it turns out that taking two math classes when you actually don’t have to take any at all because you’ve hit the graduation requirement kind of sucks major balls.
this is the kinda overachiever bullshit i end up doing every year lmao. i kept telling myself i was gonna have an easy senior year and i knew it was bullshit. my councilor told me that i should drop some of my classes cause im taking 6 college courses thru community colleges/state schools and that’s pushed me to not drop any of them. i can’t help being spite driven. i can’t stand when people tell me to quit something because they don’t think i can do it, but hey, im doing good for myself. even if doing 100+ math problems kinda sucks. (no im not joking 2 math classes means double the work apparently, who would’ve thunk?)
summary — when you need a date to accompany you on a double date, your best friend, luffy, is the one who offers to step in. however, can you still contain your feelings for him after going on a date with him that tests your control every step of the way?
𖤐 word count — 5.01k
𖤐 genre/tags— university! au + best friends to lovers. fake dating, maybe a little ooc! luffy, FLIRTY LUFFY FLIRTY LUFFY, tension, namvivi mentions, slightly suggestive, both the reader and luffy are absolute idiots in a horrible state of yearning.
𖤐 author's note — vaguely inspired by the song affection by between friends + mood board here
꒰masterlist꒱
THE lab’s cold air burned your nostrils as you released a sigh and carefully closed the door to the cold room. It was a long, grueling, class with the lab managing to take up the full three hours slotted for the class. The hallway lights flicker slightly and in the distance you see a slumped figure curled up in a red hoodie and clutching their backpack for dear life.
Stepping forward, you let out an incredulous, “Luffy?”
It was indeed Luffy who was loudly snoring outside the room to your laboratory class with his (practically empty) backpack being cuddled in his arms and a Hello Kitty bento box tucked by his side. You nudge his thigh with the corner of your shoe, trying to gently wake him up.
After some gentle nudges and a (less than gentle) flick to the forehead, Luffy wakes up falling forward and with a snort. He looks around blearily like he isn’t quite sure how he got there - there being the math and science building - before he squints up to look at you towering over him, standing and exhausted.
He brightens immediately at the sight of you and hauls himself upwards with his backpack strapped on to his chest rather than his back and engulfs you into a hug. You let out a slight oof at the sudden contact before you’re also wrapping your arms around him despite the front side of his bag digging into your ribs.
“That class is so long, I think I spent half of my life just sitting here!”
You feel your heart skip a beat at the feel of him wrapped around you. His skin is warm somehow despite the cold environment and you feel your skin warming at the contact of his skin on yours. You take a deep breath to compose yourself and with a roll of your eyes you release him before giving him a nudge with a smile. “What are you even doing here? You know my labs are always long.”
He grins before flourishing the pink bento box towards you, waving it at you for you to take. “I missed you! Plus, Sanji is trying out some new recipe for his international cuisine class and he wanted you to try some.”
He leans in a bit closer in a conspiratorial way before saying in a stage whisper, “It was really hard to not eat it, I think I deserve a thanks, personally.”
You let out a snort before shoving his face away. “Right, thank you so much for not eating the food that was intended for me.” You press a hand to your chest and mock a princess-like swoon. “My hero, really.”
Luffy grins before shuffling closer to you as the two of you slowly walk out of the freezing building and out into campus, the sky shadowed by the dark colors of dusk and the peek of starlight.
It’s a subtle thing really, the way Luffy’s fingers brush yours, slowly but almost intentionally, waiting for the right time to strike. He continues talking to you about his day, ranting about his professors and their sheer audacity to assign a paper to be done over the upcoming fall break and how he has yet to start his Global History project. He continues to talk and talk, not because he doesn’t want to hear you but because he knows you’re tired. He knows in the slump of your shoulders, the tiredness lining the creases of your eyes, the yawns that filter through your mouth every few minutes. He knows you.
It feels like he’s known you for almost an eternity - when you were children, screaming and running as you tagged each other as ‘it’, when you were in that middle space between child and teenager and you had told him about having your first ever crush, the way it felt like your heart was being twisted and turned in every direction, when you were teenagers and were each other’s rock, motivating the other to push through school because then in the end it’d mean the two of you would land in the same school, always together.
It was always you and him. He knows you like the back of your hand and you know him down to the freckles littered on his back (all sixty six of them). So when you feel the tips of his fingertips graze yours, you feel your heart catch in your chest. Somewhere along the way of pinky promises and midnight adventures, you had caught feelings for him. Not the fleeting kind you once had for crushes in your childhood, but the full throttle of feelings that threw your heart in a blender and wanted more, more, more from every touch, every glance.
You glance over at him as he continues to talk animatedly as if he isn’t aware of his hand inching closer and closer to yours, continuously meeting for the briefest of seconds before separating again. Until you feel the skin of his pinky finger curl around yours, tight and snug, ensuring it won’t go anywhere. You let out the smallest gasp at the contact before smoothing over your expression and looking back at him again. Luffy? He’s the picture of nonchalance right now - like he’s not even aware of your racing heartbeat or that he’s practically two steps away from holding your hand. No, he just continues to rattle on about how he had to search up what an MLA header is again like that should be the main concern right now.
The two of you continue to walk all the way across campus till you reach your dorm building. Standing by the heavy metal door, you stand there as Luffy lets go of your pinky finger (are you supposed to already be missing the touch?) and leans in close to you to tap on the bento box in your hands. He’s so close and his smile borders on a smirk as he says, “Let me know how it tastes, yeah? I’m gonna make Sanji cook some more of it, if it is.”
Rolling your eyes, you laugh as you say, “Like you care if it’s good, you’d eat fried plastic if it was free food.”
Luffy leans back and shrugs, grinning as he says, “Hey, free food is free food, if Sanji made fried plastic I’m sure it’d be gourmet plastic at the very least.” He pinches his fingers, mimicking a chef.
You let out a laugh, before you feel him reach out to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind your ear. There’s mirth in his eyes but also so much care as he says softly, “Go inside. You’re tired and you should eat and get rest for your classes tomorrow.”
Feeling warmth rise in your face, you nod lightly before opening the door to your building. You give him a light wave and he smiles a bright smile, waving back, and watches you go inside before he turns back to start his walk back to his dorm.
Inside, you clamber up the stairs and burst into your shared dorm and immediately flop onto your bed, groaning loudly. Behind you, you hear shuffling and Nami’s exasperated voice ring out from across the room. “Luffy again?”
You get up from the bed to face her and run a hand down your face slowly before nodding. You can still feel the warmth lingering on your face as you recall to her the way he had held your finger and close proximity as he smiled at you. Nami had been the subject of multiple hour long talks about Luffy and your feelings for him since freshman year. The two of you had been assigned roommates and since that year, you’ve been rooming with each other every year proceeding that. If Luffy was your best friend then she was right after him on that list.
She has been a witness to many of you and Luffy’s interactions and she has been adamant on her verdict on the issue ever since she first saw the two of you. Not that you agree to it, only hope.
You can hear Nami’s frustration more than see it as she drones out, “You know he likes you, right? Surely, you can’t deny it now.”
The warmth resurges on your face at her declaration but still you shake your head at her. “No, I doubt it. It’s just…Luffy being Luffy y’know? He’s always friendly.”
She lets out an incredulous laugh at your words, “Right, that’s why he also walks me home to my dorm and waits for three hours for my class to finish and looks at me with those disgusting puppy eyes.”
You’re about to retort a comment back to her, denying her accusation before Nami flaps her hands around in a shooing gesture. “This is exactly why I’m dragging you along on that double date. You need to either jump his bones or find someone else. Clearly you won’t do the first option so double date it is.”
Curling around the blanket of your bed, you let out yet another groan before tossing a pillow over to her side of the room. “I still have to go to that? I don’t even know the guy you set me up with.”
There’s a small pause in the room and you look up from your blanket and squint at Nami who’s awkwardly shuffling in her slippers and avoiding eye contact with you. “What?” you ask.
She twirls a strand of hair around her finger, still avoiding eye contact with you. “Well… actually the guy that was supposed to be your date cancelled.”
Your eyes are still narrowed at her, waiting for her to continue. “Which means?”
She lets out a sigh. “Which means, we’re still going on that date but now you have to find someone who’s going to be your date for the double date.”
“Why can’t I just not go?”
She gasps dramatically at this, the mischief back in her voice. “You can’t leave me alone! I need my best friend to join me, you have to come.”
Flopping back against your mattress you wave a hand at her. This would be a problem for later. “Fine, fine, whatever, I’ll figure it out, I’ll come with.” You say half-begrudgingly.
You hear a squeal and she jumps on top of your bed to give you a tight squeeze as she declares her thanks. Smiling, you return her embrace, feeling at peace in your own bed and next to your friend, romantic feelings be damned. It’ll be a problem for later.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚
‘Later’ comes way too soon and suddenly you’re hit with the dilemma of having to find someone to drag along with you to this dreaded double date.
The library is cold and leaves its cold air on the rich wood desk that you and Luffy were currently sitting side to side by. There’s a laptop covered in pirate flag stickers and two open notebooks strewn across the table and covered in tic-tac-toe matches (he was losing). You groan before sinking lower in your seat and resting your head against the cool table.
“I don’t know what to do, I mean who am I even supposed to ask.”
Luffy takes off the earbud that’s connected to his ear. You’re both sharing a pair of wire earbuds, an indie song’s bass blaring from the tinny speakers. He tilts his head in question before asking, “Ask who? For what?”
You lift your head, feeling the imprint of the desk left on your forehead. Rubbing it gently, you grimace and tell him, “The double date Nami signed me up for. Apparently my date cancelled - not that I’m all bummed out about it - but now I have to find someone else to come with me.”
Luffy takes you in, down to the light imprinted line on your forehead. He hums in response, nodding lightly and taking in the words. He taps his fingers almost impatiently against the lacquered table as you continue to explain the situation.
“It’s just awkward to ask anyone and I wish I could just bail but I’d feel bad if I just left Nami alone and-”
“I could be your date.”
“It’s just annoying- what? You?”
He eases back into his seat and grins his bright grin at you. He shrugs, “Why not? We could pass off as a couple, we know each other well enough.”
Your heart feels like it’s about to burst as you stare at him incredulously, at a loss for words. He stares sincerely back at you, the curl of his smile the whole situation just that more heart-throbbing. Was he insane? Did he want you to suffer through heart palpitations? Did he enjoy this? Was he some kind of sadist who was reveling in your nervousness?
A silence passes between the two of you before you release a tentative “Okay.”
Luffy grins and pushes his shoulder against yours. You feel him gently place your fallen earbud back on, the wire re-connecting the two of you to the soft tune. His hand lingers near your face, his thumb brushing against your cheekbone gently. There’s a look in his eyes, a look so soft and so gentle that it nearly makes you question all of this. A look so soft, almost akin to yearning. Or maybe it is a look of yearning.
“It’ll be the best date you’ll ever go on.” He murmurs softly.
Your faces are so close to one another that you can feel the soft puffs of his exhale fan over your face as the two of you are stood frozen in motion. One hand is twiddling with the hem of your shirt, always touching you while his other hand is still gliding gently across your cheek. He traces down your face lightly, cupping it, and you’re staring at him with a mixture of love and curiosity, melting into his touch.
Then, as it does, the moment is broken when someone on the desk near you lets out a horrendously loud sneeze and the two of you blink at each other. You slap a palm to his forehead and shove his face away from yours, laughing nervously. “Well- you better finish your history paper first then! Don’t want to be worrying about the assignment while we’re on our date.” The word sounds awkward coming out of your mouth now.
Luffy moves his hand away from your face, blinking rapidly as if trying to wake himself up. He nods almost robotically before you feel his pinky finger curl around yours. He drags your hand closer to him before using his one hand to pull his laptop back open and start typing up his assignment. You try to tug your hand back from him to let him do his work with more ease but he only tightened his grasp on you, refusing to let you go.
