"Today's all about Harry day!" Zayn cheers the second he walks out of his literature course from briefly turning in his final essay. Louis and Zayn walk toward Zayn's car, Zayn's idea of carpool since they both had to turn in essays at the same time just to different teachers.
"Why? What did the kid do to get an incentive from you?" Louis teases, pinching Zayn's cheeks while walking backwards just to get an eyeful of Zayn's cheeks scrunched together.
"Harry graduates today! You coming for your, apparently, best friend?" Zayn asks, but he remembers that people only with tickets are available to have a spot at the ceremony, so now, he thinks it wasn't too nice to second hand invite Louis if he couldn't go.
"I'm not going. Don't worry. Besides, don't want to see couple of assholes a year younger than me graduate. I was there last year don't need the two hours of stranger names at some college auditorium." Louis remarks with a cheeky attitude. It leaves Zayn to roll his eyes, "Well you don't have a ticket. You wouldn't of been able to get in anyways."
"Oi, hush up! Just take me to the beach and drop me off there. I'm meeting some, so thank you very much. And make it quick I have to be there at four!" Louis chimes and kicks his feet into the dashboard of Zayn's car, which Zayn abruptly shoves off.
The car ride consists of Louis blabbering on how he tried this dating app and is meeting someone at the beach, it's public and safe, if anything it's okay because there should be a ton of people out for summer since it's the end of school for most districts in the state.
"Alright. Your stop. But hey, promise me you'll call me if anything? It's my baby's graduation and everything but your safety is important. So, got it?" Zayn says full heartily, only to receive a loud, "Okay, daddy! Deuces the fuck out!"
Zayn sighs, dropping his head back against the headrest on his seat. When he blinks to open them again after his inhale and exhale, he turns to see Louis at the drivers window, "Thank you for caring still even though we don't have anything going on anymore. But we'll always be each other's best friends." Louis chastely pecks Zayn's lips and defends of in front of Zayn's car while waving happily.
To whatever they have or don't have, Zayn will always be cautious of Louis. Even if he is an annoying, insensitive sass master. Even if he claims he prefers topping but when someone wants the job done, he's the perfect bottom. Even when Louis acts like he doesn't love the affection, Zayn will always give it to him.
Enough about Louis, it's Harry day, Zayn thinks to himself, thinks so hard he's nearly screaming it in a cheerful way. All Zayn wants to do is congratulate him, but he can't get him balloons because those aren't allowed, nor does he want to give him flowers since they've done that already for Harry's performance.
With a glint of sun shining from a reflection of someone's camera lenses towards his eyes, Zayn immediately retrieves an idea.
Harry has a tendency to send Zayn his favorite pieces of photographs he's taken. Zayn will simply choose from one of the attachments and paint it out. A gift of gratitude from Zayn to Harry. And they'll both love it because it touches up on their creative factors.
With two hours to spare before his departure to Harry's graduation ceremony, Zayn sets off into his old bedroom, which would be considered his art room now since he took over his parents master bedroom last year. Because, right his parents moved to a rented apartment for the sake of him having their paid home that's near his college for the next few years until he transfers to state.
So he's really thankful considering most parents make their adult kids pay for their own home or make them still live under the same roof. This is a pleasure and something he's thankful for everyday, especially when he has people over.
But that's obviously terminated because in the last month and a week that he Harry came back to him, he hasn't laid hands on a single soul. Only Harry, and sure Louis but that doesn't count since they haven't done anything, flashing back to the time Harry distributed them from going further.
"Okay..." Zayn mumbles to himself as he prepares his canvas and takes out some pencils for stenciling first. Zayn looks through Harry's attachments in their messages and finds the perfect one immediately.
There's a photo Harry took of Jaxx which is beautiful, but Zayn isn't sure how he feels about to connection of Jaxx to Harry. Zayn isn't sure Harry will want to cherish a photo of a dog. Therefore, Zayn decides to draw a photo of Harry facing the beach when Harry asked Zayn to get a good photo.
