Broulmates ♡ Ziall AU [COMPLETE]

CUATRO

"P-Please don't leave," Niall sniffles, clinging to Zayn's shoulders. The poor thing is trembling, and any time Zayn shifts so much as a few feet away from him, he begs him not to leave.

"I'm right here, baby boy," Zayn says gently, brushing Niall's hair off his forehead. Niall sniffles, nuzzling closer to Zayn's side, tucking himself against his chest. "I'm not gonna leave you."

"You okay, Ni?" Liam asks as he gets in the driver's seat. Zayn is cradling Niall to his chest in the backseat.

"Y-Yeah." Niall leans out of Zayn's grasp only to lean his cheek against Liam's shoulder for a second. "Th-Thank you, Li-Li."

"You got it, kid," Liam says gently, reaching up to ruffle Niall's hair. Niall settles back into Zayn's arms then.

"You're still shaking," Zayn says gently. 

"Please h-hold me," Niall stammers, eyes welling up with tears again. Before Zayn can protest (not that he would), Niall has snuggled himself into Zayn's lap. 

"Shhh, I've got you," Zayn coos, kissing the top of Niall's head a few times.

"Wh-Why would he do that?" 

"I don't know, baby," Zayn says softly. "You don't have to worry, though. I'll never let anybody hurt you." His thumb traces Niall's bottom lip, and Niall hisses when his thumb touches the split part. "I should fucking kill him."

"Liam probably already did," Niall giggles, the first happy sound Zayn has heard from him all night. Liam laughs when Niall says that, too.

"He had it coming." Niall can hear a smile in Liam's voice, and it makes him feel a little better.

"I asked him to stop," Niall says after a pause. "Wh-Why didn't he...?" He trails off, and then his lip is trembling again. "It's my fault..."

"What?" Liam and Zayn both snap in unison. 

"It is," Niall mumbles, shrinking smaller in on himself. "I should've stopped him...but I didn't want him to hurt me --"

"Niall," Zayn demands, and tilts Niall's chin up so their eyes meet. "Niall, nothing that happened tonight was your fault. Your date was a fuckboy and acted like it. You did not deserve that and it is not your fault, do you understand?" Niall hesitates, and then nods. "Good," Zayn says in a softer voice. He just can't handle the idea that Niall, sweet, innocent Niall would blame himself for something that had happened to him.

"I don't wanna go home," Niall whispers. "Zee, can I stay with you?"

"Sure," Zayn says, because honestly, who is he to deny Niall anything?

~ ~ ~

"Why don't you want to tell him we're dating?" Liam asks Harry, tracing his boyfriend's tattoos with his fingertips. 

"It's not so much that I don't want to tell him," Harry says after a pause. "I think it's more that it's easier having him not know."

Liam nods after a minute. He can respect this, of course -- Harry is still in the closet and there's no way he'll be the one to out him. "Do you think he'd be mad?"

"My dad?" Harry asks, and then nods. "Yeah, I think he'd be livid, Li."

"Hmm." Liam rests his chin on top of Harry's head. "It's gonna be okay, Harry," he says softly.

Harry nestles his cheek against Liam's chest. "You think so?"

"I know so."

~ ~ ~

"Niall, go to sleep," Zayn says in a raspy voice. It's 3:30am and the only reason he's still awake is because Niall keeps moving around in the bed. Zayn is sleeping on the floor, but the rustling of the sheets is distracting.

"The bed's too big," Niall whines. "Come sleep with me."

"Niall --" Zayn begins, but Niall just huffs, and Zayn is pretty sure that if he was standing, he would've stomped his foot. "Okay," Zayn sighs. He gets up off the floor and gets into the bed. As soon as he's comfortable, Niall shifts closer and lifts Zayn's arm so he can curl up underneath. 

"Night night," Niall mumbles, sleepily now, cheek smushed against Zayn's chest.

"Night, cutie," Zayn chuckles tiredly.

~ ~ ~

"Make it shut up," Niall whines. Zayn's alarm has been going off for at least ten minutes, and neither boy has done anything to stop it. "Zee." He smacks Zayn's chest.

"Mmf," Zayn mutters, nuzzling his face into Niall's neck. Niall giggles, and shakes his shoulder.

"Your alarm is loud," he whines, but he has a smile on his face. He likes waking up to Zayn.

"So turn it off," Zayn quips.

"I don't know how. It's your stupid alarm!"

Zayn lets out a weary chuckle, sits up to rub his eyes. "How're you feeling?"

"'m fine," Niall says, but Zayn isn't completely convinced. Henry will pay for what he did. "Can we play hooky? Just hang out?" He plays with his fingers. He's wearing a pair of Zayn's pajama pants and one of his t-shirts, and the clothes are almost comically too large on him. Zayn wants to cuddle him for the rest of time.

"Yeah," Zayn smiles. "Let's play hooky."