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The first day of the fall semester is always chaotic and it’s overwhelmingly evident in how Nico rushes into his classroom, a stack of papers clutched to his chest and a student trailing behind him. “Hello everybody,” he calls, silencing the chatter that had been echoing, “Sorry I’m late.”
He doesn’t seem to notice the surprised looks thrown at him as he drops his bag on the desk in the front of the class and quickly turns around to hand the student his pile of papers with the quiet direction, “Pass these out, please.”
The student nods and begins to walk around and pass out the papers to everyone. Nico continues to speak as he pulls a folder from his bag and flips it open on the desk. “My name is Professor di Angelo and my TA, um,” he pauses for a moment and glances at the student passing out papers, “ Theodore is passing out your syllabi. You’re in Colonial Literature so if that’s not where you’re supposed to be, now is your chance to leave.”
He glances up and doesn’t see anybody try to leave so he continues on, turning around to the blackboard and picking up a piece of chalk. He writes the name of the course in big letters at the top of the board and then turns around.
“Okay,” he says, “Let’s begin.”
By the end of the class, which was just going over the syllabus and talking about his expectations of the course, he can see people’s eyes rolling back in their heads and their repeated glances at the clock. He drops the chalk back down and glances at the board, which is now filled with an outline of all the characteristics and significant figures from the American colonial literary period, and takes a breath. “That seems to be the end of our time,” he says and everyone begins to desperately shove their things into their bags, “If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Theodore or I. I’ll see you again on Wednesday and please , read the material before you get to class.”
A couple students offer smiles or waves in his direction, even a “Have a good day,” as they rush out the door, but mostly people just keep their heads down and scurry away. Nico turns to look at Theodore who is watching him for directions. “Thank you,” Nico sighs, “I wish I could say that normally I’m more on top of everything but time always seems to get away from me.”
Theodore smiles at him hesitantly, “Oh, it’s alright, Professor di Angelo. I’m glad to help. Is there anything else you need from me right now?”
“Um,” Nico runs a hand through his hair and glances around, “I don’t think so. In the future though, would you be able to help me with some office and secretarial work? Just copies and grading and such.”
Theodore nods, “Definitely, just let me know.”
“Thank you, Theodore,” Nico gathers his stuff from his desk and darts for the door, “I really appreciate it. Have a good day!”
-----
By Friday of the first week of classes, Nico has offered no other information about himself other than his name and his opinions on the literature they’re studying. That doesn’t stop the curiosity, though, especially not when he seems so… young . Or at least, younger than any of his students' other professors. That, combined with the fact that no one has ever seen him anywhere other than his office or the classroom and he has an accent that’s only audible in certain words, has made him into a mystery to his class and even his TA.
Of course, his tight-lippedness doesn’t stop anyone from wondering and whispering far-fetched theories to their friends as soon as he turns his back.
-----
Time flies by in a flurry of poems and short stories and novel excerpts. Before anyone knows it, it’s four weeks into the semester and Nico is still like a mythic figure who occasionally talks about books to his class. He was always late and while they waited for him to arrive, his students would pester Theodore, who told them to call him ‘Theo’ , with questions about him.
There wasn’t much for Theo to offer them, he didn’t know much more than them. All he knew was that Nico’s office hours were really irregular, that he chugged coffee by the pot, and that he was the youngest faculty member in the English department.
“Come on , Theo,” a girl complains, “You have to know something else.”
“Sorry,” Theo shrugs, “I’d tell you if I knew.”
“But he’s so young,” someone adds, “He’s got to do something else besides lecture and grade papers!”
“Sure,” Theo says, “But I don’t know what.”
“Does he have a girlfriend or anything? Does he call anyone?” a boy asks.
“I’ve heard him on the phone a few times but he usually keeps his door shut so I don't hear much,” Theo says, “Really, guys, I don’t know anything, sorry.”
Before they can object again, Nico rushes into the classroom, already ranting about that week's readings. Theo snaps his mouth shut, along with everyone else, and moves out of his way.
“Alright, so Puritanism,” Nico announces, picking up the chalk.
However, it seems that for the first time, everyone notices the skull ring on his hand and Theo internally groans, knowing he’ll be pestered about that too.
