Chapter Text
“Thank you all for coming in today,” Jim called the meeting to order.
Ulrich resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He appreciated Jim, he really did. He had given him this job right out of college, and with no real experience. But what could be so important that they had to give up a day of their precious, and incredibly limited, summer break?
Ulrich cast a glance around the stuffy room, wishing someone had the forethought to turn the air conditioning on earlier. Jim stood up front, droning on, looking out of place in the history classroom. Ulrich still didn't quite believe that he belonged at the table with all of his previous teachers. He was scanning their faces when he noticed that the senior math professor, Ms. Meyer, was missing.
Oh yeah, she was planning to retire. Maybe that’s what this is all about.
He focused on Jim, catching the end of his monotonous speech.
“He’ll be taking over the math department. So I hope you’ll all give a warm welcome to Kadic’s newest teacher, Jeremie Belpois.”
The staff politely clapped as Jeremie entered the room.
Ulrich froze, not believing how attractive the new teacher was. Jeremie was young, probably Ulrich’s age. That was a nice surprise, as Ulrich was the only staff member under thirty.
He wore thin-framed glasses that sat just above the bridge of his nose. The lenses slightly magnified his icy blue eyes. His blond hair was neatly combed to one side. He had on a light blue button up, the sleeves fully buttoned around his wrists. His shirt was tucked into his navy trousers, and loafers in the same shade of navy peeked out from the hem. He had the strap of a messenger style bag sitting on his right shoulder.
Jeremie gave a reserved smile and tiny wave to his new colleagues before making his way to the only open seat in the room, right next to Ulrich.
He nodded at him as he sat down, making Ulrich feel self-conscious about the t-shirt and shorts ensemble he had thrown on that morning.
“So,” Jim continued speaking from the front of the room. “Let’s go over some scheduling updates for this term.”
Ulrich groaned internally. Of course this meeting would last forever.
Next to him, Jeremie produced a notebook and a blue pen. He meticulously wrote down every word Jim spoke.
Teacher’s pet. Ulrich smirked.
He turned his attention back to Jim, only half listening to him. He kept getting distracted by the handsome man next to him.
Ulrich couldn’t help but wonder about him. His hands were well-manicured, and his pants had a crisp pleat down the front. He smelled good, like clean laundry and sunshine. His notes were organized, his tight script a far cry from Ulrich’s messy and slanted writing.
Ulrich hoped that his investigating gaze wasn’t too obvious, but he couldn’t keep his eyes to himself. At one point, Jeremie shifted and Ulrich saw the tiniest hint of a leather bracelet peek out from his shirt sleeve.
Ulrich wanted to reach over and brush his hand against Jeremie’s. He’d give almost anything for those icy eyes to meet his again.
He shook his head.
Where did that come from? You don’t even know this man. Just pay attention to the meeting.
With great effort, he turned his attention back to the front of the room. Jim was finally wrapping up his much too long explanation of the schedule changes.
“And that’s everything. I expect the first week will have some bumps, but we should all be able to handle them. Most students will begin arriving this week, so please be prepared for that. Any questions?” Jim looked around the room.
The staff shook their heads, so he dismissed them. Ulrich was just about to stand when Jim approached the desk.
“Ulrich, I have a favor to ask you.”
Of course he did. It was usually something to do with the team.
“Will you please show Jeremie here around? I’ve got a meeting with the school board this afternoon.”
That’s different. “Yeah, of course, Jim. No problem.”
Ulrich might have imagined it, but he swore discomfort flashed on Jeremie’s face.
Well, giving up my afternoon for you wasn’t my choice either.
“Excellent!” Jim patted him on the shoulder before exiting the room.
Ulrich turned to Jeremie, extending his hand. “Ulrich Stern.”
“Jeremie Belpois.” His hand connected with Ulrich’s, sending an electric shock through his nerves.
“Well, shall we?”
•••
Ulrich tried to keep his tour short, but informative. He showed Jeremie the classrooms, the cafeteria, the gym, and finally, the teachers’ rooms.
Jeremie was polite and listened as Ulrich explained how things usually ran at Kadic. He nodded at each new area, clearly taking it all in.
Ulrich liked the way his eyes roamed around, glasses adding to his studious demeanor. He tried to make conversation with him.
“So, is this your first teaching job?”
Jeremie stiffened next to him. “Technically, yes, but I had to student teach before graduating. I’ve also led multiple student organizations, and I’ve worked with children for many years.”
“That’s cool.” Ulrich shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked. “This is my third year here, but I didn’t work anywhere before. Jim was really nice to hire me. To be honest, I think it’s because he always liked me back in school.”
Jeremie shot him a confused look.
“Oh yeah, I grew up here.” Ulrich looked around wistfully. “My parents shipped me here for middle school and I’ve been here ever since.”
“Oh,” Jeremie’s voice was softer this time. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Ulrich shrugged. “The teachers here were great, and Jim always looked out for me. He was the soccer coach back then.”
Jeremie raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.
“Anyway, I went to college and then heard Jim was taking the principal position and the phys ed job was available. He hired me and I’ve been back here since.” Ulrich stopped suddenly. “Sorry, I’m rambling.”
“Don’t worry about it. It sounds like you really like working here.”
“I do, it’s great.” They walked into another hallway. “Here’s the male teachers’ dorms. Don’t worry, they’re not as small as the student ones.”
Jeremie nodded and made his way down the hall. Jim had told him his room was the last one. He tried his key, with Ulrich watching him, and the door swung open.
“It’s not much, but it’s really not bad,” Ulrich spoke over his shoulder. “Plus, we each have our own bathrooms.”
Jeremie turned back to him. “Do all of the professors stay on campus? It doesn’t seem like enough rooms.”
