1D: We Go Together like a Pencil and a Cassette
Fandom: One Direction
Pairing: Zayn/Niall
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,348
Spoilers: n/a
Warnings: n/a
Author's Note: For 1d_olymfics Team Future and based on the GBY video. and for hc_bingo for my “disappearing” square. Beta by saekokato. Britpick by smash_leigh.
Disclaimer: Everyone here belongs to themselves
Summary: It’s been a while since Zayn’s seen Louis or Niall, and then Harry informs him that Louis’s started a charity in London.
We Go Together like a Pencil and a Cassette
Zayn was filthy drunk in a way he hadn’t been in years. It was Bonfire Night, and the fireworks over the Thames made the biting cold worth it. Zayn had lost the friends he was with. They were somewhere in the crowd, but Zayn was so beyond pissed, all he could do was marvel at the colors in the sky and hope he woke up in his own bed - or a bed - and not in a gutter covered in vomit. (If he had a choice, he’d prefer his own vomit.) No one had recognized him, so that was a bonus.
The fireworks were pretty, too.
Zayn couldn’t feel his nose, but he could feel a hand on his shoulder and in his hair. He leaned into the touch before he jerked away. He had no idea who had their hand in his hair.
He stumbled a bit and into another person.
He mumbled an apology without looking at the person he had bumped. Instead he looked to the person who had his hands in Zayn’s hair. Thankfully, it’s one of Zayn’s mates from the studio.
“Let’s get you home,” Scott said, and Zayn couldn’t remember if he and Scott had arrived together or not. Maybe it was time for Zayn to head home.
*
Zayn made it into the studio the next morning with the largest vat of coffee he could find and the worst hangover he’d had in over a decade. The only things he remembered from last night were fireworks and a hand in his hair. He refused to take his sunglasses off.
When he entered the booth, Liz was already there. She greeted him with a sympathetic grunt, but she didn’t look any better than he did. She had abandoned Zayn about ten minutes into their evening the night before.
“Scott’ll be here soon,” Liz said. “I’ve made him fetch McDonald’s.”
Zayn hadn’t heard news better than that in a long time.
“And the babies haven’t shown up yet,” Liz added.
Zayn remembered the days in the studio on the other side of the glass. He was that baby once, and he slept in as much as possible. Hell, he slept as much as possible. Now he was on the other side, waiting around for the talent to show up. At least he was paid either way, and the band was paid… however their contract was done up. Zayn just hoped that the greasy food arrived before the band. Otherwise he would be too terse with the band, and maybe he’d make someone cry. It had happened before.
Zayn would have to send Liam some words about the bands he had been sending Zayn’s way. Ever since Liam took over for The X-Factor, Zayn had had to deal with some unusual talent, but this was the first time they’d been lazy talent. There were going to be some serious words, ones that would happen when Zayn was no longer hung over.
Scott entered the booth with brown bags that reeked of grease, and Zayn could not have been more thankful.
*
Zayn held his Smithwick loosely by its neck as he listened to Harry go on about his day. He shouldn’t really have been drinking a beer considering his hangover had only recently subsided, but his day had merited it. Zayn didn’t envy the chaos of Harry’s life, and he was glad that he had given up that dramatic part of his life. Harry was touring in Australia with his rock band, and he couldn’t sleep. The obvious answer was to call Zayn and vent. Zayn understood. He’d stayed up many times with Harry just talking. That was a lifetime ago. Zayn missed being that close with his mates, but the chaos was enough to make him rethink his pop star lifestyle. Zayn had made the right decision.
Out of nowhere, Harry said, “Louis’s started his charity in London. The kickoff dinner was last week. Did you go?”
“Uh,” Zayn said. “I didn’t know that Louis was back in London.”
“You haven’t seen him yet?” Harry asked.
“No,” Zayn admitted. “I haven’t seen Louis in ages.”
“You two should talk,” Harry suggested.
“Tell him to stop by the studio,” Zayn suggested right back.
“Yeah,” Harry agreed. “How goes the newest us?”
“They’re not the new us,” Zayn snorted. “They have no work ethic.”
“We wanted to fuck around instead of work,” Harry reminded him.
“Not really,” Zayn said. “Yeah, we fucked around, but we also worked our arses off. It just didn’t seem like work, because it was fantastic to sing for a living.”
“How long do you think they’ll last?” Harry asked.
“I give them a year,” Zayn said. “Unless they have a talented guest artist on their album.”
“I’m not going to do it if they don’t give a fuck,” Harry said quickly. “Have you told Liam yet?”
“Not yet,” Zayn said. He sighed. “He’ll be in the studio tomorrow. He’ll be able to see firsthand.”
“Make sure you’re firm with him,” Harry said.
“I know,” Zayn agreed. He’d been dealing with Liam a lot since they both took on their roles. Liam wanted to give everyone a chance. Zayn understood that, the importance of a chance. However, at this point, someone needed to light a fire under these boys, and Zayn wasn’t paid to do that: Liam was.
“It’s nearly five in the morning,” Harry said. “I should try to sleep. I’ll let Louis know to stop by, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Zayn echoed. “When’ll you be back in London?”
“In time for the hols,” Harry said. “I’m going to need my sleep by then.”
Zayn hummed in agreement.
“Cheers,” Harry said. He hung up before Zayn could echo it.
*
The studio dissolved into chaos as soon as Zayn arrived. However, the chaos had little to do with him, and he could just sit on the sidelines and watch, which was a small miracle.
Liam was livid. Zayn thought he might have learned some of his awesome managerial skills from Simon. The babies were fucking around as usual. They had kept Liam waiting over an hour, according to the whoever-he-was working for Liam and in charge of the babies. Zayn hadn’t even bothered coming in until an hour and a half after the babies were supposed to show. There was no point. He was salary, so it didn’t matter too much when Zayn showed up as long as it wasn’t a habit.
There were a lot of stern words from Liam, shouting from Liam’s associate, shouting from the babies, and Liz and Scott stood on the other side of the glass pretending not to listen.
Zayn joined his colleagues. “What’s going on?”
Liz pointed to one of the babies that she had been calling Boo, even though Zayn was pretty sure that his name was Josh. “He seems to be the ringleader, giving lip to Liam. The two other boys have followed suit. It’s gone sour quickly.”
Scott nodded. “This only started five minutes ago.”
“At least Liam’s being firm,” Zayn mused.
“I don’t think he really has a choice,” Scott said. “These kids shouldn’t be doing this. I’ve never seen any group this entitled to singing.”
“It’s fame, not singing,” Liz snorted. “They want to be famous. I don’t think they even want to sing.”
The phone in the booth went off. Zayn hadn’t even thought it was functional, but he answered it, putting it on speaker in case all three of them needed to know something important.
“There’s a man here to see Zayn,” the receptionist said. She sounded a bit smitten. “Said his name was… Louis.”
“Oh,” Zayn said quietly.
Scott smirked at him.
