Nick peeks over at Harry as he gets ready for their last full day here. His heart twists in his chest when he realizes that this wonderful sliver of time is almost at an end, but he knows that it can't last forever.

He can sense that Harry's struggling with his own emotions as well, but he's pushing them down, burying his face in his suitcase and pretending like last night hadn't happened, which isn't what Nick wants.

"You still up for a chat love?" Nick asks when Harry's movements begin to get more frantic. He's made quite a mess of his things now, which is unusual for him, so Nick decides to intervene before his belongings end up all over the place.

"Just a second...I - I can't find -"

"Harry." Nick states his name tersely, kneeling down next to the younger man and grasping both of his hands in his until Harry finally meets his gaze. "Don't do this yeah? No hiding, we promised this before. If this is going to work, we need to talk about things, not shove them to the side until they grow into problems too big for us to handle."

Nick is actually a bit shocked at how the tables have turned. Harry is typically the bluntly honest one, the person who isn't afraid to speak his mind, while Nick is usually left not knowing how to deal with his feelings so he chooses to ignore them more often than not. Harry's still human though, sometimes Nick forgets that, but he's going to have his bad days just like Nick does, so he is determined to be there for the younger man since Harry's always been there for him.

"I - I'm sorry," Harry exhales shakily. "I don't mean to be like this, and I'm fine, I swear. Just got a lot on my mind."

"Like kids and the future?" Nick leads him, guessing the source of his distress easily thanks to his outburst from last night. "You know we don't have to have it all figured out right now love. You're young, and we have time to settle later on. I'm in no hurry, and you shouldn't be either."

"I know," Harry groans, "it's not just that...it's - nothing, I'm just being ridiculous," Harry deflects one last time. Nick's so rarely seen him like this that he's momentarily terrified, but he doesn't let himself jump to conclusions like he would have done a year ago.

"It doesn't seem like nothing..." Nick hedges, "but if you want me to leave it, I will. I know you're upset though, and I just want to understand why."

Harry finally stops fidgeting, his green eyes meeting Nick's, allowing him to see the haze of confusion clouding their brilliant color. "It's not like that," Harry sighs, "it's not anything bad at all. I'm just a bit caught up in my head, and being here with you has made me think how much I wish we could do this more often, of how I want to be with you properly and not just when no one else can see, but I'm also scared."

"I'm a bit lost, are you unhappy with us?" Nick asks nervously. That's the last thing he wants to hear, but he has to know if that's the case.

"No!" Harry exclaims instantly, "God no - things have been perfect. I'm sorry, I'm not explaining myself right..." he groans quietly.

"It's alright darling, take your time," Nick encourages him. He breathes in deeply as he lets Harry unravel his thoughts, brushing his thumb over the back of Harry's knuckles gently as he waits.

"I think I want to go public about us," Harry finally announces after a minute of silence, "or at least be less careful. I'm just worried that if we do, it could ruin things if the media goes off like they have in the past. Still, I - I want to be able to share the fact that I'm in love, to stop hiding behind my female friends and letting the tabloids print shit about us dating just so I can keep you a secret. I want to bloody marry you one day, and have kids, and just - how can we do all that if no one even knows were together?

"Harry..." Nick exhales heavily, his throat closing up as he reels from Harry's unexpected statement, "how long have you been feeling this way?"

"I mean, I've always wanted these things I think, but since I was with you in London last the longing got stronger. I just - seeing you there at my show, I wished I could acknowledge you. I don't like having to sneak you backstage and pretend like you're just a friend anymore. But then I think about how it was before, how cruel everyone was to you, how they tore us apart, and I can't stand for that to happen again either," Harry whimpers quietly. "I'm just so confused. I want to be more open about our relationship, but at the same time, I can't bear to lose you, and I might if people learn about us."

"You won't lose me because of things others say, I can promise you that," he answers solemnly, pulling Harry closer to his chest as he tries to find the right words to say. "I know I let them get to me before, and I can't swear it won't bother me again, but I won't believe them this time. You're still here, and if that shit they said was the truth, you wouldn't be. Either way, it's worth it. I'm in love with you Harry Styles. I want to be with you in any way I can, and if you want to tell the world about us, I'll be announcing how much I love you hourly on the radio the second you give me the go-ahead."

"You make it sound so easy," Harry sniffles softly, but Nick thinks he can detect the hint of a smile pulling at his lips, "and it should be, but I know it won't. If it all goes wrong, we can't take it back. What if coming out is a mistake?"

