One Last Kiss?

Niall Horan was a simple lad. Honestly, he was. He didn’t get in trouble much, got moderate grades, and even was polite to his elders. Hell, he didn’t even complain when his parents told him they were dropping everything and moving to a different country. To him, it was exciting. It was new. There were so many thing there were to look forward to, the people, the school, the new accent, the food, oh god, the food.

So, yes, Niall was a very simple lad. He just happened to be a guy from Mullingar, Ireland that ended up living in Bradford, England at the ripe age of 16. He never thought he would, but he did. And, sometimes he really wished he did complain.

The people in Bradford were very different from his home. They weren’t what he was used to, and yes, that was one of reasons he was excited to move there at first. There were some thing he expected, the accent, the food, the climate, but he didn’t expect the people to be just so . . . so rude.

No one seemed to like Niall when he got there. They avoided him like the plague in the halls. Some of them murmured under their breath, “Irish freak coming this way.” And, yeah, that stung, like a lot. But he didn’t let it get to him because his parents seemed happy here. They liked it for some reason. His mom liked the neighbors, and his dad seemed to like his coworkers. So, when they asked him if he made any new friends, he would suck it up and say “of course.” When his mom asked if they ever wanted to come over, he would just tell them they were busy. It was football season after all.

It took three months for anyone to dare utter anything to him at all, and he wished it took longer. The first thing anyone bothered to ask him was “did you more from Ireland because they didn’t like faggots either?” This of course floored little Niall. One, no one had ever asked him something so mean. Where he was from, everyone was friendly. Everyone knew each other. They all loved Niall because of his cute cheeks and pure innocence. And, two, how did his sexuality have anything to do with this?

Niall knew he was gay by the time he was fourteen when there was party at his friend’s house for surviving another year in their hell of a school. A girl who seemed to have taken quite a fancy to him stuck to him like a kola bear for the entire night. She ended up trying to lay one on him at the end of the party, but Niall was slightly repulsed by the idea of kissing her. Sure, she was a nice girl, and most of the guys had said she was pretty. But, he didn’t really want a pretty girl. He wanted a fit guy. Needless to say that was when he realized what team he exactly played for.

Everyone in his old town thought of it as normal. He was still just Niall. No one really gave a second thought to it. So, the second it was brought up in his new school, he didn’t know what to do. He just peered up at the slightly intimidating footy player with a confused face, asking “what?”

Ever since that day, he wasn’t the plague anymore. No, he was worse. He was the football team’s new favorite play thing. Every single day after that someone teased him about his dyed blond hair or his once brace face or even his accent, which he thought was quite charming! He got pushed into lockers, got his books slapped out of his hands, even pushed down the front stairs. Most days he skipped gym because he was absolutely terrified of what would happen if he dared look at someone cross during a game of dodge ball.

He got stuck into a routine of being afraid for his life and feeling terribly sorry for himself about the fact that everyone in this damn country seemed to hate Niall. But, of course the universe just loved proving him wrong about everything. Enter Louis Tomlinson.

Louis was a very flamboyant young man. His fringe always seemed to be perfect when he hadn’t put it up in his quiff, and when he did, people swooned. He was like a doll, prefect, small, gorgeous. Everything about him was extraordinary. His grades were off the chart. He was charming, funny, nice. There was nothing that people would complain about him, except maybe the fact that he would meet so many people he would forget you if you didn’t excite him enough.

It was a normal day when Niall met Louis. Nothing out of the ordinary, well, the new ordinary that Niall found himself in. He was picking up his fallen books from the ground when Louis happened to walk by with a look on his face that was utterly confused. There was no way his books would have ended up half way across the hall if he just fell, and people wouldn’t have been snickering that much either. It was then that it dawned on him that Niall was just a victim of some sort of violence, and Louis was far too nice to let him pick up his stuff alone.

Niall didn’t even notice that was someone was helping him until there was a hand being thrust into his vision while the other hand seemed to be holing one of his now ruined text books. He looked up wearily, staring straight into Louis’ blue eyes. There was no malice in them, no evil intent that Niall could see. The boy was actually smiling at him like he had no idea exactly who Niall was. Regardless, he took the other’s hand and was pulled from his spot on the ground.

