Forget Me Not (Zayn/Harry; Mpreg AU)

34 - Half a heart

The first thing that Zayn notices when he peels his eyes open is that his surroundings are muddled, blurry as though he is looking at everything through a fogged mirror. With a pained groan, he gets up, noticing that he is lying on top of a soft bed, and pats around for his glasses to, somehow, improve his sight. His hand grazes a sharp corner, which he decides is the bedside table, and he manages to grab a few things, none of which are eyeglasses. In his haste, he knocks over an empty glass of water, instead, and it lands on the floor with a loud crash, shattering. Zayn hears the distinct sound of feet rushing through wooden flooring and then the door swinging open.

"Baby, what happened?" A husky, slightly familiar voice reaches Zayn's ears. He looks at the blurry figure, who crouches next to him on the bed, and notices long, dark hair and wide shoulders. "Are you hurt?"

Zayn shakes his head. The figure turns to him and Zayn can only describe the color of his eyes - celadon, pale pale pale green, the color of lush greenery, life. The rest of his face is blurry beyond recognition and Zayn finds himself feeling intensely disappointed. He moves forward with worry when the lad yelps in pain.

"Ouch," the other occupant of the room exclaims when he cuts his palm on a particularly jagged piece of glass. The wound bleeds sluggishly and the crimson liquid drops to the floor. "Don't look now, Z. There's blood and I know you dislike seeing blood."

Squinting through his muddled vision, Zayn tries to say something, but nothing comes out of his mouth, no sound at all. His eyebrows furrow in confusion and he reaches out to place his hand on the lad's shoulder. He fails and ends up having his fingers tangled through soft strands of dark hair. He trails his fingers down and manages to fit his palm on the side of the boy's face, tenderly cupping the soft and warm skin. The lad leans against his touch. Zayn's heart flutters, his thumb stroking the boy's cheek gently.

"I'm so happy you're here," green eyes says softly. Zayn notices the absence of his bright irises and concludes that he must have closed his eyes. He aches, wanting to gaze clearly into his peaceful face. "You've been gone for so long, Zayn, and I've been living with just half of my heart all those times. Did you want me to suffer so much?"

Warm tears drip onto Zayn's hand. "I was so lost without you."

The lad pulls away from Zayn and stands up. He's tall and lanky, but his slouched shoulders make him seem so small and delicate. He leaves the room to take care of his wound, perhaps, and it makes Zayn unable to breathe properly, his chest tight. Why does it hurt to part with him?

Seconds pass and Zayn elects to lie down again. He pulls the sheets over his body and up to his chin, faintly smelling a distinct scent of cucumber and clean linen, which is in fact what the whole room smells like, now that he is aware of it. He decides that it is his new favorite scent, his lips pulling up to a smile. Lulled by the softness of the bed and the gentle caress of cucumber and clean linen, Zayn slips easily into tranquility, sleep almost claiming him once more. However, the slide of a warm body next to him jolts him lightly. Next, he is being carefully cocooned into a strong embrace, a face pressed into the crook between his neck and shoulder.

"Why do we have to be the opposite of each other, Zayn? Why can't I be what the world wants for you to have? Why do I have to be as worthless as I am, that being with you is seen as an ulterior motive of mine, a ploy, an evil scheme, to do you wrong in the end? I say I love you yet they hear it as anything but what it simply means." The desperation in the lad's voice is thick and his anguish, thicker, viscous as they coat each word. His whole body is shaking, his heartbeat pressed against Zayn's arm. "I love you, Zayn, but if I am truly not what you need, I'll go even if it kills me in the end."

I love you, Zayn.

"Zayn, love, wake up."

Shaken gently out of his slumber, Zayn opens his eyes to discover Gigi hovering above him with concern. She sighs in relief when she sees that he is finally awake, her frantic azure eyes settling. She pushes his sweaty hair away from his face and kisses his lips. "You were crying in your sleep, love."

Oh.

It was just a dream, an interestingly vivid one.

Zayn sits up and wipes his wet cheeks with the palm of his hand, his skin coming up with warm tears. He bites his lower lip and looks out the window. He notes the bright blue morning sky and his frown deepens, because, instead of a sense of calmness, all he gets is this sorrow. He feels incomplete, remembering big green eyes, melancholic and defeated. He doesn't know of anyone with eyes as green as those from his dream and the familiarity of them confuses him. Was it just a figment of his imagination or does he truly know someone with a pair of enchanting eyes?

"Zayn? Baby?"

Oh, yeah. Gigi. Zayn hums uninterestedly at his wife's inquiry.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Gigi presses, squeezing Zayn's hand. "You know you can talk to me, right? If something's bothering you."

"It was nothing, Gi," Zayn finally responds. He smiles at her, trying for casual, because he wants to be left alone to his thoughts now.

"Really?"

"Positive. I couldn't even remember my dream now, honestly." Zayn is bluffing because in his mind, the boy's breathy words and celadon eyes are burned in his memory.

Gigi watches Zayn with intent, but, ultimately, buys his excuses and rises from the bed. She pecks Zayn's lips once more and leaves the room, but not before reminding Zayn that they have food tasting today for the catering on their wedding reception.

Zayn only nods, distracted, a question running laps in his mind. Who are you, green eyes?

A/N: Here you go, everyone. This is a filler chapter, which also serves as a soothing balm to the cracks in your heart. I don't think it's much, but how great is it to know that Zayn is slowly being reminded of the life that he has left behind?

As always, thank you for your love x