Some things changed from the original idea I had for this particular AU, But the idea that Ford manipulated Stanley to get him to put more effort into the studio remains a possibility.
So we have Stan, a teenager with a bad reputation, who distrusts a new teacher who insists that he is not a “lost cause” and that he has real potential. At first, he thinks there’s something strange about the whole speech, but he decides to accept the tutoring sessions. These fill him with this strange and new feeling and motivate him, even if it means trying a little harder. And when he finally starts improving for real and earns his first Bs, he enjoys the compliments and the teacher’s care. For once, he feels chosen; for once, he feels that someone sees something in him that he can’t even see himself and he likes it.
He likes it so much that he doesn’t even notice when all that sweetness starts turning into coldness too focused on getting more praise and impressing the man who saw value in him.
This is technically Stancest, but I'm really terrible at writing anything with enough tension to qualify as such. I came up with this idea intending it to be totally angsty and about ridiculously unrequited love, using my favorite trope from these two as leverage.
I prefer the idea of a teen stan drooling over his teacher who only gives him confusing signals and keeps him in this sea of confusion and hormones without giving him any kind of comfort.
