Chapter Text
"Sick, mate, didn't that hurt?"
"When'd you get that?"
"You know that hand tattoos fade really easily, right?" For the last comment, all three heads turned towards Harry who just shrugged absently, throwing another glance at the new tattoo Liam was sporting on the back of his hand before looking away. People getting tattoos in this band wasn't really that exciting anymore.
"I can get it touched up." Liam explained but Niall wasn't really listening anyways, his eyes not really moving away from the black eagle inked into his boyfriend's skin, his surprise slowly fading before getting replaced with something much more unpleasant. His question was still very prominent in his head, when had Liam actually gotten that? "And yeah, hurt more than anywhere else so far, but not unbearably much or anything. Still, if you touch it without my permission, Louis, then I'm gonna kill you."
"Why only me? I would never do anything to hurt you, Payno." Then he winked very obviously, punching Liam in the shoulder, his laugh somehow shaking Niall out of his trance.
"When'd you get it?" With who? was the actual question the blonde wanted to ask yet he swallowed it down, finally looking up now to meet Liam's warm, brown eyes, already feeling guilty the second he saw his boyfriend's soft face, the light smile he reserved for Niall only. Why was it so hard to be mad at this boy?
"A few hours ago, that's why it's so red. And swollen, but the guy said it's gonna be fine in a day or two." Maybe it was Niall's fault, he had known Liam had wanted a new tattoo soon, but he had always kinda assumed he would be the one to go with him so he had never really asked. Still, they had spent all day yesterday together in order to celebrate Liam's birthday and the older boy hadn't said a word about it. "Andy went with me."
There it was, a slight pinch in Niall's lower stomach that he tried his best to overplay, he didn't care that it had been Andy, it could have been anyone really and he would've felt that stupid jealousy bubble up inside of him. Why hadn't Liam just asked him? Niall hadn't even had any plans today, he had just been hanging out in Harry's and Louis' room, waiting for his boyfriend to get back. "Oh."
The silence following after Niall's barely existing answer was almost uncomfortable, it lasted for about a second before the door opened and someone asked them to get ready for the meet and greet. Niall's eyes slowly shifted away from Liam's questioning stare, briefly meeting Louis' who had his eyebrows pulled up before he grabbed Harry's wrist a bit too quickly, pulling him out of the room before any of the others had time to follow. Great, that one time Louis actually gave them space to talk in private and Niall really didn't wanna have it.
"Wait… Nialler." Liam's grip around his hand was familiar, firm yet still gentle and Niall felt himself releasing a light sigh. He really didn't wanna fight, he should have just smiled and not said anything, but it was too late now and besides, his stomach was still twisting into knots, making it hard not to frown in frustration as their eyes met once more. "Are you okay? Do you… do you not like it? I thought you knew that I wanted to get one, we were talking about it, I-"
"I know, Li, it's fine, promise. It's not the tattoo, just… " Then Niall stopped, a bit distracted by the way Liam's thumb was rubbing over his knuckles, his stupid puppy face that always had the blonde give in and his lips that reminded him of how they hadn't really kissed since they had woken up this morning. No, Niall couldn't do this to Liam, the boy hadn't tried to hurt him on purpose, he would never. "I think I… I think I ate something bad before, when you were gone."
"You… what? Are you okay? Are you feeling sick? Do you have to throw up?" Almost instantly, Liam jumped into his protective mode, obviously fully believing Niall's words and though the younger boy felt bad for lying, he also felt relief spreading inside of him as Liam took another step forward, squeezing his hand more firmly as his free, freshly tattooed, hand came up to cup Niall's cheek.
"No, no, I'm fine, just… I'll be fine, promise. And I do like the tattoo, makes you look like a bad boy. My bad boy boyfriend who needs his cuddles before he can go to sleep." Having Liam's thumb stroking his cheekbone like that and feeling his breath against his face gave Niall more than just a hard time to not momentarily forget about his grumpy mood, instead putting up a tiny smile that immediately got returned. This was why they almost never fought, also because there hardly was a reason to, but if there had been, Niall was 100% sure he'd buckle in the second Liam would just properly look at him.
"You're the one who wakes me in the middle of the night so you can get a goodnight kiss." Very true. For a second, Niall forgot about the stupid tattoo, he was just grinning at his boyfriend, feeling his heart flattering as Liam pressed their lips together, lingering for a moment, hot breath against Niall's lips as he mumbled. "Good for you I happen to love kissing you… even at 3 am."
"You better…. " Wrapping his arms around the older boy's neck after letting go of his hand, Niall decided they had those extra five minutes and Liam easily complied, hand still pressing against the blonde's face as he relaxed his jaw with a sigh, giving Niall complete access to his mouth.
When someone else came to get them, they almost jumped apart in surprise, both with flushed faces and red lips, having gotten a bit lost in the kiss, but Niall couldn't help but feel happy as Liam tightly wrapped his arm around his shoulders when they walked together, almost having forgotten about the tattoo again.
The meet and greet went fine, Niall barely had time to worry about anything at all, he had a great time actually and when they were asked to hold hands, he was being extra careful not to accidentally put any pressure on the back of Liam's hand. After all, he would never wanna hurt him, not even when he himself felt slightly let down by his boyfriend.
