salute [h.s]

december 9 - ruining the holiday dinner

december 9 - ruining the holiday dinner

1D fanfic AU

Narry (This one isn't even pretending to be anything else. It's straight up Narry)

*

Niall burst through the doors of the Waitrose, letting in a flurry of snowflakes carried by the wind.He could barely see around the scarf he'd wound over his face to protect from the wind so the first thing he did was tug it off, stumbling forward into the warmth of the store. The place was practically empty since it was right before closing on Christmas Eve, but an elderly woman examining clementines in the fruit section gave him a dirty look which he dutifully ignored as he headed off in the direction of the canned food aisle. He had one item that he needed, just one, and then he could go home, back to his solitude, and eat his turkey alone. He just needed his cranberry sauce first.

Niall was absolute one hundred percent sure that this Christmas was going to be seriously depressing. He was too broke to afford a ticket home to Ireland to see his family so he was spending the holidays by himself. Louis had invited him up to see his family in Doncaster but Niall hadn't wanted to impose. Louis's family was huge and they were tight-knit — he didn't want to get into the middle of their celebrations. So here he was, alone on Christmas Eve, eating the world's smallest turkey by himself and probably watching some lame Christmas special on BBC until he fell into his food coma. It was sad and pathetic and Niall was fully aware of that but what could he do? He was pretty much out of options.

He shoved his hands into his pockets to warm them up as he stomped through the store, headed for the aisle that he assumed would be holding the cranberry sauce. Scanning the shelves as he walked, he caught sight of a big empty space and his stomach dropped, hoping and praying that it wasn't true. They couldn't be sold out. They just couldn't be. And then he spotted it, one fancy ass glass jar sitting on the top shelf, a lone survivor in a sea of destitution. Niall immediately plucked it off the shelf, cradling it in his palm. He checked the price listed on the shelf. "£2? Are you kidding me?"

He grumbled as he checked his pockets. He assumed he could get a can for less than a pound so he'd run off from his flat with just his coat, assuming the spare change would cover it. As if it wasn't embarrassing enough buying cranberry sauce at 9:30 on Christmas Eve. Now he was counting his pennies to do it. He would just manage with the tax, he determined as he added up his change. But he sure as hell wasn't going to be happy about it.

He jogged back down the aisle, cranberry sauce in hand, and swivelled his head looking for an open cash. There was only one light shining above the row of checkouts and Niall didn't pause as he turned his body that direction. His feet kept a steady clip as he got closer. Only one person was standing there, waiting patiently behind the person who had decided to do their full grocery list on Christmas Eve, with a handful of coupons to boot. Honestly, some people were just unbelievable.

The person waiting in line shifted sideways, frowning at the covers of the tabloids on display, and Niall was stunned to realize he recognized the man. It was Harry. Hot Harry from his work, who Niall had been not so subtly pining after since he'd gotten the job at the recording studio nearly six months ago. He still remembered the first moment he had laid eyes on Harry. He'd been doing some tracks for Zayn Malik's next record, just doing his thing, playing his guitar, and then he'd walked in. Niall had quite literally forgotten how to play the guitar which he'd mastered in infancy at the sight of the tall man with his curls pulled back in a bun, wearing a grey shirt buttoned only halfway with sleeves rolled right up past his elbows. His jeans were tight enough to reveal shapely legs, thighs that made Niall's mouth water, and he had tattoos up one arm and across his chest. Niall, who had never mustered the fortitude to get a tattoo himself, liked them a whole hell of a lot.