Liam’s been contemplating it for about 3 hours straight now, and he still can’t figure it out.
He and Niall would be perfect together, Liam knows it. He knows it because he understands the younger boy; he knows how to spot that mischievous glimmer in his ocean eyes when he’s about to do something silly and probably dangerous. He knows how to read the stormy anger swimming in the orbs when somethings’ upset him, knows the difference between the “I’m so angry I could burst I can’t believe he ate my piece of cake” and the “I’m angry but only because I’m really hurt because he said we were going out and stood me up” by just looking into his cerulean orbs. He can tell when the Irish lad hasn’t had sleep because his eyes darken just a little more than usual, and Liam can bask in his happiness when his cheeks flush and face lights up and eyes sing in joy.
Liam knows he’s good for Niall. He knows he can make him soup when he’s sick; a few egg noodles, peas and chicken stock just the way Niall likes it. He knows his arms fit fully around the Irish boys torso to the point where he can link them back together and hold Niall like he was his and only his.He knows he can cuddle with him when he’s cold, cry with him when he’s sad and hold him close and promise he’ll never let go.
He loves Niall’s family and he knows they love him; he treats Greg as his own and he’s sure Ruth loves Niall almost just as much as he does.
He’s seen Niall at his worst; screaming and faltering, tears streaming down his stained cheeks, eyes blotchy and red and hair greasy and sticky because he’s too sad to shower; too sad to care. And he’s pieced together the broken fragments so many times he doesn’t even want to count because every time Niall’s hurt it chips at a little piece of Liam’s heart, too. And he’s also seen Niall at his high, bouncing off the stage in complete and utter wonder, holding Liam’s heart near his as he dances around the sun contained in the palm of his hand.
And he’s felt how Niall’s head fits perfectly into the crook of his neck and how his cheek is the perfect warmth for Liam’s wondering lips and his hands feel like they’re made, sculpted specially for Liam’s and that’s why Liam can’t understand why Niall fell for Zayn.
Fell was an understatement; Niall didn’t simply fall, he tumbled head over heels down the staircase across a slope and off a cliff for Zayn, and Liam simply can’t understand.
Niall is carefree and loud and Niall likes to be open and Niall likes a good cuddle in front of a movie loaded with buttery popcorn more than anything else. But Zayn, Zayn’s quiet and mysterious and his eyes are broody and hooded with unrevealed secrets and Zayn likes moonlight strolls and candlelit dinners and it almost makes Liam laugh because its so not Niall.
He can’t understand why Niall looks at Zayn like he is the answer for world peace and why he wears his heart so entirely on his sleeve that Zayn can just reach over and pluck it right off. He can’t understand why, through all the tears and fights and ‘misunderstandings’ Niall keeps going back. Doesn’t understand why, while he’s been here, holding Niall’s hand the whole time, who held his heart in such protective fragility, Zayn could just wander in and snatch him captive, snatch his heart and break it and mend it and break it again only to never let go because Niall doesn’t want him to let go.
But he watches their fingers curl together inconspicuously while they walk and he watches Zayn take Niall’s face and press his lips onto Niall’s and watches as his hand slowly slides down Niall’s neck down to his waist where it steadies and pulls dragging Niall in a lovelit wonder. Watches how Niall’s face lights up every time he see’s the Bradford boy, how he smiles like everything is right in the world and always will be.
He watches Zayn pull his long fingers through Niall’s ruffled unkempt hair, watches him whisper something soft in his ear only to hear Niall’s chiming, golden laugh ring through the atmosphere seconds later.
He watches as Zayn leads Niall back to his grandiose apartment, and closes the door to endless kisses and nighttime loving.
And Liam tries to understand.
And one day he’s sitting by himself with his headphones in watching Zayn cup Niall’s blue t shirt in his fist as he whispers something aggressive to the Irish boy and how Niall’s eyes light up in wonder and his silver braces reflect the orange of Zayn’s snapback as he laughs- he thinks- he thinks he understands.
See Niall- Niall is like the ocean, stormy blue and glittering green, reflecting the suns rays as if they were his own and displaying them for the world to see. Open and wide and stretching off to infinity capturing natures beauty in his wake.
And Zayn- Zayn is like the sun, circular and closed yet ethereal and bright. Unlike the ocean whose depths are cold, the sun is hot, burning with a heat so strong it could set the whole world on fire in one blink if it really wanted to.
And he, he thinks, he is like the trees; steady and strong yet unwavering. He doesn’t span across countless craters, he isn’t home to dolphins and whales. He can’t emit rays strong enough to light up the earth and make everything warm and happy. There can be no ocean without the sea, and there can be no warmth without the sun but there can be land without trees. He’s just there.
And the sun- the sun rides high in the sky, swiftly maneuvering through clouds and the sea lays low on earth, covering stretches of mud and bank tinting the earth with just a little bit more colour and the trees just span the land.
And alone they are beautiful in their ways, tinted mixes of cerulean washes and amber hazes moulding and swirling in unspoken kisses and intertwined limbs.
But trees- trees need water to live and the sun to grow but they never give anything back in return. The ocean and trees don’t eclipse to create a spectacle so magnificent that nature itself awakes from it’s slumber just to watch it’s magic.
And the sun’s most beautiful performance is those moments every morning and eve when it peaks its head from the edge of the world and lights the sky in it’s golden illumination. But the sun can’t rise without the oceans horizon and the sea won’t sparkle without the suns shine and every morning and every night they faithfully meet at that horizontal marking and conform to make the sky glow in a vivid pink while the sea swims in its golden captivity when they join to create something truly enchanting.
And when he puts it like this- Liam’s pretty sure he understands.
