Chapter Text
Louis Tomlinson nervously sat on the edge of his desk at the front of the classroom. It was his first day at the university, and at 22, he was the youngest professor there. He anxiously adjusted his favorite red and white suspenders that were holding up his white jeans and lay on top of his navy blue collared short-sleeve shirt. The other professors, clad in dress pants and tweed blazers, had given him a few odd looks, but he convinced himself not to care. He wanted to teach and this is where he was going to do it. English was the subject he was teaching. Second year English: literary analysis. Louis loved to read, and he loved discussing the meaning of words and poems with other people. He just hoped that the students would be able to enjoy it at least a little bit.
The bell rang just as he was thinking this and he nervously stared at the door, which was several rows of desks away from him. The room was a stereotypical lecture hall, at least fifteen rows of desks that got slightly higher in elevation as you moved farther away from the front. He couldn’t imagine the type of volume he’d have to put in his voice to reach everyone.
The first student hesitantly entered the room. She was cute, long brown hair parted straight in the middle and clad in high rise jeans and a thin pink tank top tied at her waist. A white undershirt covered everything the pink shirt didn’t and she toted a large brown shoulder bag. She walked coolly towards the front of the room.
“Mr. Tomlinson?” she asked for clarification. Louis smiled and nodded. She grinned at him. “I’m Eleanor. Calder,” she informed him as she took a desk in the second row. He smiled at her again and watched as students began to flow more quickly into the room. Some, he noticed, were just as put together as Eleanor seemed. He noticed one girl with similar brown hair that was thicker, but she had the long, lithe body of a dancer and she was wearing dark skinny jeans, black flats, and a turquoise shirt that flowed loosely yet was still flattering to her thin body. He also noticed a blonde girl that had her hair tied in a loose ponytail and wore dark gray sweats the clung in a flattering way to her backside and thighs, along with a simple white v-neck and a denim jacket. He watched her for a second. She seemed as if she’d been out partying all night and then had come to school with a major hangover. Who knows? Maybe she had. However, she snapped to attention when a boy walked in front of her desk. He paid no mind to her, it seemed, but she tensed until he was farther away. Louis let his eyes drift to the boy as the warning bell rang. He was wearing a simple graphic black t-shirt and light jeans. His hair was styled into a perfectly swept quiff, just barely tipped with blonde on one section. He looked bored yet alert, as if waiting for someone to walk in the door.
Louis sighed as the final bell rang. The class wasn’t exactly large, but it wasn’t small, either. He cleared his throat.
“Good morning. I’m Mr. Tomlinson, and this is second year English.” He glanced over at Eleanor, who smiled encouragingly. “If anyone’s in the wrong room, just come show me your schedule and I’ll do my best to tell you where–“ He was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. He looked up to see a tall boy entering the room. He was wearing a white v-neck, black skinny jeans, brown boots, and a gray beanie covered about half of his mop of curly hair. He muttered out a half-hearted apology as he scanned the room. His eyes landed on the dark-haired boy Louis had noticed earlier and he smiled. He walked over and took a seat next to the boy, who grinned and shook his head at him. Louis decided not to make a deal out of one tardy. It was the first day, and he wanted his students to like him. He continued on with the introduction and then proceeded to take role. He learned that the girl with the dancer’s body was named Danielle Peazer, the girl with the blonde hair was Perrie Edwards, the dark-skinned boy was Zayn Malik, and the tall, curly-haired boy who was late was Harry Styles.
The class passed in a blur. Louis really only introduced them to what they would be doing over the course of the year and allowed them to ask him any questions they wanted to once he finished his spheal. The questions were just what anyone would expect: Where are you from? How old are you? How long have you been teaching? Louis answered each of them with ease, not faltering even when he admitted he was a first year professor. He noticed a few small laughs coming from the area of the room where Zayn and Harry sat, but he didn’t let it faze him. He thought he was doing pretty well for his first day. Before he knew it, the bell rang and all but a few students rushed out of his classroom. Some of the laggers left, leaving only Zayn, Harry, and Eleanor talking to a few of her friends as she gathered her belongings. Zayn waved to Harry and walked a confident walk out the door. Harry came up to Louis’s desk and looked him straight in the eye.
“Are you gay?” Louis started at the question. Harry eyed him knowingly, a smirk appearing on his face.
“What?” Louis managed.
“Oh, you heard me. Are you gay? Although I hardly know why I’m asking, it’s pretty obvious. Benefit of the doubt, I suppose.” Louis furrowed his brow, beginning to dislike the boy.
