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- The novelty of an encounter
With the throbbing lights of the club above them and the pulsing music reverberating through their chests, Zayn has a fleeting thought about the rather long period of time since he's done this. He sort of promised himself he wouldn't go on the pull in grad school but there was something about the bloke who's currently comfortably seated in Zayn's lap and kisses him with vigour and passion. If he was any more of a romantic, he'd say it was a one of the “love at first sight” sort. Thankfully, he's a bit realistic and knows it's just the alcohol and most likely sexual frustration. That doesn't make the bloke any less attractive. And Zayn will certainly not complain if they end up going home together.
“I love ya, mate but ditching me again to snog fit blokes… not cool, not cool at all.”
The voice of Zayn's best friend piercing through the music quite close to them brings Zayn out of the lustful stupor that he's been in for the past god knows how many minutes. Reluctantly, Zayn glues his face from the bloke in his lap and looks at his best friend, not even attempting to seem apologetic. Meanwhile, the man shamelessly puts his lips on Zayn's neck, not that there are any complaints from Zayn.
“Niall, aren't you the one bringing ladies to our flat every time I try to actually work on things and then proceed to have very loud sex with them?” Zayn tries but Niall just laughs, knowing very well which one of the two has a higher body count with one night stands.
“Niall?” the man Zayn was just making out with turns his head to look at Niall, his green eyes wide. “Oh my god, Ni! It's been forever.”
The bloke then climbs off of Zayn's lap and throws his long arms around Niall, which were just mere moments ago wrapped around Zayn's neck. It's so ridiculous Zayn pinches himself to see if he hasn't fallen asleep on the floor and his wet dream just turned into something short of a nightmare. Unfortunately, he didn't.
“Harry, you cunt!” Niall exclaims after they pull apart. “I haven't seen you in so fuckin’ long. It's like you dropped off the Earth's surface.”
Harry, Zayn notes mentally. He didn't really catch his name before they started snogging like horny teenagers. Or perhaps he did because the cloudiness of his mind reveals some memories of an introduction that were lost in the moment when they were both thinking with their cocks instead of their brains.
“I know, I'm so sorry,” Harry paradoxically says with a smile. “I went to South America for a year with this volunteering organisation, it's a long story. It was kind of last minute and I got home just a few weeks ago so yeah. But I'm back finishing up my degree, you know how it is.”
“That's sick, love it,” Niall slaps his hand on Harry's shoulder. It's then when Zayn subtly coughs and gives Niall a look, which in their long-cultivated non-verbal language says “ Stop fucking cockblocking me”.
“Okay, so I'll be on my way,” Niall says with his eyebrows ridiculously high on his forehead. He smacks a kiss on Harry's forehead before standing up. “Call me, we'll grab a pint soon. Gotta tell me all about your adventures and whatnot.”
“I will,” Harry says with a wide smile. Once Niall's back turned to them, Harry focuses his attention on Zayn again. “Small world, innit?”
“It surely is,” Zayn chuckles. “Although Niall seems to know everyone so I'm not even surprised at this point.”
“You wanna go back to mine?” Harry says suddenly. “Cause you live with Niall, right?”
“I do,” Zayn replies, coincidently an answer to both questions. “How'd you know?”
“He mentioned a roommate once,” Harry shrugs. “And right now, I'm picking morning sex over a very long chat with Ni. If you're up for it of course.”
Instead of answering, Zayn cups Harry's jaw with one hand and pulls him into a kiss. It’d be a long time until they actually leave the club.
- Chasing your warmth again
“Thanks for going out with me,” Harry says after they've left the restaurant. “I didn't think you would, given the last time.”
They're walking side by side, their hands catching on one another. Zayn reaches out and takes Harry's hand in his, giving him an encouraging smile when he meets Harry's slightly surprised expression.
“Of course I would,” Zayn chuckles. “I did already. Hookups are awkward every single time. No one's at their best in the morning after a night of drinking.”
“Still,” Harry winces. “I promised you morning sex instead I nearly puked on you.”
“The operative word being nearly,” Zayn tries to lighten Harry up. “We're fine, honestly. I'm glad you weren't too embarrassed to talk to me again because if you hadn't called me, I would've texted you.”
