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Mr. Blackwood was a strange man.
He's been teaching at Edgewood Institute for about two years now and has given practically no personal information about himself. Very straitlaced and serious with a permanent scowl etched into his lips, nobody dared to ask questions or get too nosy about him. Although a few things were known, at the very least. He always packed his lunch and he always wore tweed suits. He had black hair that had gone mostly grey with streaks, glasses with a chain, and an offset handle cane that was covered in cow stickers, everyone assumed he was much older than he really was. Finding out he was only in his mid-thirties was a very fun day indeed.
The year 10s that were in his class this year were less rowdy than the ones he had beforehand, though their curiosity was insatiable at best. A few students, in particular, seemed very intent on finding out about his love life of all things. Was he single? Did he like anyone? The questions were brought up constantly whenever the man himself was out of the room, hushed whispers of who the priggish professor could potentially court and date. Ms. Clarke? No, she was married. Mr. Delacruz? No, they seemed to have a budding rivalry over the coffee machine in the breakroom. At least, that's what some have gathered whenever the man in question would mumble under his breath in frustration.
In any sense, Mr. Blackwood did not attempt to flirt with any of his coworkers nor did he look at them with anything other than a professional gaze. His eyes would soften whenever speaking to his students, but he was still much too prim and proper for a lot of their tastes. It felt strange, transitioning from any other teacher to his room. Everything felt... awkward. Not in a bad way, but it made it hard for students to talk to him directly on his own.
Sometimes there would be moments when his persona would come down, his face falling from its tone expression to where it was almost neutral, as close to relaxed as the gentleman could get it seemed. It didn't last for very long and his expression was once more in a scowl as it had always been as if the slip hadn't occurred at all.
3 months into the year, the students were working on an assignment, quietly talking amongst themselves as Mr. Blackwood sat at his desk, grading over a quiz they had taken the day before. He was tapping his foot rhythmically against the desk, no noise coming from his direction besides that. The careful scribbling he did was practiced and silent and many students would have probably forgotten his presence, had they not glanced up every now and then to see if he was still there. It was a nice day, drizzling outside as it always did with quiet rumbles of thunder from far in the distance. Peaceful and quiet.
That was until there was a quiet knock on the door to the classroom. A few heads shot up to look in the direction, wondering who the new person could be. Another student? Another teacher? Maybe even the principal? Confusion filtered onto their faces as they glanced back over to their professor, who hadn't even looked up when he mused, "Come in, Martin." The person in question, this Martin, opened the door quietly, wincing slightly as it squeaked in his grasp.
He was tall and fat, taller than any of the students in the room, or even the teacher. He wore a knit blue jumper that contrasted wildly with his white hair, circle glasses on his face not hindering the site of his freckles at all. The man shuffled his feet, careful to not make any more noise than necessary as he made his way to the other's desk. Jon finally looked up once the man was there, his eyes lighting up in a way that no one had seen before. The look on Mr. Blackwood's face was nothing short of reverence, a smile breaking out easily as if that was the most natural thing in the world to him.
"How'd you know it was me?" Martin asked, voice quiet with practice to not disturb the students. Though, if they dared to look, the students had abandoned their worksheets and were now giving the pair an audience. Neither of them seemed to notice, too busy staring right at one another. "I know your knocks anywhere, love. Something the matter?" Jon hummed in response, taking the other's hand and lacing their fingers together, rubbing his knuckles with his thumb, the one that had been burnt so many years ago. Martin shook his head and placed a bag gently on the desk, out of the way of the papers there.
"Was on my lunch break at home and saw that you left yours. Can't have you going hungry now, can I?" Martin's tone was even and playful, the smile he wore mimicking the other's easily. Home? Was this Mr. Blackwood's partner? Someone who looked so wildly different than the other, had a baby face that could mistake him for a student had it not been for his height. It was so very strange and the students were left reeling at the revelation. Even more so when they heard the shorter man chuckle, bringing the other's hand up to his lips and leaving a tender kiss, before retorting, "No, I suppose not. Thank you, Martin. Do you have to get back soon?"
Martin's eyes finally broke from the other's face to look around, finding the clock on the other end and stopping to look before he hummed and responded, "Yeah, I've got to head out." Martin's gaze returned to his partner and laughed when he found that the other was pouting. "Oh, come now Jon, don't fret. The day will be over soon and then we can go home, alright? I'll be back before you know it," The taller one's words were placating, his free hand moving up to touch the other's face before tucking some hair behind his ear. Jon quietly huffed in response, though he nodded in agreement, "Fine, alright. Just be careful when you go."
Martin kissed his teeth as he made an expression of thought, as if considering the other's statement seriously before he smiled with all mischief, sarcasm dripping from his words, "I don't know, thought about committing some arson on the way there. Maybe get arrested? All kinds of fun to be had." Jon rolled his eyes in response, mumbling out a "har har, smart arse" before he pulled on Martin's hand and brought him down, giving him a quick, chaste kiss on the lips. Martin responded easily, giving the other one of his own before standing up straight once more. Jon looked up at the other with nothing less than worship in his gaze, which Martin responded easily as finally broke their hands apart.
Martin didn't get to even turn before Jon added, "I love you! Let me know if you see any good cows." Martin smiled and blew him a kiss, turning away from the other as he responded, "Of course I will! I love you too, Jon. I'll see you soon." With another few seconds, Martin was out the door and the classroom was left in silence once more. Jon stared at the door for a moment, sighing to himself in a way that could easily be mistaken for a romance novel before he turned back to the class, startled to find all eyes on him.
"What?" He finally asked, shocking the students out of their dazed state, filling the classroom with questions aplenty. "Who was that?" "Was that your partner?" "Are you married?" Jon huffed a small noise, surprised by their enthusiasm at his apparent relationship status. Jon usually wasn't in the habit of talking about his personal life, he usually preferred keeping separate from his job. However, the thought of being able to gush about Martin (to a reasonable extent, of course, this was still a school after all), was nothing short of thrilling.
The rest of class was spent discussing Jon's personal life and, for once, Jon found that he didn't mind indulging.