call it what you want • narry storan AU

five: harry

I hate how needy I am when I'm close to that handsome almost-not-blonde-anymore man called Niall James Horan. But I can't help myself with it - he gets all my jokes, he knows when I need space and he knows when I need someone around.

Just like now.

It's New Year's day. He woke up first, going down the stairs to help mum clean the dishes from last night. I can't even get up from bed due to the seven shots of tequila I took after the midnight hour. Shots that I took to forget that Niall was taking care of me again - and only because he knew I would drink that much.

Something Louis would never do.

"Harold", Niall screams my first name, when he sees my face for the first time after that happening last night. "The bruise. Will you explain it or do I have to ask Liam about it?"

I try to hide my face with my hands right after he says it. Not enough - he's coming closer to me now, willing to see it better.

"Haz. Please. I won't hurt you."

"I know", I say, already choking on my words. "I know."

"Let me see it", his fingers touch mine, and I finally surrender to his move. "Oh, Harry, no, no, no", his voice chokes too.

"Please, don't cry, Ni", I say, knowing my tears are already coming out. "I hate to see you cry."

"Who did that to you?" I'm sobbing by this point. I can't even open my mouth to say anything to make him feel better, since I'm the hurt one here. "You're not gonna say it, right? Okay."

Suddenly he wraps my arms around my waist, and I cry out loud on his shoulder. I can't take that anymore.

I swear it will be the last time I cry for that sucker. And I swear he won't make Niall cry too.

Shaking my thoughts away, I get up from the mattress, suddenly feeling everything spinning around me. 

It's the headache. Welcome, my dear.

"You better sit down", Niall's voice fills the bedroom. "I brought you Advil."

"Thanks", I say, taking the cup of water and the Advil tablet from his hands. I take it while feeling a slight pain in my head. "Damn. Am I dead?"

He laughs, sitting by my side right after and caressing my back for a while.

"Not officially, I guess", he answers me, "although you look like you died if I judge by the fact that it's almost 1P.M. and you just decided to wake up now."

"No way. I missed the breakfast time."

"It's New Year's day, Haz", he shrugs. "Don't worry about it."

We stay silent for a couple of seconds, before I lay down on bed again, pulling Niall's body with me in the process. He laughs again, wrapping his arms around my neck.

"I wish we were still together on the road", he says. His index finger starts to draw imaginary circles on me, and I shiver with his move. "You were my best friend."

"How can you say that when we had Liam there too?" I joke. "There's no way I was your best friend, Ni. I mean, look at me. I ran away on the first opportunity I had."

"I'm looking at you", his eyes find mine. "And I still truly believe you were my best friend."

"Prove it."

"You let me call you in the middle of the night to talk about my bad dreams. Not even Greg wants to hear me at this point of life, can you imagine that?"

I nod. His chin is resting on my chest now, and I'm pretty sure I'll panic one way or another.

"I'm just an average friend."

"No, you're not, Harold Edward Styles."

"Prove it."

"I don't need to prove anything. At least not right now", he sits up on the bed, breaking our contact. "Shit, Harry, I did in fact let you scream out loud in front of thousands of fans that if you were a woman for 24 hours, you would do me!"

"You still remember that", I start laughing at this. "OK, you got a point."

"Of course I remember", he rolls his eyes, touching my forearms. "Now get up from this bed and let's go make some lunch for us."

"Where's mum?"

"She went out with Gemma and her man for something that I definitely do not remember."

Shit. We're alone.