“Really?” Harry stops walking. He's adorably perplexed and Zayn can't help himself but place a small kiss on Harry's lips, leaving his right hand caressing Harry's cheek.
“Really,” Zayn says quietly. “I wanted you before I even knew your name. There was just something about you that made me wait out that weird reunion of yours with Niall. If it were anyone else I would've left and found someone else, or just left altogether.”
“Really?” Harry parrots himself again.
“You got any more words in your vocabulary, mister?” Zayn laughs and kisses Harry once again before pulling away and leading them to walk again. They've been getting some weird stares for standing in the middle of a sidewalk and kissing like it's a cheap rom-com. Why tarnish their night with the nasty looks of some judgemental bigots in the streets?
“I do,” Harry scoffs. “Wanna go back to my flat where I can show off my extraordinary lexicon in the English language?”
“Sure,” Zayn smiles at Harry, knocking their shoulders together. “And what would you say about dinner at my place tomorrow? Niall's going… somewhere for golf.”
“I'd love that,” Harry breathes out before he nearly plasters onto a street light.
Back at Harry's flat, they jump each other before they even get inside. They can't stop kissing even while Harry unlocks the door, blindly pushing the key in and then plummeting through the threshold. Zayn pushes Harry against the front door and then leaves open-mouthed kisses all the way from Harry's mouth to his neck, where he works on a hickey. Harry moans his name and as an answer, Zayn squeezes Harry's arse through his jeans.
“Well, don't fuckin' mind me I guess,” a voice says.
It's like a bolt went through both Zayn and Harry. They push each other away, turning to the source of the sound. And on a grey sofa, Zayn sees a woman with a blonde lob, quirking her eyebrow at them from behind a laptop.
“Sam, you weren't supposed to be home,” Harry pants. His cheeks are red and not just with the extortion and passion from kissing.
“Yeah, well. The library was packed so I figured I'd have it better at home. Didn't know you'd be bringing someone here,” Sam replies. She's smirking boldly. Zayn didn't think getting caught snogging by someone he doesn't know would be so embarrassing.
“I told you I've got a date tonight,” Harry rolls his eyes.
“I generously didn't assume you'd be bringing them home,” Sam chuckles. “A huge mistake. You're still the same slag you were a year ago.”
“Hey!” Harry furrows his brows. “I'm not a slag.”
Sam ignores him. “Who's this handsome fellow, Haz?”
Zayn hates to be the object of their attention again. He kind of wants to run away, which wouldn't be that hard since he's got the door right behind him. But Harry then looks at him, his eyes softening and lips quirking in a smile and yeah, Zayn wants to leave preferably never. It's a rather swift reminder of why he even got out of bed today.
“Sam, this is Zayn,” Harry says, pointing between the two of them. “Zayn, this is Samantha, my roommate and bane of existence.”
“Nice to meet you,” Zayn says politely, trying a close-lipped smile. This would be going a lot smoother if his cock wasn't half hard.
“You too,” Sam grins. “I think I've heard your name in a conversation with Harry before.”
“Sam,” Harry warns. “Don't.”
“Don't worry, love,” she sighs and closes her laptop. “I'll go round to Tati's. Leave you lovebirds to it. If you get blue balls tonight I won't hear the end of it and I truly don't want to move out because of your elderly nagging. Have a good one.”
In the span of her monologue, Sam packed her laptop, put on a leather jacket and loafers, and left the flat while wiggling her eyebrows at them.
“You have an ace roommate,” Zayn laughs as Harry groans with his face in his hands. “If this happened at my place, Niall would demand we play FIFA together. Then he'd get us drunk and probably go on the pull himself so in the end, he'd get laid and we'd be hungover.”
“Is Niall a pest infestation?” Harry wonders. “Because Sam is. I love her to death but sometimes crap like this happens to me and I want to bury myself alive.”
“No, he's not and Sam seemed nice too,” Zayn says, coming to Harry and wrapping his arms around Harry's waist. “A bit of teasing never hurt anyone.”
“You're allowed to tease me only in bed or I'm never going out with you again.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Absolutely.”
- Never not wanting you
Niall hums as he looks over the menu despite already having ordered their food. He's never actually been here before and just took Zayn's word for the food, letting him order for the two of them. After the terrible midterm he just had, he'll gladly eat anything as long as he's got a pint.
