You Take Me To The Edge
Title: You Take Me To The Edge
Pairing(s): Harry/Zayn
Rating: PG
Word Count: 4,270
Disclaimer: This is complete fiction and I do not own any of them.
Summary: Zayn's bad day rapidly worsens and it is all a certain Harry Styles' fault.
You Take Me To The Edge
Zayn was having a bad day. As bad days go, this was probably the worst. Without any exaggeration. And it hadn’t even ended yet.
~*~
It had all started with having to wake up early that morning. They’d all been suffering from a hangover due to Louis having persuaded them to drink the night before, his incentive being their day off. Little did they know that early the next day, Liam’s phone would ring, Simon’s assistant on the line, saying that he would like to speak to them and if they could get to his office as soon as possible.
None of the boys had been pleased when Liam went around waking them, threatening to dump ice cold water on anyone who didn’t shift their lazy butts and get dressed in the next 20 minutes.
To make matters worse, the last of the medicine had been taken by an extremely apologetic Niall, and even with a pounding headache, Zayn could not stay mad at that face. Louis patted him sympathetically while Liam passed him a cup of coffee and promised that they would get some medicine on the way to the meeting.
However, that promise was broken due to a certain curly haired boy.
Despite Liam’s threats, Harry had taken his sweet time getting ready, prancing down the stairs when they only had 15 minutes to get to Simon’s. On top of that, he’d come down early to take some medicine and so was as chipper as a bird.
Needless to say, the younger boy wasn’t in Zayn’s good books.
Liam had looked torn, not wanting to be late but also not wanting his friend to suffer. Zayn had made the decision for him. Gritting his teeth, he said that he would just grin and bear it and they could get the medicine after. Relief had flooded his best friend’s eyes and Zayn had to grudgingly admit that the small sacrifice was worth it if it meant that he wasn’t adding to Liam’s already enormous pile of things to stress about.
Where he couldn’t stay mad at Niall, Zayn had no qualms with thinking murderous thoughts about Harry. The curly haired boy had been getting on his nerves lately, seeming to go out of his way to annoy Zayn. At first, he’d put it down to his imagination. But when his suspicions had been proven right countless of times, that’s when everything changed.
Now, Zayn found that he and Harry were constantly butting heads. While the others could honestly say in interviews that their fights were few and far between, always resolved in a matter of minutes, the same could not be said for Harry and Zayn. The two would explode over the littlest things and then not speak for days. It had gotten so bad that the others had taking to toeing around, flinching and waiting with bated breaths for the next bomb to explode. Niall would run when he sensed a fight coming on and Liam and Louis would tackle them individually, trying to get to the bottom of the problem.
However, no matter how hard Liam tried to get him to open up, Zayn could never really say what the issue was; not counting that Harry was just an insufferable prat, as he didn’t know himself. And by the sight of Louis’ defeated stance, it didn’t look like he was making great progress with Harry either.
~*~
The meeting was long and Zayn could hardly concentrate on the words leaving Simon’s mouth, his raging headache at the forefront of his worries. Liam’s arm across his shoulders nudged him at times and Zayn would fake attentiveness, thanking his lucky stars when he did not get caught. They were sitting next to each other on the couch, Niall and Liam on either side of him and Harry and Louis on the end.
He counted down the seconds until the meeting would finish, wanting to go home and curl up in bed. Harry’s fingers drummed against the armrest, the sound seeming to reverberate in his head. Zayn bit his lip, fighting the urge to reach out and grab his wrist. He didn’t think Harry or Simon would appreciate that, not that he cared about what Harry thought.
The meeting finally drew to a close, Zayn not having paid attention to any of it, and they shook hands with Simon before exiting. Louis threw an arm around him and Zayn leaned into his body, wishing the bright sunlight would disappear. Was a dark, cloudy day so much to ask for?
They got into the car, Louis driving with Liam riding shotgun and the rest in the back. Zayn was thankful that Niall took the middle seat as the last time he and Harry had sat beside each other; it had nearly resulted in the car crashing. As Louis drove, the sun fell directly into his eyes and Zayn shut them with a pained groan, wishing he’d been smart enough to wear his sunglasses.
“Next stop” Liam announced, “the pharmacy.”
He smiled at that, however, it transformed into a frown as Harry spontaneously burst into song. It wouldn’t have been so terrible if he wasn’t purposefully singing off key.
“Harry” Louis warned but was ignored.
Zayn massaged his temple and the bridge of his nose. He could hear Niall shushing the younger boy but he too went unheard. He tried to contain his anger, he really did, but it burst out from his depths, fiery and all consuming.
“Will you just shut up!”
Harry did not look fazed by the outburst. “Why?” he asked innocently.
“Because I’ll kill you if you don’t.”
An eyebrow rose, accompanied by a smirk, “Go on then.”
Zayn gritted his teeth. Niall was rigid with tension next to him and Zayn honestly felt sorry for the boy as he was literally in the middle of it, but he wasn’t about to back down, not when Harry was deliberately being a prat. “I don’t know what your problem is Styles” he bit out, “but-“
“Problem?” Harry scoffed, “I don’t have a problem. It’s you who’s got issues. Why don’t you stop being a moody twat?”
“I’m only moody because my head feels like it’s going to split open!”
“Oh boo hoo!” Harry mocked, “Why don’t you stop being a baby and just suck it up?”
