Home
domus
Niall walked into his flat and stared around at it. A sense of vacancy clung to it, permeating the atmosphere and making him feel cold. He took a deep breath and stepped away from the doorway, into his empty flat.
The quiet put him off the most. He was used to the loud crowds, to Louis talking on his mobile late into the night, to Harry snoring on his side of the bed. The only sound now was his breathing and the creak of the wood as he walked through the house.
He flipped on the stereo and sighed, studying the walls. Everything was placed delicately, cleanly, but it felt blank. His walls weren't nearly as crowded as Harry's, and that made him ache for the LA home and his friend. There it felt cozy, despite how untidy it was. Here it felt... confining.
His eyes followed the walls and his mouth set in a thin line. He knew what he had to do.
He left the flat without unpacking his things.
Hours later, he'd finally pulled everything away from the walls and set down sheets to catch stray paint. Careful tape lines were placed down to keep the trimming clean, and a can of fresh paint was open, waiting for him to attack it.
His phone started ringing as he grabbed the roller and he glanced down at it and smiled slightly. Liam's smiling face, eyes crinkled into crescent moons, gazed up at him. He answered and held it between his ear and his shoulder, pouring some paint into the rolling pan.
"Hey, Leemo," he said. "What's up?"
"What are you up to, Nialler?" Liam asked conversationally. Niall recognized his tone of voice - he missed the atmosphere of tour. It broke his heart, because they wouldn't be touring anymore. At least, not together.
"Decided I'm gonna paint the flat," Niall said, doing his best to distract the other man. "Found a nice orange color I think will liven the place up a bit." He heard keys clinking in the background.
"I'll come help."
"You don't have to - " he started, but Niall cut himself short. He was suddenly filled with an aching sensation, and he realized he desperately wanted Liam there.
"Be there in a few, Nialler," was all Liam said before he hung up.
Liam came with food.
He tucked it in the fridge and pulled off his over-shirt so as to keep it from getting dirty. He picked up another roller and hip-checked Niall before setting to paint the wall next to him. Niall smiled, comforted by his presence, and kept up his work. After they'd painted the walls, they picked up brushes to get the corners.
Niall was carefully tracing the corner, trying not to overlap onto the drying walls, when he felt a stripe of paint splatter against his back. He made a surprised sound and turned, eyes wide, to find Liam grinning at him, paint brush hanging limply from his hand as he giggled.
"You didn't," Niall said, reaching back to touch his shirt, feeling wet paint and looking down at the orange on his fingers. Liam's giggle elevated into a full belly laugh, and Niall grabbed his paint brush, lunging toward Liam and hitting him on the neck. Liam made a surprised sound, like he hadn't expected Niall to retaliate.
Their fight escalated until they were nearly throwing handfuls of paint at each other. Niall couldn't help his laughter, which was bordering on obnoxiously loud. He reached for Liam, hand covered in paint, and Liam grabbed his arm to stop him, laughing harder and louder as they toppled to the ground, Niall struggling to get on top and wipe his hand on Liam's shirt.
Liam was stronger though, and he pinned Niall to the ground between his knees, Niall's arms pinned up above his head by Liam's hands. Their breathing was labored as they grinned at each other, and Liam laughed triumphantly.
"Dunno how you expected that one to end, Nialler," he said, eyes turning into crescent moons again. Niall smiled at the endearing expression and tried to think how he could turn the tides. Liam was bent over him, still pinning him down underneath the weight of his body. Niall could feel his breath on his own cheek.
"Got you just where I want you," Niall said cheekily, before leaning up and pressing his lips to Liam's. Liam's grip on him loosened in his surprise and Niall pulled his hand away, pressing it to Liam's cheek before dragging it down his shirt. The soft orange paint wiped off easily on his skin and white shirt.
Liam groaned. "You got me, Nialler," he said with a giggle. He clambered off Niall, sitting next to him, and Niall smiled triumphantly, sitting up. Their shoulders knocked together and Niall glanced around the room. "C'mon," Liam said, standing and offering his hand to help Niall up. Niall took it. "Let's finish and eat, yeah?"
Niall nodded and they picked their brushes back up, fixing up the corners. Liam walked into the kitchen and pulled the food out of the fridge, warming it up, while Niall washed the brushes and set them next to the other cans of paint.
"We gonna do the room next?" Liam asked as he shuffled about Niall's kitchen, locating the plates and utensils easily. Niall shook his head.
