Iridium (One Direction, AU, Niam)

Chapter Twelve - The Naming or Blaming game

Niall stared at Liam, who had seemingly paused in time and was frozen there, staring at Niall, yet not seeing him. His eyes glassed over suddenly, like tears were welling up in his eyes without him noticing.

Niall only slightly began to freak out. Liam had just stopped everything he was doing, his failing attempts at trying to make Niall stay, and he hasn't moved a muscle in about two and a quarter minutes, and now it looked like he was going to cry.

"Mate, you alright?" Niall asked timidly, not sure if he should take a step back, or forwards. He opted to just watch as suddenly Liam jolted out of his reverie and flinched suddenly, the moment one of the tears escaped his eye. 

Liam's hand lifted towards his face and he wiped at it. He looked down at the moisture on his fingers, before cautiously looking back up and straight into the blue of Niall's eyes.

"Why am I crying?" Liam sounded so confused, and his voice was so soft it was almost amazing Niall had even heard him. Had Niall of been a normal person, not one who was street trained and ready to hear even the slightest of a ruffle at any given moment, he would of missed it entirely.

"I really could not answer that question." Niall simply answered, ready to turn back towards the door. But his feet wouldn't listen to him.

Niall then realized, he suddenly didn't want to leave. He just had the biggest, strongest mindset to leave this place and never, ever return not even four minutes ago. But now all he wanted to do was lay on the couch behind him and just sleep. He had not even the slightest idea what could of possibly changed his mind. Liam's tears surely couldn't of been the reason. Sure they unsettled Niall slightly, but it wasn't enough to change his entire mindset.

Liam seemed to of given up hope of making the broken boy stay, he also seemed only slightly embarrassed that he had started crying, for no reason, in front of a complete stranger. The copper eyed boy maneuvered around Niall and went and sat himself down on the very couch Niall still wanted to lay on. Liam averted his eyes and clicked on the television, ignoring Niall's stares.

His mind started reeling then. Niall knew he should go, but he didn't want to. For the first time in a very, very long time, Niall didn't want to leave a place. He wanted to stay there. He wanted to actually get to know somebody. 

He wanted somebody to get to know him.

Niall didn't know how long he stood in the entrance area of the flat, staring at the silent boy on the couch, before his feet acted on their own, dragging him across the room and right onto the couch, right beside Liam.

Niall curled in on himself, bringing his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms securely around his legs, while his back rested against the arm rest. Niall stared at Liam, who was purposely making a huge effort not to show the surprise that coursed through him when Niall sat down.

He had been waiting for the door to open and shut, and for the boy to leave his life forever, once again.

Liam, instead, continued to watch the television, but his mind never took in a word that was spoken through it. He was lost in his own mind, thinking back, over and over again, to the first time he ever saw the lost boy beside him. It continued to replay in his mind for an immeasurable amount of time.

Suddenly, he was brought out of his constant flashback by a small, timid, and almost frightened  voice beside him.

"Niall..." He whispered. Liam quickly became attentive. His head slowly, yet quickly turned to stare the boy straight in the eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Pardon me?" Liam asked, his voice on the edge of happiness, it was just the confusion that had the slightly more dominant part of his tone. Liam's mind was racing full of questions that had no answers at the moment.