“Okay, class. Find your assigned partners, and we’ll do one exercise before the bell rings.” She waits a minute for everyone to partner up. “Now, I want you to look into your partner’s eyes. We’re going to go around the room. Partner A will read the slip of paper I handed to them at the beginning of class, and I want Partner B to react how you would if this were an honest statement. Jesse, will you begin?”
The musician sighs but smiles sweetly at the tomboy, who’s biting her bottom lip and raising an eyebrow, signs that she’s ready to either fight or run away.
“I love you, Janie.”
She lets go of her lip and takes his hand, swinging it. She lets her eyes drift over his shoulder, so her eyes meet Maura, and she grins lovingly.
“No, I love you.”
The teacher doesn’t notice her looking past Jesse and writes her response on the board that she had a positive reaction. Xander is next and hesitantly maintains eye contact with the most stoic student in their grade.
“I… love you, Kimball.”
“What even is love?” He crosses his arms.
Across the room, Patrick frowns at him. when Cho sees, he unfolds his arms and tries to communicate an apology with his eyes. The teacher notices the awkwardness between Xander and Kimball and the strangeness between Kimball and Patrick. She writes a few notes in her notebook and dismisses it as a negative reaction on the board. Shawn grins widely, bouncing on his feet.
“I love you, Harry Potter.”
Harry scrunches up his face and turns his head so he can see Draco on the other side of the room. His platinum-haired boyfriend remains impassive, and Harry swallows a lump in his throat. Turning back to Shawn, who now has his head cocked to the side, he stutters.
“I-I… gotta pee.”
Harry makes a break for his desk and grabs his agenda. Without a word to his teacher, he walks to the front, stamps his agenda, and bolts into the hallway. The teacher writes her observations in the notebook then writes the negative response on the board. Sheldon fidgets with his hands at being forced to say those words. He finds Leonard in the classroom, and the latter silently encourages him.
“I… love you, Maura.”
“I…” she pauses, running a hand to her chest as though to check for hives beneath her clothes, “love cake.”
“That’s what I meant,” Sheldon immediately ‘corrects’ himself. “I love cake.”
The teacher marks something down about both students ignoring the issue then writes their reaction on the board. Neal shoves his hands in his pockets but smiles widely at the golden-haired charlatan.
“I love you, Patrick,” he sing-songs.
Patrick nods, side-eying Kimball. “Thank you.”
Kimball looks over with a guilt-ridden frown, and Neal widens his eyes. The teacher writes her notes and adds the response as ‘indifferent’ on the board. Sherlock smiles one of his fake smiles used when he tries to coax a higher grade out of a teacher.
“I love you, James Evan Wilson. Did you know that?”
His words sound so honest, but years of being friends with a certain limping twerp lets him see the lies underneath. So, he simply rolls his eyes and throws his hands on his hips.
“… really?” he drawls out sarcastically.
Sherlock’s lips quirk upward, “Obviously not.”
The teacher sighs as neither student takes this seriously and jots down her notes. She adds the response on the board and nods to the next student.
Draco rolls his eyes then takes Tony’s hand. “I love you.”
The shop class whiz kid squeezes his hand back, “I love you more.”
The teacher writes down her notes, not noticing when Draco stares at the open classroom door nor Tony watching out the window as a green Jeep Wrangler swerves its way into the parking lot. Barry jogs in place but stops when it gets to his turn. He tilts his head and blows a kiss.
“Hey, Clark? I love you.”
The farm boy grins back, “Well, why wouldn’t you?”
Barry laughs at the response, but the teacher has her nose in her notebook. Dean is next and scuffs his feet on the floor.
“I love you, Jim.”
“Huh?”
He hadn’t been paying attention and only looks away from Spock when he hears his name. Dean shakes his head with a silent laugh. The teacher adds another pair to indifferent. It's Spock’s turn, and he keeps his eyes focused on Jim rather than the asthmatic boy in glasses.
“I love you.”
Jim blushes violently, and Leonard mutters an uninterested mm-hmm. The teacher frowns but writes the response. Mac grins at the son of a medical examiner and a forensic scientist standing in front of him.
“Hey. Love you, Lucas.”
“For how long?” He asks, playing along.
The two boys laugh, and the teacher takes her notes. The class is on the final pair. Oswald takes Victor’s arm, massaging his knuckles affectionately.
“I love you so much, Victor Zsasz.”
The taller boy smiles genuinely. “I know.”
He then leans down to kiss Oswald, and the kiss becomes heated, which the teacher doesn’t notice at first due to her diligent writing. After she writes the reaction as positive on the board, she sees what the rest of the class is watching, and she marches over to pull them apart. They only do so, however, after the final school bell rings.
“This is not appropriate behavior for class partners.”
Oswald shrugs, undisturbed as he takes Victor’s hand, “Then it’s a good thing we’re partners elsewhere.”
With school over, the teacher takes another glance at the board – four positives, four negatives, and four indifferent – and then a sweeping gaze around the classroom. Jane only has a messy binder and a pencil (and a phone in her pocket), no need for a backpack or bag of any sort. Yet, she’s hovering close to Maura as the latter methodically packs her bag.
