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Teachers Pet - ch. 9 of 20 Pairing: Sebastian Sallow/Garreth Weasley Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Sebastian Sallow was under the impression he’d never have to see Garreth Weasley again. He was wrong. Now they’re both teaching at Hogwarts, both entirely insufferable, and somehow even worse around each other than they were at seventeen. Unfortunately, time has not made things simpler. If anything, it’s made them… complicated. Genre Tags: enemies-to-lovers, slow burn
“Do you ever leave your classroom?” Sebastian asked as he walked over and looked at the shelves against the back wall.
“No,” Garreth didn’t look up from where he was writing. “I live here.”
Sebastian turned to look at him, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Garreth finally looked up at Sebastian and chuckled.
“I’m kidding,” he placed his quill down and propped his chin in his hand. “I just prefer to work here.” He waited a moment, watching Sebastian pretend to be interested in the shelves. “Besides, it’s easier for you to find me if I’m here.”
Sebastian flopped face down onto his bed. A combination of guilt, embarrassment, and anxiety had settled deep within him, rendering him brainless, apparently. Why had he said that? It was a reflex. Hopefully Garreth knew that. Sebastian didn’t mean it, he felt bad as soon as the words left his mouth. Then he felt even worse when he saw Garreth’s face. He really didn’t hate… whatever this was. It was extremely uncomfortable, and weird, but he didn’t hate it outright. Honestly, the fact that Sebastian didn't hate it was probably the most unsettling part of this whole thing. The fact that he actually felt bad for rejecting Garreth like that… was bizarre. It was hard to define, but he hated his feelings. He didn’t hate the fact that Garreth was the subject. The whole thing made his head hurt. Sebastian just wanted to sleep. Maybe then he would be able to approach this with a clearer mind. Something he would need because he also needed to apologize. As strange as everything was, he didn’t want to leave things the way they were.
Morning came sooner than he had wanted. The night had dragged on; he would randomly fall asleep just to wake up maybe thirty minutes later with a pit of anxiety in his stomach. Sebastian laid in bed and tried to figure out how to accomplish the daunting task of apologizing. He could catch Garreth before or after breakfast… get it out of the way. That plan would’ve been great, if Garreth had shown up to breakfast. Sebastian spent the whole time sitting at the teachers table, eyes glued on the doors to the hall. Rosie sat next to him, mostly silent.
“You’re awfully quiet this morning,” Rosie glanced at him as she sipped her coffee.
Sebastian hummed. “Tired. Didn’t sleep well last night,” he didn’t look at her as he spoke.
“Good thing it’s a Saturday then. You can just go back to sleep after this.”
“Yeah…” he trailed off, eyes still stuck on the door.
Rosie didn’t say anything else, but she kept looking over at him curiously. When Sebastian finally finished his food and got up to leave, she threw a half-hearted “goodbye!” At him, but it went unanswered.
As Sebastian wandered around the castle, he noted how empty it was. Even for a weekend. Then it dawned on him, that it was the first day of the Christmas holiday. A new wave of anxiety washed over him, what if Garreth had gone home for the break? Then what? Sebastian didn’t want to wait until it was over to apologize. He decided to go check Garreth’s classroom anyway, just in case. Although, as he walked up to the open door and saw Garreth at his desk, Sebastian wasn’t sure why he was surprised.
“Do you ever leave your classroom?” Sebastian asked as he walked over and looked at the shelves against the back wall.
“No,” Garreth didn’t look up from where he was writing. “I live here.”
Sebastian turned to look at him, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Garreth finally looked up at Sebastian and chuckled.
“I’m kidding,” he placed his quill down and propped his chin in his hand. “I just prefer to work here.” He waited a moment, watching Sebastian pretend to be interested in the shelves. “Besides, it’s easier for you to find me if I’m here.”
Sebastian whipped around to look at him, but Garreth had gone back to grading, his chin still propped in his hand, hiding the half smile on his face. Sebastian scowled and grumbled, and turned back to the wall.
“So, is there a particular reason for your visit today?” Garreth asked.
The anxiety Sebastian felt from earlier returned, and this time it didn’t go away. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to face Garreth. “I just—…” he sighed heavily as he crossed his arms, his eyes flitted over to Garreth for a second. “Wanted to apologize… for what I said.”
Garreth didn’t respond, he just sat at his desk and watched. Sebastian felt a weird unease settle in, he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I didn’t mean it. I just— I don’t hate this. I mean, I do, but… ugh. It’s nothing personal, I guess,” Sebastian felt like the words were coming quicker by the second. Like he was losing the little control he had over what was spoken. “It’s just… I don’t know— I’m not…” Sebastian trailed off, his eyes landing on Garreth.
