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#zayne i am this close to leaving you for the fish

lovexdeepspace · 3 months

Note

hi! can you pls do an alternative version of the breakup of the l&ds men?? instead of making up and forgiving them, reader just flat out rejects them and kicks them out or reader has found someone new and the boys get a taste of their own medicine??

also love your work!!

“life without you.” (v2)

summary; once your trust is broken, there’s nothing xavier, zayne, or rafayel can do to undo the damage they’ve done.

warnings; angst, sadness, heartbreak

note; as much as i — along with others — needed a happy ending to the original post, the itch to do this was in the back of my head and i’m glad others wanted it too! ( credit to @neverlandlostchild for helping me immensely with this idea, i am so so grateful towards them and @noclue-0 for advocating for this idea alongside anon!! )

!! divider by @cafekitsune !!

part 1 | happier ending

༊*·˚ . xavier

curled up on the couch with remote in hand, you were absentmindedly scrolling through movies when there was a loud knock at your door.

food’s finally here, you thought excitedly while kicking the blanket off your legs. you grabbed your wallet and fished out a ten to tip the driver before heading to the door.

“thank you so — much.”

the last word fell flat as you opened the door only to find xavier standing there. he looked at you with half-lidded, tired eyes and a tight-lipped grimace as you took in the shell of a man standing before you.

his clothes were wrinkled and stained; his hair was messy and it was evident he hadn’t showered in at least a couple of days. his cheeks were red and tear-stained and you couldn’t help but think that he looked downright pitiful.

“xavier, what’re you doing here?” you asked, pocketing the money before crossing your arms over your chest. “i thought i made myself clear.”

the blonde rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “i know but i just couldn’t get you off my mind. i miss you and what we had.”

you raised a brow at him. “things with her didn’t work out?”

“she doesn’t matter,” xavier retorted with a frown. he stepped closer to you and you stepped back just as fast. “you’re all that matters to me and —”

he stopped as a voice behind you called your name and, a moment later, a pair of arms wrapped around your waist from behind. you felt your face flush as sylus pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“food’s here?” he asked you as his eyes moved from you to xavier. noticing the lack of food and the subdued yet very evident fury in xavier’s eyes, he quickly added, “guess not.”

“i’m —” xavier started but you held up a hand to cut him off.

“i think it’s best if you left, xavier,” you interrupted, leaning back against sylus. “we’re trying to have a relaxing evening.”

xavier faltered, giving you an incredulous stare before nodding slowly. “right. i guess i’ll leave, then.”

you gave him an unenthusiastic half-wave and shut the door in his face, leaving him alone in the hallway of your apartment building.

he felt the hot sting of tears in his eyes as he heard you and sylus laughing about something behind the closed door before forcing himself to walk away.

༊*·˚ . rafayel

with the days finally getting warmer you refused to stay holed up in your apartment all the time, often opting for outings to the park for some fresh air.

on a particularly fateful day, you were standing in the shade of a beautiful cherry blossom tree, admiring the picnic you had set up so perfectly. with your hands on your hips you racked your mental checklist, making sure everything was set out and ready for your —

“well, well, long time no see.”

shit.

pinching the bridge of your nose, you didn’t even bother to look over your shoulder as you addressed rafayel with a dull, “what do you want?”

rafayel clicked his tongue, sidling up to you. “aww, c’mon, that’s no way to treat your favorite artist.”

“you say that as if you have any right to be my favorite anything,” you retorted, side-eyeing him with a frown. he was watching you with that usual cocky grin but you could tell time had not been the kindest to him — dark circles under his eyes, unkempt hair, and this awful odor that made you gag as he moved closer.

“about that,” he muttered, trying (and failing) to put on that usual innocent guise that would’ve had a more naive version of you falling head over heels, “it’s been a while since i’ve last seen you. i’ve changed, i promise. i’ll be a better —”

“you won’t be anything, not to me at least,” you snapped, stepping away from him. “go run back to whatever her name is, since you wanted her so bad. i’m waiting for someone and don’t need you scaring them away looking like a lost puppy.”

rafayel staggered backwards at your harsh words, his demeanor changing as the idea of you seeing someone else really sunk in.

“who are you —”

“ah, fuck.”

rafayel’s jaw clenched as he slowly turned, eyes ablaze as they settled on thomas. his manager offered a sheepish grin before quickly heading to your side, muttering an apology to you.

“i can’t believe this,” the artist hissed, looking between the two of you. you shrugged nonchalantly and drove the point further by placing your hand in thomas’, slotting your fingers between his. “you - and you —!!”

“you made your choice,” you said plainly. “now, would you please leave? i’d like to enjoy my afternoon.”

rafayel gaped at you before muttering something under his breath, turning on his heel and storming away. the last thing he needed was for you to see the way tears had started to form in his eyes or the ugly sobbing that came seconds later as soon as he was out of sight.

༊*·˚ . zayne

you had finally found some balance in your life, a rarity that you held onto desperately. things had finally calmed down months after your breakup with zayne and you had bounced back in ways you didn’t even imagine.

hell, you even found yourself putting yourself out there and — with your newfound confidence — things were going really well for you!

so well, in fact, that you were sitting in the destiny cafè with a book in hand while you waited for your partner to return with your order. so captivated by the text, you didn’t look up when the chair across from you was once again occupied. it was only when the occupant said your name did you grimace and take a mental note of the page number before closing the book and setting it down in front of you.

“gods i do not have the energy to talk to you right now,” you said bluntly, putting your head in your hands. “or ever, for that matter.”

“well, hello to you as well,” zayne replied, sitting up straighter in his chair as you took your hands away to glare at him. “you look beautiful.”

“i know,” you deadpanned. giving him a once-over, you can’t see much difference from the last time you saw him save for the fact he looks more sleep deprived than usual. “now, let me be direct: i don’t want to talk to you.”

zayne sighed. “fine, but i need to talk to —”

he was cut off by the soft thunk! of two mugs being firmly set down on the table.

“here you are, pipsqueak.” caleb slid one mug in your direction with a sweet smile then turned to zayne. his expression quickly became menacing hidden behind a fake smile. “i’d say it’s nice to see you again, zayne, but i’m about three seconds from punching your face in. get out of my seat and leave my partner alone.”

zayne’s jaw clenched as he looked from caleb to you. “i just need to talk to them.”

caleb laughed and leaned in a little the smile dropping from his face. “you don’t need to do anything, zayne. so how about you get out of my seat and go yap to that girl you were getting all handsy with, hm?”

the air was thick and you could only watch with a smirk as zayne stood and quickly exited the cafè. caleb reclaimed his seat and reached across the table to give your hand a reassuring squeeze.

“you okay?” he asked, grabbing his mug with his other hand and taking a sip.

you nodded and squeezed his hand in return. “better now.”

#love and deepspace #rafayel x reader #rafayel #lads xavier #lads rafayel #xavier #lads zayne #zayne x reader #zayne #xavier x reader #rafayel love and deepspace #xavier love and deepspace #zayne love and deepspace

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larryfanfiction · 4 years

Photo

Disney AU

🌹 Elysian by wonderlou (81k) Beauty and the Beast AU

“What could be it, Niall?” Harry asks gently with a sigh. He slouches down further into his chair, crossing his arms lazily across his chest. He is bored. He has been bored for five years straight, but even more so now that his one interest has shut himself out entirely. Harry had not even heard from Louis, not since last night, not since he had gotten on his nerves so much that he was torn between knocking him out and smiling in surrender to the slight awe he felt. Louis is opinionated like no one he’s ever seen, but his voice is honeyed; high-pitched and indignant. Harry is nothing short of entranced.

Or, Harry is running out of time to fall in love, but with Louis, it seems as if there’s all the time in the world.

🧜🏻‍♂️ The Importance of Body Language by zimriya (11k) The Little Mermaid AU

Harry really has no idea how he’s going to get out of this one. After the little incident with the fishing wire, he’d been told that under no circumstances was he to visit the surface of the water, as he is the heir to the throne and his safety is essential to the continued existence of their underwater society. Or something. Harry loves his mum, but there’s really only so much talk of royal duty a prince can take before he does something drastic. Like purposefully disobey her strict instructions to stay under the sea for the rest of his natural life, and instead swim too close to a human ship and get himself spotted by none other than the unfairly attractive Prince Louis Tomlinson, for example.

Needless to say, Harry is fucked.

🧜🏻‍♂️ Hey baby won't you look my way by larrysbitchx (10k) The Little Mermaid AU

Louis want’s a prince charming. Harry might just be him. But what happens when a human and a merman fall in love?

🐶🐱 We Could Live This Life Forever by dearmrsawyer (31k) Lady and the Tramp AU

When Harry’s adoptive parents bring home a brand new baby of their own, he fears they won’t want him anymore.

A Lady and the Tramp AU where everyone’s human

⚓️ Drowning In Your Eyes by smittenwithlouis (45k) Pirates of the Caribbean AU

“Capt’n Styles, are you certain of this? They be attracted to man-made light.” “What is? Sharks?” The young blonde asks in terror. “Worse than sharks, lad. There’ll be flesh eating mermaids upon us in minutes, mark my words!” Paul huffs as he continues to wave the bright lantern in front of him, “And Captain Styles here, has us bait!” Or: The Pirates of the Caribbean inspired au where Harry is a fierce pirate who holds the heart of a beautiful merman.

👑 Because You Saw Me When I Was Invisible by supernope (32k) Princess Diaries AU

A (not so) loosely-based Princess Diaries AU, in which Harry finds out he’s the heir to the throne of a country he’s never even heard of.

🏹 Not in Nottingham by UserFromPluto (11k) Robin Hood AU

“Love him?” The prince repeated, “and does this prisoner return your love?” Harry did not answer but stood looking at Louis, trembling and heaving breaths. Louis met his gaze, hair falling over his eyes, arms gripped roughly by two guards. “Harry,” he said simply, “I love you more than life itself.”

(Robin Hood au in which Harry and Niall steal the show, Liam’s big heart gets him in trouble, and Zayn and Louis really should stop being arrow magnets)

👠 a dream is a wish your heart makes by theneverending (22k) Cinderella AU

Fairytale retelling of Cinderella, where Harry is a servant boy who’s too kind, Louis is a prince in an arranged marriage, Liam is Harry’s step brother, and Niall is Louis’ dutiful grand duke.

👠 your rainbow will come smiling through by hazkaban (17k) Cinderella Story AU

when harry isn’t working at his stepfather’s cafe, he’s trying to make swim captain and trying to finish all his coursework on time. when he’s not doing any of those things, he’s talking to the boy he met on the oxford hopefuls subreddit. when they decide to meet, he’s elated. he finally gets the chance to meet the boy he’s been crushing on! when the day comes to meet his prince, he learns that his online crush is none other than louis tomlinson, captain of the football team and friend of his terrible stepbrothers. now harry has to decide whether telling louis the truth is the right choice or if it’s better to just let sleeping dogs lie.

🦎 long hair don't care by ballsdeepinjesus (20k) Tangled AU

He catches his breath and stands, brushing dirt off of his breeches when he hears a scared peep behind him. Louis spins around, startled, and is greeted by the sight of an extremely pale boy with extremely luscious dark brown curls. His hand starts to reach out involuntarily to try and pet his hair, but he stops it quickly and tries to smooth it into a bow. He glances up, fluttering his lashes, and levels the trembling boy with a charming smile.

“Hi,” he drawls. He doesn’t see the frying pan until it’s too late. Everything goes black.

[harry is sheltered and louis is a thief. or, a tangled au.]

🦎 You Were My New Dream by larryshares (48k) Tangled AU

Prince Harry has spent the majority of his life trapped within the castle walls, forced to hide from the kingdom he never asked to be born into. He doesn’t want to be the next King of Eroda, because according to his father, kings don’t wear dresses, paint their nails, or braid flowers into their magical hair. And Harry happens to love those things about himself, almost as much as he thinks he could love the new combat instructor his father has summoned to mold him into a more acceptable man, just in time for his impending coronation.

🧚🏻‍♀️ no place to call home by suspendrs (21k) Peter Pan AU

“What are you smiling about, Harrison,” the boy spits, body language suddenly getting defensive. “I’ll have you know that I’m-”

“Harry,” Harry interrupts, giggling. “My name is Harry. And if you’re not called Peter, then what are you called?”

The boy tilts his chin up slightly, surveying Harry like he’s checking if he’s worthy of knowing something as important as his name. “Well, Herschel, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Louis.”

Or, Louis isn’t Peter Pan and Harry isn’t Wendy and Neverland is nothing like Harry thought it would be, but it’s perfect anyway.

🧚🏻‍♀️ Tell Every Lost Boy (that you're my man) by LittleLostPieces (17k) Peter Pan AU

A modern-day Peter Pan AU, wherein Harry struggles with his overwhelming jealousy when Louis brings a new mate into their makeshift family.

Starring Louis as Peter Pan (obviously), Harry as Tinker Bell, the others as the Lost Boys, and Greg as Wendy

🧚🏻‍♀️ faith, trust and pixie dust (and a little bit of something else too) Peter Pan AU

“Are you seriously apologizing for taking out a bullet that was lodged in my shoulder and saving my life?” he asks slowly. “Y—yes?” the boy looks unsure of himself now.

“Marry me—”

For once, the boy isn’t the only one blushing and Louis silently curses Earthen terminology for making its way into his vocabulary.

Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, he coughs out, “I mean thanks. That was very nice of you…?”

“Harry,” the boy fills in quietly, flashing Louis a tentative smile. Louis thinks it suits him well and he mouths the name to himself, liking the way it rolls off his tongue. He watches as Harry hesitates before asking his own question, albeit doubtfully.

“And you’re—you’re P—Peter Pan, right?”

Or, the one in which Louis is a punk Peter Pan and Harry is an insecure flower child.

❄️ The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway by timefornothing (17k) Frozen AU

“Lou! Give me my glove!” Louis held it back away from him, blue eyes glittering with desperation. “No, Zayn. Please, I can’t live like this anymore! We can’t keep the entire world shut out! I can’t live like this!” His words rung out shrilly, making the crowd go silent. Zayn stared at Louis, eyes wide with unimaginable pain. Finally, he swallowed hard, whispering quietly, “Then leave.” He took one more look at Louis before it was too much, then he turned away, stalking towards the back of the room. or the one where One Direction are the characters in Frozen. Starring Louis as Anna, Zayn as Elsa, Harry as Kristoff, Niall as Olaf, and Liam as that stone troll that always knows what to do.

♣️♟ like cabbages and kings by you_explode (60k) Alice in Wonderland AU

When Louis was a kid, he had a series of very vivid dreams about a place called Wonderland. There were rabbits wearing waistcoats and talking cats and ridiculous tea parties, and amidst all the absurdity, there was a boy. A boy with dimples, big green eyes and the sweetest soul Louis has ever known. Louis has always kept a place in his heart for that boy and for his funny dreamworld, and when he’s twenty-five and his life falls apart, it turns out Wonderland might not be so imaginary after all.

🌿 Let's Fall in Love in a Place You Want to Stay by embro (134k) Tarzan AU

A George of the Jungle / Tarzan AU where Louis is a model who meets Wild Man Harry in the Congo. He was raised by apes and barely speaks a word of English and turns Louis' life upside down.

🗡 Dirty secret by iilarryii (122k) Mulan AU

"Dad, you can't go!" Louis yells to his father as he watches him pull out his sword.

"Louis, you know that I have to. It's the pack leaders orders," Dan says calmly. "I need you to promise me that you'll take care of the family if I die."

"So what? You'll just give up?"

"Of course not. I am just willing to die for my family's safety."

"So am I."

The Zoely pack is attacked by rogue alphas and the pack leader orders all alphas over the age of eighteen to protect their pack. Dan Deakin is one of the strongest alphas in the pack, but there is one problem. He has a wife and six kids to feed and look after. Louis is the oldest child and the one who wants to protect their family.

Or a Mulan AU where Louis is an omega who takes his father's place in the war.

📕 You Bring Me Home by reminiscingintherain (22k) Saving Mr. Banks AU

"Are you willing to fly to LA to meet with Tomlinson?" "I suppose I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" Harry grumped. "I'm assuming he's paying?" "Business class all the way," Liam nodded. "And he's kindly arranged for me to accompany you. So at least you're not going to be on your own." "Please do tell how that's a good thing."

Or, the one where Louis wants to turn Harry's book into a film, and Harry's very picky about what happens.

[Saving Mr Banks AU]

☂ Harry Poppins by jacaranda_bloom (32k) Mary Poppins AU

When Louis’ best friends pass away he finds himself with an instant family. Maddie and Thomas are wonderful children but take an immediate dislike to every nanny that sets foot inside their house. After nanny number six is summarily dismissed Louis is at his wit’s end, that is until an unusual man arrives on their doorstep. Harry Styles is like nothing any of them have ever encountered before, and perhaps, exactly what they’ve been looking for all along.

🐎 It's the Climb by lululawrence (25k) Hannah Montana AU

Louis stretched out his back and turned around, startled to see the most beautiful man he’d ever encountered in his life riding towards him on a horse.

He had to still be asleep. This was one of those super weird dreams people had where the knight in shining armor (or in this case, red sleeveless flannel) literally rode up to them calling their name. - The Hannah Montana AU where Louis is a world famous punk rock singer with a stage name of William and Jay drags him back to Tennessee for the summer. In her attempt for Louis to get back to his roots, he just so happens to reconnect with Harry, and things never go quite as Louis expects them to.

🎬 Supposed to Be by kikikryslee (26k) Geek Charming AU

“I’m making a movie for a film competition, and I want you to be in it,” Harry told Louis. “I think you would be a great leading actor in it.” “Why?” “Because it’s you. I mean, who wouldn’t want to know all about the amazing Louis Tomlinson? It would be a great movie.” “You don’t have some weird crush or, like, secret obsession with me, do you?” Louis asked. Harry bit his tongue so he didn’t say “Ew, I have standards.” He didn’t think that would go over well. Of course, that was assuming Louis understood what that meant. — Or, the Geek Charming AU where Harry’s a film geek, Louis’ a popular jock, and they both need each other to get what they want.

🐮 Love and Other Antidotes by haztobegood (16k) Emperor's New Groove AU

Arrogant pop star Harry Styles is transformed into a cow by his bandmate Amy Z after a heated argument. Left in the back of a truck, Harry finds himself at a rural farm hours away from his band. Harry has three days to make it back to London and turn back into a human before his next show. His only chance to reclaim his glamorous life rests with a kind farmer named Louis. They must work together to find the antidote before Amy Z finishes him off and takes over the band.

⚽️ The Game Plan by Justalittlelouislove (5k) Game Plan AU

Louis's life is exactly how he likes it: all about him. When it suddenly gets turned on its head and one little lady makes a huge impact, will he learn to handle it or run for the hills?

🎈 Up by Thingssicant (26k) Up! AU

Louis Tomlinson thought he had everything he wanted. He had a wife and daughter, a good job, a house with a white picket fence, and even a few pets along the way

It’s only when he turned 71 that a load of balloons and poorly timed knock on the door changed his life forever

🏰 Teacups by sincehewaseighteen (25k) Disneyland AU

"Looks like your attraction is not any body’s cup of tea today,” he puns cheekily. Harry rolls his eyes and lifts the box onto the counter easily, dusting his hands off without a blink of an eye to Louis. “I think it might be your costume.”

“Alright, babe, you listen here.” Harry comes forward and makes sure he’s close to Louis’ ear. Louis swallows carefully when Harry speaks. “Cut this shit out, you’re no Peter Pan in my eyes. You’re a fucking twit. I know what you’re like, and that’s all you need to worry about.”

or the au where louis works as peter pan at paris’ eurodisney while harry’s the mad-hatter who works at the teacup ride, and just so happens to be the annoyingly gorgeous man louis is in love with.

🏰 Unbelievable sights, indescribable feelings by serenityandtea (8k) Disneyland AU

Louis and Harry spend a pre-Christmas weekend at Disneyland Paris with their three kids. Lots of fluff, rides and a meeting with Santa.

Everyone says that Disneyland is utter magic.

Louis definitely thinks so when he catches the look on his husband’s face; Harry looks completely ecstatic. Never mind their three children; Louis would go through all this hassle again just to have his husband beam at everything around him once more.

🏰 Acorns and Thimbles by izetta (12k) Disneyland AU

There is a startling amount of Disney films where the couple falls in love after just one day. Louis isn't entirely too convinced of how realistic that is, but he thinks he is starting to understand how they all felt.

Or an AU where Louis is Peter Pan at Disney World and Harry is a park guest.

🏰 Magic by dolce_piccante (3k) Disneyland AU

AU. Girl!Direction. Harry and Louis go to Disney for a wonderful holiday filled with familiar characters, fireworks, and some Magic Kingdom magic.

🏰 Faith and Trust and Pixie Dust by kotabear24 (10k) Disneyland AU

Harry Styles and his son, Lucas, are spending four days at Disneyland for Lucas' sixth birthday. Louis Tomlinson is Peter Pan there, and takes a shine to both the boys. He gives them tickets to a Peter Pan show that night, and spends the evening with the two before spending the night with Harry. Lucas and Harry both find themselves getting attachd to Louis, and Louis finds the same himself.

🏰 Once Upon a Dream by objectlesson (26k) Disneyland AU

“M’not gonna half-ass our fake relationship,” Louis almost snaps, voice sharp with a defensive edge, like Harry wandered too close to a bruise with needy fingers. “Now kiss me again. We’re gonna make every shitty tourist here wish they had stayed in the Midwest. We’re gonna burn Disneyland down with our gay. ”

Harry shuts his eyes and opens his mouth, because he can’t fucking say noto Louis.

Or, a fake dating AU where everyone is lying and they happen to be at the Happiest Place on Earth.

🏰 The Way You Make Me Feel by MiniMangaFan (6k) Disneyland AU

“You couldn’t last a damn day without trying to sleep with me.”

“I can last a whole fucking week,” Harry says, rising to Louis’ challenge.

“Wanna make a bet on that, Styles?”

“You’re on,” Harry grins.

Or, Disney AU where Louis and Harry try not to fuck in public places.

_____________________

Deleted fics we have a copy of (just send us an ask):

⚪️ Bittersweet and Strange by Keep_Calm_And_Read_Fic Beauty and the Beast AU

He agreed to stay so his sister could go free, but he never signed up for this. Beauty and the Beast AU in which Harry is taken prisoner in King Louis 'The Beast' Tomlinson's castle, Master Liam Payne may or may not be a torture specialist, Master Zayn Malik may or may not be the Master of War, and no one will tell him what the hell Niall does around here. Basically, Harry hates his enemy with a passion. Then he kind of has a passion for hisenemy. Then he wonders if he and Louis are enemies at all.

⚪️ The Dreams That You Wish by Keep_Calm_And_Read_Fic Cinderella AU

Cinderella/Ever After AU in which Louis is the world’s sassiest servant, Harry is a closeted prince with a deadline, Zayn is Harry’s chaperone, Liam is given the unenviable task of trying to distract Zayn long enough that his sister, Druscilla, can seduce Prince Harry (hint: doomed to failure) and Niall is the worlds most inappropriate fairy godfather. Destiny, romance, mistaken identity, sexcapades and oblivious!everybody abound in this gross bastardization of one of my all time favourite fairy tales.

More Masterposts

#disneyau #ma #disneyauma #masterpost

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mikkomacko · 4 years

Text

The True Encounter XIII

“What are you reading?”

Harry peaks over the top of the magazine he ordered last week, meeting y/n’s gaze.

She’s sat at the dining table, laptop in front of her, casting a white glow over her face. Her camera rests next to her laptop, plugged into the device as she uploads and edits photos like she’s been doing since 12 o'clock.

Now seven hours later, she’s finally given Harry her full attention. Despite how comforting it feels to have her focused on him again, Harry focuses on the irritated feeling he’s had all day.

Shrugging, he looks back down at the magazine and admires the red and white wedding theme shown in the spread.

He can feel her confusion at his lack of response. He ignores it, flipping the page so aggressively it creates a small tear near the binding.

“Harry?”

He keeps his gaze on the magazine. “What?”

“I promise I’m almost done and then we can watch FRIENDS.”

“Don’t wanna watch friends.”

“Then we can watch something else.”

“Don’t wanna watch something else.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“Don’t wanna do anything!”

The room falls silent. Harry can feel her offended gaze on him and the drop of hurt in her chest but he can’t bring himself to look up at her nor apologize.

“Why are you being a grump?” Y/n asks, voice awfully small and timid. Harry’s shoulders slump in guilt.

“I’m not being a grump.” Harry sighs, finally closing the magazine and tossing it onto the coffee table.

“Then why are you being mean to me?”

Harry shrugs, knowing he’ll sound like a proper ass if he were tell her why exactly he’s mad.

Y/n keeps her gaze on him, head tilted as she waits for him to speak to her. Harry knows he shouldn’t but he tells her anyway.

“Yeh don’t pay attention to me.”

She frowns, a bit taken aback by his reasoning.

“I have school work Harry.” Her voice is calm, as if they were simply talking about what to have for dinner and it makes Harry’s chest burn in anger. Does she not know that this is a big deal to him?

“I know that.” Harry scoffs, a bit more agressive than he intended. “I know you have school and a life and human things that I’m not a part of. But I still want you to try and include me.”

She stares at him for a moment, an unrecognizable look in her eyes that pisses Harry off even more. He should be able to know what she’s feeling;why can’t he tell what she’s thinking?

“I asked if you wanted to help.”

“Help? By what? Sitting next to ya?” Harry laughs humorlessly. “S'what I was bloody doing over there isn’t it? Lotta help that was.”

“What do you want me to do Harry?” She asks accusingly. “You’re the one that told me to finish school, to do whatever I wanted and now you’re barking at me for doing school work.”

“M'not barking at ya!” Harry huffs, actually sounding a bit barky. “I’m trying to tell ya that this is new for me ok? This isn’t how I was told my life was going to be!”

By now her laptop has gone dark, no longer casting a gleam in her eyes. She sits quietly at the table, hands in her lap and waiting for him to what? Continue? Yell? Throw something?

“I was taught that I’d have my mate by sixteen. I’d be bonded and alpha by eighteen. I’d have pups by now. That my mate would always be at my beck and call.”

Her jaw drops in offense. It’s now that Harry can spot the red blotches of anger on her cheeks and the furrow between her eyebrows.

“I know that’s not reasonable!” Harry cuts her off, growling deep in his chest. “But that’s how I grew up and I’m trying to fix this, I’m trying to let you balance your needs and mine. S'just not how it works in a pack though. You’re supposed to take care of me and I’ll take care of you.”

Y/n is quite, eyes locked on Harry’s face in disbelief. Harry climbs up from the couch, rounding the living room to go sit with her. His chest feels lighter when he sits down, happy that she’s starting to understand where he’s coming from.

Harry falls into the chair next to her, reaching out for her hand. “You’d understand if you were a wolf.” He assures, smiling at her softly.

He expects her to smile back like she always does. To lean over and kiss him. Instead, she snatches her hand away, letting out an indignant huff.

“Why would you say that to me?” She asks-demands. Her eyes are blazing angry at him, rattling him to his very core. Why is she upset?

“To make yeh feel better.” Harry whispers, brow furrowing and reaching for her hand again. She’s quick to jump up, storming to the other side of the table.

“Make me feel better?” She laughs bitterly. “How is that supposed to make me feel better? I’ve given up everything, I’ve changed my DNA for you! I let you sink your fucking teeth into me, twice! And I’m still not a wolf to you?”

Harry gawks, blinking sheepishly at her. She’s pacing, hand continuously brushing through her hair and letting out harsh puffs of anger.

Harry’s stomach sinks in guilt. He knew changing the way he was raised would be hard but it didn’t occur to him that she was changing literally everything for him. He really does feel like a proper ass.

She turns to look at Harry, who’s still tripping over what to say. Defeated, she shrugs. “I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll talk to you later.”

She’s slipping into her vans and grabbing the jacket on the back of the couch-his jacket- before he can even close his fish mouth. By the time he’s climbed up from the chair, she’s out the front door.

The slam of the door rattles his bones.

“You’re the biggest idiot in the world!”

Harry shrugs, already believing himself to be an idiot but it still hurts having it confirmed by his best friends.

“Even Zayn,” Niall chuckles, pointing over to Zayn. He gives a small wave. “who hates labels, would never tell Gigi that she’s not his mate.”

“I never said she wasn’t my mate.” Harry defends, kicking the soccer ball across the field to Niall.

“You said she wasn’t a wolf.” Niall deadpans. “That’s worse. She’s had her life turned upside down for ya and ya can’t even give her the respect of saying she’s a wolf.”

“I didn’t mean it like tha’.” Harry says pitifully. He feels absolutely awful now that he knows how y/n must have perceived his anger. She probably thinks he selfish and arrogant and entitled. Harry’s the worst mate in the world.

“She doesn’t know that.” Zayn says, juggling the soccer ball twice before passing it to Harry. “She hasn’t even figured out how to communicate with you when she’s not in wolf form. How do you expect her to know exactly what you’re feeling?”

“She probably knew something was off.” Niall adds. “That’s why she was being kinda quiet but she can’t exactly read your mind yet.”

Harry huffs, nausea building in his stomach. He’s waited his whole life for y/n and he’s stupid enough to screw it up.

“What am I supposed to do?”

Niall and Zayn fall silent. Niall holds the ball under his foot, hands on hips as he zones out in thought.

Harry shifts on his feet, anxious for a response. Niall purses his lips, looking up at Harry.

“You’re gonna have to do what humans do.” Says Niall, “You’re gonna have to actually talk to her. Like with words from your mouth.”

Harry nods, shoving his hands in his pockets. He can do that, he can talk to y/n. He’s done it before and it wasn’t so bad. And with his relationship at stake, it’s definitely worth it.

“M'gonna go find her.”

She’s not in the living room when Harry gets home but he knows she’s there. He can smell her scent more prominently than it was when he left, meaning she must be here.

He kicks off his boots, immediately racing to his bedroom. The light from the room spills into the hallway, filling him with relief. She’s here and she’s in his room waiting for him.

He crashes into the room, stumbling over his two feet to find that she isn’t in there. The bed is neatly made with his clothes folded at the bottom, exactly how he left it earlier.

With a painful jab in his heart, Harry turns on his heel and comes face to face with the door of the guest bedroom. He steps closer to it, listening for any noise. Over the pounding of his heart, he can hear her steadily breathing as if she’s asleep.

Quietly, Harry twists the knob and nudges the door open just enough to peek in. Y/n is bundled under the blankets, her laptop lighting up her sleeping face in the dark. Harry can now hear the quiet sound of whatever show she’s watching.

Harry tip toes back to his bedroom, grabbing Bana off the bed and retreating back to the guest room. He keeps the door cracked, setting the stuffed animal down on the bed as he undresses as quietly as possible.

Harry slips under the blankets, leaving enough room between him and y/n for the laptop to continue playing what he know sees is FRIENDS. Harry tucks Bana under her arm, pushing her hair away from her face gently.

She shivers, face pinching a bit and making Harry wince. He shushes her, pulling the blanket around her tighter. He settles in to the pillows, feeling more at ease now that he’s laying next to her.

Listening to the TV show and pulling comforter over his shoulder, Harry’s drifting into sleep when he feels her hand slide across the sheets to hold his.

They’re new to this and they’re learning as they go but the important part is that they’re doing it together.

They’d planned it two weeks ahead. They’d rehearsed it a million times. They’d gone over every single outcome possible, yet Harry still knows it’s bothering y/n.

Throughout all of their afternoon lunch she’s been wiping her palms on her jeans and nibbling on her lip. She’s been overly helpful to point where it’s clearly visible she’s up to something. Harry’s surprised her parents didn’t ask her what was wrong sooner but when they did, he could visibly see her tense.

Christy and George wait patiently, both curious as to why y/n has been jittery all day. Sensing her hesitation, Harry takes her hand as a way of comforting her. She grips his hand so tightly her knuckles turn white.

