The Locket
orphan_account ao3
Summary:
Zayn doesn't know why he's so curious about the locket, nor does have any idea what the consequences of opening it will be.
Notes:
Based off a prompt on Tumblr:
Ziam where Liam has a locket that he always wears that obviously can be opened but he never lets anyone see whats inside and one day he takes it off to shower and Zayn opens it and finds a picture of him and Liam inside. feelings are confessed
-----------------
Work Text:
One of the first things Zayn learned about Liam when he met him was that he was a little bit OCD. Not in a majorly obsessive kind of a way, but the fact was that he liked order, hated mess and had certain rules that he liked people to stick to, one of which was to do with his locket. Zayn wasn't quite sure where Liam had gotten the piece of jewellery from - he might have been given it by a fan for all he knew - but ever since he'd started wearing it two years ago he hadn't allowed anyone else to wear or look inside it or even touch it, which Zayn had to admit made him annoyed at times.
It's not that he wanted to know the innermost secrets of Liam's soul and what it was that he held so dear that he never allowed anyone else to see, even his best friend. Except that he actually did.
He'd known Liam for ages now, and in that time he liked to think he'd become closer to him than anyone else, even the other boys, so it made him a little, not exactly uncomfortable, but frustrated that there was something Liam didn't allow Zayn to know about him. Yeah, that was probably really selfish of him, however the knowledge that a particular personality trait is undesirable doesn't make it disappear, and his curiosity still remained as to what exactly was hidden inside the locket that could most obviously be opened.
Up until recently he'd have guessed it was something to do with Danielle, but Liam still insisted on wearing it, which hinted that there must be something even more personal inside. Zayn was pretty sure Liam knew exactly how desperate he was to see the locket's contents, but he was doing a good job of hiding it.
***
Liam treated that locket like it was made of actual gold or something, so you can imagine how much of a surprise it was when one day Zayn saw him take it off, completely out of the blue. They were spending a typical weekend off round at Liam's flat, just lounging around and enjoying their rare free time, when he told Zayn he was going to catch a shower while he could, if that was alright with him. Having seen all the boys naked countless times, Zayn thought nothing of Liam stripping off to his boxers in front of him in the bedroom where they had been watching Sherlock, but it was once he was in just his underwear that he reached around to the nape of his neck and slowly undid the clasp of his prized necklace.
Zayn's eyes followed the glittering locket as it fell into Liam's hand and was then placed on top of his chest of drawers, before realising that his friend was saying something he should probably listen to.
"I won't be long, don't worry, I just wanna get myself clean after so long in hotels, you know?"
Nodding, Zayn discretely averted his eyes when he wrapped a towel around his waist in order to remove his underwear, because looking would just reveal everything that he really shouldn't feel about his best friend; however it was when Liam had finally left the room that the moral dilemmas really started to kick in.
Perhaps he wouldn't have been so tempted if the locket hadn't been right there in front of him, winking at Zayn as though begging to be opened. But it would be totally wrong for him to look inside it when Liam was so private about it, right?
Of course it would, but unfortunately Zayn had never been too good at doing the right thing, which is why he grabbed the necklace before he had time to think, then put it down, then picked it back up again. What if he did open it, but in the living room so that there was no chance of Liam catching him? Would that be ok?
Evidently it wouldn't be at all morally correct, but Zayn's morals weren't exactly the strongest in the world and it was enough of a compromise to convince him that it was a good idea. And, yes, he had wanted this opportunity for years, but it was simple curiosity that was the cause of his obsession - he didn't actually care about the contents, did he? That suggested a level of intimacy past that of even the closest friendship, which was just way too complicated for him to contemplate right then.
Instead he grasped the locket, bounded into the living room with a ridiculous amount of adrenaline-fueled energy and, with a paranoid glance around him in case there might be a hidden camera in the corner or something, prized open the clasp to reveal its contents. And inside it was... him. What the fuck?
It wasn't just him, obviously, it was a picture of the two of them from ages ago - back in the X Factor house on the sofa with their arms around each other. They were at our closest back then before Danielle came into the picture, when kisses just sort of happened and they would often end up in the same bed just talking about things until they knew each other inside out and back to front. Zayn missed those times so much sometimes he thought he would cry.