Surely it had been a misunderstanding though, right?
——————
A day after, Niall felt pumped as he hopped under the shower to get ready to leave for Sandy's bachelor party, Liam had already texted him that he and Andy were waiting for him in the lobby and the blonde felt slightly bad that his nap had turned out slightly longer than planned. Not his fault though, he just got sleepy easily during tour, especially when there was no one there to keep him entertained.
It was fine though, he and Liam didn't always have to be attached by the hip, especially when any of their friends visited, they'd still spend enough days together and almost every single night, after dating for three years, they had this all figured out perfectly already.
And it was good, perfect even, Niall had never felt this crazily in love with anyone, but he and Liam had just clicked from the beginning, and when they had gotten together, it had felt natural, they were still best friends, they could talk about anything and most importantly, they were always there for each other. Whether it be for simple jokes or just sitting together with both of them doing separate things or comforting cuddles or being each other's shoulder to cry on, they just got the other person. And Niall was never gonna forget all these hotel nights and the banter on stage and all these kisses and loving touches they had shared, the freaking amazing sex or how Liam had held him for four hours when he had been crying over Zayn leaving the band.
To be honest, he hadn't ever thought he was gonna have a strong relationship like this, one where he could actually see himself getting married and staying together for the rest of their lives. But Niall did, he really did with Liam.
When Niall got out of the shower, there were two new messages from Liam, one telling him to get his arse down to the lobby, the other one sent a second later, apologizing for being so rude, making Niall smile as he unlocked his phone and saw how many heart emojis Liam had sent him. This boy, unbelievable.
He made it downstairs fully dressed and with half dried hair in under ten minutes, they were gonna be late but Niall doubted that anyone would even notice, it was a party after all, they weren't the only people invited and by far not the most important ones to show up.
"Finally… " Niall ignored Andy's comment, feeling a grin spreading on his face as he saw Liam already having his arms held open for him, looking way too good for Niall to not immediately look forward to tonight.
They hadn't seen each other for maybe four hours, but it still seemed like way more when Niall didn't hesitate to press their lips together, arms locking tightly around Liam's neck as big, warm hands settling on his hips, the usual feeling of relief spreading in his chest as they kissed, goosebumps rising all over his body. "Hmm… I missed you."
"I missed you too…" Hoping that no one else had heard them, Niall tried his hardest not to whine as Liam pulled away further after another quick peck to the younger's lips, their hips still pressed together because of how close they were. Maybe Niall wasn't that excited for the party anymore. "How was your day?"
"Good. I slept for like three hours but besides that, you know, had an amazing time with myself." Maybe this had come out wrong but it made Liam laugh so Niall smiled, barely able to tear his eyes away from his boyfriend's happy face, the way his eyes crinkled up and god, Niall was so lucky. "What about you?"
"T'was good, but you should come along again next time because I'm kinda missing you terribly whenever you don't." He was so sweet, maybe it was childish, how fast this got Niall's heart beating but it's not like he could help it, still playing with the soft hair in the back of Liam's neck, staring at him as if he had hung the stars in the sky. It was kinda how it felt for Niall anyways, he adored Liam so much, it was almost painful to think about sometimes, even more so when he was reminded of how that feeling was completely mutual. "By the way, I gotta show you something, I-"
"Boys, the car is here, let's go." Paddy interrupted their little moment, bursting Niall's bubble where he and Liam where gonna go upstairs to one of their rooms now and focus on nothing else but each other for the next 10 hours. Right, they had somewhere to be.
"I'll tell you in the car." Liam promised, gently unwrapping Niall's arms from around his neck before lacing their fingers together with his tattoo free hand, pressing another brief kiss onto the blonde's temple, almost having him forgetting yet again where they were headed to.
Maybe it was Liam's cute dimple showing or the way he smiled at Niall, the soft pads of his fingers brushing against the younger's skin or his intoxicating aftershave that had him paying so little attention. Since yesterday, Niall had gotten somewhat over the fact that Liam had gotten that tattoo without him, he hadn't wanted to be angry with him, especially not after Liam had been so sweet last night, asking more than 50 times to check up on Niall's health.
So now, the blonde was barely even thinking about it anymore, sure, he had still felt slightly uneasy when he and Liam had cuddled up in bed last night and the brunette's arm had wrapped around his waist from behind, giving him quite the sight on the tattoo right before he had turned off the lights. The second he had pulled Niall back against his chest though and kissed the back of his neck lovingly, mumbling a sleepy 'I love you', the younger boy had easily forgiven him again.
That's why Niall wasn't even thinking about it anymore now as they climbed into the car, Liam falling in the seat next to him, not having let go of Niall's hand yet, Paddy and Andy opposite of them, one of them pulling the door closed just as Niall decided that he needed to sit even closer to his boyfriend. "What did you wanna show me?"
"Well, you know… I kinda thought there was something missing and I've been wanting to do this since forever and anyways, look." Liam had sounded so excited it almost had Niall wanting to squish his cheeks or something, instead he settled for a smile, still having both their intertwined hands in his lap, literally no idea what Liam was about to show him but not caring because it made his boyfriend happy and that was all that mattered.
Or maybe not.
