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niall-ate-mynamee · 9 months

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Don’t Forget (Where You Belong)

PART ONE

Liam - Dad

Zayn - Papa

Louis - 17 years old, eldest

Harry - 15 years old, middle

Niall - 13 years old, youngest

13 year old Niall Malik-Payne hasn’t had the easiest life. His birth parents gave him up when he was only 3 years old, and then, after being in foster care for 2 years, passed from family to family, the Malik-Payne family took him in and eventually adopted him. He was over the moon, but as he’s grown up, life threw more curveballs at him.

Now, being 13, he faces his toughest challenge yet.

13 year old Niall Malik-Payne was late for school. Again. He was rushing around, throwing his clothes on, shoving books into his backpack, and making sure his new phone was safely in his pocket. He usually met up with his best friend, Ashton, but had texted him to tell him to go on ahead and he’d meet him at school.

Niall could hear his Papa talking away on the phone, more than likely talking to a client for a business proposal, but Niall didn’t really know much about his Papa’s job besides the simple fact he’s an artist who makes drawings and paintings for shops, offices, museums, even people themselves, and other stuff like that. He has his own art room, in the one spare room in the house, so he spends a lot of time in there.

His dad is a policeman, working Monday - Friday, from early morning till just after dinner. Niall is proud of his parents, they work hard and still find time to spend with Niall and his two brothers. The family of 5 are a strong unit, and they’ve always been so close.

On the weekend’s, they take time to go do things as a family. Whether that be dinner out, going to play football in the park, going shopping, or just staying home and watching movies all day. Niall truly loves his family, and he wouldn’t change a single thing about his life.

Until today.

As Niall shouted a quick “bye Papa!” to Zayn, who may or may not have heard and/or answered, the teenager raced out the door and down the street to his school. His breaths came in heavy pants as he dodged passers by and squinted as the sun shone in his eyes.

He could see his school.

Now, Niall was usually cautious around roads, and always stopped to wait for it to be safe to cross, but he was panicking and knew he’d be in trouble with his teacher for being late, so, without thinking, he ran across the road and suddenly, all he heard was screams and horns blaring and tyres screeching before he heard nothing.

—

While Liam was taking a few moments to sit down between calls, his colleague came in with a takeaway coffee and a pack of biscuits. “Got a shout, Li, thought we could do with some treats on the way,” His friend and long time work partner, Andy, grinned, waving the treats.

Liam laughed and got his stuff, following his friend out to their car parked out front. “Where we going?” He asked, leaning forwards to turn on the sirens and buckling himself in.

“The school down the road, a kid ran across the road and the driver couldn’t stop in time,” Andy replied, wincing, “Kid’s been unconscious since impact, possible head, neck and back injuries, medics are on scene, but haven’t been able to get in contact with the parents, they need us to close off the scene and just do some investigating,”

Liam was frozen, that school was Niall’s school, and he just prayed it wasn’t his baby. Andy could tell his friend was panicking, so he rested a hand on his knee, “Li, I’m sure it won’t be Niall, you know what he’s like with roads…besides, he would’ve already been in class, right? This happened just after nine, so he would’ve been in class,”

Liam nodded shakily, “Yeah, yeah, he’ll be in class, yeah,” Andy smiled tightly, giving Liam’s knee a friendly squeeze just as they arrived. They could see two ambulances, people crowding the sidewalk and somebody sitting on the curb, with a medic talking assuredly to them. The driver, Liam’s mind provided and as the pair got out the car, they made their way over to the first medic they saw.

“What’ve we got?” Andy asked.

The medic sighed, glancing over his shoulder to where his colleagues were working on the patient, “Teenage boy, thirteen, ran across the road and was hit by a car going around twenty-five. Extensive injuries, lacerations covering his body, possible head and neck injuries, was unconscious, but is somewhat alert now, teachers can’t get in contact with his parents, though, and-“

The medic was cut off suddenly by the head teacher running across to Liam, “Oh thank goodness you’re here, Liam,” She cried, “I’ve tried calling and calling, both you and your husband, but the calls weren’t going through,”

Liam froze, once more, body beginning to shake, “W-what do you…what do you mean? Why? My phone’s been in my pocket on silent, I haven’t checked it in a while, but…why?”

The head teacher, Mrs Bradfield, paused and all it took was a glance over her shoulder for Liam to understand. That was Niall, his Niall, his baby lying there, hurt and injured, and Liam didn’t think he could move.