“Thank you,” he muttered lowly, looking anywhere other than Louis.

Louis continued to smile at the boy. “No problem, mate. Name’s Louis, Louis Tomlinson.” He then proceeded to shove his hand out into the air. The smile was still on his face.

“Niall,” he replied, shaking his hand weakly.

“Where ya from? Haven’t seen ya around ‘fore,” Louis continued.

“Mullingar,” Niall stated. “In Ireland.”

“Traveled a long way, yeah? ‘S pretty far from ‘ere.”

Niall just nodded his head. He knew exactly how far away it was. “Um . . . I don’ mean to be rude, but don’ you think you shouldn’ be talkin to me?”

“And why the bloody not?” Louis exclaimed.

“Ya just seem like a nice guy. I don’ wanna get you in trouble. I’m not on the good side of the footy team, and they’ll get on you fo’ this.” Niall stated. His head dropped slightly with the fact that he was pushing away the only person who seemed to want to talk to him in the past six months, the six months of torture he was enduring in his new home.

“The footy team?” Louis asked. Niall nodded his head meekly. Louis let out a chuckle that grew into a laugh that had his face crinkling around his eyes and his arms holding his stomach up. “Aye, mate, I ain’t worried ‘bout no football team. They ain’t gonna touch me if they know what’s good for ‘em.”

Niall just peered back at him, his head titled to the right just a bit, and Louis had to admit, if Niall was his type, which he wasn’t, he would have looked pretty cute with that perplexed look on his face. His mouth was open agape slightly. His eyes narrowed in confusion and perhaps a bit of suspicion. “Why ‘s that?” He asked after an eternity.

“Well, my boyfrien’ wouldn’ be all too happy with ‘em if they did, and they are more afraid of him than he is of ‘em. One time one of ‘em was stupid enough to call me a fag in fron’ of him. He went home with a black eye. It stayed ‘ere for a good week.” Louis chuckled slightly, recalling the memory.

Niall continued to stare back at him with baffled look. Louis was gay. Louis liked boys. Louis was like him, and he didn’t get any shit for it. Well, he didn’t get shit for it because of an ominous, but apparently terrifying boyfriend. But still, that was two more guys in this school that appreciated the male body more than the female one. A part of him felt less like a freak with this news.

“Who’s your boyfrien’? If you don’ mind me askin’.” Niall asked his confusion now being masked by awkwardness.

Louis seemed to perk up at this. “Don’ mind at all, mate. His name ‘s Harry. You can meet him if you want. Gonna go meet him now at lunch.”

“I don’ wanna impose.” Niall refused, his manners over powering his desire to not eat in the library for once. He couldn’t eat any good food in there. He wasn’t supposed to eat at all, so he had to be quiet, meaning no crisps.

“It ain’t imposing if I offer,” Louis chuckled. It was like he was always happy. “Come on. We’re always lookin for some more people. It gets lonely the three of us. Liam left to sit with his girlfriend couple weeks ago.”

Louis started to walk in the direction of the cafeteria when Niall had realized what exactly was happening. Someone just asked him to sit with them at lunch. That was like asking to be friends, right? Was Louis trying to be his friend? He got so caught up in the moment; he didn’t notice Louis was walking away until he turned around to tell him to hurry up.

“Wait, the three of you? Who’s the other?” Niall asked when they entered the cafeteria. He looked around cautiously. All of his enemies (he refused to call them bullies) were sitting at a table together, laughing like they didn’t just push him around in the halls. Then again, they didn’t really care about him all that much, but that feeling was mutual. Louis started to pull on Niall’s arm when he noticed his hesitancy to step farther into the crowded area.

They sat down at an empty table in the back corner. People seemed to avoid the area if they could. Tables seemed to be clear all around the one Louis plopped himself down to. There were a few cautious glances thrown their way as they slowly moved further away. Of course that lead to Niall looking at them over in bewilderment. Louis wasn’t a scary person, not even close. How terrifying could a guy in a striped shirt and red jeans be? Besides, he was tiny, smaller than Niall, and he wasn’t that big to begin with. If anything, Louis was like a doll. He looked fragile if anything else. He certainly didn’t look like he could be scary.