“Reunion!” Liz cackled.
“I’ll be down,” Zayn said and pressed the hang up button on the phone before Liz or Scott could say anything more.
Zayn controlled his breathing as he made his way down to reception. He took the stairs instead of the lift, because he couldn’t stand still. He needed to move. Fidgeting in the lift would make people ask questions. However, Zayn was pretty sure that his heartbeat was echoing in the stairwell. Maybe it was just in his ears.
He shouldn’t have been this nervous. It was just Louis. Zayn hadn’t seen him in about three years, hadn’t really spoken to him in about one. It wasn’t intentional. It was just that they were both busy with their own lives, and they both had pretty busy lives.
He managed to reign in his breathing by the time he arrived in reception, and anything else he could brush off by explaining he took the stairs.
Louis stood there. He hadn’t changed, not that Zayn had expected him to. He still had his smirk, like he knew exactly what he was doing to Zayn. Louis also had a narrow pair of horn-rimmed glasses.
“Good to see you, mate,” Louis said, wrapping his arms around Zayn.
“You too,” Zayn echoed. “Welcome back to London.”
Louis smirked a bit harder and said, “Thanks.” He poked Zayn between the ribs. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, just enough to be uncomfortable. All of this was just enough to be uncomfortable. “Harry said you were dealing with shitheads and maybe needed help convincing Liam to stand his ground.”
“Liam is standing his ground just fine,” Zayn said. “There’s a brutal shouting match going on upstairs.”
Louis raised his eyebrows. “Is that why you’re my personal greeter?”
Zayn smiled and led Louis to the lifts.
“Is Liam actually shouting?” Louis asked slowly.
“Nah,” Zayn said. “He has an assistant to do that for him.”
The lift door opened with a ding, which was the last sound until they exited on the fifth floor. Then the shouting could be heard, still going on. Zayn thought he heard Liam’s voice in there, too.
“Is that Liam raising his voice?” Louis asked, a bit dazed.
“These kids are lazy,” Zayn explained as they headed towards the shouting. He wasn’t exactly sure why they wanted to head into the lion’s den, but Liam and Louis deserved to meet up, too.
“Lazy enough for Liam to shout at them,” Louis surmised. “You weren’t exaggerating.”
Zayn shook his head sadly. “Let’s sit in the booth, wait for things to calm down. Who knows, I might end up with a day off. We could do lunch.”
“You say things like ‘do lunch’ now?” Louis asked, positively scandalized. “What has this industry done to you?!”
“You’re saying no to lunch?”
“No,” Louis said. “I love lunch.”
Zayn opened the door to the booth and ushered Louis in.
Liz and Scott were both still watching the madness on the other side of the glass, but they turned their attention to Zayn and Louis.
“Hello!” Liz beamed.
“Liz, Scott,” Zayn said, “this is Louis. I’m sure you remember him. He and Harry Styles had this boyband back in the day. Louis, this is Liz and Scott.”
“Nice to meet you,” Scott said, offering a hand that Louis shook. Louis then pinched Zayn’s arm for the sardonic introduction. Just like that the three years apart was turned into three seconds, and it was like Louis was always in Zayn’s life.
“Did you bring snacks?” Liz asked. “For the entertainment?” She pointed into the studio.
In the studio, there was a lot of gesticulating to go along with the shouting.
“I’m surprised no one has been fired yet,” Scott mused.
Liam looked up from where he had been towering over one of the babies - Alex: Zayn was pretty sure that was his name - and Liam caught sight of Louis in the booth.
Louis winked and blew Liam a kiss.
“Stop!” Liam bellowed. All of those singing lessons teaching him how to breathe and project had definitely paid off.
Everyone jumped and then froze, including Zayn.
“Josh, Alex, David,” Liam said very carefully. “You have the rest of the day to reevaluate your decision to be in the industry and your ability to work.”
Alex opened his mouth to say something, but Liam gave him a severe look and cut him off.
“If you say no, your contract will be terminated. If you decide to stay, we expect you to work hard. Or your contract will be terminated.”
The three boys looked like they wanted to say more, but Liam’s assistant chased them out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Liam sagged visibly. His shoulders slumped, and he took a deep breath.
Zayn and Louis looked to each other.
“Liz, Scott,” Zayn said quickly, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Louis and I are going to take Liam out.”
“Don’t let it be a repeat of Bonfire Night,” Scott said, giving Zayn a pointed look. Zayn briefly wondered if that had to do with becoming roaring drunk or if he had done something particularly stupid that night that he just didn’t remember.
He gave Scott a shy smile and shoved Louis out the door before he could ask what had happened on Bonfire Night.
*
Zayn should have known that lunch with Louis and Liam meant lunch with Niall as well. Lunch always meant Niall was there, but Zayn hadn’t seen Niall in seven years. They had left on amiable terms, all of them had, really. But Liam and Harry had been constants, whereas Louis and Niall had drifted in and out of Zayn’s life over the years. Mostly out.
Zayn had just wished that he had a little bit of a warning before he saw Niall sitting nonchalantly in the back booth of the pub, arm sprawled across the back of the red leather seat. He had a beer in front of him on the table.
The last time Zayn had seen Niall, he had been sprawled out over Zayn’s bed, fucked out. He wore the same lazy smirk then, too. Niall was broader now, thicker around the torso - and waist. If Zayn were honest, all of them had that thickness. He just hadn’t seen Niall in such a long time that it was more shocking to see it on Niall than on himself.
Louis grinned.
Zayn felt like he had been punched in the gut, but it was a good punch. He felt… He wasn’t sure, but it was pretty close to happy. There was arousal and adrenaline in his blood.
They all joined Niall in the booth after ordering their own drinks. Zayn chose a coke instead of a beer - he wanted the caffeine, and Louis insisted that Liam have something hard.
After the hellos and how-are-yous, Louis recanted the morning’s events for Niall’s entertainment. It was so easy to slip into the life they had years ago, the conversation, the inside jokes.
Most of what went on at the table was white noise. Zayn smiled and laughed when he should, and he gave every intention of paying attention. But Niall sat across from him for the first time in seven years. That didn’t devolve into seconds like it had with Louis. At least with Louis, Zayn had been able to follow his movements through the years. Niall had just ceased to exist over those seven years. And now Zayn was sitting across from him in the pub. Louis must have kept contact with Niall, though. Otherwise the four of them wouldn’t have met in the pub.
Liam nudged Zayn lightly with his elbow, giving him a concerned look.
“Yeah?” Zayn asked.
“Louis asked you about Bonfire Night,” Liam said.
“It was nice,” Zayn said. “Fireworks and all.” He shrugged, knowing that he hadn’t answered the real question Louis had asked.
“It’s just us, mate,” Louis whined. “Tell us what really happened.”
“Not much to tell,” Zayn said and shrugged again. “It was very cold, and I got really, really pissed.”
“Can’t hold your liquor anymore?” Louis said. Zayn knew he was teasing, but yeah, his metabolism was slowing down.
