When Darryl woke the next morning, it was with a heavy heart. He quietly wriggled out of bed, heading to Zak's old room. Stripping the bed, he made it with fresh sheets, then scanned the room for any of Zak's things. He picked up everything and moved it into their room, leaving only a bare recording setup and empty furniture. Darryl double checked the room, then crawled back into bed with Zak, satisfied. A6D wouldn't be able to mess with any of Zak's things now, at least...

When Zak stirred later, he turned to Darryl and found him staring at the wall, his eyes tight. "What's wrong?" Zak asked, worried.

"Nothing, you just, erm, said some things in your sleep," Darryl mumbled.

Remembering his dreams from last night, he shuddered. "What did I say?"

"Well, you said 'A6D' a lot. And then, you started saying 'not Darryl'." He took a deep breath, trying to keep composed. "And you kept saying-" Darryl wrapped his arms around himself, "you said 'A6D, not Darryl'." His eyes teared up, but he tried his best to not show the extent of his hurt.

"Oh," Zak sighed in relief, "is that all? Wow, why are you upset by that of all things? I probably said A6D a lot because he was chasing me in my NIGHTMARE! And 'not Darryl' was because he was trying to hurt you." He looked beseechingly into Darryl's eyes. "Please believe me," Zak whispered, kissing Darryl gently.

Darryl closed his eyes, mumbling, "I'm sorry, Zak. I'm just a little on edge at the moment."

"Look, I don't like A6D that way," Zak answered, "and no matter what happens, that's not going to change. I love you so much, Darryl. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and A6D and his petty crush can bugger off, okay?"

Darryl gasped, his eyes widening. "The rest of your life?" He giggled, "Is that a proposal...?"

"What?! No!" Zak laughed, hugging him. Darryl's face fell, and despite his best efforts he couldn't conceal his disappointment.

Zak rolled his eyes. "No it's not a proposal, you muffin. I do want to go there with you, don't worry, but now is such a terrible time. I don't want our proposal to be in our pajamas, brought on by a stupid French guy. It's meant to be special, you know," Zak pulled Darryl's chin down and started kissing him.

Darryl instantly relaxed, melting into the kiss. "Deal," he whispered into Zak's ear, "but I'm holding you to that promise."

Zak just giggled, tugging at Darryl's shirt. He got the hint and whipped it off over his head, sliding Zak's off as well. They lay together, catching their breath for a moment, then Zak climbed on top of Darryl and leant down, kissing him more urgently. They mashed their lips together, hands roaming each other's chests. Darryl laughed cheekily, teasing Zak's nipples and watching in amusement as he tried to contain his enjoyment.

Zak pulled Darryl's hands away from him, breaking the kiss. "Don't look like such a wounded puppy," he grinned, "I need a wee."

"How very romantic," Darryl rolled his eyes as Zak went to the bathroom.

Zak bounded back a minute later, jumping back on Darryl as if nothing had happened. He started to slide his hands down Darryl's pajama bottoms, but Darryl squealed and rolled away from him.

"Your hands are so cold!" Darryl protested, red in the face.

"Oh, are they now?" Zak sniggered, advancing again. He slid his hands onto Darryl's arse, grinning.

Darryl's eyes were like saucers and he was holding his breath, trying not to jump away again.

"If you really loved me, you wouldn't care if my hands were cold," Zak winked.

Darryl took a deep breath, steeling himself, then pulled Zak's hands round to the front. Squeaking slightly at his freezing touch, Darryl closed his eyes and... gave up. Getting out of the bed, Darryl said, "I love you Zak, but I can't; I love not getting frostbite in my balls way more. I'm getting some breakfast."

Laughing hysterically, Zak followed him into the kitchen, and they made jam on toast together.

Sat at the table, they ate in companionable silence. Zak was deep in thought, not concentrating on eating, and spilt strawberry jam all down his bare chest. Coming to, he laughed at the state he was in.

"I might need a shower," Zak mumbled.

Darryl smirked, coming over and licking off the jam. "Sorted," he said brightly.

Zak didn't know what to do. That was so unlike Darryl... "There's more jam in the cupboard, you know. I'm pretty clumsy, maybe I'll drop the jar on myself," he tempted.

Darryl laughed, exasperated. "You do that and you're buying us a new jam. Now come get dressed, I want to go out with you."

