Chapter Text
Zayn fiddled with the hem of his tank top as he awaited the arrival of his date. He had chosen his outfit with care, making sure to look cool but not too cool in his unbuttoned red plaid shirt showing his pristine tank top and black jeans with holes ripped at the knees. He considered wearing a beanie, but preferred to keep his hair down for the indoor event. If they had been outside for a football match, that would be entirely different, but because he wouldn't have to deal with gusts or wind or rain he decided it was perfectly reasonable to keep his hair in its more natural state.
He glanced in the mirror and used his palm to flatten the top of his hair against his forehead. Zayn worried about his date and how they would react to each other. They had met over Grindr and Zayn was smitten with how much he worked out. It was clear that the man had worked hard to maintain his chiseled chest and even bragged about a lifting session during one of their numerous conversations. Zayn was looking forward to meeting him: Liam. Even the name was attractive. It left a sweet taste in the back of his mouth.
He turned away from the mirror and his reflection to the sound of his phone vibrating a few feet away. He made his way over to the side table and picked it up, recognizing the number.
"Hello?" he said with a smile.
"Hey, I'm out front," his date replied.
"Cool. I'll head down in a sec," Zayn said before hanging up the phone. One last glance in the mirror and he was out the door. He locked up quickly, popping the key in and out of the lock with ease. He then made his way to the end of the hall and quickly flew down the flights of stairs, jitters gathering in the pit of his stomach.He brushed it off as best as he could as he headed outside to find a black vehicle parked at the entrance of his apartment complex. The window lowered and the faint figure of his date appeared, squinting at him.
Zayn stopped shyly on the sidewalk, not sure what to do next. Liam squinted a bit more before raising his eyebrows and allowing a smile to grow on his face.
"Are you Zayn?" he called.
Zayn nodded. "Ya."
They held eye contact for a moment before Liam broke their silence with a rather boisterous laugh.
"Well, what are ya waitin' for? Hop on in!"
Zayn broke out into a smile and approached the car, the butterflies coming back full force. He pulled on the handle and plopped into the seat, letting the scent from the air freshener take over his senses. He was blinded by Liam's smile and was immediately attached to the guy's warm demeanor.
"Hi, 'm Liam," he greeted, shifting the car from park to drive.
"Zayn," he concluded, a tight smile on his face.
Liam glanced over at Zayn and his smile became more broad. Pulling out onto the street, he began the small talk. "So, do you follow basketball?"
"Not really. I'm not muchuva sports guy," Zayn admitted. "But I'm up to trying it out."
Liam laughed. "That's good. What do you like to do instead?"
"I like readin'. I spend most of my day in the tattoo parlor though."
"Oh. Are you into tattoos?" Liam asked.
"Yeah. I'm a tattoo artist." Zayn let out a laugh as color came flushing Liam's cheeks. He turned to Zayn with a small smile, almost embarrassed in his wonderment.
"What kind of tattoos do you 'ave?"
Zayn rolled up the sleeves of the plaid shirt and exhibited the tattoos that he currently had lined up along his arms. He kept his eyes on his arms, missing the excited glint in Liam's eyes as he explained through mumbles, "I have a whole sleeve pretteh much on muh right arm. Uh... I really like my yin yang and my ZAP! tattoo. I also have one of this bird that I was childhood friends with and a couple of animals. Ahh... There's a couple on my hips and a couple of my chest. I have some leg tattoos and yeah... Tha's about it."
"That's so cool! I have a couple tattoos myself that I got within the past year or so. I got a feather one on my right arm. When my Nan passed my Mom used ta leave feathers around the house for me and my sisters and say that she left them. I guess it was a way to connect the distance between us, but I decided ta get a permanent one on my arm... Right underneath it I got some script. Real simple: I figured it out. I figured it would be cryptic enough that people wouldn't be able to tell, but I got it when I came to terms with myself." Liam took a moment to inhale, keeping his eyes tight on the road. "I've never really admitted to being gay. Sometimes it's still hard, but this is my first time being out with a guy... romantically. I'm still really new to it all."
Zayn couldn't do much else beside stare at Liam, speechless. Guys don't typically admit in one sitting everything about themselves. Zayn chalked it up to it being the connectivity of tattoos and the way that they brought together people. Either way, he wasn't going to shoot down a guy just because he was inexperienced in being gay.
"It's all right. It's just a basketball game. It's not like they're going to make us kiss on screen or anything." Zayn laughed, causing Liam to loosen up his grip on the steering wheel. He laughed along and they continued their conversation with one another, making sure to touch upon the finer points of where they liked to eat and how Liam was a personal trainer.
"I could really fill you out. Ya know, if you wanted to. You have a very lean physique, but you could probably pack a punch if you wanted to."
They pulled into the parking garage and parked on the second level. The two got out of the car and make their way to the arena where the match between the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks. Neither were crazy about the teams, but Liam had gotten the tickets for free and figured it would be a great opportunity to bring someone cool along.
They made their way into the arena and found their seats. They were no where near the court side seating, but managed to sit off center so they were able to get a good glimpse at the action. They set down their jackets and made their way to the refreshment stands. Liam paid for their snacks, getting enough popcorn to last the entire game and two large sodas. As the two joked back and forth, Zayn smiled a large smile that made his eyes turn up. At one point Liam almost teared up from laughing so hard at Zayn's Batman impression. The found their love of comic book characters and talked about it throughout the whole first half of the game.
Zayn's heart fluttered during the halftime break when Liam lightly placed his hand over Zayn's. They continued to hold hands for the next several moments, watching the game adamantly. They the Jumbotron in amusement as an animated intro to the Kiss Cam came onto the screen. Hearts filled the border of the television screen and it opened up to a younger couple across the stadium. The crowd roared as the man and woman came together in a loving kiss. The focus was then changed to another younger couple, similarly heterosexual. The two shared a kiss that placated the crowd and an elderly couple of shown next. The two shared a sweet kiss, prepped with giggles and slow movements of coming together. The crowd let out a collective sweetened sound and a softer amount of clapping. It was then the camera zoomed in on them.
Zayn looked at himself on the Jumbrotron without much thought. He didn't realize until a moment later when Liam's hand was off of his that something had changed. He glanced up at the screen then to Liam and then back at the screen, double-checking to see if what was happening was real. It was and the crowd was beginning to boo.
Nervously, Zayn tugged at Liam's coat jacket, begging him to do something. "We need to do /something/. Just give me a peck on the cheek or something."
Liam remained solid and his gaze centered on his lap. He had a deathly clutch on his phone as he attempted to control his breathing. Meanwhile, Zayn was having a hard time coming to terms with that they would get booed out of the arena. Plus, they were supposed to follow an elderly couple, that's just cruel!
"Mate, if the lad won't give ya a kiss, I'll do it for 'im!" an irish man yelled into his ear. Zayn turned, seeing that the voice came from a blond man right beside him. He had been rowdy throughout the entire match, but Zayn couldn't help but feel relaxed at the man's presence - a white knight of sorts.
"You sure?" Zayn asked.
"Of course!" The man said, holding Zayn level with his eyes. He then gently grabbed onto the opening of Zayn's plaid shirt. The two closed their eyes quickly as the stranger pulled them together. Their lips met in a quick collision and the sound of the crowd popped in their ears. A signal went off in Zayn's head, but he couldn't decipher what it exactly meant. All he could comprehend was the feel of this stranger's lips and the taste of beer that filled his mouth.