seasons of love | Narry Storan AU

chapter 30.

2015

It's a silent walk between Harry Styles and Niall Horan from Mr. Mendes's classroom to their bunk bed in the college territory. Niall is pensative for the moment, thinking about the conclusion he took right after listening to the song his friend wrote alone — the conclusion about Niall himself being in love with Harold. It felt weird for him during the first fifteen minutes after the end of the performance, but now his bigger intern battle is just about how he's going to tell this to Harry.

Until he comes up with an idea.

"Harold."

"You can call me Harry." He corrects him verbally.

"Harold", Niall pretends he didn't listen to him, like he always does, "hungry?"

"A bit."

"Wanna go somewhere else?"

"Seems like a good idea to me", Harry shrugs, "will your friends join us, too?"

"No. It's just us."

Niall notices a shine in his eyes after those words are said. I got you.

"Now that's weird, Niall. You're always trying not to be in the same space as I am, and now..."

"You don't have to remind me about how weird this might be. You just have to come along if you want to."

"Okay."

It's still not Christmas, but the decorations around the streets already make themselves present in the scene. Garlands hanging from sidewalk posts, green and red lights on parapets of the neighboring houses, and it's not even 6PM yet, but the lights are already on. The typical December winter makes the sun hide a little bit and give space to a cloudy sky, even though there is still no snow on the ground.

Harry breathes in, then breathes out. They reach the Central Park in a few minutes, stopping at a cart selling ice cream — an irony, considering it's the winter season, but they don't care about it. Niall asks for a vanilla-flavored one, while Harry receives a chocolate-flavored ice cream as he asked to have one.

"So..." Harold is the one to start the conversation. "I wonder if there's a specific reason about why we're here."

"I knew these last ten minutes of silence were too good to be true." Niall comments, making his friend laugh a bit. "Can I ask you a question?"

"All of them."

"What do you think about when you look at me?"

"What do you mean with that, Nialler?"

Niall's body shivers underneath his clothes with the Nialler thing.

"When you look at me", the Irish lad tries to explain his own question, "what do you see?"

"Well, if I'm being honest..." Harry takes a great look at his roommate, up and down. "I see a boy who's afraid of everything."

"A boy? Hold on a sec--"

"You asked for my opinion, that's my opinion", they both shrug at Harry's affirmation. "I see this fearful boy who could literally faint over a bad grade at school, but at the same time, you could easily be the one who pays drinks for everyone in a bar, not because you can't, but because things make you happy in a very easy way. I see someone who does not bow to anyone, stands up for himself and for what he believes it's true. And I'm saying it because you faced me so many times that--"

"Yeah, I got this part", Niall says, laughing at the end.

"I see someone whom I learned to be a friend of. I see a nice guy. I see a very talented musician who's probably going to end up married with his own music teacher because he's just that lucky."

"Okay, now you're lying, Harold."

"Am I?"

"I'm not gonna end up married to Shawn."

"Tell me why."

"I've got my eyes on someone else."

Harry clears his throat, almost gasping at what he just heard. 

"Huh, so can I... you know... get the name of the sucker for whom you have eyes?" He plays, just trying to get the golden information from his friend.

"I don't know. He must be a good sucker, though."

"Oh, my God, you're talking about me", Harry clearly jokes, laughing right after his words to cheer up the conversation.

But Niall is not laughing. In fact, his arms are shaky, and his eyes lose focus all the time.

"I could be." Niall shrugs. "Do you wanna know my answer?"

"Answer to what?"

"What I see when I look at you."

"Oh. Of course. Tell me."

"I see a man who really tries to be cocky all the time because he thinks it's the only good thing about him in this shit", Niall starts his answer, taking Harry by surprise with the shit thing. "I see someone who, deep inside, just wants to be loved and appreciated as much as everybody else is by their parents. I see a man who does not hesitate before hooking up with random girls, random boys, random non-binary people and so."

"Good point."

"But you always end things right with your hook-ups. You're not the type of man who just drops off the bed and never says goodbye. You say goodbye. It's actually a good thing, too."

"Wow. Someone praising me for doing the bare minimum."

"See? This is you being cocky", Niall pats Harold's left shoulder, before turning back to his words. "I see someone who's cute inside and would do a good boyfriend if only he wanted so. I see a very talented musician who just needs an incentive to keep holding on to his dream."

"Thank you for these words--"

But Niall interrupts him with the most desirable words Harry wanted to hear from him ever since the feelings came on.

"I see the man I have feelings for. I like you, Harold."