Seven Letters (One-Shot)

A/N: Hello everyone! I’m so sorry I haven’t updated in a while… Exams are quite a pain in me arse. But one night I was just sitting around with a headache, and I bing! This idea came into my head. It’s probably the longest story I’ve ever written with a word count of 5186 words! Wow! It might be a little messy, because I wrote it over a period of three days, but I honestly hope you enjoy it! Also, I didn’t indent this story because indenting takes me forever and this one has a lot of words so I was lazy… And my most sincere apologies for the awkward smut part… I’m not very good at writing smut haha - first time! (: But anyhoo, I hope you enjoy the story; feedback is always appreciated (: x

Pairing: Niam.

Summary: “Forever has seven letters, but so does Goodbye.”

—-

“Liam…” Niall whispered softly as he rested his head on the elder boy’s chest. “Wake up.”

“I am awake, Nialler. If you think that singing the theme song for Barney and Friends into my ear for a couple of minutes can’t wake me up, then either I’m deaf, or you’re crazy,” Liam replied sleepily.

“Morning sleepy head,” Niall said, pulling himself up to press a kiss onto Liam’s soft pink lips. “What are we doing today?”

“Well… I was thinking we could sleep in,” Liam said, smiling into the kiss. “But I guess you have other plans?”

“Well,” the blond boy responded with a cheeky smile. “We could always stay at home… But you know, I was just thinking that we could go to the zoo… Just maybe…”

“Are you saying I get to pick?”

“Maybe.”

“You won’t regret this?” Liam asked, wrapping a muscular arm around Niall’s thin waist.

“Hopefully not,” Niall sighed, once again resting his head on his boyfriend’s chest. “I’d do anything with you.”

“I say we stay at home then,” Liam said firmly.

“I was hoping you’d say we’re going to the zoo!” Niall pouted, looking up at Liam.

“No takesies-backsies!” Liam said, voice elevated like a child.

And Niall laughed at him; at the childishness of the words that were coming out of the Wolverhampton boy’s mouth. 

“Okay, okay, fine. Whatever you say, Mr Payne,” Niall said somewhat reluctantly. “Well… How do you plan on spending this magnificent day in?”

“I’d start by getting out of bed… But if you want, we could stay for a while longer,” Liam said seductively, attempting to wink at Niall.

“No…”

“Yes!” Liam yelled, flipping Niall over, pinning the Irishman underneath him as he straddled his hips.

“Stop it, Li!” Niall squealed, laughing as he tried to push Liam off of his body. But there was something about the small smirk that was painted onto Niall’s face which told Liam that the younger boy liked the position he was currently in.

“You like it don’t you,” Liam whispered seductively into Niall’s ear, breath tickling the younger boy’s sensitive skin. “You like how you can’t do anything about it.”

“N-No,” Niall lied; truth was, he loved the way Liam had suddenly become dominant. It was… Sexy.

“Oh yeah? How do you like this then?” Liam said harshly, suddenly darting his tongue out to lick the delicate skin beneath Niall’s ear.

Niall groaned, shuddering from head to toe.

“N-No.”                           

“Stop lying to me. You know you do.”

“I don’t…” Niall lied once more, wanting to know what Liam would do next.

“Well, how about this?” Liam growled, keeping his lips close to the blond boy’s ear, grinding his hips into Niall’s.

Niall’s eyes popped open in shock, the feeling that ran through his body was like an electric shock. He opened his mouth to talk, but could only manage a moan; however, his lower parts spoke up for him, all the blood rushing downwards, leaving him thankful that he was lying down as he felt lightheaded.

“Yeah, you like it, don’t you? Just admit that you like it, Horan,” the Wolverhampton boy growled, grinding harder, pushing their bodies closer.

“I hate it,” Niall hissed between his teeth. “Get off me, Liam.”

“Just admit that you like it,” Liam said, pressing fluttery kisses to the side of Niall’s neck. “Slut.” He snarled.

Niall’s blue eyes widened in shock, his draw dropping open. Never had he seen Liam this dominant before, let alone hear such a dirty word come out of his mouth.

