Work Text:
Liam sat across the table from Zayn, his eyes locked on the plate of food in front of him and his hands fidgeting around in his lap. The small black box felt as though it was literally burning a hole in his pocket. He knew he wanted to do this, has wanted to for almost a year, but now that it was time all he could think about was what if Zayn said no or what if he wasn't ready?
Zayn was looking between Liam and the plate in front of him, confusion clear on his face whenever he looked at Liam "Li...are you okay?" he questions softly.
"Huh? Oh...yeah I'm fine...why?"
"You just look sort of distracted and I wanted to make sure you were okay..." Zayn replies with a shrug and a smile.
"Yeah I'm fine just thinking!" Liam says, a slightly forced smile on his lips.
Zayn tilts his head to the side and gives the slightly younger boy a confused look "What are you thinking about?" he asks softly, sounding almost worried but mostly just confused.
"Us...our relationship..." Liam answers quietly.
"W-What about it?" Zayn asks hesitantly, his eyes growing wide and filling with worry and confusion.
Liam sighs and lays his hand out on the table smiling softly when Zayn reaches out and takes it in his own "Okay...I love you Zayn! You know that right?" he asks before pausing to give the other boy time to answer.
Zayn nods slowly, still unsure as to where Liam was going with this conversation but he couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that it was going to turn out bad.
"And I really hope you feel the same or this is going to be really awkward..." Liam sighs and stands up to move over in front of Zayn, his hand still gripping Zayn's hand in his own.
"What are you d-doing?" Zayn asks shakily, his eyes slowly filling with tears and his hand shaking a little in Liam's grip.
"Something I have been thinking about doing for the past year..." Liam says simply with a small smile on his face.
Zayn forces a small laugh "That's very helpful Liam..." he sighs, the sarcasm clear and obvious in his voice as he looks curiously up at Liam.
Liam laughs and pulls Zayn up out of his chair and smiles at him before slipping his hand into his pocket and pulling the box out, getting down on one knee and looking up at Zayn with a small, hesitant smile on his lips.
"Oh my god..." Zayn whispers as realization dawns on him and he stares down at Liam, his eyes filling with even more tears, this time they spill over to roll down his cheeks, and his hand starting to shake again.
"Zayn Jawaad Malik...I have been in love with you since the day I met you, you saved me from myself and I can't imagine my life without you! So I have to ask you...Zayn...will you marry me?" Liam asks, his own eyes starting to fill with tears and a the small smile still on his face.
Zayn stays silent for a few moments, just long enough for Liam to be filled with a sense of fear and dread, before he nods slowly and a whispered 'yes' passing his lips.
Large smiles spread on both of the boys lips and Liam pulls the ring out of the box in order to slide it on Zayn's finger before he stands up and pulls him into a heated, passionate kiss.
Zayn pulls Liam closer and wraps his arms around the larger boys neck. He pulls away a few seconds later and leans his forehead against Liam's "I love you so much..." he whispers softly, his voice cracking slightly due to the crying before.
"I love you too..." Liam whispers back, resting his hands on Zayn's hips and kissing him softly for a brief moment.
A calming feeling of relief washes over them as they stand in the arms of their loved ones.