Narry One Shots

I Also Know I Love You

Harry understood. He understood that Niall and Liam had grown close before he and Niall had. He understood that Liam was one of Niall's closest friends, and would be for years to come. And yes, he understood that in theory, he shouldn't even be concerned about this. He was Niall's boyfriend, not Liam. It was he who Niall came to in the middle of the night when he had a bad dream; it was Harry who cooked Niall breakfast nearly every day because he knew exactly what the Irish lad enjoyed eating the most and he was the only one out of the group who was more than decent in the kitchen. He and Niall were....well, they were perfect together.

But knowing and understanding all of this didn't stop that little flame of jealousy ignite in his chest when he walked into the living room of his flat to see Niall and Liam seated together, watching a movie. Liam had his arm wrapped around Niall's shoulders, the two of them snuggled close and appearing quite comfortable.

Harry stood in the doorway of the living room for a few moments, unsure of what to say. What could he say? He had been looking for Niall so the two of them could go out to lunch, but the blonde-haired boy didn't look like he would be getting up for a while.

Liam finally noticed the younger member of the band standing and offered him a smile. "Hey Harry," he greeted, "would you like to join us? The movie just started."

Niall looked up as well, a large grin on his face when he caught sight of his boyfriend. "Yeah! Come sit down, Harry!" he urged.

The curly-haired boy quickly shook his head, taking a step back. He knew, he knew, he knew that Niall and Liam were genuinely pleased to see him and were hoping he would join them, but he couldn't. He just couldn't be happy watching a movie while his boyfriend was being held by someone else. A soft voice in his head asked him why Niall hadn't tried to hang out with him first, why he always had to be the one to make plans and initiate spending time together. He pushed that voice to a corner in the very back of his head and told it to remain quiet.

"I, uh...I just remembered, I have to go do something. Right now. Maybe next time." And with that, he turned and hurried back down the hall to his own room, shutting the door tightly behind him.

Niall's smile instantly fell from his face, and he turned to Liam, unsure of what had just happened. "I should go check on him," he said, untangling from Liam's arms and standing up. "I'll be right back."

Liam nodded and turned back to the movie as Niall started down the hallway after his boyfriend. He paused outside of Harry's room and, hearing nothing but silence coming from the other side, knocked gently on the door. "Harry?" he called, his voice full of concern. "Can I come in?"

"No."

That one word was so cold that Niall physically took a step back, shocked. Harry had never spoken to him like that before. "What's wrong?" he asked, knocking again. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm feeling fine, Niall. Go back to watching your movie with Liam. Just leave me alone."

Niall stood there for a moment, his cheeks flushed, then took the door handle and turned it, pushing the door open with all his might so that it slammed against the wall. He stood in the doorway scanning the room until he spotted Harry lying on his bed, curled towards the wall with his back to Niall.

"I thought I told you to go away," the curly-haired boy said quietly.

Niall rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like I was gonna listen to that." He strode forward until his was standing at the side of the bed, towering over his boyfriend. "Alright Harry, what's wrong? You weren't in a bad mood this morning, so why now?"

"It's nothing-"

"Bullshit. I know you, Harry, and this definitely isn't nothing-"

"You know me?"

Niall paused as Harry interrupted him, the green-eyed boy sitting up and turning to face the Irishman. His face was closed off, no spark of happiness visible. "You know me, Niall? Do you really? What's my favorite movie?"

Niall opened his mouth, ready to shoot back an answer, but he paused. Did he know Harry's favorite movie? Why couldn't he think of it?

"Let's skip that one, then. What's my favorite restaurant? What do I like to do in my free time? And what the hell is my favorite fucking color? Huh, Niall?" Harry's eyes had narrowed with every word; he stood up, his cheeks flushing as he finally got everything that he had been thinking lately off of his chest. "You know what's sad, Niall? You know the answer to every single one of those questions when it comes to Liam, and I know the answers for you...but you can't answer any of them for me. Not a single one. Because you don't care enough to learn the answers."

"That's not true!" Niall insisted, narrowing his eyes as well. "Harry, you know I care about you more than anyone else! Just because I can't answer a few questions doesn't mean anything!"

"Then prove it!" Harry shouted, taking a step toward his boyfriend. "Prove it, Niall! For once, do something for me! For once, put me before Liam! Prove that you care for me just as much as you do for him! Because I know he's your best friend, and nobody will ever replace him. I know that. But I'm your fucking boyfriend, and I'm tired of carrying this relationship single-handedly." His face softened, and to Niall's surprise, a single tear fell down Harry's cheek, only to be wiped away furiously before it could drop to the floor.

"I love you, Niall," Harry said quietly, "but sometimes, I feel like my love will never be enough."

He turned away, crawling back onto his bed and facing the wall. He closed his eyes, waiting to hear Niall turn and walk out of the room; or worse, to hear him break up with Harry, to say that he was right, and Liam would always be more important. He waited for either of these things to happen with his eyes squeezed shut, biting his lip to have some point to focus on.

He heard neither of these things. In fact, for a long while he heard nothing. He was about to turn and see if Niall was even still in the room when he felt the bed dip behind him and felt someone wrap their arms around him, pressing against him tightly.

Harry's scent was nearly addicting and overwhelming as Niall pressed his face against his boyfriend's neck, breathing in deeply. Why didn't he do this more often? he asked himself. Why didn't he take more time to appreciate the boy that he had in his life? Why did he always take Harry for granted, when the other boy so clearly cared for him?

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and his words were filled with sincerity. "I'm so, so sorry, Harry. I'm sorry that I don't do as much for you as I should. I've been an absolutely shit boyfriend so far."

Harry's lips curved upwards into a smile. "Not quite that bad," he murmured. "It's just-"

"No, there's no excuse," Niall insisted. "You're brilliant Harry, you really are. I couldn't ask for anyone better. I'm so lucky to have you all to myself, and I never want you to doubt how much I care about you ever again. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded. Unsatisfied, Niall began tickling the other boy until he finally turned over, so that the two were face to face. Harry's eyes danced with amusement as he smiled at his boyfriend. "Yes, I understand," he insisted firmly.

Returning the smile, Niall leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against Harry's, biting down on the younger boy's bottom lip gently and making him gasp. The blond boy broke away and ran a hand along the side of Harry's face, tugging on one of his many curls. "I may not know the answers to all those questions right now," he said, "but I'm making it my new mission to know them as soon as possible, along with so much more. But there is one thing I do know about you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" he asked, skeptical. "And what's that?"

"You love me," said Niall simply. He leaned forward and kissed Harry, and this time when he pulled away he remained close, blue eyes locked with green. "And I also know...I love you, too.