Bedtime Stories ♡ Ziall/Larry/Lirry AU [COMPLETE]

[16]

Zayn wasn't a jealous person. He was completely okay with flirty people messing around with the people he liked. He trusted them not to do anything, so his jealousy was unnecessary.

Something about that was different when it came to Niall.

Niall had started hanging out with this guy Justin from their school. He was sixteen, the same age as them, and Zayn couldn't even lie and say he was unattractive.

It pissed him off.

Niall and Justin pissed Zayn off. It made him mad because Justin was a flirt, a huge flirt, and he lived for making Niall blush. He lived for the way Niall covered his mouth when he giggled, the way he blushed whenever Justin said anything remotely teasing or sexual.

"Justin," Zayn snapped, tugging him aside by his bicep. Justin just half-smirked at him, already mostly aware of what Zayn was going to say. Zayn was so angry - not just because of the way Justin treated Niall - but because of the good boy façade he put on in front of Liam and Harry, and the way they ate that shit up. "You need to leave Niall the fuck alone."

Justin's cocky smirk was so unnerving. "I don't think you can tell me what to do, Zayn."

"You're going to hurt him," Zayn hissed. "Look at him, Justin." Justin turned to look at Niall sitting at the table, giggling at something Liam said. Justin's face softened. "He is very small, very soft. If you hurt him, I will kill you."

"Cute," Justin scoffed. He rolled his eyes. "Stay out of our business, Zayn. It has nothing to do with you."

~ ~ ~

When Zayn came home from school a week later, he heard sniffling from upstairs.

"Popsicle, what's wrong with Niall?" Zayn asked Liam, confused. Liam and Niall had started calling Liam Popsicle when they were 7 or so, and the name had stuck.

"I don't know," Liam shrugged, frosting a cake that was sitting on the counter. "He came home visibly upset, but he wouldn't tell your dad or I what was wrong."

Zayn nodded, dipping his finger in the frosting despite getting yelled at by Liam, and then went up the steps two at a time.

"Niall?" Zayn asked gently, knocking on his door.

"Zee?" Niall sniffled.

"Yeah, baby. Can I come in?" The pet name just slipped out, but Niall murmured a soft, "Come in," so Zayn did. Niall was balled up on the floor, tissues pressed under his nose, which was red from crying. "What's wrong?"

"J-Justin," Niall sobbed, and that was all it took for Zayn's blood to start boiling.

"What did he do, Niall?" Zayn growled, beyond furious already.

"H-He-" Niall hiccupped through a few sobs before gasping out, "Said I'm a tease. I didn't w-want to have sex with him s-so he dumped m-me."

"I'm going to kill him," Zayn snarled, turning to leave Niall's room to actually do so.

"No!" Niall cried, lunging forward to grab Zayn's arm. "Please stay. Hold me."

Zayn's face immediately softened, and he sighed, lowering to the ground beside Niall and pulling the smaller boy into his lap.

"You're okay, love," Zayn said so gently, pressing light, airy butterfly kisses everywhere he could reach on Niall's face. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again, Ni, I promise."

Niall just sniffled and leaned his head against Zayn's chest. But he had a small smile on his face, because he'd been trying to find something to fill the hole in his heart, and he just now realized that hole was Zayn-shaped.