Chapter Text
It was a Saturday morning, one just like any other. Niall Horan, your average seventeen year-old male was seated at the dining table, having his breakfast (which consisted of Fruit Loops and milk). His mind was going through the memories of the previous day's events, of how he'd (embarrassingly) tried to get a hot guy's attention (and failed).
Oh, another thing, Niall is gay. He's still an average seventeen year-old, but he's gay. And let's not forget, he's a virgin.
Now back to our story. Ah, right, Niall. His phone is beeping now, bringing him back from reliving his embarrassing memories.
“Hey mom,” he says as he picks up his phone.
“Ni, honey,” comes the familiar voice on the other end of the line. “Sorry, we couldn't make it back this weekend. We'll probably not be back for another month or so. There are these terrorism acts going on and all flights in and out of Kenya are cancelled.
“If you need anything, your dad has just contacted the Payne's, and they should be able to help you, alright? Love you. Bye!”
And before Niall could say anything else, the call was ended.
Just another regular Saturday, spent alone. In previous years, he'd had his older brother, Greg, stay with him and keep him company while their parents were away on their extensive business trips. But now that Greg was away in university, halfway across the globe, Niall was left to fend for himself.
Well, not he's not entirely alone. As his mother had mentioned, he has the Paynes to go to if he ever needs anything. The Paynes are his neighbours. The Paynes and the Horans were the only two occupants on their floor in their large condo in the middle of Manhattan, New York. Niall had known the Paynes for all his life. They had a son, Liam, who was one year Niall's senior.
Liam was like an older brother to Niall (besides Greg, who was actually Niall's older brother). They were closer in age as compared to Niall and Greg (who was three years older). They attended the same school, and pretty much grew up together.
And so, really, Niall isn't lonely. At least not in that sense. He was, instead, lonely in a sense where he didn't have someone to love him. The Greeks had four words for love. Philia, love between friends. Storge, fondness through familiarity between a subject and his or her king. Agape, unconditional love between a parent and child. And lastly, eros, passionate love between lovers. Niall was lonely in a sense that he didn't have someone to eros him, and he longed for that.
He's got plenty of friends at school, and he's pretty darn sure his parents love him. But what he was truly seeking for was romantic love.
Which brings us to now. He'd put his used bowl in the dishwasher, and was now on his laptop, typing up how to get a boyfriend into the Google search engine.
5 ways to get a boyfriend – wikiHow (Nope, too sketchy. He'd already been there.)
Why am I single quiz -Why can't I get a boyfriend – seventeen (He'd already bought the magazine, so nope.)
20 reasons you don't have a boyfriend – hookingupsmart.com (He'd read the article before and it was pretty inaccurate. So no.)
And he kept scrolling down the familiar results until he came to one he hasn't seen before.
One day only! Order your boyfriend online! – FabLovers.com
And before he knew it, he was whisked to a pink webpage with the words FABLOVERS in fancy font printed all over.
Special Offer! Only for today! Order one of our lover models online for FREE! There's no catch, all you have to do is fill out our weekly survey! Click here to continue.
Seems legit, Niall thought. Why not? He has nothing to lose. It's not like he'll have to pay or anything. And what the hell, lover models? Sounds kinda weird, but hot damn those images of hot guys at the side bar was too much to resist. And so he clicked to continue.
Fill out our survey first! Are you male or female? Which state are you from? What is your yearly income?
Male. New York, and his parent's yearly income is his yearly income. There. Next.
Choose your skin type for your lover. Tan. Hair colour? Hmm, black would be hot, he thought, remembering the image of the one model in the home page. Eyes? Brown. Height? Slightly taller than him, so 6'2'' seems good. Check off the skills you wish your lover to have. Studious. Cooking abilities. Athletic. Poetic. Artistic. Funny. You know what, just check everything off. Anything you don't want in a lover? Please check them off or write them down in the others column. Large dick? Why wouldn't anyone want that? Niall was definitely not checking that off. His eyes scanned through the rest of the list and he decided there wasn't anything on that list he didn't want. Next.
Please fill out your information so we may deliver your lover to you. Delivery may take one or two working days depending on your area. And he filled out his address before clicking done.
After filling out the order form, Niall carried on his regular weekend, his order for the lover completely forgotten.