"Hey," Harry whispers as he slides into bed beside Zain.
"Gemma's gonna kill us both," Zain grunts, not opening his eyes. He was just about to fall asleep after a lovely dinner and a relaxing day, and part of him is annoyed to be kept awake.
"I locked the door," Harry answers, pressing his thigh between Zain's and throwing his arms across Zain's waist. It's different from the way he first made advances on Zain but also not, the same boldness in both.
"That's gonna help," Zain slurs.
"But this way we can have sex in the morning," Harry says around a yawn. "Sleep well."
"Kay," Zain answers and drifts off with Harry's breath against his neck.
💟
"You do look a bit tan now," Zain observes, still trying to catch his breath, tracing his fingers over Harry's cheek. "But your nose is peeling."
"Annoying," Harry complains, pressing a wet kiss to Zain's jaw. "I'll put aloe on, that should do it. But I told you about tanning."
"Still were a bit optimistic," Zain chides, thumbing his lower lip. "How come you're working on your holiday. You haven't really got a job that can't wait, have you?"
"Promised my manager that I'd check my emails at least once, so I picked like, the halfway point," Harry says, tracing the letters on Zain's collarbone.
"Yesterday wasn't halfway. You're only staying three days longer than Gems and me," Zain snorts.
"Well," Harry hedges. "I might have forgot and I wasn't gonna skip going to the beach for emails, am I?"
"Guess not," Zain says.
"What's that say?" Harry asks, tapping Zain's collarbone.
"'s just dumb," Zain shrugs. "It's English actually, just not Latin letters."
"Still can't read it," Harry says, rolling his eyes slightly.
"Be true to who you are," Zain answers. He's still not quite sure what made him get it, but he likes it still. Even if it was a bit ridiculous to use Arabic letters for an English phrase.
"Does it?" Harry ask curiously, "That looks way too long to be 'are'."
"Other way around," Zain says with a yawn, even though the way 'be true'. "You read right to left."
"Oh," Harry says, frowning at the letters in concentration like he's magically going to decipher them.
"Can I ask a question?" he asks, watching Harry blink slowly as he focusses back on Zain.
"Sure," Harry says slowly. "What?"
"Just. You got really upset yesterday," he says slowly, not sure what's making him ask. "You're not regretting where you are now, or anything?"
"I- I mean," Harry says, haltingly looking past Zain towards the window.
"You don't have to answer, forget I ask," Zain says, bushing the hair off Harry's forehead.
"No," Harry says, looking back at Zain with a small frown. "No one's ever asked me. Like. They ask what I'd do if I weren't famous, but not if I regret it you know. I don't," he adds quickly, interpreting the frown on Zain's face correctly. "But just. It was really reckless, you know. Giving up school for something that might have turned out different. Like, sometimes I think about that. And also," he hesitates, biting his lower lip. "Just. How things would be different now. But I don't regret it," he finishes, like he wants to reassure Zain, pressing his lips to Zain's sweetly.
"Mm," Zain makes in agreement.
"And we wouldn't be on holiday in France right now if it hadn't turned out this way, so," Harry adds lightly. "Be glad it did."
"Oh, I am," Zain says with a grin. "Very convenient for me that Gemma mooches off you."
Harry snorts, rolling his eyes. "Gemma's the worst."
"A bit yea," Zain agrees easily. "Shower? I'm starting to itch."
"Shower," Harry agrees, pulling a grimace. "I've got come everywhere."
"You wanted to," Zain says a bit mercilessly. "Begging for it in fact."
"Yea well, everyone is a bit dumb when they're turned on," Harry defends himself, pressing his lips to Zain's jaw and lingering. "Come on, I don't wanna get up alone."
"You're really clingy," Zain observes, tugging on a stay strand of hair that is hanging into Harry's eyes. "Almost worse than Gemma. Is something like that generic?"
"Do you want a serious answer or do you wanna feel me up in the shower?" Harry asks, taking Zain's hands in his and pulling slightly to make him sit up.
"Definitely the shower," Zain says, because he's a bit clingy after sex himself and Harry had lots of lovely skin and a very nice and touchable body in general.
"Come on then," Harry grins, pulling Zain along.
💟
"Why do you look like you had sex?" Gemma asks, looking at Zain critically as soon as he steps into the kitchen.
"What?" Zain asks, confused. He's showered and is dressed, there is no way she can tell. "Do I have a hickey?" He looks at Nick, just to make sure, wanting to slap himself as soon as the words are out. He's not very subtle.
Nick shakes his head, shrugging, looking distinctly amused.
