#Teachers au

[half-oz-eddie]

Thought it would be fun to make a dump of Billy and Heather on their priv accounts talking about their lives as teachers

@ariesbilly your post about billy being a teacher inspired me

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

Jily AU in which they are primary school teachers. James is the gym teacher. Lily is the English teacher. And all their students love them because they are cool and very parently good. Even better if these kids have neglectful rich parents. And they give them the love and attention they are missing.

All the kids ship them together and do a lot of pranks to lock them up together or send fake love notes to each other. Whatever to set them up. You name it.

Which makes it even better, is that they actually fancy each other. They are just too scared of admitting it. But each situation makes them grow closer.

Featuring Snape as a very bad and strict math teacher that every kid hates and who has a disgusting obsession with Lily. And McGonagall as a Headmistress of that school who is the biggest Jily shipper.

[coline7373]

"Well? Recess is over and the students are waiting. Aren't you going to say goodbye, Mr. Kenobi?"

"Goodbye, Cody. I hope the students know how lucky they are to have you."

"About as lucky as they are to have you. Now, come on. Kiss me."

"As you wish."

I have been working on this very slowly from the start. It's actually finished? Wow 😆

It was, in my mind, related to the Teachers Obi-Wan & Mustache!Cody AU. Cody doesn't have a mustache there. Sorry 😔

I tried but it looked weird 😅 Oh, well...

Thank you for @codywanfirstkissbingo for offering a wide panel of choices, because some of those prompts are so complicated to do in my head, I was a bit intimidated.

Working myself up to it 👍

[nonbinary-eddie-munson]

Steve is Robins beard/no upside down AU where Robin and Steve run away and get married after Robin graduates because she gets outed in the last few weeks of highschool and its the only way to stop her parents from sending her to a christan all girls college.

Originally the cover up plan is for Robin and Steve to tell her parents that they just recently started dating and a girl in band started the rumor about Robin being a lesbian because she was jealous and hoped it would make Steve and Robin break up. They can fake date and then "break up" after Robin goes off to college in Chicago, claiming the distance was too much.

Robins mom is fully ready to accept this as fact, after all it will do so much for their status in town if her daughter marries into the Harrington family

Robins dad, on the other hand, hates the idea of his only daughter being with the son of Richard Harrington. He watched the bastard play with his sisters heart in highschool before running off to marry some rich girl and will be damned if he sees the same happen to his daughter. No it will be better if he put an end to all of this and ships her off to Mount Saint Marys so she never has to see the Harrington boy again.

Cue Robin and Steve aided by Joyce and Hopper making a plan for them to run away because Steve will be damned if all of Robins dreams are crushed because her father wants to be an over protective asshole. They decide the easiest way to stop her dad from tracking them down and forcing Robin to come home is if they get married.

So the night after graduation, Robin sneaks out of her house and steals away into the night with Steve. They drive all night until they make it to chicago as the sun is rising. Joyce has a cousin who lives in the city and is willing to let Robin and Steve stay in her spare room until they get settled.

Carina has the same motherly warmth as Joyce, though she never married or had kids instead choosing to live with her " Capital R Roomate" Marjorie. Of course, the two women know the truth of Robin and Steves situation and as soon as the court house opens, they bear witness as Steve and Robin sign the marriage papers and offically become Steve and Robin Buckley-Harrington

They actually fought quite a bit on last names Steve insisting that he should take the last name Buckley because fuck his parents, while Robin still angry at her father wanted to become a Harrington just to spite him. Carina is the one who convinces them to hyphenate after, to her horror and amusement they suggest combining their lastnames and becoming the Buckington's (Steves idea) or the Harringley's (Robins idea)

Steve and Robin find jobs together at a local coffee shop and after Robins first semester at school working towards a degree in linguistics, Steve decides to apply for community college eventually deciding he wants to become a school councilor, he loves working with kids and hey if he can help atleast one kid all the schooling will be worth it.

Steve and Robin love the city and once they both graduate -Robin ending up adding a teaching degree in with her linguitics- they get jobs teaching at a local middle school Steve as the guidance counciler and Robin teaching French and Latin. They talk briefly about getting divorced after a few years but after almost dying in a fire together when starcourt burned down they're trauma bonded for life, honestly steve doesnt know who he was kidding thinking he'd be fine staying in Hawkins until the kids graduated while Robin went off to Chicago.

Carina and Marjorie introduce Robin and Steve to the queer scene in Chicago and Steve has his bisexual awakening. Robin becomes Steves beard just as much as he is hers. They both date around a bit, but nothing serious ever comes of it theres not many people who can handle the combined force that is "Steve And Robin Platonic With A Capital P Soulmates"

Enter professional substitute teacher/drama club advisor Eddie Munson and brand new lead journalist of the Chicago Tribune Nancy Wheeler, who are both confused, gay and unwilling to be homewreckers but cant help but to be sucked into Robin and Steves orbit all the same

[pascaloverx]

To Begin Again

TWO

Summary: You're a new teacher at a large and influential school. It's a risky step for you, as you've been running from your ex for almost two years. But when Dumbledore asks you to take on a class at the renowned Hogwarts, you can't refuse. However, your life as a newly arrived teacher won't be easy. Especially when the other teachers don't seem eager to make friends. Or rather, two teachers in particular: Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.

Author's Note: Welcome, dear readers. Please leave your comments if you enjoy fanfiction. This fanfic takes place almost in the real world (with the addition of werewolves) and is not a wizarding fanfic. There will be some differences and changes in things from the Harry Potter story or other fanfics in the HP universe, but I promise to do my best writing this fanfic. There will be a love triangle coming in this fanfic.

ONE THREE

You open your eyes, feeling a strange pain in your head but relief in your back. You're lying on a very soft bed. But you don't recognize the place; it seems to be someone else's room. There's more light in the room, fewer scattered books. The furniture looks expensive, all in a dark tone. You try to get up from the bed, but you end up staggering. Once again, your body is back on the bed. You think it might be best to go back to sleep until someone shows up. It's exactly at that moment that Sirius enters through the door. He carries a cup and is watching you almost without making any noise.

"How long are you going to keep watching me?" You ask while still lying in bed. Sirius laughs, and you feel relieved that you've broken what could have been an awkward moment between you.

"Is that how you're going to talk to the man who saved you from death twice? I thought you'd know how to be more grateful." Sirius responds as he leans his body against the desk in the room. You sit up in bed, after some effort, and stare at Sirius. He's wearing new, elegant, dark clothes.

"If you're expecting gratitude from me, you'll have to wait until I'm in a better mood. My head is a mess. Did you bring me here?" You wonder how you ended up in Sirius's room. Then you wonder where Remus is. Did you hallucinate meeting someone named Remus? And if he does exist, why did he leave you with Sirius?

"Remus and I. It was teamwork. We didn't want you to get hurt anymore. Before you ask, Remus and I are very close. When you're Lupin's problem, you're my problem too." Sirius then hands you the cup. There's what seems to be herbal tea inside, and you don't waste time asking whether you should drink it or not. You quickly ingest the tea, and almost instantly, you feel relief from the pain in your head.

"I'm grateful and offended at the same time. What do you mean, problem? I'm not a problem for either of you. In fact, I find it rather rude of you to refer to me as a problem." You say as soon as you finish the tea. Apparently, you managed to rise and stand up immediately after getting angry with Sirius. He seems to have a talent for irritating you.

"Hey, hey, hey princess. Relax. I didn't mean to offend you, but let's just say taking care of you was an inconvenience. Remus had to go teach, but today is my day off. A day away from the little ones." Sirius says, smiling slyly. You look into Sirius's eyes and wonder how he can be someone's teacher.

"You're a bit childish for a teacher. Not that I'm saying you're not qualified to teach, but..." you say, being suggestive. You notice he's no longer smiling, which is a pity. His smile is beautiful. As beautiful as he is.

"I'll forgive you for the attitude and offer to take you to the room where you should be going to teach. Right now." Sirius says, somewhat arrogantly, and pretending to be modest. At least, that's what it seems like he's doing.

"How? I just arrived, I can't just already have to teach, can I?" You had no idea that there would already be a class waiting for you. Things at Hogwarts seem to happen too quickly.

"McGonagall doesn't mess around. Apparently, you'll be substituting for my esteemed friend Lily Potter. Her health is fragile at the moment. But enough details. Let's go. The brats are eager to meet you." Sirius says, almost excitedly. Then he puts his hand out in front of you as if he wants you to take his hand. And you hold his hand, which is as cold as winter. But soft; very soft. And then he guides you, holding your hand with some firmness.

"Shouldn't I meet with this McGonagall or Dumbledore? Am I just going to arrive and start teaching?" You speak as you practically run through the corridors behind Sirius. He seems focused.

"McGonagall is busy dealing with a student who locked herself in the bathroom, and now everyone can hear her moans, and many students are nervous about it. As for Dumbledore, he's traveled to a meeting between some influential school directors in London. He won't be back for a few weeks. But trust me, you're in good hands." Sirius says, almost breathless as you're both almost running everywhere. Oh dear, how will you manage to teach after sprinting through almost the entire school at this speed?

"Tell me we've arrived. My feet can't handle climbing another staircase. At this rate, you'll have to carry me." You say, letting go of Sirius's hand for a moment and catching your breath.

"Nice way to flirt with me, but we've arrived. You're new here, they probably tried to intimidate you. I hope you survive. Take good care of my godson. See you later, Y/N." Sirius says quickly, with a playful smirk on his face, and then he disappears. How does he manage to be so fast?

Summoning courage, you enter the classroom. It's a room with an old-fashioned style, furniture made of the finest wood, and several students who look at you as if you've committed a crime.You compose yourself as you walk to the teacher's desk. It's a large desk, with a big book on top of it and a attendance list. You look at the class and notice that the boys who were fighting when you arrived are your students.

"So, students. I'm your substitute teacher. I'll be taking over this class until the previous teacher can return. I hope you'll receive me with the same respect that I'll give to you." You speak in a steady tone, neither too loud nor too soft.

"You hear that, Potter? Now you won't be privileged with high grades just for being the teacher's son. Finally, all of Hogwarts will discover what a loser you are." The boy, whom you believe to be called Draco, speaks almost across the room, addressing the dark-haired boy.

"You continue to delude yourself with your nonsense, Malfoy. If you put half as much effort into studying as you do into trying to belittle me, you'd probably be smarter." Potter speaks, and you just observe them with a serious expression.

