Work Text:
Alfred was very proud of himself that evening. After all, not only had he been able to finish an assignment before the due deadline, he had also managed to write something for fun.
So he logged into his e-mail account and typed an e-mail for his professor.
To: Arthur Kirkland
Subject: literature review
Message:
Professor,
Here’s the literature review on game localization you asked for next week!
Sincerely,
Alfred Jones
Then, he decided to also compose another e-mail for his friend first before attaching his homework to the first e-mail because he was already there anyway so why not, right?
To: Kiku Honda
Subject: (no subject)
Message:
Hey kiku check it out… ive been playing that dating game u rec-ed me right… and there’s this character named arthur haha so ofc i went for him… for no reason… he’s nice, that’s all. So. i kinda wrote this fanfic???? Of us. LOL
It’s kinda lame but i’m making u read because u put me in this dating sim hell and now ur gonna deal with it…
xoxo
Al
Smiling to himself, Alfred looked for his files on his his computer, attached each file to the appropriate e-mail and hit send. He stretched his arms up, happy to be free for the rest of the day and wondering what he could do then. He kinda needed to study for his Spanish class, but honestly he was so happy for being able to send his homework so early for Mr. Kirkland class that he just wanted to game until it was time to sleep. He deserved it, right?
In all honesty, the only reason he had been working so hard to send that so early was because Mr. Kirkland’s class was amazing and Alfred really liked him.
The class, that is. He really liked the class.
It was about games! About translating games, actually, but it was still about games! Of course he liked it, with no relation to the cute, surprisingly young (that guy must’ve been born studying because he clearly wasn’t on his thirties yet) professor who was always making references and puns about classic games…
Anyway…
Gaming. That was what Alfred decided to do. He opened the game his friend had recommended him, the one he had written about, a BL visual novel in which you could choose among seven handsome boys in a post apocalyptic setting. Alfred’s favorite was of course the one called Arthur. Because he was good with guns and corny, and not at all because he was British just like the professor he kinda had a crush on, of course.
Half an hour into gaming Alfred’s phone buzzed with a new notification. Alfred checked it and smiled when he saw that it was a message from his friend. Sweet! He probably had read the fanfic already and was replying with a bunch of comments about it.
To: Alfred Jones
Subject: Res: (no subject)
Message:
Hello, Alfred! (￣▽￣)ノ
Thank you for wanting to share your fanfiction with me! However, you sent me your homework instead… send me the file again and I will read it.
Kind regards,
Honda Kiku
…huh?
No. No way. That was… that was just Kiku messing around, right? No way. No. Alfred was certain he had sent him the…
Oh, no. No. No, no, no, no…!
So that meant…?
Fuck.
FUCK.
Maybe… maybe Mr. Kirkland was busy with something and hadn’t checked his e-mail yet?? So maybe Alfred could figure out where he lived, break in, steal his computer and–No, he probably had access to his email on his phone as well…
Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck…
Alfred was still freaking out when his phone buzzed again.
He went pale when he read his professor name. He gulped and tried to get strength to read his death sentence.
To: Alfred Jones
Subject: Res: literature review
Message:
… that is not your assignment.
Oh. Hm. maybe, Alfred though because hope was the last to die, he had just seen the file title (it was something lame like fun.fiction 4 kiku), realized it wasn’t the assignment and messaged Alfred back to let him know. Right? That seemed possible. Alfred sighed in relief. He started to type out an apology message with the right file attached to it this time when his phone buzzed again to tell him he had yet another e-mail from his professor. Okay. Alfred took a deep breath. Maybe he wasn’t dead yet, maybe he still had hope and it was just a reminder of the deadline.
To: Alfred Jones
Subject: Res: literature review
Message:
Jones, I don’t even know what to say.
I am not sure if you sent that to me willingly, if someone forced you, or if that was meant to someone else…
Anyway, I must say I’m surprised you are so inclined towards literary writing. Despite… everything you have a good narrative and I think you should pursue more the habit of writing, even if as a hobby. I suggest you take professor Carriedo’s creative writing class next semester if you have the time. Still, you need to work on your grammar, it is still hideous and I hope your assignment is better when it comes to that. Perhaps you can use the extra time to proofread it?
Yours,
Arthur Kirkland
Oh, my god Alfred was definitely dead. He was so dead. How was he supposed to go to class next Monday? How was he supposed to look at his professor’s face ever again????!! He might as well bury himself in a pit and stay there forever.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?!
Then his phone buzzed again. Alfred had given up on everything at this point so he just clicked the notification before even checking what it was.
It was another e-mail.
To: Alfred Jones
Subject: Res: literature review
Message:
As a PS I must ask… you have never had sex, have you? I can’t stop thinking about what you wrote and fear for your future partners. For future reference, that is nothow sex works. Here’s a list of a few books and funficion, as you named it, that might help you get to understand it better.
Anyway…
OH GOD, WHY DID IT HAVE TO KEEP GETTING WORSE, WHY WAS THAT HAPPENING? Alfred screamed on his pillow and his roommate even came to check if he was okay.
“You’ll have to organize my funeral, man. I’m so dead. So, so dead. Oh, god, I fucked up. So bad. I fucked up so bad.” he groaned dramatically and his roommate didn’t bother to ask what was wrong before just rolling his eyes and leaving.
On a more positive note… at least… Mr. Kirkland didn’t seem to be angry about it? Alfred couldn’t be sure, but… he was giving tips and trying to play it cool, so he probably was just going to try and pretend nothing had happened, right? Maybe Alfred could just… sit at the very background and never speak up in class ever again and never get close to him or make eye contact and maybe he’d be fine.
Fortunately their next class was just the following week, so he’d have time to deal with himself and prepare for it.
Then his phone buzzed again.
To: Alfred Jones
Subject: Res: literature review
Message:
“… I hit send before finishing…
What I was going to add is that… honestly… you could have talked to me, you know. I am still your professor and nothing could happen until the end of the semester, but you could still have talked to me like a normal person instead of sending me… that… declaration/zombie-killing/badly-written-porn… thing…
You’re smart, funny and it’s always a pleasure to talk to you after our classes, as you always try to do. I’m only five years older than you. You could’ve asked me for coffee?”
What do you think? Should I really send this? Wouldn’t it be too weird? He’s still my student. Francis, I know what you’d normally say, but I want a reasonable answer, please.
Oh. Wait. Did… did he sent that to the wrong person?
Alfred received another e-mail just a few seconds later.
To: Alfred Jones
Subject: Res: literature review
Message:
Fuck
… yes, he did sent that to the wrong person.
Alfred laughed. That was embarrassing. For the both of them, at least.