(A/N: my mom just told my sister and I that she wasn't going to go into the school with us to get our pictures taken and I pulled the "so Harry is in his hotel room right now since he's on vocal rest. Then where is Louis?" Face that Niall pulled, even though we're literally in highschool and don't need our mom to come with us to take our school pictures.)

Zayn definitely didn't smell Liam's neck when the man embraced him in a hug.

Nope. Definitely not.

"How have you been, Z?" Liam asked him into his ear, rubbing his back softly.

Zayn blushed, grinning like an idiot at the nickname.

"I've been good. How have you been, Li?" He asked back, just as quietly, as if their exchanging of words was a secret.

"I've been good, too. You been writing any new songs?"

Zayn blushed even further, burying his face into his neck.

He had been writing a new song, but the inspiration for it came from Liam.

"Yes, do you want to see it?" He asked nervously, pulling away from Liam to look up at him.

He realized that his assistant, Paul, Harry and Louis were now gone.

Liam nodded excitedly, "Yeah, I'd love to see them, Z."

Zayn looked down shyly, turning around to get his notebook that he set on Harry and Louis' hotel bed when he got there an hour previously.

He had no idea Liam was going to be here as well as him. Harry had told him that Louis was going to join him on the rest of his tour, but didn't know that Zayn was going to be there for the rest of tour, too.

He wished he could have seen Niall again, though he guesses he can see the blonde idiot once tour is over.

He sat down on the bed, Liam sitting right next to him.

So close that their thighs were touching.

Zayn fiddled nervously with the journal, opening it and flipping through the pages shakily.

He didn't know why he was such a fucking pussy.

He had never been this way before.

His heart was beating quickly in his chest, his hands were shaky and sweaty, and he definitely felt a blush on his face.

He felt so warm where their thighs were touching, and he felt so small next to Liam.

Liam.

Beautiful Liam. With his brown hair and brown eyes that looked like a teddy bear. His arm was resting on the bed behind Zayn, so that his side was leaned toward Zayn.

He was peering down at his notebook curiously.

Liam wasn't even doing anything, yet he felt so fucking dominating to Zayn.

He got to the song he had been writing, the inspiration coming from Liam, and handed it over to the man nervously.

He looked down at his lap, fiddling with his fingers as he waited for Liam to read over the lyrics he had so far.

I been fucked and I want ya, I can't even text ya
'Cause my fingers ain't working, but my heart is
If you wanna, let me know where you hiding
I can come and love ya (I can come and love)
I can come and love (I can come and love ya)
I can come and love ya (I can come and love)
I can come and love ya (I can come and love ya)

What did I tell you? Typo said I loved ya
Didn't mean what I was sayin'
No, I wasn't playin', just confused
Was tryna play it smooth

He titled the page Fingers, which is what he was planning on calling the song.

He heard Liam hum beside him, then felt the hand that had been resting on the bed, come up to wrap around Zayn's shoulder.

"This is really good so far, Zayn!" Liam told the dark haired boy.

Zayn looked up at him in slight surprise, smiling shyly, "You think so?"

Liam nodded, boaring into Zayn's soul with his teddy bear eyes that Zayn loved so much.

Zayn stared back, opening his mouth to say something.

But nothing came out.

So, instead, he looked back down at his lap, blushing even further.

He muttered after a moment, "Thanks, I hadn't showed anyone else this before."

Liam squeezed his shoulder, "I'm glad you showed me first. Do you have a tune written down yet?"

Zayn shook his head, "Not yet, no."

He looked back up at Liam. And fuck, he was still staring at him.

"That's alright. No rush, right?" Liam joked.

Zayn smiled, humming in reply.

Then, he frowned.

Him and Liam had messaged each other often since they had first met those months ago, but he still didn't know what Liam did for a living.

"Hey, Liam?" He asked, looking at the man next to him.

"Yes, Z?" Liam replied, a soft smile on his lips as he cocked his head to the side.

"What do you do for a living?" Zayn muttered, "Like, what's your job?"

Liam smiled wider, "I'm a firefighter."

Zayn fucking died.

Honestly.

Because this mother fucker was this 🤏 close to stealing his heart already.

And now he just casually tells Zayn that he's a firefighter?

Seriously?

Zayn shouldn't have gotten hard from that single sentence, honestly.

But he couldn't help it.

The thought of Liam in a firefighter uniform or whatever, helping people and saving their lives, not only made him want Liam to get down on one knee and propose to him right then and there, but it also made Zayn want to spread his legs and let Liam manhandle him.

