Archive of Our Own

“Well, the damn thing would have definitely shattered if you hadn’t made it across the room in time to catch it!” Harry insisted. “Proper quick, our Liam is!” Harry turned his attention to Zayn, whilst inclining his head in Liam’s direction. “Liam almost made the Olympic team. Competed in the British Championships, won a bronze medal and everything.”

“Really?” Zayn glanced at Liam, almost endeared by the blush creeping up his cheeks. 

Dinner with his friends had been wonderful, and Liam an unexpected, but charming, addition to the meal. Harry hadn’t lied - he and Liam did have a lot of common interests, and the conversation had flowed as copiously as the wine around the table. Harry’s overt attempts at matchmaking had amused Zayn to no end, though it seemed Liam hadn’t quite caught on to their friend’s subterfuge. 

“It’s not that big of a deal, Harry!” Liam protested, taking a sip of wine. “It’s not nearly as hard to make the qualifier as people think it does.”

Louis lifted his glass, tipping it toward Liam as he spoke. “Mate, considering the only way I’d ever run would be during a zombie apocalypse, I think it’s damn admirable.” 

“Oh, really? So exactly what are you doing when you say you're off to play footie every Saturday morning, hmmmm?” Harry quirked an eyebrow at his husband, and Zayn stifled a laugh. He pushed himself out of his chair and started to gather the dishes. “What are you doing? Sit! You’re a guest!” 

“I’m hardly a guest at this point, Hazza. You and Louis have been feeding me at least once a week for the last five months. I’ve got the dishes.” 

“I’ll help.” Liam also stood. “It’s the least I can do to repay your hospitality. We’ll get these knocked out, and then you can tell me what that favor is that you need.” 

“Oh, right. The favor.” Harry picked up his wine glass, taking a deep sip. “Sure you want to do the washing up? You were invited for dinner, after all.” 

“Go. Sit. Relax. We’ve got this, right Zayn?” 

“Absolutely.” Zayn handed the serving dishes to Liam and nodded toward the kitchen. “You can tell me more about how an Olympic track star from Wolverhampton ended up working as a builder for an interior designer in Birmingham.” 

“It’s not nearly as interesting as it sounds, I promise.” Liam set the dishes aside. “Do you prefer washing or drying?” 

“Drying,” Zayn replied, his decision made solely on the basis that it gave him the freedom to watch Liam without it coming across as creepy. Liam was only a bit taller than him, but his broad shoulders gave him the appearance of being much larger. His brown eyes always seemed to be smiling, and while he readily joined into the conversations and banter, Zayn noticed he didn’t like to be the focus of attention, diverting the conversation whenever Harry tried to talk him up. Zayn found himself more than a little attracted to the other man, and for once, maybe, Harry’s machinations weren’t as bothersome as they’d been in the past. 

*****

“So that favor?” Liam asked. He gestured for Zayn to move ahead of him and choose a seat, then settled next to him on the sofa. Louis waggled his eyebrows in Zayn’s direction, receiving a well deserved two finger salute in return. 

“Well, it’s more a favor for Zayn-” Harry began and was quickly interrupted. 

“No, Haz! I told Louis it was fine, I’d figure something out.” Zayn leaned forward to protest. 

Harry waved him off. “As I was trying to explain, before i was interrupted,” Zayn glared at Harry, but Harry paid him no mind, “Zayn has to have his wisdom teeth extracted on Friday.” 

“Oh gosh. I had my wisdom teeth done a few years ago. The first couple days were a blur of drug-induced sleep.” Liam gently touched Zayn’s arm, wincing, apparently at the memory. “Thankfully I still lived near my family, and my mum was able to pop in to keep me supplied with tea and what not.”

Zayn relaxed at Liam’s casual touch. Sitting back on the sofa, he subtly shifted closer toward Liam and the sense of calm he seemed to radiate.  

“And there’s the rub,” Harry continued. “Louis and I are going to be out of town, but he should really have someone with him - you know, to make sure he gets home okay, takes his medication, doesn’t starve and whatnot?”

“Is that the favor?” At Harry’s nod, Liam shrugged. “Of course, yeah.” He turned and offered Zayn a cautious smile. “I mean, if that doesn’t make you uncomfortable? I know we’ve only just met, but we do have friends in common, and Harry thinks I’m trustworthy.” 

Zayn tilted his head, contemplating the idea. As if sensing his hesitation, Liam rushed to reassure him. 

“It wouldn’t be any trouble. We already weren’t working Friday, and I didn’t really have any plans for the weekend, other than vegetating on the sofa with Netflix, whist I looked at shelter dogs online.”

“You like dogs?”

“Absolutely love ‘em!” Liam shifted, turning to face Zayn, the excitement in his eyes overshadowing everything else in the room. “I had one, a little husky mix named Loki. when I still lived at home, but I couldn’t find a flat that would allow me to have him when I’d moved out. My sister offered to keep him, and my nephew adores him. I couldn’t break up a boy and his dog now, could I? So I left Loki with Andrew - that’s my nephew.” 

“I’ve wanted to get a dog for the longest time, but I hadn’t really put much more thought into it while I was getting settled in here.” 

They began discussing the pros and cons of different breeds, the constraints of caring for a pet in the city, and adopting versus buying a pet. 

“People buy their children puppies, obviously forgetting they don’t stay little and cute forever, then don’t want to deal with a full size dog in their home.” Zayn shook his head. “They surrender them to the shelters or abandon them, and  It’s so unfair to the animals.”

“Right? It’s awful! It makes me sad to see them in those cages, too. I just want to adopt them all.” 

Engrossed in their conversation, they forgot about the other couple in the room. The sudden sound of Louis clearing his throat startled them. 

“While this little tête-à-tête is fascinating to listen to, can we return to the original topic of conversation - to wit, who’s going to take care of Zayn?” 

“I’m not a child, Louis. I don’t need a babysitter.” 

“No, Zee, but you do need a friend to check on you.” Liam smiled, tilting his head. “I can be that friend.” 

Zayn liked the casual way Liam gave him a nickname. He liked Liam’s obvious affection for animals. He liked that he was so ready to help others. In fact, he just kind of really liked Liam.