“I hardly think that’s any of your business, Harry,” Louis said coldly. Harry didn’t respond for a minute, then cocked an eyebrow and walked off, muttering something that sounded strangely like fag under his breath. Louis’s breath hitched. He’d never heard anyone use that word as pure insult before. Where he was from, most people were pretty accepting, and even if they weren’t they kept to themselves.
Eleanor made her way over to him, a sympathetic look on her face.
“Don’t mind Harry,” she said, pouting slightly. “He’s a real jerk. It sucks for you to get him as a first year professor.” Louis mentally shook himself and smiled coolly.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Ms. Calder. I’m not going to let one student ruin my teaching experience.” Eleanor smiled a bubbly smile at him.
“That’s good. Well, I better get to class.” She waved a farewell to Louis as she left and he sat back on his desk, letting out a deep breath.
He didn’t know why Harry’s question bothered him so much. He never really gave much question to his sexuality. He liked people. He supposed if he had to choose he’d rather bang a guy, but girls were alright too. It all depended on their personality. Looking back, Louis had it pretty easy concerning sexuality. His family was fine with whatever, and so were his friends. Straight? Awesome. Gay? Wonderful. Bisexual? Spectacular. Be whatever you wanted. He smiled in fondness at the memory of his mother when he’d brought his first boyfriend home. She’d shown no difference to when he’d brought girls home, and he’d appreciated it immensely.
Louis had to snap himself out of his reverie when his next class began to file in the door. He gathered himself and smiled, ready to face the day.
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A small knock came on Louis’s office door. His room was huge, but his office was attached and relatively small with the door closed.
“Come in,” he called. Another teacher entered and offered him a friendly smile.
“Hello,” he said, offering Louis his hand. “I’m Liam Payne, but you can call me Liam, of course. I teach chemistry.” Louis smiled at his friendliness.
“Hi,” he replied, equally friendly. “I’m Louis Tomlinson. Spelled like Lewis, said like Louis. You can call me Louis or Lou.” Liam grinned at him.
“How was your first day?”
“Not so bad. It’s going to take some getting used to, but I think I’ll like it. Although . . . there was this one student in my first class . . .” Liam hesitated.
“I hate to gossip about students, but . . . who was it? Maybe I know them.”
“Harry.” Louis paused. “Styles.” Liam’s eyes widened.
“You have Harry Styles first class?” Louis nodded, slightly weirded out and worried at Liam’s reaction. “You teach second year English?” Louis nodded again.
“Yeah . . .” he said slowly. Liam’s face eventually relaxed and he smiled again.
“Tough break, mate. Harry Styles is a bit of a rebel. Smart kid, just doesn’t like authority too much.” Louis eyed Liam cautiously.
“Well, that’s not too bad . . . Are you sure that’s it? Why did you freak out so much?” Liam chuckled nervously.
“Well, ah. You also have Danielle, don’t you? Peazer.” Louis nodded slowly. Liam cleared his throat and looked down at his hands.
“What about her?” Louis finally urged. Liam hesitated.
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Um . . . yeah.” Liam rocked back on his heels.
“Danielle and I are . . . like, together,” he mumbled. Louis furrowed his brow.
“Why do I have to keep it a secret? You don’t seem that old.” Liam chuckled.
“No, no, it’s not age. I’m 27 and she’s 24, so it’s nothing like that. It’s against school policy. Professors aren’t supposed to date students.”
“That sucks,” Louis said as his brow furrowed. “How long have you guys been together?” Liam’s mouth turned up into a wide grin and his eyes turned slightly dreamy.
“Almost a year, now. She was in my chemistry class first year . . .” Liam sighed. “Don’t fall in love with a student, Louis. Hiding your relationship is the worst thing you’ll ever have to do.” Louis nodded.
“I would imagine so.” Liam watched him for a second, then smiled.
“Let me know if you need any help around here. The campus can get pretty confusing.”
“Thanks, but my best friend and my roommate goes here. I’ve known him for twelve years and he’s pretty much explained the entire school to me, down to every nook and cranny.” Louis grinned at Liam to show that he was still grateful for the offer. Liam didn’t seem hurt by Louis declining.
“He doesn’t live in a dorm?”
“Nah, he lives in those apartments that are just right off campus. You know the ones? With the big fountain out front. I walked here this morning. It’s closer than some dorms, really.” Liam nodded.
“Yeah, those. Sometimes I forget they’re not dorm buildings to be honest.”
“Speaking of, I better get going. Long day.” Liam nodded.
“Right. See you tomorrow, Louis.
Liam left and Louis stayed in his office for a bit more to organize his desk some and then started to walk to the flats.