Zayn and Niall: Everybody Needs Somebody Sometimes

First Night

--
Zayn's breath fogged the glass as he looked out the round window. He could feel his stomach loosening, the hard knot that had stayed with him through all ten hours of the flight, as they were finally landing in Vegas.

He'd always been afraid of heights, and there was nothing scarier than sitting in an airplane at ten thousand miles in the air. Every time the plane shook he had to crower under the scratchy blanket and force himself to stop hyperventilating while his brain explored the possibility of the airplane possibly exploding and leaving him to rocket down, crash onto the ground, and die. Each time be looked out, he couldn't help imagining his tombstone right there below a thousand miles.

"Here lies Zayn, who died of fear and paranoia," Niall murmured, watching him.

"Shut up."

"Relax," Niall laughed. "We're touching down."

Zayn heaved a sigh as the wheels of the plane hit the ground, rattling across the runway. His chest loosened up, and he took in a few measured breaths. Finally.

As a pleasant female voice lulled from the announcement, they got up, unbuckling their belts and stretching after a long flight. The airport arrival smelled fresh and cold, and Zayn couldn't suppress his smile. He felt better already. Vegas welcomed him with open arms, calling him in with the wild clubs and raging parties. Right now, that was just what he needed.

They made their way through airport security and piled into the car that was arranged to take them to their hotel. Louis and Harry had a sizeable feud over who got to sit at the front, until Liam smacked them on the heads and took the seat himself. They shoved at each other, grumbling as they took the backseats, but ended up giggling and cuddling within minutes.

The streets of Vegas rolled by as Zayn looked outside, loving every minute of it. The city was vibrant and colorful at night, but still beautiful during the day. Green trees and patches of grass alongside gray pavements, and roads that seemed to go on forever. Zayn's heart was already swelling with excitement.

Niall's hand found his, somehow snaking its way between Harry and Louis' entwined, constantly shifting forms. "Someone's smiling like an idiot."

"So are you, Niall," Zayn risked an unexpected kiss onto Niall's mouth as the taxi driver shot them a confused glance. Niall's cheeks reddened immediately, and Zayn smiled. "Besides. Who wouldn't be?"

"Wise words, Zayn," Louis said, looking up momentarily from where he was sitting, cross-legged, right on Harry's lap.

Niall raised his eyebrows at him. "What are you even trying to do? Mimic some new sex position or something?"

"We're conserving space," Harry declared, putting his arms around Louis and preventing his head from colliding into the roof as the car passed over a road bump. "This way, I get a whole seat to myself, and Louis gets to sit on me. Everybody wins."

"Hey, can we establish a no-innuendo rule while we're here, please?" Liam said, turning to face them from the front. "The rule comes into effect, like, whenever I'm around."

"Liam, Liam, Liam," Louis said gravely. "You do realize that the majority of my existence is derived from inappropriate innuendos, right?"

"And you do realize that I am literally the only one here that isn't in a gay relationship with my best friend, right?" Liam shot back.

Louis raised his eyebrows. "I'm not in a gay relationship with Harry, you twit. I have a fiancée back in London too."

"Does that mean you won't be giving Harry any blowjobs this week?" Zayn said, pouting. "Aw, poor Haz."