The warmth from the hallway hit Robin as he entered the Psychology building, warming cold-bitten cheeks. His insides thawed as well from the smile that welcomed him.

"Here you go, Robby." Tyler greeted his boyfriend--or maybe fiancé--by shoving a giant cup topped with whipped cream at him. "I figured you needed it to wake up, so I made aunt Donna stop at Tim Horton's on the way."

Robin took the offering, also stealing a kiss as he leaned close. Because kissing was of course the first thing on his mind when seeing his boyfriend for the first time that day.

"Thank you," he mumbled, putting the cup to his recently kissed lips. Hot, sweet, chocolate hit his tongue, mellowing as the soft cream blended into the mixture. "And good morning. Did you not get one for yourself?"

"Good morning, cutie," Tyler replied much perkier than should be allowed before nine in the morning. "I may have already drank mine in the car..." That explained his perkiness. "Are you ready for your meeting with the professor?"

Robin nodded. He'd barely slept the night before as restless worries kept him from drifting into dreams. But he was ready. Whatever the news was, he would be able to handle it.

Hand in hand they walked toward the Psychology building. Since Tyler no longer needed to use crutches, such displays of connection were now possible. Robin carried his hot chocolate cup in his free right hand while Tyler supported himself on his cane with his free left hand. They were synchronized and united.

Robin's heart was about to pound through his rib cage as he knocked on the door to Professor Royce's office, which was decorated with sheets of syllabuses and deadlines for all the professor's courses. Perhaps he'd gotten tired of students knocking to ask about such things.

"Our essay deadline is on Wednesday?" Tyler marveled, looking at one of the sheets.

Robin nodded. He'd already completed the assignment during the weekend, while waiting for his boyfriend during different appointments at the hospital. "I'll help you write it," he assured his not-as-well-planned partner. "I already got some topics ready for you to choose from."

A wet kiss hit his cheek. "I'd be lost without you, Robby," Tyler stated, head tilted to the side like a cute kitten.

The door cracked open before Robin could reassure his boyfriend that he would be quite fine study-wise on his own as well if he only put his mind to it. Although having his mind in the clouds was one of the many things Robin loved about Tyler. And he was very thankful that Tyler had needed a tutor in the first place.

"Mr. Erie, Mr. Caster," Professor Royce greeted them. "Punctual as usual. You can come right in so we can talk."

"I'll wait out here," Tyler told Robin, pointing toward the waiting area outside where a bowl with lollipops stood on a table. Perhaps Miss Horn had put it there. Robin guessed the bowl would be emptied in an impressive time if Ty was left alone with it.

"You can join us if you like," Professor Royce informed him. "If it's alright with Mr. Erie, of course."

Perhaps the professor had seen Robin's desperate look as Tyler stepped away from him.

"Please stay," Robin begged Tyler, squeezing his hand tighter. Tyler squeezed back.

"I'll come with you, Robby," Tyler assured him.

The office was filled with books from the floor up to the ceiling. There were even some stacks on the floors, probably because all bookshelves were already filled. Robin read some of the titles on the spines as he walked by, noting that the subjects ran from Algebra to X-ray Technology. It appeared Professor Royce's interests went far beyond his chosen subject to study.

They sat down on a creaking lecture chair each, hands finding each other in the gap between the seats. Their professor took a seat opposite the boys, behind a massive desk in dark oak that looked to be at least a century old.

"Let's just cut to the chase," the professor said, moving a few papers from the cluttered desk to find his keyboard. "Because you look kind of nervous, Mr. Erie."

Robin could only nod, clasping Tyler's hand even harder. The professor had definitely read his expression right.

"Very well," Professor Royce continued, pulling his desk drawer out to present a paper to Robin. The thick paper and embossed frame made it look important. "This is for you, Robin.

Robin stared at the paper, incapable of comprehending its meaning. The words couldn't be real.

Robin Jonathan Erie. Recipient of the Tully Scholarship.

