Happy #SlaveMeThursday! I know last week was hard. Hopefully this week is better, and I swear I have a good ending in mind just hold on for me.

COMMENTS AND VOTES! MWAH!! Xoxo

***

Zayn had to keep Liam awake the whole drive back because he was afraid that if he let him sleep, he wouldn't wake up. He kept a hand on Liam's thigh and pinched anytime Liam's breathing slowed and his eyes drooped. Finally they made it back to Zayn's home and his personal physician was waiting as requested. They both helped Liam inside and to his room.

Liam was so tired and still mildly drugged; he couldn't even appreciate the fact that he was back home for the first time in too long. He was just carried immediately upstairs and the doctor took to medicating him and then attending to his wounds, redressing them and checking for infection.

Zayn stood by the bed, fingernails between his teeth, while the doctor worked. Each time Liam would wince in pain, Zayn would surge forward, but each time the doctor put a hand up to stop him and Zayn settled back. After what could've been days, the doctor started packing up his things and stood from the bed.

Zayn didn't take his eyes off Liam, but he could feel the tense air radiating from the man beside him. "Master Malik?" Zayn just grunted his acknowledgment, thumbnail still between his lips. "It wasn't smart to make him travel in his condition. He could've gone into shock, or started bleeding and you couldn't have stopped it."

Zayn flinched at the warning and nodded. "But..."

"But," the doctor continued, "he's stable. No internal bleeding that I can tell. But he has a pretty bad concussion." Zayn licked his lips in thought and nodded again. "Someone will need to stay up with him tonight and make sure to wake him every couple of hours. Don't let him sleep more than six tonight."

"I'll stay with him."

The doctor sighed. "I'd suggest someone else, considering your obvious lack of sleep, but it'd be a waste of my breath." He gave Zayn a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "I'll be back after he wakes to give him further care."

"Thank you."

"Don't let him leave this bed until I get back."

"I won't," he assured.

The doctor gave him one more solemn nod and left. The room was deathly silent and Zayn hated it. Where was Liam's laugh, the twinkle he'd become so fond of? This place, this life, was killing him. Them. He hated what he'd done to Niall and Harry, but at least he and Liam would soon be free.

Liam groaned and his eyes blinked open groggily. "Mersrtr."

Zayn came and sat by his side on the bed. "What, baby?" Liam just pouted and furrowed his brows while mumbling something unintelligible. He was heavily medicated and his mouth probably felt like a thousand pounds, so Zayn just took Liam's good hand, the hand he didn't use as much to fight off the attack, in his and kissed the slightly bruised knuckles.

"You're okay now. Back home with me. The doctor said you'll be fine." He didn't actually, but Zayn refused to believe otherwise. Although he knew that, physically, Liam would mostly recover, emotionally Liam would have to live with this forever. "I promise you're safe here."

Liam seemed soothed at the words, melting back into his pillow. His hands tightened, just a little, under Zayn's and Zayn could feel the trust Liam still had for him. After everything, he still believed Zayn when he told him he was safe. It was more than Zayn deserved, but he was determined to keep his word this time. Liam would be under constant protection and, if at all possible, under Zayn's protection as well. He didn't want to let Liam out of his sight for a moment until they were gone and away from this wretched place.

Soon Liam's hand lost its grip and loosened as he fell back asleep. Zayn just curled up by his head, hand in hand, and watched his breathing evenly filter through his lungs and push at his bruised chest. He spent the night awake and worried, but imagining a little house, just for the two of them, until maybe one day there would be more of them.

***

When Zayn woke Liam for the last time, six hours later, he was speaking more clearly and his grip was tighter. "Sir," Liam croaked and then cleared his throat. "Hi."

Zayn chuckled fondly and swept a thumb so lightly across Liam's swollen cheek. "Good morning, sleepy head. How are you feeling?"

"Sore. Tired. Headache," Liam listed but then smiled. "Happy. At home. With you."

Zayn sighed and leaned down to kiss the clean spot at Liam's hairline. "I love you."

"I love you," Liam answered.

Zayn kept his fingers a timid touch on any place he deemed unmarked. "Are you hungry? You also haven't showered."

"I can shower," Liam offered as he tried to sit up.

"No," Zayn demanded and gently pushed him back to the bed. "Doc said you're not allowed to leave this bed until he does another check up. I'll just..." Zayn looked back over his shoulder at the en suite. He turned back to Liam with a half smile and a dangerous glint in his eye. "I guess I'll just have to strip you down and clean you myself."

Liam flushed red, past the already purple coloring on his cheeks. "You don't have to."

Zayn kissed down the side of Liam's neck. "If you think I'm going to pass up this opportunity, then you're crazy." Before Liam could compose an argument Zayn was in the bathroom and out again with a wet flannel in his hand. "Let me take care of you, Li."

Liam took a deep breath and nodded slowly before Zayn set the flannel on the bedside table for now. He moved down to Liam's feet and slid off the socks that he put on him in the middle of the night when he shivered. He kissed the arch of one foot, then the other. Liam cracked a tired smile at the slight tickle.

Zayn moved up Liam's body as he pulled the sheet away and slid his hands under the dressing gown he was wearing from when Zayn stole Liam from the Intensive Care Unit. It was paper thin and felt like plastic, but Liam's skin was soft where it wasn't cut and wounded. He pushed the hem of the gown up to expose Liam's thighs, majorly unscathed, thank God. He kissed the few bruises and massaged the rest of his skin slowly as his mouth made a path up the line of his leg.

