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Edited by: Starry-Night-Wish
Effort should be its own reward. Of course, one could take pleasure from the various other prizes effort could provide, but the real fulfilment should be the feeling of a job well done.
Another option is to show off one's grades to the same person that threatened to give them extra work if they didn't pull through, and that was exactly what Collin planned on doing. Not only did he plan to gloat about them, he wanted to do it in style.
Standing in front of the lab door, he searched for a generic triumphant song and then he pressed play, opening the doors towards his big entrance, chest out in pride.
Both Adam and Jane stopped their work as he entered grandiosely, walking in large steps and with the most pompous expression he could muster. Jane was the first to react, scoffing out a laugh and clapping jokingly. Whether or not she knew the reason for the show was a mystery, but regardless, Collin appreciated the support.
The intern paused to wave at his single supporter and then continued his path towards the man working on his laptop, who eyed him with no expression apart from a slightly curved eyebrow. Once Collin reached his supervisor, he hurried to turn the music off, opening his student page that bore his grades. He had been receiving the exam-results one by one, but he had purposely waited until all of them were out to show it to Adam, just so he could see the look on his face. And now he was about to witness it.
Adam leaned slightly forward, skimming the screen with his eyes for a second before looking up at the smiling boy.
- What?
Collin's smile fell.
- What, what? – he repeated back, checking the phone to make sure he was on the right page. Seeing that that wasn't the problem, his eyebrows drew together at the older man. – Aren't you seeing the results?
- I am.
- Then what's with your reaction? This was my best semester!
To his annoyance, Adam still didn't give a reaction - or an adequate one at least. The supervisor shrugged him off, calmly closing the laptop and turning his back to the intern, getting up from his chair to walk away.
Collin felt a sense of disappointment translating into a deep scowl and flared nostrils.
He was so flabbergasted that he had to glance at Jane, just to make sure that it was really happening. The other doctorate student appeared just as surprised by Adam's reaction, shaking her head in response to Collin's look.
Knowing his thoughts were shared only justified his impending rage. Without his control, his lips drew in a pout as he stomped behind the supervisor.
- Aren't you going to congratulate me?
Adam still didn't look back, checking the small see-through box where electrophoresis was being performed.
- Aren't the good grades enough praise?
- No! Of course not!
- Is that so?
Collin followed the other man around the counter, passing Jane, who just stood, watching the argument.
- Aren't you happy I did well?
- It's your duty to have good grades. Jane, could you do me a favour and take out the gel when it's done?
- Sure.
And now he was being ignored.
Collin wanted to stop and have a hissy fit on the spot, but he was too mad not to keep following his former tutor that was now making his way to the racks beside the door.
- I'm still here!
Adam stopped by the rack, beginning to unbutton his lab coat.
- I know that.
- Then don't ignore me!
- Hm.
The bubble of rage that had been growing finally popped. However, instead of shouting, the boy crossed his arms, head down but still looking at his superior.
That did get some reaction from Adam, but only enough for him to peek at him as he hung the lab coat and put on a long, grey one.
- Are you sulking?
- Yes.
A small smirk flashed on his lips for a second. Collin was about to complain about being laughed at, but Adam ignored him once again, looking over his shoulder to Jane.
- I'll be back around six.
- Ok, don't worry, I'll take care of your things here.
The intern's arm fell back to the side of his body as he lifted his head back up, eyes softening.
He hadn't expected Adam to jump around in happiness, but he wished to have received at least a "Good job". Adam had indisputably done a great job tutoring him, but still, Collin had given up most of his free time to spend hours upon hours in that lab, either helping out or studying. It didn't feel outrageous for him to anticipate a small praise.
However, not only did Adam not appear to be proud of his intern, he was planning to leave and dismiss him.
- Where are you going?
Adam was already turning to the door, but he paused upon hearing Collin's saddened tone, slowly turning his head. To his surprise, the previously impassive look had been replaced by a close-mouthed smile.
- Taking my intern to celebrate his grades. Are you coming?
Hearing this, Collin's demeanour completely changed and he beamed with excitement.
Regardless of the revelation of Adam's true intentions, Collin still made sure to nag him on how mean he was up until they were inside the car. The boy nagged and the supervisor snapped back, but neither of their smiles faded in the slightest.
A while later, after Collin was satisfied with the ear-full Adam received, he sat back against the car seat.
- Where are we going?
- There's a new cafe I think you'll like. But I can't tell you the name.
- Really? Is it a surprise?
- No, I just don't remember the name. – He scoffed at him as he checked for cars before putting the blinker on. – Do you mind if I stop by my apartment? I need to fetch my charger.
- No problem. But hurry up, the model student is hungry.
- I asked about you, not a model student.
Since he didn't want to lose his post-exam celebration, Collin resisted the urge to slap the driver's arm, but that didn't save him from a nudge.
A short drive later, the car turned onto a long street lined mostly by apartment complexes. Looking around the area, Collin quickly realized where he was, turning to Adam, who pulled the car over and turned on the hazard lights.
- I've been here!
- Actor and stalker, impressive.
- You wish. My aunt has a salon near here.
