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Having just finished your last lecture of the day, there was a brief respite as you gathered your things and prepared to return to your office -- though you could barely consider it a relaxing period of time, quite the opposite. Routinely, you had to wrap up your work under the scrutinizing gaze of your senior colleague.
Dr. Ratio, your fellow professor at the University of Veritas Prime, stood across from the desk where your notes and chalk lay scattered. He always arrived early, without fail, subsequently causing your paths to cross. There was ample time before his lecture started; however, according to the violet-haired man, sitting in the empty classroom before the arrival of his students gave him "time to prepare for idiocy".
You found that perfectly in character for a man such as Ratio. Though you did question what exactly he was doing to prepare for his so-called war on ignorance, you supposed he had his reasons. You were sure he occupied himself with reading complex texts from one of his many disciplines, or perhaps he bided his time by failing 97% of the exams in his marking pile.
Either way, there was nothing particularly wrong with his actions, so who were you to ask him not to arrive until after you finished your post-lecture cleanup? Not only that, you would much rather abandon academia altogether than admit the reason you dreaded his presence. Your heart would beat uncharacteristically faster and your palms would become just the slightest bit clammy. For reasons unbeknownst to you, being in the doctor’s presence made you feel somewhat… nervous. Was it his seniority over you as a professor? Or was it the way he always had a critical remark to share after glancing at your lecture notes on the corner of the desk? You had never let things like that weigh on your mind, especially not when you knew he did so with good intentions. Though his delivery could definitely use some work. Besides, the two of you had even worked alongside each other as a part of the university’s senate for some time now, where you had discovered that your ideals aligned a lot more than you had initially thought.
The root cause of your unsettled nerves escaped you once more as an exasperated sigh broke your train of thought. In an unsurprising manner, Ratio’s fingers pinched at the bridge of his nose at the sight of what you were erasing from the blackboard — cutesy drawings of electrons holding hands for your lesson on molecular orbital theory. This wasn't the first time you had the honour of eliciting such a response from Ratio, as he was again frustrated at the supposedly "questionable" teaching practices you employed.
“How do you presume such childish drawings are able to accurately convey your subject matter?” Ratio shifted his gaze from where your hand held the eraser to your face, lifting an eyebrow. Your eyes narrowed ever so slightly at his pointed words. Not so much at the fact he was critiquing you again, but because your diagrams were not childish.
"Well, Ratio," you address him with a level voice despite your displeasure, "I appreciate your concern regarding my work, but I am quite satisfied with how I run my classroom. Besides, my students’ education is my priority. Visual aids have proven useful to their understanding, so I merely do it for their sake.” You finished brushing away the last remnants of chalk on the blackboard as you turned to face him directly. "If my diagrams can supplement the spread of knowledge, I fail to see any p-problem.”
The confidence at the tail-end of your response faltered as you stood under his piercing, but... half-lidded gaze? You failed to grasp what emotion he was exactly trying to convey as he remained silent, but his pupils seemed to flicker over different parts of your face at your anticipation for his response.
"Your commitment to enlightening your students is not to be underestimated, it seems." You hadn’t quite registered that the distance between you two had shrunk somewhat and you couldn’t quite describe the feeling that festered in the pits of your stomach as a result.
*click*
Just as Ratio had parted his lips to speak again, both of your heads snapped towards the source of the noise. You didn’t recognize the, quite frankly, extravagantly dressed gentlemen standing in the doorway of the lecture hall. He looked at his phone with a smirk, presumably at the picture he just took. “How cute,” he muttered under his breath.
“Is this a friend of yours, Ratio?” Any tension you previously felt with your colleague now dissipated as you quizzically turned your head to look at him again.
“Not quite.” You could’ve sworn you saw his right eye twitch as he looked in the direction of the approaching blonde. The clicks of his impeccable dress shoes echoed off the empty chairs of the hall as you couldn’t help but glance back and forth between the two. There was more to him than just his fashion, no doubt about that. His looks alone were enough to tell you he was no ordinary individual.
