The Little Things; Ziall & Larry (AU) *Completed*

Chapter Three; Tea-Cups & Nice Guys & Twirlers & Singers

Chapter 3; TEA CUPS & NICE GUYS & TWIRLERS & SINGERS

  An officer put a hand on the top of Tom’s head, pushing down violently and forcing his body into the squad car. It was white, a black stripe encircling it. The officer looked pleased, flashing a heartwarming smile at Opaque, who was sitting on the cold curb, her back against Niall’s mail-box. A quilt was thrown haphazardly over her shoulders.

“And Tom is he your guardian also?” A female officer with silky, pulled back brown hair and icy blue eyes asked, her lips nothing but a small pink slash across her stern, wrinkled, worried face. Zayn chewed on his bottom lip, throwing sideways glances out of the corner of his eye at his little sister, whose head kept dipping and jerking back up. He heard the gun of an engine as the male officer slid into the front seat, slamming the door behind him and slowly peeling out of the quaint neighborhood.

“No, I’m legal. I’m eighteen, and I have full custody of Opaque,” He pointed at his sister, rolling his shoulders in her general direction. He watched the blond go sit by her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and shivering, his bare chest still exposed. A tingle ran up and down the tanned boys’ spine as he turned back to the female officer. “I got the papers in the house if you’d like to see them. I won the custody battle in June.” His voice was husky, thickened with sleep as he cupped his hands in front of his mouth. He breathed hot air, rubbing his chapped hands together to get blood circulating through his chilly fingers.

“Eighteen, huh? So young to be so responsible.” She said, even reaching out with her pale, red painted nails and patting Zayn’s wild, thick, dark hair, sticking up crazily with the remnants of sleep. “I guess we’ll get a court date set up? Your sister looks like she needs to hit the hay.” Zayn smiled at her, his pink tongue pressed to the back of his white teeth in that cute little kid way. His brown eyes had little crinkles in the corner from the childish grin.

“Yeah, just give me the slip and I’ll be there,” The woman nodded, running her red pen across a blank pad of pink paper. Words blossomed as she filled out an incident report, writing down Zayn’s age and information. When she was finished she smiled wickedly, putting the paper in his palm. Zayn felt a churning in his gut, as he watched the woman’s eyes dart over to Niall, sitting beside his sister, his head bent low. When her gaze returned to Zayn’s she arched her pencil thin eyebrows, the dark brown fake lines looking devilish the way she tilted her head.

“Something there?” She whispered, and when she saw the heat in Zayn’s face she raised her hands in a defensive gesture. Chuckling she turned around, walking steadily to her car and calling over her shoulder, a stray piece of her brown hair falling in front of her deep, eyes, “Too personal. Got ‘cha. See ya, kid.” She said, in then she was inside of the vehicle and Zayn couldn’t see her through the tint. Zayn smirked widely at the ground, fighting the blush that raged like a fire across his cheeks. When he had his emotions swallowed down, he turned around and walked with long, heavy strides towards his baby and his new found-friend.

When he got close enough he kneeled down in front of the two, he tried to ignore the blue eyed boys gaze as he cupped his sisters face in his hand. He brushed his fingers lightly over her bright colored gel capsule, making strange shushing noises as he listened to her breathing. Her chest rose and fell evenly, and the blanket slipped from her shoulders and landed in a heap on the ground. Zayn smiled dimly at her, pretending the other boy wasn’t there at all; he scooped up his sister like you might a child. Her head lolled against his tanned chest, her mouth open and breathy snores erupting from her lips. Balancing her in one arm and on top of one knee, Zayn stooped low and swooped up the blanket, laying it thinly across his sisters’ small, curled in form. She made a small growl sound in her sleep, clutching tightly to a fistful of Zayn’s dark hair, the way she did as a child. After a few seconds her fingers loosened and Zayn finally acknowledged the other boy.