Playing the part (Ziam)

Chapter 3: Tensions, tantrums and terrible ideas

It all started with a simple request.

"Zayn, mate, can you pass me the charger?" Liam asked, not even looking up from the notebook he was scribbling in.

It should have been an innocent moment, but when it came to Zayn and Liam, nothing was ever innocent.

Zayn, lounging in the corner of the studio with his feet propped up on a chair, didn't even glance in Liam's direction. "What's wrong with your legs? They broken or something?"

Liam paused, his pen hovering above the page, and slowly turned to glare at Zayn. "I'm busy, Zayn. Just pass the bloody charger."

Zayn shrugged, a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Busy writing more instructions for how to breathe properly? You're already bossy as fuck, Payno. What's next? A guide to walking without tripping over your own ego?"

That did it. Liam slammed his notebook shut and stood, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "You've got a real fucking attitude problem, you know that?"

"And you've got a stick so far up your ass, it's practically poking out your mouth," Zayn shot back, crossing his arms.

Across the room, Niall almost choked on his snack, a half-eaten chocolate bar frozen in his hand. "Oh, shit. They're going at it again."

Harry, who had been scrolling through his phone, didn't even look up. "Should we do something? Or just let them sort it out like adults?"

Louis snorted from his spot on the couch. "Adults? Are you looking at the same two people I am? Zayn's practically a professional sulker, and Liam's got all the patience of a toddler on a sugar high."

"You've got some nerve talking about patience," Harry muttered, earning a glare from Louis.

Meanwhile, Liam and Zayn were still at it.

"I don't have time for this," Liam snapped, running a hand through his hair. "Some of us are trying to get shit done around here, instead of just sitting on our arses all day."

"Yeah? And some of us don't need to bark orders at everyone like we're in the fucking military," Zayn fired back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Military? I'm not barking orders!" Liam exclaimed, his voice rising. "I'm just trying to make sure we don't spend all day pissing about like you do!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Niall groaned, slumping back in his chair. "Can someone please muzzle them? Or at least throw them in a closet until they work their shit out?"

Harry perked up at that, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Now there's an idea."

Louis tilted his head, considering. "What, like lock them in a room together until they sort out their issues? Not bad, but we can do better than that."

Niall's brow furrowed. "Wait, are we actually brainstorming this? I was joking."

"Of course we're brainstorming," Louis said, sitting up straighter. "Do you really want to keep dealing with this crap every day? It's like watching two hyenas fight over a carcass."

"They're worse than hyenas," Harry added. "At least hyenas eventually stop yelling."

Across the room, Zayn and Liam were still bickering, their voices getting louder with every passing second.

"I'm not your bloody servant, Liam!"

"And I'm not here to babysit your lazy ass, Zayn!"

Niall rubbed his temples. "Jesus, I've got a headache already."

"Alright, let's focus," Louis said, leaning forward like he was about to start a board meeting. "If we're going to do this, we need to make it good. Something that forces them to actually get along. Or at least stop acting like complete twats for five minutes."

Harry tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What if we made them go on a date?"

Niall blinked. "A date? Are you mental?"

"No, think about it," Harry said, warming to the idea. "We make them do all the cutesy couple stuff. Hand-holding, pet names, sharing food—you know, the works. It'd be hilarious."

Louis grinned. "I like where your head's at, Haz. But we need to make it more... intense. Like, they can't just fake it for an hour and call it a day. It needs to be a full-blown challenge."

"Like what?" Niall asked, his curiosity piqued despite himself.

Louis's eyes lit up. "A dare. We dare them to act like a couple for a whole week. No breaks, no excuses. They've got to do everything a real couple would do."

Niall snorted. "And how exactly are we going to convince them to do that?"

"We don't tell them it's for our entertainment," Harry said with a wink. "We tell them it's for the good of the band. You know, bonding and all that bullshit."

Louis clapped his hands together. "Brilliant. Alright, let's hash out the details. What's on the list?"

"Pet names," Harry said immediately. "They've got to call each other 'babe' or 'baby.'"

"Gross, but I love it," Louis said, scribbling it down on a scrap of paper. "What else?"

"Hand-holding," Niall suggested, grinning now. "And they've got to sleep in the same bed."

"Oh, this is going to be fucking golden," Louis said, his laughter bubbling up.

Back in the corner, Zayn and Liam were still arguing, completely oblivious to the fact that their bandmates were plotting their imminent humiliation.

"I can't wait to see their faces when we spring this on them," Harry said, leaning back with a satisfied smirk.

Louis grinned. "Trust me, they'll never see it coming."