Infectious (Ziall)

Transit.

London's Streets.

[Flashback].

He lied there numb. He had to. It was the best alternative to compress the agony running throughout his body. His blood quickly rushed through him, chest barely heaving forward, barely collapsing, and not exactly moving. He held his breath, the stench of his rapists' alcohol waving under his nostrils. His eyes were open, dull in color, wide in size; traumatized by recent events. His skin itched, not from the dirty ground beneath him, but the unusual feeling of not exactly knowing how to feel, how to react, how to simply understand. The corner of his eyes were stained with tears that were nearly frozen in place, but hit the pavement eventually. It had been nearly ten minutes since the men left him there, since assaulting him in ways that his body was too weak to cope with. Zayn shut himself down, mentally. It was the only thing left to do after realizing that the fight he tried to put up wasn't doing him any good; after realizing that his shouts and screams of protest and discomfort weren't being heard; drowned out by the taunting laughter of the men that once surrounded him. He just simply lied there, not expecting anyone to stumble upon him, not expecting the pain to go away, not expecting for time to rewind and alter his fate, and surely not wanting to get up and finally face the reality of his situation. It was cold, a drift swaying across his fragile body - goosebumps settling upon his skin. Somewhere in the back of his mind was a trigger and it lingered; and it waited for that moment Zayn would finally comprehend; and for the first time since giving up, Zayn allowed himself to turn onto his back, the small rocks from the concrete digging through the fabric of his shirt and into his cold back. His shoes slowly dragged against the pavement as he tried to inch his legs toward him, wanting to tuck them closely. Finally, wearily, he choked out a sob, saliva dangling between both rows of teeth as he let out a yell of anguish.

Liam's Home.

[Free from the lies; hurting from the truth].

Zayn stared blankly ahead, knees tucked closely as he rocked himself from back and forth; tears staining his cheeks; the memory of it all still fresh and so vivid-like. Liam sat on the opposite couch, stunned from everything his best friend confessed to him. There was this large lump forming in his throat, making him feel somewhat suffocated and at a lost of words. Zayn finally broke down, teeth clenching as he commenced to bumping his forehead against his knees. Without uttering a word, Liam found his way next to Zayn, instantly wrapping his arms around the fragile boy, both bodies now rocking side to side.

Dear father,

 

 

I've spent every minute of the past couple of days wondering where you are, wondering how you feel, or if you feel anything at all. I ponder if you're out there right now, wandering the streets - perhaps  if you ever find yourself stumbling this way, home. I usually refrain from wanting to spill my heart out to you, because I always felt as though you didn't deserve it. I felt as though you resented me, that you were so tarnished by your own demons that the line that kept them separate from your loved ones became blurred somewhere along the way. I guess I finally stopped questioning whether you actually see me as a son or not, whether you're actually in love with Niall or not and - it's okay. I've chosen to forgive you because it's the only way I'll be able to make any sort of progress in my life; the only way I'll be able to finally start making some right, and reasonable, decisions. I realized that you can no longer be the bigger man, the one that holds our home down; and maybe you being gone is what's best for our family right now, not because I'm upset with you, but because you're simply not happy here. Niall isn't happy here. But, please, don't stray too far away. Don't compress your memories of us so far into the back of your mind that you forget what it felt like to be in our lives. Even though you haven't been the best dad now, you were never the worst.

Somewhat off topic, but within this revelation, I've realized that I may have fallen in love with Harry; probably the moment he tried to stop me from walking out. You don't know him, but I hope one day you will. I hope one day I will - still so much to learn about him. He has always given my comfort. I think that's a start, right?

I miss you,

Chad.

Malik Household.

[Three chairs; dinner for two].

Times like that came seldom, when Niall actually missed having Zayn at the dinner table; how the raven-haired man would have a grumpy expression upon his face because he was too tired from work; resembling that of an elderly man with many regrets. Niall remembered the way he would tease Zayn about it, how he would poke Zayn's cheeks until the man finally caved in and joined him in laughter, the two sharing a kiss while their son whined in disgust at the display of affection. The memory was enough to cause Niall to start randomly laughing, capturing the attention of Chad who was seated across from him, puzzled about the sudden outburst of laughter. Chad watched the way his dad's face twisted in humor, the blond not being able to form any sort of coherent sentence. Maybe he had finally gone mad, Chad thought. The teen soon found himself being reeled into a fit of laughter as well, the sound of his dad's silly laughter being enough to keep him going.

The ringing of keys sounded throughout the home, the door apprehensively opening, and Niall and Chad were reeled out of their fit of laughter, laying curious eyes upon one another. They ditched their meal, the teen trailing behind his dad as they made their way into the living room.

There Zayn stood.

_

Author's Note: Can you hear the choir singing Hallelujah in the distance? Also, some of you don't seem to be aware when I give you dedications (coughTenniecough; I gave you one on the last chapter); and I believe I gave someone else one a few chapters earlier and they didn't acknowledge it, so I can only assume you're reading on the app. So, I figured I should just start announcing it. (And I hope I didn't come off rude).

Dedication for this chapter: MichelleF45.