Teacher's Pet

   I hated working with a partner. I mean, why couldn't I just do the lab activity on my own for once? I was capable enough to get it done before the jerks working in pairs, and I wanted to show him that. Well, that and I'm always that one person left after everyone's already chosen a partner. Even Crona manages to get a partner before me. I don't know what it is about me but people just like to avoid me. Maybe because I sometimes seem t enjoy this class a little too much.
   I attempted to do the activity on my own before I got called out for not working with anyone. Following the instructions on my lab sheet carefully, I started to take apart and examine the small white mouse I had been provided. I was fine on my own until I realized that there were parts on my worksheet that a partner was required to fill out. It would be obvious if I turned it in with the whole sheet filled out in the same  handwriting that I hadn't followed directions. So I raised my hand shyly.
   "Professor?"
   He looked up at me with those bright hazel eyes. "Yes?"
   "I... um..."
   "You don't have a partner, do you?" He seemed to know everything.
   I nodded. "Should I..?"
   "I'll work with you," he said, a hint of a smile crossing his face.
   "Oh... um... alright..."
   I had expected him to tell me to join another group, but this was much better. I wouldn't have to deal with any of the other kids, and I could get pointers from someone experienced. I was sitting in the front row, so he simply pulled his chair up to my desk and sat down. Backwards, like he always did. I had always found that quirk of his kind of cute.
   He knew I was one of his best students without even trying, yet he walked me through the entire lab process step by step. I was kind of grateful for this, since I was being constantly distracted by watching him. His friendly smile, the way his hand neatly and delicately gripped his scalpel. I found myself almost wishing those strong yet gentle hands were holding me rather than the metal tool.
   "Very good." His voice brought me from my daydreams back into reality. I realized that without thinking I had neatly removed all of the organs I was supposed to.
   "Thanks..." I said, lowering my head and looking away, hoping he couldn't see the shade of pink my cheeks had turned. "I... I want to go to medical school after I graduate from the DWMA... I want to do this for a living, except on humans..."
   He smiled at me. It was a proud, almost fatherly smile. "I'm glad one of my students has decided to follow in my footsteps." He placed a hand on my head and gently ruffled my hair.
   Normally I hated it when people touched me, but this was different. I felt butterflies rise in my stomach when he did that. I nervously scribbled my answers onto the worksheet and then handed it to him, watching as he scrawled in his own half of the work. Then he gave the sheet back to me and gave me that same smile again.
   "I checked your answers for you. You got full credit, as usual. You'll make a good doctor some day."
   I stared at him, not knowing what to say. I managed to choke out a small thanks before he got up and dismissed the class.
   I was on my way out the door when I felt the unmistakable weight of his hand on my shoulder. I turned around. "Y-yes?"
   "Feel free to come by my lab and help out any time," he said. "I could use a hand with some research I'm working on."
   "A-alright..." I didn't know what else to say, so I turned and left, clutching the lab sheet with our messy handwriting scrawled across it to my chest. I planned to visit his lab as soon as possible. I didn't know what I hoped to accomplish while I was there; he was my teacher and I was his student, plus he was much older than me. There was no room for a relationship. But still, maybe the thought of how wrong it was to love my teacher like this was part of the appeal. Maybe I just liked wanting something I couldn't have. And maybe, in my own mind, I could have it, however warped it ended up. To me, we had something special together, whether he thought that or not. And no one could take that from me.