“I fucking hate professor Barney,” Zayn sighs when he finally puts his phone down. “Who even let that man teach, I've no clue. Ni, I don't even know how I got out of that fucking room alive after that test. And I'm a good student. Imagine what dumb arseholes like Kyle thought when they saw those questions.”
“No, no, no. Enough,” Niall says resolutely. “Enough about uni. We're going drinking tonight and I'm playing golf all weekend. I don't give a crap about uni anymore. I haven't got a second with you alone lately, spill your guts, lad. How's your boyfriend?”
Surely enough, Zayn's grim face turns into the gleeful look of a little boy on Christmas morning. Niall almost scoffs, fucking lovebirds.
“He's great,” Zayn says with a sheepish smile, infectiously making Niall smile too. “I mean… we just clicked together so well. I never would've thought all of this would come out of a quick snog in a club. Like… I think I love him? For real this time. You know how it was with Chiara. This is different. But I never know what he thinks because… he's just all over the place.”
“Yep, that's Haz,” Niall nods and takes a sip of his beer. “Always everywhere, always around people. He's been with you for quite a while.”
“D'you think he's in it just to get laid?”
“Nah,” Niall furrows his brows, staring at his best friend and trying to work this whole thing out. Zayn's never been one to get hooked on people so early on. There were a few longer relationships after whose demise Niall had to piece Zayn back together with whisky and those god-awful superhero movies, but he's never talked about someone like this after mere three months. Especially considering Zayn's been avoiding relationships altogether lately. He's had trouble with staying faithful, and Niall doesn't judge, they're best friends after all, so it seemed like a good step to ditch the whole dating thing.
And Harry's a whole other story. He's got his quirks as well. Never had a proper relationship until some weird bloke Niall never met properly but Harry seemed happy about it. Then he disappeared and Niall's not sure if a year on a different continent changed Harry that much. Perhaps he's more prone to commitment now.
“You know, he always flirts with people but once he's with someone, he's faithful,” Niall continues. “He looks at you like you hung the bloody moon. So as long as you keep it in your pants around other people, you two are gonna be fine.”
“Niall, I wouldn't cheat,” Zayn scoffs. “I love him.”
“Who do you love, babe?”
It's unmistakably Harry's voice and Niall hopes his face isn't crimson red when he looks up at Harry, who's standing right by their table. Niall shares a slightly shocked, wide-eyed look with Zayn, before Zayn leaves the gasp behind and smiled at his boyfriend.
“Captain America, hope he doesn't die in Endgame,” Zayn grins.
Harry furrows his brows and starts laughing, “No idea what you're on about but Chris Evans is too sexy for his own good.”
He sits down in the booth next to Zayn, immediately pecking his lips. Niall watches the betrayal with squinted eyes. Zayn eventually notices Niall's deadly stare.
“Haz texted me and wanted to get lunch so I told him he could join us,” Zayn says with a half-arsed smile before his mouth attaches to Harry's once again.
Niall watches them for a moment as their tongues give one another a throat examination worthy of a specialized medical professional, hoping they'll stop. Once he sees it's basically a pipe dream, Niall leans his back against the booth and sighs. His eyes travel down to the pint, eyeing it for a moment.
“Alright, lads, I guess I'll just be here snogging my pint,” Niall announces only to be completely ignored by his supposed best friends. “I like beer more than you two cunts either way.”
It's safe to say that Niall's favourite person of the day is the waiter, who's the supernatural force that makes Zayn and Harry pull away from each other at last. Niall kind of regrets those thoughts once the two people he doesn't know why he's friends with start sharing their food like it's Lady and Tramp.
- Knowing your heart
Harry could keep staring at Zayn's face forever. If he struck a deal with the devil and his punishment was having to stare at Zayn's face for all of eternity, Harry doesn't think it'd be a punishment at all. Even his profile is literal perfection, even more so when he's concentrating on something, just like now when he's reading a book for a class.
“You're staring, Haz,” Zayn says, the left corner of his lips, the only one Harry can see, lifts up in a smile.
“I am,” Harry confirms shamelessly. “You're pretty. I like to look at pretty things.”
“You're prettier, believe it or not,” Zayn chuckles, now facing Harry. “I'm- I know this is kind of random but… I'm in love with you, Haz.”
