Chapter 9 "Comfort Food"

It's raining outside, and Leo is sitting on the dark green couch in their shared apartment. They had just finished cleaning up breakfast and while Zayn put up the last dishes Leo was answering messages on his phone.

Zayn wraps his arms around Leo from behind and kisses his cheek. "We have the whole day to ourselves."

Leo smiles and puts the phone down before turning to kiss Zayn.

Zayn quickly climbed over the couch and into Leo's lap, wrapping arms and legs around him before being brought on to his back. Leo's price is humored as his natural dark hark falls forward. "Have we christened this couch yet?" Zayn shakes his head.

Soft kisses turn hungry quickly with Leo sucking and biting Zayn's tongue and bottom lip while moving behind him and rub over his pants while grinds his hips back against his growing need.

"Mmm."

"Ahmmm"

"Zaynie?"

"Yes?"

"Are you aware of what you're doing?"

Zayn's eyes fly open to see the cheap hotel artwork on the wall. "Have I been- um- You're awake…"

Leo chuckles. "Only just now, when I felt you rubbing your ass on me, with a lot of enthusiasm I might add. Must've been a good dream..." He grins mischievously.

Zayn lets out a breath he had been holding in. "I'm sorry. Are you normally this warm in the morning?" He turns his head to see Leo who was swallowing and looking a little uncomfortable with his eyes closed.

"Yes." Leo manages to speak. "Zayn… As much as I am enjoying this…you're still pressing against me."

Zayn doesn't move, his rear pressed against Leo and he can feel his morning chub. "…"

Leo open looks confused. "Zayn?"

Zayn's already pink cheeks turn red. "… I can… I can feel how awake you are down there…"

Leo laughs a little. "Oh… Well, maybe if you move away a little… he will— go back to sleep…"

Zayn still doesn't move. "What if-- what if I want —"

Leo's lips get close to Zayn's ear and warm hands find his hips. "Zaynie… Are you wanting to help me out this morning?"

Zayn swallows and nods his head. "Unless..." His eyes drop and he bites his lip again. "You don't want me to…"

Leo presses his lips to Zayn's ear and while thrusting his hips forward pulls Zayn's hips back and lets a low growl out when he hears Zayn's little whimper. "Goodness. I never thought you'd be this hungry this early."

Zayn scrunched his face in irritation. "I'm not as innocent as you seem to think I am. Just because oh—" Leo's hand had moved from his hip to his boner and it took his breath away.

"Looks like someone else is awake this morning." Leo chuckles. "I just meant that I thought you wanted to wait a little longer to do this kind of stuff." His hand strokes up and begins to glide and play with the top of the sweat pants he lent him. Zayn grinds himself back against Leo resulting in a guttural moan. Leo speaks through the end of his sound. "I want to… I want you… I want—" His eyes open wide as if he is just now fully aware of what they are doing. "Breakfast."

Leo's hands and warm body are suddenly removed from Zayn, who lays there for a minute confused. When he rolls over to see Leo sitting on the edge of the bed with his hand through his hair. "What just happened?" Zayn asks gently.

"Nothing…" Leo sighs before twisting his torso to see Zayn looking rejected and pitiful. "I have some things I want to talk about before we go any further…"

Zayn gets up on his knees and makes his way to Leo, draping his arms around him from behind and resting a cheek on his shoulder. "I like the French toast and Austrian coffee here." They both smile. Zayn pecks his boyfriend's cheek before releasing the hold around is neck and sitting beside him. "I should go brush my teeth and get ready for the day before—" Leo's lips stopped the rest of his sentence.

Leo keeps their lips locked as he gets up and straddles Zayn's lap. When he moves his lips to Zayn's cheek and begins move towards his jaw and neck Zayn lets out a little laugh. "I thought you wanted breakfast."

Leo speaks against Zayn's neck. "Yes. You want waffles and Austrian coffee. Anything else?"

