I Want It Bad - Narry

Chapter Twenty Two

When Niall makes the call to Janice, the Australian lads stare at him in awe, all grins and laughs as they nudge each other’s shoulders with delighted whispers of, “this is it, we’re gonna make it big!”

She answers with a cheery and almost robotic hello, and then Niall immediately goes into a long, rambling spiel about how he ran into these guys and that they’re so awesome and talented and that Mr. Smith just has to sign them because finding them is fate, and she replies with bored uh huh’s, and yeah’s even though she’s trying so hard to be interested and engaging – as she is taught to do – until she gets him to finally calm down and tell him that she’ll let Mr. Smith know. And really, Niall shouldn’t take that as a definite yes, or even that the information will reach any further on from this point, but when he hangs up he gives the lads a thumbs up and they all tackle him with a hug. It’s weird how fast of a bond the five of them have made, how they’ve become so comfortable around each other in a matter of hours – something Harry will never understand.

He stands off to the side with a small smile, droopy red eyes blinking rapidly, the little sluggish movement an attempt to keep him awake. The overly bright street lamps above them has set a dull thud inside the back of his head, and all he wants to do is go to the hotel and cuddle with his boyfriend like any other normal person would do. But he doesn’t want to take away the smiles spread across all of their faces, so he keeps quiet and busies himself by counting the cracks imbedded in the concrete under his feet.

“Hey, I know this sick club not too far away from here,” Ashton beams with bright eyes, “wanna go check it out, get a few drinks?”

“Hell yeah,” Niall replies in a beat, his own lips tugging up to match Ashton’s grin as he bumps fists with him.  

  

***

  

It’s like a huge wave of Déjà vu comes hurdling towards Harry as the group walks up to the club suggested by Ashton, the line outside nearly a mile long. The music is loud with each deep, heavy thump that echoes through the doors, nearly rattling them. When the security guards open the door to let people in, radiant multicolor lights shine out blindingly into the darkness outside. Ashton ushers them forward as they walk past the long line, receiving a few dirty looks along the way and two confused ones from Harry and Niall, but Ashton just waves a hand dismissively in their direction. As soon as they’re only a few feet away one of the security guards – the younger one of the two – begins to chuckle and greets Ashton.

“These guys are cool, let ‘em go on in,” he laughs, ruffling Ashton’s hair as they walk in. Niall and Harry don’t question it.

A half naked girl bounds over to them as soon as they step foot inside, her lips painted orange with Glow in the Dark paint, along with other swirls and spatters across various parts of her body.

“Wanna get painted?” she inquires with a raised eyebrow, waving a coated paintbrush in the air.