“New shampoo?”
“Yes,” she giggles, “it’s raspberries.”
“Better than apples.”
The girls quietly laugh at some inside joke. Patrick drops his satchel in an empty chair and physically spins Kimball around to face him.
“It was instinct, Pat,” the usually apathetic teen expresses honest concern across his face. “I’ve said it to wasted idiots and girls like Summer and Kristina. They know I’m with you. You know I know what love is.”
He sighs and smiles softly, bringing the shorter boy closer so he can kiss his temple. Draco joins Harry at the front of the classroom, offering an earbud connected to his phone. If the teacher strains her ears, she can hear the beginning of Chicago’s You’re the Inspiration.
“Interesting class, huh?” Leonard asks while handing Sheldon a red Twizzler.
The taller boy accepts the candy, briefly grazing their hands, with a fond frown. “It must be Earth humor.”
Leonard laughs quietly at the Babylon 5 meme, leaning on him as they walk out the door. the teacher follows them as they are the last two, and she suddenly has an urge to find the other half of her students that left before she started paying better attention to her students after the exercise. She finds Jesse at his locker, checking his hair. Joey, an older student that she had in a previous year, drops by holding a fist out.
Jesse notices him and smiles warmly. He shuts the door, picks up his backpack, and holds his hand out to return the bump. The teacher almost walks away, but before their fists meet, Jesse runs his hand up Joey’s arm and around the back of his neck. Joey slides the same arm around Jesse’s waist, and they walk toward the exit like they do this every day. She – and a lot of other people are suddenly distracted by a distinctive pornographic moan.
Flustered and mortified near the front lobby bathrooms, James fishes out his phone and hisses into the receiver.
“House?! What the hell! Why did you change your ringtone to porn!? When did you—Well, that hardly makes it… Almost in the lobby. Yeah…” He sighs in a fondly exasperated way. “Of course. I assume you rode your bike today? --- okay. Love you too.”
The students and other faculty are no longer paying attention, but James’ last-period teacher is drawn to her students like never before. After the love confirmation, she searches the crowd for her other ten students. She’s almost barreled over by Sherlock, who’s glaring at his phone and furiously texting, like he’s trying to jab at the person on the other end. He’s headed toward Mac and Lucas, who are laughing about something unheard.
Neither boy notices him, both leaning on the farthest column surrounding the parking lot. Sherlock continues like a raging bull, and his teacher is about to open her mouth. Whether she’s going to call after Sherlock or warn the other happy kids, she’s not too sure. Luckily, someone else appears first.
“I’m here, Locke!”
Sherlock stops on a dime and locates the speaker of the voice instantly. A bright smile appears across his face, but it quickly disappears when the short blonde walks to his side.
“What’s the matter, Love?”
“Class was horrid, John.” He complains. “The teacher forced us into pseudo-pairs, and I was pushed into telling someone else I love them. I don’t, John. I could never love someone other than you.”
“Calm down, Love,” John hushes him, bringing him into a calming embrace. “I know you, and I trust you. I know you hid behind sarcasm when you told them. It’s okay, Love. I’m here. Do you want to go to the roof?”
Sherlock silently nods, and John takes his hand. The teacher feels awful for the unknown pressure she apparently put one of her star pupils through. She blinks as they walk back into the school building, her eyes refocusing on Mac and Lucas. Two older boys – one dressed in black leather, and the other boy wears formal clothing with a scarf despite there being no chill in the air – are standing beside them.
The one in leather is behind Mac, holding onto him protectively, and the younger boy leans into his touch. The other simply holds Lucas’ hand as they talk. The conversation is amicable, though their teacher is unable to properly hear them. There are still seven students unaccounted for, and she’s made it her personal mission to find all twenty-four students… and see what’s happened after that unnecessary classroom assignment. She heads toward the loading dock when she nearly misses Spock and Jim. They're not holding hands but have their pointer and middle fingers extended at their sides, constantly brushing against each other. Somehow, this innocent motion feels much more intimate than simply holding hands. Teacher quickly veers to the left.
Dean sits on the curb, eating messy cheeseburgers with his little brother Sam. Sam’s barely touched his, but Dean’s over halfway done when an older boy in a tan trenchcoat walks over. Sam sees him first and stands up. He makes some feeble excuse before turning and walking elsewhere. The older boy takes Sam’s place and grabs Dean’s burger from his hands. Dean protests weakly as the other takes a bite.
“We could’ve stopped somewhere to get you one, Cas.”
“But it tastes so much better when I can taste you, too.”
Dean gawks at Cas and merely sputters when the older teen reaches over to wipe off some sauce on Dean’s cheek. The same finger goes into Cas’s mouth almost sinfully, and Dean audibly groans. His teacher feels like a perv for watching, but no one notices. Dean grabs Cas’s hand, wordlessly dragging him toward his beloved Chevy Impala nicknamed Baby. Six students to go.
The teacher decides to start looking through the parking lot, though she’s almost mowed down by a silver Lexus. Young billionaire Lex Luthor steps out, offering a small apology that she brushes off. She’s slightly distracted from her goal, wondering why he’s here when she’s almost hit by a second car – this one, an ice blue Nissan Altima. A young man wearing a winter parka steps out from the driver’s seat, though he offers no platitudes.
