walking back to his own room, and it shoots a bolt of guilt down Niall’s spine.He shakes it off, though. His mission is set, and now all they’ve got to do is go for it. The lads are what matters right now. It’s strange being in the pub again, even though it’s only been two days since he was last here. It’s stranger yet being here, and it being the furthest he’s ever been from Molly. It makes Niall’s gut twist and scream. He doesn’t like it at all.“Alright, is everyone clear on what’s going to happen?” Niall asks, looking out at the group in front of him. Bressie, Johnny, Ian, Ellen and Mike are all there, gathered around the table, looking down at the plans Niall, Luke and Bressie have drawn out.Chris, Emilie and Aoife have already gone ahead to London as an advance team to set everything up, because their things will take time. Each of them is good at what they do, though, so Niall isn’t worried about them, even though they’re all crucial to mission success.“First we meet up with Emelie and get our invisibility runes.” Mike says, looking up at Niall.“Codenames only, from now on.” Niall tells him. “Get in mind for the mission.”“Sorry.” Mike hums. “Bendix will give us our runes.”“Yes.” Niall nods.“Then Egbert and I will round the walls to the west side, where watches are weakest.” Ian adds.“Sausage Fest and I wait for the signal from Aoife, and then we set off the explosives we plant to cause chaos.” Mike adds. God, Niall really hates Ian’s code name. “Then we lob the porters over from the north side, where we’ve been staying since we planted the explosives.”“Then you, me, King and Boar need to go through them as soon as they plant.” Ellen says, taking over and referring to Bressie and Johnny respectively. “We head straight for the chapel, using the Waterloo block for cover.”“We get Merilwen inside and get her to a crystal.” Bressie says next, leaning over the map. “As long as she can touch one, she’ll have access to the entire network of them, and she can shut them down. Boar stays to guard her, while we take advantage of the distraction that Bendix, Dry Bones and Hurricane all create from outside.”Emelie, Chris and Aoife are really the crucial part of this plan because their distraction is of paramount importance. Emelie- Bendix- is a witch who can bring artwork to life. She should already be bringing a stack of flyers to the guards of the front gates of the tower, that’ll be plants for later. It doesn’t even matter if they throw them away, as long as they aren’t burned. The little Danish eatery she’d drawn the poster for isn’t real, but the Vikings that will spring out of the papers will be, and they’ll be the bulk of the distraction.Bullets will be deflected by the magical dome over the compound, so Chris- Dry Bones- won’t be much good until Aoife- Hurricane- takes care of her main part of things. Aoife really is the biggest component, because her mission is the only way that Niall and the rest will even be able to infiltrate the Tower.She’s a weather witch, and she’s already brewing a storm over London slowly, so as not to arouse suspicion. London’s weather control systems aren’t perfect, and they do occasionally get storms, but nothing of the magnitude that Aoife is going to bring. Hers has to be strong enough to produce lightning that can shatter the barrier crystal on top of the White Tower in a single blast.From then on, her and Chris will link minds so that she can see through his eyes and take out targets with her lightning, while he does his thing with his rifle. They’ll keep the majority of the Tower’s people disoriented, looking for attackers who aren’t even there.“Then King and I will go to the place Harry thinks is most likely to house the lads we’re looking for, the Tower of Blood.” Niall takes over. “It’s where Benjamin Winston keeps his office, but also a set of cells for whichever prisoners catch his eye. Calum is one of the Hoods of Oceania, so chances are he’s going to know that and keep them under his own watch, lest an international political incident spin out of all this. This is guerilla tactics, people. It has to be fast, and it has to be hard. We don’t have the power for an all-out war against this place. If an agent gets in your way, run. Don’t do anything stupid.”“But stupid is our specialty.” Mike says with a laugh.“Stupid will get you killed.” Niall says gruffly. “Once we’re inside, don’t take unnecessary risks. Use Merilwen’s tech to do as much as you can, and then get yourselves to Bendix. She’ll be close enough to control her powers, but far enough away to keep you from detection.”“These are new.” Ellen says, setting a few patches on the table. “They won’t last long, but they can keep the telepaths out of your heads for up to fifteen minutes. That’s all the time we have to do this, after Aoife’s signal. Just unpeel and stick.”She really is terrifying with the things she can do.“Use your headsets to keep in communication, but keep in mind they only have one channel.” Niall adds, tapping at the piece he has in his ear. “Anything you say, you say to everyone. Communication is key, here. We need to make sure everyone is aware of any situational change. If anyone needs to evac, we need to know, because it changes the playing field.”“We’re ready.” Ian says with a nod.“We have one hour until everyone should be in place, and Bendix and Hurricane plant their porters.” Niall says, standing up from the table. “Rendezvous here, by then. Help yourselves to anything behind the bar or in the kitchen. I don’t know what’s all there, but you can do whatever you like until then, as long as you don’t draw attention to yourselves, and don’t get too carried away to perform your missions.”“What are you going to do?” Bressie asks, following after Niall when he heads towards the back to slip out.“I’m going to go say goodbye to my home.” Niall admits, checking out the back to make sure nobody is around. Niall can’t afford to be seen right now.The agents have come and gone, ransacking the place for anything they wanted, and then disappearing because Niall and Molly weren’t here anymore. He’s sure the house is in the same condition they found the pub in, furniture overturned and any valuables taken. Niall isn’t materialistic, though. He’s already taken anything that has any meaning to him or Molly. It’s the place itself that holds memories for him that he wants a chance to say goodbye to right now.“Can I come?” Bressie asks.“You’re the mission leader, not me.” Niall says with a shrug.“Niall.” Bressie sighs.“You can come, Bress.” Niall mutters, heading out the door and making his pace brisk with Bressie right beside him. “It’s not much, though.”“It’s home.” Bressie says softly, following Niall through the winding paths of the village. No lights are on anywhere, and Niall has a feeling it has less to do with the time of night, and more to do with the agents who were here in the village yesterday.Everyone will keep indoors, in the safety of their bedrooms now that the work day is done, which is a blessing for Niall right now. It’s a shame that they’ll have to live with that fear, but there’s nothing Niall can do about it. Him leaving this place is the only thing he can do for them now, but he’s got something to do first.“This place is beautiful.” Bressie says after a minute of walking. “It’s calm. Peaceful.”“It was until my karma caught up to me.” Niall agrees with a nod. “Now everyone is living in fear. And, even if I pull this off, the lads can’t come back here. We might be able to get them new lives in Ireland, but- They’d have to be as non-magicals, which means they can’t rebuild the lives they’ve made for themselves. They can’t own businesses like they do here. I made their lives a thousand times more difficult in the end, just like I knew I would, and these people are going to suffer the consequences too. They lose their healer, and the services that the lads provide. They lose the heart of this place because I ripped it out.”“Still as hard on yourself as ever, I see.” Bressie murmurs, wrapping his arm around Niall’s shoulder.“Somebody has to be.” Niall mutters, leading them up the little path to his house. “People like you and the lads always tried to make excuses for me. Somebody has to hold me accountable.”“I’ve never tried to excuse the things you’ve done.” Bressie says quietly. “We’ve both done things, Niall. I can’t excuse you any more than I can myself. We do things in the name of a cause we believe in, though. We shoulder that burden to change things. We stain our souls so that they don’t have to.”“That’s never been what it’s about for me.” Niall admits. “I didn’t- I didn’t care about the cause, Bress. My father raised me into it, so I didn’t question it. Then it was about you, and then money, and getting out my anger towards Barbara and the way I’d been treated for my whole goddamn life. And then it was about Molly. I can pretend to be righteous all I want, but every reason I ever had for doing this has been selfish.”“This mission isn’t selfish.” Bressie argues. “What you’re doing for these lads isn’t selfish.”“I’m assuaging my guilt.” Niall scoffs, unlocking the door for the last time with the key hidden under the rose pot.“You’re helping people you love, with great risk to yourself.” Bressie says firmly.“And there you go, excusing it.” Niall says, moving back through the house as his fingers drag along the walls, feeling the memories of the last five years.He passes the sitting room where Molly first walked without needing any help at all, crossing the room to get to him in the kitchen. She’d fallen flat on her face after she stepped one foot on the rug, but she was back up before Niall could set down the pot he was cleaning and toddling towards his legs.He passes the room that started as a nursery where Molly had grown big enough to need a bed, instead of a crib. Niall had made it himself, with a bit of help from Calum, out of some old bookshelves that Ashton had decided to throw away from the shop. It had taken days, getting it perfect, but it had been worth it when she had crawled in and asked Niall to sleep in it with her.He passes the bathroom they’d shared, where Molly had slapped his hand with a hairbrush once two years ago because she didn’t like the way he was doing her hair. He’d learned to let her do that with Luke, from then on, because he was better at that sort of thing.He passes the bookshelf in the hallway that still holds all the little children’s books that he and Ashton had taught her how to read from, before it became an addiction he shared with his daughter, instead of one he indulged in alone.He passes through the door to his bedroom and feels the ghost of Harry’s hands on his hips and his lips pressing fevered marks into his lips and neck because it was an addiction they could both share in together. A stolen moment just for the two of them, where every trouble just fell away.He passes through memory after memory, breathing them in, but that’s all they are. They’re the past, and Niall doesn’t have the luxury of letting himself live in the past anymore. The present and the future are what matters.“Do you need a minute?” Bressie asks, the first words he’s spoken since they got inside.“Do you know what this is?” Niall asks, holding up a stolen treasure he’d nicked from Harry’s room when he had gone for a shower.“A- Ring?” Bressie says, clearly confused by the question.“It’s a very special ring.” Niall says quietly, perching himself on the edge of the bed. “Magical. Would you like me to show you what it does?”“Why do I have a feeling this is a trap?” Bressie sighs.“What you said last night-” Niall starts, peeling off his shirt with the words. “Did you mean it?”“Every word.” Bressie says with a nod, his voice quiet.“So you wanted me?” Niall asks, undoing the button on his trousers.“Did. Do.” Bressie says softly. “But is this really the-”“Prove it.” Niall grunts out, cutting Bressie’s question off at the pass. He knows full well that right now isn’t the time, but Niall needs something to distract him. He needs someone to get his mind off of his probable death and Harry and everything else.
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“You seem nervous.” Dob observes, looking Harry up and down when he finds him in the gym area. “Is that because you withheld information that could have helped them?”“No.” Harry grunts out, throwing his weight into his right fist to connect with the bag.“Harry wouldn’t do that, doofy guy.” Molly pipes up from her spot on the weight bench nearby, so that Harry can keep an eye on her. She stops her practice on hovering a small medicine ball, manipulating the gravity of it to make the weight of it basically non-existent. She’s not entirely clear on how it works, and neither is Harry, honestly. She is starting to get it, though, and that’s the most Harry can hope for. “He wouldn’t do anything to stop da from getting the lads back.”“Exactly.” Harry grunts out, throwing a glare at Dob.“Because I’d float his head off of his neck.” Molly adds. She really is her father’s daughter. “And then my da would kick it to the moon.”“Then why are you nervous?” Luke questions.“Because Niall is going on a-” Harry starts to snap before he remembers that Molly doesn’t know anything about this. “On a trip far away. And I don’t know when he’ll be back. And I’m stuck here with you three, and, oh yeah, the bloody Oracle!”“What’s wrong with us?” Jane asks from across the room, though she’s clearly not invested in the conversation from the way she’s filing her nails into points with far more interest.“Niall obviously didn’t think you three were any use on the mission.” Harry tells her. “He took two of your team, and all of the other, so he must not think much of you three.”“Field work isn’t my milieu.” Luke huffs, crossing his gangly arms over his chest.“Bressie and Niall are both infiltration experts, so they didn’t need my services.” Andy says, unimpressed.“And Niall wanted to leave a big gun behind in case anything happened.” Jane says, looking over at him. “This place is where I’m at my best. It was a catacomb, after all. Plenty of bodies.”“You’re a surgeon.” Harry points out. “Not a sparkling review.”“I’m also a necromancer.” Jane says with a roll of her eyes. “I’ve got an army down here.”“What’s that?” Molly asks, looking up at Harry.“Means she animates dead bodies, ladybug.” Harry explains.“Creepy.” Molly says with a shudder, the medicine ball falling a bit before she catches it.“Don’t power shame, ladybug.” Harry chides, waving a disapproving finger in her direction. “Every power is unique and special. It’s as much a part of someone as their face or voice or heart.”“You’re just saying that because you have a weird power too.” Molly grumbles.“It’s not weird!” Harry squawks, throwing his arms up over his head.“Just wimpy.” Andy laughs.“I took out the Oracle and the Demon without lifting a finger, so watch it.” Harry grunts out.“He’s right, Andy.” Jane chimes in again. “He’s powerful. Don’t underestimate him. That’s why Niall left me here, remember? He can’t disable a skeleton with his powers.”“I can.” Molly growls out, dropping the medicine ball to the ground with a smack like a gunshot.“Molly.” Harry says forcefully, putting his hand on her shoulder. “No.”“But she threatened you!” Molly argues.“It doesn’t matter.” Harry says, shaking his head. “Your powers are too strong to use as a threat. You don’t want to hurt anyone, Molly.”“But she-” Molly tries again.“Molly!” Harry cuts her off sharply, crouching down to her level. “We don’t hurt people!”“You’re not my da!” Molly grunts out, slapping Harry’s hand away. “My da would hurt her if she was a threat.”Fucking Niall and his fucking bullshit lately. He’s going to have to have a talk with Molly when he gets back. For now, Harry is going to have to handle this himself.“Take my hand, ladybug.” Harry says gently. “I want to show you something.”“What?” Molly asks cautiously, lowering her hand into Harry’s.“What do you see when you look at them now?” Harry asks, looking over towards Luke, Andy and Jane. Their faces are confident, but his powers let him see everything, and they let Molly see it too, as long as they’re connected. It even gives her his innate understanding of what he can see.“They’re scared.” Molly mumbles. “Why?”“Because you’re powerful, and because they don’t trust me.” Harry explains. “Because their friends are gone, or because your grandfather is here. Because the world is a mess. Because the cause they believe in puts them in danger. There are a thousand reasons they could be scared, ladybug. And, when people are scared, they do whatever they can to protect the things and people that they care about. Violence is a last resort, not a first one. You shouldn’t use your powers to hurt people unless they’re a threat to someone or something you love.”“But I love you.” Molly whimpers, letting go of Harry’s hand and pressing into his chest.Harry’s pretty sure that his heart is going to blow up. It’s pumping too hard and fast for any other result, overwhelmed by just four little words. He can’t even say anything, because the organ decides to move and lodge itself in his throat every time he tries to speak, only greedily opening itself up more and more for gulps of the innocent affection Molly is directing towards him.“I love you too, ladybug.” Harry finally manages to croak out, his voice ragged from tears he’s holding back desperately because he knows Molly will make fun of him.“I love you, even though you’re weird and you dress dumb.” Molly hums, nosing in closer to his neck.There it is. She really, really is her father’s daughter. There’s something off about Harry’s powers, and he can’t figure out what it is. He’s been feeling strange ever since Niall left, more aggressive, but now- Now he feels good. Physically. He’s feeling pleasure that has no source, and he knows it’s not coming from any of the others, because it’s easy to pick them out across the cave.Dob is trying to teach Molly to play some game with dice and little figurines, but he’s a bit grumpy because she’s more interested in playing with the pieces than playing the game ‘properly’.Jane is very focused on perfecting her nails, getting the points as sharp as claws. She’s keeping an eye on Harry, but she’s been getting gradually less suspicious as time goes on. She holds an obvious affection for Molly from the past, too, so it probably has to do with that.Andy is busy sharpening a collection of knives, pointedly, in Harry’s direction. His suspicion isn’t waning at all, and Harry doesn’t give a shit. He has no plans to piss them off or do anything to make himself a target. He doesn’t want to have to hurt them.Molly is happy as can be, sitting on Harry’s knee and having the little figurines have a conversation about the best eggy bread in the kingdom.None of them can be responsible for what he’s feeling, which is tipping over from pleasure into sadness, or maybe a mixture of both. His heart hurts, even if his body feels good. All he can do is move Molly off of his knee and let her sit in the chair. It feels inappropriate, even though she’s not the cause at all.“Why can’t I feel Bobby?” Harry asks, once the realization hits him that he should be feeling five souls instead of four.“Magic-blocking runes carved into the walls of the room.” Jane explains, not even bothering to look up.“No.” Harry says, shaking his head. “I could feel him last night, just fine. This is different. It’s like he’s not even here anymore.”“Oh fuck.” Andy breathes out, dropping his dagger.“Jane, I want you to-” Harry starts, standing up from the couch.“You’re not in charge here, agent.” Andy grunts out, standing up to match him. “Sit down, shut up, and let me handle this.”He proves unable to handle much of anything, not even noticing the dagger headed for Molly’s head from the shadows in the corner of the ceiling. Harry manages to toss a barrier up just in time to keep it from taking her out.“Dob, get Molly out of here now!” Harry snarls, weaving a sign that makes lightning crackle around his arms. He can’t feel Bobby, which means he can’t use his powers, even though Bobby must be in the room. He has to resort to secondary tactics.Dob doesn’t give Harry any lip, unlike Andy. He immediately grabs Molly and runs down one of the halls. Niall said there’s a panic room somewhere in the complex, but Bobby will know that. Harry has to stop him here.“I see why my son keeps you around.” comes a voice that gives harry a shiver down his spine, distorted and cold. Barely even human. It’s accompanied by a body dropping from the shadows on the ceiling, landing lightly on his feet with seven more knives held tight between his fingers.The mask he wears is familiar, a blank, black oval with no features. There aren’t even holes cut out for the eyes. Every magical child in the empire knows and fears that mask. Even as an adult, Harry can feel a spike of panic rising in his throat.“Your power is useful too, if your enemy can’t counter it.” Bobby continues, leisurely tossing another knife at Harry this time. There’s no real intention to kill in it, which is why Harry manages to blast it out of the air with electricity.“And how are you countering it?” Harry asks, feigning boredom as best he can. His alarm bells aren’t going off as strongly as they should be in this situation, but he doesn’t know if that’s because of whatever is messing with his powers, or if it’s because Bobby isn’t as much of a threat as he feared. “Some device? A charm?”“Oh, come on now.” Bobby says with a tut, tossing another dagger that Harry catches this time, more easily able to predict the flight path and speed as he sees it getting done. “Nothing so churlish as that. Think, empath.”Of course. He’s Niall’s father.“You’ve walled yourself off completely from your emotions.” Harry breathes out. “On command.”“I tried to teach Niall this trick, but he was always too- Weak.” Bobby says, shaking his head as he throws two more daggers that Harry blasts out of the air before they can hit Andy and Jane. “Such a disappointment, that boy.”“Just a bit longer.” Jane whispers in Harry’s head. “Keep him busy a bit longer.”“Niall isn’t the Horan that’s a disappointment.” Harry grunts out, stepping forward. “I’d always been told the Oracle was someone to fear with my entire soul. Then you come in, wrinkled and old and pathetic. I thought it would be an accomplishment facing you down, but it’s not going to be anything more than beating up on a pathetic old man.”“You can’t goad me into rage, empath.” Bobby snorts out on a laugh, though there’s no emotion to it. It’s empty and hollow. Dead.“I don’t care about your rage!” Harry snarls. “I care about mine! Your people killed my sister, and I’m going to pay back the favor!”He lifts his hands and shoots a blast of electricity across the room like lightning. It’s just a distraction though. He knows Bobby is too fast for that to actually work, so he drops the electricity spell to weave two signs. One for steel-skin, and one for agility.His feet push him off of the ground hard, like a bullet racing through the room towards where Bobby has landed on his feet. He deflects another dagger that Bobby throws, this time with the one in his hand.It’s easy to read his movements, since Harry’s seen Niall fight multiple times now. What’s harder is countering them. He has to rely on his steel-skin more than he’d like, the magic weakening with every slash Bobby tries to paint into his skin. It’s just a way to buy time, though. All Harry needs is the right opening.He sees it after the first cut that Bobby manages to give him, having finally worn the steel-skin charm out. He must think Harry just doesn’t have a lot of magical power, but it’s because Harry is keeping his focus on the agility spell. Bobby feints an attack with his dagger, and then brings his leg around instead.Niall loves that move.Harry grabs onto Bobby’s leg and plants the dagger into his thigh, using the angle and the surprise to his advantage to slam Bobby back into the wall.Bobby feels two things in rapid succession, shock, and then regret. Harry manages to catch the tail of them and tug, pulling Bobby’s soul out and sending his body crumpling to the ground.“A disappointment.” Harry grunts out, pushing Bobby’s soul back inside before he can be infected with the hate simmering through the whole thing.When he looks up, he finds himself surrounded by skeletons, and Andy and Jane looking at him with a mixture of awe and wariness leaking out of them.“You’re- Terrifying.” Jane says after a moment, waving her hands to dismiss the dozen animated corpses around Harry. “Remind me not to piss you off.”“Tell Andy.” Harry says flatly, taking no small amount of pleasure from the gulp Andy makes until his heart is seized with something.He’s forced to his knees, pain exploding inside of his chest and leg, though he’s not sure where it’s coming from until he closes his eyes and sees a flicker of blood on hands smaller than his own, yet just as familiar, and it all makes sense.Niall. “Why aren’t they back yet?” Harry grunts out, keeping his powers focused on making sure Bobby doesn’t wake up. Jane is busy sewing his leg up, but Harry thinks she should just let him bleed out. He fucking tried to kill Molly.“It’s a large scale operation.” Andy tells him. “It’s bound to take time.”“Niall is hurt.” Harry grumbles.“We don’t know that.” Jane says calmly, pulling the thread tight. “You’re not precognitive. There’s no reason you should be able to have a vision of what’s happening to him.”“We’re- Connected.” Harry mumbles.“If it’s true, then there’s some possibilities that we don’t really want to think about until they’re completely necessary.” Andy says with a sigh. “And if it’s not, then we don’t want to have gotten ourselves panicked over nothing.”“Why don’t you two seem to care?” Harry asks, his muscles tensing as he grows ever closer to losing his temper. “I thought you two cared about Niall!”“We do.” Jane says harshly, tying off the suture and cutting the string. “Niall found and saved us both. We also care about Bressie, who gave us a home. We care about our friends, who we’ve known for years. You are not the only person right now who is worried, Harry. You also aren’t helping anything at all by bringing it up, over and over. So, please, focus on something else, or shut up.”“I’m going to go see how Molly is doing.” Harry mutters, taking his hands away from Bobby. “He should be unconscious for at least another hour, but you should get him restrained as soon as possible. Can you set your undead to remote tasks? I suggest a guard being on him.”“He won’t be left unattended.” Andy agrees with a nod. “We’ll put some golems on him too.”“Confiscate anything on him, and make sure he doesn’t have anything hidden in the walls with runes.” Harry reminds them, heading out of the medical room and out into the hall.He finds Molly quickly, in the panic room at the end of the hall opposite their rooms. He waves at the crystal, letting Dob know that it’s okay to open the door, and then feels something collide with his legs.“Dummy.” Molly mumbles, holding on tightly. “Idiot.”“It’s alright, Molly.” Harry chuckles, picking her up. “I took care of it. No need to worry.”“He could have hurt you.” Molly mumbles into his shoulder, holding on tightly.Harry doesn’t get a chance to respond before his stomach drops out from under him with the emergence of twelve souls in the main chamber, and the electric snap of magic that he felt for the first time only a few hours ago. Four of them are intimately familiar, belonging to people he’s known for months now. He recognizes Luke and Calum and Ashton, but most especially Niall.And Niall is fading quickly.
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Kissing Bressie is different than Niall ever pictured, when he was younger or in the times since when his mind wandered there on a lonely night. It’s rough, the scruff of his jaw rubbing Niall’s skin raw. He’s not as eager as Niall hoped either. He’s gentle- Soft- Hasn’t got the animalistic energy that Niall wants from it, needs from it.He doesn’t need romantic right now.“You gonna fuck me like I’ll break too, or just kiss me like it?” Niall grunts out, pushing against Bressie’s shoulder and rolling them over so that he’s on top. “Because I’ve been fantasizing about this for about a decade, and I’d hate to be disappointed.”“You always this mouthy in bed?” Bressie scoffs, grabbing the shoulders of his own shirt and pulling it off over his head.And- Fuck. Bressie didn’t have nearly that many tattoos the last time Niall saw him like this. At least they don’t fucking move. His body is still insane, though. His chest and his arms and his abs all hide so easily behind the lumpy cotton of the jumpers he likes to wear, or the bold intensity of his gear. It’s just an illusion, though. They hide so that they can surprise with the pure definition and immensity of him.It makes Niall’s mouth water.“I’m normally a different kind of mouthy, but we haven’t got time for that right now.” Niall says with a smirk. “I’d rather just get straight into things, if you’re good with that, and if that’s your dick poking me in the arse, I’d say you probably are.”“I didn’t- I don’t have any oil or anything.” Bressie says, looking around Niall’s room. “And it looks like you haven’t either.”“Told you, I’ve got a very special ring.” Niall hums, slipping the ring on and then standing up to get his pants off. Bressie has done the same by the time Niall is freed. “It’ll take care of that problem.”He makes a show of it, using the ring to apply a generous amount to his palm so he can coat the fingers of his opposite hand. Bressie’s eyes widen in recognition when Niall starts fingering himself open, his body much more used to this after the last few weeks.He still decides to make sure he’s not too tight, because Bressie is bigger than Harry. Significantly. Honestly, Niall knew Bressie had a big cock, because they lived together for years and shared communal showers, but- He’s never seen it hard like this. He never realized just how much of a grower Bressie would be.Doesn’t seem fair that he should be able to grow any more.“There you go, big guy.” Niall says, running what’s left of the lube over Bressie’s cock and getting a beautiful, strangled moan as a reward. He climbs off Bressie, getting on his hands and knees next to him on the bed. “Now fuck me like you mean it.”“Does- Does it have to be like that?” Bressie asks, sitting up.“I like it like this.” Niall tells him. “Feels the best. Gets deep.”“Alright.” Bressie agrees with a nod, pushing himself up onto his knees to get behind Niall.And- holy fuck- Seeing Bressie’s dick and feeling it press into him are two very different things. He’s gotten so used to Harry’s that his body doesn’t seem to know how to take something that isn’t it. He forces himself to relax, though. He forces his lungs to swallow deep and hold it there until his heart rate slows down and his muscles surrender control back to his mind.It’s reflexive, is all. His body is just acting on instinct. It has nothing to do with the way this all feels wrong. It has nothing to do with the way that Bressie feels like a missed opportunity that still hurts, but also isn’t what Niall wants anymore.It has nothing to do with the fact that he’s using this as a distraction from the fear and guilt racing through his gut.It has nothing to do with the fact that this body with him isn’t the one he’s become accustomed to and knows every inch of and just wants right now, because that’s not himHe is not in love with Harry bloody Styles.It’s just a reflex.That’s what he tells himself over and over, pressing his face into the duvet as Bressie speeds up, fucking Niall properly because his body is still relaxed, even if his mind isn’t. Air isn’t coming as easily, between the fabric of the blanket between his teeth and the way his lungs don’t seem to want to fill at all. He can feel the way the cloth around his eyes is starting to get wet, and he fucking hates himself for crying right now.Bressie’s hand wanders down from Niall’s hip down the crevice of his thigh and finds him soft, his body refusing to corroborate the lie his mind is trying to tell. He pulls out gently, pressing a kiss between Niall’s shoulder blades because he probably thinks he’s in pain.“You should have told me if I was hurting you.” Bressie murmurs, trying to turn Niall’s chin towards him.“I- I think I’m in love with Harry.” Niall breathes out, the words catching painfully like claws in his throat.“I know you are.” Bressie says gently, twisting to sit next to Niall. “Not hard to see, really. Not for someone who knows you.”“I hate him.” Niall mutters, rolling over onto his back. “He’s fucking annoying as shite. He’s arrogant, and needy, and he’s always in my head even though I tell him to stay out of it. Thinks he’s smarter than he actually is. His tattoos bloody move. Can’t keep himself quiet in bed to save his life unless he’s got a pillow in his face. He’s spent the entire time we’ve known each other hiding the truth from me. I can’t fucking stand him.”“And yet-” Bressie hums.“Being with you feels wrong.” Niall whispers, keeping his bleary eyes locked on the ceiling. “Don’t think it would be any different if I was with the lads, either. He understands me in a way none of you really do. In a way nobody ever has.”“Sounds to me like you have some stuff you need to figure out.” Bressie says softly, rubbing at Niall’s shoulder. “But I don’t think tonight is the night to do it.”“You’re right.” Niall sighs. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky and just get my dick shot off or something.” Aoife’s storm is a thing of beauty. Niall has seen her handiwork many, many times, but never like this. The sky is black as tar, no light making its way through the clouds at all. The city looks dull and lifeless, spread out in front of him like this. The lights can’t seem to shine bright enough to illuminate the suffocating darkness being forced over everything.It’s a perfect night for a demon to raise some hell.Niall slips his mask into place, shaped like an old plague doctor bird face, but it has horns that curl at the top. Instead of spices, it has magical filters to resist poisons. It also conceals his earpiece from view and blocks low-level telepathy, as do everyone else’s masks.Ellen and Johnny are next to him, wearing a slim white face with no features except for an eerie smile, and a boar shaped mask, complete with tusks, respectively. Bressie’s is a crown that flows down into a honeycomb of black that bleeds red porcelain out of the spaces between so that his face can’t be seen.Aoife’s reminds Niall the most of his father’s, a black oval, but it’s splintered up with intense white webs of lightning. Chris’ is designed with a set of red crosshairs over the eyes, but it only covers the top of his face, because he’s a bloody fool. Luckily, he’s also generally at least half a mile from any raid they do, so it’s not of paramount importance that he’s entirely anonymous like the rest of them.Their masks differ, but their outfits are all the same. They’re uniforms, suited to a singular purpose. They’re made of a magically hardened material to protect from impact and absorb shock. There are runes carved into the hems of the leather, situated at the joints to improve agility and reduce energy use so they can go for longer. There are pouches with runes for duplication, allowing them to store a much larger supply of ammunition and blades than is visible, even if they do have their limits.“Winston is in the White Tower.” Chris says through the comms, letting everyone know that it’s about time to move. “I’ve got eyes on the crystal.”“Hurricane?” Bressie asks.“I’m linked with Dry Bones.” Aoife tells them all. “Ready, on mark.”“Mission start in three, two, one-” Bressie counts down, standing next to Niall with Ellen and Johnny. “Mark.”A bolt of lightning splits the sky over London once the word has left Bressie’s mouth. It takes something very specific and powerful to pull off what Niall has planned. The barrier crystal will protect against magic, but this isn’t magic. Not entirely. Aoife can harness the lightning for her own purposes, and suggest that the storm unleash it, but she hasn’t actually created the bolt herself.That’s the key.It passes through unimpeded by the blue light that shines while the entire area they’re in is lit like daylight for a fraction of a second, striking the crystal and creating a shower of glittering shards that Niall can see, even from this distance.“Sausage Fest- Egbert- You’re go in three.” Niall orders, stepping forward to the lip of the building while he places the patch Ellen had given him. “Bendix, on my mark.”“Ready when you are, Demon.” Emelie hums through the comm.“Demon?” Bressie asks, removing his finger from the button on the comm. “Your name was Prophet.”“Not anymore.” Niall says, shaking his head. “Too close to Bobby.”A chain of explosions takes down the entire west wall, lighting up the night almost as much as Aoife’s lightning had.“Bendix.” Niall says coldly through the comm, turning his back on the Tower to join the others at the device that Ellen has created.Niall isn’t really sure how it works. All he knows is that Bressie and the rest trust it. He knows it has to be planted on a solid surface, and that it’s not entirely magic, so it can work inside areas where magic is suppressed. It connects to an opposite device, both of which can be compressed into a sphere no larger than a cricket ball and will create a gate between the two spots that will open in the presence of a key of sorts, and close when it’s passed through. Both have a self-destruct button that will take out themselves and their partner when pressed so they can’t be forced open.Ellen has the key to this one, so she has to go last.A dull, blue light flares up, letting them know that the device is active now that Ian and Mike have thrown the other gate, and it’s time to move.Niall and Johnny go through first, just to assess the situation on the other side. Bressie is too important to let go without someone there to protect him if the other side isn’t clear of enemies, because he has the other porter to get them out once they find the lads. Luckily, Niall’s plan seems to be working, and all the commotion on the other side of the compound seems to be drawing all the agents forces. Emelie, Chris and Aoife seem to be keeping people fairly busy.“All clear.” Johnny says through the comm as Niall prowls to the end of the building closest to the chapel.An agent rounds the corner just as Niall gets there, but never gets the chance to react. He can’t see them, after all. Emelie’s runes made sure of that. Nobody without an identical rune will see them until they know they’re there. Niall grabs him by the neck and throws him onto the ground, shoving a dagger in his brain before he can understand that it’s even happening. Nobody follows, so Niall presumes the man was cowardly trying to hide instead of looking for potential threats.“Now we’re clear.” Niall mutters, shaking his head before he peaks around the edge of the building. Emelie’s Vikings are keeping everyone busy who isn’t already preoccupied getting out of the way of the high caliber bullets Chris is aiming at them, or the lightning strikes Aoife is raining down with a fury. Everyone is gathered on the southern and western walls, so it’s perfect.“Let’s go.” Bressie says behind him, ushering them into action.They sprint across the twenty meters to the chapel, invisible to anyone who would even be looking in their direction. If someone was eagle-eyed enough to notice the rustling of the grass or the way the rain hits their still fully solid bodies or the opening of the chapel door, it would be a problem, but they clearly don’t, because Niall still sees the shimmer of the glamour around the others once they get inside.“Merilwen.” Niall says roughly, pointing out the closest crystal. “How long will it take you?”“Less than a minute.” Ellen says, stepping forward and placing her hands on the crystal. It’s almost too high for her, but her fingertips scrape the bottom, and that’s all the contact she needs. Her eyes burn brighter than usual behind the holes of the mask, and then it fades a few moments later. “The network is down, and the psychics are trapped in their own chamber.”“Let’s move out.” Niall says, nodding at Bressie.“Keep us apprised of anything important.” Bressie tells them as Johnny moves to stand between Ellen and the door, ready to slaughter anyone that comes in with a longsword in one hand and an absolutely massive hammer head that’s strapped to his back. It’s a convertible weapon, the sword locking into place as the handle for the hammer when placed there, and Johnny has had no shortage of training with it to make it the most powerful fighting implement that Niall has ever seen, even if it’s not the most efficient. “If we haven’t contacted you in five minutes, evac.”Now comes the hard part.Niall and Bressie have to pass through the courtyard unnoticed, or they have to fight their way through if that fails. The Bloody Tower is on the southern end of the courtyard, a full hundred meters from the chapel, which means they have a high chance of being noticed.They have to move slowly, even though Niall just wants to sprint. They can’t afford to make any noise or move fast enough to draw attention. The fighting comes close a few times, agents no more than a few meters away, forcing them to stop their progress and flatten themselves against the wall.“Demon- King- There’s something you should know.” Ellen says over the comms, just as Niall and Bressie manage to get into the southeastern corner. “The Waterloo block and the prisoner control systems are on the same crystal network as the monitoring. I can shut down the cells and let the prisoners out. They won’t be able to control them with the collars until I’ve relinquished control of the network, but it’ll keep any dangerous witches from truly escaping. This could be a perfect distraction.”Niall looks to Bressie and waits for an affirmative nod before he says, “Raise some hell, Merilwen.”“Gladly.” Merilwen giggles. She really is terrifying.They wait for a moment, but then the doors to Waterloo block open and the prisoners burst through it by the dozens, flinging spells and powers everywhere now that they aren’t being held back by the magic-suppression runes.“Move.” Bressie grunts out, grabbing Niall’s elbow and dragging him towards the door to the Bloody Tower.They get inside, glamours still intact, and race up into the stairwell. It’s not hard to find the cells where the lads are being kept, the only things on the middle floor, but it is hard to see it.Luke is battered and naked, pressed back against the wall of his cell, covered in bruises and whimpering. Ashton is pressed against the bars, looking around wildly for the source of the sounds of footsteps that were echoing through the stairwell, but one of those beautiful hazel eyes of his is gone now, only an empty black hole where his right eye was before. Calum is in the center cell, curled into a ball on his bed, looking unharmed.“Where are you, ya cunt?” Ashton shouts into the room. “Come back for more? You think I’m going to let you do anything else?”“Did Ben do this?” Niall asks, dispelling his glamour now that he’s made his presence known. He’s still got his gear on, though, and he sees the fear on Ashton’s face at the sight of the mask of the Demon of London, so he removes it.“Niall?” Luke asks weakly, lifting his head up. “What- How- What’s happening?”“I’m getting you three out of here.” Niall tells them, stepping up to the door of Luke’s cage first, because it’s closest.“It’s a trick.” Calum says, his voice ringing hollow and empty. “Don’t trust him, Luke. It’s another one of that bastard’s tricks.”“Stay away from the bars.” Niall warns, attaching another device of Ellen’s to the lock. It’ll burn straight through, rendering the thing useless. They just have to wait a minute.He steps over to Calum’s attaching another device to that lock, and then another to Ashton’s after that.“It’s me, lads.” Niall says gently. “I came for you as soon as I could.”“Don’t believe him.” Calum says, looking at Niall defiantly. “It’s a glamour or something. He’ll know what to say, because he has telepaths.”“My father is the Oracle.” Niall tells them. “That’s something none of you three knew, so Ben Winston’s telepaths can’t possibly know that.”“Niall.” Bressie bites out, his glamour dropping.“They’re going to find out in a few minutes anyway, King.” Niall mutters, turning back to look Calum in the eyes. “My father is the Oracle, and the founder of the Technophage. My brother was killed in the second uprising because he was part of a raid, not because he was in a protest. I am the Demon of London, born and raised to take my father’s place one day. And, in London, I left you three behind so that I could save Molly, because EMIA will kill her, because she’s more powerful than any of us ever imagined. I know this because Harry was an agent, and he’s back in Dublin with her, where I’m taking you three.”The locks fall apart, one after another, just as Niall finishes speaking, but none of them move forward.“You could say anything.” Calum says, shaking his head.“We don’t have time for this, Demon.” Johnny says through the comms. “The fighting is getting closer, and Merilwen and I will be pinned down in here in less than a minute.”“Go for the porter.” Niall tells him, shaking his head. “Everyone evac. It doesn’t matter if they know where we are now. I’m getting these three out.”“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Calum says harshly, not moving from the bed.“Cal- Please- Molly needs all three of you.” Niall begs, making note of the glow of the crystal in his peripheral. They won’t have long now. Any minute, agents will swarm the place to stop them, and Niall has to get them out before then.He’ll do it by force if necessary.“She needs her dads.” Niall murmurs, opening the door to Calum’s cell. Guilt pummels him in the stomach when Calum flinches away.“No.” Calum says, shaking his head. “It’s a trick. It’s all a fucking trick.”“Cal-” Niall says gently, taking Calum by the shoulder and pulling him closer to press a kiss to the top of his head when he doesn’t resist. “I’m so sorry.”“Niall-” Bressie warns as the door underneath them slams open.“Open it.” Niall grunts out, hauling Calum up by the shoulder. He pushes him forwards, overtaking him easily with the strength supplied by his suit, and pushes Calum through the portal just as it opens up. “You two, move, or I’ll make you. I’m not leaving you behind again.”“Fucking bossy arsehole.” Luke grunts out, pushing open his door and striding straight into the portal as the footsteps start on the stairs. They’ve only got seconds left.“What did you do with them, Winston?” Ashton growls out, stepping out of his cell.“Bre- King- Get him out!” Niall snarls, looking to see a familiar face reach the top of the stairs. “Now!”Nick is looking all too pleased to see Niall, that psychopathic smile etched into his face.“Move it.” Bressie says, grabbing Ashton by the arm and hurling him into the device.Niall pulls out his daggers from his sides, twirling them in his hands.“I’m afraid you’re a bit too late, Grimshaw.” Niall hums. “And a bit outclassed. Can’t use your magic in here, can you?”“Who needs magic?” Nick scoffs, raising a gun at Niall.He’s not worried though. His armor is made to keep bullets from doing any damage, even though witches rarely use them. He just needs to make sure he’s between the bullets and the portal so they can’t go through and hit the lads.He’s not worried, but he should be. Nick fires twice, and Niall feels his chest and hip explode in pain, forcing him to stumble backwards into Bressie. Somehow the bullets have gone through his gear, but he doesn’t have the chance to find out how before Bressie is pulling him into the portal. “What’s happened to him?” Ellen asks worriedly, pressing a rag to the wound on Niall’s hip after Bressie lays him out on the table.“Shot.” Bressie says quietly.“How?” Mike questions, pressing another cloth to Niall’s ribs and making him hiss in pain.Fuck- That really fucking hurts. Getting shot is not fun.“Get off of me!” Luke shouts, drawing Niall’s attention as he pushes against Aoife, struggling to get to Niall.“Let him go, Hurricane.” Niall rasps, wincing with the rush of agony up his left side. Lung is punctured, then. Nicked, at the very least.“You absolute moron.” Luke mutters, crouching down next to Niall’s face. “Total idiot. Look at what happens when we leave you alone for two days. Go and get yourself fucking shot.”“Wasn’t part of the plan.” Niall grunts out, reaching a bloodied hand out to brush his knuckles over Luke’s cheek. “Not supposed to be able to happen.”“Luke-” Calum says warily.“It’s fucking him, Calum!” Luke says sharply. “It’s not a trick!”“Good.” Ashton grunts out, stepping forward. He reaches out a hand, fisting it in Niall’s collar and lifting him up just enough to make the fist he aims at Niall’s jaw all the more painful.“Enough!” Bressie roars, slamming his palms on the table. “Aoife, Chris, Johnny- Get these three to their cottage. Help them collect their things, and then take them through the portal stationed there. Emelie and Ian, activate the destruction of every portal we’ve used to night so far. Leave no trace. Ellen and Mike, keep pressure on the wounds. We’ll get him back to Jane as soon as the bleeding slows. Now move.”“You left us!” Ashton yells at Niall as he’s being pushed out by Johnny, though he doesn’t resist. “You fucking left us, Niall!”The other four are out the door right afterwards, Luke being draped in Chris’ coat.“How?” Niall asks, looking up at Bressie once it’s just the four of them left. “How did he shoot me?”“With a bloody gun, you idiot!” Bressie hisses. “You could have avoided those bullets, Niall! Why didn’t you?”“Didn’t want them going through the porter.” Niall mumbles, laying his head back. “Didn’t think they’d do anything. The runes shouldn’t have worn off of my gear. I checked them before we left.”“No.” Ellen breathes out. “No, no, no-”“Out with it.” Bressie orders, his jaw tight.“In theory-” Ellen says quietly. “They could have made anti-magic bullets. That- That’s bad, Bress. It’s not just that they could pass through magic and negate runes- It could impair any magical healing process.”“So- A long recovery.” Niall groans, slamming his head back against the wood repeatedly just to distract from the more intense pain in his left side.It doesn’t work.“He could die, Bress.” is the last thing Niall hears before he starts to fade.“No, you don’t.” Bressie grunts out, smacking Niall on the cheek. “Wake the fuck up, Horan.”“You’re an arsehole.” Niall groans, flexing his hand with the desire to reach out and smack Bressie in the balls. He reckons he probably did enough damage to those tonight, though, considering Bressie didn’t get off.“You need to stay awake.” Bressie tells him forcefully. “No idea of your condition if you aren’t conscious.”“And what the fuck exactly would you like me to talk about?” Niall scoffs, trying to hide the flinch of pain he gives at the motion. He doesn’t do a good job, given the look on Ellen’s face. “The weather?”“What are you doing next?” Bressie asks, sitting down next to Niall and lacing their fingers together. “Now that the lads are safe, I mean. What’s your next move?”“Dying, apparently.” Niall sighs.“Niall James Horan.” Bressie grits out.“Fucking finding them new identities, alright?” Niall huffs out, his left side feeling more and more like he’s literally burning alive. “Finding them a place to live. That’s the first priority.”“And then?” Bressie questions.“Gotta figure out where I’m going to take Molly.” Niall admits. “Harry and I can’t keep her this close to London. We have to get her out of their grasp. Canada, maybe. Or somewhere like Iceland. Somewhere that we can hide.”“You won’t stay?” Bressie asks softly.“Can’t.” Niall says, shaking his head. “My face and Harry’s and Molly’s are on every screen in the UK right now. People will recognize us. We have to get further away. Someplace where the empire’s grip is weaker.”“What about the lads?” Bressie asks him, stroking his thumb over Niall’s knuckles. He only knows that because he sees it. He can’t feel anything in his hands anymore.“They deserve better.” Niall mumbles, closing his eyes. “Wasn’t good for them to begin with.”“And what about-” Bressie starts, but Niall can’t do this anymore.“Stop, Bress.” Niall mutters, shaking his head. “Can feel it, you know. Can feel myself dying, so I need you to do some things for me.”“Niall-” Bressie growls out.“Niall.” Niall shoots back at Bressie, giving him as much of a glare as he can muster. “Just fucking agree.”“Fine.” Bressie sighs, dropping his eyes.“If I die, I need you to help the lads make peace with Harry.” Niall breathes out. “I want them to take her and raise her, if it’s not me. But they can’t do it alone. They need him to protect her. He’s the only one who can, but they- They’re not going to want him around, I think. Luke already knows about Harry and me, but I’m sure the others do too, now. Molly needs them, but if they refuse to make peace, then she has to go with Harry. Her safety is too important, and he’s the only one that can do it.”“I’ll do what I can.” Bressie agrees.“There’s something else.” Niall says quietly, trying to squeeze Bressie’s hand and hoping his fingers still move, because he can’t feel anything below his elbows now. “I need you to tell Harry what I told you. If I can’t- If I can’t tell him, then he still deserves to know. Just- Make it a bit nicer than I did, yeah? He deserves that. He hasn’t had anything nice in his life since his sister died. He needs a bit of nice. And tell him I’m sorry, too.”“He won’t believe a word of that, unless it comes from your mouth.” Bressie says with a soft smile.“He’d believe it less coming from me than you.” Niall chokes out on a laugh, trying to ignore the splash of red he sees spray onto his chest. He has to get this out now, because he knows he might now have another chance. He can feel his heart rate starting to slow, can feel the numbing starting to spread beyond his arms and legs into his torso. “He knows I’m a coward. Asking you to do this, when I’m dying, is much more like me.”“You’re not gonna-” Bressie sighs.“One last thing.” Niall cuts him off. “I need you to tell Molly how much I love her. That there’s nothing I wouldn’t have done for her, and that I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to see her grow up. I really need you to make sure she knows that. She’s my entire world, and I love her more than anything. And she can hate me for making the mistakes I’ve made and for leaving her like this, but she has to know I love her.”“You’re not going to-” Bressie tries again.“Yes, Bressie, I am.” Niall breathes out, closing his eyes again, for the last time. “And I’m going to pass out in about five seconds, so I need you to promise me.”“I promise.” Bressie murmurs, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Niall’s forehead.“Thank you.” Niall whispers as he feels himself slip under and his heart stop beating.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Molly, ladybug-” Harry chokes out, breathless and head spinning. “I need you to get back in the panic room now.”“Is it-” Molly starts, but she’s cut off by a yell of her own name from a voice that sounds like Calum’s, but it’s missing something.“Molly!” Ashton shouts next, clearly trying to find her.“The lads!” Molly gasps, wriggling out of Harry’s grip and taking off while he’s still too focused on how Niall is slipping away more with every second. “Lads!”“Molly, no!” Harry hisses once his brain kicks into gear. She can’t see Niall like this. She can’t. He bolts down the corridor after her, but it’s too late. She’s already in the central chamber by the time Harry reaches her, and there’s a lot to process. Calum, Luke and Ashton are all gathered around Molly, hugging her between the three of them. Ashton is missing an eye, the opposite one to Harry. Luke is covered in bruises where Harry can see, and he assumes where he can’t as well. Calum’s eyes are empty, devoid of any real humanity. He’s just going through the motions.Harry’s eyes are glued to Niall once he finds him, though. Niall has always been compact, but he’s never looked small until now. He’s never looked weak until he’s gone pale and limp in Bressie’s arms, bloody rags secured on his left side. There’s none of his defiance or rage lighting up his body from the inside out, and it breaks Harry’s heart in a way that he never thought it could to see Niall not ready for a fight.“Get him into the medical room, now!” Jane snaps, ending the slow motion that Harry feels like he’s been moving in since his eyes found Niall.“I can help.” Harry says, moving towards them instead of Molly. “I know healing magic.”“These wounds can’t be fixed by healing magic, Harry.” Johnny says, moving in front of him.“You didn’t give us all the intel!” Aoife hisses, fisting her hand in Harry’s collar and pulling him in. “Bullets that cancel magic and cause damage that can’t be healed by it either, agent?”“I- I didn’t know.” Harry chokes out, looking over her shoulder towards where Bressie is disappearing down the hall with Niall and Jane. “Agents don’t use guns.”“Then why did Nick Grimshaw have one?” Chris asks, his hand gripped around a pistol at his side. “And why did it have bullets like that?”“Nick would never.” Harry says, shaking his head. “Nick likes to flay with blades of air or burn people alive. He’d never use something like a gun. It’s no fun for him. It’s not dramatic enough.”“This is pretty fucking dramatic, don’t you think?” Aoife snaps, tugging Harry in closer. “We’re going to feed you a truth serum, and if you knew, and he dies, I’ll kill you myself. That boy has been through enough without you getting him killed.”“I’d never withhold information that could have gotten Niall hurt!” Harry growls out, ripping Aoife’s hand off of him. “Never!”“We’ll see.” Calum says, stepping away from the group. “I’ll have a truth serum ready in an hour.”“Niall said you were a potions master.” Johnny nods, turning towards him. “I’ll show you around the kitchen. We don’t have a proper brewing room.”Harry can’t argue. He doesn’t have that luxury. He’s the one on the outside right now, the one seen as a traitor. He’s the one that put them at risk by not knowing something. He’s the one that nobody in the room except Molly trusts, and one six-year-old girl’s heart is not enough to keep Harry from being suspected of betrayal.So, he just sits down and waits. It’s all he can do. “Did you withhold any information that could have benefitted the team on their mission?” Bressie asks, sitting across from Harry after Calum gives him a nod to signify that the potion should be in effect.“No.” Harry tells him, the answer the same under a veracity serum as it was before.“Did you know about the bullets?” Bressie questions.“No.” Harry answers.“Are you still working for EMIA in any way?” Bressie asks, folding his hands over one another. “Passing them information, or anything else?”“No.” Harry says, shaking his head. “I was never really working for them to begin with. I was a mole. I spent three years manipulating them from the inside, hiding the families of potential mages that my partner Nicholas Grimshaw hunted down, and making him believe that they were dead because killing children is absolutely wrong, no matter the potential damage they could cause.”“Whose side are you on?” Bressie asks, laying his hands flat on the table now.“Niall’s.” Harry sighs. “I want to watch the Technophage burn for what they did to my sister, but I would never give faulty information that could have gotten Niall hurt. I’m in love with him. I would never let anything hurt him if I could prevent it, even if it would kill me.”“I’m done.” Bressie says with a nod to Calum. “Thank you, lad.”“Well, we bloody well are not.” Ashton growls out, taking Bressie’s seat as he vacates it. “He has a hell of a lot more to answer for than that.”“I’ll tell you anything you want to know, Ashton.” Harry says quietly. “I would have anyways.”“Have you two been fucking behind our backs?” Ashton spits out the question venomously, ignoring Harry’s statement.“Yes.” Harry admits with a nod.“Are you two in love?” Luke asks, holding Molly on his hip across the room.“I love him, but he- He doesn’t understand yet that he’s in love with me.” Harry explains. “I touched his soul when I had to use my powers on him, and I saw it there, but he doesn’t want to believe it, so he doesn’t.”“Did you make him leave us behind?” Calum questions, next to Harry.“I told him that we had to.” Harry breathes out.“To get us out of the way?” Ashton asks.“To get Molly away.” Harry says firmly. “Because EMIA would have killed her, and not even Niall and I could have stopped them then. I also told him not to go after you while you were in the Tower, because he could have been killed and left Molly an orphan. I told him to wait until you three were transferred to another facility to come for you. Once he decided to go anyways, I was going to go with him, but other problems came up that kept that from happening.”“Did you really want us out of there at all?” Calum questions.“I would have laid down my own life for it, but I didn’t want him to risk his.” Harry mumbles, shaking his head. “Niall is a father. Molly needs him. I matter to nobody, but he- He needed to live, and now he still might not because I didn’t know enough. I didn’t think that Ben would be stupid enough to hurt a member of the Hood family, or his lovers. I thought you would be safe until we could get to you.”“Well we weren’t, Harry.” Ashton grunts out, pointing to his missing eye. “In case you hadn’t noticed.”“I’m sorry.” Harry whispers.“What happened to stop you from coming?” Luke asks, shifting Molly a bit.“My grandfather.” Molly answers before Harry can.“The Oracle showed up, and Niall needed someone here who could protect Molly from him.” Harry expands on her answer when they all look confused. “He already tried to assassinate her once tonight, so it was the right choice.”“Fucking hell.” Calum sighs, rubbing his palms in his eyes.“You left us behind, Harry.” Ashton says, standing up from his chair. “That’s the only truth that matters here.”“I know.” Harry tells them, and even though he’s physically incapable of lying right now, it feels like the most honest thing he’s said. “You’re in love with my son, aren’t you?” Bobby asks when Harry walks into the room.“Yes.” Harry says, wincing as soon as the word has left his mouth. Fucking truth serum must still be active. “But that’s none of your business. You have no right to interfere in his life ever again.”“I’m his father.” Bobby says with a shrug.“You’re a sperm donor.” Harry counters, walking over to him and detaching the IV for the blood bag they’ve got hooked to him for Niall. “And an abusive cunt.”“That may be true, but he’s still my son.” Bobby says, cocking his head to the side. “You know he hates your kind, right? His daughter aside, he hates witches.”“Your son hates specific witches.” Harry says, shaking his head. “There are witches inside this place right now that he loves. Molly and Calum and Aoife and Bendix and Jane- He loves them. He’s not like you. He doesn’t blindly hate someone based on their genetics.”“You didn’t name yourself.” Bobby points out.“Because your son doesn’t want to love me.” Harry says quietly.“Why did you come here, then?” Bobby questions. “Why have anything to do with him?”“You don’t understand love at all if you have to ask that question.” Harry scoffs, rolling his eyes. “But that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. You got one of your sons killed, and you did everything you could to strip the humanity from the other. You tried to assassinate your granddaughter tonight. You’re a monster.”“And yet you need my blood to save him.” Bobby chuckles, though it has no humor to it.“This blood is the only reason you’re still alive.” Harry says, setting the bag down on the table and leaning against it to look Bobby right in the eyes. “Bressie says you’re more useful dead than alive, and that’s probably true. Niall wants to kill you for what you did to him and the threat you pose to Molly, and he should. But he’s not the only one you should be afraid of. I would love nothing more in this world than to rip out your soul and keep it out until your body withers and dies.“And I could. It would be so easy, and they wouldn’t do anything to me for killing you. You would deserve it, and even if they think you have your uses, none of them would mourn you. All of them would be relieved, actually, because they truly do hate you, Robert.”“Then why don’t you?” Bobby asks. “I couldn’t do anything to stop you now.”“Because I don’t kill people on purpose.” Harry tells him, grabbing the bag of blood and standing up to head for the door. “And because my sister would hate that I killed you for her, even though you’re the one who got her killed. She would never want me to hurt even you because that’s what kind of person she was, before one of your bombs ended her life. So, the only people you have to thank for your life are a dead witch, and your son who’s dying on a table right now. God help you if he does, because there’s only so much a ghost could do to stay my hand.” Calum, Ashton and Luke took Molly to Niall’s room three hours ago, and the others have all drifted off since then. Harry is the only one left out in the main chamber when Jane emerges, the only one still awake to hear her declare that Niall is alive. He’s the only one there to let relief flood his chest at the words.“Can I see him?” Harry asks, climbing out of his chair.“He’s going to be out for hours, and don’t go waking him.” Ellen hums from Bressie’s shoulder, where she has her chin tucked over it while she rides on his back. She must be exhausted, doing the raid and then working as support for Jane all in one night. “And don’t touch any of the machines. My babies are sensitive.”“Wait out here, and I’ll take you back in a minute.” Bressie tells him.“I know where-” Harry starts, but he’s cut off by a look from Bressie and clamps his mouth shut. He’ll just wait for Bressie.He’s been waiting for eight hours since Niall got back. He can wait a few more minutes.“Should really be Molly who sees him first.” Bressie sighs once he gets back, nodding his head towards the hallway they’ll find Niall down at the end of.“She cried for hours, and her grandfather tried to kill her tonight.” Harry mumbles, keeping his eyes down towards the ground. “She needs the rest.”“And I don’t suppose it has anything to do with you wanting him to yourself?” Bressie asks, a hum in his voice telling Harry that he’s already drawn his own conclusions. He’s wrong, though.“I’ve never had him to myself, and I never would.” Harry says softly, shaking his head. “His soul is shared with too many people. Molly- The lads- You- Molly’s mother- Your teams- He’s fragmented himself off and left pieces tucked into everyone he’s ever let in. He fancies himself a lone wolf, but- He isn’t. Not really. He needs those connections just to breathe, even if he doesn’t realize it. Even if it fights every perception he has of himself.”“He said you understand him in a way nobody else ever really has.” Bressie murmurs, clapping his hand on Harry’s shoulder as they stop in front of the door. “Reckon it’s probably better than he understands himself. We never can see the whole picture when it comes to ourselves, can we?”“He said that?” Harry breathes out, his lungs squeezed too tight by those words to say the words with any volume.“He also said you’re annoying as shite.” Bressie chuckles. “Don’t think I’m the one to tell you about that conversation, though. Not my place, you know?”“Assuming Niall Horan is capable of having a conversation instead of an argument is putting an awful lot of faith in him.” Harry says, a fond smile pulling at his lips as Bressie opens the door.“Never found it misplaced, doing that.” Bressie hums.“Neither have I.” Harry whispers, his feet taking him closer before he even decides to move. There’s an array of metal boxes around the bed Niall is in, all with crystals on top that’ll be there to keep Niall in good condition. He just looks like he’s sleeping, even if it’s not how Niall normally sleeps. Niall hates having more than one pillow under his head, and he sleeps on his side, not his back, curled up instead of laid out. There are tubes snaking under the blankets, carrying blood and fluids into his veins. It’s still somehow the most peaceful Harry has ever seen him look, the usual scowl embedded in his face smoothed out into something softer. He looks more his age now.“Don’t go waking him.” Bressie says, reminding Harry of Ellen’s words. “He needs the rest.”“Don’t need to, do I?” Harry says, stroking his hand over Niall’s arm just to feel the annoyance a bit more than he could before.“These drugs aren’t bloody strong enough.” Niall grumbles, his voice raw and scraping as he opens his eyes.“They’re all an addict is getting.” Bressie says firmly, no room in his voice for argument. “Luke told us about your- Habits.”“Booze and pain meds are hardly the same thing, Bress.” Niall huffs out.“All you’re getting.” Bressie repeats, closing the door.“You know about the bullets, then?” Niall questions, looking to Harry.“No.” Harry tells him, sitting on the edge of the bed. “They already made me take a truth serum, but I’ll take another if you want.”“Don’t need to.” Niall grunts out, shifting back a bit onto the pillows. “I know when you’re lying. Always have. Don’t always know why, or what you’re hiding, but I know when you’re lying.”“You’re supposed to be resting.” Harry says softly, brushing Niall’s fringe out of the way so it’s not plastered to his forehead with sweat anymore. “Shouldn’t even be able to wake up right now.”“Like Bressie said, I’m an addict.” Niall sighs. “My drug tolerance is better than most. Makes it hard for these things to keep me under.”“I could put you out with a spell.” Harry offers.“Just shut up and lay down, Harry.” Niall mutters, letting his eyes drift closed. “Know you’re gonna end up crawling in at some point anyways.”“No, I’ll let you sleep.” Harry says gently, standing up off of the bed. “I just wanted to see with my own eyes you were alive. I’ll make sure Molly comes to see you first thing in the morning.”“I said lay down, Harry.” Niall grunts, sounding like the effort it takes to wrap his hand around Harry’s wrist is more than he wants to make, and yet he does it anyways.And, well- Maybe Harry hasn’t learned as much about self-preservation as he thinks he has when it comes to Niall, because he does it.“Thank you.” Harry whispers, settling into Niall’s right side, away from his wounds.“Also said shut up.” is Niall’s response, but he tangles his fingers with Harry’s, and that’s more than enough for now. They’re both out within minutes.
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“Wake up, losers, we’ve got vitals to take!” Jane says loudly, barging into the room and slamming the door open.Niall startles awake, but not half as badly as Harry, who yelps and flops backwards out of the bed. It sounds very painful the way he lands, and the loud whine he lets out makes Niall feel a bit bad for him, honestly.“You’ve gone and killed Harry now, are you happy?” Niall sighs, looking over towards Jane.“Marginally.” Jane hums, stepping to the other side of the bed. “He’s a bit annoying, isn’t he?”“Oh, don’t be such a bi-” Niall starts.“Uh-uh, Horan.” Jane sings, placing the tip of her finger on one of the crystals by Niall’s bed and doing something that makes Niall’s entire left side flare up with pain. He can’t even do anything but gasp, tossing his head back. “I control this, which is helping lower your pain levels, since we can’t use stronger drugs. I am your god, now.”“You’re on your own, gorgeous.” Niall says through gritted teeth, looking over to where Harry is blinking owlishly at him with only the top half of his face visible over the edge of the mattress.Harry’s blush heats up so much Niall is sure he’d feel the heat if he just got his hand close, a whimper escaping out through his lips, and he says, “No, I am kind of annoying.”“Come here, then.” Niall says gently, reaching his hand out to invite Harry back.“Gimme a second.” Harry mumbles, reaching his own hand up towards his eye.“Don’t hide your scar.” Niall murmurs, catching Harry’s fingers. “Don’t know why you do that.”“Harold, if you’re going to insist on being a distraction for him while I do this, I’m going to insist you leave.” Jane says firmly.“I- I should go see how the others are doing.” Harry mumbles, shaking his head and standing up. “And shower, and eat something, and-”“And come back and talk to me later.” Niall adds for him, since Harry seems hesitant to do it himself. “Got some stuff I need to talk to you about. I need to talk to Molly and the lads first, but- I want you to come back after, alright?”“Stuck in a bed and still bossing me around.” Harry mutters, kicking his foot aimlessly at the floor.“Please?” Niall requests.“Fine.” Harry says, his voice tight. “Yeah. There’s something you should know, though. Before all that. Bobby got out of his cell last night while you were all gone. He- He-”“He tried to kill Molly, didn’t he?” Niall sighs.“I don’t know.” Harry admits. “Like, yes- He threw a dagger at her head that I only just barely managed to stop, but-”“But it didn’t feel right.” Niall finishes for him. “Like the most dangerous non-magical in the world should have been able to kill a six-year old girl if that’s what he wanted.”“Exactly.” Harry says, his eyebrows drawing in and his mouth pressing into a thin line. “Did someone tell you already?”“No, I just know my father.” Niall mutters, shaking his head. “I’ll take care of it.”“I wouldn’t have let him hurt her.” Harry says softly. “I promise I wouldn’t.”“He did handle the situation with some level of competence.” Jane chimes in.“I know.” Niall nods. “I left him here with her for a reason. No offense to you or Andy or Luke, but Harry is the only one besides myself I’d trust to be able to protect Molly. Nobody else out there can do it.”“Your god.” Jane repeats, narrowing her eyes and hovering her hand over the crystal again.“It doesn’t take a god.” Niall tells her with a snort. “It takes a warrior, and I trust Harry to be able to do what needs done. He’s skilled, and his power is almost impossible to counter. Plus, he learns quickly because he’s smarter than he looks. He’s seen me fight three times, and I know he’s picked up enough from those to handle Bobby, even in hand to hand.”“He used your feinting kick.” Harry says with a nod. “Caught him off guard that I knew what he’d do, and that let me put him down. He had somehow figured out how to completely suppress all of his emotions, but that surprised him, and then he regretted it, which gave my powers an opening.”“Like I said, you’re the only one I trust to protect her.” Niall hums. “Go on, then. I’ll talk to you later.”“Talk to you later.” Harry agrees quietly, turning on his heel and walking quickly out of the door.He’s confused. Niall can tell. His emotions are probably much harder to read at the moment, and Harry’s attributing too much to the drugs. He doesn’t understand that Niall has come to terms with things. He will, though. Niall will tell him.“Now, will you please focus on your god, and worshipping her for the great service she has done you?” Jane asks with an amused smile when Harry disappears and Niall can’t watch him anymore.“How long until I’m on my feet again?” Niall asks.“Knowing you, sooner than you should be.” Jane says, shaking her head with a fond smile. “But the catheter should keep you in bed for a while.” “Are you okay?” Molly asks quietly, climbing up into the bed after Niall pats it.“Yeah, love, I’m okay.” Niall murmurs, pressing a kiss to her forehead.“Did you get hurt?” Molly questions.“A little bit.” Niall chuckles, nodding.Ashton scoffs on the other side of the room, his face hidden by a newspaper. He seems to have no interest in talking to Niall. It’s not a surprise. He seems to be the angriest out of all of them. He also seems to think Niall should tell the truth.“I got shot.” Niall admits. “But just a little bit, and Jane did good work patching me up.”“How do you get a little bit shot?” Molly asks, crinkling her eyebrows and frowning.“By not being able to move any faster.” Niall says, shooting a look at Ashton when he glares over his newspaper. “Some things slowed me down.”“Not our fault.” Calum huffs. “I thought you were a trick.”“I know it’s not your fault.” Niall tells him. “I should have just pushed you through the portal sooner, instead of trying to coerce you.”“No, I should have told them that it was you sooner.” Luke sighs.“How did you know?” Niall asks.“There was a look in your eyes that no glamour could ever mimic.” Luke says with a shrug. “The same one you always get whenever you were being stubborn.”“Stubborn?” Niall hisses, wincing at the pressure on his lungs. “I was risking my life, and the lives of my team, just to get you out!”“Well, that’s your own fault, isn’t it?” Luke hums, leaning against the wall. “We didn’t make you do that.”“We also didn’t make him leave us behind, so it’s the least he could bloody do, isn’t it?” Ashton mutters.“Ashton.” Luke says sharply.“Luke.” Ashton fires back.“It’s my fault.” Molly says quietly, cutting through the tension in the room like one of Niall’s daggers. “Da left you behind for me.”“Molly.” Niall says, shaking his head. “That’s not- It’s true, but that doesn’t change that I left them.”“And took Harry.” Calum scoffs.“Harry was there, and I needed a way out of the city.” Niall sighs. “It was easier than sneaking her out, and it took less time.”“So did our arrest.” Calum bites out. “All that mattered was getting your daughter and secret boyfriend out, isn’t it?”“If it was all that mattered, you’d still be in the bloody tower.” Bressie says, stepping into the room. “You three- Out. Niall needs to rest and relax, and you three hitting him over the head with his own guilt isn’t going to help.”“You’re not in charge of us.” Ashton growls out, standing up out of his chair.“You’re under my roof, lad.” Bressie says firmly. “If you think you’d fare better on the streets, be my guest.”“We’ll go.” Luke says, stepping forward and shooting a glare at Ashton when he opens his mouth to argue. “Come on.”“This conversation isn’t over.” Ashton says with his lip pulled back in a snarl.“It is for now.” Bressie says, moving to the side and letting them all file out the door.“What did he mean, secret boyfriend?” Molly asks quietly.“Harry and I have- We’ve spent some time together outside of your lessons.” Niall says quietly. “Sort of- Romantic time.”“Christ.” Bressie sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Eloquent, aren’t you?”“What about the lads?” Molly asks.“I’ll explain later.” Niall sighs.“Now.” Molly demands.“Molly.” Niall groans.“Now, da.” Molly says firmly.“I haven’t talked to Harry about this yet, love.” Niall tells her. “I need to talk to him before I talk to anyone else about it.”“You’re supposed to be with the lads.” Molly mumbles, moving backwards and lowering herself out of the bed. “Not Harry.”“Molly-” Niall says gently, reaching towards her.“You’re supposed to be with the lads!” Molly snaps, slapping at Niall’s hand.She’s out of the door in a moment, the sounds of her shoes echoing off of the walls of the hallway.“Fuck!” Niall groans, covering his face with his hands.“You haven’t talked to him yet?” Bressie asks, taking a seat next to Niall’s bed.“He freaked out this morning.” Niall mutters. “And I was too damn tired last night.”“Want me to send him in here?” Bressie offers.“Don’t think Molly will be coming back any time soon.” Niall sighs. “So, you might as well.”“Don’t sound so enthusiastic.” Bressie snorts.“When he tried to confront me about my feelings, I sort of- Tried to kill him.” Niall mumbles. “I didn’t handle it well.”“Try to do better, this time.” Bressie says with a roll of his eyes, standing up and heading for the door.Niall plans on it. It’s just- He really hates admitting he was wrong. “Bressie said you wanted to see me?” Harry mumbles, stepping into the room with his head down.“What’s wrong?” Niall questions, looking him up and down.“What do you want from me, Niall?” Harry questions, his voice soft and timid. “Because if it’s to get pissed off at me, everyone else has been doing that for you today.”“I’m not- That’s not what this is about.” Niall tells him. “What happened?”“Molly slapped me.” Harry mutters, keeping his head low and his body in the doorway at a distance. “Said I ruined her family.”“Fucking hell.” Niall groans. “I’m sorry about that.”“The lads have made it pretty clear I’m not welcome around them either.” Harry says, shaking his head. “And the teams. Bressie’s pretty much the only one who can stand to be around me, and even he’s not particularly happy about it. Honestly, the conversation I had with your father last night might be the closest anyone has been to being nice to me since they found out I was an agent.”“Bressie has his reasons, and I’ll talk to the others.” Niall tells him.“I should just- I should go.” Harry mumbles. “I can go somewhere else. Leave, until you’re healed. I can survive on my own out there. Then, whenever you’re ready to move on, you can just let me-”“You really are a fucking idiot, aren’t you?” Niall scoffs. “I know I say it all the time because of how you dress, but I didn’t think you were actually this stupid.”“It’s better than staying here.” Harry bites out.“How is going out there to probably be found and killed or captured better?” Niall questions.“How is staying here to be hated any better?” Harry asks harshly.“I want you to stay here, Harry.” Niall tells him.“Why?” Harry asks with a snort. “Because I’m the only person here besides Bobby that’s hated more than you right now?”“Because I’m in love with you, you fucking sod.” Niall fires back. “Now will you come here so I can fucking talk to you?”“No!” Harry hisses. “No! No, no, no! You do not get to try to manipulate me by lying!”“You’d be able to tell if I was lying.” Niall argues, rolling his eyes.“You’re drugged.” Harry says flatly, keeping himself lodged in the doorway.This really isn’t how Niall thought that this was going to go. He’d thought Harry would probably cry a bit, honestly. Maybe there would be some kissing. He didn’t think Harry would try to run away and accuse him of lying, even if he did guess that Harry would think the drugs have something to do with the confession.“Not very well.” Niall says with a soft smile. “Will you please just come here and talk to me? I really don’t want this to be an argument. It’s not supposed to be. I told Bressie you deserved for this to be nice.”“When?” Harry asks, narrowing his eyes. He takes a single step into the room, though, which is progress.“Right after I got shot.” Niall explains. “When I thought I was dying, I asked him to do three things. I needed him to tell Molly that I loved her and I was sorry. I needed him to take care of the lads. And I needed him to tell you that I’m in love with you.”“Some panic reaction when you’re dying isn’t love, Niall.” Harry sighs, taking another step forward.“It’s not- That wasn’t-” Niall stammers. “Harry, I figured it out before then.”“When?” Harry asks again.“You’re not going to be happy.” Niall sighs. “If I tell you, you can’t get mad.”“I make absolutely no promises.” Harry growls out, stepping in closer.“Just- Remember I’ve been shot.” Niall mutters. “I was having sex with Bressie, and-”Harry cuts him off with a scoff, saying, “Oh, this is off to a promising start.”“Will you just bloody listen to me?” Niall groans, throwing a glare at Harry. There’s a moment of silence, and then Harry waves his hand for Niall to continue. “Thank you. Anyways, when we went back to Saint Martine, I took Bressie back to my house. I wanted to forget what you said to me. I wanted to forget my reaction to it, and what was about to happen, and what I’d done to the lads. So, I- I took advantage of the fact that Bressie said he loved me, and I tried to have sex with him“I stole your ring before I left. Sorry about that. It’s in my clothes, wherever they put those when they cut me out of them. I just- I wanted to ignore what you had said, because it wasn’t fair that you told me. I didn’t want to believe it, so I forced myself to act on something that died a long time ago. But I could only lie in my mind. My body wouldn’t support the lie.”“I don’t understand what you’re telling me here.” Harry mutters, taking a seat on the edge of the bed furthest away from Niall.“I’m saying that it felt wrong, because it wasn’t you.” Niall murmurs. “I realized I love you because it felt wrong being touched by a man I’ve loved for my whole life. All I wanted was you, even if I didn’t want to want it. It should have been something I was allowed to realize on my own, but- I’m glad you told me, because it’s true, and I probably would have kept fighting it for way too long. Long enough to push you all the way away, and I just really hope I haven’t already done that.”“You tried to murder me for saying this less than forty-eight hours ago.” Harry sighs, dropping his head and keeping his eyes trained on the ground.“I really am very sorry for that.” Niall mumbles.“And you had sex with Bressie just to prove to yourself that I was lying and trying to manipulate you because you trust me that little.” Harry adds, his voice getting sharper.“To be fair-” Niall starts to argue.“And then, when you finally admit that you love me, you do it by yelling at me and calling me an idiot and a sod and all manner of other unpleasant things.” Harry growls out, cutting him off. “You tell me that you planned on having the man you had sex with tell me instead, because you’d have rather died and let someone else handle that for you. Have I got that right?”“I wouldn’t rather have died.” Niall huffs. “I just thought I was going to, and I wanted you to know. I also figured you’d take it better from him, because- You know- The attempted murder thing.”“And the whole having sex with him thing?” Harry hisses. “Did you think I was going to take that better from him?”“Probably better than I did.” Niall says, trying to joke and diffuse the anger coming off of Harry. “He’s bloody huge.”That, as it turns out, was a mistake.Harry stands up off of the bed and tears off the blanket, leaving Niall bare. He doesn’t realize what Harry’s doing until it’s too late. He thinks Harry is trying to punch him in the dick, which would probably be well deserved. What Harry does is a bit much, though.His fingers wrap around the catheter tube, a bit below where Niall has managed to cup his hands over himself, and he pulls as hard as he can. Honestly, getting shot hurt less, although that might have been the adrenaline and shock. It feels like his dick is getting ripped off as the tube scrapes against the inside. It’s the worst thing Niall has ever felt.“Bleeding hell fucking shit cunt ass cock-sucking whore!” Niall screams, writhing around on the bed. “Oh my god, you are a fucking shit eating arsehole!”“Say it nicely.” Harry grits out through clenched teeth. “Without insulting me, or yelling it at me, or saying you don’t want to be, or needing to have Bressie’s huge bloody cock inside you.”“I love you.” Niall pushes out, keeping every insult trapped under his tongue, despite the fact that his entire lower half is screaming in pain.“Nicer.” Harry demands.“I’m in love with you, Harry.” Niall sighs, wincing and pushing the pain away so it’ll stop coloring the words. He’s being a dick about it, but he does deserve to hear them better than Niall has said them so far. “I love you, alright?”“Better.” Harry smirks, waving his hand over Niall’s pelvis and relieving the pain. “Now one more time, for good measure.”“I love you.” Niall says gently. “Now will you lay down with me and have a kip, because getting shot and then having your dick ripped off is pretty tiring.”“Budge up.” Harry hums, pulling the blanket back over Niall’s body as he slides into the bed.“I was shot, you know.” Niall grumbles, sliding over. “And if I piss the bed, it’s your fault. Can’t bloody feel much of anything in my legs because Jane’s crystal is numbing them.”“Shut it.” Harry chuckles, laying his head down on the pillow. “I’m trying to have a kip.”“I hate you.” Niall huffs out.“No, you don’t.” Harry says with a shit-eating grin. “You love me. Told me so yourself.”“I regret it immensely.” Niall sighs, settling back against the pillow.“Don’t suck all the romance out of the moment.” Harry snorts, batting at Niall’s chest, but not resisting when Niall catches his hand and tangles their fingers together.“Think that was dead before it started.” Niall hums. “And if there was any, it died when you ripped my dick off.”“Didn’t rip it off.” Harry laughs, scooting in closer to Niall. “Plan on using it when you get a bit better. Just gave you a bit of what you deserved.”And, really- That’s fair. So Niall doesn’t argue, he just turns to the side a bit and catches Harry’s lips in a soft kiss before he slips under the waves of his exhaustion.