He was this close to strangling the green eyed boy. Zayn clenched his fists, nails digging painfully into his skin.
“We’re here” Liam signalled, effectively halting their verbal fight from progressing.
The engine died and the car came to a stop. Both Louis and Liam got out.
“Come on Harry” Louis instructed.
“Why?” Harry frowned.
“Just come.”
Harry followed him and a welcome silence filled the car. Zayn leaned into Niall, feeling his arm wrap around him. He peeked out and noted the frown marring Louis’ features. He appeared to be reprimanding Harry. This was proven right as Harry got back in, glaring at him before crossing his arms and pouting his lips.
Zayn felt extreme satisfaction at his annoyed stance.
~*~
Boots was crowded, the lines seemingly endless, and Liam queued in one of them, a small box in his hand. All he had to do was purchase one item and yet it would be a while before he could do so. He glanced around in annoyance. The self service machines were out of order, meaning that the lines were moving even slower. Shifting his weight to the other side, he tapped his foot impatiently.
“The Harry-Zayn situation is getting ridiculous” Louis complained as he popped up next to him, ignoring the annoyed grunt from the man behind them.
Liam had gotten used to Louis constantly appearing out of nowhere and so barely bat an eyelid. “I know, it’s getting on my nerves.”
“What do you think started all this?”
They’d had this conversation many times and Liam’s answer was never changing, “I don’t know and they won’t tell us.” He paused. “Sometimes it feels like they don’t know themselves” he mused.
“Or they do know but won’t admit it” Louis put in.
Liam nodded thoughtfully.
Louis disappeared and reappeared moments later, clutching a bottle of water in his hand.
Liam smiled, “Good thinking.”
When they finally got back to the car, they were happy to see everyone in one piece. Harry was still sulking while Zayn was curled into Niall’s side. Poking him, Louis handed him the items. Zayn accepted them with a grateful smile, downing the tablets with the water. He sighed in relief. The recovery wasn’t instantaneous but at least now he was on the verge of getting there.
Nevertheless, the peace did not last long since Harry made a snide remark and Zayn exploded. Louis’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel hard while Niall buried his face in his hands. The two boys fought back and forth until Liam snapped.
“Stop it, both of you! I don’t want to hear another word.” They opened their mouths to complain. “Not. A. Single. Word.” Each word was punctuated for emphasis.
An angry silence filled the car until it pulled to a stop. Both boys jumped out, slamming the doors in the process, causing the other three to wince. They walked towards the house, shoving each other on the way.
A sadness dimmed Niall’s normally bright blue eyes, “It’s getting worse.”
“We need to sort this out” Louis commented.
“But how?” Liam questioned.
No one had a clue.
~*~
Zayn’s already bad day was rapidly deteriorating. Now, not only was Harry not speaking to him but Liam was annoyed with him, Louis was cold towards him and Niall was avoiding them all by locking himself in his room.
It could not get any worse.
~*~
Apparently it could.
“How could you do something so stupid?” Niall shouted, which was scary in itself as Niall hardly got mad.
Louis placed a soothing hand on his back but trained hard eyes on them. “Do you know how much trouble you’ve most likely gotten us into?”
Both Harry and Zayn took an unconscious step back, glancing at Liam. They were surprised to see him not looking furious, but instead defeated, and worse, disappointed.
“Let’s just go home” he said tiredly, trudging towards the car.
“Liam-“ Zayn started.
“Don’t” he stopped him, “Just, don’t.” He got into the car, hearing the others do the same. He closed his eyes, reliving what was probably the most embarrassing moment for the band.
At the meeting that morning, Simon had informed them that they would have to do an interview in the evening. Yes they were supposed to have a day off but this would be good for publicity and the opportunity could not be ignored.
They’d agreed, of course, and so at 7:30pm sharp, they arrived at the studios. Fans crowded around, surprising the boys as the interview had been a last minute arrangement. They took photos, signed autographs and chatted for a bit before heading inside.
Harry and Zayn did not say a single word to each other which worked well for everyone. They made sure that the two were at opposite ends on the couch, with the three of them occupying the middle. As the interview began, they each relaxed and settled into answering the ever familiar questions. Liam even thought that this might actually go well. Niall and Louis seemed to be thinking along the same lines as they shared an optimistic smile.
How wrong they were.
It all happened in a blur that Liam wasn’t even sure what actually took place. One minute a fan was asking a question, Harry answered it, and the next thing he knew, Zayn was storming out.
The audience were shocked, the interviewer was shocked, Harry looked like he regretted saying whatever he had but there was still a touch of defiance about him and the rest of One Direction stared at each other hopelessly, unable to think of a way to salvage the situation.
Their only saving grace was that the interview was nearly done and so all they had to do was produce forced smiles and wait for it to be wrapped up.
Liam inwardly moaned in frustration, wishing he could wipe out the memory from his brain, or better yet, erase the entire moment from existence.
They entered the house in silence and just as he stepped over the threshold, his phone began to ring. Gulping nervously, Liam felt a sense of trepidation overwhelm him as he stared at the name flashing across the screen.
~*~
“What the hell Harry?” Louis shouted, “How could you be so extremely idiotic? Do you realise how much crap Liam probably has to deal with from Simon right now?”
“I’m sorry ok!” Harry burst out, “It just slipped out! It was supposed to be a joke!”