Andy quickly grabbed hold of Liam’s arms, holding him steady as he spoke softly, “It’s okay, Li, it’s okay. Niall will be okay, yeah? We’ll go over there and see him, yeah? Come on, pal,” The taller man gently guided Liam over to the accident scene and Liam swore he stopped breathing for a moment.

“Ni,” He whispered brokenly, seeing up close the damage done to his son’s body, “My baby,” With that, he broke down and Andy pulled him into a hug.

The medics glanced up at the officers, and gave them a questionable look. Andy spoke softly, “This is Niall Malik-Payne, thirteen years old, this is Liam Malik-Payne, my colleague and Niall’s dad. We didn’t realise it was him until now, my colleague is in shock,”

The medics, a lady and man, smiled sadly and nodded, “Alright,” The lady spoke gently, “Well, we’re gonna be taking Niall in, he’s in pretty bad shape at the moment,” Liam whimpered at that, and everybody winced sympathetically, “But, Liam is welcome to come with us, might help for him to try and keep Niall awake,”

Andy turned to Liam, and his friend was nodding weakly, “I-I’m coming,” He whispered, turning to Andy, “I-I’m so-sorry to leave y-you, but-“

“Hey,” Andy smiled warmly, “Of course you’re going, wouldn’t have expected anything else. I’ll call for backup, no worries. You need to be with Niall,” He said assuredly, “Want me to call Zayn?”

When Liam nodded, Andy smiled and gently pushed Liam towards his son. With a look back, he saw Andy pull out his radio and call for the said back up, while he crouched down next to his son.

“Ni? Baby, you with me?” He asked, afraid to touch his boy. He saw the eyelids flicker and eyelashes flutter as his son tried to open his eyes, whimpering every time he moved, even an inch, and Liam felt more tears fall.

“D-da’,” The boy slurred, trying to turn his head to the side where he could hear his dad’s voice from. Liam immediately cupped his bloodied cheek, crying softly.

“I’m here, baby, it’s okay,” He tried to reassure him, trying in vain to keep the tears out of his voice, “I’m here, Ni, daddy’s here,”

“S-sorry, m’sorry, didn’t see car, shouldn’t’ve gone late,” He mumbled brokenly, crying out as a medic encased his left leg into a splint, “Stupid,”

“No, no, no, baby, you’re not stupid, and you don’t need to be sorry, it’s okay. You’re gonna be okay, yeah? Let the medics take care of you and I’ll be right here, and Andy’s gonna call Papa, yeah? You know Andy, don’t you? Daddy’s friend? He looked after you when you were a baby,”

Niall scrunched his face up, crying out once more as hands poked and prodded him. Liam watched on, heart shattering in his chest. This was his baby, his youngest son, being attended to after being hit by a car. A car, for crying out loud.

He glanced over his shoulder to where Andy was talking quietly on the phone, presumably to Zayn, looking over at the scene every couple moments, explaining what had happened. Liam wanted nothing more than his husband next to him right now, providing the comfort he so desperately needed.

He wished this was a nightmare that he’d wake up from, cuddled in bed with Zayn wrapped tightly around him, and all 3 of his boys tucked safely in their beds.

He hoped and prayed that they’d get through this.

note: please let me know what you think, and if you want more! :) love you all so much, thank you for still being here with me 💜

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makeupinthedrawer · 1 year

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winter

richkid!niall x tutor!fem!eader | college au

authors note: hi!!!!!! i’m back!!!!!! i know it’s been a criminally long time since i posted something but i really love this and hope you love it to :) if you do please leave a comment and/or reblog. likes are so nice but actual feeback really encourages me to post and makes me feel like it’s not just bots liking my posts lol. as always my reader can be of any height, weight, or race pls let me know if any of the language used is isolating.

prompt: A and B are casual college friends when the holiday season rolls around. A plans to go home to their luxurious life but decides to stay when B tells them they can’t go home for christmas. A decides to keep B company and give them the most amazing christmas ever.

word count: 6.4k

upcoming content: fluff!! mentions of financial issues

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the snow seemed to be falling in time with the clock ticking, noting every passing second that your professor went on and on about something Austen, something Shakespeare. london quickly became a blanket of white, the flusters blanketing the entire city in frost. your stare was glued to the window, your professor totally drowned out as your pen lightly tapped against the blank notebook page. it was a shame it really was, that you couldn’t pay attention because you were hoping that English lit would be the distraction that could keep your mind off the upcoming holiday season that was destined to be spent holed up in your studio apartment, props to student affiliated housing that came in your scholarship, with holiday movies lightly playing in the background of your wallowing.

