Chapter Text
- zayn -
“This is my fight, not yours.” Zayn says to the group, trying to sound firm. “If you two want to leave and go live your lives elsewhere… we won’t stop you.”
He looks at Liam and Harry, trying to keep any and all emotions from showing on his face. The last thing he wants is for them to leave him but if they want to go, if they want to stay safe and stay out of this entire mess, then he will not stop them. All he wants is for them to be happy.
“No!” Liam shouts out and everyone turns to look at him. “We want to help. We’re not going anywhere.”
Zayn sighs out in relief, thankful at his words. Liam is the newest vampire of them all and yet, he fit in with their group (or as Niall likes to call them, family) immediately. He understands the true value of friendship and what it means to stick together. Zayn glances at Harry who is holding Liam’s hand tightly. He’s thankful that they found each other.
Niall is beaming beside him and it makes Zayn’s heart swell in his chest. Niall has always been the most optimistic one of their group, always the happiest. His transition into vampirism was the easiest and he never seems to let anything get him down. That’s what Zayn loves the most about him.
He nods his head curtly in Harry and Liam’s direction, silently thanking them and then exits the room; he needs time think.
Years ago, back when Zayn was first turned, his maker, Malcolm, (a very old and very sadistic vampire) had turned him in attempt to create some sort of twisted vampire clan. Zayn had followed him blindly, not understanding exactly just how bad Malcolm really was. Zayn's memory of being turned had been foggy and Malcolm had fed him all these lies about how Zayn was close to death and he had saved his life. Growing up Zayn had never been close to his family, had never felt real love, so when he had been turned, he was immediately drawn to Malcolm and his lifestyle, finally feeling like he was needed for the first time. Max, another kid Zayn’s age, had been turned by Malcolm shortly after and for years he and Zayn were incredibly close; almost like brothers. When Zayn had figured out what Malcolm was doing, that he was killing and turning innocent people, like he’d done with Zayn, he had tried to leave and neither Malcolm nor Max were happy about it. He was stuck where he was for a few years, not able to leave for fear of what Malcolm may do to him. But Malcolm had so many enemies and it wasn’t long before he himself had been hunted down and killed and when that day finally arrived Zayn took that as his opportunity to get out for good. He left fast and swiftly, not bothering to even say goodbye to Max, he had wanted to leave his past entirely behind him.
Zayn had always suspected that Max had more than just platonic feelings for Zayn and Zayn leaving came off as a complete betrayal to Max. Something had always been off about Max; he had always been dark and dangerous - not too different from Malcolm himself. Zayn hadn’t realized that leaving him behind would create so much damage. Max had tried to get him to stay and had been forceful with Zayn, bruising him and lashing out every time Zayn managed to escape. For a while, he thought he was in the clear. That is, until innocent and beautiful humans, stared getting killed and turned and Zayn started putting the pieces together; Max was imitating exactly what Malcolm had done. It was clearly his intention to build up the same sort of army to get back at Zayn; to take him and everyone he was close to out once and for all, in an effort to finally hurt Zayn the way Zayn had hurt him. When he’d found and helped Niall, Zayn hadn’t been sure that it was Max, but he has a high suspicion. He trailed Max for months, watching as he turned others. Zayn had wanted to help but he couldn’t do much on his own; even with Niall at his side. Then Harry had been turned and left behind and Niall and Zayn took him under their wing. After that, Zayn didn’t want to take anymore chances with Max so close. The three of them left town and never looked back.
Zayn, Niall and Harry had been on the run for a long time, constantly moving from place to place just to escape him. Zayn realized they were in danger again once Max had attempted to kill Liam. He had suggested they run again but he wanted to give Liam a few days to adjust to life as a vampire first. And in that time, he realized that he was tired of running. He wanted his family to be safe and wanted to give them the choice to leave if thats what they wanted but he was set on staying. It was time to finally confront Max. He still wasn’t entirely sure exactly what Max wanted. But he was sick of waiting to find out.
