Chapter Text
Zayn pushed the last pebble into the snow, putting on a proud grin as he stepped back to admire his creation. A snowman. A very nice snowman. The best snowman in all of Pinecrest. He claimed that title himself.
He'd been working on it for half an hour now, running back and forth to gather supplies, building the snowman itself, decorating. His work paid off, he decided. He just wished he had someone to show it off to, someone who wasn't family - they'd either compliment it without really caring, or they'd insult it without really caring.
Zayn was wishing he had moved months sooner, so he'd have a friend to show it to. If he would've been able to make one even then, anyway.
So he sat in the snow for a bit, next to his snowman. He just plopped himself down there, then lay down with an over exaggerated sigh. He really needed to make some friends. Or even just the one. That would be good, too.
–
Zayn didn't know how much time passed. He just knew that he had stayed in place for a little while, and that the clouds had moved. The sun stayed put still, so it couldn't have been that long. But he felt stiff from staying still for so long.
He was about to give up and go back inside for some hot chocolate and cookies, until he heard the opening and closing of a door, just across the road. He looked up, and then he saw a boy. A boy about his age. He was pretty sure he was, anyway.
He grinned, and without any sort of extra thought, he hopped up again and jogged over, right to the boy's yard. He only gave him a quick hello and a broad smile. He wouldn't usually be so quick and so bold, but he figured he really needed someone to see his snowman, and this boy was probably the best he was going to get.
Quickly enamored by the boy's messy hair and puppy eyes, Zayn took him by the hand and led him out to see his snowman, as if he was walking his puppy. But even Biscuit wasn't as obedient as this boy was.
“Come,” he ordered softly, dragging him along the white blanketed ground. The boy struggled a little to keep up, but he managed.
“Are we going to your house?” he asked, just barely managing to dig his heels in enough to stop before Zayn could pull him too far. There went the obedience. His voice was soft and gentle, though, and Zayn could hear a bit of a worried tone to it.
“You live across the road. I should ask my mummy first. She doesn't like me to go too far, ‘specially across the road. Not unless one of my sisters is with me. Also, who are you?”
Zayn furrowed his brows. They were a whole ten years old. Double digits! And the boy couldn't even cross the road by himself? Zayn thought his mum was protective, but she wasn't that protective. Or maybe she was. Zayn didn't listen much to those types of rules. He ignored the boy's last question, too.
But he just shrugged, looking back at the boy and his puppy eyes, shifting his gaze from his previous staring at his snowman from across the road. “Okay.”
Mr. Puppy eyes (Zayn decided that was the best fitting name for him for the time being) nodded, and he carefully let go of Zayn's hand. When he felt that Zayn wouldn't be offended and that he was safe there, he ran off to the front porch, stumbling his way up the stairs, sliding on a bit of ice.
There was some talking after he opened the door, but Zayn could only hear a bit of back and forth talking, not loud enough to make out any clear words. It lasted for a minute or two before Mr. Puppy eyes turned on his heels and gave a thumbs up to Zayn with an outstretched arm.
Zayn assumed goodbyes were exchanged before the boy came bounding back over, nearly slipping on a particularly icy patch of snow. “Okay! She said I could go. She's gonna keep an eye on me from the window.”
Zayn nodded, but he didn't say a word before he resumed his game of dragging the boy across to his house. Luckily, it was early enough that no one really drove on the road, as it wasn't plowed yet. Crossing the road was a fun mix of running and sliding until they got to their destination.
It took about thirty seconds, Zayn counted, to reach his house. He gently nudged Mr. Puppy eyes over to his snowman, which had grown slightly lopsided and had a half-made smile of pebbles and a single button. He had run out of pebbles, so he decided the snowman was just smirking.
“This is Bob,” Zayn finally announced, fixing the stick of the snowman's nose. His parents didn't like it when he used real carrots for that, so he improvised.
His new friend giggled. “Bob?”
Zayn nodded. “He's a proper guy. A gentleman. Bob's a good name.”
The boy was a little confused, but he nodded in agreement. Bob was a good name, he supposed.
“He looks cool,” Mr. Puppy eyes complimented, then grinned at the unintentional pun. “Really cool. Cold, even.”
Zayn nearly rolled his eyes, but he giggled a little at that himself. He wasn't a big fan of puns, but this boy seemed so delighted in himself that it was funny.
