the song of persephone ♡ ziall/niam au [COMPLETE]

dix

A/N: Are y'all still reading this fic or should I take it down? Comment and let me know, please. I love writing it, but if no one is interested in reading it, I'll delete it.

- - -

"i get to go back to him soon," niall whispered to zayn. they were in his room, the tv playing lowly in the background. it was late, nearly four am, and they knew they should both be asleep, but niall couldn't sleep. in a week, he would get to go home to liam, and he was overwhelmed with excitement. "what if he doesn't love me anymore?" panic washed over him.

"hey," zayn said gently, rubbing circles into niall's back. "hey, flower, how could he not love you anymore, huh? who would be able to stop loving you?"

niall blushed, hiding his face under zayn's chin. "you always know what to say, zaynie."

zayn let out a low chuckle. "i know. part of my charm, i guess."

that made niall giggle. he yawned then, curled up closer to zayn; it was evident he was getting sleepy. zayn ran his fingers through his hair, knowing this helped niall doze off. it was hell, knowing this beautiful boy so well, loving him like zayn did, and not being able to do anything about it. 

"zayn?" niall's voice was milky soft and sugar-sweet; clearly he'd been in the midst of sleep.

"yes, flower?" zayn kept his voice soft, melodic.

niall yawned again. "will you come with me when i go back to him?" when zayn didn't answer right away, niall opened one sleepy eye. "you don't have to," he said quickly in response to zayn's hesitance, voice still muzzy.

"no, sweetheart, i'll go with you if you want me to," zayn said quickly. "i was just surprised. i thought you'd want to go alone."

"hmm, no," niall responded, drifting quickly back off to sleep. "i feel safe with you. it'll be better with you there."

zayn's chest was glowing, he could feel it. he held niall closer, leaning his cheek against the blonde's downy-soft hair. he knew niall was going to be gone soon. he had one week. seven days left to spend with this boy he loved, and then he would be gone for half the year.

thinking about niall being gone was painful, zayn couldn't lie. he had this fear that niall would forget him entirely while he was gone, worried that he wasn't an important person in niall's life. logically, he knew this to be untrue – niall saw more of zayn than he did his own mother – but he still worried.

zayn worried all night long, until niall woke up, demanding pink pancakes before his eyes were even open.

- - -

"you really don't mind coming with me?" niall asked for the forty-fifth time.

"niall, if you ask me that again, i'm going home," zayn responded, mostly joking, but niall paled and shut his mouth. "you're shaking, flower."

"i'm nervous," niall admitted, chewing his lower lip.

"you've got nothing to be worried about," zayn assured him, gently tugging niall's lip out from his teeth. "you love liam, right?"

niall nodded firmly.

"and liam loves you, right?"

niall nodded firmly again.

"you've got nothing to worry about then. you love each other. you make each other happy. that's all that matters." zayn's heart ached as he said this to niall, wishing that these words applied to the two of them. he ran a hand through niall's hair, and niall let out a sigh and leaned his head on zayn's shoulder.

niall checked his watch. "he should be here soon." he sounded anxious, and zayn put his arm around his shoulders. then the ground beneath their feet started to ripple like water, and zayn's heart was in his throat. for some reason, he wasn't thinking he'd be here when liam came. he was about to see the king of the underworld. he felt like he was going to pass out, or possibly even die. "don't be scared," niall assured him, seeing the slight panic on zayn's face. "he's really nice, i promise. nothing will happen to you, zee, i won't let it." he was beaming up at zayn, practically vibrating with excitement.

"okay, ni," zayn said with a slight chuckle, face fond. he pressed a kiss to the top of niall's head.

"i'm gonna miss you," niall said, hugging zayn around the waist. zayn hugged him back, closed his eyes, trying to remember what this felt like so that he could feel it when he missed niall.

niall let go, meaning to be sucked into the chasm where liam was waiting, at the bottom.

he hadn't meant to pull zayn with him.