"Finneeeee," Zak muttered. Then, "is this a date?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Yes," Darryl answered absently. "Hurry up then!"

Shocked, Zak did as he was told. Their first real date...

In the car, Darryl wouldn't give anything away. He parked on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere, then took a bag out of the boot. Taking hold of Zak's hand, he led them up the side of a mount, through blossom trees and abundant flowers.

At the top was a small clearing full of wildflowers, covered on three sides with trees. The other gave way to a breathtaking view of the countryside. "This," Darryl explained, "is my favourite place in the world. So I'm taking my favourite person in the world to see it," he kissed Zak's forehead.

Darryl got a blanket out of the bag and laid it over the grass. "I come here and I feel so small. There's a whole world out there, waiting for us to explore. We're just tiny specks of carbon living on a rocky ball, lost amongst the stars. You can see for miles and miles, but there's so much more that we can't see."

"Wow," Zak replied in awe. "This place means a lot to you, huh?"

"Nothing means more to me than being with you, Zak. But yes, this place is really important to me." Darryl lay on the blanket and Zak joined him, unable to speak for once in his life.

They spent the whole day there, talking about anything and everything. Darryl had made a picnic, and they ate every last bit. They stayed there until the sun had set and the night sky was filled with a billion stars, never wanting to leave.

Eventually, Zak sighed and got up. "A6D's gonna be here soon. We need to go home," he added reluctantly.

Even the mention of A6D couldn't dampen Darryl's mood, and he agreed easily. They packed up everything and drove home, sitting together in the living room to wait for him to arrive. Just as they had began to think that A6D had bailed, they heard a knock on the door. Zak held Darryl's hand tightly, and they went together to open it.

"Hi guys," A6D smiled. He was met by two hostile glares. Sighing, he said, "I've just been on a plane all day, the least you could do is offer me a cup of tea."

Darryl went to move to the kitchen, pulling Zak along by their linked hands. "Aww, does someone not trust Zak to be around me?" A6D mocked, smirking. "It really would be a shame if I were to-" he darted in and kissed Zak, snaking his arms around him, whilst Darryl was distracted.

Zak shoved A6D as hard as he could. "GET OFF OF ME!"

Darryl's head whipped around, his eyes full of cold fury. A6D was holding Zak in his arms, and despite his best efforts, Zak wasn't strong enough to break free.

Darryl grabbed A6D by the neck and yanked him away, throwing him back against the other wall. "A6D, if you EVER touch Zak again without his consent, I will put a fucking hammer through your skull. Understand?" He snarled.

A6D laughed, unfazed. "Wow, you've changed a bit from the muffin-loving softie I knew before. Also, call me Vincent in real life," he shrugged. Seeing Darryl struggling to be civil, Vincent headed into the kitchen by himself. He got a cup of tea and three biscuits, then sauntered into the guest room.

Darryl turned to Zak immediately. "Are you okay?" He demanded, his voice laced with worry.

"I-I'm fine, I think," Zak said uncertainly. "You're scary when you're mad," he grinned, "I'm just glad I wasn't on the receiving end of it."

"You think I'm scary?!" Darryl asked incredulously. "You won't like me when I'm angry," he growled playfully into Zak's ear.

"So long as you don't turn green, I don't mind," Zak pulled him close. "Maybe it was a bad idea letting Vincent stay here..."

"Well, it's a bit late now," Darryl soothed him. "Let's just go to bed, we can worry about everything else in the morning."

Zak followed Darryl, locking the door behind them. Darryl raised a questioning eyebrow, but he just shook his head. They got into pajamas and lay together, their chests rising and falling.

"I'm hot," Zak complained.

"I know you are," Darryl mumbled sleepily.

"Not what I meant, but you said it, so..." Zak shrugged, giggling. He lay on top of his side of the bedcovers, then wriggled back into Darryl's arms. "Night, love you," Zak whispered, flicking off the light.

"Night, hottie," Darryl replied, snuggling down as they fell asleep.

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Hi, Nadia here! ❤️

First of all, thank you for reading Part 16 of Bashful - Skeppy x BadBoyHalo!

Second of all, if you have any suggestions or constructive criticism, comment down below.

See you in the next part 😊

Instagram: mind_of_nadia
Come for a chat in my DMs :)

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Agghhh they're so cute together I'm dying!! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