a slight wave passed through your glance but your brain disregarded it, you’d get the notes from someone anyways. it wasn’t until it happened two, three times that you managed to blink out of your dazed state and look in the direction of whatever brought you back to reality. directly across from you sat niall horan. leaned back in his seat, subtly just enough to keep him out of view from the professor. his big blue eyes quirked at you as he mouthed “you okay?” it was hard to not get lost in his gaze like you did earlier but you had more self-conscious this time and just nodded, sitting up and facing the board, robotically writing down whatever the professor was saying even if it had no context. despite that, his stare lingered and it took everything in you to not snap your eyes back.

niall horan. you didn't even know why he was taking English lit in the first place if he was here for football, but he was… and he wasn’t doing the best. which resulted in him rushing up to you one day during the second week of classes and spitting out his begging for tutoring as fast as he possibly could. you were so startled you agreed without really thinking about anything other than increasing the amount of space between you because the wall of spiced cologne mixed with what you think is vanilla on some days when you get lost in a daydream, and sweat, and just him, took over your senses. along with his large hands outstretched toward you in a plea. “r-really?” he asked, an incredulous look passing over his face as his george elliot book that was just passed out to everyone dropped from his grip. you opened your mouth but quickly snapped it shut, just nodding at him. his gape turned into a smile, and a glint entered his eye that reminded you of the one you saw in the reflection of the charm on the old necklace you thought you lost. “how could i be so lucky?”

“oh wow, that’s great! thank you so much! okay, so… i can give ya my number and we can discuss when to meet? or you can send me your schedule like? honestly, whatever works for you.” he said, pulling a pen out of one pocket and rummaging through his other for what you assume was a piece of paper.

“oh here,” you spoke, reaching around to unzip your bag and tear a piece of your notebook, but suddenly your head whipped around at the feeling of your hand engulfed in his. before you knew it his name was scrawled in loopy handwriting against your wrist, along with his phone number. the sight of his long fingers against your skin was the final push of this situation going from odd to overwhelming so you looked up and straight ahead, only to see a lighter-haired boy smack his forehead with his palm at the sight of you both. you recognized him as sean mullholland, having seen him and niall together often.

“alright, just message me whenever! whenever you have time! but not too late y’know? i really can’t afford to fail this next exam.”

you opened your mouth again and just found yourself nodding, watching as his head tilted at the repeated action. god he probably thought you were fucking mute. “i- i mean yeah, no problem.”

the confusion on his face quickly turned to one of relief and pure gratitude. “thanks so much! so i guess i’ll see ya around.” he said, and with a final smile he turned and walked back to his friend.

“wait… niall!” you called, noticing his book was still on the ground.

he spun around quickly, “yeah?”

“your book, you’ll need it… y’know for the test.” his eyes widened as you bent down to pick it up, his shoes quickly coming into our eye line as he reached for it, but it was already in your hold.

“aw, jesus, ‘m already messing up. thanks, thanks again.” the trepidation in his voice was a large contrast to who he was, or who you thought he was to be more accurate. you saw him every day in class talking to his friends with a smile on his face, and he was part of the university's football team so his name was overheard in conversation often, along with his picture or him with other members of the team in the school’s newspaper. he seemed to be regularly happy, confident. and that’s without the fact that he was… quite handsome, in your opinion. and the opinion of many people on campus. i mean, it’s just undeniable. thick brown hair that would fall across his forehead, that would sometimes curl by the ears if he hadn’t cut it in a while, paired with a perfectly sculpted nose and the smallest hoop earrings that were so endearing you thought about them all day when you first noticed them. but the kicker was the oceans he kept behind his irises. seeing him nervous before you, both hands gripping his book like a stress ball lessened some of your initial intimidation.

“you’re gonna be okay, niall.” you said simply, looking up at him through your lashes, keeping your face as blank as possible. he looked down at you, eyes tracking every inch of your face and it involuntarily heated up. it was as if he was searching for a lie, but he didn’t seem to find it.

“yeah, yeah.” he remarked, hand going up to scratch at his neck as he dropped his eyes to the ground. he started walking back to his friend, but backward this time so he was still facing you. “hopefully. thanks again, really, i’ll see you around?”

you raised your wrist revealing his name and number still printed there with a smile that he replicated and sent you a nod of approval and disappeared around a corner, allowing you to let out an immense breath.

that was six weeks ago, and you’re now halfway through the semester. you’ve met with niall dozens of times already, holed up in a study room in the back of the library. you’ve learned a lot about him: how he takes his coffee, that he’s color blind, that his favorite band is the eagles and he saw them when he was four and that’s why he learned how to play the guitar, you couldn’t think about that one for a long time because it made you lightheaded, and that he was “well off” as he’d put it, but the soft, cashmere cardigans he always wore and the vintage car that was parked outside proved he was more than,