Because of his past, Zayn had a bit of darkness inside of him and was a bit more guarded, and he needed someone to break down those walls of his. Someone who could lighten him up.
Niall follows him out, immediately grabbing his arm to pull him aside. His hands are cold and it sends a shiver up Zayn’s spine immediately. He wonders if Niall notices.
“Zayn, things are going to be okay.”
There he goes again, reassuring Zayn like usual. His words are comforting but Zayn still knows it’s going to be a struggle to find Max, to “deal” with him. He’s older than both of them and strong and vengeful and he wont stop until he gets what he wants.
“You can still change your mind too, you know.” Zayn spits out and immediately wants to take the words back, but it’s too late and Niall’s looking at him intensely, eyebrows furrowed closely together in anger.
“I would never leave you.” He says quietly, arm still gripping Zayn’s bicep and Zayn wants to reach out and hug him, thread his fingers through Niall’s hair and pull him close. Even though he’s been existing with Niall for a while now he still feels like Niall is just this sweet, innocent little kid; someone that needs protecting and that doesn’t deserve this life.
“I know you wouldn’t.” Is all that Zayn can say and then Niall is doing the work for him, inserting himself into Zayn’s space like he’s always done, wrapping his arms around Zayn’s waist and pushing his face into Zayn’s neck, breathing deeply.
“What are you going to do to him?” Niall whispers and Zayn knows what he means. Knows what he’s implying.
“I don’t know yet.” Zayn remarks, his body still. “We have to find him first. That’s gonna be a big enough task as it is.”
He’s killed people before, lots of people. Some by accident, some on purpose. Zayn had never wanted to be a vampire, had never wanted this life, and if faced with the difficult decision of turning someone or letting them die, he'd choose the latter. This life isn’t meant for anyone. Just by existing they’re tempting fate. He would have killed himself a long ago, if it weren’t for Niall. He had to stay alive to help Niall. To teach him. And now he’s in way too deep, he could never leave.
Finding Niall, half alive on the road and clearly in need of help Zayn had acted immediately, turning him without even really realizing what he was doing. He could never explain it but he had always felt this connection to Niall, even without even speaking to the boy. Zayn was immediately drawn to him and his instincts had kicked in when he’d found him. Turning Niall was the best thing he could have ever done, even if it went against everything he thought he'd do in that situation. He was so warm and kind and just what Zayn needed during that time of his life and they had instantly become best friends. Zayn was never really sure exactly what their connection was until Harry described the same feeling with Liam. Zayn had heard things about it in the past, being ‘mated’ to someone. He was never sure if that even existed or if that’s truly what his thing with Niall was, but it sure felt like it sometimes.
Of course things had gotten complicated when Niall wanted to have sex for the first time and he wanted Zayn to teach him everything. Zayn instantly said no. Niall had been turned at 18 and even though he was technically of legal age it wouldn’t have been right. He was still too new to vampirism. And Zayn didn’t want to corrupt Niall at such a young age. He had told Niall 3 years. 3 years from now he'd be "21" and then …. maybe then, he’d be ready. 3 years for a vampire was nothing and they came and went in a flash. Niall was still a virgin and somehow he’d managed to wait for Zayn in that time. As much as Zayn had wanted to turn him down, a promise was a promise. And Zayn would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about it himself.
Niall had looked so young and beautiful all laid out on the bed beneath him and Zayn was so careful with him, even if he was shaking himself. He’d never had sex like this before, never been this turned on by someone so inexperienced. He went extremely slow, maybe even too slow if that was possibly but Niall had learned very quickly just what to do and sex with him was the most intense thing that Zayn had ever experienced. Sex made things between them so much more bearable too. Zayn stopped feeling like he was on edge every time they were around one another. It was like, being physical with Niall had a calming effect. Kind of like when you take your first sip of caffeine after going through withdrawals. Zayn can hardly believe how many years ago that they’d slept together for the first time and yet it felt like it was yesterday.