The second the car started was the second Niall's heart dropped, almost the same way it had yesterday but maybe even a bit worse, mostly because it had been even more unexpected than the first time. Liam had gotten a big ass second tattoo, on his arm this time, the same he had gotten the hand tattoo on and Niall would be lying if he said he didn't feel like throwing up for a second.
What the fuck?!
"Ni? What's wrong?" Liam seemed to not have a clue why Niall's face had fallen or why he didn't say one word, why he was just staring at the two fresh tattoos now, suddenly feeling like an idiot for what he had done yesterday. If they had been asked to hold hands again today, he would have pressed down extra hard. "Baby, are you o-"
"You got a second one?" Was all that Niall could think of, but more of the second part though, which was 'without me?!', but he yet again swallowed that down, his fingers going limp in Liam's grip, suddenly wanting to pull his hand away. God, why was he so jealous? But then again, why hadn't Liam just told him?! Why hadn't he just asked Niall if he had wanted to come, god damn it! "Why didn't you tell me?"
That had Liam closing his mouth immediately, they were just looking at each other in silence, even Paddy and Andy had stopped talking, probably pretending like they weren't listening even if it would've been more than just hard to ignore, there was maybe one meter or so between them. "I… I didn't know you… "
Clearly, Liam hadn't expected that kinda reaction, he was speechless, his smile was completely wiped off his face and Niall knew, he knew his boyfriend hadn't tried to hurt him, he never would have, but that didn't change the fact that he fucking had, twice in a row, and hell, he didn't even know! "Just forget about it."
And with that, Niall pulled his hand away, making sure to bring more distance between them, so their thighs and arms weren't brushing anymore, tears burning in his eyes as he fumbled with the hem of his shirt, anything just so he wouldn't have to look at Liam now. This was so stupid, Niall couldn't believe it. "Niall, what… what did I do? I told you I wanted more tattoos, why are you mad at me now? I'm sorry if you wanted me to show you the designs before, I didn't with any of my other tattoos and you never said a word about it. You were even there when I got the others and you didn't … oh."
It seemed to make click in Liam's head because he immediately shut up again, not that Niall cared, he hadn't even been listening, all he could think about was that he couldn't start crying now. How fucking humiliating would it be to start bawling like a child in front of Andy and Paddy, it already was embarrassing enough, that they were having a fight, here, now, about this. But damn it, Niall was Liam's boyfriend, he could be jealous and angry if he wanted to be. "Yeah, whatever."
"Ni… baby, I'm sorry, I… I didn't think you'd… I… I should have-"
"Yeah, should have, Liam, but you didn't. Not like it matters anyways, it's your body, and your decision, and if you don't want my opinion on things or don't want me to come along then that's fine, yeah? Just makes me think, is all." At the last word, Niall's throat got really tight and he was more than relieved that he was already done with his break out, staring out the window now, even though it was dark, internally praying that they were gonna be there soon. Niall was so gonna get hammered tonight.
"Niall, I'm sorry, okay? It doesn't mean anything, I just wasn't thinking you'd get this angry, I was just happy about getting the tattoos, I promise, and you can ask Paddy, I was almost more excited about showing them to you than actually getting them. I didn't know you wanted to come along so badly." Niall wasn't gonna ask Paddy anything in a while now because he was sure he would get way too embarrassed just looking at the man, god, why the fuck were they having a fight in a car?!
"Then maybe he should be your boyfriend and not me, if you think he'd rather be there than me when you get something permanently put on your skin. Not like I care about you or anything, you know, not like you're the most important person to me and I'd like to be there when you do stuff you're excited about to experience it with you. But yeah, better ask anyone but me to come along, good decision." Okay, this was low, but Niall couldn't help it, he was literally five seconds from crying and he just needed Liam to stop talking because he WANTED to be angry right now, he didn't need his boyfriend's puppy eyes changing his mind now or having him give in.
No, Niall was fucking jealous and hurt and he had every right to.
It was dead silent in the car before they arrived a second later, Niall may or may not have let a tear escape that hopefully no one had seen, simply brushing Liam's hand off when he tried to stop him with a quiet 'Nialler…', no, not now.
Had Niall not promised he'd come, he would have asked the driver to get him straight back to the hotel, but he had unfortunately, so he briefly waited for the security guard, putting a somewhat neutral expression on his face, for the cameras. All Niall was gonna do tonight was trying to find Louis and then get so shitfaced that the older lad would have to half carry him to his room, good plan.
—————
When Niall woke up the next day he felt like absolute crap, for a moment he was seeking the warm body next to his, wanting to snuggle closer into Liam, almost panicking when he realized there was no arm wrapped around him, no one there in bed with him ready to cuddle his headache away and get him a glass of water and some pills.
A second later though, last night came back rushing into Niall's mind and he groaned, turning onto his back, fitting his arm over his eyes in an attempt to block out the annoying light coming in from the window. Damn Louis for not making sure the curtains were shut before leaving Niall alone, did he want his head to explode from pain?
The party had been amazing, but only if Niall ignored the fact that he had been drinking away his pain the whole entire time and literally had blackouts every once in a while as he tried to remember. All he knew was that he and Liam hadn't talked once, they maybe had seen each other a few times but nothing more, Niall had stuck to Louis the whole entire time, emptying one glass after the other until he hadn't been able to stand straight anymore. Fuck this, this was all Liam's fault anyways, if he didn't care if Niall came along when he got tattoos, he surely also didn't care what his boyfriend was up to during a party.
