finally home.

Niall didn't exactly know what he was doing, mostly just going outside of his house with his dog as an excuse to just be anywhere but inside the four walls surrounding him. Obviously he couldn't go alone, much to his displeasure, as two security guards followed suit behind him. He kept Peanut close to his side on the leash, making his way to the dog park without much more thought to it. He ran a hand through his flattened hair, slightly worried as he saw the men around them clicking their photographs. He didn't do his hair before he left the house, which made him focus more on the ground than on everyone else around him. He wasn't Niall the performer in his day to day life, he was just Niall. He allowed himself to be followed into the park, offering the occasional smile to the people around.

Aleksandr was attempting to keep an eye on Baron while speaking quick Italian into his phone, though he was brought from his conversation when he recognised loud barks and how far away from himself they seemed. "Un attimo, per favore," he said into the phone before pulling it from his ear to press his palm to the speaker. "Baron, podoidi siuda," he called loudly, knowing his voice could travel the distance, but his pooch stubbornly refused to listen. Alek begged off the call, not paying too much attention to the yelling and curses now coming from the other end as jogged over to retrieve his dog. He knew that Baron simply wanted to announce his presence to the large crowd of people gathered, and also to get first dibs on smelling the seemingly new puppy that he'd never met before. "Baron, siuda schahs."

Niall gladly accepted the newest canine addition to the small gathering. He squatted down, running a hand through the dog's fur with a large smile on his face. He heard a few aw's throughout the small group of people who had decided to stand a safe distance away from him, his bodyguard good at sneering at anyone who got too close. He heard someone calling out in a harsh language that Niall could only guess the origin of. He saw the dog look at the direction the yelling was coming from, but still refusing to go be with his owner. He sat there, instead, just staring as the man hurriedly approached them. He sat up a bit straighter, trying on his best smile as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry, your dog seemed to wanna me with me," he said slowly, not knowing if the man in front of him could understand what he was saying.

Aleksandr stopped a little ways back when he noticed the large man behind the one currently holding his dog glaring at him. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what the man's significance to the other's was, but he continued forward, deciding it didn't matter all that much. He called for Baron once more, frowning slightly as the dog still stubbornly refused to answer his summons. "Yes, well, I don't think I can blame his too much," he said, sizing up the man standing quiet a few inches below his tall stature, giving the other a soft smile as he walked closer. Baron finally decided that he was within a good enough distance for him to obey, walking the few feet to Alek's side to sit and look up at him as if he expected a treat. "Dah, dah, maladets," he said quietly, brushing his fingers through the fur on the top of his head before holding out a hand. "Hello, my name is Aleksandr."

Niall blinked for a second, vaguely wondering if this man was meaning something with his first comment, before he decided not to think too far into it. He wasn't usually talked to in that regard and maybe that warmed him up slightly to the man as his hands went over the dog's fur once more. He couldn't help the small frown that managed to make its way to his mouth as he realised that the dog had finally left his side for his owner's. Peanut was sitting at Niall's feet until the man's dog left, then he went to chase after him. "Peanut," he groaned, laughing as he walked the few extra steps to close the gap between them. He held his own hand out, slightly intimidated by the man's bigger structure. "I am Niall, pleasure to meet you," he said, looking at his dog smelling the other's, "this is Peanut, by the way."

Aleksandr chuckled as he watched the small puppy circle around his much larger canine, sinking down onto his haunches for to better look him over. "He's a feisty bugger, huh?" He asked, watching as Peanut bit at his own dogs tail repeatedly before smiling up at Niall. He reached out, easily scooping the dog up to look him in the eye. His smile stretching even further as the gnawed softly at his fingers, trying to get released once more and he soon relinquished his hold, allowing the small dog to run around once more. Alek stood back up, finally noticing that the large man who had been glaring at him earlier had taken a step closer to them. "Is this person a friend of your's, and have I done anything to warrant the glare?" He asked, his head tilting to the side slightly as he continued to watch the man, though his eyes soon slid back to Niall.

Niall offered a grin as he saw Alek and Peanut interact, thinking that his pup had taken an easy liking to the other male as Baron took a liking to Niall. "You should hear him when someone even goes near the front door, I swear he hears all, won't stop yapping for a solid three minutes. He's my good little guard dog," he said, running a hand through the small dog's fur when he was put down onto the ground once again. He watched carefully as Baron and Peanut went off trotting, looking and smelling everything. He was pulled back into reality when Aleksandr asked about the guard, smiling nervously at that. "Oh, no. I, uh, kind of need a guard at all times. Don't wanna be kidnapped or something like that, crazy fans these days," he tried to say, though he really didn't want to admit that management was the one who chose that rule instead of himself. He liked his freedom without someone else coming in and disturbing it.