Zayn had been Niall’s first everything and since then Zayn had a weird hold over him. He always felt like he had to protect Niall, like it was his responsibility. And in a very weird but comfortable way, it’s like Niall expected it and wanted it from him too.
He can feel Niall’s fingers through the material on his shirt, can feel every inch of skin they rake across as they move over his back in comfort and Zayn just wants to blurt it out, tell Niall how much he actually cares about him; how much he loves him. He wishes he had a personality like Niall’s, or even Liam for that matter, one where he could just be honest with himself and say what he’s really thinking. But he’s not that guy and he can’t. So he doesn’t say anything at all.
When he thinks about how much time has passed without ever confronting his feelings he knows that he's been a coward but their situation has been too perfect to destroy. And if Niall didn't reciprocate Zayn's feelings it could ruin everything. Even though Niall has mentioned the connection before he doesn’t know if Niall realizes the extent of it, and what it means to Zayn. Zayn always felt like he was some sort of father figure to Niall, by helping him learn the ropes of being a vampire and he always thought that Niall only really saw him in that way, despite their physical intimacy.
“I don’t want you to worry about it okay?” Zayn says into his ear, finally allowing his arms to wrap around Niall’s shoulders and hold him closer.
“You know I will anyway.” Niall says with a laugh and somehow, it seems to make everything better.
- niall -
A few days later Niall comes downstairs to find Harry and Liam cuddled up on the couch together. Liam had recently moved in and the two of them spent every second together. Niall was happy for Harry, he really was. For a long time Harry had kind of been the third wheel to the weird thing that Niall and Zayn shared so it was nice to see him have his own “person” and be happy for once.
But he can’t help feel a tad jealous over their connection. Can’t help but wish that he and Zayn could be that way. It’s not that they aren’t close, because they certainly are, they’ve done everything together and sometimes Niall feels like Zayn IS his boyfriend in away, but they’ve never actually spoken the words out loud; never actually solidified anything between them. Niall constantly wonders what he is to Zayn, if he means anything at all to the older vampire.
After he had turned Zayn was the only person that he wanted to be around. He was instantly drawn to him and they shared this incredible bond. At first, Niall thought it was just a vampire thing, felt like maybe they had such a strong connection because of everything that they had been through together, but he knew that wasn’t it after Harry had been turned shortly after. As much as he loved Harry he didn’t feel this overwhelming need to be close to him like he had with Zayn.
Zayn had always been so stoic and so professional with him and Niall often wondered what was going through his head, how Zayn felt about everything, and if he shared Niall’s feelings. But anytime he even attempted to ask about it Zayn had only shrugged it off and changed topics. Clearly he didn’t really want to talk about it so Niall had learned to keep his mouth shuts and bottle all of his feelings inside.
It’s surprising even now that he actually got Zayn to have sex with him. At first Zayn had turned him down but eventually he broke though that wall and got Zayn to cave. He’d convinced Zayn that he needed help… that he wanted to learn and even though that wasn’t a lie, the real truth was that he was just curious. He had just wanted to know what it would be like to be with Zayn. To feel Zayn inside of him.
Keeping it up had been harder but eventually Zayn had stopped resisting, he always just caved whenever Niall initiated sex with him and Niall was grateful for that. As long as he didn’t try to talk about it Zayn allowed it to continue. They both like to pretend it’s sort of a comfort thing, even though it's more than that to Niall. Sex with Zayn is so natural and it feels so right, and even though Niall’s never been with anyone else he has absolutely no desire to. He’s in love with Zayn, and nothing's going to change that.
Seeing Liam and Harry together sparks something intense in Niall and he finds himself wandering away, back up the stairs to find Zayn. Harry sort of gives him the eye as he walks out of the room and Niall absently wonders how much Harry knows… if his feelings for Zayn are obvious by now. But it doesn’t even really matter and the thought is out of his head by the time he reaches Zayn’s door.
Niall doesn’t say a word, just sulks into the room with a pouty expression on his face and plops onto Zayn’s bed, snuggling up to him.
