Chapter Text
Epilogue: One Year Later
“One Year Later: Still asking questions about Titanic tragedy- What went wrong?”
Zayn reads the headline and frowns, setting down the newspaper in front of him. It's far too early in the morning to dredge up the memories of what occurred exactly a year ago today. Memories that he’d been trying very hard to forget. He instead uses the paper to mop up the tiny puddle of coffee he’d spilled on the kitchen table. He finishes the last couple bites of his toast and eggs and scratches at the scruff on his jaw.
He tries to ignore the onslaught of recollections conjured up by the headline but isn’t able to. The numbers are overwhelming: an estimated 1,500 people had died in the disaster, 703 of those being passengers. Only seven people, including Liam and himself, had been successfully rescued from the water afterwards and for that Zayn feels guilty every day. He remembers the day that he’d skimmed through the names of the known survivors printed in the newspaper. He can’t forget how his heart had sunk when he didn’t find Louis or Niall’s names on that list.
When they first arrived in America, it had been impossible to go a single day without hearing about Titanic . The still to this day unanswered questions seemed to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind for months afterwards. Why did the ship continue on despite the iceberg warnings? Was there a flaw in the design of the ship that if caught, could have prevented it from sinking? Why out of over 2,200 passengers aboard, only around 700 people had survived? Zayn had tried to avoid hearing about it as much as possible but now it seems that the one year anniversary will reopen all those old wounds.
To Zayn, Titanic is mostly synonymous with the screaming, the panic, the hopelessness and the bitter cold. The name stirs up dark thoughts about things like coming to terms with almost dying, all the people that lost their lives and Louis’ apparent death in particular. He also still has nightmares of freezing to death, floating all alone in the ocean, unable to feel any of his limbs.
But he always wakes up safe and warm with Liam right there beside him to hold him and calm him down. And in return, when Liam has night terrors of his own, Zayn is there to comfort him. In fact, just seeing Liam everyday serves as a reminder to Zayn that not all his memories associated with Titanic are bad ones.
Zayn can still hear the cheers erupting from the passengers on deck of Carpathia the first time that the Statue of Liberty had come into view. He remembers watching the pale green figure grow larger on the horizon as they’d neared the shore. The night they’d arrived at Pier 34 in New York, it had been dark and rainy as they’d been led off the ship and onto American soil at last.
After they’d been checked in, several motels in the area had graciously allowed Titanic survivors who had lost everything to stay a couple nights free of charge. Then, Liam had been able to sell Sophia’s engagement ring that he had kept in his coat pocket, to get them enough money to take a train to Hartford, Connecticut.
Once there, Liam sold his watch and a gold ring and they had been able to afford a tiny one-bedroom apartment. Zayn had luckily been able to find a job as a substitute art teacher at the local elementary school that didn’t require a degree. Liam had worked at a local convenience store during the day and soon thereafter started training to become a police officer.
The first couple of months in Hartford had been hard for them both. They barely saw each other during the day due to their busy work schedules and were usually too tired when they came home to spend much time together. But all their hard work paid off once they’d saved enough money to move out of the cramped apartment in the city and into a small house in more rural part of New Haven. It was around that time that Zayn started taking college courses to get a degree in education because he loved teaching art so much.
Zayn now attends school full time and is in his second year of the Education program, after making the decision to quit the substitute job. Liam loves his job as a police officer and Zayn appreciates his steady paycheck and how attractive he is in his uniform.
This morning, Liam is still on his morning jog with Houdini, their dog. Zayn had discovered the puppy one night when he went out for a smoke in the alley behind the bar he worked at in New Haven. The pup had gotten his name when he somehow managed to escape his kennel the very next morning after Zayn brought him home.
Today is Liam’s day off and yet he still had been awake at six this morning to go on his daily run. Zayn would still be asleep if it weren’t for his eight o’clock class. He checks his mug to find it empty; he's apparently so exhausted that he didn’t remember drinking all his coffee. He gets up to pour himself a second cup when he hears Liam come in their front door, talking to Houdini.
“Who’s the best running buddy, who is? That’s you boy, that’s you!” Liam coos and Zayn is forced to smile at the silly voice that his boyfriend puts on for their dog.
“Go get, Zayn, yeah, go get ‘im, wake him up!” Liam encourages the dog and Houdini comes bounding around the corner into the kitchen and right over to Zayn.
