notes: wanted to try a teacher/student fic with these two. the blues are my favorite, but i wanted to write the reds instead. enjoy.

rose gold eyes

i.

Blossom always felt that she was average-looking. Well, if she was honest, she felt like she was way below average.

And she knew she was average to her peers, as she never got a second glance whenever she entered the room. Sometimes not even a glance at all. But she was okay with that. She didn't like a lot of attention on her anyway, and she didn't blame them. She wouldn't cast a single glance at herself either if she was from the outside looking in.

From her long, matted hair to her twenty-four centimetered feet, to Blossom, she was hideous.

To Blossom, she would always be hideous. And she was slowly starting to be okay with that, too. Accepting it like she was in last place in a race, knowing no matter how hard she pushed or how much air she gasped, she'd never make it up front to win the gold.

She stared at her reflection in one of the mirrors in the girls' locker room. It had a crack in the middle of the glass, almost splitting Blossom's face in two. She stared at her reflection behind black, thick-rimmed glasses that took up half of her face, lips set in a frown. She noticed the usual bags under her eyes were now darker from staying up way past her bedtime reading a forty-chaptered book she had already read at least seven times. She mentally slapped herself when her clock read 12:09 AM by the time she finished it.

Blossom frowned deeply at the dark bags reminding her even more of how unsightly she looked.

"Oof!" she squeaked, startled as something pushed her in the back, jerking her forward. She gripped the sink in reflex before quickly snapping her eyes up at the mirror to see who had pushed her. She glared at the taunting smirk on the girl's face.

"Staring at yourself like a weirdo won't make your ugliness go away," Princess Morbucks chided, hand placed on her cocked hip, looking annoyingly smug.

I'm aware of that, Blossom thought to herself, but opened her mouth with a comeback ready on her tongue.

"Fuck off, Princess!" someone barked beside her, taking Blossom's words right out of her mouth (well, excluding the F word).

Blossom turned to see her sister, Buttercup, with her arms folded across her chest, glowering at the rich girl.

Princess narrowed her honey brown eyes at Buttercup, curling her lips up in a scowl with a locked jaw. She looked like wanted to respond at first, then a slick smirk formed upon her lips once again as she turned and walked passed the two all snooty-like, confidence swayed not one bit.

"'S not my fault your sister's a weirdo," she said over her shoulder, twirling a thick lock of orange hair around her finger. Snickers could be heard from the changing area from Princess' friends.

"The hell d'you just say?!" Buttercup was about to get ready to pounce like a ferocious lion but was stopped by her eldest sister's hands grasping her arm. "Hey, what gives?!"

"No, Buttercup," said Blossom sternly. "It's not worth getting another detention over."

"Who cares!" Buttercup shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "She's calling my sister a weirdo." She rolled the sleeve of her hoodie up. "That bitch needs to be taught a lesson—"

"I said no, Buttercup," Blossom's tone was laced with venom, making Buttercup stop in her tracks. Blossom's expression was demanding as she glared at her. The green-eyed girl knew not to go against her sister's wishes when she used that tone and gave her that look, as it held a firm finality.

Buttercup huffed. "Fine." She refolded her arms across her chest with an indignant pout.

Blossom smiled softly, relief washing over her. "Thank you," she replied graciously.

Buttercup looked at her sister and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," she said before giving Blossom a soft, yet sincere look. "You know you're not a weirdo, right? Don't let Princess' words get to you, okay?"

But I am a weirdo.

Buttercup's eyes hardened. "And you're not ugly. You got that, Pinky?"

A deep, dreadful feeling wrenched in Blossom's gut at her sister's words. She glanced over at Princess arrogantly flipping her hair over her shoulders and talking to her group of friends with so much confidence, practically owning the room. Princess' hair was the same color as hers, yet was perfectly curly and had much more volume than hers would ever have. Her skin was flawless and perfectly tan. Even the freckles on her cheeks suited her.

Blossom shifted her eyes to the cracked mirror.

"Staring at yourself like a weirdo won't make your ugliness go away."

Blossom had already accepted that she was hideous.

"And you're not ugly. You got that, Pinky?"

She gave Buttercup a small smile, knowing she was being dishonest with her reply.

"…Okay."

Blossom had no brilliance when it came to looks. She knew that very well. But her brilliance shined through when it came to her intellect.

She was the top student in her class, getting perfect scores on every assignment, test and project without fail. Blossom never received a single score below an A on her report cards and also withholding perfect attendance.

Throughout kindergarten all the way to tenth grade, she was always humbly praised by her teachers of her intelligence, and she would shyly accept it, though never brag about it amongst her peers. Her classmates never seemed to mind that she was the top student actually. They never seemed to care either, and Blossom was okay with that. She liked being below the radar when it came to attention.