“There’s something Harry and I need to tell you about, something we’ve been hiding from you.”

“You’re pregnant!” Her mom gasps, forcing a nervous giggle from y/n.

“No I’m not!” She rubs her hand over her jeans once more before reaching out for Harry’s hand. He can feel her heart pounding and stomach twisting.

“I know this is going to sound crazy,” She chuckles with a tight smile. “but I’d never lie you to guys and I want to you let me explain before you start asking questions.” Christy and George frown in concern but nod, patient with their visibly nervous daughter.

“Harry is a wolf and I let him turn me into one as well.” Y/n says, squeezing Harry’s hand. Her parents look taken aback, but like she asked, they stay quiet.

“A few months ago I was in the woods behind my apartment to take photos and I ran into Harry.” Harry gives a small smile when Christy and George look at him.

Y/n goes through the story, explaining everything that Harry told her about wolves to him biting her and them bonding. Harry remains quiet, watching her parents intently.

Harry’s impressed even though he should’ve known they’d react gracefully. Y/n had been open minded when Harry first met her, of course her parents are the same way.

“I can show you, if you’d like?” Harry offers after they’ve been silent for a minute. George is the first to speak, croaking out an “okay.”

Harry closes his eyes, focusing on the pulse of not only his heartbeat, but also y/n’s. He lets it thrum through his veins, soaking in the power he feels with his mate by his side and forces out his canines.

He opens his eyes, parting his lips to give y/n’s parents a better look. He glimpses at y/n, realizing that she too, has let out her teeth.

George’s eyes have widened, looking around the backyard of the house even though Harry’s certain no one is nearby. Finally, Christy gasps something between a laugh and a cry, and exclaims, “Does this mean our grandbabies will have whiskers?”

Harry’s thankful that he was given such an amazing luna.

Harry was nervous. Really fucking nervous. So nervous, he could throw up even though he hasn’t eaten today.

“Is she doing ok?” Harry asks, fidgeting as he meets his mother’s eyes through the mirror. She nods, smiling proudly.

“Perfect,” Anne gushes. “you two are so perfect for this, for each other.”

Harry’s cheeks flush, his heart thumping with pride. He’s doing this, he’s marrying y/n and becoming alpha today. Everything he’s ever wished for is finally coming true.

“M'so bloody nervous.” Harry chuckles, adjusting the collar of his button up. His mother nods, lips stuck in a tight smile as if she’s afraid she’ll burst into tears any moment. Judging by the tears in her waterline, Harry’s surprised she’s not fully crying yet.

“You’re going to be fine Harry.” She comforts, holding out her hands. He turns to face her, taking both of them in his hands. “You learned from the best, you’ve got a beautiful mate, and you’re a wonderful leader. Your father would be so proud.”

Harry grins bashfully. “Thanks mum.” He squeezes her hands. “He’d be so proud of ya too. I’m sorry you’ve had this burden for so long but if anyone can handle it, it’s you.”

Anne blinks rapidly, laughing as tears roll down her cheeks. She pulls her hands from his, fanning at her cheeks. Harry chuckles, giving his mother a moment to collect herself. He takes the time to adjust the flower pinned to his chest and make sure his hair isn’t too unruly.

“Ok,” Anne breathes, now having her tears under control. “we ready to go son?”

Harry inhales, heart hammering in his chest. His palms have begun to sweat and his knees feel wobbly but he’s so undeniably happy.

“Absolutely.” He exhales.

He exits the spare bedroom, heading towards the elevator. Anne walks behind him, allowing him to stop when he gets to the door of his bedroom. His heart rate spikes. Y/n is in there, getting ready to spend the rest of her life with him. He can smell her scent through the door and it makes him ache.

He doesn’t realize he’s reaching for the doorknob until Anne is pushing him along. “Not so fast young man,” She scolds. “you’ll see her soon enough.”

Harry deflates a little bit, eyes still searching for just a glimpse of her until the elevator doors shut and begin descending. He’s fidgeting a bit, anxious to just see her, to hold her hand, to kiss her.

“Was she nervous?”

“A bit,” Anne nods. “but it’s expected. You’re committing your lives to each other.”

“She didn’t look like she was regretting it right?”

“Not at all. She was telling her parents all about the village and the house. She told them that she was turned in that room.”

Harry grins, giddy that y/n is so excited she’s been gushing about her new home. It’s reassuring to know that she’s happy, that she enjoys being there with Harry. He hopes she always feels that way.

“It was a good idea to put her in your room, Harry.” Anne tells him, the two of them heading to the front doors of The Pack House.

“Wanted her to be comfortable.” Harry explains. “Knew she’d feel at ease there. Every time she was in there, I was taking care of her.”

“You’re always taking care of her, no matter the place.”

“She takes care of me too.”

“I know love. It’s a wolf’s nature to care for their mate.”

He hums. “It feels like more than just nature. It feels like… human love.”

Fidgeting, y/n watches her mother and Gemma exit The Pack House. Now left with just her father and a few moments until she walks the aisle to Harry, y/n realizes that her knees feel weak. She’s about to marry the man of her dreams and she couldn’t be more excited.

“Ready sweetheart?”

Y/n nods, smiling at her father. She grips her bouquet of roses in one hand, slipping her other in the crook of her father’ s elbow. George leads her through the door. The courtyard in front of The Pack House is now full of wooden chairs, seating the members of the pack. Surrounding the courtyard is a wooden fence, painted the same white as the chairs and decorated with white roses and dark green plants. In between the chairs rest a cream white carpet, creating the aisle she’s to walk down.

And at the end of the petal covered carpet, in a black and gold suit that even from here, makes his eyes pop, stands her Harry Styles. He’s got his hands clasped together in front of him, rocking on his feet and beaming. Y/n has never seen him smile like this, all dimply and crinkly eyes and buck teeth. She can’t stop the tears that well in her eyes and she curses her emotions because now her view of him is blurry.

Y/n isn’t even half way down the carpet when Harry steps forward, eager to get to her. She can feel the rush in his veins, the pounding of his heart, the swirling in his stomach. She’s feel like she’s flying.

They reach the alter, George barely getting a chance to kiss y/n’s cheek before Harry is taking her hand. She hands her flowers over to Gemma, allowing Harry to hold her other hand as well.

“You look incredible.” Harry breathes, eyes glossy and beautiful.

“So do you.” Y/n sniffles, wiping at the tears that have fallen down her cheeks. He grins, bringing her close enough to ghost a kiss to the tip of her nose.

Anne clears her throat gently. “Family and friends, welcome to the coronation of our new alpha and luna.” Applause rings out but it’s muffled in her ears.

“Tonight is not only a celebration of our leaders but a night to bring them together as both wolf and human. Before our alpha and luna share their vows, I’d like to bring them together with the quilt of our pack.”

At Anne’s words, Niall and Louis both step up to the alter, carrying the pack quilt. It’s a thick blanket, woven to look like the forest with wolves running at the bottom. It was made by the first ever luna of the pack and is used at every coronation.

Y/n huddles closer to Harry, allowing the quilt to be draped around the two of them. With the toes of their shoes touching and matching smiles on their faces, Anne instructs Harry to begin his vows.

“All my life, I was told that everything would be handed to me. I always expected to be given the royal treatment because I was never given anything less. As you can attest, I was a stupid boy.” He nervously giggles, swaying on his feet a bit as he tries to scoot closer to y/n. “I was stupid enough to not chase after you the first time I saw you. I was stupid enough to scare you the first time you stayed over, and I was stupid enough to almost chase you away.

“But you always came back to me and I will always be grateful for your love. Not only are you fulfilling my fate, you’re completing my family.” Harry chokes out another giggle as y/n sniffles, releasing one of her hands to cup her cheek.

“I’m so stupidly in love you, darling.” His thumb swipes up the tears under her eye. “And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life being your stupid husband.”

Y/n laughs, inhaling deeply to try and calm her racing heart. Harry wipes her face, pressing another chaste kiss to her nose. He’s leaning towards her lips when Anne stops him with a mutter of, “Not yet Harry.”

“Sorry.”

“Y/n, it’s your turn darling.”

Taking his hands back in hers, Y/n focuses on the man standing in front of her. “I’m so glad you told everyone how stupid you are because, Harry, my love, the night we met was one born out of stupidity.

“You came up to me that night because you thought I was calling out for you. Maybe on some deep, spiritual level I was but that night, when I found your paw print, I was reciting a poem about the dangers of a wolf. And I was so terrified when you walked up to me but I too, was stupid enough to go home with you. I guess it’s a good thing we’re soulmates because I’m just as stupidly in love with you.”

She giggles again, taking in the look of disbelief on Harry’s face. His eyes are gleaming, wet with tears but staring at her like she hung the moon.

“Mum?” Harry croaks, still looking down at y/n. Anne hums.

“Can you hurry so I can please kiss my wife?”

The crowd laughs, someone who sounds like Niall letting out a loud holler.

“As the former luna of this pack, I declare Harry Edward Styles and Y/n l/n as alpha and luna and husband and wife, You may now kiss your wife.”

Harry swoops down capturing her lips with his own. His hands reach up for her face, the quilt falling off his shoulders. Y/n grins, snaking her hands around his neck to bring him closer. Over the cheering of the pack, Y/n hears him in her head.

‘I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you more.”

Harry’s grin grows. She did it, she connected to his wolf in human form. “You ever going to tell me the end of the poem?”

Lips brushing, she giggles at his words. “Maybe one day.” She seals her words with another kiss that Harry gladly returns.

#The True Encounter #alpha harry

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hoseoksactualass · 5 years

Note

Could we pls get a smutty IE!jk and oc drabble?

hello and YES

this is also @taespired‘s idea she be my queen since we were 16 we want the same things we dream the same dreams alright take it away zayn

where jk is in a (boring) meeting, and a homebound oc sends him v important photos during

Jungkook has a habit of drawing T-minus doodles on torpid meetings like this. For now, he does it with a phony smile on his face and makes it look like he actually cares. The interns’ eyes are glazed. More because he looks just as young as them and dashingly handsome than how overbearingly loud the internship coordinator is being right now.

This was supposed to be over five minutes ago. He’s in the middle of drawing cat ears when his phone buzzes in his pocket. He makes it look calculated—the way he perks his head up, draws eye contact with an intern who couldn’t take her spec’d eyes off him, and purses his lips slightly.

Secretary sent a message:

If you need me, I can still be over.

Sent 10:19 a.m.

He doesn’t stop the way the first thing he thinks of is what you might be wearing. The coordinator makes a joke everyone fake chuckles to.

And like everything else, you will not have his head for it. You know he thinks of you at wee hours like this, and you take advantage of it, already hiking your booty shorts up your ass like you know how it’ll feel when he does it.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

if you call in sick you call in sick. dw about it

Sent 10:20 a.m.

You can hear his voice through the message, and it’s instantly something you smirk to.

Meanwhile, Jungkook already has a mental chant about you being the perfect distraction playing like a ruined record in his head. He nods at something that went in one ear and exited the other, humming in false agreement. He lowers his phone’s brightness simultaneously.

Secretary sent a message:

Do the interns have life in their eyes?

Sent 10:21 a.m.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

an amusing amount i feel sick

Sent 10:21 a.m.

You chuckle to it, roll on your back, but before your thumbs type away, the pending screen dings again.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

show me what you’re wearing

Sent 10:22 a.m.

Then you’re off your shorts like you knew nothing of them, praying to lighting and an old thong to give you something you can nod to. For now, it’s a dim snap of your stomach down, shirt lazily tossed over the skin before a perceiver’s gaze will catch the strap of your thong hugging tight atop the curve of your hip. Not Pinterest-esque, but it’s honest work; it’s like you instantly know what Jungkook sounds like groaning to the sight.

He smiles at the coordinator before dropping his gaze to his phone again, tucked under his table and the weight of the company, but now he couldn’t care less.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

woa shit im never used to it

sexy

Sent 10:24 a.m.

The reminder to relax your body now that a camera isn’t pointing you doesn’t cross your mind.

Secretary sent a message:

Sent 10:24 a.m.

Jungkook finds himself giving advice he’s given millions of interns before, and it’s to keep a peeled eye. This goes for his board. His peers. It’s the emergency CEO talk he pulls out of his ass, but he knows everyone fawns over it, lowering his voice like he’s building an intimate rapport with the listeners. He’s still thinking about your skin. Keeps it brief, ends his attractive ment with something the coordinator can pick up on.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

that was my futile attempt to ask for more while i got called for advice

be back later, i look suspicious

Sent 10:26 a.m.

And it’s childish, but you always have a craving to divert his attention towards you. That’s the thrill, the sparkles in champagne, and when you down it and still walk in a straight line, you’re prideful. You’re an ace. And if you can juggle work and posing in front of a mirror with your teeth biting your shirt up, so be it. He’ll receive it and do something about it. That, you know.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

you

you minx

pls

save that for later

not noww

Sent 10:28 a.m.

You smile at it. It only makes you take a photo with your leg propped up your desk and your free hand teasing your inner thigh, enough so he’ll see more of your curves and lines despite the dim lighting that makes you look short on hemoglobin.

He receives it with a bite to his lip, an itch to his loins. He tugs at his dress shirt lest he wants his interns eyeing at his nipples.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

_____ behave

are you gonna listen or not

Sent 10:30 a.m.

You can hear him say it, let yourself feel his baritone ring at the seemings of your inner thighs. Then you take another photo, playful with your shirt draped all over your body enough that he has to make out your parts through the translucence of it, panties dangling by a teasing pointer. You don’t put text. Leave him with that raw photo, a prelude to complete nudity you’re sure he’ll hint at asking for.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

gonna regret acting like that when i get to you baby

if you wont let me sit through this meeting without a fucking hard on you have something coming to you

Sent 10:32 a.m.

In his challenged unease, all he receives is a video this time. He flicks his phone’s ringer silent, and it vibrates in his palms. He clicks on it, 5 seconds of shit quality and you placing an arm over your splayed tits, shifting in bed as you had just propped yourself there.

It’s trial for Jungkook not to make a growl at the back of his throat. But he’ll never stop to admit he fucking loves it. While an innocent intern is all eyes for him, he only has his for a secretary with a kink for hanging how hot she is over her boss’s head and making him eat it.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

later baby

pls

wait it out for me

Sent 10:34 a.m.

And he’s sure you won’t obey. He stares until you reply.

Secretary sent a message:

Can’t.

Sent 10:34 a.m.

Within the span of time you know he waits for what you have in store, you fish for a box under your bed, grabbing the familiar texture you know too well of your bullet vibrator. Hot pink and all sorts of taunting when you send a clip of you ghosting the toy over your thighs and across.

Jungkook waits a second before clicking on it, a breath held taught in his chest.

He replays the video directly, eyes on for that second he gets a good look at your pussy. Replays it again with his thumb adjusting the player position so he could slow it himself. It’s his dick or his soul that jumps in his pants.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

fuck

Sent 10:35 a.m.

He’s typing, but you send a message before he can even proceed.

Secretary sent a message:

If you’re hard, show me.

Sent 10:35 a.m.

What you receive is a video. Rowdy with the intern coordinator’s voice and the rustle of the audio. His phone stills, and you see the strain of his thighs under navy blue dress pants, ascending enough so you see a prominent shadow bulging at his crotch. He has the audacity to squeeze at it, too, watch blinding at the sight. Your breath hitches.

It’s nearly involuntary—how you press the vib harder, making your nerves frolic before you allow it to hover lightly over your skin again

Jungkook still has a gnawing fright for adjourning meetings he’s invited to sit through, so he sighs through the agony and makes sure no one hears. Thinking about what you must be doing to yourself. What you’re thinking.

You have a lousy grip on your phone, a stupid front cam angle to show what you’re doing from the neck down. You huff a heavy breath and kick your hips like it’s script.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

fuckkkkkkk

i have to leave here

Sent 10:37 a.m.

You’re quick to play, corner him.

Secretary sent a message:

If you don’t stay put, I’m not sending any more.

Sent 10:37 a.m.

It’s like he hears your voice against his neck, telling him to sit his ass down and live with the shear in his Brionis.

If Jungkook was the type of guy who would bust a nut over just about anything as much as Victorian men sexualized ankles, he’d lie to you and crawl to the bathroom of his office just to jerk it off. But he isn’t like that. Not close. He likes the tease, the tickle in his guts, the sound of your voice he conjures in his head with every text.

Before he can get himself together, sit in a way his dick doesn’t poke at his zipper, his phone vibrates again. Another short clip. Back cam, sheets like a painting under your body, you rolling your hips against the toy. God, he wants to hear you; he feels his ears go red.

Secretary sent a message:

Proof

You’re still in the meeting.,

Sent 10:39 a.m.

You get a selfie. It’s not proof, but he looks serious. And he looks hot. Exactly how you want him to look. Hair swept over crimson ears. Faking unfazed eyes. Then a video pops in. Same angle, but his eyes are directed somewhere in the room, scanning, reading, pretending to listen. Then a message.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

am i good at pretending i dont wanna fuck you so bad

Sent 10:40 a.m.

You hum to that like a toast to the soft hum of the vibrator against you. You shut your eyes for a bit, sigh to the feeling boiling in your loins before your toes start to feel tickly and you’re kicking.

Secretary sent a message:

So good,

Sent 10:41 a.m.

You send a video too long. Front cam again this time. A stretch of you squirming and being unable to stay still, camera panning up for a few seconds to taunt him with the moans he won’t be able to hear, down again and showing how your hand ever so languidly motions the toy against where you’re pulsating for it. Your limbs are sweating, and it’s hotter where the sheets meet it.

When Jungkook watches it, he presses down on his dick a bit, more unbothered than he could be about the fact probably everyone in the room has figured out his attention span is stretching nowhere towards them. He replays the part he sees your tits move with the heaving of your chest. Replays it again before replaying the part he sees how evidently wet you are.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

fuck holy shit

god

how good does that feel

describe it

Sent 10:42 a.m.

Secretary sent a message:

Feels

So tingly

Sent 10:42 a.m.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

god yes

stay with me

tell me more

Sent 10:42 a.m.

There’s a vivid visual in your head, of his tight fist around his cock, too listless to take off his watch, a mess. Biting the hem of his dress shirt up lest he wants cum all over it, biting to keep quiet and another tight fist around his phone, flashing a playlist of all the media you’re sending in at this blessed hour. Your insides jump, tumble, then the sparkle on the surface of your skin follows. You make sure to film this bit, show him how your head’s restless, shaking from one side to another as if pushing an orgasm away. Then a separate clip for where he craves you. Your hips rolling against the toy, coaxing.

Jungkook tries to look for a sign this meeting’s fucking ending in the coordinator’s eyes but to no avail. He replays the shit out of that second clip, wondering how wet that’d feel against him. His dick aches.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

so wet

do you enjoy this

making me harder than anyone could ever

in the middle of a meeting

Sent 10:44 a.m.

He knows what he’s doing, feeding your kinks like that, making your eyes roll into your head. You want to lose yourself in it, but it’s never as much as how much you want to stretch out the anguish of being nothing but witness to your bliss for him.

Secretary sent a message:

Want to cum.

Sent 10:46 a.m.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

do it

show me

gonna stroke my cock to it later

Sent 10:46 a.m.

At this point, he’s not even looking up, in heated anticipation for that One Thing he knows is coming. He feels himself throbbing, wishes he could make you feel it, but for now, he’ll let you bathe in it.

2 minutes and nothing, leaving him with a clean slate and your previous ministrations to imagine what your body looks like. How you sound. How you roll your hips, cry his name or something along the lines of Sir and throw his last name in, how you veer the vib away from your cunt unless you want your body spasming into nothing. Laboured breathing. A smile.

He gets the video, obsesses over it until the interns are rustling into a stand, ready to mark their thanks and congratulations before he could even take his eyes off you.

Mr. Jeon — Jeon Corp. sent a message:

motherfuck _____

fuckmeetings over

brb

Sent 10:48 a.m.

Along with the boring connotation of a brb, you get two clips ten minutes succeeding your orgasm. First video is a lazy front cam, exactly how you pictured, bringing the hem of his shirt to his teeth, hair falling over his eyes, all the other lights but one switched off. The screen flips, and he’s undoing his belt, a palpable bulge where you know it is.

The second video is unstable; his belt almost rattling to how hard he pumps himself, and you hear him straining. Then it’s cum and tattered breaths.

You have a second orgasm that morning.

#this took forever #ie #ask:ie #jungkook drabble #jungkook smut #jungkook imagine #jungkook scenario #bts drabble #bts smut #bts imagine #bts scenario #namjoon #seokjin #yoongi #hoseok #jimin #taehyung #jungkook #bts

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who-is-olivia · 5 years

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Track 6. Only Angel

Harry Styles x OC

Olivia has to perform in the Victoria Secret Fashion Show but struggles to deal with her mental health. [3.7k]

Genre: fluff, angst

Warnings: nudity, sexual language, mental health struggles

December 2014

They hadn't been on speaking terms.

Two years ago, Olivia had a breakdown and decided to go back to her hometown in Brazil, right when One Direction was set to perform on Madison Square Garden. They split up to give her room to recover and it was working... until Taylor came into the picture.

Harry never regretted the choices he made, he knew he would be miserable with Taylor knowing that Oli was just around the corner. So he broke up with her on the day they were set to travel to the Caribbean. It was very harsh on her so it’s understandable she wouldn’t take it nicely.

Now, Oli and Frank have to perform on the Victoria Secret Fashion Show right after Taylor. It’s an honor, Olivia will introduce two Brazilian models wearing a special bra thing, she’s gonna be wearing a beautiful lingerie piece, but she can’t control her nerves efficiently enough to enjoy the opportunity.

This is the last rehearsal before the big performance, they mark the steps along with the sound check and the last costume fitting all at the same time. Frank’s standing around with his guitar waiting for the production’s queue to dismount while Oli leans over Nadine’s phone to watch a short news outlet on Twitter hyping the show tomorrow.

“... but the supermodels are not the highlight of the show, instead is someone who won’t even walk the stage: Harry Styles is the talk of the town as tomorrow both his ex and his current girlfriend will take the stage one after the other. Who do you think will deliver the best performance? Comment down below and don’t forget to subscribe-“

“This is bullshit” Oli shakes her shoulder trying to seem unfazed but secretly crumbling in anxiety.

“Total bullshit, I’m sorry you had to watch this-“ Nadine revolts.

“No, it’s fine, I’m just gonna get my stuff-“

“Hey, do they have extra wings?” Frank asks from the other end of the stage.

“I don’t think so, why?”

“I was dying to wear wings” he grunts and Oli rolls her eyes.

“You can wear mine after I walk the stage” Candice winks at him teasingly.

“Frank, we have bigger fish to fry” she walks up to him, leaving the girls to themselves. “We should call this off”

“Wha-Why?!”

“Because it’s drawing too much negative attention, I don’t need that at this point” she fiddles with her fingers, desperate for a cigarette.

“Oli, this is huge for the us, we can’t bail out”

“Frankie, please”

“No bug, I’m sorry” he pats her shoulder and walks away. From the corner of her eye she notices someone familiar approaching.

“Hey there, crazy!” Zayn nods.

“Holy shit, what are you doing here?” she jumps down the stage and lands in his hug. Apart from Harry, Zayn is the only 1D member she’s got to befriend. Nothing against the other boys, they all speak to each other, but he’s her actual friend. Doesn’t hurt that she got to work a lot with his girlfriend’s band recently.

“Harry told me you’d be here, I thought I’d give you a ride”

“Perfect! Let me get my things-“

“What about Frank?”

“He’ll find a place to sleep tonight” she chuckles.

Since the show’s in London, she at least gets the comfort of staying at Harry’s place. Although they share a nice flat in New York, he needs a place in London due to the label and also to see his family. To ease their expenses, he bought a smaller place that she hasn't seen yet. Harry feels quite lonely in it, and having the expectation of her visit did nothing for his internal peace.

On the way there, she and Zayn share a couple smokes and make small talk, planning a few tattoos while she’s in town. Soon enough they arrive and there he is, waiting to open her door for her.

“Hey love” he smiles, pulling her out of the car and into his loving embrace. At the very sight of him a huge weight is lifted from her shoulders. “Thanks mate, appreciate it”

“No worry, we’ll catch up later, eh?”

“I’ll text you, bye Zayn!”

As he drives down the lane, Harry walks with an arm around her waist up to the flat where her things are already in place. With that out of the way, they head straight to the shower.

He presses her naked body against the wall, her wet chest against his as their lips clash in a sensuous patient kiss. His small pecks fall to her jaw and down her neck as his wet hair tickles her, distracting her from the pleasure he’s giving.

“Haz?”

“Hm?” he hums in her sweet spot.

“Do you think I should do the gig?”

Harry stops kissing her, bringing his gaze back to her and sighing worriedly. “What could possibly make you not do it?”

“Everyone keeps speculating about the performance, they keep comparing me to Taylor and I’m just...” she cracks, hiding her face on his wet neck. Harry strokes the back of her head and shushes her tenderly, trying to get a glimpse of her.

“If you don’t wanna do it, don’t do it love. You can tell everyone you’re feeling sick and just stay here with me”

“Yeah, but it would be amazing for Frank and I and it’s been really amazing to meet all the models and spending some time with Nadine...”

“Nadine’s great”

“She’s the fucking best” he relaxes at the sight of her smile.

“Whatever you wanna do, I’ll have your back, alright?” she nods and he leans in to kiss her playfully.

They dry up and head to the bed, exhausted. Before she arrived, he was craving for her, desperately. He would remember their times together and twitch in his pants at the thought of it, always keeping in mind that she was x days away from coming home and putting away his misery. But having her in his arms so fragile, so unprepared, it felt wrong and he had to stop. What he feels for her is not only physical and he can’t let her emotional needs unattended.

Oli falls asleep curled up to his side, one of her legs straddled around his waist, breathing calmly on his chest. He takes a little longer to doze off just watching her peaceful sleep, the lovely way her parted lips blow against his shirt and her eyelids twitch while she’s having a dream. Her hair is wrapped in a light pink silk sheet, soaked in coconut oil, and he can’t resist burying his nose on it and taking in the sweet scent. He loves her so much it burns, and seeing her anguish feels like walking with a knife craved in his heart, he wishes he could make it all go away... so he tries something stupid.

At approximately 2:00am, he calls Frank.

“Aren’t you calling a bit late?” he growls on the other end of the line.

“Hey, I’m sorry, there’s just something that’s not letting me sleep”

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

“Probably can, I just wanted to clear my head about this” he excuses, feeling like he’s already drawing towards the unwanted results with this call. “You and Oli have to perform tomorrow at all costs?”

“Look man... I know she’s stressed out, all that bad press is getting under her skin but after we ditched Fiona and Gina we haven't been selling, at all, and we need the show if we want to stay signed for another year”

“Yeah, but aren’t you scared she’ll just... lose it?”

“I am, I still feel guilty about her breakdown... but that’s the job, she loves it, the good and the bad. Trust me, she’ll be amazing tomorrow, you won’t tell the difference between her and an angel”

“I bet I won’t... night, Frank” he hangs up. Frank is a level-headed guy, he must have thought this through already and taken the most logical conclusion but deep down it doesn’t feel right. Anyways, Harry quits his crusade to spare her and returns to the bedroom, settling in her arms again.

But their domestic bliss is cut short by the day’s schedule. At 11:00am sharp she’s already getting her nails done and her braids fixed at Harry’s while he chats with everyone who’s busy. However, he notices Olivia is dead silent – which is very unusual.

“Guys” he calls after the nails and hair are done, “can I steal her for a second?”

“Sure... don’t mess her up!”

“I promise” he leads them to the door and shuts it, turning to where she has her head hidden behind her knees. “Love, please don’t let it get in your head”

“Too bad” she leans on her freshly manicured hands and he can see tears on the corner of her eyes.

That’s the last drop. “Hey, look at me” he tips her chin so she looks at him reluctantly. “You can both do great, it’s not a race, no matter what the bloody papers say”

“I know”

“Do you?”

She sighs, dropping her head on his palm. “No”

“Then you have to believe me, just do your best” he soothes, stroking her hair, “and if you can’t, your 50% is already bloody incredible-“

“Haz! Shut up” she laughs sadly, wiping the little droplets from her eyelids. To have her at least smiling is enough.

“I love you, alright?” she nods, “Trust me on this one, you’ll be fucking amazing”

They both get pampered and ready to the red carpet, as usual arriving in grand fashion. He leaves the car first then opens the door to help her out, making a huge scene as she gets up on her heels and throws her thin Havana twists out of her face gently, which is quite a spectacle to the paparazzi. Once she feels the luxurious climate, her attitude shifts and she immediately grows more confident. She welcomes Harry’s arm around her waist and supports her wrist on his shoulder, staring at the cameras with a focused glance. He can feel it, her posture changes, she looks powerful, he can’t hide his gobsmacked grin at showing the world how intimidating and formidable is the woman who literally owns his heart and soul.

Once the photographs are over, they walk to the dressing room together.

“Mr. Styles, you can’t go in” a producer holds him back.

Olivia frowns at her. “What?”

“This area is just for performers and models, you can’t go in”

“Can’t he come to my dressing room?”

“I’m sorry, it’s not allowed-“

“It’s ok” he interrupts, knowing pretty well it’s what he set up to surprise her later on. When she steps back, he takes Oli by the hand and hugs her tightly, pulling her close enough so he can whisper in her ear. “No matter how many people step on that stage tonight, you’re the only one I see, alright?”

She smirks. “You better...”

“You’re the sexiest, most talented person I know, you’re gonna be amazing”

“I hope so” she leans into him, cupping his cheek in a passionate kiss that catches him completely off-guard.

“I’ll be on the front row” he says a bit out of breath before letting her go.

Once she turns towards her dressing room, she sees her standing there: tall, slim, fair, blonde, piercing blue eyes following her every step. Not willing to make another scene, she salutes her with two fingers in a friendly gesture, and in reply she smiles politely. Their interaction ends there.

On her dressing room, Frank is already dressing up and strangely giggly.

“Candice is giving me her wings after the first run!” he cheers, making it really hard for the stylist to work on his outfit.

“You’re winning already then” she mocks, pulling her dress straps down and asking for Frank’s help to unzip the rest. She’s not used with the rest of the backup band so she awkwardly slides to one of the changing booths. “Where is Morgan? The show’s about to start”

While she waits for their agent, she quickly puts on the black combo of hot pants, torn t-shirt, up the knee boots and a boa. At some point she hears something above the noise of the backup band tuning their instruments and everyone shuts up.

The show starts.

Taylor is the first one to perform, walking down the catwalk with some of the biggest models in the industry. They run to the side stage to watch them but the producers don’t let anyone get on the way of the running models, so she has to watch on the TV’s spread across the backstage. Taylor’s presentation is straight up perfect, she moves like fucking royalty and interacts naturally with all the models – she looks so good she might as well be mistaken for one. Oli’s legs begin to shake as the song hits the second chorus.

Fortunately, there are two other performers watching, and they come to greet her.

“Hey Oli” Andrew is the first, thank god for a familiar face. They used to hang out after rehearsals, he’s a giant dork who’s also not used to fame. Also, his poems make her cry all the time.

“Andy! I’m passing out!”

“Wow, hang on” he holds her by the shoulders.

“I can’t follow up, everyone’s talking about it-“

“Hey, what you’re talking about? You rehearsed this, you’re gonna walk down that stage and be fucking incredible” he talks her down in that convoluted Irish accent of his.

From the front row, Harry nervously watches top models in tiny clothes pass one after the other, trying to focus on anything else but Taylor on that moment. Every line she sings feels like she’s spitting on him. A show that lasts minutes feels like hours, and when it finally ends it’s time for Olivia.

“Holy shit” she breaths out raggedly.

“Do you want some water?” Ariana asks.

“Where’s Frank?” Oli pleads, seeing black dots on her peripheral vision.