Zayn's voice is a bit shaky as Leo drags his lips up his neck to his ear and gently nips it with his teeth. "You —" Leo smiles and then gets off of him and chuckles. Zayn huffs before standing and speaking. "You're horrible."

Leo smiles big. "I know. You were grinding on me and got me all bothered I thought you earned a little tease too."

Zayn grabs the neat pile of his clothes and his phone in a hurry. "I think I was plenty flustered without that little— whatever that was."

Leo fake pouts. "Oh Zaynie, did I take it too far? You seem upset..."

Zayn whips his face around at the door. "Not far enough." He states and turns to pull the door open and leave before Leo can see his smirk.

Back in his room he takes a quick shower and takes care of all the usual morning routine before pulling on a pair of loose track pants and a grey t-shirt.

As he brushed his teeth he started to wonder what happened to himself to cause such a change. It was so drastic that he started to think that might be why Leo isn't taking him seriously about sex. All he could come up with before heading back to Leo's room for breakfast was the trip to L.A. and meeting his parents. The way he felt so welcome and accepted by his family, without even being properly introduced by Leo. He felt immediately welcome into their home. The way they spoke of their children, the way she listened to him while they cooked together. He had never felt so comfortable and at ease with someone's parents, not Hailey's, not even his own. He saw where Leo got his warm magnetism and when they spoke about Leo, it made him feel like he could relax in a way he hadn't realized he hadn't before.

As he walked down the hall back towards Leo's room he could feel himself settling into the idea of being part of a family like that, and he didn't feel as rushed. When the door opened and Leo was standing there in his jeans and t-shirt with a half smile the rush came back a little as he took the hand that was outstretched to him. Leo felt it to, he just wanted to get through the conversations that were in the way. "Good morning beautiful." He whispers into Zayn's ear as he passes him in the short hallway.

Zayn stops and turns to face his boyfriend, who is still wet from his own shower. Zayn's voice is sweet despite the tingle Leo's voice had sent through him. "Good morning." His smile is soft as his eyes rest on Leo's lips. "Is the food here?"

Leo smiles and leans towards Zayn's face. "Got here right before you. You still hungry Zaynie?"

Zayn swallows and isn't sure which kind of hunger Leo is asking about. "Yes."

Leo leans to land a soft kiss and is pleased when Zayn grabs his shirt to pull him in deeper. When they separate and Leo can see Zayn's flustered face he chuckles. "Sure enough Zaynie, you're very hungry."

"Starving." Zayn mumbles as the blush begins to fade a little.

Leo grabs Zayn's hand to pull him into the room. "Let's eat some food, talk, and then see where we are at."

Zayn's eyebrow raises as they sit down. "Should I be concerned?"

Leo's serious expression makes Zayn nervous. Leo's words add to the nerves. "There is just some stuff I think we should have talked about first— or before..."

Zayn swallows. "Um. Okay— "

Leo's expression darkens. "Because you might not have asked me to be your boyfriend if I had told you before, which is why I've been holding back on— physical intimacy... because I don't want you to feel trapped or like you can't—" Zayn reaches over and grabbed Leo's hand and it stopped his rambling.

Zayn's kind smile makes Leo's heart speed up, and when he speaks so calmly his eyes begin to sting like they might start forming tears. "Whatever it is, I can listen. Before you start though, you should know that it won't change my mind about us."

Leo takes a breath and stops any tears from forming. "So, I met with my brothers while I was in Nevada." Leo spills it all to Zayn, who eats and listens carefully without any obvious signs of judgment or anger, even when Jason's control over Leo's life is talked about. Leo feels like he can share everything with him and doesn't hold back any of his guilt or shame. "He still reaches out to me... it started off as random texts trying to get a conversation, harmless for the most part, and has turned into something��� that genuinely freaks me out." He explains the last few messages and their context, and how his manager has people working on it. "When I got the message last night it really freaked me out, and I genuinely don't know how I'm supposed to sleep or rest until he stops..."