“Hi boy,” he greets. “Did you have a good run with Liam?” he asks, kneeling to pet the dog’s fluffy black coat. They aren’t sure exactly what breed Houdini is but they think he's likely a mix of several. Possibly a Border Collie due to his high energy level and a Newfoundland because of his coloring and large size.
“You’re awake!” Liam feigns shock as he enters the kitchen and Zayn rolls his eyes.
“Morning class. It's Monday,” Zayn grumbles as Liam crosses the kitchen to get himself a glass of water.
“Yeah but I didn’t think you’d actually be up this early. Thought you’d sleep in ‘til the last minute like usual,” Liam smirks. Zayn shrugs and sips his coffee, admiring the way Liam’s damp shirt clings to the muscles of his chest and stomach.
“I’m gonna hop in the shower,” Liam announces, patting the center of Zayn’s chest affectionately as strides past Zayn, leaving the sharp smell of sweat in his wake. Zayn watches the easy sway of Liam’s hips as he walks and really that's all it takes for Zayn to follow him to their bedroom.
The water for the shower is already running and Zayn is just in time to see Liam pulling his sweat soaked shirt over his head. Next off are his jogging shorts, socks and underpants.
“Wait,” Zayn says from the doorway as Liam is heading into the bathroom. Liam turns to face him, stark naked and with an amused quizzical look on his face.
“But you’ve got class soon,” Liam points out as Zayn crosses the room until he can place his hands on Liam’s waist.
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have been teasing me,” Zayn counters, pressing his fingers against the stubble on Liam’s cheek.
“I wasn’t teasing you, I was just walking. We’ve talked about this, babe-“ Liam protests before Zayn cuts him off. He covers Liam’s plush lips with his own and licks past the seam of Liam’s mouth until Liam’s tongue brushes his.
Zayn pulls back briefly to pull off his jumper so he's just in his pants. He presses himself even closer to Liam’s chest, gently pushing Liam backwards until he hits the edge of their bed and collapses, pulling Zayn down on top of him.
Zayn gets to his knees on the mattress, straddling Liam’s waist and putting his hands on either side of Liam’s head to hold himself up.
Zayn places several kisses to Liam’s parted lips and then proceeds to mouth along Liam’s jaw and under his chin, teasing Liam’s skin between his teeth. His ministrations are rewarded by a low groan from Liam, who is rubbing his hands over the small of Zayn’s back. Liam’s fingers dip below the waistband of Zayn’s pants and ghost over his crack. He then takes each of Zayn’s ass cheeks in his hands, squeezing and gently spreading them apart. Zayn hisses as he rolls his hips up against Liam’s lower belly, feeling his clothed cock brush Liam’s, which is already curved up onto his stomach.
“D’you wanna ride me, babe?” Liam growls, still palming Zayn’s ass, fingers teasing the sensitive skin still covered by Zayn’s pants. Zayn hums as he sucks on a spot above Liam’s collarbone, savoring the feeling of Liam’s solid heat under him and teasing the fabric of his pants. He considers letting Liam prep him with wet, gentle motions, fucking his thick fingers in and out of Zayn’s open hole and then thrusting up into him, filling him up.
His thoughts then wander to images of Liam’s curved back, facedown with his needy ass in the air, keening and rutting into the sheets. Since their first time together, Zayn is never tired of hearing and watching Liam fall apart. They’d spent the better part of the past year exploring each other’s bodies, finding new ways satisfy one another.
“Mmm- no… wan’ you on y’r hands and knees, Li,” Zayn mumbles into Liam’s skin. Liam’s teeth sink into his plush lower lip and his eyes close.
“Fuck, Z-“ he moans, gripping Zayn’s ass tighter.
“C’mon then, roll over,” Zayn coaxes, climbing off of Liam’s lap. Liam flips over and brings himself up onto all fours. Zayn situates himself behind Liam, taking in the view of Liam’s arched back; pinched dimples at the base of his spine, the sinful curve of each of Liam’s muscled ass cheeks, supported by strong thighs, dusted with light brown hair.
Zayn places both his hands on the firm swell of Liam’s ass and slowly spreads him apart. Liam ducks his head, face pressed into the sheets, muffling his groan. Zayn traces his fingers over Liam’s puckered hole; the ring of muscle tightens under his fingertips. Zayn wants to take his time slowly working Liam up. He wants to make Liam beg for Zayn to touch him; to see just how tightly wound he can make Liam before ruining him.
