Heroes (BoyxBoy)

7. Forever, Remember?

Liam laced his hands with Niall's. His mouth tightened in a thin line as he watched Niall with an intensity he couldn't identify. Niall felt his chest tauten and moved closer. Niall knelt down next to Liam, "What is it?" he asked.

Liam cleared his throat and looked down at their intertwined hands. And he began before Niall knew it, "I know- I know that I'm not the greatest person to have around. I seem to have shitty luck, and it sucks- it sucks a lot, actually. But I guess things happen for a reason, and I have to believe that. But I'm alive, and that's something to be thankful for. You said that yourself. Right, Niall? Do you remember?" He had to clear his throat again and take a deep breath. "I mean, usually it's me who's in the hospital bed, the one in the emergency room, and I don't even know how to begin to say thank you to you. How to...how to express how much you mean to me. All I know is that you have to come through. You have to wake up Niall Horan. You're my hero. I'm not sure if you can hear me, but if you can, if you're listening...please, please come back. Come back for me...but if not for me, Niall, come back for you. Just come back. I need you...I promise I promise that I will do anything."

Niall sucked in a breathe as he watched his friend clasp both his hands over Niall's now, holding their hands to his head. Liam's eyes squeezed shut, "I will do anything. It doesn't matter what. I'll let you go if I have to. Just come back." Liam didn't say it weakly. No, the boy said it with conviction, with absolute certainty that he was ready to sacrifice anything for Niall to pull through. To wake up.

A tear fell. Niall wiped at it, shocked. He pulled back, and the image before him started to slip. Niall fell back into darkness, into his deep slumber.

Sleeping was an oddity. It was peace, enough to taste the bliss, but not enough to stop you from going back for more. It was a drug that all living things couldn't go without — an addiction that, from the beginning of time, our bodies craved so that our bodies would be rejuvenated and alive once again.

Sleep was what Niall needed. He hadn't realized how much he was without the serenity. The quiet that captivated his mind was enough to make him float along in the darkness that held him like a loose blanket.

If Niall ignored the feeling that echoed out to him like a soft whisper, he could let himself relax. Relax and roll along with wherever it was he was going.

He watched his life, mesmerized by the odd glow the images took on, like a projector in a dark room. He watched his mother kissing a young Niall's knee, "All better, sweetie. See?" Niall laughed.

He watched a young Liam run-up to Niall, grabbing his hand, giggling that he had a secret place to show him. He watched the young version of him get lost in the days of play.

He watched them as they grew older. He watched Liam lean out as he grew taller. He observed a sick Liam laying in bed next to him as Niall played a handheld game. The boys murmured to each other, and Liam beamed as he watched his friend mash buttons next to him.

Niall watched as he sat there crying. Heartbreak, he thought to himself. So much heartbreak. He remembered all of them. He saw Liam moving closer and wrapping an arm around Niall.

"Well, I didn't think that one was going to work anyways. After all, Amelia didn't like chicken. Who doesn't like chicken?" Liam said mockingly, but it made Niall smile. He watched them, the boys on the screen. How Liam made everything seem okay.

He let himself relax a bit more. He let himself slip a little further. If he listened hard enough, he could hear a melodic rhythm somewhere, almost like a soft hum, a far-off chant beckoning to him. Come, come, relax, let go, and let yourself finally just be...and he wasn't prepared to put up a single ounce of a fight.