the only time i feel i might get better (is when we are together) - ziam

Thirty seven ･ﾟ✧

Hopping over the cracks, Zayn's heart was warm. Today was going to be a good day, he could just feel it deep inside. Thankfully, his lecture was only three hours long which meant he could quickly get back to being in his caregivers arms. Not that he minded the lecture though; it was based on the topic of how art is used in fashion which was something that Zayn was highly interested in. He loved anything fashion related and could easily spend a good two hours getting ready if he really wanted to. One thing he hoped to learn in the future was how to make his own garments but for now, he had enough work to do and figured that was something he could do later on in life.

Feeling the chilly, fresh air on his face, the little boy smiled and stepped up the large stone steps to the lecture hall. Looking down, he giggled softly as he took each step, they were a lot bigger than he remembered which could potentially be a sign that he was feeling small - and that wasn't good. He knew if Liam was by his side, he would be warning him to look up because he might walk into someone... Which is unfortunately, as if on cue, exactly what he did. He cursed himself mentally, believing that this sort of bad luck would only happen to him. The poor lad had bumped into someone slightly taller than himself. He squeaked softly in shock, putting his hands up in defence almost instantly. "Oh- Sorry!"

"No worries, mate." The man smiled, voice familiar to him. Upon looking up, Zayn realised it was Niall and raised an eyebrow, feeling relief at the fact it was just Niall and not someone else. "Why are you hangin' around the art block?"

Niall simply shrugged, "For you?" He chuckled, clapping his hands like it was the funniest joke he had ever made. It was clear he was not there for the tiny. "I'm joking, I was dropping last nights entertainment off for their class."

Zayn grimaced, Niall was just like Liam. "Right. I see. Sorry for bumping into you again... Didn't mean to."

"Honestly, like I said. No worries, just watch where you're going next time. Alright? Don't want ya' tripping and falling, bud." He smiled, doing that one specific goofy smile that Zayn believed only Niall could achieve. The lad couldn't tell if he liked the grin or not, in some ways it aggravated him but other times it just made him smile. Niall wasn't the worst but he just wished he had more respect for the others around them, such as his use of the phrase 'last nights entertainment'. "Yeah, okay."

"How are you anyway, did you end up going to your lecture? Or were you too hungover." He teased lightly. Zayn rolled his eyes, playing anxiously with his hands because yeah, he did skip. He skipped and spent the day tiny. "Yeah. I did... Won't be doing that again though.'"

"Bet you will. It's alright to have fun sometimes, you'll always catch up on that work as well... But I guess, don't listen to me. I'm the one who's going to fail. Also... While I'm here... If you're up for it, me, you and Liam could go to that cafe again tomorrow. Considering s' a weekend and all?" He suggested, making Zayn shrug, he wasn't sure if he and Liam had plans for tomorrow or not. "I'll think about it, and I'll ask Liam. He'll probably text you with my decision... Think he might meet me after class so I'll ask him then."

"Sounds good. Right, I'll see you then. Have a good lecture or whatever, heard this one is about fashion which clearly I'm not good at." He gestured to his Nike shorts, Under Armour shirt and crocs: named brands, of course. Zayn wouldn't expect anything more from the lad standing before him, "I mean. Could be worse. At least it matches." He giggled, making Niall smile. "S'pose that's true."

"See ya." The Irish man rubbed Zayn's back, leaving down the steps the boy had previously gone up. With a sigh, the little boy gripped the door and entered his way inside. He walked down the hall and found his way into the lecture, sitting towards the back. Despite the subject being something that he is highly interested in, he wasn't fond of being up the front and asked questions.

Upon making himself comfy, he set up his station with his notebook and a pencil, waiting for everyone to sit down and the lecture to begin. He debated adding Chase to his collection of things on the desk but figured people might think it was weird if they walked past so he decided against it, swinging his feet back and forth. Thankfully, it didn't take too long for his lecture to start and soon he was being taught all about the topic of fashion, he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested. In fact, he felt as though he preferred it more than what they usually studied or perhaps it was the little space which his brain was threatening him to fall into making him feel more content than usual. He quietly sighed to himself, first he struggles to slip and now his brain is trying to make him fall into the headspace at university? You couldn't write it, honestly.

Better to be safe than sorry, he sent Liam a text to alert him about how he was feeling and within seconds he was greeted with Liam asking if he should come down. It was quite sweet actually and he was glad he now had a caregiver that could be there for him in a moment like this, with Zayn's past of not being able to regress in public or with others, he never realised that this would be something he'd have to worry about until now. Zayn replied with a thumbs up emoji before turning his phone off and resting his head against the cold, wooden desk.

A/N: I haven't wrote this in over a year and can't completely remember the storyline... So I hope this fits in nicely. :)