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It’s four days before Niall is strong enough to get out of the bed, which is at least two weeks before Jane wanted him out of it, but Niall doesn’t have a choice. The lads haven’t been to see him, and Molly hasn’t been to see him, and even Harry can only spend so much time with him before he has to go do magic lessons with Molly.“You’re an idiot.” Bressie huffs, finding Niall in the hallway, halfway to the main chamber. He’s got a tray of food in his hands, so he was clearly bringing Niall his lunch.“I’m bored.” Niall mutters, wiping the sweat off of his brow. Honestly, he didn’t think it would be this difficult. It’s just walking.“You’re recovering.” Bressie grunts out. “Back to the bed.”“No.” Niall says firmly. “I haven’t seen my daughter in days. I’m going to see her.”“Niall-” Bressie sighs.“I’m going to see her!” Niall snaps.“Idiot.” Bressie grumbles, kneeling down. “Climb on before you pass out.”“I can make it on my own.” Niall mutters.“Get on my back or I will pick you up by your ankles and carry you out there.” Bressie demands. Niall would think it was an empty threat if Bressie hadn’t already done that to him several times when he was younger. Niall’s not even in any condition to fight back this time.“You’re the worst.” Niall grunts out, climbing onto Bressie’s back and holding on tight.“I’m also eating your sandwich.” Bressie huffs, standing up and turning back towards the main chamber. Niall has to admit, it’s actually easier. His arms weren’t shot, after all. His chest isn’t loving it, but it’s not as bad as the pain in his leg.“Johnny, Bressie’s being mean to me!” Niall whines when Bressie reaches the main chamber.“Big Niall, be nice to little Niall.” Johnny says from across the room absentmindedly while he reads a book. Niall grabs the apple off of the tray Bressie is carrying and whips it at Johnny, but it goes wide and splatters on the wall next to his head. Johnny doesn’t even look up when he says, “Little Niall, don’t play with your food.”“I hate this place.” Niall mutters, grunting when Bressie drops him unceremoniously onto the couch.“Sit there, eat your lunch, and shut up until Molly is done with her lesson.” Bressie huffs, putting the tray in Niall’s lap and taking the sandwich. “And try not to do anything stupid for a while. You’ve reached your quota for today.”“You’re not my da.” Niall grumbles.“You’re right.” Bressie says flatly. “I love you more, which is why I want you to stop hurting yourself. If you want me to go grab him though, I can.”“We’ll wait on that until I’m in better condition.” Niall sighs. “Not too long, though. If I can kill him, I will.”“Not too long, then.” Bressie agrees with a nod, turning and walking away.“What are you doing out here?” Harry sighs, stepping over from the workout area where Molly is training. Ashton and Calum don’t even look at him, and Luke only shoots him a small smile before he turns away.“Wanted to at least see her.” Niall says quietly, looking over at where Molly is levitating herself in midair. Her eyes are closed, but Niall has a feeling that she wouldn’t look at him anyways.“I’ve been trying to get her to come see you, but she won’t let me talk to her about anything except magic.” Harry mumbles, sitting down next to Niall on the sofa. “She threw me into a wall for it earlier. The only people around here she’ll talk to are the lads. I think- I think you’re going to have to talk to them before she’ll talk to you. She’s stubborn, just like her da.”“I’m sorry.” Niall murmurs, holding out his hand for Harry to take.“It’s alright.” Harry says with a soft smile. He doesn’t take Niall’s hand, though he does look down at it. “I don’t think it’s a good idea in public.” “Not exactly a market down here.” Niall hums. “You ashamed of me now, being a cripple and all, Styles?”“That’s not it at all.” Harry snorts. “It’s just- There’s too many people here who are- They aren’t exactly happy about us. Molly- Bressie- The lads- It’s like rubbing it in their faces.”“I’m sorry.” Niall sighs again.“Nothing to be sorry for.” Harry says softly, ghosting his hand over Niall’s before he stands up. “We can’t help who we fall in love with. After her lesson, I’ll take you back to your bed, alright? I’ve got a surprise for you anyways.”“Jane hasn’t cleared me for physical activity yet.” Niall snorts.“Not that.” Harry scoffs, smacking Niall in the back of the head. “You’ll see.”“I’m willing to give it a try, though.” Niall hums, barely hiding a laugh at the grumpy look Harry shoots him over his shoulder.The celibacy really isn’t easy on either of them, but Harry clearly cares more about Niall sticking to Jane’s plans than Niall does.“You look mad.” says a newly familiar voice as a small body takes up space on the couch next to him.“Just how my face looks.” Niall chuckles. “What can I do for you, Ellen?”“I’d like to take some blood samples from Molly.” Ellen says simply. “Well- Have Jane take them, obviously. I’m not a big fan of needles, myself.”“Neither is Molly.” Niall tells her. “Why do you want that?”“Two reasons.” Ellen says simply. “First, I’d like to take a closer look at her genetics. If there’s a difference between a witch and a mage, the blood is where we’ll find it. Second, have you wondered about the gear we used on that mission at all?”“It’s much more advanced than the tech we used to have, but I know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.” Niall says with a shrug.“That’s because it’s not just tech.” Ellen says with a wide grin. “It’s magi-technology.”“Magi-technology?” Niall asks, turning to look at her.“Using magical blood, and my powers, I’ve been able to combine technology and witch’s inherent powers.” Ellen explains. “The patches are from a telepath, and the porters are from a spacial manipulator. Molly’s power to manipulate gravity could be incredibly useful in a number of different ways.”“It’s not my decision to make.” Niall sighs, shaking his head. “That’s hers. Whenever she starts talking to me again, I’ll talk to her about it. I won’t force her into it, though. If she says no, then that’s it.”“Of course.” Ellen agrees with a smile. She climbs off of the couch then and heads away with a little wave over her shoulder.If Niall thought she was terrifying before, it’s nothing compared to how he feels now. She’s somehow managed to combine magic and technology, something that Niall never dreamed of. It’s what the Technophage could have stood for, in a better world. One where Greg hadn’t died and Bobby hadn’t turned into a monster.He sits for a while longer, eating what’s left of his lunch and watching Molly practice in the use of her powers, and she never says a word to him, even when she leaves. He’s proud, even though he’s not sure he has any right to be. He hasn’t been any help with her lessons. He hasn’t been any help with her magic at all, really.“Get out of your head.” Harry says gently, lifting Niall’s chin up and pressing a light kiss against his lips. “Your guilt is driving me crazy.”“I don’t think I’ve been a very good father.” Niall admits quietly.“I don’t think that’s for you to decide.” Harry tells him. “It’s for Molly, and I don’t think the last few days are any representation of what the answer is.”“Aren’t they?” Niall mutters. “I think the last week or so has been a perfect example of what I’m like as a father.”“If you don’t stop being so hard on yourself, I’m going to knock you unconscious.” Harry huffs, slinging a bag over his shoulder and leaning down towards Niall.“Not if I do it to you first!” Niall hisses when Harry scoops him up. “Put me down, you absolute arsehole!”“If Bressie gets to carry you, then so do I.” Harry says flatly, walking towards the hallway, but not the one with the medical wing.“Possessive git.” Niall huffs. “Where are we going?”“Bressie got Jane to agree to move you to a regular room, so you’re closer if you try doing anything stupid like walking to the main chamber again.” Harry chuckles. “You’ll be bunking with me, I’m afraid. With the lads here now, as well as all of the others, Molly, and us, every room is full up.”“I have a bigger bed.” Niall points out.“I know.” Harry grins, opening up the door. “But mine is the furthest away from the lads and Molly, and I don’t really care if any of the others hear us.”“I knew that was your surprise.” Niall snorts.“It’s not.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes, kicking the door closed behind them.“Then what is?” Niall asks as Harry sets him down on the bed.“These.” Harry says softly, taking the bag off of his shoulder and handing it over. “They’re not from me, though. Luke wanted me to give them to you. He smuggled them out of Saint Martine for you.”They’re books. They’re from the shelf in the hallway of his house, all of the ones that Niall loved too much to trade back to Ashton for new ones, since he could only afford to actually buy books regularly for Molly. Dozens of books are shoved inside of the bag, and Niall didn’t even cry when he was shot and bleeding out on the pub table, but he’s pretty sure that the stinging in his eyes and the difficulty seeing aren’t from him suddenly going blind.“Luke is your way in with the lads.” Harry says, sitting down next to Niall on the bed. “Or, at least- He’s the first step I think you should take towards setting that relationship right.”“It’s never going to be right.” Niall says, shaking his head and swallowing thickly. “The only thing I can do for them now is to help find them a new life.”“Again, I don’t think that’s a decision for you to make.” Harry murmurs, pressing a kiss to Niall’s cheek. “They may not forgive you, but you have to at least try. They deserve that much. They all love you, no matter how mad they are. The five of you- You’re the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a functional family. Family fights, but you have to try and make up. If none of them want to repair the bridge, then that’s their choice, but you have to make the choice to try.”“I didn’t think that you’d want me to repair it.” Niall admits. “Been in love with them for five years. Even falling in love with you doesn’t change that, and I think you know that. Even if- Even if that relationship isn’t what I want anymore, I didn’t think you’d want me to repair it.”“Just how much of an arse do you think I am?” Harry asks with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest.“Enough of one to get pissy about Bressie having to carry me out there because I was sweating buckets and trying not to drop like a sack of rocks in the hallway.” Niall snorts.“You had sex with Bressie four days ago.” Harry mutters. “I get to be pissy and possessive when it comes to him.”“You know I had sex with them like- Dozens, if not well over a hundred more times than I had sex with Bressie, right?” Niall scoffs. “I’ve had sex with him once, and it really barely counts at all.”“They’re her dads, Niall.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes. “I’m not going to begrudge you a relationship with Molly’s dads. And I’ll get over the Bressie thing eventually. I just don’t like that he got to touch you, and I can’t.”“You’ve touched me a lot more than he has.” Niall says, chuckling as he settles his hand over Harry’s. “Like that, at least. And I told you, I’m willing to give it a try.”“Not until Jane clears you.” Harry says adamantly. “Don’t need to go popping open that wound on your hip because either of us decided to get frisky.”“You’re really going to bring me in here, and we’re not going to shag at all?” Niall groans.“No, we’re not, but I thought we could read one of your books together.” Harry hums, nodding at the sack in Niall’s hands.“I’d better read it out loud, then.” Niall hums, reaching in to grab one at random. “Because if you read half as slow as you talk, we’re going to be at this until the end of the world.” “I took her hand in mine, and we went out of the ruined place; and as the morning mists had risen long ago when I first left the forge, so the evening mists were now, and in all the broad expanse of tranquil light they showed to me, I saw no shadow of another parting from her.” Niall reads out before closing the book. “It’s over?” Harry asks, looking up at Niall from his stomach, eyes half lidded. “Took me almost six hours to read that.” Niall scoffs, but he can’t help a fond smile from pulling at his lips.“I like hearing your voice.” Harry mumbles, rubbing his face against Niall’s chest as he scoots up. “I couldn’t tell you a single character’s name or the plot, but- I liked listening to you read it.”“It’s Great Expectations.” Niall sighs. “How do you not know Great Expectations?”“I’m not a realism guy.” Harry says with a shrug, settling back down on Niall’s shoulder. “I prefer fantasy. Have you got The Hobbit?”“I’ll have to check and see if it’s one of the ones Luke grabbed for me.” Niall chuckles. “Who would have thought the powerful witch and agent would like him a book about dragons and dwarves?”“I like the adventure.” Harry says shyly, burying his face in Niall’s neck. “It’s like- Books are a miracle so much greater than any magic. They let you be anyone and do anything.”If Niall hadn’t already come to terms with being in love with Harry, that would be the moment that did it for him. He knows he would have realized, in that one moment, that he’s fallen for this twat blushing against his skin right now.“Swear you’re a telepath, sometimes.” Niall mumbles, bringing his hand up to card through Harry’s hair. “The way you get inside my head and think the things I do.”“You know- There is one quote from a classical book I remember always loving and hoping for, when I was younger.” Harry says quietly, drawing his finger in an idle line up and down Niall’s chest. “Wanted to feel it myself, but never thought I would. It goes ‘He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.’”“‘Wuthering Heights.’” Niall hums. “You know, that quote is part of a longer one explaining that she loves him, but she won’t be with him because he’s not socially acceptable enough to marry.”“I just like that part.” Harry huffs. “Not the whole bit.”“You’re a sentimental idiot.” Niall snorts. “It’s not a love story, you know. It’s a tragedy.”“Luckily, I’m pretty sure that your name isn’t Heathcliff, and mine isn’t Catherine.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes.“That’s my middle name.” Niall tells him with a shrug. “But I guess that’s not the same.”“Your middle name is Heathcliff?” Harry asks, shooting upwards into a sitting position with his face twisted in confusion.“Looks like I can lie to you after all.” Niall hums contentedly. “Just has to be when I don’t care if you know the truth.”“It’s James.” says a voice from the door that makes Niall’s head audibly crack with how fast he whips it around. Better than Harry, who probably bruises his bum with how hard he falls out of the bed scrambling to separate from Niall.“Good to know.” Harry squeaks out, looking up over the edge of the bed. “What can I do for you, Luke?”“Came to talk to this one, if you don’t mind.” Luke says, nodding his head at Niall. “Alone, please.”“Yeah.” Harry says with a jerky nod, jumping up to his feet and brushing at his clothes like he’s trying to hide what was happening by smoothing out the wrinkles. “Of course. I’ll just go- Make some tea? Tea sounds good.”“He’s a bit weird.” Luke chuckles after Harry races out the door past him, stepping in and shutting it behind himself.“Thank you for the books.” Niall says quietly. “I didn’t think to grab them, because they weren’t necessary, but I’m really glad to have them.”“You never really did learn what it means to take care of yourself.” Luke says softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. “It’s okay to be happy, Niall. It’s okay to let yourself feel something positive. Maybe the books weren’t absolutely necessary, but you’re allowed to have something that makes you feel good. You’re allowed to be happy.”“Don’t really feel like I am.” Niall mumbles, looking down at his hands because he still can’t look at the yellowed bruises on Luke’s skin without wanting to vomit out of guilt. It turns his stomach that he’s the reason that happened. “I’ve killed a lot of people. I’ve ruined a lot of lives. I ruined your lives.”“You saved our lives too, Niall.” Luke sighs, settling his hand on Niall’s knee. “I- I don’t speak for all of us. You know that. But I do speak for myself, and I want you to know that I don’t blame you or Harry or Molly for what happened.”“Doesn’t change the fact that these did happen because of me, whether you blame me or not.” Niall mutters, tracing around the outside of a bruise on Luke’s wrist.“Did you know that Ash and Cal were against ever inviting you into the relationship?” Luke questions.“Yeah, it’s pretty obvious.” Niall scoffs.“No, I mean back at the beginning.” Luke says with a breathy laugh. “Back when we first met you, they- They wanted to help you, but they also wanted you at a distance. They were scared of you.”“They’re the smart ones.” Niall tells him with a weak smile.“No, I am.” Luke hums, tilting Niall’s chin up to force their eyes into meeting again. “You are a beautifully complex human being, Niall. There’s so much to you that it takes years to crack your walls at all. All that pain, and all that rage, though- It’s all just a mask. And there were these moments that made me fight for you, to bring you in, because I could see what you really were.”“I’m a demon, Luke.” Niall mutters, wrenching his jaw out of Luke’s grip so he can look away again.“You’re a scared little boy who needs to be loved, Niall.” Luke murmurs. “All of the things that have happened to you- All of the pain and loss you’ve felt- It made it so that you had to grow too quickly. You got stunted, because nobody ever loved you the right way. Your father- Bressie- Barbara- You had these connections that you wanted so desperately to be different, because you wanted to be loved. That’s all you ever needed, and I thought that the three of us could do that, but- We can’t, can we? Because we never really understood you, even if we thought we did. But he gets you, doesn’t he?”“He does.” Niall breathes out, nodding. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”“I’m glad.” Luke says softly. “It’s okay to be happy, Niall, even if it’s not with us. I’m glad you finally found someone who loves you and understands you in the ways we couldn’t.”“I’m sorry.” Niall says weakly, his breath starting to get caught in his throat as tears form in his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”“Enough of that.” Luke hum, pulling Niall’s head to his chest. “I’ll always love you, Niall. You and Molly both. You’re my family, even if it’s not the way we might have thought it would be.”That’s all Niall can stand before his tears burst like a dam and ragged sobs start clawing into his lungs. He clings as tightly to Luke as he can manage, fingers sunken into the fabric of his shirt as he grips on for dear life, and Luke holds back without any hesitance until Niall exhausts himself enough to fall asleep.
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“You know, I knew you’d be trouble the first time I saw you.” Luke tells Harry when he finally wanders back to the room.“I’m sorry.” Harry mumbles, looking down into his mug of tea so he doesn’t have to look at Niall all curled up around Luke, fingers still clinging to the fabric of his shirt. “For whatever that’s worth.”“I know a thing or two about falling in love with Niall Horan, you know.” Luke snorts. “Catches you off guard. I know you didn’t mean to. Don’t think anyone ever does it on purpose, because there’s about a hundred red flags sticking out of him. He’s defensive and violent and mean. He’s selfish and he’s hyper-focused on Molly to the point of obsession. He’s just- He’s the absolute worst, sometimes.”“Well-” Harry starts, his eyebrows drawing together. “I wouldn’t-”“He’s also tragically beautiful.” Luke murmurs, cutting Harry off with a sort of fondness that descends over the entire room. “I don’t mean like- His appearance, though. He’s attractive, but- It’s his soul that does it. Like a marble that’s cracked and broken all the way through, but held together on the outside, and the way it catches the light takes your breath away. Can’t really help it once that light catches your eye.”“Yeah.” Harry agrees lightly, taking a seat on the bed next to them. “Even since he admitted it, he’s still felt off. He’s still keeping himself at a distance from me.”“That’s-” Luke sighs. “Has he told you why Molly isn’t speaking to him?”“No.” Harry admits quietly, and that very thing has been killing him for days.“She’s mad that you’re together.” Luke explains. “Molly wanted him to be with us. For her whole life, or at least as long as she can remember, we’ve all been one unit as far as parenting her. And now he’s picked you, and that’s not going to happen. Her family is all in one place, but it’s been split into two halves, and she’s angry about that. In her mind, he’s supposed to be with us, and this whole thing has thrown a spanner into the works.”“I’m not trying to interfere in that family structure or take your places.” Harry mutters, clenching his fingers tighter around the mug.“I know that.” Luke hums, patting Harry’s other hand on top of Niall’s arm. “But you have to remember, she may basically be a demi-god, but she’s also still just a six-year-old girl.”“It’s hard to remember sometimes, given the way she acts.” Harry mumbles. “Too much like her damn father.”“She’s definitely growing up too fast.” Luke agrees. “I wish she didn’t have to, but there’s no other choice with the situation. But that doesn’t mean we can’t cut her some slack when she acts like a kid.”“Easy to say when it’s not you she hates.” Harry sighs.“She doesn’t hate you.” Luke tells him, squeezing Harry’s hand. “She’s confused, and her entire world keeps getting turned upside down and shaken out. She just needs some stability.”“Why aren’t you madder, like Calum and Ashton?” Harry questions.“I can’t be mad that he’s happy.” Luke says gently, pressing a kiss to Niall’s forehead. “But I’ve also known about this for a while. I’ve seen the way you look at him, and I knew that you were falling for him. His bit was a surprise, but- I don’t think it should have been. It’s so obvious, in a way, you two. Too passionate to end up any other way. The hate- The sex- It was all too intense for it to be anything else.”“You sure you’re not an empath?” Harry asks with a weak smile.“Nah.” Luke hums. “I just pay attention. It’s a shame you two went about it this way, you know. I think- I mean, it would have been a tough sell, but- If things had gone differently, maybe it wouldn’t have been an ‘us or them’ kind of thing.”“I- I don’t think that’s the life for me.” Harry admits. “I have nothing against polyamory, but it’s just not something I can really be a part of. It’s- It’s hard enough being with one person, in a way. The more people I’m that close to, the more it creates a feedback loop in my head until I don’t even know what I’m actually feeling, and what they are. The four of you, plus Molly, would be a nightmare for me. I wouldn’t even know who I was.”“They said you knew Niall was hurt before he came here.” Luke says quietly. “Is that how?”“We’re connected.” Harry breathes out. “It’s never been like this with anyone before, but- I’ve also never loved someone the way that I love him. But if I did fall for you three that way- I don’t know what would happen to me. I don’t know what would be left.”“A shame.” Luke says with a shrug, slowly edging himself out from under Niall’s sleeping body. “Saw you in the showers yesterday, so I know you’re hung, and I’ve heard something about a ring that you’re going to have to let me try sometime. Olive oil on my asshole can only do so much, and Calum is only occasionally willing to take one for the team.”“I can make you your own.” Harry offers. “But- After what happened in the Tower- Niall told me how he found you.”“They didn’t do what you think they did.” Luke says, shaking his head. “Not that. They stripped me down, and they beat me in front of Ash and Cal, but they didn’t rape me. And, even if they had- Calum and Ashton are the two people I trust most in this world. I know they would never, ever hurt me. If I needed time, they’d give it to me. But, given the way Chris won’t look at me anymore because he caught them double-stuffing me up the ass yesterday in the shower- I don’t think I need any.”“You’re very blunt.” Harry snorts out.“I’m also a real bitch when I don’t get what I want, so I’ll bring you a ring to use, and I want it done by the end of the week.” Luke says with a wicked grin.“Just pick one from the ones you’re wearing and I can do it now.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes. “It just has to have a gem. Metal won’t hold the charm for long, but a gemstone will hold it for years.”“This is the only one I’ve got, then.” Luke says, passing over a silver ring with a flat, black stone on top. He’d forgotten, for a while, what life was like out there for these boys. What it’s like to be non-magical. The limitations placed on things they’re allowed to own. Luke has probably never owned a real gemstone.“That, um- That won’t work.” Harry says quietly, sliding off one of his own rings. He has plenty that don’t mean anything to him, but that can maybe help him start to make reparations with them. Even if it is just some lube for Luke’s poor, abused asshole. “You can have this one.”He weaves a series of signs, setting the charm in place on the gemstone, but doesn’t finish before he asks, “Any particular flavor you’d prefer? I can, um- I can make it taste-”“I hear your strawberry is delicious.” Luke says with a smirk.“You’re dead when you wake up, Horan.” Harry mutters under his breath, finishing off the charm and passing the ring over to Luke while he desperately tries and miserably fails not to blush. “Where did Luke go?” Niall asks, blinking awake. “And why do I feel hungover?”“He left a little while ago.” Harry answers flatly. “And because you’re an emotionally repressed gremlin who probably hasn’t actually cried without holding back in at least a decade.”“Oh fuck.” Niall sighs, rolling onto his back. Clearly, he’s starting to remember his conversation with Luke. “Was he mad at me?”“Is he ever?” Harry scoffs, rolling his eyes.“He once dropped me to the floor by kneeing me in the testicles because I wasn’t seduced by him.” Niall says with a shrug. “Most of the times he’s been mad at me have been sex related.”“Whatever.” Harry mutters.“Why do I have the feeling you’re mad at me?” Niall grunts out, pushing himself up on his elbows to look at Harry. “I’ve been awake for like- a minute.”“You told him about eating my ass!” Harry hisses, smacking Niall in the back of the head.“I was shot!” Niall growls out, glaring at Harry.“Not in the head.” Harry huffs out.“Twice.” Niall grumbles. “I was shot twice. Where is irrelevant.”“My naughty bits are not a subject for gossip.” Harry says flatly.“Not anymore.” Niall hums. “Everyone’s much more interested in Luke’s, ever since Chris walked in on them. Apparently, he was-”“I’ve heard.” Harry snorts.“Chris spent at least an hour whimpering in my bed.” Niall chuckles. “Honestly, you’d think he’d never shagged anyone, but I can very definitely tell you that he has.”“Just how many people here have you had sex with?” Harry sighs.“Um- Ashton, Calum, Luke, Chris, Bressie, Aoife, and you.” Niall says, counting off on his fingers. “Although, I’m not sure Bressie should really count, since nobody actually came. What counts as sex in this? Because Aoife was just me giving her a bit of cunny, and Bressie got it in me, but-”“I cannot believe you.” Harry scoffs, cutting him off. “There are fifteen people here who aren’t you or your blood relatives, and you’ve slept with almost half of us.”“Not my fault I’m irresistible.” Niall says with a smirk. “Besides, three of those were one-offs in emotionally compromising points in my life.”“That doesn’t make you not a slut.” Harry grumbles.“You’re sexually frustrated.” Niall says with a grin, putting his hand on Harry’s thigh. “Maybe you’d calm down a bit if we-”“Da?” Molly asks, cutting Niall’s train of thought off and making them both turn towards the door where she’s standing.“What’s wrong, lovebug?” Niall asks, his whole body shifting towards her.“I want to talk.” Molly mumbles, her fingers caught in the hem of her dress. “Can we talk?”“Always, lovebug.” Niall nods. He’s being cautious, worry and nerves eating him up inside, but his face soft and showing none of it. He doesn’t pat the bed, though, which is telling in its own way. He’s trying not to push her, but he’s inviting her in with his smile, to leave it up to her.“Would you like me to leave?” Harry offers.“No.” Molly says, shaking her head. “I need to tell you something too.”“We’re ready whenever you are.” Harry tells her, sitting back up fully.“I don’t like this.” Molly says, stepping forward and waving her hand between Niall and Harry. “Da was supposed to be with the lads.”“That’s not for you to decide.” Niall says softly.“I know.” Molly mumbles. “Luke told me. He said you two are in love, and it’s okay to be in love. Even if you aren’t with them, they don’t stop being my family.”“They’re always going to be your dads, Molly.” Harry tells her.“Exactly.” Niall agrees with a nod. “Harry isn’t kicking them out. He’s just- Expanding the family.”“I have too many dads.” Molly sighs. “Father’s Day is hard enough, and now I have five.”“I-” Harry squeaks out. It’s all he can manage. His heart is lodged in his throat again, suffocating him with his own affection.“Breathe, love.” Niall chuckles, rubbing at Harry’s arm.“She’s so fucking cute.” Harry whimpers.“You’ll have to forgive him, lovebug.” Niall hums. “He’s new to this. He didn’t get it all out when you were a baby.”“You’re going to have to start dressing better if you’re going to be one of my dads.” Molly says firmly, looking straight at Harry. “Not like a twat. Luke can teach you.”“Are you always this mean to your dads, then?” Harry asks with a breathless laugh.“You’ll get used to it.” Niall snorts. “She’s opinionated.”“Just like her dad.” Harry giggles.“Which one?” Molly asks, climbing up onto the bed. “I’ve got five.” “Lock the door.” Niall grunts out when Harry walks in behind him. They shouldn’t be doing this. It’s such a bad idea. Harry shouldn’t have cast a spell to bring Niall up to normal for a little while. He shouldn’t be helping with this. It’s a bad idea. “Magically. I don’t want anyone interrupting until I’m done.”“Niall-” Harry says softly.“Harry.” Niall grits out from behind clenched teeth. “This is not up for debate. If you want to stay outside, be my guest.”“Fine.” Harry sighs, throwing up a barrier around the door that will make the room impossible to enter through it until Harry takes it down.All the time they speak, they’re left without a word from the other body in the room, but Harry can tell that’s not going to be the case for much longer.“What did I tell you?” Niall asks with a snarl, turning on the other resident of the room.“I said nothing negative about your daughter.” Bobby says with a sly smile. Niall’s dagger slicing through his cheek as it embeds itself in the stone wall behind his head doesn’t make it falter in the slightest. He does, however, roll his eyes and add, “I was testing that one.”“You have no right to test anyone.” Niall hisses. “Especially at the expense of my daughter!”“If he’s going to join the Technophage-” Bobby starts, but Harry’s weaved a sign that grants him telekinesis and chokes him with an invisible fist around his neck.“Never!” Harry says fiercely. “I would never join any group responsible for the death of the one person who could have helped this empire become worth something again! I’d rather die!”“He’s mine, Harry.” Niall says icily, gripping Harry’s arm.“Fine.” Harry repeats, dropping his spell. “Then kill him already, before I do.”“You’d throw this empire into even more chaos?” Bobby asks, raising his eyebrow. “You know full well that I’m the only one who can control my people. Without me the technophage will split into more factions and all-out war will be inevitable.”“All the better to get the attention off of us.” Niall says with a wicked grin. He means it, too. There’s no deception coming from him. “They can’t focus on us if the empire is erupting in another uprising.”The doorknob rattles, but Harry’s spell stops any sound from entering the room. They’ve been found out, though, and Harry can feel Bressie’s anger rising.“I can cause plenty of distraction for you.” Bobby argues. “If you’d all just let me go back to Mullingar, I’d distract the empire. The Oracle making moves in public will pull the focus off of you.”“He hasn’t heard.” Niall chuckles. “Would you like to tell him, Harry?”“There was a news report today.” Harry hums, taking a seat on the edge of the desk. “The Oracle is old hat. Niall Horan is the most wanted man in the empire now, after the attack on the Tower of London, and his identity as the Demon of London has been revealed to the public. Bressie has been fielding offers left and right to join his faction, because people are leaving yours. They want to work with Niall. You aren’t the one holding the leash anymore.”“Breslin can’t possibly lead my people.” Bobby grits out, glaring defiantly.“But I can.” Niall tells him harshly. “And you decided to try and kill my daughter, so the scale has officially tipped out of your favor.”“Then I’ll do something bigger.” Bobby grunts out.“I don’t think you have it in you.” Niall says with a smirk. “You’ve gotten old. Lost your touch. One agent by himself never could have taken you down in the old days.”“It really wasn’t a hardship at all to fight you.” Harry agrees with a nod.“A fight isn’t what I had in mind.” Bobby says bluntly.“Then what is?” Harry scoffs. “Gonna blow up more innocent people and act like it does anything for your cause?”“I’m going to blow up parliament.” Bobby says, just before the wall implodes, sending bricks and dust raining through the air. Harry just manages to throw up a protective barrier in time to keep it from hitting them.“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Bressie roars, stepping through the entrance that Jane has created for him, although she looks reluctant.“Don’t try to stop me, Bress.” Niall says, bringing his other dagger up to Bobby’s throat. “He attacked Molly. You knew that this was coming.”“I am in charge here, Horan!” Bressie bites out, fuming. “You do not get to kill him without my say so!”“I’m not killing him.” Niall grunts out, bringing the dagger down harshly and slicing it through the chains connecting the cuffs around Bobby’s wrists. “I’m setting him loose on the empire.”“What?” Bobby and Bressie ask in tandem, eyes wide with shock.“I cannot be the most wanted man in the empire and get Molly somewhere safe.” Niall sighs, putting his dagger back in its sheath. “He needs to draw that attention away from us. I’m setting him free because I need him to do that. Just another uprising will get squashed. I need someone who will take things further. I need something so insane that they’ll have no choice but to focus on him instead. He’s got an idea for that, so I’m setting him loose.”“You couldn’t tell me before you did that?” Bressie asks with a sigh.“I needed to make sure he had something big enough in mind, or I was going to kill him.” Niall says with a shrug. “Luckily for him, he does.”“I’ll get started immediately.” Bobby mutters, annoyance lacing through his words and into Harry’s blood.“Not so fast.” Harry says harshly, pushing him back into the chair. “We’re not done.”“Do not touch me, witch!” Bobby growls out.“No, he’s right.” Niall says firmly. “Before I let you go, you’re going to beg Molly for forgiveness. You’re going to apologize to her, and you’re going to beg. And, if she doesn’t forgive you, then I’m killing you anyways.”“Doesn’t leave much room for sincerity if I’m being forced to do it.” Bobby scoffs.“There is nothing sincere about you.” Niall whispers, leaning in. “But, so help me, you will make my daughter feel better or I will crucify you on top of your headquarters. I will destroy you, like you tried to do to her.”“Fine.” Bobby agrees, though he doesn’t like it. Harry doesn’t care. He’d been much more on board with the idea of killing Bobby than this when Niall talked to him about it. He still doesn’t think they should be doing it.But maybe that’s just the rage boiling in his blood at being this close to the monster who killed Gemma, whether he was involved or not.“Move.” Niall tells him, hauling him back out of his chair. “You’re doing it now, and then you leave. What you’re doing doesn’t make us even, but it tips the scales back enough to let you live. But, if you ever come back, I will let Harry kill you for what you did to his sister. This is the last time you ever come near me or mine again, understand?”“You really are such an ungrateful child.” Bobby huffs, stepping forward.“And you really are the worst father who ever lived.” Niall counters, following after him.“Jesus hell!” Andy yelps when Bobby strides into the main chamber. “Jane!”“Stop.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes, stepping out right after Bobby. “How are you an infiltrator when you freak out at the sight of anything even slightly unexpected?”“It’s different when I’m on a mission!” Andy hisses, throwing his arms up over his head. “And, when I’m on a mission, the most dangerous man alive isn’t walking around my living room!”“Do I have to deal with these idiots, or just your daughter?” Bobby asks with a weary sigh. Harry wants to blow his head off his shoulders, but that might be Niall. He’s not really sure anymore.“Molly, love-” Niall says, gesturing for her. “Your grandfather has something to say to you.”“Try anything funny, old man, and I’ll put you in a black hole.” Molly says, approaching with Luke, holding his hand.“You’ve got your father’s fight in you.” Bobby chuckles, kneeling down on one knee. “I want to apologize for what I did the other day.”“No, you don’t.” Molly says, narrowing her eyes. “He’s a bad liar, da.”“Oh, I can assure you he’s a very good liar.” Niall mutters.“Okay, I don’t want to apologize.” Bobby admits, and Harry has to grip Niall’s wrist to keep him from snapping Bobby’s neck right then and there. “You are a very dangerous little girl. I did what I did for a lot of reasons, but one of them is that your power scares me greatly.”“Good.” Molly says with a smirk that looks way too much like Niall.“I hope you’ll forgive me.” Bobby says softly. “I shouldn’t have done that, whatever my reasons, and I want to beg your forgiveness. Please, Molly.”“You’re a bad man.” Molly says, folding her arms across her chest. “You’re an evil man. The evilest man. But you’re my da’s father, so there must be something good in you, because he’s good. He’s the best, like you’re the evilest. Next time though, I’ll squash you.”“There will not be a next time, little one.” Bobby tells her, standing up to his full height again. “I have been assured of that.”“Get out, and remember what I said about if I ever see you again.” Niall whispers, leaning down to pick up Molly in his arms. Comfort begins to take over his heart the moment she’s near it again, and it floods into Harry as well. “You would deserve nothing less.”“I guess this is goodbye, so-” Bobby never gets a chance to finish, though, because Niall is already walking away with Molly.“You’ve been granted a pardon.” Harry says, stepping into the space where Niall was and glaring down into Bobby’s eyes. “Take it and leave, before one of us changes our minds.”“Take care of him.” Bobby murmurs, watching Niall’s back disappear down the hallway. “He was never any good at taking care of himself. I taught him how to survive, not how to live.”“You no longer have the right to worry about him.” Harry says gruffly. “But I will.”“He’s still my son, even if he doesn’t see me as a father.” Bobby says, turning towards the lift to finally fucking leave. “I will always worry about him, whether I have the right to or not.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“No.” Niall says firmly, shaking his head.“You fucking owe me.” Ashton grits out between clenched teeth.“Yes, I do.” Niall agrees with a nod. “But I’m not teaching you to shoot. You have one eye, Ashton. I’ve seen you miss while reaching for the salt two feet in front of you. You haven’t got any depth perception. Putting a firearm in your hand is asking for trouble.”“Actually-” Harry says quietly from the weight bench below Niall. He’d been spotting Harry, since he can’t do any real exercise yet, but then Ashton stormed in and demanded Niall train him. It’s become a familiar experience over the last few days, but Niall has managed to turn him away until now. “Ellen, Jane and I have been working on something.”God damn it.“What is it, then?” Ashton asks.“One of these.” Harry says, sitting up and pointing to his eye.“I am not letting Jane put some cadaver eye in me.” Ashton scoffs.“It’s not a cadaver eye.” Harry huffs. “It’s a glass eye that’s been spelled with a crystal inside to connect to the brain. It lets you see.”“So what you’re telling me is that I haven’t had to be walking around looking like a pirate with this damned patch over my eye, but you decided to let me because?” Ashton questions angrily.“Because it’s incredibly complicated magic, and it’s taken us until just this morning to figure it out.” Harry huffs. “They should be finishing it up soon, for you.”“It’s not going to be all freaky and grey like yours, is it?” Ashton asks, raising his eyebrow. Niall has never wanted to hurt Ashton before, but it would be very satisfying to punch his teeth in at this moment.“It’ll match your other one.” Harry mumbles, dropping his head down. “That’s why Jane did that eye exam yesterday. She was mapping your iris so it would match, and also getting the sizing down.”“When I have it, you’re training me.” Ashton grunts out at Niall, turning on his heel and walking away.“It’s not freaky.” Niall says softly, putting his hand on Harry’s shoulder.“I’ve had her make one to match my other eye too.” Harry mutters.“Why?” Niall questions. “I like your eyes.”“Niall-” Harry sighs.“I do, Harry.” Niall says gently, gripping Harry’s chin and forcing his head up so their eyes meet. “They’re beautiful. And I think your scar is beautiful too. I don’t know why you try to hide them.”“They aren’t beautiful.” Harry mumbles, looking anywhere except at Niall.“I wouldn’t call you gorgeous if I didn’t mean it.” Niall murmurs, crouching down so he takes up Harry’s entire field of vision. “Do you know why I called you that for the first time that night?”“No.” Harry admits quietly.“Because you weren’t expecting me, so you forgot to put your glamor up.” Niall whispers, bumping their noses together. “It was the only time you hadn’t done that since we first slept together.”“I- I didn’t realize.” Harry breathes out.“The real you is a lot more gorgeous than that fake version you try to put up.” Niall tells him, brushing his lips across Harry’s as he speaks. “None of that anymore, understand? I like seeing you, not an illusion to cover your scars and the color of your eye and the imperfections on your skin and the stretchmarks on your arse and your weird extra nipples.”“They’re birthmarks.” Harry huffs, rolling his eyes.“Exactly.” Niall hums, nodding along. “They’re part of you, so stop trying to cover all of that up.”“I don’t like when you get all soppy.” Harry chuckles. “Makes me nervous you’re going to punch me or something to cover up the fact that you’re capable of human emotions.”“Won’t start a fight I can’t win.” Niall says with a shrug. “Not in any condition, at the moment. I’ll do it later, though, if it’ll make you feel better.”“Arse.” Harry grumbles, smacking Niall on the arm.“I just want you to be open with me.” Niall says gently, catching Harry’s hand and holding on tight. “I know I haven’t always made that easy, but I’m trying to be better now. In fact- There’s something I want to do with you.”“Not until Jane clears you.” Harry says firmly. It’s been his mantra for the last two weeks, and Niall is fucking sick of it.He’s also not stupid enough to push it.“Not that.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes. “I want you to do that thing from the boat again, but without me resisting, or you being in such an erratic state.”“I- What?” Harry asks. “Really?”“I want to know you, Harry.” Niall murmurs. “I’m not good at this whole- Thing. But that’s something you and I can share that I’ve never been able to do with anyone. And I want you to do whatever it is you do with me, where you can touch my soul and feel it.”“That’ll hurt you.” Harry says, shaking his head. “I can’t do that without hurting you.”“I can handle it.” Niall assures him. “I promise.”“I don’t want to hurt you.” Harry sighs.“I want to share this with you, Harry.” Niall whispers. “Please. If you don’t want to do the thing from the boat again, that’s fine. That’s your choice. This is mine, though.”“We’ll do mine first.” Harry says after a moment. “But let’s go to the bedroom. It kind of takes us out of our bodies, so I’d rather not do it out here. Ashton might come back and punch us both in the dicks.”“We don’t want to talk about Ashton right now.” Niall says, pulling Harry to his feet. “Because I’m mad at you about that, but that’s for later.”“Or we could talk about it now, and forget about this whole plan.” Harry says, though he follows at Niall’s side.“Fine.” Niall agrees, however reluctantly. “We don’t have to do it if it’s not something you want. I didn’t mean to push you into it, Harry. I just- I was trying to be more open with you.”“There are ways of doing that that aren’t possibly fatal.” Harry sighs, tangling his fingers with Niall’s. “We could try, I don’t know- Talking? Maybe something not so extreme. You always pick the most dramatic thing you possibly can. Rescue mission? Blow up the Tower of London. Training Molly? Have her attempt to murder you with cricket balls. Get to know each other? Literally put our souls in each other’s minds.”“To be fair, you’re the one that did that both of the first two times.” Niall argues.“I was desperate.” Harry says gently. “I wasn’t sure you weren’t going to kill me then. Now I’m at least seventy percent sure you won’t.”“Bold of you.” Niall says flatly.“Listen- I just- I’ll do this, if that’s what you want.” Harry says, leading Niall towards the bed. “I will. But, maybe we can just talk first?”“I’m not good at talking.” Niall sighs.“Well, we’re going to have to do it at some point, you know.” Harry hums, lowering onto the bed. “That happens when you’re together.”“But does it have to?” Niall groans, flopping down next to him. “Can’t we just- Like- Shag and occasionally smack each other in the mouth and make up, every once in a while, by rooting around each other’s souls? Do we have to talk?”“Yes.” Harry says with a snort. “Would you like me to start, then?”“Nah.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I already know too much about you. I’d rather just have a nap.”“What happened to two minutes ago when you wanted to be more open with me?” Harry scoffs.“If I wait long enough, you’ll cave, and I won’t have to do the whole talking bit.” Niall says around a contented sigh as he settles onto his pillow. “You’re easy to predict, so I’ll give it twenty-four hours.”“Why are you like this?” Harry grunts out, leaning back against his own pillow. The bed really isn’t big enough for the two of them, but they’ve been making it work. Harry likes to cling, anyways, so he just ends up winding himself around Niall and not taking up too much more room.“I’m an emotionally stunted goblin.” Niall chuckles. “Believe those were your words.”“Repressed.” Harry grumbles. “I said that you’re an ‘emotionally repressed gremlin’. And that wasn’t an excuse for you to just slag off our relationship.”“What do you want to know, then?” Niall asks, peeking one eye open. “If you want to talk, you can get us started and ask the questions.”“What happened to your mother?” Harry asks after a moment. “You’ve never mentioned her except when you told Bobby to say hello to her before you almost disemboweled him by the lift.”“She died in the first uprising.” Niall says quietly, shifting a little so his mouth isn’t jammed against his arm. “Happened right after I was born. I never knew her, so there’s never been anything to say about her. She got killed by some soldier she threw a Molotov at. She was- She was even more rebellious than my father, back then. When she died, he created the Technophage, because he saw that unorganized chaos wasn’t going to overthrow the government. It had to be corralled to form any sort of proper weapon.”“Did you really grow up here, then?” Harry asks.“Kind of.” Niall mumbles. “There’s a flat above the pub. A little place that we lived in for a while, and the Technophage was kept separate from Greg and I. Then- After Greg died- Bobby moved us down here a couple of years later, and this became everything the two of us did. He set Bressie up in the flat and had him run the pub, as well as be his second, and he devoted himself fully to the Technophage. I wasn’t quite eight, then.”“So that’s where Aoife, Ellen and Jane go at night.” Harry says with a nod.“Reckon it’s rough up there.” Niall chuckles. “It’s got enough bedrooms, but there’s only one bathroom.”“You know, I find it really creepy that you and Bressie- You know.” Harry mumbles, looking up at the ceiling. “He’s known you since you were eight.”“I grew up only knowing people who came through here.” Niall sighs. “I didn’t go to a real school until I was fifteen. And, when I was there, everything was- I hated it. It was nothing like the world I knew. Everyone was calm and happy. Everyone was content with the way things were, and I had to pretend to be the same.“The only times I could be myself were when I was here, and- I’m not saying I don’t see what you mean, but it’s- He’s the only person who loved me, Harry. In my whole life, up until I found the lads, he was the only person who ever treated me with any love. And for him- I think it’s more the kind of affection that you have for a sibling, and I just muddled that up for him with my feelings. He’s got a soft heart, and I kind of bulldozed my way into it. I’m not the kind of person Bressie would or should be in love with. He deserves better.”“You say that about him, and about the lads.” Harry says quietly. “Why not me?”“Because you wouldn’t bloody listen to me if I did.” Niall says gently, resting his hand on Harry’s chest. “Told you not to fall in love with me or care about me from the jump, but you just had to go and do it anyways. You do deserve better, but you wouldn’t hear it if I said so.”“Fair.” Harry says after a moment. “I just-”“You’re not a last resort or some consolation prize for me, Harry.” Niall murmurs, pressing in closer. “You’re not my second choice.”“More like fifth.” Harry mutters.“More like first.” Niall huffs, pinching Harry on the arm and earning himself a nice little yelp in response, followed by a smack in the cheek he probably does deserve. “I’m supposed to be the arsehole in this relationship, so you need to stop that.”“Would you even be with me if they were still an option?” Harry asks, refusing to look at Niall.“Yes.” Niall tells him, trying to put as much honesty as he can into it so that Harry can feel it. “What I told Molly- I meant that. Truly understanding the person that you love is very rare. It’s not something I shared with Bressie or Barbara or Calum or Luke or Ashton. We understood each other on some levels, but not enough. I love you, Harry, and I understand you the same way you do me. We may not know everything about each other, but that doesn’t mean we don’t understand each other.”“That’s why you want to do the soul thing.” Harry says quietly, his eyes slipping closed.“The words we say matter to each other.” Niall says with a nod. “But not as much as what we can feel with each other. That’s a deeper level than any words can ever express. It’s something I can do with you that no words can begin to describe. And I need that, because I’m not good with words.”“I wouldn’t say that.” Harry whispers, turning to the side and catching Niall’s lips in a slow, syrupy kiss that relaxes the tension he’s been feeling in his bones since Ashton barged into their training session. “Lay back. I don’t want you getting hurt.”“I trust you.” Niall says gently, laying back down on his back.
It’s not like the last time that they did this. Niall doesn’t feel himself inserted into Harry’s body. He’s not contained in Harry’s skin, seeing through his eyes. Instead, he’s standing beside Harry, their fingers laced together, looking at another Harry in front of him. That one is much younger, though.
“What is this?” Niall asks, looking over at Harry. His Harry.
“School.” Harry says quietly. “I wasn’t lying when I told you that I had attended a military school. My mum packed me off when I was twelve and sent me to a boarding school for future officers. This is my first day, I think.”
“You’re crying.” Niall mumbles, looking at the poor, broken lad in front of him, weeping on his bed with a photograph clutched between his fingers that he’s being careful not to get any tears or snot on. Niall may not be inside of Harry’s body this time, but he can feel the pain and the fear and the sadness eating away at this Harry’s soul just the same.
“I miss Gemma.” Harry says softly, kneeling down beside the bed and running his fingers through his younger self’s hair, though the little boy gives no response to show he’s felt anything. “She was the only person that had ever mitigated things for me. My powers always seemed to latch onto the darkness in people, back then. I could feel rage and hate and greed and ambition and every other painful thing that people were harboring in their souls, but there wasn’t any of that with her. She was just- Good. She loved without reservation, and that was the only thing that kept me from going crazy.”
“Then you came here.” Niall finishes for him, kneeling down next to both Harrys. “And she wasn’t there to provide that relief. You lost your anchor, the thing that kept you tied down to the best parts of yourself. The parts that gave you hope.”
“Are you crying again?” asks a voice from the door before it quickly shuts. Niall turns to see another little brunet boy, eyes rolling into the top of his skull as he approaches Harry. “They’re going to give you lashes, Styles. You have to pull it together.”
“I- I- I wanna go home!” little Harry wails out through a series of broken sobs.
“Everybody wants to go home, Styles.” the other little boy says, jumping up to sit on the bed opposite from Harry. There’s something familiar about him, a glint to his eyes that unsettles Niall’s stomach. It fights with the sensation he’s feeling from Harry’s powers, though. The other boy means no harm, and he’s fond, if a bit frustrated. “The best we can do is make a home here until the winter holidays when we get to go to our real homes for a little while.”
“You don’t understand, Xander.” little Harry mumbles out, wiping at his eyes furiously with his sleeve. “Your powers don’t hurt you.”
There it is. This is the boy Harry will lose his virginity to several years later.
“No, they don’t.” Xander agrees, leaning forward and pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. “Not unless I run into a wall when I’m rushing around super-fast. I’ve done that before, and it bloody well does hurt.”
Little Harry lets out an unexpected laugh at that, high pitched and choked, but very genuine. He takes the handkerchief and dabs at his eyes before blowing his nose so loudly that it’s like a foghorn.
“You just have to learn how to look for the good in people, Harry.” Xander says with a short smile. “You have to get the better of your powers, or else they’ll get the better of you.”
“My powers aren’t even any good to be a soldier.” little Harry says miserably.
“Then I’ll teach you how to do something that will be.” Xander says, offering little Harry a genuine smile now. “My dad taught me how to do hand signs for spell casting. I’ll teach you.”
“Why?” little Harry asks timidly.
“Because, if we’re going to be mates, then you have got to be cooler, Styles.” Xander hums. “I can’t be seen hanging out with a crybaby who gets his butt kicked all the time.”
“You- You want to be mates?” little Harry asks, his eyes growing as wide as saucers. He doesn’t even give Xander a chance to respond before he flings himself forward and starts hugging Xander and bursting into a fresh round of tears.
They’re happy ones this time, though.