And even now as a Junior, she still remained being the top honor student of her class.

Honestly, Blossom felt neutral about the entitlement. She, along with her sisters and father, was proud of her progress and hard work, but she also felt like she didn't deserve it. She pictured honor students to be kempt, unblemished, great sovereigns to their class.

And with her abnormal colored irises, tall, lanky body, and socially-awkwardness, she was anything but those things.

"Gosh, I wish I was smart like you, Blossom," Bubbles commented with a cute pout. She closed her book with her algebra homework and idly stuffed it in her teddy bear patterned backpack. "I would've never figured this out if it weren't for you."

Bubbles was standing by her locker when she spotted her sister walking to her and happily called her over to help her with algebra homework real quick. After blushing bashfully at her name being called in the middle of the hallway, Blossom obliged and briefly explained and demonstrated how to solve polynomial equations.

"You're smart, too, Bubbles," Blossom encouraged kindly, hugging her English books to her thighs.

Bubbles gasped cheerily. "Really? Thanks, Blossom!" She couldn't help but add brightly, "But not as smart as you, though!"

"O-oh! Uh…" Blossom rubbed her thumb on the spine of her books sheepishly. "Th-thank you."

Bubbles smiled joyfully.

Robin, who was Bubbles' friend and was taking notes from Blossom's polynomial explanation as well, giggled at Blossom's reaction. "You don't have to be so modest," she assured. "If I even had half of your smarts, I'd brag about it until the cows come home. Nobody wouldn't be able to faze me."

Bubbles giggled, blonde pigtails bouncing as she did. "But Blossom isn't you, though. She's Blossom!"

Robin shrugged with a smile. "Fair enough." Not knowing what else to do since her task was done, Blossom politely excused herself to head to class. "Wait, you're heading to English, right?" asked Robin with raised eyebrows.

"Um…yes," Blossom replied with a nod.

Robin kissed her teeth and folded her arms at the reply. "Lucky."

"But I thought you already had English today," Bubbles acknowledged, confusion etching her features. Blossom was just as confused.

"Yeah, and I wish I had it again," Robin stated with a small smirk, a dreamy glint in her periwinkle blue eyes that Blossom thought was weird.

"Wait, why do—" Bubbles started before realization popped in her mind like a light bulb. "Ohhh…"

Ohhh?

"O-oh what?" Blossom sputtered, curiosity secretly and completely peeked. "W-w-what—"

"But he's not even that cute," said Bubbles, scratching her cheek before tapping it. "Well, actually he is, but not really my type of cute." Bubbles then gasped as if she just revealed a huge secret, quickly backtracking. "Wait, why am I saying that?! Gah! No, bad Bubbles. Bad, bad, bad!"

Robin burst out laughing at her friend pulling at her pigtails whilst chastising herself. "You're a riot, Bubbles!"

And Blossom was still lost.

"Hold on, what's—"

"Oh my gosh, Blossom, I nearly forgot you were still here! Hurry!" Bubbles motioned her hands in the direction of her English class, light blue eyes big with motivating urgency. "I don't want you to be late for class and mess up your perfect attendance record because of me," she insisted with an apologetic expression.

Blossom blinked three times before briskly nodding in agreement. "O-oh, right! See you guys later!"

Without wasting anymore time, Blossom practically scurried through the now emptying hallway to her last period of the day, unkempt lengthy ponytail whisking behind her movements. She clinched her books to stomach, speed-walking as fast as she could. She then cut a corner, made her way down the small hallway until she got to the end of it, went to Room 211, turned the knob, nearly flying the door open before quickly closing it behind her and—

Riiiiing!

Blossom's racing heart decelerated in relief. Her fingers still grasped the knob as her body faced the door.

Sigh, I made it just in time…

"So glad you could finally join us."

The sarcastic statement completely caught Blossom off guard, nearly making her jump out of her loafers. She expected to hear Mr. Hendrix's benevolent greeting, but was instead greeted by a totally different voice. A completely different voice.

When she finally and cautiously turned around, she was met with a completely different teacher standing in the front of the classroom.

Blossom had seen Mr. Jojo before. Well, only a brief glimpse of him through hallway passings. He substituted various subjects in her grade level quite often since it was nearing winter and teachers were assuredly getting sick. She noted that Mr. Hendrix, her jolly English teacher, was catching the worst of it, constantly coughing and hacking throughout giving a lecture of The Fall of the House of Usher and looking even drowsier as weeks gone by.

She'd often hear her classmates describe Mr. Jojo as "a pain in the ass" because of his strict nature, though she didn't know to coincide with that statement, considering she never attended a class he'd substituted since he only taught morning classes that weren't in her schedule.

