[Narry One Shots]

Half A Heart

AN: Beforehand I just wanna say that I am an extraordinarily creative person, therefore I did the soul-mate-necklace-thing. I think some people did it already but hey. I have no excuse. It was a tumblr post. I just kind of adapted the idea and yes. Here we go. (Also the title is very creative and not at all nicked from that one One Direction song).
***

In which there are soulmate necklaces and Harry is not superstitious


Half A Heart

Harry is not what you would call superstitious because he's not. He doesn't believe in all that stuff, black cats bring ill luck, knocking three times onto wood brings luck, no, he doesn't think this is a real thing (he sometimes knocks three times onto a table anyway, just in case).

So when he gets this necklace at the age of 10, he doesn't know what to do with it. Well, besides putting it around his neck. He thinks it's kind of girly, wearing a necklace in the shape of whatever it is supposed to be, but the other boys wear it, too, so it's not that girly in the end.

His mate Liam tells him that some other person has a necklace which fits Harry's own and Harry doesn't quite believe that because please, how is that supposed to work? (He asks Liam to try and fit both of their necklaces together anyway. It doesn't fit and to be honest, Harry's pretty relieved.) (Not that he doesn't like Liam, he just doesn't like like him.)

Harry doesn't search for his significant other and almost forgets about the necklace until he reaches the age of 15, when he meets Louis. Louis is great. Louis is funny, witty, pretty and he has blue eyes and they go out. Louis asks Harry out at some point of their friendship when friendship doesn't feel as if it was enough anymore. When they try to fit their necklaces together, it doesn't work and both of them are pretty upset. They try it a few times but nothing. 

They break up some time after that because they feel that the whole necklace thing is a problem between them (it isn't for Harry), that love isn't enough (it is for Harry) and soon after Louis finds Eleanor and their necklaces fit together perfectly. 
Harry is okay with that (he isn't), he's over Louis and if his heart aches a bit, it doesn't matter (it does). 

He doesn't exactly search for his match in the five years to come but he can't say that he doesn't keep an eye out. Harry dates here and there, mostly blokes, sometimes a girl with blue eyes but he's not on the scout (even though something inside of him says that he's a little desperate to find his soulmate).

He's 23 before he realises it and there's a new guy in his life. His name is Niall and he has blue eyes and he doesn't have a necklace. Harry doesn't understand why Niall doesn't have one but he's okay with that, he doesn't think Niall's his perfect match anyway and that this relationship will end sooner or later just like all of the others did (he doesn't hope that it'll end because after all he kind of likes Niall very, very much a lot, thank you).

They celebrate their 2-year-anniversary and Harry realises now that maybe Niall and he are meant to be, even though Niall doesn't own a necklace and sometimes Harry doubts this whole necklace thing anyway (but most of the time he doesn't). 

He's not superstitious but it kind of bothers him anyway that Niall doesn't own one of these damned necklaces and when he asks him about it, Niall just shrugs and laughs. 
He says that he doesn't need that piece of jewelry and he's happy without it. Harry doesn't quite understand how Niall's not influenced by the lack of weight around his neck because one time, Harry put his own necklace down and he felt so empty without it.
He doesn't know how Niall does it (and therefore he doesn't really believe Niall's words).

Harry asks Niall then if he has lost it, the necklace. Niall shakes his head, still smiling but it falters a bit. Niall wonders why Harry bothers so much about it. Harry shrugs and admits that he can't explain, he just wants to know (he can't stand the thought that what if their necklaces fit together but Niall has lost it? Harry wouldn't feel complete.) (Even though Niall makes him feel whole).

Niall smiles a bit sadly at him now, excusing himself and he leaves Harry a bit dumbfounded (he didn't want to hurt Niall if that is what he did). 
Harry lets it go, though, but later when he lays in bed next to Niall, he looks at his blond lover quizzically. He doesn't say anything but his glance is enough for Niall to understand and sigh (Niall always understands him even without words).

