The Professor and the Fledgling

Drabble One:

Date Night Conversations

It was a regular Friday night in Thomas Hunt's less than humble abode. But instead of spending the night reading a book with a cup of chamomile tea or critiquing the newest movie online with strongly-written words; he was sitting on his sofa with a twenty-two year old director watching DVDs of old classic movies that confirmed the harsh reality that the current film industry's standards had indeed declined. Normally the thirty-five year old man would never even think about entering into a relationship with a much younger woman- let alone with his own student.

But Fia was a stubborn one; the girl was too pushy and as much as he would love to deny a sole blaspheme- she had a certain charm that was impossible to ignore. Plus... he normally didn't date girls like her.

His previous relationships had taken a different route of courtship which consisted of five-star restaurants and chilled bottles of the finest champagne in a crystal ice bucket with the soft tone of a violin being played on the background. But with Fia; the pâté on toasted focaccia was replaced with a large cheese pizza and chips, the reserved table at the Chateau de Rose had turned into a quiet night in his house- just like tonight.

Apparently Fia was the simplest student HU had ever accepted. He thought that beige off-shoulder sweater and plain red skirt was just a fashion faux pas she was trying to pull off but when he had asked her out for dinner at an exclusive Italian bistro; she donned the simple black dress that he had the misfortune of seeing numerous times. He had a sneaking suspicion she owned a single decent formal dress and the other ensembles were borrowed from Addison Sinclair.

Right now, she's wearing a plain red polo shirt and khaki shorts that stopped a couple of inches above her knees, exposing her pale complexion. If he didn't know any better he would've accused her of trying to seduce him but she would just quirk a brow at him and a perhaps flash a coy smile and simply tease him about it.

It was a little game between them; try to see who would cave first. Both of them possessed a stubborn streak that no one can match and the need to be the one calling the shots in their clandestine relationship was usually their goal on every date. He won the previous round by catching her off-guard with a sincere compliment. Obviously she didn't see that one coming since she kept blushing and ducking her head down with strands of her raven hair framing her face.

He underestimated the value of a simple "You look beautiful tonight" and he managed to render her speechless for a full hour except for a mumble of thanks.

The sudden movement on his right indicated that she had changed her sitting position again. She wasn't one to sit still on a single spot over a long period of time; even in class she kept squirming like a worm. The fledgling director suddenly jumped when the score spiked from the normally ominous tune to a suspenseful trill. The female's scream filled the living room and the camera focused on the 'blood' that slowly swirled to the tub's drain. Hunt rolled his eyes as he leaned on the cushions and placed his arm over the back of the couch.

"Don't act like you didn't see that one coming" he drawled out, "This scene the most memorable in Alfred Hitchcock's filmography. If you have managed to remember anything from my class then you'll know that the director had just killed his protagonist on the first-"

"-act. Yeah, believe it or not I was actually listening to the lecture" she answered, her light brown eyes focused on the screen, no doubt studying the way the cameras were placed to maximize the impact of each second. "I think Alfred Hitchcock was a great visionary though" she said, "He didn't need a huge budget to create that creepy atmosphere."

"Hitchcock was the genius ahead of his time" he answered "He understood the importance of making a great film whereas nowadays a director can get an award by making seven-foot blue aliens and computer-generated characters. And what's worst was that millions of dollars on budget were given to a man who just likes to blow everything up."

"Oh, you mean Michael B-"

"We do not speak of that name in my house!" he growled menacingly which earned him a giggle.

"Okay, okay. But I think Hitchcock's reputation slipped when his lead actress reported that he had psychologically traumatized her in order to get 'authenticity' of her fear" she diplomatically replied, "That's a bit overboard don't you think?"

"Not really" he answered; her eyes that widened with surprise at his casual tone. "Francis Coppola, the director for the movie Godfather, had placed an actual horse's head without telling the actor and what he got was a genuine fear where audiences can relate to."

Fia raised a brow and threw a look to him over her shoulder, "Why am I not surprised that you somehow approve that kind of method?"

"Because it's a director's job to make a good screenplay into a memorable movie" he huffed out with pride "You can't settle with a mediocre script and expect the critics to like it. Even if you filled the movie with prolific A-Listers, it will still be a flop if the story is no good."

Fia gave a small snort as she hugged her legs to her chest, "Why must everything we talk about turn into some sort of lecture... professor?"

The word made him cringe; she used a certain tone that never failed to make his face flush- with embarrassment or anger he didn't know but at least she had the good sense of avoiding that tone in the presence of other people.

He cleared his throat and focused his sights on the movie in order to regain some semblance of dignity; all too aware that she was looking at him. "You better stop scowling, wrinkles don't suit you" she teased.

A perceptible low growl erupted from his throat; she knew damn well that he didn't like the 'getting old' jokes. But the girl liked to play with fire; and she just had this inane habit of trying to get a rise out of him.

Finally deciding to stop annoying him, she leaned against his shoulder with a serene expression on her face despite the tense moments that was playing on his screen. Even with the sharp trills of the violin and the haggard breathing of the actress that was walking towards the rocking chair, Hunt and Fia were entirely comfortable on the sofa.

