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Reese looked at the clock on his phone with a sigh as he continued to scroll. Professor G was nearly ten minutes late by now which was pretty out of the ordinary for the usually punctual teacher.
“What’cha looking at?” Paige asked as she leaned over his shoulder to stare at his phone. He shrugged her off.
“Maybe ask before looking, Paige,” Sam retorted from the row behind the pair where they were messing around on their computer.
“Thank you, Sam,” Reese responded, feeling Paige’s pout even if he didn’t look up from his screen.
Just as Paige was about to form her own, probably snarky reply, Professor G came barreling in through the door, quieting down the light chatter that had filled in his absence. He muttered apologies as he rushed to the front and started pulling out his papers.
“Sorry I’m late for class,” the professor started, getting the last of his supplies prepped for the lecture, “my darling decided to make me breakfast this morning and I lost track of time.”
The usual murmurs that follow any bit of information about Prof. G’s allusive partner broke out. Until one student in the back, Adam if Reese remembered, called out, “Just breakfast?”
Snickers and oohs broke out amongst the students, always up for a little immature teasing.
Yet, the professor’s face just turned impossibly fond as he looked at his notes for the day and softly responded, “Yes, actually. It’s the first time we’ve had breakfast together.”
Awws quickly spread throughout the students and broke the teacher out of his musings. “Alright, I’ve lost enough of today’s time already. Let’s just jump right into it then.”
…
That was the typical atmosphere in Reese’s Historical Literature class. A nine in the morning class only made more bearable by the company of his two friends and Professor G.
“Professor Golding” had been written on the board on his first day of class. “My name’s Professor Golding, but you can call me Prof. G, or just Robert if you’d like. I don’t care,” he said.
Reese, just past twenty now, still couldn’t call teachers their first name. But, that didn’t detract from the class’s laid back feeling.
None of the students could explain it, but Prof. G just made you feel like you were in the stories and could make the history truly come to life. Some claimed that the professor actually lived through everything and that’s why he was such a great teacher. Reese didn’t really believe it, yet some of his insults towards Shakespeare were a bit… personal sounding.
…
“...that attention seeking, work stealing, prissy little twa–” Paige choked on her water next to Reese. He patted her back as their professor finished, “–it.”
Professor G took a breath to calm himself. Seeing as he had to do this supposedly every year, Reese would’ve thought that he would’ve gotten a hold of this grudge thing by now.
Adam, ever the class instigator, decided to shout out, yet again, “Does your partner also hate Shakespeare so passionately?
Professor G hung his head in, what looked to Reese like, shame, “No,” he huffed, “duck thinks he’s a ‘great and imaginative dreamer whose works have inspired hundreds of thousands, so that’s what really matters.’”
He grumbled something else that Reese swears he only heard because he was in the front row. “Of course love always takes his side,” leaving the student with a hundred questions.
“Trouble in paradise,” Paige laughed beside him.
…
That was the other thing about Professor G’s class. Everyone was obsessed with his love life.
The teacher was constantly making off-handed comments about something his partner did. Always using nicknames and always at least once or twice a class. Reese is pretty sure there is a compilation document circling somewhere of all of the comments Professor G has made about them.
The thing is, it’s just really weird obscure facts that won’t help narrow down who this person is. They’ve tried getting a name out of the teacher and he just sidesteps. The students would use specific pronouns for the partner and Prof. G gave nothing away. Most are pretty sure that just means they use all pronouns, but others are just pretty sure he’s just covering his tracks.
Then, there are students who’ve taken his class before who are telling the new students that this partner is relatively new, but before that, the professor would talk at least once a week about his “good friend.” Now, no one in his current classes have even heard of this “friend.” People speculate whether the professor’s partner and this friend had a falling out and he had to choose. Others think they are the same person.
Of course, everything got thrown out the window when someone new joined Reese’s class.
…
At five minutes to nine, Reese came stumbling into class, coffee in hand and slumped into his seat.
Paige bounced in a few moments later and took the seat next to him. She gave him a once over as she sat down. “You know, some people actually have classes even earlier than this,” she said, just on the verge of too condescending.
Reese glared at her over his coffee cup. “You should be grateful I’m here at all after the night I had,” he gritted out.
Paige’s face softened and she started to ask him about it when a blur of shadows brushed past his peripheral vision. As he turned to look, he saw JD’s hotter sibling strut into the room, complete with dramatic long black trench coat, skinny jeans, and combat boots. Their hair looked artfully messy and eyeliner that they must have been born in.
Paige caught his lingering gaze and followed it, her jaw dropping when she spotted the midnight cloaked beauty. “Please tell me they’re a transfer or something,” she whispered to him. Reese just silently nodded, watching as the newcomer took a seat in the front row across from them.
Two minutes till class, just as Reese had nearly worked up the courage to talk to the goth fantasy, Professor G walked in.
“Sorry everyone. Last lecture ran late and–” he cut his rambling apologies short as his eyes met with the new student. “Oh, hello there.” He smiled brightly and stopped his walk to the desk.
A corner of the newcomer’s mouth turned upward. “Hello, as well,” they replied in a voice as deep and smooth as the ocean, and Reese might have muffled a groan.
“Are you a new student for today?” Prof. G asked, finally finishing his walk to the desk.
The other gave a slight bow of their head, “Yes.”
The professor gave a light snort as he arranged his papers for the day. “Do you have a name and pronouns you’d prefer?” he asked, sparing a brief glance up before continuing.