He really was going to be the death of you.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚
Smoothing down the front of your jeans, you inspect yourself in the mirror taking in every aspect of yourself to see if there was anything else that needed adjusting. The plan was to meet at a nice ramen restaurant before switching over to watch one of the newest movies that came out at the theater. Luffy was coming to walk both you and Nami to the restaurant, ever the gentleman, despite Nami nagging in your ear about how he just wants to spend more time with you and how she was now being forced to third-wheel.
When the doorbell rang, you rushed to the door to open it while yelling at Nami to hurry up and her responding back with throwing some random cosmetic in your general direction. Once you do get the door open, Luffy stands behind it dressed in a loose black short-sleeved button up and clutching a bouquet of red petunias in his hand.
For a moment you gape at him, momentarily taken aback by not only the flowers but him. He looked beautiful with his perpetually messy hair and the sliver of a necklace peeking out from his shirt where the top button was unbuttoned. He looked like the epitome of boyfriend material and you were trying your hardest not to make it apparent that you were flustered by it. To his credit, he looked equally as in awe at the sight of you. His cheeks were slightly flushed and he nervously ran a hand through this already ruffled hair, looking at you up and down.
He clears his throat before flourishing the flowers at you, the brown paper crinkling slightly. “For you,” He pauses, taking his time to let his eyes roam your figure once more. “You look pretty.” Another pause. “Very pretty.”
You feel a flush warming your face, the heat taking over your ears. You gesture to him frantically, trying to play off the compliment, “You look nice too, perfect, actually, for a fake date.” You had said it to lighten the mood but Luffy imperceptibly frowns at this, as if realizing the circumstances of the situation and disliking them.
“Right. A fake date.” He repeats hollowly.
Just then Nami bursts from the front door, a cloud of vanilla perfume following her trail as she shoves Luffy past the door. “We’re gonna be late, what’re you guys standing out here for?”
You and Luffy make eye contact with each other and burst into laughter while Nami grumbles and saunters off ahead of you two.
Quickly, you tuck the flowers into a pretty glass jar before hurriedly locking up and following behind Nami with Luffy right by your side. The rushed walk to the restaurant included being led by the click-clack of Nami’s heels and the feel of Luffy’s arm brushing yours, each touch sending shivers down your spine. When you had glanced over at him, wondering if his touches were purposeful, wondering if he knew just the effect he had on you. He smiled back at you and you felt your heart clench at the radiance of it.
When the three of you had arrived at the restaurant, Nami’s date was already sitting there waiting. She’s pretty, you thought, with elegant long blue hair cascading down her back and glimmering gold jewelry adorning her ears and wrists. She had introduced herself as Vivi and you could see the instant chemistry between her and Nami, as the two hit it off instantly, damn near leaving you and Luffy in the dust.
Not that you needed it, because Luffy was playing his part of your date and he was playing it well. He fiddled with your fingers as the four of you debated what to order from the menu (Luffy insisted on getting the family meal for himself), when you took your turn to narrate a funny story for the group, he trailed a finger down your arm, leaving goosebumps behind as a trail. When the food had arrived, he insisted on feeding you a bite of his food and he insisted you give him a bite (or three) of yours in exchange, only accepting the food if it was you personally offering it to him.
When the bill was paid (Vivi had paid for Nami, claiming something about a rich father - nepo babies, right?) and the four of you were wrapping up when you heard Vivi mutter something to Nami, something you assumed they thought was beyond your earshot.
“Are they in love?”
A strangled laugh from Nami comes out, “Worse. They’re stupid.”
Then, when it was finally time to head to the movie theater it seemed the world was trying to trip you - for better or for worse. Somehow, your seats had been upgraded from single seats to loveseats. Brown cool leather that reclined and cooled and heated at the touch of a button and all with close proximity to your lover. What a deal! Nami was excited by this upgrade undoubtedly, seizing her chance to further chat up her date and bond with her, but you? Being in close proximity with Luffy was the best and worst thing for you.
He would sit so close, thighs side by side, elbows knocking against each other, and hair brushing against the other’s shoulder. While your heart would race at this, it would also fall, knowing none of his touches were intentional and were just a byproduct of his personality. Nonetheless, you basked in the moment, taking in his affections like they were the only time you’d receive them and maybe they were.
The movie passed with him just like that - slowly edging closer to you till his head was laid down on your shoulder, tucked perfectly in the crevice between your neck and shoulder like it was meant to be there. He had managed to intricately intertwine your fingers together, like they were weaved together instead of the regular way to hold hands and you could feel strands of his ever-messy hair brushing your cheek. And when it was over, the two of you slowly, reluctantly, peeled away from each other and glanced to the other loveseat pair where Nami and Vivi were laid only to find the two of them holding each other’s faces softly, not a single speck of attention towards the movie, kissing each other.
You and Luffy exchange a quick glance at each other, unsure of what to do. He kicks a foot in their general direction, letting out a stage whisper in your direction. “Do we… separate them?”
Nami’s head pops out from a mess of limbs and gestures at the two of you in a shooing motion. “Go already, I’ll meet you at home, I’ll walk her home first.”
You let out a giggle before waving back at her, “Alright, alright, we’ll leave you to your… business.”
The two of you burst into peals of laughter as you exit the movie theater, giggling about the whole interaction and placing bets if your friend would get laid tonight.
“She was basically sucking that poor girl’s face off, she has to do it as an act of service now!”
You cackle, “Nami’s a gentleman, I think she’d wait until the next few dates though.” You pause as the two of you keep walking. Like always, he insisted on walking you back home like it was his personal knight duty. Your shadows meld together in the dark of the night, the moon and streetlights leaving a trail of lights on your backs. “I think she had a good time though, they seem like a good match.” You murmur, letting the words float in the wind.
This time, his hand doesn’t creep slowly against yours but grasps it solidly and firmly like it’s meant to be there. “Yeah? You think it was a good date?”
You warm at his words, feeling like there was a double meaning to his words. You hold his hand tighter, squeezing it. “Yeah. It was a good date, Luffy.”
The walk ends too soon, with the two of you awkwardly standing by the door to your dorm building once again. Somehow, even though it wasn’t a real date, it very much felt like the end of one. The one where you wait, you hover, for the first kiss. The kiss that ensures that the date went well, that you want more. But that’d never happen, this wasn’t a real first date, and Luffy didn’t have those feelings for you. He was just here to help his best friend out.
He stares at you with an indistinguishable look in his eyes and steps closer to you. There was barely a foot of space between the two of you now, and he reaches out to cup your face and your heart lurches at the touch. Surely he’s not- his head leans down towards your and his breath is fluttering over yours. His nose brushes your and he looks at you, unsure, maybe he’s trying to figure out if this is what you want.
He doesn’t kiss you. Not on your lips at least - but he leaves a chaste kiss on your cheek before he pulls away from you. There’s a rosy dusting across his cheeks that’s seen from the moonlight as he grins at you. “Gotta end the date with a kiss, right? I’ll see you tomorrow." He waves, walking backwards until he sees you enter your dorm building.
Once the door closes behind you, you clutch your cheek like it’s your lifeline. Luffy just kissed you. Or well- he kissed your cheek and that definitely means something, right? Luffy wasn’t going around kissing everyone’s cheeks so surely this meant something, held some kind of meaning.
Were you supposed to say something to him? Reciprocate it back? What if he didn’t want you to do that though? You sighed, collapsing onto your bed, and replayed the moment in your head. Once, twice, and then you lost count of how many times you had rewinded the moment. You’d wait for Nami. She’d know what to do, how to go about this situation. Yes, you’d wait on her to help dissect this.
✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚
You found yourself back in the library a few days later. It felt like a mimicry of the day when Luffy had offered to be your date, except this time you had a plan residing in your back pocket as courtesy of Nami. The cool air of the library blew out and left the brown wooden table cold to the touch. Earbud wires were connecting you and Luffy once again, some love song blaring in your ears. It was the first time you had seen him since the (fake) date and you were determined to make a move.
Slumping downwards in your chair, you let out a groan and set down your phone. “Nami wants to set me up for another date since hers went so well.”
You felt Luffy still next to you and stare right at you. He set his pencil down gently and then said softly in confusion, “What?”
Got him. You nod vehemently, as you imitate frustration, tugging at the earphone wire as you continue, “Mhm, she said she wants me to have as good a date as she had with Vivi.”
A loud exhale and Luffy runs his hands through his hair. “I thought-” He pauses. “I thought I had made it clear, I thought I was obvious.”
You cock your head, tilting it in confusion. “Made what clear?”
Now he tugs at the black strands, like he was going insane. “I thought I made it clear that I like you. I thought it was clear that I want you. I want to be the one who takes you out on dates, who holds your hands. I want to be the one that kisses you and the one who’s taking you back home late at night. I thought I made it clear I want to be yours, that I am yours.”
There’s a silence where you’re just gaping at him in awe. You had expected something from your little ploy but not this. You hadn’t expected him to bare his whole heart to you, to feel all that he did about you.
“Luffy-”
He plows on, “But either I’m the idiot or you are, because I thought I was being obvious and I thought you liked me too but-”
There’s a muffled sound and your lips are on his. Clearly, he wouldn't have let you get a word in so you had to silence him somehow. You cup his cheek as you kiss him, letting your thumb trace the scar on his cheek. His hands trail down your spine, his fingers following the path of your spinal cord before they find home at your waist. He squeezes your waist lightly, as if trying to confirm that this was real.
Reluctantly you pull away from him, breath panting from the intensity of the kiss. “I like you too, idiot.” You pause for a minute, fiddling with the front strands of his hair. Taking a deep breath, you soldier on, “I want to be the only one you go on dates with, the only one you do that weird finger weaving thing, the one you steal food from, the one you kiss, the one you want. So yes, I want you just as much as you want me Luffy.”
You glance back at him and your heart stutters at the look of pure love in his eyes. The affection in his eyes was so clearly abundant that you wondered how you hadn’t noticed it before. His pupils were blown wide and his thumbs were tracing circles on your hips as he pulled you closer into the stuffy library chair he was sat in.
He kisses you again, more softly this time, but just as emotion-filled. His lips are soft and he opens his mouth slightly, gasping for air in between kisses but refusing to let go of you for too long before he’s on you again. His tongue licks the bottoms on your lip once before you pull away all too fast, suddenly conscious that you’re still in the library. He chases your lips all the same and you push away his face, giggling, “We’re in the library, Luffy.”
He lets out a laugh but still brings his face close to yours. “Can’t blame me when my dream just came true.”
“Ugh, since when were you such a smooth-talker?”
“Always, you just were too oblivious to notice. Plus, I can feel your face being warm right now so I know you like it.” He leaves a kiss on your cheek gently before burrowing his head in the junction between your neck and shoulder, lightly biting the skin there.