“Zayn… please?” Liam gasps, arching his back impossibly more, pushing his ass up, trying to get Zayn’s fingers to enter him. Zayn smirks in spite of himself, and trails his fingers down the cleft of Liam’s spread cheeks, caressing the soft tufts of hair surrounding his hole.
The only sound in the room is the echoing water from the shower as it rains down on the tiles. An unfortunate waste of water, Zayn thinks.
His fingertips ghost over Liam’s perineum, behind his heavy balls, feeling the over-warm, soft skin. Liam’s thighs shake and threaten to close as his muscles contract under Zayn’s feather-light touch. He knows Liam’s cock must be leaking by now and he's probably getting pretty close to going mad with anticipation of what Zayn will do next.
"Babe... please, I need you touch me," Liam says, the words muffled by how his face is pressed into the bed. Zayn considers his plea for another long moment.
Liam gasps a sharp intake of breath as Zayn then brings his fingers back to press against Liam’s hole. Zayn brings his lips within centimeters of Liam’s entrance and Zayn knows Liam can feel his breath from Liam’s shiver and the moan he lets out.
"Stop teasing, Z, touch me please," Liam says.
“D’you want me to?” Zayn asks quietly.
“Please! Zayn, I- yes, please,” Liam shouts, still talking into the bedsheets.
“So polite,” Zayn mutters slowly, breath playing over Liam’s skin. Zayn sucks his own index finger into his mouth. and then presses the slick digit right against Liam’s flushed hole until the tight ring gives enough for Zayn to slide his finger in.
“There you go, c'mon, relax for me, babe,” Zayn praises, relishing the feeling of Liam clenching around his finger. Puckering his lips, Zayn let a string of saliva drip onto a spot above where his finger is now disappearing inside Liam, using it as lubrication.
Once Liam has relaxed enough to make the slide of Zayn’s finger easy and smooth, Zayn withdraws it. Liam whimpers in frustration at the loss but Zayn quickly replaces his finger with his lips.
Liam cries out and thrashes under Zayn’s hands that are now holding Liam’s hips in place, as Zayn darts his tongue over Liam’s hole, feeling the muscles go pliant under his tongue. His tongue curls as he licks fast upward strokes, his saliva more thoroughly wetting Liam’s hole. Zayn points the tip of his tongue, pressing it just inside Liam’s rim. Liam’s taste is a tangy mixture of sweat and musky skin. Every loud whimper and moan that Liam is trying to muffle by burying his face in the sheets goes straight to Zayn’s straining cock.
"Please... Zayn," Liam cries. "Feels so good, love."
Zayn adds his finger back to tease at Liam’s hole alongside his lapping tongue. Zayn pulls back and licks Liam’s taste off his lips, watching his index and middle fingers pushing into Liam’s puffy rim. Liam is now wet enough that Zayn can easily slide both fingers into him without much resistance.
“Think I want you to ride me actually, babe,” Zayn comments, now scissoring his fingers inside Liam’s tight, wet heat. He's picturing Liam sinking down onto his cock until Liam’s thighs are flush with Zayn’s stomach.
“Fuck…” Liam pants in between moans, “Yeah, wanna ride your cock…”
Zayn continues to work Liam open, occasionally adding more saliva when the drag of his fingers didn’t seem slick enough. Liam cries out at the stretch when Zayn adds a third finger.
“Fuck, Li,” Zayn soothes. “You’re so beautiful.” Liam is rolling hips in the air with the rhythm of Zayn’s fingers opening him. Zayn ruts against Liam's thigh, craving friction, thinking about how warm and slick Liam is inside.
Zayn withdraws his fingers, confident that Liam is ready. He pulls down his own pants and his cock finally bobs free, leaking and painfully hard. Zayn twists and settled himself on his back, stroking his aching dick to relive some of the strain.
“C’mere babe,” he holds out his arms to help Liam sit up so he can straddle Zayn’s hips. Liam’s face is flushed a beautiful shade of pink and his bottom lip is once again caught between his teeth.
“Oh shit, Zayn,” Liam whines when his asshole briefly makes contact with Zayn’s cock as he positions himself rather shakily, pressing his hands to Zayn’s chest.