“when me ma and da got divorced she moved here to london and started her own business, she’s worked really hard for a long time, to send me to school and stuff ya know?” he revealed once, during a late night study session turned game of twenty questions. he was always doing that, studying for an hour then getting bored or burnt out and asking you questions or digging through your bag to find the snacks you hide in the back pocket. when you caught him the first few times he would wipe his mouth with the back of his hand and shove your bag away, now he just sends you a smirk and pull the cellophane baggie out for easier access.

you would consider him a friend. he’s carried the title of your crush as your roommate would put it, but it all sounded too childish, too middle school, it didn’t sum up the uniqueness of how he made you feel, how no one had made you feel before. along with tingly fingers and a rapidly beating heart, he also made you feel a tad… jealous. you could relate that your parents also worked really hard for a long time to send you to university but if it wasn’t for the scholarship you got, you definitely wouldn’t be here in the heart of england studying literature with some of the best professors in the world.

bitter sadness crept into your heart as you snapped your notebook shut and placed it in your bag, class ending was just another sign of time moving on and the closer christmas came where you would have to be here, in a new continent all alone because your parents couldn’t afford a plane ticket to get you home and back in time for classes again.

walking out of class, a presence you became all too familiar with loomed behind you, you could recognize him based on the feeling of the hairs on your neck sticking up. he didn’t make you nervous anymore, but the nerves that turned into feelings of longing seemed worse, in your opinion. “hey ya” he spoke, voice low and accent thick.

“hey, niall.”

the two of you walked in step for a few beats before he started up again, “i- i just wanted to see if ya were alright like… you seemed a little spaced out there for a sec, thought ya were checking me out with how ya were staring at me but-”

“oh god i’m so sorry niall, i wasn’t- i- i wasn’t staring at you i just… i just got lost in my head!” you exclaimed with wide eyes, of course you dazed out staring directly at him, unblinking and dead-eyed, you wanted the floor to fall from underneath you. but all he did was laugh, joyful and boisterous, pale cheeks tinting red with emotion.

“no need t’apologize darling, quite like it when ya look at me anyways,” he smirked.

you rolled your eyes, refusing to let yourself take his banter as anything more than what it was. “well… us both being distracted is going to make tomorrow’s tutoring a bitch then huh?”

he laughed again and nodded, “yup! but we’ll figure it out together, right?”

“of course” you replied, with a smile that didn’t really reach your eyes but you couldn’t bring any more positivity out of yourself, the homesickness was too powerful.

his cerulean iris’s tracked down your face, as they always seemed to do when you found yourselves in these little staring matches. “y’sure you’re okay? we can skip tonight if ya want.”

“no, i’m okay. anyways, like you said, we need to teach each other the material.”

“yeah… well, i’ll be there usual time, kay?” with a nod you went your separate ways and you began the ten-minute walk to your apartment.

“hey! oh, watch out!” your roommate cried as you nearly tripped over an overstuffed duffle bag.

“sorry! i was going to move it, but then i just got all wrapped up!” she cried from her cross-legged position on the floor, hands sticky with tape and clumps of discarded wrapping paper sat around her.

“it’s okay… do you want any help with that?” you offered, kicking your shoes off. she nodded vigorously and you both dissolved into laughter.

“thanks so much, i don’t know why wrapping is so hard! i mean… i love when the scissors do the glidey thingy against the paper, literally so satisfying right? but after that i realize i cut off too much or too little and then i tear it when i try and fold it and it’s just all going to hell!”

you just nodded and measured out an appropriate piece of wrapping paper for the doll box and slid the scissors against the dotted lines, folding the ends into triangles and holding them down, allowing her to stick the tapes on the end. “i’ll do the actual wrapping, you man the tape.”

“perfect.”

the two of you sat for around ten minutes, creating a decent-sized stack of neatly wrapped boxes. “do you wanna watch a movie later? we can watch the holiday episodes of that cartoon you like.”

“i’d love to but i have to meet niall later for tutoring.”

“ahh, still teaching the football star how to read then?”

you rolled your eyes with a laugh, “he knows how to read! cut him some slack, shakespeare is hard for anyone.”

“tell me about it, i barely passed when i took this class last year.”

“so yeah, i’ll be gone for about an hour or so. when do you head home?”

“i’ll be at the train station tomorrow around two, then i should be home at like six, i’ll keep you updated though.”

you nodded approvingly. your roommate was from england, but lived a while away from london. you’d seen pictures of the quaint countryside home she grew up in and it reminded you of a storybook.

