Chapter Text
“Greg!” I scream, ignoring the startled looks that the crowd in the airport is giving us. Denise looks on at the scene in front of her in shock, eyes wide and frozen like she’s paralyzed. Greg’s shouting something at Harry, something I can’t quite make out, but words of “baby brother” and “don’t you fucking dare” come out through the mix.
I stand, completely unsure of what to do when Greg starts punching. Harry’s not fighting back, surprisingly, and I know it’s because it’s my brother and I just want him to stop but-
Suddenly there’s a loud, masculine shout and the crowd that had gathered around them disperses as a large security guard runs forward. “Hey! You two! Break it up!” He shouts and effectively pulls Greg off of Harry. Instantly I’m falling towards my boyfriend on the ground. Aside from a bruise that’s already starting to form around his nose, Harry looks fine, but his eyes are dark and angry, and I know it took everything within him to not fight back.
“Harry, oh my god.” I sputter, shaking my head in apology because really, I have no idea how to deal with this situation. “I’m so sorry.” I say, ignoring Greg’s snort of disapproval, despite the fact that he was the one getting lectured by the airport cop.
Harry shakes his head, still somehow finding it in him to send me a boyish smile, “Told you he hated me.”
* * * *
Harry and I end up getting a cab.
Greg won’t even look me in the eyes and Denise keeps apologizing but I can’t tell if she even means it. My brother stays a good ten feet away from Harry, and glares at Denise when she tries to guide us to the car. So I take the hint, grabbing Harry’s hand in my own and turning. “It’s fine.” I say, in response to Greg’s glare, which moves over towards me. “We’ll just catch a cab home.”
“Niall that’s nonsense-” Denise begins but Greg’s indignant interruption solidifies my decision.
“Not completely..” Greg mumbles and I just huff incredulously.
“See you at the house.” I say, tugging Harry’s hand in the opposite direction, off to the cabbie lane.
It’s not until we’re in the cab that I actually feel comfortable. I hold Harry’s hand close as I scrutinize the bruise around his eye. I make a small whimpering sound as he involuntarily flinches. “Oh, Harry… I’m so sorry.”
Harry rolls his eyes at my doting, and shrugs. “Doesn’t even hurt.” He lies.
I give him an unimpressed look. “I didn’t think he’d lose control like that. I don’t… I’ve never seen him act like that before.”
The unspoken air of ‘What did you do?’ is clear.
Harry sighs. “Look, Ni. Greg and I just don’t get along. Can’t explain it. We fought over a lot in school. I’m dating his baby brother now. In his eyes, I’ve taken the innocence of his baby brother. So he hates me even more now.”
I exhale heavily, “Yeah but… I like you.” I whine and Harry laughs.
“That’s all that really matters, then, yeah?” He responds and I tilt my head.
“Yeah.” I respond lightly.
* * * *
Greg doesn’t speak to either of us.
I’m his best man and he can barely look me in the eyes. Denise gives us sorrowful glances but its clear there’s nothing she can do. I still have yet to really understand why he hates Harry so much, or why he won’t speak to either or us, all I understand is that Greg is pissed.
He says a few words to me on his wedding day and I want to say something meaningful, like “mom would be proud” or something, but the tremors in my hands and the anxiety still wracking my chest prevents me from doing so. I try to not feel hurt when Greg’s good friend from college mentions to some bridesmaid that he’s giving the best man’s speech since “Greg’s lil bro has those mental problems or whatever.”
Later when he tells Harry, the brunette “accidentally” spills his drink on the same guy.
The wedding is fine, I suppose. It’s in a church and I can feel the judgement that’s radiating off of half of the attendees as they watched Harry place a land low on my back and whisper delicate words into my ear that helped calm me down as I was about to spend an hour in front of a generous crowd of people. The whispers are almost too much to bare, even after the ceremony has taken place, at the reception. I can recognize nearly everyone– perks of living in a small town all your life. They all know who I am, and it’s easy for them to assume or gather that I’m gay. It was “obvious,” after all.
Harry stays with me the entire night, not once leaving my side. He makes me laugh and giggle and he takes my mind off of the anger that Greg has within him. Even many hours into the night, as we’re all sending the happy couple off to some hotel they’re going to since they aren’t having their honeymoon until later in the week after I’ve left, Greg manages to send us a look.
It’s not one of joy that I would’ve expected had I come alone. It wasn’t pure anger either. It was quite obviously directed at Harry, not me, but I could still see the intensity behind it.
There wasn’t a clear emotion behind it, but Niall understood what it meant. He knew his brother.
‘Back off.’
* * * *
Sending Harry off was harder than I thought it would be.
It had been a large sum of days since I had spent time away from Harry. It had been days since I had spent a day without seeing Harry at least once. It had been days since I slept alone.
I hug Harry outside Greg’s little house for a few minutes as the cabbie impatiently taps against his steering wheel and will myself not to cry. Harry pulls back eventually, kisses me hard and gets in the cab, waving at me until his face isn’t visible anymore.
* * * *
It explodes when Greg returns home with Denise.
They’re carrying their overnight bags and they look exhausted, but only Denise goes upstairs right away.
Greg sits next to me hesitantly and my heart rate immediately spikes.
I didn’t want to have this conversation.
I didn’t want Greg to scare me away from the one good thing I had found in London.
“He is not the guy you think he is.” He begins and I close my eyes in acceptance. This is it.
I stay silent, unwilling to let my brain receive his words fully.
“It’s a ploy, a bet, Niall, I know it is.” He says and instantly, my brain forces me to pay attention. A what?
I look at him and Greg nods as he realizes that I’m paying attention to him.
“His frat does it every year, Niall, last year it was one of our recruits. He dropped out a month after they were done with their little game, Niall. They’re fucked up.” Greg says lowly and my shaking hands pick at the frayed area of his sweater.
I shake my head. “No.” I deny. No.
“He’s using you. He’s doing it all for laughs, seniority, and maybe a little money.”
I bite my tongue, face scrunching in confusion. “Why? Can you give me a single reason why he would do that?”
“Because of me.” Greg mutters, almost like he’s sorry, at my stricken look, Greg sighs, “Harry and I butted heads a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Everyone knew about my baby brother and everyone knew you were gonna go to school there. There’s no way that Harry just coincidentally ‘fell in love’ with my little brother.”
“I don’t believe you!” I shout suddenly, my brain not at all capable of understanding the situation at hand, and I shove at Greg’s chest angrily. “I don’t!”
“Then you’re being an idiot.”
“Me?” Niall sputters, laughing at his brother’s preposterous words. “You’ve been trying to get me to date for years, shoving all these girls at me even though you apparently knew that I was struggling with my sexuality? You’re the arse that’s getting married right out of college! Don’t talk crap to me about being too dumb or too young! You just got married to someone and you’re only 24!”
Greg shakes his head, anger steaming through his words, Denise never made bets about screwing me though, did she? Nope, that was your perfect little Hazzy,” Greg mimics, voice going high. “And when it all comes out, when he fucks you over, I’m going to be the one that has to pick up all the pieces. Just like always.” Greg says and my heart cracks a bit.
“You don’t have to take care of me anymore then, it’s obvious you don’t want to.” I say bitterly, eyes narrowed at my brother.
“I shouldn’t have to!” He shouts. “I’m going to have my own family soon enough! Do you think I want to be spending my wedding weekend fighting with my pathetic little brother and his “loving, beautiful” boyfriend?”
I go silent, unable to control the hurt that’s now coursing through my body from his words.
“You know what, Niall?” Greg chuckles darkly, “I’m done. Just don’t call me when that fag screws you over.”
And in an instant, I no longer had a brother.