“What’s wrong?” Zayn says lazily, looking next to him and Niall sighs loudly, hand trailing over Zayn’s chest.
“Liam and Harry are just being cute and disgusting downstairs.”
Zayn laughs at that, but only for a moment because Niall’s fingers are trailing lower, stopping right at the front of Zayn’s trousers, grazing the bulge in his pants intentionally.
“Niall…” Zayn says for a moment but then stops. Niall wonders if he’s going to try to stop this from going further, like he’s done a few times in the past but Niall’s looking at him with so much lust in his eyes that Zayn has no other choice but to pounce, pushing Niall down on the bed and climbing on top of him. “You shouldn’t do that.” He finally finishes, dipping his head down and kissing Niall hard.
Niall whimpers at the motion but tries to keep his feelings in check. He doesn’t want this to stop and he can’t risk freaking Zayn out. Even though he’s never seen Zayn with anyone else he’s not sure that he wants the same things that Niall wants.
As much as Niall loves kissing Zayn he’s growing impatient, literally, and he reaches down to undo the button on his own trousers, pulling the zip down and attempting to drag them off his hips.
“Let me help you.” Zayn smirks at him, pulling them off roughly and then moving to remove his own jeans from his body. Then he dips his head back in, lips immediately going to Niall's neck.
Niall’s head falls back suddenly, loving the way Zayn’s lips feel on his skin, sucking the flesh slowly; that familiar euphoria washing over him.
Niall wants more than anything for Zayn to bite him, to share his blood with him but they’d learned a while back that blood sharing always seemed to make things go so much faster during sex. It was so so euphoric and gave so much pleasure that it caused their orgasms to come much quicker and even though they perfected it by now, being able to last longer and longer each time they tried, it was still sometimes more enjoyable to go without. In a way, Niall is thankful that Zayn isn’t biting him because lately his feelings have been out of control and every time he gets a taste of Zayn’s blood he falls that much deeper.
“What are you thinking about?” Zayn asks with a laugh, pulling back from Niall’s neck and looking at him.
“Sorry… nothing.” Niall lies, grabbing Zayn’s head and pulling it back down.
Zayn loves it when Niall is commanding and judging by the hardness that’s pressing into Niall’s leg right now, he knows he’s doing something right.
“God, you’re pushy today.” Zayn laughs into his collar bone and licks the skin.
Niall takes that as his cue and shoves on Zayn’s shoulders, pushing him down further where he really wants him.
The second Zayn’s lips close around Niall’s cock he's lost entirely.
- zayn -
When Zayn pulls out of Niall he feels like he's gonna pass out from the pleasure and he allows himself to fall on the mattress next to him, trying to catch his breath as he comes down from his high.
Immediately he regrets what he’s just done with Niall, hates that he allowed himself to go there with him yet again because it’s causing him to feel all these things. Zayn prides himself on his emotions, or lack of. He doesn’t get caught up in “feelings” because other things are far more important. Instead of focusing on Niall like he wants to, he needs to focus on finding Max.
But with Niall it’s like everything that he’s feeling deep inside of him pushes to the surface and it takes everything he has not to let it all show on his face. It’s a struggle for him to keep up the notion that he doesn’t care, to make people (Niall specially) see him as the leader of the group. Because it’s necessary for him to be that person. It’s kept them all alive.
Zayn attempts to clean both of them off and then Niall’s hungry again, like he always is, and he can eat whatever he wants without ever putting on a pound. “You want anything?” He asks and Zayn shakes his head slowly as he watches Niall put his pants back on and leave the room.
He’s never admitted to anyone how strongly he feels about him, not even allowed himself to think too much about it because he’s scared as hell; worried that Niall will never feel the same. Maybe it's just sex for Niall? He’s never implied that he wanted anything more and Zayn refuses to get hurt. He’d never been in love before and he never wanted to feel that pain, he's seen it too many times in others. And ever since he was turned Zayn’s outlook on life had drastically changed. There were far other important things to worry about, like keeping Niall safe. And if he let his guard down even for a second, it could mean bad news for everyone.
