Outmaneuvered

by Merry Amelie (MerryAmelie@aol.com)

Archive: MA only
Category: Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Summary: What to do about Ian's predatory T.A.?
Series: Academic Arcadia -- 1) Wedding Gifts 2) A Symposium on Love 3) Dinner and a Movie 4) Please Call First 5) Masquerade 6) A Change of Clime 7) Christmas in Williamsburg 8) A Paduan New Year's Eve 9) Flux 10) Ki of Tranquility 11) A Rescindable Honor 12) An Honor Conferred 13) Outmaneuvered
Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.

To Alex, my friend and beta

Ian Prentice sat in the enormous office that housed five teaching assistants and instructors from his department. He was there composing questions for the first midterm.

Two women were working with him: his T.A., Siria Tachita, and a middle-aged instructor, Allie Talmadge. Siria had proven herself competent during the first few weeks of classes, grading workshops efficiently and with care. The matronly Allie was a former teaching fellow of Quinn's, who taught one course per semester as an avocation, while her engineer husband paid the bills.

The three of them were considering possible essay questions for the upcoming exam, but Allie was also engaged in studying her officemates. Siria was a new arrival to the Luke graduate program, though she'd gotten her B.A. there, and was overeager to prove her worth. She consistently did more work than was necessary, leaving Allie unsure if she were more interested in impressing Ian or the higher-ups. Siria was short and slender, with dark hair and eyes.

Ian was simply charming. Allie had watched him in fascination since he'd begun teaching in January, noting his interactions with Siria, as well as various students and faculty members, including one of her more enigmatic colleagues, Quinn Masterson. She'd been surprised when Ian had moved into Quinn's office; she hadn't thought the professor would willingly share it with anyone without a direct order from the department chair.

Quinn was not a man who made friends easily; even after knowing each other for four years, Allie and Quinn were no more than cordial acquaintances. That would best describe Quinn's relations with the rest of the department, as well.

Allie studied Ian covertly, making sure to feign interest in the questions in front of her. What was there about this young man that had breached Quinn's remote politeness?

Allie realized that she was not the only one watching Ian. Siria also looked up at him surreptitiously. Seemingly oblivious, the young man continued writing on a white pad.

It was easy to recognize Siria's interest in Ian: the speculative gaze, the licking of suddenly dry lips, the wide eyes. Allie had seen it all before in her years of teaching.

Allie also knew that the best ways to deflect such attentions were to ignore them, or to gently redirect them to the task at hand. Ian had apparently perfected both approaches. He sat there blithely doing his work, an occasional question assuring that the women were as well.

Siria put her pen down. "I'm hungry. Can we continue this after lunch?" She stared pointedly at Allie, hoping to dissuade her from joining in, but the older woman refused to meet her gaze.

"Certainly." Ian suppressed a sigh of relief as he got up and put on his jacket.

Allie was sure she saw thankfulness in Ian's eyes at escaping the office and its unexpected tensions, caused by the predatory dynamic Siria brought to the mix. Allie rose quickly; Ian would have an easier time of it with her there for the meal. When she saw the disappointed frown, edging towards betrayal, on Siria's face, Allie knew she'd made the right decision.

Allie darted a glance over at Ian. They shared a look of perfect understanding across the room, while Siria watched in puzzled frustration. The three walked to the student center in notable silence.

After work, Quinn and Ian liked to decompress by sitting on the couch recliner, lattes near to hand. That night found them in grey sweatsuits, a patterned quilt pulled up to their waists. Ian entwined their fingers, and gave Quinn a lazy smile.

"Remind me to work in our office from now on," said Ian.

Quinn's eyes crinkled. "I thought you were a bit hyper this afternoon. What happened?"

"Apparently, my T.A. has a crush on me."

Quinn began to chuckle. "All your precautions against the students, and it's Siria you have to watch out for."

"You may think it's funny, but I have to work with her for another twelve weeks."

"As you said, just meet with her in our office, and I'll be there as a deterrent. I guarantee no one will flirt with you while I'm in the room." Quinn put on his best no-nonsense expression.

Ian delighted in the possessive tone of Quinn's voice, and relished the tightening of his lover's fingers on his own. Since Quinn had known from their second day together exactly where Ian would be sleeping for the next sixty years, Ian had never heard this particular inflection before, and discovered he liked it a lot.

"I don't doubt it," Ian responded with a straight face. "All 6'4" of the most formidable professor in our department? Siria wouldn't dare." He kept the laughter to his eyes. "You've got the copyright on stern and daunting."

"Thank you...I think." Quinn grinned, negating the intended effect.

"Although that look of yours has a rather different impact on me than it would on others, I'd imagine." Ian's thumb teased over Quinn's eyebrow.

"Does it now, lad?" Quinn caught the thumb and stroked it.

"Mmm-hmm." Ian's forehead creased in sudden memory. "Wasn't Siria one of your students a few years back?"

"Yes, but she was smart enough not to try anything then. Your problem, now that Siria's going for her Master's, is that she sees herself as your colleague."

Ian groaned. "You're right, Quinn. This is funny. I've tried to discourage her as much as possible by treating her as a fellow professional. Sounds like just what she's wanted."

Quinn blew out a sigh of frustration. "You know, situations like this are just what wedding bands are made for. It's so tempting to use them."

"While I'm sure they'll discourage poaching, that's not why I want to wear your ring, if we ever decide to do so." Ian reached into his sweatshirt to bring out the gold band, stroking it thoughtfully. "This is the tangible expression of your love for me, not merely a declaration of territoriality."

Quinn raised Ian's hand to his mouth, gliding his lips over the finger the ring would encircle. "Deterrent it may be, but this bit of gold carries more weight than that."

"I'll say; if the jeweler had charged us by your measure, we'd still be indebted today."

Quinn's hand migrated up Ian's wrist under the sweatshirt cuff. He was grateful for the amount of stretch in the material. Ian gave him that slow melting look that made Quinn hot on a February evening. He kissed Ian softly, eager to feel the quickened puffs of Ian's breath against his lips, and continued to slide his hand up Ian's arm, fingertips brushing light as thought over the soft hairs on his forearm.

"Ahhh," Ian's quiet sigh sounded like love itself to Quinn's ears, and he immediately decided to enhance it with another kiss.

Quinn maneuvered them so that he had access to every bit of Ian he had a mind to sample, which, as ever, was all of him. He intended to make good use of the couch and blanket, paying rapt attention to the heated flesh in between.

The next meeting of the exam committee took place in Ian and Quinn's office. Siria was wedged into the student desk, while Gary, Evan Peel's T.A., looked at her appreciatively from his perch on a nearby folding chair, and Allie winked at Ian in the utmost approval.

Quinn saw it all from his desk across the room, and thought that offices were shared for good reason.

End.