“I-I-I like it…” Niall murmured, his hands reaching out to press against his boyfriend’s muscular chest. “I like it a lot…” He admitted, eyes clouding with lust, becoming more and more turned on by this never-before-seen side of the usually calm, and rational Liam Payne.

“Good…” Liam muttered, capturing Niall’s lips in his own, tugging at the blond’s lower lip with his teeth. “Because game’s over,” he smiled cheekily, rolling off of Niall’s body.

“What!?” Niall half-screamed as Liam’s weight was lifted off his small frame. “That’s not fair!”

“Well, that teaches you a lesson, doesn’t it?” Liam laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he propped himself up on one elbow next to Niall. “Next time you like something, just admit to it before it’s too late!”

“But I did!” Niall protested, rolling over so that his face was buried in the pillows. “Ugh! You’re horrible! I hate you! I wish you weren’t here!” He said half-heartedly, swatting a hand in the general direction of Liam.

But Liam only replied with unexpected silence.

“Liam..?” Niall asked uncertainly, turning his head out of the pillows at Liam. “Babe?” The Irishman asked quietly, hoping not to have hurt his boyfriend’s feelings with his words.

Too late.

Liam had turned the other way, his back facing a worried looking Niall, his shoulders hunched up, and his knees pulled up against his chest.

“Liam… I didn’t mean what I said…” Niall said quietly as he shuffled closer to Liam on the bed. “Liam..?”

“Go away, Niall,” the brunet whispered his voice full of hurt, the playfulness from earlier having vanished completely. “Please… Just leave me alone.”

Niall felt like his heart had turned into glass, and the sadness in Liam’s voice was someone pushing that glass heart over the edge of a table, causing it to make contact with the floor and shatter into a million pieces.

“I didn’t mean it, Li,” Niall murmured, making a feeble attempt at turning Liam’s body around to face him. “Please turn around.”

Liam didn’t move.

“Please..?” Niall whispered desperately.

Slowly, Liam turned his body so that he was facing Niall. The smiles and mischievous glints in his chocolate brown eyes from a few minutes ago were gone, and replaced with tear tracks that glistened and stained his beautiful face.

“Li…” Niall murmured, placing a slender finger under Liam’s chin, tilting it upwards so that Liam would look at him. “Look at me, please.”

Liam slowly and unwillingly lifted his gaze; brown eyes filled with hurt making contact with blue.

“Oh god. Babe, I’m so, so sorry,” Niall apologised, placing a calloused hand on Liam’s face, wiping away the tears that trickled from his eyes. “I’m so, so, so sorry. I didn’t mean a single of the things I said… I love you; I love you so much, okay?”

“But you said you hate me…” Liam murmured pathetically, tears still streaming down his face. “You said you don’t want me here…” The sobs overcame his body; and suddenly, Liam looked so much smaller in comparison to Niall, his delicate body shaking with the cries that exited his lips.

“No, no, no. Liam, I could never ever hate you,” Niall said, pulling Liam closer into him, his lips against the latter’s forehead. “I’m so sorry I said those things; I didn’t mean them… I didn’t, I swear.” The words tumbled out of Niall’s mouth as fast as the tears that were streaming down Liam’s face, hoping that one or some of them would make amends, and fix the holes that he had unintentionally drilled into his boyfriend’s heart.

“You didn’t?” Liam whispered quietly through hiccups as his tears subsided.

“Never ever,” Niall promised.

“I love you, Niall. And I wouldn’t trade you for the world,” Liam muttered as Niall dipped his head and captured Liam’s lips between his own.

“I know,” Niall murmured against Liam’s lips.

“I love you,” Liam repeated, afraid that Niall hadn’t heard him the first time.

“I love you more,” Niall echoed, pulling Liam into his body, resting his cheek against Liam’s soft brown hair.

The blond boy’s arms tightened protectively around Liam’s back, not letting go. And Liam responded in the same way by tightening his grip on the front of Niall’s shirt, tucking his head into the crook of his boyfriend’s shoulder.

—-

“Liam?” Niall asked breaking the silence as the two cooked in their kitchen, preparing for the boys to come over for dinner.

“Mmm?” Liam replied, stirring the Bolognese sauce.

