Remember Who You Are - Ziam (TopZayn)

Chapter 3

Only a month later Zayn was unrecognizable. The slim young man proved his determination through training and his body gained strength. He got as muscular as Harry was and it wasn't hard to see that General Cowell was noticing it. His already tan skin turned darker and rougher under the sun, as he didn't pity himself with all the work. Whenever he took off his shirt, the scars could be seen on his torso, but it didn't stop him from learning tricks with knives and weaponry. The rest of the soldiers, those who didn't know him well enough, believed that he had been there since the start. When the commander of the group got injured, Zayn was the first choice to replace him and his leadership skills amazed everybody as much as his physical transformation. Along with his new role, his final hint of youthfulness disappeared and the man turned strict and cold. Even Niall wasn't able to get him to laugh and lighten up.

One day, after a meeting with the generals, he headed back to the tent, furious and anxious from all the news. They were losing too many people. Soldiers were dying and getting injured almost every day, not to mention the children and the women in the countrysides that were getting ill from the lack of food. Zayn's headache seemed to have no cure, as there was always a thing bothering him. But, unluckily for him, the tent was not empty as he planned. It felt like he was never alone anymore and he strived for at least some privacy. And, of course, to anger his wishes the universe sent an unfamiliar guy into the tent, who was eager to play with the man's short temper. The stranger was walking around the tent and observing every corner of it. Zayn wasn't even sure if the guy had any right to be there or if he just sneaked in somehow.

- Who the hell are you? - he snapped.

The stranger flinched, as he didn't notice the commender standing behind him. He turned around abruptly, showing his charming face and heavenly-bright eyes. When he saw the army uniform and commander sign on Zayn, he smirked confidently and offered a handshake.

- Louis William Tomlinson, an actor of big stages, a performer of great roles, a master of sarcasm, a breaker of millions of hearts, at your service! - he introduced and grinned as if he was the biggest celebrity around.

Zayn raised his eyebrows, taken aback from Louis' loud personality.

- Yeah, and the owner of a huge ego. - he added disapprovingly but shook his hand nevertheless.

Louis just shrugged, as he couldn't deny that. But could you blame him? From a young age, he joined a theatre and it became his home. He was used to the attention he got on the stage. And he couldn't let Zayn look at him so judgmentally, even if he was the leader. Louis was definitely going to play with the man's nerves, as nobody had the right to lead him.

- From what I heard from the guys we are very much alike in that sense. - he answered in the fakest sweet voice he could master and that was enough to burn Zayn in his already furious mood.

He pressed Louis' hand tighter, intentionally hurting him but the guy only smirked wider, ignoring the pain and giving him a challenging look. During his time in the army, nobody dared to tease him as much as the new lad managed to in such a short time. His hand was about to break the actor's bones when Harry entered the tent with a cheerful and talkative Niall following behind him.

- Oh, hey Zayn! I see you've met Louis. - the Irishman exclaimed, oblivious to the rivalry tension between the two.

Zayn forcefully let go of Louis' hand and turned to Harry, while Niall immediately engaged Louis in a conversation, still excited to befriend the newcomer. It was obvious that Louis was the coolest lad in Niall's eyes, as he was tired of Zayn's harshness and Harry's seriousness. Finally, there was someone fun to have around and at least forget about the war from time to time.