But that didn't explain why this photo was what Liam had been keeping a secret for so long, or why it was so precious to him - why Zayn was seemingly so precious to him!
"Hey, I'm just gonna - Zayn? What are you doing?"
Zayn almost dropped the locket in shock when the unexpected voice cut across his deep thoughts, but it remained incriminatingly in his hands as his eyes jumped to Liam's and they both stared at each other in shock.
"What are you doing?" repeated Liam, and Zayn realised that he should probably say something in order to stop this situation from appearing any worse.
"I'm so sorry Li!"
Okay, well, sounding like a 5 year old that had just been caught next to a broken window was probably really helpful, right? Zayn decided to blame his outburst on the fact that he was trying to ignore how hot Liam looked when he was just out of the shower with only a small towel wrapped around his waist covering his... stop that train of thought right now, Malik! Your best mate is just talking to you and now is not the time to be getting an awkward boner!
In actual fact Liam still seemed to be struggling to comprehend what was happening if his stuttering was anything to go by.
"H-how did you... I mean why - what did you... Zayn?" The last word was clearly a plea for information, for an explanation, for something other than the silence which Zayn had adopted to blanket his rushed apologies that weren't helping the situation at all.
Liam's eyes bored into Zayn's own desperately, yet the only thing he could think to say in response was, "Why is there a picture of me in your locket?"
Smooth, Zayn, very smooth. Obviously the question was rather more abruptly probing than he had planned, however that still didn't explain Liam's dramatic reaction: with a choked sob his knees gave way and he collapsed onto the sofa with his head in his hands.
"Liam? Are you OK?" Suddenly any discussion of the necklace paled into insignificance compared to the emotional trauma Liam was going through in front of him, and Zayn's voice filled with concern.
"I - it's just... it wasn't supposed to happen like this!" His voice was muffled by the hands that ware obscuring his face but the distress in it was still obvious. Before Zayn could butt in to comfort him, though, Liam was continuing on his rambling explanation that he tried desperately to follow. "I didn't want you to know, at least not until... well, I know you've got Perrie and I'm sorry that I feel like this but I - I think I love you."
During his speech Zayn had been gradually inching closer towards him across the living room floor, but at this new and totally unexpected revelation he froze in place suddenly, unable to move as all his dreams came true in what was possibly the worst scenario ever.
He should say something, he knew that, but he'd never been too good with words so instead he gingerly sat himself down next to Liam on the sofa before cupping his face in his hand and gently pulling it out of his meshed fingers.
"Did you say you love me?" he whispered and, fuck, he didn't even know what this was but it was definitely a bad idea. Still, that didn't stop Liam from nodding hesitantly and it didn't stop Zayn from losing what was left of his sanity and leaning forward to kiss him.
The kiss lasted less than 5 seconds before Zayn pulled away, shocked and disgusted with himself for not being able to control his own impulses. When he dared to look at Liam, the younger boy was staring at him as though he couldn't quite believe what had just happened, which was fair enough because Zayn didn't have a fucking clue either.
It wasn't like they'd never kissed before or anything (that story about the accidental embrace was true, even if the fact that it was a joke wasn't... afterwards Zayn had decided Liam was probably just curious and had chosen to leave it there) but that probably wasn't exactly the reaction Liam had expected when he'd just told his best friend that he loved them.
In Zayn's defence, come-ons didn't really get much bigger than that.
"What did you do that for?" stuttered Liam eventually, but Zayn had no legitimate answer except for 'I love you too, you twat'.
"What?" Damn, did he say that aloud? He could really do with working on that self-control thing.
"Um... I love you too?" There was no point in lying when the truth had now been revealed, yet Zayn was still reserved in his answer, testing out the previously unexplored waters of their relationship in order to give Liam every chance to scrap this whole revelation-of-our-feelings thing before it was too late and he end up wearing my heart well and truly on his sleeve.
However Liam's eyes simply grew wide at Zayn's second attempt at an explanation before a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Really?" Before Zayn had time to speak, Liam was blushing as he asked the question that the other boy hadn't even dared to think about. "D-does that mean we can kiss again?"
