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They'd been asking random people on the street and mostly getting turned down. At first Niall thought they were asking for money, some kind of charity or something. But then one of them approached him, a gorgeous dark skinned girl with dark eyes and an easy smile. "Hi, do you have a minute?" she asked politely.
He'd been wandering the streets for a couple of minutes, trying to decide if he wanted to go to the library or a Starbucks. He couldn't go back to his apartment because Harry and Louis were currently having very loud sex in the kitchen and as much as he loved them, there was no way he wanted to see or hear that.
"Yeah, I'm free," Niall told her with a smile, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning back a little. Its not like he had anything to do anyway, and his parents always sent him money each month so it wasn't like he couldn't donate to something.
"Right, well, my team and I are doing this project," the girl started off before sighing and shaking her head. "Sorry, I'm so rude. I'm Doniya."
"Niall," Niall replied with a chuckle, reaching out to shake her hand. "It's cool. What's your project?"
He was probably a little too friendly but he just loved people and loved being nice and Doniya seemed grateful he wasn't telling her to get lost.
"Well, have you seen those videos going around where they get a bunch of strangers to kiss?" Doniya asked with a smile. They were standing close to the stone wall outside of a clothing store and the side walk was pretty crowded. They were getting dirty looks for standing still and taking up space, but neither of them bothered about it.
"Yeah, a couple," Niall replied with a grin. Harry absolutely loved things like that and he'd shown Niall a couple before he'd had to leave for class the week before.
"Right, well, my group and I have to do a social experiment for our assignment and we figured we'd do one of those videos, yeah?" Doniya said with a smile. "Except we decided to get some open-minded strangers to kiss someone of the gender they wouldn't normally kiss. So if you were straight, we'd ask you to kiss a boy."
Niall nodded along as she talked, smiling and making noises in all the right places. He could tell she was going to ask him to take part and honestly he had no problems with it. It sounded fun and a good way to pass the time, and Harry would be excited to hear about it. And he wouldn't mind having to kiss a boy, it wasn't as if he'd have to go down on him or anything.
"So we've been asking people if they wanted to," Doniya continued. "And that's where you come in. You seem pretty open-minded, yeah? Would you be willing to come with me to the park nearby and kiss someone?"
Niall hummed and shrugged, giving her a smile. "Yeah, alright," he agreed easily. "S'long as the guy isn't some creeper or whatever."
Doniya laughed at that and shook her head, seeming relieved that he'd said yes. "No, nothing like that. We've got to wrap things up today quickly and you're the only person who's agreed so we'll just have you kiss my little brother. You're technically strangers so it'll be fine."
Niall nodded and started to follow her as she headed towards the park, watching as she pulled out her phone and sent a text, probably to her group. "Hope your brother is of age," he joked with a grin, debating whether or not to text Harry before remembering he'd still be having very loud sex and wouldn't even answer.
"Oh he is," Doniya said, shooting him a smile. "He looks around your age, really. He's twenty. Bit of a dork, but he's a good kid."
"Bingo, same age," Niall chuckled, glancing around as they got to the park. Doniya lead him over to a group by the pond where a boy and a girl were lounging on the grass. There was a camera set up but it was obviously turned off and he looked at the boy curiously for a few seconds, wondering if he was the one he had to kiss. But unless Doniya was adopted, it was pretty clear the boy wasn't related to her. He had tanned skin but no where near as dark as her's and buzzed hair with warm brown eyes.
"You found someone?" the girl spoke up, jumping up from the grass and wiping her bum hurriedly. "Thank god, thought setting up the camera today would have been a waste of time."
This girl was pale and curvy with long thick brown hair and dark red lipstick. Doniya rolled her eyes and brushed a bit of grass off the girl's bum that she'd missed before looking at Niall. "This is Liam and Jesy, they're in my group and they'll be filming you kissing my dork brother."
Niall smiled and nodded, shaking their hands and relaxing almost immediately. Liam was quiet and pleased and Jesy was loud and relieved, but they were both extremely welcoming to him. It was obvious they'd been worried Doniya wouldn't find someone to agree.
