Teacher!Romano x Student!Reader: Love Not Lost 2

Title: Teacher!Romano x Student!Reader: Love Not Lost 2
Author: threepinkdoors
Commission for: chasjade

A/N: Once again, PG-13 for the swearing

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Alfred walked the hallways, always looking like a student because he was so young, but also looking like a teacher with his heightened sense of authority that no one dared to defy. The reason for this is because Alfred was Alfred. Rumors were always circulating around this reclusive, ostentatious man. Some said that he was brilliant, others said that he was mad. And others said that he was brilliantly mad. But there was no way to confirm what it was he did that made others say these things because apparently, once the deed was described, the person ceased to exist from all public and private records. Kind of like one of Stalin's purges.

Actually, no. Exactly like one of Stalin's purges. Not even a photograph of the missing was available. All were wiped out. Thank you, photoshop. It was always the ones you least expected. They're the ones who blow their top like a nuclear bomb.

"Vargas!" Alfred called out merrily.

Lovino did his best to flash him a polite smile and made his way towards the young American. "How can I help you, Mr. Jones?"

Alfred pouted. "Ew, Mr. Jones... My father was Mr. Jones. Just call me Alfred, dude."

"Alfred, then." What a rude little teppista, Lovino thought with a smirk.

"Just wanted to see how your classes were coming along!" Alfred said, his lips stretching upwards from ear-to-ear. "You've got a full roster and everything. All your classes are pretty much filled up. Kind of a shame, really, I wanted to sit in. But I suppose I could just stand in the back like a creep."

So this was the Dean of the language department, Alfred F. Jones. A silly little man-child who still acted like a kid. Lovino didn't know whether he wanted to break down and cry because his boss was this stupid child, or whether he wanted to laugh out loud until he went insane. He wasn't entirely sure this guy knew how to write his own name, let alone know how to run a language school.

Apparently, Lovino had been staring at him for a while because when he came to, Alfred was waving his hand in front of his face. "Hellooooooooo!" he cooed. "Everything alright in there? O in italiano, se si preferisce?"

Lovino blinked. So the buffoon did know other languages... Shall we test that, he pondered. "Sum denique, iustus aliquantulus cogitantium..."

"Pensando en qué?" Alfred asked, raising a brow.

"En pensant à comment je vais à la torture pour mes élèves de mi-mandat."

"Torturing sollte eine Untertreibung. Der Mord an ihre Hoffnungen und Träume ist es, was wir anstreben sollten."

Lovino decided he liked this man. He was not as fluent in German as Alfred, but what he said sounded as harsh and as cynical as it needed to be, if they were thinking the same thing.

It just so happened, the halls of the school were starting to crowd with bustling students trying not to be late to class. Alfred's attention was drawn away from Lovino to the classroom right behind him. Coincidentally, it was Lovino's class. An odd sort of smile grew on Alfred's face. But his eyes grew darker, annoyed, even. It was a twisted sort of way to be looking at students, not that they paid attention, and Alfred would not have cared if they did. "E 'un peccato che siamo insegnanti e sono gli studenti. Ci sono una serie di belle ragazze nella tua classe. Sono un po 'geloso."

Lovino felt his blood chill. Alfred's tone was soft, but there was an underlying annoyance in it. And the way Alfred's eyes darted from the students to Lovino's own eyes made Lovino feel like he was facing a dangerous predator. But before Lovino could answer, Alfred turned on his heel, hands in his pockets, and left the hall, possibly in search of other teachers to harass and annoy.

Lovino shook the bad feeling from himself and made his way into his classroom, taking a seat at his desk and fiddling with his computer before beginning his lesson. But all through the day, there was something in the pit of his stomach, something he couldn't quite put a finger on. It was almost like a premonition of sorts, the kind of "gut feeling" you get when you think something bad is going to happen.

*~*

"Like, no freaking way."

As if getting through the population of the university was hard enough, there was a good number of people clogging the only way into the hallway where your next class was. You jumped on the balls of your feet, trying to get a better view to see just how many people you were going to have to shove out of your way.

In the center of the crowd was Feliks Łukasiewicz, and his ever faithful companion Toris Lorinaitis. Feliks was the type of guy who enjoyed attention more than any other full-of-herself girl you knew. He obsessed over the color pink and was not afraid to wear skirts from time to time.

In any case, this stuck-up dude was in your way, and your Italian professor was not going to be a happy marshmallow if you were late. So you started shoving your way through the students, Feliks's voice carrying through the crowd.

