A Studious Affliction [Ziam] [Student/teacher]

Chapter Two.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Niall lowers his voice further, nudging me when my eyes stray back to Mr. Payne and the tightness of his trousers around his ass as he turns to write on the board, and that beautiful- "Jesus, Zayn, stop gawking!"

Something in me splutters and I flush red, forcing my eyes to drop to the table-top like anchors. "I'm not gawking," I say vehemently. "Just... listening."

"I don't think Mr. Payne's ass can talk."

Mr. Payne's ass. What did Louis say about it? Something along the lines of it being 'carved by angels' and being 'pert and plush'... God, I've never known him to be so right. Mr. Payne's ass is like a sort of heaven; he stands there, back to us, as he reaches up to write about what we'll be learning in the course. His shirt strains against his muscles, tightening around his smooth biceps and the slope of his strong back, before it tucks into his trousers which highlight the roundness of his ass-cheeks and the-

"Zayn," Niall hisses in my ear. "Dear God, stop fucking staring!"

My teeth graze over my bottom lip as my eyes follow Mr. Payne's ass around the front of the class. "Huh?"

Niall mutters something under his breath then suddenly, something jabs into my side harshly making my stomach twist and air stumble from my lips. The garbled sound that breaks free of me makes the class turn their attention to Niall and I whilst I continue to splutter and Niall smiles sweetly, like he didn't just elbow me in the gut.

"Zayn," Mr. Payne starts, a brow lifted in what I can only describe as the sexiest thing I have ever seen. "What are you doing back there?"

Mr. Payne's good looks have me so speechless that all that escapes me is a confused little, "Huh?"

Niall sighs heavily, rubbing down his face. "Sorry, sir," he says with a strained laugh. "He didn't sleep very well last night. I think his boyfriend got a little too much of him, if you know what I mean."

The class laugh but I only find myself scowling. "He is not my boyfriend."

"Sorry," Mr. Payne says, looking only amused, "are we talking about that 'Lou' character?"

Niall and I simultaneously split into laughter, stopping short when we realise he is being serious and the class are just as confused as he is. "I - ah, no, sir."

"Louis isn't his type," Niall explains for me, grinning. "Zayn prefers them to act like a man, not a fairy."

The class laugh again and this time, Mr. Payne grins with them. "Right. Yes. Well, as much as I enjoy listening to your social, sex and love lives, I do have a lesson to teach here."

"And Zayn has an ass to admire," Niall agrees, smiling. "Please. Go on. I'll elbow him again if it gets too much."

The amusement on Mr. Payne's face heightens whilst I feel my blood rush into my cheeks. "Is that so?" he asks, biting back a grin. "Well, Mr. Malik, I think I'm going to need you to stay after class. Wouldn't want you to fall behind because you're too busy staring, no?"

Nodding is all I can manage to do in response, with my cheeks burning hotly and my fingers fidgeting on the table.

Mr. Payne, his eyes glistening, turns back to the class and continues with the talk as Niall starts hiccuping laughs under his breath. I elbow him violently after a moment and he grunts, effectively shutting up.

The rest of the lesson is spent in an antsy silence on my part, though at times I find my thoughts straying and my concentration slipping because, God, how can one person be so hot?! It isn't fair. I'm going to fail Biology and, God, it is all his fault; all Mr. Payne's fault. Niall, on the other hand, only finds it hilarious that: a) I am so distracted by Mr. Payne's attractiveness that I get less than half of the needed notes; and that b) he told the whole class that I was gawking, that I had a boyfriend - when I don't, I'm only sort of seeing someone - and that I like men who are men.