Mycroft

"Mr. Holmes?" Anthea said, knocking on the door of my office.

"Yes, what?"

"Mel Lisborn just called and she's had her baby prematurely. She'll need to go on her maternity leave immediately."

"Tell the headmaster, Anthea, that's not my division."

"He's away again, Sir."

"Who is covering for her?"

"No one, that's the problem."

"And I suppose I'm supposed to cover for her, am I?"

Anthea nodded. "The board was kind of hoping you would, Sir."

I groaned. "She teaches English, yes?"

Anthea bit her lip. "Yes. We're understaffed as it is, no other English teacher is available. You're the most qualified we have."

I nodded and sighed. "Alright, fine. I guess she has a class now, does she?"

"Yes, Sir."

I stood up and put my coat on. "Fine, I'll go now. Change all my meetings to a more suitable time, please." I left my office, closing the door behind me, and began walking over to Mel's English class.

The halls were quiet as I walked along them. I glared at the straggling students who'd not yet gotten to their classes, and watched as they hurriedly went to their designated places. What was I supposed to teach a bunch of students? She better have left something for them to do, there was no way I'd be dealing with them.

I got to the woman's class and walked in. The place quietened down as soon as I went in, and every pair of eyes were on me. Irene Adler, the netball captain, sidled up to the front and sat down in front of the teacher's desk as I sat behind it.

"I guess you'll be our teacher until Lisborn gets back?" She asked, twirling her hair around her finger.

"Yes, Ms. Adler. Please sit back and stop pressing your breasts out like that. Honestly, you'll hurt your back doing that and let's be honest, you don't look at all flattering."

The class laughed, and Adler sat back in her seat, pouting slightly. I rolled my eyes at her as I took my coat off, and stood up again. "For those of you who don't know me," I began, addressing the class, "I am Mr. Holmes, and I am the assistant headmaster at Baskerville. Yet here I am, teaching your English class. Speaking will only waste your own, and what is infinitely worse, my time, and so I suggest you do not do it unless I address you first. Is that clear?"

There were hums and nods of acknowledgement, and I smiled. "Good. Let's begin then."

The class finished, and I sorted out the students' worksheets  as they piled out. So far, so good. Until I heard someone clearing their voice behind me. "Yes, Ms. Adler?" I asked, bored, not bothering to even spare the girl so much as a glance.

"I was just hoping to talk to you, Sir," she said. I looked up at her.

"I already know your sexual orientation, Ms. Adler, and undoubtedly you are aware of my predicament. I do not like people, let alone hormonal, dominant teenage girls."

"You never come to any of my netball games."

I looked up at the girl as she sat on the edge of the desk. "Excuse me?"

"I said, you never come to any of my netball games."

"And that's supposed to mean, what, exactly, to me?"

Adler shrugged. "I don't know, Sir. It's just you go to every rugby game, yet never go to any other sport." The student looked up at me through her lashes and innocently said: "Some people are beginning to talk."

I walked over to the girl, standing close enough to loom over her. She leaned back where she sat, looking up at me, beginning to look worried. "You think you're so amazingly intelligent, Ms. Adler. While I know this to be entirely false - you're nothing but an idiot like everyone else - try prove yourself to me. Get out of this class right now, and do not try to talk to me or blackmail me again. Or so help me, I will have you removed from this school, and better yet, this country. Clear?"

The teenager gulped. "Crystal."

I stepped away from the girl and smiled. "Excellent. You best be on your way, Ms. Adler. You're already very late for your next class. And to clear up any confusion: I will not be attending any of your games. Netball does not interest me in the slightest. Thank you and good morning."

I watched as Irene left the class quickly, obviously humiliated. Good. I wasn't going to let some daft teenage girl blackmail me. I was the only blackmailer allowed in the school.

I sighed and sat down at the desk, running a hand through my hair. I had a free lesson, but in an hour or so, more students would be piling in, eager to learn or annoy or whatever it was they cared about. I decided to go get myself a cup of coffee, and try make up for the time I had wasted with those idiots called students from the last class.

Back in the second class of the day, I made sure I was early back so that I'd be in before the students. As I entered the class I jumped, seeing Greg sitting in the teacher's seat. He spun around to look at me as I went in, and chuckled as he saw my expression. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's fine. What are you doing out of class early? And more importantly, what are you doing here?" I asked, going to sit on the corner of the desk beside him.

