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“Well, guys, we’ll have an exam tomorrow. Please, come prepared. You have enough material to revise. Pay attention to the points I mentioned at seminars and prepare the examples to support your point.”
Armie looked at his student’s preoccupied faces. He was the professor whose exams weren’t just an essay and some questions with a due date. He held them like interviews. Tête-à-tête
conversation with strong argumentation.
“I’ve sent some examples, so don’t miss the chance to learn them beforehand,” he said and looked at the watch. “You can go now. If there are no questions, see you tomorrow.”
The horde of students evaporated within a second. They wouldn’t hurry to get ready for exams. Armie was the student himself. He learned the hard way that pulling an all-nighter could be effective sometimes.
“Excuse me, Professor Hammer, I have a question.”
There was a voice behind his back. The familiar voice. The smile crept on Armie’s face.
“Yes, Timothée?” Armie asked. “Wait, I have one too. Did you close the door?”
“Already done, Prof. So, can I ask you something?” Tim wondered. “Would it be easy tomorrow? I mean, I worked so hard this semester. . .”
“No, no, no, Timmy, you’ll do it like other students. I won’t cut the slack. It’s your last year here. You should already know the material,” the professor said.
“Come on, don’t be a jerk. Could you help me pass it? Should I meet any conditions to get one hundred? Like, you know,” Timothée mumbled, throwing a cunning look at his boyfriend.
“I said no. And you won’t persuade me,” Armie said.
Maybe he seemed too hard on Tim, but discipline was Armie’s main principle.
“Please, babe, I’m sick of university and exams! Give me some credit for solving your “problems” in the morning. That’s also hard, alright?”
One thing that Armie loved about Timothée is his level of exaggerating. The man adored when his boyfriend threw “drama queen” tantrums.
Armie pondered Tim’s offer again. Letting him sleep the next day would ruin his ethics and please “the drama side”. On the other hand, making him go and grumble all morning would make Armie lose his marbles.
He made a conclusion quickly.
“Okay, I see your point. I’ll let you skip the exam if you accept my idea. Warning: you’ll need to be exceptionally active and sweaty.”
Timothée lifted the eyebrow.
“Fine. It’s not something I’m not used to doing, is it?” Timothée said.
“Sure, it’s not,” Armie replied, leaving a kiss on Tim’s forehead.
***
“Nineteen, Timothée! You’re going to break a personal record!”
When Timothée thought about being “active and sweaty”, he didn’t consider going to the gym. He knew about Armie’s weekly sessions, yet never took part in them. Tim was not a weightlifting fan.
“Three more, champ,” Armie cheered over him.
The excited look on his face infuriated Timothée. How could he be so happy in this chamber of sweat and heavy breathing?
“Great job, Timmy! Let me help you,” Armie said, taking the equipment. “Ready for another round?”
“No, thank you very much. I’d better read the questions tonight,” Tim grumbled.
“Okay, okay, you’d better do it. Let’s call it a day,” Armie said.
He hugged Tim’s shoulder and led them to the changing rooms. Well, he almost carried Tim’s trembling body there.
***
“Okay, Timmy, let’s recall some Norman French borrowings. Will you tell me when the Norman invasion happened?”
Armie was lying on the couch with Timothée’s sore body on his.
“Oh no, it’s the very beginning. Will you really ask about it?”
Armie shrugged as an answer and looked back at Tim. He waited for an answer.
“Okay, fine. It happened in the eleventh century. William, quite a cool French guy, decided to take the throne of England. He sent his warriors to the shores of Britain, fought with the king there, and, voila, he became a king. The first Norman king of England.”
“If you’re going to answer like this, I’ll kick you out. I’m not kidding,” Armie said, pinching Timothée’s buttock.
“Hey, I gave it to you. The best I could after today’s hell. So, listen and enjoy, honey,” Tim astutely remarked.
Armie brushed the curls from Timothée’s forehead and left a kiss. Bleary green eyes peered at him. The youth was deadly exhausted.
“Let’s go to bed. You need to sleep well. You’ll have a hard day tomorrow.”
The youth sighed and limped to the bedroom. Deep inside, he blamed everything.
But Timothée shouldn’t know that he would have a day-off.
***
When Tim opened his eyes, Armie was nowhere to be seen. They usually woke up and headed to the university together. But not today. Armie’s side of the bed cooled down long ago. Timothée heard nothing in the apartment.
He dragged his sore body out of the bed. The print-outs laid haphazardly on Armie’s desk. Tim picked up some to revise with a cup of coffee. A bright sticky note caught his attention. The loopy handwriting said:
“Good morning, love :) I know that will be the first thing you pick in the morning, so I left it here. My congratulations, you’ve got an A! I absolutely forgot to tell you I could pick excellent students and let them get A’s without the exam. What wonderful news! You’re among them! So, head back to bed, I’ll be back soon. Don’t pout on me :*
Love you,
Armie”
Timothée read it again. And again. He picked up his phone.
T: asshole
T: love you ♥