A/N So I was struggling to get motivated with this...until my wifey @Stylinonem104 fangirl'd me into submission. So this is for you my love, your kind words mean more than you could ever understand. Loves ya Bearsie xxx
Liam wrapped a towel around his waist, still singing softly to himself. He stopped in front of the mirror and ran another towel across his crop of hair. Trying to style it a little with his fingers (it was still wet but he had to do something! He had an absurdly handsome man running loose in his house. He didn't need Zayn to see him with flat hair!) Deciding that it looked the best it was going to he stepped into his bedroom, excited to go find his date.
He didn't have to look far. Zayn was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing just his SpiderMan pants, with an odd look on his face.
"Zee, are you ok?" He asked tentatively. Zayn looked up like he had been miles away and Liam had just dragged him back to the here and now.
"Yeah, sorry, I'm fine." Zayn responded shaking his head to clear it of the unwanted thoughts that had invaded it, "I am now anyway." He added standing up, dropping a kiss on Liam's cheek
"If you're sure. Erm shall I go heat up some food whilst you shower?" Liam asked, getting the distinct feeling Zayn didn't want to talk about whatever was troubling him.
"Excellent idea. I'll be as quick as I can."
As Zayn let the water cascade down his back, his mind was elsewhere. He hated Harry, hated the fact that two soppy, drug induced, text messages made his heart pound. He hated that he didn't hate Harry, not even a little, not even at all. How much abuse did his heart have to take before it finally hardened against that...what was the word Kay had used...prick? Because he need it to harden, and quickly, before it was damaged for all.
Chris was woken from her slumber by her phone vibrating on the night stand,
"Chris, darlin', if you don't make that stop I'll smash the fucker." Edward complained pulling his pillow over his head.
"Chill. Hello?" Chris asked softly in to her cell, her accent making Ed grind into her back. He'd always had a thing for her voice.
"Hey Kitten." Came Zayn's voice on the other end.
"Hey boo, what time is it?"
"Erm, 9:30am. Were you asleep?"
"Mmmm, gimme a second, Ed is trying to sleep." Chris tried to get out of Edward's bed but Ed threw an arm around her and she felt the vibrations in his chest as he said "You are going nowhere Kitty, gimme the phone. Zayn call Kay or Meg...I have to get a little morning glory." With that he hung up and kissed a giggling Chris.
Zayn sighed then laughed and dialled his other 'go to girl'.
"Hello?" Kay croaked.
"Whoa, you sound bad."
"I'm rough as a badger's arse." Kay moaned using their phrase for a bad hangover or comedown. Zayn heard a man groan in the background.
"Do you have company hon?"
"What? No, it's just Harry."
"You're in bed with Harry?" He asked flatly, knowing his friend had very little self control around SexFilth. Harry had that effect on even the most disciplined of people,
"Yeah, I just wanted to keep an eye on him, nothing happened Zee...well we fooled around a little but that's all. I'm still not talking to him properly, so no screwing, I swear."
"Ugh for fucks sake Kay! I need to talk and you're in bed with my fucking ex..." Zayn exclaimed, with mock affront. He was surprised how ok with this he was. He knew Kay was probably only talking about Haz drunkenly kissing her and having a little grope. Kay wouldn't let it go any further than that, little self-control or not.
"Wait, please tell me you are calling to tell me about your date? Because I will love, love, telling this prick all about it." This was why Zayn loved Kay, she always zoomed in on the root of the matter, knowing Zayn better than anyone, except possibly Harry.
"Yeah it's about my date. Please go to another room though. You can only tell him the edited highlights."
Zayn could hear her groaning and getting out of bed, stumbling to the door "Stay Filthy, stay! Good boy!"
"You sound like your talking to a dog." Zayn chuckled
"Well if the shoe fits. Right, ok I'm in the bathroom and the taps are running, incase Haz tries to eavesdrop; fill me in on last night."
Zayn took a deep breath, and started, he explained about his nerves as he pulled up to the house, the butterflies he'd felt as Liam had opened the door. He told her about the flirting and about how amazing a kisser Payne was. He even told her about the hand job. About how for a moment, just a moment, he had felt an incredible sadness during it. Until he realised why,
"And then I got it, I like him. Like really like him. It was more than just sex. And it's the first time I've felt that since..."
"Harry." Kay said softly, wanting to spare Zee the pain that finishing that sentence would cause.
"Yeah. So it made me sad for second. Then really scared, then happy. I told him I liked him, that I wanted to take it slow. I asked him to see me again, which he said yes to. Then whilst he was in the shower I checked my phone." He sighed sadly,
"And you saw the prickmeisters texts?"