He convinces himself that this was the last time that he’d be having sex with Niall. He was no longer going to initiate it and if Niall ever tried he’d have to stop it, it was turning unhealthy. The whole “friends with benefits” thing just wasn’t working anymore.
And above everything Zayn just wants Niall to be happy. To find someone he can be with that can give him everything that he needs and wants and Zayn cannot be that guy.
Zayn puts on some clothes and sits at his desk, pulling out some blank paper and attempting to write something down. He needs to come up with some sort of plan to lure Max out of hiding; figure out exactly where he's going to look and what he’s going to say and how to deal with him.
In the process of trying to figure this out Niall returns, who’s munching on some sort of crisps and he crowds into Zayn’s space immediately, plopping himself right onto Zayn’s lap and stringing his arms around his neck.
“What are you doing?” He asks playfully, dipping his head down and grazing his teeth over Zayn’s neck. Zayn can feel his sharp fangs dragging on the surface, can feel Niall’s carefulness as he moves. One wrong move and Niall’s teeth would be piercing Zayn’s skin. For any human it might be painful but for vampires… it's a huge turn on. Just the idea of Niall feeding from him (something they haven't done in a while) is making his skin tingle.
Zayn’s not sure how things ever escalated to this. How he and Niall have gone from casual sex to now small intimate moments like this... Niall on his lap and fingers at the nape of his neck and teeth dragging against his skin. It’s almost like they're a couple with the way he’s acting and it’s too much.
“Niall, not now.” Zayn says firmly, gripping Niall around the waist and pulling him up and off. Niall stumbles a bit to catch his footing but stays rooted to the spot next to Zayn. Zayn sneaks a glance at him and Niall looks crushed, lips tight together and eyebrows furrowed a bit. He tries to give Niall a sympathetic shrug and turns back to the page in front of him, which is still blank. He doesn’t want to hurt Niall, but he knows its for the best.
After a while Niall sulks back over to the bed, sitting on the edge slowly and staring at Zayn.
“Still worrying about Max?” Niall asks and Zayn hates that word… worrying.
“I’m not worrying.” Zayn says defensively, crumpling the paper and throwing it in the bin. “We just need a plan.”
He thinks Niall wants to say something, maybe attempt to offer some sort of encouragement but Zayn’s probably intimidated him and Niall doesn’t say anything at all, just curls up on Zayn’s bed and pulls the covers over himself.
“I’m tired.” He says simply and shuts his eyes. Zayn wonders what Niall’s thinking right now. If he’s upset or if he wants Zayn to come back to bed.
Either way Zayn goes, making sure to leave some space between he and Niall as he gets into bed. He doesn’t have the heart to kick Niall out of his room but he can control himself from reaching over and pulling their bodies together like he wants to.
This is going to be difficult.
—
After hunting for Max for weeks Zayn is starting to get restless. He’s exhausted every lead he’s had and still nothing. Anyplace he could possibly think Max could be at, he's not, and it's starting to take its toll on Zayn. He’s becoming grumpy and angry, even more so than usual, and everyone has started to notice, especially Niall.
Ever since that night in Zayn’s room, when Zayn had turned Niall away he’s been distant. Not coming to Zayn’s room as much and certainly not touching him or acting sweet and comforting like he usually is. Zayn’s noticed the loss, of course, but he’s also a little thankful for it because it makes things easier. He doesn’t have to push him away because Niall’s doing most of the work for him.
But when Zayn asks Niall to come with him to an abandoned house a few miles off their property to help look for Max Niall’s eyes light up and he jumps at the chance. The entire day he seems happier and Zayn’s trying to be nicer. He misses the closeness they used to have. And he can tell that it’s working. Niall’s already talking to him more than he has in the last week and Zayn’s optimistic they may actually find Max too. Taking up residence in an abandoned house is kind of his style, being in places no one would ever think to look. But the place is empty, more than empty if that’s even possible, and there are no traces of anyone having been there at all. No garbage, no left over clothing, no food residue, nothing.