Louis groaned, “Harry, you know that you and Zayn have been at odds for so long now. You should have known that he wouldn’t appreciate that, least of all from you. Why couldn’t you have just kept it to yourself and said it later?”
Harry remained quiet and Louis sighed.
“I want you to apologise.”
“No way!”
“Harry” His tone was low and dangerous, effectively conveying ‘just do it because I’ve had enough of you’ in that one word.
The two best friends glared at each other.
~*~
“I want this fixed immediately.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll talk to them both.”
“You better.”
The line cut and Liam blinked at his phone before slumping next to the blonde.
“He was angry?” Niall questioned unnecessarily.
“Furious.”
“That’s understandable.” He asked cautiously, “Are you going to talk to them?”
“I don’t want to see either of them at the moment but I promised Simon I would.”
Long, nimble fingers brushed through Liam’s hair comfortingly. “It will be alright” Niall reassured.
Liam exhaled loudly, “As much as I want to, I don’t think I can believe that right now.”
When he finally entered the room they shared, he found the other boy sprawled across his bed. Sitting next to him, Liam asked, “Why?”
Zayn shrugged.
“What did he even say?”
Zayn hesitated before answering, “He said I was unattractive.” This was accompanied by a pout.
Something wasn’t right and it caused Liam to frown. “The fan asked who was unattractive?”
“No” Zayn elaborated, “She asked who we thought was the best looking in the band and Harry said, “I don’t know about the best but Zayn is definitely the worst”.”
Liam wished the girl hadn’t asked such a stupid question. Then he wished his friends hadn’t reacted so stupidly.
“And that’s what got you upset?” he asked incredulously.
“It was insulting!” Zayn defended.
“Yes” Liam agreed, “But you could have just laughed it off. There was no need to make a big deal out of it!” He paused before adding in aggravation, “Are you really that vain-“
“It’s not about vanity!” Zayn cried.
“Then what?”
Zayn moved to answer but stopped himself at the last minute. He turned away and Liam suddenly realised that whatever this was between Harry and Zayn, it was so much more than just petty and immature fighting.
“Zayn-“ he started but was interrupted by the sound of a scuffle from outside.
Harry’s angry voice sounded, “Louis! Stop manhandling me!”
“This” said Louis’ voice, “is for your own good.”
Then the door burst open with a bang and the two boys stood in the doorway, Harry struggling to release himself from Louis’ tight and strong hold.
“Let me go!” he yelled.
“No problem” Louis smiled as he pushed Harry onto Liam’s bed. Then quick as lightening, he grabbed Liam’s hand and pulled him out of the room, slamming the door behind them.
Zayn and Harry remained still, too shocked to move, before Harry scrambled to his feet and ran to the door. Jiggling the doorknob, he growled when it didn’t open.
“Louis!” he banged on the wood, “Louis, let me out!”
“No” came his so called best friend’s voice, “Not until you and Zayn sort out whatever it is that has made you act like annoying prats.”
“Louis, I swear-“
“I don’t want to hear it! This isn’t just affecting you two but the whole band. One Direction cannot carry on when two of its members can’t even get along.”
Harry rested his forehead against the door, knowing that the older boy was right. However, unable to admit defeat just yet, he tried one last time. “Lou please” he pleaded, “I know this has been bad for everyone but I promise it will get better. Just let me out.”
There was silence, a muffled conversation and then Louis’ regretful voice saying, “Sorry Hazza. But this is how it’s got to be.”
“Try not to kill each other” Liam joked weakly.
Harry slumped in defeat as he heard their footsteps fade away. He slid to the ground, turning so that his back was pressed against the door. Zayn had been quiet during the whole exchange and was now gazing out the window. Harry gulped, the thought of being alone with Zayn terrifying him, and not for the right reasons.
~*~
“That was a good idea” Liam praised as the two fell on the couch, Louis’ legs immediately moving to rest in Liam’s lap.
“It was Niall’s actually” Louis informed, “He put it forward a few weeks back but I didn’t think much of it. Now it seemed like our last resort.”
The Irish boy in question appeared in front of them as he crossed over to the kitchen. “I’m making popcorn” he called before explaining, “I thought we could have a night in, watch comedy movies or something. It might help diffuse the tension.”
“That’s a good plan” Louis nodded, “but make enough for three. Harry and Zayn won’t be joining us.”
~*~
Zayn couldn’t believe his friends had done this to them. Neither he nor Harry could sit in the same room without biting each others’ heads off so how were they supposed to work this out by themselves when there was no one there to intercept if things took a bad turn?
And why the hell had he reacted so badly to the whole thing? Liam was right; he could have just brushed it off as a joke. They always took jibes at each other, fans believing that it highlighted how close they were. Why did he have to ruin that whole image?
The answer came to him in an overwhelming clarity; because it had hurt.
The second the words had left Harry’s mouth, a sick, gut wrenching sensation had twisted his insides. Not only had he felt embarrassment but anger and hurt as well, which had led to him storming out. If it had been anyone else, Zayn knew he would have let it slide but it had affected him because it was Harry, Harry, who’d said it. Harry implied that he wasn’t good looking and that made him feel miserable. Why the boy had such an effect on him, he didn’t know.