"You know what? I think you two need to learn to put your energy into something other than taunts and senseless aggression. Malfoy and Potter, pair up and be the first to do today's class activity. For the other students, pair up as you prefer and start drawing. Today's task for everyone is to draw an animal that represents you as a pair. The best pair will earn extra credit. I suggest that Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter showcase their skills if they truly want to measure intelligence." You walk around the room as you write the task on the board and listen to the students forming their pairs. Everyone except the two mortal enemies. Apparently, they really don't want to do this task together.

"Teacher, with all due respect, it's not possible for you to believe that Draco Malfoy and I will do well in this task." Potter says as he adjusts his glasses on his face. He speaks assertively, and you look at him, trying to decide what to respond to him.

"Even though Potter is a fool, he's right. Not to mention that you've just arrived here and are already treating the two of us differently. It's not fair that the others can choose their partners and we have to stay together." Draco speaks, all full of himself, as if he's making a beautiful defense of why he's being unjustly treated. You chuckle lightly.

"I'll be clearer. You're going to work together, you're going to do a good job, and all of this in harmony. Otherwise, neither of you will receive a grade. Now, save all that energy for the beautiful drawing you're going to make. I'll be sitting at my desk waiting to evaluate you and all the other obedient classmates you have." You say, sitting in the comfortable chair designated for the teacher and opening the book on the desk. Malfoy and Potter must have realized that you wouldn't change your mind and decided to pair up. You took attendance, finally discovering that Potter's name is Harry, that the smart girl who draws beautifully is Hermione Granger, and that the boy she's paired with, who spends most of his time distracting her, is named Ron Weasley. Time passes quickly, and soon you're collecting the class's drawings to evaluate later. Draco and Harry did a great job together, but that didn't stop Malfoy from threatening to call his father to the school if you forced him to be near Potter.

"How was your first day?" Remus asks as soon as all your students leave the room for recess, and you stay behind to organize some things.

"A madness. Seriously, I thought my night was a mess, but waking up in Sirius's room in the early afternoon and then coming to teach was insane. Not to mention that the students I separated from a fight this morning are my students. And I think both of them will end up hating me by the end of my time here. And I lost my suitcase. But don't let me overwhelm your ears with my nonsense." You say, feeling lighter when you finish speaking, as if a weight has been lifted off your chest. Remus seems somewhat enchanted by your moment of venting. Or maybe his eyes always look too friendly? The smile is charming too.

"I can try to solve some of your problems. Harry is like a nephew to me, not to mention he's Sirius's godson. I can talk to him about this situation with Malfoy. As for your suitcase, it might be with me. I was walking through the forest a little before I found you in my room, and I saw this strange suitcase there. It was dirty with blood, so I preferred to clean it first, but I can take you to the suitcase. And then, of course, you can have a coffee with me." Remus says in a very sweet way, which leaves you a bit enchanted. For some reason, you feel that being near him is refreshing or comforting, something like that. You can't quite explain it yourself. You feel the impulse to hug him, which is quite strange. But you manage to control yourself.

"I can't refuse an invitation like that, especially when you offer me a solution not only to one but to two of my problems. Lead the way to the cafeteria because I'm dying for a cappuccino." You say, walking with Remus, who is walking quite calmly. Then you go together to the cafeteria, and you feel like you might enjoy your time at Hogwarts, even if it's short-lived.

[xhanisai]

AU where Marinette is an extended Art and Design teacher and Adrien is a science and maths teacher and they teach at a secondary school and they also are Ladybug and Chat Noir

- Marinette is 23 and Adrien is 24. They’re new teachers at this school but they meet after meeting each other as Ladynoir (so around the same time period).

- They got their miraculous around the same time at that age but decide to not hide their identities from each other because FUCK THAT! They need each other’s support! They become happily surprised finding out that they know each other sort of.

- They fall madly in love with each other but are absolute chicken shit about properly confessing. Adrichat is dramatic, flirty and also shy and sweet. Maribug is also flirty and teasing but can also stumble over her words because of him when she least expects it. The longing and yearning they have for each other is so clear to an outsider but they’re idiots. Absolute idiots. Like little chicks stumbling around idiots.

- They’re silly, goofy, inexperienced af adults because I NEED more rep of that and their students are always making comments about them that will make one swoon like an old Victorian woman.

- Adrien always brings them coffee in the morning and always gives Marinette a kiss on the forehead. And if she’s currently teaching at class, he’ll wait till she’s settled on the chair and then come into class and kiss her head and give her coffee. He gives no shits if the students are giggling at them. Nothing will come in between him and giving his Lady some well deserved kisses :)

-Their classrooms are next door to each other. So, when students are behaving, they’re allowed to study in any of the two classrooms. 

- Everyone at first thought they’re married because of how sickeningly sweet and adorable they are with each other. Imagine their surprise and outrage when they realise that no, they’re not even dating (yet).

- Marinette also visits Adrien’s classroom often, making sure that he’s eaten on time and that he’s taken his breaks. A few times, he comes to school with a nasty fever and the students get a front row view of her babying him and scolding him lovingly.

- Whenever an akuma attacks, they both have to make excuses to leave (even if it is in the middle of teaching). This gets students and staff coming up with rumours about them much to the pair’s embarrassment.

- No one questions Adrien’s mini fridge full of cheese and Marinette’s drawer full of cookies and macarons.

- In the staff room, they’re always together and they help one another with coming up teaching stuff and all that jazz. 

- Often, these chats will be in nearby cafes and bistros (totally not a date).

- Adrien loves children and wants to try his best becoming a good role model for them whilst teaching them about things he loves. This is his dream job. Marinette enjoys her job too, especially when she’s teaching about Fashion. She also has an online store (this girl can do fucking anything you know what she’s like, nothing can stop her) and has designed many incredible things.

- Marinette often brings in treats from her parents’ bakery for her class and Adrien’s and she always makes sure to bring his favourites. One time, he was having a long, bad day and Marinette didn’t come in until mid-afternoon with a dozen of passionfruit macarons. Everyone witnessed him light up like a kitten and spin her around in a hug with a “Ma Princesse!!!!”

- Because of how affectionate and how sweet they are with one another, every Parisian believes that ladynoir are married. Both of them have simulateously decided to let the citizens believe that and even play along because it’s another layer that can hide their identities. Totally not a reason to get all touchy as they please and share many hugs and kisses on the cheeks and heads as they like.

- If a class makes Adrien upset, they get severely chewed out by Marinette and that absolutely shitscares the students so they try their best to never make him sad. And if a class makes Marinette upset or super stressed and frustrated, Adrien would substitute and teach said class but he would be quiet and professional so that the students know he’s pissed at them for making his Lady upset.

- Marinette often overworks herself and being Ladybug only makes it worse so the only way to ensure she takes better care of herself is for Adrien/Chat Noir to visit her home often and pester her. Sabine and Tom have already accepted him as their son-in-law.

- Adrinette’s students have a bet on when they think their teachers will get married. The parisians have a bet going on of when they expect a Ladynoir baby. 

“We can’t just fake a baby, Chaton! It’s too complicated!”

“-I didn’t say fake a baby-”

“And we absolutely are not borrowing someone else’s baby as a civilian and pretend it’s ours for the press! Even if we mask the baby’s identity!” 

“I see...wouldn’t it be interesting if we genuinely do marry for real and have a baby for real...?”

“Hehehheh...yeah...so interesting...hahahah...”

“Yeah...”

- Like I said, they’re idiots.

- Sometimes, especially during their breaks, the students find Adrien and Marinette asleep next to each other on the bench or on the chairs, her head leaning on his shoulder and his head leaning on hers.

[anulithots]

How I think a Gojo and Geto teachers AU would work (if Riko survived)

Geto: trying to be nice, really, really trying to be kind and empathetic, while also following the rules and staying on course. Fushiguro and Maki appreciate this.

All the rest of the children are kind of wild and Geto just gets more and more exasperated with them. (But he won't snap... no.. he's very close to snapping, but he can't do that.)

Geto looks to Gojo with a 'please help me Satoru'.

Meanwhile Gojo:

Then Geto snaps at Gojo instead. SatoSugu quality bonding fight ensues.

[roucaelum-art]

𝖳𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗌! ★ [𝗆𝗒 𝗍𝗐 𝖱𝗈𝗎__𝗎𝗈𝗋]

[skepticdoe]

mkay so you all know that a new post from me means another one of my word vomits!!

south park teacher/professor au!!!

this honestly could work for both a high school and college au

What subjects do they all teach? Whos the head of each department???

what two teachers do the students think are married but are actually just crushing on each other and are clueless to everyone else being annoyed at their obvious pining?

i feel like cartman would either be a principal or a business teacher no inbetween

Clyde as a PE teach ofc no questions asked

for school nurse, I think our lovely Nichole would fit the role perfectly she just has a warm, caring vibe

kenny would teach physics or art/shop class (maybe both just for shits n giggles)

Kyle would either be the councillor or an AP literature/any other content heavy class and have an annoying petty rivalry with some other teacher (cartman)

Stan would be a bio/environmental science teacher because yes (would also coach sports teams)

Wendy i feel would teach politics and government and all the real world stuff (her hot wife Bebe would teach a fashion course)

I’m like wayyyyy too indecisive to keep on assigning classes but it’s basically all the same!!

I think this would be a really interesting au with so much drama (teachers being hit on by parents and making their partners mad) and it’s just fun!

I for some reason cannot find any subject for butters/marj loll

i commend you if you’ve made it this far!! Lmk your thoughts!!

[star-lights-up]

I feel so high school (every time I look at you)

Words: 1232 Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier Oneshot

[half-oz-eddie]

Another unhinged Billy and Heather teacher AU dump

[isame-allen]

I meant to post it in @xhoky acc but when I clicked "ask", I saw I was on ur blog 😭

but still, maybe ur opinion on it ( if u saw the ds teachers au )

I wonder how the heck you mistaken me for them

As for my opinion, blues class would be both a ranting/Myb some gossip session and a meditation session

I can imagine during the stretches one student would go

“Oh mr. Blue! Katie’s boyfriend was cheating on her!”

Blue: “now now, in my class we don’t engage in such talks about anyon-”

“he cheated on Katie with her childhood friend!”

Blue: “I’ve locked the door, now everyone better keep your voices low so no one can report us capiche?”

[sesamestreep]

Taylor Swift prompts: Jyn/Cassian, 35

35. love me like I’m brand new (from this prompt list) Note: completely independent of Zainab's prompt fill from this week expanding her sambucky teachers AU, I was busy writing her a teachers AU for this prompt! Same hat, as usual! I meant to get it finished and published by our friendiversary (this past tuesday) but that didn't quite work out. Still, within a week ain't bad. Cross posted to AO3, if that's more your jam.

