I don't own W.I.T.C.H. or the characters and no money is being made.
Note: I heard that Horseberg and Warton don't appear in the cartoon, so you may not get much out of this unless you have read the comics.
EVEN MONSTERS CAN DATE
Irma didn't like drawing. It was a talent she simply hadn't been blessed with and she didn't understand why it was being taught at school. Hay Lin said it was fun and brought a relaxing change to studying, but to Irma it caused only more stress.
Art projects with a deadline were in no way her idea of having fun. Yet again she had avoided finishing them until she had been in such a hurry that had had to skip all the classes that day. It wasn't like her and she felt butterflies in her stomach.
I hope Ms. Warton is here, she thought as she hurried through the corridors in Sheffield Institute. The school day was over and there was nobody in sight -- would a student in their right mind have spent any more time at school than was necessary?
"Honestly? I would have never guessed."
Irma froze for a second and then rushed behind a corner. She could recognise that voice anywhere. Horseberg! She was having such a bad luck, almost running to the most hated teacher in the entire school. Students disliked Horseberg not only because of his subject of choice, but also because the man was self-centred, boring and smug and didn't show mercy in class.
Don't let him see me! Irma knew that they had had a Math test that day and she doubted Horseberg would be happy to find out that her absence wasn't due to a sudden illness.
Soft laughter startled her and she realised that Horseberg wasn't alone. Ms. Warton was with him. Brilliant. The person I need to meet is in such a company that I can't go to her. Irma pressed her art folder against her chest and wondered what she'd do.
The teachers' steps stopped.
"May I ask what you think you're doing?" Horseberg's voice was confused. He almost sounded like a human. "What if someone --"
"Shh, you fool. There is no one here anymore," Warton said playfully.
Blush spread on Irma's face. She really didn't want to hear her two teachers talk like this. A quick glance around told her that she had no place to hide. At the other end of the corridor was a broom closet that was already locked at this time of the day, and in the other direction she would have to face the teachers.
Of course she could always remain there and hope that the situation didn't evolve further. But if something did happen and she was caught, she'd be in big trouble.
Here goes, she thought, swallowed and stepped from behind the corner. Her relief was immense when she saw that nothing serious was going on. No kiss and Horseberg's ugly tie and glasses were still in place. The teachers weren't even touching each other.
"Good evening, Mr. Horseberg and Ms. Warton," she said and smiled as politely as she could. Both teachers jumped and Horseberg even took a step away from his colleague. For once the man looked like he didn't know what to say.
"Hello, Irma," Warton stated. She didn't look shocked which was something you couldn't say about Horseberg. His face had grown deeply red, but Irma couldn't say whether it was because of anger or embarrassment. Neither option felt nice to her.
"Ms. Lair! What do you think you're doing here and sneaking up on us like that?" the Math teacher asked sharply. Irma suspected that Warton's presence was the only thing stopping the man from raging to his heart's desire.
She raised her folder. "I need to turn these in today", she replied and handed the projects to Warton.
"I see you managed to get them done at the last minute, as usual", the woman said. She didn't look amused, but unlike Horseberg, didn't seem to want to have Irma's head served on a plate.
"And I see that you're not suffering from the chicken pox that your friend told me about," Horseberg stated, now in a much calmer manner. Irma wanted to slap herself. Stupid Hay Lin!
"Well, you see, I had to finish my projects," she said, not daring to look Horseberg in the eyes. Irma wasn't usually afraid of anyone, but Horseberg had turned nastiness into an art. Irma had always thought that not a single Math teacher was a normal human being and to this day she hadn't encountered an exception to the rule.
Horseberg snorted. "No explanations, Ms. Lair. Unless the management has left me in the dark regarding their latest decisions, skipping classes is still against the rules in this school. A week in detention might make that clear enough for you," he said and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Irma's mood darkened. An entire week! It meant trouble for the witches and their mission. Fortunately Warton decided to save her day.
"Don't be stupid. One day doesn't mean anything. And she did spend it on school work," the woman said turning to face Horseberg.
"But..." the man looked like he was ready to argue.
"Don't start. I'm thinking of something else we need to talk about," Warton said. Irma realised that this was her chance to slip away. She bid her quick farewell and almost ran out of the school.
Once outside she drew a deep breath and sighed. She had been saved from detention, but she was sure the next Match class was going to be utter Hell.
The End