Later, you send a picture to Nami – it has Luffy cuddled up in the warmth of your arms, letting out a snore, both of your lips slightly swollen from kissing, and earphone wires still tangled somewhere in between the two of you, all you get in response is a ‘Finally.’
tags: grace x male reader, pre-phm, pre-slash, no smut (yet...), sort of formatted as headcanons but i got carried away so it's half way to an actual fic😭
a/n: my recurring rygos phase has arrived early this year thank you phil lord and christopher miller
· · ·✶· · ·
you met ryland on your first day at grover cleveland. you were a whopping two years out of college and the previous english teacher (who'd even been your own back in the day) had put in a good word for you before she retired.
despite having had a rough start to your day—spilling your coffee in the car and very nearly being late for it—that little undercurrent of excitement buzzing through you fueled you through your first day with a tireless enthusiasm. your kids were great, if a little on the rowdier side, but you knew better than anyone that kids are like sponges, and with a passionate enough teacher they can find the fun in anything.
it was after lunch when he approached you. you'd just returned to your classroom from the bustling teacher's lounge—although you preferred to eat in the calm shelter of the class you knew better than to do so on your first day at a new job. you'd eaten with a few of your coworkers and gotten to know most: the math teacher and gym coach you'd chatted with for a while, the history teacher had showed you around, and informed you of the one bathroom on the second floor which was eternally out of service and therefore a good place to escape for a while, and the principal had been as polite as strictly necessary, before dumping a boatload of information on you on this year's units and events and PTA meetings.
the one person you had yet to meet was the science teacher. you'd only caught his last name—grace—by one of the other teachers mentioning him in passing. it had puzzled you, considering all of the staff you'd spoken to at that point referred to one another by a first-name basis. you figured maybe the guy was... unpopular, for whatever reason, and kept munching on your prepackaged lunch.
a timid knock at the glass pane of your classroom door drew your attention away from the core curriculum you'd been handed earlier. there were various paper decorations—apples and pencils and books—stuck to the glass, so you only caught fragments of a person: a striped blue tie, the vague outline of broad shoulders, tufts of unruly sandy hair, sticking out every which way.
when you called out their permission, the door cracked open a few inches, and a face followed suit.
immediately, you were stupefied—the man before you was lovely, and made only more endearing by the awkward slant of his smile and the lopsided angle of the rimless glasses perched on his nose.
"hi there," he chirped, slipping inside with a long peer at the classroom's decor. he waggled his forefinger around, strolling up to your desk with feigned nonchalance. "i like what you've done with the place."
"most of it was already here, but thanks," you chuckled, leaning back in your creaking swivel chair. his face tautened a little with embarassment, palms falling stiffly to his sides.
"oh. right," he said, though the tiny upward curl of his mouth never fully dropped. you cleared your throat, taking the opportunity when he turned to briefly gaze out the window to inspect him closer. his hair was stupidly charming, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed and also had never heard of a comb before. a sparse blond stubble dusted across the defined cut of his jaw, and when he looked back and caught you staring you noted in a frustrated daze just how blue his eyes were.
you privately cursed yourself and reined your gaze back down to your desk—you were barely half way through your first day, you didn't need a ridiculous work crush to distract you from your students. certainly not this early on, while you were still finding your footing in the place.
"sorry, i just—i came to introduce myself. y'know, formally. or, properly really—i wouldn't know formal if it hit me in the face," he chuckled, then quickly sobered. his hand shot out. "i'm ryland. grace. i teach science a few classrooms down."
you couldn't help but crack a (possibly too-fond) smile. his bumbling bashfulness was staggeringly lovable, even though you'd never been particularly drawn to such traits. you shook his hand and introduced yourself in return.
he had to leave a short while afterward, and you'd spent the rest of the day valiantly trying (and failing) not to think about how soft his hands were.
over that first year's quarter, you would become increasingly familiar with mr. grace—for starters, the kids loved him, and to you that was immediately a great sign of character. you paid no mind to what the other teachers had to say about him, though nobody was directly antagonistic, they mostly just seemed uninterested in him and his socially awkward disposition.
your students took a quick liking to you, as well, which filled your heart to no end. you'd never had a job you were so passionate about before, and if the science teacher down the hall was downright eye candy, then that was just a plus.
what you never expected, however, was for your shared students to find immense enjoyment in seeing you and ryland interact. and the thing is—you're young, you're still relatively familiar with the workings of the average 13-year-old mind. you recall oooh-ing and aaah-ing at your own fair share of suspiciously close teachers whenever they'd be seen talking. what you never did though, was propose a joint project, just to get two teachers interacting more.
it went against the entire middle school student philosophy, because an interdisciplinary project meant more homework, more effort, more group work (which they unanimously seemed to hate). you weren't naive enough to think it was solely due to this bizarre fixation on you and ryland—in truth that was limited mostly to a loud minority, though their 'mr grace and mr l/n, sitting in a tree' chants frequently caught on among their peers. a lot of your students had taken a liking to your subject, and a few had even confessed that they'd been reading and writing more in their free time. if ryland's classes were as fun as your kids made them sound, it was natural they'd want to join both classes into one.
still, the waggling eyebrows and giggling whispers you'd catch every time ryland would come in during class to discuss something were hard to miss.
he started eating lunch with you in your classrooms, whose depending on the day. you can't recall exactly when the ritual took root in both of your routines, but once it was established it felt like it had always been present.
ryland never truly lost that charmingly awkward attribute, but it loosened its hold on him the more comfortable he got around you. it only took about a week or two of sharing lunch every day for him to start rattling on about whatever scientific matter was on his mind that day. you quickly learned he was wildly intelligent, and though you'd never thought him to be anywhere near uneducated, the sheer depth and complexity of the topics he'd ramble on about felt unfitting for a public middle school teacher.
when you brought it up one day, perched on his desk as you stirred your reheated leftovers from the night before, his face went pink and firmly sheepish.
"um... yeah, i wasn't always in teaching. but, uh, higher academia proved stronger than i," he chuckled, and you immediately sensed a vaguely self-depricating tint to his voice.
"what happened?"
"oh, you know. wrote a... somewhat controversial paper, slammed a few renowed scientists in it, nothing fancy. suffice to say most of my scientific peers are not my biggest fans."
you eyed him for a long moment, chewing thoughtfully as he fidgeted with his forest-green tie. you swallowed, set down your fork, and said, "fuck 'em."
ryland perked up at that, stunned and doe-eyed with surprise. he blinked, owlish, several times before barking out a small laugh.
"they couldn't even take a little heat, so they chased you out of their stuck-up little echo chamber? well, jokes on them, you're here forming dozens of future scientists, so really, you win."
ryland laughed again, shaking his head bashfully. so maybe you were pushing it a little, but it was amusing to see him shrivel with modesty and go bright pink in the ears.
"i guess so," he huffed, still smiling but biting down on his lip as though trying to tamp it down.
he looked up suddenly, and met your eye. his were faintly slanted and narrowed with fondness, and his glasses hung crookedly from his stubbled jaw. you were suddenly overcome with the urge to feel it under your fingertips, to trace the line of his jaw all the way up to his earlobe, and from there migrate to the wayward nest that was his hair—although lately a bit more tamed.
a warmth prickled at your own face, realizing you'd just been staring at each other for several speechless seconds.
"uhm—"
"sorry—"
you both froze, mouths agape, gawking at each other like bumbling, smitten teenagers. then you laughed, and ryland's shoulders sunk, eyes flicking down from your eyes for an instant before they dipped to his lap, smiling.
very suddenly, amidst the blankness that had taken hold of your brain, one thought rung clear.
fuck it.
"so, uh.." you began, your turn now to be nervous, though you refused to show it. "would you want to get a coffee, sometime?"
ryland hadn't blinked for a concerning amount of time. the image of a deer caught in headlights came to mind, as you watched him process the question.
"for, um... the project?"
"yeah..." you hummed, giving your best performance of casual poise. "or not for the project."
that, he seemed to like. his open-mouthed, dazed smile stretched, and then he nodded slowly,
pairing: collegestudent!literatureprodigy!jeno x afab!collegestudent!scienceandmathgenius!reader
summary: jeno was the biggest problem you've ever had to solve, but for him you weren't quite an open book either.
w.c: 9.4k
warnings: mdni 18+, MATH, i did so much research i feel like i need to cite my sources, thank you quizlet, angst, hurt and comfort, frenemies to lovers, fluff, jeno and y/n argue a lot and yell at each other, teasing, misunderstandings, YEARNING, kissing, make-ups and confessions, plot WITH porn, love making very intimate, hard with feelings and refuse to listen to each other, unprotected sex (i better not catch y'all doing this), praising, crying, begging, groveling, pet names (baby), oral (f receiving), creampie (YUM), softdomtop!jeno (just as god intended), crack/humor, scientific talk because smart (i never took bio in college), if i forgot anything pls lmk. reblogs and feedback appreciated ♡ fiction ≠ reality. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENO!!!
‘WHAT’ you gasped, not noticing you had barked it out until everyone turned around and glared at you.
‘i’m sorry?...’ your professor had stopped everyone to bring attention back, she gave you a quizzical look, ‘is there a problem?’
you shook your head, still surprised by your sudden outburst, ‘n-no, i apologize’ you hung your head in shame, red blooming on your cheeks from embarrassment. you had been dreading today, your world literature 1 professor had told you all a week ago that you would be paired up with a partner for your first project. your major in biology and minor in actuarial mathematics required some literature classes to help with ‘scientific writing and understanding’ as your advisor put it. so you figured world literature 1 was the easiest choice, it turned out to actually be hell on earth. your weakest subject was english and literature, you were never a reader growing up unless it was about different sciences, but you always opted for documentaries and videos than reading. growing up, you’d always dread english class, anxiously waiting for whatever science and math class you could have next.
when you tell people that your favorite subject is math and then science they would laugh and usually end it with an ‘i wish’, that was your english and history, you wish you could understand it better, but it always seemed impossible. what you were least expecting was getting paired with the best literature student you knew, jeno. he annoyed you at times, acting like a pretentious asshole going around and quoting shakespeare and some other century-dead author. when you went and quoted pythagroas near him it was now apparently a problem, you two bickered back and forth in class during group introductions about greek philosophers for almost an hour, debating if aristotle was more of a math genius or a linguistics expert.
after the heated discussion, jeno told you ‘i love a good debate, you have some crazy opinions though’ he ended up giving you his phone number. it was only the first week of classes, your first ‘friend’(?), you texted him that night, but no response came. the next week you were struggling with questions your professor had given you all to go with a reading.
you texted jeno:
‘hey is this correct? *PICTURE ATTACHED*
his response chimed on your phone five minutes later:
‘no’
and that was the only response you got, no help, no explanation, you didn’t even know what was wrong with your answer to begin with. fuck this, you ended up calling him, to your surprise he answered with a ‘what?’
you didn’t mean to blow up on him, but it just came out, ‘why can’t you be nice to me for one second and help me with this student homework?’
he sighed, making your ear vibrate with the sound, ‘take back what you said and i’ll help you’
you grumbled but obliged, ‘this homework and reading is not stupid, now please help me’
you guys ended up talking on the phone for almost two hours, discussing different themes from the reading, mostly arguing about who was right, but in the end jeno helped you get answers that were good enough. he talked you through the questions and the actual themes of the reading, the elements, and showed you how to better analysis pieces of literature. you were eternally grateful but absolutely mortified at the same time.
after that phone call, you were psyched, finally finding someone that could help you pass. you were always the person in math classes that everyone went to, you didn’t have to be that person for others anymore. although you remember all the emotional baggage and difficulty when trying to help others study and understand formulas, you wouldn’t ask much of jeno, only when you really needed it.
two weeks ago you found him in the library, doing homework with books scattered around him. the first thing you noticed were glasses that he had never worn before, big frames making his eyes look much bigger in such a cute way. you figured if you asked he wouldn’t mind if you joined him, and you figured that if you asked in an even nicer way, he could help you with the literature homework.
‘hey jeno!’ you greeted him, walking up to his table, he looked up, pink lips still in a straight line, ‘would you mind if i joined you?’
