glued on tight.

Liam could feel the tremours begin to run through his body, and he suddenly felt too confined, as though he needed to run as fast and as far as he could, his teeth nearly clattering with the full-body shakes he was experiencing. In his mind, somewhere in the far recesses of the rational part that wasn't currently controlling him, he knew that it was his 'fight or flight' instincts kicking in, the self-preservation instinct all humans were instilled with. Liam breathed deeply for a few short seconds, pulling air into his seemingly too small lungs as he let the hands on his knee and shoulder ground him, help him pull back from his baser instincts. Zayn was in his house, was once more in the same room as him, and the ambivalence of emotions that he felt over the whole situation finally made him break from the small panic attack he had been experiencing. He looked up, watching as Harry walked back into the room, a slighter figures just visible behind him, but Liam would have recognised the hand tattoo from a mile off. Zayn looked just as wrecked and unbalanced as he was, and he had to hold back the immediate want to go and comfort the other, not knowing if he would be well received, or even really acknowledged, by him. Liam knew that this whole situation was because of his moment of rashness, that he was the reason they were all now in this situation, and he wouldn't blame anyone for placing the blame solely on him.

Zayn wanted to grasp for Harry's hand when the man walked further into the room without him. His manager was beside him, coaxing him further into the room. It felt like years before he actually looked up and took in his surroundings, seeing the people he left months ago all together once again and staring back at him. Harry and Niall seemed to be the easiest option to be around at that moment, sitting next to each other with just enough room for him to slide in by. He graciously hurried to sit by them, Harry's arm wrapping around his shoulder, holding him close and securely. Zayn melted into the touch, still feeling slightly on edge after everything that's happened. Niall looked over at him, grinning wide, "Pizza is on it's way, I already ordered it. Someone's getting it right now." Zayn only grinned in reply, nodding at Niall's simplicity and appreciating it at this hectic time for all of them. He didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't Louis' glaring slightly at him from behind Niall's head. He quickly looked down, knowing that all of them wouldn't be happy with his return. He leaned back against the couch, still accepting Harry's form of comfort to him. The PR team looked at them all before clearing their throats. "I am assuming you all know what this is about," the man said, Zayn not remembering his name, before he continued, "we've decided that this is a great thing for all five of you." This wasn't what Zayn expected to hear, shifting nervously as he felt Niall place a comforting hand on his knee, telling him that it was going to be okay.

Liam wanted to reach over and offer whatever comfort he could provide, wanted to check for himself if Zayn was okay, how he was taking everything that had managed to happen in the last eighteen hours. He settled for leaning further back and watching the left side of his face, the tense cords and muscles bunched up in the sides of his neck as he settled himself against Harry. Liam had realised the moment all their representatives had shown up at his house that they would spin it one way or another, with one of them looking like the bad guy or lovers unable to tell the world because of their celebrity status. When they went into further detail, about scheduled interviews and appearances that they would now be doing as a couple, how they would need to be seen together, Liam wasn't all that surprised. He could see the shock on Zayn's face even from his position, could see that he'd not expected them to want the both of them to play along, to act these parts, and so he spoke up, cutting off a member of their PR agency. "Wait, hold up for a second, what if this isn't what we want to do? I mean, you've asked for none of our opinions, and this is going to effect every one of us," he said, crossing his legs and placing his elbows on his knees, leaning forwards into them to be seen easier.

Zayn was grateful for Liam's interjection, talking about the concerns that were fluttering around his mind. They couldn't just ignore the fact that they were both just in relationships, could they? They couldn't just pretend like Perrie and Sophia weren't theirs less than twenty four hours ago. It was idiotic to assume that people wouldn't ask questions about it, questions that Zayn didn't know if he could simply ignore. Perrie was his for years. Suddenly he was reminded that Liam was his for years as well, not the same as Perrie but it was more welcomed. Liam was always there for him and he could see from the occasional movements that the man made that he wanted to pull Zayn close to him. It made the sting from last night that much worse. Liam bid him off, only to find that the man didn't want him gone at all. "We can do it," Zayn broke out, looking up at the PR team in front of them, trying to bury every emotion that was close to coming out. Harry squeezed his shoulder even tighter, a soft smile on his lips as Niall took to shifting, eyes looking over at Liam for confirmation. Louis just gawked at the lot of them, not believing a word that was being spoken around him.

