Same Mistakes - Niam

Chapter 6

"Zee. . ." A weak call came from the bed. Zayn turned from folding laundry, a job he would never do but Harry wasn't feeling well and someone has to do it and he couldn't sleep so he figured he'll do the laundry at 2 am to pass by the time. 

"Hey, Baby. Feeling better?" Zayn asked, putting down one of his shirts and walking over to the bed. He felt Harry's forehead and tisked at how warm he was. "Would you like something to eat?" Zayn offered. Harry only groaned, laying back down.

"Don't mention food." He whimpered.

"How about some chicken broth? Would that work?" Harry only sobbed in response. His stomach was killing him. Zayn slowly sat on the bed and began to rub his hands across the smooth tummy. Zayn stopped when he felt how much firmer it felt than normal.

"Fell's goo'd zee, do'n staup." Harry moaned, stretching his limbs. Zayn continued to gently rub.

**

Niall's fingers tightened around Liam's hand. "I think, I think,"Niall began softly, "I can finally move on from you."

Liam's breath gets caught in his throat and  for a wild second, he thought that he'd been shot in the heart with a gun; it felt like it, and Niall's words echoed in his head like the ringing of the shot.

Liam held Niall's hand tighter swallowing around the hesitation in his throat. "Do you - do you mean it?"

Niall didn't look at him.

"Nia-"

"What do you want, Liam?" Niall suddenly asked, pulling his hand away "I don't - you're confusing me. One minute we're over and the next you're letting me sleep with you. Stop messing with my head."

Niall knew he was being hypocritical but he just wanted an reaction out of Liam.

Liam's eyebrows rose high "That's not fair. we both decided to break up! And you came to me, Niall; I was simply being a good mate." Liam lifted his chin. "I - I'm getting on fine without you."

They both Knew that Liam was lying but Niall couldn't help but feel hurt.

He seemed to deflate right in front of Liam. "Fine, if it's-that easy for you. I just, I don't care anymore."

"Easy for - God, you're impossible!" Liam raked his hands through his hair in frustration, standing up from the bed and beginning to pace the room.

"I'm never going to be good enough for you am I!" Liam shouted, tears streaming down his face, he was so done with the constant drama he and Niall faced, he wanted it to he over already.

"I lied, okay? All this time, I've been lying!" Niall shouted.

'Then what is the truth, Niall?" Liam asked quietly. His eyes searched Niall's face for something and Niall was too weary with heartache to hide anything. Slowly, Niall reached up to gently stroke the spot he'd hit on Liam's chest. His fingers made a path through the moisture and Liam's  lips opened a tiny bit as he stared; his tongue poked out and ran across his bottom lip.

Niall held completely still, afraid to move and frighten Liam away. He couldn't see anything but Liam's face: hair plastered to his forehead, eyes bright, lips even brighter.

"Liam," Niall murmured softly, as if hypnotised. Then he blinked and that wall came up, the one that Liam hid behind so often that not even Niall could penetrate sometimes. The sight of Liam's shuttered eyes sparked something inside Niall. He was fucking done. This was going nowhere and Niall didn't want to feel the hollowness in his chest anymore.

When had he and Liam become so bad at talking?

Niall shook his head and touched Liam's  cheek with the back of his hand. "I miss you," he admitted, voice quiet "I try not to but I do, constantly, even when you are just a few feet away. Those times are the worst because all I want to do is hold you but I can't anymore and it kills me everytime."

Liam made a noise in the back of his throat as if in agreement. He didn't move away, eyes fixed on Niall, emotion glimmering in their depths.

"I want you," Niall went on, because every word that fell from his lips was the truth and they hurt like fuck and maybe, just maybe, might make him happy again. "I want your smile and your laugh and your eyes and your lips and your body and I want you beside me, over me, in me, and I want you sweet and happy and I'm pretty certain I'll still want you if you're cross and ill. I did before."

Niall brought his other hand up until he was cupping Liam's face, tilting it up slightly. Liam wrapped his fingers around Niall's wrists. A thumb stroked gentle circles on Liam's cheekbone, red from the heat of the sun or, Niall hoped, blushing because of him.

"And I love you, Liam," said Niall, "and I tried to stop, I promise, but I couldn't. It's impossible. I'm a mess without you, and I know we decided that we can't anymore, but I'm beginning to see that the other lads are right: we are idiots if we can't see that this - " he kissed Liam's mouth lingeringly, heart skipping a beat at the soft touch because finally, '"-this is worth it. I'm sorry for letting other people convince me that it isn't."

Liam's fingers quivered. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath, shoulders slumping.

"You fucking dick," Liam said with feeling, eyes snapping open to glare at him. " I was so ready to move on, damn you."

And it was true, he was so close, his hope of them getting back together had started to slowly fade.

Niall shook his head. "I don't want you to. Not when I can't - "

"Selfish git," Liam grumbled.

"-live without you."

Liam huffed, but his mouth curved upwards. His blush turned a shade darker. "Sweet words but they don't mean anything."

"Yes, they do. Do you want proof? Because I can get you a list, Liam"

"What kind of romantic shit is that?" Liam wondered. "You're supposed to convince me to come back."

"But aren't you already convinced?" Niall pointed out, because he could still read Liam perfectly, knew when Liam leant towards him, when Liam's eyes followed after Niall's every movement, when he couldn't keep the smile off his face. When he looked at Niall like that. When he didn't shy away as Niall brought their faces close together, Liam's gaze dropping to Niall's mouth. He licked them slowly. "See" he murmured.

" I don't know, Niall, we tried and it didn't work." Liam pulled away the slightest bit.

But Niall had already made up his mind.

He dropped a kiss on Liam's forehead. "We'll try again," a kiss to Liam's eyelid, "and again," to his other eye, "and again if we have to," on the tip of his nose, "but first you have to say yes, Liam"

Liam tilted his chin, silently asking for a kiss. Niall pressed the gentlest, sweetest one to his parted lips. "Say yes, please. Please."

Swallowing, Liam whispered, "Yes."