-----
That evening, as Nico hands Theo a stack of papers to begin grading, he bites the bullet. “Professor di Angelo?” he asks carefully, “Do you mind if I ask a, uh, personal question?”
Nico looks at him curiously and narrows his eyes. “Go ahead,” he says.
“Um, your ring,” he glances down at it on his hand, “Where’d you get it?”
“Oh,” Nico says softly, “Um, my sister gave it to me.”
“It’s…” Theo pauses, “Cool.”
Nico blinks in surprise, “Uh, thanks, Theodore. And um, thank you for helping me with these papers.”
Theo nods and pulls the first paper off the stack, “Yeah, of course.”
The next class, Theo hurriedly tells them about the ring and before Nico walks in they’ve all settled on the fact that Nico may have a sister but there’s nothing else to indicate any friends or partners.
“So, Occam’s razor,” a boy says as the class debates over whether or not Nico has a spouse, or even any friends.
“What?” another boy asks.
“The simplest answer is that he’s single and probably a loner because we don’t have any indication otherwise, so let’s just operate from there,” the first boy clarifies.
There are reluctant hums in agreement and Theo is about to interject with the fact that Nico’s sister could count as a friend but Nico bustles in and once again, everyone bites their tongue and pretends they weren’t all just speculating about how much of a hermit he is.
-----
A week later, everything is mostly the same except Nico walks in with dark circles, a stain on his shirt, and his hair a mess. He’s always been a little chaotic but never so disheveled and Theo would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little concerned. Before he begins the lecture, Theo tries to catch his attention. “Professor di Angelo,” he whispers.
Nico looks at him expectantly, “Yes, Theodore?”
“Um, are you alright?” he asks.
Nico frowns and steps back. “Of course, why?” he questions.
“You just look a little…” Theo trails off.
“Oh,” Nico blinks and drags a hand over his face, “Yeah, I’m fine, just... late night, I guess.”
Theo has a million questions but instead of actually asking any of them, he just nods and offers a smile just as Nico turns around to face the class and begins to lecture.
Of course, the next time the class pesters Theo for information, he tells them everything he can. Part of him feels bad for being so nosy and for telling Nico’s students all of this, but he can’t help it, he’s curious too.
“A stain? So he didn’t do his laundry?” someone asks mockingly as he tells them.
Theo shrugs, “I don’t know, but you guys asked. That’s all I’ve got right now.”
The class groans and then Nico walks in and they’re all cut off.
-----
Later that week, Theo runs into Nico at the coffee shop a few blocks away from campus. Nico is holding two coffees that he nearly dumps all over Theo before he jolts back just in time. “Oh!” he exclaims, “Theodore! I’m sorry!”
Theo looks at Nico and then down at the coffees in his hands. “It’s fine!” he says quickly, “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Neither was I,” Nico says and then glances at something over Theo’s shoulder, “Uh, I'm really sorry, but I have to run. I’ll see you in class on Friday?”
Theo nods and smiles, “Yeah, have a good day, Professor di Angelo.”
“You too, Theodore!” Nico calls over his shoulder as he rushes past him.
Theo watches him climb into the passenger side of a car and drive away. He didn’t see the driver but he’s already buzzing with excitement.
On Friday, Theo bursts into class and sees pretty much all of the students already seated. “He’s got at least one friend!” he announces.
“What?” a boy asks, “How do you know?”
“I ran into him at the coffee shop yesterday and he had two coffees in his hand. Plus, he got into the passenger’s side of a car that drove off,” Theo says.
“Maybe it was an uber,” a girl objects.
“Who rides in the passenger's seat of an uber?” Theo grimaces, “Plus, the two coffees thing.”
“You did say he drinks a lot of caffeine,” she argues, “Maybe they were both for him.”
“I doubt it. Maybe if it was just the coffees or just the car thing, but they both happened which strongly points to a companion he drives around with and gets coffee for,” Theo says smugly.
“Okay, so he’s got a friend,” a boy says, “Good for him.”
“ Maybe ,” the girl says, “It’s pretty speculative.”
“Fine, it’s a theory ,” Theo concedes, “But it’s better than the one we’ve got now where he’s perpetually alone.”