“Nah,” Ulrich shook his head. “For your first five years, you have to. After that, you can move off campus, if you want to. Some never do though. I guess they like the extra money they get for staying on campus.” He moved down the hall a little.
“This is the laundry room, and here is the lounge.” He opened another door. “We keep some snacks and coffee in here. The cafeteria opens at seven every morning and closes at seven every evening, so it’s nice to have some stuff up here.”
Jeremie nodded once more and then checked his watch. “Well, thank you very much, Mr. Stern, but I should really get my stuff up here and start unpacking.”
“Yeah, totally.” Ulrich paused. “Need any help?”
“No, thank you.” Jeremie shook his head slightly. “I didn’t pack much, but I do want to get to work on my classroom.”
Ulrich nodded. “Well, if you change your mind, that’s my room.” He pointed at the door furthest away. “And my office is off of the gym. If I’m not in either, I’m probably on the field.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Stern.” Jeremie started back down the hallway to his room.
“You can call me Ulrich, by the way.” Ulrich called after him.
Jeremie stopped at his door and nodded once before entering.
Ulrich shook his head to clear it before entering his room. Jeremie was gorgeous, but he couldn’t get a read on him. He was probably just nervous about starting a new job.
•••
Ulrich was thankful that most of the students weren’t back yet, because he didn’t have to monitor the dorms the same way he did during the school year. That evening, he was just coming back from his nightly sweep of the halls when he noticed the light in the gym was on.
That’s weird. I wasn’t even in there today.
Ulrich sighed and made his way to the gym, tired and just wanting to fall in bed.
He opened the door and looked around, but the gym was empty. He moved across the floor towards the lights. He was just about to flick the switches off when he heard the sound of a bar being re-racked in the weight room.
What is going on?
Ulrich quietly moved to the weight room and peered in. His heart nearly stopped at the sight of Jeremie Belpois putting plates on the bar.
Ulrich wouldn’t have believed it if he didn’t see it himself, but Jeremie was in great shape. His legs and arms were lean, and he was definitely toned. He wore a simple black t-shirt and a pair of grey gym shorts that made Ulrich’s pulse quicken. Jeremie moved the plates around the room with ease. He was just getting into position on the bench when he noticed Ulrich standing in the doorway.
“Mr. Stern.” Jeremie sat back up. “Is everything okay?” His cheeks were tinged pink.
“Uh, yeah.” Ulrich blinked, trying to keep his eyes off of the shirt that was stretched across Jeremie’s chest. “I just saw the lights on, and I came down to check it out.”
“Yes, I was told we could use the facilities here, and I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d come down.”
Ulrich nodded and finally got his eyes up to Jeremie’s face. That was a mistake. His hair was a bit disheveled and the flush on his cheeks made Ulrich’s heart race faster.
“That’s totally fine.” He fought to keep his voice normal. “Will you just lock up when you’re finished?”
“Of course.” Jeremie moved to lay back down under the bar. “Goodnight, Mr. Stern.”
“Okay, well, goodnight.” Ulrich turned before calling back. “You really can call me Ulrich.”
Jeremie nodded, but didn’t say anything as he lifted the bar.
Ulrich made it back to his room, breathing hard. This was not good. He couldn’t have a crush on a fellow teacher.
He fell into bed, mind wired. He tossed and turned until he heard footsteps pass in front of his door. He drifted off, replaying the image of Jeremie’s strong arms effortlessly racking the plates on the bar.
•••
The week leading up to the start of term flew by. Ulrich hardly saw his newest colleague, which worked for him. He was able to get his lesson plans ready and prepare his soccer drills. He had several strong students this year, and he was already reaching out to recruiters. He wanted them to get all the opportunities they deserved.
“Odd?” Ulrich answered his phone, distracted from his nightly sweep of the hallways.
“I’m in town for a few days! Let’s go out tonight!” Odd’s animated tone came through the line loudly. Ulrich could hear music in the background.
“Umm, pass.” Ulrich rolled his eyes. “Tomorrow’s the first day of class. I’m not teaching hungover.”
“Come on! You don’t have to drink. We can just dance. Plus, there’s these gorgeous girls at the bar. They’re twins and I think they want to do a best-friend type thing.”
Ulrich rubbed his eyes. “Oh, so I’ll just call Jim at-“ He checked his phone. “9:26pm and say, please have someone else monitor the students tonight. Della Robbia found us some twins. That will go over great.”
“Yes, exactly!”
“Goodnight, Odd.”
“Aww, come on man! Please?”
“Goodnight.” Ulrich clicked his phone off. He rolled his eyes before moving into the hallway to check on the students one more time.
He walked the dorms quietly. He saw no evidence of anything amiss. He started back to his room.
How could I even go out when I can’t get Jeremie off my mind?
Ulrich re-entered the teachers’ hallway. He was just about to open his door when he noticed a blue glow from under Jeremie’s door. He moved closer, listening to the voices.
I shouldn’t be doing this.
He froze, but he could only hear snippets of the conversation.
“-attractive, but I don’t know.”
“Why not?” This was a woman’s voice, which startled Ulrich.
“Maybe it’s better to stay professional. I don’t even know if he-“ The rest was too muffled.
“Either way, I think you’ll be okay, Jeremie.”
Whoever she was, she sounded nice.
“But now, you need to sleep.”
“I know, I know.”
Ulrich could hear some clicking beyond the door.
“Okay, goodnight Jeremie. No dreaming about your colleague tonight.”
Ulrich heard a soft chuckle. “I’ll do my best. Goodnight, Aelita.”
The light from under the door was suddenly gone. Ulrich took a step back before scurrying back to his own door.
Is it possible he’s talking about me?
Ulrich absolutely did not sleep that night.