Title: "Career Counseling" (College AU - Part Five) Pairing: Karl Urban/Orlando Bloom (Sean Bean) Rating: PG-13 Summary: Professor Bean had a reputation for being a great sounding board. Disclaimer: Never happened. Notes: Written for the Comment_Fic Free For All post - my prompts were 'good to the last drop' and Bean/Karl. Karl set the Starbucks cup on Professor Bean's desk – Venti breve latte with two sugars and a dollop of vanilla syrup (he'd memorized the drink first week of classes) – and took a bracing sip of his own Café Mocha while waiting for the professor to finish his call. The professor's small office, like always, was crammed full of books spilling from every bookcases and stacks of papers on the floor that threatened to topple over at the slightest hint of a breeze. Karl's inner neat freak (anal neat freak, he could hear Orlando saying) wept at the chaos of it all, but he didn't touch anything. Professor Bean had long maintained that he knew exactly where everything was down to the last paper clip, and Karl wasn't about to risk his wrath. After all, he was riding an A in the class. Professor Bean hung up the phone and flashed Karl a wide grin (that might've possibly made Karl a little wobbly, but he was admitting nothing), then pointed at the cup. "Bribing me for a better grade, I see." Karl took that as his cue to sit on the lumpy sofa across from the desk. He set his backpack between his feet and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "What can I say, I like to have all of my options covered." "A smart man." The professor took a sip of his coffee, studied Karl over the rim out of clear, cool eyes. "What's on your mind, son?" "Nothing." He mentally grimaced. Here for a reason, man, may as well come out with it. "Well, sort of nothing. I mean, it should be nothing, it probably is nothing, but..." "Out with it." "Right." Karl busied himself with poking around in his already immaculately organized backpack. He always had a hard time looking directly at the professor. Orlando was always joking about how looking at the professor was sort of like looking into the sun, on account of how blond and perfect and incandescent he was. Karl thought Orlando might be on to something. Then again, he thought that about a lot of Orlando's ideas. "So, the thing is." Karl took a deep breath. "It's my senior year, right...and I've, um, got all of these...offers." "I'm listening." Karl risked a quick glance up. Total crush on the dude aside, Professor Bean had a reputation for being a great sounding board. It was why he was here, bribe in tow, no less. "From these schools, right, to study further, get my masters and all? And, uh, well, I mean, that's cool, I totally would love to go to grad school, especially on a free ride, but, see, um, the Rays've offered me and Orlando minor league contracts." When the professor sat back, his ancient chair creaked like an old man. "That is a big deal." Karl nodded. "And it could be...I mean, how many people get paid to play baseball, right? And it'd totally be worth putting off school for a little while, seeing what came of it." He knew he could always get his masters later, if it came down to it. Plenty of people did it in their 30s, even. "But, um." His voice dropped, even though he didn't know why. He wasn't ashamed. He wasn't. "But I know...things...willl have to be, uh, y'know, different. I mean, if Orlando and I are on a team together." "Because of your relationship?" The professor prompted, in a gentle voice. Once again, Karl nodded. Stupid to be all nervous over this, especially when he normally had no problem talking to people or in public. It wasn't like he and Orlando had ever tried to hide what they were or who they were to each other. "Not a lot of pro athletes dating other guys," he finally said. He didn't use the word gay, because, well, he wasn't, and he wasn't fond of the whole label thing anyway. He loved women. And Orlando. At best, it made him bisexual, but he still doubted Major League Baseball would care about semantics. "True." The professor was silent for a handful of minutes. Karl stared at his strong profile out of the corner of his eye. "I suppose the question you have to ask yourself is if playing professional baseball is worth it –" "Well, of course, but –" "Let me finish." The smile was quick, belied the softly uttered rebuke. "And if Orlando is worth whatever would come with not hiding what you two have." Karl was certain he had to have the sappiest look on his face outside of a sparkly vampire movie, but he didn't care. Drew called it his 'twu wuv' face (in her best minister-from-the-Princess-Bride voice). "Orlando's worth everything," he said, as positive of that as he was his own name. There wasn't even room for a future without Orlando in it. He felt certain Professor Bean would understand. He'd heard that Professor Bean had moved from his native England and everything he knew over twenty years ago just to be with Professor Sinclair, and if that wasn't love, then he had no idea what was. Karl knew he'd move to the ends of the earth to make Orlando happy. "Then you'll both find a way," the professor said, and patted his knee. "Trust your instincts. Now, don't you have a class you need to be running off to?" Karl stood, offered his free hand to the professor to shake. Already, he felt calmer. If the professor had faith in him to make the right choice, then it was a home run, man, he could totally do it. "Thanks." The professor's answering smile was genuine, sympathetic. "What I'm here for." Onto Pop Quiz Main College AU page If you enjoyed this fic, please leave feedback here. Thanks!