Just Friends | Narry | Discontinued

seventeen

AN: three days left of summer before I start my Senior year :/ but yeah the "**" is a narrative flashybacky scene (meaning it's more of a recall from present Harry rather than in the POV of past Harry).
—

We'd gotten to school, I stopped like Niall had asked and got him food. I ended up paying since he'd 'forgotten his wallet' even though I hadn't even gotten anything for myself.

But you know— anything to keep him happy and as of right now, I was succeeding at that. Though I really would like to know what exactly was going on up in that brain of his. Normally he's easily to read. But lately he's been so— unreadable? It's almost the smallest yet unknown things set him off. I wanted clarity, but I wasn't going to force it out of him. I had high expectations- or hopes, if you will- that he would just end up telling me what was eating away at him and had no current intention on giving up on that hope due to it being how things usually work with us.

It was like the time he'd told me he was gay, unbeknownst to him that I was too, we ended up coming out to each other.

**

We were only like fourteen or fifteen at the time and this was probably the only thing we didn't know about each other. He came to my house, so wound up and his behaviour that whole week was something similar to how he was acting now. But a lot less edgy. My mom had let him in and he led himself up to my room where I was. He opened the door, announcing himself with a small "Hey" and sat at the spinning office chair at my desk. He was quiet, a continuance of his behaviour that week.

Without any real warning or caution sign for his upcoming words he blurted out the words, "I'm gay" with a look that made it seem as if he were about to apologise just for saying anything. I looked at him, but didn't say anything and when I didn't. He began spewing apologies and began blabbering on and on about all these things that I didn't really catch or really grip on to, cause my mind was too was relishing in the fact that I was now able to confirm that I could tell him about myself and I did. The intimacy of our friendship had started long before this little moment of revelation and confession but it had increased from that point on. Cause for about a month- the amount of time of which the two of us had know about each other's secret- we kept it to ourselves. Secrets shared between people have a habit of being the thing that brings them closer. After a while we came out too our friends, Niall had told Liam and Zayn about himself first and Louis later and I did the same but vice versa. Our friends accepted us, especially Liam, cause he had came out to us after he found out about me and Niall.

It was around that time that Louis had begun suspecting us of being more than we let on.

But we remained- to this day- just friends.

**

"Niall—" I start, slightly turning myself toward him, getting his attention and he stopped mid-fry.

"Yeah?" He responded, after putting the fries in his mouth, the word muffling slightly due to his mouth being full.

(AN: don't be dirty 🙄)

"—you know that you can talk to me about anything, right? No matter what it is."

"Harry," he laughed, "Don't get all cliche on me."

I didn't laugh with him, I only held the serious look on my face. I placed a hand on his, hoping that that would delegate onto him the sense that I was serious.

I could see his demeanour change right then and there. He fidgeted in his seat, that unease becoming apparent again.

He pulled his hand out of mine, and opened the door, exiting the car. He isn't making this whole- waiting- thing easy. The more I witness this change in behaviour the more I feel the need to know about whatever it is that going on up there in that mind of his. The more I need to know what's causing his clock to tick so differently lately. I huff in defeat, getting out of the car grudgingly following the path behind him, flicking a hand over my shoulder and pushing a button on my car key to lock the door.

I entered the school, it was barely a few seconds before I felt hands lace into my own.

Louis.

I resisted the urge to snatch my hand out of his, trying not to misplace my frustration. I swallowed down all of what I was feeling about the whole Niall thing. I pulled a smile on my face, almost as if I'd just taken it off earlier and stored it for later use.

"How's your morning going so far?" He asked, lightly leaning his head against my shoulder as we walked.

"It's been com-- alright- it's been alright." I reply, stopping myself from saying 'complicated'.

"Do you know what's up with Niall? I saw him come in the building, he wasn't looking too well."

My brain scours for an excuse and find one.

"I brought him food from Mac's, don't think it settled too well." I lie, causing Louis to grimace. He rubs his stomach.

"I know that feeling, that's why I stopped eating it."

"Yeah." I agreed haphazardly, not really listening but more so trying to alleviate my mind by coming up with all these possible situations that could possibly explain why Niall has been the way he was. But I couldn't bring myself to any real conclusion.

—

Lunch rolled around, and things— well they were different.

For starters Niall wasn't next to me, he was in the seat diagonal from mine. Louis was next to me, and Zayn was next to me. It was weird. I could practically feel Zayn's glances and stares bouncing off the side of my head, all the while Niall was sat on the other side with Liam. I'm not sure what the deal was with this whole change in seating but it made everything seem-- kilter. It was weird and I didn't like it.

Liam and Niall were conversing deeply, it was like when we were at Tom's before Niall had seen Louis and I— before he had seen me, he seemed fine.

Maybe I'm the problem.

—

AN: we are so close.

I've wrote this while binging on Stranger Things, it's 5am and I haven't slept yet.

BUT, thoughts? What do you think is going on?

I read all of your comments, I won't deny or confirm anything but I just wanna know what you think.