Zayn and Niall: Everybody Needs Somebody Sometimes

Touch Me Like I'm Fragile

lets make the comments more interesting by answering a few questions that can help me write this fic better 1) who's your favorite ship in this story and 2) most frustrating moment in the entire story? answer them in the comments, and do it even if it's lame? thaaank you!

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By the fourth night in Vegas, following three days of excruciating hangovers and unpleasant side effects, the boys decided to take a break from the drinks and just relax for a while. They were gathered in the private hotel pool, draped in silk bathrobes as they lounged by the deck chairs, holding tall glasses filled with orange juice.

It was a beautiful night, with stars sparkling in the darkness and romantic violin music playing out of thin speakers that were installed near by. The golden fairy lights strung around the pool area created an impression of luxury, and Zayn had never felt more chilled in his life.

Niall looked lovely.

He was, like, glowing, sitting nearby on the edge of the deck chair, his small frame cloaked in the bathrobe, his skin light under the moon. His eyes were blue, so goddamn blue, like they were drinking in the colours of the ocean. Whenever he laughed, Zayn found it hard to look away, like something had tugged his heart into his stomach.

He'd spent the last three nights with his hands exploring Niall's body for hours. Yeah, he'd been drunk, and they hadn't actually done anything except grind and dance yet, but Zayn still felt like he'd been exposed to what it was like to get properly physical with Niall, and he found himself surprisingly receptive to the experience.

"I'm so glad you came up with this idea," Liam sighed, looking up contentedly at the stars. "It's been a while since everything felt this nice."

Harry was lying against Louis, looking up at him. "Yeah. Missed this."

"There's going to be a comet shower tonight, apparently," Niall said. "In about a half hour. We might want to look out for that."

Harry closed his eyes, his voice husky and dreamlike when he spoke. "I love you all, so much. And I'm so happy I get to spend the best years of my life around you four, you know. You're all weird and I fucking love you."

"D'you need some tissues, Harold?" Louis asked, but he was smiling as he leaned down and kissed the tip of Harry's nose.

"Just think, though. Us five here, now, together. All the great things that have happened and all the great things that will happen in the years to come," Harry exhaled, his eyes lambent. "I am so lucky to be here with my favourite people right at this moment. And it's, like, weird to think I have four best friends? But I do. Even if I fight with one of you, I've always got someone else to talk to. And this is all just four times the happiness, you know? This is four times the greatness. As long as all of us are around, I won't ever actually be alone."

"Yeah," Liam said, after a moment. "I used to hate thinking about being alone. It was my biggest fear. I didn't have many friends before you lot, and it terrified me thinking that I might have to live the rest of my life as lonely as that."

"I used to like being alone," Louis mused, sipping his orange juice. "I had too many sisters and too many friends and my parents were always fighting over the divorce, and just - everyone was always around all the time and it got too much. I'd lock myself in the room and imagine they'd all disappear and that I was the last person in the world."

Zayn looked at him. "Me too. I liked everyone, but I couldn't relate to anybody, you know? Nobody really knew me and I didn't want to know anyone after a while. I kept thinking I was different and that I'd never find anyone that I'd ever connect to. I isolated myself from literally everyone until people started calling me distant or boring. I didn't mind, really. I would've been happy avoiding everyone in my town for the rest of my life. I would've been happy being alone there."