"Haz." I knock on his bedroom door for the fifth time, still hoping he will answer me. He has been acting weird all day, and it became worse after we finished our show in Philly tonight. He stormed out of the bus as soon as we reached the hotel, and he did not even answer my calls. Okay. I'm worried. Say it to my face. "Please. It hurts me to imagine you're alone in there."

This time, I hear footsteps from inside. Suddenly the door opens and there's Harold, looking exhausted - but not in a good meaning.

"Oh, God", that's all I can say, pulling him inside, locking the door behind us and embracing him tightly. "Do you wanna tell me what happened?"

He does not answer verbally. His hands are placed in my back, while I hear his nose sniffle on my shoulder. He has been crying. God damn it, who could make Harry cry?

"Okay, you won't tell me. I won't force anything", I whisper into his left ear. "But it makes me wanna cry just to see you hurt, Haz."

"I'm sorry", he finally opens his mouth, "I can't tell you right now. I'm sorry, I love you, but I can't--"

"Don't worry about it. Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?"

He nods, leading me to his bed - like the old times - and I lay down first, his head resting on my chest and his face hidden between his hands. 

"Do you want me to sing, Harry?"

♚♚

"You. Are. A. Goddess", I say slowly to Anne, after finishing my full plate of her Christmas turkey leftovers, "You make miracles. That's why you're my second mother!"

"Oh, what a silly boy you are, Niall", she answers, smiling to me.

"I'm wondering if you really missed me or my mother", Harry jokes, laughing at himself right after. 

"Anne, are you sure Harold is not the silly boy in here?" I joke back, making his eyes widen at my answer.

"You two are silly. Done."

"You're embarassing me now, Nialler", he says, hiding his face on my right shoulder, and I laugh at him, kissing the top of his head. "Stop. You're making me flush."

"You're kind of handsome when you flush. Come on, let me see." My index finger goes up to his chin, raising his face so that I see him blush in front of me. "Damn. I could marry you right now."

We had this thing back at our last tour - to find any excuse to say "we're getting married!" in front of people so we could make each other blush. Just like right now. He started with this at some point of 2015, and I can tell you that it scared the hell out of me at first. Not because of the sudden affection he started showing for me, but because I knew it all would end along with the tour. And I did not want it to end.

Not when I was finally breaking down my walls for him.

"Niall, can you convince him to cut his hair short? Look at this!" Gemma points to a tuft of hair on the floor. "It's falling everywhere!"

"Don't start with that topic, sis", he says, still laying on my shoulder. "Don't."

"She's kinda right, Haz", I say, just to challenge him. "No one will notice it, since you're basically retired from media ever since March."

"No, not you, Ni. I know you love my hair."

"Used to", I joke, but still with a serious expression on my face. "What else can I say to make you do what I want?"

He pretends to think about the right answer. Soon he reaches my hands and intertwine our fingers.

"You could say you love me right now."

"I do love you, Harold", he smirks after hearing my words, until the second after I finish my sentence. "This is exactly why I'm asking you that."

"Shit. I forgot you always turn my arguments in your favor."

"Will you ever listen to me? The love of your life?"

"I always listen to you, that's the problem", he jokes back, and we laugh at the same time.

"It's time for the countdown, boys", Anne calls us from the backyard. 

Gemma follows her, and we are the last ones to leave the dining room. Suddenly I feel Harry patting my bum, and my eyes roll at his attitude.

"Why did you do that?" I say, still pretending to be shocked.

"Did what?"

"Oh, no."

"What, Ni?"

"Don't pretend you didn't do that. I hate it."

"Hate what?"

"Harold." I say with a serious tone, and he laughs at me. "You think you're so funny, don't you?"

"And that's what you love the most in me."

When the new year of 2017 arrives, Harry goes to wrap his arms around my waist first, and, with no way out, I wrap mine around his neck.

"Happy new year, Niall. I'm happy you're here, by the way." He whispers to me, and I can't stop myself from blushing after that.

"Don't make me fall in love with you right now, Styles."

Not again, I complete mentally.

♚♚

♚♚

♚♚

Any thoughts? (I did my best. I swear.)