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“Why is Chuuya-sensei late today?” Higuchi groaned.
Nearly everyone was on the call, as instructed by Chuuya, who yelled at them to be on time next time. Turns out, they would be the ones waiting and he would be the one who’s late.
Tachihara raised a brow and asked, “Is he always late?”
Gin turned on her screen as she was in a hoodie and comfortably sitting on her bed. It was quite dim in her room, probably because she left the curtains shut.
“Oh right, you’re still kinda new here, Tachihara. Chuuya-sensei’s usually early for classes but occasionally he does turn up late.”
“Why?”
She leaned closer to the screen, “Do you really want to know why?”
“Sure…?”
It couldn’t be that bad right? Gin’s probably over exaggerating.
“He gets into these moods and let’s just say he drinks once and a while during our calls. We like to make fun of it in the group chat as well.”
Tachihara froze on the spot.
HE WHAT?!
Higuchi stared at Tachihara’s screen, “Oh, did he lose connection?”
“B—but he’s a teacher?!”
Coincidentally, a new screen popped up and turned out to be their teacher. There were some noises in the background but most of all, Chuuya had finally entered the call.
“Alright shitheads, are we good to go?” he asked in a low voice like he just woke up.
WHAT KIND OF INTRODUCTORY IS THAT?!
“Chuuya-sensei, why are you late?”
Chuuya grunted and glared at the student who said that, “None of your damn business, kid.”
“Chuuya-sensei, we have a new student in our class!” One of the students pointed out and Tachihara immediately went all stiff.
He scanned around everyone’s screens, “Oh? We do? Who is it?”
“Me…” Tachihara replied, shakingly raising his hand.
“Oh. Welcome, Tachihara Michizou, right?”
“Yes…”
“Nakahara Chuuya. I’ll be your physics teacher for the rest of your year. Nice to meet you, kid.”
“Nakahara…? But I thought ‘Chuuya’ was your last name?”
“I like to be called by my first name by students. Problem?”
Tachihara flinched and shook his head.
“No! No at all, Chuuya-sensei!”
“Good.”
“Chuuya-sensei, why were you late today? Didn’t you tell us that we needed to be early but you showed up late instead?” Gin asked.
Didn’t another student just say that? Tachihara thought to himself but apparently, he’s proven wrong by Chuuya’s answer.
“I was marking your assignments,” he simply replied.
The student who originally asked the question looked completely offended that Gin got an actual answer and he was given the cold shoulder by his teacher. Tachihara could tell from looking at their screen, same, man, same.
“But I don’t get why you would be late for that?” Higuchi asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
Chuuya slammed his hand on the table as Higuchi yelped in fear.
“Everyone gave me shitty answers back! Do you think you’re going to be able to pass my class if you give me nothing as an answer? I even had to drink an entire bottle of wine that day too.”
An entire bottle?! How is his liver even surviving?!
“Don’t even get started with all the jokes on there as well. It was a bottle of wine worthy.”
“What kind of wine did you drink, Chuuya-sensei?” One asked.
“Aren’t you lightweight as well, Chuuya-sensei? Don't you like to get drunk on the first sip?” Another one asked as well.
“Chuuya-sensei is quite short as well from what I heard, no wonder he can’t handle alcohol,” Tachihara murmured under his breath, intending to be in his head rather than saying out loud.
Oh shit, I said that out loud—
Gin snorted, hearing what Tachihara had said and everyone in the class as well in the call, oh… he’s fucked. So long Tachihara the newbie, you were only here for less than an hour.
“OH? Is this an invitation for more assigned work for all? I’d like you to fucking make another comment about me and we’ll see what kind of consequences you will face.”
“No!! Chuuya-sensei!!”
“Then shut the fuck up and fucking do your goddamn work!” Chuuya yelled back.
There was someone on Chuuya's screen, Tachihara couldn’t see who it was, and Chuuya looked up and smiled.
He smiled.
He .
Smiled .
A smile came out of this teacher that Tachihara had just a second ago witnessed raging at them… is that even possible?
“Thank you, Fedya,” Chuuya said to the person before something happened, Tachihara didn’t know what happened either, and they went out.
Chuuya brought the cup towards his lips and took a sip, looking satisfied.
“Alright. Everyone got their textbooks?” He asked in a softer tone.
“Yes…”
“Turn to page 169—and I swear to god if someone makes a fucking joke of that I’m failing your next paper—and we’ll be going through it together so everyone understands. Is there anything else to say that is relevant ?”