“Okay, I’m proposing a new drinking game,” Jyn’s voice crackles over the walkie-talkie. “Drink every time the DJ plays a song Cassian doesn’t know.”

Cassian whips his head around, looking for her but doesn’t see her anywhere in the crowded room. It is dark, though. And full of high schoolers who are mostly taller than her. She could be anywhere.

“Where are you?” he asks, into his own walkie-talkie. “I don’t even see you.”

“I am the night,” she replies, in her best Batman impression, which is not very good, honestly.

“We can’t play that drinking game,” Bodhi interjects. “We’ll be dead in under an hour.”

“Hey!”

“No drinking at prom,” Baze replies, bored.

“Wait, when did we make that rule?” Jyn asks.

“You better be joking.”

“I am, don’t worry. I take the safety and security of this event very seriously,” she says. “And I can’t think of anything worse than being drunk around high schoolers.”

“Drunk in front of your parents?” Bodhi suggests.

“That’s me every Christmas, baby!”

“Is this what we’re supposed to be using the walkie-talkies for?” Cassian asks.

“Wow, did you just tattle on me?”

“Chirrut, we’re gonna need a ruling,” Bodhi interjects.

“Ten-four,” Chirrut replies. “Definitely tattling.”

Jyn blows a raspberry directly into her walkie, and Cassian sighs. “I think he meant about the proper use of the radios, Chirrut.”

“Oh, then yes, this is exactly how I envisioned us using them,” he says.

“Best prom ever,” Bodhi says, dryly.

“Speaking of which, who’s in the lead in the flask count?”

“That would be my beloved, with a grand total of 12 so far,” Chirrut says, and Baze makes a point of groaning into the radio because he hates when Chirrut calls him pet names at work. “Followed by Cassian, with 8, and Jyn with 5. Bodhi and I are tied for last with 2 apiece.”

“Actually, Kay is in last place, with negative four thousand because he’s a little bitch who called out sick from chaperone duty at the last minute,” Jyn replies.

“Yes, let the record show Kay is in last place forever,” Chirrut says.

“Amen,” Cassian replies. “What are you doing with all these flasks, anyway?”

“Jyn, don’t you dare say Jungle Juice,” Bodhi says, immediately.

“JUNGLE J—hey!”

“Jungle Juice is never the solution to any problem!”

“You’re right about that,” she says. “Jungle juice is, at best, always just a neat way to go from having one problem to two problems.”

“To actually answer Cassian’s question, we generally just give them over to the central office,” Baze says. “With our report for the night. The administrative team decides what to do with that information afterwards.”

“We’re not really going to nerf these kids for getting rowdy at prom, are we?” Jyn asks. “We’re not even on school grounds.”

“I didn’t realize you were so tender-hearted, Erso.”

“Bite me, Andor! Just for that, I’m taking your second place spot in the Flask Olympics.”

“Flask-Off,” Chirrut replies.

“The Flasked Singer,” Bodhi suggests.

“Flask and you shall receive,” Jyn adds.

“Everyone shut the flask up and get off the walkies,” Baze interrupts. “You’re all giving me a migraine.”

Cassian tucks the radio back in his pocket and returns to his actual job of chaperoning. The students are all dancing to a song that he absolutely does not recognize, though it would require advanced forms of torture to get him to ever admit that to Jyn now. In the middle of the crowd, he spots Rey and Finn, still wearing their cheap plastic crowns from the prom court ceremony and doing some dance that involves windmilling their arms a lot. He shakes his head, and continues his sweep of the room, spotting Bodhi in a far corner and giving him a salute, which Bodhi returns.

“Flask-athalon,” Jyn says, at his elbow and he nearly jumps out of his skin. 

“Where the fuck did you come from?” he asks, not sure how she managed to sneak up on him.

“Bathroom,” she says. “Did you hear my flask joke? I thought of it on the way over, but I don’t want to get on Baze’s bad side.”

“So you chose to instead inflict it on me? What did I ever do?”

“Mean,” she says. “You’re so mean. And now you’re on my bad side. Was it worth it?”

“I’m not scared of your bad side,” he says, and it comes out all stupid and tender by accident. There was meant to be some bravado in there somewhere but he forgot, or he misplaced it, or something.

“They all say that,” Jyn replies, crossing her arms. Hers comes out tender too, probably also by accident. There’s a not-so-hidden but they don’t really mean it at the center of it. He means it, though.

“Everything alright?” he asks, and she frowns, confused. “On your patrol,” he clarifies.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just had to comfort Rose Tico in the ladies’ room.”

“Poor Rose,” Cassian says. She had been in his office a handful of times last semester. Her sister is away at college this year, and she was having trouble adjusting. It seemed like she’d been doing better lately, though. “Nothing serious, I hope?”

“Well, Finn asked her to prom ages ago, as friends, but now he and Rey are kind of an item, but he still honored his promise to go with her and then he and Rey got voted prom king and queen and Rose had a meltdown that he only went with her as his date out of pity and that he’d rather be here with Rey and…it was a whole thing. Then, Jannah and Kaydel showed up to check on her and I gave them some space to work it all out.”

As if on cue, Rose re-enters the room at that moment, with Jannah grasping one hand and Kaydel holding the other. Cassian watches as they rejoin everyone on the dance floor and as Rey shrieks in delight at seeing them and throws her arms around Rose’s neck. Rose returns the hug, letting go of the other girls, and they sway like that, fully out of time with the music, for a good thirty seconds. Over their shoulders, Jannah and Finn are doing the robot while Kaydel pretends not to know any of them.

“Looks like they smoothed things over,” Cassian says, and Jyn nods, looking pleased.

“Every day. Every single day, I am so glad to not be a teenager anymore,” she says, while surveying the room.

“You’re preaching to the choir,” he replies. “I was such a pain in the ass back then.”

“You’re still a pain in the ass.”

Cassian laughs. “I was a different kind of pain in the ass, then. The worst kind.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she says, softly.

“Good,” he says, smiling. “That means I grew up into the sort of man my mother wanted me to be.”

Jyn doesn’t say anything to that, just watches the crowd of students with an inscrutable expression on her face. It was probably a weird thing to say, here, at prom, but it had just jumped out. She has that effect on him, strangely enough. He has this very stupid urge to be honest with her all the time, to just spit out whatever he’s thinking and feeling and pray that she finds it interesting or at least that it doesn’t scare her away. He’s still not sure what to do with that instinct.

Before he can decide, Bodhi’s voice crackles over the walkie-talkies, in stereo, since Jyn and Cassian are standing next to one another. “‘Look on my works, ye mighty and despair,’ suckers,” he says. “Chirrut, please bring my flask count up to four!”

“Four?” Jyn replies, unbelievably quick on the draw with her radio. “You got two off of one kid?!”

“I’m coming for your spot, baby!”

“Oh, it’s on now,” Jyn says, exclusively to Cassian. “I cannot let this kind of insult stand.”

Cassian pulls out his walkie-talkie. “Chirrut, does he get extra points for quoting Percy Shelley while confiscating flasks? Because I feel like maybe he should.”

“Traitor,” Jyn whispers, and then, into her radio, adds, “That’s not in the rules!”

“Agreed. This is purely a numbers game,” Baze replies.

“And Percy Shelley sucks!” Jyn says.

“Hey! Don’t make me come over there!”

“Bodhi doesn’t get extra points for style,” Chirrut interjects, over the radio, “but I am contemplating adding a ‘Best in Show’ category, with this in mind.”

“Wow,” Cassian says, mildly, to Jyn. “Now you can lose twice!”

“That invitation to bite me still stands, you know.”

“Oh, believe me, I do.”

Jyn stretches her arms out wide. “I should be on the move. I’m never going to take Baze’s spot if I stand here fucking around with you.”

“You’ll have to take mine first.”

“Oh, honey,” she says, patronizingly. “That won’t be a problem.”

“Y’all,” Bodhi’s voice crackles over the radio again, “I swear these kids are just drinking paint thinner.”

“Ew, did you try the flask?” Jyn asks into her walkie immediately. “If Bodhi gets to drink, we all do.”

“No, you absolute child, I just sniffed it.”

“And?”

“And I think it’s the last thing I’ll ever smell.”

Jyn sticks her tongue out at Cassian in disgust, making him laugh. “Easily half of mine have just been Fireball Whiskey,” he says, to the group.

“Ah, to be young,” Baze says, wistfully.

“You couldn’t pay me to drink that now,” Jyn says, just to him. “Actually, who am I kidding? I’m a public school teacher with student loans. You could pay me to do just about anything.”

“That is good to know,” Cassian says, raising an eyebrow at her suggestively, and she smacks his arm. “What? I have this fence at my place that needs painting and I–”

“First, Percy Shelley and now Mark Twain? Can’t I get a goddamn break around here?”

That is, of course, the moment two students choose to approach them and, naturally, they’re both on his caseload. They laugh nervously at hearing one of the teachers swear, but ultimately just ask Cassian if it’s okay for them to take a photo with him.

“Of course,” he says, straightening his jacket a little awkwardly. 

“I’ll take it, if you like,” Jyn offers, holding out a hand. “I can work wonders with an iPhone.”

The two girls hand over their phones, and Jyn diligently takes a few shots with each of them. After a moment, she says, “Last chance to give Mr. Andor devil horns or bunny ears. Going once…”

“Okay, I think we’re good,” he says, stepping back to let the girls collect their phones from Jyn.

“Thanks, Mr. Andor,” one of them, Leida, says, brightly. “And you, Ms. Erso.”

“No problem,” Jyn says, looking amused.

“I really like your dress, by the way,” the other girl, Maia, adds.

“Oh, thank you,” Jyn replies, looking down at it self-consciously, as they head off. She returns her gaze to Cassian, looking ready to pounce. “What’s it like to have such ardent admirers?”

“Oh, shut up,” he says, rolling his eyes, even though he can feel his face warming up at her teasing. “Both of them are going off to ivy league schools with my help. That’s all it is.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it has nothing to do with how handsome you are.”

“You think I’m handsome?” he asks, delighted. “Jyn, I had no idea!”

“Then you’re as blind as Chirrut,” she grumbles, holding her radio up to her mouth. Before he can ask any follow-up questions, she presses the button and asks the group, “Are we tracking how many photos with students we take? Because I hate to admit this, but Cassian might be in the lead.”

