euphoric (n.s. AU)

t w e n t y s e v e n

Harry's POV

Hearing that name just ruined my entire night. After sending Marissa off, I slowly stroll back towards the house, her words echoing in my mind. What is it with Sean? There is absolutely no way he just happened to meet Marissa at random; he planned this. He had to have. I don't notice that my fingernails are digging into my palms until I release my fists to open the front door. Niall was still sprawled out on the couch, phone in one hand and the other resting on his chest. The sound of me reentering the house makes Niall's eyes shoot up to meet mine.

"Did you still wanna go get dinner? 'M hungry." He says, placing his phone on the coffee table before hoisting himself up and into my arms. I hold him closer, my heart still racing from the conversation I had with Marissa. I can't even muster the strength to say anything; I open my mouth to talk but no words come out. The air around me feels thick, and I hear a slight ringing in my ears. I pat his head gently, placing a small kiss on the top of his hair before releasing my grip from him and walking towards the stairs leading up to our bedroom. Niall looks at me with confused eyes, but doesn't say anything. I stare at the wall next to the stairs for a few moments, my mind racing; picturing a million different scenarios. Niall is mine, and I won't let anyone take him from me. Taking a deep breath first, I raise my fist to the wall, punching it as hard as I can. I hear Niall gasp from behind me, but I don't stop. I don't remember much of anything in those few moments, except the sound of my heavy breathing and Niall's muffled pleas for an explanation. It stays like that for what feels like forever; me punching the drywall and Niall pleading for me to stop. After a while, my frustration slowly dies down, and guilt is quick to replace it. I turn away from the wall and press my back to it, sliding down to the ground with my head in my hands. I hear Niall talking to me, but I can't make out a word he's saying. My eyesight is fuzzy, my heartbeat is loud in my ears. I can't seem to catch my breath no matter how hard I try; every inhale feels tortuous. I feel a cool hand reach out and touch the heated skin of my forearm, clearing my head almost instantly.

"Harry!" I hear Niall yell out, and it sounds somewhat muffled. I look up at him with glossy bloodshot eyes, my vision still slightly blurry. Niall is panting heavily, his cheeks flushed red and his eyes teary. He's crouched in front of me, his hand resting gently on my forearm.

"Harry, breathe love." He tells me, and I blindly follow his order. I didn't realize how choked up I truly was until taking a deep breath in, blowing it out slowly. His other hand reaches up to clear my hair out of my face and the tears out of my eyes, his blue orbs locked on me the entire time. My throat feels dry and scratchy, and it's hard to talk.

"Niall?" I ask, and he shakes his head in protest.

"Don't talk. Just come with me." He says, standing up and extending a hand in my direction. I look around the house, analyzing my surroundings before locking my fingers with his and allowing him to help me up from my spot against the wall. He leads me up the stairs, into our bedroom and then right into the bathroom. He gently pushes me onto the closed toilet, lifting my shirt off my body and tossing it to the floor before doing the same with the rest of my clothing. We sit in silence the entire time, other than the sound of the shower running and Niall's hurried movements. I look down at my hands in my lap, and they're completely bloodied. Each knuckle is split, with both dried and fresh blood coating them. After the adrenaline depletes, my hands start to ache and throb. I let out a choked sob as Niall turns his attention to me. He has undressed himself as well, holding his hand out to me again.

"Get in the shower with me." He says, and I oblige. He helps me step in, the warm water splashing against my red, bloody skin, turning the water pooling at my feet pink. I decide to sit down on the shower floor, my head still spinning from my previous actions. Niall joins me, sitting in front of me with his knees bent up to his chest. He takes both of my hands, running them under the warm water. I let out a pained moan, and he ignores it, using some soap to clean the blood off. I can't make sense of what happened. I remember Marissa telling me about Sean, I remember entering the house, and I remember hugging Niall. But everything after that seems so fuzzy and it scares me; I've never experienced something of this nature before. I look towards Niall, watching him clean me up diligently.