Grading Chemistry (GenMui)

Morning Coffee

The school hallways buzzed with the usual morning commotion as Genya walked in, gripping his travel mug of coffee. He liked to think of himself as unflappable; however, the sight of a certain teacher managed to set his heart in unexpected flutters each day. And today, right on cue, he spotted Muichiro down the hall, leaning calmly against the wall next to his classroom, his petite frame seemingly lost in an oversized sweater, somewhat unprofessional when you consider his position.

Muichiro gave him a small nod as he approached, a faint smile on his lips. "Good morning, Mr. Shinazugawa."

Genya swallowed. "Uh, yeah. Morning."

"Long night grading?" Muichiro asked, observing the coffee mug.

"Yeah, those finger-painting critiques don’t write themselves," Genya joked, trying to come off as effortlessly witty. But in his attempt to look cool, he tilted his mug to punctuate his point—and promptly spilled coffee all over himself.

Muichiro’s eyes widened, and he immediately entered his classroom, coming back out with a pack of tissues. "Here."

"Uh, thanks," Genya mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to mop up the mess. The kids hadn’t even shown up yet, and he was already acting a mess in front of Muichiro. Fantastic start.

He glanced up to find Muichiro stifling a laugh, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Not a morning person, are we?" he teased.

Genya’s cheeks flushed, and he let out a laugh, scratching his head. "You could say that."

Just then, a group of children ran past them, shouting and laughing, momentarily breaking the tension. But Genya didn’t miss the lingering glance Muichiro gave him, the tiniest smirk still playing on his lips. Genya felt his heart do a little flip as they exchanged a look that was probably two seconds too long.

"Well, I better get going before the kids start rioting in my classroom," Muichiro said finally, pulling his gaze away.

"Yeah, yeah, same here," Genya replied, trying to play it cool despite the pink hue creeping up his face.

But as Muichiro turned to enter his classroom, he gave Genya a small wave that Genya found himself watching until the door closed.

For the rest of the morning, Genya couldn’t shake that look. The calm, almost unreadable expression on Muichiro’s face had softened just slightly, enough for Genya to catch a glimpse of something he couldn’t quite place. Admiration? Maybe… interest?

As Genya worked through his morning routine, helping his students with crayons, gluing little macaroni pieces, and wrangling in hyperactive five-year-olds, his thoughts kept wandering back to the hallway. And Muichiro.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could have sworn that, for a second, Muichiro had looked at him the way he sometimes found himself looking at Muichiro: with a touch more attention than usual.

That afternoon, as he headed to the teachers’ lounge to grab a quick lunch, he ran into Muichiro again. The two of them exchanged a quick, shy smile, standing in silence for a moment, before Muichiro finally asked, "Better luck with coffee this time?"

Genya chuckled. "Yeah, no more disasters so far."

Muichiro laughed softly, his gaze meeting Genya’s. "Well, you wear coffee stains better than anyone else I know."

And just like that, Genya felt his face heating up again, a mixture of embarrassment and something else. Something he wasn’t quite ready to admit—at least not yet.