Delayed Epiphany ♕ Zarry AU

Seven | Lexi

Harry was seriously dreading his next meet-up with Zayn.

Despite the fact that he'd returned home miserable as all get out, there was no way around the fact that the had to fucking marry Zayn. Zayn wasn't exactly ecstatic about this, either. He felt bad for how he'd upset Harry, but wasn't really sure how to fix it. If he was honest with himself, he hadn't expected Harry to get so upset – I mean, it wasn't like Harry wanted to marry him or anything.

So. They were both dreading their next meet-up, which was scheduled to take place a week and a half later.

"Zayn," the queen called, distracting Zayn from where he was morosely staring out the window.

He turned. "Yeah?"

"Harry's on his way."

Zayn fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Where are we going? We're leaving the castle this time, right?"

She nodded, smoothing her dress. "Yes, you'll be going to the lake. It doesn't have to be long." She paused then, and Zayn knew whatever she was going to say next was going to bite. "Try not to make him cry this time. His father called me very upset. Borderline rude, and rightfully so. Zayn, when you're going to marry someone, try to keep in mind you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with this person. Not being an asshole to them is a major part of that."

Zayn's mouth quirked up. "Did you just say asshole?"

"Don't make jokes, Zayn, I'm serious. Either marry Harry or be cut off. Get your act right. Treat him like the sweet boy he is, I know you think so, too."

Zayn turned away so she couldn't see his face redden. "Yeah, all right, Mother."

Her hand touched his shoulder, and Zayn couldn't help but lean into her just a bit. "Zayn..."

"I'll be better, Mother, I promise," he said sincerely. She leaned down to kiss the top of his head, and he could smell her perfume. For just a second he felt four years old again, small and bursting with love, willing to do anything to make his mother proud. He tried to keep that feeling with him as he got ready to meet Harry.

- - -

"Hello," Harry said stiffly. He stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets, balled up into fists. When his parents told him he was supposed to see Zayn again, he'd begged and pleaded with them to change their minds, to no such luck. So now here he was, standing in the doorway, glaring at stupid Zayn with his stupidly attractive face in his stupidly beautiful castle.

"Hi," Zayn said back. They both stood there for a minute in an awkward silence. "Uh, are you ready to go?"

"Sure," Harry said back. Though he'd never admit it, his curiosity was definitely peaked. No one had told him they'd be leaving the castle, and he hesitantly followed Zayn down the marble steps and out the door. "Don't you have, like...bodyguards or something?"

Zayn stifled a laugh. "Yeah, of course. They'll be following us."

"That must be so..." Harry paused, searching for the right word. "Suffocating. To have people watching you all the time."

"I never thought about it like that," Zayn responded. "I guess it sort of is." 

They continued their walk in silence, Harry quietly humming to himself because he couldn't think of anything to say. Besides, Zayn's jaw was clenched tight, and Harry was absolutely terrified of making him angry again. Just thinking about how sharp Zayn's voice had gone, how he'd yelled, made Harry's hands start to tremble.

"Where are we going?" Harry finally asked, the silence practically choking him. He swallowed hard when Zayn didn't answer right away. "I --"

"I'm sorry," Zayn interrupted. Harry's eyebrows shot up. 

"You're sorry?" Harry repeated, somewhat skeptical. "Sorry for what?"

"I'm not..."

"Not?"

Zayn stopped walking, turned to face Harry. "I don't want you to get your hopes up," he said flatly. "I don't want you thinking..."

"Thinking what?" Harry demanded, angry now. "Thinking you're anything but a pretentious asshole who can't even apologize for being a huge prick? Thinking that maybe, deep down in there, there's someone nice and sweet and warm? Thinking that maybe you could just consider being a decent person for, like, ten seconds?!" When Zayn doesn't respond, Harry stomps on ahead, not waiting for him.

"You're going the wrong way," Zayn called after him, a laugh in his voice.

"You're an asshole!"

"Yeah, I know." Zayn couldn't argue with that, he really couldn't. "This way," he added when Harry just stood there, glaring at him. "My mother asked me not to be an asshole to you."

"Oh, well, great job," Harry snapped.

Zayn finally did laugh then. "You're angry with me."

"I have the right to be." Harry turned away from him to face the lake. "Look, ducks!" He inched forward towards the water, not wanting to startle them away. Zayn just watched him with a small smile on his face. "Look at the babies!"

"I'm sorry you really thought this would work out," Zayn continued. "Or that anything good could ever come from this, from us together."

"Shut up," Harry responded.

"I'm just being honest with you."

"No, you're just being an asshole. Now shut up and let me look at the ducks," Harry said, wiping away frustrated tears. "I was actually having a decent time until you started talking."

"I'm sorry," Zayn said again.

"Stop apologizing. You don't mean it, and you're not even sorry for anything real. So I'm gonna say for the last time, shut up and let me look at the ducks. Please." And there he sat, chin resting on his knees, staring out at the ducks with a small smile on his face. After a bit, Zayn sat behind him, just close enough for Harry to scoot over, leaving more space between them. Silently, Zayn handed Harry half a sandwich, and Harry ate it silently. "You make it hard to like you."

"I don't want you to like me," Zayn replied. He wasn't sure if that was true or not.

"Well, you've pretty much secured that," Harry said back. Then he stood up and brushed off his jeans. "I'm ready to go home."

The walk back was somehow worse than the walk there. Harry wouldn't even look at Zayn this time, and Zayn couldn't figure out why that bothered him. Neither of them bothered to try to start a conversation, and once they reached the castle, Harry silently nodded at Zayn without even looking at him and continued on his way.

"Make sure he gets home safely," Zayn told one of his bodyguards, and then he made his way into the castle, unsure of why guilt was bubbling up in his throat.