School's crazy but there's only one year left and then hopefully I'll be a nurse and I can hopefully find time between work to get back on these things and maybe even start writing myself. This is a far shorter story than the first two posted but hopefully it's worth a read.
Matthew's approximately 17-18 in this and Ivan's about 23-24 so the age warnings are mostly precautions but if it's a squick there's your warning, otherwise, enjoy!


There was a soft sound of rain against the window, and the students sat erect in their desks, pleated skirts pressed to perfection and slacks starched with precaution, perhaps going a few steps above honoring the private school's dress code. Their uniforms held a certain virtue, like a priest's robes or a country's flag billowing in the breeze. It was definitely something not to be sullied, but to take pride in, to which one student excelled at above the others.
He sat in his chair, fluffing the coiffed blond hair, supposedly in time with the ticks of the clock high on the wall adjacent to him. Precision. It was all about precision and time. 332 strokes through each strand with the brush, not a single strand out of place. 115 brush strokes with the tooth brush to keep the pearls luminescent. Flawless could easily describe him, as well as be used to select him out of the crowd. He clasped his hands on the desk in patience for the arrival of the new instructor, lavender eyes held a sharpened gaze set forward.

A tall, broad man in an expertly pressed suit walked through the door and set his briefcase on the desk and introduced himself "My name is Ivan Braginsky and I will be your replacement instructor" he announced with a thick accent "if you cannot pronounce my last name, try harder." He glanced around at the various faces each one seeming a copy of the next. He reached into his case and grabbed a large stack of papers "You will now be tested to see where you stand in the class at this point and at various points in the year" he explained as he handed pieces of the stacks to the front of each row. "When you receive your test you may begin" he said before taking the extras and sitting back at his desk to observe. It was a multi-part test with sections of general knowledge, knowledge they would have covered in years past, and more advanced knowledge, along with a few analytical questions to gauge each student's learning style.

There were a few notable sighs and groans along with the sounds of papers rustling as each test was distributed amongst each column of desks. The blond took the stapled test that was handed back to him and bent down to retrieve a pencil from his bag. As he came back up his eyes studied the new teacher carefully, shifting back down to the paper on the desk at the first sign of a residual look from the foreign teacher. The blond's head tilted forward, engaged in the challenging material. He analyzed the man while circling the answers with ease and flipping each page.
Obviously Russian, by the accent and surname. *flip* Very neatly dressed, and hair is well kempt too… *flip* This went on for a few more minutes before the blond completed the test and turned back to the first page, keeping the packet on his desk as his arm slowly went skyward. "Mr. Braginsky?" he spoke with haughtiness in his tone, saying the man's name properly even with a hint of an accent specific to the man's homeland, making it a question only to subtly mock any inkling of doubt of the student's brilliance. "I've finished"

Ivan raised an eyebrow "Obviously not. If you had read to the very end you would have found instructions on what to do next; keep silent and find something to occupy yourself while others finish. Next time read thoroughly." He narrowed his eyes a bit. It was that kind of arrogance that made it frustrating to teach in such a prestigious place but the pay was well worth it the majority of the time and over time he should be able to bring the kid off the pedestal he had been perched on.

Matthew's cheshire smile dropped into a frown. He rolled his eyes as he slowly lowered his arm and turned the packet over to read the instructions, a slight head nod as he mouthed the words and then directed his gaze back at the teacher. "May I suggest that you place such regulations on the front page next time" It was more of a demand than a request. And it was more of a test than anything.

Ivan smirked a bit "You are sorely mistaken in your belief that the world will continue to baby you as it seems your previous teachers have. I will teach you to think outside of the box, outside of the expected, before the year is over."

The blond raised his eyebrows and moved his head back a bit, as if a threatened snake had rattled a warning. He smirked at the challenge. 'This will be interesting…' he thought to himself. Finally, someone to match his wit.

He saw that the student was taken aback but smirking. Ivan rested his elbows on his desk and pressed his fingertips together in thought 'It is going to be an interesting year…' The class finished eventually without another word from any of the students thanks to the explanation Ivan had given. The bell rang for the next period and the students gathered their things and left while Ivan prepared for the next onslaught of students.

As Matthew gathered his books and slung his bag over his shoulder he headed towards the door, and gave a passing glance at the teacher, smirking when their eyes met. He tilted his head forward in a small nod as if to communicate an acceptance of their unspoken little game, and then he walked out the door to his next class.

Ivan chuckled as the student walked out. He glanced at the roster for the class and the little photo identification and made note of the name Matthew Williams. 'Well, Mr. Williams, I'll be looking forward to seeing you tomorrow…' he thought to himself as the next slew of students came in and he repeated the instructions to the next set of students. This routine continued for the rest of the day, leaving Ivan with nearly one hundred tests to look through and he thanked the small size of the school that allowed him to be able to go through such a detailed test.

Matthew walked out to his car and drove to Hargreaves Apartment complex about thirty minutes away from the school. He went inside his flat and hung his bag on the hook on the inside of the door before running a bath for himself and taking a moment to fold his clothes neatly on his bed after removing them. He found himself thinking about the new teacher, contemplating him, studying him, trying to memorize every thread and every speech inflection as he stood beside the bath. His breath stilled and his fingers traced his skin as he recalled the clever and prudent smirk that he'd received from Mr. Braginsky. Matthew stepped into the hot water and eased down into the tub, letting the scalding water soak his skin as he relaxed his head at the back wall behind him, meditating on all of the delightful fun he would have with his new teacher.

Ivan went home or what the Academy called home; a faculty complex of cookie-cutter homes to keep the teachers nearby and accessible for student tutoring and counseling. 'But given the amount of foreign teachers and students it is much easier this way' Ivan thought to himself as he set his things down in his office. He heated leftovers from the previous night and got to work looking through the tests. This would be the only easy grade they got in his class, as long as they completed it and followed the directions they would pass with very few points taken off on the information they should have already been taught. He lingered on Matthew's test, the arrogance showing even in the way he worded some of the answers; 'He will definitely need a reality check' he mused as he finished and moved on to the next one.

Matthew drained the water from the bath tub and dried himself off, slipping into some comfortable pajamas before brushing his teeth and getting into bed, wishing the night away so that he could see his teacher the next day.

Ivan graded a good chunk of the papers, the first couple of classes at least, and decided to wash up and retire for the night. He yawned and stretched before cleaning his dishes and heading up to shower and going to bed.
He slept for a good few hours and woke early the next morning to make sure everything was prepared for his classes and left for work.

Matthew had woken up a bit earlier than usual. He thought that maybe if he arrived earlier he would get to play with Mr. Braginsky before class, perhaps even find out what makes him tick.
It was a little past dawn when he got to school, and he hastily made his way to the grandiose entrance. And though he walked confidently and calmly, his insides were in knots, but not a single person could see that by the nonchalant expression he wore.


I hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to the chapters to come, I'll be posting weekly every Friday until it's done! If any part stuck out I'd love to get a comment about it, good or bad, for room for improvement!

~Poison