to be with you ↠ narry

five

✰five; next door neighbor's cookies

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It was around mid-day that they found themselves growing tired of sitting around. Their hair shenanigans quickly became boring and laying around watching television and movies seemed bland and uneventful. They're trying to save the little food Harry has stored up for when they actually need it but that didn't stop Niall from being hungry.

"You have any cookies? I'm really in the mood for some chocolate chip cookies." Niall remarks, looking up at Harry from his upside down position on the couch.

"I don't actually. Maybe we could try some of my neighbors to see if they have any cookie dough? There's a sweet older woman that lives right next door. She's always inviting me over for dinner. I think she wants to set me up with her granddaughter or something but I didn't have the heart to tell her I swing the other way." Harry rambled, pulling Niall off the couch.

Niall quickly agrees that the best option is to now beg for food from Harry's older next door neighbor. As they exit his home, Harry leads them to his neighbor's apartment where the door is cutely decorated with a flower wreath and bunny statues situated by the bottom of the frame. Harry swiftly knocks on the door, stepping back to stand alongside his friend. A couple moments later, an elderly woman greets them with a warm smile and a joyous tone.

"Harry, my dear! What brings you here?" She questions sweetly, soon bringing her attention to the unfamiliar man next to him. "And who is this?"

"Hello Marleen, this is my friend Niall. He got stuck here with me for the blizzard and we've unfortunately ran out of food." Not entirely, but Niall is sick of Harry's health junk and has made that known several times. "We were wondering if you might have some cookie dough?"

Her face brightens with delight, "I do! Come in, come in! We can bake a batch right now if you'd like!" She suggests, motioning for them to enter her apartment.

"Thank you so much, Marlene. I was beginning to believe that Niall might starve with the amount of complaining I've heard." Harry spoke, softly running a hand through his hair and touching the end of his curls gently.

"Hush up, you haven't been at the shops in ages so it's not my fault, you nimwit." Niall argued in return, shoving Harry in a playful manner.

Marlene laughs softly, "You two remind me of my sons when they were younger. Always arguing about food. That's why I learned to make an excess of food in case they ran out, which they always would."

She led them to her kitchen, all of the walls being absolutely flooded with antiques of some sort. She buries herself in the fridge, searching for the tub of cookie dough she remembered having. Once finding it behind the butter, she pulls it out and places it on the counter, closing the door.

She turns to face the boys, smiling as she says, "You two go ahead and start baking, I'll be in my room but call me when you finish!" After that, she pats Harry's shoulder and exits to her room.

Niall preheats the oven after reading the instructions on the tub, telling Harry to gather a giant spoon to use to scoop with. The Brit chuckles, realizing how simple this is compared to actually making homemade cookies from scratch like his mother taught him.

It's a quick process, Harry scooping the dough out and Niall softly rolling the dough into balls and placing it on a pan. They make ten, deeming that enough for them, including Marlene. As they wait for the cookies to bake, they sit on the kitchen floor mindlessly chatting about random subjects. Fifteen minutes later, the oven timer goes off, startling Niall due to the fact that he was leaning against the oven door and was closest to the noise.

Harry gathers the oven mitts he found lying on the countertop and removes the pan from the oven carefully. The smell of freshly baked cookies devour the apartment, Niall closes his eyes and allows himself to bask in the sugary-chocolate aroma. Harry flicks his mate's temple, laughing when Niall nearly falls from the sudden action. He simply glares at Harry before opening the fridge and scavenging for a gallon of milk. Once finding it, he gently lifts it and moves it to the counter alongside the still hot cookies. He's tempted to grab one and eat it in one bite but Niall knows better than to do that.

It takes a while for the cookies to cool off, allowing them to grab one without it falling apart to crumbles. Harry pours three glasses of milk while Niall calls for Marlene. She makes her way into the kitchen, grinning as she takes in the overwhelming smell and the platter of cookies situated on the center of the stove. They all dig into them, occasional comments on how well they turned out.

"Boys! Before you leave, I have some leftovers of some pasta I made the other night, you're welcome to take it. Also, bring the extra cookies along with you. Goodness knows I won't be able to eat them all." She laughs softly, handing Harry the container of pasta and Niall the cookies.

They bid their goodbyes, promising to come back one day, exiting the apartment with smiles on their faces. "She was nice." Niall remarks. Within a couple of feet they're already back at Harry's, digging through his pant's pocket to retrieve his keys and unlocking the door. "Yeah, she's very welcoming, she baked me a cake the first week I moved in."

Niall slips off his shoes in two swift motions and trudges to the living room where he falls backwards onto the couch and leans his head back to catch sight of what Harry is doing. Harry's in the kitchen, placing the leftovers and cookies in the fridge before he takes off his shoes and stretches his back, joining on the couch.

The rest of the day is quite uneventful. They watch friends on netflix, rewatching the first season, and later on, Harry fixes them two grilled cheese sandwiches, using his gluten free bread and fancy organic cheese. It's not the same as the classic version but it's not too shabby for what they had to use. They don't fall asleep until eleven when Niall calls it quits for the night, falling asleep alongside Harry.