And then Niall is back in his own world instead of Harry’s soul, the uncomfortably firm mattress under his back reminding him harshly of its existence.“I thought we’d see more.” Niall says, his throat raw and dry like he’s been sleeping. “Saw half a dozen things last time.”“It takes a lot more energy to do it that way.” Harry mumbles, rolling onto his side and curling around Niall. “To control it enough to stay in one moment. I didn’t expect it to exhaust me so much. I’ve never done it before, though. Maybe I can do more next time.”“Why that one?” Niall asks, wrapping his arm around Harry.“I don’t know.” Harry admits with a shrug. “I didn’t pick it or anything. It was completely random.”“What happened to him?” Niall questions. “I know you two were together, later.”“That was- It was a mistake.” Harry sighs. “Boys being stupid and horny when we were sixteen. I loved him, but he didn’t love me. Not like that. We broke things off a few months after that first time, but he was my best friend. He was there when Gemma died. He got caught in the explosion, and he lost his legs. A speedster with no legs. Ben took him under his wing and now he’s a higher up in the department that’s working to catch the Technophage. He hates them.”“Can’t see how he could be much of a threat.” Niall says with a shrug. “A speedster that can’t run is basically useless.”“You don’t understand.” Harry says, shaking his head. “They- They call him the Anti-Oracle. Moving fast was his main use of his powers, but- It’s not just that. He can process things at an incredible speed. His powers required his brain to be able to see things and understand them at the same speed he was moving. He can go through a crime scene in seconds and pull more from it than a team of agents.”“Bobby has protections in place whenever his team hits something.” Niall tells him. “He has a team of psychometrists who can plant false memories on any evidence and lead people down wrong paths. He’s been the Oracle this long for a reason.”“I know.” Harry says with a nod. “But- With your identity becoming public- It’s only a matter of time before he makes the connection to the Technophage. They’ll come knocking on his door one day, and it’s going to explode when they do.”“Maybe, maybe not.” Niall says noncommittally. “I don’t really care what happens to him. He’ll provide a distraction until he can’t anymore. We won’t be here much longer. Once I heal enough, we’re leaving, and he won’t know where we’ve gone.”“What about the others?” Harry questions.“The pub is magic, Harry.” Niall snorts. “Bressie has already been scouting locations. When he finds one, it’ll move and take up a new spot. They’ll change the name and nobody will be any the wiser. Trust me, EMIA can’t keep up with us. We’ve been doing this for a long time. This isn’t even the closest EMIA has ever been to catching us.”“You’ve also never pissed them off this badly.” Harry points out. “You hit the central base of operations for the entire empire. Every EMIA op in the world is run out of the Tower, and you attacked it.”“Harry- Have you ever known me not to be worried about EMIA?” Niall asks.“No, but-” Harry starts.“But nothing.” Niall cuts in. “If I’m not worried, you shouldn’t be either. I know you think they’re the Big Bad Wolf, but they aren’t. We are.”“I don’t like that you still talk about it as a ‘we’.” Harry says quietly. “I won’t ever join the Technophage, Niall. Not ever.”“It’s ingrained.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I don’t think of myself as Technophage anymore either. Right now, I’m just trading in the last bits of influence I have for a place to rest and help getting the lads on their feet somewhere. Bressie has some contacts in Germany that we’re working with, so I think that’s where they’re going to end up. We just have to find a linguist and a telepath to give them a full understanding of German first. There’s also a possible spot in Italy we’re looking into. I think they’d like that.”“What is it that you’re not saying?” Harry asks. Niall really hates that.“We’re going to need you to brew up that potion to take their memories of everyone in this place, including me and Molly.” Niall sighs. “Bressie’s only condition for doing all of this is that, if they’re not coming with me, then they can’t remember anything about this place or these people. I added myself and Molly to the list because- Because they deserve to live without the pain I’ve caused them or the grief of losing her.”“Don’t you think that should be their decision?” Harry questions.“I bloody well do.” Calum says harshly from the door.Honestly, fuck Bressie for keeping this place in such good condition. Niall is really tired of not hearing when people open the door.“Who the fuck are you to make that decision for us?” Calum snarls, stepping into the room. “She’s our fucking daughter too, Niall.”“Then the three of you need to realize she’s a hell of a lot better off with just me and Harry than if we bring you along.” Niall sighs, extricating himself from Harry’s hold and sitting up. “None of you have any skills that can apply to what we’re going to spend the next few years having to do. You’ll just draw attention.”“You are on every television screen across the entire empire, and you want to pull that card?” Calum scoffs.“Harry can glamour us.” Niall argues. “Nobody will recognize me. Besides, we’re heading for Vancouver, which is at the arse end of the empire. And- If necessary- We’ll head for Hawaii. You three just aren’t prepared for a life on the run, and you don’t have to have one. We’ll set you up somewhere safe and comfortable, and Ellen has already been working on getting your resources back into your hands. We just need a bit more time.”“Who gives a fuck about money when you’re trying to steal our daughter away from us and remove her existence from our minds?” Calum snaps.“She needs to be protected, Calum.” Niall growls out, standing up off of the bed. “This isn’t like it was before. They will kill her if they ever get their hands on her. Harry and I can protect her from them, but you three just can’t. If it comes down to my final resort, then the three of you just wouldn’t be able to follow through with it.”“And what is this final resort of yours?” Calum asks angrily. “Because I can’t see what-”“Mali Koa.” Niall interjects quietly. “I’d take her to Oceania and have Mali Koa protect her. Even the empire wouldn’t risk going after her after that.”“You’d live the rest of your life as a slave?” Calum asks, disbelief rolling off of him so strongly that even Niall can feel it.“There is nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do for her.” Niall breathes out. “Nothing. But Ashton and Luke shouldn’t have to go back to that life. And, honestly, I wouldn’t ever put them in the position where they’d have to choose whether or not to. I wouldn’t ever put Molly in the position of having to see them choose to walk away rather than stay with her. I’d rather her hate me for taking the three of you away from her than feel that kind of pain, and I’d rather the same from you three. You all hate me anyways.”“Fine.” Calum says quietly. “That- I can’t argue with that. But you should talk to them about it and give us the choice instead of taking it from us. Whatever the two of them decide, I’ll stand by. It’s not fair for you to keep making decisions for us, Niall. Not after the last time.”“Fine.” Niall echoes. “But if they make the decision to come, even with that risk, and then change their minds later, there won’t be anything I can do to help you three, and you wouldn’t deserve it if there was. You will be homeless, defenseless, and not have a penny to your names. Whatever you three decide on, you need to realize that it’s final. There’s no going back.”“Niall-” Harry says softly, tangling their fingers together. “Now isn’t the time to be harsh.”“No, he’s right.” Calum sighs. “If we made the decision to go with, and then changed our minds, we’d be causing her pain because we were too scared to be with her and go back there. We would be giving her hope, only to steal it away for our own comfort. We do have to make a final decision, and stick with it, no matter how much it hurts.”“And it’s going to hurt, either way.” Niall mumbles, clinging tighter to Harry’s fingers. “That’s why I didn’t want there to have to be a choice, and I was going to do what I could to stop that pain.”“Would you have taken her memories of us?” Calum asks, half turned towards the door.“If I need to, I will.” Niall tells him. “But I don’t want to. I think it would hurt her much more than it would help her to lose her memories of you as well.”“It’s really funny to me that a disaster like you thinks he can make those kinds of decisions for everybody else.” Calum says, shaking his head before he heads back out the door.“He didn’t mean that.” Harry says gently.“Yes, Harry, he did.” Niall sighs.“No, Niall, he didn’t.” Harry tells him, turning him around. “I can see the truth of what he’s feeling, remember? He’s already decided what he wants to do, but he’s leaving it up to the other two to decide because they’re the ones who are going to suffer if they do what he wants. He wants to go with us.”“Intentions are beyond the scope of your powers.” Niall says, shaking his head.“The guilt he felt would only have one cause, Niall.” Harry murmurs, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I know you’re an absolutist, and that you think that your plan is what’s best for everyone, but I am begging you to just let this play out by letting them make their own decision. They may surprise you.”“I don’t like being surprised, Harry.” Niall sighs, letting Harry lead him back into the bed. “But, even more than that, I really don’t like the idea that they could make such a stupid decision. To put themselves back in that life- I hope they won’t take that option. I would hate myself for that when they could have a little villa in Tuscany or hide themselves safely in the activity of Berlin.”“It’s their life, Niall, and only they should get to decide how they go about it.” Harry says gently, placing his hand on Niall’s cheek. “You weren’t any happier with the idea when I threatened to do it to you, remember?”Niall doesn’t answer him. Instead he just rolls over in Harry’s arms and lets the witch hold him tightly. He doesn’t know what decision the lads will make, but neither of them feels right. It’s going to hurt in the end, no matter the choice.They’re all right, though. It’s not his choice to make.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“No.” Harry huffs out for what feels like the hundredth time. It’s not. Harry knows Niall has only brought it up a few times, but denying him feels like it’s something he’s doing every few minutes. “It’s too dangerous.”“I promise, I’ll be okay.” Niall murmurs, running his fingers lightly up Harry’s arm. He bloody well knows what he’s doing, and what he’s doing is driving Harry insane. Or maybe Harry is just frustrated in a bunch of ways, and helping Niall shower isn’t helping any of them.“You were shot less than two weeks ago.” Harry grumbles. “You’re in no condition to-”“Shouldn’t I be the one to decide that?” Niall cuts him off with the question.“For anyone else, I would say yes.” Harry sighs, touching Niall on his hip to tell him to turn around so that Harry can wash his back. The view back here fogs Harry’s mind even more, and Harry thinks Niall knows that with the way he sticks his arse out a little bit. “But you have a long history of not knowing how to take care of yourself and making decisions that are incredibly bad for yourself. Literally anyone who knows you knows this. If we went and asked any person here-”“Why would you ask anyone else here about this?” Niall hisses, looking over his shoulder. “It’s between us and nobody else.”“Jane would kill me.” Harry mutters, scrubbing at Niall’s back.“I know my body better than Jane does.” Niall groans.“And yet you keep trying to do stupid things with it.” Harry argues. “This could really hurt you, Niall.”“Or it could start settling things back to normal between the two of us.” Niall counters.“This isn’t our normal.” Harry scoffs. “It’s the exact opposite of our normal. Our normal would be you shagging my brains out, and then giving me a black eye.”“You say that like I beat on you daily.” Niall huffs, rolling his eyes. “I only properly beat on you on one occasion, and you agreed to that fight. I may have argued with you all the time, but I wasn’t just punching the shite out of your face for fun.”“My point stands, Niall.” Harry says flatly. “This isn’t our normal.”“You’ve taken me into your memories three times since I brought it up, but you won’t do your thing.” Niall sighs. “And it’s not that I don’t like doing that with you, because I do, but I was hoping you’d let me reciprocate at some point.”“You’re asking me to put you at risk when you’re still healing.” Harry says gently, placing the soap on its holder. He wraps his arms around Niall, pressing his chest against the Irishman’s back, and buries his face in his neck. “You’re asking me to risk hurting you- To risk losing you, if it goes wrong. Taking your soul out of your body like that stops your entire body from functioning. After thirty seconds, it risks doing permanent harm, but that’s when you’re healthy. You aren’t. Not yet. And even though it doesn’t take long, because my powers basically slow down time for me while I’m exploring, it still might take too long and hurt you, if it doesn’t straight up kill you.”“What’s it going to take to convince you that I’m not as bad off as you think I am?” Niall asks quietly. “I’ve started lifting small weights again, and I can walk a mile on the treadmill without stopping.”“If Jane clears you, then I’ll consider it.” Harry mumbles after a moment.“Then get off of me, because I’m going to go see her now.” Niall hums, feeling quite smug and excited. Luckily for them both, he can’t feel Harry’s anxiety. “You’re in better condition than you should be.” Jane admits, crushing Harry’s hopes in one sentence. “Not good enough to train like you used to, yet, but- Good enough to have your uglies bump against each other, which is what I assume you’re aiming for.”“It’s not, but I love you for it anyway.” Niall says through a grin, buttoning back up his shirt. “You’re a darling, Janey.”“Don’t you ever say that again.” Jane says flatly, reaching out and flicking Niall right between the eyebrows. “I have a reputation to keep, Horan, and I won’t have you ruin it by spreading lies about my character.”“I must have been mistaken.” Niall snorts. “Thank you, Janey, you’re an absolute monster.”“That’s better.” Jane hums, turning on her heel and heading out of the door. “Don’t play too rough, you two.”“Let’s get going.” Niall says excitedly, tangling his fingers with Harry’s as he climbs off of the examination table. Harry groans, but doesn’t protest as he follows behind Niall.“You’re going to hurt yourself.” Harry grunts out, trying not to let Niall drag him off of his feet.“Where are you two off to in such a hurry?” Bressie asks, seeing them rushing through the lobby.“I cleared Niall for more physical activity.” Jane says before either of them can respond, and Harry has never wanted to disappear from a place so badly as he wants to from here right now. Especially when Bressie starts blushing and looking back to his book.Luckily, he’s only in the main chamber for another few seconds before Niall’s has pulled him across and they’re rounding the corner into the hallway with the bedrooms. “Finally.” Niall hums, closing the door behind them. Thankfully, nobody else saw them, because he’s really not prepared to have anyone else know what’s going on. Or think they know what’s going on, anyways. Niall reaches forward and actually remembers to lock the door, for once, and then says, “Get your fucking trousers off.”“I- What?” Harry asks, confused as all hell.“We can do the soul thing later.” Niall grunts out, lowering himself to his knees and undoing the button on Harry’s trousers. “Haven’t touched you properly in almost three weeks, and you are in desperate need of an orgasm to stop you from acting like such a prat all the time.”“I haven’t been-” Harry starts, but then Niall is pulling down his trousers and pants both, and eagerly sucking the head of Harry’s half-hard prick into his mouth, and all thought stops. He has to lean back against the door just to keep standing. “You- You’re a fucking monster.”“Demon.” Niall corrects with a hum, only pulling off momentarily, and still somehow causing a whine to slip from Harry’s lips that’s probably disproportionate to the situation.He blames it on the weeks of celibacy.“Want to ride you.” Harry grunts out when Niall’s hands reach back and squeeze around the cheeks of his arse. “Please?”“Kind of just planned on getting you off.” Niall admits after pulling off, looking up at Harry. Harry throws him a pathetic look, and Niall sighs before saying, “But I’m not gonna say no to an offer like that.”“Thank you.” Harry slurs out, stumbling towards the bed when Niall moves out of the way. “Love you.”It feels like the first time all over again, when Harry manages to trip because of the trousers wrapped around his ankles, and land on the bed with his arse hanging out in the air. He just doesn’t have any alcohol in his blood to blame for it this time. Only his own over-eagerness.“Up.” Niall grunts out, palming over Harry’s ass. “Haven’t quite gotten to the point where I can fuck you relentlessly, but I’ll be damned if I don’t try if you stay like this. It’d be on your head if I busted a stitch.”“No.” Harry whimpers out, kicking off his trousers and crawling into the bed properly. “Want to ride you. Want to kiss you during, now that I’m allowed to do it.”“It’s not like we’ve not done that before.” Niall points out, stripping off his clothes slowly. If Harry couldn’t feel his excitement, he’d worry that Niall doesn’t want this as much as he does. He’s just fucking teasing, though. Harry hates how much he likes that.“On your terms, not on mine.” Harry mumbles.“Then you can make all the terms, this time.” Niall murmurs, tucking his hand under Harry’s chin. “I know I’ve made all the terms so far. And not very well. I don’t want it to be that way, though.”“You’ve done the best as can be expected for an emotionally repressed gremlin.” Harry hums.“I’d give you a smack for that one if I wasn’t trying to be nice at the moment.” Niall huffs, taking away his hand so he can climb into the bed. He leans back against the headboard, and asks, “You just gonna stay there all day, or are you going to come have your way with me?”“Not used to getting to have my way with you.” Harry says breathlessly, skating his hand up the inside of Niall’s right leg. “Even when you’re the one taking it up the arse, you’re still the one in charge.”“Then now’s your opportunity, isn’t it?” Niall hums, quirking his eyebrow at Harry, who’s still busy just exploring the length of Niall’s leg with his palm.“I like when you’re in charge.” Harry admits in a whisper, looking up to meet Niall’s eyes. “In bed, at least.”“What about ‘your terms’, then?” Niall questions.“I just want to be able to kiss you without feeling like I’m going to be punished for it.” Harry mumbles. “Not you kiss me, but me kiss you. It’s different.”“If you say so.” Niall chuckles.“It is.” Harry whines, pressing his thumb into the dip of Niall’s hip, next to his balls.“I believe you.” Niall says with a shrug, though the look on his face says that that’s not really the case.“Niall!” Harry whimpers.“A kiss is a kiss is a kiss, Harry.” Niall says with a short laugh.“I’ll make a believer out of you.” Harry mumbles, his focus switching gears quickly when Niall’s cock bumps against his hand, begging for his attention.“I don’t see you doing much of anything.” Niall says, his voice a bit deeper when Harry’s hand skates up onto his stomach and he leans in.Harry doesn’t bother rising to the bait. Instead, he sinks his mouth down on Niall’s cock and moans at the now familiar taste and heft stretching his jaw. He’s missed it more terribly than he let himself think about over the last few weeks. The kinds of intimacy they’ve shared have been great. He never thought he’d be able to hold Niall’s hand, or sleep in the bed curled around each other, or eat breakfast with their feet playing together under the table.But there’s something different about sexual intimacy. About being able to touch and taste and see and hear and smell Niall like this. Every bit of it drives Harry to madness, honestly.Niall groans and fists a hand into Harry’s hair, his fingernails scratching against Harry’s scalp. It’s bloody delicious, and Harry lets out another moan, which causes Niall to thrust up a bit. Harry doesn’t mind at all. He hopes Niall is this enthusiastic in a few minutes when Harry can’t take the wait anymore and moves on to riding him.Right now, though, Harry is content with this. He enjoys the taste of the little spurts of precum Niall is feeding onto his tongue, and the smell of the sweat in the crease of Niall’s thigh when he takes Niall all the way into his throat, and the feel of Niall tugging on his hair. He’s so wound up by the stimulation to his sense that he could probably cum from just doing this until Niall finishes.“You look fucking gorgeous like this.” Niall growls out, his voice raspy and wrecked in a way that makes Harry swell with pride. The praise also makes him have to pull off, because it threatens to push him over the edge.“Need you to fuck me now.” Harry croaks out, his throat widened and coated in Niall’s precum, making his voice sound even more ruined than Niall’s. The heat he can feel in his cheeks and the way his hair is all over the place probably make him look it, too.“Ring?” Niall asks, and the word isn’t even out of his mouth before Harry is pulling it off and pushing it into Niall’s hand.“Bring yourself up here, then.” Niall orders, sliding the ring on and coating his fingers.Harry straddles over Niall’s stomach and braces his hands against the wall, and then Niall is pressing a single finger into him. He’s eager and wound up too, which just makes it harder for Harry not to take Niall’s cock before he’s actually ready. It would hurt, but Harry could take it. He knows he could.But he does enjoy the way that Niall is being so careful with him. It’s not like he thinks Harry is fragile this time. More like- Like he feels Harry is something to be treasured.Harry can’t take it anymore after a few more minutes, lifting himself off of Niall’s fingers and using the ring to coat Niall’s cock so he can sink down on it. He takes it quickly, loving the burn and the way Niall can’t contain his pleasure. He’s filled with it, right to the brim, and Harry is feeling it as much as his own.He brings his ass flush against Niall’s hips, and then finally gives in and lurches forward to meet Niall’s lips with his own. Niall is surprised, but quickly gets with the program and starts kissing Harry back. Harry’s hands wrap around Niall’s jaw and he leans into it, dominating the kiss for the first time.Niall hums into Harry’s mouth contentedly as his hips start to lift and lower. He’s trying to go slow, to keep it easy for Niall, but- It’s hard.“You’ll know if I’m in pain, Harry.” Niall grunts into the flesh of Harry’s lips, biting at them. “Stop holding back.”And- Really- That’s all Harry needed to hear. His hips start moving in earnest, giving them both what they’ve really been missing. They’ve always brought the house down when they shagged, and clearly that’s what Niall wants, because his satisfaction skyrockets. Harry can’t say it’s not what he wants too.“That’s my boy. Love you.” Niall says breathlessly when Harry breaks the kiss for a gasping breath. He’s trembling, his fingers shaking as they dance over the sharp lines of Niall’s jaw. He can’t help it, the way Niall’s murmured affirmations reduce him to a puddle. They steal the breath from his lungs and the stability from his bones.But most of all, they make him want nothing more than to make Niall feel as good as those words do for him.He throws his head back and puts all the effort he dares into the motion of his body. Niall’s hands wander up from his hips, mapping across Harry’s skin reverently as his lips plant themselves in the center of Harry’s chest with another whispered ‘I love you,’ right over his heart. He can feel it radiating through Niall’s body, building in waves of pure emotion that pulse right into him.That’s all it takes before Harry cums with a cry he can’t keep in. He can feel Niall reach his peak right afterwards, his fingers carving grooves into Harry’s skin like he’s holding on for dear life. Harry certainly is with his fingers buried in Niall’s hair before he pulls him up for a kiss to ride out the rest of his orgasm.He pulls off before it gets uncomfortable for either of them, keeping his lips working against Niall’s as he eases himself down to Niall’s side.It’s the first time they’ve ever kissed after they’ve finished, and Niall doesn’t let Harry part from him for several minutes, not that he tries. But, finally, he does end it, whispering, “I do love you, you know.”“I know.” Harry hums, nodding so his nose rubs against Niall’s. “Can feel it, remember?”“You know what I can feel?” Niall chuckles. “Your cum getting cold on my chest. Get me a rag, why don’t ya?”“Romance is dead.” Harry huffs, rolling over and grabbing a pair of Niall’s dirty y-fronts off the floor, plopping them straight down in the puddle before he can complain. “There you go.”“Petty little-” Niall grumbles, trailing off as he wipes himself up.“Shut up. I’m concentrating.” Harry says quietly, pressing his palm to the side of Niall’s head. He sends out a pulse of magical energy like a radar through Niall’s body, mapping everything out. He uses his empathy to connect into Niall’s nerves, reading his pain from the scarring and fractures in his bones. “I’m trying to see exactly how much you can handle.”“Can’t cum again that soon.” Niall snorts, tossing the pants on the floor.“Not for that.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes. “And I told you to shut up.”“Oh- Oh!” Niall says, going a bit breathless on the second one. “Really?”“Told you I would.” Harry sighs, pulling his hand away, only for Niall to catch it and tangle their fingers together.“I trust you, Harry.” Niall says softly. “I know you’re not going to hurt me as much as I know the sky is blue. Well- You know- Outside of Ireland. It’s mostly grey here.”“Niall-” Harry sighs. “I know that you think that’s what I want to hear, and it is- But I don’t think you’re really at that place yet. It wasn’t that long ago you were ready to kill me at any moment. It wasn’t that long ago that you tried to, because you were so in denial.”“Do you know what I told Bressie when I was dying on that table?” Niall asks gently, tightening his hold on Harry’s fingers. “I wanted him to help broker peace between you and the lads, for Molly’s sake.”“If you’d died, that wouldn’t have been possible.” Harry says, shaking his head. “I would have resented them for you getting yourself killed saving them, and they would have- Well- They already resent me.”“You didn’t let me finish.” Niall huffs. “I told him that if they wouldn’t come to an arrangement with you, then I wanted him to make sure that you got Molly, not them. They’re her dads, but I trusted you more with her welfare. If I didn’t trust you with myself, why in the hell would I ever trust you with the one person I love more than anything or anyone in the world? And I’m sorry if that’s rude, but Molly will always be number one in my heart.”“I wouldn’t have that any other way.” Harry murmurs, leaning in to press a kiss to Niall’s cheek. “And I’ve never been under any delusions to the contrary. Lay back.”It takes him a few moments, and a few more deep breaths before he actually does it, reaching out with his powers and wrapping them around everything that is Niall, pulling as gently as he can with them until that same shimmering ball of light and dark is hovering over Niall’s unmoving chest.He moves quickly, skimming his fingers over the surface of Niall’s soul, and he wishes he could say that it was entirely from wanting to keep this as short as possible, but he knows that’s a lie. He knows, now that he’s doing this, he has to finally admit to himself that he’s been craving this as much as he’s been avoiding it.He falls into it instantly, the world shifting around him until he’s standing in an endless, grey void. Niall’s mind has no defenses this time, no barriers making everything difficult to see and process. He’s surrounded by shades of people, shimmering shadows of the other individuals that share this space in Niall’s soul.Molly is in the center of it all, of course, bathed in light. She’s dancing about, twirling and laughing and spreading a beautiful glow wherever her footsteps land. Nothing but love surrounds her, a strength to it unrivaled by anything that Harry has ever felt from anyone for anyone else.And as much as Harry loves the way that Niall loves Molly, that’s not what he’s here for. He hasn’t done this to see how Niall feels about other people, and he’s not sure his ego can take it if he moves on to the lads or Bressie.Finding himself is easy, a tug in his chest turning him towards the shade of himself. There’s still a swirl of emotions around this version of himself, although the love isn’t restrained anymore. It flows easier now, softly wrapping around the shade like a mist.Harry wishes that it were the strongest emotion clinging to him, but it isn’t. It’s matched equally by the last thing Harry ever wanted. He would understand hate or annoyance, but he doesn’t understand fear. He doesn’t understand why Niall is just as terrified of Harry as he is in love with him.He pushes himself out of the world of Niall’s soul, surfacing like he’s breaking through ice until he manages to push Niall’s soul back into his body, the both of them gasping for air. Niall curls into Harry’s chest, clinging tightly as his systems restart from his temporary death.“I’ve got you.” Harry breathes out, patting stiffly at Niall’s back.“What’s wrong?” Niall croaks out with a dry throat, pulling back to look at Harry.“Nothing.” Harry sighs, rolling onto his back.“You’re a terrible liar, Styles.” Niall mutters. “Tell me what’s wrong.”“Why are you scared of me?” Harry asks quietly. “And don’t lie to me and say you aren’t, because I was literally just inside of your soul, Niall.”“I am absolutely terrified of you.” Niall says, shaking his head. Harry had hoped it wouldn’t be so blunt, because that really fucking hurts. “But not- It’s not you I’m scared of, Harry. I just- I haven’t exactly had the best luck with relationships. Bressie tore my heart out, and then Barbara ripped it into pieces. It took me a long time to get myself alright again, and, honestly? I never really did. The lads got me there, and I repaid that by being too fucking scared to ever really commit to them.“So, it’s not you that I’m scared of. It’s- It’s the vulnerability. It’s the idea of opening myself up again to someone who could really hurt me. Because I did that before. I did it twice. I chose to stay under my father’s control for Bressie, and he made me feel worthless. I spent months working myself to the bone, giving up my education, and sacrificing the independence I’d gained from the Technophage to buy a ring so I could ask Barbara to marry me, and she abandoned me and Molly, and made me feel unlovable. I spent two years after that at the bottom of a bottle until the only three adults in my entire life to ever love me unselfishly up to that point managed to turn me around, and the thought of letting that kind of possibility back into my life makes me want to go straight back into it, because at least then it won’t hurt so bad. It can’t, if I numb myself enough.”“I’m not going to hurt you.” Harry promises in a whisper, taking Niall’s hand in his own.“I’m not saying you will.” Niall says softly. “I’m saying that you could, and that’s why I’m scared. Don’t know if I’ll ever not be terrified of it, to be honest. Think I could spend the next twenty years with you and still be scared. I’m a coward. Always have been.”“We’ll just have to see then, won’t we?” Harry asks, holding tightly to Niall’s fingers. “Twenty years from now.”It feels like a dream, a vain hope in the face of everything bearing down on them right now, but it’s one Harry isn’t willing to let go of right now.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I’ve got a team of specialists we work with coming in, in a few minutes.” Bressie says, leaning against the door frame. “They’re the ones who’ve been helping Ellen and Jane make our tech.”“Are you asking me to stay away?” Niall questions, looking up from his book.“I thought you’d be interested in meeting them, actually.” Bressie hums. “Seeing what they do. They’re all witches, though, so I don’t want you being all- You.”“Is it a good idea for people to see me?” Niall asks. “Everyone in the empire knows who I am.”“Having you here might help me with negotiations.” Bressie says with a nod. “I’ve dealt with this group a few times, and they’re always fine, but- I try not to trust outsiders too much. Feel up to being my muscle?”“You gonna deal with Harry afterwards?” Niall snorts. “Because I’m not taking that punch.”“I’ll handle him.” Bressie agrees with a nod.“Your funeral.” Niall chuckles, tossing the blanket off of his body and climbing out of the bed. Honestly, he’s relieved. It’s the first time since he was shot anyone has treated him like he’s not completely broken. “He’s not that easy to handle, unless you play with his dick.”“That’d just end in a funeral for me too.” Bressie laughs, holding out Niall’s belt, with his daggers and pistol.“Damn right.” Niall says through a wicked grin, tugging on his trousers before he grabs the belt from Bressie. It’s hefty, a good ten kilos around his waist, but it makes him feel lighter than he has in weeks now, because it makes him feel like himself.“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” Harry growls out, coming into the doorway behind Bressie, immediately spotting the belt around Niall’s hips.“It’s his idea.” Niall says quickly, pointing at Bressie to throw him under the bus.If Harry gets mad, it’s every man for himself. Niall would throw anyone under the bus in this scenario, except Molly.“Funny, seeing as you’re the idiot who got shot three weeks ago, and now you’re tooling up for a mission.” Harry says with his lip pulled up in a snarl. Leave it to Harry to miss Bressie’s huge body with a bus and still aim the bloody thing at Niall.“I’m just having him stand there.” Bressie says cautiously. “We’re not leaving the cave. There’s not even any ammo in his guns.”“Oi!” Niall hisses.“I’m coming with you, then.” Harry says firmly, folding his arms over his chest.“I-” Bressie starts, before Harry shoots him a look that Niall is really glad isn’t aimed at him. “Am perfectly okay with that.”Coward.“Good.” Harry huffs.“They should be here in a minute, so-” Bressie says, backing out of the door. “Let’s go.”“We are going to have a talk later.” Harry grunts out in Niall’s ear, following behind Bressie with him.“Yeah, yeah.” Niall mutters. “You can spank me for being naughty after this is over.”“Gonna smack your arse until you have my hand imprinted on your cheek like a tattoo.” Harry growls, standing back up fully as they enter the main chamber.The lift arrives a moment later, with the specialists stepping off, and whatever anger Harry is feeling is nothing next to what Niall is when he recognizes a face that comes off of it. It’s haunted his nightmares for six years. He can’t help the animalistic scream he lets out with the adrenaline of pure hate pumping through his veins like it does at the sight of her face, his hands automatically finding the daggers at his hips.He sweeps Bressie’s legs out from under him when the larger man turns on him, clearly shocked by Niall’s reaction. He’s not allowed to stop Niall this time. Interfering with Bobby is one thing, but this is another.The two men at her side step forward immediately, one ripping off the skin on his arms to reveal pure metal underneath, and the other squaring up into a boxer’s stance with his eyes locked on Niall. Whatever their powers are, they won’t do them any good. Niall is on the warpath, and nothing is going to stand in his way. Not even the wounds he can feel stabbing at his chest and hip, slowing down his motion from his absolute limit, but not enough to give them any real time to react. Not enough to give her time to react.He doesn’t know how she found them, how she found this place, but he’ll be damned if he ever lets her anywhere near Molly ever again.He feels Harry trying to stop him, trying to draw out his rage enough to get him to think rationally, but it’s not going to work before he can get to her. Not unless he goes full-bore and drops Niall completely, and Niall knows Harry is too scared to do that easily.Niall leaps into the air, bringing his legs up to kick both feet into the steel-man’s arms, sending him flying backwards into the lift he came from. He lands and rolls, only to be caught in the other one’s arms, but the lad isn’t expecting Niall to twist the way he does, catching him by the wrist and throwing him clear.He turns and brings his dagger up with every intent to kill, but it’s stopped a few inches from her throat by a shimmering silver barrier. There’s a sad look in her eyes that only increases Niall’s fury before Harry commits and pulls Niall’s soul out entirely, dropping him at Barbara’s feet just as she whispers, “Hello, Niall.” “How’s he doing?” a voice asks softly, familiar even though it’s been over half a decade since he heard it.“He’s pissed.” Harry says as his hand strokes through Niall’s hair, stilling because he must feel Niall having woken up.“Pissed isn’t nearly strong enough of a word.” Niall rasps out, trying to lift himself up, only to find his hands bound behind his back. It just feels like rope, but it’s obviously been spelled to keep him from escaping it. Fuck. “What the fucking hell do you think you’re doing here?”“I came to see you, and Molly.” Barbara answers gently, clearly not understanding how much it isn’t helping her. Niall feels like a wild fucking animal, and no soothing tone is going to bring him back from that brink.“You have no right!” Niall snarls. “Especially not to see her! Every shitty thing happening to her right now is because of you!”“I don’t disagree.” Barbara sighs. “Though I think your reaction is a little strong.”“What is happening right now?” Harry asks, helping lift Niall up into a sitting position.“Harry, meet Molly’s mother.” Niall grunts out. “This is the cunt that abandoned our daughter days after she was born.”“Fuck.” Harry breathes out. “I- I thought I recognized you.”“Take the magic off my bindings, Harry.” Niall demands, flexing his hands.“I can’t.” Harry sighs. “Jane spelled them under Bressie’s orders.”“And there’s no way in hell that we’d let you at her again.” another voice says from the other side of the room. Niall had noticed them when he sat up, but he doesn’t give a shit about Barbara’s guards. He could take them out without the use of his arms, if he needed to. They aren’t fighters. “If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be conscious right now. Or breathing.”“Louis.” Barbara bites out, shooting a glare in the direction of the smaller of the two guards. He’s the one who had spoken, so he must be Louis.“Babs, come on!” Louis scoffs. “Let’s just knock him out and take the girl.”“Harry, release me right now!” Niall growls out, getting his leg under himself so that he can get up to his feet. He turns on Louis and the bloke next to him, his muscles bulging with the pure fury in his veins. “Force the spell if you have to!”“That is not what’s happening.” Barbara says flatly, stepping between Niall and her guards. “Niall, we’re not here to steal Molly away from you.”“He seems to think differently.” Niall snarls, readying himself to launch forward, with or without his hands.“He’s not in charge.” Barbara tells him. “I am.”“We’re here-” Louis starts, but the other bloke slaps a hand over his mouth.“Louis, shut up.” the other man grits out between clenched teeth. “You’re going to get yourself killed, and Barbara and I aren’t going to do a damn thing to stop it if you keep this up.”“Listen to him.” Harry says, stepping up to Niall’s side after the rope comes sliding free. “Because you’re going to have more to contend with than just him if you try anything with Molly. I can kill all three of you with a thought, and I won’t hesitate.”“Everyone needs to calm down.” the second bloke says gently, wading into the center of the room through all the tension. Given the softness in his eyes, it’s terrifying to him, but he’s doing it anyways. “We’re not here to take Molly.”“Whether you are or you aren’t isn’t important.” Niall says harshly. “You three aren’t nearly enough to do the job.”“I won’t stop him, this time.” Harry adds, his hands weaving signs that leave Niall feeling back at full strength. He knows that they won’t last long, but it’s more than enough. “I’ll help.”“Enough!” Bressie snaps, stepping into the room. “I will not have any of this in my home! Niall, stand down.”“They’re here to take my daughter, Bress.” Niall bites out, never taking his eyes off the three in front of him. “I don’t care if I have to cut down everyone in this facility, even you. That’s not happening.”“I wouldn’t let them take Molly, wee one.” Bressie says gently, stepping forward to put his hand on Niall’s shoulder. “You know that. But they do have a proposal that you need to hear out.”“You knew?” Niall asks, the shock of it forcing his eyes from the other three to the man beside him.“I didn’t know she was- You know.” Bressie sighs. “I just knew that she’s someone who runs a place that could be the answer you’ve been looking for.”“I have somewhere safe for her, Niall.” Barbara says softly, taking a step towards Niall. “For all of you, however many people you want to bring.”“Why the fuck would I ever let you near her again?” Niall snaps, turning back towards her.“Because the empire knows where this place is, and they’re going to move on it today.” Barbara tells him. “You’ve got less than an hour before this place is being assaulted by several squads of agents.”“What?” Bressie asks, his eyes widening. “How do you know that?”“We have our ways.” Louis sighs. “The intel is good, though. And they know that this place can move, so they’ve already set up a squad in each of the buildings that you’ve been looking into. They know the identity of every person in here, because they’ve got a mole.”“Nobody here is a mole.” Harry argues, stepping forward. “I’d be able to feel it.”“Unless it’s you.” Bressie growls out, narrowing his eyes at Harry, even when Niall steps between them.“Harry has more than proven himself.” Niall argues.“It’s not intentional.” Barbara tells them. “He’s been implanted with a psychic parasite that’s been watching and listening through him without him even knowing. It’s the Hood boy.”Fuck.Fucking shitting fuck.“If you bring him here, we can take the parasite out.” the second bloke explains.“You can trust Liam.” Barbara says with a soft smile. “He’s very good with things like this.”“That doesn’t change the fact that we’re about to get raided.” Bressie grunts out.“But it will keep them from knowing where we go.” Liam counters. “We risked a lot coming here right now, but we did it so that we could get everyone out of here in time. We can get out before they ever know we’re gone.”“I’m not taking Molly to wherever you want just because you say that shit’s about to happen.” Niall grunts out. “I would trust Benjamin Winston more than I’d trust you.”“Niall-” Harry says softly. “She’s telling the truth. None of them have a hint of deception to them.”“You wouldn’t be able to read it from her anyways.” Niall scoffs. “She’s a bloody sociopath. She can’t feel a damn thing.”“Is it a risk you’re willing to take?” Bressie questions. “If this is a trap, then we can more than handle these three. If it’s not, you’re risking Molly’s life.”“Niall, he has a point.” Harry agrees.“You do not speak to Molly.” Niall mutters, looking over at Barbara. “You do not touch her. You do not go near her until I say so. You have no rights when it comes to her. Do you understand?”“I- I understand.” Barbara agrees. “Whatever you want, Ni.”“You also don’t call me that ever again.” Niall grunts out. “You don’t talk to me or come near me, either. You have no more rights with me than you do with her.”“She’s saving your life here, mate.” Louis huffs, crossing his arms over his chest.“She stole my daughter’s life.” Niall says, shaking his head. “Nothing will ever make up for that.”“Enough.” Barbara says softly, striding towards the door with Liam and Louis hot on her heels. “We’ll be waiting in the main chamber. Get everyone ready, and bring the Hood boy to us. You have half an hour before we need to be gone.”“I need you to pack everything up from our rooms, and get Molly ready.” Niall says, turning to Harry once they’re gone. “And, if you think you pulling my emotions out for this whole conversation went unnoticed, you’re wrong.”“I knew you’d know.” Harry says, sighing and running his hand through his hair. “But I also knew that you killing her would be a problem.”“We’ll discuss this later.” Niall mutters. “We’re on a timer.”“I’ll handle Calum.” Bressie says, heading for the door.“No, I will.” Niall tells him. “You handle the teams. They need to make their choices too.”“Please take it easy on the lads.” Harry says gently, following beside Niall. “They were supposed to have more time.”“We all were.” Niall says gently. “I don’t fancy a move like this when I’m not in prime condition.”“We don’t have much choice.” Harry points out, as if it’s not obvious.“We could make a break for it with the teleporters before the agents get here.” Niall mutters.“Not if we can’t get them out of here.” Harry returns. “There would have to be one planted somewhere for us to do that.”“There is.” Niall says softly. “We’ve got one planted in Italy for the lads. Just got it there this morning.”“Is that what you want to do?” Harry asks, catching Niall by the elbow and holding him still.“If we go to Italy, we’re cornered.” Niall sighs, looking up at the roof. “We can’t go south, or we’ll get turned away at the African border. We can’t go east, because the USSR controls that land. We can’t go north or west because that’s just bringing us back towards London. If we go to Italy, that’s our only move. We’d be trapped and have to be perfect to never get caught, because there would be no help ever again.”“I know what the situation would be, Niall.” Harry says firmly. “What I’m asking is what you want to do. Whatever it is, I’ll back you, but I- I need to know what you want to do here.”“I have no idea.” Niall admits in a whisper. “I’ll have to ask one of them where they plan on taking us. If it’s a better option, then we’ll go with them. If it’s not, then we won’t.”“What’s happening?” Luke asks, stepping out into the hallway and looking at Harry and Niall. “Bressie made us all hole up in here.”“We have to go.” Harry tells him. “All of us. There’s a raid coming, so we’re evacuating.”“Fuck.” Luke breathes out.“You three are going to have to make your decision.” Niall says gently. “I’m sorry to force it on you now, but we don’t have a choice. This place is going to be a warzone in half an hour if we’re all still here.”“And there’s something else.” Harry adds.“What the hell could possibly be important right now besides that?” Luke questions in a hiss.“I need Calum to come with me.” Niall sighs. “It’s best if nobody asks any questions.”“What’s wrong?” Luke asks, though Niall wishes he wouldn’t.“Have you noticed that Cal has been off?” Harry asks. “Because I have.”“He’s- He’s recovering.” Luke says, shaking his head. “They put us through a lot in there.”“Yes, they did.” Niall agrees. “And that’s why I need Calum to come with me. And you all need to get ready.”“We don’t want to worry Molly, though.” Harry says quietly. “So, I need you and Ashton to help me make this go as smoothly as possible.”“You go take care of your guys’ things.” Luke tells him. “We’ll take care of Molly.”“There’s- There’s a woman here.” Niall whispers. “Don’t let Molly near her. Nothing has ever been more important than that, Luke. Do you understand?”“Not really, but- I won’t.” Luke agrees, opening back up the door. “Cal, love, Bressie and Niall need you out in the main chamber.”“Fucking tired of being ordered around here all the time.” Calum mutters, striding out into the hall. “What do you want?”“We have some visitors who need to talk to you.” Niall says as calmly as he can manage.“Go on.” Luke hums, pushing Calum in Niall’s direction. He’s got a smile on that Niall only knows is fake because of the situation. If he were in Calum’s position, he wouldn’t be able to tell it wasn’t real.“What do these visitors want with me?” Calum asks when they start walking down the hall.“Just a conversation.” Niall says with a shrug, keeping his face as neutral as possible.“I don’t have anything to do with this place.” Calum huffs, following next to Niall down the corridor.“It’s- It’s not really about that.” Niall admits as they emerge. “It’s about something that happened at the tower.”“Niall-” Calum says cautiously, eyeing up Liam, Louis and Barbara. “Who are these people?”“That him, then?” Louis asks. “The burrow?”“Louis!” Liam hisses.“What?” Louis huffs. “I thought that was clever!”“What are they talking about?” Calum asks when Niall leads him towards them.“You’ve been spying on us, lad.” Bressie grunts out, looking down at Calum.Calum’s demeanor changes immediately on realizing that he’s been found out, the parasite making him tense and fierce. He throws a punch at Niall, catching him just off-guard enough to make him fly into Bressie. Calum may not be a fighter, but he’s strong, and clearly whoever is controlling him knows what they’re doing.Louis tries to grab him, but gets a boot to the chest for his efforts. Niall assumes he can use his abilities to cover his whole body, but he seems to favor the arms alone, which leaves him retching onto the floor after the sickening crunch of bones breaking echoes through the room.Liam lunges forward to try and grab him, but Calum flips backwards onto his hands and plants the opposite boot from he’d used on Louis to kick up into his jaw. He lands on his feet, completing the flip, and he’s taken out three experienced fighters in about a second flat.Niall does not like that feeling.He’s prepared this time as he makes his move, dodging under the kick that Calum tries to hit him with and rushing forward to lift Calum up off of his feet. Flipping him over is easy after Niall uses his weight and the angle to drive all the air out of Calum’s lungs by slamming him into the floor. Once he gets Calum on his stomach, it’s no easy task getting his arm wrapped around Cal’s neck, because he’s thrashing like an animal, but Niall manages to get the inside of his elbow pressed to Calum’s throat and closes off his airway.“I’m so, so sorry, Cal.” Niall whispers in his ear as Calum scrapes at Niall’s arm with his fingernails, trying to get free. He knows it’s not Calum in charge anymore, but he hopes Calum can hear him. He hopes Calum knows that this hurts Niall to do to him.He goes slack in Niall’s grip after about a minute, his lungs no longer rising and falling, and Niall lets go of his grip immediately.“Please tell me you can do this while he’s unconscious.” Niall sighs, rolling Calum over to hold him in his arms.“Yeah.” Liam grunts out, pushing himself off of the floor. “I can do it. Can someone help Louis?”“We’ve got a surgeon.” Bressie tells him. “She’s in the other room.”“Too long.” Niall says, shaking his head. “There’s a bag by the stove. Louis, can you breathe?”“Hurts like a bitch, but yeah.” Louis says through gritted teeth, staying still on the ground. “It’s just the bones, no punctures.”“Grab the yellow vial.” Niall tells Bressie. “It’ll fix his ribs if it’s applied to the surface.”“That’s a pretty powerful potion.” Liam says quietly, kneeling down next to Niall. “Who made that?”“He did.” Niall murmurs, looking down to the unconscious lad in his arms. “He’s good at them, and always makes sure to have as many potions as possible on hand to help people.”“Then let’s get this out, yeah?” Liam hums, holding his palms on either side of Calum’s head. Threads of soft light attach themselves from the tips of Liam’s fingers to Calum’s temples, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. “Hold him still, because this one has had a long time to settle in, and it doesn’t want to come out.”“Don’t hurt him.” Niall growls at him.“I’ll do as little damage as I can, but there’s a psychic parasite in his brain, Niall.” Liam mutters. “It’s going to fight. I have to get it out.”“Like a plaster.” Niall says quietly. “Hard and fast.”The light coming from Liam’s fingers flares brightly, and then the chamber is filled with a chorus of screams. Niall’s grip tightens on Calum’s shoulders, holding him still as he writhes and shrieks, his eyes shooting open. There’s another one too, though. This one is shrill and high like a mouse or a lobster, instead of anything even remotely human, even though it’s also coming from between Calum’s lips.Niall was expecting something less- Physical. When they said ‘psychic parasite’ Niall was expecting some energy or something. He wasn’t expecting an actual giant fucking centipede with pincers to come crawling out of Calum’s mouth, screaming with all the force it can muster.“Don’t touch it!” Liam snaps when Niall reaches to pull the thing out. “It’s all got to come out at once, and it can break off if it’s not handled correctly. If that happens, it’ll burrow in too deep for me to get out again. Just give me a few more seconds.”Calum’s skin starts to lose color, the blood draining from it as he slumps in Niall’s arms, and it takes everything in him to trust Liam with this. He has to, though. He doesn’t have any other choice. If Liam is right, then Niall could just make matters worse. He’s done way too much of that to these lads already.It continues shrieking as it comes out, further and further until it’s easily a foot long, sticking out of Calum’s mouth.“Now!” Liam says sharply, the light from his palms almost blinding in how it flares. “And don’t let it bite you!”Niall snatches it quickly, avoiding the gnashing pincers on the front end, and rips it out. He throws it against the wall, where it sticks and tries to skitter away, but Niall grabs a dagger out of a sheath on his hip and throws it, stabbing straight through its head into the stone. It vanishes in an instant, no more than a shower of embers that rain down to the floor as ash.“Now I need to heal the damage it did, so try and keep him still.” Liam says softly, moving his hands to the skin of Calum’s throat, and bringing them in a line down above his stomach. “Fuck, it was deep. He’s going to be okay, but he’s going to cough up some blood in a second. Don’t be alarmed.”As if on cue, Calum lurches forward and spits up what has to be two cups of blood, coughing and sputtering through an inhale that’s ragged and weak. But at least he’s breathing again.“Niall!” Calum gasps out, clinging to his arm as he finishes choking the rest of it out. “Niall-”“It’s okay.” Niall murmurs softly, rubbing at Calum’s back. “You’re going to be okay now.”“Thank you.” Calum breathes brokenly, looking up into Niall’s eyes while Liam magics away the blood. “You- You saved me. I was trapped in there. I couldn’t do anything, but I could hear and see and feel all of it.”“All he bloody did was choke you out and hold you.” Louis mutters from a few feet away. “Liam’s the one who saved you.”“He’s right.” Niall agrees with a sigh.“You saved me from the tower.” Calum whispers. “You came for us. You came for us, even though they could have killed you.”“I would never have left you in there, Cal.” Niall tells him gently. “Nothing could have stopped me from getting you three out. Not EMIA, not the army, not anything.”“I want to come with you.” Calum says, letting Niall help him onto his feet. “Wherever you and Harry and Molly are going, I want to come with you three.”“That’s a decision for all three of us, isn’t it?” Ashton asks harshly, walking into the room with Harry, Molly and Luke all behind him, their bags packed.“No, I don’t think it is.” Luke says quietly, continuing to walk forward towards Niall even though Ashton has stopped. “I decided to go with them the second that Calum told us about the offers on the table.”“Luke-” Ashton sputters out, his eyes, both real and fake, going wide. “I- I don’t-”“I understand where your head is at, Ashton.” Luke says with a soft, sad smile. “But this doesn’t need to be a group decision. I’ve loved you both for my entire life. I’ll always love you. But that doesn’t mean we make this decision as a unit. Only I get to decide what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. I’ve been a slave. I’ve had the decisions taken out of my hands before, and this time isn’t for anyone else to do that.“I made my decision. I’m going with them. I’m not having my daughter taken away from me ever again. Not for anything. Not even you two. I will always, always love you, but if this is where we part ways, then that’s what has to happen. You have to do what’s best for you, whether that’s Italy or wherever these three are going. You have to pick for yourself, Ash, and I have to pick for myself.”“And what do you think happens when you end up back in Oceania, on the run because those three are never going to be safe?” Ashton snaps. “You think you’ll keep getting to make decisions? No, Luke. You’ll be a fucking slave again.”“That doesn’t scare me as much as losing her forever.” Luke says, turning towards Molly and holding his hand out. “Come here, Molls.”“But-” Molly whimpers. “What about Ash?”“Ashton has to make that decision for himself, little bird.” Calum says softly.“Where we’re going, it’s safe.” Barbara says behind them, and the sound of her voice makes something in Niall threaten to snap again. Unfortunately, he needs whatever haven she’s offering. Luckily, Harry catches his eye and nods, draining the anger out of him before he can act on it. “There’s no risk from EMIA, which means no reason to flee.”“Who are you?” Molly asks, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.Good girl.“An old acquaintance of your father’s.” Barbara answers. “I’m here to take you all to a safe place.”“That’s enough from you.” Niall says stonily, turning back to look at her. “Make your preparations to leave. We’re going to need to be gone in five minutes. Bressie, get your people. Anyone who’s coming needs to be ready.”“They’re all gathered in the panic room.” Bressie tells him. “It’s where they’ve set up the portal.”“Thanks for the tip, big man.” says a voice new to the room, but not new to Niall, Harry or Bressie. “You’ve been very helpful. I’ll make it quick for you.”Niall turns just in time to bring his dagger up when Nick steps off of the lift, deflecting the bullet before it can hit Bressie in the chest. It pings off of the blade and digs itself into the wall.“Think you could use this, mate.” Liam says, raising his hand and pulling Niall’s dagger out of the wall back to Niall. He catches it and nods at Liam.“Harry, get everyone out of here!” Niall orders, twirling his daggers between his fingers with a flourish to reacquaint his hands with them. “Protect Molly at all costs!”“Stay safe.” Harry murmurs as he passes by Niall, laying his hands on him and casting the same spell from earlier that has Niall feeling up to his old level of strength and speed. It doesn’t last more than a minute or so, if earlier is anything to go by, but that’s going to have to be enough time.“You won’t get the drop on me again, Grimshaw.” Niall grunts out, moving forward towards the bottom of the staircase.“I already have.” Nick breathes out, whipping his hand around.There’s a glimmer around it, a distortion in the air that catches Niall’s eye, and he barely manages to get his daggers up far enough in front of him. He manages to split the center of the blade of air, but it keeps going and slices through the skin and muscle on his shoulders. It’s not enough to sever the ligaments and stop him from being able to move them, but it hurts like a son of a bitch.Niall doesn’t scream, though. He doesn’t have time.Nick is far too dangerous an opponent to let have even a moment of advantage, and Molly is far too close to them to let him have a second to re-focus and use her as a threat. Nothing in this world seems too low for Nick in his absolute hatred of Niall, and he’s already used her once.Nick lets off another blast, ignited with flames this time, that Niall just barely manages to dodge underneath. It hits the floor behind him and explodes, throwing rock and stone everywhere and separating Ashton, Calum and Luke from the rest of the group running down the hall.He bounds up the staircase in a flash, only stepping on two of the eighteen stairs with the length of his stride. He’s furious beyond all reason, two of the three people he hates most in this world deciding to show up today and throw everything in his life into chaos.He’ll just have to give a bit of that back.He delivers a kick to Nick’s side that doesn’t feel quite right. It’s nothing about Niall’s body. The spell doesn’t seem to affect the way he feels things. It’s more to do with Nick. Like he’s not completely solid. Like his mass isn’t right for what Niall is seeing and has felt before in their fights.He doesn’t have time to think about, it, though.He pitches Nick over the railing on the stairs, dropping him eight feet down to the floor, and then jumps after him, even though the agent is already regaining his footing.His fist comes up in an uppercut that strikes Nick in the bottom of the jaw and sends him flying back, letting Niall create enough space for Luke, Ashton and Calum to sprint down the hall towards the others. Thankfully, they do just that.“Go ahead and let your little friends escape.” Nick sneers, shooting a jet of flame at Niall to force him to dodge back. “I’ll tear them all apart in due time. And I’ll leave you just barely alive enough to watch. I’ll start with the girl.”“You never fucking learn!” Niall snarls, throwing his dagger at Nick’s head.Nick dodges it easily, blowing it out of the way with a gust of wind, but that’s exactly what Niall expected. He darts in, planting the dagger in the side of Nick’s stomach and slicing all the way across. Blood pours out of him like a waterfall, his eyes wide with shock as his intestines fall to the floor with a sickening plopping sound.“You will never touch my daughter again!” Niall growls.“You really never learn.” Nick chokes out through a wet cough.And then he’s gone, nothing left of him. Even the blood and guts on the floor has vanished, and Niall doesn’t understand what’s happening until he hears a shout of his own name.“Get down!” Harry yells as he collides with Niall’s body, sending him sprawling to the ground.It doesn’t end up doing them any good. The real Nick steps out of the lift shaft, and what he’s been preparing for all this time becomes abundantly clear as he hurls a tornado across the room into them. It’s colossal, a swirling mass of sharpened blades of air that start slicing through their skin as easily as paper. Harry screams something to Niall, but it can’t be heard over the din. Niall hopes it’s ‘I love you’, because that’s what he says as the blood loss and the timing out of the spell Harry put on him starts making him feel faint. He has no idea how they can get out of this one. No amount of struggling against the wind seems to make any difference.And then it’s just gone in an instant. Niall drops to the floor, and Harry lands on his feet, his eyes wide and staring at his own hands.“I don’t know what the fuck you just did, Styles, but let’s see you stop this!” Nick snarls, taking out that same gun from the night he shot Niall and levelling it at them.“Don’t hurt my dads!” an all too familiar voice rings out across the room, making Niall’s blood freeze in his veins. She can’t fucking step into this room right now.Technically, though, she doesn’t.Molly speeds into the room, but she’s not walking or running. She’s floating in the air, her hair whipping around, and the air distorting around her. Nick aims a shot at her and pulls the trigger before Niall can even manage to get up, but it does nothing. The bullet just- Just moves around Molly like the moon orbiting the Earth, and then launches itself back at Nick, hitting him square in the stomach.Molly raises her hands, causing the room to rumble, and then she brings them down. All hell breaks loose then, the ceiling raining down in chunks the size of cars where Nick is, and kicking up dust so heavy it’s like fog.Niall and Harry rush across the room and make it under Molly just in time to catch her as her powers deactivate and she falls. She’s still conscious though, which is a first after this magnitude of power. It doesn’t seem like she has the energy to stop the rubble from falling, though.“Did I do good, da?” Molly asks weakly, her eyes barely open anymore.“So good, Molly.” Niall murmurs, pressing a kiss to her forehead, followed by Harry.“Niall!” someone screams, but it’s too late. He sees the shadow of the rubble on the ground before he hears it breaking loose above him, and curls over Molly to try and protect her. He can’t, though. He knows he can’t.He doesn’t have to, as it turns out. The rubble hits something above him and stops, even though it must be the size of a truck.“I haven’t done anything this intensive in a while, so could you maybe move?” Barbara grunts out, holding both of her hands above them. Her barrier shimmers, but it doesn’t break under the weight.“Take her.” Niall breathes out, shifting her weight more into Harry’s arms. “Go. Quickly.”Harry nods and runs off, carrying her as gently as he can.“We need to move, Niall.” Barbara says, kicking at his shin with the back of her heel. “I can’t hold this forever, and the other agents are going to descend on this place like wolves in a minute.”“Come on.” Niall grunts out, pushing himself up despite the screaming in his skin and muscles that he shouldn’t be moving at all right now.“Our girl grew up strong.” Barbara says, wedging herself under Niall’s shoulder and helping him walk forward.“She’s not your girl.” Niall mutters. “But, yeah, she did.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Harry hates the way he feels when Niall comes limping into the room with Barbara under his arm. He knows that getting Molly out was the most important thing, but he hates that the person who fucked Niall up the most is the one who gets to support him now. Or maybe he just hates that he can’t be the one that supports him.But then the anxiety in his gut somehow eases when Bressie swoops in and gets Niall up onto his back. It’s a relief, honestly, because that means it’s not jealousy. Or, at least, it’s not only jealousy. He still doesn’t really care for Bressie and Niall touching either.Harry saw Bressie in the showers too recently to be okay with that.But Barbara is a whole different monster. Barbara is the thing Harry is most afraid of, because under all that rage and pain that Niall feels when he looks at her, there’s a very powerful love. Harry feels it in the air around them, even though he has to sift through the pure hatred layered on top of it.And it’s not unrequited.So, he just curls Molly to his chest a bit tighter and turns away so that he doesn’t have to see it anymore. Niall is in so much pain, needs helped and healed, but Harry can’t bring himself to look. He can’t bring himself to help.“It’s time for everyone to make their decisions.” Bressie says, stepping into the center of the group. “That portal we have set up is going into a safe-house in Milan. There are train tickets on the table in that house that will take anyone who wants to go down to Tuscany, where we have a team ready to set up new identities and protection for anyone that wants to go.”“Have you known about this, then?” Aoife asks, fury blazing in her eyes.“No.” Bressie answers, shaking his head. “But I have been planning to go with Niall and Harry and Molly since I found out that they were leaving. I was going to leave this place to any of you who wanted to stay here, but I also wanted you all to have a chance at a fresh start. And then, of course, you three.”He says the last part with a nod at Luke and Calum and Ashton, though Ashton isn’t standing with the other two. He’s separated, isolated in the corner of the room by himself.“I wish I could give all of you more time to decide, but they’re going to be here any minute, and we all have to be gone by then.” Bressie sighs.“What’s the other option?” Andy asks, leaning against the wall and looking up towards the roof.“We have a community in the ruins of America.” Liam says, stepping forward just a bit from Louis and Barbara. “It’s safe. It’s in the desert, but it’s safe.”“Everyone knows that America was blown off the map.” Jane scoffs, rolling her eyes.“No, it wasn’t.” Barbara says softly, shaking her head. “What happened there- You can only understand if you see it. But, it’s very safe to say that the land is still very much there. The modern governments of the world have only ever agreed to one thing, to hide the truth of what happened there. Maybe two dozen people in the world outside of our community know the truth, but I’d say it’s probably less than that.”“And what is the truth, then?” Niall asks harshly.“That the Rupture didn’t destroy anything.” Barbara says, shaking her head. “But it did absorb the life energy of every living being in the radius they’ve described. Buildings, mountains, and any other structures have not been destroyed at all. But everyone and everything within thousands of miles of the Rupture died instantly. Since then- Some of it has grown back, even more with our assistance. The rupture has no life-draining properties that we’ve observed anymore, but- We founds thousands upon thousands of mummified corpses wherever we went on our journey to get there.”“And why, exactly, would you want to go there?” Luke asks, narrowing his eyes.“Because it’s the one place we can’t be found, because nobody would ever come looking for us there.” Louis answers gruffly, before Barbara can speak. “Anything else we have to say on the subject will be disclosed only to the people who decide to come with us.”“I think this is where we’re going to part ways, then.” Mike says with a shrug. “Because my work isn’t done, and I’m not running. If we’ve got people in Milan, I’ll start working with them.”“Same.” Jane, Dob and Andy say in unison.“I’m going with Bressie.” Ellen tells the others. “But not forever. I just- I’ve been working with Barbara for a while now on something, and I want to know what it is.”“You will.” Barbara says with a gentle smile.“We’re all with you, Bress.” Ian says, stepping forward with the rest of team EG. “Until the end of the line, we follow you.”“This goes beyond loyalty, guys.” Bressie tells him. “I don’t know what’s going to happen where we’re going, so don’t stick with me out of any obligations. You have to do what’s going to be best for you.”“We know that, you daft nutter.” Chris giggles. “But there’s always adventure with you.”“Besides, you make the best curry.” Emilie hums.“And these idiots can’t keep up with me when we drink like you can.” Aoife laughs.“Somebody has to watch all of you.” Johnny mutters.“Then that leaves you.” Harry says, looking across the room to Ashton. “These two have made their decision. It’s time for you to make yours.”“I’ve already made mine.” Ashton grunts out, shouldering his bag. “These two haven’t got an ounce of impulse control between them if I’m not there.”“Ashton-” Luke breathes out.“If we end up back in Oceania, though-” Ashton cuts him off. “I’m going to kill anyone who tries to take me as a slave, or die trying. Make no mistakes about that, Luke. I will not be a slave again, even if it means dying. Not ever. I don’t care what you and Niall are willing to endure, I will not be a slave again. And that’s why the one condition of me going is that Niall and Bressie are going to agree to train me.”“Fine.” Niall sighs out.“If that’s what you want.” Bressie agrees.“Then where’s the other portal?” Ashton questions.“Gimme a mo.” Liam hums, pulling out some strange little crystal tablet from his pocket. It’s smaller than any that Harry has ever seen. It lights up, and then Liam says, “Hey, buddy! Time to see daddy again! Open up!”Light flares brightly through the room, a portal swallowing up an entire wall as it opens.“There you go.” Liam coos. “You’re such a good lad!”“Goodbye, you lot.” Bressie says softly, sweeping Andy, Mike, Jane and Dob up into a hug. Niall manages to cling onto his back as he nearly crushes the others, but Harry can feel a spike of amusement through everything else, and a sense of loss and fondness that blankets the room.“Bye, big man.” they all murmur one after another, leaning into it.“It won’t be forever.” Bressie tells them. “Someday, we’ll rebuild.”“Someday.” Niall says softly, and a sharp spike of pain shoots through his chest before fading away.Harry can’t do anything except wait for everyone to say their goodbyes before he follows Niall and Bressie through the portal. “Holy shite.” Harry breathes out, looking over the area below them.The building they’re in is up on the side of a mountain, so it looks down on the valley below. Barbara had said that the environment here was barren, and looking out past the valley confirms that, but things are different down there. There’s plush fields and orchards and animal pens stretching across the entire valley that isn’t filled with houses and things.It’s earlier here than it was back in Dublin, hours behind so that the sun is just barely rising. Purples and pinks paint the sky, glittering off of the sand and making it look like gold in the new light.But that’s not what really captures the attention. That honor goes to the giant gash in the sky, glimmering black and silver around the edges.The rupture.“Welcome to Alamogordo, New Mexico.” Barbara says, stepping up next to him.“I didn’t think we’d stay right bloody under it.” Harry mutters, his eyes locked on the Rupture.“You get used to it after a while.” Barbara chuckles. “You’ll also notice a pretty intense spike in power the closer you are to it.”“Already have.” Harry grunts out, looking over at her. “Which is why I can tell exactly what your feelings about Niall and Molly are.”“Feelings and intentions are two very different things, Mister Styles.” Barbara says quietly, looking out the window out onto the valley. “I know very well that they’re out of my reach, even though they’re closer than they’ve been for over six years.”“You made that choice.” Harry says, a harshness creeping into his tone that he doesn’t recognize from himself. It must be from Niall.“I did.” Barbara says with a nod. “And, soon, you’ll all understand why I had to leave them.”“Then you really are her.” an icy voice says behind them, and Harry realizes that it’s not Niall at all that he’s absorbing this from. It’s Luke. “You’re that Barbara.”“I am.” Barbara says with a nod, turning to look at him.That wasn’t a good move, as it turns out.Luke’s hand lashes out like lightning. Harry couldn’t stop it even if he wanted to, so it finds its home unimpeded on her cheek with a sound that echoes through the room.“How fucking dare you ever come near them again?” Luke snarls, his teeth bared as he glares down at her. “After everything you did- After the way you fucked him up- Don’t you ever think you get to be forgiven for that. Getting us out of there doesn’t even start to make up for the damage you’ve done.”“You little-” Louis growls, trying to step forward before Liam grabs the collar of his shirt and hauls him back with a shake of his head.“Liam, please take these three down to the city and let them pick their house.” Barbara says quietly, without any hint of anger. “Bressie and his team as well.”“I’m not going anywhere while he’s in this condition.” Bressie grunts out, nodding back to where Niall is dozing on his shoulder.“He won’t be in that condition for longer than a few moments.” Barbara assures him. “Louis.”“Fine.” Louis huffs, stomping out of the room.“Bressie, if you’ll lay him out on the table, I promise he’ll be healed within minutes.” Barbara tells him. “No harm will come to him, or any of you, while you’re here.”“Come on.” Calum murmurs, taking Luke’s hand and following after Liam with Luke in tow.Ashton and Ellen go as well, but Bressie takes a moment before he sets Niall down, running a hand through his hair. There’s love in it, a gentle affection that breathes out over Niall’s skin when Bressie presses a soft kiss to Niall’s forehead before walking away. Harry’s going to have to start ripping souls out left and right at this rate.Barbara, Bressie, Luke, Calum- He has too much competition. Too many people fighting for a piece of Niall’s heart, and he already has to split it with the girl in his arms.It’s not fair. It’s not bloody fair, now that they’re finally happy.“Harry, I think- Something’s wrong with you.” Barbara says gently.“You don’t know me!” Harry spits out, turning a harsh glare on Barbara.“I know enough to know that the hatred I just saw you aiming at Luke and Calum and Bressie isn’t right.” Barbara says firmly. “I’m going to do something now, and I need you to know it’s for your own protection.”Before Harry can react, a barrier of silver light is encasing him in a dome and trapping him.And as much as Harry wants to be angry, the exact opposite seems to happen instead. All of the rage and jealousy that’s been building in him since the fight with Nick drains away, leaving his head feeling like he’s emerging from a storm into calm seas.“Your powers being boosted is not a boon to you here, Harry.” Barbara sighs, putting her hand on the barrier. “You’re going to have to control how much you’re absorbing, because you’re going to feel everything from everyone all the time.”“A simple barrier wouldn’t let you cut me off from emotions like this.” Harry observes, shifting his weight and holding Molly closer to his chest.“I can imbue different properties into my barriers.” Barbara says with a shrug. “I can imbue one with heat control and cook or freeze things, or one with healing properties and it’ll heal people quickly, or, in this case, one with electromagnetic properties that stop your empathy from being able to reach outside of there.”“Electromagnetic properties?” Harry questions.“Louis and Liam can explain all of that better than I can.” Barbara sighs. “Let’s just say, magic doesn’t exist. Not really. It’s- Different than we think it is. Your powers work on an electromagnetic wavelength that I can access and block. That’s what’s important right now.”“If you think that’s going to neuter me, you’re sorely mistaken.” Harry grunts out, shifting Molly fully into his right arm so that he can raise his left hand. Ice crystals start forming around it, readying a spear“Both of you, stop it.” Niall says wearily, pushing himself up on the table. “Babs, let my boyfriend go or I’ll flay your bodyguards alive. Harry, don’t start a fight you can’t win. Her barriers are impenetrable. You’d just end up hurting yourself or Molly.”“I’m doing this for his own protection.” Barbara says, her eyes locked with Harry’s. “His powers are going out of control, and that could be dangerous for everyone, but most especially people close to you in particular. He’s becoming irrationally jealous and angry.”“I will take care of Harry.” Niall grunts out, pushing himself onto his feet and walking over to the barrier. “Drop the barrier, Babs.”“It’s on your head if he hurts anyone.” Barbara mutters, dispelling the barrier.As soon as it’s gone, Harry can feel the same emotions from before creeping back in. Then Niall takes his hand, and a sharp spike of love blasts through everything else, obliterating those negative emotions, and a smile fills him with tenderness he didn’t know was possible from Niall.“He won’t.” Niall says gently, squeezing Harry’s fingers then pulling him forward to press a kiss to his cheek.“Will you please put the patient on the table?” Louis sighs, walking into the room.“I’m not your patient.” Niall huffs, turning back to look at him. “Harry can heal my wounds.”“And what about the two from the anti-magic bullets?” Louis asks, folding his arms over his chest. “Because I think those would have been healed by now if he could have done it.”“Magic and a surgeon couldn’t heal those.” Niall says, shaking his head. “The bullet fractured on impact and left thousands of cursed pieces in me. So, nothing you’ve got can heal it either.”“That’s where you’re wrong, sunshine.” Louis says with a smirk. “Although I would appreciate if you wouldn’t call my son a thing.”“Hi!” says a little blond boy, peeking out from behind Louis’ legs and waving a tiny hand in their direction.“He’s got to be joking.” Niall snorts out, looking over at Barbara.“He’s not.” Barbara chuckles. “Freddie is- Special. He’s like Molly.”“How is gravity control going to heal my wounds?” Niall scoffs.“I mean in that he’s a mage.” Barbara hums. “Freddie’s powers are centered on the ability to alter the genetics of living organisms on a molecular level. He is phenomenally powerful.”“Fucking hell.” Harry and Niall breathe out in unison.“Yeah, the little bugger is pretty good at what he does.” Louis laughs, ruffling Freddie’s hair. “Doesn’t stop him from turning every bug he sees into a puppy. He’s got his father’s impulse control.”“Transfiguration isn’t healing.” Harry mutters.“No, he doesn’t transfigure.” Louis chuckles, leading Freddie forward. “Transfiguration is temporary, and doesn’t actually change the genetic structure of what’s been transfigured. Freddie can literally change the genetics of any living organism he wants to. So, he can rearrange Niall’s genetics to put him back right. He did it last month for Liam when he fell and broke his leg.”“This is a little different than a broken leg.” Niall sighs, looking down at the little lad.“You have ouchies.” Freddie observes, his eyebrows crinkling as he looks up at Niall’s arms. He reaches out his hand and presses it into Niall’s, and Harry loses all ability to breathe properly.One instant the wounds are still there, bleeding and causing pain to course through Harry. Then they’re just- Not. Every bit of the pain from Niall’s wounds, new and old, disappears.“No more ouchies.” Freddie hums. “Wanna play footy?”“They’ve had a long day, buddy.” Louis laughs, reaching down and picking Freddie up in his arms. “How about we let them go get settled in, and we try again tomorrow?”“Okay.” Freddie sighs out sadly, pouting as he rests his head on Louis’ shoulder.“Gimme a couple of hours.” Niall tells him, crouching down just a bit so he can look Freddie in the eyes instead of looking down at him. “After lunch, okay? I have some stuff to take care of, but we can play after lunch.”“Lunch.” Freddie giggles, nodding. It only seems to be after that that he even notices Molly, looking up to his dad as he asks, “Her?”“She’s just tired, bud.” Niall tells him. “She’ll be alright.”“Let’s go see Bear, buddy.” Louis tells him.“Okay.” Freddie repeats, much more enthusiastically this time as he squirms out of Louis’ grasp and runs back towards the doorway that Louis and he had come from.“Watch out when you play with that one.” Louis tells Niall in a hushed whisper. “He’s my son, and I love him, but he’s a very sore loser and he turned me into a gerbil for three days one time because I scored a goal against him.”“I’ll keep that in mind.” Niall says with a nod, squeezing Harry’s hand and dragging him towards the door. There’s a giddiness in him that Harry isn’t quite sure about now. Playing a pretend match of footy with a three-year-old shouldn’t be that exciting. “This one should do fine.” Niall grunts out, laying Molly on the bed in the smaller of the two bedrooms before he re-joins Liam and Harry in the hallway and closes the door. “You said the lads are next door, right?”“Calum and Luke are.” Liam says with a nod. “Ashton is in the blue house on the corner. Bressie is between them, and Ellen is across the street from him, and the rest of the team is in the house with her or the one next door.”“Wait- They aren’t living together?” Harry asks, his eyes going wide. “The lads are in separate houses?”“That is not a conversation for me to be having.” Liam says, a blush painting over his cheeks as he looks up at the ceiling. “It was awkward enough having to listen to the whole argument.”“They need time.” Niall says, grabbing Harry’s wrist when he moves towards the door. “Luke- He meant well, but what he did back there- He broke the stability of what they had. He separated himself from the relationship. Give them time. They’ll work it out. And I’ll beat some sense into Ashton in my own time.”“Anyways-” Liam cuts in, holding out his hand. “These are the keys to this place. There’s a pair for each of you. They are the only copies, so be careful that you don’t lose them, though we do have a duplicator in the community if you do lose a set. There’s also a key for the car in the garage. Fuel isn’t a problem. Ellen helped us turn them all into crystal-based engines instead of combustion, so you never need to fill them up. There’s a market every morning from six until ten that provides any and all food you could need. We don’t have a fiscal system here, but you’ll be allowed to take as much food as you need.”“Why?” Niall asks, narrowing his eyes. “Why would they give away their food for free?”“Everybody here contributes.” Liam tells him with a soft smile. “Louis and I run the science division back up at the museum where we drove down here from. Barbara has encased the entire valley in a barrier that blocks locator magic. Freddie is our healer, and my son, Bear, is the one who gets us around, so to speak. We already have positions for you two and the others as well, once you’re ready to start. You’ll all be given a bit of time, though. And I’ll stop by soon with food for you and all of the others.”“What positions?” Harry asks.“We want Niall as the head of security for the community.” Liam says with a small smile. “And Bressie, as his second in command. Harry, we- This community has a lot of people who’ve gone through some very difficult situations. We’d like you to work with them as a trauma counselor of sorts.”“I- Why me?” Harry questions, the declaration taking him aback.“Who better than someone who can fully understand their feelings?” Liam questions in return. “You understand emotion more intimately than maybe anyone on the planet. Besides, we have it from a very reliable source that you’ll be a great help in the position.”“Who?” Harry asks, a twist in his gut that he doesn’t care for.“Tomorrow, you’ll find out more about her and everyone else you need to know.” Liam says with a soft smile. “Today, I think the lot of you should just focus on settling in. Like I said, I’ll bring over some food soon. It’ll probably take about an hour.”“Give it at least ninety minutes.” Niall says with a smirk, taking Harry by the arm and hauling him back towards the bedroom on the other side of the house. “If nobody answers, leave the groceries at the back door.”“Fucking hell.” Harry hears Liam groan before some hurried footsteps and the front door opening and closing.“Eager, are you?” Harry asks after Niall drags him into the room and literally picks him up and throws him onto the bed.“I am going to fuck your fucking brains out.” Niall growls out, peeling his shirt off over his head.And, honestly- Nothing in the world sounds better. “Oh my god- Oh my god- Oh my god!” Harry whines, high-pitched and desperate in his throat as his entire body quakes.“Not yet.” Niall grunts out, though he gives another stroke of Harry’s cock with his lube slick hand. “And don’t let go of your legs. I see you slipping.”“Please!” Harry whimpers, throwing his head back. It hits the headboard, throbs dully with pain somewhere beneath the pleasure and the lust taking over the entire room like a fog. He digs his fingers into the back of his knees though, following Niall’s demand without any hesitation.“Not yet.” Niall repeats, a kind of self-assured smugness building in his chest that makes Harry want to cum just to defy him. “Need you to realize that I’m not an invalid anymore.”“I am very aware.” Harry grits out between clenched teeth. And he really, really is.They’ve been at this for well over an hour. Niall has taken him apart with his mouth on Harry’s prick and his hole. He fingered him loose and sloppy, used the pads of his fingers to take Harry over the edge again. And now he’s pumping in slow and steady, has him leaking profusely to match the buckets of sweat he’s soaked the sheets with.It’s heaven and hell all at the same time.“Then tell me what you really want.” Niall says through a smirk.“Fuck me as hard as you can.” Harry breathes out.“There you go, gorgeous.” Niall hums, taking over holding the back of Harry’s thighs for him. “All you had to do was ask.”Harry almost manages to bite out a response about how that’s what he’s been doing, but then Niall pulls out and snaps his hips forward harshly, cutting off any response Harry had on the tip of his tongue.“You’ve been so well behaved.” Niall chuckles, picking up the pace of his hips. “Don’t ruin that now.”And, well- Harry really doesn’t want to disappoint. He hasn’t been at all. It’s been great over the last few weeks at least being able to have any sex at all with Niall again, but- It hasn’t always been the most satisfying. It hasn’t been the intense, animalistic, filthy fucking that they do so well.It is now.Niall’s energy and body are back to what they were at his peak, maybe even before Harry ever met him. He’s ravenous, his fingers imprinting bruises on the backs of Harry’s legs that’ll last for weeks if Harry doesn’t magic them away. He doesn’t plan on it.He slams in hard, making the sound of skin slapping even louder than the headboard smacking against the wall. Harry’s eyes roll back into his head and his nails dig into the skin right above Niall’s ass.And, as if Niall can read his mind, he leans in to kiss him filthily as soon as Harry starts to miss the taste of his tongue. He’s a bloody wonder, honestly. He knows everything Harry wants, everything he needs, before it ever has to be verbalized.It’s sloppy and manic, Niall pushing in as hard and fast as he can until Harry feels lightheaded and half-mad with the desire to cum. But, at the same time, he never wants this to end. This is the longest and most intensely they’ve ever been able to fall into each other, and Harry is selfish. He wants to keep Niall’s attention and focus like this forever.Unfortunately, like all good things, it has to come to an end. But what a spectacular fucking end it comes to.Niall is relentless, gripping hard and fucking harder. It’s like nothing Harry has ever felt, even during the best of their fucks back in Saint Martine. He’s got the angles right and the speed perfect. It’s everything sex can be at its best, and it’s driving Harry wild.He feels that immense surge of pleasure when Niall cums inside him, when he marks him as his, and it pushes him over the edge. He doesn’t even need to be touched, but he cums harder than he ever has before.His whole body goes tight, milking Niall for everything in him while he cums in pulses on his own stomach.“Holy fuck.” Harry breathes out as Niall pulls out and flops down next to him.“Not quite.” Niall hums. “I’d say it was pretty sinful. Everything that feels that good is.”“What got into you?” Harry asks, panting because he still can’t catch his breath.“Nothing, yet.” Niall says with a wink. “But maybe Cal and Luke can watch Molly tonight and we can see about that.”“Insatiable.” Harry snorts, batting at Niall’s chest. “I’m serious, though. Why the sudden, insane, Olympic-level sex?”“This is the first time my body hasn’t hurt at all in- Well- A long time.” Niall sighs out, looking up at the ceiling. “I think Freddie’s healing touch did a bit more than he meant for it to. I feel like I’m twenty again.”“You fuck like you’re twenty.” Harry says through a grin. “I’m definitely not going to complain.”“Then I have a question.” Niall says, rolling onto his side to face Harry. “What was Barbara talking about back there?”“I- My powers are stronger here.” Harry sighs. “I’ve been absorbing everything from everyone in this valley. Somebody has a lot of anger and jealousy, and it’s- It’s affecting me. It’s got me feeling a little mad when it comes to you.”“Harry, I already chose you over Bressie or the lads.” Niall says softly. “You know that.”“I do.” Harry says with a soft smile. “And I’m trying to control it. I’m not used to this level of power. I can- I can literally feel every emotion everyone in this valley is feeling. I can tell you exactly how many people there are. It’s four-hundred-and-twelve, if you’re curious. It’s a lot to balance out. I just need some time. It’s easier when I’m around you.”“I just- I need to know Barbara wasn’t right.” Niall says quietly. “That you’re not going to hurt any of them.”Harry wants to be offended. He wants to be pissed off that Niall could ever think he could do anything like that. But he can’t, because all he can feel is fear.Niall’s fear.He’s terrified that Harry could be driven to that because of him. He’s terrified that anything else could ever happen to them because of him. He’s terrified that he could ever lose them again, and be in any way to blame.“No, I’m not going to hurt any of them.” Harry murmurs, placing his hand on Niall’s waist. “I’ve got this under control. I promise.”“Let me know if that control ever starts slipping.” Niall mumbles. “I’ll bring you back around.”Before Harry can say anything, there’s a knocking on the front door, and Niall sighs out, “That must be Liam with the food.”“No.” Harry says, shaking his head. “It’s Calum. He wants to see you.”“Do I need to leave you locked in here?” Niall asks, a smirk playing on his lips.“He’s upset, Niall.” Harry mumbles, pushing Niall towards the edge of the bed. “Get dressed and go see him. I’ve got someone I need to go see anyways.”“Who?” Niall asks, drawing his eyebrows in as he fishes for his trousers off the side of the bed.“Luke.” Harry murmurs. “He’s upset too. I think they might have had a fight. He feels isolated and scared out of his mind. He’s stayed at their place, though.”“Be gentle with him.” Niall says quietly. “He’s got a soft soul.”“I am well aware of exactly what their souls are like.” Harry snorts. “I’ll see you in a bit.”“Be ready for another round.” Niall grunts out as he pulls on his trousers before leaning into the bed to press a kiss against Harry’s lips. “I’m not done yet with showing you I’m healed.” “What do you want?” Luke sighs when Harry finds him out back behind the house.“A bloody fan, for one thing.” Harry mutters, taking a seat next to Luke on the concrete. “It’s hot as hell out here.”“Then magic a breeze.” Luke says with a roll of his eyes.“I can do one better.” Harry hums, waving his hand over his head and letting his magic form a tiny cloud, which starts dropping tiny snowflakes. “This should help a bit.”“You didn’t answer my question, Harry.” Luke says after a moment.“I felt your pain.” Harry admits. “I wanted to come talk to you.”“You weren’t exactly helping with the pain.” Luke huffs. “Pretty sure everyone in this valley could hear the two of you going at it.”“Sorry.” Harry says sheepishly. “Niall wanted to prove Freddie’s healing touch did the trick and put him back right.”“I don’t care what the reason was, Harry!” Luke snaps. “One of the men I love has already left me today, another one has a brain like scrambled eggs and hates me, and I had to hear you screaming at the top of your lungs while the other one fucked you senseless!”“Calum doesn’t hate you.” Harry says gently. “Luke- You three are all in a very emotional place right now. But I promise you that he doesn’t hate you. He’s very much in love with you, straight down to the core of his being.”“He blames me for Ashton leaving.” Luke breathes out. “He says I shouldn’t have just decided for myself.”“You did the right thing, Luke.” Harry murmurs, rubbing his hand up and down Luke’s spine. “You three may be in a relationship, but that doesn’t mean that unilateral decisions are okay. You had to do what was best for you.”“I was ready to leave him behind forever.” Luke admits quietly. “But now he’s left us, and he’s right down the street, and I feel like my heart is crumbling in my chest.”“He still loves you too.” Harry assures him. “He’s just as brokenhearted, Luke. I think you three just need some time to cool down.”“But I miss him.” Luke chokes out, the air half gone from the words as he turns and leans into Harry’s chest.“I know.” Harry murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of Luke’s head and just holding him while he sobs openly.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“So-” Calum says after ten minutes of silence, sitting next to Niall with a bottle of beer he must have gotten from Liam. “That’s Molly’s mother.”“Unfortunately.” Niall grunts out.“She’s gorgeous.” Calum mumbles. “I can see where Molly gets her looks from, now.”“They make the same faces.” Niall sighs, leaning back against the sofa. “Molly looks just like her when she’s angry.”“She’s lucky it was Luke that hit her.” Calum says, taking another drink from his beer. “I would have if he didn’t.”“She let him hit her.” Niall says quietly. “Barbara’s reaction time is- It’s well beyond fast enough to have stopped him if she cared to.”“At least she knows she deserves it.” Calum says with a nod.“I highly doubt you’re here to talk about beating my ex.” Niall sighs, eyeing the beer in Calum’s hand. “So, you have three options. You can talk about Luke, you can talk about Ashton, or you can help me start getting this place together.”“Option three it is.” Calum says after a moment, downing the rest of his beer before standing up.Niall was hoping Calum wouldn’t take the hard way, but he’ll deal with it. He knows these lads better than anyone, and he owes them everything. “I said left, idiot!” Niall growls out, shoving his end of the couch at Calum roughly.“My left or your left?” Calum asks angrily. “You keep fucking doing this!”“Obviously I’m going to give you the directions for yourself, Calum.” Niall sneers. “I know better than to expect you to figure it out on your own.”“Go fuck yourself, Horan!” Calum snaps, dropping his end of the couch. “Why are you being such a colossal wheel of dick cheese?”“I’m sorry-” Niall breathes out on a barely hidden laugh. “A what?”“I will turn your musty, crippled ass into a slinky if you keep being such a cunt.” Calum grunts out.Niall can’t hold back a laugh that time. He doubles over, falling onto the couch when his laughter shakes him off of his feet.“That- that was- hi- hilarious!” Niall wheezes out between rib-crushing laughs, rolling onto his back.“Dick.” Calum mutters, dropping down next to Niall and smacking him in the head.“Just so you know, I’m not crippled anymore.” Niall hums, scooting a bit to put his head in Calum’s lap. “So, you stand about as much chance of that as you do of stopping time or something.”“Yeah, yeah.” Calum sighs, dropping his hand onto Niall’s chest and leaving it there. “Shut up anyways.”“Then you talk.” Niall says softly. “Because I know what’s bothering you, so you might as well say it.”“None of you knew it wasn’t me.” Calum whispers, closing his eyes and fisting his hand in Niall’s shirt, clinging tightly.“I’m so sorry, Cal.” Niall says gently, sitting up and moving in closer. “If I’d just-”“No, that’s not-” Calum sighs, cutting him off. “It was designed to know everything I know and be able to perfectly mimic me. I don’t resent you all for not knowing. It’s just- It touched Luke. It kept pushing Ashton further away. It said such horrible things to you and Harry. It made me do things like eavesdropping on conversations between the members of the Technophage down there and reading things to gather information, and none of you ever thought to suspect me. I helped them do all of this to us. I helped them divide us. It traded on everything about me to try and destroy us.”“It failed, Cal.” Niall murmurs. “It didn’t do anything that can’t be fixed.”“Nothing I can do now can fix that they lost their home.” Calum says quietly. “It can’t get you away from Barbara.”“Cal.” Niall says firmly. “We can handle what happened. All of us have been prepared for a very long time to go through things like this. The bar and the cave are just places. And if Barbara can give me a place where Molly is out of reach of the empire, then dealing with her isn’t that big of a burden. That’s not what you should be focusing on.”“Then what should I be focusing on?” Calum asks, an edge creeping into his voice.“Not taking out your guilt on Luke.” Niall tells him, resting his head on Calum’s shoulder. “Talking to Ashton. He hasn’t been himself since the tower, and I don’t think he’s going to find himself without you and Luke.”“He had it the worst out of any of us.” Calum mutters. “He fought back against Ben, and- Ben basically picked him as his own personal project. He tortured him physically. Obviously, but he did even more psychically. He put Ashton in this state where- It showed him things. He made him Ash out his whole life as a slave again. He made Ash see himself murder us all over and over again. He- He-”“He what?” Niall prompts Calum to finish.“He showed him you and Harry together, before we all knew.” Calum sighs. “He showed Ash you and Harry being together, and you separating from us, and taking Molly away. It was one of his worst nightmares, so Ben made it come true for him, and then- You made it come true outside of that vision.”“Cal- You have to know that I’m not with Harry to hurt you.” Niall breathes out. “I never wanted to hurt any of you.”“I know.” Calum says with a weak smile and a nod. “But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt, Niall. You stole what we thought our future was in more ways than one. And we all know it’s not fair to be angry about that, but- We love you, Niall. We love you, and now you’re not going to be with us. That hurts.”“I was never good enough for the three of you anyways.” Niall mumbles.“That was never for you to decide.” Calum tells him, bringing his arm up to wrap around Niall’s shoulder. “We love you. That’s what matters to us. And that’s why Luke and I are trying to be okay with this. Just- Give us some time on that front.”“I-” is all Niall gets out before a very familiar shrieking giggle catches his attention and a door down the hallway is thrown open.“Da!” Molly laughs, moving as fast as her little legs will carry her. “There’s snow!”“Molls, that’s probably dust or something.” Niall chuckles. “We’re in the desert.”“Da.” Molly says flatly, giving him the most unimpressed look that she possibly could. “I know what snow looks like. Look.”She holds out a ball in her hands, and it’s small, but there’s a tightly packed ball of snow there. Actual snow. In the American southwest. What the fuck?“It’s Harry’s.” Molly hums. “He’s making it for Luke. The magic woke me up.”Thank fuck it was that and not Harry and Niall going at it like animals.“Remind me to talk to you later about something.” Niall hums to Calum.“You are not allowed to leave her with us for that until you get Harry to magically soundproof both houses.” Calum hisses under his breath.“Deal.” Niall says with a grin. “Want to go see what the snow is all about?”“Please, Cal?” Molly begs with those wide eyes that she knows can manipulate any of her dads.It works like a charm, a slight smile spreading across Calum’s lips that looks genuine. There’s a sadness in him that’s palpable even to Niall, a fear and a loneliness and a brokenness that you can feel in the air around him. But he’s finally in control again. He’s there, and Niall can feel him in a way that he hasn’t since before everything went to hell. Since before he messed up and let this happen to Calum in the first place.“Alright.” Calum says through a long-suffering sigh that’s as fake as can be. “Let’s go throw some snow at Luke and Harry.”“Sounds perfect.” Niall chuckles, helping him off of the couch. “You’re such a prat.” Harry grumbles, pouting over at Niall.“You could have protected yourself in so many ways.” Niall says with a shrug. “Not my fault you suddenly don’t know magic when you’ve got a snowball rocketing at your face.”“Three snowballs!” Harry hisses. “All three of you ambushed me! And you threw that thing hard enough to take my head off!”“I’m relatively sure it’s still attached.” Niall snorts out, running his fingers through Harry’s hair. “I’ll have to get you somewhere private and take off your pants to make sure.”“I wasn’t talking about that he-” Harry starts, before his eyes narrow. “Oh, fuck you. My head is not up my arse.”“Yes, it is.” Luke hums from where he’s sunning himself on the patio a few feet away. Harry’s miniature storm has moved further back into the rest of the yard, giving Calum and Molly plenty of space to work with as they build a snowman, and leaving Luke the space to work on bronzing his skin without yelping like a dog every time that a snowflake lands on his back. Niall does wish he’d wear something more than just his underwear, but that’s a pipedream. “Whenever it isn’t up Niall’s, that is.”“Fuck off.” Harry grunts out, waving his hand and sending a small flurry of snowflakes to land on the pale expanse of Luke’s back.“Fucking shitting hell!” Luke shrieks, flailing around before he manages to roll himself off of the chair and land on the cement. “I hate you!”“Watch your language.” Niall chuckles, blowing Luke a kiss when the blond glares sharply at him.“Control your boyfriend, Niall.” Luke mutters, hauling himself back into his chair. “Or you can kiss sending Molly over to ours so you two can shag goodbye.”“Behave yourself.” Niall says quickly, shooting Harry a look. “And you’re going to need to do some soundproofing spells on our place and theirs, by the way. Calum will take Molly tonight if you do.”“Um-” Luke says, his head snapping up. “What if I want to have tonight alone with Calum?”“Then you can take that up with him.” Niall fires back at him. “But I think it’ll be good for you two to have a buffer to keep you two from arguing tonight. Tension and anxiety are not helping anything here.”“You lost any say in our relationship weeks ago, if not years ago.” Luke says with a roll of his eyes before settling his sunglasses back on his nose. “But that is a fair point.”And- Ow- That hurts. It’s fair, because Niall forfeited any right to be involved in the course of these lads’ relationship long before he ever even met Harry, but- He has been involved. He’s helped them settle arguments and helped them all through personal issues over the years. He’s always been someone that they relied on and valued the opinions of, and that clearly isn’t the case anymore.“Stop it.” Harry murmurs in his ear. “Everything running through your head right now is wrong. They just need time and someone to blame for the situation they’re in now, and that’s either you or Ashton.”“Get out of my head.” Niall grumbles, elbowing Harry in the side.“They love you more than you know.” Harry says softly, not letting Niall’s attitude deter him. “More than they wish they did. He didn’t mean that the way you’re taking it, so just- Cut him and yourself some slack.”“Can’t wait until Liam sets you up with some office somewhere and you can root around other people’s heads instead of mine.” Niall sighs. Harry’s probably not entirely wrong, honestly, but it doesn’t really stop Niall from pulling in on himself a bit. Harry snores. It’s a fact that Niall was completely unaware of, because they’ve never slept in the same place and had Niall fall asleep afterwards. He can’t sleep, though. The exhaustion that usually tugs at his bones after a good shag, let alone the three Harry and Niall have had since they got the house to themselves, just isn’t there. Niall has a feeling that it has to do with what Freddie did, the genetic magic he still doesn’t really understand. So, instead, he’s training with a dummy that he’d had Louis make him out of the remains of a bush transfigured into a new shape. He’d done it easily after Niall had exhausted Freddie with ages of running around and playing footy. Freddie had been a bit huffy because Niall didn’t just let him win, but Niall showed off some fairly impressive skills, backflipping and kicking the ball out of the air and other things that Freddie had never seen a non-magical do before, so he’d been far too entertained to really care much.That was worth a lot to Louis, apparently, because he didn’t even seem to care anymore that Niall had knocked him out a few hours before.It also turns out that Freddie isn’t the only mage besides Molly here. Liam also has a son, whose name is Bear, and he’s a mage as well. He’s actually the whole reason that they’re even here. He’s a spacial manipulator, the one whose blood was used to make Ellen’s portal devices. The full extent of his abilities is unknown, since Liam and Barbara worked out a charm for him that limits his powers to just portals while he’s still a tyke, but even that’s impressive.He doesn’t need to have been somewhere or have a spot in view in order to create a gate, like most porters. He has no limit to what kinds of things he can move, like inorganic or organic materials only. He can open a portal anywhere in the world, just by thinking about someone or something that he wants, or looking at a picture. It’s unstable at best, but Liam trusted it enough to base their entire rescue mission off of it.Barbara is staying true to her word and keeping a distance, which is good. Niall’s hackles rise whenever she’s even mentioned, which makes Harry even worse than he is without having to deal with Niall’s emotions. Molly has asked who she is, how she knows Niall, but those questions have been successfully diverted. For now.He knows that she knows that she’s being given the run-around, and that won’t be acceptable forever. She’ll ask Calum first, because she’ll think he’s more likely to have the answers she wants. Luke will be next, because she knows he’s easier to bully into giving up info. He’s a total sucker for her puppy-dog face.They won’t tell her, though. This is one thing all of them agree on. Barbara’s relationship to Molly can’t be revealed. Not right now. Everything is too unstable to risk that emotional gamble. Especially when they don’t know if Molly’s powers are amplified by proximity to the rupture. It’s an ongoing study for Liam and Louis with Bear and Freddie.Niall shudders at the thought that Molly could become even more powerful than she already was. She destroyed half of a house. She caved in the catacombs on top of Nick. She’s created a black hole. The idea that her powers could increase as exponentially as Harry’s have since they got here- It’s the most terrifying thing Niall has ever had to consider.They might have to make another charm to suppress her powers, if that’s the case.A knock at the door on the other side of the house startles Niall out of his thoughts, ringing through the still, hot night air like a gunshot. It incites a panic that only a parent could ever feel, that fear of something having gone wrong while your child was out of your sight.“Molly-” Niall breathes out, turning on his heel and sprinting towards the back door so that he can run through the house.Harry is already at the door when Niall gets there, relief visible on his face. He probably woke up out of a dead sleep from Niall’s panic alone. Whoops.“She couldn’t sleep.” Calum mumbles, shifting back and forth behind Molly, looking at the ground.“He couldn’t sleep.” Molly says, though it isn’t out loud. Molly says it in Niall’s head. “It’s not me. Cal is sad, da. So is Luke. They need to stay here, with us.”“I- Why don’t you all come in?” Niall says, looking to Harry to confirm that he must have heard it too.“Don’t want to intrude.” Luke says quietly.“Let’s try this again, shall we?” Niall hums, a bit more force in his voice this time. “Get in this house. Now.”“Fucking demanding prick.” Luke grumbles, following inside after Molly.“Thanks.” Calum whispers, stepping closer to Niall and reaching towards his hand before pulling back. Niall catches it before it can fall back to his side, giving it a squeeze when Calum clings tightly to his fingers.“Let’s go get you all something to drink and see about these films Liam assures me will work even though the television is so old.” Niall says gently. “Harry’s figured it all out, somehow.”“Sounds good.” Calum mumbles, letting himself be led by Niall into the kitchen.“I didn’t teach her how to do that.” Harry says inside Niall’s head.“Her powers are growing.” Niall responds, keeping the conversation telepathic so that nobody else hears. “She’s feeling her way through it. Through magic as a whole. That’s not- It’s not brilliant, really.”“Means she might be getting a boost from the rupture, then.” Harry sighs.“Thing is, I don’t think so.” Niall admits, leading Calum into a chair at the table where Molly and Luke are sitting. “Her powers were already getting stronger before. You saw what she did in the cave.”“And she stayed conscious for a minute afterwards.” Harry points out, meeting Niall with the kettle. He puts it on the hob and turns it on while Niall pulls down the tea that Liam had dropped off for them.“How many sugars?” Harry asks, finally speaking out loud for the first time since he opened the door.“Luke likes five.” Niall tells him, plucking up the sugars necessary for the lot of them. “He’s an addict. Cal just likes one, and a bit of cream. Molls takes hot chocolate, not tea.”“I take-” Harry starts.“Two, and cream.” Niall finishes for him. “I know. I’ve paid attention to you at some points, love.”“I’m not an addict.” Luke huffs out, immediately gaining him unimpressed looks from all four other people in the kitchen. “I’m not!”“Whatever you say, princess.” Niall snorts, turning back to make the tea.It’s such a small thing that he doesn’t even notice the tension in the kitchen for a moment. He doesn’t realize how easily the familiar endearment rolled off of his tongue, though it has no rights to pass through his lips anymore when it comes to Luke or Calum or Ashton. He doesn’t hear all the air get sucked out of the room, just the way all the chatter stops, even from Molly.“I- Sorry.” Niall mumbles, opening up a cabinet and pulling out a pan to start making Molly’s hot cocoa. He keeps his eyes on anything that isn’t the other four bodies in the room, not eager in the slightest to see how his little slip-up has affected the delicate balance they’ve established.Things are awkward now in a way they weren’t even when Calum had a psychic parasite and they were all living in a cave with a terrorist group. They’re supposedly safe now, and that’s just giving things time to really sink in about what’s happened. It’s giving them time to reflect on the absolute storm Niall has brought upon them.“Oh, get out of your own head, you prick.” Calum scoffs from the table, shattering through the tension. “If you’re just going to mope, I’m going to take Luke back to our place, because even fighting would be more fun than this.”“I just want them to stop talking to each other in their heads, like we can’t tell they’re having a conversation.” Luke adds with a snort.“Blame Harry.” Niall chuckles, bursting out in a full laugh at Harry’s offended squawk.And, just for a minute, as Harry snaps Niall on the arse with a twisted-up towel, everything feels a little less horrible.When his eyelids are finally growing heavy a couple of hours later, with Molly on the floor in front of him and Harry and Calum on either side of him keeping him warm while Luke sleeps in the chair nearby- It feels like family.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I will turn you into a lifeless doll if you keep following me around like this.” Harry mutters, glaring across the table at his newly arrived, and very much unwanted guest at breakfast.
