Chapter Text
Day 1, Seattle, WA.
"Okay!" Carina said loudly, over the buzz of the airport and the chatter of the students. "I'm going to do attendance, I need you to-"
"Denvors, pay attention to Dr. DeLuca," Maya hissed, standing off to the side of the group, watching them like a hawk.
"Thank you, Miss Bishop," Carina smiled softly, turning back to the clipboard to begin reading names, making sure they hadn't lost anyone in the busy Seattle-Tacoma airport.
They were chaperoning a field trip for their 30 Honour Roll students to the East Coast to tour some campuses there before they began their senior year. Maya wasn't even supposed to be there but a series of somewhat unfortunate events had led to her being volun-told she needed to go, particularly as she was one of the school's first aid officers. Dr. DeLuca was the trip's organiser, she'd been running this trip for years, and for most students it was the highlight of their junior year.
"Parker? Georgia Parker?" Carina called, her eyes scanning the group.
"-and if I get into Yale, my mom said we could do a graduation trip to Europe and maybe I could dual major and-”
"Parker, Dr. DeLuca has called your name 3 times now. Stop talking and listen, or I'll make you sit with Mr. Gibson for the entire 5 hours and 30 minutes to Boston, you got it?"
"Sorry, Miss."
"That's okay, just pay attention," Maya said, before calling to a flustered Carina, "Dr. DeLuca, she's here."
"Oh good, okay. Stubbs?"
"Here miss."
By the time the last student was checked off the register, the flight had nearly finished boarding. Carina stood with the flight attendant at the gate, double-checking the count as the students filed past. Maya, naturally, took up the rear like a sentry, shifting children along, reminding them to get their boarding passes out.
“Everyone present and correct?” Maya asked, glancing at the register her colleague had been ticking as students passed her.
Carina nodded. “Thirty students and six staff. Including you and me.”
“Right,” Maya said, handing over her boarding pass. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
“Sì,” Carina replied, falling into step behind her down the jet bridge-just in time to hear Maya quietly reprimanding a student for putting their headphones in too early.
“It’s okay, Miss Bishop,” Carina said with a small smile. “I don’t think we’ll lose them in the next six hours. But Kadija maybe wait until you’re in your seat?”
“Sorry Miss DeLuca.”
Maya made a noncommittal sound as the student sheepishly pulled the headphones off.
The plane was a tangle of teenagers negotiating seat swaps. They’d been assigned alphabetically, but most had strong feelings about windows, aisles, and who they couldn’t possibly sit next to for five hours.
Maya somehow brought order to it with sharp efficiency and zero tolerance for whining. She was just finishing a head count when Carina returned from briefing the cabin crew on allergies, medications, and food restrictions.
Carina dropped her bag in a free seat with a sigh, scanning the rows, preparing to do yet another head count for her records. She glanced around for her clipboard, sure she had just had it.
Maya handed her the clipboard. “Thirty students. Six adults. All present and correct.”
Carina blinked at the completed register. “"I- thank you. You didn’t have to-”
"No problem, I was already negotiating swaps, it was no problem,” she shrugged.
There was a pause as they both looked toward their seats. “We’re next to each other,” Maya added. “Do you, uh- want the window?”
Carina shook her head. “I don’t mind.”
“I’ll take it, then, if that’s okay. But you can have it if you want it.”
“No, really, it’s fine,” Carina said, smiling awkwardly. “Please.”
Maya gave a tight nod, tucked her carry-on into the overhead bin, and slid into the window seat.
Carina sat beside her a moment later, her hip brushing Maya’s briefly as she settled. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Maya replied, already engrossed in the in-flight safety card like there was to be a pop quiz on it imminently.
Carina glanced sideways at her, curiosity flickering in her expression, then cracked open her book and tried to relax- if such a thing was possible with thirty teenagers and the prospect of spending the next 6 days with them.
The plane hummed with low chatter and the rustle of snack wrappers. Somewhere behind them, a group of students were whispering about colleges and crushes and whose parents were the strictest.
Carina turned a page in her book, then paused, realising something had shifted.
Maya’s shoulder was warm against hers. Heavier than before.
Carina glanced sideways.
Maya’s head had tipped gently against her arm. The sharp, disciplined lines that usually defined her features had melted away in sleep; her brow smooth, her lips parted in a slow, even breath.
Carina blinked. There was something unexpectedly delicate about her like this.
She let out a quiet breath, not wanting to wake her, and carefully shifted her arm just enough to steady Maya without pulling away. A strange sort of fondness bloomed in her chest; sudden and unfamiliar.
She’d just managed to refocus when Maya stirred beside her. A quiet mumble, then a shift of weight. "That's the third time Loughton's gone to the bathroom. Do you think she looked a little pale? She was holding her stomach earlier.”