"Where is Zayn anyway?" Doniya added, glancing around.
"He went to go to the bathroom, I can go find him if you'd like?" Liam offered, fiddling with the camera and checking the lighting before looking at Doniya.
"Yeah, actually-" Doniya grabbed a bandana out of the purse she was carrying and handed it over to him. "Blindfold him before you bring him back. They're supposed to see each other for the first time on film."
Liam took the bandana and nodded, shooting Niall one last smile before turning and heading towards the public bathrooms closer to the middle of the park. "You do realize he's probably gone for a smoke, right?" Jesy said to Doniya, tying her plaid over shirt around her waist and pushing her hair out of the way as she bent over to check the camera angles.
"Yeah, he's lucky I didn't tell Mum and Dad," Doniya replied, rolling her eyes before turning to Niall, producing another bandana. It was black with red flames and she held it out to him with a smile. "Would you mind if I put this on? We'll guide you into the position we want and you can take it off once we've got both you and Zayn in front of the camera."
Niall shrugged and nodded, taking the bandana and trying to clumsily tie it around his eyes. He couldn't help but think Louis would be a lot better than he was- Harry had a lot of bandanas and they had a lot of gross uses for them. Jesy came up behind him with a little laugh and helped him tie it up, and now he was standing in the middle of the park blindfolded with a couple of strangers, waiting to kiss another one.
"So, double checking, you're straight?" Doniya asked him, and he could hear a scribbling noise like she was writing something down on paper.
"Yeah, I guess so," Niall said with a shrug. "I've never really thought about it. I'm not opposed to kissing or messing around with a guy if I find them attractive, though."
"Well obviously you're not opposed," Jesy teased, her hands on his shoulders. She gently guided him to a different spot, he guessed in front of the camera, and though she stopped moving him she kept one hand on his arm. He was grateful for that, not being able to see was a little disconcerting.
"Oh, here they are," Doniya said abruptly and Niall could hear two sets of footsteps approaching.
"Found him smoking," he heard Liam said, and the boy's voice was obviously disapproving.
"Yeah, not surprised," Doniya mumbled, and there was movement before Niall felt another body quite close to his, an arm brushing against his fingers. Jesy's hand left his arm and then he heard a beep and Doniya spoke up again. "Okay, Niall, Zayn. The camera is rolling so feel free to take off the blindfolds."
Niall let out a relieved breath and tugged his off, glad he didn't have to keep it on for long. It wasn't like he'd been nervous or afraid or anything like that, it was just weird to not be able to see. And Louis would have probably slapped him playfully if he were there so he'd been a tiny bit worried one of them would try something like that.
He blinked his eyes open and glanced around, noting that Jesy was behind the camera and filming them. Liam was standing off to the side and Doniya was watching and writing in a little notebook every now and then, giving him an encouraging smile. He finally looked over at the boy standing next to him and- oh. This Zayn person wasn't exactly the nerdy boy he'd been expecting.
Zayn was around the same height and build as him but that was pretty much where the similarities ended. He had jet black hair coaxed into a quiff and his eyes were a kind of dark brown that looked almost like the colour of whiskey. And his cheek bones were just unfair. Niall would go as far as to say this boy was even more beautiful than Harry or Louis, and that was saying something. (Yes, they were his friends and he was constantly exasperated by them but even he had to admit Harry and Louis were hot.)
As he'd been looking Zayn over the boy had obviously been doing the same to him and there was a hesitant smile on his face, almost as if he were a little shy. "Hi," Niall said with a warm grin, trying to put him at ease. He reached out a hand, aware of the camera recording his every movement. "I'm Niall. Nice to meet you."
Zayn reached out slowly and took Niall's hand, shaking it and lingering before letting go. His smile was a little bigger now, as if he were relieved that Niall was friendly but still not so sure of him. "Zayn," he replied, and his voice was low and a little raspy. "Nice to meet you too."