Zayn didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure if he should ask where Niall had been. Was he the only one who hadn’t kept up with Niall? Did that make him a bad person? Probably.
“It wasn’t that cold, over 10°,” Niall said. “There wasn’t even any snow.”
“And Nialler here knows all about snow!” Louis hooted and clapped Niall on the back. Zayn had no idea what he was talking about.
Niall laughed and said, “You didn’t even say hi to me at Bonfire Night.” He pointed an accusing finger at Zayn. “You must have been really pissed.”
“You weren’t there,” Zayn said, a bit of a whine creeping into his voice.
“Yes,” Niall said. “You bumped into me.”
“Oh,” Zayn said. “Sorry.”
“You apologized then, too,” Niall said.
Zayn was aware of the scrutiny that Liam and Louis were giving them. He wasn’t sure if they both knew about Zayn and Niall’s fling seven years ago or not. It had been a short fling. Definitely a fun fling. But it wasn’t something that Zayn had advertized. He wasn’t sure how much Niall had told the other boys. Or if the other boys had even needed to be told and just put pieces together.
“I was really pissed,” Zayn repeated.
Liam’s phone and Louis’s phone went off nearly seconds from each other. In fact, it was suspect how coordinated the rings were, especially when both of them needed to excuse themselves immediately, leaving Zayn with Niall.
Zayn could ask questions without sounding like too much of a jerk.
“Where the hell have you been the past seven years?” he asked. There wasn’t any malice to it. He was intensely curious.
“The states,” Niall said. “New York. The cold part, not the city part.”
“Like where we filmed that one time?” Zayn asked. He looked into his empty glass, wishing there were still coke in it so he could drink it for wont of something to do that wasn’t fidgeting.
Niall nodded. “I helped to organize a camp for kids with special needs, you know?”
Zayn nodded dumbly, not knowing at all.
“Which is why when Louis mentioned that he was setting up a similar charity here, I needed to help.” Niall gave Zayn a soft, shy smile. “Hi.”
Zayn returned the smile. “Hello.”
“You didn’t call.”
“Neither did you.”
Zayn knew he should be cross, because seven years was a long time. But when Niall suggested, “Do you want to have this conversation in a more private location?” Zayn agreed. Paps could be anywhere and hungry enough for dirt about two washed-up celebrities.
Zayn also knew that inviting Niall back to his place was a bad idea. He did it anyway.
*
They both sat in Zayn’s living room with a mug of tea each. Zayn had decided to go for a functional living room rather than a chic one. A functional living room was just that much more practical for Zayn’s lifestyle. Cribs wasn’t ever going to pay him a visit anyway. The couches were comfortable, the ceilings were high, and the coffee table was just the right height for Zayn to prop his feet up while he watched a match.
“You left,” Zayn said quietly, into his mug.
“I called you later that day,” Niall explained. He looked directly at Zayn, and Zayn could feel those eyes on him.
“I - Not that day, but you disappeared.”
Niall took a slurp of his tea. “I needed… I needed to be no one, nowhere.”
“A Nowhere Man?” Zayn asked and hummed a bar.
Niall smiled. It was still soft, and Zayn felt mildly ashamed that he wanted to crawl into that smile and stay there.
“Yeah, it was like that,” Niall said. “It was just… too much to stay in the public eye after, you know.”
Zayn knew. He had slipped into a job that the world had expected him to after the split. Zayn had been asked for a few collaborations, but Harry was more in demand for guest artist work, followed by Liam. Niall and Louis had been dealt a raw deal, though. It was the lesser voices who were screwed.
“What happened?” Zayn asked.
“It was amazing,” Niall said. “A lot of the kids I worked with were too young to remember 1D, and those that did didn’t care who I was. It was like a… rebirth. Those kids taught me so much, too. They’re always so happy, even though their lives are crap. Most of them don’t know any other way to be.”
Zayn nodded. Niall had always been happy. Maybe Niall had seen himself in those kids. Zayn bit down the guilt at that thought.
“I did mean to call,” Niall admits. “It’s just on my way to, something happened.”
“Life does that,” Zayn said.
“We had fun, though,” Niall said. His face broke into a large grin.
Zayn grinned back. “We did.”
“I should have - It should have been different,” Niall said. “I had a job lined up here. I just couldn’t.”
“We’re both here now,” Zayn said. He meant for it to sound like a casual invitation. Instead, he sounded a bit desperate. It had been a while since he had seen Niall, and it had been way too long since he had a relationship with someone. He was growing too old for hookups. His sisters had all been married, and his mother had been putting all sorts of pressure on him.
Niall nearly choked on his gulp of tea.
“Yeah,” he wheezed. He put his mug of tea on the coffee table.
Zayn waited for Niall’s coughing fit to subside, before he joined Niall on the other couch. Zayn put his mug next to Niall’s and wrapped his hands around Niall’s waist.
“Yeah?” Zayn asked, and Niall bent down and kissed Zayn very thoroughly.
*
Zayn’s alarm was annoyingly chipper.
“Fuuuuuuuck,” Niall groaned in that stupid drawl that Zayn wanted to suck out of his mouth.
Niall was sprawled out of Zayn’s bed, just like he had been all those years ago. There was a bit more of him for Zayn to stick his fingers into this time, and there were a few bruises around Niall’s hipbones. Zayn kinda liked Niall’s extra girth.
“My metabolism slowed down,” Niall mumbled as he caught Zayn staring.
Zayn looked down to hide his blushing.
“Do you actually need to go into work?” Niall asked. “Text Liam. Those kids…”
Zayn fumbled around the nightstand for his mobile, turned off his alarm, and then texted Liam.
Niall curled into Zayn’s side, his hand wrapped around Zayn’s bicep. Zayn wondered how long Niall would stay this time.
Zayn’s phone dinged with a text. terminasted kds crtract
Zayn frowned at his mobile for a moment, parsing out Liam’s text. During that time, Liam had sent another text: nthere progect for u.
Zayn gave up and called Liam instead.
“What’s going on?” Zayn asked.
“The kids decided that it was too much work,” Liam said. “I terminated their contract, but I have another project for you.”
“Yeah?” Zayn asked.
“Louis and Niall need to make some tracks for their adverts,” Liam said.
Zayn gave Niall a look. “Really?”
“That’s what called us away yesterday,” Liam explained. “Do you think you could pick up Niall and bring him to the studio? He’s staying at the - ”
“Of course,” Zayn interrupted. “We’ll both be there at half nine.” He hung up before Liam could question that timeline. “So, I just had this interesting conversation with Liam…”
Niall smirked and bit Zayn’s shoulder. “I’d suggest showering together, but that would not be time efficient.”
“It wouldn’t save water either,” Zayn said, nodding in agreement.
“Do it anyway?”
“Yeah.”
*
They weren’t that late to the studio, just late enough for Liam to think that they had been caught in traffic.