-----
Two weeks later, Nico is drowning in grading midterm papers for all his courses. Why he assigns them at the same time when he knows he’s the one who has to grade him is beyond him, he really should know better, but he’s done it every year. He looks up as he hears a tentative knock on his door frame. Theo is standing there and looking anxiously at him. “Professor di Angelo?” he asks, his voice hesitant.
Nico blinks and frowns slightly in concern, “Yes? Is everything alright?”
“Um, yeah,” Theo scratched the back oh his head, “There’s someone here to see you.”
“A student?” Nico sets down his pen, “You can just send them in, you know that.”
“No, not a student,” Theo clarifies, “Um, a man and, uh… a baby?”
Nico relaxes and can’t help the grin that stretches across his face. “A blond man?” he asks, even though he already knows the answer.
“Yeah,” Theo tells him.
“Send him in,” Nico says.
Theo opens his mouth as if to say something before he snaps it shut and nods once, shuffling out of sight. Straining to listen, Nico hears him say something from down the hall and the sounds of footsteps coming toward him. He stands from his desk, his hands in his pockets as Will bustles in, a baby strapped to his chest and a wide smile on his face.
The baby giggles at the sight of Nico and it makes his heart swell as her hands reach for him. He pulls his hands from his pockets and reaches forward, a goofy look on his face as he tucks his hands beneath her armpits, lifting her up. Will quickly unbuckles her from the baby carrier so Nico can pull her out and prop her up on his hip. “Hi sweetheart,” Nico coos, brushing his thumb across her cheek softly.
He turns his head away from her for a moment and looks at Will, who is watching them with a warm, affectionate look that makes Nico want to melt. “Hi to you, too,” he whispers.
Will leans forward and presses a chaste kiss to his lips. “Hey darling,” he says.
Nico looks back to their daughter, who’s smiling gummily at him. “What’re you doing here, Miss Maria?” Nico asks her.
She just babbles in response and reaches to grab the collar of his shirt as Will chuckles. “I figured we could come and pick you up from work today because today is the first day of my first three consecutive days off in months ,” Will answers.
“Well aren’t you just living it up?” Nico smirks.
“Oh definitely,” Will wiggles his eyebrows at Nico, “I have a hot date tonight, too.”
“Oh do you?” Nico raises an eyebrow as he reaches over to rub at a stain on Will’s shoulder, “Well, I have to admit I’m jealous. My date for tonight has baby spit-up on his shoulder.”
Will makes an ick face as he looks at the stain but it relaxes into a grin again as he looks back at Nico and Maria. “Maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll change my shirt to one without any spit-up at all,” he teases.
“What a gentleman,” Nico looks at him again with a wide smile and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for coming,” he says quietly.
“‘Course,” Will says as he makes grabby hands, “Now give me back that baby so you can get your stuff and we can get out of here.”
Nico pouts but hands her back to him and moves over to his desk. “Bossy,” he teases.
“Always,” Will grins.
Nico quickly shovels his laptop and a few folders into his bag before latching it shut and slinging it over his shoulder. Will is strapping Maria back into the baby carrier when Nico comes back over. As soon as she is secured, Nico grabs Will’s hand and intertwines their fingers, tugging him out of his office. He flicks the lights off and pulls the door shut.
They pass Theodore sitting at the front desk of the department on the way out. Will waves kindly as Nico calls, “See you tomorrow, Theodore. Thank you for your help today.”
Theodore looks just as startled as he did in Nico’s doorway as he mumbles, “Um yeah, thanks, Professor di Angelo.”
Will snickers as they turn the corner, “You make him call you Professor?”
Nico rolls his eyes, “I am a professor.”
“I thought you were supposed to be cool and let all your students call you Nico,” he jokes.
“I am cool,” Nico complains, “I just— I don’t know, they haven’t ever asked to call me anything other than Professor.”
“Should I call you professor, too?” Will asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
Nico smirks at him and cocks his head, “Maybe later.”
Will fans himself dramatically and bats his eyelashes as Nico holds the door open for him to step out of the building. “How scandalous,” Will gasps as he gently covers Maria’s ears with his hands, “And right in front of our child.”
