Not Happening

Chapter 1

Zayn wakes up, startled, to someone pounding on the door to his tiny dorm room. He rolls over, facing the door as the knocking continues, this time louder. He eyes the alarm clock on the shared desk between the two beds, and he almost can't believe the luminescent 2:32am, or the fact that someone's actually pounding on his door at that time of night on a Wednesday.

Only he can believe it, since it's not the first time.

"Zayn," someone slurs from the other side of the door. "Zayn, c'mon, I forgot my key. Let me in. I know you can hear me."

He can, but he can pretend that he doesn't. Which is what he attempts to do, rolling back over to face the wall, pulling a pillow over his head. Zayn is the type of person who can sleep anywhere, at any time, and he's a deep sleeper. Which comes in handy, really, given the rooming arrangements.

Honestly, he should have known from that first day. He should have known the moment he'd shouldered into the dorm room with a heavy box slipping from his fingers, only to find that someone had already been inside. Someone who had left their stuff everywhere. There had been boxes in different states of being unpacked littering both sides of the room, not respecting the halfway line at all. There had been clothing partially folded and draped off both beds, the drawers of the dresser at the end of the right bed hanging open.

Liam Payne is a fucking asshole.

Only Zayn hadn't realized it at first, since the boy in question had stumbled into the room with his cheeks flushed and sweat glistening his forehead, and he'd said a seemingly sincere, "Sorry, sorry! I didn't think you'd be here for a while, I thought I'd have time to put my stuff away."

What he didn't realize, in that moment, was that it was only the beginning.

Now, he can't get back to sleep. Liam keeps knocking at the door and Zayn keeps trying to sleep, but he fucking can't.

With an annoyed huff, he climbs out of bed and unlocks the door. Liam stumbles inside, smelling like cheap beer and perfume. In the dull light from the hallway, he can see the red lipstick stain at Liam's neck, and he rolls his eyes.

"If you keep me up any longer," he warns, "I'm punching you in the face."

The door shuts, plunging the room into darkness. "You don't have the balls," Liam says, unconcerned. "And 'm tired anyway. Going to sleep, don't worry." He yawns and collapses on his bed hard enough that the sound of the bed frame hitting the wall cracks through the room. "Wouldn't want to screw with your precious eight hours."

Zayn glares in Liam's general direction and climbs into his own bed, pulling the pillow immediately over his head because Liam, of course, snores like a fucking lawn mower. He should really get that checked out. It's got to be some kind of condition. Or maybe he does it on purpose because he knows it irritates Zayn.

He finally does fall back asleep, to the sound of Liam's annoying breathing and with the smell of alcohol hanging heavily in the air.

~|~

"Request a new roommate," Louis suggests. "It's not that hard. I'm sure you could switch rooms."

Zayn sighs. He could, sure, but he doesn't want to. It's like they've started a war, him and Liam. He thinks it started in the second week, when he was trying to study and Liam was working out on their floor, and Zayn couldn't help but demand to know if he could do it somewhere else, and Liam had only smirked at him and turned his music on. It's a war he refuses to lose, and if he gives in and requests a room change first, he'll be waving a white flag, surrendering. He's not going to do that.