It was nice being back in the studio with people who had been with him on both sides of the glass, who knew the quirks of studio work. They knew what to do and how to do it well. It was also a stark contrast to the kids in the studio the day before.
Everything went smoothly. The recording only took five minutes, but that was mostly because Louis kept making faces at Niall, and there would be all sorts of manly giggling on the track. The editing took about half an hour, and it was then sent off to the major radio stations around the major cities in the UK.
The four of them went out for a curry to celebrate.
Zayn hadn’t thought he had been broadcasting anything, and Niall had been just as normal, but Louis picked up on it somehow.
“When were you gonna tell us?” Louis said. He was casual about it, too, which made Zayn all the more suspicious.
“About what?” he asked.
“You and Niall picking up where you left off,” Louis said.
“Don’t see how it’s any of your business,” Zayn answered smoothly. Niall let out a braying laugh.
“Aw, Zayn,” Louis cooed. “Don’t be like that. We need to know. The paps will need to know.”
“We would like to know your intentions towards the young Mr. Horan,” Liam chipped in.
“Oi!” Zayn groused. “It’s my virtue at stake here.”
“It’s okay, Zayn.” Niall patted Zayn’s forearm consolingly. “I’ll be gentle.”
Louis and Liam giggled, and Zayn felt his life shift to what it should have been. It was like a pop in his ears, and his equilibrium was back.
*
Niall had moved into Zayn’s flat by the end of the week, but he had taken over Zayn’s kitchen long before that. Zayn thought about it a lot, and having Niall there was comfortable. Being with Niall was easy in a way that his life hadn’t been in so long. Zayn didn’t want to lose that, but Niall was going to head back to the states and leave Zayn again. He had survived the first time. He’d be able to live through the second time, too.
Zayn was swept up in another project in the studio. There wasn’t any drama this time, just a lot of work that kept him busy. Niall was busy too, helping Louis with the charity work, hiring people, setting up promotions, asking people for money. Creating something on the scale Louis wanted was a lot of work. So Zayn saw less and less of Niall as the month went on.
Zayn wasn’t sure how long Niall would be staying before heading back to New York. He thought about it a lot. He even thought about bringing it up, and every time he decided against it. He enjoyed living in the moment even if it was sometimes disgustingly domestic. It wasn’t so bad. Zayn had lived with other people since the split. It wasn’t like this was the first time in nearly ten years he’d had a flatmate. It was calmer living with Niall than the girls Zayn’d lived with. A nice calm and not without events. Just no drama. Maybe Zayn was just old. He knew - dreaded - that he would end up like his father one day, and here it was.
There had been a point where they had known every little part of each other’s lives. Zayn knew that they didn’t have that anymore. It had been seven years, but it still felt like it.
Niall was at the stove making biryani chicken when Zayn returned one day. It was so… welcoming, needed, perfect, and Niall. Zayn dropped his messenger bag by the door, slowly walked over to the stove, turned it off, then slowly fucked Niall up against the counter - despite Niall’s no-sex-in-the-kitchen rule. (Even if there was an awkward moment when Zayn had to race into the bedroom for a condom.)
Later, Niall sucked curry from Zayn’s fingers as they sat on the couch, the news quiet in the background.
A puff piece about Louis’s charity came on, and it grabbed their attention.
The woman talked about the generous nature of the famous boy band and then explained who One Direction was. She looked like she had barely been born during One Direction’s run. That wasn’t fair; she was maybe 25 years old, but it made Zayn feel even older than he was, to have his life’s work explained away in a sound bite.
The woman then went on to discuss the charity’s mission, which was to help special needs kids for various issues - sport, art, money. She interviewed Louis, who talked about the support he had and how everyone deserves a chance.
She ended up saying that everything was set up and applications would be available by the end of the week.
Niall smiled to himself, proud of all the work he had put in… and then it hit Zayn that Niall’s work in London was completed, and neither of them had brought up how long Niall would be staying. Zayn had no idea what Niall’s plans were, other than to make sure that Zayn’s hands were curry-free.
Niall sensed something in Zayn’s posture, because he asked, “Yeah?”
“Are you going back to the States?” Zayn asked, His voice sounded stiff.
“Like ever?” Niall frowned.
“No, like now,” Zayn clarified.
“Why?” Niall’s frown deepened.
“All the set up for Louis’s charity is done,” Zayn explained. He waved his hand in a dismissive way.
“So?”
“You said you were here for setup.” Zayn shifted uncomfortably.
“Okay,” Niall agreed.
“So… What are your plans now?”
“You realize we’ve been done with setup for a week, yeah?”
Zayn didn’t say anything. In fact, he had stopped breathing.
Niall laughed. “You’re a bloody idiot.”
Zayn wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or not.
“You realise I live here now?”
“What?”
“Yeah,” Niall said. “It’s the address I put down on my tax forms.”
“Taxes,” Zayn parroted.
“Yeah, for when I continue my work at Louis’s charity.”
“What?”
“You didn’t always used to be this dumb.” Niall’s brow frowned this time along with his mouth. “I’ve moved in with you. Because I fancy you.”
Zayn felt himself blush for the first time in years.
“You should have told me,” Zayn said. He sounded a bit more surprised than he should have.
“In my defense, you weren’t always this dumb,” Niall repeated.
Zayn smirked. “I think you’re going to need to remind me constantly.”
“Verbally?” Niall smirked too.
“Not always. But if you want to say it verbally, that’s cool too.”
Niall reached over and grabbed Zayn’s hand. “Are you giving me permission to do filthy things to you?”
Zayn nodded, not trusting his voice. It hadn’t cracked in two decades, but he still didn’t trust it.
“Any filthy things in particular?”
“I have a list,” Zayn said, picking up momentum. “A long list. Some of it is less filthy than others. But a lot of it involves sweets.”
Niall’s entire face lit up. “Do you want me fat and happy?”
Zayn blushed again.
Niall tugged Zayn in for a quick kiss.
“I don’t mind being fat and happy.” Niall poked his waist, fingers pushing into the extra pudge. “I’d even prefer to be happy.”
He looked closer at Zayn’s face. Zayn wasn’t sure what emotions were playing on his face, but Niall was eating them up.
“And it looks like you wouldn’t mind me being fat.”
Zayn looked down to their joined hands. He really did enjoy that bit of extra Niall, but well, it was actually embarrassing. People were supposed to enjoy the aesthetics of skinny people. It was convention. But it wasn’t like Niall was even overweight. There was just a bit more to him. Zayn liked Niall’s body more now that it wasn’t all angles.
Niall kissed Zayn more thoroughly, taking Zayn’s hands and placing them on his waist.
Zayn’s fingers dug gently into Niall and stayed there even after they broke the kiss.
“You gonna stop being a twat now?” Niall asked, then darted in to bite Zayn’s lower lip.
“Yeah,” Zayn said. He liked this Niall. That much was painfully, stupidly obvious. He was different from the Niall who absconded to the states.
