Sunburn

Niall sat in the dingy pub, his fingers tracing absentmindedly over the rim of his pint glass, and only nodded when the bartended asked if he wanted another. He muttered thanks as the bartender sat the new glass in front of him, and drank nearly half of it in his first drink. The amber liquid was going down like water for him, and had been for the past week. He dropped his head into his open palm, gently rubbing his forehead, and scrunched his eyes so he could forget the reason he was sat at the pub.

Niall couldn’t stand to be at home when he was sober anymore, because without Miranda around the flat felt cold to him. Her constant stack of magazines on the coffee table had always annoyed him, and now that they were all missing, he nearly longed for them to reappear. Her scent still lingered on the bed that they once shared, and he now found himself taking up camp in the guest room. The one room he refused to walk into, even after five months, was the unfinished nursery. He knew that the walls were a pale yellow, something Miranda wasn’t happy with, and that the furniture was still in boxes to be assembled. Niall was so caught up in his thoughts, that he barely noticed a person beside him until they placed a hand on his back.

“Let’s get you home, mate,” Harry said softly, pushing the half finished beer away from his friend, “And don’t even try and protest, the bartender already told me you’re on your sixth.”

“Whatever, Haz,” Niall grumbled, stumbling off of his stool, “It’s not like I don’t have more to drink at home.”

Harry rolled his eyes, and steered Niall from the establishment after slapping a few bills onto the sticky bar. He stuck Niall into the passenger seat of his car, silently thanking god that Niall wasn’t one to get sick when he was drunk, and drove the few blocks to the flat. The valet instantly recognized Harry’s car, probably due to the nightly visits for the past week, and helped Harry haul Niall from his seat before going to park the car. Niall was beginning to get tired, and found himself leaning on Harry for support as the younger boy lead him up to his flat.

Harry heaved Niall onto the couch once they made it inside, and brought the Irishman water and painkillers shortly after. Niall rolled his eyes at his friend, but downed the pills anyways, knowing it would keep Harry from scolding him. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence, and something about the way Niall was tapping on his cup made Harry snap.

“This has to stop, Niall,” Harry growled, startling the other man from his dreamlike state, “You can’t keep getting smashed, and I can’t keep bringing you home. Katie thinks I’m helping Lou out, not you. She still thinks that I haven’t seen you since you showed up after seeing Miranda.”

“Don’t say her name,” Niall said darkly, letting an intense glare settle on Harry, “Her name doesn’t deserve to be said in this flat anymore. She left it, just like she left me.”

“Niall,” Harry started, his subtle warning for Niall getting lost in his tone.

“No, it’s true,” Niall said, standing up so he could pace, “She left me. And the worst part is that she didn’t even take all of her stuff. There’s still clothes of hers hanging in the closet, Harry. I can’t even go in there without having a fucking mental breakdown, and let me tell you, that isn’t healthy at all. So I had to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, because I can’t even stand to walk into the closet we used to share. Fuck, I can’t even walk into the bedroom.”

“I’m sure Katie would be more than willing to clean out her stuff,” Harry offered, hoping Niall wouldn’t react badly to the suggestion.

“I-I don’t know, Haz,” Niall said after a moment, his voice unsure, and “If all of her stuff is gone, then it means this is real. I keep hoping that I’ll wake up, ya know?”

Harry stared at his friend, his angry demeanor now fading into a depressed one, and tensed as he saw the inevitable tears growing in Niall’s eyes. He quickly looped his left arm around Niall, pulling the nearly crying man into his side, and rubbed his shoulder to help him calm down. Niall sunk into Harry’s touch, and willed himself to not cry for the first night in a week. He pushed his palms against his eyes roughly, much like he had when he first received word of the divorce, and took a few deep breaths before pulling away from Harry.

Niall thanked Harry, knowing that without him he would’ve probably ended up in jail or the hospital in the past week, and quietly excused himself to shower. Harry stayed in his spot as he heard the shower start up, and made sure to place water and advil next to Niall’s bed before leaving. When he got to the flat he shared with Katie, he wasn’t surprised to find her lazily watching The Sandlot for the millionth time. He laughed as she quoted along to ‘Babe Ruth’, and flopped his head into her lap as he joined her on the couch.

“Did you pick him up drunk again?” Katie asked, causing Harry to choke on his spit, “Did you really think I was that daft and believed you were with Louis every night? Please, I know that he wouldn’t leave El’s side now that she’s pregnant.”

“Well now I feel like an arse for lying,” Harry groaned, causing Katie to laugh, “And yeah, he was pissed. He blew up about the situation a little too, which is quite a change from the incoherent sobbing he’s been doing. D’ya know he replaced his whole wardrobe because he can’t go into their closet? I didn’t think it was that bad. You were right, we need to fix this.”

“But how, Haz?” Katie asked, raking her fingers through her hair, “Both have become shut ins, drink too much, and only shower when we tell them to. How are we going to even get them to see each other?”

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in thought, and mulled over different scenarios in his mind. He could tell Katie was doing the same thing as she twirled her hair, and by the time either of them spoke again, the credits to the movie were scrolling up the screen.

“Miranda can’t say no to your peanut butter pie, right?” Harry asked, smiling as Katie nodded, “And Niall can’t so no to food period.”

“So we invite them both over with the lure of food, forgetting to mention the other will be here?” Katie finished for him, a smile appearing on her face as well, “It can’t go that badly, can it?”

Harry shrugged, and the pair locked eyes, hoping their newly formulated plan would work.