"You alright, Zayn?" Liam chuckled.

Zayn snapped out of it, realizing that he had been staring at Liam with his mouth open.

He snapped it shut in embarresment, snapping his eyes to look at the necklace Liam was wearing, instead.

"That's, uh. That's so cool. I wanted to be a firefighter when I was little," Zayn admitted, looking back up at Liam, "But somehow I became a famous singer. What's it like?"

"Being a firefighter?" Liam asked.

Zayn nodded.

"Well," started Liam, "it's exuasting at times, and dangerous of course. But it's so amazing at the same time. Because I get to help, protect and save people. And the other firefighters in my firehouse are brilliant. We've become sort of like a family. We have lost a few of our people though, because being a firefighter isn't always easy. The training is tough work, but we get to bat around the new trainies when they get there, which is always fun."

Zayn laughed at that, his eyes and nose crinkling up, which had Liam grinning at him.

"Have you ever gotten hurt?" Zayn asked.

Liam nodded, "of course. I've gotten hurt on many occasions before. But I always get back up."

Zayn nodded, admiring the man sitting next to him, "What was your worst injury?"

Liam laughed softly, rubbing his thumb over Zayn's shoulder.

"Well, it wasn't very professional, but we did what we could in the situation," he started, "we got a call that someone's house was on fire, a girl was stuck inside on the second story.

I ran into the house as soon as we got in there, found the girl pretty quickly. The fire was spreading very quickly, and her bedroom was basically the only one that hadn't been destroyed yet."

Zayn subconsciously gripped onto the hem of Liam's shirt in anticipation.

"The girl was probably five or six, so it was very easy to pick her up. But when I got the window open, my mates yelled up at me that our life net, which is the trampoline kind of looking thing we catch people on, had ripped somehow.

That pissed me off, because we were supposed to do inventory that morning, and the people in charge of checking the firetruck obviously half assed their job. So I jumped out of the window, breaking both of my legs. But the girl was okay."

Zayn gasped, "you jumped out of the house?"

Liam nodded, "yep, it hurt like a bitch, but what mattered was that that family, and the girl, were all okay and safe."

Zayn should burn in hell from getting even harder.

Liam was such a saint, and it made Zayn want the man to bend him over the bed, fuck him into the matress, and call him a dirty little whore.

"How long did it take to recover?" He asked.

"Six months. But I got back to my job soon after. The two who were supposed to check everything on that firetruck were fired and had charges pressed against them from the family for acting recklessly and in turn injuring someone, and we got a new life net."

"How long ago was that?" Someone needs to come kick Zayn in the throat for asking all of these questions.

Liam was probably sick of him.

But the man only smiled at Zayn, "two years ago. I'm honestly glad that it happened, because now I have two of my bestest friends working alongside me, Perrie and Jade. They replaced the uncultured swine's that put me in the hospital in the first place."

Zayn laughed again. Loudly.

He blushed profusely, shutting his mouth quickly, and looked back down at his lap.

Oh shit, his boner was so obvious.

He didn't say anything, but neither did Liam.

And that worried him.

But then, Liam was grabbing Zayn by the chin, turning the boys head to look at him.

Shit, Liam's eyes were darker.

Zayn could literally feel himself submitting to Liam, as embarrassing as it was, but he didn't want to stop.

Well, luck wasn't on his side, because the door to the hotel room was opening, and Harry and Louis were walking back into the room.

Liam pulled away from Zayn, the both of them turning to look at the two who had just entered.

Harry's hand was resting on the small of Louis' back, and Louis had a bottle of vodka in his hand.

"Who wants to drink?" The boy asked, holding the bottle up for Zayn and Liam to see.

"Harry, don't you have a show tonight?" Zayn asked, raiding a brow.

Harry nodded, "Don't worry, Z. I'm only going to drink a bit."

"Besides," Louis cut in, "I'm going to water his down."

Harry rolled his eyes playfully, kissing Louis on his head fondly.

Zayn wasn't jealous of their relationship. He wasn't, honestly.

He was jealous that they were in love with each other, and were so obviously made for each other.

It made Zayn look at the man he was crushing so hard on, wishing he could just smash their lips together in that moment.

But he couldn't, because he didn't know how Liam felt.

As perfect of a human as Liam was, he probably already had someone in his life.

Though, Liam had never mentioned someone before.

And, he didn't think Liam would grab Zayn's chin and stare at him with lust filled eyes if there was already someone else.

Or subtly flirt with Zayn while they texted or called or even facetimed.

But maybe that was wishful thinking.