SMOKE SIGNALS

— 𝔐𝔶 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔞 𝔰𝔢𝔩𝔣𝔦𝔰𝔥, 𝔤𝔩𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔬𝔲𝔰, 𝔤𝔬𝔡𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤.

her lips took the shape of an o as mickey removed her hand from his shoulder, a small sound leaving her mouth that accompanied her realization and the amusement that came with it,   “ shit, right. i forgot, sorry, ”   she could have pretended to appear more sincere, or at least tried to hide the grin that showed more her fangs than anything else. there was something malicious in her eyes, as if, despite the cliche seen and reviewed, having to sneak behind everyone’s eyes electrified her with a thrill she felt every time she did something she knew she shouldn’t be doing. rue liked to fiddle with the lines, always finding herself with one foot in balance between overstepping them and staying in place, her eyes speaking alone with a defiant stare as if to say ‘if you try me, i’ll do it’. it all could’ve been read in her expression within the few seconds it lasted before going back to her tranquil, almost naive looking usual one, only betraying it one last time with a suggestive raise of her eyebrows as he mentioned idle hands,   “ sounds like a fair play, you stress them and they stress you. now that i think about it i’ve never tried to look at it from a professor’s perspective, ”   she began to walk with slow steps in the direction of the town, looking behind her shoulder waiting for him to follow,   “ what’s it like being a professor anyway? ”

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She wasn’t sorry, but in truth— neither was he. There was a thrill in the idea of doing something that he wasn’t supposed to: Mickey knew that there was technically nothing wrong with the two of them being close, but it was devastating to whatever image had been projected of the young professor. (His reputation, while new, was basically in shambles anyways.) Mickey carded back dark curls, catching the bemused curve of Rue’s mouth, knowing that she was wicked as well: they had a twin streak just like that, willing to cause trouble just for the sake of a good time. One hand tucked into his pocket in an effort to keep it from reaching for the brunette’s side, to rest on the small of her back and guide her along would be a sin in all eyes that found them. “It’s different,” he admitted. “I feel a lot of responsibility now, the classes’ failures are mine— and also, it reflects badly on me when they don’t do well. It’s worse when it’s my first year, so it seems as though everyone with tenure is just waiting for me to fail.” He shrugged, “I like the teaching part though. I’m good at it.”

mickey’s reaction to her words has a deep sense of satisfaction pooling in peach’s gut, a smirk rising that’s almost immediately smothered by the crushing kiss that she eagerly returns. “and as your student, it’s my aim to please you, professor.” her grip in his hair tightens as she lets out soft sighs into the kiss, mouth moving eagerly as her other hand travels to his belt, skimming just the barest brush of her fingertips over his crotch before her hand is landing on his thigh, giving a teasing squeeze. “guess we can take our time, then, if you have a late start. what’s our first lesson? i’ve got to make sure i get an A+.”

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He tucked in a sharp breath, revelling in her words. They should have made him feel guilt— there was the nagging sense that he wasn’t supposed to be doing this, but Peach’s blue eyes and the familiarity of her touch was enough to melt him into something pliable. She had begun as a fascination, someone beautiful who roamed the halls of the university, but now he had come to count on seeing her, he left marks on her skin in the shape of his mouth and quietly claimed her for his own. Mickey’s lips brushed against her chin on their way to her jaw, mapping out the angle there before he spoke against the shell of her ear. “First lesson of the night always starts with review.” His free hand inched below the hem of her shirt, inching it upwards and over her chest. “Did you think of me this week?” He didn’t dare admit voluntarily that he’d thought of her, of this— a scenario played out too often, the two of them wrapped up in one another.

nihal hangs his head and gives a rueful groan in response, already having kicked himself for the decision many times throughout the course of his grading session. “believe me, i’ve learned my lesson,” he assures him, rubbing at his temples as he lets out a weary laugh. “it is my cross to bear, unfortunately. thankfully i’ve already chipped away at a good portion of them, just have to make it through the home stretch.” the sound of the snicker in response to his words has a genuine grin spreading across nihal’s lips, raising a brow as their eyes meet, a strange tension settling over the two of them now. “yep, this is it. very thrilling, i know.” he nods towards him, gesturing to the papers lying between them on the table. “how about you?”

