Chapter Text
Niall opened the flat door and, in front of him, was the first familiar face he had seen since Lori left him in the university parking lot with only a plant and a cup to remind him of home: Ruben Pallister.
The last time he'd seen him was in passing, in a pub. With no mutual friends and no reason to socialize, Ruben had only nodded as a greeting, a simple gesture of recognition, and Niall had returned a shy, tightly pressed smile from the opposite corner of their habitats.
Niall remembered that they had spent the entire night exchanging glances from afar. Like a game, every time Niall's eyes wandered around the club looking for him, he would find Ruben's electrifying gaze already fixed on him. Each time their eyes met, as if a task already completed, Ruben would smile and turn his attention anywhere but to Niall, until Niall did the same, and the game would begin again.
That night, for the first time, Niall couldn't help but think about the curious way in which the universe seemed determined to bring them together:
First, as children, at Mr. Pallister's funeral. Niall only remembered a little Ruben in his suit, laughing hysterically while Niall tried to run away from him and failed miserably.
Later, at school, Ruben had defended him from Gus and his friends when he heard them call him a faggot. He could've been unbothered by it, he could've ignored the situation like everyone else, but he didn't. Niall remembered racking his brain trying to figure out how someone like him could ever repay someone like Ruben, until the opportunity presented itself: Ruben had distracted the teacher with his antics, his exam had fallen at his feet, and before he could think twice, with adrenaline making the decision for him, he corrected as many mistakes as possible before putting the exam back on the floor. Ruben passed, and for the rest of high school, no one bothered him again.
Thus, by making small star appearances here and there in his life, Ruben had become a familiar face; not a well-known one, certainly not a intimate one, but there was something in the gravitational field of both of them that seemed to push them to meet in the middle, more and more frequently.
Now, with a twenty-year-old Ruben standing in his doorway, wearing work overalls and carrying a toolbox, Niall was speechless. What were the chances that the person his university was sending to fix his radiator was going to be none other than Ruben Pallister?
"Remember me, Bambi?" Ruben recognized him immediately, smiling with the kind of smile that reveals how young he truly is and not that fighting bulldog appearance he carries with him. "seems like we always end up running into each other one way or another." He agreed with his thoughts as if they were both flowing through each other's brains.
"R-Ruben" Niall tried to bite down his smile, the corners of his lips curling against his will and his cheeks burning for no reason "What are you doing here?"
"A man's gotta earn a living," he said, simply lifting the toolbox in response. "Can I...?" He gestured inside.
As if emerging from his initial shock, Niall moved to let him pass. A man , Niall thought, Ruben is only two years older, but he already has the bearing of a man.
"So...?" Ruben looked at him, there where he was frozen. "Am I going to have to guess which radiator isn't working?"
"R– Right, sorry," Niall stammered, robotically moving, unable to relax or be casual. "I was surprised to see you here, of all places." Niall led him to his room, where a radiator refused to heat the room. The change in temperature automatically sent a shiver down his spine.
"'S a small world, isn't it?" Ruben dropped his toolbox on the floor and, kneeling down, got to work. Niall considered stepping back and letting him work, when Ruben asked, "Missing home?"
"Not really," he admitted with a weak laugh, moving from the doorway to the foot of his bed to watch him work. It suited him; hands busy working, and the uniform was a bonus he'd think about once Ruben left. "You?"
"Nah," Ruben replies absentmindedly, struggling with a valve without really paying attention to the conversation.
He took a can of spray from the toolbox and, while letting it work, looked up for the first time, quickly scanning the room. Not spotless, but tidier than one would associate with a teenage boy, which Niall technically still was, having just turned eighteen. He was sitting on his bed with his hands folded together in his lap to keep them warm, his big, Disney-esque eyes peering up at him from behind long, almond-colored eyelashes.
Adorable, he thought.
"How's university life?"
Niall shrugged; only a week had passed since the start of classes, but the feeling of vertigo still lingered.
"Everything's so new, I guess." Perhaps it was the fact that Ruben represented something familiar amidst so much new stimulation, or simply the protective aura he exuded, but Niall felt the urge to tell him everything: how strange he felt, like he was out of place. About this Alby guy, who is spinning him out a bit. But instead, he offered, "Everyone keeps calling me Neil."
Ruben let out a chuckle at the same time a hissing sound came from the radiator, stealing his attention. He turned back to the appliance.
"Ta-da!" Ruben wrestled a little longer with the valve and finally wiped the rest of the spray off his hands with the handkerchief hanging from his pocket. "It just needed a little force." Ruben winked playfully, and Niall felt the infamous warmth under his neck rise to his ears. "It's going to take a while, but you're not going to freeze in bed tonight."
A silly, lopsided smile plastered across Niall's face against his will.
"My hero," Niall sighed as a joke, but it came out sounding more genuine than he intended.
A large, warm hand ruffles his bangs in response, and Niall felt his heart gallop and buck in his chest, without permission nor warning. Suddenly, holding his breath against his will, Niall quickly smooths his hair in an attempt to sweep the sensation away.
"Anything else?" Ruben asks, looking at him from where he stands.
Niall looks back from under his eyelashes, his eyes wandering for a moment to the collar around Ruben's neck, barely visible in the open neck of the overall, before forcing himself to spring up from the bed, shaking his head too fast, too much.
Niall can hear movement outside the room and feels a strange sense of relief when it's Celeste and Joanna, with no sign of Alby; that, was now among the thoughts Niall would have to revisit later.
"Ooh la la" Celeste looks Ruben up and down brazenly, her accent bleeding through the expression "This is what I meant by a porridge man!"