“you know… my offer still stands. we can totally just buy you a ticket now and you can spend the holidays with me. it’ll be fun, i promise! we have the spare room and my parents already love you for getting my calculus grade from a D to a B!”

you just laughed again, dismissing her offer once more. “i appreciate it but really, i’ll be fine here, i swear. i’m not just saying that, i just… even with your family, i’m still going to feel lonely, if that makes sense. i just don’t think i’d be able to enjoy myself, and then i’d just beat myself up all over again for not being in the moment”

she nodded understandingly, “i get that.”

“don’t worry, really, have a good time! and i’ll have a bunch of cookies here for you when you get back.”

“ugh! that’s what i’m going to miss the most while i’m away!” she groaned and started packing the presents away in her bag.

the time rolled around when you had to go meet niall so with a quick goodbye you laced your shoes and head out the door. your arms wrapped around yourself as your sweater did little to block out the frost. with quick steps you hurried inside the library, allowing the slight heat to relax your muscles.

the peace that came with the library only lasted a few moments as the familiar clambering of niall’s entrance began, the boy could never be quiet. twisting past chairs and shelves, donned in his football kit, he pressed his face against the small window sending you a grin that made his cheeks push up. you smiled up at him and unlocked the door.

“‘ello darlin’, sorry ‘m late, practice ran long” he breathed out, collapsing into the plastic chair beside you, resting his head against your shoulder, catching his breath. this wasn’t the first time he showed up from practice, but he hadn’t ever invaded your space like this. it was impossible to not get lost in his scent or his panting breaths fanning your skin and his shorts exposing and stretching out against his thighs.

“woo! needed to catch my breath! got ya all sweaty, sorry.” he whipped his towel in your face, making you scrunch your nose up. he giggled and did it a few more times until you yanked it out of his hands.

“niall.” you said sternly.

“yes.” he repeated in the same tone.

“we need to study or not have a towel fight!”

“right, right. maybe another day then.”

you both started taking out your books and laptops. “we have so much stuff lined up for another day, don’t we?” it’s what you guys would say whenever you got distracted by some random activity.

“oh yeah, this towel contest comes after our who can eat the most cookies contest and me teaching ya how to play football, right?”

you giggled and he felt his smile widen and the tips of his ears turn red. “god, i’m gonna be so awful.”

he scoffed and shook his head, “‘m sure ya won’t be! and even if y’are, i’ll be your coach! and y’know i’m pretty fucking good if say so myself!” he tipped his head back with his nose in the air. you laughed again, he always made you laugh.

“i dunno ni, i saw that yellow card!”

“don’t bring up the yellow card!” you said at the same time

“i- i don’t know what you want me to say! why’d you get a yellow card?” you teased, watching him grow annoyed at the penalty he got at last weeks game.

“that was a stupid call and you know it! you know that ref hates me! that shite was so fucking stupid.”

“i know, i know, i’m just teasing ya.”

“yer mean when you wanna be, darling! do people know that?”

“nope! i have a very carefully curated my english major image.”

niall kicked the chair back so it rested on its back two legs as he threw his arms behind his head. you always marveled at the way he took up so much space. or maybe that was just how you saw him. he peered down at you as you packed up your things. niall loved these secret moments where he could just bask in observing you. the tremors running up his fingers was a sensation he was used to, as they twitched by his side with the urge to brush your hair out your face. this happened often, the first time he was taken aback, shaking off the unfamiliar feelings, but it was already out of his control. the day he clamored towards you, his being became yours. his courage had yet to follow, though. so for now, he settled for the moments he could make the heat rise to your cheeks.

“niall?” you drawled slowly, taking in his half-lidded gaze. he blinked a few times and cursed himself for getting lost in his daydreams.

“s-sorry darling, what were ya saying?”

“oh nothing, just if you have anything exciting planned for the break?”

“oh yeah! my brother just had a baby, wee little thing, so me ma and dad and i are flying to ireland to go spend christmas with them. theo’s first christmas and all that!”

“i didn’t know you were an uncle, ni.”

“yeah, a few months ago” he said, showing you a photo of him cradling a tiny baby in his arms and you couldn’t stop the awe that escaped you

“niall that is literally the cutest thing i’ve ever seen!”

“awe thanks babe, yer pretty cute too” he said, throwing his arm around you, dissolving into laughter as you rolled your eyes.

“i’m talking about the baby and you know it”

“whatever ya say!” he quirked an eyebrow up at you and you mirrored his smile.

