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It’s been a long while since Zayn’s gone trick-or-treating, and Halloween these days mainly consists of handing out candy and texting Louis while his mum takes the girls out around their neighborhood. Zayn doesn’t mind though. The allure of dressing up has passed and he much prefers doing Safaa’s makeup to make her look like a cute and convincing werewolf and helping his mum with any last minute costume alterations anyway.
Zayn’s helping apply kohl to Waliyah’s eyelids to complete her costume when Trisha interrupts, smiling a bit fondly before turning her expression more firm. “Zayn, love, did you get the candy?”
“Thought baba was getting the candy,” Zayn mumbles, adding a sharp, “for God’s sake Waliyah, stand still or it’s gonna get all messed up.”
“Don’t want you to poke my eye out,” Waliyah complains.
Zayn pokes his tongue out at her childishly. “Shouldn’t have asked for my help then.”
“Mum -!”
“Zayn,” Trisha interrupts, stopping the argument before it escalates. “You were supposed to pick up the candy. I asked you to do it last week after your class. Please don’t tell me you forgot.”
Now that Zayn thinks about it, he can vaguely remember a phone-call he was only half listening to while Harry and Louis squabbled on the way back to class. There might have been mention of getting candy and Zayn might have popped into the local Tesco, promptly forgotten what he had gone in for, and left with a bag of crisps and a load of fizzy drinks he really didn’t need.
“Zayn,” Trisha scolds when Zayn smiles at her sheepishly. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Sorry, sorry,” Zayn apologizes, “just slipped my mind.”
“You better be getting your butt to the store then,” his mum glares, “I’ll take care of things here.”
She takes the pencil out of Zayn’s hand and Zayn whines in protest, the sound getting caught in his throat when he spots the look in his mum’s eye.
“‘Course, mum. Love you.”
--
There’s not much of a rush in the stores, but there’s no fucking candy. Anywhere. At all. Zayn’s gone to at least two or three different stores in the area, and nothing. His mum’s going to kill him.
There’s a small corner store a few streets down from Zayn’s house that he pops into once in a while if he needs to buy cigs or is in desperate need of paracetamol, and he goes into it as a last resort. If there’s nothing there he’s gonna have to return home empty-handed and face his mum’s disappoint.
Things aren’t looking hopeful as he stalks the cramped aisles, but then he sees it. Shoved in the corner of the last shelf is a bag of assorted sweets. It’s the off-brand crap, the kind Zayn hated getting in his own pillowcase when he was younger, but right now it seems like the holy grail of candies. He must have it.
Zayn's stuck in some kind of tunnel vision as he reaches for the bag, and he's not snapped out if until the glorious crinkly plastic in his hand is getting tugged away from him.
"What the hell, bro," he snaps, eyes coming up to face the candy thief, "I had it first."
Zayn's usually not this confrontational, not over small things like this and definitely not with boys with warm brown eyes and nice arms and the perfect hint of stubble and -
“Mate, I was definitely here first,” the guy says, tugging on the candy again. “This could possibly be the last bag of candy in the whole city, and I’m pretty sure it belongs to me now.”
“C’mon, I promised my mum I would come back home with a bag of candy,” Zayn sighs, “cut me some slack, it’s Halloween.”
The guy raises an eyebrow at Zayn. He’s got nice eyebrows, thick and defining. They fit his face well. “Exactly, it’s Halloween, not Christmas. And I also promised my room mate that I would pass out the candy tonight, so guess you’re out of luck.”
Zayn takes a step forward, making sure to still keep a hand on the bag of candy. Liam’s face is ever nicer up close, his bottom lip is plump and kissable and he smells incredible. “Well did your room mate specify where you’re supposed to hand out candy?”
Liam’s caterpillar eyebrows furrow in confusion, lips turning down in a frown. “Um, I suppose not? Though I think it was implied I would do it from our flat.”
“Well if it wasn’t explicitly stated,” Zayn says slowly, an idea stitching together in his mind. “You could like, come to mine I suppose? Hand out the candy with me?”
He looks up at the guy through his eyelashes. It’s a tactic he’s used before, and Louis’s complained enough times that Zayn’s knows it works. He thinks it’s working because Liam’s face turns a dusty pink and he swallows visibly when Zayn takes a step closer.
“I - um,” Liam stammers, “I don’t usually go home with strangers.”
“M’name’s Zayn,” Zayn says holding out a hand.
The guy takes it gingerly, the angle weird as he shakes it because they’re standing so close. His hands are soft, and God, he really does smell good. Zayn wants to know what it would be like to kiss him. He could probably feel the blood rushing to his face right now. “Liam.”
“Well, Leeyum, don’t think we’re strangers anymore,” Zayn grins, his tongue pressing against his teeth.
