A/N: Sequel to Hunting Happiness, could probably stand alone. Please R&R. Enjoy!
Hunt stopped outside the studio warehouse which was being used as the set for Love is Everywhere. It was a typical hot LA afternoon, so the way his collar was sticking to his neck was already irritating him despite it being just a short walk from the Hollywood U campus. Not to mention the fact that he could only get a tour of a ridiculous romantic drama; of course, any experience is good experience, but he wished that he could have brought his students to see the making of something a little more… substantial.
"Listen up, everyone," he barked at the chattering crowd of students. He'd had them in class long enough that they no longer fell silent when he scowled at them, but the noise did gradually trail off. "We're fortunate the producer is giving us the opportunity. That means you will behave in a way that reflects well on the university, no exceptions."
Hunt glared at MC in particular. They had been getting cocky lately, and since the disaster at the masquerade ball he had no energy to deal with their shenanigans. It had been easier than he could have hoped to ignore what had happened between them—what he had let happen—but he just knew that they were waiting for an opportunity to get him alone and talk about it.
MC waved their hand dismissively, tossing a smirk to the blonde fashionista they were always hanging around with. Alison? Madison? "Yeah, yeah, I'm a troublemaker."
Hunt ignored them with practiced ease. "No phones allowed on set! Put them in the bin by the doors as you enter!"
An annoyingly-upbeat woman greeted him inside the large double doors. "You must be Professor Hunt! It's a pleasure to have you and your class on set. Unfortunately none of the actors are here today, but I thought I'd show everyone around the sets and explain how some of the more technical things are done. How does that sound?"
He finally extracted his hand from her excited handshake. "That sounds fine. I'll keep to the back and make sure there are no stragglers."
Despite what the woman had promised, most of the tour was spent gushing over the leads' chemistry. The sets were lackluster and cliché—a sidewalk cafe, a poorly-constructed office scene for the love interest's internship, a mostly-pink apartment complete with a refrigerator which was surely full of fake ice cream tubs for the lead to sob into. There were no professionals around for his students to talk to, not even a stray camera man. The experience as a whole was very disappointing.
After thanking the woman through a grimace, Hunt stood off to the side and counted his students as they left. The last thing he needed would be to have to go back and pick up somebody they left behind.
He couldn't really say he was surprised when MC approached. "Excuse me, Professor?"
"What do you want, MC?" Hunt pinched the bridge of his nose so that he wouldn't have to meet their eyes. Please just be complaining about the walk back.
"We need to talk about what happened…" Don't. Don't. Don't. "…at the masquerade."
Hunt flinched at the words. Maybe he wasn't repressing the situation as well as he had originally thought. With a violent gesture, he snatched MC's arm and dragged them backwards into a shadow. Their passing classmates didn't give them a second glance.
MC met his eyes steadfastly, even when he didn't let go of their arm. "Professor Hunt, I…" They trailed off, leaning forward slightly.
"MC…" Hunt breathed out, startled by their closeness. His mind furiously replayed scenes of them dancing together, his hand on their back able to feel every shift of the muscle beneath their skin. Are you going to kiss me?
Suddenly, one of the lights overhead popped and sizzled and the moment was lost. Hunt jerked backward, his hand falling to his side. "Are you crazy?! I don't know what you think is going to happen, but—"
"But what?"
"I've already said everything that needs to be said, MC." He set his fact back into its natural scowl. "Our circumstances haven't changed. Nothing's changed."
MC was obviously gearing up for an argument. "But—"
They were interrupted by a metallic squeal as the heavy double doors swung shut. MC dodged around him to try and stop them.
"Hey! Wait! We're in here!"
Hunt followed but he could hear the lock turn and knew it was too late. MC tugged fruitlessly at the handle as real panic began to overtake him.
"You idiots! Let us out!" His voice most certainly didn't crack in the middle of his desperate shout. When there was no response, he turned angrily to MC. "Great. Now I'm stuck with you for who knows how long on the set of this idiotic romance film."
MC waggled their eyebrows. "There are worse ways to spend a night."
"I assure you, there are not. And if you think this is a date, MC, let me stop that misconception right now. This is not a date." He paused to spin around, looking for any other exit signs. "I can't believe you got us locked in here."
"Me?" MC asked incredulously, finally dropping their hands from the door. "How is this my fault?"
"You wanted to talk. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Hey!" MC took several large steps towards Hunt. "You're the one who dragged me all the way over here!"
"I was compensating for your lack of discretion," the professor bit back.
MC threw up their hands. "It doesn't matter. Regardless, we're stuck."
"Let's just find a way out as quickly as possible. I don't want to have to deal with you." Hunt could already feel his unconcerned facade slipping with MC's close presence. The masquerade ball had been just a few hours. Now some of those walls were already broken down and they were potentially facing a night alone together. If he couldn't control himself before, how would he manage it now?
"No offense taken, in case you were wondering. Assuming you actually have emotions in that robot heart of yours." Hunt turned to look at MC, surprised by the bitterness in their voice. When he saw their carefully guarded expression he could only shake his head and strike out farther into the set.
"There should be an emergency exit near the back."