Love Me Like You Do (z.h. mpreg)

chapter twenty-nine

"I've never told my story until tonight...because I felt it had too many real, true facts in it to let me reach the truth of it. But now memory has invested it a little...it brings me closer to the core. I went back to the roads of Ireland, telling stories, remembering the young man with the wild head of tawny hair that looked like a tree on fire. Over and over I pondered what he stood for, and from that I began to ask myself what he meant to me, what we mean to each other in this country...I have no solutions; my task, I think, is to go on discovering these people inside me and let them tell me...what they mean. But these are the thoughts I will go on thinking...until I die."

-Frank Delaney, 'Ireland'

-

"Brez?" Niall muttered. His heart soared as his mind was washed with disbelief.

The tall man drew nearer, his rich brown eyes holding the same amount of surprise as Niall's. "Nialler, what's the craic?"

Zayn stepped back to allow them space. His husband and this stranger obviously knew each other, and Zayn felt out of place around new people.

Niall, being the lovable person he is, opened his arms right up and drew the man in for a tight hug, but Zayn didn't miss the way his husband laid his head down on the man's shoulder, or the way that the hug might've lasted a second too long. But then, Zayn took a deep breath and shook his head.

He was not going to be that guy, that boyfriend, or even husband that got jealous at a hug. He knew Niall never had a good home life, let alone a good hometown, and Zayn figured he at least owed Niall the liberty of hugging an old friend.

Niall squeezed him for one last second, then hopped back on his feet, as this man, "Brez", was at least a head taller.

"Jaysus, Chief, I haven't seen you in ages!" Brez muttered and whistled lowly. Zayn furrowed his eyebrows at this and stepped forward, then thought better of it. "What made you decide to come way the he-" Brez saw the little ones behind Niall and stopped himself. "To come back here, of all places?"

"Erm, I've actually brought my family to meet me mam. She's not great, so." Niall shrugged and stepped back so he was side by side with his husband. "Um, Brez, this is my husband, Zayn! And these are our boys," Niall said as Zayn shook "Brez's" hand; Zayn wore an expression that was meant to throw this strange man off. "The twins are Liam and Louis, and our baby is Harry."

Niall felt his heart warm at the sight of Brez leaning down to shake his little boys' hands. He was still just as much of a gentleman as Niall remembered.

Niall then felt Zayn put a stiff hand on his back. "Zayn, this is Brez, er Niall Breslin." Zayn cautiously narrowed his eyes but Niall failed to catch his gaze. Zayn tried his hardest to stop it from happening, but he could feel the jealousy beginning to bubble low in his stomach. "We were the only two Nialls in school so we called him 'Brez' and I was stuck with just Niall!"

Brez, catching wind of Zayn's look, coughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, just keep in touch with me, will ya, Chief? Miss the hell out of youse."

"Yeah, course, Head. You keep in touch too; just give us a shout," Niall muttered as he stepped forward to hug him again, the old nicknames still ringing in his ear.

He was confused that Brez wanted to say goodbye all of a sudden; they had only just met! However, Niall clapped him on the back and let him go. Brez drifted away in the clean, slate-grey street, then across the road and around a block into the light mist.

"Old boyfriend?" Zayn mumbled, his eyes dark and brooding. He nudged his husband's arm, and for reassurance, Niall pressed a kiss to his black whiskers. Zayn half smiled as he felt the rolling tension in his stomach settle a bit. He knew he had no reason to worry; Niall loved him, told him as often as he could. Jealousy had never been a good look on him anyway, and besides, Niall always got annoyed whenever he let it get the best of him.