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“Want a distraction?” The words were suggestive— but Mickey kept his gaze and expression relatively innocent, cast forward as he poured coffee into a mug that definitely belonged to another faculty member. “Those won’t grade themselves but maybe you’ve earned yourself a break.” The coffee was bitter but he didn’t feel like hunting down sugar to add to it, sipping enough to shake himself into some semblance of more awake. “Some papers on out-dated topics that we put through to check for formatting. My TA did the marking, but these are the red flag papers that need my special attention.” Mick returned to the table, leaning forward on his elbows. “You’d be shocked and also so disappointed at all the kids who fail intro to communications, the one class you cannot fail.”

josie snorted in amusement when he mentioned making chowder an influencer, and she could see the instagram setup already. “chowder seems like he’d be into the dark academia aesthetic.. you’ve gotta make it ‘chowder: dark academia dog’, that way people can call him chowder: da dog. then you’d be chowder da dog’s dad. has a ring to it, right?” and there was laughter laced with her words, “please hire me as your social media manager, i’m there.” it was so easy to fall into their usual chemistry, though there was the uncomfortable feeling of standing on the shore with your toes in the sand when you knew you weren’t allowed to get in the water. she got that tug in her gut to dive in when he admitted to missing her, but with everything that’d happened the past few months, it wasn’t as easy for her to give into it as it had been before. for now, she just gave him a slight nod in returning the sentiment, “i’ve missed you, too, mick. i’ll buy the first round, ‘kay?”

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“Dark academia? I feel like that’s a crime. Look at his little legs, he’s clearly set out for the athlete to influencer pipeline.” Mick grinned, “Icy Lil’ Chow, or something like that? Makes him sound like he’s meals on wheels. I don’t know about your representing my tiny client, it might be bad for the brand we’ve already established. I’ll have my people call your people, we’ll see if we can come to a mutual vision and arrangement.” The smile on his lips felt natural— it tugged up so often in Josie’s presence that it felt as though they had set into their old ways. “In that case, I’ll be sure to pick something spenny.” Mischief stayed on his features, but he didn’t press further than that: their relationship had long ended, even if he didn’t know how to navigate the new boundaries between them. “So, what’re you up to nowadays? Anything new?”

mickey’s teasing has a slow smirk spreading across nihal’s lips, leaning back in his chair fully as he’s content to take a little break from his work in favor of his newfound company. “fuck, i can imagine,” he shakes his head as he chuckles, before gesturing vaguely towards the laptop in front of him. “i’m just grading some quizzes. kicking myself for making the questions open ended. thought it would be thought provoking, make them more inclined to learn the material, but all it’s done is making me regret so many of my life choices,” he informs him with a wry smile. “i did make some fresh coffee about 15 minutes ago though, should still be nice and hot.”

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“I don’t know why you didn’t just do multiple choice. It auto-grades them.” He shook his head before stretching his legs out underneath the table, “Rookie mistake.” His grin turned up and Mick peeked at Nihal’s screen again. “I’d say pass it off to the TA, but looks like that’s your burden, huh?” He knew that Juniper felt the brunt of his own laziness, but the two of them were a terrible pair: neither were particularly motivated when it came to actually putting care into grading assignments. The idea of coffee was appealing, but he cast his gaze over at the other man’s at the phrase nice and hot, feeling childish enough to snicker. “So is this all you’ve got for Friday night plans?"

SEYDA WATCHED HIM AS HE looked over the chapter. A fairly easy one at that but she still needed some help with some of the termination. A finger rose to point to the line or word she was having trouble understanding but stood mid-air as he commenced to poke fun at her inability to decipher it. She could have likely used google translate, and at this point, she wished she had. What came next was a snap and a gush of air from the book closing inches from their face. Was she paying attention to his lecture? He had some type of nerve. At first, Seyda didn’t even believe such a stupid question deserved an answer but she was angry and her sharp tongue almost fought against her to speak. “Just because you spent three hours on top of me doesn’t mean I’m an obsessed fanatic. How do you fit inside this building with such an inflated ego? It must be why you take an interest in student; all eager to please  It isn’t cute.” Her eyes rolled, pushing hair away from her face. “But let’s get it right. You’ve been looking. I only look back.”

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The snap was unexpected, and Mickey almost felt as though he had to yank his hand back before it got teeth marks on it. He nearly grimaced, shrinking into his seat: angry women were terrifying. Len had told him that he had the perfect predisposition to being bullied, and it felt as though that was correct as she snarled at him. “I was joking,” he noted, but he didn’t feel the need to raise his voice in return. “I only said it because all of the content that it seems like you’re struggling with was covered in my lecture.” Mickey sighed, scraping his chair back. “Seyda, if you’re not willing to be professional I do have TAs that can walk you through the content. I’m not interested in being insulted when you’re seeking my help.”