Frank, who had been talking to some of the models, promptly excuses himself. “You ok?” she barely hears through her thumping ears.

“I’m having a panic attack...”

“Hey, let me handle this” she hears her voice distantly, as if she’s drowning on her heartbeat. “Come with me” Taylor helps her up and takes her to one of the bathrooms, just the two of them.

She pulls her hair out of her face and shoves it over one shoulder, helping her lean over the sink in case she feels like throwing up. She then wets her hand and throws some cold water on the back of her neck.

“Breath in, hold, then breath out, just like me” she insists. Olivia closes her eyes, breathes in, holds, then breathes out, time and time again until she can grasp her surroundings. Slowly, the thumping on her ears recedes and she can actually feel herself again. “Better?”

“Yeah...”, she takes one last deep breath, “thank you”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been there” she dries her hand on a paper towel.

Oli sighs heavily, “I don’t know if I can pull this off”

“Of course you can” Taylor counters, “Just think: you’ll be on stage with your brother, singing a song you already sang a hundred times, your fans will love it, the models will love it... and Harry’s on the front row, he’ll love it anyway”

She hesitates before starting, “I’m sorry about what happened between you”

“Don’t... I’m actually glad it’s over” Taylor looks down and nods her head, trying to figure out her next words. “Sure, I didn’t like the way it ended but I was just so anxious around him, I feel like I can breath now, it’s so funny... when I was with him I was always so nervous, afraid to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing, like you were just then” she points to the door, “but you’re... effortless together. I wish I had something like that in my life”

“Hey” she looks up at her, “these things just... happen, I can’t explain it. Just do your thing and wait for someone to show up who happens to like you just like this. It might take a while but it’s worth it”

Taylor smiles, pulling her in for a tight hug. Olivia relaxes on her shoulder, welcoming all the energy she lets out. “I think you should go out there and rock that stage” she whispers encouragingly. “It doesn’t matter what people will say tomorrow, we know what’s up, they never will”

Olivia nods, taking a bit of distance. “Thank you so much” she squeezes Taylor’s hands.

“You’re welcome... now let’s go”

The show-runner asks for the audience to be patient as they’re having a few technical difficulties and Harry is this close to invading the backstage and checking on Oli. His knee bops up and down frantically, looking at Liam beside him for guidance. At the first sign of applause, his eyes shoot up at the stage and there she is. Frank’s guitar riff fills the room as they walk in, him leading the way with his tall angel wings, sunglasses and skirt, his guitar wailing as if calling for Olivia to join. Then she does, parading to the beat until she reaches Frank.

“How’re you feeling tonight?!” she calls before getting her queue.

He couldn’t look away even if his eyes were gauged off. His breathing increases, his body responding to the feast upon the stage. Two Brazilian models pass in front of her, he doesn’t look away. The entire cast of the show walks up but still, he doesn’t look away. The way her vocals reach all the way to the back of the venue makes the hairs on the back of his neck rise. She looks so powerful yet so ingenue, as if the way her hips swing is completely pure.

But there’s nothing pure about her. The way she dances with Frank’s guitar solo, the way she smiles and bops with the models, how her braids barely cover her bare ass cheeks, it’s too much. All he can think about is ripping that lingerie with his teeth and let her encircle him with that boa, he wants to be at her mercy.

At some point, their gazes meet and he feels a bit love drunk, lost in her beauty. She walks to the edge of the stage closest to him and blows him a kiss and he catches it in the air, keeping it on his internal pocket and winking back at her. He wants her to kiss him, he wants her to lose all decorum and just disgrace him right then and there.

But just as it began it ended. As she takes a bow and walks out with one of the models, Harry applauds on his feet. She smiles proudly, holding Frank on a side hug and bowing once again. She did it! It was amazing, sexy, vibrant... and Harry can’t wait to see her, not another ten seconds.

She’s welcomed in the backstage with thunderous applause. After all, she did it! She was super scared but soldiered on and now that’ll live in history as one of her best performances ever. As soon as the clapping dies, she walks up to Taylor and hugs her tightly.

“Thank you for everything” she whispers through a smile.

“You were a-mazing!” Taylor cheers getting some distance between them and then hitching. Oli follows her gaze and finds Harry standing awkwardly in the middle of the commotion.

“Haz? I thought you couldn’t get in”

“Yeah, don’t say it too loud” he mocks, pulling a flower bouquet from behind his back. Olivia chuckles amusedly and runs to his embrace, leaving a very uncomfortable Taylor standing empty-handed.

“You were something else tonight” he whispers to her and hands her the flowers. Sensing the eyes around them, she restricts her displays of affection to a small kiss on his cheek. “How about we skip the after-party and just grab a bite with the band?”

“Sure, I just wanna watch Andy’s then we can go”

“Alright” he nods and his gaze accidentally catches Taylor’s. It would be extremely impolite to ignore her after looking her straight in the eyes so, for education’s sake, he walks up to her. “Ms. Swift”

“Mr. Styles” she replies with the same cocky attitude.

“It’s nice to see you”

“You too” they exchange a kiss in the cheek and part ways. Once Harry’s got his back towards her, Olivia and Taylor exchange a knowing wink.

Before they watch Andrew’s performance, Oli and Harry head to her and Frank’s empty dressing room. As she walks in first to get the flowers on a pot, Harry locks the door behind him and moves to hug her waist. She closes her eyes in delight, feeling his desperate lips already trace her shoulder up to the crook of her neck.

“You looked really fucking sexy in that stage” he mumbles, taking gentle hold of her neck.

“I could tell, you were giving me bedroom eyes from the moment I stepped in” she mocks, stroking the hand that holds her on a choke-hold before turning inside his grasp and kissing him teasingly, making him dangle on the edge of sanity. He presses his parted lips on her but she pulls away slightly, licking a single strip of his bottom lip before bitting it lightly and kissing him back.

“Can’t wait ‘til bedroom love”

“Yeah? What a shame” she pushes him away playfully, “I’m not doing anything here with a zillion people outside”

“Fuck’s sake” he dramatically flops down into the sofa, “you’re killing me, honestly”

“Dead men can’t talk!” she replies, changing into her party dress and overcoat.

Harry keeps groaning on the sofa, calling out for her until she’s ready. She leans over the back of the sofa and hugs his shoulders, he holds on to her arms for reassurance. Looking down, she notices he’s a bit too excited to go out in public, so she has an epiphany...

“... you got that James Dean daydream look in you eyes” she sings.

“Oh, fuck you-“

“And I’ve got that red lip classic thing that you like”

“Oli, don’t” he whimpers through a struggled laugh.

“We never go out of Style... es” with that one improv, he loses it, laughing his life away. She pecks his sweet cheeks over and over, leaving several dark-brown stains on his fair skin. “Come on, you’re good to go”

“Thanks, angel”

She narrows her eyes, hand hovering over the lock before grinning arrogantly, “I like that”

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Masterlist

82 notes · View notes

eaexu · 4 years

Text

Private Playlists

filthbois (lincoln x elias)

lips on you - maroon 5 (x) You wanna be reckless, restless, right until tomorrow. Wait. When I put my lips on you, you feel the shivers go up and down your spine for me. Make you cry for me, when I put my lips on you. I hear your voice echoing all through the night for me. Baby cry for me. When I put my lips on you. Just turn off the lights, and you could be my private dancer. When we close the curtains, you and me can forget all our manners. The neighbors must think we're crazy, baby, cause look how easily we keep coming undone

Hands to Myself - Selena Gomez (x) Can't keep my hands to myself, no matter how hard I'm trying to. I want you all to myself, you're metaphorical gin and juice. So come on, give me a taste of what it's like to be next to you, won't let one drop go to waste. All of the downs and the uppers, we keep making love to each other. And I'm trying, trying, I'm trying, trying, can't keep my hands to myself, give me your all and nothing else. My doctors say you're no good, but people say what they wanna say, and you should know if I could, I'd breathe you in every single day

PILLOWTALK - Zayn (x) Climb on board. We'll go slow and high tempo, light and dark. Hold me hard and mellow, I'm seeing the pain, seeing the pleasure. Nobody but you, 'body but me, 'body but us, bodies together. I love to hold you close, tonight and always. So we'll piss off the neighbours, in the place that feels the tears, the place to lose your fears. Yeah, reckless behavior, a place that is so pure, so dirty and raw. In the bed all day, bed all day, bed all day, fucking in and fighting on. It's our paradise and it's our war zone

Animal - Troye Sivan (x) I told you something safe, something I've never said before and I, I, I can't keep my hands off you. While you lie in the wake, covered all in the night before. I'm high, high, high, no one's got me quite like you. I want you all to myself, don't leave none for nobody else, I am an animal with you. No angels could beckon me back, and it's hotter than hell where I'm at. I am an animal with you. An ode to the boy I love, boy, I'll die to care for you. You're mine, mine, mine, tell me who do I owe that to? And as the days fly by, we'll be more than getting through, yeah, and in time, time, time, we'll build a home for two. I want you all to myself, don't leave none for nobody else. I am an animal with you

Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Rey (x) Dear lord, when I get to heaven, please let me bring my man. When he comes tell me that you'll let him in. Father tell me if you can, all that grace, all that body, all that face, makes me wanna party. He's my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds. Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful? Will you still love me when I've got nothing but my aching soul? I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will

art-hoes (jackie x des)

a little death - the neighbourhood (x) The room was fit for two, the bed was left in ruins, the neighbor was knocking, yeah, but no one would let him in. Touch me, yeah. I want you to touch me there, make me feel like I am breathing, feel like I am human. Dancing through the night, a vodka and a sprite, a glimpse of the silhouettes, a night that they never forget.

BITE - Troye Sivan (x) Kiss me on the mouth and set me free, sing me like a choir, I can be the subject of your dreams, your sickening desire. Don't you wanna see a man up close? A phoenix in the fire. So kiss me on the mouth and set me free, but please, don't bite. You can coax the cold right out of me, drape me in your warmth, the rapture in the dark puts me at ease, the blind eye of the storm. Let's go for a walk down Easy Street where you can be reborn, and kiss me on the mouth and set me free, but please, don't bite.

Love Lies - Khalid & Normani (x) I need a lover to trust, tell me you're on my side. Are you down for the ride? It's not easy for someone to catch my eye, but I've been waitin' for you for my whole damn life, for my whole lifetime. Don't be afraid to tell me if you ain't with it, I see you're focused, yeah you're so independent. It's hard for me to open up, I'll admit it, you've got some shit to say and I'm here to listen. So baby, tell me where your love lies, waste the day and spend the night, underneath the sunrise. Show me where your love lies. I've been so into your mystery, is it because of our history? Are you into me? When it feels so good, but it's bad for you, can't say I don't want it 'cause I know I do. Come on over, I need your company, cravin' that synergy.

Cherry Wine - Hozier (x) But I want it, it's a crime, that she's not around most of the time. The way she shows me I'm hers and she is mine, open hand or closed fist would be fine. Blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine. Her fight and fury is fiery, oh but she loves like sleep to the freezing, sweet and right and merciful. I'm all but washed in the tide of her breathing, and it's worth it, it's divine. I have this some of the time.The way she shows me I'm hers and she is mine.

Malibu - Miley Cyrus (x) I never came to the beach or stood by the ocean, I never sat by the shore under the sun with my feet in the sand, but you brought me here and I'm happy that you did. Cause now I'm as free as birds catching the wind, I always thought I would sink, so I never swam, I never went boatin', don't get how they are floatin', and sometimes I get so scared of what I can't understand, but here I am next to you. The sky is more blue, in Malibu, next to you. We watched the sun go down as we were walking, I'd spend the rest of my life just standing here talking. You would explain the current, as I just smile, hoping I just stay the same and nothing will change, and it'll be us, just for a while. Do we even exist? That's when I make the wish to swim away with the fish. Is it supposed to be this hot all summer long? I never would've believed you, if three years ago you told me I'd be here writing this song, but here I am, next to you

spookie-babes (olive x mur)

High School Sweethearts - Melanie Martinez (x) Can we just be honest? These are the requirements, if you think you can be my one and only true love. You must promise to love me, and damn it, if you fuck me over, I will rip your fucking face apart. Step one. You must accept that I'm a little out my mind. Step two. This is a waste if you can't walk me down the finish line. Step three. Give me passion, don't make fun of my fashion. Step four. Give me more, give me more, more. If you can't handle a heart like mine, don't waste your time with me. If you're not down to bleed, no, oh, if you can't handle the choking, the biting, the loving, the smothering, 'til you can't handle it no more, no more. Go home

Kiwi - Maroon 5 (x) But it's so strange, it's something new, amazing feelings that I have for you. I close my eyes when I'm alone, wonder what it'd be like to make you moan. I wanna give you something better, than anything you've ever had. A stronger and a faster lover, the world it disappears so fast. Sweet Kiwi, your juice is dripping down my chin. So please let me, don't stop it before it begins. So give it up, and don't pretend, and spread your arms and legs across the bed, and when you shake, you won't regret, the things I whisper in your ear

Bed Peace - Jhene Aiko (ft Childish Gambino) (x) Gotta act like I care about this fake stuff, straight up, what a waste of my day. If I had it my way I'd roll out of bed, say 'bout 2:30 mid day, hit the blunt then, hit you up to come over to my place. You show up right away, we make love then and then we fuck, and then you'd give me my space. What I am trying to say is, that love is ours to make so we should make it. Everything else can wait, the time is ours to take so we should take it. Wake up, wake up, bake up, gotta heat the vape up, let's get faded, gotta call your job tell em' you won't make it, ain't nobody here baby let's get wasted. We should just get naked

Past Lives - Kesha (x) We were lovers in a past life, I can see it in your green eyes. Maybe you were one of my wives? In a long lost tribe. There's just somethin' about you I know, started centuries ago though. You see your kiss is like a lost ghost, only I would know, but I, I keep on falling for you. Time after time, I'll make you mine, time after time. See millenniums ago love, we were nothing more than stardust. Just the galaxy beneath us, you found me. Then we made it though the ice age, but I lost you in the crusades. I build the pyramids for you babe, just to see your face.

Nothings going to hurt you baby - Cigarettes after Sex (x) Whispered something in your ear, it was a perverted thing to say, but I said it anyway. Made you smile and look away, nothing's gonna hurt you baby, as long as you're with me, you'll be just fine. Nothing's gonna hurt you baby. Nothing's gonna take you from my side. When we dance in my living room to that silly '90s R&B. When we have a drink or three, always ends in a hazy shower scene. Nothing's gonna hurt you baby, as long as you're with me, you'll be just fine. Nothing's gonna hurt you baby, nothing's gonna take you from my side

messes (patrick x elias)

a lover I dont have to love - bright eyes (x) Let's just keep touching, let's just keep keep singing. I want a lover I don't have to love, I want a boy who's so drunk he doesn't talk. Where's the kid with the chemicals? I got a hunger and I can't seem to get full. I need some meaning I can memorize. The kind I have always seems to slip my mind. But you, but you, you write such pretty words, but life's no story book. Love's an excuse to get hurt, and to hurt "Do you like to hurt?" "I do! I do!" "Then hurt me."

BOY - Charlie Puth (x) You tell me I'm too young but, I gave you what you wanted, baby, how dare you treat me just like a boy...You won't wake up beside me, cause I was born in the nineties. Baby, how do you treat me just like, like a boy, how dare you treat me just like a boy. 'Cause you talk a different talk, and you kiss me differently. Now I don't know where to go, after you love me this way, after you love me so good. How are you gonna tell me you don't wanna stay?

Slow Dancing in the Dark - Joji (x) I don't want a friend, I want my life in two. Just one more night, waiting to get there, waiting for you, all night, I'm done fighting all night. When I'm around slow dancing in the dark. Don't follow me, you'll end up in my arms. You have made up your mind, I don't need no more signs, can you? Can you? Give me reasons we should be complete. You should be with him, I can't compete, you looked at me like I was someone else, oh well, can't you see? I don't wanna slow dance in the dark

Sexxxx Dreams - Lady Gaga (x) Last night, our lovers quarrel, I was thinking about you, more than I can say, and it was kind of dirty. All night, and the way that you looked at me, help me here, it was kind of nasty, it was kind of trashy. 'Cause I can't help my mind from going there. Heard your boyfriend was away this weekend,wanna meet at my place, heard that we both got nothing to do. When I lay in bed I touch myself and think of you. Last night, damn, you were in my sex dreams, doing really nasty things

the fuckups (em x alf)

earned it - the weeknd (x) You know our love would be tragic. So you don't pay it, don't pay it no mind. We live with no lies and you're my favourite kind of night. So I love when you call unexpected cause I hate when the moment's expected. So I'ma care for you, you, you. I'ma care for you, you, you, you, yeah. 'Cause girl you're perfect, you're always worth it and you deserve it.The way you work it. 'Cause girl you earned it.

Casual Affair - Panic! at the Disco (x) Hey, a casual affair, that could go anywhere, and only for tonight. Take any moment, any time, a lover on the left, a sinner on the right. Lay in the atmosphere, a casual affair. Lay in the atmosphere, a casual affair. Break involuntary ties, a secret so despised, could never find us out. Stay for as long as you have time, so the mess that we'll become, leaves something to talk about

Fetish - Selena Gomez (x) Reaching your limit, say you're reaching your limit, going over your limit, but I know you can't quit it. Something about me got you hooked on my body. Take you over and under and twisted up like origami, I'm not surprised, I sympathize, ah. I can't deny your appetite. You got a fetish for my love, I push you out and you come right back. Don't see a point in blaming you, if I were you, I'd do me too

Hurricane - Halsey (x) I went down to a place in Bed Stuy, a little liquor on my lips, I let him climb inside my body and held him captive in my kiss, and there's a storm you're starting now, theres a storm you’re starting. I'm a wandress, I'm a one night stand, don't belong to no city, don't belong to no man. I'm the violence in the pouring rain. I'm a hurricane

Eyes on Fire - Blue Foundation (x) I'll seek you out, flay you alive. One more word and you won't survive, and I'm not scared, of your stolen power. I see right through you any hour. I won't soothe your pain, I won't ease your strain. You'll be waiting in vain, I got nothing for you to gain. I'm taking it slow, feeding my flame, shuffling the cards of your game and just in time, in the right place, suddenly I will play my ace.

#wow this took literally an hour and a half???#I need to be quicker with this shit cause its not even that good lolololol

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taggiecb · 6 years

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When you see this post a snippet from your wip

When he walks back into the bar though he is surprised to see that he has a customer.

Zayn sits at one of the stools near the end of the bar, scribbling something in a notebook. He doesn’t look up until Harry is standing directly in front of him, and only then it’s barely a glance in Harry’s direction, before his head is down once again.

“Can I get you something?” Harry little more than mumbles. He knows that Zayn isn’t fond of him, but he isn’t exactly sure why.

“They’re gone are they?” Zayn replies. It takes Harry a few ticks to realise what he is talking about.

“Left early this morning.” He replies, still standing there awkwardly. He can’t really leave until Zayn tells him if he wants food or a drink. So he’s stuck.

“I’m terrified of the water.” Zayn continues, still not stopping his hands from moving across the paper. Harry looks down to see that he is drawing a landscape. It is of a meadow, and while Harry isn’t about to lean down to take a better look, it seems that it is full of small wildflowers. It’s quite beautiful. “Can’t even swim.” He adds,

“I didn't know that.” Harry replies, for lack of anything better to say.

“Of course you didn’t. You have no idea who I am.”

“Fair enough.” He clears his throat, about to ask Zayn if he wants something again but Zayn isn’t finished with him.

“Back then, I was so scared. I wouldn't sleep for days when he was out there. My anxiety would make my brain dream up the most terrifying stories. That is why he stopped. He stopped for me. He stopped going out on the water so that I could get better.”

Harry stands there, not really knowing what to say to this unexpected outburst of honesty. Zayn finally stops what he is doing, and looks up towards Harry. They watch one another for a second before shrugging, and going back to his drawing.

“Why are you here?” He asks.

“Um, I work-” Harry starts, but is cut off again.

“Not here in this moment, here on this island, in this town. Why are you living in my house, and doing my job, and sleeping with my best friend?” Harry fish mouths for a second. This was the last thing he expected for Zayn to say to him. He guesses he has a bit more insight into why Zayn is a little put off by him.

“That’s a long story.” He finally says. Zayn looks around the empty bar.

“I think we have time.” He says.

“And I don’t think it’s any of your business.” He replies, a little more bold.

“Ah.” Zayn says. He flips his book closed, and stands up. He looks at Harry one more time, and nods his head in a curt goodbye and leaves. Harry can only stand there and watch him go. In the dozen or more times he wishes that Louis were around to talk to today, this has definitely been the most.

#take it to the limit #this is in no way edited #I literally just wrote it

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softestziam · 6 years

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So, I’m taking a permanent break from writing, my heart’s not in it anymore. I am going to leave you all with my Bachelor AU fic though. It’s incomplete but it’s all I've got.

The birds were singing a beautiful song as they flew high in the cloudless, blue sky. Children could be heard laughing from the park a few blocks away, the daily bustle of people making their way to their next location. A perfect day all around.

That was until Zayn was forced awake by the loud noise coming from his phone. His alarm. With a groan he blindly searched for the bane of his existence, feeling around until he found it resting on his chest. He turned off the noise but still refused to open his eyes. He was way too hungover for this. This being a new day, sometimes even life.

That was a story he wasn't quite ready to delve deeper into just yet. Letting out a frustrated sigh Zayn finally opened his eyes and took in his surroundings, once again he was sleeping in the backseat of his car. The only thing he had to call his own at the moment, that was another story he didn't feel like thinking about right now.

It did look like a beautiful day, though. Not a single cloud in the sky and birds were actually chirping as they flew overhead. Hmm. Not even a full minute after he was actually awake Zayn's phone rang and he knew who it was calling him almost immediately. With an eye roll and a cough to clear his throat he begrudgingly answered.

“Lou.”

“Where the hell are you Malik?” Louis asked, practically yelling at him over the noise in the background. “Production starts in twenty and I can't have a show without my best producer, okay?”

Zayn internally groaned at the boldface lie Louis just spewed out. “I'm on my way, Lou. Just stopped to get a cuppa, want one?”

“Large Yorkshire, two sugars, no milk,” he rattled off. “That's another issue I won't get into right now, Welsh tea is shite, and craft service isn't up here yet. It's a slight disaster.”

“Breathe babe,” Zayn instructed him gently, sitting up in the backseat and rummaging through his knapsack for clean clothes. “Be there in twenty, okay?”

“Make it ten and I'll give you a raise,” Louis bargained.

“See you Lou,” he answered and hung up, throwing his phone on the driver's seat.

Once he found clean enough clothes, Zayn changed quickly, thanking whatever deity that was watching over him that day that he remembered to grab his deodorant before Adam kicked him out. He ran his hands through his hair, shaved close at the sides leaving the top long, before tying it up in a quick ponytail. He didn't have any clean socks so he turned the ones he wore yesterday inside out, it was better than going without, like Louis was always so keen on doing. He rummaged through his bag until he found a small bottle of mouthwash before spitting it out in the cup that rested in the console between the two front seats. This was his life and frankly it was rather pathetic.

Without a second thought Zayn finally left his car and hoped he could find a place in the middle of Wales that sold Yorkshire tea or else Louis would definitely have his arse. Thanking his lucky stars once more he spotted a coffee cart on his way to set, even better they had a large neon sign praising their authentic Yorkshire tea. Maybe it was a sign that things wouldn't go to shit this year, probably not, this was Zayn's life we are talking about. Fishing what little money he had in his pocket, Zayn gave it to the clerk before making his final trek to the set.

Once he arrived he realized what Louis was talking about. Everything looked chaotic, like a bomb had went off. Trucks were parked everywhere, producers, assistants, and writers were all standing around the spacious mansion, all looking completely lost.

“Malik!” Louis shouted at him once he was spotted. He smiled wide and grabbed his tea out of Zayn's hand before gulping down a large sip. “Not me mum's but it'll do. Welcome home straggler.”

“Home,” he scoffed and let himself be escorted through the masses. He casually nodded his head at the crew members he recognized, faking a smile at those he didn't. Louis pushed him up the stairs of the production trailer. His home for the next eight weeks. “Jeez, Lou, you splurged on a new couch this season.”

“Late nights at the office call for comfort,” he explained and sat in front of a messy desk. If you wanted it to call it a desk, it looked more like a table they had at canteens back in his uni days, covered in dirt and mysterious stains. “Take a seat and get yourself familiarized with this year's hopefuls.”

Zayn took the empty seat next to Louis and skimmed the binder quickly. Faces blending together quickly. Everyone looked the same on the show, fake smiles and even faker stories. They'd try anything to land on the show in hopes of finding true love. “And where's our suitor?”

“In the flat we set up for him down the road,” Louis groaned. “A real tosser this kid.”

“That's what you get for recruiting Liam Payne,” he laughed and flipped through the pages of the binder once more. “The first gay suitor and we end up with England's biggest headache, good job Tommo.”

Louis let out a fake laugh and bent down so he was crowding up Zayn's space, his head resting on his shoulder. “I've missed your bratty attitude, Malik. Feels like home.”

“Fuck off,” Zayn told him and pushed Louis's face away from his shoulder. “Niall here yet?”

“Set to arrive in an hour,” Louis answered and played with the walkie talkie clipped to his belt, finally turning it on. “Production meeting in fifteen, pick your boy and then we'll discuss incentives, okay?”

Zayn let Louis leave the truck as he read over the binder once more. This was common among the producers, they all picked a contestant that was going to win the heart of the suitor and at the end of the season whoever won, or came closest to winning, usually was rewarded financially. In the three years Zayn had worked for Everlasting he had never won. It was an ongoing joke among the staff, that whoever he chose usually was sent home first.

This time, this year he wanted to win, needed to win. He needed all the help he could get in the money department, and he was going to do whatever was in his power to do it. Lie, cheat, and steal was how Louis and the rest of the producers played the game and Zayn was more than willing to join in this year.

He read over the mini biography they had on this year's suitor, Liam Payne. Maybe if Zayn could get into his psyche a little he could choose someone who'd be compatible enough with him to win this whole thing. Zayn knew enough about Liam though, all of the United Kingdom did. He was a typical playboy, used and abused his status to get what he wanted. His father, Geoff Payne was a real estate mogul, made good money that way. He put money aside for his son, not allowed to touch it until he turned twenty one. Within the first year of receiving the money Liam had blown close to half of it. Zayn scoffed as he read over the biography, of course all the horrible stories about Liam were omitted. Typical.

Closing the binder with a thud that echoed in the empty truck, Zayn stood up and made his way to the production meeting. It was a short walk across the way but he could already hear the laughs as he approached the trailer. It already sounded like Louis was showing off, always a ham in front of an audience. Didn't matter the size of the crowd he always bathed in the attention.

Swinging open the door to the trailer Zayn froze. He immediately realized why they were all laughing. They were laughing at him. Last series finale was being projected on the large screen tv mounted on the wall in front of the room. He gripped the binder in his hands tighter, knuckles turning white with the pressure. Last year wasn't his proudest moment, that's when he hit rock bottom. Luckily the network and show runners omitted his very public breakdown from airing but it still stung to see. Especially now that Louis was showing it for a laugh.

Zayn watched himself on screen down a whole bottle of champagne in two gulps, staggering on the sand of the beach in whatever exotic island they were filming at. It was like a train wreck, he wanted to look away but he couldn't. This was the first time he actually saw the footage, for a long time Zayn just thought it was a very detailed dream he couldn't shake. Moments were a little fuzzy, specific things he may have done and said getting lost in his memory.

He started to cringe when everyone began to laugh again as onscreen Zayn approached the contestant as she stood in front of the suitor, stars in her eyes. He grabbed her face in his hands and slowly started to shake her, telling her that she was going to lose, not be proposed to. The contestant immediately started to cry and looked over Zayn's shoulder at the suitor, waiting for him to correct Zayn's statement. When he remained silent she went ballistic, on a mad rampage. She was crying, mascara instantly staining her cheeks. Zayn shrugged the entire thing off, walking along the beach as the camera followed his every move. The losing contestant continued her tirade, trying to kick and punch at the suitor who now rejected her.

In the simplest of terms, it was a complete disaster. Louis could be heard yelling at Zayn to get out of the shot, that he was ruining a perfectly good shot. The contestant kept physically showing her anger as stage hands and assistants tried to wrangle her free from the suitor.

Back in the production room everyone kept laughing and visibly kept cringing at the antics onscreen. Zayn sighed and stretched out his hands, dying for a cigarette to calm his nerves. Not even a full hour at work and his was already itching for a fix. Great.

“Cheers Lou. Thanks mate,” Zayn said dryly, licking his lips.

The small room of people quickly quieted down, all turning to look at an embarrassed Zayn who kept standing right by the door. Louis in front of the room like he belonged there. Technically he did, he was the executive producer of the entire show.

“What!” He exclaimed in shock. “I always show the series finale before a new season begins.”

Zayn rolled his eyes as he finally took a seat at an empty table, throwing open the binder and plucking a pen from the cup in front of him. “The episode that aired though, not the rough cuff.”

“Talking about rough,” one producer muttered unsuccessfully under her breath.

Louis cut his eyes at the female producer, a warning of some sort. “Oh get off it Malik, no harm, no foul, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Zayn replied with an eye roll. “Can we get down to business before the contestants show up, please?”

Louis paused the footage as some of the other producers and whoever else was in the room silently protested. Zayn really did hate a vast majority of his co workers, none of them really had any respect for him, that was obvious. That was also his own fault if he was being honest with himself.

He was a walking disaster all last series, drunk a majority of the time. He never expected it to culminate during the finale, the stress of the eight weeks of filming finally getting to him. His little meltdown during the finale got the attention of the shows creator and the network. The moment he arrived back in London he was rushed into the head of the network's offices and was given a stern talking to. Zayn wasn't allowed to speak unless he was given permission, which was a crock of shit by the way. He had to agree to go to a rehab for four weeks between series and he had to pay back all the structural damage that was caused.

He did what he was told though, went through the program and pretended to actually care. He was allowed to return for the new series and that was all Zayn really wanted anyway. He knew all eyes were going to be on him this time around, one false step and he would lose his job. Zayn knew how to get around things, had done it a majority of his life. He knew the only way to survive another eight weeks of filming was with some liquid courage, all which could be hidden by mouthwash and cologne.

“So the incentives you talked about earlier, Lou?” Zayn asked, tapping his pen loudly on the opened binder.

Louis took down the footage of the previous years season and opened up another folder. It was headshots of all twenty five contestants. “Everyone in this room will chose a contestant. Depending on what they do and what we capture on camera, you'll be handsomely rewarded. Sounds good?”

“How much are we getting when we win?” Sandy, a camera operator asked.

“£20,000,” Louis answered. “This is our first gay suitor, I wanted to raise the stakes a little. I have a board in my office truck with all these guys pictures, you'll simply just write your name underneath their picture and watch the magic unfold.”

The meeting ran a few minutes longer but Zayn had zoned out immediately after Louis stopped discussing money. He looked down at his binder once more and smiled at his choice, Harry Styles.

This kid was going to make him rich this series, he was Zayn's ticket out of this hellhole. He knew his choice would get him laughed at amongst the crew, but Zayn could feel it in his bones. This kid was going to be able to solve all his problems. Now he couldn't wait to meet him and mold him into the perfect contestant for Liam. Harry looked like the type of contestant that was going to be perfect for the camera, the audience was going to eat him up immediately, hopefully Liam would too.

Once the meeting was over Zayn grabbed his things and headed straight towards the mansion. The cameramen were setting up and there were wires all over the floor, he had to tiptoe around them, hoping not to trip over them. The limos could been seen up the hill, just waiting for their cue. Makeup and hair people were running around like crazy, getting whoever was going to be on camera ready. Zayn stole a pack of barbecue crisps from the craft service table that finally arrived. He munched on them loudly, nodding his head in greeting to Niall when he made his appearance.