But then, Niall knew why they started to move away. Louis’ boyfriend glided over, sitting in the seat right next to him while casually throwing his arm around the smaller boy’s shoulders and pulling him into a kiss. Niall couldn’t believe who wasn’t sitting across from him. It wasn’t just some Harry from around the school. No, it was Harry Styles, the Harry Styles.

Harry was definitely not the crowd he thought Louis would be with. He was a tall, lanky guy that had some definition. His curls were unkempt, and his clothes had wrinkles all over. Harry was the type that your mother wouldn’t let you date. He had rumors about him constantly. “Did you hear he got suspended for a fight?” “No, it was drugs.” “Guys, come on, it was smoking on campus again.” People feared him because he didn’t take shit from anyone, and his tattoos only helped that theory.

Niall just stared in shock at the boy that was now snuggling close to Louis. He didn’t look even a bit frightening right now. Harry looked like a puppy or a teddy bear, maybe. Louis was giggling as Harry shuffled closer to him with nose in the crook of his neck and his curls tickling his face. “Hazza,” Louis whined while still keeping his goofy grin on his face. “Stop, you’re freakin’ my friend out.”

Harry muttered something into Louis’ neck that Niall couldn’t hear, but it must have been a protest because he then pulled the smaller boy that much closer to him until he was nearly in his lap. Louis was still giggling lightly, but started to push the other boy away from his neck.

“Haz, this is Niall,” Louis said gesturing over to him. This was the first time he looked over at the blonde boy who was slightly quivering under his intense gaze. He was definitely judging him right now. “Niall, this is my boyfriend, Harry.”

“Nice to meet ya,” Niall spoke up.

Harry didn’t say anything until Louis elbowed him in the ribs with a friendly smile still pointed to Niall. He seemed like a nice kid to Louis, and he didn’t want to mess up his chance at being his friend just because his boyfriend was being a twat today. “Pleasure’s mine,” Harry finally drawled out. His voice was deep, and rough. He talked in slow manor, but not one that would bore you. It was like it drew you in, making you listen closer.

It was funny how different these two were. Harry was tall. Louis was short. Louis constantly had something to say, something to interest you in while Harry wanted you to impress him. One was overly flamboyant. The other faded into the background until he wanted you to see him. It was like color versus black and white. Each had its own version of beauty, but they both complimented each other nicely.

“Where’s the maniac?” Louis asked Harry when he stopped staring intently at his newest friend.

“Hm?” Harry hummed in confusion for a second. “Oh, had to stay after. Teacher called ‘em out on somethin’. I don’ think you’ll see ‘em until after school.”

Louis chuckled slightly under his breath. “Of course, wouldn’ expect anything less.” Niall couldn’t figure out who they were talking about. He never sat in the cafeteria during lunch before, so he didn’t know who these two sat with. And, it didn’t help that both of these young men happened to be very popular. They could be talking about anyone.

The group of boys got to know each other a little better in the thirty more minutes they had until class started again. Niall learned just how crazy Louis was. One second he was talking about something, the next he was messing with Harry’s curls, and then he was talking about something they thought they ended five topics ago. He was like a bullet. No wonder he couldn’t remember half the people he met. He could hardly remember what he was talking about himself. Harry thought this was the funniest thing in the world. He had a grin on his face the entire time. Occasionally his dimples would come out. Niall learned he wasn’t that scary after all. He was right earlier. Harry was exactly like a puppy, like a pit-bull. They have a bad rep, and might look like they can do some harm. Yet, they just wanted a friend themselves with a good cuddle here and there.

Louis and Harry seemed to think highly of Niall too, which was a shock to him. They laughed at his stupid little jokes and wanted to hear about his home back in Ireland. He felt like he had friends again. Just sitting there talking to them, he didn’t feel the paranoia in the back of mind as much. It was nice. It was refreshing.

