He Stole My Heart

[Nathan Miller]

Nathan Miller was growing increasingly confident in his capabilities. While he didn't do this sort of thing every single day, he did enjoy the thrill of it; the adrenaline that pumped through his veins. Knowing he could get caught. Making life on the Ark far more exciting than he thought possible. There was so much more to life than rules, regulations, discipline, and every other value that his father attempted to instill him with. He wasn't a guardsman. And had no intention of being one. Part of the reason he sabotaged his own grades. But that wasn't what was foremost on his mind right now. He had returned to the classroom, currently fishing around for the teacher's tablet. He knew that they left it in here . . . he saw her take it out every single morning from her locked desk.

That was where his building skills as a lock pick came in. Ones he was still working on but hey, practice makes perfect. Which, apparently Nathan needed a lot of. Because he suddenly heard footsteps approaching. He jerked his head to the doorway, knowing it was too late to run or hide . . . so he was just going to have to play smooth. Be as nonchalant as he could. But he was also currently standing behind the teacher's desk when the lights were turned on, the door opened, and there standing in the threshold was . . . the TA. Miller took a few moments to try and remember what his name was, but the rush of getting caught took over as his hands fumbled to his side, and he stood in an awkwardly straight position so that he was not caught hunched over in front of one of the drawers trying to pry it open.

"Heeey," he greeted. Casual. Play it casual. "Bill right?" Why didn't that sound right . . . His mind wasn't working properly with that sudden and overwhelming fear of getting busted. One that he kept from showing any sign of. "Don't you teachers have a life?" He teased him with a playful smirk. He knew the guy was a TA but still. "Or do you just miss this place so much, Bryan!" Realization suddenly struck him, and he tried not to get too excited that he remembered his name. So said it again a bit more calmly. "Bryan," he fixed, leaning against the teachers desk and folding his arms across his chest. Casual . . . he just had to play it casual.

Tag: @bryanbryanbryan

[Deleted]

Bryan was a bit tired. Between his school work and his duties as a TA, he had a lot on his plate, and when he'd become a TA in his favorite subject, he somehow hadn't expected it to be so boring. Sure, there were some aspects he enjoyed, but he'd just spent the last hour recording grades into his teacher's tablet, and he was glad to be done. Not that he had exciting plans or anything.

Of course, excitement found him unexpectedly when he flipped on the classroom lights to find someone unexpected standing by the teacher's desk. He jumped slightly and sucked in a breath, his eyes wide as Miller misremembered his name. Which wasn't shocking. Bryan didn't make the same sort of impression that Miller did, hanging out with troublemakers like Jasper Jordan and the like. Which didn't make a lot of sense to Bryan, really, given Miller's status. "I'm not a teacher," he blurted, even though Miller eventually remembered his name, so he must know that. Bryan was just still slightly shocked. "What are you doing here, Miller?" he asked, finally coming to his senses and glancing around to make sure none of Miller's friends were here too.

Tag: Nathan Miller

[Nathan Miller]

Miller continued to smirk as Bryan chose that one particular thing to respond to. "Close enough," he commented, not really caring if he was or wasn't, but was just glad to be turning around the conversation. Until of course Bryan directly asked him what he was doing here. Miller stayed as calm, cool and collected as he could. Suddenly glad he didn't ssk anyone else to join him tonight. "I just wanted a quiet place," he lied. "You know, somewhere that I could just hang out." Another lie. He really didn't care much for that but, he didn't know Bryan and thus, Bryan didn't know him.

"Don't you ever just want a place to collect your thoughts? Get some peace and quiet?" Turning around the conversation once again as his smirk slowly faded and a smile replaced any amusement. Miller wasn't one to talk too much but . . . this situation called for it. Besides, the more he looked at Bryan, the easier he found to keep drawing the conversation to him. The guy was certainly incredibly easy on the eyes. Which . . . made this entire thing a lot less difficult. Or so Miller hoped.

Tag: @bryanbryanbryan

[Deleted]

Miller said he just wanted a quiet place to just hang out, and Bryan frowned at him. There were plenty of places to do that, not a classroom in the dark. Miller went on to ask if Bryan ever just wanted to go somewhere for peace and quiet. "Home's pretty quiet. The library. Starboard window bay. Almost anywhere on Farm that isn't the mess," he said, his tone and expression indicating he didn't quite buy Miller's excuse because there were far better places to find peace and quiet. 

