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Harry and Niall have been together for ages yet Harry still can't recall a time where Niall actually did something cute and romantic for him.
It's not that they hadn't had enough time for Niall to try to attempt a grand declaration of love because they'd been together for ages. Like, since High School ages. And back then things were complicated, and even though they were like Romeo and Juliet in those days Niall still didn't do anything wonderful like chill outside Harry's bedroom window and throw pebbles at it whilst he spouted poetic lyrics over the strumming of his guitar. And sure, Harry could have done that, but one, he couldn't play guitar, and two, he was totally the girl in the relationship.
It's irrelevant whether Harry was romantic back then or not though, because he most definitely is now. He's grown up since High School, learnt a lot through being with Niall, and learnt that people (especially Niall) like being pleased. Starting from when they were in Uni right up until this very day, Harry still wakes up Niall every morning with a kiss to his cheek and a plate of hot buttered toast which makes Niall smile no end. And going back to campus days, Harry would always let Niall copy his lecture notes and remind him of that huge final that Niall always managed to forget and stay up all night to spellcheck Niall's essays. (He also tidied Niall's side of the room for about a week but he gave up when he realised that there was no point because even when Niall was in the room for a mere moment it'd still look like a bomb had been dropped.)
Plus Harry was extremely romantic with their whole wedding. Matching suits and matching ties, perfect colour scheme to compliment Niall's skin tone. Not that Niall noticed, of course. He also wrote the most beautiful poetic vows, his words so pretty that both mothers of the grooms dissolved into tears. Niall of course, just grinned his stupidly cute child-like smile and said a "thanks man" to which everyone in the room laughed, leaving Harry feeling more than a little bit embarrassed.
Sometimes Harry thinks that Niall is immune to all things romantic. Sure he'll play Harry a song or empty the dishwasher every other week, but Harry feels like he's waiting for something more. He knows he shouldn't complain and being married to your best friend is one of the most wonderful things that can happen but he just wants something. Something that'll leave him pink-cheeked with his heart racing, a teenage girl kind of thing where he can giggle and collapse against the door with a hand over his heart and a mile-wide grin on his face.
But knowing Niall, that's never gonna happen.
And Harry doesn't even get his hopes up when he notices that their wedding anniversary is rolling around again. After Niall forgetting it the first year and buying a belated bouquet of slightly wilted roses the day after, and the year after when he received a pair of socks with '#1 Husband!' stitched to the side, Harry knows that his huge romantic gesture is definitely not on its way.
When the 21st does arrive, Harry wakes Niall up with his kiss and toast and hands over his card and gift. It's nothing much, just something silly Harry knows Niall will love (some signed guitar plectrums signed by the Biebs himself) and he grins when Niall flings his arms around Harry's neck and presses a wet kiss to his cheek then one to his lips. Harry laughs and bats him away, wiping his significant other's spit off his face with the hem of his t-shirt. Then Niall's up and out of bed, putting the card on the dresser and rifling the wardrobe for some clean work clothes. Harry sighs, sad that he's alone on their anniversary because he can't think of anything better to do on this day then laze around watching movies on the couch all day with Niall, limbs tangled with lazy kisses exchanged.
Niall pops out from the bathroom, pulls his shoes on and takes Harry's face in his hands, presses a kiss to his forehead, each eyelid, his nose and finally his lips.
"When I'm gone, look behind the paperwork in the cupboard in the kitchen" Niall says and Harry looks confused but Niall laughs and taps his nose, before quickly running down the stairs and out the door because he's already ten minutes late.
Harry waits for the door to slam then makes the bed, brushes the toast crumbs out from the sheets like he does every morning and makes the bed whilst thinking about the paperwork cupboard and what the hell Niall's talking about. Niall never goes near the paperwork cupboard for long enough to know exactly what's inside (besides paperwork), so how can he know of something that's inside that Harry does not?
Harry pads down into the kitchen and approaches the cupboard in question slowly, now slightly scared. He pulls the door open thinking that Niall's probably pulled some practical joke and stuck a huge fake spider in there just because Harry hates spiders and he swears to God and oh. The cupboard's open and there's no fake spider, but a rectangular shaped present wrapped up in red tissue paper with a gold bow tied around it. Harry pulls it out, inspects the small tag that says "to my Hazza" in Niall's familiar scrawl and takes it into the living room.
When seated he carefully unties the ribbon and unwraps the paper and inside there's a pack of playing cards. And Harry's confused because this is his anniversary gift from Niall and if this is his hint at wanting to play strip poker Harry's a bit concerned because they haven't done that since High School and he thought they were done with that by now. But looking closer there's something scribbled over the front of the box in black Sharpie - '52 Reasons Why I Love You'.
Harry's breath catches in his throat and now he's really really confused. This is from Niall, his Niall, his Niall that would never do anything so clever and romantic and just plain lovely.
He opens the box anyway, pulls out the deck and looks at the first card. It's the king of hearts and written over the picture in Niall's scrawl are the words
1. you are the king of my heart
and at the bottom the letters
pto
Harry's smiling as he turns the card over and reads
yeah okay that was naff but it was right there and i just had to. they get better, promise
And they do, Harry finds, as he goes through the rest of the deck.
2. your eyes
3. your hair... your hair after we've done it...
Harry's chuckling now as he reads on and finds
4. how you drag me home from t' pub after I've had a few too many
5. the way you peel off them stupid jeans at the end of the day
And
6. how you look like a grumpy kitten when i don't pay you any attention
Even though it's funny tears begin to gather along Harry's lashline as he reads on and sees
7. how you sing little songs and play with my hair in the middle of the night when you can't sleep and think i'm asleep (when i'm actually not)
8. those stupidly cute dimples you have that you let me poke
9. when you wear your glasses when you sort out the bills
Harry quickly flips through the next cards with the threat of the tears falling, he just can't believe Niall could be so thoughtful.
