It's been there ever since he could remember.
The tension rolling up his shoulders, his heart thumping quickly in his chest, the clenching of teeth - Niall couldn't control what his body was doing, and he definitely couldn't control the whirlwind of anxiety in his brain.
Sometimes it wasn't too bad; his best mates knew how to help Niall if they noticed he was having a particularly difficult time. If they were walking through a crowd, Louis might hold onto his wrist to guide him through, sending Niall into a relieved, protected state. Louis is good at being protective, Niall thinks.
And even though Liam didn't completely understand the anxiety, he still tried his best to help, too. If Niall looked tense, Liam would give him a secure hug, rubbing his hand against his back. If he looked unsure about something, Liam would send a warm, gentle smile in Niall's direction. They were small things, but they helped.
As for him...
Harry. Harry knew. He knew how to maneuver through the feeling of suffocation, the bundles of nerves and the irrational thoughts. Harry was always there for him - always there to soothe him in a way that no one else could.
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A/N: hello, hi. hope you're good. does anyone want me to keep going somewhere with this? truth be told I'm terrible at writing and I can barely string together a few hundred words because things are hard to express. but I can try. let me know.