The way he was looking at Sebastian made him want to scream. It was both too much and not enough. Garreth was just sitting at his desk, leaned back in his chair, patiently listening to Sebastian struggle. There was a tiny smile on his face, and his eyes looked distractingly calm. How could he be so calm?
“I don’t know. I didn’t mean it… I guess— I’ve just never been good at the whole relationship thing, and—“ Sebastian caught himself mid sentence. He felt like his stomach had dropped down to the ground. Sebastian glanced at Garreth and he looked a little shocked, as taken aback as Sebastian felt. Sebastian turned back around, and could feel Garreth still watching him. He could also tell that it was in a different way now.
Sebastian felt panic swell in him, it was suffocating. He cleared his throat and focused on the jars in front of him. They were safe. They didn’t look at him like that and force him to reveal too much. “You know what I mean,” Sebastian muttered.
“Okay.”
The word sounded weird. Sebastian waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. Sebastian turned around and looked at Garreth, puzzled. “Okay?”
Garreth shrugged. “Yeah. It’s fine.”
Seconds dragged by, the silence in the room felt too thick. “You’re not mad?”
“No,” Garreth shook his head. “I get it.”
Sebastian hummed, his eyes shifting around the classroom. He avoided looking at Garreth, even as he sat down in the empty chair next to his desk. “So… you’re okay?”
“Yep. I’m good,” Garreth’s head tilted slightly as he regarded Sebastian. “Are you?”
“Yeah. I think so… I will be,” Sebastian still didn’t look at Garreth as he spoke. He settled into the chair more, arms folded over his waist and his legs crossed at the ankle. A subtle awkwardness showed up, and it made him feel fidgety. “So… what are you working on?”
Garreth tried to hide the smile, but it was in vain. “Grading some homework, nothing interesting.”
Sebastian nodded, he met Garreth’s gaze for a second before looking away again. “You’re not going home for Christmas?”
“In a few days,” Garreth drummed his fingers as he watched Sebastian unabashedly. “My family is… taxing. I can only handle so much of them at a time.” Garreth had to refrain from asking Sebastian what he did for the holidays. Something told him he already knew what it consisted of.
“Hm,” Sebastian scratched at a spot along his jaw. He tried to get used to the discomfort he felt just being around Garreth. No fighting, no petty insults. It was like he had been living in the dark this whole time and now someone turned a spotlight on him.
“You gonna stick around?” Garreth asked, that same patient, knowing look returned. It made it hard for Sebastian to maintain eye contact.
“Don’t let it go to your head,” as he spoke, he couldn’t help the smirk that slipped past.
Garreth snorted quietly. “I’ll try not to,” he went back to grading the homework with no further comment.
Once Sebastian let himself relax a bit, the quiet that settled over them was… surprisingly comfortable. He looked around the classroom, noticing things like how organized Garreth seemed to be. Everything was labeled, nothing was laying around out of place. There were no spills or messes of any kind, and his work was neatly stacked into two separate piles, with the current assignment in front of him. Sebastian wondered if Garreth really did live in the classroom. Did he ever go up to his room in the faculty tower? He did. Sebastian suddenly remembered that awkward moment a few weeks ago in the doorway and how Garreth had gone scampering up the stairs. Sebastian chuckled internally, noting that must have been when he was in Sebastian’s current predicament. It was odd to see Garreth like that: rattled. He usually strutted around, so self-assured. That moment stayed in Sebastian's mind for a solid few days after. Sebastian found his gaze slowly drifted over to Garreth, who was currently concentrating on the task in front of him. He looked so different like this, quiet and focused. He had a jumper on, the collar of his shirt sticking out, hair was a mess (like always).
Sebastian settled a bit more into his chair, and let his attention be fully drawn to Garreth. Curious about studying him under the glaringly bright spotlight that had been lit. Sebastian didn’t really have a type, per se. But… Garreth wasn’t terrible looking. He had a certain effortless way about him. Always relaxed, always collected, always ready with some remark to whatever someone said. It kind of suited him. Sebastian let his eyes wander to more specific details, and his thoughts followed suit. He noticed things like how his eyebrows were consistently furrowed as he worked, and he sighed a lot. It was almost kind of endear—
His train of thought was interrupted when Garreth looked up at Sebastian. He quirked an eyebrow and the corners of his mouth twitched up just barely.
