Jinx

4

        Zayn groaned at the knocking that was echoing around him. The sun was too bright and his bed just didn't feel right. He jumped, falling to the floor when a pillow smacked across his face. "Wake up!" Aleece's voice screeched as he heard Watson barking and Louis' voice from far away hollering his name. "Go let him in before he breaks down the door."

Zayn crawled across the floor, the night before coming back to him slowly in blurry images. He scratched at the door, trying to grasp the knob before managing to unlock it and get it open. He rolled out of the way when Louis and Niall barged in. Louis stood over Zayn with his hands on his hips while Niall went to drop down onto the floor next to Watson who was watching the entire scene with his head tilted.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Louis shouted, causing Zayn to wave his arms in an approximation of "keep your voice down". "I've been up all night worried sick about you!"

"Sorry, mum," Zayn muttered, looking up at Louis and blinking again at the image of his messy haired roommate wearing sleep shorts and a shirt that said, "I don't like morning people. Or people. Or mornings." Zayn started laughing, the sound echoing inside of his head in an explosion of pain, but he couldn't seem to get himself under control.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Louis shouted at Aleece, who just raised a hand from underneath her blanket, two fingers extended before rolling back over. "Zayn, seriously, you aren't that pissed off at me, are you?" Zayn's laughter died quickly at the rare serious tone to Louis' voice. He looked up at his friend, who sat on the ground next to him, reaching a hand out to brush pink locks out of his face. "You've been crying?"

Louis leapt to his feet, crossing the room to Niall who was leaning into Watson, eyes closed and soft snores issuing from his lips. Louis kicked him. "I made him cry," Louis said when Niall jolted awake. "Was I really that much of a wanker?"

"Yes, you are that much of a wanker," Aleece's voice came out from under the covers, "but you don't get credit for those tears." She shoved the blankets off before coming over to kneel next to Zayn, wrapping protective arms around him. "These all belong to that stupid wanker Payne."

Zayn groaned at the name. "Not his fault," Zayn muttered before rolling over and emptying the contents of his stomach in Aleece's front hall.

***

Liam managed to get a couple of hours of sleep, but he was still awake far earlier than necessary, so he decided to head over to the practice pitch early to get some personal practice in. As he walked, he thought back over the conversation he'd had with Harry after the lights had been turned out, their backs to each other. He'd finally admitted to Harry that he was more afraid of how he was feeling for Zayn than he was angry about Zayn not telling him he'd been a fan of the show, or more specifically him.

Harry had convinced him that he needed to talk to Zayn, find out if there had been any ulterior motive in Zayn's omission. Liam looked at his phone but thought that seven in the morning might be a tad too early to call considering the shape the other boy had been in the photo he'd been looking at all night. He pocketed his phone as he reached the locker room, pulling the door open and trying to come up with a plan for the morning.

He'd only been on the field about a half hour, a good sweat going as he ran suicide drills, when he heard the door from the locker room slam open. He continued running, figuring it was another player or two coming in early as well. He was just about to turn back towards the locker room when he felt someone fly into him, knocking him to the ground.

He rolled as he hit the ground, moving his face just in time to avoid a flying fist and wincing when he heard Louis hit the ground and let out a yelp. The smaller man was off Liam in a moment, shaking his hand and cursing up a storm. He managed to kick Liam in the side twice before he got to his feet, grabbing Louis by the wrists and holding his struggling form away from him. Looking around, Liam saw Niall walking slowly across the field.