𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 .

28.

third person's pov

"zayn."

zayn did not answer at first, surrendered completely to the silence that had amassed the room quickly after their conversation, one that had led to a quite unexpected result- or at least, to the somewhat conflicted brunette who wasn't quite sure how to feel about the outcome. instead of filling the room with any awkward, unsure words he could've suggested at the shock zayn knew was not quite out of his system, mahi'ai had instead sat- right in his lap as if he was entitled, and instead of offending at zayn's reserved, stiff body language he waited. mahi'ai waited and hummed and smiled and fiddled with the older's hair until he had somehow managed to coax him into completely laying his head on his shoulder, so that even though he was holding mahi'ai - mahi'ai was really the one holding him, and mahi'ai was  really the only one who seemed to know what was going on.

while zayn had no shame about anything in the life he had lived, he had a whole lot of pride and the mere admittance of the trauma he seemingly hadn't recovered from had seemed to shut him down. it was obvious after their conversation had naturally ceased- mahi'ai didn't have to look far into those emerald eyes to see the conflicted mix of embarrassment that had begun to brew into an underlying anger- the one that always seemed to narrow his eyes and sharpen his gaze. zayn seemed to shut down, yet refused to acknowledge his own vulnerability, instead going still and silent in the younger's arms who's hands played affectionately in his hair, but never once mentioning how he felt about the situation, or how he felt in the moment.

it was as if he didn't know how to, and while mahi'ai was still somewhat perturbed from earlier he could not stay mad at the boy at all- not even if he tried. it was like being mad at a person for trying to speak english who had lived in italy for most of his life.

"zayn." mahi'ai tried again after a moment, batting his lengthy lashes over at the sight of the older who was silent with the heavy realization of mahi'ai's effect. no one had ever held him, nor calmed him down, or recognized that he needed to be calmed or held- there was nobody he let hold him. nobody had been able to make him feel.. real, and though he was somewhat apprehensive of what it could mean, the mere fact mahi'ai was willing to touch him after that conversation meant more to zayn than he was able to process and he was not even sure why.

though he had to sort them out, zayn could not help his strong feelings. even if unvocalized it didn't take much for somebody to guess. he tightened his grip around mahi'ai, embracing him genuinely as he leaned into his little body scented so sweetly of cocoa butter and amber zayn swore he never wanted to breath anyone's air again. the hawaiians heart raced in his chest at the much larger's chest pressed against his so tightly, plummeting straight to his toes when zayn turned his face to the side, his large, pink pout brushing lightly across the youngest neck.

"mm?"

"i gotta cook." mahi'ai murmured, glancing down at the brunette, his heart pounding in his chest. zayn had never allowed him to touch him like that- almost in a dominant way, where mahi'ai controlled the flow of touch and it meant so very much to the fifteen year old that he was somewhat scared to ask him to move. the boy with soft, crème skin only stared at him, his intense green eyes seeming to gauge him as he once again placed a kiss on the smaller boy's neck, not once looking away from him- or acknowledging what he had said.

mahi'ai could not help the nerve that seemed to replace blood in his veins- they had never been, or acted so close before and mahi'ai could feel the warmth of his large body steaming up his cheeks and tickling his stomach with butterflies of how he touched him- his strong, tatooed arms so tight around him and his head laying almost submissively on his shoulders, and for him to go as far as to close his eyes was a symbol of trust whether or not he would admit it- he clearly trusted him, and it made mahi'ai happy.