"I'm gonna do that tomorrow," Niall said. "You're not supposed to sleep in a room you've just painted, so I gotta wait so I can sleep in the living room tomorrow." Liam nodded thoughtfully.
"You could come stay at mine?" he offered. Niall smiled wistfully and shook his head.
"I gotta get used to being on my own," he said. "Not gonna get any easier if I'm staying at yours instead of mine."
Liam was quiet for a few seconds. "I wonder if it was like this for Zayn." Niall looked away and shrugged.
"Zayn's always felt at home at his place. Me, I've never really spent a lot of time here." Liam nodded.
"I understand." Niall wanted to scream, wanted to say that no, he didn't understand, but he didn't, just leaned against the counter and stared at the floor. Liam's shoulder bumped against his and he said, "It's okay. I'm still close by."
"It's over," Niall mumbled out. "We've officially ended the band and it sucks." The microwave started beeping and Liam pulled the food out. "I already miss it all. Even the crazy girls."
Liam started serving them and he looked up to catch Niall's gaze. "I know. Harry's decided to spend most of his time in LA, and Louis' got his baby to worry about. Zayn's off doing his thing - it's like they left us behind." Niall sucked in a breath and nodded. Liam had said exactly what he'd been feeling. "But we've got each other. And all of them are still our friends, our family. We always come back to each other."
He gripped Niall's shoulder and Niall leaned into the comforting gesture. Liam brushed a kiss to his forehead and handed him a plate.
"Thank you Liam," he said softly. Liam just smiled at him and started forking food into his mouth.
Niall lay in bed that night staring up at the ceiling. He'd closed the door in an effort to keep out the smell of the paint from the other room, but it wasn't helping much. When Liam was here, it'd felt like everything was fine - would be fine. Now that he had left, the feeling of being too alone had crept back inside.
He tossed and turned and fidgeted, feeling pain creep back into his knee. It was too cold, but he had to keep the window open to battle the smell. He sighed and sat up, staring at the wall in front of him.
His doorbell rang and his eyes shot up in the direction of the door.
"Nialler!" he heard Liam call. "Let me in, it's freezing!"
He climbed out of bed and limped out of his room and to the front door, opening it to find Liam rubbing his arms and staring at him with a puppy dog expression.
"I went for a walk and got cold," he explained. "And I was closer to your place than mine." Niall smiled and stepped back to let him inside. Liam's nose scrunched as he stepped inside and Niall closed the door. "Whew, this stinks," he mumbled.
"Not as bad in the room," Niall said, leading the way back to his room. Liam closed the door behind them and Niall sat on the bed.
"Sheesh, it's just as cold in here," Liam mumbled.
"You can take some of my sweats," Niall responded, nodding toward the drawer where his sweats were. Liam stepped over and took a pair, stripping off his jeans and pulling them on. He crawled into bed next to Niall.
"Doesn't your knee hurt?" he asked, touching it gently, as if applying the slightest bit of pressure would make it break.
"A little," Niall said. "But the smell is so awful."
Liam pulled the blanket back and gestured for Niall to lay next to him. "Come on, I'll keep you warm." Niall smiled slightly and stretched out next to him, laughing a little when Liam intertwined their legs, his thigh settling over Niall's bum knee. Liam tucked the blanket around them and wrapped his arm around Niall's torso.
"Kinda reminds me the way you guys used to make me feel better when we first started touring," Niall said. "Never let me sleep alone if you guys could help it."
"Zayn always got to you before I could," Liam said, pouting. Niall chuckled softly. "Though it comforted us as much as it comforted you, really. We just didn't want you to know." Niall reached up to trace patterns on Liam's arm.
"Are you comforting yourself now?" Liam smiled.
"You're too perceptive, Nialler."
"Don't be so see-through, Leemo," Niall responded with a grin. He looked down at Liam, who reached up and placed the gentlest kiss on Niall's lips.
"Go to sleep, Nialler." Niall smiled and rested his head back.
Liam drifted to sleep, curled around Niall, his leg giving warmth to Niall's knee. Niall stared out of the window as he listened to Liam's snore. Having Liam there made him feel less alone.
As he thought, he realized that the reason his flat felt so lonely was because it wasn't home. Home was tucked around him, keeping him warm. Home was in LA, enjoying the party scene, taking care of a baby, doing a solo gig.
He wrapped an arm around Liam and looked down at him. He wanted to keep this little piece of home to himself, if only for a little while.