“You know what my favourite four letter word is?”

“That was random,” Liam replied, slightly amused at his boyfriend’s sudden strange question. “But no, what is it? Food?”

“Haha that’s a good one!” Niall laughed. “But no.”

“Then what is it?”

“It starts with an L…” Niall said as he wrapped his arms around Liam’s waist from behind. “And ends with an i-a-m.”

Liam smiled.

“And you know what my favourite five letter word is?” Liam asked, his heart thudding with happiness from Niall’s answer.

“Nope,” the blond boy answered, the letter ‘p’ making a small ‘pop’ sound.

“It’s Niall… Followed closely by Horan. And also James… But you know what five letter words would sound great together?” Liam asked, turning around to face his blushing boyfriend.

“I don’t know… What?”

“Niall James Payne.” Liam stated simply, looking deeply into Niall’s cerulean blue eyes.

A smile broke out onto Niall’s face, his pale cheeks flushing with even more colour, his blue eyes sparkling with delight.

“I like that too,” Niall smiled, closing his eyes as Liam kissed him on the nose.

“I love you,” Liam said for the hundredth time in the day.

“I love you too… Followed by my favourite seven letter word…. Forever,” Niall replied, kissing Liam passionately, stretching up on his tiptoes, wrapping his arms around Liam’s neck as the latter supported his waist, nibbling on the elder boy’s lower lip.

“Mmmm… You cheater,” Liam laughed as they separated for air. “If I remember taking my maths classes correctly, seven doesn’t come after five.”

“Yeah, well…” Niall started, trailing off as Liam gave him a judging look. “Fine, fine. I couldn’t think of a six letter word, okay?”

“Stupid describes you pretty well… And it’s a six letter word,” Liam joked, kissing Niall’s reddened cheeks. “But Liam’s describes you pretty well too…” He added unsurely.

“’Liam’s’ is not a six letter word, babe,” Niall laughed.

“Yeah…Well… It is if you include the apostrophe, okay?” Liam fought back, smiling.

“Fine, fine, whatever you say,” Niall chuckled, adoring the way the corners of Liam’s eyes creased as he laughed. “And you know… Just saying… I don’t want burnt sauce for dinner, so I suggest you turn back to it,” he added, looking at the pot of neglected bubbling sauce behind his boyfriend.

“Oh shit!” Liam cursed as he turned back to the food.

—-

The couple had spent a chilled afternoon/ evening with the rest of the boys, talking and watching football games on the telly as they feasted on the food that Niall and Liam had spent the afternoon preparing. They were currently snuggled in the corner of the sofa, opposite Louis and Harry (who could not keep their hands off each other) watching a rerun of the Star Wars movies.

“Hey, you guys are out of beer,” Zayn said, his voice ringing through the apartment as he stuck his head out of the kitchen door.

“Drink something else,” Harry murmured, waving a hand dismissively, his eyes glued to Louis’ lips.

“But I want a beer… And stop staring at Lou’s lips, Haz. It’s creepy,” Zayn commented.

“I don’t think it’s creepy…” Louis said quietly. “You want to kiss them… Don’t you?” He teased.

Harry nodded, biting his lower lip.

“Just leave them be, Zaynie. I’ll go down and get some beer. Anything else you guys want?” Liam volunteered.

“I want some fish and chips,” Louis replied, not tearing his gaze away from the curly haired lad. “I mean… If that’s alright…”

“That’s so far away!” Niall protested, defending his boyfriend.

“Nah, its fine, Nialler. Anything you want babe?” Liam asked; his heart felt like it was melting hearing Niall defend him.

“I want some ice cream…” the blond replied sheepishly. “But I could come with you,” he suggested.

“No, stay here and accompany Zayn. I’ll be right back, okay?” Liam asked, not waiting for a reply as he pecked the Irishman on the cheek, rising from the sofa to grab his coat.

“Okay Li, be back soon,” Niall said a little sadly, his eyes following Liam’s figure as the latter wound his way around the house, grabbing various items he needed.

“Oh for fuck’s sake. It’s not like he’s leaving to go to the moon, Ni. He’s just going to Tesco… and wherever he’s planning to get fish and chips for captain fussy pants!” Zayn commented a little sarcastically.