"Can you arch your back?" Zayn asked and Liam raised a brow. "No funny business, I promise. I need to untie the strings." Liam just smiled and did as Zayn asked even as he winced and hissed with the pain. Zayn reached under quickly and undid the loose bow holding the waist together. He lowered Liam's back to the bed again and pushed the dressing up more, exposing Liam's pants and stomach. He kissed one v-cut and the other, then trailed his nose up the middle of Liam's abs to the top of his ribs. The area was bruised badly, skin dark and yellow in some places. He tried his best not to put any pressure on any of the wounds as he showered him with kisses.

Liam just watched with rapt attention each time Zayn's pale pink lips connected with his body. When he worked his head under the gown and found his nipple, Liam shuddered and then winced.

"Sorry," Zayn murmured quietly. "Couldn't help myself." He pulled out from under the fabric and gave an apologetic pout of his lips.

"'S okay." Liam slid a hand along the sheet and onto his stomach to touch Zayn's shoulder. "I don't mind a little pain."

Zayn's eyes shut heavily and he turned his head to kiss the top of Liam's hand. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into the skin.

Liam cupped his face and turned it back to look at him. "Not your fault. You saved me."

"Not yet I haven't."

"You did," Liam urged. "You did the night you met me." Liam curled his fingers around the back of Zayn's neck to pull him up and Zayn followed easily. "You've given me love that I never thought I would have. You've given my soul it's other half. I could never ask you for more."

Zayn kissed Liam's lips chastely to show his support but shook his head. "I will give you more. My job is to keep you safe and happy."

"I am happy," Liam assured.

"But not safe."

Liam just sighed and licked his lips. "Safer with you than with anyone else."

"That," Zayn smiled, "I'll agree with. You're not allowed out of my sight for at least thirty years."

"That all?" Liam scratched his fingers at the short hairs near Zayn's neck. "I was hoping for more."

Zayn leaned down and kissed Liam, longer this time. Long enough to hopefully make him feel the sincerity of his next words. "How about forever, then?"

Liam's face broke into a grin and he spoke against Zayn's lips. "Forever's good."

Zayn slid a hand under Liam's shoulder and tugged on the top string of the gown, then pulled the last of it off Liam's body, leaving him in just his dark pants. "I'll take care of you," he promised. He reached over and grabbed the flannel before wiping the warm cloth down Liam's neck, his lips following. Liam tilted his head back what little he could without it hurting and let Zayn clean his skin.

Zayn keep his movements slow, cautious, so he didn't press too hard or touch anything painful. He wiped off small bits of dried blood and then kissed the cuts. As the leftover dirt and filth from the attack was swept away, Liam was left with clean red lines and bright purple spots decorating his otherwise perfect body. But now, Zayn could see how blind he was. There were white scars in random patterns all over Liam's body, mostly his chest and stomach; which seemed to be a favorite place of the men that did this to him. Zayn wanted to make them all magically disappear, but the best he could do was kiss each one, flicking his tongue out against them and sucking softly on the healed scars.

Liam was loose and relaxed by the time Zayn finished cleaning him up. The Master set his rag on the table and sat on the edge of the bed as Liam fell deeper into a relaxed sleep. The doctor should be here any minute and Liam would probably be awake for the rest of the day afterwards, so let him sleep.

Zayn was just throwing the rinsed flannel in the hamper when the doctor came into the room with a soft knock, followed by a frazzled-looking Niall.

Zayn pulled the sheet up to cover the mostly-exposed and sleeping Liam and stopped the men just inside the door. "Niall," he greeted in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"When I told Harry about what happened, he did his Harry thing and called Kalli, asked her to let us know when you guys got in today so we could talk this through, but when she said you and Liam came back in the middle of the night and Liam was hurt I came over. Ran into Doc at the front door."

"I'm sorry, Ni."

Niall put a hand up. "Later. Is he okay?"

"I think so." He turned to the doctor now. "I cleaned him up and took off the hospital gown. He slept alright, didn't move much."

The doctor nodded. "Good. You should go get some sleep now, Mr. Malik. No offense, but you look quite tired."

Niall huffed a laugh at Zayn's expense and walked past the duo to sit by Liam on the bed, careful not to wake him. "I'll sit with him, Zayn. Go sleep."

"I wouldn't sleep even if I did try. At least not in my room. I'm staying here."

"Then sleep here. I'll stay and watch you both."

"You don't have to," Zayn disagreed, but pulled back the sheet and got under with Liam. Niall just rolled his eyes and went to sit in the chair across the room. Liam felt Zayn against himself and settled against his side, Zayn's arm lightly draped down Liam's side, a hand on his hip bone. He was asleep in minutes.

The doctor did his checkup as best he could with Zayn attached and nodded to Niall as he left him with instructions. Niall got his phone out to text Harry with updates and got a Please make up. He's your best friend in return. Niall sent a very mature :p back and set his phone down.

He didn't know what to do about Zayn or their own future, but right now Zayn and Liam needed him. And he would be there for them.

***

A little bit of fluffy Ziam for you after such a hard chapter. Now let's see if Ziall can be grown ups and make up.

Xoxo