Just A Kid || Narry AU

Chapter 7: Not sushi!

Honestly, this is the Niall I prefer over anything.

I sat in his steel and marble chairs at his marble counter top which sat in the middle of the kitchen with a huge chandelier overtop with a narrow plate full of sushi.

Although I've never eaten anything besides left over Starbucks food and TV dinners, they weren't that great. Yet also not that bad. Niall was really goofy. He always had a joke of the topic and he was smiling nonstop. He had a serene glow at home where there was no one else. It's almost annoying how happy he looked.

"Did Hailee ever spend the night with you?" I ask sticking one half of my chop sticks in the middle of the raw fish, not even bothering the learn how to use both.

"She used to live here." He says with a mouthful of tuna. My eyes squint at him wondering what the fuck?

"I know, I know. It was a short time but ideally she was not a great roommate. Very messy, bossy and in fact inconsistent. Not to shit on her in front of you." He tells me. I just shrug and we both laugh.

I settled down after eating half of my tray and then stare at him eat. My hair was in my face and was now bothering me. I needed a hair tie.

"Hey, do you have a hair tie?" I ask him and he drops his chopsticks on the tray to pull a band off his arm. I was surprised to see he carried a rubber band when he didn't have hair to tie.

"Are you a magician or do you really keep a hair tie for your non-existent hair?" I ask and he shrugs.

"Before Leo died, it's all I ever wore. He had long, honey hair and he'd always talk about his hair bothering him, so I'd keep one with me so he would have one. It's just a habit that makes me stay closer with him." He says not taking one glance at me. I watch as the room suddenly gets quiet and still.

Niall's mood dimmed and he seemed a bit bothered. What's going on? When was Louis gonna tell me Leo died?

"You two must've been really close." I speak up never taking my eyes off of him. He chuckled sort of before he sat his chop sticks down and started massaging the sides of his face. He looked visibly red.

"Yeah. He was literally all I've ever wanted in life. I was ready to rip the shirt off my back for him. Protect and go to war against the world, just for him." He says with his volume decreasing. He pulls his hands from his face slow before lightly placing his palms on the counter.

I took and chance and said fuck it and placed my hand over his. He looked up at me and his eyes were red but no tears were visible. He smiles and softly laughs.

"I'm sorry, I'm such a wimp." He smiles and he finally let two tears drop. Not the beautiful baby blues. Why is he letting hurt fill the light inside of them?

I take his hand in mine and massage the back with my other hand, staring fondly at him. Just repeating it's okay. He then wipes his face with his other hand.

"You just remind me of him so much and for some reason I can't let you go." He expresses and I sigh.

"Well, Niall. I know how it feels to lose someone like that. When I was 18, my mom died of breast cancer. My dad and sister kicked me to the curb and I had to find a way to live alone in LA. My mother and I were so happy together and were thick as thieves. She was my partner and crime and she was ripped from me." I tell him not feeling the urge to cry unusually.

Maybe because I was at peace with my mothers death and my family's disappearance. I was able to comfort Niall and understand his pain.

"How do you even think about it and not wanna burst into tears? Or constantly hide in the house and mope for the rest of your life!" He whispers but loud enough for me to hear.