Keeping Score

by Merry Amelie

Title: Keeping Score
Author: Merry Amelie
Archive: MA only
Category: Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance, Series
Rating: PG
Summary: Making the grade.

I'm posting Arcadia and Q/O drabbles to TPM 100.

Series: Academic Arcadia -- # 125
A chronological list of the series with the URLs can be found under the header 'Academic Arcadia' at the Master Apprentice ML.

My MA story page is here.

Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com.
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.

For
My beta team: Nerowill, Emila-Wan, Carol, and Padawan Sue
Mali Wane for posting
My former betas: Alex and Ula

Quinn's Tolkien seminar should have begun ten minutes ago, but he couldn't remember the room number. He wandered the halls of Taton searching for a familiar face...

He started when he heard a snore a few feet away. His office at Luke solidified around him, and only then did he realize he'd been dreaming. Ian was asleep in his chair, arm cradling his head on the armrest.

For a moment, Quinn thought he was still sleeping. This was the position he had found Ian in after their first meal together -- their hot dog lunch on the Amtrak Acela. Five years separated the moments, yet Ian looked exactly the same to his loving eyes. And his own reaction was the same as well -- overwhelming attraction.

He gave in to the lure of just looking for a minute, craving the oasis in a day spent overworking. Messy, copper-spiked hair shone against Ian's cream shirt. His mouth was open, saliva gleaming at the corner. Lashes brushed his cheek, just the way Quinn's fingertips longed to. Dimple half in shadow, it was at a tricky angle for kissing.

With an effort, Quinn looked away before going lower. He would never forget how out of control he had been on Valentine's Day, when he'd been seconds away from making love to Ian, right at his desk. His fingers clenched his pen; he just had to wait until their work was done and they were at home.

He and Ian had been marking final exams all day, trying to finish by noon tomorrow, when grades were due. His T.A. had confessed to losing the quiz scores yesterday, prompting a few tears, which Quinn tried to soothe with awkward pats on her back. 10% of the final grade had vanished; he'd spent hours trying to compensate for it in his grade calculations.

He stretched, then walked quietly over to Ian's desk to see how much he'd done. Twenty exams left, about three hours of work yet. He'd let his lad sleep for a while.

Not even daring to brush an errant curl, Quinn made himself coffee and perched on the windowsill for a little break of his own. The May breeze on his face was bracing, more stimulating than caffeine. He smiled when a Toyota with a "Golden State Rocks 6/17/08" bumper sticker passed him on its way out of the parking lot. That was the historic date California would join Massachusetts in legalizing same-sex marriage. Smile deepening, he could almost feel Ian's lips on his in their wedding kiss at Mace Chapel.

Refreshed after his brief rest, Quinn continued computing grades on his laptop until he heard Ian's chair creak. Beautiful blue-grey eyes looked up at him. "Hey, lad. Sleep well?"

"Yeah. I needed that. Thought I read Malcolm Bradbury instead of Ray on the last essay." Ian chuckled. "A difference of five points."

"That was a good place to stop," Quinn said wryly. He got up to make coffee for Ian and put the mug into his husband's grateful hand.

Quinn's laptop beeped and he sat down to open the e-mail. "Whew! Myra found the quiz scores. She had a back-up copy on her home computer."

"Thank goodness!" Ian's eyes were warmer than the spring night.

Quinn tapped them in with all but Force-enhanced speed, while Ian grinned at him over his Skyhawks mug.

"How much time do you need to finish up here?" Ian asked when Quinn stopped typing.

"Ought to be done by midnight," Quinn answered with a relieved sigh.

"I should be through around then, too." Ian put his mug down and rose to massage Quinn's taut shoulders, then sat on Quinn's desk. "How about a little something to get me over the hump?" Ian's wink was positively salacious.

No one did suggestive like Ian, Quinn thought gratefully, in awe of his husband's gifts. One kiss couldn't hurt, he mused as he pulled Ian towards him. He smiled into his laddie's teasing eyes and kissed his teasing lips.

That would get him through anything.