Carina turned to look at her, surprised. “You were asleep.”
Maya was already unbuckling her seatbelt. “Not really. Just resting my eyes."
A moment later, Ellie Loughton slid back into her seat a few rows behind them, clutching her stomach. Maya was already moving.
Carina turned in her seat, watching as Maya crouched beside the student. Her voice was low, gentle.
“Is your stomach okay, kid?”
“It hurts, Miss Bishop. And I kind of feel sick.”
“I’ll get you something for it, and a seat closer to the bathroom- just in case,” Maya said softly.
She stood, walked a few rows up to where Mr. Gibson was reading, and leaned in.
“Sir, would you mind swapping with Loughton for the rest of the flight?”
He blinked but nodded, gathering his things without question. Maya returned to Ellie, helped her move, wrapped a steadying arm around her shoulders.
“Ellie’s got a stomach ache,” Maya said, once she’d settled Ellie in her seat, opening the overhead bin and pulling out the medical bag. “Feels nauseous too. I’ll give her some Tylenol. Want to log it on your paperwork as well?”
She riffled through her folder until she found Ellie’s medical form. She turned it around and showed Carina. “Says no allergies, no medical conditions. That match your list?”
Carina scanned the file and nodded. “Sì.”
“Okay,” Maya said, quietly efficient as she popped two pills into a paper cup. She grabbed a water bottle and a blue emesis bag, then returned to Ellie’s new seat.
“Dr. DeLuca and I are just over here if you need anything. Hopefully it’s just a little airsickness. My brother used to get that. Try and rest, okay? That always helped him.”
“Thanks, Miss Bishop,” Ellie sniffed, clutching the water and tablets.
“No problem. We’re right nearby.”
Maya gave her a reassuring smile, then returned to her seat. She slid her bag away again but kept the folder open in her lap, scribbling notes.
Carina watched her for a second, impressed despite herself.
“How did you even notice?” she asked.
Maya didn’t look up. “Been doing this a while.”
“I have too,” Carina said. “But that-” she shook her head. “That was impressive.”
Maya shrugged, her pen moving again. “It’s only the first stomach ache of the trip. I’m pacing myself.”
The bus was filled with the low din of teenagers decompressing- some scrolling through their phones, others bickering over what they’d have for dinner.
Maya sat at the front of the bus, clipboard balanced on her thigh, jotting a note: Ellie Loughton, nausea resolved, will check in before bed.
Across the aisle, Carina was highlighting something in a folder labeled “Itinerary: East Coast College Tour,” making notations in fluent shorthand, her handwriting looping in elegant curves.
Neither of them spoke, but they were comfortable in the quiet. Focused.
Then-
"Okay but seriously, tell me why not? Why don't you think Miss Bishop and Miss DeLuca wouldn't make a good couple? Because I swear they would. And they're both gay. Miss Bishop always does that LGBTQIA+ sports players thing and I asked her and she said she was bi. And Miss DeLuca is the teacher for the LGBTQIA+ club. And she said she's bi too so it would so work."
"Lucas, you can't ship people because they're both gay."
"I'm not! I'm saying it's because they would make a cute couple," Lucas said, equally exasperated.
"They're too opposite. Miss Bishop is terrifying. She’s like- she whistles at kids in the hallway. And Miss DeLuca is like sunshine. Sunshine and storm clouds don’t mix.”
“Well, opposites attract,” Lucas argued. “It’s like science. Yin and yang. I bet she's secretly nice. Holly said she sat with her for two hours when her Mom died until her grandma could come and get her."
"I don't know, I still think Miss DeLuca needs someone super smart and sunshiney like her and I don't think that's Miss Bishop."
Carina’s pen paused on the page. Maya’s jaw clenched just slightly.
Without looking up, Maya muttered under her breath, “I whistle because they ignore the bell.”
Carina fought the smile tugging at her mouth.
“You think we should tell them we can hear every word?” she asked quietly, eyes still on her folder.
Maya flipped a page. “Let them have their fanfiction.”
Carina bit her lip, laughing silently.
“Okay! Us teachers would like to have our voices left by the end of this trip,” Maya called out, raising her voice over the chatter in the hotel lobby. “So please be quiet and listen while Dr. DeLuca reads out the room assignments.”
She paused, scanning the group. “We’ve tried our best to match your requests, but not every pairing was possible. When you hear your name, go straight to Miss Hughes to collect your key card, then head upstairs. You’ve got one hour before lights out. After 9:30, we expect you to stay in your rooms.”
There was a collective groan. Maya ignored it.