When the bell rang, he didn’t really want to leave. He didn’t want to go back to the real world where the bullies stalked him in the hall or taunted him during class or pushed him down when the teachers weren’t looking.

He drudged along to his next class and then the next. No one beat him up, which was an accomplishment. Well, he got ruffed up, but it was nothing worse than what him and his brother used to do to each other when they were younger.

It wasn’t until he was walking out of school that things took a turn for the worst that day. He was walking down the stairs when his feet were kicked out from under him. His knees hit the ground with a heavy sickening thwacking sound as his hands skidded against the cement beneath him. Hissing, he looked around slowly to see his infamous torturers kicking his fallen books down the pavement. Niall groaned, just when his day was looking up the universe had to prove him wrong again.

He didn’t get up for a second, just stared at the ground. The heels of his hands were burning with the stinging sensation of skin splitting open, and he was thankful that he wore jeans today or else his knees would be busted up as well.

Niall heard his name being called out from somewhere to his left before a hand was being stuck into his vision. He didn’t think twice this time before grabbing the hand that lifted him up off of the ground. Except, it wasn’t the voice that called out to him, nor was it the small, colorful young man he thought it would be. Oh no, this was like another kick to the gut.

Standing before him was Zayn Malik. There wasn’t much he knew about the mysterious dark skinned god like man before him, but he was a friend of Harry’s. And, let’s just say that if Harry was what these people thought was scary, Zayn was scarier than scary. He was terrifying, petrifying almost. One look could have you paralyzed. People didn’t say many rumors about him because most of them were true. They all knew how much he smoked on school grounds, how many people he fought, how many parties he went to, the amount of drugs he did; there wasn’t much that was unknown. Though, at the same time, no one really knew anything about him.

Because Niall was such a nice guy, he didn’t believe in the rumors about most of the people he heard about, but there was one thing he knew for sure about Zayn. He was beyond gorgeous. The bad boy vibe only added onto his charm that was completed by perfectly sharp jawbones, smoldering eyes, and hair that stood up in pure angelic magnificence.

Niall didn’t notice he was staring at the boy in front of him until Louis ran up to his side questioning his health in every way. He was even grabbing at his hands and rubbing the small amount of rocks away. “Louis, ‘m fine, really.” Niall insisted again and again.

“Are you sure? Like positive?” Louis asked again.

“Louis,” Harry said coming up next to him and handing Niall’s books back. “Leave ‘em alone. He’s fine. Zayn here obviously took care of ‘em.” There was smirk on his face that Niall didn’t understand, but both of the others did. Louis looked between the blonde and his savior while Zayn had a look that said he wasn’t all that much amused with what Harry had said.

“Uh, yeah, thanks, mate, for the help.” Niall said looking briefly over to the other. Zayn just shrugged in response.

“You want to come to come hang out with us? Hazza promised me ice cream.” Louis suggested with a grin on his face.

“Lou,” Zayn finally piped up. “It’s February.” His voice matched his body quite well, Niall pondered, very unique.

“I don’ care. Ice cream still ice cream. You know you wanna come.” Louis egged on. Zayn rolled his eyes but didn’t continue his protests, and Niall had to admit that Louis seemed to have both of these boys wrapped around his fingers. Harry more than Zayn though because he was literally wrapped around him.

That was how it started those many months ago. Every single day they would sit together at lunch. Every single day they would do something after school unless one of the boys got in trouble, and even then, they would sit there and talk about how stupid the other was for getting caught.

The move from his home seemed easier to Niall. Louis kept a smile on his face. Harry kept him laughing with his horrible jokes. They made his heart melt when he saw how adorable they were together, and when he heard rumors about Harry sleeping around, he would snicker to himself. They were so smitten. It was doubtful at best. Zayn, well, Zayn made Niall’s heart skip a beat. He didn’t know why. He never felt like this towards someone. He really didn’t know what to do with himself. Zayn didn’t seem to hate him, so that was at least a good sign.