Liam looked over suddenly, leaning his body even further forward to better see Zayn's face, searching for something in the hard lines and pale skin. He stayed like that for a minute or so, cataloging every trace emotion he could see flickering over the other's face, still trying to process this whole idea. Liam was just about to answer, about to agree to this, because he couldn't think of any other way that their teams could spin this situation so that they both could come out of this clean, when Louis jumped to his feet. "You're kidding me, he just walked away, said nothing to us, gave us no warning, and we're just going to accept him back? Just like that?" Louis asked, his eyes jumping from each other the other members before settling on Zayn, and the muscles in his throat clenched and strained. Liam reached out for him, pulling him back onto the couch and patting his knee in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. "No, we're not just accepting him, I'm sure there will be plenty of things we need to hash out. But, for the time being, this is the best we can do, so that neither of us come out of this looking any worse than we already do," Liam said, giving Louis a pained smile before turning to look at Niall, Zayn and Harry sitting a little ways behind him. "Are you sure about this? We can pin the whole kiss on me, seeing as I was the one who pulled you closer, as evidenced by the photo."

Zayn could hardly look at Louis' eyes, knowing how Louis was probably one of the more affected by him leaving. They were best friends, together through everything and maybe if Liam and Zayn were ever a thing, he'd be the first to know. He knew that times were different now, and he knew that Louis was one to hold a grudge more than anyone else. "Liam's right," he broke out, finally meeting Louis' eyes as he tried to give off a smile, "I don't expect to be accepted right away from you guys. I know what I did and I know that we could have settled this better, but we can't let this destroy Liam's career," he said, looking at Liam's face for the first time since he had managed to get there. He offered him a small smile, trying to not seem as off as he truly was. His eyes met Louis' again and he sighed in defeat as he was met with a fierce stare. "I am sorry, Lou, I really am," he mumbled. Louis huffed, taking to look at his lap instead of talk more. He paused for a few minutes before he looked back at Liam once again, looking at the eyes that made him feel too much. "I am sure, Li, I will do this for the both of us. If that's okay with you, that is," he mumbled.

Liam nodded, reaching over to squeeze Zayn's knee for a moment before extracting his hand and sitting back into the cushions of the couch, waving his hand for the professionals to go on and dictate their lives. He listened as they talked, as interview after interview was scheduled, magazines, talk shows and radio channels were detailed out to them, how they were supposed to act while in public. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the various events that they would now be attending together, especially the one's specifically geared towards Zayn's likes. Liam listened as the various dates and times were listed out, making sure they were all correctly placed into his phone before he finally stood to shake everyone's hand, leading them all to the door. He held it open, watching as they battled their way through the tight press of people before softly closing the door behind the last of them, not even acknowledging the shouting paparazzi. He pressed his forehead against the door, sighing softly to himself as he tried to get his head to wrap around everything that has transpired in the last few hours before finally turning back and walking into the living area once more. "So, that happened," he said, looking around at the various people still sitting in his house, his bandmates and Zayn, not allowing his eyes to linger on any one person.

