call it what you want • narry storan AU

thirty-four: harry

When I wake up, I feel somewhat lost in what I see now. It's not the living room, and I have no idea about how I ended up in my bedroom, with all my clothes changed and a French scent of perfume on me.

I look up to every single direction of the room, but no one is here to be found. I get up from bed, look at my cellphone and almost jump in fright when I see it's already 4:12PM and probably Niall's family is already here for Christmas. 

When I'm walking down the stairs for the second time this day, I see Gemma waiting for me.

"We should talk." She says in a serious tone, and meets me in the middle of the stairs. "My bedroom."

"Huh... okay", I agree, walking back to her room, which is right next to mine.

Once we're inside, she invites me to lay down next to her in her queen-sized bed. It's kind of a thing we used to do every time I was home for the holidays and One Direction was still a worldwide hit. Something to keep us bonded, I guess. 

She's staring at the ceiling. I'm staring at her.

"I was scared to say yes." She starts talking, but it still seems like she's trying to let out her deepest fears. I understand her, and my mind decides not to interrupt her until she's finished. "I always think of what would you do in my place, Harry. In almost every single situation of my life that has been haunting me since you became famous. So, when he proposed to me under the tree where we shared our first kiss, I was scared as shit. Because that's not the kind of thing that would happen to you, and so I couldn't ask myself what you would do. It was the first big decision I had to take by myself. And I said yes because I love him, and I felt so free and happy for saying yes that I forgot about all the times I compared myself to you. And I didn't know how to tell you, and I swear I would tell you tonight. Please, forgive me for that."

Niall was fucking right when he said I should listen to her reasons first. He's always right. 

"Now I feel guilty for screaming at you earlier", a weak laugh blurts out of my mouth. "I'm so sorry for acting like that. I just... my sister is a grown up now! It's something that scares everyone else in a situation like that. And I could say I would have said yes to him too, but the truth is: never compare yourself to anyone, Gemma. Ever. You're unique, and take decisions by yourself is one of the greatest things to do when you wanna know who you are. I don't have to be a standard for your decisions. No one does. And I'm very, very happy you put your happiness first. And I'm fucking happy for you."

☸☸☸☸

"There he is!" Bobby is the first Horan one to say something once I appear in the living room. "The Sleeping Beauty of Prince Niall."

"You didn't say that, dad", Niall's eyes are wide open now once he says those words, "you just didn't say that. I'll pretend you didn't."

"It was a good joke, Ni", my body jumps to Niall's side in the couch, while my right arm rests above his shoulders. "Let him be."

"So do you agree with all this heteronormative shit of prince and princess?"

"Niall is such a woke legend. I stan him", Greg jokes, making us all laugh out loud.

"I like to believe we all can be the prince and the princess in... some situations", I joke back, and everybody laughs even louder.

Except for Niall, whose eyes are still in shock.

"Dinner's ready!" My mom screams from the kitchen. "Everybody can come to the dinner room, please?"

"Let's go", Robin says, getting up from his chair.

"By the way", Niall whispers to me, once we're sitting side by side at the table, "I took you to your bed, changed your clothes and sang some lullabies to keep you sleeping. Literally. Don't tell anyone about it."

The French perfume. His perfume. Of course.

"Fuck it, I love you, Niall."

"Fuck it, I love you back."