“Do you think maybe we should stop looking?” Niall asks sweetly and Zayn can tell that he’s afraid to say it, afraid to suggest it for fear of what Zayn might think but Zayn has to be honest.
“No, we can't.” He tries to say it quickly and emotionlessly, to get his point across. “Too many times I’ve let this go. Whenever he’s popped up in my life I’ve ran the other way, not wanting to get involved because it was hard. But I’m sick of it Niall. He almost killed Liam. And he did it strictly to take a stab at us. I’m not gonna stand for it anymore.”
“Okay.” Niall says softly, understanding and he reaches out, his hand intertwining with Zayn’s in comfort. Zayn thinks for a second about pulling away, but he doesn’t want to. He likes the way Niall’s hand feels in his own. He wants to show Niall that they can still be close.
“If he left town… are you gonna want to leave too?” He asks quietly and Zayn knows that it’s going to hurt him but he has to tell him the truth. He shakes his head yes and Niall looks down. “But I think he’s still in town.” Zayn says confidently. Max wouldn't make the threats that he’s made just to leave again. Zayn just has a feeling about that.
“You’re probably right.” Niall whispers, moving a little closer to Zayn. “He wouldn’t leave you.”
Zayn’s not sure exactly what Niall means by that, if he means anything at all, but he’s looking at Zayn with this quiet intensity and Zayn wonders if there’s a hidden meaning behind his comment.
“Maybe we should go home.” Zayn says, releasing Niall’s hand gently. “He’s obviously not here. We’re wasting our time.”
He tries not to sound so defeated but it just comes out that way and Niall grabs at him immediately, gripping his shoulders tightly.
“Maybe not.” He says with a smirk, leaning in close, lips close to Zayn’s ear. “There’s plenty of open floor space we could fuck on?”
And it hits Zayn right in the gut, his words, and how forward he’s being and the way he’s staring at Zayn. Hits him so hard that he can’t stop it from happening, can’t stop when Niall leans in and presses his mouth to Zayn’s hard.
And then they’re kissing and Niall’s grabbing Zayn’s shoulders tighter and pulling their bodies close together and as much as Zayn wants to continue this… as much as he wants to do exactly what Niall’s just offered he knows that he can’t. He can’t get sucked back into this endless cycle.
“Niall…” Zayn says quietly, once again pulling away and Niall’s not letting go, holding Zayn right where he’s at.
“Don’t.” He says and it’s obvious what he’s trying to say.
Zayn grabs Niall’s hands and removes them from his shoulders, pulling his hands down slowly and holding on so that he can explain.
“Niall, we can’t.”
He’s looking at Zayn so sadly and it’s hurting Zayn, having to do this. Hurting him so badly but he has to.
“Why?”
Zayn pauses, wondering what explanation he can really give that will make sense to Niall but he doesn’t really have any, not without giving himself away so he just shrugs.
“We haven’t had sex in weeks, Zayn.” Niall says, beginning to get frustrated. “I know that you need it.”
He tries to get closer yet again but Zayn’s turning around, walking away from him.
“Unless you’re getting it from someone else?”
“What?” Zayn freaks out. “No. I’m not.” Just the idea of it is ridiculous.
“Then why are you pushing me away? Why are you acting like you don’t need it?”
“I don’t need it.” Zayn lies. The anger on Niall’s face is too much. “I wanted it, but I never needed it.”
Niall nods his head in frustration, looking at the floor. “So you just don’t want it anymore then? You don’t miss it at all?”
All Zayn wants to do is run over to Niall and kiss him and hold him and tell him of course he misses is, that it’s all he can think about. That he doesn’t just want sex from Niall, but he want’s everything else that comes along with it. But he’s a fucking coward and he can’t say those exact words.
“Of course I do.” He manages to get out, hoping that Niall will at least respect the honestly. “But it makes things complicated.”
