The Great Escape (Nashton Hirwin Oneshot)

"Niall?" Ashton asked quietly into the semi-darkness. "What are you doing?"

The tour bus was full of soft sleep noises and stifling air. They were somewhere in South America, somewhere cold, and it was nighttime and they were driving. Everybody else was quietly sleeping in their bunks except, it seemed, for Niall, who was sitting in the aisle with a pad of paper on the floor in front of him and a guitar set across his lap while he scribbled something down.

"I--uh, writing a song." He muttered, glancing up at Ashton. "Sorry I woke you, mate."

"S'fine." Ashton told him, hopping down and looking at the chicken scratch words on the paper so far. It was just dim enough that he couldn't quite make out what they said, even with the clunky glasses that were perched on his nose.

"What's it called?"

"The Great Escape."

"What's it about?" Ashton asked after a short eternity. Niall was silent, silent, quiet, and then he hit a muted chord and responded.

"Somebody."

"Somebody who?" Ashton asked, nudging Niall's shoulder with his own and feeling a little strange. He had been avoiding Niall for a couple week after an...incident in which Ashton might have...never mind. He didn't want to think about that.

"Just somebody. In general." Niall told him airily.

"I've written my fair share of songs, Ni. There's always somebody." Ashton told him knowingly, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Even if you don't mean there to be, there always is."

Niall hummed in response, drawing his eyebrows together in a moment of concentration. He wrote something down, erased it, and expelled a breath, looking frustrated.

"I just--can't get this last bit. It doesn't sound right no matter what I put." His shoulders slumped in defeat. "Whatever. I'm just going to go to bed."

"No, no. Read it to me. Maybe I can help you." Ashton scooted across the isle to face him. Niall looked conflicted, but he picked up the paper anyway.

"Ah--okay. Just...okay. Yeah. I'll read it, then."

Silence.

Silence.

"Well?" Ashton gently prompted.

Niall didn't look up.

"I don't think I can." He finally said.

"Why?"

"Because..." Niall trailed off and stoically refused to look up at Ashton, "It's embarrassing and stupid and--,"

"Stop."

"--and I hate it and you'll hate it too--"

"Stop."

"--and I just really don't want you to hate me."

"Hate you?"

"It. I meant it. Hate it." Niall stuttered to a stop, flushing and frowning.

"I guarantee whatever you've got isn't stupid, so don't even say that." Ashton began. "Don't tell me what I will hate, because you don't know. But Niall, I can promise that no matter what you've written I will never, ever hate you. Is that clear?"

"Yeah." Niall said, still blushing in the dark. "Okay. Good."

"Nothing could make me hate you, actually." Ashton amended. "I can't think of anything, at least."

"Yeah. I agree." Niall said. "With the hating thing except opposite. Like I couldn't hate you. Ever. I don't think. Probably."

Ashton smiled softly and they sat in the inky serenity of the rumbling tour bus for several heavy moments.

"You know--," Niall interrupted the loud quiet. "--last week, when you were talking to Calum?"

Damn. Ashton was hoping he had forgotten. "Yeah?"

"And I accidentally overheard you tell him...tell him..."

"That I liked you?" Ashton's heart was beating forty-seven times faster than it was supposed to. "Yeah. I know."

"And I've been trying to talk to you but it's like you're never around anymore. So now that I have you here I just wanted to ask you...is that true? What you said?" Niall was finally, finally looking at Ashton and his chest filled with hot water.

"Um." Ashton mumbled. "Um. Yes."

"So you do like me?" Niall sat up a little straighter, braiding their shared lines of sight together tighttighttight.

Ashton considered his options; he could answer or he could throw himself out of the moving bus. He decided to go with the less destructive of the two and made a move toward the window when Niall caught at his wrist, making sparks explode in the most wonderful way up his arm.

"Hey--" Niall said softly, "--tell me. Please."

"Well, yes. I like you. Yes." Ashton said, admitting defeat and realizing he wasn't quite ready to die.

And then Niall

Niall smiled.

And Niall's smile made the dark bus light and Ashton took off his glasses because he didn't want anything shielding his eyes from that smile.

"Really?" Niall asked, still all cheeks and teeth.

"Yes." Ashton nodded again.

"You promise?" Niall's hand slowlyslowlyslowlyslid down his wrist and intertwined their fingers.

"Well I suppose so, but I don't think I should have to promise because I feel like I've--,"

"Ash." Niall interrupted. "I'm so happy. Shut up."

"That's not very nice."

"Shut up so I can kiss you."

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh." Ashton said.

Niall's hand lightly traced his cheekbone and then his lips were and half a nanometer away from Ashton's, brushingbrushing and then crushingcrushingcrushing against his.

In that moment, everything was kind of sideways because they were on the floor of a tour bus in South America, and everything was kind of awkward because they both tried to wrap their arms around the other's neck, and everything was kind of perfect because they were Ashton and Niall and they were kissing and that, Ashton decided, was pretty much what he was destined to do; kiss Niall.

So what they fell over and banged their elbows and cursed a little? It was okay.

So what Niall accidentally bit Ashton's lip really hard when they hit a bump? He didn't mind.

So what they were surrounded by their sleeping band mates who were bound to have seizures if they ever found out about what happened? It's not like they hadn't seen it coming for months.

Niall mumbled something against Ashton's mouth.

"Hm?" Ashton pulled away, letting his lips ghost over Niall's cheek and down his neck.

"You." Niall said. "My song was about you."

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh." Ashton said.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Because," Niall cupped Ashton's face in his hands, "You are my Great Escape."