“Come now, Ratio. No need to get all bitter,” the blonde shook his head before moving his eyes to you. As he looked you up and down briefly, you noticed how striking his eyes were. Signonian, if you recalled correctly. “Sorry to interrupt your alone time with your little—“
“Must you stall before getting to the point? You’d better have a good reason to seek me out now of all times,” Ratio’s voice now carried a different tone as he cut off the other man. Assuming they had important business to discuss, you hastily gathered the rest of your belongings as the blonde made another facetious remark in response to Ratio’s clear annoyance.
Upon hearing the buckling of your bag, the two men broke away from their back-and-forth as they looked over to you. “I’ll be heading out to my office now. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mister…?”
“Aventurine. And please, the pleasure’s all mine.” He shot you what seemed to be a sincere smile, which you returned immediately. Ah, so this was one of the esteemed Ten Stonehearts of the IPC. “I have to admit though, it’s nice to finally meet the person the infamous Veritas Ratio seems to only sing praises for.” Aventurine let out an airy laugh and you followed suit after a moment of hesitation. You weren't quite sure what he meant by "finally meet." Or "sing praises for"? Your fellow doctor’s jaw clenched at the exchange.
“Oh, is that right?,” You moved your gaze to Ratio, somewhat forced laughter still lingered on your lips. You felt the irritation seething from him now and your haste to leave was only fortified. “Anyways, I won’t take up too much of your time now. I’ll see you next time then, Veritas.” You're not sure what possessed you to address him like that. Maybe it was the way Aventurine so casually addressed him that made you want to give it a try too. Maybe it was your rush to get out of there. Or maybe you were actually just possessed. Ratio’s face now held another emotion, one you hadn't quite seen before — he had a slight pink tint creeping up his neck too.
"Goodbye for now, (name)," clearing his throat, Veritas echoed your farewell and you felt a similar heat behind your cheeks as you swiftly made your way out of the lecture hall. After all, it had been a little warm that afternoon and this floor's air conditioning wasn't the best. As you made a mental note to submit a request to get that changed, you swore you heard more stifled laughter from Aventurine, accompanied by Ratio sighing.
Your mind raced as you walked through the university halls towards your office. The last five excruciating minutes were on repeat in your head. Despite both of you working together for a few months now, you had never addressed each other informally. Even then, why were you so worked up by being on a first-name basis with a colleague? Turning the corner, you saw two of your students waiting outside your door and as you got closer, you heard what they were chatting about.
“I wonder how much longer they're going to take.”
“C’mon, you know they always take a few extra minutes before starting their office hours. Besides, we all know the reason why,” the shorter student nudged the boy beside her with her elbow, a giggle escaping her lips.
“Haha, yeah. You really think they’re dating or something?”
“I mean, why else does Dr. Ratio go out of his way to see them after class every time?” She pushed her glasses up as she continued speaking animatedly. “Besides, haven't you noticed that he's been nicer ever since that started? I mean, of course they’re dating!”
"Yeah, if you call not throwing as much chalk at my forehead 'nicer.'"
"Hey, he hasn't called me an imbecile in, like, 2 days. That's gotta be a new record for—"
“Ahem," you cleared your throat and the students whipped around with horrified looks, caught red-handed while gossiping. You brushed past them to unlock the door, pretending not to have heard their conversation. Even as you answered their queries, you couldn’t stop thinking about the comment you heard as you arrived. Dating, huh?
——————————————
You laid in bed that night, tossing and turning as you found yourself thinking about Veritas. Dating? You had never thought of him in that kind of light before.
His sense of responsibility to curing, in his eyes, the most ubiquitous disease of the universe was admirable. Sure, his methods may be strict and his words harsh, but the sacrifices he made for the benefit of those around him were something that could never be overshadowed. Seeing him work, every action taken with purpose, and every word spoken with intention. It was one of the qualities that you found... attractive.
And it’s not like Veritas wasn’t a sight for sore eyes either. You had found yourself getting swept into his warm-toned eyes often. Although, you were usually fending for your life against his endless scrutiny in those moments. Not only that, his hair looked soft to the touch, adorned with that pristine laurel. When he would fall silent in thought, he would fold his arms across his broad chest — his exposed bicep flexing as he did so. You had caught yourself admiring the ripples of muscle exposed by the cutouts of his tight, black vest too. You wonder what it would feel like to… Ugh, what were you even thinking about?