Nobody said anything and were only the sounds of people flicking their pages. Tachihara’s eyes darted around his desk, scurrying to find his books.
“Tachihara, was it?”
He looked up to the screen, “Y—yes?”
Chuuya gave him a grin, “If you need any help, don’t be afraid to ask me. I don’t bite.”
From what I saw I can say otherwise—
“Thank you, Chuuya-sensei,” Tachihara responded in a nervous sweat.
Chuuya took another sip of his coffee and set it aside, “Everyone can mute yourselves. I don’t want to hear your fucking breathing the entire lesson.”
Tachihara received a message when they all muted themselves and sneakily hid his phone under the table to see who had sent him a message.
Gin: chuuya-sensei got his coffee in time
Gin: you would’ve been a goner if he didn’t.
Higuchi: you’re lucky!!
Tachihara: i wouldn’t say that it is luck higuchi…
Tachihara looked up to his screen, thankfully, Chuuya was distracted by talking to someone behind him, and saw Higuchi and Gin giving him the thumbs up.
Gee, thanks for the reassurance, guys.
And during English class with Dostoyevsky-sensei, Tachihara barely remembers what his name is because it’s so long and confusing to say, he couldn’t say he felt better in this class.
He was sort of mysterious if Tachihara were to describe him in one word. There was one defying factor about him, which was the fact he had bags under his eyes.
Like seriously, even in lockdown, you can’t get the sleep you need?
You’re basically at home the entire time, how can you not find time to get some sleep?
Not to mention, if you stare into his eyes, he looked like he didn’t want to be here at all and Tachihara was told that he’s been one of the teachers in the school for a while as well.
If you don’t like your job then don’t do it.
Maybe give him the benefit of the doubt; he might be desperate for money and his only choice was to pursue a teaching career.
And I could’ve sworn that I’ve seen this place before…
But this is the first class I have with Dos—tokdfjfsjd-sensei?
“Tachihara-kun, are you listening?”
Tachihara snapped out of his thoughts.
Oh god, what did he say?
“Um, yes?”
“Do you mind reading the next paragraph for us?” He asked.
“O–oh, right!”
He frantically tried to find where they were last. Where has he had this similar reaction to…?
It all clicked in his head (for once).
Isn’t Dostoyevsky-sensei's background the exact same as Chuuya-sensei’s?!
The paintings.
The weird cabinet of alcohol that was now shut.
The kitchen at the back—
“Tachihara-kun, are you trying to test my patience? Because you’re doing a very good job at making me wait for you and the rest of the class,” the Russian teacher replied as his tone got a lot colder than it was before, “even if you’re new in the class, you are no different.”
“R—right!”
SCARY!
- - -
The next day, a similar story happened with Nakahara Chuuya’s physics class.
“There’s no way we did horrible in our assignments again… right?” Higuchi asked nervously, “Chuuya-sensei can’t be drinking again, right?”
“Higuchi, I think you’re overthinking this,” Gin replied calmly, “honestly if he doesn’t show up I won’t be mad with a free period.”
Higuchi considered Gin’s suggestion, “That’s true…” she turned to Tachihara, who usually would contribute to their conversations, “hey, you’ve been quiet lately, did something happen?”
Gin laughed, “He got in trouble by Dostoyevsky-sensei.”
“How did you know?!”
“Did you forget Ryuu also has the class as you?”
“Ah… right.”
He was too distracted to notice Ryuu’s presence but was too shaken up to talk to him after the call.
Higuchi let out an ‘oh’ and asked, “He’s scary isn’t he?”
“Something like that…” Tachihara said with a gulp and tried to defend himself, “but look! If you were in Dostoyevsky-sensei’s call, he has the exact same background as Chuuya-sensei does!”
There was a small silence between them.
“Is he really that dumb?” Gin asked.
“He is new, Gin, don’t blame him for that,” Higuchi replied but couldn’t help but agree secretly in her head.
“Does he seriously not know—?”
“It’s so obvious—!”
One of his other classmates quietened them down and grinned, “Guys, guys, it’s okay. We can show him. I have a friend in his English class right now. I’ll message him.”
Tachihara confusedly stared at the mischievous smiles on his classmates' faces.
“Don’t worry, Tachihara, you’ll get it eventually,” one of the other students assured him.
What… is going on?
- - -
“And can anyone tell me what the meaning of that passage is?” Fyodor asked the class and received silence as an answer.
As he was about to pick someone, someone interjects him, “Dostoyevsky-sensei! My friend texted me that Chuuya-sensei isn’t on his call.”
“Oh? Did he forget again?” he asked himself, turning around and muting himself.