He pressed a kiss to the corner of Liam's mouth and closed his eyes, finally ready to fall asleep.
The quiet put him off the most. He was used to the loud crowds, to Louis talking on his mobile late into the night, to Harry snoring on his side of the bed. The only sound now was his breathing and the creak of the wood as he walked through the house.
He flipped on the stereo and sighed, studying the walls. Everything was placed delicately, cleanly, but it felt blank. His walls weren't nearly as crowded as Harry's, and that made him ache for the LA home and his friend. There it felt cozy, despite how untidy it was. Here it felt... confining.
His eyes followed the walls and his mouth set in a thin line. He knew what he had to do.
He left the flat without unpacking his things.
Hours later, he'd finally pulled everything away from the walls and set down sheets to catch stray paint. Careful tape lines were placed down to keep the trimming clean, and a can of fresh paint was open, waiting for him to attack it.
His phone started ringing as he grabbed the roller and he glanced down at it and smiled slightly. Liam's smiling face, eyes crinkled into crescent moons, gazed up at him. He answered and held it between his ear and his shoulder, pouring some paint into the rolling pan.
"Hey, Leemo," he said. "What's up?"
"What are you up to, Nialler?" Liam asked conversationally. Niall recognized his tone of voice - he missed the atmosphere of tour. It broke his heart, because they wouldn't be touring anymore. At least, not together.
"Decided I'm gonna paint the flat," Niall said, doing his best to distract the other man. "Found a nice orange color I think will liven the place up a bit." He heard keys clinking in the background.
"I'll come help."
"You don't have to - " he started, but Niall cut himself short. He was suddenly filled with an aching sensation, and he realized he desperately wanted Liam there.
"Be there in a few, Nialler," was all Liam said before he hung up.
Liam came with food.
He tucked it in the fridge and pulled off his over-shirt so as to keep it from getting dirty. He picked up another roller and hip-checked Niall before setting to paint the wall next to him. Niall smiled, comforted by his presence, and kept up his work. After they'd painted the walls, they picked up brushes to get the corners.
Niall was carefully tracing the corner, trying not to overlap onto the drying walls, when he felt a stripe of paint splatter against his back. He made a surprised sound and turned, eyes wide, to find Liam grinning at him, paint brush hanging limply from his hand as he giggled.
"You didn't," Niall said, reaching back to touch his shirt, feeling wet paint and looking down at the orange on his fingers. Liam's giggle elevated into a full belly laugh, and Niall grabbed his paint brush, lunging toward Liam and hitting him on the neck. Liam made a surprised sound, like he hadn't expected Niall to retaliate.
Their fight escalated until they were nearly throwing handfuls of paint at each other. Niall couldn't help his laughter, which was bordering on obnoxiously loud. He reached for Liam, hand covered in paint, and Liam grabbed his arm to stop him, laughing harder and louder as they toppled to the ground, Niall struggling to get on top and wipe his hand on Liam's shirt.
Liam was stronger though, and he pinned Niall to the ground between his knees, Niall's arms pinned up above his head by Liam's hands. Their breathing was labored as they grinned at each other, and Liam laughed triumphantly.
"Dunno how you expected that one to end, Nialler," he said, eyes turning into crescent moons again. Niall smiled at the endearing expression and tried to think how he could turn the tides. Liam was bent over him, still pinning him down underneath the weight of his body. Niall could feel his breath on his own cheek.
"Got you just where I want you," Niall said cheekily, before leaning up and pressing his lips to Liam's. Liam's grip on him loosened in his surprise and Niall pulled his hand away, pressing it to Liam's cheek before dragging it down his shirt. The soft orange paint wiped off easily on his skin and white shirt.
Liam groaned. "You got me, Nialler," he said with a giggle. He clambered off Niall, sitting next to him, and Niall smiled triumphantly, sitting up. Their shoulders knocked together and Niall glanced around the room. "C'mon," Liam said, standing and offering his hand to help Niall up. Niall took it. "Let's finish and eat, yeah?"
Niall nodded and they picked their brushes back up, fixing up the corners. Liam walked into the kitchen and pulled the food out of the fridge, warming it up, while Niall washed the brushes and set them next to the other cans of paint.
"We gonna do the room next?" Liam asked as he shuffled about Niall's kitchen, locating the plates and utensils easily. Niall shook his head.
"I'm gonna do that tomorrow," Niall said. "You're not supposed to sleep in a room you've just painted, so I gotta wait so I can sleep in the living room tomorrow." Liam nodded thoughtfully.