There had never once been a moment where Niall had been happy about him and Liam getting different rooms, they always slept in the same room anyways but the image still had to be kept up of course. Now though, the blonde boy almost had to shiver at the thought of how awkward it would have been to share a room tonight. Especially after he had asked Louis to sleep in bed with him, only because he had been drunk though, and slightly emotional as well.
It took about half an hour or so before Niall somehow managed to grab his phone, groaning when the screen lit up right into his face, his heart bumping uncomfortably when he saw five messages from Liam on his phone.
Of course it was tempting to open them and text back, the slight ache in Niall's heart was already there, the one he always got when he missed his boyfriend, but he wasn't a fucking baby, he could take this. And besides, he was still angry at Liam, and hurt, and a fucking text message wasn't gonna change that.
So instead of opening any messages at all, not even the ones from Louis and Harry, Niall pulled up twitter instead, thinking for a few moments before typing out the first thing that had come to his mind.
@NiallOfficial:
Don't wana see a single person today , thanks ! really really fun night with everyone but today , don't talk to me
Sure, he was gonna sound like a grumpy, hangover pissbaby, and maybe he was, but there was only one person this tweet was directed to and it surely weren't the fans or any of the staff members.
Especially the last part.
————
"Hey, Ni, what're you doin'?" Harry's voice almost had Niall jumping into the wall but he kept on walking anyways, slightly nervous as he twisted the envelope in his hands, the idea already sounding dumb in his head yet he was still determined to pull through with this. Someone had to do it after all.
"Nothing, just looking for Liam's room." It was here somewhere, Niall was pretty sure, he felt embarrassed for not being sure but they hadn't really talked in two days and they had switched the hotel after their fight so neither of them had slept over in each other's room. Needless to say, the nights without Liam were terrible, and yeah, a part of Niall wanted to go and make up, or at least answer Liam's messages or actually give him time to explain himself, but… Niall was still hurt and he would rather not insult Liam or have a REAL fight with screaming and everything, he just needed space.
"You… already passed it, it's that one." Well, that was even more embarrassing, but Niall just dead on stopped before turning around to walk back, very carefully avoiding Harry's stare. "How do you not know your boyfriend's room? Don't you sleep there every night?"
Maybe not saying anything was the best option here so Niall settled for that, feeling himself blush a little bit, heart aching as he stopped in front of Liam's door, almost deciding to knock before throwing another look down onto the envelope he was holding. No, he couldn't look at Liam now because he was gonna buckle in and he couldn't because… because he just couldn't.
"Niall? What are you doing?" Now Harry almost sounded scared as he watched his blonde bandmate hesitating before giving himself a push, leaning down briefly to slip the envelope through under the door, already regretting it a second later but still making sure to walk away as quickly as possible, just in case. "Oh my god, Niall! You're still not talking because of the stupid tattoos? You're always so close on stage, how have you not made up yet?!"
"We're always close on stage, it… it doesn't mean we made up." True, they had been completely normal on stage and maybe that hurt more than anything, because as soon as they got off they'd go separate ways and Niall had caught himself looking forward to their next concert, just so he could be with Liam and laugh with him, how sad was that?
"Do you know how many tattoos Louis has gotten without me being there? All of them. It's not a big deal, Niall, you know he loves you, he-"
"You can't compare that, Haz, Louis told you he was gonna get the tattoos, he showed you the designs and everything, the only reason you didn't come along was because you aren't allowed to! And you got bloody couple tattoos the same day in different cities." This was ridiculous, they were still in the hallway and Niall wanted to actually run away now just so he'd escape Harry's lecture, he didn't care about anyone else's opinion on the topic.
"Are you mad because Liam didn't get a tattoo about you?" God.
"No, I don't fucking care what he gets as a tattoo, as long as it's not a fucking ugly mermaid with pus-"
"Hey, that's not very-"
"Anyways, I don't care, I just wanted him to tell me, okay? I'm his boyfriend, and I thought he'd want to share something like this with me, at least ASK me to come, don't you get that? And I'm not mad, I'm hurt, that's all, I just need some time, alright? So please, l gotta take a shower now, I got somewhere to be." Somewhere Niall didn't actually wanna be at anymore, but he already had the tickets and bloody good seats. Only for himself though.
"Wait… aren't you going to that tennis thing with Liam today?" Not anymore.
"No. I just slipped him my ticket underneath the door, I'm sure he'd rather take Andy or Paddy anyways." Okay, alright, this was more than childish, but Niall had thought very hard about this yesterday before pulling up the pictures of them arriving at the party, suddenly getting so angry at Liam smiling so brightly in them that he had gotten himself VIP tickets in front row. And he was planning on using them too.
"Oh my god, Niall!" Was the last thing he heard before closing his door after himself, only briefly worrying about the fact that they had been screaming around in the hallway, surely Liam hadn't been in his room anyways, right?
—————
To be perfectly honest, Niall did feel a little bit stupid sitting by himself before the match started, he was good at overplaying it though, very good actually, he knew he was gonna photographed so he had thrown on some nice sunglasses, a bit to hide his expression, a little bit also because the text message Liam had sent him had made him tear up a bit before in his hotel room.
