All the Leaves are Brown (Zarry AU)

Chapter 21

August

Adam and Karen have a girl who, despite a tireless and well-fought campaign from Harry, they don’t call Harriet, rather Jude, after The Beatles song. Much to Zayn’s bemusement, Harry is dying to see her, so as soon as Adam and Karen bring her home, they go around. They live in a tiny three-up-two down not far from the Hat and Stick that’s too small for Adam’s record collection let alone a baby. Luckily, Jude doesn’t take up much space, which is one of the reasons she makes Zayn so uneasy. He’s not the biggest fan of babies. Maybe when they’re older and have more of a personality (like his cousin, Faiza, who, for reasons known only to herself, will only eat round food) but when they’re that small, they’re so floppy and fragile and boring, frankly.

Harry doesn’t seem to think so, though, so as much as Zayn would rather spend his day off sleeping, he and Harry go to meet Jude. By then Harry’s all but living with Zayn. He doesn’t know what he’s told his parents (and he doesn’t ask, because if anyone knows how hard it is to be honest with your parents, it’s Zayn) but Harry must have told them something because his mum bakes cupcakes. Cupcakes with pink frosting and pink bows that even taste pink somehow. And they must know that he’s working at Piccadilly now, which is why he’s in Manchester so much. Zayn’s pretty sure that he hasn’t told them it’s because he was hanging around him so much that Mal said he might as well give him a job. So he did. Harry’s now in charge of their twitter account and Instagram, which neither Zayn or Mal has ever had much faith in, but tweeting random lyrics and the funny things the customers say works, apparently, because it’s not even been a month and online sales have gone up by 10%. Plus, Steve Lamacq gave them a shout out on his show last night so as much as they tease him for his weakness for Miley Cyrus whatever he’s being paid – and Zayn’s sure it isn’t much – Harry’s earned his keep.

Harry should be thrilled, but he isn’t, because it’s been three weeks (three weeks and five days, not that Zayn’s counting) and despite his varied and ceaseless efforts, he and Zayn still haven’t done it. They could have, loads of times, but every time they’re about to, Ant will bang on the wall and tell them to shut up or Harry will look up at him with heavy eyelids and say, ‘Fuck me,’ and Zayn will shoot his load like he’s the virgin.

It’s all quite odd. Usually it would be over by now. They would’ve shagged then had the awkward I-honestly-don’t-know-what-came-over-me conversation before Zayn changed Harry’s name in his phone to DO NOT ANSWER, so waiting is new territory for Zayn. Harry says it’s because he’s scared and doesn’t want to hurt him and Ant says it’s because he’s scared and doesn’t want Harry to hurt him. (He’s paraphrasing, of course, Ant actually said, ‘You won’t because you know as soon as you fuck him, it’s over.')

Both of those things are true, Zayn knows, but the truth is: it’s too much responsibility. He’d never admit that but it’s Harry’s first time and despite Zayn’s rather louche attitude towards sex, he wants it to be special, whatever that is. He’s not saying there should be candles and rose petals and Barry White, but it shouldn’t be in the bathroom stall of a club or while Ant’s banging on the wall.

The fucked up thing is, though, despite the lack of cock-in-arse action, it’s still the most intimate relationship Zayn has ever been in. (Which is saying something given the threesome he had with those fresher’s last year.) He had no idea he could get such a thrill just from touching someone. Touching in the purest sense of the word – feeling Harry’s skin warm under his finger as he trails it up and down his forearm and blowing on the back of his neck until goose pimples appear. Proper PG-13 shit that Zayn’s never really done before, at least without it leading to more. Kissing and giggling and holding hands while they wander around Manchester as though the whole city is theirs.