“Can I help you?” Garreth joked.
Sebastian hated how he felt his cheeks heat up from being caught. He just looked away, and focused on the empty room.
“Hardly,” the word was as forced as his calm demeanor.
He waited until he saw Garreth look back to the paper in front of him before Sebastian’s attention was gently coaxed back to Garreth. As he stole fleeting glances, he realized that there was another thing that he hated above all else: he didn’t want to leave.
Teachers Pet - ch. 8 of 20 Pairing: Sebastian Sallow/Garreth Weasley Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Sebastian Sallow was under the impression he’d never have to see Garreth Weasley again. He was wrong. Now they’re both teaching at Hogwarts, both entirely insufferable, and somehow even worse around each other than they were at seventeen. Unfortunately, time has not made things simpler. If anything, it’s made them… complicated. Genre Tags: enemies-to-lovers, slow burn
“Don’t look at me like that! Like… like you don’t know what I’m talking about,” Sebastian’s voice went up in volume as he ranted. “You know exactly what I’m talking about!”
“I do,” Garreth chuckled. “But I kind of want to hear you say it.”
Sebastian wouldn’t say he had ever been very level-headed. He had a tendency to overreact, and get hung up on small things. But ever since Garreth had been released from the infirmary three weeks ago, he felt an almost unbearable pressure so heavy that one wrong word would make him snap. He found himself contradicting his own thoughts constantly. One second he was saying he didn’t care what Garreth was doing. The next he was in his classroom, because what if he fucked up again? It was infuriating. To make it even worse, Garreth wasn’t reacting the way he usually did. He was supposed to take the bait, pick a fight, or do something. Instead, he had come up with a new way to be insufferable, and that was being borderline agreeable. The most Sebastian got out of him was regular teasing. Not even anything mean. It was clearly part of some stupid game. It had to be intentional. Right? It was the only thing that made sense.
If Sebastian asked himself that question, he found the uncertainty of the answer made his heart rate spike in a way that pushed him closer to whatever edge he was standing on. So he leaned all the way into what he knew. And that was trying to get a rise out of Garreth, no matter how unsatisfying it had become. He was so desperate that even though his mind screamed at him to just leave it alone, he still ended up around Garreth in some way. That particular day, when Sebastian walked in and found Garreth tidying up the workstations, he was met with that self satisfied smile instead of the usual glaring.
“What did I do now?” Garreth asked as he stood up and faced Sebastian. He had on his same too-casual clothes and his hair was just as unruly as always. Talk about unprofessional.
“Nothing, yet,” Sebastian shot back. Rolling his eyes as he scanned the empty room.
“You know,” Garreth smiled wider and shifted his weight. “You don’t need to make excuses to come see me.”
Sebastian bristled. “That’s not—God. You’re so annoying.”
“And yet,” Garreth replied, gesturing vaguely toward him.
“You’re delusional. Clearly all the fumes are getting to you,” Sebastian scowled.
Garreth nodded. “Clearly.” He didn’t say anything further, just crossed his arms and looked at Sebastian in a way that made him squirm.
Sebastian groaned and threw his hands up. The empty room suddenly felt too small, and it made him feel itchy. He needed to leave. So, he turned around and left without replying to Garreth.
“See you later!” Garreth’s voice rang out down the corridor that Sebastian was speeding through. As he ignored the feeling caused by Garreth's comment and headed towards his room, a sense of conflict smothered him in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. His instinct was to go to Ominis. He was always able to be the voice of reason in times like this. However, as soon as the thought came to mind, he shut it down. Sebastian knew what Ominis would say, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to hear it.
Sebastian was so lost in his mind, that he was half way to his room when he remembered he still had afternoon classes to get through. He pivoted and went back down to his classroom. Sebastian forced himself to follow the lessons he had planned. He had been neglecting his students with the half-assed classes, and he hoped that he could distract himself with his work. He couldn’t. The whole time, his mind kept going back to Garreth. He had to slow down a few times because he almost slipped and said something out of place. The last thing he needed were rumors being spread about what was bothering Professor Sallow. By the time the last class had been dismissed, Sebastian couldn’t think straight. He needed to address this head on, even though the mere notion made him feel nauseous.
In spite of his need to get whatever this was off his chest, Sebastian found himself anxiously standing in his office, trying to convince himself that this had to be done. He finally worked up the nerve and marched down to Garreth’s classroom. On his way there, he hoped that Garreth was actually still around, because Sebastian knew he wouldn’t be able to recreate this moment. The static in his mind had become deafening. As he approached the open door to the classroom, he felt like he was being forcefully pushed through mud. Nevertheless, Sebastian stormed in and shut the door behind him. Garreth was working at his desk and looked up when he heard Sebastian.
