Chapter Twenty Two

A/N: Small reminder that Liam and Niall are brothers, but have their original surnames. Please do not question this as it will become clearer as the fic goes on, you curious little beauties. :) Enjoy x

Liam pressed send on the text to his best friend as he sat under a couple of trees on the school field. He had managed, with Andy’s help, to move a bench under the two trees and away from any lower school noise and commotion. Liam was sat on the bench, listening to the school bell ring to signify to the students that it was now lunch, even though Liam had previously had a free period, which he had used to prepare what he was doing now.

Liam felt like he hadn’t spent much time at lunch with just Harry lately, if he wasn’t at revision or catch up classes, then their lunchtimes were shared with an excitable Louis and a loud Andy, both as bad as each other. Liam just wanted some time with his best friend on their own, no annoying friends or overly dependant younger brothers. Just Liam and Harry, sat on a bench, eating their lunches and talking as the sun shone through the leaves on the trees above them, leaving leaf-like silhouettes over them and the table.

The sounds of the lower years rushing out onto the school grounds in their groups to eat their lunch or have kickabout’s on the school field started to echo around, and Liam smiled, knowing that soon enough his brown eyes would see the lanky figure of Harry walking towards him, his curls bouncing deliciously in the afternoon sun as he walked over. He’d crack a smile, as his emeralds would look over the packed lunches that Liam had made for them that morning sprawled out on the bench, and he’d sit down as a low thanks would slip from his pink lips.

Liam smiled to himself, hoping that that was what would happen. He shuffled the lunches around, checking that he had made sure to pack Harry’s favourite crisps into them before he looked across the field and towards the doors of the sixth form. He had texted the boy to tell him to meet him under the trees when the lunch bell rang. Harry would have just had a lesson, Business Studies, Liam guessed, and so would hopefully read his text as he came out of the class. Liam let out a slight sigh, his index finger tapping on the table in a slight impatience. He was impatient due to how excited he was.

Ever since Harry had confessed in how he was confused in his sexuality to Liam, Liam couldn’t help but sit back and let his feelings for the curly haired boy explode into bigger proportions. He’d always had a thing for the boy, who didn’t like tall, dark and handsome, but ever since he felt like maybe he had a chance with Harry, it suddenly felt like everything was ten times more hopeful and ten times more brighter. Especially when Harry held his hand. Liam was glad that he didn’t have a pulse in the palm of his hand, or else Harry would feel how quick it would beat when his hand slipped into Liam’s. Liam’s pulse always seemed to do that when he was near Harry.

Liam looked up into the direction of the Sixth Form doors hopefully once more, but again, there was no sign of Harry. Liam frowned a little, wondering what on Earth Harry was doing. Had he gone down to have lunch with Andy and Louis, having not checked his texts? Well, the boys would definitely tell Harry that Liam was waiting for them…Liam bit on his lip, knowing that Andy and Louis were more forgetful than goldfish, and brought his phone out once again to type in a text to them, reminding them that if they see Harry they need to direct him over to where Liam was waiting for him. Liam watched the texts be delivered, before slipping his phone back into his pocket and looking up at the direction of the door once again.

“Where is he…” Liam mumbled to himself, before resting his chin on his hand, as his brown eyes watched the Sixth Form doors.

Almost fifteen minutes had gone by. The sun seemed to get stronger by the minute, warming Liam’s body so much that he had had to ditch his blazer, which was now lying beside him on the picnic bench that he was sat on. Liam’s stomach had also protested, and that’s why Liam was lazily crunching away on a packet of crisps as he waited for his best friend to emerge from the sixth form building. A couple of lower school kids had almost hit him in the head with a football, and a stern look and a couple of curses had sent them retreating away from the boy sat on the bench. The longer Harry took, the more Liam’s frown seemed to set into his face. He texted Harry, Andy and Louis once more, reminding them all of what he had previously texted them, even though Andy and Louis gave the same answer of how they didn’t know where Harry was, and Harry didn’t answer at all.

Another ten minutes passed, and almost half of lunch was over. To say Liam wasn’t impressed was an understatement. He had given up on looking at the Sixth Form doors and his brown eyes were now reading through another one of his books, this one about a couple of childhood friends who slowly started to fall in love with each other, although one of the main protagonists was being watched by some guys who wanted him for his money. It was one of the most interesting ones that Liam had read yet, but even two boys stood at a lake all lovey dovey couldn’t distract him from how enraged he was. His brown eyes read over another few pages, before he slammed the book shut and shoved it into his bag.

