Niall and Audrey:
Doctors appointments.
Nothing new for Audrey. Nothing really new for Niall's mum, who usually takes her. Niall's been a few times- he adapted, he had to. But harry?
Harry is pretty damn clueless.
Niall was booked all day with press tours, his mum had other things going on and could only drop her at the drs, so the blue eyed wonder boy texted Harry asking if he could pick Audrey up.
It isn't a problem at first; Harry is happy to oblige, but then he gets horribly lost and ends up running late. All the nurses are flirting with him and all he can do is smile uncomfortably and try to be charming- but let's be real he's never not charming.
Audrey is sat not where she's supposed to be, staring out the window. The sun is peaking through the clouds igniting hope in her heart for a good day. The doctor comes in and does a double take, expecting her to be sitting on the exam furniture. She makes eye contact, the hint of a smile present on her lips. It soon disappears along with the rest of her hope for the day.
A nurse comes in halfway through and whispers something to the doctor. Audrey tilts her head to the side. Niall has forgotten to text her and tell her harry will be waiting for her.
So the boy with green eyes is either sat in the waiting room looking quite dejected, or the nurse tells her there's a lost boy waiting for her and she tells them to bring him in. Or they release Audrey but on the other side of the building or whatever so harry has to go find her. Yep, that's it.
She's staring out the window again. A big window this time. You can see the clouds swirling together, the sun trying to break through. Harry comes up behind her ready to wrap his arms around her but stops short when he sees the look on her face.
She's lost in the clouds.
"Aud?" His voice seems to echo off the walls. Her body jumps at the sound as she turns to look at him, her features immediately softening as she lets out a short breath, wiping under her eyes.
"Haz," he's surprised when she barrels into him, arms squeezing round his middle with her cheek against his chest. He smiles into her hair, lips pressing briefly to her forehead before pulling back to study her. His brows crease together, emerald eyes searching her face for something in particular.
"You alright?" The rasp of his voice and the fact that she was dressed for summer made goosebumps appear on her skin and she pressed herself further into him, seeking his warmth.
She chose to ignore the question but gave a slight shake of her head.
"Did my blue eyed wonder boy send you?" Her voice gave nothing away, the corners of her mouth lifting into a smirk. Harry blinked, trying to process the last few seconds before nodding slowly, his smile returning.
"Called me in a panic talking about how his mum could only drop you off and that he had press tour all day, practically ordered me to come get you." Her face fell the slightest bit before going neutral as she took a step away from him.
"let's get on then, yeah?" She hitched her bag over her shoulder before grabbing his hand to pull him away. Harry frowned but let her pull him in unsurprisingly the right direction.
She knew where she was going.
"Do you want to drive?" She had to think about it for a second. Did she want to drive? No, better not. The car unlocked and she got in the passenger seat.
The drive was unusually quiet, neither of them saying a word. She stared out the window the entire time. Harry parked in the driveway, unbuckling his seatbelt. He looked over at her. By this time Audrey's eyes were watering and her chest felt tight, her throat sore from trying to keep from crying. She let out a short breath before unbuckling herself and opening the door, her hand already reaching for the keys in her pocket. Harry opened his mouth to say something but she was already half way to the front door. He hurried after her. She stood just inside the door as he came up behind her.
He'd never seen her like this before.
"It's not fair," Her voice broke. "How many times have they told me I'm free and clear and how many times have they been wrong?" Harry realized with a jolt that she was talking about the test results. "It's not fair to me and it's not fair to anyone I care about. It's just not fucking fair." A sob tore through her before Harry had pulled her into him. She clung to him as the tears seemed to pour out of her, the tight ball in her chest gradually loosening so that she could breathe again.
Harry decided that the best thing for her would be a hot bath so he drew one for her, holding the basket of bath bombs out for her to choose from. She shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips.
"You pick."
~
Harry is writing when Niall walks through the front door, his journal open and balancing on the arm of the couch. Audrey is asleep with her head in his lap, blanket draped over her middle. Niall set his things down by the door, slipping his shoes off before coming to join them in the living room.
"How long she been out?" At the sound of his voice she stirred, muffled noises escaping her. She attempted to sit up. Harry quickly came to the rescue, lifting her into an upright position. Her hair fell over her flushed face, eyes puffy and cheeks stained from all the tears she'd cried. She held her hands out to him; words not needed. Niall came in close so she was able to wrap her arms around his middle, cheek resting against his chest. He kissed her hair and they stayed like that for a few moments, the boy swaying back and forth.
"Let's get you to bed, yeah?" He finally asked, hands loosening her hold around his waist. She let out a breath but nodded, letting him scoop her up and carry her to the room.
-
"How did the appointment go?" The toothbrush stilled against her teeth in her cheek as she met his eyes in the bathroom mirror. He raised a brow, pulling his shirt down over his head before coming over to her. She quickly finished brushing and spit in the sink, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She was panicking, she wanted to run. "Aud," his voice was soft, careful; he didn't want to spook her. But she was already spooked. She turned to leave and was met with his chest. "Audrey," his hands fell to her waist his nose in her hair. "talk to me, petal." Her hands gripped his shirt.
"You already know." She swallowed, resentment seeping into her voice. They must have called him. They always called him.
"you just weren't going to tell me?" He asked carefully. She rested her forehead against his chest, taking a deep breath.
"Niall," her voice was rough and broken, her throat thick with tears again. She didn't know where to start. "I can't-" a tear fell down her cheek and she pushed away from him, trying to gain the upper hand on her emotions. She didn't want to be the girlfriend that backed out of conversations because she couldn't hold it together.
Deep breaths.
His eyes were wide with worry as he stood taking her in. She looked small and frail and all he wanted to do was hold her, protect her.
"I just," her hand flew to her chest as she sank to the edge of the bed. The boy knelt down in front of her, his hands on her knees. She was panicking. "Goddammit,"
Part of it was that she'd already told Harry what was happening and she hated repeating herself, but the other part was that yeah, he already knew. She hated feeling like he was trying to trap her.
Cmon, Audrey. Deep breaths.
"I'm sorry, alright?" Her voice came out rough and scratchy as she let her head fall against his shoulder. "I don't know how much longer I can keep hearing I'm ok and then test negative the next week." His arms slowly enveloped her,
"It's ok, aud."
"But it's not ok! It's not ok and it's not fair." She drew in a breath. "I'm so tired of it."
"I know, petal." He spoke quietly, his nose against her cheek. He was tired of it, too.
~
Harry stood in front of the counter, intent on making tea. He could hear Audrey's muffled sobs from the other room. His grip on the mug tightened.
