Ziam one shots

Mirrors-I'm Lookin' Right At The Other Half Of Me

Chapter 5

"Louis?"

Louis mutters out expletives under his breath and Liam sits up a little straighter, careful not to let Zayn fall off his chest. Liam watched as his best friend gathered the articles of clothing lying on the floor where they had fallen in his jump of surprise. He was flushed and he refused to look back in Liam's direction, not that Liam minded because he wasn't exactly sure what words were supposed to come out of his mouth if Louis were to make eye contact.

As it turns out, his mind and mouth take control of the situation when Louis makes it clear that he has no intention of answering Liam's call and he breezes past the couch and heads toward the foyer.

"Louis, hold the hell on," he says, trying to keep his voice down. Zayn was already starting to wake from the jostle of Liam's body and Grimmy would wake at the drop of a hat. Liam didn't want this to turn into a spectator sport this early in the morning.

He lifts Zayn in his arms and winces at the couch creaking underneath him, but he smiles as Zayn's hands reach out for him when he leaves him on the couch.

"Stay," Zayn mumbles, his eyes squeezing shut at the sunlight peaking through the curtains in the room.

"I'll be right back," he says, laying a kiss on his forehead and silently making his way to the door where he can hear Louis fumbling with the locks.

His feet hit the cold flooring and he hisses at the contact. Louis just barely gets the locks slid open when Liam catches him at the door. He's still set on ignoring Liam as he shuts the door in his face and doesn't say a word when Liam gets outside and snatches his elbow before he can pour himself into the cab waiting by the curb.

"Louis, stop for a second, will you?"

Louis wretches his arm from Liam's grip and walks forward, angrily spinning around when he hears Liam follow after him. "It's not what it looks like, Liam," he pleads, his eyes daring Liam to say something but begging him not to at the same time, the only communication between them the shine in Louis' eyes and the raise in Liam's eyebrows.

"I'm not mad, Lou. I'm happy you and Harry are," he waves his hands around, not sure what to call what Louis and Harry have going on, but he knows it's something because Louis doesn't sleep over after sex or go to rock concerts and wear stupid ugly beanies that mess up his fringe.

He starts over. "I'm happy you two are whatever you are."

"We aren't anything," Louis spits, squinting at Liam and curling his lip at the implication. "We had sex, we've have sex. This is nothing new. I just fell asleep this time because I'm stupid. But I don't want him to get the wrong idea, so I'm leaving."

Liam lets his brain catch up with the new information and tries not to let himself hurt over the ever present fact that Louis wasn't telling him things as of late, and this was just something to add to the list.

"And when were you gonna tell me you were sleeping with him?"

Louis folds his arms over his chest and Liam's eyes are drawn to the fading mark hidden low on his neck when his arms pull down the fabric of his shirt, moving the collar to reiterate the secrets Louis had been keeping.

"You know you and I aren't actually dating, right? I don't have to tell you about every person I fuck. It never worked that way before."

The words come out cruel but Liam knows he doesn't mean them. Because this is what Louis does, he lashes out and plays the victim before anyone gets the chance to attack. He pretends to be an asshole, and plays it up a bit, pushing things and people away. Because somewhere along the way his no-good parents convinced him that he was only a pretty face and not much else. And damn them, Liam thinks. Damn everyone who put Louis down before Liam was able to get his own shit together all those years ago and notice Louis was falling apart.