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“Marc? Are you in here?” Nathaniel called as he stepped into Ms. Mendeleiev’s classroom.
Marc’s head popped up from where he was diligently working in the back of the classroom. “Nath! What are you doing here?”
“There you are.” Nathaniel walked up the stairs and plopped himself down onto the bench next to him. He scooted unusually close, pressing up against Marc’s side.
Marc’s body began to warm up, and hints of a silly smile filled his face. But he quickly turned back to his work.
“Maarrc. What are you doing?” Nathaniel asked, wrapping his arms around Marc’s free arm.
Without looking away from his work he seemed so focused on, he replied, “Some extra chemistry review. I didn’t do the greatest on the last test, so I'm trying to fix that.” Then, turning to Nath, he looked him up and down. “…and what’s with you? You’re acting…unusual,” Marc smirked.
“What? Can’t I come see my boyfriend if I want to? That’s unfair,” Nathaniel replied, a small pout on his lips that Marc thought was adorable.
“You’re clingy today,” Marc giggled, relishing in the cute faces his boyfriend was making. He turned back to his work for a moment, pondering. “You know what? I can finish this at home. Clearly, someone needs my attention more.” He slid the papers back into his bag and pulled Nath closer to him.
“See? You get it,” Nath replied, snuggling closer.
Marc nosed into Nath’s bright red hair and placed a small kiss. “Did something happen, though? As much as I love this, it’s still random,” He said softly, running his hands through Nath’s hair.
“Mmm…” Nath hummed in response, seemingly avoiding the question.
Marc brought his hands to Nath’s jaw, lifting his view to him. He took his bangs and moved them behind his ear, revealing Nath’s sparkling ocean eyes. They locked eyes for a moment, Marc noticing all the flecks of grey in the sea of blue. “You know, you have beautiful eyes, Nath…” he mumbled, lost deep into his eyes. What he didn’t notice was the surrounding face becoming pink, at least not until he directly felt the heat of Nathaniel’s reddening cheeks.
“O-oh! Sorry…” Marc let his hands slowly fall away from his face, and in doing so, missed how Nathaniel’s eyes flicked down for only a second.
“Wait.” Suddenly, Nathaniel grasped both of Marc’s hands in his. “Um…”
Confused, Marc titled his head. “What is it, Nath?”
“…”
Nathaniel’s face got brighter and he bit his lip, contemplating. He took a deep breath and breathed out harshly. “I… C-Can I kiss you?” He burst, squeezing Marc’s hands with a nervous, but determined look on his face.
Marc blinked. But then after a moment of processing, his face began to flush. “Oh, I mean…” He would typically be quick to allow it, but after a quick look at his surroundings, he noticed kids walking through the hallways through the classroom windows. “There’s…people outside. A-And they could come in at any moment…”
Nathaniel, disappointed, turned around, looking through the windows for only a second before turning back to Marc. “But…they also could just…continue walking. Why would they come in here?” He continued to hold Marc’s hands in a determined squeeze.
“I-I don’t know! But they could, and that…makes me nervous,” Marc replied, his face still heated. “…But I do want to kiss you,” He trailed, looking back at Nath with a similar look in his own eyes to his.
“Then let me kiss you,” Nath stated, sliding down his seat on the bench and slipping underneath the desk. He looked up through the gap between the desk and bench and motioned to Marc with his hand. “C’mere.”
Marc was still a bit apprehensive, but gave in and got off the bench to crawl under the desk. He scooted in front of Nathaniel, but still kept himself a reasonable distance away.
Nathaniel noticed, made a slight frown, and closed the gap, scooting closer to him until their knees were touching. He looked up at him slightly, observing the expression on his face. “Do you not want to? Because that’s totally okay, I just—“
“I-I do!” Marc burst. “It’s just that— I mean, we usually do this in the alley… or in an empty bathroom. This is a classroom. I feel like I'm disgracing it by making out here,” Marc confessed, awkwardly rubbing his upper arm.
Nathaniel responded with a gentle laugh. “The classroom doesn’t have feelings, Marc,” he giggled, taking Marc’s hands into his own.
“I know! But I—“
“Can I kiss you now?”
“…okay.”
***
“Nath-“ Marc gasped, cut off by Nathaniel’s lips for the 15th time already. Marc firmly grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back a little, allowing him space to breathe. “Don’t you think… that we should… go to lunch now?” He asked in between quick breaths. “The bell’s already…”
“No,” Nathaniel replied breathlessly, but still with force. He eagerly brought his hands to hold Marc’s jaw and moved forward, threatening to kiss him once more.
Marc quickly covered Nathaniel’s mouth with his hand. “Nath, wait. The bell rang.”
“So?” Nathaniel cut, muffled.
Marc let his hand fall, and Nathaniel clasped his hands around it. “…please, Marc?” Nathaniel asked, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Five more minutes? Then, we can go. I promise.”
Marc sighed. “You’re lucky I’m in love with you.”
***
“Nath, that was not five minutes!” Marc hurriedly whipped out his makeup pouch and set it onto the sink. He pulled out a concealer and lip products, starting to apply his lip liner.
Nathaniel observed him carefully while letting out a snicker. “But you liked it, didn’t you?” He teased.
Marc flushed. “That’s not the point…!” He didn’t turn away from the mirror, but he could see how Nath was giggling nearby. He continued his routine, now applying his lipstick. “It was only supposed to be five minutes, and you were supposed to tell me what happened!” He said, now applying a touch of concealer to hide all traces of what happened prior, even if anyone could take one look at Nath instead and figure it out.
Finished, he stuffed his pouch into his bag and turned to Nathaniel. “So?” He demanded, a slight tap in his foot, and a small pout on his face.
Nathaniel moved over to him and slipped his hand around his. “Sorry, Marc. I promise it won’t happen again,” He said, with a light smile that showed it was an empty promise. He pulled them towards the bathroom door. “And as for what happened, honestly, you don’t need to worry about it anymore. I fixed it,” He added, raising himself to place a quick kiss to Marc’s cheek.
“Fine then, let’s go. I know you don’t care, but I’ll be lucky if there’s any lunch left…” Marc said, defeated, as he walked them in the direction of the cafeteria.
“Im sure there is. And if there isn’t, I’ll make it up to you by buying you whatever you want from Marinette’s after school,” Nath responded, his smile now as bright as ever.
“You’re buying me something from Marinette’s regardless of whether there’s lunch or not.” Marc cut firmly.
“Oh, of course,” Nath chirped, his dopey smile shining brightly for everyone to see for the rest of the day.