Then again, he’d come to notice that Harry had an effect on him regardless of what he did. It was true that lately the younger boy’s mere presence irritated him, but at times, it also inexplicably sent his heart racing. It didn’t matter whether he was running a hand through his curls, biting his lip, or training those green eyes on him; everything he did made Zayn’s insides twist in a pleasant way. And when he smirked, the larger part of Zayn wanted to punch it away, but, and this is where things got really confusing, for some unfathomable reason, a smaller part of him wanted to kiss it away.
He always crushed that urge before it could lead to any awkwardness.
Harry, for his part, could not take the silence any longer, knowing that he would so something he regretted, especially with the way Zayn looked with the soft lights casting a glow across his skin. Inappropriate thoughts were invading his head at being this close to the other boy and they frightened him. His feelings for Zayn were scary and unfamiliar.
So he settled into familiar territory.
“This is all your fault you know!” he accused.
Zayn snapped out of his trance, appearing startled that Harry was actually speaking to him. “What?” he questioned, brow furrowing.
It did not make him look cute. Definitely not. Harry would swear to that.
“It’s your fault that we’re locked in here.”
“Oh” Zayn replied coolly, “And why’s that?”
“Because if you had been able to take a joke, we wouldn’t be here.”
“A joke? Well, it led to some really hilarious circumstances didn’t it?!”
“It’s not my fault you got into a huff. Anyone else would have just let it go.”
Even though he’d come to the same conclusion just minutes before, the irrational part of Zayn did not want to hear it, especially from Harry.
“Seriously Harry, I don’t know what your problem is. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“Like I said before, I’m not the one with the problem.”
“Oh would you just shut up!”
“Why don’t you make me?”
He wasn’t sure how it happened but one second he was on his bed and the next, he and Harry were wrestling on the floor. He pulled at Harry’s curls while the other boy’s nails dug into his skin.
“What are you doing? Get off me!” Harry shouted from beneath him.
“You told me to make you shut up” Zayn explained calmly, “Well, this is me making you shut up.”
He clamped his palm against Harry’s mouth, feeling victorious. However, it was short lived as Harry swiped his tongue against it.
“Ugh, Harry that’s disgusting!” Zayn complained as he scrunched his nose, wiping his hand on Harry’s T-shirt.
Using his distracted state, Harry rolled them over so that he was the one on top. Smirking evilly, he said, “Look how things have turned.”
His smirk was infuriating and yet, Zayn was finding this position quite enjoyable. He hadn’t been this close to Harry in ages, the others and himself always aiming to keep them apart. Sure, he hadn’t imagined they’d be this close, with the younger boy practically straddling him, but it was still nice. Not to mention that he’d missed Harry’s companionship. The two had been just as close as the others, always joking around or having serious talks when they felt like it. As much as Zayn had found Harry annoying over the past few weeks, he’d also felt lost and alone without him.
“Why did things change Harry?” he asked, voice tinged with sadness, “Why did you start to hate me?”
Harry’s features softened at the serious question. “I don’t hate you” he mumbled.
“Then why did you start fighting and pushing me away?”
“I don’t know!” Harry exclaimed, “Things just got really confusing in my head and this seemed like the easiest way to handle it.”
Zayn frowned, “You’re not making any sense.”
“I know” Harry sighed, looking away, “I just...“
He trailed off, looking torn up about something and Zayn felt the powerful urge to wrap the curly haired boy in his arms and comfort him. Maybe even kiss his worries away...
Oh no he inwardly groaned. This was not the time to be thinking things like that.
Harry looked back down, taking in Zayn’s big sparkling brown eyes, his long eyelashes and his lovely cheekbones. His gaze finally settled on the pink, kissable lips. Not giving it a second thought, he leaned down and joined their lips together.
Zayn gasped, feeling tingles all the way from his head to his toes. He eagerly kissed back, marvelling at how soft Harry’s lips were against his own. Harry’s hands fisted his shirt as he pressed down, deepening the kiss. Zayn’s hands slid under Harry’s T-shirt, stroking the skin underneath. Harry shivered at the touch, pulling away and sitting back up but not off Zayn.
He panted heavily, “Well, I definitely prefer that to fighting with you.”
“Me too” Zayn agreed, and he did, but something still nagged at him. “I like girls” he stated.
“I do too” Harry responded.
“So why are we...?” He let the question hang in the air between them.
Harry gave it some serious thought. Then shrugging, he replied simply, “Because it feels right.”
Zayn stared at Harry, with his curly hair, gorgeous green eyes and complete lack of girly parts and smiled, “Yeah, it does.”
Harry grinned happily before leaning back down for a kiss.
Maybe today hadn’t been so bad after all, Zayn mused.
~*~
“It’s quiet in there” Niall whispered, “You don’t think they’ve killed each other do you?”
“There’s only one way to find out” Louis said and unlocked the door.
Pushing it open, three heads peered around it and were shocked at the sight in front of them.
“Were you expecting that?” Liam asked.
“Definitely not” Louis replied.
Harry and Zayn were snuggling on Zayn’s bed, both boys fast asleep. Zayn’s arm was wrapped around the younger boy’s waist and their fingers were entwined.
Louis raised a finger to his lips before pulling the door shut. “Well” he commented, “looks like you were right Niall. All that fighting was definitely due to sexual tension.”
“And your plan worked” Liam added.
Niall smiled proudly while they patted him on the back.
“Come on then” Louis ushered them, “those films aren’t going to watch themselves.”
They headed back to the living room, each boy grateful that there would be peace in their lives again.
