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When meeting your boyfriends for the first time involves an impromptu serenade just for you, a guy can’t help but feel a little special. It’s not an everyday sort of thing, and Louis delights in telling everyone who asks about how he definitely knew what he was doing when he’d decided to eavesdrop on their small party and how Niall seeing him had been part of his plan all along. However, Louis couldn’t help but feel a little miffed when he’d first found out that’s what they do for a living anyway.
“We’re technically a singing telegram service,” Niall had said on that first date what felt like months ago. “We do parties and other events too, but most people hire us for the telegrams.”
“But we’re not, like, the type where it’s meant as a joke, with all the crazy costumes and everything,” Liam had added. “We did it when we first started out and it was just so awkward, nobody ever laughed at them because they were happy, they laughed because it’d made them nervous, and we don’t enjoy putting people on edge like that, it’s no fun for anyone.” He’d shook his head in disapproval almost, and much the same came from Niall. “We want to make the moment feel like a movie moment, you know.”
“We’re the boombox, essentially,” Niall had declared.
(Liam’s brows had furrowed, as if to amend that last part, a Well, actually... “We haven’t had to, like, persuade anyone through song yet, though.”)
***
Whenever he met them at their apartment, Louis’ eyes were inevitably drawn to the whiteboard on the wall by the kitchen. It wasn’t only for the silly jokes and doodles Niall liked leaving in all the little spaces he found between sentences, or the simple but deeply sweet reminders from Liam that tried to be stern about not forgetting to pick up this or buy that but which always ended in love you or have a good day, always making sure there was one for Niall and one for Louis now, or the way they’d started keeping his small “corrections” to their messages untouched. He also liked to know what their schedules for the foreseeable future looked like, and if there were any deliveries he could attend with them, which they’d started marking with a smiley face.
He found two, one apparently private and the other alright to go, a serenade on Thursday night. “What time on Thursday?” he shouted towards the bedroom, where Liam was currently putting on pajamas, Niall gone for food before Louis had got here.
“Around 9, give or take,” Liam said as he came back into the living room, kissing Louis on the cheek and hugging him from behind. “Zayn said everything should be in position by then.”
Louis let himself fall back on Liam, like gravity increased around him; Liam never minded when Louis just threw himself at him with no regard for personal space, actively encouraged it most of the time. He smiled and raised his eyebrows playfully. “Where are we supposed to go?”
“We are going to be right below the bloke’s window, and sing him Uptown Girl, which is apparently a joke between them and he’s supposed to think it’s very cute. We’ll see how it goes,” Liam shrugged, and managed to recall the address without looking it up.
He also slightly jumped when Louis couldn’t help but cackle right next to his ear; he really appreciated Liam’s strong hold because he felt like he’d bend in half if he laughed any harder. Oh, he could not miss this, not for the world.
“What?” Liam said, his lips quirking at Louis’ mirth.
“No, nothing, sorry ‘bout the ear,” Louis replied and patted Liam’s ear to annoy him just a little. “Say, you don’t need, like, a tambourine player or something, right?”
***
When Louis had asked how long they’d been doing it for, Niall and Liam had explained they’d started about three years ago, as a hobby, but that it’d quickly become something of a full time gig. “It was a good way of making a little money on the side and we’ve been singing together for long enough we knew we could do it, but we never really thought it’d last. We thought we’d do it for the Summer and that’d be it,” Niall said.
“But apparently there’s a much higher demand for this sort of thing than we’d imagined,” Liam laughed. “And we like doing this. At least for the day, it makes people smile.”
Louis got to see it was true, in time. He witnessed a couple performances, and every time Niall had played familiar chords and Liam had sung special melodies, all with the most heartfelt sincerity, every single person had melted, some even bursting in happy tears, joyfully surprised at such a sweet gesture from whomever had hired them. It had been moving to see how genuinely delighted a song dedicated to you on a special day made people. And not just for him, as really just a passerby. Niall and Liam both, it was clear in the smiles and hugs he received as soon as the jobs were done and they’d come looking for him, from all the talking on the way to get celebratory teas (for a job well done) when they’d build off each other and comment on everything while gesticulating a lot, practically forgetting Louis was right beside them, they absolutely adored making people happy. They bloomed under rays of joy and took that to the next and the next and the next job, acting as little happiness pollinators. Louis liked to tease them about being people pleasers but they always considered it flattering, and jointly took it upon themselves to please him. He couldn’t really complain.
***
It was much harder than he’d originally thought not to just burst into laughter with every meter that got them closer to their destination for the night. He couldn’t believe, first, that Harry hadn’t told him he was on the verge of dating someone, the secretive little minx, and second, he couldn’t believe he’d get to see the whole thing go down.
They knew Harry. Louis had made sure to introduce them when things had become a little more serious, they knew who he was, though not where he lived. Surprisingly, Zayn had kept his name a mystery when he’d told Liam he was looking to give a surprise gift to his new beloved, or whatever he’d actually said, and asked Liam to help him by the fifth or so time they’d interacted at the gym.
Louis couldn’t wait to see everyone’s faces.
“Really, what’s got you so happy?” Niall asked for the third time, and Louis only smiled the same shit-eating grin he’d given him the other two.
“Can’t I be happy to see you do what you do best once more?” Louis said, pushing Niall with his shoulder a little roughly. Niall could be a slightly particular about physical contact right before a gig; he didn’t get exactly nervous but touching him then was like the static that unexpectedly kicks you when you touch a banister or a door handle, a sensation that weirded Niall out and slightly unsettled him. He’d explained to Louis he liked to maintain a bubble of personal space especially then so Louis only ever touched him once the gig was over, or at times he wanted to distract him, like now.
“Aw, don’t, Lou,” he grumbled while moving to Liam’s other side, leaving him in the middle to play referee.
“We’re almost there, don’t put him like this, please,” Liam said with a hint of exasperated pleading. Liam never got exasperated but he was professional and Niall in a mood was hardly conductive to conveying romance.
“Alright, alright. I’m sorry, Niall.” Louis gave him the saddest pout he could muster, before actually changing his expression to real apology. Niall rolled his eyes but the smile said it wasn’t a big deal and all was well again. Louis snuck a kiss before Liam could stop him, though, and their journey was delayed as Niall chased him down the street, Louis making sure to put as many obstacles as he could find behind him, but he didn’t see the crack in the pavement before he fell on his ass. Niall, instead of helping him up, laughed in his face, and Liam didn’t get involved, though his lips were suspiciously pouted.
Niall got his revenge-apology when he filled Louis’ face with kisses despite Louis’ grumbling about his wounded pride and their unhelpfulness. Niall's kisses were the sweetest bandaid he'd ever get.
Without realising, they’d made it right to Harry’s house, where Zayn was waiting. Louis readied his shaker and knew he would never, never, forget this night, or let anyone else for that matter.
***
“So that song you sang for me, it wasn’t…?” Louis had mumbled, looking at his hand holding the glass, watching the riplets he made with his thumb fall.
Niall and Liam had not let him entertain the idea more than that, though. They’d both looked at each other and had jumped to their feet, going on either side of him, pulling the chairs closer, as close as they could, and both had kissed his cheeks, one each.
“We’d never played that song for anyone else. It’s from before we started working as singers,” Liam had said, grabbing his hand and giving it a small peck.
Niall had smiled, reassuringly to his left, and had rested his head on Louis’ shoulder. “It’s yours.”