You're The Shining Distraction That Makes Me Fly

Chapter 1

Groaning, Zayn turned over in bed to stop the blaring alarm clock, his eyes still closed as he finally managed to make the horrendous sound cease. He sighed in frustration, pulling the blanket over his head even if he knew he couldn't afford to linger in bed, the day impatiently waiting for him. After a few seconds, Zayn pushed himself up, rubbing at his eyes as he stood slowly, tangled in the warm blankets that all but begged him to stay.

Making his way into the kitchen, he started the kettle silently as he slipped on his glasses that he had abandoned on the counter the previous night. Nibbling on a piece of dry bread, Zayn waited for the water to boil before pouring himself a cuppa, trudging towards the kitchen table where his books still were.

Settling in, Zayn looked at the clock indicating it was barely 5 am before returning to his book, making a mental note that he only had an hour to study before he had to get going.

He focused on the assigned readings, making marks in the margins as he sipped his tea slowly, trying to rub the sleep away.

Within the hour Zayn managed to read through an entire chapter, highlighting the important passages before he was finished his tea. When the clock finally struck 6, he closed his books, placing them quickly in his backpack before going back to the kitchen.

He moved around swiftly, making sure one of the sandwiches he made was cut into squares not triangles. He then separated nuts and dried fruits in little baggies, adding some veggies and cheese with a simple curry dip. And even though he knew the new school had a strict no sweets policy, he added a mini Kit-Kat bar for all intensive purposive, closing up the batman lunchbox.

By the time he managed to whip up some pancakes, it was a little past 6:30, the morning sun starting to shine through the falling snow, casting a kaleidoscope of colors around the bare walls of the tiny flat. Putting the Mickey Mouse pancakes in the oven to keep them warm, Zayn tiptoed his way into the room adjacent his, smiling to himself when he saw the little boy in the bed shuffle around at the sound.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, running his hand up and down the small boy's back Zayn leaned down, kissing his son's forehead.

"Mezi, it's time to wake up," he cooed silently, fingers threading their way through the boy's black fringe, gently pushing the silk strands away.

After a few seconds, tiny chocolate brown eyes opened, looking up at Zayn still half asleep.

"I made Mickey Mouse pancakes, your favorite for your first day of school," whispered Zayn, feeling as though his normal voice would be too loud for such an intimate moment.

Truth was he was struggling badly with his own emotions at the moment, his son's first day of school not something he was ready to deal with this early on. But the wide smile the small boy offered him in response eased his anxiety lightly.

Standing, Zayn pushed open the curtains, allowing the light through as he chose a shirt and some jeans for his son to wear, settling them on the bed by the boy's feet.

"Are you ok to get dressed?," he asked, adding a pair of clean underwear and socks to the pile before turning towards Mezi.

The little boy sat silent in his bed for a minute, blankets tugged around his waist as he clung to a monkey plush. Trying to encourage his son, Zayn smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose before reaching down for a smaller pair, very similar to his own. The only difference was that they were lined with a bright lime green color on the inside, the superhero disguise he called it as he slipped them onto his son's soft face which brightened immediately.

"Can you get dressed now?" Zayn repeated, and was greeted with a shy nod as the boy pushed the covers away, grabbing the collar of his Ironman pyjama shirt and dragging it off.