Harry takes a breath like he's about to say something but the words stay lodged deep in his throat. It's an unpleasant rush as his heartbeat accelerates, chest gets heavy. He's stepping on a trap and falling deep into a pit of disastrous remembrance. A tiny string is all that's holding him, keeping him from submerging in the goo.
“Babe, it's fine if you don't say it back,” Zayn says, putting a reassuring hand on Harry's knee. “I just wanted to tell you how I feel.”
“No,” Harry takes a deep breath as if he has resurfaced after hours of being underwater. “I want to say it back. I was just… a little unsettled.”
“Why?”
Harry tries to calm his heart because he knows he can't keep hiding his past, the scars he still carries on his heart. He trusts Zayn, trusts him to catch him if he falls down to that pit again. He just needs to trust that it won't happen again, that his mind won't ever take him there.
“It's just… my ex,” Harry breathes out. “It sounds cartoonish but he broke my heart. He fucked me up a little.”
“I'm sorry, love,” Zayn says, pulling Harry to his chest. Harry pushes Zayn down to lay down on the couch and lays his head on his chest. He doesn't think he can face Zayn while talking about that whole thing.
“We were together for almost a year,” Harry says in a quiet voice. “We even moved in together for a bit.”
“Haz, you don't need to tell me,” Zayn whispers into Harry's hair after kissing his forehead. “I don't need to know about it to still love you.”
“I want to,” Harry replies. “It's been standing in my way for too long.”
“Okay, whatever you want, love. I'm here for you.”
Harry cranes his head to look at Zayn. “I love you too. In case that wasn't clear. But the last time I said it, it was to Luke and fuck, looking back at it I don't know what I even saw in him.”
“We all date dickheads.”
“Yeah,” Harry chuckles grimly and starts drawing patterns on Zayn's tshirt with the tip of his pointed finger. “I mean, at first we were just sleeping together. It was great, he was a vers too so I was glad to have a...stable fuck buddy, let's say. And somehow, our relationship changed. We started going out as well and then one day, he introduced me as his boyfriend to a friend of his we ran into and I just went with it.
“I wasn't really into relationships, you know. But I grew to like it. I fell in love with Luke after a few months. And I fell hard. It wasn't a terrible relationship. He wasn't abusive or a complete arsehole. While we were together, everything was fine. It was just the end of it that tore my heart out and made me run to a different continent.”
“You went to Bolivia because of him?” Zayn asks. “What happened?”
“Well, he was cheating on me,” Harry says with a sigh. “I found out about it, he said that he thought we weren't that serious. Funny that since we lived together. So I went there to volunteer instead of Sam, who couldn't get off uni for a year. She had already arranged everything and was looking for someone anyway so, yeah. I left because I had a broken heart and my boyfriend left me for some twink.”
“I'm sorry, babe,” Zayn says and kisses the top of Harry's head.
“It's okay,” Harry says, turning to lay on his tummy so he can look at Zayn. “I wouldn't have had an amazing year teaching English to little kids in need. And I wouldn't have met you. You're miles better than Luke. Unless you plan on leaving me for someone who looks twelve.”
Zayn laughs and pulls Harry up for a slow, short kiss. “I'm not letting you go unless you tell me to leave.”
“Good to know,” Harry grins, resting his chin on Zayn's chest. “How about you? Any fucked up exes?”
Zayn hums, looking up at the ceiling before looking at Harry again. “Niall never told you about Chiara?”
Harry shakes his head.
“How so? He loves to embarrass me with that story. Anyway, I was dating her for more than a year ago for a few months. She's Italian, I was into her, we started dating and then she went back home to Milan, I think. She wasn't sure she'd go back home, that's what she had told me. And then she just left. Told me two days before. And I was just horrible after she left. Cried like a baby and let Niall pour whisky into me all day long for like two weeks. And then he took me out, to get my mind off things and I started crying over her, drunk off my arse of course, because there was a footie match on the TV in the pub and Italy played… I don't know with who. So yeah. That's the story.”
Harry squits at Zayn. “That's the worst Niall's got on you?”
“Yep,” Zayn nods with a laugh. “I'm a very responsible drunk so he doesn't have any other embarrassing stories.”