Zayn sketches the way Harry's shoulders are limp as he leans over the wood railing of the boardwalk a few days prior before they played the deceiving game of fake boyfriends. Zayn gets the flannel patterns just about right, making Harry's hair more characteristic than realistic. Then his legs are lean, cartoony French fry thin lines. But he does detail up on Harry's bottom, his butt for a firm emphasis.
The pencil is aside and Zayn paints freely with all the colors according to the photo he took. Zayn makes sure to get the background details. Fading Boardwalk rides in the background that are light so the sky has a bigger emphasis to prove that the boardwalk is far behind in Harry's perception.
Just like that, with around thirty minutes of work, Zayn admires it happily. He plans on putting it in his back seat and giving it to Harry after the ceremony. But he'll leave minutes before the dismissal so he can pick it up and personally give it to Harry instead of making Harry all to the car.
At the ceremony, he debates on looking for Harry's sister and mother considering how hectic things can get. Before he can find a seat off in the front of the stage, he hears a shouting, a woman shouting for his name. Turning around, he spots Gemma. Thankfully he didn't have to look for them, and they found him.
"You going to section two?" Gemma asks as she scoots closer to Zayn, Anne trails behind them nervously. "Yeah, I am. Hi. Hi, Anne." Zayn says cautiously and walks at a slower pace to have Anne right by his side as Gemma is on the other. Leaving him right in the middle of Harry's loved ones.
"So, he invited you or you just bought a ticket from the office. If they even let you." Anne says bitterly. Which is crazy to Zayn, he thought their relationship was okay. Not the best, but at least moderate.
"You know Zayn is Harry's boyfriend, mom?" Gemma raises the statement making Zayn tense, his cheeks prominently feeling red but he isn't sure if they actually are, it just feels so heated. "Boyfriend? Well Harry didn't tell me that. But alright. You remember what I've said."
Anne hesitantly puts an arm around Zayn, stopping them from walking, "Uh, welcome to the family. As a boyfriend now. Okay, it's kind of odd but alright."
"You guys know we were like a thing back in seventh grade?" Zayn comments timorously, not sure if the topic is appropriate or if they still are sensitive to the past situation. "No. I did not. Your mother told me a year after Harry's accident when I was doing investigations."
It's tough to know that Anne is a worried mother without any real evidence on how Harry was admitted to the hospital. Because honestly, Zayn knows most of it. He sent police to the scene by stealing one of the kid's phone and vanished just like that.
"Sorry about that. But he was happiest with me and I will maintain to be that role in his life." Zayn comments sternly, maybe realizing he's coming off as rude, but at this point he doesn't really care unless Harry tells Zayn himself that he does not want Zayn in his life.
Sure, it's a true. They really aren't dating but at least Zayn can feel this label for a little while longer. And maybe they can build up the friendship thing to something more serious, like their middle school love story.
Three of Harry's guests sit together in the section closest to the graduation stage. They sit a few rows behind other people but it's good enough. Though, they'll be there for a while since Harry's last name is at the end of the alphabet when they announce.
When the Harry's graduating class walks through the middle of the aisles all of them are rapidly cheering his name up until the point where he finally sits down on the left side, which they realize, they should of sat on the left side instead of the right.
It's odd for Zayn to get emotional. The last time he did was with the lunch date, though even before that, he hasn't really cried unless it actually was about missing Harry. Only the times when he overthought and got curious about Harry's wellbeing.
But now that he's here, at Harry's graduation, after missing out on all the years─ four years, five years away from Harry─ Zayn is bawling up a storm right next to Harry's family.
"Zayn! Harry is coming up. Stop your crying and cheer!" Gemma encourages as she gets off her seat to stand, pulling Zayn up and wrapping a secured arm around him. Zayn's thankful, she gets him. Anne may not, but at least he has two Styles that appreciate him.