There was an awkward silence where they just stared at each other. Niall couldn't help but think that he definitely wouldn't mind kissing Zayn, even if he'd never really thought about doing stuff with guys. Other than the vague wondering one time about how gay sex worked, but Louis saw fit to tell him every last detail in disgusting clarity so that had put him off a bit.
Zayn glanced over to Doniya awkwardly, obviously looking for direction and Niall couldn't help but laugh a little, his go-to reaction when he wasn't sure what to do. It made Zayn let out a chuckle as well and soon they were smiling at each other again and things didn't feel so strange.
"Kiss whenever you're ready, take your time," Jesy said gently, her voice quiet.
Niall nodded and looked to Zayn again and the boy cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck as he gave Niall a shy smile. "So, uh, should we just...?
"Yeah, I mean," Niall laughed a little again and it made Zayn grin. "Can't be that much different from kissing a girl, right?"
Zayn just shrugged and scuffed his black boots against the dirt. Niall couldn't help but think Harry would love to have those boots. "Dunno, mate. Never kissed a girl."
"Have you kissed anyone?" Niall asked gently, aware it could be a bit of an awkward question.
Zayn glanced up at him with wide eyes and laughed a little, nodding. "Yeah, I have, just. I've kissed blokes. I know what to do."
"Glad one of us does," Niall replied with a smile. There was a pause and then Zayn cleared his throat, stepping close enough that his chest brushed against Niall's and if he leaned in a little he'd be able to feel the boy's breath against his face.
Niall was only vaguely aware of the world going on around them. He knew there was other people wandering around the park, that there was a little fountain in the middle of the pond sprinkling water over the ducks and that there were cars on the roads outside of the park going by. Mostly he was just focused on the boy in front of him with the whiskey coloured eyes and the camera tracking their every move.
"Right," Niall mumbled, biting his lip. Zayn's eyes immediately moved to look and Niall felt himself blushing a little, which was absolutely ridiculous. He reached out and wrapped a hand around the back of Zayn's neck and resting the other on the boy's waist gently, carefully, unsure if he was allowed to touch.
Zayn tensed just the slightest but he relaxed seconds later and gave Niall a small smile to tell him he hadn't overstepped any boundaries. His skin was warm under Niall's palms and he could feel the spiky bristles of the short hair on the back of his neck.
Niall finally leaned in, figuring he should just treat Zayn like any other bird he'd taken out on a date. He knew the boy wouldn't push him away so he just went for it, moving forward and covering Zayn's lips with his own. For a moment it was just warm, soft lips under his and he thought it really was no different from kissing a girl. But then Zayn shifted and grabbed Niall's waist, pulling him close and returning the kiss and that thought went out the window.
It was so different, because instead of breasts pushing against his chest it was just a warm press of skin, firm instead of plush. And Zayn had stubble across his chin and jaw that scraped across Niall's own smooth skin and it left the lower half of his face feeling tingly and heated but he definitely didn't mind. It felt kind of nice, actually.
For a few moments they just kissed, pressed together from their hips upwards and losing themselves in it. It was pleasant, warm and comforting and just nice and Niall figured he wouldn't mind doing it again. But then Zayn hesitantly traced his tongue against Niall's lower lip and it wasn't pleasant and comforting anymore.
It was a little frantic after that, Niall opening up for Zayn's tongue and feeling it push against his own, slick and insistent. Normally he'd be leading the kiss, gently exploring the girl's mouth as he tried to subtly cop a feel, but this time he willingly gave that up to Zayn, letting him do the leading. He was the expert on kissing other boys after all. He could feel Zayn pulling him tighter against his body, one arm firmly around Niall's waist as his free hand roamed, sliding down Niall's side and one of his thighs before moving up again.