“I ran on the street starkers once as a dare and Sam loves to remind even my own mother that I did that,” Harry scoffs. “I need better friends.”
“I'd love to see that,” Zayn says with a serious face of consideration. Harry reaches out to smack him on the head.
“I'm shocked she doesn't have it on video,” Harry notes. “But I would gladly run starkers to the bedroom for you.”
“Kiss me first?”
Harry places an open-mouthed kiss on Zayn's lips as an answer, running his tongue along Zayn's bottom lip to get across the idea that he should open his mouth. He does open his lips and their tongues touch, meddling together in an infinite affair. Harry feels Zayn's hands on his arse soon, kneading his cheeks and pulling him closer so their crotches can touch. They could fuck right here but knowing himself, Harry's sure he would fall down and crack his skull on the coffee table.
Just as Zayn starts to get his hands down the back of Harry's pants, they're interrupted by a scream.
Harry lifts his head to see a naked girl with long black hair standing in the doorway to the living room. His mouth falls open in a silent gasp as the girl tries to cover her private parts with her hands. The situation reaches the right parts of Harry's brain then and he puts a hand over his eyes.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to look at you but who the hell are you?” Harry asks. He feels Zayn turning under him so Harry tells him through his teeth not to look because it's rude.
“Why are you in my flat? I should be the one screaming,” Zayn says.
“I'm-”
Niall's voice interrupts the girl. “For fuck's sake, what's going on?”
“Niall?” Harry and Zayn say at the same time.
“No, Jesus Christ. Of course, it's me. Why the fuck are you covering your eyes, you cunts?”
“It's rude to stare at naked strangers, Niall,” Harry explains something that is clear to every person in their right mind.
“When did you get home?” Zayn asks. “You weren't supposed to be back until the evening. And how the fuck did we sleep through you and that surely lovely lady having sex?”
“I'm disturbed, can you both look at me when you talk?” Niall says. Harry then makes the mistake of removing his hand because Niall's naked too, standing in the doorway alone naked like the day he was born.
“Niall, fucking hell, put your cock away!” Harry calls out.
“I'm surprised you lot aren't going at it,” Niall laughs and points at them before leaning against the doorway. “I thought Wendy found you fucking on the kitchen counter.”
“We're not animals, we don't fuck everywhere,” Zayn scoffs. “I also asked you something, mate. When did you get home? Why didn't you at least text me? We could've been fucking in the kitchen, you couldn't have known.”
“Was drunk,” Niall shrugs. “I'm going back to bed. Please stop scaring the living shit out of the lovely lady I plan to see again. Cheers.”
Niall retreats back to his bedroom as if nothing happened, leaving Harry and Zayn stunned on the couch.
- Along our path
Summer is the best season and Zayn doesn't think it's up for discussion. While snow might be pretty, and the blossoming trees or falling leaves too, summer has something that tops everything - many hours of sunlight and warmth. And since he learned how to swim, Zayn wouldn't mind living on a beach all year round. Especially if he had Harry running around in tiny swimwear all the time.
“Did your boyfriend get his arse done?” Wendy asks from the neighbouring lounger. They've got a very nice view of Harry's behind from there as they watch him, Niall, Sam and her girlfriend Rosie play beach volleyball while Zayn and Wendy, known intellectuals, are sitting out. Zayn broke his finger once while playing with Niall and in this case, he's a big fan of the whole “one and done” ideology.
“No,” Zayn replies to Wendy's question. “Why'd you think that?”
“Dunno,” Wendy shrugs and pushes her sunglasses back on her nose. “It's a nice arse. Niall's got a good arse too but it's too firm in my opinion.”
“Why are we talking about that right now?”
“Dunno,” Wendy repeats herself. “Might be the sun. We should probably spend some time in the shade. The UK's not this generous with sunshine, our brains aren't used to it.”
“Might be a good idea,” Zayn agrees. It's the third day of their holiday here in this tiny Spanish village and despite having a small house right on the beach, they haven't spent much time inside of it. The place is terribly nice, with a private beach. The only downside is that there's fuck all around and they had to rent a car to get here. Probably why it was free in the middle of summer and affordable to a bunch of uni students at the ages between 22-24. The wonders of the Internet - cheap accommodation.
