Chapter Thirty Four

Liam Payne’s eyebrows rose in distaste when he heard his two best friends burst out laughing from behind him. He looked around and saw how they were both sat on the sofa looking at a photo of some poor girl who’d been tricked into sending Louis a photo of herself, not exactly looking sensible, as Liam would put it. Andy was whispering sordid words into Louis’ ear, making the older lad burst into laughter, and only agitating Liam more. He was hoping that they’d grow out of this sort of behaviour by year ten, but obviously not. Their idiotic tendencies were still there.

“Would you guys shut up? You’re giving me a headache and it’s loud enough in here as it is.” Liam huffed, as the sounds of the common room around him became louder. It was Friday morning, which meant everyone in both year twelve and year thirteen had a free period.

Andy and Louis looked up at Liam before exchanging a playful look, and Louis slipped his phone back into his pocket as he leaned back in his chair. As he leaned back, Andy leaned forward, looking over Liam with a curious look in his eyes.

“Someone a bit snappy today? Just think, soon we’re going to be spreading the bestest bit of gossip since that guy was caught wearing a thong in P.E.” Andy whispered excitedly, and Liam rolled his eyes. Andy and Louis were extremely insistent in making sure that everyone would know all about Zayn Malik and his so-called lovechild. Of course, Liam knew that it was absolute bollocks, the kid probably doesn’t even know what was hiding in his boxers, let alone use it.

“Are you guys sure it’s true? I really doubt it.” Liam replied, folding his arms and looking over them both with an unconvinced expression. Louis now leaned forward, nodding eagerly.

“We told you, we saw the kid! It was latched onto his leg, had the same eyes and hair.” Louis argued, with Andy nodding along with his words. They both knew what they had seen, and they’d seen the small kid that looked almost identical to Zayn Malik. If it wasn’t his, then they didn’t know who else’s it could have been.

“And plus, it was like this big!” Andy put in, before gesturing how tall the supposed child was. Liam rolled his eyes and sighed tiredly.

“Well that obviously makes it his kid! Shut up, idiot.” Liam sighed, before he looked towards the common room doors, wondering if Harry was ever going to show up today. He only wanted to see Harry so that he could blank him.

Liam was still incredibly hurt by what Harry had done and said. He couldn’t believe that Harry had said such mean shit to him, as well as hit him with a folder around the face. He wasn’t a great person, but he knew he didn’t deserve to be slapped around the face with a heavy binder, before being told how his little brother made better company than him to his Harry. After five years, Harry would rather hang out with his little brother than him? It wasn’t on. Liam bit his lip as his face saddened. Harry’s voice seemed to echo over and over in his head, only making Liam’s heart heavier. He made Harry’s stomach churn…the only guy Liam had ever liked and he made him sick to his stomach to think of.

“Just, keep it to ourselves, okay? We’ll look into it, maybe follow him together or something. Let’s make sure we have some hardcore evidence if we’re really going to do this.” Liam told them, even though he had not one flying interest in ever following Zayn Malik. Unless he really needed too, but the last thing he wanted to do was follow him as he lazily plodded down the streets, staring at everything in his path like it was some sort of amazing sculpture. Liam just really didn’t get it; at all.

It was times like these when Liam seemed to pick up on all of the similarities between both Zayn and Niall. Both boys shared the same disadvantage, but they were both so different. Zayn almost had a grown up version of autism, whereas Niall was stuck in his childlike ways due to his autism. Liam knew a lot about it due to his brother and his parents teaching him about it, it ran in his family, and he had another cousin who suffered from the same type as Niall, but even if Zayn’s own autism was different to Niall’s, it didn’t mean that there weren’t any similarities.

Liam had seen Zayn stop walking to look up at something, some sort of leaf, or an interesting pattern on the ground, and even if his brown eyes seemed to look over it more than Niall did, Liam still knew that Niall had the same kind of quality. He’d seen his brother run up to things with his blue eyes sparkling with such adoration for certain objects. Of course, Niall’s eyes didn’t see much fascination in a pile of leaves, he seemed to become excited by bright colours, like huge billboards for advertisements, or the cinema. His little brother seemed to get stuck into films when he went to the cinema, and Liam remembered more than one occasion where he’d had to shush his brother when he began speaking to the film, like he always did.

Liam brought his mind away from the topic and focused back onto Louis and Andy, who by this time were looking back on their phones, making absurd comments about some poor girl’s body. Liam ignored them and looked over to the clock on the wall, to see how long they had left of this boring free lesson, when he saw Harry walk inside, his bag over his shoulder, his curls all swayed to one side, bouncing a little as he walked along. His blazer sleeves were shoved up around his elbows, a thick folder in his large hand. His green eyes were a little blank as they met Liam’s, and Liam presumed that the boy had realised that he’d have to sit next to Liam now that he had joined the small group. Liam watched him slowly, trying to be subtle even though it didn’t really work too well as Harry sat next to him, taking his green gaze away.

From the minute Harry sat down, neither Harry or Liam looked at each other. Liam immediately turned away and looked at Andy, and Harry turned away, looking at Louis. Louis and Andy looked at each other and chuckled a little bit.

“Jeez, it’s so awkward in here, did you guys finally fuck?” Louis asked, and Andy gagged playfully. Liam rolled his eyes, before he scowled at Andy to tell him to not go any further with these jokes. Of course, he knew Andy would go further.

“Harry likes Liam’s butt and he cannot lie!” Andy sang, and Louis burst into laughter, practically collapsing on the boy next to him. Andy was laughing to much to sing too now, and the two boys seemed to lean on each other and wail out more lyrics which were just so hilarious to them. Harry and Liam sat in silence, side by side.

