Chapter Text
“Nialler!” Harry and Louis shouted in unison as they walked hand in hand into Niall’s house. Maura, Niall’s mom met them at the door with tears in her eyes.
“I’m so glad you boys are here. Niall and Liam are up in Niall’s room. I’m about to pop over to the store. Any special requests?” she asked quickly. “I’ll just be gone for a few.”
“No, we’re good thanks, just here really to give him a hard time,” Louis joked.
Maura smiled. “It is a shame that it took a shark trying to get away with my son’s leg for you boys to come back for a visit. Let’s not have that happen again, yeah?”
Harry looked down at Louis and lit up with a smile. “Nah, I think we’ll be around more often now.”
“Good. Well, up you go.” She shooed them toward the staircase and walked out the front door.
“I’m gonna win!” Louis shouted as he took off up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
“No fair,” Harry claimed when he caught up to him outside of Niall’s door. “I suppose you think you get a prize for winning.”
“Yep! Sure do! I’ll think about it and let you know what I want.”
Harry knocked on the door, “You’re such a brat.”
“I’m your brat,” Louis answered as he opened the door without waiting for a response from within. “We’re here!”
“Liam, am I ODing on morphine? Why does it look like Louis and Harry arrived here together, with their arms around each other?” Niall’s trademark bottle-blonde hair laid flat against his head, his mouth quirked in confusion. He was propped up in bed, a mess of pillows and blankets surrounding his small frame.
Liam shrugged from the computer chair he was sitting in across the room, “Thought they should be the ones to tell you the good news.”
“Listen up Niall, and listen up good because this is the only time I’m ever going to say this.” Louis pointed a finger at Niall as he took a few steps into the bedroom. “You were right all along.”
Niall cackled with glee.
“Don’t get cocky, like I said this is a one-time thing. But I can admit that I should’ve listened to you and given H here a second chance instead of shutting him out of my life.” Louis bent down and kissed the crown of Niall’s head. “Also, I’m hoping those drugs will keep you doped up enough that you don’t remember me saying that.”
“Not a chance bro, I’m going to have that put on my gravestone, ‘Tommo said I was right.’”
Liam shuddered, “Let’s not talk about dying when you were literally in a coma two days ago.”
Niall laughed, “You should’ve seen the other guy.”
Harry stood right next to Louis and went in for a Niall hug, then thought better of it and kissed his forehead instead. “Should’ve been a shark snack ages ago, that’s really all it took.”
“Seriously though,” Louis tentatively sat on a bottom corner of the bed, but on Niall’s wince, took to the floor instead, “how you holding up? Mom didn’t tell me much, broke down in tears anytime I tried to get details.”
“You know the important stuff. Survived a shark attack. Should get a shirt or something for that. But it’s honestly not so bad, all things considering, rehab for my leg’s gonna be a total bitch, lost a lot of blood and the pain meds make me loopy, so can’t get back out there for a while. I’m going to go stir crazy waiting to get back out to the beach.”
The three of them laughed. “You’re fucking crazy, man.” Liam said.
“Yeah, maybe,” he shrugged, “but it all seemed to work out, yeah?”
Harry elbowed Louis in the side with a smile.
“Who’s up for some FIFA?” Niall looked around the room.
Louis was already scrambling for the Xbox controllers. “Hopefully the meds slow you down just enough that we have an advantage.” He cackled evilly.
They played until Niall’s next round of pain medication knocked him out again. As they were wrapping up, Louis couldn’t help but think that this was the happiest he had been in years, the old gang back together, some time to relax in the sun, and soon a whole drive back to Washington with his boyfriend.