Archive of Our Own

Okhema University was one of the most prestigious schools in Amphoreus. One that was widely regarded for its high academic standards and social prestige that would set their students for life. It was renown across the globe for its selectivity in admission, its brutal rejections and the quality of their teachers most of whom were masters of their own craft.

And it was also on a random Friday night when Diane looked at her professor with narrowed eyes and said, “I usually don’t go for alphas but he’d definitely be on my hear me out cake.”

Airis snorted and pulled out her laptop, preparing for their class. “The hear me out cake is used for unhinged opinions, not common ones.” She motioned at the seats next to Diane, “Save them for Stefanos and Elissa. They’re gonna be here soon.”

Diane nodded and threw her overcoat over the seats in question. They were sitting in the lecture hall, right in the sweet spot that allowed them to be seen by their teacher – though it wasn’t that important in this case, considering that Professor Khaslana didn’t check their attendance – and also see and hear everything. The perfect spot, really, Diane was proud of herself for managing to snatch it right in front of another group of students’ noses.

Professor Khaslana classes were a war zone and she didn’t mean it lightly.

“It’s unhinged to me. Omegas and betas are so much better but our prof right here definitely makes me rethink my stance. Alphas are just,” she wrinkled her nose. “So crude. Brutish. But Mr. Khaslana…” she tilted her head to the side, her expression turning contemplative. “Maybe it’s just because he’s young, though, I don’t know. There’s just something about him –” she narrowed her eyes, gathering her thoughts. She clicked her fingers. “He’s like Prince Charming but if Prince Charming was hot.”

“Prince Charming is hot, though.”

Diane shook her head. “He’s not hot, he’s charming. It’s different. Not every charming person is hot and not every hot person is charming but he,” she pointed at Professor Khaslana that stopped fiddling with the projector and was now cleaning his glasses. “He is both. It’s unfair.”

Airis snorted. “Either way, believe it or not but finding Prof Khaslana hot is a very common opinion. Have you seen his ratings on Rate My Professor? Half of the comments are just thirsting after him.”

Diane blinked away from the teacher table and looked sideways at her friend. “Is that even allowed? I thought the site was regularly checked by teachers.”

“Who knows,” Airis shrugged. “Nobody got banned yet.”

The lecture hall was slowly filling in with students – it was the last class of the day, right before the weekend. A few classmates sat in front of Diane and Airis, nodding to them in greeting.  

“Eh,” a loud voice butted in. Stefanos and Elissa sat down with twin grins on their faces. “It’s not as bad as Professor Kremnos’ page. Now that’s where the real freaks gather for some reason.”

“Uh yeah,” Elissa dropped her bag on the ground and arched a brow at her brother. “Watch your mouth, dude, one of those freaks is right here in the flesh.”

There was a moment of silence as they contemplated that statement.

Then Stefanos said, bemused. “…I don’t know why but I expected better from you.”

“Excuse me? Kremnos is sex on legs! You’d have to be blind to deny that.”

“I’m not denying that. But,” Stefanos pointed one finger at her. “Going on Rate my Professor? Really? That’s low even for you.”

Rate my Professor was a popular site among the Okhema University students. Made by their fellow classmates, it was usually used to trade tips on how to pass certain courses and survive certain teachers – an unofficial student blog where rumors flew unchecked and depravity was at all times max.

It was Elissa’s favorite site.

“Oh, fuck off like you weren’t singing serenades to Dean Aglaea’s ‘integrity and fairness’ on that same damn site just yesterday. Next time make sure to tone down the brightness of your phone because yes, I did see what you were doing during our dinner,” she rolled her eyes.

Stefanos reeled back as if slapped. “Hey –”

“Shut up both of you,” Airis snapped. She nodded at the teacher’s table where Professor Khaslana turned the projector on. “You can continue your battle of hypocrisy later; the class is starting.”

⋅˚₊‧ ୨⋆☕︎୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

“Any questions?” Mr. Khaslana asked with a smile as he looked at his students. Seeing no raised hands, he nodded. “Good to hear that. Before you go; I’m sure you’ve already seen it but due to some unforeseen circumstances, our scheduled class on Tuesday was moved to Monday, so I’ll be seeing you slightly earlier this time. Alright, that’s it from me. Class dismissed! Have a nice weekend!”

A chorus of voices answered him. The students slowly started to pack up, discussing their plans for the weekend. A few students came to Mr. Khaslana’s desk, some asking him questions about their thesis and some wanting to hear his comments about their works from a previous class.

Diane and Airis already left the lecture hall, wanting to get a headstart to the cafeteria before other students formed a line there. Stefanos slowly packed his things, waiting until some of the students around Professor Khaslana’s dispersed so that he could swoop in and ask his questions.

From the corner of his eye he watched as Mr. Khaslana smiled at his classmate – an alpha girl, Lorei, that sat a few seats ahead of him – and handed her some kind of book that he talked about in the class. His long fingers lingered on the book cover, the dimples in his cheeks deepening as he tapped on the tome and said something to his student.

