The Only One [n.h. + h.s. au]

Chapter Eight

Niall's POV

I opened my eyes and stretched, taking in my surroundings. Harry must've carried me in. I pushed the covers off of me, walking towards the dresser and pulling out a pair of sweats. I changed quickly, then made my way down the stairs. All of the lights were off, except for a slight glow coming from the living room. Harry was on the sofa, playing a game on his phone. The tele was on, but he didn't seem to be actually watching it. He looked up when I got closer, "You're awake."

"Yeah," I mumbled, sleepily.

"Com'ere," Harry said, putting his phone down. I sat down next to him, cuddling into his side and he wrapped his arm around my waist. "Why are you so quiet, love?"

"I don't feel well," I shivered, suddenly feeling cold.

"I'll be right back," Harry left the living room, and came back with a blanket. He draped it over us both and I laid my head on his shoulder. A Walk to Remember was playing on the screen and I turned my attention to it. Harry went back to messing around on his phone, dozing off about halfway through the movie. The phone was vibrating on the arm rest of the sofa, and I poked his side, "Harry, wake up."

"What?" he rubbed his eyes.

"Your phone has been going off," I said, stretching out so that my head was on his lap. I wrapped the blanket around me, trying to get warm.

"You look like a caterpillar," Harry smirked.

I coughed, pulling the blanket over my head, "Just answer your phone."

"What do you want? It's one o'clock in the morning," he squeezed my arm, and I sat up. "That's not my problem," Harry stood up, walking into the kitchen.

Who is he talking to? I frowned, turning off the tele.

"Look, I'm sorry, but it isn't possible. It's not mine," I heard him say when I walked past the entrance of the kitchen. I went up the stairs, dragging the blanket along, and headed into Harry's room. I dropped the blanket on the ground and stood in front of the mirror. I touched my jaw, flinching slightly. It didn't hurt nearly as much as before and the bruising was turning a disgusting shade of yellow.

"Niall?" Harry called out.

"I'm in your room," I said, loud enough for him to hear.

He rested his head against the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. I watched him carefully for a few minutes, debating if I should ask him about the phone call. Harry sighed, walking over to the bed and laying down. He pulled the covers over himself and groaned into his pillow.

"What's wrong?" I asked, crawling in under the sheets next to Harry. He didn't respond and I forced my way under his arm, laying my head on his chest.

"I like the cuddly side of you," Harry mumbled, kissing my forehead.

I linked our fingers together and rested our hands on his stomach, "Tell me what's bothering you."

"It's nothing, Ni. Don't worry about it. Just go to sleep, I know you're tired," he said, letting go of my hand to turn off the lamp on the nightstand.

Harry's POV

I woke up to whimpering coming from beside me. Niall had somehow wiggled out of my grip in the middle of the night and was sprawled out near the edge of the bed. I let my eyes adjust to the light coming through my window before I tried to stand.

"Harry," he mumbled. Should I wake him?

"No! Don't let him hurt me!" Niall cried, clutching the pillow.

"Niall," I shook his shoulder, hoping he would snap out of it. He screamed, sitting up abruptly. I reached out to comfort him, but he scrambled back against the headboard, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Please don't hit me," he whispered, his eyes shut.

"It's me, Harry," I slowly moved towards him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Niall looked up and launched himself into my arms. He clung onto me tightly, his warm tears wetting my shirt. "Hey, hey, you're fine," I rubbed his back. "It was just a bad dream."

"It felt so real," Niall sobbed.

"No one's going to hurt you, I promise," I whispered in his ear.

"Can you take me home?" he rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the tears.

I sighed, "Of course, love." Niall wrapped his arms around my neck, signaling that he wanted me to carry him. He locked his legs around my waist and I tightened my grip, standing up. I made my way down the stairs and walked out of the house, leaving the door open behind me. I hope I left the car unlocked.

I managed to open the passenger's side and set Niall down. "I need to go get the car keys and my shoes," I said, shutting the door and jogging into the flat. I grabbed the keys from the kitchen counter and pulled on my converse, not bothering to tie them. I don't want to leave Niall by himself for too long. I rushed out and locked the door. I got in, starting the ignition and turning the heat up all the way.

"Are you okay?" I asked, pulling out of the driveway. He shrugged and looked out the window. The rest of the ride was silent. I kept sneaking glances at Niall, but he didn't seem interested in talking to me. I stopped in front of his house and got out of the car. I walked over to the other side, opening the door. "Come on," I carried him all the way to the front door since he didn't have his shoes.

"Thanks," Niall mumbled when I put him down.

"You're welcome," I caressed his cheek. "I wish you had a cell phone so you could talk to me if you needed to."

He coughed into the crook of his elbow, "I'll be fine."

