Lights up and they know who you are. // Larry Stylinson. // BDSM au

Chapter 13

"Hey, Niall?"

Niall slowly opens one eye from where he'd been trying to take a nap in the bunks just to see Harry and Zayn sitting next to his bed with deceivingly innocent faces.

"What do you want?" He asks gruffly.

"Oh, you know, we just wanted to see how, um, how you were?" Harry asks politely.

Niall groans and rubs a hand over his face, sitting upright and pulling the cover over his body. "Yeah, you're not fooling me. Just spit it out."

"Right. So, um, me and Haz kinda had a thing we wanted to do. But we can't do that thing with you and Liam on the bus, but if I told Liam that he'd go on some huge rant about safety and being honest and blah blah blah. So, what we're asking for is that you tell Liam you need to go the shop for something, drag him along with you, decide you wanna go out for lunch, take an hour or so, and then...then you can come back. Okay? Cool, great, glad we've understood each other, we'll just be on our way now, thanks Ni," Zayn rambles, grabbing Harry by the hand and making to stand up and walk away, halting his movement when Niall grabs onto his wrist.

"Wait," Niall says, making the two subs freeze and hold in a sigh, "I'm not that stupid. What is it you need to do?"

"What we wanted to do? Um, it's sub stuff, it's kinda...um, we don't really feel that comfortable telling you, no offense," Zayn says quietly.

"Okay, if it's 'sub stuff', you should really tell your Doms, no? So Zayn you should go and tell Liam, and Harry you should tell me. Or Liam or Lou. So that's your options, either tell me, or tell Liam, but I'm not covering for you guys if you don't tell me what you're doing," Niall says seriously, "Harry? You haven't exactly said much?"

Harry looks over to Zayn with panicked eyes, the older sub just giving him a reassuring look. "Um, the thing is, since telling you guys I'm a sub, I feel like, um, like I've had my every move watched. And um," Harry's eyes flick over to Zayn as he wrings his hands and then back to Niall, "and it's, um, I just feel really pressured by it. And I didn't want to hurt Louis' feelings so we thought we'd ask you instead. We just wanted, um, wanted a little bit of time alone."

Harry feels guilt pouring out of him as he straight up lies to Niall. Niall, whose been nothing but understanding in this whole process, Niall who even went and got his smoothie this morning when he didn't have to, Niall whose giving him a look of pure worry and concern.

Harry feels a little sick looking at Niall, quickly averting his eyes to the floor.

"Haz, I'm really sorry you've been feeling like that, but you should have told us. All of us, yeah? You still need to tell at least Louis," Niall says, Harry shrugging and picking at his fingers.

"Louis' stressed out enough as it is. Plus, it's not a big deal, we just wanted an hour to be alone. It's fine if you say no," Harry adds, not wanting to force anything on the Dom.

Niall stares at Harry's hunched over figure and feels bad for the kid. "Okay, fine. Just this once I'm going to forget we've had this conversation and I'll get Liam out of the bus for one hour. No longer. And if you feel better when we get back we'll forget it happened. But if you still feel the same then we're telling the other two, okay? Or if you feel the same in the future than you tell them too. No negotiating. Deal?"

Harry sags a little in relief. "Okay, thank you so much Niall."

Niall smiles, opening his arms up for Harry. "C'mere," he says as Harry goes into Niall's arms, "I'm sorry you've been feeling rubbish."

Harry doesn't say anything, just burrows into Niall's hold, trying to not let himself get emotional.

The tears threatening to seep out of his eyes suggest he's not doing so well at that.