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Koschei found him in a secluded nook of the library, hunched over a book lit only by the dim light of a few precariously placed candles. His curly hair gleamed a burnished gold in the flickering glow.
"Thete?"
At the noise, Theta started, nearly knocking over one of his candles. He swung around in his chair, relaxing when his bleary eyes found Koschei. He smiled, and it was a tired, sweet thing.
"Oh, hey," Theta said, "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."
As if that was any excuse.
"You didn't sense me either, apparently."
"Yeah, sorry, my walls were up." Theta said absently, turning back to his book.
"When aren't they?" Said Koschei, walking over until he was stood behind Theta's chair.
Theta made a noncommittal sound. "I like my privacy, that's all. Don't you?"
Theta's mental walls were nearly flaweess - smooth, hard, featureless, and perfectly opaque. Trying to get into his mind uninvited was like trying to slip a knife between the bricks of a stone wall, and even Koschei had only managed it twice in their long acquaintance. But that was where Theta's skill with telepathy began and ended. Establishing communication was difficult for him, nearly impossible without physical contact, and he was absolutely hopeless when it came to hypnosis.
"You're not about to get any better at telepathy if you don't make an effort to actually open up your mind sometimes."
Theta scoffed. "You know, it's really annoying when you try and act like you're my teacher," he said. Then he tilted his head, as if reconsidering. "Although I suppose it's kinda hot too, so I suppose it all balances out."
Koschei sighed. "You're such a prick. I've no idea why I put up with you."
Theta tipped his head all the way back in his chair, looking up at Koschei and giving him one of those sunny golden smiles of his. Koschei's hands found his shoulders, and a sudden surge of affection made him painfully aware of just why he put up with Theta Sigma.
"Hey." Said Theta, still grinning like an idiot.
"Hey." Replied Koschei, unable to keep a similar smile from spreading across his own face.
One of Theta's hands came up to clutch the front of Koschei's robes, pulling him down for an upside-down kiss. The angle was awkward, and they both laughed a bit when they broke apart.
Theta's eyes were brown, nearly black. They glittered and danced in the candlelight when Theta raised an eyebrow teasingly.
"And what brings you to the library this fine... Evening? Is it evening?" He furrowed his brow for a moment, concentrating. "Yes, evening."
"I just wanted to check on you. Clearly I was right to, if you've been up so long you're losing track of time."
Koschei ran a casual hand down Theta's back, trying to peer over his shoulder at the book open on the table.
"Honestly, love," he said, giving up and sitting down in the chair opposite Theta, "it's nice to see you taking your school work more seriously, but staying up for so long studying like this isn't good for you.
"Hm? Oh, this isn't school work."
Koschei looked closer at the volume. Sure enough, it wasn't any textbook he recognized. He rubbed his temples.
"By the Other, Theta. You know, with all the time you spend reading, have you ever considered maybe... reading something that's on the syllabus?"
"Oh, but where's the fun in that?"
"Graduating, mostly."
Theta scoffed.
Koschei put a hand over Theta's where it rested on an open book.
"Thete, look at me."
He did, his eyes wide and faux-innocent.
"I worry about you, sometimes. You know better than anyone that I don't care for their rules any more than you do. But if we ever want to get out of here and get our own TARDIS, we'll have to graduate first. And that means you're going to have to start putting some actual work in. You're not going to be able to scrape by on natural talent and lucky guesses forever."
"Don't forget charm. Charm can get you an awfully long way." Theta winked.
"I'm serious."
They'd had this conversation before, and he doubted he'd be able to convince Theta any better tonight than the last time the topic had come up. Theta kept his mouth shut for once, his expression childishly petulent. Eventually, Koschei relented.
"Alright, go on then, tell me what you're reading about."
Theta smiled, and this time it was one of those cheerful golden smiles of his. "Oh, you know. Earth."
Koschei rolled his eyes.
"Right. Your humans." He said, trying to keep the derision from his voice.
"You don't have to say it like that."
Clearly he had not succeeded.
"I just don't see the point of them, that's all," he said, "There's really nothing remarkable about them in any way. There's only half a page about them in my xenobiology textbook, I reckon that's because there's nothing to say."
"I've already explained it to you."
"Not very well, clearly." He disliked how much that insipid little planet fascinated Theta. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what about it continued to draw his parter in, what they could possibly offer to a mind like his. Some small, irrational part of him feared that once they had their TARDISes, Theta would run off to that unremarkable smear of dirt, assimilate into their dull little lives and ever speak to him again.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Kosch. I just think they're interesting is all."
He seemes irrated. Koschei took no joy in seeing him irritated, so he decided to try and placate him.
"So, what's it today, then? History? Sociology? That thing you mentioned where they drink rotted juice because it makes their brains stop working?"
"Just physiology."
"Anything interesting in there?" Koschei asked absently. He'd begun to occupy himself by cupping his hand over one of the candles. He liked to see how close he could get to the flame. Whenever the burn became intolerable he'd pull away, then return his hand a moment later.
"Hm." Theta flipped a page critically. "A bit. Mostly things I already knew. Did you know that the healthy human body temperature is almost twice that of a Gallifreyan?"
"Not surprising, we run cooler than most endothermic bipeds."
"Yes, but not usually by that much! Sustained internal temperatures like theirs would force regeneration in a Time Lord, and would kill most other carbon-based species."
"How are they in cooler temperatures?"
"Bad. They actually have an unusually narrow range for healthy temperatures, even on their home planet. They compensate for it with insulating clothing and indoor combustion when their environment is too cold, and evaporative cooling or artificial refrigeration when it's too hot. It's ingenious, really."
