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Professor Valtersen is hot. Both students and other teachers in university will admit that.
But, uhm, you know, there is probably always going to be that one teacher in your academic life who is barely ten years older than you, who is extremely smart in different fields, who knows their subject quite well, and who’s very, very pretty. If you are lucky enough, you can call them your mentor, if you are not, well. You’d be better submitting that assignment in time.
Although professor Valtersen’s students love to lovingly gaze at him during his lectures, they also pretty much are scared of him. He is not one of those who choose a path of warming up towards their students and act like they are their friends. No, not at all. He is strict to a certain degree and knows how to present himself. Otherwise, the students would eat him alive, he knows that and he just can’t let it happen. And that small age difference isn't helpful at all.
Marie is in her first year of getting her Masters in biochemistry; Isak Valtersen was her thesis advisor last year when she was getting her bachelor. Throughout a few years, she learned a couple more things about her professor, and considering the fact his whole life is an absolute mystery to everyone it wasn't exactly easy. Mostly, it was just her paying attention to how he talks and what his usual habits are. For example, he wears glasses with thick frames but when he forgets them at home he is always a little scattered, which is amusing to witness. It doesn’t happen very often, though. Or else, he furrows his eyebrows whenever a student has a problem with his assignments and sweetly chuckles with his arms crossed when nobody in class seems to understand the topic.
Even though professor is demanding with school material, even though he values rules and discipline, he is also a man of his word. What is more, he is always able to tell when someone is lying or isn’t trying to make an attempt in studying and who is making every effort even if it costs them several lost hours of sleep at night. Marie knows Professor Valtersen is kind and passionate and he is a damn good teacher who helped her and a few other kids to get their diplomas. It doesn’t matter if it’s just because he’s young and driven or just new to teaching and his ambitions are strong as ever for now, she still will be forever grateful to him for that.
Another thing about Marie’s professor is in one lovely fact – when she got to meet him for the first time in her second year of university - he just started his job there - he wasn’t wearing a wedding band. A few months later, she noticed him twisting that shiny thing on his ring finger during the class and she couldn’t stop her smile as she realized what that meant.
Professor never talked about his spouse in class, nobody has ever seen him with anyone, although everyone knew he is gay. And let me tell you, college gossips can be just as weird and insane as high school gossips. Or, maybe, it just depends on people you’re hanging out with.
Anyway, there was this rumor about Professor Valtersen and their German teacher secretly getting married before Christmas (that’s when professor started wearing the ring, by the way) and there was also a rumor about him not being one hundred percent gay and having a thing with the new female lab technician. The guts were telling Marie this all was bullshit.
A couple of weeks after the New Year she finds answers to questions she wasn’t exactly looking for.
Marie bumps into Professor Valtersen next to the schedule board in main hall of the building and notes to herself right away he looks almost flawless in his new navy blue blazer. To be honest, she can understand all the girls and boys who secretly have hots for him.
He jumps a little when he notices someone standing next to him. “Whoa, sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
Fixing his glasses, he puts his lips into a small smile.
“Good morning, Professor Valtersen,” Marie huffs a laugh. “How was your holiday?”
“Amazing. Always dreamed about being stuck in the waiting line to the metro exit during midnight countdown and getting to the Champs-Elysées only an hour later,” he chuckles shaking his head. “How was yours, Marie?”
“You went to Paris for the New Year’s?” Marie exclaims in high-pitched voice completely ignoring his question. She manages to calm down, “Wow, must be so romantic. I’ve never been to France and to tell the truth for the last year I’ve been literally nagging to my girlfriend how we just have to go there for our anniversary in June.” She stops her rant, feeling embarrassed just a little, but Professor Valtersen’s kind smile makes her feel better. “But, uh, alright. I actually wanted to talk to you about my internship since the last one kind of turned out a failed attempt. I looked up several other laboratories besides those two you recommended to me already and I wanted your opinion on them.”
