Chapter Text
“This is who I gotta pretend to be in a relationship with?” Zayn whines, shaking his head when he sees the crinkly-eyed boy with the styled quiff, the hoodie, the sunglasses.
“You’re no looker yourself,” Liam snorts, squinting his eyes at Zayn as he pulls off his sunglasses. But he’s lying. Of course he’s lying. His cheekbones are sharp enough to cut wood, his eyes bright enough to start a fire. But Zayn doesn't have to know that.
Zayn is perplexed—already—by Liam. He’s sharper, quicker than he expected. With a sigh, Liam slides down his hood, tiredly sliding his fingers through his hair. “Alright, well, let’s get this… thing started. I want it over as soon as possible.”
Zayn wonders suddenly what Liam’s hair feels like, has a strong urge to reach forward and kiss him back into the wall, find his own fingers in the boy’s brown hair.
Zayn's lying, too. But Liam doesn't have to know that.
---
“Guys, you gotta at least try,” Liam’s manager, Chris, hisses behind them, his eyes lasering in on the most awkward hand holding he's ever seen: their hands barely touching, only thumbs connecting the two of them.
A sigh falls from Liam’s lips, but he changes positions to interlock fingers with Zayn’s anyway. Zayn’s hand is hot, a little sweaty, but just the simple touch brings a lump into Liam’s throat and a sudden urge to squeeze his hand. But no. He shakes his head in an attempt to clear the thought from his head. That’s something a real couple would do. And the two of them were not even close to that, considering they didn’t even know how to hold hands.
Zayn echoes Liam, a sigh leaving his mouth as the paps start shouting, firing questions at them both that Zayn probably wouldn’t even confide to his closest friends, let alone some sleazy guy looking to make a quick buck. But he’s surprised by how soothing the hand holding is, at the ease to which Liam’s hands fit with his, at how natural the whole thing feels. Surprised by the quickened beating of his heart from Liam’s touch.
“You’re supposed to be in love,” Chris whispers sharply as he gets closer to them.
The two of them know what this means: smile now or die later. Zayn grins first: at the paps, straight ahead, even at the carpet. But he’s careful to look anywhere other than Liam.
Seeing Zayn’s smile from out of the corner of his eye, Liam follows suit, finding a random person in the crowd to smile to. The walk seems to go on forever, and Liam feels his lips already beginning to hurt from the pull of his mouth.
When they (finally) make it to the door, Zayn pulls the door open for Liam. As Liam steps closer to the door, closer to him, Zayn finally lets his eyes wander from the door to the boy beside him, feeling his breath catch as he sees the grin on Liam’s face, the crinkles around his eyes forming as he catches Zayn’s eye. His brown eyes are so bright they almost twinkle for a second before it’s gone, leaving Zayn sure he must just have imagined the whole thing. Chris ushers the two of them inside with a little push as Zayn reminds himself that the smile wasn’t for him, quickly forcing himself to let go of Liam’s hand as soon as they’re out of sight from the crowd.
“Day one,” Liam exhales, rubbing his now empty hand, his thoughts still swimming from the blinding flashes. From the crowd surrounding him, Chris’ eyes following every one of their moves, everyone aching to get a closer look. He’s sure that’s why he can’t think. Or, at least, that’s what he tells himself.
---
“If you saw this picture… Would you say these people had fallen in love?” Chris’ voice booms through the office as he holds up the front cover of the tabloid, his eyebrows furrowed. Zayn flinches, watching Liam from out of the corner of his eye slink down away from the sound as he grumbles something under his breath. “Cause, honestly, I wouldn’t have even known if you two had even met each other before if you weren’t attached!”
Leaning in slowly to see the photo, Zayn finds they look mechanical, arms stiff and hands unnatural. Their face—pre-smile—says it all: I’m only here because I have to be. “But you’re lucky,” Chris continues with a little sigh of relief. “They caught you at the last second.” A little smile dances on his lips as he points to the other picture, of when they were in the doorway, Zayn aglow, his longing look fixed on Liam’s blinding grin.
Zayn’s stomach drops. He looked like a fucking lovesick puppy. His eyes slide over to his right to try to catch Liam’s expression only to find that Liam is already looking at him. Grinning. “Mate, you’re blushing a bit,” Liam smirks, the brightness in his eyes returning, just like the day before.
Zayn just groans, sure he’s probably even redder now. His jig was already up, only one day in. He’d never been good at the whole “hide your emotions” thing.
“I don’t know what you’re doing here,” Chris laughs, gesturing both to the second picture and the scene before him. “But whatever it is, keep doing it. They’ll eat it right up.”
“We can do that, huh, honey?” Liam says, flashing Zayn a smile and a wink.
“Of course, darling,” Zayn responds, his voice practically dripping with honey.
---
The second event they go to is easier. They know where to place their hands this time, they know how to work the crowd, and there’s always this undeniable chemistry between the two of them (when they bother to acknowledge the other). Chris calls it “the money maker”. Says that both of their albums’ sales are booming, and that they’ve never been more relevant in the media.
Zayn and Liam usually talk. Some. About what the other couples are wearing or little small talk among other celebrities. But when they’re alone, Zayn doesn’t know what to say. What is there to talk about when their whole relationship is based on a façade?
But a few events in, something shifts. The movie premiere for the new Batman film starts out the same: walking into the theater hand in hand, looking as lovey dovey as possible. Zayn doesn’t even have to try—not when it comes to Liam. When he just so much takes a look at him, he feels his whole world melting underneath his feet.
But then, Liam talks. Really talks.
