Bully Me [Larry/Ziall | AU]

Bully Me : Chapter 16

[Really sorry for the late update >-< ! Here is the next chapter ^^ Hope you enjoy!]

Chapter 16

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Chocolate brown eyes with a glint of curiosity, jet black hair flaunting a lustrous shine, well-sculpted cheekbones, sun-kissed skin that had lost some of its tan over the months and full plump lips, a lighter shade of pink - this picture was burned in Niall's mind and nothing could erase that memory from his head. 

Just thinking about him caused his heart to flutter and butterflies erupted in his stomach. According to him, Niall was the only one suffering from such abnormal reactions when the opposite party had no interest in him. 

He didn't know the guy or his name. It wouldn't have mattered if the guy was some nerdy classmate of his or even the flamboyant jock of his new school, but he wasn't. The raven-haired guy was his new bully and Niall had unknowingly volunteered to be his personal punch bag. 

Niall sighed and stared up at his pale blue ceiling, sparkling with the faded stick-on stars, the only childish remainder of the room. The rest of his space was neatly lined up and arranged. His mom called it OCD but for Niall it was just a way to sort out the jumbled thoughts in his mind. 

Ever since the 'Derek Stokes' departure, Niall had found peace within the silence of his room. The sorting of his clothes, arrangements of his novels on the far side of one shelf, the clothes hanging from the racks in his closet, all placed in the order of similar shades and the miscellaneous. During periods of pain and chaos, Niall would lock himself up and wreck the whole room. He would pull out the drawers, spilling their contents out on the floor; ripping his bed sheets off the bed, pushing all of his well-preserved books off the shelves and then settling back to place everything in its rightful position. 

The first time Maura had walked in on her son sitting down on the floor with all his belongings sprawled over the carpet, she almost suffered a panic attack. After months of therapy Niall had given up his cutting and insecurities, only to replace them by an entirely different method of handling his pain. Though his mom preferred this sort of coping then the bruised wrists and cuts that covered his arms, she was still worried. 

Niall hated being the reason behind his mother's sleepless nights, his brother's constant protectiveness for him. He should have been the one to stand in front of his family and defend their side, yet it was his mother and his older brother Greg who hid him from the piercing eyes of the society, always finding ways to explain the harsh words thrown at them. 

On the fateful day when Niall was announced the outcast of his class, following the breakup with Derek, Greg had turned into an angry monster. 

'I will kill him! I swear to God I will kill him!' he screamed and had reached the front doors of the Stokes mansion when Niall had stepped forward and prevented the ugly murder from happening. His brother hadn't understood his unwillingness, his hesitation at harming Derek. Niall still didn't have the answer to the question his brother had asked that night. 

'Why Ni..? Why did you stop me from killing him? Why didn't you let me beat the crap out of him?' he had whispered and then walked away into the cold night. 

Niall couldn't explain the reasons behind his decisions because in a way he didn't think Derek deserved his hatred. It would have meant that he still thought about him, still held on to that feeling even with all the pain surrounding it. And he didn't want that. 

Derek deserved to be punished, that much Niall agreed with, but not by his hands. He wanted nothing to do with the guy, wanting to believe that Derek Stokes had ceased to exist for him. He wanted to forget him, forget the pain and betrayal. 

The strange and familiar face flashed in his mind again and Niall groaned softly. 

The new boy had infected every single thought in his brain, increasing his longing and desire to get to know this mysterious bully. Niall wanted to experience the closeness, the warmth that had touched him even with all the barriers. He wanted to hear that soft voice with a slight lilt, which had become a soothing melody to his ears.

All they had shared was one meeting and nothing more. Yet Niall knew that the boy had already begun carving his place in his heart. 

He could still see the genuine concern in this bully's eyes that had reflected his somewhat good heart. It was such a big difference from his precious relationship that Niall couldn't help but compare the two men in his life. One who was his past and the other, his probable future. 

Derek had never been the one to sense his distress, not until the whole problem was explained to him. He always found it hilarious that Niall would turn up to him for advice and support, pleading for his help. And he always succeeded in turning him down, chanting the line that had stuck with Niall even after they grew apart. 

'You need to handle your own problem Ni, and not depend on others.' 

Niall had been naïve then, lapping up every single lie that slipped from Derek's mouth. It was only on that day that he realized what utter bullshit it was. The guy didn't bother helping him, didn't respond to his love because Niall was his pet dog, his winning chip against his buddies. He had proved his worth not only to the entire school but to the boy himself, to Niall who was so wrapped up in the idea of love that he was completely blind to Derek's true face. 

'I wish you'd come sooner in my life Mr. Bully, it would have been so much better...' Niall whispered to the shadows in his room. 

'Niall ! Niall honey! Some guy is here to see you!' 

The door to his bedroom shook with the banging from other side. His mom's loud voice brought him back from his thoughts and Niall rushed to open the door. 

'Mom? Who is it?' Niall asked as he stared at the raised hand of his mother, preparing to knock again. 

'It’s some boy from your school. He says you're his new classmate...' Maura's thin eyebrows rose in a questioning glare and Niall blushed. 

He had no idea why his body had chosen that time to act awkwardly. Niall shuffled from one foot to the other and stared at the ground. His mind flew back to Mr. Bully who supposedly had found out his address and decided to drop by. 

'Ni...is he your new boyfriend?' 

'What! No mom! We are just friends and nothing more. Besides I met him yesterday, it’s not like I would swoon over him after just one meeting.' Niall chided and ducked under Maura's hand, jumping down the stairs to invite the stranger inside. 

'That's good to hear son. He is a bit too...nerdy to be your boyfriend.' Maura muttered to herself and began to descend the staircase to meet the new guy.

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