All it had said had been 'It's not true, what you said to Harry I mean, I want to go there with you the very most' and after Niall had been done blushing over thinking that Liam had heard everything he and Harry had talked about, he had gotten more than just sad.
He missed Liam so much it almost hurt, especially at night, when there was no one there to kiss him goodnight and then cuddle him from behind or let him lie on their chest. Niall could have just gone and made up with Liam of course, but not only was he still hurt, he also felt like an idiot now, almost too embarrassed to do it.
So instead, he hadn't answered the text message, hadn't done anything really besides sitting there, waiting for the match to start, even if he didn't care about it anymore, not really, he shouldn't have come, he had just been angry last night, but now that that had passed… what the fuck was Niall even doing?
it didn't help that he met a few celebrities and took selfies with them, or a few fans as well, all Niall could think about was that he shouldn't have even been there, he should have been somewhere way in the back with Liam and stupidly giggled with him about whatever, just like at the basketball game they had gone to, or the last tennis match, or any of their sports dates really. The only time they could really openly go on a date and Niall had to ruin it because he was jealous and a whiny baby.
About halfway through, while Niall was trying to take some photos, he got slightly disturbed by a few text messages, two to be exact, that almost had him dropping his phone. Of course, both of them had been from Liam and a day ago Niall would have just ignored them, but now, it only take him half a minute to open them.
Payno ♥
i can see you from where im sitting, babe, if you wanna come up and talk id be really happy to xx
Payno ♥
also i love you and just so you know… i was thinking about getting a tattoo for you more than once, but every tattoo i get is somehow for you because you're the one who sees them the most besides me, even if you weren't there when i got them but i always think about if you'd like them as well before i do it
Damn him, why did he ALWAYS have to be cute and sweet and caring and why did he always have to know what to say and get Niall's knees all wobbly and cause a knot in his throat? He didn't want anyone to get a tattoo for him but just the thought of Liam thinking about doing it almost had Niall tearing up yet again. Thank god for these sunglasses.
Again, the blonde boy didn't text back, tried not to think about the text messages or anything, or his urge to get up and go to see Liam, or how he wasn't even that upset anymore anyways, like… they had to make up at some point, and Liam wasn't gonna stop being his sweetest self until then, they had had fights before, and they usually ended with Niall falling in love even more, even if he hadn't thought that was even possible.
So during the break, Niall told himself he was just going to talk this out, not because he missed Liam and craved his arms and lips and voice, no, he was just going because it was the mature thing to do, nothing else, they were adults, they could talk about their problems, right?
There was a slight pinch in his stomach as he saw Liam and Andy sitting there, laughing, not knowing what it was about because he was too far away, but he almost turned around right there. Well, he would have, had they not seen him and had Andy not suddenly gotten up to leave with whatever excuse, leaving Liam behind with a not so happy expression on his face.
"Um… hey… " Niall felt awkward as he plopped into the now empty seat next to his boyfriend, his damn heart bumping uncomfortably hard ever since he had seen Liam, it always happened, he was just too damn fucking gorgeous and Niall hadn't been allowed to really look at him the past few days. He would have killed to kiss those lips right now, instead though, he was staring into his lap, playing with his fingers.
"Hey… " Liam cleared his throat, their seats had too much distance between them for Niall's liking and he hated himself for thinking this but… Liam was still his boyfriend, despite what had happened. "Thanks for coming up, I… really means a lot to me, you know, I didn't think you would and… I know I don't really deserve it anyways… "
There it was, the beaten puppy voice that Liam wasn't doing on purpose but that still made Niall want to wrap his arms around him and just tell him it was fine, that he had forgiven him already. "No, umm… I just… I'm sorry for ignoring all your text messages and for… for giving you the tickets back and getting better ones, I… and my tweet as well.… that was really childish and I'm sorry, I just… I don't know… "
Yeah, Niall really didn't know anymore, he didn't even feel much as he threw a look over at Liam's newly tattooed arm, actually feeling quite bad as he saw that it was still slightly swollen and red at the edges, Louis had been right to ask, that hand tattoo must've hurt a lot. "Listen, baby… I didn't come here to watch the match, I just… wanted to talk to you and I heard what you said to Harry and… I just want you to know that I get it, I get why you're upset and I know it was my fault and not yours and I don't want you to forgive me because I can't make it undone, I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I really didn't think it was that big of a deal, I didn't think you'd wanna come because it's not the first time I've gotten tattoos and it didn't seem very exciting. I mean it was for me, just… I didn't think it'd be for you."
"Anything that makes you happy makes me happy too… " Niall muttered, though he had been trying to hold back, already feeling himself slipping, feeling himself giving in to Liam's soft voice. After all, it's not like he had done any of this on purpose.
"I know, Nialler, I know. I don't know what I was thinking, I don't wanna make excuses for myself, just… I wanted you to be the one to come with me, okay? If I could have chosen anyone it would've been you because it's always you, I just didn't think it means as much to you as it does to me and I know that's stupid because it's obviously not true, just… I'm sorry. I'm sorry and I love you so much, I wish I could make it undone." Okay, that was it, Niall couldn't keep up being angry anymore, or even hurt, how could he be hurt because of something Liam hadn't even been aware of?
