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“…If we’re done staring awkwardly at each other, could you explain-“ here, he waves towards the… thing that is currently sitting on his desk “-whatever the fuck this is?”
This earns him a half-offended gasp that’s really filled with far too much amusement for a Friday night.
”Why, Professor Ludger! How could you insult the beautiful cheesecake toodalube made just for you?” Principal Elisa looks quite smug with herself, as she leans casually on his office door. Ludger turns his sight back to the white-and-brown dessert on his desk, regretting not joining Instructor Kwassant on the floor earlier. Oh, he had been tempted, but he’s already lost enough of his reputation from being wrapped up in this hare-brained scheme of a baking contest, there was no need to further disgrace himself by having a mental breakdown in the corner of a very public office.
Although, it might have been worth it. This week has been a train wreck, and Ludger finds himself a little frustrated at the current events, more than a bit on edge. While the intentions had been good on the part of the student, somehow, the cheesecake seems to exist to spite him instead of being a sweet pastry like expected.
…Maybe he should have just followed Instructor Kwassant’s lead and had a nice breakdown in the corner. Never put himself back together again while he’s at it.
Nonetheless, his failure to take advantage of such an opportunity means that he now has to deal with this.
“But what am I supposed to do with it?” His voice comes out far too plaintive for his taste, but he can’t help it. Does he say thanks? Does he throw it at a student? Does he shove it into his fridge and never think about it again? Tentatively, he reaches out to poke the top, but thinks better of it after realizing touching it would mean he’s taking the thing into his possession.
“Well, what else? Eat it?” That makes him pause. Eat it? He supposes he is immune to any sort of poison, but he’s not sure if salmonella will count under that. It’s not that he doesn’t trust the student’s baking ability, it’s just that he has learned not to trust anyone’s baking ability (Sheridan, Bellaluna, and frankly the entire U.N.Owen are forever banned from operating an oven). Besides, a cheesecake is basically just sugar with texture and milk. It’s very far from being healthy.
“Perhaps you could consume it for me?” He suggests hopefully, looking at the principal.
“Nope! Have fun, Professor!” And with a final laugh at his expense, she’s gone before a wait- even leaves his lips. With that, there’s no one else left in the room but him and the ticking timebomb on his desk.
“You are far more trouble than you’re worth,” he grumbles to the cake. “Really, what do I do with you? You’re far too big for me to eat alone, and I’m not carrying you all the way to Royal Street.”
Sighing, he slumps onto his arms, glaring at the uneven top and the touch crust. “Why did they decide to bake you anyways? I thought this was supposed to be a writing event. It’s the only reason I’m going along with this farce of a competition in the first place. And now you’re telling me students are actually baking things? The school’s going to burn down- wait never mind, the detective lives in the city.”
The reason for his annoyance stays stubbornly silent, not even deigning to grace him with an answer for its crimes.
“Stupid principal. Stupid cake.” He debates inviting Sedina here to eat it for a second, then remembers she’s vegetarian. Can vegetarians eat cheese? He doesn’t know, and he’s too afraid to ask after the warpath his student went on when she caught him eating processed food. So there is no one else, because the few professors he’s on friendly relations with have all left and he’s not inviting Chris Benimore over to eat cake.
…Could he, actually? There is something awfully sad about eating cake on his lonesome, even cake that was specifically made for him. And he might as well check up on the new head of the noble faction while he’s at it. He’s pretty sure the other man has been avoiding him recently, refusing to even be in the same room. For a second, he wonders if this means the breaking of their alliance, but he quickly realizes that he’s jumping to conclusions. The man’s still doing good work.
Well, either way, a cheesecake seems like a good enough offering. Setting his quill to one side, Ludger pushes himself up and reaches out to grab the cake.
The cake is heavier than he expected, but he supposes it’s to be expected given the ingredients. He fumbles for a moment with the plate, unsure of how to hold it without getting crust all over his hands. How did Headmistress Elisa even get it here?
Finally, he finds a reasonable position. Naturally, as soon as he finds it, he realizes he could have just used wind magic, but it’s too late now anyways. Thankfully, all the students are already gone from the hallways, and his way to the other professor’s office is unimpeded.
Oddly enough, the door opens before he even knocks.