“How?” Niall’s asking before he even finishes his sentence.
“Because!” Zayn says, his voice rising. “I see how Liam and Harry look at us. I know they think something is going on.”
“Since when do you care what they think?” Niall asks a little louder.
“I don’t want to confuse them.”
Niall’s still looking at him like he doesn’t understand. Zayn doesn’t want to say the next words that come out of his mouth but he knows it’s really the only thing left to say.
“We aren’t together, Niall.”
Niall doesn’t have a response for that. Just bows his head to the floor and fiddles with his feet. He knows its true.
“It’s just not normal.” Zayn tries to explain.
He thinks he can hear Niall mutter “I didn’t ever think were normal.” but he can’t quite be sure.
“Being with you is… fun and… I do enjoy it, Niall. But it’s a distraction for me. I need to focus on finding Max… on stopping him.” Niall finally looks up at him then and Zayn can see him take a breath, listening. “Once we do that then maybe….”
He doesn’t even finish. He’s not sure he even knows what he wants to say. Once we do that then maybe I can get my head out of my ass and admit how I feel?
“I’m sorry, Niall.” He finishes and Niall just gently nods, looking him in the eye.
“I get it.” He replies, walking out the door and leaving Zayn alone in the empty house.
-niall -
It’s weeks later and Niall’s going insane. Zayn spends every second of his time looking for Max or trying to find clues to his whereabouts and everyones trying to help but Niall feels like he’s doing more damage then good, Zayn only getting more frustrated the longer they go with no information.
And Zayn’s current attitude only leads to more separation between the two and it’s starting to take its toll on Niall. He hasn’t been close to Zayn and things have been very weird between them.
Zayn’s words at the abandoned house are still resonating with Niall and even though he didn't want to cause a scene at the time he was really hurt by Zayn’s words. He felt like he was being dumped. But then he remembers Zayn’s “we aren’t together” and Niall tries to remind himself of that truth. They were never an actual couple and Niall was pretty stupid to believe that something could have happened.
But what Niall still doesn’t understand is what Zayn meant when he said after they dealt with Max then “maybe”. Maybe what? And what did Zayn mean when he called Niall a distraction? Of course Niall had always wanted more but he’d always assumed their connection and sexual relationship was just that… He didn’t realize he was distracting Zayn from other things going on in his life.
Niall’s not really sure what it all means but he doesn’t want to overthink or get his hopes up. And helping to look for Max, even if he’s failing, is the only thing that’s helping right now.
They go out and try to find Max, attempting to look in any place that they can think of that he would be… the ice cream parlor that Liam had been bitten, the dorms, the university… anywhere. But they aren’t finding much to go off of and once when they’re on campus Zayn is particularly frustrated.
“Hey, stop.” Niall whispers, tugging on Zayn’s shirt and pulling Zayn into him. He puts his hands on Zayn’s face, forcing Zayn to look at him. “Don’t beat yourself up, you’re doing the best you can.”
Zayn’s face instantly relaxes and Niall knows that his words are calming. It’s the first tender moment between them in a really long time and the way that Zayn is looking at Niall forces him to act. He leans his head down and kisses Zayn’s shoulder tenderly. He wants to kiss his lips but he knows that he’s not allowed to anymore.
He means for the kiss to be to sweet and comforting but he can’t help himself when it turns more sexual then he intended. His lips linger on Zayn’s skin and his left hand is still on Zayn’s face but it’s moved back a bit, so that Niall’s fingers are in Zayn’s hair and he doesn’t even realize that he’s stroking the base of his neck until he comes up from the kiss.
Niall can hear the breaths between them and it’s the first time in weeks that Zayn is this close to him. He’s almost forgotten how pretty Zayn’s eyes are, the amber mixed with the brown, and they’re staring right into Niall’s blue ones. Zayn’s not pulling away and Niall is seconds away from closing the gap between them and just kissing him but then there’s a scream and it’s loud and piercing and Zayn’s pulling away almost instantly to investigate.
