Reaching Out For You (NARRY)

Chapter 5

Harry did find some blueberries for Niall about a mile after their kiss, and now Niall was munching away happily, sharing with Harry of course. Their hand’s never left each other as they strolled barefoot through the woods. It was nice, a beautiful day too. The problem was, they had absolutely no idea where they were. It was hot out but not humid, so they were not somewhere tropical, but they were not near a civilization. They couldn’t hear a highway or see telephone wires. There were no signs of camp grounds or signs for RV parking. But it did make sense after all. No one would put a place like that anywhere near a place full of people who could discover it. 

So they wandered. Weaving through trees, laughing, drunk on their freedom, happy beyond words.

“How’d we do it Haz?” Niall asked, leaning into Harry, feeling Harry sigh contently planting a kiss on his browning locks. “How’d we survive?”

“I don’t know babe..” He paused for a long moment, thinking. “I know I almost didn’t..”

Niall looked up at that, “What do you mean?”

Harry shrugs, not sure how to put it. “I mean some nights, I could hear you, across the hall crying and.. And I almost lost it. You were so close but I couldn’t help you. I couldn’t hold you cause-” Harry sighed heavily, wiping at some escaped tears. “Cause of those god damn bars.”

Harry’s grip on Niall’s hand had grown tight throughout this little confession but he wouldn’t complain. They stopped walking, Niall’s hands moving to rest on Harry’s chest, Harry’s arms around Niall’s waist. Niall wiped some more fallen tears with the pads of his thumbs, staring up at Harry.

“Hey..” He whispered quietly, pushing at Harry’s jaw so green met blue. “We’re alright now yea? We’re ok. No one’s come for us.”

“Yet..” Harry mumbled. He knew he sounded pessimistic but he couldn’t help it. He had been scarred. He was scared. Both of them were.

“Yes. I know. But right now? Look at us.” Niall leaned up on his tip toes pecking Harry’s lips sweetly.

Harry smiled, but it quickly turned into a wince when Niall’s hands made their way to his back.

“Oh my god! I forgot! Haz!” Niall suddenly felt panicked, his own optimism diminished a little. The lashings. He didn’t know how bad Harry’s back would be..

“‘M fine..” Harry mumbled but none of them believed it.

“Hazza we don’t know how bad you are. Would if they got infected? That could lead to so many worse problems! We’ve got to get you cleaned up..”

Harry sighed but nodded, knowing this was gonna sting.

They quickly found a nice stream, wide enough to bathe in with a clear sandy bottom. The water was cold, but it was a nice warm day out so it would feel nice on their over heated flesh.

Niall had slipped out of his clothes, leaving him in his boxers, and was about to get in when he spied Harry having some difficulty.

“Haz? You alright?”

“It’s stuck, my shirt... I think.. I don’t know it won’t come off right.”

“Turn around love.. It’s probably-” He cut himself off with a gasp as he saw Harry’s back.

His shirt was brown with dried blood, dried to his skin in awkward bunches.

“Oh sweetheart.. Come here.”

Niall helped Harry out of his pants, before leading them to the stream, both sighing when they felt the cool water over their skin. Niall set to work, Harry between his legs.

“This is gonna hurt babe. But you’ll feel better once they’re all clean.”

Niall cupped his hands and filled them with clear water, bringing them up and letting it wash over Harry’s back. Harry gasped at the coldness and the sting. But it worked, some of the blood unstuck and washed away with the current. Niall repeated this methodically, until the shirt was clean. He then carefully helped Harry get the shirt off without him having to move much, the lashes were sensitive.

Niall’s lip trembled at what was under the shirt.

“Oh god H-haz...”

It was worse than Niall had thought. The skin was red, and raw. Strips of blisters, rashes throbbing. It was beyond cleaning. Niall brought out a finger touching a red piece of skin, making Harry hiss, and it was burning hot. Definitely infected.

“Ni.. It hurts.. It’s burning..”

“I- I know bear.. L-lemme just clean it ok? Then we’re done.”

Niall quickly grabbed Harry’s shirt, ripping it in two. He set one part aside on the bank while, drenching the other in the cool water. He proceeded to dab at Harry’s wounds, pressing soft kisses to Harry’s neck whenever he cried out.

He helped Harry out of the stream then, finding them a nice spot of moss to sit while Niall tied cool wet shirt scraps around Harry’s never ending torso, covering the worst of the lashes. Niall knew it wouldn’t do anything, but it made the burning better for his Haz. The most he could do was hope that it didn’t get more infected than it was. The most they could do was hope they could find help.