You huffed as you flopped onto your back to stare at your ceiling. Perhaps you did feel something for Veritas. The two of you had worked alongside each other for a number of semesters now, sharing each other’s passion of bettering the universe through the dissemination of knowledge. More importantly, Aventurine's mention of 'singing praises' hadn't left your mind the minute you heard it. There was a warmth blooming in your chest at the thought of Veritas speaking highly of you to others. Even when the two of you bickered, it never felt as merciless as when he spoke with others.
Veritas, Veritas, Veritas... That's all that was on your mind as you drifted off for the night, finally having solved the mystery behind your physical reaction to being near your colleague.
——————————————
The morning sun peeked above the clouds as the end of the week was approaching. It had been about a week since your revelation regarding your feelings, but despite that, you kept your interactions with Veritas as subtle as you could. Although, you had maintained a first-name basis since then. Speaking of that day, you ran into the well-dressed blonde again on your way to your lecture this morning. Having a few minutes to spare, you entertained some small talk before he insisted on exchanging numbers. Something about being 'a friend of a friend' and 'you never know when you might need it'.
A few minutes after your exchange, your phone buzzed. A message, or rather, a photo sent from Aventurine. Upon opening it, you found yourself stifling a laugh at what you saw. Veritas, looking especially vexed at what could only be the antics of his spunky companion, stood with his arms crossed and mouth agape. He must have been in the middle of admonishing Aventurine, whose head was peeking out from the bottom left corner. From what you could see of his face, he was certainly having fun. Still smiling at the thought of the selfie, you opened the door to the familiar lecture hall and shuffled towards the front desk where you noticed a peculiar note lying on the centre of the dark-stained wood.
┌ ┐
(Name), meet me here at 7 pm.
└ ┘
You cocked an eyebrow at the cryptic note. It was certainly meant for you, but you didn’t recognize the handwriting. By 7 pm, all of the lectures on this particular floor were over; however, the rooms could still be accessed with staff keycards. Whoever wrote the note must have known that information and, unless they were going to wait for you outside of the room, they must have a staff keycard themselves. The thought of one of your colleagues, as odd as it is, requesting to meet you privately left you with more questions than answers. At least it wasn't some stranger trying to pull something funny, as far as you could tell. Folding the note, you slid it into your work bag and took out a stack of assignments that needed handing back as you waited for your students.
——————————————
After your last lecture of the day came to a close, your students wasted no time packing up their materials. There was supposed to be some kind of event for students on natural theology, boasting a range of esteemed guest speakers and a Q&A section to boot. One by one, they hurried out of the classroom until you were alone. You picked up your trusty eraser as you began to brush away your charming drawings depicting molecular geometry.
You paused for a moment as you noticed something was missing. Or rather someone. Oh, that's right. Veritas was one of the guest speakers at the event today. Natural theology was just one of his many mastered disciplines, after all. Checking the time, you noted that your office hours were starting soon. With no reason to delay today, you placed the last few stray papers into your bag and left the lecture hall, a hint of melancholy over your features from your routine being broken.
After your short walk to your office, you noted the lack of students waiting by your door. As you reached out to press your keycard against the scanner, the door creaked open on its own. That was odd. You didn't remember making a stop at your office before any of your lectures today. Perhaps a janitor was tidying up the room, though they had never been so careless as to leave your door open before.
You cautiously entered and since no one had jumped out to ambush you, you let out a breath of relief. Moving towards your desk, you noticed a miniature plaster sculpture placed neatly next to your penholder. It depicted a man, who looked very much like Veritas, making a... heart with its hands? You stared at the undeniably adorable sculpture for a moment in awe until you noticed the corner of a note sticking out from under the base.
┌ ┐
Apologies for not being able to see you today.
- Veritas <3
└ ┘
Now your jaw was absolutely slack. Veritas signing off a note with a heart? Not only that, you had rarely heard him refer to himself by his first name. Moreover, the handwriting was slightly off too, though it seemed somewhat familiar… The letters looked too round and bubbly, as if it was a hasty mimicry. In contrast, the strict doctor’s script was everything you’d expect — sleek and hard to decipher. Somewhat unnerved, you dropped the note back into your desk.
