One Rainy Day.. {ziam}

Drizzle

light rain falling in very fine drops.

"I hate you."

"Oh please, bitch."

Niall flounces into the apartment and throws his arms up as he flops into the couch. There are no words from Liam, watching his best friend be a complete idiot about the whole situation. Maybe telling the group wasn't the best idea but he always tells them everything. Besides, they asked why he wasn't replying them. Liam was the early replier type most times, except he was too busy with work and yet he didn't look at their groupchat the whole day. Harry actually called him, he was that worried but Liam quickly assured him he was perfectly fine and told him to return all his focus back to his new husband. He hated that he'd interrupted their honeymoon even slightly so with guilt weighing heavily on his chest, he finally updated them all.

Maybe he should have just told Harry. Because if he had, Niall would not be standing in the middle of his kitchen, rumbling around for snacks like a fucking chipmunk searching for nuts. He blinks at the man whose cheeks were full of God knows what once he finally turns back to him. Then he too flops on his couch, quietly biting his lip.

Liam has a generally mundane life and a routine to add to it. He gets ready, goes to work at the gym and enjoys his rest once he comes back. On his free days between clients and classes, he relaxes at home with some music or Netflix. Sometimes, he goes out with his friends too, although solitude became a much more common substitute as he grew older. Niall is still the party type, though, and he loves him for and despite his madness. Friends like his are hard to find.

Everyone assumed after Harry and Louis got together, he and Niall would naturally follow suit. They both know for a fact that they only have platonic feelings for each other, although flirting for fun is never off the table and that's how things have stayed between the two since college. Liam raises a brow when Niall casually kicks his foot, sighing long and hard because the lad looks like he's ready to burst. "Okay. I don't know what the fuck was so important about what I said that you bloody apparated here but get it over with so I can rela-"

"I NEED DETAILS! HE'S HOT, RIGHT?! HE'S HOT, ISN'T HE?! I KNOW HE IS YOU HAVE AMAZING TASTE SO TELL ME, BITCH, WHEN'S THE WEDDING?!"

"Niall-"

"I MADE YOU GUYS A SHIP NAME! LIKE LARRY! I WISH I KNEW HIS LAST NAME SO WE COULD SORT THAT OUT TOO BUT FOR NOW-"

"Ni-"

"WE HAVE ZIAM AND I AM THE FUCKING CAPTAIN I'M SO HAPPY YOU'VE BEEN SINGLE TOO LONG-"

"You're single, too."

"Well yeah but I'm comfy living the single life. You like romance lots more than me. And it's been long enough, we need to get you another half like the other two gays of da group."

Another heavy sigh later, Liam is recounting what happened while Niall listens with rapt attention. It's kind of nice, despite how irritating his deep interest in his love life is. Zayn is only a stranger, anyway, so he doesn't see why it's such a big deal. He's not even sure why the interaction affected him so much that he's kept his mind locked on distracting himself from the memory. Maybe it was the look in those glazed honey brown eyes. He'd worn that look before, he knew it well. The painting just confirmed and his stupid hero complex had him desperate to help, somehow. Whether Zayn was a stranger or not, he deserved to feel happy, even if he was a bit sharp with his words.

Or maybe he is just a guy who paints amazingly touching art. Maybe Liam simply got lost in his own feelings of the past and projected his own pain into Zayn. But is it really possible to put that much dullness into a person's eyes? He blinks twice, realising Niall has been speaking and rises to his feet when the brunette slyly asks what he was thinking about, asking him what tea he wants even as he knowingly starts preparing hot chocolate for both of them.