Zayn almost couldn't believe how easily everything slipped into place, how easy it seemed to just roll on with their lives even though everything was different. He tried to listen, but he couldn't help feeling the warmth of Liam's touch even after his hand left Zayn's knee. Hardly paying attention and simply nodding along to everything the men in front of them were saying, he stole looks at Liam. He was shocked that even after they tried to break apart, they were forced together once more. He could only feel thankful once everyone left, happy that he didn't have to worry about them questioning him or explaining which thing would happen. He wasn't necessarily disappointed that there were some events that he was actually excited for, even if he had to go with Liam. Niall was only satisfied when the pizza finally came, towing it in and setting it on the coffee table in front of the couch the other four were sat on. "Yeah, it did," Zayn said back, looking at Liam as he tried on a smile. Louis didn't seem as comfortable about this as the other two, but Zayn knew that somehow it was going to all work out. He got up, moving towards Liam once again. "Can I hug you?" He asked, slightly nervous as if he believed that Liam would reject him and tell him to burn. They didn't have to act the way they would in public while they were in private. This was all just a show for the people outside of management and the band. Zayn had to remind himself of that, keeping his own emotions inside a tiny box in the back of his mind. This couldn't dictate him, this wasn't going to actually happen.

oops.

Liam smiled as he watched Niall settle back on the couch with three slices of pizza in hand, the other two joking around about his love for food before he finally rested his eyes on Zayn. When asked, he hesitated for a moment, wanting to be close to Zayn more than anything at that moment, but unsure of how much worse this will all be when he must allow the other to walk out of his life once more. Because Liam knows, better than anything, that this is the inevitable end, that no matter how much he may care, they could never truly make this farce into the real thing. But, he could see his face, the slight trembles that were shaking his hands and he knew that Zayn needed at least that, he owed him whatever he could give after this upheaval he has caused to the other's life. Liam strode forward, nodding his head for a moment before wrapping his arms tight around him, one hand splayed against the small of his back to pull him closer as the other rubbed soothing circles into his upper back. "I'm so sorry this has happened," he whispered quietly, angling his head towards Zayn's own, lips set close to his ear as he apologised. Liam held him for a few moments, relishing in the feel of him close once more before the catcalls began around the room, causing them to pull apart quickly. Liam flipped them off before grabbing a slice of pizza and resuming his position on the couch once more.

Zayn felt himself nuzzle into Liam's chest, arms wrapping tightly around the man's own middle. He felt himself loosing to his emotions, face pressing against the other's own as Liam's breath was against his ear. "It's fine, I mean, I could have been stuck doing this with Louis. I'll take my blessings," Zayn murmured with an amused smile on his face. When the catcalls came, he laughed as if he was amused, though he felt a little sting when Liam pulled away so suddenly. He went back to sit between Harry and Niall, Harry offering Zayn a slice he only took a few bites of. He smiled, knowing that Harry would probably prefer eating carrot sticks instead of something so greasy. He took a few bites before he felt a glob of cheese hit his face. He looked over to where it came from, only to see Louis smirking at him. "You little," he started before he threw his own bit of cheese, ending up catching Niall in the cross fire. Niall furrowed his eyes as he then decided to throw a pepperoni at each other their faces as a way to call it fair. He actually ended up starting a small food fight between the three, Harry deciding to move from the couch to the chair that was tucked into the corner of the living room, deciding to remain a neutral spectator to the events happening, though his face was brought up into a grin of amusement. The other three lads who were taking part of the food fight were laughing loudly as they tried hard to avoid Liam who had managed to sit in the centre.

Liam sat and watched the food fight, slowly chewing on the bite in his mouth and chuckling softly when Loki ran around to eat the scattered food that now lay strewn about on the floor. He leaned forwards slightly and was about to break off a piece to give to Loki himself, seeing as the dog had already gobbled up all the rest, when he felt something smack him on the cheek. Liam watched as it fell and landed on the floor, the dog quickly moving to scoop it up and he turned towards Louis, the only one in the direction the piece had come from before pouncing. He straddled Louis, trying to shove his own piece of pizza in his face unsuccessfully as he blocked his face, but Liam ended up falling over onto the couch laughing when he finally got a good look at Louis. The large chunks of sauce and greasy cheese were smashed into his hair and around his face where his hands couldn't protect, and the more Liam looked the more he laughed. "You, mate, you look a right state," he said in-between the loud laughs that echoed around his house, and he couldn't help the slightly hysterical edge to it, deciding to pay it no mind. He calm himself a few moments later, pulling himself up right to move to the kitchen to find some napkins, though the occasional chuckle still slipped out. Liam choose to ignore the situation, how not only his but also Zayn's career was hanging the the precarious clutches of the various tabloids and new agencies everywhere, and decided that for now, with everyone back where they needed to be, he could just relax and enjoy it.

