Niam One-Shots || [Book 1]

[165] Guardian [RQ]

Prompt: Liam's a high school student struggling with personal issues and Niall's his new neighbor who watches over him in care, even in the darkest hours.

Requested by: Parna22

Niall set his last box down onto the marble countertop, releasing an exhale that assisted the beginning of his relaxation phase. He began to unpack it in order to not stress about the mass amount of work that'll already pile up in the coming days.

He finds himself in the kitchen where he places different pieces of decoration on opposites sides. The kitchen was a bit small with counters surrounding him and a black, tall fridge that fit snug into a crevasse near a similar colored stove. He wanted a small place anyway since he'd want to live here for at least five years. The small pay of monthly rent also helped.

After clearing all of the boxes, Niall exits out through his front door to see if he had anything else waiting for him. All he could see is a tall figure standing in front of him, though. The smile on his face brought upon one on Niall's because he couldn't resist it.

"Hi, I'm Liam Payne. I live next door, and I always greet my new neighbors." He holds out a box of cookies. "I hope I'm not intruding or anything since it seems like you've just moved in." The worried tone in his voice caused Niall to chuckle.

"You aren't a bother." He takes one of the cookies. "I'm Niall Horan." He earns a second smile from Liam while taking a bite out of the cookie he had grabbed. "These are delicious." Niall couldn't help but grab a few more but to his surprise, Liam handed him the whole box with a soft laugh.

"Take them all, I don't mind."

Niall grins and takes another bite in complete satisfaction. He was starving but maybe eating cookies wasn't the best option on an empty stomach.

"So, where are your parents? I'm assuming you are in high school as well?" Liam thought of the question when noticing Niall moving in stuff by himself, so he had to ask as soon as possible.

Niall shook his head. "I'm in college, my first year will be starting soon, and my parents basically forced me to move out since I'm doing more than well with the money I have right now." He sets the cookie down in the box. "Are you in high school, then?"

Liam nodded shortly. "Yeah, my last year. I can't wait to move out of my place and live alone. Being stuck with my parents has been a complete nightmare." A hint of sadness could be heard within his voice, and Niall grew concerned.

"A nightmare? Why do you-"

"Liam Payne!"

Liam turns toward the voice and instantly feels chill down his spine from how loud yet gentle his father was attempting to be.

"Get back inside and quit bothering the new neighbor! Your mother and I need to speak with you!"

Liam sighs and averts his eyes toward the cookies. "Can I actually have a few?"

Niall doesn't take an extra second to give him the desired amount, soon watching him walk off with speed on his side. He could feel immediate tension just from the one-sided conversation between Liam and his father, and it worried him. He cared so much for strangers, which was probably a bad idea, but Liam appeared sweet and kind the moment he laid eyes on him. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing Liam get hurt by his parents.

Although, with a sigh, he clutched onto the box of cookies and reentered his home with a clenched jaw and foggy thoughts.

For the next few weeks, Niall became comfortable in his own place, fixing up loose ends when it came to decorating in order to feel cozy and at peace with himself. Liam came around to help with the decoration process every other day, asking Niall questions to learn more about him and vice versa.