- Riveting. – Adam smiled when he received another push, bringing his hand to the door handle. – I'll be back in a minute, try not to ruin the car.
- I'm gonna steal it.
- I'll see you in court.
The intern smiled as he watched Adam leave the vehicle and jog to one of the buildings across the street. Alone, Collin leaned back in his seat, staring at the dark ceiling and raising his hand to draw on the velvety surface with his index finger.
At the beginning of the school year, he would have never imagined that he would be in Adam's car on their way to celebrate the results of the exams the older had tutored him for. He wouldn't go as far as describing hours of studying as pleasant, but having Adam there had undeniably made the exam season less tortuous.
Adam, being himself, had taken the tutoring extremely seriously, utilizing practically every break they had from working at the lab. It had been draining, but Collin kept in mind how much more exhausting it must have been for his supervisor. Regardless of their efforts, and even Jane offering her help multiple times, things kept going wrong.
Although Adam tried to hide how stressed he was, Collin was still aware of it, and he valued how the older man pushed himself for his sake.
His hand dropped to his lap.
Blake saw right through me, huh?
It wasn't as if Collin didn't know he was crushing on his supervisor; it was simply different to have someone say it out loud.
Crushes weren't anything new to him either; he could even say he was prone to them, especially if they were on celebrities. What set this one apart from the others was how clueless he was on how to go about it.
Usually, when crushing on someone, he would try to assess if the interest was mutual and then flirt for the rest of the way. But with Adam, he didn't know what to do.
This time it wasn't some cute acquaintance. Adam was older, quick-tempered, professional, hard-working, and took personal pleasure from teasing Collin. All in all, he was the opposite of Collin's usual interests, and he didn't want to risk screwing it up. If he couldn't have anything else, he would at least like to preserve their friendship.
That thought produced a harsh groan that resonated from his chest.
Not even attempting to pursue someone was both foreign to him and utterly frustrating. Rejection? Not pleasant in the slightest, but he could deal with it. Control himself and do nothing? Exasperating.
But it had to be done. He would contain his self-indulgent nature... or at least try.
The doors of the building opened, and out came back Adam, looking annoyingly attractive with his hair tousled by the winter wind.
- The car's still here. – the man pointed out, closing the door behind him and shamefully fixing his hair in the rear-view mirror. – I'm disappointed.
- I changed my mind. Prison uniforms wouldn't suit me.
- Does anything suit you?
This time Collin didn't restrain from slapping his arm.
From the apartment complexes, Adam drove them to their ultimate destination, the aforementioned mall. Because no shopping place near Collin was immune to him, the boy was acquainted with it, but not with the newly open cafe Adam led him to.
Truth be told, Adam knew his taste.
The space wasn't small but had a cosy feel, walls and floor coated in wood, the scent of which mixed with the aroma of coffee, pastries, and the leather of a few sofas. Aesthetic alone earned Collin's excitement, and he couldn't wait to see what they had on the menu.
As soon as they got a free table, Collin grabbed the menu, only to find out it was near impossible to choose only one item. After too much time staring at the list, he peeked over the paper to see Adam playing some convoluted game on his phone.
- What are you going to have?
- Homemade red-velvet. Have you decided?
- I can't decide. – he whined, putting the menu down. – I want red-velvet too, but I also want pancakes.
Still looking at his phone, Adam's dark eyebrow arched.
- We could share both.
- Really?
The older man paused the game, looking back at the person on the other side of the table.
- We both know I'm paying for it anyway, so why not?
- Thanks!
As expected, a piece of homemade cake and a plate of pancakes with chocolate, whipped cream, and a diversity of fruits arrived at the table.
Collin was the first to dig in, his eyes widening with the first bite of the cake. Adam had yet to have the opportunity to eat the piece of pancake on his fork before the intern scooped more of the red-velvet dessert and brought it to the other man's lips.
His excited actions earned him an immediate eye-roll, but it couldn't be taken seriously when a stifled smile danced on his lips as they willingly opened to take the cake.
- It's good, isn't?
Still chewing the imposed food, Adam nodded. Collin, for his part, continued his attack on the desserts, sporadically stopping to gush about the different flavours, which was only increased when the drinks were placed on the table.
Just the last crumbles of the sweets adorned the white plates when Adam interrupted the on-going conversation with a raising of his eyebrows.
- I just remembered something.
Collin glanced at the other, though his true attention was on taking a sip of Adam's hot chocolate.
One of the supervisor's eyebrows drew up above the other.
- The other day your friend said something about a "Sargent Stuck-up".
The cup froze still against Collin's lips.
- Care to explain?
Neither speaking nor looking at the other, the young actor merely kept basking in the sweet warmth of the drink.
His silence didn't deter Adam from pressing on, reaching for one of the hands that held the warm mug before more of his drink was stolen, forcing Collin to look up at him.
To the intern's relief, a shadow of a smile flickered on Adam's lips, but that alone didn't erase the fact that Blake had snitched on him.
- Wasn't I the Mean Scientist?
- Blake doesn't know when to shut up. – he grumbled.
Adam snorted in amusement, retrieving his stolen drink to sip on it in a way that made Collin squint at his measured theatrics.
