Isaac read Professor Hale's message a second and a third time but the meaning didn't get clearer.

See me in my office on Wednesday.

"What does that even mean?" Isaac asked too loud, his own voice ringing in his ears. It didn't sound as if the professor had granted him an extension so why did he want to see him?

Isaac squinted at his own rambling but it was just that, drunk rambling. At least he hadn't dropped Professor Stilinski's name.

The email was embarrassing but Isaac doubted that it was the first incoherent email the professor had gotten. Even after a more careful reread, Isaac couldn't find anything offensive or otherwise inappropriate. Maybe Professor Hale wanted to ream him out for this message just because. As if it wasn't embarrassing enough.

Isaac closed the email and opened his assignment. He was hungover, he couldn't put that message out of his head and whenever he managed to not panic over that, his encounter with Professor Stilinski replayed in his mind. Things did not get better when Scott came home but at least he left him alone once Isaac hissed at him.

He did manage to upload the assignment with two minutes to spare but he knew that it was far from being good. Even under best circumstances, it wouldn't have been great but like this, it would probably have been better to not hand in anything at all. It would have sucked for his grade but it would have been way less embarrassing.

Isaac went to bed right after he'd closed his laptop and thanks to exhaustion he didn't lie awake for long.

When Isaac came into Professor Stilinski's class on Monday, Boyd and Erica were already sitting at their places and Danny came in right behind him. They all looked at each other, not sure what to expect, but before they could talk, Professor Stilinski came in, ready to start his class.

Isaac was waiting for something to happen. For the professor to look at him or to ask him to stay after class. Just something. But class was like always, nothing out of the ordinary happened and at the end, Isaac wondered if he'd imagined seeing his professor the other day.

The others kept a curious eye on the professor as well but they hadn't seen him going into the stall with that man, they were lacking the visual Isaac couldn't put out of his head, so after a few minutes, they shrugged it off and were taking notes as usual. Isaac would have to ask Erica for hers because for the life of his he couldn't focus on what the professor was saying.

Erica could give him the notes along with the ones for Professor Hale's class because there was no way he would be able to face him as well today.

Isaac used the extended lunch break to catch up with his other classes and by Tuesday he could almost laugh over drunk messaging his professor. Even his encounter with Professor Stilinski seemed distant by then, it did help that the professor had no idea that one of his students had seen him at the club.

The anxiety rose again when it was time to see Professor Hale on Wednesday.

Isaac knocked on the door and waited for the "Come in" before he took a deep breath and entered the office.

Professor Hale was sitting at his desk. He'd been working on his computer but now he motioned for Isaac to have a seat.

"If this is about the email …" Isaac sat down on the edge of the seat. "I'm sorry, that was unprofessional. It won't happen again."

He ran his hand up and down his thighs, wondering if he should say more, explain himself, or if he should shut up. It was not helping that Professor Hale just looked at him without saying a word. He studied him over the rim of his glasses like a disproving librarian and now Isaac got what Lydia had meant when she'd said that the professor made people weep with that look. He kind of felt like weeping. Isaac swallowed thickly and ran his suddenly sweaty palms over his pants one last time before he cramped his fingers around his knees to still his hands.

This was ridiculous. He was an adult. He was not a third-grader who got scolded for not doing his homework.

"Why are you in my class?" Professor Hale finally spoke.

"I … what?" Blindsided by the question Isaac gaped at him.

"Why are you in my class?" Professor Hale repeated his question. He put his folded hands on the desk and something in his stern look softened. "You major in engineering and you're good at it. You're doing well in your other classes as well. But half the time when you're in my class you just look confused. And this …" He gestured at the screen he'd been looking at. From this angle, Isaac couldn't see it but it was obvious that he was talking about his assignment. "Don't excuse this with going out on your birthday. This is not your first year here, you know how to get your work done on time."

Isaac shrank deeper into his seat. The professor was right.

"You don't need my class," Professor Hale continued. "It's taking up time and energy you need for your other classes."

"I know," Isaac said meekly. He was well aware of that fact. He'd spent the time he should have been in Professor Hale's class on Monday catching up on those other classes.

"So again, why?" He raised his eyebrows in an attempt to figure him out. "Nobody just wakes up one day and decides that astrophysics is something they have to sign up for."

Avoiding his eyes Isaac had a look around the office. There wasn't much to see, just the usual cabinets and bookshelves, nothing personal, but then Isaac spotted the telescope hidden in a corner.

"A friend of mine," Isaac said, eyes fixed on the telescope. It was half-hidden in the gap between a bookcase and the wall, easy to miss. "She went on that field trip to the observatory with you last year."

"That was a one-time occasion," Professor Hale said. "My class is about the physical aspects of the stars."

