when you sleep :: [malik]

"sHe..."

"Oooh! Cocoa Puffs! Let's get them. Can we get them?"

"Mani," Justin chuckles. "How many cereals do you wanna get?"

"I..." She pauses, reaching for the box and holding it up to her face, pouting with such perfect puppy-dog eyes Zayn thinks he'll get the damn cereal for her if Justin doesn't cave. "I just...I just want 'em."

Justin ignores the four other boxes already in their cart. "Get 'em," he sighs, and Zayn nearly cheers with Imani as she claps her hands together, tossing the box in their basket.

"Yay!" And she kisses his cheek. "Okay, now I need some Hershey's white chocolate and those salt and vinegar chips and...oh," she nods. "Hummus. I need some hummus..."

"Damn," Justin sighs with a laugh as Imani saunters ahead. "These fucking cravings..."

"It's for the baby," Zayn replies, clapping him hard on the back.

Justin flinches. "Thanks, Zayn. Thanks a lot, man."

"That's what I'm here for, yeah?"

Thanks to this lack of a license, Zayn's kind of unofficially become part of this whole baby-welcoming-process, anyway.

He'd really better be godfather, now.

To be completely honest, he doesn't know why he's opted to happily trail Imani and Justin through the grocery store...Actually, he does. It's because Zhuri was going to meet them there. It's because he knew she was going to show up.

Which is why he didn't mind riding around the city with Justin most days. Because most days Zhuri showed up wherever they were, too.

"My baby's gonna be such a fatass."

"Don't say that in front of Imani."

"Never," Justin laughs. "Her hormones have been all over the place. She might cry or she might kill me."

"Or both," nods Zayn. And he motions towards Imani ahead of them. "So, uh...have you figured out what you're gonna do?"

"Huh?" Justin turns his gaze from her to him, "With what?"

"When the baby comes," says Zayn. "You gonna move in together? Switch the Audi for a minivan? Live in the suburbs?"

"Ha ha," Justin laughs. "For real though, we haven't gotten that far...I don't even..." He rubs the back of his neck, "I don't even know what we are, honestly."

Zayn nods. He was all too familiar with a label-less relationship.

"I'll bring it up one day, I guess," Justin admits. "I just," and a little smile evolves upon his lips as he sees her turn in the freezer section and squeal excitedly with a, "Rocky Road! Justin, look!" at the ice cream.

He shakes his head. "As weird as it is, I don't want to mess up what we've got going now."

Zayn nods. Because that was apparently what Zhuri was used to doing, too? Not talking about things that honestly needed to be talked about.

"I swear, half of this shit she isn't even gonna eat--"

"Don't say that in front of Imani."

The boys turn, both of them grinning as Zhuri approaches, her white collared shirt tucked into some straight-legged khaki's. She's still got her press badge around her neck from wherever she'd been for work.

"I'll add that to the list of things I shouldn't say," Justin grins as he opens his arms for a hug.

She readily accepts the gesture, moving on to Zayn next.