"Well, this is my English class. I knew you were teaching in here today, everyone's been talking about it, and so I asked the coach to let me out early to talk to a teacher about something. Didn't specify what or whom I was speaking to, but he let me out anyway."

I tried to relax my face at the mention of the 'coach,' and thankfully, Greg didn't seem to notice a change. "Well, it's nice to see you then," I sat, gently kicking his foot.

"Likewise. What are you actually doing teaching us?"

"Your teacher went on emergency maternity leave and no one was able to cover. And so I was called in."

"I bet you're enjoying yourself," Greg winked. "All these perverted teenagers. Wouldn't want to know what's going through their minds."

"Wouldn't want to know what's going through yours," I winked back. I looked at my watch. "Go sit at your desk, people will start coming through soon."

"Sir yes sir!" Greg said, saluting me. He sat down... right in front of my desk.

"You sit there?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Oh, always aiming to please, Mr. Holmes. Always aiming to-" he looked me up and down, suggestively biting his lip, "-Please."

"I feel like this is going to be a very frustrating lesson, Mr. Lestrade."

"Yes, Mr. Holmes, I intend for it to be so."

Other students began coming in, and I watched as they all greeted Greg. The girls looked at me for a while, and then began looking back at Greg. I could see them flirting with him, staring, and the other boys were joking around with him. And then it hit me: Greg was really very popular.

I'd never been popular in high school, mostly because I wasn't there for very long. I went in, got the needed credits five months in, and then was out once more. I worked my arse off, denying people's requests for me to attend their parties, rejecting girls who suggested I go on dates with them - all to get further in life. I'd never had friends. I'd had one night stands, and that was all. But Greg, Greg had so many friends. So many people eager to talk to him, eager to have his attention. It wasn't the same with me - they only liked me because I was attractive - but they liked Greg because he was warm and kind and so bloody brilliant.

I cleared my throat and clapped my hands together. "Alright, everyone. Listen up. I'm Mr. Holmes, in case you weren't aware of that. Not only am I the assistant headmaster, but I am also your substitute teacher until Mrs. Lisborn returns from maternity leave. Now, who can tell me what you're doing in this class?"

Greg's hand shot up and he shot me a cheeky smile.

"Yes, Mr. Lestrade."

"We're supposed to be reading a book. Animal Farm, by George Orwell. You need to get the books for us so we can start reading."

"Thank you, Mr. Lestrade. Where are these books?"

"They're in the book storeroom, Sir. I can show you where that is, if you'd like."

"Excellent. After you." I looked away from the boy as he stood up and walked to the door. "The rest of you may talk quietly amongst yourselves until we return."

I followed Greg out into the quiet hall and walked with him towards the storeroom. We walked in silence, but Greg was smiling behind his lip bite. He looked up at me when he felt me looking at him and winked. 'What on Earth am I getting myself into?' I groaned to myself inwardly. This boy was going to get me into trouble. We were both playing with fire; a feeling so intense that I couldn't bring myself to care.

We got to the storeroom, and Greg gestured to it. "After you."

I wandered in and he followed, closing the door behind him. I began looking for the books, and Greg came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I sighed as he kissed my neck and absently tilted it to the side to give him better access.

"I've missed you," Greg whispered against my skin, his hot breath sending delighted chills down my spine. Now, I didn't have time to question these feelings, this weakness I felt at his touch. I spun around in his arms and looked down at him with a smirk. "I saw you only last night."

"I know," he smiled, stroking up and down my sides. "But still."

I chuckled slightly and ducked my head down, kissing him gently. His arms wrapped around my back to keep me close, and I put my hands on his elbows. Licking along the crease in between his lips, I was granted access into Greg's mouth, deepening the kiss.

Without pulling away, I walked Greg backwards until he hit a desk, and I felt him chuckle against my lips. I growled playfully and felt Greg's arms tighten around me.

Eventually we both pulled away, conscious of the fact that I had a class to run, and Greg had to learn. He smiled at me affectionately as we pulled apart. "I think I could get used to you being my teacher."

"Yes, I think I could too. Now, where are those books?"