Nico snorts as Maria grabs Will’s hand and drags it to her mouth so she can gnaw on his fingers. “You started it,” he says, “And if you’re gonna call me Professor, maybe I should call you Doctor.”
Will lowers his voice and winks at Nico, “Oh yeah? You want some sutures? Need me to set a broken bone? Maybe treat your ear infection?”
Nico shoves his shoulder and groans, “You’re insufferable.”
“Hey!” Will raises his hands in defense, “Careful who you’re pushing here!” He gestures to Maria, “There’s a baby on board!”
Nico ignores Will as he leans forward to whisper to Maria, “Isn’t Daddy so silly?”
She giggles and tries to grab at his face, her littles fingers dragging across his cheek. Nico glances up at Will and grins again, squeezing their hands still intertwined.
-----
The next day in class, before Nico arrives, Theodore is standing ominously at the front of the class as he watches the last student walk in and take a seat. He glances at the clock. There are still three minutes before class starts, which means at least four minutes until Nico actually arrives. Everyone is watching him with concern as someone calls out, “Uh, Theo, is everything alright?”
He glances at the door, to make sure it’s fully closed, and then throws his hands out dramatically. “He’s totally married!” he exclaims.
There’s a collective gasp before people are shouting out questions all at the same time. “Oh shit, really?”
“How do you know?”
“Did you see him with someone?”
“Are you sure ?”
Theo raises his hand to quiet everyone and they all stop to listen. “Yes, I’m sure,” he tells them, “Yesterday, a man came into see him— a man with a baby , I might add— and I didn’t hear everything they said to each other but they definitely sounded familiar and the man called Professor di Angelo ‘darling’ and, when he left with them, they were holding hands.”
“He’s got a kid too!” a girl yells, “How did we not know any of this?”
“Dude,” a boy in the front of the class groans, “We are so dumb.”
“Well, clearly, he didn’t want us to know any of this,” another boy interjects, “Or else he would have said something.”
“You’re right,” Theo says loudly, “Which means you guys have to be chill about this! Don’t let him know that I told you!”
“Don’t let me know that you told them what , exactly?” Nico asks.
He’s standing in the doorway and watching them all suspiciously.
“Kyle!” someone whisper-shouts as he shoves a boy sitting in the back, “You were supposed to keep a lookout!”
“How was I supposed to know?” Kyle complains.
“Don’t yell at Kyle,” Nico commands, moving into the classroom and dropping his stuff on the desk. He crosses his arms across his chest and raises an eyebrow as he looks between the class and Theo, “What are you trying to hide?”
They’re silent for a moment and then someone shouts from the back, “You have a husband? And a baby?”
Nico’s scowl drops and he blinks in surprise. “Oh,” he says, “Uh, yes.”
He looks at Theo who is smiling sheepishly at him, “ That’s the big secret?”
Theo nods and looks at the floor. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles, “I shouldn’t have breached your privacy and told them.”
Nico’s lips tighten into a line before he takes a breath and drops his hands to his side. “Theodore,” Nico says, “It’s fine.”
Theo looks up, clearly still unsure. “But I know you were trying to keep your personal life private and—”
Nico cuts him off, “Who said that?”
“Um, well, I guess I just assumed that because you never talk about it,” Theo says.
“You never ask,” Nico says before looking out to his class, “You could have just asked and I would have told you. I’d love to talk about my personal life but I just figured because you never did, you just wanted to stay focused on the coursework.”
“Professor di Angelo,” a girl says, “No offense, but I think everyone would prefer to talk about your personal life instead of American Colonial literature.”
Nico’s face drops into a serious expression and he frowns. “I’m sorry, is my class not interesting enough for you?” he asks pointedly.
The girl flushes red and is about to stutter out an apology before Nico smirks. “I’m kidding,” he says and looks around at the shocked faces of his students and tries to joke, “Oh wow, did you guys all think that I’m a hermit with no sense of humor?”
“Um, maybe?” someone says quietly from the back.
“Huh, well,” Nico huffs, “That’s— well, that’s just not true.”
He walks around the desk to lean against it and sticks his hands into his pockets. He jerks his head to gesture for Theo to sit, “Theodore, you can take a seat.”