“Yeah, Zayn’s right, Ni,” Liam added, striding over to where Niall sat on the sofa, pulling the smaller boy up, enveloping him in a hug, dropping a kiss to his forehead before exiting. “I’ll be back before you know it. Promise.”

—-

Liam paced quickly to his car, hoping to make his way to and from the stores quickly and keeping his promise to Niall that he would be home soon. The road, since he had left the house, had become wet and slippery as the rain began to drizzle from the sky. But the weather was even worse now, the rain pouring buckets down upon the centre of London; the fog that had gathered caused Liam’s brown eyes to barely be able to make out anything further than a mile ahead of where he stood.

Throwing the bags of groceries and fish and chips that he had just picked up for the boys, the Wolverhampton boy shuddered as a chilly breeze swept over his body, zipping up his hoodie to the top, pulling the hood over his head as he quickly got into the driver seat of his car, thrusting the keys into the ignition and pulling on his seatbelt as he revved out of the Tesco parking lot.

Keeping the headlights on brightly, Liam slowly drove through the forever busy streets of London. Tapping his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, the Wolverhampton boy peeked out from under his fringe, just in time to catch the amber traffic light turn into green.

Gently nudging the throttle with his foot, the car made its way into the busiest intersection in the area that the boys lived in.

No one saw it coming; not even Liam.

Suddenly there was a blinding light coming from the left– too close for comfort – and a crunching of metal as Liam and his car were thrown off course. Car tyres squealed; piercing sounds of shattering windows, sending millions of glass fragments flying in every direction. The force of the SUV that had hit the Wolverhampton lad’s car caused the airbag to explode in front of him; the brown haired boy’s head was snapped back and forth, as the seatbelt held his body in place.

Liam was in shock. His body was frozen, unable to pull himself out of the seatbelt and out of the car.

Niall, Niall, oh no, Niall, was all that Liam could think of. Come on, Liam, get yourself out of here; Niall’s waiting for you… Don’t disappoint him. Liam panicked, trying to move his arms. But they were frozen like rocks. Liam, stay awake, you have to get back to Niall, a voice said in his head, commanding his eyes to stay open as blood began to gush down his forehead and into his eyes. You fucking promised him, Liam. You promised him fucking forever; I don’t call this forever, do you? WAKE UP, LIAM PAYNE! WAKE UP! Liam yelled at himself mentally. But his eyelids were getting too heavy from the blood that was now streaming down his face; his brain was getting hazy – his thoughts no longer completely coherent.

Sirens in the distance.

 I-I’m sorry, Niall… I’m sorry… And the Wolverhampton lad’s mind went completely blank.

—-

Niall’s phone rang.

“Hello?” The blond boy answered.

“Hello, is this Niall Horan?” A man’s deep voice from the other end of the line boomed.

“Y-yes..?” Niall answered unsurely; worried by the man’s seriousness. “I’m Niall Horan.”

“Who is it?” Zayn mouthed to him.

“I don’t know,” Niall mouthed back, gripping the phone a little closer to his ear.

His heart beat in a strange pattern, something in his stomach stirred. Niall didn’t know what it was, but something wasn’t right, and he was worried.

“I’m Dr Joshua Davy calling from St George’s Hospital. I trust that you are a close friend or family member to Liam Payne?” The man asked.

Niall’s heart stopped. Liam. Hospital.

“Y-yes…” Niall replied barely audibly, squeezing his eyes closed. Please don’t let anything have happened to him. “Yes I am…”

“Mr Payne has you listed as one of his emergency contacts… I’m afraid he’s been in a car accident leaving him in severe conditions.”

The blond boy’s body froze completely; his eyes widening in shock. The hand that held the phone closely to his ear suddenly lost all control and power that it had, going limp, dropping the phone to the floor with a loud clatter. Niall followed the path of his phone shortly after, crumpling to the floor, a look of disbelief and tremor plastered to his face.

“No…” Niall whispered quietly, tears filling his eyes.

