"Hmm... So your overall opinion on Niall then?" Liam queried and Zayn thought about it, "I guess he's okay. I still think that he thinks I'm a weirdo though.'"

"Well you're not..." he paused, "or at least, not to me anyway... So hush." The man said and they headed back over to the dorm, "Niall is a weirdo if anythin'. I love him truly. My brother."

"It's sweet that you have a friendship with someone like you do Niall. I imagine a friendship like that is very hard to find." Zayn said softly and Liam quietly agreed, "Probably. I don't know why his dumb ass has stuck by my side for so long, God knows... I definitely tire him out sometimes though, I often have a lot to say and a lot to talk about. I rely on him for everything."

"But that's what best friends are for, Louis knows everything about me. I text him virtually everyday although lately I've been a bit too busy to text him. I care so much for him and he cares equally as much about me. I'm grateful to know him, just as I imagine you're grateful to know Niall." Zayn said, Liam nodded with a bright smile across his face and they arrived back on campus, heading towards the large dorm building in which they are centred in. "Feels like it's been a long day already and all we've done is have lunch."

"That's true," Liam agreed, "I have an early start tomorrow. Training in the morning again."

"I'm not in until the afternoon. Thank fuck for that." He chuckled and they headed up the stairway, following through the empty corridor. "The only day I have a lecture in the morning is on a Monday which really sucks."

Liam listened and stepped into their own dorm room, "I have an early start on a Monday, a Wednesday and a Thursday. We should really compare schedules."

"I think I kinda know your timetable a bit, I used to work out what time you'd leave and be back at..." he blushed and sat on his bed, setting up a mini art area for himself so that he could give it a start on a new piece, "So I knew if I could be small or not."

"Oh. Okay... That's kind of sweet, I guess. What are you going to do your artwork with this time?"

"I think pen. I haven't done pen yet and it means I don't have to faff' about and stuff, like I don't need to get any extra materials out and try avoid creating a mess. I don't know what it should be though? Like yeah, a dog but where, and doing what?"

Liam sat behind him, looking at the canvas which Zayn had laid out, "Right... Let's think... The dog should be playing football."

Zayn whined, "No, Liam."

"C'mon. Please. You said I could maybe help? I want it to be playing football." He groaned, resting his head on Zayn's shoulder as he stared at the empty canvas and tried to imagine his idea coming to life. "And it should be a French bulldog."

"Fine. I'll try..." he sighed softly, it wasn't a bad idea at all but Football wasn't necessarily his own interest so it wasn't completely meaningful to him. "Thank you, Z."

"You've been calling me that a lot recently." Zayn hummed, starting off a basic sketch. "Calling you what?"

"Z. Like Zee."

Liam blushed softly, "Didn't even realise. And by the way, the dog is called Ed."

"Why Ed?" Zayn asked, Liam simply shrugged with a chuckle, "Cause', I dunno. I just like the name Ed.. If I had a dog, I would definitely make it Ed... Good old Eddie."

"Right, and should I make him look like Ed Sheeran?" Zayn teased, looking at the sketch he had done so far: it was very faint and nothing too great but it was starting to come together just nicely. When he thought about it, it was a genuinely good and simple idea that he could quickly do, especially as he chose to use pen, which was something he needed considering he was running out of time to do the assignment. He was kinda thankful for Liam and his ideas. "Noooo. That'd be funny."

"Liam, don't you ever do, like, assignments? I've never seen you do any." He asked, digging out some pens from a pencil case placed in a draw by his bed. He laid them all out and tested them on a piece of scrap paper to test if they were working, the last thing he would want is for one to mess up and ruin his entire artwork.

"I do... I mean, I don't always do it and when I do it, it's rushed. The majority is just physical training though which I enjoy for the most part." He replied, watched the canvas. It was truly amazing to see how Zayn could design such things from memory without research. He was sure that Zayn's mind was like Google images up in there.

"Training sounds like way too much effort, this is relaxing.. for the most part. It's frustrating when it doesn't go as plan but practice makes perfect and I've been practising art for as long as I can remember. It's been my escapism whenever I've needed it." He smiled, taking the pen to the canvas and sketching on it over the previous pencil lines he had made. "So the night out, Liam.. When would it be?"

