(PART TWO)
Niall managed to stay asleep on the couch, in Liam's embrace until the sun came up.
"Morning, feeling any better?" Liam asked, feeling Niall move around as he woke up.
"My stomach still really hurts," Niall whispered his throat sore from vomiting.
"Do you want to try eating something? It might help." Liam said, watching as Niall moved so that he was sitting upright.
Niall definitely did not want to try eating. Even just the thought of food was making his insides clench sickeningly, "No, I'll just end up throwing it back up."
"Okay, the other guys will probably be up and about soon." Liam stood up, "I'll be back, I need to use the toilet."
Niall nodded as Liam walked away. He was sweating buckets and given the early hour, he wondered when exactly the tour bus had gotten so hot, 'probably that fever Liam mentioned last night.' He thought, leaning back against the couch.
When Liam returned - feeling relieved, and with some medicine - it was to see Niall seemingly in pain and shivering. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, crouching down in front of him.
"It's so hot, but I feel so cold," Niall said, opening his eyes and looking into Liam's.
"Yeah, that would be the fever." Liam said, "Here, take these." He handed over two of the pills, he had collected on his way back from the bathroom.
Niall accepted the offered medicine gratefully, swallowing the white tablets down with as little water as possible. "I'm gonna vomit." He groaned, after sitting in silence for a few minutes.
Liam helped him to the bathroom, where Niall wasted no time at all in positioning himself in front of the toilet. He didn't really have anything in his system to bring up, however, the poor boy ending up mostly dry heaving, as his body tried desperately to rid itself of the poison.
"You know, I must confess, I've always liked you," Niall said, falling back into the sturdy boy once his body was finished trying to turn itself inside out.
Hearing Niall's confession, Liam felt at a loss for words, "We'll talk about this later. When you don't have a fever trying to fry yۡour brain." He smiled, patting the boy's stomach.
Liam helped guide Niall back to the couch, Harry emerging from the bunk room soon after. "You look tired," Harry said to Liam, sitting on the opposite couch to the pair.
"Yeah, Niall woke me in the middle of the night." Liam looked at the boy, who seemed to have gone back to sleep, cuddled into his side. "He's not well."
"Oh, what's wrong with him?" Harry asked. He knew how well the blond handled sickness and the way that he would get all clingy. But he was also aware of the crush that Liam seemed to none to secretly harbor for the boy.
"He thinks it's food poisoning, be he also seems to have quite the fever," Liam said, glancing back towards the bunk room. "Is Louis, or Zayn awake yet?" He asked.
"No, just me." Harry smiled, "I'm going to go make some breakfast, yell out if you need any help, okay?" He left the living area, once more leaving Liam alone with Niall.
By midday, Niall and Liam were lying down together in the bunk room. The other three boys now being rowdy in the living area, playing video games.
"Liam, I'm sorry about earlier," Niall said, referring to this impromptu confession in the bathroom. "I didn't mean to make things awkward between us."
"No, you didn't." Liam smiled, running his fingers through Niall's hair, "I just wasn't sure on how I should respond earlier. What with you feeling so bad and all...are you feeling any better now?"
"A little, yeah," Niall answered. His stomach was still feeling wonky, but his fever felt as if it had broken at least. "So it's okay then? That I like you...as more than just a friend?" he asked, a blush creeping across his face.
Liam smiled again, bundling Niall up into a tight hug, "Sure, I like you too. I have for a while now."
"Really?" Niall asked, sounding shocked. "Then how come you have never said anything?"
"I didn't want to chance to ruin our friendship." Liam said sadly, "Just being around you as your bandmate and friend, is so much better than not being around you at all."
"Well, I'm glad that it is out now. Guess what?" Niall grinned.
"What?" Liam asked, not at all liking the expression that was on the Irish boys face.
"Maybe now... Well, maybe Niam can be official." Niall said, rolling around so that he was on his stomach, head resting against Liam's chest.
Liam could feel his heart beating strongly inside his chest, he had never actually imagined that the person he was slowly falling in love with, could be falling in love with him in return. "I'll tell you what, once you are better and feeling up to it, we'll go on a date."
"Yeah," Niall excitedly said, "I can't wait!"
"Why don't you get some more rest?" Liam suggested, taking hold of his hand and placing a light kiss on it.
Come the next day, Niall was feeling much better. But Liam made him wait a couple of days before the aforementioned date, just to be sure.
Total word = 898
