SAFE :: ZAYN

[24]

—

"Jah!"

"Yes!?"

"Where are you?" Zayn walked around the house, following the sound of his son's voice, "babe!"

"Baba, I'm right here," Jahdai came out the bathroom and frowned, "yes?"

"Oh, hey, man."

"Hey."

"It's just me and you today."

"Really? What are we doing?"

"Hm," Zayn picked him up -- he was five, but a spoiled little thing, as spoiled as a previously homeless little boy could have been -- and walked into the kitchen, "what do you wanna do?"

"I wanna.." he sat on the counter and watched Zayn get food out the fridge, "I don't know. Like...let's go eat."

"Are we not eating now?"

"No, but...eat something else. I want Panera."

"You want that soup again, don't you?"

"How'd you know?" he smiled, "c'mon baba."

"No, you come on," Zayn put him back on the floor and followed him upstairs. It took about thirty minutes to get ready before Zayn grabbed the car keys and left with his son out the door. There was a Panera about ten minutes away, barely anyone was there because it was actually warm outside and not many people wanted soup and shit.

"Have you been here before, Baba?" Jahdai asked, holding his hand and walking through the door which was held open for him.

"Yeah," Zayn replied, "'S really good."

"Right," he agreed.

"What do you want?"

"Ehm..." he trailed off, "broccoli cheddar soup."

"Alright then," Zayn put a hand on his son's head as they were next in line. He ordered, receiving their drinks before moving to a table near a wall. Jahdai sat in the booth across, sipping from his cup and smiling at his dad. "Why you smiling so hard?"

"Because you look better," he replied honestly, putting his knees to his small chest, "are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Zayn said, leaning in his seat and staring at his little boy. Why did he have to be so observant? "you remember what I told you?"

"About the medicine?"

"Yeah."

"You said to never get any, and you said to not get any medicine from strangers."

"Right--"

"But what if I get medicine from Yemi? Then what?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure Yemi's not a stranger anymore, huh? We live with her, babe."

"Oh," he giggled and leaned back, a bit of hair getting in his face.

"Just..." Zayn tried to think of a way to say it without scaring him, "there's good medicine, and there's bad medicine. Don't mess with the medicine if you think it's bad for you. Like, if you're uncomfortable taking the medicine don't do it." This would be so much easier if Jahdai was older, because right now the kid looked confused.

"Okay," he replied in a goofy tone.

"Jah, I'm serious."

"I know," he sighed, "no bad medicine."

"That's right." Their number was called, so Zayn got up and grabbed the food before coming back and resting Jah's bowl in front of him. "Is that good?"

"Mhm," Jah closed his eyes momentarily -- was this kid praying? -- before grabbing his spoon and drinking from his cup again.

"Did you just pray?" Zayn asked.

"Mhm," he smiled, "you have to before you eat, baba."

"I know, but...I haven't seen you pray in so long, Jah. You're so cute."

"Ugh," he scoffed, "I'm not cute."

"Yes you are," Zayn grinned, watching his son roll his eyes.

"What's on your nose?"

"What?"

"Sparkles," he said, stirring his soup around and taking a large bite, "is that Yemi's?"

"She put it on my face," he tried not to think about it, even though he secretly liked his nose this way. It just looked so different and shiny.

"Are you guys dating?" he asked out of nowhere.

"Uh, no?" Zayn chewed his food before swallowing, "what, Jah?"

"Do you like her?" he asked, staring at him intently.

"Yes, I do," Zayn confessed to his five year old, "she's great."

"I like her too," he munched on his Noodles and smiled, "can we have her forever? That'd be cool, because she's cool."

Zayn chuckled, putting a hand to his cheek, "you'd like that, huh?"

"Yeah," he giggled, "she's my friend. You'll get married and stuff--"

"Jah, shut up--" Zayn was so over this kid, he skipped so many stages in a relationship -- like being in the actual relationship -- but...he was only five, so. Zayn couldn't deny he wanted to be with her.

"Jahdai--" Zayn said when the kid kept talking.

"Because you guys kiss and stuff that's so cool, I was waiting for it."

"What the hell--"

"Dad," he groaned, "language. Anyway, you have a girlfriend now and I don't."

"You broke up with Nadiely?" honestly, why was he so entertaining?

"Yes," Jah burped a little, "excuse me. She made Yemi mad and was talking bad about you. So I broke up with her."

"You're so loyal, Jah. I don't deserve you." No but seriously, Zayn needed to appreciate his son even more. Like, he loved him unconditionally but he realized he just...he did so many bad things and he wanted to somewhow make it up to him.

"Yes you do," Jah replied in confusion, "I love you, baba, why would you say that?"

Zayn's cheeks turned pink. "Because I know after your mom died I haven't been the best. I couldn't give you the world, jaan, and I put you in the worst situations."

Jahdai shrugged, bread crumbs all over his cheeks. He was adorable. "I don't care about that stuff. We watch out for eachuva, so...so I didn't care, I just want you to be okay, okay?"

What the fuck? "Yeah, man. I love you."

"I love you, baba," he grinned, kneeling on the seat and high-fiving him, "to the moon and back."

"Totally," and Zayn was so grateful for such a great son like him.

—

I'm trying to move the secks chapter up but I gotta move it around so it makes sense.

I was also missing jahdai I realized he hadn't been in the last two chapters

y'all fucking lucky I love some of y'all