Chapter Text
“We can definitely meet up sometime this week and begin to discuss dates and plan the promo around it.” Niall is preparing for the release of his second studio album Heartbreak Weather and is in the midst of laying out the details of a tour and the endless promotion that comes with it.
His team has been working tirelessly around the clock to ensure things go off without a hitch. And he’s beyond excited at the prospect of going back on the road. The album is over six months away from being released, even Harry’s second album will be out for a while before his, but he’s past the point of caring.
He wants to plan and run through the majority of the work with a fine-tooth comb before summer hits. If he can announce the tour and dates they can go on sale in the fall and that gives him plenty of time for tour rehearsals and the buying of equipment right after the holidays.
An outline for the rest of the year maps out in his mind, rolling over into 2020 when the album will be released and the tour will start shortly after that. Basically, the next year and a half is jam-packed. Niall often likes to keep busy and having a schedule to match the one in his days of the band is what he’s grown used to.
The tour manager and someone from his label agree that meeting in the next couple of days is crucial. His assistant is also on the call and he lets the three of them iron out the details, they’ll simply tell him where and when to show up anyways. His attention shifts to the noise in the background of his flat.
He’s strewn across Harry’s lap with both of his AirPods in so that he can pay attention to this four-way call. That doesn’t stop his focus from alternating between Harry and his team, though. Harry’s very distracting. First, he started off playing with Niall’s mess of ‘floof’ as he called it, on top of his head; then moved to draw patterns in the inseam of his jeans.
At first, he tried slapping his hand away, but his efforts proved fruitless when Harry looked down at him, batting his eyelashes in that heart-wrenching way of his. Niall didn’t stand a chance when Harry launched that doe-eye look coupled with his matching dimples that send his heart into a plunder.
So, in short, he gave up and let Harry continue with his need to touch every visible part of Niall. He had one hand wrapped loosely around Niall’s waist, while his other hand fabricated elaborate designs into the fabric of his jeans. Harry’s head was resting on Niall’s shoulder and Niall tried remaining in a sitting up position with his legs dangling off the side of the couch.
When his meeting first began he let Harry have one AirPod to listen in, but he quickly lost this privilege as he couldn’t stop chatting to everyone and would put his own two cents into their ideas. Niall had yanked the AirPod from his ear and inserted it into his own and apologized for the distraction. No one really cared though because they loved Harry. Who didn’t?
Harry pouted for a minute at this loss and was prompted to nuzzle his head as close to Niall’s ears as possible so he could still catch the occasional thread of conversation. This went on for the majority of the call, Harry alternating between playing with his hair and messing with his clothes. It almost put Niall to sleep a couple of times and he has to fight the urge of his drooping eyes.
Just another few minutes, he tells himself. Or he hopes. It’s supposed to be a short call, yet there’s a lot to discuss and go over. They chose to approach it in a less overwhelming format and only tackle a few topics a day. Otherwise, Niall thinks he’d lose his mind at the overhaul of information and decisions to be made.
“Are you writing this down Niall?” He sort of grunts in response and knows Tara will send him her notes once they hang up. Perks of having an attentive assistant when he can’t be bothered, he supposes. “Okay, we can move on to the next thing then. We’re almost done for today.” Thank God.
His attention is once again grabbed by Harry when he shifts his position slightly so that Niall is leaning into his right side more than his left. “Niall?” He thinks he’s just been asked a question, but he’s not completely sure. “Yeah, sorry?” A round of laughter booms in his ears and he rushes to lower the volume of his AirPods.
“I think he’s so excited for tour that he’s too busy daydreaming about being on stage right now that he can’t focus on the planning stages.” Light chuckles are exchanged among everyone and he rubs the back of his neck feeling slightly embarrassed. He knows he should pay more attention because they’re all there for him and their time is limited as it is.
“Sorry everyone, I promise to give 100% I was distracted for a moment.” He feels Harry’s grin against his neck. And what’s that? Did he just see a glint in his eye? He chooses to ignore this inkling and chalk it up as his imagination running away with him. “Okay then, back to the good stuff.” The rep from his label drones on about set lists and stage setups, and how many nights some cities should be played versus others.
His ability to be present in the conversation is slipping. And Harry has resorted to playing with his rings. He has so many and loves putting them on Niall’s fingers when they’re sitting like this on the couch together. He’s repeatedly twisting one around Niall’s middle finger and he thinks he can guess which one it is without looking. His knowledge of Harry’s ring collection and general belongings may raise alarm for others, yet living in each other’s pockets for over eight years justifies this level of familiarity.
That’s why Niall doesn’t think twice about this exchange, because it’s happened countless times between the two. A second ring is pressed onto his ring finger and this time something feels different. It’s not the press of the cool metal or the weight of it. But something about it doesn’t feel familiar like the others usually do.
He doesn’t know why he has this feeling; he can’t put his finger on it. Just something is off. He takes a moment to look down at his hand and the gasp he lets out is involuntary. That can’t be right. He does a double take and still, the ring remains the same on his finger. He was right to assume that he didn’t know this one.
He studies it and brings it closer to his face, the metal catching on the rays of the sun and suddenly it’s blinding him slightly. He starts to take it off but Harry beats him to it, urging it to stay in place. He meets his eyes and notices the smile blooming on his knowing face.
“Niall?” The sound of his name shocks him out of his moment with Harry and he suddenly remembers where he is and what he’s supposed to be doing. “I need to call you back.” He doesn’t wait for a response before hanging up his phone and placing the AirPods haphazardly on the coffee table.
“What is this? It’s not yours.”
“No, it’s not.” Harry agrees before continuing, “It’s yours.”
“I don’t understand. Is this-”
“Marry me.” He feels Harry’s grip on his waist tighten as he turns him around so that Niall is straddling his thighs.
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Are you serious?”
“I’ve never been more sure or serious about anything before, Ni. Marry me.” And it’s not a question like he was expecting, it’s more of a certainty Harry has and is waiting for Niall to affirm, like he’s asking him to confirm their love of The Eagles or sushi. Like this is something that’s been laid out as a fact before; that Niall and Harry would get married one day. And he loves that Harry is so sure of him, of them, and their future together.
“Okay.”
“Okay? Is that a yes?”
“I think so.”
“Say it properly then.”
“Yes, I will marry you, Harry Edward Styles.”
“We’re engaged! Niall James Horan is my fiancé!”
Harry engulfs Niall in a bone-crushing hug and he can already feel the sobs reverberating from Harry’s shoulders. He feels tears prick his own eyes and revels in the light kiss Harry presses to the center of his forehead. Niall burrows his head under Harry’s chin and starts to admire the ring on his left hand, the one his fiancé picked out and bought for him.
“It’s a good thing you have good taste in rings. Otherwise I might have said no.”
A wet laugh leaves Harry’s mouth and the force of it sends Niall’s suppressed giggles tumbling out. He ends up shedding his own tears and the pair of them are a blubbering, crying mess, but who could blame them, they just got engaged.
The concept seems foreign and wild in Niall’s head as he repeats it to himself and he’s so deliriously happy. This happened sooner than he thought and he wondered who would be the one to propose in the end when the time came. “You’re so pretty, you’re all mine and I love you.”
“I love my ring.”
“More than me?”
“Well…”
“Niall!”
“Of course not baby.”
“That’s all I need to hear.” Harry kisses him for the first time as his fiancé and Niall thinks he’ll never get used to saying that. Well, he’ll never tire of saying it until he can call Harry his husband.