“Okay. This—this needs to stop,” Sebastian stated as he began pacing in front of Garreth’s desk. His hands flung in front of him as he spoke. “Whatever stupid fucking act you’ve been playing at—it’s. It’s not funny. Never has been, but this is insane.”
Garreth’s expression was one of curious interest. He had leaned back in his chair, arms folded over his stomach and watched Sebastian with his head tilted to the side. He cocked an eyebrow when Sebastian didn’t continue.
“Don’t look at me like that! Like… like you don’t know what I’m talking about,” Sebastian’s voice went up in volume as he ranted. “You know exactly what I’m talking about!”
“I do,” Garreth chuckled. “But I kind of want to hear you say it.”
Sebastian felt an overwhelming stab of panic. He slowed to a stop, and pressed his mouth closed, pretty sure that if he tried to speak he would throw up. He stared at the ground, then glanced at Garreth. A shaky breath racked through him as he looked away. Garreth shifted, leaned forward again, this time his face had softened. Just enough to tell Sebastian that he knew.
“I—…” Sebastian’s hands felt clammy, he wiped them on his shirt and resumed his pacing. This time slower. “You’ve been doing this on purpose, haven’t you?”
“Maybe,” Garreth shifted back in his chair.
Irritation surged through Sebastian, his frantic anger returning. It was more familiar than whatever he had just felt seconds ago. “You—you’re impossible. Completely insufferable. Why—… why do you think you have any grounds to assume what I may or may not be thinking?” Garreth’s response sent a shock through his system, truly the last thing he would have expected to hear him say.
“Because I was in your exact spot only a few weeks ago,” Garreth’s voice was steady, his gaze unwavering.
Sebastian rubbed his hands over his face. “No. No. That’s not—you’re wrong.”
“No I’m not,” Garreth’s eyebrows stitched together, his voice taking on the slightest edge of impatience. “You know I’m right. If you just—“
“No,” Sebastian said more forcefully. “I can’t.”
Garreth folded his hands on the desk in front of him, his eyes still focused on Sebastian. “Yes, you can. I know it’s scary—trust me, I know. But, I mean…” Garreth trailed off, waiting until Sebastian looked at him. His heart wrenched slightly at the look on his face. Uncertainty, fear, apprehension. “At least you’re not alone?”
Sebastian was quiet for a long time, a myriad of emotions flashed across his face. Anger, sadness, annoyance. He sighed heavily, his fists clenched and his jaw tensed.
“Fine!” He practically yelled the word and threw his hands up. Then pointed accusingly at Garreth. “Fine. There’s something else going on here—fine.” Sebastian scowled at the small smile that found its way on to Garreth’s face. “But that doesn’t mean I have to be okay with it!”
Garreth held his hands up in defense. “Never said you did.”
Sebastian resumed his pacing, he looked anxiously around the room and picked at his nails. He eventually slowed back down and stared at Garreth. “What the fuck?”
He knew exactly what Sebastian was getting at, he shrugged again. “I know, right?”
Garreth watched Sebastian, still slightly amused at the messy route Sebastian had taken to his realization. Sebastian sat down in the chair next to his desk, placed his hands in his lap and stared down at the scattered papers. When he looked up at Garreth, his face was pure confusion.
“How did—… how?” Sebastian muttered. Again, Garreth knew what he meant.
“I don’t know,” Garreth’s eyes locked with Sebastian’s. “But.. I don’t hate it.”
“I do,” Sebastian replied before he could even register it. The words came out harsher than he intended. Guilt settled in seconds before he saw the fleeting hurt on Garreth’s face.
Garreth knew that Sebastian’s response was most likely reflex, but it still hurt a bit to hear the rejection said with such conviction. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. Sebastian fidgeted, his hands flinching to reach out but he kept them still. He inhaled sharply and straightened himself out before standing again.
“I… I can’t,” the words came out rushed, half-coherent. Garreth didn't bother trying to stop Sebastian as he turned around and left just as quickly as he had come in.
Garreth’s attention lingered on the closed door, the sound of the slam echoed through his mind. He reminded himself that Sebastian needed time, but he could not help the worry that had settled in at his reaction. What if Sebastian had a harder time with this than he did? What if he never came around?