There are two cups of coffee on the table between them, and a couple of cinnamon scones. It should smell fresh and calming, but Harry can’t get the smell of burning flesh out of his nose. He hasn’t been able to for days. For four days. For four days and seven hours, almost on the dot. For four days and seven hours since he watched a toddler and her mother burn to death, and couldn’t do anything to stop it because the blast from the fire hitting the gas-line threw them clear of the house.
All he could do was absorb their souls to keep them from suffering anymore.
“You need to come back to work, Harry.” Nick says with a sigh. “It’s boring without you. Benjamin won’t send me on any missions without my partner.”
“You don’t need to go on any missions!” Harry snarls, losing his grip on the voices screaming inside his mind, joined so recently by two more. “Your bloodlust should be more than sated for a while!”
“Oh, Harold, there’s so much more to me than bloodlust.” Nick says with a feral grin. “I’m just such a workaholic. I do hate to do nothing with my time. It feels so- Unproductive.”
“You know that I could neuter this part of you, right?” Harry asks, clenching his eyes shut as the screaming gets louder. “I could rip the sociopath out of you, and leave whatever meager bits of your personality are left afterwards!”
“What fun would we have then?” Nick laughs.
“Sir, I found that pamphlet I was telling you about.” says a soft voice that Harry only recognizes because he’d heard it ten minutes ago when he’d been ordering his coffee, before Nick walked into the café. The very pure altruism coming off of her would take weeks for Harry to forget anyways. She’s the opposite of Nick in every way.
“I- Huh?” Harry manages to get out, caught off-guard by the interruption. It also doesn’t help that he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She didn’t tell him about any pamphlets that he can remember.
“From the place I went on holiday.” she says, a gentle smile painted on her face. “Would you like me to tell you a bit more about it, or am I interrupting something? I am, aren’t I? I’m terribly sorry.”
“No, love, he was just leaving.” Harry says sharply, shooting a look at Nick. “He has to work today.”
“I expect I’ll be joined in that soon enough.” Nick says flippantly, gathering his coffee in one hand and his coat in the other arm, shoving his pastry in his mouth as he ambles towards the door.
He passes by the window Harry’s sitting next to, and waves his hand to color a portion of the glass to look like a red heart, which Harry immediately removes with a growl.
“Sorry.” the girl says quietly, shifting her long brown hair over her shoulder. “You just looked- Very unhappy with him here.”
“Thank you.” Harry mumbles, giving her as much of a smile as he can muster while he focuses on quieting the voices.
“I know you didn’t actually ask me for this, but you do look like you could use a holiday.” she says, a playful smile returned on her lips. “This place is brilliant. A quiet little village by the sea, perfect for finding some peace.”
She passes off the pamphlet before walking away, and Harry takes a look at it. It does seem peaceful, this Saint Martine.
Maybe it is time for a bit of space from all of this.
“Too many bodies.” Harry sighs, feeling one pressed against his legs and another tangled around his torso when he wakes up to what feels like a punch to his mouth.His tattoos join in only a moment later, twittering and drawing groans from the rest of the bodies in the room. Adding to the pillow Luke throws at him is the way Harry’s back angrily stabs at him because he slept halfway upright. He should have known better than to think that they were going to manage to make it back to the bed. Niall only properly settled down and managed to find some peace once Calum and Luke and Molly were all in the house.He opens his eyes, and gets his vision filled up with Calum’s distinctively dark hair instead of Niall’s, like he expected. In fact, Niall isn’t anywhere in the room. When Harry reaches out with his powers, Niall isn’t even in the house.Harry puts out a telepathic probe, following the familiar pull in his chest halfway across the valley, when he finds Niall.“You’re not allowed to sneak into my head now, just because we’re together.” Niall huffs at him inside his brain.“I couldn’t find you.” Harry says softly.“Ashton wanted to start training as soon as possible.” Niall mutters. “I left breakfast on the table for all of you, but it might have gone cold by now. I didn’t think you’d all be so lazy. And Molly is going to ask first thing, so tell her it’s eggy bread.”“I can warm it.” Harry tells him with a chuckle. “Don’t hurt him too badly. He’s- He’s pretty messed up right now.”“I’m well aware.” Niall says before shutting the link down.“Where’s Niall?” Calum asks, blinking owlishly around the room while he tries to cough and clear the gravel out of his voice.“Training with Ashton.” Harry answers before wincing because he can feel pain emanating from Ashton. His face in particular.Niall never bloody listens.“Seems like that’s going well.” Calum scoffs. “Did Niall get him good, then?”“Seems that way.” Harry sighs, nodding along.“Good.” Calum grunts out, stretching his arms over his head so that his tummy peeks out a bit. It makes Harry’s mouth water, that strip of skin.“Luke, can you please control yourself?” Harry groans out, tearing his eyes away from Calum’s hips.“Stealing one of my men is enough, thanks.” Luke huffs, stepping away from the chair and taking Calum by the hand to drag him back towards the bathroom.It doesn’t take an empath to know what Luke has planned for Calum, though it certainly isn’t helping anything. If Harry casts a spell on Luke to make it so he can’t get it up, that’s his little secret.“Is there eggy bread?” Molly grunts out, rolling over and looking up at Harry from the floor through a tangled nest of hair.“There is.” Harry says with a soft smile and a nod.“Good.” Molly hums, pushing herself off of the floor and heading straight for the kitchen. Straight to business, just like her father.Luckily for her, she’s cute like her father too. And, crucially, she didn’t abandon Harry to deal with all of them on his own. That makes her his favorite Horan today. Especially when he feels another burst of pain from Ashton, which barely overpowers the pleasure coming from Calum down the hall.“Harry!” Molly whines from the kitchen, drawing his attention. “This eggy bread is cold!”“Warm it up, then.” Harry calls back to her, flushing as he shudders through Calum’s orgasm. He’s going to have to block his empathy altogether at this rate.He leaves it going long enough to feel Luke’s spike of frustration, though. That’s worth it. “What can I do for you, lad?” Bressie asks, leaning against the doorframe and looking down at Harry.“I need you to take over training Ashton.” Harry sighs, looking up at Bressie through tired eyes. “Niall is- He’s frustrated with him, which is making him a bit harsher than he probably should be for Ashton’s first day.”“Niall knows what he’s doing as well as I do.” Bressie says with a shrug. “Hate to admit it, because I’m no slouch, but Niall is a lot better fighter than I ever have been.”“Niall respects you in a way he doesn’t respect anyone else in this world, Bressie.” Harry grunts out, twisting his neck around to crack it after Niall lands another particularly hard blow. “You can get him to focus on teaching Ashton, rather than punishing him.”“I-” Bressie starts.“Ashton is dying inside right now, Bressie.” Harry cuts him off. “He’s alone, and he’s breaking, and Niall is going to turn him into himself, which they’ll both regret in the end. They need you. You kept Niall from becoming just a weapon. You brought his humanity to the surface. You saved him, and I’m sorry to ask, but I need you to save him again. I think you’re the only one who can.”“I was going to say, I need to get my shoes.” Bressie says gently, laying his hand on Harry’s shoulder and squeezing softly.“Here.” Harry mumbles, waving his hand and making Bressie’s shoes teleport straight onto his feet.“Don’t do that.” Bressie snorts, struggling for a second to regain his balance after the slight shift in his height. “You’ll send me crashing onto my arse.”“Might be worse in a second.” Harry chuckles, grabbing ahold of Bressie’s arm and opening a portal across the valley to where Niall and Ashton are.“Oh, you are the absolute worst.” Bressie groans out, nausea racking through him in waves. He doesn’t razz, though. Harry doesn’t even have to do anything to help him regain equilibrium.Impressive.“They’re in there.” Harry says, nodding towards an old gymnasium and wincing with the sharp pain that blooms through Ashton’s chest. “We need to hurry.”“Let me take the lead on this.” Bressie says, walking towards the doors with Harry following behind.It’s worse than even Harry realized by the time they walk in. Ashton looks half dead, covered in blood and bruises. Niall’s got his hand fisted in Ashton’s hair, the only thing holding him up. His nose is clearly broken, as are several of his ribs and his left arm.Harry had to turn his empathy down as much as he could, but he was still feeling Ashton’s pain. He just didn’t realize how much he’d managed to block out, because it still hurt so badly.“That’s enough, wee one.” Bressie says forcefully, his voice ringing out across the gym even more loudly than the door slamming shut behind Harry.“What the fuck are you doing here?” Niall scoffs, letting go of Ashton’s hair.“You’re turning into Bobby, Niall.” Bressie says gruffly, striding forward. “You’re supposed to be teaching him, not torturing him.”“I’m not torturing him.” Niall scoffs, walking towards the edge of the boxing ring they’re in and crouching down to grab a bag.“He’s dying, Niall.” Harry snaps.“Stop interfering.” Ashton grunts out, pushing himself up and surprising both Harry and Bressie.It’s only then that Harry feels what’s boiling under the surface of Ashton’s pain. He’s got determination and willpower built up into a solid mass almost as strong as Niall’s. It’s not quite there, couldn’t knock Harry out with the sheer power of it when he’s not reducing his power, but it’s a hell of a lot stronger than most people Harry has ever come across.It’s taking a hell of a lot of pain to cover that up.“Catch.” Niall says, tossing a bottle over his shoulder.It hurts him, but Ashton manages to catch it. He downs it, relief flowing through him and Harry when his body starts mending itself.“He’s the one asking for this.” Niall sighs, leaning against the ropes. “That’s the third potion he’s had. He refuses to stop until he wins a sparring match.”“He has twenty-plus years of training on you, lad.” Bressie says, looking past Niall towards Ashton. “You’re not going to win one today.”“If it goes over five times, he’s allowed to knock me out.” Ashton says, climbing to his feet.“Niall, what’s your percentage?” Bressie asks.“Twenty-five. Thirty at most.” Niall answers. Harry has no idea what they’re talking about.“That’s not fair on him.” Bressie sighs. “You need to show him one-hundred-percent if he’s going about it this way. If he thinks that’s the goal, he’s not going to understand what he’s really going to have to do.”“He can’t handle one-hundred-percent.” Niall says, shaking his head. “Nobody here can. You know that.”“Maybe not alone.” Bressie agrees. “But Harry and I together could.”“I’m sorry- What?” Harry asks, drawing his eyebrows together. “I came here to stop him from killing someone, not to fight him.”“Too bad.” Bressie hums. “You wanted my help, so this is what needs to happen. This is the best help we could give Ashton.”“He gets a say in whether or not he fights me, Bress.” Niall huffs.“What do you think this is going to accomplish?” Harry questions.“Ashton is trying to take a shortcut.” Niall says before Bressie can even open his mouth. “This isn’t how he needs to train. He’s jumping straight into fighting, but he needs to train his body to handle the stress of it first. Bobby went about it a bit more intensely than what I plan on, but he wasn’t wrong with that. I didn’t learn to start fighting until I’d trained my body for years.”“How much more intensely?” Harry asks with narrowed eyes.“At one point, he used a telekinetic witch to crush almost every bone in Niall’s body every day for months.” Bressie sighs. “Healed him with potions.”“Made my bones stronger, and it taught me to handle pain.” Niall explains, like that’s going to stop Harry’s heart from exploding with rage.Harry should have killed Bobby when he had the chance.“Calm yourself, love.” Niall says gently, stroking Harry’s cheek. “That’s not even the worst of it, but it’s a good example. Ashton thinks he wants to be like me, but he’s just not prepared to reach that goal. That’s Bressie’s point. Ashton needs to see what the end-goal is to realize that he’s not going to achieve it without some very, very intense training.”“Exactly.” Bressie says with a soft smile that doesn’t give away anything of the pride bursting within him. “He needs to see the truth of things, but his desire to get stronger is blinding him.”“Then let’s do this.” Harry agrees with a nod. “When that alarm rings, then you can use your empathy.” Niall says to Harry, tossing the clock to Ashton. “Until then, you can use any kind of magic you want. Both of you can come at me however you want. I won’t use anything other than these training knives.”“You forgot to add something.” Bressie says through a grunt as he stretches.“You need to come at me as hard as you can, Harry.” Niall sighs. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to reach my peak performance.”“I can’t.” Harry mutters, shaking his head.“You have to.” Niall says firmly. “Remember why you’re doing this, love. And remember that I can more than handle anything you throw at me. You’re just not as good as you need to be to beat me.”“Excuse me?” Harry asks, sparks flaring up at his fingertips.“Just try not to hit Bress or Ash.” Niall snorts, getting into his usual fighting stance like a boxer, the dagger in his left hand up and his right hand down. “We all know you’re more than a bit clumsy.”On one hand, Harry knows that Niall is only challenging him to try to get a reaction out of him and make him fight more fiercely. On the other hand, he’s never gotten to show Niall what he’s actually capable of. He’s never gotten to show him that he’s got more than just his empathy.Harry is a trained soldier and agent. He was the top of his class, and is an alpha level witch in his own right. He’s not weak, and he’s not incompetent.“You’re too in your own head.” Niall says, his voice suddenly behind Harry while Bressie is shouting his name from across the ring.A sharp kick across the middle of his back sends him flying ten meters, having him roll to a stop at Bressie’s feet before he can even process what happened. He never even saw or felt Niall move.“Get your head in the game, Harold.” Bressie grunts out, stepping over Harry’s prone form to launch himself at Niall.“That’s not my name.” Harry grunts out, pushing himself to his feet.Clearly, the other two are taking this seriously. Niall and Bressie come to blows in the center of the ring, their right fists both swinging towards each other and meeting with a sickening crunch. Unfortunately for Harry, it’s Bressie’s fingers that cause the sound, not Niall’s.Harry casts a quick healing charm on Bressie with one hand, and coats his other arm in lightning. It’s a bit basic, won’t do too much against Niall from a distance, but Harry has a plan for that.Niall and Bressie are trading punches in the center, which means Niall isn’t focused on Harry. This trick won’t work many times, but Harry opens up a portal and puts himself directly behind Niall, pressing his hand against Niall’s back.“Not nearly a high enough voltage.” Niall says through gritted teeth, whirling around and sweeping Harry’s legs out from under him.He’s gone before he can hit the mat, though. He knew that it wouldn’t be enough to take Niall down. He didn’t want to hurt him too much, after all. However, he still wants to win the fight.His portal opens up directly above Niall, dropping him facing downwards into a dive. The steel-skin charm he uses just adds to his weight and momentum as he punches Niall in the jaw, disappearing again before he can hit the mat. He launches at Niall again from behind, lashing out with a kick that throws Niall off balance.A fourth blow out of a portal is all Harry gets, popping up from underneath Niall and catching him on the jaw before he disappears. Unfortunately, Niall managed to grab onto his shirt this time and comes with him.“That was good.” Niall says through a feral grin, bringing his knee up to collide with Harry’s stomach before flipping backwards and landing a downwards kick on top of Bressie’s skull as the larger man tries to rush him from behind. “Not good enough, though.”“Remember you’re not just fighting him.” Bressie growls, catching Niall by the ankle and flipping him upside down as he lifts him up. “Harry- Catch!”He whirls in a circle and launches Niall at Harry like a bullet. Harry barely manages to get a telekinetic grip on Niall, looping him around himself like the moon revolving around the earth, and sends him right back at Bressie.“He’s all yours!” Harry calls back with a laugh.Harry’s telekinesis keeps Niall’s arms pinned to his sides, which leaves him defenseless when Bressie swings his fist around. The pain is a really shitty side effect, and Harry feels bad for Niall, but not bad enough to let his guard down.“Okay, now that I know you two are serious-” Niall grunts out, pushing himself up after rolling away from Bressie. “It’s time to take off my leash.”The change is immediate, and it makes Harry nauseous with the way Niall manages to turn off all of his humanity in an instant. There’s bloodlust coming off of him in waves, and his sympathy has been buried beneath it.He flips the wooden dagger around in his left hand, making both of them face downwards, and Harry feels Bressie fill with regret. That can’t be good.Whatever Harry has seen before from Niall, whether in the sparring ring or against Nick, it’s clear that he was never fighting anywhere near his full capacity. His speed is incredible.The only person that Harry has ever seen move faster is Xander, and that’s because he’s a bloody speedster.He crosses the distance between the two of them in a fraction of a second, not even giving Harry enough time to cast an agility spell. All he can do is open a portal to take him across the ring before Niall’s punch can land.It doesn’t really prove to be any help, because Niall’s knife collides with the side of his face as he lands. He not only managed to react instantaneously to Harry’s magic, but managed to predict exactly where Harry would go. And he threw it hard enough that, even with the drag created by the air, it cracks three of Harry’s teeth and makes him choke on the blood from a gash inside his mouth.Bressie isn’t faring any better, Niall having put him down in the time it took Harry to regain his balance. Without the distraction of two enemies to face down, Niall turns to Harry with a look on his face that Harry can only describe as demonic.“Better throw everything you have at me.” Niall’s voice says, sounding as hollow as Bobby’s had that night. And, just as terrifying, Harry’s empathy can’t sense him at all anymore. Not even that bloodlust from before.The clock goes off in Ashton’s hands, but it’s too late for Harry’s power to do anything.Niall rushes at Harry, his feet barely even making contact with the floor as he crosses the twenty meters between them. Harry reacts on instinct, pushing his hands out in front of himself and letting loose every bit of energy that he dares within a space this confined, and against someone that he loves.Unfortunately, he hadn’t accounted for the difference in his power levels from the proximity to the rupture. What used to be only a fraction of his power turns out to be more than his maximum before.The shockwave rips through the space, blasting apart the walls and the ceiling of the gym. The building explodes outwards in a dome shape from Harry at the epicenter. Niall flies backwards, as do Bressie and Ashton.Harry barely manages to reach out with his magic in time, opening portals around all three of them that drop them at his feet. He can’t do anything about the building, though. He doesn’t have the time or the power to stop the metal and brick from doing damage to anyone and anything in the immediate area around the gym.As it turns out, he doesn’t have to.Harry only notices the barriers when he lands on his back, exhaustion clawing at his muscles. There’s one directly over the ring, and then another beyond that covering the building and keeping the rubble trapped between them.“Have you all quite finished?” comes a voice that Harry has only heard a few times, but still recognizes.“Hi, Louis.” Harry hums, waving in the general direction he’d heard the voice from.“Such a mess.” Liam’s voice adds to the room with a sigh. His magic is easy for Harry to sense, reaching out with an incredible amount of power and drawing the pieces of the building back together until it’s back the way it was before Harry exploded the place.“You could have hurt someone.” Barbara says sharply.“He did.” Niall grunts, pushing himself up next to Harry. “Ouch.”“I win.” Harry giggles, looking over at Niall.“You had to explode a building to win.” Niall says flatly, rolling his eyes.“But I won.” Harry beams. “I beat the demon at one-hundred percent.”“By exploding a building.” Niall repeats. “You’re lucky you didn’t kill us all.”“I really wanted to win.” Harry tells him, patting Niall on the knee. “Had to prove I’m not a wimp, didn’t I? Tired of you thinking I’m only good for my empathy.”“I never thought that.” Niall chuckles. “You’re also good for your arse, which I am going to wreck later.”“Promises, promises.” Harry says, letting his eyes slip closed as Niall and Barbara start to bicker.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“What were you even doing there?” Harry questions, looking across the table at Barbara.“We had information that the explosion was going to happen.” Barbara tells him, her voice annoyingly lacking in emotion. She must be doing more of that thing where she manipulates Harry’s powers. He doesn’t care for it.And he really doesn’t care for being alone with her, while the other three got dragged off by Louis and Liam.“How?” Harry questions. “I didn’t even know it was going to happen until it happened.”“We have among our numbers the only proven case of a true precognitive in history.” Barbara says with a shrug, as if that’s not one of the most insane things anyone has ever said to him. Even when taking into account some of the things he’s experienced in the last few months.“True precognition doesn’t exist.” Harry scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Some people can see flashes of things happening in the present, and people have been able to see the past in brief glimpses, but true precognition- future seeing at a level that can be used for anything? That doesn’t exist.”“You would be amazed at the number of things you have no idea about, Harry.” Barbara hums. “That’s not a commentary on you. That’s just a fact. The empire has kept you and hundreds of millions of others in ignorance about so much. Everyone here was included in that number as well. We’ve been learning on the go. She’s real, though, and you’ll meet her soon. You’ll meet her when she decides it’s time for you to.”“Oh.” Harry breathes out in realization. “You’re not the one in charge here.”“Never said I was.” Barbara says, her mask cracking a little bit and letting Harry at least see the annoyance in her eyes. “But we don’t really have a hierarchy here. Nobody is in charge, per se.”“Decisions are being made based on visions of the future.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes. “Visions that nobody can prove she’s having. Decisions that you all follow blindly. My god- You’re all just following the words of this ‘prophet’ like they’re gospel.”“That ‘prophet’ has saved your life in more ways than one, Mister Styles.” Barbara says harshly. “She’s made all of this happen, but I would gladly drop you back in the middle of London if you want to question her.”“You still wouldn’t get him back.” Harry says with a smirk. “Get me out of the way, and even Bressie and the lads, and you still wouldn’t stand a chance. He’d rather spend the rest of his life obeying his father than a second with you.”“I have more important things to think about than Niall Horan or our daughter.” Barbara spits out. Her control over Harry’s power is waning, though. He can feel the lie, can breathe it in and taste the bile of it. “I have been on a mission for six years, and nothing in the world is more important than that mission. Nothing.”That part- That’s not a lie. Whatever this place is meant for, it’s important to her in a way that even Niall and Molly aren’t. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t still love them, though, and Harry has a feeling she’d drop him in the middle of the Tower to get them back, if she could.The question is why she can’t.Niall is at a distinct disadvantage against the witches here, being this close to the rupture. He’s not that big of a threat to them, even restored to his peak strength. Besides, it seems like Molly was the one they really wanted in the first place.Harry’s empathy is powerful, but not enough to stop a war, if that’s what they’re worried about. He also has no loyalty to this place or these people, and they know it. His loyalty is with Niall and Molly. His supposed job as a trauma counselor also isn’t nearly important enough to be the reason to keep him here.Harry and Niall both feel extraneous in this place, and yet they’re being treated with a value that doesn’t add up. And that must mean that these people know something that Niall and Harry don’t.Something that the precog must have told them.“Now, just so you understand her power-” Barbara mutters, pulling an envelope out of her pocket. “She gave me this. I haven’t seen it, but she said it would help you understand.”Again, she’s not lying.Harry opens up the envelope and reads over the papers contained inside, letting out a breathless laugh. It’s a full transcript of the conversation between Barbara and Harry. Every word is exactly what they’ve said, down to Barbara’s gestures.Maybe she’s not a fake after all.“I want to meet her.” Harry tells Barbara, looking back up at her.“When the time is right.” Barbara repeats, standing up from the table and walking towards the exit. “Until then, you’ll have some training to do. Liam will be by shortly to explain.”Harry really does not like that woman. “There are better people in my group to train me in combat than you.” Harry sighs, looking across the ring at Liam. “And, if this is about the explosion, I can modulate my own magic, thank you.”“It’s not about either of those things.” Liam chuckles, stretching out his legs. “I wouldn’t dream to try and train you in combat. That’s Niall’s domain, if anyone’s. I’m no match for him, even with my powers. And I know all about the difficulty of trying to control your powers when you first get here. That surge- It turns everything topsy-turvy.”“Then what, pray-tell, are you going to teach me?” Harry asks, his annoyance with this situation growing by the minute.“Stop feeling like that.” Liam grunts out, glaring across the ring. “You’re giving me a migraine. I’m not here to annoy you, Harry. I’m here to teach you about an element of your powers that you know nothing about, but that could very well make you one of the most powerful witches on the planet.”“What do you mean, stop feeling like that?” Harry asks, narrowing his eyes.“I can tap into your empathy, Harry.” Liam sighs. “I can feel everything you’re feeling, as long as you have your empathy active and I’m near you. I have control over that ability as well. That’s what I’m here to teach you.”“I already have empathy, Liam.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes. “I don’t need to tap into anyone else’s.”“You still don’t understand.” Liam says, shaking his head. “Do me a favor. Shoot any spell you like at me. Fire, lightning, air-blades, ice, telekinetic force- It’s not important which. Just do it.”“Why would I-” Harry starts to question Liam’s understanding of the position he’s putting himself in. Harry just blew up a building after all“Because nothing you can do will ever hit me.” Liam says with a smug grin. “I guarantee it.”“Keep in mind, you asked for this.” Harry mutters, holding his hand out and instantly forming a javelin of ice out of the air, even with the reduced moisture from the desert climate.He launches it through the air, hurtling it with all the force he dares. He’s decent at healing spells, but he doesn’t want to hurt Liam too badly.Liam is right, though. It never touches him. It makes it almost across the entire distance between them, but then it stops in midair. Harry pushes with all the force that he can muster, but then his connection to the magic just- Breaks.The spear shatters apart in the air, turning into crystalline darts that Liam sends flying back at him. Harry tries to throw a shield up, but nothing happens. His magic flickers beneath his skin, but it never manifests.Liam stops the darts before they reach Harry again, and explodes them into powdered snow that rains down on him.“You, Harry, have the ability to tap into other people’s magic and control it at will.” Liam says, stepping forward. “You can stop their magic, or even wrestle control of it away from them. Your power is unbelievably strong.”“I- How?” Harry questions breathlessly.“Your power is rooted in electromagnetism.” Liam tells him. “Specifically, your power is the ability to control electromagnetic currents that you use to connect with the electrical signals in someone’s brain, linking yourself to them, which is what allows you to feel their feelings. You also have a very heightened ability to sense different hormones, but that’s not what we’re focusing on. “What we’re focusing on is your ability to overlay an electromagnetic relay between your brain and someone else’s, which makes you quite probably the strongest empath in the world, and easily on the level of, say- A centurion. You, Harry, are the most powerful person here outside of the mages. You might even be more powerful, because we don’t know that you can’t use their power too. We’d have to conduct some tests. Basically, what I’m saying here, is that you could become unbeatable in magical combat, simply by virtue of the ability to copy or even steal powers from any opponent that you might face.”“Teach me.” Harry breathes out.Harry would do anything to help keep Molly and Niall and the lads safe, and this might finally put him on Niall’s level of being able to protect them. It might finally make him able to stand at Niall’s side, rather than always being pushed away from the battle like Niall has done whenever a threat comes up. It must be what Harry did to stop Nick’s powers, which means he really does have the ability.“That’s what I thought you would say.” Liam hums. “But the only way I know how to teach you is trial-by-fire, so you might get burned.” “And where exactly have you been?” Niall questions when Harry finally stumbles in the door, bones heavy with exhaustion. There’s no bite to Niall’s words, though. He’s got a soft smile on his face, Luke’s head lying on his left leg and Calum’s on the other.“Yeah, Harry, where have you been?” Bressie pipes up from where he’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, his face painted in smears of color that appears to be makeup.“Yeah, Harry, where have you been?” Molly repeats, turning her gaze on him with a tube of lipstick in her hand.Bloody menaces, all of them.“Did I miss something?” Harry asks, leaning against the wall as he looks around the room.He only realizes after the words come out of his mouth that he did, indeed, miss something. There’s not a shade of beige to be seen anywhere. Molly is decked out in pink from head to toe. Her dress and shoes and even a hairband all in different shades. Luke has a shirt on that’s as red as blood, making his pale skin and light hair stand out even more. Bressie, like Luke, is wearing red, though his is broken up with stripes of white. Calum in colors isn’t anything new, but the deep green, long-sleeved shirt he’s wearing looks particularly good with his darker skin.Niall is the one that pulls the focus, though. His blue eyes pop so much more now, when his chest is covered in a similarly hued fabric. It looks at home on him so much more than the blacks and beiges he’s been forced to wear for his whole life.He’s mouthwatering.“Louis took us shopping for some new clothes.” Niall explains with a chuckle. “Some of the group went a little wild with our newfound freedom.”“I almost got blown up a dozen times today, and you got to go shopping?” Harry asks with a scoff.“You’ve always been allowed to wear colors.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes.“You are taking me tomorrow.” Harry mutters, kneeling down on the floor and collapsing onto a pile of stuffed toys that Molly has gathered there. It’s unbelievably comfortable. “In case you forgot, I don’t exactly have much of a wardrobe anymore.”“Oh, I didn’t forget.” Niall says with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Haven’t got a thing to wear, have you?”“The wee one is right here.” Bressie sighs.“Stop moving your face.” Molly huffs, gripping Bressie’s chin while she tries to get the lines of the lipstick right.“Where are Ellen and Aoife and the others?” Harry questions, looking up at Niall. “I assume they went too.”“They did.” Niall says with a nod. “They’re at the EG crew’s place. I couldn’t handle that many people for longer than a couple of hours before I- I wasn’t very nice. We’ll just say that.”“He told them he was going to shove all their new shoes up their bums.” Molly giggles. “With their feet in them.”“Your father is such a charming man.” Harry snorts while Bressie heaves another deep sigh. “A total people person.”“Shut it.” Niall huffs, kicking in Harry’s direction, only to stop when Luke lets out a whine.“Stop moving.” Luke mutters, rolling over so that his face is pressed into Niall’s stomach.There’s a comfort in it, a familiarity that brings Luke a bit more happiness than he was feeling before. Harry is far too mentally and physically exhausted to even feel a hint of jealousy about the action.He’s asleep within minutes, which leaves him vulnerable when Molly decides to move on from painting Bressie’s face. “Luke, I’m tired.” Harry sighs when Luke drags him out of the kitchen with an idea. “Molly was up and down all night with a cough. She’s used to a climate with more humidity than this, and she’s been drying out. Besides, it’s supposed to be Niall who takes me.”“Niall is an attractive man, but he’s-” Luke trails off. “He’s boring, Harry. He has no sense of style. He picked out three of the same shirt, just in different colors- blue, grey, and red, and two pairs of the same exact jeans. He bought a pair of boots that look good, but he did it because ‘the tread will be good for walking on sand, if necessary’. His exact words. He’s had the same haircut for the last four years. I love him, but he’s not who you want taking you out for a makeover.”“I don’t need a makeover.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes. “I just need some new clothes.”“And a haircut.” Luke hums. “And a styling. And shoes, and jewelry, and you know- pants and whatever else will turn Niall on. He always liked it when I wore lace.”“If I agree to go with you, will you stop talking about that?” Harry groans, blocking out the image of Luke in lace knickers. It’s not incredibly successful, but that’s probably because it’s not a bad mental image. At all.“Yes.” Luke agrees. “There’s a café there, and I have to introduce you to this thing they have. It’s coffee, but it’s iced. Iced coffee, Harry. It’s brilliant. And they have this one called a mocha Frappuccino where they blend milk and iced coffee and chocolate together, and I can’t even tell you how amazing it is. You just have to try it. I’ll get Cal, and we can drop Molly off with Louis, and then we’ll go.”“Why don’t we just bring her with us?” Harry asks.“Name one person who’s made more fun of your style than Molly.” Luke points out. “Besides, she’ll ruin the surprise for Niall. She can’t keep a secret to save her life.”“Why does it need to be a surprise?” Harry questions.“There’s not an ounce of romance in your entire relationship, is there?” Luke asks with a sigh. “Between you and Niall, it’s a lost cause.”“We’re not that bad.” Harry huffs. “But, fine. Whatever. Can’t Molly just stay with Cal? I doubt he wants to spend all day with me shopping and whatever else. He’s not exactly a fan of mine.”“Cal wants to go to the salon too.” Luke hums. “Says he wants a new style because all that curly hair is too hot for this climate. I’d probably cut mine, but it’s long enough to pull up and I like when it’s getting pulled while I’m getting it from behind. A sweaty neck is a small price to pay for that.”“I’m going to cast a spell on you that’ll make you honk like a goose every time you start to say something filthy.” Harry mutters, leaning into the kitchen to say, “Molly, it’s time to go to Louis’ and play with Freddie.”“But he’s so little!” Molly whines. “He only likes baby games and footy, and he likes Bear better than me even though he’s just a baby.”“Well, then why don’t you try teaching him some new games?” Calum chuckles. “I know you’ve got plenty.”“Fine.” Molly groans, stomping over to Harry with Calum in tow and nodding for him to teleport them to Louis’ lab.Louis grumbles and huffs, but agrees to take Molly because it’s someone else to distract Freddie and let him get some work done. He also acknowledges that Freddie needs some socialization with other kids that can actually talk.“To the square!” Luke squeals, grabbing onto Calum’s hand and then Harry’s.“I’m not a taxi service.” Harry mutters when they land in the square.“Yeah, yeah.” Luke waves him off, tugging both Harry and Calum towards the café. “Time for iced coffee.”As it turns out, Luke isn’t wrong about the iced coffee. It’s awesome, even if he doesn’t have the sweet-tooth required for drinking Luke’s beverage. It’s got more sugar and milk than coffee, and Harry needs more caffeine than that.“Okay, haircuts and styles first.” Luke says once they step outside. “That way we don’t pick anything out that doesn’t work with your new hair.”“I’m just getting a trim.” Harry insists. “Back to where I was when I first got to Saint Martine. I’ve had a lot of bad hairstyles. It was all- poufy and curly when I was younger. Then I grew it out long until- Until it got singed in the bombing. This style works for me.”“This style makes you look like a newsie from the pre-magic era.” Luke snorts, running his hand through Harry’s fringe. “Or a weatherman. I know you can be sexy, Styles. I think it’s time to remind a certain someone of that by getting rid of the center part.”“It really isn’t flattering.” Calum agrees with a nod. “Besides, I think- I think it’s time for a change for all of us.”“Excuse me?” Luke asks with an angry glare.“Your wardrobe is plenty of change, princess.” Calum hums, patting Luke on the bum. “All that pink and red and leather is- It’s a shock to the system. Plenty of change.”“You love it.” Luke giggles, pressing Calum against the wall and then pointing to his right. “Salon is that way, Harry. We’ll meet you in just a minute.”“Fucking hell.” Harry groans, walking the way Luke pointed as Calum pulls him down into a heated kiss.They’re fucking insatiable, honestly. Even if Harry knows that it is just partly to fill the void in both their hearts because of a man living two doors down from them, it can still be frustrating to watch.And then, of course, Harry has to literally run straight into the cause of the problem. He almost doesn’t recognize Ashton at first, the bright, angry red of his hair so different than the dirty blond he’s had since Harry met him. It’s like a firetruck or a strawberry, no natural color for hair by a longshot. It’s wild on his head, like the emotions running out of his body.“I- I thought you were with Niall.” Harry says quietly when Ashton shoots him a glare for bumping into him.“He ended training early today.” Ashton mutters, looking down. “Decided to go do some patrols or something. Bressie dropped me off at mine, told me to take a potion and rest, but I didn’t want to just be done with my day already, so I figured I’d do something-”“Radical?” Harry guesses.“New.” Ashton says flatly. “I’ll see you around.”Harry doesn’t let out the ‘I hope not’ trapped behind his teeth, but it’s a close call. He decides not to tell Calum and Luke about it later, when they come into the salon with kiss-bitten lips and a cloud of lust rolling off of them that Harry really hopes they don’t decide to act on before they all go back to their own places.Instead he decides to just let Luke have his way, because there’s a sadness undercutting the lust in both of them. He lets Luke give the directions to the stylist, and once his fringe is slicked up and back and over, trimmed short on the sides and in the back, he really doesn’t regret it at all.It looks pretty good, honestly.Calum, on the other hand, doesn’t let either of them see him until he’s done, and the transformation is startling. He hasn’t only shorn his curls down on the sides and in the back, but he’s gotten the hair on top done shorter too. However, the biggest change is the platinum blond that he’s changed to.“Holy fuck, baby.” Luke breathes out. “I could eat you fucking whole.”“You really think it looks good?” Calum asks, peering over at his new style nervously. “I wanted to try something new.”They really are all soulmates, the three of them. It’s beautiful and tragic right now, but Harry thinks they can get rid of the tragedy in time.“Today is about Harry, but tonight is going to be all about you.” Luke hums, running his finger down the middle of Calum’s chest. “My prince charming.”“Princess.” Calum grunts out, curling his fingers in the pink silk at the base of Luke’s shirt and pulling him close. “Stop teasing and just get on with what we’re all out here for before I lose my mind.”“You guys can just go home?” Harry offers. “I can do this on my own. I don’t want to get in the way of-.”“Shh, hotness.” Luke snorts, pressing his finger over Harry’s lips. “We’re getting to you. I’m just admiring how hot my man is. Isn’t he absolutely delectable?”“He- He looks really good.” Harry admits with a nod. “You do, Cal. I can just say it without riding your dick in public.”“Mm, now that’s a thought.” Luke giggles, grabbing them both by the wrists and dragging them out of the salon. “Now it’s time for the main event. Clothes.”“How does he have this much energy?” Harry asks, looking over at Calum as they’re hauled across the street towards the booths.“Sugar rush.” Calum snorts. “He’ll crash later before he even gets to the stuff that he promised me, and then blame it on me when he wakes up that he hasn’t gotten off.”“Sounds about right.” Harry chuckles.“Harry, anything on this table is a good place for you to start.” Luke says with a beaming smile, tongue pressed between his teeth and blue eyes lighting up. “I’m going to go take Calum to look at some leather jackets, but we’ll be back in a bit.” “What do you miss most about home?” Calum asks, looking over at Harry while he strokes a sleeping Luke’s hair.“My morning runs in Saint Martine.” Harry says, resting his head back against the chair. “I’m going to get fat and lazy here if the only thing I do is magic training with Liam.”“Lots of good places to run around here.” Calum points out. “And the mountains would be good for hiking. I’ve been doing it as a bit of stress relief. I grew up in this kind of heat, so it doesn’t bother me much. And those tiny little shorts you got today should make it easier for you.”“Those were more because Niall has a thing for athletic guys.” Harry says, looking down at his lap with a blush. “Bressie- You and Ash- Chris-”“Don’t get me started on Chris.” Calum scoffs. “He has a huge thing for Luke. It’s ridiculous. He practically drools whenever he sees Lu. Can get anything out of him just with a bit of flirting. He cleaned our whole house yesterday because Luke went to town on an ice-lolly in front of him.”“Good.” Harry grins. “Maybe he’ll stop pining over Niall now.”“He needs to realize that Aoife is in love with him.” Calum says with a roll of his eyes. “I know he’s like Niall and likes both, so why he hasn’t noticed that such a pretty girl is into him is beyond me.”“He’s a crack shot, but he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.” says Niall’s voice from the door. Harry really hates the soundproofing he’s done on all the entry points. It’s like Dublin all over again, and Harry has half a mind to smack Bressie for instilling this habit into Niall in the first place.“Time for romance!” Luke hums happily, sitting up off of the couch at the sound of Niall’s voice. If Harry hadn’t already checked to make sure he was actually sleeping, he’d be convinced it was all an act.“Is he proposing a foursome?” Niall asks, looking between Harry and Calum. “Did I miss something big today?”“Not us.” Cal says with a laugh, shaking his head and picking himself and Luke up off of the couch, heading for the door. “You two. We’ll see you later. Harry, if you want to go on that run tomorrow, let me know. I’ll go with you and show you around.”“Where’s Molly?” Niall asks, looking around once they’re alone.“Freddie wanted her to sleep over.” Harry says, looking over at Niall in confusion. “Niall, I talked to you in your head about this earlier.”“She’s never, uh- She’s never actually made it through the night before.” Niall says quietly, looking down. “She went to a few sleepovers back in Saint Martine with some of the other kids from school, but- But she always wanted to come home. She couldn’t make it through the night unless it was at the lads’ place.”“She’s growing up.” Harry says with a sigh. “Do you want to go get her?”“No, it’s alright.” Niall says, sitting on the arm of the chair. “I haven’t gotten much time alone with you since we got here. Wouldn’t mind getting you all to myself for a night. Did you get a haircut?”“Yeah.” Harry says with a blush. He wasn’t sure Niall would notice, honestly. He didn’t seem to notice Calum’s new look, and that was a lot more dramatic. “Luke, Calum and I all went out today and- Well, Luke gave me a makeover.”“That’s stupid.” Niall snorts, pushing away from the chair. He doesn’t even notice how Harry’s face falls.“I don’t think it is.” Harry mutters, lifting himself up and wrapping his arms around his stomach. “I don’t think it’s stupid to want to look better for you.”“Anyone who thinks you need to get any more gorgeous is out of their mind, love.” Niall says gently, turning back towards Harry. “You- You’re stunning without having to do anything. Doesn’t matter if you go and pick out a bunch of new clothes and change your hair, or if you’ve just woken up and your hair is crazy and your breath smells like something died in your mouth overnight. You’re always gorgeous to me. Better isn’t an option, because you’re always a one-hundred out of ten to me.”Luke was absolutely wrong. There’s plenty of romance in their relationship.
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Things settle into a steady rhythm over the next few weeks. Niall, Bressie and Ashton wake up early and start training. Harry wakes Molly up and makes her breakfast before doing a magic lesson with her, at which point Calum and Luke come over and Luke takes over the rest of Molly’s lessons, because he’s actually extraordinarily good at maths and other general knowledge subjects, while Harry and Calum go for a run or a hike, depending on how they’re feeling.They didn’t talk during the first few days, still feeling each other out after the suddenness of the changes over the last few months. Calum didn’t like Harry much to start with, and the revelation that he’d been sleeping with Niall really didn’t help. But his love for Niall runs deep, so he’s trying.It started with Harry having to stop during one of their hikes and sit down because his jaw started throbbing from a punch Niall took to the mouth from Ashton, and then immediately returned. At least one of them lost teeth there. “If it’s Niall, he’s going to hate having to drink the potion I make to regrow them.” Calum snorted out when Harry explained it. “And if it’s Ashton, he’ll just have to come and ask for it. Do you need me to make you something to help with the psychic backlash?”“You can do that?” Harry had asked, only to receive a roll of Calum’s eyes in response.“Potions are more versatile and powerful than most witches give them credit for.” Calum sighed. “You can all wave your hands and do whatever you put your minds to if you have the power, so who cares about potions, right?”“No, that’s not it.” Harry had told him, shaking his head. “I just- I never had the focus for potion making. I get distracted pretty easily, so I barely passed my potions courses and stopped taking them as soon as I was able. I’m just not any good at it. The only potion I know well is the one I gave Luke the recipe for, because I had to learn to brew that when I was hiding people from Nick, in case he ever saw the people my mother sent to help the families I saved from him. It’s something I always wished I was better at, but could never really do properly beyond very basic things. Even the ones I’ve taught Molly, I had to look up and try several times on my own.”“Then maybe I should be the one handling that.” Calum scoffed. “I’m a potions master, after all.”“I would love that, and I think Molly would too.” Harry told him with a smile. “Maybe you can teach me as well.”“I said I’m a potions master, not a miracle worker.” Calum said with a smirk, pulling Harry to his feet. “Now let’s get going before my heart rate completely drops.”After that, they started coming over when Harry was cooking breakfast, and they do a lesson with all three of them before Harry works with Molly on her powers. They go on their runs or hikes afterwards, and now they talk. When they come back, they drop Molly off with Louis and Freddie and Bear while Liam takes Harry to train on the newly discovered aspects of his powers, though not as intensely as that first day.He’s not entirely sure what Calum and Luke get up to in that time, but he knows that they’re often very satisfied next door when he gets back, so he has a pretty good idea. It’s probably the same thing that Harry and Niall get up to all over the house before Luke and Calum pick up Molly and bring her back, staying until Luke is half asleep and Calum has to carry him home.It’s a good pattern overall, with Niall breaking it sometimes by taking Molly out with Ashton some days instead of leaving her with Louis. It’s calm and quiet in a way their lives haven’t been since London. It always feels a little bit off, a little bit of regret and pain coming from all of the others unless they lose themselves in the moment. But it’s the closest things have felt to right for any of them in a long time, even if none of them save for Niall and Bressie have started their jobs and feel mostly useless, and this mysterious prophet still hasn’t shown her face, and Ashton still won’t even see Luke and Calum.It’s during one of their hikes that Harry gets the first sign that things aren’t as good as he’d thought that they were.Calum loses his balance out of nowhere, stumbling as he trips down the incline they’re on and rolling until he falls hands-first into a cactus.“Fuck!” Calum screams, rolling onto his back with his hands out in front of him. “Pineapple!”“What?” Harry asks, crouching down next to Calum and gripping onto all of the spines at once with telekinetic force. He pulls them out with one hand while casting a numbing spell with the other.“Bumblebees.” Calum spits out, his eyes widening, and then scrunching in frustration. “Sheepskin!”Panic starts to bubble up in Calum’s stomach, shooting straight into Harry, and his own fear isn’t helping make anything easier.“Calum, I need you to do something for me.” Harry says gently, struggling against the tide of feelings to keep his voice calm while he takes Calum’s face between his hands. “Say your name.”“C- C-” Calum struggles to get anything out at all, his face turning red with the effort of trying to force the word out. “Camel!”“We need to go get help right now.” Harry tells him, pressing their foreheads together. “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay, Cal. I don’t know what’s happening, but we’ll figure it out. I promise. Just- Try not to panic, because I’m about to teleport us- Somewhere?”“Lucky.” Calum says urgently, pointing to his head, and then tapping Harry’s. “Lucky coffee box.”“Oh.” Harry breathes out, reaching out with his mind to connect it to Calum’s.“Finally.” Calum says inside his head. “Take me to Louis, and then get Niall and Luke.”“Okay.” Harry agrees. “If that’s what you want.”“You’re bad in a crisis.” Calum huffs into Harry’s brain.“Only when it’s happening to someone I care about.” Harry says softly. “Come on.”“Since when do you-” Calum starts to ask, but then the connection between them is broken by Harry focusing on teleporting them across the valley.“Don’t fucking do that!” Louis screeches when Harry and Calum land in the middle of the lab with a whoosh of air that sends papers flying all over the place.“Calum needs help.” Harry rushes out, leading Calum through the room and sitting him down on Louis’ lab table.“Lucky coffee box idiot.” Calum grunts out, pointing at his head again, and then at Louis.“Did he just call me an idiot?” Louis growls, narrowing his eyes.“He can’t speak.” Harry says, opening a path between all of their minds. “He fell on a cactus, and then he just-”“I have aphasia.” Calum cuts in. “Are there any cactuses in this valley that secrete some kind of neurotoxin?”“Not that I’m aware of.” Louis tells him. “Did you bring any of the spines?”“No.” Harry sighs. “I can- I can try to find the cactus again?”“No, you go get Niall and Luke.” Calum tells him. “Louis is going to run a blood test on me so that I can make an anti-serum potion, and, just in case, he’s going to have Liam run a scan on my brain.”“What for?” Harry questions.“I don’t think this is the cactus.” Calum explains mentally. “I think my cancer is back.”“Oh fuck.” Harry whispers, feeling his heart seize with both his own fear and Calum’s as well.“That’s why I need you to go get Luke and Niall.” Calum says gently, squeezing Harry’s hand. “If that’s what this is, then I need to talk to them.”“What about Ashton?” Harry asks.“Ashton doesn’t want to be a part of our lives right now, so no.” Calum tells him. “Don’t bring him here, Harry. Just those two. In fact, open up a channel with them now so I can be sure you just get them.”“Fine.” Harry mutters, reaching out towards Luke and Niall’s minds. They’re together, at least, which makes it easier, even if Harry doesn’t know why that’s the case. Niall should be with Ashton right now.“Boys?” Calum questions when Harry gives him a nod.“How the hell are you in my head, and why does it feel like Harry’s the one tickling my brain?” Niall sighs.“I’m here too.” Harry tells them.“I need you two to catch a ride with Harry and come to Louis’ lab.” Calum explains. “There’s been an incident.”“What’s wrong?” Luke asks, and Harry can feel his panic spike from across the valley as strongly as if he was in the room with them.“Calm down.” Calum says with a chuckle that doesn’t match the situation in Harry’s opinion. “Everything will be okay.”“I’ve told Liam to come.” Louis says out loud, having severed the connection on his own, presumably to connect with Liam without having any cross-talk. “He’ll be here in a moment.”“Harry is going to come get you two.” Calum adds. “Just you two, understand?”“But-” Luke starts.“Understood.” Niall says forcefully, and there’s a sharp bit of pain from Luke that tells Harry that Niall probably pinched him.“Alright.” Luke sighs.“What about me?” Molly asks, surprising all of them as her presence asserts itself firmly in the center of the link, dominating over Harry. She must have realized that Niall and Luke were having a telepathic conversation and forced her way into it. Fuck, she’s strong.“You can come too, Molls.” Calum tells her. “The blood test is negative for neurotoxins, but I think that’s probably irrelevant now.” Louis says, watching Liam scan through Calum’s skull with one hand and copy what he’s seeing onto several sheets of paper with the other. “That- This blob right here- That’s a tumor. A pretty big one, honestly. There’s some scarring as well, but the tumor is what seems to be causing the motor-skill problems.”“I’ve done what I can here.” Liam says, shaking his head. “This isn’t my field of expertise.”“You need to get back to Bear, anyways.” Harry tells him, patting him on the shoulder. “But I’m not going to make it to training today.”“That’s fine.” Liam says with a stiff nod. There’s something off in his behavior. Something is wrong with him, but Harry doesn’t care, so he lets him teleport away without trying to dig any further. Calum is his priority at the moment.“Freddie can take care of this.” Louis tells him. “But there is something you should know. From what I can tell, the parasite aggravated the very few cancer cells there, causing them to grow at an abnormal rate. In order for Freddie to take care of it completely, he’s going to have to heal the whole area, including the scarring from the last time.”“How is that a bad thing?” Luke questions with a scoff.“Are you saying it’s going to change who I am?” Calum questions inside their minds.“Not who.” Louis answers. “What. Calum, that scarring is the only thing preventing your powers from manifesting. You won’t be a no-mani anymore.”“And being this close to the rupture will make his first manifestation spike in power.” Niall says, shaking his head.“You’re going to have to be trained in how to use your abilities once we find out what they are.” Harry tells him.“Do you- Do you think I’m going to be dangerous?” Calum asks quietly in their heads.“I think that you’re going to need to be in a much more emotionally stable place in order to control brand-new powers.” Louis tells him. “We don’t know how strong you are, because you never manifested when you were young, which means you must have been born with this tumor. What we do know is that powers gain a very, very strong boost by being this close to the rupture.”“Why does everyone here keep calling them powers instead of magic?” Molly asks, piping up from where she’s sitting on the exam table next to Calum and holding his hand in both of hers.“Magic isn’t real.” Louis says with a shrug. “What people call magic is actually a manifestation of a genetic quirk that allows people to alter reality in a specific way because their cells or their ancestors’ cells were altered by radiation from another dimension.”“Can you try saying that in English?” Luke groans, dropping his forehead onto Calum’s shoulder on the opposite side from Molly.“Have you ever heard of string theory?” Louis asks, huffing at the sharp glare Luke throws his way. “Okay. Jesus. String theory is a scientific theory proposed by physicists that the entirety of the universe, all matter and energy, is actually the result of vibrating strings of particles spread throughout all of reality. It’s a unified field theory trying to bring together the four known fundamental interactions of physics, gravitation, electromagnetism, and weak and strong nuclear force.“Anyways, it’s complete bullshit. At least- It is in our dimension. That’s just not how our reality works. Or, at least- It wasn’t until the rupture happened. The universe beyond the rupture does operate on string theory. When the rupture opened, it unleashed that on our world, but the radiation from the rupture caused roughly forty percent of the population’s genetics to change, and they harnessed that radiation with what people commonly refer to as ‘magic.’“What people are actually doing is vibrating on the frequencies of those strings of particles. Magicians have the ability to sense those vibrations to some degree, though not very well, and they can only barely pluck at the base of the strings. Witches have the born ability to vibrate on a frequency very aligned with certain strings, which gives them their innate abilities, as well as the ability to pluck the strings with more understanding. And then there are mages, who can fully pluck the strings, or even sever them. Mages can fully rewrite the laws of physics with their powers. Even a witch, being this close to the rupture and therefore soaked in its radiation, can be powerful enough to level cities if their powers aren’t properly harnessed.“And that’s the thing. A witch can do that much, so how much would you be capable of, Calum? We don’t know what mage abilities you have. We don’t have any measure of how powerful you are, and your- Your trauma in the last few months certainly won’t help.”“What do you mean mage?” Harry, Niall, Calum and Luke all ask in unison.“Oh.” Louis breathes out. “I knew I forgot to mention something. Calum has twenty-six sets of chromosomes. He’s not a witch, he’s a mage. Ben Winston didn’t know what he had. Calum is the oldest living mage on the planet, as far as I’m aware. I’d have to ask Liam if he knows of anyone older, since it’s his field of expertise.”“Jesus fucking hell fuck.” Niall hisses out. “Harry, go get Ashton.”“No.” Calum says firmly in their heads.“He needs to be here.” Niall murmurs, stroking Calum’s cheek. “You need him. You heard what Louis said. Your emotional instability could end up with you hurting everyone when your powers manifest. You need the rest of yourself.”“He left us.” Calum says weakly, closing his eyes tight to hold back a flood of tears. “He doesn’t care.”“He cares more than you know.” Niall tells him softly. “Just- Just let him come.”“No.” Calum refuses.Harry, though- Harry can read the truth behind the words. He can actually see how much Calum wants Ashton to be there. He can see how much Calum needs Ashton, so he goes anyways, before another word can be said.“Fucking hell!” Ashton shrieks when Harry lands in the middle of his living room. “What the fucking shit, Harry?”“Calum needs you.” Harry breathes out. “You have to come now.”“What happened?” Ashton asks, springing up from the couch he was lounging on. “If this is about what happened with the gun, Niall told me you weren’t going to-”“Calum’s cancer is back, and if Freddie heals it, then it’s going to unleash Calum’s full powers as a mage.” Harry explains, though it doesn’t feel like enough. “He needs you, because he needs to stabilize. I know you all have your problems right now, and that you’ve basically decided to give up on them, but-”“Shut up and take me to him now.” Ashton says, grabbing onto Harry’s arm.Good. Harry was sure he was going to have to take Ashton kicking and screaming to Calum, and he would have dragged him by his hair across this entire valley if necessary.“Let’s go.” Harry nods, teleporting yet again.Something is wrong, though. Harry and Ashton don’t land inside the lab, like Harry planned. Instead, they land outside of it, staring up at the building.Ashton takes off running as soon as they land, but Harry stops when he hears a somehow familiar voice.“Don’t move, Harry.” she says gently. “You’ll die if you go in there, just like the rest of them.”“What are you talking about?” Harry asks, whirling around to find Barbara and Liam and a new person that Harry definitely feels like he’s met before.“Everyone in that building is going to die.” the newcomer says quietly.“Molly and Niall are in there.” is all Harry has to say before Barbara breaks away from them with panic streaking through her heart.“Barbara!” the new girl screams, but it does her no good. Whatever barrier Barbara put up to stop Harry from making it into the building won’t stop her.“What are you talking about?” Harry asks again, more forcefully this time.“Calum’s manifestation is going to kill everyone in that building except for him, and you’re the only one that can save them, Harry.” she says with a sigh. And then it hits him. She’s the girl who, just a few months ago, gave him the pamphlet to Saint Martine. “That’s why you’re here in Alamogordo. I need you to help me save them, and then save the world.”Harry doesn’t have a chance to process it before a psychic scream rips through him from inside the building as almost every life inside is extinguished in a second. Freddie, Molly, Luke, Ashton, Niall, Barbara and Louis exist in a moment of pure suffering, pure pain, and then they’re gone, blinking out of existence in that order.The building dissolves in moments, pieces falling off until it’s nothing more than a square of concrete on the ground with Calum floating in the center of it, his eyes gone pure white as he turns on them and raises his hand, ready to obliterate them as well.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Get up.” Niall says harshly, lifting the back of the couch Ashton is sleeping on to roll him off of it.
“Jesus fuck!” Ashton shrieks, tumbling to the ground and landing with a heavy thud. “What the hell, Niall?”
“Get your lazy arse up.” Niall grunts out, dropping the couch back down. “We’re starting your training.”
“It’s- It’s four in the goddamn morning!” Ashton growls, looking up at the clock on the wall.
“You want to give up already because you didn’t get enough sleep?” Niall chides, his tone derisive. “You see? This is why I didn’t want to train you. You’re petulant and entitled. You’re weak. You don’t have it in you to protect anyone, because you can’t even bring yourself to look past your own discomfort.”
“Shut up!” Ashton snarls, pushing himself up to his feet, sweat dripping off of his bare torso. Niall’s not sure why he’s so drenched, because the desert is cold at night, but he has a feeling. He remembers the cold sweats, the erratic emotions, the nightmares.
He knows exactly what Ashton is doing to himself, and why he’s doing it.
“You’re drunk.” Niall scoffs. “Fucking pathetic.”
“I said shut up!” Ashton yells, launching himself at Niall and swinging his fist around.
Even at his best, Ashton didn’t stand a chance of making a blow that obvious connect with Niall. Ashton isn’t even close to his best right now. His motions are clumsy and heavy with the liquor in his blood. His balance is off, tipping him to the right when he needs to go left. He’s too slow, too far gone in the intensity of his pain.
Niall has worked with worse.
He catches Ashton’s fist in his left hand, pulling him forward to keep up the momentum when his right fist swings up and plants itself in Ashton’s stomach. He steps away quickly, making it to Ashton’s side before the oceanic lad falls to his hands and knees, throwing up everything in his stomach.
“Pathetic.” Niall repeats, kneeling down next to Ashton and watching him heave up another wave of sick. “You can’t even take one hit.”
They’re words from his past, the foundation of who he’s become. They’re what Bobby said, the day he started training Niall. They’re the words that made him acknowledge his own weakness, because he needed to turn it into strength.
They make him sick to his stomach to say to Ashton.
“If you still want to train, then meet me at the gym ten blocks east of here.” Niall mutters, pushing himself back up to his feet. “Or give up. I don’t care either way. I’ll hold up my end of the bargain, but you need to be there within an hour, or it’s done.”
“Not so fast.” Ashton breathes out in a ragged pant, grabbing Niall by the wrist and looking at him with hate in his eyes. “We start now.”
“Get yourself together first.” Niall scoffs. “You’re in no condition-”
“I said now!” Ashton yells, tightening his grip.
“Your first lesson is to listen when I give you an order.” Niall sighs, breaking Ashton’s hold on his wrist only to reverse it, stepping behind him and pulling it back. He yanks it up, driving Ashton down into the pile of his own vomit, and then twists, popping his arm out of socket.
Ashton screams, his eyes burning with anger that Niall has never seen in them until recently. It takes him off guard enough not to notice the movement until it’s too late.
Ashton rolls onto his back and kicks with all of his strength, getting Niall right in the chest. It’s not enough to send him flying, not enough to break anything, but it’s more than enough to show Niall that Ashton has got some fight in him after all.
“You have an hour.” Niall says again, straightening himself out and looking down at Ashton. “When you get there, I’ll heal that arm for you. If you decide not to, then you can go talk to Cal to get that done.”
“Again.” Ashton breathes out raggedly. The tooth that flies out when he chokes, and the blood that spatters on the floor, tells Niall that that’s not a good idea.
Bressie shaking his head does too.
“That’s enough for today.” Niall says with a sigh, catching the vial Bressie throws him. “Take this and go back to your place to rest. You’ll need it for tomorrow.”
“I said again!” Ashton grunts, downing the bottle of potion. It takes a few seconds, but his wounds start to mend. He’ll have to take another for the tooth, but that’s a problem for tomorrow.
Ashton still hasn’t gotten it through his head that just sparring isn’t going to get him where he needs to be. He needs to train his body and his mind. Rage can help, but it’s blinding him right now. He’s a wild animal, and Niall is having trouble breaking through that animal’s fight or flight response.
Ashton is all fight.
“I said that that’s enough.” Niall repeats, putting more force in his voice. “Ashton, you need to go back to yours now. I’m going home to see my daughter.”
“Bressie, then.” Ashton says, turning to look at the larger man.
“The wee one is right.” Bressie tells him. “Enough is enough. You’re not learning anything, Ashton. You’re just- You’re just getting your arse kicked. Go home, rest-”
“It’s not my home!” Ashton screams, fuming in the middle of the ring. Even Niall can almost see the fury radiating off of him like fire. It’s burning too hot, and it’s going to consume him if Niall can’t get him focused. “My home is five-thousand miles away! He took that from me! He took everything from me! My eye! My home! My partners! My daughter! My fucking life! He took it all and burned it to the ground in the name of this pointless fucking war that none of you can ever win!”
“Ash-” Niall breathes out.
“You stole my life, Niall.” Ashton spits out, turning on him instead of Bressie. “You are a worthless fucking monster who destroys everything he comes in contact with. Your father sucked the soul out of you, if you ever even had one to begin with, and all you are is a weapon. And, of course, all a weapon can do is destroy shit. That’s all you’ve ever done. It’s all you’ll ever be good for. So, you are going to fucking train me, because someone needs to bring you down before you can destroy Calum and Luke and Molly and Harry and the rest of this place like you destroyed me and Camden and every other godforsaken thing you’ve ever managed to get your hands on. You owe it to all of us, and you know that somebody has to stop you.”
“Do it, then.” Niall says, opening up his stance and holding his arms out. “Bressie, give him your gun.”
“Niall-” Bressie starts.
“Gun, Bress.” Niall orders. “Now. It’s not a request.”
“I’m not going to let him kill you just for some vendetta out of misplaced anger!” Bressie growls out.
“Bressie, you give it to him or I have Liam drop you in Tuscany.” Niall says flatly. “This isn’t your choice. It’s mine. Give him the gun.”
“You had better know what you’re doing.” Bressie sighs, taking the gun out of his holster and tossing it to Ashton, who just barely manages to catch it.
He is really unprepared.
“If what you want is to take me down, then do it.” Niall says, walking forward, arms still out to his side. “If you think I need to be destroyed, then destroy me. If it’ll calm this monster growing inside of you, then pull the trigger.”
Ashton raises the gun, levels it with Niall’s chest, but doesn’t shoot yet. He also doesn’t have any hesitance in his eyes when Niall walks forward enough to have the cold metal pressed against his sternum.
“Pull the trigger, if you hate me that much, Ash.” Niall says quietly.
He shouldn’t be surprised when Ashton does, but he is. He hadn’t realized that Ashton was this far gone, that he would be willing not only to take a life, but to take the life of someone he once loved. Unfortunately for him-
“Safety’s on.” Niall mutters, grabbing Ashton’s wrist and turning it away. He rears his hand back and launches it forward in a punch that sends Ashton crashing to the mat hard enough to make his head bounce up and smack down again. “You have a lot to learn before you’re enough to take me down, Ash.”
Ashton can’t hear a thing, though. He’s unconscious, probably concussed.
“Take him back to his and pour a bottle of the orange and the green down his throat.” Niall mutters, looking down at Ashton. “The orange will heal his head and the green will also keep him asleep until tomorrow.”
“That was stupid.” Bressie grunts out, climbing into the ring.
“I knew the safety was on, because you’re you.” Niall tells him. “And Ash has never held a gun in his life, let alone fired one. I wasn’t in any danger.”
“He was willing to kill you.” Bressie points out, kneeling down next to Ashton and scooping him up in his arms.
“I know.” Niall scoffs, turning away and jumping over the ropes for the ring. “Maybe we can make a fighter out of him yet.”
“Are you fucking crazy?” Calum yells, finding Niall in the backyard, practicing on one of his training dummies. He’s climbing over the fence, despite there being a gate only a few feet away from him, so Niall knows he’s pissed.
“We heard the stupid shit you pulled.” Luke says a moment later. At least he realizes that the gate is there, even if he does break it off of the hinges when he slams it open. That’s going to be a good twenty minutes of work later, so that’s fun.
“I have pulled a lot of crazy-” Niall starts, but then Calum is tackling him to the ground because he’s too distracted by Luke in nothing but his pants to pay attention properly.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Calum roars in his face. “You gave him a gun? You told him to shoot you?”
“I know Bressie didn’t tell you that, and you two haven’t talked to Ashton since we’ve been here, so how did you find out about that?” Niall asks with a sigh.
“Chris has got a big mouth and a crush on Luke.” Calum grunts out. “All it took was a nearly-naked sunbathing session on the front lawn and he spilled what you’ve been so weird about for the last few days.”
“I am going to kill that idiot.” Niall mutters.
“You’re the idiot.” Luke scoffs. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I needed to see how far gone he is before I knew what to do with him.” Niall says quietly. “He’s completely out of control. He’s losing himself, and I think I’m the only one who can bring him back from the brink. I know where he is, because I lived my whole life there. I spent so long in that darkness that he’s living in right now, and it’s my turn to pull him out like you three did with me. I owe him this, which means that I had to test to see how much of him is left in there.”
“And?” Calum asks, sitting back up on Niall’s stomach.
“If I don’t figure out some way to pull him out soon, he’s going to be completely gone.” Niall whispers.
“That’s it.” Luke mutters. “I’m going to-”
“No.” Niall cuts him off. “You two can’t help him right now. It’ll just drive him further into the dark. If I thought it would help to bring you two into the picture, then I would have. But he’s- He’s lost, and he’s running from his pain, and dealing with you two will just make him run further. He has to get it out, has to be allowed to release that rage, before he can start to see clearly.”
“I know I said I’d relax about the way you three act-” Harry says flatly, opening the back door. “But there’s a line.”
To be fair to Harry, it is a fairly compromising situation. Calum is sat almost on top of Niall’s dick, and Luke is standing there in underwear that’s really way too small because he likes to show off.
“I promise, it’s nothing, Haz.” Niall hums.
Calum and Luke scoff, but they don’t reveal Niall’s little escapade. He’ll take that as a win. It means Harry won’t decapitate him, and Calum and Luke can see where Niall is coming from and agree. At least- They do to an extent. Niall is definitely going to get hit in the balls sometime soon, judging by the look in Luke’s eye.
He can handle that.
“Wanna tell me what this is really about?” Harry asks in Niall’s head as he goes back inside.
