P.S. I Love You

Pairing : Alan Humphries X Eric Slingby

Rating : T

Genre : Romance

Prompt : I love you

Summary : Exam period is coming and Alan needs to grade the assignments.

Disclaimer : Alan Humphries and Eric Slingby belong to each other! (*^^*)

Warning : Suggestive themes, AU.

"That's all for today. Class dismissed."

The class groaned in appreciation and the chairs and desks creaked loudly as the students moved about, muttering half-hearted goodbyes to the teacher standing in front of the class and bolted home. The teacher simply smiled and nodded, fully aware that the makeup class he conducted was not going to be as productive as his regular classes. His students would be worrying about their upcoming exams and meeting the deadlines of their assignments, that he understood. That also goes to the pretty raven that had just bid him goodbye, whose skirt was way too short for the school's regulations. When the exam period has come, his students would be cranky and started to break small rules, what for he would never understand. As he continued his career as a teacher he had learnt to let them pass as long as they did not cross any major lines, and focussing his headache on marking the assignments and worrying about the exam questions and revisions instead.

After the girl had closed the door behind her, he turned to the last student that was still on his seat. The blonde's wavy strands was messy as ever, the student stretched lazily and loosened his tie to open the top buttons of his shirt but never looked away from him.

"Aren't you going home, Mr Slingby?" he asked as he gathered his scattered files and papers on his desk.

"Later," the blonde replied simply. "How about you?"

Alan considered what he was going to say, and hoped that he was not asking at the wrong time. "I still have to grade some assignments. And if you're not going back anytime soon, I was hoping that I can talk to you regarding some of your missing assignments."

Eric tilted his head curiously and nodded. "I have time," he said and gestured to the things he was holding. "I'll be after you after I … finished preparing something."

Alan simply lifted a brow at the strange behaviour, but he was not going to question further and simply settled on agreeing. "I will be in my office, then."

When he opened the door, his colleague was standing in front, looking like he was about to go in himself when he suddenly walked out. Smiling and apologizing, Alan tidied the falling papers on his arm. "Were you looking for me, Will?"

William T. Spears looked decidedly unimpressed that Alan managed to surprise him and straightened his glasses with a pen. "Actually, yes, Mr Humphries. I've just finished grading the assignments and filled them in, only to find there's another student from your class that haven't submitted it."

Alan could feel his cheek heating. Will hated it when the students failed to meet the deadlines, and it did not exclude his students. "I-I'm very sorry. If you'll let me know the name, I'll speak with my student later and make sure that they'll submit it to you as soon as possible."

"I'd appreciate that, Mr Humphries," Will replied without blinking. "Mr Slingby has passed the deadline of seven days and I'll have to cut the grade by the standard rule of five per cent per day if I don't see it on my desk by Friday."

Alan mentally face palmed. He had just met three other teachers last week complaining the same thing of the same student. He really has to talk to Eric, the sooner the better.

"I will have him deliver his assignment before Friday," Alan said. "Please reconsider the downgrading—thirty five per cent would make it difficult for him to pass the subject."

"It would depend on how soon I see the hardcopy on my desk and the quality of his work, Mr Humphries," Will replied. "I will be going back, then."

"Sure," Alan bowed. "Take care, Will."

Will nodded and left, leaving him standing alone in the silent hall. It was seven in the snowy evening and Alan has yet to begin his grading, he was starting to wonder if he will ever make it home that night.

The door beside him opened and revealed his troubled student, looking as uncaring as always. Alan had to look up to him because of their difference in height. "Follow me, Mr Slingby."

The two of them made the trip to his small office silently. Alan entered and placed the papers he was holding to yet another high stack of the sheets he had to finish before the exams started, and gestured to one of his guest seats for the blonde. Eric complied and sunk into one of them, scanning the papers before returning his attention to the brunette.

"Do you need something?" the blonde shot right after he had sat down.

Alan stared at him and tried to contain his growing annoyance and confusion. "Yes, Mr Slingby. And you should know very well what I'm going to tell you."

It was not the first time Alan had had this troublesome of his blond student to meet him in his office for some private words. Eric Slingby had been in his homeroom and therefore under his care and responsibilities from the first year. He had been skipping classes and failing to submit his assignments on time, for the last three years Alan found himself having to talk to teachers and convince them that he would have the assignments for them more frequently. It only resulted in Eric adding himself and his graduation to the list of the things Alan had to worry about constantly. However, said blonde had never skipped any of his classes; he would show up even on make up classes and extra tutorials, he would deliver his assignments a couple days late himself to his office and gave him a perfect work, and he had the annoying habit of leaving a part in the exam of only the subjects he was teaching completely blank, leaving him thoroughly confused as to why he would do so.

Alan was mourning on the fact that he could not figure out the reason of his actions even after he was going to graduate.

Eric nodded in response, his face void of any guilty expressions. "Indeed."

Alan sighed softly and decided to just continue. "I met Mr Spears and he told me that you haven't submitted his assignment just now. That also goes to your three other subjects—geography, literatures, and chemistry. Oh, and mine, too."

"I have them all here," Eric pulled a stack of papers out of his bags, all of them properly labelled to the requirements of each teachers and filed into separate folders.

Alan could feel his relief, confusion, and annoyance all increasing inside him at the same time. He took the files offered to him and checked that they were all there indeed.

"You should try meeting the deadline next time, Mr Slingby," Alan scolded softly and put the other files on top of his keyboard, taking only his and started to flip around the pages. "I can't keep helping you to convince your other teachers and it might affect your graduation."

There was a short silence in the room. "There won't be any next time," Eric mumbled.

Alan looked up from his assignment, thinking that Eric had finally decided to stop bringing him troubles.

