Study Break
Written for August Fic Challenge 2023, Prompt: Popsicles. Established relationship. Just silly. Comments and kudos would be awesome. Enjoy!
Cooper is trying to study.
It's surprising, he knows, but he really needs at least a passing grade on this upcoming exam to keep from ending up on the professor's shit list – he's already on his dad's and he would like to avoid any others, thank you very much. Also he kind of actually likes his history professor, the guy makes it seem like it's not the most boring subject on the planet and sometimes Cooper even actually learns something interesting in his lectures. So, he can do this, he can totally do this. He's got this.
He's sitting out in a less populated area of the campus quad on a warm, spring day, enjoying the nice weather. He's got textbooks and notebooks spread out around him, pens and highlighters of varying colors scattered about.
He can do this.
Josh has helped him figure out a decent study method (in that he has one at all these days) and he scribbles down mostly coherent notes on William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt. He has notes on the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo where McKinley was assassinated by Leon Czolgsoz. He has notes on TR's ascension from Vice President and his Square Deal policies. Hell, as the information starts to stick in his head, he starts thinking that maybe he'll even manage to ace this test.
But then he sees Josh.
And that's… a problem.
Because Josh is doing things to a popsicle that should probably be like seven kinds of illegal and Cooper finds himself vaguely wondering what flavor it is, staining Josh's lips that pretty red color. Maybe strawberry? Or is it cherry?
Josh is entirely oblivious, walking across the quad with Jerry and Pickle. The three of them settle at a picnic table nearby and if it weren't for the fact that Josh hasn't even so much as glanced in his direction yet, Cooper would swear he was doing this on purpose.
He tries to focus on his work – details of Roosevelt's time as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, of his time in the Spanish-American War, and then as Governor of New York – but no matter how interesting his history professor can make his lectures sound, Josh is infinitely more appealing.
The popsicle is nearly gone now and he watches intently as more and more of it vanishes.
He'll study later, he tells himself, abandoning the pretense. He gathers up the pens and highlighters and piles up the books. Throws it all into his backpack and swiftly crosses to the picnic table. "Hey," he says in greeting to them all, but his eyes don't leave Josh. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure thing, Coop," Josh easily agrees. He tosses the popsicle stick in the trash when he stands and moves a few feet away with Cooper. "What's up? Did your study session go okay?"
Cooper manages a laugh and promptly pulls Josh into a sound kiss, tongue delving in to taste the flavor of the mysterious popsicle. "Ah, it was cherry," he observes, "I thought so."
"So, not so good on the studying, then," Josh teases, grinning against Cooper's lips as he steals another kiss. "Come on, then," he says. He backs away a step, hand catching Cooper's. "Let's go back to the room and I'll help you out."
"With the studying?" Cooper wonders, unsure if close proximity to Josh would help or hinder his ability to focus on history right now. Absently, he wonders if there are any more popsicles. (Hinder, definitely hinder.)
"No."
Oh. Well, then. He follows eagerly. "Lead the way."
Josh will still probably help him study. Later.