"I know." Isaac managed to tear his eyes off the telescope. "But it sounded fascinating."

The professor studied him for a long moment and Isaac caught himself glancing over to the telescope again. And not just because he wanted to avoid that look.

"When I was a child I had one like that." He nodded over to the corner. "I loved it. I spent endless hours out on the roof or in the fields, watching the stars. When Lydia told me about that field trip, I remembered how much I miss that."

"Get a telescope, then."

"I don't have the money for one," Isaac admitted sheepishly. The insurance money from his father's death was enough to bring him through college but he didn't have much to spare.

"And it's not just that." Isaac took a breath, trying to sort his mind. The professor was right, he didn't need this class but called out on it like this, he realized that he wanted it. He might not be good at it and he might need longer to understand the concepts but for some reason, he liked this class. He got that Professor Hale was basically saying to drop it but he didn't want to.

The professor braced his elbows on the desk and over his folded hands he looked at Isaac, waiting him out.

"I loved watching the stars and now that I saw your telescope I really want to go out tonight and just look at the stars but that's not all." He rubbed his palms over his thighs again. "I want to know how things work. That's why I went into engineering and don't get me wrong I love it and I'm good at it but the stars are more primal. It's like looking at the very beginning of how things work. It's stupid, I know."

Isaac waited for the professor to say something but he just studied him for a moment longer over his folded hands. To not look him in the eye, Isaac lowered his gaze to those hands. He was wearing a ring and for a second Isaac wondered if he had kids and if he looked at them with the same unnerving gaze. Or his wife, Isaac couldn't imagine a woman who fell for someone who looked at people like this.

"Take the telescope," the professor finally spoke. "Bring it back next Wednesday."

"What?" Isaac blinked at him.

"Take it and go watch the stars." Professor Hale gave him an encouraging nod. "By next Wednesday I want an essay about what fascinates you about them. Convince me. Take it as a chance to make up for this." He gestured at the screen of his computer.

Isaac wasn't sure what was happening here but when Professor Hale made an impatient gesture at the telescope, he hurried to get out of his seat.

"Thank you," he stammered while he tried to get the telescope out of the corner as quickly as possible. For a second he feared that he would just drop it but then he had it firmly in his hands. Unsure if he was supposed to just leave with it he looked over to the professor who just shooed him out of the office.

"Thank you," Isaac repeated. "You won't regret it."

"Next Wednesday," the professor said sternly. "And don't skip my class again."

Still not sure what was happening here, Isaac turned to leave. And almost got smacked in the face by the door. His only thought was to protect the telescope so he only realized with a delay who was storming into the office here.

"Somebody left these on my desk, they probably don't know that I'm allergic to peanuts. Or they want to kill me, that's possible too. I had to give out some bad grades. Either way, I know you like them so I thought I'll feed them to you. I would hand-feed them to you but I have plans for the evening, I don't have time for a trip to the ER." Only then did Professor Stilinski seem to notice Isaac. They blinked at each other, Isaac clutching the telescope to his chest and the professor with a package of Reeses in his hand.

"Oh, I didn't know you're with a student." Stilinski gestured awkwardly with the package at Isaac.

"Isaac's leaving," Professor Hale said which Isaac took as his cue to squeeze past Professor Stilinski.

"Do I want to know why he's leaving with your telescope?" He asked but let Isaac pass.

"It's for an assignment," Professor Hale explained.

Professor Stilinski gave Isaac a curious look and Isaac hoped that it was just because he was wondering what kind of assignment required Professor Hale's personal telescope. Because seeing him up close and personal brought back the memory of the other night. Isaac couldn't help but look at the man's mouth with the vivid image of him kissing that other man in his mind.

Isaac ducked his head and hurried out of the office.

"Anyway, these are for you."

The last thing Isaac saw before the door closed behind him was Professor Stilinski setting the snack on Professor Hale's desk with a way too intimate smile.

Isaac stared at the now fully closed door, not sure if he'd imagined that smile or not.

"What the fuck?" He muttered to himself and hurried to get some distance between himself and the door. If Professor Stilinski just wanted to drop off the snack, he should come out any second now but the door stayed stubbornly closed.

Pretending that he needed to get a better grip on the telescope Isaac lingered around for another minute but the professor did not come out.

Trying to get another disturbing image involving his professor out of his mind, Isaac hurried to get the telescope to the safety of his dorm.

"Hale's a married man and straight as a stick," Isaac said to himself. "What the fuck is Stilinski doing?"

Because right now it looked as if his professor was not only cheating on his husband with random men he'd met at a club, and damn had he been eager to get into that guy's pants, but as if he was also trying to seduce Professor Hale. With Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

"What the fuck," Isaac repeated.