Caught in motion

❝ I never asked to be like this ❞

He was satisfied that things were settling down again. Well, for as much that they could settle down for people like him. The chaos of the festivities was behind him and the small mistakes he had made could be forgotten, for now. He knew it would linger if anyone brought it up, but was he used to anything else? He held his breath as his eyes drifted from his notes. Those small things still got to him, didn't they? How sad he was that he still let all of those things in despite everything. It had been years since something like that really had a big impact on him. And yet he still was hurt, he was still so scared. He sighed, taking his glasses off and placing them down on his desk, pressing his hands in his face. The tension he felt in his shoulders, his back, his... Brain. It was hard to let go off. Yet, he didn't have much choice. He was assigned to finish up some classes this morning... Standing in front of people and all that. Even though he adored his job, at times like this he truly despised the choices he had made in life. There was no way that he would feel comfortable in front of people today, not after his brain had already put him through so much already. But it was his job, he couldn't back out.

So he got up, took his glasses and put them back on. As he let his fingers run over some of the paper, he took his notes and some books he had prepared. He turned around and walked out of his office, locking the door behind him. He was a bit paranoid about leaving his office open. Not that he was scared of something extreme. No, it were the little things that scared him. A paper that would go missing or something expensive he had gotten from his parents that would be stolen. He couldn't afford even a single little mistake, since that could cost him... Everything. Perhaps not to the world, but to him. How he was and how he functioned. Everything had a place and everything was supposed to be like... Something. And that routine gave him some peace of mind. Because in his mind there was never lasting chaos. Whispers that granted him doubt and an ever lasting darkness that never seemed to clear. It was tiresome, but it was who he was... And there was little he could do about it.

When he entered, there were already some people present. He put on a small smile and nodded at them, pressing forward as to put his stuff down on the designated table for him. He organized some of his paper and took a deep breath, placing his hands side by side on the desk to get some stability. He read over some of it, before grabbing his watch out of his pocket. As he glanced over he could see that he had barely made it. Hm... Well he was still on time which was the most important thing after all. He placed the watch down, before finally stepping away from his desk. "Good morning," he said with a kind smile. "Before I start, does anyone have any questions about last lecture?" He looked around the room, before his blue eyes finally settled on someone in particular. His smile faded as he blinked slowly. Wait a minute- He wasn't supposed to be back yet... Right?

❝ I never asked to be like this ❞

He had noticed that dumb smirk from a mile away. He knew his brother well. And he hated that he did. He despised that look he gave him, felt the irritation already build up under his skin. The older Winter really was something else. Barging into his class, most likely to mock him and his job. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. His blue eyes moving away from Lionel. In a lot of ways, he wasn't surprised. Because when would the other ever do something normally? He had to make a great intrance, leave an impression. And by the Gods, he wanted to punch the other for that. If there was one person that had it with that kind of beheviour, it was him. He had lived in his shadow his entire life, having to feel the backlash of 'not being like him' or 'not being as good as him'. And that kind of childhood, it left a mark. He had always lost to the other. And now that he was slowly catching up, even having a wife before him, he wasn't going to give in. He was better and he knew it. They weren't children anymore.

And there it was, he spoke. Grabbing his attention by simply addressing him. Luckily, he did so with the correct title. Louis looked back at his brother, raising one of his brows ever so slightly. What was it now. He nodded at the man who had also raised his arm. A bit counter productive if you asked him, he had already spoken out. If everyone acted like him his classes would be absolute chaos. This is why he hated the castle so much. All of them so unruly, thinking they all had it so much better and knew it all better. Lionel started to talk, stating the issue at hand. The blonde professor nodded slightly at his words. Hm. Family business... More like work business, but okay. He took a step back, looking over the rest of his class but not seeing any other students grabbing his attention by raising their hands. It remained quiet, everyone waiting for him to make a move, answer the seemingly oversized student question. He had to hold back a sigh as his focus went back to him. Normally, he would be kind about this, understanding. Maybe even offer a smile. But he couldn't right now, as all he could think about was how the other did this to taunt him.

"That is very unfortunate," the man said. "We went over some theories that you can find on page 84 to 102 in your book," he glanced to his desk, where the same copy of the thing was laid open. Most of the works were made with the newest printing machines Ashmoor had to offer. The development of the machinery had allowed him to give all his students proper material to work with. Although, not perfect yet, it was better then having to do it all by hand. "Today we will go over the law of conservation of momentum," he took a deep breath as he turned his back to the public. "You won't have any issues with this class if you have done the assigned reading," He walked forward, grabbing some chalk as he started to make some graphs and formulas. "See me after class so we can talk about your... Missed classes," he had to hold back a sigh as he continued to write the rest of his formulas down. Keeping his back straight as he continued to set up everything he needed to explain today's theory.

And when all was done he simply started to explain away at the subject, glancing over at Lionel every so often. Hoping that the hour would go by as quickly as possible.