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The first time that Harry walks into the little Irish pub, he knows he’s infatuated. Not with the pub although it is a close second- no, he’s infatuated with the bartender.
The second the door closes softly behind, he can see that this is going to be like a second home to him. The dark woods are worn, but clean and the décor is decidedly Irish. The bar itself is massive and he can see a large selection of draft beers and assorted liquor, but it’s the man behind the bar that really pulls his attention. He looks away trying not to stare. It’s then that he hears the music… it’s a rocky folk song that’s playing but the part he loves is it’s not so loud that it would interrupt conversation. And once he really listens, he recognized the music as something that he has definitely sung along to in the past. He once again pulls his eyes away from the bartender looking for the source of the music, but it’s just a jukebox on the other side of the bar. There’s a stage, a small hallway for the toilets and what he guesses is the back door and a bunch of booths along the brick wall that houses the main door.
And even though he tries he can’t really keep his eyes off of the bartender. He’s chatting with someone at the bar, a young man dressed in camo pants with brown hair and a wide smile. But they are both smiling as the man seated at the bar shows the object of his instance infatuation a picture on his phone. They look like friends.
There’s not a lot of people in the bar- most of them scattered around the bar watching one of the massive televisions that are hanging on the wall. Harry’s not always good with other people but he decides that he likes this place so he’s going to take a risk. He takes a seat beside the other guy, calmly noting that he’s showing the bartender a picture of a baby boy. That would definitely explain the smile.
“Congrats.” Harry says, hoping to break the ice. He’s never been great at making friends, always a little shy and a little awkward but if this area is going to be his home; he’s going to have to get over that. He’s only just moved to the area and that always makes things a little weird- being the outsider. But for the sake of his sanity he needed out of his partially unboxed cookie-cutter house and a little human interaction with someone who wasn’t his mom or sister.
Harry instantly has the bartender’s attention and he’s hit with a mega-watt smile and all he can think of is pure summer sunshine. Warmth races through his body from his head to his toes and he smiles back, a real smile, not that fake one he’s been around more often than not lately.
“Well hello mate! You’re a new face,” It’s not said to be offensive and honestly it’s really welcoming, “I’m Niall, what can I get for you?” He reaches his hand across the bar and Harry takes it gratefully already feeling better about intruding on what could have been a private conversation. Niall has bright blue eyes and dark brunette hair, but the ends are bleached blond and Harry can’t help but wonder if that was on purpose or if he’s growing it out. The dark glasses framing his eyes just highlight the color even more and he has a bit of scruff and Harry would really like to feel under his lips. This Niall has a stunning face and he can’t stop staring at it.
“Hi, I’m Harry.” He drawls out slow, keeping a grip on Niall’s hand as he shakes it. His hands are strong, long blunt fingers, with clean neat nails. He can’t help but appreciate his hands, they’re beautiful.
“Well, Harry, this is Liam and he’s here telling me all about his new baby boy.” He motions over with the hand that Harry had just released and he tears his attention away from Niall- his name is Niall and its perfect – and looks over to the other man.
The other man flips his phone showing him the picture of the very small, indeed very beautiful newborn baby boy. “Congrats again,” Harry says and then he reaches out to shake Liam’s hand but instead the other man pulls him into a half bro hug and Harry hugs back, laughing. He gets it he really does. Babies are awesome and exciting and he loves them too.
“So you never said Harry, what can I get for ya?” He looks back to Niall. He’s wiping down something behind the bar and Harry can’t stop looking at the muscles in his forearms as they move and he’s slightly hypnotized. Niall’s fit…really fit. Not so much as in a work-out-every-day fit, but just a natural-born-beauty fit.
“Uhm,” That’s a good question. He really doesn’t drink much and he doesn’t really have a drink of choice and he really wants to impress Niall, so ordering a glass of wine at an Irish pub really isn’t that way to do that, “I really don’t know, I just needed to get out of my house, ya know? All those boxes…” Harry drifts off and for some reason it just makes Niall’s smile a little brighter. Liam gets up from his stool, laying down a few notes and waves bye obviously heading back to his house where his new family waits. Niall waves back at him but stays focused on Harry.
“So a water? Soda? Beer?” Niall asks, “Or something light, gin and tonic? Or a Manhattan? Vodka Cranberry? Food?”
“Sure.” Harry smiles, because really they all sound like something that could be interesting.
“Which one?” Niall asks on a laugh and if his smile wasn’t amazing enough his laugh just made Harry smile all the more, his dimples making an appearance as he pushes his hair back from his face, still not used to his much shorter locks.
“The middle one.” Harry guesses.
“The gin and tonic?” Niall questions, but he’s already grabbing what he needs and it’s like art watching Niall work behind the bar, smooth and confident.
