The familiar FaceTime ringtone echoed through Tim’s bedroom just as he finished organizing tomorrow’s notes.

He answered immediately.

Bernard’s exhausted face filled the screen, and then the panic started.

“Babe, I just got home from work and I have that huge biology test tomorrow and I haven’t studied at all—like, at all—and I’m going to fail. My academic career is over. I’m going to be flipping burgers forever because Burger King is the only place that’ll hire someone who fails biology—”

Tim opened his mouth. Bernard kept going.

“Work was insane because someone ordered eight Whoppers right before my shift ended and the shake machine died and I had to explain that I couldn’t magically fix it and then I remembered the test and—”

“Bernard.”

“I literally haven’t looked at my notes once! You told me to study and I was going to, but then work got busy and tomorrow became today and now I’m doomed and—”

“Bernard.”

“I’m going to fail.”

Tim pinched the bridge of his nose. Bernard had been stressing about this exam for a week, and Tim had reminded him every day. He’d even offered to study together yesterday.

Each time Bernard had smiled and said, “I’ve got plenty of time.”

Apparently not.

“Bernard.”

“What if there are diagrams?”

“Bernard.”

Silence.

His boyfriend blinked. “…Yeah?”

“I told you so.”

Bernard groaned. “You did.”

“Multiple times.”

“Okay, yes, you warned me.”

Tim laughed. “I’m helping you study.”

Bernard’s whole face changed. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Relief washed over him. “You are literally the best boyfriend ever.”

“I know.”

For the next few hours, Tim quizzed him over vocabulary, drew diagrams on camera, and made ridiculous memory tricks that somehow worked. Bernard asked a hundred questions, got distracted twice, and occasionally answered the wrong chapter with complete confidence, but little by little it stuck.

By midnight, he could explain everything that had terrified him earlier.

“I think…” Bernard yawned, rubbing his eyes, “…I might actually pass.”

“I think you will too.”

The next day, Bernard walked into school more confident than he’d been the night before. The test was still hard, but thanks to Tim, he knew more than he expected.

All day, the anticipation gnawed at him.

When passing period finally came, Bernard headed straight for Tim’s locker.

Tim was already there, leaning against the lockers with his backpack slung over one shoulder. He looked up the second Bernard appeared.