“well, it sounds like you have a great couple of weeks ahead of you.” you replied, turning away from him and starting to fiddle with your worn copy of Hamlet, little pieces of the page edges flaking off.

“hmm yeah… i mean i hope so, you know how it can be, family drama and all that.”

the way his tone sloped into something melancholic before he lifted it up again “what about you?”

you took a deep breath, words stuck in your throat. you knew niall came from money, lots of people on campus did, and a lot of people didn’t. no one really cares. you knew you had no reason to be embarrassed, you earned your spot here just like, or even more so than anyone else, plus it was college, not high school, and there weren’t any bullies or rumors. but it was easier to say that logic than shake off the insecurity that crept up your spine whenever your differences came to light. the period of silence followed by people awkwardly backtracking to take back their words about their new things or vacations as if they offended you. it didn’t at all, as long as people were nice, you didn’t care how much or how little money they had. but it was still embarrassing and niall heightened all your feelings by just being him. you figured the best thing to do was just be honest and casual, if you didn't make it a big deal then he wouldn’t either.

“oh… i’m just staying here.”

“what?” niall let out, the chair falling forward so the front legs hit the floor with a resounding clang.

you squeezed your eyes shut, so there was that whole casual plan down the drain,

“yeah…” you murmured, not really knowing what to say.

“why?” he asked. a voice far in the back of his head that sounded all too much like his da or mully was telling him to shut the fuck up and mind his business, but the image of you spending the holidays all alone, and you often complained about how shotty the dorms heating was, so you’d most likely be cold too, was very troubling for him.

you pulled at the adjusting strap of your bookbag, twisting it around your fingers. you took another deep breath, you were an adult and niall was your friend and any comments about your situation would reflect more on him than you is what you told yourself as you finally looked over at his wide eyes and lips slightly parted, concern written across his features.

“well,” you began, silently curing yourself as you turned your head again, the weight of his stare was too much to bear. “it’s just- kinda expensive to like get a flight home and back in time for classes again.”

and there it was, the silence that you tried so hard to avoid. the silence of people trying to scramble for the right words to say, as if they could offer up the perfect solution when it was just life.

niall felt the silence eating away at the two of you, feeding off the palpable energy. “say something, anything” his brain shouted.

“come with me” what?

“what?” your head snapped up.

“c-come with me… if you want.” his brain was still trying to make sense of his sudden invitation, but it felt right in his heart.

“no niall. i can’t.”

“why not?”

you sighed, your body tired of having this conversation with your roommate the week prior. “niall you just told me about all your plans, with your entire family and their newborn baby. i’m not gonna crash that.”

“y’won’t be crashing! i swear! mully’ll be there, he ain’t family!” he was drawing at straws and you both knew it, but it seemed his heart sent him on a mission.

“sean mullholland? you mean your best friend since you were five? that’s not the same.”

his palms grew damp as he wiped them against the polyester shorts. he couldn’t stomach the idea of you being alone. not when you could be with him. something sick licked at his chest at the news that you couldn’t be with your family. he was devastated for you, having coaxed many crazy childhood stories from you when he managed to carve out a break from studying. but he very much wanted you all to himself. outside of the four walls of the library study room, and this was his chance.

“well yes, but, it’s not-”

you sent him a sad smile, putting your arm through one of your bag straps. he hadn’t even realized you packed up.

“you’re sweet niall, but seriously, it’s gonna be fine. it’s not a big deal. you said and honestly, you’ve been saying that so much over the past few days that you were starting to believe it. you just wanted the holidays to be over at this point.

niall threw his bag over his shoulder and followed you out of the library. the cool wind hit your skin as you pulled your sweater sleeves down your hands. niall was bounding down the street, wracked with nervous energy. he was counting down the days until christmas but now it was coming too fast. as was your residency hall. “b-but… don’t you want to spend time with me? i mean, hanging out with me for the holidays won’t be so bad.” he murmured and you stopped in your tracks. it took you back to the day you first met, the vulnerability. he looked down at you, his big blue eyes glistening with gold flecks.

the two of you spent time together outside of studying every now and then, but rarely jus the two of you, and never outside of school, save for that one time he rescued you from a bad date last season. his car picked up the autumn leaves as he spotted you walking home, miles from the school, eyes full of unshed tears. it was the first and only time you ever sat in his car, the leather seats and his comforting words cushioning you after a terrible night.

ever since then, things between you shifted.