“So Harry, tell me all about you.” Niall prompts as he sets the drink in front of Harry with a bowl of pretzels.
After that it becomes a weekly tradition, the first night he ever showed up at the bar was a Thursday, but Niall told him that next Saturday was going to be live music, so he waits and goest on Saturday instead and the music is great but he doesn’t really get a chance to talk to Niall as much as he wants to. The bar was far too crowded and the music was loud. So the next couple weeks he sticks with Thursdays and soon it just feels like their day. Harry loves it and it ends up being the highlight of his week.
The conversation is never rushed, never forced. He find a close friend in Liam as well, he is a firefighter and he works crazy rotations- so he isn’t as regular as Harry but he’s still there often enough.
It’s amazing how he and Niall click, it really only takes a handful of conversations before Harry feels like Niall knows him- really knows him. He feels the same way about Niall, can recognize the different emotions on his face and the different tones of his voice, and how the colors of his eyes change based on his mood. He knows that Niall’s favorite band is the Eagles, that he loves Fleetwood Mac, and can’t eat spicy food for fear of his acid reflux, that his parents are divorced but he’s still insanely close with them- his older brother not so much. It seems like more and more they learn about each other the more that Harry is drawn into him.
But he hasn’t quite worked up the courage to ask him out yet… can’t quite get over that fear of rejection.
And then Louis shows up… fresh out of school and no girlfriend, because that’s over now and he needs all of Harry’s attention and that’s fine because - well that’s what friends do. You help your friends get over heartbreak- you tell them they won’t be alone forever, that there are other fish in the sea, and so on and so forth…But after two weeks of not making it to the pub, he misses Niall and his smile, so he makes a decision.
“C’mon Lou we’re going out!” he drags his best mate off the couch makes him shower and put clothes that don’t smell on and pulls him along to the pub.
Harry doesn’t try to explain the relief that he feels when he finally pulls open that heavy wooden door. When Niall looks up from the bar, he smiles and Harry instantly feels weight shift off his shoulders lifted up by the pure power of Niall’s smile. It’s the weapon of angels, a sign god does exist, Harry is sure that if it could be bottled it could cure the common cold and end wars.
“Harry!” He’s already preparing his drink, setting it down in front of him before Louis is sliding into the stool next to him, laying an arm over Harry’s shoulders and leaning into him.
“Lou this is Niall, Niall this is Louis.” Louis extends out his other hand and Niall shakes his hand but Harry can’t help but notice that this smile is not quite as wide as a second before but he shakes if off, because Niall seems much busier tonight that normal and sure it isn’t Thursday but why would a Tuesday be busier? And he doesn’t get to talk to him as much as he wanted most of that due to the other couple at the end of the bar that keeps talking to him. Harry recognizes the feeling of jealousy, but ignores it because Niall does get to them. Louis’s beers stay full and he switches Harry to water after his first two just like normal.
He walks away that night feeling a little lonely, but Louis has his arm wrapped through his as they walk out the bar.
“So Niall?” Louis asks.
“Shut up.” Harry tells him, but he’s blushing.
Now that Louis knows the routine, knows Niall, and he has figured out that Harry fancies Niall he ends up at the pub even more. Over the next two weeks they end up at the pub five times. But Harry just can’t help but notice that Niall’s smile isn’t quite the same as it used to be and well- that’s just not okay. Harry can’t help but think that Niall’s happiness should be everyone’s number one priority.
“Ni, what’s going on?” Harry asks when he finally has all of Niall’s attention. It’s a Thursday again- their night- and Louis has gone to the loo and the bar is in quiet lull. It’s been so long since he’s had Niall’s blue eyes focused only on him and its sends a thrill down his spine.
“Nothing, Haz, not a thing.” He uses one of those beautiful hands of his to wave around the bar that is pretty empty, but it is 8:00 and it will pick up as it gets a little later.
“Not what I mean… What’s goin’ on with you? Are you okay?” Harry asks because this just isn’t right, Niall’s smile should always shine.
“I’m good.” Niall tells him, but his eyes don’t sparkle and Harry doesn’t like it.
“But your smile is not as bright as it used to be.” He throws that out there because it is true and he doesn’t really know how else to explain it. But Niall’s eyes grow soft and fond and he puts a hand over one of Harry’s that he has by his empty glass.
“That is nothing for you to worry yourself over.” Harry flips his hand over and grabs onto Niall’s wrist not letting him pull away. Niall’s hands are nice, wide- long graceful fingers that squeeze quick around Harry’s wrist.
“But I do…” He’s cut off when Louis drops a hand on his thigh as he plops back into his seat next to Harry. Niall pulls his hand away with a quick tug and Harry drastically feels the loss of his warmth.
“Another pint, Tommo?” Niall asks, grabbing that rag that’s always in his back pocket and wiping absolutely nothing off the top of the bar.