“I don’t think it’s too late to test that theory if you’re interested? I’m sure we’d only be doing half of this crowd a favor by putting him out of commission for the day.” As amusing as the thought was, she was merely teasing. Not even if the satisfaction of pulling a slick trick was enough for her to want to approach the salesman again. Whoever his next victim was, they’d just have to find their own way out like she did. Smiling in his direction, the woman offered a nod. “It is. I’ve just made a habit of going by Andy over the years outside of my professional life.” It was a way to distinguish herself outside of her career. That, and she hated having to correct so many people on the correct pronunciation of such a simple name. “Sounds like you benefited from the conversation. Good to know you listen.” She didn’t know the difference either, but she’d have to take his wood for it. Brows lifted and another soft hum of laughter fell from her parted lips. She had to give him credit; he wasn’t shy on being smooth. “Well, I guess I can’t argue that. If it’s asparagus that you’re after, then if there’s any here, we’ll find it. If not, then I’m sure we can get our hands on zucchini. I think the real shame is that I won’t get to see if the roasting worked out in your favor or not.”

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“And waste a perfectly good banana?” Mickey shook his head, “I think not. The rest of the good people of Ithaca are going to have to be very brave and wait for their own knights in shining armour to step in.” He offered a wry smile, “This one’s off duty for now.” He laughed, though her explanation about her name was familiar to him. “I should start introducing myself as Michael, but it feels weird to even say it out loud. I’ve always been a Mickey.” One hand reached up to shake out dark curls, but his smile stayed fixed upon features. So far, he was enjoying his current company: but he had also always been this way, befriending strangers in the street, always finding someone to pass the time with. “Nonna also made sure I’m an excellent cook,” Mick pointed out, “The asparagus is going to be life-changing. If not, the zucchini will definitely be good enough to bring a tear to someone’s eye.” He lifted a shoulder, indicating that he was teasing. “Nonna isn’t a fan of humility.” His chin lifted in the direction that he hadn’t gone down yet, “Maybe we’ll try that section?”

status: closed for @mickeysvillegas​ location: classroom after hours

“You know, I was a little surprised when it was you who needed the tutoring.” Skyler had seen him around the halls, the flash from his smile always catching her attention for far longer than she’d like to admit. She didn’t have the pleasure of being a student in one of his classes and it was probably for the better knowing that damned smile would prevent her from getting any work accomplished. The blonde sat across from him, a blank notebook resting on his desk while her eyes roamed over his appearance. “Tell me, do you know any French at all or did you want me to cover the basics?”

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Mickey shrugged, settling down in his seat. “I’ve never had a chance to do French classes, but I’ve always been interested.” He was good at picking up vocabulary as well, languages came easily to him and he liked the ability to be able to speak with people in his life with the words they knew best: even just recently he had shocked Andy with knowing Italian. “I know baby French, enough to ask for ice cream and say thanks for the ride. You can skip the alphabet and stuff, I think I’m good there— but the rest? Absolutely starting from ground zero.”

SPRING CONCERT May 21st w/ @mickeysvillegas​

Amina sat down on one of the benches, leaning back and letting her eyes move around to look at everything around her when her gaze fell upon Mickey. Pushing herself up from the bench, the dark-haired woman closed the distance between her and the other man. She stood behind him, raising up slightly onto her tippy toes so she could cover his eyes with the palm of her hands. “Guess who?” She whispered, a wide smile coming along her features.

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Mickey didn’t know much about the music that was playing— but Ithaca wasn’t exactly teeming with fun activities to immerse oneself in, so he found himself wandering around, smiling at faces that he recognized and pretending to be having a good time. Cool hands reached for his skin and he was startled for a moment, before the voice rung with recognition and he laughed, spinning to find Amina’s smiling face. Arms were quick to curve around her waist, crushing her into a hug before he let out a sigh of relief. “I thought I was going to have to spend the entire afternoon all alone, did you see my bat signal looking for a sidekick, or was this just the right place a the right time?”