Pairing(s): Harry/Zayn
Rating: PG
Word Count: 4,270
Disclaimer: This is complete fiction and I do not own any of them.
Summary: Zayn's bad day rapidly worsens and it is all a certain Harry Styles' fault.
You Take Me To The Edge
Zayn was having a bad day. As bad days go, this was probably the worst. Without any exaggeration. And it hadn’t even ended yet.
~*~
It had all started with having to wake up early that morning. They’d all been suffering from a hangover due to Louis having persuaded them to drink the night before, his incentive being their day off. Little did they know that early the next day, Liam’s phone would ring, Simon’s assistant on the line, saying that he would like to speak to them and if they could get to his office as soon as possible.
None of the boys had been pleased when Liam went around waking them, threatening to dump ice cold water on anyone who didn’t shift their lazy butts and get dressed in the next 20 minutes.
To make matters worse, the last of the medicine had been taken by an extremely apologetic Niall, and even with a pounding headache, Zayn could not stay mad at that face. Louis patted him sympathetically while Liam passed him a cup of coffee and promised that they would get some medicine on the way to the meeting.
However, that promise was broken due to a certain curly haired boy.
Despite Liam’s threats, Harry had taken his sweet time getting ready, prancing down the stairs when they only had 15 minutes to get to Simon’s. On top of that, he’d come down early to take some medicine and so was as chipper as a bird.
Needless to say, the younger boy wasn’t in Zayn’s good books.
Liam had looked torn, not wanting to be late but also not wanting his friend to suffer. Zayn had made the decision for him. Gritting his teeth, he said that he would just grin and bear it and they could get the medicine after. Relief had flooded his best friend’s eyes and Zayn had to grudgingly admit that the small sacrifice was worth it if it meant that he wasn’t adding to Liam’s already enormous pile of things to stress about.
Where he couldn’t stay mad at Niall, Zayn had no qualms with thinking murderous thoughts about Harry. The curly haired boy had been getting on his nerves lately, seeming to go out of his way to annoy Zayn. At first, he’d put it down to his imagination. But when his suspicions had been proven right countless of times, that’s when everything changed.
Now, Zayn found that he and Harry were constantly butting heads. While the others could honestly say in interviews that their fights were few and far between, always resolved in a matter of minutes, the same could not be said for Harry and Zayn. The two would explode over the littlest things and then not speak for days. It had gotten so bad that the others had taking to toeing around, flinching and waiting with bated breaths for the next bomb to explode. Niall would run when he sensed a fight coming on and Liam and Louis would tackle them individually, trying to get to the bottom of the problem.
However, no matter how hard Liam tried to get him to open up, Zayn could never really say what the issue was; not counting that Harry was just an insufferable prat, as he didn’t know himself. And by the sight of Louis’ defeated stance, it didn’t look like he was making great progress with Harry either.
~*~
The meeting was long and Zayn could hardly concentrate on the words leaving Simon’s mouth, his raging headache at the forefront of his worries. Liam’s arm across his shoulders nudged him at times and Zayn would fake attentiveness, thanking his lucky stars when he did not get caught. They were sitting next to each other on the couch, Niall and Liam on either side of him and Harry and Louis on the end.
He counted down the seconds until the meeting would finish, wanting to go home and curl up in bed. Harry’s fingers drummed against the armrest, the sound seeming to reverberate in his head. Zayn bit his lip, fighting the urge to reach out and grab his wrist. He didn’t think Harry or Simon would appreciate that, not that he cared about what Harry thought.
The meeting finally drew to a close, Zayn not having paid attention to any of it, and they shook hands with Simon before exiting. Louis threw an arm around him and Zayn leaned into his body, wishing the bright sunlight would disappear. Was a dark, cloudy day so much to ask for?
They got into the car, Louis driving with Liam riding shotgun and the rest in the back. Zayn was thankful that Niall took the middle seat as the last time he and Harry had sat beside each other; it had nearly resulted in the car crashing. As Louis drove, the sun fell directly into his eyes and Zayn shut them with a pained groan, wishing he’d been smart enough to wear his sunglasses.
“Next stop” Liam announced, “the pharmacy.”
He smiled at that, however, it transformed into a frown as Harry spontaneously burst into song. It wouldn’t have been so terrible if he wasn’t purposefully singing off key.
“Harry” Louis warned but was ignored.
Zayn massaged his temple and the bridge of his nose. He could hear Niall shushing the younger boy but he too went unheard. He tried to contain his anger, he really did, but it burst out from his depths, fiery and all consuming.
“Will you just shut up!”
Harry did not look fazed by the outburst. “Why?” he asked innocently.
“Because I’ll kill you if you don’t.”
An eyebrow rose, accompanied by a smirk, “Go on then.”
Zayn gritted his teeth. Niall was rigid with tension next to him and Zayn honestly felt sorry for the boy as he was literally in the middle of it, but he wasn’t about to back down, not when Harry was deliberately being a prat. “I don’t know what your problem is Styles” he bit out, “but-“
“Problem?” Harry scoffed, “I don’t have a problem. It’s you who’s got issues. Why don’t you stop being a moody twat?”
“I’m only moody because my head feels like it’s going to split open!”
“Oh boo hoo!” Harry mocked, “Why don’t you stop being a baby and just suck it up?”