"No, I just know the look. You've got this smirk," Gemma says, frowning. "Who did you have sex with? I didn't hear you leave."
"Maybe I just had a really good wank?" Zain shrugs, pouring himself a cup of tea.
"No," Gemma says like the creep she is. "You definitely had sex. When! How?"
"I'd hope you know how, babe. Or Jo is not gonna stick around for long," Zain says, pressing a kiss to Gemma's cheek and sitting down at the breakfast table, pulling the bread basket towards him. He was gonna miss the bread in France, and the croissants in the morning. "What's it matter to you anyways?"
She's fixating a bit and Zain knows she only is because she suspects, and he really really doesn't want to deal with the fallout. He knew it had been a bad idea but Harry was very hard to resist, especially when he was standing in front of Zain half-naked and with his stupidly endearing smile, and it had been nice, good and uncomplicated sex. The cherry on top of a very very nice and relaxing holiday.
"Morning," Harry says, coming into the kitchen as well, tying his hair up.
"Oh my god," Gemma shrieks straight away. "Are you serious? My best friend? Really?"
"What?" Harry says, frowning at Zain as he sits down. "What are you yelling about?"
Zain rolls his eyes and shrugs. "Hey, creepy," he says to Gemma, tapping her forehead. "Wanna cool it?"
"I am cool," Gemma says, indignant, rounding on Zain and pointing her finger. "Did you have to fuck him? I know what you get up to and now I have images," she shudders.
"Chill, babe," Zain says.
"I am!" Gemma repeats, annoyed.
"You're really not," Harry says, pouring a cup of tea. "Hand me the fruit, would you, Nick."
"It's just," she repeats to Zain, deflating somewhat. "Him, really?"
Zain shrugs. "Sorry, babes," he says, not trying to deny it. It's more than creepy that Gemma guessed but he's not gonna actually lie to her and they've spent the last two years living out of each other's pockets for the most part, it's not all that surprising that she's figured it out. She'd actually never forgive him if he lied now, though, as unamused as she was about the whole thing.
"What are you apologising to her for?" Harry says, his indignant tone the same as his sister's. "What's that supposed to mean?" he adds to Gemma.
Zain roll his eyes. "Just. Keep me out of it," he says, and grabs a piece of mango someone has already cut up neatly. It must have been Josh because Nick and Gemma were both too lazy to be handy in the kitchen and Harry had been in bed with Zain and then in the shower with Zain, definitely not cutting up fruit.
"Stop smirking like that," Gemma exclaims, slapping Zain's biceps, but at least not actually starting a fight with Harry.
"I'm not," Zain says, trying to make his face neutral and scooting his chair away from her slightly.
"I know you," she says darkly, glaring slightly. "Good thing we're leaving tomorrow, I never want this to happen again."
"You can't tell me what to do," Harry says, narrowing his eyes at her.
Zain would consider it sweet that he was ready to hook up again after their holiday was over, but he was pretty sure that it was more of an act of defiance in the face of Gemma's annoyance than anything.
"I can tell him what to do," Gemma says, pointing her thumb at Zain. "And it will not happen again," she says seriously, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Whatever you say," Zain says, rolling his eyes at her. He's starting to feel bad about it actually, because he knows she worries about her brother constantly, and he doesn't want to be someone that makes her worry. But at the same time, she really did not get a say in his sex life. It was kind of reassuring though, that she apparently did not pick up that it had been happening all week, and that it had happened before that as well.
"You coming into town later?" he asks Nick and Josh, very obviously trying to change the topic.
"Sure," Josh says, looking amused at the whole display, but Gemma lets him. "We could stay for dinner, since it's your last evening and all that."
"Yea, sounds good," Zain nods, turning to look at Gemma.
She still has her petulant frown on her face but she nods.
"And you?" Zain asks Harry, who is picking at his croissant with an expression very similar to Gemma's. "Coming?"
"Sure," Harry says, glancing up to meet Zain's eyes. "We can walk up to the ruin," he says, looking at Nick. "You wanted to do that since we arrived."
"Yea, and then it was hot and also someone decided to go hiking along the coast," Nick says. "But sure, let's look at castle ruins and then have food. Sounds good."
"We can go to the beach after the hike," Josh suggests. "Cool down, relax, not turn up at the restaurant completely sweaty."
"Sounds like a plan," Gemma nods, touching her toes to Zain's shin.
Zain smiles at her, glad for the sign of acceptance and she smiles back, her eyes crinkling.
💟
i'm ... siblings, what can i say? also idk.