EMERALD

09 ♛

EMERALD GONZALES.

pearl.

the first thing i saw when i look up was the familiar set of pearly white teeth beaming up at me in a large smile, until i finally connected my eyes and gaze at his ocean blue irises.

"niall?" i echo out once again.

for the first time in three years since we parted in dunkirk, i finally saw him in person once again. nothing much has changed upon me inspecting and looking at him up and down, he looks a bit taller and more toned, but all in all he still exactly looks the same.

however i noticed one thing that changed about him that he told me before he will never do again.

"why are you a brunette?" i gasp out instantly.

brunette is niall's natural hair colour and ever since he ran away like me at a young age, he keeps on bleaching his hair and he swore he will never go back to being a brunette because it reminds him of his old self. his "old weak vulnerable" self, as he puts it to words, his past self life. ever since that moment, we bleach our hair together with the same colour.

we share the same kind of fucked up past.

"whoa, slow down you still have a gun aimed at my friend," niall chuckles lightly, walking towards me and the man who is still on his knees in front of me.

he stretches out his arm to reach the gun in my hand, taking it on his own hold. i willingly let go of the gun, permitting him to get it. he suddenly clicks a button on the grip of the gun, making it release the magazine full of bullets and fall to the ground. the clank of the metal bullets sounds in the air, the once loaded gun being empty and not a threat or weapon to be used anymore.

"you can now stand up, z."

the man scrambles quickly to stand up, hiding behind niall's body, using niall's body as a shield.

"god, it's even his birthday today. sorry mate for that surprise birthday present from my sister," niall comments.

the man, or should i call "z" mumbles something i cannot quite hear and understand.

"what the fuck is happening," i blurt out.

niall raises one brow at me, a teasing glint reflecting in his gaze at me.

"is that how you greet your brother?" he smirks, putting his hands on his hips.

my mind did not comprehend its next actions, and all i know the next thing i did was throw my arms around his shoulders, jumping to wrap my legs around his waist like a koala, for a big warm hug.

niall's familiar scent and perfume invades my nostrils and his warmth engulfing my whole body. he instinctively catches me, wrapping his arms around me as we hug in front of my still opened door. tears welled up in my eyes uncontrollably as it seemed like every memories i have with niall suddenly flashes in my head, from the day we met in a small convenience store in new york up until the last goodbye we had in dunkirk three years ago.

"i have missed you so much, ni," i cry out in his shoulders, trying to breathe in my nose since my sinuses are clogged up from me sobbing.

"there is not a day i'm not thinking about you, thinking about when i'll be with my sister again," niall confesses, his voice breaking from much emotion.

the long embrace ended too soon, i once again stood on my feet on the ground. me and niall pull away from each other, i look up to see him wiping the tears that formed in his eyes.

niall pulls me back once again to him, him kissing the top of my head until he lets me go once more.

once again, my mind did not comprehend its next actions.