Until You're Mine | Zaniam Halloween AU [COMPLETE]

THREE

"I suppose it was about...a year ago," Liam starts. "Yeah, I think so. I actually saw you first, Zayn -- I remember. It was springtime and you were wearing this denim jacket with a bunch of pins on it." Zayn scrunches up his face. He knows exactly what jacket Liam is talking about. "Yeah, you know the one. You were wearing that, and it was raining, and your hair was dripping all in your face, and you ducked into a cafe. I happened to be working that day, and I saw you and knew."

Zayn glares at the back at the back of Liam's head. "What? You saw me and thought, 'Damn, I'd better kidnap him and his boyfriend'?"

Liam raises an eyebrow at him in the rearview mirror. "Don't interrupt, sweetheart. That's rude."

"Fuck you! Kidnapping is rude!" Niall yells back.

"That is the understatement of all understatements," Zayn mutters, shaking his head.

"No swearing," Liam snaps. It's the first time he's sounded angry, and it shocks both Niall and Zayn into silence. Liam takes a deep breath and loosens his hands on the steering wheel. "I'm sorry," he apologizes. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. We haven't even gone over rules yet."

"...Rules?" Zayn asks slowly, and then he's glaring at the back of Liam's head again. Niall shifts in his lap. "Is this some kind of kink thing?"

Liam just rolls his eyes. "Anyway, back to the story," is all he says. "I saw you, and I watched you. I expected someone to come in after you, a boyfriend or a girlfriend or something. But no one came, and I was confused -- all I could think was that you're so beautiful, I couldn't understand how you weren't in a relationship." Niall peeks up at Zayn's face -- he has a strange mix of flattery and embarrassment on his face. "So...I waited. But no one came, and you left right when my shift ended...and I followed you. You have to understand -- I wasn't meaning to be creepy. I wasn't going to hurt you or anything, but I was curious, and I didn't know how to ask you if you were okay. You had such a sad look on your face...like the sadness was heavy. Like you carried it with you every where you went.

"So...I followed you home, and I saw why. I saw...I saw everything." Zayn goes pale at this. "I saw them hurt you, Zayn. I saw your father beat you until passed out, and it killed me to not be able to do anything. It killed me, knowing you were suffering and that I couldn't help. So I just waited, and I watched. And the next day, you met Niall at the school...I could see on your faces that you loved each other. I kept watching for a while...I started watching you, too, Niall. I couldn't understand it...you two looked so happy together but so miserable separately. Niall, I noticed you slept at your friend's house a lot. Almost every night, and I was curious...I went to your house one night, just to see why, and then I know. Your family, they neglect you. They didn't physically hurt you, but maybe this was worse. I saw all of it. I saw you hurting, and I had to rescue you from it."

"Was..." Niall swallows. "Was it you in the skeleton suit at the costume shop?"

Liam nods. "I couldn't help it. I'm sorry -- I know I must've frightened you, but you were so close...you were smiling at me...I had to hold you, just for a second."

Neither Zayn nor Niall know what to say. They drive a few miles in silence.

"Where are you taking us?" Zayn finally asks.

"Home," Liam answers.

Niall wrinkles his nose. "Fu --" He cuts himself off when he remembers Liam's furious expression. "Frick that."

Liam snorts at his censorship. "I promise it'll be better than the hell you'd be going home to."

Niall just snuggles closer to Zayn, and he gently kisses the top of his head. "Don't worry, baby," Zayn murmurs. "I won't let him hurt you."

"I won't hurt you, I promise," Liam says, parking the van. "We're here. If I let you out, are you going to try to escape? Because that won't be fun for anyone involved, let me tell you."

Neither of them answer.

"Well, I'm going to trust you," Liam decides, and gets out of the van. 

"When he opens the door, run for it," Zayn hisses.

"What about you?" Niall whimpers. "I won't leave you!"

"Don't worry about me." Zayn barely manages to finish his sentence before the door opens, and Zayn lunges at Liam, knocking him over backwards. "RUN, NIALL!" Zayn yells as Niall hesitates. "RUN! GO!"

Tears of fear well up in Niall's eyes, but he takes off running into the woods. Of fucking course Liam lives in a house in the woods. Niall doesn't think he's ever been this scared in his life, and he actually almost makes it a decent way into the woods before someone snags him around the waist.

"Seriously?" Liam's voice asks, sounding amused, not even angry. "I trusted you," he says with mock disappointment, and tosses Niall over his shoulder.

Niall wriggles. "Put me down, you -- you --" He's so angry he can't even think of an insult. "You -- you dirty worm!"

"Dirty worm?" Liam laughs. "That's creative, I'll give you that."

"Where's Zayn?" Niall demands.

Liam shakes his head. "He's fine."

"I don't believe you," Niall frowns. He wiggles again. "Put me down!"

"You literally just ran away. I'm not gonna put you down. Sorry, angel, you've broken my trust."

"Oh, go f...ly a kite. Go fly a kite," Niall huffs. A few seconds later, they're back at the van, and Zayn is seated in the back of the van, handcuffed to the handle. "You said you wouldn't hurt him!" Niall screeches furiously once he sees a huge bruise on Zayn's forehead.

Liam shakes his head. "That was him. He headbutted me."

Niall looks over at Zayn, somewhat dizzy from being held like this for so long. "Really?"

Zayn nods, an apologetic smile on his face.

"I tried," Niall adds, and Zayn just shakes his head, meaning that it's okay.

"Ready to go inside?" Liam asks, and Niall turns so he can see the house. It looks like it's haunted. It's Victorian style, old and dark, and something about it creeps Niall out immensely. 

"I think I'd rather stay in the van," Niall replies.

"Me, too," Zayn says slowly, and Liam just rolls his eyes at them.