It felt weird in a way, because usually when he kissed girls for the first time, they weren't brave enough to feel him up like this. But Zayn didn't seem to have much of his reservations anymore, his hand definitely brushed against Niall's arse at least twice as they kissed. The strange thing was Niall didn't mind, he willingly let himself be pulled closer and didn't protest when Zayn touched him, feeling hot and drawn tight all at once. His grip on the back of Zayn's neck tightened and he let out a startled little noise when the boy's sharp teeth nipped at his lower lip, only to be soothed with a swipe of his tongue.
Eventually Zayn gave him one last lingering peck before pulling back slowly, looking at him with those damn eyes. Niall probably looked a shocked mess, panting with a burning chin from Zayn's stubble and feeling like his lips were swollen and wet. He blinked a couple of times and felt Zayn squeeze his waist and then he remembered where they were and he let go of him, taking a small step back.
"Uhm," he managed, licking his lower lip, and Zayn must have bitten him harder than he'd thought because he could feel tiny little indents with his tongue. Zayn's eyes tracked the movement before looking back up at him and Niall gave him a hesitant smile. It felt like the roles were reversed now, Zayn was the one with the relaxed body and warm smile while Niall was feeling awkward and nervous, unsure how to proceed.
"Sure you've never kissed a bloke?" Zayn asked, his mouth quirking up in a little satisfied smirk, as if he could tell how flustered Niall felt.
"I'm sure," Niall got out, feeling his cheeks heat. He couldn't help it, he'd just had one of the best kisses of his life and it'd been from both a boy and a stranger. It was weird and yet it wasn't at the same time. "Just, uhm. Easy to go along with it when you're doing all the work."
Zayn chuckled at that and looked over at Doniya and Jesy. Both of them were smirking as they watched and after a moment Jesy pressed a button and there was a beep and the red light on the camera faded away. "Okay, that's all we needed," she said, covering the camera lens with a cap and then stepping aside to let Liam pull it off the tripod and put it away.
"Thanks, Niall, that really helped," Doniya told him, giving him a warm smile. "Would you mind just answering a couple of follow up questions and then we'll let you go?"
Niall nodded, looking away from Zayn to look at Doniya. She was holding the little notebook from before with a pen and she led him away a few steps and sat down. Niall sat opposite her, stealing a glance over at Zayn who was helping Liam pack up and talking to Jesy.
"Okay, so, first of all, how was the kiss?" Doniya asked with a grin, pen poised to write down his answer.
"It was good," Niall answered honestly, giving her a smile. "Like, I didn't expect it to be much more than a little kiss, but it was definitely good."
Doniya nodded and wrote that down before looking back up at him. "And would you consider kissing another boy ever again, or are you content just to stick to girls?"
"Well," Niall laughed a little sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, if they kissed like that, I wouldn't mind it I guess."
Doniya gave him a knowing smirk and wrote his answer down. "Okay, was it better or worse than kissing a girl?" she asked.
Niall flushed a little and shifted uncomfortably, shrugging. "Uhm, better than most if I'm honest," he said, laughing a little awkwardly in embarrassment. He knew Louis would give him shit for this for at least a year.
Doniya snorted and wrote it down before shaking her head. "Okay, last question and then we'll set you free. Rate the kiss out of ten."
Niall fidgeted as he thought about it, wondering why he'd enjoyed the kiss so much more than the ones he'd had with girls. Maybe because he liked it when girls took control, which a lot of them were too sweet and hesitant to do. Zayn just completely took over the kiss without any warning and it'd been kind of hot. "Uhm, nine?" he said hesitantly.
Doniya laughed and nodded, writing the number down before closing the notebook and standing, holding out her hand. Niall took it and let her help him up, brushing the grass off his bum once he was standing. "Right then, thank you so much for this," she said brightly. "You're cool with us showing the video to our class?"
Niall nodded and followed her back to the group where Liam was just finishing putting away the camera and tripod. "You're welcome, and yeah I'm fine with it," he replied with a smile.
He looked at Zayn once they got close and the boy was looking right back at him, giving him a soft smile before he tugged a cigarette packet out of his pocket. "Zayn, not here," Doniya sighed.