“No way,” Bodhi responds. “I’ve taken so many!”

“Were we counting those?” Baze asks. “Chirrut, as master of ceremonies…”

“They’re going to have to start paying me extra to keep track of all these different competitions!” 

“I was kidding!” Jyn exclaims. “Your students have seriously been asking for photos all night?” 

There’s overlapping sounds of agreement from everyone, making Jyn frown. 

“Those bastards,” she grumbles. “I let them eat lunch in my classroom so they don’t get bullied and they don’t even want a photo with me?”

“You see, this is where being a guidance counselor pays off,” Cassian says. “Sure, you need an advanced degree and you don’t make any more money, and you mostly deal with kids having breakdowns about FAFSA in your office all day, but sometimes, at prom, students will ask for a photo with you. That’s why Baze and I are crushing it.”

Jyn snorts. “Yeah, because I never deal with kids crying in the art room,” she says. “And besides, Bodhi is a teacher, just like me, and everyone likes him!”

“He’s an English teacher,” Cassian points out. “He pulls that Dead Poets Society crap with them and lets them recite poems while standing on their desks, or whatever. Of course they like him.”

“And I just teach them how to express themselves through art! Boring!”

“So boring,” he says, even though he sometimes thinks Jyn has the hardest teaching job in the whole school. She’s a photographer by training, but she has to teach every artistic discipline that the school can afford the supplies for. He’s been to her classroom when she’s doing her Senior Project Seminar, which functions like an independent study for the students to choose what they want to make for the semester, and she’ll be critiquing photos with one student, while helping another with a sculpture, and ordering supplies for the kids drawing with charcoal and pastels or painting with oils and watercolors. It makes his head spin just to watch.

“It’s not the dress, is it?” she suddenly asks, anxiously. “I know Maia said it was cute, but she wasn’t being sarcastic, right?”

“No, she—the dress is fine. You look nice.”

Jyn blinks at him, a little surprised, and really, it’s not like he never compliments her. Of course, caught wrong-footed like that, he immediately tries to backtrack. “I mean, it’s a little 90s, but that’s in again, apparently, so you’re good.”

“90s?” she asks, looking slightly insulted. “How is it 90s?”

“I don’t know, it’s just…black and plain. The neckline is kind of…you know…”

“I clearly do not! Didn’t you just say it was fine?”

“It is! There’s nothing wrong with the 90s! It’s not your actual prom dress, is it?”

Jyn gives him a withering look. “No, Cassian, it is not. I didn’t go to prom in the 90s, for one thing. I was in high school in the 2000s.”

“Close enough.”

“And I didn’t go to prom at all for what it’s worth.”

“You didn’t go to prom?”

She rolls her eyes, but doesn’t look at him. “Does that really surprise you?”

“Did no one ask you?”

She turns on him then. “Why is that your first thought?!”

“Because you said—I meant, because that would surprise me!”

“Sure!”

“I’m serious. I would be shocked, if that was the reason.”

“The reason was I thought dances were stupid and my uncle would have told me it was stupid and my boyfriend was older, so—”

“Ah, makes sense.”

“Don’t—it wasn’t like that.”

“Sounds like it was exactly like that.”

“It wasn’t—he was a nice guy. He would have gone, if I’d asked.”

“But you wanted to smoke weed and pretend to like the movie Fight Club in his basement instead.”

Jyn rolls her eyes again, but he can see she’s also fighting off a smile. “Something like that. Anyway, that was junior year and then…well, I dropped out, so I obviously couldn’t go to my senior prom.”

“I didn’t know that,” Cassian says. “You got your GED instead?”

“Yeah, after a year or two of fucking around and doing nothing with my life, I decided having a high school diploma and maybe a college education might be useful.”

“And boy were you wrong.”

She laughs. “Don’t tell the kids.”

“It’s part of my oath as their guidance counselor, don’t worry.”

“What about you? Did you do the whole prom thing when you were in school?”

Cassian shifts uncomfortably, checking to make sure none of their students are in earshot. “Uh, yeah, you could say that,” he says, once he’s satisfied they won’t be overheard. “I had kind of the typical prom experience, I guess.”

“I genuinely have no idea what that means.”

“It means, I was eighteen when I went to my prom, so I did the whole ‘rent a hotel room afterwards and get laid’ thing with my…girlfriend.”

Jyn covers her mouth with her hands, clearly hiding a laugh. “You did not!”

“I did,” he replies, cringing. “I’m not proud.”

“Is that where the healthy pause before ‘girlfriend’ came from? Shame?”

“It’s…we…” Cassian laughs. It’s been almost twenty years and he still doesn’t know how to explain his relationship with Bix to other people. It would almost be easier if they weren’t still friends, because then he could call her an ex and be done with it. He’s glad they’re still friends, for what it’s worth, it’s just so much more complicated to explain. “She wasn’t exactly my girlfriend.”

“Oh, no…”

“She was my best friend. She still is—one of them, at least.”

“Oh.”

“We went to prom together because, well, no one else asked either of us. And we decided to get a hotel room after because we were eighteen and no one could stop us and we wanted to…”

“Yeah, uh, I know what you wanted to do,” Jyn says, amused.

“It was one of those ‘let’s just get it over with, together’ kind of deals,” he says, feeling hot with embarrassment over his younger self’s antics. Everything feels so urgent and intense when you’re young, but that somehow fades with age. And he admits that even as an adult who’s still frequently urgent and intense. “It seemed like the best way to handle it, at the time.”

“So, you’re telling me that this was…your first time?”

Cassian nods.

“At prom?!”

“After prom! It’s not as bad!”

“By a very slim margin,” Jyn says, clearly taking pity on him. After a moment, she adds, “You said you and this girl are still close?”

“Yeah, we’re still friends. We tried to date afterwards, because it turned out we liked hooking up, but it wasn’t—we worked better as friends, ultimately. We’re still friends. I went to her wedding last year. I mean, I was in it, but that’s because I know her husband too.”

“Wait, Brasso’s wedding?” Jyn asks. He’d shown her and some of the staff pictures after he came back, he’s just now remembering. “You dated Brasso’s wife in high school?!”

“It was obviously before they knew each other. I mean, I introduced them, so…”

“That’s so weird.”

“It’s not that weird.”

“I just don’t have any exes I’m close with still,” she says, shaking her head. “Not close enough to be in their wedding. I mean, goddamn.”

“Bix is barely an ex-girlfriend, at this point. She’s like family.”

“Wow.”

“I’m guessing things didn’t end well with Fight Club guy?” Cassian asks.

“Technically, I think I was the Fight Club guy in that relationship,” she says, with a laugh. “And no, things didn’t end well.”

“Not something you like talking about, I gather.”

“Not really,” she says, looking far-off and sad. It’s possible there are tears in her eyes, or maybe it’s just a trick of the strobing lights coming from the DJ’s booth. “Not at prom, at least,” she adds, with a weak smile.

He smiles back. “Well, I’d offer to dance with you, to help give you the prom experience you never had, but all of these kids have cell phones and a video of us would for sure end up on the internet, which we should probably avoid.”

“Scared of going viral on TikTok with me?” she asks.

“Deeply, deeply scared, yes,” he says, putting his hand on his heart. “My worst nightmare is ending up on Good Morning America being interviewed about a heartwarming video of me that I didn’t know was being taken.”

“But maybe if we got famous, random people would buy supplies for our classrooms,” Jyn says, her enthusiasm clearly faked if the devilish glint in her eye is any indication.

“I’m a guidance counselor,” he says. “I don’t need supplies. I need someone to burn the College Board to the ground.”

“With enough followers on TikTok, we could probably make that happen.”

“Sounds like someone really wants to dance with me,” he quips.

“Well, it might be my last chance.”

The song changes then, to a chorus of coos from a group of students at the edge of the dance floor nearby, and Jyn laughs. Cassian, meanwhile, is sweating. He suspected that a few people knew he was interviewing at another school, but he didn’t want to bring it up to anyone until he was sure of his plans, one way or another. But, apparently, Jyn knows.

“Tell me you at least know who this is,” she says, pointing up to indicate she means the song that’s playing.

“I’ve never heard this song in my life,” he admits, a little breathlessly.

“But you recognize the singer?” she asks. Cassian shakes his head, and she laughs again. “How do you work in a high school and not know who Taylor Swift is?”

“I know who she is,” he objects. “I just don’t recognize her singing voice immediately, I guess.”

“I forgot. You sit in your windowless office and listen to Creed all day.”

“You caught me listening to Creed one time! It is not a habit.”

“Well,” Jyn starts to say, before pausing abruptly as two students pass in front of them. “Hold on, was that—?”

“Hey, guys,” Cassian calls, immediately, and the two boys stop in their tracks. “You’re not allowed to have that here. Hand it over.”

The students clearly take a moment to debate the merits of complying with this order, before one of them reaches into his jacket pocket and produces a flask. He hands it to Cassian with a mumbled apology, which he accepts with a nod and waves them back to the dance. Cassian flips the top open, and tips it in Jyn’s direction.

She sniffs it. “Peach schnapps,” she says. “Classic.”

Cassian retrieves his walkie-talkie. “Got another flask for the count,” he says. “Not sure if it goes to me or Jyn, though.”

“A group effort?” Bodhi asks. “Unheard of.”

“Half a point each?” Jyn suggests.

“I’ll give you each a full point for it,” Chirrut replies. “But please know your spirit of bipartisanship disgusts me to my core.”

“Noted,” Jyn says into her radio. To him, she says, “We should probably spread out. For actual security reasons, but mostly because I refuse to share a medal with you at the end of this thing.”

“Firstly, it’s a secondhand karate trophy for the top prize—”

“Okay, well, now I want it even more, so…”

“Secondly, you’re never going to tie me, let alone beat me—”

“Your confidence will be your downfall, Andor.”

“And lastly, who, uh…who told you I was interviewing for another job?”

She pauses at that, and looks him over. “Mon let it slip,” she says, after much consideration. “It was an accident, she didn’t mean to—”

Cassian waves away her explanation. “I’m sure,” he says. “I’m not upset.”

“She was ranting to me and Bodhi about something to do with the school board and—”

“So, you and Bodhi both know?”

Jyn winces. “Uh, yeah.”

“And Baze knows because I thought it was only fair that I told him I was looking for other jobs…”

“Which means Chirrut knows,” she says, and he laughs. “And I’m sure you told Kay.”

“Yeah, so that….is a lot of people,” Cassian says, weakly.