This was quite a surprise that he was teaching an afternoon class. What was even more surprising of all was the English teacher that was in his fifties was now replaced by someone that was clearly in his twenties.

This transition steered Blossom way off track. Way, way off track.

His crimson eyes seeped through her like hot coals, yet were cold and sinister, impaling right through her feeble heart. They might have succeeded as she felt her heart stop beating. Blood red was locked on bespectacled eyes, and Blossom couldn't seem to turn away. Corral red flooded her face.

A peculiar glint flashed within Mr. Jojo's eyes for a split second, gaze softening for a split second.

"Take your seat," he instructed with a tinge of impatience.

A mute squeak escaped Blossom's dry lips. She was immediately set back into reality. She was in school. She was in English class.

Before her legs could give out on her from how flustered she was, without hesitation, Blossom wordlessly did what she was told. She heard someone give a catty laugh as she sat in her seat located in the top left of the classroom. Blossom stared at her desk, even more embarrassed. She knew exactly who it came from.

She almost forgot she shared her next and final class of the day with Princess as well.

"Immaturity won't be tolerated in this class," Mr. Jojo scolded, tone even colder than before. It unexpectedly sent warm chills down Blossom's spine, causing her blush to spread down her neck.

The curly-haired popular girl bit the inside of her jaw and glared at the teacher, tapping her manicured nails on her desk. She didn't put up a fight.

Mr. Jojo glared right back at her before casting his glare to the entire class. "As some of you may or may not know, Mr. Hendrix is very sick and now currently being hospitalized," he informed with his arms across his chest. Some students reacted to this news, even Blossom.

Hospitalized?

Even though Mr. Hendrix was old, he was kind and sturdier than most seniors, and he was quite liked by her peers. She was quite shocked that he got this sick.

A student, Whitney, raised her hand up earnestly. "Is he going to be alright?"

Blossom finally looked up from her desk to witness Mr. Jojo's answer. His folded arms bulged beneath the white sleeves of his dress shirt, giving off that they were toned and strong like the rest of his upper body, Blossom noticed shyly. His lips were set in a frown as his sharp gaze bored into the class.

Those piercing red eyes were stunning.

"I have no information about his current state," explained Mr. Jojo, snapping Blossom out of her little daze. "I was only informed that he will be absent for a while, and unfortunately the staff and I don't know when he will be back." He turned around to grab a stack of packets that were placed on the teacher's wooden desk. "But until then," he said, tapping the packets on the desk to align them perfectly. He faced forward. "I will be your new English teacher."

Some students were indifferent at this news.

Others groaned in mild agony.

Blossom's heart soared within her chest.

She mentally bonked herself on the head.

"And since I will be your new English teacher," Mr. Jojo continued, completely unfazed. "We will be going over the different forms of stanzas in poetry, which I think are fairly easy, but from my understanding, most of you seem to lack sustainable scores on."

Blossom watched his movements carefully as he started from the right of the classroom to hand out the small packets. She slid her glasses back up her nose. The teacher walked and carried himself with such brutal self-assurance, strides defiant, eyes and voice hard as steel.

"If you got away with slacking and sleeping your way through Mr. Hendrix's teachings, you're sadly mistaken if you think you can run that by me."

Blossom felt her heart betraying her yet again, soaring higher and higher within her chest. She couldn't help but be instantly drawn to the confidence, solemnly knowing she would never obtain such a thing.

Her heart began to sink.

She stubbornly had to shift her attention away before she looked on too long, staring at her English books on her desk instead. English III, Grade 11 it read. Students groaned and whined amongst themselves behind her. She could see her reflection in the shiny cover of her book, face in obscure shapes from the bumps and crevices of the letters engraved.

She really couldn't tell if this reflection was worse or not.

Her reflection was then replaced by a large, calloused hand along with a packet of stanzas. Blossom's blinked up in surprise with a tiny gasp, a whiff of pleasant cologne invading her nose. Her eyes reluctantly followed up the arm the hand belonged to and was met with Mr. Jojo's crimson gaze yet again.

But this time he was right beside her.

He stood there, hovering the packet in front of Blossom for her to take, oddly patient as she just stared up at him dumbly. His cold eyes never left hers as wordless seconds rolled by.

Blossom could feel her cheeks boiling behind her big glasses.

She shakily grabbed the packet with a sweaty palm, making sure her and Mr. Jojo's hands didn't touch. She sheepishly averted her eyes from him for the second time today.

"Th-thank you," she spoke meekly when she found her voice, surprised that she even said anything at all.

