Delayed Epiphany ♕ Zarry AU

Three | Lexi

Zayn had one goal for the day and it was this: Find (and stop) his mother.

So far, he hadn't had much luck. He wasn't used to being awake before noon, so he had absolutely no idea where his mother would be at this time of day. He glanced at his watch -- fuck, it wasn't even nine -- and hurried down the hall.

"Father!" he yelled, catching a glimpse of the ends of his father's robes farther down the hall. "Wait!"

Yaser stopped and turned. "I'm on my way out, Zayn. Make it quick." As soon as Zayn reached his side, he started walking again.

"Mum told me she wants me to get married," Zayn began. "I...She's kidding, right?"

The king scoffed. "Zayn, you know your mother."

Zayn groaned, loudly. That was not the answer he wanted. "This is stupid," he whined.

Yaser shrugged. "You're not acting responsibly, Zayn, and she's reacting how she sees fit. You know no one can stop her when she gets in that mindset, not even me. Don't look at me like that -- I tried. You're lucky I managed to talk her out of making you marry the princess from the kingdom over."

Zayn winced. "Thank you for that, if for nothing else." The girl had tried more than once to get in Zayn's pants, and the last time he'd barely escaped.

Yaser rolled his eyes. "You're so dramatic," he muttered. "Look, last I saw your mother, she was finishing breakfast in the kitchen. You can go try and stop her, but prepared to be steamrolled."

Zayn smiled. "Thank you, Father."

- - -

Zayn was so focused on finding his mother that he wasn't watching where he was going. He narrowly missed losing his head on one of the serving platters one of the servants was carrying.

"Sorry!" he called behind him in response to the server's annoyed glare. "Shit, man, it was an accident..." he muttered to himself, shoving the door to the kitchen open. The door was lighter than he expected, and it flew out and hit someone in the chest, knocking him right on his ass. "Fuck," Zayn gasped, running to the guy's side, helping him sit up. "Shit, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

The guy let out a small laugh, rubbing the spot where the door hit him. "I'm okay...sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." His cheeks were a pretty pink color as he managed a shy smile up at Zayn, biting his lip.

"I..." Zayn was starstruck, and actually had to shake himself. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. It was my fault, not yours, yeah?"

"I...okay," the boy whispered back. He looked a bit starstruck, too, which made Zayn feel better.

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

His cheeks pinked further somehow. "Harry."

"Harry, I'm Zayn," Zayn said as he helped Harry to his feet.

"I...I know," Harry mumbled. He stepped back so Zayn could let go of his arm.

"You know?" Zayn repeated, immediately stepping back into Harry's personal space. Harry stumbled back, nearly falling again. He would've if Zayn hadn't caught his arm, which made his cheeks flush pink all over again.

"Um." Harry braced his arm on the counter behind him and stepped out of Zayn's grasp again. "Uh, yeah, I know," he repeated after a minute, his mind all fuzzy just from Zayn touching him. "You're the prince...everyone knows."

Zayn shrugged. "Fair enough." A tiny smile was playing at the corner of his lips. "Well, I've got to go, Harry, but it was nice to meet you. It's pretty cute that you're falling for me already."

Harry scoffed out a laugh, rolling his eyes. "You wish."

"Yeah," Zayn smirked back, "I kinda do."

That surprised Harry into silence, staring down at his shoes, and Zayn was still smiling as he walked around him to find his mother. She was sitting at the table, sipping her coffee, and when her eyes met Zayn's, a full out smirk spread across her face.

"What's that about?" Zayn asked as he sat, stealing her coffee mug and grimacing after he took a sip. She drank her coffee straight black, which he found disgusting.

"I don't know why you bother drinking it, you never like it," she said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I see you've met Harry."

"Yeah." Zayn turned to look over his shoulder at the adorable curly haired boy. He was washing dishes in the sink, tongue sticking out his mouth with concentration. "He's adorable."

His mother smiled. "I'm glad you think so. You're marrying him."

Zayn choked on the mouthful of bitter coffee he was swallowing. "Excuse the fuck out of me?"

Her glare went sharp. "What did I say about language?" she snapped. "Anyway, you heard me." She continued sipping her coffee as if she hadn't just dropped a bomb that had obliterated all of Zayn's plans for his own life. Sure, it wasn't like they were much, but they were still plans.

"I..." Zayn couldn't breathe, much less find words. "I can't," he whispered. "You can't make me, you can't do this to me, you can't..."

"Oh, Zayn." His mother's gaze was so sad, as if it broke her heart. "I have to. You have to let me do this for you."

"If you do this, I'll hate you," he whispered. He didn't mean it. How could he mean it, with everything she'd done for him?

Her expression didn't change. "Okay," she whispered back, but Zayn saw a single tear trickle down her cheek, and that hurt more than anything else.