"Maybe we'll be partners, eh?" Niall grins, seeing the way Liam has broken into a cold sweat, and takes Liam's wrist to lead him out the room and into the one down the hall that Walsh barks contains the Other Group of Astronauts who train on the Other Side of the Building and who Liam has never seen before.
"Yeah. Maybe." Liam says just for the sake of it as they file in.
After not much of an introduction (Walsh barks a few more times, something about relying on your partner with your life and other frightening words like that and maybe Liam should leave right now because he can't have someone counting on him to save his life if need be. Think of theresponsibility), a woman with brown hair and a very pretty face moves forward and begins pairing people off using the sheet in front of her. Liam wonders how it had been decided, who should go with who. Was it by age, weight, eye colour? Did they know Liam wasn’t good with people and paired him with another introvert? Or someone outgoing in an attempt to bring him out of his shell?
He watches on with dismay as Niall is taken from him and pushed towards a (gorgeous) boy with brown hair and blue eyes that crinkle when he grins at Niall and pulls him in for a hug instead of a handshake.
Liam is mourning the loss of his one and only friend when he hears his name called and looks up to find himself being ushered over to the corner where his partner is waiting.
And, okay. Wow.
Liam takes in the tanned skin, catching a hint of a tattoo peeking out above his collar, the floppy dark fringe and the giant brown eyes, his breath catching in his throat when the boy grins lazily. Thisis someone he wouldn't mind taking home to his mum.
The boy ("Zayn. Zayn Malik." Liam's told in a slow, deep voice) reaches out and shakes Liam's hand. Liam forces any thoughts about pushing Zayn, Zayn Malik up against the wall, fuck Training, and instead takes the hand in front of him and shakes it politely.
"Hi, I'm Liam." And God did his voice just squeak?
Zayn smirks. "Looks like we're going to be spending a lot of time together, Liam."
"Uh-huh." is all he can reply before Walsh announces that's the meeting over now and they've to go home; the training with their partners will start tomorrow.
"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Liam asks.
He's caught unawares when Zayn grins, showing all his teeth and crinkling his eyes. It's breathtaking and Liam doesn't think he can handle it.
"I'll look forward to it." Zayn tells him before raising his hand in a two-fingered salute then making his way across the room where he meets up with Niall's partner. Liam watches as Zayn is pulled into a hug, the other boy seems to like hugs, and feels a rush of jealously which is ridiculous because he's only known Zayn for a maximum of two minutes.
"Told you it would be okay, didn't I?" Niall is pulling Liam back out the room again, skipping along the corridor and Liam smiles at the sight because it really is okay. If he can stop acting like an idiot in front of his partner, that is.
"Yeah. Zayn seems... nice." He catches the look on Niall's face. "What?"
"You want in his pants."
Liam might be exaggerating but he thinks his heart just stopped. But then he feels it in his throat, choking on it. "W-What? I don't - He's o – Niall.”
Niall blinks innocently, pulling off his uniform trousers and tugging on his jeans. "What?"
"Your trousers are stupid." It's unrelated, stupid and false but Liam wants a new topic of conversation.
Fly Me To The Moon
Start from the beginning