SHE’D BEEN THAT GIRL. The aria from pretty little liars but hopefully not as eager for affection or innocent looking. Maybe as long as she wasn’t the first. Which was mainly why she vowed to ignore the situation and pretend like nothing had happened and he was just her very young, and very hot, professor that wouldn’t be a distraction. But then she found herself watching him more than listening to the lecture. At first because she wondered if he recognized her, and when she knew he did, she wanted to know if he was as curious as she was. He was young to be a professor and she was old to be a student. 

The moment of truth arrived and there was no way around going to speak to him. She wanted to roll her eyes when he reminded her that he knew her name. Did he know other names? As for his, she knew very well. She’d screamed it for half the night. “Professor Villegas.” The brunette said, determined to keep some sort of line in the sand. “The last chapter of our reading was hard for me to understand and I’m hoping that you can maybe help clarify or summarize it.” Why did this sound like the beginning of a horrible porno? Acknowledging that she was leaning against his desk, she straightened up and smiled. 

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Mickey smoothed out any discomfort that settled in his belly with an easy smile— he could wear a mask, if she wished for professional distance between the two of them, that was probably for the best. He looked over at the textbook that she described and he couldn’t help but find pause. “You had some trouble with the chapter?” Unsure if it was simply an excuse to talk with him, the decided to just entertain Seyda, furrowing his brow. “Well, it is the chapter on restaurant vocabulary. Did you want to go over how to order the perfect steak or to reserve a table? I know it’s all in Spanish, but if you need me to walk you through the steps or translations, I’d be happy to do that.” Mick paused, lifting a brow. “Be honest, were you even paying attention to my lecture?”

Carter.

I’ve been thinking lately about summer, and it’s hard to think about warm days and long nights without thinking about you. I miss a lot of things, and I’ll trace the number that we all have inked into our skin and it feels like a thing that binds strangers: when was the last time we all saw each other? I remember a house that was so full of love and laughter that it seemed to spill from the seams, there was so much of it that it could have filled an entire summer twice over: how can an entire lifetime only have spanned the course of a couple of months? Early mornings hurt the most, it is those quiet hours when the world is still half-asleep and the water is impossibly still. I feel like there are ghosts in this house, fragments of memories that I only see in those moments between asleep and awake: a golden retriever stretched out in a sunny spot, crystals grabbing light in the window, bathing suits left out on the deck to dry. Fragments, they come and then fade and I’m left missing things. I teach that the heart has two ventricles and that it can never truly break but sometimes I wish so badly for things that are gone that it feels as though something has died, that what I feel for that summer is akin to grief. I miss nights watching movies under big blankets, I miss long drives in that beat up truck and fresh flowers from farmers markets. I miss puppy graduations and wearing oven mitts as armour against rogue cats. I miss sunblock smiley faces and Sunday morning sleepovers but most of all— I miss you. Sometimes I’ll wake and my pillow will still smell of smoke and you, that smell that I could never quite scrub away. To know this grief is to touch the sun and for it to leave, to bask in its warmth and then to be without it: where does one put all that love? I hope, with everything that I have to hope with, that it hasn’t gone away and that you are the sun for someone else— that there is another out there who loves you like I do, like summertime.

Love forever,

work had really been the main reason why things ended between the two, along with.. well, josie’s nature of falling in love with all of the wrong people at all of the wrong times. it was a habit that was hard to break, apparently, if her recent ended relationship with cemile was anything to go by. but with mickey, there was a longstanding friendship there, and she couldn’t help but want to gravitate toward his warmth- invite him for a drink, maybe, share the happenings of their lives since they’ve been distant.

god knows enough had happened in the previous months with josie, and she could only imagine what a young, hot professor could have been getting up to. “hectic, hm?” she teased knowingly.

“oh god, just don’t get to the point where you’re giving chowder homework. he’d be better than you, and that’s just embarrassing,” josie sucked in air through her teeth and shook her head, straightening back up to brace herself for his reaction to the answer he might not have expected from the offer he put up. “i’d love to come by sometime, though.. or maybe we can go out for a drink, if you want? it’s probably about time for us to catch up, anyway. it’s been a while.”

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“Hectic,” he repeated sheepishly as he avoided Josie’s gaze. Mickey knew all too well that if she asked any more questions, he was likely to delve into details that were unwise to share: there was much of his life that was far better off remaining secretive to most.

