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It's that moment where your dreams and reality mesh together, that not quite awake feeling, yet the real world is just out of reach.
The room is blindingly bright when Niall attempts to open his eyes, a sterile odor hitting him like a smack to the face that has him believing that this isn't real.
His limbs feel as if they are filled with pudding, a weightless pull holding him against the clouds underneath him.
He's just about to close his eyes and surrender to the bottomless free fall, when a movement from his left catches his eye.
At first, it's hard to make out exactly what he's looking at. A silhouette of what seems to be a person, no. An angel perhaps, illuminated by the bright lights.
Niall blinks his eyes once, twice, three times and the image gets a little bit clearer to show the epitome of The God of Beauty.
The figure is looking down at him with impossibly wide, hazel eyes that are probably the selling point for being a Greek God.
"Angel-" Niall frowns, realising that his throat is incredibly dry. He read somewhere once that it happens to mortals when they are blessed by the presense of an immortal god.
The figure retrieves him a glass of water from somewhere, probably thin air, he looks like he can control all of the elements in the world.
Niall takes a sip from the straw, keeping his eyes locked onto the beautiful boy where he is holding the cup steady, so as not to lose sight of him, he never wants to take his eyes off of him.
Once Niall feels considerably refreshed, he licks his lips and tries to keep his drooping eyes from closing.
"Are ya an angel?" He asks and the boy chuckles, a soft smile gracing his face and crinkly laugh lines at the corner of his eyes.
Niall just stares at him, doesn't understand what's so funny, but he looks so beautiful when he smiles, so Niall smiles too.
"No, m'not." The boy says. His voice would make Niall's knees weak, if he wasn't already laying down.
"Am I dead?" Niall asks, because that can be the only explanation as to why he is laying in a bed of clouds wrapped in satin and why there's is a god standing next to his bed.
"You're not dead, Ni." The boy says. Maybe he's immortal also. Probably has a snazy set of wings that he's going to check out once he finds the strength to move his limbs.
"What's your name?" Niall asks. His eyes are protesting heavily, wanting nothing more than to close and rest. Niall just wants to watch this grace of beauty for a lifetime and more.
"Zayn." The boy says. His name even sounds like it belongs to the best of the best God. A beautiful name for a beautiful face, that's how it goes, right? Athena, Zeus, Zayn. It fits.
"Zayn," Niall tests it out on his tongue. He feels unworthy of holding such a name in his mouth.
"You have amazing cheekbones, Zayn." Niall says, words slurring just slightly. Zayn does that crinkly eyed smile again, the one that is so bright but it doesn't blind Niall, just wraps him in a feeling like a fluffy blanket.
"What even are those eyelashes?" He says in awe. Niall's never really thought of himself as someone with a thing for eyelashes, but Zayn's are so long and thick, Niall just what's to stare into his eyes for days, years, millenniums.
"Niall, stop. I'm blushing." Zayn says sheepishly, ducking his head and rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.
"If you're not an angel," Niall begins, fluttering his eyes open every time they try to close. "Then what are you?"
His eyes close, and this time, they don't want to open, he can feel the edges of this dream blurring and the weight of his bones settle deeper in the bed.
"I'm your fiancé," Zayn says. Niall hums, imagines a life with Zayn, Greek God of Beauty, beautiful children running around and living immortal for all of eternity.
"Mm, my fiancé," Niall says with a smile. "God of Beauty."
And then he falls back into a deep slumber, Zayn and his ridiculous cheekbones at the front of his mind.
xxx
The second time Niall wakes up, his head feels impossibly light, like he's high above the clouds and he can't figure out how to make his eyelids work.
There's a scraping sound to his left, like feet crunching on gravel, but that can't be right. There are no roads in heaven, just pathways of clouds.
Once he opens his eyes and manages to keep them open, he flexes his fingers and feels a rough fabric, probably wool. It must be cold in heaven.
The scraping starts up again although slower and Niall let's his eyes roll to the left, where a figure is sitting in a chair, scraping a plastic spoon around a styrofoam cup.
Niall watches the way the boy's jaw works around the spoon, as he flips the plastic around and runs it along his tongue. His fingers are long, a ring on nearly each finger. He should be littered in jewels and riches, just like a god should.
The boy flicks his eyes up to meet Niall's, who can't seem to tear his eyes away from the perfection that is literally a foot away from him.
The boy smiles lightly, slowly sliding the plastic spoon out of his mouth and winks.
Niall trails his eyes over the boy's frame, can't seem to stay on one spot, since all of him is perfection.
"How're you feeling?" The boy asks, licking at the spoon and watching Niall, watching him.
"Is this a dream?" Niall asks. It feels like a dream. The boy hums and places the cup on the bed side table, uncrossing his leg from where it was resting on the opposite knee.
"No, this is not a dream." The boy informs. Niall would ask him to pinch his arm, but he doesn't want this beautiful boy to disappear.
"Are you my doctor?" Niall asks. He feels boneless, can't even feel his toes. The boy shakes his head, leaning forward onto his knees.
"I'm not your doctor, no." He says. He reaches over to wrap his fingers around Niall's wrist. Niall can't even feel his nose, but where the boy's fingers are touching his skin is burning like a fire inside of him.
"Remind me again who you are," Niall says, a little breathless because the boy's fingers are a gentle hold on his wrist.
"I'm Zayn," He says, slowly like he wants Niall to remember. Niall doesn't ever want to forget.
"I'm your fiancé." Zayn says. Niall tears his eyes away from where the boy has a beautiful gold band around his finger and stares wide eyed at the boy.
"I'm getting married to you?" He asks. This must be a dream. Things like this don't just happen.
