They call it judgement day when it comes, because that's exactly what it is really. They get told whether or not they can keep the boys permanently and that's that. Judgement day.

And it's a big deal. Zayn has to be up at the asscrack of dawn in order to make sure he hasn't missed any spots whilst shaving the previous night and then get the boys up and ready whilst Louis makes sure they have all of their papers and forms and anything else they might need before they leave.

He makes an effort to make sure the kids are all dressed smart, button-up shirts and smart looking dark jeans for Harry and Liam and a cute little polo and jeans for Niall; cooks them up a big breakfast that Harry nervously picks at and Niall stains his shirt with meaning Zayn has to redress him. Then they all pile into the car, only today isn't just the school run.

They're going to the court offices on the other side of town. And if all goes well, they'll be finalising the adoption of the two boys that day.

He smiles at his husband as they shudder to a stop in front of the building. It's a similar feeling to the day that they had gone to Merrywell to meet the boys; only very different at the same time because the boys are there with them this time, Harry and Liam in booster seats and Niall in his car seat. Plus, the building in front of them is nothing like the dreary scene that is Merrywell. This place is wealthy and posh, with colourful gardens in front and tall white beams on the porch.

They both turn to face the kids in the back, Niall completely oblivious and kicking his little feet off of the edge of the seat, Liam chewing on his lip with a vengeance and Harry looking nervous.

"They can't say no, can they?" He asks timidly, and Zayn wishes he could promise him that they can't. He knows that isn't the case.

So he just smiles reassuringly and reaches out to squeeze the kid's hand gently. "Hey. You don't need to worry about anything, okay?" He says, and the five year old looks a little uncertain before he gives a small nod.

Niall strains against his belt at that, craning his neck to look past Liam in the middle and frown at Harry. "Don' be sad! S'a pretty house, look," he says, jabbing his finger into his window in the direction of the building.

Zayn manages a small chuckle at that, before glancing at the time and turning to Louis. "We'd better get in now, don't you think?" He says softly, and the other man releases a long breath before nodding.

"Yeah," he breathes, leaning in to press a quick kiss to Zayn's lips before he turns to the boys with a smile. "You boys all set to do this?" He asks, and Harry just gives an uncertain nod whilst Niall starts doing the 'itsy bitsy spider' and singing the song whilst watching a bug crawl up the outside of his window.

Liam shrugs. "Do I have to talk to the people?" He asks, sounding a little anxious, and Zayn is quick to reassure him whilst Louis gets out and starts unbuckling Harry from his seat.

"Maybe bud, but I don't think there'll be any tough questions," he says, and Liam swallows and nods slightly, climbing out after Harry.

Once they're all out, Niall in Louis' arms to prevent the toddler from sprinting away because he's surprisingly fast and extremely energised considering he's barely been awake for forty-five minutes, they have to go through the process of signing in at the front desk and then they're lead to a well-decorated waiting room by the receptionist.

Niall seems to treat it as an adventure playground, climbing under and over the chairs and sitting down next to an old lady, babbling on to her whilst she tries to nod and shake her head in all the right places, looking a little lost.

Eventually, Zayn stands up to whisk the boy away, offering a quick apology to the woman, who laughs it off before going back to her magazine.

"Do we all go in together?" Harry asks quietly when Zayn sits back down with them, Niall squirming around on his lap, trying to break free and probably harass another stranger.

Before anyone can supply an answer, one of the tall oakwood doors opens, a lady with her hair tugged back into a tight bun stepping out, smiling when she sees the family.

"Are you the Maliks?" She asks, and they all nod, Harry going a little bashful and leaning into Louis' side whilst Niall waves happily. "Do you mind if I bring Harry and Niall in for a quick chat first?"

Harry stiffens at that, looking up at the lady with wide eyes. "Can we all go?" He asks quietly, and the woman softens. It's impossible not to, the five year old could melt butter just by looking at it.

"I'm afraid I just need the two of you for now. But we'll call everyone else in after. We'll be quick, I promise," she says, holding out a hand towards him.

He eyes it with uncertainty before glancing across at Zayn, who nods at him encouragingly.

