Zayn and Liam have never seen eye-to-eye. Constantly butting heads, their rivalry is legendary among the band. But when a wild dare forces them to pretend they're in a relationship for one week-complete with nicknames, hand-holding, kisses, and slee...
The lads were back in England for their holiday break, and the air was crisp with the first snow of the season. It felt magical—or at least, it would have if Niall hadn't already tracked snow and mud all over Zayn's flat, cursing up a storm.
"NIALL, YOU TWAT!" Louis bellowed from the doorway, pointing at the clumps of dirt dotting the pristine floor.
"It's snow, not the plague," Niall shot back, tossing his coat on the back of the sofa and kicking his boots off in a way that only made the mess worse.
"Right, because that makes it so much better," Harry muttered, side-eyeing the mess as he carefully wiped his own shoes. "Could you be more Irish?"
"Don't start with me, Curly," Niall replied, already raiding the fridge.
Meanwhile, in the Kitchen
Liam and Zayn were blissfully unaware of the chaos happening in the living room. Well, mostly unaware—Zayn had muttered a few choice words about Niall and his mud parade, but Liam had distracted him with cookie cutters and the promise of festive chaos.
"You're cutting those out all wrong," Liam teased, watching Zayn's attempt at making a snowman-shaped cookie.
Zayn looked up, one eyebrow arched. "Excuse me, Mr. Bake Off. How the fuck do you cut a snowman out 'wrong'?"
"Well, for starters," Liam said, leaning in close, "it's missing its arms. Poor bastard looks like he's been through a snowplow."
Zayn smirked, flicking a bit of flour at Liam. "This coming from the guy whose reindeer cookies look like roadkill."
Liam gasped, clutching his chest dramatically. "I'll have you know my reindeer are artistic!"
"They're tragic," Zayn deadpanned, grinning.
Liam rolled his eyes, stepping closer and brushing a smudge of flour from Zayn's cheek. "You're a pain in the arse, you know that?"
"And you're madly in love with me anyway," Zayn replied, his voice softening slightly as he leaned into the touch.
"Fair point," Liam admitted, pressing a quick kiss to Zayn's lips.
The Snow Photo
Once the cookies were in the oven, Zayn grabbed Liam's hand and pulled him toward the balcony.
"What're you doing?" Liam asked, letting himself be dragged outside.
"It's snowing," Zayn said simply, gesturing to the soft flakes falling around them.
Liam chuckled. "Yeah, I've noticed. Been happening all day."
"Shut up and take a picture with me," Zayn demanded, pulling out his phone.
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Liam obliged, wrapping his arms around Zayn as they leaned into each other, their breath visible in the frosty air. The picture was warm and intimate: Zayn's head tucked against Liam's shoulder, their Hair was matching dusted with Snow and the faint glow of Christmas lights in the background.
Zayn uploaded the photo to Twitter with the caption: Snow day with my favorite person ❄️❤️
Within minutes, the replies started flooding in. • "MY HEART CAN'T TAKE THIS." • "Ziam just ended all other ships, bye." • "You two look like a bloody Christmas card!" • "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THIS IS ILLEGAL LEVELS OF CUTE."
Liam smirked as he scrolled through the comments. "Think they like us."
Zayn grinned. "About bloody time."
Back Inside: The Cookie Debacle
By the time the cookies were done, the lads had somehow migrated to the kitchen, drawn by the scent of sugar and chocolate.
"Oh, thank fuck," Niall groaned, grabbing a handful before Liam could protest. "I thought you two lovebirds were holding us hostage with the smell."
"Oi! Those aren't all for you!" Liam snapped, swatting at Niall's hand.
"Should've made more then, shouldn't ya?" Niall replied through a mouthful of cookie.
"Unbelievable," Zayn muttered, watching as Niall devoured half the tray.
Louis peeked over Zayn's shoulder, snickering. "I see you're not denying it was a lovebird situation, though."
Harry grabbed a cookie of his own, smirking. "Yeah, you two are disgustingly domestic."
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Zayn turned to Liam with an exaggerated eye-roll. "You see what I put up with?"
Liam laughed, sliding an arm around Zayn's waist. "You love it."
"Shut up," Zayn muttered, though the smile on his face gave him away.
The Christmas Eve Chaos
As the evening wore on, the lads all settled into their usual banter, playing games and watching Christmas movies while absolutely demolishing the cookies. Liam and Zayn stayed close, sharing small glances and soft touches that didn't go unnoticed.
Louis, ever the instigator, grabbed his phone at one point and snapped a picture of Zayn sitting in Liam's lap, both of them laughing at something Harry had said.
"Perfect," Louis said, uploading the photo to Twitter with the caption: Our boys are disgustingly cute. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.
The replies came flooding in once again, and by the time the night ended, the fans were in full meltdown mode.
As they all settled in for the night, Zayn leaned into Liam's side, his voice quiet. "This has been the best Christmas in a long time."
Liam smiled, kissing the top of Zayn's head. "It's just the start, babe. We've got plenty more to come."