The other’s mouth twitched again as they responded, “Morpheus Gadling, he/him”
The professor stopped what he was doing and stared up at the other– Morpheus –with wide, shiny eyes, before breaking out in the brightest grin anyone in the room had ever seen.
Eventually, some kid in the middle of the tables coughed and broke the spell.
Professor G cleared his throat and rubbed his nose. “Well, I’m glad you could be with us, Mr. Gadling,” he responded with a slight smile.
“Of course, Professor Golding,” Morpheus replied with a smirk.
“Just Professor G will do, or Robert, if you prefer.”
“Alright, Robert.”
The whole class just stared at the pair, unable to do anything else. After a brief moment of just gazing at each other, Professor G seemed to finally remember where he was and get the lecture started.
Everything else about the lecture went on as normal. It was only after everyone was packing up and leaving did Reese realise that Prof. G never even mentioned his partner.
…
The next class, Paige and Reese filled Sam in on what they missed as all of them stared at the door, waiting for Morpheus to arrive. Sadly, five minutes into class and Professor G already getting deep into the topic, they weren’t likely to see him.
As the professor went over to his deck to retrieve papers to pass out to the students, he sighed, shaking his head at the papers.
“Something wrong, professor?” Adam asked from the back.
The teacher sighed again. “My love’s idiotic bird got into my papers for today and messed them all up.” He shuffled through the papers once more, looking for what he needed and any of them that weren’t pecked or clawed at.
Meanwhile, the students were having a field day with this new information. Some had also noticed the significant other wasn’t mentioned last time and wondered if they should ask Prof. G about it. No one did, out of mild respect for his privacy.
Except, the next class, Morpheus was back and the students noticed that, again, their professor never mentioned his partner. The more the new student showed up, the less Professor G talked about his private life.
Obviously, everyone in the class had their own theories as to why. Especially after talking with some of the members of other classes who said they were hearing about their teacher’s “love” the same as usual.
Some people, Sam, speculated that Morpheus was the “friend” who the professor had to choose between and is trying to have some form of reconciliation. And Professor G was just being polite by not mentioning his partner to Morpheus.
Others, Paige, think that people close to the professor disapprove of his relationship, so he doesn’t say anything for fear of word spreading to those that might seek to do harm.
While most of the class, Reese included, think that their teacher is having a secret relationship on the side with Morpheus. They think that their sweet professor is cheating on his lovely partner with the class’s tall, dark, and definitely smitten new student. You spend one class period with them– hell, one conversation and you know there is something there. Just, no one could put their finger on exactly what it was.
It all came to a head a month into the endeavour.
…
A few minutes into class, Sam raised their hand and asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Professor, where are our papers? I thought they were supposed to be returned to us.”
Professor turned slightly away from his students and muttered something that even Reese couldn’t make out.
“What was that, professor?” he asked.
“We can’t hear you, professor!” Adam yelled from the back.
Professor G sighed and faced his students again, though sighted more red than before. “Duck fell asleep on my lap and wouldn’t let me finish grading papers last night. Though, I now suspect it was faked for attention…” he trailed off the second sentence and a few snickers flared up in class.
Someone else asked, “And why do you think that?” as Reese’s phone vibrated in his pocket.
Since he knew Prof. G doesn’t mind phones as long as you're quick, and the teacher was already thoroughly distracted, he slipped out his device. To his surprise, Paige had texted him:
omg! goth cutie is standing outside the door just listening to everything
Wtf is goin on in there?!
Reese’s eyes widened and snapped up to his professor, then the door. Quickly he typed:
ranting about his partner again!
what’s his reaction?
Reese set his phone face down in front of him, waiting for a reply, but wanting to hear what else Professor G was going to say.
“Well,” the teacher rubbed the back of his neck nervously and seemed to be choosing his words carefully, “my love has a very… interesting sleep schedule. Darling also relishes getting attention.” His nervous smile turned much softer. “Beloved has a way of asking for attention and affection while refusing to use words. My dear used to be so closed off and it took ages for me to worm my way in.” He huffed a laugh, fondness shining through his eyes.
Reese’s phone started to buzz and he grabbed it before it could attract much attention.
he looks kinda happy? i think?? idk??? Paige messaged. Reese sighed as quietly as he could and thankfully, another bubble quickly appeared. he’s got this little smile on idk how to describe it
Reese laid his phone down again, tuning back into the professor’s lovestruck ramblings.
“... and, well, I couldn’t ask for anyone better.” The gentle smile never leaving Professor G’s lips as he finished.
That’s the moment Morpheus chose to enter the classroom. All heads and eyes turned to stare at him, some switching between him and their professor. It looked like it was finally time for the other shoe to drop.
Yet, Morpheus had this twinkle in his eye and the tiny smile Paige had mentioned.
“How long have you been listening?" Professor G questioned, voice light and tight.
Morpheus’s smile turned just a bit sharper. "Long enough.”
The professor looked like he was holding his breath. To be fair, most of the class was looking and feeling the same.
“How long have you been praising me to your students?" Morpheus practically purred.
Everyone’s head whipped over to their professor who was incredibly flushed and refusing to meet anyone’s eyes.
At least half of the class’s jaws drop, including Reese’s.
Adam, the class’s bravest idiot, shouted out, “Wait, so is it true you faked sleeping on Professor G’s lap for attention?"
Everyone flipped back to staring at Morpheus who gained a light, adorable blush while giving Adam a death glare.
That’s when everyone collectively thought, “Yep, this is absolutely the dork our teacher has been hiding from us all year.”