So that's the way Zayn would go about it. It was his "other way" to see Harry without being sent to jail. The day he met Harry, he never thought he would ever go this far just to see him. But he really cared about the seventeen year old boy and would do anything for him. Anything.

Zayn made it his priority to try to see Harry once a week. Some weeks he wasn't able to see him due to his Nana bailing on the Senior Center and staying home. But he found that that never discouraged Harry at all. He always knew that Zayn was going to come back. He never worried and he never cried.

Just as Zayn had grown to like him and had to finally come to terms about the thoughts he had been having before, it happened to him yet another time. This time it was just after Zayn and Harry had come into the house one evening. They'd just been out walking the block. It was chilly then. Somewhere in late October.

They had gone to lay in Harry's bed so that they could get warm under the covers. Harry kept stretching a slinky that he had brought in bed with him.

"Guess what, Harry." He said.

"What?"

He smiled and brought his hands to his hair. "I love you."

Harry smiled. "Mummy and Nana always says that."

"Do you ever say it back?" Zayn asked.

"Mhm."

"Oh. That's interesting." He twisted his curls now. "Tell me how you feel about me though, Harry? How do you feel about me?"

"Um." He thought for a moment then dropped the slinky to the ground. "I- I love you too, Zayn. Yeah... I love you."

Zayn's heart did cartwheels. "It makes me so happy to hear you say that. Did you know that?"

"No."

"Well it does. It makes me very happy." He rubbed Harry's shoulder and Harry snuggled into him in response to that gesture. Even if Harry wasn't quite sure what the extent or the meaning of that word was, Zayn knew that he did love him. He might even argue that Harry had already come close to such a feeling the day he hollered at his mother and Nana and told them to leave him alone.

How could he not love this boy? How could he not be compelled to want to do anything for him? It was impossible. Harry's charms were just part of how wonderful he was. He was delicate in every way. Every part of him was precious.

Zayn wanted to protect Harry. He wanted to protect him from anything dangerous and at the same time, wanted to show him the world. He wanted to let him fulfill his curiosities. He wanted him to fully enjoy life, to learn new things. Harry deserved all those good things, but how was he going to get them as long as he was with his mother? How was he going to ever really enjoy his life when he was really being kept from it?

He couldn't. This was like a prison in itself but worse. Because even though Harry had the ability to go out, no one other than the person he was banned from seeing would ever grant him that freedom.

Zayn paused at the thought. No one but him... The only time Harry ever did anything new was when he was with Zayn. He was only truly happy with him. The way Harry would light up when he saw him and then sadden when it was time for him to leave, told him everything.

But he felt the same way though. He was only truly happy with Harry. The best part of his week was coming over to be with him. And even though he was scared to tell his parents about what he was doing, going home to reflect on the day he spent with him meant so much to him.

However, as he lay there and thought about those things, he realized something. They weren't truly happy without each other. They knew that they needed each other. So what if... What if they only had each other? What if it was only the two of them alone and together? He could take care of Harry on his own. He was sure he could. He had a job. He knew what it was like to work, to have to pay bills and do things necessary to take care of people. So what if he did that with Harry. What if he could? He wanted to.

He looked down at Harry who had his eyes closed. Sure it would be extra work than it would be if he chose to forget about Harry and just find someone else without special needs. But he felt that this would be worth it. It would be worth every extra amount of energy he would expend in trying to make Harry happy.

"Harry." He called in a soothing tone.

"Hm?"

"I have a serious question for you."

He raised his head to look at him. "What?"

"This is just something I thought about now. But I'm willing to do it if you say yes." He sighed heavily but he also couldn't take the big grin off his face. He was already so excited. "Will you run away with me?"

Harry's brows furrowed. "What? What do you... mean, Zayn?"

He sat up so that Harry could no longer lay on him. "I mean I want you to come somewhere with me. I'll take you all the places you want to go. And we can go out and get food and meet new people because I know that's what you want to do. I'll teach you all kinds of new things. We'll play with your stuffed animals and read all the books you want to read. And the best part is that there will be no interruptions. We can do what we want together."

Harry looked down sadly. "Then we come back and... And um mummy. She- she won't like when I go outside. I'll get in trouble. I don't... Want that."

But Zayn put his hand to the side of his face. "Well see, that's another thing, Harry. You won't get in trouble because you'll be with me. You know how when we always go out to walk, you always say you don't want to come back?"

He nodded.

"Well it'll be different than that. We'll go out and this time we won't come back. That's what running away is."

Harry gasped excitedly. "Won't come back?"

"No. We won't. It'll be me and you. You'll see more than you've ever seen. I'll get to take you more places than just around the block. We could have so much more fun Harry. Do you want to do that? Do you want to run away with me?"

Harry stopped for a moment, thinking like he had thought earlier. One thing Zayn was sure of was that his thoughts weren't very complex. So he didn't think too much would hinder him from saying what he wanted to hear.

"Tomorrow?" He finally asked.

"I'm not sure about when yet but I do know it won't be tomorrow. This is the first time I have thought about it. But I won't go if you don't go."

But- but." Harry said frantically. "I do want to. My- I don't like it here... I want to go with you Zayn."

Zayn's heart had combusted in his chest. Really? Harry wanted to run away with him? The boy he loved wanted to run away with him? He couldn't explain the feeling.

"Okay Harry. You know what that means then?"

"No. What?"

"It means you can't say anything. You have to keep it a secret. You can't tell mummy or Nana we're running away."

"I won't tell." He said and Zayn knew he wouldn't. Because every time he told him to keep a secret, he always did. There was no reason he wouldn't do the same now.

"Alright then." He said. "It's settled. I can't wait."

He bounced excitedly to match Zayn expressions. "Me either."

Zayn tackled him onto the bed and planted happy kisses all over his face. Harry laughed and giggled and didn't push him away. When Zayn was done and just looking down at his beautiful face, he knew then that he needed to start making preparations to take him away from here. There was less than three and a half months before Harry's eighteenth birthday with so much work to be done. And he needed to figure out just where he was supposed to start in all of this tangled up mess.