Two of the teacher’s students join the young men at the cars. Clark smiles and pulls Lex into a hug that’s eagerly reciprocated.
“How were classes today?”
Clark scrunches up his face. “Good till the last bit. We had to tell our lab partners that we love them.”
“Who’s your partner?” Lex asks Clark at the same time that the teen in the parka finally speaks to Barry.
Barry and Clark look at each other and burst into giggles, pointing at each other. Lex rolls his eyes and hugs Clark, kissing his right temple. Barry hugs his significant other.
“Don’t worry, Len. There’s no way I’d leave you for Clark.”
“Best not leave me for anyone, Scarlet, or I’ll freeze your ass.”
Len brings Barry in for a kiss, and the latter glomps him. Lex chirps his car, and Clark slides into the passenger seat. He looks over toward the other two as Barry slides into the passenger seat of the Altima.
“The castle for movie night, Absolute Zero?”
“See you there, Mockingbird.”
Len salutes him and climbs into the driver’s seat. The teacher returns to her quest for the remaining four students from her last class. Off to the side of the lot, she finds Neal expertly dancing to Uptown Funk from a Norton Commando 750 speaker. Shawn is sitting on the pavement beside his bike with grease on his clothes and face. He appears to be quietly talking to himself, but his teacher quickly realizes he’s on the phone with BlueTooth.
“Okay, okay, you were right… can you come pick me up? --- it’s Bruno Mars, thankyouverymuch… no, Neal is dancing to it… Peter and Elle are late… thank you, Lassie… my heart hearts you!”
“Things settled?” Neal asks when he presses his earbud to end the call.
“Yeah. Thanks for letting me borrow your tools.”
He shrugs, “I borrowed them from Xander.”
Shawn looks around the nearly empty lot, and the teacher pretends to be on a call.
“Where is he?”
“Went to the track field to meet Spike,” he pauses as he notices a familiar Taurus pulling into the lot. “Are you leaving your bike here?”
“Yeah, I’m going to take it to the equipment shed and come back for it tomorrow.” He follows Neal’s eyes to the car. “Go. I’ll bring Xander his tools.”
“Thanks, Jorgenson.”
“Yeah, yeah, Bonds.”
Neal walks over to the new car as the driver steps out. The teacher assumes this is Peter, and she watches as Neal walks over to give him a hug and kiss. When Peter returns into the car, the young woman has stepped out of the passenger seat, leaving the door open. She also hugs and kisses Neal, and then she climbs into the backseat so Neal can sit in the front. The teacher turns around, but Shawn is already pushing his bike across the lot.
“Do you need any help?” She asks, partly for assistance but mostly to have an excuse to see Xander’s significant other.
Shawn looks back and contemplates the offer before nodding her over. His teacher successfully helps him push it to its resting spot. He blithely thanks her then walks over to the field. The teacher stays back, a phone in hand in case she needs to pretend to be on a call again. A black Ford Fusion pulls up not long after, and a young man steps out of the vehicle. Shawn springs into action and runs over. He nearly tackles the man, who easily finds his bearings and melts into a hug.
“Dad’s at a policeman’s convention tonight, Lassie.” Shawn cheekily remarks as he pulls away.
“Then why are we wasting time out here?”
“Good question, Lass. You’re full of good questions,” he rattles off as he rounds the car and climbs into the passenger seat.
Lassie rolls his eyes fondly and starts the car again. Shawn’s teacher waits for them to leave, and then she walks down the sidewalk to peer onto the track field. She immediately backpedals though, when she sees a shirtless white-blonde young man atop Xander, quite obviously in the throes of pleasure if the muffled grunts and yelps are anything to go by.
“… Gods almighty, Spike!” Xander calls out, no longer careful about people overhearing.
Though she’s a teacher and should put a stop to it, she also doesn’t want to go any farther. So, she decides to ignore it since both boys are having fun and not harming anyone. She returns to her car parked near her classroom window. She’s slightly upset that she only found twenty-three out of her twenty-four students, but she’s glad that her students all have someone special. Parked next to her car is a Jeep Wrangler, and a young man with long black hair is leaning against it, smoking a cigarette.
“Hello, are you a student here?”
“No,” he scoffs.
“Then, I ask, why are you smoking a cigarette in this parking lot?”
“I do what I want.”
“C’mon, Lokes. Play nice.”
A familiar yet rougher voice pipes up from the back. The smoker inclines his head, and a very dazed – yet thoroughly pleasured – Tony shows his face. He blushes instantly, and the other smiles deviously.
“Is this one of your teachers, Anthony?”
Tony simply slumps back into the Jeep, and the other removes the cigarette between two fingers. He holds out another hand for the teacher to shake.
“Loki Silver, pleased to meet you.”
The teacher hesitantly shakes his hand then sidesteps.
“Nice to meet you. I’ll see you on Monday, An—Tony.”
“Yep.”
He doesn’t lift his head but gives her a thumbs up. Safe inside her car, the teacher smiles. She managed to find all twenty-four of her students, and they all have someone special.