falling [zarry] ✔️

iv

There's people everywhere, music buzzing, and Harry's pleasantly buzzed himself. He's pushing through the crowd, getting jostled a bit, trying to find Niall or Louis or anyone because he's lost them. They weren't even supposed to be out, not alone, and he'd rather not be in additional trouble for getting lost. It's just hard seeing them through the lights and the people, making everything seem to spiral around him. He doesn't see that he's on a collision path until it's too late. 

"Sorry," he says, catching himself on the other person's shoulder. "Didn't mean to." His words come out slower and more slurred than he'd expected. He must be more drunk than he'd have thought, and the world doesn't really stop spinning now that he's standing still.

"No worries."

Harry blinks up at the familiar voice, blinking some more when it's the prince looking down at him. He's looking amused again, like he always does when he's around Harry, like Harry is the most ridiculous person he's ever met. Which can't be true because he's met loads of ridiculous people in his life, definitely. At least half of them must be more ridiculous than Harry.

"No curtsy today?" the prince asks, pulling Harry from his thoughts. 

Harry points his finger at him. "Don't make fun of me," he slurs, licking his lip. "'s not nice. I got to pants Louis for it, it was glorious."

"It was," Prince Zain agrees, catching Harry by the arm when he tilts a bit far to the left. "Waliyah showed me a video."

"Did she?" Harry perks up, clutching at Prince Zain's arm. Maybe there had been a lecture about not touching the prince somewhere, but this was a party! Surely those stupid rules didn't apply. Harry hadn't even curtsied and he hadn't used ma'am like ham once. Or sir. Because Prince Zain was a Prince and sir. He knew that. He nods to himself before trying to remember what they had been speaking about.

"Louis!" he exclaims, straightening somewhat and pushing the hair out of his face. "I will tell him you said that and he will stop calling me princess!" 

"Princess?" the prince laughs, his grip loosening on Harry's arm and catching him around the waist instead when Harry tilts to the side again. Stupid floor for being stupid. It always got him in trouble. There were way too many videos of him tripping and only one of Louis being pantsed. 

"You smell nice," Harry announces, sniffing at the prince. He did smell nice. Not like Harry, who hadn't had time to shower after their show and probably stank. "Do you always have to smell nice? What would happen if you didn't smell nice? Like. As a prince."

"I'd have my head chopped off," Prince Zain says drily. Harry gasps before he realises that Prince Zain's making a joke.

"That's funny," he nods, pointing his finger at Zain. 

"I think you should go home," Prince Zain says. "You can barely stand upright."

"No," Harry shakes his head, patting Prince Zain's shoulder. It wasn't his fault for not knowing. "Home's too far away. And I'm not that drunk. It's just the floor. It always makes me trip."

"I have seen those videos as well," Prince Zain says, smirking.

Harry gasps again. "You're not nice at all! I'll tell Louis and he won't want me to be your princess anymore. He doesn't like when people are mean to me," he says, trying to push himself away. It was hard with he floor misbehaving.

"Too bad," Prince Zain says, helping Harry stand upright and keeping a firm hold on his upper arms. "You'd make a pretty princess. Now come on, let's get you back to your hotel room before you tell someone something that will end up in the Mail, hm?"

"The Mail is stupid," Harry nods, blinking when he's suddenly no longer held up by the prince but by a burly man. He was probably security. He looked like security. "You're not Marco. Where's Marco?" he asks, looking behind the man for his bodyguard.

"Is Marco your bodyguard?" the man asks, leading Harry towards the exit swiftly. He can see Prince Zain in front of him, being led by another burly man. 

"Yep. But he's not here today, he's gonna see his mum. We snuck out. But you can't tell!" Harry adds firmly, pointing his finger at the man. Pointing was very useful.

"I won't," the man says, not sounding amused but also not lying. Harry was good at telling when people were lying. "Get in the car," he adds, helping Harry along.

Harry stumbles forward, almost falling onto the prince again, before managing to get himself upright. Even the car was spinning.

"Here," Prince Zain says, handing Harry a water bottle. 

Harry smiles at him gratefully. He's suddenly incredibly thirsty and he drains half the bottle in one go, sighing contently.

"Which hotel are you staying at?" Prince Zain asks as the car pulls away from the curb.

"Four Seasons," Harry frowns, his eyes falling shut. He was exhausted. "Maybe I should get a house," he adds. It was a bit stupid not having a house in London. "Do you think I should get a house?"

"Sure," Prince Zain says. "Do you maybe wanna text your friends you've gone home?"

"Urgh," Harry groans, grabbing his phone and unlocking it. His fingers were clumsy on the screen, the buzz wearing off just enough for him to realise just how drunk he was.

He drops the phone on Prince Zain's lap, too clumsy and exhausted to deal with it. "You do it. Niall and Louis, please."

Prince Zain snorts, pushing at Harry's shoulder when he starts sliding to the side, but starts typing quickly.

"You're very trusting, you know," Prince Zain says, handing the phone back to Harry. "I could've done whatever just now."

"Eh," Harry says. "You wanna be in the Mail even less than I," he yawns. "Oh," he adds, when the car slows down. "We're here!"

He almost falls out the car when the door is opened, the bodyguard catching him at the last second.

"Bye," he says back into the car. "Thanks and all that. You're really nice when you're allowed to talk."

"Bye," Prince Zain echoes. "Will you see him inside, James?"

"Yes, sir," the bodyguard says, closing the door and leading Harry inside his hotel. 

It's all a bit of a blur but when Harry finally falls face first into his own hotel bed, he can still see Prince Zain smile at him. It was much better than any smile printed in the Daily Mail. It was a bit sad that he couldn't print it and kiss it goodnight. He kisses the pillow instead, and falls asleep to the memory of Prince Zain's hands on his hips, holding him upright.

👑

harry's embarrassing streak will not end lol