"Okay, so, like, I heard that the Godfather has a little crush on one of his students!" Gasps errupted all around. "I mean, I know he's like totes gorgeous, but sleeping with a teacher? Honey, you gotta know that's not the way to get the grade." Someone asked for the name of the girl. Feliks shrugged. "Don't know. I don't talk to her really. But she's kinda cute. Not as cute as me, of course! Anywho, Prof. Vargas is totally, like, mega hot and I'm uber jealous of her."

A chill ran down your spine. Feliks was talking about you. You were sure of it. You, and Mr. Vargas. And sex. Why. Those three things shouldn't even be in the same sentence! But you didn't let yourself stop to confront him about it. Confronting it would make you seem defensive, only confirming said rumors, which weren't even true.

And who the heck started the rumor in the first place?

Not important, you decided.

You swiftly walked into Lovino's classroom and sunk in your chair, trying to make it look like you had a long night studying so people wouldn't ask questions. However, looking up at your professor, you found a pair of large, round, amber eyes staring right back and you. You sunk lower in your chair, hiding behind your books.

Lovino scoffed ever so slightly, hardly audible. "__________, I want to see you after class, si?"

Great. Fantastic. Oh, that's brilliant. As if you didn't have enough troubles.

The rest of class when along smoothly. Lovino hardly paid attention to you, to which you were grateful because you couldn't look him in the eye. Likewise, he couldn't look at you for too long, either. There was an unspoken tension between the two of you that seemed to poison the rest of the class, because you noticed Lovino threw twice as much chalk at the students as he ordinarily did.

Or it could have been that the slightest nudge in the wrong direction lit his already short fuse. Then that would be your fault.

But after class, when the seats were empty and it was just the two of you, he changed completely. He smiled softly, not like a lover, but as a friend. "Vieni qui, bella." You obeyed. "Something is-a bothering you, si? Don't-a lie, I could see it in your eyes." For however short your gazes had been all day, he was good at reading your mind. "What is it?"

You bit your lip. You didn't really want to discuss it with him. On the other hand, it was absolutely necessary for you to tell him about the rumor. Otherwise, it would be a lot easier to be found out. "People are saying that... that you and I..." A blush rose to your face.

Lovino nodded in understanding, waving your worry away. "Don't-a worry about those stupido people. They can talk all they like, and you and I both know that's a lie." However unfortunate that may be, he wanted to add, but chose against it.

You nodded once. "Right well... It's just that I don't like people assuming things that aren't true. It could get us in trouble in the future..."

"I like you, you plan ahead." Lovino's lips curled up into a smile.

"I'm being serious!" you cried in a hushed whisper. "If the Dean found out, you'd lose your job, and I'd be denied credit, or kicked out of school or--"

You hadn't noticed when Lovino had thrown his arms around you. It felt so natural, being cradled in his embrace. As if you weren't in school, but in a beautiful field of green grass, under a tree and only the moon as your witness. And little lightning bugs flittered around you, bathing you in golden light.

"Don't-a worry about him," Lovino murmured. "Focus on graduating, first. Perché io non vedo l'ora di farti mio..." The words were like molten gold, dripping slowly from his lips and strumming your heart strings. You could hardly catch what it was he said. But his tone, the way he delivered the message, was full of love and joy and care and desire and a bunch of other positive feelings you couldn't name at the moment because of the fluttering butterflies in you stomach and the traitorous heart in your chest, slowly increasing in speed and giving yourself away.

A sharp knock on the door instantly made Lovino jump back into his chair. His composure almost made you doubt that beautiful moment even happened. But as the door opened, you could see why he left you standing there. Alfred was at the door, his merry little self plundering in like he owned the place.

In fact, he very well might own the place.

"'Sup, dude and dudette!" he chirped. "Dude, Vargas, gotta talk to you for a bit after this, 'kay?"

Alfred winked at you, his blue eyes burning a hole through you. You almost would have swooned if the look he gave you wasn't so intense, as if he were judging you and everything thing you did. Even the way you were breathing seemed to catch his attention. "No babies!" he cried out loud before closing the door behind him and walking away to further harass teachers.

You hadn't realized you were holding your breath, or when you stopped breathing for that matter, until you were all but gasping for precious oxygen. "Okay, that's it, I can't do this..." you whimpered. "That was way too close, Lovi!"

Lovino only smiled. "You called me 'Lovi'," slipped past his lips.

"Can't you take anything seriously?"

He raised a brow at the accusation. "Are-a you implying I take nothing seriously?"

"Don't twist my words around..." you moaned, slumping into an empty desk. Everything was silent. He was waiting for you to explain. You took a deep breath, tugging at the ends of your hair. "We can't keep doing this... It's too risky." He was silent still, his expression unreadable. "Say something..."

"Sono disposto a rischiare tutto per voi. Perché non si può fare lo stesso per me? Non mi ami?" He gathered his things and left the class.

Damn him and his stupid Italian.