These Inconvenient Fireworks (original story on ao3 by complemtattoos)

four

Zayn had that kind of image in his head about what it would be like when he and Liam finally got together.

Most of the time, it was a fantasy, but when the man of your dreams was a fireman, it was hard not to get carried away. He usually envisioned an emergency, some climax where his life is in danger, and then Liam appeared with his confused fascination with Zayn's sex appeal, with his intelligence and natural admiration, rescuing him from certain death. Maddened by Zayn's fear, Liam would have no choice but to confess his eternal love, perhaps even while his skin was still covered with soot from the flames. In addition, he was shirtless.

Naturally, that scene could take place in a variety of places: your apartment, the school, a beautiful house in the south of France. Zayn had an elaborate plan for each situation. So when the fire alarm went off unexpectedly during the second period, it was ready. This was the day Zayn had been preparing for. The day of days. Someone had set the fire alarm.

He was in the middle of a lively discussion about literary resources from O Wuthering Hill when it happened. He jumped out of his chair, grabbing his jacket and checking his hair frantically in the mirror he kept in his desk drawer before dragging his students and taking them outside. It was raining all morning - a perfect climate for a dramatic declaration of love, if you will say so - so that everyone had to be huddled under a whole, waiting for the fire department to arrive.

But firefighters flew out of the truck and Zayn was in the parking lot with his two dozen muddy teenagers, with Liam never showing up. Attractive men came out of the fire truck, whose sirens were supposed to play the music of Zayn's fate, but none of them were Liam.

One of his students tugged on his shirt sleeve.

- Mr. Malik? I think we are allowed to enter again.

- Come back if you feel like it. he said, looking angrily at the fire truck. - Does not matter. None of that matters. - He turned to look at the girl. - Hope is a lie. - she looked back and, whatever she saw in his eyes, made her blush and turn around, running back inside with the rest of the students.

Eventually, he joined them and no one mentioned his absence as they continued their discussion with Cathy and Heathcliff. Zayn might as well be rolling down a hill at that moment. This was the worst day of his life and he didn't even know how to express it without wearing a costume or scenery.

The rest of the day passed in a fog while talking to people who weren't Liam and soon Zayn found himself at home, enjoying another dinner for someone in front of the television. Or it would be if you had food in your apartment. His closets were as empty as his soul.

And so he was at Tesco at that moment, walking up and down the frozen food aisle. If there was anything modern equivalent of wandering a market with an open coat, then he was doing it right.

I was having a promotion for frozen peas, apparently. That was what Zayn deserved to eat: frozen promotion peas. Zayn was the frozen pea promoting humanity. He reached for a bag, but his hand hit someone else's hand before. He was so engrossed in his own boredom that he hadn't even realized that someone else was in the hall.

- Excuse me. - Zayn murmured, pulling his hand away as the other person did, and then his eyes darted up and his mind went completely and completely blank.

Liam. Right in front of you. In the frozen food aisle. He was wearing a plaid shirt and was holding a basket full of purchases on one side, making Zayn about to have a cardiac arrest right there beside the peas.

- Zayn! - Liam said, smiling at him as if each day was the best day of his life. Zayn wanted to kiss him on the mouth. - How have you been, man?

"Yes," Zayn said automatically, because the ability to understand human speech has apparently become something unknown to him in the last five seconds. - I mean, okay. Shopping. And everything. Do you know. - He lifted his bag of vegetables helplessly. - Lettuce.