seasons of love | Narry Storan AU

chapter 29.

2032

"Oh, my God, I can't believe you said no!" Chloe jumps in excitement, her knees almost hitting the glass table. "Sorry. Got too shocked about this."

"You're always shocked about everything", Taylor Horan rolls his eyes, trying to calm his sister down. "It would be actually shocking if you were not shocked."

"Shut up."

"A little bit of respect would do us good here, don't you think so?" Liam warns the kids, who suddenly get quiet in their places.

"Can't believe you have more authority over them than I do." Niall huffs, amazed by the moment. "You should come over more often, Liam."

"You mean, we should", Louis corrects his friend. "I would very much like to do that, too."

"Of course, Lou. I'm not leaving you out of this."

"Also, kids", Niall turns to his kids so he can talk to them, "I didn't exactly say no. I just needed more time before I could actually ask him out. No big deal."

Niall stops and stares at each one of the people around the dining table. He's happy with his life now; he cannot deny the happiness that comes from the love of his children, from Louis and Liam, and from everybody else he personally knows. There's always that missing piece of the puzzle — a piece called Harold —, but he can't just forget everything that their children and their friends have done for himself during these hard times. 

He wants to uncover the truth for Chloe and Taylor. God knows how much he wants it. But it's still not the right time. He has to wait. Wait for something to happen. Or someone.

"So", Niall calls back everyone's attention, hoping to drive them to another topic. "This is what happened before Christmas break in the college."

2015

"Well done, Niall!" Shawn smiles at his student, sitting in the little stool in front of the entire class, after he performed his song for the final homework for Mr. Mendes.

A song titled On the Loose. Way more uptempo than his previous songs, he felt happy singing it to his classmates, but his main thoughts were focused on Harry Styles's reaction to the composition. He desperately wanted to know what his roommate would think of the lyrics, the arrangement, the vocals. He wanted to share everything about the process with his newfound friend.

Again, that weird feeling of wanting Harry all for himself all the time. Weird, he thinks.

"You know it's an A", his professor announces Niall's grade for the assigned homework, and he smiles in excitement for it. "It's different from everything you've done for us so far, and that's important, you know. To never stick around just one type of song. It's something that I suggest everyone here to do." He declaims to the other students in the room.

"Thanks, Mr. Mendes", Niall says, his cheeks going red with the compliment. "I did my best."

"And I saw it. Now, there's just one person left..."

Harry stands up in a second, borrowing Niall's guitar — as he said he would do because he hasn't learned to play any other musical instrument but the damn acoustic guitar — and sitting in the same wooden stool in front of the class. He looks nervous. He feels nervous. He seems nervous. Niall learns all these things by just judging Harold's eyes, his hands' movements, his difficulty to elaborate proper words for the moment.

"So, I never wrote a full song on my own. When you, Mr. Mendes, told me I should write a solo song, I panicked", the grin in his lips makes Niall silently laugh at Harry's nervousness while saying those words, "but then a friend of mine told me to think of my own feelings and try to describe them in verses and then arrange it all together. This is what I did as a result of this method."

Harold, then, starts playing some chords in the acoustic guitar. Shawn's eyes are on him. Niall's eyes are on him. Everyone in the room has eyes on Harry Styles, and on that damn guitar.

"Sweet creature, had another talk about where it's going wrong... but we're still young." Harry's vocals make Niall feel numb by the feeling evoked by this. He's feeling everything, and the song barely started. "We don't know where we're going, but we know where we belong."

Niall's head is shaking along with the rhythm of the song. He's feeling everything.

"And, oh, we started... Two hearts in one home. It's hard when we argue. We're both stubborn, I know." Harold closes his eyes, not wanting to break his voice while staring at both Shawn and Niall.

I'm fucking losing you to him, that's the words stuck on Harry's throat. 'Cause I'm too fucking stubborn to talk to you. He cannot say any of this, though. It's hard.

"But oh, sweet creature, sweet creature... wherever I go, you bring me home."

Niall wants to cry. There are restless tears urging to stream down his own face, but he controls it. He's feeling everything.

"Sweet creature, sweet creature... when I run out of road, you bring me home."

That's it. That's enough. Enough for Niall to realize that he wants that guy, standing in a stool, playing with Niall's own acoustic guitar, singing words that he knows were written about the two of them. He wants those damn tattoos on Harry's body, he wants to touch that damn curly hair of his, he wants to smile every time he hears a joke from his roommate, his new friend, his potential boyfriend.

He wants Harry. Against all odds.