“of course that doesn’t sound bad at all. i just… you don’t need to feel bad for me, okay? and we’ve never really hung out outside of school before yknow? i wouldn’t want to make it awkward. besides, it’s one christmas, spend a good time with your nephew, uncle niall.” you joked pulling out your keys. niall’s chest deflated as he nodded.

“you did good today, ni. you’re gonna be fine on the next exam.” you spoke, before sending him a smile and closing the door behind you.

always so nice, he thought. that’s what you are. nice. smart. funny. beautiful. his system was overwhelmed with feelings for you. the idea that he made you feel bad killed him. he heard enough from his friends that he needed to man up and just ask you out already, that he was going to lose his chance. niall sighed as he walked into his apartment, mully sprawled out on the couch, suitcases packed by the front door. “oi mate, how’d the reading lessons go? y'know the alphabet yet?” he called, eyes not leaving the screen.

“almost, lad.” niall replied half-heartedly.

“”aye, what’s wrong? did you do bad?” mully asked, looking over the couch at his friend. growing up with niall, mully quickly learned that he was one of the funniest people he’s ever met, and also that he was very sensitive.

niall sat down beside him and told him about your situation and tried to explain his feelings that he couldn’t fully admit to himself.

“well why don’t you just stay here, then?” mully offered.

“what?”

“i dunno, just stay here for christmas, or just move your flight and fly in christmas eve instead of this weekend with me. you can have yer alone time and do a bunch of romantic shit.”

niall began to think about it, his earlier dread melting away. “that could work but i think yer forgetting that i can barely speak around her, mate! what would i even do?”

“i don’t fucking know! just give her a nice christmas, pull out all the stops! lord knows you can afford it.” mully remarked.

“yeah, yeah… you’re right! this is good, this is gonna be good.” niall said, jumping off the couch.

“where ya going?” mully called.

“i have to start planning!”

it was december 20th and break had started four days ago. it wasn’t so bad at first. the first day of coming home to an empty apartment was relaxing. it was nice being able to take a long shower and cook leaving the kitchen as messy as you wanted. the second day was the same as well, playing your music as loud as you wanted and putting on your favorite cartoon for hours then pigging out some more. it was the third day when it started to get old. your younger brother had been calling you every hour with whatever new development happened at home and you appreciated the updates but the dial tone filled you with loneliness and each call was just a signifier that christmas was almost here and your family was all the way over there.

the day was easy to be distracted by, walking around the city and seeing all the light displays, stopping at the fancy bakery more often than not because you needed it. but the night came and the snow whistled loudly but it was drowned out by the echoes of niall’s soft and pleading voice that played in repeat on your head and his crestfallen and all too soft face was projected behind your eyelids. sometimes you’d dream against your will of being in his parent's big house, wrapped up in a blanket that he slept under for years, his accent even thicker due to being around his family. the two of you laughing together lying in the snow that probably wasn’t dirty and mushy like it was outside your window. but then you woke yourself up and forced yourself to remember that once the semester ended, which was on the horizon, the two of you would go your separate ways and you’d be nothing more than the girl who helped him pass a required english class that he’d never think of again.

pulling your sweater out of the dryer you quickly put it on, letting the warmth overtake you. walking laps around your small living room as if something new would appear the next time you went around. “oh god, this boredom really is going to kill you.” you muttered.

the sharp raps at the door had you shooting up staring at the wood. “i’m going crazy.” you whispered and then the knocks were heard again. you looked through the peephole to see your favorite brown haired football player leaning against the doorframe. dressed in dark grey trousers and a white turtleneck, you took a second to take him in. “‘ello? ya in there darling?” he asked, looking through the peep hole on the other side. this brought you back to earth and you jumped back. niall? niall was at your door. five days before christmas when he should be in another country, you yanked the door open, eyes trailing down his figure as if to check if he was real.

“‘ello darling!” he smirked.

“niall, what are you doing here?”

he just gazed at you, his stare unwavering as a look of adoration took over his face. now it was time for him to check you out. top half covered by an oversized sweater, falling just above the hem of tiny sleep shorts that he quickly looked away from for his own good.

“go pack a bag.”

your heart faltered, “what, why? ni- i told you i can’t go with-”

“not that. just, go get some change of clothes, or not. i quite like what you’re in now.” he drawled, accent dancing against your skin. but you couldn’t let yourself get distracted.

“how come?” you asked softly, “why are you still in london?”

his palm came down and rested against your cheek, his large hand pretty much covering the entire half of your face, his thumb resting at your jaw and his pinky just under your eye.

“i’m still in london because you’re still in london, my pretty darling. and i spent a shit ton of money turning my apartment into a christmas magazine spread and i don’t wanna sit there all by myself. thought you might like it… i know i would if you were there.” he said, hoping you couldn’t feel the tremor running through his fingers as he poured his heart out.

