#rather sweet

Hi, Little Angel. I know you sent me this prompt (and others) ages ago, but I finally managed to get to it. I’m pretty nervous about posting it, but I’m just trying to take a deep breath and do it. Hope it doesn’t disappoint you or anyone else.

The sun was warm through the window as Liam stared out across the quad, watching kids enjoying the blanket of snow that had fallen the night before. He groaned as another piece of popcorn bounced off the top of his head and onto the desk in front of him. “Louis,” he warned his roommate, already knowing the lad had another piece ready to be thrown. “If you’re that bored, can you please just go outside? I have to finish this report.”

“I want you to go outside with me,” Louis said, his voice just short of whining. “The report isn’t due until next week and you have the whole weekend to work on it and I wanna go have a snowball fight.” He moved to sit on the desk next to Liam, his heels banging against the drawers, making Liam groan even louder as his head began to pound in sync with Louis’ feet.

“Just go,” Liam said. “Let me work for another hour and I promise, I’ll come out and join you,” Liam finally gave in, knowing there was no other way to be rid of his roommate.

Louis hopped off the desk and clapped his hands. “One hour, but I’m going to wait for you,” Louis said. “Otherwise, you’ll ‘forget’ to meet me outside and leave me to my frozen demise.” He settled back onto his bed, fiddling with his phone while now pointedly ignoring Liam.

With a fond smile and shake of his head, Liam turned his attention back to his laptop, forcing himself to focus on a literary analysis of The Catcher in the Rye, a book that he’d enjoyed, but wasn’t even sure where to begin putting his thoughts into words. He was in the middle of a paragraph about the necessity of Holden’s obsession with the ducks in Central Park when Louis closed the screen on his fingers.

“Hey!” he snapped, glaring at his roommate.

“Time’s up,” Louis said, happily, dropping clothes on his head before sitting down to put on his shoes. “Time for arctic adventures. Get dressed.”

“I was on a roll,” Liam grumbled, looking longingly at his computer before taking off his vest and pajama bottoms, leaving him in just his Batman pants.

“Hey, you never know, Zayn might be outside,” Louis teased, chuckling as Liam’s face flushed bright red at the mention of the boy in the room next door.

“Shut up,” Liam muttered, looking at the clothing Louis had tossed at him and rolling his eyes. “I am not wearing shorts and a vest to play in the snow.” He started digging around in his wardrobe for something more weather appropriate, while Louis teased him about their neighbor.

It wasn’t Liam’s fault that the best-looking person he’d ever seen in his life lived less than twenty feet away from him, that his bed was pushed up against their shared wall. He sometimes could hear the low rumble of Zayn’s laughter through the walls and found himself wishing he were the one making him laugh that way. Instead, Liam just stared at him from afar and ran away any time he got too close. It had taken several instances of Liam hiding behind Louis for his roommate to figure out what was going on and he hadn’t stopped teasing him since.

Liam had just found a pair of joggers and started digging for a jumper when there was a knock at the door. He grumbled at Louis when he opened it, smacking Liam in the bum with it. He froze when he heard a familiar voice coming from the other side. “Look, I know this is weird, mate, but you wouldn’t happen to have any sugar, would you?”

Liam felt a warm thrill through his tummy at Zayn’s voice but refused to turn around. In fact, he was trying very hard not to move as he realized he was still in just his pants. He jumped when he felt Louis grab his bicep, yanking him towards him and then shoving him into someone, the two of them falling into the hallway.

“This one’s sweet as they come,” Louis cackled as he slammed the door shut, leaving Zayn and Liam in a pile on the floor.

Liam scrambled to his feet, his hands flailing as he tried to figure out which part of himself to cover, finally deciding on his face because that way he wouldn’t have to make eye contact. He kicked a bare foot back against his door, cursing when pain shot through him, reminding him he was barefoot. “Let me back in!” he shouted through his hands.

“Nope!” Louis shouted back, still laughing, but it was fading like he was moving away from the door.

Liam couldn’t move; he couldn’t even breathe. He stood in the hallway, cold as his body heated up in embarrassment. He was willing himself to disappear, he was twenty-two, it wasn’t too late for super powers to develop, right?

Cool hands wrapped around his wrists, pulling his hands away from his face. Liam squeaked when he saw it was Zayn that was touching him and squeezed his eyes shut, thinking invisible thoughts. He heard a small chuckle, the one he’d only listened to through the walls and his heart sank. He’d always wanted to make him laugh, but not like this.

“Liam, yeah?” Liam didn’t move, just kept focused on melting into the floor or something. “C’mon, open those eyes.” Liam shook his head. “Alright, then.” Liam felt a tug in his wrists and he tried to dig his heels in, but Zayn appeared to have the advantage, moving Liam easily. Then he released Liam’s wrists as another door shut. “We’re in my room now.” There was some shuffling noises and then hands moving Liam’s arms, resting clothing in them. “I’m going to turn my back and let you put these on, yeah?”

Liam waited a minute before opening his eyes, faced with the back of Zayn’s head, he quickly scrambled into the shirt and joggers that were in his hands. When he was done, he looked around Zayn’s room, smiling at the Green Lantern poster hanging over one of the beds. “You like comics?”

“Yeah.” Zayn started to move, stopping suddenly. “Can I turn around?” Liam blushed but made a sound of agreement. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Liam responded, shuffling his feet.

“So, I was making some tea, that’s why I asked your roommate for sugar,” Zayn said, stepping over to an electric kettle, setting out two mugs. “Did you want some?”

“I should go-”

“NOT LETTING YOU BACK IN!” Louis yelled through the wall.

“Or not,” Zayn said, handing over one of the mugs before settling on the floor next to one of the beds, nodding his head to the spot next to him. Liam hesitated before sitting down next to Zayn, but not close enough to touch. He sipped at the mug, making a face. “Yeah, I know, sorry for the lack of sugar.” He took a sip of his own and Liam watched his eyebrows furrow in distaste.

“Sorry ab-” Liam cut off his excuses for Louis’ behaviour when Zayn reached over and grabbed his hand, forcing Liam’s finger into his mug of tea and stirring it around for a minute, Liam thankful the tea wasn’t boiling hot. After a couple spins, Zayn released his hand, taking another sip before making a face. “What was that?” Liam asked, laughing as he stuck his finger in his mouth to clean the tea off.

Zayn gaped as Liam pulled his finger out with a pop. “Um, well, I asked your roommate for sugar and he said you were as sweet as they come, so I figure it was worth a shot.” He shrugged at Liam’s laughter. “Unfortunately, I think instead of making my tea sweeter, you just managed to make it hotter.”

Liam started to laugh harder before stopping suddenly. “Wait, what?”

“HE THINKS YOU’RE HOT, PAYNO!” Louis shouted through the wall, causing both of them to roll their eyes at each other.

“He’s not wrong,” Zayn admitted, looking down at his mug.

“NEVER AM!”

Liam shook his head before opening his mouth, hoping to get an entire sentence out. “How about we go to the coffee shop across the quad for some tea free of eavesdroppers?” he suggested, a shy smile overtaking his face at the grin on Zayn’s.

“I’d like that.”

They walked out into the hall, Liam determined to break down his door if he had to, laughing when he found his boots and outerwear sitting outside the door with a note from Louis. “Have fun!”

“I hate my bloody roommate,” Liam muttered as he got ready to go outside.