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Professor Novak was a great teacher, truly. Maybe a little spacy at times, but as far as professors in the religious studies department went, he was the best.
He was an overall private man, but his students knew a few things about him. Despite teaching biblical studies, he was agnostic, for one. He was a beekeeper in his spare time. And, of course, he had a husband.
At first, he was very private about his life, not letting his students let onto much at all. Unlike a lot of their professors, he didn’t make an introduction slide for himself, only explaining the course. They didn’t even know his first name; from his email they could only tell it started with a C. The only indicator they could catch onto was his wedding ring. It was silver, with a light blue gem in the middle. Only one of them had gotten close enough to see the detailing. Surrounding the gem were angel wing engravings. Whoever he married must love him very much.
Once, he asked who would not be there on a particularly important day, and one student raised his hand. He was getting married, and would be out for the week. Professor Novak smiled and excused his absence, no note required. Acknowledging the other students' hunt for knowledge, he used this as a segway to ask Professor Novak how long he’d been married to his wife.
He smiled and responded, “me and my husband have been married for about 5 years.”
The students were thrown off guard by how easily he offered up the information, but it quickly melted away when they noticed how soft he looked talking about his husband. Yep, they were definitely in love.
If a student in Professor Novak’s class were a freshman, they might have Professor Winchester for chemistry. He was the opposite, easily offering information about his brother and home, his old job as a mechanic. Often he would go on long stories, disrupting his class. His students didn’t mind though; he was undoubtedly charismatic, and they would often forget where they were, caught up in his stories. Even the least scientific would look forward to his classes.
He too was married, as he had stated frequently. Despite his multitude of stories about ex girlfriends and hookups, he was happily married to a man named Castiel. From what the students could tell, he was an eccentric but sweet man. Often when Professor Winchester, or Dean as he insisted he be called, talked about his husband, his face would brighten like the sun. Even with his charismatic nature, they never saw him so genuinely excited.
Occasionally, if you walked out of the school at the right time, you would see Professor Novak entering the passenger's seat of a Chevy Impala. His students had different theories as to why this was. Some believed he couldn’t drive and had his husband pick him up, while others believed he worked on campus and they drove home together. No one had ever seen the driver enter the car, so it was hard to say.
Strangely, if you looked in Professor Novak’s desk, you would find a photo of him, Dean, and another man. The man was a few inches taller than the other two, off to the left with a beer. Dean and professor Novak were laughing together, hands around each other's shoulders. They looked to be in some kind of club, and in the foreground there was a peace sign, presumably from the photographer. The student who discovered this didn’t think to mention it, as it made sense in a way for Dean and Professor Novak to be friends. Their interests occasionally aligned, and they seemed to be complementary. The student filed it in his memory, only brought up again the day he found out.
Being professors at the same school, it was only natural for them to lose something at some point. Today, Cas left his graded tests in Dean’s bag by mistake, and he was caught up in a meeting all of lunch. He didn’t think it would be a problem, until the same student from the beginning of the year raised his hand.
“Professor Novak? Have you graded our tests? My wedding is next week so this is my last class before then.”
‘Shit’, Castiel thought to himself, trying to come up with an answer.
“They are graded, but I appear not to have them with me today. Give me a minute and I might be able to retrieve them for you.”
“Okay, thank you so much,” the student mumbled, moving his attention back to his work.
Cas: Do you have my biblical studies tests?
Dean: uh yeah prob
Dean: ill check my bag when i get a chance
Cas: thank you Dean.
Dean: of course angel
With the papers sorted out, he continued his lecture on the New Testament, looking into a sea of bored faces. Engrossed in his teaching, he didn’t notice when the door to his lecture hall opened, and didn’t see Dean until his students moved their decreasing attention to his right.
“Hello, Dean,” Professor Novak said when he noticed him
“Heya. I got the papers you talked about- I think,” Dean said, trying to be helpful. In reality, they almost certainly belonged to Cas. he didn’t assign tests anyway, but the oaf was never booksmart. Cas smiled endearingly.