“It’s not like we’re going to judge you if you don’t get it.”

“I—why would you assume I won’t get the job?”

She blinks, caught off guard. “I don’t! That’s not what I meant. You probably will, but on the off chance you don’t.”

“They made me an offer,” he admits, and watches her deflate.

“Oh,” she says. “Well, then, congratulations?”

“I haven’t accepted yet,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous tic. “They’re going to call me on Monday, so I have until then to decide.”

“Do you know what you’re going to say?”

“Not yet. I’m still…thinking.”

“That’s not like you,” she says, crossing her arms. “You usually have your mind made up on stuff right away. You’re not a ‘last minute’ kind of guy.”

“Well, I’m glad you know what kind of guy I am,” he replies, feeling oddly adversarial. She doesn’t mean anything by it, but still. He doesn’t like hearing himself described as though he’s so predictable.

“Okay,” Jyn says, putting her hands up in surrender. “You don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine.”

“I’m just saying, you don’t know me like that.”

She blinks for a moment at that before she schools her expression into something more neutral. “You’re right,” she says. “I don’t know you. I don’t know what you’re going to do, and you probably won’t even tell me once you decide. You’ll let Mon, or Baze, or whoever, do that, instead.”

“That’s not—!”

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” she says. “I’m just your co-worker, not your friend, I guess.”

“Jyn…”

“We need to split up, cover more ground.”

He thinks about trying to stop her, but then it would just be a big scene involving two chaperones at prom, which the students would find endlessly intriguing. He doesn’t want to draw that kind of attention, so he nods, solemnly, like this is all very important, and lets her go. Still, he can’t help it that he spends the rest of the night trying to spot her in the crowd as much as he does any actual chaperoning.

*

“The winner of the 3rd Annual Yavin High Senior Prom Flask-athalon–”

“I knew that would catch on,” Jyn interrupts, smugly.

“It’s the only choice,” Bodhi says, grinning.

“Please shut up so we can all go home,” Baze grumbles.

“Yes, listen to your undefeated flask hunting champion, Baze Malbus!” Chirrut announces, with great flair, as he hands over the trophy, which, even in the dim lighting of the parking lot, Cassian can clearly read that the inscription says 'Under 12 Judo Champion'. “Congratulations, my dear!”

“Thank you so much,” Baze says, drily, as he accepts his prize unenthusiastically.

“This is so rigged,” Jyn puts in from the other side of the group. “Baze wins every year.”

“Baze is good at catching teens drinking illegally, I don’t know what to tell you!”

“It’s true,” Baze adds. “It’s on my resume.”

“You know, that would be so weird for any other job,” Bodhi replies. 

“Well, I wish I could give you all trophies for your hard work this evening, but then you wouldn’t learn any important lessons about teamwork or whatever it is that conservatives get mad about when the topic of participation trophies comes up,” Chirrut says, mildly.

“Kids these days,” Jyn says, mockingly shaking her fist. “Not enough of them hate themselves!”

“It’s important to experience as much crushing disappointment and embarrassment as possible before you get out into the real world,” Cassian agrees.

“And experience even more disappointment and embarrassment!” Bodhi adds. “While also paying taxes!”

“Also, there are only so many leftover trophies I can steal from the dojo before they’d notice and fire me,” Chirrut says. 

“On that bright note,” Baze interjects, “let’s all go home. It’s been a long night and absolutely none of us are getting paid any extra to spend more time together.”

“Beautiful sentiment as always, Baze,” Jyn says.

“Thank you again for all your hard work!” Chirrut says, even as Baze grabs him by the elbow and starts gently towing him away in the direction of their car. “Our students are very lucky to have such dedicated teachers and counselors!”

“Thank you, Chirrut!” Bodhi calls after them.

“Drive safe, everybody!” Baze calls over his shoulder once Chirrut stops fighting him and laces their fingers together instead for the short walk.

“Night, guys,” Bodhi says to Jyn and Cassian before he starts to head off towards his own car. 

“Goodnight, Bodhi,” Jyn replies, while Cassian waves him off.

The parking lot is empty except for their cars at this hour. They’d all met at the school and made the ride to the venue together, that way no one could call out of chaperone duty with car trouble or anything last minute like that. Probably there was some team-building aspect, too, but Cassian suspects the former was the primary motivation. Now, it’s creeping up to midnight and all the students have moved on to their afterparties and bonfires and whatever else, while the venue staff has streamers to clean up and tables to clear, and the chaperones are all heading home after a very long day. 

It had rained briefly while the prom was going on, though it had thankfully waited until everyone was already at the venue to do so, which means no one’s photos or hair was likely ruined by it. The hazy humidity that had hung around all day was now replaced by a damp chill and a light breeze. The condensation glitters like jewels on the few cars in the lot and their dewy windows glow green as the streetlights reflect off of them. The wet ground blares with streaks of red light as Baze’s car starts up and his brake lights come on. 

“Where’d you park?” Cassian asks Jyn, who’s still standing there, rooting around in her bag for her car keys.

“Oh,” she says, as if she wasn’t expecting him to address her. “Over there, by the auditorium.”

“Me too,” he says, nodding. “I’ll walk you.”

Having successfully retrieved her keys, Jyn brushes this off. “You don’t have to.”

“It’ll give me a chance to apologize.”

“It’s not that long of a walk.”

“I’ll talk fast,” Cassian replies, and holds out his arm as if to say, after you.

Jyn takes the hint and starts walking, allowing him to fall into step next to her.

“I’m sorry about what I said before, about you not knowing me very well. I didn’t mean to imply we aren’t friends, or that I don’t value your opinions, or anything like that,” he says, letting it all go like an exhale, because otherwise he won’t get the words out at all. “The problem is that I think you know me a little too well sometimes, and it honestly freaks me out. And tonight, you said the exact thing I was already worried about out loud, so I just panicked and tried to push you away.”

“The thing I said about waiting until the last minute really upset you that much?” Jyn asks, arms crossed over her chest. It takes him a second to realize it’s probably because she’s cold, and not because she’s mad at him. He starts to take off his suit jacket, but she stops him with a glare. “God, don’t.”

“You look cold.”

“I am cold, but my car is twenty yards away. I��ll live.”

“Fine.”

“Answer my question.”

Cassian stuffs his hands in his pockets just to have something to do with them. “Yes, it did upset me to hear that. I’ve been annoyed with myself about the same thing and I hated that it was obvious to you too.”

“Well, then, I guess I’m sorry too,” she says, earnestly. “I wasn’t judging you or anything, and I wasn’t trying to make you upset.”

“I know that. And thank you. I just—I can’t make up my mind what I want to do, and it’s very frustrating.”

“Do you think talking about it would help?”

“I’m not sure. The logical part of my brain is telling me to go, to take the new job. It’s more money, I’d be the head of the department in a better funded school. And while I love it here, unless Baze retires—”

“Which he won’t. At least, not for a long time.”

“Exactly, but still, that’s the only way I can move up and make more money. Unless I go to another school.”

“I get it,” Jyn says, and it sounds like she means it. “Those are valid considerations.”

“But I really do love it here,” Cassian objects. “I love the students, and I love the staff. I love working with all of you.”

“Yeah, and I bet all the teachers at that new school fucking suck,” she adds, with a malicious glint in her eye.

“I mean, what are the chances they do a yearly Flask-athalon at their prom?”

“It’s extremely unlikely,” Jyn says, somber now, “and if they do, they owe me and Chirrut royalties.”

“So, you see my dilemma?”

“I do. And I accept your apology, for what it’s worth. I didn’t know I’d be bringing up such a fraught subject for you. I would have been more careful, if I’d known.”

They arrive at Jyn’s car then and Cassian has to laugh at finding it parked one spot away from his own. The parking lot had been full when he got here, with a lot of underclassmen still around for extracurriculars and team practices and faculty staying late to do work, so he just picked the first spot he found. He hadn’t even noticed her car there, because someone had been parked between them. Now there’s just an empty space, where they stop to finish their conversation.

“It’s really fine,” he says, as he looks over at her. “I overreacted.”

Jyn shrugs one shoulder up to her ear, still looking cold in a way he finds provoking. He really wishes she’d just take his jacket. “It’s a big decision.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You know you won’t get rid of us just by going to another school, right?”

“Yes, but we’ll all see each other a lot less,” he says. “And you know how these things go. We’ll promise to stay in touch, or to get drinks, or just to see each other regularly, but we won’t. We’ll drift apart, sooner or later.”

“So, don’t take the job,” Jyn says, watching him carefully.

“What about all that other stuff–the money and the promotion and everything?”

“Who cares?” she says and he laughs, hopelessly. “I’m serious! If you were actually that motivated by money, you wouldn’t work in a public school. You wouldn’t have even gone to school for counseling, for that matter. So, turn it down.”

“But doesn’t that make me…kind of…?”

“Kind of what?”

“I don’t know! Ridiculous? Sentimental? Turning down more money to stay with my friends?”

“Again, I ask you: who cares?”

“Well, I fancy myself a very cool, detached person.”

Jyn snorts. “You?”

He frowns at her. “Yes, me! You don’t think I’m cool and detached?”

“No,” she says, “not at all. Are you crazy? You’re the least cool person I know!”

“Wow, thank you.”

“I mean, not that you’re not cool like—I’m saying you’re not too cool for anything, you know? Like, you care so much about everything! Even dumb bullshit that no one else can be bothered to even pay attention to, you care about it! I don’t know how you do it. I’m an art teacher, I’m supposed to be all passionate all the time, and I still feel like a robot compared to you. It must be exhausting to care so much.”

“That’s your impression of me?” Cassian asks, a little bowled over.

“I meant all of that as a compliment,” Jyn says, looking nervous. “And I didn’t mean to go on and on about it, I just—you assume everyone is like you, that they’re as good as you and they care as much, and I sometimes think you don’t see that you’re special. It’s the best thing about you, how much you care.”

“And I thought the best thing about me was my eyes,” he responds, weakly.

“Well, you do have nice eyes, that’s true,” she says, looking down at her shoes.

“I do have another reason—a selfish one—for thinking of accepting the new job.”

“What’s that?”

“I think that if there was someone here—someone on the faculty here, I mean—that I maybe wanted to date, it would possibly be less weird for us if I worked at a different school,” he answers, with his heart in his throat.

“Oh,” Jyn says, still not meeting his eye. Her foot scuffs back and forth on the pavement anxiously. “I guess, in that case, you would probably want to be sure that this person is actually interested in you before you make any huge life decisions with her—I mean, them—in mind.”

