Ziall Horlik One Shots (prompts open)

Stay With Me

Niall and Zayn Malik were in love. Simple as that. They had been for almost twenty years straight, ever since the day they first laid eyes on each other. Now here they were, sitting on their bed at 10:30, looking at the photo album Niall had pulled out and drinking glasses of red wine.

Niall was tucked into his husband's side, nimble fingers playing with the delicate glass stem. 

"Z? Do you remember how we met?" he said softly, taking a small sip.

"How could I forget?" Zayn looked down at his lover and smiled. "Let's see..." he joked. "May, 1992. You were coming home from somewhere, work, you a bartender, I remember. Some drunk decided that he gonna follow you home." Niall hummed as Zayn kissed his cheek and let his lips linger there for a few seconds longer than was necessary. Not that Niall was complaining or anything. "That was back when I still smoked, because I remember someone had asked for one-"

"That was also back when you were going through that leather-jacket-combat-boots-and-motorcycles phase, I remember!" Niall laughed aloud. "But then you became my personal hero and bought me dinner after you fought him off."

"And then that turned into twenty more years of buying you dinner!"

-

As they flipped through the pages of the book, it seemed as if they were reliving the past. The first picture was of Niall in the hospital bed, holding a little black-haired baby boy wrapped up in a white blanket. the little orange numbers in the corner read  JUN 17 '95. If you flipped it over, there was a caption in Niall's handwriting. Daniel Javaad Malik is born!

Another one was of Niall and his aging mother, but this time she had a narrow plastic tube that split behind her neck and then rejoined in her nostrils. The doctors had found two small tumors in her breasts, which caused her to carry around an oxygen cart most of the time. APR 3 '97 The caption: The first of many hospitals that Mom went to since they found the cancer.

The third is just like the first, except this time, it's a little pink blanket that Niall has wrapped up in his arms. NOV 2 '97 Gwendolyn Amity Malik is welcomed into the world!! 

The next picture is of Zayn. He is sat in front of a birthday cake, Danny and their small daughter in his arms. JAN 12 '98 Zayn's 27th birthday! (I also found his first gray hair! He was terrified!)

JAN 13 '98 Zayn's grandfather, Walter, dies of Pancreatic Cancer. The next day, Zayn adds to his collection of tattoos. He gets 'Walter' tattooed in Arabic on his collarbone.

'Z must've taken this one.'  Niall thinks. SEPT 13 '98 Niall's birthday; he's 27 now!!

They're kissing in the next one; Zayn's arm is wrapped around Niall's waist as his hand is in Niall's back pocket, getting a nice feel. His free arm is the one holding the camera in front of them and both Zayn and Niall could be seen with different colored, plastic, beaded necklaces. An obvious smirk plays out on Niall's lips. DEC 31 '99-JAN 1 '00 WE LIVED TO SEE THE MILLENNIUM!!!!!!!! 

There are no more pictures for over a year, until they come across one that makes Niall grab Zayn's hand and grip it tight. SEPT 11 '01 At 8:45 that morning, American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower in New York. At 9:03 am, a second hijacked plane hits the South Tower of the World Trade Center, and at 9:43, Flight 77  crashes into the side of the Pentagon. At 10:05 am, the South Tower collapses and kills hundreds. Five minutes later, a fourth plane, Flight 93, crashes into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was aiming for either the Capitol building or the White House, but the passengers overtook the cockpit. Finally, at 10:28, the North Tower collapses. Over 3,000 people died that day. Zayn is told to either kill himself or die approximately 17 times that day, and it's all because he's Muslim.

OCT 31 '03 As they are helping the kids get their Halloween costumes on, the phone rings. Niall answers it, then runs to Zayn, crying, saying that Yaser has suffered from a fatal heart attack. Fortunately, he survives.

JAN 13 '04 Niall gives birth to a healthy baby boy, even though he is a few weeks premature. Their second son's name is Walter Yaser Malik. They call him Walt for short.

NOV 9 '09 Niall's mother loses her fight. Within the same week, their family dog, Nelson, dies, as does Niall's great-grandmother.

Niall thought that losing his mother was the worst pain he's ever felt, but to lose both was simply unbearable.  DEC 27 '09 Bobby Horan dies of heartbreak. That was the first Christmas he's spent without his beautiful wife, Maura.

On JUL 23 '10 Danny, their now fifteen year old son, shaves his head for Locks of Love.

JAN 1 '13 Zayn Malik slips into a coma after he is involved in a terrible hit-and-run. he does not wake up for several months, including Niall's birthday.

On this particularly rainy night, a stray kitten shows up meowing at their doorstep soaking wet. Gwen decides to call him 'Lucky', of all things. MAR 17 '13

MAY 7 '13 Yaser Malik dies of Pancreatic Cancer, the disease that took his father.

On her 16th birthday, Gwendolyn comes out to her parents and then proceeds to introduce Arabella to them.

-

May 25th, 1994

The last picture is of the two of them together. They're standing underneath a trellis of flowers, holding hands and smiling. Niall is wearing a pink and white striped tie-in his mother's honour-while Zayn is sporting the matching pocket square. Glinting in the bright sunlight are their brand new wedding bands. 

-

"I Love You," the Irishman cries. "more than you'll ever know. Bet you ya can't beat that!" Niall laughs through his tears.

Zayn just grins as he leans over to plant a wet, sloppy, and obnoxiously loud kiss on his husband's lips.

"Happy anniversary, baby!" he laughs.

-

13.10.14