18 (Narry AU)

Twenty Seven

Harry had only been gone for a week and a half, and Niall already missed him. Work was getting more difficult for him each day, so much that his boss sent him home early three days in a row. Niall felt bad and was afraid he would be fired.

Niall hadn't seen much of Louis, just a couple times during work. Louis didn't look like himself. He wasn't cheery anymore. His once glowing face was now dull with dark circles outlining his eyes. Sometimes while he's stacking CDs he'll drift to sleep. Thankfully another employee would notice and wake him before their boss saw.

Niall knew it had to do with Liam. It must be terrible for them both. Liam was stuck sulking while Louis was there to comfort him. It really wasn't fair on Louis. It was messing with his body. Too bad Liam probably wouldn't notice.

Niall's house work began slipping dramatically. He stopped doing dishes and cleaning up. He didn't do laundry or make up his and Harry's bed. The movement bothered him. His back ached too much, like someone was continuously jamming a knife into his spine. Bending just wasn't an option for him anymore.

Without Harry, Niall could barely function. He wanted to ask one of his friends for help, but Niall felt like he would be bothering them. It must not be fun having to slave around for a pregnant person, he thought. So Niall just forced himself to deal with it.

He counted down the days until he could see Harry again. Seven more days to go. The concerts at the O2 were just before the Dublin shows. Niall would see Harry for two days, then he would be leaving for Ireland and wouldn't be back until the 24th. Niall didn't like that Harry wouldn't be back until Christmas Eve. That meant he had to go Christmas shopping for his friends on his own. He felt stupid for not going when Harry was still there with him. Going so close to Christmas was an awful idea. There would be thousands of people out at the shops looking for gifts. Niall shuttered at the thought.

Three more days passed. Niall went to work for one of them and was almost sent home early again. But he sucked it up and acted like the pain in his back was nothing. Hayley could see the pain in his eyes, and ever so often would come over and help him out a bit. The next day, he couldn't even get himself out of bed, his pain was so bad. So he called in sick and stayed home for the day.

His next day he had off, and he was thankful for that. He spent most of his day on the couch, sending messages to Harry. Harry didn't reply much, which was to be expected. He was in the middle of a rehearsal. Niall wanted to tell Harry he was hurting, but what if Harry tried to come home early? That would be insane of him. So Niall kept quiet and told Harry about the movie he was watching.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Niall shot up at the sound, his heart racing. He looked around the room and saw that it was empty. Sunlight was seeping in through his wooden blinds, and he glanced over at the clock. 11:39 AM.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Niall realized someone was banging on the door. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and slowly stood up, stretching his arms out and letting out a loud, screechy yawn. As he walked to the door dressed in nothing but his boxers, he wondered who could be knocking. He rubbed his nose then opened the door, being greeted by Louis.

"Louis?" Niall asked, surprised. "Uh hey."

"Hey," Louis said with a soft sigh.

"What're you doing here?"

"Was just checking on you," he answered. "I feel terrible. I know I was originally supposed to come keep you company while Harry was gone and then... yeah." Niall nodded.

"It's okay." Louis shook his head.

"It's really not," he said with a laugh. "You're in pain. At work, God you sounded awful, Ni. And I heard you when you went into the bathroom Tuesday. I heard you crying. And I feel like complete shit that I wasn't here for you." Louis pulled Niall into a hug, exhaling softly.