“You know, when I grew up, I wanted to be Batman,” Liam says suddenly as they’re being ushered into the theater. “Even had Batman pajamas, too.” Zayn is surprised by this comment, surprised to hear Liam talk about anything personal.
“Yeah?” Zayn smiles, looking up at him as he gets into his seat. “What were you like as a kid, Li?” The nickname slips out of Zayn’s mouth before he can stop it. He gulps a bit as he balls up his shirt with his hands. Apparently, there’s not much he can do to hide his crush on Liam. He’s such an idiot.
Liam’s eyebrows raise at the name but he gives a small smile. “Not like this,” he replies with a sheepish grin, gesturing down to himself, muscles and all. “I was a dorky little kid... loved Harry Potter when I was a teenager. I had superhero posters plastered all over my room…” He trails off for a moment before shrugging, “You can guess the rest.”
“I’m really into superheroes and all those things,” Zayn gulps, trying to find words from within his mess of a brain. “Always have been,” he grins, remembering his similarly decorated room as a kid. “I would’ve liked you then, too,” Zayn admits with a small smile. There’s only a second of silence before Zayn realizes what he’s said. “I mean… as friends,” he sputters, feeling his face grow hot again.
“Don’t worry, love,” Liam smirks back. “We’re not friends here.” He gives Zayn a little hint of a smile, staring at him a little too long as he pops a Starburst—that he’d snuck into the theater—into his mouth. When Zayn declines to take one, he just pops another one in his mouth with a shrug.
“Ah good, our first proper date then,” Zayn retorts, elbowing him gently as the lights begin to dim. Liam hums in response, his eyes darting towards him and then back to the front, but the smile on his face is unmistakable.
Zayn feels a sudden burst of courage swelling up inside him and he takes it while he can. “When are you gonna kiss me?” Zayn leans in, his voice low.
Liam lets out a low chuckle at this and looks him straight in the eye before muttering, “You just say the word, Z.” The words are so quiet that Zayn swears he’s only hearing what he wants to. Either way, he can’t help but smile and then, it’s completely dark. Zayn can only barely make out Liam’s shadow, can only see that he’s somehow shifting. Liam’s knee presses against Zayn’s, and Zayn really can’t remember how to breathe anymore, not sure what he just said only a moment ago.
As the movie starts, the two of them are quiet at first. Zayn tries his best to pay attention, knowing full well this movie is something he’s been looking forward to for years. But he keeps finding himself drawn to Liam, his last words echoing in his head. He’s watching as Liam starts a little when the Joker jumps out, watching as his mouth curls up at anything even remotely funny, watching as his eyes grow wide whenever Batman gets hurt. And Liam never moves his knee.
They’re less than halfway into the movie when Liam meets Zayn’s eye as he’s watching him, catching him in the act. Zayn turns away guiltily, stiffly staring straight at the screen when he feels something slide around his shoulder. He swallows hard, knowing that there’s no way this could be an accident. You don’t slide your arm around someone accidentally, as much as his brain tries to convince him it’s possible. As much as his brain tries to tell him that’s the only possible explanation… Unless…
“Li?” Zayn whispers, his glance moving up to Liam.
“Yeah?” Liam replies, his tone thick with worry.
“You know no one can see us, right?”
“I know,” Liam says, his voice low, unreadable.
He begins shifting his arm to slide it off until Zayn stops him, saying with a smile, “I like it.”
Liam also knows that no one can see them at one of the side exits of the theater after the movie gets out. But that doesn’t stop him from interrupting Zayn when he’s excitedly talking about the movie, gushing about how great the ending was. Liam can’t help it though. He’s never seen anyone so beautiful, never seen anyone’s eyes light up the way Zayn’s do when he’s talking about superheroes, never seen a smile quite like his and he wants to know what it feels like.
He leans in suddenly, his lips finding Zayn’s, effectively shutting Zayn up. Zayn’s eyebrows shoot up and it takes him a moment before he can respond. Liam’s kiss is gentle, curious. But Zayn comes back stronger, his body taking over as his mind’s still reeling. He deepens the kiss, one hand finding Liam’s jaw, the other grasping onto the nape of his neck. He’s wondered for weeks now what Liam would taste like, wondered what his lips would feel like pressed against his. He tastes—he learns—like a mix of Starburst and mint, and Zayn can’t get enough of it.
Liam sweeps his tongue inside the other boy’s mouth, exploring as his hands find their way to Zayn’s back, one on his upper back and the other on his lower back. He presses against his upper back, pushing their bodies closer. He wants to feel Zayn against his lips, inside his mouth, but wants to feel his body reacting, too. Wants to know what his body feels like pressed up against his, responding to every move Liam makes.
Liam begins guiding Zayn to the nearest wall, anything that has a hard surface for him to push Zayn up against to feel him better. Hitting the wall, Zayn feels Liam’s bulge growing against him, well aware of his own bulky bulge. He rolls his tongue underneath Liam’s lower lip and a low groan escapes Liam’s mouth, leaving Zayn to nibble on his lip.
“Z…” Liam gets out, panting. “I want your skin on mine…”
Zayn reaches instinctively for Liam, his hands stopping at the bottom of his shirt. “Babe, I know…” Zayn starts, his hands pulling at the fabric.
A little airy chuckle falls between Liam’s words as his eyes dart around the empty surrounding area--but one that he knows could be full at any moment. “Zaynie, I know Chris would love to get news on us naked behind this theater, but…” Liam trails off, practically shuddering at the thought of such a headline.
“Back to my place then,” Zayn growls, his voice low.
“And we won’t tell Chris?” Liam asks, his face twisting up with worry.
Zayn grins devilishly as he pulls Liam to the street. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”