Instead of answering, the younger boy took a second or two, still not looking up but rather taking in Liam's words, letting himself be filled with warmth as it sunk in, how genuine he had sounded, how much he truly loved Niall and the fact that they still hadn't made up felt more than stupid now as Niall let his head sink onto Liam's shoulder like so many times before, closing his eyes for a second. "I've been a right idiot, haven't I?"
"No, babe, you haven't, you know… I would be more than just upset if you got a tattoo without telling me." It sounded like a joke but it probably hadn't been one, either way Niall couldn't help but smile, already feeling so much better that he wished they could've left. Or at least… not been in public so they could make up for real, or at least kiss a bit.
"Because I don't have any yet, bean, it's different. Just… will you tell me next time so I can, I don't know… hold your hand?" Niall didn't know whether the tattoos still hurt Liam, he could imagine they did but feeling the older man's body vibrating slightly from his laugh left him a bit unsure.
"I will, Ni, I promise. Look at me?" Lifting his head was a good idea anyways, mostly because there were cameras everywhere, but seeing how close their faces were afterwards combined with Niall's lack of self control when it came to kissing Liam maybe wasn't that smart. "I'm always gonna ask you from now on and I'll even let you choose the next one if you want, okay? I promise, I would never want to hurt you, you're my whole entire world, Nialler, and you have no idea how much I hate that I made you sad. And also… I would have already gotten onto your nerves with this to get you to forgive me if I hadn't wanted to give you some space, but… will you please come sleep in my bed again? I haven't gotten any proper sleep the last few nights."
"God, me too… " And then Niall almost caused their little moment to be front page in every magazine as he slightly leaned in without noticing, completely forgetting where they were, just thinking about how much he loved Liam, in how long they hadn't kissed and how he needed to make up for it, right at this second.
Luckily though, at least one of them still had a brain because Liam simply hugged the younger boy, briefly brushing his lips against Niall's ear as he whispered, giving him more than a million goosebumps. "We're in public, Ni, but we're gonna make up for it tonight, I promise."
Only a little bit, or a lot, blushed, Niall couldn't do much besides nod once they had pulled apart, Liam's bright smile more than just distracting him at his tries to act normal here, it was hard to control any of his words or actions when he finally had his best friend and love of his life back. "I love you. I… I mean… do you wanna watch this video Louis sent me last night to try and cheer me up? It's complete rubbish."
"I love you too, baby, and sure, I'd love to." His dimple was back as he smiled, almost causing Niall to drop his phone as he tried to fish it out of his pockets, heart bumping fast and fingers shaking slightly, almost like they were back at their first date again, but he wouldn't have had it any other way anyways.
It was unfortunate for Andy because he had to stand around for a bit longer while Niall and Liam almost died over the crap video Louis had sent Niall, completely forgetting about their fight for the rest of the match, just like they usually did.
They would fight, make up after a few days maximum and then be closer and more in lover than ever before.
And after that came Niall's most favorite part.
——————
"Fuck, baby, slow down, we got time, we got the whole-"
"Shh, we can talk after the first round." Niall smashed their lips back together, already out of breath even though they had only stumbled into Liam's room five minutes ago, he already felt hot and bothered, not able to detach himself from his boyfriend for more than a second. They hadn't properly touched in days. "I love when you tuck your shirts in, shit… "
"Yeah? Should do that more often then." Liam smirked, his hair was already messed up from where Niall's fingers had pulled it, lips red and swollen, exactly like the younger boy's felt, he looked so damn hot that Niall didn't even feel sorry when he popped all the buttons of Liam's shirt in one go.
"Yeah, like it better when it's off though." Winking, Niall quickly made sure to pull off his own shirt as Liam got rid of the rest of his, immediately latching onto his boyfriend again after this, bare chests pressed against each other now, Liam's warm hands squeezing Niall's hips as he held him close, tongues chasing each other as they were breathing heavily against each other as if they hadn't done this in weeks rather than days.
When they fell back onto the couch Niall was barely surprised, he just blindly searched for Liam's mouth once he was straddling the older boy, shuddering underneath the palms making these lovely, long sweeps over his bare back, tightening his own arms around Liam's neck, trying to somehow get his tongue even deeper into his mouth.
Fuck, making out had never felt like this with anyone Niall had been with before, guy or girl, Liam was the very best at knowing how to make him feel like fucking heaven, he could kiss better than anyone else as well and the way his beard would scratch against Niall's skin, sometimes in other places than just his face, turned him on even more than he would have ever thought was possible. It just made it so clear that this was Liam he was making out with, Liam who was holding him close, who was sucking and biting on his lip and making him groan, Liam who was pushing their clothed erections together in a way that had Niall's hair stand on end. Liam who loved Niall just as much as the younger boy loved him, who wanted to do this with no one else but him.
"Okay, s-shit… fuck, Li, 'm gonna… cum like this if we don't… fucking get naked right now… I need you, fuck, I need you inside, please, I… " Not having done this for a while meant it almost was too much now, Niall was so close to busting just from this, from a little thrusting and heavily making out with Liam's tongue, their sweaty foreheads pressed together now, both of them panting heavily into each other's mouths as they were clinging to one another, Liam's hands having long dipped inside Niall's shorts.
