Chapter Text
“That will be all for today, more tomorrow. Speaking of, read chapter seven through nine for tomorrow. Exams are coming up, so my office door will be open from three to five ‘o clock today if anyone has questions. I have to get going now.” Professor Raven picked up the black leather bag standing at the foot of the chalkboard and headed towards the door.
“Professor, may I walk with you?” Kravitz had quickly joined his teacher and had already taken his place beside her without waiting for an answer.
“Make it quick, Kravitz, I have a meeting to get to.” Professor Raven sounded serious, as she always did, but Kravitz knew she liked him. He had always sat up front in her classroom and always got good marks on her tests, which was a quick way to win her approval.
“I was looking ahead in the class schedule, and I saw that we’ll be discussing death next term?” The professor was much taller than he was, and he had to hold a quick pace to keep up with her.
“Autonomy in Relation to Life and Death, yes. I think you’ll do well. What’s your question?”
“Since it’s the first discussion we have on the topic, I was wondering if you could make an exception for a friend of mine. He’d like to take the course.”
“I’m sorry, you know I can’t do-” Kravitz interrupted her, which she wasn’t used to. He was normally very well behaved during her lectures and always awaited his turn to speak.
“I know, it’s an advanced course” Kravitz interrupted her, which she wasn’t used to. He was normally very well behaved during her lectures and always awaited his turn to speak. “But he will do all the preparatory reading and I’ve checked, the class isn’t a follow-up on one I’ve had, so if I can do it, so can he, and-” Professor Raven raised her left hand, silencing him.
“What’s his major?”
“Linguistics.” Kravitz heard the professor suck air through her teeth. He had hoped she wouldn’t ask, as he knew she despised the linguistics professor.
“Did professor Deneir agree to it?”
“Yes, he said my friend could take your class instead of Death in Classical Literature for the same credit if you agreed.”
“You’ve already done the paperwork, I assume?” Kravitz smiled widely and took some papers from his bag. He handed them to the professor, who could now see all the fields had been filled out already.
“They’re all complete. Only thing missing is your signature, professor.” Professor Raven looked at the paper, frowned, and ultimately looked back at Kravitz. She stopped walking.
“Do you have a pen?” Kravitz’ smile grew wider as he handed her the pen from his breast pocket. She signed at the bottom of the final page without looking through the document, trusting that Kravitz had neatly followed the instructions.
“Thank you, professor. I’ll tell my friend he got in.” The professor smiled slightly, breaking up her usually stoic face.
“Your participation in my class has granted you this favour, Kravitz, not me. Don’t tell anyone I did this, I’m not doing it again.” Kravitz nodded, taking back the paperwork.
“My lips are sealed, professor.” As professor Raven turned away, Kravitz celebrated under his breath.
“What are you so happy about?” Kravitz sat down in his seat up front and turned around to face Barry, who always sat behind him in this class. Barry wasn't majoring in philosophy like Kravitz was, but in sociology, which meant they took one or two classes together each semester. This class, Principles of Community and Society, bridged the gap between their fields of study.
“Oh, nothing much. I just got Taako into professor Raven’s next class, that’s all.” Barry’s mouth dropped open.
“Bullshit. The Raven’s class? Bullshit!” Kravitz grinned proudly.
“Not bullshit whatsoever, my dearest Barold: see for yourself.” Kravitz handed him the paperwork, and indeed: the name at the top of the first page was T. Taaco.
“How did you- But- The Raven hates outside students! Hell, she hates half of her own classes! Double hell, she hates me!”
“For a start, I don’t call our professor ’The Raven’, I'm a philosopy major, and I get straight A’s in all her classes. She likes me.”
Later that afternoon, Kravitz knocked on the blue dorm door he had become so familiar with over the past few months. He heard the squeaky desk chair wheel roll over the linoleum inside and he heard his boyfriend mutter to himself.
“Where do I sign?” asked Taako, looking down at his phone instead of at Kravitz.
“Right here under the restraining order, please.” Kravitz smiled as he saw Taako realize who he was.
“Babe! I’m sorry, I was expecting a package, but you’ll do. Come in!” Taako pecked him on the lips as Kravitz passed him entering the room.
“I’ll do? Always the warm welcome with you, huh?”
“You know you love me anyway, Kravvy.” Kravitz sighed as he put his bag down and sat down on the bed. “Anyway,” Taako continued, “what brings you around these here parts anyway? I didn’t expect you before tonight. Don’t you normally have class Thursday afternoon?”
“I do, but Barry will give me his notes. I have something to show you.” Kravitz bent down and took the papers from his bag.
“You didn’t!” Taako gasped.
“I did.”
“Shut up. You did not!”
“Read the ink babe. I really did.” Kravitz grinned and handed Taako the paper. “I got you into professor Raven’s class.”
“The death one?” Taako gleamed looking over the papers in his hands.
“Yeah, that one. Autonomy in Relation to Life and Death.” Kravitz in turn gleamed looking at the happy elf standing before him. “That’s the one you wanted to take, right?”
“Yeah, it is.” Taako looked up from the paper. “Thanks, babe.” Kravitz smiled softly as he looked Taako in the eyes. It made him feel warm inside to see his boyfriend happy, it always had. He patted on the bed beside him and Taako sat down, hanging his arms around Kravitz’ shoulders. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
That same evening, Taako’s phone rang. He was sat alone in his bed watching something on his laptop and eating spaghetti. Kravitz had left to study for his exams with Barry, although Taako had made him promise to return and stay the night. He looked at his phone to see who was calling. ‘Lup’, the screen said, followed by two emoji: a wolf and a pink heart. She had entered in the wolf emoji, but he had added the heart because he knew she was a softie at heart.
“Office of Taako, Taako speaking.” The twins often talked on the phone when they weren’t busy studying (which Lup, as she herself said, never was because ‘she was just awesome at everything’). Taako always said this was because he did not want to leave any textual proof of his words, but in reality he found comfort in his sister’s words. Lup would never admit it out loud, but this comfort was mutual.
“Hey, dipshit, Barry just texted me about the philosophy class. Krav finally managed to get you in, then?”
“He did! Because contrary to some people on this phone call, I actually have a cool boyfriend.”
“Fuck you, Barry bought me a donut yesterday so you can stick it up your ass. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something, but I seem to have forgotten…”
“I swear, your brain is like a strainer.”
“Don’t make fun of me I have a disorder you twat.”
“We both have ADHD, but only one of us is an idiot.”
“At least I’m not studying linguistics!”
“Linguistics is just as much of a science as physics is, you elitist!”
“That falsehood aside, I remember why I called. I wanted to ask you something about the philosophy thing.”
“Please, do!”
“Why are you taking it anyway? I thought you weren’t really big on philosophy? You know, your whole ‘live in the moment and think about nothing’ deal?”
“I think about some things!”
“Sure you do, hon. So why are you taking the class?”
“For Krav, if I’m honest. I wanted to show interest in his, well, his interests. Death isn’t really my thing-”
“That’s just dumb, death is cool as heck.”
“Not everyone is stuck in their goth phase, Lup. As I was saying… The whole death thing – hell, the whole philosophy thing – isn’t really my cup of tea, but if he loves it, I’ll at least give it a try.” Lup was silent for a few seconds, which was uncharacteristic of her. She was usually very witty and quick.
“That’s real fucking sweet, Taako. That’s some real romance shit.”
“I suppose it is. Anyway, you seen episode 8 yet? Came out today.”
“Holy shit, really? I’ve been waiting for two weeks!”
“Just messing with you, new episode next week.”
“Fuck you!”