"Is your middle name Jonathan?" Tyler asked, perhaps not keeping his focus on what was important.

"It was my father's name," Robin mumbled, reading the text over and over to comprehend it. "Is this..." He raised his eyes to the professor for confirmation. "What does this mean?"

"It means you won the scholarship," Professor Royce clarified with a wide smile.

"But--but," Robin stuttered. "The results aren't supposed to be out yet. We were told it would take several weeks."

"The decision was unanimous. There was no need to discuss it further. You deserved it. Be proud, son."

A sense of comfort and calm instilled itself in Robin's insides upon hearing the words. Perhaps that's what pride was. Perhaps he'd never been proud of himself before.

"I'm proud of you, Robby," Tyler assured him, nudging a soft shoulder against Robin's arm. "I knew you could do it!"

"I'm sorry if me asking you to come here today caused further anxiety for you," Professor Royce continued. "I just wanted to give you the decision as soon as possible, and I wanted to do it in person as I also wanted to talk with you about something else."

Robin looked up from the glossy diploma in his hands, which he'd been reading over and over to assure himself it was real. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused about what else the professor would want to discuss with him. Maybe his mom was causing issues somehow.

"Well, I talked to my husband last week," the professor said. "And we both agreed that we wanted to offer you something else as well. We figured you might need some extra support as I've extrapolated that you're dealing with some issues with your mother, perhaps related to your choice of partner. Which Alejandro and I can relate to, as he struggled with approval from his own parents when we first met."

Robin just nodded, unsure where this was going.

"Since the scholarship doesn't include room and board we figured you may need some help with that," the professor continued.

"I got a job at the cinema," Robin mumbled, not wanting it to seem like he hadn't considered this. "I can pay for an apartment, I think..."

"And that's great. I believe it's good for young people to get a taste of work life early. But we wanted to make sure you have somewhere safe to go home to every night. And it just happens that we have a spare basement apartment... we built it for my mother but she's proving to be more independent than you would expect for a ninety-year-old woman. So if you want, you could rent it for the coming semesters. I'm sure we could agree on a rent that would fit your income."

"That sounds great, Robby," Tyler whispered. "You wouldn't have to sleep on Des' floor. And I want you to have somewhere safe to live."

"So should I..." Robin whispered back, even though he was quite sure the professor could hear them. "Should I take the offer?"

Tyler nodded enthusiastically.

Robin looked up toward the no-longer-stern-looking professor. "I would like that," he mumbled, overwhelmed by all the new options showered over him.

"Great!" The professor replied. "Alejandro will be happy to hear that. He's already started to plan how to decorate the apartment... You might have to have a word with him on that before he runs away with it. You might end up with purple curtains and yellow rugs or something."

"I wouldn't mind," Robin assured him because he really didn't. Purple curtains and yellow rugs sounded way cozier than the cold walls of his childhood home.

"I'll tell him that." The professor laughed heartily. "Oh, he also wanted to tell you there is one condition to the deal though."

Robin swallowed, seeing the purple curtains and yellow rugs flutter away from him.

"You need to join us every night for a dinner. Alejandro works as a chef and loves to try new recipes at home. He'll be delighted to have a newer, and younger, taste-tester available. And it assures us that you get at least one warm meal every day. Although you're of course welcome for other meals too. Can't have you starving if you're living under our roof."

Perhaps seeing Tyler licking his lips in response to the mention of chef-cooked food, the professor added: "And your boyfriend is of course also welcome for dinner if he's around."

Without even looking to Tyler for assurance, Robin replied. "I can do that," he said, biting his lip to stop tears from flowing. Having people dote over him and making sure he was cared for was such a new experience to Robin that he couldn't help being overcome by emotion. "I would like that a lot actually. Thank you, Professor Royce."

Robin looked down, wiping an insistent tear away. A giant hand--reminiscent of a bear paw--touched his shoulder, comforting him. "You're welcome, son," Professor Royce said, starting the waterworks once again.