Aleksandr laughed as he watched the two make their way into another group of dogs, dogs that Baron and he were already familiar with. "Yeah, well, Baron can't seem to find his barker unless we're outside of the house. You could sound off a blow horn and he'd never make a sound," he said, watching as Baron walked around with the other older dogs and Peanut broke off to run with the other energetic puppies. Alek turned back after a moment, taking in the scene behind Niall. The various people that standing a decent distance from them, phones out and pointed in the direction as if they were photographing them. "Kidnapped sounds serious. Are you someone famous? Am I permitted to talk to you?" Alek asked, giving the other what he hoped was a teasing grin, crossing his arms over his chest in an accusatory stance, and because he knew it showed off the large cords of muscles throughout his arms. He's willing to admit that he would like to impress this man.

His eyes followed Peanut with a grin, enjoying the way that the dog was chasing after the other pups and nipping playfully at tails. He was sure that some of the dogs were equally as adorable as his own, which made him contemplate getting at least fifteen more animals in his life. Turning behind him, he still saw his guard looking at them, too close to feel comfortable talking to Aleksandr like the wanted to feel. He offered a smile, asking slightly with his eyes to give them a bit of distance. The guard blinked carefully before he sighed, taking a few steps away but still watching them like a hawk. Niall laughed at the other's comment before shaking his head. "No, no, I mean - I am famous. Boy band, you know," he said, his arms gesturing around vaguely before singing softly, "that's what makes you beautiful, yeah?" His smile turned shier as he let his eyes look over the other's muscles. "But, feel free to talk away. I like talking to people when they aren't screaming or crying in my face. It makes me feel more normal," he said.

Aleksandr was glad to see the 'bodyguard' turn and walk a few feet away, giving them the semblance of privacy. "I'm sorry, I've not got the faintest idea of what you mean by that," he said, smiling a bit shyly himself, wondering if what he said was common knowledge. He moved to stand closer to Niall, turning as though to watch the dogs as the ran around, covering up his actually want to be closer to the other. "But, is that an often occurrence? People screaming and crying in your face, I mean. I doubt I'd want to even leave my house if that was what I'd expect when stepping outside," Alek said, his eyes still trained on the two dogs to track their movements. He could feel his palms sweating slightly against where they were wrapped around his upper arms, the slight nerves in his stomach curling a little tighter. "Honestly, if that," he began, thrusting a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the small group of people gathered behind them, "was what happened, I'm sure I'd find a nice place in the middle of nowhere to stay for the rest of my life."

Niall nodded his head, completely unintentionally moving closer to the other. He would have denied it if anyone asked, probably wouldn't hear the end of it from Louis or Harry, maybe even Liam. "Yeah, it's why I am committed to sleep and food," he said, laughing probably too loud and sudden. After he finally regained his breath, face slightly red from his own joke, he looked over at the man that was still talking to him. He didn't really understand why he was doing it if he had no clue who he was, but he still welcomed the lack of screaming or crying in his face. "People do a lot more crazy things than just scream at us, recently there was some knickers that were thrown on stage. Harry thought it'd be funny to wear them on his head, only to find that they were slightly used. It wasn't pretty, funny, but definitely not pretty," he rambled on, laughing once more after his story was over.

Aleksandr watched as the red faced man laughed at his own story, and had he even wanted to, he doubted he could have held his own laugh back. He was very nearly tempted to press a hand against Niall's cheek, to see if his face radiated heat the way it looked like it would. He was normally quite forward when he found someone attractive, but there was something about this particular man that made him hold back slightly, at least for the moment. "Is that an everyday occurrence, getting knickers and such thrown at you? And who is this Harry person?" Alek asked, turning his head back to scan over the large dog park, easily locating both Baron and Peanut. He was aware that people have the potential to do the craziest things where a celebrity is involved, and so was making sure that he kept Peanut within his sites, not knowing what length some would go to get to the man beside him. "And did I hear you say something about a 'commitment' to food?"

Niall grinned wider once he saw that the man wasn't just writing him off, asking questions to things and engaging in the conversation. It wasn't very often that people didn't try to talk to him, but they always had a hidden agenda usually. He ran a hand through his hair, eyes scanning for Peanut and smiling brightly once he saw his little dog trotting around with everyone else. "It's not every single day, especially since we are on a short break, but on stage we get plenty of weird things thrown at us. You'd think that since they liked us, they'd refrain from throwing heavy objects at us like water bottles, but, nope," he said as he shook his head, looking over at Alek. "Harry is apart of my band, we have fi- I mean four lads including me," he explained as he stole a look at Alek again. He was much taller and stronger looking for someone that seemed as nice as he was, which only made him feel slightly more attached to him. "But, yes, of course. Food is the best thing you could possibly have," he said with a wink.