“I’m pretty sure she is interested in me too.”

“How do you know?”

“She just told me I have nice eyes,” he says. 

Jyn looks at him then, her gaze lifting to his face suddenly as she narrows her eyes. “Seriously? How long have you—?”

It doesn’t take much effort—two steps, really—to get close enough to draw her into his arms and kiss her like he’s been wanting to basically since the day she started at the school. She makes a surprised noise that’s immediately muffled by their mouths coming together and then it’s just them kissing. Finally. And it’s every bit as good as he imagined it would be, with her kissing back with as much intensity as he’d expect from the person who loves to give him hell on a daily basis. Her arms come to wrap around his neck, dragging him down to her level, and his clasp around her lower back, desperately trying to afford them some stability in this position.

“The others are gone, right?” she asks, more or less against his mouth. 

“Uh…” He turns his head, peering across the parking lot, which gives Jyn access to his jaw and his neck and he’s not mad about it, though it does make thinking straight more difficult than usual. He doesn’t see any other cars left. “I think it’s just us.”

“Good,” Jyn says, and pulls him with her by his shirt until her back hits the side of her car. Once settled there, she leans up for another kiss, and he has to brace himself against the door to stay standing. The condensation from the window wets his palm and makes him shiver, which makes Jyn laugh. He doesn’t bother explaining, since he’s not sure he could convince her that it has nothing to do with kissing her.

They make out like idiots, in the parking lot of the school they work at, where anyone could see them, for an inadvisably long time. By the time they come up for air, he has thoroughly ruined Jyn’s hair, the straps of her dress are hanging loosely off her shoulders, and anyone who looked at her would know she’d been doing some very serious kissing. Cassian is sure he’s looking equally disarrayed. Despite them being pressed closely together, he can feel the goosebumps rising on her skin and chafes her arms with his hands to warm them.

“How long?” she asks, softly, wearing an amused smile that might be at his attempt at gallantry or something else entirely. When he gives her a questioning look in response, she adds. “How long have you wanted to do that?”

Cassian pretends to think about it. “How long have you worked here?”

“Two years.”

“There’s your answer.”

“Really?” Jyn asks, astonished somehow. “I thought you hated me when we first met.”

“You made me nervous,” he says, still caressing her arms. “You still make me nervous.”

She loops her arms around his middle now, pressing them together in a way that feels very dangerous in a school parking lot. He clears his throat in the most obvious fashion imaginable and she gives him a knowing smile.

“That’s not the only thing you make me, for what it’s worth,” he points out.

“I gathered as much,” she says, pleased with herself. 

He raises a hand to cup her cheek, drawing his thumb gently over the corner of her mouth. “You know, a nice person would say something about how I make them feel, at this point in the conversation.”

“You already got a whole speech about how passionate and sexy you are,” she objects. “Don’t be greedy.”

“I don’t think the word ‘sexy’ came up in that little speech of yours, actually. Could you maybe elaborate on that?”

Jyn shakes her head before she leans in to kiss him again, this time trading their earlier desperation for a slower pace. “Not here,” she says, once she’s drawn him in again. “Not to be corny, but my place or yours?”

“Whichever’s closer,” he says, immediately.

She laughs and bites her lip to try to hide it, which is very distracting. “Good answer. I think that’s me, then.”

“I’ll follow you,” Cassian replies, with a nod towards his own car.

“You don’t want to just ride over with me?”

“I don’t want to park here overnight, and I do not trust myself in a car alone with you right now.”

“It’s a five minute drive,” she says, unimpressed.

“I could get into a lot of trouble in five minutes.”

“Okay, then,” she says, with a gusty sigh. “You might have to put your money where your mouth is on that one.”

“Don’t worry. I’m willing to put my mouth lots of places.”

“Idiot,” she laughs, swatting his arm. “Let’s go, then. I’m freezing and I’m wet.”

“You’re—well, that’s—oh, from the car! And the condensation…from the rain.”

“Wow,” Jyn says. “That was so smooth.”

Cassian laughs, and hangs his head. “In my defense, I—”

“Yes?”

He looks down at her, looking a little flushed and mussed up and still utterly defiant and perfect. “I just can’t believe it took me this long to get here,” he admits, even though it’s a stupid and besotted thing to say. 

Jyn gives him an endearingly sweet smile. “And I can’t believe I’m going to hook up with you after prom. I mean, what a cliché!”

“I did offer to give you the prom experience you never had,” he says, with a laugh. “Besides, some things are cliché for a reason.”

“Oh, yeah?” she asks, gazing up at him. “Why’s that?”

He thinks about all the stories he’s heard about love at first sight. He thinks about all the couples he’s heard say they’re in love with their best friend. He thinks about everyone who’s said that, when you’re with The One, you just know. He thinks about every piece of dating advice that told him to find someone who makes him laugh. And he thinks about happily ever after.

“Because they seem stupid until they happen to you,” he says, simply.

Jyn doesn’t bother saying she agrees. She just pulls him in for another kiss.

[salty-wench]

wednesday sunday snippet

Thanks for the tag @fromagony This is from my as-of-yet untitled teachers au

“Evan.” It’s Minerva behind him when he turns. “May I introduce Barty?” Her hand turns palm up, gesturing to a man just a little younger than him if he had to estimate.

It’s an inset day. ‘Barty’ is in a loose-fitting, short-sleeved, leopard print shirt. He’s got a smirk brewing in the corner of his lips.

“Hey,” Evan says, his mind racing. He can’t for the life of him remember if he’s been told about any new members of staff. For one brief moment, he dares to dream that Aubyn has done what he’d contemplated and has gotten a job elsewhere. Barty looks like he could teach drama. He looks like he brings drama.

“Barty, this is Evan Rosier. Head of Y11. Physics,” Minerva tells Barty, to which he smiles, then turns back to Evan. “You’ll have seen Barty on your sheet, I assume.” Her finger taps the print off Rita had passed him this morning. The one he wishes he’d taken a look at yesterday instead of spending the entire day out in the sun, especially now he can feel Barty’s eyes on him, probably assessing the pink cheeks he’s been left with. His eyes scan the piece of paper for any sign of a new name. Crouch. “He’ll be taking 11C. Perhaps it’s a little unorthodox, but they’ll be able to stay in their form room and I think he’ll get on with them.”

Tagging @lemndrps, @st-clements-steps, @fineosaur, @siriuslythatbitch, @byrainchance, @evax3, @crimsonlovebartylus

[pascaloverx]

To Begin Again

ONE

Summary: You're a new teacher at a large and influential school. It's a risky step for you, as you've been running from your ex for almost two years. But when Dumbledore asks you to take on a class at the renowned Hogwarts, you can't refuse. However, your life as a newly arrived teacher won't be easy. Especially when the other teachers don't seem eager to make friends. Or rather, two teachers in particular: Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.

Author's Note: Welcome, dear readers. Please leave your comments if you enjoy fanfiction. This fanfic takes place almost in the real world (with the addition of werewolves) and is not a wizarding fanfic. There will be some differences and changes in things from the Harry Potter story or other fanfics in the HP universe, but I promise to do my best writing this fanfic. There will be a love triangle coming in this fanfic.

AO3 LINK TWO

To flee is easier than to face your problems, than to confront the demons you left behind long ago. And your life has become an eternal escape. Not only moving from place to place, teaching from school to school, you were living a temporary life each time.  Until one day, a letter arrived, yes, a letter for you from London. It said that you were invited to teach temporarily at Hogwarts Academy. Dumbledore needed you. He was a great friend of your father. They even taught at the same time, but when you were born, your father and mother decided to move to the United States for some undisclosed reason. But Dumbledore's letter comes to you as a good excuse to cover your tracks. Restart.

"What a piece of crap. My cell phone is out of battery and I'm lost in the middle of nowhere." You mumble to yourself. No one is listening anyway. A beautiful full moon night is in front of you, lighting your way. Hogwarts, despite being influential, seems to be located in the middle of nowhere. You jump back when you hear a loud howl. Are there wolves near a school? Isn't that dangerous? 

You look at your phone wishing there was some battery left so you could call someone. Noticing that it might be dangerous, you walk towards what you think might be the path. One step hurriedly each time. But the howls get closer and closer. Until you see a sign saying that Hogwarts is nearby. But as soon as you look ahead you see a dog. I mean, something similar to a dog but bigger. Or will it be a very hairy man?

"Leave or I'll throw my suitcase at you. Whatever you are." You say threatening the furry creature with your suitcase. The creature seems to stare at you, but not understand you. At that moment you laugh at your foolishness. Now who in their right mind would try to reason with a creature that doesn't seem to reason?

"Listen, I don't want to hurt you. I'm against animal abuse and I've participated in campaigns to rescue many from the streets. But if you come any closer, I won't have any other choice." You speak and while the canine creature or something looks like it's ready to attack you. When the creature gets a little closer, you throw your suitcase at it. With all the strength and aim possible. And then you run. Run as fast as possible, hitting some trees along the way but maintaining your speed. You hear the creature's grunts of pain. Then everything is silent, you rest a little. Your legs hurt, your arms are sore and bruised. And then you hear a long howl that alerts you that the creature is coming. And then you run again, as fast as you can. 

"I can't believe I'm going to die here, like this." You mumble as you run. You're so distracted that you don't notice a stranger in front of you. Until you bump into him. Making you both fall.

"Fuck. Don't you watch where you're going?" The stranger speaks in a rude tone and you look at him in confusion.Isn't he noticing that you're running from death? Or is he not hearing the furry creature's noises?

"Shut up and follow me." You say, holding the stranger's hand and asking him to follow you. Why you helped him, you don't know. But you wouldn't be able to sleep with guilty conscience if he died. Strangely, he follows you a little further into the forest. But who designed a school that has a forest with ferocious animals on the loose? 

"Come here." The stranger pulls you close to a hiding place. Hideout that actually seems designed for this type of situation. It's a small hut covered in bushes. You think about saying something but the stranger covers your mouth and points outside. Your eyes follow the stranger's fingers and you observe the creature outside. From a distance this creature looks like something from another world, from a fantasy world. A werewolf better said.  The creature sniffs for a while and then disappears into the forest.

"You saw that?" You ask the stranger who is currently adjusting his somewhat long, silky, and slightly wavy hair. Sweat is dripping down his forehead, but he seems fine. I mean, he's attractive. I mean, what the hell are you thinking?

"I did see it, still got the ability to see after some lunatic knocked me down out of nowhere. And you're welcome, by the way." The man says as he rummages through a closet. You look at him indignantly. What do you mean you should be grateful to him?