Niall was a good lad, been presenter of the show since the very first day. He too had become jaded of the whole thing, but a paycheck was a paycheck and no one in their right mind was going to turn that down. If Zayn was one of the lonely housewives who watched the show every Monday night he'd watch solely to see Niall. His charisma was unmatched in the industry, and genuine too. When filming ran long Zayn could always depend on Niall for a good joke and a stiff drink, two things neither boys could live without.

The noise around the mansion ended abruptly when Liam finally made it on stage, a PA literally dragging him. Great. That's exactly how Zayn predicted this season was going to go. A stubborn rich boy who thought he was too good for the show even when he personally contacted the show. Whatever. Zayn had other things to worry about anyway, like making sure all the limousines were lined up and ready to drop off the contestants without any issue.

Louis walked fast towards Zayn, his hands flailing about as he talked fast into his walkie talkie, more than likely yelling at other producers to get their shit together. It was typical day one nonsense. He had his shit together so Zayn had nothing to worry about, he hoped. He got an appreciative smile from Louis as he zoomed by him so Zayn knew he wasn't messing up. The limousines were ready, Niall and Liam were ready, all that was left was aiming the cameras and recording.

“Welcome to Everlasting,” Niall smiled and greeted the home audience warmly as soon as he was given his cue. Thus began the newest season.

Zayn stood behind all the camera and production crew, binder still held tightly in his hands. He watched as Louis ran from limousine to limousine instructing the constants what to do once they exited the vehicle, it seemed all a little boring and mundane after the sixth guy.

Zayn's job was to make sure the cars didn't end up piling up, a mini traffic jam in front of the mansion. It was a pretty easy job, say some words into this walkie talkie and call it a day. He knew it was going to be a long night, especially how Liam was reacting to every guy the approached him. They all came with a cheesy chat up line, always thinking they were the first person to make a pun out of Liam's last name. None of them were creative or charming.

Niall was fantastic as always, greeting each new contestant like he was the first. Zayn had to hide his smirk behind his binder more than once at him, his eyes were screaming for help even though he plastered on his smile like a champ. Louis was always within his eyeshot, running around behind the crew, barking orders at assistants and camera people. The first day was always the hardest for him, for all of them really. If the first day went smoothly, everything else after all just fell into place just as easily.

The twenty third contestant was making his way into the mansion after his introduction, the sun starting to rise behind the home. They'd been at this for close to four hours. All the stopping and going again just kept dragging on. Everyone was exhausted, the craft service table was practically bare at this point. All the junk food gone around two in the morning. Louis had sent some production assistant out for a coffee and tea run knowing they had at least two more hours of filming before they called it a day. Zayn was just itching for a cigarette and maybe a stiff drink, something to take the edge off.

“Hey Malik, your boy is next,” Dana, a camera operator, joked, winking at him.

Zayn looked down at his binder and nodded with a knowing smile. Harry was the next to last contestant to meet Liam. Liam who looked just as miserable as Zayn felt, good. It always warmed his heart to see the suitors uncomfortable, always made for good tv.

He spoke into his walkie talkie, letting the next limousine driver that he could pull up in front of the mansion. Louis made a mad dash to the car, going over the instructions for the twenty fourth time that day. He was running on autopilot at that point, just gibberish leaving his lips as he spoke now. Louis moved quickly behind the camera as Niall walked up to Liam, letting him know the brief history he had on Harry.

Harry Styles, 22 years old from Holmes Chapel. Just graduated from university with a degree in sociology, thinking about becoming a lawyer. Currently works at a bakery that he's been working in since he was sixteen. The basics that looked like they bored Liam to death. Honestly Zayn couldn't really blame him, after the tenth guy he zoned out too.

The door of the limo opened and out sprang Harry, all long hair and even longer limbs. He looked completely different than the headshot the production crew had of him. This Harry was more of a man than the shy little boy Zayn was expecting to see. He walked with such confidence up to Liam. Dressed in skin tight black skinny jeans, a pink and white button down shirt, only the last two buttons actually done up. His chest was on display, covered in black ink and pale skin. Zayn smirked as Liam gawked at Harry and shook his hand. Jackpot. This kid was going to make him rich.

“Why can't the flower ride his bike?” Harry asked Liam.

Liam looked around the production area, a little unsure as to what was happening. “Umm I-I don't know. Why?”

Harry broke out into a wide grin, showing off his impressive dimples. Zayn was grinning like a fool behind the camera, this feeling was almost as good as getting high or drunk. “Because his petals fell off.”

And that was the moment Zayn Malik wanted to end his life or career, or both. Harry had all the potential in the world. He was tall and attractive, probably could've been a model in another life. But no, this real life Harry had to fuck up his first impression with his potential future fiancé by making a dad joke.

Zayn held his breath as he grimaced from second hand embarrassment. A few members of the crew laughed at the sheer stupidity of it while some actually genuinely laughed at the damn joke. The whole thing was a train wreck, more than likely delighting Louis who just saw everything as ratings. Everyone waited with bated breath for Liam's reaction, at first he just remained stoic, unable to read.

“Did you just dad joke me?” He asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Yeah,” Harry replied proudly. Oh, poor, poor boy.

“I liked it,” he admitted, breaking out into a wide grin and a true laugh. His eyes got lost in his smile, his cheeks rising and laugh lines appeared by his eyes. This was the first time all night anyone saw a genuine emotion from Liam Payne. Maybe Zayn wasn't out of luck with this Harry kid after all. “I know I have one more guy to see before I'm supposed to make my decision. But umm, I want to give you the first impression rose.”

“Me?” Harry asked, taken aback. His green eyes were shining as the threatening to rise sun began to shine in front of him. “Over one stupid joke?”

“It's the first time I've laughed all night,” Liam told him, a blush creeping up his cheeks. Oh gag. This was getting to be too much. He took the single flower from the tray next to him and pinned it to Harry's shirt. “I look forward to getting to know you more, Harry.”

Zayn smiled smugly at the people who gave him dirty looks. Maybe Harry Styles was going to be his ticket out of this hellhole. He walked into the mansion, casting one more look at Liam over his shoulder, his smile wide showing off his two perfect dimples. Cameras hopefully captured that moment because that would melt the hearts of all the lonely housewives in the entire United Kingdom.

They just had one more contestant to introduce to Liam and then the second unit team was going to take over, letting everyone who was already filming catch some shut eye. Except Louis, he never slept while the cameras were rolling. He usually slept when they went on a location for a date, he delegated his responsibilities to another producer. He had bigger concerns back at the mansion where all the other contestants were, hopefully causing trouble.

Zayn let the last limousine know that they were ready for the final contestant. The night felt like it was going to drag on forever and Zayn was craving nicotine, all the coffee and tea in the world wasn't going to help him. He was also getting tired, standing on your feet all day did that to a person. Sleeping in his car obviously didn't help the situation. He must've zoned out, daydreaming of somewhere other than his current location, because Niall was ushering Liam into the mansion and Louis was calling cut.

“Second unit, places,” Louis spoke into his walkie talkie. Almost immediately people began milling about, taking over where the first team left off. “You all know what I want from tonight. Tears, gripping television. Maybe concoct a fight or two, classy stuff.”

Zayn unhooked his walkie talkie from his pants and looked around for his replacement to hand it off to. Everyone else that worked all night were already heading to off to their cars to head back to wherever they were staying for the next several weeks. “Lou? Where's my replacement?”

“Malik,” Louis let out a laugh, approaching Zayn to throw an arm over his shoulders. “You don't get a replacement this year, love. You're stuck here all day, with me.”

“Lou,” he groaned, feeling himself being directed towards the production trailers. He knew the plan. After a day of filming Louis sat in the trailer for the rest of the day watching what they had filmed earlier and concocting the storyline for each episode. “Can I least have a smoke before we dive in?”

Louis narrowed his eyes at Zayn, raising an eyebrow in questioning. He gulped down the rest of his tea and discarded it in a nearby trash can. “Fine. Make it quick, Malik. Smoke so fast that you're dizzy walking back here. Got it?”

“Got it,” he confirmed, heading towards the end of the mansion, towards the front gate. The sun was still rising, now it was close to six in the morning.

He leaned up against the brick wall that was lined up against the gate. It looked like it use to be a running security booth, when this home was occupied. Zayn reached into his back pocket and pulled at his crushed cigarette pack, grinning as he did so. He lit one of his last cigarettes left in the pack and exhaled, feeling the nicotine burning his throat and lungs instantly. Louis wasn't wrong in saying it'll make him dizzy. Going a long time without one had an obvious effect on him.

For a brief moment he closed his eyes and rested his head against the brick, hoping to maybe get a few seconds of sleep before his second shift started. He kept smoking, even with his eyes closed. The dizzy feeling slowly lulling him into a slumber. That was until his silence was interrupted by a rustling noise and whispered voices. How cliché.

“Yeah, they should be leaving soon. So, pass by my place in about an hour and I'll be available.”

Zayn let out a low groan as he recognized the voice. It was Liam. He had somehow snuck out the home unnoticed and was now standing at the front gate. He opened his eyes and saw Liam standing against the opposite wall talking to someone who looked like one of the limousine drivers.

“I don't know,” the driver replied shyly, clearly batting his eyelashes like it was endearing. Gross.

“There's no cameras where I'm staying. No one will see you,” Liam tried to convince him, grabbing tightly at the other guys hip. “Come on. It'll be our little secret.”

Zayn would be the first one to tell you how much he hated his job, it had gotten to the point where he was only working for a paycheck every week. He had become numb to everything around him, the roses the suitors handed out to the contestants, the constants overabundant amount of just sappy, cheesy, and cliché love tropes the show thrusted into people's faces. It all got to be too much as the years went on.

The one thing that did bother him though was when someone was clearly not cooperating with the process of the show. It just made the storylines fake, well, faker than they already were. Clearly, Liam was not on board with the process, which struck Zayn as funny. He began to laugh to himself, mostly because the sight in front of him was pretty hysterical and because he was also getting a little loopy from lack of sleep. If anyone this season was going to piss off Louis Tomlinson by not fully cooperating it wasn't going to be rich boy Liam Payne, that's for shit sure.

The limousine driver looked a little hesitant, it was clear to Zayn that he was just loving the attention from Liam, though. “I need to be back at the depot by half ten.”

Liam checked his watch and smiled one of those forced smiles. “That gives us more than enough time, babe.”

“Okay, Romeo,” Zayn finally cut in. He discarded his useless cigarette, snuffing it out with the heel of his shoe. “Stop fraternizing with the help, yeah? You have twenty five eligible men inside waiting for you, not to mention the production crew waiting as well.”

“And who the hell are you?” Liam snapped, dropping his hand from the driver's hip and sizing Zayn up. It was clear he had the advantage height and size wise. Zayn always knew from an early age a lot of people were going to underestimate him, that's why he learned to box.

“Your worst nightmare,” he replied, internally groaning at the laughable response. He rolled his eyes at Liam's scoff and turned to the limousine driver. “I'd advise you to leave and never speak of this if you want to keep being employed. Got it?”

The limousine driver didn't even say anything, just took one quick look between Zayn and Liam, noticed they were standing taller and prouder than moments before. He shot Liam an apologetic smile before taking off towards his car and pulling out of the driveway without saying a single word.

“That was bullshit,” Liam spat in Zayn's face. He took a step closer, his nose almost touching Zayn's. “How dare you interfere with my personal business.”

“How dare I?” He laughed, this was getting to be too comical actually. “Babe, your personal business is now my business, the country's too. You wanted to be here, remember? We did not seek you out.”

Liam kept sizing Zayn up, looking him up and down, deciding his next action. He let out a sigh and finally took a step back. “Fine. You win this one, for now.”

“Oh I’m terrified,” he replied sarcastically, grabbing Liam’s wrist to literally drag him back up to the mansion. “Your public awaits you, your highness.”

Zayn grumbled and muttered under his breath the entire time he dragged Liam up the driveway and back to the mansion. He passed him back to an assistant who looked embarrassed that she had lost the one person she was responsible of watching. Shaking his head and not saying another word Zayn walked back to the production trailer he left Louis in earlier. He watched in silence for a while. Watched Louis work meticulously, kind of like an artist in front of a canvas. Everything that was filmed that day on giant monitors in front of him, a huge spiral notebook sprawled out on the keyboard. A pencil in his mouth and one behind his ear, his brows more than likely drawn together in concentration.

Louis was always so loud and in your face, brash. But this Louis was the one Zayn liked the most, the silent side of him not many people got to see. This was the Louis Zayn became friends with all those years ago. The two of them squished into a production truck looking over films, cutting and pasting a storyline to sell, hoping that this series would be the one that put them on the map and get them to the position they were in now. He watched a little while longer in silence as Louis spoke quietly to himself, commenting on what he was watching. Already fed up with the work even though he'd only been at it for a few minutes.

“Having trouble?” Zayn made his presence known, walking over to Louis and taking a seat beside him.

“Payne is a wanker,” he concluded, ripping a piece of paper out of his notebook and handing it to Zayn along with the pencil that once rested on his ear. “He looks bored in every shot we have of him.”

“Shocking,” he replied sarcastically. “Just saw him down the road trying to sleep with a limousine driver.”

“Great,” Louis groaned and fast forward the film a few minutes until he landed on the footage of Harry's arrival. “This is the first genuine emotion we get from him all night. Your boy might win, Malik.”

“He better,” he joked and jotted down notes on his paper. Notes about ways to ensure Harry won Liam's heart, storylines that might help him in the long run. Ways to help coax the country in loving Harry as well. “Unless Payne mucks it all up.”

“I bet you five quid he'll end up alone and ruin this entire series,” Louis laughed, leaning back on his chair, placing his clasped hands behind his head and looking over at Zayn. He was smiling his mischievous smile, lips curled up and white teeth showing. “Which then makes this entire series well worth it, actually.”

Zayn looked up at the monitors and studied Liam's face. He looked bored from the moment Louis called for the cameras to start rolling. He understood the blokes pain, the ridiculousness of it all. But on the other hand Liam had asked for this, asked to be the newest suitor. He studied how Liam's face lit up at the sight of Harry, how Liam Payne looked like a decent human being for once in his miserable life. “Deal. Liam's walking out of here in eight weeks engaged.”

The night kept rolling on, much to Zayn's dismay. The sun was already shining bright in the sky by the time the second unit called cut for the day. The twenty five contestants got well acquainted with Liam, most of them already feeling disdain towards Harry and his rose. Now that filming was over until mid afternoon the set was quiet.

This was the only time on set Zayn truly enjoyed, watching the controlled chaos from the night before become peaceful. He stepped out of the production trailer once Louis allowed him to leave and had to shield his eyes from the bright sun. All the production people were heading to their cars to crash at their hotels until they were needed again. The strategically placed cameras around the mansion and grounds would capture whatever they missed. Nothing went unnoticed on this show.

Zayn continued to drag to feet down the road and towards where he parked his car a few blocks away. He lit a cigarette on his journey back, trying to stretch out his back before he had to cram himself in the backseat. It was a truly glamorous life. Everyone got a hotel, Louis and Niall being accommodated with a luxury flat for the both of them, while Zayn slept in a car. The network didn't trust him in something fancy so they forwent splurging on something decent for Zayn. It was up to him to find a place for live for the next eight weeks. So, he was staying in his car. It was uncomfortable but also free. The money he would save could go to something useful like booze or cigarettes, maybe even clean clothes.

The endless tossing and turning that night kept Zayn awake a majority of the time. Even though he was exhausted he just couldn't sleep. He swore he heard his phone go off at least five times when it actually remained quiet. Everything was quiet around him actually. Like the day before, he woke up and tried to look for whatever clean clothes he had, smelling them before throwing them on. He used what little cologne he had to cover up whatever smell he or his clothes may give off, using mouthwash again instead of brushing his teeth. Also like the day before he stopped and got himself and Louis cups of tea. It was an endless cycle.

The chaos of the set was more controlled, people falling into place with the new series. Luckily today wasn't going to be as long as the day before. Today's filming was going to consist of mostly the mansion and the contestants getting to know Liam before the first elimination ceremony later that night.

He greeted Louis with a smile and handed him the tea before being whisked away into the production trailer, looking at the footage that he had pieced together the night before. Everything was looking good, making Zayn somewhat optimistic for the weeks ahead. Louis was a genius at what he did, even though it pained Zayn to admit that, especially out loud. It was clear from the raw footage how this series would play out. Louis had set up the characters perfectly, crafting his villains and heroes just from one night of filming.

“I need you to do intro interviews today,” Louis told him casually, toying with the buttons on his computer.

“No,” Zayn quickly shot him down. “We have low ranking producers for that.”

Louis sighed and swiveled in his chair, facing Zayn. “Do you not remember that you're on probation? You may be a high ranking producer here but that doesn't mean you can't be a team player.”

“Lou-”

“Not my call, mate,” he gently reminded him, raising his hands in surrender. “It's the network and their bosses. They want to make sure you're still willing to work hard.”

“How are intro interviews a sign of working hard?” He asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity. He was going to have a good laugh at Louis trying to explain this one.

“Bro, I don't know,” he answered with a shrug. “We've all got orders and those are mine. Making sure this season goes off without a hitch and keeping you in line.”

“Like I'm a bloody child,” Zayn muttered under his breath and stood up from his chair. He reached for another notepad and clipboard. “Who's on my team?”

“You've got Dana on camera and Marcus is your assistant,” Louis rattled off. “Now go and make good television.”

Zayn grumbled at Louis’ cheeky smile as he left the trailer. Introduction interviews. What a waste of time. It was done every series, but always left for the new producers on the show. If this was how the network was going to treat him, Zayn was going to comply. He was going to hate every single second of it but he was going to do it. He passed the craft service table and grabbed a packet of barbecue crisps before making his way to where he saw Dana setting up her camera by the edge of the garden, next to the outdoor hot tub. How romantic. The lights and microphones were already set up, just now waiting for Zayn to take his seat while Marcus ran around like a chicken with a missing head trying to wrangle up whatever contestant Zayn was supposed to interview.

He skimmed his clipboard, a list of everyone he was going to be speaking to that day and in what order. Luckily it wasn't all twenty five guys, and another small miracle was that his interviews were ending with Harry. This was an excellent way to manipulate the situation, getting everyone on Harry's side and falling in love with him just like Liam was going to.

Zayn learned quickly that a majority of the guys were in over their own head with joining the show. None of them admitted to watching the show before hand so they had no idea what they got themselves into. It was all blind optimism on their part. Everyone was excited to get to know Liam and hopefully find true love along the way. Gag. The mundane conversations with the first four contestants reminded Zayn why he started drinking in the first place. Thank god for Chad.

Chad was the contestant Louis chose to win the entire show. Chad was twenty two from Liverpool, just finished his studies at uni, graduating with a degree in early education. He wanted to be a special education teacher. Something to pull at the heartstrings of the country, nice job lad. Chad was the perfect example of someone who peaked too early in life but was still striving to get back to who he once was. He just kept rambling on and on about his gym routine and his protein powder, without Zayn even asking a single question. He just looked into the camera and kept talking.

Dana and Marcus looked over at Zayn and rolled their eyes, he understood completely. No wonder why Louis liked this guy, he was going to be this series villain, everyone was going to love to hate him. If he didn't win Liam's heart he was going to be next series suitor, no doubt about it.

Things started to turn interesting when Zayn finally got a word in edgewise, finally asking Chad about Liam. Chad smiled widely at the camera and began to talk on and on about Liam and his money. Jackpot. Gold digger. It was obvious that he couldn't care less about Liam as a person, just saw dollar signs when he looked at the bloke. He just kept going on and on about Liam and Payne enterprises, his father's company. Probably spoke all about it in one breath, impressive.

When Zayn finally got to speak again he asked Chad if he was excited about the potential to fall in love with Liam. Chad shrugged his shoulders, unsure but complied and said yes. It was clear to Zayn that this guy was clearly here for all the wrong reasons. You're welcome England.

Thank god for Harry. After Zayn wrapped up his interview with Chad he knew Harry was next to speak to. They took a five minute break to ease their now hurting heads before Marcus scurried off to get Harry. It was a small blessing talking to Harry. He greeted everyone with respect and a firm handshake along with his blinding smile. Zayn knew how to work this interview perfectly, despite the fact that he despised doing the actual interviewing. The interview started with the standard questions, asking Harry about his life, how he grew up and whatnot. Zayn wrote furiously as Harry answered, even though he spoke slow and in circles sometimes. Harry had a pretty standard life growing up, his parents divorced when he was young but they still remained friends and respected each other. He had an older sister that he hailed as is best friend and his idol, alongside David Bowie and Mick Jagger.

Nothing was setting Harry apart from all the other lads. Zayn was trying, or at least he seemed like he was trying. Half of him wanted to go back to his car and sleep until he had a paycheck in his bank but he sadly knew that the only way he was going to get paid was if he actually did some work. Whatever. Zayn zoned out when Harry started to talk about the sweet old ladies that worked with him in the bakery back in Cheshire. How wholesome. Yawn. There had to be something, anything that set Harry apart. Something that Zayn could use to his advantage.

“How did you really feel when you found out this year's suitor was the infamous Liam Payne?” Marcus asked.

Zayn cut his eyes over at his assistant, trying to quickly figure out who allowed him to speak. That's right. No one did. Why did he get the idea that he was allowed to add his two cents? Rookies.

“Honestly?” Harry hesitantly asked, looking past the camera and directly at Zayn. He had a skewed smile on his face and his posture got tense right before their eyes. A very different version than the Harry they met only a day ago.

“This is a safe and honest place, Harry,” Zayn assured him, trying not to choke on his words. What a crock of shit. If it got the kid to open up and make good television, Zayn was going to tell him anything he wanted to hear.

Harry gave them a quick, reassuring nod before visibly swallowing, shaking his hair away from his face. He kept fidgeting in his seat, clearly anxious. He let out an audible exhale, nodding once more. “I don't like to judge people based on preconceived notions, especially based on things that get written in The Sun. But you can't hide from the constant noise that is Liam Payne.”

“So you've heard of him before?” Zayn laughed. This was better than what he expected to get out of Harry. Ideas were already brewing in his head, Louis was going to kiss the ground he walked on after this interview.

“You have to live under a rock not to have heard of him,” he guffawed. “I didn't sign up for this show to be someone's babysitter or therapist. I came here for love and a potential husband.”

“How did you really feel after you stepped out of the limo?” Zayn continued to prompt him. In Zayn's short time around Harry he realized once you got him to open up, he never stopped. He'd talk your ear off, which always made for good television.

“He's fit,” he began, laughing at himself as he spoke. “That's a given. I was umm, I was definitely apprehensive at first. Nervous of course. What was I going to say and all that. Even thought about getting back in the car and heading back to the airport, honestly.”

“What changed? Why did you stick around and accept the rose?” Zayn looked around briefly, Dana had zoomed in, making sure the camera read Harry's face perfectly. Marcus was standing off to the side, hanging on to every word that fell out Harry's mouth. This couldn't have gone any better for Zayn.

“He laughed,” he replied, shrugging. “My stupid, corny joke got an honest to God laugh out of Liam Payne. Usually I get an eye roll or a pity chuckle, I'm use to that. But an honest laugh from probably the most hated celebrity in the U.K. is not something you expect everyday.”

“And now?”

“Now I want to get to know him,” Harry continued, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. It was endearing, if you were into that sort of crap. Zayn wasn't, but millions of lonely housewives definitely were into that sort of thing. “I still want to find love, I'm an optimist like that. I'm really looking forward to getting to know Liam and see where it goes. I'll still be guarded, everyone would be in my situation. But I-I'll be ready for what's to come.”

Harry said his goodbyes and shook everyone's hand before scurrying back towards the mansion. Marcus and Dana cleaned up the set while Zayn relished in the moment of silence he finally got, another opportunity to sneak off set to have a cigarette break. Like the night before he walked toward the front gate and leaned up against the brick wall. The day had just begun and he was ready to pack it up and call it a day. Last night lasted forever but today was the first elimination, they were going to say goodbye to five contestants. At least Harry was safe, everyone else was going to have to run around pleading their case before Liam made his final decision. Louis usually threatened the suitors livelihood to get his way, but they listened to him anyway. It was the calm before the inevitable storm.

Zayn tried to rest his eyes and just enjoy his alone time before inevitably going back to the production truck and helping Louis construct more of a cohesive storyline. It's was obvious from today's filming that Chad was going to be the villain and Harry was going to be the guy everyone rooted for. It boasted well for Zayn, he already had the money he was going to get spent. Maybe find a place to live, pay back Adam, and lastly go on a drinking binge to celebrate all the money he had just won. Priorities. He inhaled another drag of his cigarette as his walkie talkie started to make a static like noise. He couldn't hear what was being said but Zayn knew it was Louis more than likely looking for him. Dana probably handed over the footage and Marcus was probably just standing behind Louis looking like the lost puppy he was. Pathetic.

He dragged himself back up the graveled path, his mouth tasting stale from inhaling his cigarette so quickly. Made him feel dizzy, a feeling Zayn more than welcomed. The craft service table was restocked so he grabbed a pack of barbecue crisps, breakfast of champions. Or was it lunch? Who knew and who cares honestly. Today was going to run just as long as the day before so whatever sustenance Zayn could get he was going to take.

He walked up the stairs of the production trailer and saw Louis sitting in front of the row of monitors. Empty paper cups that held his tea were scattered all around him. If Zayn looked closely he could see a rolled joint tucked behind his ear. So it was that kind of morning. Stressful. Louis rarely smoked, usually only during the final rose ceremony when everything around them was coming to a crashing end. Already contemplating smoking on day two? It was going to be a long next couple of weeks for all of them. He continued his walk up to his friend, noticing his notepad was filled with nonsense writings, none of really looked like it made much sense.

“Already thinking about smoking?” Zayn asked, pulling out the metal seat and sitting down next to Louis.

Louis jumped a little at the voice, shaking his head. “Confiscated it from Mia, caught her rolling it outside the makeup trailer. Amateur.”

“Now you're hall monitor,” he laughed, flipping through the pages of Louis's book. Still none of it looked like it made much sense. Just names and dates and times scribbled in his illegible handwriting. Typical Louis.

“Someone has to be,” he joked. “So I see the interviews went well. Chad doing Chad things. Styles being a good Boy Scout.”

“He's gonna win Lou, just you wait,” Zayn teased, eyes scanning the monitors in front of him. Watching the live footage of what was happening in the mansion. Nothing exciting. Some of the lads breaking off into smaller groups, patiently waiting for elimination later that night. “Who's leaving us tonight?”

“No idea,” Louis scoffed with a shrug. “Payne doesn't want to leave his guest house to interact with anyone and no one can get in and talk to him about tonight.”

“Why do we pay Maxine?” He asked. “Some personal assistant she is. Can't keep one measly client in line.”

“She'll be fired by weeks end,” Louis wagered. “Mark my words, Malik.”

Zayn spun in his seat, trying to do anything to occupy his mind. That was one major downfall of production, all the mindless downtime they had. When they were filming or even doing interviews, time seemed to fly by. When there was nothing to do, there literally was nothing to do. You just hoped and prayed something exciting was happening in the house that would hopefully occupy your time for a few minutes.

That's what got Zayn in trouble during the last series. All the downtime and the copious amounts of alcohol around the set. It was a slippery slope that never led anywhere good. Low ranking assistants or producers always had a reason to party, it was the first job for most of them. The rest of them drank just to pass the time. Days blurred into night and before long eight weeks had passed and the production was over. Zayn was always busy last series but he never was one to turn down a free drink. The winters in the U.K. were brutal and alcohol was always a quick way to warm him up.

He spun in his chair once more and played with the fringe by Louis eye, doing anything to distract his friend from his job. Louis took this way too seriously for someone who always scoffed at his job. He was the first one to claim he didn't need this job but was always the most diligent at doing it. It made absolutely no sense. Louis absentmindedly swatted his hand away, not looking away from his work. He was use to Zayn and his nervous hands, always having to fiddle with something to occupy his thoughts. His thoughts that usually got him in trouble, hence the series finale last year.

Zayn was tempted to steal the blunt behind Louis's ear and smoke it to calm himself down. They had plenty of munchies around set to satisfy his eventual hunger as well. Smoking alone wasn't fun though, no one to laugh with when something mundane became hysterical. Pointing and laughing at interns who worked too hard for next to no pay was pretty fun once you were high. None of them were that funny sober and especially when you were alone. Zayn just kept spinning in his chair, glancing at the monitors with every turn.

The tension was escalating due to the elimination that night. People who scampering off, searching for Liam to plead their case. Too bad Liam was nowhere to be found, well, except to the production crew. He was sleeping soundly in his flat down the road. It was still early in the production phase and Liam was turning out to be the most difficult suitor they would ever have. Why be here if you didn't want to participate in the process? Did he not realize how hard it was to make a television show when the star refused to cooperate? Zayn almost felt sorry for Liam’s person assistant, she was sitting around doing nothing as well. Her job was to keep Liam in check, make sure he was on set when he was supposed to, participating on dates, acting like he was actually interested in the whole process. Right now she was sitting on the couch in Liam’s little house, on her phone, looking just as bored as Zayn currently felt. At least somebody could commiserate with him.

After what felt like endless time passing, Liam woke up and emerged from his home. Elimination was in less than two hours and it was about time he started to mingle with the contestants. Niall arrived on set and had his obligatory conversation with Liam in front of the cameras. Asking him how he was feeling and if he was still making any final minute decisions. He just shrugged his shoulders, a clear sign that he couldn't care less about what was going on around him. Figures. Niall escorted Liam into the mansion that held the contestants and it was clear he was way out of his element, immediately going tense and looking around for some sort of help. It was Liam's first time in a room with all twenty five men vying for his time and heart. It was bound to be overwhelming but as Zayn watched the monitors he had to laugh, he signed up for this. What was he really expecting? Liam's misery aside, Zayn's task was to watch for any behind the scenes drama. Louis was watching the monitors as well, barking orders into his walkie talkie to anyone who would listen.

Outside the trailer Zayn could hear people running around, sounding a little panicked and out of breath. Elimination night was a stressful day for everyone, there were a lot of little details that needed to be ironed out quickly and efficiently. The main room in the mansion still needed to be vacuumed, the pictures of all the contestants for Liam to sulk and look at before he made his final decision wasn't complete either. And if Zayn listened closely to the noise outside, the florist that was supposed to deliver all the roses Liam would be handing out was stuck in traffic. So everything was going exactly according to plan.

Liam was slowly starting to mingle with the contestants, oddly making sure Harry was never far from him. Harry, the only one who didn't have to worry about his fate. That was good for Zayn though, made his job that much easier. Chad tried to weasel his way into almost every conversation Liam had the courage to have. He wanted to make sure his presence was known. It was as if he knew he was destined to become the villain this series. Oh well. Louis stood up from where he still sat next to Zayn and sighed, rubbing at his temples with a pinched looked on his face. Yep, it was elimination night. He took the blunt from behind his ear and inhaled its scent, taking a deeper breath than Zayn would've recommended. Louis put the blunt back behind his ear and patted at his pants pockets, searching for something clearly.

“Got your light?” Louis asked looking down at him.

Zayn's eyebrows shot up, curious. “Why?”

“Get the fuck over yourself, Malik,” he spat out. “I need to smoke and you're the only one I know that's a damn chimney around here. So, you got your light or no?”

“Of course,” he answered and stood up as well, pulling his lighter from his back pocket. “Aren't we supposed to be working?”

“The show’s already fucked, can't get much worse in the time we're gone,” Louis explained with a pained laugh. That once sentence made everything painfully obvious for Zayn. Louis was stressed more than he had ever been, it wasn't just first elimination stress. It was career stress.

“The front gate is the best place to umm to smoke,” Zayn pointed out as both men made their way out the production trailer. “That's where I go to smoke anyway.”