‘i guess not’ he shrugged and moved some of his books out of the way for you, now sitting across from him you smiled slightly and got out your own homework. abstract algebra was your favorite class so far this semester, you never thought getting homework would make you so giddy. you couldn’t believe some people found it excruciating, while it was just a ‘fun activity’ for you. you and jeno continue work in silence, you would steal glances every once in a while, his eyes scanning over the paper as he scribbled down notes and highlight sentences. eyebrows knitting together and whispering out words in order to analyze everything perfectly. you thought it was cute, his lips would curl up into a smile after every question got answered. sitting in front of him, you could see the perfect slope of his nose, his broad shoulders slouched as he leaned into the desk, his large hand brushing his black hair back sporadically. the golden ratio had nothing on him.
not long after the trance jeno left you in, you finished your math homework and now it was time for your enemy: literature. you looked up and glanced at jeno who was writing notes down, ‘hey’ he lifted his head, ‘do you think you could help me with this?’ you motioned down to the paper in front of you, he followed and noticed your blank page compared to his one that was filled.
‘did you even try?’ he questioned, ‘it looks like you haven’t even started’
‘well’ you started with a sheepish smile, ‘i did do the reading, but i could barely understand any of it’
he sighed, his hands reaching under his glasses so he could rub his eyes, ‘okay, and what part did you not understand?’
you grabbed your packet of papers and flipped until you found the sentence, reading out loud, ‘his sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit’, you looked up at him, offering the best pleading eyes you could muster.
he slightly rolled his eyes, ‘so, basically darcy should put away his pride of being in a higher ranking than elizabeth, but he cares more about her status than love. even while he is proposing, he still looks down on elizabeth and wants her to feel grateful that he is even considering her as a wife’
‘oh, i never thought of it that way’ you mumbled, looking down at your paper again.
‘don’t they teach you stuff like this in high school? god, i fear for your grade when we actually have to read and analyze a whole book and not just passages for exercises’
the sentence was a stab to the heart, taken aback you said nothing as shame burned through your body. growing up you’d have teachers, friends, and your parents comment on your lack of understanding for english and literature, but you’ve never heard a remark like this. it cut deep, you opened and closed your mouth, unable to give an actual response, incapable of making any snide comeback, you gathered your things, got up and walked away from him. before he started to see the tears that made its way down your face.
you avoided jeno as much as you could, you sat nowhere near him in your shared class, never looked in his direction in the courtyard and started taking different routes to other classes. it was working out great for the most part, that was until he had transferred into your biology ‘unity of life’ class three weeks into the semester, at the very last minute of course. rumors were going around that a lot of students had transferred out of his previous one due to it ‘being too hard’ and that the professor ‘was a nightmare’ and he needed a natural science requirement for his major, secondary education if you could remember correctly.
seeing him walk through the door of one of your favorite classes was a different type of personal hell, and you were having a great day so far. you softly groaned, trying to resist the urge to roll your eyes in annoyance. your desk partner seemed to catch on, jaemin turned to you, ‘whats wrong? forgot to do last nights homework?’
you turned towards him, ‘never, i was so excited for this assignment, i finished all the questions as soon as i got home… it’s just… that guy, the one who just walked in’ you glanced back to his lab table, jaemin followed with his eyes, ‘i’m in his literature class and he’s nothing but an egomaniac, basically called me dumb for not understand some passage from a book’
the blond haired boy frowned, ‘he might know some books, but wait until he gets a taste of a real challenge, he transferred too late into the semester, he’s fucked’. your lips twitched up into a smile. you met jaemin the first day of class, introducing himself as a veterinarian science major with a minor in biology. you two became quick friends after you got him coffee one morning, you ended up with two cups after the cafe got your first order wrong. he was nothing but thankful, long discussions in class that lead to topics that never related to science. you got to know him pretty well, often texting and meeting up for study groups with other students from class, you both always paired up in class whenever prompted.
‘that’s fair, would be satisfying to watch him struggle’ you whispered.
he giggled, ‘god you sound like such a sadist’
the professor pulled up his notes as he prepared for the beginning of class, ‘takes one to know one’
you opened your notebook to the current lesson: the cytoskeleton. the professor went through the slideshow while you happily took notes on cells and its structure and stabilities within the cytoplasm. once the professor was done with the lecture, he started asking students questions, seeing if they were paying attention.
‘okay, now what is a delicate coil held together by hydrogen bonding between every fourth amino acid?’ he looks over his roster of students, ‘jeno! why don’t you answer this for us’
on cue, everyone turned to watch him, his head shot up from his notebook in surprise. he obviously looked unprepared, hands nervously pushing his bangs back. ‘oh… um, i don’t know i’m sorry professor, i transferred late into this class and still need to catch up’ his hair looked wild as the tips of his ears shone a bright red.
the poor professor sighed, ‘does anyone want to help jeno out?’
you immediately shot up your hand, ‘y/n?’
you smiled dramaticly, before another breathe you answered, ‘alpha helix’
‘yes, thats correct! great job y/n… now you all need to pay attention, this will be on our first exam coming up in two weeks’ he went on about amino acids and different elements. jaemin leaned into you, ‘nice’ he whispered, a smile on his face. yeah, that would show jeno what you could do.
you peeked back at jeno who whispered ‘two weeks!?’ to himself looking distressed, you felt a pang in your heart. perhaps it wasn’t fair, stuff like this was never taught in secondary school science classes, obviously he was going to struggle. you weren’t going to seek him out and offer help though, he knew science and arithmetic were your strong suits, it was his turn to come running, beg for forgiveness and ask for help.
speak of the asshole, and it shall fart, jeno texted you later that night.
‘hey…’ you scoffed, the audacity of this guy, you resisted the urge to text him back a ‘you should know this already right?’
you texted back a simple ‘what?’
he immediately answered, ‘do you think you could help me with this bio homework and maybe study together for the exam ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡’. shameless.
giving him the benefit of the doubt, you relented. maybe it was an off day for him, ‘i guess, meet me in the library tomorrow, and we’ll start’ he hearted the message and that was the end of the conversation.
you woke up early the next day, grabbing every notebook you had kept over the years that could help jeno. you texted him right after noon, ‘this is an all day affair, meet me in an hour and bring me a caramel macchiato. don’t be late, pride & prejudice wasn’t written in a day’ he liked the message as a response. you left your dorm and headed to the library, setting up a space for a long study session. jeno comes right on time, with two coffees in his hand.
he places the bigger cup down in front of you, ‘large caramel macchiato, with extra caramel, extra vanilla, and extra drizzle’
you look up at him and give him a modest smile, grabbing the drink and taking a sip from the straw and swirling the ice around the cup, ‘thank you, lets get started’ he nodded and pulled out the chair next to you and sat down.
you got out all your notebooks, his eyes widened making you giggle, ‘jesus christ dude, how many notebooks do you have for this class?’
‘well, not all of them are from this class, i brought some from previous classes that i think could help you’ you handed over a stack of notes, which he begrudgingly took. ‘okay, now lets get started…’
you two had spent hours discussing carbohydrates, cellulose, and enzymes. sometimes arguing back and forth about answers, ‘okay so, a system of membranes that modifies and packages proteins for export by the cell?’ you asked jeno as he flipped through his notes.
‘um… integrins?’ he answered, totally unsure of himself in the process.
you smiled, ‘not quite, its the golgi apparatus, integrins are cell-surface receptor proteins… crazy how you don’t remember this from basic biology classes…’ you mumbled the last part.
but of course he still caught it, ‘what was that?’
you shrugged your shoulders, ‘i mean we learn about cells and stuff in secondary school… everyone knows that the golgi apparatus is the packaging and distribution center of the cells, i mean everyone talks about how the mitochondria is the power house of the cell, is that the only thing you remember from biology?’
his eyebrows shot up in surprise, ‘oh? so that's what this is about?’ he smirked, ‘you’re still upset about what i said last week aren’t you?’
your gaze diverted from his line of sight, thankful you wore your hair down this morning so he wouldn’t see the pink burning on the tips of your ears. ‘no… i’m just saying’
‘...saying almost the same exact thing i said?’ jeno smiled, and his eyes turned into crescent moons, happy that he caught you in the act, ‘understandable… well, uh, if you help me, i’ll help you’
you crossed your arms and narrowed your eyes at him, ‘not until you apologize, not everyone can be as good as you in literature’
‘okay, i’m sorry, you are a genius in math and science, now please agree’ jeno pleaded.
‘fine’ you answered.
another week passed and jeno finally felt comfortable taking the exam, on the other hand your literature professor started talking about a project for that class. jeno reassured you that he would help you in the best way he could, he helped you with literary analysis, notations, and rhetoric. you ended up getting an 85% percent on the most recent homework, excited to show jeno you made your way to the classroom.
‘so, jeno, i’ve been seeing you hanging out with that y/n person in our class’ you stopped before the entrance to the classroom, ‘they literally know nothing about literature and refuse to learn, how could you put yourself through that?’
‘oh, well, um, i don’t know, i’m just helping them with some stuff’ jeno answered. you peeked inside, he was with two other students, a girl and a boy, sitting together in a group.
‘must be pretty frustrating, i don’t know why they are even in this class, fucking moron, am i right?’ the girl responded and you could hear the others, but jeno, laugh.
you could feel your heart break as your mind begin to buzz. eyes watered, and you thought back to your discussion with jaemin, of course you guys were poking fun at jeno too, but nothing this extreme. ‘i mean, i guess one could think that, but everything about th-’ you couldn’t listen anymore, turned your heels and stormed off. stopping at the end of the hallway to through your graded paper away in anger and humiliation. after everything you both did for each other, it made your blood boil in anger and betrayal, you had to get back home. you paced to your dorm, keeping your head down so no one would notice you and your state of mind right now. skipping one literature class wouldn’t hurt.
so it did, and now here you are, sitting in your literature class with the professor reading out the pairings for the first project. for the rest of the week and over the weekend, you had ignored jeno’s texts and calls, you decided you were finally done with his games. ‘y/n and jeno’ the professor read out to the class.
‘WHAT’ you gasped, not noticing you had barked it out until everyone turned around and glared at you.
‘i’m sorry?...’ your professor had stopped everyone to bring attention back, she gave you a quizzical look, ‘is there a problem?’
you shook your head, still surprised by your sudden outburst, ‘n-no, i apologize’ you hung your head in shame, red blooming on your cheeks from embarrassment.
your professor nodded and resumed her list of partners, after she announced to the class, ‘now sit with your partners and discuss what you all want to do for your projects for the rest of class’
you groaned, you weren’t ready to face jeno yet, you probably never would be. you never wanted to see or speak to him ever again, you shuffled to his seat, taking your time to get over to him and sit down.
‘hey’ he said, ‘you’ve been ignoring me this whole week, whats up?’
fake ass bitch, you thought, he didn’t care, ‘nothing, just not a good week i guess’
he frowned, ‘damn, well, if it makes you feel better, i got a 90% on my first bio exam!’ he beamed, ‘so at least now you know your hard work is paying off’
‘that’s great, glad you’ve been getting at least something out of this’ you deadpanned.
he gave you a quizzical look, but decided to drop the subject, ‘so, for the project i was thinking about covering the tenant of wildfell hall’
you literally didn’t care and let him pick whatever, ‘yeah that’s fine’
his eyes narrowed, giving you a weird look again, ‘okay… so, the book has themes of double standards, religion, morality, and love. i can send you passages that we can cover for our project…’. jeno went on for the next thirty minutes with only little nods and comments from you, agreeing to anything he had to suggest. all you wanted to do was leave, once the professor dismissed class that's what you did, picking up your backpack and storming off with jeno still talking.
you rushed down the hallway, ignoring the calls coming from jeno behind you. with his crazy athletic built he eventually caught up to you, grabbed your shoulder and spun you around. you gazed up at him, he stared down at you, looking for any answer he could find. ‘what is your problem? i thought you’d be happy we were paired up?’ he started interrogating you.
you sighed, almost giving up, ‘jeno, can we just meet up later and talk about it? i’m exhausted right now’
he sighed and his hands fell from your shoulders, ‘i’ll text you’ he nodded, and you turned around and left. once at your dorm you threw your backpack to the side and climbed into your bed, taking a well needed nap. a few hours later, your phone vibrating next to you pulled you out of dream land.