They seemed to grow on each other slightly. Zayn was amazing to him. He made Niall feel like he wasn’t a freak. The other boys were great. He loved them, honestly. It’s just they were so happy together, and he was so lonely for so long, only just getting friends. And, to top it off the person of his affections was four feet away from him almost all the time now, except in classes they didn’t share. Zayn and Niall even made a habit of hanging out with each other without the other two. The conversation was just as lively.

One day they ended up going to a little dinner right outside the suburbs while Harry surprised Louis with a romantic trip out of the city for their anniversary. It was something about going to a lake that Louis used to go to as a kid. Niall couldn’t really remember nor did he find it all that important right now. Louis was sure to gush about it all day tomorrow to him.

“I’m pretty sure she hates me. She gave me a D for that paper we did last week. Can you believe that, Z? A D! I worked for hours on that bloody thing!” Niall exclaimed waving his chip around like it was helping him explain his feeling towards the woman.

“’M sure she doesn’t hate you.” Zayn replied before taking a bite of his burger.

Niall shook his head. “Absolutely ‘ates me.”

“Come on, Nialler. Who could hate that beautiful face?” He asked the blonde in a serious tone.

Niall could feel his face heat up while he waited to here Zayn it laugh it off, pretend it was a joke. He kept waiting, but Zayn just stared back at him as sincere as before. “Wh-What?” Niall questioned.

“You’re beautiful, Niall.” He stated as if it was common knowledge.

Niall shook his head, laughing. “Good one, mate. Ya got me that time.”

“I wasn’ kiddin’,” Zayn said reaching his hand over the table to run his rough fingers over the smooth skin of Niall’s cheek. He suddenly became fascinated with the way his dark skin looked versus the other’s pale. “You’re perfectly gorgeous.”

Niall smiled fondly at the memory. He walked through the front doors of the school still remembering the previous year. Finally, he was going to go through his senior year with his three best friends. Now, they were the big dogs in the school, not that Harry and Zayn already weren’t no matter what year they were in.

When he got to his locker, he already regretted getting excited for the first day of school. He was quickly shoved into the locker, his backpack falling off his shoulder. “Effin hell,” Niall muttered under his face.

“Nice mark there, faggot. Your boyfriend give ‘at to ya?” One of the football players asked.

Niall’s hands quickly ghosted over his neck as he leaned down to pick up his bag. “Yeah, he did, actually.”

“Oh, what queer would want to date a little shit like you, fairy?” They continued their taunts.

“That would be me.” Niall smiled warmly as he felt the strong arms wrap around his waist. “Hey, babe,” was whispered into his ear as a kiss was pressed to his jaw. “Hey, Z,” Niall responded. “You boys have a problem or somethin’?”

The players quickly scrambled away from the couple, and Niall chuckled at the action. Ever since they started dating in the middle of junior year, people stopped messing with Niall very quickly. He now understood why Louis wasn’t afraid of anyone. It was a good feeling.

Niall turned around to press a quick kiss onto the corner of Zayn’s mouth. Zayn didn’t seem to think that was enough though because he quickly pressed his lips back to the other’s. They kissed slowly, not needing to be in a rush. It was still filled with the affection the two young men felt for each other, but they wouldn’t take it farther than a slow, passionate kiss. Niall wouldn’t let them, so when Zayn slid his tongue along Niall’s lower lip, he pulled away even though the other whined.

“We are not gonna make out ‘n the hall.” Niall refused. He was never into that. It was fine for Louis and Harry, but he wasn’t going to be that affectionate with anyone in public, no matter how much Zayn insisted.

“But I missed you.” Zayn pouted. His bottom lip jutted out slightly.

Niall laughed quietly. “You saw me two days ago, you twat.”

“Doesn’ mean I can’t miss you,” was quickly pointed out as another kiss was pressed to his mouth. Niall sighed but gave in and let the other kiss him again. But, he took no more of it as the first bell rang, telling them to start to head off to class.

“Come on,” Niall said pulling away. “I don’ care how much of a bad boy ya are. You aren’t gonna be late for your first day of your senior year.”

Zayn groaned. “One more kiss?”