Teachers Pet - ch. 7 of 20 Pairing: Sebastian Sallow/Garreth Weasley Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Sebastian Sallow was under the impression he’d never have to see Garreth Weasley again. He was wrong. Now they’re both teaching at Hogwarts, both entirely insufferable, and somehow even worse around each other than they were at seventeen. Unfortunately, time has not made things simpler. If anything, it’s made them… complicated. Genre Tags: enemies-to-lovers, slow burn
“Two visits in one week?” A smile tugged at Garreth’s mouth as he watched Sebastian tense up and stop mid step.
“You’re going to give me a complex!” He called after Sebastian as he turned around and left without saying a single word. Garreth couldn’t help the quiet laugh that slipped out as he watched Sebastian walk away.
If someone had told Sebastian there would be a day he didn't try to pick a fight with Garreth, he would’ve laughed in their face. Yet, there he was. Standing in the doorway to the faculty tower, the slam of Garreth’s door from upstairs rang in his ears. And he had nothing to say. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say something. It was just that when he opened his mouth to make a snide remark, nothing came out. It was as if his mind had decided to take a break. Or something equally as aggravating. Sebastian glanced up the stairs that Garreth had just bolted to, and turned back around. He’d forgotten what he’d been about to do. The encounter with Garreth had reset his brain in some frustrating way. One thing he did know was that Garreth’s lack of response put him on edge. Sebastian frowned as he turned around again, and slowly made his way back to his room. He always knew that Garreth paraded around like he was better than everyone, but that never stopped him from taking Sebastian’s bait. Now he decides he’s too good for it? Ridiculous.
Even as Sebastian went back to his room, and settled in for the night, all he could think about was how clearly Garreth was up to something. Clearly he was trying to get under his skin, and annoy him in some new way. Trying to pull the whole “taking the high road” bullshit. Sebastian grumbled, he didn’t know who Garreth thought he was fooling. They both knew he wasn’t good enough for that. Sebastian’s sleep that night was fitful. It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that he finally remembered what he had been leaving the tower for.
~
The next few days were uneventful. Normally, that wouldn’t have been anything worth noting. Except the fact that in this case, “uneventful” also meant no vexing encounters with a certain Potions Professor. By the time three days had gone by, Sebastian was infuriated with the silence. How long was Garreth going to keep up this charade? He didn’t exactly have a reputation of being someone who saw things through.
“Have you talked to Weasley lately?” Sebastian asked Rosie at lunch one day. After he spent an inordinate amount of time glaring at Garreth who sat towards the other end of the teachers table.
“Yeah… why? Jealous?” Rosie teased.
“I don’t waste my time being jealous of someone like him,” Sebastian quipped, his tone a bit harsher than usual.
Rosie furrowed her eyebrows at him, and turned to face him fully. “Okay, wanker. What’s your problem?”
Sebastian eyed her, the corners of his mouth barely tugging up. “Nothing. Just stating the obvious.”
There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other. Rosie confused, and Sebastian unsatisfied. She rolled her eyes and went back to her food. “Whatever.” Sebastian pulled a face and also went back to his food. The quiet between had turned slightly tense.
“Why are you asking about Garreth? I noticed you two haven’t been at each other's throats this week.” She waited, chewed on the bite in her mouth for a second before she spoke again. “Miss him?”
Sebastian felt an off-putting twist in his stomach at the accusation. “Merlin, no. He’s been suspiciously quiet. I’m just wondering if he’s suddenly decided to put on some charade of arrogance for everyone or what.”
He could feel Rosie staring at him and the longer it went on, the more he squirmed. He finally turned to face her and she had her eyes narrowed at him, a sly smile on her face.
“What?” He snapped.
Rosie bit back a chuckle. “Nothing.” She held her hands up in defense. “I didn’t say anything.”
Sebastian groaned and looked away. “You’re such a bother.”
“Yes. I’m such a bother,” she turned and looked at Garreth, then back at Sebastian without saying another word.
The rest of lunch went by without another word. Sebastian was left feeling just as upset as when he sat down. His gaze kept darting over to Garreth as Sebastian tried to figure out the point of this little game he was playing. By the time he got up to leave, Sebastian had decided to leave it be. A small voice in his head reminded him that he had asked Garreth to leave him alone, and that's exactly what he was doing. Except Sebastian had never been very good at listening to that voice in his head. So, the next day when he was walking back to his room after detention, and he heard a noise from the empty potions classroom, the foul mood he had been stewing in for the past four days had finally boiled over. He had changed direction and was standing in the classroom before the thought could even register in his mind.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Sebastian closed the distance between him and Garreth, eyes narrowed and hands shoved into his pockets.
