he don't like the lights ♡ ziall/zustin/jiall au [COMPLETE]

six

it's always weird when zayn isn't home, but it's especially weird when justin is and zayn isn't.

it's a leg of the tour where zayn is doing concerts solo and justin has a break. since justin has nothing to do and can't go home (his management headquarters -- which is the same as zayn's -- is in l.a., where niall and zayn live) he decides to crash at zayn and niall's. it works out well, because zayn has asked justin to check up on niall anyway.

niall waits at the airport for him. he sits in his car, radio playing twenty one pilots. he hums along, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. he's so into tear in your heart that he doesn't see justin come up until he knocks on the window. he startles so badly he accidentally honks the horn.

"don't do that!" he yelps, pouting at his friend as he gets out of the car.

justin chuckles. "sorry, little one."

niall shakes his head. with a shy smile, he opens his arms to justin. "missed you," he mumbles shyly as justin envelopes him in his arms. it's true, too, but the experience of missing both justin and zayn is still so strange.

justin leans his cheek against the top of niall's head. "i missed you, too, little one."

cheeks pink, niall lets justin go. "how's zayn?"

justin musters up a smile, but it looks a little sad. "good. he misses you. he told me to give you a million hugs and kisses." niall's cheeks go pink again, and justin grins. "he said he wants to facetime tonight."

niall giggles. "it'll be so weird! it's like he and i switched places."

"yeah, i guess so," justin smiles.

- - -
"gimme the phone!" justin shouts, trying to snatch the phone from the tiny blond.

"no!" niall giggles, trying to wriggle out of justin's grasp, but he has a firm hold on niall's hips. zayn is laughing, quite confused by what he's seeing, honestly, but definitely amused by it. it's quite cute to see them both fighting for his attention, if he's honest.

eventually, they manage to find a position that works so they can both see zayn and zayn can see both of them. this position ends up being niall trapped in justin's lap, his arms tightly wrapped around the blond's lap so he can't squirm away.

"are you done?" zayn asks, a laugh in his voice.

"yes," justin says brightly.

"i guess," niall huffs.

"how was the flight?" zayn asks justin.

"good. it was long, but i got to listen to your album all the way through finally."

"what did you think?"

"dude, it's dope!" justin says it with so much warm admiration that it even makes niall smile.

"he scared me in the car, though," niall pouts.

"justin!" zayn scolds. "you can't terrorize my fragile princess."

niall glares at the phone. "how dare you? i'm not fragile!"

"i couldn't help it," justin tries to defend himself, "he was so invested in twenty one pilots, he didn't even see me! all i did was knock on the window and he had a heart attack!"

"you knocked loud."

justin rolls his eyes.

"okay, well, guys, i've gotta go in a minute. niall, make sure justin drinks his dumb sleepytime tea before he goes to sleep or he'll be grumpy as hell tomorrow, and you don't deserve that. jay, make sure niall eats something, okay? he always forgets when he's excited, and you being there is bound to make him excited."

niall is blushing. "we aren't three, and i'm not excited!" he whines. "we can take care of ourselves, zayn."

"if you say so." zayn smiles, but it looks a little sad. "god, i miss you guys. okay. goodnight. i love you, ni."

"i love you, too!" niall blows a kiss at the camera. zayn is about to hang up when niall yells, "WAIT!" he yells it so loudly that even justin jumps.

"what?" zayn asks.

"you didn't tell justin you love him! or mr. dynamite," he adds when he spots the bear cross the room.

"and you say you're not three," justin mutters, and niall elbows him.

"bye, justin, i love you," zayn says, voice amused.

"whatever, nerd," justin responds. he fully intends to leave it at that, but niall gives him such a cute glare tbag he can't bear to. "i love you, too."

they hang up and niall, very cheerily, makes his way to the kitchen to eat a bowl of cereal. justin puts the teapot on the stove and frowns disapprovingly when he sees what niall's eating.

"that's not a meal," he scolds.

niall frowns down into his bowl. "uh-huh. it's cheerios, that is a meal."

justin shakes his head. "eat something else with that, yeah? please? zayn will kick my ass if you're looking scrawny when he gets back." and i want to take care of you, justin adds mentally. he'd never say that bit aloud, though.

niall glares at him. "no."

justin sighs and crosses the kitchen and grabs an apple. "eat this or i'll shove it down your throat."

niall takes it, pouting, just as the teapot whistles. niall glares at justin's as he eats the apple, and justin chuckles as he sits down with his tea.

"you being grumpy now, cutie?"

niall ducks his head to hide his blush. "no," he mumbles, finishing off his meal as justin finishes his tea.

"goodnight," justin says gently, making his way to the guest room.

"goodnight," niall calls back. he's about to go into his and zayn's bedroom when he hesitates. "um...justin?"

justin pokes his head out of the room. "yeah, ni? you okay?"

niall bites his lip. "uh...i know zayn has been gone for a while, but, um...i'm still..." he shifts uncomfortably. "i'm not so good at sleeping alone..."

justin nods. niall is a little afraid he's going to laugh at him, but justin doesn't. he just follows niall into the bedroom and gets into the bed.

"dibs on small spoon," niall says drowsily, as if the fact that they would cuddle had been decided all along.

justin chuckles. niall is already half asleep at this point, and he curls his body around the small blond's. part of him hates himself for wanting to hold niall like this for so long, but it feels...right. the only thing that would make this better would be if zayn were there.

"goodnight, sweetheart," justin whispers one last time, kissing the top of niall's head.

"goodnight, jay." niall's voice is so sleepy...he is so close to unconsciousness...all he remembers is kissing justin's cheek quickly, shyly, and drifting off.