“Thank you,” he turned to his students, “please collect your papers when leaving class.
If anyone was confused by why Dean had his papers, they didn’t mention anything. This was another fact in their arsenal, and they didn't want to scare Professor Novak by asking more.
Professor Novak fact #4: friends with Professor Winchester.
Since the mishap with the papers, students took more and more note of when the two professors interacted. Once, when a student of Castiel forgot his notebook in the back of the class, he used his gap time to walk back into the science building and retrieve it. Entering the lecture hall, he noticed Professor Novak and Dean eating lunch together at his desk. Dean was ranting about something while eating a turkey sandwich, while Professor Novak was sympathetic, listening intently to whatever he was annoyed about. Walking closer, the student could make out more of their conversation.
“And what does he even know about this crap anyway!?” Dean exclaimed, Tossing his turkey sandwich on its wrapper in frustration. Castiel shook his head, in agreement that this man did not in fact know anything.
“I mean, it’s been 5 years. Five years Cas! And he still thinks I'm gonna pack up my whole life and get back into the family business.”
Professor Novak grumbled in response.
“Sam is off being a lawyer in California! Why can’t I teach here, why do I need to go back?”
“He can handle things on his own, he just wants control over you,” Castiel responded wisely.
The student, realizing the depth of this conversation, suddenly got very anxious about interrupting it. He decided he would just come back after school, leaving Professor Novak and Dean alone to discuss whatever they were doing. If he had Professor Winchester as a teacher, he would realize ‘Cas’ was Dean’s Cas, but he instead tucked the memory away out of respect, not realizing the case he had just blown open.
In reality, it wasn’t until much later that their students would realize the true connection between Professor WInchester and Professor Novak. Nearing the end of the year, seniors and freshmen alike were losing their interest in school drama. Final tests were nearing and no one had time for partying or prying into each other’s lives. They had almost forgotten Professor Novak was married, instead frantically stressing over his final test. For many, this test was the make or break of their religious studies degree, and they couldn’t afford to retake the class.
It was one of those frantic days when Professor Novak gave them time to study. He sat at his desk, clearly happier than usual. This wasn’t to say that he wasn’t a happy man, but he didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve the way he was today.
Maybe 45 minutes into class, the door to the lecture hall opened. A few students instinctively looked up, but many kept their eyes on their notes. That was, until the footsteps broke out in a run. Looking up, they saw a very tall man running toward Professor Novak. He stood up from his desk, shock apparent on his face. When the two met, the hug almost knocked Professor Novak down. Trailing behind, Professor Winchester was smiling.
“Sam? What are you doing in Kansas?” Professor Novak asked, laughing.
“It’s the 6 year anniversary man, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Sam responded, letting go of the professor.
Finally, Dean caught up with the two of them. To the surprise of the students, he leaned in and kissed Castiel softly.
“I- how did you do this?” Castiel asked, at a loss for words.
“Got the next couple days off,” Sam said proudly, like a child bragging to their parent.
Castiel laughed, “Of course you did. I was convinced we just wouldn’t celebrate after you moved.”
After watching the moment unfold, one of Professor Novak’s more outgoing students raised her hand.
“What anniversary?” She asked aloud when no one noticed her. The three seemed to realize the presence of the students for the first time, awkwardly breaking away from each other.
“Ah, Dean, his brother Sam, and I used to be in the same business. This is our 6 year anniversary of pursuing careers we want,” Professor Novak explained, bringing Professor Winchestor’s hand in his own. The movement was natural, as if instinctual. The students realized it was.
The three waited for class to finish before leaving the building, going out to eat and celebrating. The next month, Professor Novak and Professor WInchester celebrated their wedding anniversary, surprising each other with gifts during school. When they kissed, their students couldn’t help but smile with them.