euphoric (n.s. AU)

e i g h t e e n

Harry's POV

"Klara, my turn my turn!" I chant while jumping up and down, watching the young woman in front of me spin my sister, Gemma, around in the air. The cool air is filled with the sound of rain and giggles, and our clothes are sopping wet; but we don't mind at all. 

"Okay, okay. Come here, Mäuschen." Klara pants, setting my sister on the wet concrete and reaching her arms out towards me. I run towards her and lift my arms up in the sky, allowing her to grab me under my armpits and hoisting me up on her waist. She's out of breath but still smiling, her arms wrapped around my small body, her long dark hair flat against her head from the rain. In one swift motion, she lifts me off of her hip and into the air, spinning me around as fast as she can manage. A string of giggles erupt from me, and I hear Gemma splashing in a nearby puddle. Klara spins me around and around a few times, before huffing and setting me on the ground next to my sister. 

"My turn now!" Gemma screeches, jumping up from her puddle. Klara lets out a breathy chuckle, still trying to catch her breath.

"You will catch a cold if we stay out any longer." She tells us, gesturing to the pouring rain all around us. Frowns instantly pop up on both of the small faces staring at her, and she shakes her head in protest while grabbing our hands and leading us towards the house. 

"Come on, I'll make us some tea." She reassures us, opening the back door and ushering us inside. 

"Okay, Klara." We say in unison, the wooden door shutting behind us.

~~~

"Harry!" Niall shrieks, his hands on my shoulders, shaking me rapidly. My head shoots up from it's previous spot on my desk, frantically checking my surroundings. Niall stands next to me, his eyes wide with confusion and worry, a bag of mail slung over his shoulders. I must've fallen asleep while waiting for him to return from the mailroom. I sit up from my slouched position, rubbing my tired eyes with the palm of my hand.

"I'm sorry, I guess I was tired." I tell Niall, still trying to wake myself up. I don't remember feeling tired, or even falling asleep, for that matter. Not to mention, I haven't had that dream in years; but with all of the strange occurrences as of late, this one is the least of my worries. 

"Did you not sleep good? I've been standing here for five minutes trying to wake you." Niall says, walking around to the front of my desk and crossing his arms over his chest. Five minutes? I'm not a heavy sleeper, I never have been; he must be exaggerating.

"I'm okay." I reply shortly, running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to tame any bedhead I might have achieved during my nap. Niall lets out a sigh of defeat before placing the bag of mail on my desk, turning on his heel to tend to his usual stack of papers. I shake my head and nudge the bag towards him.

"You have to organize it, love." I tell him, letting the pet name slip past my lips. He blushes and nods, turning back around and scooping up the mail in his arms before dumping it on the floor. I raise an eyebrow at him as I watch him plop down in front of the small pile. I smile to myself as I return to my computer, glancing at Niall every so often while I typed.

"How was school?" I ask after a few moments of silence. He looks up at me from the pile of mail and shrugs, moving some of his hair out of his face.

"It was okay. There's a footie game tonight, so that should be fun I guess." He explains. I nod my head in agreement; that would be nice for Niall to have some fun, especially after everything he's been through thus far.

"So..." He starts, fiddling with the mail. "Do you... Maybe wanna come with me?" He whispers. I send him an endearing smile and contemplate it for a second, weighing the pros and cons of accompanying Niall on his excursion. I blush at the thought of sharing a concession stand treat with him while we watch the game.