Zayn rolled his eyes but pushed the packet back into his jeans before turning to head towards the bathrooms again. He stopped and looked at Niall over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows. "You coming?" he asked quietly.
Niall blinked in surprise and glanced at the others. Liam wasn't even paying attention, busy writing something down in Doniya's notebook, and Jesy was smirking as she pulled out some gum from her bag. Doniya rolled her eyes at them and waved at Niall so he slowly nodded and started following Zayn.
They went near the bathrooms and sat on the grass beside each other outside them a couple of feet away. Niall glanced up at the sky as Zayn pulled his smokes back out and held them out. "You want one?" he asked.
"Nah, don't smoke," Niall replied, giving him a smile.
"You mind, then?" Zayn asked, and Niall just shook his head.
Zayn nodded and put the end in his mouth, pulling out a lighter and lighting the other end before taking a deep drag. He let the smoke out slowly and it coiled out of his mouth and Niall couldn't help but think he looked hot as hell.
"So, what's your full name?" Zayn asked after a while, looking out at the rest of the park instead of at Niall.
"Niall Horan," he replied easily, feeling a little less awkward now. It was just a kiss that they'd done for his sister's experiment, it was fine. Just because it was his first kiss with another guy and easily the best he'd ever had didn't mean he had to act all weird. "You?"
"Zayn Malik," Zayn replied, glancing over to him and smiling a little. "You live around here?"
Niall nodded, pulling out little clumps of grass and ripping them up to give his hands something to do. "Yeah, maybe ten minutes walk away actually. My roommate was having sex with his boyfriend in the kitchen so I went for a walk so I didn't have to see or hear it."
Zayn laughed at that, smoke curling out of his mouth as he did. "Sucks for you, mate," he said with a grin. "My roommate is constantly hooking up with his boyfriend all over the place as well."
Niall grinned back at him and shook his head before looking up at the sky. "I'm sure Harry and Louis would love to know they're not the only ones pissing everyone off with their PDA."
Zayn turned to him, raising his eyebrows and tilting his head. "Harry and Louis?" he repeated. "As in, Louis Tomlinson?"
"Yeah, you know him?" Niall asked, blinking over at him.
Zayn snorted and rolled his eyes. "He's my roommate, looks like they're the only ones pissing people off then," he said with a chuckle.
Niall laughed softly, not quite able to believe that Zayn and Louis were roommates. That he would have a damn good reason to see him again, if he tagged along with Harry and Louis when they hung out at Louis' place. Harry had mentioned once or twice that Louis had a fit roommate but he hadn't payed much attention. Now he wished he had.
"Harry's my roommate," he said after a moment, rubbing a blade of grass between his fingertips. "Funny that."
Zayn hummed and nodded, taking another drag and letting the smoke out slowly. Niall wondered if he was doing it on purpose because it looked unfairly attractive. "Harry said something once, about having a roommate I'd like," he said idly. "You going to head back now?"
Niall shrugged, making a face at the prospect of returning to his and Harry's place only to find him and Louis still fucking on the counter. "Probably not," he said after a moment. "They always take ages. You gotta hand it to them, they've got stamina."
Zayn chuckled and nodded, finishing up his smoke before crushing the butt under his boot and then throwing it in the bin. "You can come back to mine, if you like. Doniya doesn't need me anymore and my place isn't that far."
Niall glanced up at him as Zayn stood up and the boy held out his hand. Niall slowly took it and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet, finding himself staring at Zayn's lips and wondering if he could kiss him again before forcing himself to look back up at the boy's eyes. "Are you sure? Don't want to be a pain."
"Its fine," Zayn replied with a smile, shoving his hands in his pockets and nodding towards the other side of the park. Niall followed him across the grass and waved back to Jesy who spotted them leaving. "You wouldn't be a pain. And I want to get to know you better."
Niall felt his cheeks heat up a little and he smiled, looking down at his feet as he walked. "Yeah, alright," he said after a moment, glancing over at Zayn and seeing the boy was wearing a small little smile as well.