Positive.

Chapter Eighteen.

"Oh, uh. Hi, Liam." Niall looked down slightly shocked.

"What? Did I do something wrong?" Liam panicked. "Maybe this was a mistake, I'll be go--"

"Liam!" Maura exclaimed walking over to the doorway. "I thought that was you." She set the oven mits she'd previously had on, on to the dining table. She brushed her hands on her apron and wrapped her arms around Liam. "You will be staying, correct?" Liam nodded. 

"Of course." 

"Well, come on in. Make yourself at home." She smiled. "I tried something a little different, since Niall said you really enjoy organic foods. Hopefully it comes out good." She laughed heading back into the kitchen. "Greg will be home soon with Theo dinner will be around 5:45!" She'd shouted from the kitchen.

Liam glared at Niall who had bolted to the stairs.  "I'm sure it'll be great!" He closed the door behind him and headed behind Niall who'd already made it into the bedroom. He was sitting on the bed smirking, and Liam shut the door behind them. "Organic food?!" He half shouted.

"Liam, I read eating more organic food like vegetables, and all that it'll keep your immune system strong--" Liam huffed, and clenched his jaw. 

"You don't need to be my fucking dietitian, Niall."

"I just want to help." Niall's shoulders sunk, and he fell back into his pillows.

"Well, quit. I should've never told you. You're being so irrational about it. Now get your music book." 

"No, Liam. We're not doing this." Liam looked at him with anger evidently on his face. 

"Yes, we are. Get your fucking music book, Niall." He started looking around on Niall's desk hoping to find it. Mr. Gordman had assigned music books to every student to help with their breathing and posture while they sung.

"I want to talk about this." Niall sat up again staring at the brunet in front of him. 

"Talk about what? Talk about my HIV? Is that what you fucking want to talk about?!" He threw Niall's math book on the desk, making the blond jump. 

"Listen, just for a second could you? My mom said when people are diagnosed early enough that they could actually live a normal life. But only if they take care of themselves, and you're not." He bit his lip hesitating to continue.

"You told her about my fucking HIV?!" Now Liam inches closer practically in Niall's face.

"No, I-I asked a couple of questions for my health project."

Liam laughed. Not a normal laugh, one of those crazy laughs. The type that The Joker would laugh out in Batman. "You don't even take health until next semester!" He shook his head. "You're a fucking piece of work you know that, Niall?" Niall flinched.

"Am I not allowed to care for someone I love? This is defining you, Li. " Niall whispered and Liam lost it.

"That's enough! This isn't defining who I am. This is not who I am." He shouts, causing Niall to look at his door, hoping his mom doesn't hear. "HIV does not define me, as Liam Payne. I'm just like you Niall, just a fucking regular person just like you." His voice drops down to a quiet harsh whisper as he sits on the bed next to the boy. "That's all I want to be." He looks around the bedroom, like a maniac trapped in room unsure of what to do. 

"Liam." Niall goes to put his hand on Liam's shoulder, but the brunet smacks it away.

"You don't understand this do you?" The boys now crying. "I don't want to think about this. It sickens me, let alone talk about it." 

"Shh, shh. I know." 

"Do you though?! Do you honestly mean that? Because I hardly believe that." Liam says with his bottom lip trembling, and his hands shaking.

"Then you don't have to believe that." Niall said grabbing on to Liam's hand.

"I just want to be Liam Payne again. Not the Liam Payne you think I am. The Liam Payne with HIV, who can't ever properly be with someone without scaring them away."

"You don't scare me away." Niall scoots closer to Liam wrapping his arms around the boy.

"I just don't want this, and nobody will ever be able to make this go away."

"It's fine." Niall strokes his fingers through the boys hair. 

"It's not fine. It'll never be ok." He cries.

"Shh. I'm here for you, just hold me."

Liam wrapped his arms around him, clinging on to him, as if Niall's the last person on earth who's keeping him alive, and he may have been, all he knows is he'll stay holding on to Liam for as long as the boy needed him too. Liam's tears were endless, soaking Niall's neck and shirt. The blond kissed his forehead, with tears ready to emerge. Liam moves himself looking at Niall, and presses there lips together but hesitates backing up. 

"You won't hurt me, Li." He says looking into Liam's eyes, who had a scared look. "it's ok." Niall says quietly. "You won't hurt me." Liam bit his botom lip nervously, and presses there lips together once more. They're lips brushing against each other, not a deep kiss. But a kiss that blew them both away. Niall could feel Liam's body slowly relaxing. "I love you." He whispered. Liam froze and pulled away. The boys both letting each other go.

"We can't do this, Ni. I came here to help you with your posture today, and that's what we're going to do. Please." Niall gets off the bed, and grabs his music book. "I'm going to the bathroom. You just practice without me ok." He wipes some tears away and stands up.

Niall runs through doing a few warm ups by himself, and then he sits up as straight as possible. He then slouches again and lets out a deep  breath knowing that he cannot help Liam, he can only be there for Liam, and nothing more. The boy is too stubborn and has his mind set he knows that he can't help, he can only be there when times go rough, and that's what he intends to do. He didn't know how easily it would be to get Liam all worked up. Liam pushes the door open, looking fresh, as if the Liam who had been crying with red eyes was just a thought and it'd never actually happened. "You're not sitting up straight your voice will crack." Niall sat up, and began to sing an old song from a play. Liam was focused and kept making him sit up every time Niall began to slouch. Niall knew it was helping because he could hear how totally different he'd sounded. You could hear Theo's little steps running up the stairs. He threw open the door.

"Ni." He yelled out of breath, and his cheeks pink from the cold air. "Hi, Li!" He ran up to his uncle and gave him a hug. "You stay for dinner?" Theo asked. Liam smiled and nodded."Ok!" The little boy ran back downstairs happily. The two boys smiled at each other.

 "I think we've done enough. It's already 5:40. Maybe we should head downstairs." Niall nods agreeing. 

"Finally." He laughed. "I didn't know how much my posture would change my voice." 

"Well, if I'm honest it doesn't really do too much. But it does help a little." Liam smiled, as they headed downstairs. 

"Hey! Let's put on a movie to watch over dinner." The blond grabbed on to the television remote, and went On Demand.

"You guys don't talk over dinner?" 

"No, not really. When Dad's gone we kind of just relax. Dad has a lot of crap to talk about, like how hard his job is, and nonsense like that. But when it's just us and mom we usually watch a movie."

"Maybe you should pick something Theo likes." Liam replied.

Niall shrugged. "Yeah maybe I should." He scrolled through. John Wick. Unfriended. Home. That was perfect. He put on Home, and began setting up the dining table. Liam looked at their CD case.

"You guys have every Michael Bublé album."