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The rain dripped off Harry’s lean body and drenched curls, the dirty raindrops sliding down his face and streaking his clothes with rain water. Harry stood motionless in the street, his arms swinging limply by his sides and his chest heaving from pants; the aftermath of sprinting after Niall still taking its toll on the younger boy. Harry’s facial expression was sorrowful and desperate, and his musky green eyes were swimming with pleading and sadness; sometimes Harry felt like there was no hope left, but he couldn’t give up, wouldn’t give up. He couldn’t abandon Niall, not now, not when he needed Harry most, and Harry would never dream of letting Niall go, leaving him helpless and rendering him completely and utterly alone. Because, Harry had decided, that as long as he was there, Niall would never be alone, because Harry loved Niall, loved him so much it hurt sometimes, and Harry would do everything possible to protect Niall, keep him safe from harm.
“Don’t do this Niall, please.”
The words withered past Harry’s full lips, desperate and pleading, a silent begging in his eyes, because he would not let Niall do this, would not let him go.
Harry watched, still, as Niall slowly turned around to face him, his expression unreadable and his body racking with harsh pants. The rain stained Niall’s blonde locks a darker shade of brown; his dimmed blue eyes were hidden beneath the constant downpour of murky rain.
“No, Harry! I can’t do this anymore, I just can’t. I have to go, get away from all this before I do something I’ll regret, before I hurt you!”
Niall’s voice was lilted with a defeated rage, and Harry knew the boy was beginning to break, cracks forming in his porcelain skin as Niall finally, finally, showed signs of letting it all out, allowing his glass bottle of crammed in emotions to explode and burst.
“You could never hurt me, Niall,”
Harry’s voice was genuine and sincere, the tone matching the clouding emotion in his green irises, and for a heartbeat he thought Niall was finally going to believe him, finally accept the fact that Harry actually did care, even if no-one else did.
“That’s the thing Harry, I could, you just don’t understand-”
“No, Niall, you don’t understand!”
Harry suddenly erupted, the rain falling heavily against his body and drizzling down his face and the thick column of his neck, the raindrops stuttering as they dribbled over his Adam’s apple. Harry’s frustration echoed in his eyes and the way his fingers curled into his palms, the nails digging into the skin and leaving crescent marks in their wake. Niall’s eyes were wide and the older boy appeared to mirror Harry’s frustration, opening his mouth a beat too late, and he instead stood motionless as Harry began to speak.
“You don’t understand, you never have, or maybe you’re just too blind to see. I love you Niall, you, I love you, not anyone else, you, and whether you believe me or not, I care for you and I want to protect you, all because I’m in love with you! Can’t you see that?”
Harry’s voice obtained a new desperation and the longing burning in his chest finally burnt away as Harry watched Niall closely, wanting to gauge his reaction and instead barely receiving one expect wide eyes and a small mouth in the shape of a tiny ‘o’.
“Y-You love me?”
Harry stared at the way Niall’s hands rested numbly at his sides and took in the way his voice stuttered. A small, almost relieved, humourless smile formed on Harry’s lips, and he found his feet taking him forwards, surging him on through the rain until he was only a few steps away from Niall, was so close to reaching out, touching, holding.
“Yes, Niall, yes. I love you,”
Harry took the final push, and stepped until his face was a mere centimetre away from Niall’s, so close that he could feel the blonde boy’s breath against his lips. Running on pure instinct, Harry lifted his hands and rested his palms on both of Niall’s cheeks, bracketing his angelic face painted with innocence and vulnerability. Harry leant forward gently, resting his forehead on Niall’s and feeling the dampness seeping from skin to skin.
“I love you,”
Harry voice was nothing more than a loving whisper, and he pressed his lips gently against Niall’s, finally showing his feelings rather than just telling. Niall’s lips were rough and dry and cracked, but they were still Niall’s, and Harry honestly didn’t care anymore, only caring about the fact that his lips were on Niall’s and the latter wasn’t pulling back. Kissing with as much passion and care and love as he could muster, Harry reluctantly pulled away slightly, needing to see Niall, wanting to see the emotion swirl in his eyes. Letting the raindrops slither down their faces and drip onto their noses and eyelashes, Harry gazed into Niall’s blue orbs and watched with a muted joy at the colour and happiness slowly starting to re-form in the irises, the glow gradually drowning out the dimness. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for now, and with one last shaky smile, Harry enclosed the gap between them once more, and he knew for certain that he was never letting Niall go, because Niall needed him, and Niall was finally able to accept the fact that Harry needed him, too.