He was fed up of waiting now.

Liam was about to shove the two lunches he had made that morning back into his bag, when he heard the familiar shout of his name from the one person he was hoping he wouldn’t have to run into at school today. Liam groaned, before he slowly looked up to see his kid brother running towards him. Liam sat in silence, watching the boy run awkwardly over to him, before he reached the picnic bench. Niall Horan caught up on his breath a little, his small forehead covered in a layer of sweat.

“What do you want? Why are you wearing your blazer in this hot weather, you’ll give yourself heatstroke.” Liam quickly asked, when he looked at how his brother was wearing his long sleeved shirt, jumper and blazer all in this hot weather. Liam was boiling in just a short-sleeved shirt and trousers; he couldn’t imagine how his brother must have felt.

Niall let out a short whine, his face scrunching with upset, which made Liam frown in confusion. The older sibling was about to ask what he had done, when his younger brother catapulted over to where Liam was sat, his small hands tugging at his school tie.

“Can’t undo my tie, Liam!” Niall whined again, his upset voice coming out as high pitch as he worked himself up. The heat always seemed to get to him. Liam rolled his eyes.

“Of course you can’t when you’re tugging at it, you’re tightening it! Move!” Liam flapped his brother’s hands away before he tugged the tight tie so that it was much looser, and then unbuttoned the younger boy’s top button. Niall let out a sigh, and his watery eyes started to grow more cheerful, as the young boy braved a thankful smile.

“You shouldn’t wear so many clothes in this heat, Niall.” Liam quipped, before he pulled off his brother’s backpack and threw it onto the floor so that it was by his.

“I wanted to take it off but my tie, it just wouldn’t come off and everyone laughed at me, Li Li, but it wouldn’t come off!” Niall whined, as his voice grew more stressed and high pitched as the words came from his mouth.

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Liam sighed, rolling his eyes as he tried to pull the many layers of clothing from his little brother’s scrawny body.

First he tugged the blazer off and placed it next to his own, before he tried to pull off Niall’s hot school jumper. The younger boy giggled and wriggled as Liam tried to pull the jumper from him, and Liam had to snap at the boy once or twice to make him stay still. Liam threw the jumper down onto the ground as his little brother sighed happily.

“Thanks, Li Li.” Niall smiled widely, before he sat down next to his big brother and started to babble on about something so and so had said which was funny or humorous in one way or another to everyone, even though Liam found it all tedious.

“Niall, I’m kind of expecting someone.” Liam spoke up, before he tried to push his brother from the bench seat, his brown eyes looking back over to the sixth form doors, hoping that they would glance over the oncoming Harry Styles but of course, they didn’t. Niall looked up with excited blue eyes.

“Is it Harry? I love Harry! He helped me pick out my Perry!” Niall spoke excitedly, and Liam raised an eyebrow at his younger brother.

“Really? I didn’t know, I mean, it’s not like I was there or anything was I?” Liam’s words rolled sarcastically from him mouth as he looked down at Niall. Niall didn’t detect the sarcastic tone of course, and a loud cackle came from his mouth.

“Yes you were, Li Li!” Niall cheered excitedly, bouncing around on the bench seat. Liam mumbled a curse under his breath and rolled his eyes, before he shushed his brother as he looked back over to the sixth form doors. He was really starting to doubt Harry’s presence. Niall hushed down a little, his little face looking up at his brother in admiration.

“Can I sit on your knee, like that time at home, Li Li?” Niall asked excitedly, and Liam answered by putting his large hand over Niall’s small face and pushing the boy away slightly, causing the young boy next to him to pout.

“I am not being seen at school with you on my knee, Niall.” Liam simply replied, not bothering to look at the boy next to him. Instead, his thoughts drifted to Harry. There was a silence between the two boys, as the leaves rustled in a soft summer breeze above them, as Liam’s mind was sucked into a whirlpool of Harry Styles.

A loud, rumbling stomach interrupted Liam’s doubts, and he looked down to see his brother holding onto his tummy, looking down at one of the lunchboxes with intense blue eyes.

