Secret Love Story (narry) (boyxboy)

Chapter 13

Niall quirked at the word depression. "Is that what you all think I have. I don't have depression Greg ... I'm just..."

"Is that true Niall? Because you need to tell me the truth so that I know what to do. You can not make my little boy go through what we did when uncle committed suicide, Niall! You can't!"

Niall scrunched up his eyes in pain when he remembered his uncle. Uncle Lester, happy go lucky man who never seemed to have a problem hanging over his head. But the reality was he did have problems, so many of them. And he didn't bother to share with his family and one summer uncle Lester didn't show up at any Horans houses. So in standard Horan fashion, all the Horans that could visit him, went o his place. It was like some morbid troubled soul had possessed Uncle Lester. He no longer talked or ate. He barely went out of room. And finally when Niall's father made the mistake of leaving Lester alone to go grocery shopping, he finally did it.

Greg and Niall found him a couple of hours later, hanging from one of the backyard trees. Niall had nightmares of the dead look in his favorite uncle for years to come. Even in death, the depressed look he had been wearing for months before didn't depart from his eyes. Greg was just as affected as Niall, but with Greg it was much worse for he felt like if he had paid closer attention he could have stopped Lester. If he couldn't do that, he felt he could have at least kept his little brother from seeing his hero at his weakest point in life. Niall vowed that day, to always be the opposite of the Lester they found in his last day on earth. Because Lester was the big black cloud all of Niall's primary years, that gave him nightmares and made him lose his smile whenever the word uncle was brought up.

Niall hadn't realized what he was doing to his family. He never wanted them to think he was going to kill himself. He felt so empty at the moment but the last thing on his mind was taking his own life.

"I would never Greg." Niall said meeting his brother's eyes.

"Then you need to stop behaving like you are writing your own eulogy and tell me what is wrong Niall."

Niall placed a hand over his mouth and tried to choke down the feelings of panic threatening to boil out. He loved his brother but he didn't know how he was going to react to this. He wanted to shoo him away with a fake laugh and an insincere smile but if there was one thing he learnt over the years about having a sibling is that they can read you like a book and have a habit of never listening to what you said.

Greg remained quiet, sensing the turmoil that was happening in his head. Instead of forcing him to talk he grabbed a chaise and pulled it so close to his brothers that when he sat on it their shoulders touched. They sat like that for what seemed like hours.

Finally when the sun was above them, he blurted it out.

"Harry and I slept together." Greg turned his head to face him so fast, that Niall was sure he pulled something.

Niall kept looking forward waiting for whatever harsh words his brother would have for him.

"Slept together ... as in you climbed in one bed and fell asleep in that same bed?" Greg said playing stupid.

"No Greg." Niall said on a sigh.

"As in Harry was naked in bed, and you had your boxers on but you both fell asleep together." Greg said in a hopeful tone, because everyone knew how much Harry just loved being naked and cuddling. And he loved to do both at the same time, but only Niall would humor his perverted addiction.

"No."

"So you were both naked?"

"No Greg, Harry and I had sex! Not even on the bed too. On the sofa, in his suite. I mean how cliché is that?! God damn!" Niall shouted back at his brother in agitation.

" When?"

"The night of the day he arrived here. Freaking Bruno Mars was playing across the park and it just freaking happened!" He threw his hands in air in helpless abandon.

"How, why, where, when ... I mean .... What!?" A dumfounded Greg questioned. Niall would have found the stupid look he had on his face quite hilarious if they were in another situation.

Niall took a deep breath and put his poor brother out of his misery. He told him about everything, from good ol' innocent days to becoming closer to flirting with each other to the kiss on New years to sex in Dublin to rejecting Harry 5 days afterwards of ignoring his texts and calls to the song that Harry sang and broke him.

He felt like the biggest douche when he recounted what he said to Harry. He just wanted Harry to forgive him.

"And what do you feel about him?" Greg asked in a low voice. He had been listening quietly, taking in Niall's facial expression and body language as he told him everything.

"I miss him. I love being with him and knowing that he is not happy with me at the moment just breaks my heart. "

"I think you need to be truthful with yourself. You want to be with Harry in a romantic way. Everyone knows this. That's why our stupid family is literally trying to adopt him. And I'm not even kidding; Anne is on the verge of slapping G'amma with a restraining order. She keeps asking her if they can keep him."

Greg stayed quiet letting Niall process what he said. He still wore that mask of hopelessness and fear. Greg ran his hand into brunette hair and watched the water in the pond. Frogs could be seen close to the back, puffing out their cheeks as they breathed in the cool Dublin air. Dragon flies skimmed the calm waters surface, their unremarkable veiny wings fluttering a thousand time a minute. Everything was so relaxed yet their conversion was nothing but that. It had the potential to finally lift Niall's mood and bring back his good mood or it could do absolutely nothing at all or, even worse, worsen the situation. Greg knew the root of the problem was the way they had been brought up.

"We have always been taught that the natural balance in between a woman and a man Niall. And no one denies that. But that doesn't bring about happiness to everyone.

"I don't get you"

"I know you don't, but what I'm trying to say is that everyone needs and deserves to be happy. Some people are happy being with the opposite sex, some are not. It doesn't make any difference because at the end of the day, the same happiness straight people feel is the same happiness that homosexuals feel when they find that one person who makes them feel so special. And there is abso – fucking – lutely nothing wrong with that. And the same thing with you Niall, it's not a sin to be happy and Harry makes you happy, and as your brother, I'm happy for you."

"I'm not gay"

"I never said you were ... but you are all depressed over a boy you had sex with ... so I might just be thinking it." Greg replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Look that doesn't matter to me and I know I'm speaking on behalf of everyone in the family. We don't give a flying fuck whether you want to fuck a boy or not. We just want you happy."

Greg's swears solicitudes a grin out of Niall, "Thanks Greg. I'm not just saying this because I want you to leave me alone; that really helped. I feel so many ounces' lighter."

"Don't worry bro, you can buy me a very expensive gift for my b-day."

"Why, you are so considerate Greg."

"I'm such a natural born giver! People would jump to do that for me! But I gave the opportunity to your undeserving ass. And my great services will be a thousand Euros by the way."

"I thought the expensive present was your pay."

"Oh Niall, poor Naive Niall. You should know me better than that." Greg said with a pat on his back. He took his leave to haunt down his neglected wife and son. He also made it clear that Niall should pay double for being inconsiderate and taking him away from his young family.

"Why is my freaking god damn family so full of gold diggers?" Niall said to no one in particular. His face held a huge grin and for what seemed to be a long time, Niall felt like everything was going to be okay.