be my once in a lifetime

chapter one

It's a little past six in the evening when Harry gets home from work, dropping his coat on the black rack next to the door. He lets out a sigh and rubs his face as he walks further into his flat. He can hear movement somewhere but doesn't make much of it since it's probably his flatmate. The moment he drops his hand, a startled yelp lets out from the back of his throat as he sees brown hair instead of the familiar blonde. 

"Ah, fuck! Niall," Harry groans with a hand on his heart. "A text that you're here would have been nice. Jesus."

The brunette just sends him a guilty smile from his place on the sofa with a laptop perched on his lap.

"Sorry, H. My phone's on the charger, but I brought food. A peace offering?" The guilty smile stays for a beat longer before it turns sheepish.

Harry drops his hand and squints. A playful smile works its way to his lips. "Depends. What'd you bring?"

"Pho? Am I safe?" Niall asks, face pinched in faux fear. He is, but Harry decides to let him sweat a bit.

Harry throws a 'we'll see' over his shoulder as he goes to his soft green-themed bedroom to undress. He worked at the bakery today, so he stinks of yeast and is itching for a shower. He first kicks off his black and white vans before tugging off the white calf socks. He strips out of his graphic white t-shirt and straight-leg blue jeans, leaving them discarded on his made bed.

After peeling off his black briefs in his en suite, he steps into the shower. He tilts his head slightly forward to wash his twelve-hour shift out of his hair, then does his whole hair routine. Fifteen minutes later, he's wrapping a dirt brown towel around his waist. It was his flatmate's idea to go with an earth theme for their place, and seeing how Harry doesn't pay any rent, what she says goes. Not that he minds it- he loves seeing their little mushrooms and frog decor.

As Harry puts some product in his short, wet hair and lotion on his body, he smiles, thinking back to when he met his good friend and flatmate. It was winter time of his final year in uni and Charlotte's first year. She had been rushing to her class and quite literally rammed into him. She was nearly in tears with how stressed she was due to it being testing time and left without apologizing. It wasn't until a week later, while Harry and Niall were sitting down eating at the school's local coffee and tea shop, that he saw her again. She had come in and headed straight for Harry and Niall's table. 

She then apologized excessively and mentioned that she was just really stressed with her first round of exams since her older brother was on her back about passing. Harry forgave her with no worries, and they just clicked, becoming instant friends ever since then. She sat down and had her own scone and tea with them. They didn't leave until later that night with phone  numbers exchanged between the three of them. That had been two years ago. Still to this day, she is one of Harry's best mates.

She offered up her spare room to this flat mere months after they met, pitching it with the promise of free rent and the fact that both of them desperately needed a roommate. And to be completely honest, Harry couldn't turn up the offer when she mentioned the free rent. He wasn't exactly rolling in money like he had come to find out she was. Not that it changed anything between them. Though he has tried to help pay multiple times, having felt like a moocher and someone taking advantage of his friend, she refuses to take his money every time. Now they've compromised with him always getting the groceries and little knick-knacks that he knows will make his friend happy.

"Oi! Goldilocks, your soup is getting cold. Get your arse out here," Niall calls out, banging on the door and clearing the memory away.

Harry throws on a pair of clean, soft pink knickers (he would usually put on another pair of briefs, but since he's staying in for the rest of the night, he doesn't) and slides on some pajama pants, forgoing a shirt. He leaves his room with a cloud of steam following him out. He sees Niall finishing up at the stove, presumingly heating up the Pho, and he grabs two stone-colored ceramic bowls along with two sets of chopsticks.