“We’ve got a packed day tomorrow, and you’ll need the sleep. Each floor has a teacher pair assigned- their room will be marked with one of these.” She held up a sticker featuring the school’s cartoon eagle mascot. “And yes, you all have phones. You know how to reach us if you need anything.”
She gave them a pointed look. “And guys? We were not born yesterday. We will know if you’ve left your rooms.”
A few students laughed nervously.
“Alright, listening ears on- Dr. DeLuca?”
Maya stepped aside with a nod, and Carina began reading names from the clipboard. The process, made smoother by Maya’s speech, only required one last-minute room swap and thirty minutes of mild chaos.
As the final students filed toward the elevators, Carina flipped the page. “Okay… 104 for Andy and Vic. 204 for Jack and Ben. And 308 for… me and Maya.”
Maya, now juggling a small bag of medications and a folder of paperwork, nodded. “I’ll be doing daily med rounds, but here’s the list of medical needs per floor.” She handed out stapled sheets to each staff pair. “Carina and I have the highest concentration of care cases, so we’ve got the students with more complex needs.”
She turned to Vic and Andy. “Ellie Loughton had stomach pain on the plane earlier. I’m going to check on her now, but can one of you privately touch base at breakfast tomorrow?”
“Absolutely,” Vic nodded.
“Thanks.”
Carina hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. “Last thirty minutes, and then we can officially stop pretending we’re wide awake,” she muttered with a tired laugh.
Maya gave a quiet grunt of agreement, adjusting the meds bag as she moved toward the lifts.
They rode up in silence, each teacher pair peeling off as the lift stopped on their respective floors. By the time it dinged for the third, only Maya and Carina remained.
Room 308 wasn’t far. Maya juggled the key card with one hand and a clipboard tucked under her arm, managing to unlock the door on the first try. She held it open for Carina, who stepped in, her bags slipping off her shoulder with a soft thud.
Her gaze landed immediately on the queen bed taking up most of the room.
“Well,” Carina said, raising an eyebrow. “That’s… cozy.”
Maya dropped her bag on the desk and took a quick inventory of the space. Her expression didn’t shift, but her posture tightened slightly.
“Looks like we got one bed,” she said, stating the obvious. “I’ll check with the front desk, see if they have anything with two singles. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
“You sure?” Carina glanced over. “I don’t mind-”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Maya cut in, a little too quickly. “I’ll ask later. I just want to get these meds sorted and do my rounds.”
She turned toward her bag, unzipping it with precise, practiced movements. Her tone was brisk, but there was a flicker of something- nervousness, maybe- just beneath the surface. Carina noticed it but didn’t comment.
She simply nodded, toeing off her shoes. “Let me know if you want help.”
“I’ve got it,” Maya replied, already flipping through the folder of med charts like it was a shield.
Later, after checking in on Ellie and running through her med duties, Maya returned to the room, key in hand, frowning slightly.
“Reception says there’s no other rooms with two beds available. They’re fully booked.”
Carina exhaled, a soft laugh escaping her, as she looked up from her laptop. “Well, looks like we’re stuck.”
"I'll call down and ask for another comforter and pillow and take the floor," Maya said, already reaching for the phone.
"No," Carina said, a little louder than intended, "no, it's okay. We're both adults, we can figure it out. What's one night?"
"Are you sure?" Maya asked.
"I'm sure. How was the meds round?" Carina asked, trying to divert the subject.
"Good. Most of them are on top of their own meds. Ellie Loughton seems okay now. So hopefully it was just some air sickness. She's in with Summer Warden and she's got her head screwed on so I think they'll be okay if she gets sick again. Most of them seemed pretty calm as I went around. So hopefully no issues overnight."
"First night always has someth- ah there we go," Carina said, pointing to the door as they heard a knock.
She stood and went to answer. "Hi Lucas, everything okay?"
"Hi Miss DeLuca, I forgot my toothbrush... and my toothpaste."
"I have a toothbrush for you, can you borrow Noah's toothpaste for tonight and buy some when we stop somewhere tomorrow?" Carina asked, as she went to grab him a toothbrush from the bag of items students always forget on school trips.
"Sure."
"Good, green one okay?" She asked, passing him the item.
He nodded, taking it from her, "thanks miss."
Carina smiled and closed the door once she saw he was back in his room.
"Doesn't that bother you?" Maya asked, charting the med round meticulously.
"What? Kids forgetting things?"
"No, the fact they all call you Miss DeLuca, instead of Dr.?"
"Oh- no not really."
"Really? Because you must have worked hard for your PHD. If I had one I'd make sure people knew."
Carina chuckled, "it took just under 5 years. But I don't mind what they call me, as long as they're not insulting me."
