Mine ♡ Ziall/Niam/Narry/Nouis/Zianourry AU [COMPLETE]

FIVE -- AWKWARD KISS

"Harry! I'm Stitch!" is the first thing Harry hears a few hours later. They're watching the second Pirates of the Caribbean film, and Zayn is so into it that he doesn't even realize Niall is there until he ends up in his lap.

"You scared me!" Zayn exclaims. "I didn't even hear you come in. How'd sweater shopping go?"

"Good! Look what Louis bought me!" Niall scrambles out of Zayn's lap so he can stand. He's wearing the Stitch hoodie, and he reaches up to flop one of the ears.

"Oh, my God," Harry says weakly. Liam actually covers his eyes and groans like he's in pain.

"You don't like it?" Niall's face falls, and Zayn quickly stands and cups his face in his hands.

"Ni, you look adorable," Zayn assures him, and Niall's face lights up. He giggles and hugs Zayn around the waist, nuzzling his cheek against his chest.

"Thank you!" He gives Zayn an extra squeeze. "Okay, I gotta go! I just wanted to show you guys my hoodie. See you tomorrow!" He maneuvers around the room quickly so he can hug Liam and Harry, and then he leaves.

Zayn sits back down, fully intending the continue the film, until he realizes Harry must've paused it. He turns around to face. "What's wrong? Press play!"

"I don't have the remote," Harry says. Zayn frowns, turns the other way to look at Liam, who shows Zayn his empty hands.

"Not guilty," Liam shrugs.

With a frown, Zayn gets up and starts to search the room. He gets frustrated very quickly, and resorts to staring at Liam with a pout.

"I don't have it," Liam laughs.

"Oh...is that what you're looking for?" Harry asks teasingly, waggling the remote at Zayn.

"You're the worst!" Zayn scowls, reaching for it. Harry keeps pulling it out of his grasp, laughing, until Zayn somehow ends up in his lap. "Harry! Give it!"

Zayn isn't really sure of how it happens -- one second he's reaching desperately for the remote, and then the next he isn't. He's way too aware of Harry's mouth, which is only a few inches from his. He feels nervous -- it isn't supposed to be like this. His heart is in his throat. He's about to pull back when Harry grabs his elbow, and it's right then, before Zayn can blink, that it happens.

Harry kisses him.

It's short, maybe three seconds, and Zayn's mind goes totally blank. He can't think. All he's aware of is that he and Harry are kissing and then they're not. Harry's eyes search his face, to see if he's disgusted by this, which he's not. But now he doesn't know what to say, so before anyone can do anything, he's out of Harry's lap and out the door.

"Way to go," Liam scoffs. Harry glares over at him. "Don't look at me like that -- that was a terrible idea."

"I didn't mean to!" Harry snaps defensively. "He was just, like...there. You would've done the same thing."

Liam just shrugs, because Harry isn't necessarily wrong.

- - -

"Will you come in for a little while?" Niall asks Louis shyly. "I have to walk Cupcake and don't wanna go alone."

Louis grins at him. "You just want me to buy you candy when we pass by the store."

Niall gives him a wide smile -- clearly Louis has caught onto him. Louis rolls his eyes, but he follows Niall inside. "Hi, Mum!" He kisses his mother's cheek, and Louis gives her a polite smile. Niall finds Cupcake's leash (it's white with rainbow polka dots on it, the most Niall-esque thing Louis has ever seen) and clips it onto the puppy's leash. The puppy licks at Niall's cheeks when he hugs him, making Niall giggle.

"Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen!" Niall squeals about the puppy, and Louis nods, though he's referring to Niall's cuteness. Niall slips his hand into Louis' when they make it outside, inhaling the autumn air. "Don't you love fall, Lou?"

"It's okay," Louis shrugs. He doesn't feel particularly attached to any season -- they all change rather quickly anyway. "I'm not so crazy about it starting to get cold."

"But when it starts to get cold, it snows!" Niall exclaims. "That means snowmen! And snowball fights!" He claps his hands together in his excitement, accidentally looping Cupcake's leash around his wrist. With a giggle he undoes it, and then leans down to kiss Cupcake's head. "You should be more excited about things, Louis." He lets go of Louis' hand so he can hug him tightly.

Louis just shakes his head. He's drowning in fondness. "You want some sour gummy worms, cutie pie?"

Niall blushes at the pet name -- he's always been a sucker for them -- and nods. "You can't eat the whole bag this time, though!"

"Of course not," Louis responds with a wink. Niall glares at him oh-so-frighteningly -- NOT.

(Louis ends up eating at least 75% of the gummies.)