He was this close to strangling the green eyed boy. Zayn clenched his fists, nails digging painfully into his skin.
“We’re here” Liam signalled, effectively halting their verbal fight from progressing.
The engine died and the car came to a stop. Both Louis and Liam got out.
“Come on Harry” Louis instructed.
“Why?” Harry frowned.
“Just come.”
Harry followed him and a welcome silence filled the car. Zayn leaned into Niall, feeling his arm wrap around him. He peeked out and noted the frown marring Louis’ features. He appeared to be reprimanding Harry. This was proven right as Harry got back in, glaring at him before crossing his arms and pouting his lips.
Zayn felt extreme satisfaction at his annoyed stance.
~*~
Boots was crowded, the lines seemingly endless, and Liam queued in one of them, a small box in his hand. All he had to do was purchase one item and yet it would be a while before he could do so. He glanced around in annoyance. The self service machines were out of order, meaning that the lines were moving even slower. Shifting his weight to the other side, he tapped his foot impatiently.
“The Harry-Zayn situation is getting ridiculous” Louis complained as he popped up next to him, ignoring the annoyed grunt from the man behind them.
Liam had gotten used to Louis constantly appearing out of nowhere and so barely bat an eyelid. “I know, it’s getting on my nerves.”
“What do you think started all this?”
They’d had this conversation many times and Liam’s answer was never changing, “I don’t know and they won’t tell us.” He paused. “Sometimes it feels like they don’t know themselves” he mused.
“Or they do know but won’t admit it” Louis put in.
Liam nodded thoughtfully.
Louis disappeared and reappeared moments later, clutching a bottle of water in his hand.
Liam smiled, “Good thinking.”
When they finally got back to the car, they were happy to see everyone in one piece. Harry was still sulking while Zayn was curled into Niall’s side. Poking him, Louis handed him the items. Zayn accepted them with a grateful smile, downing the tablets with the water. He sighed in relief. The recovery wasn’t instantaneous but at least now he was on the verge of getting there.
Nevertheless, the peace did not last long since Harry made a snide remark and Zayn exploded. Louis’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel hard while Niall buried his face in his hands. The two boys fought back and forth until Liam snapped.
“Stop it, both of you! I don’t want to hear another word.” They opened their mouths to complain. “Not. A. Single. Word.” Each word was punctuated for emphasis.
An angry silence filled the car until it pulled to a stop. Both boys jumped out, slamming the doors in the process, causing the other three to wince. They walked towards the house, shoving each other on the way.
A sadness dimmed Niall’s normally bright blue eyes, “It’s getting worse.”
“We need to sort this out” Louis commented.
“But how?” Liam questioned.
No one had a clue.
~*~
Zayn’s already bad day was rapidly deteriorating. Now, not only was Harry not speaking to him but Liam was annoyed with him, Louis was cold towards him and Niall was avoiding them all by locking himself in his room.
It could not get any worse.
~*~
Apparently it could.
“How could you do something so stupid?” Niall shouted, which was scary in itself as Niall hardly got mad.
Louis placed a soothing hand on his back but trained hard eyes on them. “Do you know how much trouble you’ve most likely gotten us into?”
Both Harry and Zayn took an unconscious step back, glancing at Liam. They were surprised to see him not looking furious, but instead defeated, and worse, disappointed.
“Let’s just go home” he said tiredly, trudging towards the car.
“Liam-“ Zayn started.
“Don’t” he stopped him, “Just, don’t.” He got into the car, hearing the others do the same. He closed his eyes, reliving what was probably the most embarrassing moment for the band.
At the meeting that morning, Simon had informed them that they would have to do an interview in the evening. Yes they were supposed to have a day off but this would be good for publicity and the opportunity could not be ignored.
They’d agreed, of course, and so at 7:30pm sharp, they arrived at the studios. Fans crowded around, surprising the boys as the interview had been a last minute arrangement. They took photos, signed autographs and chatted for a bit before heading inside.
Harry and Zayn did not say a single word to each other which worked well for everyone. They made sure that the two were at opposite ends on the couch, with the three of them occupying the middle. As the interview began, they each relaxed and settled into answering the ever familiar questions. Liam even thought that this might actually go well. Niall and Louis seemed to be thinking along the same lines as they shared an optimistic smile.
How wrong they were.
It all happened in a blur that Liam wasn’t even sure what actually took place. One minute a fan was asking a question, Harry answered it, and the next thing he knew, Zayn was storming out.
The audience were shocked, the interviewer was shocked, Harry looked like he regretted saying whatever he had but there was still a touch of defiance about him and the rest of One Direction stared at each other hopelessly, unable to think of a way to salvage the situation.
Their only saving grace was that the interview was nearly done and so all they had to do was produce forced smiles and wait for it to be wrapped up.
Liam inwardly moaned in frustration, wishing he could wipe out the memory from his brain, or better yet, erase the entire moment from existence.
They entered the house in silence and just as he stepped over the threshold, his phone began to ring. Gulping nervously, Liam felt a sense of trepidation overwhelm him as he stared at the name flashing across the screen.
~*~
“What the hell Harry?” Louis shouted, “How could you be so extremely idiotic? Do you realise how much crap Liam probably has to deal with from Simon right now?”
“I’m sorry ok!” Harry burst out, “It just slipped out! It was supposed to be a joke!”