Zayn taps at one of Niall's fingers and when he looks down, Niall sees that he has an identical ring to Zayn's.
"If that's okay with you, of course." Zayn says, ghost of a smile on his perfect face. Niall just stares at Zayn, mouth parted and eyes wide in astonishment.
"Jesus," Niall breathes out. "I'm getting married to the most beautiful person." He says, eyes never leaving Zayn's.
Zayn blushes, tongue pressed against his teeth and Niall just wants to suck his face off.
"Did I break a wing?" Niall asks and when Zayn frowns in confusion, Niall rolls his eyes around the room, since his limbs still feel boneless.
"S'that why I'm in here? Are they fixing me wings?" He asks. Zayn stares at him for a moment and then he seems to snap out of whatever thought he was in, lips quirking in a smile.
"Yes, love." Zayn says, fond lacing his words. "You're getting a new pair, a special pair."
Niall lights up at that, imagines how wicked his wings look now.
"Are they in the shape of the Batman symbol?" He asks, itching to jump out of bed and check them out.
Zayn shakes his head, face turning serious. Niall can still see the light in his eyes, so he takes that as a good sign.
"No, these are invisible." Zayn says and Niall's face falls. How good is it to have wings if you can't even see them?
Zayn taps his wrist and Niall tries not to pout. "They're only visible to the people who you want to see them." He explains and Niall thinks about that for a second.
His eyes feel heavy, like they haven't closed in years. Niall slumps back further into the pillows and looks at Zayn through half lidded eyes.
"Zayn," He says, hoping his voice isn't as thick as it feels. Zayn smiles at him, humming some form of acknowledgement and rubbing his thumb along the gold band on Niall's finger.
"Can you see my wings?" Niall asks. Zayn full on grins, perfect teeth glinting against the sun streaming in through the window and his eyes crinkle at the corners.
"Yes love, always." He says. Niall locks eyes with him, the two of them just looking at each other, and then Niall nods and hides his smile in the pillow.
Zayn taps his thumb against his pulse point and leans back in the chair, never looking away from Niall.
"Your family is here," Zayn says. Niall smiles softly, wondering how much his mum loves Zayn.
"I'm gonna go tell them you're awake," Zayn says. Niall nods and Zayn stands up from the chair. He smiles at Niall and leans down, brushing the hair out of Niall's face. Zayn places a gentle kiss to Niall's forehead before leaving the room.
Niall blushes and hides it in the pillow.
When Zayn come back in the room, Niall's mum, dad and brother follow in after him.
"Hey baby," Maura says softly, tears brimming her eyes. Niall smiles, a little drowsy and he feels comfortably sated that all he can do is close his eyes and lean into the kiss his mum places to his cheek.
Bobby and Greg ruffle his hair as they walk by, opting to take a seat on the couch along the wall.
Zayn takes his seat next to Niall's bed, watching Maura with a pleasant smile.
"How does your knee feel?" She asks and Niall frowns, before he realizes that knee surgery is probably his cover up for Wing surgery. But, he doesn't want to tell her that he got a new set of wings that only Zayn can see.
"Feels great, everything feels like cotton candy." He says, because he does feel all fluffy and cottony and wonderful. Zayn breathes out a laugh and Niall throws a lazy wink in his direction, causing Zayn to smile brighter.
"Hey mum, have you met my Zayn?" Niall says, and he tries to reach his hand out for Zayn, but his arm is about a thousand pounds and just lays helplessly next to him. Zayn seems to get the idea and reaches over to tangle their fingers together.
"Yes dear, I've met Zayn." Maura says, smiling so wide, her eyes are nearly closed.
"My fiancé has amazing cheekbones," Niall gushes and Zayn smiles at him, but his eyes are wide and he purses his lips together like he doesn't know if he wants to laugh or scream.
"Fiancé?" Niall hears Maura say. She sounds surprised, but Niall can hear the excitement in her voice.
"We were going to tell you after the surgery," Zayn mumbles, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck.
Maura gives him a pointed look, though there's no heat behind it and mouths a short 'later'.
"Hey Greg," Niall speaks up, craning his neck to look over at where his brother is slouched on the couch.
Niall squeezes Zayn's hand, weakly but Zayn smiles nonetheless.
"Remember when you took Ms. Kay from me when we were little?" Niall says. Greg flushes but smiles as if reliving great memories.
Niall looks back over at Zayn, smiling in a fond manner. Zayn's eyes soften and he brings Niall's hand up to his mouth and kisses his ring.
"All is forgiven." Niall says, fluttering his eyes as they attempt to close.
"The babysitter?" Niall hears Maura ask, scandalized, though Niall's eyes are closing and the last image he has before he drifts off to sleep is Zayn and his perfect cheekbones.
xxx
When Niall wakes, there's a dull throb in his knee and his stomach is growling in protest at the empty feeling.
"Got you a burger and fries," The most beautiful voice that always has a hold on Niall's heart says from his left.
"Hey Z," Niall sighs with a smile. It's so wonderful hearing his loves voice after going through knee surgery. Makes it all worth it.
"How are you feeling?" Zayn asks. Niall hums, feeling the last traces of a wonderful dream slipping away. It was something to do with Zayn, he knows this.
"M'okay," He says. "I didn't say anything crazy while I was drugged, did I?" Niall asks, even though he feels as if he did.
Zayn tries to hide his smile, catching his tongue between his teeth and Niall flushes, can't even imagine what he said while under sedation.
Zayn pulls his phone out of his pocket and thumbs at the screen.
"Don't worry," Zayn says in a teasing tone. "I have it all recorded."