“Babe!” Zayn hears Harry call out as he runs toward him. Soon enough, there's a warm, slightly sweaty body on him and a slick mouth on his. Zayn leans into the kiss but slides Harry's body off of his soon enough, lying on his side so they can share the sunlounger.
“We won!” Harry does the jazz hands with a big grin. “I'm tired. And hungry. Whose turn to cook is it today?”
“That would be yours,” Wendy says from behind Zayn's back.
“Nooo,” Harry wails. “Niall tortured me. Rosie broke my finger. Sam actually stabbed me. I'm incapacitated!”
“We've instant noodles, we'll survive,” Zayn chuckles. “You can show off those cooking skills you keep bragging about tomorrow.”
“Kiss me?” Harry pouts.
“Might as well,” Zayn says before leaning down to kiss Harry's sunburnt nose first and then finally connect their lips. He can still taste the salt from the sea on them.
“You don't see my girlfriend and I snogging all the time,” Zayn hears Sam complain. “Why can't they control themselves?”
“Just go with it, Sam,” Niall laughs. “They're horny bastards. Let's go in and let them get a nasty sunburn.”
Niall might be right but kissing someone you love on the beach with the waves hitting the sand and the massive stones providing the background music is worth the peeling skin.
-1 Wanting an eternity
Harry now knows that when inviting Niall and Wendy over to his and Zayn's place, he needs to get ready to sit through at least fifteen minutes of them snogging on Harry's beautiful retro-inspired sofa. It's fine, he knows that back when Zayn still lived with Niall, he hadn't had the easiest nights since their respective bedrooms did share a wall. Harry's always been patient either way.
But now it's been quite a while and he knows it was a stupid idea to wait until after the dinner to try and talk to them. A bottle of wine down and there's a slim chance they can actually have a civil conversation.
Harry looks at Zayn and they exchanged an amused look. It's been a few years and Niall and Wendy still do the shit both couples did at the beginning. Only Harry and Zayn managed to realize that no one wants to look at them while they snog in public places or with their friends. Doesn't mean they're not as obsessed with each other as they used to be back then.
After a moment, Harry clears his throat. When nothing happens, he does it again a little louder.
“What?” Niall looks up at him, his hair messy from Wendy's hands. “Why are you two staring like that? You fighting or summat?”
“Not really,” Zayn chuckles. “But we did want to talk to you two.”
“Oh for fuck's sake, is this serious?” Wendy sighs. “Why did you let us be all oblivious the whole evening?”
“I wouldn't say it's exactly serious,” Harry muses and looks at Zayn. “Is it serious?”
“Don't think so,” Zayn shakes his head a bit. “But it's not like… menial either.”
“Menial, fuck me,” Niall scoffs. “Shut up, mister three-English-degrees. Out with it.”
“God, Niall, you're getting mean with the old age,” Zayn clicks his tongue. “Should we even tell him, Haz?”
“Might as well,” Harry smiles at Zayn one last time, before focusing his attention on Niall and Wendy.
“We love you both,” Harry starts. “So you're the first people out of our friends to know. Don't tell Sam because I want to keep my bollocks in place.”
“What did you two crazy cunts do?”
“We're getting married!” Harry exclaims, smiling so wide it's starting to hurt his cheeks. “And since we don't want to wait, the wedding's on August 20th so you've got a little over three months to prepare.”
Niall and Wendy don't look very impressed.
“What?” Harry says, the smile falling from his lips. “What's wrong?”
“You made all the fuss with this?” Niall raises his brows. “You two might as well been married for the past five years, since the moment you moved in together because you've been acting that way.”
“But we're really happy for you,” Wendy adds. “It's lovely.”
Harry scoffs and turns to Zayn. “I told you we should've told Sam first. She acts like a cold, heartless queen of evil but she would've cried and hugged us until we couldn't breathe. These heathens? They would rather fuck on our sofa right now.”
“Okay, that's not true, we wouldn't fuck in front of you,” Niall defends.
“Really?” Harry looks at him. “Remember the first time we met Wendy?”
“That was like a decade ago!”
“You're terrible at maths.”
Niall is indeed terrible at maths but time has its mysterious ways and “a decade” will (in not even three years) be the descriptor for the length of Harry and Zayn's relationship. It sounds a bit terrifying but every single year has been worth it. And from now on, it's only going to get better.