Once Lorei girl was gone, another stood in her place – a beta boy that joined their class just a few weeks ago. Stefanos wasn’t sure what was his name but he saw him talk excitedly to Mr. Khaslana, his hands gripping his bag when he noticed the teacher looking at him.

From where he stood, Stefanos couldn’t help but follow with his eyes the way Professor Khaslana’s hand drifted to the back of his neck, rubbing it almost bashfully. The movement made his biceps subtly bulge beneath the taut fabric of his white shirt as it pulled tight across his shoulders. Stefanos noticed how the buttons on his chest strained – just a bit, as if they were barely able to contain his frame.

“Phainon Khaslana, barely into his thirties, yet already the undisputed heartthrob of half the student campus. The mastermind behind the legendary ‘The Rise of a New Dawn’ series, a literary phenomenon that has seized award after award, year after year. For over five years he has stood at the front of a Creative Writing classroom at Okhema University, shaping the minds of young and hopeful writers that were just waiting for their moments to let their brilliance shine.

His snow-white hair and bright blue eyes hidden by the rims of his glasses lend him an almost fragile innocence, a deceptively gentle air that sharply contrasted against the sheer, startling breadth of his muscled build. Beneath his unassuming scholar persona lurked a raw, silent strength – one that none of those around him have ever had the chance to glimpse.

Not yet.”

Stefanos’s glazed over eyes suddenly sharpened. With his face flushed, he turned away from Professor Khaslana; he rubbed his ear and glared at his sister. “What the hell is your problem?”

Elissa rolled on the soles of her feet and raised her hands up, her face full of innocence. “What, you don’t like my spin on it? But I thought you liked self-insert?”

“You are so fucking insufferable,” he quietly hissed through his teeth. “It’s not self-insert, you know that! I’m just… a visual learner, that’s all. He’s a great source of inspiration,” he said, pointing subtly at Professor Khaslana.

Elissa raised her brow, unconvinced. A moment passed as both siblings stared at each other.

“…One more word and I’m never letting you beta read my stories ever again,” he threated after another few seconds of judgmental silence. Then he grabbed his bag and fled the classroom, forgetting all about the questions he planned to ask.

“Now, hold on a moment,” Elissa called out after him. “Stefanos, wait! You can’t just say that – I’m still waiting for the next chapter!”

She said goodbye to their teacher and sprinted after her brother, catching up with him in a few short seconds. She elbowed him in the side, looking at him with a small pout. Stefanos rolled his eyes; soon the sound of their bickering quickly filled the air as they turned around the corner, making way to the cafeteria.

Mr. Khaslana blinked at them with a confused smile before focusing on another student.

⋅˚₊‧ ୨⋆☕︎୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Phainon Khaslana

Professor in the English Department at Okhema University, Okhema, Amphoreus 

Are you Phainon Khaslana?

3355 Student Ratings

⋅˚₊‧ ୨⋆☕︎୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Elissa yawned into the elbow as she slowly relaxed in her seat. It was Monday once more; yet another morning class where she couldn’t focus properly. Her rut was just about to start – she could already feel her scent patches prickle her neck and chafe her thighs. Her mood kept swinging from one extreme to another; she left the student hall before a low growl could leave her mouth but still, just to err on the side of caution, she picked a hidden corner in the lecture hall and pulled a hood over her head, smothering herself in the mix of her own and Stefanos’ familial scent.

She checked if her patches fitted correctly and breathed in deeply through the nose. Pre-rut was the worst.

It was the middle of Professor Khaslana’s lecture – Elissa tried to listen but her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton candy. She turned on audio recording to listen to the lesson later because, unlike Diane and Airis, this was her major – she had to be present if only to soothe her own anxiety. She didn’t expect her pre-rut to hit until evening but it was no matter, she was planning on heading straight back home after this class anyway.

She was just texting Stefanos who took a few days off to ride out his rut in their home when the door to the lecture hall opened. Elissa looked up and did a double take.

It wasn’t often that someone visited during morning lectures and it was especially rare to see someone like Professor Kremnos, who was rarely seen on campus before noon, to come in unannounced.

“Mydeimos,” Mr. Khaslana turned away from the board and smiled at his colleague. “Is there something I can help you with?”

A soft chorus of voices came from the students; Professor Kremnos nodded in greeting to the students, “No need to stand up,” and then to Mr. Khaslana. “A word in the hall. It won’t take long.”

Mr. Khaslana blinked. “Sure,” he turned to someone sitting in the first row, “Zoe, pass the papers to your classmates, please. Don’t fill in anything yet, I will explain what to do later.”

And then he followed Professor Kremnos out. A chitter immediately broke out in the classroom.

Elissa stared at the closed door, curious.

Professor Kremnos and Khaslana had a peculiar reputation on campus. Both were young and incredibly competent in their fields; their teaching styles were as opposite as their personalities and yet they were beloved by their students.

A girl in front of Elissa passed her the papers; Elissa took her share and passed to others behind her, her eyes not leaving the closed door.

