Though he said he was going to bed on time, Fenton ended up spending half the night finishing up some drawings. He wondered if Lacey had remembered their promise. It was less of a promise, but more of an offhand comment, but Fenton took it seriously.
When he woke up the next morning, he sent the three drawings he had shown Albert off to get printed. It would take a few days to get framed and delivered. On one hand, he should've warned Lacey that he was having the art sent directly to her, but Fenton didn't know if he'd be home when they arrived.
"Hey, Albert, you up?" Fenton peeked in Albert's room.
The bed was made, but his desk was a mess. He hadn't returned by the time Fenton went to bed, but he also didn't mention having to go somewhere early in the morning. Fenton frowned. It wasn't unusual for one or both of them to crash at Rafi's place if it was way past midnight.
Fenton's phone began to vibrate. "Sorry, Professor Song. I'm heading out the door now."
"We're doing a mock exam today. Be sure to bring any tools you need," replied Caspian.
"I will!" Fenton's eyes went wide as he scanned the room. A calculator, right? And a pencil... He hadn't used a pencil in so long that he wasn't certain if he owned one.
"I'll see you soon then. Wear something warm."
Wear something warm? What did that mean? Was the exam somehow outside? "R-right!" Stuttered Fenton. He then hung up the phone.
Fenton hastily ran to the bathroom and put some of Albert's hair product in his hair, just to tame it a bit. He then snuck into Albert's room and opened a drawer, borrowing both a calculator and pencil box.
Everything was stuffed into his bag, which he then hooked on his shoulder. Though he knew better than to text and walk, he typed out a quick message while descending the stairs.
"Taking mock exam. Borrowed supplies. Back tonight. ♥"
Fenton slipped on the last few steps and had to grab onto the railing to prevent himself from cracking his face open on the cement floor. He steadied himself and put his phone back in his bag. ... Wet? Why was the floor at the entrance wet? Bobbing his head down low as a neighbor passed, he muttered hello and walked out the door.
Then he froze in place.
Snow? Now? It was getting to be late November, so it shouldn't surprise him, but... Fenton looked at the tram tracks in the middle of the street. They were covered in snow. Barely anyone was outside either, which meant that they had canceled public transport services for today.
Should he call Caspian to cancel? Fenton shook his head. No. That's why his professor had told him to dress warmly. There was no choice but to walk, no matter how long it took him. Plus, Fenton didn't want to make his professor worry about him.
Fenton could see it now. Caspian sitting on his couch with a cup of tea. A hint of worry passes across his perfect, chiseled features. Will his cutest student bother to show up today?
The thought of disappointing Caspian had Fenton's heart racing. He would do it. No matter how long it took, he would travel to his Caspian.
An hour and a half later, Fenton knocked on the door. There was ice bristling along his brow and scarf, and the ankles of his jeans were caked with snow. Every step was sluggish, every breath was agony. That didn't matter. He had made it.
Caspian opened the door and stood there. He was staring at Fenton with a blank expression and had a mug of tea in his hands.
"... Was the trolley that bad?" He finally asked.
"They canceled services today," muttered Fenton. "... So I walked."
Caspian stared at him silently again. This time, it was judgmentally, as though he were heavily questioning Fenton's intelligence. "Here." He held out his mug for Fenton to take.
Fenton gratefully took the mug, but his fingers had gone completely numb. It slipped from his fingers and cracked open against the floor. "... S-sorry!" He immediately knelt on the ground and began to sop it up with the corner of his scarf.
The puddle was spreading across the floor. Caspian took a step back so that it wouldn't seep into his socks. "I'll get a towel."
Caspian had to shoo Fenton away from the spill so he could clean up. Fenton was ordered to toss his wet jacket and other drenched clothing in the laundry room. He was given some navy blue pajamas to wear until his clothes dried out.
"You should have told me that you couldn't come," said Caspian. He set a coffee and a banana nut muffin down on the table.
"But I did," replied Fenton. "It just took longer than I thought."