With a grin that really shouldn't have been as wide as it was, Zayn pushed all worries and fears and general inhibitions out of his head in order to lean forwards and recapture Liam's lips with his own.
***
After that, things escalated quickly. Zayn wasn't quite sure when the embrace turned from hesitant and curious to steamy and passionate, but neither of them were complaining and he couldn't prevent a small moan from escaping when Liam shifted forwards a little and he felt his hardening cock rub against his thigh.
He was even less certain as to when his hands went from awkwardly hovering beside Liam's hips to inside his pants, grasping blindly at his stiff cock while his own erection bucked against his jean clad crotch, but there were still no attempts to stop him, no signals that Liam wasn't enjoying this quite as much as he was, so he continued regardless of his screaming morals. The angle inside the two layers of material was rather awkward, so it seemed only natural that Zayn proceed to remove them in order to fully fist up and down Liam's cock. The voice in the back of his head grew quieter and quieter with every moan that fell from Liam's panting mouth, until it was silenced almost completely.
To be honest, Zayn was perfectly willing to wank each other off and leave it at that (they had already kind of done that before in a totally platonic, just-friends-helping-each-other-out way) but Liam's cock was just so amazingly big, and he looked so desperate that there was nothing he could do to prevent himself from taking this whole thing a step further. With a gasp, Zayn pulled away from Liam's lips and crouched down in front of him with obvious intent.
His breath hit against Liam's cock, causing him to squirm a little in his seat, but before he could take any of it in his mouth, Liam linked his fingers with his in what Zayn assumed was an attempt to get his attention. When he looked up at Liam, his eyes were fixed directly on his own.
"Are we really going to do this?" Liam whispered, clearly desperate not to ruin the moment, but suddenly Zayn remembered that this was his best friend, and that he didn't want to completely change their relationship without full consent.
Pulling himself up so that they were face to face, he looked deep into Liam's apprehensive brown eyes in the hope of finding... well, something. Consent, understanding - he wasn't hopeful enough to dream of finding love within them.
"Do you want to do this?" he asked, slow and steady, wanting Liam to know that he could always say 'no', that he wouldn't be heartbroken - OK, he would, but he'd recover eventually and they could forget this ever happened and everything could go back to normal. However Liam nodded just as seriously, his pupils darkening with lust and losing their rabbit-in-the-headlights gaze.
"Yes. I want to."
With that Zayn kissed him swiftly and passionately before descending back onto his knees where he was confronted once again by Liam's rigid cock. Without hesitating, because that wouldn't mean thinking and he didn't think he could cope with structured though right now, Zayn licked a stripe along the vein that ran up the underside of his cock, then took the head that was already leaking precum into his mouth. All the while Liam kept on making delicious moaning noises, and, God, if Zayn hadn't been dreaming about this scenario for years!
At first he wasn't even sure if he would be able to take all of Liam in his mouth, but eventually his gag reflex relaxed and he felt the tip hit the back of his throat in a way that shouldn't have been pleasurable but totally was. Liam was achingly hard, yet Zayn was determined to make him last as long as possible before cumming - it was the least he could do after the distress his friend had clearly gone through while obsessing over him.
"Oh my God, Zayn!" gasped Liam from somewhere above him, but Zayn was enjoying himself way too much to listen as he swirled his tongue around Liam's cock and reached up to play with his balls, which seemed to do it for the younger boy.
With a guttural moan he attempted to pull Zayn's head off of his cock before releasing his warm cum into his mouth. Immediately Zayn swallowed all that he could, though a little still dribbled out of the corner of his mouth when he eventually pulled off. Rising up off of his knees, he pressed his lips against Liam's so that he could taste himself.
"That was incredible!" Liam sounded utterly impressed, which Zayn had to admit admit gave him an ego boost despite not being sure Liam had much to compare it against. But it was his next suggestion that got Zayn weak at the knees.
"Can we, you know..." his blush was returning to paint his face an attractive shade of strawberry, "...do more?" There was no need for Liam to elaborate, since they both knew exactly what he was implying. Although Zayn was desperate to agree, there was something he needed to know first.
"Have you ever done this before?"
