Unrequited (Narry)

Chapter One

Niall was six years old when he first met Harry Styles. It wasn't quite the most peculiar of introductions, but it definitely wasn't casual or ideal whatsoever.

Born into a line that ran thick with betas, Niall had always known that he was destined to be one as well when he matured. It was never a fate that he fought against or was too bothered by; of course, that was before he met Harry Styles.

Being a presumed beta didn't particularly help his growing body—which was small, frail, and pale—making him the target among the other beta boys. There was no question that alphas and omegas were quite rare and were considerably valuable, but there was also no question that Niall was going to be a beta regardless of his physique, hence the constant teasing.

Niall was never really too bothered by the playful teasing; after all, they were his friends. Sometimes, the teasing did get a bit out of hand—unintentionally of course.

And that was precisely how Niall found himself in the current predicament.

Tumbling down the winding staircase of the boys' boarding house with newly bleached blonde hair, Niall fell straight on top of one of the most valued sons in all of England. A string of gasps followed as the boys who had tripped Niall cowered in horror when they realized that he had fallen on top of the rumored Styles son who was to be boarding with them. Several voices called out his name as the grand foyer was filled with panic.

Niall stayed curled on the floor in pain, biting his lip to keep his tears from falling as he roughly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his jumper. He was well aware that he had fallen onto another boy, but his head was aching far too much for him to even think properly.

A soft grunt came from beneath him, making Niall feel slightly more terrible as he shifted a bit to allow the boy wiggle room to move. A stampede of feet echoed through the grand foyer as several boys rushed down one of the staircases to help the boy beneath Niall.

The blonde lad tried to ignore the burning glares and soft clicking of tongues, quietly scolding him for making such a ruckus over a small prank.

"Are you alright?" the boy asked, tapping Niall's shoulder lightly. Niall glanced quickly at the boy over his shoulder and nodded his head slightly before burying his face into the bend of his arm to hide his teary face. Greg had told him that no matter what, he had to stay strong and never show vulnerability. But Niall was only six. What could he do?

He began sniffling softly as he hugged his body tightly and tried to lie still, waiting for all of the boys to leave like they always did when they realized Niall just wanted to be left alone. Instead of the silence that he desired, a strong pair of hands pulled him onto his bum and tugged at his sleeves, urging Niall to remove his hands from his face.

When Niall finally opened his eyes and blinked past the tears, he was met with a lovely pair of dull green eyes. The way that they would shine brightly underneath the casted sunrise caused Niall to hiccup as he tried to breathe in shakily.

"Are you hurt?" the boy asked, eyes flickering back and forth nervously as he tried to search Niall for any physical bruises.

Niall responded hastily and shook his head, only to groan softly and clutch his head when the aching feeling returned. He gripped his slacks tightly as he lowered his head, fighting against everything inside of him that was reminding him of the pain crawling underneath his skin. He bit his lip harshly, trying not to let out a sob.

"Hey," the boy mumbled, cupping Niall's cheeks in his hands and tilting his head back up for inspection. "You're hurt!" he pointed out, tipping Niall's chin down slightly so he could get a better look at the smaller lad's forehead. Before Niall could utter out a sound in protest, the boy pressed his lips against Niall's forehead, shooting the lad a toothy grin as he pulled away. "All better! Mum says kisses help take the pain away!"

Niall stared back dumbfounded at the boy's lips, blinking several times in confusion as he touched the patch of heated skin where he was just kissed several seconds ago.

"Um." Niall blushed as he panicked and tried to lower his head but decided that the task was impossible due to the hands still pressed against his cheeks. Niall was aware of the curious gazes burning into his back, and quite frankly, it was making him more and more nervous.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" the boy asked, dropping his hands onto Niall's shoulders and squeezing it ever so lightly before moving further down his arm, squeezing here and there until Niall flinched. He hastily grabbed Niall's hand and pushed the sleeve up his arm for quick inspection; surely enough, there was a small bruise present on Niall's forearm.

Niall let out a soft whine in protest as the boy roughly pulled his arm closer towards him, pressing yet another kiss to his skin.

A tall, scruffy man—dressed in an uncomfortable suit—who stood behind the boy cleared his throat. The boy glanced back at the man and whispered something to him before returning his attention to Niall.

"You're like the kitten I have a home," the boy spoke up once again. "She's always getting into trouble and hurting herself." He smiled and ruffled Niall's hair as he began to climb to his feet. He huffed softly as he dusted his bum off and proceeded to step past Niall and towards the staircase. "Take care, Niall."

Niall remained in a muddled state as he slowly leaned his shoulder against the furnished wooden wall at the base of the stairs. A couple of boys rushed over to him and shook his shoulders, inquiring on his physical being in regards to the fall. Still in a daze by the kindness and familiarity that the boy had shown to Niall instead of scolding him, the small lad couldn't help but follow the boy with his eyes as he disappeared up the stairs.

"Who's that?" he finally asked in a hushed murmur. He clutched the sleeves of his jumper tightly as the boy turned at a corner and little Niall caught sight of his dimpled smile.

"That's Harry Styles."