By this time, the remaining three boys had rushed to his side, Louis and Harry sitting on the floor with Niall, cradling his small shaking frame. Zayn had picked up the phone that Niall had dropped, talking rapidly to the doctor that had just completely flipped Niall’s world upside down.

Hanging up, Zayn looked at the three boys sitting on the floor; two pairs of eyes – green and blue – were looking up at him anxiously, wondering what had gotten their band mate into this state.

“Liam… Liam’s been in an accident. We need to get to the hospital now…” Zayn said quietly, helplessly watching Niall sobbing into Louis’ shoulder. “Grab your jackets, I’ll drive…”

Louis and Harry were in shock. Nodding slowly as they comprehended the news that Zayn had just told them; Louis picked up the Irishman’s crumpled body, holding him to his chest as he slipped on his shoes.

The four boys drove in silence; Zayn drove with Harry riding shotgun and the Doncaster boy and the Irishman in the back seat. Niall had his forehead pressed against the windowpane, seeking relief in the coolness of the glass. His head had gone blank, unable to produce any articulate thoughts. His heart was beating erratically against his ribs, his hands clenching harder on the hand that Louis had slipped into his own.

“Don’t worry, Ni. He’ll be okay,” Harry whispered to him, pressing a kiss into his tousled blond hair as they entered the hospital.

—-

As soon as they set foot into the hospital, nothing but the brightness and cleanliness of the room struck Niall.

The four slowly made their way to the reception, Zayn leading the way and talking to the nurse, asking for her directions as a handsome young doctor in his mid-twenties walked out to greet them.

“Hello, I’m Dr Davy, we spoke on the phone? I trust you’re… Zayn Malik?” He asked Zayn, holding out a hand.

“Hi, erm, yes, erm, I’m Zayn Malik,” Zayn replied awkwardly, holding out his hand. “How’s Liam?”

“I’m afraid Mr Payne’s in a critical condition right now,” the doctor replied, his eyebrows knitting together. “Under your permission just now, Mr Payne is in surgery…”

Niall’s heartbeat drowned out the sounds of the doctor’s voice that was tumbling surgical and medical terms out of his mouth. Did he want to see Liam? How did he look like now? Was he in pain? Did Liam ask for him? Was Liam conscious when they brought him in? Thousands of questions that refused to be asked ran through Niall’s mind.

“I’m afraid the surgery is going to take a couple more hours… And even after the surgery, we aren’t sure how long it’ll take Mr Payne to fully gain consciousness,” the doctor said solemnly.

“Okay,” Zayn said, drawing in a quick breath. “Thank you, doctor.”

“I’m very sorry for what happened to Mr Payne,” Dr Davy said, placing a hand onto Zayn’s shoulder as if it would provide some sort of comfort.

“Actually… Do you know what happened to Liam? I mean… How did he get hit?” Harry piped up.

“Unfortunately, the accident happened due to drunk driving, and the terrible weather conditions of London. Mr Payne was hit at an intersection as the drunk driver failed to notice the change in traffic lights,” the doctor answered.

Zayn’s blood felt like it was boiling. He was going to make damn sure that whoever the fuck put Liam and Niall into so much pain was put behind bars.

“The car was severely mangled, but luckily, the opposing car hit the passenger’s side, and not the driver’s side. If it had hit the driver’s side of the vehicle, the chances of Mr Payne’s survival would have been severely decreased,” the doctor finished.

“Thank you… For telling us…” Harry said politely.

“It’s my job,” the doctor replied simply. “But I hope from the bottom of my heart, that Mr Payne recovers. I assure you we will do our best. I had better get going now,” he said, making to leave.

“Thank you,” the boys aside from Niall chorused.

“Please save him… Don’t let him die…” Niall whispered. “Please.”

The doctor turned, facing Niall.

“You must be Niall…” He said softly to the blond boy.

Niall nodded, tears trickling down his cheeks.

“I can’t promise you that he will make it through… But what I can promise you is that we’ll try our absolute best to not let anything happen to him,” the doctor said, placing a firm hand on the Irishman’s forearm.

“I can’t… I-I can’t lose him…” Niall said shakily through tears. “I can’t.”

