Without a Clue {Diall}

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Amazing Boy

           

chapter thirty-nine word count: 8987 words

(Warnings for this chapter: Mentions of suicidal thoughts, mentions of past domestic abuse and sexual assault, heavily implied/very lightly described sexual content)

On March 27th, the second day my mother is in town and an exact week from the date of Ollie's transplant, we get word that he didn't meet the requirements to be sent home and he'll have to stay in the hospital a bit longer. It's decently sad because Niall and I, along with the rest of the One Direction boys of course, will be heading to LA next week for work, and if Ollie doesn't make it home before then, we won't be able to see him for quite a bit longer. We're already going to be away for Ollie's birthday as well, so I know this has got to crush Niall even though he didn't seem too upset when he came home with the news.

I know my fiancé better than that, though, and the second Niall's out of the shower and changed into something comfy he silently heads to the basement and locks himself in the music room. I know he feels bad for getting worked up about Ollie sometimes. Niall's not actually related to the kid, and him and Harry aren't all that close anymore either. Niall watched Ollie grow up, though, and I think Niall sees something in Ollie that reminds him of himself. Ollie's going through so much at such a young age and no one was there for him at first. I think Niall saw an opportunity to help someone. He saw getting close with Ollie as a way to prevent the teen from feeling anything like Niall felt when he went through something terrible all alone.

I think that it's actually helped Ollie to have someone to talk to and really confide in that isn't related to him. Niall and I are easy enough to talk to and there's been quite a few times when it seemed Ollie would break news to us first in order to gauge how his family might feel, or even to get advice from us on how to talk to them. He's grown to be a big part of our lives and I think Niall just feels guilty about it. I think he feels like he's not needed or even wanted as much by Ollie as the Styles family is, so he gets frustrated with himself when he gets really upset about things pertaining to Ollie. I think he feels like he's too emotional about it, like he cares too much as someone who is needed and wanted so little.

What I really, really think, though, is that even though the rest of the Styles family might not understand the bond they've grown to have, Ollie appreciates and loves Niall just as much as Niall loves him.

My mother and G are already in bed for the night, so I'm completely free to go check on Niall and stay with him for as long as I'm needed. I give Niall a bit of time by himself before I decide to check on him, though, knowing that he might just need some time to think things through and grieve by himself. Once I haven't seen Niall for a decent little chunk of time, though, I decide to go see if he needs anything. The music room is great for making music because of how sound-proof it is, of course, but it's also where Niall goes when he doesn't want anyone to hear him cry.

I knock on the door, but Niall doesn't respond so I wait a minute or two before knocking again, starting to worry for Niall. I reach for the doorknob and find it locked and it only worries me more. I can't really speak to Niall through the door because it's so sound-proof, so I just knock again, hoping he'll at least just tell me I'm not needed. I only takes five more minutes of me sitting on the ground outside of the room, leaned up on the wall next to the door, for Niall to let me in.

When Niall opens the door he's not crying anymore, but his face has got a few tear tracks on it, and his eyes are red from irritation. I don't mention it, though, and I stand so I can pull him into my arms.

"You okay?" I ask softly as Niall digs his face into my neck and clamps his arms around my waist tightly. That's when he starts crying again, and I know there's not much I can do.