Liam’s grip on the bag of candy slackens and Zayn tugs it out of his hand easily, turning towards the check-out corner. Liam looks absolutely floored as he watches Zayn, and it makes Zayn’s skin buzz in excitement. “You coming, Liam?”
Liam nods quickly, following Zayn’s footsteps.
--
They split the cost of the candy, fishing coins out of their pocket before heading off the direction of Zayn’s home together. Now that he’s not just his competition for the last bag of candy, Zayn takes a minute to fully take Liam in. He’s handsome in a classic way, full cheeks and a stubble lined jaw. Zayn likes the way he smiles with his whole face, his eyes crinkling into small half-moons whenever Zayn makes dumb comments on their walk back. Even though they’ve just met, Zayn thinks that Liam is easy to talk to.
“So you live with your mum still? Or just visiting?” Liam asks as Zayn opens the door to his home.
Zayn shrugs. “Yeah, still live at home. Just me, my mum, my dad, and my two little sisters. Cheaper than living in a dorm or having my own place innit?”
“No, I completely understand,” Liam agrees with a nod. “I probably couldn’t do it either. Got lucky. Me mate Niall who I live with, he’s got a friend who’s constantly jetting between here and Ireland. He’s letting us stay in his flat rent-free as long as we promise to take care of the place.”
“Definitely lucky then,” Zayn agrees.
“Zayn, did you get the candy - oh who’s this?” Trisha asks, coming out of the living room to greet Zayn.
“Um, this is my mate Liam. Ran into him at the store,” Zayn explains. It’s probably best not to mention to his mum that he’s invited a complete stranger into their home.
“Well it’s very nice to meet you, Liam,” Trisha smiles widely, “are you staying to help Zayn pass out the sweets?”
“That’s the plan,” Liam grins, winking wonkily at Zayn who rolls his eyes immediately.
Zayn finds a bowl for the candy, emptying the sweets out into the dish and putting them on the side table by the door before leading Liam into the living room. Liam’s sort of fantastic, Zayn realizes quickly. He chats easily with Trisha like he’s catching up with an old friend. He fits easily into the organized chaos of Zayn’s home, and Zayn doesn’t know how that makes him feel.
“Zayn, Wali’s messed up my make-up!”
Safaa comes running into the living room just as Zayn and Liam have sat down. Her make-ups mostly fine, just smudged a bit across her nose and easily fixable, but she looks close to tears.
“Did not,” Waliyah retaliates, calling from the other room. “It was an accident!”
“Come here, love, I’ll fix it,” Zayn says, waving Safaa towards him.
He can feel Liam’s gaze on him as he uses his thumb to wipe away the smudged facepaint. From the corner of his eye he can see Liam smile at him fondly, and it makes his tummy flip.
“Do I look scary again?” Safaa asks when Zayn’s done, baring her teeth in a fake growl.
“Absolutely terrifying,” Liam says, answering before Zayn can. He puts a hand to his chest in fake shock. “Nearly gave me a heart attack, you did. Scariest werewolf I’ve ever seen.”
Safaa beams before leaning close and whispering, “Your new friend is nice, bhaia, he should come over more. Also he’s very cute.”
Zayn laughs loudly in surprise, pushing her away gently.
“Go find mum so she can take you girls out,” he says, ignoring the way Liam’s smiling smugly next to him.
For some reason the grin Liam sends his way makes Zayn’s face heat up, and he’s so glad his blush doesn’t show in his cheeks.
--
The girls and Zayn’s parents leave in a flurry of excited squeals and swishy costumes, leaving Zayn and Liam on their own. It’s surprisingly not awkward, Zayn popping in the original Teen Wolf movie and the two of them settling down on the couch and waiting for trick-or-treaters.
The movie quickly becomes background noise, the two of them talking more and more as the night goes on. Usually it’s not so easy for Zayn to just sit and talk with some he’s just met, and he’s still surprised at how comfortable he feels around Liam as they discuss music and movies and classes at uni.
Every once and a while there’s a knock on the door and they go to hand out the candy together as agreed on. Zayn finds himself becoming more and more endeared with Liam as the night goes on. He’s a bit like an excited puppy, following Zayn to the door and the marvelling over the costumes kids come dressed at. He acts scared at all the right times and has a knack of making little girls blush as he compliments their frilly dresses. Unfortunately with just the one bag of candy, they run out of sweets quickly, leaving them to just sit in the living room for the rest of the night.
“Shit,” Liam curses, pulling out his phone with a sheepish smile when it starts buzzing incessantly while Zayn starts putting in a new film. “It’s me mate Niall.”
“What’s he want then?” Zayn asks, plopping down onto the couch as the advertisements on the DVD start playing. His knee bumps against Liam’s and their thighs are pressed together from how close they’re sitting.