“What can I say?” Niall asks back mentally. “I’m irresistible. They are too.”
“Well, get your irresistible arses in here and wash up for supper.” Harry huffs in his mind. “And you can sleep on the couch tonight.”
“Maybe I’ll go sleep in their bed then.” Niall fires back.
“Maybe I’ll have to remind you who you picked and why.” Harry counters.
“I look forward to it.” Niall laughs.
“Can you two stop doing that?” Calum sighs, pushing himself off of Niall. “I’m tired of the mental conversations.”
“Absolutely not.” Niall says. “It’s apparently the only way to keep you two from getting into my private business by any means necessary. I know you’re not going to seduce Harry into it.”
“We’ll see about that.” Luke says, narrowing his eyes.
It’s going to be an interesting night.
“Weights.” Niall grunts at Ashton, taking a pull from his coffee cup.
“Aw, poor baby can’t be bothered to fight today?” Ashton mocks, running his hand through that bright red hair that Niall is still adjusting to. It looks so different from the Ashton he’s known and loved for half a decade, so wild and furious like the smoke that billows out of his mouth when he’s in a rage. “Too tired?”
“Yes.” Niall says flatly. “I was awake all night because Molly doesn’t feel well. Something about the dryness of the desert isn’t agreeing with her. It’s too dry, and she can’t breathe properly at night. She hasn’t handled it well since we got here, but last night was the worst night so far. I’m having Louis take a look into it later.”
“Oh- I- I didn’t know.” Ashton stammers out.
“That’s because you haven’t asked about her since we got here.” Niall mutters. “Just like you haven’t asked about Calum and Luke. I get you hating me. That part makes sense. Harry too, really. I can even understand the part of you that’s mad at Luke and Calum. All of that is understandable. But it really just- How could you stop loving Molly? How could you just decide you don’t want to be her father anymore?”
“That’s not- I’ve never said that!” Ashton growls out, curling his hands into fists. “I love Molly!”
“You have a funny way of showing it.” Niall scoffs. “We’ve been here for weeks, and you haven’t even asked to see her.”
“Because you’d totally let me.” Ashton says with a roll of his eyes.
“I would, actually.” Niall tells him. “She’s your daughter too, Ash. Not letting her see Barbara is one thing, because that’s in her best interests. But you- You’re the only one keeping yourself away from Molly. She asks about you every day, and I offered to take her to see you at the beginning, but she’s too scared that you hate her, because you won’t even talk to her.”
“I would never.” Ashton breathes out.
“She’s six, Ashton.” Niall sighs. “And she lost one of her dads, but she doesn’t know why, and I can’t explain this to her. I can’t explain who you’re becoming. I can’t explain to her that you would have pulled the trigger on me last week and killed her father without a second thought.”
“I-” Ashton starts.
“It doesn’t matter.” Niall cuts him off before he can say anything. “I’d still let you see her if you just ask, Ashton. What you feel for me has no bearing on that relationship unless you decide to keep letting it.”
“I wanna see her.” Ashton breathes out. “Please.”
“Weights first.” Niall tells him, leaning back against the wall. “She’s doing her lessons right now with Harry and Cal. We’ll swing by and pick her up before they can take her over to Louis. He watches her in the afternoon, normally, but we can cut training short today, if you want to see her.”
“Weights.” Ashton says with a nod, heading over towards the bench-press.
“Is that the best idea?” Bressie asks, peeking his eye open from where he’s been pretending to sleep on the bench this whole time. “He tried to kill you.”
“He’s her dad.” Niall says with a shrug. “I’m not going to keep her from him. Besides, she might be the key to saving him. She was for me. Her and the lads. I never would have been able to come back from the darkness I was in if it hadn’t had the four of them.”
“And when are you going to stop letting that history put you in danger?” Bressie questions. “When are you going to realize that he’s too far gone for you to save?”
“Never.” Niall breathes out, looking over at Ashton loading weights onto the bar. “Not as long as there’s still even a tiny spark of Ash in there.”
“Wait here.” Niall tells him at the corner.
“Why?” Ashton questions, though he does stop. At least he’s starting to listen to orders.
“Because it’s already been a struggle not to let Calum and Luke tear you a new one.” Niall huffs. “Chris told them what happened with the gun. They’ve been extorting me for days, making me do their washing and get their food from the market and massage Luke’s smelly feet and whatever else they want or need in exchange for not telling Harry or confronting you.”
“Why?” Ashton asks again.
“Because Harry will kill you.” Niall sighs. “He will rip your soul out of you and keep it out until your body withers and dies.”
“What do you care?” Ashton mutters. “I would have killed you.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Niall tells him, turning towards the house. “I will always protect you, because I love you and Molly loves you and the lads love you. None of the rest of it matters. Not to me.”
Ashton doesn’t have any more questions, apparently, because he lets Niall walk away after that, going to the house.
“What are you doing here?” Calum questions, looking over at Niall when he walks through the door.
“He’s here to take Molly out for the day.” Harry says flatly. “With Ashton.”
“You can’t be serious.” Calum breathes out, looking at Niall with wide eyes.
“I am.” Niall tells him with a nod.
“After what he-” Calum starts, shooting off of the sofa.
“He is her dad, Cal.” Niall cuts him off. “I wouldn’t withhold her from him any more than I would from you or Luke if this was different.”
“There’s a huge difference!” Calum hisses. “He’s dangerous!”
“So am I.” Niall points out, shrugging. “So is Harry. So is Luke in a bad mood, unless I’m wearing a cup. Are you going to try to keep her away from us?”
“You’re sane, at least!” Calum growls out.
“Arguable.” Luke hums, walking into the room. “What’s going on?”
“Molly, love- How would you like to come hang out with Ashton and me today instead of going to see Louis?” Niall offers, holding out his hand.
“Ash wants to see me?” Molly asks, her eyes lighting up.
“He does.” Niall smiles at her. “Do you want to see him? You can say no, if you don’t want to.”
“I have to put on a better dress!” Molly gasps, looking down at her outfit. “Ash hasn’t seen my new clothes!”
“Oh lord.” Luke groans as Molly drags him back towards her room.
“What aren’t you three telling me?” Harry asks, folding his arms over his chest. “You’ve been dancing around something that you’re keeping secret, and I’ve let it happen because I figured it wasn’t that important. But now it seems like Cal is afraid to let Molly be around Ashton, and I want to know why.”
“He-” Calum starts.
“Calum!” Niall says sharply, cutting him off.
“Niall, I will knock you out if you don’t tell me.” Harry grits out between clenched teeth.
“I am handling it, alright?” Niall sighs. “So, if I tell you, you have to promise me that you’re not going to do anything.”
“I won’t promise a damn thing.” Harry scoffs.
“Harry, promise me.” Niall says harshly. “I need you to fucking trust me. Can you just fucking do that?”
“Fine.” Harry mutters.
“I gave Ashton the chance to pull the trigger on me last week, because he said that that was what he wanted.” Niall explains.
“Well, clearly he didn’t, so what’s the problem?” Harry questions.
“He did.” Niall says quietly. “He just didn’t know the safety was on. He put the gun to my chest and tried to kill me. But I’m working on it, and you’re not going to do anything, understand?”
“He what?” Harry snarls, his power flowing out of him in the form of ice crystals that develop and shatter continuously in the air around him. Sparks fly from his fingertips, engulfing his hands, and it’s so obvious he’s going out of control. His eyes are filled with rage that Niall can see burning there like fire. “I’ll fucking rip him to pieces!”
Niall is across the room in an instant, pulling Harry by the collar into a scorching kiss to overtake those flames by pushing all of his love into Harry.
“It’s okay, love.” Niall whispers, breaking the kiss but keeping their lips brushing. “I’m okay. Just trust me on this. I have to save him, and I can with a bit more time. I can bring him back, but I need you to trust me.”
“You don’t give him the chance again.” Harry grunts out, deflating as he wraps his arms around Niall. “And he’s not allowed to be around Molly unless you’re there too.”
“Fine.” Niall agrees. “That was already the plan anyways.”
“Is this okay?” Molly asks, walking back out with Luke in a new, pink dress and her hair pulled back into a matching ribbon.
“It’s perfect.” Niall says softly, releasing Harry’s shirt so he can crouch down. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” Molly says firmly, nodding her head.
“Then let’s go.” Niall chuckles. “You know how he gets.”
“So impatient.” Molly giggles, taking Niall’s hand.
She takes the lead, dragging Niall behind her. She’s always been willful, just like her mother. A single-minded focus is her greatest power, and this is a girl who’s got the ability to destroy countries on a whim.
They find Ashton exactly where Niall had left him on the corner, and Molly drops Niall’s hand to run towards him as fast as she can. She jumps into his arms, and he catches her easily, pure joy coming off of him in waves strong enough that Niall can feel it.
“Hi, Ashton.” Molly says with a smile that’s as big as Niall’s ever seen. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Molls.” Ashton murmurs, peppering her cheeks with kisses that she doesn’t fight at all.
“I like your hair. The red is neat. Do you like my dress?” Molly asks. “I picked it out special for you.”
“It’s perfect, little bird.” Ashton breathes out, hugging her tightly and mouthing a silent ‘thank you,’ to Niall over her shoulder.
Yeah, this was the right choice.
Their routine changes a little bit after that, Ashton’s training ending early on Wednesdays and Saturdays so that they can spend the day with Molly. He has to behave himself, though. Niall has made it clear since the first time that Ashton is going to start taking what Niall says to him seriously, or his visits with Molly won’t be happening, and Ashton easily agreed to that.
While Ashton may be taking training more seriously, that doesn’t mean his attitude has improved. Bressie left with the EG squad to do a tour of the valley on Niall’s orders, seeing the limits of the territory and what their weakest points are. He’s generally a good balancing force between them, because Ashton doesn’t have any resentment towards Bressie.
He does, however, have plenty towards Niall, and Niall can’t help but feed off of it. It burns through his blood, tightening his muscles into metal and setting his heart on fire.
“You’re going to need to get a lot better if you want to ‘take me out’.” Niall growls out, dropping Ashton’s nearly limp body to the floor.
He turns to head for the bag, but a hand wraps around his ankle and pulls, slamming him down into the mat.
“Is that right?” Ashton snarls, crawling onto Niall’s torso and pinning his arms underneath his legs.
“You don’t have me where you think you have me.” Niall says flatly, glaring defiantly up at Ashton on his chest.
“You’re exactly where you deserve to be.” Ashton says with a grunt, pulling back his fist and swinging it around into Niall’s jaw.
Niall could escape this without too much of a problem, but he has a feeling he needs to follow through with this. A feeling that’s telling him he has to hear this and see where Ashton’s head is at. He has to see how much of Ashton is left, and how much has completely given into hate.
“You’re a monster!” Ashton spits out, bringing his other fist around into Niall’s cheek. “You ruin everything! You never should have come into our fucking lives!”
“What about Molly?” Niall questions, spitting out a mouthful of blood and a tooth to the side.
“I said what I said.” Ashton snarls. “Our lives would have been better without you.”
That’s all Niall needs to hear. Ashton isn’t in there anymore. Just the monster. He lifts his legs up and wraps his knees around Ashton’s neck, throwing him hard into the ropes.
“Take it back!” Niall growls out, jumping up to his feet.
“No!” Ashton hisses, pushing himself to his feet. “The only honest thing about you is your handle. You’re a demon. You’re a terrorist who came into our lives just to blow them up. Everything was perfect without you, and then you came and just- You ruined everything! You spent years lying to us and making us love you, but all you wanted was to blow us apart, like everything else you’ve ever come across. You don’t even know how to love! You don’t know what it is, or what it means! You have no fucking humanity in you!”
“I have enough to know that you’re just saying whatever you can to hurt me like you’re hurting right now.” Niall says flatly. “Like you’ve been hurting since the Tower. So, why don’t you say what you really want to say?”
“You spent half a decade ruining our lives in slow motion.” Ashton breathes out. “You made us trust you. You made us love you. You- You manipulated us, and then you left us behind at the earliest opportunity for something new and shiny.”
“Ashton-” Niall sighs.
“‘Someday’ fucking meant something to me, Niall!” Ashton bellows, tears flowing down his cheeks and a flash of red rising off of his skin that matches his hair. “It was a fucking promise! But you broke it, like every other fucking promise you ever made! None of us ever really meant anything to you! All that mattered was that you could use us!”
“That’s- That was only true in the beginning.” Niall says quietly. “I won’t lie to you, Ashton. When I first got to the village, all I wanted was a place to rest and recover. I said and did anything I needed to get what I wanted. I used the three of you for what you could offer. But that changed after a few months.”
“It never changed.” Ashton scoffs. “You don’t know how to have a real human connection, because you’re not a fucking person. All you are is what Bobby made you.”
“Maybe.” Niall agrees. “But what are you now? Because it’s not the Ashton I’ve known for the last 5 years.”
“I don’t know anymore!” Ashton screams. “Because you destroyed everything in my life! You made me a fugitive from the empire, which was lightyears better than the life I had before I came there! You let Ben rip me to pieces mentally and physically! You turned Luke and Calum against me and took the one thing in this world I had left!”
“You turned them against you!” Niall says harshly, launching himself forward and grabbing Ashton by the tatters of his shirt to lift him off of the ground. “You’re the one who left them! You can blame me for plenty, but you don’t get to put that at my feet, Ashton! They’ve been trying so hard to keep themselves together without you, but you left them. You made that decision. You pushed them away, and the only person you get to blame for that is yourself. Now, I will ask you again, what are you now?”
“I don’t know!” Ashton spits out, struggling against Niall’s grip.
“What are you?” Niall yells in his face.
“Lost!” Ashton chokes out with a sob, his hands falling away from Niall’s wrists. “I’m fucking lost!”
“That’s better.” Niall says softly, dropping Ashton to the floor.
“I don’t know who I am without them.” Ashton breathes out, curling in on himself until he’s a ball. “Without any of you.”
“You can have us back.” Niall says quietly, crouching down next to him. “We’re all just waiting to see you again. Because this- This isn’t you, Ash. All this pain and rage and hate? That’s not you. You’ve always been the strong, stable one.”
“I don’t know how to be strong anymore.” Ashton says, wiping at the tears on his cheek. “And forget stable. I’ve just been trying to push you in the hopes you’d just- You’d-”
“You were hoping I’d kill you.” Niall finishes for him, voice soft as understanding dawns on him. “You thought I’d put you out of your misery.”
“They need you more than they ever needed me.” Ashton mutters. “That’s been obvious since Dublin.”
“He did a number on your head, Ash.” Niall whispers, cupping Ashton’s cheek. “And the parasite fed into that. And why do you think Ben Winston put so much effort into fucking with your mind?”
“I was defiant.” Ashton sighs.
“You were strong.” Niall corrects him. “He saw that, and he had to destroy it, because you gave them strength as well. He wanted you to doubt. Doubt yourself, me, the lads- He wanted to destroy you so that he could destroy all of us. You are so important to so many people, and losing you has taken a toll on all of us.”
“I’m so scared, Niall.” Ashton breathes out. “I’m so pissed off all the time.”
“I can help you with that, if you’ll let me.” Niall offers. “And I can talk to the lads.”
“They don’t want me back.” Ashton says, shaking his head. “They’re better off without me. Especially the way I am now.”
“That’s not for you to decide.” Niall murmurs, pressing a kiss to Ashton’s forehead. “There’s a potion in the bag. Go back to yours and take that. It’ll help you sleep tonight, and then I’ll come by in the morning, and we’re going to get rid of all the liquor in your place.”
“Didn’t think you’d noticed.” Ashton says quietly.
“It’s harder to sleep without it, but I can tell you from experience that the nightmares aren’t going to stop until you can overcome the drinking.” Niall explains, standing up. “Definitely makes it harder to deal with things sometimes, and there are going to be some days coming that are going to feel like absolute hell, but I promise you that it’s better on the other side.”
“Every day has been absolute hell without them.” Ashton says breathlessly.
“Not just for you.” Niall tells him, holding out his hand. “So, instead of me beating your head in every day, why don’t you start working with Harry? He’s supposed to be a trauma counselor here, but he hasn’t had any patients so far. I can’t think of anyone better to be his first. You need therapy, Ash, not this.”
“I’ll work with him, but I still want to train.” Ashton says, taking Niall’s hand and letting himself be pulled up. “I need to be stronger. I need to be able to protect them.”
“Fine.” Niall sighs. “But only because I owe you.”
“I think I’m the one who owes you after the last few weeks.” Ashton mumbles.
“I owe you for the last five years.” Niall says, pulling Ashton to his chest and kissing his cheek. “You helped bring me out of the same place you are right now, and there’s nothing I won’t do to return the favor. I love you, Ash.”
“I love you too.” Ashton whispers, hugging Niall tightly. “I love you so much.”
Niall holds Ashton for as long as he’s allowed, and then takes him by the hand as they walk back towards their houses. They separate at the path to Ashton’s, and Niall makes sure to remind him to take the potion. Maybe Ashton will drink the liquor instead, but Niall doesn’t think so.
History has taught him to always bet on Ash.
“What are you doing here?” Luke asks when Niall walks through the door, looking up from where he’s brushing Molly’s hair. “It’s not an Ashton-Molly day, is it?”
“No.” Niall chuckles, shaking his head. “We decided to call training off early today. There’s something I need to talk to you about. Where are Calum and Harry?”
“On one of their hikes.” Molly tells him. “Do I have to leave the room?”
“Please.” Niall says with a nod.
“Grown-ups are the worst.” Molly grumbles, climbing to her feet.
“It’ll just be-” Niall starts, but then that familiar sensation of Harry messing about in his head interrupts him.
“Boys?” Calum’s voice says inside his mind when he loosens up his defenses.
“How the hell are you in my head, and why does it feel like Harry’s the one tickling my brain?” Niall sighs in confusion.
“I’m here too.” Harry tells them.
“I need you two to catch a ride with Harry and come to Louis’ lab.” Calum explains, making Niall’s heart drop into his stomach. “There’s been an incident.”
Something is very, very wrong.
“Where’s Harry?” Niall asks when Ashton comes running into the lab.
“Outside.” Ashton grunts out, stepping up to the table where Calum is lying down. “We bounced off of some barrier trying to port in here.”
“What the fuck is Barbara doing?” Niall growls, looking over at Louis.
“No idea.” Louis says with a shrug. “Probably something with El. Thick as thieves, those two.”
“El?” Niall questions, something tickling at the back of his mind.
“My wife.” Louis hums.
“I thought he was with Liam.” Luke stage-whispers to Niall.
“I’m straight.” Louis says flatly, glaring over at Luke. “Freddie didn’t exactly pop out of my-”
“Nine!” Calum says sharply, looking over at Molly and pointing to his head, and then pointing to the others.
“Like this?” Molly asks in Niall’s head, and the others as well, going by the looks on their faces.
“What are you doing here?” Calum asks Ashton harshly.
“I just want to be sure you’re okay.” Ashton says softly, taking Calum’s hand. “I know- I know you probably don’t want to see me right now, but I had to see you, Cal.”
“After you tried to- After what you did to Niall?” Calum asks, pulling it back before Molly hears what happened, thankfully. “What makes you think I want you here?”
“Nothing.” Ashton admits. “I just didn’t want you to think I didn’t want to be here for this.”
“You haven’t wanted to be here for anything else for weeks.” Luke scoffs. “What changed?”
“Me.” Ashton murmurs out loud instead of through the link. “I’m so, so sorry, you two.”
“Can this wait until after Freddie does his thing?” Louis sighs, crossing his arms over his chest. “He needs to take his nap.”
“Just do it.” Calum mutters. “I want to be able to yell at him with my mouth instead of my cancer-riddled brain.”
“Go ahead, Freddie.” Louis says gently, pointing to Calum’s head.
All it takes is a touch for the miracle to work, but it’s also all that it takes for Niall’s life to crumble into ashes.
He hears a scream of his own name and Molly’s from a familiar voice, but it’s too late.
Calum’s eyes glow as he gasps, power escaping his body in a wave that sends everybody flying away from him into the walls. There’s nothing that Niall can do, that anyone can do, the force keeping them trapped and pushing them into the steel coating.
Calum lifts into the air, his body flickering and turning into an old man, and then a baby, and then himself, and then a teenager, and then a child. He’s fluctuating through time, and a wave of his hand destroys everything.
Freddie disappears first, de-aging until he’s a fetus, and then he’s gone. Niall screams as it happens to Molly, and then Luke, and then he can’t see anymore as his eyes are forced shut and his body curls in on itself. He can’t even let loose his final scream of pure fear and pain as he ceases to exist, his entire life playing through his mind in reverse.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“It is too early for you to be this happy.” Niall grunts out.
“What can I say?” Luke hums. “I always have to open the bakery by myself on weekends. I like having company.”
“Some company.” Niall snorts, handing Molly her favorite stuffed bear. Calum bought it for her when Niall told him that the day that he arrived six weeks ago was her first birthday. She barely lets it go now. “A surly asshole and an infant.”
“She is good company, you surly asshole.” Luke chuckles, taking Molly from Niall when she reaches towards him with the hand that isn’t clutching the bear. Molly absolutely adores Luke, happily going to him whenever he’s around. “Aren’t you, little bird?”
Molly burbles at him, smacking him in the chin excitedly.
“I’m going to end up doing all the work, aren’t I?” Niall sighs. “I’m a handyman, Luke, not a baker.”
“Well, you only bloody went and fixed everything in the studio, the café, the pub and all of our cottages, so you’re clearly trying to work yourself out of a job.” Luke says with a roll of his eyes before catching Molly’s hand and pretending to munch on her fingers, which makes her squeal. “This is my solution. So, put on an apron and get mixing, Niall.”
“Luke, if there’s nothing for me to do here anymore, then maybe it’s time for me to move on.” Niall offers. “You can rent my cottage out again and make a profit instead of a loss on me. Besides, maybe Ashton will stop being so shitty all the time when I’m finally gone.”
“He’s warming up to you.” Luke mumbles, reaching over and resting his hand on Niall’s arm. “Last night, when he came home, he only called you a cunt instead of a stuck-up, emotionally-stunted, vicious little cunt with a personality disorder.”
“Progress.” Niall scoffs. “Seriously, Luke- It’s time for me to be getting on.”
“I don’t want you to go.” Luke murmurs, resting his head on Niall’s shoulder. “You’re my friend.”
“I’m your handyman.” Niall says quietly. “And the asshole you woke up yesterday with a bucket of ice water.”
“Can you stop being hard on yourself for like- Five seconds?” Luke sighs, smacking the back of his hand into Niall’s stomach. “You’re funny, and you’re nice to me.”
“I am not nice.” Niall scoffs. “Nobody has ever called me nice in the history of the world.”
“I think you are.” Luke says softly.
“Luke-” Niall says gently, which just causes Luke to look at him with those big, innocent, blue eyes of his. “I’m going to need you to talk me through doing this. I’ve never baked before.”
“Good.” Luke beams.
Motherfucker.
“You’re not supposed to be in here.” Ashton sighs when he catches Niall in the abandoned gym.
“I don’t use any electricity.” Niall mumbles, dropping his hands away from the heavy bag. “I only use it on my days off, and I didn’t break the lock.”
“It’s not open to the public.” Ashton points out. “We decided against opening it up. The plan was to convert the place into a community center.”
“Well, I don’t see a community in this center.” Niall huffs. “So why can’t I use it until then?”
“Because you’re not supposed to be here, Niall.” Ashton says flatly, stepping further inside. “Why does that seem so hard for you to understand?”
“Because it’s a waste.” Niall mutters. “And I just needed a place where I can let loose a little bit. I’m not hurting anyone. I’m not doing this when I’m supposed to be working. I’m not stealing anything. So, the real question is, why do you have such a problem with it?”
“Because you’ve illegally entered my property.” Ashton says, holding up a finger. “Because I’m your employer and you’re pulling an attitude with me. Because you brought an infant to a gymnasium with unsecured equipment, putting us in danger of a liability suit? Because you’ve been nothing but a prick since you got here? Which reason would you like me to pick?”
He says each one, counting off on his fingers and getting louder and angrier with each. He’s walking forward, and it’s taking everything in Niall’s power not to put him down. Ashton isn’t a threat. He’s not. His musculature doesn’t matter, because he’s got as much experience fighting as Molly does.
Niall has killed tougher men than Ashton with the ligaments in both of his wrists torn. He’s not a threat.
Ashton is not a bloody threat, and yet Niall’s pulse is racing in a way that he doesn’t understand for the situation.
“I don’t like you, and I don’t trust you.” Ashton snarls. “I don’t know what you’ve been doing to make Luke trust you, but I’m not fooled. You’re a fucking snake in the grass, and I’m not going to let you bite any of us.”
“What exactly do you think you have that’s so valuable that I would destroy you all for it?” Niall questions. “What do you think you have to offer that’s worth the time and effort that you apparently think I’ve put into stealing it from you?”
“Calum and Luke.” Ashton growls out.
“You- You think I want to steal your boyfriends?” Niall asks, choking on a laugh. “Are you fucking serious right now?”
“You already told Luke that you like blokes as well as birds.” Ashton says with narrowed eyes.
“Because he asked if it was going to be a problem working for a poly group like you three.” Niall returns. “I wasn’t hitting on him. I have no interest in getting involved with them.”
“Oh, so now they’re not good enough for you?” Ashton asks, getting even closer.
“You aren’t.” Niall corrects him. “You’re just- You’re a cunt. A complete and total cunt. You are the problem. Luke is an incredibly sweet lad, and Calum has a heart of gold. To be honest- I’m not sure what they see in you. But whatever it is, they think the sun shines out of your arse.
“I- What?” Ashton asks, the anger on his face crossing into confusion in an instant.
“I’ve heard about very little over the last two months except how great you are.” Niall says with a shrug. “They adore you. I don’t get it. But I also don’t know you any more than you know me. So, unlike you, I haven’t made it my life’s mission to make your life hell. I’m not nearly as invested in your misery as you are in mine.”
“That’s not what-” Ashton starts.
“It is.” Niall cuts him off. “And that’s fine. You being an asshole to me for two months is nothing in the grand scheme of my life. You’re not going to break me, and you’re not going to chase me off from this village. This is a safe place for my daughter. I’m not leaving until I have to. If you hate me that much, fire me. I’ll find a job on one of the farms. I think that sheep-fucker Ronnie is looking for someone. I can be out of the cottage in a day. I just need to pack up Molly’s things.”
“Niall-” Ashton tries again.
“Save it, Ashton.” Niall mutters, picking up his bag and then walking over to scoop up Molly. “I’m not interested in whatever insult you’ve got coming. Just go back to your house and tell Calum that he’ll need to order a new oven for the café in the next year or two, because the rigging I did on it won’t last forever without someone to maintain it. And tell Luke he’s fine to drop by and see Molly any time, unless that’s a problem for you.”
“Niall!” Ashton says sharply, but Niall is already heading out of the door.
“I didn’t mean you could come and see her tonight.” Niall sighs when Luke barges into his room. “I’m kind of busy packing.”
“Ronnie fucks sheep, Niall.” Luke huffs. “Is that really who you want to raise your daughter around?”
“I’d rather that than someone who belittles me constantly.” Niall says, rolling his eyes as he shoves a pair of trousers in his bag. “I won’t be undermined at every turn and have her growing up thinking I’m weak. I won’t have it, Luke.”
“You are so dramatic.” Luke groans.
“I’m practical, Luke.” Niall counters. “Ashton hates me. Working with him is impossible. I don’t want to raise my daughter in an environment where I’m being constantly disrespected by the person I work for. What kind of example does that set? She’s already going to grow up in a world where people won’t respect her because of her blood status. What does it tell her if I just let someone walk all over me? I can’t- I can’t let her think that’s okay for her to put up with for her whole life.”
“Well, I have a solution for that.” Luke says, beckoning towards the door.
“Oh, what the hell, Luke?” Niall sighs when Ashton walks through.
“He’s here because he’s got something to say to you, don’t you, Ash?” Luke asks with a hum.
“I didn’t- I didn’t realize that I’d been so harsh with you.” Ashton sighs, looking down at the floor. Niall scoffs, but says nothing in response after Luke shoots a glare at him. “You throw me off balance, Niall. We’ve spent two years building this place into something, and then you come along, and you just- You throw things into chaos.”
“I fix your ovens and the air leaks in the windows and un-clog flues in the cottages.” Niall grunts out. “I patch the roofs and I sell muffins with Luke in the morning and I tend bar for Calum at night. I read to my daughter between shifts, and I change her diapers and make her meals and put her to bed, and I occasionally manage to get up to three hours of sleep. I don’t have the time for chaos. I don’t have the energy for chaos. Nor do I have the patience for you or this anymore. So, I talked to Ronnie on my way here, and I’m moving into the farmhand’s cabin on his property and I’m going to take care of his sheep.”
“Scrubbing Ronnie’s cum out of his sheep is hardly a better job.” Ashton scoffs.
“Less work, and less degrading than working with you.” Niall fires back at him. “Gives me more time to spend with my daughter, and at least Ronnie isn’t an insecure sociopath hellbent on reminding me that I’m not welcome around him or his boyfriends because he’s afraid I’m going to steal them away.”
“This is getting counterproductive.” Calum sighs, walking into the room.
“Wow.” Niall huffs. “You do realize that I quit, and while you own this property, that doesn’t give you the right to just all barge into the place like I don’t live here?”
“Oh my god!” Luke groans. “This is not how this was supposed to go!”
“Then get out!” Niall hisses.
“Not yet.” Luke says firmly. “Ashton, get on with it.”
“Get on with what?” Niall asks angrily. “This half-assed attempt at a fake apology just to keep you happy?”
“It’s not-” Ashton starts.
“It is.” Niall cuts him off. “And pretending it isn’t is just insulting to me, and everyone else here. Just pretending to be sorry so that Luke doesn’t have a tantrum? They know how you feel about me, and I know how you feel about me, so exactly how did you think this was going to work out? Did you think I was going to accept and thank you for my job back? I’ve spent enough of my life around liars to smell one a mile away.”
“Oh my god, you are such a prick!” Ashton growls. “Will you just let me say what we came here to say?”
“I’m not interested in what you have to-” is all Niall gets out before Ashton’s lips are attached to his, the Oceanic lad’s hands fisted into Niall’s collar to pull him in.
“We’re interested in you.” Ashton breathes out over Niall’s lips. “So, will you please just shut up and let us get something off of our chests that we’ve been thinking about for the last two months?”
“Am I having a stroke?” Niall asks, his hands held tightly at his sides.
“It’s not our work you throw into chaos, Niall.” Ashton murmurs, catching Niall’s bottom lip between his teeth. “It’s our heads.”
“I don’t- I- I’m not-” Niall stammers out, leaning over to look at Luke and Calum. “What is happening? Are you two seeing this?”
“We’re waiting our turns.” Luke hums. “Ashton’s sexual frustration when it comes to you has been- Excessive.”
“He doesn’t respond well.” Calum says with a shrug. “Hence the pigtail pulling.”
And, honestly- Niall understands that, to a degree. He’d pulled his fair share of shit with Barbara, riling her up to bring out her wild side. And now he understands why she hated that.
It’s fucking annoying as shite.
“So, you treat me like shit because you want to fuck me?” Niall asks, looking back to Ashton. “And you think that’s going to work?”
“I’m really hoping that it’s not not going to work.” Ashton mumbles.
“Notice I didn’t kiss back.” Niall says, stepping back from Ashton.
“Well- This is horrifying.” Luke sighs, hiding his face behind his hands. “We’ll just- Go.”
“Real quick, Luke-” Niall says quietly. “Can you come over here?”
“Why?” Luke questions, though he immediately complies. So pliant, that one.
“Because I want to show Ashton what he can look forward to once he fixes that fucking attitude of his.” Niall hums, pulling Luke down by the collar.
Luke comes easily, humming into the kiss as his lips meet Niall’s. His arms wind around Niall’s neck, and he jumps his legs up eagerly into Niall’s arms when he pulls at his thighs.
Luke, as it turns out, is a fantastic snog. Niall almost forgets what the point of all this was by the time he lets Luke drive him to lightheadedness on the tip of his tongue. He cannot wait to do that again.
But now it’s Calum’s turn, and Luke seems to know that by instinct, striding over towards him and pushing him towards Niall as soon as his feet touch the floor. Niall never thought it would be easy kissing a witch again after Barbara. Even Aoife and he never kissed on the mouth. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.
But, Calum- Calum isn’t like a normal witch. His lack of powers has meant he’s led a life where he understands what it means to be stepped on and looked over. He’s a witch, but he knows what it’s like to feel powerless. He uses what little he can do to help the powerless.
He also kisses insanely well. He’s a bit more aggressive than Luke was, winding one hand into Niall’s hair, and tracing the other hand down his spine to grope his arse. Niall is fine with that. He’s only been with Chris the one time as far as blokes go, but they switched roles halfway through, and he enjoyed both. Calum has a great arse, but he’s also tall and has good arms and Niall would love to either fuck him or get fucked by him.
“Ash-” Calum breathes out when they break apart. To be honest, that hurts a little bit. “You need to get your shit together on the fucking double, or I’m going to kick your arse so I can fuck his.”
Okay, that doesn’t hurt at all.
“I get it, okay?” Ashton groans.
“Good.” Niall smirks. “Then all of you can get out of my house. Apparently, I have to unpack a bunch of shite.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.” Luke hums.
“And I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Calum adds, giving Niall’s arse another squeeze before heading out of the door with Luke.
“I, um- I wanted to give you these before I go.” Ashton says quietly, holding out his hand. “It’s the key to the gym, and one to the storage closet inside it. It’s all yours.”
“I’m not talking about gifts, Ashton.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes. “I’m talking about basic respect and trust, for starters.”
“I’ve known about you using the gym for weeks, Niall.” Ashton says with a shrug. “I do trust you. I just- I wanted an excuse to talk to you, and then I let that snowball into a fight without meaning to. I just- You drive me insane, and I don’t know how to just talk to you.”
“Guess you’d better figure it out then, huh?” Niall says, turning back to the bed to pull things out of his suitcase. “And do me a favor and tell Ronnie he’s going to have to wash his cum out of his sheep himself. He’ll be at the pub tonight, I’m sure.”
“You’re going to make this incredibly difficult for me, aren’t you?” Ashton sighs.
“Shouldn’t be.” Niall says, opening up his drawer. “Just have to try and treat me like a person.”
When he turns back, the keys are on the bed and Ashton is gone. Niall has a feeling that it’s going to be an interesting few weeks. He’ll leave eventually, but this should be a good diversion while he builds up the money to get Molly somewhere else.
Besides, he gets free liquor working at the pub.
“Oh my god, you again?” Niall groans when Ashton walks through the door of the pub instead of Calum.
“Shut it.” Ashton snorts, leaning over the counter to whip at Niall’s arse with a flannel that he really shouldn’t have left on the bar. “Calum sends his love.”
“Send it back.” Niall says, wrinkling up his nose. “He practically farted me out of the bed last night.”
“Well, you’re not the easiest person to sleep with either.” Ashton says with a roll of his eyes. “I’m going to start putting you in a straitjacket if you keep lashing out all the time.”
“Considering how often you worm your way into my arms, I don’t see that happening.” Niall hums.
“Gotta stop you from punching and kicking somehow, don’t I?” Ashton says, ducking under the bar and getting behind it to crowd Niall up against the shelves. “You sleep on the outside, which means I get all the abuse.”
“Just getting you back, babe.” Niall grins, fitting his hands onto Ashton’s hips.
“It’s been six months.” Ashton huffs. “When are you going to let it go?”
“When you let me top you.” Niall says with a shrug, stifling a smile. “It’s been six months. When are you going to let it go inside of you?”
“I hate you.” Ashton cackles.
“Hate you more.” Niall hums, leaning up to catch Ashton’s lips in a kiss. It’s slow and syrupy, reassuring in a way that Niall never associated with something as simple as a kiss until these lads came into his life. Or, more accurately, since about two months ago when he decided maybe he wasn’t so ready to leave this place behind. “Really, though- When are you going to let me stick it in that tight arse of yours?”
“Maybe when you say out loud that you love us.” Ashton murmurs, pressing their foreheads together.
“Last two people I said that to-” Niall sighs. “I just- Ash, you know I can’t. I’m just not- Those words have been a curse for me. I don’t want to lose you guys.”
“I just wish you’d trust us enough not to break your heart like they did.” Ashton says softly, that gentle nature that Niall never would have guessed at eight months ago shining through. “I wish you’d trust us enough to tell us about them.”
“I will give you guys any part of who I am now, but my past is mine alone.” Niall sighs. “Why did you have to ruin the fun, sexy thing from a minute ago?”
“Because I love you.” Ashton breathes out, pressing one last kiss to Niall’s lips before pulling back. “That’s not always fun or sexy.”
“Well, it should be.” Niall huffs, ducking under Ashton’s arm to get back to the bar. “I don’t like this part.”
Niall doesn’t like any of it, actually. He doesn’t like the part of himself that wants to open up, to let his past go and see if these lads can accept it. He doesn’t like the part of himself that trusts these three in their affection for him and Molly. He doesn’t like the part of himself that could believe in any of this working out when the past has taught him so harshly that it’s not what’s going to happen in the end.
He knows how this is going to end. He knows they’re going to realize he’s not worth loving, like Bressie and Barbara did. He knows that they’re going to figure out that Bobby was always right.
Niall isn’t a person, he’s a weapon, no matter what he pretends to be, and a weapon will never truly be deserving of love.
“Tough guy.” the witch smirks, looking up at Niall. He’s strong. Stronger than a witch in Bath should be. Shadow manipulation is a rare power, the ability to manifest darkness and turn it into a physical form. In this case, restraints keeping Niall bound to a brick wall. “Think you’re clever, don’t you? Think you get to talk back? Think you’re so strong? Don’t make me laugh.”
“The only thing I’m going to make you do is apologize.” Niall says calmly, looking down at the witch. “You’re going to learn some respect.”
“I think that’s my line.” the witch growls out, winding a tentacle of shadow around Niall’s throat. Honestly, if he were anyone else, he’d be in trouble right now.
But he’s Niall fucking Horan.
His wrists are pinned at his sides. The witch should have put them over his head if he wanted this to be hard. Niall’s fingers reach up into his sleeve, grabbing the tip of his blade. It’s out in a flash, slicing through the shadows on his left arm, and then through the ones around his neck. He lands on the ground after another second and three more slices, bringing it up to the witch’s neck while he pops another out of his other sleeve.
“It’s definitely my line.” Niall says flatly, flexing the knife against the witch’s throat. “Don’t gulp. Don’t speak. I wouldn’t move at all, actually. I’ve had a lot to drink tonight, and my hand might- Slip.”
“I’m going to kill you for this.” the witch breathes out. “You were going to get off with just-”
Niall drops the blade from the witch’s throat, favoring his fingers gripped around it like a vice.
“I said don’t speak.” Niall reminds him, crushing his airway in an instant. “Your voice is going to give me a headache, and I’m already going to have a hell of a hangover. Now you can’t apologize, though, which puts me in quite the predicament. See, the only way you’re going to survive this is if you tell me you’re sorry in time for me to let you heal yourself before you asphyxiate. I’m betting you don’t have long now, so you’d better get creative.”
He sees the anger burn in the witch’s eyes, and then the fear as he begins to suffocate. When the shadows begin to spell out ‘I’m sorry’ on the wall above him, Niall knows he’s won. He’s out of the alley before the witch can hit the ground. He doesn’t want to have to kill the guy for wanting revenge.
He hasn’t killed anyone in two months. He’s doing better. He’s got to believe he’s doing better. The lads deserve better.
At least he’s found them a better Scottish brewery than the shitty one they were using before.
“What’s got you so turned on?” Niall asks against Luke’s lips.
“Missed you.” Luke breathes out, slipping his hands under Niall’s shirt to pull it off.
“Always do when you go out of town.” Calum adds, reaching around from behind Niall and undoing the button on his trousers while he sucks a bruise into Niall’s neck.
“Someone has to find better suppliers.” Niall hums. “You guys pay way too much for your beers and food.”
“Oh, I see how it is.” Ashton scoffs, walking into the bedroom. “I put Molly down and you two bogart the Niall.”
“You’ll get in your time eventually.” Calum says with a dismissive hand wave at him. “Like we don’t know what you two get up to in that gym.”
“You mean like you when you two ‘get stuck closing the pub late’ or when Luke has to ‘close the studio between lessons’?” Ashton returns with a playful smirk.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Niall huffs. “We all get off together sometimes. So, can we skip this part and get to the getting off that we all do so well?”
“Fuck.” Luke hums, dropping down to his knees as Calum finishes freeing him from his trousers. “Love it when you get all demanding.”
“Then suck, princess.” Niall says heavily, right before Calum moves to his side and pulls him into a kiss.
Ashton takes Calum’s place behind Niall, fingers already coated in oil and probing at him. He always acts like he has all the self-control, but he’s easily as eager as Luke.
“We love you.” Calum breathes out into his mouth. “Thank you for going all over the place just to take care of us, so just let us take care of you tonight.”
Niall has never been worshipped before. When he was with Barbara, everything in bed was about her, because she taught Niall what she liked. With Aoife, he didn’t even get off. With Chris, he was as new to guys as Niall was, so it was a learning adventure. And with the lads, he’s put so much effort into making them feel good just to return the way that they make him feel.
He doesn’t know how to handle it.
“God-” Luke whines after pulling off. “Get him on the bed. I need him inside me right fucking now.”
“Luke, we talked about this.” Calum groans, pulling away from Niall’s lips.
“I can’t help it.” Luke says with a pout. “I’ve been prepping all day for this.”
“We’re not doubling up in you, so that’s really your own fault, isn’t it?” Ashton hums. “You did it to yourself.”
“Niall!” Luke whimpers, turning those baby blues on him and sweeping his growing fringe out of the way. “Please?”
“I- Yeah.” Niall chokes out over Ashton stroking that sweet spot inside of him. “Whatever you want, princess.”
“It’s supposed to be whatever you want.” Calum points out.
“I want to stop talking and get to the part where everyone cums.” Niall tells him pulling him back in by the hair to kiss him shortly and roughly. “But if Luke is my bottom, and Ash is my top, where are you gonna be?”
“Depends on if you want to suck me off, or I can just sit on Luke’s face and jerk off while we make out.” Calum says with a shrug.
“How about you sit on Luke’s face and I suck you off?” Niall says with a smirk. “Best of both worlds.”
“I’m gonna need the cock-ring.” Ashton sighs. “That’s the only way I’m going to be able to hold out if I have to watch that.”
“No.” Niall says firmly. “Because then you always have to pull out and you just end up cumming on my arse. You finish inside me. I don’t want to have to take a shower.”
“Filthy.” Calum snorts. “Or lazy. I’m not sure.”
“Little of column a, little of column b.” Niall says with a shrug.
“Niall!” Luke whines, mouthing at his cock again just to regain his attention.
“Come on, princess.” Niall murmurs, running his hand through Luke’s hair. “You’re the one still on the ground.”
“Oh, yeah.” Luke hums, a light blush dusting his cheeks pink. He climbs up to his feet with Niall’s help, and then he’s herding them all towards the bed. He pushes Niall backwards onto the bed, grabbing the hem of his trousers and yanking them off. “Much better.”
Luke’s the only one who was already naked when Niall walked into the bedroom, because he’s never been good at waiting. Calum didn’t have a shirt, but he’s still got his trousers on. Ashton is as fully clothed as Niall was when he walked in, because he was dealing with Molly. But Luke doesn’t seem concerned with helping the other two out of their clothes.
His sole focus is on Niall.
“Always forget how muscular you are whenever you put on a shirt.” Luke purrs out, grinding his erection down into Niall’s as he climbs into his lap. “You put on one of those lumpy jumpers and they just disappear out of my head. It’s like unwrapping a Christmas present every time. A Christmas present I just want to sink my teeth into.”
“If Calum has to use healing potions on me again-” Niall huffs. “I’m going to seriously wonder if you’re actually a vampire.”
“Every part of you just tastes so good.” Luke hums, nipping at his throat. “Can’t help myself.”
“Insatiable.” Niall grunts out, rolling them over to pin Luke underneath himself. He reaches down between them, prodding at Luke’s hole with two of his fingers. He’s slick and puffy, meaning he wasn’t exaggerating. He’s been teasing himself all day, using the oil to loosen himself up and get himself worked into a frenzy. “What do you want, princess?”
He gets nothing verbal in response, just a keen from the back of Luke’s throat that he’s forced to swallow as their lips collide. Luke’s legs hitch up higher, wrapping around Niall’s back.
And then Niall’s brain nearly shirt circuits when a slick hand wraps around his cock, hanging hot and heavy between his legs. Ashton’s other hand pulls him back by the hips by several inches, slowly getting him wet before lining him up with Luke’s hole and then pushing him back in.
Luke’s lips disconnect from Niall’s as the Irishman breathes out a deep, “Fuck- So, so good, princess. Always so good for me.”
“Hold still for just a minute.” Ashton hums in his ear.
And then he’s pushing himself into Niall, slick and hard and heaven. Ashton honestly might be the best top in the world for Niall. He’s got the perfect length, the perfect girth. He’s big without being overwhelming, and he knows exactly how to use it.
It’s not that Calum is any worse in bed, because he’s really not. He’s like Niall, comfortable on either side of the spectrum. They’ve had some truly spectacular sex over the last several months, maybe the best he’s had with any of the three. The difference is that Calum prefers things slow and syrupy and has a tendency to focus on foreplay. Ashton is rough and animalistic and knows exactly when Niall needs to just let go of his primal side.
Case in point, Ashton is slow when he starts to push in, but only until his head gets inside. After that he thrusts in harshly, burying himself to the hilt and pushing Niall even deeper into Luke. There’s only one thing missing.
“Calum.” Ashton grunts into Niall’s shoulder.
“Bring that gorgeous arse of yours down here.” Luke pants out, his pupils blown wide. He’s almost completely gone now, slipping into a submissive state as he grinds onto Niall. All he wants in this world right now is to feel good and make the ones he loves feel good in return. Niall didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, but it probably has something to do with how much he’s been working himself up. “Please, Cal! Please, please, please! Wanna taste you, feel you! Please, Cal!”
He’s getting more desperate with every word, even as Calum crouches down for him. His hands wrap around Calum’s hips, but he doesn’t pull. He’ll do anything to please Calum, but never force him in this state. He’ll only do as he’s been told he’s allowed.
“Alright, princess.” Calum says gently when he gets into place, petting his hand over Luke’s soft tummy. “You can do your thing.”
“Thank you.” Luke whispers, clenching around Niall before he makes Calum gasp.
He must be doing something right, because Calum gasps and has to catch himself on Niall’s shoulder, spurting precum out of his cock.
“Niall!” Luke whimpers, muffled into Calum’s ass.
“It’s okay, Niall.” Ashton murmurs in his ear, pulling out a bit without thrusting back in. “Get your mouth on Calum and then you can go for it with everything you have.”
Brilliant.
He leaves the warmth of Ashton’s chest against his back, pressing his hands into the backs of Luke’s legs to push his knees all the way down into the mattress. Luke’s flexibility is phenomenal, and Niall knows this is his favorite position, opened up and able to be fucked without restraint.
Niall pulls back, driving Ashton deeper into him, and then thrusting forward into Luke. It takes everything in him not to keep going, but he just needed a little bit of relief before he could get his mouth around Calum’s cock. He’s absolutely delicious, intoxicating in both taste and the full-bodied moan he lets out as his hips jut forward and he goes down Niall’s throat.
Luke whines at the loss of Calum’s hole from his tongue, his fingers curling tighter on the older lad’s hips, but he still doesn’t pull. Calum satisfies him soon enough, getting control of himself, even after Niall slips his tongue under Calum’s foreskin and swirls it around the head.
Now that he’s got a bit of all three of them, can make them all feel as good as he does, he can finally let go. He throws his hips back, impaling himself on Ashton again all the way to the base, and then pumps forward with every bit of strength he has, fucking into Luke and moving down on Calum’s cock at the same time.
It’s easy to get a rhythm going, his pure desire driving him wild with every movement of his hips and mouth. He knows how good he’s making them feel, can hear Calum moaning and feel the way Ashton’s fingers are carving bruises into his hips and the slick slide of Luke’s cock on his stomach because he’s leaking buckets. Luke is clenching around him tightly and Calum is winding his fingers in Niall’s hair and Ashton is bending over Niall to bite at his shoulder.
All of them are giving every signal they have to tell him he’s doing good, that he’s making them feel good. They want more, want him, at least in this way. They want what he can give them, pleasure and protection and care. They won’t always, won’t love him anymore once they finally see him for what he is, but that’s okay.
Niall’s never truly been loved anyways. He never will be. He can’t be.
But, right now, in this moment, he can give these lads something that they want, and he’ll give all of himself for as long as he’s allowed.
So, he fucks up hard into Luke’s spot, hitting it over and over so that the moans coming from Calum’s ass get louder and louder. He tightens around Ashton as much as he can, making sure to work every inch of his cock. He gets his hand around Calum, pumping in time with his thrusts while he uses his tongue to focus on the head.
Luke goes off first, practically screaming with pleasure even though nothing is touching his cock. Calum and Ashton are right behind him, both of them driving into the holes Niall has around them down to the hilt as they cum.
That’s all it takes for Niall to finish, knowing he’s brought them all over the edge before everything inside of him lights up and he cums inside Luke. They all collapse in a pile of limbs, rearranging so that Luke isn’t trapped under all three of the others. They do, however, all crowd up into a tangle of bodies and Niall falls asleep easily to the sounds of the other three breathing.
“You know, there’s four of us.” Calum says softly, finding Niall sitting on the veranda behind the house with Molly in his lap, eating her own fingers and staring at the stars. At least she’s calm, for once. Molly has been getting more difficult as she gets closer to her second birthday. It hasn’t been an easy time, and spending most nights in his cottage so the lads aren’t kept awake all night by her screaming doesn’t help. “You don’t have to get up every time. We can do it too.”
“Not your responsibility.” Niall says, shaking his head.
“Budge up.” Calum mumbles, sliding onto the same lounger that Niall is on. It won’t help to point out that there’s another lounger right next to this one. Calum will just elbow Niall in the stomach to make him move. He’s just like that.
Calum is stubborn, but Niall is more stubborn.
“You can go back to bed, Cal.” Niall sighs, after giving Calum enough room to squeeze on. “No reason for two of us not to get any sleep. She’s already been fed and changed and changed again. Just have to wait until she gets tired again.”
“You’re a really bad listener, you know that?” Calum mutters. “Let one of us handle it, next time.”
“Next time I’ll be back in my cottage.” Niall points out.
“When are you just-” Calum says quietly. “Why won’t you move in with us?”
“I value my privacy, Cal.” Niall says gently, resting his head on Calum’s shoulder. “I need space, and you three- The way you all live on top of each other all the time- It’s too much for me. I can only handle it in small doses.”
“And it doesn’t have anything to do with you not even being able to say you love us?” Calum asks, his voice breaking a bit on the last words.
“Cal-” Niall murmurs. “That’s not it. Tell me that you know that’s not it. This is- It’s about my issues, not you three.”
“You’re not going to lose us if you say it, Niall.” Calum whispers. “I know- I know you’ve lost the other people you loved. I know your first love rejected you and Molly’s mother abandoned you, but you’re not going to lose us like that. The things you say when you’ve been drinking- I know how scared you are, but there’s no reason to be afraid.”
“There are so many reasons to be afraid.” Niall mutters. “And nothing in the world scares me more.”
“Okay.” Calum says quietly. “I’m sorry.”
Niall has to take a deep breath, has to steady himself. His father taught him to fear nothing. No witch’s power, no weapon, no force in this world. Niall has fought demigods and won. Niall has discarded miracles as if they were parlor tricks. He’s survived things no human should ever have to experience, let alone live through to deal with afterwards.
His father taught him to fear nothing, but his life has taught him to fear loss. Bressie taught him to fear the complacency that comes with safety. Barbara taught him to fear his own overconfidence. His teams in London taught him to fear his own mortality. Molly has taught him to fear his own weakness. And these lads have taught him to fear his inability to keep the demon inside of him in check.
He’ll never be good enough for them, and he knows that much, so he should sever the connection now and leave before he has the chance to really hurt anything other than their feelings.
“I do love you, you know.” Niall says, the words more painful than anything he’s ever said out loud. He knows what he’s condemning them to, what he’s condemning himself to, with just those few words. But he’s just not strong enough to hurt them right now, no matter how much it hurts them all in the end. “And that’s what’s so fucking terrifying.”
“Niall-” Calum breathes out, looking up to meet his eyes with watery ones of his own. “You don’t have to-”
“I do.” Niall says, pressing a soft kiss to Calum’s wet cheek. “Because I love you. And I am so, so sorry for that, because I’m not good enough for you. For any of you.”
“That’s not up to you to decide.” Calum murmurs, pulling Niall into a kiss. His lips are soft, but his purpose is fierce. He’s trying to tell Niall something in a language that he doesn’t understand, but he wants to so badly. Maybe he’ll have a chance to learn before everything inevitably explodes.
“Just don’t tell them I said that yet.” Niall pleads against Calum’s lips. “I want to tell them myself.”
“It’s safe with me.” Calum whispers, pressing their foreheads together and curling his fingers into Niall’s hair to keep him close. “And you’re safe with us, Niall. You’re safe with us. You can trust us.”
Maybe that’s true, but Niall knows that they can’t trust him. Not when he’s selfish enough to say those words out loud instead of keeping them inside of himself where they belong. He’ll destroy them all in time, and he’s too much of a coward to stop himself from staying until the demon inside of him razes everything to the ground and watches it turn to ashes.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Prophet, I said you need to evac now!” John yells through the comm into his ear.“These guys aren’t letting up, Producer.” Niall mutters back, dodging out of the way of a blast of fire.It’s not like he’s drawing this out on purpose. He’s already mowed down fourteen agents tonight. All he wants is to get back home to be with Molly. She seems to like being around Aoife or Jane well enough, but she never goes down for them. She’ll only sleep for any extended period of time if Niall rocks her.“I’m sending in cameraman.” John tells him.“Damn it, producer!” Niall hisses. “I’m fine on my own!”There’s a crash of glass breaking over to his left as James, Cameraman, bursts in through the window. His mask has a special function built into it, a blinding flash that blasts through the room, leaving one of the agents stunned.Unfortunately, that one was nothing to worry about. His power is weak, just the ability to transform his limbs into animal parts. James should have aimed his flash at the other one. The tall, skinny one with the feral smile. He’s the dangerous one. He’s pretending to use flame manipulation as his power, but Niall has seen that his real power is aerokinesis. He can see the distortion around the flames that he knows means it’s not true pyrokinesis, and he caught the flick of the lighter earlier.Plus, he already killed Raven- John Bird- downstairs before Niall could intervene.“Cameraman, go!” Niall shouts, but it’s too late.A blade of air slices through his gear before the words can leave Niall’s throat. It splits him open from his face down to his groin. The agent thrusts his hands forward, and then pulls them apart, using his aerokinesis to flay all of the skin and clothes off of James’ body in a second.Niall pulls out his gun and shoots James through the head as a mercy, because his screams haven’t stopped, which means that he’s still alive and conscious after all that pain, and no number of potions or surgery are going to heal the wounds.“Your turn.” the skinny agent says, turning towards Niall with his hand raised.He never gets the chance. Niall launches himself through the room at his maximum speed, dropping his gun to pull out his dagger. This is personal, now. James was alright, and pretty funny when he bothered to talk. Niall didn’t dislike him.He brings his dagger up, slicing through the skinny guy’s ring and pinky fingers, and then taking a chunk of the bloke’s ear with them. He rolls over the agent’s back when he drops to his knees screaming in pain, and treats the other to the same fate when he tries to swipe at Niall blindly with his shifted arms of a bear.“Cameraman is down.” Niall says into the comm as he jumps through the window James had come in through, nodding at Andy on the rooftop opposite on his way down. “I’ll make it back on my own. You guys need to go now, because I didn’t kill them, and I don’t know if they’re going to come after me. I’ll meet you when I’m sure that they’re not trailing me.”He runs down alleys in the pouring rain, his heart pounding. All he needs is to get back to Molly. That’s all that matters. Not the blood soaked into his uniform. Not James’ screams echoing in his ears. Not John yelling at him for an hour about his idiotic, suicidal behavior over missions for the last six months ending up with people dying.Only Molly matters in this world.“You’re a selfish little prick, you know that?” Aoife sighs when Niall steps in through the door, Molly trying to grip her hair. “I know that Barbara leaving fucked you up, but you can’t keep going off plan in missions. James and John are already dead. Do you want that to happen to you too, when you inevitably get in over your head?”“Me eating you out once does not mean you get any say in how I live my life, Aoife.” Niall mutters, taking Molly when she reaches towards him and gurgles.“You’re not going to have a life if you keep this up!” Aoife hisses.“I’ve never told you who I am, have I?” Niall says with a humorless laugh. “I’ve been doing this longer than any operative active in London right now. I was born and raised into this. I have been trained since I was four years old to be better and stronger than any witch. It would take a hell of a lot more than a few agents to take me down.”“Niall, that’s not-” Aoife starts.“My father is the Oracle.” Niall interrupts. “I am the single most highly trained operative in the empire, because he raised me to be the very best.”“Niall, nobody is invincible.” Aoife says softly, crouching down next to him in the chair he’s rocking Molly in. “Not your father, not an agent, and not you. I know how hard this has been on you. I know what she did to you. But you have this beautiful little girl, and she needs you. You’re all she has. You’ve had a death-wish since Barbara disappeared, and I would hate to see anything happen to Molly if you died.”Niall’s not going to die, though. He can’t. There’s not anything on earth that’ll stand between him and his daughter. He’ll raise all the hell he needs to. Andy wasn’t wrong when he called him a demon. “Watch it, you absolute morons!” Niall growls out when Andy and Mike accidentally butt Niall into the doorframe.He normally tries not to be such a dick, but he’s lost almost two liters of blood. Ina few minutes, nothing is going to be able to save him, not magic or surgery. Fucking explosive witches. He’s got burns covering ninety-percent of his body, lacerations leaking blood by the cup-full and half of his bones are pulverized.“Move, idiots.” Jane hisses as soon as they lay him down, pushing them away.“No appreciation.” Mike mutters, walking away with his arm over Andy’s shoulder. “Not our fault he’s finally succeeded in committing suicide and decided he doesn’t want to die after all.”“This is going to hurt, Horan.” Jane says quietly, pulling out an array of potions from her jacket. “A lot.”“I can handle pain.” Niall says through gritted teeth. “How do you think I’m conscious right now?”“You won’t be in a minute.” Jane says, uncorking a bottle with her teeth and then pouring it down Niall’s throat.She’s right. He’s out in a second. “I have never met somebody stupider than you in my entire life.” Aoife mutters as soon as Niall regains consciousness.“Hand me the whiskey or go away.” Niall sighs, reaching over towards the table next to his bed, only to find himself cuffed to the frame. Fuckers.“Those are for your own safety.” Aoife tells him. “You didn’t finish killing yourself, so we wanted to make sure that you couldn’t try again.”“Aoife-” Niall groans.“Don’t you dare, Niall.” Aoife hisses, cutting him off. “What happens when you succeed and Molly is an orphan?”“I didn’t die.” Niall huffs. “And I’m not trying to, either.”“Niall, you need to leave.” Aoife says quietly. “Molly is almost a year old. It’s been a year of you doing this to yourself, but you’re not- You’re not the one who’s going to have to suffer if you get your wish. She’s going to start walking and talking, and this place is a death trap for a toddler.”“I will make sure nothing happens to her.” Niall tells her.“Is this the life you want for her, Niall?” Aoife asks. “Do you want her to come up as an operative? Do you want her to have your life?”That- That hits Niall square in the chest.“No.” Niall breathes out. “Never.”“Then get out of this place.” Aoife pleads, her voice as soft as the hand she slips into Niall’s. “Forget about the Technophage, and forget about Barbara, and just- Go. I know you have some money stashed somewhere. Use it to get you and Molly as far away from London as you can.”“I don’t- I don’t know any other life than this, Aoife.” Niall whispers, shutting his eyes. “Even when I was with Babs- Barbara- I still did this. I don’t know how not to do this. It’s all I was raised to be. I’m a weapon, not a father.”“You can be so much more than a weapon.” Aoife urges. “And if you decide not to walk away, you’re going to be choosing to turn Molly into a weapon in the end. She’ll grow up in this. She will be in danger every second of every day for the rest of her life. You have to choose to be her da if you don’t want that for her.”She’s not wrong. Niall has to get Molly out of London. He has to get her somewhere safer. Somewhere that nobody will ever find her, or be able to put her in danger. Somewhere that Niall can consolidate his power. Mullingar is a quaint place. It’s large enough to have a decent magical community, but still feels small. It still feels peaceful. Nobody would ever look at a place like this and think that the most dangerous man in the empire is running the Technophage from here.Niall hates it even more than London.“Well, well, well- the prodigal son returns.” Bobby hums with amusement as Niall strolls into Christ the King, which Bobby has repurposed as his base of operations. He’s seated where the pulpit was back in the days that this place was in use.“Taking a biblical passage out of context in a house of god-” Niall returns, shifting Molly on his chest. “Arrogant as ever, I see.”“You know as well as I do that the only power in myth is the ability to control the weak-minded.” Bobby says with a roll of his eyes.“And yet you’ve managed to keep from being a believer.” Niall fires back at him. “Amazing.”“Do you want me to get rid of this smart-arse, Bobby?” some brainless fool asks, stepping up and grabbing Niall by the shoulder.“Get your hand off of me.” Niall tells him calmly. “Or I will remove it before you can say another word.”He takes a look at Niall, his papoose and dark-circled eyes and all, and makes an assumption. His assumption is wrong.“Y-” is all he gets out before Niall’s dagger glints in the light coming through the windows. It’s almost pretty, the way the blood spurts out from the stump that’s left. Niall has to move quickly, taking the guy by the head and slamming it down into the stone beneath him to keep him from screaming by knocking him out.He doesn’t want Molly waking up early from her nap. It took him ages to get her to sleep, and some handless idiot isn’t going to wreck that.“Well, now that you’ve taken out my right-hand man, would you like to speak to me?” Bobby sighs, waving his hand and having the idiot removed from the room. “Maybe introduce the child?”“She’s mine.” Niall says simply, stepping over the hand. “And she’s none of your concern. You will have nothing to do with her, or how she’s brought up. She will not see you. She will not speak to you. She will not know you. She will not be a part of this place, but I will. It seems like you need a new right hand. Yours is on the floor.”“Why me, and not Breslin?” Bobby asks, leaning back in his chair with a curious lift of his eyebrow. “You’ve always preferred him.”“He didn’t shoot me in the stomach when I was four.” Niall says flatly. “But Breslin and I have severed connections. I’ve sent some personnel from London to work with him, but Dublin isn’t for me. London is too dangerous for Molly. This is the safest place I can go for her. We all know you have this city under your thumb.”“I won’t have a distracted second in command.” Bobby says simply. “Gareth may be handless now, but he’s focused on the mission.”“Your mission over the last few years seems to be nothing more than wanton chaos and killing.” Niall says with a growl.“And yours seems to be playing at house with a witch.” Bobby throws back in his face. “Do you think I don’t know where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing? Do you think I don’t know about the child’s mother? Do you think I don’t know what kind of blood is flowing in her veins?”“As I said, my daughter is none of your concern.” Niall says stiffly.“Nor will she be yours.” Bobby says, standing up and throwing a dagger towards Niall. It’s not meant to kill, doesn’t have the intent in it, but Niall has a queasy feeling in his stomach when he catches it nonetheless. He doesn’t like where this is going. “Kill her, or we don’t have a deal.”“You can’t seriously think I’m going to do that.” Niall scoffs, throwing the dagger into the ground in front of himself, getting it to slice into the stone and stand straight up.“I will not have a half-breed or a blood traitor carrying my name!” Bobby snarls, his voice rumbling through the place like thunder. It makes Molly whimper and start to squirm on Niall’s chest, so he murmurs to her and pats her back until she settles back down.“You don’t have a choice.” Niall says, shaking his head. “You and I both know that everyone in this building, including you, aren’t enough to stop me from walking out of here. I’m not going to kill my daughter, and you’re not going to try and have me killed, because you don’t want to have to rebuild your powerbase if I even decide to spare you.”“You overestimate yourself, boy.” Bobby growls out, walking down the steps towards Niall. He gestures with his hand, which has every other operative in the place moving in as well.“Do you know what this is?” Niall asks, pulling a small, metal sphere out of his pocket. “I have several in there from an acquaintance back in London. There’s a new operative somewhere up in Scotland that one of my people knew there. Would you like me to demonstrate?”Niall holds Molly’s head tight to his chest with his left hand, jumping into a backflip and then launching himself off the head of one of Bobby’s people. He uses his right hand to throw the sphere into the spot he was standing in before. He’s pretty sure that he’s got the distance he needs now, if the tests he ran with Aoife are anything to go by.One of Aoife’s lightning bolts crashes through the ceiling, dispersing around the sphere and connecting with any metal that any of the operatives have on them. All of them are down by the time Niall lands twenty feet away from Bobby, the only one of them left standing because he at least had the sense to move.“Consider this my parting gift.” Niall mutters, taking out another sphere and throwing it towards Bobby as fast as he can. Bobby moves out of the way just in time, but Niall wasn’t aiming for him. He was aiming for the massive sculpture of Jesus in the back, which comes down off of the wall when it gets hit by the lightning bolt, taking Bobby out when it crashes to the Earth.It’s what he deserves for making Niall have to wake Molly up early with the sound of a crash of thunder. Niall is out of options. None of the leads he’s had on other branches of the Technophage have panned out. No place is secure enough for Niall to raise Molly. No place is safe enough for her if Dublin and Mullingar are off of the table.Niall has run through his savings buying food and nappies and as much whiskey as he can manage. He barely has enough left for a bus ticket, which is not the kind of thing he wants to find out in the middle of the bus station with a screaming infant on his hip and a hangover.If he could just bloody sleep without the blood and screaming taking over his dreams, he wouldn’t need to drink. The hangovers are an unfortunate side-effect.“I’m sorry, sir.” the pretty brunette behind the counter says to him. Niall is pretty sure her nametag says Eleanor, but it could say Gertrude for all he knows. His head is fucking throbbing, and his vision might be blurring a little. “There’s only one route you can purchase a ticket on with this amount. It won’t get you to Manchester. It’ll get you to a little village called Saint Martine.”“Fine.” Niall mutters. “Whatever. There, then.”“Well, sir- It’s in the opposite direction.” she tells him.“I don’t care.” Niall breathes out. “I just- I need to get out of here. I need to go somewhere different.”“Will you be needing two adult tickets?” she questions. “One for the mother as well?”“She abandoned us, so I doubt it.” Niall mutters.“Oh, well-” she says softly. “I’m sorry. This village, though- It’s a good place for a child and for someone in your position. It’s small and charming. No magical presence whatsoever.”“You had me at ‘you can afford to get there’.” Niall says, keeping his face neutral so that she doesn’t see the relief written there. He can’t afford for any magical to even wonder if he might be part of the Technophage. Not with the increased presence driving the news reports about them nearly every day.Bobby’s wrath has been felt mightily throughout England since Niall pissed him off.“It’s a good place for a sweet girl like her.” she adds, giving a stroke to Molly’s hair across the counter. “A place to grow and learn. A place for a family to find itself.”“When does it leave?” Niall asks, pulling Molly a bit closer to himself as she begins to calm.“Five minutes.” she tells him.“Alright.” Niall nods, passing her the money and taking the tickets in return. Saint Martine isn’t going to be home. It’s going to be a pitstop. But it’ll be nice, just for a minute, to be somewhere with no magic. Plus, when he gets on the bus, there’s nobody else on it. That means he can drink for the duration of the ride once he gets Molly fed and settled. “Who the hell is he?” Niall hears a voice ask. He wishes that they wouldn’t talk so bloody loudly. He doesn’t want to have to kill someone to get his kip in, but he will if he has to. He definitely will if they get any louder and wake Molly up.“He looks cold.” another voice says. “So does the baby. We should get him inside so they don’t freeze.”“I’m not inviting a hobo into our bloody pub, Luke.” a third voice hisses.“I’m not a hobo, arsehole.” Niall grunts out, shifting so that he can pop the vertebrae in his stiff back. He peeks his eye open and takes in the three lads in front of him. They’re nice to look at, but don’t look like they have a single lick of sense between the three of them. “I heard Calum Hood was looking for a handyman. I’m guessing that’s you in the middle there.”“Who told you that?” Calum asks, narrowing his eyes.“Some old guy at the bus station.” Niall admits. “Just need to know if he was right. I’m good with tools and I can build anything you need.”“I can smell the whiskey on his breath from here.” the one who called him a hobo mutters, turning towards Calum like that’s going to stop Niall from hearing him.“Ashton!” the other one hisses. He’s skinny and blond with bright blue eyes that look far too innocent. He’s trusting. Niall can see that right off the bat. He’s also been looking at Molly with eyes as wide as saucers.He’s the mark.“Luke!” Ashton growls back at him. “I’m not trusting some drunk with keys to our businesses!”“Listen- I just need an answer.” Niall sighs, pushing himself up with the wall until he’s on his feet, shouldering his bag. “I need to get my daughter out of the cold.”“I’m not looking for anyone right now.” Calum says, looking down at the ground. “I’ll keep you in mind, though, if anything comes up.”“Don’t bother.” Niall tells him, waving it off. “If there’s nothing for me here, then I’m going to walk to the next village over and see if there’s something there.”“The next village is twenty kilometers away.” Luke says quietly. “Stay here in the village for the night. We have cottages that you can rent.”“Spent the last of my money getting to this village.” Niall says, shaking his head and stepping towards the road. “Can’t afford a cottage.”“You can-” Luke starts, but Ashton coughs loudly to cut him off.“Sorry to take up your time.” Niall mutters, walking away and shifting Molly to his other arm. He’s got a long walk ahead of him.“When’s the last time you ate?” Luke calls after him.“Luke!” Ashton says sharply.“Ashton, I swear to god nobody will touch your dick for a week if you fucking interrupt me one more goddamn time.” Luke says icily. “And Calum will back me up, or so help me, I will make you both miserable.”“Whatever.” Ashton scoffs. “It’s on your head, and anything you do for him and anything he steals is coming out of your share of the monthly profits.”“Keep talking and I guarantee you’ll be the one paying.” Luke says firmly.“I’d answer his question.” Calum sighs, stepping out from between where Ashton and Luke are glaring at each other and heading towards Niall. “Princess there gets really shitty when he has to wait for anything.”“Um- Three days.” Niall says after thinking for a minute about it. All of his meals have been liquid, lately. He eats when he absolutely needs to. Bobby trained him to go a lot longer than this without food. “It’s not that big of a deal.”“Get inside.” Luke demands, pointing at the door. “Now.”“I need to get going.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I don’t need a meal. I need a job. There’s nothing here for me, so I need to get going. Thanks for the offer, though.”“Wasn’t an offer.” Luke says flatly. “It was an order. Get inside.”“Cute.” Niall snorts, turning back towards the road. Unfortunately, that’s when Molly decides to wake up and starts to wail. It’s her hungry cry.“We have mushy peas for her.” Luke tells him. “And I’m sure we can come up with some cereal.”“She doesn’t take long to eat.” Niall says with a sigh, turning back. “I’ll be out of your hair in ten minutes. I have food for her in my bag, so I just need somewhere to sit while I feed her.”“Cute.” Luke returns with a smirk. “Get inside. I’ll have the fish and chips up for you in ten. I’d give you a choice on what to eat, but that’s the only thing worth eating here.”“At least have him take a look at the oven before he goes.” Ashton mutters, heading inside. “Get something useful out of him.”And, quick as that, Niall ends up fixing their oven after he feeds Molly and changes her nappy. Luke is all too happy to spend the night playing with her while Niall does the necessary repairs, and Niall is all too happy to let someone else whose hands don’t shake hold her. Ashton and Calum don’t seem too happy to lose Luke out of the front of house, and the cook, Feldy, isn’t happy to have Niall laid on the floor in the middle of his kitchen. He smartly keeps his mouth shut, though, because he’s the one who’s going to benefit most.“Hand me that spanner?” Niall requests, pointing towards Luke’s feet.“You can finish tomorrow.” Luke tells him. “Let’s get you and this little bird to the cottage so you can get some decent sleep.”“Luke-” Niall sighs.“It’s almost nine.” Luke says softly, looking down at Molly. “By the time you get anywhere, nobody will be awake.”“Well, I don’t like taking advantage, so let me finish this.” Niall tells him. “That way I’ve done something to earn my keep for the night.”“Niall, I said you can finish tomorrow.” Luke repeats.“I need to leave in the morning and give myself-” Niall tries to explain. Clearly Luke is an idiot. Probably gets away with it by being that cute.“Tomorrow, Niall.” Luke says firmly. “I’m saying you have a job, if you want it.”“That’s not in your power to offer.” Niall mumbles, scooting the spanner towards himself with his foot and taking it up. “Calum is the witch, which means he’s the only one who-”“Calum will do what I tell him to.” Luke snorts. “Or else he’s going to have to bottom for Ashton until I get what I want. He’ll cave easily, or his asshole will. He calls himself versatile, but-”“Are you always like this?” Niall cuts him off.“I am.” Luke says with a smile and a nod that are way too proud for the situation.“And do you always get what you want?” Niall chuckles.“Always.” Luke smirks. “So, get your ass up, put the tools in the box, and then let’s get going.”“You’re the boss.” Niall says with a shrug. “But I really could finish this up in about five minutes.”“Luke.” Feldy says with a glare.“Fine.” Luke sighs. “I have plenty more for you to do tomorrow anyways. We own half of this village, and there’s plenty that needs repairing.”“Thought Calum wasn’t looking for anyone?” Niall hums, returning to his work.“That’s- That was because Ashton doesn’t trust strangers.” Luke admits, grunting as he shifts Molly to his other side. “Especially grubby ones who were sleeping on the door of the pub.”“Then why are you fighting for me?” Niall asks, keeping focused on his task.“Just a feeling.” Luke says quietly. “Think you’re someone worth fighting for.”He has no idea how wrong he is, but Niall will just have to take advantage of that. Molly needs a place where Niall can keep her safe. She’s worth fighting for, but Niall- Niall is nothing. He knows that more than well enough by now.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
If Niall thought that secondary school was ridiculous, it’s nothing compared to what he feels about university. The entire place is a free-for-all of magic users, running around with newfound freedom.