As Theo sits, Nico clears his throat. “I guess let’s do introductions again. Hi, I’m Nico ,” he says with a smile, “Obviously, I’m a professor of English here and have been for the past two years. I’m twenty-eight and I’m currently working on my PhD in classical literature. I have a husband and a daughter and a cat. You guys can ask me any questions if you’d like.”
The room is silent for a moment before multiple hands shoot up in the air. “Oh,” Nico blinks and points to the first person, “Uh, go ahead.”
“Why do you have an accent?” Kyle asks.
Before Nico can answer, there are groans throughout the class and quiet complaints of “Kyle! I was gonna ask that!” or “That’s a stupid first question, Kyle!”
“Hey, leave Kyle alone,” Nico frowns at the class before glancing back and Kyle and smiling encouragingly, “And I didn’t realize I still had an accent. But I was born in Venice and I immigrated to the United States when I was around nine.”
“That’s cool!” a girl shouts before whipping her head around to whisper to her friend, “He’s European .”
“Um, anyway,” Nico clears his throat and points to the next hand.
“What’re your husband’s and daughter’s names?”
“My husband’s name is Will and my daughter’s name is Maria,” Nico says easily as he calls on the next person.
“What’s your cat’s name?”
“Spoons,” Nico grins, “Will named him, not me.”
“How old are your husband and daughter?”
“Both of them? Uh, Will is about a year older than me and Maria is seven months old,” Nico has to fight a blush at the collective ‘Aww’ from the class.
“What does your husband do?”
“He’s a doctor,” Nico smiles, “And he loves to talk about it so if you ever meet him, ask him anything about it and he’ll be your best friend.”
A couple people laugh at his words as the next person asks a question. “How long have you been married?” a girl asks.
“Um,” Nico scratches the back of his head, “Um, think it will be seven years this coming May. He’s better at dates than I am.”
People seem surprised at that and he shrugs sheepishly. “What?” he asks.
“You got married young,” a boy says before blushing furiously and trying to walk back what he said, “I mean, not that it’s a bad thing, I just—”
Nico cuts him off with a shake of his head. “No, you’re right,” he agrees, “We did. But we’d been dating forever and we knew were it for each other, I guess, so we got married.”
“How long is forever?” a boy asks.
“Um, since I was fourteen and he was fifteen,” Nico tells them.
This cues an even bigger ‘Aww’ from the class and Nico can’t help the way the tips of his ears begin to burn. “But uh,” he shifts on his feet, “Marriage is a big commitment, so don’t get married before you’re ready and all that.
“That’s so adorable ,” someone calls from the back.
“I wish I loved someone like that,” a girl huffs.
“You should bring in your baby!”
“Yes! And your husband!”
The chatter in the classroom increases in volume as people whisper to their friends and shout out about Nico bringing in his family to class. Nico frowns slightly, embarrassed and hoping to shift the attention away himself. “Well, if you’re done with questions,” he says loudly, cutting off their voices, “We can start class.”
“No, wait!” somebody else shouts.
Nico pushes off from the desk and tosses a smile at them. “You guys just want to get out of talking about Anne Bradstreet,” he jokes.
“Well yeah ,” a girl groans from the front seat, “But we also wanna know about your husband and your daughter. They sound cute!”
“They are cute,” Nico agrees, “But you know what’s cuter? The duality in Bradstreet’s poetry.”
There are groans of complaint from the classroom and Nico just laughs. “But tomorrow, I’ll bring pictures of them,” he promises.
Nico looks back to see his class smiling and he meets Theo’s eyes and smiles widely at him. “And Theodore?” he says loudly, “Next time, instead of conspiring with my students, please just ask me .”
Theo grimaces and nods and Nico turns back to the blackboard. “So, Mistress Bradstreet,” he begins.
-----
Nico arrives home and immediately collapses onto the couch after dropping his stuff at the door, sitting beside Will, who has Maria asleep in his arms. He wordlessly reaches out and Will hands him their baby. He holds her so her cheek is resting against his shoulder and he can lean his own cheek against her head. “So,” he says quietly, “It turns out I’m not cool.”
“Yeah, honey, you’re an English professor,” Will teases, “But what exactly are you referring to?”