Louis groaned, “Harry, you know that you and Zayn have been at odds for so long now. You should have known that he wouldn’t appreciate that, least of all from you. Why couldn’t you have just kept it to yourself and said it later?”
Harry remained quiet and Louis sighed.
“I want you to apologise.”
“No way!”
“Harry” His tone was low and dangerous, effectively conveying ‘just do it because I’ve had enough of you’ in that one word.
The two best friends glared at each other.
~*~
“I want this fixed immediately.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll talk to them both.”
“You better.”
The line cut and Liam blinked at his phone before slumping next to the blonde.
“He was angry?” Niall questioned unnecessarily.
“Furious.”
“That’s understandable.” He asked cautiously, “Are you going to talk to them?”
“I don’t want to see either of them at the moment but I promised Simon I would.”
Long, nimble fingers brushed through Liam’s hair comfortingly. “It will be alright” Niall reassured.
Liam exhaled loudly, “As much as I want to, I don’t think I can believe that right now.”
When he finally entered the room they shared, he found the other boy sprawled across his bed. Sitting next to him, Liam asked, “Why?”
Zayn shrugged.
“What did he even say?”
Zayn hesitated before answering, “He said I was unattractive.” This was accompanied by a pout.
Something wasn’t right and it caused Liam to frown. “The fan asked who was unattractive?”
“No” Zayn elaborated, “She asked who we thought was the best looking in the band and Harry said, “I don’t know about the best but Zayn is definitely the worst”.”
Liam wished the girl hadn’t asked such a stupid question. Then he wished his friends hadn’t reacted so stupidly.
“And that’s what got you upset?” he asked incredulously.
“It was insulting!” Zayn defended.
“Yes” Liam agreed, “But you could have just laughed it off. There was no need to make a big deal out of it!” He paused before adding in aggravation, “Are you really that vain-“
“It’s not about vanity!” Zayn cried.
“Then what?”
Zayn moved to answer but stopped himself at the last minute. He turned away and Liam suddenly realised that whatever this was between Harry and Zayn, it was so much more than just petty and immature fighting.
“Zayn-“ he started but was interrupted by the sound of a scuffle from outside.
Harry’s angry voice sounded, “Louis! Stop manhandling me!”
“This” said Louis’ voice, “is for your own good.”
Then the door burst open with a bang and the two boys stood in the doorway, Harry struggling to release himself from Louis’ tight and strong hold.
“Let me go!” he yelled.
“No problem” Louis smiled as he pushed Harry onto Liam’s bed. Then quick as lightening, he grabbed Liam’s hand and pulled him out of the room, slamming the door behind them.
Zayn and Harry remained still, too shocked to move, before Harry scrambled to his feet and ran to the door. Jiggling the doorknob, he growled when it didn’t open.
“Louis!” he banged on the wood, “Louis, let me out!”
“No” came his so called best friend’s voice, “Not until you and Zayn sort out whatever it is that has made you act like annoying prats.”
“Louis, I swear-“
“I don’t want to hear it! This isn’t just affecting you two but the whole band. One Direction cannot carry on when two of its members can’t even get along.”
Harry rested his forehead against the door, knowing that the older boy was right. However, unable to admit defeat just yet, he tried one last time. “Lou please” he pleaded, “I know this has been bad for everyone but I promise it will get better. Just let me out.”
There was silence, a muffled conversation and then Louis’ regretful voice saying, “Sorry Hazza. But this is how it’s got to be.”
“Try not to kill each other” Liam joked weakly.
Harry slumped in defeat as he heard their footsteps fade away. He slid to the ground, turning so that his back was pressed against the door. Zayn had been quiet during the whole exchange and was now gazing out the window. Harry gulped, the thought of being alone with Zayn terrifying him, and not for the right reasons.
~*~
“That was a good idea” Liam praised as the two fell on the couch, Louis’ legs immediately moving to rest in Liam’s lap.
“It was Niall’s actually” Louis informed, “He put it forward a few weeks back but I didn’t think much of it. Now it seemed like our last resort.”
The Irish boy in question appeared in front of them as he crossed over to the kitchen. “I’m making popcorn” he called before explaining, “I thought we could have a night in, watch comedy movies or something. It might help diffuse the tension.”
“That’s a good plan” Louis nodded, “but make enough for three. Harry and Zayn won’t be joining us.”
~*~
Zayn couldn’t believe his friends had done this to them. Neither he nor Harry could sit in the same room without biting each others’ heads off so how were they supposed to work this out by themselves when there was no one there to intercept if things took a bad turn?
And why the hell had he reacted so badly to the whole thing? Liam was right; he could have just brushed it off as a joke. They always took jibes at each other, fans believing that it highlighted how close they were. Why did he have to ruin that whole image?
The answer came to him in an overwhelming clarity; because it had hurt.
The second the words had left Harry’s mouth, a sick, gut wrenching sensation had twisted his insides. Not only had he felt embarrassment but anger and hurt as well, which had led to him storming out. If it had been anyone else, Zayn knew he would have let it slide but it had affected him because it was Harry, Harry, who’d said it. Harry implied that he wasn’t good looking and that made him feel miserable. Why the boy had such an effect on him, he didn’t know.