"Truly. Refrigeration. What will they think of next." Koschei said dryly.
"But my point is," Theta continued, either oblivious to his tone or deliberately ignoring it, "that's part of what makes them so fun. They have these rubbish little bodies, but they make up for it with this sort of- of stubborn refusal to die. Have you seen how many mass extinction events they withstand?"
"Yeah, but it's not very practical evolution, is it? Why bother living on a planet with temperature extremes if you're just going to keel over dead the first time you step outside without a jacket?"
"Not every species has the luxury of tampering with their genetic code however they want, Kosch. Most species have to make do with the hand evolution dealt them."
"And the cards your humans are playing with are unusually warm, for whatever reason."
"Sure, if that's how you want to think about it."
"Hm, and they live such short lives too." Mused Koschei, "They burn hot, and then they burn out. Poof."
He blew the candle out, watching the thin ribbon of smoke twine its way towards the ceiling. Then he grabbed another candle from the table to continue his game, testing how close he could get his hand to the flame.
"There's something a bit beautiful about it though, don't you think?" Theta said wistfully. "They have such a short time, but they do so much with what they're given. Can you imagine? Only having 80 or so years to live, to learn, to experiment, to love, and then it's all over. They're like little novas, burning hot and bright and beautiful, even if only for a moment."
"They're not novas though. They're crude parodies of Gallifreyan bodies without any of the useful bits. Tiny brains too."
"Yes, but look how much they accomplish with what they get! Less than 10,000 years between their development of agriculture and their development of space travel! Isn't that remarkable?"
"Yeah, I guess I see what you mean." Said Koschei.
In truth, he found the prospect disconcerting and slightly vulgar. He could not imagine being in conflict with time itself, especially not as something so insignificant and fleshy. He also felt an absurd swell of jealousy at the awe in Theta's voice. He knew it was pointless of course, being jealous of an entire species, one that Theta would likely grow out of before they even came close to getting their TARDISes. But jealousy is rarely an emotion that can be quelled by reason.
Theta turned his head then, noticing Koschei still fiddling with his candle. His brow slightly furrowed, he gently took Koschei's hand in one of his own and drew it away from the flame. His skin was cool and soft, exactly how it should be. He kissed Koschei's palm.
"I wish you wouldn't do that." He said quietly, running a feather-light thumb over the shiny reddened skin. It would blister, probably.
"Yeah, well," Koschei said, feeling suddenly petulant and irritable, "there are a lot of things I wish you wouldn't do too. But here we are."
"I just don't like to see you hurt yourself."
"It's not like that," he snapped.
"Then what's it like, Kosch?" Theta pleaded, wrapping Koschei's hand in both of his own, "tell me! I'll listen, you know I will! Sometimes it feels like you don't tell me anything!"
Koschei jerked his hand away, hiding it in his pocket. The drumming was suddenly louder in his mind than usual, and he raised his voice slightly to match it.
"For a man so concerned with privacy, you seem have a remarkable disregard for my own."
"I don't think it's a breach of privacy to want to know why my partner seems so intent on hurting himself!" Theta insisted.
They were being loud. Not yelling, but loud enough that any other students who were up studying at this hour would hear them.
"Well, if you were competent, you'd be able to see it in my head. But you waste your time on - on pointless trivia, and games, and this frivolous bullshit, and then you wonder why you're falling behind! Sometimes I wonder if you even really want to see what's out there, or of you're just keen to run away from responsibility any way you can!"
Theta didn't respond. He looked hurt. After holding Koschei's gaze for a moment, he turned back to his book, pretending to read.
The pleasant heat of Koschei's anger cooled quickly to discomfort, and then to guilt. The drums quieted in his head. He could not find it in himself to hold on to his frustration, but he also refused to be the first to apologize.
"Thank you for coming to check on me," Theta said quietly, after some time in tense silence.
Always the mediator, that one. It irritated Koschei how hard he found it to stay mad at him for any period of time.
"You know I always will," he said reluctantly.
"Yeah, I do." Theta butted his head against his shoulder, and the last of Koschei's anger drained away. "You won't leave me alone. My own nosy little shadow."
Koschei smiled despite himself.
"Mm, yep, m'afraid you're stuck with me."
"Stubborn bastard," Theta said fondly.
"You're one to talk " Said Koschei, pulling away and finally standing up, "How long has it been since you last slept?"
"What?" Asked Theta, "I don't know."
"Yes you do."
Theta glared up at him, without any real malice.
"Thete," he cajoled.
Theta sighed.
"Nine days, twelve spans, seventy microspans, if you must know."
Koschei sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"And since you've eaten?"
"Um," he shifted uncomfortably in his chair, like a child caught cheating.
"Theta."
"Six days."
"Okay, that does it," he said, taking some petty glee on slamming the book shut and shoving it away from Theta, "come on, up you get."
Theta groaned in annoyance, but allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.
"Now, here's what's gonna happe,n" he said, dragging Theta towards the southern exit. "We're going to get some food in you, and then we're going to get you to bed, and then you're going to stay there, at least until the first sunrise tomorrow morning."
"Only if you join me," Theta said, with an exaggerated wink. Koschei rolled his eyes.
"You're impossible."
Theta wrapped his arms around Koschei's lower back and smiled down at him - still warm, but now closer to a flickering candle flame than the brilliance of a sun. Even after all these years, that smile never failed to quicken Koschei's hearts.
"I'm not kidding."
Koschei laughed and decided to go along with it. He looped his arms around Theta's neck.
"Fine, if that's what it takes to get you to behave. But food first! That's non-negotiable."
"Oh, you're no fun."