Why was someone trying to impersonate Veritas? Was this some kind of absurd idea of a prank, the note in addition to the statuette? Taking a seat in your office chair, you leaned back and closed your eyes in thought. Did this have something to do with what those students were gossiping about yesterday? No, they would never be so bold as to set something like this up. Then who —
A knock on your door frame jolted you out of your thoughts. The same student that was standing outside of your office yesterday now stood in the doorway. She glanced at the mini sculpture on your desk and immediately did a double-take, adjusting her glasses in disbelief. Clearly as awestruck as you were upon seeing the figure’s overly affectionate pose, she began giggling behind her hand as she put together the situation. You scrambled to shove both the small figurine and note into your bag as you welcomed her to come in. That certainly wasn’t going to help the rumours…
——————————————
You lingered in your office, finishing up some small tasks as you waited for the clock to approach 7 pm. Before you were ready to head out, you took another look at the notes and found that the handwriting was a definite match. Both were a clear attempt at forging Vertias’s penmanship. At this point, you were determined to just get to the bottom of the whole situation. Giving yourself a few extra minutes to account for the walk to the lecture hall, you grabbed your work bag and made sure to lock the door behind you, lest the mystery continue. Taking a deep breath, you began walking down the hallway.
The door to the classroom was closed as you stood outside in anticipation. Steeling yourself as the clock chimed to signify the hour, you tested the handle and found it unlocked. So, your theory about the keycards was right. Whichever university staff member wrote that note would be waiting inside already. Itching to put your curiosity to rest, you pushed the door open and stepped into the lecture hall.
“Oh, it’s you.”
At the front desk sat Veritas Ratio and for what may have been the first time since you met him, he had a tinge of confusion painting his features. That made you mirror his expression.
“Uh, yes, it’s me. I’m surprised to see you here, Veritas. Someone's been leaving me notes today and one of them asked to meet them here,” you explained as you rummaged through your bag to show him the evidence. Instead, your fingertips brushed against the plaster sculpture you had found on your desk. “Also, I went to my office earlier today to find the door unlocked and then I found some stuff left on my desk. I'm not sure what kind of joke this is, but I think someone was trying to impersonate you.” You pulled out the miniature figure and its accompanying notes to place it in front of him.
When his eyes fell on the carefully modelled plaster, that same ruddy colour from yesterday was travelling up his neck, even to the tips of his ears. Was he… blushing? There was no time to study his expression further as Veritas’ face pivoted to a dissatisfied one as he read over the contents of the note, probably at the thought of some idiot trying to imitate him.
You looked down and recalled exactly what kind of pose the mini-Ratio had. Its tiny hands formed a heart, aimed directly at you with the way it was positioned. The weight of that, plus the note in Veritas' hand, seemed to finally hit you. That familiar feeling returned — your heart was beating faster and heat seared beneath your skin, though you now had a better idea of what it actually was. A thick silence fell across the room as you both contemplated what to say next.
“Unfortunately,” Ratio’s smooth voice broke the silence first, “I know exactly which idiot is behind this nonsense. That damned gambler…”
“Hm?” You tilted your head inquisitively, curious as to just what he was muttering about. “Well, if you figured out who did it, do you also know why they did this? I mean, to go as far as to make a cute little sculpture of you and place it on my desk,” you lifted the mini-Ratio and found yourself smiling. “They sure were invested in this little game of theirs.”
You heard a sigh fall from the doctor’s lips. Veritas stood up from where he sat across from you and plucked the figurine out of your hands, his warm fingertips brushing over your hand as he did. “ This piece was not a part of some ‘little game,’” he brushed off some invisible dust from the white miniature laurel with his thumb while walking around the dark-stained desk, “I… ahem, I made this, especially for you,” Veritas’ gaze lingered on his work for a moment before taking your hand and returning it to your grasp once more, “I wasn’t quite finished with it, but someone took the liberty to expedite its delivery.”