“i would like that, too.” you whispered and his smile split his face.

“okay, okay good” he said, as if he thought you;d say no. “alright well then, again, i’m a big fan of the shorts” you scoffed and tried to pull them down as much as you could, “but the other people in my building might not, if you want to get changed real quick.”

you nodded excitedly, “yeah okay!” you dashed back into your room, taking a moment to take a breath, then break out into a happy dance, practically bouncing around your room quickly packing your bag with a change of clothes, a charger, your toothbrush, and comb, and then the small, wrapped present you had tucked in the back of your drawer, niall’s name written on the label. you bought it a few months ago, just thinking of him, and now seemed like you could actually give it to him.

“alright, i’m ready.” you said, locking the door behind you. with your back turned, niall draped your bag over his shoulder and led you to his car. the snow had lightened, as if the weather knew you’d be speeding down the streets of london in niall’s ridiculously expensive car with the top down, cool wind whipping your hair back.

niall could’ve spent the entire weekend just driving around with you, the wind carried your giggles and light remarks at sights you’d never seen to his ears and in the middle of december, he never felt warmer. you pulled into his apartment complex parking garage. you walked off the elevator with wobbly legs, it was hard to believe this was real, that niall just came and saved you from your winter nightmare.

“home sweet home” niall muttered, turning the knob and revealing his decorated living room. the expansive room was decorated lavishly, complete with a shimmering tree in the corner of the room, dozens of blankets draped over the large, cushy couch. the kitchen was a different story, batter in places you could not figure out how or why it got there and it seemed like he ran out the door without closing both the fridge or the oven.

“don’t look over there!” he squeaked, covering your eyes with his hands, “focus on the nice set up niall spent hours putting together.”

you walked to the center of the room, taking it all in. hours earlier when he was setting it up, he couldn’t help but feel stupid, thinking that you would decline his advancements, or that he’d make the room look ugly, or that he’d royally screw up the cookies. but seeing you in his space, the gold light dancing across your face making you look even more cozy and inviting than ever, it was all worth it.

“this really is incredible, ni. w-was this all for me?” you asked meekly. you couldn’t fathom that he would ditch his family, and spend his money and time for you, but the way he was staring at you said differently.

“of course it was, i told you,” he said, lightly grasping both your hands and sitting you both on the couch. “i didn’t want you to spend the holidays alone, and i wanted to spend them with you even more. when we were talking in the library, you said i invited you because i felt bad for you, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. i invited you because i wanted to spend time with you, i want to spend all my time with you, if i’m being honest. i tried to get the entire break, but as romantic as me ma thought this was, she said i couldn’t miss actual christmas. so this little world is ours for the next few days, if ya want.” his voice was so soft and so sweet and he was saying things you hadn’t even dreamt of.

you always imagined your feelings for niall would be a distant memory you’d look back on fondly, or that if you did, it would be full of awkwardly polite rejections that would ring in your head on bad days. but here in niall’s living room, the snow building up outside, and his entire being overtaking you a hundred times over, you knew nothing could go wrong here.

“niall this is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. y-you didn’t have to do this.” you began but he cut you off with a tsk.

“oh pretty darling, you just don’t get it do ya? you are the sweetest thing that’s ever happened to me. so nice and patient with me, making me laugh and putting up with all my shit. i want you here all the time and i want you as more than a friend.”

“i want you as more than a friend too.” you whispered and his eyes lit up like the lights strung above you both. “i think about you all the time. it makes my brain all fuzzy and my heart speed up, but i like it. and you showing up at my door today was the best- hmph!”

all you knew then was the feeling of niall’s lips on yours, one hand cradling your neck and the other resting laightly against your back. you placed both your hands on his chest and kissed him back, having no choice but to succumb to the feelings. as his tongue slid across your bottom lip, he pushed you back, falling onto the couch and his forearms held him up above you as he pulled away.

“hi”

his smile was massive and you were sure yours matched.

“you make me crazy, baby.” he spoke, voice low and raspy, eliciting a gasp from you.

“i never want these days to end, i don’t wan t you to go.” you whispered.

niall looked between both your eyes, then back down at your lips, only for him to boop your nose, causing you to flinch. “yer so cute” he whispered under his breath, he knew how you felt, you’ve only been together for the past hour, but he was already addicted to the feel of you all around him. but it’ll be okay, with you it always is.

“i don’t want it to end either, but we’re together now. and when we’re not, i’ll just visit you in my dreams.”

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