“No, think it’s time for us to head home. H?” Harry looks up at the clock and sure it’s not that late, not really but it feels strange and now Niall won’t even look at him.
“Sure.” And when Louis drags him out of the bar, yes it’s for his own good but he doesn’t care, he can’t help but look over his shoulders and Niall is watching them go, sends them off with a jaunty wave. He waves back and smiles but it’s still not quite right.
Finally, finally, Louis meets Eleanor. Granted Harry has known her for years, thought about introducing them before, but he never thought it would work out this well. She has a way of making Louis light up like he has not seen in years.
Normally he doesn’t go to the pub on Saturdays, but Louis and Eleanor love live music, so they go and the place is busy, Niall actually has someone else behind the bar, a large mountain of a man that booms when he laughs, but still- he is nothing compared to Niall who radiates warmth and sunshine and still even now, weeks later makes his stomach twist in anticipation.
“Niall,” He yells waving his hand above the crowd as he makes his way to the bar, Lou and El behind him. Both men turn his way, but the larger man moves on to other customers as Niall makes his way towards him. “Hi.” Harry smiles because the bar is busy but their seats aren’t taken, most people gravitating to the tables and booths near the stage, so he grabs his normal seat as El and Lou make it through the crowd that is gathering for the live set about to start. “Niall this is Eleanor, Lou’s new girlfriend.” And she extends her slender hand out to shake, but Niall is still looking at him and he looks confused. He quickly snaps out of it grabbing her hand gently, lifting it and pressing a kiss onto her hand.
“I’m absolutely charmed to meet you… You m’dear, must be an absolute saint to put up with these two.” Niall laughs and Harry can’t help but sit up straight because that that sounded normal… that sounded right.
“I hear the same about you Niall, these two coming to bother you all the time.” She smiles as she looks over at Louis who now has a pint in front of him and his arm slung low across her waist. They look happy and having his friends happy makes Harry happy.
“Oh, I deal,” Niall tells her, looking back at Harry and when he smiles its bright, warming Harry down to the very tips of his toes…and oh…oh… They are both apparently idiots. “What can I get you, Miss Eleanor?”
She rattles off a drink and Niall walks away to make it and things start making a little more sense now. He’s putting the puzzle pieces together and the last month or so starts to make a lot more sense and well now he can do what he wanted to do from the start.
Harry watches as Niall turns away, grabbing the liquor needed and his arse looks really great in those jeans and his legs… wow-they are so slender- how does he even hold himself up? They look so skinny, but they lead up to that- yeah… that arse is art. Then his shoulders… they are wow and those arms so trim and just defined; he could watch him work for days and then his hands… his hands just…he’s just so confident so efficient and he’s so dexterous… God the things those hands could do to Harry. Now he feels a lot more confident about asking for it.
Niall returns placing a drink with fruit garnish in front of El but Harry really doesn’t care what his friends are doing because he gets it.
“Niall,” Those blue eyes lock on him and give him a small smile, its small but it looks right, looks great actually.
“Yeah, Hazza?” He steps as close as the bar will let him and he puts his elbow down to rest on the bar so that he can put his chin in his palm and now he and Harry are eye to eye.
“Can I get you a drink?” Harry asks and Niall’s eyes go wide and a bit confused, because well duh… “But not here, somewhere else, some other time, preferably with a meal before and something after, I don’t know yet, I’m really just making this up as I go.” And he just rolls with that because he’s been told that’s part of his charm.
Niall’s laugh shakes something loose inside of him; he’s relaxed and anxious at the same time. And of course he’s listening to Niall he is…but Niall has barely mumbled out I’d love that, before Harry grabs his shirt and pulls him close, over the bar, and presses his lips against Niall’s and it feels amazing and he feels warm all the way down to his toes that just happen to be curling in his beat up suede boots.
“About fuckin’ time, lads. You were killing me with all the pinin’.” Louis puts down his half empty pint and Eleanor’s laugh is musical before it gets swallowed by the noise in the pub.
“Lou, forgot you were here, go away.” Harry tells him, pulling Niall in for another kiss and when they pull apart, they’re both smiling and Niall only pulls away completely when the other guy yells for him. But before he turns around to help out- he hands Harry his phone.
“Program your number in, let’s schedule that…date?” Niall asks and Harry nods probably much too quickly and a little bit enthusiastically if Louis and Eleanor’s laughs are anything to go by but he doesn’t care.
“How about tonight? When are you done?” Niall laughs at his eagerness but grabs Harry’s phone when he hands it over programming his info in quick before his co-worker yells for him again.
“How about tomorrow and then you can have me all night?” Harry’s gaze snaps up and he catch Niall’s pale complexion turning a ruddy shade of red. He loves it.
“Sounds perfect.”