10. the colour of your eyes when the sun shines through the window in the morning
11. the noise you make that sounds like a little purrrr when i play with your hair
12. the way you chew the inside of your cheek when you're nervous
Who knew Niall was so observant? Harry didn't, that's for sure. A tear drips onto the card in Harry's hand and he wipes it on his pyjama bottoms so he can see what it says.
13. how i totally know that you're crying now so i'm gonna stop being all cute and that
14. that time we got drunk with zayn and locked him in the cupboard
15. that time zayn beat us up because we locked him in the cupboard
16. when you broke all the strings on my guitar cos you tried to learn to play our song for me
Harry's smiling, tears still in his eyes, remembering, recalling.
17. the first time you saw me and you tripped over your massive feet because i'm so bloody beautiful
18. the second time you saw me and i did the same
19. when liam walked in on us and you laughed and told him to join us
Harry likes this, likes the fact Niall does remember all those little things from over ten years ago that are a little hazy even in Harry's mind that he thought he'd forgotten.
20. that time you painted my nails when i was asleep and i had an important interview the next day
Harry cackles, Niall's face when he returned home was priceless. "Nearly cost me the job!" he had yelled, waving his pink fingernails in Harry's face. Harry tried to keep a straight face but failed, and soon Niall was laughing too.
21. you know i love your tattoos
22. especially the shamrock on your hip that no one but me ever sees
23. i love how you always try and make me get a tattoo... one day hazza, one day
24. your music taste too, i really like that
25. and that festival you dragged me to where we accidentally set louis' tent alight oops
A loud snort erupts from Harry as he remembers the death glare they received from Louis when he returned to the charred remains of his once-was brilliant red tent, he also remembers Louis' payback of sleeping between Niall and Harry in their tent so they couldn't 'do anything i wouldn't do', as Louis had chirped.
26. i love how you're totally sat there reliving these memories right now
27. i love how much effort you put into our wedding, it was beautiful babe
Now Harry's breath is caught in his throat because oh. He did notice.
28. i love how much trouble you went to to find the perfect suits for us
29. and the beautiful rings
30. and i really loved your vows, haz. sometimes when we fight i say them to myself so i remember that you'll "love me forever, no matter what ni"
And for God's sake Harry's crying again.
31. i love them stupid pointless stories you always tell as well. "harry stories" me and the lads call 'em
32. i love how you're embarrassed right now
Harry hates how Niall's always right, even through his cute little playing cards.
33. i love how smart you are, them stupid little facts you always randomly tell me (and i hate how i remember them)
34. how optimistic you are. even when everything's turned to shit you're there cleaning it all up with that stupid beautiful smile on your face
35. how charming you are, i think my mum fancies you more than i do?
Harry would disagree but he's seen how Niall's mum flushes and dithers about when Harry's chatting with her and offering to get her a drink and top up her glass of red.
36. i love those little gigs you do at the pubs on the weekends sometimes where you sing all my favourite songs
37. i love those little cakes you make for me to take to work with the little h's on so everyone takes the piss out of me
38. i love how beautiful you are, outside and inside
39. god i love you
So it's not a problem Harry hasn't stopped crying for the past ten minutes but it really actually is because he's kind of scared he won't be able to stop.
40. i love how you always forgive me even when i piss you off and really fuck things up
41. i love how strong you are, because i'd never be able to do that
42. speaking of strength, your biceps are really hot
Harry snorts through his tears.
43. your clothes are hot too, which might be why i steal them (it's totally why I steal them)
44. i love how you steal my clothes too, that's cute
Harry smiles and looks at the t-shirt he's wearing that totally is not Niall's.
45. remember that time we dressed up in animal suits and hid behind the aisles in tesco and jumped out at everyone?
Harry remembers, and he also distinctively remembers receiving a strict telling off from the Tesco security guard.
46. that was fun. i love how everything with you is fun
47. i love those picnics we have sometimes, just me and you on our hill under our tree where everything is ours
48. i love how you kiss me, a million unsaid words in one little gesture. it's weird
49. and that fluttery thing my stomach does when you look at me with those eyes. that's weird too
50. i love how you make me go like this, all wordy. that's not me, i'm irish, i don't do things like this
Harry titters, feeling the second-hand embarrassment that would radiate from Niall's father if he ever found out about this gesture.
51. i love how you make me feel. safe and loved and secure and wanted and beautiful and needed and like i have a purpose in life
And Harry's off again. Warm streaks slithering down his cheeks as he flips the card and finds the last one, number 52. It's the ace of spades and Harry breaks a watery grin as he reads
52. you're ace
And really now, Harry actually can't stop his tears. He's scared he's never going to stop, he's going to flood the house and cry himself dry and wreck his throat from the hushed sobs that erupt from him because this is Niall, all this came from Niall, his Niall. His Niall that never does the washing and leaves the empty milk bottle in the fridge and wears odd socks and Harry can't stop crying because where the hell did that come from?
Harry reckons it's a build up of everything Niall's ever felt and wanted to tell him over the years, which is cute and lovely and wonderful and yeah, but he can't help but think it totally unfair of Niall to rush all this at him at once.
Harry's hiccuping, proud of himself that he's almost stopped crying, and he reaches for his phone, wipes his eyes and a fond smile fixes on his face as he types a message.
To: Ni
You little shit .xx