"It's okay sweetie. We aren't going anywhere," he soothes, and he eventually reaches out to take the lady's hand, tugging Niall along with him.

They watch the two small boys disappear into that room and then they wait. They wait and they wait and they wait; and Zayn really believes that the woman had no business making promises about being quick if she hadn't meant it, because Liam's lip is bleeding from the amount of biting he's been doing, Louis is tapping his foot, and even he is ready to start pacing.

And then finally, finally, the door opens and the same woman invites them all in.

It's larger inside than Zayn had thought it would be, with plenty of chairs situated around a desk, three of them occupied by Niall, Harry and then their social worker, Anna, who smiles and greets them happily.

That gives him some more hope, at least.

He decides to steal the chair that Niall sits at, lifting the boy and causing him to erupt into giggles before he sits down and settles him in his lap. He turns around and throws his arms around the man's neck, grinning. "Papa! I drawed a drawin'," he says in excitement, pointing to the desk.

Leaning forward, he sees a sheet of paper on the surface; blunt lines of pencil pressed heavily against it to draw five potato shaped figures with scribbles of hair and some pretty decent eyes and mouths. It's good for a three year old, and he has to admit that he's impressed.

"Wow," he murmurs, grinning at the boy. "That's amazing, baby. How about we put that on the fridge when we get home?" He says, before realising the context behind his own words.

They might not get to take the boys home, and the mere thought of that kills him.

He sits back in his seat, reaching out to ruffle Harry's hair in the seat between his and Louis', Liam taking residence in the final chair.

The woman behind the desk smiles at them all, the plaque at the from of the desk reading 'Caroline Jacobs'.

"Well, we had a good chat and these two told me plenty about you all," she says, leaning forwards.

Zayn swallows at that, praying that they haven't said anything that might put them at risk of losing them. For example, there had been one day where Zayn had accidentally stepped on a Lego brick and cursed, only for Niall to overhear and start shouting the word every time they went out in public for the following week and a half.

That probably wouldn't go down well.

But the woman just continues to smile. "Harry had a lot of praise to give about you all, especially Liam," she says, looking towards the nine year old who instantly blushed at all the attention.

Zayn smiles at the thought of Harry telling Caroline all about his big brother; he's watched the way the two of them have been interacting, how Harry will follow him around and constantly ask him questions which Liam always does his best to answer.

"He says you've been teaching him about storms recently. And looking out for him at school," she says, and Liam goes shy, shrugging off the praise.

Caroline turns to Niall then, looking fondly at the kid already. "And Niall wanted to draw a picture instead and I think that speaks for itself. And he insisted on singing the entire alphabet to me three whole times because apparently you guys taught him," she says, which has both men laughing.

The woman looks a little less humorous then, looking from one of the adults to the other. "Overall, you've made two little boys very happy. And unless there are any objections, it'd be a pleasure for me to let you sign the final adoption papers," she says, and Zayn feels about ready to burst into tears.

Louis, of course, does. In turn, that sets off Harry and Liam, and Niall practically dives across the chairs to hug the other man.

"Don' be sad, Daddy!" He says, and Louis laughs through his tears, doing his best to dry his eyes and hugging the toddler back.

"I'm not sad, baby. I'm happy, promise," he tells the boy, which only makes him look a little confused.

They sign the papers that make the boys theirs permanently. Niall and Harry Malik.

Zayn feels a little more complete.

They go out for ice cream to celebrate since the weather is hot out for once. Of course, the sugar does nothing to help calm Niall's hyperactivity. He ends up running around the parlour with Louis trying to catch him, sprinkles stuck all over the child's face.

Liam seems happy enough, tucking into a huge sundae without a care in the world, whilst Harry looks ready to fall to sleep after being up the entire night previously worrying rather than sleeping.

He is asleep by the time they get home, and Zayn takes it upon himself to carry the boy to bed. He lowers him down onto his mattress and pulls his shoes off gently before tugging his forest-themed bedding up to cover him. He can't help but stand and admire the kid for a few seconds after, the innocence on his face as he sleeps, his curls falling away from his head. He leans down to press a small kiss to his forehead before leaving the room.