"Interesting," Maya said, raising her eyebrows. "Does it annoy you when I say Dr. DeLuca? It was never my intention if it does."
"No, you're fine."
Maya nodded and looked back at her paperwork. "What was your PHD in?"
"All the hard hitting questions," Carina teased lightly. "It was on the role of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin in pain relief. With a particular focus on women."
"Wow, that's interesting, what were the results?"
Carina settled onto the bed cross-legged, laptop abandoned on the comforter between them. “The findings weren’t exactly revolutionary,” she said modestly, “but they added to the body of evidence that emotional connection, especially for women, can alter pain perception. Which- if applied to medical care- could change how we treat chronic pain, postpartum recovery… a lot of things.”
Maya, halfway through noting down a dosage time, looked up. “That’s… actually really cool.”
Carina smiled at the genuine interest. “Thank you. I did a lot of research with patients in post-op and childbirth wards. Sometimes I think I learned more from watching people hold each other’s hands than from any data set.”
Maya paused, tapping her pen against the clipboard. “You really love it, don’t you? Teaching. Research.”
“I do. I like watching people light up when something clicks. Like when they realise science isn’t cold or clinical, it’s human. Emotional.” She tilted her head. “Which is why, on the bus earlier, I didn’t agree with what that student said.”
Maya blinked, caught off guard. “What student?”
Carina gave a wry smile. “Kieran, the one who said you’re a storm cloud. And not smart enough for me.”
Maya rolled her eyes, letting out a short laugh. “Well, I am stern. And I whistle at children who aren't paying attention to school bells.”
"Mmm. But you're also a great teacher. I saw how you looked after Ellie. And comforted Sasha before he went through security. You're not a storm cloud, you're empathetic, understanding. And really crazily aware. How you noticed Ellie had gone to the bathroom 3 times whilst you were literally sleeping, I'll never know."
Maya held her gaze a beat longer than necessary, then looked down and muttered, “Thanks.”
Carina hesitated, then added softly, “For the record, also, I think you’re extremely smart. I read your article on supporting LGBTQIA+ students last semester. It gave me a lot to think about. Particularly in our political climate.”
Maya’s pen stilled.
Then, quieter, “You read that?”
“I did. And I made sure all of the science faculty did too.” She grinned. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Maya didn’t answer immediately. Just turned the pen in her hand and said, “No. I don’t mind.”
A comfortable silence settled between them, taking it in turns to answer the door when students appeared with, sometimes, ridiculous comments, dividing the hallway when it came to bedtime checks.
The awkwardness settled in when it was time to get ready for bed.
"I like your pyjamas," Maya said somewhat awkwardly, as Carina exited the bathroom.
Carina chuckled, "thanks, my roommate jokes that I have school pyjamas and home pyjamas. I don't, but these are helpful if there's a fire alarm or a sick kid, because they have pockets and they're warm."
"That's smart," Maya nodded, "are you... done in the bathroom?"
"Sì, do you want the left or right?" She asked, gesturing to the bed.
"I don't mind," Maya shrugged, grabbing her things.
"Okay," Carina said, picking the left side, climbing into bed, making sure she was as close to the edge as possible. She grabbed her book but found herself too nervous to read.
Maya emerged from the bathroom in some joggers and a hoodie, neatly folding her clothes back into her case. "I got pockets too," she said, not knowing what else to say to break the weird tension surrounding them.
"Hopefully we won't have to use them. Vic just said everything is quiet on their floor. Jack said the same with him and Jack. So hopefully."
Maya nodded, eyeing the bed for a moment before getting in, doing the same as Carina, keeping as close to the edge of the bed as possible. Unfortunately in the school's infinite wisdom, the hotel was not nice enough to give them a spare pillow they could put between them, so there was very much the risk that if one of them shifted even a little they'd end up touching.
"Are you okay reading with just the lamp?" Maya asked, when she realised she had the switch for the main light on her side.
"Huh? Oh- yeah," Carina said, forgetting that she was pretending to read.
"Okay," Maya flicked the main light off, "goodnight, Carina."
"Buonanotte, Maya."
It took a long time to fall asleep.
Carina lay on her side, staring at the digital clock glowing faintly on the nightstand. Every time she shifted, the mattress creaked in protest. She didn’t mean to be hyper-aware of Maya’s presence just inches away. But her senses refused to calm-ears tuned to every exhale, her body instinctively cautious not to cross some invisible boundary between colleagues.
On the other side, Maya stared at the ceiling. Her hoodie was too warm, but the idea of sleeping in just a tank top next to Carina felt insane. She could hear the steady rustle of sheets as Carina adjusted her position again.
Neither of them spoke.
Eventually someone's body gave in, the other's joining not long after.