𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 ( 𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 )

𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 "𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲" 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧

Life really isn't a collection of big life changing moments, it is instead an amalgamation of tiny events that have seismic consequences. These tiny events that you could overlook all together in the grand scheme of things that change the course of your life going forward.

Zayn really wasn't expecting a small but seismic event to occur in Miami, nearly six months after he'd gotten out of the most horrible situation he'd ever been in.

After their little disagreement Zayn had let his worries go a little bit, he'd stopped thinking that Harry was helping him cause of some sort of saviour complex and let himself marvel at the fact that he had found someone willing to do all of that for him. A really talented and loved someone evidently. He had since let himself enjoy all of Harry's performances all of which Harry insisted he come to.

It was great, seeing these things come to life and seeing Harry interact with his amazing crew. Zayn felt like for once he was a part of something when really he wasn't doing anything. Everyone was always so nice to him. This also meant that he was constantly going to places he didn't even think possible considering he hadn't really left the U.K. when he was still in school and after, well he tried his best not to think about that time as far as he could. He was constantly with Eric and Adylyn too and he'd managed to make a few more friends. Stylists, designers, advertisers.

He had even gotten a few more tattoos and nearly all of his scars were now covered, he'd gotten to the point where now he was getting tattoos because you really can't stop once you start can you? Them things are addictive. He'd been more at peace with himself, his surroundings and life in general these past few months than he'd been in a very long time.

The last day of the first month of a new year felt like a pretty good time to be starting off feeling good. He was backstage at Lizzo's performance and Harry was a ways ahead of him just about to go on. They were doing a surprise performance of 'Juice ' together, Zayn knew the fans were going to eat it right up. He'd seen the frenzy Harry covering the song had caused, he'd expected it to be honest.

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Zayn watched them perform together with rapt attention, how could he not? Their voices ebbed and flowed together perfectly while also being so much fun. They celebrated being on that stage and everyone else including Zayn celebrated right with them.

The problem started when Harry made it off that stage though, he was instantly surrounded by people. People taking his mic pack off of him, dusting, wiping, perfecting making sure their golden boy looked the part. During this whole conundrum Harry looked up at Zayn who was stood back kinda letting Harry's team do their thing trying not crowd them too much so as to make things a little easier in the already tight quarters backstage and winked at him smiling cheekily afterwards with all the joy of a child in Christmas morning and that was it really. There was suddenly a pit in Zayn's stomach. Here was this tiny yet colossal event that suddenly excited but terrified Zayn at the same time.

He really thought he must have been completely loosing his mind, that he'd have to visit Clara for a completely different problem than the depression and PTSD he was still working through. He was worried he'd gone completely off the rails, there was no way in hell he'd just felt fucking butterflies at Harry winking at him. It was fucking stupid and way too soon, he knew that. Which is why the butterflies quickly turned into a heavy weight at the pit of his stomach. He tried to convince himself he wasn't catching feelings for an international star backstage all sweaty. He'd have to be a whole different kind of crazy.

He obviously wasn't an idiot.  There was nothing to these feelings. He just really liked Harry for everything he had done for him. He was thankful and indebted to him. That was all it was, it couldn't be anything else cause there was no way he was in a place where he could even consider any other possibility so he made it a point to go up to Harry and hug him real tight and ramble excitedly about how amazing the performance was. If this hug felt a little warmer, almost suffocatingly so Zayn just ignored it.

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Harry was turning 26 today. Zayn woke up to the birthday boy's insistent knocks on his door and really was it 26 or 6 he really couldn't tell. He opend the door to Harry nearly bounding off the walls in excitement. He had a performance that night and he looked at it as a massive birthday celebration and you really couldn't help but get excited as well, Harry seemed to be projecting excitement out to the atmosphere around him.

The day was slightly overcast and it was raining but no one was too worried, they counted on it clearing up by the evening and even if it didn't Harry really didn't see the problem with performing in the rain. He excitedly dragged a still half asleep Zayn from his room all the way to his own. He had his whole team in there already, all enjoying what seemed to be a massive breakfast.

Zayn made his way to Eric who was sat on a chair at the far end of the room with a nearly empty plate and on Zayn asking where Adylyn was pointed to a frenzied curly haired girl really piling on the bacon on her plate. Eric was completely vegetarian and Adylyn ate all the meat she could get her hands on, it still amazed Zayn how different these two were yet how perfectly they worked. They were each other's people.

That's how the whole day went really, there was a constant stream of food nearly the whole day along with cake and wine and vodka. Harry didn't have much of anything cause he did have to perform later and he didn't want to do that on a stomach on the verge of exploding and Zayn had to get out of the room for a while cause he might have been better than he was but he still had his weaknesses and a room bustling with energy drained his out of him in a while.

He walked to the balcony in Harry's room, the one facing the inside of the hotel towards the pool cause lord knows the balcony facing the street was in the direct line of sight of fans that have been down there for hours singing Happy Birthday. Harry was there for a while entertaining them with his antics and had requested several times that they go find shelter cause they were gonna get ill but they persisted, it didn't look like they were going anywhere.

Zayn was soon joined in his quiet reverie over the hotel pool. Harry stood next to him and gently bumped his shoulder against Zayn's and on Zayn turning, smiled at him dimples and all. Honestly had his smile always been that cute? What the fuck? Zayn turned back around and said, " Happy Birthday H." And faced Harry again to see him looking out at the hotel pool now too. With a smile on his face he replied with a quiet thank you.

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The closer it got to Harry's stage time the stronger the rains seemed to get. They were almost certain it wasn't going to let up and it was quickly turning into a storm. Zayn's heart broke for Harry, his crestfallen expression made it very clear just how much he was looking forward to this performance and just how horrible he felt about maybe having to cancel it. Jeff his manager had gone out to talk to the authorities and they were all still waiting on the final verdict.

Jeff's face when he made it back in made it clear that Harry wasn't going to be performing. Harry took it upon himself to tweet out to the fans that were waiting outside so they could quickly get under some shelter before the tornado as they were being told hit.

Zayn could see how upset he was about it and not knowing how else to help took a seat next to Harry on the couch he was sat quietly on and bumped his shoulder against Harry's in the same way the other had done to him a few hours ago and this time when Harry turned to look at him with a very different expression painted on his face he just gently led his head to his shoulder and sat there trying to provide a portion of the comfort Harry had provided to him.

Hi, I know Harry's Pre-superbowl performance was actually on the 31st of January. I had to change a few things for the story's sake.
:)