Chapter Text
Coffee cup in hand, Kian dragged himself through the brightly lit corridors of Midtown High and painstakingly made his way towards the teacher’s lounge. Each step closer to the room being one more away from his one-bedroom apartment with his bed. God he missed his bed.
Kian Solenne: a 32 year old man; with curly light brown hair; a small, well-groomed beard; light hazel eyes; piercings up and down his left ear (though he only wore small studs at work); a tattoo hidden beneath his white formal shirt and blazer; and a tendency to be rather socially awkward. One of the many IT teachers at the school, though he himself specified in music technology (something not so appreciated at work- along with his music degree).
Why being a teacher meant he had to get up at 6 in the morning just to make it to school on time for 6:45 for a staff meeting, setting up for the day and such, he never knew. But the simple fact that he did made him want to scream just a little bit. Or at least until the pain of being awake dulled down somewhat.
“That bitch said what?!”
Kian couldn’t help but grimace as he pushed the door to the teacher’s lounge open and made his way into the room, eyes immediately drawn to the enraged woman currently staring Roger Harrington, one of the many science teachers at Midtown and also the school’s Academic Decathlon team coach, dead in the eyes.
Andrea “Andi” Farrel: one of the English teachers; a tall and somewhat stocky 28 year old woman with auburn hair cut just above her shoulders; dark brown eyes; and a tendency to wear clothes with no fashion cohesion whatsoever. Whilst being a little controlling, and somewhat insensitive with her blunt manner; she was without a doubt Kian’s best friend, both in work and outside of it. After seven or so years of working together the two learnt how to deal with each other.
And it was with that knowledge that Kian knew better than to intervene when Andi was staring down Roger without blinking, eyes narrowed in anger- though it wasn’t directed at the somewhat awkward man before her.
Roger winced in response to her cursing, “Andrea please, you can’t call students bitches,” he replied calmly, trying his best not to facepalm at Andi’s manners towards the kids in her classes.
“The fuck I can’t. You’re trying to tell me that some random little fifteen year old thinks they have the right to call someone a slur simply because they’re a teacher?”
Kian let out a resigned hum as the reason for Andi’s rage became apparent. There was a reason he didn’t want to tell her, he knew she’d react like this- but now that the cat was out of the bag he might as well talk it out with her. After putting his bag down and taking a much needed sip of his coffee; he made his way over to his friend and places a hand on her shoulder. Andrea turns her glare onto him at the contact but doesn’t say yet.
“Andi-”
“No Kian. That little brat doesn’t get to call you a faggot and get away with it.”
Kian sighed, wishing he was back in bed, and met Andi’s stare dead-on. “No she doesn’t. That’s why she was reported, why she’ll be having a talk with the Principal, and why her parents will be notified.”
“Oh please,” the redhead scoffed in reply, clearly unamused with Kian’s attempts at placating her, “they probably taught her the bloody language.”
The other teachers in the lounge just watched this unfold, most were used to Andi’s outbursts and whilst each one was most definitely unprofessional, they knew she left that all behind when in the classroom. And she was only reacting so passionately because she was protective of her friends.
”And that’s on them. However we’ve done all we can so you can stop freaking out please.” Kian pinned her with a look and, with a bitter sigh, Andi turned away and took a seat at one of the tables. Instead opting to take her anger out on one of the apples on offer, biting into it with a very frustrated huff.
Roger tore his gaze away from the woman and turned to Kian, offering the man a small half-smile. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that she said that to you, that was not okay and you don’t deserve that.”
Kian simply nodded in reply- not sure what else to say other than an awkward ‘thanks’- and headed over to sit next to Andi who was still silently seething. He didn’t try to start up a conversation though, instead using the silence as a chance to drink more of his coffee; the caffeine a must-have if he wanted to get through yet another day at work.
Trying to deal with hormonal teenagers at school, in lessons that they obviously didn’t want to be in was hard enough, especially when he didn’t want to be here either. Without having his caffeine Kian might not make it. “So..” Andi broke the silence with a quiet hum, the earlier anger in her tone now completely gone- mostly because she’d taken it all out on the now-mauled apple.
“So?” Kian echoed once his drink was finished, glad for the change in subject. “You busy tonight?” Kian shook his head slowly in reply, not needing a verbal response to explain how he was doing his usual routine of getting comfortable and binge-watching TV whilst crushing on basically every guy that came on screen.
“Great, I need to take you to a restaurant at seven.” The man simply raised an eyebrow at that, eyes narrowed with suspicion as he made eye contact with an unusually quiet Andi.
“Why?”
”You know how I like absolutely love you?”
Kian’s eyes immediately narrowed further at the change in Andi’s voice. Anytime she laced her words in honey was an immediate warning that she was about to say something the man wouldn’t like. “Yes?”
“And this is killing me to tell you..”
“Andi, do us both a favour and stop beating around the bush. Spit it out.”
“Okay fine!” Andi offered him a small smile but Kian saw through it immediately and didn’t let up on his stare. “I was getting sick of you always calling me at night complaining about wanting a boyfriend.”
Kian flushed red, pale cheeks blooming with a bright pink at Andi’s usual blunt way of speaking.
”So I put you on a dating site.”
Kian’s jaw fell open, though no words came out and he struggled to process her own words- let alone try to think on what his own reply would be.
“And it matched you with someone and you have a date with him tonight. Some guy called James.”