“Does he need a hat?” the boy asked then, his head tilting a little, as if he was trying to take in the sight of the snowman from all angles. “Or gloves? Maybe a tie. My dad has loads. I could go get one?”
Zayn nodded. That was a good idea. “Yeah. Get whatever you can. He'd get cold out here.” Of course, he knew better than to believe that Bob was alive and could get cold, but it was fun to play like he was.
Mr. Puppy eyes nodded, then ran off like he was on an important mission. Zayn wondered how he hadn't tripped yet.
With how serious he made it, the boy was quick with his task and soon came out of the house with multiple colorful, patterned ties, gloves, and a few hats.
“I got them!” He called out to Zayn, holding them up. He dropped a few gloves and a tie in the process, but he didn't seem to notice, just running back to Zayn and the snowman.
Zayn smiled, taking a few of the items from the boy's arms once he got over, before any more could drop.
“Good job,” he praised, to which Mr. Puppy eyes’ eyes grew even more sparkly, and he proudly puffed up his chest. He was good at completing tasks, and he was glad Zayn thought so, too. He liked this new neighbor, strange as he seemed.
“Oh,” he spoke again, this time a little louder. He couldn't forget this part, he decided. Introductions were far too important to leave out. “I'm Zayn, by the way.”
“I'm Liam.”
Mr. Puppy eyes - well, Liam, but Zayn still liked Mr. Puppy eyes - introduced himself with a smile that brought out a dimple on his cheek. It was a little cute, Zayn thought.
“Nice to meet you,” Zayn smiled widely, opting to give Liam a quick pat on the shoulder in greeting. A handshake would feel weird. That was just for adults.
Zayn sidestepped closer to his snowman, still holding some of the things Liam had brought. He eyed over each glove and tie and hat. Bob would look the part of a gentleman soon, too.
After going through the accessories, Zayn chose a green tie and an old-looking fedora, along with a pair of red mittens for his snowman. He made sure it would look fashionable, of course - he couldn't settle for anything less for his snowman.
Liam looked at the snowman once all the accessories were put on, and he grinned, nodding his approval. “He looks nice. Really nice. My sisters would approve.”
“Mine too, if they were nice,” Zayn said with a little smirk. Even without them out here, he couldn't resist an opportunity to tease them.
Liam pouted, jutting out his bottom lip a little, but Zayn reassured him with a smile and a shake of his head. “I'm only joking. They're nice. Usually.”
Liam ultimately decided to shrug it off as teasing between siblings, and he smiled, too. “Okay. Good.”
And then it was settled, just like that. Super easy, like nothing had even happened. Really, it hadn't. There was nothing to it.
With the end of that, the two boys got busy playing, making snow angels, building snowmen friends for Bob, and making forts. Zayn tried to start a snowball fight, but it quickly ended. Liam wasn't a fan of that, at least not yet. Zayn didn't mind, though. It kept him from having to deal with snow getting in his hair.
The afternoon went by way too quickly for Zayn's liking. All the fun made it go by quicker than he thought. They would've continued, until Zayn remembered that he had hot chocolate to get.
He stood up from where he had been making a snow angel, and he brushed himself off to get rid of the snow. Then he gave Liam's arm a tap with his boot.
“Hey. Liam. You like hot chocolate?”
Liam grinned, then nodded. “Love hot chocolate. Why? Do you have some?”
Zayn nodded, but he paused for a moment. His smile returned instantly, though, and he nodded again. “Just not ready yet. Come on inside. My mum can make us some. She will, I'm sure.”
Liam smiled wider, if somehow possible. Zayn loved how happy he was, always. Even when he wasn't smiling, his eyes were bright. Though, Zayn had only known him for a few hours now.
“Okay,” the boy nodded, standing up and brushing himself off too, just like Zayn had. “Hot chocolate sounds really good right now.”
So, Zayn grabbed Liam's hand again and pulled him to the door, careful up the steps. He didn't even have to drag Liam to get there, but he wanted to. It was fun. And he figured he should make sure Liam was still with him, and that was the easiest way to do it.
He wrapped his gloved hand around the doorknob, then pushed open the blue door, smiling as he stepped inside. As usual, it felt nice and warm, and there was a towel on the floor waiting for him so he could take off his snow gear.