"Get it off then, baby, c'mon… " The position they were in wasn't really making undressing very easy of course, and Niall almost had to groan in frustration because he didn't wanna get up or let go of Liam, not even for the five seconds he'd need to take the rest of his clothes off.
Instead, he dipped his head back down with a whine, pulling Liam's slightly damp hair as he pressed his open mouth against Liam's hot one, immediately licking inside, groaning in the back of his throat as he was met with Liam's wet tongue. They knew each other so well, knew how to kiss and how to move yet it still felt like fireworks exploding every single time and had Liam not stopped them, god knows Niall would have kept this up until they would have both creamed their bloody pants.
Niall's shorts were uncomfortably tight as he climbed down from the couch, licking his spit slicked lips as he watched Liam smirking at him in the most dirty way possible, just watching as Niall fumbled with his zipper, of course having it get stuck.
"Stop laughin', Li, s'not funny… " Maybe a little bit, but not anymore when Liam opened his own jeans and Niall almost forgot what he had been doing as his boyfriend exposed himself, slowly stroking his hard on, one hand behind his head, watching Niall. "Keep this up and this thing isn't going anywhere near me."
"This thing?" Liam asked, amused, not stopping his hand movements though, if anything, he might have quickened them up.
"Yeah, you heard me, babe, if you… ha, got it!" No idea how Niall had even managed to joke around, literally the second he had gotten his shorts and boxers off, he was back on the couch straddling Liam, impatiently pushing the older boy's hand away to replace it with his own, chuckling lowly as he punched a grunt out of him. "Not so funny anymore, huh?"
"Fuck, Nialler, just… f-fuck… " Liam looked so hot like this, when his plush lips would part and he leaned his head back against the back of the couch, eyes falling closed as Niall stroked him slowly, rubbing his hand thumb over the tip, spreading the pearl of pre cum that had bubbled out of the slit.
"Are you close?" Just to tease him a bit, Niall went even slower, leaning forward to mouth at Liam's jaw, lips smearing down to his exposed neck, licking at the salty skin before sucking a bruise, and then another one just because he could, Liam's fingers almost painfully digging into his flesh now.
"Y-Yeah… Ni… we need… lube… fuck… " His words only came out grunts as Niall toyed with the foreskin, knowing his way around Liam's cock, probably even better than his own.
"Hmm… don't think so… " And before Liam could protest because he always did whenever Niall wanted to go without lube, the younger boy had let go of Liam's erection, instead making sure to keep eye contact as he pushed two of his fingers into his mouth, wet with Liam's precum, making sure to cover them in his own spit so the slide wouldn't hurt too much. As hot as it was to have Liam watching him with dark, lusting eyes, Niall wasn't so keen on being in pain.
"Fuck, Nialler, don't… don't hurt yourself… " He made no attempts to stop Niall though, especially not when the younger boy reached down to push two fingers into his entrance, gasping a bit at the stretch before fitting his mouth back on Liam's, partly for distraction, but mostly because he just needed to taste him again.
Whenever they made love Liam sometimes took ages to prepare Niall, with his fingers and his tongue, more often than not making him cum before they even got started but today Niall couldn't need any of that, he loved Liam's gentle side of course, but not when he really just needed Liam inside of him.
"Babe, are you sure, you-"
"Sht, Liam, I'm more than sure." This was gonna hurt, but maybe it was exactly what Niall wanted as he pulled his fingers out after scissoring them for a while, instead wrapping them back around Liam, smirking as he watched his boyfriend's eyes roll back into his head as he lined him up at his entrance.
"Ni… you have no idea how fucking hot you are like this… no fucking idea… " Liam mumbled, rubbing circles into the younger boy's hips as he waited, sucking in a breath when Niall pushed down a bit, slowly though, he wasn't trying to overwhelm himself with pain. It wasn't too bad though, the burn felt really good, and just seeing how much Liam was enjoying himself was enough for Niall to feel his dick filling up even more. Damn, he had missed this so much. "B-Babe… are you hurt?"
"No, 'm fine, Li, shh." To drown his worries, Niall pushed their mouths back together, of course appreciating how much Liam cared but at the same time just wanting to get on with it.
Using his arms around Liam's neck to not slide down too quickly, Niall made sure to distract both of them with a good snog, moaning into the older's mouth as he felt Liam's hands exploring his chest, rubbing his thumbs firmly over Niall's nipples until they were hard, his kisses becoming sloppy once the younger boy had fully pushed down. "Fuck, 'm full… "
"Good, yeah?" Liam's breath was going hard and he was probably having a really hard time holding back and not pushing up, it still had Niall's heart swelling a little whenever Liam was being so considerate during sex, never once putting himself first, it was always only about Niall's well being and pleasure.
"Yeah, perfect, like always, Li… love you so much… " Niall mumbled against his lips, both of them panting as he lifted himself off of Liam's lap, only a bit before fully sitting down again, circling his hips, pushing himself quicker to release than he would have liked.
"You too, Ni, I… aah, fuck… I love you so m-much… so much, baby… yeah… yeah, c'mon… " They were more breathing into each others mouth than really kissing once Niall had started a rhythm, kinda also to show Liam that it was alright if he moved as well, that he wasn't gonna get hurt if he did and damn, it was even better once they moved together, knowing exactly which angles and movements the other one liked the most.