Garreth looked up from where he was brewing something and looked at Sebastian. The genuine confusion changed to something that had an edge of annoyance to it.
“Working?” He stood up to address Sebastian head on, throwing a silent stasis spell on the potion. Show off. “Unfamiliar with the concept?”
Sebastian scoffed. “Hardly,” he crossed his arms and looked off to the side. He glanced at Garreth before looking away again. “You’ve been uncommonly quiet lately. Finally run out of things to say?”
A few moments passed and neither of them spoke. “You said you wanted me to leave you alone.”
“Okay, but you’ve never actually done it before. What made it finally get through your thick head?”
“You sounded like you actually meant it this time,” Garreth replied as if it was the most normal response in the world.
Something slipped in with the irritation that stirred in him. His mouth tightened as he scrutinized Garreth. “Don’t act like you’re doing me a favor. I know this is all an act,” he pointed accusingly at Garreth.
The look on Garreth’s face faltered for a second before hardening, his eyes bored into Sebastian.
“Why would I waste my time and energy putting on an act for you?” The question came out more pointedly mean than was normal. Garreth sighed and shifted his weight, eyes never leaving Sebastian. “Are you done? I need to finish this. And I can’t do that with you around.”
“Why not? That easily distracted?” Sebastian mocked.
“No. You’re just a nuisance and I’d rather not have you around.” Garreth replied as he removed the stasis spell and went back to what he had been doing.
Sebastian’s face went rigid. “Why do you think you’re so much better than me?”
“I don’t,” Garreth didn’t look up from where he was closely measuring an ingredient into a vial.
Something about the dry response triggered a mixture of petty anger and another feeling that grew stronger by the second. Sebastian doubled down on the familiar anger, his eyes lingered on Garreth for a moment longer before he turned around and stormed out of the classroom.
Sebastian got back to his room, but his mind wouldn’t stop circling Garreth’s infuriating behavior. The smug silence ate away at him more than any of his overconfident prodding ever had. “You sounded like you meant it this time.” Why should that matter? It’s never mattered before. Sebastian had told Garreth to leave him alone countless times over the years, and he always came back. Was always in his face the very next day with some dumb insult or trying to pick a fight. Garreth must be losing his edge. That was the only explanation. Sebastian refused to acknowledge why this change in behavior affected him more. Instead he decided to stew in his dislike for Garreth and force himself to sleep. It wasn’t very good sleep, yet again. When morning rolled around he felt like he hadn’t slept at all. The day dragged on in a daze, coasting his way through classes. His mind was a muddled mess of resentment, confusion, and exhaustion.
However, the news he received at the end of the day cut through the fog like a sharp knife. Rosie walked into his classroom, and the resoundingly worried look on her face set his nerves on edge. Sebastian didn’t say anything as she walked up to him, just waited for her to speak.
“I know you probably don’t care, but Garreth is in the infirmary. Along with one of his students,” she said as she came and stood at the desk Sebastian was at.
He straightened up from where he was cleaning a spot on the surface and looked at her with an unreadable expression. Immediately his insides twisted and churned, ugly satisfaction that was almost immediately interrupted by something else. Impossible to ignore and just as unwelcome.
“What happened?” His voice was more controlled than he felt.
“Some student was attempting to brew something they weren’t supposed to,” Sebastian bit back the scoff that surfaced. Talk about irony. “And when Garreth saw, apparently he was checking to see what it was they were making when the fumes got to them. Turns out it was poison. The Headmistress got the story from another student since they’re both still unconscious,” Rosie watched Sebastian closely as she spoke, her hands wrung anxiously in front of her.
Sebastian cleared his throat, trying to push down the nagging, gnawing feeling in his chest. He looked away as he spoke. “Serves him right. Always preaching about how the material is too restricting. Of course some half wit is going to take it too literally or too far.”
“Sebastian…” Rosie sounded concerned, she looked at him with wide eyes. “I know you don’t like him, but he’s been poisoned.”
He didn’t look at her, worried she might see what was going on inside him. That she might be able to name the unwanted emotion before he did. “He’s fine, though, isn’t he? Just unconscious. Nurse Blainey and his aunt will make sure of that.”
Rosie didn’t say anything, just studied him. “Well, it’s getting late,” her words were controlled. Borderline calculated. “If you wanted to gloat in person, he might be awake by now. Blainey is probably going to sleep soon.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes, picked up the rag he was using when Rosie walked in and turned to go to his office. “Thanks for the information, but the last thing I want to do is give him that satisfaction.”