But nothing looked out of place. Nothing except Miller, anyway. So Bryan relaxed a little and walked over to the desk, fishing a key out of his pocket and unlocking the drawer. He pulled the tablet from the pocket inside his hoodie and put it in the drawer, then locked it again. "I'm locking the door when I leave. You probably want to be on the other side of it," he said, looking up at Miller again, a mild expression on his face.

Tag: Nathan Miller

[Nathan Miller]

Miller listened as Bryan listed off a bunch of other options for quiet places. "Your home might be quiet," he stated with a continued smirk. "And those other places, well, it's too easy to bump into someone I know." Someone who would want to talk. Not that Miller cared about that. He was just coming up with a bull shit excuse as to why he chose this location in particular. There was nothing worth stealing in the library. What was he going to take? A book? Yeah, a lot of interest he had in that sort of thing.

As Bryan's gaze focused on unlocking the drawer and putting the tablet inside, Miller couldn't help but roll his eyes, inwardly cursing at the fact that this was even a bigger waste of time considering the damn tablet hadn't even been in there. But he steeled any annoyanace as Bryan told him that he was locking up after he left. "Man, you really don't like talking to people do you?" He both told and questioned him, calling out on the . . . what, need to be 'professional'? As a teacher, or assistant or whatever the hell he was. "Or is it you got somewhere more important to be?" His question almost teasing, though he knew that could be a possibility.

Tag: @bryanbryanbryan

[Deleted]

Bryan just listened as Miller offered more reasons why he'd picked the classroom as a quiet place. It still seemed strange, but maybe Miller was just... strange. Bryan couldn't see anything to suggest he'd done anything he shouldn't. But when Miller asserted that Bryan didn't like talking to people, Bryan frowned in confusion. Miller wanted to talk to him? Bryan found himself smiling faintly in his confusion at the suggestion he had somewhere more important to be, huffing a breath through his nose.

"Thought you wanted peace and quiet," he pointed out, but he wasn't sure he's really looked at Miller this closely before, and he found himself wanting to stay. And oddly distracted by Miller's dark eyelashes. It was no secret Miller was nice to look at, but Bryan hadn't ever let himself get into his head about it. No way would Miller want someone like him. "Now you want to talk?" he said, his smile widening as he decided to tease Miller back, looking around the room as if to look for other people before adding, "To me?" as if it seemed like an odd choice.

Tag: Nathan Miller

[Nathan Miller]

He saw that small smile and felt . . . oddly satisfied that he was finally starting to get a reaction out of Bryan. The other man's question was a fair one. Valid. Though Miller knew that tonight, he would not get what he had come here for. If he took the tablet now, it would be way too easy to get busted. Considering he had a damn eye witness. And yet, Miller felt like it hadn't been a complete bust. The conversation with Bryan was starting to become more about want rather than need. Miller didn't know when the hell that shift had happened, but it was happening. But he wanted to encourage the conversation . . . otherwise, he would have just made his leave and gone.

"So what if I do?" He asked him somewhat rhetorically, half realizing that there was a slight flirtation to his tone. Well, that came out damn easy. A bit too naturally as well. But Miller did nothing to rectify it. With that adrenaline of nearly being caught wearing off, he was starting to take in the details of Bryan. And found he liked what he saw. A lot. "Why does that surprise you?" He asked him curiously, trying to get better insight into what was going on in Bryan's head . . . now that he hopefully had him roped into this, unexpected exchange.

Tag: @bryanbryanbryan

[Deleted]

Bryan leaned against the desk, half sitting on it a bit closer to Miller. He was still smiling when Miller responded, but found himself suddenly a bit flustered by the tone of Miller's voice. A little thrill shot through him, because it sounded like Miller might be flirting now, but... Bryan had to be imagining it. Still, Bryan had to look away, biting his lower lip slightly as he told himself not to be stupid.

"I didn't think I was your speed," he said honestly, a slight laugh in his voice. "You seem to prefer troublemakers to 'teachers'," he added, using how Miller described him just moments ago, finally looking back at Miller with a teasing smile now that he thought he'd regained control of his expression.

Tag: Nathan Miller