NIALL'S POV
After Louis had woken up they had had to remain in Austria for a further three weeks while he went through the recovery therapy. Niall had tried to visit the clinic everyday but usually by the time Louis had finished his therapy he was fast asleep in his room. Still, seeing the process of his best friend transforming from a bed-ridden patient to a steadily recovering version of who he was before the accident was amazing. Louis had been making such excellent progress that he wouldn't need to stay for the full month usually allocated for recovering patients.
They were currently on a private jet flying back to England and Niall was overjoyed that life would return back to normal with Louis by his side. Thinking about how close he was to losing his best friend brought tears to his eyes and he had vowed to be whatever Louis needed him to be, no matter his own feelings. Right now, he was content to be his friend and make the rest of his recovery as comfortable as possible.
Niall looked over at the brown haired man sitting beside him currently dozing. He found himself grinning hugely from just the sheer feeling of relief that his friend was coming home with him- he was going to be fine! The Irishman reached over and gently brushed Louis' hair back from his forehead, mindful of the healing wound in his hairline. I must act normal, I must only be his friend. Niall pulled his hand back quickly when Louis gradually returned to consciousness.
"Hey, how long now?" Louis asked.
"I think about another half hour and we should be back on British soil," Niall replied smiling.
"Thank God, let's never go back to Austria, that place is bad luck for me," Louis joked.
Niall's smile subsided as he was once again reminded of how easily Louis could have died. He refused to ask Louis if he had heard Niall when he was in a coma and since Louis hadn't mentioned anything he guessed that he hadn't. That doesn't matter, Louis is straight and I need to be here for him not confuse him further by professing my love.
"Aw, not even to see the city where Schwarzenegger was born?" Niall teased.
"Mm, perhaps I could be convinced if you were to buy me a sample of every Austrian dessert in existence," Louis said, his eyes twinkling.
"Haha that I could do but I would demand half of every one of them."
"You drive a hard bargain, Horan."
Niall glanced at his watch. "Time for your medicine," he said and reached into his bag for a bottle and shook out one tiny blue pill from it. He gently passed it to Louis with a cup of water.
"Thanks Ni, I'm sorry that it's you who has to make sure I'm doing all the right things. You shouldn't need to."
"Don't be an idiot, I'm glad to help you get better. I...I want to look after you," Niall said quietly. Oh God, that sounds so obvious!
But instead of Louis making fun of him for being such a girl he smiled, radiant even when he was still a recovering victim from a freak car accident, and replied, "You've looked after me our whole lives, I'm glad you're not tired of it."
Niall's heartbeat sped up at those words and he fought to control the words of love that threatened to bubble out. "Pssh, dude I'll never tire of it," he said awkwardly. He then made a show of putting the bottle of pills back into his bag and retied his shoe laces, already feeling the descent of the jet.
LOUIS' POV
Louis wanted to tell Niall how much gratitude he felt for everything he had done for him and will have to do for the next couple of weeks. But everytime he opened his mouth to tell Niall that it was his voice that brought him back from the brink he felt silly and instead said nothing. Besides, Niall had seemed to be acting like a normal friend around him since he had woken up so maybe his feelings were once again platonic.
He felt like an idiot for getting lost in those amazing eyes, for the hitches in his breathing when Niall helped him to stand with a supportive arm securely around his waist. He had never felt this way about anyone before and he didn't know what to do, if he should act normal or try (and fail) to describe his new found feelings for his best friend.
A/N I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in so long! I was dealing with a whole lot of stuff and my stories were sort of put aside. But I promise to finish this story!