Zayn held an amused smile as he laughed along with the lads that he has honestly considered his best mates for the past five years. He was suddenly attacked by Louis with a pizza, the older straddling his lap with a maniacal laugh. Zayn knew that with time, they'd be back to normal.

---

It had been a few months of radio silence on his part when it came to interviews, much rather preferring to be spending time recording without the public's eyes on him. He ran a hand over his face, groaning as he looked over at Liam pathetically. "What is our story again?" He asked, knowing it by heart regardless but he still needed to be reminded of it so that he could feel as prepared as he could. This was their first appearance as a fake couple and the PR team had managed to convince Perrie's management to keep her quiet on the affair and say she was a beard the entire time. Zayn smirked at that memory, wishing he could have seen her face as they told her to submit to silence.

Liam shook his head, knowing for a fact that they had sat through more than their fair share of meetings discussing just this. Zayn was nervous, he could see it in the way he was constantly moving, constantly trying to tidy things up around him to distract his body while his mind pondered the same thing continuously. "We have been together for years, we didn't know how to tell the world, it wasn't the right time, we didn't know how our families would react, yada yada. I'm sure you've got this remembered backwards, forwards and diagonal by now," Liam said, smiling over at Zayn before reaching for his hand. The grueling sessions they had gone through, to where it was all but stitched into their memories as though this was the true and honest story, had to be enough. He could feel his stomach tighten and threaten to spill over as he went over it once more, afraid that he may forget an important detail or that his information wouldn't match up with Zayn's. Though, he couldn't be too perfect, because the team had decided to make Liam the forgetful one, so he had to remember to get some dates wrong. It was a jumbled up mess in his head, and he couldn't help but squeezing tightly to the one thing that didn't seem to spin as the world swirled around him.

Zayn laughed humourlessly as he looked at Liam. "They've really tried hard to make this believable, but it still sounds like bullshit to me, you know," he said, accepting the hand that was reaching for him, moving closer to the man. He was his rock throughout all of this, the person who made him remember why he even agreed to do this. Zayn's own stupidity and thoughtlessness shouldn't have resulted in Liam loosing his career or respect in the media or publicly. He remained where he was for a few moments, slightly pressed into Liam's space because for the last few weeks, Liam meant comfort. He stayed there even as the interviewer barreled into the room, apologising profusely for being late. Zayn hardly registered the time as he looked over at Liam, giving him a calming smile. "Yeah, it's no worries, mate. Stuff happens," he said, going to take his seat on the couch that he already knew Liam and him were expected to be sat at.

Liam followed behind, the hand his own was still tucked into dragging him over to the couch and he took a seat to the left of him, pulling their clasped hands into his lap and covering Zayn's smaller one with his other. He allowed Zayn to dictate the conversation for the time being, busying himself with drawing penises and such on the back of his hand and playing with his fingers, only giving the conversation half an ear. "Hey, now, I remembered that anniversary. Granted, it took me an additional week, but I got there eventually," he said, leaning forwards and interjecting for the first time, causing the interviewer to give off a soft chuckle. "And that's all that counts, right?" The interviewer, Greg Something-Something, asked, smirking softly at Zayn. "Well, with what happened for the month following that, I now make sure the date, and every day leading up to it for a month, has a reminder set on it in my phone," he said, giving the man a goofy smile, hoping he was playing the part well enough.