Zayn was going to keep this one.
Pairing: Zayn/Niall
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,348
Spoilers: n/a
Warnings: n/a
Author's Note: For 1d_olymfics Team Future and based on the GBY video. and for hc_bingo for my “disappearing” square. Beta by saekokato. Britpick by smash_leigh.
Disclaimer: Everyone here belongs to themselves
Summary: It’s been a while since Zayn’s seen Louis or Niall, and then Harry informs him that Louis’s started a charity in London.
We Go Together like a Pencil and a Cassette
Zayn was filthy drunk in a way he hadn’t been in years. It was Bonfire Night, and the fireworks over the Thames made the biting cold worth it. Zayn had lost the friends he was with. They were somewhere in the crowd, but Zayn was so beyond pissed, all he could do was marvel at the colors in the sky and hope he woke up in his own bed - or a bed - and not in a gutter covered in vomit. (If he had a choice, he’d prefer his own vomit.) No one had recognized him, so that was a bonus.
The fireworks were pretty, too.
Zayn couldn’t feel his nose, but he could feel a hand on his shoulder and in his hair. He leaned into the touch before he jerked away. He had no idea who had their hand in his hair.
He stumbled a bit and into another person.
He mumbled an apology without looking at the person he had bumped. Instead he looked to the person who had his hands in Zayn’s hair. Thankfully, it’s one of Zayn’s mates from the studio.
“Let’s get you home,” Scott said, and Zayn couldn’t remember if he and Scott had arrived together or not. Maybe it was time for Zayn to head home.
*
Zayn made it into the studio the next morning with the largest vat of coffee he could find and the worst hangover he’d had in over a decade. The only things he remembered from last night were fireworks and a hand in his hair. He refused to take his sunglasses off.
When he entered the booth, Liz was already there. She greeted him with a sympathetic grunt, but she didn’t look any better than he did. She had abandoned Zayn about ten minutes into their evening the night before.
“Scott’ll be here soon,” Liz said. “I’ve made him fetch McDonald’s.”
Zayn hadn’t heard news better than that in a long time.
“And the babies haven’t shown up yet,” Liz added.
Zayn remembered the days in the studio on the other side of the glass. He was that baby once, and he slept in as much as possible. Hell, he slept as much as possible. Now he was on the other side, waiting around for the talent to show up. At least he was paid either way, and the band was paid… however their contract was done up. Zayn just hoped that the greasy food arrived before the band. Otherwise he would be too terse with the band, and maybe he’d make someone cry. It had happened before.
Zayn would have to send Liam some words about the bands he had been sending Zayn’s way. Ever since Liam took over for The X-Factor, Zayn had had to deal with some unusual talent, but this was the first time they’d been lazy talent. There were going to be some serious words, ones that would happen when Zayn was no longer hung over.
Scott entered the booth with brown bags that reeked of grease, and Zayn could not have been more thankful.
*
Zayn held his Smithwick loosely by its neck as he listened to Harry go on about his day. He shouldn’t really have been drinking a beer considering his hangover had only recently subsided, but his day had merited it. Zayn didn’t envy the chaos of Harry’s life, and he was glad that he had given up that dramatic part of his life. Harry was touring in Australia with his rock band, and he couldn’t sleep. The obvious answer was to call Zayn and vent. Zayn understood. He’d stayed up many times with Harry just talking. That was a lifetime ago. Zayn missed being that close with his mates, but the chaos was enough to make him rethink his pop star lifestyle. Zayn had made the right decision.
Out of nowhere, Harry said, “Louis’s started his charity in London. The kickoff dinner was last week. Did you go?”
“Uh,” Zayn said. “I didn’t know that Louis was back in London.”
“You haven’t seen him yet?” Harry asked.
“No,” Zayn admitted. “I haven’t seen Louis in ages.”
“You two should talk,” Harry suggested.
“Tell him to stop by the studio,” Zayn suggested right back.
“Yeah,” Harry agreed. “How goes the newest us?”
“They’re not the new us,” Zayn snorted. “They have no work ethic.”
“We wanted to fuck around instead of work,” Harry reminded him.
“Not really,” Zayn said. “Yeah, we fucked around, but we also worked our arses off. It just didn’t seem like work, because it was fantastic to sing for a living.”
“How long do you think they’ll last?” Harry asked.
“I give them a year,” Zayn said. “Unless they have a talented guest artist on their album.”
“I’m not going to do it if they don’t give a fuck,” Harry said quickly. “Have you told Liam yet?”
“Not yet,” Zayn said. He sighed. “He’ll be in the studio tomorrow. He’ll be able to see firsthand.”
“Make sure you’re firm with him,” Harry said.
“I know,” Zayn agreed. He’d been dealing with Liam a lot since they both took on their roles. Liam wanted to give everyone a chance. Zayn understood that, the importance of a chance. However, at this point, someone needed to light a fire under these boys, and Zayn wasn’t paid to do that: Liam was.
“It’s nearly five in the morning,” Harry said. “I should try to sleep. I’ll let Louis know to stop by, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Zayn echoed. “When’ll you be back in London?”
“In time for the hols,” Harry said. “I’m going to need my sleep by then.”
Zayn hummed in agreement.
“Cheers,” Harry said. He hung up before Zayn could echo it.
*
The studio dissolved into chaos as soon as Zayn arrived. However, the chaos had little to do with him, and he could just sit on the sidelines and watch, which was a small miracle.
Liam was livid. Zayn thought he might have learned some of his awesome managerial skills from Simon. The babies were fucking around as usual. They had kept Liam waiting over an hour, according to the whoever-he-was working for Liam and in charge of the babies. Zayn hadn’t even bothered coming in until an hour and a half after the babies were supposed to show. There was no point. He was salary, so it didn’t matter too much when Zayn showed up as long as it wasn’t a habit.
There were a lot of stern words from Liam, shouting from Liam’s associate, shouting from the babies, and Liz and Scott stood on the other side of the glass pretending not to listen.
Zayn joined his colleagues. “What’s going on?”
Liz pointed to one of the babies that she had been calling Boo, even though Zayn was pretty sure that his name was Josh. “He seems to be the ringleader, giving lip to Liam. The two other boys have followed suit. It’s gone sour quickly.”
Scott nodded. “This only started five minutes ago.”
“At least Liam’s being firm,” Zayn mused.
“I don’t think he really has a choice,” Scott said. “These kids shouldn’t be doing this. I’ve never seen any group this entitled to singing.”
“It’s fame, not singing,” Liz snorted. “They want to be famous. I don’t think they even want to sing.”
The phone in the booth went off. Zayn hadn’t even thought it was functional, but he answered it, putting it on speaker in case all three of them needed to know something important.
“There’s a man here to see Zayn,” the receptionist said. She sounded a bit smitten. “Said his name was… Louis.”
“Oh,” Zayn said quietly.
Scott smirked at him.
“Reunion!” Liz cackled.
