Broulmates ♡ Ziall AU [COMPLETE]

NUEVE

Niall blushes the whole way to his house, which Zayn has to stifle cooing at. He's so shy, curling up into a little ball in the front seat and peeking over at Zayn every once in a while.

"Zayn?" he asks cautiously as Zayn puts the car in park in his driveway.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" Zayn takes Niall's hand in his, feeling the soft, smooth skin. For a second he is overwhelmed with rage again over what Henry did.

"Can..." His cheeks are pinking again, and Zayn's heart feels like the Grinch's when it grew three times in size. "Can we...do that...again?"

"Do what?" Zayn asks, just because he's loving how shy Niall is right now.

Niall wrinkles his nose. "You know what!"

"Hm...I don't think I do, baby, I think you're gonna have to clear it up for me." He's having way too much fun with this. Zayn watches as Niall scowls down at his hands, and then looks back up at Zayn, red to the tips of his ears.

"Will you kiss me again?"

"Ahhh, so that's what you meant," Zayn smirks, and Niall is about to say something snarky when Zayn kisses him. It's a little awkward, what with the armrest in between them, but Zayn's hands are so warm and careful on the sides of his face, and Niall's small hands tighten in Zayn's shirt.

Zayn's hands move down to touch Niall's hips, and then Niall jerks back with a cry, a sob stuck in his throat.

"Sorry, sorry," he gasps, not expecting to get triggered by Zayn. It's still hard to breathe, and Zayn looks as if Niall had tugged down his entire world in one motion.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers, looking down at his hands as if they're unclean. "I shouldn't have...I wasn't thinking. I forgot you don't want me to touch you. I'm so sorry, angel."

"No, Zayn, that was my fault..." Niall is reaching for him again, but Zayn is careful to pull back. He doesn't want to set Niall off -- he would never forgive himself. "You don't...want...?" Niall is confused now. "I thought..."

"Believe me, Niall," Zayn says, tilting his chin up. "I would love you kiss you until your cute little face was bright red...but I don't want to trigger you."

"But kissing is fine," Niall argues, "Touching is just...complicated."

Zayn just nods, presses a kiss to his forehead. It's not enough for Niall, who wants to be kissed until he's dizzy and breathless, but he settles, because he knows this is a process for Zayn, too.

- - -

"I kissed him," Zayn says shyly into the phone. There's a beat of silence. "Liam?"

Then he hears a whoop of joy. "Harry! Harry, baby, Zee kissed him!"

"Baby?" Zayn repeats. "Li, did you just call Harry 'baby'?"

Liam is too busy yelling in the background to even hear what Zayn is saying, and there's a rustling sound as Liam gives the phone to Harry. 

"What did he do?" Harry asks. "Fuck. I've got to call him. I can't believe he didn't tell me!" Harry sounds so legitimately happy that it makes Zayn happy; these two love Niall as much as he does.

"I'm proud of you, Zee," Liam says. There's a smile in his voice, Zayn can hear it as it curves through the phone and forces a smile onto his own face. 

Zayn rolls his eyes. "Thanks, Dad." He says this painfully teasingly, and Liam laughs in response.

"Harry and I do feel like your and Niall's parents sometimes," Liam says thoughtfully.

"Oh!" Zayn gasps. "Did you just call him 'baby'?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Liam says stiffly. He's always been a terrible liar.

"Liam --" Zayn begins, but Liam interrupts him.

"Oh, I think the oven's going off, my cat must be done! Bye!" He hangs up, and Zayn can't help but laugh. Liam is such an awful liar, he just says what pops into his head, which usually is absolute ridiculousness. 

- - -

"He kissed you?" Harry demands before Niall can even greet him as he answers the phone.

"Oh." Niall turns shy. "Yeah..."

"Hoe, why didn't you tell me!?" Harry yells, making Niall crack up.

"It must've slipped my mind. I've been in kind of a daze," Niall admits, "I got a bit triggered. I think it freaked Zayn out. Maybe..."

"Triggered?" Harry repeats.

"Yeah...like, he touched my hips and I freaked out. I don't know." Niall passes a hand over his face. "I think it scared him. Like, he looked afraid to touch me afterwards. Who can blame him, really?" Niall lets out a shaky sigh. All of a sudden his hands are shaking. "Maybe we shouldn't be together, H."

"What?" Harry asks. "Niall, no. Don't talk yourself out of this. Zayn loves you regardless, you know that."

"I know," Niall says, voice crackly. His throat feels like there are a thousand prickles in it, and it stings so bad. "Maybe I shouldn't let him."

"Let him what?"

"Love me." Niall hangs up and starts to cry, because he knows that he'll never be able to let Zayn in the way he deserves to be. That can only mean one thing.

Zayn will be happier without him.