“Idiots.” Liam scolded, inching up away from Harry, not wanting to be close to the boy. He barely looked him in the eye since he sat down. Harry should have came crawling back in here begging for Liam to not be mad at him, and that’s why Liam felt so baffled. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the curly haired lad’s face. He was just sat there, emotionless, seeming more interested in his watch then his three best friends around him. The bastard, Liam cursed internally, before properly snapping his head away and folding his arms.

Harry had noticed the guilt-causing pout that was formed on Liam Payne’s face. He’d been at the end of it many times before this, whenever Liam didn’t get his way and Harry seemed to be the cause of it. Liam’s bottom lip would be stuck in a permanent straight line, his brows furrowed a little as his glassy brown eyes seemed to frost over to deliver a cold look to whoever was his victim; normally Harry, or either Andy or Louis. Harry had enough of it, Liam was seventeen soon, yet he was still dishing out sulky looks to anyone that would look at him.

“You look like a child.” Harry commented, his deep voice thick with bluntness as his green eyes glanced up at Liam’s face for a moment. Liam quickly shot him a daring look, even though his lips were set in a straight line. This was the silent treatment, the more they fell out, the less Liam would talk. Harry thought of that as a God send at this present moment.

Andy and Louis looked up at Harry’s harsh words, no longer finding the situation funny. Had Harry and Liam fallen out?

“What’s going on? Why aren’t you talking to each other?” Louis asked, his eyes lighting up in curiousity. Andy stayed quiet, a small smile on his face as he looked from Liam to Harry. Harry was looking away from them all, his eyes looking at the two hands on the clock, ignoring the brown-eyed glare from Liam.

“Why aren’t we talking, Liam?” Harry questioned, a knowing hint to his tone as he turned around and faced his so-called best friend, knowing he wouldn’t speak. Liam simply glared at him, before turning away and yanking a book from his bag. Harry gave one last smug smile in Liam’s direction before looking back at Louis and Andy. Andy gave a low chuckle, and Liam slowly looked up at him warningly through his lashes.

“Liam totally bottomed.” Andy snickered, and Louis burst into hysterics, and Harry gave one loud, sharp laugh, throwing his head back before shaking his head.

“He wishes.” Harry spoke, causing another laugh from the two boys opposite him, but he received something completely different from the boy beside him. Like Harry had once done to him, Liam swiftly grabbed the reading book in his hands and slammed it into Harry’s face, ignoring the yelp and the slight click from the boy’s nose.

Andy and Louis looked on in shock as they saw Liam slam the book into Harry’s face, and when Harry gave a loud cry of pain and grabbed his face in his large hands, Liam finally gave a long chuckle, his smile bittersweet as he looked over Harry. Harry turned to Liam in outrage.

“Whoa, what the fuck was that, Liam?” Andy asked quickly, not knowing that Liam had a bone in his body that would ever hit out and treat someone like that. Liam shrugged a little and nonchalantly flicked through his reading book, trying to find his page. The brown-eyed boy stayed quiet, smiling to himself as his eyes ran over the words. He’d gone for a cute story this time, about two fathers and their adopted kids.

A slight stream of blood had started to fall from Harry’s sensitive nose. With one last curse, he stood up and threw his bag back over his shoulder.

“Fuck this…this is why I’d rather hang out with your brother over you, he’d never be as fucking moody or childish as this. I swear Niall’s more mature than you.” Harry spat, before he stormed off, not even bothering to look back at any of his friends. He knew that Liam would chew over those words until he was seeing red, and he loved that thought.

He walked out of the common room and towards the student toilets, when there was a collection of footsteps from behind him. Harry turned around, half expecting either Louis or Andy to follow him out, asking on behalf of the other about what had happened, but his green eyes widened a little in surprise when he saw the raven haired boy, following him with worried eyes. One of Zayn’s arms were holding onto his pile of sketchbooks, and then his other hand had a pack of tissues, which he was holding outstretched to Harry. Harry couldn’t help but smile and take the pack of tissues, before pulling the boy into the empty school toilets.

“The fucker made my nose bleed!” Harry bursted out the minute the toilet door closed shut into its frame. Zayn nodded, still trying to push the tissues into Harry’s hand.

“Tissue, tissue!” Zayn softly urged, his eyes full of worry as he saw the blood falling from Harry’s nose and onto his white school shirt. Harry nodded, smiling warmly at how the boy was so worried and panicky over him.

“Alright, love, I got it.” Harry told him softly, before he shrugged off his bag, which Zayn quickly scooped up and placed on the counter gently, as Harry’s hands fumbled with the tissues so that he could hold a few against his bloody nose. Harry hissed a little, knowing that he would have a bruise there once all the blood was cleared.

Harry glanced over to Zayn’s worried face and chuckled a little bit, when he saw how anxious the boy looked, like he was worried Harry would remove the tissue and his nose would come off or something. The boy’s kindness was too much.

“Look at us, first day of being boyfriend’s and you have to watch me get blood all down my face and shirt.” Harry laughed a little, trying to make Zayn feel better. He knew at the end of the day it was a slight nosebleed and a bruise, but he knew Zayn was worrying about it too much.

“I must look a state.” Harry chuckled again, before turning back to the mirror to examine his face, and shirt collar. In the other side of the mirror, he saw Zayn smile and shake his head, before the raven-haired lad leaned in and placed a kiss onto Harry’s dimple.

“Still beautiful to me.” Zayn spoke quietly, before he gently took another tissue from the pack and started to wipe up the small drips of blood that had fallen from Harry’s chin and down his neck. Harry watched him for a moment with a wide smile, before thanking his lucky stars for his boyfriend, and cleaning himself up.  

A/N: Sorry for long wait! Started school and then had to work! Hope you all enjoy, love always. :)x