Niall never noticed it. The way Harry always gave him a PB&J sandwich for when he would pass a test, or when he does his chores, or when he would help someone out with their homework, or when he won in a game of football, or when he would cheer someone up. Just when he did something good, really. This was Harry's subtle way of showing Niall his affection for him. He never noticed it though. But things turn around eventually.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Niall!" Harry calls out to Niall, who has just finished his last period. "I heard you got an A+ on that Geometry test yesterday, so I made you your favorite sandwich." Harry admits, blushing. "Congratulations!" Harry pats Niall's back as the blonde beams up at him and nods.
"Thanks, bro. I'm proper starving, haven't had a single meal in me since breakfast, was too busy studying for French. That shit is so damn hard! Prefiero aprender Español." Niall shakes his head and sits down on one of the benches in the hall. "But you already know Spanish, Ni." Harry points out, sitting down next to his best friend. "And just so you know, J'ai du mal à suivre." He says confidently, knowing that Niall won't understand a thing he just said.
"Wha..?" Niall asks in obvious confusion. "I'm struggling to keep up." Harry translates for him. Niall nods and looks down at his lap, and hears the sudden rumbling of his stomach. Harry notices this and quickly reaches inside his backpack for the sandwich and offers it to Niall, to which Niall looks up at him like he was his savior. Harry beams and nudges him to take it, and he does.
They meet up with the rest of the gang, and head out of the school to walk home. It's cold with the Autumn breeze, so close to Halloween as the leaves fall freely from the trees. Liam turns his head to look at Niall, who was happily munching on his sandwich. "You're so lucky Harry makes you those almost everyday." He whines as he lets go of Zayn's hand and crosses his arms playfully. "Zayn never makes me any." Harry laughs loudly and shrugs, burying his face in the collar of his coat, trying not to blush. "Like you make me any too?!" Zayn retorts in amusement, to which Liam chuckles at and holds him close as they talk to each other quietly, like they were in their own little world.
Feeling suddenly awkward with the couple, Niall and Harry walk slowly behind the two in a very awkward silence, to which Harry thankfully breaks. "So, how was today?" Niall scratches the nape of his neck, still chewing. "Tiring, stressful, and stupid. Like always." Harry cackles. Niall looks at him sideways. "You?" Harry smiles at him. "Boring without you." He then stiffens but keeps walking, as he realizes that he had just said that out loud without thinking.
"Without me you say?" Niall smirks then laughs it off quickly, resulting to Harry's nervous laughter. Niall throws his napkin in the garbace can as he finishes off the last of his sandwich and rubs his hands together to get rid of the bread crumbs. They pick up their pace as they realize that they were so far behind Liam and Zayn that they were at least 5 feet away. They continue walking home and finally reach Liam's house wherein Zayn will probably stay too, so they bid their goodbyes and walk on home. You see, Niall and Harry are neighbors, and so they practically live together.
They first met when Harry was 8 and Niall was 9, and moved into town from Ireland and went to the field in the compound to play footie by himself, and legitimately bumped into Harry, as he was just looking at the ball itself. "Oh man, 'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going.." He drifts off, to where Harry cuts him off. "It's alright, no harm done." He smiles at him and offers his hand to shake professionally. "'M Harry, you are?" Niall takes his hand in his and shakes it. "Niall."
The PB&J sandwich-giving started when they were 12 and 13, when Niall came over to Harry's house, and Niall had met Harry's baby cousin, Juliet, to which he beamed at her and it fell right off whenever she started to cry. And so Niall did his best to make her smile and make her happy again, and so he did. And when he did, Harry made him a sandwich, to which Niall praised him with a 'this is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth!'.
Harry and Niall walk into Harry's house, both being greeted by his mum. "'Ello boys! How was school?" Both lads beam at her, and respond 'okay' and 'boring'. Anne excuses herself to the kitchen to fix herself up with a snack, to which Harry follows her after he tells Niall to wait for him in the living room. And so drops his backpack on the floor and sits on the sofa and plays Frozen Free Fall on his phone. Harry walks out of the kitchen, plate in hand with a PB&J sandwich atop, and his mother following after, walking up the stairs to her room. "What's up?" He asks Niall, who looks like he has just won the lottery. He beams and shows his phone to Harry, who was currently chewing on his sandwich. "I Just finished Level 51, Harry! 51!" Harry smiles at him, still chewing, and looks down at his sandwich. "That's great. Here," He says and offers the plate to Niall, as he wipes his crumby hands on his pants. Niall frowns and looks up at him. "But I already ate mine and that's yours." He says, ignoring the tumbles in his stomach. Harry rolls his eyes and nudges the plate towards him, and Niall just takes it again. "Thanks." Niall mutters, a smile tugging at his lips, as Harry beams at him.
Harry goes to sit down next to him with a contented sigh, as he wraps his arms around the blonde, not caring that he's being obvious, because this was good. This was peaceful, relaxing, good. Niall finishes his sandwich and places his plate on the coffee table in front of them. "Harry?" Niall asks, ignoring the goosebumps and butterflies. "Hm?" Harry responds. "Why," Niall shifts around and removes himself from Harry's grasp so that he could look at him properly. "Why do you always make me these sandwiches?" Niall asks him the question that's always on his mind, but never has the courage to ask the younger boy, thinking that the question could hurt him. Harry freezes, as his face flushes with bright red, and thinks of something to answer Niall's question. "Oh, uh- Because... Because it's a reward, kind of..?" He says with obvious uncertainty. Niall's brows are furrowed and knit together, as the cogs in his brain turn and his mind is full of confusion, trying to figure out what all those sandwiches meant. He stands up from the sofa and walks toward the kitchen to look through Harry's pantry, and sees that there are already 3 bottles of Peanut Butter, and 5 bottles of Grape Jelly. "Harry?" He calls out, waiting for the brunette to walk in. "Niall?" Harry says sheepishly.
"Why do you buy so many bottles of Peanut Butter and Jelly?" Niall asks him suspiciously. "Oh, uh-" Harry starts, but Niall interrupts him quickly. "What?" Harry looks at him, obviously embarrassed and looking vulnerable as ever, to which Niall softens a bit. "Okay, this might sound really weird and really gross and really disgusting and really terrifying and really horrible and really b-" Niall cuts him off once again. "Just tell me, I won't get mad at you or anything. I promise." Niall smiles up at Harry sincerely. "I like you." Harry finally admits, to which Niall freezes, then remembers his promise, thinking that the younger lad might think he's grossed out by him, so he relaxes and thinks of something to say.
"Oh," Niall says with eyebrows raised, surprised as ever. "And what does that have to do wi- Oh.." He mutters, looking down at his shoes, as Harry just nods and smiles in adoration at the blonde. You see, Niall always had feelings towards the brunette; He just never really knew of them. He just thought they were teenage hormones, or some kind of disorder, or just that he feels really lonely that he starts hallucinating and thinking of Harry as a girl, which was impossible. And so, everything connects to each other now and the puzzle pieces start forming, and the cogs are yet again turning in his head, and he finally, finally realizes it. Those goose bumps he gets when Harry so much as touches his skin, the somersaults his stomach does when Harry sings, the hard-ons he gets in the mornings because of the frisky dreams about Harry he gets sometimes, the butterflies in his stomach that come out of nowhere whenever Harry hugs him, the blush he gets whenever Harry kisses his cheek or whatever part of his body.
Oh, boy.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/1749293
