Funny How Love Is (Maylor AU)

Chapter 66

Brian stood by the coffee machine, the chatter of the other professors behind him but mere background noise as he stared lifelessly at the cold carafe in his hand. He hadn't slept a wink last night, his thoughts making it impossible for him to close his eyes for more than a second. Every time his eyelids fell, he'd catch a quick glimpse of his past—his first date with Chrissie, their first kiss; the first day he met Roger, their first kiss. The feelings accompanying those memories were strong too, and as long as the professor stayed awake—distracting himself with things like finally fixing the shower light in his bathroom, brewing a new pot of coffee, and tinkering with the old alarm clock whose minute and second hands hung limply at the bottom and always read 6:30—he could avoid those feelings.

However, he couldn't avoid the feelings that surfaced with the blonde's arrival that morning, the door to the teachers' lounge colliding with the wall behind it and attracting the faculty members' attention. The blonde who managed to look simultaneously better and worse than yesterday—his lips tinted a noticeable shade of red, his eyelids powdered a light purple, and his forehead blemished with a fresh cut—glared at all the pairs of eyes directed his way. He peeled himself away from the threshold he leaned against for support and trudged over to where Brian stood, frozen in place.

"Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to pour me a cup?" the blonde greeted bitterly, a glimmer of the cheeky bastard he was when he first walked through Imperial College in his voice as he grabbed a mug and slammed it down on the counter.

"Oi, where are your manners, Taylor?" Ray called from across the room, earning a subtle round of sniggers from those around him.

The music instructor smirked, meeting Ray's challenging gaze, and answered, "I must've left them with your mom last night. After all, your dad insisted on me being a perfect gentleman to her." A collective "ooh" sprinkled with a few "damn"s and "wow"s passed over the small group of teachers, Ray's cheeks turning a deep shade of red as Roger returned his attention to Brian and noticed that he still hadn't filled his mug. He raised his eyebrows, wordlessly commanding the professor to snap out of the daze he'd fallen into staring at the blonde's newest scar.

Brian shook his head and poured the blonde some coffee, Roger wasting no time at all to snatch the cup and bring it to his lips. His face scrunched up at the bitter taste, but that didn't stop him from finishing the cold beverage in one, long sip. He licked his crimson-stained lips as he dropped the mug into the sink and strutted out of the lounge, the entire room struck silent and still, waiting for his return but ending up disappointed when all they heard was the babble of students as they caught up with friends, compared midterm grades, and spread gossip.

The suspense lasted only a few seconds, and no one except for Brian seemed concerned about the music instructor's abrupt intrusion or departure. Observing his peers return to their morning routines like nothing had just happened, the professor witnessed them debate over the silliest of things, eat their bland breakfasts while reading the newspaper, and get frustrated over the grades their students received on their exams. He remembered when that's how every morning used to go, and how some mornings his colleagues would call him over to join them, but now he felt just as much of an outcast as Roger must've.

Brian swallowed the lump in his throat and shoved the carafe back in its place, wiping his sweaty palms on the pleats of his pants before briskly leaving the room, stopping right outside the doorway as he searched the hall for the distinguishable blonde head of hair. It didn't take long, considering he still possessed the ability to split the hallway right down the middle—all the students watching him in pure awe as he practically darted towards the basement. Brian, ignorant of the eyes that shifted from Roger to him, ran after the blonde, riding the railing down and scaring one of the students as he stumbled over his landing. He didn't allow his flopped move to deter him, though, rounding the doorway and finally catching up to Roger who only glared at the professor's presence out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey," he greeted, trying to catch his breath and smiling awkwardly at the blonde beside him.

"What do you want, Brian?" Roger grumbled, keeping his attention forward and tightening his grip on the bag's strap.

"I wanted to talk." Brian's eyes traveled down to the satchel that hung by the music instructor's hip, passing the undone tie around his neck, glossing over the untucked half of his button-down, and falling on the lock of hair that peeked out from underneath the bag's unsecured flap. His eyebrow popped up, intrigued, before his gaze flickered back up to the blonde's stone-cold face. "I-I feel bad about yesterday," he tacked on, stammering.

Roger chuckled sadly, stopping in his tracks and turning to face the professor. "You know what, Brian? Forget about it. Okay? I don't want to talk about it."

"But I—"

"Well I don't, alright?" he snapped, clenching his jaw as he bit back the words that desired to follow. Brian's cheeks turned a faint, flattering shade of red, the blonde feeling guilty for directing his anger towards him. It wasn't that he wasn't angry at him, because he was, and it wasn't that it wasn't his fault, because this whole thing was his fault, and Roger knew Freddie believed wholeheartedly that Brian was his ticket to a better life, but he struggled to see it. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to run his hands through the professor's soft curls again, to taste his sweet, innocent lips once more, and to melt into his body so perfectly that he never wanted to leave it.

Oh, who was he kidding?

"I just...I had a rough night," the blonde admitted shyly, bringing the back of his wrist up to his mouth and wiping away the pigment with one, harsh swipe.