Like the proud people they are, they chant Harry's name abroad with all their might as they feel their voices cracking in their throats. "Harry Styles." The chosen administrator says as Harry walks onto the stage, grabbing his diploma from his principal and smile to the audience for his formal photo. He shakes the other district associates and sets off stage. Though, Gemma, Anne, and Zayn are still cheering, just like earlier, until Harry gets back to his seat.
They decide to leave the auditorium early before dismissal so they can stand right where they exit to catch Harry. It's always a blitz and havoc whenever there's graduations with emotional graduates and worried families to try meeting up.
"Harry! Harry! Harry!" Anne shouts when she sees the kids from Harry's row exiting. A mop of curls snaps his neck up to the sound of their voice and all three of them embrace Harry with hugs and congratulations.
It's simple, Harry declares that they save their excitement and praise for at home instead within all the other people. Besides, something about Harry saying, "They're not my classmates anymore. Why spend another second with them?"
When they arrive to Harry's, yes Zayn too because Gemma insists that Zayn should have an invite to the small family celebration dinner. Apparently Harry requested a vegetarian bar at home, but fish and chicken are acceptable for them to eat since nobody else in his family has the traditions as he does.
"I remember how close Zayn and─" Anne comments as she wipes her lip with the cloth, a smile flashing over to Harry. But Zayn already sees the mistake in this, gladly he's got Gemma.
"I use to be!" Gemma shouts with a hearty tone that comes off pleasant but Zayn can tense her nervousness in trying to cover this up. Zayn can also see Harry tensing up as he has a grip on his own fork. Is he really that concerned for the 'past' of Gemma and Zayn, that to remind, isn't even real?
With that slip of from Anne, Zayn notices that they maintain their conversations to strictly Harry's future and how Zayn's doing at college and what he plans to do next as well. They do avoid Zayn and Harry's relationship completely. But as their hands are intertwined under the table, considering their nonexistent relationship, nobody has to know about the second half of the story.
"I should show you my room!" Harry comments while they wash and dry the dishes together, as the women wipe down the table and put left overs away. "I mean, like to just see it and learn about me and stuff."
Zayn only nods with a grin, already feeling overwhelmed with being in Harry's house but now he'll see the room that he's departed with for six years. From all the times he snuck into the window or had to hide in the closet, from all the times where they claimed they were just doing a study buddy session. Zayn remembers everything Harry doesn't.
Harry practically drags Zayn up the stairs giving Anne and Gemma concerned looks that Harry doesn't catch but Zayn does.
"Hold on don't turn on the lights yet." Before Zayn can question why, Harry sneaks over to his window, "I have this neighbor, he's a brother of my friend at my club. I found out by Niall that he liked me since my first year of high school. Flattered but, really creepy. He knows when I'm in my room to greet me and always has his window open wide."
"Just say hi. Nothing wrong with that." Zayn assures Harry, flickering the light on.
Harry sees that his bedroom drapes are open so when he inches over to close them, he hears his neighbor already shouts with enthusiasm, "Hello Harry! Congratulations on graduation!"
"Haha, thanks Liam." Harry chuckles, obviously a fake, timid voice. Before Harry can proceed a brief goodnight to his neighbor, Zayn hauls him with his grip on his waist.
The pads of his thumb caresses Harry's hips from beneath the formal white button up. "Congratulations." Zayn mumbles as he closes the spaces between them. His lips press an open mouth kiss to Harry's neck. Zayn smirks with alacrity as Harry's breath hitches during the nibbles against his smooth skin.
Baby lotion scent from Harry's neck is the only thing that swirls in Zayn's mind, aside from the way Harry slowly trails his hands up and down on Zayn's sides. With his tongue swiping from Harry's collar, up to his jaw, he feels Harry's fingertips digging into his shoulders.
"Is he gone?" Zayn mumbles escapes Zayn's lips between his pecks to Harry's jaw. Harry replies with a soft, "Yes." It's well, probably not the best idea, but a good enough excuse to be close to Harry, in that way.
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