She picks up a cereal box and places it next to Ruben to make a comparison; the man on the cover, naked except for his kilt, is a caricature of Scottish masculinity. Joanna lets out one of her high-pitched giggles in response, and even though Ruben has his back to him, Niall can see something click in his body, his posture shifting so subtly it's almost imperceptible.
"Madmasoile," Ruben says, recognizing Celeste's accent, and takes her hand to gently press his lips to her knuckles. The two women exchange knowing smiles. "Niall didn't tell me this was the floor exclusively for fine birds," Ruben says, charming as ever.
They both burst into laughter and Niall drags a hand along his neck, invisible again.
"Neil didn't tell us he had such a fit mate either! "Celeste has the same natural charisma as Ruben, both flowing in the dance of courtship without any problems.
"It's Niall" Ruben corrects her, his tone harsher than before, but she doesn't seem offended; something in Ruben's possessive tone makes her eyes gleam.
Niall feels tiny needles in his cheeks and is sure they must be flustered
"Celeste" She introduces herself, ignoring the correction. They shake hands without breaking eye contact for a second longer, before letting go "And this is Mademoiselle Joanna."
"Joanna," Ruben repeats, making sure his lips pronounce each syllable before making a bow. Joanna lets out another cascade of nervous giggles. "Ruben," he finally introduces himself.
The conversation continues, but Niall is no longer paying attention. Lost in his own thoughts, he can't help but feel what is undeniably jealous—foolish, inexplicable jealousy. Jealousy of Joanna and Celeste, for the privilege of receiving Ruben's attention. Jealousy of Ruben, for that natural talent he possesses, not just for fitting in, but for belonging and dominating any space he enters. There's a third reason he tries to push aside, along with the other conflicting thoughts, but he can't. Niall looks at the thought like a knife he doesn't dare withdraw for fear of not being able to stop the bleeding, hesitating for another second before simply admitting to himself: he'd like Ruben to flirt with him like that.
Ruben turns to look at him, as if the intensity of his self-admission had reminded him that Niall was standing beside him. Something about his face makes Ruben's expression suddenly serious. Without warning, he places the back of one hand on his forehead, as if taking his temperature, and the other on his shoulder, just in time to suppress the jolt the contact provokes.
"You okay, Bambi?" he asks, looking into his eyes. "Your cheeks are flushed."
Niall opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, without a prepared excuse. Joanna and Celeste exchange glances; out of the corner of his eye, he can see Celeste mouthing "Bambi?" with both eyebrows raised.
"It must be that radiator starting up, huh?" Ruben offered to fill the silence, taking his hand from his forehead but still holding his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze that sent electric currents through his body. "Y'know, girls, if you ever need a man around to fix things here..." Ruben trailed off, just gesturing to lift the phone receiver to his ear.
Both of them watched Ruben as he leaves, who had casually draped his arm over Niall's shoulders with nonchalant ease, as if he'd done it countless times before. A gesture of camaraderie, that's all, he told himself.
Once in the hallway, the act that Ruben had put for the girls comes to an end, his posture inexplicably relaxing against his side.
"Where can I call you?" Ruben asked, finally letting go.
No "Shall we exchange numbers? " nor " Can I call you? "
"Where can I call you?" , as if the decision had already been made. Niall blinked a couple of times before blurting out an incredulous "What?"
"My flat ain't far from here," he explained. "We could go out one of these days, since it seems like we keep running into each other." And before Niall could get his hopes up, he added, "You, your little friends... I can introduce you to a friend too, a girl, or maybe a boy...?" Ruben asked, his tone unusually careful
"Not at all! What makes you think that?" Niall couldn't help but frown defensively.
"I assumed" He shrugs, not putting much importance on the matter, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. "Does it bother you or sum?" Ruben raises an eyebrow, now his tone suggests that he should be the careful one.
Niall shakes his head quickly, suddenly feeling awkward about his reaction.
Before he can descend into a spiral of self-destructive thoughts, Ruben puts his toolbox down on the floor and, taking a pen from the front pocket of his overalls, takes Niall's wrist to lightly pull down the sleeve of his sweater and write his phone number on his wrist.
Ruben is so close that Niall can smell the tobacco in the cigarette dangling from his lips. Again, he feels that hammering in his chest at the deliberate decision; after all, he could have gone inside and found a piece of paper to exchange numbers. But where was the romance in that?
(0141 ) xxx xxx -Ruben :)
Ruben passes him the pen, rolling up his own sleeve and offering his forearm in a silent ritual. His forearm is pale and toned, the pen glides smoothly, his skin like a canvas, tight like a drum.
(0141) xxx xxx -NK
The idea of adding a heart next to his name is dismissed as soon as it appears in his mind, returning the pen as soon as he finishes writing.
"See you, Bambers" He says goodbye with a final pat on the shoulder.
When Niall opens the door to re-enter the flat, Joanna and Celeste are already on top of him.
"Bambi?" They both repeat at the same time.
Niall feels mortifying embarrassment roll down his cheeks. He almost prefers his old nickname, before Ruben appropriated it.
"That was HOT !" Joanna exaggerates every word melodramatically.
"You heard him! If we need a man, we just have to call!" Celeste laughs.
"We definitely have to call him," Joanna and she conspire, completely ignoring Niall. "Who gets to keep him?"
"Let's let him choose," Celeste says with a haughty smile, confident in herself. Finally, her eyes lock onto Niall. "What'd you think, Niall ?" She emphasizes his name, this time the correct one.