Collision // Larry Stylinson - itjustkindahappened

chapter 11

He gets a scoff in response, but Louis sees the slight deepening of Harry's left dimple, and Louis can't stop the corners of his own mouth to perk a tiny little bit upwards.

(This is weird. They're not supposed to smile. This is a harsh exchange of words. What is going on. Louis isn't sure.)

Liam just kind of stands there, swaying uncomfortably back and forth on his toes to his heels, and he awkwardly scratches his nose, the words he was going to say before Niall's interruption completely forgotten in his fluster. "Um. Yeah. That's me."

Niall's beam could light up an entire universe, and he enthusiastically grabs Liam's hand to shake it so violently Louis kind of fears for Liam's joints. "I can't believe I get to finally meet you!"

Liam just nods, staring at Niall as if he's a confusing clue he has no idea how to figure out. "Right. Um."

Niall's smile doesn't fade one bit as he nods approvingly at Liam's blush, and he then proceeds to look over Liam's shoulder, as if searching for something, or someone, else. Which is kind of strange, because they're alone. It's just the four of them out here at all, and he's obviously not that interested in neither Harry nor Louis at the moment.

"So," he begins, as a shadow of a confused crinkle forms between his eyes. "Where's your match?"

They've just left Wonderland, Louis thinks. They've just left a world where the words absurdity and irrationality is key to the way of living, they've left the world where play cards are alive and cotton candy grows on trees and hares have tea parties with hatters.

They've just left Wonderland, so Liam's facial expressions for confusion should've reached its official peak. It's shouldn't be physically possible to become more confused by something than the things they've seen in Wonderland.

But right here, in this moment, Liam manages to do just that.

"My..." he starts, tilting his head questioningly, "... match?"

The corners of Niall's mouth are visibly dropping by the second, increasingly settling into something completely different.

"Your match," he repeats. "My boy. The one I'm meant to pair you up with. Your soulmate. Spouse. Significant other."

"Um," Liam scratches his neck uneasily, "no such luck, mate. I'm sorry?"

Judging by the way Niall's face entirely drops, Liam very well should be sorry.

"But—that doesn't make any sense! You were going to meet—you were going to meet! In Wonderland! We made sure of it!"

The blond lad stares at Liam with a throttled expression, his hands reached out in a helpless gesture. Liam begins to merely shake his head apologetically, but then, at the exact same second, it dawns on the trio just exactly what Niall said.

"Now hold on a second—" Harry tries sceptically.

"Who are you?" Louis demands furiously.

"Who was I going to meet?" Liam breathes doubtfully.

Niall doesn't listen to any of them.

"So," he inhales and exhales deeply, pressing his palms tightly together. "You mean... to tell me," he starts walking around in a messy circle, "that Freyja and I... That we're given this impossible mission, right, that we're meant to pair up two humans from different worlds—which is against our laws, I might add, since humans on Earth aren't allowed to know about our fucking existence."

He makes a pause to give each and every one of them a pointed glare each to emphasize the gravity of his words, before continuing. "You're honestly telling me that we've had to cooperate, desperately searching far and wide for a way to possibly get you to meet for years... That we worked our asses off, despite it being forbidden, to at last move Zayn to Wonderland—and risking his life, actually, in the process—just so you could finally get it the fuck on... And you just don't?"