“How long do you think he’ll take this time?” One student asked the class by the time Fyodor had left through the door.
One heaved a sigh, “Betting an hour.”
Another one shook their head, “Remember, Chuuya-sensei’s got a class, there’s no way it’ll take an hour… right?”
“Anyone up for a game of Mafia?”
“That’s gonna take us forever!”
“Much like Dostoyevsky-sensei.”
“True.”
- - -
Fyodor walked outside of their bedroom and already could tell that he had forgotten without seeing him. The sounds from the kitchen were enough to make the assumption Chuuya was not on the call with his students.
He was too busy making them breakfast.
Fyodor leaned against the corner of the wall and looked at the redhead in the kitchen, “Solnyshko, are you forgetting something?”
“Am I, Fedya?” He asked back, not bothering to look him in the eye.
“Perhaps a certain call with your class?”
Chuuya whipped his head around, one hand with chopsticks and the other holding the handle of the pan, “Shit.”
He widened his eyes and sprinted over to Fyodor, shoving him the chopsticks.
“You watch the eggs! Fucking hell why didn’t you tell me sooner, Fedya?!” He screamed, lifting his computer screen and turning it on.
Fyodor sighed and did as he was told to watch the eggs, knowing that he wouldn’t have his husband making his favourite omelette if he wasn’t the one making it.
“A student from my class told me.”
“You’re still on a call as well?!”
“Chuuya, dorogoy, you already know this,” Fyodor shifted the omelette from the pan to a clean plate and turned off the heat.
“Maybe if it wasn’t for a stupid mouse-leech then I wouldn’t be in this situation,” Chuuya replied, hastily typing in his password and laser-focused on the screen.
“Pushing the blame over to me, now?”
He propped his chin on top of Chuuya’s head and encircled his arms around his waist, “it’s not my fault you look breathtaking in bed.”
“It’s your fault because, at the moment, I don’t have anyone else to blame it on,” Chuuya answered as Fyodor plays with his hairs, “Fedya, don’t you have a fucking call to get back to?”
“Yes, yes,” he sighed and left Chuuya alone.
Chuuya managed to access the call and surprisingly, none of his students had dared to leave. A good thing.
“Sorry I’m late, kids.”
“See. Told you he would show up,” Chuuya had randomly heard Gin say but didn’t question her.
“Chuuya-sensei, what are you wearing?” One of the students pointed out his pink apron that he was wearing with a snicker.
“Are the fucking dress code police?” Chuuya growled with a glare, “last time I remembered, I’m home, not shitty school. Anyway, you guys know what you’re going to do so the hell are you all just sitting around?”
“But Chuuya-sensei—”
“Don’t want to hear it, because of this stupid system, I can’t fucking make or eat breakfast in peace.”
Chuuya placed his laptop on the kitchen counter and continued to cook on the call. All his students stared at him, mildly confused about what they were supposed to do.
“Is Dostoyevsky-sensei there?” Gin asked.
Chuuya cracks eggs into the pan, “No, he’s got his own class call.”
“Can we see what you’re making?” One asked.
“No. Get back to work.”
“But you’re not doing work, Chuuya-sensei!” Another whined back.
Chuuya looked at the screen and frowned, “I’m doing more work than what all of you are doing. Do you want to pass exams or not?”
“You were late though Chuuya-sensei! An hour and a half exactly!”
An embarrassed blush ran through his cheeks, “No, I was not. You guys were obviously just early.”
“Chuuya-sensei…” Higuchi mumbled, putting her hand slightly.
Chuuya gritted his teeth, “What now?”
“I think you’re burning your eggs.”
He didn’t notice the black smoke coming off the eggs. He just put the eggs in not even a second ago, why are they already burning?!
“Oh fuck!”
- - -
Fyodor gazed at the omelette Chuuya had given him since Chuuya finished up faster than he did, Chuuya had finished eating by then.
He slid the chair back and sat down. He gazed down at his omelette, trying to find the right words to say, “Today’s omelette looks… unique?”
Chuuya buried his face in his arms and groaned, “Just, just don’t say it, Fedya.”
“They remind me of the ones you used to make before Kouyou-san began teaching you how to cook.”
He lifted his head up to look Fyodor in the eye with a frown, borderline pout.
“Do you want it or not?”
“I eat anything solnyshko makes, it’s fine,” he said with a soft smile and tucked a strand of hair behind Chuuya’s ear.
He rolled his eyes at that with an amused smile in return. He lightly slapped Fyodor’s hand away from his face, “Keep that up and I might kill you one day with my cooking.”
