End Up Here (Ziam AU)

Chapter Fifty Nine

Chapter Fifty Nine – Zayn

Zayn groans as he tries to find all the pages for his last assignment of his life in school, he knows he left the whole thing on the counter after printing it the night before, but now the first and last page are somehow missing. Zayn just hopes Bella hasn't gotten ahold of it, he can just reprint it, but he's not sure he has time. Zayn grins when he finds the two missing pages have somehow fallen on the floor, dropping to his knees to pick them up again, placing them with the others, beside his bag. Looking up as he hears footsteps approaching Zayn grins, seeing Liam walking into the room with Bella clinging to his back, Liam's managed to get her all dressed and ready for the day, while Zayn attempted to gather his things. It's been three months since both the incident with Sadie at the restaurant and Liam's dad ending up in the hospital, and while Geoff's health is still what it's been as long as Zayn's known him, he hasn't been hospitalized again since. The couple hasn't heard from or seen Sadie and it has them both a little on edge, because Zayn knows better than anyone what she is capable of, and he's sure she hasn't actually listened to his warning and left them alone. "Baba, look" Bella squeals and Zayn turns his attention back to his fiancé and daughter, to see Liam is dangling her upside down by her ankles, while Bella giggles wildly. Zayn chuckles shaking his head, "you're upside down" he calls and she nods giggling wildly, "be careful, please" he murmurs to Liam who nods, carefully flipping Bella back around so she's right side up again.

"You ready for your last day?" Liam asks, coming to pour himself a cup of coffee, Zayn sighs nodding his head, "so ready, but it's going to be weird when I'm done, especially because it's so weird it's ending in February" he explains. Liam just grins, taking a sip of his drink as Bella runs out of the room without a word. "Where's she going?" Liam asks, and Zayn shrugs, coming to lean into Liam's chest, "so Bella's third birthday is soon, and-" Liam starts, but Zayn pulls away from his chest to glare at him, "shh, don't remind me" he hisses, and Liam chuckles. "Relax Babe, unfortunately that's what kids, do" Liam soothes, and Zayn rolls his eyes, resisting the urge to cover his ears and start singing, to block out Liam's words, "I was just wondering what you wanted to do for her birthday?" Liam asks. Zayn sighs, reaching for Liam's mug and taking a sip, ignoring the look Liam gives him as he does, "I don't know, nothing too crazy, last I talked to Louis, he and Harry wanted to hire her a petting zoo, please can't we just invite a couple people over here and eat cake?" Zayn asks. He knows he's not being fair this is Liam's first birthday with Bella and he knows he wants to spoil her, but Zayn doesn't want to make a huge deal of it, he just wants it to be a normal three year old's birthday and if he lets Liam and Louis try to outdo each other like they will, it will turn into a literal circus. Christmas was enough of an ordeal, Bella getting spoiled beyond belief and Zayn is still trying to find places to house all the stuff she got a month and a half later.

Zayn snaps out of his thoughts when Bella crashes into his knees "Baba, when going?" she asks pointing towards the door and Zayn groans, his mum is away for a few days so Bella is going to Ruth's to spend the day with her and Kenzi, to say she's excited is an understatement. Zayn crouches down to be at her level "soon Boo, do you have everything?" he asks her, laughing when she scrunches her face up as she thinks, before her eyes widen and she runs out of the kitchen again, to get whatever she thinks she's forgetting. Liam laughing draws Zayn's attention back to the older man, "what?" he asks and Liam just shrugs in response, "you frustrate me" Zayn grumbles, dodging Liam's hug attempt to finish packing what he needs. "What did I do?" Liam pouts, grabbing Zayn from behind, and Zayn can't see him but knows he's pouting from the sound of his voice, "you reminded me our daughter is almost three, I'm getting so old" Zayn whines, spinning in Liam's arms. Liam just arches an eyebrow at him, "if you're old, then what am I?" he asks, Zayn grins, smacking a kiss to Liam's cheek "ancient" he teases, before ducking out of Liam's arms and running out of the kitchen, laughing at Liam's protesting "hey!" as he goes.