⁠☞ narry one-shots

✎ ccswdh : session 2

Niall's pov :

He stood me up.

That lying son of a bitch stood me up.

I dug my nails deeper into my palms, jewels of blood speckling across my skin.

I waited two hours.

Two. Fucking. Hours.

And Harry was a no show.

Only after my calling him for the 154th time did he pick up and tell me to 'call later because the current meeting was really important.'

So packed up was the blanket fort I set up in our bedroom. Packed up were the twinkling fairy lights and salted caramel popcorn. Packed up was the projector that always used to play our favourite movies.

And finally, I packed my bags and left.

Why should I stay if no one was going to stay with me?

My head spun with the past few hours, overwhelming me.

Driving frantically around. Booking into the hotel. Switching off my phone. Sinking into the bed.

I dropped my head into my hands and let out a frustrated groan.

I could feel the doubts settle with me.

Did I over react? Should I be more gracious with Harry, giving him more chances? Was our relationship really worth saving?

Only Luke could help us now.

Nuzzling into the musty hotel sheets, I shuddered at the thought of confronting Harry tomorrow at our second session.

Did he really want to save our relationship or did he just want an opportunity to expose me before leaving me in the dust?

A blast of impulse galvanised me to spring out of bed and throw on a pair of ripped skinny jeans that perfectly curved around my ass and a skin-tight white shirt that defined my carved out abs.

If that idiot was going to have a good time, then I guess I would too.

✿✿✿

A dumpster.

I woke up the next morning in a dumpster.

A fucking dumpster.

The absolutes panic that ensued after opening eyes to mouldy yoghurt and soiled diapers, left me truly grateful that Harry hadn't come looking for me.

And maybe a little disappointed.

To make matters worse, as I escaped the shithole, shards of pain shattered in my arm, which I realised was twisted in a very unappealing position.

Gag.

"You li'le midget were drunk of yer arse and swung right off the chan'lier of the second story into a game of beer pong." The owner of the pub scowled at me when I frantically rushed inside for answers.

He then beckoned to his wife, who was a nurse and she examined my deformed shoulder.

"I'm sorry lad, it's dislocated. Let me set it in for you," she pressed a cold bony hands into my shoulder-blade without waiting for an answer.

I could barely hear the 'pop' as it slid back into its socket over my screams of bloody murder.

Now finally I trudged into the counselling clinic 12 minutes late probably looking a fucking junkie who had crashed into a pile of shit with a duck wing for an arm.

Sunglasses shaded my pulsing eyes and throbbing head and I checked off with the receptionist before making my way into Luke's office.

I caught a glimpse of the panic ensued within the walls and felt smug.

Harry was pacing around like a madman, fingers tightly knotted within his tousled hair, tugging and pulling with stress.

His mouth was moving at a lightning pace, nose scrunched with worry.

Ashton was slumped on the couch and he looked nauseous.

Face pale, lightly panting, a trembling hand on his stomach as small whimpers left his mouth.

He leaned heavily into Luke's leaden body, his husband's arm gently but firmly wrapped around his side.

Sweat beaded Luke's face and he constantly peppered kisses to Ashton's temple.

His eyes were downcast at his husband, with wild frantic worry.

Of course he would be worried, Ashton was in no state that could be classified anywhere near healthy for him or the baby.

So with a heavy heart I swung the door open and trudged into the room, trying to keep a straight face at the pair of wild green eyes that snapped to me.

"Niall, baby, where the fuck were you?!"

"Oh god, Luke I think I'm hallucinating. The baby must have created a Niall in my head."

"Shh, no dear, you're lucid, he's the real thing."

Ignoring everyone, I willed myself to not dash away and instead slump in a cozy armchair.

Trying to appear indifferent, I pulled out my phone and tried to handle it with my good hand.

However, to my dismay it was snatched from my grasp by a certain brunet fucker.

"Oi, what the fuck Styles," I tried to sound angry but my voice fell flat and resulted in a pathetic sigh.

A finger materialised in front of me and pressed onto the underside of my chin, tilting my head up to lock gazes with him.

However as our eyes met, I was surprised they weren't livid and instead smouldering with worry, guilt and extreme concern.

My stare the flitted to the hushed couple perched on the couches and the skin on my forehead creased.

Ashton looked beside himself, face still contorted with disbelief as he stared back at me.

The only person who didn't seem so allured by my presence was Luke, who's distress was evident as his hands flitted around his husband in panic.

He kept pressing his lips to the crown of Ash's head, mumbling softly with each peck.

"Uh...so when does our session start?" I tried to evade acknowledging the elephant in the room.

Instantly two pairs of eyes sharpened and their gazes grew in intensity.

Wow. It seemed like my best friend and my boyfriend finally agreed on one thing: that I was soon to be a dead man.

