Niall sighs to himself as he stares at the ceiling of his hotel room. He can’t sleep. He never can when they’re down under, it seems. When they’re in the states, the timezones are easier to manage. But whenever they’re in Australia he always feels lost and confused. Is it 3AM or 3PM back home?

He can never keep track of it, and along with that his internal clock is always messed up.

Which is why he’s found himself wide awake at 2 in the morning.

They’re in a posh hotel in Melbourne. They’re always in posh hotels these days, it seems. Only the nicest of hotels are willing to put up with the extra security needed to keep the screaming girls at bay.

And even at 2 in the morning, there are still straggling fans outside, hoping and waiting for a glimpse of their idols.

Sliding off of his bed, Niall stands up and peers out the window of his 15th story suite. No girls can see him from where he is – they’re all gathered on the other side towards the front of the hotel. It’s the way that Louis’ room is facing, and he’s the only one who’s stuck his head out to greet them.

So naturally, they’ve all gone to that end of the building assuming that’s where the other lads are staying as well. Because the fans always assume that the five of them spend all their time together.

Niall just shakes his head as he slides open the glass doors of his suite to go sit outside. He’s got a nice stone balcony outside his room. Honestly, he’s usually got something like that attached to his room, but he never finds himself with time to actually use it.

But now, with jet lag hitting him hard he doesn’t actually have anything else to do.

So he just sits outside, crossing his legs and leaning back onto his palms.

Silence isn’t something Niall is actually used to. Neither is being alone with his thoughts. But it’s hard not to be introspective when he’s all alone.

And because he finds himself so consumed with the sheer nothingness that’s happening around him, he jumps when he hears the glass door slide open.

“What’re you doing?” Harry asks, smiling at him perfectly. His hands are tucked inside the pocket of the jumper he’s wearing.

Niall shrugs, because he’s not doing anything really. It doesn’t even faze him that Harry has entered his room – for the entire tour they’ve gotten keys to each other’s rooms.

“Just thinking,” Niall says as Harry sits down beside him. His arms brush up against him and he shivers a little bit.

“About what?” Harry presses, and Niall shrugs again.

“Nothing.” Because he’s not someone who actually has serious thoughts. He doesn’t even know how to articulate them.

Harry gives him a look and just like that Niall melts. He gives in and takes a deep breath – Harry’s the only one he’s able to open up to like this. He’s the only one he’d even consider opening up to –

“If you want to shag you can just come right out and say it you know,” Harry laughs, and Niall shoves him.

“It’s not that,” he says, rolling his eyes. Even though it’s almost usually that. He always wants a shag. And Harry’s always there to help him out.

“What then?”

Niall sighs. Now he has to build up that courage to have a serious conversation all over again. But one look at Harry and it’s easy.

“It’s so quiet,” he mumbles, as though talking any louder will alert the group of girls on the other side of the building to break the silence.

Harry just nods, not taking his eyes off of Niall.

“It’s so quiet,” Niall repeats, then loses his confidence. “This is stupid,” he says, shaking his head with a slight laugh.

“No, go on,” Harry says slowly, moving in closer to Niall and placing his head on his shoulder.

Niall sighs again. “Do you think it’s going to be this quiet when it’s all over, then?”

Harry sits up a bit and looks at Niall. “When it’s all over?”

“Yeah.”

They both add to the silence for a moment. Niall because he’s thinking about it again – his life in ten years when he’s no longer a teen idol and he’s just a normal guy. Harry because he’s not sure what’s happened to Niall to make him suddenly have a thought like this. Niall can’t usually see past the hour at hand, let alone years into the future.

“I don’t,” Harry says, and Niall turns his head to look at him. “I don’t,” Harry says again.

“Harry,” Niall says, cocking his head to the side. “That’s how it goes, mate. This isn’t the type of career that’s going to last forever.”

But Harry just shrugs. “So say we’re not famous anymore. Say we’re not selling out stadiums and on the cover of every magazine. Say we’re not together as a band anymore. Maybe Lou and El have gotten married… maybe Zayn has joined Little Mix,”

Niall laughs out loud at Harry’s joke.

Harry grins, but he continues on. “Does that mean that you’ll want to stop?”

“What?”

“Will you want to stop?”

Niall shakes his head. “No, of course not.”

“Me neither,” Harry says seriously. “So maybe the whole world won’t care, but that doesn’t matter. No matter what we have to say, there’s always going to be someone who wants to listen. And those fans… the ones who will stick around once all of this,” he pauses to wave his hand around, “Is gone, they’ll be the ones who matter.”

Niall just nods, hanging on to Harry’s every word. There’s a reason why Harry’s the only person he opens up to, and he reckons this is exactly it. Because he always knows the right thing to say, and phrases it so perfectly. He’s good at explaining things that are so simple, but often overlooked.

“I’ll stick around too,” Harry says, leaning in.

Niall sighs and closes his eyes as he lets Harry’s lips touch his own. It’s just a soft kiss, an easy one. Nothing like the rough and quick ones that come with getting each other off when they’re bored.

His heart beats faster and when his eyes open Harry’s face is inches away from his own, lips curled up in a slight smile.

That smile, he realises, he’s been falling in love with over the course of the entire tour.

And Harry’s still looking at him, searching his face and still smiling perfectly, the way that he always does. But this time, it’s all for Niall. And maybe, just maybe, Niall thinks Harry’s falling for him too.

Harry pulls away, and leans his head back on Niall’s shoulder. The silence is comfortable now, and Niall finds himself not worrying about the future anymore. The present is pretty good at this moment, and there’s no reason for him to not enjoy it.

“Look at that,” Harry mumbles, eyes gazing upwards. “Shooting stars.”

Niall smiles, because he’s seen it too. But he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he just cuddles up closer to Harry and leans his head on top of Harry’s mop of curls.