E: If you wrote a sequel to a little drop for me, what would it be about? :) ♡
ooohhh, good question! i had to think about the answer a bit.
first of all, i think it would be a long oneshot, not a second fully-chaptered fic. (although a little drop was originally only going to be about 20k and then more than quadrupled…)
i’d like to bring zayn back briefly. doing that would give me a chance to explore both harry’s and niall’s reactions to the situation considerably.
i think i’d have zayn show up at niall and harry’s flat—his old home—one late afternoon, just after niall’s got home from work and harry’s still at the bakery. maybe he’s travelled a lot, seen a lot of the world, been to a lot of museums and met a lot of people, but he’s realised that he’s still in love with niall and that he did need to leave but he needed to leave so he could realise that he wanted to be with niall.
niall would let him in, maybe not knowing the extent of zayn’s feelings but just thinking it would be rude to slam the door in his face because, really, it’s been four years and he’s over zayn; he’s healed, he’s had louis and liam stand by him, he’s met harry and fallen in love and not even zayn—his first love—is going to change how absolutely sickeningly in love with harry he is and how perfect his life is now.
zayn comes into the flat and can immediately tell that niall’s not living alone; there are shoes that are too big for niall’s feet by the door and cute little dish towels that he’s pretty sure niall wouldn’t have ever bought because they’re just past too twee. there are pictures of niall with a very beautiful lad with long, dark, wavy hair and green eyes; they look very in love and it hurts a bit lot. he can see into the bedroom area and his old side of the bed doesn’t look like it’s been abandoned because the nightstand has pictures of niall and this other boy and a stack of books about artisian breads and shipwrecks.
but he goes in and decides that maybe he won’t tell niall he’s still in love with him because obviously niall’s just going to tell him, “sorry, zayn, but i’ve moved on with this beautiful lad who wears big brown suede chelsea boots and likes twee little dish towels and wears his hair in a man bun sometimes.” and, really, good for niall. he knows what he did was horrible, knows he hurt niall. (he’d hurt himself too but that didn’t matter right now. he’d have to find a way to heal himself now.) and he’s jealous and sad and his heart is breaking again, just like it did when he left niall because he thought he needed to, but telling niall all of that wouldn’t change anything.
they’re sitting in the living room drinking beer and chatting about zayn’s travels when harry gets home. harry’s only seen a few pictures of zayn before—on liam’s dresser because he was one of their best friends for a few years—and he knows that this is zayn.
and he knows what he’s feeling is jealousy, unlike the first time he felt it when niall was telling him about zayn the very first time. his usual sweet, gentle, innocent disposition is fighting with this jealousy and it’s giving him a tummyache. niall is his now, not that terrible boy who hurt niall so much. part of him hopes that niall remembers that, knows that. so he walks to the living room and niall does a formal little introduction and harry’s sort of looking at zayn, unsure what to say. and then he settles on saying, “hi, zayn. it’s nice to meet you.” he gives the lad a tight-lipped smile and looks him over; he’s very pretty and he’s got a lot of cool tattoos so he tells him that and then quickly excuses himself to the bathroom.
and now zayn feels awkward and niall’s not quite sure what to say. but then harry comes back a minute later and sits down right next to niall on the sofa and wraps an arm around the blonde, pulling him close to his side possessively. niall looks at him, a little surprised because it’s usually the other way around unless they’re in the bedroom, and harry takes advantage and leans down to kiss him in that sweet way that he knows will earn a little tiny whimper from niall. and he’s rewarded with a quiet little “mmm” that’s not loud enough to be obscene but subtly lets zayn know that niall is his.
and then harry turns back to zayn and asks him about cape town because that’s what he’d heard zayn and niall talking about when he first walked into the flat. “i always wanted to get down there. i don’t think i could have made it that far, though.”
zayn stays for a couple hours and they talk. if he can’t have niall, he’s glad that harry can because harry’s a really lovely lad and he’s obviously head over heels for niall and niall’s head over heels for harry. he’s crushed and it’ll probably take him months, maybe years, to get over niall but niall did it and that gives him hope. maybe he’ll find his own harry someday.
after zayn leaves, harry picks niall up and carries him to the bedroom. “you’re mine, niall,” he states, in case niall forgot.
but niall didn’t forget. “i am, harry. always yours.”
and then harry’s making love to niall on top of their bedsheets, bodies pressed together and foreheads touching as harry looks niall in the eyes and switches between telling niall that niall is his—“you’re my boy, niall. only for me, kitty.”—and reminding niall how much he loves him—“i love you so much, niall. you’re sunshine. i’ll always be your mermaid. never gonna leave you, love.”
because it’s not just about niall being his boy, not just about fighting the jealousy with possessiveness. it’s about reminding niall that he’s never going to leave him, never going to hurt him like zayn did; niall’s safe and loved now.
so yeah, i think that would be a start, anyway!
(i also might explore liam and louis’ relationship a bit because i’ve never been quite sure how they defined their relationship.)