It's Better To Not Know Better (Ziam)

Reunion

It felt too long before Liam allowed himself to stand up. Staring straight ahead, he didn't dare move, afraid that if he chose to, the figure might disappear like a fading mirage.

It had been so long. At least, in Liam's mind.

Zayn came back with a duffel over his shoulder, and couldn't stop himself from smirking when he saw Liam waiting for him. Liam tried to form a smile, but it just seemed too surreal. Here they were, outside, under the pink sky on a beautiful day. It was perfect.

Zayn stopped in front of Liam, his smirk softening as they studied each other's faces.

Zayn looked well, just the same. His eyes were the same hazel color they turned in the sunlight, his hair just messy enough, his lips barely turned up, a warm greeting to the person who had missed him most.

Liam, still unable to smile gently, stared back into the eyes he'd so dearly missed, tension suffocating his lungs. He caught a shallow breath as Zayn put his duffel on the ground, placing his hand on Liam's neck.

"Are you going to say anything?" he asked, amused by how stricken Liam was.

But Liam couldn't say anything, just threw his arms around the boy in front of him, and the only thing that could show his happiness were his tears.

"Who told you?" Zayn chuckled, hugging Liam with the same strength. But Liam casually ignored the question, not ready to go into depth.

"I missed you so much." He let go and looked back at Zayn. Finally, he smiled, and Zayn's eyes sparkled.

"I missed you too, Liam." He pulled him back into a tight embrace, stroking Liam's hair. "I missed you, too," he repeated into Liam's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked, pulling back again. He took a step back to fully inspect Zayn, making sure he was at least physically all right.

"I've never been better," Zayn replied sincerely, picking up his duffle again. "Come on, let's go inside."

Nervously, Liam stuck his hands in his pockets. He didn't want to do it yet. He wanted to, but he couldn't. Not yet.

They took their time walking inside, Liam catching Zayn up on what everyone's been like and what's been going on. He stayed away from any topics involving himself or how he had been struggling. Zayn had to know from the night they kissed, just how much Liam had struggled. But they avoided those topics as well. It was too soon to start discussing each other's sadness and apologies. Liam only wanted the good, easy things for now.

When they stepped into the suite, Louis was the first to jump up, since he hadn't seen Zayn at all since he left, and being Louis, he was excited. Harry got himself up, a smirk on his face as he watched Louis hug the hell out of Zayn. The reunion of the two wasn't a huge affair, although to Louis it was most likely the world in sixty seconds to be saying hello once again to Zayn.

After Harry was sure Louis was finished, he stepped forward, and in Liam's eyes, looked deceivingly shy in those few seconds. He looked away from the floor and up at Zayn, and suddenly just threw himself at him. He buried his face in Zayn's shoulder, and Liam wondered if Harry would ever let go. But could you blame him? He had so much to miss, being that his phone calls with Zayn gave him the idea that there WAS a lot he was missing. He'd heard Zayn's voice, and was unable to see his face. And he couldn't do anything about it.

Suddenly, after Harry had gotten off of Zayn, Louis' eyes lit up. "Niall's in his room with his earbuds in," Louis grinned, and the words are all they needed to do the same. Zayn in front, they trekked down the hall, holding their laughter.

Zayn opened the door slowly, prompting Niall to look up. And the look on his face made Liam break into a million pieces. Niall looked at Zayn the same way a child would look at their parent returning from war. He ripped out his earphones and practically jumped on Zayn, and Zayn could only occasionally chuckle as Niall sobbed into his shoulder. Liam watched with tears in his eyes, as the walls Niall had tried to build around himself came crashing down at the return of Zayn. He wouldn't let go, and Zayn only held him tighter for that. Niall needed Zayn all this time, and watching as that took its toll on him broke Liam down. He watched as Niall melted himself into Zayn's body as if it would prevent him from ever leaving again. And he listened to the words Niall sobbed into Zayn's shoulder, and knew that Niall would be okay. Niall was his old self.