Zayn cringed inwardly at the idea that Liam was playing the forgetful one far too easily. It was what he was branded with and Zayn knew that from the start, since they were all given personas that they were to project to the world. He didn't want to mention about how Liam was the first one to tell Zayn happy birthday every year without fail, even without the need of a reminder the previous night. Liam wasn't what everyone else saw, which made him feel more special for seeing behind the scenes of what made Liam who he was. "Yeah, he hardly remembers anything. Forget his head, too, if it wasn't attached to his body," he said, joining in on the conversation again as he leaned closer to Liam, pressing a soft kiss to the side of his face, smiling against it to try and show him he was doing a fine job. "Now about your stance on the band, since you left, are you planning on joining again with your boyfriend?" The interviewer asked, offering a smile to show that he wasn't trying to get too deep. "No, I won't be joining the band again, but I will be supporting them in everything they do. Our managements have even planned on me going with them to tour for a while. Not singing as far as I am aware, just to hang about. Probably just so Li isn't lonely," he joked with a small laugh, though it felt too forced for his liking.

Liam laughed himself, letting the soft and care-free one he had perfected long ago loose before he began adjusting himself on the couch, pulling one of his feet up under him. He turned his body to face more towards the other's and he extracted one of his hands from the tangle that it had been in, resting it lightly against Zayn's back. He rubbed in slow circles hoping that the multiple cameras couldn't properly pick up what he was doing, though at this point he realised that it would not make a difference if they could. "Yeah, with Harry and Louis always off together, and Niall with his food, I've really got no one to remind me when I need to be here or there," Liam said, chuckling softly as he leaned in towards Zayn and away from the cameras, allowing the concern he felt show in his eyes, searching the other's for a moment before pulling a face. "And we prefer the term 'partners in crime,' we are no longer in grade school, Greg," he said, turning his face back to the interviewer to grin at him once more. He could feel the slight tremble in Zayn's hand, knew that the man was never a fan of the cloying and sleazy interviewers that could misconstrue nearly anything you said, and he squeeze the hand still in his own, trying to provide whatever comfort he could.

"I'll be there for you," Zayn said, knew that was what he was suppose to say in the eyes of management. He wasn't far behind what Liam was saying, always on the same level since this all started. He kept a hold of Liam's hand tightly, it was his anchor as he was still being paraded with questions. He didn't know why he was suddenly the one to answer the questions as they were being shot out, but he assumed that was the least he could do for Liam. "You'll always be my partner in crime, Liam," he said as he squeezed his hand back, a shaky grin on his lips. It was unnoticed by everyone else in the room, to his pleasure, as the interview finished up. When the cameras were packed up and the people started leaving ever so slowly. He watched them, waved them goodbye as he still kept close to Liam because that was what they were expected to be even for the people who were interviewing them. Once the last one left, he felt himself cracking, his elbows resting on his knee as his face was buried into his hands, letting out a shaky breath. "Fuck," he whispered.

Liam watched as the crew packed up their various pieces of equipment, chatting with a few and shaking the hands of those who came close enough to do so. He watched as the last of them walked out of the door, his smile plastered on for all of three seconds after the door closed before he heard the soft curse from Zayn, and he turned towards him. Liam maneuvered himself to where he was kneeling in front of him, and he grasped both wrists to pull his hands from his face. "Hey, calm down, it went as smooth as could be expected, it was the first interview, so they had expected us to be nervous. It was just as well, really, wouldn't want it all to seem too staged," he said, smiling softly at Zayn before he stood up once more, pulling the other with him. "Come on, let's go refuel you," Liam said, pushing him towards the door and out of the hotel's conference room that the interview had been set in. He placed his cap on once more, pulling the brim low on his forehead and sliding his sunglasses over his eyes, the same way he had arrived at the place. He ignored to paparazzi that stood around outside, looking back multiple times to make sure Zayn was still following as they bypassed the car that stood waiting for them. He had a destination in mind and they soon came upon it, Liam holding the door open for the other to slip into the building under his arm, making sure the door closed behind them as they entered the coffee house.