Randominity

Title/'Verse: Many a Melody Passed To and Fro
Rating: G this installment
Word Count: 620 this installment
Warnings: Unbelievable schmoop and fluffy feelings about cultural Islam
A/N: I'm not sure I'll ever write a complete fic in this 'verse, so ficlets and drabbles it is! Inspired by the One Direction Wiki talk page in which it is said that Louis tweeted in 2010 that he had celebrated Eid with Zayn, and my desire to imagine Louis learning bits about Islam at Zayn's knee. The title is from a verse in the saga of Layla and Majnun, one of the most famous love stories in Persian and Sufi literature.



When Zayn first asked Louis to join him for Eid dinner, Louis didn't realise it was a date.

“So, what do you usually do for these?” he asked, because Zayn had asked him to dress up, which Louis thought was a bit much to go out for curry, not that they could find a curry place in Marbella anyway, even with Niall's Spanish skills.

“Oh,” Zayn said, and ducked his head. “Usually it's like, the whole extended family, and we break fast together, and my mum and dad give out presents and stuff--”

“Wait,” Louis caught Zayn's wrist in his hand. “There's presents involved? Nobody told me there were presents involved, Zayn.”

“Just little stuff, not like Christmas, but yeah.” Zayn gave him a small smile. “And just for me and my sisters, but, like, especially when we were younger, you know?”

“Still. Presents,” Louis said pointedly.

“Yeah, if you're four,” Zayn rolled his eyes, but he was still grinning as he rooted around in his pockets. “So, um, like, these are dried, but you should take one.” He handed Louis a tiny plastic bag of raisins.

Louis raised his eyebrows as he took it. “Okay,” he said. “Thanks. What's this for?”

“They're dates,” Zayn said. “We eat those first, and then we have some water, and then you can start eating dinner. It's so you don't, like, stuff yourself on dinner after you've been fasting all day and get sick or anything.”

“Oh, cool,” Louis said, though he hadn't been fasting, and neither had Zayn. He reached in and took one, eyeing Zayn for approval. Zayn took one as well, and raised his glass of water to Louis.

“So, yeah. Eid Mubarak,” Zayn said, and popped the date into his mouth.

“Say again?” Louis asked, and when Zayn did, he echoed it back as best he could before eating his own date. “What's that mean?” he asked as he took another, and then suddenly what he was eating, what they were doing, made a sort of sense to him. He smirked as he chewed. “Wait. Zayn,” he said. “You gave me dates. Is this a date, Zayn? Are we on a date?”

“It means, like, Happy Eid,” Zayn said, and stared very intently into his glass of water as he drank. “Blessed, actually. And it's not a date,” he added, setting his glass down, “it's just a dinner.”

“A dinner date,” Louis insisted. “A dinner date with actual dates.”

“You'd make a terrible Eid date,” Zayn told him, the corners of his mouth turning up and marring his attempt at a scowl. “See if I ask you to another Eid dinner again.”

“You brought me dates and I didn't even get you a present,” Louis told him, still clutching the bag of dates in his hand. “I'm sorry.”

Zayn lifted his head to meet Louis' gaze and opened his mouth to say something, but then the waiter arrived with their dishes and he closed it. “S'all right,” he said eventually, around a mouthful of stewed beef.

After, there was no awkward walk to their separate doors, no kiss goodnight or even a lingering glance, just Louis hip-checking Zayn back at the hotel and then Zayn grabbing him in a headlock and mussing his hair terribly before they shoved at each other and Zayn managed to get to the toilet in their hotel room first.

Not altogether bad as far as first dates went, Louis thought, loosening his tie and laying back on his bed, bag of dates crinkling in his pocket.