Niall had spent the last few weeks tirelessly working in the studio, and although he was getting home late each night, he was still managing to spend some quality time with you when he did.
You assumed that tonight wouldn't be any different and so you decided to cook Niall his favourite meal.
You hear his car pull into the drive and quickly light the candles that you have placed on the table and pour out a couple of glasses of wine. You hear the front door open and go to greet him at the door, wine glasses in hand.
"Good afternoon, babe!" You grin happily as he comes through the door. He smiles back at you, although you do wonder if it is more of a grimace.
"Evening, Y/N." He says, leaning in to peck your cheek.
"Dinner is just finishing up in the oven. Wine?" You say, almost as if it was a question, as you push the glass into his hand. He takes it from you, without complaining but you see him eye it a little apprehensively. "I thought we could have a dinner date." You explain, leading him through to the dinning room where the table is set with candles and flowers.
"Erm, thanks sweetheart. This looks great." He says with a hint of tiredness in his voice, but you don't quite notice it.
"Well, take a seat and I'll be back with the food!" You grin happily, heading back out to the kitchen. As you're getting the food ready you can't help but think Niall seems a little quiet. You brush it aside, assuming that he's probably just a bit tired and will probably perk up as the evening goes on. You head back to the dining room with the food and place his plate in front of him.
Niall has always had a healthy appetite and recent weeks, with him working at the studio so hard, were no different.
"Thank you, princess, this looks really great." He smiles, although you can't help but notice he doesn't sound too enthusiastic.
As you both eat your dinner together you realise that Niall is being a bit slow and doesn't eat as much as you thought he might.
"You don't have to eat everything, Ni." You say, noticing his struggle to finish his plate. "I probably gave you a bit too much anyway." You explain and he just nods softly.
"It is delicious, I just don't quite have an appetite tonight." He replies, smiling at you. "Thanks for this though, Y/N. It's been a really nice dinner." He says, leaning over the table to place a small kiss to your cheek.
"You're welcome, babe." You reply, smiling. "So, I thought we could just cuddle and watch a movie or something." You say hopefully, as snuggling up with Niall is probably your favourite thing.
"Oh, I was kind of hoping to just get straight to bed now, my love." He says, a sheepish look on his face.
"Oh, okay. Yeah, that's fine. I know they've been working you hard, you must be tired." You say, taking hold of his hand and squeezing gently.
"Yeah, I am... But I guess a cuddle on the sofa won't hurt." He replies.
Snuggling your body against Niall's always felt so good. His warmth and strength always made you feel so safe and cosy. Tonight wasn't any different, although Niall was a bit warmer than usual and you could see that he was sweating slightly.
"Are you okay, Niall?" You ask quietly, about half way into the film you were watching.
"Yeah, I'm good." He whispers back.
You're not sure if you quite believe him, but you know that he's probably just tired and doesn't want to let you down. You continue to watch the film and after a little while you realise that Niall is fast asleep.
You look at how peaceful he is and wonder whether you should just leave him to sleep here rather than make him wake up and go to bed. You turn the movie you were watching off and slowly try to shift your weight differently but Niall starts to stir.
"Sorry, Niall. You just fell asleep for a little bit. Do you want to get up to bed now?" You ask him and he nods and then winces. "Are you sure you're okay?" You ask a little concerned and he just winces further.
"My-my head. It's really hurts." He groans, clutching it in his hands.
"I'll get you some water and some painkillers." You whisper, trying not to disturb his headache. When you come back, Niall looks a little pale and he's still rather clammy.
You pass him the painkillers and help him drink some water down with them. "Lets get you to bed, Ni." You say, gently helping him up and towards your bedroom. He collapses back onto the bed and you help him out his clothes. He snuggles into his pillow and rests his eyes immediately. "Do you need anything else?" You ask in a hushed tone.
"Just you." He whispers back and you can't help but feel pleased at his response. He was the cutest.
You lie down next to him and he takes hold of your hands and grips them slightly. "Thank you for taking care of me. I love you, baby girl." He whispers and you brush some of his hair from his face.
"You're welcome, Niall. I love you."
You must have both fallen asleep pretty quickly because the next thing you know you are waking up, still in yesterday's clothing. You had planned to wait for Niall to fall asleep and then get ready for bed properly but your body must have surrendered to sleep.
You have awoken because Niall is nudging your side gently and you can hear him groaning. When you look up to his face it is contorted in pain.
"Niall?" You call gently, feeling worried about him. "Niall, my love. Are you okay?" You ask and he groans a little louder.
"My stomach. It really hurts." He moans. You prop yourself up beside him and feel his forehead with the back of your hand.
"Gosh, Ni, you're burning up." You tell him. "Let me get you a cold towel." You say, getting off the bed and moving towards the bathroom. You grab Niall a cold flannel and go back to his side, placing it on his forehead. "Is that better?" You ask and he nods gently.
"It just hurts so much." He winces and grips your hand tightly.
"I know, Ni. Just try and relax. Take some deep breaths." You instruct him and he starts to do as you say. You stay sitting by his side, comforting him as best you can and seeing to any of his needs. You watch as he slowly gets more relaxed and the signs of his discomfort fade slightly. You leave his side momentarily to finally get yourself ready for bed. "Are you feeling any better?" You ask as you slide into the bed, beside him.
"Yeah... A bit." He croaks and you place a hand on his tummy and rub gentle circles over it. "What would I do without you?" He whispers, turning his head slightly and looking into your eyes.
"Luckily, we don't need to worry about that." You chuckle softly. "Do you think you're going to be okay? You can wake me if you need anything. I'm right here." You whisper, still rubbing the circles on his tummy.
"Thank you. I'm going to be okay, with you here. I love you, Y/N." Niall says, sounding a little sleepy.
"I love you." You whisper before you snuggle closer together and both slip easily into sleep.
...
Credit: 1dimaginarium