Zayn closes the metal lid back over his food. "Thank you for sharing all of that with me Leo."

Leo hasn't been able to look at Zayn in the eyes since he started, even after finishing the story of him and Jason he can't. "After talking with Luca and Emilio I realized that it wouldn't be fair to pull you into a relationship when my ex is still chasing me if you didn't at least know what was going on."

Zayn gets up and it scares Leo enough to look up, expecting to see him leaving the room, instead to find Zayn extending a hand to him and a steady and confident look in his expression. He takes the hand and is pulled into an embrace that makes him lightly gasp. "It sounds like you really wanted to love him, maybe you did… and it sounds like things got really intense. I hear that you feel responsible for your part, and maybe a little more than you really are. I can't even begin to understand how scared you are after his last text. None of what you just told me scares me away Leo, I'm here." He pulls his upper body back a little so they can see eye to eye. Leo's smile doesn't fully reach his eyes though and Zayn could tell he wasn't done. "There's more. This isn't what you wanted to talk about when we talked on the phone."

Leo smirked at the fact the Zayn was already reading him so well. "Yeah." He grabs Zayn's hand and leads him to the bed where they both sit. "I think I was just a little overwhelmed from the last message from Jason and then seeing you as soon as I pull up, and bringing me my mother's cooking…"

"It was too much huh?" Zayn lowers his head only to have it brought back up my Leo's gently touch.

Leo's expression is fully genuine. "It was... exactly what I needed in that moment… It brought me comfort... and when it came time to go to sleep, I didn't want to stop feeling that comfort from you…"

Zayn smiles and places a careful hand on Leo's knee. "Okay. So what was it you wanted to talk about when we were on the phone?"

Leo solemnly smiles and sighs. "About our schedules... my assistant was saying that it's been difficult to get our schedules to line up for the Louis Vuitton photoshoot, and it got me thinking about how much time will we have together once filming is all wrapped up..."

Zayn speaks honestly. "I want this to work Leo. I don't have any concrete way to assure you we will get all of the time in the world together, but I really do want to give this a shot."

Leo smiles before crashing his lips to Zayn's. His hands find their way into Zayn's still drying hair to pull him further into the kiss. They fall back onto the bed together, Leo rolling to the side of Zayn. Shared laughter breaks the kissing, and yet they stay close. Their eyes are soft and half lidded.

Zayn's voice sounds dreamy. "Leo—"

Leo sounds slightly amused. "Yes Zayn?"

Zayn sucks and bites his own bottom lip before speaking. "When do you have to leave?"

Leo humphs and pulls Zayn into another quick kiss before responding before kissing him more. "I should leave here by two thirty."

Zayn avoids the kiss by turning his face away. "How on earth are we going to pass four and half hours?"

Leo's hand begins to trail from Zayn's hip and up his abdomen, sending sparks and nervous twists through his body and mind. Leo's voice is low and full of intent. "I can think of a few things… most of them involve that adorable whimper you make for me though." His thumb brushes over Zayn's covered nipple causing him to suck in his bottom lip. "I was thinking something to— warm you up." His lips are so close to Zayn's they both feel like their lips are burning.

"Warm me up…" Zayn whispers as his eyelids close a little.

Leo smiles. "Mmm. I think your suggestion to wait until we've been together for a little while to have sex has some merit."

Zayn groans and turns his face. "You're really going to make me eat my own words aren't you…"

Leo gently turns Zayn's face back to face him with an index finger. "That's not my intention. I just… I want our first time to be special…"

Zayn smiles a little, eyes still half open, trying to make this as difficult for Leo as possible. "If it's with you, it will be special."

Leo's nose wrinkles a little as he smiles and then he brushes Zayn's nose with his own. "You deserve better than this funky little hotel."

Zayn's eyes narrow. "It sounds like you've been putting a lot of thought into this... Do I get to hear what you've been planning so far?" Leo just smiles and shrugs innocently in response.