“Haven’t you eaten yet, Niall?” Liam asked tiredly, resting his chin on his head once again, as his brown eyes started to drift across all the gatherings of lower schoolboys that were sat around on the school field. He began to wonder how many were staring at the two brother’s, laughing at Liam’s expense as he sat with his kid brother, practically babying him.

“I had an apple…” Niall’s voice was quiet, his eyes never lifting away from the lunch that Liam had prepared for Harry that morning. Liam rolled his eyes, he would have given his brother another rant about food but he was too young and naïve to take it into account anyway. Instead, Liam slowly moved the lunch he had prepared for Harry towards his younger brother as an act of defeat. He knew that Harry wasn’t coming by this time. Harry was too nice to just not show up, if something came up then Harry would send a text. He always sent a text. 

The sounds of his younger brother breaking into the lunchbox were the only sounds that Liam could hear as he stared at the Sixth Form doors, half longing for Harry, but half wishing he didn’t have to see him for the rest of the day. This always happened to Liam. He tried to do a good thing and it ended up going down the shitter. Liam let out a shaky sigh before he looked back away from the sixth form doors. He stood up suddenly, making the young boy next to him look up with startled blue eyes for a moment.

“Don’t move from here until you’ve finished all your lunch. I’m going inside, see you after school.” Liam huffed, before he got out from the bench and reached down to grab his school bag. His brother suddenly latched onto the back of Liam’s leg. Liam rolled his eyes, it’s not like the two would be seeing each other in a matter of two and a half hours time or anything.

“Are you coming home with me and Muma? She said that if I had been good today then we were going to get a drive through at McDonalds, and you could come too and sit in the backseat with me and we could play,” Liam quickly cut his younger brother off before he could get carried away.

“Yes, Niall, yes, Mum’s picking me up, now eat, and make sure you finish your lunch before the bell goes.” Liam sighed raggedly, before he flung his blazer into the crook of his arm.

“I will, you’ll tell Muma that I was good today, won’t you Li Li?” Niall asked, looking up at his brother still. Liam looked down one last time.

“Only if you finish your lunch and get to lesson on time.” Liam told him, before he walked away from the bench and his younger brother, his teeth gritted together from the stress of it all. He felt like Harry had just stood him up, the last thing he wanted was his brother crawling all over his lap and eating all the food that Liam had made especially for the one guy that didn’t fucking show up.

His feet carried him across the light green grass of the school fields until he reached the Sixth Form doors that had been stuck under his gaze for so long during the last two quarters of an hour. He stormed inside, walking through all the sixth form corridors that were filled with light blue lockers before he finally arrived in the loud common room. The large TV was playing music from the charts, but Liam didn’t hear it as he marched over to where Andy and Louis were sat sprawled out on a couple of small sofa chairs. Liam threw his bag down next to Louis, causing the boy to leap up and yell in fright. Andy flinched too.

“He never bloody showed up! He never hangs out with us anymore, where the hell is he?!” Liam demanded, looking between both of his best friends for an explanation. Andy raised his eyebrows and shrugged carelessly before looking back down at his phone. Louis gave a little shrug.

“If he’s anywhere he’ll be upstairs at Business revision, he’s up there a lot at lunches. Room…04?” Louis spoke, slight uncertainty in his voice from his knowledge of the sixth form rooms, and Liam huffed again before taking off.

Liam once again stormed his way through the sixth form, his hand gripping onto the stair banister as he pulled himself up the stairs and onto the top floor of the sixth form, where Harry had most of his lessons. Liam’s teeth were still gritted together as he pushed the heavy wooden doors open and looked down the corridors, before heading off to room 04. Liam walked up and over to the door, before he looked sheepishly into the small window that went down the centre of the door. When he was met by an empty room with the lights switched off, to say he was confused was an understatement.

The school bell rang as Liam started to consider the other rooms that Harry might have been revising in, when a door opening down the corridor echoed around the walls. Liam looked towards the sound of it in curiousity, and immediately frowned once again.

“C’mere, you little fluffball!” Harry Styles’ voice spoke playfully, before he pulled the boy next to him into his arms and planted a kiss onto his cheeks. The hostage in Harry’s arms squeaked a little, and Liam’s mouth dropped a little in shock.

“See you on Friday, love.” Harry smiled, before both boys walked down the opposite way of the corridor to where Liam was stood. Many questions started to fly through Liam’s mind, although the main one seemed to stand out against the rest.

Why the fuck was Harry kissing the mute kid on cheek?