Work Text:
Three Days after Workner and Edward started sharing a bed
As far as Workner was concerned, the arrangement was very simple. “All I’m saying, Ed,” he began after they both sat down to a late lunch, “is that it doesn’t have to be so complicated. If you want to sleep in my bed, all you have to do is sleep in my bed. Get it?” Edward paused in cutting his food precisely with his knife to give Workner a deadpan stare. The kind that would send his students, and some of the faculty, fleeing.
Workner stood his ground and stared right back over his sandwich.
“I believe your previous sentence caused me brain damage. If I want to sleep, sleep? What a novel suggestion, Workner,” Ed drawled. Workner rolled his eyes and took a bite of his meal. After chewing and swallowing, he waited for Ed to take a few bites before continuing the conversation.
“You know what I mean, Ed. Don’t play dense, it won’t work with me. Just bring your pillow or whatever else to my room, and we’ll just go about things like we did in my old room,” Workner insisted. Ed took a drink of water, before continuing cutting and eating the meat before him. Workner stared, then sighed.
“Eat your vegetables, too. No wonder you're so cold, if you don’t have any iron in your blood,” Workner grumped before standing. Workner could feel Ed’s eyes follow him over to a nearby trash can, then back to their table. Ed watched Workner pull out a dayplanner; when Workner didn’t say anything more, Ed began eating again. It was very similar to their student days, sitting and eating while one or both of them studied. Not that they’d made lunch plans in the past, but they usually ate together if they bumped into each other.
Now here they were, Workner mused, closing the day planner. He looked at his watch, and sighed. “Got to run?” came Ed’s amused voice. Workner sighed again. “It’s the First Years. I’m holding a remedial class for some of the ones really struggling in basic writing and spellwork.” Workner looked up slyly at Ed over the rims of his glasses.
“If only some other professor would help, and take over the spellwork portion…” Workner grinned at the revolted look on Ed’s face, and chuckled. “I know, I know. Forget I asked,” Workner said.
“Why you bend over backwards for those fools I’ll never understand. Better to fail now, than waste their time on something that will never happen.” Ed said savagely, biting a green florette of some leafy vegetable in half.
Workner ignored him, as he usually did. At least Ed was eating the damn vegetables. “See you later, Ed,” he said instead. Then he walked away. If he played his cards right, he’d come home and Ed would have moved his things into Workner’s room and that would be the end of their little drama.
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Edward ate the damn vegetables. Not because Workner nagged, but because Workner was right, dammit. He did need more iron in his diet. Edward was so intent on biting into each vegetable like he was biting off the head of an annoying, sanctimonious, bespectacled mage that he almost didn’t register when someone else sat in front of him.
“I take it Workner got on your case about the vegetables again, huh?” Professor Eliza said from the seat across from him. Edward bit back a growl. Eliza had the audacity to laugh. “Did you need something, Professor?” Edward ground out. Eliza shook her head. “Not really, just passing by. Give my best to Workner, will you? He’s doing us all a favor by taking those First Years to task.”
Edward frowned. “Why don’t you tell him yourself?” He countered. Eliza just kept smiling. “You two are so funny, you know that? Workner always says the same thing.” Nodding in farewell, Professor Eliza rose from her seat and glided away, dress swishing. Edward stared after her, perplexed.
Why did he feel like he was missing something?