“Maria, I do believe I’ve told you to refrain from bothering me until six a.m. tomorrow- Oh, Professor Ludger.” The man looks quite harried, his normally gelled hair falling over his forehead, framing his glasses. Has it gotten longer since Ludger last saw him? He’s certain it hadn’t covered his ears before.
“Well? Are you going to say something, or just stand here in front of my office all day… Is that a cake?”
Ludger snaps back to himself, dragging his eyes away from where a strand of Professor Chris’ hair has decided to be especially stubborn and fall directly over his eye.
“Ah. One of the students actually baked a cheesecake as part of the writing contest… I don’t particularly enjoy sweets, so I wondered if you would wish for some?”
The other man squints at him suspiciously, eyebrow raised. What looks rather haughty with his normal impeccable hairstyle now looks… oddly cute, actually. Like a disgruntled kitten. “And the first person you thought of was me?”
Particular emphasis was put on the me in that sentence, and Ludger winces at the reminder of their shared history, so to say. It’s true that they had certainly not been on friendly terms at the beginning of the year, but it’s hardly his fault. The rivalry had been completely one-sided, and it wasn’t his side.
“Well, we will be working closely together in the future…” Ludger lets his words hang in the air, waiting for the other professor to either take the cake or shut the door in his face. It’s a fifty-fifty chance, honestly.
“Come in, then,” Professor Chris snaps, holding the door open. What? Noticing Ludger’s befuddled expression, Professor Chris rolls his eyes. “Were you planning to just dump the cake on me and leave? I can’t eat the entire thing either, can I? So get in here and share it with me.”
Rather stupefied, but extremely curious now, Ludger obeys the other professor and trudges into the office. It is at the same time exactly what he expected with neat rows of books and carefully created lesson plans, and completely different from expectation with the organized chaos on the desk and the rather vast amount of plants on the windowsill. He had thought it was just Sedina who grew an entire garden in offices that were decidedly not made for plantations…
“Sit down, sit down. I’ll get you some coffee.”
“There’s really no need for that, Professor Chris-”
“You may not have had the typical etiquette lessons, as a fallen noble, but it is tradition to serve guests a drink in these parts.” This is followed by a sniff and a scowl, even as the man bustles around the little counter at the back.
Ludger can’t decide whether to laugh or to cry. He would perhaps be somewhat offended, but it is clearly visible from his perspective that the other professor has taken out the most expensive of coffees in the pantry, and… he raises an eyebrow in surprise at the careful amount of sugar and milk being poured into the cup, exactly the amount he typically takes. Professor Chris seems to have been watching him far closer than Ludger had assumed, and he can’t quite decide how to feel about the fact.
“Here.” A steaming mug is pushed into his hands, along with a plate, a knife, and a fork. Ludger takes a sip, and hums in pleasure. The coffee truly was good — which begs the question, why did Professor Chris serve him this coffee, when there were clearly many more common brands in the pantry? Regardless, he’s certainly not going to burn this olive branch.
“Shall I cut the cake?” Ludger offers, reaching out for the knife. He receives a stiff nod in response, and he takes it as permission to carefully partition out two slices.
“Is that all you’re having?” The question startles him, and his slice wavers ever-so-slightly. Ludger raises his head in question, confused by the non-sequitur. Professor Chris scowls once more, turning his head away. “You didn’t have lunch today, and I’ve never seen you eat breakfast before you work. Such a small slice of cake can’t be enough to get you through the day.”
That is surprisingly sweet of the other man, but Ludger’s more interested in something else. “How did you know I didn’t have lunch?”
Professor Chris offers a short huff. “You weren’t at the cafeteria today, and I know your assistant has been sick recently. Ergo, you ate nothing for lunch.”
Ludger blinks in surprise. He can’t help but have a little fun though, as he verbally prods the other professor. “Oh? You’ve been watching me this closely, Professor Chris?” A hint of teasing that he typically reserves for U.N.Owen slips into his voice, but he finds that he doesn’t mind relaxing a bit more in this comfortable atmosphere.
“Well, you’re important. Of course I’ll keep track of what you’re doing.” Despite the logic being stated confidently, the red ears tell a different story. Whether it’s good or bad remains to be seen, but Ludger would like to not ruin this delicate peace they’ve found. As such, he transitions the topic.
“I suppose it’s time to try the cake.” Perhaps his voice sounds a touch too reluctant, because that earns him a curious look. Ludger elects to not respond for now, instead finishing the cut Professor Chris had interrupted, and spooning a slightly larger portion onto his plate. The other man still doesn’t look satisfied, but he seems to let it go for now.