3 missed texts from jeno:
‘y/n, are you able to come over to my apartment soon?’
‘plz stop being so stubborn its annoying plz just talk to me’
‘here’s the address lmk when ur on the way’
you texted him back:
‘sorry i was taking a nap’
‘i can be there in a bit’
you got up and got ready, grabbed your backpack and left for jeno’s. once you got there it took you a good five minutes to have the courage to knock on his door. hesitant you tenderly knocked on the door, after a second he opened up the door and let you inside without another word. he was in shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt and smelled immaculate, you gulped, raking your eyes over his body, strong arms and long legs, a face without imperfections. your heart burned in anger and panic, angry that he was so gorgeous it pissed you off, panic because all you could think was what the fuck am i doing right now? ‘do you want to sit down? i saw you brought your backpack, we can work on some stuff if you want?’
you nodded, walked over to the couch and plopped down, grabbing your backpack you opened it and got your laptop out, pulling up the notes from your calculus 2 class. jeno joined you on the couch, sitting a little bit to close for comfort, but you said nothing. his bare leg brushed against your clothed one, sending a buzzing sensation all throughout your body, trying your best to ignore him you stayed focused on your screen.
question 1: x³ + 2x² - 6z = 4 - 2y²
without a second thought you typed in the answer:
r³cos³0 + 2r² - 6z = 4
submitting it you smiled as the green checkmark popped up, correct on the first try. ‘damn, that’s crazy’ jeno broke the silence, you glanced over at him.
‘what?’ you said turned back to your laptop.
‘i literally understood none of that and you got it on the first try!? that’s literally fucking insane’
you laughed at his outburst, ‘it’s nothing really, it was kind of easy, just plug in the following x and y polar conversion formulas into the equation where possible, then you just rewrite everything and use the formulas to convert the equation into cylindrical coordinates’
jeno howled in laughter, which was contagious enough to make you laugh, ‘that’s insane, you’re amazing’
you cocked your head to the side, intrigued by his word choice, ‘oh? am i?’
his demeanor changed, the air felt heavy as he calmed down and moved closer to you. he leaned in, and you panicked, he glanced down at your lips and back up to your eyes. his long eyelashes met his cheeks, you followed suit and closed your eyes, ignoring the way your mind is screaming at you not to do this. heart says otherwise, as you could hear it beat in your ears, whole body buzzing as his pink, soft lips brushed against yours.
jeno moved in deeper, teeth clinking together as you ravaged your mouth, he was a starved man, and you were the last meal he would ever receive. it was warm and sensual, he reached around your waist and roughly pulled your torso into his. his nose bumped into yours as he moved his head slightly for better access, laptop completely abandoned to the side your arms lifted to his biceps, squeezing hard as you let out a soft moan. you broke the kiss as you pressed against his arms, your forehead leaned on his as you both caught your breath, between pants he smiled and laughed, you did not. anxiety ran your blood cold as now all you could think of was what he had said in the classroom about you. was this all a joke?
‘jeno…’ you started, and his smile faltered, ‘i can’t do this’ you stood up and grabbed your laptop and shoved it haphazardly into your backpack, heatedly rushing out of his apartment and down the hall to the entrance. again you ignored jeno as he called after you, his footsteps echoing behind you. you pushed the heavy door open and the air hit you with the wind flying through your hair. continuing down the lamp-lighted street, the boy was still trying to catch up to you.
‘y/n please, we forgot to talk about it’ he addressed your almost non-existent figure fading into the darkness.
he was hopeless by now, but still refused to give up, he moved again, ‘y/n!’
you stopped and turned around, walking up to him his build now growing hazy as water pooled in your eyes. ‘you wanna talk about it? you WANT to talk about it? FINE, you are such a stuck-up asshole, thinking i’m so stupid because i don’t have the best grade in our lit class. laughing about it with your friends when they call me a moron! you think you’re so great you didn’t even know what the chemical symbol was for sulfur, FUCKING SULFUR JENO’ you were yelling at this point, jabbing your finger into his chest with every emphasis in your anger. ‘you think you can play me in some fucked up game you have going on in your head, keeping me around so you can feel better about yourself and use me for help so you could pass an exam, i know i’ve asked you for help before, but at the end of it, all i wanted to do was be your friend, you could’ve said no, but i couldn’t. you gave me no choice but to give in with the deal that you’d help me in return, and you know what? i needed the help, badly. and you knew that and used it in a discussion with your friends that laughed at me because of it, you know how that made me feel? like absolute shit, i wanted to be your friend but all you have ever done was use me and hurt me, and guess what? you don’t have to fear for’ fingers motioning air quotations, ‘my grade because i got a good grade on my homework thanks to you, so thank you jeno! i really appreciate the help, i hope it really boosted your ego, maybe you can go fucking write a book about it or something, i don’t know and i don’t care, but i’m done’ your face was probably beet red at this point, while angry tear's avalanche down your face, you hastily whipped your face and snot that escaped during your outburst. his face focused into view, he was so pretty, and that made you tear up all over again, he could have been different.
he looked defeated, frustrated as his fists clenched into balls and relax over and over, ‘y/n, please let me explain, i di-’ you stopped him, placing your hand in front of his face.
‘do the math jeno, the probability that i would ever hear you out is slim…’ you turned and started walking away, briefly glancing back, he was still in the same spot. ‘it’s S by the way, the symbol for sulfur, maybe now you’ll remember it when you think back on this night… not so proud after all’ your voice cracked at the last sentence as your heart wrenched and stomach mangled, tears breaking through yet again.
you left him there.
you decided not to tell jaemin about what happened, but jeno’s absence was evident. you couldn’t sleep, all that replayed in your nightmare was his soft lips brushing against yours, and you swore you could still feel his strong arms pulling you forward, into him. the feeling that gave you clawed at your heart, beating you down every single time you closed your eyes and pictured his face smiling at you, laughing at you, annoyed at you. anything he gave you, you would take, no matter how much it broke you down. you liked him, no, you like him. even after everything he’s done, you still held a soft spot for him in your fractured heart. all the phone calls that turned into facetime when he would ask for help with math, and you had to show him the steps of a problem. laughing every time you would shake trying to hold your phone steady as he jokingly squawked, ‘keep still!’ when he would read passages to you over the phone late at night, and you’d have fallen asleep to his tender voice before he could even explain the motif. it had only been 5 weeks of class, but it felt like you had known him longer, despite your differences in subjects you both eventually subsided the arguments with long discussions and debates on why one answer was right and how the other was wrong. revelations that came to light after hours of going back and forth.
you stood in the shower, blankly staring at the white ceramic wall in front of you as droplets rained down. you thought about the day you and jeno were studying in the library, renting a study room within because you figured the discussion would be heated. it ended up in a feverish battle between the differences of cell adhesion and cell migration. by the end of it you were standing up, hands pulling at your roots in irritation trying to explain it to the boy sat down in front of you with a shit-eating grin adorning his face. ‘y/n, y/n, stop, stop, please, i can’t take it anymore’ he laughed, clutching his stomach, ‘i got it, while they are tightly associated, cell adhesion provides structural support and stability to tissues, while cell migration is the directed movement of cells from one location to another’
your arms dramatically dropped to your sides, ‘YOU KNEW THIS WHOLE TIME’ pointing, you accused him.
he laughed again at your reaction, ‘i just love seeing you like that, it’s cute, you know i just love a challenge’ he exclaimed going back to his notes.
you laughed to yourself, recalling the moment of the playful banter and subtle flirting that slipped out on occasion. you giggled, howled, and snorted a little too much at the memory, which silently followed into your heart sinking to the bottom of your stomach, the shower masking the uncontrollable sobs that carried through every limb, appendage, and bone.
jaemin went on and on about some story about his roommates, you paid barely any attention, eyes glued to the door as you waited to see if he would show up. the blond boy slurred his words, leaning into you now, trying to get you to look at him. you turned your body, he was giving you a pouty face with big, shining eyes, ‘i asked you a question y/nnie. were you even listening to me?’ he tugged on the sleeve of your hoodie, his strength made you feel like a rag doll.
‘i was… and the answer is yes?’ you said, unsure about whatever he was yapping about.
he beamed and clapped playfully, ‘yippie! i knew you could use a pick-me-up, i promise it’ll be fun, the party is saturday so clear your schedule, i’ll pick you up’
your shoulder shook as you lightly laughed at his theatrics, rubbing your temple in exasperation as to what you just got yourself into, ‘sounds like fun’. you barely noticed jeno walking in out of the corner of your eye. he looked worse than you did, a hoodie with a stain, sweats that looked they were able to fall apart, mis-matched socks and unkempt hair. he kept pushing his glasses up his nose and rubbing his tired eyes. your heart skipped a beat when you noticed his dark circles that almost matched yours, his being a little worse for wear. before he could catch you staring, you quickly focused your attention to the professor starting class, going through the roaster and continuing the lecture on cells.
‘can anyone tell me the variations in cell types? jeno, got an answer?’ the professor smiled at him, everyone turned to spectate and wait for him to answer, except you.
‘um, prokaryotic and eukaryotic’ he dragged, sounding uninterested despite getting the question right.
‘yes! very good jeno’ the professor praised, moving on to the next question. you started to sweat, angry that he got it right and yet you were now holding on your high c- in literature class. how come he could now catch onto science but yet, you were still unable to grapple with the concepts of a victorian classic novel? or maybe it was the fact you had skipped every class this week, refusing to work with jeno on anything, you noticed the text and calls from him were dwindling three days after the confrontation, however everyday he sent pictures of his notes and analysis on the reading and how the project was going. as pathetic as it was, you continue to lay awake in bed nearly every night rereading his text from that night:
i know you are angry and probably hate me right now and that’s understandable, but i don’t want to give up on you, on us. do you think newton gave up on the laws of motion after he failed on the first or second try? you aren’t getting the whole picture, plz give me a chance to explain, i don’t even know if you are reading this, but if you are, plz hear me out you got it all wrong about that day in the classroom, and if it felt like i was using you, i’m sorry. that was never my intention, i just like being around you, you are always quick-witted and i was just trying to taunt you so you’d pay attention to me because i really like you, ig that backfired badly lol. anyway, i hope this will change your mind, and you’ll reach out, i’ll give you time.
followed by a very unserious message that you couldn’t help but smile at:
oh, i almost forgot, don’t worry about the project, but you could come to class, i’m starting to fear for your grade again (,,>﹏<,,) (only kidding!)
another biology class and 2 skipped lit classes pass and the weekend was finally brought upon the world. you held the pleasure of assisting jaemin to a party hosted by someone he knew from one of his health classes. it took forever for you to pick out a cute outfit, but opted for a sleeveless shirt and basic jean shorts and a pair of white sneakers you found buried in the back of your small closet. you carefully did your makeup, usually not taking it too far, but this was special, and you needed to feel like a bad bitch tonight.
jaemin showed up an hour later, deciding to walk to the house 4 blocks down, saying he wanted ‘to get turnt with you’ and that he refused to drink and drive. you agreed, walking sounded better than looking for a driver or someone having to stay sober throughout the night. you exited your building and found jaemin’s car in the lot, he climbed out to greet you and whistled, eyes eating up your form, ‘damn, you look hot’
you smiled bashfully, ‘thanks jaemin, even nerds can be hot you know?’
he turned to lock his car, ‘i mean, yes, but like, you always look cute, but this is like the freaky side of you, it’s different… it’s nice’
you cackled, ‘please never call me freaky ever again, i’m going to revoke your brain rot privileges’
he admitted defeat and dropped the conversation, you both now walked down the sidewalk in perfect silence with the sun now set, surveying the rows of houses in different stages of life in the moon glow. ‘it’s this one’ jaemin nudged you, stopping, he pointed to the house on the corner, you nodded and wrapped your arm around his, linking together so you immediately wouldn’t get lost in the sea of a potential crowd. he opened the old, green door, and you followed, as expected there was a good amount of people attending and as the night worn on you figured more would pile in.
jaemin turned to you, ‘do you wanna go find some drinks?’