Niall is in a small, separate dorm with the rest of the few non-magicals that got accepted and weren’t too scared to take the scholarship. Niall wasn’t scared. He just didn’t have anything else. He couldn’t stay in Dublin, and he refused to go to Mullingar. He’s tooled around in London for the last few months since he left Dublin, spent time on missions with some of the branches of the Technophage there. It should be the perfect place for him, no end of magicals to undermine or raid or kill.
But it’s empty. It’s soulless. It’s evil.
It’s a disgusting place, and Niall is glad to be rid of it, even if it does only leave him the option of Oxford now.
Unfortunately for him, even the streets of London are less complicated than the campus of this stupid university. There are too many damn colleges, too many buildings to try and navigate when Niall has spent up until the day before classes going on missions. He should have probably taken a look at a map of the campus, but he was pretty exhausted from a raid that ended with him slitting the throat of the Portuguese ambassador last night to prevent a move in parliament to institute mandatory factory work for the non-magical population of Lisbon.
He’d had to tear through sixteen guards and spent an hour healing after his left Achilles tendon had been sliced open and half of his torso had been burned so severely that it had taken three vials of potions to bring his skin back to normal.
It was a middling night. Not the worst he’s had by far, but not exactly easy to help his transition into this new phase of his life.
Which is why he’s running too late to class on an hour and a half worth of sleep. It’s why he stumbles into a lecture already in full swing. The only thing that keeps him from becoming the center of attention is his years of stealth training. He slips into the room, darkened with some image of the second great war projected on a large crystal screen at the front of the room.
It isn’t what catches his attention, though. That honor belongs solely to the brunette in the front of the room. Her sharp eyes are the only set that catches him as he takes a seat near the back, glinting blue even in the low light of the room. She purses her lips in disapproval and makes her way up the stairs towards him.
“Your syllabus.” she says, handing Niall a piece of paper.
“Is it the beige that has you taking that tone?” Niall hums in amusement, getting a good eyeful of her.
She’s by far the most beautiful woman that Niall has ever seen, which Niall didn’t expect to find in England. Her accent reveals that she’s from further east, though, or at least her parents are. Interesting to find someone of Soviet descent here, clearly in an advantageous position in the most important university in the empire.
“It’s the tardiness.” she scoffs, rolling her eyes and clutching at a golden feather medallion on her chest. “You’re at Oxford. Act like it. Every other student in this room had to work a lot harder than you to get here.”
“Love, you don’t know a thing about me.” Niall snorts. “And you’re a fool if you think anyone in this room had to work harder to be here than I did.”
“Charity case.” she mutters.
“Frigid witch.” Niall fires back.
“You- The non-magical there in the back- See me after class.” the professor announces loudly. Apparently, they had drawn more attention than he’d thought.
She waves her hand and traps him in a bubble-barrier, walking back down to the front of the room. The rest of the lecture for the other members of the class is spent snickering at him. The rest of the lecture for him is spent watching the witch try to avoid any eye contact with him.
She fails four times, and Niall’s smirk grows with each glance he catches, lasting well through the rant the professor aims at him afterwards.
“Oh, look.” Niall hums, sidling up at the bar. “The frigid witch can unwind after all.”
“I have no interest in any more of your antics, Mister Horan.” she sighs. “The best part of my week was when you didn’t show up to the Wednesday lecture.”
“Oh, I wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place.” Niall chuckles, taking a drink from his beer. He’s nursing it slowly, because the student union will only serve a non-magical two pints a night. Fuckers. “Turns out my lecture was in the other hall across the way.”
“Good.” she says flatly, taking a swig from her own bottle of beer while Niall watches that same gold feather medallion from the other day settle between her breasts. “Then there’s no reason for us to ever speak to each other again.”
“You really cannot stand that there’s non-magicals on this campus now, can you?” Niall scoffs as she stands up from the bar to walk away. “Must be the Soviet in you. Hungarian, am I right?”
“I am not a bigot, Mister Horan.” she says sharply, turning on him with an acidic glare. “My descent has nothing to do with my opinion of you.”
“Like I said, love-” Niall says through a smirk. “You don’t know a thing about me.”
“I’ve looked into you since that lecture.” she says with a roll of her eyes. “Irish born, obviously. Your father owns an inherited pub. You didn’t start attending public education until you were fifteen. A record of violent behavior, but outstanding marks that were enough for the selection committee to overlook your problems with authority.”
“Actually, I’d say that the authorities have a problem with me.” Niall hums. “Just like you do, and for the same reason. Did you bother to look up anything about those violent behaviors? Did you bother to see that in every case I ever hit someone and got in trouble for it, it was a fight that a witch started with me?”
“I find it highly unlikely that a witch would bother wasting the effort.” she scoffs.
“Why would you think that?” Niall asks, raising his eyebrow. “Are you willfully ignorant, or just regularly ignorant?”
“Watch what you say when you talk to me, Mister Horan.” she growls out, clenching her bottle more tightly.
“Why?” Niall questions, stepping in closer. “Can’t handle a bit of back-talk from a non-magical? Want to teach me my place for having an opinion you don’t like? Join the club with the rest of them.”
“I am an assistant professor on this campus, and you will treat me with the respect I deserve.” she says, her voice growing low and threatening as she moves in closer.
“Respect is earned.” Niall tells her, his smirk engraving itself onto his lips. “Give me something to respect, Barbara.”
“How do you know my name?” Barbara questions, eyes narrowing.
“You’re not the only one who can do research, Babs.” Niall chuckles, leaning against the bar. “Hungarian parents. Star pupil of your parents’ hired teacher, because you didn’t attend public or private academy schooling at all. National test scores out of this world, though not as high as mine. So much so that you got invited to a special dinner with the Empress for the most outstanding students in the empire. Blew through your courses here, testing through most of them to get your degree in two years and landed an assistant professor position while you pursue your doctorate. You’re considered one of the hardest professors, assistant or not, on campus. You’ve got several nicknames a lot more colorful than frigid witch.”
“You’ve got a few yourself.” Barbara returns.
“The difference is, I don’t give a fuck what a single person on this campus thinks about me, unlike you.” Niall replies with a snort. “You care far too much. All about image, you are. That’s why you’re so against my kind being in this place. We ruin the integrity of a university like this with our tainted blood.”
“That’s not- That’s not true.” Barbara sighs. “I’m sorry what I said about you not having worked hard to get here.”
“No, you’re not.” Niall hums, offering her a smile. “But that’s fine. Like I said, I don’t get hung up on what people think of me. I’ve made mistakes, yes, but I’ve more than earned my position here, and I know it. I don’t care if you think my blood should exclude me from this place.”
“I never said that.” Barbara huffs. “It’s your attitude that should exclude you from this place. You have no interest in learning anything. You didn’t even bother to show up to your first lecture on time, or at all, apparently. You talked back to your assistant professor. You didn’t pay any attention that whole lecture. You just stared at me the whole time. That’s not the attitude of anyone who should be here.”
“Then why don’t I buy you a drink and you can recount the whole lecture to me.” Niall offers. “We both know you know more about the subject than the professor.”
“Don’t try to flatter me, Horan.” Barbara hums, turning towards the barkeep. “I’ll take a bottle of the thirty-year Glenfiddich. It’s on him.”
Niall snorts out a laugh at that and empties what’s left of his wallet onto the counter to pay for it. They get two drinks each and twenty minutes into the lecture before Niall has her pressed against the wall of a stall in the men’s room, the lace of her knickers roughing up the pads of his fingers when he slips his hands up the sides of her short, blue dress while he’s got her tongue halfway down his throat. He starts to pull them down, and then he’s trapped against the wall, encased in another bubble of silver light.
“You get ahead of yourself, Horan.” Barbara grunts out, flipping her hair back over her shoulder.
She doesn’t seem to notice that, in the split second it took her to propel him backwards, he managed to grab the medallion. As soon as he hears the door close, he pulls out his dagger and slices it through the magic, pocketing both the dagger and the medallion as he strolls over to the window and climbs out with a smile on his face.
Niall wakes up to his door being blown off of the hinges, slamming across the room into the bed that Niall had been in a fraction of a second before.
“Morning, Babs.” Niall hums, covering himself with the blanket. He’d just been having a dream about her, finishing what they started last night, so part of him is more than a little enthusiastic to see her. The rest of him wanted to get a bit more sleep, and not have to dodge a piece of wood flying at him as a waking exercise. But his father had woken him up with a bullet to the gut enough times that this is nothing. “Would you like some coffee? I don’t have any, but I can make you some in the kitchen down the hall.”
“Where is it?” Barbara asks, fury coloring her words as she steps into the room through the hail of splinters on the ground.
“You’re going to have to be more specific.” Niall says through a yawn, rubbing at his eye.
She raises her hand to trap him in yet another barrier, but Niall crosses the distance in an instant, pinning her hands against the wall instead.
“Uh-uh, love.” Niall says with a grin. “I’m not in the mood after that wakeup.”
“My thigh says otherwise.” Barbara says flatly.
“Don’t listen to him.” Niall snorts. “He’s a traitor. Never has been able to resist a strong woman. Or man, but that’s a different story. Don’t think it concerns you over-much, unless you’ve got a dick hidden in those knickers you wouldn’t let me get down last night. I wouldn’t mind either way.”
“I assure you, Horan, I’ve not got a dick anywhere on me except that stump you’re pressing into me.” Barbara growls.
“That’d hurt a lesser man, Babs.” Niall chuckles, releasing his grip on her.
“I’ve yet to ever meet a lesser man than you.” Barbara scoffs. “A deviant and a thief.”
“Now, now-” Niall says with a chiding finger as he crosses over to his bureau and grabs a pair of pants to pull on. “You were as into it as I was last night. Just far too worried about what it would look like if word got out that you let some non-magical get you off with my fingers in the loo.”
“That’s not- That-” Barbara sputters. “Shut the fuck up, Horan, and give me my medallion before I report you to the chancellor.”
“And how exactly do you plan on getting it back, should I have it, if I get kicked out?” Niall asks with a smirk, sitting back down on his bed after he’s got his pants on.
“Don’t make me rip open your mind and take the location from it.” Barbara grits out between clenched teeth. “Telepathy isn’t my strongest talent, so I might scramble what little you have stored in your head.”
“You’re welcome to try, if you think you can.” Niall says with a wave of his hand in a gesture inviting her to attempt to crack the vaults of his mind.
He feels her start to try immediately, a pressure in his head that feels like he has to sneeze. He can see the frustration growing on her face as she knocks against his mental barriers with more and more force, trying to find any weakness she can exploit. She won’t, though. Niall has faced much stronger telepathic attacks than this. He could have withstood this at seven.
“Fine.” Barbara sighs, dropping her attack after several minutes of trying. “What do you want?”
“Meet me tonight.” Niall tells her. “The little Italian place down the street from here. Seven. If I find your medallion, I’ll bring it. If not, I’ll still bring my charming self.”
“If you don’t bring it, I’ll have you thrown out of here so hard you’ll land back in Dublin like a meteor.” Barbara says harshly, turning towards the door and walking out.
She doesn’t bother to fix his door with her magic on the way out, so he spends the time up until the date installing a new one and ignoring the fact that he’s missing a lecture on the fundamentals of engineering.
“I hate you.” Barbara grunts into the kiss, biting harshly at Niall’s bottom lip as the stumble through the door.
“You’re a fucking bitch.” Niall growls, kicking the door shut and pressing her up against the wall.
“Are you going to keep talking and making an idiot of yourself tonight, or are you going to stick that thumb-sized thing you call a cock inside me?” Barbara scoffs, turning and waving her hand to push him through the room telekinetically until he lands on the bed.
“Figured I’d use my mouth first.” Niall says, leaning up on his elbows.
“Niall, we both know you’ve never done anything more than kiss someone before.” Barbara says with a hum, waving her hand so her dress slips off of her shoulders and falls to the ground. There’s no bra, which Niall hadn’t noticed in the restaurant, too focused on the intensity in her eyes.
He loves the fire in them.
He doesn’t mind her perky tits with that golden feather hanging between them again either.
“And why would you think that?” Niall asks, narrowing his eyes. She’s right, but he doesn’t know how she could possibly know that. He hadn’t felt her probe at his mind all throughout dinner, even when he’d finally decided to stop humoring her idea of him that he’s a total idiot.
“You’re shaking in the way only a virgin would.” Barbara says with a shrug, stripping out of her knickers and tossing them directly in Niall’s face when he sucks his bottom lip between his teeth. “So, let’s fix that first, get rid of your nerves, and then I’ll let you prove this isn’t a massive mistake afterwards.”
“It was a mistake, Horan.” Barbara sighs, keeping her eyes locked on the books in front of her.
“Believe it was about twenty mistakes over the last three months, really.” Niall hums. “And that’s what you said after each one, and yet we always end up back in bed together. So why don’t we skip this whole song and dance and just go back to yours so I can eat your-”
“Enough, Niall!” Barbara hisses, slapping a barrier over his mouth to stop him from speaking. “That is not happening!”
Niall lifts two fingers, wiggling them while he sticks his tongue out and flicks it against the barrier. He doesn’t have to be able to speak to get his point across.
“You are such an impudent little monster.” Barbara huffs, blowing a puff of air to set a disheveled clump of hair back to right. Niall thinks she’s much sexier when she stops trying to look so perfect all the time.
Also when she’s come completely undone on his tongue, with her head thrown back and her hair wild and her fingers are scratching Niall’s scalp hard enough to make him bleed because she can’t control herself.
“Not a monster, love.” Niall hums when she removes the barrier.
“A demon, then.” Barbara sighs.
“A man.” Niall corrects her. “One who, per your own words, has made you cum harder than anyone else, if I remember correctly. So why don’t we go remind you of that? Or I can just crawl under this desk and-”
“Niall Horan, shut up for once in your entire life.” Barbara growls out, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him down. “What I do is no longer any of your concern. I will be leaving this university tonight, and we will never see each other again.”
“The semester isn’t over.” Niall points out.
“I am transferring to the Imperial College London.” Barbara mutters. “There are less people there who know me.”
“You really let the talk get to you?” Niall scoffs. “That’s so typical, Babs. Can’t handle a damn thing, can you? Not the slightest bit of pressure.”
“I’m pregnant, Niall.” Barbara breathes out, the whisper blowing across his skin nearly knocking him onto his arse.
His heart seizes in his chest, clenches with something unknowable. He’s not sure if it’s panic or joy or fear. All he knows is that he can’t breathe.
“I- Is it mine?” Niall questions, the words scratching at his throat.
“You’re the only person I’ve been with in the last several months, so yes, it’s yours.” Barbara says quietly. “She- She’s yours, according to a scrying I did.”
“Are you going to keep her?” Niall asks weakly.
“I am.” she says with a nod. “And I’m going to raise her myself. You don’t need to- You won’t be involved, Niall. I don’t need you. This isn’t a relationship, and I’m not going to raise a child with you.”
“That’s not your decision to make.” Niall grits out. “I’m her father.”
“You’re a sperm donor.” Barbara counters, lifting herself up from the chair, one hand fitting instinctively over her stomach. “My decision is final, Horan. This is the last contact we will have. I wish you all the best of luck. I really do. But, from now on, we go our separate ways. Do not attempt to contact me again.”
Before Niall can speak, Barbara presses her hand to his arm and Niall is back in his dorm, his stomach twisting from the teleportation. He opens his window and drops the fifteen feet to the ground, sprinting towards Barbara’s dorm, but when he gets there and forces the door open, all of her stuff is already gone.
Niall puts as many holes in the walls with his fist as he can find space for, ignoring the way his fingers crack and break and his skin shears off with each new thrust into the drywall. Everyone in the building can hear his screams of rage.
“Am I supposed to be shocked that you’ve located me, or angry that you’ve broken into my flat?” Barbara asks, leveling Niall with a glare.
“How about happy to see me?” Niall counters with a hum.
It hadn’t taken the month that it’s been from the last time he’d spoken to Barbara to find her. He’d found her in about two days, actually, but it’s taken the rest of the month to let his anger die down. He spent weeks picturing ripping her throat out, and he knew that wasn’t where he should be emotionally when he finally confronted her.
Instead, he’s spent the last month doing missions and gathering funds to show her that he can provide for her and their daughter.
“When has that ever been the case, Horan?” Barbara scoffs, setting down her bag on the table by the door. Niall opens his mouth, but she’s faster. “Don’t answer that. Never. The answer is never.”
“How is she?” Niall asks, leaning back against the couch to show he’s not planning to go anywhere.
“She’s the size of a finger.” Barbara says with a soft smile, staring down at her stomach.
“You gonna try and port me again?” Niall asks.
“Can’t be gone by the time you find me again.” Barbara says, shaking her head. “I’m stuck in this lease for eighteen months.”
“Gonna call the cops?” Niall asks next.
“No.” she says, shaking her head. “I think I know well enough by now that’s not going to do me any good.”
“Then what are you going to do?” Niall questions, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“It’s not about what I’m going to do.” Barbara tells him, sitting in the chair opposite from the couch. “It’s about what you are.”
“I’m going to be there for our daughter.” Niall says softly. “I’ve got some money already, and I’m going to keep working so that you don’t have to. I know the library doesn’t pay you that much anyways.”
“Not that.” Barbara hums. “It’s everything else, Horan. And I do mean everything. You’re going to do the cooking and the cleaning. You’re going to rub my feet when they’re sore, and you’re going to hold my hair back when I’ve got morning sickness, and let me practice my lectures on you, and you’re going to do any other fucking thing I need. Deal?”
Niall is not a cook. He doesn’t clean. He’s never massaged anything in his life, because he’s pretty sure he’d break someone’s footbones or collarbones by accident. Niall does not serve anyone. That’s not who he is, and it never will be. His father taught him to be dominant, and that’s who he is. He is the fastest, the strongest, the most powerful person in any room he walks into, regardless of the genetic status of everyone in it.
“Deal.” he agrees without a second thought.
“Good.” Barbara hums, thrusting her foot at him. “Get rubbing, Horan.”
“Ni, I am trying to work.” Barbara gasps, kicking Niall in the leg.
“Babs, I am trying to give you an orgasm.” Niall responds in the same exact tone, peeking out from beneath her skirt and then pushing himself up a little more so she can see his cheeky smile over the swell of her stomach. She’s six months pregnant, so it takes a bit of stretching of his neck.
“I need to focus.” Barbara huffs, smacking him on the forehead with her notebook. “Why are you so insatiable?”
“You’re generally nicer after I give you a bit of cunny.” Niall says with a shrug.
“I haven’t even spoken to you today.” Barbara grumbles. “So, I can’t have possibly been mean to you.”
“Not paying me any attention is being mean to me, Babs.” Niall says with a faux-pout. It takes so much willpower not to crack a smile when she shoots him her most unimpressed look.
“Ni- I’m serious.” Barbara says, stroking his cheek. “I love you, but I need you to leave me the hell alone so I can get this lecture together. I’m already having a hard-enough time focusing today because she’s kicking up a storm in there. I can’t have you being all needy for my attention right now.”
“Mm- Say it again.” Niall hums, leaning up towards her lips to reward her with a kiss.
“Leave me the hell alone.” she snorts out on a laugh that Niall can’t help but share.
“You’re such a bitch.” Niall chuckles. “I love you too. In fact, I love you enough to leave you the hell alone. I’ll just go pick up an extra shift or something. Make some money to keep feeding your fat arse so you don’t eat us out of house and home.”
“If you could make anything other than cheesy mash and eggy bread, I might not have to eat so much to keep our daughter growing.” Barbara says, glowering at Niall as he climbs up from between her legs.
“Yeah, yeah- Blame the guy that waits on you hand and smelly, smelly foot.” Niall snorts, heading towards the bedroom. “I was going to make you a special dinner tonight. Was gonna go all out, pull out all the stops.”
He closes the door almost all the way, crouching down at the foot of the bed and pulling up the floorboards he’d loosened when he’d moved in, pulling out his gear and tossing them into the bag that Barbara thinks contains his work outfit while she shouts, “Oh, cheesy mash and eggy bread together? I’m so sad I’m missing out on that feast!”
“I’ll pick something up from that Hungarian place you like on my way home, yeah?” Niall offers, walking back into the room.
“Now you’re talking.” Barbara hums, smacking at Niall’s shoulder when he leans down to press a kiss to the top of her head. “You should be leaving instead of talking.”
“Gotta say goodbye to my best girl first, don’t I?” Niall hums, reaching down and rubbing his hand over Barbara’s stomach. “Hey, best girl. Tell your mum to pick a name for you already so I can call you something different. And tell her to be nicer to me. Don’t even half believe it when she says she loves me anymore because she’s so mean to me lately.”
“Men are weak and needy creatures, lovebug.” Barbara murmurs, cupping her own hand over her stomach. “Never fall for their bullshit. If I ever teach you anything, let it be that.”
“See what I mean?” Niall asks the growing girl inside of Barbara. “She vicious.”
“Will be if you don’t leave me alone.” Barbara says, waving him off. “Now get out of here. I need to decide whether I’m going to focus on the fall of Madrid, or the fall of Paris as the primary part of the lecture.”
“Madrid.” Niall tells her, shrugging on his coat. “It’s your favorite subject. Use it as a chance to test out a chunk of your thesis on them. That’s all those idiots are good for anyways.”
“Knew I kept you around for a reason.” Barbara says as Niall slips out the door.
He’s actually glad that Barbara wants to be alone tonight. He had already set up a meet with Aoife and Johnny and Chris for a raid they’re going on. He needs the extra income. He needs the money to finish paying for the engagement ring he’s picked out for Barbara.
“No, that’s no way for him has he no manners nor no refinement nor no nothing in his nature slapping us behind like that on my bottom because I didn’t call him Hugh the ignoramus that doesn’t know poetry from a cabbage that’s what you get for not keeping them in their proper place.” Barbara reads out.
“Ulysses, Babs?” Niall snorts out, closing the door behind him. “Really?”
“Don’t do that!” Barbara gasps, twisting around in her seat to glare at him.
“It’s not my fault that you get so into your books that you don’t hear me come in.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes.
It is, actually. Niall did a lot of work soundproofing the flat after he moved in. He’s made sure no entry point into the flat makes any noise, that way Barbara doesn’t hear him coming back from a mission. The last thing he needs with the Technophage’s presence in London becoming more and more prominent is for Barbara to see him in his gear.
He’s already started building quite a name for himself, and his mask, a pure white oval to be the opposite of his father, is plastered on a bunch of screens and televisions all over London. Barbara has to have noticed by now, even if she doesn’t seem to care much about politics or the Technophage. She’s all about the past, not the present day.
But that’s made it easy for Niall to hide his other life from her. She never connects the news of attacks and assassinations to Niall’s disappearances and nights when he’s supposedly working. Or maybe she has. She’s smart. Almost as smart as Niall, though he’s sure she still insists otherwise.
“Anyway-” Barbara huffs, turning back towards her book. “What do you have against Joyce?”
“Marion is a forced perspective that tries to insert the female voice into literary conversation decades before it became popular, but her thoughts are shoehorned in, overly-sexualized and she’s villainized in the rest of the narrative for what ultimately boils down to Bloom’s failings as a husband and lover.” Niall explains, sitting down next to Barbara and letting her put her feet up on his lap while he rubs at the one that she puts on top. “All he focuses on are her sexual desires and he has a weird fixation on her menstruation. He doesn’t even give her the respect of giving punctuation to her stream of consciousness, which turns her entire episode, which he decided to put off until last because he clearly didn’t have the respect for women that he thought he did, into a series of run-on sentences with little to no coherent structure, jumping from point to point with no regard for how a woman might think, because he didn’t think they were capable of streamlined thought and would be so easily distracted.”
“Ah.” Barbara says with a nod. “I can see where you’re coming from. His prosaic style is definitely altered by his unconscious bias against women. Marion is demonized for her sexual desires and her affairs with Boylan. He treats her poorly, even though she’s based on his wife, who he considered his soulmate and only true muse. But she’s also a woman who took her life into her own hands in a period where others didn’t, where female characters were submissive and weak. She didn’t enjoy her life, personal or sex, so she did what she wanted. She stayed true to Bloom in her heart, and loves him deeply, but she wouldn’t let that love determine her whole life. She’s strong in a way that I think is admirable.”
“Let’s ask an expert, then.” Niall smirks, pressing his hand against Barbara’s stomach. “What do you think of Marion, Lovebug?”
As Niall expected she starts kicking immediately. It’s a little game that Barbara started a while ago, reading from different characters in books and offering their daughter the chance to pick her own name. For four months she’s rejected every name with a swift kick. It’s honestly starting to drive Niall a little insane. He has a strong feeling that their daughter is going to be as difficult as her mother.
He’s nowhere near prepared for two women this high-maintenance to be the center of his world.
“What about Molly?” Barbara hums, reaching down and putting her hand over Niall’s. “That’s what she goes by.”
Niall waits and waits and waits, but there’s no kick.
“We already had this discussion before you got home.” Barbara says with a soft smile. “We found it, Ni. Our little girl’s name is Molly.”
“I like it.” Niall says breathlessly, leaning in to press a kiss to Barbara’s stomach. “Hi, Molly.”
He gets a kick to his lips for the effort.
“Prophet, you need to get out of there.” Aoife says into his earpiece. “Boar has already escaped the facility with the information.”
“Kind of busy here, Hurricane!” Niall says quickly, launching himself through the window of the embassy. He hits the wall of the building next door, finding a grip on a windowsill and pulling his way up to the roof. “You five need to evac. I’ll get back on my own once I lose these idiots.”
“Prophet, that’s not what we’re talking about.” Chris sighs. “We just got word from Lionheart. Frigid Witch has gone into labor. She’s already at the hospital.”
“Fucking- Of course she did.” Niall sighs, rushing across the rooftop and leaping onto the lower roof of the next in line. He’s running out of space, only two buildings left, and he really doesn’t want this confrontation to happen on the street. He’d prefer for it to be on the next one in line, because it’s the highest up, which will give Aoife and Chris the opportunity to help him out if he gets in too much of a pinch.
He’s never needed interference before, but he could use it now. He’s on a pretty strict time limit here. He just knows Barbara is going to pop Molly out quickly to punish him for not being home earlier like he said he would.
He didn’t know that there were going to be six bloody EMIA agents in the building. The dossier they’d copied said two.
There are only two left after Niall and Johnny took care of the other four. Johnny is going to have to spend days cleaning one of them off of his hammer and fixing the tarnish from the bloodstains.
Niall points his arm up towards a furnace pipe on the roof of the next building and clenches his hand, shooting out a rune-covered metal arrowhead. It wraps around the pipe, and Niall unclenches his hand to operate the winch that pulls him up towards the arrowhead.
“Almost got away, little mouse.” says the agent that lands on the roof just after Niall does, flicking his wings out to show off. Fucking fliers. “But the eagle always catches its prey.”
“I don’t have time for this, bird-brain.” Niall sighs, throwing his dagger and planting it in the center of the flier’s chest. The miniaturized explosive Niall throws afterwards assures that he doesn’t have time to save himself with any magic.
It also, unfortunately, alerts the other agent to his position, and he’s the much more difficult one to deal with.
“I am going to have to do so much fucking paperwork because of you.” the guy says, landing on the rooftop with a disgusted look at the bottom half of his partner. It’s all that’s left. Unlike the flier, this guy is a real threat. He got to the roof by turning his body into lightning and shooting across the space from the embassy to this roof.
Metal is clearly not going to be the answer to this situation, so his daggers, Chris’ bullets are out, as well as Aoife’s lightning blasts. Luckily, he doesn’t have to worry about it.
He knows London too well now to be taken off guard here.
He throws another explosive onto the roof, at the agent’s feet, which the guy dodges out of the way of easily. Niall didn’t need to hit him with it.
“You’re going to need to be faster than that.” the agent says with a smirk.
“No, I don’t.” Niall says with a shrug, stepping back towards the edge of the roof. He tosses another explosive into the hole he created with the first, and adds, “This is a restaurant that specializes in deep-frying. Lots of oil here.”
He jumps backwards off of the roof, flipping to give himself a view when the agent is swallowed up in the explosion of the entire building. He rides the shockwave back onto the street, catching himself with a lamppost and then disappearing into an alley when the agent doesn’t step out of the flaming rubble.
“Always go big or go home with you.” Aoife sighs into his headset.
“Shut up.” Niall snorts. “Dry bones, what’s the fastest route to the hospital where they have Frigid Witch?”
“She’s actually close.” Chris tells him. “Take a left on the next block, then follow that street down for about two clicks. It’ll be on your right after that.”
“Rooftops it is.” Niall hums, launching his arrowhead again and pulls himself up.
It only takes him five minutes to get to the hospital, but it takes him another ten minutes to get in through a door on the roof, break into a locker room and find clothes that fit him, take his gear up to the roof for Emelie’s constructions to pick up and leave on the roof of their building, and find Barbara’s room.
“You’re late!” Barbara growls out at him when he gets into the room.
“It’s a bad habit.” Niall grins at her. “I should probably get better about that.”
“Oh, I hate you so much!” Barbara says through a scream.
“Yeah, yeah.” Niall says, crouching down next to her and slipping his hand into her closer one. The opposite is squeezing her medallion. When she squeezes, he really wishes that he hadn’t fractured half of the fingers on his left hand punching that agent through the wall. He’s been through worse, though, and she’s going through worse right now, so he doesn’t let any of it show on his face. “I love you too.”
“The first thing I’m telling Molly when she gets the fuck out of me is to never trust you to be anywhere on time.” Barbara huffs.
“I think it should probably be that you love her.” Niall chuckles.
“Second thing, then.” Barbara agrees, slumping back against the pillow as her contraction lets up. “Where were you? I missed you.”
“Sounding a little sentimental there, Babs.” Niall says with a soft smile. “Might think you like me if you say stuff like that.”
“I do, unfortunately.” Barbara mutters, leaning into his hand when he brushes some hair out of his face. “Might love you, actually.”
“Love you too.” Niall murmurs, leaning in to press a kiss against her lips. “Now get pushing so that we can meet our daughter, you lazy, frigid witch.”
“Hate you!” Barbara growls out, crushing Niall’s hand before she lets out a scream with another contraction.
“That’s the hungry cry.” Niall mutters into his pillow, batting at Barbara’s side of the bed. “As much as I like it when you suck on my nipples, I don’t think it’s going to do anything for Molls.”
He expects a slap to the arm or a snide remark about how Niall isn’t getting any until Molly is in university.
That’ll change when Niall proposes, he thinks. He has the ring, and a plan. Aoife is going to take Molly for the night tomorrow, and Niall is picking up a whole dinner from the Hungarian place that Barbara loves because it reminds her of her mother’s cooking before she died, and he’s going to give it to her in a hollowed-out copy of Ulysses.
He never gets what he’s expecting, though.
He peeks his eye open when his hand lands in a cold spot where Barbara should be. He sits bolt upright, the troubling feeling in his gut warning him that something is off. She might just be in the loo, but when Niall strains to listen, there’s nothing. No sound in the flat other than Molly’s wails.
He’s out of the bed in an instant, pulling on his pants as he makes his way into the living room. It’s warmer in there than it is in their bedroom, so they decided to leave her out there to sleep instead.
Barbara is nowhere to be seen or heard, even though Niall hoped she might just be asleep on the couch, like she sometimes is. She isn’t there, though. She might have been meeting up with her new friend Eleanor, but she didn’t say anything to Niall about it before they went to bed, so he finds that unlikely.
Niall loses his breath when he pulls Molly out of her bassinet and sees Barbara’s medallion wrapped around her neck, dangling on her stomach.
If she left that with Molly, if she took that medallion off willingly, then she isn’t coming back.
Niall takes it off of Molly’s head, because of course Barbara wouldn’t even think of the possibility that it would choke Molly. When it pops back around Molly’s neck, teleporting out of his hand, it takes everything he has in him not to scream.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A sharp pain. That’s the first thing Niall ever consciously knows in his life. A fist colliding with his four-year old torso, knocking him back into the brick wall behind him and fracturing one of his ribs.
He falls onto his hands and knees, choking as his stomach heaves up his breakfast. A glass worth of raw eggs and stomach acid spill out over the floor, splashing at his hands and soaking into his shirt when he collapses into it.
“Pathetic.” Bobby mutters, lifting Niall up by the back of his collar and cutting off his airway. “You can’t even take one hit.”
“It hurts, da!” Niall whimpers, sputtering through the suffocation.
“If you think that’s anything-” Bobby grunts out, dropping Niall back down to the floor. “Anything- Compared to what a witch can do to you. A single punch is nothing, Niall! Your brother was burned alive! Witches can do anything to you that they want! They will kill you in the worst ways your tiny mind can imagine!”
“Why?” Niall asks through the pain.
“Because they are evil.” Bobby growls out, crouching down in front of Niall and sticking something cold and hard to his stomach. “Because they have all the power in this world, and they will destroy anyone who doesn’t have it. You need to be powerful to survive, Niall. We are going to make you powerful. The first step in that is teaching you how to harness your pain and make it a weapon.”
Niall expects there to be more. He expects Bobby to explain things further. He expects for Bobby to tell him how this is going to make him strong enough to stand up to the witches who killed his mother and his brother.
What he doesn’t expect is the loud noise and pain that shoots through him, a thousand times worse than before, from his stomach through his back.
“I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” Bobby says barely loudly enough for Niall to hear through the ringing in his ears. “Don’t bleed out before then, and I’ll heal you.”
It’s the fortieth time he’s gone through this, but it never seems to get any easier. Bobby says that it’ll stop hurting so much eventually, that Niall’s body will get used to the pain.
He’s not wrong. The pain isn’t what makes this hard anymore. Niall can handle the pain.
It’s that he’s defenseless when it happens.
The telekine looks to Bobby for confirmation. It doesn’t matter whether or not Niall is ready, which he is, of course. He’s always ready now. It only matters what Bobby wants, and he wants Niall to be stronger.
It doesn’t matter that Niall is strong already. It doesn’t matter that he’s been training in his resting hours with that new guy that Bobby brought in, Bressie. It doesn’t matter that even the telekine has remarked on how much harder Niall’s bones are to break. It doesn’t matter that he’s been training as hard as he can for four years, that he can lift three-hundred pounds or dodge a knife from point-blank range or run ten miles before he has to stop for a minute to recover.
None of that matters, because Niall still isn’t on the level of a witch.
“Do it.” Niall says before Bobby can even give a nod. There’s a proud glint in Bobby’s eye at Niall’s eagerness, but Niall doesn’t give a shit. He’s not doing this for Bobby’s approval.
All he cares about is getting stronger.
“I’m twelve!” Niall growls out. “I’m ready to go on a mission again!”
“You’re not.” Bressie says, without even looking up from his book.
“I’m ready!” Niall says again, grabbing the top of Bressie’s book and whipping it across the cave into the wall on the opposite side. “Stop benching me!”
“The last time I took you on a mission, you killed a person, wee one.” Bressie says with a hard look in his eyes as he finally meets Niall’s glare. “You are not ready.”
“I killed a witch.” Niall scoffs. “That’s not the same.”
“That’s why you’re not going on any missions.” Bressie sighs, pinching at his nose. “Because you’re a fucking brat of a child who doesn’t recognize humanity.”
“I am the most highly trained operative in this organization.” Niall argues.
“You are a child.” Bressie reiterates.
God, Niall hates his smug face. He decides rearranging it is probably the best thing he could do for both of them. He rears his fist back, but it never connects when he brings it forward.
Bressie, despite his size, is actually very fast. He ends up easily deflecting Niall’s punch, knocking his wrist aside just before he can deliver the strike. He swings back with a punch of his own, launching himself after Niall when the younger one dodges backwards with a flip. Niall is faster than Bressie, but it’s not quite enough. There’s not a big enough difference in their abilities for him to compensate against Bressie’s strength as he gets crowded up against the wall.
Bressie fists his hands in Niall’s collar and hauls him up, disconnecting him from the ground below and slamming him back into the brick.
“Listen here, you little shit.” Bressie grunts out. “People are fucking people. It doesn’t matter how they were born. It doesn’t matter about their magical status or their skin color or their sexuality. Nothing in a person’s DNA defines them. You think they’re all monsters for the way they were born? I have news for you, Niall. Most witches have never done anything to hurt another person in their lives. You, on the other hand, have taken pleasure in the pain you’ve inflicted and the lives you’ve ended.
“Your father left me in charge of you and your training. Starting now, you’ve going to start learning about human fucking beings. You’re going to learn that people don’t deserve to suffer for the way they were born. You are going to learn to be better than your father, because you are going to run this organization someday, and I will not follow a monster. I will put you down myself before I let you become that. Do you understand?”
“They’ve been stepping on us for half a century!” Niall spits out. “They see us as insects!”
“You’re going to be better than them too.” Bressie grunts out, releasing his hold on Niall and letting him drop down to the ground. “You are going to be better, Niall. Nobody as powerful as you should have this much of a demon inside of them. One day, you’ll understand. You’ll love something more than power or victory, and you’ll see how much there really is to this world. You’ll understand that there is so much beauty in caring for someone or something, no matter the source.
“Maybe you’ll love a witch, or maybe you won’t. But you’re never going to love anyone if you keep heading down this path. Read a book. Watch a film. Talk to people outside of this organization. Do something, because I don’t want to have to stop you one day. I want to see you be the best version of yourself you could ever be, because I love you. I love you, wee one. I believe in the version of you that you don’t even know could exist. You’re my family, which means I will do everything in my power to help you, but if you turn into a monster, I’ll also do everything in my power to stop you.”
He walks away after that, leaving Niall to collapse onto the floor because his legs feel like jelly.
Nobody has ever said they love him before.
He picks up the book he’d torn out of Bressie’s hands, because it’s on the ground next to him, and holds it to his chest. Bressie said that he loves him, that he considers Niall to be his family, so maybe he really does have Niall’s best interests at heart, even if it doesn’t make any sense in Niall’s head.
If Bressie really cared, then he’d be training Niall more. He’d be making him stronger. He’d be getting him ready to take down the government, like Bobby wants. He’d be helping him become the weapon he was born to be.
But he said it so easily, so naturally, so gently and full of some emotion Niall doesn’t really recognize. There was feeling to it that wasn’t hate or anger, so maybe he really meant it.
So, Niall pulls his knees towards his chest and rests the book against them, cracking it open to the first page and hoping there’s nothing magical about it.
Structure is something Niall knows all too well. He’s had every moment of his life planned out for the last eleven years, ever since he started training. Structure is efficient. Structure is regimented. Structure is focused.
Structure is not wearing a stupid jacket and stupid slacks and a stupid tie, all in beige, and sitting in a tiny chair learning about mathematical formulas that Niall learned five years ago. Structure is not listening to some ‘teacher’ drone on and on about a language that Niall has been speaking for his entire life. Structure is not this bullshit school that Bressie somehow convinced Niall to start attending for the sake of learning how to infiltrate.
He has a feeling that Bressie just wanted Niall to socialize and said whatever he could to coerce Niall into making this pathetic attempt at being a ‘normal’ fifteen-year-old lad.
“Niall?” the teacher asks, looking over at Niall while he stares out the window. He’s been calculating the force and trajectory he would need to lethally throw a pencil at the witches passing outside the building on the sidewalk, so he hasn’t exactly been paying attention to the lesson.
“X equals six.” Niall says after a cursory glance at the board. “And then y is equal to twenty-three in the next one, and twelve in the one after that, and a is equal to ninety-four in the last one.”
“I- Was only asking for the first one.” the teacher says hesitantly. “Can you tell the class how you came up with those answers?”
“By not being an idiot.” Niall mutters, looking back out the window. “Let me know when you decide to put a problem on the board that I couldn’t solve in my sleep.”
These children and teachers- They’re pitiful. They’re sheep. They’re pathetic animals willingly being corralled into lives with no purpose.
They’re also assholes that send Niall to see the headmaster and have to deal with an hour-long lecture about how to properly address social situations and how to respect authority figures. Niall mentally murders him in eighty-six unique ways just using things around the office instead of paying any attention.
School is clearly not for him, but the way Bressie smiles at him when he recounts a deeply edited version of what happened throughout the day has him deciding to go back the next day.
“What have you got there?” Bressie asks, finding Niall in front of the fireplace with the envelope he’d been given two days ago when he graduated. He’d ignored it until now, but he doesn’t think he can anymore. He has to be rid of it.
“Nothing important.” Niall mutters, tossing the envelope into the fire.
“Liar.” Bressie huffs out, grabbing the tongs from next to the fireplace and snatching the papers before they can burn.
“They aren’t critical to anything we have going on here.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes.
“Niall- This- This is a scholarship.” Bressie says, stunned after he reads through the first paragraph. “To university.”
“I’m aware of what it is, big guy.” Niall sighs. “And, like I said, they aren’t critical to anything we have going on here. Oxford isn’t exactly a hot-bed of magical power. Just a bunch of stuffy academics stuck in their books.”
“I’m not talking about a mission, Niall!” Bressie groans, tossing the papers on the table. “I’m talking about your future! Our kind have been kept out of higher education for decades. That’s how they gate-keep to stop us from getting more influential positions. You could- You could become a politician or own a business or-”
“I couldn’t own a business, Bress.” Niall says, shaking his head. “You know that. The only business a non-magical is allowed to own is one that’s been inherited, or one that’s been legally transferred to them. Bobby signed Camden over to you when he moved back to Mullingar, so that’s out, and it wouldn’t be something I wanted or could use anyways. And I can’t even vote, so how the fuck would I be a politician? This is a joke to them. Community outreach, and nothing more.”
“It is a chance to be something more.” Bressie says gently.
“This place is who and what I am, Bress.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I don’t have time for any more distractions from my mission. I played along with your mad wish to have me go to school. I’m done humoring you, though.”
“Niall-” Bressie starts.
“I’m not leaving you!” Niall grits out between clenched teeth. “I’m not leaving this place! I’m not leaving my purpose behind just to pursue some insane dream you have for me!”
“My dream is you having more than just pain and fury for your whole life.” Bressie says softly, cupping Niall’s cheeks in his hands. “I don’t think that’s insane. It’s love, Niall. I want more for you than this life you’re heading towards.”
“The only thing I want is you.” Niall whispers, curling his hands into Bressie’s shirt and lunging upwards to connect their lips.
He never gets there, though. Bressie pulls back, stops Niall short of being able to finally have what he’s been longing for, for all of these years. That one moment where Bressie could finally see what Niall could be for him. How much he cares for him. How much he loves him.
He’s the one thing in this world Niall cares about. It’s not about the mission, and it hasn’t been for years. All Niall has cared about for the last six years, ever since the first time he heard Bressie say that he loves him, is Bressie. He’d do anything for him. He went to school for three years with a group of mindless fools because Bressie wanted it. He trained every day harder than the day before just to hear Bressie say he was proud of him.
He’s decided beyond any regret devote his life to this place because it means he gets to be close to Bressie, to protect him on missions, even if it means having to stay under his father’s thumb.
“No, wee one.” Bressie breathes out. “That’s not- That’s not going to happen. It can’t.”
“But- I love you.” Niall whimpers.
“And I love you, but not like that.” Bressie tells him, stepping back and letting his hands fall away from Niall’s face. “Niall- You’re a child.”
“I’m an adult.” Niall groans, fisting his hands in his hair. “Bressie- I can make this decision for myself.”
“You can’t make it for me!” Bressie says forcefully. “I’m saying no, Niall!”
“Just- Just give me a chance.” Niall pleads. He reaches up and tears open his shirt, letting the fabric and buttons fall to the ground to bare himself for the man he loves. “I’ll do anything, Bress. I’ll be anything you want. Just give me a chance.”
“The only thing I want you to be is gone from Dublin by morning.” Bressie mutters, turning away. “Better take those papers. They’ll give you free room and board, at least.”
It’s the first time that Niall has cried in six years, but, as he’s marching out of the building with what little he owns packed into a single bag, he vows that it’ll be the last time for the rest of his life he ever allows himself to be that weak.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Harry, we’re going to need you to focus here.” Liam grunts out, grabbing Harry and Eleanor by the wrist and then porting them up onto the mountain above the lab. “This is what I’ve been training you for. You need to take control of his powers, and then you need to reverse the flow of time that he created for the others so that they come back. It’s the only way to save them. You can’t do anything if you knock him out first. His powers have to be active for you to use them.”“You knew this was coming!” Harry spits out, looking over at them. “You knew that he was going to kill them all!”“Yes.” Liam nods. “And I know what’s possible if this works, so that’s why I need you to do this. Whatever happens next, and what we’ve done up until now, we will take responsibility for. You can do whatever you want after you save them, but, and I mean this very literally, every soul on this planet relies on you doing this right now. If you don’t, the world is going to end.”“That’s not an exaggeration in any way.” Eleanor sighs.“I’m going to kill you both when this is done.” Harry snarls, turning his eyes back towards Calum.He’s floating up the mountain towards them, the area around him rearranging itself as he moves. The plants shrink back and rocks rebuild themselves as time reverses. Fuck, he’s powerful.Harry reaches out, using what Liam has taught him over the last few weeks to grip onto Calum’s power, and he feels Liam doing the same beside him. Liam’s ability to siphon power isn’t nearly as strong as Harry’s, because he has to do it by connecting through Harry first.“Stay here and distract him.” Harry says, once he’s taken as much as he can handle. His skin feels like it’s being blown apart from the inside, his bones rattling with the sheer level of magic. He hopes it’ll be enough.He opens a portal and lands in the center of where the building used to be, unleashing his grip on Calum’s powers. It’s hard to control, fighting against him like a fish on a line, but the beams start to reconstruct themselves and the walls start building back up, so Harry knows it’s working.There’s a wave of agony that builds up, tears into Harry like nothing he’s ever felt, but he pushes through it because it’s just the others coming back into existence. If he stops, he doesn’t have enough power left to do it again.And then it stops, that pain ceasing in a moment and Harry knows he’s finished. He’ll have to check that everyone is alright later, because he’s not in the room where they are and he can feel Liam’s barrier infused with Calum’s powers starting to fail.“Enough!” Harry yells when he comes through the portal, positioning himself above Calum and turning his drain on full bore.Calum stops in an instant, his eyes returning to normal before they slip shut, and Harry has to port again just to get underneath him in time to catch him.“Get us back to the lab.” Harry orders, his body heaving with each breath he takes. “Now.”“Hold on.” Liam says gently, putting his hand on Harry’s shoulder and grabbing Eleanor’s hand before they port back into the lab.“You’re okay.” Barbara chokes on a sob, running into the room and wrapping her arms around Molly as she collapses on her knees. “You’re okay, lovebug.”“Da, why is this woman hugging me?” Molly asks weakly, looking over at Niall.“Enough, Babs.” Niall says roughly, grabbing Barbara by the arm and dragging her back before he picks Molly up in his arms. “Are you okay, Molls?”“Why did she call me that?” Molly asks, looking at Niall through half-hooded eyes as her weariness takes over. “How does she know that name?”“Niall-” Barbara says desperately. “Please- I just- I need-”“No.” Niall says forcefully.“Is she my mum?” Molly says, shattering through the tension.“Sleep.” Harry says waving his hand and targeting Molly. It’s not a solution, but they’ve got bigger problems at the moment. She collapses completely in Niall’s arms, sagging against him, and his relief is palpable. “Barbara, get up. Now.”“Not until he-” Barbara says harshly.“I don’t know when Calum is going to wake up, but you need to make a token for suppression before then.” Harry cuts her off. “If you don’t make yourself useful, then I’m going to kill you for knowing this was going to happen. I do not have time for this shit. Get the fuck up.”“It’s not going to be strong enough coming from me.” Barbara says quietly. “I barely know him.”“I’ll provide you with the emotion you need.” Harry tells her, settling Calum on the table. “Luke, Ashton, Niall- Come here. I need you all to think about your most important memory with Calum. Louis, you and Freddie should leave. He shouldn’t see what I’m going to do to the rest of your group after this.”“You- You knew this was going to happen?” Louis asks weakly, staring at Eleanor as he cradles a sobbing Freddie to his chest.“Louis, you know what we’re doing here.” Eleanor says quietly. “I never would have put you in danger. I knew Harry would save you.”“My son just fucking died!” Louis hisses. “I just had to watch him disappear out of fucking existence before the same thing happened to me, and you fucking knew it was going to happen! You let my son die!”“Our son.” Eleanor says quietly. “Louis- You have no idea how hard this was for me to keep from you. I would have warned you if I could have, but that-”“Would have changed things.” Louis mutters, turning towards the door. “Getting real fucking tired of that excuse, El.”He leaves after that, his heart ripping itself to shreds in his chest.“What the fuck is happening?” Luke questions, looking over at Harry.“I’ll explain everything in a moment, but this is our first priority.” Harry tells him, looking down at Calum. “Right now, just think about how much you love Cal. You two as well.”He says the last bit to Ashton and Niall, and begins to feel the love in all of their hearts burst like a dam, flooding the room. It’s a tidal wave of emotion, and Harry pulls it all together, along with his own fondness for this lad who has, against all odds, become his best friend, focusing it as he pulls a ring off of his finger and passes it to Barbara. He pushes the emotion into Barbara, giving her all of that love, and watches as she focuses that into the power binding, whispering her spell against the metal pressed to her lips.“Put it on his hand.” Harry says, taking the ring back and handing it to Luke. “This will seal his powers to a manageable level until we can help him get control over them.”“What are his powers?” Ashton asks while Luke puts the ring on Calum’s finger.“Time.” Harry whispers. “Calum can control time, which makes him by far the most dangerous person on this planet, even more than Molly or Bear or Freddie.” “Calum and Molly are both in bed.” Niall says, walking back into the living room. “You three, start talking, and you had better pray you say the right thing, or this place is going to be painted in your blood.”“My name is Eleanor.” says the petite brunette sitting between Liam and Barbara. Niall has a nagging feeling he’s met her before, but he can’t place it. “And it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that I’m behind every event that’s led you all here over the last few years.”“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Harry asks harshly, stepping forward enough that Niall feels the need to grab him by the elbow. He’s the angriest that Niall has ever seen him, and it’s incredibly hard to act as a balancing force when Niall is just as ready to rip out their throats as Harry is.“I sent you all to Saint Martine.” Eleanor says calmly. “I gave Harry a pamphlet, and I sold Niall the bus tickets. I was the one who told B-”“She came to Camden.” Bressie mutters. “I served her at the bar, and she convinced me that you needed to get out of Dublin. She said you were destined for an impossibly painful life unless you left the Technophage.”“You-” Niall breathes out. “You’ve been meddling with my life for seven years?”“I’ve done what I had to do.” Eleanor says simply. “I’ve allied myself with very powerful and diverse people for the one purpose that truly matters in this world. I’ve manipulated events in order to complete a mission bigger than myself, your lives, and any other person on this planet.”“And what the fuck is that mission?” Luke snaps, lunging forward until Ashton grabs him and pulls him back.“Saving the entire world.” Barbara says quietly. “It’s why I left Niall and Molly. It’s why Liam left EMIA. It’s why all of us are here, and it’s what your group is destined to do. All of you have a roll to play in averting an apocalypse.”“I think it’s best if you start at the beginning.” Ashton mutters, pulling Luke back to his side. “Then we make our decision.”“My powers manifested when I was ten years old.” Eleanor says, standing up off of the couch and stepping into the center of the room. “I was a late bloomer, so much so that my parents assumed that I was a magician and the blood-tests were wrong. My first vision- It- It was of a world destroyed, ruins burning years after life all over the planet had been wiped out and everything had turned to dust. There was no life, no sound except the crackling of flames and no smell except for the scent of burning flesh that had long-since gone.”“I was sent to an asylum, because my parents thought that I was faking my visions so that I could convince people that I had powers. And then- Liam found me. He was the head of magical research at EMIA at the time. He’d heard rumours about my powers, and decided to bring me in for testing.”“She was an extraordinary specimen.” Liam says softly. “She has next to no other magical ability, but her visions have a one-hundred-percent accuracy rating. She was the most confounding subject I had studied since- Since I first discovered the existence of mages forty years ago.”“You discovered mages?” Niall questions at the same time that Luke asks, “Forty years ago?”“My powers significantly slow my aging.” Liam says, looking over at Luke. “And I discovered them, yes. Or, rather, I discovered the ruins left behind by the first recorded manifestation of a mage in Europa. She was a baby girl, only two weeks old, and an entire village by the North Sea was obliterated by her powers manifesting. It was literally carved out of the earth in a perfect sphere, because she was a spacial manipulator like Freddie.”“Back to her.” Harry says flatly. “This is irrelevant.”“We worked on letting me manifest visions on command, though it took years.” Eleanor says, smoothing her shirt with her hands. “When I was able to do it, I started looking into different paths to avert the end-times that had plagued my dreams since my first manifestation. I looked into politicians and rebels. I looked at the leaders of other empires, and the technology of the most advanced ones. I spent days upon days in that future, roaming through it to find what had caused that ruination, and then it became all too clear when I met a certain woman who had the ability to avert that apocalypse.“She was beautiful and innocent, a pure light in a world destined to be covered in darkness before the end of her lifetime. She would have been a leader of unparalleled compassion, but one whose rule was never meant to be. No matter the scenario I ran, she died. No matter how many different ways I thought of to save her, her life was destroyed in a ball of flame and white silk.”“Gemma-” Harry breathes out.“I spoke with her about this, tried to help her change her own destiny, because the world needed someone like her to lead it.” Eleanor says quietly. “With her in charge, armistice would have been reached between every empire. But it was always a matter of time until she was killed. Everything always spiraled out of control after her death, and only one thing came from all of her efforts. A phoenix risen from the ashes with the power to save the world in her place.“But he couldn’t do it alone. Imagine my surprise to find that this girl’s brother was one of the keys to stopping the world from ending. His powers seemed a detriment, but were unrivaled in their ability to connect people. He could steal the soul from a person’s chest in the space between breaths. He could harness love and pain and hate and joy into powerful weapons. He could take control of another’s abilities, and use them as if they were his own. He could even bestow the gift of magic to the non-magical.“But he wasn’t strong enough on his own. His life needed to intersect with others in order to find the depth of his strength. He needed to find a child with the powers of the stars themselves. He needed to find an angel with a soul as pure as his sister’s. He needed to find a leader for whom time itself would bow. He needed to find a guardian with a heart as soft as silk and as strong as iron. But, most of all, he needed to find a lost boy wearing the skin of a demon to protect himself from the world.“But none of that would happen unless his sister died. When I told her this, when I shared with her the visions of the future, she decided to consign herself to her fate. She decided to sacrifice herself in order to galvanize the brother she cared for more than anyone in the world. It was her love of this world itself, though, that made the decision easy for her. So, five years later, she walked without hesitation out onto a stage that was meant to be her introduction to the world and the beginning of her climb to the throne, and was instead her final goodbye, in a flame that wasn’t nearly good enough for her.”“Enough!” Harry roars, struggling against Niall’s grip. “Are you telling me that you convinced Gemma to kill herself?”“I’m telling you that what I showed Gemma was enough of a reason for her to believe that was the right thing to do.” Eleanor says softly, closing her eyes. “And you have no idea how much it hurt me to do that, because she was my first friend in this world. She came to the laboratory with your mother years before her death, and we became fast friends. She visited me again and again, and I almost gave up on my mission to save the world, if I could just find a way to save her. I thought that it would be worth it, but she didn’t.”“I don’t understand how this intersects with you putting the rest of us together.” Niall says, slipping his hand into Harry’s and hoping that the redirection of the subject will give him time to figure this all out.“Through Gemma I could see Harry’s future.” Eleanor explains. “And through his future, I saw you. I saw a warrior clad in black, with fire and fury where his heart should be. You would come into conflict several times, each time barely escaping with your lives. You would also find each other outside of those instances, between the sheets. There was a connection between you that neither of you could reconcile, that neither of you could recognize, until you took each other’s lives in a moment of pure passion and rage. You weren’t meant to be together in that time, in that place.“I traced you back to Dublin and found Bressie, the catalyst for everything. He was your single connection to a life that would end in the demise of the two people most likely to save the world. There was a love between you two that would chain you into a course of events that would lead to the destruction of the entire world, unless you left. So, my first mission was to sever that connection. Liam took me to Dublin, and I set to cutting that chain. My blade was simple, one made of the pure love between you two.“You left, and from there you met Barbara, who would give birth to one of the mages destined to stop the wrath of a godless universe. I knew this because I couldn’t see her at all. My powers don’t work when it comes to mages. I cannot see them, and I cannot see their powers. Something about them makes them immune to my visions. I can, however, see the ripple-effect of their existence. I can see the world around them, the lives around them, and infer from there what they do and who they are.“I inserted myself in Barbara’s life when she moved to London, became a friend, and watched the ripples from inside of her. I saw London destroyed in an instant from the crib in your living room, a darkness swallowing it with a primal force of the universe. I warned her, and shared with her the future in store not just for London, but the world, as a consequence of my meddling with fate by severing chains.“Your future no longer intersected with Harry’s at all, but rather it ended within days of the birth. Molly needed to be bound, and Barbara had to be taken out of the picture. But the cruelest bit is that you would have died within months with nothing left to fight for, so a mother had to say goodbye to her child and her lover on the eve of the happiest night of her life.”Niall feels like his heart has stopped beating in his chest, but he knows that it hasn’t, because the roar of the blood in his ears from the hammering of it is dulling everything.“I didn’t want to leave, Niall.” Barbara whispers. Or maybe she shouts it. He doesn’t know over the pounding. “I never wanted to leave, but I had to. This place- This mission- It’s more important.”“Both of you abandoned me on the say-so of this bitch?” Niall grits out, looking between Bressie and Barbara. “Both of you broke my heart because she told you about some imaginary apocalypse? You destroyed every bit of me that felt like it was worthy of anything except an excruciating death because of a fantasy?”“It’s no fantasy, Niall.” says a voice, though it doesn’t come from any of the people Niall was expecting it to. Instead it comes from the hall to his left, from a voice Niall has heard enough times that it feels as natural as breathing to turn towards him. Calum is leaned against the wall, struggling to keep himself upright. “When- When it was happening- When I was killing all of you- I saw what she’s talking about. The world is coming to an end.”“Cal-” Luke chokes out, stumbling across the room with Ashton in tow to wrap themselves around him. Niall finds himself and Harry following right behind.“Are you alright?” Harry asks. “I tried to be as gentle as possible, but-”“I’m alright, Harry.” Calum murmurs, stroking his cheek. “You didn’t hurt me, but I- I hurt all of you. I killed most of you.”“Nothing I haven’t been through a few times.” Niall says with a soft smile. “You aren’t the first man to kill me, but I hope you’ll be the last. Not something I’m looking forward to anymore.”“Are you all okay?” Calum asks, looking between them.“Stop worrying about us, you idiot.” Luke says through a sob, burying his face in Calum’s chest.“Never.” Calum whispers, pulling them all in tighter and pressing a kiss to each of their cheeks. “But you need to listen to the rest of what she has to say, and then you need to find it in yourselves to forgive her. Because everything she’s saying is true. I’ve seen a dozen different futures today, and the only one that doesn’t end in the world burning is the one where you all follow through with her plan.”“She let Molly get-” Niall says, losing the words. “Get-”“Molly wasn’t supposed to be there.” Eleanor pipes up. “I told you, I can’t see the mages. I didn’t know she was inside until Harry told us, which is why Barbara went in even though she knew what was going to happen. I’m sorry, Niall, and, if you want, we can wipe the memory from her mind the same as we’ve done for Freddie. We can do it for any of you, except Calum. We can’t have his powers taking him by surprise.”“We’ll talk about that later.” Niall sighs, turning back towards her. “Finish your story.”“Once Barbara had left, you lost yourself almost as much as I feared, but there was one thing that kept you from slipping into the darkness too far to turn back.” Eleanor tells him. “Molly. Aoife helped you escape that life, and in return you sent her and the others to Bressie, which saved me the trouble of having to gather them myself. The last piece of the puzzle in your story was getting you to a place where you had nothing and no one except for her. You went to Dublin, but we got there first. I gave Bobby key pieces of information for operations he had planned, in exchange for him demanding the unforgivable.”“Bobby would have done it either way.” Niall mutters. “You wasted your time, and probably got people killed.”“I’ve gotten a great many people killed, Mister Horan.” Eleanor says, no hint of remorse in her voice. “Including several of the people in this room. Gemma- The lives that Harry took in the plaza- The agents stationed at the Tower- The Cameraman- A little girl killed by Nicholas Grimshaw- But I do this to save the lives of the many.“I glamoured myself and Liam, and we posed as estate agents, who facilitated the sale of the majority of Saint Martine to Calum. I took every connection you had in the world, and sent you into their arms. I let Gemma and the others die to drive Harry into a state where he needed to escape his life. I’ve worked with Councilwoman Anne, putting her in place to take the throne. I’ve worked with Niall Breslin, Jane Douglas and Ellen Rose, facilitating the union of magic and technology. I’ve worked with the Prophet to destabilize the empire and distract Ben Winston. I’ve-”“What does Ben Winston have to do with this?” Harry cuts in.“Ben Winston is the architect of the apocalypse, and his power makes it impossible to stop him by conventional means.” Eleanor mutters, disgust painting her words.“Nobody knows what Ben Winston’s power is.” Bressie scoffs. “We’ve been looking into it for years.”“It’s resurrection.” Harry says quietly, though it sounds like a gunshot for the pure terror it laces through the veins of almost everyone in the room. “Ben Winston is immortal. No amount of damage can destroy his body, and he never ages. His powers didn’t manifest until his twenties, which is why it’s such a secret. Even my powers won’t kill him. His mind just- Resets. Believe me, I’ve tried, after Nick killed the little girl and he just- He laughed. His power is truly incredible, but it’s not enough to bring an end to the world.”“His ambition is.” Eleanor counters. “Ben Winston has been planning for a long time to use the power of mages to rip open another Rupture, which is what causes the end of the world. It’s why he pursues them so vehemently. It’s why he needed a leash for Nick Grimshaw. He needs a mage to tear open a hole above London, which he thinks will help him power an army strong enough to conquer the entire world. But all it will do it cause the ruptures to reach towards each other and destroy everything across the planet, sucking all life into it. Everyone and everything will cease to exist if he gets his way, and that’s what we have to stop.”“And how do you plan on doing that?” Niall questions.“We’re going to seal the rupture and remove magic from this world.” Eleanor says, looking up for the first time since Niall and the others brought her to his house. “And we need all of you to help us do that. And, to prove it, I want to take you into that future and show you what’s going to happen.” “I don’t like this.” Harry says, shaking his head. “We should leave. With the power boost from the rupture I can get us all somewhere. I can get us up to Canada, or- Italy or- Somewhere. I can get us all out of here.”“What if they’re not lying, Harry?” Niall mutters. “What if the world really is about to end?”“It is.” Calum huffs.“Calum, you don’t even know how to control your powers.” Ashton argues. “Who knows how many other futures there are out there where the world doesn’t end?”“It’s clear that she’d sacrifice any one of us, or even all of us in the name of this cause.” Luke points out. “I don’t trust her.”“We don’t have to trust her.” Niall sighs, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling. “We just have to see what she’s talking about.”“You can’t be serious.” Ashton scoffs.“I’m willing to do it if you all are.” Calum agrees, nodding at Niall.“I don’t- I don’t see what role I could possibly have to play in all of this.” Luke mumbles. “I’m no warrior or scientist or witch. I’m out. I’ll stay, if that’s what you all decide, but I don’t want anything to do with this apocalypse shit.”“I’m with Luke.” Ashton says quietly. “You three are the ones with destinies. You’re the ones that really matter here. I just- That’s not me. I’m nothing special. I don’t mean anything to the world.”If he only knew how wrong he is. He means everything to the lads gathered around this table. He’s Luke’s strength. He’s Calum’s stability. He’s Niall’s willpower. Harry can see the way he’s wrapped up in all of them, the way his presence has relieved the weight of the world from their backs.Even if he doesn’t have a direct role to play in preventing this apocalypse, he’s the strength behind the ones who might.“Then that means it’s up to us.” Harry says, shaking his head. “And clearly I’ve been outvoted.”“That’s not how this works.” Niall snorts, cupping his hand over Harry’s. “But Calum and I are going to go with her and see this. I have to know. I have to see that all the fucked-up shit she’s done in my life, in all of our lives, has actually been for a reason. That all of this has had a purpose.”Harry can’t argue with that. If what she’s said about Gemma is true, that she sacrificed herself for this cause, then Harry needs to see that it was worth sacrificing her for.“Alright.” Harry says with a nod. “We’ll do it.”As if on cue, Harry feels three people port onto the sidewalk outside.“I’ll get it.” Harry mutters, pushing himself up from the chair, much to the confusion of the other four. He opens up the door, finding Barbara, Liam and Eleanor outside. “You know, it’s generally considered polite not to just show up until we say that we’re ready.”“Or for you to show up at all.” Niall grunts at Barbara, showing up at Harry’s side.“Barbara is a necessity on this trip, Niall.” Eleanor sighs. “Her barriers are the only protection we’ll have from the radiation.”“I thought you were just going to show us your visions.” Calum says, coming up beside them.“No, Calum.” Eleanor says with a gentle smile. “You’re going to take us into the future. Or, more accurately, Harry and Liam are going to harness your power and take us into the future. If you’re going to believe in this cause, you need to see and feel that world for yourselves. A telepathic rendering isn’t going to be enough to convince Niall or Harry that what I’ve done has been worth what they’ve lost.”“Are you ready?” Liam asks, holding his hand out towards Calum.“I don’t know how this works.” Calum whispers, shaking his head. “I can’t control it.”“That will come in time.” Liam says with a soft smile. “For now, Harry and I will handle the heavy lifting. You just need to release your magic like you’re making a potion. We’ll do the rest.”“Harry?” Calum asks, looking past Niall to meet his eyes. Fear is welling up in his chest, a pure terror that Harry knows all too well. He’d felt the same thing using his powers after what happened when Gemma died.He wouldn’t wish it on his worst enemy, let alone Calum.“I promise, everything will be fine.” Harry tells him. “We’ll be enough to keep it under control. You don’t need to worry about hurting any of us.”“Okay.” Calum agrees with a nod. “Then I’m ready.”“You’ll need to stand between us.” Liam tells him. “We all need to join hands, but Harry and I need to have yours to act as a conduit for your power.”“Fucking hell.” Niall sighs as it becomes obvious to everyone else that he’s either going to have to hold hands with either Barbara or Eleanor.Harry hates to say that it doesn’t make him feel better that he grabs ahold of Barbara’s a few moments after taking Harry’s. He understands, though. Niall’s fury towards Eleanor is on another level from anything that Harry has ever felt from anyone. But he’s focusing that, forging it into a blade, and this trip is going to determine exactly where that blade gets planted, in Eleanor, or in magic.Harry doesn’t feel particularly bad for either target, and he’s busy sharpening his own blade. He has half a mind to plant it in both, but he’ll wait and see where this goes.“Calum, it’s time.” Eleanor says softly.“Just like a potion.” Harry tells him, squeezing Calum’s hand tight. “If you can just do that, then I’ll handle the rest. You just have to trust me.”“I do.” Calum says with a nod, squeezing right back.The effect is nearly instantaneous, Harry gripping onto Calum’s power as soon as the gates open just the little bit that he can with the ring on. He feels Liam do the same on Calum’s other side, only a moment later.The amount of power is staggering, but it’s definitely reduced from earlier. Harry feels it pulsing through his veins, and he passes it through himself into Niall, and then Barbara and Eleanor past her.The world dissolves around them, passing by at a speed that Harry could never have imagined. Barbara raises a barrier around them, infused with Calum’s power, and it’s just in time. The landscape erupts into flames around them, and Harry feels the scream of billions of souls tear through him, and then disappear as quickly as it happened. And then they stop. The ground around them is cracked and burning, but Barbara’s barrier keeps the concrete of the front step underneath them instead.“This is our future, if things keep going the way they are now.” Eleanor says in a whisper, turning her head from side to side. “This is the world that Ben Winston will bring down on us, if we can’t stop him. This is only twenty years in the future, and there’s not another living being on this planet, apart from us and one other.”“Ben.” Harry supplies for her. Harry can feel his agony, all the way from London. He’s being ripped apart and pieced back together by his power, over and over, for all of eternity. It’s no less than he deserves for this world of his own creation.“Every time I visit this future, he’s the only thing left.” Elanor says quietly. “He got what he wanted. He’s emperor of the entire world, but his kingdom is ashes and his only subject is himself.”“The sky.” Niall breathes out, looking up through the barrier.It’s only then that Harry takes notice. The landscape isn’t the only thing set ablaze, but the clouds are a roiling mass of magma and smoke. There’s no definition to the rupture anymore, and it’s lost the silver shimmer in place of a mass of fire and darkness that Harry feels closing off his airway even though they’re safe inside the barrier.It’s Hell come to earth.“Enough.” Calum whispers, shaking his head. “I want to go back.”“I think we’ve all seen more than enough to make a decision.” Niall agrees, tightening his hold on Harry’s fingers and moving closer to him. There’s a kind of fear coursing through him that Harry would never have associated with Niall before. “Can you- Can you take us back?”“Let’s go.” Harry says, fighting back the fear that all of them are feeling and activating Calum’s power once more.They land back where they started, the house and trees and grass growing back where they belong, though the darkness outside tells Harry that they’re probably a bit later than when they left. He’s pretty sure it’s the same day, though.Ninety-percent sure.“Finally!” Luke says, shooting off of the couch when they walk inside and colliding with Calum, Harry and Niall, pulling them into a hug. “Where the hell have you been? It’s been two fucking days!”Damn.“When have we been.” Niall corrects him. “It’s hard to explain, but-”“We need to stay.” Calum and Harry say at the same time.“Alright, then.” Luke says with a sigh. “There’s something you should know- She’s been asking questions, and-”“Da?” Molly asks, entering the room from the hall with Ashton. “Mummy?”Fuck.