Downstairs is not so peaceful. Louis is on his hands and knees wearing rubber gloves, scrubbing at the carpet with a soapy sponge whilst Niall is lying on the couch, looking pale and half-asleep.

"What happened?" He asks as soon as he enters the room, and his husband glances up at him with a small smile.

"A certain three year old didn't listen when I said running around after ice cream would make him sick," he says lightly, though his tone is filled with sympathy.

Niall just lets out a whine from the couch, holding his arms out to him and sticking his bottom lip out. Zayn winces at the pallor of the kid's face, not hesitating to lift him up and cuddle him.

"Ah, buddy. You feeling any better now?" He asks softly, and Niall shakes his head against the man's chest with another whine. "No? Well, I guess that means plenty of cuddles, hm?"

The boy doesn't fight against that, and so Zayn sits down on the couch and keeps his arms around the boy whilst they watch the TV. He doesn't fall to sleep until Louis fetches Red from his room. It's barely six in the evening at this point, but even he feels ready to take a nosedive into bed.

Liam is cuddled into Louis on the other end of the sofa, having been particularly clingy since they had arrived home. He carries Niall up to bed and tucks him in the same way he had with Harry, smiling when the toddler rolls over in his sleep and mumbles something about bunnies in his sleep - clearly having a good dream of the smile playing at his lips is anything to go by.

He leaves the room with the two sleeping boys inside quietly, making sure to keep the door slightly ajar since neither of them are fans of the dark. When he gets into the hallway, Louis is there with Liam still plastered to his side - and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the kid's anxiety over being pushed aside now that Niall and Harry are a permanent part of their family is what is pushing him to be so clingy today.

"I think we're all ready for an early one tonight. Liam wants to camp in with us for the night," he explains, and Zayn smiles at their oldest, ruffling his hair.

It barely takes ten minutes for them all to be changed and tucked up in bed, with Liam curling into Louis' side already fast asleep.

Zayn smiles at his husband over the top of Liam's head, and Louis smiles right back.

"What a day," he breathes, and Louis lets out a quiet chuckle.

"I know...I still can't believe it, Z," he murmurs, looking a little misty eyed before he blinks rapidly and changes the subject. "Did Niall go down okay? I was worried he might wake up feeling sick still."

Zayn shakes his head, smiling a little more at his husband's softness. "He's fine, Lou. Kids eat too much sweet and end up being sick all the time. He'll be right as rain come morning," he tells him, and Louis nods.

"I just worry."

He laughs quietly. "Yeah, babe. I know."

They're woken in the early hours by a quiet knock on the door, both of them jumping slightly at the sound and Liam letting out a low whine at being woken so suddenly.

Zayn being on the side of the bed closest to the door, climbs out and patters across to open it and reveal Harry. The boy is in tears, still breathing in hiccups as he holds his hands up to the man.

He doesn't take a second to pick the five year old up, rubbing his back gently. "Hey, hey, baby. What's the matter?" He asks, and Harry just sniffles, burying his face into the man's shirt and wiping tears and likely snot all over the material.

Zayn doesn't even think about that, carrying the boy over to the bed and sitting down with him, still trying to blink his own tiredness away whilst comforting Harry.

Louis sits up on his side of the bed, trying to make sure that the boy is okay. Only Liam doesn't like that, moaning and trying to cling onto his Dad even more. Eventually Louis scolds him for it.

"Liam, just let go for a second would you?" He whispers, turning his attention to Harry as the boy continues to sob. "Hey, Curly, hey. You're okay. Did you have a bad dream?"

Harry nods against Zayn's chest; they're not strangers to Harry's bad dreams, though they don't come as often as when he first came to live with them anymore. Usually the kid just needs plenty of cuddles and then he's fine.

So Zayn does just that, cuddling the boy and whispering reassurances to him until he falls back into a restful sleep again. Then, he tucks him into the bed between himself and Liam, the older boy having drifted back off too.

He yawns, and before he drifts off he vaguely registers his husband whispering to him again.

"What a day."