Zayn Malik wasn't afraid to admit he was in love with Louis Tomlinson. Okay, maybe he was and maybe it was the weed talking for him. Was he talking? Or was his inner monologue just running rampant as usual. He just shrugged his shoulders and inhaled deeply, feeling the smoke burn down his throat and into his lungs. It was a good feeling, a welcomed feeling. Louis was a trip when he was baked, giggling behind his hand, blue eyes bright but glassy. If they weren't coworkers Zayn could definitely see them as friends outside the chaos of the show. Yeah, it was definitely the weed talking for him. Zayn didn't need friends, didn't need to bring anyone into his already messed up world. He was damaged goods, been told that most his life. Now he was just living up to his potential. The air around them was getting thick and had a stickiness attached to it. As Zayn passed the blunt back over to Louis he realized he was going to need a shower soon. How he was going to make that happen was something he needed to think about. Obviously his car didn't come with one and there were too many cameras in the contestants mansion to sneak one in unnoticed. He couldn't ask Niall or Louis because that'll be an obvious dead giveaway. Zayn just guessed that'll be another thing to add to his growing list of problems. Wasn't weed supposed to calm you down not heighten one's anxiety? Zayn made a mental note to find Mia and scold her on supplying sloppy weed.

By the time they made their way back to the production truck the buzzing on Louis's walkie talkie finally subsided, hopefully meaning whatever was wrong finally got fixed. Zayn spotted a florist truck pulling up behind them as they walked up from the front gate, the corsages had arrived. The cleaning supplies were parked in front of the mansion, the handymen walking directly behind them to put the final touches on the rooms. Everything was so last minute but at least it was finally coming together. It even looked like Liam was actually enjoying himself amongst the contestants, Harry still not far from his side. He was talking and looked genuine to everyone he spoke to. Chad puffed up his chest and tried to looked broader than normal, maybe a little bit too intimidating but Liam seemed to be buying it. Niall was seen in the background just his eyes following Liam around the room, gauging everything that was happening. Soon after Chad weaseled his way into Liam's personal space Harry was quickly forgotten. From where Zayn was sitting he could see Louis shit-eating grin, very proud of his choice this series, obviously. Zayn paid him no mind, just because Chad was looking good now didn't mean he was receiving a rose tonight. Right on cue Niall pulled Liam aside and into another room for them to discuss all his options and get his thoughts on the gentlemen vying for his heart and affection. He seemed sincere while he spoke to Niall, he was still the worst suitor in the shows entire history but at least he was finally trying.

Like every rose ceremony in the shows history, Louis gathered all the producers who weren't supposed to be on set into the largest production truck they had. Everyone waited with bated breath as Liam entered the main room again and waited for the elimination to begin. Louis quickly barked orders into his walkie talkie, making sure all the camera operators were ready and a low ranking producer was standing by the five limousines that were going to send the sacked contestants away. Everyone in the trailer had a stake in this ceremony, they wanted the guy they chose to stay. The longer the contestant stayed, the more chances they had at collecting money. Zayn wasn't nervous, his boy Harry was safe. Harry stood in the back and smiled widely at Liam, proudly showing off his rose that was still pinned to his jacket. Niall was a professional like always, moving everything along when it was obviously getting stagnant. Elimination was supposed to be dramatic and over the top but it seemed as if no one really got that memo. Luckily Niall knew how to make those moments happen at the drop of a hat. He pulled Liam aside which confused the room, telling him that he didn't have to eliminate just five, if he felt someone else needed to go it was his choice. Everyone back in the production truck knew that never happened, most suitors stuck by the shows rules but it always good to throw a wrench in their plans once in awhile. Make this fresh and interesting, especially for the viewers at home. Liam followed the rules as predicted and eliminated his five guys. The last one to receive a rose was Chad, which spooked Louis for a few tense minutes. Everyone in the production truck just started at him as he looked at the monitor.

“Alright everyone,” Louis called to attention. “I need these exit interviews to be edited and ready for post production by morning. I also need Liam's interview done first thing tomorrow morning. Everyone's dismissed.”

Everyone in the truck gathered their belongings and made their way out the truck with their tasks for the next morning. Zayn knew he wasn't going to be dismissed though, Louis always sticking him with someone mindless to do so he wasn't working alone all night. Zayn just stayed seated watching the monitors as the remaining twenty contestants and Liam cheered each other with an expensive bottle of champagne that really made Zayn feel parched.

“Malik,” Louis voice cut through his thoughts. “You're dismissed too.”

“W-what?” He asked, slowly standing up and very shocked. “What happened to me not getting a second unit replacement for the night shifts?”

Louis shrugged his shoulders. “I don't make the rules bro, I just got to follow the nextworks orders and I got new orders this morning. You're free to go home for the night.”

“Yea,” he nodded in agreement, none of it making sense. All he cared about was the he was free now and now had a new mystery job to start in the morning. Zayn waved to Louis as he gathered his things and made his way out the truck, gearing up for the trek up the hill to where he parked his car.

Another reckless night of sleep left Zayn more cranky than usual. He was running out of clean clothes and cologne, meaning he was going to either need money from Louis soon or somehow sneak into wardrobe and borrow a few things for himself. He used the last of his mouthwash and quickly changed into whatever smelt the cleanest before walking down the hill toward the mansion. All Zayn could think about was his new job that he was supposed to start today. It was an order from the network, which usually meant he was going to hate it. He'd been on his best behavior so far so what punishment was he going to be strapped with now. Zayn checked his phone quickly, luckily he was able to charge it at work so it still was on, and ignored another message from Adam. It was too early in the morning to start with him. Okay, so maybe Zayn had ignored close to thirty messages from his former roommate but he had other priorities at the moment. Work was more important than an useless argument. Zayn walked past the front gate and snuffed out his cigarette on the brick wall before being bombarded with the massive day ahead of him. Today Liam was supposed to take ten of the contestants on their first date, tomorrow the other ten were set to get their turn. No doubt Louis spent all night concocting ideas of where they'd go and who was the lucky ten to go out with Liam first. If Zayn closed his eyes for a minute he could see Louis sitting in his truck writing in his notebook like a madman coming up with perfect ideas and scenarios for the day. It was so bizarre that Louis was so dedicated to a job he hated.

“Just the lad I wanted to see,” Louis greeted him, empty styrofoam teas cups littering his desk. Guess it was another long night of editing and scheming. “Come in Malik, we need to talk.”

Zayn eyes Louis cautiously as he took a seat where he usually sat next to Louis. “Lou, what's up? Why do I feel like I need to be nervous about my job.”

“You still have a job,” he quickly assured him. “Just not as a producer anymore.”

“Lou,” he said his friends name slowly, almost threatening. “What’s my new job?”

“The network feels that you being a producer may be too stressful, especially after last series incident,” he began, speaking calmly, which wasn’t reassuring at all for Zayn. “They want you to be Liam’s personal assistant.”

“No!”

“Zayn-”

“Absolutely not!” Zayn protested again. “I rather be fired than demoted to that shitty position. I can’t-won’t be Liam Payne’s bloody assistant.”

“Bro,” Louis soothly tried to speak to him. Keep the chaos and anger to a minimum. “It’s an easy job and you keep the same pay.”

“Then you do it,” Zayn spat at him. “If it’s so easy, you take the job, leave me as producer.”

“Zayn,” he repeated, his voice still calm. “You know I can’t do that.”

“What happened to Maxine?” Zayn asked, grabbing an empty styrofoam cup and pulling it apart, doing anything to occupy his hands. His blood was boiling and he was in desperate need of a cigarette or a drink. There had to be leftover champagne somewhere on set. “She was doing a fine job yesterday.”

“She let Liam sleep all day yesterday,” Louis scoffed. “He’s supposed to be interacting, pretending he gives a shit about this process and she wasn’t fulfilling her job duties.”

“And I will?” Zayn sneered, grabbing another cup to rip apart. “Lou, come on bro, really?”

“I've got orders to follow too,” he explained. “I wanted my partner in crime by my side all series but I don't make the rules, Malik.”

Zayn let out a sigh, dropping the cup back on the table to harshly scrub at his face. “I've really got to be this blokes assistant?”

“It's only for seven weeks,” Louis tried to lighten the situation.

“Yay,” he replied dryly. Zayn stood up and took the walkie talkie that was being handed to him, turning it on and hearing the static crackle. “Where's the pain in the ass anyway?”

“He just woke up, today is date day,” Louis informed him. “I just need him showered and dressed and in the main room within an hour, can you do that?”

“I think I can get a grown man to follow rules,” Zayn huffed, adjusting the walkie talkie on his belt and making his way out the truck.

Out of all the things Zayn thought Louis was going to say to him, being Liam's assistant wasn't one of them. That was so far from his mind he never he thought of it. Now he was stuck doing the one job he despised the most. He was now a glorified babysitter, wasting his day away making sure a grown man lived up to his end of the bargain. The small upside to it all was now Zayn had access to a shower. Cameras were hardly in Liam's part of the mansion, only the ones in his bedroom and living quarters. Maybe, just maybe, Zayn could sneak in a shower while Liam slept or got dressed. It seemed like a smart idea to Zayn. Right now he had other things to worry about, pretending to give a shit about Liam and making sure he didn't jeopardize the filming of the series once again.

“What do you want?” Liam spat out as soon as Zayn walked into the home. “I'm not hiding any limo drivers in my room.”

“I know,” Zayn told him. “There's cameras in your room, we would've known by now if that was the case.”

“So, what do you want?” He repeated. Liam was just casually lounging on the sofa, today's paper and a fruit platter on the coffee table in front of him. He picked up a strawberry and popped it into his mouth, still staring at Zayn. “Hello. I asked you a question.”

“I'm your-your new assistant,” he finally answered, words getting stuck in his throat, his mouth suddenly dry.

Liam raised his eyebrows in amusement, nodding his head like he was trying to understand this new development. He scratched at his bare stomach and ate another strawberry. “Producing got to be too much for you?”

It took all Zayn had inside of him to not roll his eyes and spit venom at Liam. “You're too much to handle for one little girl it seemed. Needed someone with balls to do the job.”

“Clearly,” he smirked, still raising an eyebrow. “Want some fruit?”

“Excuse me?” Zayn asked, stunned at the sudden change of atmosphere around him. Weren't they just arguing seconds ago?

“Do you want some fruit to eat?” Liam repeated slowly for Zayn to comprehend. “I always get a fruit platter in the morning and can never finish it, Maxine was allergic so I always had to dump the leftovers. You hungry?”

Zayn looked around the room, waiting for someone to pop out of a room or closet and wake him up. What the hell had just happened? Wasn't Liam Payne supposed to be a loathsome rich boy that wasted away daddy's money with no care in the world? “I-I’m good, thanks.”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged his shoulders and went back to eating and reading his paper, sipping at his coffee cup occasionally.

“Actually,” Zayn spoke up. “I know this is gonna sound odd but umm can I use your shower?”

“Yeah, sure,” he told him, never looking up from his paper. “I've gotta hop in myself soon but you're more than welcome to use it now.”

“Thanks,” he told him and made his way towards the bathroom. A part of him was still stunned over Liam's kindness toward him but he was too excited to finally get a shower to even dwell on it for much longer than a minute.

The moment Zayn stepped into the lush bathroom he let out a massive sigh of relief. He'd been concerned over where he was going to find a shower for close to a week now and in one hour that matter had been solved. A little victory that he wasn't going to deny himself. The shower itself was grand and immaculate. It was made entirely of glass and could probably fit his entire family if he tried. The floor was lined with some type of marble. The entire room looked like it belonged in some travel advert he would see in a magazine at a doctors office. He disrobed and turned the water on to as hot as he knew he could handle. He just needed to scrub and burn every inch of his skin off, start fresh somehow. As he stepped into the large shower he looked around and saw all the expensive shit Liam had littering the room. Body washes, shampoos, and conditioners that cost more than Zayn made in his entire life. Lotions that were made from vanilla beans in the middle of South America, random shit if you asked Zayn. Too fancy for his blood. That didn't mean he wasn't going to use them. He put his head under the powerful shower spray and just let the water wash over him, make him lose some of the tension in his shoulders. He finally felt relaxed for the first time in a long time, well, as relaxed as he could feel at that exact moment. It felt good and this was the first time in a long time he allowed himself to feel that way. He kept his eyes closed as the water kept beating down on him.

“Budge over.”

Zayn's eye shot open at the voice. He turned his head at the sound, wiping away the condensation that built up on the glass. “L-Liam!”

“I need to shower as well, so either budge over or get out,” Liam flatly told him.

“I-I just got in here,” Zayn sputtered out, quickly moving his hands to cover himself up, not that Liam could see anything seeing as Zayn’s front was facing away from him. “Can't you wait?”

“I've got a busy day, ten lads waiting on me today,” he laughed, toeing off his socks and scratching at his bare stomach. He moved around the room, grabbing a towel out of the cupboard and placing it on the edge of the sink, grabbing a toiletry bag and placing it alongside the towel. “You moving or am I joining you?”

Zayn kept standing there, not really knowing what to say at this point. He was rarely speechless but now this was the second time today his words got lost in his throat. He couldn't give up this perfect opportunity at a well needed shower though. “Fine, get in. But I swear to god if you touch me in any way I'll break your fingers.”

“Deal,” Liam agreed with a smirk. “Turn around so I can get naked, no looking Mr. Producer.”

“It's Zayn,” he told him and turned back around, letting the water beat down on him again, trying to enjoy the final moments alone in the shower.

The door opened letting a rush of cold air enter the hot stall momentarily. Liam stood behind Zayn, making sure there was a respectable distance between them. “What?”

“My name is Zayn,” he introduced himself, moving his head so it was no longer under the rush of water. “Kind of feels appropriate to introduce myself to you now.”

“Sure,” Liam shrugged off his introduction. “You gonna hog all the water or do I have to physically move you?”

“Y-yeah, sorry,” he sheepishly apologized not really knowing how to maneuver around. He still needed to finish his shower but he didn't want hog up all the hot water and cause another meaningless argument with Liam. “I’ll just move and you can do whatever you needed to do.”

“Unless you had other plans in here besides showering,” Liam cheekily replied, smirking. He turned his head so he was looking directly at Zayn as he spoke.

Zayn's mouth hung open at Liam's reply, water falling down his face and easily into his mouth. Once again he was at a loss for words. There was the despicable Liam Payne he was waiting for, the one with the horrible reputation and even worse attitude. “Let's just fucking shower, okay mate.”

“Fine by me,” Liam said.

Zayn had experienced many awkward moments in his life, that was just apart of everyone's life it seemed. Coming out to his parents and older sister when he was fifteen was pretty awkward, especially when they clearly already knew, finding gay porn on his computer months before. The coming out wasn't awkward it was the fact that he kept remembering that his parents knew he watched porn. So every time Zayn wanted to watch porn he was constantly reminded that his parents knew what he was doing. As soon as the video began the awkwardness quickly disappeared. Another awkward moment was his first day at university. He confidently walked into his lecture, taking a seat in the middle row and pulled out his laptop, ready to conquer higher education. That was until halfway through the class he realized he was in the wrong room. He was supposed to be in a communication class but somehow ended up in business management. How he didn't realize he was in the wrong class was beyond him. He didn't want to feel like a complete ass so Zayn continued to sit through the class, even took notes and answered questions when he was called on. Fake it until he made it. That was a motto that stuck with him his entire life. Now sharing a shower with Liam Payne had to be the most awkward moment of his professional career. He had showered with other men before, but that was always intimate, this was the complete opposite. Every time their elbows or toes would accidentally brush up against each other one of them would jump in shock. They did quickly find a rhythm, thankfully, Zayn washed his body while Liam lathered up and they would switch so Zayn could shampoo his hair. The one main rule was eyes remained up and no one looked or touched anything. It was awkward and effective.

“Get dressed in your room and I'll finish in here. Meet me outside in twenty,” Zayn barked out the order. He had gotten out the shower first, walking fast to the cupboard to retrieve a towel for himself that he immediately put around his waist.

“Yes sir,” Liam laughed as he walked out the shower and towards his stuff. The little shit purposely walked around the room without a towel on or anything to cover himself up. Zayn was trying to not be a creep during the shower, keeping his eyes up and away from seeing anything. Now it was kind of hard, in more ways than one. “Liking the free show?”

“W-what? No, gross. Don't be such a dick Payne,” Zayn spat out, hating the he clearly got caught. He felt a blush creeping up his back and cheeks so he turned his head and collected his clothes off the closed toilet seat lid. “Ten minutes, outside.”

Zayn let out a small sigh of relief once Liam exited the room. The last fifteen minutes had been an absolute mess. Showering with someone who was now technically your boss was not a good way to make a first impression, no matter how badly Zayn hated his job. He needed this job because it was attached to a lot of money that'll help him out of his current mess. He had to brush those thoughts aside as he got dressed, fixing his walkie talkie and turning it back on. He immediately heard Louis barking at the producers who were already en route to the location of today's date. He checked his reflection quickly one last time in the mirror before leaving the room and waiting for Liam in the foyer.

Liam emerged from his room moments later looking as ready as he'll ever be for the day ahead of him. As the two of them made their way to the main house Zayn rattled off the details of the day. Liam was to go on his first group date with ten of the contestants, the date was a tour of ancient castles in Wales. Boring, but the location of the date was the least of everyone's problems. The production crew, especially Louis, just hoped Liam would finally start to cooperate with the whole process. It was now Zayn's job to make sure Liam cooperated, just yesterday he was laughing at Maxine's agony. She was literally running around looking for Liam and when she did find him she was dragging her feet behind him. Now Zayn was responsible for this grown man, a grown man that acted like an overgrown child, but a grown man nonetheless.

The tour of the castles were extremely boring. Some of the contestants seemed like they were actually enjoying themselves. Louis being the perfect mastermind had put both Chad and Harry in the same group. Chad was following Liam around like a lost puppy, but also trying to play cool. Harry was amazed by everything the guide said, talking to some of the other men and pointing out things that had been mentioned to them. He was probably the only one who was fully invested in the tour and Liam. The other contestants tried to strike up a conversation with Liam who looked unimpressed by everything around him. As much as he hated to admit it, Zayn felt the same. Everything around them was old and dusty, absolutely boring. Zayn just hoped this whole day could wrap by sooner, they had at least another hour or two and at least three more castles to visit. If he was alone on holiday this whole day would actually be fun but seeing it was for work, it was the most mundane thing he had ever done in his life.

A large part of Zayn wished he was back at production making fun of everything going on, like he and Louis had done every series. During dates was when he finally got some downtime, was able to relax and let other people do their jobs for once. That's what got him in trouble last year, all the downtime was when he'd search the mansion looking for alcohol. Now he was forced to work even when his brain was yelling at him to find something to numb himself. At least with Harry here Zayn was able to play this to his advantage. If he was now forced to be at Liam's beck and call he was going to use it to get himself handsomely rewarded.

“Liam,” Zayn called to him, trying to be discreet as they waited for their car to arrive to take them to the next location.

Liam was chatting with one of the contestants, Richie, who looked like he was hanging on Liam's every word. What a tosser. It was good for the show but not for Zayn's selfishness.

“Liam,” he called to him once more, clenching his jaw as he spoke to him. This was so embarrassing. He was willingly swallowing his pride and purposely talking to the guy, the least he could do was acknowledge him. What an asshole. “Payne!”

“Oh sorry,” he apologized, flashing Richie a quick smile in dismissal before walking towards Zayn. “Am I doing something wrong Mr. Producer?”

“I need you to talk to Harry,” Zayn instructed him, ignoring the not so cute nickname. He kicked a pebble that was by his boot, trying to get over the fact that he had to grovel at Liam's feet. Like his life wasn't a disaster already. “Interact with him. He's being patient waiting for you and you're off talking to everyone else.”

Liam turned his head and caught a quick glimpse of Harry who was standing by the castle's entrance talking to a few of the other contestants. He looked semi normal today, no over the top clothes or boots. His long hair was pushed out of his eyes and tied on top of his head. He was smiling wide and laughing at someone's jokes, dimples on full display. “I thought you weren't producing anymore?”

“I'm just looking out for the entire show,” he replied, trying his hardest to sound convincing. The show was the least of his worries but Liam could at least pretend he cared, especially towards Harry who he did give his first impression rose to just a few nights ago. “Each guy here if vying for your attention, you can't just talk to some and ignore the others.”

“Listen to me Zayn,” he began, stepping forward so he was almost nose to nose with Zayn, “this whole thing is happening on my terms. Got it? Without me you don't have a damn show so I do whatever I damn well please. Yeah?”

“There he is,” Zayn laughed with a shake of his head. He was not ever going to be intimidated by Liam Payne. “The pompous asshole that hides behind the bright smile and giggly laugh. Show that to the cameras, the entire country knows that guy already.”

Liam took a step back, not backing down but knowing when and where to pick his battles. “You know nothing about me, lackey. Be a good assistant and fetch me coffee, got it?”

Zayn had to take a deep breath and internally count to ten to calm himself. It was his first day on the job and punching Liam square in the jaw was more than likely frowned upon. It seemed like a good solution but probably not that effective. He clenched and unclenched his right hand, feeling it shake with the amount of tension he was holding. “Milk or sugar?”

“Black,” Liam smugly answered. “Grab one for Harry as well, okay? Thanks.”

For the rest of the date Zayn was seething, he knew that nice Liam wasn't going to last, that it was mostly for show. He was such a wanker it was even hard to fathom how he got through life without someone knocking him on his arse every single day. Pompous rich boy probably had daddy clean up all his messes. Not this time. Now he was stuck groveling to the country on national television by trying to prove he could he loved by complete strangers. Even seeing Liam be semi decent towards Harry wasn't enough to have Zayn feel better. He was stuck with this jerk for the next seven weeks, one of them was going to end up cracking and Zayn knew it wasn't going to be him. Something was going to have to change before all this was over. For now though Zayn had to plaster on his best fake smile that he learned to put on while working and muster up enough strength to get through the rest of the day. Tomorrow he had to do the same thing, different date but same scenario.

The car ride back to the mansion was tense and quiet, all the contestants crammed into a van while Liam and Zayn shared a car. Liam just scrolled through his phone, trying to occupy his time. Zayn decide to do the same, even when he knew his only messages came from Adam, which he was still ignoring. He did get a semi encouraging message from Louis at the beginning of the day, telling him to not let Liam get to him. He wasn't, he refused. It wasn't going to be easy to ignore someone he was stuck with by he'll learn to deal with it. He just had to keep looking at Liam as a paycheck like he always did with this job. He wasn't here to make friends or play nice, just show up, do his job and get paid. Simple as that.

Leaving the mansion at the end of the day was probably Zayn's highlight of the day. Turning around once he got down the hill and not seeing the massive home anymore made him crack a tiny smile. It felt like a massive weight was lifted off his shoulders. Even though he was doomed to have another night of restless sleep he was more than glad to leave for the day. He had to make sure Liam's alarm was set and we was back in his room before he was allowed to take off for the night. He unclipped his walkie talkie from his jeans and handed it to Louis with a strained looked on his face. It took almost all of Louis strength to not laugh in his face, that was obvious. He just had to grin and bare it, the network was obviously testing him and he refused to lose. Zayn refused to succumb to the added pressure he was getting. They wanted to see if he was going to crack, well, he wasn't. He'd been through enough in his life to not let one person or one show take him down. They had to work harder than they were if they expected Zayn Malik to buckle under the pressure.

Surprisingly sleep came easy that night, all the events of the day finally taking its toll on his body. He slept straight through until his alarm was blaring at five in the morning. Date days always started early, too early in Zayn's honest opinion. He dragged himself out of the car and changed into whatever he could toss together. Zayn tossed all his dirty clothes into his knapsack and dragged it with him to the mansion. Liam was set to wake up until seven, giving Zayn more than enough time to maybe do some laundry while the prince slept.

He stopped at the local coffee cart and got himself and Louis their daily tea. Without words being exchanged he handed Louis his tea and took his walkie talkie. It was way too early for anyone to be functioning. Zayn did catch a quick glimpse of what Louis was working on, he was piecing together the video from yesterday's activities. Liam trying to look cozy and comfortable around Harry and even Chad. Louis was a master at his job if he could briefly convince Zayn that Liam was maybe interested in the lads.

When Zayn entered Liam's apartment he noticed that nothing was out of place, meaning Liam stayed put after he left. Small miracle. Zayn dropped his knapsack by the laundry room door before heading to the kitchen. The production staff made sure everything was fully stocked at all time, anything Liam may need, they had ready for him. If Zayn was forced to play babysitter for the next few weeks he was going to enjoy its advantages. He had an hour and half to kill before Liam was supposed to wake up so he was going to relish in the silence while he could. He fixed himself a bowl of Weetabix, a meal he had almost everyday as a kid. If he tried he could still hear his mum sighing in defeat as he grabbed the box out of the cupboard instead of eating the extravagant meal she prepared each morning. Zayn even felt generous enough to wash his own dishes after eating, really not wanting to leave any evidence that he was there eating.

He exited the kitchen and grabbed his bag, walking into the laundry room. It look stocked pretty well, all the name brand detergents lined the walls. He tossed opened the machine and dumped everything from his bag in it, including the bag which was starting to smell like stale weed and crisps. Feeling bold, Zayn disrobed, leaving him standing in the room in just his Batman pants. Why not clean all his clothes while he was there? He tossed some detergent in the machine and turned it on. Now that he was almost completely naked he decided to remain in the laundry room, there was less chance of a camera catching him there. He just now needed to find something to do to kill the time.

Zayn opened the laundry room door as silently as possible before tip toeing into the main room, searching for the newspaper Liam had delivered to him each morning. If he was going to hole himself up in the room he might as well catch up on the daily news. He spotted the paper grabbing it off the coffee table and made his way back to the laundry room, closing the door behind him. The paper was boring, nothing exciting reported about. Wales was a dull country from the sounds of it. Looked absolutely gorgeous on a travel brochure but that was its only appeal obviously. There was a small a small article about the filming of their show and how multi millionaire playboy Liam Payne had taken some of his lucky contestants on a tour of some of the finest castles the Welsh countryside had to offer. Gag. Zayn had a feeling that either Liam or his father had a hand in paying off the journalist to make him sound like a decent human being, which was the furthest from the truth. He did the Sudoku puzzle that was in the paper with a pen he had found in his jeans pocket when he was taking them off to wash them. That at least took up a good five minutes of his time. Other than that he was absolutely bored. Watching clothes wash was very dull and not in the least bit exciting.

“Well, well, well. What is this?”

Zayn dropped the pen from his hand, he was starting to doodle along the edges of the paper in boredom. “Shit. Liam!”

“Two days in a row,” he replied cheekily, a smirk on his face. He was standing by the door, leaning against the frame. His hair was askew, a clear indication that he just woken up. He was dressed similarly to Zayn, in just his pants, probably designer. “I'm a lucky man.”

“You're a gross man,” Zayn spat at him. “What are you doing awake anyway? Your alarm isn't set from another hour.”

“I smelt the soap,” he shrugged. “And heard footsteps in the hall. Assumed it was a clean thief or the laundry police. Boy am I glad to know it was you.”

“Leave,” Zayn told him, not turning from where he was standing, leaning up against the machine, the newspaper on top where it shook periodically from the wash.

Liam took a few steps forward so he was officially in the room. “Mr. Producer why are you cleaning your clothes in my laundry room? Your posh digs provided to you don't have one or something?”

“We all don't have daddy's money get us everything we want,” Zayn told him, mentally scolding himself for even giving into Liam's clear taunts. “Can you just leave so I can finish?”

“Aww Zaynie,” he continued to taunt him, walking closer so he was directly standing behind Zayn. “You don't want me to stay? I'm sad. I thought we were a team now.”

“We were never a team,” Zayn scoffed at him, turning his head so his eyes followed Liam's every move. “You're a pathetic excuse for a person and I'm here to make sure you don't continue to fuck up. Simple as that.”

Liam pouted which actually looked cute on him if Zayn was to actually care. His hair was still messy, bed head at its finest. His pants riding low from Liam trying to fix them so much after the kept falling from him walking around the room. Liam snaked his arms around Zayn's waist feeling the goosebumps on his skin as soon as they made contact. “Such a dutiful worker Mr. Producer.”

“Don't touch me,” he shrieked, pushing Liam's arms off of him and shoving him even further back. “I can sue you for sexual harassment buddy.”

“Fine,” Liam gave in, arms raised in a sign of surrender. “You win this round.”

“Wha-what's that supposed to mean?” Zayn asked, dumbfounded by Liam's boldness. He turned fully around so his back was now leaning up against the washing machine, arms crossed over his chest, trying to cover up at least a little bit.

“You'll eventually see,” he promised with a wink. He took a swift step towards Zayn, running his finger along the elastic band of his pants, more goosebumps rising immediately. “Enjoy your laundry. Nice pants by the way.”

“Bloody prick!” Zayn shouted as Liam left the room, closing the door behind him.

Zayn kept cursing Liam's name as he took his clothes out of the washing machine and placed them in the dryer. No one has ever gotten under his skin like this, no one in his entire life and Zayn had three sisters he use to live with. Even on their worst days Adam never made Zayn feel like he wanted to punch him directly in the face over and over until he was unrecognizable. The only upside was that it looked like Liam knew his limits, knew when he pushed Zayn's buttons because he quickly backed off right after. If Liam was like this with him he could only imagine how he acted in his everyday life, when he wasn't around the ass kissers he called friends. The press had dubbed them the Wolverhampton Washups. It was Liam surrounding himself with lads from his hometown who desperately tried to make it big in life before deciding to sponge off of Liam and his fame and money. Stand up guys, really. That's why Zayn didn't have any friends, everyone nowadays had ulterior motives when they met him. They didn't see him as a person, especially after he mentioned what he did for a living. They all assumed his job title came with a fat paycheck and all the luxuries working in television allegedly came with. Perks and luxuries? That was all an illusion. Louis was the only one who got paid handsomely, besides Niall and everyone at the network. Everyone else got paid enough to survive, which was still a crock of shit. Zayn was currently living in his car and washing his clothes in the suitors home, he clearly didn't get paid enough to survive.

The second the dryer buzzed indicating it was done Zayn quickly grabbed his clothes and put them back in his knapsack. He grabbed at random shirt, jeans, and socks and threw them on. He stuffed his feet into his boots, lacing them up before taking a deep breath. Seeing that Liam was now awake he had to officially start work. He clipped his walkie talkie on his jeans and turned it on, hearing the static crackling almost automatically. It was time to start his day. He had about a half hour until Liam had to emerge from his home and get in the car and head to his next date. Joy. A whole half hour where he had to spend time with Liam. He grabbed the newspaper off the top of the washer machine, throwing his knapsack over his shoulder and exiting the laundry room. He headed towards the living area to drop off his bag and the paper on the coffee table, Liam nowhere in sight. The shower wasn't on so that clearly meant he was somewhere else in the home being a pain in the ass. Zayn's stomach growled, packets of barbecue crisps clearly weren't nutritional enough to survive. He decided to give in and make his way into the kitchen. Zayn knew the refrigerator was going to be stacked with a lot of food and he might as well indulge in it. Part of Zayn's job was to write a shopping list every week for someone to go and shop for whatever Liam needed. He walked into the kitchen and immediately regretted it. In front of the stove, still in just in his pants, stood Liam cooking. Cooking what Zayn didn't know but his stomach growled again so it must've seemed good. He hung his head as he made his way to the fridge to grab some orange juice. He shrugged and just opened the cardboard container and drank directly from it. Oh well.

“We have glasses for that you know,” Liam told him, the snark tone in his voice evident.

Zayn rolled his eyes as he closed the container and then the fridge, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Thanks captain obvious.”

“You hungry?” Liam asked, pointing to the pan in front of him with the spatula that was in his hand. “I made extra just in case your were hungry.”

“What is it?” He asked, taking tentative steps forward to look at what Liam was cooking or attempting to cook.

“A frittata,” he replied, smile on his face like he was proud of himself for accomplishing such a simple tasks as cooking eggs with a few other ingredients. Spoiled rich kid.