‘yes, please’ you quickly nodded as he pulled you through the throng of people, trying to find the kitchen.
once you were there, the host of the party seemed to also be there, ‘jaemin! glad you could make it man’ they dabbed each other up and touched shoulders embracing in a ‘bro hug’.
‘hell yeah, no way i’d not come for the first party of the semester, i brought my friend along with me!’ he pulled you closer to him, now giving you the floor as all attention was pulled towards you, wincing as jaemin jabbed at your side, urging you to get closer to his friend.
‘hi, i’m y/n’ you said giving him a genuine smile, holding out your hand.
‘oh my, you are gorgeous, and you came with this sleaze bag’ he nodded towards jaemin who just playfully hit his friends shoulder, ‘i’m donghyuck, but everyone calls me haechan, its a pleasure to meet you’ he softly took a hold of your hand and bent down to give it a little peck, you giggled at the eccentric greeting.
jaemin tore haechan away, ‘alright, not too much now’ he joked, ‘it’s time for shots’ haechan clapped and guided you both to the kitchen island that was filled with different alcohol, he picked out a clear liquid and poured them into plastic shot cups he grabbed from a neat stack. jaemin lifted up his cup, ‘fuck pharmacology’ you snickered at his comment and raised your cup along with haechan who nodded in agreement. on cue, you threw back the cup and shuddered as the sweet nectar burned your throat. ‘hell yeah! another! at the end of the night i want to be able to forget about fucking blood urea nitrogen and blood glucose’ haechan laughed and poured another in all 3 cups. after that it was another, and then another, and after about 6 shots you tapped out and opted for a gin and coke that haechan was more than happy to make for you.
more time had passed than you thought as more people flooded the kitchen, wrecking havoc on the choices of liquor, haechan handed you your cup and jaemin motioned for you both to move to the living room. people were dancing, some were playing beer pong off in the corner, and others were chatting on various furniture. ‘want to dance a bit?’ he whispered in your ear because of the loud music that made the floor vibrate under your seat, you could feel it rattling your brain. giving him a silent nod he grabbed your hand and led you through the crowd, finding a spot and finding the rhythm of the song. you bobbed your head to the beat and moved back and forth with jaemin in front of you, you always thought he was attractive, but you saw him nothing more than a friend, you felt comfortable around him. you nursed your drink slowly, already somewhat tipsy from the shots, you didn’t want to get drunk too fast or blackout. jaemin grabbed your free hand and twirled you around, dramatically moved your joined hands with fever. you laughed along with him, indulging him in an embarrassing, yet fun dance that probably made you both look wasted to others.
his arm snaked around your waist, pulling you close much to your surprise, pleasanton’tkissmepleasedon’tkissmepleasedon’tkissme ran rampant in your mind as he leaned towards your ear ‘don’t look now, but a certain someone is staring at you from across the room, you let out a strangled breath.
‘do you know who it is?’ you whispered back.
‘jeno’ he mused and your lively spirited fell.
‘whats up? something go down with him?’ he pestered.
‘um, kinda, its a long story’ you faltered and jaemin frowned.
‘damn, that serious? his loss, he can look all he wants’ jaemin wanted to be lighthearted, make you smile again and keep jeno out of your mind. you were grateful as he pulled you into another whimsical dance, the joyful nature of his was infectious.
after a couple more songs had passed, you had downed your whole drink and let go of jaemin’s hand, ‘i’m gonna go find haechan and have him make me another drink, it was surprisingly superb’ jaemin nodded and said he would stay in the same spot for your return.
you hastily made your way to the kitchen, apologizing to others you had to push through. the small room was almost empty, haechan was nowhere in sight so you looked for a different drink. ‘having fun with jaemin?’ a voice boomed from behind you, one that you knew all too well. you slowly turned to find jeno smirking at you, leaning against the fridge adorned in a tight white shirt and ripped jeans, oh fuck this stupid earth, he just had to follow you here looking like that.
‘yes i am, actually’ you stated matter-of-factly.
his lips twitched up in amusement, ‘is that so?’ he moved in closer, eventually trapping you between him and the liquor table. jeno’s soft brown eyes met yours, searching for something inside, however, his eyes told you everything, hope, they screamed. his hand lifted towards your face, slowly brushed against the skin lighter than a feather, taking a piece of your hair and pushing it behind your ear, ‘so he wouldn’t mind this?’. his eyes fluttered closed as he bowed towards you.
before he could seal the deal, ‘jeno’ you stopped him.
he sighed, defeated, ‘just please talk to me, you said the probability was slim, but not zero, let me explain’ jeno begged, his large hands caressed your cheeks tenderly, they were soft and warm.
you could blame the alcohol as you finally let him speak his case, ‘fine, we can find somewhere private’
he smiled, eyes disappearing in relief. he grabbed your hand, leading upstairs and into an empty room, he closed the door behind him as you took a seat on the bed, ‘alright, grovel and explain’ you lifted your phone up to check the time ‘you have 10 minutes’
he gave you a smug smile, ‘that’s all i need baby, you know i love a challenge’ you rolled your eyes at his attempt to uplift the tension fogging the air. ‘that day in the classroom, you obviously didn’t stay long enough to hear what i had to say about you, at first i didn’t know how to respond being put into that position was hard, you didn’t ‘put me through anything’ though, i had nothing but fun with you, even if it was frustrating at times. we always figured it out. but when i heard what she said after i wasn’t just going to allow it, i said ‘yeah i guess one could say that’ because these people literally do not know you like i do, i finished with ‘but everything about that is completely untrue, they are willing to learn, but it's just taking longer than some of us who take a bunch of english and literature classes. if you got to actually know her you’d see how bright they actually are. a literal math genius and a real mastermind of science, could answer any question from the top of their head, it’s insane. so while we are strong in this subject, they are just stronger in other fields’ he explained, watching you intently. you wiggled under his gaze, making you feel same, but itched for him to go on, ‘i then told her that she should not speak on things she knows nothing about and left because i will not associate myself with someone who talks like that about people i care about’ he emphasized the last words carefully, grabbing hold of your hand and lifting you from the bed, ‘y/n, i’m so sorry, it was never my intention to hurt you, ever. i care about you so deeply, you show up in every romance novel i read, every poem i skim, the stories i write… it’s all you’ jeno gazed down at you, his eyes now searching for an answer, hope, and panic could only be found in his as you studied his features in the warm glow of the moon peaking through the window.
‘you really said that? you defended me?’ you questioned him quietly.
‘yes y/n, i would never let anyone hurt you, even if you aren’t in the room, because in that case, they hurt me too’
you hummed, the haze of your brain clouded any judgment you held, he was something different, the greatest math problem that needed to be solved. ‘thank you jeno, i guess it’s now my turn to apologize’
he chuckled at you, ‘no need baby’ you laughed softly, ‘now, can we pick up where we left off? you know, someone once told me that pride and prejudice wasn’t written in a day’ he wagged his eyebrows at you, moving you into an embrace as he kissed the top of your head. you held on tightly, holding him as you buried your face into his chest swallowing his scent so you could save it for later.
the hug ended, but he still held you close in his arms, ‘i guess i could pick up another chapter or two’ he laughed at your poor pun and drooped down, so his lips could meet yours. it was messier than the first kissed you shared with him, wet and heated as you could taste the soju on his tongue. he moved at a faster pace, devouring you like an animal, jeno walked you towards the bed, you gave in falling down with him, with him climbing on top of you, never breaking away. teeth on teeth echoed throughout the room as you moaned, his hands exploring every part of your body, making your core burn more and more.
jeno dipped down to attack your neck in kisses and sucking at the exposed skin, hands finding a way to his hair and tugging slightly at the intimate feeling of him being closer than ever. ‘please, tell me you’re mine, please want me’ he breathed out, the air softly hitting your ear, making the hair on the back of your neck stand up. he was desperate, kissing you anywhere he could and waited for you to answer.
‘y-yes jeno, i’m yours’ you choked out, ‘i want you in every way’ satisfied with your response he growled and his mouth met yours once more, ‘p-please touch me’ you begged frantically, needing anything to ease the sensation that pooled in the pits of your stomach.
jeno hummed, fingers brushing up and down your exposed stomach, ‘where baby? use your words, remember what i taught you?’ it was your turn to make demands now, wasting no time you grabbed his hand and brought it down between your legs, he cupped your vagina. you groaned, you needed more. jeno grabbed the waistband of your shorts and pulled them down and threw them behind him, the cool air hit your core making you rub your thighs together in order to find little warmth.
he carefully pulled your underwear down, wanting to savor the moment of finally seeing you bare, he gulped, ‘god, you have such a pretty pussy’ he took his hand and rubbed the sensitive skin, ‘so wet. just for me, right? all for me baby’ you cried out at his words. he inserted a finger into your weeping hole, making you gasp out in surprise at the feeling of just one finger filling you up dangerously. as he pushed back and forth your legs trembled, he added another finger and brought his head down to your core, ‘i bet you taste amazing’ was all he said before he dove in deep, his tongue against your clit as he drank up your juices and sucked on the flesh.
‘f-fuck’ you mewled, grabbed a hold of his soft, black hair in order to keep you grounded, with every thrust he made as he fucked with his mouth you tugged on his hair, pulling when you would feel the band about to snap, jeno groaned, loving the way you’d use him for stability.
he stopped and removed his face, you whined from the loss of contact as his fingers also found their way outside of you, he smiled ‘don’t worry, my pretty baby, i’ll take care of you’. he threw off his shirt nearly getting drunker with the way you were taking him in, he loved being adored by you, in such a calculated way that made sense in every story. you followed suit and removed your top and bra, baring naked in front of him and laid back on the bed as he admired you from afar, ‘you’re so beautiful’ he breathed, discarding his pants and underwear he crawled back on top of you, whispering sweet nothing's as he peppered your collarbone and breasts with kisses.
‘are you sure you want this? it might hurt a little at first, but i promise i’ll go slow until you tell me otherwise’ he towered over you.
your glassy eyes met his in reassurance, ‘yes, jeno i want this’ you confirmed everything for him. he quickly lined up his cock with your cunt and gently pushed inside, his eyes never leaving yours. your hands grasped around his muscled biceps, digging your nails into them when the pain was strong. once he bottomed out he stopped to let you get used to his size, you shared sensual kisses and sweet touches, jeno doing everything in his power to make you feel loved and safe at that moment going forward, that’s all he ever wanted to do. for weeks, he had been beating himself up for taking the teasing comments way too far at times, poking fun at something you were obviously insecure about, but you did the same, he figured it was kind of the thing you two had. in reality, he wanted to push you to do better, making comments like that so you’d work harder and prove everyone wrong. no one could work with you better than him, so he had gone out of his way to ask the pressor to pair you up on the project, also making the forced proximity making you talk to him after you stopped answering his calls and messages. he should have gone a better way about motivating you, but now that he had your forgiveness, he could work on better strategies.