Their relationship was always the talk of the campus and their never-ending rivalry had only seemed to fuel the rumors. Friends or foes, at this point nobody knew what to call them.

Professor Kremnos taught history and was the same or somewhere close in age to Professor Khaslana (or at least, that’s what Elissa got from their constant banter. Professor Kremnos might not like to bother others without reason but Professor Khaslana clearly did not have that problem – she had lost count on how many history lessons he had crashed. And it was only her history classes; she was sure if she was to ask her upperclassmen, they’d have many similar stories to tell). Professor Kremnos was a great teacher, strict but fair. Unlike Professor Khaslana, his classes didn’t feel like a simple gathering of friends – every time he opened his mouth, the students automatically quieted down. He didn’t speak much and always stuck to his lesson. His voice was calm, deep and his memory of every historical event was simply exceptional – many students made it a point to try to ask as many things as possible about certain eras, be it from which battle happened under what bridge to what foods did people of that time have a preference for.

And every time, without even a blink, Professor Kremnos delivered an answer to each question. Elissa could still remember her awe at hearing him recite a poem that belonged to Era Bellica from memory alone.

There was simply something about the way he taught history, paying just as much attention to the little details as he was to major life altering battles, that made her want to know more. She was never much of a history nerd – that was more of a Stefanos’ role – but Professor Kremnos made her love history and that spoke for itself what kind of teacher he was.

Then there was Professor Khaslana who has been working at Okhema University for a pretty long time and had already proven himself to be a very good teacher. He was easygoing, helpful and an already established writer at just 32 years old. Honestly, he was like a breath of fresh air to many students; harmless crushes were bound to happen.

Elissa had a feeling that Mr. Khaslana knew at least about some of them – she could see it by the way his face would twitch sometimes when certain, more… direct with their advances students would approach him. But what surprised her (and she knew herself well enough to admit she would have been screaming and kicking if it ever happened to her) was that Professor Khaslana never made a scene. He would just smile, nod, and smoothly steer the conversation elsewhere. Still, even the most patient man had his limits.

And so she wasn't all that shocked when, one day, a similar situation unfolded – except instead of his usual neutral smile and polite deflection, Mr. Khaslana simply nodded at whatever was said to him, then abruptly began packing his things, muttering all the while something about needing to go home because his ‘cute and adorable wife must be getting bored waiting for him at home’.

The meltdown that took over Okhema University that week would surely go down in history.

Just as the first few months when everyone tried to figure out just who exactly was Professor Khaslana’s wife. The question remained open even a year after the reveal – to this day nobody knew who exactly was their teacher married to.

Elissa only wished she and Stefanos were present when all this went down. She knew there was still a betting pool amongst the older student that were present when the reveal happened but she had no idea who she had to talk to to get in.

A pity, she would’ve loved to pinch in a few of her ideas.

The door to the lecture hall opened. Elissa blinked out of her thoughts – Mr. Khaslana was back.

“Alright,” he said as he walked back to his desk. “Everyone got their papers? Good. Now, let’s go over the tasks…”

⋅˚₊‧ ୨⋆☕︎୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Mydeimos Kremnos

Professor in the History Department at Okhema University, Okhema, Amphoreus

Are you Mydeimos Kremnos?

1572 Student Ratings

⋅˚₊‧ ୨⋆☕︎୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

“They gotta be fucking”, Stefanos said out of nowhere. They were sitting in the library – all four of them together for once – taking notes and studying, with various books opened all around them. “Just look at them. There’s just no way they don’t have some kinda history.”

Airis followed his gaze, curious, until she realized who he was talking about. She deadpanned, “You’re still on it? I thought you dropped this when we found out that both of them are married.”

“No-no, just hear me out,” Stefanos waved her off. He nodded at Professor Kremnos and Khaslana talking quietly in the corner of the library, poses comfortable and their eyes fixed on each other. “I know what you’re about to say but just consider it. They’ve known each other for a long time, Mr. Khaslana bothers Mr. Kremnos constantly – and listen, I was there when Professor Caenis interrupted our history lesson. Mr. Kremnos was not happy –”

“That’s a pretty common reaction to Professor Caenis,” Diane said without looking away from her phone. “Nobody likes her.”

Stefanos thought for a moment. He shrugged, “True. But still. People say that they don’t like each other and yet they’re always together. Besides,” he nodded at their teachers. “Don’t they look good together?”

Airis rolled her eyes but humored him. “They do. But if what you’re saying is true then they’re married – which I highly doubt because then everyone would be talking about it – or you’re implying that they’re cheating on their spouses,” she looked considerably at their professors. “And they don’t strike me as cheaters.”

The three of them turned to their professors as one; both men moved from the corner of the library and now were walking to the exit, conversing quietly about something. They were both of similar height and stature, painting a striking picture together.

Their voices were a quiet murmur in the library; no matter how much Stefanos strained his ears he couldn’t hear even a word of what they were saying. Three pair of eyes watched as both teachers moved through the room, their pace leisured, calm. Clearly, they were comfortable around one another; a world of difference from their usual bickering.