“Sure, no problem. Let’s set up a meeting after the first period. You know where to find me.” He nods, then double checks the schedule in front of them and before Marie can leave he calls for her. “Is it your free period?” After she nods he double checks the schedule again. “It seems like they fucked up timetable for everyone this semester. Right now I have three groups of first years in one class and as much as I love teaching I’m not in the mood for handling them all on my own.”
“So… You need my help?”
*
Marie doesn’t even know what makes her stay till the end of the lecture – she actually didn’t do much, just helped with some equipment and printed materials. It’s just. Well, Professor Valtersen knows how to make an impression on first years.
It’s the third time Marie happens to be in the biggest auditorium in the building, they only occupy it when it's some huge and imortant events, which is both weird and fascinating. It has seats like in theater and sort of a stage, but not really. Looks impressive, and acoustic here is incredible. Poor first years are afraid of even whispering.
Marie is putting her bleached hair into a messy bun when someone sneaks onto the seat next to her at the back of the auditorium. It’s a man and he looks a little too old to be a first year, but he could certainty pass as a postgraduate. Marie isn't sure, though. She has never seen him before.
“Professor Valtersen asked for your help too?” she asks, not finding any other valid reason for him to be here.
The man smirks and tilts his head. “Yeah, kind of,” he whispers. “What can you say about him?”
If such straight-forward question did sound weird, for some reason Marie chooses not to pay attention to it. “You’ve never been at his lectures before?”
The man shakes his head once, that smirk of his not leaving his face.
“Well, he is a really good teacher, a passionate one, and it’s rare. I admire him a lot,” with a nod she tries to fix her gaze at Professor Valtersen but fails.
He looks at her with what she thinks a challenge and clinks his tongue. “Really? Nothing juicy to tell?”
“Why?” Marie narrows her eyes, getting slightly uncomfortable. She genuinely likes Professor Valtersen and she's not going to gossip about him. It's just. Not her thing.
At that, he just shrugs and tries to wink at her, “He’s pretty young and very good looking, there has to be something students whisper about.”
Marie snorts at him, rolling her eyes. “Well, a lot of students do fancy him, but just as well as them you are too late with that. He’s married.”
“Oh?” he raises his eyebrows at her and she’s almost sure he’s mocking her. “And who is that lucky someone?”
“Nobody knows,” Marie shrugs, starting to nervously tap her fingers on her laptop bag she has placed on her knees. It's unbelievable how it didn't seem to discourage the guy. “He never talks about his personal life, and I think it’s smart. Students should never forget they are just students.”
“There has to be rumors, or..?” lowering his voice, he leans closer to her.
“It’s really weird you’re so obsessed with professor’s personal life.”
At that, he raises his hand up in surrender. “Okay, I got it. He’s a closed book.”
“Well, no, not exactly.” Marie says before she can think about it. “He knows what he wants from us, which in some sense makes him strict and demanding. But he also is very understanding and always ready to help if you actually need it. I think it says a lot about him, and not only as a professor but also as a person.”
For the first time during their conversation about professor the look on the man’s face softens, his smirk transfers into a small sweet smile as he looks down.
“It’s great to have a teacher like him, isn’t it?”
Marie only smiles at that. Maybe this guy isn’t that bad.
They sit in silence for a few seconds but it doesn’t go away unnoticed from Marie the way this guy keeps watching professor with that strange look in his eyes almost like… she’s missing something.
“I meant it when I said he’s married,” she starts talking again in hushed tones as before. “He mentioned going to Paris for the New Year’s. You don’t usually go there for a holiday like that. Not alone, that’s for sure.”
“He said that?” and now he’s full on grinning, biting his bottom lip and fidgeting in his seat.
He is so weird.
“Well, yeah. And you won’t succeed in seducing him from the back row.”
It's what makes the guy laugh, like, really, really laugh, so loud that the whole auditorium freezes for a second.
“Mr. Bech Næsheim, if you found something so funny and humorous that it interrupts my lecture, please share it with the class,” professor’s loud and clear voice echoes in the room and it seems like every first year turns their head to look behind them at the man who dared to laugh in Professor Valtersen’s class.
