Post by jazzyjess on Apr 21, 2010 8:56:00 GMT 10
Title: To Sir, With Love
Rating: G
Word Count: 516
Summary: Kel is a diligent student.
Additional Notes: Has nothing to do with the song or movie referenced in the title. University!AU for Mandi. No good at romance between unlikely characters, but perhaps a little bit of tension will do?
--
“Excuse me, Professor Reed?”
He looks up from the documents in front of him, running his fingers absently through his silvering blond hair. There is a student in his doorway, clutching a textbook to her chest and brushing her mousy brown bangs back with the heel of her hand, and he frowns at her. “Yes?” he asks, furrowing his brows.
“I’m sorry to bother you, sir,” says the girl, politeness etched into every feature of her face, “but I have a question about your lecture this afternoon.”
“This afternoon?”
A flash of uncertainty crosses the girl’s face, but she tentatively continues anyway. “Yes, sir, the archaeology lecture. The bit on skeletal properties of the archaeopteryx, in particular.”
“Oh, yes, of course.” The professor’s brows smooth out and he looks vaguely about his office for another moment. “And, er, what was your name?”
“Kel,” she answers eagerly, stepping forward into his office. “Kel Mindelan. I, um, I’ve taken all of your archaeology and botany classes up ’til now.”
“Is that so?” he murmurs, pulling out drawers and lifting up papers until he spies his spectacles on the edge of his filing cabinet. “Very good. I see. Well.” He gestures to a chair, sits in another. “What did you have in mind?”
Kel sits on the very edge of the chair, still clutching the book to her chest. “Well, you see, I was, um, having some trouble understanding the flight system of the archaeopteryx. Mammals have heavy bones. How is it that this creature can fly at all?”
“As it is not a mammal at all, the archaeopteryx’s bones are quite hollow. It is a bird, you see. There were birds, even, millions of years ago. In fact, I could show you.” He stands up to fetch the file he has on the creature, setting it down on the desk between them and opening the cover to review the photos inside. “Here, you can see that the bone structure is quite fine. The skin would have been smooth, a little leathery, and very thin to allow for appropriate flight.”
Reed continues to speak, aware of the student’s eyes not on the photographs from the file before them, but on his face, very intense and probing. He tugs once at his tie, wondering when the room had become so warm, before closing the file and meeting Kel’s eyes. “And that is everything. We will discuss the beast’s social interaction patterns, according to our evidence, in our lecture next week.”
“Thank you, sir,” says Kel, not breaking eye contact until she gets to her feet and turns for the door. “That certainly cleared many things up. I look forward to seeing you again next week.” He doesn’t know why those words, spoken in that manner, make his pulse speed up.
She glances back at him over her shoulder as she leaves, offering him a little smile before ducking her head and heading into the hall. Reed sits back, taking off his spectacles and polishing them with his shirttail. He wonders just how much more he’ll be seeing of Kel Mindelan.
Rating: G
Word Count: 516
Summary: Kel is a diligent student.
Additional Notes: Has nothing to do with the song or movie referenced in the title. University!AU for Mandi. No good at romance between unlikely characters, but perhaps a little bit of tension will do?
--
“Excuse me, Professor Reed?”
He looks up from the documents in front of him, running his fingers absently through his silvering blond hair. There is a student in his doorway, clutching a textbook to her chest and brushing her mousy brown bangs back with the heel of her hand, and he frowns at her. “Yes?” he asks, furrowing his brows.
“I’m sorry to bother you, sir,” says the girl, politeness etched into every feature of her face, “but I have a question about your lecture this afternoon.”
“This afternoon?”
A flash of uncertainty crosses the girl’s face, but she tentatively continues anyway. “Yes, sir, the archaeology lecture. The bit on skeletal properties of the archaeopteryx, in particular.”
“Oh, yes, of course.” The professor’s brows smooth out and he looks vaguely about his office for another moment. “And, er, what was your name?”
“Kel,” she answers eagerly, stepping forward into his office. “Kel Mindelan. I, um, I’ve taken all of your archaeology and botany classes up ’til now.”
“Is that so?” he murmurs, pulling out drawers and lifting up papers until he spies his spectacles on the edge of his filing cabinet. “Very good. I see. Well.” He gestures to a chair, sits in another. “What did you have in mind?”
Kel sits on the very edge of the chair, still clutching the book to her chest. “Well, you see, I was, um, having some trouble understanding the flight system of the archaeopteryx. Mammals have heavy bones. How is it that this creature can fly at all?”
“As it is not a mammal at all, the archaeopteryx’s bones are quite hollow. It is a bird, you see. There were birds, even, millions of years ago. In fact, I could show you.” He stands up to fetch the file he has on the creature, setting it down on the desk between them and opening the cover to review the photos inside. “Here, you can see that the bone structure is quite fine. The skin would have been smooth, a little leathery, and very thin to allow for appropriate flight.”
Reed continues to speak, aware of the student’s eyes not on the photographs from the file before them, but on his face, very intense and probing. He tugs once at his tie, wondering when the room had become so warm, before closing the file and meeting Kel’s eyes. “And that is everything. We will discuss the beast’s social interaction patterns, according to our evidence, in our lecture next week.”
“Thank you, sir,” says Kel, not breaking eye contact until she gets to her feet and turns for the door. “That certainly cleared many things up. I look forward to seeing you again next week.” He doesn’t know why those words, spoken in that manner, make his pulse speed up.
She glances back at him over her shoulder as she leaves, offering him a little smile before ducking her head and heading into the hall. Reed sits back, taking off his spectacles and polishing them with his shirttail. He wonders just how much more he’ll be seeing of Kel Mindelan.
And she's so TOTALLY undressing him with her eyes. I know it. And Lindhall so totally likes it.
it! I adore your AU Kel, and how you fit in little Kel details (such as her politeness). ;D