“You have my word. I promise you that we will try our absolute best to help Mr Payne… I nearly lost a loved one to a car accident too… I understand completely how you’re feeling right now. And I promise that we will try absolutely everything to help him.”

“Thank you…” Niall whispered quietly, his tears still running down his pale cheeks. “Thank you so much…”

“It’s my job,” the doctor replied with a smile, and turned and exited.

—-

Three and a half hours later, the four boys stayed nervously outside the operation room, waiting for the fifth and final member of their band to be somehow magically healed by the doctors that were operating on him behind the thick doors.

Ruth, Nicola, and Karen had received the news from Zayn a few minutes after the doctor had left. But being in Wolverhampton, it would mean a two and a half hour drive to get to St George’s Hospital. Zayn had convinced the worried family members to not drive down to London until the morning, when traffic and the weather was a bit better, promising them that he would call at once if anything happened to Liam’s condition – or when he was out of surgery.

 Harry and Louis were curled up together on one of the hard plastic chairs, the younger of the two having fallen asleep in the eldest boy’s arms. Zayn paced the hallway nervously, his eyes flicking between the doors that never seemed to be opening, his watch, and Niall.

And Niall.

The small blond boy had been in the same position for the three and a half hours that they had been in the hospital waiting for Liam – he was sat on the floor, his knees brought up to his chest and his thin arms hugging them closer to his body, and he stared blankly at the opposite wall. He refused to move, or to eat, or even to talk, despite the efforts that the other three had made to engage him in a conversation in attempt to get a little life out of the devastated Irishman.

It was like he had died.

But no one understood the pain that he was in. With Liam hanging by his lifelines behind the door, it was like Niall was too. Knowing that he couldn’t do anything to help his boyfriend, Niall knew that he could only wait for Liam to return.

Because he had promised. And when Liam promises something, he never breaks that promise.

—-

Another two hours – that seemed like an eternity – passed, and by this time, the night was already evolving into day – not that any of them knew.

Finally, the lights to the ‘operating’ sign that hung above the door were extinguished and the doors opened.

The doctor that they had talked to a few hours ago stepped out of the operating room, still wearing his apron, mask, and gloves.

All four pairs of eyes snapped towards him; Louis and Harry scrambling out of their chairs; Zayn nearly breaking into a run to get to the doctor; and Niall finally getting up off the floor.

“So… How is he..?” Louis asked quietly, afraid of the response that they all did not want to hear.

“I’m very glad to say that the surgery went very well. And Mr Payne is no longer in critical condition,” Dr Davy smiled, clapping his hands together.

Zayn, Harry, and Louis erupted into cheers. And a small smile donned upon Niall’s face, breathing life into him once again.

 “Although he is still not awake yet,” the doctor continued.  “We believe that he will come around in a few hours, depending on his resistance to the anaesthetics that we gave to him before the surgery.”

“Thank you,” Louis said. “Thank you so much.”

“It’s my job,” the doctor smiled.

“Thank you seriously so much,” Harry repeated. “Niall, did you hear? Liam’s fine!” Harry said, pulling the blond boy into a hug.

“No problem. And regarding medication and such…” The doctor started.

“Oh, just tell me,” Zayn said, a big smile plastered to his face.

“If you could come with me this way…” Dr Davy said, leading Zayn away from the boys. “There’s a bit of paperwork you –”

“Thank you,” Niall whispered quietly. “Thank you so much,” he repeated, hugging the doctor.

The latter returned the hug a little awkwardly, whispering “I’m just guessing you’re his lucky charm then,” into Niall’s ear as they broke apart. “Right… The paperwork…” he continued, turning to Zayn.

—-

The fluttering of his eyelashes; the sound of his soft, steady breathing; the feeling of hope pressed under his hand.

The feeling of heartache; the feeling of hope; the feeling of fear.

I love you.

—-

The steady beeping of the heart monitor; the smell of cough syrup; the feeling of a hand pressed against his.

The pain; the fright; the faith.

I’m here.

—-

Liam’s eyelashes slowly fluttered open, his eyes taking a moment to absorb the scene that was before him.