I nodded, "Alright. I'll see you on Monday."

Niall reached under the doormat and grabbed a key. He unlocked the door, pushing it open, "Bye."

"Bye," I walked back to my car, getting in. I looked at the small house, hesitating before driving away. What was his nightmare about? He thought I was going to hit him when he first woke up. I wish he would talk to me about it. Niall had said my name in his sleep, as if he was depending on me to save him from something. I didn't want to question him too much this morning since he still looked shaken up, but I know I'll have to eventually.

Liam's POV

"Liam, don't leave," Zayn pleaded. I tugged on my boxers, looking around the room for my jeans. Zayn sighed, "Don't be like that, babe."

"I'm tired of this, Z! I can't keep pretending that one day you're going to stop being such a pussy and accept your sexuality, because it's not happening. You obviously care about your social status more than you care about me, and that's fine, but just know that I love you so fucking much that it hurts," I pulled on my jeans and grabbed my shirt from his bed, walking out of the room. I put it on as I jogged down the spiral staircase, slipping on my shoes when I reached the front door.

"Liam, wait! I'm sorry!" Zayn called out, but I was already walking to my car. I unlocked it quickly, slamming the door shut once I got in. I started the car, backing out of the driveway. I took a deep breath, exhaling through my nose. I've never been one to yell, or even raise my voice. I'm surprised I even told Zayn how I was really feeling. The last time we broke up, I simply told him it was over, no explanation needed. I don't know where we stand at the moment, but until he figures out what he wants, I can't be with him.

I first met Zayn in Year 9. We were put together to work on a music project, so we spent a lot of time at each other's houses. I had known that I was gay since I was 13, but I'd never been in a relationship. I knew that I had some kind of strong feeling towards Zayn, but I didn't want to scare him away. One day, I just kissed him. He didn't push me away like I thought he would, but kissed me back. Up until Year 11, we were a secret. I respected the fact that he didn't want to come out, but after two years of acting like we were just friends in public, I couldn't handle it.

I got out of my car, walking up the stone path. I knocked on the door and was greeted by Niall's mom, "Oh, Liam!"

"Hi Maura," I smiled, stepping in. "Is Niall awake? I know it's early still a bit early."

"Yeah, he's in his room. I'm glad you came over. Hopefully you can cheer him up," Maura sighed. "Niall's ill."

I nodded, frowning, "I'll get him to do something productive."

"Alright, thank you Liam," she said, going into the kitchen.

I went up the stairs and barged into Niall's room. "Rise and shine, beautiful!" I shouted, pulling the covers off of his body.

"What the hell," Niall threw a pillow at me and I caught it. "It's like, 9 o'clock in the morning, Liam."

"You look like you've been hit by a truck," I said, studying the bags under his eyes.

"I didn't sleep well last night," he grumbled.

"Did Harry keep you up?" I winked, sitting down in his desk chair, spinning in a circle.

"No," he sighed. "I had nightmares all night. I think I scared Harry."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I inquired.

"Yeah, I guess it might help if I do," Niall muttered, sitting up.

I got up, sitting in the edge of his bed, "I'm listening."

"It's crazy how realistic my dreams are sometimes. Most of the time, they're about my dad," he swallowed before continuing. "A few months before we left Ireland, he found out that I was gay. That day, my mum and Greg were out shopping before he went to Uni. I had a boyfriend, his name was Hunter. I thought I would be home alone, so I invited him over. We were in my room when my dad got home. He told Hunter to get out, and locked my bedroom door, then shouted at me for hours. It only got worse, though. The next week, he came home drunk. I've never felt more physical pain than when he beat me. I still remember the look on my mum's face when she saw the state I was in."

"I'm so sorry, Ni," I wrapped my arm around his shoulders.

"It's not your fault," he smiled, weakly. "I just wish I could erase the memories."

"If you ever need to vent more, feel free to come to me. I may not be able to help much, but I know from experience that keeping your feelings bottled up doesn't make anything better."

"Thanks, Li," Niall laid back.

"How does it sound if we just spend the day playing video games and watching movies?" I suggested.

"That sounds great," he laughed. "I'm kicking your ass, by the way."

"We'll see about that, leprechaun."

---------------

From: Zaynie <3

Liam? Talk to me please? xo

I sighed, hitting delete and reading the next text message.

From: Zaynie <3

I know you're upset & you have every right to be, but can we please talk about this?

I hit delete again.

From: Zaynie <3

I love you.

To: Zaynie <3

I love you too.

I turned off my phone, throwing it on the floor. I ran my fingers through my freshly cut hair, switching off the light in the room. I fell onto my bed, suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion. After five hours of video games and tele, I felt entirely drained. Closing my eyes, I let myself slip into a peaceful sleep.