“Your nanny teach you how to make that?” Zayn mocked, realizing the only way to get through to Liam was fighting fire with fire. “Or was it your housekeeper? Maybe even your chauffeur perhaps.”

“Forget it,” Liam sighed, ignoring Zayn's taunt and paying attention to the task at hand. “I'll just eat it myself, I've got other shit around here if you want.”

“Liam.”

Liam turned off the stove, placing the eggs on a paper plate next to him. He walked quietly to the dining table where a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee sat. “You brought the paper back in with you?”

“It's uh it's on the coffee table,” Zayn stuttered out, confused over Liam's lack of reaction. What was this kids problem? Why wasn't he fighting back?

“Okay,” he nodded, making his way into the living room to retrieve the paper and walking back into the kitchen to eat and read in silence apparently.

Zayn kept standing in the kitchen, dumbfounded. Clearly Liam could make any joke or taunt he wanted but couldn't take one. What a child. Zayn just shook his head in true disbelief, bizarre. He let Liam eat and read his paper in peace before he heard the shower being turned on minutes later. His day was now officially beginning. They had another long day ahead of him, another group date. This time the weather was cooperating with them, the clouds from the night before finally cleared and the sun was shining. The production crew knew that choosing to film in Wales in the early months of the year wasn't the perfect weather but it looked beautiful on camera. Or some shit like that, Zayn really didn't care. Another long day of waiting on Liam hand and foot and coaxing him to actually interact with the contestants. One day Zayn was going to be shocked and surprised when Liam actually started to participate without being told to, hopefully. Once Liam was finally ready to start his day Zayn let the production crew know. Minutes later they were in the car and driving off to their location for the day. The day before was a tour of castles and today was museums. Unlikely date location dates if you asked Zayn, but no one did. No one ever did. He just had to suck it up and follow order. Today's contestants were the boring half, the ten guys who's names Zayn didn't care to learn or even remember if he did learn them. Liam was more cooperative today, actually starting conversations with people, smiling politely when spoken to. A huge difference from the day before.

The day went on long like expected. Zayn did his job dutifully though, fetching Liam water or coffee when he asked. Although he did wear a scowl every time he did something Liam asked him. The production crew that followed them from museum to museum kept the pace fast and made sure they didn't linger too long in one exhibit or museum for too long. Zayn actually learned a thing or two that day, listening when the curator spoke about specific paintings or specific artifacts. Liam was obviously preoccupied by the men he was on a date with, Zayn even shockingly heard a genuine laugh from Liam as he spoke to a few of the contestants. Hell may actually be freezing over. Probably not, this was Liam Payne he was talking about. The sun was already setting by the time they arrived back at the mansion. Zayn made sure Liam was back in his room for the night before he was allowed to leave for the day. Like the night before he handed over his walkie talkie to Louis without a word and made his inevitable trek back to his car up the hill.

Another restless night of sleep awaited him. Tomorrow was a lazy day at work, thankfully. They were shooting at the mansion all day, a barbecue was planned for all twenty contestants and Liam. To Zayn that meant he wasn't going to be needed much, maybe he'd be able to hang out in the production truck with Louis and the rest of the crew. Maybe sneakily grab another shower while filming was going on, it didn't seem like Liam cared all that much anyway. Now all he was focused on was trying to get enough sleep in his cramped backseat.

His alarm went off at an ungodly hour the next morning and begrudgingly Zayn forced himself to wake up. He scrubbed at his face harshly, hoping that'd help some. It didn't, all it did was remind him that his beard was growing back and he was in a desperate need of a shave. He always took the utmost pride in his appearance, knowing he was in a business that relayed on your looks more than talents. Not having a proper place to stay kind of put a damper on things. Clean clothes didn't matter if the person wearing them looked like a disaster. He hadn't brushed his teeth in a week, just heavily relying on mouthwash and gum, if his mum saw him now she'd give him and stern look and a shake of her head. That's all it took to know that he was in trouble. The only boy in the family, he never got away with anything, if anything it just added to everything. His eldest sister got away with a lot more, being the oldest had its advantages.

With a mournful sigh Zayn finally got out his car after changing his clothes and throwing a piece of gum into this mouth. Another trek down the hill to start another day at his job. It was still early enough in the day, Liam was most likely still sleeping. Zayn stopped at his usual coffee cart to get his and Louis tea, it had become some sort of routine for them. Zayn would hand over the tea and Louis would hand over his walkie talkie. No words exchanged, just head nods and grunts of acceptance. True friendship at its finest. Like expected, Zayn was handed his walkie talkie and his daily duties from Louis, no words exchanged. His planned day of semi relaxation was cut short, he was still expected to be by Liam's side during the barbecue. He had to fetch whatever Liam wanted, from food to drink to anything else he saw fit. There went his opportunity to catch up with the production crew.

It was still early enough in the day that Zayn realized he could probably sneak in a shower like he did days before. The sun was starting to rise up above the contestants mansion and Liam's bungalow. The barbecue wasn't expected to begin until noon, giving Zayn enough time to freshen up. He unlocked the bungalow and let himself in, dropping his knapsack in the foyer. He could faintly hear Liam's snoring from inside his master bedroom. That was his cue to take the quickest shower in history, maybe if he was lucky he could nick a razor from Liam's stash and shave, look semi human again. As quietly as possible Zayn tiptoed to the bathroom and disrobed. He turned on the shower and stood under the hot spray, letting the water beat down on his neck and shoulders, trying to relieve some of the tension he'd been holding in for the last few weeks. What he really wanted besides a hot shower was a cold drink. It had been too long since he was able to drink. Whatever money he did have was spent on food, tea, and toiletries to survive. If Zayn was lucky there would be alcohol at today's barbecue that he could partake in. There was always alcohol available during filming for the contestants but trying to take some without being caught was the hardest part of the job.

The shower actually did wonders and when he emerged from the bathroom minutes later Zayn felt semi human again. He was even able to shave, well, trim his facial hair at least. A small but much needed improvement. The daily paper was sitting on the coffee table when Zayn went to investigate the rest of the bungalow. Like always the kitchen was stocked with food so it was a perfect opportunity for Zayn to eat. He knew he could subtly steal food from the barbecue today but what's better than eating food purposely bought for Liam Payne? He heard noise outside the bungalow and yelling voices, more than likely Louis. The equipment truck had arrived if he heard his walkie talkie correctly, it was time to set up the barbecue. It was an ingenious idea actually, luckily it fell on one to the more decent days weather wise. A pool party slash barbecue, quintessential Everlasting tactics. Get all the contestants and suitor drunk on cheap spirits and champagne and make sure they wore as little clothing as possible. It had worked every year Zayn had worked on the show. Maybe, finally they'd get their first kiss of the series. There was a bet on that as well, not much money but enough for Zayn to maybe afford more mouthwash and splurge on socks. Harry hadn't let him down thus far so he was counting on him for today. That was unless Chad kept up his creeper act and somehow convinced Liam that he was a decent person. Louis would win then.

“Morning,” Liam grumbled when he emerged from his room around half past ten.

“Coffee’s on,” Zayn told him and pointed at the fresh pot. “Paper is on the table. You need to be ready in an hour. Swim trunks and sunscreen are the only things you need.”

“That's it?” He asked as he maneuvered his way around the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets and drawers to make himself a cup of coffee.

“And your dazzling personality,” Zayn replied coldly. “I mean if you actually have one under all that bull and money you keep flashing.”

Liam scoffed and shook his head. “Mr. Producer if you even knew the half of it you'd be frightened.”

“Not likely,” he snorted and stood up, placing his plate in the sink, purposely walking up to Liam. “My skeletons would frighten your skeletons, Payne. Trust me.”

After the interlude in the kitchen both Liam and Zayn parted ways. Liam drank his coffee in the living room while he read his paper. Zayn tried to keep himself occupied with straightening up the home. He didn't know why he was, they had a weekly maid service who did that and got paid well to do that, too. It was something to declutter his thoughts, it was a thing he did when he got overwhelmed or stressed. Well, it was thing he use to do before he found out the benefits of alcohol. Seeing that the bungalow was dry he had to find someway else to busy himself. Zayn didn't know why he let Liam Payne get to him. Every single time Liam said something it make his blood boil and skin crawl. He was vile and rude and had no respect for anyone else. He acted as if he was the only person in the entire world who had struggled. And what struggle could this poor rich boy have to deal with? His inheritance wasn't as much money as he had wanted? Poor baby. Try sleeping in a car for a night or two then he'd know about real struggles. Pathetic.

When the barbecue finally started around noon things started to look up. Zayn still had to work but luckily he wasn't at Liam's beck and call as much as he thought he was going to be. One of the contestants, Johnny, was manning the grill and Leo was behind the bar mixing drinks. Liam even looked like he was enjoying himself from time to time. Shocking. All twenty men were scrambling to get his attention before the next elimination where three more of them were heading home. Louis even made an appearance to steal a beer and a hotdog, chatted with Zayn for a minute about work related things before disappearing back into the production truck. Zayn stole a beer or two to take the edge off, to calm the buzzing in his brain. After the first sip he could've cried, the whole pretending to be sober shit was rather boring if you asked him. He knew he had to be careful and make sure no one caught him, especially Louis and other high ranking producers. After eating and drinking for an hour everyone inevitably made their way into the pool or hot tub. That's when Zayn could sincerely relax. Liam was preoccupied with everyone vying for his attention and being absolute creepers, gawking over his shirtless physique. Chad running his hand up and down Liam's chest, grabbing roughly onto his exposed hips, trying to act cute by whispering garbage into his ear like they could actually have a real private moment together. Zayn could just picture Louis’s delight at what was unfolding in front of him.

“Malik.”

Zayn adjusted the walkie talkie at his hip after hearing Louis call his name. He got up from where he was sitting and walked to a semi secluded part of the garden. “What's up Lou?”

“There's someone at the gate saying they know you,” he replied, his voice coming in along with static.

“Cryptic much,” he laughed into the device. “Is this guy on the most wanted list or summat?”

“No,” Louis deadpanned. “I'm sending him in. I swear to god Malik if this is one of your degenerate friends I'm kicking your arse.”

“You're one of my degenerate friends Lou,” he countered, shutting off the walkie talkie before Louis had a chance to reply with something he would swear was witty.

Zayn walked away from the barbecue, casting one quick look at the pool to check in with what was going on. They all were still in the pool or hot tub, at least pretending to have the time of theirs lives. Harry was getting more active, swimming where Liam was perched on the edge of the pool. Chad was still being creepy, something that clearly would never change. Louis picked a true gem to win this entire thing. Zayn continued his walk around the mansion onto the graveled path that led from the driveway. He could faintly see the gates opening and a car driving in. Who in the hell drove all the way to the middle of nowhere Wales to see him? He hadn't spoken to his family in probably months and Ant and Danny knew he was working.

“Shit,” he cursed once he properly got to see the car. “Fuck.”

The car came to a stop mere inches in front of Zayn. The engine was cut off before the driver's door was swung open as aggressively as a car door could open. Like Zayn suspected, the person who got out was the one person he didn't want to see. Not now, not ever again.

“Adam.”

“You're a hard person to track down Zed,” he joked, walking towards where Zayn stood.

“Maybe I didn't want to be found,” he tried to play coy. He knew the one person to really see through his bullshit was Adam. He hadn't changed a lot since they'd last seen each other. He was still towering over him as he stood a little over six feet tall. His tanned skin glistened in the hot sun of the north. His hair had gotten a little more curly since they'd last seen each other but it fit him, it always did. “But clearly that didn't work too well.”

“The power of the internet,” he joked, his right hand ghosting against Zayn's. “You've been ignoring me.”

“I've been busy,” he replied, his hands getting clammy at Adam’s touch. It was something he missed, his chest aching with something he couldn't quite put a name on, but it also felt foreign and unnerving. “Gotta make money.”

“Speaking of money,” Adam smirked, his signature smirk that made Zayn's insides feel like they were on fire and melting out of him. “You owe me quite a lot of it.”

Zayn looked down at his scuffed boots as he kicked the gravel at his feet. He was trying desperately to do anything to stall time or have a giant hole swallow him whole. Either option seemed rather ideal at this exact moment. “Adam, babe, you see the thing is-”

“-the money Zayn!” He yelled.

“I don't have it!” He yelled back, shocked over the power of his own voice. He wasn't surprised when Adam dropped his hand hastily and harshly, like his words had physically burned him. “I-I'm sorry but I don't have it, not yet anyway. I-I can get it to you after filming.”

“You'll have it then?” He scoffed, rolling his eyes at the offense. “There's always an excuse with you Malik.”

“I'm looking at a huge bonus once filming ends,” Zayn explained in a rush. “If things go my way of course, but they will, so-so don't worry.”

“You owe me three months worth of rent,” Adam sighed. “Plus utilities.”

“I-I know,” he nodded. “You just gotta wait a little longer for it, yeah? You'll get it.”

“Malik everything okay?” Louis voice crackled through the walkie talkie.

Zayn let out a loud breath at Louis’s voice interrupting his conversation, even though it was more than welcomed. Being around Adam always made Zayn tense, when they were good, they were amazing, spectacular even. It was when they were off that it slightly frightened Zayn, and not many things did. He unclipped the walkie talkie from his belt and sighed. “Yeah, we're good babe. He's umm leaving soon so I'll head back to work.”

“We're not done,” Adam told him firmly. “I didn't drive all the way here just to leave empty handed. I need something babe, a down payment of some sort.”

“I don't have anything, Adam,” he repeated. He felt a little ridiculous being so openly vulnerable around the one person who had seen him at his most vulnerable moments of his life. Adam held his hair back when he drank too much after his grandmother died and he wasn't invited to the funeral. He was also the one who supplied him with the booze so it was a fair trade. “I told you I'll have all the money plus extra once filming is finished. Six weeks, that's all I ask.”

Adam flared his nostrils, never a good sign for Zayn. He took a deep breath and just stayed silent. Zayn could see his brain working overtime and almost pinpoint the exact moment when things took a turn for the worse. “Maybe you can repay me in another way, hmm? At least until the cash rolls in.”

Disgusted. That's the only word Zayn could think of to describe how he felt at this exact moment. He was use to Adam’s games by now, having lived with him for close to eight months now. Adam didn't know the Zayn that was forced into a rehab center by his job for over drinking and almost ruining a multi million dollar television show. He knew the Zayn that was desperate for a place to live and some sort of company, no matter what form in came in. When Zayn was at a loss for money he'd gladly exchange sexual favors for some sort of reprieve with Adam. Today wasn't one of those days. “I'm working. I-I can't just disappear to suck your dick somewhere. Besides there's cameras everywhere.”

“Even better,” he smirked, his eyebrows raised in curiosity and a playful manner. He tugged at Zayn's wrist and looked around them. “Which room is yours? Sneak away quickly. No one will notice and we both can leave here happy until my money is delivered.”

“I don't have anywhere to stay,” Zayn huffed, still disgusted. He couldn't believe he was actually attracted to this guy, at least he once was. Desperation does a lot of crazy things to a person.

“Isn't that knob Liam Payne the boy toy this series? I figure he's got fancy digs around here, maybe suck me off on his bed,” Adam suggested, rather rudely if Zayn was being frank.

There was a lot of things in this world that got to Zayn, usually he just let it roll off his back. What was the use in getting upset over something he more than likely had no control over? Being with Adam was a choice he made, a bad one, but a choice he made nonetheless. He knew rather quickly what he was getting himself into when he moved in with him. He was brash and loud, messy, and abrupt. Qualities that Zayn himself possessed but couldn't stand in other people. He couldn't hold a job for longer than six weeks, his bosses and colleagues getting irritated with him quickly. That should've been a red flag for Zayn right away but he chose to ignore it. Give Adam the benefit of the doubt. Not the smartest idea he's ever had, clearly. He was still raw from rehab, he had just spent thirty days picking at a scab that he called his mind. He was vulnerable and a cute smile and a six pack of abs was exactly what he needed to make him feel something, anything, again.

“Let's go babe,” Adam tried to coax him once again. “We both know you don't need this job anyway.”

Zayn sighed, looking down at the strong grip Adam had on his wrist. Usually that sort of hold didn't make him flinch, a welcomed pressure even. Today it just didn't sit well with him, made his stomach turn. What he use to think were butterflies was actually disgust. “Just leave Adam. You'll get your money and everything will be fine, yeah?”

The grip on his wrist got tighter, uncomfortable. “Really? You're gonna say no to me?”

“I'm saying no,” he told him strongly, planting his feet firmly on the gravel path. Adam was stronger than him, could easily push and pull him around if he wanted to. This was Zayn's only way to literally and figuratively stand his ground. “I'm saying no now and I'm saying no forever, Adam.”

“You're gonna regret those words,” he threatened, squaring his shoulders. Doing anything to make himself look bigger, which wasn't that hard honesty. “Trust me.”

Zayn tried his best to stay firm, not many things frightened him. He learned to take care of himself at an early age. The only Muslim kid at school toughened him up quickly. The bullies were going to stop picking on you once you knew how to fight back. Nothing changed once he grew up; that's all Adam was really. He was a bully in an adult's body, but still had a childlike mentality. Simple. Words were easily brushed off, sticks and stones and all that hoopla. Adam grabbing roughly at his wrist, his knuckles turning white at the pressure he had around Zayn was not going to fly over well. Zayn knew he could take the easy way out and call security, they'd gladly escort Adam off the premises. He knew it wouldn't be that easy, he was going to have to fight him off himself. Breathing deeply was all he could muster up quickly, trying to keep himself calm and rational, which was kind of funny if Zayn had time to stop and think about it.

“Let go,” he seethed between gritted teeth. “You really don’t want to start something, especially here.”

Adam scoffed as his grip grew tighter. “Aww c’mon babe, you really think I’m afraid of the lot that work here.”

“Not them, me,” he replied as boldly as he could convey. “You keep forgetting you don’t know a thing about me Adam.”

“I know everything about you,” he spat in Zayn’s face. “Little boy lost, begging for someone to show faux emotion and he’ll be yours faithfully. Like a puppy really. Cute, sad, and pathetic.”

“Fuck off,” Zayn hotly replied.

“Is there a problem here?”

Zayn snapped his head around fast at the voice, Liam. Shit. He quickly turned back around to face Adam, silently hoping he’d drop his wrist and the whole ordeal all together. From the wicked gleam in Adam’s eye he knew the issue was far from being dropped.

“Zayn, you okay?” Liam gingerly walked towards the pair, still in his swim trunks, a towel wrapped around his shoulders. He was supposed to be mingling with the contestants not prying into Zayn’s disaster of a situation right now. Perfect. Why couldn’t willing someone to go away actually work? Liam was more than fine with ignoring him any other time during the day, why now? Why must he play knight in shining armor now? “I could really use a tea you know.”

“I could really use you leaving us alone you know,” he countered. Wanker literally walked out of the hot tub to find him to ask for a bloody cup of tea. What an asshole. “You’ll get your tea when I’m finished, okay?”

“What you a gopher or summat?” Adam laughed, the grip on Zayn’s wrist loosening. “You getting anything here mister pretty boy asks for? Hmm?”

“Adam,” he gritted his teeth once more. He saw Liam walking closer out of the corner of his eye.

“Shut up.”

“Asks for a wank, you gotta do it?” Adam asked, a large wicked grin of his face. The smug bastard. “Hey pretty boy, Zayn’s great with his hands by the way, his mouth too.”

“That’s enough,” Liam exclaimed. “I think it’s best you go, yeah?”

“You’re trying to threaten me?” Adam sneered at Liam, he rolled his eyes at the lame attempt. “Go back to where you belong, yeah? Leave Zed and I alone to deal with our adults things.”

“Harassing him and stopping him for doing his job is adult things?” Liam asked, nodding his head like he was actually intrigued as to what Adam was saying. “That’s news to me.”

“Liam,” Zayn sighed. How cliché did everything around him look right now? He was almost sandwiched between Liam and Adam, both nearly towering over him in height and stature. Now they were close to coming to blows over something as mindless as Liam not knowing to mind his own damn business.

“No,” Adam stopped Zayn. “I wanna see how big and bad Payne thinks he really is.”

“Adam,” Zayn groaned in frustration, he turned his head about to properly look at Liam. “I’ll get your tea in a tick, okay? We’re almost finished here.”

“Unbelievable,” Liam muttered unsuccessfully under his breath. He slowly backed away from the duo, shaking his head the entire time. “Hey Mr. Producer! Forget the tea, just keep the other lads busy while Chad and I have a private one on one, okay?”

“What!” Zayn gawked. “Li-Liam, I’m not their bloody babysitters.”

“Oh well,” he shrugged, turning around and heading towards the back of the contestants mansion and the barbeque.

The standoff between Zayn and Adam only lasted a few more minutes after that. Zayn had decided to just give in, too exhausted to keep fighting. No matter how long he'd try to put up a good fight, emotionally, mentally, or even physically, Adam always had the upper hand. He was taller and stronger and had a lot more to lose if it did come to blows. They luckily came to an agreement when Zayn gave him one of the rings on his fingers. He rarely wore jewelry nowadays, selling a lot of it to get by. This particular piece he kept near and dear to him, it belonged to his granddad, his father's father. He had died when Zayn was eighteen and off at uni, it was a devastating blow to the entire family. It was the only thing the man had left Zayn in his will. He wasn't a man of money or expensive possessions but the ring meant everything to him.

A curious young Zayn would always sit and just listen as his granddad spoke of stories of growing up in Pakistan and migrating to England as a young boy. The changes he had seen within himself and within the world. He was a hard working man, his face showed it, his body showed it. The ring though, it was something he always wore and it just peeked Zayn's interest. It wasn't fancy, just a plain gold band, ruby, sapphire, and tanzanite stones mounted on it. One to represent the birth month of his children. That's what made it a sentimental piece of jewelry. Now it belonged to Adam. The wind felt like it was being punched out of Zayn's lungs when he handed it over. The cold band lying in Adam’s hot palm. They both knew that the money he could get from selling the ring would tie him for now. It would hold him over until Zayn got paid and hopefully received his handsome reward once the series was over. Louis was babbling incoherently on the walkie talkie once again, that was quickly turned off. Zayn had enough over everything right now, he just wanted to disappear. Wanted to go back to his car and sleep the rest of the day away.

“In six weeks I'll have the rest of what I owe you,” Zayn assured him.

“You better,” Adam vaguely threatened him. He leaned forward and placed a dry kiss to the corner of Zayn's mouth. “It was good to see you, Zed. Truly.”

The internal struggle to not roll his eyes or openly gag was hard for Zayn, but he did it. “Yeah, great.”

Watching Adam walk back to his car and finally take off was the first time in a long time that Zayn let himself feel okay. He knew things weren’t fully okay, nothing ever has, but just for a brief moment it felt okay. He had one issue off his back for at least the next six weeks, now he had to deal with all the other crap going on around it. He pulled his hair tighter, giving himself something to stabilize himself, before walking back towards the contestant’s mansion. Before he even got to the back he could smell the chlorine of the pool and feel the heat off the hot tub. The volume was still loud, the music even louder. At least they seemed they like were enjoying themselves. Lucky bastards.

Zayn scanned the bodies around the back and noticed Harry right way, his pale skin soaking wet, his long hair a mess on top of his head. This kid was hopeless. He saw a few of the other contestants, their names he refused to learn, hanging around either talking to each other or just lounging and trying desperately to get whatever sun Wales had to offer. No Liam in sight though, Chad either. Like Zayn didn’t already have enough shit to deal with. That was more than likely what Louis was babbling on the walkie talkie. So Zayn totally had a valid reason to turn it off right away. He knew Liam had to be joking when he said he’d take Chad back to his place for some one on one time, he wasn’t that stupid. Clearly he was wrong, clearly he was wrong in giving Liam Payne the benefit of the doubt. That’ll teach him to never do that again.

The camera people and low ranking producers just kept looking at Zayn, silently hoping he knew what to do. This was all new to him, when he was a producer himself all this was gold, something you wanted to happen so early on in the series. Ratings gold, the entire country would eat it up, it’ll be over all the front pages of the papers. Now as Liam Payne’s personal gopher and having all this money and energy invested in Harry winning, Zayn knew he had to do something. He checked on the remaining contestants once more before begrudgingly making his way towards Liam’s bungalow. He had to suck it up, put on his big boy pants and be a professional adult. It killed him to think about that, this series was supposed to be easy. He was supposed to sit back and watch the drama unfold alongside Louis. Knick crisps from the craft service table and smoke a blunt or two while the sun was rising. That was all he was supposed to be doing. Now he had to actually earn his bloody paycheck.

He got to Liam’s bungalow and things were eerily quiet, even when Liam was alone things were never that silent. The foyer and living area was empty, as was the bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen. The only logical place for Liam and Chad to be was the bedroom, of course. Not only did Zayn have to be a babysitter he also had to be a cockblocker, great. He could hear his mates back in Bradford ribbing him already. He could hear the entirety of the United Kingdom yelling at him, the bloody queen herself would more than likely be joining in with the tirade, that’s just how lucky Zayn was nowadays. The well placed cameras by the doorway spotting him right away, Louis probably on the other side cursing his name and the day he was born. Don’t worry Lou, he felt exactly the same. None of the bedroom doors in either the mansion of bungalow had locks so it was easy for Zayn to just walk in the room. He had to take a few reassuring breaths before actually getting the courage to do it. Did he really want to see what was going on? Did he want to see Liam Payne’s hairy arse in the middle of something with steroid loving, protein powder chugging Chad? Not really.

Sure enough, what Zayn didn’t want to see he saw. As soon as he opened the bedroom door he was greeted with someone’s wet bathing suit on the floor by his feet. He wished that was the worst of it. Chad was straddling Liam’s legs, his massive tribal tattoo that was across his back gave him away instantly. Of course a douchebag like Chad would have a tribal tattoo, all the jerks like him did. His massive steroid induced body was hovering over Liam, it was even hard to tell if he was actually in the room. The only thing that indicated that he was there was his hands on Chad’s hips, his hand tattoos giving him away. It all just looked like a bad porno movie, something that’s on cable television at three in the morning when Zayn’s too high or drunk or not tried enough to actually sleep. So bad that he couldn’t even muster up enough energy to even try and get half hard or even try for a desperate wank. Pathetic really.

“Shows over, let’s go,” Zayn announced, loudly clapping his hands to get their attention. “People to see, places to be. Up and at ‘em gents.”

Sometimes Zayn loved his job, truly, honestly. Seeing Chad’s face after being frightened half to death was one of the reasons for loving his job. He quickly turned pale, kind of like the protein powder he’d been carrying around with him for the last two weeks. If he had pearls he’d probably be clutching them, he looked so scandalized, shocked and amazed that someone other than Liam had access to the bungalow. Hello! He currently was a contestant on a show that had millions of pound invested in it. Nothing and no one experiences privacy. It shouldn’t be that difficult to realize. Especially when whatever you’re doing involves the suitor, nothing you do will go unnoticed. Maybe a rereading of the contract would suffice.

“Mr. Producer,” Liam crooned, a smirk on his face. “Came to join the party, hmm?”

Chad kept going about his business, scurrying off Liam in a hurry, trying to desperately cover himself up. Not that anyone was really paying attention. He walked out of the room and bungalow after grabbing his swimming trunks without anyone really noticing. Liam continued to lay against the headboard, stark naked, basking in the awkwardness. Zayn diverted his eyes, trying to be respectful, even though Liam clearly didn’t deserve it.

“Up,” Zayn repeated, this time harshly. “You’ve still got shit to do today and banging protein boy wasn’t part of it, okay?”

“Jealous?” Liam laughed in amusement. “You have to be at my beck and call while I get to do whatever or whomever I please, hmm?”

Zayn’s mum always told him that the more he rolled his eyes the better chance he’d have at them getting stuck like that. Well, he’d been rolling them quite often since working on Everlasting and they hadn’t gotten stuck yet. So ha to you mum. “Just like life.”

Liam pushed his back off the headboard and watched closely as Zayn just milled about the bedroom, picking up wet towels and clothes and tossing them either on the bed or the lounge chair that was to the right on the bed. “Excuse me?”

“Get dressed and back out there, okay,” he sighed, too exhausted to pick a fight, shockingly. After all the Adam garbage he didn’t have the energy to make Liam Payne cry, especially when they weren’t in front of cameras. CCTV didn’t count because they can’t pick up every little detail of their interaction.

The barbeque was tense after that, at least from Zayn’s standpoint. Liam was acting odd, interacting with the contestants, other than Chad, but keeping an eye as Zayn hovered over the area. Louis emerged from his trailer and even made a cameo by the pool, mostly to steal leftovers, and also to inquire about what really happened in the bungalow. Louis wasn’t stupid, no one ever claimed he was, but he knew how to play ignorant really well. He pretended he didn’t feel the tension, did see how Chad was apprehensive to go near Liam or Zayn for that matter. Less interaction between Chad and Liam mess less likely of a chance of Louis winning the big prize, he wanted to eradicate that quickly. Zayn was just waiting, waiting for why Louis actually made an appearance, and it wasn’t for the soggy foreign meat products being passed off and hamburgers and hot dogs.

“Bro,” Louis finally broke his awkward silence, just stood beside Zayn and chewed his food loudly, a piss warm beer in his free hand. “Who was that guy?”

“No,” he replied, eyes never wavering off the pool and hot tub.

“Really?” Louis squawked, pieces of chewed up hotdog and bun flying out his mouth. Real attractive Lou, really. “Malik.”

“Tomlinson,” Zayn echoed Louis’s whiny tone.

“One question then,” he bargained, moving to stand directly in front of Zayn’s eye line. “Do I need to worry about him? Is he gonna jeopardize my production?”

Zayn sighed, exhaling loudly from his nose. If he was being honest with himself, that was a very loaded question. He could almost immediately feel the urge to drink or smoke, or do anything counterproductive start to itch at the back of his mind. Facing his feelings and being open and honest? That wasn’t one of Zayn Malik’s many trademarks. “We-we’ll be okay Lou, okay?”

Louis took a long swig of his piss beer, narrowing his eyes. He looked like he was trying to read Zayn or assess the situation altogether, two things he was never really good at to begin with. “Good. Now get back to work, Malik.”

Watching other people have fun was boring, why did that bother Zayn so much as a kid? Seeing all the popular kids huddled together in the canteen or in the back of the classroom just whispering and looking directly at him. At age six and seven that would leave him completely gutted, now he couldn’t care less. Let them have fun and make complete arses of themselves on national TV, Zayn was just gonna sit back and drink, inconspicuously, but drink nonetheless. A lot of the guys were sipping away at fruity cocktails or weak beer while there was hard shit available. No one was touching the rum so Zayn was helping himself. He was still doing his job, keeping a semi watchful eye on Liam and the contestants. No one was getting too handsy, no one was causing a scene, well, not yet at least.

His walkie talkie remained silent, except for the occasional sound of static. Liam as interacting with all the guys, Harry was getting attention so Zayn was happy. Maybe a little too happy, he was getting drunk. Seeing as he hadn’t had anything substantial to eat all day the rum was hitting him hard. He could feel the numbness in his fingers and toes begin, a clear indication that he was intoxicated. Next usually came his face and mouth, his tongue feeling heavy and foreign in his mouth. The constant craving for a cigarette or something stronger started to kick in. All Zayn had to remember was to not make a fool of himself again. The cameras may not be on him directly, but they were all around him, not afraid to capture anything that may make a good television show. Last year’s series finale was a clear indication of that. That’s what got him in trouble the year before, everyone was too busy paying attention to the production of the show that they didn’t even notice that one of their own producers was getting drunk each and every night. And the worst part was that he was getting drunk off the alcohol provided by the show itself, courtesy of the network.

“Ok, time to wake up.”

Zayn jumped up, startled at the sudden push to his shoulder, his feet feeling wet. “What-what’s going on?”

“You fell asleep,” Liam told him with a laugh. “Production is over for the day. Some gopher you are, mate.”

