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The first time Niall hears “What Makes You Beautiful" is nothing special. One Direction and The Jonas Brothers and Big Time Rush are all the same, huge flames that burn bright and fast and fizzle out in the blink of an eye. Sugarpop boybands have never been her thing because she isn’t that kind of teenage girl. She isn’t a teenage girl at all, really. Her brain went from age 11 to 27 and left her body scrambling to catch up.
Then she sees this dumb video diary that her dumb friends Amy and Demi are dumbly obsessed with. Her reaction is so repulsively sixteen that it leaves her leaning back in her chair staring into subspace and wondering what the fuck even was that. The last time she was left speechless by a boy was when Kendel Jennings looked right into the depths of her soul and told her she had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. Kendel’s an attractive guy, and so’s this kid on her computer screen, with his broad shoulders and chiseled jaw. Niall thinks passively that maybe if he got a different haircut he’d really be stunning, but eh, nobody’s perfect.
She finds herself thinking about what was his name again? Something with an L, Larry, maybe, when she lies awake in bed that night. Wow, wow, he’s perfect and she doesn’t even know what to do with that. He’s in a sugarpop boyband and she’s 27 and she’ll never meet this world famous phenomenon Lionel in her life because he’s a world famous phenomenon and she lives in Hicktown, Ireland, population 2: cattle and corn.
That night she dreams about Lester taking her on a proper date and holding the door for her and complimenting her outfit and being a gentleman, and at the end of the night he walks her up to her door and tells her how much fun he had and how he can’t wait to do this again sometime and walks away. He doesn’t want to take advantage on the first date.
When Niall wakes up, she accepts that yeah, she’s a bit obsessed already. She watches more videos of Liam Payne, what a lovely name on YouTube and accepts that yeah, she’s a bit in love.
The first time Liam sees her in line at one of their signings, he does a double take because wow, she has the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. Suddenly she’s right in front of him with her Up All Night CD and he decides that he can’t let this one get away. He scribbles his number under his name and thanks God and a few other deities that he’s the last guy at the table. He doesn’t need any of Louis’ harassment on the matter today, thanks.
But, because Zayn is a shit, he happens to glance over Liam’s shoulder as he prints out a ‘9’, and Jesus were that boy’s eyes pretty, but right then they were pretty wide, because this is Liam and Liam isn’t a particularly yololicious guy, y’know? Giving his personal information to a random stunning stranger is a little frisky by his standards.
Zayn the Shit takes it upon himself to pass Liam’s harmless fun down the line. Louis leans forward and gives Liam a particularly unsettling grin when the news reaches him and well, maybe he needs a little harassment for this one.
The first time he and Niall finally get around to meeting up, he discovers she’s actually amazing. She’s funny and witty and brilliant and her hair is kind of wavy and Liam’s got a thing for kind of wavy hair, he realizes. They go to the movies and he takes her out to dinner, then he walks her to her door and gives her a hug, but not a kiss. A gentleman never takes advantage.
The two of them holding hands is on page 6 the next day.
6 years later
Amy and Demi freak the fuck out because is that a diamond on your finger or did he decide to buy you the whole mine, and maybe now having two maids of honor can be a thing.