The silence that followed was heavy, and lingering. “Okay. ‘Night, Sebastian. See you later.” She watched him go up the stairs, offering a half-hearted wave in her direction, before disappearing into his office. She left without another word.
Sebastian heard the door to the room close, and waited. He paced around his office, hands fiddling with the rag. He knew this would happen. That Garreth would land himself in the hospital wing because he just had to try and foster innovation in his classes. It didn’t take a genius to see the flawed logic. The curriculum was in place for a reason, to avoid instances like this. Sebastian huffed quietly, leave it to Weasley to find a way to fuck up something so simple. He had always been like that. Thinking he was above everyone else, that the rules didn’t apply to him. And now he finally paid his dues. What a dolt. Sebastian couldn’t wait to rub it in his face. However, he also did not want to be lectured by Rosie. So, once he was sure she was far enough away, Sebastian began to make his way to the infirmary. He initially told himself he would just go tomorrow, but apparently his petulant need to be right took over. He was walking, much quicker than anticipated, up the stairs towards the faculty tower before he could register what was happening.
By the time Sebastian reached the door to the hospital wing, he was slightly winded. He hadn’t realized he’d been moving much quicker than he’d intended in his haste to get to the infirmary. During the entire walk there, only one thing was on his mind: he needed to see Garreth, to rub this in his face. But as he stood in front of the closed door, hand hovering over the handle, he hesitated. He suddenly felt kind of silly, having rushed over there at 9 o’clock at night. Yet, even as the thought crossed his mind, the door slowly opened regardless. There had been a clear disconnect between his mind and his body. He walked into the room, and he immediately scanned the area for Garreth. Two of the beds closest to the door were occupied, one by Garreth and the other by his student. Sebastian stepped toward Garreth’s bed, his stomach dropped at the sight. He was asleep on his side, in his normal clothes, but he looked so… weak, somehow. Sebastian blinked and shifted awkwardly as his gaze paused on the empty chair next to the bed. He adjusted again, clearing his throat as his eyes flitted to the table beside the bed, then to the bag full of a purple liquid attached to Garreth’s arm, and then back to Garreth.
The foreign pull he felt in his chest the day his student touched the cursed object had begun to resurface, and it unsettled him. Even when he tried, he could not think of a single insult to throw. It wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. The embarrassment he felt moments ago when he was outside the infirmary came back, and this time he felt the overwhelming need to leave. He turned, and in his haste to leave, he kicked the leg of the bed, jostling the frame.
The sound startled him, sending a sharp jab of panic through his chest. He did not bother looking back to see if the noise woke anyone up. Sebastian did not notice how Garreth stirred and groggily looked around to find the source of his waking. Garreth blinked as he tried to shake off the sleep, and he watched someone slip out of the infirmary, wondering to himself if that’s who he thought it was. Garreth stared at the closed door for a moment longer, confused about who would be there late at night. He wasn’t able to dwell on it, though, because seconds later he had laid back down, sleep taking hold once again.
~
Nurse Blainey let Garreth leave two days later. The student had somehow managed to create a strange hybrid poison, its effects difficult to treat. According to Rosie, Garreth forewent any type of standard punishment, saying that the infirmary visit should be punishment enough. She’d even said the tone he used with the student was stern enough to rival Sebastian, which he found hard to believe. Nevertheless, Garreth had been deemed recovered, and was back to teaching by the end of the week. Friday morning, Sebastian was restless. He fidgeted during class and kept losing his train of thought during any lectures. Eventually, he resorted to having the class practice their dueling. He walked around the classroom, watching the pairs duel, but his mind was elsewhere. When the final morning class had been dismissed, the last of the students had just barely left the room before he found himself heading down to the dungeons.
The door to Garreth’s classroom was open; the students had already left for lunch. When Sebastian walked in, he didn’t see Garreth at first. He felt his stomach dip a tiny bit at the missed opportunity to ridicule him. Then, he heard some noise from the storeroom. The door was open, and Sebastian could see Garreth rummaging through a box toward the far end of the room, his back to the door.
Sebastian leaned against the doorframe. “I don’t think you’ll find what you’re looking for in there.” He smirked when Garreth jumped at the sound of his voice.
Garreth turned and glared at Sebastian, clutching a beaker. He sighed heavily, and went back to the box. “And what might I be looking for?”
“Common sense.”
A moment passed, the only sound was the clinking of glass. Garreth turned back around, holding a couple of broken vials.