“I’ll be down,” Zayn said and pressed the hang up button on the phone before Liz or Scott could say anything more.
Zayn controlled his breathing as he made his way down to reception. He took the stairs instead of the lift, because he couldn’t stand still. He needed to move. Fidgeting in the lift would make people ask questions. However, Zayn was pretty sure that his heartbeat was echoing in the stairwell. Maybe it was just in his ears.
He shouldn’t have been this nervous. It was just Louis. Zayn hadn’t seen him in about three years, hadn’t really spoken to him in about one. It wasn’t intentional. It was just that they were both busy with their own lives, and they both had pretty busy lives.
He managed to reign in his breathing by the time he arrived in reception, and anything else he could brush off by explaining he took the stairs.
Louis stood there. He hadn’t changed, not that Zayn had expected him to. He still had his smirk, like he knew exactly what he was doing to Zayn. Louis also had a narrow pair of horn-rimmed glasses.
“Good to see you, mate,” Louis said, wrapping his arms around Zayn.
“You too,” Zayn echoed. “Welcome back to London.”
Louis smirked a bit harder and said, “Thanks.” He poked Zayn between the ribs. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, just enough to be uncomfortable. All of this was just enough to be uncomfortable. “Harry said you were dealing with shitheads and maybe needed help convincing Liam to stand his ground.”
“Liam is standing his ground just fine,” Zayn said. “There’s a brutal shouting match going on upstairs.”
Louis raised his eyebrows. “Is that why you’re my personal greeter?”
Zayn smiled and led Louis to the lifts.
“Is Liam actually shouting?” Louis asked slowly.
“Nah,” Zayn said. “He has an assistant to do that for him.”
The lift door opened with a ding, which was the last sound until they exited on the fifth floor. Then the shouting could be heard, still going on. Zayn thought he heard Liam’s voice in there, too.
“Is that Liam raising his voice?” Louis asked, a bit dazed.
“These kids are lazy,” Zayn explained as they headed towards the shouting. He wasn’t exactly sure why they wanted to head into the lion’s den, but Liam and Louis deserved to meet up, too.
“Lazy enough for Liam to shout at them,” Louis surmised. “You weren’t exaggerating.”
Zayn shook his head sadly. “Let’s sit in the booth, wait for things to calm down. Who knows, I might end up with a day off. We could do lunch.”
“You say things like ‘do lunch’ now?” Louis asked, positively scandalized. “What has this industry done to you?!”
“You’re saying no to lunch?”
“No,” Louis said. “I love lunch.”
Zayn opened the door to the booth and ushered Louis in.
Liz and Scott were both still watching the madness on the other side of the glass, but they turned their attention to Zayn and Louis.
“Hello!” Liz beamed.
“Liz, Scott,” Zayn said, “this is Louis. I’m sure you remember him. He and Harry Styles had this boyband back in the day. Louis, this is Liz and Scott.”
“Nice to meet you,” Scott said, offering a hand that Louis shook. Louis then pinched Zayn’s arm for the sardonic introduction. Just like that the three years apart was turned into three seconds, and it was like Louis was always in Zayn’s life.
“Did you bring snacks?” Liz asked. “For the entertainment?” She pointed into the studio.
In the studio, there was a lot of gesticulating to go along with the shouting.
“I’m surprised no one has been fired yet,” Scott mused.
Liam looked up from where he had been towering over one of the babies - Alex: Zayn was pretty sure that was his name - and Liam caught sight of Louis in the booth.
Louis winked and blew Liam a kiss.
“Stop!” Liam bellowed. All of those singing lessons teaching him how to breathe and project had definitely paid off.
Everyone jumped and then froze, including Zayn.
“Josh, Alex, David,” Liam said very carefully. “You have the rest of the day to reevaluate your decision to be in the industry and your ability to work.”
Alex opened his mouth to say something, but Liam gave him a severe look and cut him off.
“If you say no, your contract will be terminated. If you decide to stay, we expect you to work hard. Or your contract will be terminated.”
The three boys looked like they wanted to say more, but Liam’s assistant chased them out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Liam sagged visibly. His shoulders slumped, and he took a deep breath.
Zayn and Louis looked to each other.
“Liz, Scott,” Zayn said quickly, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Louis and I are going to take Liam out.”
“Don’t let it be a repeat of Bonfire Night,” Scott said, giving Zayn a pointed look. Zayn briefly wondered if that had to do with becoming roaring drunk or if he had done something particularly stupid that night that he just didn’t remember.
He gave Scott a shy smile and shoved Louis out the door before he could ask what had happened on Bonfire Night.
*
Zayn should have known that lunch with Louis and Liam meant lunch with Niall as well. Lunch always meant Niall was there, but Zayn hadn’t seen Niall in seven years. They had left on amiable terms, all of them had, really. But Liam and Harry had been constants, whereas Louis and Niall had drifted in and out of Zayn’s life over the years. Mostly out.
Zayn had just wished that he had a little bit of a warning before he saw Niall sitting nonchalantly in the back booth of the pub, arm sprawled across the back of the red leather seat. He had a beer in front of him on the table.
The last time Zayn had seen Niall, he had been sprawled out over Zayn’s bed, fucked out. He wore the same lazy smirk then, too. Niall was broader now, thicker around the torso - and waist. If Zayn were honest, all of them had that thickness. He just hadn’t seen Niall in such a long time that it was more shocking to see it on Niall than on himself.
Louis grinned.
Zayn felt like he had been punched in the gut, but it was a good punch. He felt… He wasn’t sure, but it was pretty close to happy. There was arousal and adrenaline in his blood.
They all joined Niall in the booth after ordering their own drinks. Zayn chose a coke instead of a beer - he wanted the caffeine, and Louis insisted that Liam have something hard.
After the hellos and how-are-yous, Louis recanted the morning’s events for Niall’s entertainment. It was so easy to slip into the life they had years ago, the conversation, the inside jokes.
Most of what went on at the table was white noise. Zayn smiled and laughed when he should, and he gave every intention of paying attention. But Niall sat across from him for the first time in seven years. That didn’t devolve into seconds like it had with Louis. At least with Louis, Zayn had been able to follow his movements through the years. Niall had just ceased to exist over those seven years. And now Zayn was sitting across from him in the pub. Louis must have kept contact with Niall, though. Otherwise the four of them wouldn’t have met in the pub.
Liam nudged Zayn lightly with his elbow, giving him a concerned look.
“Yeah?” Zayn asked.
“Louis asked you about Bonfire Night,” Liam said.
“It was nice,” Zayn said. “Fireworks and all.” He shrugged, knowing that he hadn’t answered the real question Louis had asked.
“It’s just us, mate,” Louis whined. “Tell us what really happened.”
“Not much to tell,” Zayn said and shrugged again. “It was very cold, and I got really, really pissed.”
“Can’t hold your liquor anymore?” Louis said. Zayn knew he was teasing, but yeah, his metabolism was slowing down.
