Young & Beautiful

“He had the fucking audacity to tell me here, while Liam was in there, with people he doesn’t
even know—“ And now Zayn’s crying, properly, and it’s potentially the most heartbreaking thing
Louis has ever seen in his entire life. Worse than Fox and the Hound, worse than Black Beauty.
Without thought or breath, Louis walks to him, wraps an arm around his waist, pulling Zayn to his
side.
He goes willingly, briefly settling his forehead upon Louis’ shoulder as he gathers himself before
standing straight, the slits of his eyes glittering and sour, etched raw.
“I almost killed him after he told me,” he manages eventually, sniffing, voice hard. He wipes the
remaining tears away with the back of his hand, eyelashes clustered together like spears. “I never
want to see him again. Or I swear on my life, I will kill him.”
Louis doesn’t know how to answer that, his stomach constricting painfully.
Harry.
Harry, Harry, Harry.
What the actual fuck, Harry.
Why?
“Where’s Niall?” he asks because he can’t ask anything else.
The lights are clinical and bright, and Zayn’s eyes are tired and red, and all Louis wants is
darkness. Just a billowing, endless, velvety swarm of darkness.
And maybe the sound of Harry’s breath.
But then Louis thinks of Liam—smiling, bright, perfect Liam—and he doesn’t know what he
wants, doesn’t know how to think of this, doesn’t know if there’s such a thing as blame, doesn’t
know if he should feel anger or sadness or regret or…nothing.
Because right now he feels nothing.
“Dunno,” Zayn sniffs some more, sliding his hands in his pockets. His eyes droop, his shoulders
sag. Exhausted. “Barely saw him the entire night.”
“But surely he would’ve come if he’d known,” Louis says, shocked, because it’s Niall. Niall who
throws his body onto others for a cuddle, Niall who presses wet kisses to cheeks, Niall who smiles
like the sun and laughs like the beginning of summer and who leaves chip grease on the door
handles.
Zayn just shrugs in response.
So tired.
“Look, Zayn, I can stay here for the night. You go back and sleep, yeah?” He knows there’s a
snowball’s chance in hell of him taking him up on the offer, but he still hopes, still offers.
Zayn shakes his head before the last word is out.
“I’m staying. Waiting for his parents to arrive.”
“Then I’ll stay with you,” Louis says simply.