"I'm going to graduate soon, aren't I? It's my final year here."

It struck Alan like he had been hit with a tonne of textbooks from the library.

"T-That's true," Alan stuttered. "You're already in the third year."

Eric said nothing and looked away from his face for the first time.

From the few random pages he had scanned through, there were no mistakes. Perfect, as always.

"You gave me perfect assignments, Mr Slingby, always," Alan said, partly to himself. "Even though you're going to graduate soon, I still can't figure out why you'd never submit them on time—nor leaving the blanks on your examinations. I know that you can answer those questions perfectly."

Eric merely snorted. "I knew that you haven't figured it out."

Alan quirked a brow. "Oh? How so?"

"If you had known, you won't be having me sitting here like you always do."

The answer only sent him further to his confusion. What was he even talking about?

Eric abruptly stood up and leaned in. Alan jerked back from their suddenly closed distance, but Eric held on to his chair, preventing him to retreat further to the wall behind him.

"I'm considering to fail my exams this year," Eric said slowly. "If I don't pass, I'll have another year here."

"W-Wha—"

"I'll have another year with you," he mumbled, "and more chances to delay submitting my assignments so that I can be with you alone, only two of us."

Alan leaned back his chair the best he could.

"What are you even talking about, Mr Slingby?" was all he managed to get out of his mouth in a whisper.

"I'm talking about this," Eric said, and leaned in to press his lips against his teacher's.

Right then and there, Alan understood what it meant when he read in the books the phrase 'and his world stopped ticking'.

Eric did not force his way in; he merely moved his lips against his with small nips and gave him a lick before pulling away, studying his face for his reactions to the kiss.

Alan was speechless and could only take his lost breath back before he died. Dear gods in heaven, he did not want to know what or how he looked like right now.

"If I haven't submitted my assignments late, or leaving those blanks, will you notice me, Mr Humphries? Or give me the chance to get close to you by this one-to-one private talks?" he whispered, and leant in for another kiss.

Flabbergasted, Alan could only respond to his student in the way he did not really intend to. He kissed the blonde back and wound his fingers into the golden locks unconsciously, and only realizing what he had done when he had pulled back with a burning face and insane heartbeats.

He had lost his ability to form coherent sentences in his speech, too. "I-I'd never expect—"

"I told you," Eric mumbled as he slipped a hand under his jaw to tilt his face up. "If you had realized, it would be so much different now, wouldn't it?"

Alan, however, was not paying that much of his attention to what he was saying and instead tried to process what had just happened.

"M-Mr Slingby, I'm your teacher," he stuttered, "I-I apologize for what I did but we can't—"

"It doesn't matter," Eric replied quickly and pulled him into a hug. "It doesn't, really. All I cared of is that I love you and I want to be with you, that's all."

"Mr Slingby—"

"Just call me Eric," he whispered. "Just Eric. No more of that Mr Slingby thing from you, please?"

Alan was positive that it was impossible he could ever look at him in his eyes the same way again. "E-Eric—"

Eric pulled back and looked at him straight in his eyes, just when he thought of the same thing. Alan cursed mentally for losing his cool and try to reason with him.

He must have seen what Alan was going to do, because he simply laid his head on his shoulder and wound his arms around his torso, preventing him to escape.

"Give me a chance," Eric mumbled. "Let me prove myself to you that I'm worthy of your love."

Alan could feel the barriers he had been putting up crumble before this blonde. "Don't I have a say in this?"

Eric rubbed his back gently. "You do," he said. "But I still hope that you'll give me—us—a chance."

"I'm your teacher," he replied weakly. "I'm not allowed to do this."

Eric huffed and looked at him. "You're Alan Humphries," he insisted. "And you're the one I want to be with."

Alan was not sure if he could get any redder or how long he would be able to maintain his consciousness. "T-That's—"

"I'm going to graduate soon," Eric mumbled. "If I do, I won't be your student and you won't be my teacher anymore."

Alan nodded half-heartedly. "That's true."

"Should I give you some time?" Eric pulled back, finally, to his normal standing position. "You know, to think about it? And maybe agree to it?"

Alan blushed again and straightened his crumpled shirt and crooked tie from all the hugs and kisses from the blonde. "T-That'd be nice…" he replied unsurely.

Eric ran his fingers through his bangs without his permission and kissed his forehead. "I'll be waiting," he whispered. "Just call me anytime."

Then he pulled back and walked out of the office, leaving a blushing Alan Humphries behind in his office to think of what had just happened.

He collapsed onto his chair and picked up his fallen assignment from the floor. A piece of paper that he had not noticed before flew out of it and landed near his shoe, much to his curiosity. He picked it up and immediately recognized the handwriting as Eric's.

He read and read again, until he was sure he was reading what he was reading. When he did, he decided that Eric and he would need to sit on another one-to-one private talk session. This time, they would not be talking about late assignments and blank parts of exams. Alan could only imagine what will happen then.

Maybe he should scold him before considering Eric's … proposal.

Alan face palmed, this time not only mentally but also physically, picking up all the new assignments and his bag and decided that he would deliver them himself to respective teachers before going back for an early sleep.

He would have to begin grading those papers tomorrow.

I'm truly sorry for all the trouble I've brought you for the last three years.

I'll try reconsidering failing the exams so that I don't bring you more, but I can't promise you anything yet.

-E.S.-

P.S. I love you.

Eric Slingby grinned to himself as he saw Alan walked out of the school building and went to the opposite way he was hiding at, a piece of small paper he knew very well held in his hand in front of his face. He would see him again soon and hopefully, when he does, it will come out in a happy ending of his life as his student and a happy beginning as his lover.

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy! ^^/