Drive [Narry/Ziall]

Chapter Fourteen

By the time three in the afternoon had rolled around, Harry and Josh were still gone. Louis had retreated to their tent, was doing god knows what. Ed, Angela, and Liam had yet to make an appearance. Zayn and Niall lounged near the firepit - that had long since dimished. Zayn held Niall in his arms, silently staring at the ground with a frown pressed at his lips, while the blonde kept his face buried in his boyfriend's chest, eyes closed as he tried to enjoy the silence. Though it was great compared to what had happened earlier, he was still rather disturbed and even in Zayn's arms, he still didn't feel completely at ease.

 "You know that what Harry said...that was just him being an ass."

Niall had heard these words about three times in the past couple hours, and while they were reassuring, he couldn't bring himself to fully believe his boyfriend. He sighed, and nuzzled his face into Zayn's neck - inhaling the scent that brought with it a sense of familiarity and home. Home. His actual home was the place he was trying his hardest to escape, and the camping trip, one meant to rekindle a bond, brought back everything he was trying to get away from.

"I know," he whispered, his lips against Zayn's neck - causing the older lad to shiver despite his boyfriend's warm breath. "He just...he ruined it for me."

Zayn sighed, pressing his face into Niall's soft blonde hair. "I know, baby. I know. People like Harry and Louis - all they do is look for a reactin and they don't stop until they get one. Harry especially. ...I guess I probably shouldn't have added the fuel to the fire."

It was Niall's turn to sigh, and he did so as he shifted in Zayn's lap. His boyfriend was right. They had both known plenty of people like Harry and Louis in their lives, and they were all the same. During the confrontation, Niall was well aware that it was probably in their best interest to keep their mouths shut and take it.

Zayn just wasn't like that. He wasn't the type to ever let people walk all over him, or the people he cared about. Niall knew he was at the top of that list, but ever since he and Zayn started dating, he had been trying to develop a similar attitude. Unfortunately, Niall wasn't really the type who could stand up for himself - or for anyone he cared about, for that matter.

"Glad that you did," Niall murmured after a few moments of silence. He felt Zayn's arms tighten protectively around his waist in response. "I mean, they looked like they wanted to beat you up, but they deserved to be told off."

He could feel Zayn begin to tense, and there was an underlying tone of bitterness in his voice as he spoke. "I would absolutely love to see them try and beat me up. Harry deserves to get his fucking teeth kicked in."

Niall wasn't going to deny it, but before he could open his mouth to respond, the camper door banged open behind them. His eyes darted over instinctively, but he knew that they were mostly in the clear - Harry was still out, and Louis hadn't shown hs face in hours. Still, that didn't mean he particularly cared for anyone's company but Zayn's.

It happened to be Liam, who looked like the very embodiment of shit. His hair, usually neatly styled with not a strand out of place, was unstyled and his fringe was plastered to his forehead. He was adorning a less than flattering pair of sweatpants, and a flannel in spite of the heat. If he was trying to disguise the hickeys, he wasn't doing a very good job - Niall could see them, clear as day, all up and down his exposed neck. He knew there was plenty more.

It was a sight that almost disgusted him, to be honest. He would be a hypocrite if he said anything about the hickeys themselves, for he was almost always marked up thanks to Zayn, but he knew exactly who was behind the marks on Liam.

"Hey," Liam murmured his greeting, walking over and taking the seat across from Niall and Zayn. It was easy to tell that he was utterly exhausted, despite it being later in the afternoon. Guess it was a long night. Niall bit his inner cheek nervously. "Where is everyone?"

Zayn answered before Niall could. "Louis is sulking the day away, Ed and Angela have been gone since early morning, and Josh and Harry went into town."

Niall wished that he missed the way Liam's eyes widened when Harry's whereabouts were brought up, followed by his slumping in his seat. It certainly wouldn't take a genius to guess that Harry wasn't the most trustworthy guy, so the worry that was evident on Liam's face was probably completely justifiable. 

The night that he had confronted Harry was coming to mind, and he shuddered.

"Oh, yeah?" Liam asked, and although he was trying to sound nonchalant, he was doing a pretty shit job. He sounded terrified. Niall felt bad for him - he didn't know how the older lad could stand Harry. "Did uh, did they say what they were going into town for?"

"To get drunk," Niall answered rather bluntly. He wasn't doing it to be rude - he just wanted to see what kind of reaction that would gain from Liam. The brunette's expression was rather blank for a moment before his face noticeably fell. 

"Ah," was his verbal response, and Niall could actually feel his heart fall to his knees. He shifted, attempting to press slightly further into Zayn without being too noticeable. He was beginning to develop a strong discontempt for Harry, but Liam was a really good kid - who deserved a whole lot better, honestly. "Guess I can't say I'm exceptionally surprised. In case you couldn't tell...he's got a bit of a problem."

Of course Niall could tell. Anyone with eyes could tell that Harry had a problem. It seemed like recreational drinking before, but Niall didn't know anyone who drank as much as Harry did. He couldn't imagine he was very healthy. 

Needless to say, Niall was curious. Harry was an enigma and he had yet to figure him out.

Before he could inquire, however, Liam continued all on his own. "I...I know what it seems like, and you have to believe me - Harry isn't that bad of a guy, you know? He does stupid things but he isn't a bad guy. He doesn't want to hurt anyone."

"Could have fooled me," Zayn jumped in, voice rather bitter. Niall flinched, and carefully watched Liam's expression. He only seemed confused. "All he does is cause problems."

Niall didn't want to agree, he really didn't want to, for Liam's sake. But he deserved to know - and it was obvious that Harry wasn't going to tell him. "Li...I know you don't want  to hear it, but Harry probably isn't who you think he is."

Liam's expression was growing progressively more somber as his voice softened a substantial amount. "And, uh...what exactly makes you say that?"

Niall could feel his heart pounding in his neck as Zayn responded, "Him trying to stick his hand down my boyfriend's pants is probably hint enough."