“Then I look forward to that day.”
He scoffed, “Weirdo.”
Fyodor took a bite of his breakfast, “Husband, actually.”
“Yeah, why did I marry you?”
“Because you didn’t get enough of me when I’m in you,” he answered in a suggestive tone that made Chuuya flick his forehead.
The redhead teacher pushed back on his seat, “I don’t want to talk to you anymore. I want a divorce immediately.”
“Kotenok, don’t leave~”
Chuuya flipped the finger at him, covering his bright red face.
“I SWEAR TO GOD, DON’T CALL ME THAT!”
- - -
“Is there something I should be careful of? I mean, there’s always some kind of landmine I step on every time I’m in either of their classes…” Tachihara groaned.
Gin popped a chip into her mouth and chewed a few times before replying, “Never ask Dostoyevsky-sensei about Chuuya-sensei.”
“It’s the worst, number 1 don’t do,” Higuchi agreed wholeheartedly while nodding her head.
“Why?”
“If you want either of them to go on a tangent about each other for the entire lesson then go ahead,” Ryuu responded for him, “although they are pretty efficient if you want to do nothing for a period.”
So they’re one of those kinds of couples…
“Are they married?”
“Yup. If I remember correctly… in their 8th year?” Higuchi guessed with a light shrug.
Tachihara spat out his drink, “What the hell, seriously?”
Gin raised a brow with a judging look, “Why are you so surprised? They might’ve not shown it to you but they're deeply in love with each other and it kind of disgusts me.”
“That’s right! You weren’t here last year, Tachihara but last year, they had accidentally revealed they were married to each other,” Higuchi mentioned and swayed from left to right on her chair.
“What happened?”
“One of the students went up to Chuuya-sensei during break time and asked him a few questions about Dostoyevsky-sensei and Chuuya-sensei got a little jealous that she knew a lot about him,” Gin stopped mid-way and ate another chip before continuing, “so when she asked what kind of present he would like for his birthday, Chuuya-sensei whispered into her ear…”
She intentionally passed the story onto Higuchi who seemed prepared.
“ ‘Me’ , and then walked off to his next class and the school went ballistic over it during lunchtime!” Higuchi exclaimed.
So… Chuuya-sensei got jealous and that’s how he revealed that they were married…
Tachihara was speechless, “WHAT?”
“Did you not understand that either? Sometimes I think there’s a thick skull and small brain inside it…” Gin sighed, also upset at the fact she finished her bag of chips.
He shook his head, “No, no, I understand but—what?!”
Ryuu coughed into his hand, “Sounds like you don’t understand…”
“I’m just shocked, man! Leave me alone?!”
“You could’ve just said that instead,” Gin said back, “but I also heard that Dostoyevsky-sensei was originally a writer.”
“Writer? What made him change?”
Gin cringed, “Love?”
“Yeah… that was a dumb question… is that why Dostoyevsky-sensei looks like he doesn’t like his job?” Tachihara bluntly asked.
“No. He enjoys his job, he just has a different way of expressing it,” Higuchi leaned closer to her screen, “I heard from some of our seniors that he joined at the same time Chuuya-sensei. I don’t know why no one made assumptions about their relationships.”
“I don’t know, Higuchi, it might be because they are the complete opposites?” Gin sarcastically said, rolling her eyes.
“Opposites… attract?”
She stared at the redhead dead in the eye, “Don’t even get me started on that, Tachihara.”
“Yes, ma’am…” He gulped.
Okay… never mess with Gin.
- - -
Tachihara entered into the class call and for the first time, Chuuya was there on time, if not early.
“Ah, good morning, Chuuya-sensei—skfjdfjs!!”
Tachihara immediately stopped talking once his eyes were directed at the sight of noticing red spots peeking out from the teacher’s neck and even teeth marks above the collar of his oversized shirt.
At least put on a turtleneck and not for the whole world to see his night activities.
Should he even be showing his camera to them in the first place?
Is Chuuya-sensei really that shameless about this?
I thought he was more professional—yeah, who am I kidding.
Chuuya had a blanket wrapped over him and from the looks of it, was still in bed. There was nothing about this teacher that spoke ‘professional’.
“Oh, morning, Tachihara,” his teacher replied back, completely unfazed as to why Tachihara was so flustered. “Mind turning your camera on and showing your face to us?”
“Sure!”
Gin quietly laughed in the background at him.
Tachihara scowled and felt something whispering to him to transfer to another school.
Yeah…
Maybe I should’ve stuck with the other school…