WARNING:
The following contains yaoi and student/teacher relations.
Don't like. Don't read.
I do not own Hetalia or any of it's characters.
All I own is the plot.

Ivan was a loner. He was cold and if one wouldn't be surprised if clemency was unknown to him. Whenever someone approached him, they did so with circumspect. There just was something wrong with his strange, empty smile and curt, abrasive behavior. In fact most avoided him whenever they could.

Most.

A certain Alfred F. Jones was the rare exception. He was the complete antitheses of Ivan; the anti-Ivan. Alfred was convivial and comfortable in copious groups of his peers and even his elders. He was popular and well liked. He was Mr. Star Athlete from Texas. He was tanned with perfect teeth, sandy blonde hair, and stunningly blue eyes that sparkled with youth.

Ivan hated him. He hated everything about him and at the mere thought of the loud-mouthed athlete, Ivan would clench his fists and his skin would crawl. Every time the boy opened his mouth to say something with his nasally voice, the muscles in Ivan's left brow would twitch ever so slightly. Ivan hated how Alfred was so charismatic. Alfred was never culpable in the eyes of his teachers and fellow classmates. He hated Alfred's cupidity for attention and that he always received it by his constant flock of peers who were ever-eager to please him. To a loner like Ivan, it was unfathomable why someone would need others' approval in order to feel consummated.

But Ivan was the teacher. He had to bottle up his diatribes every time Alfred turned in his cursory homework; a few vague answers scribbled onto a sheet of paper minutes before class. Instead, Ivan settled for a deprecative nod and bite back a scowl whenever Alfred smiled sheepishly, knowing the boy wasn't the least bit sorry for his lack of efficacy.

Today was no different as Ivan asked for papers. Everyone turned in their work except for Alfred. At least his cohorts had attempted the assignment and turned something in. Alfred however, simply shook his head whenever Ivan asked for his work.

"Sorry Mr. Braginski. I don't have it." he replied, daring to maintain eye contact the entire time.

"Sorry might get you an A in your other classes, but in my class, you're lucky if you're going to even pass at this class." Ivan responded coldly.

Alfred's shoulders slumped.

"See me after class." Ivan added as an afterthought.

"I can't, dude! I have -"

"The excuse of a sport you call football? I know. And I could care less. My class is more important." Ivan sneered.

Alfred's expression darkened, but he didn't argue (a wise choice). The rest of the period was tense and Ivan noticed his students kept stealing glances at the disgruntled Texan, trying to read his mood. Ivan had to focus on his deep breathing so he didn't lose his cool and snap. Really! What was so interesting about Alfred? Perhaps it was the prospective idea of Alfred receiving punishment. That thought was almost enough to draw a genuine smile to Ivan's lips... Almost.

The bell rang and students wasted no time filtering from the room. Not that they usually lingered, but they moved much quicker. Ivan chuckled internally.

Alfred sat in his desk with his shoulders slumped. He had a rather childlike expression etched into his face; eyebrows drawn together, blue eyes wide, lip slightly stuck out. He looked like a puppy that had been kicked.

But Ivan wasn't going to buy it. He sternly ordered Alfred to stand in front of his desk, in which Alfred reluctantly obliged, wordlessly pulling himself from his seat to shuffle to the front of the room and stand in front of Ivan's desk.

"I cannot say I am dissapointed because you have yet to show any effort in my class, but you do realize if you fail my class you won't graduate?"

Alfred nodded, his eyes narrowed and locked onto the floor.

"Do you not understand what is covered in class?"

"I get it."

"Then do you simply neglect the work?"

Silence. Ivan sighed, opting for another tactic.

" You know your GPA has dropped drastically because of your grade in my class? You might not qualify for the team..."

At this Alfred's head snapped up and he went rigid, eyes widening considerably.

"I'd like to see you have me removed from the team," He challenged, an out-of-place dark glint in his eye, "I am the team and everyone knows it."

He had a point. Though Ivan hated the sport, the town loved it and hailed the boy as some kind of hero when it came to football. The town hadn't won a single game until Alfred came out of the blue and mowed over everyone else. The team currently had an undefeated season and high moral. If Ivan kicked him off, he'd be run out of town. He wasn't never he'd lose his job, but times were rough and he needed the paycheck. Aside from that He heaved a sigh.

"Do not hold yourself so high. I was contemplating on helping you, but you seem content on failing on your own and if an anonymous letter informs the state that you do not qualify for sports..."

Realizing his threat was empty in the eyes of his teacher, Alfred quickly picked up where Mr. Braginski had left off, "Okay, okay, okay I get it." He mumbled.

"Good. Now let's not try that again. As I was saying, I know a way you can recover your grade."

Alfred perked up, "Seriously?"

Ivan rolled his eyes, "Seriously. But it will take some effort on your part."

Alfred vigorously nodded his head in agreement.

"Good. You must complete a one thousand word essay on any topic of your choice, outline and MLA citations included, and you must have at least ten hours of tutoring."

"WHAT? I mean, c'mon! A tutor? Really, dude? C'mon Mr. B!"

"Or you could fail..."

Alfred shut his mouth, the childish expression returned, but he nodded his head and muttered, "fine... I accept...".

"Excellent, now I'll make a call you your-"

"One exception!" Alfred interrupted.

Ivan raised one eyebrow, "I'm sorry. Did you think this was a negotiation? It's (how do you Americans say?) 'My way or the highway.'" Ivan said, his voice with a hint of amusement.

"I got it, just... just please don't call my Dad. He'll be pissed. Really pissed..."

Something akin nervousness skittered across the boy's eyes and an uncomfortable familiarity settled uneasily in Ivan's stomach. He pushed the feeling away and nodded.

"Fine. I expect that essay in 2 weeks and I'll write a note for you to come in during your study hall."

Alfred nodded and accepted the tardy note Mr. Braginski had written him. As he was about to leave the room he stopped. He turned and muttered a barely audible "thanks" and was gone in a flash.

Ivan watched him go and rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering if doing "the right thing" was worth it.

Notes

This started out as a vocabulary assignment in English where we were supposed to write a story with a certain list of vocab words; I of course (sneakily) made a fanfic out of it.

I also have been DYING to write a Teacher!IvanxStudent!Alfred. I'm on my way to Hell I swear... I haven't written on my other stuff because I'm really stuck, but I'm pretty solid where I'm going with this and it shouldn't be long, but I felt I was going to explode if I didn't write something!

Thanks for reading, reviews and critiques are appreciated~!