The Heart of Him

YTNEWT

Another Monday, done. Well, at least the first and only class of the day. Now Zayn could technically do as he pleased, which typically meant just switching required work with not so required work. Namely his personal studies - the stuff he truly loved to throw himself into. Except, A]as he packs up his beloved leather briefcase, he's reminded by one of his students the reason why he won't be undertaking any other independent research projects that call for extended periods of time to be spent with departments outside of his own. "I heard from a friend in the music department that you're collaborating on a project that's involving them and Leonardo da Vinci?" After the school year ended in June, Zayn wouldn't miss having to fake love for the electronic scene one bit.

Complaining should be the last thing on his to-do list, however. He should be thanking his lucky stars that he slept in all those years ago and missed the chance to sign up as an Italian Renaissance specialist for his master's course. If he hadn't been chucked into his second choice of Avant-Garde, he would've never gone on to do the PhD that he had. The same one that had put him on Oxford's map to begin with. Odds are, that the way he gets to indulge in his love for Italian art now, on his own terms, is much more beneficial in its richness. Should he want to start up an independent research project next year on Michelangelo when this one's finished, strictly because he was in the mood to learn more about sculpture techniques, then he could do that, no strings attached. Life is weird in that way - how it can put you in a place you were meant to be, just in a completely different order to how you envisioned getting there yourself. Maybe if he'd gotten into the master's track he wanted, he still would've made it to Oxford, but whenever that would've been, surely he wouldn't have been welcomed to the city by the tour guide he now has; his gaggle of mates too.

With the group on his mind, Zayn tries to remember what everyone's schedules looked like for a Monday afternoon, barre Louis'. There was no way that a secondary school teacher could meet up on a weekday for lunch. Still, he'll include him in the group text. But as soon as Zayn pulls out his phone from the front pocket of his briefcase, lunch is the last thing on his mind.

Liam Payne

(7) Missed Calls

Panic grows as Zayn swipes at the notification and brings the phone up to his ear. It's week three of the term, Liam knows his schedule by now to know that he'd be in class and his phone on silent.

"Zayn! You have to come to the lab! Right now!"

Liam's voice doesn't sound pained, yet it's too galvanized for Zayn's worry to be erased fully.

"What's going on?" He asks in a rushed tone. "Are you ok?"

"I'm- I don't know how I am." Realizing how that must sound, Liam rephrases. "Physically, yeah, yeah, I'm fine. It's just- you have to come."

There's no time for Zayn to try and devise plausible reasons as to why Liam can't complete his thoughts, he'll do that on the bus uptown. "Ok, I'm leaving my class now. I'll be there in twenty, thirty minutes."

But even on the ride to the hospital, Zayn can't come up with an explanation as to what could get Liam into an anxious frenzy after being virtually braindead for almost a week and a half. By the time he reaches the medical center, he's so crazed, that people in the halls probably think he's followed in an ambulance carrying a loved one. Any looks he ignores, pushing the lift button hurriedly, and practically bursting through the research lab door when he gets there.

Not a single body can be seen in the white room. It's quiet, and he's about to pull out his phone to call Liam once more, ask him what sort of game he's playing and to let Zayn know what's really going on, when he hears muffled voices.