“You say that like you know what you’re talking about,” Garreth muttered as he pushed past Sebastian and went over to his desk.
“More than you. I’ve never let a student brew poison right under my nose,” Sebastian walked toward the desk, studying Garreth a little too closely. He noticed Garreth still looked worn from his hospital visit. There were bags under his eyes and his skin was pallid.
“No, instead you just leave cursed objects around,” Garreth replied, only glancing up briefly at Sebastian. He realized that the look in Garreth’s eyes did not match the intensity of his words.
The comment still triggered an uncomfortable flare of anger and embarrassment. He clenched his jaw and scowled. “I just came to see if you managed to get yourself blown up today,” he turned to face the door. “Try not to be so careless next time,” he called out over his shoulder as he left the classroom, not looking back. He wasn’t sure what would happen if he did.
~
As Garreth set the broken vials down on his desk, he thought to himself that it was a good thing Sebastian didn’t look back as he was leaving, because he would’ve seen Garreth bite back a suspecting smile. As soon as Sebastian had snuck up on him, Garreth knew. Now that he had become more comfortable with his own feelings, the signs were glaringly obvious. However, it was just as obvious that Sebastian was not ready to accept anything yet. He appeared to still be clinging to the thinly veiled hatred for Garreth. And so, Garreth was happy to sit back and watch him flail for a bit. He would get there eventually. Besides, the more time Sebastian spent scrambling for his diminishing cover of contempt, the more time Garreth had to settle in his own realizations. Garreth had wondered if he could expect more visits from Sebastian, but he did not have to wonder for long. Sebastian was back on Monday. This time Garreth was sitting at his desk, planning the week's lessons when Sebastian walked in. He looked like he had a jab ready to go, but was cut off.
“Two visits in one week?” A smile tugged at Garreth’s mouth as he watched Sebastian tense up and stop mid step.
“You’re going to give me a complex!” He called after Sebastian as he turned around and left without saying a single word. Garreth couldn’t help the quiet laugh that slipped out as he watched Sebastian walk away.
The next visit was on Wednesday during their free period. Garreth was reorganizing the bottles of ingredients on the back shelves when Sebastian came strolling into the classroom.
“Hey, Sergeant Stupid, petrify anyone today?” Sebastian walked up and stopped a few feet away, arms crossed, staring maybe a little too intently.
Garreth ignored him while he finished putting away the last of the jars. He could feel Sebastian’s attention on him, but when he turned around, he was caught off guard. Sebastian’s gaze lingered lower than it should have. Garreth looked down at his clothes, didn’t see anything that stood out, and glanced back up. When they made eye contact, Garreth swore he saw a flash of embarrassment.
“No, not yet,” Garreth replied, turning fully to face him, eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke. “But I still have the rest of the day. There’s time.”
The silence that followed was tense. Sebastian didn’t bother breaking it as he turned around and left. After that, every time Garreth saw Sebastian there was always some type of insult ready, no matter how weak. Sebastian always wore the same defiant look, and every time it fell just as quickly when Garreth didn’t respond the way he was supposed to.
Two weeks later, Garreth was pretty sure Sebastian was beginning to lose it. He barely tried to disguise his visits, just throwing out a random dig when showing up, then leaving barely ten minutes later. One time in particular during breakfast, Garreth had casually mentioned to Rosie that he had a headache. Sebastian chimed in from her other side: “You forget to tell Nurse Blainey about something? Typical… idiot.”
Rosie and Garreth both unwittingly shot him similar looks at the remark.
“Yeah, I forgot to mention that I have this huge pain in the ass coworker I have to deal with on a daily basis,” Garreth shot back, hiding the smile that crept up behind his cup as Sebastian grumbled incoherently and turned back to his food.
From that point, it only got worse. Garreth started noticing even more small tells that Sebastian was most likely doing entirely on accident. Things like how Sebastian seemed to constantly be on the verge of saying something, then held back at the last second. He would linger around Garreth just a moment longer than was normal during one of his visits, or when they happened to run into each other in the halls. Even with all the small signs that Sebastian was losing his edge, the most damning detail was that he did not pick fights the way he used to. Sure, he would throw petty little jabs here and there, but nothing like the beginning of the school year. The vitriol behind his words was just no longer there. It was with this more than anything that Garreth became increasingly curious how much longer Sebastian could keep it up. Because at this point, it wasn’t a matter of “if” anymore.
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Thank you to everyone who's been keeping up! Hope you like this one. Thank you love you!!<33