“He asked if I got lost looking for candy. Forgot to text him that I wasn’t coming back,” Liam laughs. “Apparently he’s going out now though. Some party a bloke in his Econ class invited him to.”
“Did he invite you?” Zayn asks, keeping his eyes on the screen. The thought of this night ending makes his chest tighten uncomfortably.
Liam just shrugs, patting Zayn’s thigh. His hand is big and warm and almost familiar. “He did, but told him I already had plans for the night.”
Zayn ducks his head, trying to hide the smile growing on his face. Liam doesn’t move his hand and Zayn doesn’t comment on it.
--
The peaceful calm that’s settled between Zayn and Liam is broken as soon as the girls come home, bounding through the door with excited yells and heavy footfalls.
“Zayn, Zayn look at how much candy we got,” Safaa explains, nearly sprinting into the living room and promptly spilling the contents of her bulging pillowcase all over the rug.
Waliyah follows her, considerably calmer, but there’s no hiding that she’s just as excited about her own haul of sweets. The two of them drag Zayn and Liam down onto the floor of them, helping them sort through what candy that’s acceptable to keep and what they can throw out. Liam mediates their arguments good naturedly, even accepting to take home some of the candy they don’t want. It’s all very sweet, and Zayn marvels the whole night at how well Liam fits into his home.
They pop in a third film - Halloweentown because it’s the only one Safaa and Waliyah can agree on - and turn the lights down low as it starts. The girls claim seats next to either side of Liam, Zayn laughing at how smitten they are with him already. Zayn doesn’t mind squishing onto the end of the couch next to Safaa though, especially not when Liam stretches his arm across the back of it, his fingertips occasionally brushing against Zayn’s shoulder.
Safaa’s the first to doze off, falling asleep only thirty minutes into the movie, and despite her valiant efforts, Waliyah joins her not even ten minutes after. It seems that their sugar highs were not enough to keep them up through the night.
“Should probably get them to bed,” Zayn whispers, standing up and cracking the bones in his back.
He goes to pick Safaa up but Liam beats him to it, lifting her easily with a soft grin. “I’ve got it.”
The fluttering in Zayn’s stomach is insane like butterflies with large mutant wings taking flight inside him. Liam is absolutely ridiculous, and everything about him fills Zayn with an indescribable and incomparable warmth. It’s hard for him to believe that he’s only known Liam for a few hours and not a few years or even a few lifetimes.
“Um, right,” Zayn says swallowing thickly. “Her room is up the stairs, first door to the right. I’ll be right up there with Wali, yeah?”
Liam nods, probably oblivious to what he’s making Zayn feel as he walks off with his little sister.
--
“I should probably start heading out,” Liam says once they’ve got the girls tucked in and they’re back downstairs.
“Right,” Zayn nods a bit stiffly, not knowing how to feel about parting ways with Liam.
Zayn walks Liam to the door, the two of them standing there awkwardly, neither of them knowing exactly what to say or what to do. There’s not really a protocol of how to say goodbye to the boy who almost stole your candy is there?
Liam’s standing impossibly close, Zayn feeling almost dizzy with how the warmth radiating off him and the scent of his aftershave. His eyes keep darting between Liam’s chocolate eyes and the pink of his lips.
“It was very nice to meet you,” Liam says, laughing softly. “Bit glad Niall sent me out for candy tonight. Didn’t think it would end quite this way.”
Zayn grins a bit shyly. He looks up at Liam through his eyelashes again, the effect pretty much the same but the intent completely different. Liam’s face heats up obviously as Zayn inches just a bit closer.
“You can like, kiss me,” Zayn smiles, “y’know if you want that is.”
He feels a bit dumb saying it, but Zayn doesn’t regret it at all when Liam’s lips touch his, soft and plush and so, so warm. The kiss is chaste, closed mouth, but just the rest of the night, absolutely perfect. Zayn likes the brush of Liam’s stubble against his face and the nip of his teeth when Zayn starts to kiss him a bit harder. Liam’s fingers dig into his hip and Zayn’s rest carefully on the nape of Liam’s neck. It’s amazing, not exactly like fireworks, but more like a tidal wave of emotion crashing into Zayn from every side.
“I really should go,” Liam mumbles, parting just enough to get the words out. His forehead is steepled against Zayn’s, their noses brushing just slightly. “But, I’d like to do this again sometime.”
“I think that sounds nice,” Zayn agrees. “Maybe next time I can go over to yours.”
Liam kisses again in reply, just once and with incredible sweetness. He tastes like candy and fizzy drinks and fuck if he’s not the most intoxicating person Zayn’s ever met.
“Bye, Zayn. I’ll see you around, yeah?”
Zayn nods, heart growing about a million times too big as he watches Liam leave with a large smile on his face.