‘jeno, you can move now’ you rasped out, still holding on his arms like an anchor with a boat. he pulled out and pushed back in, taking it slow as you moaned at the feeling of him filling you up to the brim, jeno picked up the pace, setting a steady rhythm as skin clapping together filled the room, ‘oh fuck, just like that’ your chest heaving up and down.
he slammed into with vigor, bitting your bottom lip as you opened your mouth to let out a breathless moan, ‘yeah? you like that? fuck, you’re so tight, literally sucking me in, i never want to leave this pretty fucking pussy’ he husked, he licked your lips and kissed your jaw as he grunted, setting a faster pace, making you cry out in pleasure. he grabbed your legs and opened them wider, giving him better access to go deeper into your abused cunt. you cried as the flame in your belly raged with a thousand fires, ‘keep your eyes on me baby’ jeno demanded, automatically making you swallow as you moved your eyes to meet his, blown out pupils filled with lust as your vision of him became blurry as blissful tears threaten to fall with every snap on his hips digging into you. you’ve had flings and hook-ups before, but nothing as profound as this, the eye contact, togetherness of him never backing too far away from your hold, you were being wholly consumed by jeno. everything right down to your core, he was all you could feel, taste, see, and think about.
‘o-oh my god’ you sobbed, hips jerking up at the feeling of the ripples burning through you, the coil in your stomach tightening, craving to break open, ‘m gonna cum’ you clenched around him, making jeno hiss above you at the feeling of tightness around his throbbing dick.
‘go on baby, cum for me,’ he whimpered as the feeling for him also grew intense, the way your cunt hugged his dick was making his mind spin. jeno mumbled incoherently ‘i’m so close baby, let go, you can let go, i got you’ from his words and the way he pounded into you made you snap, legs trembling as liquid gushed from your core and past his cock and dripped onto the sheets. light-headed and dizzy you cried out for jeno as your orgasm burst over you.
you clenched again, feeling overwhelmed by the euphoric feeling, ‘oh, fuck’ jeno cursed as he stilled inside of you, painting your insides with his seed, he groaned at the sensation of finally filling you up and properly claiming you as his and his alone. he stayed there for a couple of minutes inside of you. savoring the static of the overstimulation and pleasure of release. you winced as the hot liquid poured out of you when he pulled out, the emptiness of it all. jeno watched as his cum slide down your hole and onto the sheet, he scooped up the remaining liquid that rushed out of you and shoved it back into your clit with two fingers, making you cry at the sensitivity. ‘fuck that was… one of the best experiences of my life’ he caught his breath and plopped down facing you, he gently caressed your chin, bringing your head to his as he softly left kisses on your lips, ‘let me get you cleaned up baby’
‘m tired’ you whispered, barely able to keep your eyes open.
‘i know, but let me take care of you and get you dressed, i know theres extra clothes somewhere around here’ he started rummaging around the wardrobes, digging into them in order to find anything adequate. ‘aha!’ he put on a clean pair of underwear and sweats, ‘i’ll be right back baby’ he left the room and came back after for what felt like an eternity with a warm wash cloth and clean clothes, ‘these are mark’s girlfriends pj’s i’m sure she won’t mind,’ he hummed, wiping you clean, and dressing you in the soft, clean clothes. he picked you up so he could throw the covers back, tucking you in with a kiss on the nose, ‘you’re so cute’
you lazily smiled at him, settling into the sheets as you clung onto his warm frame, ‘who’s room is this by the way?’ you whispered as jeno shut his eyes.
‘mark’s. doesn’t matter. you’re my girlfriend now right?’ he leaned his head on yours.
‘mmm girlfriend yes. mark who?’ words fell from your mouth as you yawned, sleeping coming to find you soon.
‘mark, shark.’ he dismissed you, ‘just be ready for a stern talk when we wake up from the man himself.’ he kissed your head as you drifted off to sleep, the morning was the least of your worries now, you finally figured out the solution, the obvious answer being: jeno.
Okay everybody! I’m all done with this semester and about to pop the fuck off on my Bloodymary x reader teacher au.
I already established in my original post that you and Grace are married, that you teach another form of science, and your classrooms are right next to each other. Like you have those joining doors that classrooms have right next to each other.
You two are sort of the school’s power couple. Everyone on the staff knows that you two are married even if you two might have kept your last names. not like you two are PDA in front of everybody, of course not! You two are just so married that everybody within visionary of you can look at you two together and be like “Yeah. these two are married.”. It does take your students a minute to realize that sometimes though. I do like to think that you two will pop into each other’s classrooms to ask a question or get a second opinion if you think the other would have more insight on a certain subject or maybe even have a playful rivalry between your classes where you try to see who’s classes gets better grades. (In high school there were two teachers like that where they were married and would do that. Granted they taught different subjects (math and history) but you get it.) I feel like you and Grace would do that. All that to say that they can see that you two are very close and maybe even ship you two together till one day they get such a casual answer. Like one of them notices his wedding ring and asks if he’s married, then jokingly ask if it’s you, and then be shocked when he says yes and you’ve been married this whole time. It happens every school year.
Anyways! Simon! In this au Simon is a former engineer and marine biologist, best known for discovering a new species of deep sea eel (wink), turned teacher after an incident on his last expedition where he was solo and his submarine failed, resulting in him losing his arm and some burns that went up his lost arm to his face. He managed to get good graft work done on his face that you can barely notice it. He can still see out of the effected eye even though it looks foggy. He just wears a custom contact that makes it look perfectly fine. Unless you saw him putting it in or taking it out, you’d never know. But the burn scars are more obvious on his neck, shoulder, and overall side of his body. His clothes normally cover it up though say for the skin peaking out of his shirt collars. The only noticeable thing is his prosthetic arm.
Simon’s new to this whole teaching thing. He didn’t really expect to ever find himself being any sort of professor let alone a middle school teacher. His main thing was marine biology and engineering new technology for the field until the incident that nearly killed him. He’s sort of still recovering from the incident. He didn’t want to give up on it entirely but he still isn’t ready to go back into the sea so he settled on teaching the possible future of it through the kids… even though he doesn’t really know how to interact with them… or anyone.
Simon is a very introverted guy. He’s not one for socialization and never really knows what to say when he has to unless it was talking about his research and discoveries and even then it was very to the point. He hates it when people find out that he’s THE Simon that discovered the newly discovered blood eel (as he’s named it) because it’s all they want to talk about and they ask all these questions, and he just hates it. He hates being the center of attention like that. Most of his lessons are to the point. He teaches them what they need to be taught, makes quizzes and tests about the material, and answers any questions and grades accordingly. He takes his lunch breaks alone. His classroom is sparsely decorated. Again, he just got here but he also still hasn’t found his style like you and Grace have. But you two will help with that.
It starts when he awkwardly asks you and Grace for help on something related to teaching. That’s when you notice him and just sort of keep noticing him. You tell him to not be afraid to come and ask anything of you two. Your doors are always open. And that you’ll gladly save a spot of him in the teacher’s lounge during your lunch breaks, which you just happen to share. And then you give him some tips and suggestions on how to decorate when he decides that his classroom is too empty. Or ideas for projects for his students to do for different lessons. And then suddenly he’s just in your little click and he’s been absorbed into relationship.
He doesn’t know how he got here. You all went out for dinner after the last day of school one year and things happened. Now he’s your boyfriend. Obviously you guys don’t talk about it at work. Everyone just knows you as this trio of science teachers who are close and two of you just happen to be married to each other, but little do they know that you’ve all moved in together and kiss each other.
(And now I’m going to spend the rest of this talking about my hc on teacher!Simon)
Over time Simon finds his style
So Simon teaches basic and advanced biology along with the extracurricular engineering class, and is the coach for the engineering team. He does perfectly fine teaching the entirety of biology but his classroom’s theme leans more towards marine biology with a few things from engineering. I actually like to think that he takes a picture with his engineering kids when they win tournaments each year and in every picture he starts looking prouder and fonder.
His midterm and final projects are a scientific paper about an animal of their choosing and a detailed slideshow presentation about one of the biomes and ecosystems they learned about that year including the plants, animals, geographic location and landscape, and any threats they might be facing. He’s pretty lenient on what animal and ecosystem they pick, like if a kid wants to present for a very specific biome related to one of the types of ecosystems they learned about then he let’s them. But he lets the kids know one thing. The blood eel is the only animal off limits for the paper because too many kids tried to get an “easy grade” by trying to flatter him. Furthermore, you don’t get bonus points if your ecosystem slideshow is about a marine one just because he was a marine biologist. He’s not dumb, don’t even think about it. It needs to be genuine. That’s how he knows his marine biology propaganda is working.
He seems really intimidating at first because his teaching style is very no nonsense on the surface. He knows he’s dealing with middle schoolers here and their attention tends to wander or they want to goof around a little, and thats okay. He doesn’t get mad if a kid doodles on their notes, chews gum (even though the school tries to enforce a no gum policy) as long as they’re not sticking it under the desks, or on the other kids, or popping and chewing it super loud, or can’t sit still. As long as they aren’t interrupting or ignoring his teaching. He can tell who’s paying attention and who’s not through the grades and their demeanor. And even then he can tell who’s getting bad grades because they’re struggling and who’s getting them because they haven’t been listening. He still tries to help them but some kids just don’t care and he can’t cure “I don’t care”. Some kids just aren’t science people and if their parents get mad then thats on them.
Simon can still be fun though. He likes to keep the stupid doodles that the kids do on scrap paper that he found funny. Someone once made a papier-mâché anglerfish for art class and gifted it to him as decoration afterwards. The hall pass is an eel plushie that you and Grace got him. He uses his prosthetic arm as an example in engineering class of what perusing it can do. He actually does this thing where if he catches kids passing notes in class he takes them and tapes them to a board where anyone can go and see them. He literally doesn’t care what’s in them but he knows that if the whole class has the ability to know your business it discourages it. He does however read it very briefly so that he doesn’t end up putting sensitive information out there like a female student asking another for a pad/tampon. If thats the case he just quietly says “You may go to the nurse.”.
He says that he doesn’t have favorites but thats a lie. He does. But it’s not obvious nor does he ever tell, not even you and Grace. But he totally does. No it’s not the teacher’s pet. Or the class clowns. Or the try hard kid. But if you look closely you can see it. It’s the kids that actually care about what they’re doing without expecting anything. Those are the kids he looks out for.
(Taglist for those who showed interest: @trixxstrawberry @wonderhoyth @bad-at-living @thecreaturetm-blog @momentomoribitch @asteronymous )
I wrote these for shits and giggles and @ilovebruno told me to post so I did!!
JOHNNY
Johnny Joestar, who's probably a business major because thats what his dad would want.
Hes the quiet guy in back of your class who never participates unless hes called on ( always knows the answers though)
Very good at math, and history, bro aced his statistics class
Literally only talks to like two people in public
he's popular without wanting to be popular-- he probably stays away from everyone and complains when his phone is blowing up.
His has two instagrams, one where its all of his jockey stuff and pictures of Slowdancer, and another one that he uses more but its private, he lets people follow him but he never follows back unless yall are dating or good friends.
Super dry humor, and girls play it like its the funniest thing in the world.
Girls are constantly in his DMs because of this, sometimes he answers sometimes he doesn't.
A hundred percent he texts multiple girls at the same time and just doesnt tell them ( also part of the reason why he never hangs out with any of them unless its serious).
Probably still has a Kentucky twang that makes girls go crazy whenever he actually does speak to them. (but hates it and is trying to unlearn the accent).
