End Up Here (Ziam AU)

Chapter Ninety Seven

Chapter Ninety Seven – Zayn

Zayn frowns as Bella comes running into the kitchen "Baba, Baba!" she screams and he furrows his eyebrows "what is it Bella?" Zayn asks reaching out to catch her with one arm and stop her running before she slips and cracks her head on the island. "Daddy said we going to see Santa" Bella practically screams again jumping in place from excitement, "did he now?" Zayn asks, arching an eyebrow at Liam who's walking into the room carrying both of the now one month old twins in his arms. "Yes he did" Liam smirks, passing Zack over to Zayn, who takes him willingly and bounces slightly on his feet with the baby in his arms. "There's only like two weeks until Christmas Zee, we've got to take them sometime, and we need to do some shopping" Liam adds. Zayn sighs "I know, I know" he mumbles, because really Liam does have a point and the way Bella's practically vibrating with excitement makes him not want to disappoint her. But Zayn also isn't looking forward to taking the twins out to the mall again, last time they tried that was disastrous, with both babies screaming the whole time, and then Zack throwing up all over Zayn, while Chloe had a diaper malfunction on Liam. "Relax Zayn, that's not going to happen again. Don't you want to get their first picture with Santa?" Liam asks, as if reading his mind, and then holding Chloe up for emphasis. "Baba Santa" Bella insists at the same time, and Zayn sighs nodding his head as he gives in, there was really no other choice, not really anyways.

So forty five minutes later Zayn is checking that they have everything they could possibly ever need while Liam straps all three kids into the car. Zayn climbs in a moment later dropping the oversized diaper bag at his feet and Liam arches an eyebrow at him, "you know we're not going for two weeks right?" he asks and Zayn sticks out his tongue at him. "Yes I know that, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared, not after last time" Zayn huffs, pulling away when Liam reaches out to rub his arm, "just drive Payne" Zayn mumbles and Liam scoffs, "that's Malik-Payne to you" he grins, making Zayn roll his eyes. "Daddy! Drive!" Bella insists from the back seat and Zayn smirks as Liam turns on the car "alright Princess we're going" Liam hums before Zayn watches him expertly pull out of the driveway and onto the street. They're only driving for about five minutes when Bella kicks the back of Zayn's seat, "Arabella, please don't kick my seat" Zayn warns, and Bella huffs "want iPad Baba" she insists and Zayn sighs, rolling his head along the seat to look at Liam. "What?" Liam asks, and Zayn groans, because Liam decided a couple weeks ago Bella need an iPad for car trips and when they were both busy with the twins. "How do you ask Bella?" Liam asks glancing in the rearview mirror at her and she sighs "please?" Bella asks and Zayn sighs before pulling it out of the diaper bag, handing it over the seat to the waiting three year old. It's not that Zayn was opposed to the idea of the iPad, he just wasn't happy when Liam brought it home and gave it to Bella three weeks before Christmas, when it could have been a present.

The rest of the trip to the mall passes quietly and without incident, the twins staying asleep the whole time, while Bella happily plays a game on the iPad. "We're here" Liam exclaims, clapping his hands after he's parked the car, "Bella, it's time to put that away now" Zayn calls out and doesn't miss the huff of breath he gets in response. "Don't you want to go see Santa?" Liam asks, before Zayn can say anything, so Zayn just gets out of the car and moves to the back to pull the twins' double stroller out leaving Liam to negotiate with Bella. Liam's suddenly beside him, rubbing a hand up and down Zayn's arm "hey you okay?" Liam asks, and Zayn frowns, nodding his head, even though, no he's really not okay. He feels since the twins have come home everything has been a fight between him and Bella, and it's starting to hurt his feelings and make him feel like a terrible father. "No you're not Zayn, talk to me" Liam hums but Zayn just shakes his head, this is neither the time or place to have this conversation. "Later" Zayn murmurs and it seems to satisfy his husband who nods before moving around to start getting the kids out of the car.