Unrequited (Narry)

Chapter Two

I'm shamelessly working on this fanfiction instead of the one that 99% of my followers actually want to read. I was planning on uploading at least one chapter of the other one before school began, but I've written three of this one instead. I should get an award for The Most Selfish Writer of the Year.

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Niall peered curiously down the long hallway leading to his room, struggling to wrap one arm around the handle of his suitcase and hugging Sergeant—his stuffed shark—in his other. He let out a huff as he struggled to balance a cardboard box twice his size in his hands, on top of his previously mentioned items.

Niall found it quite absurd how they had chauffeurs to pick up the boys, drive them to the boarding house, and help them unload their luggage. That, however, was not the absurd part; when it came time to carry the luggage to the boys' bedrooms, the chauffeurs were not at disposal and each boy was responsible for his own manual labor.

There was something about the fact that he came in at a measly 121.25 centimeters—and yes, the 0.25 centimeters made a huge difference—that made it hard for his wee legs to climb up and down the flights of stairs with a box half his height in his arms. Perhaps Niall wouldn't have been so bitter if he only had one suitcase or something; of course, his mum decided to pack eight boxes worth of clothes as well as four more boxes of personal belongings.

Frankly, Niall didn't even know he owned so many items until it came time for him to carry each box up to his room—which just so happened to be on the third floor. Of course, unobservant Niall wasn't quite aware of the elevator located down one of the branching halls from the grand foyer until he was on his sixth trip back from his room.

By the time that Niall finally had a second of rest after the tedious task of transferring his luggage, he was interrupted by an obnoxious tapping on his door. "The headmaster's gathering us all in the dining hall for the celebratory welcoming dinner," a voice called out, tapping once again when Niall failed to reply.

Niall sluggishly pulled himself off of the ground and opened his door just a peep, hoping to somehow convince the messenger to let him sit this one out. Now, Niall was never the rebellious type whatsoever, but he had decided that it would be much more impolite if he fell asleep at the table or if he caused himself embarrassment of sorts by doing so.

Before Niall could even open his mouth and come up with a petty excuse to explain his absence, the boy pushed open his door and grabbed his hand. "Oh! Looks like we're neighbors, Horan," the boy said, shooting the smaller lad a huge grin as he began to pull Niall along with him, down the hallway and towards one of the elevators. "You're the last one in our hall. We're going to be late if we don't hurry!"

Niall let out a huff as he was dragged into the elevator and leaned against one of the walls tiredly once they were inside. He began to feel slightly sleepy as he rested his head against the boy's shoulder, sighing quietly as he listened to the soft humming of the cable wires. The boy chuckled and patted Niall's head lightly, choosing to poke fun at Niall's rosy cheeks, which were still flushed from the many times he climbed up and down the steps of the boarding house.

As soon as the elevator dinged and the doors part, the boy was quick to grab Niall's hand once more and hurry down the hallway, towards the presumed dining hall. Niall, who was the kind to quickly forget directions, tried to keep his wee eyes open and pay attention to any distinguishable furnishes and the proper turns that were taken down a number of narrow hallways.

"Slow down, Nick," Niall wheezed, trying his best to keep up with the boy's long strides. Amidst the scurrying of feet and the occasional bumping of shoulders at odd intervals, Niall became tangled in his own feet and stepped on an unusually long shoelace, sending him diving nose first into the ground.