eight years later; nouis

ten.

The first time Niall says it is like any other time he's said it. It comes out easily and naturally and it's something he has said so many times, Louis almost misses the connotation.

They're laying in Louis bed and Niall has an arm behind his head and the other wrapped around Louis' shoulders, who is laying on Niall's chest and has his toes entangled with Niall's.

They're watching Friends, which Louis isn't a huge fan of, but Niall loves it, so he settles, just happy to be in his arms. Chandler and Monica get engaged and Niall says "I love you," and Louis smiles and says "love you too, bro," like he has millions of times.

Niall doesn't saying anything, just breathes out a quick chuckle, and then Louis sits up slowly. Niall is still watching the telly as Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey run into the scene.

Louis turns Niall's face, to see it pretty much expressionless. "You love me?" he says quietly.

"Shouldn't be much of a shock, pal. Always have, haven't I?"

"But you've never—it's different to hear it. Say it again would you, young Niall?"

"I love you," he says and Louis heart flutters too much. 

"Niall, I love you." he says and Niall smiles at him before laying him flat on the mattress and getting comfortable on top of him. He snogs him until Louis head just about spins off, which if anyone was counting, happened to be almost an hour.

"I've never been quite so content just proper kissing someone for the better part of an hour." Louis says when his breathing had gone semi-normal.

"So many years of kisses I have to give you, that I should've given you before. Starting with when you held my hand at X-Factor and told me, 'If anyone gets in, it'll be you.'"

"Gosh, your memory, Nialler. Why do you insist on remembering all these precious things that I never thought twice about?" and Niall just looks at him, so Louis says, "Right, the lifetime of loving. Make me feel more guilty about it every day, don't you?"

Niall just shakes his head and laughs and decides it's been quite enough time being lazy in bed today,
"Fancy a run with me, Lou?"

"Maybe a kick-around. Not much for running am I? I smoke like a geezer."

"Please stop.." Niall says while lacing up his Nikes and tightening his knee brace. Louis ignores him. Knows good and well he shouldn't smoke. Oh well.

"Have dinner when I get back?" Niall says with a half smile, and Louis sits up,

"I guess not going for a run makes me the house wife. You'll get  a pizza, that's as far as I take that role."

Niall rolls his eyes and closes the door behind him. He pulls out of his phone and calls Louis as soon as he's made it to the end of his driveway.

"Yes, Niall?" Louis says with fake annoyance, when in reality he nearly cracked his face from the smile he had when he saw Niall's name on his phone.

"I love you, Tommo."

"Oh, I love you, Nialler."