Flicker of Hope || Niam Horayne

New Guy? Maybe Not.

Niall was in a good mood. Simple as that.

It wasn't that he really had anything to look forward to today; he was just really happy, and he didn't know why. Strange thing.

Or maybe there was a reason.

Niall had spent the previous night checking in on Liam's social media accounts. Not in a creepy way, he was just curious of what Liam would actually post on something like Instagram. He definitely wasn't stalking the man.

Niall hadn't really found anything that wasn't to be expected. There were pictures of Liam and his family, events, different scenery. All the usual things. It gave Niall a kind of calm, though. Just made him happy that Liam was also a person. Because in nearly every other aspect, Liam seemed like a Greek god of some sort.

And maybe Niall was going to meet up with Liam at his house today.

Nope. Definitely no reason at all for Niall's overwhelming happiness.

...

Niall pulled on his favorite jacket, tugging a bit at the sleeves as he made his way to the door, making a sort of mental checklist of everything he needed.

Keys? Check.

Wallet? Check.

Good looks? Double check.

The Irishman ran a hand through his hair, fixing it up a bit before walking through the door with a bit of a skip in his step.

The walk would be short and easy to Liam's flat. Apparently, the lad only lived about two blocks away at the apartment complex on the corner of the street. Easy enough to remember, right?

...

Just as Niall expected (surprise, surprise) the walk was nice and easy. Cool breeze keeping the sun from being overly hot, quiet sounds along the way. Just a booster to Niall's already great mood. What could go wrong at this point?

Okay, maybe a few things.

Niall didn't want to think about that though. He wouldn't want to darken his mood.

-

"Niall, mate! Come on in."

Niall grinned at Liam, stepping into the small flat. Liam seemed to be in about as good of a mood as he was. And that was really saying something.

"Nice place you got here," Niall spoke up, glancing around the apartment.

And it was a nice place. Small grey couch in the center of the room, dark coffee table in front of it. Dark curtains covering the windows. Cream colored walls were littered with nice paintings. Small side tables with lamps, a flat screen TV against a wall, and a hallway leading back to the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. Possibly nicer than Niall's place.

"Thanks, lad," Liam returned the grin, leading Niall to the sofa.

"I've got someone I'd like you to meet."

That made Niall just a bit nervous. He hadn't been expecting to see anyone else, or for Liam to actually know anyone else. (Not that he though Liam didn't have any friends.)

Niall watched in amusement, however, when Liam brought out a small black and white puppy from down the hallway. The pup was cute, he had to admit. Bright brown-black eyes, black button nose, rapidly wagging tail. Reminded Niall of Liam in a way.

"This is Loki," Liam introduced, bright smile on his face.

"Loki, this is Niall."

Niall chuckled, walking over to where Liam was holding the dog.

"Hey there, Loki."

He pat the pup's head, allowing the dog to lick at his hand.

"He's a sweet one, yeah?"

"He is."

Niall had never seen Liam that happy. He certainly wouldn't complain if Loki stuck around for a while.