seasons of love | Narry Storan AU

chapter 34.

2016

"Hi, Horan." The whispering voice makes Niall shiver.

He knows exactly who's talking to him, and he turns around just to face the man's smile.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Mendes."

"Please, we're not in the university", he shakes off the uncomfortable feeling between them, "you can call me Shawn here."

"In this case... oh, hi, Shawn." Niall smiles back at him. "What a coincidence, huh?"

"Yeah, it's actually a perfect moment to talk about... something."

"Really?" The Irish lad blinks faster, already having in mind what his teacher is talking about. "What would be it?"

"Remember that e-mail that I sent to you a couple weeks ago?"

"Oh", Niall feels shivers right below his shirt. "Yeah, I do."

"I resigned from my teaching duties."

The information falls on Niall's shoulders like some kind of heavy weight that he feels he should take on very well, but he doesn't, in fact. It was some kind of dream he had back at the beginning of his college years — to be able to kiss Shawn's lips, to be able to like him and be reciprocated. Niall feels like he should do something about it.

"I have a boyfriend." These are all the words that come out of his lips.

Shawn's eyebrows raise in a sudden. Niall feels some kind of pride in saying those words, but he swallows it because, even though he never discussed with Harry about what kind of relationship they had, he knew it was something close of being his boyfriend.

He won't mind, the young Horan concludes, before shrugging and continuing to talk.

"I met him, and I developed these feelings for him, and I..."

"It's okay", Shawn reduces his smile, but takes a hold on his former student's shoulders. "I never asked you to wait for me, I guess."

"It would have been fun if you were the one, actually."

They laugh together at the affirmation.

"Yeah, it would", Shawn says, "you're a good guy, Niall. I think it was just the wrong way we found to..."

"Yeah. Wrong place, wrong time. But I wish you the best."

"You, too", with his hands still over Niall's shoulders, Shawn looks over to the rest of the pub, finding exactly what he thought he would find. "Is Harold your boyfriend?"

Niall freezes at his position. He wasn't counting on being caught so quickly. However, he manages to let go of Shawn's hands and grab the drinks he ordered at the bar.

"Maybe", the Irish lad shrugs, "he could be, he could be not."

"He's not."

"How can you be so sure about it, Shawn?"

"No one says 'maybe' when they're for sure your boyfriend. Or I'm making just a guess."

[...]

Niall wakes up only to check his phone and realize it's almost the ninth hour in the morning. His breath slowly comes back to normal, after he, for a minute, believed he was late for something, but it's still the weekend. When he turns around, Niall notices that Harry is peacefully sleeping on the other part of the bunk bed.

Something comes up on his mind. With that thought punching his neurons over and over again, he decides to change clothes and leave the bedroom for a cup of coffee right across the main street of the college. The younger Horan does not call Louis or his father; he wants to do it on his own. At the Starbucks store, he orders a cup of coffee the way Harry always orders when he's the one who buys for them; Niall also buys one for himself and then returns to their bedroom.

Harry is still asleep. But it's time to wake him up.

"Harold", he mutters to Harry, gently shaking his shoulders. "I bought you coffee."

"Oh, good morning, Nialler", the Styles lad smiles when he opens his eyes and catches Niall's look on him. "What time is it?"

"Past nine in the morning."

"And why did you go to Starbucks and not me? It's, like, my thing." Harry pretends to be offended by the action, but the tone in his voice is lighter, showing signals that it's just a joke for the two of them. "You know I'm kidding."

"Thank God you are, or I would return your cup to the store right now", Niall delivers another joke, just to get in the feeling with him. "I met Shawn last night."

"I know."

"What?" He acts surprised.

"I saw the scene. Didn't hear a thing 'cause the music was very loud, but I saw it."

"And you're not interest in knowing what I told him?"

"Deep inside, I am, but it's not like you owe me an answer."

"He asked if you were my boyfriend."

Instead of spilling the coffee all over the place or raising his eyebrows, as a surprised man would do, Harry just shrugs and glances at Niall, finishing his reaction with a naughty smirk on his lips while still drinking from his cup.

"I can only imagine what the hell you answered, Nialler."

"I didn't confirm."

"But you didn't deny."

"Yeah." 

The younger Horan sits in between Harold's legs, eyes focusing on his hair, his forehead, his nose, his lips, his chin, his neck, his T-shirt, his tattooed arms. He believes he may be too lost in Harry's good looking to present that damn question.

"What are we, Haz?"

"What do you want us to be, Ni?"

Niall, then, feels confident enough to get closer to Harry's left ear and whisper to him.

"I want to be yours."

"Then, be."

"I need it official."

"I have nothing prepared."

"Nothing between us was prepared from the beginning, Harold Styles."

It's Harry's turn to whisper something into Niall's ear and make him smile.

"Do you want to be my boyfriend, Niall James Horan?"