Symbol | Nouis au

26.

The first few weeks are painful. Niall still grieving over the loss of Harry, and the betrayal of Louis.

Niall visited the towns cemetery, a few times actually, until he finally gave up. Harry's grave was nowhere to be found.

If it weren't for his memories and Kendal, he would truly believe Harry and Louis did not exist.

"It really happened, right?" Niall remembers asking. "They both were real?"

"Are real. They are real, Niall." Kendal had answered, her tone flat and void of emotions.

Kendal wasn't the same after Harry died. Her eyes were blank, her face set in stone, but she also didn't take care of herself anymore. She smelled awful, her hair was greasy with a bad shine, her teeth had yellowed out, and her face had sunken in due to her unhealthy eating habits.

She always liked to ask the same question, "do you think something happens to an Angel's mate when they die? Do you think they go and join them?"

Niall never answered her, because he simply didn't know. But he often found himself wondering the same, except his mate was no angel. He was a King of a dark place, but to his mate it was his home. Louis was simply homesick, Niall would tell himself. Louis would come back for him one day, maybe tomorrow, maybe a year from now. But he would.

And maybe it wouldn't be because Louis missed him. Maybe it would be because the bond was starving, and it demanded to be fed. Niall could already feel it lashing out on him and calling out for its other half.

The bond squeezed and stretched, desperately holding on. Niall imagined this was worse than death of a mate, because while his mate was still alive and well, he was not by his side. He was not with him. It was like a rejection, in a way. Except this rejection hurt in more ways than one.

It was a rejection of two souls meant to be together, going against odds and the supernatural, it was unheard of. And his bond punished him, but not only him, it punished his symbol.

His symbol would glow and throb, a pain nothing could rid of. He had many sleepless nights, many days were spent in bed with tears falling freely. The bond would not let him forget his mates rejection.

But how could Louis reject him?! He asked himself many times throughout the weeks. Louis held him, he would kiss him and he would look at him with so much love. What changed? What happened while Niall was away? Waiting anxiously for his lover to return from a battle between angry Angel's; he was right there. By Louis' side, he had never left. Even when he found out he was Lucifer, even when Niall knew he was in danger. It just didn't make sense.

Niall loved him back, and to make Niall feel worse, he can't recall a single memory of him telling Louis that. Had he? He didn't know, he wouldn't know because everything was a faint memory now.

--

"Say cheese!" A woman screamed, happiness clear in her voice.

"Mum!" Niall groaned, his friends chuckling at his side. His graduation party had just ended, and the boys were dressed up and ready to leave for a nights celebration without adults.

"Oh just one more picture?" His mother begged, her eyes wide and lips set into a pout.

Niall groaned again, but posed anyway. Zayn, and Liam posed as well, enjoying the easy atmosphere.

"Okay, that's enough! We're leaving." Niall chuckled, kissing his mothers cheek gently before motioning to the other two boys and walking out, waving over his shoulder.

"Don't be out late! And stay out of trouble!" His mother hollered.

Niall laughed, his hand reaching over to open the car door. "I always do! You have nothing to worry about." He yelled, quickly getting in the car and slamming the door before she could get another word out.

Months had passed, Niall finished school and was even planning to attend a local college. He moved out a month ago, and even true to his word, he had taken his sister with him. She was happy, they both were. His mother wasn't too thrilled, but in the end she let her leave. Her husband was very persistent in the situation.

His foot had long gone numb, in fact sometimes he forgot his symbol was still there. The pain was so frequent, so constant, it was an everyday thing for him now.

"So, Niall." Liam started, turning around in his seat to get a good look at his friend. He had a wide grin on his face. "You're now out of school. You have your own place, and you're an adult. Don't ya think its time to start looking for your mate?"

Niall only smiled, and shook his head. "When he's ready, he'll come find me."

Liam gave him a confused look, before settling back in his seat.

But Niall was right. Louis just wasn't ready, but sometimes at night, Niall could feel him. He could feel him late at night when he was close to sleep, sometimes the numbness would even stop. He'd wake with tingles across his cheek and his foot aching pleasantly. He would smell him on his pillow, his scent lingering on his blankets.

Niall believed Louis watched him, even sometimes visited him. But he didn't tell anyone, because when Louis was ready, he'll find him.

--

THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER but THERE IS STILL AN EPILOGUE.

The epilogue will be posted in a few days. I will also post an important note in that chapter, ya know, the one where I get sappy and cry and thank everyone. That note.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this story. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to finish it.