Aleksandr smiled, running a hand over his beard a few times as a nervous gesture as he saw Niall glance over at him once more. He nearly broke the agreement he made with himself that he'd do nothing rash when he saw the wink, how the other almost didn't pull it off, seeming to realise at the last second to keep his other eye open. "Well, it appears as though you're subjected to some of the strangest types of humans. Throwing water bottles," he said, shaking his head as he looked over at Niall himself. Alek thought over how exactly he wanted to phase his question, knowing that he wanted to make sure he could see this man again, not willing to leave it up to a second chance meeting. "And I couldn't agree more, food has been my near constant companion for the last ten years," he said, stalling still as he turned towards Niall, wondering if his next request would be a favourable one. "You know, I am actually the owner and head chef of a rather well-received restaurant. You should let me cook for you sometime," Alek said, grinning brightly, hoping the the sudden warmth he felt wasn't actually showing on his cheeks and it was simply the slight heat of the day.

Niall laughed as he nodded his head. "People do the strangest things. I am sure I have seen my fair share of girls just looking at my mates and crying over them. I would cry, too, if I didn't see them in the mornings. Scary mental pictures," he said, waving his arms around as if it helped the story along better. Niall's smile widened once he heard the conversation be steered to food, something that he felt was safe to talk about. "You know, I have never found myself able to deny food. I also doubt I could deny food from someone who looks like they could easily beat me up," he said, trying to make a joke out of the entire thing. He saw the redness of Alek's cheeks, which just made him want to make this more of a joke. There was no way someone that looked like the man in front of him could possibly be nervous or shy about talking to someone like Niall. "But, of course I will be happy to eat at your restaurant. Just give me a time and where it is, you got me," he said, looking down at the ground as he fought back his own nervousness.

Aleksandr laughed, shaking his head as he turned towards Niall, smiling widely at the man. "I doubt I'd 'beat you up' simply because you denied my invitation to dinner. I feel like that would send off a bad image of me, and I would be unable to suggest an alternate activity were I to do that," he said, shaking his head as he looked over to where Baron was straying into the flower beds. He called off a quick, "Baron, ostanovis," making the dog put his tail down and trudge slowly in their direction. He looked back at the bodyguard who continued to glance over at them every once and a while, and moved slightly closer to Niall. He looked down at the man, cocking his head to the side as he thought it over for a moment. "You do realise that this would be a date, correct?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he spelled it out, making sure that his intentions were clear. "If not, and you no longer want to, I promise not to beat you up."

Niall was certain for a moment that he had heard the man wrong, that he wasn't just asked out by a very attractive person. "Oh, I mean," he said, suddenly feeling his face was far too red. He didn't want to say no but there was a part of him that thought maybe it was a joke. "Yeah, I will still like to come, just keep the date part a secret," he said. It wasn't that he feared the general public would shit on him for it, he was sure that most people believed he was really into dudes, but he couldn't exactly admit it to the public before he admitted it to his band. "I just, wow, I didn't think, you know," he said, vaguely pointing to the man before he called out to Peanut, seeing the pup trotting back over to his obediently. "I didn't know you'd be into me, but I mean. You aren't gonna kidnap me or anything, right?" He asked, slightly quieter as he managed to move closer to the other. Most of the paps and fans had gotten bored, deciding that they had enough pictures of him to go move onto something else.

Aleksandr cocked his head, mouth forming a frown as he thought that last question over. "Is being kidnapped an honest possibility for you?" He asked, stooping down to fasten Baron's leash back onto him as he prepared to leave. "If my ultimate motive was to kidnap you, I'm sure I wouldn't let you in on to my plans, though," he said with a wink before he reached into his back pocket to remove his wallet. He grabbed a business card from the large bill pocket, pulling the pen from his flannel's shirt pocket before writing his cellphone number down on the back of the small rectangular piece of paper. "My number, so you can check with whomever you need to see when you're available, and just because. If you decide you'd rather not, you don't have to contact me at all and I'll understand," he said, giving the man a soft smile before handing over the small piece of paper. "And you can bring your bodyguard if you're that worried about me kidnapping you. He can play chaperone."

Niall decided that he enjoyed Aleksandr's company and contemplated just if he should contact him as well as how soon he could do it. He had a few days of finishing touches for the latest album, but was sure that he could just take an evening off if he needed it. "I don't know, I doubt that I'd mind being kidnapped by you as much as a fan," he said, grabbing the business card gently. He looked down at the number, almost wanting to take his phone out at that moment and type the digits in. "My chaperone will hopefully be able to leave me alone for one night. He's mostly there when it's daytime. I'm not much of a go out and shimmy lad, much rather have food. By the way, this food better be five star, Aleksandr, five stars," he said, laughing as he went to get on his own dog's leash. Peanut had enough time socialising with the rest of the dogs as well as Niall generally deciding that there was nothing else better that the park had to offer. He placed the business card into his shirt pocket, patting it as he did another horrid wink toward the man. "I'll see you later, I hope you don't end up changing your mind, I am excited to eat food."