- So, what other nicknames have I been given?
- I can't tell you; you don't let me curse.
That little jab fomented a brief battle between intern and supervisor since the latter decided that having both drinks to himself would be a suitable punishment. Adam pointed out that he was the one paying for both drinks, forcing Collin to fake a gloomy frown, thus coercing the other to surrender.
As the defeated opponent pushed Collin's salted caramel hot chocolate back to his side of the table, the younger man smiled proudly at his victory.
Just as he was aware of his crush on Adam, the effect his pout had on his supervisor didn't go by him unnoticed. It always came at the cost of a roll of eyes but the former Sargent Stuck-Up would eventually relent to Collin's wishes.
– You are too spoiled.
– The height of hypocrisy is one crying for the losses of a fire he himself keeps fuelling.
To Adam's questioning look, Collin only shrugged, this time covering his smile with his beverage.
– It's a line from the first character I had after I entered university.
– How many characters have you played?
– In university?
– In general.
– I have no idea. I started acting at seven or eight and never stopped.
In a short pause, Adam's eyes explored his face. To his sanity's detriment, his supervisor decided to ditch his usual teasing for a small, yet sweet smile.
– You really do love acting, don't you?
Glee spread across the boy's face as he nodded.
– A lot, a lot.
– Do you plan to do it professionally?
– Uh-huh. Once I graduate, I'm going to apply to a drama school.
- Why didn't you do it in the first place?
His shoulders slumped a bit, but he didn't lose the smile.
- My parents didn't want me to... They made me promise I would graduate from a field that's not art first.
His studies had been, and sometimes still were, the theme of many heated arguments in his home. Generally speaking, his parents would be the first to give him whatever he wanted, but when he had verbalized his intentions to follow acting in university, the ceiling fell down.
As much as Collin resented some of the things that had been said about his dream, he knew it had been prompted by the harshness of the conversation. If his parents truly believed acting wasn't a real career they wouldn't go to every single one of his plays or accept his plan to enter a drama school once he got his degree in Biology.
Regardless of their reservations and disagreements, Collin knew they supported him.
- Don't they approve of you acting?
- They do, they do. I guess they just want me to have a safe-net to fall back on. Besides, they will help me pay for those studies too if I get this degree.
Adam hummed in understanding, reaching for Collin's beverage in a relaxed manner.
- It could be any area?
- Yeah, just not art.
- Then, why Biology?
- It sounded easy. – He waved down Adam's sassy eyebrow raise. – I know, I know. No need to beat a dead horse.
- So that was why you were even more stubborn in the beginning?
- It helped, but it was mostly because you were even more annoying. – Before the other could retort back, he continued. – And because you had screamed at me at the restaurant.
The recollection caused Adam to grimace, but instead of resentment, his lips tugged humorously.
- Maybe that reaction wasn't the best. But, in my defence, I hadn't slept in days, and you weren't very apologetic about scalding me with a drink.
- You called me dumb.
Adam's mouth opened for just a second, quickly closing when no argument came out. Then, with a closed smile, his hand let go of the mug to rub the back of his neck.
- I'm sorry. I have no justification, I was just sleep-deprived.
A sense of victory would be expected, but Collin found said feeling being undermined by memories of Adam staying behind at the lab when he and Jane took a break or sighing as his tired eyes stared at the ridiculous results.
- I don't think I've ever seen you well-rested. – he stated, distractedly rolling the empty mug between his hands. – Why don't you take a break?
Adam scoffed, amused at the idea.
- I wish I could, kid. But I don't have much more time left until I have to defend my dissertation and, if it doesn't go well, I can lose an amazing opportunity.
- Opportunity?
- The professor is considering recommending me to the company.
- The one we went to to pick up the centrifuge?
- It has multiple locations, but yes, that building is one of them. The professor's an important member of the firm's management, so it's really important that I impress her with this work. – His tone dragged and his smile faded as he spoke. – Of course, for that to happen, I would need the tests to show logical results... Seriously, it's as if the universe wants me to fail.
Seeing his supervisor down caused Collin's expression to dwindle as well. He hated to see Adam unhappy, especially about something so important to him.
The intern slapped his hands on the table – with less dramatics than he would have liked, but they were at a cafe after all – causing Adam to flinch slightly, gaping at him.
- Well, then the universe can fu... – Adam sent him a look – get lost, because we are going to do it, and the professor will be so impressed with you, she'll have to get you the job you want.
As he spoke, the doctorate student's face brightened with no clear attempt at hiding it. Encouraged by this, Collin ended the statement with an absolute nod, which elicited an indulgent scoff.
- Since when are you so decisive about our work?
- Since we became friends.
His words caused a movement in Adam's eyebrows, but the smile stayed as it was.
- Friends, huh? – he teased, shifting on the seat as if preparing to get up. – All right, if it's going to be as good as you say, I should go back to work.
- I can help a bit before going home.
The man shook his head, getting up.
- You've worked enough. Enjoy your free time before classes restart.
- Are you sure?
- I'm sure. – He reached over the table, tousling the younger's hair with a smile. – Thank you, kid. You're a good friend.
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