“Apparently all the students in my Colonial Lit class thought I was a humorless hermit who lives alone and does nothing,” he says.
“And what gave them that idea?” Will raises an eyebrow.
“Well,” Nico frowns, “I guess I don’t really talk about myself much. But Theo told them about your visit and then I let them ask me questions.”
“Ooh, questions about your personal life ,” Will mocks, “You sure you aren’t pushing the bar there?”
“Shut up,” Nico complains, shifting Maria in his arms so he can cradle her against his chest, “I just assumed that since I’m not actually that much older than them, they could deduce that I probably have a life like they do.”
“First off,” Will grins, “You’re an old man. Second off, you think your life, with a husband and a child, is similar to that of your undergrad students?”
“Well obviously not that, exactly,” Nico rolls his eyes, “I just meant that I assumed that they would assume I wasn’t a lonely hermit. Plus, we were married in college.”
“Whatever,” Will says, “We were an anomaly.”
“You’re right,” Nico concedes as he looks down at the baby in his arms, “But I’m glad we were.”
Will leans forward and rests his head on Nico’s shoulder and wraps an arm behind him as he looks down at their daughter as well. “Me too,” Will hums.
“She’s awfully cute,” Nico says, studying the angelic expression on their daughter’s sleeping face.
“Definitely the cutest baby I’ve ever seen,” Will agrees, “Though I might be biased.”
“I’m bringing in pictures of you two tomorrow,” Nico whispers.
“Don’t you need my consent for that?” Will asks.
“Can I show my class pictures of you, William ?” Nico groans.
“Hmm, I guess,” Will sighs, “But only if I look good in them.”
“You always look good.”
“ Such a flatterer.”
“Only for you.”
“Well aren’t I lucky,” Will smiles and turns to look at his husband.
Nico meets his eyes and then leans forward, kissing him softly and slowly. After a moment, he pulls away and presses their foreheads together. “I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you too,” Will says.
-----
Nico shows up to class the next day on time, much to the shock of Theo and the rest of his students. They’re looking at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths as he walks in. “What?” he asks, shrugging off his bag and digging around for the stack of pictures he brought, “You guys look more surprised than you did yesterday when you found out that I actually have a life.”
“You’re here on time,” Theo says
“Oh,” Nico glances at the clock, “Huh, I guess I am.”
A girl calls out from her seat, “Did you bring the pictures?”
Nico holds them up with a grin on his face and walks toward the first desk, handing the stack to Theo. “Yup,” he says, “You can pass them around.”
Nico moves to sit on the top of his own desk and watches as his class passes the pictures around, smiling and holding up specific pictures to show their friends.
“Professor di Angelo,” a boy says, “Your daughter is really cute.”
“Thanks,” Nico smiles and bristles with pride, “I think so too.”
“And your husband is kinda hot,” someone else adds.
That makes Nico splutter and blush. “Uh,” his voice cracks, “Also, thank you?”
The class collectively laughs and Nico ducks his head down. “Is this from Halloween?” a boy asks, holding up a picture of Nico, Will, and Maria dressed up as Mike, Sully, and Boo, respectively, from Monsters Inc.
“Yeah,” Nico chuckles at the memory, “That's the only picture we got where Maria isn’t crying because she was afraid of Will in his costume.”
His class laughs and the boy holds up another picture, this one of just Nico and Will, their faces smashed together and delirious grins on their faces, with strawberry fields in the background, “And this one?”
“That’s the night we got engaged,” he says softly, a warm smile on his face.
“Will you tell us about it?” a boy asks.
Nico looks a little bewildered. He didn’t think any of them would care enough to hear the story, but he nods anyway. “We went to the same summer camp, that’s how we met,” he tells them, “He took me back there for a picnic and said it was a belated celebration of our six year anniversary. He was like a month off and I thought he was just busy, he was in his third year of undergrad at the time and was preparing to start applying to medical schools. But really, he was waiting to make sure that we would be able to see all my favorite constellations which would have been obscured by the trees a month earlier. He proposed and obviously I said yes, and then we just, stargazed, I guess.”
“ Dude ,” a girl groans and tips her head back, “That’s so cute it makes me sick.”