"I've found my soulmate a long time ago.", Niall says then, voice hoarse and Harry's heart drops (and he starts sweating a little). Niall has found his soulmate a long time ago?
"It's not me, is it?", he asks and Niall snorts, which hurts Harry a little (very much). 
"No, not you.", the blond answers and sits up, grabbing the blanket tightly between his pale fingers.

"What happened?", Harry asks timidly, sitting up as well but he doesn't touch Niall, is not sure if Niall wants to be touched. Niall grimaces.
"My necklace was the perfect shape of half a heart and everyone told me how special that was because most people's necklaces are just indefinable shapes of something unique. Something whose other half someone else has dangling from his neck."

Silence. Harry doesn't say anything.
Niall takes a deep breath.

"I've been 14, I think, when I found my other half.", Niall speaks up again. "And it was wonderful, it was perfect, we were perfect. I thought I loved him more than anything and he loved me more than anything. We were together for... forever", his voice breaks at this point, tears spilling from his eyes and Harry doesn't want anything more than to hug him tight, make him smile again and make the hurt in his own chest disappear because Niall is his now. 

"But at some unfortunate day I noticed that forever wasn't good enough. That his goddamn necklace wasn't good enough. Just wasn't enough. I realised that I wanted to be free, make my own choices, love somebody who I wanted to love, didn't want to be bound to someone... who was chosen for me. Whom others made believe that I was chosen for him. I don't think it was real love back then, just some kind of illusion, an illusion we all wanted to be true. An illusion I wanted to be true. An illusion everyone falls for... I left. I just left.", he breathes, voice strained and weak, hands running frantically through his hair, mussing it up.

Harry sits silently beside him.

"I left him while he slept. I put my necklace around his neck and put the pieces together, letting it rest underneath his shirt, close to his beating heart. His kind, wonderful heart which was about to be broken by me. By poor, pathetic me. He had no clue, I felt so bad. I didn't even leave a note. I just... I was gone.", he says, wiping away some of his tears. "And after I was gone, I thought that maybe I made a joke, that maybe what he and I had was really true love but then..."

Niall looks up at Harry with a small smile on his lips. 

"But then?", Harry asks or rather whispers and Niall chuckles lightly.

"But then I met you and I fell in love. I saw that you're a bit naive and that you believe in this soulmate stuff but I fell in love with you anyway, hoping that you'd do the same. You did. I'm glad you did. I know that I'm probably not the one you truly want but I hope you'll keep me as long as you don't find your perfect match."

Harry's heart feels so heavy and he shakes his head, cupping Niall's face with his hands as he slowly leans closer and presses small kisses against Niall's beautiful face, who looks at him curiously.

"I'll keep you forever, even when forever stops being good enough", Harry croaks out and buries his face in Niall's shoulder, hugging him tighter than ever. "I'll keep you as long as you'll keep me"
Niall laughs at that, slinging his arms around Harry's torso. 
"I've managed two years with you, I'll manage forever with you, too"

Harry laughs as well and pulls away gingerly, looking at his lover fondly. 
Then he reaches around his neck and slips out of his necklace. 
"Here", he says, "I want you to have it. You're my other half. You're my perfect match.", Harry puts the necklace around Niall's neck and kisses him onto the lips.

Niall touches the necklace carefully and blushes a wonderful shade of red. 
He tells Harry that he can't accept that, that it's not his, it's Harry's.

Harry grins at him and shrugs, says that if Niall finds Harry's soulmate and if the necklaces fit together, he should gently tell them to sod the hell off because Niall is Harry's and Harry's only.
(Niall actually does find Harry's soulmate and okay, he's quite pretty but he's not Niall's type at all) (turns out he isn't Harry's type either) (he has brown eyes and everyone knows that it's blue eyes Harry falls for).

They're 65 and they're still together, not always happily but happy enough, so that forever is enough.
Harry is still kind of superstitious and he still likes to knock onto wood for three times for good luck but he believes now more into free love than into the illusion of soulmate necklaces.