"We can do tomorrow?" He suggested.

Zayn looked at him as if to suggest he was stupid for picking a weekday in which they both have university on, "I have uni the day after though."

"And? So do I? Uni never stopped nobody from having fun." He grinned. "Besides, can't believe you never did freshers week..."

"Didn't wanna participate in it... And I'll think about it.. I guess I'm in during the afternoon so I can recover throughout the morning if needs be." Zayn muttered, thinking it through. He's never really missed a day at university other than being ill, so he's really hoping that he won't end up missing a day of University because of a silly hangover.

Liam nodded, humming, "Yeah. I'll probably skip that morning."

"Your attendance sounds like it's shit. That's not good for you." he murmured under his breath, focusing on his artwork which was really looking detailed now and on top of that, he was almost finished. Maybe he should work with pen more often? It was quick

"It is. Really. I should improve on it, I know.. I just can't be arsed. I really can't. Life is too much sometimes. Socialisation and that can be too much." He groaned, falling back onto the bed and putting his hands behind his head in a relaxing position. Zayn listened, "Have you ever considered talking about this with someone professional?"

"No. Why?" Liam replied, resting his eyes shut. The most he had done was discuss with Niall.

"Because... Sometimes you just say, and act, and do things.. That make me worry about your mental health. I'm sorry if this sounds invasive, you're just.. a good friend and I care."

Liam shrugged, "Mental health? I don't have that."

"Mhm." Zayn said softly and sighed, finishing up the art piece. He carefully sat the canvas by the side of the bed, amongst the other pieces in which he had previously done before packing away the pens and pencils that he used to create the drawing, sitting them all in his draw to use once more at a later time. He leaned back into Liam's hold and Liam simply held him, looking down at him. "I'm just lazy, Zayn. That's all. At least that's what my parents have always said to me."

"I don't wanna get off on the wrong foot here.. But your parents don't sound very good? The only nice thing I've heard about your Mum was that she made soup for you when you're ill... Other than that, it sounds like she has left you all on your own which can't be good."

Liam sighed, unwrapping himself from Zayn and sitting up, Zayn still leaning into his warm, tough body. "They aren't the best, I'll admit.. But they're my parents, they provided me with somewhere to live, clean water, food.. Everything I needed pretty much. Just not the support or contact that I desperately wanted. I made a lot of silly mistakes as a child because of it.. Like, I didn't have a Dad to do all the lad stuff with, taught myself to shave an' that. But I've survived, and I will continue to do so."

"Sounds like a lot, I'm grateful I had my parents constantly by my side." Zayn frowned, looking up at Liam. "Yeah. You're lucky but I suppose for most people, that's the norm. When I think of it, my parents only worked to gain money to support me. I'm glad to have them... But I suppose the lack of contact has made me struggle... socially."

"You're doing good though, I assure you. Like hey! You haven't been a knob to me for a couple of weeks now." He cheekily grinned and Liam fondly rolled his arms in return, wrapping his arms around Zayn. "I'd really like to meet this Louis lad."

"Mmm. I'll think about it." Zayn yawned, rubbing his eyes. He picked up his teddy and sat it on Liam's head.

"He's on me' head." He chuckled and lay back, Zayn laying down with him. The puppy fell and Zayn was quick to pick it back up and hold it to his own chest, intertwined between Liam's arms on the solid campus bed.

"Can I be honest?" Zayn said to which Liam nodded, "With?"

"I used to absolutely despise sharing a room with you, I mean I think you knew that anyway. I think everyone knew that. But now I really, really like it and I can't think of anyone better to share it with. I'm thankful that my roommate is you." He blushed, Liam subconsciously played with his hair. Everything felt so natural between the two and Liam couldn't help but run the boy's gorgeous hair through his fingers.

"Thank you, Zayn. I told you before, and I'm sure you know this but I will always hate myself for being a dick to you. I can only hope I don't spiral and cause you to become upset again." Liam said softly, Zayn rested his eyes shut with a smile across his face. "Good night, Liam."

"Good night, Z." He said back and the two fell fast sleep, wrapped up between each other's arms on the tiny single bed.