“F-for me?” you tensed at the purposeful and sudden contact. “Why would you do that for me?”
“Are you dense?” Ratio’s eyes narrowed in what you could only describe as exasperation. “Why else would I have actively sought your company after each one of your lectures, hm?” He took a step towards you, “Why else would I have meticulously prepared a statuette of myself holding up a clear symbol of affection, if not to convey my feelings?” He angled his body towards the desk, placing one hand on the desk and the other on his hip. The position effectively caged you between the hard wooden surface and the man before you.
“So, what you’re trying to say is, you…” your words trailed off as your eyes met his. When he didn’t hear you continue, another look of irritation adorned his handsome features. Before he could open his mouth to berate you further, you closed the distance between your lips.
Without delay, his broad hands instinctively found themselves on your sides. Feeling emboldened at his touch, you reached your free hand up and cupped his jaw, sliding along it until the tips of his violet hair tickled the ends of your fingers. His palms slid from their current position to the small of your back as they tugged your body closer to his. It elicited a small gasp from you and you swore you felt a slight upturn in Veritas’s lips as they moved against yours. Your body heat was rising with every movement made, mingling with his. Your lungs began to burn, forcing you to pull away as your hand slid to rest against his chest. The heated, half-lidded gazes between you stoked the need to feel each other’s warmth once more, to consume one another. Heavy breaths were all that could be heard in the empty room as you leaned in once more—
*knock knock* “Janitor coming through.”
An older man rapped his knuckles on the doorframe as he wheeled a yellow cart filled with supplies into the room. Immediately, you and Veritas separated as if there was some kind of repulsion between you. As much as you were enjoying the moment, there was still a professional image the two of you had to maintain — a silent understanding between two esteemed professors of Veritas Prime. Though, the janitor didn’t bother to spare you a glance as he grabbed his pushbroom and began his work. That gave you just enough time to smooth out some of Veritas’ hair that you had slightly tousled. It really was as soft as you had imagined. Before you could linger on the thought, Veritas reached for your hand and ushered you out of the classroom.
You stood outside of the entrance to the building now, the evening air cooling your skin. Not sure how to continue the conversation after your little escapade, you stood in silence for a moment before you remembered that you still had unanswered questions from what happened earlier. You slightly swung the hand that was held in Veritas’ to get his attention before you spoke, “Um… about earlier. You mentioned that you knew who set up the notes on my desk,” you looked up into his eyes as his expression changed to one of distaste.
“I’m sure you remember Aventurine, from the other day. That man took it upon himself to orchestrate our rendezvous,” Veritas explained. “He must’ve wormed his way into your office sometime after we finished our discussion.”
“Him?” You never would’ve thought Aventurine was involved. What stake did he possibly have in all of this? “I actually ran into him this morning on my way to class. I guess that would explain how the first note made its way onto my desk.”
“Hm. It seems he needs a refresher on the consequences of incessant meddling,” annoyance was creeping into his voice, prompting you to change the subject.
“Well, it’s getting late now, so I should be heading home now.” Despite your words, you stayed exactly where you were. You were reluctant to leave Veritas’ company, which he seemed to recognize.
“The rest of my evening is free. Let me accompany you to dinner.”
——————————————
The smell of your favourite seasonings and flavours enveloped your senses as you were seated in a secluded, but atmospheric corner of the restaurant as per Veritas’ request for privacy. He had excused himself to the restroom for a moment and as you waited for his return, your phone buzzed. A message from Aventurine lit up your screen.
› So how’d it go with Ratio?~
The flair at the end of the text made you purse your lips in mild dislike, but you supposed you should thank your newfound acquaintance. If it weren’t for him, the events that unfolded today may not have transpired at all. You saw Veritas making his way back towards your table. As he was taking his seat, you snapped a quick picture and sent it to your blonde companion.
› Attachment: 1 image
› Wowww, fancy ~ Surprising that a man like that could take you out to a romantic spot. And on the first night too?
› I picked the restaurant. Also, you might want to be careful the next time you run into Veritas. He seemed keen on teaching you a lesson about “incessant meddling.”
› Oh, how scary!