Never • Say • Never § a Niam Horayne collab fanfic [AU]

Chapter Twenty-Three - "You're special."

(written by MrsNiallHoran :3)

-- Niall's POV --

I shrugged. "Wasn't the first time I'd had to pull a gun on someone." I replied. Before he could reply to that, I lightened the mood with a beaming smile. "I've got your back. I just have to hope you've got mine."

Liam looked uneasy at first, but then smiled right back. There was something about his smile that sent warmth running through me. It was like he radiated golden light. Like a fallen angel, I thought. A perfect, glowing, avenging angel.

My thoughts came to an abrupt halt. I had referred to him as an angel? Correction, as a perfect, glowing, avenging angel. Why? I didn't deny the thought, however. In a way, he was like my guardian angel. "My saviour." I murmured under my breath. I didn't realized I'd said it out loud until it was too late to stop myself.

"What?"

Good. He didn't hear me. "Nothing." I said, shrugging like it really was nothing. His eyes didn't leave me, watching me like he wanted to speak, but he didn't question me further.

I closed my eyes, sighing happily. I felt so free out here. Nothing was holding me back. Nobody was cutting me down. It was just me and Liam, in our own little world together.

"I've got your back, Ni." Liam said softly after a few minutes of comfortable silence. I smiled at the nickname but didn't open my eyes.

"I'll save you from your father." I promised him in the same soft tone he had used. I then sighed again, sadly this time, and opened my eyes, frowning. "And you can save me from myself." I muttered quietly.

Liam turned towards me. He reached out, gently taking my hand. My skin flared at the contact, like it was on fire. Oddly enough, it was a nice feeling. I knew that he felt it, too, by the way that his breath hitched for a moment before returning to normal. He lifted up my arm and turned it so that my wrist faced up. He ran the tips of his fingers over the faded pink scars with a feather-light touch that sent shivers through my body.

"Why do people do this?" he asked. He didn't sound judgemental or anything; he sounded curious in a sad way.

"It gets rid of the emotional pain." I explained quietly. "It's like how if you get a needle, somebody squeezes your hand so hard that it hurts, and because you're focused on that pain, you can't feel the other pain."

He nodded in a slow, understanding manner. "I never would've guessed that you'd do this. You seem too happy and cheerful to purposely hurt yourself. And you seem so bold and confident - you seem like you have a great life but in reality, you don't." he said softly, tracing the scars.

"Can't judge a book by it's cover." I chuckled half-heartedly. "You know, Li," I began, using my own little nickname for him, "You're the only one that knows about this. Lou doesn't know about any of it. Zayn only knows about my family problems, but nobody knows the whole of it and nobody knows about the cuts. Except you."

Liam looked up into my eyes with a small smile. "I guess I'm special then." he joked lightly, chuckling. I just nodded in agreement, serious even though he wasn't, and smiled back. He was spezcial. He really was. In a way that nobody else is.

"Yeah. You're special."