"And I saw his texts. It made me sad, really sad. But I pushed it down whilst having my own shower. Liam sensed something was wrong though, he was really sweet actually."
Kay could hear the smile in her mates voice and it made her smile too. "Tell me about the sweetness please, I like a bit of fluff."
"He was waiting in bed when I got out the shower with the food and a pile of DVDs....
Zayn slipped out of the shower, drying himself off and slipping on the clean pants Liam had given him. He was feeling a lot better, feeling like the shower had washed away some of the pain in his heart and weariness from his soul. He trooped through to the bedroom to get dressed, smelling the food before he saw it. He glanced at the bed and did a double take. Liam had laid out, what Zayn could only describe as, a picnic on the bed. The curry the they hadn't had more than a mouthful of earlier was there, as well as naan breads, onion bhaji, samosas, takka dall, lots of other dishes and a little section of deserts. It was even presented on a checked blanket. He looked, in wonder, at Liam who was beaming at him from the opposite side of the bed. "What's all this?" Zayn asked grinning back at his date.
"You looked sad," Liam shrugged "I thought you might just prefer to put on some sweats, watch a movie in bed and maybe have a cuddle? I got a bit carried away. Is it too much? It's too much isn't it?"
"Haha no! It's perfect." Zayn chuckled. He found Liam so sweet , and the fact that he was so nervous (about everything but sex it would seem, he was confidence personified in bed) was incredibly endearing. He folded Liam in a reassuring embrace and kissed his hairline "It's really sweet. Thank you so much. And I'm sorry for looking sad, I got a couple of texts that bummed me out a little. I'm ok now. Better than ok actually, I'm great." Zayn felt Liam nuzzle into his neck and took a moment to register and commit to memory the feeling. He felt hope, he realised, hope and joy. It was a combination that took his breath away and made his heart swell. He lifted Liam's face to his own and softly brought their lips together. The kiss was soft, sweet and felt, to both boys, like the beginning of something.
"...So we just got into jogger bottoms and comfy tees, ate our picnic and watched black and white movies." Zayn knew he sounded a little smug but the rest of the evening really had been dreamy.
"Wait. He likes black and white films? Ok why are all the good ones gay? I so wish I had a penis!" Kay exclaimed sounding like a petulant child.
"Oh babe, if you had a penis we would be happily married somewhere with a couple of dogs, the two happiest blokes in the world."
"Dream on MeLick! Why do you think me having a dick would change me so much I'd be ready to settle down?! I'd put you on the rotation though." Their conversation dissolved into banter and laughter until Harry started complaining and Kay hung up to go placate him.
Once he had hung up Zayn reflected on how it had felt to fall asleep encased in Liam's arms. The thing that had effected him most was waking up.
Somewhere during the night he and Liam had swapped rolls and Liam was now burrowed into Zayn's chest, his shallow breath tickling his nipple. Zayn shifted slightly pulling Liam tighter into him, marvelling at the fact this was the first time since the split he hadn't had a coyote ugly moment and wanted to chew his arm off and run, on waking up in a guys bed. That would be if he hadn't already done a runner in the middle of the night, leaving his latest conquest to awake alone. He buried his face in Liam's hair, inhaling deeply, the stunning scent that was so Liam.
Liam started to stir, a small smile playing about his lips "Morning beautiful." Liam rasped making Zayn swoon at the croak in his morning voice.
"Good Morning handsome." He whispered in reply, giggling as Liam rolled him on to his back, pinned his arms above his head and kissed him. Zayn melted into the kiss and if Liam hadn't have pulled back and said, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I'll be on my best behaviour now. Scouts honour." he would have lost all his resolve and made Liam fuck him until his teeth rattled. Liam's sweetness saved him from himself, he thought, a chuckle falling from his mouth.
Over coffee in the kitchen the pair made plans to head into town and grab some breakfast. They where about to leave when Niall called, to let Liam know he was five minutes away and was heading over with bagels. Zayn saw the caged animal look in Liam's eyes and decided it was time for him to leave.
"I should go, I need to get back to Josh anyway." He said awkwardly
"I'm so sorry Zayn, I would have loved to have gone to breakfast with you. I haven't got time to right now, but I will explain. I promise." Liam had pleaded, a look of almost desperation evident in his eyes. Zayn decided there was no point in pouting and caressing Liam's cheek he told him "Payne, it's fine. Call me yeah? You are coming to London for our next date though. I have to top your bednic." The pair kissed tenderly before Zayn left.
Zayn snapped out of his thoughts and, smiling, finally started the car, using his hands free to find out where Josh was at and if he wanted a lift. The smile lasted the entire journey back to London.