Niam One-Shots

Building Castles In The Air

Hellooooo!

This is another one shot that is one of my favs from Ao3 :)

Summary: Liam is overwhelmed by his bootcamp roommate, who is loud and friendly and so totally up-front about what he wants out of this competition.

"I plan on winning," Niall says, twenty seconds after introducing himself, slinging his duffel bag down on his bed. "Touring. Playing my guitar, you know. Selling albums. Maybe working with Justin Bieber, if I'm lucky."

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/934157-

ENJOY!!!

(oh and excited news coming soon!)

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Work Text:

Liam is overwhelmed by his bootcamp roommate, who is loud and friendly and so totally up-front about what he wants out of this competition.

"I plan on winning," Niall says, twenty seconds after introducing himself, slinging his duffel bag down on his bed. "Touring. Playing my guitar, you know. Selling albums. Maybe working with Justin Bieber, if I'm lucky."

"Oh," Liam says. "I - that sounds nice." He wants it too, wants it so badly that his tongue swells up under the weight of the words until he's practically choking on it, but he doesn't say anything. Niall already knows who he is, even came into the room saying 'so I'm living with Liam Payne!' Liam had got a lot of footage, back during his first try. Instead, lamely, he just sort of shrugs and crosses his arms tight against his chest. "Me too."

"Yeah," Niall says, and he grins, crooked teeth glinting in the yellow-y light of the room. "I reckon me and you are the two people who want this most in the entire competition."

"Does that make you my biggest competition?" Liam asks, trying for a smile. He's pretty sure it comes out mostly as a grimace.

"Not until halfway through the live shows," Niall says, confidently, running a hand through his bleach-blond hair until it's proper mussed. "Fancy seeing what we're up against?"

He holds his calloused hand out like a promise, so Liam takes it. His grip is warm and a little damp, which is how Liam learns that, for all his bravado, Niall is nervous too. So Liam squeezes slightly, tentatively, reassuringly, and ducks his head to hide his blush when Niall grins back at him and tugs him out of the room.

+++

Liam learns all about what Niall likes, and quickly, because Niall is not above announcing what he likes to everyone who will listen. He likes Justin Bieber, and having a laugh, and sneaking sips of his brother's pints. He likes Derby County, and stretching his arm out to tug mischievously on one of the girl's curls when she's deep in conversation with one of the older contestants, and food. He loves food. It's the main topic of at least four of the conversations he has with other contestants, which Liam knows because Liam orbits Niall as Niall makes his way from person to person wandering the halls at the hotel that the X Factor has put them all up in for the duration of bootcamp, sticking close enough that he can be next to one of the few people he knows already, but far enough away that Niall doesn't get sick of him and ask him to shove off.
They find their way to dinner, eventually, which is full up of all the younger contestants - just about everyone eighteen and older has already left in search of drinks, it would seem - and the food turns to sawdust in Liam's mouth. He's been here before. He knows the drill. He belongs here. And it's not just because, when it comes down to it, he really loves competitions. It's also because he's been practising ever since judge's houses two years ago, practising to exhaustion, and he knows he's bloody good. This is going to be his year. He can feel it.