When he didn't instantly reply back and walk away, Blossom quickly glanced up at him through her eyelashes, only to see that peculiar glint dance in his red eyes once more. She could've sworn she saw his lips quirk up in a faint smirk before he simply walked away without so much of a glance her way.

He set the extra packets that were left in a random drawer, slamming it shut and moved to the front of the class to begin his lecture, leaning on Mr. Hendrix's desk.

Blossom gawked at the man as he discussed the packet, utterly dumbfounded. Utterly astounded.

Eventually, she exhaled a long breath she'd been holding, letting her head fall forward onto her books and packet. She felt slightly feverish from blushing so much. She honestly thought she would faint; but the coolness of her books seemed to cool her face down. Her embarrassment was slowly dying down. Her eyelids lowered at the soothing feeling.

"I thought I made it very clear that there will be no sleeping away in this class."

Blossom jolted straight up in her chair like a startled cat, glasses nearly flying off, eyes blown wide.

Mr. Jojo was glaring straight at her, a deep frown placed upon his lips.

She could feel all eyes burning at the back of her skull now. She didn't like this. Her heart sped up rapidly with apprehension.

Blossom swallowed. "I'm sorry," she apologized without fumbling.

Just stay calm.

"First, you're nearly late for class, and now you're napping in the middle of my lecture. Do I have a little rebel on my hands?" He gradually began to smirk threateningly as he spoke. That made something flutter within Blossom's stomach.

"N-no, sir, I wasn't falling asleep, I-I'm sorry!" she sputtered in her defense, blush blotching her cheeks.

"Hmm," he rumbled with slightly hooded eyes, his smirk remaining. "…I'll forgive you for now." He turned his attention towards the class with a serious expression. "But if I see another person snoozing, you'll sorely regret it."

The whole class sat up straighter.

Blossom visibly relaxed, still blushing.

"I'll forgive you for now."

Her heart skipped.

Without any further interruptions, Mr. Jojo resumed his lecture, which lasted around twenty minutes, and Blossom listened attentively. She had to admit, she was impressed with the way he explained things. Despite his unrelenting nature, the way he taught was very easygoing, yet calculated, and kept your interest throughout as he wrote each kind of stanza on the board.

"Any questions?" asked Mr. Jojo once he was finished.

No hands were raised, which was rare.

The ruby-eyed man glanced at the clock before noting that class was going to end in a minute or so. "Alright, I want you to complete the questions for the first two quatrains that are in this packet as homework. And yes, they are due tomorrow."

Grumbles scattered whilst Blossom was pleased. There were ten questions for each quatrain, and both seemed pretty easy to her as she briefly looked them over. She could finish them within at least ten minutes.

The bell eventually rang and everyone made a beeline for the door, leaving a bewildered Blossom behind. Wow… Blossom blinked twice. That was fast.

She hastily rubbed at the bags under her eyes with the back of her hands, standing up to silently put her English books and packet in her bookbag. Blossom then bristled, realizing that it was just her and the substitute in the room.

Slowly, she craned her neck towards Mr. Jojo, who was now checking something on his portable laptop at his desk with a bored expression.

And for some strange reason, all Blossom could do was stare on, pondering if Mr. Jojo was real or not. With eyes like that, he had to be unreal, right?

"Can I help you with something?"

The sound of his voice abruptly jostled her out of her thoughts. Blossom froze up. He was now looking at her, patient, line of sight fixated on nothing but her in the room. He didn't dare look away and neither did she as what seemed like a long silence transpired.

Blossom felt imprisoned, felt stuck to the floor beneath her.

After a few more seconds, all she could manage to get out was a tiny, barely audible, "Um…"

Another beat of silence.

The man's bored expression gradually turned playful, almost amused as his lips curved into a smirk. He slightly tilted forward on his elbow, hand propping his chin.

"You know, just staring at me won't help me understand what you want," Mr. Jojo spoke, smirk turning up even more. His deep voice sent heat down Blossom's spine like slow tar. "You have to use your words."

Blossom fish mouthed before blubbering unintelligently, "I, I w-want…"

To run run run from this embarrassment.

She gripped the strap of her bookbag. Her face was on fire at this point. "I-I just w-wanted to tell you that I apologize for making it seem like I wasn't listening to your lecture," she found herself saying on a whim. Most of it was true.

Mr. Jojo hummed a short chuckle. "And I forgive you. But do be sure not to slack off in this class."

Blossom nodded frantically before bowing her head. Her lips wobbled. "Y-yes, sir!"

"And be sure to arrive to class on time. No running in a second before the bell."

"Yes, sir."

Blossom could hear the pleased smirk in his voice, a low simmer edging under her skin.

"Good girl."

reviews are very much appreciated. if this sucks already, i'll take it down.

thank you for reading.