Young & Beautiful

‘U ok?’ has been sent about thirteen times. On the fourteenth, Louis responds.
‘I hate everything. Wanna drink battery acid?’
Approximately five seconds pass before he gets a reply.
‘I’m coming over.’
**
There’s a single knock at the door.
“Get in here!” Niall shouts from the couch, high as a kite and gulping orange juice and vodka like
it were air, a bottle in each hand. The boy is made of steel.
Louis blinks from his nest beside Niall, burrowed in blankets and surrounded by nibbled on
biscuits and Red Bull, and smiles immediately as Zayn—wearing large black glasses and a thick
black jumper that somehow just makes him look even more attractive—sidles into the room.
“Niall,” he greets calmly, bumping fists lazily as he passes, making his way to Louis.
“Zayn man,” Niall burps. He holds up his bowl. “Want some?”
“In a bit,” Zayn says satinly, chocolate truffle eyes intent on Louis. He joins him in his nest,
burrowing his slim, Greek God body into the blankets and Louis can’t help but laugh at the image
because it’s Zayn and Zayn is flawless and he belongs on gilt thrones and tapestries, not piles of
messy blankets on a velvet couch that smells like weed and onion crisps.
“Hello Zayn,” Louis greets, blinking bleary eyes and resting his head on the boy’s shoulder.
“Thanks for coming to see me. Where’s Liam?”
He smirks. “Sleeping. He had a time of it last night.”
“Doesn’t he always?”
“Moreso than usual,” Zayn says with a light shake of the head and his smirk fades. “He’s
probably getting a bit too rowdy, to be honest. Found him on the roof, half naked and snorting
something pink. Gonna have to keep an eye on him. He could hurt himself.”
“Jesus,” Louis mutters while Niall laughs. “Is it cuz he’s so stressed?”
Zayn’s eyes slide to the TV, unimpressed but watchful. “I think so.”
“Why weren’t you with him?”
Zayn looks back at Louis. “I was with Harry.”
Ugh. Just the name sends a plonk in Louis’ stomach.
“I see,” he says icily, and he feels Zayn’s eyes stick to him even as he looks away. He doesn’t ask
any questions.
“You all right? You left so early,” Zayn comments, inspecting Louis closely with lazy eyes. Lazyeyes-that-appear-lazy-but-are-actually-not-lazy-at-all
would actually be more appropriate, though.
Louis hates that. Louis hates Zayn.
“I’m incredible. Marvelous. Splendid,” Louis says, but his voice is teetering on the edge of being