Harry opened his mouth, brows furrowed, but Ash was already two steps ahead of him.

Literally.

He had heaved himself from the coach, ignored Luke's desperate protests and slapped away his boyfriend's anchoring hand. He strutted up to me with a livid air, reared back his hand,

...and bitchslapped me right in the face.

Everyone gaped.

I glanced at Harry to see his face rapidly flush an angry red, expression murderous, eyes throwing daggers at my best friend.

Reluctantly my gaze panned to Luke, whose shocked face morphed into a silent threat as he caught Harry sizing Ashton up slightly.

Uh oh.

No way in hell are we having a battle of the husbands right now.

Trying to disarm the situation I joked, "Where's my hug, Ashy boy?"

Immediately my best mate's bottom lip wobbled before he collapsed into me, sobbing.

Luke had instinctively lunged forward as soon as his husband ever so crumpled, but stepped away and watched solemnly when he realised Ash was in good hands - or rather good HAND.

"Those hormones are finally kicking in, am I right? The roles are reversed for once," I tried to tease but instead deadpanned, sinking to the ground with Ash.

He slapped me weakly and sniffled, "I was worried about you, you bastard! I seriously thought I was going into labour with all the stress you put me through."

At those words Luke's face drained of all colour and his eyes glazed over as if recollecting past trauma. He shuddered softly and then pried Ashton off of me, comfortingly cuddling up to him on the couch.

I tried to get up again but then found myself engulfed in two muscular but softly trembling arms.

Despite myself, I buried my face into Harry's shoulder and let out a shaky sigh. I missed this.

"Me too," he croaked into my ear.

"I'm sorry," his voice was laced with guilt and shame and immediately I sprung back like I just hugged a like of hot coals.

Why the fuck was I hugging this motherfucker? He stood me up.

Dusting off a piece of lint on my knee, I picked myself up and slouched on an armchair furthest away from everyone.

The flash of hurt on Harry's face was unmistakable as he didn't even try to hide his pained expression this time.
"If you have any questions, let's start our session," I said, voice devoid of emotion,"Ash can stay."

Harry's eyes turned from pleading to concern to a dark protectiveness,"Okay, I'll start. What the fuck happened to your arm?"

I'm surprised it took that long for someone to mention it.

"Swung off a chandelier," I shrugged bluntly picking on my nails.

A strangled garble choked from my husband's mouth as his eyes comically widened in horror. I definitely caught him by surprise.

Ashton and Luke stared at me in a similar manner and I just shrugged in nonchalance as if it was no big deal.

"Checked into a hotel. Went clubbing. Got wasted. Swung off a chandelier. Blacked out. Woke up in a dumpster and the rest is history," I deadpanned, wincing slightly when my bad arm jostling against the armchair.

Harry's mouth kept opening and closing like a gold fish. I could tell the gears in his brain were spurring way too fast for his mouth to catch up.

"Ha. And I thought I'd never see the day the mighty Harry Styles is left speechless," A sarcastic voice that resembled mine drawled out," I mean, after all, he doesn't care about anything. Not even his own husband. Never thought I'd get left behind more than loved after marriage."

A psychotic laugh bubbled out of mouth at the sheen of tears shining in Harry's eyes.

However, my subconscious was screaming at me.

This wasn't like me. It felt like a totally different person. I wasn't supposed to be flippant and curt. I was the caring, therapist friend. Not this cold monster.

But at that moment I didn't care. Something else had take control. Something foreign yet familiar.

It felt like an old acquaintance but new friend.

I leaned back in my chair and focused on the small circles Luke rubbed on Ash's stomach with his palm.

Even as Ashton's breathing quickened and chest rose faster, the pace and size of the circles stayed the same.

Constant.

Just what I strived for in life. A reliable never changing routine. Of constant people and places.

But it seemed like everything I had been doing was unpredictable and erratic.

And as Luke's authoritative voice pierced the tension of the room, my mind zoned out to a different world.

A world where Harry wouldn't be so blind and I wouldn't be so fucked up.

Where Ash wouldn't have to deal with everyone else's problems and raise his child in peace.

My mind consumed me to the point where I lost touch with reality.

To the point where I still didn't remember when Harry and Ashton started yelling at each other.

Or when Luke started pleading for them to stop.

Or when my mind blacked out, hypersensitive to the sudden ruckus.

...Or when that knife plunged into my shoulder.

Only then was I drained back into the world of reality.

And the first thing I felt was something all too familiar: pain.

authors note : 

I DID IT. MY LAZY ASS FINALLY POSTED AFTER AGES. 

anyways hope you liked this chapter.

ALSO NIALL IS COMING TO AUSTRALIA AND I FUCKING WENT CRAZY!

all the love, 

tal