“I did not-“ Zayn began, looking around at his surroundings. The sun was almost completely set, the cameraman and production assistants were scurrying around, closing up for the day, waiting for the second unit to take their place. “Shit.”

“No one noticed,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, his wet hair still dripping on Zayn’s feet. “No one important at least. I’m heading to bed, I’m knackered, you can head back to your place for the night.”

“My place,” he mumbled to himself, his tongue still feeling heavy in his mouth. Fuck, he was still drunk. Maybe if he tried standing up, bad, bad idea. The ground kept moving. “Thanks.”

Liam huffed out a sarcastic laugh as he held onto Zayn’s arm to help steady his balance. “Need someone to drive ya?”

“Drive me to me car,” he giggled, finding that concept of being driven to his car oddly hysterical.

He was supposed to be a brooding drunk, when did he become a giggly drunk? A lot changes in a year, clearly. “I-I’m o-kay.”

“Come on,” Liam told him sternly, lifting Zayn up as he started to falter on his feet. “You aren’t in the right mind to be alone tonight, the babysitter needs to be babysat.”

Zany stood up straight, fixing himself, trying to gather himself. “I can get back to my car just fine, I don’t need no help, okay?”

“You gotta be a hard ass even when someone is being nice to you,” he scoffed, slowly dragging Zayn towards the bungalow. It was kind of sad really, how easily he was being manhandled by Liam, he was chalking it up to being drunk and not that Liam was stronger than him in any capacity, not at all. “You’re staying at mine tonight, okay?”

Zayn scoffed as he rolled his eyes, feeling the inevitable hangover forming already. Great. Liam had already opened the bungalow entrance, practically shoving Zayn inside. “I will n-not stay he-here. My car is perfectly comfortable.”

Liam shoved Zayn onto the first available surface that looked soft, the sofa in the living area in this instance. He slipped off his slippers and threw the towel that was around his waist towards the laundry room before he sat down on the coffee table facing a semi awake and coherent Zayn. “Why do you keep saying car?”

“Huh?” Zayn asked, his right arm thrown over his face, covering one of his eyes. “What are you babbling about now, Payne?”

“Are you living in your car?” Liam hesitantly asked. “Does that have something to do with that bloody pain in the arse I saw this morning talking to you?”

The silence in the bungalow was deafening, the production crew milling about outside could faintly be heard. If you tried to listen closely and carefully, Louis’s obnoxiously loud voice could be heard, barking orders at the second unit crew. Zayn turned off his walkie talkie after he finished half the bottle of rum that Liam and the contestants disregarded. Zayn just kept blinking at Liam, refusing to speak, pretending his was too drunk to comprehend what was being asked of him. It was embarrassing, and frankly none of Liam’s business. If he told him the truth it’ll be something Liam would probably hold over his head until the production of the show was over. He could already hear the teasing and the taunts and the laughs Liam would have at his expense.

“Zayn.” Liam poked Zayn’s shin with his toe, trying to get any sort of response out of him, even a grunt in recognition would suffice. He sighed in defeat, giving up with this obvious one way conversation. “You’re already half asleep anyway, you know where everything is so you’re welcome to whatever. See you tomorrow, Zayn.”

“Goodnight,” he replied once he knew Liam was already half down the hallway, but close enough to hear his barely above a whisper voice.

Waking up in unknown places was not a foreign concept for Zayn, he’d been doing it since he left uni. Random beds from a one night stand, pub bathrooms, alleyways, you name it and Zayn’s probably woken up there. This time was odd, waking up and feeling refreshed, slightly hungover, but refreshed. He reluctantly opened his eyes, cursing at the sun that temporarily blinded him. He quickly shielded his eyes, feeling the dull ache in the back of his head. He needed coffee and water, maybe an aspirin or two. Firstly, he needed to remember where the hell he was. He could feel the comfortable sofa he was sitting on, noticing he was still in the same clothes he was wearing the day before, could smell the alcohol on his clothes and less attractively, his breath. But that wasn’t different than any other morning since filming started.

“Morning sunshine.”

Zayn groaned at the chipper voice, sadly recognizing it right away. “I slept here?”

“Do you not remember last night?” Liam asked, pushing Zayn’s feet off the sofa to make room for himself to sit which earned a less than threatening growl from Zayn. “I had to practically drag you down here from the pool area. Some people just don’t know how to handle their liquor. Amateurs.”

“I’m a world class drinker,” Zayn pathetically defended himself, regretting it the second after the words left his mouth. “What time is it?”

“Almost noon,” Liam replied. “Had to eat my fruit platter and read my paper in the kitchen like a civilized person.”

“It’s about time,” he muttered under his breath. “What do you have planned today? I have shit to do before I can start working.”

Liam narrowed his eyes at Zayn, curious as to what his words implied but also knowing not to poke the subject, especially after the night before. “What do you need to do?”

“I’ve just got things to do,” he replied forcibly, getting his bearings and standing up, despite the bounding in his head. “I need to grab a few things, like clean clothes and whatnot.”

Liam scoffed and Zayn’s attempts to stand and not wince at every single move he made, the lines between his brows giving him away. “I’ve got clothes, they’re probably a hell of a lot better than the shite you wear and call fashion.”

“I bought my clothes with my own money,” Zayn spat at him. “Daddy didn’t give me a dime, unlike you, spoiled rich punk.”

“Why do I even try?” Liam asked, sounding more like he was talking to himself than Zayn. “I try to be nice, for what? To get my head chewed off.”

Zayn tried to roll his eyes but the pain in his head didn’t really appreciate the attempt. “You? Nice? Don’t make me laugh, Payne, honestly.”

“I tried to help you with that douchebag yesterday, I’ve been letting you use my shower and laundry room without asking any questions,” he rattled off, still carefully monitoring Zayn’s every move. “Now I’m offering you clothes to wear for one bloody day mate and you jump down my throat. Let someone help you, man.”

Without saying anything, Zayn gathered his belongings and headed towards the front door. He still had time before production officially began anyway. It was going to be a busy day seeing elimination was rapidly approaching. Five more contestants were going to be sent home so it was now time for them to scramble and beg and plead Liam to keep them. Another few hours where Zayn had to sit and watch as grown men acted like pathetic human beings. The sun was already shining high in the sky when he exited the bungalow, he had to strain his eyes to see in front of him, which clearly didn’t help his hangover at all. He let out a hot puff of air from his nose while he continued to walk up the graveled pathway and towards the mansions exist. He needed to go to his car and get a change of clothes, being on camera or not, he still needed to look and feel presentable. Also, he owed Louis his daily tea.

The one thing that was still bothering him as he walked up the hill was Liam. Well, besides the obvious reason why Liam Payne bothered him. He was trying to make himself look like a martyr, helping poor defenseless Zayn. Please. The one person in this world who didn’t need anybody’s help was Zayn Malik, he learned that the hard way and early on in life. Offering up his shower and laundry room suddenly made Liam qualified for sainthood? Don’t make him laugh. If Liam was such a good guy then why did he beg the network and upper producers to make him the suitor on this year’s Everlasting? Why campaign for the job if you didn’t need to have a total image makeover? See, Liam forgot that Zayn use to be a producer, meaning he knew all the inside details that only producers were privy to know. He could try and fool the country even try and fool the contestants, but he could never, never fool someone who knew all about the true Liam Payne.

Finally reaching his car on top of the hill, Zayn quickly changed into whatever clean clothes he could find. He wasn’t in a rush to get back to work, that was obvious, but he really didn’t want to linger in his smelly, dirty clothes for much longer. As much as he hated to admit it, he did have to go back to work eventually. If he was going to win this whole thing and give Adam his money plus pocket some for himself, he’d need to put at least a little bit of effort into what he was doing. He had it made if he really thought about it. He was at Liam’s side almost the entire day, he could easily manipulate the situation to his advantage. Zayn knew that he couldn’t wait for Harry to make his move, he was moving at a glacial pace while Chad already had Liam in the sack, giving Louis the upper hand. He wasn’t going to force Liam onto Harry or vice versa, maybe just give them both a small little nudge in the right direction. In the end if Liam gave Harry the final rose and pretended to be happy and have a short lived fairy tale ending, that was more than okay for Zayn, as long as Louis stayed true to his word and put money in his account at the end of everything. He could live with the repercussions that were more than likely inevitable, he could live with them as he lay on the exotic beach with a drink in his hand, far, far away from production.

The trip back down the hill was just like all the other ones, full of dread and regret and wonderment. He made his typical stop to get Louis tea, not having enough money on him this time to get some for himself. He’d just knick something for Liam’s kitchen and call it even. He walked through the gates and towards the production trucks, slightly missing the camaraderie and the late nights, the unproductive producers meetings. Like every morning for the past two weeks, Zayn handed over the tea to Louis and accepted his walkie talkie begrudgingly. He didn’t receive a pep talk this time, just a nod of Louis head and a quick wave of his hand. No news is better than good news is most cases, this being one of them. If the network wasn’t complaining about Zayn’s job performance, that was a good thing. Just like the old days he grabbed a packet of barbeque crisps off the craft service table, eating them as he made his way towards the bungalow. Elimination was looming over everyone’s head so today was the day all the contestants were going to be groveling for Liam’s attention and Zayn had to sit back and watch it all. Great.

“Aww, Mr. Producer, did you get dressed up for me?” Liam mocked as soon as Zayn opened the bungalow door. Liam was conveniently walking passed the hall, towel around his waist, obvious he just got out the shower. “You shouldn’t have. I’m honored.”

Zayn rolled his eyes as Liam over-dramatically clutched at his chest. “Save it Trust Fund. Want me to send the contestants in now seeing you’re clearly ready to just spread your legs for anyone and everyone these days.”

Liam pouted, sticking his bottom lip out as he walked towards Zayn. He stood inches in front of him, could feel Zayn’s breath on his face, see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed sharply. He wasn’t doing anything though, just trying to control his breathing as Liam’s fingertips traced the top of his jeans, his thumb close to the top button. It was eerily silent, just a lot of heavy breathing from the both of them. Zayn hissing as Liam undid the top button to his jeans, purposely stepping closer so their hips were aligned. Zayn grabbed at Liam’s towel and was tempted to either drop it or pull him in closer. Whatever he decided to do he better do it quick. Liam leaned closer, kind of like he was egging Zayn on, telling him it was okay without verbalizing it.

“Too bad I don’t fuck the help,” Liam spat in his face before turning on his heel and into the bedroom.

Zayn stood there dumbfounded, which was rare for him. It was officially, Liam Payne was a piece of shit and exactly how all the tabloids described him. He heard faint laughing coming from the bedroom, Liam boasting at what had just happened, no doubt proud of himself, the smug bastard. He had so many thoughts running through his mind, mostly trying to figure out how to plan his revenge. It was what Liam deserved.

“You okay Mr. Producer?” Liam asked once he emerged out of his bedroom, he was fully dressed this time, smirking wildly.

“So here’s how we’re running today,” he began, stepping closer, “these pathetic pieces of scum vying to be your one true love are all gonna parade in here, yeah. I will decide who sees you and for how long and at what time. Got it? I make the rules around here, Payne, not you.”

The smirk quickly vanished from Liam’s face, he was now serious, his brows knitted together in concentration. “Demanding, I like it. It suits you.”

“We’re gonna start with Chad,” Zayn continued to rattle off, ignoring Liam’s attempt at being cheeky. “You’ll sit on opposite ends of the couch, not too close because everyone has unfortunately seen that already. Gotta leave suspense, yeah, leave them wanting more.”

“You producing again?” Liam asked, his eyes following Zayn as he paced around the room on some sort of high, a power high. “What happened to you being my gopher? You get a promotion during your morning walk?”

“I’m always producing,” he clarified, stopping his pacing and turning to look at Liam. “You’ll end with Harry. You like Harry, Harry likes you. Got it? Good. Now finish getting ready so the first unit can set up.”

Liam gave Zayn a side eye as he followed his directions, going back towards his bedroom and bathroom to finish readying himself. Zayn was buzzing, feeling the blood flow through his veins, that’s how hyped up he was. It felt good being back in the driver’s seat, even without a license so to speak. If he had to follow Liam around and be at his beck and call, why not use it to his advantage, make a good show out of it. Louis wasn’t going to complain and he highly doubted that the network would complain either. As Liam readied himself, with the help of the hair and make-up department, the first unit set up the cameras, lights, and mics all over the bungalow, making sure nothing wasn’t picked up either audibly or visually. Louis voice could be heard barking orders over the walkie talkies, making sure everything was in place, even Zayn. He was to be out of every shot, but still be close enough to step in if need be.

Zayn watched on as every guy came in at exactly the time he specified. Chad was first and tried to be cheeky, bringing up the little encounter they had the day before. It made Liam blush and giggle and made Zayn want to pluck his own eyes out with a spoon. He remained standing behind all the camera and light people, making sure he had a clear view of Liam and made sure Liam knew he was watching closely. Chad tried to take Liam back to the bedroom but I firm shake of his head let Liam know that Zayn wasn’t having it. Not just because he didn’t like Chad and didn’t want Louis to win this series, also because it was obvious that’s all Chad wanted out of Liam, he clearly wasn’t here to find true love, or whatever. The other guys, who names Zayn had no desire to learn, filtered in and out at a blinding pace. Some poured their hearts out to Liam, trying desperately to get a rose later. It was only weeks into the series and some guys were ready to profess their love. Get the fuck outta here.

Last but certainly not least was the only other reason besides the money that Zayn stayed working for this dumb show, Harry. Liam welcomed him warmly into the bungalow, shooting Zayn a look as he walked towards the couch area, pointing at the seat next to him for Harry to sit. Harry looked nervous, understandably. It was all new and exciting and intimidating, this was the first time they ever had any alone time together. It was clear that everyone in the mansion knew about Chad and Liam’s encounter, they all were feeling the pressure to up the ante themselves. Make Liam take notice. Harry was Zayn’s only hope at lining his pockets heavily and maybe getting out of this hellhole, the show and Wales.

Harry looked over at Liam all doe eyes and giraffe limbs he clearly still hadn't figured out how to use. Zayn could see himself liking Harry in the real world, if Zayn was into guys who needed as much help as he did. The nerves were radiating off of Harry, it was obvious that he and Liam had nothing in common. Seeing Liam try was all Zayn had asked of him, so progress. Liam leaned forward and whispered something in Harry's ear that made him blush, his cheeks pink against his pale skin, his dimples evident when he smiled, biting his lip to hold back a laugh. His eyes were wide when he looked down at Liam, moving closer to whisper in his ear. Hopefully the microphones they were wearing caught whatever they were saying or else Louis would be livid. Zayn couldn't care less, as long as this exchange kept positively progressing, it didn't matter if it was caught on camera or audio or not. They kissed and Zayn could faintly hear Louis hiss in anger over the walkie talkie. This was ruining his plans of Chad running away with the show.

This was exactly what Zayn needed to see, without seeming like a total pervert. Harry was safe from elimination, he just had to be. Despite their opposites it was clear Liam obviously saw something in Harry. How he had a connection with both Chad and Harry was beyond Zayn at the moment but he didn't care. His guy was on the top of the heap so he didn't have to worry. Zayn could see the money, smell it even. Chad was the only obstacle in his way and he wasn't going to be deterred by his overgrown muscles or his excessive use of protein powder in everything he drank. It was all a distraction from the guy he actually was, a gold digger. Using Liam as a stepping stone to do more in the public eye, make a name for himself any ways necessary. Harry was making whining noises into Liam's mouth as Liam tangled his hand in Harry's hair. Okay, maybe this was a bit too much. He wasn't a prude, far from it, but this kiss was a tad excessive. If Liam was playing it up for the camera, he was doing a damn good job. Shockingly.

The pulled away, finally, Harry's cheeks pink and his hair a mess. They shared a sickening sweet smile before going back to whispering. If this all wasn't for the damn cameras Zayn would believe Harry and Liam were a real couple. It was obvious there was some sort of connection. Harry had good intentions, it was clear from the first interview Zayn had done with him. He wanted to find love and he wanted to find it with Liam. Why? Only god and Harry know that answer. Liam walked Harry to the front door, both of them molded to each other in what could look as a romantic gesture. They shared their goodbyes and another affectionate kiss before Harry gave Liam a little wave and left the bungalow making his way towards the mansion. A loud cut was called from next to Zayn. The cameras were shut off and everyone start to close down production.

“You're welcome,” Liam said to Zayn.

Zayn balked at Liam for a moment, confused. “I'm welcome? For?”

“That charade I just put on for you,” he replied, gesturing towards the closed bungalow door. He unhooked his mic pack from the back of his pants and passed it to a sound guy who was waiting with his hand out. “Acting like I really want to be with Harry.”

“You don't like him?” Zayn asked in a huff. “Could've fooled me.”

Liam shook his head and smirked, walking away from the chaos in the front room of the home and heading towards the kitchen where it was more quiet. “I'm a great actor Mr. Producer. I told you before, there's a lot you don't know about me.”

Zayn stood across Liam, the kitchen island between the two of them. He was infuriated, intrigued, but infuriated. “And all that shit with Chad?”

“You offer up sex that easily, I'm not gonna say no,” he replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. “Isn't that part of them game anyway? It's all for the ratings anyway.”

“You're fucking this whole thing up,” he huffed. “That's my job Money Bags, not yours.”

Liam spun on his heel, moving around the kitchen island to stand beside Zayn. “See, that’s what I don’t understand. You have a cushy job here and you want to sabotage it. Why?”

“You have a cushy life and you want to sabotage it. Why?” Zayn countered, eyebrows raised.

Liam pursued his lips and nodded. “Touché Mr. Producer.”

Zayn walked away, shaking his head in dismay. Liam Payne loves to bitch and moan that his life was hard, like he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Like he didn’t have everything he ever wanted in life. Zayn knew struggle, he knew hardship. He was the only Muslim kid in his school, besides his older sister. The shit he would get on a daily basis from students and teachers would make anyone drop out or want to disappear completely, and that was only during grade school. Add being gay and things got worse. Crushing on the captain of the football team was fine if you kept it to yourself. Getting caught staring at him during chemistry class and you got yourself beat up after school in the boys bathroom. No one lending a hand, no one calling for helping. Going home and both parents hemming and hawing over what to do but not doing a thing. Life was shit for Zayn but he’d kill to have half of what Liam complained he had to go through. All his problems were self inflicted. He put himself in all his situations. The bottom line to all of Zayn’s crap was because who he was born as, a brown, Muslim, gay man.

“Good evening and welcome to Everlasting,” Niall smiled wide as the camera zoomed in on him.

It was another elimination night, another endlessly long night ahead of them all. Niall had already had his pow wow with Liam, going over each and every contestant to see how Liam was feeling about them. Zayn had to stand behind the cameras as they filmed, just in case Liam decided he needed something. If Zayn wanted to be a butler he would’ve never went to uni and made something of himself. He had to grin and bare it though, act like this job was a god sent. He was allowed to scoff and roll his eyes so it was a win/win situation. Niall was talking to all the contestants now, taking a pulse of the situation. Who was nervous, who felt confident. Shockingly Chad was walking around with his chest puffed out, overly confident that he was going to get a rose and move forward. Harry even looked like he had a pep in his step, head held high after his last meeting with Liam.

“Malik!” Louis called to him from behind the monitors. He waved his hands to get his attention. “Move your non existent ass here, stat!”

Zayn rolled his eyes as he cast one last glance Liam’s way. Liam was being tended to by hair and makeup before he was due on camera to break some hearts. “What’s up Lou?”

Louis grabbed Zayn’s arm and moved them to a semi secluded area. Nothing was ever fully secluded but after years working on a show like this, you learn where you can get a smidge of privacy. “What’s up with you and Payne?”

“Liam?” Zayn gawked with a laugh. He undid his hair and redid it to occupy his hands. He was aching for a cigarette or a drink, always did during elimination nights. It was long and daunting and way too emotional. “Payne’s a dick.”

“There’s cameras all over the place, babe,” Louis reminded him, an eyebrow raised. “It sees everything.”

“And you need your eyes checked,” he joked. “Does it see how much I despise Pretty Boy here? How he’s jeopardizing the entire production?”

“When have you cared about the production?” He snorted. “You hate this place as much as anyone else. You’re stuck here for a paycheck and cause you’re court mandated to.”

“And I’m doing my job like you asked,” Zayn told him. “Babysit Payne, which I’m doing. I think I’m excelling actually.”

Louis purses his lips together and nodded. “You are getting too close. You can’t be this blokes friend, okay?”

“Don’t worry,” he laughed, patting Louis’s face affectionately. “You’ll always be my best mate Lou.”

“Fuck off,” Louis huffed, pushing Zayn’s hand away. “Don’t be a prick, Malik.”

As the night rolled on like it would never end, Zayn kept a close eye on Louis and his movements. It seemed like Louis had one eye on production and one on him. It was creepy and totally unnecessary. Zayn was a professional, knew his boundaries. Despite his previous stumbles and incidents, he understood what his job entailed. He knew that he had to keep Liam in line, make sure he was present both physically and mentally at all times. There hadn’t been any major hiccups since he took over the assistant job. He couldn’t stop Liam from sleeping with Chad, even though he tried his hardest. And they were definitely not friends, far from it. They both yelled and screamed at each other any chance they got, what made Louis say such a thing? It was bizarre and insane.

The rose ceremony was as dramatic as always, Niall coming into the frame right on cue to add the suspense. Giving long monologues with just the right amount of pause for the contestants to wonder if they were going to go home. Chad got the first rose and some of the remaining contestants audibly groaned at the selection. It made for great television but grinded Zayn’s gears, the bloke was such a prick. Chad accepted his rose with the same false smile as he always had and kissed the side of Liam’s mouth, causing them both to giggle and blush. Gag. Liam was just as dense as Zayn and half of England predicted. Falling for the obvious mind games Chad was playing. Louis was eating it up, loving every single gross second of it. If camera weren’t rolling all the time and Zayn’s job wasn’t on the line, he’d love to just smack Chad right across the face. Treat him like the piece of shit he really was. No one liked him and it was fair to say no one outside the mansion, in his real life, like him either.

#my writing

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morphinedeity · 7 years

Text

Pillow Talk

Pairing: Malec (Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood)

Fandom: The Mortal Instruments

Rating: Mature

[AO3]

Summary: Valentine's Day is here and Alec is missing Magnus.

Prompt: Imagine your OTP having sex while “Pillow Talk” by Zayn plays in the background.

The past three days had been taxing on Alec, all the missions he’d been going on with Jace, Izzy, and Clary. During those three days he hadn’t been able to see Magnus and he was already beginning to miss his Warlock boyfriend. He just wants to go to Magnus’ either to curl up next to him or just to sleep the day away. It didn’t help that today is Valentine’s Day, that made his day even more depressing because he won’t be able to spend it with the one he loves.

The small group entered the Institute after a long grueling day of patrolling the city. Jace collapsed on the sofa with a groan, Clary laughed and lifted his head up for her to sit down and placed his head back down. Izzy went straight for the chair, kicked off her shoes and curled up in her spot. Her attention went straight to her phone, no doubt texting Simon.

Alec sat down across from them, his phone buzzed driving his attention to it. He fished it out of his pocket and swiped it open to the text. He smiled seeing that Magnus was the one who texted him:

I miss you

That simple text made his day better, but it didn’t erase the feeling of missing Magnus. The others must have noticed Alec’s composure because Jace was the one who spoke up. “Why don’t you just go.”

Alec looked up from his phone seeing Jace and the others staring at him. “What do you mean by that?”

Izzy rolled her eyes and stretched out her legs. “He means go to Magnus’ for the night. We’ll handle everything here without you.”

“I can’t just leave you guys, there are things I need to do here.” Alec placed his phone on the table after sending a text to Magnus. “I’m sure Magnus will understand.”

“Dude.” Jace sat up from his reclining position and looked at his parabatai. “Magnus needs his dick wet from time to time.”

The room went quiet, the three shadowhunters stared at Jace in complete shock. Alec’s face went completely bright red, Clary smacked Jace upside of his head causing the blond to yelp in pain. “What the hell was that for?!”

“I don’t even want to hear those words come out of your mouth. Ever.” Alec retorted, still trying to calm his red face.

“Hey, I’m only stating the truth.” Clary smacked Jace again causing another yelp. “Will you stop doing that?”

“Stop messing with Alec and I will.” Clary shot back.

Isabel turned to Alec, ignoring the bickering couple across from them. “Alec, forget what Jace said. If you want to see Magnus then go see him.” She stopped Alec before he could say something. “I know you’ve been missing him these past three days, you need to go see him.”

Alec grabbed his phone and got up from his seat. “Thanks, Izzy.” He made a beeline for the door leaving the three sitting there.

Alec entered Magnus’ loft hearing music softly playing through the stereo, he walked into the living area finding Magnus laying on the sofa reading a book. Chairman Meow curled up on his stomach, he fingers gently petting the feline. Alec walked over and crouched down next to Magnus and gave him a kiss. Magnus put the book down and looked over to his Shadowhunter boyfriend.

“Hello, darling.” Magnus smiled, he motioned for Chariman Meow to move as he sat up from his laying position.

“Hey.” Alec replied in kind. He took his seat next to Magnus and leaned against him. “What have you been doing all day?”

“Pretty much what you see here.” Magnus motioned to his book and stereo. “I knew you would be busy, so I decided to keep myself occupied with reading and being lazy.”

“Well, I’m here now.” Alec turned in his seat and nuzzled Magnus’ neck.

Magnus smirked, he grabbed Alec and pulled him down across his lap. His smile never left his face as he stared down at his boyfriend. “That you are, darling.”

Their lips connected in a slow kiss. Alec reached up and carded his fingers through his boyfriend’s styled hair. Feeling Magnus’ tongue lick against his lips encouraged him to open them letting Magnus gain access to his mouth. Their tongues danced around one another causing Alec to moan, Magnus pulled away and smiled.

“Let’s take this to the bedroom.” Magnus got up and pulled Alec along to the bedroom.

He pushed the door open and pushed Alec onto the bed. Alec watched Magnus walked around the room to the stereo and turned it on. “Pillow Talk” by Zayn started playing through the speakers, Magnus barked out a laugh. Alec’s mouth dropped open. “You are not leaving it on this station.”

“Oh yes I am.” Magnus continue to laugh as he saunters over to him. “This is too good to pass up.”

He chuckled before kissing Alec once more, pushing him back on the bed.

Alec tilted his head back, his lips parted letting out a moan of pleasure. His fingers gripped the now messy hair while Magnus buried his face in Alec’s neck letting out heavy pants as he thrust into his willing boyfriend. Each slow thrust dragged out every moan from those pale lips Magnus loved to kiss, he was loving every minute of this. The way his name escaped those lips in a low whisper follow by another moan. He even loved how Alec began to move against him urging Magnus to speed up.

He pushed Alec down on the bed and lifted one of his legs on his tan shoulder. Magnus picked up the pace in his thrusts causing Alec to grip onto the pillow as a moan was torn out of him. Magnus leaned down and captured those soft lips with his, silencing the moans to mere whimpers of pleasure. Thrusting into his boyfriend slow and sensual caused an even bigger reaction out of Alec. Magnus was loving every minute of it.

Alec placed his hands on Magnus’ arms, his nails digging into the tan skin. “Ma-Magnus, faster.”

Magnus stopped his movements and smiled. He leaned back down his lips ghosting over Alec’s ear, his breath caressing the skin causing Alec to shudder. “No can do, love.” He leaned up to look into the clear blue eyes he loved to stare into. “I intend to make love to you just like this. I want to see how much you come undone from something slow and sensual as this.”

Alec stared at Magnus at a loss for words, he wanted to say something but Magnus began to move once more. Alec closed his eyes letting euphoria take him away from reality, he loved the way Magnus made him feel. It was like a drug he can never get enough of. Each thrust forced more sounds out of him, his nails scraped down Magnus’ back, then it was over like the floodgates had opened within him and released all the pressure pressing against him.

Seeing Alec finding release his name leaving those lovely lips sent Magnus over the edge. Magnus gave one final thrust and found release he collapsed on Alec, both breathing heavily. Alec lifted a shaky hand and ran his fingers through the now sweat damp hair feeling Magnus sigh against his chest. “Magnus?”

Magnus looked up from his laying position. “What is it?”

Alec looked at Magnus. “Don’t play that song ever again.”

#smut #shadowhunters #malec #the mortal instruments #fanfic #ff: pillow talk #prompt

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mildlymaddy · 7 years

Photo

Here’s the 2nd part to my little Niam Photograph AU verse! :) 1st part available here.

Liam’s first instinct is to turn back and go hide, until he remembers that they don’t actually know each other. That boy has no idea who Liam is, is blissfully unaware that pictures of him hang in a total stranger’s bedroom. He’d probably be horrified if he knew, actually.

Liam feels his cheeks heat up, but he stays put, a little ways away, looking at the boy as he finishes his song. When ‘Neil’ looks up, grinning at the applause, his eyes fall on Liam for a second and glide away with no sign of recognition, which hurts in a really absurd way.

It’s just so strange, seeing him here, in real life, in three dimensions. Hearing his boisterous laughter rising above the crowd. He shouts something in the direction of the house, and Liam realizes with a jolt that he’s Irish.

Then Louis appears out of nowhere and swings an arm around Liam’s shoulders, dragging him towards the barbecue (Louis always dumps barbecue duties on Liam, which is fine with Liam because he likes his meat to taste like meat, and not like burnt charcoal), and Liam loses sight of the boy in the crowd.

He spends the evening catching glimpses of him. Laughing with a pretty brunette, clinking beer bottles with a man twice his size whom he looks really friendly with, boldly asking Harry for a cocktail. And, on one terrifying occasion, standing right in front of the barbecue when Liam looks up from the string of sausages he’s just put on the grill.

“D’you have any burgers left?” the boy asks, his eyes impossibly blue, his hair mussed up like someone’s been ruffling it with their hand, and who wouldn’t want to do that, really, and Liam has to gulp down before he can answer. He probably looks like a right twat, his forehead sweaty from the heat of the barbecue, wearing that stupid Batman apron that Louis bought him because Louis’s the best, alright, he loves that apron, but he’d never planned on wearing in front of someone so perfect as the boy from the pictures. He needs to get a grip.

“Sorry, just sausages at this point,” he says, because it’s eleven in the evening and he hasn’t had any burgers for a good two hours now. Did his voice always sound so stupid? Why didn’t anyone tell him before?

“Knew I should have stolen Bressie’s,” the boy mutters, and leaves with a “Thanks anyway, pal!” before Liam can make a fool of himself by offering to go buy some more burgers or begging him to have some sausage instead (just thinking about it makes Liam want to bang his head against the nearest wall).

By the time everyone has left, Liam hasn’t talked to the boy again, doesn’t even know his name.

“You alright hon?” Jade asks him as he lets himself slump down in the chair next to hers.

Liam rests his forehead against the living room table, arms curled up on either side. It’s sticky, but he doesn’t even care. “No,” he says, grunting for emphasis. He feels Jade’s fingers carding through his hair, and hooks his ankle around hers. As much as Louis is his best friend, some days Liam wonders how he’d ever go on if he didn’t have Jade’s casual touches and easy friendship. He turns his face towards her, pillowing his cheek on his forearm, and gives her his most pitiful pout. “There’s a boy,” he says, but doesn’t elaborate.

“Oooh, which boy?”

And that’s the problem, isn’t it?

“I don’t know his name,” Liam mumbles, feeling himself blush.

He sits up straight when Louis strolls into the room, turning a chair around and straddling it, eyes way too sharp for someone who's had as much to drink as Liam knows Louis did.

“Describe him,” Louis says, his tone so commanding that Liam doesn't even protest.

“Um, well, he was blond… a bit on the skinny side… um, he was playing the guita-”

“Oh, Niall!” Louis exclaims, and Liam does a double take, sure that his ears have deceived him. “You’ve got your eyes on Niall Horan? Ha, figures.”