Professor Khaslana pointed at something on the shelf, Professor Kremnos followed his hand and both men snickered at whatever they saw.

“I mean,” Diane said, a note of doubt creeping into her voice. “They do look good together but… They just act like friends?”

“Wait,” Stefanos replied, his eyes glued to their teachers. “You’ll see soon.”

Both men continued their leisure walk until they finally came to a stop and faced the shelves in History section. Professor Khaslana continued talking about something, his hands moving in the air in short, abrupt movements. Professor Kremnos quipped something back, his eyes scanning the shelves.

Seeing how distracted his companion was, Professor Khaslana frowned. He turned away and quickly skimmed the shelves; a second later he reached out for a book that was standing on a shelf that was just barely above Professor Kremnos head. He presented the book to the man, saying something as a small smirk spread on his lips.

The other man looked at him, utterly unimpressed. Satisfied by that reaction, Mr. Khaslana seemed to glow under the attention, his smirk widening into a broad grin. He leaned against a shelf and resumed his story while Professor Kremnos watched him in exasperation.

“Hm,” Airis narrowed her eyes.

“Just wait,” Stefanos promised. “It’s gonna come soon. Prof Khaslana can’t help himself, he always does it.”

And then just a few seconds after he said it, it came – Professor Kremnos opened the book and lowered his eyes to quickly look through the content. He nodded along to whatever Professor Khaslana was saying, showing he was listening – until finally, the man got tired of not having his companion’s eyes on him. One of his hands darted out, and he carefully lifted Professor Kremnos’ chin up, forcing him to look up.

“There it is,” Stefanos breathed out. “See! I’m not crazy.”

Professor Kremnos froze as Mr. Khaslana tucked a stray strawberry-blond curl behind his ear, smiling, his blue eyes fixed on the other man’s face. A pink flush slowly crept across Professor Kremnos’s cheeks. He ducked his head, breaking free from Mr. Khaslana’s hold, and nervously glanced around to make sure no one had noticed them.

Not seeing anyone, he glared at his colleague. Professor Khaslana threw his hands up with an apologetic smile, saying something that made Professor Kremnos narrow his eyes and turn away to put the book down with a scoff. He quickly righted himself, patted his clothes down and marched out of the library without looking back.

Professor Khaslana watched him go for a moment, his eyes glued to Professor Kremnos’ legs. He then blinked out of his stupor and chased after him, his broad frame disappearing a second later.

Silence stretched between them for a moment, save for the distant murmur of other students present in the library and the soft click of Elissa’s laptop as she continued typing something on her laptop, not even raising her eyes from the screen to look at what the whole fuss was about.

“This…” Diane finally decided to break the silence. “Is that… normal?”

Airis was still looking at the doors of the library, her expression a bit lost.

They both knew that the two men had a… peculiar reputation on campus but they’d never paid much attention to it.

“Yes. Very much so,” Stefanos replied. He elbowed Elissa in the side, “Come on, back me up here.”

Elissa sighed. She rubbed her forehead with a twinge of her brows and asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Professor Kremnos and Professor Khaslana,” Diane replied, still confused.

Elissa raised her brows. “What did they do this time?”

“I… am not sure how to describe it.”

Stefanos rubbed the back of his neck and nodded at the doors of the library. “The usual hair thing but with the chin up this time.”

An understanding flickered on Elissa’s face. “Ah. Nothing new then.”

Seeing her underwhelming reaction, Airis finally snapped out of her thoughts. “You don’t seem surprised.”

“Professor Khaslana does that a lot, you kinda get used to it,” she shrugged in response and went back to her laptop. “He’s obsessed with Professor Kremnos’ hair. Everyone that ever took history class knows it.”

“So, he just…” Airis waved her hand. “Just does it. Just like that? Constantly?”

Elissa thought for a moment. She nodded, “Pretty much, yeah.”

It was a fairly common occurrence. Mr. Khaslana loved to bother Mr. Kremnos during classes. Even them being in different departments didn’t seem to stop the man – almost every week he was there, in their lecture hall, trying to get a rise out of his colleague. If he didn’t catch him during class then he’d do it during a lunch break. If not during a lunch break, then in the halls. Or after class.

As long as Professor Khaslana was here it seemed as though no place on campus was safe for Mr. Kremnos.

Honestly, Elissa wouldn’t be surprised if the man was bothering the history teacher even when he was absent – she had caught Professor Kremnos scowling at his phone too many times to count. She wouldn’t be surprised if at least half of those perplexed frowns were caused by Professor Khaslana.

“Ready to take back your comments of them not looking like cheaters? Because that,” Stefanos pointed at the shelves as though they were a crime scene. “That whole thing was pretty incriminating, don’t you think?”

Elissa let their conversation wash over her as she went back to her work.

She remembered that Mr. Kremnos joined Okhema University not that long ago, maybe a year or two ago. He was a good teacher – very helpful, knowledgeable, the best in his field. The kind of teacher that made his students excited to go to his lessons, a rarity in their world.

And the fact that he was very easy on the eyes, she thought as she looked askance at the library doors. Was simply an additional bonus.