Niall didn’t know how to react. Was he supposed to say something? Or was he supposed to wait until Liam said something? What if Liam had forgotten about him? What if Liam didn’t recognise him? Was Liam still in pain? Was Liam - his thoughts were momentarily cut off by a small smile that registered on Liam’s face.

“Hey you,” Liam whispered, his voice husky.

“Hi,” Niall whispered back, unable to look into Liam’s eyes. What if he’s forgotten who you are? Niall questioned himself. “How are you feeling?”

“Ni?” Liam asked.

Niall’s head snapped up, looking into Liam’s soft chocolate brown eyes. He remembers my name, Niall thought, his heart fluttering with hope and happiness. He remembers you, but probably only as a band mate, Niall. Don’t get your hopes up, a second voice in his head told him, crushing the happy thoughts from a moment ago.

“Hey, Li. How you feeling?” The blond boy repeated.

“I’m fine… Well… As fine as you can be after a car crash and surgery,” the Wolverhampton lad laughed.

Niall laughed a little, over the moon to hear that Liam was fine… Or as fine as you can be after a car crash and surgery, as Liam had put it himself.

“I’m glad… I’m sure Zayn and Lou and Haz are dying to see you… And Nicola and Ruth and your mum are here too,” Niall said quietly, getting out of the chair that he was sitting in next to his bed. “I’ll go get them…”

“Nialler,” Liam said, grabbing onto Niall’s hand as he made his way out. “Ni, sit down…”

“No, I should probably go and get the others,” Niall said pathetically, tears forming in his eyes.

“Niall. Please? For me?” Liam begged, looking at the blond with doe eyes. “Come here,” he said, shuffling over on the bed and patting the empty space next to him.

Niall reluctantly shuffled over to where Liam was and awkwardly sat himself down onto the bed.

“Hey,” Liam repeated again.

“Hey,” Niall muttered.

“What’s wrong?” the elder of the two asked; voice filled with concern.

“N-nothing,” Niall answered, tears threatening to fall.

“Niall, babe, tell me,” Liam whispered, pulling Niall down into his chest. “What’s the matter?”

“You… You remember?” Niall asked quietly, whispering into Liam’s hospital gown.

“Remember what?” Liam asked, confused.

And the blond boy’s heart broke, shattering into a million thousand pieces. The blood in his veins became ice-cold, and the hairs on his skin stood straight up. A shiver ran through his fragile body as the tears racked his frame.

Tears started flowing down the Irish lad’s face, soaking into Liam’s ugly pastel coloured gown. He doesn’t remember anything that happened to you, he thought.

“Niall, Niall, Niall… Don’t cry. Niall, why are you crying?” Liam panicked, holding the boy at arm’s length to survey his face.

“You… You don’t remember?” Niall whispered, afraid of the answer he would hear.

“Remember what, Niall?”

“Us,” the blond boy stated simply. “Us.”

Liam’s eyes grew wide, his heart stopping for a moment. Niall had thought he forgot about them.

“Niall… You really think that I would forget the best thing that’s ever happened to me?” The Wolverhampton lad asked, slightly shocked and offended. “You really think that?”

“You… You remember?” Niall asked, his voice elevating slightly, his lips curving up.

“Every single moment,” Liam assured him.

“I love you.”

“I love you more. Forever.” Liam said, bringing back the image of that afternoon into their heads. Ducking his head, he pressed a kiss to Niall’s lips.

“You want to know something, Li?” Niall murmured against his boyfriend’s soft lips.

“Mmm?” Liam responded, closing his eyes.

“You know what my least favourite seven letter word is?”

“What is it?” the brunet asked gently.

“Goodbye,” Niall whispered, his voice hitching in his throat.

“Me too, Niall. Me too. I’m sorry I almost broke my promise… Actually… I did break my promise. I’m so sorry, Nialler. I’m really, really sorry,” Liam mumbled.

“Don’t say sorry, Li… It wasn’t your fault. And don’t worry about that stupid word. You want to know why?”

Liam shook his head, his brown eyes gazing up into Niall’s blue ones.

“Because we’ll never ever have to say it.” Niall whispered, thinking back to how he nearly lost Liam. “I promise.”

“I love you,” Liam said once more.

“I love you too… Forever.”