No Fear of Falling (Zarry AU)

Chapter 9

When he got home, Zayn waited for Harry to find him in the treehouse. He didn’t. He didn’t come over the next day, either, so Zayn sat there, his back against the red wall as he looked at the blanket they were hiding the Tomorrow jar under. He sat there until it got dark and when it did and he poked his head out of the treehouse to see that Harry’s bedroom light was on. He knew then, but he still went over.

His mother answered the front door and looked thrilled to see him, asking if he could smell the macaroni cheese she was making for dinner. It was Zayn’s favourite so she frowned when he shook his head and pointed to the stairs.

‘I just need to talk to Harry.’

Zayn could hardly get his name out and she must have heard because the corners of her mouth fell as she stepped back to let him in.

He took the stairs two at a time and when he looked up to see Harry’s bedroom door, he almost turned and ran back down them again. But he knocked.

‘Come in,’ Harry said over the chorus of a song Zayn didn’t recognise.

When he opened the door, Harry was rooting through his chest of drawers.

‘Mum, have you seen my Hollister hoodie?’ He lifted his head and stepped back when he realised that it was Zayn. ‘Oh. Hey,’ he said, suddenly breathless.

He was shirtless, a pair of black jeans slung low on his hips to reveal the band of his underwear, and when he realised, he grabbed a t-shirt out of the drawer and pulled it on as though Zayn hadn’t already seen it all, as though he hadn’t already seen everything. Zayn knew for sure then and he didn’t think anything could hurt more than walking into the kitchen at that party to see Harry kissing Melanie Munro, but that did.

‘Did you shag her?’ Zayn said. He heard the crack in his voice so Harry must have as well, but he didn’t look at him, just looked down into the open drawer and nodded. ‘Well, you’re definitely not gay now.’