Marie widens her eyes at the tone of professor’s voice - she rarely hears him this bitter. He also never called out anyone like that in class before, which makes the situation even more intense.
Poor first years.
The guy, well, Bech Næsheim, she knows his last name now, just chuckles and nods very subtly, “I’m sorry, professor. Won’t happen again.”
"Don't even bother. See me after the class."
“Shit,” Marie whispers, turning her head to look at the guy. “He knows your last name and you’ve never even attended his classes. You found yourself serious problems.”
He massages the bridge of his nose with his fingers and sighs. With a smug grin. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
*
Marie remembers she has to meet Professor Valtersen after the class only five minutes before her own lecture starts. Still, she thinks she’s going to make it work, she will just give him the names of laboratories and come back to pick up recommendations later.
Also, she can’t get rid of replaying that odd encounter in auditorium. For the tenth time in the last fifteen minutes she thinks about how weird it was. Something just doesn't add up.
She just reaches Professor Valtersen’s office when something makes her stop. See, she doesn’t mean to peek and eavesdrop, but it does happen.
From where she’s standing, she sees her professor standing with his back to his desk and with his hands in his pockets. At the table in the first row – oh well – the same guy she was talking to earlier.
She realizes it before she has the proof.
“What made you think it’s a good idea to just barge in my classes like that?” Professor says with a challenge in his voice. He doesn’t look angry, but he also doesn't seem very pleased.
The guy at the table sighs, tilts his head and raises eyebrows at him. “In these three years I’ve never seen you work. I was just curious.”
“That’s not an excuse,” professor huffs a laugh.
“Do I need one?”
“Even.” He gives him that stern look like he’s totally done with it. His tensed shoulders and assured posture are screaming about it.
“Isak.”
It’s when the man stands up from where he was seated and walks closer to Isa- to professor. It's so weird to call him by his first name.
“I was actually wondering what your office looks like,” Even - right? - puts his hands in his pocket as well, rocking on his heels. As he examines the room, his gaze stops at the desk behind professor. “This whole professor thing, it turns me on, you know that. And now I know what to imagine if you were to take me right on your de-”
“Oh no, no no no. Don’t you dare playing your ‘lets fuck’ card out of nowhere right now.” Professor says, making a step backwards and raising a finger in front of him as if he’s trying to prove a point. He narrows his eyes after that. “You’ve been using it too often lately.”
“You don’t like it?”
“Well. I do.” It’s weird seeing professor so confused and frustrated. He raises his chin higher, looking away from the man who is, Marie knows now, certainly his husband. Now she sees a flash of familliar silver wedding band on Even's finger. Professor Valtersen has the same. “I like it very much. But cut the crap, Even. It's not what this all is about, okay? It’s just, we talked about this, didn’t we?” Professor takes off his glasses and starts massaging his shut eyes. “I’m trying to separate my professional and personal life. I’m determined to keep it that way.”
“I know,” the man nods, his chin meets his chest in surrender. He shakes his head and fixes his gaze on Isa- on professor again. “Boudaries, I remember. And I promised I will respect that. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
The thing that happens next is so not-for-the-third-pair-of-eyes sight and Marie knows that. Before she can make a move and walk away, she witnesses one of the most tender kisses she has ever seen in her life. This is also the sweetest Marie has ever seen her professor be as well, with his palm cupping his husband’s jaw and him smiling into his lips.
“You have very dedicated students anyway,” Even says with a chuckle a few moments later. “Couldn’t torture anything on you at all.”
“So you weren't flirting with Marie? That’s what you two were talking about? Me?”
Even huffs, “Of course. I’m always talking about you.”
Marie’s cue to leave rang the moment she realized what was happening and now the feeling like she’s intruding makes something unpleasing knot in her stomach, so it’s the last thing she lets herself to hear. Her internship recomendations can wait for another hour or two. Also, the last thing she knows is that she won’t ever be able to look at Professor Valtersen’s desk the same again.