Zayn didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure if he should ask where Niall had been. Was he the only one who hadn’t kept up with Niall? Did that make him a bad person? Probably.
“It wasn’t that cold, over 10°,” Niall said. “There wasn’t even any snow.”
“And Nialler here knows all about snow!” Louis hooted and clapped Niall on the back. Zayn had no idea what he was talking about.
Niall laughed and said, “You didn’t even say hi to me at Bonfire Night.” He pointed an accusing finger at Zayn. “You must have been really pissed.”
“You weren’t there,” Zayn said, a bit of a whine creeping into his voice.
“Yes,” Niall said. “You bumped into me.”
“Oh,” Zayn said. “Sorry.”
“You apologized then, too,” Niall said.
Zayn was aware of the scrutiny that Liam and Louis were giving them. He wasn’t sure if they both knew about Zayn and Niall’s fling seven years ago or not. It had been a short fling. Definitely a fun fling. But it wasn’t something that Zayn had advertized. He wasn’t sure how much Niall had told the other boys. Or if the other boys had even needed to be told and just put pieces together.
“I was really pissed,” Zayn repeated.
Liam’s phone and Louis’s phone went off nearly seconds from each other. In fact, it was suspect how coordinated the rings were, especially when both of them needed to excuse themselves immediately, leaving Zayn with Niall.
Zayn could ask questions without sounding like too much of a jerk.
“Where the hell have you been the past seven years?” he asked. There wasn’t any malice to it. He was intensely curious.
“The states,” Niall said. “New York. The cold part, not the city part.”
“Like where we filmed that one time?” Zayn asked. He looked into his empty glass, wishing there were still coke in it so he could drink it for wont of something to do that wasn’t fidgeting.
Niall nodded. “I helped to organize a camp for kids with special needs, you know?”
Zayn nodded dumbly, not knowing at all.
“Which is why when Louis mentioned that he was setting up a similar charity here, I needed to help.” Niall gave Zayn a soft, shy smile. “Hi.”
Zayn returned the smile. “Hello.”
“You didn’t call.”
“Neither did you.”
Zayn knew he should be cross, because seven years was a long time. But when Niall suggested, “Do you want to have this conversation in a more private location?” Zayn agreed. Paps could be anywhere and hungry enough for dirt about two washed-up celebrities.
Zayn also knew that inviting Niall back to his place was a bad idea. He did it anyway.
*
They both sat in Zayn’s living room with a mug of tea each. Zayn had decided to go for a functional living room rather than a chic one. A functional living room was just that much more practical for Zayn’s lifestyle. Cribs wasn’t ever going to pay him a visit anyway. The couches were comfortable, the ceilings were high, and the coffee table was just the right height for Zayn to prop his feet up while he watched a match.
“You left,” Zayn said quietly, into his mug.
“I called you later that day,” Niall explained. He looked directly at Zayn, and Zayn could feel those eyes on him.
“I - Not that day, but you disappeared.”
Niall took a slurp of his tea. “I needed… I needed to be no one, nowhere.”
“A Nowhere Man?” Zayn asked and hummed a bar.
Niall smiled. It was still soft, and Zayn felt mildly ashamed that he wanted to crawl into that smile and stay there.
“Yeah, it was like that,” Niall said. “It was just… too much to stay in the public eye after, you know.”
Zayn knew. He had slipped into a job that the world had expected him to after the split. Zayn had been asked for a few collaborations, but Harry was more in demand for guest artist work, followed by Liam. Niall and Louis had been dealt a raw deal, though. It was the lesser voices who were screwed.
“What happened?” Zayn asked.
“It was amazing,” Niall said. “A lot of the kids I worked with were too young to remember 1D, and those that did didn’t care who I was. It was like a… rebirth. Those kids taught me so much, too. They’re always so happy, even though their lives are crap. Most of them don’t know any other way to be.”
Zayn nodded. Niall had always been happy. Maybe Niall had seen himself in those kids. Zayn bit down the guilt at that thought.
“I did mean to call,” Niall admits. “It’s just on my way to, something happened.”
“Life does that,” Zayn said.
“We had fun, though,” Niall said. His face broke into a large grin.
Zayn grinned back. “We did.”
“I should have - It should have been different,” Niall said. “I had a job lined up here. I just couldn’t.”
“We’re both here now,” Zayn said. He meant for it to sound like a casual invitation. Instead, he sounded a bit desperate. It had been a while since he had seen Niall, and it had been way too long since he had a relationship with someone. He was growing too old for hookups. His sisters had all been married, and his mother had been putting all sorts of pressure on him.
Niall nearly choked on his gulp of tea.
“Yeah,” he wheezed. He put his mug of tea on the coffee table.
Zayn waited for Niall’s coughing fit to subside, before he joined Niall on the other couch. Zayn put his mug next to Niall’s and wrapped his hands around Niall’s waist.
“Yeah?” Zayn asked, and Niall bent down and kissed Zayn very thoroughly.
*
Zayn’s alarm was annoyingly chipper.
“Fuuuuuuuck,” Niall groaned in that stupid drawl that Zayn wanted to suck out of his mouth.
Niall was sprawled out of Zayn’s bed, just like he had been all those years ago. There was a bit more of him for Zayn to stick his fingers into this time, and there were a few bruises around Niall’s hipbones. Zayn kinda liked Niall’s extra girth.
“My metabolism slowed down,” Niall mumbled as he caught Zayn staring.
Zayn looked down to hide his blushing.
“Do you actually need to go into work?” Niall asked. “Text Liam. Those kids…”
Zayn fumbled around the nightstand for his mobile, turned off his alarm, and then texted Liam.
Niall curled into Zayn’s side, his hand wrapped around Zayn’s bicep. Zayn wondered how long Niall would stay this time.
Zayn’s phone dinged with a text. terminasted kds crtract
Zayn frowned at his mobile for a moment, parsing out Liam’s text. During that time, Liam had sent another text: nthere progect for u.
Zayn gave up and called Liam instead.
“What’s going on?” Zayn asked.
“The kids decided that it was too much work,” Liam said. “I terminated their contract, but I have another project for you.”
“Yeah?” Zayn asked.
“Louis and Niall need to make some tracks for their adverts,” Liam said.
Zayn gave Niall a look. “Really?”
“That’s what called us away yesterday,” Liam explained. “Do you think you could pick up Niall and bring him to the studio? He’s staying at the - ”
“Of course,” Zayn interrupted. “We’ll both be there at half nine.” He hung up before Liam could question that timeline. “So, I just had this interesting conversation with Liam…”
Niall smirked and bit Zayn’s shoulder. “I’d suggest showering together, but that would not be time efficient.”
“It wouldn’t save water either,” Zayn said, nodding in agreement.
“Do it anyway?”
“Yeah.”
*
They weren’t that late to the studio, just late enough for Liam to think that they had been caught in traffic.
