Summary: Niall's always been a little bit in love with Louis. Had fallen head over heels the very first time Louis had made him laugh so hard he had almost peed his pants. Louis was in love with Eleanor, though.
But what happens when Louis and Eleanor invite him to have a threesome?
Maybe that's just love. It gives you feelings even if it's not your love to take. Even if you're just watching from afar. ~700w
tags: unrequited feelings, canon compliant, polyamory (?).
notes: just some random thoughts poppunk1d forced into my brain.
It's sort of stupid how Niall feels when he's around Louis and Eleanor. He keeps trying to look away, to be busy with something, but then Louis will lean in, fix a lock of her hair behind her ear. El always melts in his touch but she fakes it, sticks her tongue out. She's constantly telling Niall see, he thinks he's got me, Ni and pretending to be tired tell him I don't care about him. Louis tickles her until she laughs and kiss him. It's so sweet. He can't, can't look away.
But it makes this thing inside him move, his fingers itch to touch them. It's pretty annoying, see, how he wants to reach in and just feel both of them with his hands. It's not like he spends a lot of time wanting to touch Louis when Eleanor is away. He spends some but not a lot, not like this.
"What's going on, Nialler?" Louis arches an eyebrow. "Lost something?"
He realizes he'd been starring at them again, and takes a gulp of his beer. Louis mimics him daring.
"No, got distracted," he shrugs.
Maybe that's just love. It gives you feelings even if it's not your love to take. Even if you're just watching from afar.
Eleanor gives him a sympathetic smile and rests his elbow on her thigh, tapping on his knees.
"All alone, aren't you?" she asks and leans back, curling up on Louis again.
She has the same teasing tone of Louis and Niall doesn't know if that's one of the things that made them fall for each other, or one of the other, those they got after three years together. Either way, he likes the familiarity of it, and how it's not exactly Louis, but sweeter. Like she's not teasing him on purpose.
"Yea, fifth wheeling hard here," Niall sticks his tongue out and winks. "I don't mind. Used to it."
"You didn't get a nice girl in Australia even after all this time here?" Louis has a broad smile now. "You used to be better at this, mate."
"I'm not really looking for anything right now," Niall chews on his bottom lip and then dives even further on his comfy chair, puts his feet up so it rests on the bench Louis and Eleanor are sharing, right by Eleanor's side.
Eleanor could touch him if she wanted to. He misses her eyes longing in his ankles because he's watching her hands carefully.
"Plus, I've got some," he continues conversationally, playing with the bottle over his lips, sipping a little on the already warm beer. The sun is too hot. "But nobody worth keeping, you know."
Louis pets Eleanor's head and she hums, resting on his shoulder. She's still looking at Niall, they both are, and to have this amount of attention from them.. Niall looks away, to the ocean, but he's short of breath already.
"I know," Louis says. "These are hard to find."
His words sound heavy, full of meaning. Niall tries to keep staring at the water and the sky meeting on the horizon, but he knows the fondness on Eleanor's eyes will be more beautiful than anything else. So he watches her. Watches as she kisses Louis' neck and feels the texture under his own lips, from that time they were pretending to fight and somehow Niall ended up with his face buried on the curve of his shoulder, gasping for air.
Louis' got his eyes on him, too, and it makes him blush. Judging by his facial expression, Niall thinks maybe Louis knows what's been going on Niall's mind. He wonders if Louis remembers that too. That and the other times they touched that are filed in Niall's mind to keep.
Niall knows he doesn't but- it'd be nice if he did. If he cared a little about that too.
When Eleanor kisses Louis' lips softly and it takes a fraction of a second for Louis to close his eyes, still staring at Niall, he feels that thing moving inside of him. Niall parts his own lips.
But then... Then he takes another gulp of the beer, frowns at its sourness. When they part the kiss and look at him - Louis with this smug smile Niall knows so well, Eleanor with a little red on her cheeks - he smiles softly at them.
Niall’s always been a little bit in love with Louis. Had fallen head over heels the very first time Louis had made him laugh so hard he had almost peed his pants. Louis was in love with Eleanor, though.
But what happens when Louis and Eleanor invite him to have a threesome?
