Kick, Push

Competition Day: -3

It's the same thing going through Zayn's head when he decides to get his own Olympic rings tattoo and Liam steals his phone to ask Harry if he can put in an appointment for him too. The only frustrating part is that he won't let Zayn in on what he plans on getting. Not after they're through with the call, and not even as they walk from the metro to the tattoo shop post samurai museum. Eventually Zayn lets it go, knowing that Liam won't be able to hide when he's in Zayn's current position getting inked.

Pain from the needles was a welcoming sort of irritation nowadays, making it easy for Zayn to get lost in remembering how delightful it was to see Liam so animated at the museum. They nearly got told off for attempting to reenact a fight scene on display, but Liam whipped himself into shape just as the security guard rounded the corner, giggling at the close call, and again when Zayn's making fun of what he's going to look like coming back from this trip with a stuffed Pokémon and samurai sword letter opener.

Based on Louis' experience, Zayn knows that the piece on the inner part of his upper left arm won't take long, but it's nice to take a breather after an intense morning of skating around the outlying areas of the Village. Crowded parking lots, alleys, delivery spots behind businesses, they're all quintessential forbidden skating territories, and they do get yelled at in Japanese quite a few times, but it's a part of the game. You skate for five minutes, get eyed at for being mischievous, and then the store owners come out and tell you to scram. Or you're really unlucky and you get an asshole cop threaten to fine you if you don't pack up your things and leave. Zayn's been getting it all since he can remember, but it's still a treat every time he gets a new threat in a language other than English.

When the buzzing stops, Zayn looks down to admire the rings and what they represent. He found out that they literally represent each of the continents and the colours found on all the countries' flags at the time of design when he did extensive research on what the Olympics entailed as soon as the skateboarding team was announced. Being a new sport, Zayn didn't want to get his hopes up that Britain would pull through with funding for the team, but when you've birthed the World Street Champion and park Finalist, you find funding. To Zayn, the rings meant a permanent reminder of what he had accomplished in his short time on earth, paving a path for generations to come in a sport that ran through his veins. That was why he decided on the colourful tattoo that was staring back at him in the floor length mirror, not to show off that he was a part of an elite club.

As a joke, Zayn asks Liam if he wants him to hold his hand when it's his turn, but the man simply shoos him away after telling him that what he was getting was on his hand. Unless it's some sort of knuckle tatt, Zayn's not sure what else Liam could fit on either hand, but he goes to sit with the other three on the couch to shit talk until Liam's finished, which, to Zayn's surprise, takes less than twenty minutes.

"Alright," Niall hoists himself up off the couch, the rest following. "Let's see Payno."

At first Zayn thinks he's just gotten the eagle touched up when he's holding out his right hand for them to see, but then it becomes apparent that that's not the case. There's now a sun and its rays that have been added behind the bird.

Zayn gawks at Liam in amazement.

"That's it?" Louis says, possibly the most unimpressed Zayn's ever heard him. "What's so secretive about a sun?"

Baby light me up

Intentionally, or unintentionally, Liam pretends like the others aren't even around when he speaks directly to Zayn. "I guess it's just another stupid addition."

Biting his lip, Zayn's eyes fill with endearment at Liam's code. He doesn't need to ask Zayn what he thinks of it, that doesn't matter. It's what he wants. And maybe if Louis wasn't already busy talking about what would be served at the pre-ceremony dinner, he'd have seen the meaningful exchange between the two.

"Now he can see where he's flying," Zayn points out, still enamored by black.

Like his reply, Liam grins, "Calmly."

Until the quiet comes

"Let's go!" Niall calls out, stretching with eagerness to leave a place he sees hardly any appeal in. Food and drinks shared between international friends is much more his pace than the smell of sterilizing fluids.

Soba noodles do sound amazing, but Zayn stays staring at Liam's hand until the artist's taking it away to wrap.

Walking out, the athlete makes sure that his family's all good with their seats before feeling at ease enough to eat with the other skateboarders, where Liam, at long last, proves his final form chopstick skills - practically new hands compared to the ones that stabbed, instead of balanced the first day Zayn witnessed the atrocity. As promised, Zayn provides him with an embarrassing story of how he had to lie to the kids in his class on how he lost his first front tooth, since he was too mortified to tell them the truth: that it had to be pulled out at the dentist after he chipped the baby tooth accidentally eating one of his younger sisters' fake play fruits.

Dinner and the conversation had during it was the last thing on Zayn's mind when he's marching across the national stadium several hours later. There's no way he can make out his family in the 48,000 staring back at him, but just knowing that they're sitting somewhere up there (most likely crying if he knows his Mother) is enough for Zayn.

Taking in at all the lights and illustrious decorations, Zayn feels the same, and yet totally different than how he did during the opening ceremony. Of course the main distinction's the heavy weight around his neck, but the freedom to feel joyous without any catch of underlying creeping fear, was what had Zayn nearly in tears.

He and Louis show off their medals to a camera that comes close, tongues out in pure elation. Liam's probably got a million and one photos of him in that same pose as the night progresses to a premiere club in the city center where their crew and several other athletes take to renting out the VIP area as a final hoorah. Looked at in succession, the pictures most likely did a perfect job of capturing Zayn's journey from sober to as close to wasted as he can afford without waking up and hating himself the next day. He'd bet Liam's sideways selfies probably do about the same. Maybe even heighten the time lapse, since Zayn makes sure to always keep contact with the man throughout the night in some way or another.

Come around like the summer timeYou bring bright light into my lifeWhen I'm with you, I feel alright

At first it's his fingers grazing along lower Liam's spine, but that turns into him pulling the physio close by his stylish button down. Their beards brush against each other when they're swaying together. Even when they're dancing on the table, Zayn positions his leg next to Liam's to make sure the male doesn't fall. Niall's the only reason Zayn's not sprawled out on Liam's lap in the taxi back to the Village, otherwise the touching wouldn't have stopped.

Still, he's not drunk yet. However, as soon as he sees that the Village doesn't plan on sleeping any time soon when they arrive, Zayn thinks he's bound to get there soon enough.

Music's blaring from just about every corner of the housing units, doors of rooms open to let the stereo systems inside them carry the sound out into the hallways. It doesn't take long for Zayn's playlist expertise to make their floor the place to go.

Don't walk away, my love won't hurt you

Don't walk away boy, I'll be right there for you

Almost as soon as the German football team comes up to see what foreigner's got the taste to include a few of their underground DJ's in the mix, Zayn takes one of his boards out into the crowded corridor where people are congregating to do a few kick flips. There's not much room for anything other than that or simple ollie's, but he and his board are one. Performing the tricks are as much of a habit to Zayn as running his hands through his hair is, so add alcohol and good music to the picture and he's about as fidgety as it comes.

Liam's just about hit drunk himself, but that doesn't stop him from trying to get Zayn off the board. 'You'll hurt yourself and need a lot more than my massages'. But what skater would Zayn be if he listened at a time like this? Instead, he disobeys and executes an effortless drunk shove it, in the way only a gold medalist can. Grinning charmingly at the physio, 'Your massages can cure cancer'.

But Zayn actually does stop when he feels the last tequila shot kick in, giggling like mad at the sight of Liam wearing his medal and a stolen signature snapback of Zayn's, shutting their door soon after to pull the man in for as much snogging as his inebriated state would allow.