"You could come stay at mine?" he offered. Niall smiled wistfully and shook his head.
"I gotta get used to being on my own," he said. "Not gonna get any easier if I'm staying at yours instead of mine."
Liam was quiet for a few seconds. "I wonder if it was like this for Zayn." Niall looked away and shrugged.
"Zayn's always felt at home at his place. Me, I've never really spent a lot of time here." Liam nodded.
"I understand." Niall wanted to scream, wanted to say that no, he didn't understand, but he didn't, just leaned against the counter and stared at the floor. Liam's shoulder bumped against his and he said, "It's okay. I'm still close by."
"It's over," Niall mumbled out. "We've officially ended the band and it sucks." The microwave started beeping and Liam pulled the food out. "I already miss it all. Even the crazy girls."
Liam started serving them and he looked up to catch Niall's gaze. "I know. Harry's decided to spend most of his time in LA, and Louis' got his baby to worry about. Zayn's off doing his thing - it's like they left us behind." Niall sucked in a breath and nodded. Liam had said exactly what he'd been feeling. "But we've got each other. And all of them are still our friends, our family. We always come back to each other."
He gripped Niall's shoulder and Niall leaned into the comforting gesture. Liam brushed a kiss to his forehead and handed him a plate.
"Thank you Liam," he said softly. Liam just smiled at him and started forking food into his mouth.
Niall lay in bed that night staring up at the ceiling. He'd closed the door in an effort to keep out the smell of the paint from the other room, but it wasn't helping much. When Liam was here, it'd felt like everything was fine - would be fine. Now that he had left, the feeling of being too alone had crept back inside.
He tossed and turned and fidgeted, feeling pain creep back into his knee. It was too cold, but he had to keep the window open to battle the smell. He sighed and sat up, staring at the wall in front of him.
His doorbell rang and his eyes shot up in the direction of the door.
"Nialler!" he heard Liam call. "Let me in, it's freezing!"
He climbed out of bed and limped out of his room and to the front door, opening it to find Liam rubbing his arms and staring at him with a puppy dog expression.
"I went for a walk and got cold," he explained. "And I was closer to your place than mine." Niall smiled and stepped back to let him inside. Liam's nose scrunched as he stepped inside and Niall closed the door. "Whew, this stinks," he mumbled.
"Not as bad in the room," Niall said, leading the way back to his room. Liam closed the door behind them and Niall sat on the bed.
"Sheesh, it's just as cold in here," Liam mumbled.
"You can take some of my sweats," Niall responded, nodding toward the drawer where his sweats were. Liam stepped over and took a pair, stripping off his jeans and pulling them on. He crawled into bed next to Niall.
"Doesn't your knee hurt?" he asked, touching it gently, as if applying the slightest bit of pressure would make it break.
"A little," Niall said. "But the smell is so awful."
Liam pulled the blanket back and gestured for Niall to lay next to him. "Come on, I'll keep you warm." Niall smiled slightly and stretched out next to him, laughing a little when Liam intertwined their legs, his thigh settling over Niall's bum knee. Liam tucked the blanket around them and wrapped his arm around Niall's torso.
"Kinda reminds me the way you guys used to make me feel better when we first started touring," Niall said. "Never let me sleep alone if you guys could help it."
"Zayn always got to you before I could," Liam said, pouting. Niall chuckled softly. "Though it comforted us as much as it comforted you, really. We just didn't want you to know." Niall reached up to trace patterns on Liam's arm.
"Are you comforting yourself now?" Liam smiled.
"You're too perceptive, Nialler."
"Don't be so see-through, Leemo," Niall responded with a grin. He looked down at Liam, who reached up and placed the gentlest kiss on Niall's lips.
"Go to sleep, Nialler." Niall smiled and rested his head back.
Liam drifted to sleep, curled around Niall, his leg giving warmth to Niall's knee. Niall stared out of the window as he listened to Liam's snore. Having Liam there made him feel less alone.
As he thought, he realized that the reason his flat felt so lonely was because it wasn't home. Home was tucked around him, keeping him warm. Home was in LA, enjoying the party scene, taking care of a baby, doing a solo gig.
He wrapped an arm around Liam and looked down at him. He wanted to keep this little piece of home to himself, if only for a little while.
He pressed a kiss to the corner of Liam's mouth and closed his eyes, finally ready to fall asleep.
♠ ♠ ♠
otp, otp, otp