His dorm room is always clean, he definitley has that like plaid navy blue bed set that every guy has
100 percent the guy that your friend comes to you about and is like "I can fix him" ( no they can't)
Doesnt do one night stands, he has to know them a least a little bit
but very loyal when hes in a relationship
Only goes to parties because Gyro drags him there
likes going bar hopping though
NSFW
probably loves sexting, mostly because its easier to communicate like that
If he wants you bad enough he'll probably send back
Honestly evil as fuck
Says the dirtiest things over text and then walks past you like hes never spoken to you
LOVES backshots, johnny is an ass man idc
into degrading his partners but likes getting praised himself
light bondage is fun for him, like missoniary while you hands are above your head
OR, giving him head on your knees while your hands are behind your back
tries being quiet because he thinks it's embarrassing to be heard. But if he likes you enough and is comfortable this man is absolutley a whiner and moaner, especially if youre giving him head.
lwk into the 'good boy' bit-- prob started off as a joke but now hes seriously into it
now hear me out, somnophillia?? BUT only with someone hes been with for awhile, he enjoys the trust aspect since he didnt have much of that growing up
likes marking, whether its stratch marks on his back, or leaving hickies on girls hes been with. In his weird little head he enjoys knowing that they have a part of him visible
Loves overstimulation, doesnt matter if its you squriming under him or the opposite, hes a freak for it fr.
likes pulling out and seeing how much you creamed on his cock
will clean you up, offer you water, then kick you out. Walk of shame it is
BUT, if you guys are dating he is the sweetest and will cuddle you, or even doordash food after.
GYRO
Gyro Zeppeli whos probably a pre-med or nursing major
takes school very seriously because his family is full with poeple in the medical industry
A very like 70s rockstar aesthetic methinks
probably a DL bi guy
Constantly surrounded by girls, and guys
You think hes kinda an asshole when you first meet but thats just the way he jokes
Kinda touchy?? like he'll touch you waist to move you to the side, or like softly hit your shoulder or thigh when laughing
also very smart, but I imagine hes like math and science smart. but probably did really good in world history.
takes academics very seriously-- even if it doesnt seem like that
has only had like one or two relationships but they were both really serious and lasted over a year
His dorm room is probably really messy, like posters of soccer players
in fact he probably does play soccer
Secretly a huge romantic and doesnt like messing with girls hearts because thats happened to him before
enjoys partying and would probably join a frat if he got that bored
pushes johnny to get into a loving relationship but johnny just wants to fuck around and release stress
hates doing it-- but he probably covers johnnys ass when johnny is fucking with more than one girl
"Johnny was with me last night, what are you worried about??”
Is a huge flirter and that gives people mixed signals, but when he likes you-- you can TELLLL
NSFW
has had like two one night stands, but that was like his freshman year of uni
probably swears off girls during his finals week because he doesnt want to be distracted
will only fuck you if you guys are dating
service kink 100 percent
LOVESS to give, whether its eating you out for hours, or just letting you use him
will worship the ground you walk on
amazing at using his fingers-- knows just how to rub or stroke and what pressure and rhythm to use
once he gets comfortable his sex drive is like medium high
cannot keep his mouth shut for the life of him
from his dirty talk to his moans, hes so vocal about everything. Bro has no shame
Enjoys a power dynamic, doesnt matter if hes top or bottom (perfers top though).
please tell him how good he makes you feel, just hearing that makes his cock twitch
a bit of a voyer??? Likes the risk of getting caught while inside you.
great at aftercare, even if its just a hook up, bro will care for you and make sure youre okay before letting you leave or falling alseep.
✦ Chiming Bell
ノ MODERN! High school hcs with the Chrysos Heir because I love them so much ⸝⸝ gn reader ⸝⸝ wc: 1780
✦ Note ; The usual grammar error and spelling mistakes warning ⸝⸝ if they come across as ooc then I apologize because I'm still not very confident in my ability of writing HSR characters haha ⸝⸝ This can be interpreted as both romantic and platonic as your liking! ⸝⸝ will probably edit out some mistakes ⸝⸝ I'm very sorry for not including Hyacine TT
♡ Phainon
⸝⸝ I feel like he's kind of a jock BUT also not a jock. Like, he's not THOSE jocks that get angry at you if you cannot catch the ball that is beaming at 1000 mph to your face.
⸝⸝ Those popular kids that are actually super nice to everyone. I feel like he doesn't judge people much and if he does dislike someone, will not rub it in their face unless they deserve to.
⸝⸝ Basically just a ray of sunshine. Definitely has Mydei as his seatmate and I just imagine Phainon walking into class greeting everyone every morning and then Mydei is just sitting there massaging his temple, wondering how he's so bright this early.
⸝⸝ While he's generally super nice, I think Phainon is also pretty mischievous though. I can already imagine him getting into some light troubles and then having to sweep the hallway as a punishment LMAO.
⸝⸝ Probably enjoys learning history and literature, he just gets super sleepy and perhaps bored in them. Decent at math but HORRIBLE at science like chemistry. Phainon comes up to Mydei as lab partner and Mydei prays the two of them don't get involved in any sorts of explosion or chemical accident /j
⸝⸝ When Phainon is pinning on you, he will 100% turn into a golden retriever. Follows you around in a non-creepy way, helps you carry stuff, probably tries tutoring you the best he could, sometimes ask to have lunch together and then drags you to the rest of his friends.
⸝⸝ Gets super shy about it and it didn't escape his friends. Also gets not bullied but teased a lot for it, when you walked past them far enough, I feel like most likely Mydei would go "holy shit is that Phainon's lover walking past by just now?!"
⸝⸝ When he announced that the two of you are dating to his friends, they would hold their pearl necklace and pretend like they're shocked (except it's so purposefully exaggerated it's hilarious wow Phainon you're so slick!)
♡ Aglaea
⸝⸝ I hc'd that the Chrysos Heir is basically akin to the Student Council in the modern world, so expect no less that Aglaea is definitely the president or at the VERY least the vice president.
⸝⸝ That one strict classmate who always looks her best and behaves the best too. Probably a class president or rep too?? Would reprimand her classmates or the other students to mind both their attire and attitude.
⸝⸝ Teacher's pet, except she's one that you can't really walk over or trample. Girl just has that aura in her for not only being smart but also beautiful?!?! (My GOAT Aglaea as always)
⸝⸝ Looks scary at first glance, but if you need her help with studying she would help say no more! That one meme that goes like "would you let me copy your homework?" "no, but I'll help you with it"
⸝⸝ This may sound pretty personal and specific but hc that she excels and enjoys public speaking. Her words and articulations are probably amazing if you get what I mean...
⸝⸝ Honestly, if she is pinning on you? Nobody would pretty much find out about it unless she personally said so. I'm sorry but Aglaea strikes off to me as the type to be super good at hiding aka slick with her feelings for someone. (Ironically for being the bearer of Mnestia's coreflame in lore lol)
⸝⸝ So when she told her friends that you two are dating, their surprise is actually real and pure.
⸝⸝ It's still noticeable though subtle tho! Aglaea will be extra mindful of you and will no doubt worry about your grades and your performance. Would help you study even if it takes time say less!
♡ Mydei
⸝⸝ Similarly to Phainon, seems like a jock but isn't too much of a jock once you get to know about him. I think it's pretty much just a first impression since he's physically well built and healthy. For someone with his looks, Mydei is a pretty quiet and calm seatmate, ones targeted by people who is just full on comical nonsense (Trailblazer for instance…. They're so stupid I love them).
⸝⸝ Seemingly messy appearance (that slightly loose collar and messily tied tie fix that rn Mydei i hate hastily tied tie and sometimes spends 5 minutes redoing it if I couldn't get it right sobs), but is actually very discipline and a pretty decent student. Also hc that he uses reading glasses.
⸝⸝ Bluddy is probably the first to arrive at class and is usually pretty punctual with a few exceptions being made. Definitely that one friend who sleeps early and wakes up early. Probably lets you copy his homework just so you can get off his ass.
⸝⸝ Excels at history, terrible at math, probably decent at chemistry??? Hear me out though, he's terrible at math and physics but he's interested in them so it's kind of a party pooper LAMFAO (self projecting). Mydei doesn't hate it, he probably just doesn't understand it.
⸝⸝ Those type of guys that people are scared of because of his appearance, but is actually good with juniors. He helps them with studying and getting the subject's concept wrapped around their head and somehow patient for a man that doesn't look like he has patience at all.
⸝⸝ When Mydei pins on you, he won't look nor act THAT much different around you. If you're a much more comical or hilarious kind of person, he endures and tolerates you more. He will offer more lending hands though; for instance, explaining things you don't understand more, willingly tutors you, sneaks gifts into your desk or locker and then softly denies it when questioned (you're not slick bro.)
⸝⸝ Mydei doesn't announce it if you two are dating, rather, his friends found out on their own by the slight flush on his face when he's around you and the way his fierce eyes seemed to simmer down a little when you're around.
♡ Castorice
⸝⸝ SUPER quiet and probably finds it hard to communicate all the time. The reason people know her is mostly because she's apart of the Student Council, but that aside, she's also super kind and nice!
⸝⸝ Hangs around Aglaea a lot and acts as her 'assistant' or similar. Also a teacher's pet except on the more mellow side and one that even the meanest of the mean doesn't have the heart to mock.
⸝⸝ She probably could be vice president.. But that's just a rough gut and because I see her as one. Also reprimands her classmates and other students to be mindful of their attire and attitude.
⸝⸝ Generally good at any subjects given, but I hc that Castorice really likes art and music classes. The atmosphere is quieter and much more peaceful that even her mind could rest a little. Definitely joins clubs like sewing club.
⸝⸝ Sometimes sleeps on recess because I see her as those super-tired looking type of people who can doze off while standing but refrains on doing so in classes. Due to this, probably picks the seat closer to the window to hide away from the lights at the center of the class.
⸝⸝ When Castorice pins on you, she will subtly get super shy around you. Sometimes stutters on her speech and is extra polite at you much to the awkwardness. Be prepared for cuteness overload!!
⸝⸝ Castorice definitely makes things for you! A small crochet plush, flower crowns, or some fake flowers that reminds her of you. Surfs into flower language to express her affection to you by making said flowers for you!
⸝⸝ Castorice would reluctantly yet shyly declares her love for you one random evening, and the rest of the Chyrsos Heir is totally NOT spying at you two from behind some bushes.
♡ Anaxa
⸝⸝ This man is canonically a professor according to the in-game lore what else do I need to say??
⸝⸝ That one smart kid who's super snarky and sarcastic. If you think Mydei is pretty sarcastic for someone, then behold Anaxagoras and his sharp yet elegant tongue that totally does not remind me of a certain doctor.
⸝⸝ He definitely no doubt enjoys subjects science related. Chemistry, physics, biology, name it. Yet nobody really dares to approach him and ask him to be their lab partner due to, again, the aura that surrounds him. You feel like you're shrinking per second you stand next to him if you don't know anything about him. Also hc that he enjoys scientific debates.
⸝⸝ He probably goes overseas to attend science olympics like a lot, and obviously comes back with victory by his side. He's probably academic rivals with Aglaea haha. I can just see them competing for the school's 1st place.
⸝⸝ Anaxa gets avoided by plenty people because of his personality, but he doesn't pay any mind nor does he care about it. After all, his only interest currently is knowledge, isn't it..?
⸝⸝ Well that's until you, who doesn't seem to be that much avoidant of him, came along to his life. Anaxa is that one person that goes deep into denial when he has feelings for someone. "NO. WDYM I HAVE FEELINGS FOR THEM. FUCK."
⸝⸝ The rest of the Chrysos Heir found out about this when one random day, Anaxa suddenly came up to Hyacine and started asking her questions related to feelings that are leaning a little bit tooooo much on the romantic side (much to his dismay and denial). Even with his denial, he found himself coming up to the pink haired girl and asking her about this… Very foreign feeling of what she described as "butterflies fluttering in his stomach" and a suspiciously big grin on her face.
⸝⸝ Like Phainon, Anaxa doesn't escape the constant teasing from the Chrysos Heir for this, mainly Aglaea. She will devilishly giggle into her fingertips and make subtle jabs at him when she talks to you; "[name], do you have just any idea how breathtaking you are?" while giving Anaxa looks to which he responded with not only a glare but a suspiciously burning pair of ear tips <3