Then again, he’d come to notice that Harry had an effect on him regardless of what he did. It was true that lately the younger boy’s mere presence irritated him, but at times, it also inexplicably sent his heart racing. It didn’t matter whether he was running a hand through his curls, biting his lip, or training those green eyes on him; everything he did made Zayn’s insides twist in a pleasant way. And when he smirked, the larger part of Zayn wanted to punch it away, but, and this is where things got really confusing, for some unfathomable reason, a smaller part of him wanted to kiss it away.
He always crushed that urge before it could lead to any awkwardness.
Harry, for his part, could not take the silence any longer, knowing that he would so something he regretted, especially with the way Zayn looked with the soft lights casting a glow across his skin. Inappropriate thoughts were invading his head at being this close to the other boy and they frightened him. His feelings for Zayn were scary and unfamiliar.
So he settled into familiar territory.
“This is all your fault you know!” he accused.
Zayn snapped out of his trance, appearing startled that Harry was actually speaking to him. “What?” he questioned, brow furrowing.
It did not make him look cute. Definitely not. Harry would swear to that.
“It’s your fault that we’re locked in here.”
“Oh” Zayn replied coolly, “And why’s that?”
“Because if you had been able to take a joke, we wouldn’t be here.”
“A joke? Well, it led to some really hilarious circumstances didn’t it?!”
“It’s not my fault you got into a huff. Anyone else would have just let it go.”
Even though he’d come to the same conclusion just minutes before, the irrational part of Zayn did not want to hear it, especially from Harry.
“Seriously Harry, I don’t know what your problem is. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“Like I said before, I’m not the one with the problem.”
“Oh would you just shut up!”
“Why don’t you make me?”
He wasn’t sure how it happened but one second he was on his bed and the next, he and Harry were wrestling on the floor. He pulled at Harry’s curls while the other boy’s nails dug into his skin.
“What are you doing? Get off me!” Harry shouted from beneath him.
“You told me to make you shut up” Zayn explained calmly, “Well, this is me making you shut up.”
He clamped his palm against Harry’s mouth, feeling victorious. However, it was short lived as Harry swiped his tongue against it.
“Ugh, Harry that’s disgusting!” Zayn complained as he scrunched his nose, wiping his hand on Harry’s T-shirt.
Using his distracted state, Harry rolled them over so that he was the one on top. Smirking evilly, he said, “Look how things have turned.”
His smirk was infuriating and yet, Zayn was finding this position quite enjoyable. He hadn’t been this close to Harry in ages, the others and himself always aiming to keep them apart. Sure, he hadn’t imagined they’d be this close, with the younger boy practically straddling him, but it was still nice. Not to mention that he’d missed Harry’s companionship. The two had been just as close as the others, always joking around or having serious talks when they felt like it. As much as Zayn had found Harry annoying over the past few weeks, he’d also felt lost and alone without him.
“Why did things change Harry?” he asked, voice tinged with sadness, “Why did you start to hate me?”
Harry’s features softened at the serious question. “I don’t hate you” he mumbled.
“Then why did you start fighting and pushing me away?”
“I don’t know!” Harry exclaimed, “Things just got really confusing in my head and this seemed like the easiest way to handle it.”
Zayn frowned, “You’re not making any sense.”
“I know” Harry sighed, looking away, “I just...“
He trailed off, looking torn up about something and Zayn felt the powerful urge to wrap the curly haired boy in his arms and comfort him. Maybe even kiss his worries away...
Oh no he inwardly groaned. This was not the time to be thinking things like that.
Harry looked back down, taking in Zayn’s big sparkling brown eyes, his long eyelashes and his lovely cheekbones. His gaze finally settled on the pink, kissable lips. Not giving it a second thought, he leaned down and joined their lips together.
Zayn gasped, feeling tingles all the way from his head to his toes. He eagerly kissed back, marvelling at how soft Harry’s lips were against his own. Harry’s hands fisted his shirt as he pressed down, deepening the kiss. Zayn’s hands slid under Harry’s T-shirt, stroking the skin underneath. Harry shivered at the touch, pulling away and sitting back up but not off Zayn.
He panted heavily, “Well, I definitely prefer that to fighting with you.”
“Me too” Zayn agreed, and he did, but something still nagged at him. “I like girls” he stated.
“I do too” Harry responded.
“So why are we...?” He let the question hang in the air between them.
Harry gave it some serious thought. Then shrugging, he replied simply, “Because it feels right.”
Zayn stared at Harry, with his curly hair, gorgeous green eyes and complete lack of girly parts and smiled, “Yeah, it does.”
Harry grinned happily before leaning back down for a kiss.
Maybe today hadn’t been so bad after all, Zayn mused.
~*~
“It’s quiet in there” Niall whispered, “You don’t think they’ve killed each other do you?”
“There’s only one way to find out” Louis said and unlocked the door.
Pushing it open, three heads peered around it and were shocked at the sight in front of them.
“Were you expecting that?” Liam asked.
“Definitely not” Louis replied.
Harry and Zayn were snuggling on Zayn’s bed, both boys fast asleep. Zayn’s arm was wrapped around the younger boy’s waist and their fingers were entwined.
Louis raised a finger to his lips before pulling the door shut. “Well” he commented, “looks like you were right Niall. All that fighting was definitely due to sexual tension.”
“And your plan worked” Liam added.
Niall smiled proudly while they patted him on the back.
“Come on then” Louis ushered them, “those films aren’t going to watch themselves.”
They headed back to the living room, each boy grateful that there would be peace in their lives again.