For all that Elissa laughed at her twin for thirsting after Professor Khaslana, she was no better when it came to her history teacher. Professor Kremnos was young, intelligent and looked as if he stepped straight out of the photoshoot – Elissa felt no shame for her (and half of campus population) little crush.

Why would she, when everybody knew that Professor Kremnos was happily married?

“But,” Diane’s voice pulled her out of her thought. “Professor Khaslana mentions his wife a lot. Like a lot a lot – we all heard that. And Isn’t Professor Kremnos not only married but mated too? Mating is just so… intimate. You bond with someone for life. That’s – I just, I can’t imagine Professor Kremnos doing something like that.”

That’s true, Elissa thought as she considered it. She couldn’t imagine that either.

The debate of marriage over mating, or mating over marriage was constant these days. Some people only chose one – be it marriage for its convenience and simplicity, or mating for its intimacy and a connection that could never be broken.

It was considered easier – safer – for people to only marry, to seal their union on paper only. Nobody could predict the future and the possibility of having a bond that could forever bind you both physically and emotionally to someone you could stop loving was… terrifying. Marriage was a safer option to most, and there was no shame in it. A simple precaution, one that could very well save someone’s life.

Mating, on the other hand, was a separate thing altogether. A binding of both bodies and souls, forever, until the very last breath. Sealed with a mark on someone’s skin, it was as dangerous as it was beautiful – the connection that could always be turned against you, that could bond you to someone that was once dear to you, the person you considered a half of your soul but who in the future could very well end up being someone you despise the most. Mating’s unreversible consequences, a bond that could never be broken – abandoned but never broken – were the main reasons why so many people steered clear of it.

After all, everyone knew, love was fickle.

Feelings rarely lasted and love was no exception to this rule. 

Which was why it was even more appalling when someone sealed their union not only through legal means but also via a mating bite.

To be this sure of your love… It was unusual. Dangerous, some might even say.

Which was why Diane struggled to wrap her head around Stefanos’ words.

Cheating on your husband was bad enough but cheating on your mate? It was simply unheard of.

Stefanos’ shoulders dropped. “Yeah. Prof Kremnos has been mated for a pretty long time; he mentioned it a few times when someone asked – you don’t really meet mated people this often nowadays. He’s very tight lipped about his mate, though; hadn’t shared anything at all. But,” he scratched his neck, unsure. “I still think there’s some kinda history between them. Like… something is there, you all saw that too, right?”

Remembering how close they two men stood to each other, the hair tucking and the blush, nobody could deny it. But –

“Whatever it is,” Airis finally decided. “It’s probably none of our business.”

Diane nodded, agreeing with her but still looking slightly unsure.

“It’s fun to speculate, though,” Elissa countered as her fingers flew over the keyboard, adding notes and corrections left and right.

Airis dipped her head, not denying that.

Stefanos dropped his head on the table with a small whine. “You guys are so boring. I need to find out who’s in charge of the betting pool. I bet they would listen to me.”

“Let me know when you find out,” Elissa said not bothering to look at him. “I wanna know who they have as their most likely candidate.”

⋅˚₊‧ ୨⋆☕︎୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

“My bet is on Cifera.”

“That’s Professor Cifera for you. And isn’t she taken, anyway? Why is she even an option? Get her out. And get Miss Castorice too while you’re at it.”

A soft shuffling ensued, and then –

“Caenis? Really?”

“Shit, sorry. Didn’t notice her. Who the hell keeps adding her?”

“Don’t know, don’t care. Who do we have left?”

The boy looked through the photos on the table. “The Dean, Professor Anaxa and Miss Hyacine. Everyone else was removed.”

Someone snorted, “The dean is here but you removed Professor Kremnos during the first round? This shit is rigged.”

“This,” another rapped on the table, “is a betting pool. What use is rigging it? We’re simply eliminating unlikely variables; Kremnos didn’t make the cut. He hates Khaslana, everyone knows that. Betting on him is like throwing money to the wind.”

“You think that. And everyone knows you’re biased – you were betting on Ms. Castorice for months before she got engaged. Your preference was the only reason why she even stayed as an option for so long. If you’re allowed to be biased then so am I and I’m not betting on anyone unless you return Kremnos as an option.”

“Andreas, be reasonable –”

“You had Caenis in your deck for gods’ sake. But you removed the only person that is the most likely choice –”

“’The most likely choice’? Kremnos is mated. Chances of him being Khaslana’s wife are as low as your chances of passing history!”

“Which are high, thank you very much,” Andreas retorted, his eyes narrowed. He looked at other people in the room. “Now that Professor Cipher is out – and why was she even here? If we’re not touching married people, apparently, then Professor Cipher and Ms. Castorice should’ve been removed a few months ago because they’re engaged to each other – and now, we are only left with people who at most are friendly with Khaslana or are indifferent to him. Kremnos, on the other hand,” he rummaged through the photos and slapped Kremnos’ photo in the middle of the table. “He fits every criteria that we have so far – works in the same university but not same department as Khaslana, married to someone for years and, from what we’ve heard over the years, he and Khaslana had known each other for a long time. But more importantly,” Andreas tapped the photo. “He is the only omega in this school that Khaslana is obsessed with and you have to be an utter fool to deny it.”

