Work Text:
November 1940
WWII was exploding all over Britain, bringing death and destruction that was too numerous too count. The country was in a state of panic as reports of air raids came flooding in from all around. People were terrified and no exception was a small house of five young boys in London.
Those five boys were called Harry, Louis, Liam, Zayn and last but certainly not least, Niall. They were five best friends who had met in boarding school and were now all attending the same university and living in the same small house. Louis and Harry and Zayn and Liam shared two rooms on the ground floor while Niall slept in a sort of box-room in the attic. They were all from different parts of the countries while Niall was from a tiny house in Ireland and his family had moved to London. All five boys had some relation fighting overseas bar Harry. They were all awaiting letters everyday but letters were very sparse and far between each.
Harry Styles and Niall Horan, who were both eighteen going on nineteen, had both had a bout of the measles in their first year of uni. Niall's had turned quite serious and the doctors had told the boys that his heart would never been the same again which made the blonde quite pale and weak. While ill, the boys made him slept on the bottom floor with them but had since then moved back to his own attic area. Fortunately, he had been allowed to return to school in September of this year and the boys were all thriving, bonds growing stronger by the minute. The only bad side was that now that the bombs were falling faster than ever, many schools were closing, the boy's included.
Since the attacks from German were become unavoidable, the lads knew it was only a matter of time before the area they lived in ended up getting attacked so they decided to get the supplies and build a bomb shelter. It was made of strong steel and wood and it took quite a while for Zayn, Louis and Liam to make it. Meanwhile, Harry and Niall had collected canteens of water and tins of food to put in their makeshift bunker. They were all constantly on alert, making sure that they all were ready as the attacks were imminent.
It was one chilly November morning and the weather was biting through the windows at the boys. Zayn was sitting in an armchair with Liam opposite him, the later quizzing the former on the periodic table as Zayn was taking a chemistry course and didn't want to lose out with the war was on. Niall was watching Louis making some lunch, as Harry danced around the kitchen singing a song at the top of his lungs.
"Are you nearly finished Lou?" Niall asked, coughing slightly. The two other boys looked at tired blue eyes in alarm, as they drooped in utter exhaustion.
"Are you feeling okay Nialler?" Harry asked, putting the palm of his hand on Niall's pale face once again, glad to see that no fever was present. The blonde just shrugged, folding his arm on the table and laying his head down on them.
Louis walked over and looked at the young boy, rubbing his back comfortingly. Niall chuckled slightly as saw the jelly moustache on his face from sneaking a sandwich from the lunch he was making. Niall tapped his own mouth and Louis quickly rubbed it off, making a face as he did so.
"Here Harold," Louis started, eyes dancing with merriment. "Help me carry these out so we can all have a splendid lunch." The curly haired boy complied and the three heading into the small drawing room where Liam and Zayn still sat.
"Thanks Lou!" The other four smiled as they dug into the plate of different ham, cheese and jam sandwiches. A sneeze came from Niall and they all said a quick "Bless you.".
"You sound like you have a cold Nialler." Zayn said suspiciously and Liam nodded along with him. "Our room is underneath yours and we could hear you coughing all night."
"Sorry for keeping you awake!" Niall apologised to the pair. They all tucked into their mini feast and Harry turned to Niall.
"Do you think you could help me with this thesis Niall? I know you finished yours before school broke up and everything but I haven't even made a proper start yet?"
"Sorry Har..." Niall started, rubbing at his eyes. "I don't feel too well. I think I may go lay down for a while and rest." Harry sulked slightly and Liam shook his arm affectionately.
"I can help you if you want dear Curly." He said softly. Harry scrunched up his nose. It wasn't like he didn't appreciate the older boy, not at all. It was just that Niall was his partner in class and he knew everything that the professor had picked out in particular when Liam wasn't even in any of his classes.
"That's okay Li. I think I'll just read something instead." Liam was a little put out by this but didn't worry too much. He instead decided to go into his own bedroom and read also. He walked in and as he did he spotted Niall going up the stairs slowly. The blonde was pale and Liam was somewhat worried about him. He was more susceptible to stronger strains of illness now and Liam could just pray and hope that this wasn't something more dangerous and just a simple cold.
Niall rubbed at his nose with a small tissue and buried his pale face against his soft pillow. Eventually he was able to drift into a small nap, only to be awoken by Zayn about an hour later. The older lad took his temperature, frowning when he realised that the slight lad had a bit of a fever.
"Hey Zee." Niall croaked at him.
"Hey Ni," Zayn smiled, moving the bangs off of the blonde's sweaty forehead. "I'll bring you some cough medicine later and if you're feeling better you should come down, yea?" Niall nodded and smiled, eyes falling as he dozed off once again.
The rest of the evening was quite normal as Harry and Zayn headed off to bed at around ten thirty after giving Niall some cough medicine whereas Liam and Louis stayed awake, playing a game of cards together. It was around eleven when the pair heard a rumbling noise in the distance.
"W-what do you think it is?" Liam shivered, scared as the rumble for louder. "It kinda sounds like a plane...." Louis quickly turned on the radio and heard a report come through.
"German bombers....reported a few miles from London at 10:43 this evening."
"Liam, go upstairs and get Niall. I'll wake the other two and meet at the bunker." Louis said, trying to keep calm but truly he was shaking.
Liam dashed up the stairs and heard an explosion in the distance. He sprinting over to the bed and shook Niall, jerking the younger male awake.
"Li?" Niall asked groggily, looking at him with confusion.
"C'mon Nialler!" Liam said, urgency evident in his voice. "There's an air raid happening." This caused the boy to wake up quickly. The two of them peered out the window of his bedroom, watching as a street in the distance blazed with the orange light of flames. They swiftly made their way out of the front door, meeting the other three and running into the shelter.
The rest of the night was filled with Niall coughing sporadically and small whimpers emitting from each boy from time to time as bombs rained down on the neighbourhood that they had made their home.
It was around half nine in the morning when Niall was met with silence as he awoke. He looked around, stretching his sore joints from how he slept last night. Liam and Harry were both already up and at it, making sure the supplies where in stock while Zayn and Louis were still sleepily trying to pull themselves up.
"So we are all still alive then?" Louis asked cheekily, looking around at the four others who all seemed to be injury free, the only issue being Niall's bright red nose and hoarse throat.
"D'ya think we can go outside now?" Zayn asked as he blearily walked over to Niall to help him up.
"I'm sure a peak won't hurt." Harry grinned. The grim quickly faded though, as the group walked outside to see the remainder of the house.
Niall looked in shock at what was previously his bedroom. It was all burned to a crisp and there was literally no remains of life on his floor. The rest of the house was only charred slightly in comparison but it was still unable to be inhabited by the group. Niall softly started to sob and the four others all smoothly pulled him into a hug.
"It'll be okay boys." Harry concluded after a while. "We can go down to my mum's, we can get a train there! She won't mind, honest. She loves you guys."
"Thanks Haz." Niall said, a sniffle interrupting him which causing him to laugh somewhat. Soon enough all four boys were laughing, trying to think positive as they left what they knew as their home and headed for Holmes Chapel.