Zayne and the Peel Theory
tags: zayne x reader, fluff
Zayne was never the type of person to show his affection openly towards you in public. Sometimes, his hands would secretly find their way to hold yours during a gathering, his thumb brushing against your knuckles, before pulling away when another person approaches to converse with the two of you. Other times, when he is presenting his research to an audience, he immediately seeks your presence, and when his gaze meets your eyes, it is as if the two of you had a telepathic communication, telling each other "Hi," using your eyes and minds.
You, on the other hand, were never bothered by Zayne's subtle ways of showing affection in public, because you have seen how his gestures become a little louder when you are both on a date, or simply spending time with each other.
For instance, like peeling your food.
It started so naturally that you couldn't even remember when it became a habit.
The first time had been at a seafood restaurant, where a handful of shrimp sat between the two of you, the steam still rising from the freshly cooked seafood.
You stood up from your seat. "Ah, I forgot. I'll wash my hands first."
But when you came back, as your eyes landed on the table, some of the shrimp had already been peeled, with their shell discarded and tails removed.
As you sat at the table, every deshelled shrimp found its way on your plate instead of his.
"Um, Zayne, aren't you going to eat?" You asked.
"But you've put five of them on my plate already."
You opened your mouth to argue, but he simply nudged your plate a little closer.
"Eat," he said, not leaving any room for arguments.
So you did. And only after you were halfway through your meal did he finally start peeling one for himself.
"There are oranges in the kitchen. Our neighbor gave us some as gratitude for assisting them the other day," he said, standing in the doorway.
"Really? Ooh, that sounds delicious. I'll be there in a few minutes. I'll just finish this." You continued tapping, faster than usual. A few minutes later, you had already forgotten about it because you were preoccupied with work.
However, you heard a knock on your door, and Zayne came inside with a plate with peeled oranges sitting on top of it. And not to mention, there were tiny slices in the middle, as if the seed was already removed.
"Zayne..." You turned your chair to look at him as he placed the plate on your table. "Thank you. I'm sorry, I was too focused."
"Oranges are rich in Vitamin C," He took the water jug from the table and poured water into your empty glass. "Vitamin C will help regulate your body's response to stress." He then handed you the glass of water. "Consider it preventive care."
And the list grew longer after that.
Hard-boiled eggs, mangoes, and even pomegranates, which you insisted he didn't have to prepare because they took forever.
"Zayne. I swear, you don't have to. These take forever, you know," you sighed, watching him tediously slice the pomegranate, standing on the side of the kitchen counter.
"You worry too much," he replied without looking up. "Compared to surgery, this hardly requires any effort."
You let out a small laugh. "Why did you even buy this...?" You rubbed your forehead before smiling. "Still, thank you. I've been craving this like forever."
He glanced at you briefly before returning his attention to the fruit.
"I figured. You watched three different videos of people eating pomegranates the other day," he answered matter-of-factly. "I assumed it wasn't a coincidence."
Heat rushed to your cheeks, and your heart beat fast. You walked towards him and wrapped your arms around his waist from behind.
"If you keep doing this, I might get used to it and ask you to peel the fruits every time I want to eat one," you teased, nuzzling your face against his back.
He placed the pomegranate on the plate and turned around to face you. "If so, then I'll do it. As long as it pleases you."
There was no hint of annoyance in his voice, nor a sigh to let you know that he was inconvenienced.
If a fish had too many bones, your fillet somehow ended up being deboned before it reached your plate.
If your drink came with an unopened straw, he would unwrap it while listening to your stories.
And even if you decided to stop peeling fruits for the rest of your life, he would be the one peeling them for you.
To the eyes of others, Zayne seemed cold. But never in yours. Because with Zayne, you found love in deshelled shrimp, you found love in peeled oranges, and you found love in the hands that worked tirelessly every day, but never grew tired of taking care of you, even in the smallest ways.
a/n: sorry if y'all are allergic to any of the foods mentioned above! also, i need a zayne in my life tbh. anyways, there will be another zayne oneshot after this, but it'll take a while for me to write it.
this fic just popped into my head yesterday afternoon, and i couldn't stop thinking about it. sorry by the way, i haven't had the time to draft a masterlist post, but i'll do it as soon as i can.
also, thank you so much for the love and support. i love you guys. enjoy reading!