Nick knows how Harry's feeling, he's been on the other side of this conversation more times than he can count, if it even happened that is. More often than not, Nick was too afraid to ask for the answers to his questions, but here Harry is, pouring his heart out to him even though he's obviously struggling with his own fears and uncertainties.

God - Nick loves him, he wants to give him the world, but he is also reluctant to make promises that he might not be able to keep. He can speak for himself, but not for what others will say or do, and he has no idea what the future will hold for them if they do go public with their relationship.

He debates telling Harry that it will go better this time around, that they're both older and more grounded, that his fans won't care as much now that he's no longer a teenager. He could mention he's thinking of leaving the Breakfast Show as well, that stepping out of that role might shield him from some of the media's scrutiny, but it's all hopeful guessing in the end.

But the thing is, Nick never actually wanted a definite yes or no reply when he would voice these same queries, especially not with matters like this. No one can see what's going to happen a month from now, or even tomorrow. What Nick had really needed back then was the reassurance that he wasn't alone, and he thinks that's what Harry wants too.

"Wait here a second," Nick speaks up again, gently letting go of Harry so he can move over to his bag, keeping his eye on the younger man the entire time.

"Did you get me a present?" Harry genuinely grins for the first time all morning, his eyes glittering faintly as he peers at Nick curiously.

"God Styles, you always ruin the surprise," Nick scoffs playfully, making sure to roll his eyes obnoxiously as he speaks. "But yes, I did. I know this won't fix anything," Nick mutters as he digs among his things, finally emerging with what he's been looking for, "and I can't tell you what we should do, but I do know that you make me happy, and I want you to do whatever will make you happy as well. But like I said before, you don't have to decide right now. We can talk more about it, weigh the pros and cons, maybe even test the waters a bit and see how things go. No matter what though, I'll be there by your side."

"Nick," Harry sighs warmly, seemingly lost for any other words as Nick makes his way back over to him, his hand curling around the item he had recently retrieved.

"Now this isn't meant to be anything, I just saw this while I was out in Malta, and I thought of you." Nick pulls out what he's been hiding, which is an oddly shaped ring with a pink stone that practically screams Harry to him. "Now it's not that ring, obviously," Nick clarifies, "but it's just...I don't know, I'm the one being silly now, but the stone is Rhodochrosite. According to the lady that sold it to me, it's a crystal that's supposed to help you find love and freedom, or enhance them if you already have them. Probably a load of bollocks she feeds to tourists like me so we'll buy her wares, but I like the sentiment, and maybe it'll help remind you that you're never alone even if I'm not physically there. It's cheesy, I know, but when I saw it, I just had to get it for you."

"I - I love it," Harry stammers out, his tone wavering slightly when Nick hands it over to him. He seems to be on the verge of tears, so Nick continues speaking in the hopes of damning the waterworks.

"And I know this doesn't fix anything, and I don't have all the answers, but I'm here for as long as you want me alright? We'll make it through all this, we just need to take it a day at a time."

"Thank you," Harry exhales, "thank you so much." The end of his sentence gets lost when he smushes his face against Nick's torso, which is still bare since he has yet to find a clean shirt. Nick hugs Harry back tightly for a few moments, trying to ignore the sounds of the rest of his family waking up, which means they need to be decent soon as well.

"Call it even if you find me something to wear," Nick jokes weakly when Harry finally loosens his grip a bit, leaving behind a damp spot that Nick truly hopes is happy tears.

"I've got just the thing," Harry smirks mischievously, all traces of his earlier distress completely erased from his features. He wipes briefly at the corners of his eyes before putting on his new ring. He then picks through the pile of clothes adoring the top of his suitcase, emerging with a familiar red shirt that Nick hasn't seen in ages.

"Oh god, that'll start rumors for sure if people see me in that," Nick chuckles when he sees the familiar Hawaiian patterned button up that he knows Harry's fans will recognize as his instantly.

"We'll have to make sure to take lots of pictures then."

"You better get my good side," Nick replies, a smile splitting his face in two as they finish getting ready, the atmosphere now clear and light, the oppressive aura it had carried earlier has dissipated completely when faced with Harry's laughter and dimples.

Nick is aware that they have more discussing to do, and they will, he won't hide from this like his past self would have. But for now, he just wants to enjoy his last full day here with Harry, everything else can wait until tomorrow.