Others in the room exchanged glances and let the silence drag for a moment as they weighed their options.

“Fine,” in the end was decided. Someone took Kremnos’ photo from the middle of the table and added it back to the deck. “We’ll add him back but my opinion is the same – you, Andreas, are only wasting everyone’s time with this.”

Andres rolled his eyes. “Stop acting as if we’re deciding the fate of the world and not being nosy fuckers that are still bitter about not finding out who our Professor is married to a year after we found out about it. My final bet is the same – it has to be Kremnos.”

Someone snorted in the room before they quickly got shushed.

“Are you trying to lose on purpose?” a girl asked, her face pinched in a frown. “You have to know how unlikely it is. We removed him at the very beginning for a reason.”

“So what? I’ll lose a bit of money. I can deal with that” Andreas shrugged. He then narrowed his eyes. “But what if I win?”

⋅˚₊‧ ୨⋆☕︎୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

“So,” Stefanos asked once they were home. “How was it?”

Elissa dropped her bag on the floor and went to the kitchen with Stefanos following closely after her. “Good. Not that many typos this time, you’re getting better. I left some notes for you – I think the part with the waterfall might need some more,” she wiggled her fingers. “Oomph. You know? Green or black tea?”

“Black, please,” he passed her their cups from the drying rack. “You mean more tension?”

Elissa nodded, “Yeah. More description, to be precise. You’re good with actions but your descriptions are a bit lacking. Remember your last story? Take it as reference.”

“I see,” he said with a low hum. “But that’s it? The plot is good?”

“Yep,” she replied with a pop. “Zero complaints there. It’s gonna be a good sequel, just polish it a bit and you’re good to go.”

She added a few spoons of sugar to her brother’s tea and instructed him to start on their sandwiches.

It was a quiet evening, with them sitting in their living room, each busy with their own thing. The A/C was working quietly in the corner of the room. Stefanos put on a show to play in the background while he pulled out his laptop and started to look over the notes Elissa left on his draft.

He just started editing his work when Elissa cleared her throat.

Sitting on the opposite side of the coach and with her eyes glued to the TV, she asked, “Your story is based on those two, isn’t it?”

Stefanos blinked. He tilted his head in a silent question.

“Khaslana and Kremnos,” she said casually, still not looking at him.

Stefanos’ eyes widened a fraction.

“Don’t act so surprised – I know them both, it was fairly obvious.”

“Uh,” Stefanos fiddled with his hands. He took a sip of his tea, buying himself some time before he gave up and asked half-heartedly, “…Was it the hair tucking or the mention of crimson tattoos?”

Elissa shrugged. “Both, to be honest. I mean, a warrior omega prince with crimson tattoos and a white-haired alpha knight with princely charms – it’s like you weren’t even trying to hide.”

“That’s –” he stuttered, his face flushing slightly. “Yeah, okay. That’s fair.”

And then, after sitting in silence save for the sounds of a TV. “So, what do you think?”

Elissa grabbed a cookie from the cookie jar she always left on the coffee table for some reason, and looked at him sideways. She raised her brows. “What do you mean?”

Stefanos waved his hand at the laptop with the draft of his story still open on his lap. “About the… You know.”

“Oh,” she blinked. “I don’t really care. I’m living vicariously through your stories and all that,” she pointed her cookie at him. “What, you think you’re the only person that ships them? Get in line, oh brother of mine. I was here first.”

Stefanos looked at her, his lips twitching at the corners. He snorted, his shoulders relaxing, as Elissa went back to crunching on her cookie. 

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“Good morning, everyone!” Professor Khaslana welcomed them the next day. He was already behind his desk, smiling at the students as they walked in. “Due to some rather unforeseen circumstances, we will be having an unexpected guest sitting in on our lecture, I hope you don’t mind.”

Stefanos and Elissa had only just sat down for their morning class when they looked towards their teacher that pulled something – or rather someone – from his chair.

“This is my daughter, Eris,” the man said presenting to them a little girl no older than three years old like the proud parent he was. The girl blinked at them with curious blue eyes. The students blinked back, slightly dumbfounded. “She’ll be joining us today. She’s a quiet child – takes after my wife, you see – you won’t even notice her, I promise!”

The students knew Professor Khaslana had a daughter – hard not to when the man mentioned her so often. But they never expected to ever see her – for all his boasting, Mr. Khaslana didn’t have any family photos in his office.

The girl – Eris – tilted her head to the side, her feathery gold hair shining in the morning sun. She looked at a few students, her baby face pinched in a small frown. She scanned the first rows, as if she was looking for someone before quickly losing interest once she realized that whoever she was looking for was not there. Instead, she turned back to her father and stretched her arms out, demanding to be held.

“Daddy!”

Professor Khaslana quickly brought her to his chest and cooed quietly. He dropped a light kiss on her nose, making the girl scrunch it in response. “Right here, sweetheart.”