The moment the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them; Liam hung his head in shame as he dropped Zayn's hand, leaving it cold and empty. Once again there was no need for him to say anything when his body language was answer enough, however he still muttered an embarrassed 'no' that was so low it was almost inaudible.
"Hey, hey, that's OK," reaching a hand towards his face, Zayn propped Liam's chin up with his index finger so that he could see his beautiful features. He wanted to reassure Liam that he honestly didn't mind how much experience he'd had, that he'd only asked in his own interests, that nothing could stop him from wanting this as much as he clearly did. "I don't mind, honestly! I'm just shocked that no guy's ever realised how beautiful you are before."
A shy smile crept onto Liam's face at that, which turned to an amused smirk at Zayn's next suggestion. "Shall we take this to the bedroom?"
"You're such a smooth talker, Malik," Liam joked as he rose from the sofa, kicked off his trousers that had remained pooled around his ankles during Zayn's blowjob, and then kissed him backwards into his bedroom and down onto the bed.
When he pulled away, Zayn couldn't help but to stare up at him in shock. "Where was that from, Li?"
"I've got moves too you know!" he deadpanned, causing Zayn to laugh out loud before Liam bit down on his bottom lip gently and whispered the dirtiest thing Zayn had ever heard leave his mouth.
"Now fuck me."
It really wasn't fair, the way Zayn's ability to resist Liam seemed to have been snatched away from him (not that he was ever that adept at controlling it in the first place), but he was still most definitely not complaining! There was no hesitation as he raised his eyebrows and made his first request of the day.
"Lube?"
Nodding impatiently at his bedside drawer, Liam waited for Zayn to locate the tube and coat his fingers in the thick liquid. Eventually, just as Liam thought he could stand waiting no longer, Zayn was ready, and, with a final kiss, descended back onto his knees in order to begin prepping him.
Liam swiftly stretched his legs wide (God knows what he'd been watching in order to know that was what he had to do), and there was little resistance when Zayn pushed the first of his fingers into his tight hole. Well, he was tight compared to most of the other guys he'd shagged, but in fact Liam seemed surprisingly loose for someone who'd never been fucked.
When Zayn questioned him about it, his embarrassment flared up again. "I- I sort of... you know... when I was thinking about you..."
Why was that such a fucking turn on for Zayn? It probably shouldn't have done, but Liam's words went straight to his cock, making him even harder and more desperate than before, if that were possible. Without any warning he pushed in a second slicked-up finger, yet Liam's whimper of pain quickly turned to one of immense pleasure when his fingertips brushed against his prostate. Knowing that he'd finally found that special bundle of nerves, Zayn deliberately aimed there for the next few thrusts of his hand, which seemed to be causing Liam to fall apart above him.
Before Zayn could even get three fingers inside of him, Liam's voice cut across his actions in desperation. "Please fuck me now, Zayn!"
How could he possibly refuse that?
With a final scissoring motion of his fingers, Zayn straightened up and aligned himself against Liam's opened legs while their eyes locked together in love or lust, he couldn't quite tell which. He couldn't believe Liam had never done this before, and why the fuck was he letting him be his first, but he was determined to make this experience pleasurable for him rather than painful. That's why he thrust in ever so slowly and carefully while simultaneously kissing Liam in a way that was somehow both sweet and passionate, hoping that he wouldn't prove a disappointment to the boy he had wanted for so long.
When he was halfway in, he opened his eyes to check that Liam was doing OK, but his face wasn't showing any discomfort so he pushed forward until his hips are flush against Liam's arse. It was then that Liam's perfect features contorted in poorly disguised pain, and Zayn stopped instantly to let him adjust to the feeling of being full.
Eventually he managed to relax enough to open his eyes, and for a moment they stayed there, locked in the moment, finally allowed a glance into each other's soul.
"I love you, Zayn," whispered Liam into his ear, making Zayn grin like an idiot. "But please move before I explode!"
With a small laugh, Zayn needed no further encouragement before he pulled out almost all the way and then snapped his hips forward once again. "Anything you want, babe!"
Not much speaking happened after that as they lost themselves in the pleasure of finally having one another completely.
Zayn's lack of self control was a little embarrassing, but Liam's tight heat made him want to unravel straight away and it took all of his strength to thrust in and out of him evenly until he finally hit that special spot again, making Liam practically scream in pleasure. "God Zayn - what - I - just there!"