It was nice being back in the studio with people who had been with him on both sides of the glass, who knew the quirks of studio work. They knew what to do and how to do it well. It was also a stark contrast to the kids in the studio the day before.
Everything went smoothly. The recording only took five minutes, but that was mostly because Louis kept making faces at Niall, and there would be all sorts of manly giggling on the track. The editing took about half an hour, and it was then sent off to the major radio stations around the major cities in the UK.
The four of them went out for a curry to celebrate.
Zayn hadn’t thought he had been broadcasting anything, and Niall had been just as normal, but Louis picked up on it somehow.
“When were you gonna tell us?” Louis said. He was casual about it, too, which made Zayn all the more suspicious.
“About what?” he asked.
“You and Niall picking up where you left off,” Louis said.
“Don’t see how it’s any of your business,” Zayn answered smoothly. Niall let out a braying laugh.
“Aw, Zayn,” Louis cooed. “Don’t be like that. We need to know. The paps will need to know.”
“We would like to know your intentions towards the young Mr. Horan,” Liam chipped in.
“Oi!” Zayn groused. “It’s my virtue at stake here.”
“It’s okay, Zayn.” Niall patted Zayn’s forearm consolingly. “I’ll be gentle.”
Louis and Liam giggled, and Zayn felt his life shift to what it should have been. It was like a pop in his ears, and his equilibrium was back.
*
Niall had moved into Zayn’s flat by the end of the week, but he had taken over Zayn’s kitchen long before that. Zayn thought about it a lot, and having Niall there was comfortable. Being with Niall was easy in a way that his life hadn’t been in so long. Zayn didn’t want to lose that, but Niall was going to head back to the states and leave Zayn again. He had survived the first time. He’d be able to live through the second time, too.
Zayn was swept up in another project in the studio. There wasn’t any drama this time, just a lot of work that kept him busy. Niall was busy too, helping Louis with the charity work, hiring people, setting up promotions, asking people for money. Creating something on the scale Louis wanted was a lot of work. So Zayn saw less and less of Niall as the month went on.
Zayn wasn’t sure how long Niall would be staying before heading back to New York. He thought about it a lot. He even thought about bringing it up, and every time he decided against it. He enjoyed living in the moment even if it was sometimes disgustingly domestic. It wasn’t so bad. Zayn had lived with other people since the split. It wasn’t like this was the first time in nearly ten years he’d had a flatmate. It was calmer living with Niall than the girls Zayn’d lived with. A nice calm and not without events. Just no drama. Maybe Zayn was just old. He knew - dreaded - that he would end up like his father one day, and here it was.
There had been a point where they had known every little part of each other’s lives. Zayn knew that they didn’t have that anymore. It had been seven years, but it still felt like it.
Niall was at the stove making biryani chicken when Zayn returned one day. It was so… welcoming, needed, perfect, and Niall. Zayn dropped his messenger bag by the door, slowly walked over to the stove, turned it off, then slowly fucked Niall up against the counter - despite Niall’s no-sex-in-the-kitchen rule. (Even if there was an awkward moment when Zayn had to race into the bedroom for a condom.)
Later, Niall sucked curry from Zayn’s fingers as they sat on the couch, the news quiet in the background.
A puff piece about Louis’s charity came on, and it grabbed their attention.
The woman talked about the generous nature of the famous boy band and then explained who One Direction was. She looked like she had barely been born during One Direction’s run. That wasn’t fair; she was maybe 25 years old, but it made Zayn feel even older than he was, to have his life’s work explained away in a sound bite.
The woman then went on to discuss the charity’s mission, which was to help special needs kids for various issues - sport, art, money. She interviewed Louis, who talked about the support he had and how everyone deserves a chance.
She ended up saying that everything was set up and applications would be available by the end of the week.
Niall smiled to himself, proud of all the work he had put in… and then it hit Zayn that Niall’s work in London was completed, and neither of them had brought up how long Niall would be staying. Zayn had no idea what Niall’s plans were, other than to make sure that Zayn’s hands were curry-free.
Niall sensed something in Zayn’s posture, because he asked, “Yeah?”
“Are you going back to the States?” Zayn asked, His voice sounded stiff.
“Like ever?” Niall frowned.
“No, like now,” Zayn clarified.
“Why?” Niall’s frown deepened.
“All the set up for Louis’s charity is done,” Zayn explained. He waved his hand in a dismissive way.
“So?”
“You said you were here for setup.” Zayn shifted uncomfortably.
“Okay,” Niall agreed.
“So… What are your plans now?”
“You realize we’ve been done with setup for a week, yeah?”
Zayn didn’t say anything. In fact, he had stopped breathing.
Niall laughed. “You’re a bloody idiot.”
Zayn wasn’t sure if he should be insulted or not.
“You realise I live here now?”
“What?”
“Yeah,” Niall said. “It’s the address I put down on my tax forms.”
“Taxes,” Zayn parroted.
“Yeah, for when I continue my work at Louis’s charity.”
“What?”
“You didn’t always used to be this dumb.” Niall’s brow frowned this time along with his mouth. “I’ve moved in with you. Because I fancy you.”
Zayn felt himself blush for the first time in years.
“You should have told me,” Zayn said. He sounded a bit more surprised than he should have.
“In my defense, you weren’t always this dumb,” Niall repeated.
Zayn smirked. “I think you’re going to need to remind me constantly.”
“Verbally?” Niall smirked too.
“Not always. But if you want to say it verbally, that’s cool too.”
Niall reached over and grabbed Zayn’s hand. “Are you giving me permission to do filthy things to you?”
Zayn nodded, not trusting his voice. It hadn’t cracked in two decades, but he still didn’t trust it.
“Any filthy things in particular?”
“I have a list,” Zayn said, picking up momentum. “A long list. Some of it is less filthy than others. But a lot of it involves sweets.”
Niall’s entire face lit up. “Do you want me fat and happy?”
Zayn blushed again.
Niall tugged Zayn in for a quick kiss.
“I don’t mind being fat and happy.” Niall poked his waist, fingers pushing into the extra pudge. “I’d even prefer to be happy.”
He looked closer at Zayn’s face. Zayn wasn’t sure what emotions were playing on his face, but Niall was eating them up.
“And it looks like you wouldn’t mind me being fat.”
Zayn looked down to their joined hands. He really did enjoy that bit of extra Niall, but well, it was actually embarrassing. People were supposed to enjoy the aesthetics of skinny people. It was convention. But it wasn’t like Niall was even overweight. There was just a bit more to him. Zayn liked Niall’s body more now that it wasn’t all angles.
Niall kissed Zayn more thoroughly, taking Zayn’s hands and placing them on his waist.
Zayn’s fingers dug gently into Niall and stayed there even after they broke the kiss.
“You gonna stop being a twat now?” Niall asked, then darted in to bite Zayn’s lower lip.
“Yeah,” Zayn said. He liked this Niall. That much was painfully, stupidly obvious. He was different from the Niall who absconded to the states.
Zayn was going to keep this one.