𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 ✓

n-i-n-e

 ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶　　 ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ 

zm

Closing the door to his house behind him, Zayn kicks off his shoes and drops his keys on the entryway table. His house isn't small by any means, but it's quaint. It's the perfect house for him and his family, and it's even more perfect when Niall is there.

It's only been twelve days since Niall found out about the engagement, and Zayn finding out subsequently, but he can already feel something changing.

It's not dramatic, or a big change, but it's there. The slight shift in Niall's attitude toward Harry and the other two he seems to be spending quite a bit of time with each day at school.

Sure, lunch is still exclusively Niall and Zayn's time, as well as the mornings and evenings, but he can see how Niall doesn't hate being around them anymore. He knows they have all their classes together whereas Zayn has none with them, and as much as he trusts Niall, he knows those three must be planning something.

Niall isn't trusting by any means, but he can be naive. As jaded and cynical as he is, he can be naive. He wants to see the best in people, it's just the type of person he is. He falls for tricks easily when it's coming from people he wouldn't expect. He doesn't fall for his family's tricks, but these three boys are proving themselves outside of the business.

They're connecting with him on a casual, social, personal level, so Niall is quickly becoming blind to them.

And it kills Zayn. He knows something bad is going to happen, he just doesn't know exactly what, nor does he know when it's coming.

He just has to keep showing his boyfriend that they're meant for each other. Three and a half years in total and, despite the downs, they've always been so good together. Even when they tried to stay apart, they couldn't.

And Zayn just has to keep his fingers crossed and pray that the same doesn't happen with Niall and Harry.

Zayn doesn't know who he is without his boy beside him. He wouldn't even know where to begin rebuilding his life if Niall fell for Harry and decided to go through with the marriage.

He has always prided himself on being the type of person to not need anyone beside himself to live and enjoy life, but then Niall came into it and nothing was the same.

Niall, who was so full of anger and repressed emotions that it took months for him to even open up about his home life.

Niall, who wouldn't even hold hands for an entire year of them sleeping together because he was so scared of letting someone in that he would rather have sex than do something as small and as intimate as lacing his fingers with someone else's.

Niall, who was only fourteen when they started sleeping together, while Zayn had turned fifteen shortly before, but had enough anger and hurt and hatred for his life he may as well have been an adult. No child should have that much bottled up inside of them.

Niall, who was so ashamed of his parents he didn't want Zayn to meet them. Ever.

Niall, who stole Zayn's heart within a few months but wouldn't allow his own to belong to Zayn for over a year.