"Sorry to wake you up from that illusion you're in, but it's you who should be thanking me. That creature was about to attack both of us, and I pulled you to come with me. So, Prince Charming, get off your imaginary horse and thank me yourself." You respond proudly, starting to feel the pain of the bruises you accumulated along the way. 

"If that's how you feel, would you prefer to go out into the forest right now and try your luck?" The man says mockingly, and you glare at him angrily. What an idiot.

"Look, I'm new around here, and I don't want to sound presumptuous, but you seem like a jerk. But unlike you, I'm going to appreciate your help. Thank you for helping me escape from the big hairy creature out there. Satisfied?" You say, swallowing your pride, and then you extend your hand to the stranger. He gives a smirk, almost charming. What a jerk.

"Very satisfied. But now that we're here, would you mind telling me your name? I find it strange to spend the night with someone whose name I don't even know." The man says, sitting on the wooden chair next to you. You, who are sitting in an armchair, look at him, feeling strange about the idea of spending the night together.

"My name is Y/N. And yours?" You speak to avoid seeming rude, but the truth is, you want to know the reason why you'll have to spend the night together.

"Sirius. Sirius Black." He pauses before continuing, "And before you wonder, we have to spend the night here because it's still out there. But don't worry, as soon as dawn breaks, I'll take you to Hogwarts." Sirius speaks, squeezing your hand firmly. You shake hands, and he looks at you as if trying to unravel all your secrets.

"How do you know I want to go to Hogwarts?" You ask, and he smiles as if he finds it amusing.

"Let's just say I have a good sixth sense. Now, I suggest you rest. Tomorrow will be quite a day for you." Sirius says, handing you a pillow and a blanket. You thank him softly as you watch him grab another pillow and lie down on the floor. It looks uncomfortable, but you're too tired to be polite and offer to sleep on the floor instead.

"Hey, Sirius. Thank you so much for today. I might not be alive without you." You say sweetly and sleepily as you settle into the armchair. Sirius lifts his head and looks in your direction. Wow, he's handsome.

"I echo your words. The only difference is that I'd be alive with or without you. But I'm grateful for the company. It tends to be pretty boring around here." Sirius replies before turning over to sleep. You try not to dwell too much on what he said and then let sleep finally take hold of you. When morning comes, Sirius seems a bit more grumpy than before. You deduce that he might not be a morning person. You both leave the cabin early and walk for a while towards Hogwarts. The journey feels almost endless, but when you finally arrive, you're dazzled. The beauty of the architecture almost makes it worth almost dying to get in here.

"Well, princess, you're delivered. I won't be able to come in with you because I need to go check on something, but I'm sure we'll see each other again soon. Until then, take care. I won't always be here to save you." Sirius says, kissing the palm of your hand before leaving without giving you a chance to respond. You find him presumptuous but decide to move on.

Walking through the corridors of Hogwarts, you observe children playing from side to side. A boy with glasses and dark hair is hitting another boy with white hair on the ground, which startles you. You immediately run towards them. As you approach, you manage to separate the two, pulling the dark-haired one off the light-haired one. They both seem a bit bruised, and as you separate them, you realize that the effort has caused you significant pain in your back.

"You shouldn't be fighting. At least I think so." You say with some difficulty as you feel the pain growing. It's strange that despite the dark-haired one being the aggressor, he seems to take you more seriously. Meanwhile, the light-haired one is smiling mockingly with his arms crossed.

"And who are you to say anything?" Asks the child, around eleven or twelve years old, with a bruised face but intact hair. He's the one with the light hair.

"You must be thick, Malfoy, if you didn't notice that she must be our new teacher. Or maybe I hit you too hard." The dark-haired boy responds, already angry again. He seems both fearless and temperamental.

"Stop. Both of you! I don't want to hear insults or nonsense in my presence. You, with the white hair, I am your new teacher, so I suggest you change your tone when speaking. And you, with the dark hair, violence is not a solution to anything, not even insolence. Both of you, go far away from each other and think about how to be better." You speak calmly but very seriously. Despite their reluctance, both boys stop fighting and move on.

You feel the pain in your back get worse and walk to the first place you see an adult. Until you find a room, which seems almost abandoned. There is no one inside. You observe the room that has some old books scattered around and appears to be someone's room. 

"Can I help you?" A male voice speaks from behind you. You turn around nervously thinking it's rude to enter someone else's room. 

"I need help..." You were going to say more, but you were startled when you noticed a mark on the face of the man in front of you. You figured he must be in pain.

"There's no need to be afraid. I got involved in a mess last night and was a little injured." The man says getting closer and you feel like you're being rude.

"I'm sorry, I imagine it hurts. I'm sorry for my rudeness." You say, getting a little closer and looking deep into the man's eyes. Eyes you felt you've seen before.

"No need to apologize. It really hurts. My name is Remus and this is my room." Remus speaks as you watch him and before you can say anything, you simply pass out. 

                       

 To be continued...

[xhanisai]

TEACHERS AU FIC

AO3

Pairing - Adrinette

Prompt - Teachers AU (please click on link for short context of AU)

Summary -

"Y-You said that twice. The last one." She couldn't look away from his hypnotizing eyes, completely submerged by his spell and she wanted nothing more but to stay like that forever if she could have it her way.

"I did, didn't I? Speaking of kissing..."

Oh no.

'Please don't say it. Please don't say it. PleaseDon'tSayIt-' Unfortunately for Marinette, luck often deserts her side when she isn't decked up as Ladybug and today was no exception.

"Yesterday night, just before you finally went to bed, you kissed me." Ah, SHIT.

"We kiss all the ti-iiiime, Chaton-"

"On the lips."

~(x)~

.

.

.

"Madame. Dupain-Cheng! Please be careful!" Cried one of her students as Marinette raised herself to her tippy-toes on the ladder, trying to reach for the items on the high shelf that was required for today's lesson. She took the time to flash an encouraging smile at her worried students, hoping that it will soothe their anxiousness before turning back and continuing to reach closer and closer (whilst simultaneously cursing her tiny, barely five-foot-something frame despite being in her early twenties). The special box of expensive paints that she bought with her hard-earned money just for her beloved students alone was scarcely grazed by her wiggling fingertips and just as she managed to successfully grab it-

SKKKKKKKKKKKKKRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

'SHIT!!!'

The agonisingly painful feeling of her ankle twisting against the direction of her bone was what she registered first before the sound and movement of the ladder tipping towards the ground, the heroine in disguise was barely able to catch her breath as she found herself plummeting downwards at high speeds without even given a chance to even brace herself or cover her head-

"MARINETTE!" Her entire body quaked almost painfully as she landed in a pair of strong, familiar arms and all the air was knocked out of her chest when the impact sent them both crashing onto the floor with the man ensuring that he took the brunt of the force, cradling her head with one hand and wrapping the other securely around her torso. The ladder slammed down hard literally millimetres away from her saviour's head, leaving behind a deafening sound against the hard, marble floor and causing everyone in the vicinity to flinch by instinct. A stunned silence was next to spread across the classroom and the only thing that Marinette could focus on was catching her breath and the feel of her hero's heartbeat battering his chest. "Thank you for bringing me here on time, Lola," Adrien finally murmured, sending a relieved look to the student who was responsible for bringing him here in the first place, her gut feelings having had feared the worst the second her teacher began to climb up the steps of the ladder which therefore made her act as a precaution. "Ma Princesse? Are you okay?" His voice grew incredibly soft and concerned when he sat them both up, cradling her face with both his hands tenderly as his scared emerald greens scanned her entire body for any injuries or discomfort; her stylishly loose clothing made it quite hard to make out anything much to his slight annoyance but he had some semblance of level-headedness to not tear off her shirt to check thoroughly (last time he did that after a really brutal Akuma battle, she almost bit his faux belt tail off in pure rage because it was her favourite blouse that she made from scratch that he shredded into pieces and because of that, she didn't even talk to him for an entire three hours). "You're not hurt are you? Can you move your limbs? Is your vision okay? Can you hear me? Marinette-"

"I...I'm fine!" She managed to squeak out but then a burning, harsh pain followed and her ankle throbbed achingly in a manner that felt like knives digging into the marrow of her bones. Marinette was too slow in hiding her grimace and the second that her partner spotted the expression, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion and clenched his jaw. "I really am okay, Adrien! You can put me down, hahah! Look- your students need you. I can see at least six of them spying through the door, wondering where you've gone." "Monsieur. Agreste! I saw Madame's ankle twist on the ladder when she fell! She's definitely hurt." Another student quipped, challenging his teacher's pouty look of betrayal with a defiant tongue sticking out of his lips. "Please make sure she stays in the nurse's room too! Last time she escaped after having that horrible dizzy spell and tried to teach us with her head on the desk!" "Sam! You're just trying to get out of the quiz I prepared for you all to take- WHOA!" Not able to finish her light scolding at her shit-eating, grinning student, Marinette found herself easily scooped up by Adrien, bridal style and her entire face went as red as her alter ego's suit. The love of her life simply frowned at her, displeased with the fact that she foolishly attempted to hide her injuries from him, again. And that she wasn't being careful. Again. "I'm taking you to the nurse's office. No argument." He ignored the way she pouted even further and crossed her arms childishly, turning to her smirking class and paying no mind to their excited murmurs. "Please make your way to my classroom and complete the assignments that Madame. Dupain-Cheng has given you. Single file, no running or loud chattering in the corridors, please. Thank you all for your maturity and for trying your best to look after your teacher."

  "Sure! Please look after Madame. Princesse for us, Monsieur!" If students were to spread gossip about how bright red Adrien's ears turned when he fast-walked out of the room, he can just claim that it was the weather. Even if it always only turned red whenever he was flustered or embarrassed. ~(x)~ "One of these days, My Lady...one of these days, you're going to give me a heart attack with how easily you find yourself in such dangerous situations as a civilian alone. I can't even count on both hands on how many close calls we've had this morning alone with you getting hurt or worse!" If he was decked up in his suit of destruction, his faux feline ears would have been plastered themselves against his soft, golden hair (which was now quite dishevelled thanks to the number of times he's run his fingers through them anxiously). "Do I need to actually take my class' silly suggestion and wrap you up in some bubble wrap so that you can actually be safe for longer than five minutes?!" He was holding both her hands now, pressing them against his throbbing chest all whilst his eyes held a frenzied spiral that could rival Marinette's whenever something didn't go according to plan. Luckily, she knew very well how to alleviate her Chaton's worries, slipping one hand out of his protective grasp and placing it on his jaw sweetly which prompted his tense shoulders to soften. "Now, that's a bit too extreme, isn't it?" She smiled, all traces of her previous annoyance completely gone as she relaxed against the pillow on the bed she was placed upon. Marinette gave his cheek a soft squeeze and it took her everything to not let out the kettle-like squeal that wanted to seep out of her mouth when Adrien pressed a loving peck against the palm of her hand.

