Young & Beautiful

“Does Harry know about all this?” Louis rasps, morning breath in full swing.
Niall shrugs. “I think so. Grimmy made it sound like it.”
“’Grimmy?’” Louis asks, distaste apparent even in his half-woken state. “You’ve gotten to pet
names now? Really?”
“That’s what everybody who’s anybody calls him,” Niall assures him with a wink. “Now shut
your hole and cuddle me. It’s been a good morning.”
“My morning hasn’t even begun,” Louis grumbles, but, maybe, tucks his body towards Niall,
letting himself be engulfed with the warmth of Niall’s jolly, radiating Irish body.
“My night’s gonna be even better,” Niall plows on. “I’m the place to be. Do you know how many
parties I’ve gotten invited to already? It’s fuckin’ mad.”
“They only like you because of your fame, you know.”
“I only like them because of their free liquor.”
“As if you couldn’t afford it?”
“Shh, Tommo, shh,” Niall soothes, smushing his hand to Louis’ face. “Don’t ruin the moment.”
And then a there’s a beat before:
“Ireland, did you just fucking fart?”
So, yes, Niall hasn’t changed at all.
And neither have Zayn and Liam, England’s 21 st century power couple.
Well.
Mostly.
There has been some….tension as of late, Louis has noticed. Namely in regards to Liam.
“A Brit? How splendid!” Liam says happily, filling Zayn’s glass with wine.
It’s lunch and they’re in Zayn’s rooms, the room smelling of smoke and paint and filled with
vibrantly gold afternoon light that cuts through the crystal and paints the walls with flickering
rainbows. Ella Fitzgerald plays softly from the stereo in the corner and the weather is just warm
enough to warrant a cracked open window, wafting drifted chatter and the smell of cold leaves
through the air.
Zayn frowns, lips wrapped around a thin cigarette, fedora tilted artfully above his immaculate
quiff. (The boy’s a stud. It’s a bit ridiculous how much so.)
“I thought you knew that already?”
“Nah,” Niall says, slathering jam onto a scone, barely avoiding flicking some onto his pressed
white shirt. “Not for sure. Just speculation. I predicted as much.” He takes a bite, his cheeks full
and puffy as he beams cheekily. “Of course, I was right.”
“We knew you would be!” Liam says excitedly, teeth sparkling. “It’s going to be so fun! The after