Niall, Liam thinks to himself, putting the name next to the pictures in his head. It's really close to the name he'd made up, and yet infinitely better. Niall.

“Niall’s a sweetheart, you should have talked to him,” Jade says, reaching up to brush her fingers against the nape of Liam’s neck.

Liam may as well go for broke. “Is he… um…”

“Is he what, young Liam?” Louis asks, tipping his chair forward with a gleeful smile. “Is he batting for the other team? Driving on the other lane? A perennial bache-”

“He’s gay,” Jade mercifully cuts in. “Or maybe bi, I’m not sure. But he used to date Zayn, before Pez snagged him.”

Liam’s heart does a complicated somersault in his ribcage, going from elated to crushed. Zayn looks like a freaking pagan god, like the people who used to get immortalized as marble statues. If Zayn is what Niall goes for, then Liam doesn’t stand a chance.

“Don’t be an idiot.”

Liam looks up to find Louis frowning at him, as if he knows exactly what’s going on through Liam’s mind. Louis knows him too well, is the problem. He doesn’t add anything, leaving the room with a purposeful stride, but comes back two minutes later holding the shorts he was wearing earlier in the night, going through the pockets. He discards the shorts once he's got his cellphone, thumb furiously tapping the screen. Liam’s own phone pings a second later.

“Here's his phone number,” Louis says while Liam fishes his phone out of his back pocket. “You should send him a text.”

“He doesn't even know who I am,” Liam says, wondering when his life turned into a teen movie. Jade rubs his arm compassionately, taking a gulp from a discarded water bottle. “We only talked when he asked me for a burger. I only had sausages left.”

“Then write to him and offer him your sausage,” Louis says, looking smug as hell when Jade snorts out water through her nose, clutching her hand to her face and wheezing.

Liam pats her absent-mindedly on the back; his cheeks feel like they’re on fire. “Lou there’s no way I’m sending anyone that kind of message,” he says, but it's too late, Louis is once again typing on his phone. “Lou…”

“Hey... Nialler...” Louis says as he types his message, “the fit bloke... who was taking care of the... bbq... at my place... would like you to try his... sausage. Game for a... date?”

Liam watches him tap his screen one last time and put his phone back in his pocket, horrified. “Lou you didn't,” he croaks out, but he knows Louis did. Louis's a prankster, but he never lies about the shit he does. That's what makes him so terrifying.

Liam buries his head in his arms, groaning. Jade’s hand moves down, palm gently rubbing his lower back through his t-shirt, but Liam still wants to dig a hole and hide in it forever.

When his phone pings again he doesn't check it straight away, not until he feels Louis lean over him, hand reaching out for the phone, and snatches it before Louis can grab it, clutching it in trembling hands.

The text notification is from an unknown number. Hiya, Louis sent me ur-

The preview ends there, but it's more than enough to send Liam’s heart into a mad spin. “Oh fuck…”

“He replied already? Nice!” Louis says, still gamely trying to steal the phone from Liam’s hand.

Liam’s pretty sure he’s going to throw up, eyes fixed on his lock screen, too scared to swipe it unlocked and get to the full message within.

“C’mon sweetheart, if he answered that fast it’s probably a good sign,” Jade says encouragingly, but Liam can’t bear the thought of them both seeing the disappointment on his face when the text turns out to be just Niall asking him if it’s a fucking joke. He gets up and walks to the downstairs bathroom in a daze, ignoring Louis’s indignant squawk.

He doesn’t look at his phone again until the bathroom door is securely locked and he’s sitting on the edge of the bathtub, his heart in his throat. It takes him two tries to swipe his unlock pattern, and his thumb is shaking like a leaf when he taps on the message’s preview to see the full text.

Hiya, Louis sent me ur #. Guessing hes lookin over ur shouldr rn. If ur rly the bbq guy, i wouldnt mind that date tho.

Liam blinks down at his phone, his heart beating so erratically he thinks maybe he’s going into cardiac arrest or something. Niall’s followed his message with a few emojis, the wink and the sunglasses and… a hot dog.

Liam laughs despite himself, biting his lip around a grin as he sends back a time and place.

#niam #tumblr ficlet #in the end writing won #making that crappy banner took me way too long but oh well #gotta sleep now #i hope it's good!

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theconservativebrief · 6 years

Link

I’m standing in a piteous rain, in front of an auto garage on Flushing Avenue, staring across the street at a line of people that stretches back at least two full avenues. The mechanics standing behind me are idly curious: “What the hell is going on over there?”

I kind of think that if I started to try to explain it, I’d grow old and die on this street corner.

Hypefest, which takes place the same weekend as the New Yorker Festival and New York Comic Con, is a two-day streetwear celebration featuring art, music, food, and, of course, shopping. Hosted throughout several large, vaguely fish-scented buildings in the currently hip Brooklyn Navy Yard, it’s the first large-scale festival organized by the Hong Kong-based media and e-commerce giant Hypebeast, founded by Kevin Ma in 2005. And it’s an answer to ComplexCon, the glorified mall and music festival hosted by the “youth culture” media monolith Complex in Long Beach, California, every November.

Both celebrate the ever-growing online “hype” culture around anything exciting — Elon Musk and the modern commercial space race; basketball sneakers and a handful of famous men in hip-hop; startup streetwear brands and the legendary fashion houses that embrace them. Surprise and unlikeliness are key, which is why this crew loves loose-cannon tech CEOs as much as they love Kanye West, and also as much as they love bizarre collaborations like Balenciaga and Crocs or Louis Vuitton and Supreme.

Note a tiny hypebeast in an Adidas tracksuit. And, in the distance, a yacht Hypefest attendees can sign up to stand on. Kaitlyn Tiffany/Vox

Hypefest was barely announced, save for some Instagram posts last month and an 800-word New York Times preview titled “If you hype it, will they come?” Tickets weren’t made available until three weeks in advance, at which time Ma wrote on his Instagram, “Culture and learning shouldn’t have a price attached to it. I will personally cover the cost of tickets to make Hypefest a free experience for all.”

He gave out 10,000 free tickets in a matter of minutes.

The location of the festival was kept a secret until two days before, at which time it was announced only to ticket holders. The requisite Hypefest app, also usable only to ticket holders, hosted an elaborate digital store, which was the only way to buy anything you saw at the event. There was no cash allowed — even food trucks and the several enormous Ciroc stations weren’t permitted to take anything but credit cards or Apple Pay.

All these measures seem dramatic but were presumably necessary, given that the culture we’re talking about is one literally named for its excess energy and known for ambitious, flagrantly ridiculous resale scams. Also its high percentage of young male fans.

The location of Hypefest was kept a secret until two days before

Of the many things available for sale at Hypefest, a $1,700 suitcase is the most coveted. It’s making an exclusive debut at the festival, and it’s the reason many of these people got out of bed this morning.

For example: Axel, 15, and Chris, 14, a pair of incredibly polite friends who drove up from Washington, DC, with their parents. They are wearing Comme des Garçons Nikes and 2011 Jordan 1s, respectively; they tell me they came to Hypefest for the experience, and to buy two of the suitcases.

Other stuff sells out — notably, freeze-dried flowers preserved in glass blocks by Japanese artist Azuma Makoto (ranging from $260 to $600), and tactical vests from Pharrell Williams’s Billionaire Boys Club, which go for $1,100 each. But it’s the suitcase, a collaboration between Off-White (the Italian brand founded by Kanye West creative director Virgil Abloh) and Rimowa (a fancy German luggage company, majority-owned by LVMH), that’s the talk of the party.

The suitcase sells out immediately, but no worries — every couple of hours, it gets restocked, which festivalgoers are alerted to by a push notification. Each time, it sells out again about two minutes later. This happens at least five times.

The setting for Hypebeast’s first festival was a smattering of fish-scented buildings owned by the Brooklyn Fish Transfer. Kaitlyn Tiffany/Vox

Before I asked if I could go to Hypefest, I told my editor, “I think I love the hypebeasts. At least they’re getting excited. At least someone’s having an adrenaline rush.” If that’s true, it must be a behind-the-computer state of play. Everyone in line for the first round of shuttle buses to the navy yard on Saturday looks like they’d rather chew gravel than smile. (The buses are also effectively crowd control, serving no real crucial transportation purpose, as each group travels about 800 feet in them and there are no return buses.)

My first order of business upon disembarking the “shuttle bus” is not buying a $1,700 suitcase, but waiting in a small corral in order to meet the extremely famous young person Jaden Smith, who is announcing a denim line made in collaboration with the Dutch brand G-Star. Standing in the corral for 40 minutes, I am not permitted to leave to go to the bathroom, but I am permitted to look around my immediate vicinity.

Everybody is tall and wearing all black, except a baby wearing a camouflage Bape hoodie. Lots of people are pausing to take a picture of the back of a bald guy’s neck as he peruses Lacoste polos — probably because he has a tattoo there, of a pair of eyes, that looks suspiciously similar to Zayn Malik’s tattoo of Gigi Hadid’s eyes. All clothes are designer, unless they’re Scarface T-shirts or hoodies from the famed Atlanta strip club Magic City. It doesn’t immediately seem like anyone’s that cool, but I can concede they’re all cooler than me.

A fashion reporter, also stationed in the corral, looks down at my chunky white sneakers — relatively new but already slightly scuffed, modeled extremely vaguely after the current trend of designing shoes to look like swollen lips — and asks, “So what are those?”

“They’re from Target!” I say, throwing my arms wide like I’m Betty Draper about to show off a serving tray of Heineken. I hope it will be funnier than it is.

Ten minutes later, Jaden Smith — son of Will Smith, star of Netflix’s Neo Yokio, general presence in hip-hop — arrives to introduce his denim collection wearing what I can only guess is about 50 pounds of (mostly denim) clothing. Denim jacket, denim pants. He has both a fanny pack and a tactical vest, and though I can’t really get close enough to see, it seems like he’s not using all this storage space for anything in particular.

Outside our admittedly not-very-private corral, dozens of teens and 20-somethings press in and reach for his hand. Smith gives it. He smiles a glittery famous person smile. “We got floating mannequins inside; it’s gonna be awesome,” he tells the general air, seeming genuinely friendly and enthused, bouncing either because he is happy or because that is how you have to move if you are a tiny boy-wire inside enough fabric to cover a grizzly bear.

Jaden Smith poses with a fan at Hypefest, inside the G-Star booth. Kaitlyn Tiffany/Vox

He leads us into a conical structure I am hoping is not actually supposed to be a teepee and points up at three headless mannequins, suspended by invisible cords. They are wearing denim. The denim, it is explained, is sustainable. Some of it is undyed; some of it is dyed with indigo that doesn’t use salt; all of it uses less water than other denim.

“We have floating mannequins that are flying, because we want them to fly,” Smith explains. “G-Star clothes give you superpowers.” He turns to someone from G-Star and says, “The floating’s great. The floating’s great.” He explains that sustainability is important to him, and I believe him. I look at him for a few minutes longer than I feel I want to, because it just seems like what you should do if there’s a celebrity a few feet away and he’s thanked you for coming.

After I’ve touched raw denim, I wander outside, past the main stage where about two dozen boys are attempting to mosh to a DJ playing the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” and talk to a man waiting in line for empanadas. He points suddenly to my chest and says, “What is that?” That is a 3-inch-tall teddy bear holding an orange leaf. I remember that I bought it for 50 cents at the flea market in Avon, New York, last weekend, and that I pinned to the lapel of my stained Topshop jacket more or less as a joke.

“So you’d be making a 10,000 percent profit if you sold it to me right now for $5?” the man says. I think he’s joking, so I laugh, and then he says he’ll also buy me an empanada. I say something weird about how I’m “just getting acquainted” with my bear, I’ve only had him for one week, I don’t know if I need $5 that badly. “I mean, I know I’m a journalist, but it’s not that dire today,” I tell him, and he says the empanadas are really good. His friend, who is wearing an Endxiety hat reading “Our Lord & Savior Elon Musk,” tells him to please give up, I’m not parting with it.

It will take me close to 48 hours to realize that I wrote the man’s name down wrong and he’s Rhuigi Villaseñor, the 26-year-old owner of Rhude, an (extremely expensive!) LA streetwear label best known for the fact that Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, and LeBron James wear it.

Anyway, he is really nice. He’s here to help launch a new sneaker with Puma. He tells me, “It’s great for the culture to be social, because it’s an Instagram world. It’s good for kids to be socializing who are, in one way or another, a little awkward.” I say, “Do you think they’re socializing?”

He says, “No.”

Rhude designer Rhuigi Villaseñor drinking a Sprite at Hypefest. Kaitlyn Tiffany/Vox Adidas’s booth at Hypfest, where attendees could sign up to create their own “never built” shoe. Kaitlyn Tiffany/Vox

It’s sort of a rhetorical question, as I can already see that they mostly aren’t. The thing about an event designed to educate you about expensive goods, I reason, is that the expensive goods are the education in and of themselves. You don’t need to hear explanations of them. You don’t need to hear outside opinions. A pair of sneakers being sold for $350 is worth $350, and probably more once there aren’t any left. I’m happy enough with this explanation — who doesn’t want a hobby that’s as simple as arithmetic and supply and demand?

Hypefest is a beautiful mall, essentially two dozen Instagram-ready stations for brands that don’t often appear outside of Instagram. Everybody is a walking price tag, and doing the math is as easy as a Google search on the free, ubiquitous wifi. The air is thick with humidity and money: Women wear ground-length Opening Ceremony raincoats, Prada fanny packs, Helmut Lang sweatshirts, Balenciaga sneakers, and vintage Apple employee jackets that go for around $400 on eBay. Men are in Off-White Nikes with the tags still on, Supreme hoodies, Anti-Social Social Club windbreakers, and Advisory Board Crystals beanies that are about $200 each on the popular resale app Grailed.

Jake Woloshin, 23, is wearing Ava Nirui’s Marc Jacobs hoodie (advertised as an “official bootleg,” which … okay), which means he is currently wearing $125 on his torso. But he tells me he couldn’t resist the new Heron Preston hoodies he saw today, so he picked one up; tomorrow, his torso will be worth $475.

As for his feet, they’re in relatively modest Timberlands, and he tells me he’s glad he’s not wearing the same Travis Scott Air Jordan 4s everyone else is wearing. This is a point reiterated by nearly everyone I speak to. They are mortified by the amount of Travis Scott merch. “You’d think he was performing,” says a New Jersey podcast host, smiling kind of, but mostly rolling his eyes.

Marc Jacobs set up a photo booth where Hypefest attendees could pose in Marc Jacobs-branded surgical masks. Kaitlyn Tiffany/Vox

I have a lot of time to wander around, as I can’t get drunk and I can’t buy anything and I can’t even really merit anyone’s attention because good lord, look at my outfit.

I wander past a car completely covered in packets of $100 bills, which is apparently an ad for a hotel in Los Angeles. I pass the Marc Jacobs booth, which is advertising a collaboration with Instagram artist @Hey_Reilly by giving out surgical masks with teeth printed on the front, with “Marc Jacobs” printed on the teeth. They’re really scary, and I don’t like them. I stop into a booth stylized to look like a convenience store (T-shirts sold in soda bottles, hoodies sold in chip bags); it belongs to the Japanese brand Conveni, which has never been to New York before. I like that one; they’re selling bandanas in triangular sandwich packaging, and the owner is kind enough to offer me a snack.

Back outside, Charlie Mejia, a 19-year-old New Yorker who came to Hypefest by himself, tells me he came specifically to buy a Pikachu sweatshirt designed by a brand called Fragment, which typically stylizes its name as “.” It sold out, so he bought a limited-edition calendar designed by manga artist Katsuhiro Otomo, and is mostly looking forward to a talk called “The Female Is Present,” hosted by Sporty and Rich founder Emily Oberg and Kendrick Lamar stylist Aleali May.

“I really want to hear women’s thoughts,” he tells me. “We don’t hear their perspectives as much.”

“I really want to hear women’s thoughts. We don’t hear their perspectives as much.”

I run into a kid named Aidan Parker, who is wearing a black denim jacket designed by Nick Holiday, the creator of the hip-hop collective Brockhampton’s early merch. I’m happy to recognize something, and ask Parker to tell me about his day and his thoughts on the Brockhampton sexual misconduct scandal, which he calls simply “uh, crazy.” He’s there with his friend A.J. Nurse, who is on the phone trying to coordinate with the rest of their friends. They run a group chat called The Stoop, sourced from the subreddit r/streetwear, made up of more than 50 people ages 16 to 34, who first met up in Union Square in June 2016. They hang out in SoHo; they are here to buy $1,700 suitcases.

There are so many boys like them — expected, and at the same time hyperreal because of how expected they are. It’s nice, I guess, that they are friends who met online.

There are also VIPs hanging out in a secluded plastic garden, and a yacht you can sign up to stand on. There’s a huge Adidas station where you can design your own shirts and sneakers or watch someone named Jack the Ripper put together shoes inside a glass box for hours on end. There is an adorable 4-year-old in a high-visibility-workwear yellow baseball cap, sucking his thumb. There is a slightly younger child waddling around all day in a full Adidas tracksuit, and I am obligated to write down that even the toddlers at Hypefest are rich and beautiful.

Axel and Chris, polite teenage friends at Hypefest Kaitlyn Tiffany/Vox

There is a teenager in Balenciaga’s Triple S sneakers and a UPenn baseball cap who drops, with zero warning, to his knees, in front of an unexplained covered wagon. He holds Drake’s favored squat pose for about 20 seconds, while his mom, wearing a navy cardigan and green Adidas Stan Smiths, waits for him without a change in expression. I don’t think anyone took his picture.

What I love about Hypefest is that even an untrained eye like mine can pick out a logo and look up how much something cost. The barrier to access for this event was just proximity to it, and the barrier to access for a community in which shopping becomes an art form in itself is just money — a lot of it.

When I sit down and force myself to find something redeeming about it all, it is the same thing that redeems anything noxious: The people are nice when addressed directly. The attendees imagined that the culture they love on the internet might represent community in real life, and for a handful of them, maybe it does — if you put your face in front of someone, they will mostly respond with warmth.

These are just people, like me, here to buy something that will make them feel better, or, barring that, to look at things they can’t afford, which will make them feel like they have a reason to try harder. All we can really dream of in America is a chance to buy something that will change our lives.

Also, for no obvious reason and with no explanation: Travis Scott did show up at Hypefest on Sunday afternoon. Sometimes faith is rewarded.

Original Source -> At Hypebeast’s new streetwear festival, even the toddlers are cool and rich

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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mikkomacko · 5 years

Text

The True Encounter XIII

"What are you reading?"

Harry peaks over the top of the magazine he ordered last week, meeting y/n's gaze.

She's sat at the dining table, laptop in front of her, casting a white glow over her face. Her camera rests next to her laptop, plugged into the device as she uploads and edits photos like she's been doing since 12 o'clock.

Now seven hours later, she's finally given Harry her full attention. Despite how comforting it feels to have her focused on him again, Harry focuses on the irritated feeling he's had all day.

Shrugging, he looks back down at the magazine and admires the red and white wedding theme shown in the spread.

He can feel her confusion at his lack of response. He ignores it, flipping the page so aggressively it creates a small tear near the binding.

"Harry?"

He keeps his gaze on the magazine. "What?"

"I promise I'm almost done and then we can watch FRIENDS."

"Don't wanna watch friends."

"Then we can watch something else."

"Don't wanna watch something else."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Don't wanna do anything!"

The room falls silent. Harry can feel her offended gaze on him and the drop of hurt in her chest but he can't bring himself to look up at her nor apologize.

"Why are you being a grump?" Y/n asks, voice awfully small and timid. Harry's shoulders slump in guilt.

"I'm not being a grump." Harry sighs, finally closing the magazine and tossing it onto the coffee table.

"Then why are you being mean to me?"

Harry shrugs, knowing he'll sound like a proper ass if he were tell her why exactly he's mad.

Y/n keeps her gaze on him, head tilted as she waits for him to speak to her. Harry knows he shouldn't but he tells her anyway.

"Yeh don't pay attention to me."

She frowns, a bit taken aback by his reasoning.

"I have school work Harry." Her voice is calm, as if they were simply talking about what to have for dinner and it makes Harry's chest burn in anger. Does she not know that this is a big deal to him?

"I know that." Harry scoffs, a bit more agressive than he intended. "I know you have school and a life and human things that I'm not a part of. But I still want you to try and include me."

She stares at him for a moment, an unrecognizable look in her eyes that pisses Harry off even more. He should be able to know what she's feeling;why can't he tell what she's thinking?

"I asked if you wanted to help."

"Help? By what? Sitting next to ya?" Harry laughs humorlessly. "S'what I was bloody doing over there isn't it? Lotta help that was."

"What do you want me to do Harry?" She asks accusingly. "You're the one that told me to finish school, to do whatever I wanted and now you're barking at me for doing school work."

"M'not barking at ya!" Harry huffs, actually sounding a bit barky. "I'm trying to tell ya that this is new for me ok? This isn't how I was told my life was going to be!"

By now her laptop has gone dark, no longer casting a gleam in her eyes. She sits quietly at the table, hands in her lap and waiting for him to what? Continue? Yell? Throw something?

"I was taught that I'd have my mate by sixteen. I'd be bonded and alpha by eighteen. I'd have pups by now. That my mate would always be at my beck and call."

Her jaw drops in offense. It's now that Harry can spot the red blotches of anger on her cheeks and the furrow between her eyebrows.

"I know that's not reasonable!" Harry cuts her off, growling deep in his chest. "But that's how I grew up and I'm trying to fix this, I'm trying to let you balance your needs and mine. S'just not how it works in a pack though. You're supposed to take care of me and I'll take care of you."

Y/n is quite, eyes locked on Harry's face in disbelief. Harry climbs up from the couch, rounding the living room to go sit with her. His chest feels lighter when he sits down, happy that she's starting to understand where he's coming from.

Harry falls into the chair next to her, reaching out for her hand. "You'd understand if you were a wolf." He assures, smiling at her softly.

He expects her to smile back like she always does. To lean over and kiss him. Instead, she snatches her hand away, letting out an indignant huff.

"Why would you say that to me?" She asks-demands. Her eyes are blazing angry at him, rattling him to his very core. Why is she upset?

"To make yeh feel better." Harry whispers, brow furrowing and reaching for her hand again. She's quick to jump up, storming to the other side of the table.

"Make me feel better?" She laughs bitterly. "How is that supposed to make me feel better? I've given up everything, I've changed my DNA for you! I let you sink your fucking teeth into me, twice! And I'm still not a wolf to you?"

Harry gawks, blinking sheepishly at her. She's pacing, hand continuously brushing through her hair and letting out harsh puffs of anger.

Harry's stomach sinks in guilt. He knew changing the way he was raised would be hard but it didn't occur to him that she was changing literally everything for him. He really does feel like a proper ass.

She turns to look at Harry, who's still tripping over what to say. Defeated, she shrugs. "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll talk to you later."

She's slipping into her vans and grabbing the jacket on the back of the couch-his jacket- before he can even close his fish mouth. By the time he's climbed up from the chair, she's out the front door.

The slam of the door rattles his bones.

"You're the biggest idiot in the world!"

Harry shrugs, already believing himself to be an idiot but it still hurts having it confirmed by his best friends.

"Even Zayn," Niall chuckles, pointing over to Zayn. He gives a small wave. "who hates labels, would never tell Gigi that she's not his mate."

"I never said she wasn't my mate." Harry defends, kicking the soccer ball across the field to Niall.

"You said she wasn't a wolf." Niall deadpans. "That's worse. She's had her life turned upside down for ya and ya can't even give her the respect of saying she's a wolf."

"I didn't mean it like tha'." Harry says pitifully. He feels absolutely awful now that he knows how y/n must have perceived his anger. She probably thinks he selfish and arrogant and entitled. Harry's the worst mate in the world.

"She doesn't know that." Zayn says, juggling the soccer ball twice before passing it to Harry. "She hasn't even figured out how to communicate with you when she's not in wolf form. How do you expect her to know exactly what you're feeling?"

"She probably knew something was off." Niall adds. "That's why she was being kinda quiet but she can't exactly read your mind yet."

Harry huffs, nausea building in his stomach. He's waited his whole life for y/n and he's stupid enough to screw it up.

"What am I supposed to do?"

Niall and Zayn fall silent. Niall holds the ball under his foot, hands on hips as he zones out in thought.

Harry shifts on his feet, anxious for a response. Niall purses his lips, looking up at Harry.

"You're gonna have to do what humans do." Says Niall, "You're gonna have to actually talk to her. Like with words from your mouth."

Harry nods, shoving his hands in his pockets. He can do that, he can talk to y/n. He's done it before and it wasn't so bad. And with his relationship at stake, it's definitely worth it.

"M'gonna go find her."

She's not in the living room when Harry gets home but he knows she's there. He can smell her scent more prominently than it was when he left, meaning she must be here.

He kicks off his boots, immediately racing to his bedroom. The light from the room spills into the hallway, filling him with relief. She's here and she's in his room waiting for him.

He crashes into the room, stumbling over his two feet to find that she isn't in there. The bed is neatly made with his clothes folded at the bottom, exactly how he left it earlier.

She shivers, face pinching a bit and making Harry wince. He shushes her, pulling the blanket around her tighter. He settles in to the pillows, feeling more at ease now that he's laying next to her.

Listening to the TV show and pulling comforter over his shoulder, Harry's drifting into sleep when he feels her hand slide across the sheets to hold his.

They're new to this and they're learning as they go but the important part is that they're doing it together.

They'd planned it two weeks ahead. They'd rehearsed it a million times. They'd gone over every single outcome possible, yet Harry still knows it's bothering y/n.

Throughout all of their afternoon lunch she's been wiping her palms on her jeans and nibbling on her lip. She's been overly helpful to point where it's clearly visible she's up to something. Harry's surprised her parents didn't ask her what was wrong sooner but when they did, he could visibly see her tense.

"There's something Harry and I need to tell you about, something we've been hiding from you."

"You're pregnant!" Her mom gasps, forcing a nervous giggle from y/n.

"No I'm not!" She rubs her hand over her jeans once more before reaching out for Harry's hand. He can feel her heart pounding and stomach twisting.

"I know this is going to sound crazy," She chuckles with a tight smile. "but I'd never lie you to guys and I want to you let me explain before you start asking questions." Christy and George frown in concern but nod, patient with their visibly nervous daughter.

"Harry is a wolf and I let him turn me into one as well." Y/n says, squeezing Harry's hand. Her parents look taken aback, but like she asked, they stay quiet.

"A few months ago I was in the woods behind my apartment to take photos and I ran into Harry." Harry gives a small smile when Christy and George look at him.

Y/n goes through the story, explaining everything that Harry told her about wolves to him biting her and them bonding. Harry remains quiet, watching her parents intently.

Harry's impressed even though he should've known they'd react gracefully. Y/n had been open minded when Harry first met her, of course her parents are the same way.

"I can show you, if you'd like?" Harry offers after they've been silent for a minute. George is the first to speak, croaking out an "okay."

Harry closes his eyes, focusing on the pulse of not only his heartbeat, but also y/n's. He lets it thrum through his veins, soaking in the power he feels with his mate by his side and forces out his canines.

He opens his eyes, parting his lips to give y/n's parents a better look. He glimpses at y/n, realizing that she too, has let out her teeth.

George's eyes have widened, looking around the backyard of the house even though Harry's certain no one is nearby. Finally, Christy gasps something between a laugh and a cry, and exclaims, "Does this mean our grandbabies will have whiskers?"

Harry's thankful that he was given such an amazing luna.

Harry was nervous. Really fucking nervous. So nervous, he could throw up even though he hasn't eaten today.

"Is she doing ok?" Harry asks, fidgeting as he meets his mother's eyes through the mirror. She nods, smiling proudly.

"Perfect," Anne gushes. "you two are so perfect for this, for each other."

Harry's cheeks flush, his heart thumping with pride. He's doing this, he's marrying y/n and becoming alpha today. Everything he's ever wished for is finally coming true.

"M'so bloody nervous." Harry chuckles, adjusting the collar of his button up. His mother nods, lips stuck in a tight smile as if she's afraid she'll burst into tears any moment. Judging by the tears in her waterline, Harry's surprised she's not fully crying yet.

"You're going to be fine Harry." She comforts, holding out her hands. He turns to face her, taking both of them in his hands. "You learned from the best, you've got a beautiful mate, and you're a wonderful leader. Your father would be so proud."

Harry grins bashfully. "Thanks mum." He squeezes her hands. "He'd be so proud of ya too. I'm sorry you've had this burden for so long but if anyone can handle it, it's you."

"Ok," Anne breathes, now having her tears under control. "we ready to go son?"

Harry inhales, heart hammering in his chest. His palms have begun to sweat and his knees feel wobbly but he's so undeniably happy.

"Absolutely." He exhales.

He doesn't realize he's reaching for the doorknob until Anne is pushing him along. "Not so fast young man," She scolds. "you'll see her soon enough."

Harry deflates a little bit, eyes still searching for just a glimpse of her until the elevator doors shut and begin descending. He's fidgeting a bit, anxious to just see her, to hold her hand, to kiss her.

"Was she nervous?"

"A bit," Anne nods. "but it's expected. You're committing your lives to each other."

"She didn't look like she was regretting it right?"

"Not at all. She was telling her parents all about the village and the house. She told them that she was turned in that room."

Harry grins, giddy that y/n is so excited she's been gushing about her new home. It's reassuring to know that she's happy, that she enjoys being there with Harry. He hopes she always feels that way.

"It was a good idea to put her in your room, Harry." Anne tells him, the two of them heading to the front doors of The Pack House.

"Wanted her to be comfortable." Harry explains. "Knew she'd feel at ease there. Every time she was in there, I was taking care of her."

"You're always taking care of her, no matter the place."

"She takes care of me too."

"I know love. It's a wolf's nature to care for their mate."

He hums. "It feels like more than just nature. It feels like. . . human love."

“Ready sweetheart?”

They reach the alter, George barely getting a chance to kiss y/n’s cheek before Harry is taking her hand. She hands her flowers over to Gemma, allowing Harry to hold her other hand as well.

“You look incredible.” Harry breathes, eyes glossy and beautiful.

"So do you." Y/n sniffles, wiping at the tears that have fallen down her cheeks. He grins, bringing her close enough to ghost a kiss to the tip of her nose.

Anne clears her throat gently. "Family and friends, welcome to the coronation of our new alpha and luna." Applause rings out but it's muffled in her ears.

"Tonight is not only a celebration of our leaders but a night to bring them together as both wolf and human. Before our alpha and luna share their vows, I'd like to bring them together with the quilt of our pack."

At Anne's words, Niall and Louis both step up to the alter, carrying the pack quilt. It's a thick blanket, woven to look like the forest with wolves running at the bottom. It was made by the first ever luna of the pack and is used at every coronation.

Y/n huddles closer to Harry, allowing the quilt to be draped around the two of them. With the toes of their shoes touching and matching smiles on their faces, Anne instructs Harry to begin his vows.

“I’m so stupidly in love you, darling.” His thumb swipes up the tears under her eye. “And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life being your stupid husband.”

“Sorry.”

“Y/n, it’s your turn darling.”

She giggles again, taking in the look of disbelief on Harry’s face. His eyes are gleaming, wet with tears but staring at her like she hung the moon.

“Mum?” Harry croaks, still looking down at y/n. Anne hums.

“Can you hurry so I can please kiss my wife?”

The crowd laughs, someone who sounds like Niall letting out a loud holler.

“As the former luna of this pack, I declare Harry Edward Styles and Y/n l/n as alpha and luna and husband and wife, You may now kiss your wife.”

‘I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you more.”

Harry’s grin grows. She did it, she connected to his wolf in human form. “You ever going to tell me the end of the poem?”

Lips brushing, she giggles at his words. “Maybe one day.” She seals her words with another kiss that Harry gladly returns.