** poorly edited so sorry for any typos or anything **
Harry laid on the bed with his head resting on Niall's thigh, mindlessly watching the laptop that was sat on Niall's legs as they halfheartedly watched a crime scene investigation show. Normally they loved these types of shows, always trying to piece together evidence and figure out the suspect before the detectives. But tonight neither of them were too engrossed.
"Do you want to talk now?" Niall spoke quietly, breaking the rooms silence.
He shrugged, rolling over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "Not really, no."
Niall chewed on the inside of his bottom lip, watching Harry pick up his phone when it buzzed and read yet another text message from Zayn. He'd been relentlessly texting and calling over the last hour and a half, since they got to Niall's house — Harry hadn't answered once.
"That him again?" He questioned, already knowing the answer.
Harry nodded against his thigh, turning over onto his side again and absentmindedly picked at the fabric of the blanket. "Did Zayn really say that to you?"
"Yes," he immediately answered. "Why would I lie to you?"
Harry shrugged, biting his bottom lip and turned over some to look up at him. "I know you like me, Niall. I think I've known for awhile but I've never said anything in case I was just overthinking things too much."
"Yeah I like you," Niall avoided his eyes and kept them on the laptop. "We've been friends since kids."
He shook his head, "No.. I mean — the other kind of liking someone." Harry paused a moment, "The way I thought Zayn liked me."
"I don't," Niall snapped quickly.
Harry moved to sit up, crossing his legs and faced him. "I just thought because of the way you —"
"Well you thought wrong," he silenced his words before they even had a chance to leave his mouth. "We're friends — that's it."
Harry nodded, closing his mouth. "Okay, I'm sorry." He paused and then looked up at him, "Should I go?"
"No, not unless you want to." Niall shrugged, reaching forward and pausing the show.
He looked down at his phone again, seeing yet another text message from Zayn popping up on his screen. "You think maybe I should respond, tell him I'm okay or something?"
"Are you okay," Niall questioned.
He shook his head, "It sucks — I didn't think Zayn was like that. He hasn't pressured me into anything, it's just weird that — that he'd say something like that to you."
"So you think I'm lying then," Niall snapped.
Again Harry quickly shook his head, "No, I — I just — I don't know. The whole thing happened really quickly and I think I should've stayed to talk to Zayn, get his side."
Niall got up off the bed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Fine then, go run back to your sneaky little alpha but when he shows his true colors don't come running to me."
"Niall you aren't being —"
"Just leave!" He shouted, halting Harry's words and pointed towards the door for emphasis.
Harry got up off the bed, standing on the opposite side. "I don't understand why you're acting like this, your mood is all over the place and I think you're lying. You like me and that's why you get so worked up about Zayn."
Niall shook his head, "I don't."
"Yes you do!" He raised his voice some and walked around the bed, standing within arms length of the beta. "Stop lying and just admit it, it's not like I'm not going to stop hanging out with you."
Niall continued to scowl, briefly looking away and then back at the slightly nervous omega. He outwardly grunted in frustration and closed the gap between them, pulling Harry in for a kiss. As quick as their lips touched, they were gone. Niall stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door closed behind himself. Leaving Harry standing there wide-eyed and more than slightly confused.
Harry sat down on the bed, expecting Niall to come back within a few minutes — thinking he needed space to process. Which is what Harry was currently trying to do with his own thoughts. But after 15 minutes and no return, Harry got up and went to leave. Noticing once he was downstairs that Niall's shoes and car keys were gone, saying goodbye to Niall's mum and started his walk him.
Even more confused about the beta's sudden actions and disappearance. Harry pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing the last number that had called him and sat down on the curb as it rang.
"Hi — hey..." He paused a moment, "Do you think you could come pick me up? We could go talk somewhere too. If you don't, I understand."
Harry listened to the response, nodding his head and gave the person his location. Hanging up the phone seconds later and just sat waiting, using the time to clear his thoughts and continue to attempt to piece together what the hell just happened. Because maybe he'd pushed Niall too far, unfairly pressuring the beta into an action he thought he wanted.
Or maybe Niall's actions were genuine, either way — he needed to tell Zayn because they were technically together. And what happened could end their relationship, if it wasn't already over from today's earlier events.
Another 15 minutes and a vehicle was pulling up a few feet from where Harry was standing, having stood up when he noticed the familiar vehicle. Walking towards the vehicle and pulled the door open, climbing into the passenger seat.
"Hey," he spoke as he buckled his seatbelt and sat his backpack on the floor between his feet.
"Hey?" Zayn repeated in a more than slightly confused tone. "I've been trying to find you the last hour and I find you here on the side of the street, and all you have to say is 'hey'! Are you fucking kidding me, Harry!"
He shouted at him, angry and raising his voice for the first time ever — allowing his inner alpha to come through and assert his position over Harry's omega.
"Someone could've picked you up, kidnapped you or — or — I don't know but what the fuck!" Zayn continued to shout, at a loss as to what Harry was thinking. "You should've called me, even texted that you were okay or something. Not just disappear from the field." He spoke more calmly, having pushed a hand through his already disheveled hair and taken a deep breath.
Harry waited a moment, unsure if he was finished. "I'm sorry, okay. I left with Niall because... He told me what you said and I just didn't want to be near you." He looked over at him with desperation in his eyes, "Why would you say that? I thought you actually liked me."
"What are you talking about? I do like you and I didn't say anything to Niall other than, 'what's your problem with Harry and I being together'. Then he tried to punch me and we started fighting." Zayn explained, simultaneously running his tongue across his split bottom lip — still having that metallic taste on his tongue.
"So you didn't say that Niall needed to back off because it was making it harder for you to.. Um, you know with me." He murmured softly, suddenly embarrassed by the wording.
"No," Zayn immediately protested. "Is that what that little prick said about me? Because it isn't true, I've never even tried — hell, even thought about pressuring you into that or anything else. Like we talked about, I'm ready when you are."
Harry frowned at bit, hurt that Niall went through the trouble of lying to him. "I should've known he was trying to manipulate my — I'm sorry Zayn."
"It's okay, baby." He murmured softly as he leaned over and kissed his lips, placing a hand on his cheekbone and thumbed the soft area before he pulled back. "I shouldn't of yelled, I should've let you explain."
Harry smiled, buzzing with the feel of Zayn's warm lips on his own. "I should've just talked to you sooner, I'm sorry too."
"So now that we're both sufficiently sorry, do you want to get some food before I take you home?" He smiled.
Harry reached over and touched Zayn's bruising face, "Shouldn't you get stitches on that cut on your cheek, or maybe your eyebrow too?"
Zayn laughed with a head shake, grabbing Harry's hand with his own and kissed his knuckles. "I'll be okay, I heal quickly. Let's just focus on you for now, where do you want to eat?"
"Mm, any place that sells chicken sounds good to me." He hummed in response, going mushy at the feeling of Zayn doting on him.
"KFC it is," Zayn laughed and put the vehicle into gear, turning on his signal to merge out into passing traffic.
** AUTHORS NOTE
Apologies for the super long wait, I've been busy with life and stuff (the usual excuses). Hope you liked the chapter and people are still interested in this, I like writing for this so I'll keep going regardless.
Where do you think Niall went, and was is right of him to manipulate Harry's feelings with lies? Was Zayn's "outburst" over the top or justified because he didn't know what was happening with Harry?
Any and all feedback is appreciated and highly recommended!!! **