“Can you hold y’rself up?” Zayn asks. Liam nods, eyes shut and face contorted with concentration as Zayn positions himself and feels the tip of his dick touches Liam’s damp entrance. They both moan at the contact; Liam’s eyes fly open and roll back in his head.
“Yeah, just like that, Li,” Zayn groans, breathless as Liam slowly lowers himself and Zayn’s cock pushes past Liam’s rim. As he bottoms out, Liam curses and moans as the underside of his muscular thighs settle on Zayn’s hips. Zayn places a hand on Liam's hip.
Zayn pulls Liam's face down to his with his other hand, cupping the back of his head, nails scratching at Liam's hairline. Liam kisses him back hungrily as Zayn starts to move his hips. Liam grinds down and moans against Zayn's mouth.
“Oh, fuck, Liam, fuck… you’re so tight… always so tight,” Zayn pants, gazing up at Liam, kissing him again. Liam’s heat surrounds Zayn’s cock and Zayn savors the slick glide as Liam rolls his hips forward, bracing himself on Zayn’s chest.
Zayn thrusts up to bury himself in Liam once again, going slow, loving the sounds spilling from Liam’s parted lips. Together they create a lazy rhythm, Liam grinds down as Zayn bucks his hips upwards, hands holding Liam’s hips to help him move up and down. Liam’s own cock slides in the small amount of precome pooling on Zayn’s belly, each time they rock together.
“Oh shit, babe, you feel so good…” Liam pants, bouncing faster on Zayn’s cock. Zayn feels the familiar burning, tightening in the pit of his stomach and quickens his pace as well, craving more friction. He adjusts the angle and knows that he's found Liam’s prostate when Liam’s whole body tenses and he cries out. Zayn drives into him again, keeping the angle and cursing when Liam clenches around him again.
Liam takes his own cock in his fist, as Zayn holds him tight, fingers digging into skin and pistons his hips, slamming into Liam over and over. Liam groans and pants, his pink mouth forming an O , legs trembling and chest glistening with perspiration. Zayn continues pounding up into Liam, the sound of their skin slapping almost drowning out the noise of the shower still running from the bathroom.
“ Zayn…” Liam moans, hand still working over his cock, precome blurting over his fingers as Zayn hits the sweet spot inside him repetitively.
Liam leans down to kiss Zayn again, and it's all tongues and teeth scraping.
“C’mon, love, come for me,” Zayn breaks the kiss and growls, his words seem to tip Liam right over the edge. He lets out a beautiful choked off cry before collapsing forward to drape himself over Zayn’s chest. Liam ruts weakly against Zayn’s stomach, moaning, cock slipping between them, spurting come.
Zayn himself is just about there, and the feeling of Liam’s hole flutter and clench around his cock, stokes the fire unfurling as the first wave of his orgasm overtakes him. Zayn releases inside Liam, gripping Liam’s hips, fingers digging into his skin, writhing under Liam’s warm weight. His lips move over Liam’s hair, hands releasing Liam’s hips to search for his head. Zayn tilts Liam’s face up to meet his own, lips searching for Liam’s as his eyes are still squeezed shut.
Liam’s tongue meet his and Zayn licks into his mouth fiercely, arms winding around Liam’s neck, pulling him down as he deepens the kiss. They are still connected as Liam rocks gently against him, both still riding out the waves of pleasure.
Liam pulls back to gasp, “I love you, I love you so much, Zayn,” mouthing along Zayn’s jaw.
“ Leeyum, I love you,” Zayn whispers, dragging out his words, trying to catch his breath.
He lies gasping under Liam, until he eventually can breathe normally and his heart no longer feels like it's trying to escape his ribcage. He feels Liam’s racing heartbeat slow as well where their chests are flush together. Liam has tucked his face in the space between Zayn’s neck and shoulder, his warm breath tickling Zayn’s sweaty skin.
Zayn shifts them gently and his cock slips out of Liam. He's aware of the warm sticky mess of come and sweat between them. And he's definitely going to be late for his class.
“We need a shower,” Zayn suggests. Liam hums in reply and picks his head up to look at Zayn.
“The water’s been running this whole time. There’s probably no hot water left,” he says sadly.
“Well if we have to take a cold shower, it was worth it,” Zayn says and they both laugh, blissfully happy and safe in each other’s embrace.