Temporary

Niall Horan leans back in his seat and smiles smugly at the video playing on his laptop screen. It’s the latest music video they filmed and it’s a great collation, even if he thinks so himself. Just as the final notes of Kiss You blare over his earphones, a shirtless Louis entering the lobby catches his attention.

“Oy, wha ye aff ter den?” He says quickly, chucking the earphones off to hear his band mate better.

Louis Tomlinson glances once at him before shrugging on the shirt he’d been holding in his hand.

“I’m meeting Eleanor today. Why’d you ask?”

Niall’s answering grin is as obvious as if he’d spelled it out in big bold letters.

“We do have food in the kitchen, you know.”

The boy runs a hand lazily through his bleached hair and pushes the computer off of his lap so that he can stand.

“But it’s al' raw!”

Louis laughs. “Well imagine that! Food that you actually have to cook.”

Niall pouts and rubs a hand over his tummy. As if on cue, it grumbles loudly. Louis laughs again. The kid could eat. He’s sure they’d just had breakfast a few hours ago.

“Fine. Nandos, is it?”

Niall simply nods. Once Louis has said his goodbye and left, Niall turns back to his laptop and replays the video once more. He knows that he shouldn’t let it get to his head, but he’s proud of the boys. He’s proud of where they’ve ended up. A couple of years of hard work and there they were, sitting on the top of the music food chain – drowning in record deals, fans and money. Who wouldn’t be more than a little proud? Certainly not anyone Niall knew, that was true. They’d worked hard at this, practiced, rehearsed, repeated the songs over and over again. It hadn’t been easy getting to where they were, not when they’d all walked into the X factor looking for success as individual singers, but it had been worth it.

Settling back into his seat, Niall had just about reached for the remote when he felt the inside of his left jean pocket vibrate. Turning at the sudden movement, he searches for the offending piece of technology and squints at the flashing screen: Riley.

Great, Niall thinks, It’s annoying cousin number three.

Riley and Niall had never gotten along, not when they were younger and sharing sweets back in Mullingar and not when he joined the band. Sucking in a deep breath, he stares at the screen a little while longer as if willing it into silence. He doesn’t have it in him to press the reject button. When he knows that he cannot, Niall answers the call with a curt ‘ello. Riley’s sombre voice on the other end has him frowning.

“What’re ye up to, cousin?” Riley drawls.

Niall picks at his fingernails absently as he imagines the blonde boy in his flat, probably sucking on the right end of one too many a Heineken.

“What’d ye want, Riley?”

“Oh come on now, am I not allowed to call my cousin up for a wee chat?”

Niall rolls his eyes.

“Ye call me only when you want something.”

There’s a defeated sigh and then Riley speaks again.

“Fair enough.”

Niall waits impatiently. Anytime now, Riley will spill – probably borrow a couple of hundred pounds or something like that – and Niall will refuse, feel like a tosser for refusing, then give in. The cycle is endless.

“Blew through the last couple a hundred a little fast, di’nt we?”

Riley scoffs into the phone. Niall can tell that he’s annoyed now. Well? Get it over with then, what do you want?

“I need a favour.”

“Ah, there it is! Finally cut the horse shit and decided to get right to it, eh?”

“Shut your gob Niall, it isn’t like that.”

“Then what’s it like? The only time you’ve called has been to ask me for a favour. So go ahead and ask.”

Riley sucks in a deep breath and Niall can imagine him shake his head.

“Know what? Forget it. Twas’ a mistake to call you in the first place.”

The twinge in his voice pulls at something that Niall has long since blamed on being a Horan. Ye can’t help yer family, boyo, Niall remembers his father saying, but ye can help how ye treat ‘em.

“Wait,” Niall runs a hand over his face and sighs, “I shouldn’t have acted like such a wanker. What were ye going to ask?”

A long moment of silence, then finally, “There’s this girl I’m trying to impress...”

And Niall knows, he just knows, that this time, Riley’s favour might demand much more than he’d be willing to offer.