Niall's stomach was already twisting into knots after the first time Liam brushed his prostate, but he could barely take it anymore when a slightly rough and big hand wrapped around his erection, jerking him off slowly, perfect, full strokes of Liam's fist around him.
It was so, so good whenever they had sex, but make up sex, damn, they were so fucking good at that, and not because they had so many fights, because they didn't. It was just so bloody intense, holding each other close, kissing the whole time, mumbled 'i love you's, they had that during normal sex as well, but after not having had it for a few days, it almost felt too good to be true.
"You close?" Liam was barely even whispering into Niall's mouth, hitting his prostate dead on by now, moving his hand that little bit faster, keeping Niall from the ability of forming just one word. All he could do was nod before greedily pushing his tongue back into Liam's mouth, heat coiling into his stomach before he spilled over Liam's hand and between their bodies, kissing the older boy all the way through his orgasm.
It took maybe three more thrusts before Niall felt Liam releasing inside of him, mouths slipping apart as Liam moaned Niall's name, having to almost lift up the younger boy's entire weight to thrust inside on more time, breath going hard as he collapsed against the couch, fingers gripping blindly onto the blonde's bare hips. "Fuck… "
"I know… " Niall had let his head fall against Liam's shoulder, trying to somehow catch his breath but barely being able to when all he could see was stars behind closed eyes, a very inappropriate giggle escaping him. "Fuck, we're so good at that…"
And that had Liam laughing a bit breathlessly as he rubbed Niall's sweaty back affectionately, wrapping his arms more tightly around the younger boy, turning his head to press a kiss onto his ear, not even attempting to pull out or move yet, just lingering in the moment for as long as possible, clinging to one another, being as close as humanly possible.
——————
Later, when they had helped each other getting clean in the shower and Liam had pressed so many kisses all over Niall's face that he had started giggling like a school girl and they had curled up in bed together for a nap, the blonde boy once again couldn't believe his luck.
None of them had put on any clothes, their hair was still damp but it was warm underneath the blanket and Liam's chest was moving evenly against Niall's back, his breath hitting the back of his neck as he was spooning the boy from behind, arm wrapped tightly around Niall's waist. "… babe? Have you already slept in?"
"… no." Niall moved a bit, sighing happily when Liam's arm tightened as he pressed back, their legs intertwined and his head resting on the older man's other arm, breathing in deeply before looking down. "Do they hurt?"
"Hm, what?" Liam seemed confused, he sounded sleepy, even though it was only about 5 pm or something, they probably were gonna order room service later, but for now, they were just gonna lie here, cuddled in each other's arms, happy to have each other back like this.
"Your tattoos I mean, they still look a bit red." Having tried to be considerate, Niall hadn't intertwined their fingers like he usually would, but he was tracing Liam's eagle tattoo with his finger now, gently, barely touching it either.
"A little… but it's okay, I've gone through this a few times, 'm gonna be okay." Still, the thought of Liam being hurt wasn't a very pleasing one, but there was nothing Niall could have done instead of being gentle and careful, trying to be aware of every tiny flinch from Liam's side.
But there never came any, he simply let Niall trace his tattoos, take a proper look at them for the first time, trying to familiarize himself with them until he'd be able to imagine them without a problem just like the other ones. They were a part of Liam after all, and as well as Liam seemed to know all of Niall's birth marks, as well did Niall want to know Liam's tattoos. "I like them… they look really good and they suit you."
"Thank you, baby, that means a lot." He sounded more awake now and his voice seemed genuine before he kissed the back of Niall's head, breathing out hotly against his scalp. "Louis said they look unorganized."
"Fuck him." Niall meant it, even if Liam chuckled lowly at the comment, the blonde boy was secretly planning on telling their oldest bandmate something, not today though, maybe tomorrow. Maybe some comment on how at least Liam didn't have a mermaid pussy tattooed on his arm. "You know if they still hurt… maybe you need someone to kiss them better."
"Hmmm, maybe… you know anyone who would offer?" God he was so cute, Niall's heart was bumping a bit faster as he smiled before very gently taking Liam's hand in his, bringing it up to his lips, pressing butterfly kisses over the slightly swollen skin. "I think it stopped hurting now… "
"You sure? I'm not even done yet, bean." Niall didn't wanna stop, he hadn't been lying when he had said he loved the tattoos, because now that he had properly looked at them, he really did love them on Liam and their whole fight seemed stupid as well. Then again though… it had led to this and Niall wasn't too unhappy about it.
Liam didn't complain when Niall kept up the kisses and strokes, not even as the younger boy just carried on with the older tattoos as well, moving on to his second arm then and making Liam laugh as he crawled all the way down the bed just to kiss the one on Liam's ankle.
Somehow they ended up kissing for real in the end, and Niall was pretty sure he was smiling right before he fell asleep on Liam's chest, head tucked into the crook of his neck, safe underneath their cocoon of warmth, a hand softly stroking his head as Liam whispered, maybe not even meant for the younger boy's ears. "You know… maybe I'll get a tattoo just for you next time… one no one will know about but you. I love you so much, Nialler, thank you for everything, thanks for being mine only… "