"If it'll stop accidents like this from happening again, I will do it." The gleam in his emeralds had Marinette swallowing harshly because dammit, all it did was set fire to her trembling heart and it took all the restraints she had in her entire lifetime to not beg her partner to ravish her senselessly. She felt like a young teenager from the way the overwhelming emotions crashed and fought against one another in her veins but the ever so slightly calmer, more mature side of herself, helped her stay grounded. Even if said mature side was like a thin, weak dam that was ready to give out to the torrent of flustered feelings that wanted to rush out so badly (why can't she just be cool and collected and easily normal for once in front of her partner!?). "Since you're always here to catch me or save me on time, I don't think such precautions are necessary, hm?" Little did Marinette know that her soft, warm tone was doing nothing but causing her partner to internally explode with gooey lovesickness, testing his own restraints from getting down on one knee and begging for her to become his wife (for real!!!). He opted to quietly cough into one fist instead whilst averting his gaze for a flicker of a second. "...That may be true." He then leaned in closer, his brows furrowed once more. "But can you at least try to be more careful? Please? I hate it when you get hurt or when you're in any sort of pain." The watery, kitten eyes were back and Marinette couldn't even comprehend how a hot, stupidly good-looking, grown man like him can also be so fucking adorable. Neither of the duo paid any mind to Plagg's scoffs and off-handed remarks as he lounged lazily on the nearby desk, practically draping himself over Tikki whose quiet giggles were like quaint windchimes. "Of course, Adrien. I don't like getting hurt either, hahah!" She flicked his nose endearingly, her eyes crinkled with laughter and her bow-shaped lips a beautiful smile that never ceased to steal his breath away. "Hopefully this isn't just a ploy to avoid having to save the city as Mister Bug again by yourself~" She teased, delighted with the way he squawked in protest and the way his kissable mouth drooped into a dramatic pout. "Kidding~!" 

"You're so cruel." He poked her nose, face still wearing the mock frown and then he leaned in even closer till their noses were a hair away from grazing. "The Parisians will never be at ease if only one-half of their favourite married couple is available to fight the Akumas." His eyes turned devious, knowing he had his Lady trapped with the way she gulped audibly. "But then again...then again, I guess it is a very, very good way to fuel the very popular 'ladynoir baby' rumours that have been going around lately." "I-I-Is that so???" She was turning beet red now, her baby blues finding the little Gods that were lounging a little away from them more interesting than her partner's smug, shit-eating grin. "Purr-fectly so. Another layer to hide our secret identities that will not only fool the public but also Le Papillon too." One of his hands was now resting on her thigh, his eyes hungry for the taste of her lips and something so much more sinful. "I could fan the flames without saying a word. Maybe kiss your stomach in broad daylight...wander around in the baby aisle at the shops in my catsuit...give the Akumas ten times more hell if they dare to even touch you...kiss your stomach..." "Y-You said that twice. The last one." She couldn't look away from his hypnotizing eyes, completely submerged by his spell and she wanted nothing more but to stay like that forever if she could have it her way. "I did, didn't I? Speaking of kissing..." Oh no. 'Please don't say it. Please don't say it. PleaseDon'tSayIt-' Unfortunately for Marinette, luck often deserts her side when she isn't decked up as Ladybug and today was no exception. 

"Yesterday night, just before you finally went to bed, you kissed me." Ah, SHIT.

"We kiss all the ti-iiiime, Chaton-"

"On the lips." As if to emphasise his point, he tapped her own rosy pair with his pointer finger and then proceeded to drag her bottom lip down ever so slightly. His face continued to hold the essence of his devil-like side but the curiosity and raw hope burned brighter in his features, giving her a glimpse of his vulnerable side. "Why did you kiss me, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"W-We've kissed before on the lips too!" "To break each other out of spells and enchantments during Akuma battles, yes. To keep up with the illusion that we're married as Ladybug and Chat Noir to the city, yes." He tapped her lip again. "But this is the first time that Marinette Dupain-Cheng kissed Adrien Agreste on the lips with no prompting and no plans involved. And it wasn't just a quick peck- it was a nice, long, sweet kiss. Why?" He's given her no room to run or to hide both physically and metaphorically. He was merciless despite the way her complexion has bloomed in a shade that was outstandingly red and he was determined to find out the truth right there and then. All she needed to do was to finally confess how madly in love she is with him (how she's been in love with him since the day they first met) and then she'll finally be free of the secret's weight. However, she also has zero experience with even being attracted to someone, let alone falling in love until she met him and the idea of taking such a huge leap of faith from the comfort that's loving him secretly absolutely terrified her. How would he react? What would he say? What if he rejects her? What if this tarnishes the amazing relationship they currently share as both their civilian selves and heroic selves? What if this changes everything she ever knew and loved in the worst ways possible? Marinette just couldn't fathom the idea of losing this amazing, wonderful man who has brought light to her once static world and she would rather hide under a rock for the rest of her life than confess to him just how much he means to her. She was frightened of the unknown and even the sight of his kind, comforting face wasn't enough to give her the courage to speak the truth. .

Little did she know, Adrien was stuck in the exact same boat too- the blond just as bamboozled with how he's fallen so deeply and so preciously in love with his talented, insanely intelligent and breathtaking partner (as if he was born just to love her). Though, with the way she kissed him the other night and held him as if he's the one thing she loves more than life, he was given newly found confidence to actually address it and ask about her intentions behind it. Unlike Marinette who prefers to follow her brain and avoid as many risks as possible, he very much preferred to follow his heart and take on all the risks that are thrown at him if he thought it was worth it towards the end. And loving Marinette Dupain-Cheng is worth everything to him. "That kiss made me really happy, you know. Really, really happy." He added, hoping that it'll give his Princesse the morale to answer (praying to every single omnibenevolent deity out there that he really wasn't just seeing things, that his feelings may actually be mutual all along). The determination that was quick to place itself on her face made his heart skip many beats and when she finally opened her mouth to talk-

"AKUMA ALERT! AKUMA ALERT! PLEASE EVACUATE THE PREMISES OF THIS BUILDING IN A CALM AND SAFE MANNER!

PLEASE EVACUATE THE PREMISES OF THIS BUILDING IN A CALM AND SAFE MANNER!"

The deafening blare of the school's alarm rang through the entire building which was then followed by an explosion and high-pitched screaming, coming from the other side of the architecture. Adrien silently cursed the villain of the day for their terrible timing and he certainly wasn't blind to the relieved sigh his partner let out, his brow twitching with irritation whilst she had the gall to look sheepish.

He was absolutely, definitely, NOT going to let her get away so easily just like that. "Pass me your earrings. You hold onto the ring and Plagg will look after you. You cannot even stand, let alone fight in this battle, Marinette." His tone left no room for argument, the duo quickly exchanged their miraculous and the taller of the two transformed into Mister Bug. He checked the scene outside through the window, his heart lightening with the sight of the Akuma rampaging with a giant paint gun and heading towards the tower (which meant that his partner will be safe and sound in the building as he fights). "You've got this, Chaton." Though her face was still coloured with a sakura hue, the grin she wore was reassuring and her baby blues held an encouraging twinkle on his behalf. She believed in him. "Stay here and stay safe, ma Buguinette." By instinct, he bent down to kiss her head, earning an adorable hum from his delighted partner (and continuing to ignore Plagg's snarky commentary). Before he could leap away with a quip laced with puns and a single swing of the powerful bandalore, Mister Bug was shot with a sudden idea. . "Adrien? What's wrong? Do you need me to join you as Lady Noire after all- mMMMPH!?" Marinette was met with a hot, steamy kiss by none other than the love of her life and all she could do at that moment was flutter her eyes shut and melt and enjoy the delicious sensation like a young teen experiencing her first kiss. His gloved hands cradled her face protectively as his eager lips parted hers over and over again, tracing the rims of her rosy mouth with his greedy tongue, all whilst breathing in her pleasant signs and the spiced vanilla scent that always lingered on her skin. "A-Adrien?" He didn't give her a chance to take another breath as he captured her kiss-bruised lips once more, chasing after her tongue in her mouth and deepening the kiss in a manner that sent dangerously amorous thoughts and feelings through the both of them.

Sweet, sweet, sweet, she was so sweet. Reluctantly, Mister Bug pulled away from the kiss (his mind practically throttling his heart from pressing any more of his impulsive buttons for the sake of Paris and its citizens). The smile he wore was borderline Satanic and the sight of Marinette's dilated eyes, flushed face and bright pink lips only filled him with enough glee to last him at least nine lifetimes. 'Mon Dieu...she looks like se-' He didn't dare to finish off his hormone-riddled thoughts, knowing fully well that if he stayed here for a second longer, he wouldn't be tearing off Marinette's shirt to check for any injuries this time around. "What was that for?" She asked, all whilst looking so freshly kissed and so dazed and just so dreamy. Her eyes sparkled in all the best ways possible and the urge to kiss her all over her face was so strong, the hero had to dig his fingers into the palms of his hands to stop himself from getting so distracted and to focus on his half-baked plan. That's right. "If you tell me why you kissed me, I'll tell you why I kissed you~!" His cocky answer was more than enough to snap the heroine out of her stupor, her face reddening all over again with both embarrassment and exasperation, unable to believe that her stupid, silly partner was now resorting to this level of playfulness to get what he wanted. He didn't let her even splutter out an answer or a retort, pausing by the window with a smile that was downright demonic. "Also, if the Ladyblogger asks me why you weren't present at the battle, I'm going to tell her that you're carrying twins~!" "What!? That's a stupid idea! I don't even look pregnant, let alone with twins! How are we going to explain the lack of a bump to the public if you go around saying stupid things like that!?" She honestly should have expected what he said next after that mind-blowing kiss he gave her. "Then I guess we should start making babies tonight to make it true~" . And then he was gone, leaving behind one bright red-faced Marinette Dupain-Cheng and one cackling little God of Destruction. . . . "Plagg...does this mean that...Adrien likes me...?" . Plagg proceeded to stop laughing. . . . ~(x)~