Ziam Smut

Glory and Grace

Glory and Grace
  C: iwanttowriteyouafic

Summary:  R&B Liam Payne shows up at famous footballer Zayn Malik's match.
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The moment Liam stepped onto the field he knew Harry was going to kill him. There was paparazzi everywhere, all of whom seemed to immediately give up the pretence of taking photos of the players and instead turn their cameras on Liam. Harry's words rang in his ear when the first flash blinded him: 'Don't you dare go to that match, Payne. Being your agent is hard enough without you purposely messing with the press.'

Naturally, Liam has come to the match.

He walked past the paps until he was at the sidelines next to all the WAGs. The cameras behind him went wild at that, especially after Gregson's fiancée walked over to great him. The team was already on the field practicing, doing some sort of drill that put Horan's keeping skills to the test. He was excellent, though, only missing a single shot by Tomlinson.

It didn't take long to find Zayn. He was on the other side of the pitch, dribbling a ball casually while he waited for Rodríguez to clear off so that he could have a shot at the goal. His long hair was pushed back by a headband, leaving his flushed cheeks and sweaty forehead unobscured by his thick, dark hair. His uniform clung tightly to his skin (whether from sweat or just size, Liam didn't know), allowing lean muscles to be visible. When he ran towards the goals there was a definite sort of intensity in his strides. His long legs, focussed demeanour and love for the game all collided in an instant, all resulting in a perfect top bin. Liam couldn't help but grin as he watched.

Zayn caught his eye as he ran to line up again. He was close enough that Liam could see his eyes scrunching up with his smile, but not close enough that Liam could see the twinkle in his amber eyes that he knew was there.

"You here for Zayn, then?" Dolomore's wife, Anita, asked, eyes watching her husband with a fond smile.

After a moment, Liam nodded.

"Good," she said. "He more than deserves the support."

Liam quickly shook his head. "I'm not-"

"Liam James Payne," his agent's voice cut him off. Harry was storming his way over to him, surprisingly coordinated considering his baby-deer legs were threatening to slide all over the damp grass. "Are we just ignoring everything I say, now?"

Liam groaned, shifting his hat nervously. "I'm not ignoring you."

Harry gave him a deadpan look when he arrived beside him. "I asked you to not come to the game. You came to the game. That means you ignored me."

"What difference does it make?" Liam asked in exasperation. "People are going to talk no matter what."

"You know what being here means," Harry sighed. His eyes raked over the field, falling on Zayn's lean body with an unimpressed frown.

And, yeah, Liam did know what it all means. He once again eyed the paparazzi, cameras still going crazy, the fan-filled stadium, the staff members loitering around. Liam wasn't vain enough to think that all eyes were on him, but he was smart enough to know that a fair few were. Liam being here, in the middle of his European tour where there had never been so much hype surrounding him, was enough to make people talk. Pair that with being openly bisexual and watching a man play soccer whom he has been linked with on more than a few occasions, and Liam was bound to draw some attention.