“Yeah,” another girl agrees, “I wish we had just gone on believing you were a hermit so that my expectations for what love is wouldn’t have risen so much.”
Nico laughs awkwardly and scratches the back of his head, “Um, sorry?”
“Now that you're ruining all of our future relationships,” a boy in the front asks, “Can we at least call you Nico instead of Professor di Angelo?”
Nico’s face becomes serious in an instant and he frowns, “Absolutely not.”
His class blinks back at him in surprise at his sudden change and it makes Nico throw his head back in laughter. “Wow, I’m kidding ,” he laughs, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t joke like that, you guys aren’t used to it.”
Theo speaks up with a grin, “Yeah, we just learned that you’re able to talk about anything other than arguably the most boring literary period in American history, You’re gonna have to give us a bit before you start getting deadpan with us.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s the most boring,” Nico frowns, “I mean, it’s definitely not my favorite but there are some interesting characteristics. Notably, the intersection of puritanism and the neoclassical renaissance, especially because it happened at the beginning of the United States’ formation.”
His class collectively groans and it makes Nico grin. “I’ll make English majors of you all yet,” he threatens jokingly.
He sees the pictures be handed to the last person and he looks at Theo, “Could you get those when they’re done making their rounds?”
Theo nods and Nico turns to the blackboard, “And speaking of neoclassicalism, who can tell me what callbacks to Greco-Roman and early Christian literature they found in this week's short stories from Washington Irving?”
Before he can continue, there is a knock at the classroom door. Nico looks to Theo in confusion, who just shrugs. “Uh, come in?” Nico calls, turning back towards the door.
The door opens and Will waltzes in with Maria once again strapped to his chest in the baby carrier. Nico immediately flushes bright red and glances at his class who are all gaping at the blond or rapidly looking between him and Nico. “What are you doing here?” Nico asks, his voice strained.
“You said you were bringing in pictures of us but we didn’t have any plans today, so I figured the real thing would be better,” Will says as he turns to face the class, “Hi everyone, I’m Nico’s— er, Professor di Angelo’s husband, Will. And this is Maria,” he grabs the babies hand and waves it as he talks to her in a soft voice, “Say hi, baby.”
The class coos and Nico shuffles on his feet. “So I guess we’re not talking about neoclassicalism,” he says.
Will glances at him with a smirk, “Oh no, go ahead, don’t let us distract you any further, we can just take a seat while you,” he waves his hand around, “Be a professor and all that.”
“Will,” Nico says exasperatedly, “They’re not gonna pay any attention.”
“Oh, what a shame,” Will sighs as he shoots an exaggerated wink at the class.
They laugh and Nico rolls his eyes fondly. He walks around the desk and stands in front of Will and holds his hands out. “If you’re going to come into my class and cause a ruckus, you could at least give me my baby,” he huffs.
“Hey,” Will smiles as he unhooks her and passes her to Nico, “ Our baby.”
“Hmm, maybe,” Nico props her up on his hip, “But I’m her favorite,” he presses a kiss to her cheek which makes her giggle, “Isn’t that right, Miss Maria?”
His class coos again and Nico smiles sheepishly at them. “Alright,” he sighs, “Clearly today has gotten a bit off track. If you have somewhere you need to be or something you need to work on, feel free to leave. If not, you can all ask Will ,” he shoots his husband a teasing smile, “Questions instead of me.”
“If that’s supposed to be some kind of punishment or deterrent, you’re underestimating how much I enjoy talking about myself and my family,” Will says and then turns to the class, “Fire away, everybody.”
Nico rolls his eyes and goes to walk back to his chair at his desk. He sits down and places Maria on his lap so she can see all the people. She watches them with wide eyes and a happy smile that makes Nico want to press a million kisses to her cheeks. Instead, Nico glances at Theo, who meets his eyes, and Nico smiles kindly and nods. He turns back to watch Will in front of the class, answering every question thrown at him with an easy smile.
Nico can’t deny the warmth flooding him at the sight of Will and at the sight of his daughter in his arms. Even if they’re in the middle of his classroom and they really should be talking about neoclassicalism and not the probably embarrassing story that Will is telling, he is so overwhelmingly happy.