Ludger carefully slices off a part of the sweet with his fork, bringing it up to his lips. The cake is surprisingly good — the sweetness present but not overpowering, melting on his tongue rapidly. The crust provides more resistance, crumbling when he bites.
Across from him, Professor Chris also takes a hesitant bite. His eyes widen rapidly, as he blinks in surprise. “This is quite good!”
That is exactly how Ludger feels as well, but the opportunity is there for him to take. “Did you not trust toodalube’s baking, Professor Chris?”
“Oh, do shut up. I heard how hesitant you were to try it as well.” Despite the huff in his tone, the red has returned to the other man’s ears, as he angrily shoves more cake into his mouth. His hair droops even more, and for a moment, Ludger is hit by a wild urge to reach over and brush it away from Professor Chris’ eyes.
…Well, he’s already pushing all sorts of boundaries just by being here, eating cake with the other manifestation professor. And if he’s reading the situation right (which he probably isn’t, with Bellaluna’s frequent comments on his lack of social awareness), pushing a little more can’t hurt too much.
With that in mind, he settles his fork down. Professor Chris looks up, clearly startled by the noise, making it all the easier for Ludger to take out a hairpin and finally slip that strand of hair behind the other man’s ear, gently pressing it into place and sliding on the black pin. Content, Ludger sits back down, and picks up the fork again.
“You- what- huh- Professor Ludger???” Professor Chris sputters, and Ludger notes with some amusement that the ears weren’t the only part of Professor Chris’ face that could turn bright red. The color contrast with the hair was quite an interesting one, and Ludger props his head up with his hand, admiring the difference between the blue and the red. Of course, that’s all he’s admiring, definitely not the slight pout or the eyes that resolutely refuse to meet Ludger’s.
“Aren’t you going to keep eating your cake, Professor Chris?” As if to make his point, Ludger cuts off another piece of his own slice. He’s about to bring it to his mouth, when he realizes two things: one, the other professor’s mouth was still open, as he gapes rather like a drowning fish. Two, Professor Chris doesn’t seem to be angry, or displeased with the somewhat inappropriate action. Instead, he looks… almost bashful?
Ludger blames his next actions entirely on the cake. Perhaps toodalube had put some alcohol in the batter, because he finds himself taking another liberty.
“Close your mouth and eat, Professor Chris,” Ludger murmurs, reaching out once more and depositing his own piece of cake into the other professor’s mouth, relishing in the choked gasp his actions earn. Almost numbly, Professor Chris chews, his face reaching a level of scarlet Ludger hadn’t thought was possible. He’s almost tempted to reach out and poke those cheeks, wondering if they’re hot to the touch like how they look, but that’s probably pushing it too far.
“Professor Ludger, this is highly-“ The other man, having finally swallowed down the cake, seems to be at a loss for words.
“Unprofessional?“ Ludger finishes. A muted nod. Slowly, dragging out the words, Ludger tilts his head backwards the way his master had taught him how to do nearly ten years ago, gazing at Professor Chris through slightly hooded eyes.
“Do you want me to stop?” And of course, Ludger would, at the slightest indication this… whatever it was didn’t appeal to Professor Chris. But compiling the interaction together, well, he doubts that’s the case.
“…Do you mean it?” The flush has died down, but the intensity in Professor Chris’ eyes has only ramped up.
“Mean what?” Ludger plays dumb, hoping the other man would put words to the situation first. For all that he has taken the initiative these past few minutes, he feels like being a little more passive now.
“You know what,” the other man snaps. Rolling his eyes at Ludger’s half-innocent, half-amused hum, he continues. “Touching my hair. Feeding me cake. Inviting me to eat cake.”
“I’ll mean it if you meant the coffee.” To accentuate his point, Ludger takes a sip of said coffee, closing his eyes once more at the exquisite taste. Expensive, but clearly worth it. The comment earns him an awkward cough, and yet another blush. Truly, the other man has resembled a tomato more than the expected strict professor this meeting.
“And if I said yes?”
Ludger smirks in satisfaction, languidly pushing himself out of the chair. Professor Chris — or could he just call him Chris now? — shifts back slightly, almost as if startled, but the look in his eyes tells a different story.
“Well, I think I’d start by tasting this cheesecake… A different way.”