"Mr. Abbot, a word."

Danny keeps his head down as the rest of his class files out, heading for lunch. Some of them shoot him sympathetic looks, and Wes claps him on the shoulder.

"Go ahead, I'll meet you at lunch," Danny tells him, and Wes nods.

If only he knew.

Once the last student has left, shutting the door behind him, Danny makes his way up to the front of Mr. Murdoch's classroom. He glances up at his teacher.

"Sorry, sir," he says.

Murdoch resists the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he frowns. "You can't talk to me in class like that, you know," he says, hauling himself out of his chair and coming around the desk to stand next to his student. Murdoch regards him carefully. "You have my attention now."

Danny blushes a little, and avoids Murdoch's gaze by staring at the floor. Of course his teacher would know why he had been talking back in class (and it seems so childish now, he realizes). He startles a bit when Murdoch pulls him into a quick embrace, but doesn't fight it.

"You don't need to act out to get my attention, Danny," Murdoch tells him. "You're better than that." He pulls away. They try to avoid anything during class hours. Too many people who might walk in, too many windows, and besides that, Murdoch has another class starting in a few minutes.

"Detention tonight, then. Seven pm," Murdoch says, looking at him sternly. Danny nods, fighting a smile.

"Watch it, boy," Murdoch says, shooing him from the room with a quick tap on his ass, hand lingering for a moment longer than necessary on Danny's hip.

Danny smiles a little to himself the rest of the day, buoyed by that simple conversation. Spencer asks him what's got him so cheerful, but Danny just shrugs and rattles off some crap line about the swim team doing well this season, which is true anyway.  Spencer nods, curiosity sated.

Danny eats dinner in the cafeteria that night. He eats quickly, sparing only the occasional glance at the staff table. He knows anything more than that is likely to get him in trouble (which is appealing, occasionally, but not tonight). When Murdoch leaves, Danny stands, offering a quick apology to those he's eating with. He's got detention with Murdoch (again, the man must have it out for him), he explains, and they all know Murdoch will have his head if he's even a minute late.

He knocks on the door to Murdoch's office at 6:58. The office has fewer windows and a better lock than the classroom, Danny knows, and just as good a desk. It's that thought that makes him blush as Murdoch opens the door.