They run around the corner to find a body on the ground and whoever it is is completely still, not moving an inch and Niall thinks that he might be dead but he can hear just the faintest sound of a heart beat and he knows that whoever this is still has a fighting chance, if he or Zayn are able to get to them quick enough.
When they get closer Niall freezes, immediately recognizing the honey brown hair and tan skin.
“It’s Louis.” Niall says, trying to stay as calm as possible.
“Who?” Zayn’s asking and Niall explains that Louis is a friend of Liam’s that they met once at a party. He doesn’t blame Zayn for not recognizing him, it’s hard to make out his features with him out cold like this and they only met him that one time. And even then Zayn was distracted with Max. That was the first night that Zayn had seen Max in town again.
“Max did this.” Zayn says next to him and Niall turns to him.
“How do you know?” He asks, knowing that Zayn is probably right and Zayn points to the bite mark below Louis’ ear. Niall's hand instinctively goes up to his own ear, feeling the scar behind the skin there from when Max had turned him. Of course… Max’s signature bite.
"Why would he just leave him? Why didn't he turn him?" Niall asks, confused.
"Like he did with you, he planted this just for me to find. He was here. He’s been watching us. This is a warning.” Zayn says, his voice growing louder, and he looks around the area. Surprisingly, no one else seems to have even heard the scream.
“Zayn, what are we gonna do… we have to do something!” Niall says, starting to freak out. If they don’t act pretty soon Louis could die.
“We aren’t doing anything.” Zayn says, anger in his voice, “He’s close by, I have to find him… now…”
Zayn begins to leave but Niall’s yanking on his arm, pulling him back. “No, you can’t. We have to help him.”
“No we don’t!” Zayn yells. “We don’t even know him.”
“It’s Louis.” Niall says firmly, trying to get Zayn to understand.
They haven’t been in this situation many times before this; Zayn had only been around 3 vampires in transition before.
The first was Niall, of course, who Zayn had turned immediately due to their strange, unexplainable connection. The last, being Liam. And turning Liam was not their decision to make, it was Harry’s.
The second was shortly after Niall had been turned, another one of Max’s victims. Niall had urged Zayn to save him, like Zayn had turned Niall, but Zayn refused. It was in Niall’s nature to want to help people but Zayn had persuaded Niall to let it go. He tried to explain to Niall that the life of a vampire is something that no one really wants and that it’s only a burden. That Max was only doing this to get to Zayn and he couldn’t let it keep happening. By saving Niall, Zayn was only giving into what Max was doing. By letting this person die, they weren’t letting Max win anymore. Niall had agreed. But only because it was much easier to let someone he didn’t know go. And even though he personally didn’t know Louis that well Niall knew that he was Liam’s best friend and that letting him die would kill Liam.
“He’s Liam’s best friend, Zayn.” Niall says firmly.
“Then you can do what you want.” Zayn replies, “But I have to find Max. Stop him from hurting more people. ”
He attempts to leave again and once again Niall’s grabbing him, standing in front of him and preventing him from going.
“No. You can’t fight him alone, Zayn. It’s way too dangerous. You can’t go out there without a plan… without back up.” Zayn hesitaters and Niall takes his opportunity. “Please, Zayn, don’t do this. I can’t have you dying on me, okay?” He says again, gripping Zayn’s arm strongly and looking him in the eye.
Zayn sighs, looking down. Niall can tell that he’s struggling. But then something seems to shift in Zayn and he looks back up and places his hands on top of Niall's.
“Okay.” He says quietly. Niall doesn't have time to think about just how he'd managed to persuade Zayn because Louis is dying and they are running out of time.
“We have to give him blood. And we have to do it now.” Niall says urgently, leaning down. He can tell that Zayn is still hesitant. “Liam’s family.” Niall repeats, hoping he’s getting through to Zayn.
Once he’s fed Louis some of his blood he gathers Louis into his arms and looks back up Zayn.
“Let’s get him back to the house.”