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“Why didn’t you tell me?” Molly asks, tears streaming down her face.“I was trying to protect you, Molly.” Niall says softly, crouching down in front of her. “Your mother abandoned us, and I didn’t want you to get too attached, in case it happens again.”“I’m a big girl, da.” Molly mutters, scrubbing at her cheeks. “I know she’s not good, but- She’s my mummy. Why can’t I know her?”“Is that what you really want?” Niall asks, though it might very well be the most painful thing that he’s ever said aloud.“I do.” Molly says with a nod, her face set in the same display of willpower her mother always has on. Her eyes are softer, though. She’s softer, and that’s how she’s going to end up hurt in the end.“Alright.” Niall agrees, closing his eyes and shutting out the buzzing building in his head. Everything is pressing against his mind, the mission, the others, Molly and Barbara- It’s too much. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to meet her properly, alright?”It’s too fucking much.“Can everyone come?” Molly requests. “I want my dads there. All of you.”“I think you’ll have to ask them that.” Niall says with a quiet laugh. “They don’t- None of them are very fond of her.”“Why?” Molly asks. “They don’t know her much, do they?”“It’s because she left us, lovebug.” Niall says softly. “Because she hurt us. Now, I’m not going to try and turn you against her, but you need to understand- None of us care for her. She isn’t going to be a part of the family. If you want to have a relationship with her, we’ll work something out, but she’s not- She’s not going to be with us like that.”“Why?” Molly asks again.“Because I don’t love her.” Niall tells her, reaching out to hold her hand. “All of us want what’s best for you, but we’re not going to try and force a relationship that isn’t right. I don’t want you expecting something that just isn’t going to happen. I respect that this is what you want, to know her, but you need to respect that none of us want her to be a part of our lives.”“Okay.” Molly says after a few moments, her eyes losing that fire as she looks down at the floor. There’s a sadness in her that clings to her skin like dew, shimmering softly in the low light of the desert moon.“Let’s go ask if anyone wants to come with us tomorrow.” Niall says, standing back up and holding his hand out to her. “I bet that they will, if you ask nicely.”“I hope so.” Molly whispers.“I half expected you to be a smear on the pavement.” Harry mumbles when they walk back inside, wrapping his arms around Niall’s shoulders and pulling him close. “We sent them all home, and then the lads went back to their places.”“Can you get in their heads and ask them to come over here?” Niall requests.“I already did.” Molly tells him, tugging on his hand. “They’re on their way.”“Okay, you have to stop doing that.” Niall sighs. “At least until Harry teaches you more about telepathy.”“Why?” Molly asks with a pout.“Because you have enough power to turn someone’s brain into scrambled eggs.” Harry says gently, stepping back from Niall and running his hand over her head. “Telepathy is all about fine control, ladybug, and you need to practice on somebody who can handle it, because you might accidentally hurt one of the lads if you keep forcing your way into their minds.”“Okay.” Molly sighs. “Who do I practice on?”“Me.” Niall hums.“Da, I’m being serious.” Molly giggles.“He is too.” Harry chuckles. “Your father has the strongest mental defenses of anyone I’ve ever met. His head is as secure as a bank-vault, and twice as thick.”“You’ll pay for that comment later.” Niall grunts in his ear.“Can’t wait.” Harry says with a smirk.“They’re here.” Molly says, waving her hand and opening up the front door. It bangs against the wall, but it doesn’t break or put a hole in the plaster, so Niall counts it as progress. He’s had to do a lot of maintenance over the last few weeks since they got to Alamogordo.He’s not super enthusiastic about the idea of trying to do that to his mind after Molly starts her telepathy training, but that’s tomorrow’s problem. One of tomorrow’s problems, at least.“Molly has something she wants to ask all of you.” Niall says, beckoning the lads inside.“Da is going to take me to meet my mummy tomorrow.” Molly says, tightening her hold on Niall’s hand. “And I want you all to come. I want my family there, all of my dads.”“I don’t think she’ll want me there.” Luke says with a light blush. He’s embarrassed, but he also doesn’t regret what he did. Good. Niall would hope so.“That’s her problem.” Molly says with a shrug. “You’re my dad. All of you are, and I want you there. Please?”“Remind me to kill you at some point for having a kid none of us can say no to.” Calum sighs at Niall, rubbing at his tired eyes. “I’ll come, little bird.”“I will too, if that’s what you want.” Luke says, toeing at the ground.“Ash?” Molly questions.“Of course.” Ashton says with a nod.“Harry?” Molly asks, turning to look up at him.“Only for you, and don’t expect me to be nice.” Harry says, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t like your mother, ladybug, and I don’t trust her.”“You don’t have to.” Molly says, shaking her head. “I just want you all there, because you’re my family.”She’s scared, and Niall’s not sure why, but he can see it in her. He can feel it coming off of her skin and slithering its way under the surface of his own.“Alright, now everyone has agreed, it’s time for you to get to bed, lovebug.” Niall says, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”“Fine!” Molly groans, stomping off down the hallway. “But I want eggy bread for breakfast since you were gone for two days!”“Demanding little shit, isn’t she?” Niall hums.“Gets it from her father.” Harry chuckles.“Are we done here?” Calum asks, leaning into Luke’s side. “I was asleep when she started talking in my brain. Better hope she didn’t see what I was dreaming about, either, because it wasn’t suitable for someone her age, and I won’t be blamed for it.“He was having a dream about Harry.” Molly says in Niall’s mind. “They were kissing in a bed.”“Well then-” Niall says, choking on a laugh.“Molly!” Calum roars, reading the amusement on Niall’s face.“What are we missing here?” Luke asks, looking between them.“Nothing.” Calum says flatly, glaring at Niall.“Absolutely nothing.” Niall agrees with a nod. “What’s the matter?” Harry asks, curling his arm around Niall’s chest and kissing the back of his neck. “You haven’t said a word since the lads left. You’re normally a mouthy asshole in bed.”“I have a lot on my mind.” Niall mutters. “There’s something I- I need to talk to you about.”“What crazy thing that’s happened in the last day is it?” Harry asks.“I never said thank you.” Niall whispers, rolling over to look Harry in the eyes. “You- You saved us all, and none of us have said thank you. You brought me and the lads and Molly all back, and I’m so sorry that I- That I haven’t even taken the time to say thank you for that.”“Niall-” Harry snorts, catching his lips in a kiss. “You don’t have to-”“I saw my whole life flash through my mind when it was happening.” Niall admits, cutting him off. “Every moment, in reverse. I saw how far gone I’ve been, and how far I’ve come. I saw my time with the lads, and with Barbara, and when I was training. I realized how- How fucked up I’ve been in this life, how many mistakes I’ve made, and I- I want you to know that I love you.”“I do know that, Niall.” Harry says gently.“No, you don’t understand what I’m saying.” Niall says, pulling back and sitting up. “Did I ever tell you that the first person to tell me that they loved me in my entire life was Bressie? I was twelve at the time.”“Fucking Bobby.” Harry mutters, sitting up next to Niall.“And then it was Barbara after that.” Niall mutters. “And that was it, for the first twenty years. Both of them tossed me aside, and now I find out that it was because of Eleanor, but- But that doesn’t change what it did to my mind. It doesn’t change how much power those words have had over me in my past, and how much fear I have in my heart about them.“When the lads and I started up, it took me almost until things ended to say them out loud, because I just knew that I wasn’t good enough for them, and because everyone I had ever said them to had left me. I was so scared that I didn’t even say them to Molly until then. And then you come along all these years later, and- And I know I reacted badly to this, but I need you to know how much I love you, and how much I trust you. Because I do. I trust you in a way that’s so terrifying that I don’t know how to handle it. “And then you go and- What you did today- You could have run. You could have escaped from what Calum was doing. You didn’t have to put yourself in danger, but you did. And that’s what you’ve been doing over and over since we met. You’ve put everything on the line over and over again, without any regard to what might happen to you. And part of me wants to chain you up in the closet just to make sure you don’t put yourself in any more danger, but most of me just needs you to know that you- You’re my hero, Harry.”“Stop.” Harry murmurs, holding his fingers over Niall’s lips. He’s swelling with pride and affection, so much it’s going to make him burst if the glow on his cheeks is anything to go by. It’s shining through his eyes, soft and sweet, like him.“I love you, Harry Styles.” Niall whispers against his fingers. “No matter what part Eleanor played in all of this- Her changing the course of our lives and forcing us together- I want you to know that I do love you. None of that matters to me. I know you, and I know that if I leave you alone with that for long enough, you’ll begin to doubt me, so I need you to know that there’s nobody in this world I would rather be with. Not Bressie, not Barbara. It’s you for me.”“It’s you for me too.” Harry murmurs, lighting up even more.“I don’t know about that.” Niall hums. “I heard from a little bird that I might have some competition. Someone has a crush on you.”“A crush is all that is.” Harry snorts. “Calum misses Ashton, and we’ve spent a lot of time together, and I think we might have become best friends. I was there when he realized he had cancer again, and I brought him back when his power consumed him. He’s misplacing feelings, but that’s all it is.”“He’s a pretty excellent kisser, you know.” Niall chuckles. “You should make that dream he was having tonight come true.”“I don’t fancy having Luke hit me in the balls, thanks.” Harry laughs, laying back down. “Or Ashton.”“Or me.” Niall adds, resting his head on Harry’s shoulder as he stretches back out. “I can’t blame him, though. You’re pretty amazing.” “My name is Molly.” Molly says, looking up at Barbara. Niall has never felt more tense in his life than he does in this moment, but Harry helps pull that back with a touch of his fingers. “But you know that.”“My name is Barbara.” Barbara returns, smiling softly down at Molly. She’s bursting with joy, but there’s a sadness there as well. Loss runs deep in her blood, and grief, but no regret. “Some people call me Barb, or B. You can call me whatever you like.”“Babs.” Molly decides, making Niall choke on air.“Your mind works very much like your father’s.” Barbara chuckles. “Can we all take a seat?”“Finally.” Luke says flatly, taking a seat.They decided to meet at the café in town for breakfast, because Harry was scared Niall would do something if they met Barbara somewhere private. The fact that they serve a full breakfast menu certainly didn’t hurt the case, especially for Molly.Niall sits on Molly’s left, and then it’s Harry, Luke, Ashton, Calum, and Barbara is on her right, around the circular table.“I want eggy bread.” Molly says, looking over to Niall.“You really are just like him.” Barbara giggles.“What’s that supposed to mean?” Molly asks, turning to look at her. It’s like watching a mirror that can see through time, past and future versions of the same woman. It makes Niall’s stomach twist.“When we were living together, your father used to do all the cooking, and one of the only two things he could make was eggy bread.” Barbara says, looking over Molly’s head to meet Niall’s eyes until he turns to look at Harry instead. Her voice drops, and she adds, “I ate so much of it that I can’t really stomach it anymore.”“Well, it’s my favorite.” Molly huffs. “Da makes the best eggy bread in the world, but I still want it today, even if he’s not making it.”Niall tries not to look too smug, but it’s hard.“I’m sorry.” Barbara sighs. “Can we start over?”“Why did you leave us?” Molly asks instead of giving an answer.Fucking hell.“I- I had to do something, and that meant that I couldn’t be with you or your father anymore.” Barbara says quietly, looking down at her hands on the table. “I have a mission that I have to carry out.”“Is the mission more important than us?” Molly questions. “More important than being my mum?”“It-” Barbara chokes out, shutting her eyes. “It is, yes.”“Was it hard?” Molly asks, and Niall can feel the tension mounting around the table. There’s a fog creeping in, anger and disgust coming from all of the other men.“Molly, that’s enough.” Niall says gently.“I want to know, da.” Molly says weakly, turning to look at Niall with tears in her eyes.“It wasn’t hard at all.” Barbara says, clearing her throat. “Because my mission is important, but that- That’s not why it was easy. It’s because I knew I wouldn’t be a very good mother. I loved you and your father, but I had no interest in that life. I wanted bigger things than to be a wife and mother. I felt like I was meant for more than that. So, when the mission came into my lap, it felt like a blessing.”Niall feels the blood rushing in his ears, feels his stomach twisting around like a cat trying to escape a bag. He let go of that life so long ago, but when Eleanor revealed yesterday that she had instigated Barbara’s departure and Bressie throwing him out, it made him feel like he hadn’t been unlovable. Like he hadn’t been a piece of shit that they wanted to scape off of their shoes.But now he knows, for Barbara, he just wasn’t what she wanted.At least, that’s what he thinks, until he looks over at her. He can see the regret coming off of her, can feel the lie in his bones. Some of what she’s saying is true, but most of it is a lie to protect Molly.“Your father, though-” Barbara continues. “I knew he would be a great dad. He’s strong and brave and, when you’re lucky enough to be one of the people that he cares about, he would tear down the sky for you. I knew that you’d have a much better life with him than you would have if I’d been a part of it. Your father didn’t want to introduce you to me, and I think that that’s because he was scared you would be disappointed, and he was right. I’m not meant to be a mother. I wouldn’t be any good at it. But I hope that maybe someday we could be friends. I think I could be a good friend.”None of that is a lie, but it does break her heart to say it.“Maybe someday.” Molly says quietly. “I’m glad you did it.”“Molly.” Niall says again chidingly, taking her hand.“I have a good family.” Molly barrels on, squeezing Niall’s fingers. “I have a bunch of dads. Ashton taught me to read, and Luke does my hair, and Calum never gets tired of playing with me. Harry teaches me magic, and he’s patient with me when I make mistakes or call his clothes ugly. And da- Da is my best friend. He’s protected me my whole life, and taught me everything I know. He’s my hero, and I want to be just like him when I grow up.”“You’re well on your way.” Barbara says with a gentle smile. “I see so much of him in you, all of the best parts. Your capacity for love is as powerful as his is. You’re as unbelievably smart as him. And your willpower is a sight to behold. You look like me in a lot of ways, but the reason that I’m proud you’re my daughter is that you are very, very much like your father. You’re his daughter through and through, and that’s an amazing thing to be.”“I think so.” Molly says, smiling up at Niall and leaning into his side for a hug that Niall has to fight very hard not to cry into. He’s not overly successful, but he manages to stifle it and not let out a sob when he kisses the crown of her head. Her giggle says she notices anyways.
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“Is there something I can help you with?” Harry asks harshly when he opens the door and finds Ashton on his doorstep after ten minutes of knocking. “I’m busy.”He knows that he’s not being friendly, but he’s seen Calum and Luke suffering enough over the last few weeks to turn him against Ashton, let alone what happened with Niall and the gun.“Did Niall not- Fuck.” Ashton sighs. “Of course not. We all fucking died, got resurrected, found out we’ve been part of some huge conspiracy to prevent the apocalypse, and then everything with Molly and Barbara- I’m not surprised that he forgot.”“Forgot what?” Harry questions, fighting the part of himself that wants to slam the door shut in Ashton’s face.“I- I’m going to be your first patient.” Ashton says quietly.“My what?” Harry asks, more confused than he’s ever been.“As a trauma counselor.” Ashton mumbles. Oh- Right- That.“I’m not really set up here for-” Harry starts, but then his headache grows even bigger when Liam ports onto the sidewalk behind Ashton.“You’re going to need these.” Liam grunts out, tossing a set of keys to Harry. “The address is on the tag. It’s just down the road. Take a right at the stop sign, and then a left at the really huge cactus. You’ll know the place when you see it.”“Tell Eleanor I’m going to have a serious talk with her one of these days.” Harry growls, looking around Ashton. But Liam is already porting away, back to where he’s been hiding himself and Bear since they got back from the future. That’s well within his best interest.“Well, I’m just- I’m going to go.” Ashton mutters, turning away. It’s only then that Harry sees the emotions swirling around him. Ashton is terrified and lonely, angry and grieving. He’s a pit of despair, and Harry has been too blinded by his own anger to see it.“Truck is in the garage.” Harry says, grabbing the keys off of the hook by the door. “Get it ready for me?”He tosses them to Ashton, turning back into the house with a call over his shoulder of, “I won’t be but a minute,” as he closes the door.“Niall Horan, I’m going to kill you.” Harry growls, forcing a mental connection across the valley.“I said I will do the dishes when I get home, Harry.” Niall groans. “I’m touring an abandoned nuclear weapons silo right now, so you’re just going to have to wait. This place could literally blow us all off the map unless it’s taken care of, so it’s a little bit more important than your hatred of me leaving the plates to soak.”“I’m talking about you forgetting to mention the detail of Ashton becoming my ‘patient’.” Harry hisses mentally. “What the fucking fuck, Niall?”“I got distracted.” Niall sighs. “I completely forgot about it after everything that’s happened. But, Harry, he needs your help. I’ve been able to get him to the point where he can admit that he needs it, but you’re the one who understands emotions far better than I ever will. Just- Just give it a try. Please?”“Obviously I’m going to try.” Harry mutters, turning back towards the door. “But we are going to have a long, boring talk about your lack of communication skills when you get home tonight.”“Can’t you just spank me instead?” Niall asks with a huff.“That too.” Harry hums, shutting down the link and grabbing a pair of sunnies off of the table.“Alright, let’s go.” Harry calls, walking outside and seeing Ashton in the truck, waiting in the street. “Wow, this place is-” Ashton says when they walk into the office, trailing off.“Perfect.” Harry breathes out. He feels like there are stars in his eyes.There’s an abstract painting all along the wall across from the door, different shades of ivory and pearl with swathes of gold. Knick-knacks and books adorn an asymmetrical set of shelves, and there are little cactuses growing in a box implanted in the floor along the ground to ceiling windows facing the mountains. The desk has dark, wooden legs, but the top is glass, with a single notebook bound in leather sitting in the center, and a little lamp made of crystal. The armchairs are a leather that Harry knows feels like butter just by looking at them, and there’s a gorgeous red couch that Harry knows deep down is unnecessary, because nobody actually lays down in therapy, but Harry wants it anyways.Maybe he’ll use it for naps, or fucking Niall on.“I was going to say gaudy.” Ashton snorts.Harry ignores him besides flipping him off, walking over to look at the open notebook on the desk instead.‘I know this makes no reparations for the things I’ve done, but I do hope that it helps you find a semblance of home and belonging. -E + LP.S. Liam spent the last few days making this place fit every vision I’ve ever had of your tastes, but if anything isn’t to your liking, let us know, and we’ll do what we can to fix it.P.P.S. The necklace hanging on the lamp was Gemma’s. She gave it to me, but I think it belongs with you.’Harry drops the notebook and turns to the lamp, spotting the little chain immediately. It’s a crown of roses, rendered entirely in silver. Harry gave it to her his first Christmas after starting at the academy, and he can still see the love of both of them wrapped around it.He always wondered what happened to it.“Are you okay?” Ashton asks gently, looking at Harry with concern dripping out of him like sweat.“I think I will be.” Harry whispers, lifting up the chain and then putting it around his own neck.Eleanor was right that none of this comes close to making up for what happened, but it does make Harry feel just a little bit better. A little bit more like he’s found a home here, though that has more to do with Niall and Molly and Calum and Luke.“Do you need a minute?” Ashton questions.“No.” Harry says, taking a seat behind his desk. “Why don’t you sit down, and we can talk?”“I don’t really know how this works.” Ashton admits, sitting across from Harry.“That makes two of us.” Harry admits. “I was a soldier and an agent, not a therapist. And don’t get me started on my own sanity. I think Luke is just about the only mentally healthy adult out of all of us who came from Dublin.”“He’s strong.” Ashton says with a soft smile. “Nobody ever gives him credit for it, because everyone focuses so much on how good he is, and how gorgeous he is, but- He’s the strongest of us. He’s resilient in a way that I would kill for. He cares when other people would have long given up. And, in this world, being kind is the strongest thing you can be.”“You miss him a lot, don’t you?” Harry asks, reading the fondness and the regret swirling around him.“I miss them both.” Ashton admits. “But I spent two days with Luke, taking care of Molly, and, in all that time, he wouldn’t say a word to me.”“And what did you say to him?” Harry questions, leaning back against the chair.“I couldn’t figure out where to start.” Ashton mumbles. “Every time I was around him, a hundred different things came into my head, but none of them would come out of my mouth. I couldn’t figure out what to say.”“‘Sorry’ is always a good place to start.” Harry points out.“‘Sorry’ isn’t- It doesn’t cover it.” Ashton mutters, shaking his head. “I left them because I’m a coward. There’s not a word in any language that can say what I need to say.”“No, there probably isn’t.” Harry agrees. “You hurt them very badly, Ashton.”“Don’t you think I know-” Ashton snaps, falling silent when he looks at Harry again. “Sorry, I just- I know that.”“You didn’t let me finish.” Harry says, rolling his eyes. “May I?”“Yeah.” Ashton sighs.“You hurt them.” Harry says softly, leaning forward and putting his elbows on the desk in front of him. “But they hurt you too. You left them, but they were willing to leave you and the life you could have had away from all of this in Italy to come here. Niall broke that promise of ‘someday’, and I’m the one who stole him. You had the worst of it in the Tower, and I know that without having to be told, because I know Ben Winston. You have been so, so hurt over the last few months in a way that I wouldn’t wish on anyone, even after you tried to kill Niall.”“Can I tell you something about that?” Ashton requests.“You can.” Harry says with a nod.“I knew the safety was on.” Ashton says quietly. “I spent a lot of time in Dublin learning about weapons from Mike and Andy and Johnny and Ellen. I may never have been taught how to use it, but I knew everything about that gun by the time Bressie gave it to me. I just- I wanted to feel better by hurting him, even if it was just emotionally.”“Because he hurt you?” Harry questions.“Because I wanted to lash out at anyone and everyone.” Ashton whispers. “Because he was forcing me to realize how much of my pain was my own fault, and I just wanted to blame anyone but myself. I don’t- I don’t want to hurt him anymore. I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore. I just don’t know how to handle all of this pain inside of me. It makes me so- Mad. I feel like I’m going crazy.”“Well, you’ve taken a good first step in remedying that.” Harry says gently. “And I know that from experience. Niall isn’t the only one who’s spent time in this kind of darkness. I have too. When I lost Gemma, I stole the souls out of a lot of people, and I spent a long time lashing out in anger and grief. I took out my fury on Nick Grimshaw, and, even though he probably deserves a lot worse than even what I did, I regret having done that. Admitting that I didn’t like who I was, and that it wasn’t who I wanted to be was the first thing I had to do, and it sounds like you’ve already gotten there.“So, I only have one question left for you at this moment. What are you going to do to change it?”“Anything.” Ashton breathes out, looking up into Harry’s eyes and almost knocking him out of his chair with the willpower there.“Good.” Harry says with a nod. “Then let’s get started.” “How was the silo?” Harry asks, sitting down next to Niall on the couch now that they’ve packed Calum and Luke off, and put Molly to bed, and finally have a moment to themselves.“Boring.” Niall sighs. “Liam showed up after we’d been there for hours and told us that the bombs had been defunct for decades because of radioactive decay. The only danger from them is the nuclear waste leaking into the water supply, which is why he and Louis encased the place in walls of lead that are twenty feet thick. Then we had to be hosed down and tested with this clicking thing that told us if we were going to get radiation poisoning, and Louis yelled at us a bunch. That is the last time I listen to Ian. How was your day?”“I spent it mostly getting Ashton to open up.” Harry admits. “He’s as stubborn on that front as you are, in some ways, but he wants to get better. He’s got a lot of pain and anger in him, though.”“Believe me, I know.” Niall scoffs. “It’s been giving me migraines. That’s why I jumped on the opportunity to do something besides deal with him today.”“I wouldn’t think he would be able to hit you, unless you let him.” Harry snorts. “Or are you getting all slow and complacent since I kicked you arse?”“I- I guess I’m just a good teacher.” Niall mumbles. There’s something off about it, though. There’s regret and frustration coloring the words.He’s lying.“Why would you even try that?” Harry asks, his chest going tight. “You know I know when you’re lying.”“Harry, it’s not important.” Niall sighs, pushing himself off of the couch.“It must be, if you’re going to lie to me about it.” Harry grits out, following after him. He can feel Niall’s frustration as they move closer to the bedroom, but it’s not the kind he’s used to feeling when they go here.“Just get in, Harry.” Niall mutters, opening the door.“Why can’t we discuss this in the living room?” Harry questions.“Because, you only bothered to soundproof the bedroom.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes. “And I don’t want Molly waking up.”“Are you expecting things to get loud?” Harry asks, narrowing his eyes, but stepping inside.“Knowing you- Yes.” Niall mumbles, closing the door. “Now, before you go jumping to some stupid conclusions like that I’ve been cheating on you or summat-”“Because that would be such a stretch with your history.” Harry scoffs.“Will you just shut the fuck up for once in your life and let me speak?” Niall snaps, making Harry’s own anger flare up. “And don’t you get pissed off at me, Harry Styles. If anything, I should be the one that’s mad at you right now. For goddamn weeks, actually.”“I haven’t done anything!” Harry hisses, getting angrier by the word.“Just- Stop.” Niall grunts out, closing his eyes. “God, how do you live with this every day? I’m so tired of my brain aching all the time.”“What?” Harry asks, his anger fading into confusion and Niall breathing out a sigh of relief only confusing him further.“You- Infected me.” Niall says slowly, carefully. He’s treating Harry like a wild animal, but Harry’s not sure why. “I don’t know how, but I know that, since we’ve been here, I’ve been getting these- Glimpses. It was just little things at first, a quick flash or a whisper of something that was gone as quick as I felt it. But the longer we’ve been here, the more I’ve been seeing. Like smoke coming out of Ashton’s mouth when he’s angry, or dew clinging to Molly’s skin when she’s sad. Fire in your eyes when you get pissed off, and pink fog around you when you’re horny.”“Empathy.” Harry breathes out. He feels like he’s in shock, everything going numb as he stumbles backwards and sits on the bed.“Sensorial empathy.” Niall says with a nod. “I can’t- I can’t generally feel exactly what people are feeling, unless I’m touching them or it’s really intense, but I can see it. I can smell it when someone is scared, and taste it in the air when someone is confused, and I can hear it when someone is excited.”“Why didn’t you tell me?” Harry asks, looking up at Niall to find a pure white light shining from his chest. Love.“Because I know you, and I know you’re going to lose your mind worrying about this.” Niall says gently, crouching down in front of Harry. “It’s nothing I can’t handle most of the time, but you- You handle stress very poorly.”“I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Harry whispers, clinging to Niall’s hands. “I need you to know that.”“I do know that, Harry.” Niall snorts in amusement. “I think I would have been able to tell by now if you’d been secretly trying to make me magical. I do think it’s about time that you and I talk to Liam about it, though. Figure out how and why it’s happening.”“I think I already know.” Harry admits, his voice going raw in his throat. “Liam explained a lot more to me about how my powers work when we started my training. It’s based on electrical relays between my brain and whoever I connect to. After- After what I did on the boat, and what I did at the mansion, I was able to see it and feel it when you got shot in London. After that, we did that even more times, and our minds got more linked, and-”“And the power boost from the rupture is causing it to go both ways now.” Niall finishes for him.“I can try creating a power dampening token for you?” Harry offers. “I don’t know if it’ll work, since it’s actually my power, but-”“I don’t want it to stop.” Niall says, pressing a finger to Harry’s lips. “I don’t actually hate it, if I’m being honest. I’ve never been good with feelings. Bobby stunted that when I was four years old. But I’ve started to understand more, ever since this happened.”“But-” Harry starts.“Plus-” Niall hums, cutting him off as he leans up and whispers in Harry’s ear. “I really love being able to see exactly how much I’m taking you apart.”“Oh.” Harry breathes out, and the smirk that Niall presses into his neck tells Harry that he feels his lust.“How about you give me some- Hands on practice with these powers?” Niall purrs, pressing his hand to Harry’s chest and pushing him down into the mattress before straddling over his lap. “I’m still pretty new at this, and I could use a few lessons.”“I think I could do that.” Harry says with a gasp when Niall bites at his neck.“See- Until this happened, I never knew you liked the biting so much.” Niall chuckles. “But, now, I can see and feel the pleasure. I’ve been- Experimenting, since I realized what was happening. Seeing what does and doesn’t work for you. It’s been- Enlightening. You’re a dirty boy, aren’t you?” “I wondered why you were changing everything up in bed constantly.” Harry mumbles, trying to regain some semblance of dignity. It doesn’t work though, because he can still feel Niall’s smugness and he knows his lust and pleasure have given him away.“Like it when I call you that too, don’t you?” Niall grunts out, ignoring Harry’s statement and leaning back up to pull his shirt off over his head. “But I know something that gets you off even more than that. Ain’t that right, gorgeous?”“Niall!” Harry whines. It’s fucking unfair.“I don’t want you to be ashamed of anything that I do or say that makes you feel good.” Niall murmurs, sliding his hands under Harry’s shirt and running his hands softly over the smooth skin of Harry’s stomach. “I know you like to be worshipped, and I know you like it rough, and I know you like to be reminded how fucking filthy you are. I know you like to be taken from behind while I hold you down, and I know you like it slow and sweet so that it lasts for ages. If you want me to call you a dirty little boy, I’ll do it, but I’ll also admit that you’re the single most beautiful person I’ve ever known, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you in my bed and my life.”“You-” Harry chokes out, breathless. He’s going to explode. “You’re trying to kill me.”“Nah, gorgeous.” Niall hums. “I’m just going to give you the best sex you’ve ever had in your life. Now take off your clothes.”And, well- Harry is too fucking impatient to struggle with fabric right now. He uses the reverse of the spell he’d used to put Bressie’s shoes on his feet, warping his clothes and what’s left of Niall’s across the room to smack against the wall.“Eager.” Niall smirks, climbing backwards to settle between Harry’s legs. “Almost wish I got that power instead. Not quite as useful, though. Now spread these gorgeous things, and give me your ring.”“Already on your finger.” Harry says with a wave of his hand, spreading his legs wide and pulling them back.“Okay, never mind.” Niall snorts. “That would be a really useful skill.”“Niall, I am spread out like a buffet here.” Harry growls out. “Focus.”“A buffet is right.” Niall grins, running his thumbs over the creases of Harry’s thighs where they meet his groin. “So many delicious options to pick from. Your lips- Your nips- Your prick- Your hole- How am I supposed to decide what to taste first? I could work my way down, work you up slowly, but I have a feeling that you’ll enjoy it more if you can taste your ass and cock on my tongue when I kiss you, dirty boy.”He’s literally going to fucking explode.“That work for you, gorgeous?” Niall asks with a hum giving another stroke with his thumbs that makes Harry’s body feel like it’s about to burst into flames. “Want me to work my way up this gorgeous body of yours?”“Yeah- I- Yes- Please.” Harry stammers out. Fuck, Niall hasn’t even really started yet and he’s turning Harry into an incoherent mess.Not so far gone though that he can’t pinch his pinky and thumb together and casting a quick cleaning spell on his body to make sure there’s nothing unwanted as Niall leans down towards his arse.“Such a pretty, pink hole.” Niall murmurs, lapping his tongue out and making Harry’s entire body go taught with a moan trapped in his throat. “Let it out, gorgeous. Just because I can see and smell and apparently taste how much you like it doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it too.”“Fuck!” Harry groans as Niall dives back in, licking without abandon and making Harry moan without any as well.His fingers carve grooves into the sheets and his legs spread even wider under Niall’s hands. It’s only when his whole body starts to quake from Niall’s tongue opening him up that Niall moves on, stuffing two slicked fingers in to replace his tongue at the same time he sinks his mouth down on Harry’s cock, taking him all the way to the back of his throat.It’s fucking bliss, but it’s also going to make Harry cum way too fast. Niall’s fingers are working that spot inside of him, and his throat is flexing around Harry’s head, and he’s- He’s gonna-“Don’t even think about it.” Niall says, pulling off with a mixture of spit and pre-cum connecting his swollen lips to the head of Niall’s cock. The hand he isn’t working Harry open with moves to squeeze Harry’s balls, just shy of painfully. It’s frustrating as all hell, but it works. “I’m not done with you yet. Not by a long shot.”“Just- Just keep your hand there.” Harry chokes out, gripping harder onto the sheets.“That’s my good boy.” Niall hums, keeping Harry’s balls trapped with his hand while he sinks back down, running his tongue around Harry’s head.There’s a vigor in him that Harry’s never seen before, an energy that just seems to grow the more Harry loses his mind. And then it dawns on him. Niall is feeding off of Harry’s pleasure, using it to energize himself and take it all further, and Harry is just taking that all back in. They’re in a feedback loop, feeling pleasure and using that to increase the pleasure of both of them. This is going to be intense.A third finger fits inside of him and Harry feels like he’s going to cum again as Niall presses against that spot and rubs in fast circles and sucks hard on Harry’s head. He’s focusing, trying to bring Harry right to the edge, but his hand assures that Harry can’t tip over it.It’s like heaven and hell at the same time.And then Niall’s mouth is gone from his cock, biting and kissing and sucking bruises up Harry’s torso, whispering, “Gonna make you feel better than you ever thought that you could even in your dirtiest dreams, my gorgeous boy.”His fingers pull out, and his hand disappears from Harry’s balls, but he’s being filled back up soon enough by Niall’s cock. He bottoms out just as he reaches Harry’s nipples, rolling the left between his fingers while his mouth latches onto the other one and sucks hard.And it feels so, so good, but all Harry wants now is for Niall to devour him.“Patience, gorgeous.” Niall whispers, moving to bite onto Harry’s neck and suck a bruise there that’ll claim him to anyone’s eyes. He pulls out and pumps in slowly, just teasing Harry with what’s to come. “This isn’t the best sex you’ve ever had yet, is it?”“Pretty fucking close.” Harry gasps out as Niall bites him again. He’s honestly never felt like this before. His pleasure feeding into Niall and Niall’s feeding back into him- It’s beyond anything Harry ever knew was possible.Niall’s hands fit under the small of his back, and then slide down, squeezing onto the flesh of his arse and spreading him open.“I’m going to ruin you for everyone else on this whole planet.” Niall grunts in his ear before he pulls back and brings Harry with him.He’s kneeled on the bed with Harry riding on top of him, legs wrapped around his back.“Can’t risk you running off with Cal or summat when I’m so in love with you.” Niall murmurs, holding tight to Harry’s arse and lifting him up just to pull him down hard as he fucks into him. “Now are you going to kiss me, or what?”Harry dives in greedily, kissing Niall for all he’s worth, and he doesn’t even have to hide how the filthiness of it turns him on. Niall lifts him up and slams him down again, making every nerve ending in his body light up like fireworks, over and over. Everything is tingling. He feels like he’s floating.Nothing has ever compared to this in his whole life.“I love you.” Harry breathes out over Niall’s lips. “I love you so fucking much.”“I know.” Niall whispers, moving his left arm to wrap around Harry’s and do the same work both had been doing before, keeping up that same pace as before, even though his right hand moves to circle around Harry’s cock. “I can feel it. Best thing to come out of this, honestly.”“Maybe second.” Harry huffs out in a laugh, feeling himself teetering over the edge.“Maybe second.” Niall agrees with a grunt, fucking up harder. “You can cum now, gorgeous. I wanna feel it.”“Fuck- Fuck- Fuck!” Harry whimpers, tipping over the edge again as he fists his hands in Niall’s hair and dives back in to taste himself on Niall’s tongue before he drops into ecstasy.It’s pure fucking pleasure that ignites inside of him as Niall erupts, looping back around and around between the two of them until they collapse on the mattress in a boneless, sweaty mess.“That-” Harry breathes out. “Was by far the best sex I’ve ever had.”“Fucking spectacular.” Niall agrees with a hum, sliding his hand along the sweaty length of Harry’s spine. “But that’s definitely the second-best part of this, not the best.”“You think so?” Harry asks, turning to look into Niall’s eyes as he slides off and lays next to him.“I’ve never- I never really understood love until now.” Niall mumbles, linking his fingers with Harry. “Not- Not other people’s, at least. I told you that Bressie was the first person to ever tell me that they loved me, and Barbara was second. After what happened with both of them, I felt so worthless that I couldn’t- I didn’t believe it by the time the lads said it to me. I thought it meant something different to everyone but me. I thought- I thought something was wrong with me, the way my heart could completely belong to someone, and it never seemed to be returned.“Over time, I began to see what it meant with the lads, the devotion they still had for me even though I had hurt them. But it still felt- Wrong. It did with you too, once you said it. It felt like nobody felt love the way I did, but- You all do. Their love for each other and me- I was right that it wasn’t like mine. Neither is yours.“Calum loves like sunlight, like a warm kiss on your skin from the sky. And Luke loves like waves lapping at your feet on the beach, a gentle and playful caress. And Ashton loves like a castle, surrounding you with brick and mortar to protect you from pain. And you- You love like a rose blooming, soft and silky and beautiful. All of it is different from me, but that doesn’t make it less. It’s only since I got this ability that I’ve ever- That I’ve ever been able to see that I’m not unlovable. That’s it’s just how I love that’s different, and I can’t expect everyone to love like I do.”“You’re the only person I’ve ever met that loves like you do.” Harry tells him, kissing at Niall’s knuckles. “Because the way you love- It’s like a hurricane. And I don’t mean it’s destructive. I mean that it’s so powerful that nothing can stand against it. But we- We’re all standing in the eye, and we can see the sun, and there’s not a one of us that doesn’t count ourselves lucky for it.”“Thank you for this.” Niall whispers, pressing his forehead against Harry’s and closing his eyes. “It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”“Right back at you, love.” Harry murmurs, wrapping his arms around Niall and just holding him until they fall asleep.
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“How are things going with you and Harry?” Ashton asks, taking Niall by surprise. He would have thought that Ashton would head out after Niall called an end to their training. It’s not one of his days with Harry or Molly, so he has the opportunity to just relax.“Think it’s more important to ask how things are going with you and Harry.” Niall points out, shifting his bag on his shoulder.“Niall, I- I’m trying here.” Ashton says quietly. “Please don’t make it harder.”“We’re good.” Niall admits, looking at Ashton and seeing the pain and grief there in his eyes. “Something new has started happening, so we’re learning to cope with that, but it’s good. Have you tried talking to Cal and Lu?”“I saw Luke the other day at the café.” Ashton says with a soft smile. “He said ‘hi’ and let me buy him one of his new fancy iced coffee things. Left after that, though. I think he only said anything because he had Molly with him.”“We don’t buy anything here.” Niall chuckles.“You know what I mean.” Ashton huffs.“And you know what I mean.” Niall counters. “Why haven’t you tried to have a real talk with them?”“I’m scared.” Ashton breathes out, looking everywhere except at Niall. “What am I supposed to do when they say they don’t want anything to do with me? Right now, I- I can pretend that everything might be okay again one day. But, if they do reject me, then I won’t have that to hold onto anymore.”“They miss you, you know.” Niall says quietly, resting his hand on Ashton’s shoulder. “They haven’t gotten a really good night’s sleep since they got here, because you aren’t in that bed with them. They fall asleep with me or Harry or Molly sometimes, but it’s not right. It’s not what they want.”“How would you know?” Ashton scoffs, shrugging Niall’s hand off of his arm. “Just because you’re dating an empath doesn’t mean you are one.”“In this case, it kind of does.” Niall snorts. “I’m not going to push you, Ashton. When you’re ready, you’ll do it, and I know that. Nothing I say can change that or make it easier. You just have to pick yourself up and do it.”“Harry wants to invite them for one of my sessions.” Ashton says as Niall turns to head for the door. “What should I do?”“I think it would be a good thing.” Niall says over his shoulder, not stopping his stride. “Opening up to me and Harry isn’t going to get you back with your boys if you can’t say the same things to them.”He doesn’t stop feeling Ashton’s fear until he meets up with Barbara, Eleanor and Harry. “What’s your game?” Niall asks, leaning back in his chair next to Harry.“I like chess.” Eleanor says with a sly smile. “It’s the only game I have trouble predicting the outcome of, since there are so many options most of the time, and the flow of events doesn’t solidify until a choice is made. I’ve never managed to beat Liam, but I am quite good.”“Funny.” Harry scoffs.“What I meant is, why would you tell us all of this about our destinies and this apocalypse and whatever, and then all of you hide away.” Niall says calmly. “Barbara has only been out to see us once, and that was for Molly. Liam dropped off keys for Harry, and that’s been it from him. And you- You’ve been hidden away in your little bunker, like you think that’s going to keep you safe.”“We’ve been working.” Barbara sighs. “Now that all of you are here, we’re approaching the endgame for this whole thing. Things got- Complicated, by your arrival. We weren’t supposed to intercept you all at that time, in the original plan. But then Ben implanted the psychic parasite, which changed things, and we had to move our timetable up.”“Why didn’t you know about that in advance?” Niall questions.“I told you, I can’t see mages.” Eleanor sighs. “It took a long time for me to parse out who the spy was who would lead Ben here, because I couldn’t see him. But, what’s strange, is that the future is becoming blurry to me. One moment, I see a future where we’ve accomplished our goal, and the next it’s one of fire again. Every time we come up with countermeasures, something else changes. It’s almost as if-”“As if there’s someone on the other side who can see the future as well.” Harry finishes, drawing Niall’s gaze. That’s not something that they’ve discussed in the conversations leading to this meeting. “Or, at the very least, someone who can think into the future by a bit.”“Yes.” Eleanor says with a nod. “Or they could have a mage influencing things outside of my purview.”“No.” Harry says, shaking his head. “This is Xan. I know it. I feel it in my blood. He’s loyal to Ben down to his marrow. Ben has offered him a chance at revenge against the people who stole his legs and his future from him. There’s nothing he won’t do for him, as long as he also gets to bring down the Technophage.”“Well, that- That will be happening very soon.” Eleanor says quietly. “The Oracle will be unmasked within the week, and executed by the empress.”“And?” Niall asks.“And then Ben Winston will be able to focus on what he’s wanted for years.” Eleanor mutters. “Stopping me. You must remember, boys, I was brought up in EMIA. They have detailed accounts of my visions, though none of them mention Ben by name, as I had not come across him in my journeys through the future yet. What they do have is records of me mentioning another rupture. It is- It is my own fault that this is even happening.”“Of course it is.” Niall sighs, rubbing at his temples. “I don’t- It doesn’t matter right now. What matters is what we’re supposed to be doing. You said that we have roles to play in preventing the apocalypse.”“Not necessarily.” Barbara says with a slight wince. “Not all of your group have a direct destiny involved with the mission itself, but some of you are more about what comes afterwards. Bressie, for instance, isn’t exactly vital in the immediate plan. He’s important for afterwards.”“And us?” Niall asks.“You both have your roles, yes.” Eleanor nods.“Are you going to tell us what they are?” Harry questions, tightening his grip on Niall’s hand.“No.” Eleanor admits. “Just as I haven’t told Barbara, I cannot tell you. When the day comes, which will be sooner than any of us would like, your roles will become apparent to you. Telling you what’s going to happen will- It will influence events in a way that the world cannot afford.”“You make it very hard to trust you.” Niall says flatly, standing up from his chair. “You should worry about what happens when I decide I won’t anymore.”“You won’t have long to wait.” Eleanor tells him, her voice hard. “Our reckoning will be happening within the week. I suggest you all make peace within the lives you have now, because the dust settling may not leave them the same as they once were.”“Is that a threat?” Harry growls out, placing his palms on the table and pushing himself up.“It’s a warning.” Eleanor says, her eyes going soft. “We will all sacrifice before this war is through. None of us will escape unscathed. But the only way that we can save anything is by being willing to risk everything.”“You made those sacrifices for us a long time ago.” Niall grits out. “You stole our lives from us and changed them to suit your mission. The fact that we haven’t killed you yet does not mean you’ve been forgiven.”“I do not expect forgiveness.” Eleanor mutters, gripping onto Barbara’s hand. “What I’ve done in my life is not forgivable, but I’ve made my peace with it.”And then they’re gone in a flash of light, Barbara porting them out.“I really do not care for that woman.” Niall grunts, holding his hand out to Harry, and feeling the immediate relief when the familiar touch is returned.“Me either.” Harry says, burying his face in Niall’s neck. “I think she’s expecting people to die.”“It’s not going to be any of us.” Niall tells him, pressing a kiss to Harry’s temple. “I won’t allow that to happen.” “What’s wrong with Harry?” Molly asks, looking up at Niall while she speaks inside his head.“He’s got a lot on his mind, lovebug.” Niall tells her out loud, throwing up a mental barrier so that she understands she doesn’t get to just get in someone’s head whenever she wants.“Hey.” Molly pouts. Niall can feel her knock against the walls, but she bounces off again and again. For all her power, she doesn’t have what it takes.“Molly.” Niall says firmly. “Stop that.”“I’m just trying to talk to you.” Molly huffs, giving up her mental assault.“No, you’re trying to talk about Harry in my head.” Niall argues. “Why don’t you try talking to him?”“Molly!” Harry hisses, turning away from the stove.“Well, you’re being weird.” Molly mumbles, looking down at her lap. “But I didn’t want to say it to your face because everyone keeps saying ‘that’s mean’ and ‘you’re acting just like your father’.”“Hey!” Niall barks out over Harry’s laugh.“I just have a lot on my mind, ladybug.” Harry says with a smile, crouching down next to her chair. “Can you go get the door?”“Why?” Molly asks, climbing out of her seat anyways.“Ashton’s here.” Niall says, looking over towards the door where he can feel a bundle of nervousness and anxiety right before there’s a knock.“How did you know that?” Molly asks, heading for the door.“Just a feeling.” Niall hums, looking over at Harry. “You do this?”“Nope.” Harry says, shaking his head. “I figured you did.”“Hi, Ash!” Molly squeals as she opens the door. “Are you here for dinner?”“Actually, I’m here to see Harry.” Ashton says, picking her up when she opens her arms. “I need to talk to him about something. Think you can help me convince him to do me a favor?”“He’s really easy.” Molly says with a beaming smile. “He’s so new, all my tricks still work.”“Not if I hear you.” Harry calls out with a roll of his eyes. Niall gives one too, because they all know it’ll still work. “What do you need, Ash?”Niall didn’t know Harry called him that.“I, um- I’ve been trying to find someone else to do it, but nobody here in town knows anything about doing magical tattoos.” Ashton says, coming into the kitchen with Molly. “I was hoping that you might, since you have some.”“Well, considering I did all of mine myself, I think I have a clue.” Harry says with a soft smile.“You did?” Niall asks.“I did.” Harry snorts. “You want one too?”“Not interested.” Niall says flatly.“Well, I am.” Ashton interjects, setting Molly back down in her seat. “I just don’t know what I could do to repay it, considering we don’t have money here.”“Why don’t you have dinner with us?” Harry chuckles. “I’ll consider that payment enough.”What the hell is happening here?“Not so fast.” Niall says, cutting between them. “He has to do the dishes afterwards.”“Fine.” Ashton snorts. “What’s for dinner?”“This old recipe I found in one of the cookbooks here for something called enchiladas.” Harry hums. “They’re kind of messy, but they seem like they’re going to taste good. Niall’s just trying to get himself out of doing the dishes tonight. You don’t have to-”“I’ll do them.” Ashton cuts him off. “I don’t mind helping out.” “Are you sleeping with him?” Niall asks, pulling Harry aside while Ashton does the dishes with Molly helping him dry.“No.” Harry snorts.“Then why are you being so friendly with him?” Niall questions. “And why is he being so friendly with you? Ashton has literally never liked you. Not from day one. So since when do you call him ‘Ash’ and invite him to dinner as payment for a favor?”“Niall, I have spent a lot of time with Ashton lately.” Harry points out.“So have I.” Niall argues.“Yes, but where you’ve literally been punching and kicking him half to death, we have been talking.” Harry says, cupping Niall’s cheek. “Just talking. He’s been vulnerable with me in a way that was making him uncomfortable for a while, but, once we worked through that, we sort of- I don’t know. We became friends.”“It’s weird.” Niall mutters. “I don’t like it.”“Niall-” Harry murmurs, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Stop being a jealous twat.”“I’m not jealous!” Niall growls. “Ashton can’t possibly fu-”“Of me.” Harry says, clamping his hand over Niall’s mouth. “You’re jealous of me, because Ashton is your best friend in the world, and he’s so close, but so far. I know how much you miss him, how much you love him. I know how much it’s killing you that that bond has been broken, but it’s killing him just as much. He misses you as much as you miss him, and he loves you just as much.“And, by the way, I’m being friendlier than usual to him tonight. We’ve been getting along, but there’s a couple of things that I’m keeping in mind. First, Eleanor said to make peace with our lives before the end of this week, because the bloody apocalypse might be creeping up on us. That means letting go of my problems with Ashton, for me. At least in part. The other thing is, if you hadn’t been sitting there brooding all night over whether or not I’m sucking Ashton’s dick instead of giving him therapy, you’d have noticed that he- He’s the loneliest I’ve ever seen a person be. Even you weren’t this lonely when we met, and that’s saying something. He just wants to not feel so alone tonight.”“I- I didn’t notice.” Niall admits with a sigh, looking over at Ashton again. How he didn’t is beyond him, now that he’s out of his own self-pity. It clings to him, a deep blue mist that he breathes out with every word and laugh. He’s got on a brave face, but it’s a flimsy mask that Niall should have seen through even before he got these powers.“Hey-” Niall says, drawing their attention. “Put down the dishes. I’ll take care of the rest of them in the morning. I’m gonna let them soak.”“I hate you.” Harry grunts out, elbowing Niall in the side. “Ash, why don’t we take care of that tattoo for you now, and you can stay and watch a film with us before we send Molly to bed?”“Okay.” Ashton says with a soft smile. “That sounds good to me.”“What were you thinking?” Harry asks. “Have you got a design.”“I do.” Ashton says with a nod, picking Molly up and settling her on his hip. “It, um- It’s a bird, on the back of my neck.”“And the magical aspect?” Harry questions.“I want it to be able to point me wherever Molly is, if she needs me.” Ashton hums. “I want to be able to look out for my little bird.”The way Molly’s eyes shine tells Niall that she’s enamored with the idea, and maybe she’s found another hero. He can’t be jealous this time. Not when he feels exactly the same way “Niall, this isn’t any of your business.” Calum huffs.“I am well aware.” Niall sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “But, considering he slept with me and Harry last night-”“You what?” Luke spits out angrily, standing up out of his chair. Niall’s pretty sure the jealousy there isn’t directed at Ashton.“I mean he literally slept with us last night.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes. “He fell asleep with us on the couch, and I think it’s because he didn’t want to go back to his place again and sleep alone. I’ve never seen Ashton sleep upright before, and his back had him in so much pain he was almost in tears, but he didn’t say a word about it and he was still happy.”“Well then why don’t you three just start a triad, if you’re all so happy together?” Calum scoffs.“That’s not what I’m saying.” Niall groans. “I’m not even saying you need to get back together with him. But what I am saying is that it would mean a lot to him if you guys would just come to one of his sessions with Harry.”“Well, not a damn thing about us has mattered to him for almost six weeks, so why should we give a fuck?” Calum spits out angrily.“Because you know that’s not true.” Niall says firmly.“Why are you trying to force this?” Luke asks weakly, wringing his hands. “It’s our business, Niall, not yours. Whether you and Harry choose to associate with him or not, that doesn’t mean that we have to.”“Fine.” Niall mutters, shaking his head. “It’s on your heads what happens next, not mine.”“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Calum asks angrily.“It means that Eleanor told us that we have days left until whatever is going to happen happens.” Niall tells him, heading for the door. “And that we need to make peace with our lives, because everything is going to change. I think- I think not everyone involved is going to make it, and Ashton doesn’t have a whole hell of a lot left to fight for, anymore. Just Molly.”“She- She’s been enough for you.” Calum says, choking on the words.“Ashton isn’t me.” Niall says, opening up the door. “He’s not a warrior, he’s a guardian. He’s not a weapon, he’s a shield. He’s not a demon, he’s a knight, and his armor may not be shining anymore, but I know it can again. He just needs someone to believe in him so that he can believe in himself.”He closes the door behind himself, praying they hear him as he goes.
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“So, you didn’t invite them?” Harry asks, though he already knows the answer.“I couldn’t.” Ashton mumbles. “Not after what I heard you two talking about last night. Not when the apocalypse is coming now.”“You weren’t supposed to hear that.” Harry sighs.“I can’t come back into their lives when I don’t know if we’re going to be alive next week.” Ashton says quietly, pulling in on himself. He does that now- Uses his arms like a shield, like he thinks he can stop Harry from seeing the turmoil inside of him if he just puts enough of himself between them. In so many ways, he’s been getting better, but he’s also showing more cracks in his armor than Harry originally anticipated.“Besides- Who are you two to keep that from any of us?” Ashton questions, turning the tables in an attempt to throw Harry off. Unfortunately, Harry is going to have to let that work for now, because it’s a question that does need answering. “Who are you and Niall to decide whether or not we deserve to know what’s coming? If I’m going to die, then I have a right to know.”“She didn’t tell us if anyone is going to die.” Harry admits. “Though she did say that some people’s roles are more about after things than during.”“What about Cal?” Ashton asks with wide eyes, leaning forward. “He’s a mage, and they’re the ones that these arseholes are focusing on.”“She can’t see mages, remember?” Harry sighs. “Niall and I arranged a meeting with her yesterday, but that doesn’t mean that we learned anything. Neither of us know the roles that we have to play in all of this. I don’t think anyone knows except for Eleanor, and she’s too sure that we’ll all abandon the plan if we know that we’re going to die.”“Why has the timeframe changed, then?” Ashton asks. “This was supposed to be twenty years in the future. This wasn’t supposed to be now. We were supposed to have time, and now- Now we’re all standing on the edge of a volcano and almost nobody even knows it. It’s not fucking fair.”“You’re right.” Harry nods. “None of this is fair. My sister died for this. Niall lost Bressie and Barbara for this. We lost our entire futures, based on a version of the future that was never even allowed to play out. None of this was our choice. But the question is would you do anything different if you knew all this before?”“I would have gone to get the cake by myself so that they never had to go into the tower.” Ashton answers after a moment. “But, otherwise- No. They’re my world, but I couldn’t sacrifice every living being on the planet for them. All I can do is protect them with everything I have, and pray that that’s enough.”“So, you’re willing to die for them, but not willing to give them the chance to have you back for what little time we may have left?” Harry questions, leaning forward.“Ever since that day, I’ve done nothing for them.” Ashton says quietly, dropping his arms and showing a vulnerability that’s been missing from this session so far. “I’ve been so wrapped up in my own trauma that I just abandoned them long before we came to Alamogordo. They don’t feel safe with me, and they don’t want me around. This- This is the only thing I can do for them right now.”“That’s your self-pity talking, Ash.” Harry says gently.“Sounds about right.” says a voice that makes the both of them jump. Harry should have felt their presence, but he’s been so focused on Ashton that he’s not entirely surprised that it didn’t register. “What are you doing here?” Harry asks when Ashton’s mouth opens and closes several times before he turns back to Harry with panic in his eyes.“We would have been here earlier, but we mixed things up and thought this was an Ashton-Molly day, and then we realized that we didn’t actually know where this place is.” Luke explains, walking over and taking a seat on the couch.“That doesn’t explain why you’re here.” Harry says with a sigh. “This is a private session. You can’t just walk into this.”“Um- Niall told us about it.” Calum says, taking a seat next to Luke.“That wasn’t his place.” Ashton mutters, finally finding his voice again.“He said it would help.” Luke says softly.“Are we not welcome, then?” Calum asks, raising an eyebrow. He’s putting on an ambivalent front- annoyed, even- But inside he’s a mass of anxiety and worry. A rejection right now might just break everything between the two of them, and Harry can’t say anything, because this has to be Ashton’s choice.“I didn’t say that.” Ashton sighs, shaking his head. “I said that it wasn’t his place. It’s mine. I should have been the one to ask you two to come.”“Then why didn’t you?” Luke asks.“Because I was scared of what would happen if you said no.” Ashton admits, turning to face them, all of his heart right there on his sleeve. “And because I- I needed to apologize before I ever asked you to do anything for me.”“That’s- That’s not how love works, Ash.” Calum says with a sigh.“I was pretty sure that you didn’t love me anymore, so-” Ashton says quietly. “That didn’t really apply to my decision.”“Idiot.” Luke hums, crossing the short distance from the couch to Ashton in a heartbeat and pulling him against his chest. “Absolute moron.”“I’m so sorry.” Ashton whispers wrapping his arms around Luke and sinking against him as he starts to cry.Once Calum comes and joins them, pressing a kiss to Ashton’s forehead, Harry knows that it’s time for him to leave. The rest of this is on them. He just really hopes that they don’t have sex on his couch. He still hasn’t gotten to fuck Niall there, and that really should be his to christen. “So-” Harry drawls out, looking at Liam. “Where do mages come from?”“That’s what you have to ask me?” Liam asks, scrunching his eyebrows together in disbelief.“That’s what I’m choosing to ask you.” Harry corrects him. “I’m sure that you’ve spent plenty of time recently reflecting on yourself and how you could let your best friend and his child die, how you could let Molly and Niall and Ashton and Luke die, in the name of a prophecy by this woman. My concern at the moment is how mages occur, and how their existence has been kept secret for all this time. Why are they so rare? Have any mages ever manifested powers in utero and killed their mothers?”“They always seem to come from a witch and a non-magical.” Liam sighs, rubbing over his face with his palm. “Bear’s mother, my partner, was a non-magical. Freddie was born when Louis had a one-night stand with a non-magical. Calum is the only exception that we know of, although, with his parents’ status, it’s possible that either his father or his mother isn’t actually his genetic relative. They might have slept with a slave and-”“We are not telling him that.” Harry cuts Liam off. “He’s been through enough. What happened to Bear and Freddie’s mothers?”“Bear- When he manifested, he killed his mother.” Liam explains. “As do most mages. I hadn’t seen Eleanor since I had broken things off with my previous partner to focus on averting the apocalypse, and I started having an affair with an assistant of mine, and- She didn’t know. She didn’t know Bear was going to be born, let alone that he was going to be a mage.”“You sure about that?” Harry asks.“I’ve given her a truth serum and interrogated her.” Liam says with a solemn nod.“She can see the future, Liam, which means she could have brewed a potion to counteract that serum.” Harry points out. “And she’s more than willing to sacrifice anyone for this.”“She is like a daughter to me.” Liam says harshly. “I choose to believe her.”“What happened to Freddie’s mother, then?” Harry asks. “Why didn’t Eleanor warn him?”“We only met Louis after Freddie was born.” Liam mutters. “Since El’s powers don’t detect mages, we had to find more on our own. Molly was with Niall, and Bear wasn’t born yet, so- We had to scour news from across the globe in search of strange magical activity. There were reports from Spain and Japan and Qatar that we followed, but none of them led us anywhere. Then we got back home to London, and we followed a report up to a suburb of Doncaster where the entire populace had disappeared overnight, and the town had been overrun with cats.“We found Louis hiding out not too far from there with Freddie. He had manifested while Louis was away, and unlike how his powers function now by touch, he radiated an aura that turned everyone nearby into a perfect copy of his grandmother’s cat. Including his mother, and all of the rest of Louis’ family. There was no way of finding out which cats were which people, or of controlling Freddie’s powers to turn them back, so we bound Freddie’s powers and ran.”“I remember that.” Harry says with a frown. “But there were no records of anyone in the area having given birth recently, so Nick and I handed it over to another team.”“I erased the records.” Liam tells him. “Or, more accurately, I had Ellen erase the records.”“How did you even get access to the information about that suburb?” Harry asks, leaning forward.“Your mother, actually.” Liam says with a snort. “Eleanor and I have been working with her for a long time. Since before Gemma’s death. We give her information using El’s powers, and she agrees to a mind-wipe of our faces, names and abilities, as well as any plans we had. She is- She’s going to become the empress, Harry. Very soon, actually, if everything goes to plan.”Of course.“Did she know that you convinced Gemma to kill herself in the name of demolishing my mental health to turn me into a tool?” Harry fires back at him. “Was that in the packets of info that you gave her?”“Harry-” Liam groans.“You manipulated my entire life, made sacrifices for me without my consent, to use me!” Harry bites out, his wrath growing by the second. “Do not dare take that tone with me, or I swear on the Rupture that I will rip out your son’s soul from here and make you watch it as he dies. I can feel him, you know. I can feel all of you. I know where Eleanor is. I know where you’ve been hiding with Bear, keeping him removed from all of this. The two of you have lost nothing compared to what you’ve done to the rest of us!”“There are greater forces at play here!” Liam hisses. “Are you saying what you’ve lost is more important than this plan? Than the entire world?”“I don’t know the fucking plan!” Harry roars, slamming his hands on the table. “None of us do! You two are keeping it a secret from all of us, while you keep your son safe and sacrifice our daughter and everyone she’s ever cared about!”“Freddie is Eleanor’s adopted child!” Liam growls out. “And it killed her to let him die like that, but she did it for the greater good!”“And yet, Bear was kept well away from it all.” Harry points out. “So, if you knew that I was going to succeed and bring them all back, why keep him removed? Could it be that you don’t have complete and utter fucking faith in Eleanor’s visions after all?”“I- I had no reason to have him there.” Liam mutters, looking away.“Except that it would at least have answered the question of whether or not you two are as willing to sacrifice everything as much as you’ve done to us.” Harry scoffs. “It would have shown the rest of us that we aren’t all expendable.”“What would you have done?” Liam asks weakly.“I would have told us in advance.” Harry replies immediately. “I would have warned everyone, and kept it to only necessary personnel; Freddie, Louis and myself. I would have kept everyone else at a safe distance, and have myself have been prepared to channel that kind of extreme power. Nobody had to die, but you two let it happen. “Molly hasn’t gone a night without a nightmare since then. Unlike Freddie, who thinks it was a bad dream, Molly is old enough to remember this whole thing. She’s going to carry that trauma with her for the rest of her life because of you and Eleanor choosing what’s best for everyone. What right do either of you have when you’re the two who started all of this in the first place? Eleanor’s stay with EMIA and your research on her visions is what led to this. You two created this mess, and you expect us to clean it up and lose everything along the way.”“So, would you sacrifice the world for that?” Liam asks, looking up at Harry with tears in the corners of his eyes. “We can’t stop this alone. We need all of you if this is going to stop the apocalypse. If you knew how sorry I was for all of it, would that make a difference?”“Your regret is pointless.” Harry mutters, shaking his head. “It doesn’t bring Gemma back, and it doesn’t change the way you’ve torn Niall’s self-worth apart. It doesn’t change the trauma they went through from dying that way, and it doesn’t change the trauma that Calum has gone through in killing them. So, what’s stopping me from taking Calum and channeling his power and just going back in time and killing Eleanor before her power ever manifested? That would prevent the apocalypse, would it not?”“Time itself would collapse, Harry.” Liam sighs. “You would create a paradox. Calum’s powers needed Freddie to manifest, which means he had to meet Freddie. Eleanor’s machinations are the only reason those two ever came into contact. So, by killing her and stopping the events she put into motion from transpiring, time would be unable to correct itself because something irreconcilable would have happened. The universe as we know it would collapse in on itself without time to hold it together. Don’t you think we’ve done as little as possible in the way of interfering? We could have just kidnapped all of you, wiped your minds and set you to our mission. We didn’t.”“No, you just killed my sister.” Harry says quietly, standing up from his chair. “And you sacrificed Niall’s happiness. You traumatized Calum and Molly and Ashton and Luke. You broke the trust and faith of Louis, your best friend. You have played us all like pawns, because none of you could do the easiest thing in the world. You didn’t just- Ask.”“Would you have believed me?” Liam questions, grabbing Harry by the arm.“I wouldn’t have ever thought about killing your child as recompense for what you did to mine.” Harry grits out. “I know that there’s no part of me that would hurt a child, but you two killed my family. You killed someone that I cared about every bit as much as you care about your son, and all I can see now is how much I want you both to hurt like you’ve hurt us. You deserve nothing but contempt, the both of you. And, when this is all said and done, you two will pay for what you’ve done. Neither you, nor Eleanor, deserve any less.”“You could save Gemma.” Liam whispers. “I can help you.”“I- What?” Harry asks, all his anger falling away in a moment.“We can’t- We can’t stop the bombing.” Liam mumbles. “Because past you still need to think that she’s dead. What happened that day has to happen. You have to lose her, and you have to kill all of those people, and Xander has to be injured. Those were crucial parts of you becoming who you are today, which led you here. Everything else has to be exactly the same, but you just have to believe that Gemma died. We can fake her death in the past, and bring her here, to the present.”“Now.” Harry demands. “We do it now, or I take Niall and Molly and the lads, and we walk away from all of this.” “I don’t know.” Calum says quietly, wrapping his arms around his stomach. “What about- You know- Time?”“Time shouldn’t be affected as long as the only thing that changes is Gemma being brought here.” Liam tells him, shifting awkwardly in the grass.“But isn’t it dangerous to meddle with the natural order of things like this?” Calum questions.“It wasn’t the natural order of things.” Harry scoffs. “They killed her by convincing her to kill herself.”“Then why are we just now hearing that this is possible?” Calum asks, taking Harry’s hand. “Why didn’t Eleanor tell us about this? Why wouldn’t she do this right after I manifested, to get you back on her side?”“Because meddling with time is a very dangerous thing to do, Mister Hood.” says a voice that ignites a fire in Harry’s stomach at the sound of it. “Take it from an expert on the subject. Liam, I don’t need to tell you why this is a bad idea.”“We’ve done so much to them, El.” Liam says quietly as they all turn to her.“I didn’t come to stop you.” Eleanor says, shaking her head. “I came to guide you. Nobody in the world knows more about messing with time than I do. Besides, I can see the potential consequences of any actions taken while in the past. There’s just one person missing from our party.”“Not missing.” Niall says gruffly, stepping out of the shadows from nearby. “Been tailing them since the lab, just in case Liam made a run for it. If he did, I’d know that you two can’t be trusted at all, and I’d have come for the lot of you.”“You’re not who I meant, are you?” Eleanor hums, waving her hand towards a lorry parked at the end of the street. It comes forward, and then parks again, Louis stepping out a moment later, and walking back to the bed. “Our final companion is- Well, she’s dead. Harry, this is going to be hard for you to see, but it will be worth it.”“How the fuck do you have her body?” Harry roars, breaking into a sprint when he sees Louis pull Gemma out of the bed. He pushes Louis away, cradling her in his own arms instead.“It’s not her.” Louis mumbles. “Freddie- He transformed one of the mummified corpses we found when we first came through here. I kept several in my lab for study. You’re going to use this to replace the real Gemma.”“Why are you still working with her?” Harry asks quietly. “After what she did-”“We can’t help who we love.” Louis whispers. “Even when some of us fall in love with monsters. You’d know that as well as I would.”“There’s a difference.” Harry mutters, clutching not-Gemma to his chest a bit tighter. “Niall was made into a monster. Eleanor chose to become one.”“And are you going to choose to become one?” Louis questions. “Are you going to kill the only mother my son has ever really known? Are you going to orphan Bear completely?”“I guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?” Harry says quietly, turning back towards the others.“Are you ready?” Niall asks, stopping Harry halfway back.“To have my sister back?” Harry asks with a scoff. “Of course.”“You can’t get emotional during this.” Niall says gently. “I know- I know how much finding out about all this meddling has fucked you up, but you can’t do anything stupid. You can’t like- Kill the bomber or anything. Everything has to go exactly as it did before, except that your sister is going to be replaced with this body. Liam and Eleanor both said that the- The whole fucking universe could collapse if you do anything wrong.”“What do you mean that it’s fucked me up?” Harry asks angrily. “They’ve messed with your life as much as they have with mine. Why aren’t you as fucked up as I am?”“Because of you.” Niall murmurs, cupping Harry’s cheek. “Because all of their meddling gave me one of the best people in my life. Because nothing was taken from me by them that I want anymore. There’s nothing that I’ve lost that I wouldn’t give up for you. Maybe- Maybe that’s not true for you, but it is for me.”“I don’t have to choose.” Harry mumbles. “I can have both of you.”“I know.” Niall says with a nod. “And I’m not trying to guilt you into anything. This isn’t an equivalency. As much as I love you, I’d cut your throat myself to get Molly back if that was what it took. And I’d cut my own if it was the only way that you could have Gemma back. What I’m saying is that I’m not so mad about the meddling anymore, because, even with the darkness their choices brought down on me, it led me to you. It’s worth it to me, and I’ve had more than enough hate in my heart in my life to bother wasting any on them when I’ve gotten something so good out of the bad.”“I- I’d never.” Harry whispers. “If it was choice between you and her, I’d choose you, Niall.”“I hope not.” Niall chuckles. “Would make it really awkward when I slit my neck for you.”“I don’t need you to slit your throat.” Harry says softly. “But I do need you to be the one to do this. I’m too impulsive, but you can see the bigger picture in a way that I just can’t right now.”“I’ll take care of her.” Niall says with a nod, removing his hand from Harry’s cheek and taking Not-Gemma out of his arms. “And, you know- Not obliterate time.”“You’re my angel, you know.” Harry murmurs, pressing a kiss to Niall’s cheek. “Not a weapon or a monster or a demon. An angel.”“Don’t go spreading that around.” Niall hums. “People will expect me to be nice.”“Let’s go.” Harry says quietly. “I can’t wait for you and Molly to meet my sister.”“Think you can get us back at the same moment we left instead of two days later?” Calum asks as they get back. “Is there anything I can do to make it more accurate? I don’t want to lose what little time we have left.”“I’ve had an idea about that.” Harry pipes up, taking Calum’s hand in his right, and gripping Niall’s shoulder with his left. “Since two of us are channeling Calum’s power, I think Liam can plant part of that here, and we can use that like a beacon to slingshot back.”“Wouldn’t it be better for you to do it, since your ability to channel is greater than Liam’s?” Niall questions.“I need to focus on holding us in that exact moment in time, and keeping everything frozen.” Harry answers, shaking his head. “I need Liam to keep us from uprooting from this moment.”“I hate this.” Calum mutters. “I hate not being able to help. I’m fucking useless. I’m just- I’m just a bloody cab, and you two have to drive it.”“Learning about your powers will happen with time.” Eleanor assures him, touching Niall’s other shoulder and then taking Liam’s hand. “There would be more priority placed on it now, but-”“But the world as we know it is ending.” Calum says quietly.“I’ll start working with you tomorrow.” Harry murmurs, leaning his head on Calum’s shoulder and squeezing his hand. “I’m sorry I’ve been so scattered lately.”“You’ve been bringing our Ashton back to us.” Calum whispers. “Don’t apologize for that. That deserves to be the priority.”“Yes, yes.” Niall groans. “This is lovely and all. I’m really glad you all love Harry and appreciate him. But this corpse is getting kind of heavy, so can we get a move on?”“Just like last time.” Harry says gently, nodding to Calum. “You just let it out, and let me worry about the rest.”
