Ziall Horlik One Shots (prompts open)

Thunder Storm

The force of Mother Nature's great and powerful thunder storm rattled the windows and shook the trees' leaves that were stuck outside in the pouring rain. Fortunately for the boys inside the hotel, it was not strong enough to wake them.

Well, maybe with the exception of one.

That one veing none other than the boy who was afraid of thunder storms.

The rest of the men, however, slept soundly, each in his own fantasy. 

_ 

For Louis, it was football. Kicking and passing, receiving and getting absolutely filthy from the mud. But that was what part of the game was for him. If you didn't get dirty or the least bit sweaty, you hadn't worked hard enough.

*

Harry happened to be dreaming about a secret room, an escape, someplace where he could get away from everything for as long as he needed to and no one could bother him. The paparazzi couldn't even find a way in, no matter how sneaky the y thought they were being.

**

Liam envisioned a home with a future family,  a wife and a few children running about the backyard because that's what he always looled forward to. He was always the type of man that took over as leader or care-taker, hence the old nickname.

***

And as for Zayn, well, his head was filled with everything and anything. He imagined himself in his very own art studio where he thought of, sketched out, and spray-painted his many works of art. It was a place for him and only him.

****

Last, but certainly not least, was the boy with the fear of thunder storms. His head was filled not with dreams, but instead nightmares. Banshees with twisted screams and evil demons with horns on their heads danced around in his imagination, taunting him and looming over him.

"Ugly thing." One spat.

"Stupid boy!" The other sneered.

*****

It wasn't so much the raging wind and deafening drumfire outside his window that woke Zayn up, but rather the thrashing about that was happening across the room from him.

Out of natural instinct, Zayn untangled his blanket and slid out of the Queen-size mattress. Quietly, he stood up and peered to the next bed over and watched-just a moment-the sleeping beauty.

When he was close enough, the older man carefully stretched his arm out towards his half-pint and gently rubbed his upper arm.

"Niall! Niall! Wake up!"

"No! Please..." It seemed to Zayn as if someone or something were trying to capture him. Niall's whole body shook in fright as his playful imagination nearly scared him to death. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes squuezed shut tight.

"Niall! Wake up!" Zayn tried yet again, only to no avail.

All of a sudden, the boy's eyes flew open.

"Zayn?" Niall whispered, as his bottom lip began to tremble and his eyes started to water.

The black-haired boy didn't even need an invitation to climb right in.

"What're you dreamin' about, sweetheart? " For Zayn, it was just a pet name to help Niall calm down, but for the other, it meant the Universe.

You see, for Niall, Zayn wasn't just the World. No, he was the Sun and the Moon, the Stars in the Galaxies,  the Planets, and everything in-between.

For Niall, Zayn was those little prizes you get in your cereal, he was the extra-special trading card that only came once in a lifetime, he was that feeling that you get when you get an 'A+' on a test that you pulled an all-nighter for. 

He was his refuge. His sanctuary. 

_

There were no more words spoken that night because they didn't need to speak to understand each other. 

_

Niall knew that Zayn loved him, just not in the way that he loved him.

For Zayn, it was more of a brotherly-love.  He would do practically anything for him. 

_ 

If Zayn asked Niall to run, he would ask "How far?"

If Zayn asked Niall to jump, he would ask "How high?"

If Zayn asked Niall to swim, he would ask "How deep?" 

_ 

Niall knew that Zayn did not love him in the same way that Niall loved him, and he was okay with that, because having Zayn right there by his side could last him an eternity. 

I am forever grateful to ZeWritingMachine because she was the one that motivated me to finish this. And I thank you for that.

-26.05.14