The girl cuddled close to him, nuzzling into his neck in search of his scent. Her eyes narrowed and she let out a small whine when she couldn’t smell anything, most likely because of the scent patches all teachers were told to wear.

Mr. Khaslana let out a soft laugh, “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered as he burrowed his nose into his pup’s hair, breathing in her scent. “I know it’s confusing but those are the school rules.”

(Stefanos made a half chocking noise at the back of his throat. “This is the cutest thing ever.”

Elissa didn’t bother to deny it. It was the cutest thing ever and she didn’t even like kids.)

Mr. Khaslana wrapped one of his bracelets around his daughter's wrist to leave at least some of his scent, no matter how faint, on her skin to settle her down a bit and walked over to his table, bringing out a toddler-sized chair for Eris to sit in. He strapped her in with a belt and booped her nose playfully. “Sit tight and have fun with your crayons. Daddy gotta work.”

The pup blinked at him before she lowered her eyes and saw what her dad prepared for her. Small hands immediately went to grab a bright red crayon. Eris looked at it with wide eyes, her little face full of fascination as she dragged a jagged line with it on her paper. The next moment her little brows furrowed as she quickly become fully engrossed in her task.

Professor Khaslana kissed her hair softly and straightened up, turning back to his students that were watching his every move with razor sharp attentiveness. He rubbed the back of his neck, a little bashful. “Sorry about that,” he leaned on his desk, keeping his daughter in his view. “Now that the baby is settled, let’s begin.”

⋅˚₊‧ ୨⋆☕︎୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Surprisingly for everyone, Professor Khaslana ended up being right – nobody even noticed the new addition to their class. The whole time Eris was sitting in her chair, fully immersed in her drawing. Not making a fuss, or even a noise – Elissa had never seen a child so calm. It was more than a little unnerving.

If one didn’t pay much attention, it’d almost look like their regular class. The only difference was Mr. Khaslana, that usually loved to walk all over the lecture hall, was now staying near his desk, not wandering anywhere just so he could keep an eye on his pup.

It was sweet, Elissa thought when she noticed Professor Khaslana throw another glance at his daughter, checking if she was alright.

Elissa knew, or more like expected, him to be a doting father. She never spared much thought to it but still, she was glad to be proven right.

Eris was adorable – from what Elissa could see, the girl took after her father in everything but temperament. Bright blue eyes and feathery light hair but for all that Mr. Khaslana was friendly and always full of energy – just like a dog, Elissa thought, amused – his daughter was the exact opposite.

Every time she looked at the girl, all she could see was a small head full of gold hair – the girl didn’t even look up from her paper, sitting quietly in her corner and only deigning to pay attention to them when the class was over and they stood up, gathering their books and laptops. She blinked at them and tilted her head to the side as if she was a small bird before she looked at her father that now stood in front of her, ready to take her into his arms.

“I never thought we’d see his kid,” Stefanos said and he hoisted his backpack on his shoulders. He glanced at the girl that was now in Professor Khaslana’s arms, her little head laying on his shoulder as her father was saying goodbye to his students. “She’s really well behaved.”

The lecture hall was slowly emptying; the room was filled with the low buzz of students as they gathered their things, discussing their plans for the day and assignments for future classes. A few upperclassmen walked into the lecture hall, taking their seats and preparing for class ahead of the schedule.

Elissa hummed. She grabbed her laptop bad and threw another look at the girl. “Yeah. She’s adorable. Like a calm version of Mr. Khaslana. It’s a little uncanny how similar they are.”

The betting pool for Mr. Khaslana’s wife was still going strong. Nobody could say for certain who it was, there were a few rumors but nothing definitive – even Rate My Professor was empty on this front – but, seeing his daughter, Elissa couldn’t help but wonder.

Both siblings turned to look – Mr. Khaslana had both of his hands wrapped around Eris and his face was lowered as he whispered something to her with a small smile. The girl suddenly raised her head, her gaze darting from one cluster of students to another, uncertain at first until Mr. Khaslana pointed at the door with a knowing smile. Eris turned around, her face pinched with a frown, and then she suddenly brightened. She stretched out both arms, waving her little hands eagerly in the air as if the person she’d been searching for had finally appeared. A wide, unguarded smile broke across her face.

“Mama!”

Everyone froze.

With a twitch, Elissa turned to the door and –

“Professor Kremnos?” Stefanos whispered, surprised. “What is he doing here?”

“I have no idea,” Elissa replied, watching her history professor walk into their lecture hall as if it belonged to him. “Did the girl just –”

She didn’t need to finish the sentences – Eris’ call was in no way quiet; every student was thinking the same thing. Everyone stilled in their seats, not moving an inch and just waiting for the outcome of this unexpected scene that was unfolding in front of them.

“No way,” the two upperclassmen, that had just walked in, whispered. They didn’t even have time to take their seats, still standing awkwardly in the middle of the lecture hall. They looked at each other, eyes wide. “There is no fucking way –”

Elissa ignored them, instead focusing on the teachers.