His garbled speech descended into nothing more than grunts for a while as they settled into a rhythm that still managed to be manic and way better than even Zayn's dreams of this moment had ever been. Finally Liam regained the ability to speak for long enough to make one final demand. "Touch me, please!"
His desperate plea was too much for Zayn's now totally screwed morals to resist - without a second thought he reached between them to grasp Liam's cock and pump his fist up and down at the same pace as the thrusting of his hips. In less than a minute his actions had pushed Liam over the edge, and the younger boy was cumming all over his hand, chest, and the sheets that were already drenched in sweat and precum.
"God, I love you Zayn!" he gasped huskily as his body went limp in Zayn's arms, and Zayn was forced to bury his head in his friend's shoulder, mouthing at the soft skin there, because the sight of his beautiful sex-spent face was more than he could cope with right now.
Surprisingly he managed to keep going for a few more seconds before the pleasure was all too much and he succumbed to the urge to release his own cum inside of Liam with a cry of his name. He could tell from Liam's slightly startled expression that he could feel his warm cum filling him up, which brought back memories of his own first time. Then he quickly pushed those thoughts back into the recesses of his mind, because the last thing he wanted to think about right then were his exes when he had the perfect partner right here with him.
Exhausted but happier than he's been in God knows how long, Zayn pulled out, collapsed on top of Liam's chest and kissed the astonished grin off his face.
"Gerroff!" Liam muttered jokingly, but Zayn deliberately stayed a little longer resting atop his toned torso before sliding into the space beside him on the bed. Even so, Liam still slung an arm around his waist in an attempt to maintain the contact between them for as long as possible. Either that or he was worried that Zayn was the sort of guy who just shagged and left.
As much as Zayn would have loved to stay in that warm bed with Liam all day, however, there was something he clearly had to do beforehand in order to clear his and Liam's joint conscience. With a sigh, he kissed Liam's cheek and then rolled all the way out of bed.
"Where are you going?" mumbled Liam sleepily and, damn, that was too adorable for words.
"I've gotta go break up with Perrie now, haven't I?" Zayn told him, expecting a laugh or a noise of agreement, but instead Liam sat up instantly with a worried expression creasing his face.
"Really? You're going to break up with her... because of me?"
Frowning, Zayn realised that maybe this wasn't the best way to make him feel less guilty after all. "Don't worry about it, Li! To be honest, I think we've both been expecting this for a while - plus she's always teasing me about fancying you!" It was true: his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend seemed to ship Ziam as much as Niall did Larry!
"Well..." clearly Liam was still not totally convinced, but Zayn was all out of ideas of how to reassure him. Instead he leaned forwards to kiss Liam yet again, his tongue sweeping along his lips, and then his teeth when Liam's mouth opened up to let him in. Unlike their previous kisses it was not trying to apologise or explain or lead to other things, it simply was.
When they surfaced for much needed oxygen, Liam looked much happier and finally let go of Zayn's waist in order to let him pull on his clothes that were scattered across the floor and try to make himself a little more presentable. Zayn knew that he should be making his way off, but Liam looked so good there on the bed with his hair messed up and a blissful grin on his face that was thanks to him, and it was then that he realised there was something important he'd forgotten.
Striding over to his side, Zayn reached out a hand to stroke Liam's cheek adoringly, knowing his eyes are probably staring ridiculously soppily but unable to care. "I love you Liam," he told him ever so quietly, but he could tell Liam had heard him from the way his head snapped up away from the pillows and his eyes instantly fixed to Zayn's as though checking that he was telling the truth, that this wasn't some sort of joke.
Of course I am, Zayn wanted to tell him, of course it isn't. But he didn't.
Instead he told Liam it through the patterns that his fingertips drew on his sweat-sheened skin, before pulling away and blowing him a kiss and leaving with this stupidly huge smile spread across his face.
***
All this from a bloody necklace. The thought rose up from the depths of his brain and made him laugh. The last thing on his mind before the flat door shut behind him, was that opening that locket and risking the wrath of his little bit OCD but totally amazing best friend... it had been totally fucking worth it.