He nodded for Liam to come inside, and the boy's eyes grew extra sparkly again as he looked around the house. Instantly being greeted by warmth and nice smells, Zayn couldn't blame him. His house was nice.
“Go on and take off your stuff. Mum never likes it when I bring snow inside and get it everywhere. Especially not the furniture. She wouldn't yell at you, but she'd give you this mum look. Does yours do that?”
Liam giggled and nodded. “Yeah. I think all mums do that, though. That's why it's called the mum look. Makes sense.”
Zayn smiled and nodded in agreement as he pulled off his boots, shaking off the snow in the process. He took all his other gear off, too, until he just wore his two pairs of jeans and his t-shirt and his socks. He didn't see any need for all the layers inside, even if it wasn't required to take them off.
Liam did the same, and the two were soon ready to warm up with some hot chocolate and (hopefully) cookies.
Zayn guided Liam to the kitchen, introducing him to his puppy, Biscuit, and his cat, Monkey, on the way there. Liam seemed to like them both a lot, and Zayn was glad for that. He'd met a few people who didn't like animals much, and he was never too fond of them.
When they got to the kitchen, Zayn was quick to run over to his mum and give her a quick hug, but he was quick to get down to business. “Mum! Can we have some hot chocolate?”
His mum smiled, looking back down at him when she gave him a hug in return. “We? Who's we?”
It was only then that Liam looked away from the magnets on the refrigerator and gave Zayn's mum a shy smile. “Me. Hi, Ms. Zayn's mum.”
The woman in mention smiled a little wider, greeting Liam with a small wave. Zayn was glad she took the surprise well.
“You made a new friend, Zayn?” She asked. She sounded curious, but Zayn knew she already knew the answer. She knew everything.
Zayn nodded proudly, pulling Liam over closer. “Mhm. This is Liam.”
“Well, hi, Liam.”
The interaction was easy enough. Quick and painless. No scolding for bringing someone inside - though, Zayn wasn't sure if that was completely out of the picture yet or not - and no extra questions. Well, one more, but one that certainly couldn't be avoided.
“So, hot chocolate? For both of you, I'm assuming?”
The boys nodded, and Zayn pulled Liam along again, this time to the dining room table. They could drink their hot chocolate there unless this was deemed as a special occasion, and Zayn's mum let them drink it in the living room and watch a movie.
Zayn was busy thinking about what movie they would watch if that happened, until Liam gave him a little tap on the shoulder with his finger to get his attention.
“You have a really nice house,” he whispered. Zayn noticed he seemed more uncomfortable in a new place with new people - not that he wasn't glad to be here. He just seemed a little tense, not as comfortable as he was with just Zayn and the snowmen.
Zayn decided to just answer simply with a grin and a proud nod. “Thanks.”
Liam smiled back at him, and he nodded, too. He shifted a little on the chair he sat in across from Zayn, looking around while he waited for the hot chocolate to be ready.
It didn't take more than a few minutes until it was, and Zayn's mum set down their mugs in front of them along with two bowls separately filled with little marshmallows and candy canes, and a can of whipped cream for their hot chocolate.
“Here, boys,” she announced, stepping back to give the two plenty of space. She leaned back against the doorframe before she continued speaking.
“Why don't you two go ahead and fix up your hot chocolate how you like, and I'll put on a movie and get you some cookies? And yes, Zayn, you can go to the living room. Just be careful.”
Zayn pumped his fist and excitedly agreed. So it was a special occasion. New friends were special. Zayn knew that already, but this occasion just further proved it.
The two got busy with putting toppings on their hot chocolate, then excitedly went out to the living room to enjoy it, but they were careful not to spill anything on the carpet or the couch - if they did, that would be the end of their time to enjoy the hot chocolate from the couch.
–
The next few hours were spent drinking hot chocolate, eating sugar cookies, and watching a Christmas movie until they both crashed out and cuddled up for a nap. Zayn was sure he heard his mum call a Mrs. Payne, whoever that was, but he ignored it. He had more important things to worry about, like figuring out what exactly Liam's shampoo smelled like - vanilla, he finally decided - and why Liam was so warm. Maybe it was the hot chocolate.
They eventually fell asleep while cuddled up after insisting they weren't tired, and Zayn felt a blanket draped over them both just before he fell asleep. What a way to kick off December.