Maybe Professor Kremnos simply knew Eris, she tried to rationalize it to herself. For some reason, the thought of him actually being Eris’ mother hadn’t crossed her mind. It’d just… be too good to be true and Elissa was nothing if not realistic – especially when one took into account Mr. Kremnos' mating. For all her words, Elissa knew how unlikely her theories were. Khaslana and Kremnos clearly knew each other, she wouldn’t be surprised if they knew each other’s families, too.

Or, she watched as Professor Kremnos stepped on the stand and smiled at the pup that was still reaching for him, maybe Eris confused him for her mother? She was still a baby; it was possible.

Professor Kremnos might have been a bit too tall for a regular omega – frankly speaking, he was taller than a regular alpha, too – but still, he was undeniably an omega. The softer contours of his hips and the faint, slightly milky smell, that trailed after him even despite the scent patches he had to wear for work – all were obvious tells. With a scent like that the man must be used to babies confusing him for their mothers.

“Mama!” smiling even wider, Eris clapped her hands. She reached out even harder, almost slipping out of Professor Khaslana’s hold.

Gone was the quiet and almost placid child of the past hour. Now, faced with Professor Kremnos, Eris’ resemblance to Mr. Khaslana was undeniable – she had not only looked, but acted the same way as him.

“Oof,” Professor Khaslana scrambled to secure her back in his arms. “Careful there. Almost slipped.”

Professor Kremnos rolled his eyes and held out his hands, “Give me my pup.”

Everyone in the room held their breaths.

“Oh, so she’s your pup again?” Professor Khaslana’s brows rose, oblivious to the students that were still in the lecture hall and hanging onto his every word. “Just this morning you said –”

“My pup, Phainon.”

“Right,” Mr. Khaslana fiddled a little with the squirming baby before quickly passing her to Mr. Kremnos. “There she is. Don’t rip my head off, both of you.”

The mother – and he was obviously the mother, Elissa thought, her jaw hanging somewhere on the floor, finally joining her brother that had stopped breathing a few minutes ago, – nuzzled into his pup’s head, a low comforting purr building in his chest.  

Eris let out a squeal, a sound so undeniably delighted. She leaned into her mother’s face, her small hands grasping at Professor Kremnos’ hair, immediately going straight for the side braid he wore all the time.

An omega’s natural scent will retain the slightly milky aftertaste for a few months after they gave birth, to tie the parent closer to their pup. The scent may persist for longer, spanning to multiple years or, in some rare cases, forever.

The milky notes in Professor Kremnos’ scent, ones that no scent patches could hide, was the most obvious detail, so glaring that Elissa felt stupid for not even realizing it sooner. He had joined the faculty less than two years ago and throughout that whole time, he always had that faint, slightly sweet scent of milk trailing after him.

And yet, no one had even considered him to have a child.

Elissa’s eyes dropped to the black choker that always encircled Professor Khaslana’s neck. She knew the man hid his scent patches under it; but now she couldn’t help but wonder if, perhaps, he was hiding something else there too.

“Daddy,” finally satisfied with her mother’s scenting, Eris reached back to her father, that was watching them both from the side with a soft smile on his face.

Mr. Khaslana pointed at himself, “Oh? Am I finally allowed into the hug?”

Mr. Kremnos snorted into their pup’s hair. Eris furrowed her little brows and made grabby hands at her father.

Mr. Khaslana laughed. “Your wish is my command, Your Little Majesty,” he said with a smile as he joined them. Professor Kremnos glanced at him, his whole expression shifting into something soft.

“Not little,” Eris refuted in a quiet voice. She made herself comfortable between her parents and scowled at her father. “…Eris is a big girl.”

Mr. Khaslana nodded, his expression turning serious. “The biggest, of course. Excuse your silly father.”

The pup thought for a moment and then nodded, magnanimously. Mr. Khaslana’s lips trembled, trying his hardest to contain his smile as he looked at Professor Kremnos at his side that suspiciously refused to meet his eyes at the moment. Instead, he was looking at the frozen students that still hadn’t left their seats and were staring at them with wide eyes.

He raised his eyebrow, his tone even, “Is there a problem?”

A hush fell over the lecture hall. Professor Khaslana, still playing with their pup, sent them a side glance, his expression unreadable.

“I, you –” finally someone tried before their friend yanked them aside.

“No, sir,” another boy said, still holding onto his friend “No problems.”

“But –”

“No problems,” the boy repeated empathetically, looking at his friend with scary eyes.

Mr. Kremnos frowned but before he could open his mouth, Professor Khaslana wrapped his arm around his waist and reeled him closer to him. He dropped a light kiss on Professor Kremnos’ temple and – with Eris still secured between them and peeking curiously at the students from between the gap of her parents’ arms – he turned to the students, his expression light.

“Then, what are you guys waiting for?” a ray of sunlight fell onto his face, making his glasses glint brightly. He smiled, “The break is about to end. Hurry up and get to your classes!”

⋅˚₊‧ ୨⋆☕︎୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