Reaching down, Mick scooped up the little dog, biting back a laugh as Chowder’s legs started to churn as though he was still running despite being suspending in the air. “I should get him some little glasses, maybe start my career as a dog influencer dad. Chowder the Academic Dog, I feel like there’s a niche there that needs to be tapped into.” He paused, looking now at Josie properly, studying her features before offering a smile. They were bad at staying apart, they broke their own rules and boundaries— Mickey had a habit of doing so in almost every aspect of his life, and yet: “I’m heading to drop the little guy off at daycare, if you’re not super busy right now there’s a bar not far from it. I don’t want to lose a chance to catch up with you while I’ve got you right here.” Mickey’s expression lost its cheekiness, fading into something far more sincere. “I miss you, you know.”

She appreciated the comfort she found in the curly haired male before her, but she even more thankful that they’d both made it out without any further questions. Her patience had been running thinner by the second, but she’d swooped in without issue and hadn’t hesitated to be the deceitful distraction she’d needed. “Shame that we didn’t get to test your theory, isn’t it? I would have enjoyed watching that play out.” She never wished harm on anyone, but the sheer amusement behind the other’s joke made her curious enough to want it. “Andy,” she offered in return, taking his hand in a firm shake before dropping it. “Personally, I like candle guy. It seems you know enough about them.” If she’d been a couple of years younger and without a wedding ring on her finger, maybe she would have entertained the smooth lines he’d dropped, but time never was on her side. “Which is why I’m avoiding the back half of this place until the end. I keep telling myself that two bottles of wine is enough, but if there’s a sale, I know I won’t leave with less than four. Not to mention, whatever else I pass along the way. Are you still looking for that asparagus or did you give up already?”

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Mickey grinned, and the expression hitched crookedly— “I would’ve had to go through all the trouble of finding a banana to pull it off, so maybe it’s for the best that it didn’t come to that, huh?” He carded back some dark hair but the curls, as unruly as they were, bounced back and flopped over his forehead just the same as they were before. “Andy,” he repeated (a habit learned at work: people liked when you made sure you got their name correct), “My sister’s name is Andy. Andrea, right?” He laughed, “I only know this much because I was stopped for what feels like half of my life while someone explained all about the benefits of a wooden wick over a regular one and while I’m still not sure what the difference is, I sure am glad I got the wood one.” He sighed, “I really should get the asparagus, but I’m willing to compromise with a zucchini. I had some great plans for roasting them later.” Mick lifted a shoulder, “We already know we make a great team, maybe you can help me out?”

Amusement blooms in tune with the strum of familiarity, and Rhys would have been shocked if his enrolment hadn’t been intentional - he had recognized the name on the class options from a summer of misplaced packages and a shitty delivery boy, and it had been a game too divine to turn down: the cat and the canary, folded together in such a proximity that Rhys’ digits slip beneath a waistband to readjust. Those surrounding stir to depart, though the raven boy remains still, broad frame spread beneath a desk’s surface, a tongue prodding against the flesh of a cheek to keep a beam at bay; this, he’d enjoy. “Only some,” his head tilts, “I couldn’t give less of a fuck about counting to ten or asking about for the cheque - I want to know the shit that matters.” He moves then, a slow rise: languid, honeyed, as though the earth spun on its axis for Rhys alone. Their chests nearly touch, and Rhys’ features tilt to drop velveteen syllables near the shell of an ear, “tell me, professor, how do I say yes, fuck, take my cock - just like that,” he retracts enough to gauge a reaction, irises the hue of obsidian ascending from the curve of Mickey’s mouth to amber irises, “I’m fucking the girl in the first row - you know, the blonde with the tits that can hardly fit in one hand, and I think she’d be into it.” 

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He was as compelling as a narrow ledge— Mickey wanted to lurch forward, but it was the other male’s actions that kept him timid, tethered in place. If they were to play fox and hare, he didn’t mind having Rhys’s jaws sink into his flesh: what spark of the summer hadn’t completely stamped out, with just the slightest touch of hot breath he was sure that it could be fanned into flame. Bonfires lived in Rhys’ twin irises and Mickey’s breath caught in his throat, lodging there drily as he processed the syllables against his skin. There was a familiarity to them, just enough to make him shift with discomfort and a fervent need, a rotten ache when paired so swiftly with the title professor. His jaw tightened, as quickly as a crocodile could snap his teeth— I’m fucking the girl in the first row. Whatever warmth he had flooded from him, no longer pliable, Mick felt a surge of something else: jealousy. “Have you tried looking it up in the back of the book? Cornell always encourages its students to be self sufficient and to use all of their resources before seeking out assistance.”