Caspian paused. "... How are you going to get home?"
Fenton hadn't thought that far ahead. "... Maybe the trolley would be running by then?" He asked hopefully.
There was no amusement in Caspian's tone. "You have sixty minutes to finish the exam. You can use a calculator and a pencil." He set a timer on the table next to the exam, so Fenton would know how much time was left. "I'll grade it when you're done."
Caspian was always cold and professional. Fenton had a hard time describing their relationship. Right now it was, "maybe a couple in the future but Caspian doesn't seem all that into the idea."
Not that it was a bad thing, they had only known each other for a month and a half now. There was still plenty of time to... Go over to Caspian's house and become bored to death by math, because that's all they ever did together.
Fenton let out a sigh and opened the exam packet. At least he felt like he had learned something. Plus, having a blanket, hot coffee, and a muffin at least made it easier to not stress about it. That timer didn't help, but Fenton could at least try to ignore it.
"Done," he said. He glanced at the timer. Two minutes left... Way to close.
Caspian looked up from his tablet. He had been planning tomorrow's lessons, but now he wasn't so sure there would be any if it kept snowing. "Bring it here."
Fenton stood up from the floor, stretched his legs, and took the exam over to the dining table. Aside from having a plethora of seats, Caspian's apartment was fairly bare. He had a few photos up, but that was about it.
He dropped off the exam and went back to sit on the couch. Getting his phone, he saw that Albert hadn't texted him back yet. Maybe he was busy? Fenton hadn't gotten around to asking Albert what he had been up to when Fenton wasn't around.
His eyes slowly became heavier and heavier. Fenton sat up, trying to stay awake, only to realize that a blanket had been put on top of him. Through the bleariness of sleep, he could make out Caspian's muffled voice.
"Sorry, professor. I was up later than I..."
Fenton looked around. Caspian wasn't in the room. His bedroom door was slightly open and his voice was trailing through there.
"... and he walked here," muttered Caspian. "No, it isn't cute... I don't think he did it on purpose. Regardless of his feelings, he's going to stay out on the couch." He let out an annoyed groan. "He's cute, but he's just as vacant-headed as the rest of them."
There was a long pause followed by Caspian sighing. "That's called grooming, and I'm morally against that... Yes, it is bad, Marc." Caspian paused again. "I'm not going to be ready for a long time. I'm not willing to have those choices made for me... Right, I know... I know, Marc... Love you too. Bye."
Caspian already had someone? Fenton drew the blanket around himself. He sat still, not bothering to hide the fact that he was awake when Caspian entered the room.
"You're up?" Caspian asked.
"Hmm?" Fenton didn't bother to turn around. He rubbed his face with his hands. "Yeah, sorry... I was up late last night... Did I do okay?"
Caspian didn't seem to notice that Fenton had heard his conversation. Good. Fenton could play it off. He wanted to play it off. After all, he didn't have a relationship with Caspian, it was fine if he was with someone.
"It was barely a passing grade," muttered Caspian. He then stretched his arms behind his back. "They're still heating the tram rails. You won't be able to leave until tomorrow."
Fenton nodded. This was only a crush. He shouldn't let his heart get so involved. "Sorry for the inconvenience."
"I have to work on a digital copy of the lessons tomorrow, in case they cancel classes," replied Caspian. "We'll eat something and I'll work on them in the bedroom. You can sleep more or watch some TV."
Fenton still couldn't bring himself to look at Caspian. "I need to call my roommate."
Caspian gave him a thumbs up. "I'll get started on dinner."
Albert would give Fenton good advice. He wanted to run away, but he didn't think he could safely make the walk back. His phone didn't even bother to ring, going straight to voicemail.
"Hey, charge your phone," said Fenton. "The weather got worse. I'm spending the night at Professor Song's. Please call me back when you can."
Fenton hung up and clung the phone to his chest. His heart had begun to race... Albert would call him back soon. He'd find a way to help Fenton out.