He almost jumped when he felt something touch his face- only to realize that she was just brushing strands of hair from his forehead. Hunt had learned during their little tryst that she will use that gesture when she wanted some form of affection and not wanting to disappoint; he leaned down to catch her cherry balm-covered lips when the sound of her cellphone interrupted the moment.

Shooting an apologetic look to him, she excused herself and ran to the kitchen to get some privacy. Apparently the walls were paper-thin because he can clearly hear the thrum of the club music blasting from the other line and Lisa Valentine's voice was loud enough to wake the dead-

"FIA! PARTY AT BLITZ RIGHT NOW SO DROP WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING AND GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!"

He can only imagine Fia holding the phone several inches away from her ear before he heard her muffled answer. He didn't bother to speculate her response because the pop star repeated it ten times louder-

"WHAT D'YA MEAN YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING IMPORTANT?! ZOE AND MASIKA AKA 'THE R&B PRINCESS' IS HERE! AND CHRIS HAS BEEN ASKING FOR YOU-"

Ah, Chris Winters.

The familiar twitch on his left brow awoke when he heard the actor's name escape the phone. Not that the boy can ever compete with him but the fact that some of the press had dubbed them as the 'Two gorgeous people who aren't a couple but should totally be one' had gritted his nerves. The reality that the young man had shown his interest on his girlfriend can take a toll on his indifferent facade but he can't really blame the guy; their relationship was a well-kept secret and so far they pretty much kept it under lock and key.

"UNLESS YOU'VE GOT A HOT GUY WITH YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU HAVE TO COME!"

"-I'm in a middle of a date!" Fia shouted through the pink-haired diva's rant "So can you please- please, let me have this one night?!"

There was a long period of silence before Hunt realized that the shouts now turned into hushed whispers and she entered the living room with a tired face. "I'm beginning to wonder if if I could ship Lisa back to Carlotta" she mused before slumping on the couch and laid her head against his arm.

"... did you tell Lisa-"

"No! God no. I just told her I'm on a date with a really great guy and I don't want to blow it up over some party" she shrugged like it was no big deal.

Hunt's mouth curled with disapproval "You shouldn't have let that opportunity pass by. Who knows when you'll need them for a movie or a project-"

She pulled back with an alarmed look in her eyes, staring at him like he had just pulled off a rubber mask and revealed himself as Robert Downy, Jr. "Okay, who are you and what have you done to the crabby, egomaniac who was sitting in this sofa a few minutes ago?"

"Sarcastic humor can't save you all the time" he warned before he softened his expression, "If you keep letting these moments of gaining influences in Hollywood go by then your craft will suffer. You'll need all that- not my choice of words- star-power, if you want to make it to the top."

His words must've seeped into that thick skull of hers since she made a thoughtful face and crossed her arms. He was ready for her to say that he's right and leave for the party- but instead, she shrugged and focused her eyes on the screen.

"I don't think I'm going to miss an opportunity if I didn't go to one rave. I have Zoe and Chris on speed dial and besides," she gave him a side glance and a small smile crept to her lips "I'd rather spend a night with you discussing about movies than party out all night with friends and then wake up with a killer hangover. Although that side effect can still happen on either scenarios" she japed.

He stared at her for a few moments before returning his gaze on the television; he didn't know how to respond without embarrassing himself or act so... sentimental.

But he can't help but utter the words-

"Thank you..."

Fia just grinned even as the film drew to a close before she sighed "I'm just grateful she bought the whole 'I'm with a really great guy' story. I wonder how that will be like if it's true"

The perpetual frown dawned upon Hunt's face as his eyes scanned the credits on the screen, "Well I'd barely grade you as passable for my standards."

"Please, you'll only give the perfect grade to someone else if they had managed to -God forbid- clone you" she scoffed, playing with a stray strand of hair with her finger.

"Perfection will always strive for nothing less" he replied with great relief that they had come into something they're used to: bantering.

"Are you saying I'm the best then?" she teased back, her eyes brightened considerably.

"Don't twist my words or you'll receive an F on your next assignment" he growled although they both knew that the threat was idle.

Fia snorted as she grabbed a potato chip bag and popped it open with a single pull, "You'll find any way to give me an F, whether I deserved it or not."

"Don't need to, you already need remedial classes for Intro to Fashion" he smugly replied and relished the way her face fell.

"We just entered into the Student-Teacher role again" she sighed, "I just don't know that much about clothes"

"Your daily attire said that as much" he said, earning him a glare but it transformed into a wicked grin before she leaned close to his ear and whispered,

"Do you offer private lessons?"

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review so I'll know whether or not to continue this story.

About my MC: Don't get me wrong I like Chris but I like my character to have that 'fire' in her. I dislike the goody-two shoes archetype and I like my character's personality whenever she dates Hunt due to her sarcasm and dry humor. Plus... Hunt is (quoting Aria from the game) 'Hot damn!'

Note: I meant no offense to Michael Bay fans, i just wrote what Hunt would react regarding his... directing procures.