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“Go.” Harry grunts out, his eyes glowing. It’s tearing him apart using this magnitude of power, stabilizing them in a single nanosecond. It’s not like before. Harry isn’t just keeping them in a different time period, but he’s actively holding all of existence still, and that has every possibility of literally ripping him to pieces, if the pain he’s exuding is anything to go by.But Niall’s ability to emulate Harry’s empathic powers is fading already, now that they’re so far from the rupture. He knows he’s not feeling the full extent of it.Niall takes off as fast as he can. They’re at the back of the courtyard, a crowd separating him from the stage where Gemma is, and where Harry is stepping onto. He pushes through, because it’s not going to matter to any of them or the corpse in his arms if there are a few bumps and bruises. They’re all going to be as dead as she is in a few moments.Even if Niall had no idea about this event, even if he didn’t have this corpse in his arms that looks like her, Niall would know who he was looking for. Gemma looks so much like him, like Harry, but there’s more to it. There’s a purity in her that shines like a beacon in the sea of anger and hate.She’d draw anyone’s attention, so it’s not hard to believe that Bobby’s people would kill her. They can’t let anything good exist if it’s magical.Then again- Niall isn’t in any place to judge them. He’s spent a lot of time in his life hating magic and anything or anyone who had it. There were several points where he’d have probably worked with the bombers, if just to save the non-magical citizens in the crowd. He’d have taken Gemma’s life himself, if it was a mission given to him, and he wouldn’t have thought about it twice.“Now is not the time to have a mental breakdown, love.” Harry says gently inside his head. “We’re on a bit of a, and please excuse the pun, time-crunch here”“Well, if you’d bloody put us on the stage, then I wouldn’t have to fight my way through a crowd of frozen dead people, now would I?” Niall fires back at him mentally.“If Calum’s powers don’t kill me, I’m going to strangle you.” Harry growls in his mind.Niall chooses not to respond, sidestepping around the bloom of fire from the bomb that’s halfway exploded. Niall really wishes it didn’t have to be this exact second, this moment that’s already been seared into Harry’s mind and almost destroyed him, but there’s no other time to do this. It has to be now.Niall places the Gemma clone, letting it out of his arms, and marveling at how it immediately freezes in place as soon as he’s no longer touching it. Harry must be using a lot of energy to keep Niall specifically out of the freezing effect.He works quickly, picking Gemma up bridal-style and sprinting back off the stage down the path he’d made before.That’s when he feels it happen.Calum’s power would be overwhelming to anyone, but Harry isn’t nearly used to the strain. His own powers lately have been fighting him so much, and Niall knows that taking on a portion of his empathy has helped even him out a bit, but it’s not enough. He’s taken too much of a beating lately from magic.Sound begins to start up behind him, though it sounds like it’s slowed down. He can feel the heat starting up from the bomb again. He can feel people starting to suffer.Niall reacts on instinct, using what little of Harry’s empathy he has left to latch onto Calum’s powers for himself and split the burden, freezing time again himself.“I’ve got this, love.” Niall says to Harry in his head.Truth is, he’s not sure that he does. He feels like his bones are all splintering from the sheer immensity of the power coursing through him. He feels more alive than he ever has, but, at the same time, he feels closer to death than he ever has before. And he’s literally died. Multiple times.“I can’t hold it back anymore.” Harry whispers just as Niall gets to the group, his eyes fluttering shut.“Liam, now!” Niall orders, getting a hand on Harry as Eleanor grabs his shoulder and completes the circle.Teleporting really has nothing on time-travel as a means of completely disorienting someone. It’s the fourth time Niall has felt this sensation, like warping through reality itself, and it really never gets any easier.Calum and Niall manage to keep Harry from hitting the ground, but that’s all it is. He’s completely dead weight in their arms, and Gemma flailing around certainly isn’t making things any easier.“Let go of me!” Gemma shrieks, smacking Niall in the face. “Who are you?”“The asshole that just saved your life.” Niall grunts out, dropping her unceremoniously on the grass in order to sweep Harry up into his arms instead.“What are you-” Gemma starts to shout, only to notice Harry. There’s an immediate swell of affection from her, but also a stinging sense of anger. “Oh, bug. What have you gone and done?”“He’s saved you.” Niall says, trying to keep the harshness out of his voice. Harry almost bloody died saving her, and she’s going to disparage him? Not on Niall’s watch. However, he knows Harry will smack him cross-eyed if he’s in any way cruel to Gemma. And probably withhold sex until after the apocalypse. “Because you are the most important person in his life.”“I was supposed to die.” Gemma says quietly, picking herself up off of the ground.“Turns out that it wasn’t completely necessary.” Eleanor says behind her, making her gasp and whirl around. “I’ve missed you, Gemma.”“I just saw you last week.” Gemma breathes out. “Your hair was shorter. What- What’s happening?”“Harry has a scar over a quarter of his face, and you notice her hair?” Niall asks in disbelief. “Really?”“I hadn’t seen his face.” Gemma says quietly, turning back to stroke Harry’s cheek. “What have you lot done?”“We travelled back in time and replaced you with a fake version in order to save you.” Niall sighs. “We’ll- We’ll explain in a bit. In the meantime, I think it’s best if you come inside the house while I set Harry down. Eleanor- Liam- It’s been an absolute nightmare, as always. But- Thank you for this. You can’t possibly understand what you’ve done for him, and I thank you for that. Cal?”“I’ll carry him.” Calum mumbles, taking Harry out of Niall’s arms. There’s a fondness there that Niall has to admit makes him a bit jealous, but also indescribably happy. He hasn’t got time to deal with that right now, though. Harry is his main priority, not Calum’s crush. “I think you’ve done more than enough work for the night. Let the cab do what cabs do and deliver a person.”“You’re not a cab.” Niall murmurs, throwing his arm around Calum’s shoulder and walking in with him. “You’re a mage, and a bloody brilliant one. Your powers are a lot more limited by your token than the others have been, and you’re still incredible. Stop expecting to have control of this days after you found out about your powers. Harry has a ton of experience, and a lot of power, and he can barely get a grip on yours. That says something, don’t you think?”“So-” Gemma says softly, trailing behind them. “This is the endgame of El’s plan? This is Eden?”“This is Alamogordo.” Niall says, slipping his key into the lock. “Big Cottonwood, if I remember correctly. Don’t think there are any talking serpents or apple trees of damnation here.”“This is the place that magic was born.” Gemma says in a whisper. “And where it will die.”“That’s the plan.” Niall hums, opening the door. “As far as I know. We’ve all been kept pretty in the dark about it. The couch is fine, Cal. He shouldn’t be out for too long. I can feel him starting to wake up.”“Gemma, would you like some tea?” Calum offers as he sets Harry down gently.“I just had some.” Gemma chuckles. “You know- However long ago that was.”“It’s been over three years.” Calum answers, straightening back up. “I think that’s a very long wait for some tea. Niall? Will you help me?”“Subtle.” Niall snorts, following behind Calum.He’s grabbed by the arm and slammed into the wall as soon as they turn the corner, Calum glaring angrily at him as he hisses out, “What the hell happened back there? Why did I feel you rooting around in my power like I could feel Harry and Liam?”“There’s- Something I need to tell the three of you.” Niall sighs, earning a scoff from Calum. “Harry and I- We’re connected in a lot of ways. Ever since we got here, I’ve had access to his empathic abilities. It’s just been sensing, up until now, but- Apparently, I get the full run of them. Didn’t even know that I could do what I did back there until I was doing it.”“So, what- Are you a witch now?” Calum asks, letting go of Niall’s arm.“No.” Niall says, shaking his head. “I can’t do any other kind of magic. It’s only Harry’s empathic skills that I’ve gotten. I can’t make fireballs or potions or anything like that. Harry’s been testing that. My DNA hasn’t changed either. I’m just a baseline human, but when we’re here, and apparently for a small time outside of this place, I can use those powers. I can feel and see and smell people’s feelings, and I can channel powers too, I guess.”“It’s just a crush.” Calum mutters, blushing.“I know.” Niall snorts, giving a nod. “God forbid you actually like him as a person.”“I do!” Calum growls out. “But I just got Ash back, and I’ve got Luke, and I’m not going to bloody throw all three of you under the bus just because he’s nice to me and he’s cute!”“You’re adorable.” Niall hums, pressing a kiss to Calum’s cheek. “I’ve got this from here, if you want to go back and be with Ashton and Luke and Molly. I think I’m going to need to leave her over there tonight.”“Fine.” Calum agrees. “But I’m bringing her back over here for breakfast. She doesn’t like my eggy bread nearly as much as yours, and I’m not listening to her whinging on about it.”“All of you can come.” Niall murmurs. “Now that you’ve finally all gotten your shit together, I wouldn’t mind having the family together again without Babs making things awkward.”“Yeah, that was a meal I’d rather never repeat again.” Calum chuckles. “Are you sure you’re alright to stay here alone? You don’t seem to like Gemma much.”“Harry- He couldn’t handle that power, Cal.” Niall sighs. “He could have died trying to save her, and then I don’t know what I would have done.”“Harry said that he’ll start training me, and I think I need to start immediately.” Calum says after a moment. “I’m not okay just being the cab anymore. My body is meant to handle these powers. I don’t want to put that load on you two and Liam anymore. I want to be able to do this in my own right so I don’t hurt anyone with my powers again.”“You didn’t hurt him, Cal.” Niall tells him. “You’ve never wanted to hurt anyone, and we all know it. And there’s nothing that Harry wouldn’t have done to save her. Liam and Eleanor may have come up with the idea, but you’re the one who gave us the ability to save her. I want to thank you, but Harry is probably going to kiss you senseless for it, so I guess that’ll just blow anything I say out of the water.”“You are the worst.” Calum huffs, his cheeks lighting up in embarrassment. There’s a bit of wistfulness there too, but Niall just takes that in stride and blows him a kiss when he storms off out the back door.“Alright.” comes Gemma’s voice, drawing Niall’s attention back to her. “Now that the mage is gone, why don’t we have a discussion?”“Does he make you nervous?” Niall asks, turning back towards the living room.“You make me nervous.” Gemma replies. “I don’t know you, and yet you seem entirely devoted to my brother here. You and Eleanor don’t seem to have an ounce of love lost between you, either, and I’ve long since learned to trust in Eleanor.”“Was that before or after she convinced you to get yourself blown up?” Niall asks with a hum, leaning against the doorframe.“If you know that, then you know why I did it.” Gemma says calmly, shrugging. She’s the picture of serenity to Niall’s eyes and his powers, but he doesn’t trust it. She lived with a far more experienced empath for a very long time. Surely, not even someone as good as Gemma can be above having any secrets or hidden desires. She has to have learned to suppress Harry’s ability to sense her in some way.Or maybe Niall really is just that cynical.“I know what she says.” Niall nods. “But what I want to know is how you could do that to him. How could you let yourself die knowing that it would destroy him? How could you do that when you knew that the guilt would eat him up inside the way it has? How could someone that I’ve only ever heard described as nothing short of a saint, be willing to put someone that she loved so much through that?”“Harry was a weak little thing, growing up.” Gemma says with a soft smile, stroking Harry’s cheek. “His powers hurt him far more than they ever helped him. They made his own emotions go haywire. He was sensitive to the point of self-destruction. He would feel everything so much that he would let it change who he was at the core of his being.“It hurt to see him go through that, and it only got worse as he entered and progressed through the academy. He wanted to harness his powers, and he would have stopped at nothing to get them under his control. In doing that, ironically, he removed himself more and more from his emotions and his humanity, though those were the very things his powers were based around. I watched my brother, over the course of years, become more and more detached from who he really was.“And then Eleanor found me, and showed me visions of myself becoming the Empress. She showed me how I would save the world through armistice. She showed me a united world empire, held aloft by magicals and non-magicals working in harmony. And then she showed me my death, at the hands of a traitor, who would stop at nothing in his own grab for power.“She showed me what it would do to Harry to lose me, and what he could become. But it was too late in that future. He wasn’t enough on his own to stop the world from ending. He would become a shining phoenix, with the power to end suffering, but he would come into conflict with a mighty demon, who would assure that both of them died together. She showed me you, Niall.“And then she showed me how, if I died earlier, then there would be time. Harry would have time to reconnect to his own soul. He would find himself again by looking into a mirror that showed a reflection to him that wasn’t his own. That reflection was also you. You are two sides of the same coin, and you are bound by fate. You two had to find each other to find yourselves, and who you were meant to be. And there was nothing- nothing in this world- that I would not give to help him find that peace. So, yes, even though I knew how much it would hurt him, I gladly walked onto that stage so that he could find you, and that peace he’s deserved since he was that weak little boy. Is that so hard to understand? Is there nobody you have ever loved enough to give your life to save them?”“There is.” Niall murmurs, letting his borrowed powers wander to find a soft cloud of exhaustion gathered around Molly, surrounded by the lads on the couch, affection and amusement coming from all of them. They must be playing a game. Harry is going to be mad if it’s that game called ‘Scrabble’ that they found at the market. He’s obsessed with it.Fucking twat, he is, throwing around his highly-educated vocabulary. Niall loves beating him.“One of them is right there in your lap.” Niall adds, looking at Harry snoozing peacefully with his head on Gemma’s legs.“Then I’m going to ask you to hear Eleanor out.” Gemma says quietly. “I know what the plans for this place are, and I know that it’s going to require a lot from you. The days to come are going to test you in ways that you never wanted to be tested. They will require an inconceivable amount of willpower, but I know you have more than enough of that.”“I think I already know what’s coming.” Niall says with a sigh. “Been trying not to think about it, to be honest. I just wanted a bit more peace.”“And I wish that you could have it.” Gemma nods along. “But some souls were not destined for peace, and yours is one of them. It is- Unfortunate. He’s not even spoken to me yet, but I know that Harry cares for you a great deal. More than he’s ever cared for anyone else in this life, or any other.”“It’s a close race.” Niall say back to her. “Yourself and my daughter are neck and neck with me. He was willing to risk all of existence to save you.”“It wasn’t a risk.” Gemma says, shaking her head. “Not if the two of you worked together. There’s nothing you two can’t accomplish together. That I know. He would never have risked anything unless he knew that the bond between you two was strong enough to overcome anything.”“And, yet, it’s not going to stop what’s coming next.” Niall finishes for her, because she lets the unspoken hang between them.“But it will stop what would have come after.” Gemma tells him.“That’s enough, then.” Niall says quietly. “Now, this conversation needs to be over. He’s going to wake up any moment. I can feel him almost getting ready to surface.”“To silence, then.” Gemma hums.“To silence.” Niall agrees. “You know, I’m getting really tired of these random wake-up calls.” Niall mutters, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Gemma and Harry are asleep in the master bedroom, having talked well into the night, and Niall was asleep until a few moments ago when he felt Eleanor show up at his doorstep. “I trust that you already know we need to speak.” Eleanor says softly, stepping back so that Niall can step outside into the chill of the late-night desert air.“You already know everything that I’m going to say, so-” Niall says with a shrug. “Why don’t we cut to the chase?”“The war for Humanity’s future is going to start in just over twenty-four hours.” Eleanor says, looking up towards the rupture. It’s almost pretty at night, shimmering silver around the edges that fluctuate and twist like the northern lights. “Your father is dead, which gives Benjamin full reign on his own plans, and I have lost all ability to see what’s going to happen beyond now since we meddled with the past. It was a price I was more than willing to pay, but it has taken my powers out of this fight.”“Now, that doesn’t sound like you at all.” Niall hums.“You already know what has to happen, Niall.” Eleanor sighs. “But, because you know that, the future is in a state of flux. The very fact that you know the future means that you can change it. Your decision in what’s going to come next will decide the fate of the world. Existence itself is hanging in the balance, and I’m sorry to put that burden on your shoulders, but that’s the only option. You have to make the decisions that will determine the course of history. Until you’ve made your choices, and chosen fully to stick with them, no matter the consequences, I have no idea what’s going to happen.”“Then I guess you should tell me the whole plan, shouldn’t you?” Niall questions. “If I’ve only got twenty-four hours left to live, I deserve to know what has to be done.”“That’s why I’m here.” Eleanor says softly, offering Niall a sad smile. “It’s time that you know everything. But, first, we need to gather Ashton and Luke as well.”Oh- Niall wasn’t expecting that. And he really doesn’t like it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“You truly are the laziest boy alive.” Gemma hums, looking at Harry over the top of her cup of tea. Harry forgot how annoying she is in the mornings.“Shut up.” Harry mumbles, burying his face in Niall’s neck when the Irishman opens up one of his arms. He climbs fully into Niall’s lap and sighs in relief, breathing in the familiar scent. “You try channeling one of the primal forces of the universe in two different ways at the same time.”“Lazy.” Gemma repeats, smirking. Harry doesn’t know why he bothered to save someone who’s so mean to him. Obviously, he actually does, but- She’s so mean.“You’re going to end up going to the market by yourself.” Harry huffs, peeking one eye around Niall’s chin to glare at her.“Eleanor will go with me.” Gemma says with a shrug.“Ungrateful bitch.” Harry grumbles, tucking back into Niall. “They need to get her her own place.”“I’m sure they will.” Niall chuckles. “Need some tea before Molly and the lads show up?”“You already know that’s a yes.” Harry says, nodding before he lifts himself up enough to steal Niall’s cup and take a sip from it. It’s not made how he likes his own tea, but rather how Harry likes his, which comes as a surprise. A very welcome surprise, but a surprise. He presses a kiss to Niall’s cheek and adds, “You really are just the best.”“Figured you’d need it.” Niall says with a shrug. “They’ll be here any second. The three of them have been up for a while, and done plenty, but Molly has finally woken up enough to function, so they’re coming over for breakfast.”“I’m going to snog Calum’s face off, and I need you to be okay with that.” Harry hums.“Just don’t give the poor lad a heart attack.” Niall snorts. “And I take no responsibility for what any of them do to you. You’re going to have to get yourself out of that hot water on your own.”“I’ll deal with it.” Harry says, waving him off. “He gave me back my sister, even if she is an ungrateful bitch.”“Then snog away.” Niall nods.“I’ve been dead for three years, and that’s all you have to say about me?” Gemma scoffs.“Rose-tinted glasses and all that.” Harry says through a wicked grin. “I forgot how awful you were just because you weren’t around to remind me.”“Then maybe I’ll just go stay with Eleanor.” Gemma huffs.“She’s got a husband now, and a kid.” Niall tells her. “Might not be able to just waltz in there.”“Eleanor will always make time for me.” Gemma says with a soft smile. “She’s my best friend.”“Interesting choice.” Niall mutters. Harry would smack him for the tone, but he’s just as annoyed with that bond as Niall is.Before anyone else has the chance to say anything, though, Harry jumps to his feet because Niall pats him on his bum to make him aware that Molly and the lads are about to walk in.He rockets towards the door, opening it just before they can. Harry pushes through Luke, Ashton and Molly all to get to Calum, fisting his hands in the other lad’s shirt and hauling him in.He’s surprised that Calum goes with it so pliantly, hands curling in Harry’s shirt as well as he kisses back. Their tongues slip together, and both of them hum into it, and then it’s done.He wishes he’d given it a bit more time, honestly, because Niall was right. Calum is an amazing kisser.“Thank you.” Harry hums, releasing his grip on Calum. “You’re my hero.”“What the fuck?” comes a very expected response from a very unexpected person. Harry would have seen it coming from Ashton or Luke, or even both of them at the same time, but Molly was a surprise.An adorable, hilarious, very misbehaved surprise. Calum and Harry lose it completely, all composure busting in both of them like balloons. They sag against each other and cackle as Ashton, Luke and Niall just groan at all three of them.She really is her father’s daughter.“Cal did something really amazing for me, ladybug.” Harry says softly, running his hand through her hair. He’d chastise her for the language, but nobody in the group has a leg to stand on with that. “You remember where I told you that that nickname comes from?”“Your sister who died.” Molly says quietly, nodding.“He helped me save her.” Harry explains. “So I was giving him a thank you.”“Thank you kisses don’t generally have that much tongue.” Ashton says flatly.“Let them have their fun.” Luke chuckles, turning back towards the inside.That- Really was not the reaction that Harry expected. He was expecting more of something like being hit in the balls. Hard.“Would you like to meet her?” Harry offers, holding his hand out to Molly.“I’d like some eggy bread.” Molly hums. “But I guess that can happen too.”“Gemma, this is Molly.” Harry says as he walks into the kitchen with her. “She’s our daughter.” “Quite a family you’ve managed to build for yourself.” Gemma hums, sitting next to Harry as they watch Calum climb around on the jungle-gym with Molly. “I never really pictured you for the family type.”“That’s because our family was a shambles.” Harry says with a shrug. “Father ran off with a maid. Mother didn’t care about me until after you died. Besides you, family was never a priority for me.”“And now you’ve found four men and a child.” Gemma chuckles. “You’ve become a partner and a father. I didn’t see polyamory for you either, but you’re full of surprises, bug.”“We’re not- We’re not a quintet.” Harry mumbles. “They’re a triad, and then it’s Niall and I. Those three are separate, but we all parent together. They used to be a quartet with Niall, but- It’s complicated.”“Oh.” Gemma says quietly. “I just assumed, since it’s obvious that there are feelings all the way around.”“Calum just has a crush on me, and Luke and I have been close friends for a while, and Ashton- I’m his therapist.” Harry sighs. “They’re also all in love with Niall, and he loves all of them back.”“And you?” Gemma asks.“Obviously he loves me.” Harry scoffs. “We’re together.”“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Gemma says with a roll of her eyes. “Niall would give anything for you. I was asking about your feelings for those three.”“I- I hadn’t thought much about it.” Harry admits, looking over at Calum. “I care about them a lot. I would’ve given up my own life to save them from the tower, and that was before I was close to any of them except Luke. Calum and I have gotten pretty close over the last six weeks, and Ashton being my patient has helped us both work out a lot of the tension we used to have between us, but- Do I have feelings for them? I’m not sure.”“Harry.” Gemma snorts.“Niall is supposed to be my destiny.” Harry says softly. “From the moment we met, I felt this insane connection between us. Eleanor changed fate for us to be together.”“That doesn’t mean that they can’t be a part of your new destiny together.” Gemma hums. “Is it something you would want? The five of you to all be together?”“It would make Niall happy.” Harry says after a moment. “And I think it would make me happy too. I just haven’t put any thought into it, because I never thought it was possible. Before, when Niall and I first got together, there was a backlash on my powers. It got hard for me to tell us apart sometimes, because my powers were so in tune with his emotions. Ironically, since we got here and he gained a portion of my powers, it’s been a lot easier on me.”“Well- I suppose all of that is a question for later anyways.” Gemma says quietly. “After all of this has been taken care of.”“Yeah, I guess it is.” Harry mumbles, though his head is already racing with this newly introduced quandary. He hasn’t thought about it before, but now he has a feeling his head isn't going to let it go until he has an answer of his own. “What are you three up to?” Harry asks, knocking on the edge of Niall’s mind for permission to enter.“Giving you the day with your sister.” Niall hums, letting Harry in. “Figured she might want to spend time with Molly, but in case she was a bit much, we left Cal behind to watch her. He agreed pretty easily after that greeting this morning.”“I wish you would’ve stayed.” Harry mumbles.“Love, I have a real job here.” Niall chuckles. “I have things I have to do. There’s a war coming, after all. Do you want me to send Ash and Luke back? They’re not doing too much for me. Mainly just making out whenever they stand still for two seconds, and complaining about the heat.”“What, so I can deal with all three of them taking turns making out?” Harry snorts. “Apparently it’s the day for it.” Niall laughs. “Just keep it a bit chill in front of Molly if you decide to do that with Calum again. She’s confused enough after this morning.”“I actually have something to talk to you about with that.” Harry says after a moment. “I was talking to Gemma, and-”“That’s going to have to wait for later.” Niall sighs, cutting Harry off. “Luke found a rattlesnake, and he’s freaking the fuck out. I have to go. Sorry, love.”“It’s fine.” Harry says, finding his own distraction. One that needs much more immediate attention than this conversation. “I’ll talk to you later.”“Harry?” Gemma asks as Harry breaks the link to Niall, stopping dead in his tracks.“Calum- Stay with Molly. Gemma- I know you’re not much for combat, but I need you to protect her if things go south.” Harry says quickly, keeping his eyes locked on the man, about to disappear down an alley. “Stay here, all of you.”“Harry, what’s wrong?” Molly asks, tugging on Harry’s hand and looking up at him.“I have to go talk to an old friend.” Harry mutters, breaking away from the group and chasing after a man he’s never been able to catch before just as he vanishes into the dark.Harry runs as fast as he can, weaving the signs to make lightning wrap around his arms. He has an uneasy feeling wrapping around his stomach, even though he only saw a glimpse of the profile. It’s definitely him. It has to be. Harry can’t feel him, but that’s no surprise.After all, Xander has spent more than enough time with Harry to have come up with counter-measures to his abilities.He catches another flash of motion when he reaches the end of the alley, giving him a trail to follow. It feels like he’s being led, which means this is going to be a trap that he’s walking into, but they don’t know how strong Harry has become.He just wishes that he’d thought to have Calum activate so that he could have stolen a bit of that power before heading into this.“There you are.” Xander hums when Harry gets into the alley he headed down after a few more minutes of cat and mouse, following him further into the unoccupied parts of the city. “Always were so slow.”“What are you doing here?” Harry asks with a snarl, sparking up his arms even more. “How are you walking?”“Oh yeah, I forgot you’re a bit stupid.” Xander snorts, waving Harry’s anger off. “It’s irrelevant. I brought you here for a reason.”“And you did well in bringing him to me, love.” says another voice from above that sends chills up Harry’s spine. Xander is already one shade from his past that he doesn’t want to deal with right now, but Ben Winston is a whole other beast.“You always were a boot licker, but this is a bit much, isn’t it?” Harry says with a grimace as Ben drops down from the roof above them, just as much an unknown quantity to Harry’s powers as Xander is. It must be a shielding item or amulet, then. They have to have something on their person that’s keeping them from detection abilities.“You’ve shacked up with the Demon of London, and you think you have the high horse here?” Xander asks, raising his eyebrow.“You have no idea what’s coming if you think he’s better than Niall.” Harry mutters, eyes kept locked with Ben’s, even as he talks with Xander. Xander knows how to counter Harry’s powers, but Harry knows how to counter Xander’s just as well. He hasn’t lost a sparring match to him since he was twelve. “He makes Niall look like a saint.”“You’re the one that doesn’t know what’s coming.” Ben hums, smirking like the jackass he is. “You’ve trusted the words of a misguided girl suffering from a mental illness, and a disgruntled ex-agent. You’ve taken the ramblings of a mad-woman as gospel. That’s not the Harry that I know.”“The Harry that you know was a lie.” Harry scoffs. “And, considering that you lot have tried to kill me twice, I’m not particularly gruntled either.”“You know Nick.” Ben says with a roll of his eyes. “He’s too heavy handed. It was a mistake sending him. Things have- changed, though.”“Changed how?” Harry asks. “Because they certainly haven’t changed on my end.”“The Technophage has been ended, and we’ve been sent with an offer.” Xander explains. “We’re here to bring you and your lot home, Harry.” Ben says gently. “But we should wait until our final member joins us to have this conversation. He should be here any moment.”He looks up at that, and Harry throws his arms up to blast whoever is about to jump into the alley from the roofs above them. Unfortunately, he only recognizes Niall after his magic has already been set loose.Niall, ever amazing, manages to wrestle control of it from Harry and light up his own arms with electricity as he lands on the ground between Harry and the other two.“Well, bloody nice seeing you too.” Niall chuckles, twisting his head to make a loud pop audible from his spine. “What are you doing here?”“What are you doing here?” Harry fires back at him.“Saw that one.” Niall mutters, pointing at Ben as he strides towards Harry. “Followed him down here. I thought I was being sneaky, but clearly he knew.”“Rattlesnake.” Harry says with a roll of his eyes.“I hate to worry you over something as trivial as an astral-projection.” Niall says with a shrug, turning back towards the others. “Or two.”Harry keeps it to himself that he didn’t realize that’s what was happening until Niall said so. Xander has figured it out, probably, but Niall doesn’t need to know that. It just makes Harry seem stupid and incompetent. That explains why Harry’s powers aren’t detecting them.“Now that the party is all here, let’s get this underway.” Ben says, stepping forward. “We are offering you both, as well as anyone that you bring with you, a pardon.”“Yeah, that’s not a super obvious trap at all.” Niall snorts. “That’s the best you could come up with?”“It’s the truth.” Xander sighs. “Things have changed with your father’s death, Niall.”“Call me Demon.” Niall grins ferally.“A new Empress has risen, and she wishes for the return of her son.” Ben says before Xander can reply. “It doesn’t look good for her that the Crown Prince and heir to the throne of the Europan Empire is missing, and presumed to be working with terrorists. Executing the Oracle will only buy her so much good will from the people, after a coup like hers.”“My mother would have removed you from power if she’d been placed on the throne.” Harry bites out.“Silly boy, who do you think put her on it?” Ben smirks. “She’s always had many irons in the fire, Harry. I just burned the hottest, and was the most willing to assassinate the royal family.”No. Harry refuses to believe that. Even his mother wouldn’t stoop that low.“She needs to consolidate her power base.” Xander explains, stepping up next to Ben. “She needs you, and she’s willing to do anything to have you back. That includes pardoning any of the people that you choose. All of you will be safe. You’ll live royal lives in the imperial palace. No more sand and heat and raving madwomen. Just- Peace.”“The only exceptions are the false prophet, Eleanor Calder-Tomlinson, her husband Louis, and Liam Payne.” Ben adds. “Though their children will be perfectly fine. The mage program has been permanently shut down. We cannot have those three running around wild, because they know too much about the workings of EMIA. Other than them, she’s willing to pardon this whole valley’s worth of people if you’ll return to her side and take your rightful place as heir to the throne.”“You don’t have to decide now.” Xander says softly. “You have until daybreak the tomorrow to make your decision.”“Oh, and a parting gift to you.” Ben says, looking to his left though nobody is there.An explosion sounds loudly in the distance, rocking the world under them. The buildings rumble and shake, but nothing collapses, and that’s a blessing.“Nick says hello.” Xander smirks. “Couldn’t make this meeting, but he left a present for you. He’s looking forward to seeing you again if you decline.”“Tell my mother that Gemma says the same.” Harry fires back just as they start to fade out of existence.“Get the others, and get back to the house!” Niall says through gritted teeth, rocketing off in the direction that the explosion had come from. “I’ll be back when I know what’s happening!”Fuck. “How many times did I have to tell you?” Liam bellows. “The towers are the one thing that you had to protect above everything else!”“I was following Ben bloody Winston!” Niall growls out. “Nobody radioed me. How was I supposed to know that not only had Nick Grimshaw astral projected himself there, but that he could use his magic since his shade was under the rupture? Maybe your little prophet girl should have told us this was going to happen.”“I couldn’t.” Eleanor says, shaking her head. “As I’ve told you, my visions have all become clouded. Nothing is definite right now. This- Xander, the speedster of the mind, that they have on their side is outmaneuvering us, and I cannot see astral projections. They aren’t physical. They aren’t real. It’s like with mages, but it wouldn’t have been a problem if the future wasn’t shrouded from my sight. I would have seen the ripples. However, none of this matters. The plan will proceed as scheduled.”“Would love to know the bloody schedule.” Harry mutters.“And I would love to be able to tell it to you, Harry, but you are a rash man with little to no self-control.” Eleanor tells him. “You knowing the future is the greatest threat of all to this plan, because you could never possibly keep yourself from changing things after gaining that knowledge. You must be kept in the dark until your time to act.”“Fuck you.” Harry grumbles, leaning back against the couch. Calum laughs and pats him on the shoulder, but none of them jump to his defense.“I can confirm one thing though.” Eleanor tells him. “The offer truly was from your mother. She has risen to the throne, and needs you back there.”“Obviously we’re not fucking going.” Niall scoffs, and Harry nods right along.“This is all part of Ben’s plot to get the mages under his control.” Harry adds. “He wants them where he can get his hands on them and use them. We’re not putting Molly and Calum and Freddie and Bear at risk.”Liam visibly looks relieved at that.“Besides, Louis wouldn’t deserve to be turned over with you two.” Luke says with a shrug. “As far as we can all tell, he’s just an innocent that got twisted up with you lot because his kid is a mage.”“We’re not going anywhere, so you lot don’t need to worry about that.” Ashton mumbles.“Alright.” Liam nods.“Then the only thing that we have left to discuss is Gemma.” Eleanor says, crossing her arms over her chest. “This house isn’t big enough for all of you. Before Louis and I married, I had a small flat a couple of streets down from here. I still keep it up, so it should be perfect for you.”“Thank you, El.” Gemma hums, taking the set of keys that Eleanor passes over to her. “Living with so many men can be a challenge.”“I’ll show you over to it later, but I have a feeling that you and your brother have things to discuss.” Eleanor says quietly, nodding towards the door so that Liam leaves with her.“I’m gonna go see Bressie and the team.” Niall mutters after they leave.“Niall-” Harry starts.“I need to know what he did so that I can stop any more attacks on the towers, Harry.” Niall sighs, rolling his sleeves up. “Besides, I need to get a volunteer or two to guard Gemma’s flat. If she’s going to be living alone, then she’s going to need protection.”“I can protect myself, Niall.” Gemma chuckles. “I’m not powerless. Besides, I haven’t got any enemies here.”“Your brother let it slip to Ben and Xander that you’re alive.” Niall says, shooting a look over at Harry. Oops. “I think it’s best to have you under constant guard in case they try to kidnap you to take you back to your mother, or to use as a bargaining chip with Harry. Their magic works here, for some reason, even when their bodies aren’t here. Harry and I are the best suited people in the world to watch you, so I personally think that you should stay here, but I can’t make that choice for you. What I can do, as the head of security for this place, is put armed guards on you, and you don’t get to argue with that. We didn’t risk destroying time and space to rescue you for you to end up with Nick Grimshaw to get his hands on you.”“If that’s what you think is best.” Gemma says after a moment.“Niall-” Harry tries again.“Harry, this is my fuckup.” Niall mumbles, cupping Harry’s cheek. “Those four towers are important to the final plan, and I let one get sabotaged. I have to do what I can to fix this. You just- Figure out what’s happening with your mother and Ben Winston. You two know her better than anyone. Maybe you can figure out why she would work with him, or why you didn’t know about it. Or, if she- If she’s a part of this apocalypse.”“Alright.” Harry sighs. “I don’t like being cut out of this, though.”“We all have our roles to play.” Niall hums. “Ashton, you know where the gear is. Take it, as well as Calum and Molly down to the gym, and set up there until I come get you.”“She can stay here.” Harry argues.“If they come for you or Gemma, I don’t want her caught in the crossfire.” Niall says, shaking his head and walking away from the couch. “And if they’re looking for the mages, I think it’s best to keep them all isolated from any other targets like the towers or you two. We don’t know what they’re planning, Harry. I don’t know what they want, and I don’t know how much they know about our plans, but I know who and what the obvious targets are here. You two, the mages, and the towers. They’ve already proven that they can distract us and separate us to achieve a goal. Doing our own separations will help isolate targets and make them harder to capture. Leaving Calum and Molly here with you just increases the likelihood of this place becoming a warzone, and they can’t defend themselves the way you two can.”“I’ll take care of them, Harry.” Ashton says softly, squeezing Harry’s shoulder. “I’m no Niall, but I’m pretty good now in my own right. He has to go above forty-percent now to spar with me.”“He’s coming along nicely.” Niall nods. “And I’ll be sending Bressie over with them once I get his take on the damage to the tower. I’m trusting you to take care of yourself and Gemma, but I need to keep those two separated from you two. No matter how powerful you are, it’s just not safe to have you all together without at least one more person on your level to defend them. When I get done with my investigations, I’ll come back and bring them with me.”“So, what you’re saying is that you’re enough to defend the four of us, but I’m not.” Harry scoffs.“What I’m saying is that several people I love are in danger right now, and this is the best way I know how to take care of all of you.” Niall counters. “This strategy gives me the peace of mind that I need to take care of what needs to be taken care of. Because this tower blowing up just made things a lot worse for everyone here, and- I let that happen. I messed up, and that is going to cost us everything if I can’t fix it. It’s going to cost the world everything.“So, please understand- This isn’t a lack of faith in you. I know what you’re capable of. But I also know your limits. I know that if Nick and Xander astral projected in here right now, you would have a great deal of difficulty defending the lot of you while also fighting against their magic. I know it would put everyone at risk. I also know that isolating targets is the right play. If I could, I’d put you all in separate bunkers with anti-magic runes carved into every surface, but that’s not something I have access to. This plan is all I have.”“It’ll be okay, Harry.” Calum hums. “We’ll be back tonight, and we’ll have dinner and watch one of our films, and play that game you like.”“I don’t need appeased.” Harry grumbles, kicking at the floor. “I’m not a little kid.”“Fine, then we’ll play that game that I like.” Luke chuckles.“Hey!” Harry whines.Fuck everyone who laughs at him, which is everyone. “You’re bloody cheating.” Harry hisses as Niall and Luke lay down the letters to spell out telepathy on two fucking triple word scores. They have to play in teams, or else the game ends too quickly, and Harry hates that Niall isn’t on his team. He’s got a bloody dictionary in his head, Harry swears it.“And how, exactly, do you propose that we’re doing that when Gemma has the bag and passes out tiles?” Niall questions while Gemma hands off the tiles to replace the ones Luke and Niall used. “I’m just better at strategy, love. You gave me that handy little ‘p’ up at the top, and I used it.”“You’re just mad because you thought that I was a handicap for a teammate and it’s not working.” Luke hums, sticking his tongue out at Harry before kissing Niall on the cheek. “And you and Cal are in last place.”“You’re losing to a six-year old who learned everything she knows in a pub, a non-magical who grew up in a cave, and two former-slaves with no formal education at all.” Ashton grins. “Meanwhile, you went to one of the most prestigious academies in the empire, and your partner received a world class education. Money can’t buy you everything, I guess.”“I’m mad because he’s cheating.” Harry huffs.“My da doesn’t cheat.” Molly says, lifting a tile and shooting it to hit Harry in the forehead.“I’m keeping this.” Harry says, narrowing his eyes and snatching the ‘e’ that she sent flying at him.“That’s cheating.” Calum points out, leaning into Harry’s side. “And we have four of those, so it’s not helping us.”“Fine!” Harry groans, tossing the tile back into Molly’s lap. “Everyone is against me!”“He’s always been a terrible loser.” Gemma says with a laugh. “And he doesn’t read as much as he should.”“Sad.” Niall, Ashton and Molly all say in unison, shaking their heads.Harry hates all of them.“I’ve got something planned out.” Calum whispers in his ear, making Harry’s spine shiver with something. “So, stop throwing a fit.”Niall has an amused look on his face, but the rest of them are all too busy going over their tiles to notice.In the end, Calum ends up playing ‘temporal’ on two triple word scores as well, which isn’t quite enough to get them in the lead over Niall and Luke, but it does get them over Ashton and Molly, who pouts about it for ages after the places are finalized.At least Harry isn’t the only sore loser in the group.Molly ends up falling asleep with her head in Niall’s lap and her legs on Harry, and after the lads pack off, Niall has Aoife and Bressie escort Gemma over to her flat, since he doesn’t want her being alone, but she insists on living in a separate space because there’s just too many bodies in the house.Harry thinks that it’s actually that she feels like she’s in the way, even though he’s tried to make it clear that that isn’t the case.“We should get to bed ourselves.” Niall says after putting Molly in her own room and having Harry set up barriers to keep Ben and the others out. “Tomorrow is going to be a rough day.”“I could do with that.” Harry nods. “I’m not quite ready for sleep yet, though.”“Good.” Niall hums, pulling Harry in close. “Because all I want right now is your lips on mine.”Harry is more than happy to oblige. “You’re not you, are you?” Harry asks with a sigh when he wakes up alone and finds Niall outside of the house. There’s something off about him, though. Something that isn’t quite the same as when they fell asleep. He doesn’t feel quite real.“This isn’t my real body, if that’s what you’re asking.” Niall says with a shake of his head. “I’m outside Gemma’s place right now. This is a golem that I had Liam set up in case of emergency. I have a talisman that allows me to control all of them. There’s one in the lads’ living room, and one in each of the three towers left. I can only control five at a time, though, so I had to put myself down at Gemma’s.”“Why not put the golem at Gemma’s, and keep your real body here?” Harry asks.“I’ve been rotating between the houses.” Niall answers. “Half an hour at each location, then I move to the next. It only takes me about a minute to get between them.”“Why?” Harry asks.“Because I have to keep all of you safe.” Niall says with a shrug. “I’m the best person suited to the job. My gear should allow me to cut through their magic. We don’t know if your powers would let you channel their magic. That’s why I couldn’t leave you all in one place, by the way. I just didn’t want to say that in front of everyone. Because they’re not here, I don’t think you can wire into their brains and take control of their powers. On the other hand, my daggers and the bullets I’ve had Ellen put together based on the ones Nick shot me with, should be just fine to fight them. You’re not an expert in weapon-based combat, and I don’t have time to teach you.”“I was taught how to use knives and guns you know.” Harry grumbles, taking a seat in one of the chairs out back. “I might not be on your level, but I do know how to use them.”“Well enough that you’re willing to risk Molly and Gemma and Calum’s life on it?” Niall questions, looking down at him. “Because I know that that’s certainly not the case for me. I’ve got Bressie stationed across the street to watch the lads and us, and Chris is here with me for Gemma. Johnny, Aoife and Bendix are all at the towers with the other golems. I’m not leaving any of this up to chance.“Then I want you to trade places with this golem, because I have something that I’ve been trying to talk to you about all day, and I want to have the conversation with you, not a construct.” Harry mutters.“Give me a minute.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes.True to his word, after the golem disappears, Niall is only gone for about a minute before his real body is hopping over the wall.“You’re incredibly needy, you know that?” Niall chuckles.“You’ve been avoiding me all day.” Harry argues.“I’ve got a lot on my mind, Harry.” Niall sighs, taking the seat across from him. “I haven’t been avoiding you. But, in just a few hours, the sun is going to come up and the fate of the world is going to hang in the balance, based on decisions we’re all going to make. I have to focus on that.”“I’m scared, Niall.” Harry whispers, reaching out and grabbing onto Niall’s hand, which meets him halfway. “I don’t know what’s happening anymore. I got my sister back, and today should have been the happiest day of my life, but it feels like I’m losing something, and I don’t know what.”“I can’t say what’s going to happen tomorrow, because I’m not a precog, and ours lost her ability to see anything.” Niall says, shaking his head. “But you’re going to be okay. Everything is going to work out in the end, alright? We haven’t fought this hard to lose.”“I have a bad feeling.” Harry mumbles. “Like something bad is going to happen.”“People are going to die tomorrow, Harry.” Niall sighs. “Bad things are going to happen. All we can do is minimize the loss, and have hope for what the future is going to bring, because at least there will be a future.”“I guess.” Harry says quietly. “It’s a hell of a time for Eleanor to lose her power.”“I know.” Niall snorts. “Now, what have you wanted to talk to me about?”“Do you- Do you want to be with the lads?” Harry asks.“Harry.” Niall groans, tossing his head back. “How many times-”“No, that’s not what I’m talking about.” Harry cuts him off. “I don’t mean separately from me. I mean a quintet. Is that something you’d be interested in?”“Is this really a conversation for right now?” Niall asks, avoiding the question as a ball of anxiety starts to build up inside of him.“Yes.” Harry says with a nod. “I just want to know if that’s something that you would want.”“It’s not about me.” Niall says, shaking his head. “That’s the thing with polyamory. It’s not about any one person. It’s about the collective group.”“Stop dodging the question.” Harry grunts out.“In a perfect world, yes.” Niall admits in a whisper. “If I could have everything I wanted, we would all be together. I love all of you so much, and that would be- It would be heaven to me. But this isn’t a perfect world. You can’t handle that.”“I think that I could.” Harry tells him. “My powers aren’t what they were back in Dublin. I’m learning to work with them better. And- And I think I might be falling for them.”“Let’s revisit this after the apocalypse is diverted, then.” Niall says, his voice clipped and his emotions shutting themselves of from Harry. “I- I can’t think about this right now. Too much is at stake for me to start thinking of what I could have to lose.”“Okay.” Harry says after a few seconds. “But will you stay here with me for the rest of the night?”“Of course.” Niall murmurs, holding tighter onto Harry’s hand. “Always.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
By the time dawn rolls around Harry still can’t shake his sinking feeling of dread. The others almost all seem at peace, but Harry feels a storm brewing. He feels the inevitability of loss. It’s just like it was the day that Gemma died, when Harry wanted to pull out of the appearance because he knew something bad was going to happen.“She’s been safely hidden away.” Niall says, sensing Harry’s mind wandering towards his sister. “I discussed it with her last night. She’s in a bunker that one of my people found, and she’ll stay there until after everything has happened. You don’t need to worry about Gemma.”“Why is she hidden, but nobody else is?” Harry questions.“Because Gemma didn’t have any role to play in this.” Niall says softly. “We all do. Don’t you think I want to put Molly somewhere safe? I would if I could, but she has a part to play in this, just like the rest of us.”“You know what’s happening, then?” Harry asks, his heart skipping a beat.“I do.” Niall nods. “My part, at least.”“Then what’s mine?” Harry asks, grabbing Niall by the arm.“I’ll tell you when we get where we’re going.” Niall says gently, slipping his hand into Harry’s. “We just have to wait for one more person.”“Niall, I- I feel like I’m going fucking crazy here.” Harry says, his voice breaking in a way he can’t control and doesn’t give a shit about. “Why- Why are you being so fucking cryptic?”“Because everything is going to go wrong if you know.” Niall whispers. “You are impulsive to a fault. I love you, but, in the heat of the moment, you make bad decisions. You put your heart above everything else, and this isn’t a time for that. Everything has to work out exactly the way that Eleanor saw it before her visions went dark, or else the world is going to end. If you know before it’s time, before things are cemented in place, then everything and everyone on this planet will die. You’re the reason that Eleanor’s visions went dark, because everything is up to you, but it can’t be something that you know, or else things will change.”“Then why did she tell you?” Harry bites out. “You’re impulsive too.”“Because, when the chips are down, I’m the one that can do whatever it is that needs to be done.” Niall murmurs. “I can set aside my heart for my head in a way that you just can’t.”“I’m tired of being treated like a child.” Harry growls.“I’m not treating you like a child.” Niall snorts. “I’m treating you like the man I love. So, please, let’s just finish our tea, wait for our other member to arrive, and then go save the whole bloody world. I don’t want to fight with you. There’s going to be enough fighting today.”“I don’t like this.” Harry whispers. “You’re keeping something big from me. You’re hiding your feelings by using my own power against me.”“Then feel this, because it’s the only feeling I have that matters.” Niall murmurs, cupping Harry’s cheek and pulling him into a soft kiss that explodes inside of him.Love pushes through so powerful that Harry can’t even breathe. Nothing he’s ever felt from anyone, alone or in groups, has ever compared. Niall’s own rage and willpower pale in comparison to this. It’s like being swallowed by the sun, except it’s not painful in the slightest. It’s soft and warm and fills Harry up from the tips of his toes all the way through the hair on his scalp with the love Niall has for him and Molly and Calum and Ashton and Luke.It’s not a hurricane anymore. It’s heaven.“That’s all that matters, Harry.” Niall breathes against his lips. “That, right there. There’s nothing that I can’t do with that inside of me. It’s a hell of a lot more powerful than my rage ever was. And you showed me that. So, please- I am asking you to trust me right now.”“Okay.” Harry nods, brushing their noses together. “Okay.”“Then it’s time to wake Molly up.” Niall says softly, stroking Harry’s cheek. “Because it’s time for everything to start.” “I see you’ve made your choice.” Ben’s astral projection mutters, looking up at the tower that Harry, Niall, Molly and, unexpectedly, Barbara are all gathered in front of.The whole of the valley has been covered with one of Barbara’s shields, although she explained that she’s not the one generating it. Ellen rigged up a device that generates imitations of Barbara’s shields by mixing her blood with technology. She really is terrifying.“Harry, please.” Xander begs. “Make the right choice. Come home. None of this has to happen. You have the power to stop a war. Nobody has to die here.”“Everyone is going to die if Ben has his way.” Harry tells him, shaking his head. “Everyone, Xan. In the whole world. His ambition will bring every life on this earth to an end.”“Is that what she told you?” Ben scoffs. “It’s not just this war that I want to stop, Harry. It’s all the war. The only way to do that is with ultimate power. A rupture over England would give us a boost in power that nobody could counter. Not the African Union with their big toys, or the USSR with their army, or the Oceanians with their centurions. Once Europa rises to that level of power, we can take over everything and there will be no more war. No more pain or suffering. I’ll bring an end to all of that.”“You’ll bring an end to everything.” Niall counters. “Another rupture will cause them both to open fully until they meet, tearing this whole world apart in an instant.”“That’s not going to happen.” Ben growls out.“Because we’re going to stop you.” Harry and Niall say together.“You could have been saved.” Been says, shaking his head and disappearing with Xander.“Alright, Babs.” Niall says quietly, looking over at her. “It’s time. Do your thing.”“I am so sorry for this, lovebug.” Barbara murmurs, stroking Molly’s hair. Molly collapses in an instant with the sign that Barbara weaves, but she catches her before she can hit the ground. “But you’ll be safe, and that’s all that matters.”“What the fuck are you doing?” Harry snarls, following after Barbara and Niall as they head into the tower.“We’re saving the world.” Niall says, turning back to Harry when they reach the doorway. “This machine is designed to close the rupture. It’s going to use Molly’s power like a battery, just like the other towers are going to use Freddie and Calum’s powers. Liam should be helping load Calum into a chair right now, just like the one that Barbara is putting Molly in behind me, and Freddie is being helped into one by Louis and Eleanor.”“We have no idea what draining her powers could do to her, Niall.” Harry hisses. “It could kill her, for all we know!”“It will kill her.” Niall sighs, not making any fucking sense at all. “Or- It would. That’s why Barbara and I are here. The tower that got destroyed yesterday- That was for Bear. If all four towers were active, then the plan would have gone off without a hitch, but- We lost the one that was meant for the one whose power was most suited to this. The towers were designed using Bear’s DNA. They’re coded to each of the mages, but they’re structured around his power, and that’s why his was the central one. But, because that was broken by Nick, that only leaves the programming in the other three towers to direct that power. These towers can close the Rupture, but now it comes with a cost. That cost is human life.”“Who the fuck are you, because you can’t be Niall?” Harry growls. “In what world are you okay killing Molly, even to save the world?”“I’m not, love.” Niall whispers, pulling Harry in and overwhelming his body with that same intense love forced in through a kiss.It stuns him for long enough for Niall to throw him back from the doorway, knocking him to the ground with enough time that he can close a large glass door between them. He presses a button to the side of him, and his voice filters through, tinny and staticky from a speaker as he says, “That’s what Babs and I are here for. We’re going to supply the human life, and Molly will supply the power.”“What the fuck, Niall?” Harry screams, getting back up to his feet. He raises his hand, ready to let off a bolt of energy to break the glass, but Niall shakes his head.“If the towers all worked, then nobody had to die.” Niall says, closing his eyes. “But now they don’t. The rupture was born from nuclear energy, and life energy. It needs those to close, too. If you break this glass, the containment unit won’t seal, which means that it won’t work, and the rupture won’t ever be closed. This is what has to be done, Harry. Otherwise, it’ll kill Molly. Ashton and Luke are doing the same thing with Calum. It needs life energy to make up for what we lost when the fourth tower blew up. I messed up, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Molly pay that price.”“Then fucking let me!” Harry yells, pressing himself against the glass and pounding on it with his hand. “She needs you!”“I’m not letting you pay that price either.” Niall says with a gulp, tears forming in his eyes. “I- I fucking love you way too much to let that happen. There’s no way I could bear to do this if I lost you. I’m not strong enough anymore to live in a world that doesn’t have you in it. Barbara and I- We made our choice. We brought her into this world, and we’re going to make sure she doesn’t leave it before her time, and that she at least has you and Calum to help her through it.“But I- I need you to raise her right, Harry. I need you to teach her to value her brains and her willpower above anything else. Not her power or her appearance or anything else that anyone tells her to. I need you to make sure she eats her vegetables, because she bloody hates them. I need you to make sure that she brushes her teeth for twice as long after she eats the eggy bread that she’ll inevitably talk you into making for her. I need you to make sure that she’s healthy and happy and safe. I need you to be the da for her that I couldn’t be anymore. I need you to look after my little girl, because you’re one of the only people I trust to be able to do that. And I need you to let me go, because I’m doing this so that you and her will be safe.”“What about me?” Harry asks through a sob. “How the fuck am I supposed to live without you?”“You’re strong.” Niall tells him, pressing his hand against the glass. “You’ve made it through this kind of loss before, and you’ll make it again. You’ll have Molly and Gemma and Calum. You’re going to have to help him too, because you’ll both be in the same boat. And- We all three decided that we want you to be happy together, if that’s what happens. Maybe it will, and maybe it won’t. Don’t fight it if it does, though. None of us would have wanted that for either of you.”“I’m not ready to lose you.” Harry chokes out, putting his hand up to match Niall’s. “We’re supposed to be happy in twenty years. I’m supposed to prove you wrong.”“I’m so sorry.” Niall whispers. “But I have to save my baby, and I have to save you. I really wish I could have been wrong, but- I wasn’t. This is the kind of power you have over me. I am so happy that I get to save you, even if it means dying. But it’s not scary anymore, that power. It’s so, so fulfilling to have had this time with someone that I’m so ready to die for. In a perfect world, this wouldn’t have to happen, but it’s not a perfect world.”“It was for me, as long as it had you.” Harry whimpers, sinking to his knees. “I love you.”“I love you too, Harry.” Niall says softly, stepping back from the glass. “Don’t stop this, though. And don’t reach out and try to take my soul in the last moment. If it doesn’t get everything, then it won’t work. It has to have all of me to save her. I know that you’ll want a piece of me with you, but you already have one. You have my whole heart. Goodbye, love. You’ll never understand how much you changed my life.”Harry doesn’t get a chance to respond before Niall turns away and goes over to the chair where Barbara has strapped Molly in. Barbara is talking to Molly, stroking her cheek while she loads her own hand into a little tube, and Niall does the same on the other side.They both look like they’re in pain, and Harry understands why a moment later when the tower lights up and then shoots a beam into the sky. It’s starting, and they’re dying.Every cell in his body screams against it, says that there’s another way, but he just can’t think of anything. It doesn’t fucking make any sense. They have demigods on their side. They have the power to warp reality. Harry can channel the powers of any witch or mage in existence. The powers of the people here under the rupture are so insane that this small group could probably take over the world, if they wanted.And yet, there’s nothing that they can do. They have all the power in the world- Gravity and biology and space and time can all be bent to their wills- And they still have to resort to the age-old tradition of human sacrifice to some arcane and uncaring universe in order to stop a disaster.Magic really hasn’t changed anything at all since the dawn of man, except the level of destruction that people are capable of. They could have brought the world together, could have ended hunger and homelessness and discrimination and suffering, but petty ambition and the corruption of power has meant that nothing has gotten any better. Men like Ben will always try to follow their misguided notions, and the world will pay the price unless good people sacrifice themselves on the altar of the greater good, which will leave behind its own kind of devastation.There’s no miracle that can be worked to save them, which means that Harry and Molly and Calum and Liam and Freddie will have to pick up the pieces of their lives, will have to try to cope with a world where the people they loved were there one moment, and gone the next, all because one man wanted to control the world.Harry is going to fucking obliterate Ben Winston.But he can’t go yet. He can’t bring himself to climb to his feet and leave Niall’s side until he’s gone. He’s still there, weakening by the second, and murmuring his final goodbye to Molly with Barbara. They gave her life, and now they’re giving theirs for her, and all Harry can do is wish that it was him, because he doesn’t know how to do any of this. He doesn’t know how to live without Niall, or raise Molly in a world where three of her dads have sacrificed themselves for her.He reaches out and feels it as the last bits drain out of Niall, Ashton and Luke, letting his power at least alleviate their suffering, since he can’t use it to save them altogether. He soaks in their pain, lets their final moments be ones that are free to only feel the love in their hearts for the people they’re willing to die for. At least he can do that much.And then they’re gone with a final blast of power from the towers, and the rupture above them closes completely.The scream that Harry lets out is primal, a hundred voices inside of him crying out in pain and fury and fear that he can’t hold back, making his blood boil with rage and power he’s never known. His world has been ripped out from underneath him, and he’s going to make everyone responsible pay. He’s going to annihilate the army that EMIA has gathered at the edge of the barrier wish that none of them had ever been born.His hands dig into the sand, looking for anything solid to anchor his consciousness to the moment so that he doesn’t go completely out of control, but his grip on his own mind is slipping out of his fingers by the second.“Calm yourself, love.” comes a voice that Harry knows all too well by now, but not quite the same.There’s three bodies around him all of the sudden, but he only recognizes one at first, and he doesn’t look right.“Cal?” Harry questions, looking up at the man in front of him.“It’s weird to see you like this again.” Calum says with a soft smile, little lines around his mouth that weren’t there yesterday, and his hair is back to the dark color that it was before their makeover. It doesn’t make any fucking sense. “You look so young without the touches of grey at your temples.”“What?” Harry asks, confusion eking out of him as much as the tears flowing down his cheeks.“Dad, you’ve got to stop crying.” says a young woman standing next to him. It takes him a moment to recognize her, because she was fucking six years old a minute ago, but she looks so much like her mother, and has the eyes of her father, that it’s unmistakable. It’s Molly, even if she’s shorn her hair down no longer than her father’s, though it’s bright blonde instead of his chocolate brown. “You have such an ugly crying face. You always say how much you hate it.”“It’s okay, uncle Haribo.” says the other one, a teenage boy with a devious glint in his eyes. “We’re here to help. If uncle Cal had just gotten his timing right, it would have been a lot easier, but that’s why I’m here. Kind of. I mean- I was already here, but I was too little to help. I wouldn’t have known what to do. I- I didn’t know what to do.”“Shush, both of you.” Calum snorts, crouching down in front of Harry. “You’re going to confuse him.”He leans in then, pressing his lips against Harry’s in a soft kiss that feels like he’s much more familiar with it than Harry is.“It’s weird not being able to feel you.” Calum murmurs. “Can’t say that I care for it much. It’s nice to have my mind to myself every once in a while, but I miss feeling you. But we’ll have all the time in the world for that in a moment. Just give me a second.”He stands back up and reaches his hand out, turning it like he’s dialing something back. The landscape shifts around them, moving back in time until the rupture rips open the sky again.“No!” Harry screams, jumping up to his feet. “What are you doing?”“Fixing my mum’s mistakes.” the teen tells him. “She’s a good woman, but she didn’t factor our powers into things enough. Her visions only extended as far as she could think of solutions, and she didn’t think of us using our gifts.”“Freddie?” Harry questions.“It’s weird hearing you call me that.” Freddie says with a blush. “Makes me feel like I’m in trouble when you say my real name.”“Shut up, Fredward.” Molly chuckles, taking Harry’s hand. “Let me make this simple for you, dad. In the moments where Da and Babs and Lu and Ash and Auntie El and Uncle Lou were sacrificing themselves for us, our powers reached out. Specifically, they connected to each other, and Cal’s power sent that cry through time. It called out to our future selves, and brought us here, because our powers are a lot stronger than Auntie El could see.”“What about time?” Harry questions. “Won’t it fall apart if you change your own pasts?”“Time is a lot more stable than we gave it credit for.” Molly says with a chuckle. “It’s a primal force of the universe, dad. It doesn’t care about small paradoxes. Just the big ones. If Cal like- Went back and stopped the big bang, yeah, that would be a problem, but this much is fine. It’ll just- Correct itself. We’re all powerful, but not enough to destroy the universe.”“We could only bust planets at the most.” Freddie says with a wicked grin.“Freddie, it’s your turn.” Calum grunts out, holding both of his hands out. Nothing is changing or moving anymore, so he must have frozen time in this moment. “I can’t exactly hold this forever.”“You’re getting weak in your old age, dad.” Molly grins, patting Calum on the stomach. “Too much eggy bread has made you soft.”“Made your head soft years ago.” Calum grumbles, shooting a glare at Molly.“My turn to shine.” Freddie hums, shimmying around before he stops and throws his hands in the air. “Sparkle powers, activate!”There’s a little burst out of his hands like fireworks, but then they fizzle out, and Molly loses it laughing while Freddie shakes his hands in annoyance and does it again. This time, an aura bursts around him, slamming through Harry and then spreading out across the valley.“Go grab Uncle Niall.” Freddie says, nodding his head towards the door. “We’re going to need him for the next part.”“But-” Harry starts.“Seriously, dad. I promise that it’ll be okay.” Molly says with a smile. “We do need him, though. We’ve tried this a bunch of different ways. We’ve kept him out of it, we’ve kept all of you out of it and just done this ourselves, but the only way that it works properly is if you two do this bit together.”“How have you-” Harry, begins to ask, but then the answer dawns on him. “Oh. Yeah. Time travel.”“It’s a whole mess.” Molly nods. “We’ve spent the last two days or so for us trying to minimize the loss here.”“What the fuck is happening?” Niall’s voice asks as the door whooshes open, looking like he’s about to drop dead again. “Harry- Calum- What the fuck did you do? Where’s- Who are- Molly?”“In the flesh.” Molly hums.“You’re wearing your necklace.” Niall breathes out.“You and Cal made a special trip to get it back for my tenth birthday.” Molly explains. “Babs can be a bit of a frigid witch, but she has good taste in fashion.”“I’m going to pass the fuck out.” Niall mutters, closing his eyes and shaking his head.“Don’t worry, da.” Molly giggles, pulling Niall out of the doorway and letting him lean against her. “You’ll feel better in a minute. Freddie is an unbelievable dork, but he’s good at what he does.”“Stop it.” Freddie groans, blushing brightly. He’s got a crush. That much is obvious even without Harry’s powers. Given the look in Niall’s eyes, it looks like he can feel that too.That’s something to address in the future, though. Many, many years in the future. Especially since Molly seems about as aware of it as her father would be when it comes to the feelings of the people around her.She really is her father’s daughter.“What’s happening?” Niall asks, looking over at Harry.“Fuck if I know.” Harry admits breathlessly, climbing to his feet and wrapping his arms around Niall. “But fuck if I’m not fucking grateful.”“Harry, I have to die.” Niall breathes out.“No, only one person has to die today.” Calum says, leaning in to press a kiss to Niall’s cheek. “I’m sorry to have to put this burden on you, but it will be your last. I can promise you that much.”“Ben is immortal.” Freddie hums. “More than enough life energy to close the rupture. You just have to throw him into the damn thing.”“Okay, so you’re here to reverse time and bring them back, and Freddie is here to heal them, but why is Molly here?” Harry questions.“Because I’m the biggest fucking badass on the planet?” Molly scoffs. “Trained by the strongest magical and non-magical dads on the planet, wasn’t I?”“Molly.” Calum says flatly. “Don’t make me remind these two in ten years how you spoke today. Just because we’re in the past doesn’t mean you get to talk like a hooligan.”“Yeah, yeah.” Molly says with a roll of her eyes. “You can ground me in ten years.”“Molly is here to be a conduit point for you, Uncle Harry.” Freddie says quietly, tugging at Harry’s sleeve. “You and Uncle Niall have to channel her powers, and use those to get through the army to Ben, so you can throw him into the Rupture.”“I’m the battery.” Molly sighs. “I probably could have stayed in my present, because little me could supply enough power, but I really just had to see you again before Lu got you to stop dressing like such a doofus. I thought I misremembered how much of a dweeb you were.”“Keep it up, young lady.” Calum grunts out. “See how big of a hole you dig yourself in our time.”“Don’t get in too much trouble, Molly.” Freddie whines. “Dad said I can only go to the play if you go with me!”Niall’s eye twitches at that.“Don’t worry, Fredward.” Molly hums. “I’ve got plenty of blackmail on all five of my dads, let alone these two. I can always get out of trouble.”“We’ll see.” Niall says flatly. “Harry- You ready?”“Whenever you are.” Harry says with a nod.“Have at it, then.” Molly huffs. “Steal my power.”Harry and Niall open up their drains at the same time, taking Molly’s power into themselves. It’s- Incredible.Calum’s power has clearly developed with time, and so has Molly’s, apparently. It’s elegant and beautiful, twisting through Harry like lace that covers his skin, and crawls along his back until bright wings of light shoot out of it. Niall experiences the same, looking at Harry in awe.They’re butterfly wings.“It’s kind of my thing.” Molly says with a shrug, her hand holding the pendant around her neck. It’s only then that Harry notices that a butterfly has been carved into the surface of it. A symbol of the gifts of her father on the gift of her mother. She’s definitely more sentimental than Niall, that’s for sure. “The wings will show you how much of my power you have left. They shrink the more energy you use.”“And I’ve boosted your cellular regeneration rate to handle the cell-death that comes with a non-mage channeling mage powers.” Freddie pipes up. “But I can only make it last for about five minutes, because dad says any more than that, and it’ll start causing problems for your insides and stuff.”“Your bodies would age too quickly.” Calum tells them. “It would start causing multiple organ failure. So, like he said, you have five minutes, and then you have to let go of the channeling. My powers can’t reverse any damage that happens because of a mage power, and neither can Freddie’s. He can’t heal any damage that Molly’s powers do, and I can’t heal any that his do. Mage powers don’t can’t interfere with each other. All he’s doing is mitigating the damage by boosting your natural healing processes, so you two are still going to feel the aftereffects of this long-term.”“That’s fine with me.” Harry says, turning towards the area of the barrier where he feels the mass of souls that makes up Ben’s army. “It’s time to bring this to an end.”“Better than dying.” Niall agrees, stepping up next to him. “Let’s go.”Niall takes off first, rocketing forwards as Calum lets go of time and lets it resume its course. He’s like a bullet, tearing through the landscape by manipulating his own gravity and the gravity of the planet to increase his velocity like a meteor. Harry is right behind him, using his part of Molly’s power to fly upwards, and then slingshot himself towards the edge of the barrier.Barbara’s barrier poses no problem as they crash through it together, concentrating Molly’s power into two identical singularities that tear through it like it was never even there.There are thousands of people gathered in front of them, EMIA and military alike. Harry’s not sure how Ben managed to get this many people under his control so quickly, but it doesn’t matter. Harry would tear through every single one of them to get to Ben, and Niall seems to be feeling much the same.Luckily, they don’t seem to have to do that.Harry feels the chill and manages to get Niall out of the way just in time before a sheet of ice shoots out from behind him, crawling across the landscape and trapping many of the soldiers in their places.“Mum?” Harry asks, floating above the ice and turning back around.“Go.” Anne says, stepping through the barrier with Gemma. Harry’s not sure when that happened, but he’s damn happy that it did. “Put an end to his machinations once and for all. But do try not to kill any of my soldiers.”“Down!” Niall hisses, increasing their gravity so that they drop like a stone.A blur passes through the spot where they were only a fraction of a second before, crashing into the right flank of the soldiers and kicking up a cloud of dust. A man rises from the cloud, laughing maniacally and looking a bit crazy with his static blond hair.“Fucking Mikey.” Niall mutters, looking over in that direction. “Looks like your mother wasn’t the only ally summoned. Mali must have sent her Centurion as well.”“They opened up a path.” Harry points out, letting go of Niall to race forward with him as a lightning storm opens up over the left flank. Must be the EG crew going into action, and the giant-robot that comes barreling through the barrier is under Ellen’s control, or Harry is a daffodil. And the wave of skeletons that smashes into the front line means Jane and the others must be here too.“Every ally we have is trying to open things up for us.” Niall says, pulling up next to Harry as they fly over the heads of the soldiers below, dodging blasts of lightning and fire along the way, scanning the sea of people for Ben. Harry’s powers can’t feel him in particular when faced with so many individuals, but they’ll be able to once he gets close enough.“Liam must have gathered them all to fight the final battle.” Harry guesses.“Maybe I won’t kill him after all.” Niall scoffs, climbing up higher. “He’s over there.”“How can you-” Harry starts to ask, but then his question is answered by a huge tornado forming right where Niall pointed, at a group of three people beyond the army.“Nick’s mine.” Niall growls out. “You can have Xander, but I’m stopping Nick once and for all.”“Deal.” Harry nods, speeding towards the blur that Xander becomes, racing up into the hills while Niall dives right towards Nick.“Harry-” Xander says, stopping on the top of a nearby mountain. “Just listen to me-”“Nothing you can say is going to change my mind.” Harry says, landing on the ground and walking forward.“I love him.” Xander whispers.“That doesn’t mean I can let him live.” Harry says, shaking his head. “Xan- He’ll destroy the world if I don’t stop him.”“I can stop him.” Xander says firmly. “He gave me back my legs. He gave me back my life. I owe him the chance.”“No, Xan, you can’t.” Harry says, shaking his head. “And, even if you could, the man I love will die if he doesn’t.”“So, I have to lose the man that I love because you want to keep yours?” Xander bites out angrily, tears stinging at his eyes.“If you think that you can win this fight, then come-” is all Harry gets out before there’s a fist colliding with his cheek, smashing into his jaw hard enough to send him crashing to the ground.“I always held back!” Xander growls out, taking Harry by the neck and speeding towards the face of a cliff to slam him into it. He runs off again, smashing him into a boulder, and then dragging him along the ground so fast that Harry feels his skin starting to peel off.That’s enough mercy.“Stop!” Harry yells, slamming down his hand on the sand to increase the gravity.Xander trips at the sudden increase, tumbling long the ground for a half of a mile after he drops Harry before he manages to come to a stop.“I’ve given you your chance!” Harry growls out, splaying his hands to his side and lifting up into the air. “Now stay out of this before you get yourself hurt!”He reaches out with Molly’s power, gripping onto the rocks that form the cliff face behind Xander, and bringing them tumbling down to trap him. He guides each of them with Molly’s power, piling them up so as not to hurt him. Harry will do enough of that before the next two minutes are up. “So, the demon made a deal with the devil to get the powers of a god.” Nick says with a hum when Niall crashes through the winds of the tornado to find him in the center, though there’s a weird blur in the air next to him, keeping Niall from seeing someone concealed within.“You wish.” Niall smirks. “The devil would have more mercy on you than I’m going to.”“This place really is fantastic, you know.” Nick hums, holding his hand out towards the blur. “So many- Presents. I get gifted this power, and this opportunity, and, best of all, this girl.”The blur dissolves, and Niall sees Molly floating in the center of it.“Dad!” Molly screams, panic welling up in her eyes at the sight of him. “Help!”“Do you know how powerful I am right now?” Niall asks through gritted teeth. “I could crush you into a marble!”“And I could flay the skin from your daughter’s bones before you do that.” Nick says with a wicked grin. “You might kill me, but I’ll still have won.”There’s no Harry to help Niall out this time. No way to cast any charms or make any distractions. No way for him to even begin knowing how to control these powers except on instinct, and this isn’t a fight Niall can win with instincts alone. Besides, Calum said that only one person had to die today, and that’s going to be Ben.“What do you want?” Niall asks, clenching his fists at his sides.“You to bow down so that I can take the head of the Demon of London.” Nick says with a humorless laugh. “You took something from me, so I’m taking something from you. Pick- Yourself, or your daughter.”“Fine.” Niall says, kneeling down on one knee.It’s the right choice. Niall knows that it is.Nick raises his hand, pure malice written in his smile as he forms a blade of air, and then he sends it flying at Niall.Niall reaches out in an instant, taking control of the blade and spinning it around his body with a kick that sends it flying back at Nick. Niall repeats the motion that he’d seen Nick do that first time they met, twisting his hands and pulling them apart. Even he feels a little squeamish at the sight of all of Nick’s skin tearing away from his body.He doesn’t feel merciful, though.“Why?” Nick screams, consumed with pain and rage.“Because I’m Molly’s ‘Da’.” Niall grunts out, holding his hand up and blasting apart the clone that Nick has glamoured to look like Molly. “And you’re the one who never learns.”Nick shrieks and screams as the tornado disperses, and Niall uses Molly’s powers to increase the gravity on him until he sinks under the sand. Maybe only one person has to die today, but Niall isn’t taking any more risks with that psychopath.Niall feels Harry coming towards him, but he’s far more concerned with getting his hands on Benjamin Winston’s neck.“Get over here!” Niall bellows, spotting Ben trying to run towards the mountains.He reaches out with Molly’s power, lifting Ben up and then pulling him towards himself.“Nice to finally meet in person, Winston.” Niall says with a smirk as he turns Ben around to see the fear in his eyes. “I’ve wanted to do this for a while.”“I’ll stop!” Ben chokes out with a sob. “Put me in prison! Send me to the front lines of the war! Just don’t kill me!”“You’re immortal.” Niall scoffs, reaching out and taking him by the arm. “You think I don’t know that you could just play the long game and wait me out?”“I just wanted to save the world!” Ben cries.“You will.” Harry says, landing next to Niall and taking Ben’s other arm.“Time to fulfill your destiny, Benjamin Winston.” Niall mutters, taking off with Harry, Ben suspended between them. “You’ll rule a whole universe.”“No!” Ben screams, twisting and flailing, trying to escape their grasp as they fly up towards the rupture. He would survive the fall, but he can’t possibly think he could escape.He’s just fighting like a wounded animal. Niall would feel pity, if this man hadn’t hunted him since he was small, and sent a sociopath after him and his daughter just because she was born, and tortured the lads, and destroyed Bressie’s home, and tried to end the world.This isn’t an end he would wish on anyone, but it’s also not one he’s going to take for himself when he’s gotten another second chance.Harry and Niall fly as high as they dare, refusing to get too close to the rupture. They raise their free hands in unison, forming a singularity between them that they push away, and throw Ben towards, letting it lift him the rest of the way until he disappears into the rupture, and it closes once and for all. “Empress.” Niall says flatly, nodding at the seat across from him when he enters the room. He’s kept them all waiting, but he feels like hell, so they’re lucky that he made it at all. “Governor Hood.”“Call me Mali.” Mali snorts, kicking her feet up on the table.“Call me Your Highness.” Anne says afterwards, leveling Niall with a glare.Niall gets a look from Harry and Calum at the same time that sends chills up his spine. They’re terrifying, those two.“Now that our final member has arrived, I think it’s time to begin negotiations.” Eleanor says calmly, pulling the attention back towards herself. It’s a round table, so there’s no head to it, but she’s clearly the one leading things, and that’s probably for the best.Niall has no patience for politics.“Starting with your empire’s unconditional surrender.” Niall says, looking over at Anne.“I think it was clear the minute that I stepped in and intervened myself that Benjamin’s forces were not sent here by me.” Anne says icily, a chill creeping into the air.“Doesn’t matter.” Niall says, shaking his head. “Your empire’s soldiers attacked our people. Your surrender is necessary to any further negotiations.”“Mum.” Gemma says firmly, gripping Anne’s shoulder.“Fine.” Anne sighs. “Europa offers an unconditional surrender. Documents will be drawn up, if you wish.”“Your word is enough for now.” Harry tells her. “And Gemma’s.”“I want to make it clear, though, that we are not taking a seat at this table as an unequal power.” Eleanor tells her. “This is a discussion among three equal parties.”“Your nation numbers in the hundreds.” Mali points out.“And we still shall be a sovereign power.” Liam counters. “We shall not fall under the domain of either Europa, nor Oceania.”“You have an heir to one of the Ten High Magical Families.” Mali argues.“And an heir to the throne of Europa.” Anne cuts in.“Which is why we’re hoping to reach a peaceable agreement with both states.” Eleanor says with a soft smile. “That said, we are the foremost superpower in the world, now. Every known mage between both of your empires is gathered here. So, how about that equal place?”Oh, she’s good. “She’s bloody terrifying.” Harry giggles, leaning into Niall’s side. “Never seen someone outplay my mum so many times in one day.”“Or my sister.” Calum hums, looking up at Niall from his lap.“Or me.” Niall huffs. He doesn’t want a seat on the bloody ruling council, but he was jammed into it anyways with Harry, Calum, Eleanor and Liam. “I almost don’t believe that her powers haven’t come back.”“It’s a couple of meetings a month.” Harry says, rolling his eyes. “The rest of the time, you’re free to do whatever. You can spar or read or write books or whatever you want. But you’re there to represent a lot of people who have never had real representation. You need to be in this seat.”“I’m going to make Bressie take it when my term is up.” Niall mutters. “I’m not a leader.”“You’re not a politician.” Ashton says with a nod. “But a leader? Sorry to say you are, Ni.”“The best.” Molly nods from Luke’s lap. He’s barely let her go since she returned to her younger self, no memories of what transpired after she was put under by Barbara. They’ve all decided that it’s for the best if she doesn’t learn quite yet what originally happened before their future selves stepped in.“You are.” Harry murmurs, pressing a kiss to his cheek.“Still making Bressie take it.” Niall huffs. “He’s got to do something, the lazy arse. He wants to take time off now that the whole ‘war for the fate of the world’ thing is out of the way.”“He’s not taking time off.” Harry snorts. “He wants to go gather people and bring them here. People who are ready for a new way of life where magicals and non-magicals are all treated equally.”“And leave me behind to do all of his work.” Niall says with a roll of his eyes. “That’s the same as taking time off in my book. And since when do you defend Bressie?”“I don’t know.” Harry says with a shrug, looking at Calum and Luke and Ashton before looking back at Niall. “Jealousy just isn’t my thing anymore. Been feeling- Different.”“Give it time, love.” Niall says with a soft smile. “We’ve got plenty of it, now.”Miracles have become a dime a dozen since the rupture, sucking the magic out of everything by putting magic everywhere. Books were what Niall thought of as miracles, and they are. Anyone can be a hero. Anyone can be extraordinary, between the pages of a book.But he’s realized there are a lot more miracles out there than he ever thought.Love.Family.Those are the miracles he’s got to look forward to now, and he couldn’t ask for anything better.